Getting this in under the wire. A few interruptions today. Of course this is fan fic so I am rewarded only by reviews- so please leave a word or two. I read them all! Wish I had created this amazing show.
Just some fluff. Hopefully not too sappy. I have some angst planned for the near future. I hope I got the spelling and grammar all edited properly. Old eyes, tiny phone.
Bren.
...
The tree was twinkling with colour and light. The scent of the pine was intoxicating to family who was decorating it. Music played softly in the background - a jazz interpretation of some of the best, classic Christmas carols and Henry McCord felt so much love in his heart.
His three children were all chatting, laughing and joking. No arguments. Which made his wife feel like an Angel. He could see the peace on her face. Her eyes shone like the ocean. Her forehead was relaxed and her smile lit up the room. He wanted her to enjoy these memories. She loved Christmas and being home and present with the family.
It had been such a stressful couple of years as she adjusted to her job as Secretary of State and he knew she was stressed about how her strong stance on the environment had caused the President to pivot his position on all things political.
The house had just voted to hold up the results in Ohio which meant that for the first time in months ElIzabeth McCord was not feeling like she had destroyed the man's legacy. As such she was truly in family mode. The kids were safe. Their stalker had been revealed and while it had been a billionaire and a long time supporter of Conrad's- he and Russell had thrown their support to the McCords. Julius Burton was charged and awaiting trial. The evidence was rock solid and as Elizabeth had said "people coming through for you never got old"
There was also a lot to be grateful for. Henry knew that no matter how much Russell Jackson drove his wife crazy- it was clear that they had developed a strong bond and if he had died from that heart attack it would have been a very different sort of Christmas. He knew his wife was Bess to the inner sanctum and he respected how that side of her personality was appreciated by her colleagues.
To him she was Elizabeth. Always his Elizabeth. The young woman he had met in 1987. A Math major with a head for languages and a strong sense of ethics and justice. She had been such a force that he had no idea what hit him. Only that he fell in love so deeply that it took his breath away. According to her it had been the same for her.
They shouldn't have worked. He was a religious scholar and an ROTC scholarship kid with a blue collar upbringing and he was going to be a marine. She was an orphan who had chosen to join the CIA as an analyst and operative. She had been raised on a horse farm with well to do parents, and after their deaths she had lived with an eccentric older aunt who travelled for business. Elizabeth had gone to an elite boarding school with the Prince of Bahrain of all people.
The thing was - love and passion didn't follow the rules and neither Henry nor Elizabeth were stereotypical. Both were warm, affectionate caring people ruled by a sense that the right thing - true justice, must prevail in all things.
She caught his eye as they were adding the popcorn string and he knew she was remembering the first tree they had put up together. How she had insisted there was enough popcorn to string despite how much she was eating. There had not been. It had been embarrassing for her to admit that she had eaten too much and that he had been right. Still - she found the memory funny enough to laugh at herself and to share with the kids.
It was now Stevie's job to make two batches of popcorn. One for the tree and one for her mother. Elizabeth was easy to please in the kitchen. If it was edible she was interested. The more comforting the food item - the more interested she became. She ran to keep her weight down and her heart healthy- so she could enjoy all the pastries, pasta and popcorn she could eat.
Blake her assistant at the office made sure she was also adding vegetables and protein to her meals and Henry felt that while it seemed a little weird, it made him feel better to know she cared for at the office. He knew her style and she would get so lost in her work that she could forget to eat or get dehydrated. Working on the floor as an analyst or agent in the field meant that a normal routine of three square meals and two balanced snacks was rarely something she would do.
He had been like that when his missions went awry but one thing about the military - they wanted you healthy and strong. The food might be gross but it was meant to be eaten regularly and when it was time to eat you sat and ate.
At any rate, it was time to put the ornaments on the tree. They had quite a collection of them. Over the years the kids had made so many at school and in their activities- photos of toothless first graders glued onto construction paper and hooks made of pipe cleaners.
Cheap glass, plastic and shiny baubles from dollar stores, gift exchanges and some older items gifted from relatives and roommates. Some were mementoes from vacations taken, work trips and conferences. Between the two of them as well as their close friends- Henry figured they had something from over one hundred places. After 27 years together as a married couple and the couple of years of dating before - it made tears come to the surface when Henry thought about how much life there was between them.
Jason of course had seen the glisten on his father's cheek and was about to say something when he noticed that his mother's eyes were shining too.
For once the boy thought before he spoke and he felt the magic in their home. He said instead that he and the girls would replenish the snacks and suddenly it was just Henry and his beloved wife.
She smiled at him and he felt it to the tips of his toes. She was the most incredible woman on the planet and she was his. What's more - he was hers.
The music seemed to sense the magic as suddenly the sound of White Christmas filled the room. Memories flooded them both as they recalled one of their early dates, watching that classic film. She laid her head on his chest and in that moment Henry McCord knew he was blessed more than most.
He nuzzled her ear and said softly "I love you Elizabeth. Merry Christmas".
She looked up at him and saw his warm loving face and knew she was home.
No matter what lay ahead of them- this was where she lived and loved. It wasn't a place, it was these people. It always would be.
...
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas- or enjoyed your Saturday if this isn't your holiday.
Xox Bren