Abbey climbed the aircraft stairs in Johannesburg. She felt much better after talking with her husband and felt that she could finish her trip now with less stress. She knew now she should have talked to him sooner, but there was just something about their relationship when it came to keeping potential secrets from each other. They had never gotten this issue solved in their thirty-five years together. And it raised its ugly head each time one of them thought the other had kept something from the other. And this time she had thought he had kept this one from her.

"Good Evening, Mrs. Bartlet," Col. Thomas smiled at her as she reached the top and entered Air Force Two, the plane normally assigned to the Vice-President or First Lady if she had an overseas trip.

"Good Evening, Colonel. Everything ready for a smooth trip?" as she made her way inside.

"Yes, Ma'am. We should have no problem. Eleven hours flying time to Perth ought to give you time to get a good night's sleep. And we should have a smooth ride."

"That's good. I'm so tired."

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll see you when we land."

"Good night, Colonel."

"Good night, Ma'am."

Abbey went down the aisle and the Colonel went forward to complete his preflight checklist.

Since this was a long trip, Abbey had more than a skeleton group on board. She had four aides from the East Wing, ten Secret Service plus a couple of State Department assignees. That was seventeen people for business purposes. Including the crew, there was a total of thirty people on board. But the plane had a capacity of around forty-five people so there was a little spare space to move around. She had the private cabin with two swivel chairs and a sofa that pulled out at night into a very comfortable full bed. A private bathroom and dressing area completed the cabin. Her staff and the State Department assignees was in the area right beyond her private cabin while everyone else made themselves comfortable elsewhere on the plane. Because of the length of the trip, there were no press people. Her Press Secretary emailed copy along with photos at the end of each day's activities back to the East Wing for general distribution.

Kicking off her heels the minute she got to the cabin, she walked over to the small cabinet and poured herself a glass of red wine. She sat down in one of the chairs, fastened her seat belt, and prepared for takeoff. Her staff knew that Abbey liked to be by herself for a few minutes after each stop, in order to decompress a little before starting to answer the day's messages and emails. The evening's work always went smoother if the First Lady was a little rested.

After takeoff, a quiet knock at the door signified her brief rest period was over. "Come in."

"Mrs. Bartlet?"

"Yes Deborah, I'm ready. Come on in."

Abbey's Deputy Chief of Staff came in with a load of papers. Abbey sighed. It never stopped. "Let's see what you have."

Stopping only for dinner, they worked until nine. Finally, overwhelming fatigue washed over Abbey and she knew it was time to stop. "Deborah, I just can't do anymore. We'll pick this up later. I think our schedule, when we get to Perth, allows us a few open hours in the hotel before our activities start so why don't we just wait. We both need a good night's sleep. And on your way out, could you please ask the steward to come in and make up the bed? Thanks."

"Yes, Ma'am. Good Night." Deborah left with the papers and the steward came in immediately to make up the bed. Abbey changed into her pajamas and slid into the makeshift bed. Being gone for three weeks made her miss her bed in the White House. And now, she missed the other person in that bed. For the first time in two weeks, she dreamed of cuddling next to Jed in their own bed.

In the cockpit things weren't so quiet. Colonel Thomas and his co-pilot Major Franks were noting some troubling readings coming from the two engines. "Do you see what I see?" Thomas asked Franks.

"Yes. But I don't believe it. I mean both engines were overhauled at Andrews just six months ago. And checked per protocol before this trip. This double loss of power is just unheard of."

"Okay. Let's notify Command of this anomaly. In the meantime, get out the checklist and let's try and find out what's happening."

"Command, AF80002 calling. Command, AF80002 calling. Come in."

"Colonel, no response."

"Try again."

"Command, AF80002 calling. Command, AF80002 calling. Come in."