Enjoy this short multi-chapter fic. Original characters belong to the show.
Xoxo, Kate
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The biting chill whipped in through the barn doors as Elizabeth heaped another flake of hay through the window of the stall gate. Her horse nickered in appreciation, his warm breath filling the crisp air.
"Good boy, Jack," she hummed, reaching in her gloved hand and petting his soft gray coat. It was moments like these she wished she had never taken the job. Standing here, bundled in her warm jacket, breathing in the scent of fresh snow and sweet oats. She relished just a moment more in the silence until she felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her thin waist. A smile danced across her lips and she let herself melt into the warm body now standing behind her.
"Mmmm, there you are, I've been looking for you," Henry murmured, nestling his face in the crook of her neck. Elizabeth closed her eyes and moved her head to the side to give her husband better access. He kissed her gently below her ear.
"What are you doing out here? Isn't the idea of this weekend to rest?" he mumbled into her neck.
Elizabeth huffed. "I just needed some fresh air," she explained, turning her body around to face Henry. She gently reached up towards his face to cup his rosy cheeks and he covered her gloved hands with his rough bear ones.
"Elizabeth McCord, what you need to be doing is resting. Inside. In the house. In the warm house," he lightly chastised, a smile still playing at his lips.
"I'm fine," she stated simply, lowering her hands and visibly tensing. He noticed the subtle change in her demeanor right away. His wife did not like admitting weakness. Even if she had just been badly injured in Iran.
"I know, baby," he whispered, grabbing her hands, "But that doesn't stop me from worrying."
She paused, shuffling her feet. "Pain's a seven," she admitted.
Henry pursed his lips. That meant it was at least an eight, "Should I cancel on Kelly and Jacob? They were going to drop off a casserole, bring the kids, and hang out for a bit."
Elizabeth perked up. The idea of company actually appealed to her despite how uncomfortable she felt. Anything to take her mind off Iran was a welcomed distraction. Anyway, she knew that Alison and Jason would love to see their old neighbors. The Anderson's daughter, Stella, was fourteen and was good friends with them both.
"No, no. Don't be silly. We haven't seen them in ages. When is Kelly due, again?"
Henry smirked, "She had the baby 4 weeks ago, honey."
"Shit! Really? Oh god, shouldn't we be the ones bringing the casserole, then? I've been so out of the loop…"
"And no one blames you, babe," Henry interrupted, leading his wife back into the house by gently putting pressure on the small of her back.
"Don't say that, Henry! There's no excuse for being a poor friend," she argued, shimmying out of his grasp.
"Hey, hey now. Don't worry. I sent flowers from the both of us. I got you covered," he assured, stepping in front of her before she walked up the steps.
Elizabeth placed her hand on her husband's chest and let out a deep sigh.
"What would I do with out you?" she grinned. Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him deeply. She wouldn't have stopped either, but her back seized up and she was forced to lower herself back down. She stifled a moan, but Henry was all too perceptive regarding the body language of his wife.
"Let's go get you comfortable on the couch. The Anderson's will be here within the hour."
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Not even two episodes into "Friends," there came a knock at the door. Henry paused Netflix as the kids came shuffling down the stairs having heard their guests arriving.
"They're here! They're here!" Alison shouted excitedly, skidding across the hardwood floors in her socks with Jason not far behind.
Elizabeth hit the 'off' button on the remote and headed for the door, intercepting Alison as she slid towards the entryway.
"Chill," Elizabeth chuckled, squeezing her giddy daughter into her side and pulling the knob open.
The Anderson family stood on the other side, a warm pie dish in hand and smiles upon all their lips. Greetings were quickly exchanged and the night was underway.
After dinner, the two families gathered in the living room for a friendly match of 'Dance Dance Revolution'.
"You're going down, Jace!" Stella smirked, pulling her black hair into a ponytail.
Jason rolled his eyes, "Oh, Anderson, you don't know what you're getting yourself into!"
As the two teens battled it out, the rest of the gang sat behind them cheering them on.
Kelly turned to Elizabeth, "So, really, Bess. How are you feeling?" she asked. It was a private conversation between two friends. The others weren't paying any attention to them, too engrossed with the playful banter and uncoordinated movement that was occurring in front of them.
Elizabeth smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm fine, really," she assured.
"Bess…"
"No, really. I should be asking about you," she referenced down to the sleeping bundle in Kelly's arms.
Kelly grinned and Elizabeth inwardly sighed that her friend had chosen to take the bait, relieving the attention from her mental and physical state.
"It's been amazing," she admitted. "I mean, it was a surprise, obviously. We aren't exactly the young and energetic twenty-five year olds we were when we had Stella. But it's been a blessing I would never take back. Milo is a perfect baby and Stella and Jacob have just been so supportive."
"I'm so happy for you all," Elizabeth said.
"Would you want to hold him?"
Elizabeth beamed and nodded, accepting the weightless infant into her arms. Her heart skipped a beat as she was transported back thirteen years ago holding Jason at just a month old. It seemed like a century ago, yet Milo seemed to fit seamlessly against her chest.
"You're a natural," Kelly laughed, watching as her friend's eyes lit up for the first time since she'd arrived.
"I guess it's like riding a bike!" Elizabeth chuckled, glancing over at her husband who had altered his attention from the game to observe his wife.
"Well isn't there a perfect picture," he smiled, gently squeezing Elizabeth's knee.
"He's previous, Kelly. Really, beautiful," Elizabeth whispered, stroking the baby's pink cheek with the palm of her finger.
"Thank you. I think so too," Kelly laughed.
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After everyone had left, Alison and Jason had each retired to their own bedrooms to binge watch television on their laptops. Elizabeth and Henry were beginning to settle into bed for the night and Elizabeth could not seem to shut her mind off. Gunshots and shattering glass were the sounds she could hear as she lowered herself onto the soft mattress, but she fought them off with thoughts of the evening, instead.
"Gosh, Milo was cute, wasn't he?" she asked her husband while beginning to apply lotion to her toned legs.
"He was," Henry replied.
"And Kelly seemed so happy. Reminds me of a simpler time in our lives," she reminisced. Henry stayed silent, just observing as his wife bent down to massage the lotion into her calves. He watched her wince in pain as she overextended her back, most likely stretching her stiches.
"Stop, Liz," Henry muttered, "Let me." Henry leaned forward and took the bottle of lotion from her hands.
She sighed in frustration at her lack of capability to do even the simplest of tasks on her own. Collapsing into the pillows behind her, she let her husband take over. She allowed her eyes to shut as he gently kneaded her muscles first in her feet, then calves, then thighs.
She hummed in appreciation and discarded her glasses haphazardly onto the nightstand beside her.
"A girl could get used to this," she joked, resting her arms up above her head on the pillow behind her.
Henry stopped and permitted himself to be absolutely enthralled in the beauty of his wife. Her hair spilling over the white pillow, her chest rising and falling, finally letting herself relax even if only for a second.
"Let's stay here forever," he said quickly, "Let's not go back."
He expected her to swiftly shut him down, like she normally did when he made these sort of hasty, spur of the moment remarks. But she didn't. Instead she took a deep breath and looked at him hazily, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.
She blinked them back and spoke, almost inaudibly she said: "It scares me, Henry, that when you said that just now I finally permitted myself to let a breath out I think I have been holding since the moment I fell to the ground in Iran."