As Leo maneuvered his Mercedes sedan down the shaded lane of the Bartlet's Harmony Point farm, he realized that he was holding his breath. He was not the man of faith that Jed was. He had lost that innocence in Vietnam, but as he came to the end of the drive he found himself praying for his two best friends.

All conversation ceased in the car as they came to the clearing and were confronted by a sight worse than they could have imagined. Blue and red lights flashed from emergency rescue vehicles. U.S. Marshals and paramedics were rushing around loading dead and injured secret service agents into the ambulances.

"Oh my God" CJ breathed. She stepped out of the car along with Leo and Millie and closed her eyes briefly against the horrific sight.

Leo was numb. He wanted to move forward but his legs were frozen. He watched with shock as Max's bloodied body was wheeled by him.

"Oh shit, no, " he groaned. That dog was Abbey's last line of defense. If he'd been taken out that meant that the worst had happened. Hughes had gotten to Abbey. Everything he'd promised her had been a lie. His eyes caught CJ's and saw that hers reflected his own fear and disbelief. His gaze then fell back on the big white farmhouse with a sick feeling that any moment he would watch Abbey or Jed being wheeled out of there on a gurney.

It was Millie who spurred them on to action. An ER doctor for many years, Dr. Millicent Griffiths had seen far worse than the chaos here. What concerned her at the moment was getting inside and seeing just how hurt her best friend might be. Leo and CJ followed Millie up the porch stairs and into the house.

Once inside they could hear both Aislinn and Nicholas crying. All three raced up the stairs relieved at least that the babies were still alive. A U.S. Marshal stopped them short at the top of the stairs. Secret Service agents lined the hall between the nursery and the master bedroom.

"I'm Leo McGarry, the President's chief of staff, " Leo informed the marshal. "What is going on in there?"

"I'm afraid the suspect has Mrs. Bartlet held at knife point."

Millie gasped and CJ reached out a hand for support.

"Well, what are you all doing out here?" Leo asked angrily.

"Agent Butterfield and the President are in with them."

"THE PRESIDENT is in there? " CJ's eyes widened with disbelief. "I can't believe that Ron let him go in there."

"I can, " Leo said flatly. He knew just how persuasive and stubborn Jed could be when he wanted something. He just hoped that his friend could handle this. Given Jed's volatile hatred of Marcus Hughes and his need to avenge his wife, Leo was afraid that nothing good could come of this situation. One of them would probably end up dead, and given that Marcus Hughes was armed with a knife and Jed only with outrage he feared the outcome.

From just down the hall in the nursery CJ could hear the heartrending sobs of Nicholas and Aislinn Bartlet who were crying almost hysterically for their parent's comfort.

"Please.” She touched the marshal's shoulder. "Let us go to the children." The marshal looked at the three anxious faces and nodded his acquiescence.

Both babies were fighting and crying at being held in the strange arms of secret service agents they didn't know. The men were trying to give comfort but both looked awkward and out of their element. The three people who did know these children entered the room and approached the harried agents.

"Hi Ash, it's me Auntie CJ." CJ took her wailing goddaughter into her arms and began to bounce her on her hip as she had seen Abbey do dozens of times. Aislinn began to calm in CJ's familiar arms and her sobs soon turned to soft hiccups.

Millie did not have it quite so easy with the traumatized Nicholas. The baby boy was obviously still frightened and upset by everything that had occurred and only his mother was going to do.

"Maaa…ma…Maa…ma…Maa…ma" his heartbreaking cries filled the room.

Leo's eyes closed as he tried to tune out Nicky's plaintive pleas for his mother. Lord only knew what his mother was going through right now. As he moved to lean against the wall his eyes suddenly snapped back open. Without warning, the silence in the hall was broken by shouting and agents rushing forward toward the master bedroom with their weapons drawn.

He stood in the doorway and watched as the agents dragged a beaten Hughes down the hall. Blood gushed from his nose, his lips, and the scratch marks near his eyes. His face was bruised and discolored. Leo felt a wave of gratification that someone, most probably Jed, had given the rapist the beating he so richly deserved. Ron wouldn't have taken the time to beat the daylights out of the perverted psychopath, but Jed would. His friend was usually an affable sort, certainly non-combative; however, when it came to his family another side to this complex man came to the forefront. A man who would fight to the death to protect the people he loved.

Despite his bloodied and beaten state, Hughes was still defiant as he was dragged down the halls.

"It's not over Abigail!" he shouted back down the hall toward the bedroom. "It will NEVER be over. You're going to pay for this you BITCH! "

Chills ran down Leo's spine at the conviction in the rapist's words. Would it ever be over for Abbey?

* * * *

Abbey stood dazed and shaking. She wasn't sure her legs would carry her if she moved forward. But, when Jed opened his arms, she launched herself forward into them burying her face in his chest sobbing as if her heart would break. .

"Ssh…Ssh, baby. It's all right. It's all over…it's all over. Oh God, I could have lost you" He released her gently, and pushed back to look into her eyes. His own eyes were filled with pain and worry. "Abbey…did he…"

"No" she reassured him through her tears. She reached up a hand to stroke his cheek tenderly. "You got here in time."

"Thank God, " he let out his breath and his face softened as he pulled her back into his embrace. Relief flooded him as he buried his face into the curve of her neck. He moved to stroke his hand up her back and suddenly his relief turned to horror. Bright red blood covered Abbey's back and saturated her slip.

"Oh my God Abbey, where did he hurt you?" he pulled back and began frantically checking her over for wounds.

"It's not me Jed. He didn't hurt me." Her eyes widened with alarm as she noticed that the whole left side of Jed's shirt was soaked with blood. She reached her hands out and ripped his shirt open tearing all the buttons off. Jed's chest was covered with blood and Abbey pushed the shirt back off his shoulders, her pulse racing with panic. Suddenly she stopped and looked up at Jed with shock.

"Oh Christ Jed" she moaned. "He STABBED you!"

Jed looked down with surprise at the blood covering his shoulder and chest.

"Abbey, I don't feel a thing, " he said with astonishment.

"You're going into shock, baby. Sit down." Abbey pushed him gently down into the chair by the fireplace. She ripped his shirt completely off his shoulders and tried to wipe away the blood to see where he was wounded. She found the laceration in his upper left arm. It was pumping blood but not enough to worry her that an artery had been severed. She looked frantically from side to side for something to stop the bleeding with. Finding nothing, she pulled her silk panties down her legs.

"I don't think there is enough material in those skimpy little panties you wear to make a sufficient bandage," Jed smiled weakly at her.

Abbey shook her head. Even bleeding like a stuck pig her husband was still cracking jokes. "I'm not making a bandage, sugar pie. I'm making a tourniquet."

Abbey was just finishing tying the tourniquet when Ron came back into the room. He had left briefly to see Hughes put into the cruiser and had missed the drama that had taken place in his absence. His eyes widened with shock as he took in the blood-covered torso of the President.

"Blue! Blue!" he called out urgently. The room quickly filled with the few agents who were still on the second floor. Ron spoke into his wrist radio and moved toward the President. He didn't think the first lady even noticed that he and his colleagues had entered the room. She was too busy trying to keep her husband from going into shock. To that end she had quickly unbuckled his belt and was now busy unbuttoning his pants to loosen them. While she worked she spoke to him in soft soothing tones.

"Abbey," Jed gave a soft groan. "I know how much you like to undress me hot stuff, but it looks like we've got company."

Abbey turned her head to gaze at Ron who stood behind her with a worried frown on his face.

"I've just called for a gurney Mr. President, " Ron assured him. "We're going to get you to a hospital ASAP." His eyes moved to the slight form of the first lady kneeling at the President's side and, taking in her near nakedness, he slid off his suit coat and placed it over her shoulders.

Abbey gave him a quick appreciative smile. She had been so wrapped up in caring for Jed she hadn't realized just how bare she actually was.

"No," Jed stated firmly. "I'm not going to the hospital."

"Jed, you need stitches," Abbey informed him. "You need to get to the hospital."

"It's just a cut. I'm not going to the hospital."

"It's NOT just a cut." Abbey was getting exasperated now. "It's a STAB wound. You need a doctor."

"I have a doctor, sweet cheeks. I have the smartest, sexiest doctor in the country at my beck and call 24 hours a day."

"I hope you're not referring to Admiral Hackett, "Abbey grumbled.

"You know better than that." He reached a finger out to touch her cheek. Abbey watched him wince in pain and knew that the shock was starting to wear off. It was what she had been working so diligently for, but she also knew it meant a hell of a lot more pain for her husband.

"It's starting to hurt, isn't it?" she asked knowingly.

"Just a little," he admitted. If he told her that the searing, burning pain was starting to make him physically sick she would have him on that gurney in no time flat.

Abbey could see right through her husband's bravado. The gray quality of his skin, the beads of sweat on his forehead and the pain filled eyes he closed to keep hidden from her scrutiny, all bespoke of the agony he was now in.

"It hurts more than a little Jed and you ARE going to the hospital."

"NO."

Abbey looked at him puzzled. She could not figure out why he was being so stubborn about this.

"Why don't you want to go to the hospital, sweetheart?" Abbey changed her tactics and spoke softly against his hairline.

"Because if I go to the hospital this will be all over the news." They were speaking in whispers now to keep their words from reaching Ron where he stood near the door waiting for the gurney.

"I have news for you, Hon. This IS going to be all over the news."

"I mean my part in this. If it gets out that Ron let me come with him knowing that Hughes was here, he could lose his job."

"Jed"

"No Abbey, listen to me. He did me a favor, one man to another. I can't repay him for that by causing him to lose his job. You can stitch me up, can't you?"

Abbey looked from her husband to the agent by the door. If it weren't for these two men and the innocent cry of her baby son she would have been raped, maybe even murdered. Her children might have been killed. She owed them everything.

"It doesn't look like you damaged any muscle. I can stitch it up," she agreed.

"That's my girl" Jed tried to smile, but had to close his eyes against the wave a burning pain that moved through his arm.

"Ron, we're not going to the hospital," Abbey called out. "We won't need the gurney."

"It's my duty to get the President medical care."

"And you will. I'm going to stitch him up."

"Mrs. Bartlet, I appreciate what you and the president are trying to do here, but I need to accept the consequences of my actions."

"Ron, you taught me those self defense moves that made me able to get away from Hughes. Jed took the knife that was meant for me. If it wasn't for the two of you I would have been raped or killed."

"I was doing my job ma'am. And if I'd done it properly the president would not be injured."

"And I might be dead right now. The only thing that stopped Hughes was his need to torture Jed with what he was going to do to me. If Jed hadn't been here, he would have just done it. The wound is not all that deep. I shouldn't have any problems suturing it closed. I don't like to throw this around very much, but I'm a pretty gifted surgeon. A cut like this is a piece of cake."

She snapped her fingers and flashed a saucy smile at the agent that went straight to his gut. He had a feeling that it was the smile that Abigail Bartlet used to get her way, and he'd be damned if it didn't work exceedingly well for her. He had a feeling the president never really stood a chance against his wife when she wanted something badly enough.

* * * *

Leo's eyes widened as he entered the master suite and his gaze fell to president and the first lady. He swallowed tightly as he took in Abbey's torn blood splattered slip that wasn't completely covered by the oversized black jacket Ron had slipped over her shoulders to cover her. He took in the blood drying on the corner of her lip, the slight bruise on her jaw, and the ragged claw marks on the swell of one breast. As she moved slightly to the side to take her black medical bag from Ron, he nearly gasped in shock. The president was leaning back in a chair his chest drenched in blood. A pair of white silk panties were rolled up and used to make a tourniquet above the deep gash in his arm. It was quite evident that some pretty violent acts had taken place here today. He couldn't tell whether Ron and Jed had gotten there soon enough to prevent Abbey from being penetrated but, in any case, it was obvious that she had been worked over pretty good before their arrival. Whatever had happened had angered Jed enough for him to beat the crap out of Hughes and now it seemed that there had been some serious consequences to that.

"Abbey, what are you doing?" Millie asked as she watched Ron hand her friend the black leather medical bag she always carried.

"I have to suture Jed's arm. Hughes stabbed him in the left bicep." Abbey was acting on pure adrenaline now. She had closed off the emotions of the situation and had moved herself into doctor mode. "The knife missed the brachial artery and the Teres major, so I don't see any tendon damage."

"He STABBED him?" Millie was stunned. Things like a stabbing happened to gang members from Roxbury, not friends of hers. Not the President of the United States

"The knife was meant for me." The words were spoken softly but they took Abbey out of her carefully controlled doctor facade and back into that of a wife. A guilt ridden wife, who's husband had risked his life for her. Her hand began to tremble, her eyes to swim with tears.

"Abbey. He needs to get to the hospital." Millie pried the bag from her friend's fingers. "You're not in any state to do this."

"I'm going to do this Millie." Abbey willed the emotions that pulled at her back down to where she could manage them. "We can't go to the hospital. We can't let the press know that Jed was involved in any of this."

"He's your HUSBAND. You should not be working on your husband. At least let me do it."

"No." Abbey was adamant. "We got people involved before and look where it got us. If by any chance this ever gets out the only people that will be to blame are Jed and I. None of you know anything about this, and that is the way it is going to stay."

Abbey slid her glasses on and began to fill a syringe as Millie began to dig into her medical bag. "Well, I AM going to at least help you Abigail. Whether you like it or not." She began to cleanse Jed's wound with antiseptic.

Jed's eyes squeezed shut and he gave a sharp intake of breath at the searing pain that burned from his shoulder to his fingertips.

"It's OK, baby." Abbey stroked the soft hair on his forearm. "I don't have any local anesthetic but I want you to take a couple of these pills. They'll help." She handed him an open prescription bottle and Leo gave him a glass of water.

"What're these?" He squinted and without his glasses he could barely make out that the prescription was made out to Abigail Bartlet. "These are your pills Abbey. What are they for?”

"They'll help you relax Jed, just take a couple." Abbey ignored his consternation and prepared to inject him with penicillin to combat any infection.

"YOU have a prescription for Valium? Since when do you take drugs to relax? OW!" he exclaimed as Abbey stuck him in the upper arm with the needle.

"It's not Valium Jed." Abbey rolled her eyes as she held a cotton ball to the needle's entry. " For your information I do happen to know what I am talking about. I'm a doctor for God's sake. Take the damn pills." She shook two out and handed them to him with a stern look that brooked no nonsense.

"God are you sexy when you're bossy." He grinned at her and popped the pills. "Are you happy now, Doc?"

"Exceedingly." She sat and began to thread a needle to start stitching him up.

"Now will you tell me what they were prescribed to you for?"

"Menstrual cramps." She bit back a smile at the look of outrage on Jed's face.

"You gave me pills for a non-existent PERIOD. Did I look like I was bloating? Or was I just being a little too bitchy."

"Watch it mister," Abbey gazed up at him over the rim of her glasses. "I'm going to be the one sewing you up." Leo, Millie and CJ exchanged looks of humor.

"Menstrual pills." Jed shook his head with disgust.

"Oh for heaven's sake Jed it's not like I gave you estrogen. You won't be growing boobs anytime soon. They are prescribed to ME for use against menstrual cramps but they are simply muscle relaxants and they will help you relax while I suture your wound."

"I swear to God CJ, if this ever gets out to the press I will know JUST where to seek my revenge." He leaned his head back against the chair, the dialogue weakening him.

"Mums the word Mr. President, " CJ laughed. "But maybe I'll keep a few of those on me and the next time you're moody I'll slip them in your coffee.

Jed tried to give her the presidential glare but Abbey had started to sew him up and it hurt like hell.

For a few moments Jed watched his wife work. Her glasses had slipped to the end of her nose, she was biting down softly on her full lower lip, and her brow was furrowed with concentration. She was utterly adorable. That is until she began to pull the edges of his gaping wound together with the sutures. Then he had to fight against the sharp bursts of white-hot flashing pain.

"I'm sorry….I'm so sorry, baby." Abbey murmured the words softly over and over and no matter how many times Jed groaned that it was OK she was still wracked with guilt over causing him any pain.

Abbey felt his every wince and every pull of his forearm away from the pain she was inflicting on him. She had to swallow past a lump in her throat to continue on. She tried to close herself off to his sharp intakes of breath and his occasional groans, but that was impossible. She wasn't a robot she was his wife and it was killing her to hurt him.

Abbey's face was pale her lips nearly bloodless and from the look on her face. Millie had to wonder just who this was hurting more.

"I hate to bring this up right now, " CJ said uncomfortably. "But I'm sure I have a ravenous press corps out there starving for information on what happened here. What's our official story?" She looked to Leo but for once the chief of staff was at a loss.

"I don't want to lie," Jed ground out as Abbey pulled another stitch. "We just won't let out the whole truth."

"You want me to evade?"

"Yeah. Give them the whole truth about what happened and just evade on my involvement. You can tell them that a secret service agent who had been helping Marcus Hughes stalk the first lady let him on the property after I left with my agents this morning. He killed two agents and injured another."

"Who survived?" Abbey asked with surprise.

"Anita" Ron told her. "She was the one who let Max out of the barn."

"Oh my God, Max!" Abbey cried. "He tried to stop Hughes from hurting me and the kids. The bastard shot him. Is he…,"

"Max is still alive." Ron gave a slight smile at being able to give her that piece of good news. "One of the marshals brought him to a local vet. I'll have the number for you."

"The press corps knows that you are here Mr. President" Leo said. "We can't hide that."

"No, but they knew I was coming back here for the afternoon. They don't have to know that we knew what we were getting into We'll just say that I came back here for lunch and we surprised Hughes and my detail was able to take him down."

"They know who he is," CJ stated quietly. "They're going to want to know if the first lady…if she was…hurt."

All eyes in the room moved expectantly to Abbey. She unconsciously pulled the jacket closer over the torn shards of her slip and she could see that her friends were holding their breath awaiting her response.

"No. He hit me and he touched me, " she gave an involuntary shudder. "But he didn't rape me again." She looked up at her husband with eyes shining with adoration. "Jed saw to that."

"You broke his nose." Leo grinned with admiration. "He was a mess."

"Well, I can't take credit for the nose." Jed told him. "Abbey Ali over here did that."

Abbey flashed them a brash grin of pride at what she had done.

"YOU broke his nose?" Millie asked incredulously. "Little Abbey Bartlet broke somebody's nose."

"My wife happens to be one tough broad Millie. You can be sure that I won't be pissing her off anywhere in the near future."

"Can I get that in writing?" Abbey gave him a wry smile as she taped a bandage over the newly stitched knife wound.

"There's somebody here who would like to see you." Ron's voice interrupted the teasing that was going on.

Abbey turned to see whom he was talking about saw him entering the room carrying her red faced sniffling son.

"NICKY!" she cried. She raced across the room and took the baby from Ron pulling him in close to her chest. "Oh God, oh my baby." The emotions that she had been holding at bay suddenly overwhelmed her and she fell to her knees still holding him tightly as if she would never let him go. She had come so close to losing him today. She could still feel the abject terror that had consumed her as she had watched Hughes with his hands around her child's fragile neck. She felt that frantic need to do whatever it took to keep him alive. She had very nearly given her body away to save his life and despite what that would have done to her, she knew in heart that the sacrifice would have been worth it. She began to rock him back and forth as much for her own comfort as his and the room soon filled with the sobs that she had been holding in.

Uncomfortable with being privy to such personal emotion, the room soon cleared of everyone but Jed and the daughter he took from another agent into his good arm. He sank to his knees in front of his wife and wrapped his arms around. Together they held their two children between them safe and sound.

Jed's heart broke at what torture Hughes had put his wife through. He had seen his children's terror, seen the red marks on Nicky's neck, and watching Abbey's reaction to seeing their son only confirmed his suspicions. He knew that in due time Abbey would tell him what had happened this long morning. He just prayed that he would be able to keep his cool when she did. There was already a part of him that was wishing he gone ahead and killed Hughes and he knew that hearing Abbey's story would only fuel that urge. He really hoped that he would not regret the moment he handed that knife to Ron and didn't kill the man who pledged to continue terrorizing his wife. Twice he'd had the chance to get him out of their lives once and for all and twice he'd been stopped. He hoped to God there would never be a third time.

TBC...