A/N: Hey guys, thanks for your reviews, I loved reading them. I'm going to be bouncing back and forth between this and The Fallout for a little while, but I promise to give you what I can when I have it done. Enjoy the next chapter!
Chapter Five.
"What?" Frank asks while Claire inconspicuously looks around the room.
"He's gone now, but he was standing right behind President Walker during the ceremony. He had really dark brown hair and gray eyes." Hannah whispers, not wanting anyone to overhear their conversation.
"She must've spooked him," Claire mumbles.
"Would you recognize him if you saw him again?" Frank asks his daughter.
"Definitely," Hannah says with a nod.
"Okay, I'll let Doug know so he can start putting pictures together. I have to get to a meeting. I'll see you at home later," Frank hugs Hannah and nudges Claire to follow him.
"I'll be right back. Don't go far." Claire is not letting Hannah go home by herself. Especially when she thinks she saw one of the men in the Oval Office just now. The risk is too high.
Frank and Claire go into his office, away from the crowd gathered in Walker's.
"They are sending a message to us, Claire." Frank informs his wife. Whoever did this is telling Frank and Claire they have the resources to be in their inner circle whether they want them there or not. Whoever their daughter saw was mere inches from them in the Oval Office.
"I know. What are we going to do? We can't watch her all the time, Francis."
"No, but we need to find someone who can. I'm putting Meechum on her detail, I trust him."
Claire agrees with her husband's assessment. Edward Meechum has proven himself to be a trustworthy and discrete agent since joining Frank's detail almost a year ago.
"Okay, I'll get Hannah home," Claire goes to leave, but Frank wraps his arm around her waist, bringing her back. "What?"
"I've missed having lunch with you," he admits sheepishly. They've had a standing lunch date every day since they moved into the West Wing. Claire sets her hands on her husband's chest.
"I'll be back on Monday, when Hannah goes back to school." They briefly kiss, and he lets her return to their daughter. Frank sends a text to Doug on the latest development, so they can start collecting footage from the signing.
Over the next few weeks, life returns to relatively normal for the Underwoods'. Hannah has returned to school without any further incidents. Frank, Claire and Doug haven't had any luck finding the man Hannah saw in the Oval or any other person connected to the accident. There's nothing they can do until there is a new development, which frustrates Frank to no end.
Claire finally secured an appointment with her doctor, but it is at a time when Frank can't go. She meets up with him in the hallway on her way out.
"Hey," Frank says when he sees his wife walking towards him.
"Hi…thanks," she mumbles as he is helping her get her coat on. "Francis, I can't go to that meeting."
A new situation is developing at the White House because President Walker managed to get the United States entangled with China at the behest of Raymond Tusk. Frank asked for Claire's advice, but she isn't able to help out at the moment.
"Why? I thought you cleared your schedule." Frank furrows his eyebrows. Claire shakes her head and eyes the agent hovering behind them.
"I have the appointment today."
"Oh, Claire, I forgot. I can't go." Frank feels awful for not being able to attend. He tried to make it to all of her appointments with Hannah, but he was only a congressman back then. As vice president, he can't just disappear for hours at a time on a personal matter.
"I know, it's fine. Get to your meeting, we can talk about it at home later."
Claire doesn't care if Frank isn't able to go. She isn't one of those people who needs their husband around at all times. If he could be there, he would be and that is enough for her. She brushes past him, squeezing his wrist. Frank smiles to himself and heads into his meeting.
Hours later, Claire comes out of the master bathroom, rubbing some lotion onto her hands. Frank is busy typing away on his laptop, trying to get some work done before the next day. They haven't seen each other since this afternoon, due to Frank's busy schedule. Claire was preoccupied with helping Hannah with her homework and didn't notice her husband come in.
"Do you want me to work downstairs?" Frank asks.
"No, just make some room," Claire sits on the edge of the bed while Frank throws files aimlessly on the bed and floor. He holds his arm out for her and Claire sets her head on his chest.
"How'd it go?" Frank questions. His hand slips under her pajamas, resting it on her slightly swollen abdomen. Claire involuntarily shivers at the contact.
"Thirteen weeks along, no problems."
"Good." They fall into a comfortable silence, consumed by their own thoughts.
"I want to tell Hannah before she figures it out on her own." Claire looks up at him, wanting to know what he thinks.
"I agree." Frank takes his glasses off and shuts down his laptop.
"Do you think she will be okay with it?"
"Why wouldn't she be?" Frank feels her shrug against him, but she doesn't elaborate. "Claire?"
She regrets asking that question aloud, knowing her husband would push her to speak her mind. Claire has been thinking about Hannah's reaction since she became pregnant. Hannah is entering her teenage years, the last thing she would want is a screaming baby in the house. Furthermore, Claire is also wondering how she and Frank are going to manage another baby. It's not like either one of them can stay home and take care of it. And Claire refuses to have their youngest child be raised by a nanny.
"What if we can't handle two kids?" Claire asks, just above a whisper. Frank is utterly taken aback by his wife's question. She is never one to doubt herself. If anything, she is the one to remind him to never have reservations about decisions he makes.
"We can. We will find a way to manage, just like we always have." Frank assures her, dusting a kiss to her hair. Claire doesn't say anything back. She just moves closer to him and slowly drifts off to sleep.
The next night, Hannah comes breezing through the townhouse, her backpack slung over her shoulder. Frank and Claire are resting on the couch, smirking at each other.
"Hey Han, how was…where were you?" Frank asks when he sees Hannah. Hannah rolls her eyes and sets her backpack down, so she can join her parents in the living room.
"I was at debate, Dad," She says with a playful bite to her tone.
"And how'd it go?" Claire asks.
"Oh, I totally annihilated this kid on Walker's foreign policy agenda. This idiot had no idea what was coming to him," Hannah's voice oozes confidence.
"That's my girl," Frank says proudly.
"Before I walked in, you guys had 'the look' on your face. What's going on?" Frank and Claire furrow their eyebrows in confusion.
"What look?" They say at the same time. Hannah rolls her eyes again. Her parents can be such awful liars sometimes.
"That look you two have on your faces before you guys are about to ruin someone's life. Who is it? And can I help?" Hannah's favorite thing about her parents is they love to scheme. She enjoys watching them work together to take an opponent down, and wants to join in whenever she is allowed.
"We don't have a look," Claire protests. Hannah scoffs, thinking what her mom said is the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard.
"Yes, you do. You guys smirk at each other like you two are the only people in the world who know your secret. It's kind of cute, but also a little gross…you know, since you are my parents and all. Usually you guys are smoking by the windowsill though…why aren't you two smoking?"
"Oh…well…the thing is Han…" Frank starts, but Claire cuts him off.
"I am pregnant. That's why we haven't been smoking lately." Claire doesn't bother feeding her daughter another lie. She has a right to know what's going on. Besides, in a few more weeks, it won't matter. Claire will be showing, and it will be blatantly obvious to everyone that she is expecting.
Frank and Claire wait for their daughter's reaction. Honestly, they aren't planning on Hannah taking it well and they won't blame her. A lot has happened to the teenager in the past couple weeks, this is just another disruption in her world.
"I knew it!" Hannah says with a wide smile. Claire visibly relaxes and so does Frank.
"You knew? How?" Frank asks. Here he thought they were being secretive.
"Well, Dad, you touch Mom's stomach way more than you think. And, Mom, you throw up too much for it to be anything but morning sickness."
"I'm glad our daughter is so observant," Claire comments. "Is this okay for you?" She is not skilled at conversations like this. Her mother never bothered to care about how Claire was feeling, she just cared about how she looked. Claire promised herself when she had Hannah she would make sure her daughter is comfortable enough to express to her and Frank how she's feeling.
"Yeah, I always wanted another sibling. I just thought that it would happen before I turned fourteen, but this is fine too."
"I did too," Claire says. Frank raises his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't realize Claire has wanted another child for so long. He almost wishes his wife would've spoken up sooner. They could've had another child closer to Hannah's age. The three are interrupted by Frank's trademark ringtone blaring through the townhouse.
"Hold on," Frank gets up and answers the phone when he notices Doug calling. Claire and Hannah chat amongst themselves while they wait for him to finish up.
"Wait…are you sure? Okay…I'll bring her in now," Frank tells Doug and hangs up the phone. Claire and Hannah turn to look at him, wondering what the phone call entailed.
"Doug said they might have found the man you recognized in the Oval a couple weeks ago," Frank says to Hannah.
A/N 2: Next time, Frank confronts the man he believes to be responsible for Hannah's accident. Thank you for reading and please leave a review on your way out, it really helps!