Elizabeth McCord didn't want to be here.
She wanted to be at home with her family.
Today, Alison had given her deposition to Giovanni Rossi's lawyer. She had desperately wanted to be there with her daughter, but due to a terrorist attack in Cancun in the early hours of yesterday morning, she had been summoned back to DC by the President. Granted, she had talked to Alison since she'd given her deposition and her daughter had said she was ok and Henry had assured her the deposition had gone well, but it wasn't the same as actually seeing her daughter and husband and being able to read their expressions and body language.
Instead she was at the Italian Embassy in Washington DC at a party being held by the Italian Ambassador to celebrate the signing of the latest trade agreement between the USA and Italy. As Secretary of State she had to be here, Russell Jackson had been very clear on that when she tried to withdraw due to the terrorist attack in Cancun. Not that there was much she could do in relation to the terrorist attack at the moment. The Federal Ministerial Police in Mexico and the CIA were still investigating which group were behind the attack, the bodies had been removed from the scene and were in the process of being identified, and the State Department had set up all the necessary helplines, websites, and social media accounts so relatives could try and find their missing loved ones.
So here she was; a guest of the Italian Ambassador at a party she didn't want to be at, wearing formal clothing and high heel shoes that were making her feet hurt, talking to wealthy business owners who bored her to death, and with a face that ached from fake smiling so much.
At least the food was good.
She surreptitiously looked at her watch and groaned internally when she realised she would have to stay at least another 45 minutes before she could leave without offending anyone. Deciding to try and kill some of those minutes in the bathroom she headed towards the ballroom door and into the hallway.
"Madam Secretary" an Italian accented voice called from behind her.
Once again she groaned internally as she tried to figure out which boring Italian business man now wanted her attention. Plastering a fake smile on her face she turned around ready to make polite conversation with whoever had cornered her in the hallway however, her expression hardened and her stomach tightened with anger as she realised who was standing a few short feet away from her.
"Giovanni Rossi" she stated in a cold tone.
"Ah, I see you know who I am" he greeted in a jovial tone "It's nice to meet you, I believe I know your daughter"
Elizabeth felt pure hatred, the likes of which she had never known before, boil within her and she felt her cheeks flush due to the rage and indignation currently coursing through her body. Her nails dug into the skin of her palms as her hands fisted into tight balls by her side.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded being in no mood to trade polite necessities with her daughter's rapist.
"Oh, you see the Ambassador and I are life-long friends. We went to school together and with my business interests in the USA and Italy it was only natural that he invite me to celebrate this spectacular trade deal between our two countries" he replied in a condescending manner.
Elizabeth was very aware that she was in a public corridor, and whilst no one was standing particularly near them, there were other people milling around. Her DS agents were a respectable distance away too given that they were at an embassy. Instinctively her CIA skills kicked in and she profiled the man before her. He was arrogant, narcissistic, suave, and had a cold, calculating glint in his eyes despite the genial expression on his face. He was up to something she was sure, she just had to figure out what.
"I'm surprised he would want you here given the amount of negative press you have been receiving recently" she replied in a flippant manner. She watched as for a split second Giovanni Rossi's expression darken and his true nature was revealed, before the genial expression meant to garner trust and friendship was back on his face. Her comment had angered him and wounded his pride, she could tell.
"Yes, those poor women who are so insecure they feel the need to drag what should be a private matter between two individuals into the press for attention. Such a shame" he replied in a remorseful tone as he swayed his head in a saddened manner.
Elizabeth continued to analyse the man in front of her. Despite his words the calculating glint in his eyes had never left and she concluded that he was assessing her. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise and a shiver down ran down her spine at the predatory look his eyes now possessed. She wondered if this was the same look Alison had seen when...
"What do you want?" she demanded being in no mood to make further small talk with her daughter's rapist.
"Now, is that any way to talk to the father of your grandchild?" he sneered as he moved forward and into her personal space in an effort to intimidate her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Matt and her other DS agents start to move forward, but she raised her hand slightly to let them know she was ok and they stopped in their tracks.
"Ah, a woman in power" Giovanni commented as he took note of the agents around them that had been stopped by her small gesture "Personally I prefer my women a little more submissive. Complicity is such a turn on, don't you think?"
She stood her ground as she stared into the eyes of Giovanni Rossi and used all her CIA training not to rise to the veiled insult he had just made about her daughter. She knew Alison had tried to fight on the night she was attacked but had frozen when she'd been handcuffed to his bed, she had not wilfully submitted to him. As she continued to assess the man before her she could practically see his mind working and something Alison had said to her the evening she told her she'd been raped popped into her head 'he said he'd destroy you'. Was that what Giovanni Rossi was trying to do? Trying to get her to do or say something that he could use to destroy her or her daughter?
"I see your attorney told you the results of the DNA test. Congratulations" she replied in a hard voice as she ignored Giovanni Rossi's previous comment. She had been spat at, head butted, insulted, and leered at whilst conducting interrogations for the CIA, she could handle Giovanni Rossi and his attempted insults at Alison and she.
"Yes, a very interesting result given how slutty your daughter dressed when she was interning for me. I was surprised when she told me she was a virgin to be honest, not that it mattered as that just made the whole experience so much more gratifying" he replied in a patronizing tone. "I think it's such a reflection on the parents when girls dress like that, don't you think?"
Elizabeth had to use every ounce of self-control she possessed not to punch the imbecile standing before her, but as she looked into his eyes she could see the challenge there. To him this was a game and he was enjoying it, he wanted to get a rise out of her so he could claim she assaulted him or intimidated him, or bribed him, or whatever it was he was trying to achieve so that he could have the case against him dropped. She had to look at the bigger picture and be the bigger person.
She smiled cordially up at Giovanni Rossi and she saw a flash of confusion in his eyes. "It was nice to meet you Mr Rossi. Now if you'll excuse me..." she turned to walk away no longer wanting to participate in this game of cat and mouse and not trusting what she would do if she continued to converse with the man for a second longer.
"You know, I'm very much going to enjoy being a father..." he replied offhand causing Elizabeth to stop in her tracks and her blood to run cold. She turned back to face her daughter's attacker. "You see, when I'm found innocent I plan to fully extend my parental rights over my child..."
"Mr Rossi, from what I understand the likelihood of you being found innocent is very small" Elizabeth replied coolly, a hint of anger creeping into her tone.
Giovanni moved towards her and once again encroached in her personal space. "Drop the case or I'll make sure I get custody of that child!" he hissed.
Elizabeth stood her ground as she stared up into the cold, hard eyes of Giovanni Rossi. Fury burned within her and she wanted nothing more than to unleash the tirade of offensive language that was brewing in her brain, but she knew she couldn't. She had stared down brutal dictators and terrorists, she would not let her daughter's rapist get the better of her.
"You do realise there is a strong case against you..." Elizabeth began sarcastically before being cut off.
"The CCTV footage? According to my lawyer that will never make it to court. William tells me that today's deposition went very well, so you see, it will just be my word against hers. Me, a world renowned fashion designer with almost unlimited resources against an 18 year old intern and the State of New York. It'll be an easy win and then I'll be free to gain custody of my child. I have numerous houses, a thriving business, and millions of dollars in the bank. What does your daughter have? A High School Diploma? I'll be given custody in seconds and then I'll take that child to Italy and you'll never see it again!"
Elizabeth couldn't help but scoff at Giovanni Rossi's statement.
"I doubt that very much, Mr Rossi" she replied coolly. "How exactly do you plan on doing that without my daughter's permission? Without a passport for your child? We may not be as wealthy as you, but my family can more than adequately support my grandchild in a stable, loving, environment, which is more than you can offer. Any judge in the USA would be more than happy to grant my daughter sole custody of her child. So, Mr Rossi, your threat to remove my grandchild from this country is baseless"
She saw the flash of confusion and indignation in his eyes and she had to force herself not to roll her eyes. As Secretary of State didn't he realise she was more than aware of US citizen's travel rights? Her knowledge of custody law was not the best, but she knew enough to know that Alison would have no problem with being awarded custody of her child with the support Henry and she could offer - both emotional, physical, and financial. She watched the man before her as anger and arrogance quickly filled his expression once again. From profiling him she was sure he was a man that was not used to being told 'no' so the fact that the McCords were not backing down was something she was sure he was not used to.
"Who said I'd take the bastard out of the country legally?" he challenged. "I mean, it would be such a shame if the child went missing whilst visiting me. I have friends in very high places after all..." he continued threateningly.
The menacing look on his face gave Elizabeth no doubt that Giovanni Rossi was serious about his threat, and as Secretary of State, she was all too aware of how young children were smuggled around the world. If he was awarded any form of unsupervised visitation, even a couple of hours a week, it would be more than enough time for her granddaughter to disappear and the thought filled her with fear and dread.
"Now, I know that's not a threat against the Secretary of State's grandchild?" she replied in a challenging tone. Whilst she didn't like throwing around her title, now she needed every ounce of power that title gave her.
"Not at all, Madam Secretary" he replied smarmily "Just thinking of the worst case scenario like any good father should"
Elizabeth felt her stomach flip in disgust at the joy his eyes contained and she turned and walked away from the vile, decrepit, man before she did something she'd regret.
"Drop the case and I'll sign away my paternity rights" he called after her causing Elizabeth to pause her step and turn back to face her daughter's rapist. Surreptitiously she cast her eyes around the hallway and was relieved to see that no one seemed to have noticed his outburst. As confident as she could be that her family's secret remained intact, she walked towards Giovanni Rossi with her head held high and her shoulders back. This time it was she who encroached on his personal space and her voice was icy cold as she spoke.
"No judge in this land will give custody to an alleged rapist..." Elizabeth began before being interrupted.
"Ah, but that's exactly the point, isn't it Madam Secretary? Alleged. When I'm found innocent and your daughter is found to be the lying whore that she is I'll petition the court for custody and then it's goodbye grandchild for you. Drop the case!" he hissed, hatred evident in his eyes and his cheeks red with fury.
Elizabeth once again turned away in disgust. She didn't look back as she started walking in the direction of the ballroom to search for her assistant. She was going home NOW, social etiquette be damned.
As soon as Elizabeth got home she headed straight for the drinks cabinet and poured herself a large scotch as she kicked off her heels. Downing the golden brown liquid in one gulp she poured herself another shot and headed into the kitchen. She hated to admit it, but her encounter with Giovanni Rossi has shaken her. It had made her think of what would happen if Alison lost her case and he was acquitted, because everything he'd said was true if he was found innocent. He could pursue Alison for joint custody, or at the very least visitation rights, and that scared her beyond belief.
"Hey babe, I didn't hear you come in. You're home early" her husband greeted her as he placed a kiss on her cheek.
"Oh, hi" she replied distractedly as she swirled the brown liquid in the tumbler.
Henry regarded his wife and instantly knew something was wrong "Elizabeth, what's the matter? Is everything ok in Cancun?"he asked seriously.
Elizabeth stared into the concerned, loving, eyes of her husband and something inside her broke "Henry!" she breathed as she all but threw herself into his arms.
Confusion reigned over Henry. He knew his wife had been up for the best part of 40 odd hours dealing with the terrorist attack in Cancun, but he'd seen her deal with worse catastrophes with less sleep and not be this upset and emotional.
"Was Cancun really that bad?" he asked in a gentle voice as he held his wife close to him and rubbed her back soothingly.
"It's not Cancun" Elizabeth mumbled into her husband's neck. She took one last deep inhale of his comforting scent before she pulled herself away and picked up the tumbler of scotch once again and took a swig.
"Tell me" Henry urged as he gently grabbed his wife's wrist and pulled the tumbler away from her mouth.
Elizabeth peered up into Henry's eyes as she took a deep breath "Giovanni Rossi was at the party at the Italian Embassy tonight..."
"He's here?! In DC?" Alison interrupted as she rounded the corner from the Family Room having heard her parents talking in the kitchen. She felt adrenaline course through her, Pancake reacting immediately as the hormone hit her bloodstream. She rubbed her stomach gently in an effort to comfort her daughter.
"Alison!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "What are you still doing up?"
"We did some shopping in New York and only got home about an hour ago. Dad and I were just going through some paint samples for the nursery whilst I had a snack before bed. Now, you said he was there?" Alison asked in a serious, yet slightly panicked, tone as she deposited her plate and glass in the sink.
"Yes" Elizabeth replied simply. Now her daughter was in the room she didn't know what to tell her. She had hoped to discuss Giovanni Rossi's threat with Henry before talking to Alison.
"Did he say anything?" Alison asked inquisitively, mentally reminding herself that she had a retraining order against him and that her house was surrounded by DS agents. He couldn't touch her - or if he tried it would probably be the last thing he did.
"We spoke in the hallway..." Elizabeth replied in a non-committal tone before taking another sip of scotch.
Concern and panic washed over Henry "Did he...?"
Confusion washed over Elizabeth's face before she realised what Henry was asking and she couldn't help the bitter laugh that came out of her throat "No! He didn't do anything like that and Matt was only a few feet away anyway. No, he just said he wanted Alison to drop the case"
"That's it?" Henry asked in a confusion.
Indecision washed over Elizabeth as she turned away from her husband and daughter and went to pour herself another scotch however, she forgot about her discarded shoes and stepped on one of the heels in the process.
"Damn it!" she yelled as she kicked the offending item across the floor and grabbed the arch of her foot in pain. Anger washed over her at the position she had put herself in tonight with Giovanni Rossi and for her own stupidity for stepping on her shoes.
Father and daughter cast a concerned look between each other, but it was Alison who was the first to speak, unnerved by her mother's behaviour.
"Mum, what else did he say?" Alison asked in a worried tone.
Elizabeth turned to face her family, fury and upset evident on her face "He said that if he's found innocent he's going to sue for custody of Pancake. Or you could drop the and case he'd sign away his paternity rights"
A deadly silence hung in the air as all three persons in the room processed the words Elizabeth had just spoken.
"Can he do that?" Alison whispered, tears evident in her eyes. She may be having difficulty with looking at her daughter, but she was working hard to overcome it as she wanted to be a good mum, as overwhelming as that was. By using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy she no longer felt disgust or panic when she felt her daughter move within her. She'd learnt the basic relaxation techniques required for Exposure Therapy and had managed to look at her daughter for a few seconds during her last 4D scan. Starting in her next session with Alexis she was going to start increasing the amount of time she looked at the 3D images of her daughter as she was determined to overcome her PTSD. It helped that her mum had been through PTSD and they had talked at length about her mum's experiences with the condition.
Elizabeth's heart broke as she took in the defeated look on her daughter's face and she immediately felt guilty for snapping at her family and breaking the news in the way she had. " In DC there has to be a conviction for rape before parental rights can be terminated, so yes, if he's acquitted then he's considered a free, innocent, man and he has the right to sue for custody, or a least visitation" Elizabeth confirmed gently.
"Oh" Alison replied dejectedly as she protectively placed an arm over her stomach and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"But it doesn't mean he'll get it" Elizabeth tried to reassure "I'll speak to Justice tomorrow and get their take on the situation"
Alison's eyes widened and fear washed over her as she realised that if he was found innocent then she would have to see him again on a regular basis for the rest of her life.
"But if he does get custody or visitation it would mean I'd have to see him again? And I'd have to leave Pancake with him unattended? I can't... she can't..."
"Hey" Henry soothed as he took his daughter in his arms "That's not going to happen, he's going to be found guilty and you won't have to see him ever again, neither will Pancake"
"How do you know that for sure?" Alison demanded angrily as she pulled herself from her father's arms. "He somehow found a way of seeing mum tonight, you can't guarantee that he'll never see me or Pancake again!"
Henry stared at his daughter dumbfounded. She was right, he couldn't guarantee that Giovanni Rossi would never see his daughter or granddaughter if he was found innocent. A feeling a helplessness, quickly followed by anger, washed over him.
"Look Noodle, if he is found innocent in the criminal courts then we'll go into the civil courts and get a conviction there. We won't go down without a fight and it could take years before a judge even awards him visitation, let alone any form of joint custody..." Elizabeth began heatedly before being interrupted.
"Or I could just drop the case and get him to sign his rights away" Alison stated seriously. "That's the only way I can guarantee hers and mine safety, isn't it?"
Henry and Elizabeth looked at each other in despair. Neither of them wanted Alison to give up her fight against Giovanni Rossi as they wanted justice for her, but equally they wanted to ensure their daughter and granddaughter's safety. Once again a heavy silence fell upon the room as each occupant considered the options.
Something in the Family Room caught Alison's attention and she walked over to stare at the TV that had been providing background noise whilst her dad and she had been going through paint samples for the nursery. There was a news report about Giovanni Rossi stating that 76 women had now come forward with allegations of rape or sexual assault against him. She thought back to her deposition this morning and how angry she had been at those other women who she'd seen on the TV at Christmas for not coming forward sooner so that she could have avoided going through this. Then she thought about her daughter. If she agreed to drop her case so that he would sign his paternity rights away how would that make her daughter feel when she found out? How would she explain that she had not been strong enough to go through with her court case? That he had essentially bribed her into not going ahead with it? That all her daughter was to her father was a bargaining chip to ensure his freedom? God forbid, but what if something like this happened to her daughter when she was grown up? It would be hypocritical for her to tell her daughter she had to go through with a prosecution when she couldn't.
"I'm not dropping the case" she replied with determination and conviction. "He's not going to hurt anyone else".
The stakes were high but she was willing to roll the dice to ensure justice for herself and her daughter.
All the stuff about people being accused of rape being allowed to see their children if they are found innocent is true according to the research I've done. In fact, in some states even convicted rapists are allowed to see their children. As far as I can tell from the internet, Washington DC does require a conviction for rape before parental rights can be terminated.
I hope you guys are still enjoying the story as I've noticed reviews have dropped off a bit. If there's anything you think needs improving let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Thanks for reading!