Elizabeth continued to make her way down the list of unread emails she had seemed to accrue overnight. Feeling a patch of turbulence shake the plane, she groaned in discomfort, but continued her work at hand. She felt it again, but tried her hardest to ignore the unrest.

She was surprised to look atop the laptop screen to see Frank walking toward her. He quietly sat down in the seat beside her and continued to stare toward the front of the plane.

"Frank?" she closed her laptop and turned to look at him.

"Ma'am, please face forward." His voice was hushed, but remained calm, as he usually did. "I'm not supposed to know this, but it is my duty to protect you…" He trailed off, never making eye contact with her. "In approximately five minutes the pilot is going to hit another patch of turbulence." She narrowed her eyes, desperately trying to decipher what he was telling her. "It will last for a while, but he will assure you everything is fine. Once the plane has straightened out, it will take an immediate nose dive and we will crash."

Her eyes grew wide as he told her what would happen. "What?" He voice was exasperated, yet she still tried to cover the rising panic in it. "What are you talking about?"

"Like I said, I'm not supposed to know about this. Please make sure you grab a life vest. If I and the other security members aren't readily available, here are your instructions to ensure safety." She watched him pace back to his seat before sitting down as if nothing had transpired. She fumbled for her phone, sending the quickest text she could manage.

I love you Henry. More than anything.


Henry swallowed the lump in his throat thickly as he waited nervously for his call to be transferred.

"Henry?" It was Russell Jackson, sounding more exhausted than ever.

"Russell? What's going on?"

He heard a loud sigh escape Russell's lips as he stalled for any extraneous second. Obviously the message he had been sent to relay was not a pleasant one. "Henry, we lost contact with Bess' plane. I don't say this to alarm you; nothing has been confirmed yet. I just wanted to make you aware of the situation at hand."

Henry's eyes immediately fell shut. He squeezed them, praying this was all simply a terrible dream. A shaky breath was pushed from his lungs as he tried grasping ahold of fragmented thoughts. He ran an open palm over his face, resting over his eyes, as he took a deep, steadying breath. He could feel the anger begin to rise within him.

"How the hell does your administration lose another plane?" he nearly shouted into the phone. "How does your administration lose another secretary of state?!" He slammed his fist down, causing a pen to fly across the room, landing on the carpeting near her desk. "No, let me rephrase that. How the hell do you manage to lose my wife again?"

"We are actively trying to make contact, Dr. McCord. Trust me, I will keep you updated."

"You better pray she comes home unscathed, or I swear to God I am holding both you and the president responsible." They were words that felt vaguely familiar once they left his lips. They were almost identical to those he had spoken upon the disconnected intel following the coup in Iran.

"Understood."

The line fell silent and Henry immediately slammed his phone on the desk, pushing his chair out. He paced the room feeling yet another nervous flutter run down the back of his neck. Only hours into the new year, his children were away, he was grading mediocre papers, and his beloved was missing.

The crack of his palm hitting the hardwood rang through the now suffocating silence of the house. He could feel his rage intensify. This was supposed to be a quick trip. She was supposed to be home for breakfast tomorrow. They were supposed to spend the remainder of the weekend curled in each other's arms under the comfort of their quilted duvet. She was supposed to on the way home from Andrews. Instead, he had no idea where she could possibly be. Worse yet, he had no idea if she was safe.

He ran a hand through his now mussed hair, gripping his waves tightly and digging his short nails into his scalp. He dropped to his knees, feeling both his head and his heart heavy with worry. As uneasy as he felt, he knew he would have been able to accept the news if Russell had told him, with certainty, what had happened to her. Not know was definitely worse. Did her plane crash? Was it hijacked? Did they lose communication with air traffic controllers? Was she terrified? Alone? Sinking in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?

The lump in his throat only began to grow. It was then, in the midst of a hurried, pleading prayer that he heard his phone begin to vibrate again. He bounded to his desk, seeing her name appear upon the screen. He closed his eyes, seeing the text he had received nearly ten minutes ago, presumably while he was one the phone with Russell. Tears began to form behind his eyes as he read what sounded considerably like last words.

I love you Henry. More than anything.

"No." He shook his head in disbelief quickly dialing her number. "Come on baby. Pick up. Please pick up."

'You have reached Elizabeth McCord, I am currently—'

Henry hung up before he could hear the remainder of her voicemail message. He quickly repeated the pattern, once again praying she would pick up.

One ring, two rings, three rings, four rings.

'You have reached Elizabeth McCord—'

"God damn it!" He slumped into his chair, placing his hands in his head. "Stay safe, baby. Please…" He hung his head, feeling the energy drain from his body. Though he hated spending the day alone, he would be appreciative of the fact that his children had chosen to spend the weekend with friends. If things took an unexpected turn, he knew he wouldn't hesitate to call them home for a family meeting, but for the time being, he decided that ignorance—for them—was bliss.


Elizabeth gasped as she watched Frank settle into his seat at the front of the plane. She quickly texted Henry, the air surrounding her becoming increasingly think. Stay calm. She kept the mantra on a repetitive loop within her head. If she wanted any chance of making it out of this alive, it was imperative that she stay calm.

She quickly shoved her phone into her pocket, hearing the pilot's collected voice fill the cabin. "Sorry ma'am, there seems to be a considerable amount of turbulence as we approach land. Don't worry, we will touch down soon enough."

Her eyes fell closed as she mentally prepared herself for the worst case scenario. Among the turbulence of the plane and the nervous energy vibrating her bones, she never noticed the phone within her pocket vibrating frantically, her husband just as frantic on the other end.

Even as she felt the nose of the plane begin to lean forward, her eyes remained closed, her fingers gripping the armrests on either side of her. Not once did her mind leave the faces of her husband and her three beautiful children.

'Oh God,' she mentally cried. 'I cannot leave my babies without a mother. I cannot leave Henry a single father.'

A lone tear broke past her lashes, sliding silently down her cheek as she anticipated the coming impact. "Oh Henry." She whispered, clutching the pendant that hung around her neck just seconds before she felt the impact of the plane making contact with the ground.