"Hungry? We could share one of the wedding cakes."
"Josh, one of those is for Craig. In fact, you should go bring it out to him now. Two of them go down in the freezer and the last one is for our breakfast in the morning. And how can you be hungry? You ate everything at the wedding including half of Toby's cake."
"I've got the munchies."
"Then go look in the fridge, after you bring Craig his cake."
Josh brought the cake to Craig then headed straight for the fridge. He found some chicken salad and made himself a sandwich.
"I wish we were spending three weeks in Anguilla," Josh commented.
"I'd settle for a week in Hawaii."
"Donna, are you ever going to drop the Hawaii thing?"
"Sure, after you take me there I'll find somewhere else I want to go."
"You're incorrigible."
"Tell me something I don't know. Wasn't the wedding beautiful?"
"Yeah. I kept wondering if Mara was going to start a flood with all those tears. What happened with her Dad? I noticed he entered five minutes late."
"Well from what I managed to drag out of Dani, their Dad showed up and told the President his services were no longer needed. Mara freaked out and told her Dad it was his services that weren't needed and he could either go sit down or leave, she didn't care which."
"Idiot. Like Mara needs any more drama in her life."
"You know, Josh, your concern for Mara is quite cute."
"Please, Donna, I was only being nice because it was her wedding day."
Donna leaned over and gave Josh a gentle kiss. "I don't believe you Josh, but come to bed anyway."
*****************
Meanwhile, in a suite at the Ritz Carlton D.C., Toby brushed a strand of hair away from Mandy's face. He was happy for Sam and Mara, but even happier that he got to spend some time with Mandy. He was hoping she stayed asleep, because he managed to distract her from having a discussion by ravishing and then making love to her. His hopes were dashed when Mandy yanked on a few arm hairs.
"Ouch! That hurts!"
"Consider that your first and only notice that I will not tolerate being silenced. Now, we need to talk."
"Talk is cheap, Mandy."
"If that was true, you'd be out of a job. Now, kindly toss some clothes on and go sit in that chair."
"You know, it is possible to talk in bed. I hear Sam and Mara debate in bed."
"Sam and Mara have been known to debate while doing it. It apparently turns both of them on."
"That is way too much information."
"Then do as I say. Now."
The tone in Mandy's voice alone was enough to propel Toby out of bed and hastily into his pants. He sat down in the chair folding his arms with a scowl on his face.
"You don't scare me Tobias. You can huff and you can puff, but I'll still smack you down. Now, I want to talk about us."
"What about us? There is an us, if that's what you were wondering."
"I'm perfectly aware that there is an us. I want a commitment from you Toby. I want you to take that wedding band off once and for all. I will not compete against the ghost of a failed marriage. You have to make up your mind, is it me or your memories of Andi? I'll see you in the morning. Please leave."
"No. You said you wanted to talk about us, which means I get to say my piece. Now kindly cover your breasts, because you are driving me to distraction."
"You're weak, Toby."
"As you constantly remind me, I'm a man. I distract easily."
"True," Mandy replied as she wrapped a sheet around herself.
"Mandy, what do you mean by commitment? The church, the dress and the ring we just witnessed are for people like Sam and Mara. Somehow, they'll make it work. Our marriages both failed and I'm not exactly eager to try it again. I reserve the right to change my opinion, but for now, I'm not the marrying type. Mandy, I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that I love you and wish I could spend more time with you. So, if this is what you want, here, it's yours."
Toby worked his wedding band off his finger and tossed it on the bed. He was surprised that Mandy took it and put it in the bedside table. It was meant as a grand gesture, a grand gesture that should have been tossed back to him with a 'don't wear it anymore'. She let the sheet drop and smiled enticingly at Toby.
"Good answer. You can come back to bed now." He didn't need to be told twice.
"Did you see the look of utter horror on C.J's face when the bouquet landed in her hands?"
"Yeah, it was priceless. Cheryl was taking a sip of her champagne and ended up snorting it she was laughing so hard. I hope someone captured the moment because Mara didn't even turn around after the toss."
"Yeah, she seemed more eager to get to the honeymoon than Sam."
"I spend Christmas at that beach house, Toby, I don't blame her."
"What's it like?"
"The house is gorgeous. Bay windows everywhere, five guest rooms and a master suite with it's own balcony and hot tub. There is a great pool to the side of the house, but the feature attraction is one and a half miles of glistening, powder fine white sand. The ocean is just indescribable. I never wanted to leave."
"I'm not one to take vacations, but maybe I can look in to it when Sam and Mar get back."
"Josh's speech was very sweet."
"Not bad, but my job will never be in jeopardy, that's for sure."
"Sam's song was so beautiful. Are you capable of song writing?"
"Probably not, but for you, I think I could manage a love sonnet. What's your opinion on rhyming couplets?"
"Come here and I'll show you."
************************
Meanwhile, in CJ's apartment
"Other than your father giving Mara heart failure, I'd say it was a fine wedding."
"Want to split my cake with me?" Dani asked
"It's one in the morning."
"CJ, anytime is dessert time. Are you in?"
"Yeah, get me a fork. I don't think I've ever seen Mara look more beautiful."
"I don't think I've ever seen her cry that much."
"The crying didn't surprise me, I saw her at the hospital. Mar might not look it, but she's a highly emotional person"
"I know that. Problem is, rage is the emotion she lets loose the most. She's much more comfortable reaming someone out than talking about how she feels. The armour never slips for very long with Mara."
"Dani, why are you always so critical of Mara? You always seem eager to point out her negative qualities to combat anything positive said about her."
"I don't ."
"Yes, you do. You know, it's not Mara's fault she was born first and everything she's ever done, she's worked very hard for."
"Are you implying I'm jealous of my sister?"
"No, I'm stating the obvious. Hell, Dani, she makes me jealous."
"I just don't get it, Ceeg, the way she treats men earns her a husband and I've got nada. It's not fair."
CJ laughed, "I hate to burst your bubble kiddo, but life is not fair. Sam makes her happy, which is a miracle in itself. I never thought Mara would get married, because she had such impossibly high standards and didn't want to give an inch herself. It actually gives me hope that maybe Mr. Right is out there for me. Sam is one in a million, the mold was broken after he was made. Live your own life, Dani, and stop comparing yourself to Mara."
"It's a good thing you have hope, since you are the next to be wed," Dani teased.
"Do you want to sleep in the Potomac tonight?"
Dani started laughing, "Oh, the look on your face, Ceeg, was the funniest thing I've seen in years."
"What's truly scary is that Mara didn't aim for me. Hell, she didn't aim period. The bloody flowers turned into heat seeking missiles."
"Hey, it could have been worse. Had Sam known you caught them, he would have aimed for Danny."
"Mara must have promised Sam the Mile High Club since he didn't even think about the garter."
"Mara hates the garter thing, she wouldn't have let him do it anyway."
CJ left the last forkful of cake for Dani and went to wash the makeup of her face. She changed into her pajamas the moment she set foot in the door, but she didn't bother to take her make up off or undo her hair. She slid the diamond barrettes out of her hair and secured them in the little built in safe hidden in the guest closet. Dani was staring at the vodka she just poured as if it held the answer to life's questions. She swirled the glass and took a long sip.
"Penny for your thoughts," CJ offered.
"I was just thinking about when we lived in Toronto. For five years, Mara had to be a high school student and parent to me. She always made sure my homework was done and my lunch was made before she started her own homework. I remember the look on her face, Saturday mornings, when I was bugging her to drive me somewhere, you could see how tired she was, but she took me anyway. Did she take her computer?"
"No, she said there was no incoming phone in the house and she didn't bring her cell or Sam's."
"Can I borrow some paper then, I need to send her a letter."
"Why don't you just leave it for her to read when she gets home. You know she wasn't mad at you, just your dad."
"I know."
CJ brought Dani a box of stationary and said goodnight. Dani finally headed to bed around three.
*************
Dateline: Anguilla, 4 days later
Sam left a note for Mara in case she woke up before he returned and headed into town. He wanted to find something to bring back for Ginger and he wanted a souvenir to keep in his office to remember the island. He found a straw purse with delicate embroidered flowers for Ginger and bought himself a blue glass Tang fish and a flat magnet with a beach scene and Anguilla written on it. He spotted a pay phone and decided to check in with Josh. He charged the call to his credit card and waited to be connected to Josh's private line.
"Josh Lyman's office."
"Hey Donna, is he in?"
"Sam! What are you doing calling on your honeymoon? You should be making love to your wife."
Sam chuckled. "Oh, I have been. Mar's got a migraine and is fast asleep. I came into town to explore."
"Oh, I'd be soaking up the sun on the beach."
"I was out there until noon. The sun is so bright and hot here that even I'm getting sunburn. Mara covers herself in forty sunscreen and she's got a tan already."
"You should go sailing."
"Mara rented a boat for all of next week. We're going to sail over to St. Martin for dinner one night."
"Hey, how's your ankle doing? You were looking forward to running in the sand."
"I tried to Monday morning and I didn't get very far. My ankle needs support and it's just no fun running on the beach with shoes. Now, maybe after a year, I'll be okay, but not yet."
"That's true, Sam. It hasn't even been six months since you shattered it. So, what have you been doing while Mara is sleeping?"
"I've been walking instead. I did about four miles today. I'm amassing quite the sea shell collection."
"Bring them home, Sam. I can make you a great box frame keepsake. Bring some sand too."
"Okay. I will. I must admit, Mara has been pretty reasonable about sleeping in. I can wake her up at nine. So where's Josh?"
"Standing over my shoulder, wondering when I'm going to let him speak. I guess I'll let him talk to you now. Take care Sam and take some pictures."
"Thanks, Donna. Keep him from creating a disaster."
"Hey, Sam. Did you think I'd set fire to the White House again?"
"Not specifically, but now that you mention it," Sam teased.
"So, did you tire Mara out already?"
"No, she's got a migraine."
"So, are you enjoying yourself?"
"Lets see; white sand, tropical breezes and my wife hasn't worn clothes since we got here. What do you think?"
"Too much information, buddy. I so didn't need that picture in my mind."
"So, how did the meeting with Hines go?"
"Not bad, he finally agreed to give us the vote. Look Sam, I'd love to waste some time, but I've got to go see the President."
"Go. Just thought I'd check in. See you soon."
"Yeah, Sam. Have fun with the Misses."
"Josh! Wait!"
"What?"
"Transfer me to Ginger."
"Umm, hold on a sec," Josh called out to Donna. "Donna, how do I transfer a call?"
"Oy vey. Go to your meeting before you crash the phone system. I'll do it," Donna pushed Josh out of his office and sat down in his chair.
"Sam, who do you want?"
"Ginger. Josh doesn't know how to work the phones yet?"
"No, he is even more useless than you. Let me make sure she's there before I transfer you. Hold on."
Donna dialed Ginger's extension and told her she was going to transfer her over. When Sam heard a voice again it was Ginger.
"Ah, you miss me already, Sam. How sweet! Why's Mara not speaking to you this time?"
"She's got a migraine. Apparently, she gets one every time she comes here."
"Ah, the B.P. must cause it. So, you are bored then? Sam, what's wrong with you? You are in Paradise!"
"Ginger, I've gone for a long walk on the beach, finished a book, managed to come up with fifteen different ways to thank people for wedding gifts and made myself lunch. The sun is too strong right now to be tanning. I came into town because a certain assistant of mine would make my life a living hell if I didn't bring her back a gift."
"Oh, so this is usually nooky time?"
Sam could picture the grin on Ginger's face and smiled. "It's one of the times, yes."
"You've got two weeks and three days left Sam, you are going to wear yourselves out."
"Never going to happen. So, miss me?"
"Not yet. Donna has taken over your office again though."
"I figured as much. Anything I should know about?"
"No, not really. Hold on two seconds."
Ginger put Sam on hold, answered a phone call and then went into Sam's office and picked up his phone.
"Okay. Now we can dish. Guess who is missing a certain piece of jewelry?"
"Oh no, did something happen to Donna's earrings?"
"No, not Donna. I almost spit my coffee out when I noticed."
"When you noticed... Spit coffee......" Sam mulled it over in his mind for a few seconds before his jaw dropped. "No, it's can't be! Is Toby's left hand a little lighter than it was on Sunday?"
"We have a winner."
"Holy crap! I never thought he'd take the thing off."
"Me either. Mandy must have given him some ultimatum or performed a sex act so amazing that it knocked the ring off," Ginger laughed.
"Well, what type of mood was he in on Monday?"
"He complimented Bonnie and I twice, told us both he really appreciated all our hard work and offered to buy us lunch."
"Hmm, I vote for the sex, not the ultimatum," Sam laughed.
At that moment, Toby passed by Sam's office and wondered what Ginger was doing on the phone.
"Ginger, I don't recall promoting you, but if you promise to use punctuation, you can have Sam's job."
"No thanks, I couldn't handle the President going off the script of the speech, it would drive me to drink and I'm a clumsy drunk," Ginger teased back.
"Talking to Sam or Mara?"
"Sam."
"Tell him Oh never mind. Just give me the phone, I'll tell him myself."
"Tell me what?" Sam asked as soon as he heard Toby breathing.
"You heard that?"
"I heard it all. Would you stop giving my job away! Face it, no one else is insane enough to be your deputy! You're stuck with me," Sam chuckled.
"Shouldn't you be servicing your wife right now instead of bugging Ginger?"
"Shouldn't you be grumbling and generally be resembling Eeyore on downers right now?" Sam shot back.
Toby rolled his eyes and started muttering to himself. "What do you want, Sam? The rest of us don't have the luxury of being in Anguilla and we have work to do."
"You're the one who wanted to tell me something."
"If you get bored, you can start thinking about themes for the President's Fourth of July address."
"Mara will kill me if I get caught doing any work, but since she's out cold with a migraine, what she doesn't know won't hurt her."
"So that's why you're wasting Ginger's time."
"Yeah, so how's Mandy doing?"
"Got to go, Sam. Have work to do. Don't do anything stupid like drown yourself."
Toby handed the phone back to Ginger and went back to his office with a grin on his face.
"What did you say? He's grinning."
"I asked him how Mandy was."
"First it was you, then Josh and Donna and now Toby. I don't think I can handle that much couple happiness."
"You're strong, Ginger, you can hack it. I better go and make sure Mara is still breathing. Unless Mara gets another migraine and she says she only gets one, you won't hear from me until I'm back."
"Okay, Sam. A necklace to match my earrings would be nice."
"Keep dreaming, Ginger Ale, this is my money, not Mara's bottomless pit of wealth. Annoy Toby for me."
"I will. Toby's right, don't hurt yourself and have fun. I'll talk to you when you get back. Tell Mara I say hello."
"Will do, bye."
Sam hung up the phone, stopped to buy some fresh scallops for dinner and headed back to the car. The house was still quite and Mara was still slumbering away peacefully. Sam picked up Tedzy who had fallen on the floor and put him back against Mara's body. He gently brushed her hair away from her face and left the room before she woke up.
He rummaged around until he found some paper and sat down to work on the address. An idea came quickly and before Sam knew it he had written a ten page speech on how a stroke of the pen gave birth to a new nation and that this still relatively young country must continue to use the pen to make revolutionary changes. He wrote about more funding for education, help the poor, that the forefather's were speaking of muskets not semi automatic pistols and that the idea of freedom and democracy for all did not gel with religious and racial intolerance, starving citizens living on the streets or indifference. He ended the speech with something even Toby would like.
'The pride we Americans feel on this Independence Day, should not, must not, end today. We must carry this pride with us, as a reminder of the great things that can be accomplished if we all take action to serve the greater good. This country does not need boastful pride nor does it need selfish pride. It needs pride in one's self, in one's family, in one's community, one's city and one's state. Pride in our country will come automatically from these. Take pride in your country by helping to tear down the walls of injustice, hatred and ignorance. For this country to be great, every generation must show up and do its part, not merely for themselves but for future generations. The true measure of a country's greatness is measured not by it's wealth and dominance as a world power, but by the spirit and generosity of it's citizens. May God continue to bless America.'
Sam folded the speech up and put it in the bottom of his suitcase. He couldn't wait to see the look on Toby's face when he got an entire address instead of a page or two of ideas. He went for a swim and started to make an early dinner. When the food was ready, he went upstairs to wake up Mara. He ran his hand along her spine until she rolled over to face him.
"How are you feeling?" He whispered.
Mara opened her eyes in the darkened room and slowly sat up to clear her head. "It's gone, I just feel groggy as usual."
"Have some water and dinner is ready. You'll feel better after you get some food in your system."
"Sorry about ruining today."
"That's okay. It's not your fault the barometric pressure screws with your head. I went in town to look around and bought scallops for dinner. The gang says hello and they hope you're feeling better."
"Yum. Scallops. What kind and I knew you'd end up finding a phone and checking in."
"They are in a tomato butter sauce. It's not as good as the one you make, but it's still pretty tasty. And I missed my wife's company, so I reached out for cheaper company."
"I'll tell them you said that," Mara said with a grin.
"I can bring dinner up here if you want."
"Nah, my back is actually sore from being in bed for so long. I need to stretch."
"What you haven't done enough stretching?" Sam asked devilishly.
"Cute Sam, I miss Killer."
"Donna's taking great care of the little guy. She was going to bring him over to the residence for the weekend."
"Yeah, Jed was a little miffed when he offered to cat-sit and I told him Donna would be staying with him. Donna promised him, they'd work out a custody agreement."
"Dinner is going to be on the patio. I'll see you in a few."
Mara stretched and climbed out of bed. She flipped the light on and stood in front of the mirror to examine her naked body. Her tan was back and pretty even. She checked to make sure she wasn't burned and that no moles had changed in shape and size. Sam claimed anything to do with her naked body was his responsibility, but it was her body after all and she always checked for herself when she was at the beach house. Mara, like Sam, tanned fairly easily but unlike Sam, Mara was extremely careful about sun exposure. She never wore foundation in her daily life, instead she applied a 45 SPF water proof sunblock that was lightly tinted to her face. She normally slathered on sunscreen to the rest of her body. Mara didn't want to give a repeat performance of 'Princess Mara of Lobster land'. She had to give her mother credit for instilling in her the need to protect her skin. While her mother was only concerned about looking youthful, Mara though of it as an added bonus to keeping a clear complexion and not getting skin cancer.
San knew that Mara preferred to tan topless but his jaw hit the sand when after waking her Sunday morning she joined him on the beach naked. Mara explained that she only felt comfortable nude sunbathing there because the beach was not only private, but her own. Sam didn't think it was the greatest idea for an ambassador, but he knew Mara didn't care and he certainly loved the view.
She covered her body in green tea lotion so her skin wouldn't dry out and then slipped into a short pale green silk dress with tiny embroidered roses on it. She brushed her hair, decided to wear it down and padded downstairs barefoot to meet Sam.
"My God, you're gorgeous," Sam exclaimed when he caught sight of his now blushing wife.
"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself. Dinner looks and smells great."
"You know generally, I think anyplace we can be together is beautiful, but this has to be the most beautiful piece of land God ever created."
"Yeah, I could happily live here 9 months a year."
"Just nine months? Not me, I'd be happy if I never had to leave."
"The season never changes here. I like the fall and the leaves changing and I have to have my snow. So who did you talk to?"
"Donna, Josh, Ginger and Toby. Let me tell you they all spend too much time thinking about how much sex we should be having."
Mara laughed, "Well, what do you expect when you can't be gone for four days without checking in?"
"I admit, I was bored, so sue me."
"So, any news?"
"Toby took his wedding ring off. Did you know she was going to ask him to remove it?"
"I guessed it wouldn't be long before she told Toby it was time to remove it. It freaks her out when she feels it touch her."
"Ginger and I thought she was so good in bed that Toby gave it up willingly."
"You and Ginger are too romantic. This is Toby. He wouldn't have removed that ring unless he was asked to. He's a creature of habit, if I ever met one."
"Can you imagine the look on Tobs face, if he knew Ginger and I were talking about him?"
"Yeah, the Toby-won death glare before he fired both of you."
"You know, I'm really glad you insisted on three weeks."
"Sam, I'm always right, just remember that and do as I say."
"I could, but then this would be a dictatorship, not a marriage."
"Works for me."
"Of course it does, you power hungry, egomaniac."
"Samuel, if you are trying to seduce me, you're doing a good job."
"I don't have to seduce you anymore, you married me," Sam replied with a wicked grin.
"I'll get you my pretty and your little dog too," Mara cackled.
"So, what's your schedule like for the next few months?"
"When I get back, the focus is going to be on my Canada Day extravaganza. I have to do something about the passport supervisor. It should not be taking ten days for a passport. I've had it with him, I'm going to fire his lazy ass."
"I thought you fired him a few months ago?"
"No, I had to give him warnings first. He got his third two weeks ago. Now I can fire him."
"Do you have anyone you can replace him with?"
"Yeah, a junior clerk who takes it upon herself to make sure things get done. She came to me when she found a special request sitting on his desk after two weeks and he'd taken off at two on a Friday. The poor woman needed the passport in two days and only I could authorize it to be done on the spot and sent by Fed Ex. to her."
"Sounds like someone who deserves to be promoted. So you know how to issue a passport?"
"Yes, I've only done about 20 of them since December but I do know how to do them. I can do a security background check in fifty seconds flat. I'm good, Sam."
"I'm sure you are very good."
"Dinner was great, let's go for a walk on the beach."
Sam blew out the candles and dumped the dishes in the sink before kicking his sandals off and joining Mara on the sand.
