"Lily is here and she seems pissed. I'll give you a call in five?"
"Make it four, show her in and thanks Ginger."
"Lily what can I do for you?"
Lily closed Sam's door and bared her fangs "You can start by going home and taking care of your pain in the ass wife."
"Excuse me?"
"Mara's got the sniffles so the First Lady blows off an event I've had booked for months."
"The modern thing? A... Dr. Bartlet never wanted to go to that exhibit in the first place. She hates modern art and Toby and I had to listen to her complain about it months ago. I bet she's thrilled to have a real excuse to skip it."
"The First Lady, represents the women of this country. Her personal tastes often don't get considered. Sam, from the moment Mara arrived, she's done nothing but undermine me and I'm sick of it."
"Believe me Lily you never enter Mara's mind. While she does enjoy undermining as a sport, she goes after much bigger fish in the political pond. Why on earth do you think that?"
"The First Lady and I didn't always see eye to eye but I never had problems handling her until Mara arrived. I never had to chastise the First Lady's wardrobe, remind her that water fights are inappropriate fun or had to fight for her ear until Mara showed up. The First Lady started digging her heels in about her wardrobe and she told me to go to hell in the Bahamas. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard "Mara and I were actually talking about this a..." I could retire! Control your wife Sam and let me do my job!"
Ginger knocked once and then opened the door, "Sam, the Speaker is on line one for you."
"Thanks Ginger, Lily was just leaving."
"So you aren't going to do a thing?"
"No, Lily, I'm not. I couldn't control my wife if I wanted to. I suggest you start updating your resume, because if you think for a second, you are going to win a battle of wills against Dr. Bartlet.... it's time to find a job you can handle. Oh yeah, I learned a long time ago, that there is nothing worse than attempting to handle the First Lady. She almost ate me alive."
"Well, I...."
"For the record Lily, if you ever put Dr. Bartlet in a position of choosing sides, not only are you going to lose, you are going to lose so fast your grandchildren will still be saying whoa! Good day."
The vein in Lily's neck was pulsating and Sam wondered for a moment if she was going to explode. Instead she gave him a death glare and stormed out of the room. Ginger was tempted to trip her as she went by, but she thought better of it and went into Sam's office instead.
"Wow, way to go Boss, you put her Royal Highness in her place. I can't stand her and her superior attitude. You should go sit in on CJ's meeting."
"Ginger, just how often do you have me under surveillance and why CJ ?"
"Notice I left the door half open, after I told you about the call? Don't worry Sam. I don't need electronics to hear what I want to. CJ's got to meet with the Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's going to be popcorn worthy according to Josh."
"When is it?"
"Twenty minutes."
"Ginger if you make us popcorn, we'll just happen by the back of the press room and stop in to say hello."
"Deal."
"Hey whom did you have to see?"
"How did you not even get a single cheese head today?"
"Two words: pardon recommendations."
"Oh yeah, I got people who want us to recognize Venice Beach as a state unto itself. Then I got a group of concerned citizens from Washington State who are afraid that one Tim Horton's in Washington DC is going to disturb the coffee ecosystem they've got going there."
"You're kidding?" Sam laughed.
"No, I'm not. They asked about getting to see The Canadian Ambassador..."
"What did you do?"
"I gave them your home phone number. What do you think I did Sam? I refereed them to Josh and walked them over to his office."
"Ginger that was inappropriate and counter to the spirit of Cheese Day."
"As CJ said earlier, you want to make out with me right now don't you."
"When don't I Ginger Ale?" Sam replied flashing her a grin.
"Whoa, that's exactly what Toby said."
"Go get the popcorn Ginger and I'm going to scrub my brain to get Toby out of it. Hey where..."
"Toby is meting with 100 or so kids from a forum hosted by World Policy Studies.."
"I'm sure he was thrilled."
"I think he's going to teach them how to protest. CJ made it wire only and that's...."
"..why he wants to make out with her, I get it. Now go procure us some popcorn."
"Donna wanted to see you this morning but I told her you weren't in. She's at lunch with her friend."
"It couldn't have been that important or she would have called me at home."
Ginger had just left when Josh came down the hall. "Sam, I need you to fire Ginger."
Sam chuckled, "The coffee Mafia after you, Josh?"
"You put her up to this?"
"No, Ginger is evil on her own. So the coffee cartel, talk about your crackpots."
"Yeah, I finally told them that Mara, would point out that Starbucks had no conscious when they invaded Canada and set up shop across the street for every Tim Horton's they could. I also pointed out, that she'd probably serve them Tim's coffee and they'd really have trouble on their hands because they'd love it ."
"Did you mention they were drinking Tim's coffee in the White House?"
"No, Sam, I didn't want to open that can of worms and Ginger assured me they didn't get coffee from our station."
"I guess not."
"Well, I've got to return a phone call and then head over to CJ's crackpots."
"The cartographers? I bet they want the Pieter's Projection map to officially be recognized by the US government."
"Peter, Paul, Bob's what is the damn difference? Gotta go or I'll miss the floor show."
"They must have really lowered the standards the year Josh got his Fulbright." Bonnie said quietly as she passed Sam.
Sam chuckled and went down to the mess to get a couple of Cokes to go with the popcorn. He bought a Fresca and left it sitting on Ainsley's desk. He thanked her earlier with Krispy Kreme's when he asked her about the last two pardons but she deserved one more treat he thought. A can of Fresca was his traditional thank you with Ainsley. He meet Ginger in the hall and traded a can of Coke for a bag of microwave popcorn. They entered the press room from the back and sat down facing the podium waiting for the OCSE and CJ. Carol happened to walk by and stopped inside to roll her eyes at them. She shoved a file folder at Sam.
"Geez, you two are amateurs at this. Share the popcorn with me kiddies and I'll make you look legit."
When CJ ushered the cartographers into her pressroom she spotted the trio at the back and rolled her eyes.
"Popcorn guys?"
"Sorry CJ we didn't realize you were using the room. Carol's helping us craft that message for later." Ginger said.
"Yeah well, one kernel hits me in the head and I'm going to beat you all to death. You can stay as long as you are quite and don't disturb my meeting. Folks, I'd like you to meet the Deputy Communications Director: Sam Seaborn, his assistant Ginger and my assistant Carol who really should have been listening to me earlier when I said I was using the room."
Carol had the good sense to look apologetic even though she knew CJ wasn't buying any of it. CJ had just started the meeting when Josh came waltzing in. from the back.
"Wait, I want to see this."
"This is Josh Lyman. Josh this is Dr. John Fallow and his merry men."
Once the pleasantries were over Dr. Fallows explained the inaccuracies of the traditional Mercature map including relative size and positioning. The popcorn stopped being popped into mouths as the trio tried to find Europe while CJ started seriously thinking about where the hell anything was.
Josh left to check up on Toby. CJ asked how they could avoid the top bottom situation and the Cartographers reversed the map, CJ told them they couldn't do that because it freaked her out and the trio chuckled. After the meeting CJ snatched the bag of popcorn out of Sam's hand.
"Why is it that every time I walk out of one of these cheese meetings I think they have a point?"
"Well, Ceeg, you are a sucker for cute animals which you told us Pluie was and every word those people just told us was true. Your brain automatically equates the top of anything as being more important. I'm going home, see you later and you can keep the popcorn."
Sam had just walked passed security when he ran into Donna and her friend.
"Sam? Ginger told me you were given the day off due to exhaustion."
"Yeah, but she's still sick and got on my nerves so I fled for awhile when her friend Abbey showed up. Ainsley helped me out last night and I just wanted to find out what I recommended. Now I'm going home to catch up on my sleep."
"So the pardon recommendations are done?" Stephanie asked with a fallen face.
"Done, they've all been quickly rechecked by Tribbey's office and the President has had them for about 5 hours now. Sorry, have we met and why do you know what I've been working on?" Sam asked looking at Donna.
"Josh didn't mention anything to you? " Donna asked.
"Donna, I've been here for maybe an hour. I went straight down to see Ainsley then up to the bull pen. Ginger read me the riot act for being in today and left me alone for a minute before Lily stormed into my office. Then Josh happened by and we talked for all of a minute, before he had to go make some call and I went in search of Coke to go with Ginger's popcorn. You still haven't answered my question."
"Sam, this is my friend Stephanie Gault. Stephanie and I were at Wisconsin together and bonded as the result of mutual loathing for the same ex-boyfriend. She's an associate professor of International Relations at the Maxwell School."
(Gault? Nah can't be, just a coincidence) "What are you doing in DC.?"
"I advice the WTO in certain areas of macroeconomics, so the odds of a global monetary crisis
happening very soon, are fairly high."
"What is it I can do for you, Stephanie?"
"Sam, my grandfather was Daniel Gault."
(So it's not a coincidence) "I see."
"Yeah"
"Donna, do you know who Daniel Gault was?" Sam asked starting to understand why Stephanie wanted to see him.
"He was a White House staffer in the '40s."
"Daniel Gault was more than that, he was a Special Economic Assistant to FDR and Special Liaison to State for Eastern European Affairs."
"Then he was jailed for espionage and died in prison six months later." Donna added.
"The charge wasn't espionage. They couldn't make espionage. He was put in jail for perjury for lying in front of HUAC."
"Sam, Stephanie wants her grandfather to be included among those being considered for an executive pardon."
"From everything I've learned you're the only person to speak to about this. That you have the ear of the President." Stephanie said.
"Yeah" Sam sighed not thrilled that Donna was putting him in this position "I'm afraid it's impossible to demonstrate remorse since he's no longer alive. Demonstrating his innocence is also extremely complicated."
"Sam you've already demonstrated his innocence."
" Excuse me?"
"You've already demonstrated his innocence and in an extraordinarily compelling way. You've also spoken eloquently on the need for his pardon."
"When did I do that Stephanie?
"At Princeton, for 23 pages in the middle of your thesis." Stephanie hands it to Sam
"I haven't seen this for...where did you get it?"
"You sent it to my father."
"That I did."
"I'm sure it doesn't seem like there should be a great hurry about getting a pardon for someone who's been dead fifty years, but time's become a factor."
"Your father's dying?
"Yes."
Sam sighed again. Abbey was going to hurt him and Mara wasn't going to be thrilled but he couldn't say no.
"I don't think there is much I can do, but do you both want to go to the mess and get some coffee and we can talk?"
"Sure." Donna replied.
"Stephanie, you understand this is a lengthy process. To start I'll have to speak to the FBI."
"Sam..."
"I have to give them a heads up before I do anything."
"You aren't going to get anywhere. My Dad requested the file in the late '70s and was denied.
He tried suing under the Freedom of Information Act and the judge ruled that the file couldn't be completely disclosed because it met three of nine exemptions allowed."
"Yeah, National Defense and Foreign Relations Information, Internal Agency Rules and Practices, and Personal Privacy. I tried to request them for my thesis."
"All because the FBI is simply embarrassed about this period in their history. "
"Do you blame them?" Sam asked with a smile.. "Which is why I have to give them the heads up. Donna knows how to contact you right?"
"We're having dinner tonight." Donna supplied.
"I'll let you know by then. Stephanie, I really need you to understand that it's not going to be able to happen now. The pardons are in and to add even one and clear it through the process would take a month or more."
"I understand. I just need to be able to give him some good news. He's a sweet man in a bow tie, Sam. His father... He's been trying for so long to.."
"All right then, I'll see what I can do and get back to you."
Sam called Mara and let her know he was on yet another damsel is distress mission. When Mara heard it was for Donna, she told him that as long as he was home by ten, he'd live. Josh, thanked Sam for helping Donna out and set up a meeting with a friend from the FBI . The meeting didn't go well. The moment, Sam stepped into the bullpen Ginger, had a message for him to go down to the situation room to see Nancy. Nancy, told Sam to drop the Gault inquiry. Sam trusted Nancy, but the lawyer in him continued ranting about the burden of proof. Nancy, finally handed him a five hundred page NSA file. After assuring Sam, she wasn't going to lose her job for showing him secure documents since she'd blacked out what was necessary, Sam knew that Daniel Gault had indeed been a spy and was responsible for a woman's death. He made his way to the now empty mess and began tossing sugar packets in a metal pot. Each little pack clang as it hit the pot. He'd been tossing them for nearly an hour when Donna found him sitting in the dark.
"Sam, where have you been all afternoon? What are you doing?"
"I've been around and then I came down here to practice my sugar tossing, 'cause if you don't practice, then you might as well give the clarinet to a kid who'll use it." Sam said bitterly.
"Sam, Stephanie is upstairs in your office since Josh just got back with Toby. Were you able to..."
"He's a spy ."
"Are you sure? Is it possible that..."
"His code name was "Black Water." He hand copied State Department and White House documents, delivering them to the Soviets. They included...
"Sam"
"President Roosevelt's plans to enter the war..."
"Sam, you can't tell her. You have to tell her something else."
Sam continued not even listing to Donna. "Possible recruitment targets, lists of Communists and Communist sympathizers in the State Department and National Recovery Administration."
"Saam" Donna begged.
"What are you, out of your mind? I'm telling her right now." Sam insisted as the rage started to boil inside him, as he made his way upstairs.
Donna chased after him "Sam, please, you really can't do this."
"Secret memoranda on the U.S. negotiating stance at Yalta."
"Please stop walking Sam, you aren't in the right ..."
Sam completely ignored her. Hell bent on finishing his mission.
"Sam, nothing good will come from telling her." Donna pleaded as she chased him up the stairs.
"The truth isn't good?" Sam asked incredulously.
"No, not right now, her father is not going to live another three months... let it go till then.
"Hey, I'm not to blame here. She asked me to look into this."
"I'm saying, you wait three months until..." Donna gave him a sympathetic look.
"What?"
"You're in a bad..."
"Donna.."
"Listen to me! You're in a bad place right now and you shouldn't make this decision. If you don't tell her tonight, you can tell her tomorrow. If you tell her tonight, that's it."
"Donna."
"It was people pushing paper around fifty years ago. Why does it matter?"
Sam stopped on the landing giving Donna a chance to catch up to him. He couldn't believe Donna didn't know why it mattered.
"It was high treason, and it mattered a great deal! This country is an idea, and one that's lit the world for two centuries and treason against that idea is not just a crime against the living! This ground holds the graves of people who died for it, who gave what Lincoln called the last full measure of devotion. Of fidelity. You understand the last full measure of devotion to... Treason against them is... "
Donna could see the tears threatening to spill from Sam's eyes. "Sam." She whispered.
"Donna, there was a translator in the Hungarian trade mission named Shaba Demsky. She was murdered in 1952. She was about to reveal the name of a Soviet agent called Black Water. This girl's going to find out who her father was."
Sam continued up the stairs until Donna's call stopped him and he turned around.
"Sam... You meant grandfather." She correctly softly.
Sam realized his mistake but continued down the hall to his office at a clipped pace. Stephanie stood up when she saw Sam at the door and smiled.
"Tell me you have good news."
"Have you ever heard of a woman named Shaba Demsky?" Sam almost hissed.
"No, Sam?" Stephanie asked wondering why Sam looked fit to be tied.
Sam looked past Stephanie to Donna as she stood just outside his door. (Fuck you Dad, I almost ruined two lives because I hate you so much right now. Stephanie, doesn't deserve to feel like I do and a dying man doesn't have to hear that his father not only lied to him his whole life but was a spy who got an innocent woman killed.)
Donna watched Sam silently. She could tell he'd gone deep inside and was arguing with himself. She had to believe in Sam, that he could never intentionally be cruel to an innocent bystander.
"I'm sorry, Stephanie. I wasn't able to get access to the people I needed, to have it considered this time around. Why don't you tell your father you'll be able to try again in three months."
"So, you're open to it?"
"Absolutely." Sam lied.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips. " That's all he needed. That's all I needed."
Donna entered the office, smiling softly at Sam mouthing thank you to him.
"Donna did you hear?" Stephanie asked happily
"Yeah, you should call him right now. Go use my phone, dial 9 first."
"Thank you, everyone was right about you, Sam."
"Sam's da man." Donna concurred.
Sam looked crestfallen and Donna wrapped her arms around him.
"It's just that...there are some things you are just so sure of like longitude and latitude..."
"Sam, didn't CJ's meeting sort of put longitude and latitude into question?"
Sam chuckled, and released himself from Donna's hug just as Josh arrived at his office door.
"You should have seen Toby."
"He was good? " Sam asked.
"He blew the doors off the place. Then I almost got killed."
"What? " Donna and Sam asked in unison.
"I got hit with a flying piece of a banana."
Donna and Sam looked at like Josh like he was a loon. Toby had just arrived and shook his head at Josh. "Come on let's go."
Josh looked at Toby and grinned. "You know what you are? You are old school, my friend."
"Cut it out Josh and let's go."
"Let me tell you something, though. That was the second time this year I almost got killed and both times I was with you so you're going to need a new wing man."
"You were my old wing man?" Toby ask dubiously.
"Yeah."
"Let's go." Toby repeated.
"Where are you going?" Donna asked.
"Toby and I decided we are going to get Sam drunk and then put him to bed."
"Isn't that Mara's job? I don't think she'll be too happy to have a drunken lump beside her but I'll come too."
"I'm going to meet you there guys." Sam said.
"You sure Sam?" Josh asked, to which Sam nodded.
"All right. See you there buddy"
Sam watched them leave and started to call his Dad. He got the answering machine instead.
"Dad, it's me...I'll try you tomorrow."
Sam hung up the phone, drained a bottle of water and walked slowly over to the Hawk and Dove. He called Mara on the way and got Abbey who told him Mara was asleep with her head in Abbey's lap.
"Abbey, it's been one of those days to go with the week from hell I've been having. I'm going to have a drink or two at the Hawk and Dove with Josh, Donna and Toby. I'll be home by ten I promise. Thanks for looking after her."
"Have a drink for me Sam, then arrange for a car to be waiting at 9:45 to get you home. As for Miss Grumpy here, it sure as hell beat a modern art exhibit and arguing with Jed over dinner. I'm spending the night."
"Will a JD on the rocks do?"
"That should hit the spot, just don't mix your drinks young man!"
"Yes Mom, see you soon."
"Bye Sam." Abbey hung up the phone and went back to watching Arabesque on TCM.
Sam drank one JD on the rocks and nursed a second until Donna got tired of the ice melting and downed it in one gulp. She offered to get him another drink but Sam declined.
"Sam, only Josh can get drunk on one and a half drinks." Toby said with a smirk.
"Hey! I resent that remark." Josh exclaimed.
"I appreciate the offer to get me drunk but the world will still be off kilter in the morning and all I'll have to show for it is a hangover and a pissed off wife. A pissed off, sick wife actually, which is a very volatile situation to say the least. Thanks guys but I'm going home."
"Bu, giving you a curfew now?" Josh teased.
"Yeah and to tell the truth I don't really mind. What's the use of having a wife, if I never get to see her. Night guys see you on Monday."
Sam was up and gone before Josh, Toby or Donna could think of anything to say. Josh asked about the pardon and Donna told them both what Sam found out and what he said to Stephanie.
Toby excused himself once he finished his drink and headed home to give Mandy a call. He hadn't talked to her for two weeks and figured he'd surprise her by actually making the first call. He was worried about Sam and shuddered to think what would come next, since he believed bad things happened in three's and Sam's accident was in the old calendar year.
The first thing Sam noticed when he walked in the door was the dinning room lights. He found a bowl of hot soup, a grilled chicken sandwich and a bowl of salad sitting on the dining room table with a note.
Sam, eat all your dinner. Abbey's gone to bed and I'm waiting up for you. Mar. 955pm.
Sam smiled, he hadn't eaten since lunch and he was quite hungry. He had a few spoons full of soup and poured the rest into his coffee mug and went upstairs. He knocked on the guest bedroom door, opened it and said good night to Abbey who was reading.
Sam put the mug of soup on Mara's bedside table and flopped down on the bed. He remained silent for a few moments until he sighed.
"I've changed my mind, can we go to Anguilla in the morning and never come back?"
"I take it Daniel Gault really was a spy."
"Yeah and he cost a woman named Shaba Demsky her life. I'm never going to be able to forget her name now." Sam sighed.
"Sam, if you could forget it, I wouldn't love you as I do. So what did you tell Stephanie?"
"That I couldn't talk to people I needed to this time around, but she could try again in three months."
"You wanted to tell her though didn't you?"
"I started to until I saw Donna and knew that Stephanie shouldn't pay for the sins of my father. What good would it do for her dying father to know that his father was slime."
"It's been one hell of a disappointing week for you hasn't it."
"That's putting it mildly. It's like everyone and everything I've ever believed in is either a lie or has lied to me. Even Donna didn't understand why treason was such a crime. She actually said and I quote, "It was people pushing paper around fifty years ago. Why does it matter?" When Stephanie first met me she tried buttering me up by saying she heard I had the President's ear on this stuff. Why didn't Donna tell her I didn't need my ego stroked to do something? After everything we've been through, she should know I'm not like that. What made her think...maybe for fun but...I'm not like that." Sam said sadly.
"I know Sam, Donna knows it too. Stephanie probably said it first and Donna figured it wouldn't hurt. You don't always think when a friend is in need.. Tell her in the morning and I'm sure she'll be properly ashamed and sorry."
"I'm not going in tomorrow. I don't care if we declare war on someone I've had it with that place until Monday morning."
"Don't hold back now, tell me how you real feel!" Mara teased.
"I feel like you are the only person left I can trust in." Sam said seriously.
"Oh Sam," Mara said softly and gave him a gentle kiss.
"I called my Dad and got the machine."
"Were you relieved?"
"I thought I was. Now that I think about it, I wish I could just give him my very low opinion of him and move on."
"You want him out of your brain, I can understand that. Call him in the morning. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Nah, maybe after I talk to the jackass."
"Kay, can I finish your soup?"
"Why do you think I put it beside you? Were you giving Abbey a hard time too?"
"Depends, what did she call me?"
"Miss Grumpy."
"Then I was only annoying her. She wanted me to drink more water and I snapped my name wasn't Gail.. After you left we watched six episodes of Bewitched."
"While you were watching Samantha twitch, I was listening to Lily bitch.."
"You mean Lily the bitch. Lily talking to you.....let me guess, she wanted you to control your wife."
"Technically, she wanted me to control my pain in the ass wife. I told her that was never going to happen and if she didn't like it, she should start updating her resume and look for a job she can handle."
"Were you wearing your glasses at the time?"
"I think so, why?"
"The only thing I find sexier than you all puffed up or demonstrating your geek bravado is you wearing your glasses, when you are all puffed up or demonstrating your geek bravado."
Sam chuckled, the memory of his bad day and week temporarily forgotten thanks to his crazy wife. She had the uncanny ability to change his mood in less than a minute.
"Hey, I thought you said wet Sam ranked right up there."
"Oh it does honey, but we haven't been caught in a rainstorm since that night on our honeymoon so it's more of a floating sexy thing."
"I see, are you up for a little debating Mrs. Seaborn?" Sam inquired with one perfectly raised eyebrow.
"First of all, Abbey is down the hall and while you can be fairly quiet I haven't quite mastered that particular skill yet. Secondly, a coughing fit in the middle of debating spoils the mood. Finally, I can't keep a thought in my head long enough to even handle a real debate. So I guess the answer is debate with yourself."
"Mara!"
The look Sam gave her, caused Mara to break out laughing which quickly became contagious as Mara teased him with rising to the occasion jokes. Abbey heard the laughter and smiled. Sam had looked rather forlorn, old and unhappy when he said good night and hearing him laughing his head off made her feel better and worry less. They finally stopped giggling and settled into a restful slumber.