Chapter title goes to an Ariana Grande and Nathan Sykes song.

I'd just like to say a huge thank you to all of you who stuck with this story. You all kept me writing and help me feel more confident about posting. Without further ado, there's the last chapter!


Chapter 8- Over and Over Again

She'd stopped crying about an hour ago. Or maybe seconds ago. She couldn't really tell. Time seemed to lose its meaning. She was aware of it passing, but she neither knew nor cared how much time. The seconds seemed to stretch into infinities, but the hours seemed to compress into fractions of a moment. She couldn't quite imagine a world in which her husband no longer loved her, and so, her world seemed to stop turning.

"Madam Secretary?"

She blinked out of her dazed before responding. "Yes?"

"Your husband is awake. Would you like to see him?" She hesitated. Of course, she wanted to see him. But did he want to see her?

"Dr. McCord, it's good to see that you're up," the doctor said in a forced, chipper tone. "You ripped out a few stitches and lost a lot of blood. You're going to need to take it easy for a few days, but you can go home in a few hours. I heard that many of your memories are returning, and that's good news. I'm optimistic about your recovery, and I predict that you should be back to your old self in about a week. Just don't go for any more runs in the next week or so, okay?"

"Where is she?"

"Sorry?"

"My wife," Henry clarified. "Where is my wife?" Did I make her leave?

"She's waiting outside." But she's always with me.

"Why is she outside?" The doctor paused and looked at him with what might have been pity.

"She said that she thought you would rather be alone. I can send her in if you like." No, no, no. Why did I have to yell at her?

"Please. I need to see her." She doesn't know that I love her. How could I have let that happen? The doctor left, and a few moments later, the door opened. Elizabeth entered cautiously. She had definitely been crying. Her eyes were watery and red, her cheeks blotchy, and yet she looked more beautiful now than when she walked down the aisle. She stood a few feet from the bed, arms folded across her chest.

"How are you feeling?" She sounded detached, words carefully planned, as if she were trying to protect him from her emotions.

"Elizabeth, I…" Words failed him. Salty tears stung his eyes as he tried to grapple with the immeasurable amount of love he had for the woman standing in front of him. How could I have forgotten? Concern flashed across her face, and she dipped her head down to avoid his gaze.

"I'm sorry. I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now. I should go," she said, voice catching in her throat. No. Don't go. Not now; not ever.

"Baby, I'm the one who's sorry."

"For what?"

"I hurt you. I-" Elizabeth shook her head, silencing him.

"I'm just glad that you're okay."

Henry sensed that she was just barely holding it together in order to keep her distance. To break in front of him was to be vulnerable in front of the man who had forgotten the most important things about her."I remembered everything about you. About us."

Her eyes widened with surprise, and she met his eyes again. A tentative smile began to form on her lips. "Really?"

"Really," he confirmed with a nod.

"You mean… Everything? My terrible cooking skills? My tone deafness? My constant craving for popcorn and ice cream? The really awkward marriage counseling?" Yes. All of it. And I don't regret any of it. I love you.

"Elizabeth." He said her name as a prayer and held out his hand to her, wordlessly begging for her to take it. Hesitantly, as if waiting for him to reject her, she brushed her fingertips against his. He pulled her wrist, tugging her closer. "You are my everything. I will never forget that ever again."

"Henry," was all she got out before the tears came. He held out his arms, and she collapsed on top of him. Sobs shook her body as the stress and pain of the last few days left her. He felt her fingers gripping his shoulders and neck, desperate to keep his as close as possible. One of his arms banded across her waist, locking their bodies together, the other rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"Thank you for not giving up on me. And I'm so sorry. Dimitri is alive, and you did everything and more for-"

"Henry, we're okay. You don't have to-"

"No. The way I treated you, the things I said will never be okay. I know I can't take any of that back, but I love you. I… I don't even know how to explain what I feel." His voice cracked as he too started to cry. The hand on her back trailed up her spine until his fingers tangled in her hair, encouraging her to bury her face into his chest. Henry rested his chin on top of her head, silently thanking his lucky stars for bring Elizabeth into his life. They held each other until they ran out of tears. Elizabeth pulled back just enough to give him a watery smile as she wiped the remnants of his tears with her thumb. He gave a shaky grin of his own and leaned forward to pepper her cheeks with kisses.

"I missed you," she sniffled, voice still scratchy and raw from crying.

"I missed you too," he murmured. "As Aquinas once said, 'The things that we love tell us who we are,' and I love you, Elizabeth. I didn't know who I was without you. I kept feeling like there was a missing piece, and it was you. In remembering who you are, I remember who I am."

Henry gently tugged at the strands of hair that were wrapped around his fingers, drawing her face closer to his. Elizabeth grinned coyly, taking the hint, and closed the gap between them. This is home, he thought as their lips met sweetly. Henry took his time trying to convey to his wife everything he felt: guilt, gratitude, but mostly his passionate love. Elizabeth eventually broke the kiss to breathe. Henry was proud of the flush of her cheeks and the slight swelling of her lips.

"So, now that everything's back in there, how was falling in love again?" she asked playfully.

"Nothing new, really." She tilted her head, a confused expression on her face. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing across her skin with tenderness and love. "You still make my heart race when you smile, and you're still the most beautiful, kind, intriguing, brilliant, and wonderful human being I've ever met. There's not a second that goes by where I don't want to be with you. The truth is, I fall in love with you every single day. And every time, it gets a little better because with every moment, there's more of you to fall in love with." Henry leaned closer to her, their foreheads touching. He felt Elizabeth's breaths tickling his lips, the anticipation just has high as it was before their very first kiss. "No matter what, I'll always fall in love with you. Over, and over, and over again."


I hope you all enjoyed this story and liked the ending. Y'all are the best!

Thanks again, guys. Don't forget to review!

I'll be back next week with a new story. I have a longer one in the early stages, but I have some fluffy one shots I'll be posting in the mean time.