HELLO! I hope yall enjoy this flashback chapter!


About four years earlier

Henry glanced at the clock on the corner of the home office desk. Two am. He took a deep breath, moving the paper in front of him into the stacks – he wished the stack of "to be graded" was smaller than the two graded papers he'd managed to finish in the last three hours. Lately, his brain just wouldn't engage. It was one thing to be reading an ancient text over and over and be frustrated because he wasn't understanding it – that was one thing that just came with his work in academia. It was another to be reading student papers and be unable to get through them. Not because they weren't good – he was sure that there were some in the stack that would turn his stomach with their lack of ability to use grammar correctly, but – normally he wouldn't have a problem.

He let out a small groan as he leaned back in his chair.

Nothing was normal. Nothing seemed as it should be.

The ring of the phone at the desk beside him startled him out of whatever bit of calm he'd developed in the last few hours sitting at the desk.

"Hello?"

The security guard outside the door in a matter of fact tones said, "A Mr. Russell Jackson to see you?"

Confusion entered Henry's voice as he said, "Ok, let him in."

Greeting Russell at the door, Henry immediately said, "You know Elizabeth isn't here, right?"

"I've already tried to reach her at the farm." Russell said in his normal irritated voice, "I get that she needs to get away, but there's something that's come up…" The man showed himself over into the study to the drink cart, where he started pouring himself a glass of scotch.

Henry, unsure of what was going on, said, "Well, seeing as how I'm not the Secretary of State, I'm not sure how much I can help you with…"

"There's a news article coming out." He said quietly.

Henry rolled his eyes as he sat down on the couch, "Well, come on, what's new? If you had to pay a late night visit every time the news decided to print something, I'd definitely stock up on more scotch."

Russell turned towards Henry, and the look on his face spoke volumes. Even more than what he was about to say, "Someone leaked about the affair."

Henry's heart caught in his chest, and he was pretty sure that it had just stopped beating for a few seconds. Like someone had sucker punched his chest, and it was going to take a second before his body told itself to keep going. "What…" He barely breathed out.

Russell explained, "Something leaked. They've got that Emma is Conrad's daughter…"

Defensively, Henry interjected, "Biological daughter…"

Conceding, Russell went on, "… biological daughter. They know that the affair happened in Baghdad. And they're connecting the dots on the reason for Emma's kidnapping. They're also asserting that there were some demands that the kidnappers wanted to extort Conrad for in exchange for Emma's release."

Henry stopped listening after Russell said they knew about the affair. And he immediately asked, "How did this get leaked?" He sat up on the edge of the couch, "Russell, my KIDS don't even know… how on EARTH did a journalist get ahold of this?"

Russell downed the rest of his drink, and said, "Hell, I have no idea. We're looking into it…"

"Fuck, I don't want to hear that line ever again." Henry moaned, "That line has literally been used to excuse so many things here lately."

Russell nodded, turned to pour himself another drink, "It's all over." He bemoaned, "Conrad's career is over."

Henry felt the bile rising from his stomach, and the heat in anger began to take over his entire body. He stood to his feet, walking over to where Russell stood with his back to him.

Russell contined, "There's no coming back from this. It's literally political suicide…"

The minute Russell turned around, Henry's fist collided with his jaw.

The glass that the man had been holding flew across the room and shattered against the wall, and Russell immediately grabbed his face.

Pain began to shoot up Henry's hand, and he shook it out while he said, "I swear to God, I'm done hearing about how my daughter's kidnapping and death is an end to your political career…"

Russell stretched out his jaw a bit, and nodded, "Henry, you're right…" He blinked a few times, "Man, you've still got it…"

Rage still pounded through Henry's ears, "Russell…"

The man put his hands up in surrender, "I mean it, I'm sorry." He looked at the broken glass and said, "I just wanted to give you a heads up. Since, you know… the kids don't know… and.."

Henry turned away from Russell, "And our lives are going to get even more horrible." Then he asked, "You said you tried to reach Elizabeth…"

Russell nodded. "No answer. I called her detail and they said she refused to talk to me."

Henry wouldn't let Russell know that he'd gotten the same response for the last three days in a row. Some part of their life had to be private. One shred of their relationship had to be kept from everyone who ever wanted to know about their lives.

"I just thought you'd want to know…"

Henry nodded, thankful that Russell seemed to be getting the hint as the man walked to the front door. Before he left, Russell did turn around and quietly say, "I'll try to keep it as away from you two as possible."

Henry didn't know how long he stood there after the door quietly closed. In his head, he was trying to figure out what to do. How to tell the kids. If he should tell the kids without Elizabeth with him. How Elizabeth would take this. How all of it would work.

After Henry didn't know how long, he sprang into action. He quickly informed the security guards of his plans, just to give them the heads up.

He then went upstairs, and quickly pounded on each of the three doors. "Kids, wake up. Kids!" He attempted to keep his voice from sounding alarming.

The muffled groans quickly turned angry as he continued to call out to them, "Up!"

Jason was the first to open his door, and sleepily antagonize, "You stop learning how to read a clock, Dad?"

Henry smiled, "Nope."

"Then what the hell is going on…"

"Language." He warned his son, and was thankful soon to be greeted by his two daughters opening their door, Allison in complete anger as she yelled out, "You know how much sleep I need! This is not going to help with my…"

"I have to be up in two hours for a meeting!" Stevie called out.

Now that he had his audience, Henry explained a fraction of his plan. "Guys, we're taking a trip to the farm! I need you all packed for a few days – we're leaving in thirty minutes." He then grabbed the suitcases out of the hall closet – setting each person's luggage in front of their door where they stood, mouths almost completely hanging open.

"Excuse me, I have work tomorrow!" Stevie protested.

"Anyone hear about school?" Allison argued. "I can't just miss…"

Now Henry used his very much in charge of things voice. "Girls. We're going. I've worked it out with your school – and Stevie, Russell has given you the day off…" He would deal with that part of the whole thing in a little bit.

When both girls began to argue, he simply said, "Nope. All three of you know that I don't pull the Dad card too often. But when I do, I'm doing it. So…" He gestured to the suitcases, "I'm taking these bags in thirty minutes – if you want things to be in them, I suggest that you get packing."

Huffs and irritated slams of doors from his two daughters were what met his declaration. He looked to where his son stood, sleep still visible in his eyes.

Jason just shrugged and grabbed the duffel bag, "A few days off of school when I have three tests? Yeah, I'm totally fine with this."

Henry took a deep breath once he was again alone in the hallway. He desperately hoped he was doing the right thing – but he knew that Elizabeth needed to be there with him to tell the kids before the news broke. And this was the only way that he could think this would happen. Especially because Elizabeth wouldn't pick up the phone.

He grabbed his own suitcase from the closet, and about broke down in tears when he saw the only suitcase left in the closet as their entire family packed up.