I had written this for Pride month in December but forgot about it until I found it on my flash drive.

Allison doesn't know how she found herself here. It feels like it only took a second for her whole life to fall apart. She was in Milan working her dream job. She was living with a beautiful and tall French woman, Bernadette, whom she loved. And now, she's jobless and single. She is sitting in the residence of the White House watching the Queer Ultimatum and scrolling through Bumble. She would feel bad for having to move back in with her parents for a second time if Stevie didn't just move out after getting married. Although, living with your parents is more uncomfortable when your home is the White House and your mother is the President. While she missed her family terribly residing in Italy, she hated the idea of living here. It's a circus always, and there's no true privacy. Also, her mom has the least time she's ever had for her as the re-election campaign is officially starting. And she has to do that and be the President.

Elizabeth wants to be asleep. She longs for her bed, and Henry's snuggles. But she can't just walk past her youngest daughter, sitting on the couch, trying not to cry. Her eyes are red, and she has tearstains on her cheeks. It breaks Elizabeth's heart to see her baby so broken. She has never seen Allison this bad. The President makes her way to the couch and wraps her daughter in her arms. Allison wraps her arms around her mother and cries. They sit there for a while. Elizabeth lets Allison cry.

"I'm so sorry your heart is broken, Noodle," Elizabeth tells her.

"I thought she was it," Allison admits, taking a deep breath. "I thought I had found the one."

"I know, sweetheart, but it won't feel this way forever. You will find the right one for you."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Allison sniffles.

"I'm not. I promise you. You're my kid. You're strong. You'll be okay." Elizabeth stops her words after that sentence noticing that Allison is no longer interested in discussing it. "What are we watching?" She asks instead.

"Queer Ultimatum." Allison laughs at the title.

"What's the Queer Ultimatum?" Elizabeth asks, giving her daughter a confused look. Allison laughs. Her mother has always struggled with keeping up with pop culture, but it is now at its worst. Elizabeth does not have time to stay current as she runs her campaign and the county.

"It's a very dramatic show. One person in each of the couples gives their partner an ultimatum of 'marry me' or break up. And then they mix the couples up to date other people on the show."

"That sounds healthy," Elizabeth says sarcastically.

"It's fun to watch." Allison shrugs. "It's very dramatic."

The mother-daughter pair sit together and watch three episodes of the season. Allison had been correct. It is both very dramatic and fun to watch. Elizabeth never thought she'd enjoy a reality TV show, but she does. Elizabeth had been a little enthralled. She had asked her daughter questions about the seeming intricacies of queer relationships. She seemed to enjoy watching the dynamic closely. Also, Allison is sure she saw her mom checking out some of the women. She recalls her life and remembers how proud her mother had been when Blake came out to her. How proud she had been when she came out to her. Her thoughts cause Allison to have many more questions about her mother than she's ever had before. But she only chooses to ask one.

"Mom, are you…" Allison stops her sentence. She wants to phrase her question carefully and with a stance of openness. "Are you maybe... Would you consider yourself to be bisexual?"

Elizabeth looks at her daughter. She swallows and decides to be honest about it for the first time. "I guess I never really thought about it because it doesn't matter."

Allison furrows her brow and says, "But it does matter. My sexuality is a big part of who I am. I would assume it is to everyone."

"I understand that..." Elizabeth takes a moment to think. "When I say it doesn't matter... Without you having to know too much information about your mother. I love your father. I love him with every piece of me. He is truly my soulmate and the romantic love of my life. And again, without divulging too much, I love everything that comes with being married to your father. I hope you can understand what I mean by that because I don't want to get into those things with you. So... whom I may or may not be attracted to outside of that doesn't matter. Because I am not leaving or cheating on your father anytime soon, and if I were ever to see someone, yes, man or woman I felt like being with sexually, it would just be a passing human thought because I am in a fulfilling monogamous marriage. And I'm delighted with my life and chosen partner."

"That's good to know," Allison says with a genuine smile. She wants to make sure her mother feels the same acceptance from her that her mother has always given. But she watches her mom's face fall very slightly. Her mother, the CIA case officer turned politician, can lean on her skills of covering emotion when needed. "What's wrong, Mom?"

"I've never told anyone that before. And while I'm not stupid, I also never labeled it," She pauses and decides to keep talking. "I've always just considered myself straight. Because why not? I'm in a heterosexual marriage that fulfills me in all the ways a marriage should. But now that you have me thinking about it..." She shakes her head, feeling like a fool. "I am bisexual. Again you are my daughter, and you don't need a history of certain things. But there was someone before your dad. And I loved her, at least as much as a sixteen-year-old can love someone. High school love pales in comparison to the real big thing. You're old enough to have learned that. But the other things don't. And I liked them as much as I like them with men."

Elizabeth pauses again as she thinks back on her life. She smiles as she thinks about the wonderful woman she had known all those years ago and the attraction she had to her. And she thinks about Henry and her instant attraction to him in that lecture hall. It was the same attraction. She had the same thoughts about each of them. It was the same instant physical pull. She can't believe that she's figuring this out in her mid-fifties. She never thought much about her sexuality. She knew she wasn't totally straight. But it ceased to matter to her once she fell for Henry. And now she feels like an idiot. But she's in the company of her daughter, who has learned to be incredibly comfortable with herself. Elizabeth had been nervous for Allison at the beginning of her first campaign. But Allison had proven her strength, and one of Elizabeth's favorite memories from the first term campaign was marching in the DC Pride Parade with her out and proud daughter.

Allison looks at her mother with a big smile. She is happy that she has this moment with her. "I love you, mom."

Elizabeth returns the smile and kisses her daughter's forehead.

"Thank you for telling me," Allison adds.

"I love you too, Noodle." Elizabeth rises from the couch, "I'm going to go to bed. I have a long travel day tomorrow. Dad and I have two campaign stops."

"Goodnight, Mom."

"Night, Noodle."

Henry rises to greet her when she enters their room. He had been listening to her conversation with Allison. When Allison first came out to them as a lesbian, Henry did what he knows most dads do best. He went out to an LGBT-owned boutique, and he bought a shirt that said "proud dad" on it with a rainbow flag. When he was in that store, he saw another T-shirt. One he knew he needed to have for when Elizabeth acknowledged her attraction to women. Henry knows about Elizabeth's high school girlfriend. He knew about her before they were married or even engaged. Not from Elizabeth but from Joey, who had told him the real person from Houghton Hall he should be jealous of. Henry asked Elizabeth what Joey meant later that night, and she told him she was very close with her roommate, Denise. However, when she told him, her cheeks burned bright red. And she had said it didn't mean anything. She had said she was grieving her parents, and she was confused. But Henry knew better. Henry has never been insecure in their marriage. He has never been afraid that Elizabeth doesn't love him. Henry knows his wife inside and out. He knows that Elizabeth is unafraid to ask him for things she wants in bed, so he's always been sure she's satisfied with their sex life.

"You waited up." Elizabeth leans in and kisses her husband.

"I always wait up," Henry reminds her. "I hope you had a nice talk with Allison."

"I did," Elizabeth responds with a smile. She had always loved having moments with her daughter and is thankful she can still have those.

"Hey, I got you a gift about three years ago that I want to give you now. It's weird, but I think you'll like it. I mean... I hope you'll like it," Henry explains as he enters their too-big closet. He grabs the box that has been wrapped, waiting for the right moment to be opened. He hands the present to his wife. "Go on."

Elizabeth smiles as she removes the paper from the box. Inside is a heather gray t-shirt with a flower bouquet on it. The flowers are blue, pink, and purple. Elizabeth's eyes fill with tears, and she looks up at Henry. Her head tilts to the side as she reads his t-shirt. Above the pocket of the tee is the phrase 'bi wife energy' in a cursive font. Her smile falters for a second, worried about his possible rejection.

"Elizabeth, I love you. I love everything about you. I love every piece of you, all of the things that make you up, including your ability to love everyone. And every day, I feel lucky that you have chosen me to share your life with. You are so special to me." Henry wipes a tear from his wife's cheek. Their lips touch gently in a chaste kiss.

"How long have you known? You said you've had this for three years," Elizabeth asks, gesturing to her new shirt.

"A very long time," Henry answers vaguely.

Elizabeth laughs and throws her arms around her husband, "I love you so much."

The couple's lips meet again, and their arms wrap tightly around each other. Elizabeth does not know who else she'll tell if she ever gets the nerve to tell anyone else. But she does know that she is as glad Henry chose her as he seems to be that she chose him.