A/N: Another Libby graphic-induced prompt, pre-series. This time, it's that Abbey and Jed have a fight early on in their relationship, and are seen out with friends, causing them to realize how much they want each other.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in relation to The West Wing characters; I just came up with some of the OCs.
"Why did I ever agree to even go out with him?"
Another shoe was chucked at the wall, and Abigail Barrington still didn't feel any better.
"Because he's cute and you have the hots for him," her friend Emily said, lolling on the bed and looking up at Abbey, shrugging her petite shoulders. "It's only the truth Abbey. What did he even do to get you so riled up? I haven't seen you this mad since Ron tried to tell you to drop of med school!"
"He's just- Emily, he wants to know everything that I do all the time and who I'm with and where I'm going and I'm sick of his hovering!" Abbey snapped, eyes flashing dangerously. "He's not my babysitter."
"I'm sure that's not how he means to come off, Abbey," Emily said, rolling onto her stomach and propping herself on her elbows, blonde hair falling around her face. Blue eyes flashed beneath teased bangs, lashes darkened with mascara. "Have you talked to him about it?"
"I may have, er, yelled," Abbey admitted, cringing slightly, shoulders dropping. "A lot."
"Abbey!" Emily cried, sitting up fully, hands on her knees. "Is it really worth losing him over?"
"I will not be treated like a child!" Abbey said, eyes glinting. "I have a date with Kenickie Murdock for tonight."
Emily sighed, standing up and brushing her skirt out, the dark blue material floating around her knees.
"I think you're making a mistake, Abbey," she said, shaking her head, blonde hair twisting. "Especially if you're choosing Kenickie Murdock to get back at Jed with. You're only gonna get yourself hurt tonight."
Abbey watched her friend walk to the door of her room, stubbornly folding her arms across her chest and refusing to listen to her.
"Maybe I'll go talk to Jed, then," Emily said, and Abbey's eyes widened. Just because she didn't want Jed didn't mean Emily could have a go at him! "Hey, just because you don't like a man being concerned about where you are doesn't mean I don't."
With the Emily left the room, and Abbey was alone with her thoughts, and wondering if she'd made the right decision after all.
Was he just supposed to not care about where Abbey went, then?
Jed threw the butt of the cigarette away, angry at himself and at her. It had only been two months, but he already felt more for her than he'd felt for anyone in this lifetime. He cared about her, and he was getting yelled at for being concerned about her well-being!
He'd let himself be dragged into town by Tom, and already he'd downed one beer and gone through almost half his pack of cigarettes- which were supposed to last him until the end of next week. At this rate, he'd barely make it through the night.
The bar was loud behind him, and he drew in a deep breath, turning and walking back in, berated by the level of noise. He made his way to where Tom was sitting with a few other guys, two of whom were deep in, uh, conversation with the girls they'd brought along. He straddled his chair backwards, snagged one of the unopened beers on the table and opening it. He tugged on his jean jacket, spearing a hand through his unruly hair.
"Hey, Jed- isn't that Abbey?" Tom said, nudging him with his elbow. Jed turned, too eagerly, eyes widening at what he found.
It was indeed Abbey- with none other than Kenickie Murdock. Jed's fist clenched on the table, his muscles tightening. Kenickie's hand was on Abbey's neck, and the blatant possessive gesture made his blood boil.
Abbey was mad at him for being concerned about where she was going after class?
She either didn't see him or was ignoring him, and doing a stellar job at it. Kenickie led her to the bar, ordering two beers, and walking with her over the jukebox, where his friends were already standing. Jed couldn't take his eyes off her; she was dressed in tight jeans that accentuated her curves nicely, and those black heels that made him swallow.
She was wearing that damned pink jacket from the night they'd met too.
He stood abruptly, his chair squeaking on the wooden bar floor. It was barely noticeable in the crowed, loud room, but Abbey turned anyway, dark green eyes widening at the sight of him. He met her gaze head on, trying to decide if he wanted to confront her or not. Then he saw Kenickie's hand on her neck, touching the soft skin that was supposed to be his, and he saw red.
He turned, muttered a quick, sharp goodnight to his friends and stormed out of the bar, worried that if he stayed any longer, he'd be in an all-out brawl with Kenickie Murdock- who was considerably stronger, larger, and street-smarter than Jed was. He jerked another cigarette out of the pack, snapped the lighter on to light it, puffing as he walked, hand in his pockets.
Envy was a sin; he knew that. But still, he felt green with jealousy at the idea of another man touching Abbey. She was supposed to be his. Coveting was against the Commandments; but he couldn't find it within himself to full respect what his religion was telling him.
He wanted Abbey, and he wanted her badly.
Was this the game Abbey wanted to play? So be it.
Two could play.
Abbey felt sick.
Why had she thought she could get away with one date with Kenickie Murdock? She'd just wanted to show Jed that he couldn't control who she went out with- and now, Kenickie wouldn't leave her alone and she just wanted Jed back.
She'd barely left her dorm for the past week; whenever she did, Kenickie was there, and so she'd simply taken different routes to her classes every day. She hadn't seen Jed once, and the ache inside her wouldn't go away. She was worried she'd lost him forever; she'd seen his eyes when he'd left the bar after seeing her with Kenickie.
It left a pit in her stomach.
"I think you should know Jed's in the building," Emily said, and Abbey looked up, hope blossoming in her stomach. It must have shown in her eyes, because Emily shook her head, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Not for you. He called on Sandy Olsson."
Abbey's eyes widened.
"Oh," she said, swallowing down the hope that had surged forward at his name.
"I told you that you were going too far," Emily said, shrugging. "Kenickie's been bugging me about you."
"Emily, I don't care about Kenickie," Abbey said, sighing. She buried her face in her pillow, muffling a scream. "Why are boys so dense?"
"I don't think Jed's dense, Abbey," Emily said, pushing off the doorframe and shrugging again. "I think you just went too far."
Abbey turned her head to glare at her friend only to find her gone, and she groaned in frustration. Why couldn't things just go back to normal?
It was her fault, but she certainly wasn't going to tell Jed that.
Standing, she ran a hand through her hair and went to the window, cracking it open so she could light her cigarette. The slim cylinder in hand, she dug around her closet, finding the unopened wine bottle and popped the cork, going back to the window and puffing out a cloud of smoke.
Her eyes drifted downward at the sound of laughter; walking away from the building were none other than Jed and Sandy Olsson. She put the bottle to her lips, the alcohol making her head buzz, mixing with the nicotine already in her system. Her eyes flashed, jealousy washing over her.
God, did she want to be the one on Jed's arm right now.
Sandra Dee was pretty, petite, blonde, and beautiful. She was thin where Abbey had curves, and was a goody two-shoes inside and out- whereas Abigail Barrington was not. It was as though Jed had purposefully chosen the one girl that would really get under her skin.
But then again, wasn't that what she'd done with Kenickie?
"Damn it," she muttered under her breath, flinging the rest of her burned-out cigarette out the window.
It didn't land close to the pair that was walking away, but it was almost like magic that Jed looked upward. Their eyes locked, and there was something in those dark blue eyes she couldn't read. Her heart constricted in her chest, and she couldn't breathe.
She moved away from the window with a jerk, sitting down on her bed and closing her eyes.
This wasn't what she'd wanted at all.
Jed didn't feel any better after his date with Sandy; he'd dropped her off after the movie and was driving back to his dorm, cigarette in hand. She was nice, and sweet, and he liked her- but it was nothing like what he felt with Abbey. With Abbey he was alive, it was electric; she sent shivers up his spine when she cut those gorgeous green eyes at him.
He'd seen her eyes when he'd walked by her dorm room with Sandy; those green eyes were rimmed with red, sadness flickering across the irises. He tried to tell himself it was only fair; that was how he'd felt when he'd seen her with Kenickie.
It didn't feel fair.
Before he knew it he was turning the car around, driving back to the dorm. He couldn't leave things with Abbey like this; all it was doing was hurting them both, and he couldn't stand it.
He was back in only minutes, rattling on the door, desperate for someone to open up. He recognized the girl who finally did; it was Emily, one of Abbey's floormates.
"Emily, please. I need to see Abbey," he said, almost out of breath from his run to the door. She looked behind her, biting her lip.
"Jed, it's after curfew, and I'm not sure if she'd want me to let you in," she said, but her voice sounded hesitant. "Give me a minute, I'll just go check with her."
The wait felt like hours; in reality, it was probably only a few minutes. Finally, he heard the door opening again, and Emily was beckoning him in, eyes scanning the buildings behind him.
"Quickly; I don't want to get in trouble."
She didn't say anything about Abbey; Jed couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. Emily led him through the dorms, the sounds of girls in their dorm rooms following them as they moved up to the second floor. She knocked lightly, walked in, and came out a moment later.
"If anyone asks, I didn't let you in," she said, before turning and walking down the hallway, disappearing into her own room. Jed took a deep breath before walking into Abbey's room, shutting the door behind him. Abbey looked like she'd been half-asleep, from the state of her hair and the way she was rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand in a completely adorable way.
"I didn't mean to wake you- I can leave, if-"
"No, please, stay," Abbey said, shaking her head. Her green eyes held the softness of sleep, but a pleading he knew he'd never be able to resist. He nodded, stepping a little further into the room, nervousness fluttering in his stomach. What now?
"Abbey, I-" he started, at the very same time Abbey said his name. "Sorry- you can go."
"I never meant for it to get to this point," she said, shaking her head, dark curls shifting on her head. She took a deep breath, looking up at him with damp green eyes. "It was stupid- I was stupid. Can you…can you forgive me, Jed?"
Well how on earth was he ever supposed to refuse that?
The tears brimmed over and he was by her side instantly, tugging her closer he murmured reassurances in her ear, rubbing her back and kissing her head.
"There's nothing to forgive, Abbey- we both made mistakes, sweetheart," he said, feeling her nod her head against him. She pulled back and wiped at her eyes, letting out a shaky laugh.
"I'm a wreck," she said, grabbing a tissue and blowing her nose, shaking her head. Jed tucked a few strands of dark hair behind her ear, brushing his thumb along her cheekbone. She leaned into his touch, sighing softly.
He couldn't help it; he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. Over a week without touching her was too much.
She responded easily; turning her body she settled against him, one hand snaking up to tangle in his hair, the other pressed into his chest, clutching at his shirt to bring him closer. Together they shucked off his jean jacket, letting it fall to the floor as they situated themselves on the bed, Jed's body pinning Abbey's to the sheets.
Her hands tugged at his shirt, pulling it from the waistband of his jeans and over his head, reveling in the warm, muscular skin she found there. His own hands traveled underneath her sleep shirt, running along her smooth, pale skin. She moaned into his mouth, the sound going right through him. He was glad he'd shut the door; if anyone walked in on them right now, he didn't know what he'd do.
Abbey's hands traveled right to his jeans, tugging at the button and zipper, pressing against his readily-tightening groin. He groaned, stilling his movements; if he didn't concentrate, he was going to embarrass himself beyond belief.
"Jed?" Abbey asked, breathless and flushed, concern coloring her tone. He took a deep breath, opening his eyes to meet her gaze.
"Sorry," he panted, running his hand soothingly along her waist, flirting with the band of her shorts. "I'm a little wound up, babe."
Abbey gave a soft laugh, leaning up and kissing him.
"We can go slow," she said, voice dropping a pitch and making him groan again. He leaned down, kissing her forcefully, hands pushing her shirt up further. Their kissing was getting more involved, and even though for the life of him Jed barely knew what he was doing, Abbey didn't seem to mind.
They were down to their underwear when Jed realized he didn't have anything with him; he certainly hadn't planned on anything with Sandy and he hadn't been expecting Abbey to see him tonight.
"Abbey," he said against her lips, one hand gripping her hip, keeping her close to him. She moaned his name in return, and it took all his self-control to keep his goal in focus. "Abbey, babe- Abbey, we've gotta stop."
"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling away, voice showing her concern. He took a deep breath, pressing his forehead into hers, calming himself. "Jed?"
"I don't have anything," he said, opening his eyes and looking into her darkened green ones. She looked confused for a minute before her eyes widened, understanding washing through her. "I'm sorry babe, I just wasn't expecting-"
"Hey, hey, shh," she said, covering his mouth with hers, cutting him off. "The fact that you stopped when you realized says more about you than you could ever know. We've got lots of time, Jed."
She reached down to cup him, grinning at his intake of breath.
"C'mon boyfriend. There's lots we can do," she said, covering his mouth with hers again as she got him onto his back, throwing a leg over him and straddling his body.
Sometimes, being jealous did pay off.