A/N: I hope you're ready for this one, because quite a lot happens here. I won't say any more because, well, spoilers! Enjoy!

The last thing Jeremy Clenden expected to see when he walked into his dorm room in the early evening hours of a Wednesday was the sight of Jed Bartlet laying on his bed smoking a cigarette with a half-empty bottle of scotch on his bedside table, and he was so shocked that he nearly dropped his books as he tried to comprehend that he wasn't hallucinating. He closed the door slowly, not wanting to startle him, and as he walked closer, he did his best to keep his disbelief from his voice.

"Jed? Thought you had a study session with Abbey today."

Jed shrugged, taking a long drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke slowly away from himself.

"Why bother? If I fail at school, it's just one more thing to add to the list."

Jeremy frowned at the self-deprecating remark, unused to hearing Jed sound so defeated, and he sat down on his bed, watching him warily.

"What are you talking about? You're not a failure by any definition of the word."

"Tell that to my father," Jed muttered, reaching for the bottle of scotch, and tipping it back.

"Jed…" Jeremy paused, treading carefully, "did something happen with your father?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

As he finished his cigarette, Jed stood slowly, his steps unsteady as he made his way to the wastebasket, and when he stumbled, Jeremy shot to his feet, preparing to catch him should he fall. Jed shook his head as he threw the cigarette away, and when he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror that was propped up against the wall, he paused, his eyes hazy.

"I really m-messed up," he said, his words slurred, "and this time, it hurt someone else."

"Jed, what are you—"

"It's all my fault!" Jed yelled, "I thought everything would be fine, but I screwed up, and ruined her life! Maybe if I hadn't been so pathetic, it wouldn't have happened, but I can't do one simple thing right."

Jeremy took a hesitant step closer, his eyes widening when he realized that Jed was crying, and he jumped when Jed swung his hand forward, connecting with the mirror in front of him as hard as he could. He rushed towards him, pulling him away from the broken glass, and Jed jerked free of his hold, tears falling faster as he shook his head.

"Don't touch me!"

"Okay," Jeremy said softly, watching worriedly as Jed fell to his knees, "I won't touch you. But I want you to stay right here. Don't move, stay away from the broken glass, okay? Can you do that?"

Jed didn't appear to have heard him or if he did, he was choosing to ignore him, and as he stared at his hand, there was a strange look of fascination on his face.

"I'll be right back, Jed. Don't move."

Glancing at his friend one last time, Jeremy bolted from the room, closing the door tightly behind him, and as he ran across campus, he prayed that Abbey was in her room.

Abbey smiled softly to herself as she read the large book on her lap, relishing the rare opportunity to be alone in her room, and when she reached for the cup of hot tea, she took a careful sip. She had just placed it back on her bedside table when the loud knocking on her door caused her to jump slightly, and she sighed. So much for peace and quiet. Knowing it was probably Jed stopping by for their study session, she didn't see the need to rush to open the door, but when the knocking came again, she frowned in confusion.

Crossing the room quickly, she opened the door, her confusion only intensifying when she realized that it wasn't Jed at all, and when Jeremy looked at her, she noticed the way his chest was heaving, as though he had run the entire way to her room.

"Abbey, thank God. I need your help."

The breathlessness of his voice confirmed her suspicions that he had run all the way across campus, and she felt suddenly worried as she looked at him.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"It's not me, it's Jed. I just got back from class and he's in bad shape."

"What do you mean? Is he sick?"

Jeremy shook his head, still trying to catch his breath.

"He's drunk off his ass and I don't know what happened. He's not making much sense. He said something about his father and about being a failure…I don't know. I thought I could handle it, but when he punched the mirror, I—"

"Wait…" Abbey said slowly, "He punched a mirror?"

"I told you, he's in bad shape. I've never seen him like this. He was crying and then he punched the mirror, there's broken glass everywhere. We need to go before he hurts himself more than he already has."

Abbey pulled the door shut, forgetting entirely about the book she had been so absorbed by only minutes ago and as she ran across the campus, Jeremy at her heels, she prayed that they weren't too late to prevent serious damage.

It took several seconds for Abbey's eyes to accept what they were seeing, and as she carefully picked her way through the broken glass on the floor, she knelt down next to Jed, keeping her voice soft.

"Jed?"

He didn't look at her, his eyes fixed on his hand, seemingly entranced by the blood wrapping around his wrist in a crimson ribbon, and she reached out carefully, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Jed, why don't you come sit on your bed? Don't you think that would be more comfortable than the floor?"

It wasn't until she ran her fingers under his eyes to wipe away the tears that he seemed to realize she was there, and he blinked at her in confusion, shaking his head slowly.

"Abbey?"

"Come on, baby," she said softly, holding out her hand, "Come sit down on your bed and let me take a look at your hand, okay?"

He nodded, closing his eyes tightly, and as she moved to help him stand, Jeremy was by them in an instant, helping her pull him to his feet. Abbey gave him a grateful smile as they carefully walked to Jed's bed, and as he fell onto it, she looked at Jeremy seriously.

"Do you have any tweezers, by chance? Or know of someone who does?"

"I think I have a pair somewhere. Let me look."

Abbey nodded, frowning when Jed reached for the bottle of scotch, trying to make sense of the situation she currently found herself in. It wasn't like Jed to drink this heavily (or at all, really), and seeing him so obviously distressed made her more worried than she could have put into words. Still, she knew that nothing good would come of her panicking, and she sighed as he swallowed a large mouthful of liquor.

"Jed, put the bottle down," she said gently, "Tell me what's wrong."

"I m-messed up, Abbey. Can't do anything right."

"If I got drunk every time I messed something up, I wouldn't ever be sober," she told him, "Whatever it is, I'm sure it isn't that bad."

"I got her fired, Abbey. I ruined her life."

"Who?"

"Mrs. Landingham," he murmured, cradling his injured hand to his chest, "My f-father found out I s-stayed at her house over b-break, and he f-fired her."

Abbey exchanged a concerned look with Jeremy as he handed her the small tweezers he had found, and she reached for Jed's hand, keeping her touch carefully light.

"Jed, it wasn't your fault," she said quietly, "Let me look at your hand. You've got broken glass in your skin."

He shook his head as Abbey tried to examine his hand, and she frowned as she realized that she couldn't see the extent of the damage due to the blood covering his skin.

"Jeremy, do you have an old shirt or something I can use to clean off the blood? I won't be able to do anything until I get this cleaned."

He nodded, digging through his drawers, and producing a faded shirt, dousing it with water from the glass near his bed before he handed it to her. She whispered her thanks as she began the slow process of cleaning Jed's hand, apologizing every time he flinched, and she sighed as the blood continued to flow.

"Damn it, Jed. You just had to get drunk, didn't you? Don't you know that alcohol thins your blood? No wonder it isn't stopping."

"See?" Jed interjected, his eyes struggling to focus, "Told you I can't do anything right."

He pulled his hand from her grasp, slamming it down on his bedside table, grabbing the bottle of scotch before she could stop him, and as he swallowed it, Abbey moved closer, her voice quiet.

"Jed, give me the bottle. Please."

He handed it to her, not comprehending in his drunkenness that she wasn't going to give it back, and when she passed it to Jeremy, their eyes met worriedly.

"How do you know your father fired Mrs. Landingham?" Abbey asked carefully.

"Wrote a l-letter," Jed murmured, "Got it in the mail this morning."

He gestured broadly in the direction of his desk, and when Abbey noticed the crumpled piece of paper sitting on top of it, she frowned. Of course Jed's father would write to him just to make him feel guilty. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised, but it still hurt to know that he could be so cruel. Again, Abbey attempted to examine Jed's hand, gently cleaning the blood, and when she was satisfied, she picked up the tweezers, slowly picking out shards of glass.

She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she worked, muttering a few choice words under her breath each time the tweezers slipped on the blood-slicked glass, and when she was certain she had removed every fragment, she raised her eyes to Jed slowly.

"Jed…your father is an ass who was just looking for any excuse to fire Mrs. Landingham. It had nothing to do with you."

"Not what the letter says," Jed muttered, letting his head fall onto her shoulder, "See for yourself."

Abbey shook her head, looking at him seriously.

"I don't need to look at the letter. He wants you to feel guilty and blame yourself. From the state you're in, I'd say it worked."

Jed raised his head from her shoulder, his glassy eyes locking on hers as he shook his head, tears spilling down his face as he blinked.

"I got her fired, Abbey. She must hate me, and I don't blame her for it at all. She should hate me. I do."

His words broke her heart, and Abbey felt her own eyes fill with tears as she shook her head, trying to keep them from falling.

"Oh, Jed," she whispered, running her hand through his hair, "You don't mean that."

"I do, I do mean it. I should have just gone to his house and stayed in my room. I could have avoided him, and then she wouldn't have—Abbey, what is she going to do now?"

"I'm sure she'll find another job. She's a smart woman and she's reliable. She'll find another job that doesn't involve working for your bastard of a father, and she'll be just fine."

The light tap on her shoulder made Abbey turn slightly, smiling in thanks when Jeremy handed her a roll of bandages, and as she began to wrap Jed's hand, she tried to keep her voice light.

"She'll probably end up thanking you for this, Jed. It might turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to her."

Jed said nothing as his intoxicated mind tried to make sense of her words, and when he looked at her, Abbey was suddenly struck by how pale he was. He closed his eyes, laying his head on her shoulder again, and when he spoke, there was no mistaking the pain in his voice.

"I fucked up," he said simply.

Abbey's eyes flickered to Jeremy at the rare use of profanity, and she kept her voice soft as she answered.

"No, you didn't, Jed. No one made her take you in over the holidays, she chose to because she cares about you and wanted you to be safe. And I'm sure she would do it again if she had the chance."

"Abbey?"

"What, baby?"

"I don't feel so good," he murmured, his eyes tightly closed.

She smiled sadly.

"I know. That's because you're as drunk as a sailor and you decided that punching a mirror was a good idea. Do you want to try lying down now? You can get some sleep and things will look better in the morning."

He nodded slowly, and Abbey smiled as she helped him lie back on the bed, running her hand through his hair lightly. She kissed his forehead softly as she pulled the blankets more securely around him, and when she reminded him to sleep on his side, he did as she asked, his eyes closed.

"Get some sleep, baby," she whispered, "I love you."

When she was certain he wasn't going to vomit, she sighed, sitting down on the edge of his bed, pushing her hair back from her face. She watched him silently for a long moment, wondering how the night had taken such a drastic turn, and when she heard Jeremy's voice, she jumped slightly.

"Thank, Abbey. I know your plans for tonight didn't include this, but I just didn't know who else to turn to."

She waved his words away, a sad smile on her face.

"I'm glad you came to get me. He shouldn't have been alone tonight."

"I swear, I didn't know he—"

"No," she assured him quietly, "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you made the right decision. Do me a favour, would you?"

"Sure, doc. Name it."

She nodded her head in the direction of Jed's desk, her eyes still watching Jed for any signs of distress.

"Hand me that letter. I want to see what that bastard wrote."

He nodded, handing it to her wordlessly, and as she scanned the page, she shook her head, swearing under her breath angrily.

"A disgrace to the family name and tarnishing a reputation that has been years in the making? What the hell is he playing at? No wonder Jed blames himself, he's got this waste of oxygen telling him that he's worthless."

"Damn, doc. I don't think I've ever seen you look so pissed."

"I don't condone violence, Jeremy. But if Jed's father were drowning, I wouldn't lift a finger to help him."

As he watched Abbey read the letter several more times, Jeremy had to admit that she made a very convincing argument.

His hand was on fire. That, at least, was what it felt like as Jed opened his eyes, and when the bright light streamed into them, he immediately closed them again, wincing in pain. He settled on opening them halfway as a compromise, and when he glanced slowly around the room, he frowned at the destruction in the normally neat space. The mirror that typically leaned against the wall in the corner of the room had been shattered and he could only assume that the trash can next to it housed the broken pieces, though he had no recollection of anything past five o'clock the previous day. He opened his mouth to ask Jeremy what had happened, frowning when he realized he was alone in the room, and when the door opened suddenly, he winced at the sound of the hinges.

"Morning," Jeremy said, "How do you feel?"

"Confused," he muttered, "What the hell happened in here?"

"You did, Bartlet."

Jed frowned, staring at him as though he'd never seen him before.

"What?"

"I'm not surprised you don't remember. You were drunker than I've ever seen you."

Shaking his head, Jed frowned at the sudden flash of sharp pain in his hand and glanced down, noticing for the first time that it was carefully bandaged.

"I got drunk last night?"

"That would be an understatement. You got absolutely plastered and punched the mirror. I tried to help, but you told me not to touch you, so I went and got our favourite doctor-in-training to help."

It took Jed several seconds to realize that he was referring to Abbey, and he shook his head again, still trying to make sense of the entire situation.

"For the record, you scared the hell out of me, Bartlet. It's not every day that I come back to my room to find my best friend having a complete mental breakdown. Pretty sure you scared Abbey, too, but she did a damn good job of keeping it under control. Girl's good in a crisis, I'll give her that. She'll make one hell of a doctor one day."

Jeremy watched him for a moment longer and then he stood quickly, grabbing his jacket.

"If it makes any difference, I don't think you're a failure and neither does Abbey."

As his friend left the room, Jed merely sat in silence, trying to remember what had happened and trying to understand why he would have made such a remark. For the life of him, he had no idea.

When Jed finally caught up to Abbey as she left her Biology class, he couldn't help but notice that she seemed slightly apprehensive around him, making him wonder what he had said to her the previous night. They walked the short distance back to his dorm room, and as the door closed behind him, Jed couldn't stop the way the words fell from his mouth without warning.

"I'm sorry about last night, Abbey."

She frowned.

"Do you even remember what happened?"

"No," he admitted, "but based on the way the room looked and the state of my hand, I can guess it was pretty bad. That, and the way that you look like you're about to cry every time you look at me."

He held up his hand, examining the bandages wrapped around it.

"I'm guessing you had something to do with this."

It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway, sitting down on the edge of his bed slowly. He joined her but made no move to touch her, and when she spoke suddenly, he could hear the barely disguised pain in her voice.

"Jed…you don't really hate yourself, do you?"

He frowned, looking at her in confusion.

"What?"

"Last night…you said that you didn't blame Mrs. Landingham for hating you and that you hated yourself because of what happened. I know you were upset and that you feel like it's your fault, but you weren't the one who made the decision to fire her. Your father did, and the fact that he wrote you a letter just to hold it over your head makes me dislike him more than almost anyone else in the world."

He glanced around the room at the mention of the letter, frowning when he didn't see it on his desk, and he looked at Abbey slowly.

"The letter…where is it?"

"It doesn't matter," she said quietly.

"Abbey, did I throw it away? Where is it?"

She shook her head.

"I got rid of it, Jed. You don't need to sit here reading about how your father blames you for something he did, over and over again. I'm not going to let you self-destruct like that and give up on everything just because your father is an ass."

His first reaction was to feel angry at the fact that she had taken the letter, but one look in her eyes told him that she'd had good reason to, and he stayed silent. He knew she hadn't taken it to be malicious, knew she had only done it out of concern, and when he reached for her hand, he gave her a weak smile.

"I really am sorry," he said sincerely, "Jeremy said that I scared him last night. Said you handled it like a pro, but I want to ask…were you afraid of me?"

Abbey shook her head, hoping he would understand.

"Not of you, Jed. For you. I was scared you would do something dangerous and hurt yourself more than you already had."

"You weren't worried that I would take it out on you? That I would be like—"

He paused, and Abbey felt her heart break as she realized what he was asking. She tightened her hold on his hand, moving closer, wishing she could see his eyes.

"Jed, look at me," she waited until he raised his eyes to hers before continuing, "You are nothing like your father. You don't have a violent bone in your body, and I don't think you could hurt me even if the fate of the world depended on it. I can't say the same for the mirror, but no. I am not now, nor have I ever been, afraid of you. And I never will be."

He nodded, feeling more comforted by her words than he could have ever expressed, and when she kissed him, she gave him a warm smile.

"I have an idea. Do you know Mrs. Landingham's phone number?"

Jed frowned, thinking hard. He was pretty sure he did, and when he nodded, Abbey reached for his hand, pulling him to his feet.

"Come on, boyfriend. We have a phone call to make."

Though he didn't have the slightest idea what she was talking about, Jed knew Abbey would never knowingly steer him wrong, and he followed her out the door, feeling better than he had since he'd opened his eyes that morning.

Jed's grip on Abbey's hand was so tight that he couldn't believe she hadn't complained, and with each ring of the phone, he grew more and more worried that he had made a grave mistake. When he finally heard the unmistakable click of the phone being answered, he held his breath, hoping he hadn't misdialed or misremembered the number.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Landingham? It's Jed Bartlet. I hope I'm not interrupting your day."

"Jed! No, of course not! It's good to hear from you. How are you? How's Abbey?"

Jed smiled, touched that she had asked about Abbey.

"I'm fine and so is Abbey. I was actually calling to say that I'm sorry. I heard about what happened at the school, and I owe you an apology. If there's anything I can do to help fix the mess I've made—"

"There's nothing to fix," she said with a small laugh, "Jed, let's face facts: you and I both know that your father and I were too opposite to work together forever. It would have happened anyway, regardless of whether or not you had come to stay with me. By the way, how did you hear about it? I wouldn't think you would be privy to the gossip about your old boarding school all the way in Indiana."

Jed sighed, still holding Abbey's hand tightly in his own.

"My father wrote me a letter," he explained quietly, "He wanted me to know that my actions have consequences and that those consequences don't always affect me directly."

He heard her sigh, and he could almost picture the look on her face, vivid enough that it was as though she were standing in front of him.

"I might have known he'd do something like that. Jed, don't worry. You had nothing to do with this, and if it's any consolation, I've already been offered a new job at a different school. So don't be too hard on yourself, even though we both know you will."

"You sound like Abbey," he remarked with a small laugh.

"I knew I liked her for a reason," Mrs. Landingham quipped, making him smile, "You should listen to her. She's smart."

"Yes, ma'am, she is."

After speaking to her for a few more minutes, Jed finally ended the call, turning to look at Abbey as she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"She said I should listen to you because you're smart."

"About time someone else said it," Abbey said jokingly, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her, "When are you going to realize that?"

Jed laughed, leaning down to kiss her slowly, feeling better than he had in days.

"Believe me, babe, I already know you're brilliant."

"I meant the part about you needing to listen to me."

"Oh," he answered with a laugh, "Well, yeah…that goes without saying."

"And yet, you still don't do it."

As she sat cross-legged on her bed, her eyes flitting over the paper held tightly in her hand, Abbey didn't even noticed Millie entering the room, a puzzled look on her face. It wasn't until her friend called her name that she looked up, wondering how long she had been standing in front of her, and as she eyed the paper in her hand, Millie shook her head.

"What are you reading?"

"It's the letter Jed's father sent to him," she admitted, "I know it's his private letter, but to be fair, he did tell me to read it the other day. It just…Millie, it makes me so furious to even imagine his father sitting down to write this, much less to mail it. He did this to deliberately hurt Jed, and I just—what the hell kind of father does that to their own child? It's not right. He didn't deserve this and he sure as hell didn't do anything wrong."

Millie nodded sympathetically, sitting down on Abbey's bed and when she nodded to the letter, her eyes were sad.

"It's really that bad?"

"Yeah. One day you're going to have to learn that your choices can have disastrous consequences for others, and I just hope that you are able to live with what you've done," she read, her eyes cold, "He didn't do this! Jed has nothing to feel guilty about, but because he values his father's opinion and wants him to be proud of him, he's been beating himself up over this. Literally. Millie, if…if you'd seen him that night…he looked so destroyed. Seeing him break down like that…I just want to go to New Hampshire and smack him around a bit. See how he likes it."

"That wouldn't solve anything."

"No," Abbey agreed, "but it would make me feel better."

"Would it?" Millie asked, looking at her knowingly.

"No," she sighed, shaking her head, "I just…it broke my heart to see him so upset. Jed is a good man, an honourable man, and he would never do anything to intentionally hurt someone."

Millie nodded, placing her hand on Abbey's knee, and as she put the letter back where she'd hidden it from Jed, the brunette blinked, trying to keep her anger in check.

"Abs, you and I both know that Jed is going to do so many amazing things in the world one day. Don't let his bastard of a father get under your skin. He isn't worth it. People like that are so unhappy with their own lives that they feel like they have to make everyone else miserable, too. How's Jed's hand?"

"Better," Abbey said quietly, "Luckily, it didn't cause too much damage, though you would have never known it by the amount of blood that was pouring out of his skin that night. For a minute, I was worried it wasn't going to stop."

They sat in silence for a moment, each one lost in their own thoughts, and Millie couldn't help the way her eyes kept glancing at Abbey, unconsciously checking for tears.

"He asked me if I was afraid of him," Abbey spoke suddenly.

"Were you?" Millie kept her tone carefully light.

"No. I was afraid for him. Jed already puts an intense amount of pressure on himself, and he holds himself to almost impossibly high standards, and sometimes I worry that he's going to push himself too far one day."

Millie smiled sadly, looking at her friend seriously.

"Pretty sure he would say the same thing about you."

Abbey nodded, laughing quietly.

"Probably. We're quite a pair, aren't we? One of these days, one of both of us is going to lose our minds."

"Don't worry, I'll come visit in the mental hospital."

As Abbey laughed, she found that she was starting to somewhat better, in spite of the events of the last few days.

Jed sprinted across the campus to the library, hoping Abbey wasn't absolutely furious with him for being late to their study session, and as he neared the large building, he slowed his steps, trying to catch his breath. He had somehow been persuaded to help Jeremy with his coursework and when he had realized that he was going to be late, he had bolted from the roof, offering his friend a rushed apology, knowing that Abbey was more than likely wondering where he was. He made his way quickly to their usual table, preparing to offer her his sincerest apologies as soon as he saw her, but stopped when he noticed her, smirking as he shook his head in amusement.

She was in the same chair she always used, her head down on the open book in front of her, fast asleep, her long mahogany hair spilling over the pages. He knew he would have to wake her, though there was nothing he wanted to do less, and as he sat down in his own chair, he reached out to touch her hair lightly.

"Abbey."

There was no indication she'd heard him, and he tried again, shaking her shoulder gently.

"Abigail…"

He shook her again, slightly more urgently, and leaned closer, his voice as loud as he dared to make it.

"Abbey, wake up."

She jumped, blinking at him in confusion, and raised her head from the book, frowning slightly.

"Jed? When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago, honey," he answered with a smile, "If you'd rather go take a nap, we can always study later. It's not a big deal."

Abbey shook her head, running her hand through her hair in an effort to smooth out the tangles. It was no use, and Jed laughed quietly as she eventually conceded defeat, looking at him slowly, offering him a tired smile.

"Do you have any plans on the weekend of February 13th?" he asked her suddenly.

"I don't know," she said softly, "That's a month away. And I'm still half-asleep and don't know what you're talking about."

"It's your birthday weekend," he said simply, "and if you don't have anything planned, I wanted to ask if you would do me the honour of joining me for dinner."

"You mean…like an actual date? That could be fun. We've never really done that before."

"I know. I figured, what better way to celebrate your birthday than with a nice dinner, maybe a glass of champagne, then we can do whatever you want for the rest of the night."

His tone suggested that he already had a pretty good idea of what her preference would be, and she laughed, reaching out to pull the book she'd been attempting to read closer.

"We'll see. Assuming Millie doesn't try to kidnap me that weekend. You know how she can get. She has a tendency to go overboard."

Jed didn't think he'd ever heard anything so true in his life.

The moment Jed opened his door, Abbey threw her arms around him, kissing him hard as his arms wrapped around her waist, and when she pulled away, he laughed quietly, looking at her curiously.

"What was that for?"

He was keenly aware of Jeremy watching them from his bed, and Abbey smiled, holding out the paper she held in her hand. He hadn't even noticed it before, had no idea what it was, but when he scanned the top margin, he understood at once why she'd been so excited.

"Abbey, this is incredible!"

He pulled her into the room, closing the door behind her, and she smiled, practically bouncing on her feet in her enthusiasm.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked.

"Abbey got the highest mark in the class on her Anatomy exam. And considering she's in a class with borderline geniuses, that's really damn impressive."

Jeremy whistled, nodding at her approvingly.

"Congratulations, doc. Bartlet, you sure you can handle being with a woman who's smarter than you?"

Jed smiled, hooking his arm under Abbey's knees, lifting her easily, and as her arms locked around his neck, he gave his roommate a nod.

"Believe me, I've always known Abbey is smarter than me. It's what I love most about her."

"That, and the fact that my legs look fantastic in a skirt," she quipped, kissing his cheek.

"What can I say?" Jed shrugged, "She's right."

He spun her around in a quick circle before placing her back on the ground, and when she smiled at him, Jed didn't think he had ever been more proud of her.

"One of these days, we're going to be unstoppable, babe."

Abbey nodded, resting her chin on his shoulder, her eyes meeting his seriously.

"Game on, boyfriend. You're damn right we are."

"You two are sickening," Jeremy muttered jokingly, "Why don't you just get a room and leave the rest of us to die alone in peace?"

Jed laughed, shaking his head, and when there was a sudden knock on the door, they all turned, each one glancing at the other in confusion.

"Jed, you have a phone call in the common area."

He frowned, more than a little puzzled, and as he walked out of the room, Abbey's hand held gently in his own, he glanced at her.

"Who would be calling me here? The only person I ever talk to on the phone is you."

She shrugged, her voice light.

"I don't know. Only one way to find out."

After being directed to the proper phone, Jed picked it up, still feeling more confused than ever, and as he spoke, he leaned causally against the wall.

"Bartlet speaking."

Abbey smiled when she heard him greet Mrs. Landingham over the phone, knowing that he was always happier after speaking with her, but when he straightened suddenly, reaching blindly for her hand, she frowned, turning to look at him with a puzzled expression.

"Jed?" she whispered, "what is it?"

He didn't answer her, didn't even acknowledge that she'd spoken, and when she noticed how tightly he was gripping the phone, her casual curiosity gave way to worry. His voice was tight as he spoke a few short sentences, and as he hung up the phone, he closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall for a long moment.

"Jed, what's wrong? What did Mrs. Landingham say? Is it her new job?"

He shook his head, finally looking in her direction, and she gave him a worried look as he tightened his hold on her hand.

"Abbey…I—my father died."

At first, she was sure she had misheard him, and she merely stared at him, her eyes searching his, though for what she didn't know. He took a step forward, moving as though walking was a foreign concept to him, and as she moved closer, she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Jed, let's go back to your room, okay? You need to sit down."

He allowed her to lead him down the hallway, and when they made it back to his room, Jeremy frowned at the vacant look in his eyes, glancing at Abbey for an explanation. She merely shook her head, warning him not to ask, and as Jed sat down on his bed, he gave his girlfriend a strange look.

"Abbey, what—what do I need to do?"

"What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"The…service. It needs to be planned, people need to be told, I…I'm pretty sure it's my responsibility."

Abbey shook her head, reaching out to touch his cheek lightly.

"Don't worry about that right now, baby," she said gently, "Why don't you just lie down for a little while, and we'll worry about it later."

Jed nodded, though she didn't think he had really comprehended her words, and as he curled up on his bed, she looked pointedly at Jeremy, nodding her head towards the door. They walked out, Abbey closing the door tightly behind her, and as they stood in the hallway, her eyes met his seriously.

"You keep a close eye on him tonight, Jeremy. Do I make myself clear?"

He nodded.

"Crystal. Abbey, what's going on? What happened?"

She sighed, shaking her head slowly.

"His father died."

Jeremy swore softly, staring at her as though he wanted her to say she was joking, and she nodded at the closed door.

"He's in shock right now, and when it finally hits him, it's going to hit hard. If it gets too bad, you come get me. He doesn't need to be alone, and he damn sure doesn't need to be drinking tonight, and if I find out that you let either of those things happen, it will be the last thing you ever do. Got it?"

"Don't worry, Abbey. I'll make sure he doesn't self-destruct too badly. You sure you don't want to stay just in case?"

"No," she said quietly, "He needs to process this in his own way, and I don't want to do anything that might hinder that. Besides, I don't want to be around in case I accidentally speak ill of the dead tonight. But if you need me, I'll be here as fast as I can."

Jeremy nodded in understanding, and as they opened the door, Abbey felt her heart break at the sight of Jed laying in his bed, his eyes staring straight ahead, seeing nothing. She moved slowly closer, not wanting to startle him, and when she ran her fingers through his hair, she leaned down to kiss him softly.

"Jed, if you need me, you can tell Jeremy, okay? I'll be here as quickly as possible."

She gave Jeremy a serious glance as she straightened, taking a step back from the bed, and when Jed's hand closed around her wrist, she turned, looking at him slowly.

"Abbey, don't leave…please?"

One look at his distant gaze was enough to shatter her heart, and she felt her eyes fill with tears as she nodded, moving closer to the bed.

"Can you sit up for just a moment?" she asked.

He did as she asked and when she sat down on the mattress, she pulled his upper body into her lap, her hand slowly trailing through his dark hair. He reached for her free hand, clinging to her as though she were the only thing that could help him, and as Abbey's eyes met Jeremy's across the room, she knew they were both thinking the same thing.

What in the world were they going to do now?

A/N: Poor Jed. Dr. Bartlet, however, can go sit in syrup (let the bees get him).