A/N: oh wow, the reviews have been much too kind, you guys are the bomb . com. Hopefully I will be able to post relatively soon again. Enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think!
She was going to be cutting it close, but Henry hoped that she would touch town before the clock struck midnight. He watched the television, where the ball dropped in the middle of Times Square, hoping he would be celebrating with her soon. He waited, watching the clock hands move slowly before picking up his phone and dialing her number.
One ring, two rings, three rings…
"Hey babe." He could hear her radiant smile from across the ocean. "Happy New Year."
"You know," she spoke coyly as she gathered her belongings and followed her security detail into the hotel. "I'd say you're a little late. I've already eaten breakfast and a morning snack."
He chuckled into the phone, feigning indignation. "Well, it is midnight here. It's not my fault you had to jet across the world on New Year's Eve."
She sighed, letting her chide soften. "I know, I'm sorry." She trailed off, taking notice of the halls her detail led her down. "I just need to negotiate this deal, then I'll be home before you know it. Pancakes for breakfast tomorrow?"
"With lots of chocolate chips."
She paused, not wanting the phone call to end. "I love you." She finally managed.
"I love you too."
Elizabeth glanced down at the face of her watch. She knew she should have been more invested in the negotiation taking place in front of her. It was still the holiday season, though, and there was nothing she cherished more than spending time with the family. It was something of which she had been deprived of or so long, yet Henry and her children had restored the nostalgia she wasn't aware she missed.
She watched as the Russian and Ukrainian ministers argued across the table, quite literally at each other's throats.
"I am never going to accept such an absurd provision!"
"You will if you want us to dissolve the blockade at your border!"
"If you don't remove your troops I'll have no choice but to—"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes before blowing a shrill whistle from her lips. "Listen up!" She raised her hand and began to pace at the head of the table. "Neither one of you will gain US alliance, whether it is through civilian assistance, or military intervention, if you do not accept these terms."
The room fell silent before they started muttering once again. Elizabeth simply raised her eyebrow as she leaned across the chair, wrapping her fingers tightly over the edge of the table.
The Ukrainian foreign minister was the first to break. "Fine," He mumbled in defeat. "The Ukraine accepts the terms."
"Okay," the second grumbled. "Russia accepts."
"Great!" Elizabeth slammed a white-knuckled hand on the table before straightening her posture with ease. "Now was that so hard?" She made a beeline for her briefcase, ignoring the looks of displeasure each face held. Before either could mutter another word, she pushed past their assistants, and allowed her detail to follow her through the doorway.
Her stiletto heels padded across the hall's carpeting, as she made her way back up to her room. Everything, to her surprise, had stayed on schedule. If it remained, she would be sinking into Henry's arms within a matter of hours.
Negotiations went well, heading to the airport soon. Love you xx
Henry leaned over the sink to spit, seeing his phone light up with a text from Elizabeth. He smiled, placing his toothbrush back in the drawer before sliding to unlock the message.
He read the message, quickly typing a response.
Knew you could do it, babe! See you soon! Xoxo
He felt a grin spread across his face as he returned into the bedroom. He couldn't remember the last time he had been awake at this hour on New Year's Day. Perhaps in college he was awake at 6:00 am, but it was purely because he had never gone to sleep. With Elizabeth halfway across the world, though, he never found sleep an easy commodity to come by. Whether it was unease or loneliness, he wasn't sure; he simply knew that his days were much better when he woke up with her wrapped under his arm. A nervous flutter ran down his neck as he impatiently awaited her touch down back in D.C.
Finally boarding the plane, Elizabeth was more than ready to get home. She wasn't looking forward to the eight-hour flight, but she could manage. This trip was no different than the others she had taken recently, but she did harbor a bit of resentment toward Conrad for plucking her from her family during the holidays. Surely, it could have been worse, but she was fine soaking in her antipathy for just a little while longer.
She settled into the seat, pulling her laptop out of her briefcase. It may have been the holidays, but she was on the clock, anyway. She figured it wouldn't hurt to knock out a reading of briefs and reply to as many emails her attention could muster. If Henry got to work over his "break," so did she. She needed something beside her awaiting husband to occupy her mind for the next eight hours. This would have to do.
Mid-afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows of the otherwise empty office as Henry stared down at the stack of term papers lying disheveled on his desk. He tried his hardest to focus on the paper in front of him, but found his mind continuously wandering to his traveling wife. He knew she signed up for inevitable travel when she accepted the job, but it didn't make any trip away from her any easier.
He slid his glasses off his nose, rubbing his hands over his face as they landed noisily in a pile of pens. "Okay." He audibly exhaled, trying to regain his focus. "Every paper you get graded, the closer means she is to landing."
With a renewed sense of attention, he quickly finished grading the paper in front of him, and moved to the unfinished stack to his side. Before he knew it she would be texting him with her estimated time of arrival, and he would have less than an hour to wait.
After making a considerable dent in the ungraded pile of term papers, he finally looked up at the clock, surprised when he saw the time. Surely she would have texted by now. If he converted the time zones correctly, she should have landed at Andrews. If everything stayed on schedule she should have been home about now.
He pushed away his concern, knowing there was always a possibility for weather delays and safety measures. Before he allowed himself to worry too much, he dove into another paper.
He only became tense when he finished, still hearing no word from her. He decided to text her, figuring she had simply fallen asleep on the plane.
Hey babe, have you landed at Andrews yet? Love you xoxo
His pen began to shake as the vibration of his phone reverberated throughout he silent office. It wasn't a text though; the phone continued to vibrate, signaling a phone call. He picked it up, not knowing who to expect on the other end of the unrecognizable number.
"Hello?"
"Dr. Henry McCord?" The voice asked.
"Yes?"
"Please hold while I transfer you to the White House." He felt his knuckles tighten around the phone. Whatever news he was about to hear, he had a feeling it wouldn't be well wishes for the new year.
