Wearing her bathing suit and a Hawaiian print wrap tied around her waist, Abbey got down on her hands and knees and began searching around the shrubs that surrounded the bench where she had laid her dress the previously evening.

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath. "How far could Jed have flung it?"

She crawled around the edge of a shrub then stopped abruptly when she saw a pair of cowboy boots in front of her face. Slowly, her heart racing, she gazed up over the edge of her dark sunglasses to follow the length of long denim clad leg to see the sardonic half smile of the man who was twirling her panties on his finger.

"Looking for these?"

Abbey sat back on her heels and glared up the man, her chest heaving with anger. "As a matter of fact I am. What are YOU doing with them?"

John stared at the woman who kneeled before him, a quick stab of desire coursing through his groin. Having Abbey in that submissive position reminded him of the rumor his agent had passed on to him about the night that she gave the President a blow job right on the deck of their boat. He could only imagine how tantalizing that vision had been.

"John," Abbey repeated impatiently. "I asked you a question."

"Oh, you did, didn't you? Well, I just happened to be taking an innocent little walk through my garden when I came across this naughty little pair of panties lying on top of the flowerbed. Very risqué, Mrs. Bartlet. Then I remembered how much time that you and the President spent in here last night and I just put two and two together.

Abbey continued to glare at him unswayed by his words. She simply doubted that John had been innocently walking in his garden when he found her panties. She had never despised John the way that her husband and Leo had early on. She might not have agreed with his politics but he had always treated her with respect and courtesy until now. Now there was something extremely snakish about his behavior, a side to him she had only heard about in rumors.

"Well, I'd like to have them back please, they happen to be one of my husband's favorite pairs." She got to her feet and reached for her underwear.

"I'll just bet they are." The sardonic smile was back as he held them just out of her reach.

"John, I don't know why you're behaving like this but it's an extremely unattractive side to you." She reached up on her tiptoes and ripped the tiny scrap of material out of his hand.

Realizing he'd pushed things further than he had intended and knowing that to alienate Jed Bartlet, the one man who still wanted him on the ticket, was extremely detrimental to his career, he forced an amiable laugh.

"Come on, Abbey. I was just joking around with you."

"Well, I didn't find it humorous in the least. You certainly aren't behaving like a southern gentleman."

"Well, any woman who does what you did right here in this garden last night is certainly no lady."

On it's own volition Abbey's hand came up and she slapped John hard across the face. She stared at him in shock for a moment feeling ridiculously like Scarlett O'Hara. She was not a "hitter" by nature, but she sure as hell was not going to apologize.

"I guess I deserved that," he said, his hand rubbing at the red mark on his cheek. "What I said was uncalled for."

"Yes, it was. But since I AM a lady, I'll let you escape with your cojones intact. THIS TIME." With a toss of her brilliant hair she turned and left the garden, heading toward the pool still in a huff. She hadn't gotten 10 feet when she literally bumped into Bruno. Could things possibly get any better? She wondered.

"Abbey," he grasped her elbow to steady her. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Bruno. I'm fine."

Bruno's eyes fell to the lacy thong she carried in her hand. "Is there a reason that you're carrying your underwear around?" He asked.

"I lost them in the garden last night," she said, balling them up in her fist. "Care to make a comment about that?"

Bruno's lips twitched with restrained humor as he remembered the President and First Lady returning to the party after having been missing for quite a while. "Just one. There weren't any members of the press lurking in there while you were losing them, were there?"

A sharp retort was on the tip of Abbey's tongue when she realized that Bruno was teasing her.

"Just one or two paparazzi hiding amongst the azalea's," she quipped. "But don't worry, you magical spin doctors can come up with some reason to explain why the President was undressing his wife in his Vice President's garden. Snake bite, maybe?" She lifted her brow in a questioning move then started back off down the path.

"Abbey," Bruno called out as she reached for the gate.

"Yes?" she turned.

"I'm sure "People" magazine would love to have known about those." He gestured to her fist. "They could have added it to their list of your sexy attributes."

"I think their list was quite long enough. Besides, it would be nice if I could have SOME secrets."

Her message was not lost on Bruno and he dragged his fingers across his lips assuring her that his lips were zipped. She smiled in acknowledgement of the gesture and turned back toward the pool.

Abbey heard the splashing and the shrieks of laughter coming from her husband and children before she even opened the gate to the pool. And, when she did open the gate her bad temper was miraculously lifted from her shoulders. She smiled as she watched Jed tossing Nicholas up in the air then pretending to be a shark nibbling on Aislinn's toes. She caught his eye as she made her way over to the pair of shorts he had left laying over a lounge chair and winked at him as she slid her panties into the pocket.

Her mission over, she turned and saw CJ seated under the umbrella at a table.

"Where is Suzanne?"

"She's inside getting us some frozen margarita's."

"Mmm… that sounds good." Abbey sat down beside her and dipped a tortilla chip into salsa, then stared at her friend for a long moment.

"What's wrong?" CJ finally asked. "You look like you expect me to say something."

"I don't know. Why don't YOU tell me what's wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"You've been very quiet and nervous and sort of jumpy this whole trip. What's bugging you?"

CJ panicked. Had something given her away. Did Abbey have any idea of why she was so uncomfortable here?

"Is it your dad? How is he doing?"

Nope, relief. Abbey didn't know. Only Toby knew. " He's the same. Some good days some bad. I guess I'm just tired. Do you ever just get tired of everyone watching you and judging you?"

An incredulous expression crossed Abbey's face. "Good, LORD, girl, LOOK who you're talking to here. Of course I get sick of it. But, at least you get to go home to an empty apartment. I go home to a huge domestic staff that takes care of my every need and whim. That sounds nice on paper but it's also a horrible invasion of privacy. They know pretty much everything that there is to know about me. They cook my food so they know when I eat, how much I eat and what I like to eat. They strip my bed so they know when I've had sex and when I haven't. They do my laundry so they know what kind of lingerie that I wear, what my bra size is and even what time of the month I get my period. They clean my bathroom so they know my brand preferences of deodorant, toothpaste, and tampons. Hell, they even know what kind of birth control Jed and I are using at any given moment. And that, well, that's just the staff. I also have secret service agents who follow me around all day. They know what time I wake up and what time I go to bed. They know when I go to the bathroom and how many times I go to the bathroom, and let me tell you, I must have driven them nuts when I was pregnant with the twins. They know how much time that I spend with my children and what we do in that time. They know when I'm having a romantic, intimate dinner with my husband, and they know when he's in the doghouse. And, let's just say my sex life hasn't been private since I've moved into the White House. Sick of it? CJ, I'm the poster girl for sick of it."

CJ grinned at her ruefully. "I guess I don't have quite as much to bitch about, do I?"

"What are you bitching about?" Jed asked. He had gotten out of the pool, leaving Nicholas and Aislinn playing with one of their agents and was now toweling off near the table.

"Is someone bitching?" Leo asked.

Abbey smiled as Leo sat at the table in his suit coat. Leave it to Leo to even look formal sitting by the pool.

"We are," Abbey admitted. "We're bitching about how much harder it is to be a woman on the campaign trail than it is to be a man. Something I think Suzanne would concur with.

"Absolutely," Suzanne agreed setting the pitcher of frozen margaritas on the table. "Men don't know how lucky they have it."

"I beg to disagree," Jed said, as he toweled off his thick hair and sat next to his wife. "I can't see where Abbey has it any more difficult than I do on the campaign trail.

"Jed," Abbey looked at him with astonished eyes. "You've GOT to be kidding. When was the last time that you had to have weights sewn into the bottom of your skirts so they don't fly up in the wind when you get of a car? When was the last time that you had to carry five pairs of pantyhose around in your purse because, god forbid, the press catch you with a run in your stockings? When was the last time that you had to have extra padding put into your bras so on cold days your nipples don't show up through your silk blouse like little turkey timers."

CJ was laughing now and added her own two cents. "When was the last time that you had to worry about visible panty lines?"

"Or what kind of shape your fingernails are in." Suzanne added, joining in the fun.

"Or making sure that your fingernail polish matches your toenail polish." The ball was back in Abbey's court and she served the final and decisive volley. "When was the last time that you had to worry about not wearing a light colored skirt at a certain time of the month. In fact, when was the last time that you had to worry about starting your period at an inopportune place or time at all, Jed?" Abbey flashed a victorious grin and gave CJ a high five. "Bet you can't beat that one."

Jed and Leo stared dumbfounded at the three righteous women. Jed knew about the bra's and the pantyhose, god knew he'd watched her change her hose enough times in the back of a limo, he'd even known about her fears of "leakage" but hearing the cumulative weight of her list had done him in. All he ever really had to worry about was not going out in public with food on his tie or Abbey's lipstick on his lips and face.

"No, you're right. Nothing I could ever do would surpass the mystique of the female reproductive cycle. You've got me there and you know it, dollface."

"Yeah, I guess I do." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Smooching again?" John's words were teasing but CJ noticed Abbey stiffen noticeably, her eyes cold as she looked at the man. She also noticed the slight red mark on his cheek and wondered just what kind of stunt John had pulled now.

"John, hush" Suzanne admonished him. "You'll have to forgive him. He's not used to public displays of affection."

"I thought it was we northerners who were repressed on that front," Jed said. "I thought you southerners were supposed to be more open."

"Not when you were raised by Bessie Mae Hoynes." Suzanne said. It was the tone of her words that lead Abbey to believe that Suzanne hadn't gotten along with her mother in law any better than she did with Emily Bartlet. "

"Your mother?" Jed looked at John.

"The one and only."

"Bessie Mae was strict Bible belt Baptist," Suzanne continued. "She didn't cotton to smoking, swearing, drinking, smooching, or even dancing. She must have been rolling in her grave with all the drinking and dancing going on here last night."

"Among other things," John drolly stated lifting his glass of ice water in tribute to Abbey. It was those three words and the little lift of his glass that made Abbey's decision for her. She hadn't been sure if she would tell Jed about John's behavior in the garden, but now she knew that she would. It might take him down a peg or two to have him deal with yet another Bartlet. Besides the last time that she'd kept something similar from her husband it had blown up in her face and tested his trust in her.

John's innuendo had gone right over Jed's head, and Abbey chose to ignore him. She got to her feet and turned to her husband.

"Want to go for a dip with me?" She asked.

"Absolutely."

John's eyes surreptitiously followed Abbey as she untied the knot at her hip doing away with her sarong and revealing a curvaceously lush body in a trendy little tankini. The navy blue bikini bottoms were high cut displaying her long shapely legs to their best advantage and the tight fitting Lycra Hawaiian print top hugged her generous breasts and didn't quite reach the top of her bikini bottoms.

Suzanne and Leo were discussing the upcoming trip to Dallas so they were unaware of John's scrutiny of Abbey, but CJ was watching him like a hawk and she didn't miss anything. She knew the minute John's eyes had fallen to the swath of skin exposed at Abbey's midriff and he saw the sun flashing off the tantalizing gold heart she was wearing in her belly button. She saw his eyes grow hooded and she knew exactly what that look meant she just hoped that John would have enough sense not to act on his physical urges this time.

****

"Why were you so rude to the President and First Lady today?" Suzanne asked, once everyone had departed so the men could dress to fly out to Dallas. They were in their bedroom.

"I wasn't rude." He continued to work on his tie.

"Yes you were. Why did you have to make that remark about them smooching? So what if they want to kiss? Some couples do like to show affection, you know."

"AFFECTION, Suzanne for Christ's sake they were FUCKING in our garden last night."

"What?" Suzanne looked stunned. Classy wives like Abbey did NOT make love with their husband's out of doors. "You don't know that John, just because they were in the garden doesn't mean that they were having sex."

"Yeah, it does. I found Abbey's thong laying in a bed of purple flowers."

"Abbey wore a THONG?" Suzanne was even more intrigued. Abbey Bartlet had always fascinated her. In a way, although they were very close in age, she looked up to her. There was something slightly unconventional about Abbey, something daring. Only recently had she found out just how daring. She'd seen the tabloids with the photos that Abbey had done for Jed; she'd seen the Celtic knot tattoo on the back of her hip and her pierced navel. And although they had slowly gotten to know each other over the past four years, Suzanne realized that there was a lot that she didn't know about Abbey.

"Well, she said that it was hers," John drawled.

"Wait a minute," Suzanne's eyes narrowed. "What were YOU doing in the garden. You hate the garden, you think it's a waste of my time. You went in there because you knew what they'd been doing in there. What were you doing, looking for evidence, a used condom or something?"

John flushed. She'd nearly hit the nail on the head. He had gone into the garden wondering if he'd find evidence of what had gone on there the night before, but more than that he'd wanted to picture it in his mind. Abbey as she had looked last night, wanton and disheveled and the way that he had found her this morning looking up at him from her knees.

"Don't be silly, Suzanne, of course I wasn't looking for evidence."

"Besides what does it matter if they did decide to make love under the moon in our garden. I think it's very romantic. And they weren't exactly the first to have intercourse there. At least they were husband and wife and not senator and campaign aide." There was bitterness in Suzanne's words and a shaft of pain in her heart as she remembered the night that she had found her husband and Tangy Trenton having sex on one of her garden benches. It was in that moment that all the rumors had become reality for her and she had come close to ending her marriage then and there. But, Johnny had only been 14 and Maggie 12, she'd stuck it out for her children, and because, in spite of it all, she really did love John Hoynes.

"Suzanne" John turned on that boyish pout that he knew she found irresistible. "You promised you wouldn't bring that up again. I've turned over anew leaf. I promised you there would be no more women and I meant it. You have to trust me."

Suzanne's heart melted as it always did when her husband turned on the charm. "I know you did." She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry John, that wasn't fair. I do trust you. I know you'll never jeopardize our marriage again."

John kissed the top of his wife's head. He wasn't such a complete shit that he didn't feel regret about lying to her. But as he held her in his arms he thought about HER. The other woman, his mistress. He needed her right now. He needed the way that she stoked his ego. Losing the nomination to Jed Bartlet and having to play second banana had nearly done him in. He'd been depressed, feeling like a failure. Seeing himself through Suzanne's eyes exacerbated that. Her eyes saw his weaknesses, his faults. Her eyes saw that he was a bad husband, a bad father, and now a bad politician. Helen's eyes were different. She looked up to him, she built him up, and she made him feel powerful. Feeling powerful and important was something that he needed right now even if it meant hurting the woman who believed in him, who trusted him and who was being betrayed by him day in and day out every time he went to the apartment he shared with another woman and spent the night in her bed, in her arms, in her body.

****

"So, where did you find this pretty little thing anyway?" Jed asked, as he slipped his wife's panties out of his pocket and twirled them on his finger much in the same way John had earlier.

"What is it with all you men and naughty undies?" Abbey asked irritated. "It's just fabric for heaven's sake why does it obsess you so much?"

"It's not just fabric when it's concealing…or as far as this little lacy piece goes, barely concealing, certain strategic areas on a woman's body that we men are obsessed by." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Abbey shook her head and reached to take the panties at the same moment Jed realized what she had said and held them back.

"What exactly did you mean by ALL you men?" He asked suspiciously. "Just what other men have seen your naughty undies?"

"Well, what do you think that I do when you're off campaigning?" She asked sarcastically. "I mean there really isn't anything else for me to do other than entertain a slew a young studs who all love my array of naughty underwear."

"Very funny, Abigail."

"Well, don't be such a jackass. You know that you're the only one who sees my underwear. I was speaking about men in general."

"No you weren't. You were pissed."

She could see he wasn't going to let it drop. "Okay, you're right. I was going to wait until after you'd gone to Dallas to tell you this, but I can see I better do it now. I didn't find my thong. John did."

"Hoynes?"

"Yes, John Hoynes" Abbey sighed.

"What was he doing with our thong?"

"Oh, now it's OUR thong."

"It is when John Hoynes is toying with it. So what was he doing with it?"

"He teased me with it saying he found it while he was walking through the garden."

"What do you mean he teased you with it?"

"You know, he made a few suggestive comments about how risqué they are and e held them out of my reach."

"He made you ASK for them."

"No, he made me GRAB them."

"That son of bitch," Jed fumed.

"Jed, calm down. I took care of it. I slapped him."

"You SLAPPED him?" Jed's eyes widened. Abbey did not strike out in anger. Oh, once in a while when she was in a hot tempered fury she might throw something, but knowing what kind of man his father had been, she had never struck him, even in the worst of their fights. "What the hell did he say to you that made you pissed enough to slap him?"

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I probably overreacted…"

"Abigail." Jed's tone was firm, his eyes serious.

"Okay, okay. I told him that he wasn't behaving like a southern gentleman and he told me that any woman who did what I did with you in the garden last night was no lady."

Jed nodded the only sign of his anger the tic throbbing in his jaw. "I'll be back." He turned, striding for the door.

"Jed, where are you going?"

"Where do you think that I'm going? Nobody calls my wife a slut and gets away with it."

TBC...