Once on his own, he leant back in his seat, head tilted backwards and eyes closed. A rueful smile ghosted across his face – even if Abbey did rustle up the 'tasty dessert', he was not sure he was going to be able to manage to respond. It had been an exhausting and emotional day, and there had been times when the emotion had come dangerously close to breaking through his outward calmness.

It had been hard saying goodbye to everyone in the West Wing, but saying goodbye to Charlie had been the hardest – he had felt the tears stinging his eyes and had had to turn away quickly once he'd given Charlie his old copy of the Constitution. But then maybe, just maybe, Charlie and Zoey would resolve their differences? And his son – for Charlie had indeed become like a son to him – might just become a son-in-law?

"And a damn sight better one than the other two," he growled to himself as his thoughts ran on. Doug Westin was a moron, and Vic Faison was a nerd. Still, at least Ellie was happy with Vic, which was more than could be said for Liz and Doug. Quickly Jed stopped the train of his thought, otherwise he knew the anger would rise again, the hot rage that had consumed him when he first known that Doug had been unfaithful.

"Jed, you okay?"

He hadn't heard Abbey coming back into the cabin and opened his eyes to look at her. He saw the anxious look on her face and eased himself upright again. "Yeah, I'm fine," he reassured her. "I was just thinking about today. Wonder if Matt Santos has had his Harry Truman moment yet?"

Abbey sat down beside him. "Harry Truman?"

"'The buck stops here.' The moment when it hits you right in the guts that this is for real, that the buck really does stop with you."

"Did that happen with you?"

"Too right it did."

"When? When you took the oath?"

"No, I was too wound up at that moment wondering whether I would get the words right – and whether I had all the pages of my speech in the right order! No, it was after that – when I walked into the Oval. There was no-one else there and I just stood by the door looking at that desk – and then at the seal on the carpet – and thought 'Jed Bartlet, what the hell are you doing here? What gives you the right to think you can run this country? That you can follow men like Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy–?' I don't think I've ever been so scared in my whole life, I felt physically sick–" Jed shook his head slowly at the memory of those few moments.

"Jed, you've never told me this before."

"That's because I'd actually forgotten about it until today. But I bet you a dollar to a dime that Matt Santos has felt like that at some point today. Maybe we all do. But then the whole business of government takes over, and your feet are back on familiar ground, and you don't even have time to think about it again."

"Is that what happened with you?"

"Yeah, the staff all piled into the office and suddenly there were a hundred and one things to do and think about – and so we all just got on with all the practicalities."

Jed's eyes clouded for a moment, remembering how – after all the younger staff members had departed to their new offices – just Leo had remained. "So here we are," Leo had said simply, and those four words somehow had summed up the enormity of what lay ahead of them. But now Leo was gone. Jed winced slightly, not wanting to explore the depths of his grief at the loss of his best friend. "They all seemed so young then," he said instead. "CJ, Sam, Josh–" then, after a moment's hesitation, "–and Toby." He glanced at Abbey. "I signed the pardon this morning."

Abbey's eyes widened. "For Toby?"

"Yeah."

"But he leaked classified information, he betrayed you and the administration. I thought you would never forgive him for that."

"Yeah, so did I. But then I got to thinking of everything else that he's done over the past eight years – okay, we didn't always agree – but integrity shone out of that man, and he must have believed he was doing the right thing. And–" he hesitated slightly, "well, I guess in the end I couldn't let him go to jail for following his own conscience. So I signed the pardon."

Abbey nodded slowly, then sighed. "I just wish he and Andy could sort themselves out. Those twins are so adorable. They should have both their parents together."

"Maybe they will now."

"I really hope so. At least Josh and Donna finally got their act together. You know, I wanted to bang their heads together so many times – it was so obvious to everyone else!"

Jed gave a shrug and a half-smile. "They had to find it out for themselves."

"CJ and Danny too."

"Oh, now that was always on the cards – but it couldn't happen while CJ was still in the White House. But they'll do okay in California."

"And have lots of babies that look just like Danny."

Jed laughed. "Without the beard, I hope!"

The arrival of the steward with the heated dinner cart ended the conversation, but Abbey watched Jed carefully as he joked with the steward about green beans, and then helped to transfer the food from the cart on to the table in the corner of the cabin. She wondered suddenly just how he was going to adapt to not having his beloved staff around him, not having a hundred and one things to do and think about. For over half his life he had been involved in public service – what was going to fill the vacuum for him now?

"Dinner is served, ma'am" Jed said, beckoning her to the table. "And make the most of it. After this, no more Air Force One meals – we're back to airline plastic trays!"

Abbey pulled a face. "Returning to mere mortal life has its downside. Talking of which, have you thought any more about that lecture tour – or about the Economics Chair at Dartmouth?"

Jed held up his hand. "No, we're not talking about any of that now. Time enough for that later. Tonight – and the next few days – are for the here and now, and for us."

"Okay, babe." They exchanged understanding glances as they started their meal of pumpkin and pea soup followed by chicken in wild mushroom sauce, accompanied by an excellent Chardonnay.

Jed glanced out of the now darkened windows on the far side of the plane. "We're half way into the night already," he commented.

Abbey followed his glance. "Brilliant timing, gumdrop – missing a night's sleep after the hectic day we've had? I'm gonna look like hell when we land – wherever it is we're going to be landing!"

"Plenty of time to catch up on your beauty sleep tomorrow."

"You mean you're not gonna drag me round on the Bartlet sightseeing-and-useless-trivia tour of - um - wherever it is that we're going to be?"

"Well, not immediately," Jed conceded. "You want some dessert now?" As Abbey raised her eyebrows, he grinned and nodded his head towards the raspberry panacotta. "No, I mean that dessert!"

Abbey laughed. "Looks delicious but I don't think I can manage it."

"Okay, so let me ring for the steward to take this lot away then."

As the steward was piling the cart with the remains of the dinner, Jed retrieved a small plastic CD case from his briefcase and wandered across to the console in the corner of the cabin. "I've never used this thing before," he said, eyeing it somewhat nervously and then slipping the CD into the machine.

After the steward had closed the door, he looked across at Abbey. "Take your shoes off."

"Why?"

Jed pressed the play button and held out his arms. "I want you to dance with me."

Abbey listened as the music began and then smiled. "Ah, Mr Sinatra, I presume?"

"Who else?"

She kicked her shoes to one side and stood up, moving naturally into Jed's arms as the song began.

"You make me egg-foo-yung," Jed started to sing with the song.

"Idiot!" Abbey said with a smile.

"Yeah, I know." He pulled her closer to him so that his face brushed against her hair. Then he sang softly along with Sinatra – 'And even when I'm old and grey, I'm gonna feel the way I do today…' He looked down at her. "So okay, I'm old and grey already," he said with a rueful smile and then his eyes rested on her. "But I love you, Abbey – so much. I really meant what I said before, I couldn't have done any of it without you."

Abbey looked up at him and shook her head slightly. "You did it, Jed – you did so much good – because – well, because you're just you." The music changed and Abbey listened to the words of 'Time after Time' for a moment. Then she smiled. "I guess that sums it up – 'I'm so lucky to be loving you'."

Jed's arms tightened round her, his left hand gripping hers and his right arm round her waist pressing her body against his. They moved together on the spot as the music went on. "Now listen to the next one," Jed said very quietly.

Abbey waited for the song to begin. She didn't recognise the introduction, but then Sinatra's voice started –

'Today I may not have a thing at all
Except for just a dream or two
But I've got lots of plans for tomorrow
And all my tomorrows belong to you.'

Jed's arm tightened round her. "Listen, Abbey," he said again.

Abbey laid her head against his shoulder and knew that the tears which had suddenly flooded her eyes would be making a wet patch on his shirt but she couldn't hold them back.

'As long as I've got arms that cling at all,
It's you that I'll be clinging to
And all the dreams I dream, beg, or borrow
On some bright tomorrow they'll all come true
And all my bright tomorrows belong to you.'

As the song ended, Jed eased his grip and put his hand under her chin to tilt her face up to his. She saw then that his eyes were brimming too. Gently his finger brushed away the tear that was trickling down her face.

His blue eyes gazed down at her intensely. "I mean it, Abbey – I couldn't have done anything without you – but now I promise you, my tomorrows belong to you."

His mouth came down on hers – gentle at first, and then suddenly fiercer until they both felt the familiar passion flare.

With a quick shake of his head, Jed released her. "No," he said. "Not yet–" He glanced down at his watch. "Seven o'clock – that means it's midnight in Europe, it's already tomorrow where we're going – and then there'll be just the two of us."

TBC