Washington, DC – October 2014

Stevie sits between her Grandfather and little sister on the couch. She has her arm around Allison, who has been doing nothing but staring into space since they got shuffled into this hotel room after their dinner. They haven't been allowed back to the original room since being booted to dinner with their grandfather. Jason is on the other side of Allison, seemingly distracted with his Nintendo DS, but Stevie can sense his tension as well.

She strains her ears, hoping to catch any sound that might indicate the twins are still awake. They've been troopers through whatever these last twenty-four hours have been. At least they, at only seven, don't understand the gravity of the situation, the extraordinary effects that will ripple from this.

"My mom is alive," She whispers to her grandfather. She eyes the three agents in the room with them she understands now they aren't here to protect them, but rather to watch them.

"I know, honey," Patrick says softly.

"She's in trouble?" Stevie questions, still eyeing the agents, "She did something bad?"

"No, not from what I've heard," Patrick says. He leaves out any details from the conversation he was privy to in the Oval Office. He figures his granddaughter doesn't need to know about the President's execution plans.

"They're purposefully keeping us away from Dad, aren't they?"

"I think so," He nods.

Stevie observes her grandfather. His eyes are hard and pointed at the agents, and his mouth rests in a line.

"You're worried about him." She observes.

"He's my son," Is Patrick's simple reply. He knows Stevie cannot possibly understand the depth of worry Patrick has for his boy, but it is evident enough.

"So, what do we do?" Stevie asks.

"We wait."

"We have to help him," Stevie presses.

"Stephanie, I promised my son I would keep you guys safe." Patrick sighs, "There are big people at play here. And that's the only thing your father has asked of me to keep you safe. You and I are going to do what we're told so your Dad can focus on what he has to."

Stevie bites her lip and nods, not completely convinced.

"But..."

"Your Dad can handle himself, and he loves you. He's not going to compromise your safety, and neither am I," Patrick says. He feels the need to keep his word to his son. He's had a long few days to think over his life, and particularly Henry. Patrick knows he has not been the best father. He's made a lot of mistakes with his boy, and he's going to make up for them if he can. He'll do anything he can to prove to Henry how much he loves him. Henry had asked him to do this one thing: keep his kids safe.

"You don't have to treat me like I'm a kid," she mumbles, "I'm an adult,"

"You rarely act like one," Patrick mumbles back, knowingly, slightly offending her. He needs her to change the subject as he notices the way one of the agents is walking over to them with nothing but authority written on his face. He doesn't want her saying something that will get her in trouble.

"Mr. McCord," the agent addresses them professionally, "I need to have Stephanie come with me on her mother's request,"

"Why?" Patrick asks calmly. He was told not to trust Jess by Henry, and he has since decided the only person he does trust is his son.

"I can't tell you that," the agent says, "Now, Stevie, please come with me."

"Not without a good reason." Patrick stands up to defend her.

"Mr. McCord, I believe you are under the impression that there is a choice in this matter," The agent's sickeningly sweet smile drops, "There is not. Stephanie will be coming with me,"

"No, she's going to stay with me," Patrick stands his ground.

"And I'm asking nicely," The agent says, his patience thinning.

"Well, she's not going," Patrick says.

"Patrick, please don't make this more difficult than it has to be," The agent's hand moves towards his weapon as he turns his attention to Stevie, "Stephanie, your grandfather seems to be a proud man. If he remains that way, his brains will be splattered all over Allison's and Jason's faces,"

"Don't threaten her," Patrick growls, taking a step forward.

"Don't move."

The agent pulls out his gun, and it's aimed directly at Patrick's forehead.

Stevie watches the scene in front of her, "I'll go!" she says quickly as she feels her body ignite with fear. She doesn't want her family to get hurt.

"No, Stevie," Patrick tells her firmly.

"It's fine," She tries to assure him. She looks between her grandfather and the agent.

"Stevie," Patrick tries stepping in front of her once more and earns a hit on the side of his head with the gun, causing him to stumble to the side, falling against the coffee table.

"Stop!" Stevie screams.

Patrick rubs his temple, feeling the blood trickle down his skin, and glares at the agent, "You have no right-"

"Shut up," The agent commands, "Let's go,"

He grabs her by the bicep and begins to lead her away from her now hyperventilating sister and her thirteen-year-old brother, who is in a daze, helping his grandfather stand up.

"Stevie," Her Grandfather calls after her, "Stevie,"

The agent stops just short of the door and turns back to the rest of the family, "If he tries to follow us, shoot one of the kids." He orders the other two agents.

The door slams shut behind them, and the agent keeps his hand firmly planted on her arm, dragging her along with him. She follows him willingly but silently, hoping not to cause any trouble.

When the door opens to the large suite, Stevie feels the metal newly pressed into her ribs. She's filled with a kind of terror she's never felt before as her eyes land on her father- who is firmly squared up against the woman she still considers her mother. Jess is the closest thing she has. Elizabeth is still only an idea at the crux of it.

"Daddy," She whispers. She hears the click of a gun and feels the cold steel press harder into her side.

Henry's head snaps up, and she watches as he takes her in, eyes lingering on the gun pressed into her side.

"It's okay, baby," he says breathlessly.

Stevie wants to believe her father but can't. Not when there is a gun pressed against her and not when she can see the fear in her father's eyes. She's never seen her dad scared, and she hates the fact that she is the one to bring this out of him. His face is the palest she's ever seen, and his eyes are red and swollen.

"I'm scared," Stevie whispers to her parents.

Henry nods, "I know, but I'm going to fix it. Okay? I'm going to do whatever I need to do to fix it," he promises.

She watches as her father turns to her mother, "Jess, you're not torturing me. You're torturing her. Call him off,"

"I'm sorry," Jess says softly, her voice shaking, "I love her,"

"Then stop," Henry says.

Jess shakes her head, "I'm sorry."

"Please? Please, honey, she's our daughter. I know you're a good person," Henry begs his wife.

"Your biggest flaw, Henry, is that you always assume people are better than they are, but I'm not a good person. I'm not," Jess says, and the tears start falling.

Stevie wants her Mommy. The thought is childish, and she knows this, but it is the truth. She feels as if she could actually die in this room, and if there is one thing she could have, it's her mom, not the woman standing in front of her who has morphed into a stranger in seconds. She wants her mom, the woman she's only known, is still be alive for three hours. She wants to hug her and cry with her. Stevie wants her mom.

"Let her go, and I'll give you what you want," Henry says. He takes a deep breath, trying to control the fear inside of him, "Jess, please, let her go."

Jess ignores her husband's pleas. She grabs the burner Henry has been using to communicate with Elizabeth.

"You have one more chance, Henry. One more call. Prove to your daughter you love her enough not to let her die," Jess says coldly.

Henry nods, looking at Stevie. His eyes are soft, and she can't recognize her stepmother anymore.

"Okay, okay," Henry nods.

He slowly dials the phone number.

Parkersburg, WV – October 2024

The shocked vacuum of silence is filled with the sound of Elizabeth's burner ringing. She reluctantly rips her eyes away from Jay Whitman and his revelation to look at the phone as it vibrates on the desk. She swallows. She knows the steaks are about to be upped once again.

"They found the empty hotel room," Isabelle says.

Elizabeth nods, reaching for the phone before it quits ringing, "Hello?"

She's not expecting the first sound to hit her ear to be a sob, but the cry is unmistakable. Elizabeth freezes and listens for a second. It's a woman crying.

"Hello?" She asks again.

"Elizabeth, we have reached an impasse," Henry's voice hits her ears. It's thick and shaking.

"Henry, what is going on?" She asks him.

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry," Henry sniffs, "They have Stevie, I'm so sorry."

Elizabeth doesn't respond. She's stunned into silence, and her heart is hammering in her chest. She pictures her little girl- not the woman she knows she is now but the ten-year-old she remembers from Joint Base Andrews.

"Elizabeth, please," Henry pleads, "They're going to kill her. You need to end this. Only you can end this,"

Elizabeth can't breathe. She knows it's Stevie, whose sobs she can hear over the line- she can feel it deep in her bones. Her heart hurts, and she knows, without a doubt, that it is her daughter.

"Please," Henry's voice breaks her out of her daze, "Only you can do this. If you love our kids, end this. Elizabeth, I tried. Okay? I tried so hard,"

She hears Henry let out a sob. And she breaks, "Okay," she breathes.

Mike is the one who catches her shift from spy to mother. He reacts quickly, grabbing the phone from her hands and hanging it up. He's prepared for the reaction he knows is coming from the terrified mother and wife, and he catches her easily as her legs buckle underneath her. He holds her as the sobs escape her throat.

"What did you do!" She yells, filled with absolute grief, "They're going to kill her. Oh, God."

"You can't be rational," Mike says, "I know it seems counter-intuitive to you because you are her mother. But I saved her life by stopping you from giving yourself up," His voice is calm and patient- not unlike it was on her transport back to Bagdad.

"No!" She screams, struggling to get out of his hold, but Mike holds her firm.

"Elizabeth, once they have you, they no longer need your family. They are not going to spare their lives if they have no incentive. Your family will be safe. You're the one they want. It's the only way," Mike says.

"I can't let my daughter die, Mike," Elizabeth cries. Her voice is barely above a whisper, her heart breaking.

"I'm not going to let your daughter die. You've brought it this far. Let me help you take it over the finish line. Okay?" He says. She knows he's asking for her trust, "Please. Just a little bit further,"

She doesn't want to listen, but she nods. She lets Mike carry her weight as he brings her back to sit next to Isabelle.

"What do I do?" She asks, not looking up at either of them, too ashamed and hurt.

"Jay," Mike says, taking control of the immediate situation, "Call Isaac Bishop, tell him I need a discreet small team to find the McCord family. Odds are they are somewhere close to POTUS. They'll need to be extracted and taken to a safe location close to DC so Elizabeth can see them when she's done. Tell him the clock is ticking, and there are four lives on the line. And Barnes, why don't you help Elizabeth get your bags back together? We need to be in DC ASAP. We'll let Jay enlighten us about his father on the way,"

She doesn't have it in her to question him.

"I need your burner," Isabelle whispers as they pack.

Elizabeth hands it over wordlessly.

Isabelle makes quick work of the phone- snapping it in half and drowning it in the hotel sink. She turns around, and her eyes lock with Elizabeth's.

"I know you're terrified, Bess. But I also know that you that you know Mike is right," Isabelle tries her best to bring Elizabeth back to reality, "You need to keep it together for just a little longer, okay? You're almost done,"

Elizabeth doesn't answer.

"Elizabeth," Isabelle's voice is sterner.

"Okay," Elizabeth answers.

"Okay, then let's go," Isabelle nods.