Bipartisanship
Title: Bipartisanship
Author: ScarlettMithruiel
Classification: R
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. They belong to Aaron Sorkin.
Author's Note: Sorry I didn't update in such a long time! I want to make sure my beloved characters stay in character and are true to themselves. Please note that this story does not really follow a strict timeline. Anyhow, to those that reviewed, thank you! I really appreciate it. Reviews are like chocolate biscotti. You can't have just one! By the way, I'm really, really sorry if they're out of character. I have the best of intentions, I swear. I have to say that this chapter seems like the worst chapter I've ever written for this story. I'm really sorry. It's a really bad draft. But, try to bear through it. I hope better chapters are to come.
At seven-thirty a.m., a drowsy Sam Seaborn, enters the West Wing, barely registering his surroundings. It had been a difficult day for him yesterday. History had repeated itself yesterday, and he had metaphorically spent the entire day searching for his talent and his potential. He hadn't left the building until two-thirty a.m.
So, on this delightfully hushed Thursday morning, as Sam was pouring his morning cup of lukewarm coffee, a wrench was flung into the system. Josh had sidled up to him that morning, and in what might seem an ironic turn of events, his coffee metamorphosed into a very familiar Pink Squirrel, and fled from his hand, splattering all over Josh's crisp blue shirt.
After many apologies, Josh began to have the conversation he wanted to have with Sam in the middle of the Communications Bullpen. "You were late this morning," Josh said, dabbing at the stain with a napkin.
"Traffic on Dupont was hell this morning," he replied.
"Enough to make you more than an hour late? This isn't LA."
"I never lived in LA. CJ lived in LA. That would be a great metaphor, if I were CJ, but I'm not."
"This isn't New York."
"Ah. A metaphor befitting myself."
Communications Director Toby Ziegler made his appearance, bag in hand. "That's just about the worst sentence I've ever heard."
"It's jargon."
"For a drunk third-grader." Toby shook his head in disbelief before heading into his office. He continued with his daily routine, turning on the television and booting up his computer.
"We need to know that the people who make the decisions that affect our lives are not criminals. The Democrats are not going to provide us with the type of representation we need! The Democrats have every Tom, Dick, and Harry representing. We have drug addicts and alcoholics sitting idly by in the West Wing getting high or drunk, respectively, and making crucial decisions on national security! And I have recently received information which proves that certain White House staffers are unscrupulous in their relationship choices as well." Toby looked up, and watched the television screen.
"CJ!" he yelled, eliciting an, "I'm watching!" from CJ. "Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"You watching?" Sam stumbled into Josh as they rushed into his office.
"I am now."
At senior staff that day, Leo addressed the issue with the Senior staffers. "How are we going to resolve this?" he asked.
"Well, he brought up the drug and alcohol issue and now he's accusing us of being unscrupulous? Nothing's going to come of this."
"Nothing? This is a disaster. They have something. It's McAllister. He wouldn't challenge us if he didn't have something," CJ replied.
"Okay. One at a time. Please."
"How is he going to prove we're unscrupulous?"
"That thing with Sam and the hooker."
"For the last time, could we stop calling her 'the hooker?'"
"So what am I going to tell the press?"
"Tell them that the thing with Sam and the call girl has come up before."
"What about their questions?"
"Try and avoid answering any of them. We don't want to say we think McAllister's an idiot."
"If we challenge him, maybe we can find out what his claims are and solve them."
"You can't solve a claim. All grammatical errors aside, I agree with Josh."
"All right. CJ, challenge McAllister. Find out what evidence he has that proves that White House staffers are unscrupulous."
CJ Cregg, Press Secretary, walked into the press room that day feeling particularly queasy. As annoying as they were, the press were her friends also, in a manner of speaking, and she always felt uneasy lying to them, even though her outer demeanor said otherwise. There were some days, however, when she hated them for their objectivity and the way they always wanted the scoop. It was days like today and days like before, when she had to deal with questions about Leo's alcoholism and drug addiction or the shooting. Today, she had to address another personal issue: Sam's personal life.
"CJ! CJ!"
"Katie."
"What does the White House think of McAllister's claims of unscrupulousness in the White House?"
"The White House finds it outrageous that Senator McAllister claims he has evidence of unscrupulousness. There is no way he can prove with material evidence that White House staffers have no principles. The issue about the Deputy Communications Director, Sam Seaborn, and his friendship with a call girl has surfaced before."
"CJ, I have a source that says that these accusations are because of his flings with Leo McGarry's daughter and Ainsley Hayes."
"Ah…um…that's all I have. I'll brief you again at 6:30." Press Secretary CJ Cregg walked out into the Communications Bullpen to find Josh, Sam, and Toby waiting for her.
"We weren't expecting this."
"No. No, we weren't."
"How did they find out about Mallory and Ainsley?"
"I don't know."
"What are they going to do with this information?"
"He's running." All eyes meandered over to Josh. "He's running for president." Immediately, everyone's gears shifted to work.
"CJ, find out who was at the restaurant that night."
"On it. Cathy!"
Later that evening, CJ Cregg sat in her office, heeled shoes toed off and lying in a corner someplace, eating salad. She had decided to see Josh on the most precious of hours in a day, her dinner hour. She spoke with Josh about McAllister's claims and their next plotted plan of action.
"You were right, Josh. He's running."
"We have to get Sam out there as soon as possible."
"Do you think that's wise?"
"I think it's a better option than discussing his relationships in public."
"The questions will still be out there."
"Yeah, but then, they'd be in relation to his upcoming campaign rather than direct questions themselves."
"Okay."
Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn was, not up in the pressroom going over his speech for the hundredth time, but rather in the steam pipe trunk distribution venue, speaking to Ainsley Hayes. "I'm about to go up and make a statement that will…you know…reveal that our relationship…exists."
"I know, Sam."
"And I hope that none of your family members will be offended by your relationship with a Democrat."
"Some will, but it can be easily fixed."
"Okay. Would you like to, I don't know, possibly converge your household with mine?"
"Are you asking me to move in with you?"
"In simpler terms, I suppose, yes."
She grabbed him by the tie and kissed him roughly. "Every president needs a First Lady."
"I have to go…you know…state my statement." It was then that Sam Seaborn, idealistic politician, took shaky steps into the press room to make his statement to the press about McAllister's claims and announce that he was running. Of course, he hoped that Josh and CJ had informed Leo and the President about his upcoming campaign, but he doubted it.
"Good afternoon. My name is Sam Seaborn and I am the Deputy Communications Director. Senator McAllister has made claims about my personal relationships with women and used it to his advantage in a way to undermine any candidates the Democratic party has for the presidency. That is why I am annoucing that I am campaigning for the presidency."
"Sam! Sam!"
"Please allow me to finish and then I'll take questions. Senator McAllister has made some pretty serious allegations involving my morals. At this time, I am inclined to say that my morals are none of Senator McAllister's business. I am also inclined to say that Senator McAllister is not psychic and cannot read my mind and has no right to pass judgment on my life or the personal decisions I make. Now, I will take questions. Yes?"
"Sam, are you wary of the negative impact McAllister's accusations will have on your campaign?"
"No. I believe that McAllister's accusations will make no difference. My personal life will have no impact on my ability to be commander-in-chief. In presidential campaigns, candidates sometimes revert to the lowest standard possible to score some key electoral votes. I want to try and rise above that, above McAllister's level, because that was his precise reason for bringing up my personal life. He wanted to take the rug right under the candidate the Democratic party chose to endorse."
"Sam, do you have a plan to…"
Author's Note: I think this is a really crappy chapter. I think I'm better at writing them lighthearted. In any case, don't take this chapter as the depth of my writing. I'm sure better and brighter things are to come.
