Sweet Revenge
Chapter 10
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1
Previously: After Emma tried to convince him that Leo and Abbey are having an affair, Jed confronted Abbey and found out about the secret AA meetings. Jed left an angry Abbey to clear things up with Emma and walked in on her carving up Abbey's face in a newspaper clipping.
Summary: Jed finally confronts Emma, then tries to make amends with his wife.
Jed slowly approached Emma. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There she was, silently carving an "X" through Abbey's face in the newspaper. He tried to hold himself back and reamin calm, but it didn't work.
"What are you doing?" he asked as a startled Emma stood up and turned to face him.
"Nothing," she replied, quickly shoving the clipping back in her drawer.
Jed placed his hands on her shoulders and moved her out of the way. He opened the drawer and pulled out the clipping."This doesn't look like nothing. You're cutting up my wife's face."
"It's an old article. I was just messing around."
"Some might say that messing around like this is a sign of someone who needs serious help," Jed remarked as he walked around her, still amazed by her actions.
"I was just getting out my frustration. I hate how she hurts you."
"Hurts me?" he questioned.
"Yes. Lying to you all the time, sneaking around with your Chief of Staff."
"Abbey was not sneaking around."
"Don't make excuses for her! She's not worth it," Emma blurted out.
Jed felt his temper rise. Hearing Emma speak those words about Abbey infuriated him. In all the time they had been married, he never allowed anyone to talk that way about Abbey. To him, her love was worth everything in the world and though his recent actions may not have shown it, he would sacrifice anything he had to if he felt their marriage was in jeopardy.
He menacingly approached Emma until she took a tiny step back, feeling uncomfortable with the situation.
"Don't ever say that about her again," he clamly warned.
"I'm sorry," Emma admitted, sensing his agitation.
Jed eyed her up and down. "They were right, weren't they? This was all your little way of manipulating me."
She decided to put on the charm, hoping to distract him. She walked closer to him, lowered her head, and batted her blue eyes up at his. "I don't know what you mean, Sir."
Her voice sounded serious, yet innocent, but Jed didn't buy it. "Oh please. It's not cute any more, Emma! I'm not sure it ever was. You set this whole thing up. You wanted me to distrust my wife. You wanted me to think she was cheating on me, so...what? So I would hop into bed with you?"
Well, at least he didn't know what her real plan was, Emma thought. As long as he hadn't discovered her true motivations, she was still safe. She'd just have to come up with a new plan.
"I'm sorry," she whispered insincerely and seductively, still only inches from his body.
Jed stepped back and looked at her with disgust in his eyes. "Pack your things. Security will collect your credentials and show you out. You're fired."
"Because I insulted the First Lady?"
"No, because of this!" He grabbed the ripped-up clipping of Abbey and shoved it in her face. "Because you purposely tried to convince me she was out with Leo and because it took me an awfully long time to realize she was right about you. You're not sweet and innocent. You weren't being a friend. You were trying to cause trouble." He took a deep breath before turning to look her straight in the eye. "No one comes between me and my wife," he told her as he rushed off, desperate to find Abbey.
"Abbey?" he called out when he entered the bedroom.
Abbey was already asleep in bed. Jed approached her slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. He kneeled down beside her and gently brushed a few stray strands of her auburn hair out of her face. At that moment, he was filled with regret. He should have listened to his wife's suspicions. She had been right all along. Emma's motives were insincere and even though it was just for a brief moment in time, he had doubted Abbey's fidelity and devotion.
He got undressed and crawled into bed next to her, knowing that the next day, he'd have a lot to make up for. He promised himself he'd do whatever he had to to make it all up to her.
The next morning, the sound of Abbey stirring around woke Jed up. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, causing her to open her eyes and gaze up at her husband.
"Hey, beautiful."
"Good morning."
"We have to talk, Sweetheart."
"Okay," Abbey replied as she sleepily sat up, pulling her pillow up against the headboard to support her back.
"First of all, I was not conspiring with Emma against you. I would never conspire with anyone against you," he began. "Secondly, I never should have doubted you."
"No, you shouldn't have. But you did last night and you did the night before when you thought I was high."
"Honey, there was something wrong with you. You weren't acting like yourself. You came back here and collapsed on the bed."
"Here we go again..."
"No. Abbey, I believe you. I don't know what was wrong with you the other night or how the pills ended up in your purse, but I'll never doubt you again."
"Emma put them in my purse."
"That's certainly a possibility, but we don't know that for sure."
"Jed, if you say one more word to defend her..."
Jed placed a finger over her lips, urging her to let him finish. "This isn't about that." When he realized she was listening, he continued. "I fired Emma last night."
"Why?"
"She wanted me to think you were with Leo so she could be there to comfort me."
"To make a play for you, you mean?"
"Yeah. It didn't work, Abbey, I swear. She never touched me." Abbey looked away, sparking uncertainty in Jed. "You believe me?"
"Of course, but it doesn't change what's happened. You let her manipulate us, Jed."
"You're right." Jed got out of bed and pulled on his robe. He walked back to Abbey's side and kneeled down beside her, brushing the hair off her forehead just like he had the night before. "I wanted to believe she was just looking up to me. Back in New Hampshire, she told me once that she and her twin sister practically raised themselves. Her father was killed when they were four years old and her mom was a drunk who neglected them. I guess I wanted to be a father-figure to her."
"By letting her alienate everyone else in your life?"
"It's not an excuse. Just an explanation. There is no excuse. I screwed up big time. Please tell me what I can to do make things right," he begged her as he continued to stroke her face. "Abbey?"
Abbey pushed his hands away angrily and positioned herself further from the edge of the bed. "Nothing, Jed! You can't go back in time. I told you there was something wrong with that woman. I told you that years ago, and then I told you again after you told CJ to hire her."
Jed put his hands on the bed to lift himself up. "Abbey."
"And what about CJ? You fired the only completely loyal Press Secretary you'll ever have because she dared to speak the truth about your precious Emma!"
"Don't call her that! She's not my precious anything. And what happened between me and CJ was about much more than just Emma."
"No, it really wasn't. You blamed CJ for something that Emma did."
"We don't know that."
"You're still defending her!"
"It's not about defending her, Abbey. It's about getting to the truth."
"Is that word even in Emma's vocabulary?"
Jed paused, knowing that Abbey had a right to be angry with Emma. But her reaction to what he was about to tell her is what he feared. He sat on the bed next to her and looked down at her fiery green eyes.
"There's something else I need to tell you."
She realized from the tone of his voice that it wouldn't be something she wanted to hear. "What?"
"I told her about your drug addiction."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
Abbey angrily pushed the covers off her body and crawled to the side opposite him to get out of bed. "During your little heart-to-heart?"
Jed stood up and walked around to her. He reached out to hold her, "Abbey, come here."
Abbey bitterly shrugged his hands away, "so much for keeping it out of the tabloids," she said as she retreated into the bathroom.
TBC
Chapter 10
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1
Previously: After Emma tried to convince him that Leo and Abbey are having an affair, Jed confronted Abbey and found out about the secret AA meetings. Jed left an angry Abbey to clear things up with Emma and walked in on her carving up Abbey's face in a newspaper clipping.
Summary: Jed finally confronts Emma, then tries to make amends with his wife.
Jed slowly approached Emma. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There she was, silently carving an "X" through Abbey's face in the newspaper. He tried to hold himself back and reamin calm, but it didn't work.
"What are you doing?" he asked as a startled Emma stood up and turned to face him.
"Nothing," she replied, quickly shoving the clipping back in her drawer.
Jed placed his hands on her shoulders and moved her out of the way. He opened the drawer and pulled out the clipping."This doesn't look like nothing. You're cutting up my wife's face."
"It's an old article. I was just messing around."
"Some might say that messing around like this is a sign of someone who needs serious help," Jed remarked as he walked around her, still amazed by her actions.
"I was just getting out my frustration. I hate how she hurts you."
"Hurts me?" he questioned.
"Yes. Lying to you all the time, sneaking around with your Chief of Staff."
"Abbey was not sneaking around."
"Don't make excuses for her! She's not worth it," Emma blurted out.
Jed felt his temper rise. Hearing Emma speak those words about Abbey infuriated him. In all the time they had been married, he never allowed anyone to talk that way about Abbey. To him, her love was worth everything in the world and though his recent actions may not have shown it, he would sacrifice anything he had to if he felt their marriage was in jeopardy.
He menacingly approached Emma until she took a tiny step back, feeling uncomfortable with the situation.
"Don't ever say that about her again," he clamly warned.
"I'm sorry," Emma admitted, sensing his agitation.
Jed eyed her up and down. "They were right, weren't they? This was all your little way of manipulating me."
She decided to put on the charm, hoping to distract him. She walked closer to him, lowered her head, and batted her blue eyes up at his. "I don't know what you mean, Sir."
Her voice sounded serious, yet innocent, but Jed didn't buy it. "Oh please. It's not cute any more, Emma! I'm not sure it ever was. You set this whole thing up. You wanted me to distrust my wife. You wanted me to think she was cheating on me, so...what? So I would hop into bed with you?"
Well, at least he didn't know what her real plan was, Emma thought. As long as he hadn't discovered her true motivations, she was still safe. She'd just have to come up with a new plan.
"I'm sorry," she whispered insincerely and seductively, still only inches from his body.
Jed stepped back and looked at her with disgust in his eyes. "Pack your things. Security will collect your credentials and show you out. You're fired."
"Because I insulted the First Lady?"
"No, because of this!" He grabbed the ripped-up clipping of Abbey and shoved it in her face. "Because you purposely tried to convince me she was out with Leo and because it took me an awfully long time to realize she was right about you. You're not sweet and innocent. You weren't being a friend. You were trying to cause trouble." He took a deep breath before turning to look her straight in the eye. "No one comes between me and my wife," he told her as he rushed off, desperate to find Abbey.
"Abbey?" he called out when he entered the bedroom.
Abbey was already asleep in bed. Jed approached her slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. He kneeled down beside her and gently brushed a few stray strands of her auburn hair out of her face. At that moment, he was filled with regret. He should have listened to his wife's suspicions. She had been right all along. Emma's motives were insincere and even though it was just for a brief moment in time, he had doubted Abbey's fidelity and devotion.
He got undressed and crawled into bed next to her, knowing that the next day, he'd have a lot to make up for. He promised himself he'd do whatever he had to to make it all up to her.
The next morning, the sound of Abbey stirring around woke Jed up. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, causing her to open her eyes and gaze up at her husband.
"Hey, beautiful."
"Good morning."
"We have to talk, Sweetheart."
"Okay," Abbey replied as she sleepily sat up, pulling her pillow up against the headboard to support her back.
"First of all, I was not conspiring with Emma against you. I would never conspire with anyone against you," he began. "Secondly, I never should have doubted you."
"No, you shouldn't have. But you did last night and you did the night before when you thought I was high."
"Honey, there was something wrong with you. You weren't acting like yourself. You came back here and collapsed on the bed."
"Here we go again..."
"No. Abbey, I believe you. I don't know what was wrong with you the other night or how the pills ended up in your purse, but I'll never doubt you again."
"Emma put them in my purse."
"That's certainly a possibility, but we don't know that for sure."
"Jed, if you say one more word to defend her..."
Jed placed a finger over her lips, urging her to let him finish. "This isn't about that." When he realized she was listening, he continued. "I fired Emma last night."
"Why?"
"She wanted me to think you were with Leo so she could be there to comfort me."
"To make a play for you, you mean?"
"Yeah. It didn't work, Abbey, I swear. She never touched me." Abbey looked away, sparking uncertainty in Jed. "You believe me?"
"Of course, but it doesn't change what's happened. You let her manipulate us, Jed."
"You're right." Jed got out of bed and pulled on his robe. He walked back to Abbey's side and kneeled down beside her, brushing the hair off her forehead just like he had the night before. "I wanted to believe she was just looking up to me. Back in New Hampshire, she told me once that she and her twin sister practically raised themselves. Her father was killed when they were four years old and her mom was a drunk who neglected them. I guess I wanted to be a father-figure to her."
"By letting her alienate everyone else in your life?"
"It's not an excuse. Just an explanation. There is no excuse. I screwed up big time. Please tell me what I can to do make things right," he begged her as he continued to stroke her face. "Abbey?"
Abbey pushed his hands away angrily and positioned herself further from the edge of the bed. "Nothing, Jed! You can't go back in time. I told you there was something wrong with that woman. I told you that years ago, and then I told you again after you told CJ to hire her."
Jed put his hands on the bed to lift himself up. "Abbey."
"And what about CJ? You fired the only completely loyal Press Secretary you'll ever have because she dared to speak the truth about your precious Emma!"
"Don't call her that! She's not my precious anything. And what happened between me and CJ was about much more than just Emma."
"No, it really wasn't. You blamed CJ for something that Emma did."
"We don't know that."
"You're still defending her!"
"It's not about defending her, Abbey. It's about getting to the truth."
"Is that word even in Emma's vocabulary?"
Jed paused, knowing that Abbey had a right to be angry with Emma. But her reaction to what he was about to tell her is what he feared. He sat on the bed next to her and looked down at her fiery green eyes.
"There's something else I need to tell you."
She realized from the tone of his voice that it wouldn't be something she wanted to hear. "What?"
"I told her about your drug addiction."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
Abbey angrily pushed the covers off her body and crawled to the side opposite him to get out of bed. "During your little heart-to-heart?"
Jed stood up and walked around to her. He reached out to hold her, "Abbey, come here."
Abbey bitterly shrugged his hands away, "so much for keeping it out of the tabloids," she said as she retreated into the bathroom.
TBC