Leo let Donna's and Abbey's conversation roll over him. It was there somewhere in the background. It wasn't anything he could comprehend or respond to.

Donna and Josh were obviously here. The couple would jump into the library project and help Abbey. That was his main concern. He didn't want Abbey wearing herself out trying to care for him and keep up with the Barlet Presidential Library opening schedule.

Where his body seemed to want to burn itself up from the inside out, Abbey was running something over his skin, cooling him down, so he could rest. Just the tone of Abbey's voice brought reassurance - his sense of home. With Jenny gone, Leo wasn't sure he'd ever find that again. Then just after Jed died, Leo wondered if he'd finally hit the thing that would break him. There was a good chance he'd have given into the trauma. Even Mallory may not have been able to keep him grounded. Abbey's cool touch reminded him he hadn't ended up in those dark places, despite it all. In thinking he was taking care of her, she'd turned the tables on him - saving his life along the way.

Leo could hold onto some of his thoughts for a while and others only for a split second. They bounded between Abbey, Jed, and Mallory fairly rapidly. Still, it was hard for Leo to remember a time when he hadn't known of Abbey - even if it was just through Jed's letters. Of course, Jed had no idea Abbey would change all his plans. Leo had found that so amusing back then...

May 1963 - Phillips Exeter

Leo walked into Jed's dorm room, careful to hang his new navy blue blazer up. Bit by bit, he'd replaced the used uniform jacket and scuffed shoes he'd bought from the bookstore when he'd first arrived at Exeter. Back then, those clothes were all he could afford. But, he saved his money and replaced them with new items over time. He didn't like being pegged as a scholarship kid from the wrong side of the tracks. People made assumptions about him. Now, with graduation, Leo would need a new blazer to wear at Michigan.

"Snazzy jacket, Leo," Jed seemed to approve.

No one had been able to come out for graduation from the McGarry family. His father hadn't died in the line of duty, so his mother wasn't eligible for the pension. She was just scraping by. But, she had sent some cash. Leo figured he'd put it to good use.

He sat at Jed's desk, watching his friend pack up his room.

Over the past two years, Leo had worked his way to being a very trustworthy and dependable member of the physical plant crew. So, they were letting Leo stay in the dorm, assisting with a few of the smaller campus renovation projects, until the middle of August. Then, he'd travel to Ann Arbor and begin his college life and ROTC at the University of Michigan.

With graduation come and gone, everyone else had moved out of the dorm. But, even as the headmaster's son, Jed didn't have the luxury to stay on campus. He'd be headed back to the family house in Manchester and on-going hassles with his father.

Jed opened the window and lit up a cigarette. The dorms were empty - no one to catch him smoking at this stage. Leo caught the agitation on his friend's face as he filled his suitcases.

"Twelve more weeks…" Jed sighed. His lack of verbosity was uncharacteristic.

Usually, Jed could talk his ear off on just about any subject. That suited Leo fine. In his South Boston and Chicago neighborhoods, the less said the better. However, over two academic years, Exeter had forced Leo to crawl out of his shell; presenting opinions, debating with classmates, and at times, leading discussions. He'd become more comfortable with it over time. Still, given his way, Leo was still content to let Jed carry most conversations.

Jed certainly had a unique way of seeing the world, and Leo could listen to him for hours - well, most of the time. Jed's obsession with what Leo considered to be trivial facts could tend to wear him down. But, Jed was always good-natured when he cried, uncle.

"And?" Leo replied, watching Jed's mood go from bad to worse.

Jed looked up from his packing, his hands reaching into his pockets. He always got a certain look about him when he had made a decision.

"I'm going to Notre Dame."

Leo was floored. He knew his friend had been stewing about what to do a few months ago. Full scholarships had come in from everywhere, Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and Princeton, just to name a few. Only Leo knew he also applied to Notre Dame, but he hadn't taken it that seriously.

"Why?" One-word questions were about all Leo could muster at that moment. This was going to make Jed's father seriously pissed. Everyone thought Jed Barlet was headed to Harvard.

"I've definitely decided, Leo. I want to be a priest. And, Notre Dame is the best place to start."

Staring at the floor and then up at his friend, Leo scratched the back of his ear.

He knew Jed at times thought about the priesthood. Leo doubted there was much about Jed he didn't know. They were best friends, after all. But, Leo always thought that notion would disappear once he was in college and with girls on a regular basis. Jed's dating options had been fairly limited while he was at Phillips Exeter, an all boys prep school. There had been that girl down at the bookstore, he'd swore Jed was interested in. But, she was going with the quarterback at Exeter High. Once Jed got to college, his world would get a lot bigger. Guys just didn't limit themselves that way so young.

"You sure you wanna do that?"

Jed had always been driven by something bigger than the rest of them. There was an inner voice Leo admired. Jed made him aspire to be a better person. Was this part of it? Was this part of what made Jed so special?

Still, Jed would be catching some serious grief from his father. Leo didn't want to add to it. But, who turns down a full ride at Harvard?

"You don't seem to agree." Jed sat down across from him, daring Leo to challenge him.

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I thought you'd made up your mind. Just surprised is all."

Jed chuckled. "You don't typically shrink from offering an opinion anymore, Leo. Why are you holding back now?"

Leo realized he should probably fess up. They'd been best friends the last two years. Jed had kept him out of all kinds of trouble. Maybe this was his turn to talk him out of something he'd regret. He was sure their friendship could survive...

"You're really smart, and Harvard is just about big enough for you. Hell, Jed, there's even a Theology school there too. Why would you pass that up?"

"You don't think Notre Dame is good enough?"

"I don't know… The whole priest thing…"

"It's a calling, Leo. You're still mad at them, aren't you? It was one guy, Leo. One guy, who forgot why he took those vows when he wouldn't bury your Dad. It's not the whole church," Jed seemed to grow agitated. Just the reaction Leo didn't want to provoke. He truly didn't want to fight with his best friend.

Jed stalked the other side of the room and continued. "You don't feel called to something? For the last year, all you've talked about is flying jets in the Air Force. You're going into the military, for God's sake, Leo. Talk about having to live your life by the rules… And, the thing in Vietnam - they're talking about it getting bigger. You know what you'll be doing over there, right? Dropping bombs on unsuspecting people… you'll..."

"Just stop it, Jed." Now, Leo was beginning to feel his chest tighten.

He wanted to keep the country safe, but Leo couldn't fathom actually killing anyone. He'd been able to gain acceptance to a first-rate university. Unlike Jed, he didn't have the scholarship offers. And, no one in his family could afford his tuition. He'd need to do it on his own.

Jed paused and took a breath.

After a moment, he reached out and patted Leo's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, man," he said softly. "I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to go over there."

Leo held his gaze a moment and felt the tension in his shoulders leave.

"It's okay," he breathed.

It was always easy to forgive Jed. Mostly, because there was always truth in Jed's point of view. There was a good chance Leo could end up in Vietnam. But, that was a conversation for another day. And, likely, Jed was on edge, knowing the conversation he'd have to have with his old man.

"I'm sorry you're still feeling that way. I guess I'd still be mad if it happened to my family," Jed said sincerely.

They'd shared many confidences. It was nothing new for them, and several of those conversations included Leo's waning interest in the Catholic church. He hadn't told Jed the gory details of his father's suicide, but he'd felt safe enough to tell of the priest's refusal to bury his Dad from the church.

Still, Jed wouldn't do that. Maybe a priest like Jed would be the right person at the right time for a family in a similar situation. If Father Bartlet had sat at his kitchen table that awful night, he would have most certainly eased the family's pain, instead of making it worse.

In the end, this was Jed's decision to make. What kind of friend would he be, if he wasn't happy for him.

'Well, I guess I'll have 'ta make an exception, Jed, since this is what you're gonna do." Leo gave him an olive branch. S till, he couldn't resist lightening the moment. "'Course, forget about girls…"

Jed laughed. "You mean, forget about sex."

"Yeah, that too." Leo shook his head.

His friend became thoughtful again and Leo rolled his eyes. He'd thought they'd weathered Jed's introspection for the afternoon.

"Hey, Leo, all this time, you've never said…"

"What?"

Jed shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "You ever? You know…"

Leo threw up his hands in frustration. "Can we talk about the Red Sox or something? I hear they've got a good pitcher this year…"

They didn't talk about things like this. And, he wasn't sure Jed would understand anyway.

Things in Chicago were different than here. Leo felt like he was different there - more of a street kid. He'd never talk about a fancy prep school. And, last summer, things had gone a little too far with a former girlfriend. He was leaving, and they'd probably rushed things. She was a sweet girl, and Leo felt he'd taken something that wasn't his. He certainly didn't feel like bragging about it. He'd really missed her. But, by Halloween, her letters stopped coming, and he hadn't been able to swing coming home at Christmas time.

Either way, he wasn't gonna ever talk about where, when and who. He'd heard guys do it, and never liked how it sounded.

He didn't want his friend to think badly of him.

Finally, Leo answered, "Listen, everybody's different. Some people wanna' wait. Some people don't. You just don't wanna hurt anybody."

Jed just nodded slowly in agreement.

For the rest of the afternoon, Leo sat companionably with his friend while he packed up the rest of his room. Later, he'd let Jed sleep on his floor for a few weeks that summer, when news of his Notre Dame decision made everything come to a head with his father. In different ways, both of them had lost their fathers at a young age. Maybe that was part of why they got each other...

Leo wasn't surprised when a year later, Jed wrote him all about a young Abbey Barrington. Subsequent phone calls revealed Jed was head over heels. And, in time, Jed's plans for the priesthood were put aside. Leo couldn't say he was surprised about that either.

Abbey had a way of doing that to a man.

As Leo came back to the here and now, feeling her cool touch, he settled back into a deeper slumber.

Abbey had certainly changed all of his plans for the better.