Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: The London Years
Chapter 14
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Still angry, Abbey moved back into the bedroom she shares with Jed
Summary: Christmas Day at the Bartlets brings a little peace to Jed and Abbey's marriage
- - -
Christmas Day 1969
Abbey opened the door to the apartment and lightly kicked her feet against the frame to knock the remnants of snow off her boots and onto the concrete outside. Lizzie watched her mother intently, mimicking her movements and clapping her hands when she was finished.
Abbey chuckled as she bent down to pick her up. "Good girl!"
"Pwesents?" she asked, reminding her mother of the bribe she offered to get the toddler to behave in church.
She sat Elizabeth on the sofa and held her leg in the air to slip off her boots. "Not yet."
After tossing her own coat over the arm of a chair, she helped Liz to her feet, turned her around, and slid her winter garments off her body. Liz's eyes never left the Christmas tree or the colorfully-wrapped presents underneath.
Abbey followed her daughter's gaze. Recognizing that twinkle in her eye, she picked her up before she made an attempt to outrun her mother and grab the gifts. Liz kicked her feet in protest, but stopped as soon as the door swung open, giving her a view of the jolly old stranger who appeared in front of her. Frightened, she sank her head onto Abbey's shoulder.
The stranger greeted the little girl with a hearty smile. "Ho, Ho, Ho."
While Liz buried her face deeper into Abbey's skin, Abbey couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as she saw her husband in his best Kris Kringle impression. "Look, Lizzie, it's Santa Claus."
She pulled her daughter's body away from her own to show her there was nothing to be scared of, but Liz refused to entertain the thought. Abbey attempted to hand her to Jed, but the toddler clung to Abbey with fingers of steel intertwined around the fabric of her sweater. A trembling lip threatened to induce a flood of tears with one look at the man in the red and white suit.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Lizzie," Jed bellowed out, still in character.
"Lizzie, Sweetie, it's Santa. Remember Father Christmas? We saw him at Harrods last week."
Elizabeth jerked her head back around, away from Jed, and began to whimper quietly. Abbey looked up and nodded to Jed, signaling him to drop the beard and relinquish the act.
"Hey, Angel," he simply said with a hand on Lizzie's tiny back.
Elizabeth relaxed her body slightly at the sound of the recognizable voice.
Abbey turned her own body to give Liz a view of the beardless Jed. "Look, Sweetheart, it's just Daddy. He's trying to trick you."
"Daddy?" Liz asked to be sure it was really him.
"Come here." His arms extended to grab her, Liz leapt into his embrace, staring at his face the entire time. "See, it's just me. Nothing to be scared of."
Her eyes burned into his. Every time his head moved, so did Liz. It didn't take long for Jed to realize she had fixated on something.
"What is she doing?" Abbey asked.
Liz glared at him diligently and then, slowly, she reached up and clawed him right above his eye.
"Hey!" Jed shouted.
"It's the eyebrows," Abbey realized. "She's scared of the eyebrows."
"Oh, Lizzie, these are just pretend. Let me show you." Jed ran his fingers over the fake grayish-white brows he had glued over his real ones. He began to peel one of them back, but stopped just as the adhesive separated from the skin. "How do they expect you to get these things off?"
"Let me," Abbey offered. She gently pulled the brow away from his real hair.
Jed flinched from the pain. "Ow."
His grumble caused Liz to close her eyes while Abbey continued.
"I'm sorry," she said, pressing her thumb over the irritated skin.
"Daddy's okay," Jed assured Liz once Abbey removed both brows.
"Daddy has a boo-boo," Abbey told her. "Do you want to kiss it and make it better?"
"Boo-boo?" Responding to her mother's voice, Lizzie stretched her little body up towards her father's face and placed a kiss on his forehead, missing the actual target.
"Thank you, Sunshine. You ready to open presants?"
"Pweasants!" Her face lit up with the mention of the word. She didn't even know or care what it actually meant. All she really wanted to do was rattle the shiny little trinkets she had been admiring for more than a week.
Jed sat her down in front of the tree and put a small red and gold gift-wrapped box in front of her. With help from her mother, Lizzie tore at the paper until the doll inside fell to the ground. She looked down at her hands then pushed the doll aside in favor of the visually appealing wrapping paper she was still holding.
Abbey shook her head just in time for Jed to snap a picture. She handed Liz another present, but the little girl was too entranced in the vibrant colors of the paper to notice. "So next year, we don't actually have to buy the gift."
With a hand to help her up, Jed lifted Abbey to her feet. "Let's just let her play with that while you and I take care of our own business."
"What are you doing?" she asked as he led her to the sofa and sat down, pulling her around onto his lap.
"What does it look like? Just sit on Santa's lap and enjoy it." He brushed her light bangs to the side of her forehead and stared into her eyes. "You're so beautiful."
"You're a charmer, Santa."
"How about a truce, Abbey? Just for today. In honor of Christmas."
Abbey wrapped her fingers around his hair and nodded. "I'd like that."
She leaned forward, reached under the sofa, and presented him with a large square-shaped gift.
"I thought we agreed we were going to save our money and spend it on Lizzie."
"I couldn't resist," she replied
He lifted her off his lap to make his way to the tree and returned with a gift he had set aside just for her.
"This has Lizzie's name on it," she told him.
"Yeah, I did that on purpose so you wouldn't go snooping around when I was at school." He knew her so well.
"You're a little sneak." She casually slapped his arm. "Open yours first."
Jed examined the box and began to pick at the wrapping paper slowly.
"Just tear it, Jed," Abbey urged.
Laughing at her impatience, he ripped it open to pull out a brown leather briefcase with a removable strap and matching pad folio. Upon careful inspection, he noticed his initials embossed on the front.
"Abbey, it's beautiful."
"I'm glad you like it. I figure you're going to have to start looking like the professional you are."
"Thank you." Jed leaned over the two gifts that separated their bodies and placed a loving kiss on her lips. "Your turn."
Abbey didn't need much prodding to tear through the wrapping paper and reach the burgundy velvet dress inside. Her reaction conveyed the emotions of gratitude and amazement that overwhelmed her.
"Is it the one?" he asked.
"How did you know?"
"Lila told me you tried it on a few weeks ago when you two went shopping. She said you didn't want to spend the money to buy it since we were going all out for Lizzie."
Abbey wasn't sure why she was so surprised. This was Jed. The sweet, thoughtful, caring man she married. He may have been acting unexpectedly the past few weeks, but his heart still beat for all the right reasons. To be reminded of the qualities that drew her to him in the first place was exactly what she needed.
She was lost in her thoughts until he waved a hand in front of her face to get her attention. "I'm sorry. What?"
"I said I thought the dress would be perfect for tonight. Are you okay?"
She nodded and encouraging him to turn his attention to the confetti-dotted carpet, all compliments of Liz's new adoration for the gold and red wrapping paper. Jed slid off the sofa and pulled his daughter onto his lap to assist her in opening the remainder of her gifts.
Later that evening, Abbey turned her back to her mirror, catching the reflection of the back of her new dress. She ran a few fingers through her auburn hair, separating the strands of loose, sassy curls and with a quick splash of perfume, she was ready to greet Tom and Lila for Christmas dinner.
She left the bedroom and let out a small gasp at the beautiful table setting in the dining room. Each plate sat atop the dazzling red organza tablecloth which shimmered with snowflake confetti. Four wine glasses sparkled under the light above, each stem sprinkled with just a dusting of white glitter. A large glass bowl filled with red candycanes and snow-white feathers sat at the center of the table while the crystal candleholders they were given as a wedding gift accentuated both ends.
She eyed her husband adoringly. "You did all this while I was getting ready?"
Jed whipped his head around and immediately lost his train of thought. "Wow, you're simply gorgeous." He admired every curve in her figure before answering her question. "Yeah, I did it while you were getting ready. It's no big deal."
Abbey wandered around the table to study the decorations he set out. "Where did you get this stuff?"
"I read an article."
"Where?"
"In a magazine Lila brought to school. It had some interesting tips in it, so in between classes, I read it."
"Really?"
He replied with a mischievous grin. "How else was I supposed to wine and dine you tonight, Sweet Knees?"
He called her Sweet Knees. Those two little words that he hadn't spoken since Thanksgiving extinguished the tension between them, replacing it with a warm twinge of emotions that swelled inside of her. She walked up beside him and watching him rinse Liz's cup in the sink, she fought the urge to sweep away the few strands of stray hair that were shadowing his forehead.
"Go get dressed. Tom and Lila will be here any minute," she gently reminded him instead.
He put the cup on top of the counter and flashed her a quick smile before making his way down the hallway to their room.
A significant portion of the dinner conversation that night revolved around Tom and Lila. It didn't go unnoticed that Abbey was wildly intrigued by the couple. Their individual personalities as well as their interaction together provoked a host of different topics.
But while Abbey was blinded by the love she saw between them, Jed was engrossed in the relative distance he noticed, especially when it came to certain issues. Apart from a few random expressions of affection for her husband, Lila rarely talked about Tom when they were in school. Jed sensed her feelings of privacy and always dismissed her lack of openness, but now that they were sitting together in front of him, he observed the coolness that, at times, engulfed them.
He saw Lila's hand jerk towards the top of Tom's glass when Abbey offered him more wine. He saw the look on his face when he reacted to her impulsive actions, silently offering her a reprimand without uttering a single word. Lila glanced away, but Jed found it hard to ignore her discomfort until Tom changed the subject.
"So, Jed," Tom started. "Lila says you've got a pretty good shot at this research position."
Abbey downed her drink without hesitation then jumped in before Jed could answer. "Tom, I'm just curious. What would your reaction have been if Lila had applied for the position?"
"I would have been furious. Lila and I had a deal. LSE is a top-rate institution, but to be perfectly, I was never wild about moving to London, so she promised that after she's finished, we're going back to New York."
Abbey recognized the love in Lila's eyes as she took Tom's hand and squeezed it tightly. "But what if she had done it anyway, in spite of your deal?"
A wave of insecurity caused Jed to shift in his chair. "Abbey."
"I'm just curious," she replied to him before turning back to Tom.
"Well, if she ended up getting the job and she wasn't willing to turn it down, then she'd probably come home to an empty house one day." He turned his body to look at his wife. "But I trust her. I know she wouldn't have done such a thing without talking to me."
Jed exchanged a bitter glance with Abbey, then turned to his side to feed Elizabeth. She knew he was angry and deep down, she didn't blame him. She had betrayed their truce, all because she was caught up in the moment, enamored by the lives of a couple she hardly even knew.
After dinner, Abbey waited for their guests to leave and for Liz to be tightly tucked in to bed before she approached the subject with him. He stood in front of the sink rinsing the dishes and she gingerly snuck up a few feet behind him.
"Why don't you let me do that?"
"I got it." His tone was resentful. Angry.
"I was just curious how they would handle the situation." She took a step closer to him when he didn't reply. "Tom and Lila have been married much longer than we have. They've learned how to be married. They've learned things that you and I are just realizing about one another."
Jed kept his back to her. "I didn't say a word."
"You didn't have to. It was obvious from the second I asked Tom the question that you were mad at me."
"I'm not mad."
Abbey handed him the glasses sitting on the counter and repeated, "I was just curious."
"Look, Abbey, I'm tired. It's been a very long day and the last thing I want is to go ten rounds with you in the kitchen, okay?"
"Fine." He wasn't the only one angry.
Jed never looked back. He didn't have to to know she was walking away from him. Before she made her exit, he called out, "Is that what you're planning to do - pack your bags and leave with Lizzie, like Tom said he would?"
Abbey stopped dead in her tracks. "I would never take Elizabeth away from you. It wouldn't be fair to either one of you. And I certainly don't plan to abandon her. So, no, Jed, I'm not going to pack my bags and leave."
He finally turned then, his back leaning against the counter. "So she's the only thing keeping you here?"
"Don't put words in my mouth."
"I don't know what else to do, Abbey. I don't know what you're thinking. Or what you're feeling. You've completely shut me out."
"Has it occurred to you that it could be because I don't even know what I'm thinking? Has that crossed your mind at all? I'm not trying to hurt you, Jed. I just feel like I had the rug pulled out from under me and I need time to figure out what happens next."
Calmer now, he approached her. "I've been a real jerk about this whole thing." Abbey's lips curved into the start of a smile, but she looked down in an unresponsive gesture before he could get a good look. "You don't have to say it. It was rhetorical."
"Are you sure I can't help with the dishes?"
"I'll take care of it." He took a deep breath, knowing he wasn't about to refuse the temptation to explain himself. "About the job…"
"Do we have to talk about this again?" She raised her head to look him in the eye. "We agreed to a truce for today. I broke that truce and I apologize, but can we not go back over a subject that's sure to lead to another fight? At least not tonight?"
Jed waited a beat before he nodded in agreement. "Okay."
"Thank you." She pulled back and headed towards the bedroom, leaving him to watch her disappear. "Good night."
TBC