Ainsley gave a small smile as she pulled up to her estate. She looked over at Gracie and saw she was asleep. God she looked so much like Sam, the dark hair, blue eyes...

"What are you looking at?" Gracie mumbled.

"You." Ainsley smiled. "We're here."

"Good to be home. Don't get me wrong, I love 1600 Pennsylvania Ave but I love being in North Carolina."

"I know what you mean." Ainsley said, getting out of her car. The front door of the house opened and a young man walked out.

"Uncle Alex!" Gracie squealed, running up to the man. Ainsley approached her daughter and little brother.

"Hey sis." Alex smiled, sweeping Ainsley into a hug.

"Why are you in my house?" she asked.

"Checking up on things. Bet you can't wait for all this presidency garbage to be over so you can come back here huh?"

"DC is nice. Is Mom here?"

"Yeah. You shouldn't have let her moved in."

"I needed someone to stay here so my house doesn't get robbed." Ainsley said, linking her arm in her brother's. "How's Susan?"

"She's good. Sleeping. Those kids drive her wild."

"Why don't you try being a good daddy and helping out?"

"I try. They're insane though."

"Take after you." Ainsley winked.

"How's Sam?" Alex asked. "I suppose he's busy since he's not here."

Ainsley froze for a second but shook her head. Gracie had run around towards the back of the house towards the small strip of beach they owned.

"What's the no for? No he's here? Or No he's not busy?" Alex asked.

"We're having some problems." Ainsley replied.

"What? What happened?"

"I just need some time away from him. We'll be fine in a few weeks, months at the most."

"It must be serious if you came down here." Alex said.

"He just said some things that upset me. He didn't mean it though. He's stressed out over the re-election and... he runs the United States."

"You want me to kill him?"

"Oh yes go kill the president." Ainsley drawled. "No and I'm being honest. I love him Alex but sometimes he just drives me crazy."

"Alright. Relax. Don't bite my head off."

"I'm not."

"Does Gracie know?"

"I don't know Alex!" Ainsley exclaimed exasperatedly. "It's not a big deal."

"What did he say?"

"Something."

"Like what?"

"Like none of your business." Ainsley quipped as she disappeared into the house. Alex followed and kept pestering his sister. "Will you stop?"

"Stop bugging her!" Emily Hayes came out of the kitchen and grabbed her son by the ear.

"Ow! Mom, come on!" Alex whined, flailing. Emily let him go and he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Hello sweetheart." she smiled, kissing Ainsley's cheek. "How are you?"

"Good."

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Mom, may I kindly remind you that this is my house and I don't want you pampering me. I get enough of that at the White House."

"Well you are the First Lady."

"Yes but right now I'm just a mother relaxing at her home with her daughter." Ainsley said. "Stop bugging me."

"Something's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong."

"Where's Sam?"

"Sam is at the White House doing whatever it is he does."

"He didn't come with you?"

"No." Ainsley mumbled around a muffin.

"Something's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong."

"Where's Gracie? Is she with him?"

"No she's in the back."

"Well... oh darling you look terrible."

"I'm fine." Ainsley said.

"You must be so tired. Why did you drive at one in the morning?"

"I wanted to get an early start."

"Why are your eyes red? Were you crying?"

"Mom, please stop."

Emily gave her a look.

"Ainsley I know there's something wrong."

"Nothing is wrong!"

"Alex, tell me." Emily said. Alex froze and looked at his mother.

"Nothing is wrong." he lied, knowing his sister would most likely kill him later.

"I don't like when you two lie to me."

Gracie had come into the house and now sat down at the table. Emily focused her gaze on her granddaughter.

"What's going on?"

"I dunno." Gracie shrugged.

"I'm going to find out."

"There's nothing to find out." Ainsley insisted. "Gracie, can you go upstairs to your room and unpack?"

"But Mom," she whined.

"Please?"

"Grace, help your mother." Emily instructed.

"Can I eat first?"

"Yes." Ainsley nodded as the phone rang. Olivia, the housekeeper came in and answered it.

"Seaborn Residence. Oh hello. Hold on." she took the phone away from her ear and looked at Ainsley, "Mrs. Seaborn, it's your husband."

Ainsley took the phone out of Olivia's hand and brought it up to her ear.

"Hi."

"Hey. I'm sorry if it's early."

"No. I just got in. I'm sitting at the table eating breakfast with my mother, Alex, and Gracie."

"How is she?"

"She's fine. You want to talk to her?"

"Please."

Ainsley handed the phone over to her daughter and Gracie talked into the phone for a few minutes.

"I love you Daddy. Okay. Bye." she handed the phone back to Ainsley. "He wants to talk to you."

Ainsley walked out onto the patio and closed the door behind her.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked.

"Yeah."

"So you'll come home in a few days?"

"Sam, we're not just going to fix this in a few hours!"

"Ainse, honey you didn't understand what I meant."

"You made it quite clear!"

"I was annoyed with you. You know things slip out of my mouth when I get that way."

"Sam, it's not even this. All we've done has fight for the past few months. I... what happened to us?"

"I don't know but I'm willing to try and fix it."

"You know people said this would happen."

"Who cares what people say?"

"You should. You're trying to get re-elected."

"Honey, I don't care if I get re-elected or not."

"Oh that's a bunch of bullshit. You and I both know it. This is all you've ever wanted. You want to stay in office as long as you can."

"You're wrong. You're all I've ever wanted. You and Gracie."

Ainsley sat down at the patio table and rubbed her forehead.

"I know what you're trying to do and I'm not falling for it."

"I'm not trying to do anything. I'm telling you the truth. Ainse, you can't stay there forever."

"I don't plan to."

"You said you'd come home once I stop being a jackass."

"Sam..."

"What do you want me to do Ainsley?"

"I want you to start being the man I married again. I want you to start appreciating me again. I want you to actually listen to me, not some dumb paper, before making hurtful accusations. I want you to love me again."

"I do Ainse. God, I love you so much."

"I love you too Sam. I just... I need a few days to cool off."

"Josh cooled off and he didn't run to North Carolina."

"Josh doesn't sleep with you. Josh isn't married to you. Josh doesn't live with you."

"Actually he does."

Ainsley giggled, making Sam smile.

"You'll come home then?"

"In a few days. I just got here. I don't want to leave so soon."

"I understand. I just wanted to call and make sure you got there in one piece and... to say I'm sorry."

"And you have. I want to get back to my food. I'm starving."

"I'm not surprised."

"I'll call you later."

"Okay."

"I love you Sam."

"I love you too Ainse."

Ainsley heard the phone click as Sam hung up and she turned her phone off and walked back into the kitchen. Her mother turned around and stared at her.

"What?"

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"I'm not standing for nothing anymore." Emily handed the paper over to Ainsley and she sighed.