Leo sat at his desk trying to wrap his mind around the latest budget figures that he held in his hand. As he tried to concentrate the monetary figures began to swim before his eyes and his thoughts wandered back to the picture of Abbey on that television screen. Every time he thought about his reaction he was filled with self-loathing and disgust. In this instance he felt that he was no better than Marcus Hughes was. He had felt lust and arousal over photo that had been meant to demeaning and hurtful. A picture meant to embarrass and scare two of his best friends. There was something sick and twisted about that. He didn't give himself any credit for the fact that once he had seen what was written on the photo his arousal had turned to outrage.

He gave only a fleeting thought to the comforting notion that his response had been that of any healthy male. Abigail Bartlet was a gorgeous woman. He'd heard many a man say that the First Lady gave him a hard on so it was only natural that seeing her naked would create that response in him as it would any man. He didn't allow himself that comfort because he knew that it was different for him. He wasn't any man. He was the trusted best friend of Abbey's husband and she herself was one of his closest friends. He alone knew the torture the couple was going through because of this man and still he had felt that overwhelming stab of lust and longing for a woman who had never been his and never would be his

Leo's gaze fell to one of his very favorite pictures. Jenny had taken it just minutes after Jed had been declared the winner of the 1998 election and they had yet to change into their victory speech clothes. He and Jed were standing with each an arm around Abbey who stood between them. They all wore jeans and sweatshirts and despite their exhaustion and the time of night there was an energy and vitality to them all that was almost palpable. Their smiles were electrifying ones of joy and excitement. He gave a slight smile now as he remembered the sheer happiness he had felt at being part of an alliance with this couple and of all the good that they would accomplish together for the country and the world. Optimism had run strong that night and he had never felt closer to both Jed and Abbey as he had at that perfect moment. Somehow he knew that he had to find a way to purge these feelings for Abbey from his soul before it destroyed his relationship with these two very important people in his life.

Leo wearily slid the papers back into a manila folder and dropped it on his desk. He knew where he had to go. He had to get these feelings off his chest in the only way he knew how. The only way that nobody would get hurt.

"Leo, where are you going?" Margaret asked as she watched her boss slip on his coat and head for the door.

"Out" Leo said shutting the door behind him as he strode down the hall. He wasn't about to admit to anyone that for the first time in years Leo McGarry was going to confession. He hoped that penance and absolution might help remove the stench of self-reproach that cloaked him so heavily.

* * * *

Jed stepped out of the bathroom to see every inch of his bed covered with Abbey's "First Lady" suits. It was the morning of the "State of the Union" speech and she had still not quite decided what she was going to wear. He smiled as he watched her frown and toss outfit after outfit aside.

"You know any of those will do fine, " he informed her. "You look great no matter what you wear. Besides, I'm the one who has to stand up there and give the speech. You don't see me all worried about what I'm going to wear".

"Yes, snuggle bear, but we all know that no matter what you say in your speech the talk tomorrow will be all about the color of my dress or how I wear my hair".

"At least it won't be about you going into labor this year, " he smirked. Abbey started to give him a glare but it quickly turned to a smile of acknowledgment. It had certainly not been her smartest decision to attend Jed's "State of the Union" last year at eight months pregnant. Especially when she had been experiencing discomfort the whole night before. She remembered sitting there listening to the speech while the grinding pains got stronger and stronger, twisting her insides until it was all she could do not to scream. She remembered standing to leave in the middle of the speech praying that her water was not going to break right there on the floor of the U.S. Congress. An image of a class of children on a tour flashed through her mind. "And right here class, in the year 2001, is the spot where First Lady Abigail Bartlet's water broke".

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?” she asked.

"I can't. I'm so seldom proved right that when I am I have to gloat".

Jed watched her place a dark blue skirt to her waist and look into the full-length mirror with her had tilted to one side. He was filled with tenderness as he remembered that long agonizing night she had been through almost a year ago. A night that had culminated finally in the birth of their twins. As he placed his hands on her shoulders one of those babies took that moment to let out a cry over the monitor. Abbey placed the skirt down on the bed and headed for the nursery.

As she entered the nursery she saw a present lying on the changing table. She searched the gift for a card but couldn't find one. The wrapping paper was little dancing elephants so she assumed it was yet another present for the twins. All month long they had been inundated with gifts. After settling Aislinn back down she took the box and began to unwrap it.Jed was just walking down the hall to go to the office when he heard the terrified cry of his name.

"Jed!"

He raced to the nursery and found Abbey kneeling on the floor with a teal sleeveless silk blouse in her hands. She held it as if it were the most vile and offensive of items.

"Abbey, what's wrong?"

"I opened it. I shouldn't have opened it…" There was a tremor in her voice and it was as if she were talking to herself and not him as she seemed to be looking straight through him.

”Opened what?"

"The gift. It was here on the changing table. I thought it was for the kids. I didn't know".

"Didn't know what?" He took the blouse from her hands and the strong scent of Abbey's perfume drifted over him as if the silk had been doused in it.

"It was for me". She handed Jed the note that was in the box and he saw that the blouse wasn't the only item that had been sent. The leopard print bra that had been stolen from her lingerie drawer still lay in the bottom of the box.

"Dearest Abigail,

I'll be watching you tonight on TV. I want you to wear this blouse. My blouse. I searched far and wide to find a perfect replica. Do you remember this blouse? It's just like the one you were wearing the night that we made love. Wear it tonight and show me you are mine. Do NOT disobey me about this, my love. I sent your bra back but I decided to keep the panties until we meet again. I think you can see now that I can get to you and to your children whenever I damn well please. I know exactly where your babies sleep Abigail.

Love,
Marcus”

* * * *

"This is going to stop Ron, and it's going to stop NOW". Jed was prowling the room with his fists in his pockets. The fierceness of his fury held a frightening intensity.

"Sir, I…"

"NO!" Jed exploded and with one sweep of his hands he flung all the papers and paraphernalia off his study desk. Abbey jumped startled by this act of violent anger while Ron stared in shock at the rage storming inside his boss. He had never seen the President in such a violently emotional state. His face was red with anger; his blue eyes blazed with fury and his mussed hair fell over his forehead. "No more excuses, " he seethed. "You do your fucking job and find this son of a bitch. He has the United States Secret Service looking like the goddamn Keystone cops and meanwhile he is terrorizing MY wife and threatening MY children!"

"Maybe I should just wear it," Abbey's quiet, tremulous voice was at odds with her husband's wrath.

"You can't be thinking about wearing that?" Jed was incredulous.

"I don't know WHAT to think anymore". She got to her feet and began to pace as Jed had. Fear tore and clawed at her. I know exactly where your babies sleep. Those words ran through her over and over until the abject terror nearly suffocated her.

"You're NOT wearing that blouse, " Jed said firmly. "I'm not going to let you sit there letting him think you are HIS".

"You think I WANT that? It makes me SICK to think about wearing it but…Oh Jesus Jed our BABIES, " her voice broke on a choked sob and she fought to keep her composure. "Just let me do what he wants and maybe he'll leave me the hell alone. If he's going to do something why doesn't he just DO IT. God, I don't know how much more of this I can take".

Anxiety and alarm were pushing her very close to the edge and Jed realized he was watching his wife unravel before his eyes. He drew in a ragged breath and swallowed his own outrage and concern as he tried to regain some self control for Abbey's sake.

"Abbey," he took her delicate wrists into his hands and looked deeply into her troubled eyes. "It's OK. Nobody is going to get to our babies".

"You don't know that. He seems to be able to do whatever he wants. I have to protect them Jed and if that means demeaning myself by wearing that blouse, I will".

"Ma'am, "Ron interrupted. Both Jed and Abbey turned with surprise. They had forgotten that the agent was present in the room. "You shouldn't wear the blouse. You can't give in to his commands".

"Why not?" Abbey demanded. "You can't seem to stop him. He does whatever he damn well pleases. Somebody has to stop him Ron and maybe that somebody is me."

"All due respect ma'am, that isn't going to stop him. It's just going to feed his fire. He will demand more and more and expect you to deliver. I don't think you are going to be up for or willing to cooperate when it comes to what he really wants from you".

Abbey held the agent's gaze with her own for a long moment as the impact of his blunt statement hit her with the force of slap to the face. Ron saw the moment she grasped exactly what he meant and her hand moved out unconsciously to grasp the President's as a shudder ran through her body.

* * * *

Ron Butterfield left the President's study with a heavy heart and a determination to get to the bottom of what was going on here. He knew that Marcus Hughes could not be delivering these notes and objects in person but he was at a loss as to just who was helping him. It was obvious now that he had been the one to steal the lingerie, the perfume and the birth control pills but how he was doing that was still a mystery. They had gone through the dozens of members of the domestic staff and all had come up clean. Sure some might be loyal to the previous administration, or not approve of the new administration, or the Bartlet's, but none of that was a strong enough reason to suspect them of helping Marcus Hughes stalk the First Lady. It was time to look elsewhere. Time to look somewhere closer to home. In all his born days Ron Butterfield never thought that he would be investigating members of his own staff, the men and women who were hired and trained to protect the President and his family. He never thought he could have a traitor in his midst.

* * * *

Abbey stood tiredly beside her bed and began to unbutton the red dress she had chosen to wear to the after speech party. For the speech itself she had chosen a dark emerald green blouse to wear under her jacket. It was well after one and she was physically and emotionally exhausted. She always felt a bit self-conscious at these speeches, as she knew that at times the eyes of the entire country were on her, but tonight was different. Tonight she had been very aware that somewhere out there HE was watching her, watching her and planning some type of retaliation for her disobedience.

Abbey wasn't the only one worried about revenge of some sort. Jed had sent her on her way to the bedroom saying that he wanted to check on the kids before bed. He wanted to make sure they were OK. She also wasn't the only one who thought of the words in that note. I know exactly where your babies sleep. God, just thinking about that statement caused his fists to clench. He so badly wanted to smash his fists into Marcus Hughes face or ring his godforsaken neck. Tonight he and Abbey had willfully disobeyed the bastard's despicable demands on her and all they could do now was to wait to see what the payback would be.

He stood in the nursery between the two cribs listening to his children softly breathing. One of Aislinn's tiny hands stuck through the bars of her crib and he gently pushed it back in. Nicholas lay snuggled to his little stuffed Tigger, his thumb firmly in his mouth. They were so small, so innocent and vulnerable. The idea that anyone would want to harm them in any way was so abhorrent to Jed that it made him nauseous. He ran his finger softly over Aislinn's brow and the baby girl latched on to it tightly with her small fist, just as she used to when he had stroked her cheek while she nursed. Tears of a fierce, overpowering love stung his eyes and he was overcome with an intense need to protect. Nobody was going to hurt his wife and children. He would make sure of that.

* * * *

Abbey's eyes opened sleepily as the light in the bedroom was turned on and Max went on high alert from where he slept at her feet. His deep warning growl turned to tail thumping contentment when he saw who was entering. She watched Jed approach the bed with a sleeping twin in each arm.

"What are you doing?" she murmured. "Are they all right?"

"They're fine. Go back to sleep".

"Why are they in here Jed?"

"Go back to sleep sweetheart. I've got everything under control". He slid Nicholas and Aislinn under the covers on his side of the bed and began to strip his clothes off.

Abbey rolled over and still sleeping, Nicholas inched his way over to his mother's warm body and curled up in the fetal position against her belly. Abbey couldn't help but think that it was the same position he used to sleep in when he was safely in her womb. She absently stroked his head and smiled softly when she heard the muffled sound of his smacking lips as he sucked on his thumb.

Jed threw on a pair of pajama bottoms and was about to slide into bed when he remembered his daughter's proclivity for grasping his chest hair. He quickly dug in his dresser for a T-shirt and climbed into bed. Aislinn immediately curled up to him and he ran a soothing hand over her back.

"Jed, why did you bring them into bed with us?"

Jed was startled by the sleepy voice of his wife. He had thought she had gone back to sleep.

"You're scared aren't you? You're afraid he's going to retaliate because I didn't wear his blouse".

"I'm not scared Abbey, " Jed protested. "I'm just taking precautions. "I feel safer when they are with us". He knew it was foolish, given all the protection that his kid's received but that was just the way he felt.

Abbey slid her arm over the sleeping forms of her son and daughter and found Jed's hand to give it a light squeeze.

"Me too" she replied and before long both were sound asleep with their arms linked protectively over their children and their fingers interlocked in a bond of silent defense against the man who would seek to harm them.

TBC...