Title: Bipartisanship

Author: Scarlettmithruiel

Classification, rating, etc: See previous chapters.

Author's Note: This chapter takes place when they're about to campaign. I apologize for the length. Blah. I haven't been feeling well lately.

Dedicated: To Leslie, Anna, Emily, and Tiffany! My four closest friends.

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Sam Seaborn woke up in the realm of his bedroom. The blonde cherub who normally accompanied him was nowhere in sight. Groaning, he got up, feeling his joints crack wearily. Father Time's running after you with a passion. He chuckled softly in the bleak dark, trudging slowly towards the bathroom.

The sharp, bright light caused his pupils to contract so quickly, he swore he could feel them. He rubbed his jawline and gazed in the mirror. Despite his bloodshot eyes and the dark circles imbedded under them (which he hadn't remembered seeing himself without in decades), his face still had a gentle glow cast over it. He reached for his toothbrush, and began to brush, and certainly with vigor. Following his daily brushing, he shaved and ran a comb through his hair quickly.

He headed into work with a smile on his face and a briefcase in his hand. A voice shook him out of his thoughts, upon meeting in the lobby. "Sam?"

"Yeah?" He turned to face a somewhat distraught Toby. His superior, however, was quite skilled in the masking of emotions. His face betrayed nothing. Sam got the general gist that he was distraught, though. So there was quite a large chance he was wrong.

"You're whistling."

"Yeah?" Lose the frown and cheer up…put on a happy face.

"And now you're humming."

The security guard allowed them both to walk through. His mind continued to run through the only lyrics he knew of the song.

"Sam, stop it."

"Yeah."

The day went by in a blur. Toby had spoken to the President and he said that it was all right for Sam to have a break from work to work the campaign trail. Sam and his friends (who were his staff, at the moment, as well as the President's) had decided on a simple slogan in Patriotic colors: Seaborn for President.

Saqm was preparing to head out on a bus and go tour. He had packed all of his bags, and Ainsley was still gathering the last of her things. They were going nationwide and they were going to go for a month. He clasped her hand in his, and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb fondly. "You ready?"

"Yeah."

"You sure you don't mind being seen in my presence? I'm sure they'd kick you out of some Republican club somewhere."

She smiled faintly. "No." And with that, they headed out of the door and toward the bus.