A/N: I am deeply shocked and saddened by the recent Kevin Spacey allegations, but I have decided to move forward with my story. Hopefully, this manner is resolved positively for all parties involved and we get to see House of Cards season six. Enjoy this latest chapter!
Chapter Six.
"Are we sure we should bring her in? Isn't there another way she can do this?" Claire asks. She isn't sure she is comfortable with Hannah openly identifying someone who caused the accident. They don't know how well connected this person is. The Underwoods' could potentially make things worse for themselves.
Frank and Hannah glance at her in confusion. Usually, Claire is the one jumping at the chance for revenge.
"She will be protected, Claire." There is no way Frank is putting their daughter in harm's way again. He would think his wife would know that.
"That's not what I'm asking, Francis." Hannah's eyes dart from her mother to her father. She internally shivers at the way her mom says her dad's full name. Hannah keeps her mouth shut and will wait for her parents to come together on this decision.
"Then what are you asking?" Claire sighs, she doesn't want to argue in front of their daughter. Her protective instincts have been heightened since becoming pregnant. She isn't sure she could handle something else happening to Hannah. Especially if they inadvertently caused it.
"I just…" Claire feels her throat tighten and her eyes fill with tears. Hannah's eyes widen, she can count on one hand the amount of times she has seen her mother cry. "…want to make sure she is safe."
Frank moves closer to his wife, surprised she is expressing such profound emotion. He didn't mean to upset her, he honestly thought this was a good development for them.
"It's okay, sweetheart…come…come here," Frank whispers and wraps his arms around Claire. He shoots Hannah a look to assist him in coming up with a solution that Claire is okay with.
"Dad, tell Doug to send you a picture," Hannah tells him, wondering why nobody thought of this before. "I can just confirm it over the phone and you guys can deal with it tomorrow."
"Thank you," Frank mouths to Hannah over Claire's head. Frank uses the hand not coiled around his wife's back to send a text to Doug. Within a minute, Frank receives a text back and throws the phone over to Hannah.
"That's him, Daddy. That's the driver." Hannah says with such assurance, Frank doesn't bother to ask if she is positive. She tosses the phone back at him so he can tell Doug. Hannah quietly excuses herself, thinking her parents should talk without her.
Claire sniffs and pulls away from her husband. She is embarrassed about breaking down so easily. Frank is right, they should be demonstrating their strength, not running in fear.
"You okay?" Frank asks quietly. He forgot how sensitive his wife can be when she is pregnant. Even if Claire would never admit it.
"Yes. I just want to make sure she is okay. I don't want to put her in harm's way again."
"I know. Our daughter is tough, like you." Claire scoffs, she doesn't feel that way right now.
"I should go talk to Hannah."
"Okay, I'll be downstairs."
"Come to bed when you're done." Frank lightly pinches her cheek and watches her head upstairs to their daughter's room.
Claire knocks on the door and hears Hannah telling her to come in.
"Hey, you okay?" Hannah asks. It rattled her a little to see her mother cry, which she won't say to Claire.
Claire softly smiles. Sometimes Hannah reminds her so much of Frank. She shows her concern just like him.
"Your father asked me the same thing." Hannah moves her books so Claire can sit next to her on the bed.
"He should...he kind of made you cry."
"When I was pregnant with you, I cried after your father slammed something down on the counter too loud." Claire mumbles, watching a grin break out on Hannah's face. Her mother seems infallible sometimes, it's comforting to know she can be vulnerable every once in a while.
"Was he angry with you?" Hannah has seen her dad's temper out in full force. It's scary even if his anger isn't directed at you. Her mother doesn't even flinch anymore when he yells or breaks something. She just waits until he is done and then tries to reason with him.
"No. He was on the phone with Doug and he slammed whatever was in hand down on the counter and I just started crying. He hung up the phone mid-sentence and rushed over to console me."
"So, I should be aware that you can spontaneously burst into tears at any moment?" Claire nods with a laugh and then turns serious.
"Hannah, I just want to make sure you are protected. You need to speak up if something makes you uncomfortable, regardless of what your dad and I think."
"I know, Mom. Between you, Dad, Meechum and the other agents, I feel safe, really."
"Good, get some sleep," Claire stamps a kiss to her daughter's temple and closes the door behind her.
"His name is James Kinsey, former Marine. Financial statements confirm he received a $50,000 wire transfer the day before Hannah's accident. We are still trying to track down the source of the money." Doug says to Frank and Claire the next day. He is briefing the couple about the man in the photograph he sent them last night. Now that Hannah confidently identified him as a perpetrator, they can move forward with an official investigation.
"Has he said anything?" Claire asks Doug. She accepts the folder from Frank and peruses it.
"No. The Secret Service has been interrogating him since last night, but he hasn't admitted to anything so far," Doug tells her.
"I want to talk to him," Frank declares. He already sees the guarded fear in Claire's eyes at his proposal.
"With all due respect Sir, you need to let the Secret Service do its job," Doug says. Sometimes his boss can be impulsive. It's his job to keep him from making mistakes.
"We wouldn't be in this position if it did its job," Frank argues back. Doug looks to Claire, knowing she is the only person Frank will listen to at a time like this.
"Give us a moment," Claire tells Doug. She isn't sure who she agrees with yet. Doug has a point, they both are familiar with Frank's temper. He could easily go in there and compromise the investigation. At the same time, Claire would love nothing more for the person who hurt their daughter to pay.
"Claire, I'm not going to change my mind," Frank informs her. He is being stubborn about this for their daughter. There is a chance that whoever did this to her isn't finished yet. And Hannah shouldn't live her life afraid someone is out there wanting to hurt her.
"I know…" Claire pauses to make her decision. "Make him suffer."
Frank approaches her, setting his hands on her shoulders. He knows how far his wife is willing to go to protect their family because he is right there with her.
"I will."
Frank leaves Claire in his office while he goes with an army of Secret Service agents to the facility where Kinsey is being held. Despite protests from Doug, Frank made his decision. With Claire being behind him, it merely cemented it.
Frank shakes hands with the agent in charge, Agent Pierce, and is filled in on the latest developments. He can hear other agents continuing to interrogate Kinsey on the other side of the glass wall.
"Mr. Kinsey denies ever meeting your daughter," Agent Pierce says. Frank shakes his head, he knows his daughter wasn't mistaken when she identified Kinsey. He could tell how terrified she was about being in the same room with him.
"What else has he said?"
"Not much, unfortunately. And sadly, Mr. Vice President, without formal charges, we can't keep him here much longer. Your daughter's identification and the money is a start, but it's not enough."
"Let me talk to him," Frank declares.
"Mr. Vice President, I would highly advise against that. This person could be responsible for hurting your daughter, your judgment is affected whether you want to admit it or not."
Frank isn't listening to Agent Pierce's objections. He orders the man to open the door and clear the room so it's just him and Kinsey. An agent stays for security purposes.
"Mr. Vice President, I didn't think I would be seeing you today. Come in, sit down, let's chat." Kinsey says with a grin and sits up straighter in his chair. Frank sits down at the table across from him and crosses his arms.
"Let's cut the bullshit. My daughter knows it was you driving the car. Now, I really don't care what the purpose of all this is, just as long as it stops."
"And you thought coming in here, I would just, what? Admit to something I didn't do so you can sleep better at night?"
"All we want to know is who you are working for. We know you couldn't have done this by yourself."
Frank is already starting to lose his patience with Kinsey. There is something off about the man in front of him. He won't allow himself to be jerked around by him.
Kinsey sneers at Frank. He isn't going to disclose anything to the vice president. He just wants to get under his skin because he can.
"I don't have anything to do with this, all charges against me are false. You and your wife should teach your daughter not to be such a lying bitch, Mr. Vice President."
All traces of a smirk are washed away from Frank's face. He lurches out of his chair and holds Kinsey by the throat.
"If you ever come near my family again I swear to God, I will personally put you in your goddamn grave." Frank lets go of Kinsey before the agent in the room can interfere.
Kinsey lets out a manic laugh at Frank's threat.
"You think stopping me will guarantee your wife and daughter's safety? Mr. Vice President, there are other people like me out there. This isn't over, we are having too much fun."
"I want him locked up," Frank demands to Agent Pierce and then exits the room without another word. Outside, Frank paces, clenching his first. He is resisting the urge to punch something. James Kinsey is playing a dangerous game and he isn't alone. They have no idea if his threat was just theatrics or there is more coming.
He rests his forehead on the wall and closes his eyes, needing a second to think before he comes up with a strategy.
"Francis," Claire says and hurries to close the gap between them. Frank lifts his head up and looks over his shoulder, relieved to see his wife coming towards him. He engulfs her in a hug. "What happened?"
"He said it wasn't over. We have to beef up security. I don't want you or Hannah going anywhere by yourselves for the time being." Claire is the first one to break the hug, wanting to look at her husband in the eye to truly make sure he is okay.
Whatever Kinsey said to Frank scared him, Claire can tell. If the wall in this building wasn't concrete, she is certain Frank would have punched it.
"He got to you," Claire declares, glancing at her husband for confirmation.
"You didn't see him, Claire."
"Come on," she gently nudges him, thinking he just needs to put this recent encounter out of his mind for the time being. Frank takes her hand, letting her lead him back to the White House.
"Where's Han?" He asks.
"At school. Meechum said she just went to lunch." Claire understands Frank is anxious, but she hopes he won't use the encounter with Kinsey as an excuse to smother Hannah. Their daughter is fiercely independent, like both of them. Keeping tabs on her every move will only push her to rebel against Frank and Claire, which is the last thing they need to be dealing with.
Later that night, Frank calls a family meeting, wanting their daughter to be apprised of the latest developments regarding the investigation.
"You were in the room with him? Did he admit to driving the car, Daddy?" Hannah asks, her eyes wide with fear. She glances at her mother, who seems less freaked out by all of this than her and Frank.
Frank isn't going to tell his daughter what Kinsey called her or his threat.
"No. We only have proof that he accepted a payment from someone the day before your accident, but nothing else."
"So, does that mean that he is free?" Hannah shivers, she doesn't want this person anywhere near her or her parents.
"He is still being held for the time being, but as I told your mother, I don't want you going anywhere by yourself. Meechum is to be with you at all times. Is that understood?"
Hannah readily agrees, she has grown accustomed to the agent being by her side constantly. She actually enjoys Meechum's company. The agent keeps to himself and offers an embarrassing anecdote about his time serving under her father every so often.
"What about you guys?" Hannah asks.
"Honey, don't worry about us. We are protected," Claire assures their daughter. Frank nods in agreement and rests his hand on his wife's knee.
"Your mother and I have agents with us at all times, nobody is getting near us."
"Are you guys still going to South Carolina next week?" Hannah probes.
Frank and Claire take an annual trip back to his Congressional district in South Carolina to fundraise and meet with constituents. Hannah sometimes tags along if she isn't in school.
Claire looks at Frank, she completely forgot about the trip. She thinks it would be unnecessary to cancel.
"Yes. We can arrange for you to stay at Lauren's, or she can come here if you would rather," Claire says to Hannah. She can tell her daughter is still apprehensive, so she sits down next to her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "If you would feel safer coming with us, you can do that too."
"I'll be fine, Mom. Really," Hannah feels she needs to prove to herself that she can handle being away from her parents for a few days. Ever since her accident, she has become frighteningly aware of how dangerous being one of Washington's elite really is. She doesn't resent her father for being vice president, but she doesn't appreciate the unwanted attention that the job brings.
Claire dusts a kiss to her daughter's head and wishes her goodnight before heading upstairs. She has a feeling Frank will linger, wanting to talk to their daughter in private.
"Han, what's really on your mind?" Frank asks. For as much as their daughter is like Claire, she is also like him. Hannah got the quiet plotting from Claire, and the need to express herself from him.
"I'm worried about Mom," Hannah admits softly.
"Why?" Frank asks and then answers his own question. "You mean, because of the baby?"
"Yeah. Once it gets out there, won't they come for her next?"
Hannah is asking exactly what Frank has been thinking for the past few weeks. Claire would be an easy target now that she is pregnant. He couldn't even imagine what would become of him if something happened to her.
"Sweetheart, I wouldn't let anything happen to your mother."
"Don't promise me that, Daddy. You don't know what these people are capable of." Frank nods, thinking what Hannah says is fair. He won't lie to his child, but there are certain realities that a thirteen-year-old doesn't need to be aware of.
"You're right, I won't promise you that. I will say that I would die before I let anything happen to you or your mom."
"Okay," Frank reaches over and pinches Hannah's cheek, something the teenager has seen him do to her mother on a daily basis. Hannah smiles and excuses herself to go to bed.
Frank smokes a cigarette before joining Claire upstairs. Claire gets a whiff of him and grins.
"I wish I could've joined you," Claire mumbles as Frank lays diagonally on their bed, his head resting on her shoulder. He reaches across with one arm and rests it on her stomach, rubbing it softly.
"You will…in about six months."
"What did you and Hannah talk about?"
"She was just worried about you."
"Me? Why?" Claire furrows her eyebrows and looks down at her husband. She didn't think she would be the topic of their conversation.
"She thinks that because you are pregnant there is a target on your back. I just told her that I would do everything I could to protect you." Claire tilts her head so it's brushing up against Frank's.
"I know. Should I talk to her?"
"I don't think that's necessary."
Three days later, Frank comes home well after midnight to find Claire passed out on the couch. He smiles when he hears her snoring softly, one hand tucked behind her head, the other resting on her stomach. She jerks awake when he sets his briefcase and keys down on the end table.
"Hey, why aren't you upstairs?" Frank asks softly. Usually, when he gets home this late, Claire is already fast asleep in their bed. He sits across from her on the coffee table, grabbing one of her hands as she swivels to face him.
"I was waiting for you. How'd it go?" Claire asks. Frank shakes his head, he has been dealing with Walker and Tusk arguing for the past few days without any headway.
"Not good."
"What can I do?"
"Nothing, yet. Is Hannah asleep?"
Claire shakes her head and rubs her eyes.
"No, she is at a movie with Lauren and some friends." She can see the panic rise in her husband's eyes at her statement. "Don't worry, Meechum and an army of Secret Service agents are with them. Nobody can even approach her without getting patted down."
Frank squeezes her hand and brings her over to the windowsill to join him for a cigarette. Claire stretches out her legs, watching her husband gather them up to place them in his lap. He lights the cigarette and presses it to his lips. Claire looks at him longingly, wishing she could join in.
"One puff won't hurt the baby," Frank tells her and passes her the cigarette. She nods and inhales while her husband starts massaging her feet.
"I've missed this," Claire comments softly.
"So have I." She reluctantly gives the cigarette back to him. "Have you heard anything about Kinsey?"
"He is being moved to a federal detention facility to undergo a psychiatric evaluation before they formally charge him."
Claire nods and sighs in relief. She is happy Kinsey won't be able to hurt her and her family any more than he already has. Although, they still have to find the source of this onslaught of violence. Kinsey is only a small part, not the whole piece.
"Claire, stop thinking so much," Frank recognizes the expression on his wife's face. Claire wants revenge, but there isn't much they can do right now. Hopefully, Kinsey was wrong, and the accident was just a one-off.
"I want a boy," Claire declares out-of-the-blue. "What do you want?" She skims her hand over her stomach, which is starting to form a tangible bump.
Frank lets out a puff of smoke and considers his wife's question. He doesn't particularly care what they have, as long as it's healthy.
"A boy would be nice. Not that I don't mind being surrounded by girls." Claire laughs and reaches for the cigarette, only to be denied by Frank.
"Oh, come on, it's no fun doing it alone."
Hannah and Meechum come through the door, stopping to see what is unfolding between Frank and Claire.
"You two are smoking by the windowsill. Why?" Claire drops her pursuit of her husband's cigarette and tilts her head to look over at her daughter.
"We haven't in a while and missed it, that's all." Frank answers for the both of them. Hannah slumps her shoulders in defeat, she was hoping her parents were plotting something she could be a part of.
"Damn. Well, I'm going to bed," Hannah walks over and kisses both of her parents' goodnight.
"Why does she always think we are up to something when we are smoking?" Frank asks Claire.
"Because we usually are. Finish your cigarette and let's go to bed."
"What do you think of this?" Frank asks Claire about the Tusk and Walker situation the next day in his office. He is struggling to see what the best play is to circumvent Walker's authority and get Tusk off his back at the same time.
Claire accepts a paper from her husband and scans it. She has been keeping tabs on the ever-growing problem from afar. Frank hasn't fully briefed her until now.
"I wonder if…" Claire is interrupted by Doug bursting into the room.
"What is it Doug?" Frank trusts his chief of staff to only barge into his office on pressing matters only.
"It's Kinsey. He committed suicide in his cell an hour ago."
A/N 2: Next chapter, Frank and Claire fight about their different approaches to the Kinsey situation and something bad happens in South Carolina. I gave you an extra-long chapter, so I expect extra reviews, so I know you guys are still interested in this. Thanks for reading!