Title: Complicated

Author: AAV

Feedback: Please! Alexis2100@hotmail.com

Summary: Romance, especially when you work at the White House, is never easy.

Rating: PG, for slight sexual innuendo and mild language

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it… The West Wing, Aaron Sorkin, the songs featured in the story, not any of it. This is just my humble attempt to create a story I would have liked to seen played out on screen. No infringement was intended.


Chapter 2: Ainsley Has a Date/Let Lyman be Lyman

"Sam, Sam! Earth to Sa-am." Josh followed his friend's gaze down the hall. His jaw dropped, eyes opened wide.

Ainsley couldn't draw her gaze from Sam. He'd caught her eye as soon as she and Donna had entered the hallway.

They walked closer towards the two men, whose mouths were still agape, both smiling at the effect they had on two of the most powerful people in the country.

Donna was wearing a form-fitting black dress that came to mid thigh, showing off her very, very long legs. Josh had a hard time taking his eyes off of them. Her hair was upswept in a French twist with curly tendrils framing her face. Donna was only 28 years old, but in that dress she looked five years younger.

Sam was too distracted by Ainsley to even notice Donna. Ainsley was wearing a knee length midnight blue dress that shimmered with every step she took. It had a tank style top that was making an attempt at being modest by being low cut but still leaving much to the imagination. She had kept her hair down, the way Sam always liked it, and it was curled, framing her face.

Josh spoke first. "Donna! You look great!" He paused. "You, too, Ainsley. Um, Donna? Where are you going?"

"Josh!! I told you that I was leaving early tonight."

"No, you didn't." Josh was pretty sure she had, but he knew she wasn't going home to sleep dressed like that. At least not home to sleep alone.

"You know I did, Lyman." Josh hated how she could read his mind. "I am leaving now and I am going out."

"But, Donna!" Josh was whining, and he knew it, and he hated it. "I need you to do... The thing for tomorrow."

"Josh, there is no thing for tomorrow. Tomorrow is Saturday. I am off this whole weekend, and I am going out tonight."

"Where are you going?" Sam startled everyone when he spoke, his eyes still on Ainsley. Donna wasn't sure if the question was directed at her or at Ainsley.

Ainsley responded. "Donna and I are going out on a date."

"With each other?" Josh asked, hoping the two were having a girls' night out.

"Yes, with each other, and with two other men," Donna responded, voice dripping with disdain.

Ainsley caught Sam's eye. He looked so disappointed. She hadn't seen him since he stormed out of her office and she wanted desperately to talk to him about what had happened.

While Sam stood quietly taking the situation in, Josh was grilling Donna. "Who are you going with? And where?"

"What are you, Josh, my father?" Donna asked, quite annoyed with Josh. She was also inwardly pleased that Josh was so upset with her going out. She was getting continually more tired of this battle of romance with Josh. She wanted to believe that Josh had feelings for her, but sometimes he acted just the opposite. Then other times, like now, Donna knew Josh was pissed because she had a date with someone and that someone was not named Josh Lyman.

Never mind that she was only going along with Ainsley to keep her company. Donna's "date" for the evening was Ainsley's college friend Bruce, who just happened to be gay.

"So, whom are you going out with?" Sam asked, lightly. He'd regained some of his composure after the shock of seeing Ainsley, and was mad at himself for being so upset that she was going out with someone other than him.

Ainsley looked hard at Sam, trying to figure out exactly what Sam wanted from her.

Donna answered for her. "Ainsley's going on a blind date."

"Then why are you going?" Josh asked.

Donna glared at Josh. Ainsley sighed, then spoke. "My friend Bruce is in town with his cousin Fred Wallis. Bruce wants me to meet Fred so we're going out tonight. I asked Donna to come along with me to keep Bruce company and to be my excuse in case Fred's a total geek. This is what girls do: strength in numbers."

"So, who's this Bruce?" Damn Donna and her dates, Josh thought.

Ainsley and Donna glanced at each other and burst out laughing.

"Oh, Bruce is a great guy! We were best friends in college. And he is very attractive," Ainsley said.

They giggled again. Josh was less than pleased, but Sam had a feeling there was more to this date than met the eye.

"Donna, we're going to be late."

"Right. Josh, good night." Donna grabbed her coat and headed off down the hall.

"Good night," Ainsley said to Sam, then turned to follow Donna.

Sam paused for a moment than ran after her. "Ainsley!"

She turned, saying nothing.

"I just… You look truly beautiful."

Ainsley blushed, then said quietly, her Southern drawl showing more than usual, "Thank you, Sam." She paused. She hadn't been overly looking forward to this date to begin with and now she really didn't want to go. But she knew she had to.

"I should be going. Donna's waiting."

"Yeah. Have fun." He almost managed to say that like he meant it.

Ainsley nodded, then left.

Sam walked back to where Josh was leaning on the doorframe to his office.

Their eyes met.

"Quick! Before they leave the building!" Josh grabbed his book bag from his office and nearly collided with Sam who was on his way to get his briefcase.

"Josh, is this really stupid of us?"

"Probably, but I do this all the time. Come on!"

Sam sighed, then said to himself, "Yeah, you do, but Donna always forgives you because she's in love with you. Ainsley's not in love with me." And with that thought in his head, he turned to Josh.

"Oh well," he said aloud, "let's go."

~*~*~*~

The girls walked to the nearby restaurant, which was a favorite hangout of Ainsley's. She had always thought of bringing Sam here, it seemed to her it would suit him, and she wished he were there with her. She heard music playing in the background and smiled. The Radiators - big surprise. The owner of the bar was, putting it mildly, a fan of the New Orleans bar band and often had them in to play the bar live. Tonight, however, the bar was rocking to the Radiator's hit "Welcome to the Monkey House" being pumped out over the stereo system. Ainsley wondered if they could have that song become the White House theme song…

Gathering her thoughts, Ainsley let out a long, slow breath and looked to Donna. "Let's do this."

Sam and Josh threw their bags in their cars and set out on foot after Donna and Ainsley. They thought they'd lost them until Sam spotted them walking up New Hampshire Ave near Dupont Circle. They ran to catch up, trying to be as stealthy as possible, and failing miserably.

They finally saw them go into a place called Kenny's. The front half was a bar and the back half was a very nice restaurant. It was charming and full of personality, much like its owner, and had always been a favorite spot of Sam's. He wondered if Ainsley had picked this for her date.

"Now what, Josh? So we know where they are. They're meeting their dates. They're having dinner. Now, what?"

"Now, we wait a few minutes, act causal, go in and pretend that we just happened to stop by for a drink."

~*~*~*~

"Ains! So good to see you!" Bruce hugged her strongly. "This is Fred Wallis, psychologist extraordinaire. Fred, this is Ainsley Hayes and her friend…"

"Donna Moss," Donna chimed in. "Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff. Or Deputy Deputy Chief of Staff, as I like to be called." Stop talking, Donna. She shut up and smiled.

Ainsley glanced at her, then reached out and shook Fred's hand. "It's nice to meet you." Fred wasn't unattractive by any standards with his sandy blonde hair and deep blue-gray eyes partially hidden by glasses, and with a smile that would normally have melted Ainsley's heart. However, Ainsley was becoming progressively more biased toward men. Fred was very good looking, but he wasn't Sam.

Donna shook hands with Fred and Bruce as well.

"Did you get a table?" Ainsley asked cheerfully. She was going to have a good time even if it killed her.

"Sure did, sugar! This place is great! I'm glad you suggested it!"

"Thanks, Bruce."

"Well," said Fred, "shall we sit?" He gestured to their table where they sat, Donna and Bruce on one side with Ainsley and Fred on the other.

"So, Ainsley, you work in the White House as well? Aren't you a Republican? I thought I saw you on that show, Capitol Beat, beating the pants off of Samuel Seaborn."

Ainsley flushed at the reminder of Sam and of that night. She never thought that she'd be friends -- more than friends -- with Sam after that night.

"That was me. And I am a Republican and I do work for the White House as house counsel." Ainsley hoped that didn't come across as defensive as she thought it did.

Fred had noticed Ainsley's reaction to the mention of Sam Seaborn and he shot Bruce a questioning look. Bruce and Donna were wrapped up on some conversation about Donna's boss and they missed Fred's gaze.

Fred Wallis was a behavioral psychologist who was quite well known in psychological circles for his ability to interpret people based on their body language and actions. He had instantly picked up on Ainsley's lack of enthusiasm when she entered the restaurant and the way she had perked up when he mentioned Seaborn's name. This could be interesting.

"What's it like to work in a Democratic White House?" he asked, hoping to open Ainsley up.

"It's been… interesting. I won't say it wasn't hard at first, coming into a job known only as the enemy who slammed a member of senior staff on national television, but now I think everyone has gotten used to having me around."

"We don't even remember what it was like before we were infiltrated," Donna added, smiling broadly. "Ainsley really has become an asset to the staff. Everyone loves her, the president, Leo, even Josh has grown to like her."

"Josh being your boss," Fred confirmed. Donna nodded, trying to suppress a grin.

"It takes him a while to warm up to people," she added.

"That it does," Ainsley agreed. "But now, everyone is really great."

Fred saw his opening. "Even Mr. Seaborn? He doesn't resent that you kicked his ass?"

"Yeah, I did do that, didn't I," Ainsley said and she and Donna burst out laughing. This is how Sam and Josh found them when they entered the restaurant.

~*~*~*~

Josh and Sam scanned the restaurant for a moment before they heard the laughter. They instantly snapped their heads in that direction.

"Josh, this was a bad idea…" Sam said, assuming that Ainsley and Donna were having the times of their lives.

"Yeah, probably," Josh sighed, eyeing Bruce. "Sam, am I better looking than that guy?"

Sam shot Josh a look. "You really don't expect me to answer that, do you? Come on, let's go."

~*~*~*~

Fred saw them first. "Ainsley, isn't that Sam there? With the Deputy Chief of Staff?"

Donna and Ainsley slowly turned to look at each other, brows raised, then turned to where Fred had indicated. In tandem, they drew their gazes back to each other, as if they were communicating telepathically.

"Josh," they said in unison.

"You know it was his idea. And he roped Sam into it," Donna should have been totally pissed off, but she was actually pretty happy that Josh had come after her. She had begun to wonder if he was going to show at all. Of course, she wasn't going to let him know this. She was going to tear into him like every time before.

Ainsley, on the other hand, was more surprised to see Sam. She really didn't think that Josh would have been able to convince him to go. He must've said something to get him to agree to a stunt like this. Still, it upset her that Sam and Josh had followed them here.

"… them over," was all Ainsley caught from Fred before she turned to see him waving to the two startled men.

"What?" she asked.

"I said we should invite them over."

"Oh, I don't know if that's such a good idea because…" Ainsley trailed off as she saw Josh and Sam approach the table.

By the time they reached the table, Josh was looking incredibly sheepish and Donna had managed to work up enough anger to go at him.

"Joshua Lyman! Don't give me any crap! We're going to have a little talk." She dragged him away by his suit jacket, Josh looking like an injured puppy. They stopped at the bar and Donna began on her usual tirade.

Sam stood for a moment, looking unsure. "Uh… I'm sorry, Ainsley. You know Josh…"

"Yeah, I do," Ainsley couldn't help snapping at him. "You could have tried to stop him." She instantly regretted her tone and her words. The look on Sam's face rivaled Josh's and her icy exterior melted.

"Sam, sit." He did, taking the now vacated seat across from Ainsley.

"Sam, this is Fred Wallis," she said, gesturing to him, "and Bruce Davis. Samuel Seaborn."

He shook hands with the two men, eyeing Fred warily. "Nice to meet you both. Sorry to interrupt. I should probably leave." He moved to get up.

"No, please stay," Fred said, genuinely. He knew from the moment he saw Ainsley's eyes connect with Sam when he entered the restaurant that Ainsley had only come on this date as a favor to her friend. Now, from a purely psychological standpoint, he was fascinated at the actions of two of the most powerful men in the country. It appeared to him that they were totally snowballed by these two women. He found that very amusing.

"Before you came in, I was asking Ainsley if you resented her because she outwitted on television."

Sam couldn't tell if Fred was trying to be serious or if he was trying to put Sam down. He eyed Fred for a moment, then decided it was the former. He smiled.

"It took a while to get used to Josh reminding me on a daily basis that I was beat by a girl, and a Republican girl, but I quickly realized Ainsley's value on our staff. And now I like to think that we're friends. But maybe not after tonight." He looked warily at Ainsley.

She didn't quite know what to say, but Bruce saved her for the moment.

"Sammy, you available? You're cute!"

The look on Sam's face was worth the entire evening. He turned his shocked face from Bruce to Ainsley. "You mean…"

"Yeah, Donna was just along for company. And Bruce, no, Sam is not available." Where did that come from? Sam gazed at her oddly. She tried to recover. "What I meant is he's not your type."

"Pity," Bruce replied.

Ainsley turned to Fred and saw him staring at Josh and Donna, who were arguing by the bar.

"I recognize that look, Freddie," Bruce said. "So what's the analysis?"

Fred smiled. "I'm a behavioral psychologist," he told Sam. "And I was just noticing a few things about your friends over there."

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"Well, it's obvious they care about each other a great deal. I could tell that from the moment she looked at him. And look at how they stand. If she was really, really mad at him she wouldn't be standing so close, her eyes would look more serious. She looks like she's scolding him because she has to, not because she wants to. And Josh, he looks like a lost child. He obviously followed Donna here tonight because he can't handle her dating other men and he hasn't figured out how to express himself to her, so he does this instead. By Donna and Ainsley's reactions, I'm figuring this is not the first time he's done something like this. Look at him, his stance. He's the Deputy Chief of Staff of this country, and Donna has him slouched over unable to look her in the eye. He only wants her acceptance but he can't face her rejection. Donna keeps reaching out to touch him, constantly making physical contact. These are two people who are generally good at hiding their emotions, I can tell you that from seeing them on television. However, my conclusion would be that they're in love with each other."

Sam and Ainsley sat there wide-eyed.

"You could tell all that?" Sam asked.

"He is the best," Bruce said.

Fred was hoping to get some sort of confirmation from either Sam or Ainsley. "So, is it true? What do you think of my interpretation?"

"I admit it's something we've all secretly thought. Wow, that was quite impressive Fred." Ainsley smiled at him and Sam's stomach turned.

Fred smiled back. "Thank you."

Donna had finished with whatever lashing she had deemed appropriate for Josh and had headed back to the table, Josh dragging behind.

Sam moved to sit next to Ainsley, so Donna and Josh could sit next to Bruce. Ainsley had to fight her gut reaction to lean back against him.

"Sorry about these two," Donna said. "You think they'd know better." She elbowed Josh in the stomach.

"Yeah, sorry for interrupting," Josh said sheepishly.

"That's okay," Fred said. "So, Josh, what's it like to run the country?"

Josh smiled, "Crazy. But it makes it a lot easier to work with such a great team. Even Ainsley's invaluable, although she is a Republican…"

The four White House staffers laughed. "You know you're afraid of me, Josh. At least Sam stands up to me. He's always wrong, but at least he tries!" Ainsley responded.

She and Donna laughed while Sam mocked injury. "I am NOT always wrong."

Josh looked at him. "Yeah, you are!"

The table laughed and Sam shot Josh a look. Ainsley placed her hand on Sam's and whispered in his ear, "He's just trying to reclaim some dignity."

"Yeah, but what about mine!"

"You mean you had some after I beat your ass?"

"Hey!" Sam exclaimed. He wanted to be upset with her but he couldn't help smiling. After all, there was some truth in what she said. He hadn't been the same since she put him in his place.

Fred had caught part of the conversation between Sam and Ainsley. While he had outwardly shared his views of Josh and Donna he had kept what he was thinking about the other two to himself.

He could tell that Sam and Ainsley were interested in each other and something was keeping them from telling each other. He hadn't quite figured out if it was the political end, like he assumed it was with Josh and Donna, or if it was something else entirely. Like fear. Nonetheless, what he'd assumed from the moment Sam arrived had now been confirmed. He didn't stand a chance with Ainsley.

He turned to hear Bruce asking Donna about Sam. "That Mr. Seaborn… Is it true what they say about men in power?"

Donna burst out laughing and this time Josh looked puzzled. He nudged Donna. "Hey, did he just ask you something about Sam??"

~*~*~*~

"Well, I think it's time for us to be heading out, Bruce." Fred could tell that the two other couples weren't quite sure what to do with themselves.

"Sure! It is getting pretty late."

They got up from the table and exited the restaurant. Josh once again apologized to Bruce and Fred for crashing their date.

"No problem, stud," Bruce said for the sole purpose of riling Josh, who blushed. He then moved over to Ainsley.

"Ains! You should have told me you had a man. I wouldn't have tried to fix you up! He's great! Don't let him go!" Bruce told Ainsley, enveloping her in a bear hug.

"What do you mean? We're not…" she began, but Bruce had already left to say good bye to Sam.

"Sammy-boy! You're adorable!" she heard him say. Sam looked quite flustered.

Fred came over to stand beside Ainsley.

"I'd like to ask you out again, but I don't have to be a psychologist to see that at least one person wouldn't be happy about that."

Ainsley blushed, then cursed herself for doing it. "Fred, Sam and I…" she paused. After Sam's comment earlier in her office and the look on his face when she told him she had a date… She didn't know what she and Sam were.

"Sam and I are friends, but…" she sighed, "I honestly don't know what we are.

"I'm sorry Fred, I hope you haven't had a horrible night. And I truly hope I didn't make you feel ignored. I honestly wasn't expecting Sam to show up. I should have because I figured Josh would follow Donna… and Sam usually gets roped into this stuff, but…" Ainsley stopped, realizing she was rambling. "Anyway, I'm sorry." She reached out and touched his forearm while Sam looked on.

Fred leaned in and gave Ainsley a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, I actually had a great time. I love people, and you and your friends are definitely some of the most fascinating people I have ever met.

"As for you and Mr. Seaborn, you better go placate him before he explodes." Fred gestured to where Sam was standing, looking quite angry.

Sam was, in fact, fuming. But he felt he had no right to. Ainsley was free to date whomever she wanted. He had no claim on her. Sam was beginning to get a pretty good idea of how Josh felt every time Donna went out with another man.

Ainsley returned her gaze to Fred. "Thank you for being so understanding."

"Who am I to stand in the way of true love?" Fred asked, smiling. He gave Ainsley another quick peck on the cheek, then moved to join Bruce.

"Come on, Bruce, let's get out of here," Fred said.

"Oh, fine," Bruce responded, kissing Donna, then Ainsley good bye. He moved to give Sam a kiss, then laughed hysterically at the look of mortification on his face.

"Good bye, Sammy-boy." He then leaned in and whispered to Sam, "Take care of my girl."

"I will," Sam replied with more force than he'd anticipated.