Title: Friendships
Author: Willow
Summary: Sam and Zoey visit Washington.
Spoilers/Episode: Set in an a/u starting after season 5, Memorial Day. This chapter takes place four weeks after Chapter 3.
Characters: Ensemble, Sam and Zoey.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: JWP, NBC and others own these characters, I'm just borrowing them.
Part VI
Sam couldn't believe that he was actually feeling nervous as he entered the Oval Office. This place use to be his second home, sometimes it had felt like his first home. He hadn't been gone that long, surely things couldn't have changed that much, could they? "Mr President," he said as he entered from Leo's office.
Jed looked up, "Mr Seaborn," he smiled. "Sit down, we've got a lot to discuss."
"We do?" Sam asked. "I mean, yes, Mr President, we do," he smiled, suddenly feeling like he hadn't been away.
"Josh tells me you're here for interviews, you're moving back to the east coast."
"Yes, Sir. Chloe starts a new job in Connecticut in September."
"She's a teacher?"
"She teaches 9th grade English, yes. She's from Connecticut and has wanted to move back for a while now. Strangely, I feel more at home here than in California, most of my friends are over here, so I'm happy to move with her."
"Well New England is obvious the finest part of this great country," Jed smiled. "Not to mention that the best people come from there."
Sam returned the smile, "I'm pretty sure Josh would agree with you there, Sir. Although I think Toby may have a different opinion."
"Toby just likes an argument, he knows he's wrong," Jed gave a mock shrug. "Where are your interviews?"
"I had one yesterday in New York with Bellingham, Reid and Burns, I have another on Monday in Hartford with Debavoise and Plimpton."
Jed looked thoughtful, "Didn't Leo use to work there?"
"He did. Josh's father was a partner there, so he hopes I get it. It's actually only a six month contract, which gives me time to work out what I really want to do." In truth Sam hadn't felt settled in a job since he left the White House, deep inside him there was still a longing to be involved in some level of politics.
"And when are you going to make an honest woman of Chloe?" Jed smiled. "More to the point, when do I get to meet her?"
Sam grinned, Chloe would die at the thought of a meeting with the president. He did however promise to bring her to Washington as soon as they could. As he sat talking with Jed, it occurred to him that while Leo may look fine, the president didn't. To Sam he looked tired and seemed to have aged in the 18 months since Sam had last seen him. Maybe that could be put down to pressures of the job and being almost 2 years older, but Sam was still concerned that it was more than that, that perhaps his MS had changed.
............................................................................
While the president was interrogating Sam, Josh went to see whether Charlie had been successful in his mission. "Well?" he asked.
"We're going to the movies on Sunday," Charlie told him, the delight at the news evident in his eyes.
"Excellent. I told you she'd agree."
"You told me to play it carefully," Charlie reminded him. "Then you told me to leave it alone, then to go for it."
"Yeah, well what would I know about women and relationships," Josh shrugged. "Anyway, who cares, she said yes."
"It might not mean anything though, I mean it could just be for old time's sake, do you think?"
"Nah, she still likes you."
"Really?"
Josh shrugged again, "What do I know? You should ask Donna or Mallory, God even Toby's better at this than me."
"Toby?"
"Maybe not," Josh smiled.
"I'm going to ask her. You know like in old movies."
Josh laughed, "You're going to ask her to go steady with you?"
"Yeah, I want to do it right this time."
"How was it wrong last time?"
"It ended, something must have been wrong."
"Fair point," Josh nodded. "But my money would be on the media, the pressure....."
"The hate groups," Charlie finished.
"Yeah."
"They'll all still be around," Charlie pointed out.
"But you're both older and wiser now."
"Older and wiser?" Charlie asked.
"You know what I mean. Plus, in a couple of years we'll be out of office and no one will care."
................................................................................
"How'd it go?" Josh asked Sam as they left Charlie and went to find the others.
"I had to promise to bring Chloe to the White House."
"She'll like that."
"She's going to kill me," Sam replied. "She's shy you know."
"Really?" Josh asked, "She's going to love us then. You are going to bring her to Washington at some point aren't you? It's beginning to look like you're ashamed of us."
"There's been nothing stopping you coming out to California."
"Seriously, have you watched the news recently?" Josh asked. "Tell you what, if you don't make it here by Thanksgiving, we'll come to Bridgeport and see you."
"I'm going to hold you to that," Sam smiled. "Josh, is the president alright, he looks tired."
"I think Fitz's death hit him hard, and Charlie thinks that the fight with Leo is taking its toll." Josh knew what Sam was really worried about though. "It's not MS, at least I'm pretty sure it's not. I think it's just the last few months, they've not been easy."
Sam nodded. "I wish I'd been here for you," he admitted. "When you called from Germany, I almost got on a plane and flew out there."
"Yeah? Thanks," Josh smiled. "Donna's mom was great, even if she did keep reminding me to eat healthily."
"So you got on well with her mom?"
"Yeah, even though she's a republican," he grinned. "Did you know Charlie and Zoey are going on a date?"
"About time," Sam said. "Are they coming tonight?"
"No, they're going to the opera with the president and Abbey, which I'm sure they'll enjoy no end. Almost as much as CJ and Leo, who are going as well."
"The president and Leo are going out together away from the office?"
"It's CJ's biggest nightmare. She's praying that the press don't care about the president visiting the opera."
"I'll bet," Sam agreed. "Although Abbey'll make sure they behave."
"Well, watch the papers and we'll see. So what do you want to do tonight?"
"Who's coming?"
"Me, you, Toby, Will and Donna."
"Can Donna drink on her medication?"
"She can, or at least she does. Why?"
"How about a pub crawl, you know, bar to bar, see how many we can cover."
"Well I'm pretty sure there'll just be you and Toby standing by the end of the evening, but yeah sounds good to me."
Part 7.............