Friend on the Inside.

So, this is the end! Chapter 9!

I hope this was worth the wait, and it's a decent ending to the story!
Thank you so much, again, to an amazing beta! 'Sardixiis' you have been fantastic.

I hope this final chapter is enjoyable, thank you for reading, like always reviews are loved, welcome and appreciated! Enjoy.

Disclaimer – I own nothing.


Elizabeth walked out of the situation room and nearly collapsed to the floor. Henry was safe. He was coming home. Jane and Jose were coming home and those children got to be reunited with their families.

"Elizabeth?" It was Ellen.

"Sorry, Ellen. Lost in my own world for a minute." Ellen nodded slightly.

"Don't worry. I wanted to walk you out. I assume you're heading back to the State Department before heading home early?" Bess chuckled before the pair began to walk down the hall.

"Is that your way of giving me orders, without breaking protocol?"

"You could say that."

"If I am not mistaken, Ellen, you have a daughter of your own." Ellen nodded, as they finally reached one of the outer doors.

"Would you like to say hi?" Ellen motioned to her left where Elizabeth could clearly see a young girl surrounded by what looked to be a team of Navy personnel.

"You knew she was here this whole time, and you never said anything?"

"I didn't know when she would be here, but sometimes she stops by, so I had a feeling that I could maybe introduce you both."

"I'd really like to meet her." Ellen smiled, before they moved in the direction of the teen.

"Thank you." Ellen thanked the guards who'd walked over with Caroline before she gave her daughter a hug.

"I take it it's been a long day?" Caroline asked.

"When is it not?" Elizabeth shot back before extending her hand.

"Madam Secretary, it's an honour and a pleasure to meet you. My mum has told me great things."

"Well, be careful what you believe. It's lovely to meet you, Caroline."


Arriving back home after what felt like hours of paperwork Elizabeth wanted to jump for joy at the smell of cooking and the sound of sibling rivalry coming from the kitchen area.

Henry wasn't due home until tomorrow night, but when he got home at some ungodly hour, they'd lie and say the conference ended early and he wanted to come home. It was easy enough to pull off.

"I smell food! Please tell me someone saved me some." Elizabeth threw her bag to the floor, kicking off her shoes near the stairs and making her way through to the kitchen, smiling when she saw her three babies in the kitchen. Normally, she would have stopped the petty arguments, but right now she was too pleased to see them to give them lectures on arguing.

"Hey mum! We're making Chinese. Alison's idea."

"We eat way too much takeout," Alison shot back.

"Nothing wrong with takeout…" Bess smiled, before she moved around the kitchen, kissing all three heads.

"Well, it smells good anyway, Noodle."

After another moment, Bess mentioned something to them about getting changed that she would be back for food.

Reaching the safety of her bedroom she couldn't help but feel the overwhelming urge to cry, or feel overly happy that right now she could cry. She was wife Elizabeth, not Secretary of State Elizabeth.

But earlier today they both seemed to be the same person.

"All hostages safe and secure."

"Both subjects down."

"Mission success."

"Heading Home."

Everything Bess was hearing through the connection seemed to be good news. The President was smiling, just as he should be. If he was not known for peace in the Middle East then at least he would be known as the man who saved thirty children and took out two of the most wanted terrorists at the same time.

Bess felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning slightly, she saw Ellen stood behind her.

"Henry's okay. They're all coming home."

Bess couldn't find the words to speak. She was too wrapped up in her emotions. She knew if she opened her mouth now she'd begin to cry, or possibly scream. Henry was safe, but still she wanted to scream at him. Tell him to never scare her like that again, but now wasn't the time or the place, and she knew in the back of her mind that tomorrow when she got to see him again it still wouldn't be the time or the place.

All that mattered now was that thirty children got to be reunited with their families and two evil men where alive no more. But in Elizabeth's mind, all that mattered was that Henry was coming home.

"Well done, Bess." It was high praise coming from the President.

"Thank you, Sir. But I really can't take all the credit. Ellen played a big part in putting this whole thing together, and making sure I didn't lose my mind in the process." Conrad smiled slightly before looking at Ellen.

"Well done, to the both of you. Now, Bess if I'm not mistaken, you have children you haven't seen in two days." Elizabeth nodded before turning to give Ellen a small smile.

"Thank you, Mr President."


After a moment of standing in the middle of the room, Elizabeth set about getting changed into more comfortable clothing and spending the night with her children, and whilst that thought really did make her smile, she couldn't help but feel like a huge part of her was missing. She'd managed to push it aside whilst in the White House, but now she was home, and home was where Henry was supposed to be. Elizabeth dropped her shirt, looking around the room as she took in the fact she'd have to spend one more night alone. They'd been here before when he went into combat, but this was different.

This time, Elizabeth knew she had the power, the authority to save him, but she couldn't. Bess had stood side by side with officials in the Situation Room and looked on hopelessly whilst a mission took place in front of them.

Thinking back on the day she got the news that thirty kids had gone 'missing' in Pakistan, she would have never imagined it would take a whole military operation, her husband's safety, and a mild nervous breakdown to bring them home.

Bess made a mental note to praise her team when she went back to work tomorrow, as well as ask Ellen out for drinks. The mission had confirmed it. Elizabeth needed a close friend in the White House, also a friend whom she could speak to without being judged or without lying, and Ellen seemed to tick all the boxes.

Again, her mind floated to Henry and how much she wished she could vent to him. They were both on the same page, and legally they could speak to each other, but Bess wasn't sure if the law came into play right now. Elizabeth wanted Henry home. She wanted him to hold her. She wanted the sweet kisses they shared. She wanted to be able to lay close to him in bed. The thoughts made her heartache. On the one hand, all she had to do was wait a day and Henry would be safely back in the US, safely back by her side, but the other hand, she had to wait a day before Henry would be back by her side.

Walking over to their bed, Bess sat down on his side. She knew he'd probably felt the same way when she'd been in Iran, maybe he felt the same some nights when she hadn't been home in days. Her mind questioned if he missed her like she missed him, but she pushed the thoughts away quickly, not wanting to be filled with doubt. Despite the heartache she felt at the thought of having to wait a further twenty four hours before the love of her life came home, she took pleasure in knowing that he was, in fact, coming home.

"MUM!" Elizabeth jumped slightly at the sound of her child screaming her name.

The realisation that she'd been so deep in thought that tears had begun to pool in her eyes, whilst her kids shouted downstairs, was enough to make her realise how much seeing Henry meant to her, and how much the last few days had gotten to her.

For a moment, she replayed the moment Henry was late to the check in point, how she felt, and then when that same feeling of dread, horror, hurt, anger, and slight heartbreak was there again in the silence between the sound of an explosion and Jane's words saying how everyone was safe and they were coming home.

"Alison burnt dinner. We're ordering take out." It was Jason, he was now stood in the doorway. She hadn't even heard the bedroom door open.

"Everything okay, mum?"

"Everything's fine, baby, it's just work," Elizabeth lied. Work was a good enough excuse, and it wasn't too far from the truth. That was what it was. Work. Henry had been part of her job. Maybe that was why it hit her so hard? Maybe it was because she'd seen people die, she'd seen missions gone wrong. But then again, they'd been here before. Elizabeth wondered if it was because they were meant to be safe. They had around the clock protection. She and her family were followed wherever they went. The CIA or military didn't provide that for them, way back when.

Maybe this all hit her so hard because Elizabeth thought she'd come so close to losing the love of her life when they were supposed to be protected?

Bess took a deep breath and hoped she masked it well enough for Jason to drop the subject.

"You know, I met a girl called Caroline today, and she's been cooking since she was 15." The statement was directed at Jason as the two walked down the stairs, but Bess also made sure to keep her tone light. She didn't want to deal with an irritable Jason tonight.

"Well, did her parents make her cook?" Stevie asked once Bess and Jason made it into the kitchen.

Bess looked over the counter. It was the usual mess of cooking utensils and the smell of burning.

"Her mother is the National Security Advisor and works every hour she can, so I assume it was either learn to cook or go hungry. But the point is, your father and I both work, so Jason, you should be able to make basic meals."

"I can make pasta." Bess chuckled. He had a point, and he sounded so much like his father.

She remembered when she and Henry had begun dating. Despite Henry's knowledge and passion, food was something he wasn't as passionate about, although he was more willing to try and learn than she was. Before long Henry was serving five star meals, whilst Bess' idea of dinner was left overs, more specifically, reheated lasagne, which, she still found herself shoving in the microwave at 2am after fighting for trade deals.

"Fine, but the minute your father gets home we're starting cooking lessons."

"When will dad be home?" Alison asked, and Bess had to try hard not to cry out of happiness. There was a moment, the moment that Murphy Station hadn't shown up to their check in, when Bess had wondered what she would be telling her children.

"He should be home tomorrow evening. So, Noodle, you can tell him how your maths test went and you, Jase, can tell him all about the McCord school of cooking. And Stevie, I am sure dad would love to hear about how your date went."

Stevie blushed slightly.

"Come on, she worked for the CIA, and besides you weren't the best at keeping it quiet," Jason said, with a slight smirk.

"Okay, take out should be here in 20 minutes, until then I have a homework project to start," Alison said, hugging her mother quickly before heading up the stairs.

Jason followed suit shouting something about his video game, and then Stevie waited a minute before smiling to her mother.

"Dad's not really at a Think Tank convention, is he?" Elizabeth stayed quiet for a moment.

"He'll be home tomorrow, baby." Stevie smiled and nodded before she too, made her way upstairs.

Elizabeth stood for a minute. Stevie knew the drill although Bess wouldn't admit it, but her youngest two, her babies, where none the wiser. So, as she stood alone in the kitchen with all her emotions and thoughts, she wondered if she should tell Stevie, have someone to cry with, but when she remembered the lies she'd told, she knew inside that she couldn't. Moving around the island in the kitchen she pulled the refrigerator door open, grabbing the bottle of wine that was half empty.

"Hell of a day," She muttered to herself almost as a toast as she poured the glass of wine.

Tomorrow.

Henry would be home tomorrow. She reminded herself as she sat down to enjoy the peace and quiet that, really, she knew she needed.


Tomorrow evening couldn't come fast enough. Elizabeth had been on the ball all day, making various arrangements for trips, pushing her staff team to their limits as she tried her hardest to be home for six, so she could finally be in her husband's arms.

It was the only picture she had in her mind. All the simple moments she and Henry had shared over the last twenty-five years, from walking hand in hand to waking up early on Monday morning, just to see each other for that little bit longer.

Ellen had been to the State department earlier that day and had brought along photographs and videos of the school children being reunited with their families. Soon after arriving Ellen felt it best to leave Bess to it, but not before the Secretary of State invited her and Caroline over for dinner in the coming weeks.

"Ma'am, Russell Jackson is here to see you," Blake said, a little out of breath, most likely from running to inform the secretary before Russell appeared in her office.

"Thank you, Blake." Bess smiled, greeting Russell as he walked in.

"I know you're wanting to go home, so I'll make this quick," Russell began, and for once Elizabeth was grateful. Right now, she didn't need another crisis to deal with.

"We've had some backlash over Pakistan. Nothing we can't handle for now, but the President wants you to be prepared in case we need to go live with it. Right now, as far as anyone is concerned, the school children are home safe and sound, and two terrorists have been killed. The media are speculating the US and Pakistani involvement," Russell explained, only looking up from his phone once.

"Well, we expected that. I mean, the US didn't confirm the operation, and Pakistan, well, they do all sorts of operations under the radar."

"Like I said, Bess, it's nothing we can't handle for now. I also came to tell you; the President is offering you time off. A week to be with your kids and Henry. He offered Ellen the same, but she turned it down. Apparently, her daughter spends more time either in school or on the Naval base." Russell gave a small smile, but Bess didn't think much of it.

"My kids think Henry was at a think tank convention, so taking time off could cause some suspicion in our house. I'll call Conrad later and thank him, but decline." Elizabeth really did like the sound of time off, but she knew she should be here, and that Henry would be okay with her working. All she wanted was tonight, to sleep next to him, to have him hold her, so she knew everything was okay.

Silence seemed to settle around Elizabeth and the President's chief of staff.

"Go home, Bess. Go see Henry and your kids. You deserve it," Russell said just as he was walking out of the office.

"Was that praise coming from Russell Jackson?" Elizabeth asked with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"I guess you'll never know." Russell carried on walking as he spoke, but then again, Bess didn't expect a 'well done'.


An hour after Russell walked out of her office she found herself pulling up to her townhouse.

Getting inside she slammed the door and dropped her bag in the middle of the entryway, taking a few steps forward before kicking off her shoes, trying to listen for any signs that her husband was home. God, she needed him home, she wondered what would happen if he wasn't. She hadn't been herself all day. There had been no sarcastic small talk with Nadine, she and Russell hadn't had their daily argument, and she hadn't spent thirty minutes doing laps around the seventh floor with Blake filling her in on, well, everything. All she had done was sit and wait. She's been on auto pilot, waiting for the clock to hit six, so she could come home.

"Hey mum!" Alison called as she came out of the kitchen, a slice of pizza in one hand and a glass of something in the other.

"Dad's home, he brought pizza." She smiled at her mother before sitting down. Bess stood for a moment, waiting for Henry to appear.

"Hey babe." Henry appeared soon after Alison did. He had a grin on his face and seemed to be happy considering he'd just been in an unstable country, then on a small aircraft for close to ten hours.

"Hey." Bess smiled moving forward to hug her husband. She wanted to burst into tears, but the voice in the back of her head reminded her that Henry had been at a think tank convention for the last few days, and not Islamabad.

"How was your convention?"

"Oh, you know how it goes," Henry whispered as he pulled Bess in for a hug, holding her as tightly as he could, knowing they both needed it.

"I'm so happy you're home, baby."

"I'm happy to be home." Henry moved his head back to kiss her lips, taking in how exhausted she looked.

"You did good, Elizabeth," Henry told her, hoping she would take the compliment without arguing. He knew all too well that at some point in the next week the floodgates would open, Bess would scream at him for being stupid and for scaring her, and they'd still end up in bed, cuddled together, knowing that at least in their bedroom the world was okay.

"I love you, Henry."

"I love you too, Elizabeth." They held each other's gaze for a moment before they were interrupted by Jason.

"Are you two gonna make out in the entryway or are you going to join us for pizza?"

"Pizza sounds good. I'm sure we can leave the making out until later." Elizabeth whispered the last part.

"I'm not going anywhere, babe." Elizabeth watched as Henry turned around, making some sarcastic comment about Jason and gaming, before he walked back into the kitchen, engaging in conversation with Stevie.

Thirty kids were safe and home and two terrorists had been killed, but most importantly, Henry wasn't going anywhere.

"Okay, well, since we've got take out again, I think now would be a good time for you, Jason, to tell your dad about what we discussed," Bess said as she walked further into the house, feeling the best she had felt in the last few days.


Thank you for reading 'Friend on the Inside' I hope it was a good read. Bethany.