Post Season 2 Episode 23 "Vartius" - Henry and Elizabeth found their relationship challenged throughout this season. I wanted to write a piece that brought some resolution to the conflict.

Finding Resolution

Henry wanted to make sure that Dmitri was alright, that he was comfortable - or at least as comfortable as he could be in a hospital room - and that he had everything that he needed. He didn't expect the young man to forgive him for what had happened, part of him would never forgive himself, but still he wanted to make sure that Dmitri was OK.

It wasn't late when he returned home, but Elizabeth had already retreated to their bedroom. Henry found her collapsed atop the soft embrace of their duvet, staring up at the ceiling with vacant eyes. She was exhausted; he didn't need to ask, didn't need to hear her halfhearted denial, to know that it was true. Everything that he had suffered, she had suffered too. Guilt, fear, loss, hope. But she felt it more acutely than he ever could. Only he saw the deep insecurity that she felt, imprinted on her in her most impressionable years. Sometimes he wondered if she even saw it herself, or if she had blinded herself to it as a way of protecting herself from crumbling. Acknowledged or not, it made everything so much more intense. He knew that she feared she had lost him - emotionally, physically - and he knew that he had let her fear that, like some kind of vindictive punishment. It was only when he had forgiven her that he realised that she did not need his forgiveness after all; it was he who needed hers.

Henry lay down next to her, propping himself up with his elbow so that he could look at her. He studied her face, the purplish hollows beneath her eyes, the tension that tugged at her lips, the slight furrow of her brow. He could spend hours, he thought, drinking in every detail. With his free hand, he reached out, his palm brushing over her stomach and settling there.

Her gaze drifting sideways, Elizabeth found Henry's eyes. There was a delicate intimacy in the look that they shared. It was a look that spoke the words that were sometimes hard to find.

"You did an incredible thing," Henry said.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I did the right thing."

Righting a wrong wasn't incredible, it was just plain decent. If they hadn't sacrificed Dmitri in the first place, none of this would have been necessary. Besides, she knew that she wasn't acting selflessly - a lot of her motivation came from wanting Henry's forgiveness, wanting him to be able to look at her again without seeing the ghosts.

But Henry insisted. "You risked everything to get Dmitri back."

Her actions were incredible to him; anyone else would have given up, they would have written Dmitri off as collateral damage, but Elizabeth pursued every last trace of hope.

"I know how much you love your job," Henry said. "I know that you were willing to sacrifice that even for the smallest chance of securing Dmitri's safety."

It was true, she did love her job - even if it took the fear of losing it in order for her to realise that fact.

"I do love my job," Elizabeth said, "But I love you more."

Elizabeth rolled away from his touch. With a tired sigh, she rose from the bed and plodded towards the bathroom, passing the suitcases that had yet to be unpacked. She paused before reaching the door and, without turning back, she said, "I would move Heaven and Earth for you, Henry."

"Elizabeth." There was a rawness to Henry's voice as he called her back. He was at her side before she had the chance to turn around. He looked down into her eyes. "I love you." It was perhaps the sincerest thing he had ever said.

Elizabeth held his gaze and nodded - she knew.

But Henry shook his head and said, "No." She didn't know. She couldn't know quite how much he loved her.

"I. Love. You." Each word was spoken slowly, given its own emphasis. His hands held her waist and he leaned in to kiss her. But he stopped, paused, his breath warm against her lips.

Elizabeth snaked her hand up his chest to caress his cheek. Pressing her forehead to his, she asked, "What do you see?" She nipped at his lips. "When you look at me, what do you see?"

Henry swallowed. "Everything that I've ever wanted."

All memories of the day that the mission had been aborted - the day that he witnessed Dmitri being dragged away - were gone. All he saw was Elizabeth, from the vibrant girl he had married to the incredible woman that stood before him now.

"Good," Elizabeth said. She stepped away, pushing her back flush against the wall, and pulled Henry towards her. "Because I am hopelessly in love with you."

That was all the permission Henry needed to bring his lips crashing down on hers.

Henry was fast asleep. Elizabeth relished the comfort of his warm chest against her back. In the darkness, she could feel his heartbeat slow and steady. He was here, he was alive, they were OK. Still, she couldn't sleep.

Disentangling herself from Henry's embrace, careful not to wake him, Elizabeth searched for clothes on the floor. She pulled on her husband's t-shirt over her underwear; it was loose on her, skimming the top of her thighs.

Pausing in the doorway, Elizabeth took a moment to watch over her husband before slipping from the room. He was so peaceful, no longer plagued by nightmares. Thankfully. She might have slept too, were it not for the huge decision that hung over her. They had not discussed Conrad's offer, not yet; there had been a silent agreement between them that they would wait until after they had returned from Finland.

"Mom," Stevie's voice called out into the dim light as her mother padded past her bedroom door. She switched her bedside lamp on as her mother pushed the door open just enough to let her inside.

"Hey, sweetie. I thought everyone would be asleep by now." Elizabeth pulled the hem of the shirt as far down as she could.

Stevie raised her eyebrows at her mother's attire, but said nothing. "No. I had coffee way too late and I'm still wired. How was your trip?"

Sitting atop her bed, pillows plumped behind her, Stevie pulled her knees to her chest. In her plaid pyjamas, she almost looked like a little girl, not a young woman ready to be married.

"Good." Elizabeth nodded with a small smile. She would miss her late night conversations with Stevie when she moved out. It was hard to believe that her daughter was already so grown up. "Really good." Elizabeth perched on the edge of the bed. "Look…I wanted to talk to you about something - "

Stevie quickly interrupted, "Is this about the whole Jareth engagement thing? Because you're totally right; it's way too fast."

Elizabeth covered Stevie's hand with her own, offering reassurance. "It's not about that - though I am glad that the two of you have decided to wait. There's no need to rush into marriage." She paused before adding, "And I'm really glad that you've decided to finish your education."

Stevie tilted her head, giving her mother that look, the look that said, education isn't everything. Because her mother came from a different time, a time where education was the only path to bettering herself.

"Your father said that you spoke. I hope that he let you know how much we like Jareth, and how happy we are for the both of you. I don't want you to think that we disapprove. Your engagement is a wonderful thing - "

Stevie finished, "You just want us to enjoy the engagement for a little while first. Don't worry, I get it. Honestly, I felt relieved when I told Jareth that I think we should wait."

"Good." Elizabeth reached out and stroked her daughter's hair. "And of course we'll do whatever we can to support you spending the summer in England. I'll talk to Annie and let her know that you'll be over, so you'll have someone nearby just in case."

"Thanks, Mom." Seeing the unmasked concern in her mother's face, she said, "It's just the summer, and it's not that far really. I can always come back to visit for the weekend."

Elizabeth smiled. "I know, sweetheart. I'll just miss you, that's all."

"So? If it wasn't the engagement…what did you want to talk about?" Stevie asked.

"I wanted to warn you that we might be in the media spotlight again soon." Elizabeth spoke slowly, her hair falling in her face as she looked to the floor. She felt guilty that Stevie had taken the brunt of the media's attention already, and here she was asking her to put up with it again.

Stevie frowned, her lips tensing into an anxious pout. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Elizabeth said with a throaty laugh. "No, nothing's wrong. It's just that President Dalton has been looking at a number of candidates to take over as Secretary of State. It'll soon become common knowledge that he's planning to replace me." She was surprised that it hadn't made the news already.

"Why's he replacing you?" Stevie's frown intensified. She was angry now, indignant for her mother. She knew her mother had sacrificed so much for the job, and she guessed that what she knew probably wasn't even half of it. It was unfair that her mother should be cast aside.

"Because he wants me to be Vice President," Elizabeth said. She sighed. She met her daughter's eye, holding her hand again. "I know that you and Harrison only dated for a while, but I'm just worried if I take the job it will start all kinds of rumours."

"If?" Stevie clutched her mother's hand as she said, "There's no ifs about it. You have to take the job. I'll talk to Jareth. He trusts me, so it doesn't matter what the press say. Mom, you can't seriously be thinking about turning this down?"

"Well, I never wanted to be Secretary of State - that was only meant to be a short term thing. But Vice President, that's huge!" Elizabeth raised her hand to her forehead, massaging away the tension she hadn't been aware was building. "I don't know if I can do it."

"Mom!" Stevie drew out the word in disbelief. "You can do anything." How could her mother not believe in herself after everything she had achieved?

Elizabeth shook her head modestly, grateful for her daughter's support though not entirely believing the assertion. "Well, it's nice knowing that someone believes in me."

"I mean it, Mom. You can totally change the world."

"She's got my vote." Henry's voice came from the doorway.

Henry had woken to find the bed empty and, pulling on a pair of jogging bottoms, had gone in search of his wife. It wasn't long before he overheard the hushed conversation between Elizabeth and their daughter.

"It's late. Come back to bed, babe." He beckoned Elizabeth from the room. "We can have a family meeting to discuss it tomorrow."

"Night, sweetheart." Elizabeth pressed a kiss to Stevie's forehead.

"Night, Mom. Night, Dad." She gave them both a little wave as her father pulled the door to.

Stevie cringed a little as she heard her father telling her mother that he wanted his t-shirt back, but she smiled too; she was pleased that they were still hopelessly in love all these years later. That's what she wanted with Jareth.