Sam was working on a new speech for the President's appearance at the NEA dinner next month. Education was a pet cause for him and he was so focused on the writing and the reference material he had, he didn't hear the knock at his office door. Finally, a voice brought him back from his reverie.

"Hello there, Sam."

He looked up and nearly fell over his chair as he stood and removed his glasses. "G-good morning, Dr. Bartlet." Sam's voice betrayed his fear of the woman in his doorway. Dr. Abbey Bartlet. The mention of her name alone struck fear in the heart of every man in the building, including that of her husband, the President of the United States.

Abbey rolled her eyes and smiled, "Relax, Sam. You haven't done anything truly stupid in quite a while. Unless you're hiding a new malady on me?" She raised an eyebrow before continuing. "I actually need to talk to you about something that concerns both of us. You mind if I close the blinds and the door?"

She had already closed the door and started moving towards the blinds. "Of course not, ma'am. My only concern is if the President walks by and finds you here with me in a closed office...well, I really don't want to be sent off to Siberia or North Africa." He came out from behind his desk and waited for her to sit in one of the wing chairs before joining her. Once they were settled, she asked him a question.

"So, Sam, how's this new girlfriend of yours?" Abbey sat back in the chair, enjoying the look on his face and waited for his response.

He was taken aback by the question. He hadn't said a thing to anyone, not even his parents and he knew for a fact that she hadn't said anything, either. How did she know about Kate? "Well, ma'am, um...," he blushed furiously as he tried to answer her question.

Abbey laughed at the expression on his face and the blush that, by now, had taken over his entire face. He'd dropped his eyes, not wanting the First Lady to see his embarrassment and the fear he knew he couldn't mask.

"Relax, Sam. By the way, in this conversation I'm Abbey, not the First Lady. I asked that question because that's what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, your girlfriend is also my niece."

He brought his head up so fast he got lightheaded. He was very confused now. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Did you just say...?"

"That I'm Abbey in this conversation and that your girlfriend is my niece? Yes, Sam, that's what I said. Contrary to what Toby and Leo seem to think, you have very good hearing."

"I'm sorry, Abbey, but now I'm really confused. Could you please explain this to me?"

"She hasn't told you anything about this, has she?"

"No, she hasn't. She's very sensitive and shy, so we're taking things very slow. I don't want to hurt or startle her in any way. Basically, I just follow her lead."

"She's been like that for a very long time. Ever since she got here, in fact. Her sensitivity has always been one of the best things about her. You know, she helped Margaret a lot when Leo was in the Labor Department. Mallory would, too, but after a while she started to see things the way her mother did and backed away from him. Katie never left him. He was her family and she wouldn't let him down."

"What do you mean, 'ever since she got here'? She's only been in DC for about a year. Can shyness like hers develop that quickly?"

'What happened that made her like this?', he thought. It was almost like she was trying to hide from something or someone and it didn't make sense at all.

Abbey studied his face as he spoke. He had such concern and love all over his face for her niece was breathtaking. She knew Katie would kill her for this, but he had to be told.

She reached over and touched his hand lightly. "Sam," she began softly, "I'm going to tell you some things about her that will surprise, upset and worry you. I need you to keep your reactions between us. Don't let her know that I've told you these things."

"But, Abbey, I don't keep secrets from her. I don't want us to..."

"You're going to have to. I'm telling you this to make your life easier so that you can be more of a help to her. She hasn't told you any of this because she thinks that if you knew more about her past, you'd leave. There've been many nights when she stayed with us at the farm when I heard her crying from loneliness and want. She always felt that if her looks hadn't frightened someone off, her past would do that for sure. You know that she's fragile and shy, but I don't think you realize how deep those rivers run in her."

"Then, please, tell me. I want to show her how the world sees her, how I see her."