A/N: I have no idea where all this fluff came from. Well, I do know where the story came from – it's inspired by the song "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran and when I first listened to it I could just picture Henry and Elizabeth dancing. So here is a series of dances throughout their lives. Which is basically a really long name for cheesy, corny fluff. I hope you'll approve of this. Thanks to Jenni for proofing! Leave a comment, I'm always in need of one.
Perfect Tonight
"Dancing in the dark, with you between my arms; Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song" – Ed Sheeran
Elizabeth walked into the room, wearing a black dress that reached just above her knees. Her long blonde curls were pinned back with a hair clip, and her eyes glowed in the dim light of the room. Her beauty was mesmerizing, catching the attention of many of the people who were present.
Henry was standing at the other end of the room. Deep in a conversation about theology, Henry barely noticed her at first. Truth was, he wasn't too interested in any relationships at the moment, so he wasn't even looking. But the minute she caught his eye, he realized nothing mattered anymore, and there was no going back. Henry couldn't recall what the conversation was about; he couldn't recall what he was saying. All that mattered to him was this angel that walked into the room and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.
"Henry!" Tom Hodges called for the fourth time, trying to get the attention of his friend.
"Mh?" Henry replied, but his eyes were still fixated on her.
"She's way out of your league. And also, she's a freshman."
"I'm not her TA, I am allowed to ask her out," Henry pointed out, already calculating how he would do just that.
Laughing, Tom rolled his eyes. "Did you look at her? There is no way she's agreeing to go out with you."
"We'll see about that." Henry smiled before making his way around the crowd until he was finally only a few inches away from her.
Meeting his eyes, Elizabeth smiled politely and Henry took that as a sign to step closer. "Hi, I'm Henry McCord, I'm the TA in Professor Hopkin's class."
"Nice to meet you, Henry," Elizabeth said, offering him her hand. "I'm Elizabeth Adams. Freshman."
Holding her hand in his, he could feel his palms sweating, his heart racing. The pop song that was playing had just ended, and was replaced with When a Man Loves a Woman. That was his chance, Henry realized. Taking in a deep breath, he smiled genuinely at her.
"May I have this dance with you?" Holding his breath, he waited for her to reply.
Elizabeth nodded, smiling coyly at him and making his heart skip a beat. She didn't show him that she was just as interested; that her own heart skipped a beat the minute his hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
Swaying to the music, Henry tightened his grip around her, pressing her more closely to him. Holding her gaze, he couldn't keep the foolish grin from his face, already madly in love with this woman he just met.
"Mrs. McCord", Henry whispered in her ear, wrapping a solid arm around her. "May I have this dance with my wife?"
Turning to meet his eyes, she smiled at him. Mrs. McCord. It was the first time she had been referred to by that name, the first time of what she knew would be many more. Taking his hand in hers, she allowed him to guide her to the middle of the dancefloor. He pressed their bodies as close as he possibly could, moving slowly to the sound of the music.
The room was filled with their friends and family, all there to celebrate their wedding. But as always with her, Henry saw no one but her. And although people were surrounding them, Elizabeth felt as if Henry was the only man in the room. The only man in her life.
He leaned forward, pressing a slow, delicate kiss to her lips. "I have waited all my life for you," he muttered.
"You don't have to wait anymore," Elizabeth smiled, pulling him for another kiss.
He let her out of his arms, spinning her before pulling her back into his embrace, holding her tight. She giggled when his hand moved to rest on her behind, leaning closer to him.
"We're in public, remember?" she whispered playfully in his ear.
"You're my wife now. I can do that," Henry grinned.
Placing a warm kiss to his cheek, she held tight to his jacket, pulling him to her. "You don't need the excuse of marriage. You can have your way with me anytime you wish," she murmured.
Raising a brow, Henry leaned closer to her, pressing his warm lips to hers. Allowing his tongue to enter her mouth, he kissed her passionately, hungrily. The crowd around them was cheering, reminding them they were not alone. Not yet. Elizabeth pulled away, gasping for air and feeling the crimson climbing up her neck.
Just before the song ended, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck, Henry wrapping his around her waist. With their foreheads touching, they looked into each other's eyes, never looking away.
"I love you", they whispered together.
Sitting in the corner of the room, Elizabeth took a deep breath. Her hands rested casually on her growing belly, her feet swollen. She smiled as she looked at her brother dancing with his new bride, finally at peace that he had settled down.
The baby inside her was kicking and she moved her hand to where she felt the movement. Swallowing hard, she reached for the glass of water on the table, closing her eyes as she felt the cold liquid run down her throat.
"Babe?" Henry raised a brow as he took the seat next to her, placing his warm hand on hers.
"I'm alright," Elizabeth smiled. "She's just pressing on my bladder and I can't possibly go to the bathroom again."
Laughing, he pulled her chair closer to his, his other hand joining hers on her belly. Feeling the kicking under his arms, he smiled at his wife. "How about I distract you?"
"And how will you do that?"
"I asked them to play our favorite song. So now you have to join me for a dance."
Elizabeth smiled, taking her husband's hand in hers and standing up straight. Circling her in his arms, Henry led their dance, moving with her to the sound of the music playing.
"It's quite impressive that you're able to dance with a walking whale," Elizabeth joked.
Pulling her to him, Henry frowned. "Darling, you look perfect."
"Nice one, Professor," she smirked.
Kissing her forehead, then her cheek and finally her lips, he lingered, feeling her relax in his arms. "You are. Always."
"Henry, I'm due any day now. I'm huge."
"You're carrying my child. Our child. I didn't know it was possible, but I fall even more in love with you, knowing that."
Elizabeth blushed, smiling coyly at him. "You're going to be a great father, you know?"
"We are going to be great parents," he said and kissed her again.
"Okay, they're both asleep. I told them that I am closing their door so that Jason won't bother them and they finally agreed," Henry said as he walked down the stairs.
Henry sank breathless into the couch in the living room. But glancing at his wife, he was up on his feet again. She was pale, her hair a mess, her clothes stained with Jason's tears and vomit. Her eyes were red from lack of sleep and he could see that she was struggling to stay standing.
"Hey," he whispered, walking closer to her. "Why don't you let me hold him, go take a shower and change?"
"He finally stopped crying, I don't want to move him. In spite of how tempting your offer sounds," she replied.
"I know, but you being tired isn't helping either of you. When is the last time you slept?"
"I closed my eyes whenever he did," she smiled softly.
Henry pressed a slow kiss to her forehead. "I don't know how you still do it."
"I have the best partner."
Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled them both closer to him. Jason was resting on Elizabeth's chest, struggling for breath with the terrible cold he was running. His eyes were open and he was scanning the room for nothing in particular, having a hard time falling asleep in spite of how tired he was. Wrapped by the warmth of both of his parents, he closed his eyes, listening to the beating of their hearts.
"Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird." Henry began to sing quietly, his voice calming both Jason and Elizabeth. He moved them to the music, slow and gentle, lulling Elizabeth and Jason.
"…And if that horse and cart fall down, you'll still be the sweetest little baby in town." Henry kissed his son's head when he finished singing, smiling when he realized he was sound asleep in his mother's arms.
"Look at that," Henry whispered.
With tears in her eyes, Elizabeth glanced at him and smiled. "I love you so much."
Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, he kissed her cheek. "I love you even more."
"Stevie, sweetie, stop moving! I can't finish the braid when you keep moving like that," Elizabeth said as she undid the braid for the fifth time.
"Sorry mama," Stevie apologized, stilling in her place.
A few minutes later, Elizabeth finally tied the knot of the bow at the end of the braid. Stevie's long blonde hair was finally well put together, the braid reaching the end of her back. Elizabeth looked at her daughter as she turned to face her, her pink dress matching the bow and her flushed cheeks. She was a spitting image of her and Elizabeth couldn't hold the tear that slid down her cheek at the sight.
"May I come in?" Henry asked as he stood at the doorway of Stevie's room.
Elizabeth nodded, smiling as Stevie ran into her father's arms.
Later, he took Stevie's tiny hand and walked her to the dancefloor. The school was hosting a father-daughter dance and there was nothing in the world Henry wanted to do more than dance with his baby girl.
Spinning her around, Henry couldn't keep the smile off his face, watching as Stevie laughed and giggled, enjoying how her dress moved with her. He then picked her up in his arms, holding her hand in his and dancing with her.
"Thank you for the dance, Daddy," Stevie called, wrapping her arms around his neck. Henry held on for a moment, breathing in his daughter and refusing to let her go.
But then the music changed and all the kids ran to the dancefloor to dance together and Henry had to let his daughter go, watching as she faded into the crowd, leaving him behind.
With a sad smile on his face, he took a few steps back. Feeling a known touch on his back, he turned to meet his wife. "Next time will be at her wedding," Elizabeth smiled.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her to him. "Let's hope she'll stay little forever."
Laughing, Elizabeth snuggled closer to him. "She will always be your baby girl."
"Elizabeth, we're going to be late," Henry called from downstairs for the third time.
"I'm almost ready, I swear!"
"You're making the President of the United States wait for you, let's go!"
Finally emerging at the top of the stairs, Henry caught his breath at the sight of her. Elizabeth was wearing a sleeveless, floor-length blue chiffon skirt with a beautiful lace bodice with small crystal jewels. A blue chiffon shawl embraced her shoulders. Her golden locks fell around her shoulders and down her back, and delicate makeup brought out the color of her eyes, which matched the shade of her dress. She was a vision. Mesmerizing in her beauty.
"I'm sorry for taking so long," Elizabeth said as she walked down the stairs.
Pulling her between his arms, Henry placed a slow kiss to her lips. "You're always worth the wait. You look stunning."
When they finally arrived to the ball, he let her move around the room, getting acquainted with the people of the State Department and the White House without him interrupting. Standing next to the bar, he just watched her, his eyes glazing over, love radiant from his face. He decided to take advantage of her being alone for a split second to walk over to her.
"Madam Secretary," he called, placing his hand on the small of her back.
"Dr. McCord," she smiled, turning to meet him.
"May I have the first dance with the Secretary of State?"
Elizabeth nodded, allowing him to lead her forward, to pull her into his arms, into the warmth of his body.
"I'm not sure I told you this recently, but you're the strongest person I know. You share my dreams, you carry more than just my secrets. And there is no one better than you for this job."
Blinking back the tears that formed in the corner of her eyes, Elizabeth smiled at him. "Henry…"
"I'm proud of you. I'm proud to be your husband. I'm proud to call you my wife. And so so grateful that I can."
"Are you ready to do this?" Henry asked as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back to his chest. 50 years of marriage, and she could still take his breath away.
He caught her gaze through the mirror, matching his smile to hers, before placing a kiss to her neck. "I was ready the first time, I'm ready now. I will always be ready to be your wife."
Grinning like a fool, he turned her in his arms, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. "Let's go remarry then."
Standing outside the farmhouse, under the starlight, they swore to love each other for 50 more years. Promising in sickness and in health, for an eternity. Vowing to love, to hold and to cherish, like they have been doing for the past five decades.
Henry slid another ring on her finger, one she promised to never take off. And then they joined their lips together, kissing under the moonlight. Their kids stood by, shedding tears of joy as their parents sealed their love again.
Turning, they both smiled as they rushed down the aisle, the crowd tossing rose petals their way and cheering their love.
They both grinned when the music started, playing "When a Man Loves a Woman". Henry pulled her fiercely into his arms, pressing their bodies together and wrapping a firm arm around her.
"Our first dance," Elizabeth pointed out.
"It was then that I knew I would spend the rest of my life with you."
"I knew it then, too."
Resting her head on his shoulder, Elizabeth watched their kids dancing next to them with their own loved ones, with the ones they chose to spend their lives with, and she couldn't help but smile. They were young, still, but she wished them the great love she had. The great love she still has.
"What's on your mind, babe?" Henry asked as he noticed her being quiet.
"You are. You're always on my mind. And in my heart. Everywhere I go, you're part of me."
Wiping a tear from her cheek, Henry nodded at her. "Your heart is all I own, and in your eyes you're holding mine."
A/N2: I couldn't find anywhere online that there's any ball after being appointed as Secretary of State but that just seems unfair, so for the sake of this story, and so that I could describe her in this dress I found for her, I assumed Conrad held some sort of a party for her. Go with me.