Title: Stay Anyway 17/?

Author: Amber (Ambino1111@prodigy.net)

Disclaimers & other notes in Part 1

Previously, in Stay Anyway...

Sam sees his ex-fiancée Lisa as she takes a tour of the White House with her son Alexander. He talks with her and they decide to go to dinner the next night. A political snafu pops up before their dinner, and they end up eating with Josh and Donna in the White House. Lisa vows to hook up Josh and Donna, the latter becoming a new friend. Sam encourages Lisa to stay so they can talk about what happened between them, and as she is singing her son to sleep in Josh's office, Sam talks with Josh and Donna. He goes ballistic when Josh asks if he still loves Lisa. Sam and Lisa decide not to talk about what happened, although Lisa rhetorically asks "How did we get here?" Flashbacks: Lisa is a dentist and first meets Sam at an appointment. Fast forward to Sam and Lisa living together. A misunderstanding occurs when Sam's plans for a surprise party make Lisa suspicious. She tracks down the woman she thinks he's having an affair with, and discovers it was Josh, who had been helping Sam plan everything. At the party, she and Josh, realizing who they are, react strangely when introduced, which makes Sam wonder. He confronts Josh, who tells him the truth. Sam tells Lisa it was all just a misunderstanding and they drop it. Back to the present, where Lisa informs Sam that she and Alex are moving to DC He offers to let her stay at his apartment until hers is ready - she says she'll think about it. Instead, she accepts Donna's offer to live with her and refuses to call Sam and tell him. Sam and Josh have a heart-to-heart about women, and Josh learns about the office-wide pool betting on when he and Donna would admit their feelings. Meanwhile, at Donna's, Lisa comforts Donna, who admits that Josh treats her like a platonic wife. Josh shows up at her apartment, drunkenly informing her of his love, and Donna makes him leave. While waiting for the cab, Josh tells Lisa that Sam still loves her. In the middle of the night, Sam comes over to Donna's and demands to know where Lisa is. He and Lisa have a huge fight that ends with Sam yelling that he loves her. Later that day, Lisa calls Sam and tells him it's over - they shouldn't even see each other anymore.

*****

"From a lover to a friend

Take your own advice

Let me love again."

- Paul McCartney, From a Lover to a Friend

*****

I hang up the phone with a finality I don't feel.

What just happened?

Here I am, sitting in my office and going over the latest objections to HR 206 in what is essentially the eleventh hour, and... and I get the phone call I've been dreading but halfway expecting.

I want to call her back. No, I want to think about this. I want to go home, sit in the dark, get drunk, and really think about this. Lately, that's the only way anything makes any sense to me.

How did this happen? I love her, but I can't be with her.

I sense the parallel as I see Josh and Donna walk past my office.

"That's it," I say out loud to no one. I stand, save the open document on my laptop, and head to the mess for some lunch.

"Hey, Sam," Someone's voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I look around me in line and find Ainsley behind me.

Great.

"Hi, Ainsley. How're you?" I try to sound cheerful. I think I overdid it.

She smiles up at me. "I feel fine. How about you? I see you didn't follow my advice."

My look of confusion saves me from having to ask her what she's talking about.

"You didn't get a haircut yet," She explains, cutting in front of me.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I ask, taken aback by her bold move.

"I am paying for my lunch. You, on the other hand, are apparently going on a diet," She's pointing at my tray. It's empty.

"That's -" I start to protest but realize she's right. I turn around and go through the line again, this time ordering a club sandwich and an iced tea.

After I pay for my lunch, I decide to take a break from my office and eat in the mess. As I'm searching for an open table, I notice Ainsley waving her arm at me.

"C'mon, Sam. I saved you a seat."

I don't feel much like company, but I can't resist her smile. Not that I'd ever tell her that.

"Okay, I guess I'll eat with you," I say, mock-reluctantly, and make a big production about sitting down across from her. She rolls her eyes at my antics.

"Sam, sit down. You are, single-handedly, making a spectacle of yourself and me."

I find myself smiling at her for no apparent reason. I suddenly remember that, a long, long two weeks ago, I was about to ask this woman out on a date. Lisa may have reappeared for a bit, but deep down my feelings for the Republican sitting across the table haven't changed. I may have had my doubts before, but now I can't think of a single reason not to date her.

Except maybe CJ, but she shouldn't be mad at me. After all, someone has to keep her on her toes. You don't want her to get too comfortable with her job - it could lead to disaster.

Ainsley's half-done with her chicken salad by the time I take one bite of my sandwich. What can I say - I'm a little distracted.

"Sam, is everything all right? You look a little confused. Almost as if, if you don't mind my saying, someone ran over your dog but your parents said you could get a new puppy."

Amazing. This woman is amazing. How she could have picked that up, I... I have no idea. But it's exactly how I feel. Well, not exactly. I wouldn't call Lisa a dog, and Ainsley's more of a kitten than a puppy, but...

"Sam?"

"Hmm?"

"Is everything okay?"

I finally look up at her, meeting her eyes. "Everything is perfect."

I think she's blushing, but I'm too focused on her eyes to look.

She giggles nervously. "Sam, I think you've finally lost it."

"Ainsley, would you like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow?"

I've stunned her into silence. Seriously, she is frozen in place. After what feels like a minute, she slowly begins to thaw. First, she blinks twice. Then she swallows the food in her mouth. Next, a deep breath. Finally, she smiles.

"I would, uh, do you think that's a good thing to do?"

I'm so sick of having to worry about what's right or not. That's not even it - I'm sick of having to worry about what will LOOK right or not. "Well, we could always talk about politics and call it a business dinner, but I'd rather not."

Her smile has reached her eyes. "Yes, Sam. I would love to go out to dinner with you tomorrow night."

"Great."

We must look like two lunatics, sitting here and smiling broadly at each other, but I don't care.

"Where do you want to go?" I ask. I take another bite of my club sandwich as she makes her choice.

"Well, there's that new Italian place, Garibaldi's, that I've wanted to try. I read some really positive reviews in the paper last week."

"That sounds great. Is eight o'clock all right?"

She nods, having taken her last bite of salad.

"Okay, I'll see you then," I say, standing and tossing the rest of my sandwich in the garbage. I'm not really hungry anymore.

I pocket my unopened bottle of iced tea and head back upstairs. I have to find Josh.

TBC

AN: See, I told you Ainsley would be in this story. J