A/N: Like many of you, I am experiencing a lot of different emotions regarding the whole Kevin Spacey/House of Cards situation, but I still want to continue writing this. I am so excited about sharing my favorite chapter with you, I hope you love it as much I do!
Chapter Seven.
Frank and Claire glance at each other in confusion. They aren't sure if this is a good development for them or not. With Kinsey being dead, it eliminates the chance of him going after them again, but they never got to find out who he was working for. If there's other people in Kinsey's network out there, the Underwoods will never know.
"Are we sure it was a suicide?" Frank asks. It's easy to stage a suicide, especially if the person is a liability who needs to be silenced.
"It's too early to tell. All I know is they found him hanging in his cell with pieces of ripped clothing wrapped around his neck. Secret Service is cutting him down and bringing him to the medical examiner to perform an official autopsy."
"Okay, thanks Doug," Frank tells him. He needs to talk with Claire privately about this. Doug gives the couple a clipped nod and shows himself out.
Claire leans against Frank's desk, watching her husband pace in front of her.
"Damn it. He was our only link!" Frank exclaims after a few moments of silence. "He said this wasn't over. What are we supposed to do, Claire?"
She doesn't say anything for a minute, working through this mess they found themselves in silently. Frank processes everything out loud, she internalizes her thoughts until she finds a way to eloquently express them.
Honestly, there isn't much they can do. There is nobody to go after until someone else comes forward. Hannah doesn't remember anyone else who was in the car with her at the time of the accident. They have reached a dead end with Kinsey's death.
"We have to move on," Claire says as her eyes flicker up to her husband. She realizes he isn't going to like her answer, but she is right.
"What? He came after us, our daughter, Claire!" Frank raises his voice at her, not comprehending her whole laid-back strategy about Kinsey.
"And now he's dead, Francis. We can't keep living our lives like this."
"Like what?"
"You are scared and that is not how I will live. Our daughter and this child," Claire sets her hand on her stomach, "need to know they have nothing to be afraid of."
"Just because you don't want to see something, doesn't mean it's not there."
"And what exactly do you suggest we do, Francis? Tear down the White House until we find the people responsible? We don't even know where to begin."
"What happened to you? You were the one who wanted to make these people suffer."
Claire rolls her lips together, trying to find a way to explain herself to her husband.
"I did when we knew who we were going after. I'm not saying we should stop looking all together, but we don't have a credible lead to pursue right now."
"So, what? You want to wait until one of these people attacks our daughter again? Or God forbid, one of us?"
Claire shakes her head and pushes herself off of Frank's desk to face him directly.
"Of course not. I'm just saying that you are reacting out of fear when that is not what we should be doing."
Frank and Claire could not be on more opposite sides about their approach to Kinsey. At this point, they are just going in circles, waiting for the other to say something that will push them over the edge.
"Oh, grow up and stop being so fucking naive Claire! I'm trying to protect our family, I don't know what the hell you are doing."
Frank watches Claire stiffen, and he immediately regrets what he said. He can tell he hurt her feelings by his comment.
"Claire," he begins and reaches for her, but she brushes past him, quietly shutting the door to his office on her way out.
"Shit!" Frank exclaims and throws all the papers on the desk onto the floor.
When Claire gets home later that day, Hannah is sitting at the dining room table doing her homework.
"Hey Mom," Hannah says offhandedly as Claire sits down across from her.
"Hi," Claire mumbles. Hannah glances over her mother's shoulder, wondering why her father isn't steps behind her.
"When's Dad going to be home?"
"I don't know."
Hannah raises her eyebrows. Something is different about her mother today. If her parents don't come home together, Claire always offers an explanation about Frank's whereabouts. The teenager further examines her mom, who is trying her best not to appear sad.
"Everything okay, Mom?" Hannah isn't expecting to get an honest answer out of Claire. The teenager knows her mother is notorious for suppressing her feelings, something she inherited from her.
"Yes. I'm going for a run." Claire stands up and stamps a kiss to Hannah's head.
Hannah watches her mother climb the stairs and furrows her eyebrows. Her mother never goes for a run at night, unless something or someone is stressing her out. And her father typically accompanies her. It's their time together to sort out the complex problems Washington gives them to solve. Also, her mother didn't seem to care about when her father is coming home, which is odd.
The teenager concludes her parents are in the midst of a fight. It doesn't happen often, but it's apocalyptic when it does. Hannah knows her parents are two incredibly honest people, especially with each other. It's what makes their marriage so successful. Although it can lead to conflicts at times.
Frank and Claire make a point not to argue in front of their daughter, but that doesn't make it any less awkward. Hannah remembers two years ago when her parents were arguing they didn't speak to each other for three days. Her father made himself scarce around the townhouse while her mother did her best to pretend like nothing was wrong. Hannah didn't know anything was different between her parents until she caught her dad sleeping on the couch. Then, one morning, her father brought her mother a coffee with a kiss and all was right in the world again. Typically, Hannah never sees her parents make up, she just hears it during the middle of the night.
There is nothing Hannah can do until her parents work it out amongst themselves. Claire won't tell her what happened, and neither will Frank. Her parents are tight-lipped about their disagreements, never wanting to talk behind the others back. Hannah shakes her head when she hears the front door close a few minutes later.
Hours later, Frank quietly enters the townhouse. He ascends the stairs, wanting to check on Hannah before going to bed. A sliver of light peeking through the room is enough to wake up the teenager.
"Dad?" Hannah asks, her voice thick with sleep.
"It's just me, go back to bed," Frank tells his daughter, and turns around to walk out of the room.
"Dad?" Hannah asks again.
"What?" Frank asks and shoves his hands in his pockets.
"Are you and Mom okay?" Hannah watches her father hesitate to answer her question and that's all the proof she needs.
"Yeah, why?" Frank wonders if Claire told their daughter anything when she got home earlier. He doubts it. His wife is private about their marriage, even with Hannah. Their daughter knows as much as she needs to about her parents.
"She went for a run when she got home. She only does that with you at night." Frank turns around and approaches Hannah's bed, sitting on the edge.
"Your mother had a hard day at work, I'm sure she just had a lot on her mind. I'll go talk to her. Get some sleep," Frank kisses Hannah's temple and exits her room, going into his own.
He frowns when their bed is still perfectly made, with his wife nowhere to be found. However, he can see the bathroom light on. He knocks softly and enters when he gets her permission. Claire is nestled under bubbles in the bathtub, her feet dangling over the edge.
"Hi," Frank starts and leans down so he is eye-level with her. "I'm…"
"Don't. You know how much I hate apologies," Claire mutters. "We both said awful things to each other we didn't mean."
Frank reaches over to lightly pinch her cheek. He appreciates his wife not making him grovel, they both realize they are above that.
"I love you," he whispers.
"I love you too." Claire says and bends forward to drain the bathtub. Frank grabs her a towel and wraps her in it. Claire reaches up to kiss him and then walks ahead of him, discarding her towel halfway to their bed. She looks at him over her shoulder, tilting her head towards the bed, coaxing him to join her.
"No, my teacher's being ridiculous. Dad and Walker aren't going to start a war with the Chinese, right?" Hannah asks Claire the next morning over breakfast. So far, the teenager has not seen her father come downstairs. She wonders if he snuck out earlier before she woke up so he didn't have to see her mother.
"Your father is doing everything he can to prevent that, Hannah," Claire assures her daughter. Suddenly, Claire senses her husband's lips on her cheek and a glass of tea set in front of her. Hannah's eyebrows lift in surprise, but quickly returns to a neutral expression. She is glad her parents have made up, it makes her life a lot easier.
"What am I doing to prevent what?" Frank asks, joining the conversation midway.
"Hannah's teacher told her that you and Garrett are going to start a war with the Chinese," Claire fills in her husband. Frank rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his coffee.
"Ridiculous. Tell your teacher that I think she's an idiot."
Hannah laughs as her mother glares at her father over the rim of the coffee mug.
"Well, Dad's not wrong. I have to go. Nice to see you two back together again," Hannah says over her shoulder and hurries out of the townhouse before her parents can ask her about her comment.
"Nice to see you two back together again?" Frank asks Claire. Claire shrugs and swallows the rest of her tea before getting up to stand next to her husband.
"Apparently our daughter thought we were on the brink of divorce last night." Claire smiles and squeezes her husband's bicep as she walks past him.
Doug steps into stride with Frank as soon as he enters the White House.
"Sir, I have something to show you," Doug says and hands Frank a folder. Frank scans it as the pair walk to his office.
"Did the medical examiner do an autopsy already?" Doug shakes his head,
"No, but he didn't have to. Someone disabled the camera in Kinsey's cell yesterday. Sir, this was deliberate."
Frank glances up from the folder to look at his chief of staff.
"Are you saying Kinsey's death wasn't a suicide?"
"Yes, Sir, that's precisely what I'm saying."
Frank isn't exactly surprised by Doug's revelation. He suspected from the beginning Kinsey didn't off himself. Kinsey was having too much fun toying with the Underwoods', Frank could tell when he talked to him in the holding facility. There was no way he would just bow out voluntarily, he had to have been killed. This puts the Underwoods' in a horrible position. Now, not only do they not know who Kinsey was working for, but they have no idea who murdered him either.
"Where's Claire?" Frank asks Doug.
"She is in a meeting with the State Department at the moment. I'll have her come to your office as soon as she is done."
"Good. Do we have any idea who could have done this?"
"Secret Service were the only people who have had access to Kinsey in the past twenty-four hours. It had to be one of them," Doug says.
Frank nods. The only people in the car with Hannah at the time of her accident were Secret Service agents as well. Although, their motive is unclear. Why would Secret Service want to hurt his family? The only explanation that makes sense to Frank is they are working for someone higher up who has the resources to place agents where they need to be at the correct times.
Doug leaves his boss to process everything he has relayed to him. Frank sits at his desk, trying to figure out what his next move should be. The people who are paid to protect him, Claire and Hannah are the ones trying to kill them. No amount of heightened security will help them when the threat is internal.
"Francis, what's going on?" Claire asks a few hours later. Doug was waiting outside of her meeting, pulling her aside to tell her she needed to go to Frank's office.
Frank watches Claire sit on the corner of his desk before he briefs her.
"We now have reason to believe Kinsey was murdered in his cell by Secret Service agents."
Claire absorbs what her husband is telling her. She realizes he wants her to tell him what their next move should be, but she doesn't know. They need to find a way to gain the upper hand in whatever sick game they are a part of. Finding the person pulling the strings in the Secret Service is their best bet. The only problem with that is they have both acquired a lot of enemies throughout their careers, Frank especially.
"It has to be someone that the Secret Service will listen to without question," Claire summarizes. She jerks her head up, "Garrett?"
Frank shakes his head, "No, Walker is too spineless to do something like this. It has to be someone who thinks is helping him by getting us out of the picture."
As soon as Frank finishes his sentence, they come to the same conclusion.
"Raymond Tusk," Claire says for the both of them. Frank nods, it's the only explanation that makes sense at the moment. "He doesn't have access to the Secret Service though."
"He does if Walker gave it to him. Or he has a man on the inside that is willing to help him."
"Francis, do you really think Raymond would do something like this?" Claire doesn't know Tusk well enough to know what he is capable of. Frank has worked side-by-side with him for the past few months. It's no secret the two don't exactly get along.
"I do."
"How do we prove it?"
Frank leans back in his chair with a sigh. If Tusk is responsible for Hannah's accident and Kinsey's murder, he has covered his tracks well. He can tell his wife is practically salivating at the chance to defeat Tusk, but they can't go after him without any proof.
"I'm not sure yet. We should start by going through his financials to see if there's anything. I'll get Doug on it."
Claire nods and hops off her husband's desk. Frank furrows his eyebrows.
"Where are you going?"
"You aren't the only person who has to work around here." She winks at him over her shoulder and shows herself out.
"Are you sure you guys should go to South Carolina?" Hannah asks apprehensively as she watches her parents gather up their luggage. She thinks her parents aren't being careful, even if Kinsey is dead.
Claire hands her suitcase to a Secret Service agent before going over to where her daughter is sitting on the couch.
"We will be fine, Hannah. You can still come with us if you want, it's not too late." Claire doesn't care about their daughter missing school. She knows the teenager is smart enough to catch up.
"No, you and Dad do your thing. It's kind of boring in Gaffney, but don't tell Dad that."
Claire smiles at Hannah as Frank comes downstairs.
"It will be our secret," Claire mumbles to Hannah. Frank eyes Claire and Hannah suspiciously, they both have the same expression on their face when they are plotting something.
"Are you ready to go, Claire?" Frank asks. Claire nods and hugs Hannah, giving her a kiss goodbye. Frank drops his suitcase by the door and goes over to his daughter.
"Be safe," Hannah whispers to Frank while he hugs her.
"I will. Don't worry," Frank tells Hannah and lightly pinches her cheek.
"Hannah, we will have our phones on if you need to call us. There's plenty of money on the counter for food. Do not go anywhere without Meechum," Claire says sternly. If the Secret Service is involved, they know Frank and Claire have left town, leaving Hannah by herself for two days. The teenager shouldn't be gallivanting around D.C. alone, it would be too easy for someone to attack her again.
"I won't, now go."
Frank grabs Claire's hand, taking her to an awaiting vehicle.
"What did Hannah say to you before we left?" Frank asks on the way to the airport.
"She said going to Gaffney is boring."
Frank laughs at his daughter's honesty. He doesn't blame the teenager, Frank doesn't want to go to these fundraising events himself. The only reason he drags Claire along is because the public loves her. And it's good to get her face out there for when she decides to run for office later on.
"She's right." Claire nods in agreement and reaches over to clasp her husband's hand.
"I still have that picture of Hannah red-faced and screaming after Senator West wanted to hold her after that campaign event in Spartanburg." Frank bursts into laughter, remembering how their stubborn daughter didn't want to be held by anyone else except her parents as a toddler.
"I'm pretty sure she peed on him too," Frank adds through his laughter. Claire laughs as well, happy to have a distraction after dealing with the aftermath of Kinsey's death for the past few days.
Frank and Claire land in South Carolina a few hours after leaving Washington. They are brought to their house in Gaffney so they can change before beginning their myriad of events. There are only two days for them to accomplish a litany of appearances, all culminating in a rally tomorrow afternoon.
"If you are tired and want to take a break, let me know," Frank tells Claire. He knows his wife refuses to slow down even now that she is pregnant, but with their packed schedule, it's easy to burn out.
Claire gives him a curt nod. She will only attend the events that the public expects her to be at, no more. She is now entering her fourth month of pregnancy and exhaustion has become a common symptom for her. Frank often catches her napping in her office in between meetings. To her credit, Claire has cut back her hours drastically and is serious about taking care of herself for their child.
"Claire and I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight to show your support," Frank says and wraps his arm around Claire's waist while they wave to the adoring crowd.
Frank and Claire step off stage, smiling when they hear the crowd chanting "Underwood." Claire yawns as her and Frank are escorted to their car.
"Please tell me that was the last event for today," Frank says. The dinner for the Gaffney City Council was their sixth event of the day since landing this morning.
"I hope so, my feet are killing me," Claire slips off her heels and rubs her aching feet. She might have to switch to flats soon as she progresses in her pregnancy.
They arrive back at their Gaffney house an hour later. Claire scoops her phone out of her purse, dialing Hannah while Frank hops in the shower.
"Hey Mom, how's Gaffney? I saw you guys on the news earlier," Hannah says.
"Oh, it's fine, nothing exciting. You were right about staying home. How's being at home without us?"
"It's fine, nothing exciting," Hannah parrots her mother. "Meechum has been watching me like a hawk. He hasn't been more than five feet away from me since you guys left earlier. Where's dad?"
"Your father went to take a shower. I can have him call you when he's done."
"No, that's okay. I will see you guys when you get back."
"Call if you need anything. I love you."
"Love you too, Mom. Bye."
Claire hangs up the phone and gets ready for bed. Frank joins her a little while later, wrapping an arm around her to pull her close.
"Hannah okay?" Frank asks while skating his fingertips on her bare arm.
"Yeah, she said she saw us on the news earlier and that Meechum won't leave her alone."
"Good. I'm glad Meechum is watching her so closely." Claire realizes the only reason Hannah isn't here with them is because Meechum is with her. She is happy her husband trusts the Secret Service agent so much to look after their daughter while they are away.
"Get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow," Frank says and stamps a kiss to her hair. Claire reaches across him to swipe one of his pillows, reminding them of the first few years they spent here trying to get his political career of the ground. Frank smirks and yanks the covers off of her in retaliation.
The next afternoon, Frank and Claire are at a rally in front of Gaffney's Town Hall. They are about to go on stage, but they want to do a run-through of their lines first.
"So, you go on stage first and then you introduce me," Frank tells Claire. Claire nods, knowing the routine by now. She goes out first to hype up the crowd, Frank joins her, they embrace and then she stands back to let him talk.
"Okay, tell them we are ready," Claire instructs one of the workers at the rally.
"It is my honor to introduce Mrs. Claire Underwood," the mayor of Gaffney says and waits for Claire to appear. Claire steps out and walks to the podium, waving to the crowd on the way there. Frank watches his wife work the crowd from the wings.
"Francis and I really appreciate you guys coming out and showing your support," Claire yells over the cheering crowd. "It makes what we do worthwhile to see everyone coming out here for us. We always hold a special place in our hearts for the people of Gaffney. Without you, we wouldn't be where we are, so we thank you guys deeply for that." Claire waits for the applause to die down before continuing her speech. "I know you guys didn't come here just to listen to me, so I would like to bring out my husband, Vice President Frank Underwood."
Claire turns her head to face Frank just as a shot rings out, striking her in the shoulder. The crowd collectively gasps and Frank watches in horror as his wife collapses in a pool of blood.
A/N 2: Next chapter, Frank and Claire learn the true cost of their political aspirations. Please review, it makes me so happy to hear your thoughts. Thank you for reading!