Chapter One Hundred - A Milestone

It wasn't too much longer before all the McCords were pulling up outside their old family home. The kids had decided to ride in the motorcade with their mom whilst Henry drove to the house. Once the motorcade pulled to a stop Elizabeth glanced

out of the window and over to her house, her heart dancing at the prospect of a full home once again, she yearned for the walls to be breaking at the seams with the noise of her children. Matt pulled the door open and she smiled softly, stepping out and waiting at the side, her hand gently placed behind her children, guiding them out of the car. Henry grabbed their weekend bags from the trunk and walked across the road and over to the house as they all gathered outside.

'Kids, go on inside for me. I just need to have a word with your dad a minute' she pressed her lips together, her eyes focused on them only, her body resisting the urge to fall into his embrace.

'Is everything ok?' Alison's brow furrowed. Jason glanced up momentarily, retrieving some bags from his dad.

'Yeah it's fine, I just need to talk shop and well, your dad used to work in government so I could really use his advice' she lied, her composure calm. All those years of CIA training really came into place.

'Annnnd you can't do that inside?' Alison questioned, turning towards the house as she began to carry her bag inside.

'No, because you'll eavesdrop and there are some trade secrets you cannot know' she giggled.

'You have an office' Jason paused for thought

'Yes I do. No go inside please' her tone a little more firm as he kids questions unsettled her a little, she hated lying to them.

'Can we call for pizza?' Jason asked as he walked towards the door

'Nooo, I want chicken' Alison moaned

'Order both!' Elizabeth shouted after them as they walked into the house with their argument. Elizabeth inhaled deeply and turned to smile happily at Henry. She teased her lips between her teeth, fighting her urge to kiss him.

'Matt can we-' she paused, looking back to the motorcade and slipping back inside for a private moment with him. Matt closed the door behind them and stood outside on guard.

'Hey you' Henry whispered as he slid across the leather, his lips finally free to fall on hers. Her body relaxed beneath his love. Her eyes closed instinctively and her hand tenderly pressed against his chest, her lips pursed and tasting his. She withdrew with a relaxed smile, her eyes gently flickering open as she captured him in her gaze.

'Hey' her whispered tones filtered into the air. 'I missed you'

'I miss you too, it was hard seeing you for the last hour and not being able to be this close' he confessed, his hand falling to her lap, his thumb caressing her skin through her black trousers.

'It was wasn't it…' she paused 'you seemed a little distant at the office, is everything ok?' She chewed at her lips, her body language a little timid as she waited for his response.

Henry sighed and sat back in his seat. He ran his hand to the back of his neck, twisting his skin between his fingers as he turned his neck and closed his eyes. 'It was a little overwhelming being back at the State department. I didn't even think about it, but once I walked down the corridor towards Blake my mind flipped, suddenly my car keys in my hand were the divorce papers and I was walking to hand them to you once again. It just got to me a little' he admitted. Elizabeth slipped her hand into his other hand, placing their entwined fingers in his lap. With a gentle squeeze she let out a low sigh.

'You know, I haven't been back to the farm since I fled there months ago, for exactly the same reasons. I feel like if I visit there again then I'm walking back into the past, back to a moment I didn't fully understand and almost felt like I had no real control over. It's a scary place to be. I get it' she empathised. 'You know, if you had done that today, if you had walked into the office with divorce papers again and told me that you wanted to remain divorced-'

'I wouldn't, I don't-' Elizabeth loosened her grip from his hand and held her own hand up to softly silence him.

'If you did, what do you think would happen?' She asked cautiously.

'I wouldn't, I couldn't, I'd stop at the door. I don't want to go through that again, I don't want to put you through that again' his mouth ran a little dry as his anxieties took a hold.

'Henry it's ok, we're just hypothesising' she soothed 'If you had made it into me, and history repeated itself this time would have been different' she whispered, her loving eyes falling to him.

'How?'

'Because I wouldn't have accepted them, I wouldn't have left until we talked it though I wouldn't have signed them. History can try and repeat itself Henry but, hindsight is a beautiful thing. It stops us making the same mistakes twice'. Elizabeth swallowed her words and pushed herself a little closer. Her hand draped across his shoulders, fingers entwined with his hair as she soothed him. Her lips pressing against his cheek as she lingered her head on his skin.

'Thank you' he whispered into the air between them his eyes closing at the reassurance or her words. He felt safe with her.

'I hate to break this moment but we need to check on the mini McCords' she giggled and Henry nodded with a chuckle.

'Come on' he winked, dipping into her for one more kiss. 'Keeping my hands off you is going to be hard' he groaned.

'Mhhmm' she mumbled into his lips '`lets hope they go to bed early' she laughed as he took her hand and pulled her out of the motorcade. Henry waited back for a second to close the door behind her. His eyes wandered back to Elizabeth as she walked up ahead.

'Are you limping?' He quizzed.

'Yeah, it's nothing. Just these new shoes, they hurt' she pouted causing him to chuckle at her as he pushed the front door open for her.

'Stop buying new shoes then' he teased and she swatted him as she walked past him and into the house. She slipped her shoes off and flung them across the room. She continued to wade through to the kitchen, grinning instantly at the kids sat around the kitchen table.

'We ordered food and set up scrabble' Alison grinned back at her mom.

'Yeah but I ordered a large pepperoni annnd if I have to play this, then I'm not sharing my food' Jason tried to reason. Henry came up behind him and playfully clipped him across the head.

'You can have the pizza to yourself when you pay for it by yourself' he quipped taking a seat next to Alison. The chair opposite him vacant.

'Anyone want a drink?' Elizabeth asked as she reached for the glasses.

'Me please' Henry smiled, unable to look at her directly through fear of caving to his desires.

'Coffee? Wine? Something stronger?'

'Whatever you are opening' he called back, as he sorted through the scrabble tiles, helping the kids set up the game.

Elizabeth poured two glasses of Wie and walked to the able placing a glass down for him, keeping a hold of hers as she took a swig.

'Thanks' he spoke just as the phone rang.

*Ring* Ring*

'Ill get it, it's probably food' Jason replied stand-up and answering the call. He nodded and signalled their food was here.

'Already? God how long were we out there?' Elizabeth gasped

'Time fly's when you're having fun' He winked. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Alison who smirked.

'Hmm, or if you throw a clock' Elizabeth replied sarcastically. 'I'm just going to go and change then I'll be back' she announced as she hurried upstairs.

'Did you and mom have a nice time talking shop' Alison asked with a cheeky glint in her eyes.

'Whats that supposed to mean?' Henry asked

'Nothing, time fly's when you're having fun' she winked at her dad, teasing him as his mouth opened to speak.

'Here it is, the best pizza in DC' Jason announced interrupting their moment.

'Good Im starving' Alison tore away from her dad and helped Jason with the food. Henry sat back In the chair watching them, it was like the old days. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and draped an arm across the back of Alisons chair, his ears pricked up at the sound of elizabeths footsteps on the stairs.

'Something smells so good' she moaned as he flashed Henry a grin, walking past him and straight for the food. She grabbed the large pizza box and returned to the table with her kids. She placed the box next to the scrabble board as Alison took a seat next too Henry and Jason opposite her. Elizabeth pulled out the chair opposite Henry and sat down taking a bite out of her pizza, melted cheese dangled between the food and her mouth, everyone chuckling as she tried to act sophisticated and break through it.

Henry smiled to himself, his gaze falling between the three of them. He felt like his heart could burst within this moment, this was a milestone moment for them as a family, despite everything they were still the McCords. He stretched his leg out a little under the table and gently allowed it to rest against Elizabeths. He caught her soft but reserved smile as he reached forward for a slice of Pizza, chucklingly to himself silently as he realised, there were no more empty chairs at his table.

AN: - 100 chapters! It wouldn't have been possible without your continued support. I am so thankful to all of you. I know I suck at updating recently and I am sorry but please know I will never leave this unfinished.