A/N Welcome to a small multi chapter... May just be three chapters or just two. Based on a prompt from Lilac Mermaid and it incorporates the three things challenge that was posted on tumblr. Lilac messaged me and provided me with three things that appear in this story.

This take place after the whole Station Chief job offer fight and a prompt I got from tumblr. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into their lives.

March 2005 - Friday

Clearly this wasn't going to work. Henry knew it deep in his belly and so did Elizabeth but they were both refusing to give in and admit it. Instead choosing to ignore the awkwardness and continue with this charade of 'sleeping' next to each other. Both of them were awake, Henry could feel Elizabeth tense at his side. The distance in the bed felt mammoth, a huge expanse of emptiness that neither party wanted to cross. Henry thought back to earlier on in this very bedroom and how she was so animated, fire alive in her eyes as she spoke about the promotion that was on the table and how he extinguished that fire, that passion, in an instance by throwing their family in her face. He trembled as he remembered feeling so irate with her and his head pounded now. His mind still felt foggy, clouded with anger with her. How could she even consider going for a year… How could she leave their babies…. Were they not enough for her anymore? His body was heavy on the mattress, his limbs felt as though they were dead weights, his whole body ached and he wasn't sure if it was heartache or that fact he was coming down with something or just a painful mixture of the both.

Elizabeth laid still in the dark, staring at the ceiling, frustration flowing freely through her body, she felt as though it was eating her whole. Like a rough sea of emotions would swirl and crash, the white tipped hands of the waves grasping at her limbs pulling her down, pulling her under into the dark depths so she could not longer breathe. She hadn't felt like this in a long time not since her parents had died and she hated the fact she could feel herself being dragged back under. Reaching breaking point and sat upright in bed, huffing loudly she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and placed her feet on the cool floor. She had to get out of here…

"You're leaving" it was a statement rather than a question and she recoiled at hearing his voice so dead with emotion call out into the darkness. She was surrounded by darkness and she didn't know the way out of the deep and back to the shallows. All she was sure of was that she needed to leave their room.

Taking a deep breath, attempting to ease the tightness in her chest, she spoke through gritted teeth "Not like that, not now" and before she could stop herself she stood quickly feeling a little lightheaded as she did and padded out the room.

If the room was light she would have seen Henry press his lips tightly together, she would have seen his eyes squeeze shut for a moment as he attempted to control the disappointment that flooded his face. If the room was light he would have seen how she squared her shoulders and glared as she moved away from him. If… if…. If… If things were different then this wouldn't be happening.

Elizabeth held her breath as she moved through the house slowly, not daring to make a sound desperately trying to be silent in fear of waking her babies up. She couldn't bare to face them right now so she tiptoed her way through the gauntlet of discarded toys. A ball, a toy car, a tennis racket and even what appeared to be a pair of her shoes littered the hallway. She failed to smile at the memory of Henry joking with her that if they were to be burgled the burglar would have trouble navigating the house, she remembered laughing at how the toys they failed to tidy up were in fact an extra security measure… Who needs an alarm anyway!

She was too invested at her rage towards him, towards the feelings and guilt storm he created inside of her when he threw the kids in her face that she didn't thaw a little with that memory. How can he not let me go? It's made for me. How can he not see that I am part of something bigger something more than this. I wrote the proposal. I have to go, Conrad is depending on me. Things will work out. They have to.

She entered the den and threw herself onto the sofa, huffing again whilst pulling the throw over her body. Wrapping herself up tightly in her pink dressing gown she laid still and tried to process her next steps. She never expected Henry to put up a fight. She never really expected that he would say no. She realised that she never really thought about his feelings and that hurt her more than she was able to admit in the small hours of the night. A small tear escaped and ran down her cheek as she laid there in the fetal position on her own in the dead of night.

The next morning after a frosty breakfast full of snappy comments and avoidance tactics on her part she managed to throw the girls outside whilst Henry went to put Jason down for a nap. Trying to ground herself and revel in the silence she snapped her eyes shut. Although all she seemed to see was the Twin Towers falling behind her eyes. Shaking her body trying to physically rid it of the images Elizabeth set about making a stew to go into the crock pot. She had a fitful night's sleep on the couch and her eyes stung, they were red and she felt foggy. She constantly woke to images of torture, hands tied, knuckles white… Blood. She couldn't seem to shake the distant sounds of screaming that echoed in her mind constantly pulling her out of her slumber and back into the den. She had the power to stop torture from happening, she was in the unique position where she was the only one who could really go forth and effect real change. How can Henry not want me to help in this world that we live in…. Even if it has fallen apart. As soon as the girls were outside and out of earshot she reached for the radio and turned the news channel on listening to the latest death reports. Each time the reported read out a name she winced and counted. 37… 37 young service men and women that had lost their lives in a war she should have prevented in the first place.