Bipartisanship
Author: ScarlettMithruiel
Rating: PG-13
Classification: R [Sam/Ainsley]
Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to Aaron Sorkin and all related parties.
Summary: Sam tries to decide whether or not he should go after Ainsley, the presidency, and a shot at happiness.
Author's Note: First S/A fic. I really adore them. They're cute. I hope they're in canon. If not, I'm really sorry. . Thoughts are in italics.
Samuel Norman Seaborn was never an impatient man. In fact, he always thought of himself as kind, patient, and generous. He would never do anything to shatter that image of himself. He always wanted to stay on the moral high ground. When it came to love, he was uneducated. Laurie had been sweet, but CJ had almost slaughtered him in the bullpen because of the PR nightmare that she was forced to clean up. Mallory was always touchy. He could never figure out whether or not he was doing things right or wrong with her and he found himself in a constant state of confusion.
With Ainsley Hayes, Sam Seaborn became different. He underwent a metamorphosis of sorts. With Ainsley Hayes, the Republican, he became impatient. He became wanting. He found himself almost crumbling internally, pining away for this woman. When it was dark outside, or light was breaking, and he still found himself in his office, his thoughts wandered. Why was she different? Why was his personality shifting whenever he thought about her?
One night, he theorized that perhaps he was following in Josh's ways. Josh, the strutting and arrogant man, who happened to be pining for his assistant. Josh, who, when he felt sure that nobody was looking, could be the most charming person in the world. Perhaps Sam was picking up his mannerisms. It wouldn't be odd. It would just be that Josh had left a strong impression on him.
When someone had sent Ainsley the dead flowers with the card that read, "bitch," he felt enraged and volatile. He felt the emotions combining within him dangerously. He saw red. He didn't know why it was different. Was it because she was different? Was it because she was Republican? He didn't know. As he sat in his apartment on a lonely Saturday evening, sipping a beer, he thought about his job.
His job certainly provided him with lots of intellectual challenges. It certainly provided him with opportunities to learn to channel his anger. When Toby would stand behind his shoulder and comment on everything as he typed, sometimes, he would feel the urge to snap Toby's neck in half. It also provided him with camaraderie. He had made countless friends (and countless enemies) while working at the White House. Josh, Toby, CJ, Donna, Margaret, even Leo were all somehow members of an extended family.
As he sat there and sipped at his beer, he thought about what he could do to express his feelings to Ainsley. First off, he would ask Leo. He didn't know why he felt such an urge to establish a paternal relationship with Leo. Was it because his own relationship with his father was too painful or too strained? Was it because he detested his own father? Was it because he needed nurturing?
He would send her flowers and write her a love note. He almost gagged on his beer as he thought of Toby's reaction. Maybe Toby would sidle up to him, thinking he was working on something important, and read all the embarrassing and humiliating details that he was sure to hold over his head. Maybe not. He suspected that Toby and CJ had something going on. He was never positive.
Where was he? Had he accomplished what he wanted since he left college or law school? Had he fulfilled his wishes? Was he where he thought he'd be back when he was young, naïve, and idealistic? He had been working at a prestigious law firm, but now, he was working for the President. Surely not a demotion. Was he morally the person he wanted to be? His twenty-something self chided him that he thought that by now, he'd be engaged or married? But to who? Would he be married to Lisa Sherborne and have little Sherborne-Seaborns running around?
Two days later, on Monday, he found himself walking to Leo's office with shaking hands and sweaty palms. He was nervous. Why? Could he still be that naïve twenty-something and believe that Ainsley was his soulmate? God, he could. He spoke a few, clipped words with Margaret. He wasn't trying to be rude. He was just…what's the word? He was a speechwriter! He could think of a word to surpass all other weak words. Anxious. Yes, he was just anxious.
"Come in," Leo's gruff voice spoke. He entered Leo's office, noting the familiar décor. Leo was holding a piece of paper in his hands and his reading glasses were on. Was he reading a bill or a memo? Was Sam interrupting something important? "What do you want, Sam?"
"Well, I wanted to know if I could have your permission to date…" Sam took a deep breath. You can do this. You can say 'a co-worker.' Could he?
Leo didn't look up. "Sam, I thought we already talked about Mallory. Look, I have no problem, all right?"
"It's not Mallory." Leo looked up at him. He removed his reading glasses and looked at the younger man standing by his desk, looking like a disciplined child in the principal's office. "Do I have your permission to date a coworker?"
"What coworker? You're not asking me on behalf of Josh, are you? That's noble and all, Sam, but Josh has to wait until the end of the term to date Donna." Josh had a thing for Donna. It was known as fact.
"I'm not asking on behalf of Josh, sir. I'm asking if I could possibly date a Republican consultant…that you and the President…consult with." His words were not positively eloquent. His ivy league vocabulary was failing him. Leo's expression changed into a slight smile.
"Is that all?" Sam nodded apprehensively. "Yeah, yeah. A word of caution, Sam. We've been through all this with Laurie. Try, just try, to keep it under wraps. Tell CJ if you have to. Avoid a media disaster." Sam nodded and practically skipped on his way out. Of course, she might not accept his…proposition. He shook off the thought and called Cathy and told her to call a local florist and order a bouquet of red and white carnations. Cathy, in playful nature, added if he'd want blue also. He was already in his office.
Ainsley Hayes had been sitting in her boiler of an office, trying to work on an argument as to why gay marriage should be allowed, when someone entered. A man asked her to sign for something. She did and she was handed a white box with a red ribbon tied around it. The box held a dozen red and white carnations. There was a card. "Have a proposition for you. –Sam." She smiled and headed up towards Sam's office.
When she arrived, Toby was leaning against a bookcase and critiquing his work as he was typing it. They both looked tense. Toby and Sam were arguing over the use of the word delegated. "The Republicans will make it seem like we're handing it off." Ainsley cleared her throat. Their heads shot up to look at her.
"I'm taking a break."
"Yeah."
Ainsley followed Sam out into the bullpen and into Josh's office. He shut the door behind them. "What's your proposition?" she asked, leaning against the wall.
"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to join me for lunch tomorrow." Ainsley smiled despite her best efforts not to. She had an inner urge to be coy and coquettish. Coy and coquettish? I'll just have lunch with him.
"Is this a date?"
"A business lunch," he replied, with a sparkle in his eye. Just then, the door opened. Josh glanced up from reading a file he was holding and looked at both of them.
"This is still my office, right?" Sam nodded. "Was I…in the middle of something?" Ainsley shook her head. "Okay." Donna peeked her head in and informed Josh that he had a meeting with Senator Hudson on the Hill in ten minutes. They quickly exited his office.
Sam, still trying to avoid doing work of any kind, decided to speak to CJ about the matter. He was going to charm this woman in any means possible. Besides, maybe it'll help with my writer's block. He stepped into her office. She lifted a finger and continued her phone conversation. She hung up a few minutes later. "What was that about?"
"I was just settling something. What do you need?" Sam closed the door and leaned against the doorjamb a little.
"I talked to Leo about something and I just wanted to clear it with you. In case it ever came up in the Press Room." CJ mumbled something incoherently as she leafed through a file. "What?"
"Nothing. What is it?"
"Well, I'm trying to…establish…a relationship with Ainsley that may be more than just friendship." Her mouth opened in shock. "As I said before," he restated, trying to resituate the topic and make her feel better, "I already cleared it with Leo."
"So you won't get fired, but this could be just the ammo the Republicans need to get us during the election year."
"CJ, I was guilt-free about this and now, I have guilt." He paused. "Ammo?" She shrugged.
She sighed. "I'll do the best I can."
"Thanks."
The following day, at noon, Sam and Ainsley met at a diner. He ordered a club sandwich, with French fries, and she ordered a salad. "You know, you should probably eat more than that pile of lettuce." She looked up from her file.
"Sam," she said, with a hint of sternness.
He took a bite of his club sandwich. "What?" he asked, innocently. She pushed the file towards him and he surveyed its contents. "They're going to oppose 415?" She nodded. "They can't!"
"Seeing as how they are, they can." She stabbed a piece of Romaine lettuce with her fork. She chewed slowly as he rambled out his argument. "Do you ever talk in a steady stream? It all comes out rapidly at the same time."
"This from the girl that speaks in iambic pentameter." She looked shocked. "Assistants talk, you know, and Tribbey's office offers much intrigue." She smirked and placed another forkful of lettuce in her mouth. As she chewed, he found his eyes being drawn to her lips. Suddenly aware of his eyes on her, she blushed.
"What? Do I have dressing on my face or something?" He shook his head. "Then wha…" She was interrupted as he leaned over the table to capture her lips with his. She made a muffled noise and when he pulled away a second later, he apologized.
"I'm sorry, Ainsley." I just had to fulfill a sudden urge to…well…kind of…attack you. "Forgive me?" She was a bit unnerved…and she had flushed a few degrees warmer…but she quickly composed herself.
"Sure." She dabbed at the corners of her mouth, just to make sure there wasn't something there. He almost laughed out loud at her sincerity to be professional. This was the West Wing. The place where quite a few Senior Staffers, to their discomfort, had seen the First Lady in a negligee, where once a year, they met in designer outfits and partied, where they were close and friendly and personal, where relationships budded everywhere, where some staffers slept overnight with ties off and buttons unbuttoned with Chinese food stains splattered on their shirt abstractly. "What was that about? Was that how Democrats tell people they have something on their face? What would you do if you had to tell Josh?" She chuckled softly.
Going along with the joke, he replied, "I'd get Donna." She smiled. "There was nothing on your face, Ainsley. I just felt like…doing…that." She wore an expression that told Sam that his answer was about as clear as the sky in Seattle.
"Doing that? You felt like doing that? Is there no reason? There's absolutely no motivation for why you did that?" There's got to be a reason. There has to be. "We'll sit here all day if we have to."
"You'll really keep me here all day?" She nodded. Should I tell her the truth? "You want the truth?" She gave him a look that read, "Obviously." I have feelings for you. Five words…syllabically not hard to pronounce. "I…um…I…ahem…"
"Are we going to get past the pronoun in this sentence?" She smiled, letting him know that she wasn't trying to be uncivil, just asking him to possibly get rid of the cat that was clutching his tongue with both paws.
"I…may…have…feelings for you." The last three words were mumbled together. She listened, continued eating her salad. In a few moments, she decided she had deciphered his sentence.
"Ah. I don't know what to say, Sam." He's really saying this? What am I going to do? I could tell him that I've pined for him for a while. "I'm utterly speechless." As a waitress passed, she flagged down the waitress and asked her for a blueberry muffin, as well as a slice of the pecan pie. The waitress nodded and headed back into the kitchen.
"You're speechless, yet you're still hungry. You never cease to amaze me, Ainsley." He shook his head in disbelief. She leaned in to kiss him. The kiss was different than his. Hers was a bit less chaste than his, it was open-mouthed, but it still clung to innocence. It was soft and gentle. As they pulled away, he spoke softly, "What was that for?"
"You're the deputy communications director. Why don't you figure it out?" She smirked, and as if on cue, the waitress arrived with her blueberry muffin and slice of pie. Sam could do anything right now, but that. Think. He couldn't think. He was absolutely thoughtless. He watched her eat. "What?"
"Can you take it to go?" She nodded and consequently asked the waitress for a bag. Sam paid and they headed towards the White House again. "Come with me to my office." She nodded and followed him into his office. He closed the door behind them before pushing her against the door and kissing her fiercely. She groaned softly and returned the kiss. They pulled apart and stood in close proximity, their breathing reduced to fast pants. There was a knock on the door. Sam opened the door where Josh stood. Ainsley quickly murmured something before she left for her own office. Josh quickly informed him of a situation involving the Energy Secretary.
"CJ needs a briefing, and the President needs a speech for the dinner with the Wildlife Protection Association." As he prepared to leave, he smirked. "You have some lipstick on the corner of your mouth, Sam. Funny, I didn't think that was your color." He headed back towards his office and Sam stood there, speechless, the remains of a smudge of lipstick on his thumb. He smiled and closed the door, sitting at his desk, and beginning to write the speech for the WPA.
