A/N: I know Abbey wasn't in this episode, but from previous episodes/seasons, infidelity seems to be something the president always has a strong reaction to. And, having seen what the end of season four brings for the First Family, I figure a little more of a lighter conversation was necessary.
There is literally no point to this other than some fluff, and my sudden craving for waffles and vanilla ice cream.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything within the West Wing; I just like to play my hand at being the President and First Lady on occasion.
"You know I'd never cheat on you, right?"
Abbey looked up at her husband's question, one eyebrow rising slightly as she slid her glasses off of her nose.
"Of course I know that," she answered, tilting her head slightly at him as he disappeared into the bathroom, reappearing a few moments later shirtless, his tie and shirt in hand. "Is there a reason you're reminding me of this fact?"
He was silent a minute, changing from his work clothes to a pair of jeans and a tight black t-shirt she found particularly attractive on him.
"John Hoynes cheated on his wife," he said, looking at her with troubled blue eyes. "And told her government secrets. She's writing a book."
Abbey took a minute to process the information, closing her book and setting it on the coffee table, meeting his eyes.
"What are you going to do?" she asked, deciding not to address the infidelity directly just yet.
"He's resigning," Jed answered, and Abbey's eyes widened slightly.
"He doesn't even want to try?" she asked, surprised. She wouldn't have expected that from John.
"He said he needs to fix his marriage, and be with his family," Jed replied, running a hand through his thick hair. "Which I agree with- he needs to work things through with Suzanne, before anything else. But he doesn't even want to try to save his job as VP."
"How are you going to tell the press?" she asked, placing her feet in his lap when he sat on the other side of the couch she was on, his hands warm against the soles of her cold feet.
"The story's breaking tomorrow, we aren't commenting," Jed answered, sighing softly as he ran his thumb along the inside of her foot, cutting his eyes to look at her when she groaned quietly in pleasure. "Your feet are freezing, babe."
"It's cold in here," she murmured in reply, eyes closed as she tilted her head back against the couch arm, clearly enjoying his attention on her feet. It was those damn shoes she wore, he knew it.
His eyes lingered over her form as he continued to massage her feet, enjoying a view he'd been looking at for over thirty three years. Abbey wore a white V-neck shirt, giving him a glimpse of cleavage from the angle he had at the moment, and a pair of soft black pants that clung to her curves, making him swallow as the images of those curves without clothing came unbidden into his mind.
"I could turn the heat up," he murmured, lifting her foot to his lips and pressing a few soft kisses to the inside of her ankle, the skin smooth under his lips. She cracked an eye open and raised an eyebrow at him, her hands resting up behind her head, pushing her breasts up and together, making him groan under his breath.
"I think you're doin' just fine, boyfriend," she said in return, her voice lowered a pitch or two in arousal. He smirked against her skin, moving his kisses up her calf, pushing the material of her pants up as he made a path to her knee.
"Wanna make waffles?" he asked, mouth still against her skin, teeth nipping gently at her with his words, fingers stroking up along the fabric on her thigh, his destination clear. She didn't seem to hear him over the sound of her own moans, sounding incredibly similar to contented purrs in his mind, so he repeated himself, this time louder and away from her skin.
She looked at him, incredulity in her smoky green eyes.
"You're seducing me and slowly turning me on and you want to make waffles?" she asked, pursing her lips as she looked at him, turning her lips down demurely and shaking her head in amusement, thick hair cascading around her shoulders. "What am I ever going to do with you, Jethro?"
"Eat waffles and ice cream with me and then have sex?" he suggested, his fingers walking further up her legs, flirting playfully between them. She raised an eyebrow, biting her lip to try to keep the moan quiet, but she didn't have the willpower to remain silent. "That sounds like a noise of agreement to me."
"It's almost midnight, Jed," she replied after a moment, though he could see in her eyes that she was relenting. He leaned forward, kissing her again, trying to seal the deal. He pulled back and she wrinkled her nose adorably, her green eyes soft and rimmed with that tired love he'd never tire of seeing. "Let's go, before I change my mind, jackass."
She said it affectionately, tapping him on the shoulder lightly to get him off of her, and he stood, offering her his hands. He pulled her up and they walked hand in hand to the kitchen, where she sat at the table and watched him get the waffle iron out and begin to search for the ingredients.
"Want any help, sweetheart?" she asked when he cursed, an amused smirk curving her lips upwards as she watched his back while he searched through one of the cabinets.
"Shut it, Abbey," he said, throwing the words over his shoulder as he dug further back into the cabinet, making a triumphant grunt and retreating from the recesses in the shelving and holding up the cinnamon, grinning. "Found it."
"I'm so proud of you," she replied, laughing when he glared at her, setting the spice on the counter with the flour and milk, and the rest of the ingredients. "I'm surprised we have all this stuff in here."
"We live in the White House, babe," he said, raising an eyebrow at her as he started to measure out the ingredients, the iron heating up behind him. "We always have waffle ingredients."
Abbey merely watched him, the way his hand gripped the spoon as he mixed the ingredients, the way his muscles in his arms flexed as he poured the batter onto the griddle. She swallowed, thinking of what the future would hold, when he could no longer do even a task this simple. Would even that lead her to cheat, to find someone whose muscles obeyed their brain?
"You know I'd never cheat on you either, right?" she asked, suddenly worried that he didn't know, though they'd had this discussion before. He looked up from the waffles he was making, blue eyes meeting hers, flickering with emotions.
"I've always known that, Abbey," he answered, the truth in his voice making her swallow against the emotion in her throat.
"Even when things get bad- I'll always be there, you know that, right Josiah?" she asked, watching his eyes wide at her use of his full name. "I said through sickness and in health and I meant it."
"Abbey," Jed said, reaching over and taking her hands, stopping her words. "I know you'd never cheat- you're not John, our marriage is not like John's, and I know you're not going anywhere. I've never doubted you, babe."
Abbey sighed, relaxing. She leaned up, kissing him, tugging his bottom lip into her mouth and running her hands through his hair. He returned the kiss hungrily, hands falling to her hips and pulling her against him, groaning.
"Your waffles are burning," she said against his lips, grinning when he swore and pulled away, opening the griddle and moving the cooked, barely-burned waffles onto a plate. "Ice cream's in the fridge, Jethro."
And the night would move on, leading to sex, like Jed had predicted.
And both Abbey and Jed could be secure in the knowledge that their marriage was strong.