"Alex" he says her name again, it's like he can't believe it, which truthfully he can't

"Tom!" she walks closer, a smile forming on her face, he doesn't seem to notice the bruises on her cheek, for a moment he's too mesmerized by her mere existence in the room.

"How?" he asks, her, Hannah notices that the closer Alex was getting it seemed as if he was walking away from them, "How are you here, who did I bury?"

"A prostitute she looked like the first lady, was killed a night before on Christmas Eve" John took over, Tom's face changed, the star struck look got broken by a sense of betrayal so deep that he felt it within every inch of his body.

"You lied to me?" he asks Alex, she bites her lip again, the split there hurts but she can't stop herself. "YOU ALL LIED TO ME!" his anger shocked Alex she had never seen him like that but everyone else in the room didn't even seem to blink.

"Tom." She tries to take his hand but he pulls away from her, she looks at her hand, still extended in disbelieve.

"NO! ALEX DON'T EVEN TOUCH ME RIGHT NOW." This time his anger was focused on her, and that made her blood run cold.

"Tom please…" she finally manages to get close to him, her hand takes his, he's still wearing his wedding band and she uses the tips of her fingers to trace the slightly cold metal. "Please just let's go next door." She's close enough for him to notice, for the first time, the bruise on her cheek and the split on her lip,

"Alex what happened to your face." He asks her, his free hand rising to her face.

"Next door." She repeats softly, turning to the other three people in the room they looked uncomfortable but she didn't stop to think about them. "Just wait here."

"No, no need," Tom turns to them looking at their faces; he felt the anger slowly subsiding. "Come back tomorrow. Early!" the three of them nodded and left the room, under other circumstances their eagerness to disappear would have been funny to him but right now he doesn't have much time to care. He turns his eyes back to Alex,

"What happened to your face?" he asks her again.

"You should see the other guy." She tries to joke but it falls on deaf ears, "Yeah, not one of my best jokes was it?"

"Why did you lie to me? I thought you were dead, our kids thought you were dead." Tom stops and takes a step back, his hand once again falling from hers, he wonders for a moment why can't he just accept that she's back, but the thought is quickly replaced with an urging question that is stuck in his head. "Why Alex?"

"Tom." She can't stop herself from biting her lip again. "Damian wanted to, not only kill me but you Penny, Leo, he would stop at nothing."

"Damian?" he ask her, Alex wonders why he looks so confused at the mention of Damian's name.

"Yeah, Damian Rennet. You didn't know?"

"No. I knew he was the one trying to frame you but," she smiles sadly; of course Hannah wasn't going to tell him about that either, had he known he would have put the whole FBI on his trail.

"He was the one who tried to kill me too."

"Hannah killed him on Christmas day."

"No." he turns around looking at her even more confused.

"What?" she sits down on the couch, her injured leg was bothering her again.

"Come sit," she pats the space next to her but he seemed to be bolted to the ground. "Tom" he stubbornly crosses his arms over his chest, this made her almost roll her eyes at him but she stopped herself. "She shot him but he was wearing a vest and survived."

"So Hannah thought it would be better if she played us all to weed him out?" the confusion slowly left his face.

"Not exactly. He had a specific plan to get to you, he would kill me and then if he had to the kids." She sees the terror filling his eyes, he never thought that his kids were in danger, everyone kept telling him, that the car accident was just a random tragedy. "I couldn't risk it. I just couldn't." she stops for a moment, looking at her husband, he looked almost like a lost child, so many emotions that his face didn't know which one to convey first. "I wanted to call you but that would only put you in more danger."

"You still should have,"

"I know, but Tom this house doesn't keep any secrets." She reminds him, he rolls his eyes, of course he knew that, but he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that she lied to him for almost five months.

"It's been almost five months Alex. Almost five months that I thought you had died." "How the hell can I forgive that?" He stops for a moment, he knows what's coming next but he still isn't sure how to say it. "How can we move on from that?"

"I…" she stops, looking down for a moment she realizes what he actually meant. "I don't know Tom." "I honestly don't know." His words scare her a little, she was so eager to come back that she never once stopped to think what she might find upon arrival. "All I do know is that I still love you with my whole heart."

"Alex…"

"I can disappear if you want. Very few people know I'm back. I can get out of your life." She bites back a sob, the mere thought of leaving, again and this time forever was breaking her but she was willing to do it if that's what he wanted. "It won't be a problem."

"NO! No, no, no. Alex no!" he looks as if he got hit by electricity; he almost runs to her side, she's shocked when his hands grip hers tightly.

"What?"

"No, you are not leaving. I don't know how we'll move past it, but I do know that those past 5 months well hell on earth. I can't get through this again, I can't lose you again. We'll find a way, we always do." His lips form a small smile but his eyes still betray his panic. It warms hear heart a little, the thought that he was panicked at the thought of living his life with her just as much as she was.

"Tom." She stands up her arms wrapping around his neck almost by reflex a motion so familiar. He feels him burring his face in her neck and she realizes that he probably didn't shave this morning, she wonders how could she miss it but then again he missed the bruise on her cheek for almost five minutes. They both were overwhelmed.

"Let's go to our bedroom." He suggest his voice muffled by her neck.

"Yeah," she pulls back, her hands still clutching his shirt refusing to let go. "Tom…" she feels one of his hands running circles on her back.

"What?"

"Leo and Penny?" there's a small flicker of pain in his eyes, there's something there but Alex decides not to push further.

"They are in Camp David with your mother and my mother; we'll call them tomorrow to come back." He quickly puts a smile back on, hoping he fouled her. She seems to ignore that his smile is a cover-up but he knows better than that. Her hand is mindlessly running circles in his back and it's making his head spin a little.

"Alright, don't get me wrong I wanna see them but I don't want them to see," her hand shows her bruised cheek, his expression darkens a bit, he had totally forgotten about it. Flashes of anger appeared in his eyes as he laid eyes on the bruise again, it was as if he had managed to ignore it for a while and truth be told he became just too good at that. Ignoring bruises and dried blood seeing her face despite them. He had to.

"About that, what happened?" his hand cups her uninjured cheek, she leans in his touch, her cheek soft and warm against his slightly cold hand.

"I had a fight with Damian, don't worry he got what was coming for him." she opened her eyes and the smirk in them was enough to make him chuckle.

"You kicked his nuts didn't you?"

"Yup." She stands up, his hand fell to his side again, but she quickly takes hold of it. He looks down on their hands and smiles. "And shot him." she adds. It shocks him, three words shock him, his Alex shot someone?

"What?" he asks in disbelief.

"Hannah had given me a gun, for protection. I got to it and," she stops abruptly. The look on his eyes is one she never thought she'll see directed at her. "Don't look at me like that!" frustrated she lets go of his hand and takes a couple steps back, her hands on her waist.

"Like what?"

"Like you're sorry for me!" he's taken back with her explosion, it's apparent that they both changed in those months apart. She hated that they were so different, she hated that she saw the look of pity in his eyes and it was directed at her, and she hated that she couldn't stop herself being angry. She had no right to be angry, he should be angry with her, especially considering that she lied to him for so long making him believe that she was dead. "He was a piece of shit and I don't feel sorry for him at all."

"Alright." He reaches for her hand, his cold skin has suck a calming effect like it always did. He walks closer to her, his free hand wraps around her waist. "Are you still carrying?" he asks with a mischievous smirk on his lips.

"You'll have to find out"

"You think he'll ever forgive us?" John asks, the three of them were standing in the secretary's office outside the oval, everything that happened in the previous months weighting them down. No one knew why they hadn't left already and yet no one made a move to leave. John was the first to break the silence. Mike just shrugged.

"I don't know." Hannah responds, she gets up from the chair she was sitting in and walks to the door, standing there her hands on the two sides she still wasn't able to take the next step and just leave. "I don't really care John; as long as he forgives her I'm good."

"He will." Mike says, the other two turn to the man standing closer to the window, a big smile on his face, one that no one had seen since Christmas.

"Mike?"

"He'll forgive her, look!" Mike smiles wider and shows them through the window, Tom and Alex were walking to the residence, his arm around her waist, while Alex is clutching the back of his jacket tightly in her hand, they can't hear what they say but the smiles on their faces are enough.

"Someone's getting laid!"

"John!"

"What?" John looks at her confused. Hannah scoffs and turns around.

"You are a pig!" she tells him over her shoulder.

Tom opens his eyes and for a moment he struggles to go back to the wonderful dream he had where Alex was sleeping by his side. It takes him a moment to register the weight on his arm, or her arm around his waist. Looking down he sees her sleeping peacefully her hair slightly tickling his neck, her skin is warm, he runs his hand up and down her side, he can almost count her ribs and there is also a horrid scar, probably from the accident. It bothers him but he focuses on the tattoo on her lower back, he smiles as he traces the Celtic sign, she never told him what it means, and he doesn't want to know, he just likes how the black ink contrasts with her skin. He remembers the first time he saw it, and to his surprise he still feels the same way looking at it almost eighteen years later. He wonders if she'll still be there in the morning, and he refuses to close his eyes, maybe that way she'll stay a little longer, maybe that way he can make sure that she is there in the morning.

In the end sleeps wins and he can't keep his eyes open for long. He almost yelps when he sees her starring at him in the morning and can't stop himself rolling over her and kissing her until he was out of breath.

"Alex?" she was starring out the window for a while, not really talking just looking at the world slowly waking up outside.

"Huh?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm here!" she looks down at table, all the food there is making her slightly nauseous.

"Alex." He walks to her kneeling by her chair, his hands instantly taking hers, he notices that her wedding band isn't there, and for a moment he forgets that both the band and her ring are in a box in his bedside table mangled beyond repair.

"What if they hate me Tom? How to explain this? I… I lied to them."

"Alex!" he grips her hands a little tighter, and she looks down to him, there's a smile on his lips, it's slightly confusing but Alex welcomes it.

"They'll be happy to see you. Sure Leo might be a bit mad, and Penny might be a bit confused but at the end of the day they'll be happy." She wants to believe him, she really does but finds herself unable to.

"How can you know?"

"I do" he stands up and softly kisses her before walking back to his chair. "I was, but in the end I'm happy you're here, I'm happy the past five months were just, a nightmare." He looks at him as he takes the cup of coffee in his hand; he looks at her briefly over the rim before taking a sip.

"You are an incredible sweet talker Tom."

"One of my many virtues I assure you." They finish the rest of their breakfast in silence. Alex manages to get some food in her stomach, but she is still incredibly worried.

"I have to go to the office." Tom takes his battered briefcase from the sofa, Alex walks him to the door, she can't remember the last time she did this. "What you say we have lunch, together the four of us today."

"Lunch?"

"Yeah weather is good; we can eat at the patio at the oval."

"I'd love that." She says smiling, he leans and kisses her one last time.

"Good, see you then."

"Tom" she stops him before he walks out the door. He stops with his hand on the door knob.

"Yeah,"

"What about when the kids come? You'll be there right?"

"Alex," she sees him biting his lip, she realizes what that the pain she detected last night meant. "Maybe it's better if it's just you."

"Tom?" he looks up and she takes a deep breath, her hands at her waist. "You and Leo had a fight didn't you?" he chuckles and hangs his head low.

"I forgot how good you were at this."

"Reading you?" he looks up a sad smirk on his lips. "Please I have a PhD on it." Both of them stood there silent for a while. "Do I need to give Leo a lecture again?"

"No, this one was on me." He smiles sadly and tries to leave but Alex, almost stubbornly, refuses to let go of his hand.

"He's eighteen Tom we might have to start preemptive strikes."

"Just say the word and I'll give you the launch codes." He smirks seeing her roll her eyes the smirk on her lips grew into a full smile.

"A working mother with nuclear weapons what could possibly go wrong?" they look at their hands staying silent for a while.

"I'll meet them alone, but you and Leo have to talk after lunch deal?" he smiles and nodes, he knows he has to face Leo eventually, they need to talk about what happened before he left for camp David but he wasn't sure he was ready yet.

"Deal."

He walked to the residence, he had a spring in his steps and a smile on his face, many people in his way stopped and looked at him, he could see their shock it amused him a lot, they didn't know what had caused it but they would. Wyatt almost fell off his chair when he told him good morning.

"Hey guys." His staff was waiting for him in the oval, they all stood up when he walked in, "Please take a seat." They look at each other in shock which only makes Tom smile even more. "Last night I learned some amazing news." He leaves his briefcase on the desk and turns facing his staff.

"Alex is alive." They all look around shocked, Kendra slowly sits down,

"What?" she whispers.

"She survived the crash, Hannah knew what was going to happen and helped Alex escape, I don't know the full details but I will inform you as soon as I do." They all nodded small smiles slowly forming on their lips, as they kept looking around in shock.

"Seth I need you to start drafting a statement explaining the situation, make sure you point and emphasize that Alex's life and out family's life were in serious danger and that's what led to this decision." Seth's smile grew and he nodded.

"Do you want me to add that you knew sir?" Tom bites his lip, looking away for a moment, should he tell them that he knew? This would be a lie but he was still not sure if he should do it.

"No, we lied to the American people enough; tell the truth, that it was the FBI's best judgment to move ahead with this plan. Let's keep Hannah's name out of this for now." The last part came out completely surprisingly, he wasn't planning on keeping Hannah out of it but he also wasn't going to walk back on what he told Seth.

"Will do sir."

"Thank you Seth." The young man smiled and started writing the statement in his phone.

"Kendra, Alex was telling me last night about some legal ramifications, about some certificates, could you handle that? Her social security number needs to be reinstated, or does she need a new one. Just handle that if it's possible." He smiles softly to Kendra, who was smiling widely, ignoring the couple of tears that were rolling down her face.

"Gladly, I might need some time with the first lady for some signatures though."

"Yes of course. I think after lunch she might have some time. I'll tell her to make some time."

"Thank you sir."

"Thank you Kendra." He smiles, his cheek start hurting a bit now, he wasn't used to smiling that much in the last months. Turning around he walks to his desk and picks up his daily schedule.

"Now, what's next?"

Closing the door behind them all five of them breathed out in relieve. Emily ran her hand over her face breathing slowly a few times to calm down.

"I swear I forgot what his smile looked like." She murmurs.

"Me too." Kendra finally manages to talk, the whole experience is surreal, she feels like throwing up all the emotions wrecking havoc in her body.

"Kendra can you believe this?" Emily laughs, tears escaping her eyes, Lyor places a hand on her shoulder.

"No."

"Ok, tonight drinks are on me!" she says as soon as she managed to gather herself together.

"Wow Em, really?"

"Yes Aaron really! Call Hannah too, and tell her to bring Forstell too, I'll ask Mike later, this deserves a celebration."

"You are godsend Emily Rhodes." Seth says, he grips Kendra's hand tightly, trying to let her know that she was there, that she was always there for her.

"No just exhausted Seth, I am just exhausted." She places a hand on Seth's shoulder for a moment and starts walking to her office, "Get back to work everyone." She tells them over her shoulder before she disappeared around the corner. Seth and Kendra start walking to his office,

"That's one crisis I'll face with a smile the whole time." He tells her smiling. Kendra chuckles and gives his hand one last squeeze.

"I'll be watching then." She whispers, looking up and down the corridor she places a small kiss on his cheek and leaves for her office.

"Mommy!" Alex is startled by Penny's voice, she turns around just in time to catch the little girl in her arms.

"Penny!" she gasps her name burying her face in her daughter's hair for a moment. She can't remember the last time she felt like that, but it probably was the night Tom was sworn in "Oh my god baby I missed you so much!"

"Mom!" she raises her head, Leo was standing by the door, frozen as if he wasn't sure what to do.

"Leo" she sees him breaking, a tear escaping his eyes before he almost run to her, kneeling down wrapping his arms around both her and Penny. "My babies, I missed you, I missed you, I missed you." She kept saying while kissing both of them multiple times.

"You both grew so much! How's it going with school? Leo did you settle on any universities? Or your major?" she says pulling back, Leo stands up and helps her up, Penny still gripping her tightly, Alex moves her hands and carries Penny to the couch.

"I'll be going to law school, like you." Leo says as soon as she sat down next to him. She laughs thinking of Tom putting hearing the news.

"You father must be furious." She tells him.

"Yeah, whatever." Leo rolls his eyes and looks away.

"Leo!" Alex turns and sees her mother standing there, a disapproving look on her face, her hands on her waist.

"Mom." Alex raises a hand trying to tell her that she can handle it. "We'll talk about that alright Leo?" Leo rolls his eyes again looking away but Alex wasn't going to let it go, she grips his hand and tries to get his attention again "Leo?"

"Yes mom." He raises his head and looks at her she nodes to her mother. "Sorry grandma."

"You are forgiven."

"Why don't you go leave your stuff in your rooms huh?" she tells them, she can feel her mother and mother in law looking at them.

"Ok mommy!" Penny says, the girl gives her another kiss and gets off her lap. Alex waits until both Leo and Penny were out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind them Alex turned to the two women standing behind her.

"Mom," her mother wrapped her arms around her tightly, she could see her mother in law standing behind them, tears in her eyes. She pulls back and moves to her, "Oh Penelope, I'm so glad to see you. Thank you for helping Tom." she can feel Penelope nodding pulling back from her arms she looks both women stranding there, "It couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't but, you're here now." Penelope said a big smile on her lips.

"Yes, and I'm not going anywhere if I can help it."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please let me know what you think!

Sneak Peek

Hannah was sitting in John's office; she never had noticed how large the offices of the higher ups were, she was half lying on the couch across from John's office, he was reading some reports, his eyes often stealing glimpses to the clock on the side of his desk…