"CJ, may I have the keys," Abbey asked, as the two women approached CJ's car.

"Why?" "It's been ages since I've been allowed to drive a car. If I'm going to be sprung from the loony bin I may as well take full advantage of it."

"I don't think it's such a good idea for you to drive, Abbey."

"Why not? I'm a good driver. I used to commute 40 minutes through hellish Massachusetts's traffic to Boston every day. If I can drive in Boston, I can drive anywhere."

"It's not your credentials that I'm worried about."

"Did Jed tell you about all my parking tickets?" Abbey's eyes narrowed. "Because those were really unfair. There was no reason that I shouldn't have been able to park wherever the hell I wanted when I was on my way to an emergency."

"No, I'm not worried about getting a parking ticket," CJ smiled. She could totally picture the First Lady's frustration and indignation at being served a parking ticket when her arrival was a matter of life or death. She could also see the President patiently paying those parking tickets behind her back.

"Then we're agreed, there isn't any problem." She grabbed the keys from CJ and slid behind the wheel with excitement.

"There may be a problem." CJ slid into the passenger side. "Do you even have a valid drivers license?"

Abbey thought of her un-renewed New Hampshire license sitting in her bureau at home. "No. But come on, if I get pulled over do you honestly think that a cop is going to need to see my license to figure out who I am?" Abbey started the car and began to back out.

"That's what I'm worried about. All it would take is one little fender bender and can you just imagine the headlines. The First Lady, wearing a wig in disguise, was driving without a license when she was rear ended by another vehicle. Neither the Secret Service nor the President knew of her whereabouts. Christ, compared to that lovely scenario the picture is almost benign."

Abbey stopped at a stop sign and turned to look at her nervous friend. "CJ, I think you've been hanging around Toby way too long. Do you ever look at the positive side of things anymore or is everything an apocalyptic catastrophe?"

"I've learned to expect the worse." She settled back into her seat morosely and Abbey turned on the radio. As she sang "Heatwave" along with Martha Reeves and the Vandella's she realized just how much she missed the freedom of driving, of hopping into her car and going wherever she wanted. She missed the sporty little convertible BMW Jed had given her for her fortieth birthday. She missed driving home from work with the top down and the wind blowing her hair. Hell, at this point she'd even take the sturdy Volvo that she used to cart the girls around in or the Explorer that Jed used to commute north. Being chauffeured around had at first been a novelty but that novelty had soon worn off. At times it could be downright claustrophobic having to have her every move monitored and it certainly wasn't any fun not to be able to sing along at full volume to her favorite songs on the radio.

"Whenever I'm with him, somethin' inside, starts me burnin' and I'm filled with desire. Could it be a devil in me or is this the way love's supposed to be, it's like heatwave, burnin' in my heart…."

My God it was like she was on her first teenaged joyride, CJ thought as she eyed the singing First Lady. She was having way too much fun and that could only mean one thing. Doom.

* * * *

"I'll ask you again, Millie. Where is Abbey?"

Millie stared at him at a loss as to what to say.

Suddenly Jed lost his bluster and his face tightened.

"It's not any of the kids is it? The girls, the twins, they're all right, aren't they?"

"No, no, Mr. President," Millie took his arm to assure him. "They're fine.

"Then where is Abbey?"

"Out."

"Abbey is out and you're here watching TV. Why doesn't that make any sense to me?"

"I'm babysitting." Millie was grasping at straws now.

"We have a nanny. In fact I saw her on my way in. Millie, what are you covering up?"

"I'm not covering anything up. Abbey just…"

"Wait a minute," Jed cut her off abruptly, his head snapping back toward the door. "I saw her two agents outside the door. Did Abbey leave the White House without her agents?"

"Mr. President, calm down. Abbey's fine, she…"

"She did, didn't she." Jed stormed away from Millie and flung open the door. He eyed her two agents angrily. "You two, in here. NOW."

* * * *

A haze of smoke lay like a blanket over the inner sanctum of the run down bar, and the smell of that smoke, along with the sickening stench of unwashed bodies enveloped the two women who walked in. The bar was nothing like what Abbey had expected. If, and that was a very IF, the bar was actually in Georgetown it was on the very extreme edge of the part of town that she had always associated with quaint shops and elegant restaurants. This bar was nothing like the places that she and Jed had frequented when she visited while he was in congress. It was nothing like the upscale pubs that she and Jed still snuck out to every once in a while. This wasn't even a raucous college bar. The people here were not suited government workers or casual co-eds, in fact to say that it was blue-collar would be giving it more credit than it was do. This bar was simply a dive, and as such it was totally out of Abbey's realm of experience. Then again, it was probably the perfect place for someone to remain incognito as they made a drug deal, planned a hit, or even handed over material that threatened the reputation of the President's wife.

Abbey discreetly coughed and glanced through the foggy smoke at CJ who was shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She knew the other woman was feeling just as out of place in these surroundings as she did. With her body turned in her seat she was able to see the two burly beer gutted men who had come on to them as soon as they'd sat down at the bar begin another approach. She barely had time to roll her eyes at CJ before they were upon them.

"Come on ladies, why ya playin' so hard to get. All we want to do is buy ya a drink." Abbey and CJ were at the far end of the bar watching Danny from a distance. They hadn't counted on their cover being thrown into jeopardy by two insistent men who didn't seem to understand what no meant.

"We don't drink," CJ informed him.

"Then why're you at a bar," the other man laughed. "Aw I get it, you guys really ARE slummin' it and you decided to get yourselves a piece of a real man. Come on, baby, let's dance." He grabbed Abbey's elbow trying to pull her off her stool.

"I don't dance," Abbey said haughtily and pulled her elbow out of his grasp.

"Hey, you look kinda familiar," he said, trying to scrutinize her face. "What do ya think Eddie? She looks kinda like a blonde Abbey Bartlet."

Abbey put her head down, her heart beginning to race erratically. CJ was right; maybe she had been stupid to try to pull this off. God, if the press got hold of this they'd never live the scandal down.

"Naw, Abbey Bartlet's taller and she's got bigger boobs. Not that yours aren't real pretty darlin' cause they sure are."

CJ saw Danny get up from the bar and start to head for the door.

"We have to go Lula Mae." CJ grabbed Abbey's arm and began pulling her toward the door. "See you later boys."

"Did you hear that?" Abbey asked as they left the bar. "Bigger boobs, my ass," she griped, looking down at her chest. "And what was that about being shorter. I hardly think…"

"I wouldn't be worried about what two half drunk cretins think of you. You're wearing sneakers; you never wear sneakers on TV, of course you looked shorter, now ssshhh…There he goes around the corner. I think that if we go down this alley we'll be able to keep hidden."

The two women began walking down the darkened alley, both nervous and jittery. As women, this was something that went against everything they had been taught to do. You simply didn't walk down dark alleys in the middle of the night.

"CJ, what is that?" Abbey stopped and grabbed CJ's arm as they saw a moving shadow in the moonlight behind the dumpster.

"I…I don't know." CJ's voice quivered with fear. " But I could use a Secret Service agent right about now."

Abbey silently agreed. Oh God, how stupid had she been to do this? What had she been thinking? She knew better than to tempt fate like this.

A loud clatter caused the two women to gasp in fear, then hold their breath as they waited for some Michael Myers psychopath to come out from behind the dumpster with knife in hand. They stood clutching each other for what seemed like minutes but was probably only a few seconds before the mangy form of a stray cat darted across their path.

"A cat?" CJ let her breath out. "I was about to pee my pants over a cat?"

Abbey laughed nervously. She felt silly for being so afraid. Her laughter, however, was cut short and turned into a gasp of terror as a strong hand gripped her elbow and she felt a large form press against her from behind.

"It isn't safe to play in dark alleys." The deeply masculine voice caused Abbey's blood to run cold with fear and she whipped around to face her assailant.

* * * *

"Can we help you, sir?" The agents asked.

"I sure as hell hope so. I'd like to know where my wife is."

"She's here, sir." The agent looked puzzled. "She hasn't left all night."

"That's funny, cause she sure isn't here."

Jed stepped aside and the agents saw Millie. They looked at each other with puzzlement. "But Dr. Griffith, we saw you leave quite a while ago," one confused agent said.

Millie's face reddened and suddenly Jed put two and two together. "Dr. Griffith didn't leave tonight, did she? Somebody who looked like her did, and that somebody was my wife, wasn't it Millie?"

Millie knew it was all over and finally caved. "Yes, Abbey needed to take care of some business so she wore a wig and left the White House disguised as me."

The agents watched the President's face flush with anger. No man would take it well hearing that his wife went off in disguise for a secret assignation, but both had been on Abbey's detail for a while and neither had seen this coming. Neither had been aware of any boyfriends the First Lady might have. But Jed was not thinking about Abbey sneaking off with a lover, he knew her better than that.

"This has something to do with some kind of plan she's been hatching with CJ, doesn't it? Jed asked. "I've seen the two of them whispering and then they conveniently shut up as soon as I get close. What are they up to Millie?"

"It's nothing horrible, they should be back any time now."

"This isn't some cute little episode of "Murder She Wrote". Abbey could get into some serious trouble out there. Millie, you have to tell me what in the hell is going on."

It was the very real alarm in his tone that caused Millie to give it up on her friend. She hadn't liked the idea of Abbey doing this in the first place and she didn't like how Jed was reacting to her little getaway. "They snuck into Danny Concannon's day planner last week and found out when he was meeting with the person who gave him the picture in order to return it to him or her. They want to find out who it is so they can stop the person from going to the tabloids. So, that's where they went."

"And where exactly is that?"

"A bar in Georgetown."

"What's the name of the bar, MILLICENT?" Jed was getting frustrated now.

"I don't know, sir. I was just asked to stay here while Abbey left disguised as me. I don't know their whole plan. All I know is that it was a bar in Georgetown."

"I could have you tortured, Millie." Jed narrowed his eyes at her.

"Honest to God, I'd tell you if I could."

"GODDAMMIT…I swear I'm going to KILL her." Jed slammed his fingers through his hair with fury. He turned to the agents. "I want every bar in Georgetown gone through with a fine tooth comb. You get out there and find my wife."

The agents were already one step ahead him and were already putting out APB's proclaiming Scarlet's disappearance.

Jed sat down breathing heavily, his adrenaline still running amok. He remembered vividly the fight that he'd had with Zoey over the restraints of Secret Service protection and the way that he'd spilled out his nightmare scenario to her. He'd made her cry. He never thought that he should have had the same conversation with his wife. Just the idea of someone kidnapping Abbey, roughing her up, holding a gun to her head while they made demands caused his hand to shake with both rage and fear. He knew there was no way that he wouldn't do whatever it took to get her back safely and he was furious with her for putting herself in such a vulnerable position.

Millie saw his shaking hands and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be OK, Jed. She'll be fine. Nobody will even recognize her as the First Lady."

"You don't know, Millie. You just don't know what's out there. I have to see reports almost every day about psychos and terrorists that want to kidnap, or hurt, or kill my wife and my children. Without her agents Abbey is a sitting duck."

TBC...