Chapter 5

So here is the next chapter, thanks to my Stargate SG1 beta for giving this a look over. Story is taking a bit of a turn here but hopefully you will all still enjoy.

"Threats can come in many shapes and sizes; they can be large or small."

Stephanie McCord had just about had enough. First, she hadn't felt well in weeks but at least she knew why. And now, in the space of an hour, she'd been awoken from a sleep that had been hard to come by, had been terrified by bombs exploding that may have killed two of the people closest to her, and then she'd had to endure what seemed like a lifetime not knowing if they were alive or dead. Now, having seen for herself that her mom was okay, she needed to find Harrison. Stevie figured he'd be here, too, if his parents were but he wasn't answering her texts, even after her mom's cell phone came back on line.

Stevie followed Frank and Matt into the building with her bag and looked around the barren area. It was clearly a social area for the airmen usually stationed in the barracks. There was black and white lino on the floor, seats that had seen better days scattered around the room, and tattered-edged posters depicting how great your life could be if you joined the Airforce. Despite having huge respect for those who served in the armed forces, Stevie wasn't sure this was the best publicity for a career in the Airforce.

She scanned the area quickly. There was a huge number of people around. Some looked like they knew what they were doing while others, well, they looked pretty terrified. Stevie, being relatively tall, tried to see over the others and finally caught sight of the man she was looking for. He was looking for her just as desperately and when their eyes met she could do nothing else but run towards him and hope that he caught her when she flung herself into his arms.

Elizabeth hadn't been sure what to expect when she'd entered the barracks. What she really wanted was to find a fairly dark room, crawl into her husband's arms, and forget that she'd just had a pretty major panic attack in front of her Chief of Staff and her personal assistant. However, she knew she'd have to face some people before that could happen. The scene in front of her as she entered the room wasn't even slightly like she'd pictured it. She was initially surprised by the noise level in the room, having expected loud and unsure voices, but finding complete silence. And, if that wasn't enough, she felt rather than saw Henry stiffening beside her and, like most people, her gaze was drawn, almost in slow motion, to the scene in the middle of the room.

Elizabeth gasped, dropped her bags and Henry's hand. "Stevie!" she screeched.

However, not even her mother's voice was enough to pull Stevie from the arms and the kiss of the President's son.

"Harrison?" Dalton's voice came from the other side of the room where he was standing with his wife Lydia.

As both sets of parents converged on the centre of the room, it became apparent that the two lovers wouldn't be easily separated.

Henry, not exactly as calm as he normally was, was to be the one who did something about it. He marched over to the couple, grabbed Stevie's arm, and pulled her from the embrace she was in.

"Young lady, you made a promise to us that this was a friendship and nothing more," he said with a quiet but powerful voice, realising that they were still the centre of attention and not wanting prying ears to hear the conversation.

Stevie stood her ground. She had the same stubborn attitude as her mother and Henry, looking in her eyes, could see that this was not going to end well or quickly. "Things change," she said simply, stepping back from her father towards Harrison.

By this point the President had also joined them, unsure of the situation, but very aware that there were bigger crises to handle at this point.

Henry looked at his eldest daughter, ignoring the President's arrival. "Stevie, this is neither the time nor the place for this conversation, but you will tell your mother and I exactly what is going on between you two at some point. For now, you're coming with the family to get settled."

"No," Stevie said quietly.

"Stevie!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"No. I'm only going if Harrison is coming, too."

"No," the President answered, used to his decisions being final. "You're both safe and here and that is enough for now. We'll discuss this later."

Harrison stepped from behind Stevie and stood up to his father. "No, it's not enough."

"For goodness sake, we have a crisis here! Do you not understand that? This isn't important right now." Dalton spoke to both of them.

However, his statement didn't have the desired effect as both Stevie and Harrison looked mad and Henry and Elizabeth simply disappointed at the tactic that POTUS has used. Before Elizabeth or Henry could use their diplomatic skills to good use, Harrison faced up to his father.

"And maybe that's been the problem all along. We're always less important than your job. Well, not anymore! And if you want to have anything to do with your grandchild then perhaps you'll start to pay attention to us."

There was silence, not a comfortable one, as many of those watching decided a little too late that the scene in the middle of the room should be a private conversation and they all tried to disappear as quickly as possible. In the middle of the room the faces of the people present showed a myriad of emotions. Stevie had her head down. She really couldn't look at her mother or, more particularly, her father. She knew they'd be shocked and probably disappointed. Harrison looked straight at his father with defiance. Dalton and his wife looked a little shell-shocked at the announcement but that was nothing compared to how Elizabeth and Henry looked.

Elizabeth decided she needed to sit down and took Henry's hand to help her to the nearest chair. She was trying very hard not to have another panic attack and, if the squeezing of her chest was anything to go on, she was losing the battle. She tried to bring her breathing under control and it was at this point that everyone else noticed the state she was in. Henry crouched beside her and Alison and Jason moved to try and comfort her. It was only when Stevie moved, desperate to calm her mother, that the standoff between Harrison and Conrad was called a truce.

"Mom, its okay." Stevie knelt beside her mother and tried to calm her fears. Her Mom had always been strong but Iran had changed that, which was why she'd told Harrison that they needed to pass on their news sensitively. She'd been afraid of this.

"Is it true?" Her mother finally got enough breath to ask the burning question. Stevie tried to look away but Elizabeth was quicker and touched her fingers to Stevie's chin to raise her eyes to hers.

Stevie could only nod, her eyes filling with tears. She was pregnant and she knew that her mom would be disappointed with her.

"And Harrison?" her mom continued. Elizabeth knew they had a bond, kids of CIA parent's often did. It was like a comfort blanket to know that someone else was going through what you were.

Again Stevie could only nod.

"I think we need to go somewhere else to discuss this," Henry began, realising that not only was this going to be a long conversation but also that his wife was close to breaking point. He stood up then continued, "Harrison, you're welcome to come with us and, for the record, you guys, our kids, are the most important people to us, but your Dad and Stevie's mom have a threat to solve and this may not be the best time for any conversations to happen." He turned around and helped Elizabeth to stand and guided his family towards the detail who were waiting to show her where the family rooms were. Henry looked to check whether Harrison was coming with them and was a little surprised when he looked to his father for permission to follow. Perhaps not all was lost yet he thought.

AN: Thanks for all your reviews and follows. More will come along quickly now that someone is looking over it for me. BTW, got to see season 2 episode 1 and it was fantastic, I can see why you have all been blown away by it, I assume things get even better. Thanks for reading, it would be great to know what you think but I don't hold stories hostage for reviews. More soon, I promise.