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 he 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 as he lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "Did he touch you?"

Unexpected tears blurred Abbey's eyes at the tone of steel underlying the tenderness of his words. How profoundly comforting it was to know that Jed had her back. That no matter how many battles she fought, she would never truly have to fight them alone.

"Abbey?" Worry had crept into Jed's voice at the sight of her tears and with her continued silence. "I swear to God, if he laid ONE finger on you…"

"No" Abbey grabbed his arm before he could storm away. "He didn't touch me." She took a deep breath knowing that Jed would not be pleased with their conversation. " 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."

****

From his window in the living room, John Hoynes watched the determined stride of Jed Bartlet as he came up over the knoll trailed by secret service agents. He knew right away what the visit was all about and made his way out to the door hoping to get there before Suzanne got an earful.

"Mr. President," John flashed him an amiable, relaxed smile. "We aren't going to be leaving for another half hour."

Before John could react the President had a fistful of his collar and was shoving him back against the closed door. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" Jed seethed.

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

"Of course you know what I'm talking about. Don't play stupid with me." Jed shoved him harder against the wall. "The only reason I'm not decking you right now is because Suzanne is home. There's no reason that she needs to be hurt by this…by your sleazy behavior.

Just as he spoke of Suzanne, Jed heard her voice calling down to John and reluctantly let the other man go. He truly liked Suzanne Hoynes and didn't want her dragged into the middle of all this.

"Oh, hello Mr. President." Suzanne warily took in the stiff stances of her husband and the President, and the coldness in the President's eyes. She had obviously interrupted something. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Jed faced her with a warm smile. "I just need to speak to John. Would you give us a few minutes?"

Suzanne looked between the two men. Testosterone was definitely in the air, she just wished she knew why. But, she smiled graciously and accepted that she was not to be part of the skirmish. "Of course, is there anything I can get you?"

"No, thank you."

With a questioning glance at her husband Suzanne left and Jed turned back to John.

"What made you think that you would get away with speaking to my wife like she was some common little slut."

"Sir, I…I didn't. I was teasing her. We were bantering."

Jed snorted with disbelief. "I think my wife is intelligent enough to know the difference between lewd innuendo's and bantering. She's never struck anyone for bantering with her."

"She misunderstood me. I didn't mean to be rude."

"No. She didn't misunderstand you, you smarmy bastard." Jed was back up in John's face, the urge to hit him overpowering. "We both know you were playing some kind of sexual power game and if you so much as THINK of ever trying to pull that shit with her again, you're through."

"Are you threatening to drop me from the ticket?"

"No, I'm promising you that if you ever talk to my wife the way that you did this morning, if you so much as look at her funny you'll not only be off the ticket, you'll never get elected to public office ever again." Jed's finger pointed hard into John's chest. "Your name will be MUD in this country and if you think I won't back up my threat you just ask Eliot Rhoush what happens when you fuck with my wife." With another hard shove Jed turned to leave but as he got to the porch stairs he turned back to face his ashen faced Vice President. "You just stay clear of Abbey."

John nodded. He'd known the President would be pissed but he'd never seen Jed so coldly furious before. Then, as he watched the President head back to the cabin he saw CJ round the corner of the house and nearly groaned aloud. This couldn't be good. In retrospect the pleasure he had gotten from getting Abbey's Irish up had not been worth what was now happening to him.

"You didn't listen to me, did you?" CJ angrily asked. "I warned you not to make a pass at Abbey, dammit, why couldn't you for ONCE keep your hands to yourself."

"I didn't make a pass at her."

"Come on, John, I saw the President leave here. He was furious. I TOLD you what happens when people mess with Abbey, you should have listened." CJ had to bite her tongue to keep from revealing the fact that Jed had almost ended a 30 year plus friendship over the drunken pass that Leo had made on Abbey 10 years earlier.

"I didn't touch Abbey. I'm not that stupid. I know how to read women. Abbey is not on the market."

"Gee, you think?" CJ asked derisively. "But, if you didn't physically make a pass at her you had to have done something to make the President so mad."

"I made some suggestive comments. I said some things that I shouldn't have said and the First Lady took offence."

"John, you are not a stupid man, at least until it comes to women. I don't think I need to tell you that this is NOT what we need as we move into the home stretch of this campaign. You CANNOT afford to make an enemy of Jed Bartlet. WE cannot afford for you to be an enemy of Jed Bartlet."

"CJ, I made a mistake. I've apologized. Let it go."

"You think that's all it takes, don't you? One day those apologies aren't going to go so far, John. One day you're actually going to have to pay the piper."

****

After joining Suzanne for a relaxing Tex-Mex supper, Abbey returned to the cabin with the children. It was still fairly early so she tried to settle in at the kitchen table to do a puzzle with them, but it didn't take long for her nerves to set in. For a brief time while she was visiting with Suzanne she had been able to forget about the fact that her husband was in Dallas. Forget about the fact that there were always death threats from crazy copycat's when any President was in that city, but now all she could do was dwell on that fact. She couldn't seem to sit still, her fingernails tapped on the kitchen table and she wasn't able to focus on the task in front of her.

"Mumma?" Nicholas hit her on the arm to get her attention.

"What is it, baby?"

"Me…me" He reached up trying to grab the large puzzle piece that Abbey held in her hand. Both kids were looking at her expectantly. They were very in tune with her moods and they both sensed her tension. She felt bad they could tell that her heart was not in playing with them.

"I'll tell you what," she said, handing Nicky the puzzle piece. "Mommy is really too antsy to work on a puzzle right now. How would you two like to go for a walk along the creek."

Big grins broke out across each child's face. "Wok…wok," they agreed.

"Well, I guess it's unanimous. Let's go." She helped them down from their chairs and they all headed for the door.

"Ma'am" Anita and Mike, the chiefs of Abbey and the children's secret service greeted her as they stepped on to the porch. "Hot night, isn't it?"

Abbey nodded. "Do you have any problem with us going for a walk along the creek?" she asked.

"Should be fine," Anita assured her. "The perimeters are secure."

"Just keep your eye out for rattlesnakes," Mike added.

Abbey's face blanched at the thought.

"Nake, "Nicky began to dance enthusiastically, obviously thrilled with the idea of seeing a snake.

"Thanks, Mike" Abbey sighed.

"Don't worry, ma'am," Mike grinned. "If you see a snake just give us a shout and we'll take care of it." He touched his hand to the gun he wore in his holster.

"Well, that's reassuring at least." Abbey knelt down in front of her children so that she was eye level with them. "If either of you see a snake do NOT touch it. Do you understand me? No touch."

"No tuch," both kids shook their heads negatively along with Abbey.

"Good, so who do you tell if you see a snake?"

"Mommy!" Aislinn shouted out, quite sure her answer was correct.

Abbey grimaced. "Not this time, kiddo. Not mommy. You yell for Mike, okay? "

Both kids turned to the agent who had been following them since their birth. Mike grinned at them and nodded his head affirmatively. "Yup, you yell for me and I'll take care of it."

"Okay troops, let's go."

****

Abbey walked a few paces behind her children. The stark, desolate, almost lonely beauty of the desert strangely fit her mood. Out here there were no chirping birds, no rustling leaves, no humming crickets and cicada's, just complete and utter silence. Even the nearly stagnant creek didn't gurgle like the brooks at home did. It was slightly unnerving to say the least. She was relieved when the twins began to babble to each other breaking the silence and making her feel less alone.

A soft maternal smile played across her face as she observed their frequent stops to pick up rocks and jam them into their pockets. Then, as she watched the two both squat to examine a particularly interesting insect with their pale blond heads bent together, one merging into the other, her heart swelled with a deeply tender love for them.

She had read the incredible research on identical twins being so connected that they could feel each other's pain but watching the strength of that bond was something else entirely. Her children were different genders; they were only fraternal twins. Still, as she watched them silently communicate, their identically colored blond heads pressed together she was reminded of the pictures that she had of them in her womb all curled up together as if they already knew one another, as if they were already taking comfort in each other's presence.

Unconsciously she moved toward them pressing a hand softly to her flat belly remembering how she had housed these two remarkable creatures, that she too was a part of them.

Needing to physically connect with them, she approached. "What are we looking at?" She asked, squatting next to them.

"Buggy" Aislinn told her.

Abbey looked down to see the black shelled bug her son was prodding with a small stick. "That's a beetle," she said.

Nicholas nodded and continued to attempt to flip the bug over to check out what its belly looked like. Aislinn seemed to be more than content to let her brother do all the work while she watched with wide eyes.

Abbey took joy in the simple moment. She had always loved the innocence and wonder of young toddlerhood when everything was new and exciting. It made her see the world through the magical wonder of a child's eyes and as long as she could still do that nothing would ever become old or stale to her. People didn't say, "Children keep you young" for nothing.

Abbey pushed the hair back off Nicky's face where, just like his father, his cowlick sent it forward. He grinned up at her, a heart melting adoring smile that brought the sting of tears to her eyes. She couldn't imagine now what her life would be like without these two sweet little hooligans in it. She and Jed might not have planned on conceiving another child, or children, and most people would say that they had been a mistake. But, Abbey knew differently. At first even she had referred to them as an accident, but now she knew what she had really known all along. They weren't an accident they were a gift.

TBC...