You're my downfall, you're my muse, my worst distraction, my rhythm and blues.
Elizabeth came home from a stressful day of work hoping to find her husband still awake and to share some quality time with him. Entering the threshold to their bedroom she sighed in relief to find the lights still turned on, but Henry was nowhere to be seen. Desperately needing to socialize with him, she made her way to the bathroom, a smile forming on her exhausted face when she saw him sitting in their bathtub. Henry opened his eyes when he heard his wife enter taking in the beautiful sight of her before resting his gaze on her eyes. He could see the exhaustion, but also relief and pure happiness to be home and to be with him.
"Hi." She walked towards him without leaving his eyes and leaned down to kiss his lips softly. Pulling apart, he slightly grazed her cheek and wiped his thumb over the barely visible scar from when she had injured herself while rock climbing as a teenager.
"Bad day, huh?" He asked even though he already knew the answer to that, wanting to give her a chance to talk about it.
"Mmm..." She looked away and no words were needed to let him know that she rather not share the details with him.
"Do you want to join me?"
"I don't..." Before she could finish, Henry interrupted.
"I just got in, the water is still hot." He tried to persuade her.
"Ok. Let me just scrub my make-up off first." She gave him a timid smile before turning around to face the mirror. Removing her make-up, she could see Henry watching her through the mirror with loving eyes making her unbelievable grateful for having him. Once done with her face, she started stripping her clothes, Henry's eyes never leaving hers in the mirror. Once completely naked, she turned around and walked to the bathtub. Henry held out his hand for her to help her get in and she gladly accepted. Once settled between his legs with her back against his body, he nibbled her ear before whispering.
"You have no idea how beautiful you are." She tilted her head back giving him a chance to press a kiss on her forehead.
"Gosh, I've missed you so much these past few days. I feel like we've barely seen each other or even talked to each other." She rested her head against the crook of his neck and allowed her eyes to close.
"I know, I've missed you too. But I'm here now and I'll be here for the whole weekend that's ahead of us." Elizabeth sighed sadly at his response making him frown. "What's wrong?" Henry worriedly asked.
"I wish I could say the same, but we both know I'll probably get called in. Even so, I don't feel like I have a normal life anymore - the life we used to have." She fell quiet after these words, so Henry felt the urge to know what she was hinting at.
"Babe, we knew that our lives would change with you taking the job. We talked about it for hours, so it's not really a surprise, is it?" He nuzzled her hair waiting for her to respond.
"That's not what I meant. It's more like... I don't know how to describe it... People don't see me anymore. They don't see me as a person anymore, they only see a woman dressed up in a suit forgetting that it is still me, Elizabeth McCord and not just the Secretary of State. They don't think I sometimes feel insecure or unsure about myself and my decisions just because I have a title now. Isn't that weird? When did I stop being a person to them?" She left that question hanging in the air without expecting a response from Henry. He tightened his grip around her letting her know that she was still listening and she slowly continued. "Remember last week when we were shopping in the mall and different people came up to us acting completely surprised that we were there? Thinking back, it really was insane. I mean why shouldn't we be there just because my job is to be the Secretary of State? I still need clothes to wear and - not to forget - my food to eat." Henry chuckled at that knowing how much she really needed food. "What the hell is wrong with these people that they think I've become a robot without feelings or the need to eat." From her tone he could tell that she was getting upset about this, so he tried to calm her.
"Come on baby, you know how it is. You have celebrity status now, so people stop thinking clearly around you. That's just how it is. But just so you know, I still see the real you. My beautiful, dorky wife with an constant desire to shovel food into her tiny body." Elizabeth laughed at his comment, taking her away from her bad mood. He immediately felt the change and continued. "And whether you were a suit or not, I always want to rip your clothes off and be as close as possible to you." Her laughter continued and he joined in.
"Now, who's the dorky one?" She grinned at him, making his heart beat faster. He was proud to have the ability to bring her out of her bad mood and make her laugh. They stayed in the tub a couple more minutes before the water was getting told. Henry untangled himself from her and reached to wrap a towel around his body before handing her one as well. "Can I make love to you now, my love?" Henry asked while already kissing his way down her neck. Elizabeth giggled, but slightly pushed him away.
"Let me just brush my teeth first. I'll be there in a minute." Henry acted hurt by her words and walked away. When he was already out of sight, he called back. "Maybe I'll just call the Secretary of State. She probably has an opening in her schedule." Hearing that, Elizabeth quickly rinsed the toothpaste out of her mouth before running into the bedroom and pushing Henry on his back, holding his wrists above his head.
"Excuse me, what did you just say?" She acted mad, but he could see the twinkle in her eyes.
"You heard me. I was gonna call the Secretary and ask her if she wanted to make love to me since my wife seems to be unavailable." He gave her a devious grin. Elizabeth opened her mouth to response, but before she could Henry quickly rose his head up and took her towel between his teeth, pulling it from her body and leaving her completely naked above him.
"You're so naughty." But she leaned down to kiss him and let his wrists go. Henry immediately roamed her body with his big hands before holding on to her back and rolling them over, so he could be on top. He kissed her deeply before pulling apart and looking down at her with such love, it melted her heart.
" I want to make love to you now, Elizabeth McCord - Secretary of State, because you're my wife and I could never ever stop seeing you as a person." Elizabeth didn't respond but instead she undid the towel around his hips and pulled him closer to her. Henry took that as his cue and started kissing her again, simply taking all of her in and the feel of her around him.