Leo had just arrived back in his office when Margaret gave him a message slip.

'Call Nancy M, immediately.'

"Margaret, how long ago did she call?"

"Five minutes, Leo."

"Okay. And get CJ and Toby in here right now."

Leo picked up his receiver and punched in Nancy's extension. He waited just seconds for her to answer.

"Nancy, what 'cha need?"

"Leo, you in your office?"

"Yea."

"I'm coming up. We just received something from MI6."

"Okay. I'll be here."

As Leo put down the phone, he looked up to see CJ and Toby in the doorway. He motioned them in and to close the door behind them.

"I need to bring you up to date on a few things that the press might get wind of. First…"

"LEO!"

"Come on in, Nancy. Guys, can you excuse us?"

"Certainly," Toby replied. He and CJ went into Margaret's office and shut her door.

"What's the emergency, Nancy?"

"These are." She shoved some pieces of paper at him. "This will kill the President."

Leo looked at the two pictures and sat down hard in his chair. He looked back up at the National Security Advisor. "Have these been confirmed?"

"Leo, MI6 has done all they can do to confirm these. I mean they don't have an actual body, but they have authenticated the face in the picture as the First Lady."

Leo looked back at the pictures. One showed just the head and face of the First Lady, partially shown in what looked to be a black body bag lying in a dark pine box. The other one was a picture of the same box, now seen as a casket, lying on a steel table. Unable to hold back his tears, they fell on top of the paper in his hands.

"Leo, I'm sorry to be the one to have to show you this. What do you want me to do? Are you going to tell the President? After all that he has gone through, this might be the last straw."

All Leo could do was stare at the picture of the First Lady lying in the casket. 'It can't be true. It just can't be true' he thought. 'I won't let it be true.'

He was thinking of the past thirty-five years or so he had known Abbey. He thought how excited Jed was in the letters he had sent Leo in Vietnam over this girl he had met at Notre Dame that had influenced him to change his major. About how in love he was with Abbey and that he was going to ask her to marry him. How excited he was in his letters from London about their life there, especially after Liz was born. Hell, Abbey was the perfect woman for his friend Jed. She could give him a run for his money yet love him till the end of the earth. She always knew exactly what he needed at the exact time he needed it. She couldn't be gone. Not at the hands of such a monster as Brendan McGann. And he wouldn't believe it until he saw her body with his own two eyes.

Nancy still couldn't get a response from Leo and was getting worried. Usually, this was a man who was in charge of his emotions, who was ready to act, who was always sure of what to do next. Now nothing.

She quietly opened the door to Margaret's office and motioned for Margaret to come inside. She quickly closed the door on CJ's and Toby's bewildered faces.

Whispering, she said," Margaret, I can't explain what's going on, but Leo needs your support right now. I'm going to walk out, but he needs you by his side."

Margaret looked at her, confused. "I..."

"Listen, I'm not stupid. I know you and Leo have feelings for each other. And right now, he needs you. Go on over there. It's okay." Nancy turned and left Leo's office by the hallway door.

Margaret hesitated, but then went over to Leo and looked down at what he was holding in his hands. "Oh my God," she whispered to herself. She put her arms around his shoulders and leaned her head down. "I'm here, Leo."

They stayed that way for some time.