Fic: Fallout (West Wing, 1/1)
Title: Fallout
Fandom: The West Wing
Character: Abigail Bartlet, Jed Bartlet
Table: #5
Prompt: #69. Piss
Word Count: 500
Rating: PG
Summary: He's an old man with a disease, and his wife is pissed at him. (Post -Ep for The Wake-up Call)
Table O' Fic
Sometimes Jed likes fighting with Abbey, mostly because of the making up that happens afterwards.
Tonight is not one of those nights. It's Valentine's Day and they're supposed to be at the opera. Instead, he's sitting in the Oval Office and she's up in the Residence. She'd stormed out not long after their argument, leaving Jed stewing over what she'd said.
He knows he's sick. This isn't something he can forget, no matter how much he wants to. But is it really necessary for everyone to treat him as if he's going to fall over and break at any moment? He's not a child; he's the President of the United States.
He's an old man with a disease, and his wife is pissed at him.
Well, he's pissed at her too. He wanted to go to the opera. He wanted to tease her during the performance, then make love to her once they returned home. That's certainly off the cards for tonight, he thinks grimly.
He can't avoid her wrath forever, and with a sigh he rises to his feet and begins the walk to the Residence.
He wonders if Zoey's in, but there is only silence when he knocks at her bedroom door. One of his agents - Mike or Ted or something - says, "She's out with some friends."
Jed nods, then enters the bedroom he shares with Abbey. He's somewhat surprised when she's nowhere in sight; he'd been expecting her to be in bed already, or watching television. He wonders if he should ask the agents if she's also gone out.
He loosens his tie on his way to the bathroom, and as he reaches the door, he hears it: crying.
Abbey's in the bathroom and she's sobbing.
Jed hesitates with his hand on the doorknob. The day they found out about the MS, Abbey locked herself in the bathroom to cry when she thought Jed was asleep. He never told her that he woke up and stood outside the door until she stopped.
Sometimes he forgets that this disease does not affect only him. Abbey's living with it as well, and it's worse for her because she can only watch.
He opens the door. Abbey is hunched forward over the sink; her entire body shakes with the force of her sobs. Jed closes the distance between them and pulls her into his arms. He holds her until she stops crying, ignoring his own tears.
"Sometimes I think this is God's punishment," Abbey says. "For not choosing the priesthood. For choosing me instead."
Jed shakes his head. "God doesn't work like that."
"I'm not ready to lose you, Jed. I'm scared that this job is going to take you away from me."
He smiles and brushes her hair out of her face. "Not gonna happen. You won't let it."
"Damn straight." Abbey smiles now, and Jed's relieved to see some of the light return to her eyes. "I love you too much."
"I thank God for that every day."
Fandom: The West Wing
Character: Abigail Bartlet, Jed Bartlet
Table: #5
Prompt: #69. Piss
Word Count: 500
Rating: PG
Summary: He's an old man with a disease, and his wife is pissed at him. (Post -Ep for The Wake-up Call)
Table O' Fic
Sometimes Jed likes fighting with Abbey, mostly because of the making up that happens afterwards.
Tonight is not one of those nights. It's Valentine's Day and they're supposed to be at the opera. Instead, he's sitting in the Oval Office and she's up in the Residence. She'd stormed out not long after their argument, leaving Jed stewing over what she'd said.
He knows he's sick. This isn't something he can forget, no matter how much he wants to. But is it really necessary for everyone to treat him as if he's going to fall over and break at any moment? He's not a child; he's the President of the United States.
He's an old man with a disease, and his wife is pissed at him.
Well, he's pissed at her too. He wanted to go to the opera. He wanted to tease her during the performance, then make love to her once they returned home. That's certainly off the cards for tonight, he thinks grimly.
He can't avoid her wrath forever, and with a sigh he rises to his feet and begins the walk to the Residence.
He wonders if Zoey's in, but there is only silence when he knocks at her bedroom door. One of his agents - Mike or Ted or something - says, "She's out with some friends."
Jed nods, then enters the bedroom he shares with Abbey. He's somewhat surprised when she's nowhere in sight; he'd been expecting her to be in bed already, or watching television. He wonders if he should ask the agents if she's also gone out.
He loosens his tie on his way to the bathroom, and as he reaches the door, he hears it: crying.
Abbey's in the bathroom and she's sobbing.
Jed hesitates with his hand on the doorknob. The day they found out about the MS, Abbey locked herself in the bathroom to cry when she thought Jed was asleep. He never told her that he woke up and stood outside the door until she stopped.
Sometimes he forgets that this disease does not affect only him. Abbey's living with it as well, and it's worse for her because she can only watch.
He opens the door. Abbey is hunched forward over the sink; her entire body shakes with the force of her sobs. Jed closes the distance between them and pulls her into his arms. He holds her until she stops crying, ignoring his own tears.
"Sometimes I think this is God's punishment," Abbey says. "For not choosing the priesthood. For choosing me instead."
Jed shakes his head. "God doesn't work like that."
"I'm not ready to lose you, Jed. I'm scared that this job is going to take you away from me."
He smiles and brushes her hair out of her face. "Not gonna happen. You won't let it."
"Damn straight." Abbey smiles now, and Jed's relieved to see some of the light return to her eyes. "I love you too much."
"I thank God for that every day."