A/N: Hello, everyone, I'm back! I didn't expect to be writing anything further with this story, but I figured since House of Cards is ending, I might as well do this now. If you haven't read "The Interview" or "The Fallout," I recommend you do so you have an idea of what's happening here. As always, this is based on some episodes towards the end of season four with minor changes thrown in there.
Disclaimer: I don't own House of Cards or any characters from it. The only character that's mine is Emily. Any or all similarities to other stories are purely coincidental.
Chapter One.
"Francis, there's something wrong with Emily." Claire Underwood tells her husband while they are sitting in the Oval Office. Frank looks up from his briefing sheet, bringing his full attention to his wife.
"Meaning?" Between his shooting, them campaigning together as husband and wife, president and vice president, and Claire's mom dying, a lot has gone on for the Underwoods in the last few months. It's no surprise to him their daughter is acting differently.
"She's…different. It's almost like something is bothering her, but she doesn't know how to express it." He trusts his wife's judgment implicitly, especially when it comes to their daughter. However, he isn't sure how to correct it. Emily can be like them when it comes to emotions. Sometimes, it's better to move forward than to confront what is really happening.
"Claire, she's three."
"I know." Claire eyes shift over to his, silently waiting for him to relent. Frank sighs, he knows that look from his wife too well.
"Fine. We can talk to her tonight."
"Thank you." Claire stands up and leaves the office, heading to an afternoon meeting.
Later that night, Emily is seated at the table while Claire is putting the finishing touches on their dinner. Frank is nowhere to be seen, which isn't surprising to Claire. He doesn't do well with difficult conversations, particularly ones concerning their toddler.
"Emily, put your toys away. We are about to eat," Claire tells Emily over her shoulder when she sees Frank breeze through the living room of the residence. Emily defiantly slams her doll onto the dining room table. Claire meets Frank's eyes across the room. He nods in understanding.
"Emily, do as your mother says." Frank tells his daughter, not having the patience his wife possesses. Emily chooses to throw the doll on the floor, instead of getting up and putting it in her room like she usually does. "Pick up your toy and put it in your room, now." He draws out each word in attempt to keep his explosive temper at bay. Like Claire, Emily doesn't respond to being yelled at.
Emily hops off her chair and does as she's told. Claire sits down in her typical spot at the dining table while Frank sits down in his.
"She doesn't act like this, Francis." Frank and Claire have always prided themselves on raising their child the best way they can given their circumstances. It doesn't matter to them how unconventional Emily's upbringing is, they will not have their daughter acting like a spoiled brat.
"It's okay, we will solve it." He rests his hand over her cheek for a moment, withdrawing it when he sees Emily rejoin the table.
"How was school today, Em?" Frank asks, hoping his question will lead somewhere constructive. Emily shrugs as she bites into her food.
"I push a boy," The toddler says offhandedly. Claire and Frank's eyes widen at Emily's confession. They didn't hear anything from the school about the incident.
"Why would you push someone Emily?" Claire asks.
"He touch me and I not like it." Frank clenches his fist under the table at the thought of some boy touching his little girl, not matter how innocent it may seem.
"How did he touch you?" Claire sees her husband's jaw clench and decides to take the reins on this conversation. "Show me."
Emily gets down from her booster seat and walks over to Claire, hitting her arm as hard as she can. Frank bites his lip, trapping a sigh of relief in his mouth. He's relieved it's nothing more than standard rough-housing between kids.
"Well, Daddy and I will take care of it. I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself, Emily."
After Emily is put to bed, Frank and Claire share a cigarette by the windowsill. Claire reluctantly passes the cigarette over to her husband, who accepts it.
"What do you think we should do about Emily?" Claire asks.
"Nothing for now. I want her to learn how to stand up for herself. If something else happens, then we can intervene. I got to much on my plate right now to be dealing with this."
Republican candidate William Conway is picking up steam and can pose a real threat to Frank and Claire for the next election. Unlike the Underwoods', the Conway's' tout their children out for the world to see. Unfortunately, the public is eating it up, forcing Frank and Claire to think of a new strategy.
"We're going to destroy them," Claire says, abruptly changing subjects. Frank nods and passes the cigarette back to her.
"Yes, we are."
The next afternoon, Frank and Claire are meeting with senior Cabinet officials to discuss ICO, an emerging terrorist organization threatening the country.
"What we are doing is not enough," Frank tells the room. Claire nods in agreement. Now is the time for the Underwoods to be ruthless.
"Well Sir, I agree. However, we need to pro…" Secretary of State Catherine Durant is interrupted by a Secret Service agent entering the room.
"Excuse me, Mr. President, Ma'am, there's something you need to be aware of. It's an incident at your daughter's school. I have the principal on the line, outside."
Frank and Claire lock eyes with each other, wondering what they should do. They never let Emily interfere with their work and can't show weakness in front of their Cabinet. Not at a time like this. Claire stands up and quietly excuses herself from the room to take the call.
"I understand. I will be there momentarily. Thank you," Claire says and hangs up the phone. She quietly slips back into the meeting to whisper into Frank's ear. "I have to go deal with this."
"Let me know," Frank whispers back and watches her leave.
The motorcade brings Claire over to Emily's school. When she arrives, her daughter is sitting on a bench outside of the principal's office. Emily is swinging her legs back-and-forth, with a cherubic expression written on her face. If Claire didn't know any better, her daughter would be the picture of innocence.
"Hi Mommy," Emily says, appearing to be unbothered by whatever is happening around her.
"Hi Emily. I'll be right back." Claire enters the principal's office and closes the door behind her.
"Hello Mrs. Underwood, I'm sorry to have to bring you down here, but we had to involve you after what happened this morning." The principal offers a hand for Claire to shake. Claire rejects it and sits down in a chair across from him.
"Principal…Gordon, is it? What exactly happened that I needed to be pulled away from a Cabinet meeting?" Claire eyes the elderly gentlemen in front of her carefully. The man nervously rubs his glasses with the lapels of his navy blazer. Suddenly, the door swings open and a petite blonde woman walks in with Emily behind her.
"This morning, Ethan Ellis, had an allergic reaction to his food. It appears someone switched his snack with theirs, knowing Ethan has a peanut allergy." The woman, who Claire presumes is Emily's teacher, explains.
"And you're saying my daughter is responsible? She's three. I'm sorry, this is ridiculous," Claire says. Emily scurries over to Claire.
"All of the children are aware of Ethan's allergy and we know Ethan and Emily have been having a hard time getting along lately." Claire narrows her eyes and looks from the teacher to the principal.
"Yes, let's talk about that. My daughter came home yesterday telling my husband and I that someone slapped her, and nobody did anything. Can someone explain that to me?" Claire asks and waits for an answer.
"We weren't aware of any situation. Emily should've said something if she felt she was being bullied." Emily's teacher says. Claire shakes her head.
"No. I would expect teachers at this school to watch out for their students. I would hate for us to have to find a different school for our daughter to attend and for funds to be allocated to different schools in this district. What would happen then? This school would wither and die without my husband and I's contributions."
"Mrs. Underwood," Principal Gordon says with his hand up.
"Actually, it's First Lady Underwood."
"Right, my apologies. We don't want Emily to leave this school. She's a remarkably intelligent little girl, but we just have to know if she did what she's being accused of."
"Do you have any evidence that Emily is the one responsible?" Claire asks. She can tell by the rosy hue of the principal's cheek that they don't.
"No, but several students did see Emily go over by the snacks right before they were handed out," The teacher adds in. Claire glances down at Emily sitting in her lap.
"Emily, did you switch Ethan's snack?" Claire asks.
"No mommy," Emily says.
"I think we are done here." Claire hoists Emily onto her hip and exits the principal's office without another word. Emily is quiet until Claire buckles her into the car seat. "You did it, didn't you Emily?" Her daughter might have fooled the principal and teacher, but not her. Emily nods solemnly.
"Am I in twoble?" Emily whispers.
"No. Just be more careful next time."
Claire isn't going to punish Emily for doing exactly what she or her husband would've done. She's impressed Emily thought of something so bold at such a young age.
When they get back to the White House, Claire leaves Emily in her room to play while she goes to find her husband. Frank is in the situation room with Conway, trying to deescalate the ICO situation.
"What's the latest?" Claire asks Frank. They silently agreed to table the conversation about Emily until they are by themselves.
"Hostages. The Miller Family. Father, Jim, wife, Caroline and their daughter Melissa," Frank briefs his wife. "Three demands: the end of US military activity in Syria, $10 billion in reparations to ICO and the release of its leader Yusuf Al Ahmmadi."
"What is he doing here?" Claire asks when she sees William Conway speaking to some military personnel in the situation room.
"He's helping," Frank says with an eye roll. Claire is shocked her husband is allowing this to happen, but knowing Frank, he has a plan. "Him and his family are moving into the White House, temporarily."
"Interesting," Claire says.
Later that night, Claire is left to greet Hannah Conway and her children, Charlie and Lily while Frank and Will talk strategy in the kitchen.
"Emily, we have guests," Claire says to the toddler. Emily comes out of her room to see the Conway's in her living room.
"Hello, I'm Hannah, and this is Charlie and Lily. What's your name?" Hannah asks Emily. Emily glances at Claire who winks at her.
"Emily. Why are you here?" Emily asks bluntly. Hannah laughs at the toddler's direct question.
"Well, your father and my husband are helping release the hostages. He's running for president too." Emily scoffs at the notion.
"My daddy's the pwesident and my mommy's the vice pwesident."
"Emily, go show Charlie and Lily to their room." Claire says with a smirk. Emily hasn't had to interact with other children outside of school before. Claire wonders how the toddler is going to react to sharing her things for a short time.
"Do you want to play with me?" Charlie asks as the three kids walk away. Emily glances at the little boy's snot-ridden dinosaur toy with disgust.
"No."
Hannah and Claire sit down for some tea in the living room while they watch the children go in and out of Emily's bedroom.
"Your kids are very cute," Claire comments to Hannah.
"Thank you. Emily is adorable. Can I ask if you ever regretted not having more than one child?" Claire is visibly taken aback by the question. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is that too personal?"
"Do you ever regret having two?" Claire asks and calmly takes a sip of her tea. Hannah looks appropriately embarrassed and chooses not to comment.
After the Conways' have retired to their rooms for the night and Emily is put to bed, Frank and Claire have a chance to talk.
"She switched the kid's snack?" Frank asks in disbelief. A smile breaks out on his lips when he thinks of how cunning his daughter's actions were.
"Yes. And then she lied to the principal and teacher's face about it. It was amazing, Francis." Claire accepts the cigarette from her husband. "I don't think we will have any more problems there."
"In the Situation Room today, you hesitated with what to do regarding the hostage crisis. Why is that?" Frank asks. He noticed it earlier but knew better than to bring it up in front of Conway.
"It was nothing, foolish, really." Frank refuses to hand the cigarette back until she truly answers his question. "I thought of Emily. The girl, she reminded me of Emily. I wasn't objective, but I'm done with that now."
"I did too, for a moment, think of Emily. You are right though, Claire. We can't afford to make any mistakes. Our nomination hinges on how we deal with the crisis."
"Why are you letting Conway help us then?" Claire doesn't see what her husband sees yet.
"Because I want to give him a little power and then shut it down. The hostages need to be released with full credit going to us, not him."
"I trust your judgment, Francis. Goodnight." Claire extinguishes the cigarette and hops off the windowsill.
"Claire?" Frank calls out after her.
"Yes?"
"We might need to use the leader. I can't be seen going there, negotiating." Claire nods in understanding, knowing what her husband is asking of her.
"Just say the word, Francis."
"Goodnight." Claire disappears into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
The next morning, at breakfast, Frank and Emily have the rare chance of being alone.
"Your mom told me what you did, Emily." Frank says as he's biting into an apple. Emily nods and takes a bite of her cereal. "I just want you to know that we aren't angry. You just need to be more careful."
"I know. Mommy say so, too." Emily tells her father. "Daddy?"
"Yes, Emily?"
"When are dose oder kids leavin'? I not like them in my room," Emily says and points to the spare room where the Conway's are sleeping. Frank smirks at Emily's question. He remembers a time when the toddler was begging Claire and him for another sibling.
"I don't know Em. We have to figure out how to get the people back first."
"The girl smell bad," Emily says offhandedly while sipping her milk. Claire comes out of her bedroom while Frank is laughing. She reaches over and brushes a kiss to Emily and Frank's cheek.
"I'm so glad we never had another child, and it appears Emily feels the same way," Frank tells Claire.
ICO decides to release the wife and daughter but keep the husband until Frank capitulates with their demands. Claire is left no choice but to secretly meet with ICO's leader to see if he can sway his followers into a peaceful resolution.
The meeting is unsuccessful, causing more damage to the Underwoods' than good. When Claire gets back, she sees Frank hunched in the corner, with his hand on his stomach. She rushes over to him, setting her hand on his arm.
"It's nothing, I'm fine." Frank dismisses her, but she won't allow it.
"Come on. Let's get you upstairs," Claire tells him and clasps his hand. They walk hand-in-hand back to the residences.
A doctor comes up to the residences to briefly examine Frank against his wishes.
"We can't fight everything off one-by-one, Francis. But if we make this, we make it work for us," Claire tells him as they are relaxing together in the living room. The doctor just left and told Frank to take it easy, advice he will ignore.
"Create chaos," Frank says, following his wife's line-of-thinking.
"More than chaos." Frank looks over at her and sits up higher on the couch.
"War."
"Fear."
"Fear. Brutal. Total."
"I'm done trying to win over people's hearts."
"Let's attack their hearts."
"We can work with fear."
"Yes, we can." Frank leans back into the couch cushions, satisfied he's worked this out in their favor.
"You should put on a fresh suit."
"The navy blue."
"Yes, the navy blue." Claire has always told him her favorite suit on him is the navy blue. The suit he was supposed to wear for the Secretary of State nomination that never came to be. A grin tugs at the corner of Claire's lips.
"What?" Frank asks, curious as to why his wife suddenly smiling.
"Do you remember the last time you wore that suit? Not the nomination, but the time before that."
"No. Should I?"
"It was the day we named Emily, after the scare."
Frank clambers down the stairs of the townhouse, searching for his wife. It's not typical for her to be up before him. Especially not now, when she's almost seven months pregnant.
"What are you doing up so early?" Frank asks when he sees his wife at the dining table, nursing a cup of tea.
"I couldn't sleep. I'm not getting any sleep lately," Claire momentarily puts her hand on her swollen stomach before letting it fall to the side. Frank does a half-turn to scrutinize his wife's face. Deep circles reside under her eyes and her complexion is a pale hue.
"Go back upstairs and get some sleep." Frank says and then instantly regrets it. He knows how much Claire hates when he tries to manage her. She's going to do the exact opposite of what he said to spite him.
"No. I'm fine. I have a budget that needs to be finished." Claire downs her tea and moves past him, heading upstairs to get dressed. Frank lets out a sigh. Something tells him he's going to receive a call about his wife at some point today.
"No, I told you I don't want to focus on domestic legislation now…I want…" Claire trails off and shuts her eyes, willing the pain in her stomach to subside. She is in the midst of an important budget meeting with her board members and can't be derailed by what is sure to be nothing.
"Mrs. Underwood are you alright?" Evelyn, Claire's office manager asks.
"Yes. Evelyn, finish the meeting," Claire says through gritted teeth. She backs up her chair and ends up doubling over in pain.
"Call Frank," Evelyn orders and holds a chair out for Claire to sit back down in.
"Sir, it's your wife's office. They are taking her to the hospital, something is wrong," Doug tells Frank as he is walking into his boss's office. Frank turns from his voter board and rushes over to his desk, grabbing his jacket.
"Reschedule everything. And get Meechum, now."
When Frank arrives at the hospital, Claire is cordoned off in a private room. A nurse brings Frank over to Claire, who is breathing heavily. Her eyes are unfocused and she's having a hard time staying awake.
"What's wrong with her?" Frank asks as he goes to Claire's side. She fumbles for his hand, he notices and grabs it tightly.
"She's in early labor. We are trying to stop it." Another nurse puts an oxygen mask over Claire's face. In her confusion, Claire is attempting to take the oxygen mask off.
"Leave the mask on, Mrs. Underwood," the same nurse who put it on tells her. Frank tilts it to the side, knowing his wife wants to tell him something.
"Francis…Em…" Claire passes out before she can finish her sentence. Frank is rushed out of the room with promises he will be apprised of his wife's condition.
Hours pass by until they are finally able to stop Claire's labor and she regains consciousness. When she finally does, Frank is brought back into her hospital room. Claire is sitting up in bed with a fetal monitor wrapped around her stomach.
"Hey," Frank says in relief. Color's returned to her face and she looks more aware than before. He drapes his blazer over the end of the bed and sits down next to her in a vacant chair.
"Hi. You look handsome in that suit." Claire whispers.
"What happened?" Frank asks. He never got an official explanation from any of Claire's doctors as to why she went into early labor.
"Stress, dehydration and overexertion. She's fine, Francis." Frank's eyebrows lift at Claire's mention of 'she.' He didn't know they are having a girl. "I just found out."
"What were you trying to say to me before you passed out?"
"The baby's name. I just thought of it. Emily." Frank chews on his bottom lip, mulling the idea around in his head.
"I like the idea, the name."
"Do you ever think we should be more like the Conway's?" Claire asks while they are sitting together in silence.
"Not for a moment. How do you mean?"
"They have their two beautiful children and their videos with them. The public just adores them." Frank crosses his arms over his chest.
"Yes, they do, but we have something they don't. We are willing to go one step further than anyone else."
"Even with Emily?" Claire asks. As Emily gets older, it's hard to keep her from the inner-workings of the White House. And on days like yesterday, Frank and Claire's actions have a direct consequence on Emily.
"More so, with her. We both would do anything for her."
"Good. Go put on your suit. I'll tell Emily to put on a dress."
Frank tells the American people in a televised announcement that he is declaring war on ICO. As a result, the terrorists slit Jim Miller's throat on a live-feed sent to the White House. The Conway's leave and the Underwoods' have the White House to themselves again.
"Where's Emily?" Frank asks Claire as they walk up the stairs to the residences together.
"Asleep, I presume. It's pretty late, Francis."
Claire and Frank are a little shaken up by the execution of Jim Miller even though it was something they expected. Frank is more vocal about needing to see Emily, his touchstone amidst all the chaos.
"I'll get her," Claire says and gently brushes her hand up against Frank's arm. She sneaks into their daughter's room and picks up the sleeping toddler. "Let's go into my room." Frank trails behind Claire and Emily. Emily wakes up as Claire is gently laying her down on the bed.
"It's okay, Em." Frank whispers when he sees the confusion on Emily's features. "We just wanted to say hi."
"Hi, Daddy. Are the people gone?" Emily asks, her voice heavy with sleep. The toddler crawls onto the other side of her mother. Frank is sitting on the edge of the bed, closest to Claire.
"Yes. It's just us now." Frank reaches over to lace his fingers with Claire's.
"Go back to sleep, Emily." Claire mumbles, brushing a strand of hair out of their daughter's face with her free hand. Emily cuddles closer to Claire, using her body as a pillow.
"I'll leave you to it, then," Frank states and stands up. He no longer feels welcome in his wife's bedroom.
"No. Stay. Keep us company." Claire tells him sincerely. They haven't shared a bed together since their time in Gaffney and that was under false pretenses, which is why Frank is so hesitant.
"Alright. I'll be back." Frank goes into his bedroom to change into his pajamas. When he returns, he slides into bed next to Emily. Claire is reading on her iPad and Emily has fallen back asleep.
"If you would rather sleep in your own bed, that's fine. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," Claire says.
"No, this is fine. Goodnight," Frank reaches across Emily to brush a kiss to Claire's cheek.
"Goodnight." Claire says and turns off the lamp light, welcoming darkness into the room.
A/N 2: Honestly, I'm not sure where I'm going with this. It's just an idea I wanted to get on paper before the thought escaped me. If you want me to add more, or continue State of Grace, just leave me a review and let me know. Thanks for reading!