Abbey and Jed returned to the cottage from their private afternoon sail, relaxed and satiated and walking hand and hand up the long path to the house. Unfortunately that feeling of tranquility did not last through the first step up to the porch. From inside the house they could hear a screaming baby and the raised voices of arguing girls. Ellie had evidently arrived while they were gone, as they could hear her voice among the others.

"Wanna sneak off and spend the night on the boat?" Jed asked hopefully.

"Don't tempt me," Abbey sighed. She squeezed his hand and gave him a rueful smile, remembering the peace and quiet of lying in his arms on the rocking boat. But, couple time was definitely over and it was time to be parents again, or referees as the case may be.

"What's going on in here?" Jed boomed, as they opened the door to the kitchen.

There was dead silence for a moment and then the girls all began speaking at once.

"Wait, wait, wait," Abbey put her hand up. "We can't hear you all at once. First of all, why is Aislinn screaming? She took the crying child from Ellie's arms.

"She's just being fussy," Ellie said. "She keeps trying to drag Max around by the tail and when we told her "no" she pitched a fit."

It turned out that the argument was over what to have for dinner and none of the three girls had been able to agree on what to cook.

"Look, we're all hungry and tired," Jed said. "Why don't we just order a pizza? Do you know how long it's been since I've had takeout pizza?"

The girls all looked at Abbey who was bouncing Aislinn on her hip and pouring juice into a bottle for her. "It's fine with me, " she said. "I want veggie though and make sure they put mushrooms on it."

Everyone began calling out their orders to Jed and they finally agreed on a large veggie, large pepperoni, and an order of Buffalo wings.

"I'm going to take Aislinn for a drive with the service to pick up the food," Abbey said. "Maybe that will calm her down. You guys make a salad while I'm gone."

As Abbey stood buckling Aislinn into her car seat, the two agents who were in charge of getting the pizza, her own agent, and Aislinn's agent surrounded her. She couldn't help but bite back her laughter at the absurdity of such a crew needed to simply go to the village and pick up a pizza. Taking a drive to calm her fussing children had certainly been much easier when the girls were younger and her husband had not been the President of the United States.

****

"Now this is what I call a meal." Jed surveyed the pizza, wings, and the bottle of beer on the coffee table in front of him.

"You have been fed by the top chefs in the world," Abbey said. "And yet this is what you consider a great meal."

"When you haven't gotten to have it in a while it is."

"I'm with Dad," Zoey said, grabbing another slice. "I'll take pizza over pate any day."

"That's my girl." Jed winked at her.

Abbey did a quick survey of the room. They were all eating in the living room in front of the TV, another thing they rarely did, but watching 'The Little Mermaid' was keeping the twins amused. At that moment both toddlers were sitting on the floor at Jed's feet leaning sleepily against each other, their faces smeared with pizza sauce. Abbey knew she better hurry and finish her pizza or they were both going to fall asleep before she could hop them into the tub. She took one last swallow from her beer and got to her feet.

"Bath time" she pronounced. She didn't get any arguments, as both kids loved their bath; however, neither wanted to put the effort into walking up the stairs.

"Eh, eh, eh," both whined and lifted their arms up for Abbey to carry them.

"You guys are getting too big for me to carry both of you," Abbey told them.

"Eh, eh, eh…" Was the unsympathetic response that she got from them.

"I'll help you." Jed tossed his pizza crust to the dog and got to his feet, ignoring the glare Abbey gave him at feeding Max that way.

They each picked up a child and began making their way upstairs. Abbey paused halfway up the stairs to look down into the living room where Annie, Zoey, and Ellie were all sprawled over the furniture eating pizza and engrossed in the Disney movie.

"Still want to go back on the boat?" she asked Jed.

His eyes followed hers and she saw a tender smile touch his lips. "Naw."

****

"Gram, me and Gramps are going to take the 'Zellie' over to the flats to do some clam digging, would you mind French braiding my hair so the wind doesn't mess it all up?" Annie asked.

Abbey took in the mess of toys all over the porch, but if it was one thing she'd learned over the years it was that messes could be picked up anytime, a teenage girl wanting you to do something for her was a rare occurrence, and not one to be put off. "Of course, just bring me a hairbrush and some hair ties."

Annie took the stairs two at a time, but rather than going to her room she made a beeline to her grandparents room. There on Abbey's vanity lay the antique sterling silver brush set. She smiled as she picked up the old fashioned brush, eyeing the initials AAB. Annie knew the story behind the brush well. She knew it had been given to Abbey by her grandfather's grandmother, Eleanor, as a welcome to the family gift, and that it had been the first thing that she'd ever had monogrammed with her new last name of Bartlet. It was so pretty and so feminine and ever since Annie had been a little girl her grandmother had brushed her hair with that brush. In a world that was ever changing and that moved with a pace that was at times bewildering, it was nice to have a few constants, a few traditions.

Abbey smiled when Annie returned with the old fashioned brush. She knew how much the young girl had always loved that brush. It wouldn't be long until Annie reached sweet sixteen and she would put the order in to "Tiffany's" for a replica set with Annie's initials engraved in it, just as she had with all of her daughters on their 16th.

Annie sat on the floor in front of Abbey's chair and Abbey began to brush and divide the strands of hair to start braiding. Annie was unnaturally quiet for a few moments but finally she worked up her nerve to speak.

"Gram, can I ask you a question? A personal question?"

"Uh-oh, I'm in for it now," Abbey groaned.

"Graaaaam…."

"Okay, okay. You know you can ask me anything, Annie."

"How old were you when you had sex for the first time?"

Abbey's breath caught in her throat with the surprise of that question. "Thirty-five."

"You were NOT!" Annie giggled. "You were 22 when my Mom was born so I know you had sex before then."

"Got it all figured out, do you?"

"Not all of it. Come on, be straight with me. How old were you?"

Abbey had always opted for honesty when this question came up. "I was 20, almost 21."

"You waited until you were 20! But, you grew up in the sixties with all that free love."

"There was no free love in the O'Neill house," Abbey smiled. "You have to remember, Annie, that I was pretty sheltered. I went to Catholic girl's schools all my life. Heck I never even went to school with boys until college. Not that I didn't date or anything but it was just different."

"So, gramps wasn't your first boyfriend?"

"No, he wasn't my first boyfriend." Abbey smiled.

Annie had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach when she thought about her grandmother dating a man who was not her grandfather. She wasn't sure she really wanted to know the answer to her next question, but she'd come this far.

"That first time, when you were 20, was it with gramps?"

"Yes" Abbey smiled stroking Annie's hair. "Your grandfather was my first."

"Were you married?"

Abbey took a deep breath. "No"

Annie nodded her head knowingly.

"Don't give me that look," Abbey told her.

"What look? I'm not giving you a look."

"Oh yes you are. It's the 'I knew it was okay to have sex before marriage look.' I've seen it before on all of your aunts. Your grandfather and I were in a very committed relationship, Annie. We'd been dating for almost a year and we were engaged. It was something that we both knew that we were ready for. Sharing that kind of intimacy with someone is a special gift, sweetheart, don't just give it to anyone. When you're ready, and we're talking years and years and years from now…" That drew a giggle from Annie. "Just remember that it will only be right when you're ready to share more than just your body, when you're ready to share your heart and your soul and that special part of you that makes you Annie Westin."

Annie turned to look up at Abbey, her face starting to flush. "Does it hurt?"

"The first time?"

"Yeah. Missy Stevens said her older sister Lisa said it hurts really bad."

"It's different for every woman, I guess. In my experience, it was a little painful and uncomfortable at first, but it gets better."

"And you weren't embarassed," she bit her bottom lip, "You know getting all naked and stuff."

"That's why you wait, honey. When it's with the right person it's not embarrassing."

Abbey's eyes narrowed suspiciously and she lifted Annie's chin to look into her eyes.

"First all this stuff about Parker and now all these questions about sex. You're not thinking about…Annie you're 13 years old."

"I'm just about 14."

"That doesn't make it any better. 14 is MUCH too young to even be thinking about having sex. You're just not ready emotionally or…."

"Gram," Annie interrupted her with a big grin. "Don't go freaking out on me. I'm not planning on having sex yet. Yeah, some of the girls in my class are starting to talk about wanting to do it but I'm not even allowed to date yet."

"Promise me you'll think about what I said earlier. I've never regretted waiting to be in a loving relationship before taking that next step. And, Annie, please, if you do decide to have sex at some point, talk to your mother, or if you can't talk to her, talk to me. There are things you need to know."

"Like how not to get pregnant or get AIDS."

"Yeah, things like that," Abbey sighed. How sad it was that 13-year old girls now had to be up on such things, they just seemed to get younger and younger.

"What are you two talking about?" Jed asked, as he entered the room.

"Sex," Annie told him and laughed as she saw his face redden. "Hey, you asked."

"You're much too young to be thinking about things like that," he muttered. "Don't try to grow up so fast."

"See Gram, if it were up to him I'd never know anything about sex, so like it or not, it's definitely up to you to inform me." Annie tip toed up and kissed his cheek. "I'm just going up to get my sunscreen," she bounded off for the stairs. "I'll be right back."

Jed slipped an arm around Abbey's waist and watched Annie run up the stairs, a perplexed sort of lost look on his face. Abbey rubbed his hip tenderly. She had seen that look on her husband's face three times before. It was the moment he was finally realizing that his innocent little girl was on her way to becoming a woman.

"So what exactly did she want to know about sex?" He asked.

"Just the usual. She's spreading her wings a little but before she can do that she needs to test her parameters."

"And just how does she do that?"

"By questioning me about my early sex life. It's a way of testing boundaries."

"And you, of course, told her you'd been happily married for years before you succumbed to temptation."

"No, I did not," Abbey laughed. "As much as you'd like to, you can't keep her a child forever and I'd rather that she know the truth."

"I know," he sighed. "It's just…she's only 13. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was having tea parties out on the porch with her?"

"Poor Jed," Abbey ran a finger over his cheek. "This transition has never been easy for you, has it?"

"No, it hasn't," he pouted.

"Well, here comes someone who will be wanting to play tea party with you soon enough."

Jed followed her gaze and a smile of pure adoration crossed his face as he watched Aislinn toddle down the hall, dragging a quacking little duck on wheels behind her, her blankie tucked up under her other arm. He swung the little girl up into his arms then tossed her into the air, causing her to squeal with delight.

"Jed, be careful…" Abbey's words of caution fell on deaf ears.

"Agin, dadda, agin."

Jed tossed her one more time, then pulled her in for a big bear hug. He looked at Abbey over their daughter's little blond head. "I guess since I have another one coming up behind I can live with the older ones growing up."

"Well, then, you better hope that we have more grandkids because Aislinn and Nicholas are really it for you and me. Any more coming up from behind will have to via Liz, Ellie or Zoey."

"Aw, come on, these two turned out pretty good, you sure you don't want to give it another try?" He teased.

"You'd better be kidding, Josiah. I am a surgeon, after all, I could probably figure out how to do a vasectomy if need be."

Jed winced just thinking about it. "There's no need to bring that word into the conversation, dear. I'm quite happy with the number of children we have."

"I thought you'd say that."

"Okay, Gramps, ready to roll?" Annie stood before him with a stuffed bunny in her hand.

"I've been ready. I'm not the one who had to have my hair braided and my lip gloss put on," Jed groused good-naturedly. "Are we bringing 'Shoo Shoo' with us?'

"No. Max chewed Shoo Shoo's ear off. I found the ear under my bed. Do you think you could sew it back on while we're gone, Gram." Annie gave Abbey an anxious look. The Easter Bunny had delivered Shoo Shoo in her Easter basket when Annie was only a year old and the two had been inseparable ever since.

"I guess I could do that for you."

"Thanks!" Annie handed her the stuffed animal and headed for the door.

"I don't think you have to worry about her growing up too fast, just yet," Abbey whispered into Jed's ear. He smiled happily and nodded.

****

"What did you do, steal the blueprints for Windsor castle?" Abbey set her novel down on her lap and pushed her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose to gaze at the huge sandcastle Jed was building with Aislinn and Nicholas. Well, at least it had started out as the three of them. It hadn't taken long for the novelty to wear off for the kids and at the moment Aislinn was quite content to be pouring sand on her mother's feet, then giggling when Abbey's pink painted buried toes poked their way through the sand. Nicholas had a little more patience than his sister and was at least still attempting to help his father. Abbey flashed her son an amused smile as Nicholas dumped a bucket of sand far from where his father was urging him to put it.

"Hey, you know what I always say, if you're gonna do something, do it with style." He turned from Abbey to his son, "Uh, Nicholas we need to finish working on the tower over here." Nicholas ignored him and continued to pat his sand pile with his chubby little hands.

"Okay," Jed scooted over, admitting defeat. "Change of plans here, looks like Nicky has a more modern approach he'd like to explore. You're going for a more ranch effect, is that it, son?"

Nicholas grinned at him, picked up his half-filled bucket, and began to make his way to where Jed had wanted the sand to begin with.

Abbey gave a soft laugh, not only at her son's intended destination, but also at how cute he was getting there. He was so new to walking that the soft sand caused him to lose his balance and fall every couple of feet or so. His "Swimper" was full from sitting in the warm tidal pools and the edge of the ocean, and it made him look like he was walking with a heavy load in his pants. After dumping the sand he turned to Jed for approval.

"That child is perverse, Abbey."

"He just likes to play with your mind."

"Just like his mama." Jed squeezed one of Abbey's half-buried toes. He watched Nicholas toddle off away from the castle. "Hey squirt, I need your bucket," he called out. Nicholas ignored him and began to fill his bucket with sand.

Aislinn was about to dump another bucket of sand on Abbey's toes, then turned to look at her father and instead made her way over to him.

"Dada" she handed him her bucket with a sweet smile.

"Well, thank you Miss. Aislinn," Jed accepted the bucket from her with much fanfare. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this bucket of sand. Would you like to help me build this tower?"

Aislinn nodded and began patting at the tower her father was building. Before long Jed felt a tap on his bare shoulder. Obviously Nicholas did not want to be outdone by his sister and was offering his own assistance to the project.

"Now, kids, come here." Jed pulled them both in for a conspiratorial conference that he made sure Abbey could here. "Do you think we could sweet talk your mama into going down and getting us some water for the moat? We have to have water for the moat. Say it with me…Please, Mama."

Abbey glanced over her book to see four round eyes looking her way.

"Peeze, Mama" Aislinn lifted her bucket toward her mother.

"Yes, please, Mama," Jed added his own pleading eyes to his children's.

"Are you guys ganging up on me?" Abbey asked her daughter. Aislinn nodded solemnly and Abbey laughed. "Well, since you asked so nicely, I guess I better go."

She took the bucket from Aislinn and got to her feet. Nicholas scrambled to her side with his own bucket.

"I go, Ma"

"Thank you, Nicholas, I could use some help. You guys built a really big castle." Abbey took his hand and the two of them made their way down toward the water's edge.

"Abbey!" Jed called out to her. "You have another little follower."

Abbey turned to see Aislinn, in her little ladybug bathing suit, her pail banging against her leg, trying to catch up. She held her hand out to her, and the three of them made their way to the sea.

From where he was seated, putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece, Jed heard shrieking and laughter. He looked down toward the water and saw mother and children playing in the waves. He grinned broadly as he watched Nicholas walk out toward a small wave, only to turn with a squeal and run the other way as the wave chased him back to the beach. Abbey, in a sleek blue one-piece, stood behind Aislinn holding her hands and lifting her high in the air before the wave could hit her. Jed could hear the little girl's shrieks of delight from the beach. Max splashed and paced back and forth through the water keeping an eye on things. Jed sat content for a long while just watching his family and enjoying the fun they were having.

The water was cold so it didn't take long for them to return, chilled and breathless.

"I thought I sent you two on a mission," Jed said, wrapping a fluffy towel around Nicholas.

In response, Aislinn dropped her cold little body onto her father's warm lap.

"Hey, you're cold," Jed gasped.

Aislinn giggled and snuggled closer into his chest. Jed smiled and grabbed a towel to wrap her up.

Abbey was wiping at her thighs with a towel when she saw her son discard his towel and plop his butt down right on one of the castle towers to begin digging in the sand again. Her fingers flew to her lips to keep in her laughter at the look of dismay on her husband's face. Then, to add insult to injury, Max walked up right behind him and shook his big, wet body spraying Jed with the icy water from the sea. She couldn't hold it in anymore and her laughter bubbled forth.

"You think this is funny, do you?" Jed asked. Abbey nodded as he made his way menacingly toward her. She took a tentative step back and Jed pounced forward tickling her ribcage in just the spot he knew would send her into fits of laughter.

As Ellie, Zoey, and Annie approached the beach, Abbey was laughing and fighting off Jed's tickling hands.

"Hey, you two," Zoey said. "You have impressionable young children here."

"You've seen me tickle your mother before," Jed teased.

Zoey gave him a sarcastic look and pointed to her young siblings. Abbey's eyes widened as she saw Aislinn lift a hand full of the wet sand she had been patting down toward her mouth.

"Jed! Stop her! She's eating sand!"

In two strides Jed was at his daughters side, pulling her hand from her mouth.

"Yucky, Aislinn," he told her, as he wiped away the remnants as best he could. "We play with sand, we don't eat it."

"Gross" Annie wrinkled her nose.

"You ate sand in your day, young lady," Jed told her. "All you girls did."

Much to Abbey's dismay both kids had discarded their towels and were now covered head to toe with wet sand.

"I think it's time to go back to the house to clean up and have a nice nap," she said.

"No nap." It had become Nicholas's standard response.

"You want to take a shower with daddy before your nap?" Sometimes bribery really was the easiest way to avoid a fight.

That got Nicholas right to his feet. He enjoyed his baths, but he really loved a shower and the only time he was allowed to take one of those was with his mother or father.

****

Leo and Jordan made their way over the sandy beach to where Ellie, Zoey, and Annie lay sunbathing. Zoey smiled at Ellie when she saw Leo in his suit and tie, Uncle Leo had never been much of a vacationer.

"You look a little overdressed for the beach, Uncle Leo," she teased.

Leo smiled at his goddaughter. "Where are your folks?"

"They're up at the house putting the twins down for a nap."

"Okay." He turned to Jordan and took her hand. "I'm going to go back to the guest house and unpack," she told him. "You go tell them we're here."

Leo nodded and when she walked away he already missed his buffer.

****

"I can't understand how you kids can get this much sand caked on you." Jed stood in the warm shower trying to wash the salt, sand and sunscreen off of his son.

"Are you guys almost done in there?" Abbey stood at the sink rinsing Nicky's sandy bathing suit."

"Just about."

"Did you wash his hair?"

"Yes, I washed his hair."

"Well, if he's done pass him on out."

Jed opened the shower to allow Abbey to take the boy and wrap him in a towel. By the time he had finished with himself, Abbey had Nicholas all powdered up and in a clean diaper. Jed stood in the doorway with just a towel around his waist, his hair wet and tousled and Abbey wondered what he would say if she suggested that THEY take a little siesta while the kids took theirs. She knew it wouldn't take much persuasion.

"Showers open," he said.

"So I see. Okay, Ash it's our turn. Just put a T-shirt on Nicky," she said as she approached him. "He can sleep in that…By the way, you're looking pretty good, Bartlet" she gave him a tap on the rear as she passed him on the way to the bathroom.

Jed watched her walk across the hall with Aislinn in tow, a sly grin crossing his face. He knew what that look in Abbey's eye meant and the sooner he could get the kids down for their nap, the sooner daddy could take advantage of the time alone with mommy.

"Okay, Jed!" Abbey called out from the shower. "Aislinn's done, come and get her." Jed opened the door to the bathroom just as Abbey stepped out of the shower wrapping a towel around herself. He held a towel open for Aislinn and watched with surprise as she raced past he and the towel to run wet and naked down the hall.

"Aislinn Faith Bartlet, you little streaker, I'm going to get you," Jed laughed and began to chase the giggling little girl, who, at the end of the hall, ran smack dab into her shocked Uncle Leo.

"Leo," Jed exhaled with surprise.

"Jed, did you catch her?" Abbey asked, stepping out of the bathroom.

Leo looked up from the naked little girl at his feet to where Abbey stood wrapped in just a towel, her hair wet and hanging to her bare shoulders.

"Leo!" she gasped and stepped back. Jed immediately moved to stand in front of her and shield her from Leo's gaze.

"Leo, what in the hell are you doing up here?"

TBC...