President Jed Bartlet and First Lady Abbey Bartlet were enjoying their reconnection weekend at Camp David in October 2001. The Bartlets went for a Saturday morning stroll around the grounds of the presidential retreat. Near the end of the stroll, Jed surprised Abbey with a beautiful gold ring with an opal stone, in celebration of their past, present and future together. Thanks to Jed's presentation, the First Couple returned to their cabin feeling as giddy as they had when they got engaged more than 30 years earlier.
Upon getting back inside the cabin, the first order of business for Jed and Abbey was fetching bottles of water. As she went to get some out of the kitchen refrigerator, Abbey couldn't stop gushing over her new ring.
"You did good with this rock, Jed," Abbey said with a girlish grin on her lips. "I can't thank you enough for it, and I can't wait for all that is ahead of us."
"You're very welcome," Jed said as Abbey handed him a bottle of water. "My girl only gets the best. I bought the ring from a jeweler in Georgetown Leo put me in touch with."
Abbey let out a hearty laugh. "Well, I guess Leo's still your wingman after all these years," she said.
Just then, Abbey noticed it was around lunch time. She asked Jed if he was hungry, and he answered in the affirmative.
"OK," Abbey said, "Salad is on the menu right now."
"Come on, Abbey, do I really have to eat a salad?" Jed asked.
"Yes, Jed, you do," Abbey replied. "It's good for you. Remember, jackass, you promised me you will be as careful with your health as possible."
"OK, Dr. Bartlet," a humbled President Bartlet replied. "You do have a fair point there."
"See, salad tastes good, right?" Abbey said as she and Jed ate away. "If I do say so myself, I think I make a pretty good one."
"That you do," Jed said. "You make the best I've ever had."
"Thank you," Abbey said as she shot Jed a flirtatious grin. "So, what would you like to do for the rest of the day?"
"Well, after we get showered up, I thought we would just take it easy for the afternoon and then tonight, we'll have a fun evening on the patio," Jed replied.
"What exactly do you have in mind?" Abbey asked excitedly.
"Oh, I thought I would grill us up some steaks and we would have a nice, romantic outside dinner," he replied.
"Sounds great, Jethro," Abbey said, even more excited than before. "Don't worry, I won't give you a hard time about those steaks. We do need our protein, after all."
"I'm glad on both counts," Jed said with a laugh.
As the sun set, Abbey slipped into a red dress paired with black heels. She took extra care on doing her hair, and on applying her makeup and lipstick. Of course, she made sure to wear her new ring.
Upon reaching the patio, Abbey was met with a sight to behold. The patio was ablaze in light from the candles that Jed had had set up around the patio's perimeter. In the middle of it all was Jed at work on the grill. He wore an apron over his white dress shirt and gray dress pants.
Abbey made her way toward Jed, whose jaw dropped at the sight of her.
"Hey there, lady, got a hot date tonight?" he asked with a grin.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. It's with some jackass from New Hampshire who managed to become president," Abbey replied as she gave Jed a wink.
Jed gently pulled Abbey into a hug and promptly kissed her cheek. "You get more beautiful with age, honey," he said.
"I'll say the same thing about you," Abbey replied. She stroked with her hands Jed's freshly shaved face.
When the steaks were finished, Jed removed his apron and joined Abbey at the table, which was adorned with a lit candle. Jed had arranged for the stereo to play songs that were hits in the '60s, when he and Abbey met, fell in love and got married.
"Jed, this really is fantastic. You've outdone yourself," Abbey said.
"Well thank you, but what exactly are you referring to?" Jed asked in response.
"Everything," Abbey said. "The food is delicious. The candles provide so much ambiance. And we're listening to great music. This is a perfect evening."
"Who is better than me?" Jed asked mischievously.
"No one," Abbey answered.
Just then, The Beatles' "Yesterday" came over the stereo. Abbey immediately noticed Jed become more somber.
"What is it, Jed?" Abbey asked with a degree of concern.
"When we were having our problems after I decided to run for re-election, I couldn't get the lyrics to 'Yesterday ' out of my head," Jed related.
"Jed, don't worry about that, we've worked through everything," Abbey said as she reached across the table to take Jed's hand in her own. "Just keep in mind what we've been saying about you being careful."
"I will, Scout's honor," Jed replied.
As Jed and Abbey finished their dinner, Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" came over the stereo, bringing a smile to Jed's face. Jed got up and held his hand out to Abbey.
"May I have this dance?" he asked.
"Of course, you may," Abbey replied.
With that, the Bartlets headed to what amounted to the patio dance floor, clasped hands and gently swayed to the iconic ballad.
Once they got back inside the cabin, Jed and Abbey still were wired from their romantic dinner and dancing. They weren't tired and decided to go ahead with their plan to watch "Apocalypse Now," one of Jed's favorite movies. The Bartlets decided to watch the movie from bed rather than in the cabin living room.
"You know," Jed said at one point. "I now totally get it when people say I look like Captain Willard. I never can remember the name of the guy who played him, though."
"Jed, you never cease to amaze me," Abbey said. "You did work on complex economics issues that earned you a Nobel Prize and you almost literally run the world now, yet can't remember the name of anyone outside of our family and close friends."
Jed and Abbey awoke Sunday to a cool but sunny morning. They got up around 7:30 and went to make their breakfasts - fruit included of course. Since the Bartlets were devout Catholics, there was no question they would be going to Mass at the Camp David chapel.
"Mass will be at 10:30. I've arranged for Father Tom to say it for us," Jed told Abbey over breakfast.
"Father Tom? That's wonderful," an excited Abbey replied. "It will be great to see him."
New Hampshire priest Father Tom Cavanaugh was a longtime Bartlet family friend. Jed had brought him to the White House for spiritual guidance the year before, as the Bartlet administration grappled with the always-challenging issue of capital punishment.
For Mass, Jed and Abbey put on fine clothes. He wore black shoes, gray pants, a white shirt, a red tie and a blue blazer. She wore a black dress, pink blazer and black heels. About 15 minutes before Mass, the Bartlets left their cabin, hand-in-hand, for the chapel.
Father Tom said a Mass that was quick but nonetheless spiritual. His sermons always had helped Jed and Abbey grow in their faith, and the sermon he gave at Camp David was no exception.
At the conclusion of Mass, Father Tom warmly greeted the Bartlets, who were just as glad to see him.
"Welcome to Camp David, Father Tom," Abbey said as she hugged the priest. "I've missed you and your sermons."
"It's great to see you as well, Abbey," Father Tom replied. "I've missed going to visit you at your farm and having the pies you always baked with apples you grow there."
"We may go to New Hampshire for Christmas, so you'll have to come see us," Abbey said enthusiastically.
"I'd like that very much," Father Tom said before turning to Jed. "And how are you today, Mr. President?" he asked.
"I'm well, Father Tom," Jed said as he and the priest shook hands. "I'm here at Camp David with my wife and we just heard a wonderfully uplifting sermon from you."
"I'm glad to hear that," Father Tom replied with a laugh.
Just then, Abbey left to greet some of the Navy and Marine personnel who staff Camp David. Once she was out of earshot, Father Tom decided to get a sense of how things really were between Jed and Abbey.
"So," he asked Jed, "how has this weekend gone?"
"It's really been terrific, Father," Jed said. "We've had so much fun, it feels like we're newly engaged. I'm confident we truly are reconnected, and I can't even begin to express how wonderful that feels."
Father Tom smiled warmly. "I had been praying for you and Abbey, so I'm thrilled by that news," he told Jed. "You two always have had something beautiful, and may it stay that way forever."
"Thank you for everything, Father," a moved Jed said as he again shook his old friend's hand.
"So, we don't have that much time left here," Abbey noted as she and Jed walked arm-in-arm back to their cabin. "What were you thinking for the rest of the day?"
"Why not go for a good old-fashioned picnic?" Jed asked.
"That's a cute idea. I love it," Abbey said with a smile.
Getting back to the cabin, Jed and Abbey changed into more picnic-friendly clothes. Abbey opted for a crimson sweater, khakis and her trusted white Reebok Princess sneakers. Jed chose a blue Notre Dame sweater, jeans and sneakers. They quickly made their salads-and-sandwiches lunch, and then headed out for a secluded but pleasant spot on the Camp David grounds.
"You know, I had forgotten how much I enjoy picnics," Abbey said. "This really is great."
"All the more reason for us to come here as often as possible. Can you imagine the Secret Service's reaction if we were to have a picnic on the South Lawn?" Jed asked with a laugh.
"There would be a collective freak-out," Abbey said with an equally hearty laugh.
"Remember our first picnic?" Jed asked.
"Of course, I do," Abbey said. "That was in May of '65, right after we finished sophomore year. We were on our first trip to Nantucket that was just the two of us."
"At that picnic, I think we may have spent more time making out than we did eating," Jed said with a chuckle.
"Well, there's nothing that says we can't make out now," Abbey said in a seductive tone.
"I like the sound of that," Jed replied. With that, Jed and Abbey kicked off a make-out session as intense as any they had back in college. By the time it was over, Jed was wearing Abbey's makeup and lipstick.
Not long after the picnic finished, Jed and Abbey began to get ready for their return to the White House. Marine One was set to pick them up an hour later.
The Bartlets spiffed up their appearances for their coming arrival on the South Lawn, which sure was to be covered by the news media. They swapped out their sneakers, with Jed choosing a pair of brown boat shoes and Abbey going with casual brown boots. Jed put on one of his commander-in-chief bomber jackets, while Abbey donned a simple blue blazer. And, of course, Abbey redid her makeup and lipstick, while Jed washed his face of the "residue" from their make-out session.
Jed and Abbey bounded up the steps of Marine One and got strapped in for takeoff. Once the chopper got airborne, Abbey undid her seatbelt, got up, placed herself in Jed's lap and put her arm around him.
"Thank you for an amazing weekend, babe," Abbey said. "I couldn't have asked for a better one."
"Right back at you," Jed replied. "I'm just so glad we're 'us' again."
"So am I," Abbey said with a smile.
"On that happy note, how would you like to come with me to Canada in early December?" Jed asked.
"Canada? That sounds like fun. Count me in," Abbey said. "What will this trip entail?"
"It's going to be a relatively short trip, just overnight. I'm going to have a meeting in Montreal with the prime minister, and then he is going to take me on a tour of the city," Jed related.
"Wow, now that you mention Montreal, I'm especially excited," Abbey said. "I've heard Montreal is a spectacularly romantic city, especially at that time of the year."
"Well, all the more reason for you to come with me," Jed said with a laugh. "I'd also like to see the Notre-Dame Basilica. I went to Montreal with Leo and my brother Jon over Christmas break not long before I met you, but we never made it to the basilica."
"That's a little ironic since you were considering the priesthood then," Abbey said with a chuckle. "But I'd love to see the basilica, too, and I'll be very glad to see it with you."
By now, Marine One was over downtown Washington, D.C., on final approach to the White House. Abbey remained in Jed's lap, and he held her tight and close. Jed being Jed, he couldn't resist spouting trivia about the buildings, monuments and parks he and Abbey literally had a bird's eye view of.
Marine One made a smooth touchdown on the South Lawn of the White House. After thanking the pilots, Jed and Abbey stepped out of the helicopter, waved from the top of the steps and then walked down. Jed returned the salutes of the Marines stationed at the base of the chopper's steps.
Jed and Abbey put their arms around each other and walked up the South Lawn, toward the door leading into the Diplomatic Reception Room. As they got closer, they noticed a figure standing by the door.
"Hey, that looks like Leo," Jed said quietly.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Abbey replied.
"It's always a pleasure to see Leo, but something tells me there may be trouble," Jed said.
A simple "uh oh" was all Abbey could muster.
The man at the door was in fact Leo. He was, unsurprisingly, dressed in a suit and tie. As Jed and Abbey got closer to the door, they waved at him. Leo responded with a quick nod.
"Hi Leo," the Bartlets said in unison.
"Mr. President, Madame First Lady, welcome home," Leo said dryly.
"Thank you," Jed said. "Is there a problem? You seem a bit down."
"No, I just wanted to welcome you home and see how your weekend went," Leo answered.
"Oh, it was amazing, Leo. I don't think Jed and I have had so much fun together since our earliest days," Abbey said with a smile as she slipped her hand into Jed's.
"Fantastic," Jed added.
"Well, I'm thrilled to hear that," Leo replied. "I'm going to be honest, all of us in the West Wing were a little worried about you for a while."
"Why is that?" Abbey asked.
"From the beginning, we all thought you two have something special, something all couples should strive for, so it was a bit upsetting to us when you were having your problems," Leo related.
"Really?" Jed asked, somewhat surprised.
"Yes, really," Leo replied. "It was especially upsetting to me because I've literally watched you from the start of your relationship. Hell, if Jenny and I had been a little more like you, we may not have gotten divorced. So the long and short of it is I really was rooting for you to have a great weekend."
"Leo, that is just too sweet," a moved Abbey said as she gave Leo a hug.
"Leo, thank you for always being there for both of us," Jed said as he hugged his best friend.
"Hey, what are friends for?" Leo asked with a grin.
As Jed, Abbey and Leo turned to enter the White House, Abbey cracked, "Don't worry, Leo, I won't be leaving the jackass any time soon."