Author's Note: This story takes place about 3 months after Changing Majors (available on my author page). Please read, enjoy, and review!
A Family Matter
Abbey got into Jed's Chevy Impala with a big smile on her face. "Are you sure you're ready to do this, really?"
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'm sure. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to show my hot girlfriend off to my alma mater."
She smirked. "It's about time, boyfriend."
Jed laughed and backed out of the driveway of the Barrington home on the quiet street in Lincoln, Massachusetts.
After slightly over an hour of singing along to the radio, they arrived at the school where Jed had grown up in Exeter, New Hampshire. Abbey had asked many times to go to meet his parents, but Jed had evaded her each time. But now the time had come. The headmaster was away at a conference for the weekend, so Jed could now feel comfortable bringing Abbey to Exeter.
They had only been dating for a few months, but things had gotten very serious very quickly. They had been madly in love with each other before their first kiss, after all. He had gone to the Barrington home for Thanksgiving, relishing in the warm relationship that family had. Abbey's younger sister, Kate, and her father, James, had taken a little while to adjust to Jed—they had both been big fans of Ron Erhlich, much to Jed's chagrin. Abbey's mother, Louise, however, had immediately taken to him. But by the end of the evening, he had helped Kate with her economics project, bonded with Dr. Barrington over a lively debate regarding the announced AFL/NFL merger, and had secured Mrs. Barrington's good graces by helping her wash the dishes.
But the Bartlets were not like the Barringtons. The Bartlets did not tell jokes around the dinner table or inquire into each other's lives. The Bartlets valued hard work and success. Deviations were unacceptable. Not that it wasn't a happy home; in many ways it was. Jed and his younger brother, Jonathan, loved each other and their parents very much. And Jed knew that his parents loved him very much. His mother, Mary, was sure to love Abbey. Everyone loved Abbey because how could they not? His father, however, might be a different story. John Bartlet was a strict man with a very clear idea of what the best for his family would entail. Jed wanted nothing more than to make his father proud, but he was often unsure of how to do that.
And that was why Jed didn't want John Bartlet around when he brought Abbey home for the first time. Hopefully Jonathan and Mary would be so enthralled with Abigail Barrington that they could convince John to love her before even meeting her. That was the plan, anyway.
Though Jed did have another reason to bring Abbey to Exeter and give her a tour of the school. But he would keep that to himself for now.
When he parked the car, Abbey got out immediately, gazing wide-eyed at everything around her, covered in fresh powdery snow. "Jed, it's beautiful!" she gushed.
"I'm glad you like it. It's home."
She turned to look at him and smiled. Abbey walked around the car to take his hand in hers. He was quiet, somehow. His whole countenance was quiet, though he might not have seemed off to anyone else. She just wanted to reassure him, support him through whatever was going on inside that brilliant head of his.
Jed took her around the school to various departments and classrooms, telling her about his experiences there. Abbey seemed to be enjoying herself. If she wasn't, she was putting on a good show for him. Either way, he was glad.
At the end of his tour, Jed took Abbey to the administrative office. They were greeted by a blonde woman with a pleasant, no-nonsense look about her and a tone of voice to match. "Jed Bartlet! What a surprise!" She came around the desk and gave him a hug. "It's been much too long."
Abbey watched as Jed's face truly relaxed for the first time since she had said hello to him that day. Abbey knew in that moment that this woman, whoever she was, was extremely important.
"Mrs. Landingham, how have you been keeping yourself? How are your boys?" he asked brightly, returning her embrace.
She waved a hand dismissively. "Oh I'm just fine, dear. The boys are doing very well. About to start medical school. But how about you? The last I heard, you had dropped out of the seminary program at Notre Dame."
"Yes I did. And this is the reason why," he replied, putting his arm around Abbey's waist.
Mrs. Landingham turned to the beautiful young woman by Jed's side and her entire face lit up with joy. "Shame on you, Jed Bartlet. You should have introduced her right away." She approached Abbey and shook her hand. "Delores Landingham. I'm the headmaster's secretary."
"And a busybody and a worrier and the only woman who's ever convinced me to do things I didn't want to do," Jed interjected.
Mrs. Landingham frowned at him. "I didn't make you do anything you didn't already know was the right thing to do."
Jed smiled knowingly and told her, "This is Abbey Barrington, my girlfriend."
"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Landingham," Abbey said sincerely.
"And it's nice to meet you, too, dear. Would you like a cookie?" she asked, gesturing to the jar on her desk.
Abbey grinned. "Yes, thank you." Mrs. Landingham opened the jar and Abbey grabbed a chocolate chip cookie. She broke it in half and offered a piece to Jed. They caught each other's gaze and smiled while they ate the cookie.
Mrs. Landingham watched the young couple and got a bit of a twinkle in her eye. It was easy to recognize love when it stood right in front of you. "Tell me about yourself, Abbey," she said after a moment. "Did you two meet at school?"
"Yes," Abbey replied. "Jed helped me out in the library."
"She was reading about microbiology on a Friday evening," Jed explained, looking at his girlfriend with pride.
"My word," Mrs. Landingham remarked. "That's quite impressive. Although I wouldn't expect anything less than a genius to catch our Jed's eye."
Abbey blushed slightly. "I wouldn't say genius, but I am the only woman in the pre-med biology major at Notre Dame right now. But Jed's very supportive. I even got him to take Organic Chemistry with me last semester."
Jed frowned. "I dunno why I let you talk me into that."
"Because that was the only way we were ever going to take a class together, and you had to fulfill your science requirement. And you did fine, so I don't see why you're upset about it," Abbey replied pragmatically.
"I almost failed."
"You got a B+!"
"A B+, Jed? Whatever will we do with you?" Mrs. Landingham said sarcastically. "So other than getting subpar grades, how are you doing? Are you eating more than one vegetable in a week? You know, Abbey, he has the worst eating habits. You'll have to keep an eye on him if you want him to live past thirty."
"Don't worry, Mrs. Landingham. The doctor here takes good care of me," Jed assured her.
"You're going to be a doctor? Good for you, dear," Mrs. Landingham told Abbey with a nod. "However, I have to say, Jed, you should be wearing a scarf in this weather. It's December in New Hampshire. You should know better."
"I'm fine, Mrs. Landingham," Jed insisted.
But Abbey added, "No, she's right, Jed. What will your mother say? She's going to think I don't care at all!"
He glared at her and shook his head, but she just smirked. Mrs. Landingham was quite pleased with the exchange between the two. This Abbey was going to be good for their Jed. Clearly, she already was.
"Speaking of your mother, Jed, you're in for a bit of an interesting time when you get home. Jonathan was sent home early today. Suspended for a week," Mrs. Landingham informed him.
"Oh my god. What did he do now?" Jed asked in exasperation. His younger brother had always been a handful. He didn't have the same discipline that Jed possessed, but he had quite a few skills that Jed could never seem to master. The brothers had always loved, respected, and admired one another. Theirs was a relationship of equals.
"He fell asleep in his calculus class for the third time this month. Mr. Miller couldn't let it slide anymore. I think he was snoring today."
Abbey stifled a laugh. She hadn't heard much about Jed's brother, but he sounded like a fun guy to have around.
The door to the administrative office opened and was slammed quickly. A man's booming voice rang out, "Mrs. Landingham! Did you send that letter to the Regents last week!?"
Mrs. Landingham stood up a little straighter and responded calmly, "Yes, Headmaster. I sent it out the day you gave it to me. But if it wasn't received, it might be because of that snowstorm we had a few days ago. I heard the post office got a little behind. But you have a guests, sir."
The headmaster turned, somewhat surprised to see his son. "Josiah. What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I came to visit. I thought you were out of town."
"The Manchester Airport is closed for weather. I'm flying out of Boston tomorrow morning." He turned his attention back to Mrs. Landingham. "Call around and figure out where that letter is. It's imperative that it reach the Regents before my meeting. I don't care if it takes you all night. Find it!"
Jed stepped into the situation. "That's not very fair. How is she supposed to find where your letter went? The post office is very efficient. It'll get there soon, I'm sure."
The headmaster's face suddenly turned dark and ferocious. "This is none of your concern, Josiah. But since you're here, we should have a talk. Into my office. Now." He grabbed Jed's arm and roughly hauled him into the other room and slammed the door.
Abbey stood stock still, ignored and staring at the door.
Mrs. Landingham put a hand on Abbey's arm. "I'm sorry about that, dear. Headmaster Bartlet is a very forceful man. But he's also very fair and very good at his job. He's made this school one of the best in the nation, and he's not a bad boss to have. He just expects a lot from everyone. You mustn't think poorly of him for this display. I'm sure he's just under a lot of pressure and stressed over his flight getting cancelled. Otherwise, I'm sure he would have said hello to you, or let Jed introduce you, at least."
From the office, Abbey could hear Jed shouting. Jed never raised his voice like this. "I'm not going to be a priest! I thought that's what you wanted! You don't even like me being Catholic, and now you're mad I left the seminary program!?"
Headmaster Bartlet yelled back, "You wasted two years in that program, and now you're going to waste your life with a degree in American Studies? What do you think you're going to do with that? You can't go can't go into politics. Who would vote for you? And you can't go into teaching. You should be better than that, Josiah!"
Abbey stared at the dark wood door in shock at what she heard. That kind of manipulation was unlike anything she had ever heard. It bordered on abuse. Her heart ached for Jed, wishing she could be there to stand with him, take the burden off of him for even a moment.
"Have another cookie."
Abbey turned to see Mrs. Landingham holding a chocolate cookie out to her.
"I insist."
Abbey took the cookie and ate it slowly. Mrs. Landingham closed the cookie jar and sat behind her desk. Behind the office door, the Bartlets were still shouting at one another. There was a loud crack and a shuffle, like something had been thrown against the wall and crumpled onto the carpet.
A moment later, Jed walked out of the room. His face was red but stoic. He stood tall and proud. His eyes deliberately avoided Abbey. Headmaster Bartlet walked out behind him.
"Mrs. Landingham, we're going to the house. Please call if you locate the letter."
"Yes, sir."
The headmaster noticed Abbey for the first time. He walked over to her and gave a soft smile, extending his hand. "John Bartlet, headmaster. Are you Josiah's girlfriend?"
"Yes, sir," Abbey replied politely. "Abigail Barrington. Abbey." She shook his hand warily, but maintained her pleasant façade. She glanced over to Jed. He was still just as stiff and silent as he had been before.
John Bartlet led Jed and Abbey outside and toward the Bartlet home, just off campus. "I'm very happy to meet you, Abbey. Do I hear that you're planning on going to medical school?"
"Yes, sir."
"That's a very ambitious path for a young woman. Good for you," John told her with a smile. "Josiah has told us how intelligent you are. I'm sure you're bound for wonderful things."
"Thank you." Abbey took Jed's arm as they walked, giving it a small squeeze. She felt the tension in his body diminish just a little bit.
John continued to chat good-naturedly. "I'm sure you know that Josiah, while good at every subject, isn't too interested in science. Jonathan, my younger son, is very mathematically minded. He's considering medical school. I do hope you'll tell him about your experiences with pre-med studies."
"I'd be happy to. I'm looking forward to meeting Jonathan, as well as Mrs. Bartlet."
"She's very much looking forward to meeting you. We've been asking Josiah to bring you to see us for some time now. But he spent Thanksgiving with your family, is that right?"
Abbey smiled. "Yes. My family just loves him. He helped my little sister with her school project. He's a very good teacher, and he's got quite a flair for economics," she said with pride. She saw Jed's lips tick upward. Slowly but surely, he was starting to come back to himself. Back to her.
"And what does your father do?" John asked.
"He's a doctor. He has a general practice in Lincoln, where we live. But he and my mother met when he was doing his residency at Harvard after he came back from the War. She was a nurse there."
"Is it your desire to go to Harvard?"
"More than anything."
"Then I'm sure you'll get there," John told her with a kind smile.
Abbey was conflicted. John Bartlet was a very polite, pleasant man. But the things she had heard him say to Jed…was he just a strict disciplinarian? Though Jed had thought he would be out of town…did he not want her to meet his father? Was there more here than met the eye? Abbey told herself to keep an open mind and an observant watch on the Bartlet family. There had to be a reason it had taken so long for Jed to bring her here, and she knew it wasn't anything to do with her. Abbey knew that, no matter what, Jed was proud of her, proud to be with her. The only thing Abbey could think of was that there was something about his family that Jed didn't want her to see. But Abbey got the feeling that perhaps she had already seen it.
When they got to the Bartlet house, just across the road from the Exeter School, Mary Bartlet came out to greet them. "John, darling! What are you doing home?" she asked with a smile. Her husband leaned down to be kissed on the cheek by his tiny wife. Mary Bartlet was quite beautiful. She was very short but had a full figure. She had golden blonde hair pinned up on her head in a plain bun, and her bright blue eyes sparkled with kindness.
Mrs. Bartlet turned to Jed and greeted him warmly with a big hug. "Did you have a nice day, Jed?"
"Yes, mother. We had quite a pleasant afternoon."
"Is this Abigail?" she asked, turning her attention to the young woman who stood back from the family.
Jed placed a hand on the small of Abbey's back and led her forward. "Yes, mother. This is Abbey, my girlfriend."
Mrs. Bartlet broke into a wonderful smile. "It's so nice to meet you! Jed's told us so much about you. I'm so pleased you could finally come up to visit. But look at us, freezing to the bone out here. Come inside! Dinner should be ready soon." She bustled back into the house, taking everyone's coats. "By the way, John," she said to her husband, "You might want to have a talk with Jonathan. He was sent home early and he's been suspended for a week for falling asleep in class. Three times this month in calculus."
John Bartlet's face darkened. He said nothing but instead immediately went upstairs.
Jed watched his father leave with a slightly furrowed brow. Abbey could see he was getting tense again. She had no idea what was about to happen, but if it was going to be anything like what she had overheard in the headmaster's office, she thought Jed was right to worry.
Mrs. Bartlet clearly noticed the change in mood. She pasted a bright expression on her face and ushered her son and his girlfriend into the living room, showing them the sofa. "So Abbey, tell me about yourself." She sat down in the armchair beside them. "Jed says you're planning on going to medical school?"
"Uh…yes, yes that's right." Abbey was still somewhat distracted by what might be going on upstairs. "I'm a biology major at Notre Dame at the moment. I'll take the MCATs next year. I'm hoping to go to Harvard Medical School."
"Good for you," Mrs. Bartlet replied happily.
Abbey smiled. She had to admit, she had been somewhat worried at the reaction her ambitions would elicit from Jed's family. They were smart and placed a high importance on education, according to Jed, but a woman wanting to go into the medical field was still relatively surprising, especially to the older generation. She was pleased that everyone seemed to be so supportive. Though she shouldn't have been surprised. These were the people who raised Jed. Her Jed. Her kind, loving, brilliant Jed. She caught his eye and they shared a knowing look.
Mrs. Bartlet addressed her son. "Jed, sweetheart, you didn't tell us how beautiful Abbey is."
Jed blushed slightly. "I didn't think that would be appropriate. But yes, she's very beautiful." He reached over and took Abbey's hand and gave it a small squeeze. This was all going much better than he had expected. Well, barring the quarrel he and his father had in his office. He sat back as Abbey and his mother bonded.
Mrs. Bartlet had to excuse herself to check on the roast. Abbey offered to help, but Mrs. Bartlet told her to relax with Jed.
Abbey took advantage of the privacy. She ran her fingers through his hair and took his face in her hands, kissing his lips gently. "Thank you," she whispered.
He smiled. "What for?"
"For bringing me here to see your home and your family. I know you were nervous. But I think it's going well, don't you?"
"I wasn't really worried. I knew they'd love you. How could they not?"
She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I'm quite lovable."
"Yes you are," he agreed, tenderly kissing her lips. And for the first time all day, Jed actually relaxed fully and completely.
They were interrupted, unfortunately, by a sound in the other room. A tall, lanky young man jogged down the stairs. He had Jed's blue eyes but was otherwise the image of John Bartlet.
"Hey Jed," the young man greeted.
Jed stood up. "Jonathan! Nice of you to take some time out of your suspension to join us," he teased.
"Very fun. I've already gotten an earful," Jonathan replied. Abbey couldn't help but notice that his right ear was bright red and perhaps a bit swollen.
"Jonathan, this is Abbey," Jed introduced for what felt like the thousandth time that day.
Abbey smiled to greet Jed's younger brother. Jonathan took Abbey's hand and kissed it, eliciting a throaty laugh from her.
"Abbey, it's a pleasure. I hope this nerd hasn't been boring you too much. That big brain of his gets in the way sometimes. And you're far too beautiful to be cooped up in a library."
"Well to be fair, I was studying on a Friday night in the library when I met Jed," Abbey countered.
"That is a tragedy. It's like keeping the Mona Lisa in a storage closet when she should be on display for all to see."
Abbey laughed once again, but the sound got caught in her throat when she caught a glimpse of Jed's face. He wasn't upset, per se, but he wasn't pleased either.
John Bartlet came downstairs. "Jonathan, set the table for dinner," he ordered.
Jonathan immediately did as he was told. John went into the kitchen to check on his wife. Jed and Abbey were left alone once again.
Abbey momentarily considered asking Jed to explain the situation with his father but decided against it. This wasn't the time. She moved to stand in front of him, straightening the collar on his shirt. "All day people have been saying how beautiful I am. And they aren't wrong. But it's a shame no one ever comments on how handsome you are. Although I'm a bit biased. It's easy for me to see how good-looking you are because I can't help but stare at you whenever we're together."
Jed looked down at her elegant hands resting on his chest, not responding.
"Jed?"
He looked up into her eyes. Those green and golden eyes that could seduce and entrance him with a single glance.
"I love you, you know."
Her admission took him by surprise. They knew how the other felt when they started dating, but those three important words had yet to be uttered in the four months they had been together. He opened his mouth to respond, but he was cut off.
"Dinner is ready!" Mrs. Bartlet announced, carrying the enormous pot roast to the dining table.
Abbey took Jed's hand. "Come on. We can talk later."
All he could do was nod and follow her lead.
The rest of the evening was significantly more pleasant than Jed could have expected. Nothing had changed; Jonathan was still too charming for his own good, his father was still polite enough to hide his inner rage, and his mother was still kind and warm-hearted to everyone she encountered. But now everything seemed brighter and better somehow. Because Abbey loved him. He reached beneath the table and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. The smile she gave him, the one reserved just for him that made her nose wrinkle and her eyes sparkle, was all he needed to sustain him until they could be alone again.