Washington, D.C.
"Leo," Margaret said, stepping into the Chief of Staff's office.
He looked up.
"CJ needs to see you."
"Send her in."
She nodded, and was soon replaced by CJ Cregg standing in the doorway.
"What's up?" Leo asked, looking down at the papers on his desk and not at her.
"We have a problem."
Slowly, he glanced up and noticed the worried look on her face.
"What is it?"
"It's the First Lady."
"Oh, jeez. Should we have the President in on this?"
"He's going to find out sooner or later," CJ replied.
"How bad is it?" Leo asked, standing up.
"It's bad."
"Something happen in Europe?"
CJ shook her head, and followed Leo into the Oval Office.
"Mr. President."
They found him sitting at his desk, going over some paperwork. He looked up when they entered the room.
"This is a light day, guys. If you came in here to tell that that Qumar's bombed Israel or one of our guys is missing in North Korea, get out."
"Sir, CJ has something she needs to tell us."
"Yeah, what?"
"It's about the First Lady."
"Oh, God. What'd she do?" Jed questioned.
"Mr. President…I don't know how to say this really," CJ said.
"Say it. After thirty-seven years, nothing she can do could ever surprise me."
"I think…this will, sir."
"What is it, CJ?"
"Well, um…before Mrs. Bartlet left Washington, she apparently…spoke to Danny Concannon."
"Yeah. She knows him, he wrote her biography, and she respects him. What of it?"
"He's…using some of the quotes in an article, being published tomorrow morning."
"What did she say to him?"
CJ hesitated before reading off the piece of paper Danny handed her, as a favor to her.
"'My husband I are trying it apart for a little while. Only he doesn't know that yet.' And then there's, 'The President seems to be under the impression that he can successfully run the country and our marriage at the same time, within his own terms. And, well, the President's about to get a rude awakening.'"
Leo's jaw dropped. He knew Abbey Bartlet was never one to sugar coat things for the benefit of the press, but this was just too much. She was angry and hurt, yes, but she had gone too far. Not only had she upset the President now, she was going to upset the public too.
"Mr. President?" CJ said, when Jed didn't say anything.
His face was turning red, and his fists began to clench together.
'Oh, no,' Leo thought. 'I knew it was either going to be sadness or anger…apparently it's anger.'
"Debbie!" Jed shouted.
Debbie appeared in the doorway.
"Get my wife on the phone!"
"Sir, you know that she…"
"I don't care if she wants to talk to me or not! Get her on the phone. Now!"
Paris, France
After Abbey's sudden outburst of tears, Zoey rushed over, without asking questions, and whisked her away from Sir Anthony Prescott, who was left absolutely stunned. They took the train back to Paris and returned to the hotel as quickly as possible. Zoey sat with her on one of the beds and held her while she continued to cry.
"Mom…please tell me what's wrong. I've been quiet for the last hour, but now…you have to tell me."
Abbey wipe the tears off her cheek with the back of her hand.
"I'm fine."
"Mom! You're not fine, you've been crying for an hour straight. Tell me what's going on."
"Hormones, darling," Abbey said, with a fake smile. "Menopause?"
Zoey rolled her eyes.
"That's not it, and you know it. Tell me."
Abbey shook her head.
"It's Dad, isn't it?"
"It's me. And it's him. It's us."
"Look…if you don't want to talk to me about this, I understand. I mean, maybe it's not something I should know about it, and that's cool. But will you at least let me get Millie on the phone? Or Jenny?"
"No, no. It's fine. They don't need to be bothered with this."
"They're your best friends, Mom."
"No. Millie's got a lot going on right now and Jenny's busy planning her wedding. I'll be fine."
Zoey was about to make her protests known, when the phone rang. Zoey leaned over to the nightstand and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Zoey, it's Debbie."
"Hi, Debbie. Does my dad want to talk to me?"
"No. Actually…the President would like to speak to your mother."
"Oh, no. You know she won't, Debbie."
"I know, and I tried to tell him that but he's adament."
"Why? What's going on? Dad would never force her to talk to him unless.."
"I don't know what's happened, but something has. He's in the Oval shouting so loud I think the walls are vibrating."
"What? Why!"
"I don't know. But he ordered me to get your mother on the phone and I really don't want to be the one to tell him she refuses."
Zoey sighed.
"Okay, put him through. I'll tell him."
"Thank you."
"Yeah."
Zoey waited a moment, glancing at her mother sympathetically, as Debbie put the call through to the Oval Office.
"Abbey…"
"No, Dad, it's me."
"Zoey, put Mom on the phone. Now."
"Dad, you know she doesn't want to talk to you. What's going on?"
"Put her on the phone, Zoey," Jed said, sternly.
"I'm not going to make her do something she doesn't want to do."
"I swear to God, Zoey Patricia, if you don't put your mother on the phone I'm going to…"
"Hold on."
Zoey placed her hand over the phone and spoke to her mother.
"Mom…it's Dad."
"I can hear him. What's going on?"
"I don't know. He wants to talk to you and…he won't take no for an answer," Zoey explained.
"Oh, really. Give it to me," Abbey said, sitting up.
Zoey reluctantly handed her the phone.
"What exactly were you going to do if she didn't put me on the phone, Jed? Send in the National Guard to get us? Oh, or maybe you were going to assasinate the president of France and then not tell me about it?"
Her words cut deep into him, but he didn't let that throw him off. He was too focused now.
"What the hell were you thinking, Abbey!" Jed shouted.
He wanted to tell her how good it was to hear her voice again, even if she was scolding him. It was still her voice, and that was enough.
"What?"
"Now, I always knew you weren't exactly tight-lipped around members of the press, but this is really too much."
"What are you talking about?"
"I am talking about Danny Concannon. I am talking about 'My husband I are trying it apart for a little while. Only he doesn't know that yet.' What the hell were you thinking!"
"What's bothering you the most about this? What I said or who I said it to?"
"Goddamnit, Abbey! 'The President seems to be under the impression that he can successfully run the country and our marriage at the same time, within his own terms.' What the hell is that? How could you say something like that to a reporter!"
Abbey sighed, her eyes filling with tears yet again.
"You're doing it right now," she whispered.
He paused, actually hearing the tears in her voice.
"What?"
"Trying to run the country and our marriage, under your own terms."
"Abbey…"
"Are you through yelling at me now?"
He sighed.
"Yeah," Jed replied, softly.
"Good. Talk to your daughter."
Abbey forced the phone into her daughter's hand, without another word to her husband.
"Dad?"
"Hi, sweetheart."
"You shouldn't have called," Zoey said, sadly.
"I know. I was angry. I'm sorry."
"Don't tell me that. Tell her."
"I would if she'd talk to me."
"I don't blame her for not wanting to. You treated her like a member of your staff just now. She doesn't work for you, Dad. You can't just hire and fire her and dispose of her as you please. Don't you get that!"
"Zoey, what are you…"
"You know, at first, I was on your side. I thought Mom was overreacting. But being here with her these last few days has made me see the truth. She's right. And she deserves someone who will be honest with her, and cherish her. You don't do that anymore."
"You don't know what you're saying, Zoey, so stop now before you say something you'll regret," Jed warned.
"You better get your act together, Dad. You know I love you, and I'd do anything for you. But I'm the one who had to suffer because of your actions. And now Mom's suffering too. You didn't see her today. You didn't hold her while she cried."
"I wish I could have," he whispered.
"Well, you didn't. And you're the reason she's crying in the first place."
"I know."
"Then what are you gonna do about it?"
-Zoey's POV-
I really never thought I would see the day when my parents wouldn't speak to each other. Even when they're fighting, they can't keep themselves from talking. They've been that way ever since I can remember. I don't want to take sides, I really don't. But it's so hard when my mother is sitting here crying, and my dad is on the phone screaming. It just makes her seem like the victim. And from what I know, she is.
I can't help feeling like all of this is my fault. Deep down, I know it's not, but the guilt I feel is just so strong sometimes. I've spent my entire life admiring my parents' marriage, envying it. If you had told me fifteen years ago that this was going to happen, I would never have believed you. Their relationship was one of few constant things in my life. Knowing that I could always count on them to be there for me, and to be there for each other. And now I don't know.
I feel like I should call my sisters. I don't think they have any idea about what's happening. But I wouldn't know how to tell them. I don't even know how to describe the situation. Mom and Dad are having some trouble? No. Mom and Dad aren't speaking to each other? No, they spoke. It was just…very inauspicious, to say the least. Liz and Ellie both understood that things would be weird between Mom and Dad for awhile, after the Shareef thing, but they couldn't have known just how bad it had become. Oh, how I wish they were here.