White House, Henry, 2014
"Come and get me. But leave my family out of it." A lump forms in my throat, restricting my breath as my heart hammers in my chest. I want to scream no, please god don't do this Elizabeth. But we're met with dead air on the other end of the call. She baited him and then hung up. Offering herself for us. Tears fill my eyes and my head falls into my hands.
"Oh. My. God. You're still in love with her." I look up to the woman sitting across from me, her face unreadable, but the edge in her voice gives her away.
"I have never not been in love with her. She's my best friend and soulmate." The CIA Operative expression on her face slips. Hurt poking through, and I don't care. Maybe I should, she did mother two of my children and she has been there for me the last ten years. But I'm unsure of how real any of it was for her. The only thing I'm sure of now, is my love for Elizabeth. I will do anything to keep her and my kids safe.
"We didn't get it sir." My head snaps in the direction of the General walking into the Oval. Conrad shakes his head.
"What do you mean?" His voice is low and serious, making the General's tension rise as mine lowers slightly.
"She's using a prepaid phone, we tried to unblock the signal, using Dr. McCord's phone, but she hung up too quickly." The look Conrad gives the General would send shivers down any man's spine. Pissed at himself for not thinking ahead. For allowing her to know where her family really is.
"Find her." He doesn't raise his voice when giving the order. The General nods and exits the Oval.
"Henry" Conrad turns his attention back to me, "Lydia would love it if you and Jess would join us in the residence for a very late dinner."
"Of course, Mr. President." I nod back at him, knowing that I don't have a choice in the matter. As I rise from the couch I send up a silent prayer asking God to keep Elizabeth safe. Jessica tries to grab my arm as we follow Conrad up to the residence and I shake her off. Her shoulders sag and her mouth forms a pout. I can tell that this isn't going how she thought it would.
Charleston, Elizabeth, 2014
Three hours after I send the email, I get the CNN alert.
BREAKING: CNN Obtains CIA Documents regarding illegal actions taken by President Dalton during his time as Director
"It's happening." I whisper-shout over to Isobel. She is currently on a phone call with a Senator Carlos Morejon, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He is also Conrad's biggest political rival While normally, I would never even pretend to entertain the idea that Morejon and I are on the same side of any issue I know that he is prepped and primed to lead the Investigation that the Senate will have no choice but to open.
"Thank you very much Senator." She ends the call, and looks at me, apprehensive.
"Morejon said he'd look at our evidence and decide a course of action from there. I nod back at her.
I take one more look at the email I have carefully and poetically drafted to select Members of Congress, and hit send.
"It's done." The sentence lingers in the room, as it both closes and opens a door.
"Bess… Now that he's cornered…" She doesn't have to finish her thought for me to know what she means. Cornered prey does one of two things, thy roll over and accept defeat. Which we both know will not happen. Or, they lash out. I swallow thinking of my family still in the lion's den.
"I know, we just have to keep going." And we do, my family will never be safe again if I stop now. I've gone too far, the car can't be reversed.
White House, Allison, 2014
We're on our second movie. The Incredible's. The twins are tired, but quoting their favorite parts. Stevie is too busy making heart eyes at Harrison to notice the tension that is radiating from me. The night's events playing over in my mind. My mom is alive. My mom is alive and she hasn't been around for ten years. Where has she been? Is she okay? Why did she leave? Why did we think she was dead? Did dad know?
"Something's wrong." Jason finally speaks, ten hours after this whole thing started. And I don't know what to say. I'm still working on trying to piece it altogether. I didn't know if I can tell him about mom, I don't know if I'm supposed to know about her.
"Allie… Do you think… do you think it has something to do with mom? Because it's like, the only reason I can think of, that we would be here." He sounds confused, and scared. I try to keep my expression neutral, to protect him.
"I don't know Jace." God, I wish Stevie would figure out something is wrong. She'd know what to tell him. And then something like sister magic makes an appearance, as she walks over to where Jason and I are sitting.
"Is everything okay?" she asks, as she takes a seat next to me.
"Mom's alive." I blurt it out, the need to tell someone outweighing my self-control.
"That's not funny Allison." She snaps through her teeth as her eyes fill with tears.
"I don't think she's joking." Jason speaks up. And the three of us dissolve into a shocked silence. A silence filled with unanswered questions, and anger, and grief, but mostly, it filled with hope.
White House, Henry, 2014
It was the world's longest dinner. Filled with the word most awkward conversation. Lydia having no idea what's really going on as she fuels us with liquor and drives a polite conversation. Sometimes I wonder how she does it, always pretending not to notice the tension around her. The perfect waspy resident of Stepford.
"Sir!" Russel rushes into the dining room of the residence. Conrad's head snaps up, hope written on his face. I swallow the lump forming in my throat, they found her.
"We have a problem, a big one." It's my turn to snap my head in his direction. He walks an iPad over to the President. I watch as Conrad's face twist in anger at what he's reading.
"Use the kids."
"No!" Jessica and I rise from our seats at the same time.