Title: Stay Anyway 10/?
Author: Amber (Ambino1111@prodigy.net)
Disclaimers & other notes in Part 1
Previously, in Stay Anyway.
Part 1.
. Josh and I are working our butts off on the latest Health Care Package, an amendment to H.R. 206.
. The President, CJ, Toby, and Charlie are in China until Monday evening.
. Josh lets out a snort. He wiggles his index finger in my direction. "You
were engaged to this woman, you haven't seen her in years, and all you can
say is 'she got a haircut'?" "Well, she did," I defend, looking down at my hands briefly. "That, and a baby."
Part 2.
. I can remember Sam leaving as if it were yesterday, yet... it's been over three years and, at times, seems decades longer.
. She shifts in her seat suddenly and thrusts a manicured hand in my direction. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Donnatella Moss, Josh Lyman's assistant." I chortle in amused sympathy, which causes Donna to grin. "I somehow doubt Josh's personality has changed much in three years." I pause. "You're a very brave woman."
. The door opens again and I sigh. Gathering my courage I stand, ready to face my ex-fiancee.
Part 3.
. Lisa and I are staring at each other, and Donna coughs slightly, backing into the Roosevelt Room. "I'll be in here, if you, uh, well, we'll be here." Then she's gone, and it's just Lisa and me... and Alex.
. Why does politics always come between Lisa and me?
Part 4.
. His face brightens and he smiles one of his killer smiles. I always loved his perfect white teeth, and it has nothing to do with professional appreciation.
. "I - I... we... why does everyone think we should date? Donna is my friend and a fine assistant, and we are both professionals."
. "You can both be professionals and be in love," I tell him truthfully. He doesn't meet my eyes.
. My body tenses immediately. "Sam, I don't want to do this right now," My voice carries with it a silent plea. Sam either misses or ignores it. "Lisa, please. I think we need to talk about it."
. Then Sam coughs and the spell is broken, and he leads the way to Josh's office.
Part 5.
. I stand up, more furious than I should be but unable to help it. "No. You know what? No! We're not getting into this. I know you mean well, but frankly, this is none of your goddamn business. Yes, I was engaged to Lisa, but that was before the campaign and has no relevance to anything. And unless I express them verbally, my thoughts and feelings are mine and mine alone. I'm sick and tired of being 'Poor Little Innocent Sam' whose life's purpose is to amuse the White House Staff with tales of his misadventures.
. Oh great. This is fitting; this is perfect. I take it back - the last thing I want to do right now is talk to Lisa.
. "Oh, Sam," Lisa sighs. I look up at her as she gestures vaguely with her left hand. "This - this was never supposed to happen; this wasn't supposed to be us... How did we get here?"
Part 6.
. I'm standing still, staring at this man in a most unprofessional manner but unable to stop. I never believed in love at first sight, but... "Uh, I'm Sam Seaborn. I have an eleven-thirty appointment to fill some cavities?" He sounds like he's trying to jog my memory, and he has.
. He laughs, and I can tell that despite his cavity problems he has a terrific smile. I wonder if he uses whitening toothpaste...?
. "I thed, 'ow woo fwee Fwiday night foh dinnah?'" I feel Helen's eyes boring a hole into the side of my head as I force my brain to respond coherently. "Y-yes. Yes, I am."
Part 7.
. "It's not lying; it's misdirection," Josh insists. "No wonder you're a politician," I mutter playfully. I can almost see his grin. "You're going to be here to help me, right? You're flying in on Thursday?"
. "Hi, Lisa," I say, walking up to her while discreetly tucking the paper in my back jeans pocket. She raises her eyebrows at my apparently _in_discreet actions, and I answer her unasked question with a kiss.
. She's going to love her surprise party.
Part 8.
. So why does my mind torment me so? If I _know_ that Sam is faithful, then why does my stupid, annoying, doubtful brain keep pointing out clues?
. It's 7:00 on Thursday, and I'm about to confront the woman with whom Sam has been cheating on me. What could I possibly be thinking?
. Sam's having an affair with a man?
. I have never felt so horrible in my entire life.
Part 9.
. Finally, I turn around and follow her gaze to see what has shocked her. All I can see is my best friend, Josh Lyman.
. I take a breath, trying to calm my nerves. Why is my heart racing? Why am I feeling so... angry? So... jealous? I have no reason to be.
. I grab him by the collar and pull him towards me. I'm out of control, but, for some reason, I can't stop myself.
. I watch the doors slide shut and sigh. Then I spin around and punch the wall as hard as I can with my fist.
*****
Who's got my back now?
When all we have left is deceptive
So disconnected
So what is the truth now?
- Who's Got my Back Now?, Creed
*****
"-and Betty says 'hi.' I told Mrs. Pratt that you were-"
I blink and my mother's words fade away. The entire room is dead silent.
At least, it is to me.
I sense his entrance before I see him. Sam catches my eye from across the apartment. He looks different. His shoulders are hunched and he looks - his hand is bleeding!
"Excuse me," I tell my mom distractedly, hurrying over to his side.
"Sam? Are you okay?" My words startle him, and it takes a minute for him to respond.
"I had an encounter with a wall," He answers distantly, cradling his wounded hand.
"Did the wall win?" I inquire, trying to keep the mood light. I can tell something's bothering him, and I have a pretty good idea what it is. "C'mon in the bathroom - I'll fix it up."
He nods dazedly and follows me down the hallway. I notice that everyone is staring at us and the music has stopped.
"This is a party," I announce, before disappearing into the bathroom. "Turn up the music!" As I shut the door I can hear Jim Morrison blasting once again.
In the bathroom, Sam seems to be regaining his senses.
"Ow!" He yelps when I run his hand under the faucet.
"Sorry," I reach into the medicine cabinet and rummage around for the bottle of hydrogen peroxide. He hisses quietly when the cool liquid hits the open cut and starts to bubble.
I take a deep breath and look at him in the mirror. "I'm so sorry, Sam. I should have told you. The truth of the matter is - well, I simply felt like an insecure idiot."
He turns around with his good hand and tilts my chin up with a little more force than is necessary.
"What are you talking about?" His voice is eerily calm. I take a mini-step backwards and re-open the medicine cabinet, searching for gauze.
"Didn't Josh tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"Sam..." I sigh, trailing off. If Josh didn't tell him about the hotel, then why was Sam bleeding? Sam's never been the aggressive type. What exactly _did_ he tell him?
"What happened in the hallway?"
"What happened with Josh?"
I turn around and start unraveling the roll of gauze, gently wrapping it around his wound. "I met him Thursday... at the hotel."
"What?" Sam's question is so quiet I'm not sure he even spoke it. I look up at him and my heart stops when I see the hurt anger flashing in his blue eyes. What did he think we-
"Sam, no! It's not what you think -"
"Did you kiss him?"
"No!"
"Did you sleep together?"
"NO!"
"So then you just saw him naked?"
"What?" The blunt and unexpected nature of his question catches me off guard. "No, he wasn't ... well, he _was_ wearing a towel." Idiot, idiot, idiot.
"WHAT?"
"He had taken a shower," I defend meekly. "But, Sam, I swear it's not what you think."
He collapses on the toilet seat, the gauze still connected to the roll in my hands. "I don't even know what to think, Lisa... your face... You should have seen your face when you saw him. I thought... I was afraid I'd lost you."
"Me, too," I say softly. "I... I hate myself for it. I really do. Sunday, when you wrote down his hotel information next to the bed, I... I colored it in with a pencil so I could see the address."
He looks shocked at my revelation, but I continue before he can interrupt. "I thought you were cheating on me. I mean, I had found the receipt for some lingerie, and you were making all these quiet phone calls... I trust you, Sam. I do. I don't know what made me go there."
"You went there to confront him?" Despite the serious look on his face, there is hope in his voice.
I nod and look at the floor. Please let him understand. Please let him be understanding and forgiving.
"Sam, I - I don't know what I was thinking. It kills me to know I doubted you enough to do it."
"What happened when he opened the door? What did Josh say?"
"He, uh," I debate whether or not to omit the fainting-in-a-skirt part. Hmm. "He wanted to know who I was..."
"And what did you say?" Sam seems to have calmed down, but I'm not about to relax.
"Well, I... I kinda fainted."
We should be laughing. Really. C'mon, I thought Sam was having an affair with his best friend. I fainted in his hotel room. He answered the door in a towel. We both freaked out at my surprise party. Sam punched a wall and is bleeding. This is classic.
Sam's not laughing. Neither am I. "And...?"
"Nothing. Really, nothing happened. I asked if he knew Sam Seaborn, he said he did, and I ran out of the hotel. That's it. That's the whole regrettable thing."
We lapse into silence, and I finish wrapping the gauze around his cut. It's no longer bleeding.
"Okay."
I look up at him. "Huh?"
"Okay. I believe you."
". All right."
"We were both stupid and insecure and admitted our mistakes. So, let's move on."
"Just like that?" Why am I looking the gift horse in the mouth?
He nods. "I mean, we'll have to call up Josh before he leaves, straighten everything out with him, but yeah. All is forgiven and forgotten."
With that, he moves past me and exits the bathroom. I remain here for a good ten minutes, trying to figure out what in the world has just taken place.
Somehow I doubt the problem will go away so easily.
TBC
Author: Amber (Ambino1111@prodigy.net)
Disclaimers & other notes in Part 1
Previously, in Stay Anyway.
Part 1.
. Josh and I are working our butts off on the latest Health Care Package, an amendment to H.R. 206.
. The President, CJ, Toby, and Charlie are in China until Monday evening.
. Josh lets out a snort. He wiggles his index finger in my direction. "You
were engaged to this woman, you haven't seen her in years, and all you can
say is 'she got a haircut'?" "Well, she did," I defend, looking down at my hands briefly. "That, and a baby."
Part 2.
. I can remember Sam leaving as if it were yesterday, yet... it's been over three years and, at times, seems decades longer.
. She shifts in her seat suddenly and thrusts a manicured hand in my direction. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Donnatella Moss, Josh Lyman's assistant." I chortle in amused sympathy, which causes Donna to grin. "I somehow doubt Josh's personality has changed much in three years." I pause. "You're a very brave woman."
. The door opens again and I sigh. Gathering my courage I stand, ready to face my ex-fiancee.
Part 3.
. Lisa and I are staring at each other, and Donna coughs slightly, backing into the Roosevelt Room. "I'll be in here, if you, uh, well, we'll be here." Then she's gone, and it's just Lisa and me... and Alex.
. Why does politics always come between Lisa and me?
Part 4.
. His face brightens and he smiles one of his killer smiles. I always loved his perfect white teeth, and it has nothing to do with professional appreciation.
. "I - I... we... why does everyone think we should date? Donna is my friend and a fine assistant, and we are both professionals."
. "You can both be professionals and be in love," I tell him truthfully. He doesn't meet my eyes.
. My body tenses immediately. "Sam, I don't want to do this right now," My voice carries with it a silent plea. Sam either misses or ignores it. "Lisa, please. I think we need to talk about it."
. Then Sam coughs and the spell is broken, and he leads the way to Josh's office.
Part 5.
. I stand up, more furious than I should be but unable to help it. "No. You know what? No! We're not getting into this. I know you mean well, but frankly, this is none of your goddamn business. Yes, I was engaged to Lisa, but that was before the campaign and has no relevance to anything. And unless I express them verbally, my thoughts and feelings are mine and mine alone. I'm sick and tired of being 'Poor Little Innocent Sam' whose life's purpose is to amuse the White House Staff with tales of his misadventures.
. Oh great. This is fitting; this is perfect. I take it back - the last thing I want to do right now is talk to Lisa.
. "Oh, Sam," Lisa sighs. I look up at her as she gestures vaguely with her left hand. "This - this was never supposed to happen; this wasn't supposed to be us... How did we get here?"
Part 6.
. I'm standing still, staring at this man in a most unprofessional manner but unable to stop. I never believed in love at first sight, but... "Uh, I'm Sam Seaborn. I have an eleven-thirty appointment to fill some cavities?" He sounds like he's trying to jog my memory, and he has.
. He laughs, and I can tell that despite his cavity problems he has a terrific smile. I wonder if he uses whitening toothpaste...?
. "I thed, 'ow woo fwee Fwiday night foh dinnah?'" I feel Helen's eyes boring a hole into the side of my head as I force my brain to respond coherently. "Y-yes. Yes, I am."
Part 7.
. "It's not lying; it's misdirection," Josh insists. "No wonder you're a politician," I mutter playfully. I can almost see his grin. "You're going to be here to help me, right? You're flying in on Thursday?"
. "Hi, Lisa," I say, walking up to her while discreetly tucking the paper in my back jeans pocket. She raises her eyebrows at my apparently _in_discreet actions, and I answer her unasked question with a kiss.
. She's going to love her surprise party.
Part 8.
. So why does my mind torment me so? If I _know_ that Sam is faithful, then why does my stupid, annoying, doubtful brain keep pointing out clues?
. It's 7:00 on Thursday, and I'm about to confront the woman with whom Sam has been cheating on me. What could I possibly be thinking?
. Sam's having an affair with a man?
. I have never felt so horrible in my entire life.
Part 9.
. Finally, I turn around and follow her gaze to see what has shocked her. All I can see is my best friend, Josh Lyman.
. I take a breath, trying to calm my nerves. Why is my heart racing? Why am I feeling so... angry? So... jealous? I have no reason to be.
. I grab him by the collar and pull him towards me. I'm out of control, but, for some reason, I can't stop myself.
. I watch the doors slide shut and sigh. Then I spin around and punch the wall as hard as I can with my fist.
*****
Who's got my back now?
When all we have left is deceptive
So disconnected
So what is the truth now?
- Who's Got my Back Now?, Creed
*****
"-and Betty says 'hi.' I told Mrs. Pratt that you were-"
I blink and my mother's words fade away. The entire room is dead silent.
At least, it is to me.
I sense his entrance before I see him. Sam catches my eye from across the apartment. He looks different. His shoulders are hunched and he looks - his hand is bleeding!
"Excuse me," I tell my mom distractedly, hurrying over to his side.
"Sam? Are you okay?" My words startle him, and it takes a minute for him to respond.
"I had an encounter with a wall," He answers distantly, cradling his wounded hand.
"Did the wall win?" I inquire, trying to keep the mood light. I can tell something's bothering him, and I have a pretty good idea what it is. "C'mon in the bathroom - I'll fix it up."
He nods dazedly and follows me down the hallway. I notice that everyone is staring at us and the music has stopped.
"This is a party," I announce, before disappearing into the bathroom. "Turn up the music!" As I shut the door I can hear Jim Morrison blasting once again.
In the bathroom, Sam seems to be regaining his senses.
"Ow!" He yelps when I run his hand under the faucet.
"Sorry," I reach into the medicine cabinet and rummage around for the bottle of hydrogen peroxide. He hisses quietly when the cool liquid hits the open cut and starts to bubble.
I take a deep breath and look at him in the mirror. "I'm so sorry, Sam. I should have told you. The truth of the matter is - well, I simply felt like an insecure idiot."
He turns around with his good hand and tilts my chin up with a little more force than is necessary.
"What are you talking about?" His voice is eerily calm. I take a mini-step backwards and re-open the medicine cabinet, searching for gauze.
"Didn't Josh tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"Sam..." I sigh, trailing off. If Josh didn't tell him about the hotel, then why was Sam bleeding? Sam's never been the aggressive type. What exactly _did_ he tell him?
"What happened in the hallway?"
"What happened with Josh?"
I turn around and start unraveling the roll of gauze, gently wrapping it around his wound. "I met him Thursday... at the hotel."
"What?" Sam's question is so quiet I'm not sure he even spoke it. I look up at him and my heart stops when I see the hurt anger flashing in his blue eyes. What did he think we-
"Sam, no! It's not what you think -"
"Did you kiss him?"
"No!"
"Did you sleep together?"
"NO!"
"So then you just saw him naked?"
"What?" The blunt and unexpected nature of his question catches me off guard. "No, he wasn't ... well, he _was_ wearing a towel." Idiot, idiot, idiot.
"WHAT?"
"He had taken a shower," I defend meekly. "But, Sam, I swear it's not what you think."
He collapses on the toilet seat, the gauze still connected to the roll in my hands. "I don't even know what to think, Lisa... your face... You should have seen your face when you saw him. I thought... I was afraid I'd lost you."
"Me, too," I say softly. "I... I hate myself for it. I really do. Sunday, when you wrote down his hotel information next to the bed, I... I colored it in with a pencil so I could see the address."
He looks shocked at my revelation, but I continue before he can interrupt. "I thought you were cheating on me. I mean, I had found the receipt for some lingerie, and you were making all these quiet phone calls... I trust you, Sam. I do. I don't know what made me go there."
"You went there to confront him?" Despite the serious look on his face, there is hope in his voice.
I nod and look at the floor. Please let him understand. Please let him be understanding and forgiving.
"Sam, I - I don't know what I was thinking. It kills me to know I doubted you enough to do it."
"What happened when he opened the door? What did Josh say?"
"He, uh," I debate whether or not to omit the fainting-in-a-skirt part. Hmm. "He wanted to know who I was..."
"And what did you say?" Sam seems to have calmed down, but I'm not about to relax.
"Well, I... I kinda fainted."
We should be laughing. Really. C'mon, I thought Sam was having an affair with his best friend. I fainted in his hotel room. He answered the door in a towel. We both freaked out at my surprise party. Sam punched a wall and is bleeding. This is classic.
Sam's not laughing. Neither am I. "And...?"
"Nothing. Really, nothing happened. I asked if he knew Sam Seaborn, he said he did, and I ran out of the hotel. That's it. That's the whole regrettable thing."
We lapse into silence, and I finish wrapping the gauze around his cut. It's no longer bleeding.
"Okay."
I look up at him. "Huh?"
"Okay. I believe you."
". All right."
"We were both stupid and insecure and admitted our mistakes. So, let's move on."
"Just like that?" Why am I looking the gift horse in the mouth?
He nods. "I mean, we'll have to call up Josh before he leaves, straighten everything out with him, but yeah. All is forgiven and forgotten."
With that, he moves past me and exits the bathroom. I remain here for a good ten minutes, trying to figure out what in the world has just taken place.
Somehow I doubt the problem will go away so easily.
TBC