Anita Baldwin had been a Secret Service agent for 15 years. She had been trained for every possible scenario, and yet she had never seen this one coming. She hadn't heard the gunshot, hadn't expected the bullet that slammed into her chest. She realized, after regaining consciousness, that he must have used a silencer. The First Lady would have not had any warning as to what was going on outside.

Hughes had left Anita outside by the barn to die, only she hadn't died. She had no way of knowing how long she had been unconscious or what was going on in the house. Her job was to protect the First Lady and yet she knew it wasn't possible. She had lost too much blood, she was quite possibly dying, and yet she was still trying to think of what she could do to save Abigail Bartlet and her children. As her mind rolled around and around her dilemma she heard movement. There was a whining and scratching coming from the barn that could only be Max. The dog was still alive and locked in the barn. If she could free him maybe he could protect his mistress. It really was her only option.

The barn was only 100 yards away, but it seemed an insurmountable distance in the condition she was in. Still, she got to her knees and began to crawl through the dirt. Blood dripped from her chest into the earth. The effort it took to create movement caused her to cough and she felt real fear when she looked at her hand and saw the bright red blood that she was coughing up. She had to pause every few moments to regain her strength and her breath. Her chest burned and every move was pure agony. But finally, after what seemed like hours she made it to the barn. She pulled herself up by sheer strength of will and lifted the latch that locked the door from the outside. She watched with satisfaction as Max bounded away toward the house. She saw him begin to dig away at the screen door just as she lost consciousness and fell back to the ground.

* * * *

"Can't this damned thing go any faster?" Jed growled.

"We'll be there any minute Mr. President." Ron's words came out calmly but his insides were churning with the anxiety of what he was going to find at that farm. The First Lady's agents were either incapacitated in some way, or they were dead. If they were dead there was no telling what Marcus Hughes was doing to her, or how they would get her away from him without harming her any further.

Ron watched the President clench and unclench his fists. The rosary he always carried in his pocket dangled from one of those fists and at times he closed eyes against the nightmare visions that were playing out before him.

Closing his eyes didn't help Jed realized. It only made it easier to see Abbey and what she might be going through. He saw her crying and pleading with Hughes not to hurt her. He saw that lunatic slapping her, beating her, and touching her where he had no right to touch. He saw her the way she had been that night in Boston, torn clothes, bleeding lip, tear ravaged face. And, God help him, he saw that bastard raping her again. He could hear her screaming "Help me Jed!" and pleading for him to make Hughes stop. And where the hell was HE? Somewhere in the sky over Maryland. He had left his wife and children alone at the mercy of a madman. He had been joking around with friends at the White House while she could very well have been fighting for her virtue or even her life. He didn't know how he was going to live with himself if anything happened to her.

His eyes opened and he turned to Ron. The agent felt as if he'd had the wind knocked out of him at the raw grief and anguish that he saw in the President's reddened eyes. He knew at that moment that however horrible the scenarios were that had been going through his mind, they were nothing compared to the atrocities the President was seeing.

"She's going to be OK" Ron tried to comfort the man.

"We have to get her out of this alive, Ron. That's all I care about." He turned back in his seat to gaze out the window. He could see Chesapeake Bay looming up ahead now, and knew they were close.

Oh God Abbey, he thought to himself. I know you're a fighter, baby. I know you're tough. I know you don't want to beg but, dear Jesus, don't piss him off too badly. If you have to submit to survive, do it. Nothing matters, nothing but you staying alive. We can deal with anything else that happens together, but I can't go on living without you. Stay alive Abbey darlin… I'm coming.

* * * *

"Going somewhere, Abigail?" The sinister tone of his voice, and the venomous glare in his eyes caused Abbey to step back into the room. She pulled her children in more closely against her body.

"Ahhh, look at that," he stepped closer forcing her further back into the room "The mama bear protecting her cubs. It might actually be sweet if they weren't HIS damn cubs." He reached out quickly and snatched Nicholas from her arms.

"No! Abbey cried. "Give me my baby back!"

Nicholas shrieked in pain and fear at being grasped so harshly by the stranger. He was not used to be handled so roughly and he reached back to his gentle mother crying inconsolabley. Her heart breaking, Abbey extended her arm trying to take him back but stopped short when she saw Marcus lift his knife.

"This is the boy, isn't it" He ran the dull edge of his knife down her son's cheek. Tears spilled from Nicky's blue eyes and he squirmed against his captor trying to get back to his mother. "You shouldn't have had him Abigail. He should not exist."

Any defiance Abbey might have had left disappeared with the threat to her son. She stood quietly, terrified of doing anything to enrage the deranged man. Nothing Ron had taught her in self- defense was going to help her when it came to Hughes using her children against her.

Marcus's eyes fell to the large framed photo's that graced the wall behind the cribs. He scanned past the one of Abigail in a rocking chair nursing one of the babies and settled on the one over the changing table. It was Jed Bartlet and five month old Nicholas who was wearing just a diaper. Father and son both lay on the carpet on their bellies with their heads lifted up so that they were grinning at each other nose to nose. Marcus assumed Abigail had taken that one and felt the bitterness inside grow into violent anger.

"I told you to be faithful to me. I WARNED you what would happen if you weren't and still you spread your legs for HIM. You let yourself get KNOCKED UP by HIM!" He slammed his fist into the picture causing the glass to shatter. Nicholas screamed in terror and began frantically trying to push away from the scary man. The shattering glass and raised angry voice had also scared Aislinn and her cries of distress joined her brothers.

"Please…please Marcus, don't hurt my baby…please give him back to me" Tears were streaming down Abbey's cheeks as she reached her arm out to take him back. Marcus was pleased to see that pleading surrender in her eyes and in the tone of her voice. It might be easier to control her than he had thought.

He placed his hands around the crying baby's throat. "He's so small, so fragile. It really would be very easy to snap his neck."

"NO!" Abbey screamed hysterically. "Please, I'll do anything, just don't hurt him."

"Anything? What exactly would you do to get him back, Abigail" Marcus grinned tightening his hold on the baby's throat.

"Anything, " Abbey cried. The fear of what he was going to do to her now came secondary to doing whatever was necessary to keep her child alive. "I'll do whatever you want. Just don't hurt my baby."

Marcus moved forward and ran his thumb over Abbey's lip and down her neck to her collarbone. He could feel her trembling, see the glossy sheen of tears in her eyes and he felt himself begin to harden at the evidence of his power over her.

At that moment they both heard the low growl coming from the doorway. Marcus turned and saw the big German Shepherd that Lori was supposed to have locked in the barn baring his teeth, his hackles raised on his shoulders.

"Call him off Abigail." Marcus shoved Nicholas back into her arms and turned to face the dog with his gun pointed.

"Max, go lay down." Abbey ordered. She was terrified at what Marcus might do to the dog. But, for the first time since Abbey had gotten him, Max ignored her command. He continued to growl and bare his teeth at Marcus. "Max, go lay down." Abbey's voice was more frantic now as she realized the dog was not responding. She watched with horror as the muscles bunched in Max's hindquarters and he leaped forward. The bullet hit him in mid-stride. With a yelping howl of pain the dog fell to the floor in a pool of blood.

"No!" Abbey screamed as she fell to her knees beside the whimpering dog. "Oh Maxy…Maxy, why didn't you listen to me?"

The dog thumped his tail at hearing his mistresses soothing voice and then ceased to whimper.

"You BASTARD" Abbey looked up at Marcus her face streaked with tears. "You unconscionable BASTARD. I HATE you."

"Bad things happen when you don't listen to me. I told you to call him off." Both Aislinn and Nicholas were sobbing in their mother's arms and it was really getting on his nerves. "Shut them up, Abigail".

Abbey tried to calm them but to no avail. They were confused and scared. Marcus wanted so badly to shut those brats up for good, but he had watched the panic in Abigail's eyes when he had threatened the boy. As long at those kids were alive he had a way of controlling her, but as soon as their usefulness was no longer needed he would simply do away with them. Just the thought of seeing HIS grief at the loss of his children gave Marcus a thrill of excitement. God, how he wished he could be there to see Jed Bartlet's face when he arrived at the farm to find his dog dead, both his children's throats slashed, his bedroom filled with another mans scent, and his wife long gone. The vision kindled the fire within him and his blood began to pump vigorously. He grabbed the kids against Abigail's protests and set them in the crib where they sat still wailing with fear. Abbey suffered horribly at not being able to comfort them.

"Let's go" he grabbed her arm harshly ”You have some promises to make good on."

"Where are we going?" she swallowed with apprehension.

"Well, I had planned on taking you far away from here for our special little rendezvous but after seeing that bed I know exactly where I'm going to screw you. We're going to do it right where HE put it to you last night. I'm going to take you and take you until my scent covers the sheets and covers you and I wipe away every remnant of his smell from that bed, and from your body. Yes, I SMELL him on you, Abigail.

Abbey could see the lust burning in his eyes and she realized with a shiver that he truly was insane. He wanted to cover Jed's scent the way a male animal did to show his dominance. Animal…Yes, Marcus Hughes was an animal and she didn't know how on earth she was going to find the strength to survive what this animal had in store for her.

* * * *

Marine One landed on the outskirts of the Harmony Point property. Ron was unwilling to give up the element of surprise in lieu of a speedier response. Secret Service agents and U.S. marshals began to fan across the property surrounding and securing it. Ron knew that it would be no comfort to the President to know that whatever happened to his wife, Marcus Hughes would not escape from their clutches this time. The President had only one goal. One VERY determined goal and that was to prevent his wife from being hurt.

Jed's stomach clenched and his heart began to race erratically as they approached the farm and saw the two fallen agents. One was by the barn, the other on the porch stairs. It was the worse case scenario. Abbey's agents WERE dead and God only knew what was happening to her. Panic set in and he began to race up the stairs.

"Mr. President, WAIT!" With some difficulty Ron and another agent reached the President and held him back.

"She's in there ALONE with him!" His eyes were wild terror.

"Yes, she is. We need to be smart about this. We can't go barreling in. We need the element of surprise. We need to go in quietly and assess the situation. Can you do that?"

Jed knew that if his answer were no that he would not be allowed in.

"Yes" he bit out grudgingly.

The agents gave each other puzzled looks as they took in the ripped and torn screen door, but Jed saw the claw marks on the wood.

"Max" he said swallowing hard past the lump in his throat. Obviously what had gone on was bad enough to cause the dog to be in some kind of frenzy to get inside. He just hoped that he had been some measure of protection for Abbey.

As soon as they entered the house they could hear the hysterical crying of the twins. Jed's first thought was to thank God that they were alive. His second thought was to wonder what had happened to cause them to scream like that. He made his way quickly to the nursery, and like Abbey before him, crashed to a halt at the evidence of another dead agent. But, unlike Abbey he didn't stop to check for a pulse. He immediately moved to push the door open. Ron stopped him and stepped in front of him. With his gun drawn he opened the door and peered around. When all was clear he allowed the President to enter.

Nicholas and Aislinn were both standing in the same crib sobbing uncontrollably for their mother. Their faces were sweaty, red and blotchy making it obvious that they had been crying for a long time. The body of their dog lay stretched out in a pool of blood. Jed stood for a moment stunned and in shock at the violence that had been perpetrated on his family and the people who protected them today.

"Da!" Aislinn cried upon seeing her father. "Dada!"His daughter's voice snapped Jed out of his stunned stupor and he moved to scoop both children into his arms holding them close and trying to comfort and calm them. While his voice soothed, his pulse began to race at the evidence of the struggle that had taken place in the room. Red marks marred Nicholas's neck, glass lay shattered over the floor and drops of blood stained the carpet. He saw Ron kneeling behind the other crib and that was when he noticed Izzy.

"Oh God." He closed his eyes against what had been done to his children's nanny.

"She's still alive, sir." Ron told him. " He didn't shoot her. It looks like he knocked her out with a blow to the head." Jed moved forward and saw the huge purple egg on Izzy's temple. The woman began to moan as Ron spoke to her.

"H…help her" Izzy groaned.

"Help who?" Ron asked.

"A…Abbey…He's hurting her…I heard her…screaming"

TBC...