Versailles, France
"Who's your friend, Zoey?" Abbey Bartlet asked.
"Mom, this is Sir Anthony Prescott. Sir Prescott, this is my mother, Abigail Bartlet," Zoey said.
"It's pleasure to meet you, Sir Prescott."
She held her hand out.
"Tony, please. And the pleasure's all mine, Mrs. Bartlet," he replied, taking her hand and kissing it.
She giggled.
"Oh, how I adore English men…"
"I'm sure they reciprocate the feeling."
"Well, I can think of one in particular…" Abbey said, laughing.
"Really," Tony said.
He placed his hand on her elbow and slowly lead her in the opposite direction as they spoke. Zoey laughed and rolled her eyes, then took out her camera again and began clicking away.
"Who might that be?" Tony asked.
"Do you know Lord Marbury?"
"John? Of course. The old dog. He's a good friend of mine."
"He's incorrigible," Abbey said.
"Well, that's the truth if I ever heard it. Puts the moves on you, does he?"
"He does. He likes to compliment my 'magnificent'…attributes."
"Oh?" Tony replied, one eyebrow raised. "Well, all due respect, Mrs. Bartlet, but…I can certainly see why."
Abbey blushed.
"It's Abbey."
"Abbey. Would you care to go for a little stroll?"
"Uh…" Abbey looked over her shoulder at Zoey, who seemed quite content to be on her own exploring the area. "Sure. I don't see why not."
"Excellent."
"So…Sir Prescott, what brings you to Versailles? Business or pleasure?"
"A little of both, I'd say. I'm doing business in Paris, but I couldn't leave the country without visiting Versailles."
"I'm the same way. We're staying in Paris, but I had to come here. And I wanted Zoey to experience it as well."
"You've been to Versailles before?"
"A couple of times, actually. My husband loves it too."
"Speaking of your husband, where might he be?" Tony questioned.
"Oh, he's…back at the White House."
"Why on earth is he at the White House when he could be experiencing the beauty of Versailles with two lovely ladies, whose beauty outshines that of the city they are in?"
"You certainly have a way with words, Sir Prescott."
"Tony."
"Right. Tony."
Washington, D.C.
"Debbie!" Jed called, from inside the Oval Office.
Within seconds, his secretary appeared in the doorway.
"Yes, sir?"
"Get Zoey on the phone for me please."
"Her cell phone?"
"Yeah."
"Yes, sir," Debbie said, heading back to her desk.
Jed took off his glasses and waited for the call to be put through.
"Mr. President, line two!" Debbie shouted.
"Thank you!"
He hit the Line 2 button and picked up the phone.
"Hiya, sweetheart."
"Hi, Daddy."
"Where are you right now? Wait, no. Let me guess. The Champs Elysees."
"Nope."
"The Eiffel Tower?"
"Nope."
"Notre Dame?" He asked, hopefully.
She laughed.
"No, Dad."
"I give up. Where?"
"We're in Versailles. At the palace."
Jed paused, immediating remembering when he and Abbey had vacationed in France and gone to that exact spot.
"Dad?"
"I'm here, honey."
"Okay. Are you all right?" Zoey asked, with concern.
"I'm fine. Are you having fun?"
"Oh my God, Dad, it's amazing. Everything's so beautiful here. It's breathtaking."
"That's how I remember it. How's Mom?"
"She's…she's good, Dad."
"Is she enjoying herself?"
"She is, yeah," Zoey replied.
"Zoey, would you ask her…"
"If she'll talk to you? Yeah. Hold on a sec."
"Thanks, hon."
Versailles, France
"Mom!" Zoey shouted to her mother, who was standing a few yards away talking with Sir Prescott.
"Mom, Dad's on the phone…"
Abbey immediately shook her head.
"No, Zoey."
"Mom, come on! Please?"
"Absolutely not."
Zoey sighed, and put the cell phone back to her ear.
"Dad, I…"
"Yeah, I heard. It's ok. Thanks for trying, sweetheart."
"You're welcome. I'm really sorry."
"No, no. It's not your fault, baby. Just…tell her I miss her, will you, please?"
"Sure, Dad."
"Thank you. Call me later."
"I will."
"I love you."
"Love you too."
Zoey flipped the phone shut and put it back into her purse. Then, she continued walking through the gardens while her mother walked close to the palace, with Sir Prescott.
"So. Where's this European tour of yours bringing you after France?" Tony asked.
"Oh, um, Spain, Greece, Italy, maybe Switzerland for a little skiiing, if Zoey's arm is healed. Then we'll top it off with two weeks in London," Abbey replied.
"Ah, my homeland. I think John Marbury and I should join forces and throw you a grand soiree."
Abbey laughed.
"No need for that. That's exactly what I'm running from."
Tony looked at her seriously.
"What's that?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from. Forget I said anything."
"I didn't realize you were running from something," Tony said.
"No…I'm not really. I just…well, parties aren't my thing."
"It won't be like in Washington, Abbey. You won't have to impress anyone. No pressure, as they say in America."
"That's what you think. I'm the First Lady of the United States. There's always someone to impress. If my hair doesn't look right, if my dress isn't the latest fashion, and if I don't smile every second of every day, I get berated by my husband's staff. My picture is in at least five different magazines each week, my detail is constantly fighting off paparazzi, and if, by chance, I happen to let something slip that I shouldn't have…it's all over the papers and I can't escape it. I can't go to the movies without some magazine criticizing what I saw, or some Christian organization blasting my husband because I saw a film with a swear word in it. I live in a fishbowl. So, yes, there will be someone to impress. Technically, I should be trying to impress you right now. Looks like I've ruined that one anyway."
Tony stared at her, astonished. He had never met anyone like Abbey Bartlet before.
"Oh, God. I'm so sorry. I have a tendency to just…go off on a tangent….ranting and raving. You didn't need to hear any of that, I'm sorry."
"No, no. Don't apologize, Abbey. It's fascinating."
"What?" Abbey asked, surprised.
"I find you…absolutely fascinating."
Abbey's gaze immediately fell down to the floor. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten a compliment like that from a man who wasn't Lord John Marbury. Jed certainly hadn't spoken to her like that in awhile. Not for months. And when he did, it was always momentary, fleeting, and usually because he wanted a little action. It wasn't always that way. It was just since he'd become the leader of the free world…
"You're very kind, Tony."
"And you're very beautiful."
Abbey felt a chill run down her spine. She hadn't felt like this, so nervous, flustered, and so…special, since the day she met Jed Bartlet. But it had been months since he had made her feel special. Hell, it had been months since he'd given her the time of day. Hearing another man speak to her so warmly and so affectionately only made her feel worse when she thought about her husband. She remembered a time when he would tell her every single day how beautiful she was. He would tell her every single day how much he loved her. Now he had shut her out, lied to her, and taken her for granted. The thought overwhelmed her.
And with that, she began to cry.