AN: Random little one-shot. Might turn it into a multi fic but who knows! Please let me know your thoughts!

The Statement

(n.,) A definite or clear expression of something. Once said, it cannot be unheard.

Chapter One - The Official Release

Elizabeth stood at the foot of her desk, her arms behind leaning onto the surface as she transferred her weight, perching herself on the edge. Her legs crossed over, her black heels tilting as she rocked her foot back and forth on the heel, her eyes watching intently as her head hung low. The sound of her office door slamming shut rippled through to her core; but it was a sound she had gotten used to just recently. She inhaled deeply and blew the air out with a slight force, her eyes pressing shut in an attempt to squeeze the emerging headache out from her.

'Madam Secretary' Blake came in and stopped at the sight of her. He dipped his own head for a moment and sighed silently to himself. Elizabeth took a moment before glancing up at him, a smile spread across her lips but her torment lay heavy in her eyes. Blake nodded at her and smiled 'Your plane is ready' he pressed his lips together and watched her move to gather her things, Blake reached to his right to grab her coat and hold It out ready for her to slip on her shoulders.

'Is Daisy ok?' She mumbled.

'Yes Ma'am, she will be fine' he attempted to reassure her but Elizabeth was smarter than that, she glanced up as her fingers ran across her desk collecting various files she needed for her overseas trip. She raised an eyebrow at him and he cleared his throat 'Ok, she is nervous but she will be fine'

'You've said that twice now Blake' she half laughed.

'Madam Secretary, just before we head off, would you like to read over the statement once more?' Nadine asked as she walked into the office, her gaze falling between Blake and Elizabeth.

'No Thank you Nadine, I have had enough of that. Just get Daisy to address the press with it and then we will deal with the aftermath.' She huffed, her irritation growing. 'Let's go. I'd quite like to be in the air when that hits the news' she swallowed hard as she pointed towards her door, signalling time to leave. Blake folded her coat in his arms and grabbed his own belongings following her, Nadine and Jay out of the building, all of them accompanying her on the trip.

Daisy noted her boss leaving the state department and took that as her signal to enter the press conference room. She smiled graciously as she took to the podium and began to address and answer all questions regarding today foreign affairs.

'Hi Katrina from DC Times, Ms Grant can you confirm if the rumours are true the on-'

'I won't be answering any questions that are not regarding the Secretaries political agenda' she quickly replied, cutting Katrina off and diverting her attention elsewhere.

'Is it true the Secretary is currently on her way to France?' Another reported asked

'Yes, The Secretary is flying over to spend some time working closely with the French government in the lead up to the NATO summit.' She nodded and continued to answer questions fired at her from all angles.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth had boarded her plane and taken off. She glanced out the window as the ground beneath her feet ran away fast until it became a dot in the distance. Her mind raced just as quickly, except her thoughts never disappeared like the runway, no matter her efforts.

'Can I get you anything Ma'am?' Blake addressed her and she shook her head, never taking her eyes off the window, fully consumed by her thoughts. Unable to tear herself away she admitted defeat and allowed them to pour in, closing her eyes as a wave of nausea washed over her as she gave in. A heaviness cloaked her skin and a tightness rose in her chest as she leant back in her seat watching the sky turn from blue to white as they travelled among the thick smog of rolling clouds.

'Blake?' She called out after a few moments. He rose to his feet and walked over to her, pulling his suit jacket down to readjust his professional appearance. He stood before her and greeted her with a smile, but it wasn't his normal smile. Elizabeth could see that, it was one full of anxiousness and concern for what the imminent future holds.

'Can you get me the tablet, I would like to watch Daisy deliver the statement' she cleared her throat. Nadine had anticipated this and was moments behind her with the tablet at the ready, providing a live feed from Matt, broadcasting her speech.

'Here it is Ma'am, would you like the earphones?' Elizabeth looked at her staff, her mind twisting with new thoughts, Are they as sick of all this as her? She contemplated the question posed to her for a minute or two and then nodded. 'Yes please Nadine' Elizabeth took the tablet and the headphones, plugging them into the side and re-averted her gaze out of the window, she didn't need to watch, she just needed to listen, again. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard as she heard Daisy begin to speak…

'Ok, so before I go today I have a more personal matter to address, I have before me a statement from The Secretary that I will read to you now' she paused, holding the paper within her grasp as she looked down, her eyes scanning the words once again, with a simple inhale of breath her eyes lifted and she began to read Elizabeth's words.

'Good Afternoon, It has recently come to my attention that there have been an increasing number of rumours and questions raised regarding more personal matters. I have not spoken openly on these rumours previously however with the pressure mounting against my family and my staff I feel it's only fair we take a moment to address the truth. I would like to highlight that my staff have been asked by myself and Dr McCord to not discuss this matter with anyone, and to be respectful of the fact that these issues are personal to us and our family, this is not a work related concern, therefore no one, other than the persons directly involved needs any more information that what is said here today. […]' Elizabeth pulled the earphone from her ear and tilted her head back, her eyes began to water as the rest of the statement spun around in her head; she didn't need to hear Daisy say it, her mind had been torturing her with the words ever since they were written down two days ago.

Blake watched his boss intently. He tried to keep the professional boundary between them both so many times over the last few weeks but it was proving more and more difficult each day. He stood up and walked over to her seat. Without saying a word he pulled out the fleeced blue throw and handed It too her 'Try and get some rest Ma'am, it's been a long few weeks' he smiled softly.

His act of kindness sent Elizabeth's emotions soaring, her tears falling from her eyes and onto her cheeks, each drop holding an infinite amount of heartache. She nodded rapidly and pressed her lips together. 'Thank you' she sniffled.

She picked up the earphone and placed it back in her ear, her finger ran across the bar at the bottom, reloading Daisy's speech, something inside her was telling her that maybe it ended differently to what she wrote, maybe this nightmare was just that; a nightmare and none of it was true. Her moment of hope was short lived, as the venomous words tumbled from Daisy's mouth…

'I would like to highlight that my staff have been asked by myself and Dr McCord to not discuss this matter with anyone, and to be respectful of the fact that these issues are personal to us and our family, this is not a work related concern, therefore no one, other than the persons directly involved needs any more information that what is said here today. It is with a heavy heart that I ask Ms Grant to address you today to confirm the rumours. Unfortunately Dr McCord and I are filing for a Divorce. I ask that you all respect our privacy during this increasingly difficult and distressing time for our family. Thank you'