Chapter 15

Authors Note: Well folks, here we are at the end of the story. Thanks for following along. Hope the end is satisfying to you all. Thanks to my beta for all her questions that ultimately have made this a much better story. Thanks to you dedicated reviewers who have kept me going, thank you for taking the time to write multiple comments. Well, on with the show, as they say.

Threats forever change the people involved.

Elizabeth McCord was slumped on the end of her bed back in her Georgetown home. It had been one hell of a week and they'd just returned from Harrison Dalton's funeral. Of all the things that she'd experienced in her life, and all the losses, whether private or professional, this had been the hardest to live through. It wasn't because she was close to Harrison, although, of course, he and Stevie had grown up together and had been around each other in their teenage years, even after Elizabeth had left the CIA. Nor was it her relationship to Harrison that had made the funeral so difficult. Rather, it was knowing the pain that Conrad and Lydia, whom she was close to, were in, and seeing that displayed openly in the public place of their son's funeral. And, more importantly for her, the emotions she'd witnessed as Stevie and Allison had tried to come to terms with Harrison's death and what others perceived as their roles in it.

Everyone who had been taken to the Airforce base due to the terrorist threat had all been allowed to leave Andrew's 24 hours after the terrorist leader had given his statement. The terrorists had been rounded up and the threat level had been lowered back down to the usual level of alertness. All that was left was the clean up but, just like her trip to Iran, Elizabeth knew it wouldn't be that easy.

Congress had had several meetings and was deciding what to do about the destruction in D.C. The State Department had been given a temporary home on a floor in a judiciary building that was no longer needed. It was cramped and a little musty but did allow Elizabeth and her staff to get on with the day-to-day business of foreign affairs. Although Conrad hadn't relieved himself of duty, he had allowed the Vice President to take control of the day-to-day business that needed to be dealt with. Conrad and Lydia were at Camp David, where they would stay, given the destruction of the White House and the need for privacy that they'd felt they needed. The West Wing staff had been given temporary accommodation in another federal building and the President was set to resume official duties tomorrow.

Stevie had been released to her parent's care two days after her surgery. She had emotionally retreated into herself, which hadn't surprised Elizabeth, and it was a struggle to get her to communicate with them or eat anything. They didn't know how best to help her, whether they should leave her to work through her grief, or whether they should push her to open up and talk to them.

Henry watched from the door to the bedroom as Elizabeth gathered her thoughts. He walked over to the bed and sat down beside her.

Elizabeth felt her emotional walls slipping as she turned to Henry and threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him and weeping openly.

"Shh, Baby... we need to try and be strong for the girls. They're falling apart."

"I know... just give me a few minutes and I'll go see them." Elizabeth tried to control her breathing, not wanting to suffer another panic attack.

"They're both in Stevie's bed," Henry whispered. "They haven't stopped crying since we left this morning."

-MSEC-

Earlier that day...

Elizabeth woke up with arms all over her and it took a few seconds for her to realise that she wasn't sleeping beside Henry but rather Stevie and Allison. She and Henry had tried to sleep but had been awoken by Allison's nightmares and Stevie's crying. By two in the morning it had been just easier to settle all three McCord women in the large bed. Henry had tried to join them but there hadn't been enough room, so he'd made a bed with cushions on the floor and Elizabeth now looked over the edge of the bed to see the space vacated by her husband. She listened carefully and could hear water running in their ensuite. She gently moved from under Stevie's arm and tiptoed to the bathroom. She went in the unlocked door and found Henry looking terrible, trying to make himself presentable for the funeral and the media they would encounter.

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him from behind and caught his gaze in the mirror.

Henry smiled weakly. "Hey, Babe, how are you holding up?"

"Not well."

"We need to keep going, Elizabeth. They need us."

"I know..." Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Today's going to be awful..."

Henry nodded and reached up to where Elizabeth's arms were resting on his stomach, gently squeezing one of her hands. "We need to get the girls ready. Frank will be calling us to the cars in an hour."

Elizabeth nodded then hugged Henry tight before reluctantly letting go and standing up straight, bracing herself for the day.

Henry turned and gently kissed her on the head. "I'll call Jase. You get the girls up. Stevie might need help to dress and I don't think she'd let me do it."

Elizabeth took a deep breath and walked back into the bedroom. She walked over to wake the girls. "Honey." She gently squeezed Allison's hand. "Sweetheart." She then did the same with Stevie, adding quietly as they both slowly opened their eyes, "Girls, you need to get ready."

Allison simply turned over and curled herself around her mother's pillow, while Stevie started to move but was stopped by the pain she was in. "I don't know if I can do this," she whispered as she turned on the bed.

Elizabeth sighed. She'd had this conversation several times over the last few days with a wide number of people. With Henry the conversation had revolved around ensuring that Stevie should make her own decision about whether or not she attended the funeral. With Daisy, it had been a little harder. Her press secretary had been worried about 'the optics' if Stevie didn't go and what comments might be made by the press. Elizabeth had quickly informed her that she didn't care what other people thought and that all that mattered was Stevie and her distress at this time.

Then there was the strained conversation she'd had with Conrad, who'd been looking for someone to blame for Harrison's suicide and appeared to have decided that Stevie was that person, something which Elizabeth had vehemently opposed. He had even suggested that Stevie shouldn't make an appearance at the funeral but again Elizabeth had told him that he did not make that decision for her daughter only she could decide. However, this was the first time in the lead up to the funeral that Stevie had voiced any concern about attending.

"Honey, you're strong enough to do anything. However, if you choose not to go, your father and I will support you. If you want to stay here then Dad will stay and so can anyone else." She stroked Stevie's hair. "I'll have to go, baby. There'd be more speculation from the press if I didn't. You come first but I can only keep the press quiet if I go."

Stevie slowly moved on the bed, testing how much she could stretch with her healing wounds, waking Allison again in the process. "It's not my fault. I didn't make Harrison do it." She looked over and reached for her sister's hand. "And Allison did everything she could to save him. We're not to blame so I'm not hiding." She gingerly got up from the bed. "Mom, I'm gonna need help to get ready."

"No problem, honey." Elizabeth gently stroked Stevie's arm then looked at her youngest daughter. "Allison, can you manage by yourself?"

Elizabeth looked at her younger daughter. She was paler than normal, and that was saying something. Harrison's death had hit Allison in a particularly devastating way. Elizabeth had spent a lot of time talking to Jennifer, the female agent who had found Allison with Harrison on the base. She had explained how Allison hadn't wanted to release Harrison's arms and how invested she had been in helping him. Elizabeth was now convinced that Allison was experiencing overwhelming guilt that was changing her behaviour. Both she and Henry had discussed the possibility of counselling for their daughter but there was time for that later. For today they just needed to get through the funeral.

Once they were ready the McCord family made their way to the waiting cars. The press were already waiting for them, although Frank and his team had made sure they couldn't get close. The service was held in Washington National Cathedral and was packed. Elizabeth and Henry made the decision not to sit at the front as Elizabeth was worried about Conrad's reaction to Stevie and she wouldn't let her daughter be blamed for this, nor let her be humiliated in public by a grieving father who also happened to be the President.

It was a strange service, and a difficult one. It was hard to listen to the priest try to discuss the circumstances of Harrison's death. The concept of forgiveness or blame, punishment or compassion, was never easy and she'd had many late-night whispered conversations with Henry since they'd returned to their home. She didn't know the theological answers to the question that suicide posed but she knew that at some point one of her children was going to want to discuss it. Of course, this would be one of those times when she'd pass the baton to her husband.

Things went as well as could be expected until they all left the church. The press were waiting and, having respected the privacy of the first family for over a week, they now saw an opportunity to get a response from the President.

"Mister President, who do you blame for this tragedy?" shouted one over zealous reporter as Conrad, Lydia and the McCord's happened to be in sight of each other. Although nothing was said, the look Conrad gave Stevie and Allison was enough for the press to jump on the possibility of an exclusive. As Elizabeth and Henry bundled their family into the SUV she could hear the shouts all around her.

"Sir, do you blame Stephanie McCord?"

"Could nothing have been done to save him?"

"Is Secretary McCord still the right person for the job?"

"Is Secretary McCord's daughter responsible?"

By the time Frank had navigated their vehicle away from the church, Stevie and Allison were both inconsolably sobbing.

Henry looked at Elizabeth and they had a silent conversation before Henry turned to the driver and said, "Frank, take us home. We've had enough for today."

"Yes, Sir. Let me just let the others know."

They headed for home, with both Elizabeth and Henry quietly comforting the girls. There was thankfully no press left at their house, as everyone had expected them to go to the Capitol building for the wake.

-MSEC-

Jason McCord hated feeling useless. He'd watched as Ali had done everything right to save Harrison and had seen her fall apart when it hadn't been enough. He'd also watched as Stevie had come to terms with losing both her baby and her boyfriend, although he'd be first to admit that she was far from having dealt with it. It had only been a week, after all.

But what he really hated was people attacking his family and not being able to say anything in their defence. He'd watched some of the news reports as speculation about Harrison's death had reached fever pitch, despite his mother's statement. Eventually, Brad, the president's press secretary, had been forced to release another statement that had outlined more of the circumstances. It was at this point that it had become open season on Stevie and Allison. Questions were asked about the girls' roles in Harrison's death, even although Jason believed they were suffering enough.

So, now that they were back from the funeral, Jason had decided, against his normal practice, to be a trooper and, while his dad had gone to check on his mum, he was in Stevie's room, seeing if there was anything he could get his sisters. "What about ice cream?" he offered.

The thought of the sweet, cold snack seemed, for a few seconds at least, to stop the crying on the bed. Jason didn't even wait for an answer but bolted from the room, keen to do something to help. He didn't even notice his father as he careened into him.

"Woah, buddy, where are you off too?" Henry smiled slightly at his son as he caught Jason before he fell to the floor.

"I thought I'd get us some ice cream. You know what girls are like when they're upset."

"Sounds like a good idea. How about you get enough for all of us. Oh, and grab a movie. I think this calls for a McCord movie night, don't you?" Henry briefly pulled Jason in to a hug then let him go. He watched as Jason passed their bedroom and received a hug from Elizabeth as she came out of the room.

"What do you think, babe?" he asked quietly. "Ice cream and a movie?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Team McCord time," she whispered back and moved into his open arms.

Henry guided them both to Stevie's room, where Elizabeth got onto the bed beside the girls who were still comforting each other. Both girls responded to their mother's presence and moved to be beside her.

When Jason returned he noticed the slight change in emotions. The rest of the family were deep in conversation and he was a little unsure about joining them.

Henry was the first to spot him and smiled, gesturing for Jason to join them.

Jason decided it was time for him to revert to normal form. "So, Mom has clearly been raiding the freezer. There's only a small amount of vanilla and loads of chocolate. You know, for an ex-spy, you do make it obvious when you sneak stuff from the kitchen," he scolded his mother, causing his siblings to smile.

"I do not!" Elizabeth huffed, following Jason's lead. "I'll have you know that vanilla is your father's weakness, too."

"Sorry, babe. It was you this time."

"Traitor," she spat at him, smiling.

Jason divided the ice cream he'd found into bowls and peace and quiet descended as the family enjoyed their treat and the company.

Suddenly, without warning, Stevie teared up again. Elizabeth handed her bowl to Henry and pulled Stevie into a hug.

"You okay, sweetie?"

Stevie looked forlornly up at her mom. "I was just thinking about the last time I had ice cream... It was only two weeks ago. I was feeling so sick and it was the only thing I could keep down. It just doesn't seem real that the baby's gone and Harrison… And everything else that happened that night…"

"I know, honey. It feels like a dream, and it's gonna feel pretty bad for a while. But we'll always have each other and, no matter what, we'll have each other's backs, I promise."

"I couldn't have done anything differently, could I?" Alison asked quietly from the other side of Elizabeth.

Elizabeth looked over at Henry. They'd both known that this question burned inside Allison but she hadn't voiced it until this moment. Elizabeth nodded for him to answer.

Henry cleared his throat. "Noodle, Harrison had lost a lot of blood by the time you got to him. You said yourself that you immediately tried to stop the bleeding and get him help. You couldn't have done any more than you did. But what you did give him was a friend at the end. He didn't die alone. It might not seem much now but you did all that could be done. Harrison made a choice, like we all make choices. He wanted a family and the death of his child hit him hard. Your mom and I know what that's like." He looked over to his beloved wife, almost for permission to keep going. She nodded with tears in her eyes.

"Before we had Stevie your mom was pregnant and we were so excited. I was back from Desert Storm and all was right with our world. But your mom was in pain like Stevie and I took her to the hospital and I was told that she was having a miscarriage, an ectopic one like Stevie had. This nice nurse told me that there was no way to save the baby but I should pray that your mom survived. And I did. You see, I was devastated about losing the baby but losing your mom would have destroyed me.

"Harrison struggled to see the future. When it happened to us, all I wanted was for your mom to get better. Harrison cared for Stevie but couldn't see a future without the baby. That was his choice, not Stevie's or yours, Allison. That was all him. We might not ever understand what drove him to it, but it isn't the fault of anybody here. Are we clear?"

Elizabeth smiled and looked at her kids. "Yes, Captain, we're clear." She paused, then added quietly, "Finish the story, Henry."

By this point all of the McCord children were focussed on their father.

"After Stevie came, we got pregnant again. Stevie was about two. Things looked like they were going well until one night your mom had a fever and then lots of pain. She was having another miscarriage, only this time there wasn't a reason for it. No one could explain to us why. They just said it happens a lot. We were… very sad... it changed us, brought us even closer together. It could've driven us apart but it didn't. We went on to have you both." He pointed to Allison and Jason. "But that doesn't mean we didn't think about the baby we'd lost."

"Was it a boy or a girl?" Stevie asked quietly.

"We don't know," Elizabeth answered. "We never found out. It was too early and if, I'm honest, at the time I didn't want to know. The baby was already gone and I thought it'd be too painful to know."

"Didn't you ever wonder?" Allison asked.

"All the time, Noodle," her father answered, "I even used to dream about our family as you grew up. In some dreams there would be four kids instead of three. It was always difficult when I woke up and that child wasn't there."

There was silence in the room for a beat before Jason, who had been seriously contemplating the addition of two other siblings to his family casually said, as if thinking out loud, "You mean all this time, we could have outnumbered them?"

There was an odd atmosphere as the other children waited for their parents' reaction to Jason's quite callous remark. Slowly both Henry and Elizabeth began smiling.

"You know, buddy, I've never thought about it that way before. You and I could've had a whole crew going. More than enough to overpower those girls over there."

"Oh, I don't think so, professor," Elizabeth countered. "Who said it was a boy? You see, precedent is on our side. We could've totally ruled the house! Imagine 4, or even 5 women in team McCord."

"We would've definitely needed more than one family bathroom," Jason said in such a serious tone that all the others burst out laughing.

"No, buddy, we would've simply built a man cave in the garden and you and I would've moved in."

"I don't see it, Dad. You and Mom can barely be apart for a day. You wouldn't survive in another building!" Allison giggled.

Henry looked lovingly at Elizabeth, "You're probably right, honey."

"Why haven't you told us about this before?" Stevie asked quietly.

Elizabeth sighed. "We weren't keeping secrets from you. We just chose to focus on you guys, the farm, our work... We never forget that we'd lost two children but we just wanted to focus on you."

"I don't think I can do that," Stevie said, beginning to cry again.

"No one is asking you to, baby girl. You're a different person to us and your circumstances aren't the same. However you choose to move on, we're right behind you. All of us."

"I wish Harrison was still here."

"We all do, sweetie, and it'll be a long time before you're over what's happened to you. In fact, it's likely you'll never be the same again. But we'll always love you and we'll always there for you."

Stevie sniffed. "Thanks, Mom." She snuggled into her mom's arms.

"A lot's happened in the last few weeks," Henry said, "And it'll take time to process. All we can do is look out for each other, like we always do. Team McCord all the way!" Henry took hold of Allison's hand and squeezed it as he moved onto the edge of the bed beside the women in his family.

Jason looked aghast at the emotional 'hugging' that was starting at the top of the bed and leapt off before he could be forced to join in. "If you think I'm getting involved in a group hug, you have another thing coming!" He moved to collect all the ice cream bowls and reached for the DVD he'd brought up from downstairs. "Good job I brought a guy movie and none of that chick flick rubbish."

"Not too much violence, I hope." Elizabeth said as she settled down on the bed. "I think we've had enough bombings for now."

"Nope, I thought of that. I brought an old favourite. It's pirate time! Let's see how Johnny Depp finds lost treasure at sea. Yo ho, mi hearties!" Jason tried out his pirate accent, with the responding laugh making him pleased he'd tried.

As the first scene of the movie began, Henry reached over to hold Elizabeth's hand. They'd all been through a lot. Some would say too much. The country had survived its most dangerous threat for many years, and their family would survive theirs. Threats could destroy or they could be overcome, but they would forever change the people left behind.

AN: Thanks for all the comments and support, you have made writing for the fandom really good fun. I'm really keen to hear what you think of the ending to this so please take the time to review. I have one more idea bubbling at the moment but its very alternative reality and I can't quite get it to work. However I am up for writing stories for any challenges that anyone would like to see, so if you have a suggestion get in touch. Hope to get more inspiration soon, maybe will have to see if I get inspiration as I see more of season 2.