Pittsburgh, Henry, 2014

"I'm your wife!" I shake my head. Nothing makes sense. There's a small part of me that wants to go back in time, how far back I'm not sure. Back to four days ago when I didn't know Elizabeth was alive. Back to eight years ago and never go out with Shane. Back to ten years ago and refuse to believe that Elizabeth was dead. Back to eleven years ago and beg her not to leave. Jessica isn't my wife, none of that was real. Elizabeth, she was real. She is real.

"Who do you work for?" I don't need to ask. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out after her little outburst.

"I think you know that already." It's a fair reply. The CIA invented not confirming while not denying.

"I'm taking the kids and I'm leaving." I tell her. I'm not going to stay and play this game. I have to get to Elizabeth. And I need to protect my kids.

"Henry, can we please just talk about this?" She's crying. I shake my head. There is absolutely nothing for us to talk about. I have two objectives, protect my kids and protect Elizabeth. I don't really care what happens beyond that.

"She doesn't love you, not like I do." She's on the verge of sobbing now.

"You have no idea what you're talking about." I tell her through my teeth.

"She left you, and she left them." She points at the staircase alluding to Team McCord.

"You don't get to talk about her." And she doesn't. She doesn't know her.

"I know she was living it up in LA, while you were here. Raising kids and keeping an empty gravesite clean." She's sounding more and more desperate with every word out of her mouth.

"I'm not talking to you about Elizabeth. You don't know anything about her." I walk over to the stairs signaling that I am done with this conversation.

"Noodle." I yell up to Allison. I need to get them out of here.

Virginia, Elizabeth, 2014

The car is getting near empty. I have to stop for gas. I take a left turn and head into the closest town. I pull into a gas station next to a Walmart in hopes TracPhone, maybe more than one. I really don't want to check in with Henry on my Laptop. The CIA can break the encryption on it of they really work on it.

"You want any snacks?" Isabel asks me as we head into the store.

"Do you even have cash?" I throw back at her, knowing she knows better than to use a card when we're on the run.

"Who said I was going to buy them?" our banter was always my favorite part of the work day. Isabel has a very dry and direct approach to humor that I've always enjoyed. It's nice to know that we can easily fall back into it. Izzy and I spent many a days and even some nights working on cases together. We always worked well together, her moody and brooding fit well with my diplomatic optimism.

I go to the counter to prepay for the gas, and Isobel grabs a couple of sodas and some chips. She places them on the counter the way I imagine an angsty teenager would.

"You gonna tell me where we're going yet?" She asks shoving a handful of chips into her mouth, when I start pumping the gas.

"Charleston." I decide to trust her. I can't do this on my own. She looks thoughtful.

"Then what?"

"We wait for Henry to get Stevie out of DC."

"Do you really think Conrad would hurt her?" She has a right to ask the question. I know it's a crazy situation.

"He threatened them before." I feel the fear rise in my chest again. I can't let anything happen to my kids. If he hurts them or worse, does the unthinkable and kills them. Then, none of this will be worth it. If they die, I'll want to join them and Henry will too.

"What happened in Iraq?" She's not stupid. She know that's where I died or went MIA rather. I take the nozzle out of the car and return it to its place on the pump.

I nod across the lot to the Walmart.

"Phones first, story when we're back on the road."

White House, Andrew, 2014

It's not fun having your ass handed to you on a silver platter by the President of the United States. It's even less fun when he has a point. How the hell did they get away from Juliet? And who the hell does Bess have helping her? I have to figure it out, fast. This target needs to be neutralized. But Bess is a hardass. She's extremely intelligent and strong willed. Hell she spent three months planning to execute the stupid fuck Conrad gave her to. She did a good job staying disappeared until George Peters had the goddamned nerve to lead her stupid jarhead to her.

So maybe I won't be able to find her. But maybe I can draw her out.

Pittsburgh, Jessica, 2014

My phone rings right as he yells up to Allison. It's Munsey. I leave the fight. I'll give him a chance to calm down. He will come to his senses.

"Yes." I answer.

"Where is Stevie tonight?" My stomach drops.

"No." I tell him. I was promised that the kids would not be brought into this. I have raised them for ten years. I baked cookies for bake sales. I helped them study for tests. I took Stevie prom dress shopping. I walked her across the volleyball court on senior night. I cheered when she walked across the graduation stage.

"I promised the kids won't be hurt. And I swear I'll keep it. I just want to draw Bess out. Stevie will think it's a small internship or something." I hesitate, not knowing to trust that because, Stevie is my daughter. And I realize, if I feel like this about it, so will Elizabeth. And that's what they're counting on.