Washington, D.C.
"Excuse me, Mr. President," Debbie said, peeking her head into the Oval Office.
Jed barely looked up from his desk as he spoke.
"Yeah."
"Your daughters are here."
That got his attention.
"What?"
"Ellie and Elizabeth…they're here."
"As in…here? Now?" Jed asked.
"Yes, sir. Would you like me to send them in?"
"Yeah, send 'em in."
He put some of his papers aside, took off his glasses, and stood to greet his two older daughters when they entered the room.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise."
Ellie smiled sadly and Elizabeth looked down at her shoes.
"Or maybe a…not-so-pleasant surprise?" Jed said, nervously.
He walked over and hugged both of them. Then, Jed sat down in his usual chair, while the girls sat on one of the couches.
"Should I assume that coming all the way from New Hampshire means bad news, Elizabeth?"
"That would be a fair assumption, yes."
"And you, Eleanor?"
"I didn't think Liz should have to talk to you about this alone," Ellie said.
"About what?"
"Listen, Dad…we know things haven't been so great between you and Mom lately," Liz said.
"Oh, this is about her. Should I be scared?"
"Dad, be serious, and let Liz talk," Ellie said.
"All right."
"Zoey called me. She's worried. She says you two aren't speaking."
"Is this an intervention?" Jed questioned.
"If that's what you want to call it, yes," Liz answered.
"Well, you're wasting your time."
"What?" Ellie asked, worriedly.
"Your mother and I have to work this out on our own," Jed said.
"Yeah, but, Dad…it's been over a month now. And you haven't done anything. Do you think she's just going to change her mind and come back to you? Because she's not!" Liz exclaimed.
"Then what am I supposed to do, huh? You're so smart. Tell me what to do."
"I don't know…just something. You can't just sit here and expect her to come to you. Especially not after your last phone conversation. Yeah, Zoey told me all about it. She said you acted like a jackass and made her cry."
Jed shook his head.
"She was already crying."
"And that makes it better? You're her husband. You're supposed to be the one who dries her tears, not the one who causes them!" Liz shouted.
"Liz," Ellie said. "Let's just talk about this rationally, okay?"
Elizabeth sighed.
"Look, Dad…if you don't do something, you're gonna lose her. And I'm fairly certain that's not what you want. Am I right?"
He nodded.
"Of course I don't want to lose her. That's the last thing I'd ever want. But I don't know how to reach her, literally and emotionally," Jed admitted.
"Well, a grand gesture never hurt anybody…"
London, England
"Zoey!" Abbey shouted, poking her head into the connecting hotel room.
Zoey Bartlet was sitting on her bed, remote in hand, checking out the channels on her television.
"England sucks," Zoey said.
"Why, because they don't get MTV?" Abbey said, sarcastically.
Zoey rolled her eyes.
"I don't watch MTV. But it's like…all British stations."
"They've got some funny shows, Zo. And anyway, you shouldn't be in here watching television. Go for a walk or something."
"That's ok. I'm just gonna order room service and hang out till you get back," Zoey replied.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. When are you leaving?"
"In a few minutes."
Abbey turned and went back into her own room, and Zoey followed her.
"You're wearing that dress?" Zoey asked.
"Yeah. You don't like it?"
"No, I love it. But you don't think it's a bit too…'little black dress' for a first date?"
Abbey paused, staring at her daughter for a moment.
"It is not a date, Zoey."
"Whatever, you know what I mean."
"We're just having drinks"
Zoey rolled her eyes.
"Is he so cheap he can't even take you out to dinner?"
"Zoey, he's an aristocrat. I really don't think he's short on cash," Abbey replied.
Abbey walked over and sat in front of the vanity to put the finishing touches on her makeup.
"You know, Mom, Tony's a nice guy. So don't go all heartbreaker on him, okay?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't know. I mean…what if he really falls for you? What are you going to do then?" Zoey asked.
"I'm not gonna think about that now, Zoey. We're having drinks. It's all very casual and innocent. No strings attached. We're friends."
"And then when he falls head over heels in love with you? What then?"
"Who the hell said he's gonna fall head over heels in love with me!" Abbey replied.
"Because they all do."
"What?"
"Come on, don't act like you don't realize the affect you have on men. I don't know what it is, but you've got it. It used to bother me when I was younger," Zoey admitted.
"Oh, please," Abbey laughed.
"I'm serious! You've got some kind of…freakish, alluring charm. And you're hot." Zoey shrugged. "That's just the way it goes."
"I'm not…'hot,'" Abbey argued.
"Yeah, you are. You're hot, and you know it. You've had Dad whipped for the last thirty-some years, as much as it grosses me out to think about that. You know how to flaunt it…sometimes I don't think you even mean to do it. It doesn't bother me really anymore. I've come to the conclusion that it's ok, because you've passed those genes down to me. So, essentially, I benefited."
"Ok. I'm leaving now. I don't know how much more of this I can take."
"I was complimenting you!" Zoey said.
"No, you weren't."
Abbey walked over to the bed and grabbed her purse, then gave Zoey a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you."
"Love you too," Zoey replied.
"I'll see you later."
"Have fun."
"Do you mean that, or are you just being sarcastic?"
Zoey smiled reassuringly.
"I meant that."