"Sorry, but pain is a good thing Samuel. It means you are alive."
"What the hell?" he asked with a look of confusion on his face.
Mara didn't answer him. She simply picked up his briefcase and duffle bag from the curb and walked towards the door. She stopped to whisper something in Josh's ear and went inside. The door closed leaving Sam shaking his head and Josh grinning like the Mad Hatter.
"Josh what are you doing here?"
"Sam, flight 319 crashed half an hour after takeoff. Until about twenty minutes ago, most of us thought you were dead."
"Holy Crap, I tried twice to get on that flight until......" Sam's voice faded as he realized that his listening to Mara saved his life.
"Sam, earth to Sam?"
"Sorry Josh. So, you were here because?"
"I knew Mara would need me. I'm glad you're still alive buddy."
"I'm glad to be alive too. Thanks for being here for her."
"Well between the storm and a plane crash, I couldn't not be here her for if I tried. Now go upstairs and ask your wife why Wet & Wild is naming their new water park after her. "
Sam looked at Josh as if he had two heads. Josh simply chuckled and headed home to Donna's.
He opened the door and then locked it for the night. He scratched Killer, who was curled up on the couch and went into the kitchen. He poured himself a tall glass of milk and headed upstairs.
"Mara, Josh said to ask you why Wet & Wild is naming a water park after you?"
"That's just Josh's being a smart ass. Did you lock up?"
"Yeah." Sam replied as he stepped on to the second floor. He saw lights flickering in the bedroom and caught a whiff of Mara's favourite black licorice candles. A grin slowly spread across his face. He stood at the threshold admiring the sight of his naked wife kneeling on the bed. It took a second for him to notice the two tins of Altoids on either side of her knees. He didn't miss the smoky come-hither look in her eyes. When she curled her finger and motioned him inside a sexy grin spread over his lips.
"Baby, you really thought I could be dead?" He asked softly as he came over to her side of the bed
Mara started unbuttoning his shirt, leaving soft teasing kisses on his chest. "No Sam, I knew you were alive. I just thought you could be in a field of fire with broken bones, hoping a search team would find you before you passed out." Mara couldn't keep herself from crying as a few tears streamed down her cheeks, on to Sam's taut stomach as she rested her head against his chest..
Sam dropped to his knees and held her face in his hands. He gently kissed her tears away and looked lovingly into her bright emeralds eyes. "I'm so sorry Luv, I had no idea the plane crashed. I tried to get you while we were on the plane but the battery died on my cell. Mara, you saved my life tonight."
"How did I save your life?" She asked as she caressed his face.
"I was desperate to get on that flight and get home to you. I was about to pull the 'White House' card when your voice entered my head. You told me if I didn't make the flight not to worry about it, but to get the first flight home in the morning. I walked away from the gate and decided to have a quick drink before calling you. Chris Carrick came along and offered me a ride home."
"See, listening to me is always a good idea." Mara said with a grin.
"Wet and Wild...were you crying on Josh's shoulder again?" Sam asked as he ran a finger along her collarbone.
"No, I insisted on sitting on the stoop in a downpour and Josh sort of had no choice but to join me."
"You sat outside in a thunder and lightening storm waiting for me?"
"Yeah, I needed to touch you, to feel your lips against mine for the nightmare to end."
"I'm sorry I scared you Luv." Sam leaned over and left a series of tender kisses on her lips.
Mara continued to engage him in kisses as she nimbly undid his belt buckle and the button on his pants. She was surprised when Sam took hold of both wrists and gently pushed her back on to the bed.
"Sam....."
"Not tonight, darling. Tonight isn't about me, it's all about you." he whispered before he started kissing every inch of her body.
"But Sam..."
Sam left a searing kiss on her lips and turned his attention back to his favourite freckle at the top of her right breast.
"Sam! I'm on the bloody Altoid tins." She hissed.
"Oops, sorry." Sam gently lifted her, swooped up the tins and dumped them on her bedside table.
His hands roamed her body, setting her on fire while he showered her with kisses. His kisses traveled lower as he raked his teeth against the soft flesh of her inner thigh. Sam smiled to himself when she started moaning. He teased her all the time, but he loved how vocal she was. He continued his slow, sensual assault on her until he heard her gasp and murmur his name. He pulled her into his arms and began feasting on her neck. Mara played with the baby-fine hairs at the nape of his neck and clung on to his hair as his lips started teasing her nipples.
"Sam, you're driving me insane." she whispered breathlessly.
"I hear it's a short trip." Sam teased back as he entered her.
"I'll get you my pretty and your little....Ooooh Saaaaaaaam."
Sam grinned to himself . It was always a good sign when he could stop her train of thought mid sentence. He continued making love to her until they were both spent. He pulled her back in to his arms, her head resting on his chest. He played with her silky hair and told her how precious she was to him. After ten minutes, he felt her body relax completely. He left a kiss on the top of her head, told her he loved her and gave in to sleep himself.
Mara woke up slowly, leaving her eyes closed and enjoyed the sensation of having every inch of her body caressed with kisses. When his lips finally met hers, she engaged him in a long sultry kiss.
"Well, good morning beautiful."
"Morning baby, I enjoyed last night, well this morning actually, immensely."
"Yeah, Ainsley called earlier to say she heard you gave me a good approval rating." Sam chuckled.
"You think you're so damn cute don't you?"
"No, I know I'm cute." Sam replied and raised one perfectly arched eyebrow.
"So what are you making me for breakfast geek boy?" Mara asked ignoring him.
"You're the chef, Mara, not me."
"I repeat, what are YOU making me for breakfast?"
"I don't have a clue."
"Well I suggest you buy a clue, because I'm hungry."
"You know I could've died last night." Sam teased.
"Ah but I saved your life, so you owe me. We're out of OJ so I'll take chocolate milk instead."
Sam knew the longer he teased her, the more elaborate her demands would become. He decided chocolate milk was easy to handle. "Can I go to the bathroom first your Royal Highness?"
"You may, but make it snappy!" Mara replied with a wicked grin and dismissed him with her hand.
Sam had his third cup of coffee for the day and stared into the fridge, hoping for some inspiration. When he didn't find any he picked up the phone and dialed Ainsley.
"Hello?"
"Hey Ains, are you working today?"
"Sam! So nice to here from you. Had I known, you would have me worried sick last night."
"Yeah, I'm going to have some fun teasing Ginger ."
"Don't you dare Seaborn! It was a logical assumption and you're just lucky that the stress didn't harm her or your God-daughter."
"Down, girl, I was just kidding. Are you working today?"
"No, why?"
"Want to come over, be very quiet and make Mara breakfast for me?"
"Not particularly."
"Aw come on! You know I could have died last night."
"Sam, why do I think that little sentence is what got you into trouble in the first place?"
"For your information it didn't get me in trouble, but it also didn't get me any sympathy either."
Ainsley chuckled. "Sorry Sam but I've got better things to do with my time. Good luck."
Killer had wandered into the kitchen and jumped up on the island to see if Sam had anything he wanted to eat. Sam scratched behind his ears for a few minutes and took the chocolate milk out of the fridge. He spilt a little on the counter for the cat who happily lapped it up. The milk gave him and idea and five minutes later he was on his way up the stairs with a tray,
Mara had dozed off again so Sam stuck his finger in her chocolate milk and let a few drops fall over her shoulder. He smiled when the droplets took the path of least resistance between her breasts and leaned over to lap it up, thus waking her in the process.
"Sam, I want breakfast, I don't want to be your breakfast." Mara muttered, with a grin on her face while her eyes remained closed.
"Open your eyes your Evil Highness and you'll see I brought breakfast with me."
Mara laughed when she saw a bowl of sugar Corn Pops and a glass of chocolate milk.
"It's breakfast, now eat it." Sam stated as he picked up his own bowl of Rice Krispies.
Mara left a little bit of sugar infused milk in her bowl for Killer and drained the last bit of chocolate milk from Sam's glass. He gave her a look but didn't say anything. A few minutes later he brought the dishes downstairs, washed and put them away. He was on his way out of the kitchen when the phone rang. He yanked the phone from it's cradle and hit talk on the way up the stairs.
"Hello?"
"Sam?"
"Yes."
"Hi, it's Lisa."
"Oh hi Lisa, I guess you want my wife."
Lisa was surprised at how uneasy she felt hearing Sam refer to Mara as his wife. She shook her head, as if to clear her mind. "I just wanted to confirm my dinner invitation."
"Mar, Lisa wants to know if dinner is still on?" Sam asked as he stood at the foot of their bed.
"Yes, but ask her if she'd mind coming over here instead of going out. Six should be good and she doesn't have to bring anything."
Sam relayed the information to Lisa, telling her he'd see her later. He tossed the phone on the bed and Mara gave him a look before placing it on the bedside table. Sam started getting dressed knowing she'd send him out to get ingredients for dinner. Fifteen minutes later Mara, had decided what she'd serve and gave Sam his list. He picked up the ingredients and swung by the office to give Ginger a hug. CJ gave him a slap upside the head for scaring her and Leo told him that if he wasn't gone in ten minutes, he'd cancel his day off and give it to someone with sense enough to stay away. He was on his way out the door when a guard stopped him.
"Sorry Sam, but the First Lady wants you in her office, five minutes ago."
Sam sauntered over and stopped to chat with Abbey's scheduling secretary. Abbey overheard his voice and opened her office doors.
"Samuel Norman Seaborn, get your ass in my office now!"
Sam quickly removed himself from the corner of Kate's desk and entered the Lion's Den. He was surprised to see the President sitting on Abbey's couch.
"Good afternoon, Sir, you wanted to see me Abbey?' Sam asked hoping charm would keep him alive.
"Sam, I almost had to call your mother last night to inform her that you died serving at my pleasure. Why didn't you come in to see me?" Jed asked.
"Forget you, Jethro. Why in the hell didn't you stop by to see your second mother?" Abbey asked as she wrapped her arms around him for a hug.
Sam was touched and temporarily at a loss for words. He recovered quickly. "I'm sorry. I was going to check on both of your schedules when Leo ordered me out. He was threatening to make me work and well Mara is still naked in my bed."
Jed smiled at him knowingly and Abbey rolled her eyes. "That's still not a good enough excuse young man, but I'll let you off the hook this time."
"Thank you ma'am. May I be excused?"
"Yes Samuel. You may go and indulge in sins of the flesh."
A blush crept slowly up Sam's face. "Th-thank you ma'am. Sir, I'll see you tomorrow."
"I'll see you Monday morning Sam. Now, get out before Medea here decides to change her mind."
"Medea? You want to go a few rounds with me Jethro?" Abbey asked in mock indignation.
"Only if the battlefield is our bed sweet knees."
Sam managed not to chuckle as he quickly opened the door and closed it behind him. He was back home in under twenty minutes and was surprised to find Mara asleep again. She was still naked, so he knew she hadn't moved yet.
"Time to get out of bed sleepy head."
"What time is it?" Mara asked without opening her eyes.
"One."
"Wake me up at two."
"Mara!"
"Hey, sitting outside for hours in the rain takes a lot out of a girl. Go e-mail Jenna or something. I'm sleeping."
Sam sat down in his study and started reading. The pace of the novel had just picked up when Sam heard the duck quack that Jenna had set up in his IM. He chatted with Jenna for about half an hour until she went outside for recess. Killer had left the bedroom and brought one of his toy mice into the study and dropped it at his foot. Sam picked the mouse up and played fetch until 2:30. When he returned to their bedroom, Sam had to laugh. Mara had pulled the covers completely over her head to block out the sunlight that was streaming in. He tugged on the covers to get them away from her and kissed her awake. Even after all that effort, she gave him her usual greeting: a grumpy look on her face and mutterings to go away.
"Mara, it's 2:34 and you have a dinner to prepare. Now get out of bed."
"Sam if I wanted your opinion....."
"Mara, get your ass out of bed." He said simply and walked out of the room.
He could hear her muttering profanities but ignored her. Twenty minutes later she stopped by the study after drying her hair.
"Go set the table."
"How do you want it set? I'm only doing it once."
"Then I suggest you do it correctly the first time. By now Sam, you should know how I like my table set."
Sam stayed clear of the kitchen and went back to reading his book once the table had been set. He wandered downstairs at five and found Mara watching the CST feed of Oprah.
"So who is on Oprah today?"
"How to tell if your man is a cheating. Boring."
"Ah, aren't you lucky you don't have to worry about that."
"Yes, but not as lucky as you because...."
"I'd be swimming with the fishes in a million pieces."
"You betcha. Can you go turn the oven down to 275."
"Sure, do I have to change?"
"No, you look fine, I've got sauce on me though, so I'll go change my top after dinner is done."
"What are we having?"
"My lobster pizza followed by a tomato, shallot, cinnamon reduction sauce over pan seared scallops."
"So that's why you wanted four bunches of shallots. What's for dessert and what's in the oven?"
"My pizza dough is in the oven and dessert is going to be warm cookies and ice cream."
Mara had just managed to change and was on her way downstairs when the doorbell rang. She tilted her head towards the door and Sam got the message. He opened the door and smiled at Lisa.
"Wow, you cut your hair."
"Yeah, it's easier to deal with this way, you still look the same Sam. Where have you stashed the portrait of Dorian Gray?"
"Very funny, come in and have a seat."
"Hey Lisa."
"Hi Mara, thanks for inviting me. These are for you." Lisa handed Mara a bouquet of bright pink tulips.
"Thank you, they are very cheerful. Would you like a drink?"
"Sure, white wine would be great."
"I'll get the drinks, Mar you want the usual?"
"Yup."
"What's the usual?" Lisa asked.
"Ginger ale, strawberry syrup and a splash of vodka." Sam answered.
"Hmm can I change my order?"
"Sure."
Mara popped into the kitchen to take the pizza out of the oven, cut it into slice and brought it to the table. Sam loved this particular pizza and Lisa had several slices. She was thoroughly impressed with Mara's culinary skills. Sam launched into several stories about how Mara almost always prepared all the food for any party or reception she gave. He was sure to add the part about how evil she was for not letting him sample any of it in advance. Lisa watched them banter and noticed that Sam had reached over to hold her hand several minutes ago. A strange sensation washed over her and it didn't take her long to realize that she was very envious of Mara. It also occurred to her that if she had married Sam, it wouldn't have lasted very long. Sam never looked at her they way he looked at his wife. In fact, the idea for a paragraph in the profile came to her just watching their eyes.
"Lisa, Josh mentioned that you asked him for a quote about me."
"Yes, he said something very strange about you being responsible for his fondness for the Bubonic Plague."
Sam and Mara started laughing and Lisa figured it has to be a private joke. Conversation died off as they finished eating the scallops. Lisa passed on the ice cream and just ate the cookies instead. After dinner Sam suggested they sit down on the couch and they chatted for an hour.
"Sam, what can you tell me about Mara that most people don't know?"
"Let's see, the reason she loves cats so much is that she envies their sleeping habits." Sam replied with a grin directed right at Mara.
Lisa smiled. "Anything else?"
"She's the most brilliant foreign policy strategist in the entire world. She challenges me, she drives me crazy, she does things just to provoke me and I miss her when she's not in the room with me. She makes anything seem possible and inspires me to do my best everyday. In the stifling heat Mara is the cool breeze that makes the day bearable."
"Aww Sam." Mara replied softly.
"Tell me something about Sam, Mara."
"He's my favourite author."
"Really? What about Edith?" Sam asked.
"You replaced her a long time ago Samuel. You create masterpieces with words, you send my soul soaring on gossamer wings. Reading your words is better than tripping the light fantastic with Fred Astaire. He writes me the sweetest love letters on a regular basis. My last thought at night and first thought in the morning is how lucky I am that he loves me."
"I've got one last question for you Mara. What would you want your epitaph to read?"
"That's simple, She loved him."
"Thank you for dinner and thank you for putting up with me this week. It was good seeing you Sam. I've got an early flight in the morning so I'd better get going."
"I'll walk you out," Sam stated.
"It was nice meeting you Lisa. I'm looking forward to reading the profile. Have a safe trip home."
Sam had Peter call a cab for Lisa and waited with her.
"I'm glad you're happy Sam. We never would have worked. "
"You're right. We both wanted different things and we would have made each other miserable. Are you seeing anyone?"
"Not seriously, I envy you Sam. You have a great job, an amazing wife, a beautiful home and now you even have a daughter. You've got everything a person could ever hope for and you don't take it for granted."
"My life is turning out the way I dreamed it would. I hope you find what you really want too Lisa."
"Thanks Sam. Take care of yourself." Lisa leaned over and left a kiss on his cheek before stepping into the cab .
Sam waved good bye and went back into the house. He found Mara taking the dishes out of the dishwasher and helped her.
"I'm feeling nostalgic. Mrs. Seaborn, would you like to go for a hot apple pie sundae, then walk it off around the monuments?"
A huge grin spread across Mara's face. "Our first date! I'd love to Mr. Seaborn. Let me put some shoes on and grab a jacket."
Mara let Peter know that they were going for a long walk and flashed her tracking necklace so he wouldn't worry. They ended up watching the sunrise from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Sam knew Mara would be happy to fall asleep sitting on the steps, resting her head on his chest. He wasn't in the mood to explain to CJ why he was arrested for loitering, so he convinced her they should go have a nap in the residence.
"Come on Mara. The faster you move, the faster you can be sleeping in comfort."
"I'm sleepy Sam."
"I know darling, but the Seaborn suite is closer than our place. When you wake up you can spend the day with Abbey."
Mara sighed but finally let Sam help her to her feet. Abbey rolled her eyes when she saw the two of themwalk through the door but waved them upstairs to have a nap.