Chapter 18

Elizabeth woke to the sound. It was unmistakable. One of her kids was getting sick. She thought for sure it was Allie. She pushed herself up from Henry's chest, which woke him as well. The alarm clock shone 8:30am at them. "Crap!" she whispered as she was already running late. She had a briefing at 9am. Today was also the day they were moving the horses to the winter stable. They also had a ton of packing up to finish.

"Allie?" he questioned.

"I think so," she got up out of the bed and threw her clothes on as he secretly watched her thinking how good she looks at her age.

"Not the way to start 'No Rules Saturday,'" he joked.

She chuckled and pointed back to him, "Let's put a pin in that memory until later."

He fell back on the bed, thinking of his surprise for her later.

The wretching had stopped when she got to the bathroom door. She knocked quietly on the door, wrapping her maroon robe around her. The chill of the morning getting to her.

"C'mon in Mom," Stevie's voice surprised her. She thought for sure Allie was in there.

She opened the door slightly, "Are you sick?"

"No, pregnant," she smiled up at her from the floor.

Elizabeth swung the door open. "What?! I mean…" she paused and sighed. "Oh Stevie I am so happy for you." She grabbed a facecloth out of the vanity and ran it under cold water. She handed it to her.

"We were going to tell you tomorrow but that surprise has been blown by this horrible morning sickness," she complained.

Elizabeth slid down to sit next to her on the basket weave tile floor. "Ohhh baby. I am so sorry. I feel like I passed this down to you," she gave her the worried face.

"Dmitri is downstairs making breakfast for everyone…" she started.

"Oh please say there's bacon," Elizabeth whispered.

"Mom, don't. That's the smell that sent me running up here," Stevie leaned her head back against the wall with a thud.

"Well, that's sad." Elizabeth joked.

With that the door to the bathroom, flew open with Allie rushing into the toilet.

Stevie jumped up and out of the way, while Elizabeth jumped up and held her hair back!

Stevie watching in horror as her sister appeared to have morning sickness as well.

When she was done, Allie blurted out, "Why is Dad making bacon? That is the worst for this."

Stevie's eyes grew wide. Elizabeth turned to give her the look to not say anything but it was too late.

"Allie, are you pregnant?" she yelled out.

Allie nodded her head as Elizabeth glared at Stevie.

"When are you due?" Stevie asked.

Just then Henry walked out of the bedroom in his Marines shirt and those sweatpants that fall just right.

"Early May," Allie said while brushing her teeth.

Stevie laughed. "I am mid-June. This is amazing."

Elizabeth stepped out of the bathroom, stared at Henry and said, "Stevie, brush your teeth."

The rest of the morning was super busy. They packed up several rooms or at least got things put away so they wouldn't be covered in dust.

Packing a bunch of picture frames, Elizabeth said to Will, "Who are we kidding? There's going to be dust EVERYWHERE!"

"Yes, there is. Maybe I should take these photos to my house for safe keeping?" he asked.

"Will, you lose everything. I swear if this box goes missing, I will not be happy," she warned him. "This has all the photos of us with Mom and Dad in it."

"Relax, Lizzie," he lamented. "And stop speaking to me like you are my parent."

Henry interrupted their banter. "Hey guys! I know it is No Rules Saturday but it was supposed to be no bickering weekend as well." He wrapped his arms around Elizabeth from behind and kissed her cheek. "C'mon, Jason has asked to speak with us."

"Oh nooo! This can't be good," she rolled her eyes at Will.

He laughed at her and said, "Go, I got this."

Henry pushed her away before she could reply.

"You want to go to the jewelry store, now?" Elizabeth was dumbfounded.

"Yeah, that's if you can," Jason said.

Henry sighed and said, "I'll get the motorcade."

Elizabeth swirled a finger at him, "I will call down to the store."

Jason smiled back at them, "Great and thank you. I had no idea your mother's diamond was left for me."

Elizabeth stood up from leaning on her desk and smiled at him but the tears began to flow.

She hugged her son, "I am so happy for you. We love Claudia!"

Henry reached around and hugged them both, Jason pulled back, "No, I am too old for the group hugs now."

"And you are getting married!" Elizabeth sighed.

"Okay Mom, you can stop now. I am going to run up and get my things," he left the office.

Elizabeth turned to Henry, "Is this the weirdest day? A summer wedding at the White House. We have to tell him his sisters are pregnant, right?"

Henry shook his head, "Noooo. They have to tell him."

Elizabeth laughed, "I am going to go get the ring."

Henry grabbed her hand and pulled her back in, letting his hands wrap around her and fall down over her butt.

"Don't worry. You will be the sexiest grandma of three at that wedding!" he leaned down to kiss her while she laughed in his arms.

The day was a whirlwhind. Will, Shayne and Annie left. They got back from dinner with Isabelle about an hour ago and the kids were still up playing a game. It was just about 10:30 when Elizabeth walked into their bedroom.

"I got to tell you. I am not that happy that Dmitri is better at Risk than the rest of us. He and Stevie always win now. We gotta do something about that," she laughed.

She looked at Henry who was bent over in the chair putting his sneakers on.

"Are you going for a run? Henry, it's 10:30 at night. Secret Service will never allow that," she stared at him.

"Nope, but you are coming with me." He stood up and put his arms around her. "We won't be here for Christmas so I need to give you your gift tonight."

"Henry, we just sent the horses to the winter stable. If it is another horse…" He interrupted her by handing her black hooded coat to her.

"I can not slip my detail, Henry. I can not. I have been warned multiple times by Matt and Frank! Like multiple. We tried this once, we got caught in a very embarrassing way, Henry!"

"Ohhh, that's a great memory," he chuckled with that low, sexy voice.

"Yeah for like 15 minutes!" she said back.

She threw the coat on the bed and said, "I am not going with you."

"Hey, you are. Put the coat on. And we are not slipping your detail. Just the kids. And the press. And your staff," he whispered to her.

She threw her head back and rolled her eyes.

"Let's go. We are going to be late," Henry was trying to shoo her out the door.

"Late for what?" she asked as she slipped on her sneakers and threw her coat on.

He didn't answer as they snuck down the stairs and out the back door. Their Jeep was running waiting for them.

"HENRY! No, I am not doing this," she stood with her arms across her body.

Just then, Frank got out of the passenger side, and opened the back door, "Ma'am just get in the car!"

She looked at him as Henry jumped in, grinning back at her.

She jumped in and Matt turned to look back at her from the driver's seat, "Just so you know, if we get asked, we will both swear you went rogue and slipped us."

"Where are we going?" she looked at Henry.

He looked out into the black night of November and said, "You'll see."

They pulled up to the parlor and she looked out the window. "A tattoo?"

"Not just a tattoo," Henry said.

Frank opened the car door and they all walked inside.

"Mikey!" she called out as soon as she saw him. He was her favorite tattoo artist that she had used back when she was younger.

He was older than her and now almost 70. A Harley guy and a definite Grateful Dead fan. He had a biker moustache and a dark tan. He worked out at the gym and everyone could tell.

"Hey, did I hear you had Frampton at your house and you didn't invite me?" he asked her throwing his arms around her.

She laughed and leaned back, "How's Melissa and the family?"

"They are great. We miss having you around. Heard you are finally renovating that home of yours. It's all the buzz in town," he said.

"So, we've heard." Elizabeth turned and gave Henry the look. Turning back to him, "I am pretty sure I have not been brought here for just a reunion."

"Come take a look," he said, showing her the design that laid out on his table. "Henry was here earlier today while you were packing with Will. Maybe you can tell me how you finally settled that brother of yours down while I put this on you."

She almost didn't hear everything he had to say while she stared at the design.

An E and a H. Her handwriting on the E and his on the H, in a circle. Their circle of two.

She turned back to Henry with tears in her eyes, "Henry, I love it! Where is yours? How did I not notice?" she asked him.

He unbuttoned and rolled up the sleeve on his left wrist. There it was, in simple black about the size of a quarter, but so amazingly beautiful. She hugged him so tightly, he whispered in her ear, "Your right wrist so when we hold hands they connect. Also, so you know I am always by your side in a…"

"Circle of two," they whispered together.

Their embrace was broken up by Mikey's voice, "Listen kids, the love fest is cute. But, it's late and the later it gets the more of a chance I screw this up!"

They laughed at him and she sat down.

It was just after midnight when she was done and their tattoos matched up perfectly. She was about to fall asleep in the car when it rolled to a stop. She opened her eyes and looked out the window….UVA.

"Want to take a walk?" he asked her.

She smiled at him. "Are you sure?"

"Ma'am this area has been cleared. Also, it's Thanksgiving weekend after midnight. There's nobody here. Go take the walk," Frank told her.

"You know, you don't have to always call me Ma'am," she replied back to him.

They walked along holding hands, she on his left, him on her right. They talked about nothing and everything at the same time. He was trying to time everything perfectly.

"Did you like Kurt?" she asked as she moved her arms up to wrap them around his arm.

"What's not to like? He's a great guy. I am so happy for Isabelle. She's waited a long time for a relationship like this," he looked ahead to see how much farther they needed to go.

"Right?! Law professor at Georgetown. Widowed for a few years. That part is really sad. I wish we could do more for cancer research. Also, his kids are grown, which is a big deal for Isabelle," they both laughed together.

"So, do you have any thoughts on your legacy?" he asked her, her hand moving back to his to gently swing in between them, the rustle of the fallen leaves below their feet. The cool air of late November breeze hitting them head on. The front pieces of her hair blowing in the wind just a bit, catching his eye to her beauty.

"Henry, I have barely anytime to think about anything. Between the plot investigations, the security of the kids, THE KIDS, and the inauguration and us….thinking about four years ahead? That's the furthest thing from my mind."

"Well, Victor Boseman called me. They are looking to build some new buildings here. A new apartment complex just off the right of campus. There's some space near the math buildings," he pointed ahead. "He wants to put a proposal in to hold that space for your Presidential library."

She stopped walking, "Really? That has to be done now."

"Well, if they want the space for it, it needs to be reserved," he explained to her.

"Henry, I don't want it to be some monstrosity of a building. Small. It needs to be small."

He chuckled at her, "Settle down, babe. We don't have to get into all of that now. It is just reserving the campus space for it. This is it," he pointed his hand out to the right of the path. "Through the two buildings so it would in the back there so it would have space for visitor parking."

She recognized where they were, "Henry," she whispered.

"I know. I didn't tell him," he smiled back at her.

"It's right where we first kissed. This spot on the path," she laughed. "You were so nervous."

"Of course, I was. I was with the hottest girl on UVA's campus. I still am" he smiled. They then turned to look at the space between the buildings from the path. Not moving from that spot. "Remember the day you graduated with your Masters? We came back to this spot fearing we would never make it back here."

"I do," she said quietly. "But, this is home. It's why we always come back to right here. I want to come back here after the White House."

"Me too," he leaned down and kissed her there right on their spot. A breeze came along and swirled leaves around their legs.

"I am getting chilled. Let's go home," she said.

Walking back, they had their arms around each other's back her hand in Henry's back pocket as they have done for years.

"THAT was a really good memory," she smiled up at him.

"Not all memories need to include sex," he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on her neck.