Jed leaned back in his chair and took a swallow from his coffee mug. As usual his morning meeting with the senior staff had gone off on some random tangent. Usually it brought him amusement and many times he could get into it, but not today. Today he was anxiously waiting for Charlie to poke his head in and tell him Ron Butterfield was ready to meet with him. He knew Ron had met with Marcus Hughes' psychiatrist and was anxious to find out what his chief of security had learned.

As his mind wandered his eyes fell on the pictures of Abbey that lined the top of his desk. In every damn one she was laughing or smiling. It had been ages since he had seen her relax and smile like that. His meeting with the males on his senior staff had been much easier on him than hers had been with CJ. She had come home after they spent the afternoon together completely emotionally drained. It was as if just talking about what had happened and was still happening had exhausted her and she had crawled into bed long before she usually did. But the meeting had to have been cathartic in some way, for, it was the first night in a while that she had actually fallen asleep without tossing and turning.

"Sir". Charlie was standing expectantly just inside the door. Jed realized the word must have been said more than once as the staff was looking at him expectantly.

"Yes Charlie". He ignored the looks of concern that passed his way.

"You wanted me to send Agent Butterfield right in".

"Yes, let him in". Jed stood as the agent entered the room.

"Sir, " Ron began. His gaze swept the room and he was clearly hesitant to continue on until the room cleared.

"It's OK Ron. They all know what's going on now. I'd like them to be in on this."

"Yes sir. Well, as I said earlier I met with Dr. Roberta Carlisle, Marcus Hughes' psychiatrist."

"Does she know where he is?"

"No, he hasn't been in to see her in months. It's one of the reasons she agreed to forgo doctor/patient confidentiality. While she refused to go in to much detail, she did give us some valuable information inside his psyche. I brought her here to question her further and I'd like to bring her in to speak with you and Mrs. Bartlet".

"Abbey's at the pool with the twins for their swimming lesson".

"I'll get her for you sir," Charlie said.

The gravity of the situation was apparent by the missing banter over who would get to go check out the First Lady in her bathing suit or any musing that she might be in the favored black bikini.

"No, that's OK Charlie. You all stay here and I'll run down and get her".

* * * *

The sounds of laughter and splashing greeted Jed as he opened the doors to the White House indoor pool.

"All right Mrs. Bartlet, "said the swimming instructor. "Now you try it with Aislinn".

A smile crossed Jed's face as he approached the pool to join his family.

"Hey Ash. Look who's here to watch you," Abbey said as Jed squatted beside them on the edge of the pool.

Aislinn gave her father a big grin and reached her arms out to him.

"Oh no you don't," Abbey reined her back in. "It's your turn to go underwater just like Nicholas did. Get ready Ash, Mommy's going to blow in your face now".

Abbey blew into her daughter's face and quickly dunked her under water. Aislinn came up kicking and sputtering, all wide stunned eyes. She blinked the water out of her eyes and Jed waited for the wail he was sure was coming.

"Look at you" Abbey exclaimed with a laugh that hid any concern. She had been a mother long enough to know that a child responds to their parents reaction. "What a big girl you are".

Instead of crying, Aislinn mirrored her mother's smile and rubbed her face against the fabric that covered Abbey's breasts.

"Well, that was pretty impressive kiddo" Jed tweaked her tiny nose. Aislinn sneezed and buried her face back against Abbey's chest. Jed hated to be the one to take the joy out of Abbey's day; she'd had so little of it lately.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you guys but Ron's in the office. He has some information".

Abbey nodded, her face becoming serious.

"Izzy, can you take over here?"

"Yes ma'am". Izzy took Aislinn from Abbey's arms. Aislinn fought at first. She whimpered and squirmed as she tried to get back to her mother. Abbey felt that familiar pang of guilt that all mothers feel when walking away from their crying child. She was relieved when Aislinn's fussing stopped almost before it began. Izzy had been able to get her attention off her mother leaving by showing her the big beach ball that floated in the water.

Abbey stepped out of the pool in a high cut blue swimsuit that made her legs look a mile long. Jed watched as she lifted her arms and arched her back to towel off her hair. Her nipples strained against the spandex as she hit the cooler air. His mouth went dry as he watched her bend to run the towel over her slender legs and he felt the stirrings of desire as she stood and ran the towel across her breasts. He and Abbey hadn't made love since Marcus Hughes had re-entered their lives and his body was starting to rebel over that celibacy.

He averted his gaze from her with a wave of guilt and shame. His wife was going through hell thanks to a lunatic's lust. And how was he helping matters? By being unable to control his own body's response to her.

"I'll meet you back at the office" he muttered.

"I'll be there in a few. I just have to change" she called back.

* * * *

Abbey entered the Oval Office in a tight, short, plaid, wool skirt, black turtleneck sweater, black tights and her usual heels. The only evidence that she had recently been swimming was her still wet hair that she had slicked back into a sleek ponytail. The clothes she wore only emphasized the fact that, while she had always been svelte, she was now moving toward becoming dangerously thin. There was sense of vulnerability to her now. A hint of how fragile she now was that moved the males in the room to feel a surge of the need to protect rise within them.

Abbey felt self-conscious as all eyes in the room moved to her. She saw Josh look at the floor, too uncomfortable with what he now knew to look her in the eye. From Toby and Sam she saw pity and compassion and from Leo she saw genuine pain. This was just the reason she had not wanted to involve the staff. She didn't want pity, or compassion, or pain, or for any of them to be uncomfortable around her. She didn't want to seem different to them, didn't want to be seen as a victim. She had been through enough therapy to know that she had nothing to be ashamed of, but she couldn't help those old feelings of shame that seemed to take her over at times. She just wanted to be Abbey again.

She felt CJ moves beside her and looked up to see the other woman give her a smile of support. From CJ she only saw friendship and loyalty and she mustered up the strength to say what needed to be said.

"Look guys, I'm not a piece of fragile bone china," she started bluntly. "I'm not going to break if you say or do the wrong thing. I know that there is bound to be some awkwardness here. This is a sensitive subject and I appreciate the fact that you are all here for Jed and for myself."

The tension in the room seemed to dissipate a bit with Abbey's words, for despite her frail appearance, her straight forward, direct words had been pure Abbey Bartlet.

Jed moved forward to take Abbey's hand and lead her to the couch. Leo noticed that he did not let go of that hand even when they sat down together. It was amazing how much strength those two could draw from one another.

Dr.Roberta Carlisle eyed the First Lady. She had talked about this woman so many times with Marcus Hughes she almost felt like she knew her. But, she didn't of course. The Abigail Bartlet Marcus Hughes talked about was a fantasy. A woman, who, on his good days, he raised high up on a pedestal to love and admire and who, on his bad days, he tore off that pedestal with a need to hurt and to punish. She had at first been a bit reluctant to break any doctor/patient confidentiality but she wasn't a stupid woman. She knew she could never live with herself if anything happened to Abbey Bartlet or to the Bartlet's children. But it was more than that. She also knew that if anything happened she would become the most reviled woman in America. Abbey Bartlet was a national icon, a combination of Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, and Princess Diana all rolled into one. And Aislinn and Nicholas Bartlet were more than just the President's children; they were America's children.

Now watching the first couple sitting before her supporting each other through this pain and fear, made her glad she had chosen to help them. Despite her strong words earlier, Roberta could see that Abbey Bartlet was on edge. There was something almost brittle about her and Roberta wasn't so sure she wouldn't break like china. She was a psychiatrist, trained to notice these things and Abbey's body language screamed of her need to protect herself. It was in the way she sat with her knees pressed tightly together and the way she bent forward slightly with one arm crossed defensively across her breasts her other hand clutching her husbands.

"Dr. Carlisle" Jed began. "You're sure you don't know where he is? He has threatened my wife and my family. If you have any idea where he is I am not ordering you as the President of the United State to tell me where, I am imploring you as a husband and a father".

"I assure you Mr.President that if I knew where he was I would cooperate fully. Marcus Hughes stopped seeing me months ago in October. Part of his parole is that he meets with me twice a week. When he didn't show for his appointment I alerted his parole officer and they have not been able to find him. He's had no contact with me".

"What can you tell us about him?" Leo asked.

"Marcus Hughes is a Love Obsession Stalker," Dr. Carlisle started. " These type of stalkers develop a fixation on another person with whom they have no personal relationship".

"But why me?" Abbey asked. "What did I do?”

"You probably didn”t do anything Dr.Bartlet. I seem to recall Marcus telling me that you were a doctor at the same hospital where he was an orderly. He said you smiled at him one day and said thank you when he wheeled one of your patients off to surgery".

"That’s it?" Abbey asked appalled. "I smiled and said thank you and for that he raped me and is threatening me and my family? Because I SMILED at him?" Abbey felt the tears of anger and fear threaten and felt Jed squeeze her hand tightly.

"How could he get so obsessed with one smile?" Jed asked.

"Sometimes it doesn't even take that. These people are delusional Mr. President. These are the stalkers who go after celebrities and people they don't even know. So, even if you had ignored him Dr. Bartlet, he may still have become fixated on you."

"About 25% of all stalkers fall into this category," Ron informed them.

"People like Hughes are, for whatever reason, unable to form normal personal relationships so they retreat into this fantasy world. They invent fictional stories---complete with what is to them real-life scripts---which cast their unwilling victims in the lead role as their own love interest. They then attempt to act out their fictional plots in the real world. They expect their victims to play their assigned roles as well. They believe they can make the object of their affection love them. When the victim refuses to follow the script or doesn't respond as the stalker wants, they usually attempt to force the victim to comply using threats or ntimidation".

"That's why he's been sending the letters and making the phone calls" Abbey breathed. "Because I've ignored his letters."

"You're a strong, powerful woman Dr. Bartlet, " Ron said. "If he can scare you, control you, then that gives him power and he needs to feel that power over you."

"Do you think that he will be violent again?" Jed asked. "Do you think he would really try to hurt Abbey or the kids?"

"I'll be honest with you Mr. President" Roberta said gently. " When threats and intimidation fail many stalkers turn to violence against their victims. I can tell you that Marcus Hughes sees those two babies of yours as proof of Mrs. Bartlet's infidelity to him. He seemed to be doing well when he got out of prison. He was taking his medication and I felt he was on the road to recovery. Then the Presidential campaign started and Mrs. Bartlet was everywhere. She was in the newspaper, on the covers of magazines, on the news, the subject of profile after profile. I could see his old obsession creeping back" She turned to look at Abbey.

"Your name started coming up more and more often, but I think what sent him over the edge was the announcement that you were pregnant. He was furious that you had cheated on him and were still sleeping with your husband. "

"We've gone back over the letters Hughes sent here and found that the first one came just weeks after the announcement that Mrs. Bartlet was expecting". Ron looked down at the letters in his folder. "The notes got very angry in the weeks following the twins birth when the media blitz was on."

"In the last session I had with him he was on a tear. Evidently he'd been to a bar in Georgetown and overheard some off duty secret service agents gossiping about a romantic tryst that you both had been involved in on a sailboat this summer". Roberta spared them the crude derogatory words Marcus had used to describe the encounter. "I don't think he was taking his meds. He was in a complete fury. He didn't show up for his next appointment and I haven't heard from him since. Dr. Bartlet, he wants to get you into the little fantasy life that he has created for you, back to when you loved him."

"I NEVER loved him" Abbey spat out. "He raped me for Christ sake".

"I'm sorry, that was a poor choice of words. For you and the rest of the world it was rape but in his mind he made love to you. As I said, he is delusional. He also sees the President and the children as reasons why you won't leave to be with him. He could very easily try to take away those reasons".

Abbey gave a sharp intake of breath and her face paled.

"Stop it, " Jed said sternly. "Can't you see you're scaring her?"

"No, it's OK Jed" Abbey said. "We need to know everything so we can prepare."

"I know I can't tell you not to be scared, " Ron's compassionate eyes fell on the lovely First Lady, "but I can tell you that you are not an average citizen. You have the best protection in the world. We are putting extra security on all of you including your daughters, and the twins. We won't let anyone get to you."

"You let him get in my bedroom". Abbey snapped, for the first time displaying the anger only Jed had shown the service so far.

"He didn't get in your bedroom ma'am. We swept it for prints and all we found were the domestic staff and the service agents. We are in the process of questioning all the domestic staff. If somehow Hughes got one of them to help him, that could explain how stuff is getting in to you".

Abbey glanced at her watch and gave a slight jump.

"I'm sorry I have to get back to the residence and finish packing. I'm leaving for New York City in just under 2 hours".

"You're not going to New York City Abigail" Jed stated firmly. "I'm putting my foot down".

"Well you better pick it right back up because I'm going. This is one of the biggest AIDS fund-raisers of the year and a lot of those people are paying big bucks to see me. Besides I'm supposed to bring two of my evening gowns to auction off as part of the fund-raiser".

"I don't care what you are supposed to do. You're not going to New York City alone and that's final".

Abbey's green eyes flashed with fire and the senior staff began to slink their way out of the Oval Office before the real war started.

"That's FINAL?" Abbey's temper flared. "You can't tell ME what's final."

"I believe I just did".

"I'm not Rapunzel Jed. You can't keep me locked in my room in the White House".

Jed thought for a moment. “Yes I can".

"But you won't".

"No" he admitted with defeat. " As much as I want to I can't ORDER you to stay here until they find him. I'm asking you not to go Abbey".

"I have to go Jed. If I don't, what will be next? The State of the Union? The convention? The campaign? How long before he'll turn me into a frightened little mouse scared of my own shadow? I have to do this. For me."

"I still don't like it".

"And I didn't like it when you had to go out and walk the ropeline just weeks after somebody nearly killed you on one. But I let you go Jed. You need to let me do this".

Jed looked at her for a long moment. One part of him wanted to lock her away safe and secure, where nobody could hurt her. But the more rational part of him knew that wasn't possible. Abbey was an independent, vital woman and he couldn't hide her away from the world.

"OK" he sighed.

"OK" she gave him a half smile and leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

* * * *

Before the First Lady's entourage left for New York City, Jed pulled Anita Fallon, the head of Abbey's security, into the Oval Office.

"What can I do for you Mr. President?" she asked.

"I don't like the idea of my wife making this trip right now. I don't like the idea of my not being there with her”.

"Please try not to worry. We have extra security and we've taken special precautions so that nobody, not even the press, know the hotel where Mrs. Bartlet is staying".

"I don't want her walking any ropelines. I want her in and out of wherever she goes and I want an agent with her at every moment. I don't want her even going to the bathroom without an agent with her".

"Yes sir". Privately Anita thought the First Lady might take issue with that, but she wasn't going to argue with the President when he was in this kind of mood.

"I don't want ANYTHING to happen to her or, I swear to God, heads will roll. Have I made myself understood?" He opened the door to leave the office.

"Yes sir. We won't let this man get anywhere near the First Lady."

"See that you don't".

"You should try not to worry so much," Anita said dropping the almost military bearing she usually had.

"I'm going to worry until she is safely home and he is back behind bars. I'm telling you seriously right now that I will KILL that son of a bitch with my own bare hands if he so much as tries to lay a finger on my wife".

CJ had been coming around the corner and stopped short when she heard the President's last statement. It was more than just the violence of the words that shook her; it was his tone of voice. It was a tone she had never heard before. She had heard him angry, furious, and even raging, but she had never heard him quite so cold and deadly. She didn't doubt for a moment that the President meant every word he had said, and that sent a shiver down her spine. In spite of her fear, however, she wondered what it would be like to have a man love her so intensely that he would KILL someone who tried to hurt her. She envied Abbey Bartlet that kind of devotion. It had been obvious from the start just how much the two of them loved each other, but she was starting to see a whole new depth to their relationship. She had no doubt that either of them would die for the other, but now she had to wonder, would they kill for each other?

"Mr. President" she said. "May I talk to you in your office for a moment?"

"I only have a few minutes CJ, I want to see my wife off".

"I couldn't help but hear you as I came around the corner".

"And?"

"And you can't talk like that. You know how gossip goes. If it gets back to the press that you are talking about killing someone all hell is going to break loose".

"I was simply stating a fact".

"But you did it in a open doorway. I know how you feel. Abbey told me everything that happened. I know that you saw him…" she trailed off gently and touched his arm.

"Then you know why I feel the way that I do".

"Yes, of course I do. I'm just asking you to be careful what you say and where you say it. You said you didn't want to give Hughes any publicity by telling the press what is going on with him, but if anyone catches you talking about killing him then it is all going to come out".

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'll try to control my temper a little better".

"For what it's worth Mr.President," she said as she turned to leave. "I'm glad you broke his nose and his jaw".

"I should have castrated him while I was at it" Jed said bitterly.

"I'm with you all the way on that."

* * * *

Abbey left the fund-raiser feeling quite pleased. Earlier in the evening her gowns had brought in more money than any other item that had been auctioned off. She had spent the last three hours schmoozing with New York politicians, actors, actresses and other assorted celebrities and now couldn't wait to get back to her hotel room and get some sleep. He feet ached and so did her mouth from all those forced smiles.

She felt the knots begin to tie up her stomach as they stepped outside to the chants of "ABBEY, ABBEY, ABBEY". Flashbulbs blinded her eyes as she tried to focus on the crowd. She heeded Jed's warning and did not head toward the crowd. Instead, she waved and smiled and made her way to the limo. One of her agents opened the door for her and as she was about to step into the car she saw him. He was standing against the rope.

"Anita" she called out. Her agent quickly came forward. "It's him, right…"she stopped speaking as she turned and saw the dark haired man standing before her was not Hughes after all.

"Where ma'am?" Anita scanned the crowd. She had Marcus Hughes' picture imbedded in her brain.

"I…I'm sorry I was mistaken". Abbey said with embarrassment. She got in the car pressing her fingers into her temples. How could she be so stupid? Now she was seeing him everywhere, in every dark haired man she saw. You've got to snap out of this Abigail she told herself or you're going to go crazy.

* * * *

Once at the hotel Abbey phoned Jed omitting the fact that she was seeing Marcus Hughes everywhere she looked. She took a long hot shower and changed into one of Jed's T-shirts to sleep in. Whenever she went alone on a trip away from home, she always brought Jed's T-shirts to sleep in. No matter how clean they were they always retained the slight scent of her husband and that helped her to feel closer to him, helped her to sleep, although she didn't think she would be doing much of that tonight. She grabbed a book from her suitcase and snuggled under the covers to read.

The jarring ring of her cell phone caused her to jump. She placed her book down and shook her head sure that only Jed would be calling her at this hour. She picked up the phone and hit the talk button.

"Hey baby" she smiled, "What did you forget to tell me?"

"Hello Abigail" the voice was deep and menacing. It was not Jed after all. "I'm watching you".

TBC...