Sweet Revenge
Chapter 16
Previously: Jed and Abbey were reunited at the White House, each unsure where to go from here. CJ told Abbey that Emma blamed the death of her fiance and her miscarriage on her and that's what drove her to target the First Family.
Summary: Jed clears the air with Annie and then bonds with Abbey.
On Christmas evening, Jed sat his two daughters down in one of the bedrooms and asked them what they had seen or heard the night before. This was the first time he had a chance to talk to them alone since the murder. He had to be prepared for what they had told police.
He was relieved to find that neither Elizabeth nor Ellie really knew much of anything about the events that led to Emma's death. Both had been asleep. In fact, with the exception of Annie, who had left for Boston earlier in the evening, and Charlie, all the guests were awakened by Abbey just before hearing Jed's frantic call to 9-1-1.
As he finished up with the girls, Annie knocked on the door to inform Liz that Gus was looking for her. Liz excused herself, followed by Ellie, in an attempt to give Jed a moment alone with Annie. An awkward pause filled the room as he looked at his granddaughter, unsure how to begin the conversation they needed to have.
Sensing she was about to turn around and leave, he finally began talking. "Mind if we talk for a minute?"
"About what?" Annie asked, knowing the answer already.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you last night. It wasn't you. You weren't the one I was angry with."
"I know."
Jed looked at her quizzically. "How do you know?"
"Because you were a grouch all day and you're never like that on Christmas." A smile came over his face as she continued. "Was it Zoey?"
"No, it was something else. It's not important. I just want you to know that I love you very much."
Jed reached out to hug her, but Annie pulled away. "I love you too," she replied.
Jed looked at her suspiciously. Annie had never turned away from him before. "What's the matter?"
She shrugged off his concern and took a step backwards. "Nothing. I'm just tired."
"Okay. You should get some sleep. It's been a long day and tomorrow's going to be just as long."
Jed left the teenager and made his way to his bedroom where he found Abbey. She was still reeling from her conversation with CJ.
"Did you talk to the girls?" she wanted to know.
"Yeah. We're fine. They were asleep through the whole thing."
"Good."
"Abbey, I'm probably overreacting, but I just had a conversation with Annie."
"And?"
"I apologized to her for biting her head off last night. Then I went to hug her. She pulled away from me. She's never done that before."
"She's 16, Jed."
"Yeah, I guess. I just hate thinking that one outburst damaged my relationship with her."
Abbey's eyes were filled with love and compassion for her husband. He cared so much about his family that the normal moodiness of a teenager caused him such pain. She walked over to him, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"For being you, and for taking such good care of this family. For taking care of me."
"I'll always take care of you, Abbey. As long as I'm alive, I'll take care of you." He pulled her into his arms and could sense her tensing up as tears began to flow down her cheeks. He pulled her away slightly to look into her eyes and gently wipe the tears. "What's going on?"
Abbey wanted to stop crying, but she couldn't. She had to tell him what was on her mind. "She did all this because of me. It was me she wanted to get back at."
Jed pulled her back into his arms, stroking her hair lightly. "Sweetie, she was a psychopath. And if anything, it's my fault. Abbey, I'm so sorry for not trusting you. I should have listened the second you said there was something not right about her."
"Jed, you didn't know."
"No, but you did. You knew something was wrong with her and if I had listened to you..."
Abbey put her fingers on his lips to stop him. "There was no way you could have known."
"When she threatened you..."
"Jed, you don't have to think about that."
"Yes, I do. I felt so helpless. Here was this lunatic, calling me up on the phone, warning me that she's coming after my wife. I could have gone through the phone right then and strangled her, Abbey."
His words made Abbey shudder with fear. Jed wasn't a violent man, but when it came to protecting his family, even God Himself better not intervene.
"Jed, please don't say that."
"I'm sorry. But it's true. Do you have any idea what it's like to feel that helpless?"
"I have some idea," she replied, remembering how she felt when she froze when Jed collapsed in the Oval Office.
"Oh, Sweetheart, I didn't mean..." he started to say as his legs began feeling weak.
"Jed? What's the matter?"
"Nothing. They just hurt," he mumbled as sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Are they numb or tingling?"
"Not really, they just hurt."
"I want you to go back on your Prednisone," she said.
"Abbey."
"Just a small dose, for now. It'll help if there's any inflamation. All this stress isn't good for you and the last thing any of us need is for you to have a relapse."
He nodded. She sat down next to him on the bed, putting her arm around him. He drew her in for a long, passionate kiss and when their lips parted, they looked at each other, knowing the comfort they both needed could only come from the other. They moved closer for another kiss as they inched their way up to the head of the bed.
Afterwards, husband and wife cuddled together under the covers. Jed ran his arms up and down Abbey's body in a less-sexual, yet comforting way. The quiet between them had become the norm, but something was different tonight. Jed had more on his mind than just the problem with Emma. She waited, knowing eventually he'd tell her what it was. She didn't have to wait long.
"I'd like to offer CJ her old job back," he finally said, still looking down at Abbey's arm.
Abbey turned her body to face him and gently lifted his head so he could see her smiling face. "It took you long enough!"
Jed returned her grin. "I take it that's okay with you?"
"Of course. Jed, the reason I hired her in the first place is because I knew you'd regret letting her go."
"You think she'll want to come back?" he asked.
Abbey thought for a moment before responding. CJ had every right to be furious with Jed, but she was a forgiving person who loved her old job and her old boss. "Yeah. And I know you'll make it up to her."
"And you."
"You've already done that."
Abbey snuggled closer to him as he kissed the top of her head and settled back down against the pillows. She turned out the light and rested her head on his chest as they both fell asleep.
TBC
Chapter 16
Previously: Jed and Abbey were reunited at the White House, each unsure where to go from here. CJ told Abbey that Emma blamed the death of her fiance and her miscarriage on her and that's what drove her to target the First Family.
Summary: Jed clears the air with Annie and then bonds with Abbey.
On Christmas evening, Jed sat his two daughters down in one of the bedrooms and asked them what they had seen or heard the night before. This was the first time he had a chance to talk to them alone since the murder. He had to be prepared for what they had told police.
He was relieved to find that neither Elizabeth nor Ellie really knew much of anything about the events that led to Emma's death. Both had been asleep. In fact, with the exception of Annie, who had left for Boston earlier in the evening, and Charlie, all the guests were awakened by Abbey just before hearing Jed's frantic call to 9-1-1.
As he finished up with the girls, Annie knocked on the door to inform Liz that Gus was looking for her. Liz excused herself, followed by Ellie, in an attempt to give Jed a moment alone with Annie. An awkward pause filled the room as he looked at his granddaughter, unsure how to begin the conversation they needed to have.
Sensing she was about to turn around and leave, he finally began talking. "Mind if we talk for a minute?"
"About what?" Annie asked, knowing the answer already.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you last night. It wasn't you. You weren't the one I was angry with."
"I know."
Jed looked at her quizzically. "How do you know?"
"Because you were a grouch all day and you're never like that on Christmas." A smile came over his face as she continued. "Was it Zoey?"
"No, it was something else. It's not important. I just want you to know that I love you very much."
Jed reached out to hug her, but Annie pulled away. "I love you too," she replied.
Jed looked at her suspiciously. Annie had never turned away from him before. "What's the matter?"
She shrugged off his concern and took a step backwards. "Nothing. I'm just tired."
"Okay. You should get some sleep. It's been a long day and tomorrow's going to be just as long."
Jed left the teenager and made his way to his bedroom where he found Abbey. She was still reeling from her conversation with CJ.
"Did you talk to the girls?" she wanted to know.
"Yeah. We're fine. They were asleep through the whole thing."
"Good."
"Abbey, I'm probably overreacting, but I just had a conversation with Annie."
"And?"
"I apologized to her for biting her head off last night. Then I went to hug her. She pulled away from me. She's never done that before."
"She's 16, Jed."
"Yeah, I guess. I just hate thinking that one outburst damaged my relationship with her."
Abbey's eyes were filled with love and compassion for her husband. He cared so much about his family that the normal moodiness of a teenager caused him such pain. She walked over to him, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"For being you, and for taking such good care of this family. For taking care of me."
"I'll always take care of you, Abbey. As long as I'm alive, I'll take care of you." He pulled her into his arms and could sense her tensing up as tears began to flow down her cheeks. He pulled her away slightly to look into her eyes and gently wipe the tears. "What's going on?"
Abbey wanted to stop crying, but she couldn't. She had to tell him what was on her mind. "She did all this because of me. It was me she wanted to get back at."
Jed pulled her back into his arms, stroking her hair lightly. "Sweetie, she was a psychopath. And if anything, it's my fault. Abbey, I'm so sorry for not trusting you. I should have listened the second you said there was something not right about her."
"Jed, you didn't know."
"No, but you did. You knew something was wrong with her and if I had listened to you..."
Abbey put her fingers on his lips to stop him. "There was no way you could have known."
"When she threatened you..."
"Jed, you don't have to think about that."
"Yes, I do. I felt so helpless. Here was this lunatic, calling me up on the phone, warning me that she's coming after my wife. I could have gone through the phone right then and strangled her, Abbey."
His words made Abbey shudder with fear. Jed wasn't a violent man, but when it came to protecting his family, even God Himself better not intervene.
"Jed, please don't say that."
"I'm sorry. But it's true. Do you have any idea what it's like to feel that helpless?"
"I have some idea," she replied, remembering how she felt when she froze when Jed collapsed in the Oval Office.
"Oh, Sweetheart, I didn't mean..." he started to say as his legs began feeling weak.
"Jed? What's the matter?"
"Nothing. They just hurt," he mumbled as sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Are they numb or tingling?"
"Not really, they just hurt."
"I want you to go back on your Prednisone," she said.
"Abbey."
"Just a small dose, for now. It'll help if there's any inflamation. All this stress isn't good for you and the last thing any of us need is for you to have a relapse."
He nodded. She sat down next to him on the bed, putting her arm around him. He drew her in for a long, passionate kiss and when their lips parted, they looked at each other, knowing the comfort they both needed could only come from the other. They moved closer for another kiss as they inched their way up to the head of the bed.
Afterwards, husband and wife cuddled together under the covers. Jed ran his arms up and down Abbey's body in a less-sexual, yet comforting way. The quiet between them had become the norm, but something was different tonight. Jed had more on his mind than just the problem with Emma. She waited, knowing eventually he'd tell her what it was. She didn't have to wait long.
"I'd like to offer CJ her old job back," he finally said, still looking down at Abbey's arm.
Abbey turned her body to face him and gently lifted his head so he could see her smiling face. "It took you long enough!"
Jed returned her grin. "I take it that's okay with you?"
"Of course. Jed, the reason I hired her in the first place is because I knew you'd regret letting her go."
"You think she'll want to come back?" he asked.
Abbey thought for a moment before responding. CJ had every right to be furious with Jed, but she was a forgiving person who loved her old job and her old boss. "Yeah. And I know you'll make it up to her."
"And you."
"You've already done that."
Abbey snuggled closer to him as he kissed the top of her head and settled back down against the pillows. She turned out the light and rested her head on his chest as they both fell asleep.
TBC