Author's Note: Thank you for those of you still reading this story! It's been so much fun! Reviews are always welcome!

"Babe, are you okay?" he asked, rubbing her back.

She buried her face into his shirt. "No."

Henry checked to make sure the privacy screen was up in the SUV as he held Elizabeth. At the moment, he trusted no one. Especially these new DS agents who allowed her to be ambushed like that.

I'm not leaving you alone.

"Are you in pain?"

She shook her head against his chest, tears soaking his shirt.

"I'm sorry this happened. I'll make it right."

Henry pushed her away for a second so he could try to reach his phone in his pocket. Elizabeth gripped him tighter around his middle, not wanting to let go.

"Babe, I'm getting my phone so I can call President Dalton. I'm not going anywhere."

The SUV hit a bump causing Henry and Elizabeth to go flying towards the opposite door in the backseat. While they were righting themselves, the privacy screen came down and one of the Diplomatic Security agents spoke. "Sorry about that. Rough roads out here. We should be in Geneva ready to take off in about forty minutes, Ma'am."

Elizabeth froze.

Henry glared at the agent.

"What's your name?" Elizabeth asked, in a small voice.

"Kyle Valdez and this is George Rogers," he said, pointing to the driver.

Henry attempted to control his breathing. "What the hell happened back at the hospital?" he demanded. Elizabeth may be trained to be polite, but he was under no such obligation.

Valdez spoke to Elizabeth and ignored Henry. "We're sorry Madam Secretary. We ran into some traffic. Protestors blocked the road we needed to get to the hospital."

She said nothing and continued staring straight ahead, eyes unfocused.

"Traffic? Protestors? She could have been shot again with how wild that crowd was!" Henry shouted.

Elizabeth flinched.

Great, now I scared her.

Henry reached for Elizabeth's hand and linked his fingers with hers. He squeezed her hand twice.

Forgive me?

She squeezed back.

Agent Valdez spoke again, this time addressing Henry. "Sir, the protocol was to wait inside the hospital with the Secretary until we arrived."

"Are you seriously blaming us? This is unbelievable!" Henry was fuming.

Valdez shook his head. "No, I'm just stating the facts for an unusual situation. I assure you it won't happen again since we have Secretary McCord with us."

"You're damn right it won't happen again. I'm not letting you anywhere near my wife!"

"Henry—" Elizabeth started. She put her hand on his arm gently, hoping to get his attention and calm him down.

His expression softened, and he lowered his voice. "Babe, no. I don't care what they say. This cannot happen again. I won't let it."

"Can you give us a minute?" Elizabeth asked, turning to look at Valdez.

He nodded and closed the privacy screen.

Elizabeth locked eyes with Henry. "I love that you want to remedy the situation. And what happened earlier was not ideal—"

"Ideal? Babe, you were ambushed."

"I'll agree with you there, but yelling at the people meant to protect me doesn't make me feel safer."

Henry sighed. "Sorry." He rubbed her shoulder with the hand that wasn't linked with hers. "What would make you feel safer?"

She leaned forward into his chest again. "Being home with you and the kids. Away from all of this."

"I hear you, Babe. I really do. But can we please at least call President Dalton and make sure these guys were vetted? It would give me some peace of mind before we get on your plane with them."

Elizabeth closed her eyes and buried her face into his shirt again. "Okay. As long as you promise not to leave me."

He kissed her forehead. "Of course not. You're stuck with me."

Henry pulled out his phone and dialed President Dalton's number. He pressed the speaker button and listened to it ring.

"Can they hear us?" he asked Elizabeth, gesturing with his head to the front seat of the SUV where Valdez and Rogers were sitting.

"My understanding is that they cannot hear us clearly. It's muffled."

Henry nodded.

"Hello?" Conrad said.

"Hi, President Dalton. I've got a question for you. Elizabeth is here with me and we had a bit of a situation with her new DS agents when we left the hospital in France."

"What happened?" Dalton asked.

Henry took a deep breath trying to keep his tone even so he didn't start yelling again. "Elizabeth was ambushed by a crowd of people. Diplomatic Security was nowhere to be found."

"That is unacceptable, Bess. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"I'm just a little shaken up. But otherwise okay, Sir." Elizabeth replied.

I cannot wait until we can put all of this behind us. It's just one thing after another. She needs to rest and be left alone for a while.

Henry smiled at her. "Are Kyle Valdez and George Rogers new agents?" he asked Conrad.

"Their names were at the top of the list I was given when I gave the okay for the replacement agents. The paper was on my desk yesterday before they flew out to Geneva."

"Did you meet them personally?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, but Russell did. Why?" Conrad lowered his voice. "Do you think there is something nefarious going on?"

Henry looked at Elizabeth before answering President Dalton. "We just don't know who to trust right now."

"With everything that's happened, I understand. I do want to reassure you that all Diplomatic Security agents are background checked before getting their top secret clearance."

Henry's brow furrowed and he reached for Elizabeth's hand again, needing the contact. "With all due respect, Mr. President, Teresa Hurst had top secret clearance, and she attempted to have Elizabeth killed."

Elizabeth gasped and gave him a look that said 'you can't say that to the President of the United States!'

Well, it's true.

"Your concerns are noted, Henry, but what are you suggesting we do right now with Valdez and Rogers to get you and Elizabeth back into the United States?"

Henry locked eyes with Elizabeth. "Honestly, it's not up to me. You need to ask her what will make her feel the safest."

"Elizabeth, what do you need?" President Dalton asked through the phone.

She closed her eyes, trying to shut the world out. Henry pulled her into a hug, comforting her with his touch. "I need to go home."

"Are you okay with Agents Valdez and Rogers right now?"

"I guess. And Henry's here so…" she replied, as if his presence explained her level of comfort.

You better get used to it, Babe. I'm here for you. Always.

Conrad was silent on the phone for a minute. "I know it's going to take some time to get used to your new DS agents, but would it help if you were part of the interview process when you return to work?"

"Yes, I would like that, Sir," Elizabeth replied.

"Ok. Rogers and Valdez will get you home safely and then we can reevaluate their positions at a later time. Sound good?" President Dalton asked.

"That's fine."

"When you say return to work, you mean in a few weeks right? Because she is in no way ready to be there this week with everything that happened," Henry said.

Elizabeth playfully slapped his arm.

"Yes, Henry, in a few weeks. After the trial," Conrad said.

Henry breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok. Just making sure we are on the same page."

"Absolutely. Take care of yourself, Bess. You too, Henry."

"Thanks, Conrad," Elizabeth said.

Henry hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. "You sure you're okay with these agents? They failed to protect you on a basic level from that crowd."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" she whispered.

"You always have a choice, Babe," he reminded her, rubbing her shoulder.

"I'm okay with them as long as you're with me for this trip. But I do want to meet some other candidates before officially assigning anyone to my detail. After what happened with the Vice President, I don't really know who is actually on my side anymore…"

"I know. I hate that you had to go through all of this. I wish I could take it all away."

Elizabeth held his gaze. "You are helping so much, Henry. Trust me. I'm just ready to be on my plane, flying back to the kids."

"Me too. Soon, Babe." He kissed her softly on the lips.

The privacy screen came down again, interrupting them.

"Excuse me Madam Secretary, but we are about ten minutes from the airport in Geneva. Just thought you should know. We should be in the air in about fifteen minutes," Valdez said.

"Thank you," she replied.

"Of course, Madam Secretary." He closed the screen again.

"I think he hates me," Henry said.

Elizabeth chuckled. "Well you did yell at him…"

"Only because he refused to take responsibility for what happened. It wasn't right. You've already been through enough. I didn't want you to get hurt again."

"I love when you're protective of me. It's kinda hot…" Elizabeth said, leaning forward to kiss him.

Henry deepened the kiss for a few seconds. "Mhmm. Babe…" He pulled back to make sure she knew how serious he was. "I'll always protect you. You're worth it to me."

"I love you. So much," Elizabeth said, pecking him on the cheek. She leaned into his side, linked their hands together, and looked out the window. "You know, it really is pretty outside. Too bad we aren't here under better circumstances."

"You do need a vacation," Henry replied, smiling.

Elizabeth played with his fingers, distracting herself. "I don't think I would choose France. Or Geneva. At least not for a while."

"I don't blame you."

"Maybe we can go somewhere tropical…" she suggested. "A beach sounds nice."

"As long as I don't have to scuba dive."

"I never said anything about scuba diving!"

Henry laughed. "Good. Because I'm not doing it."

The SUV rolled to a stop and Henry heard the agents in the front get out. Agent Valdez opened the door to the back seat, and Henry stepped out first. He helped Elizabeth out of the car and then grabbed the packed bag. Agent Rogers walked around to join them.

"Right this way, Madam Secretary," Agent Rogers said, falling into step beside her and Henry.

Henry held Elizabeth's hand and took slow steps to make sure that she was okay to walk the length of the tarmac to her plane. "Take it easy, Babe. It's not a race."

"I know."

After they had walked about half the distance, she leaned more heavily into Henry's side. "I need a minute."

He kissed the top of her head. "Take your time, Babe."

"Do you want me to help?" Agent Valdez asked, reaching for Elizabeth. The moment he made contact with her right shoulder, she tensed and froze.

"No, I've got her," Henry said.

Agent Valdez put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, but it might go faster if…"

"I said I've got her."

"Henry, it's okay. He's trying to help," Elizabeth whispered into his ear.

"Babe, I don't want them to hurt you."

I can't sit by and let anyone touch you without your permission. Not after Farhad Azimi.

"I know. I appreciate you looking out for me. Although, I don't think anyone will be trying anything with the death glares you keep giving," she replied.

"I can't help it, Babe." He rubbed her shoulder.

"You're so good to me, Henry."

He kissed her quickly. "Ready to keep going?" he asked.

She nodded and they started walking again, slowly. Several minutes later, they reached the steps to get onto her plane. Henry helped her up the stairs and then into a chair just to the right of the door. He knelt down to her level and spoke to her in soft tones. "Breathe, Babe. You did great. I'm so proud of you."

Agents Valdez and Rogers stepped onto the plane and took seats to the left of the door. Both of them nodded at Henry upon entering the plane. He noticed that Valdez was fidgeting in his seat and bouncing his leg up and down.

That's weird. He seems uneasy. Maybe he's a nervous flyer? I'm keeping an eye on him.

Elizabeth continued to try and slow her breathing. "My leg hurts."

"I know it does. You want some aspirin?" he asked, refocusing his attention on his wife. He cupped her cheek with his palm.

She nodded.

"Alright, I packed some. Hang on." Henry reached for his bag, and dug through it to find the bottle of aspirin. "Here you go, Babe," he said, passing Elizabeth the medicine, along with a bottle of water from the mini fridge nearby. "We'll go to the pharmacy first thing when we get home."

After taking the pain killers, Elizabeth leaned her head back and closed her eyes for a moment.

"We're ready to take off in two minutes, Madam Secretary," the pilot said through the plane's speaker.

Henry gently squeezed Elizabeth's shoulder to get her attention. "Do you want to go lie down in the back?"

She opened her eyes briefly and then nodded.

"Let me help you," Henry said.

He reached for her hand, and then helped her to stand. She leaned forward into his chest, and took a second to ready herself for walking to the back of the plane on her injured leg.

"I'm right here. Whenever you're ready, Babe."

She and Henry shuffled more than they walked over to where there was a rest area in the back of the plane. Once they reached the bench seat that pulled out into a bed, she collapsed on top of it.

"You did great. Now, rest," he said.

Elizabeth kicked off her shoes and propped her feet up on the bench, sighing at the pressure being relieved from her injured left leg. Henry sat down next to her and reached for her foot, slowly massaging it. He pushed hard with his fingers into the center of her foot and waited to hear her sigh in momentary bliss.

"Oh my God, don't stop," Elizabeth whispered.

I've still got it.

Henry smiled. "I'm glad it's helping."

While he massaged her feet, Henry felt the plane take off. "Feel that Babe? We're in the air. Just relax and we'll be home before you know it."

"I love you, Henry," Elizabeth said, leaning over to kiss him.

"I love you too."

Henry leaned back on the bench seat and felt Elizabeth lay her feet in his lap, seeking his warmth. He spotted a blanket underneath one of the nearby seats, and stood up to grab it. He returned to the bench seat and covered both of them with the blanket. She scooted over so she was leaning with her back to his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, placing a kiss on top of her head. There was a lot of comfort in being able to hold her because he knew she was safe in his arms. Her breathing became more and more regular and Henry could tell she wasn't far from falling sleep.

I can't wait to put this whole mess behind us.

Several minutes passed in comfortable silence, and Henry was starting to drift off to sleep, when he heard Agents Valdez and Rogers arguing in whispered tones.

He popped one eye open and glanced over to where they were sitting near the front of the plane.

What are they arguing about? Can't they tell she needs to rest?

He listened to Agent Rogers more intently when he heard Elizabeth's name mentioned.

"…I just think the Secretary needs to know…"

Needs to know what?

Henry threw the blanket off of himself and Elizabeth, waking her up. "Henry? What's wrong?" she asked, sleepy and disoriented.

"Why don't you ask them?" he said, pointing to Agents Valdez and Rogers.

Elizabeth looked from Henry to the agents, confusion written all over her face. "Ask them what?"

"What they were arguing about. What does my wife need to know?" he demanded, standing in front of her protectively.

Both agents stood up and walked over to the bench seat near the back of the plane, approaching Henry and Elizabeth's space. Henry didn't move, blocking their view of his wife.

"I said we could do this later," Agent Rogers whispered to Agent Valdez.

"They're going to find out eventually. Might as well tell them now," whispered Valdez.

"Tell me what?" Elizabeth asked, peeking around Henry to make eye contact with the agents.

Agent Valdez sighed heavily. "Secretary McCord should know that this plane is not going to the United States."

"What?! What do you mean?" Henry demanded.

Elizabeth reached for his hand and pulled him down to sit next to her. Henry heard her on the verge of hyperventilating. He rubbed her shoulder and put his arm around her to remind her that he was there.

"Exactly what he said," Rogers responded. "We're not going to the United States. We're going to Iran."