Aly, Stevie, and Jason all met up in the family room excited that their plan had worked. They all decided they would run out and get dinner and a movie, something they hadn't done in awhile, letting their parents have some time alone to hopefully talk.

Elizabeth was sitting in the window seat of their bedroom, her legs pulled up to her chest, her head resting on her knees looking out the window at the street below, tears welling up in her clouded blue eyes. She was lost in a daydream of how things were before she took her job as Secretary of State, and before Henry left Georgetown for the War College, before things had taken a turn for the worse. What could she do to make this up to Henry, she never meant for this to happen, or to hurt him as badly as she had. She had to find a way, the kids were noticing and that didn't sit right with her, they shouldn't have to deal with the fall out between them because of their jobs. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Henry had walked into the bedroom.

Henry stood in the door way to their bedroom watching his beautiful wife sitting in the window seat. He wasn't sure exactly what to do, or even say to her at the moment, he just knew that something had to be said. He walked over to where she was sitting and placed a hand on her shoulder, as her back was still turned to him.

"Elizabeth, I am very upset and disappointed with you, but that doesn't change how much I do love you, I hope you know that."

She had turned around at this point waiting for him to continue speaking, she could tell there was more he wanted to say, and she wanted him to let it out. She shook her head acknowledging she understood what he was saying.

"I just can't grasp the fact that you and the president couldn't stop this from happening. What on earth were you both thinking? I know you said you had to think of the greater good, but what about the one person who had gotten you to where you are!? You basically sacrificed the one person who had the best intel for this little negation." Henry was beginning to yell, his voice was getting louder and he was pacing back and forth in front of their bed. "I tried to talk to you before this whole mess started, when I had learned what Dimitri discovered, NO ONE would listen to me! Jane shut me down, told me it wasn't my place to be bringing ti to the attention of the president, Russell confirmed to me that the power grid attack was in response to Russia hacking Air Force One, which had already been set into play not giving us time to get the intel to the president. Thank God you finally had enough sense to listen to me that night in the kitchen, but it was already to late in the game." "Just how could you?!" Henry looked defeated, exhausted, and disappointed, not to mention still so very angry.

Elizabeth sat there for a minute, wanting to make sure he was finished for the time being before she answered him. "Henry, I know you blame me for this, and you may never stop blaming me, but I honestly tried to get Conrad to change his mind on offering up Dimitri to President Ostrova, reminding me that one life was better than millions that could have been put at risk. I didn't agree with it, but you that when the President speaks and acts I have to follow his orders, he is my boss. I promise to you that I will do everything in my power to try and find Dimitri, Its not like I enjoyed standing beside Dalton when he made the deal with Maria. I was thinking of you, I was thinking of Dimitri, but there was nothing in my power that I could do." She said, now standing and walking around their bedroom, tears trying to escape from her eyes due to frustration, sadness and the pain she was causing her husband.

"I don't believe you when you say there is nothing you could have done, there was plenty you could have done Elizabeth. You could have walked out of that room, refused to stand beside Dalton and his decision…." Henry said, finally looking her in the eyes. He saw the turmoil in her face, her eyes clouded with depressed sadness, maybe she was really telling him the truth, he just needed to push further. "I have also decided that because of this whole mess I'm quitting my job with the DIA, and possibly the War College, there is to much of a dispute with us working for competing governmental institutions. They told me that State and Defense work together, and I have yet to see that. I can't let this decision ruin our lives, and its starting to do just that. You are doing a phenomenal job as Secretary of Sate, I can not ask you to quit your job." He said to her calming down a little.

"I do know you don't believe me, but I wish you would. I also wish you would reconsider your resignation from DIA. If I could get them to lift the restrictions on us not talking to each other, we could serve together and make this world safer knowing what each of us know. But if that is what you want, then I respect your decision to resign. Henry I love you to much to let this job interfere with our lives."

They were both starting to calm down, but what they didn't know is that the kids had come back and could hear the yelling from their parents bedroom.

"Well at least they are talking to each other, even if it involves yelling at each other." Stevie said.

"I think this is what they need though, dad has been dealing with so much lately that I do think a good argument is what he needed. He has had so much going on lately, he even told me that he had been having trouble sleeping because of everything." Ali piped up.

"We know they have had fights, but honestly this is so weird for them. I don't ever recall a time when they had been this loud yelling at each other, I do hope it's a good thing and us going to them doesn't blow up in our faces." Jason expressed

"Jason, you know how much they love each other, I highly doubt that this is going to change that. Listen guys, I really don't think they will end up like most of our friends parents. They have been through tough times before and they always, always come out stronger than ever before. There has just been so much going on in the past year that its built up to this, and it's better they get it out now, instead of waiting and let it fester into something worse." Stevie said, being the oldest she really did value her parents and had learned so much from them.

The kids all agreed that this was for the better, they had busied themselves getting dinner ready and the table set. They all really needed to have some family time, something they all missed dearly.

"Henry, come here please" Elizabeth said walking over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Look at me, I love you so much baby, please believe me when I say I am going to do everything in my power to find Dimitri for you. This bothers me too, and I would have never made this decision if it had been solely up to me." she said to him, trying to catch his eyes, which he finally had allowed her to do. She could still see all the hurt clouding his eyes, and had leaned up to kiss him with such loving despair to try and get her point across to him that she was sincere with everything she had just said.

"Babe, I know, it just hurts. All of this hurts, you try to do good and look at what happens, decisions out of our control pit us against each other causing us to fight. Did you know the kids were dividing and conquering us? We really do have wonderful kids, I'm upset that this affected them like it had, but they were pretty great. If there is one thing we did really well it was raising those three." Henry said. He had calmed down now, feeling her arms wrap around his middle relaxed him even more. He finally looked down into her eyes, he could still see they were clouded with turmoil and sadness, but things were going to get better. It was hard for him to stay mad at her, she was indeed his life blood, there was no way he could survive this life with out her by his side. "I love you so much Elizabeth McCord, and I am truly sorry that I blew up at you like this."

"Henry, I don't blame you for it one bit. I was mad at myself for it, it was only logical that you would be mad at me too. I love you so much too Dr. Henry McCord, and nothing will ever change that." she had promised him.

"Do you think the kids are back with dinner yet? They were setting up a family dinner for all of us."

"Yeah, they had texted me asking what I wanted to eat. They really are pretty spectacular, aren't they?" she said looking up at her husband

"Indeed they are. Come on, lets go down and see what they have in store for us." He said, pulling her in for a quick hug and passionate loving kiss, before they headed down the stairs.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I think I am going to add another two chapters then be finished with it. Please, as always, comments and suggestions are appreciated!