Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all of your reviews. The first part of this story is now complete. In the next few days, I will begin posting Part 2: Letters. Don't hate me! LOL!

Friday, April 28, 2017

"I am so glad I was able to have this time off this week," she said to the kids as she placed the dinner plates on the table. "Like really off!"

"Pretty amazing that the world didn't implode while you were away, Mom," Jason laughed as he threw his sweatshirt on.

"There's still two days left," Ali smirked, putting glasses out for everyone.

"Well, thank you for showing your pride in my work," Elizabeth laughed at them.

Henry sat in their office. He stared at the photo of he and Greg on the wall. In some ways, life had changed so much and in others not at all. That photo for instance.

"I love you, man. If we don't make it take care of my wife and daughter."

Those were the last words they said to each other. The same exact sentence. Only at the time, Greg didn't know he left behind a daughter and his son, he never got to meet.

"Dad?" Stevie stood in doorway, now a grown adult and a twin to her mother all those years ago.

"Yeah," he looked at her fighting back a tear. Catching a glimpse of the photo on his desk of the three of them in front of "Libby."

"Umm, Mom said to tell you that they are just a few minutes away," she hesitated and spoke quietly. By now, the kids knew only part of the story, not all. But, they were well aware it was a tough week for him.

"Okay, I'll be right out," he said.

She took one step in. "Are you okay?"

He looked up at her and smiled. "I am fine, sweetheart."

"Do you still miss him?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, I do," he smirked trying hard not to shed that tear. "Especially always during this past week."

"Did you go to the grave this week?" she stepped further into the office and he motioned for her to sit.

"Your Mom and I did," he answered, not elaborating any further.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, "Why do jet's names get printed on their sides?"

He shrugged, "Because that's their name."

"Who chooses the name?" she asked.

"I did. Well, pilots do," he answered with a impish smirk.

"Do you think the name 'Libby' made you a target?" she asked.

"No," he said almost immediately cutting her off. "That's not what caused the crash."

"What did cause the crash?" she asked, hesitantly as it was never anything they really talked about.

She was old enough by now, "It's classified."

"Oh, one of those," she gave him that smirk. Her mother's smirk.

Henry looked up at Elizabeth leaning in the doorframe and gave her the slight grin.

She pushed off the frame and said to Stevie, "Sweetheart, why don't you go check on the brownies? They might be done by now as this oven cooks faster than the one at home."

"No need for excuses, Mom," she tapped her mother's arm as she walked by. "I know when to make my exit by now."

Elizabeth smiled back at Henry, who laughed.

She made her way to stand in front of where he was sitting and leaned herself back on the desk, "You okay?"

"Yeah," he answered. "You?"

"Nice redirect, Captain," she bit her lip a little. "But, not going to work with me."

Their eyes met forcing him to give in to her.

"It's just hard, you know?" he said, pausing and taking in the comfort of her.

"I know but can you blame Eric for growing up and wanting to be just like his Dad." she followed Henry's gaze to the photo on the wall.

"No, not at all. Just having a difficult time with it," he finished his scotch and stood up.

As he stood, she took him in her arms for a quick hug before Jason yelled out, "Mom, Dad. They're here."

They hadn't seen Judy and the kids in two years. So, it was a bit of a reunion. Henry sighed and look down at Elizabeth. Quite frankly, Judy was not his cup of tea but he remained in touch for the kids and the fact that he was Eric's godfather. Now, she was showing up with her new boyfriend.

She smiled at him, "Let's go. It won't be that bad."

"Really? What is this number five?" he asked Elizabeth rolling his eyes.

She smacked his chest, "Stop. Right now."

He backed away from her, "Still convinced that if he'd lived they'd be divorced by now."

"Henry, I swear." Elizabeth stepped in front of him heading out the front door, just as the white Mercedes SUV parked.

"Awwwww! Elizabeth!" Judy yelled as she jumped out of the front seat and ran into Elizabeth's arms. "How is everyone's favorite Secretary of State?"

Jason, who was standing next to Henry, mumbled to his father, "So NOT everyone's favorite."

Henry shot him a look and stepped down the steps to give Judy a hug who had on a very tight bright pink sundress and white stiletto sandals. He thought to himself, "Not much has changed."

"This is Michael!" The tall, older gentleman with a white cowboy hat, jeans and a crisp white shirt on greeted them. His white hair gave it away that he was much older than Judy.

Henry shook his hand first. "Definitely much older" he thought to himself.

"I see you have got yourself quite a herd here," he turned gesturing towards the pasture with the six of their horses out grazing.

"Yes, I grew up on a horse farm just down the road. But, these are just family horses. We don't race them or anything like that," Elizabeth explained, noting Michael's business.

Jason mumbled again, "Because, you know, that would be cruel."

"JAY-SON!" Stevie admonished him so their parents didn't have to.

Elizabeth turned and shot him a look anyways.

Hayley and Eric greeted everyone. Eric was now the same height as Henry. The spitting image of his father with jet black hair, tall, with broad shoulders. Eric laughed and patted Jason on the shoulders and said, "Still out here saying what everyone else wishes they could."

The kids took off into the house. As Elizabeth asked Michael if he would like to meet the horses.

"I'd love to since you know this is what I do for a living," he said.

"Yes, Judy mentioned that you own horses for a living," Henry commented while rolling his eyes at Elizabeth.

"Aww, I just love them. The thoroughbreds are just gorgeous," he answered Henry back.

As the four of them walked over to the fence, Judy peppered Elizabeth with questions about work.

"I just love telling all my friends that we're besties," she gushed, as she took small baby steps in her heels compared to Elizabeth's strides.

"Well, that's nice that you get to do that," Elizabeth said.

Judy began to look around the pasture. Then she stopped just before the fence, "Where's Buttercup?"

Elizabeth turned to Henry stunned.

Henry stumbled at first, "Oh we had to put him down a year or so ago. He had cancer."

Judy pouted, "Oh I am sorry. I wanted to show him off to Michael."

Henry countered with, "Well, there's plenty of photos in the house!"

Elizabeth shot him a "what's that supposed to mean" look.

With that, the most beautiful black stallion galloped up to the fence to greet Elizabeth. When sun caught her just right, you could see the hint of deep blue highlights showing through. She was absolutely stunning.

Elizabeth laughed at her, "This is our newest girl, Jessie." She reached in her shorts pocket and grabbed her a handful of sugar cubes.

"Wow. She is spectacular," Michael asked, "How old is she?"

"Two. We took her in from a farm down the road. Not really into being ridden yet but she's figured out the sugar cube trick," Elizabeth smiled back at him.

It was hot so Henry offered, "Do we want to have some iced tea on the porch? We can watch the horses from there."

"Yes, that would be wonderful." Judy answered him.

They made it through the afternoon and dinner with only needing to bite their tongues a few times especially when Judy talked about marrying Michael. Jason almost spit out his water.

There was an effort in the kitchen for clean up as Henry looked around and noticed Eric was missing. He put his hand on Elizabeth's waist, whispering in her ear, "be right back."

He quietly walked through the house on his way to the back porch thinking he must have stepped outside, when he spotted Eric standing in his office.

Henry stood in the doorway and leaned on the frame. Instead of seeing the little boy he always saw. He saw a man. His best friend's son staring at the photo of the father he never knew.

He gave him a minute and then quietly said, "That was taken two days before our last mission."

Eric turned and looked at him, then turned back to the photo, "I don't have any photos of him. My mother doesn't like to talk about him."

"I know," Henry said, looking down a bit. He gestured for Eric to sit down as he stepped behind his desk and sat in his chair.

Eric sat and stared at him, a look of concern on his face.

"Ask me anything," Henry opened his hands like an open book. "Nobody knew him better than me."

"Okay," Eric hesitated.

"Do you think my grandparents would want to meet me?" he asked hesitantly.

"Wow. I'm impressed. Way to come out swinging," Henry chuckled.

Eric looked down and back at him. He was the spitting image of his father. Jet black hair, pale skin, dark blue eyes that bore through you.

"Well, what I mean is do you still talk to them?" he asked.

"Occasionally. I think they would love to meet you. And your sister for that matter," Henry had sensed her standing just outside the doorway, eavesdropping.

"Hayley, join us. But, close the door behind you," Henry said.

She stepped in shyly. Her hair a dirty blonde with her father's blue eyes but her mother's face. She was the mix.

"Have a seat," Henry gestured. As she stepped in and sat down he thought to himself how proud their father would be of them or is of them from high above.

Henry settled a bit in his desk chair, "Your grandparents were never very fond of your mother."

Eric inserted, "Do you blame them?" Hayley shot him a side eye.

"Okay, regardless of how you feel about her. She is still your mother and it was not easy for her to raise both of you by herself." Henry added.

Both kids looked back at him. "Life changed her when your father died. Sometimes grief makes people run and that is exactly what she did. George and Betty tried reaching out to her many times. They love you both just as much as if they had seen you all of these years. They ask about you often."

Hayley squared her eyes in on him, "So, you are saying the answer to that question is a 'yes.'"

"Of course, but you need to talk to your mother about it first," he paused. "What else do you want to know?"

"What kind of person was he?" Eric asked.

"Funny. God, was he funny. We laughed all the time. Even up in the air. He had a good heart," Henry's voice cracked a bit. "He was the class clown at flight school."

He spent the next hour with the kids talking about their Dad and his life.

As they were walking out of the office, Henry put his arm up on Eric's shoulders and said told both of them how proud their Dad would be of them.

Elizabeth had taken a walk with Michael and Judy showing them the barn and checking out the other horses.

Henry and the kids came out of the house to catch up to them. Eric was so much like his father and never knew to hold back. "Henry was telling us that our grandparents would like to meet us."

Judy stared at Henry as if she had been betrayed. "Really?!" She placed her hands on her hips and just glared at him without looking at her children.

"Well, I didn't mean for you to bring it up now," he stared at Eric as Jason crossed his arms and started chuckling.

Eric smiled at Jason as Elizabeth glared at him and said "Don't."

It would be 10pm before they made it upstairs and Henry fell backwards onto their bed with a massive sigh.

"I know," Elizabeth said, holding her hand up. "That was rough!"

He laughed, "That was a little more than rough! That was 'we may not be seeing much of Judy in the future.'"

Elizabeth laughed and headed into the bathroom. "Honestly, I didn't see the kids asking to see Greg's parents coming at all."

Henry leaned up on his elbows, "As I said, it's not really her choice, Babe. They are adults and she has to come around that they want to know their father. Especially Eric since he is following in his shoes."

"Do you think Judy will come around?" she asked leaning on the bathroom doorway.

"I don't know. If she doesn't it will be an issue. Eric's relationship with her is not good and he will walk away from her." He paused and Elizabeth dropped her head and furrowed her brow at him. "Maybe it will just take time. But, Eric wants to see them before he starts boot camp next month. I will call George tomorrow," Henry sighed.

Elizabeth smiled at him and said, "They will be so happy." She turned and closed the bathroom door.

She was just finishing up when she heard the piano notes. She opened the bathroom door to find their bedroom aglow in candles.

Henry was standing there with two scotches and Bryan Adam's voice in the background.

"Oh," she sighed. "This has been the best week." She swayed her way over to him, "I don't want to go back to work on Monday and I definitely don't want to make this trip."

"Your letter done?" he asked.

"Finished it this morning," she glanced up at him with the sad look in her eyes.

She took the glass from him. He placed his now empty hand around her waist beginning to sway her back and forth to the tune. They were quiet. As the heat of their bodies moved together. Just the two of them together with a glass of scotch. Time Stood Still.

To Be Continued as "Letters"