Author's note: takes place within the Bartlet History universe when the Bartlets are in London, shortly after The Lion.

Friends

"And he got so scared about what I was ranting on about that he just opened the ring box and shoved it at me," Abbey said, her voice loud and full of laughter. She wiped tears from her eyes before continuing, "I was so shocked that I just froze!"

Jed laughed with her and continued, "And then I started ranting because I didn't know what to do! Thank god she said yes!"

The Bartlets laughed heartily as they regaled the story of their engagement. Their new friend, Leo, was happily laughing along with them and pouring another round of scotch for them all. "So you two knew each other back at school, obviously. Is that where you met?" Leo asked.

"Yeah she fell for me in the library," Jed said.

Abbey burst out laughing again and smacked her husband in the arm. "We met in the library one night because I was too short to reach a book I wanted on the top shelf, so he lifted me up to reach it and we fell," she explained.

"Well sure, we all start dating due to library books and bodily injury," Leo replied with a sarcastic laugh.

"We were friends at first. I don't know if Jed's told you, Leo, but he was studying to be a priest when we met. So he was off limits. And shortly after we met, I started dating someone else. We were just friends for over a year, right?" Abbey said, asking Jed for confirmation.

He smiled at her, his blue eyes shining with affection. "You were never just my friend."

Abbey's face started to feel hot. She smiled, wrinkling her nose happily, as she leaned in to give him a quick kiss. "Back at you," she whispered.

"Taking a man away from the Church. I gotta say, Abbey, I'm impressed," Leo teased.

"What can I say? I'm a very impressive woman," she replied with a smirk and a wink.

Jed added, "And it wasn't much of a fight, I gotta say. I went to Confession after every time I saw her. I think the campus priests all thought I was some kind of pervert, the number of times I admitted to impure thoughts."

Abbey gasped and laughed, "I had no idea!"

"I might have been studying to be a priest, honey, but like I said, you were never just my friend." He turned to Leo, "And can you blame me?"

"I can see what you saw, but she's not really my type," Leo said, looking Abbey up and down as mirth danced on his face.

"Hey, I'm everyone's type!" Abbey insisted as she took another sip of scotch.

"I got a tall redhead in the States that I much prefer," Leo informed them.

"Speaking of which, have you heard anything from Jenny since she cancelled her trip?" Jed asked.

Leo nodded. "She's taking care of her father. He's in the hospital and they had to perform surgery, but the doctors are confident he'll make a full recovery. She promised to come visit the next time I'm on leave."

"Be sure to let us know the next time you'll be in London. We'd love to meet your Jenny," Abbey said kindly.

Leo smiled. "Thanks. I know she'd really like you both."

"And if you love her, I'm sure we will too," Jed added.

"I do love her. But I don't know if it counts, seeing as neither of us has dropped a book on the other," Leo joked.

"Hey, don't worry. You guys have plenty of time for that," Jed informed him. "Not everyone gets that special milestone during their first meeting."

"His head got hit so hard, I tricked him into falling in love with me," Abbey said with pride. Jed nudged her with a laugh as he downed the last of the amber liquid in his glass. Abbey just looked at him with unadulterated adoration, thinking back to those early days of their friendship. Even then, before they'd even had their first kiss or first date or any kind of romantic attachment, she'd known somewhere in the back of her mind that she would spend the rest of her life with Jed Bartlet. And she was right.