A/N: I appreciate all the feedback that I've gotten so far, and I really hope that you continue to enjoy my story.


January 2001

Ainsley woke up alone in Sam's bedroom wearing a well-loved Princeton sweatshirt and a pair of old shorts that were more like pants for her. His bedroom was simple but sophisticated, a fact that didn't surprise her a bit. Everything in the room had clearly been carefully chosen to meet Sam's standards and taste. There were a few personal touches-photos of his family, but overall, it was a simple room.

When she went out into the living room, she was a bit surprised. There were no personal touches in there. The walls were bare. As she continued into the kitchen where Sam was making coffee, she asked "Hey, Sam?"

"Good morning, Ainsley," he replied with a smile. "How'd you sleep?"

"Well, thanks," she answered. "And you?"

"Pretty well, that couch isn't too shabby."

"I'm sorry that you had to sleep there."

He shook his head. "Not a problem; I didn't mind a bit. Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, but will I be able to get changed before we leave for work?"

He smiled. "Of course, Jean brought you some clothes last night before I brought you back here."

She was quite foggy on what exactly had happened the night before. "Sam?"

He looked up from the coffee he was pouring. "Ainsley?"

"Is my car still at the White House?"

"It is. Jean brought you a change of clothes, but I decided that you were in no shape to drive so I was going to drive you home but then decided it was easier to just let you sleep in my bed for one night."

"That's a lot of deciding."

He passed her a thermos of coffee with a flash of his eyebrows. "I try to be a decisive man."

She took a sip of coffee and looked around the apartment before saying, "Hey, Sam, can I ask you an odd question?"

"Shoot."

"Why don't you have anything on the walls in your living room?"

"What do you mean?"

"They're just blank, no pictures or anything."

He looked at her. "I used to have several Gilbert and Sullivan posters hanging in there."

"What happened to them? Did Lionel Tribbey mock them…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at him. "They're in my office."

"They're in your office."

"Sam," she sighed. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to."

The petite blonde shook her head. "Sam, you'd better watch yourself. If you don't, I'm going to fall in love with you."

"Maybe that's what I want."

"Sam," she said in a warning tone before taking another sip of coffee. "This isn't a joking matter for me."

"And you think it is for me?"

She put the thermos on the counter. "Don't mess with me, Seaborn."

He looked her in the eye. "Trust me, Hayes. I'm not."

"Didn't you tell me just last night that no one likes me?"

"I lied."

"You lied?"

He took a step closer to her. "I lied. There's at least one person in the White House who likes you, and his name is Sam Seaborn."

She looked into his blue eyes. "Sam, I need to get dressed."

"I know."

"Sam, I'm going to kiss you if you don't back up."

He took the cup of coffee out of her hands and took another step towards her.


"This is awkward, but I should probably tell CJ about this. About us," Sam said softly as he rebuttoned his shirt.

Ainsley looked at him as she struggled with the zipper on the back of her dress. "Uh, why?"

"After everything with Laurie, she told me that I was her first call if I ever thought I was into anything."

"And do you think that you're into something?" Either the zipper was stubborn or her fingers were unusually clumsy.

He came to stand behind her. As he began fiddling with her zipper, he spoke softly in her ear. "I think I'm into something serious, Ainsley. And I think that you agree with me."

"Something good?" she queried without turning around.

"Something very good," he replied before kissing her neck.


CJ Cregg's morning began with finding Sam Seaborn and Ainsley Hayes in her office. "Oh lord, what do you two want?"

"We need to tell you something," Sam said. "But it needs to be quick because I have a breakfast with the President this morning."

"What did you two do?"

"We slept together," Ainsley began. "This morning, so it wasn't really sleeping so much as…"

"What Ainsley is trying to say that we've decided to attempt to pursue a relationship together," Sam interrupted.

"As of today?" CJ asked.

"I know this is early days, but you told me that you should always be my first call."

The press secretary sighed. "Okay, just remember to be professional. And Sam, don't do anything stupid."

"Why aren't you telling Ainsley that?"

"She doesn't have your track record."

He rolled his eyes. "So we're okay here?"

"Just behave yourselves, and we'll all be fine."

"When have we ever not behaved ourselves?" Sam asked.

"Is that supposed to be rhetorical, Spanky?"

"Ainsley behaves herself," he offered.

"Yes, but she is in a relationship with you," CJ returned. "So my warning stands. Behave yourself, Spanky. I like this one."


Their relationship progressed as normally as any White House relationship could. They both spent too much time at work, but they did their best to spend time together. Meals in the mess, takeout together while working, meals in restaurants as breaks from work-those were dates. Free evenings together were a rarity, but it was over one of those that they discovered a shared love of old movies.

Then came a horrible week. Sam's parents separated due to his father's twenty-eight year infidelity, and the whole situation shook Sam. He slept in Toby's office for three nights, and Ainsley barely saw him at work and not at all outside of work. He was trying to bury himself in work, a fact he hesitantly admitted when Ainsley questioned him on the matter on Thursday. "I'm a mess, Ainsley. I need to figure a few things out before I can be a good boyfriend to you again."


On Friday night, CJ came looking for Ainsley. "Toby and Josh are taking Sam out to get drunk and then put him to bed. I'd bet ready money that there'd be no objections if you were waiting for Sam when he got home."

"Do Josh and Toby know?"

CJ smiled. "Josh is clueless, but that's not a shocker. I think that Toby suspects something at the very least."

"It's hard to slide anything past him."


"Ainsley, I'm going to entrust Sam into your care now," Toby said when he let himself into Sam's apartment with a drunk Sam leaning on his arm.

She smiled as she looked up from the book she was reading. "Can you get him to his bedroom? I don't think I'm strong enough."

"Sure," he replied. "Come on, Sam. Let's get you to bed."

"Okay," Sam sighed. "Hi, Ainsley! Toby, did you know that I'm dating Ainsley Hayes?"

When Toby returned, he shook his head. "He won't remember tonight."

"That's probably for the best. He's had a rough week."

Toby nodded as he dropped Sam's keys on the counter. "Well, he'll probably be pretty hungover in the morning."

"I'll make sure that he has water and greasy food."

"Water and greasy food?"

"My hangover cure," she replied.

"I prefer the hair of the dog, but to each their own." Toby paused before continuing, "You're good for him, you know?"

She looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"He needs something-no someone-stable in his life right now."

"Isn't that you, Josh, and CJ?"

Toby shrugged. "We're his friends, but you're something else. Just trust me, Ainsley. He needs you."


The next morning, Sam did wake up with a fuzzy head, and Ainsley made him eggs and bacon. "You're too good for me," he remarked.

"Nonsense, Sam."

"You made sure that I stayed well hydrated all night. You made me breakfast. You slept on my couch, which isn't the greatest couch to sleep on. And all of that came after a week of me ignoring you. You're too good for me."

She stood next to him and put a finger under his chin. "Samuel, I'm not too good for you. You've had a rough week, and I get that. I'm trying to help in whatever way I can."

"Ainsley, it's just really nice to have something in my life that I can count on to be sane right now. And since Donna says that I can't count on latitude and longitude, I'm really grateful that I have you."

She kissed his forehead and smiled. "I'm here for you, Sam."

He leaned against her chest without a word.

"It'll get better," she whispered. "Maybe not right away, but it will get better."


The days did get better. A few days later, he found himself working on the President's speech for the White House Correspondents Dinner with Josh, Donna, and Ainsley-as well as a few others. It was the night that he learned that Ainsley, his girlfriend, was opposed to the Equal Rights Amendment. If you'd told him a year earlier that he'd be dating a Republican or a woman who didn't support the ERA, he would have laughed in your face. But looking at Ainsley and his life with her, he was content. He and his girlfriend might disagree on many political issues, but they agreed on what was most important to them. He would bicker with Ainsley about the Equal Rights Amendment, but it wouldn't destroy the fabric of their relationship.

It was April. He'd been seeing Ainsley for three months. And he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He didn't know exactly what that would look like. He knew that Josh would warn him away from Ainsley because of their political differences, but Sam was relatively sure that he and Ainsley could make both their personal and professional lives work.


January 2007

"Disagreeing with one another and discussing our disagreements can be really good for us," Ainsley said.

"Do you change each other's minds?" Helen asked.

"Occasionally," Sam replied. "Sometimes, it's just a safe opportunity to formulate your opinion in a relatively safe place."

"Obviously we compromise on things like any couple, but we don't have to agree on everything," Ainsley added. "We agree on the most important things in life, and after five and a half years of marriage, that seems to be working pretty well."

"The thing is that being with Ainsley helped me realize what I really valued in life," Sam said. "Politics are important to me, but healthy debate is good for me."


A/N: Thanks for reading, and please review!