A/N: Greetings, friends. I'm still plodding along with this, and I'm a little slow with the writing, I know. Hope you like it, and remember to review because it makes me smile like a fool. Critique and suggestions are welcome!

Henry tossed and turned, unable to quell his racing thoughts. Haunting him even in his subconscious, the pictures were distorted and frightening. He was asleep, well, in some way; Unable to wake himself, he would gain no rest tonight. Henry saw Elizabeth in his dream. They were in a room, somewhere he couldn't quite make out, it was dark and she was walking ahead of him, turning her head to look back at him. He reached out to her, but he couldn't catch her. She turned again, her eyes were heavy and distant, as though she couldn't see him. She called his name, her voice panicked. He tried to respond, but his cries were silent, he couldn't make a sound. It was blindingly bright suddenly, and she fell, crying out to him for help. He screamed her name, but she couldn't hear him and kept falling, sinking into nothing. His legs were heavy, dragging him into the ground. Elizabeth! Please! Baby, please don't leave me! He felt himself falling suddenly.

Henry lurched forward, his eyes flew open. He stared straight ahead as he gasped for breath. His chest heaved and his body cold and drenched with sweat. Henry could hear his heart racing in his ears, he felt sick. His eyes stung and tears of tension began to stream down his cheeks. Swallowing thickly, his throat was tight. It felt like he couldn't breathe. His eyes darted around the room, searching frantically for something familiar and tangible, something to confirm that he was awake. His gaze whipped to his left, searching for her. He was faced with wide, fearful eyes as she stared at him, her lips parted slightly. She was sitting upright, facing him.

"Henry, baby." She whispered, and a single tear slid down her cheek.

"Elizabeth.." He whimpered her name, he finally heard his own voice, desperate and vulnerable. His arms lay limply at his sides, paralysed.

She reached out, pulling him into her arms. Elizabeth cradled her husband as he cried silently. He didn't have the mind to consider the irony of her comforting him. He'd never felt so small, so powerless. She was real, she was there. The sound of her heart beating under his ear pressed tight against her chest was the only thing grounding him. She stroked his hair, smoothing it down at the ends. It was her turn to protect him.

"I'm here. It's okay. I love you."

He held on to her tight, afraid that if he didn't, she'd slip away and he'd find himself back in that place. Elizabeth gently pulled him to lie down with her, keeping his head against her chest. His breathing slowed, and he could feel his heart returning to a steady rhythm. She swallowed the lump in her throat, blinking back her tears before speaking.

"Tell me."

He understood her question, but he didn't want to make her feel guilty. She would take responsibility, and blame herself again. He was quiet for a minute, but he knew he had to talk to her; He owed her that. Not talking is how we got here. He rubbed his face, swiping the tears away.

"You… You were falling, and I couldn't catch you, I couldn't get to you in time." Henry choked back tears again. It wasn't so much the pictures he saw in his mind that haunted him, but trapped in that moment, in that dark place, he'd never felt fear quite like that; It was suffocating. "I couldn't protect you."

She was silent for a moment, considering her words. "You can't protect me from everything, Henry." She was stung by her own thought; She couldn't protect him.

Henry held onto her as he slowly drifted back to sleep, the fatigue finally consuming him. He was safe in her arms for now and listened to the steady beating of her heart, allowing it to soothe him. Elizabeth was soon to follow, unable to hold her tired eyes open any longer.

-o-

Elizabeth woke before Henry. Glancing down in a sleepy daze, she found Henry still resting peacefully against her side. He'd moved some in his sleep, but an arm still draped over her stomach. Her heart swelled at the sight, and she reached down to gently caress his face, sweeping his mussed hair gently off of his forehead. She was afraid to leave the comfort of their bed; Afraid that once they commenced their day again, the spell would be broken. Carefully moving his arm, she left the safe warmth of their bed.

Stepping from the shower, she found herself in front of the mirror in her underwear, staring back, still trying to understand the woman in front of her, wondering when the reflection had become her enemy. She felt herself drawn to that same point on her back. Looking away from the mirror, she twisted awkwardly to inspect it again. She felt him before hearing him, as he moved to stand behind her. He touched a gentle hand to the blemish, tracing his fingers over the raised line. She looked up and met his eyes in their reflection. She feared what she'd find in his eyes. Disappointment? Disgust?. She found no such thing in his soft, somber expression. Only fatigue, and dark, puffy circles from lack of rest. He shifted his hands to encircle her waist, pulling her close against his body, burying his nose into the crook of her neck.

"That scar is not a fault, Elizabeth." He mumbled into her neck.

"I know." Even as she said the words, she struggled to believe them and her voice trembled. She knew that Henry knew better.

"It's a reminder of what you did for us, what you did for your country."

She looked down again, the worry and sadness it brought clearly tinting her features. "What I did to you…" She responded bitterly.

He ignored her self-depreciating quip. "It's proof of your strength. And you will never know how incredibly proud of you I am." He swallowed thickly, kissing her on the cheek, steadying his own thoughts. "Promise me you won't shut me out. Promise me that this is temporary."

She turned in his arms, pressing her head to his chest. "Only if you do."

He nodded, words seeming inadequate. They both knew that the moment they left the tight, secure sanctuary of their home that that the facade would have to be raised again; They'd only hoped that it remained a facade and didn't become a reality. They pretended for work, they pretended for the media and even for their children, and now raised the question if they could stop pretending for each other.

-o-

They made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen together, seamlessly integrating into the morning bustle with their children. Jason and Allison could tell when their parents fought, but weren't so observant around the more shielded conflict. Their eldest, however was very perceptive. Stevie could sense the tension between her parents. She did not want to intrude, and she certainly wasn't prying, but she wanted them to know that she cared. She moved towards her mother tentatively.

"Mum?" She touched her hand to Elizabeth's arm, and she turned to face her daughter.

"Hey sweetie. Everything okay?" Her face showed concern, worried that something was wrong. She read Stevie before she even spoke.

"Yeah, I… Is everything okay? With you and Dad, I mean." She kept her voice low, not wanting to alert her siblings to their conversation. Elizabeth looked down briefly, giving herself away.

"Yes, honey. Dad and I are just a little stressed." She cupped Stevie's cheek and kissed her forehead. Stevie didn't push further, she knew her parents well enough to know that they would try to shield them, but she wanted her mum to know that she was listening, if necessary. Stevie nodded and continued preparing her breakfast.

Henry had witnessed the interaction, watching quietly from his position at the breakfast table. He smiled watching their eldest daughter. She'd grown into an intuitive, intelligent young woman. He could see Elizabeth in her, now more than ever. Elizabeth turned and caught his eye, giving him a small, knowing smile.

As Henry placed dishes into the sink, Elizabeth moved to him to say goodbye as she left for the office.

"I'll see you later, okay?" She touched his arm and moved to leave, but Henry caught her hand gently, giving it a squeeze. She turned to look at him questioningly.

"I love you." He gave her a tight smile.

She dampened her hurry, turning to meet his eyes properly. "Love you too." She moved in close and kissed him tenderly on the lips, feeling his eyes flutter closed. She made him forget for a moment, and he allowed her to, breathing in her essence. She squeezed his hand reassuringly before turning to leave for the day.