Abbey tried to concentrate on her breathing, tried to conserve what little air that was left in the closet by taking in small short breaths. She was going to die in there, she was almost sure of it. She couldn't feel her fingers anymore, her legs were one giant cramp and her head swam from the lack of oxygen and the drugs they had given her. She knew she'd been fading in and out of consciousness and she was terrified that one of these times she was going to fade out and never come back.

Jed�tears swam behind her eyes as she thought of her husband. There was so much she wanted to tell him; so much she had left to say. She couldn't bear the idea of never seeing him again�Jed�Jed� Loud bursts of gunfire suddenly filled the silence. At first Abbey thought she was hallucinating but then she heard the panicked shouts of Arabic and heard the bullets hit the outside of the trailer. It was definitely gunfire. Jed had found her. Oh, God, please don't let me die now, please let them find me before I die. It was Abbey's last thought before fading into blackness.

****

Unwilling to back down to the men they considered immoral and inferior, Azim and Habib stood their ground returning the gunfire of the FBI with their own firepower. Hassan had no such compunction. For all his talk of courage and superiority, he was at heart a weak man. A weak man without convictions. He had come on this mission for the pleasure of playing cat and mouse with a victim, he had not come for any noble cause and he had certainly not come to die. He watched Azim scream and fall back from the window, watched the crimson stain spread across his chest and the blood bubble from his lips. He watched a bullet hit Habib in the head blowing out the back of his skull and he panicked. He turned to run out the back door, had just made it around the corner of the trailer when the agent spotted him.

"Stop right there."

Hassan turned around. Ron Butterfield knew that face. The man standing before him was Hassan Al Khaleel, the man who broken little Aislinn Bartlet's arm. The man who had most probably raped Abbey Bartlet and might have killed her.

"Running away, you fucking coward? You didn't even stand up and fight like a man. Abigail Bartlet has more courage in her PINKIE than you have in your entire body."

"I am no coward." Hassan was furious at the suggestion and the negative comparison to a WOMAN. Enraged, his fingers edged closer to the gun he carried in his holster.

"Do it." Ron urged him. "Go for your gun. Please. It would give me great pleasure to rid the world of your existence."

Thinking he could outdraw a Secret Service agent was Hassan Al Khaleels last mistake. Before his fingers had even touched his holster Ron Butterfield sent a bullet straight into his groin. Hassan screamed in agony and hunched over

"That was for Abbey Bartlet." Ron's voice was icy with hatred as he sent a second bullet into the mans chest. The first bullet had been for Abbey, probably something he would be cited for since agents were always taught to shoot to kill, the second bullet was meant to send him to hell.

With all three terrorists down the FBI and paramedics moved in. Red and blue lights suddenly transformed the area around the trailer and hovering helicopters added to the noise. Ron ignored it all. He had only one thing on his mind, finding Abigail Bartlet and getting her out of there whether she was alive or dead.

He tried to prepare himself for what he was going to find as he entered the trailer. He was a seasoned professional agent, but he was also a man. A man who knew Abbey as not just the First Lady but as a loving mother, a flirty wife, and a truly courageous woman. Flanked by FBI agents with drawn guns he opened the door to the bedroom and immediately his stomach clenched. He saw torn duct tape on the bedposts and smears of blood on the bedcovers. God, what had those animals done to her?

Not finding her in the bedroom they moved to the back room kicking in the locked door. Before Toby Ziegler could say a word Ron flung open the door to the closet, his eyes widening with disbelief.

Abbey Bartlet sat hunched over on the floor of the closet curled up in the fetal position, the jagged edges of her hacked off red hair falling forward over her knees. Duct tape covered her mouth and bound her wrists together. She was not moving.

"Oh, my God. I found her."

****

Back at the edge of the woods Jed stood in Marine Two listening to the sound of gunfire, his heart in his throat. Unable to bear the tension he started to pace which was not an easy thing to do in the confined space of a helicopter.

Leo watched him, three steps one way, three steps the other. He was like a caged animal just itching for the moment of his escape. Jed's escape finally came when the loud bursts of gunfire had completely stopped. He paused in his pacing then, his eyes catching Leo's. Leo could read the fear their depths. A fear that was so strong, so palpable he could damn near reach out and touch it. Together, surrounded by Secret Service, FBI and U.S.Marshals they waited with held breath until Ron finally radioed in.

"Sir," on of the agents turned to Jed. "The trailer is secure. Operation Saving Scarlet is over."

"What does that mean? Is Abbey alive?"

"She's alive but in need of medical attention. A Medical helicopter is landing now to bring her to the University of Penn. Hospital with your daughters.

"Well, let's go. I'm going on that helicopter with her." Jed bounded down the stairs of Marine Two and raced across the field where just a night ago his two daughters had made their escape. The field was now dotted with local law enforcement, firetrucks and ambulances, their blue and red flashing lights warring with the flashing spotlights of the helicopters that hovered overhead.

"What about the terrorists?" Jed asked as they sped across the field.

"All killed, sir." The secret service agent told him.

Jed felt immense relief that the men who had hurt his family were now dead, but a part of him wished that he had been the one to do it, especially to Khaleel. He wished he had been there to watch that one die. As they walked past a stretcher being loaded onto an ambulance Jed glanced down at the dead body. It was Azim Shareef, he recognized him from the pictures he'd been seeing of him on the news over and over for the past few days, only now Azim had three long bloodied gouge marks down the side of his face. Jed knew exactly how he had gotten them

"You fought hard, didn't you baby." He said to himself. As he rounded the corner of the trailer he saw a couple of agents bent over a body that the paramedics were trying to get onto a stretcher. Jed heard the soft moan and assumed it was a downed agent. He made his way past the few agents that surrounded the body and was surprised to be face to face with Hassan Al Khaleel; and he was not dead. Jed noted right away the big bloodstain on the front of Khaleels pants. Someone had shot him right in the balls. Jed wished that someone had been him. Hassan's eyes opened and he recognized the President of the United States.

"B�Bartlet."

Jed glared at the man for a moment then turned to go find where they had his wife.

"Your�w�wife�she is�a strong one."

"Don't you fucking talk about my WIFE." Jed seethed.

"But�"Hassan licked his lips and continued on, his eyes taking on a malicious glint. "Not strong enough�Do you want�to know�how cheaply�she sold�her body�to me."

Rage slammed through Jed's body with red-hot fury. Unable to think about anything but what this animal had done to Abbey, picturing it all in his mind, he reached out unthinkingly and to the surprise and horror of the rookie agent at his side he pulled the gun away from him and trained it on the terrorist laying before him.

"You sadistic, son of a bitch." Jed's hands were shaking with fury as he held the gun on the man. He'd never held a gun before in his life, was not a hunter or a marksman but right now he wanted nothing more than to put a bullet through this bastards black heart.

"Mr. President, put down the gun." Ron's voice as he stepped out of the trailer was calm, full of reason.

"No! Don't touch me, Ron." Jed's voice was not so calm, but it was firm. "You SAW what he did to my little girl. You SAW what he did to my WIFE. Somebody else had the pleasure of blowing his cock off, I want to blow his fucking head off."

"Sir�He's already dead."

In his blind fury Jed had not noticed the moment Hassan Al Khaleel had bled to death. Shaken by the depth of his anger and disappointed he had not been able to avenge what had been done to his wife he handed the gun to Ron and stepped toward Hassan's body spitting in his face.

"Burn in hell," he ground out icily.

"Mrs. Bartlet�Mrs. Bartlet�Can you hear me?"

At the sound of his wife's moan Jed's attention immediately snapped from the dead terrorist at his feet to the stretcher the paramedics were wheeling out of the trailer.

"No... No�No more�please." Abbey's protests were weak as she tried to fight the hands that were running over her legs and her arms. Somehow, in her drugged state she knew she didn't have much in the way of clothing on.

"It's okay Mrs. Bartlet�we're paramedics. We aren't going to hurt you, we're trying to help you."

"Abbey." Her name was choked out as Jed stood by the stretcher looking down on her. He took in the blood that was caked in her hairline and smeared on her face and her shirt; her swollen split lip and bruised jaw, the jagged remnants of her once luxurious hair.

Through her panic and confusion Abbey turned to the voice that she knew so well, the voice she'd been hearing in her head for the past two days. It was then that her eyes fell on the familiar face of her husband, his jaw scruffy with at least a day's growth of beard, his hair windblown and sticking up. He was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen and her eyes immediately began to swim with tears.

"Jed!" His name fell from her lips with such pain and such relief even the most hardened agent was moved. "Oh, God, Jed!"

In an instant he had her in his arms and she was sobbing burrowing her face into his chest and clutching on to him as if he were her lifeline, the only one who could make her safe.

"Sssh�Ssh, it's okay, baby. It's okay..."

"Jed�Jed�They�they�" Abbey choked on her words sobbing too hard to continue.

"Abbey, it's okay, baby. You're safe now. It's all over. I've got you. No one's going to hurt you again...It's okay�Ssh�I've got you now." Jed brushed his stubbled cheek repeatedly against the top of her head his hand moving in soothing circles on her back.

"Jed�The girls�Did they make it�"

"Zoey and Aislinn are fine. You're going to be so proud of them when you hear the story of how they made it through the woods. You did it, baby�you saved them."

"Jed, I�I�"

"No, don't." Jed knew she was about to tell him what she had done to insure their escape. "It's okay. You don't have to talk about it now. It's all over�it's all over."

As one of the paramedics started to step forward Leo grasped him by the arm tears burning in his own eyes at the tender reunion. "Is she in any emergency danger?" He asked.

"Not that we can see." The paramedic told him.

"Then give them a few minutes."

When Abbey's sobs had calmed a bit to just a few hiccuped shudders she pulled back from Jed's chest to look up at him. She was surprised to see the tears that were running down his cheeks. He was crying. She couldn't remember the last time that she'd seen her husband cry in public.

"Jed?"

"I love you, Abbey. God, I was so afraid I was never going to be able to tell you that again. I love you so damn much."

"You don't need to curse." Abbey lay weakly back against the stretcher, her energy sapped.

Jed smiled through his tears. That was his Abbey. He reached down to take her hand as, despite the heat, her body began to shiver uncontrollably. Abbey cried out in pain and Jed yanked his hand back. When he gazed down to see what had caused her cry he saw her crooked black and yellow pinkie finger and her wrists that were rubbed raw and bleeding from fighting against the duct tape.

"Christ," he swore.

"I wouldn't�Sign a letter to you. Think I can swing a Purple Heart out of this?"

"I might have a little pull with the military," he grinned running a hand over his face to rid it of tears. "You sure do deserve one. Looks like you fought pretty damn hard to me." He continued to stroke the jagged edges of the hair Hassan had hacked off then turned to one of the paramedics.

"Why is she shaking like this?" He asked.

"She's in shock from the trauma. We really should be on our way."

Jed nodded.

Abbey panicked as she felt the stretcher start to move. "Jed!"

"I'm here." Jed took her good hand in his and began to walk beside the stretcher.

"Don't let them take me."

"They're just taking you to the hospital and I'm right here with you. I'm not going anywhere."

Still feeling the effects of the drugs she had been given as well being in shock, Abbey faded in and out of consciousness on the way the way to the hospital, but Jed continued to hold her hand. Even after they got her off the helicopter and wheeled her into the ER, Jed continued to hold her hand racing alongside her stretcher with the medics and the doctors that had come out to meet the First Lady's stretcher.

"Mrs. Bartlet? Ma'am�Can you hear me?"

Abbey's eyes opened weakly focusing on the man who hovered over her. In her muddled brain she panicked for a moment, but someone else had seen the panic.

"It's okay, Abbey. He's a doctor."

It was Jed's voice. Jed was still with her. Relieved, Abbey visibly relaxed and looked up at the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Hamilton, I'm going to be examining you."

"O..Okay�" Abbey's voice was barely above a whisper.

Once in the trauma room Jed was gently but firmly shoved aside. He might be the President, or former President, but their main objective was their patient. Jed stood back watching as a nurse began cutting the blood stained shirt away from Abbey's body. Abbey moaned and thrashed against the violation.

"Ma'am�ma'am� don't fight. We're just trying to help you. We aren't going to hurt you. "

The shirt was peeled away from her body and Jed fell back weakly against the wall. Naked, his wife's body was covered with angry purple and yellow bruises and small red welts dotted the pale skin of her breasts. What had those sadistic monsters done to her to cause that kind of damage? He felt his fingers balling into fists and his breath catching in his throat. But, that wasn't the worst of it. Before the nurses threw a sheet over her nude form Jed had seen the livid red marks on her inner thighs, marks that were shaped exactly as if fingers had dug into her there and he could only surmise that it had been to keep her legs parted. All the blood drained from his head leaving him lightheaded and woozy and he was having trouble inhaling.

"Sir." He felt a hand on his arm. "Why don't you sit down for a moment." The nurse led him over to a stool and sat him down.

It came back to him then, all the memories flooding him with a fresh, breath stealing pain. He was back in that townhouse in Boston hearing his wife screaming for help, seeing the man raping her, seeing her tear stained, pain ravaged face.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

The nurse made it back with a basin just in time for the President to throw up.

"I'm sorry," he apologized when it was over.

"It's okay, sir. It happens. You all right now?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "May I speak to the doctor?"

"Of course." Dr. Hamilton was merely observing while IV's were being placed in Abbey's arms so he had no problem speaking with the President.

"Sir?"

"I'm sure that you are a very good doctor." Jed began. "I'm sure that you are very good at what you do, but I was hoping�well�My wife�She's scared�I would really appreciate it if you would get a female doctor to do the more�you know �intimate exam."

Dr. Hamilton did not take offense at the President's request. He'd seen the First Lady's wounds, knew what she had probably gone through and it was only natural in this situation that he would request a woman to do her pelvic exam. Beside's one did not argue with or question the President of the United States or whatever his title was right now.

"I'll find my colleague, Dr. White and have her perform the pelvic."

"Thank you."

"Now, sir. Why don't you go to the waiting room and let us finish up in here."

"I don't want to leave her."

"Sir, sometimes in these situations it's for the best. She may be more open with us about her injuries if you're not here."

Jed paused for a long moment watching as blood was being drawn from Abbey's arm. He knew what the doctor was saying was true. It would be easier for Abbey to talk to a stranger than it would be for her husband to hear what she might have to say. That would have to come later. Finally he nodded. "Okay but come and get me as soon as you're finished. I don't want her being alone."

Jed left the ER and was making his way to the waiting room when he saw Toby being led in with a blanket over his shoulders.

"Toby. You're all right?" He placed hands on both the mans shoulders.

Toby nodded tears of guilt burning in his eyes. He didn't know what to say to this man who stood before him. "I'm so sorry, sir."

"Sorry for what?"

"I couldn't do anything to save her. I watched that animal grope at her, I heard them hurting her and there wasn't a damn thing I could do. I let you down and I'm so sorry."

Jed felt his stomach pitch dangerously again at the implication of Toby's words, at more concrete evidence of what his wife had been through. "Toby, they were terrorists. There wasn't anything you could have done to help her or the girls. If I'd been there I couldn't have helped them either." Jed wasn't entirely sure he believed that but that was only because he was sure he could have gotten the terrorists to concentrate on him and leave his wife alone.

"I wish I could have done more. She was so brave and so strong, She was like a tigress in there defending her children and defying the mens orders. She's an absolutely amazing woman."

"Yes, she is."

"But, she paid a price for that. She paid an awful price."

"I know," Jed choked, unable to look the other man in the eye. "You couldn't have stopped them, Toby. I know you. If there had been any way possible you wouldn't have let them hurt my wife and daughters. I know that."

Toby was looking at the ground still wracked with guilt.

"Toby," Jed squeezed his arm. "I KNOW that."

"Sir," A nurse took Toby's arm. "We really need to get you to an examination room."

Toby nodded and began to follow.

"Toby," Jed called out to him. Toby stopped and turned back around. "In case you were wondering, Andy's on her way."

Toby gave him a sad half smile. He knew his reunion with his ex-wife would not be anything like the emotional, moving reuniting that the President had shared with his wife. But, at least she was coming.

Jed wandered toward the waiting room, his agents trailing a discreet distance behind. He was surprised to find almost the whole family already there. Milling about were Abbey's parents and siblings, his mother and brother, Millie, Ellie and Elizabeth. He figured Doug must have stayed behind with the Gus and Nicholas. They all looked at him expectantly as he entered the room, but it was Beth who finally made the move to approach him.

"Jed?" She reached out a hand to touch his cheek.

"They hurt her, Mom" Jed buried his face in his mother in laws hair. "Oh, God, they hurt her."

TBC...