Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: The Anniversary Waltz
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Abbey stayed up all night to finish Liz's Halloween costume after working late
Summary: Lizzie is frightened at a party; Jed and Abbey have trouble coordinating their schedule
- - -
Halloween Night
Just off a peaceful residential street in rural New Hampshire, the Bartlet house sat by itself, a good distance from the other homes, and surrounded primarily by a pile of multicolored leaves that had fallen off the trees that sheltered it.
It was just before midnight. And while Abbey and Jed were asleep in their room with their arms and legs entangled, baby Eleanor slept silently in her crib. A restless Elizabeth lay under her blanket, her fingers gripping the edge securely to weigh it down against the mattress. Her eyes were open, yet blinded by the material of her makeshift tent.
The whistle of the wind had taken on an ominous sound as it guided a metal trash can towards the side of the house until it came to a crashing halt. Small pellets of hail bounced off the window, rattling the frame. Amid the lightening bolts that caused only seconds of visibility, Liz leapt out of bed and ran to her parents' room.
"Mommy!" she shouted in a fast-paced sprint to the bed.
Jarred from her restful slumber, Abbey sat bolt upright. "Lizzie? What's wrong?"
"Ellie and me are scared."
"Ellie and I," Jed corrected as he rested against the headboard. "What's the problem?"
"We don't wanna sleep alone."
"Is Ellie awake?" Abbey asked as she pushed the covers aside to get out of bed.
Liz followed her out of the room and across the hall. "No, but I can tell she's scared too."
Abbey tucked a small blanket around sleeping toddler. "She seems to be fine," she said, kneeling down in front of the eight-year-old. "Did the storm scare you, Angel?"
Liz nodded hesitantly, ashamed to admit that she had been frightened. "Yeah," she said as she clutched her doll and hung her head.
"It's okay, Baby Doll. I'll tell you a secret. Storms like that scare me too. You want to sleep with me and Daddy tonight?"
"Can I?"
"Of course you may."
It was the big-sister quality that Liz had learned to adapt to that kept her from admitting her fears. She and Ellie shared a room, but no one knew that many times when Ellie stirred in the middle of the night, Liz sat by her crib and sang her back to sleep, usually comforting her with the doll Abbey had given her several Christmases ago. No one needed to know. To Liz, it was simply her duty as the older sibling.
On the rare occasion that Liz was the one who had trouble sleeping, she found it difficult to ask for help. But tonight was different. Tonight, there was something besides the storm that was looming in the background. It was something that had been bothering her for days.
"Mommy?" she whispered as Jed helped her into bed. "Can I tell you something?"
"Lizzie, you can always tell us anything."
"What's going on?" Jed asked.
"At Amy's party, something happened." She sat in the middle of her parents who hovered above, waiting for her to continue. "We played with this thing. It was this board and Kimmy said we could talk to ghosts and spirits with it."
"A Ouija board?"
Lizzie sensed Jed's irritability. "I only played because I thought it wasn't real. But it was. And the spirits were there. They moved the pointer and they spelled out things."
"Like what?"
"My name. And Amy's. And Kimmy said that means bad things are going to happen to us." Her voice broke with subtle tears.
Jed wrapped an arm around her as Abbey wiped her face. "Sweetie, you were right the first time. Ouija boards aren't real. Your friends were playing a joke on you. That's all."
"This is exactly why we told you not to play these types of games." His tone was much sharper than he intended.
"Jed," Abbey shook her head to stop him.
He adopted a gentler approach this time. "Lizzie, those kinds of things are only meant to manipulate your mind, make you believe things that aren't really there. There were no spirits. Not there and certainly not here. You're safe."
"But Kimmy said..."
"Kimmy was wrong," Abbey interrupted. "I'll tell you what, tomorrow night we'll go pick up our very own Ouija board and play it right here so you can see there's nothing to it."
"Abbey, we don't need those things in the house."
"I want to show her they're not real."
"They're not real. She'll realize that when she sees that nothing's going to happen to her or to Amy."
"You promise?" Lizzie asked with curious eyes concealing the bundle of nerves inside her.
"I promise," he replied with a kiss to her forehead.
It was enough to ease her fears, at least for that night.
- - -
The next evening, as promised, Abbey and Lizzie sat at the dining room table, a Ouija board between them. Their fingertips rested lightly on the edge of the planchette as they moved the marker slowly around the board.
"Are you ready?"
"Uh huh."
"Ask it whatever you want."
"Um, will Mommy let me have an extra dessert tonight?"
Abbey bore down on the pointer and exaggerated a move to the word the 'NO' with a grin plastered across her face. "If you're not going to be serious, neither am I."
Lizzie gave her a lighthearted laugh. "I don't know what to ask it."
"Ask it whatever you and your friends asked the other night." Suddenly, a more somber expression washed over Lizzie's features. "It's okay, Sweetheart. I'm right here."
"Are the spirits in this room?" She bit down on her lip in anticipation. The three-legged, heart-shaped gadget remained perfectly still. "Are they haunting us?" Once again, no movement. Lizzie removed her hands in excitement. "That's it! That's what we asked! That's when it spelled our names!"
"You see how it's not moving? Now put your fingers back on the pointer." Abbey slid it around the board gingerly. "I bet you don't even realize I'm moving it." Lizzie shook her head emphatically. Your friends were just having some fun. They were trying to trick you."
"It was a mean trick!"
Her pouting lips and slouched posture was so reminiscent of her father that Abbey couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped her. "Okay, it's time to clean up. I have to get ready for work."
"Do you have to go?"
"I'm afraid so. But Daddy's going to be home any minute."
It had become an all too familiar routine. Seconds after one parent came home, the other would have to leave. Lizzie wasn't the only one feeling the brunt of the hectic schedules. Jed and Abbey barely had time to kiss each other goodbye most nights.
It was a fact he slowly and reluctantly adjusted to, and one that he mentally prepared himself for every night before opening the door. "Hey!"
"Daddy!"
"Hi," Abbey greeted as she cleared the table.
"Hi. What's all this?"
"I bought a Ouija board."
"And we played it and Mommy showed me that my friends just tricked me!" Liz added.
"She did? So see? You and Amy are perfectly safe."
"Uh huh! I have to go call Amy!"
Jed watched with a smile as she ran to the phone, then turned a more serious gaze towards his wife. "I thought we talked about it last night. I said you didn't need to prove to her that they're fake."
"I heard you. But in the course of being my own person, I overruled you. Jed, they're harmless. When I was growing up, I used to play with my girlfriends. Someone always moves the pointer and causes everyone else to scream in horror. I wanted Lizzie to see it for herself."
He fumbled with the planchette, turning it over to examine it. "I just want to go on the record as saying I'm completely against this thing being in the house."
"Duly noted," she replied with a quick kiss to his cheek and then a sharp turn to the bedroom. "I have to get ready for work."
"You still have two hours, right?"
"I was called in early. I'm leaving in 10 minutes."
"Abbey." He let out an exasperated sigh as he stopped in the doorway. "I was hoping we could have some time..."
"I'm sorry. I can't." She caught the sudden roll of his eyes just before he turned around. It was something he always did when he was angry or frustrated. "Don't."
"Don't what?"
"You were an hour late tonight, Jed."
"I couldn't get out of it," he replied as he spun around to face her.
"Neither can I. You understand?"
A warm smile framed his face, answering her question before he spoke the words. "Do I have a choice?"
With her hands placed firmly on his cheeks, she replied with a grin and another kiss. "We'll work something out soon. I promise."
"I'm going to hold you to that."
"I know you are." She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her bag before leaving the room. "You should wake Ellie up soon or she won't sleep tonight."
"Yeah."
Jed followed her into the girls' room where she stroked the few strands of hair on Ellie's head. "Dinner is on the stove," she continued as they walked into the living room. "Dessert in the fridge. Lizzie has math homework tonight. Make sure you check her work before she goes to bed."
"Okay."
"I won't be home until early Wednesday morning," she reminded him as she hugged Lizzie.
"Yeah, I know."
His hesitant acceptance gave her momentary pause. Her hand resting on the doorknob, she turned her head towards him. "We'll find time next week."
It wasn't an empty promise. He knew that. But he also remembered spouting those very words at her when they were in London. Back then, he was the one rushing out the door and she was the one anxiously awaiting his return.
Times had definitely changed. Hindsight was 20/20.
TBC