"Great." Conrad met her eyes from across the desk. "Your plane will leave from Andrews tonight at 5:30, then. I'll have Russel inform your staff." Elizabeth nodded politely, biting her tongue as she turned her back and walked out of the oval office. Sure, she had expected to be in the office on New Year's Eve, she just didn't expect to be flown around the world to broker a last minute peace deal.

With their children growing older, Elizabeth and Henry were looking forward to a peaceful night alone. She simply wanted to sip champagne in his arms while they stared at a flickering fire he had built. Instead, however, there would be no relaxation tonight. She would be forced to keep her guard up, while negotiating a deal with multiple Eastern European Foreign Ministers.

She reentered the State Department, and quickly made a beeline for her office, ignoring a choked request from Blake. She slammed the door behind her and sank into the couch within her office. She groaned audibly, rolled her eyes, then stood. Straightening her jacket, she returned to the outer office with a smile plastered to her face.

"Ma'am," Blake spoke quickly, fearing she would pass him, yet again. "Russel informed Nadine and me that your flight would be leaving around 5:30. I already have a bag packed for you, but if you want to try and leave the office on time, I scheduled in a few hours you could spend with Dr. McCord."

The fake smile upon her lips softened, becoming genuine. "I don't pay you enough, Blake. Thank you."

He nodded, shuffling the papers in his hand. "I'll already be at the base, but Jay may be a few minutes behind me. He mentioned that he would be putting Chloe down for bed tonight."

She shook her head rapidly. "No, no, no." she held up her hands. "No, Blake, you all need to be with your loved ones tonight." He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off instead. "No, I will not hear anything else. Everyone should spend the night liquored up with the ones they love. Do it for me?" She threw him an innocent face, reminding him that she would not be home with Dr. McCord tonight. "If I can't be home, you guys should be."

He reluctantly agreed, knowing there was no argument he would win against her. "Fair enough." He grumbled, returning the stack of papers in his hand to the filing cabinet beside his desk.

Elizabeth stepped through the doorway of her home, praying Henry was already home. She only had an hour until she needed to be leave for her flight, and she wanted to make the most of their New Year's celebration.

She unloaded her briefcase, coat, and shoes by the door, not hearing any extraneous noise within the house. She quietly made her way into the living room, finding Henry asleep on the couch, book perched upon his chest.

"Babe," she kissed his forehead, sitting at his side. "it's only 4:00…"

His eyes fluttered open as he pulled his glasses off his nose and rubbed the fatigue from his eyes. "I'm awake, I swear. I just closed my eyes for a second." He sat up, placing his book on the coffee table, and coaxed Elizabeth into his arms. "It's just a cat-nap so I can stay up tonight." He laughed pulling her into his side.

She laid her legs across his lap, resting her head against his chest as to hide her look of discontent. "About that…." He pulled back, attempting to meet the eyes she still averted. "I have to make a quick trip."

He frowned. "How quick?"

"Just a quick day, plus travel time, in Geneva." He groaned into her hair, feeling disappointment wash over him. "I'll be back before you know it." She tried, rubbing her palm down his chest.

"How long do we have?" he asked moving his hand comfortingly up and down her arm.

"An hour." She mumbled quietly, moving her hand from his chest to his hand, and grasping it loosely to intertwine their fingers. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent and closing her eyes. "I love you."

He a grin spread lazily across his face as he stroked her hair, listening to the sound of her steady breaths. It had been such a long week, such a stressful combination of hectic days strung together. They were looking forward to a late night alone, but if this was all they were allowed, they were going to drink in every moment of the time they did have together.

Henry set the alarm on his phone, knowing if he didn't, they both would be asleep in each other's arms for the evening. "I love you, too." He whispered against her forehead.

"How was your day?" she asked, voice barely audible in the comfortable silence that had enveloped the two.

"Good," he drew nonsensical patterns on her arm. "I read some interesting papers. This is my favorite part of my day, though."

"Mhmm." Whether it was a question or an affirmation, neither was truly sure.

"Being with you." He chose to clarify his statement, feeling her head become heavier on his shoulder. Reluctantly let his eyes fall closed, wanting to memorize the feeling of her warm skin pressed against his, her body resting comfortably within his embrace.

What seemed like moments later, the two were awoken by the soft vibration of Henry's phone, alerting them that it was nearly time to leave.

He moved to turn it off, smiling when Elizabeth didn't move. "Babe…" he whispered, softly rubbing his free hand on her thigh. "Babe… Time to get up." She groaned, swinging her legs from his lap, her feet hitting the floor.

"Come with me, Professor?"

He let out a tired chuckle, following her to the door. "You know I can't."

"Sure you can." She said pulling him through the foyer and out the door. "You don't have to work tomorrow; it's still break for your students." He watched her golden locks slide over her glassy blue eyes as she slipped into the car, awaiting him to follow suit. "You still haven't been on my plane."

"I will accompany you to the airport, but I still have a stack of grading to get done before grades are due." He shook his head, but got into the car anyway, shutting the door behind him as her detail prepared their route to Andrews. He frowned as she grimaced at his response. He leaned in, knowing exactly how to pry her mind from their brief separation. "Wanna make out until we get there?"

"Of course." She whispered against his lips, before letting him take the lead.

Before exiting the car Elizabeth placed one final, urgent kiss on Henry's lips. He saw a glimmer of uncertainty flash across her face.

"Babe?"

"I don't want to leave." She whined, before assuring him she was fin. She quickly covered her countenance with a smile. "If I don't get to talk to you, happy New Year."

"Happy New Year." He kissed her gently before nudging her toward the door. "I'll see you soon." She smiled back at him, hurrying toward the plane. Perhaps, the sooner she got there the sooner she would be able to come home.

TBC

A/N: Yay! I think I'm finally back in the swing of writing again, and I couldn't be happier! I hope you enjoy this forming work. I'm not sure how long it will be just yet, but I have three chapters written so far... so we'll see! Reviews are , Enjoy!