A/N: Wanted to set the tone with the last chapter so I can move on to actual plot line progress in this one! Sorry if you already hate me…

Three weeks after their divorce marked the first time they had to really split their time with the kids. Elizabeth spent the few days before shopping for everything Ali would need for her dorm room. It was nice to have a little bit of time with her, though they had spent a lot of time shopping lately.

Even after nearly 18 years, she was still learning more and more about her daughter… mainly that she was more like her than anyone ever thought. Elizabeth forgot how much of an emotional shopper she was. Something about buying a new blender or trying on 15 pairs of boots before finding the right ones was so therapeutic for Elizabeth and Ali got that part of her.

Because of the UN General Assembly, Elizabeth wouldn't be able to move Ali into her dorm. This was Henry's first time publicly being a single father to one of his children. While Elizabeth and Ali were nervous, Henry hadn't felt nerves like this in decades.

He was more than aware of the fact that he had royally screwed up as a husband and as a result, screwed up as a father. He wasn't going to be able to make it up in one day but this would be a start.

"Ali, I'm here!" Henry yelled up the stairs after walking into the house. He still had a key to their house, they said it was for emergencies. Elizabeth had a key to his place too, with purely innocent intentions.

He didn't get a response but his attention went to the letter on the kitchen table. He always loved her handwriting, it looked so much nicer than his. He read the words that were intended for Ali, the reminders of how much Elizabeth loved her daughter and would do her best to be there if she could. She wished her a happy first week at school and said she couldn't wait to hear all about the new things Ali would be doing.

He wished they were sharing this moment as a family, that he had never made the mistakes he did and that his family was still happy and together. This was a new normal, one that he created.

"Hey dad." Ali said, catching his attention as she walked down the stairs.

"Hey hun! Ready to get everything loaded up?!" He asked trying to sound excited and not heartbroken.

"I thought we were going to dinner first?" Ali swore that was the plan… dinner first and then load up mom's SUV with everything Ali needed.

"Right! Sorry, let's go!" Henry replied as they walked towards the garage to Henry's car.

He had a bit of a midlife crisis in the middle of the divorce. He had always dreamed of owning a Porsche911 but quickly remembered a Porsche in the DC snow wouldn't be the smartest idea. He settled on a more reasonable Porsche sedan, something to give him the feeling of his desired race car but actually be able to be driven more than eight months a year.

The car beeped as soon as he hit the unlock button on the key fob. Ali walked over to the passenger side, got in the car, and put her seatbelt on. Henry did the same on his side and pushed the start button on his car. Hearing the engines turning on in his modified dream car gave him a second of happiness every time.

"So where do you want to go?" He asked, looking at the back up cam and backing out of the driveway.

"I was thinking, either that little vegan italian place that Stevie loves or that steak house near the White House." She responded. There wasn't much emotion in her voice. She was still very emotional about what happened as well but also doing her best to try and move on.

"Ok, want to flip a coin?" He responded hoping to make a decision before he needed to pick a specific route to either restaurant.

"Well… I was thinking the vegan place sounded better. They always serve me wine." She answered, realizing just after she said it that she had just told her dad that she and Stevie frequented that restaurant so they could drink a glass of wine together.

"What?" Henry instantly quipped, not believing what he had just heard.

"Nothing! Let's go to the steak place." Ali answered, hoping maybe he didn't totally hear her.

"Sounds great to me!" He had heard every word that she said… but he could keep it a secret.

"Are you gonna tell mom what I said?" Yes, Ali should not be drinking, especially in public and underage but that had been the little break that she and Stevie could have together.

"I don't know what you're talking about! Didn't hear a thing!" He answered with a smile and gave her a wink.

She smiled in response. This was the dad she remembered.

She looked down at her phone but before she could unlock it, they had arrived at the restaurant.

"Oh crap! This place is valet only, let me see if I have cash." Henry thought out loud reaching in his pocket for his wallet while waiting in the valet line.

"I have cash if you need it!" Ali chimed in.

"It's ok noodle! I've got cash." Henry was pleasantly surprised to find the $20 bill in his wallet.

Henry handed the cash to the valet attendant as the attendant opened his door and another attendant opened Ali's door. As soon as Ali got out of the car, she saw someone with a cell phone clearly taking a video of her. She froze. This wasn't something that was common but usually it was because her mother was there, this time she was clearly the subject they were looking for.

Henry saw this happening and got to Ali's side as soon as he could. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and whispered to her "just ignore it, noodle."

They took steps forward together, into the restaurant and up to the hostess stand. They were quickly seated next to two other tables. The other guests were probably in ear shot but with the other hustle and bustle of the restaurant, there was a chance they wouldn't hear anything.

Ali already knew what she wanted to order, she got the same thing every time they came. She couldn't focus on the menu any longer so she interrupted her fathers concentration to ask him the question that had been burning in her mind. "Did you really laugh after the divorce was final?"

He dropped his menu slowly, taking in what she had just asked. "No, of course not. I never could. I had scuffed my shoes and laughed at that. I could never laugh at the divorce." He answered calm but seriously.

"It looked like you did." Ali said.

"I know… but I didn't. I love your mother very much. I know I hurt everyone but I would never laugh about it." He kept his calm but serious demeanor.

Before Ali had time to respond, the waitress was at their table. "Are you guys ready for some drinks or appetizers?"

"Go ahead, noodle!" Henry motioned to Ali.

"I can get the shrimp cocktail and a diet coke?" Ali told the waitress.

"Of course! And for you sir?" The waitress turned her attention to Henry.

"I'm ok on an appetizer but I'll take a glass of the Johnny Walker gold on the rocks?" Henry ordered.

The waitress wrote down their selections, gave them a nod and ended their interaction with "Absolutely! I'll be right back with those!"

"I thought you weren't drinking anymore?" Ali asked as soon as the waitress walked away.

"I'm not drinking a ton anymore. Just having a drink with dinner. Besides, I don't really like scotch, I can only stand one." He told her. He understood her concern. He had made an empty promise to Elizabeth as soon as she found out that he had cheated that he wouldn't drink and his cheating would be an isolated incident… that was a promise he couldn't keep.

"Well if it's not really a drink, can I have one?" Ali had always challenged him. Not in the same ways as Stevie or Jason, she would push him.

"That's not what I said. I said it's a drink with dinner." He reminded her still calm but serious.

"You promised mom you wouldn't drink anymore." She immediately hit back.

"I know, I broke a lot of promises to your mom…" He began.

"And you broke promises to us." She interrupted him, getting a little bit louder than their volume before.

"I know, Ali and we can talk about anything you'd like as soon as we get home. This is not the place." He remained calm but he did want to remind her that there were certain things that should be discussed in public, especially with a matter like this.

Ali looked around at the other people. None of them seemed to be noticing her but she remembered how quickly all of that could change.

"Ok." She said softly, dropping her emotions for the time being. She knew her father was right even if she didn't want to admit it.

They finished their meal in mostly silence with a few breaks of casual conversation about their meals here and there. Henry quickly paid for their meal at the end and they walked back out to the valet stand.

The valet quickly retrieved their car and opened their doors for them in the same fashion that he had done earlier. Henry stepped into the driver's seat, without seeing the photographer to his left. He had no way of knowing tomorrow's headlines would read "McCord Drives Drunk with Daughter in Car" but he should have known he would be vilified as he had been for the past six months.

The drive back to the house was silent. He knew Ali would talk when she was ready. He didn't want to push or force a conversation that likely wouldn't end well.

"I'm not looking forward to only having cafeteria food." She broke the silence first.

He was shocked that she broke the silence and with such a different topic than the ones that she had brought up before.

"You'll live! At least it won't be Stevie's burnt mushroom risotto on a regular basis." He joked with her.

"I think I'll miss that though." She responded.

"I miss it too." He matched her response softly. He took a moment to pause, reflecting on all that he had sacrificed for alcohol and other women. "But college is going to be so much fun! You'll be sneaking into bars and eating McDonald's at 3:00AM like your mom did in no time!"

"She didn't sneak into bars… no way." Ali looked at him a little perplexed.

"She won't tell you that but she did! There was one bar by UVA that she would sneak into every Thursday called The Tavern. Thursday's were $1 beer nights but your mom didn't like beer." He told Ali.

"She still doesn't." Ali reminded him.

"Yea… she likes it more now than she did then. She used to sneak into this bar and order mixed drinks while everyone else drank cheap beer out of plastic cups. I'm pretty sure by the time she turned 21 the bartenders knew her by name!" Elizabeth and Henry made a promise to each other when Stevie was born that they wouldn't share the crazy stories from their college days and give their kids any ideas, Henry didn't feel this was too crazy.

"No way!" Ali began to crack more of a smile and really could not believe her mother would break rules of any type, much less break laws.

"Yes way! She wasn't an angel by any means but she was so much fun! She had so much fun! And you will too." Henry knew any more of her wild college drinking stories would be too crazy and he was doing his best not to break any more promises that he hadn't already broken.

"So basically what you're telling me is I can sneak in to bars and mom can't really be mad?" Ali was testing him again.

"I didn't say that and I don't think that's the case." He answered with a bit of a laugh.