Sam moaned, hearing someone banging on his door.
"Go away." he mumbled, burying his face in Ainsley's hair.
"Mr. Seaborn!" the banging continued and Sam groaned and got out of bed. He threw the door open and saw two Secret Service agents standing there. "You need to come with us."
"I'm not even awake."
"Mr. Seaborn, it's urgent. You too Ms. Hayes."
Ainsley sighed and got out of bed as well. Josh was standing out in the hallway, an amused look on his face.
"Sleep well?"
"We were working on a speech." Ainsley said. "I fell asleep here."
"Yeah..." Josh nodded, but stopped seeing the look Sam was giving him. "So where are we going?"
Sam's agent spoke into a walkie-talkie and he motioned for the staffers to follow him. They were led down to the lobby and the three of them went wide eyed. Outside there was yellow tape making a perimeter from the Agramonte to a building across the street. Between the two buildings were two dark SUVs. Well one really. The last one was charred to pieces."
"What happened?" Sam asked. The Secret Service agents ignored him and Ainsley saw a flash of blonde behind the first SUV.
"Calleigh?" she walked over and a patrol officer stopped her. "No, I need to see my sister."
"Miss, I'm sorry. This is a crime scene. You can't go behind the tape."
"Calleigh!"
Calleigh appeared from behind the truck and walked up to the tape.
"I thought you were asleep."
"I was. Just not at your place." Ainsley said. Calleigh saw Sam lingering in the lobby with Josh.
"Oh." she gave her sister a grin. "I didn't realize you had left."
"I was helping him with a speech. What happened?"
"Shooting."
"Anyone hurt?"
"A few fatalities, civilians though."
"Ains,"
She glanced behind her and saw Sam standing behind her.
"Hi Calleigh."
"Hi Sam." she smiled. "I gotta get back to work. I think my boss wants you guys over at the station, that's why they... disturbed you."
"Is everything okay?" he asked, his hand resting on Ainsley's shoulder. Calleigh gave her a small smile and nodded.
"We got it under control. We'll know what happened when I get all this firearms evidence back to the lab."
-----------S/C---------
"I really wish you weren't alone."
"Only for a few hours. Calleigh and Tim will be home soon. Thanks for taking me back here."
"It's okay. Besides I didn't really take you. Bill did." Sam nodded over his shoulder to the dark SUV. "Thanks for helping me with the speech."
"No problem."
"I hope you don't think I was leading you on or anything. I mean you did end up in my bed."
Ainsley laughed and shook her head.
"Not really. We just slept."
"Yeah... anyway, thanks." Sam said. "Um... are you going to the party at the mayor's manor?"
"I wasn't invited. I'm not campaigning for President Bartlet."
"Do um... do you want to come with me?"
Ainsley stared up at Sam.
"I... Sam..."
He leaned down slightly and Ainsley felt her heart begin to race as his lips neared hers. Sam's cell phone went off before they could actually kiss though.
"Excuse me." he flipped his cell phone open. "Hello? Dropping Ainsley off. I'll be back at the hotel in about fifteen minutes. Gotta go, bye." Sam flipped his phone shut and looked up. "Any— Ainsley?"
He glanced around and sighed, realizing she had gone up to Calleigh's apartment. She never gave him an answer.
"Guess that means no." he muttered, walking back over to his ride.
----------S/C---------
Calleigh had just finished doing a simulation of the shooting when her cell phone went off.
"Duquesne."
"Come up to my office."
"Okay." she snapped the phone shut and made her way to Horatio's office. "Oh my Lord..."
"Ms. Duquesne I take it?"
"Yes, sir." she mumbled, seeing the president sitting in Horatio's office. "How can I help you?"
"Lt. Caine tells me you are the best ballistics expert and are working this shooting."
"Um... that's a bit extreme," Calleigh laughed nervously, "but yes I am working the shooting. I just finished the simulation."
"And what did you get from it?" the president asked.
"Well... Mr. President, I have reason to believe from the trajectory of the bullets that... well someone was aiming at you."
"Well that's original." Bartlet said. "I'm kidding Ms. Duquesne."
"Calleigh is okay, sir."
"Calleigh then. Do you know who did this?"
"No sir. The bullets–"
Tim walked in and flopped down into a chair, forcing Calleigh to stop talking. .
"Someone was tampering with that truck." he said. Then his eyes landed on the president and Tim shot out of that chair like something had bit his ass. "Mr. President sir, didn't see you there sir."
Bartlet chuckled and waved his hand.
"Sit down son."
Tim, a grimy Tim actually, sat down in his chair.
"Where have you been?" Calleigh asked. Tim looked up at her and smiled.
"Hi sweetheart. I was playing with a exploded car and then I put a bomb back together."
"Oh that's fun." Calleigh said sarcastically. "As I was saying Mr. President... the bullets I pulled out of the first SUV is from a rifle. Someone is an expert in shooting from the range that they did."
"Speed, what did you get?" Horatio asked.
"The bomb was a fair size. We're not sure where it was in the car yet but something set it off."
"So something in the car started the bomb?"
"No. The agent assigned to the car was on a coffee break before the president went wherever he had to and someone detonated this bomb from outside the car." Tim said.
------------S/C---------
Sam heard a knock on his door and went over to open it. Bartlet was standing there and Sam let him in.
"Evening Mr. President."
"Evening Sam. How's the speech coming?"
"Um... okay I suppose."
"Okay? You're my speechwriter, one of the best, and you say it's just, 'okay?'" Bartlet asked. Sam moved a pile of papers off his bed and let the president sit down.
"I was kind of stuck on it last night. I guess I'm glad that your meeting was postponed till tomorrow."
"So I hear, from a reliable source, that you had a visitor last night."
Sam sighed and looked out the window.
"Josh?"
Bartlet chuckled.
"What's got you so down Sam?"
"A girl, Ainsley..."
"Why?"
"I... ever since she started working with us in November I... I've slowly began to like her."
"Even though she kicked your ass?"
"Even though she kicked my ass." Sam agreed. "I asked her to the party."
"What did she say?" Bartlet asked.
"Sir, I um... no offense or anything..."
"Sam..."
"My cell phone rang before she could answer and when I got off the phone she was gone."
"Mhmm. Do you want her to go with you?"
"Wouldn't ask have asked her if I didn't."
"Ask her again."
"Sir, you don't... care do you?"
"Of course I care. You guys are like my kids and I want to see you happy. It won't be interfering with your work. You don't work in the same area of the White House."
"What abotu the press? A democrat and a republican together?"
"You know what they say," Bartlet said, his eyes twinkling, "opposites attract. Don't worry about the speech. You've done enough with it. But Sam, tell me."
"Tell you what sir?"
"Is she good?"
"In what?" Sam asked.
"Bed?" Bartlet nudged the younger man and Sam chuckled.
"No. She helped me with the speech and fell asleep. We worked late."
"Mhmm."
"Sir, I really... really don't feel comfortable talking about this." Sam said, a nervous laugh in his voice. Bartlet chuckled and nodded, clapping him on the back.
"Sleep well Sam."
"You too Mr. President."
