A/N: Thank you for your reviews, I always love getting them. For the purpose of this story, Claire never went to see Adam in New York during season one. I hope you enjoy this better than I enjoyed season 5.

Claire pulls up the article appropriately titled "Mrs. Underwood, Under the Sheets?" with a picture of her sleeping. A picture of her that Adam Galloway took when she was at his Manhattan apartment.

Frank lets out an aggravated sigh, this is the last thing he needs to deal with tonight.

"Tusk," Frank spits out. Claire merely nods and looks up, to where their daughter is sleeping, blissfully unaware of the bedlam that's about to ensue.

This has been her second mistake in a short amount of time. It's so unlike her, she is usually so careful about what the public sees. As Frank once said, "we are more or less than what we choose to reveal." Now, it's no longer a choice. The American people know about her affair with Adam Galloway. This couldn't have come at a worse time. During the interview a few months ago, Ashleigh Banfield blindsided Claire with an article claiming Frank cheated on her when she was pregnant with Emily. Of course, Claire denied the allegation despite it being true. She didn't see an alternative. With Raymond Tusk leaking her transgressions with Adam, it's unlikely the public is going to believe the same thing twice.

Their marriage is under scrutiny, again. They are going to have to find a way that exonerates them from any wrong doing without involving Emily. Claire realizes Frank would use Emily to gain positive media attention if it came down to it. She is going to do everything in her power to prevent that from happening. Her daughter does not need to be aware of the intricacies of her parent's marriage. Emily's nightmares are already bad enough, there's no need to make them worse.

Frank glances over at his wife, who is a million miles away. He doesn't blame her if she is upset with him about people now knowing about Adam. Raymond and Remy were his problems to deal with and he should've before anything like this happened. Claire will want assurances from him that Emily will be kept in the dark about the circus that's about to ensue, but he won't be able to give it to her. He will do whatever he can to prevent that from happening. If they are backed into a corner with no way out, he will consider putting his daughter in the limelight. And Claire will just have to deal with it.

"We need to keep her out of school tomorrow," Claire says, being the first one to break the silence.

"Agreed."

Sending Emily to school where they won't have control over whether the press has access to her is unwise. Their daughter is only two, but that won't stop the media from asking her questions.

"I'm going to check on her, let me know when Seth and Doug get here."

Frank watches Claire retreat upstairs, but doubts she is actually going to do what she said. His wife has a tendency to process things silently and on her own before collaborating with him. Especially now, when she perceives this as her fault and her mess to clean up. Reminding her that they are at equal fault for what has transpired won't alleviate any of the remorse she feels.

Claire opens the door to Emily's room, watching the moonlight illuminate her daughter's cognac hair. The toddler has her favorite rabbit balled in a tight fist and is sleeping soundly. Claire crosses the room to close the blinds, preventing any prying eyes from grabbing a shot of her daughter.

After she closes the door to Emily's room, she goes into her own. Her iPhone is charging on her side of the bed, waiting to be used. Claire lightly tosses the device in her palm, her thumb hovering over Adam's contact information. He should know what is about to happen, she just doesn't know if she should be the one to tell him. The last time they saw each other, they agreed that they needed to put a stop to what they were doing.

"Which one?" Claire asks Frank, holding an ink-black boatneck dress to her chest while glancing over at the charcoal wrap dress sitting on the bed. Frank briefly glances up from his paperwork, his eyebrows knitting together. His wife only asks him for wardrobe advice when she is anxious about something.

"What's the occasion?" He asks while pushing the blanket higher on his legs, sending a few papers falling to the floor.

There's a moment of hesitation, enough time for Frank to read her silence. They don't keep secrets from each other, but Claire is not always forthcoming when it comes to certain things…or people.

Claire pauses to switch dresses and spins to face her husband.

"Adam Galloway is coming to town, he is helping me put together photos for the African Children Coalition gala next week. We are having dinner afterwards."

Frank's mouth twitches. He never liked Adam because he is aware of how his wife feels about him. It's not jealousy because Claire is his wife who is expecting his child, but a lingering anxiety. Adam is an uncertainty, regardless of what Claire thinks. He has the ability to reveal his involvement with Claire at any time, which could be cataclysmic for the Underwoods.

"Wear the black one."

There are two reasons for Frank's choice. One is he always prefers Claire in black. Two, black is a slimming color. If Claire chooses not to tell Adam about her pregnancy, her outfit won't give it away.

"That was my favorite too."

He wants to ask if she is going to let Adam in on their little secret because he doesn't want to sway her either way. It should be her decision.

"Are you going to tell him?" Frank asks, without realizing he is speaking out loud.

Claire drops the winning dress and turns to face him.

"I don't know," She is aware of the weight this choice carries as much as him.

"I trust you to make the call."

"I know."

"I'll just have water, thank you," Claire says to the waitress. Adam orders a pinot noir and turns his attention to his dinner companion. She can tell Adam is questioning her beverage choice. It's a tradition between them to share a bottle of wine.

"No wine? I'm surprised," Adam comments, eyeing her suspiciously. Claire unconsciously sweeps her hand over her burgeoning stomach, smoothing any wrinkles in the ebony fabric.

"Well I…" She is interrupted by their waitress setting down a bread basket between them.

Adam takes the momentary pause in conversation to do a once-over on Claire. Something about her is different. They haven't seen each other in almost a year, but he can sense a change in her. She seems happier, more content with her life than in meetings past.

Adam is not an idiot, this thing between him and Claire is only temporary and under her control. He is well aware of who she truly belongs to, even if he detests the man. However, that doesn't stop him from thinking he knows her better than him.

"What Adam?" Claire asks with a coy smile. His eyes are boring a hole into her skin. Adam has always been an observer, similar to her. Frank is an orator, he processes everything out loud. It's a comfortable change of pace to be sitting with someone who doesn't feel the need to constantly be talking.

"Something about you is…" He pauses to locate the right word, "…changed."

"Oh, really?" She takes a long sip of water and contemplates her next move. Adam is a dog with a bone, he won't drop it until he is clued in on her secret.

"Yeah, you are still Claire, but a different, dare I say, happier version of Claire. Let me guess, Francis is dying?"

Laughter slips through Claire's lips. It amuses her that Frank and Adam despise each other despite only meeting a handful of times. Although, they do have contrasting personalities, with her being the common denominator.

"Francis is fine," Claire chooses to ignore the slight frown playing on Adam's face and switches the subject to his career.

An hour later, they are making out on the couch of Adam's hotel room. It's a routine they established when he comes to D.C. Dinner, followed by a night cap at a high-end hotel tucked away in the Beltway. Sometimes Claire stays the night, others she goes home to Frank. It all depends on how she is feeling.

Tonight, guilt has permeated her mindset. It's foreign to her because she never feels this way about being with Adam. She isn't sneaking around and lying to her husband, but something about their tryst is gnawing at her.

Adam's lips are trailing up her neck, stopping periodically to suck on her skin. Claire turns her head and closes her eyes, willing her mind to shut off so she can enjoy this before going home. Without warning, Adam finds her lips and cups her face. She pulls back, shaking her head.

"What?" Adam asks, his voice half concerned and annoyed. He is afraid she is going to disappear again.

"I can't, I'm…I have to go," Claire starts to get up, but his hands coil around her wrists, bringing her back down to the couch.

"Claire, what is going on?" He carved time out of his schedule to spend with her and doesn't appreciate her evasive attitude.

"We need to stop seeing each other for a while, Adam. I shouldn't have come here, it was a mistake."

Adam lights a cigarette while Claire searches the hotel room for her purse and jacket.

"Why are you rushing out the door? This doesn't make sense, Claire."

Claire could easily run away without an explanation, but something is stopping her.

"It's not fair to Francis, I don't know why I keep doing this with you." Adam doesn't believe her for a second and is angry she is using her husband as an excuse.

"Since when do you give a fuck about what is fair to Francis?"

"Since I'm pregnant with his child!"

Adam looks appropriately shocked by Claire's admission.

"That was the last thing I thought you were going to say," Adam mumbles quietly.

"I know…I didn't mean for you to find out like that," Claire pauses and swings her jacket over her shoulders. "When I end things, I end them for good. Goodbye, Adam." She approaches him and lightly kisses his cheek before fleeing the hotel room.

Claire hears Frank yell for her from downstairs. She has told him countless times not to do that in case Emily wakes up. Her cellphone remains on the nightstand, untouched. Seth, Doug and Frank are standing in the kitchen, eagerly waiting her arrival.

"Emily still asleep?" Frank asks. It's common for their daughter to free herself from her crib and join them in their bed. Also, he wants to see if his wife truly went to check on their daughter like she said she was.

"Yes, let's get started," Claire tells him and follows the three men into the living room.

Over the next few hours, Seth, Doug and the Underwood's come up with a media strategy that includes a formal press conference on their part as well as Adam's.

"Do you want to include Emily?" Seth asks.

"Absolutely not," Claire says immediately. Frank is more hesitant. His daughter might be a last-ditch effort to get the public back on their side and his wife must realize that.

"Sir?" Doug asks, noting his boss' delay in answering. Frank puts his hand on Claire's knee to capture her attention.

"Claire, Emily could be beneficial for us." He knows if it comes down to it, his wife would agree with him because she is just as ruthless as he is.

Claire merely nods. They can have this fight later, away from spectators.

"Who is going to tell Adam?" Claire poses to the men.

"Nobody. It would be wise to not have any communication between him and us right now. We don't want to be accused of collusion," Seth reminds her.

"We need to control how this story plays out and that includes him," she argues back, looking to Frank for backup.

"If we feel it's necessary, we will reach out to him, but for now, we need to keep our distance," Seth assures her. "Now, we contacted CNN and they have agreed to a press conference outside of the townhouse tomorrow afternoon. We expect Adam to issue a statement before then."

"Claire, we have to sit down with you and establish a timeline of all public and private encounters with Adam, so we can be prepared if he tries to hit us with evidence of a relationship," Doug explains to her.

"Can we do that in the morning? I'm rather tired."

They have been going at this for almost three hours and Claire has to get up with Emily early tomorrow morning.

Frank agrees, sending Doug and Seth away, telling them to return to the residence early the next day so they can continue working.

He comes back into the living room to find his wife staring off into the distance. Frank cups her shoulders, willing her to make eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry that you have to deal with this nonsense," Claire whispers. "But Francis, please, Emily does not need to be a part of this."

Frank nods. It means something to him that Claire is apologizing to him for this scandal, even if it's unnecessary. He owes her immensely for weathering the interview alone. This makes them even in a way.

"I can't Claire, you know that. Our image is in tatters right now and Emily might be the only way to repair it."

Everything her husband's telling her makes sense, but Claire feels this need to protect her daughter because she feels guilty about her and Frank's occupations. They don't seek the spotlight in any way, but it comes with the territory. Nevertheless, unless Claire comes up with a different solution, Emily is going to be part of their press conference tomorrow.

"I'm tired, goodnight Francis."

"Goodnight."

Frank realizes Claire is upset about using Emily, but he trusts they will play this carefully so it won't look like they are blatantly exploiting their daughter.

The next morning, Claire blindly reaches over in bed, only to be met with balled-up sheets.

"Francis?" She asks, her voice clouded with sleep. Her ears are alert for any signs that Emily has woken up without her. All she can hear is her husband talking to someone downstairs. Claire slips her robe over her nightie and descends the stairs.

"Mommy!" Emily exclaims, bounding towards Claire with milk smeared all over her face. The toddler jumps into Claire's arms.

"Hi," Claire mumbles as she hoists her daughter onto her hip. She pads into the kitchen, spotting Frank hunched over the counter, sipping on a coffee while reading the newspaper.

"Daddy say I not go to school today! Why mommy?"

Claire makes eye contact with her husband, silently asking how much he disclosed to their two-year-old.

"Well…daddy and I thought you should stay home with us, just for today." Claire hopes that Frank has no intentions of going to the Capitol, not with the press eagerly hovering outside of the townhouse waiting to pounce on anyone exiting the residence.

Emily's eyes widen, she doesn't ever remember both of her parents not going to work, especially her dad. Usually, her dad makes a hasty exit during her breakfast and her mom drops her off at school.

"Why?"

Frank and Claire exchange nervous glances, neither of them are particularly keen on explaining to Emily the truth, but they have to provide the inquisitive little girl with something so she stops asking so many questions.

"We are keeping you home from school today because…" Frank pauses, he has never been good at explaining things on a level his daughter can comprehend.

"Emily, remember at the park that one time when that boy said something not true to you about daddy?" Claire asks, filling in for her husband.

Emily nods while shoving an apple in her mouth.

"Someone is saying something that's not true about me to everyone and we don't want anyone at school to think it's true and be mean to you."

"What are dem people sayin' mommy?"

Claire brushes a piece of hair out of Emily's eyes and swallows the guilt she feels for lying to her daughter.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that you know it's not true."

Frank watches in awe as Claire explains to Emily the complex situation they are in to her in a way she can understand. He remembers Claire agonizing over whether she would be able to be a good mother when she was pregnant with Emily. She does a far better job than he can at reassuring their daughter that her world isn't going to fall apart because of Adam Galloway. Frank loves Emily more than anything, but he finds it hard to relate to her sometimes, but Claire can do it effortlessly and he is grateful to her for that.

Frank and Claire set Emily up with a movie while they scheme with Doug and Seth. Claire lays out a concrete timeline of her encounters with Adam, not sparing any detail in case it becomes relevant. Together, they all watch Adam give his statement to the press and work to construct their narrative around what he says.

"We can't repeat what he said, it would look too clean," Seth points out.

Frank and Claire realize this, but Adam isn't going to like it.

"So, what do we do?" Frank asks after shutting off the TV.

"You go out and lie," Doug says what they are all thinking.

"And Emily?" Claire inquires.

"It would look better from a PR standpoint if she were involved," Seth says.

"Claire and I need to talk about this for a second," Frank tells Doug and Seth. The two men head upstairs to make some calls while their bosses sort this out.

"I told you Francis, I don't want her to be on camera," Claire tells him.

"I know," Frank rests his hands on her arms. "Sweetheart, listen to me, we need to move past this and Emily can help with that."

A part of her acknowledges Frank might be right. Emily softens their image. The public responded well when Claire discussed their daughter during her interview and each time she's photographed out alongside her parents. They are going to have to use everything to their advantage if they want to get through this unscathed. If Claire and Frank can somewhat control how Emily is featured in the press, it might be worthwhile.

"Okay…if you think that's what best." Claire is abdicating because she knows Frank will compromise with her if she does.

He smiles at her, thankful she saw it his way.

"I promise she doesn't have to say anything."

"And no photo ops or Q&A's. We say our statement and that's it."

Frank agrees and rests his hand on the small of her back, leading her upstairs.

"We are going to get Emily ready, but she doesn't say anything and we aren't posing for any photos or answering any questions," Frank tells Seth and Doug in a firm tone.

"Understood, Sir. You guys should change," Doug says. He knows his boss is unrelenting when it comes to his daughter. It wouldn't do well for him to argue when Frank's mind is made up.

Claire changes into a more conservative ivory gown, Frank changes into a formal suit.

"What should Emily wear?" Claire asks Frank while they are in the bathroom together.

"I don't know, I'm not really good at this sort of thing. A dress like yours?"

Claire finishes her applying her lipstick and leaves her husband in their bedroom to go into Emily's room.

"Hey mommy, wanna pway wif me?" Emily asks.

"Not right now. We have to get you ready. You are going to help mommy and daddy with something, if that's okay."

Emily's azure eyes sparkle and she immediately drops her dolls.

"Okay! I help you and daddy. What do I do?"

"Daddy and I have to say something to the people outside and we need you to come with us, but you have to wear a dress."

Emily runs to her closet and pulls down her favorite navy dress.

"I wear dis one mommy, okay?"

Claire nods and helps her daughter get changed.

"No Q&A, so don't even try," Seth warns the press perched outside the Underwood townhome. He steps away, glancing briefly of the picture of Claire perched on an easel.

"Do you want to hold Emily, or should I?" Claire asks Frank before they step outside to greet the press.

"I think you should hold her."

Claire scoops Emily off the floor and grabs Frank's hand. He opens the door, tightening his grip on his wife's hand as they approach the podium. Emily is frightened by all the attention and buries her head into her mother's shoulder. Claire regrets her decision of letting Emily be a part of the press conference. This isn't doing her any good.

Frank and Claire flat out deny the affair and assert Frank not only knew about the photograph, but he commissioned Adam to take it. They finish their statement and retreat back into the townhouse to survey the damage.

"You did good, Em," Frank tells his daughter. He noticed Emily was scared by how hard she was clinging to Claire during the press conference, but she behaved well. She didn't cry or speak out of turn. Emily acted far beyond a two-year-old and made her parents proud.

"Thanks daddy, I do it for you and mommy," Emily admits quietly, mirroring her mother when it comes to displaying her emotions.

"I think it will work," Claire says with confidence smiling as Frank reaches over and lightly pinches Emily's cheek.

Claire puts Emily down for a nap and joins Frank in the living room for a cigarette.

"She did really good," Frank says and lets the smoke filter out of his mouth.

"Yes, she did," Claire agrees, reaching over to steal the cigarette from her husband.

"But you still regret that we had to put her there in the first place." It comes out more as an accusation than a question on Frank's behalf.

"I will only regret it if it didn't work."

Frank reaches across and presses a kiss on Claire's cheek. Claire puts the cigarette out and glances out the window.

"Adam is going to call and he is going to be angry, Francis."

Undoubtedly, Adam saw the Underwood press conference and will be furious about the way he was portrayed. Claire and Frank made it seemed like Adam lied about the photograph and released it for attention, which couldn't be farther from the truth. They need to quell any uprising on Adam's part.

"I know, I think it's time we bring him in."

A/N 2: Alright, that's all you get for now. I wanted to structure this chapter similar to the actual episode, but not so much that it felt like you were reading a transcript of it. Please leave me some reviews, I would love to know where you guys want this story to go. Thanks for reading!