"You want me to tell everyone to leave us the hell alone?" Sam asked with a grin.
"Nah, CJ's not going to leave until Toby gets here anyway. I feel sorry for everyone on the train with him. He should've let me send the jet."
"Yeah well six hours ago he had no idea what a mess LaGuardia would become. Think I should go get him a bottle of JD?"
"No, if I can't have some JD neither can Toby-wan. Jenna said her wrist was aching, did you give her anything?"
"I handed her over to Abbey's care. She was pretty wiped."
"Yeah I bet she's asleep before Abbey or Jed can tuck her in. Did you get a hold of your sister?"
"She sends her love. They're wrapping up principal photography in Paris in twenty days. She wants me to send a digital picture in a few days. She said she'd either go home for a few days or head straight here depending on when 'her little man' is going to be baptized.
"Samuel, the 'little man' needs a name. What do you think of Matthew Tobias Seaborn."
"I like it. Josh won't and the Pres...Jed will be a little disappointed, but I like it."
"Go tell the nurse our son finally has a name and triple check what she writes down."
"Yes ma'am," Sam replied with a grin.
Mara leaned back her head for a moment and was out like a light when Sam returned two minutes later. He left a gentle kiss on her lips and quietly left the room. CJ was standing in the mini solarium at the end of the hall. Sam had no idea what she was pointing to inthe window but Matthew wasn't crying so he didn't care.
"The whole world is going to be your oyster, my little one. You're never going to want for anything. You'll be smothered by love, surrounded by brilliance and your mommy is rich enough that, when you discover your passion, you won't need to worry about having a roof over your head. I've been trying to see it, but right now you don't look like Mar or Sam. You look like you to me."
"CJ, what are you teaching Matthew already ?"
CJ turned around, saw at the gleam in Sam's eyes and looked down at the gurgling baby in her arms who was still holding onto her pinky finger. "Matthew, Matt, Matty... Works for me."
"I'm glad you approve," Sam replied with a smug grin that said, 'too bad if it doesn't'.
"I'm not ready to give him up yet."
"No problem. Mara's finally asleep. You want some coffee?"
"Sure, I like the little LoJack on his wrist."
"Yeah I guess it's better to be safe then sorry. Apparently, you can't leave the nurse's desk area without it going off. The stairs and elevator are triggered too."
"Damn. I better learn how to pick this thing while you're gone, then."
Sam leaned over and left a kiss on her cheek. "I love you, despite the fact that you're trying to steal my son."
"I'm so thrilled for you, Spanky. The sisterhood's loss is your gain."
"I didn't care as long as it was a healthy baby. I have to tell you, though3 women and me...way too much estrogen."
"Go get me coffee, mi amor," CJ laughed.
Sam was waiting for the elevator, two coffee cups in hand when he heard it.
"The Boy Wonder finally comes through.I hear it's a boy ?"
"Hey Robin, enjoy your scenic rail ride?" Sam replied sarcastically.
"I'd kill you if today wasn't your son's birthday. How is Mara doing?"
"She's finally asleep. She's doing well. It was a very fast labour."
"With no painkillers right? So, I guess you're never allowed to touch her again?"
"Actually she surprised the crap out of me and told me how much she loved me instead. Abbey and Jed took Jenna home but Ainsley made up the spare bedroom for you."
"That's sweet of her," Toby replied as they stepped on the elevator.
"So, what was the birthing experience like?"
"Way too squicky. Mara wouldn't tolerate me passing out, so I had my back to Maureen for the entire time and focused on Mar. Jenna, on the other hand cut the cord and helped Maureen clean the baby off. She kept saying stuff like 'oh wow' and 'cool'."
"Sam, when Jenna wins a Nobel Prize, remember this moment andthat I called it first."
"Think that will be before the Oscar, after the Pulitzer, the same year as the Order of Canada or...?"
"Before she's elected Prime Minister of Canada," Toby chuckled.
They decided to look in on Mara before checking if CJ had succeeded in her kidnapping attempt and found herin the guest chair watching Mara kissing the baby's tiny toes.
"Never figured you for the foot fetish type."
Mara smiled, "Were you trying to navigate using the Delta shuttle again?"
Toby chuckled heartily, "You know you just zinged your hubby, not me."
"Shall we talk about Indiana instead?"
"I see thatmotherhood hasn't affected your evil tendencies."
"Tobs, get your ass over here and kiss me!"
Toby kissed the baby on the top of the head then kissed both of her cheeks. "You deserve this darling," Toby whispered.
"Thanks. I'd like you to meet Matthew Tobias Seaborn."
Toby looked shocked, then his entire face softened as a large smile spread across his face. He looked over at Sam, who could read how touched he was.
"It was actually the evil one's idea. I just agreed."
"I'm honoured. May I?"
Mara handed Matthew over to Toby and watched him instantly turn into the teddy bear she always knew he was. She had to smile as she overheard Toby mention something about the Yankees.
"Hey, my son will root for whatever team he wants or, he may just hate baseball."
"That isn't even in the realm of funny, Mara!"
"I figured I'd call him Matty-wan."
"You know, Mara, for thirty seconds there you had my undying love and devotion and you just had to goand ruin it."
Mara chuckled to herself, "Would you stop being such a putz and agree to be Matthew's official guardian!"
"Well someone has to give the boy his street smarts, because you two Ivy leaguers are useless. I accept for Matthew's sake."
"Thank you, Toby. Now, can you give me my son back and get the hell out of here so I can get some sleep?"
"Sam, you staying or do you want a lifeI mean lift home?"
"Sam is staying, but you can buy me dinner, Tobs." CJ replied.
"Sweetie, if you..."
"No, I'm fine and the only place I want to be is with my wife and son. See you guys in the AM. Do you want anything to eat?"
"I'm fine right now. If you want anything though, you can order something to be delivered."
"Maybe in a little while. So, how're you feeling?"
Sam and Mara continued talking and watching their son sleep until she drifted off again. Sam ordered them both dinner which they ate after Mara gave up trying to breastfeed Matthew. She teased Sam about being wrong about his paternity, since no son of Sam's would refuse her breasts. Matthew seemed to enjoy sleeping, just like his mother, and didn't wake up after eleven until seven the next morning.
2 days later
Jenna had visited with her baby brother for a couple of hours until she grew tired of having people snatch him out of her arms. She told Mara she was going to get some candy in the gift shop and decided to go visit the orthopedics clinic to see if the nurse she liked was on duty. She was on her way in when she noticed a very cute boy sitting alone in the waiting area. His right arm was in a cast from his knuckles to his elbow. She stood near the check-in desk at an angle so she could observe the boy through the mirror. Jenna liked what she saw. He had short dark brown hair, stunning green eyes, long muscular jean clad legs and a short sleeve navy blue golf shirt that fit snugly across his broad chest.
"Hi can I...Jenna? What are you doing here?"
"Mara gave birth to Matthew Tobias yesterday. I got tired of sharing my brother with all the adults, so I thought I'd see if Lucy was in."
"You just missed her. She should be back in about 20 minutes."
"I'll wait."
"He's cute but he's too old for you Jenna."
"Did I say I wanted a date? As Mara would say, appreciating a fine man is always a worthy diversion from the drudgery of our daily existence."
"Like she needs to look beyond her own bed," Judy laughed. "Your diversion looks a lot like Sam."
"I guess Mara and I share the same taste in men. Mara's in room 445; you should pop up and see Matthew."
"Who does he look like?"
"A baby."
"Cute. So, do you want to know his name?"
"Where would the fun be in that? Don't rush to call him in, though."
Jenna recognized the back cover of the book and grinned. "An excellent novel, though some of its brilliance is lost in translation. You really should take the time to read it in the original Russian, as it was meant to be read."
Jenna bit her lower lip when his eyelashes fluttered and his green eyes met her blue ones. "You've read Tolstoy in Russian?"
"A few years ago. I just finished Voskrasenia about a month ago."
"You read this for pleasure?"
"Sure. I read my way through the Library of Congress's Classic Literature holdings in less than two years."
"Wow, and I thought I was an overachiever."
"Brilliance and a passion for words runs in my family. You didn't even like the war part?" Jenna asked, thinking that if he didn't like Tolstoy, then maybe he wasn't so cute after all.
"I liked Anna Karenina better. Hi, I'm Jacob Hepler."
"Jenna Leveille, Heplerwhat a strange name. Wait, I think I've heard it Are you related to Senator Richard Hepler Wright?"
"He's my dad. How do you know him?"
"So what did you do to your arm?" Jenna asked, wondering what Sam would say if he knew that she was talking to a Republican Senator's son.
"I broke my forearm."
"Ouch. Try a compound radial fracture of the wrist, then you'll understand true agony."
"Is that why your left wrist is fatter than the right?"
"Yes, I broke it in July and I'm still in PT."
"Did it hurt?"
"I'd say excruciating agony would start to describe it."
"Did seeing the bone freak you out?"
"I was in too much pain to even notice. I vaguely remember hearing something about blood."
"Ouch, so how did you do it?"
"Bad dismount."
"Ah, so you're a gymnast?"
Jenna chuckled," Ummno, a daredevil swinger. Never met a playground I didn't like."
"I claim I did this playing rugby. I really missed the bottom two stairs at home."
"I think we both should stop challenging gravity."
"What time is it?"
Jenna checked her watch, "Time you learned how to tell the time. It's 1:30."
"They should be calling me soon. How much does rehab hurt?"
"It's bad, but eventually you get used to it."
"You didn't answer me earlier. How do you know my dad?"
"He's a senator. I know all the members of the Senate. House, too. My Uncle Josh and I play 'name that senator' games all the time."
"Do you regularly hang out in hospital waiting rooms?"
Jenna laughed, "Mara just gave birth and I was being ignored in favour of my new baby brother."
"Are you dealing with a step-monster?"
"No, it a long story. Take me out for pizza and root beer and I may give you the Cliff's Notes version."
"It's a deal. My cell phone is in my knapsack. Wouldyou program your number into it?"
"Sure." Jenna found the phone easily and plugged in her cell and home numbers.
Josh cut through Emergency to the second bank of patient elevators, his arms weighed down with a stuffed donkey and Good and Plenty candy for Mara. He happened to glance in the orthopedic waiting room and was stunned to see Jenna flirting with a Sam clone. He quickly spun around and headed towards the waiting room.
"Jenna, what on earth is going on here?" Josh asked
"Hey Uncle Josh, I'm just chatting with my friend Jacob."
"Jacob? Oy, he's too old for you."
"Josh!"
"Don't 'Josh!' me, young lady, I'm pretty sure I'm taking this better than Sam would. You know, he has spots reserved for you in two convents for situations just like this."
"Mara knows where I am."
"Really? Somehow I don't think she gave you orders to wander around flirting shamelessly."
"Matthew still doesn't like her nipples. I think me physical breathing is all she cares about right now."
"Young man, do you realize you are taking to a mouthy minor? Jenna, if you aren't upstairs in twenty minutes I'm sending an agent down to collect you." Josh added, confident he'd put an end to that budding relationship.
"How old are you Jenna?" Jacob asked with a little concern.
"Fifteen. How old are you?"
"Seventeen. I'll be eighteen in March."
"So, should I leave you alone?"
"No, you're the most interesting person I've talked to in ages. This complicates things..."
"A little complication insures things are never boring."
"That was Josh Lyman, right? President Bartlet's Deputy Chief of Staff and host of Capital Beat?"
"Yes."
"So who is your Dad?"
"My parents are both deceased. I call Sam Seaborn my dad because he's acted like it since the moment we met. Mara is actually my cousin and legal guardian. I occasionally call her 'mom'."
"Mara Whitford, the Canadian Ambassador to the US? She freaks my dad out. He says that of allthe diplomatsshe's the toughest nut to crack."
"She'll be happy to hear that. Do you drive?"
"Of course, but I won't be doing any driving until my arm heals."
"I don't think you'd be allowed to drive me anywhere. So, what school do you attend?"
"Sidwell Friends. What about you?"
"I do all my courses online through a Catholic girl's school in Toronto. I'm doing grade 12 courses but I'm not allowed to graduate until I'm sixteen."
"You're well protected, that's refreshing. The parents of aclassmate I datedlast winter left on a 30-day cruise and left her home alone. My parents are pretty old fashioned, too. If they hear a girl's name more than a few times, an engraved invitation goes out."
"Really?" Jenna giggled.
"Not quite, but close. My mom always says that concern means love. While it annoys the crap out of me occasionally, I can't argue with the idea."
"Mara is very cool. She trusts me implicitly, knowing that I'd never do anything stupid. I love Sam so much but I think he liked me better before I became a teenager. He always says I caused his few gray hairs."
"My mom is pretty cool; all my friends think she's great. My dad, honestly, has very little time at home. An aide brought me in when I broke my arm. It sort of sucks, but I've learned to deal with it."
"Jacob, they are ready for you. Jenna, Lucy will be right out."
Jenna got up and lightly placed Jacob's backpack over his left shoulder. He smelled really good and she thought of a scene from an old movie she'd watched a few times with her mother. She gingerly picked up Jacob's injured arm and pressed one of his fingers against her bottom lip. She looked him straight in the eye and smiled.
"Call me tonight around nine."
"Sure," Jacob replied quietly as he traced the outline of her lips and smiled at her.
Jenna talked to Lucy for fifteen minutes before returning to Mara's room. There was no sign of Sam, but Josh was sitting in the guest chair snacking on licorice with Mara.
"I am so telling Donna what you did to me, Josh!" Jenna proclaimed as she swiped the bag of Good and Plenty away from him.
"So, who is this guy Josh has labeled Public Enemy Number One?"
"His name is Jacob Hepler. He's 17 and goes to Sidwell Friends, reads War and Peace and he has eyes almost as green as yours."
"I take it he's cute?" Mara asked with a grin.
"Oh yeah, he's a nice piece of eye candy but has a brain. You freak out his dad. He thinks you're the toughest diplomat to deal with."
"Hepler...Hepleris he Richard Hepler Wright's son?"
"Yup and he smells awesome."
Josh rolled his eyes and sighed, so Mara and Jenna both tossed licorice at him.
"He sort of smells like a cross between peppermint and Cool Water for men."
"He's a Sam clone, that can't be healthy." Josh stated.
"Josh, let my little girl speak or I'll call Donna myself! Go on, sweetie."
"He's really cool and after Deputy Downer all but announced my age, he said it was a complication butthat I was refreshing and interesting."
"He's a smart boy. Now, Jenna, I want you to take this very slowly. Until school starts, your curfew's midnight as long as I know where you are."
"That's very fair."
"That's insane."
"Josh, I swear if you get Sam all fired up about this, every time Matthew cries I'm calling you."
"Ouch, that's cold."
"That's the point. Now give me more licorice."
"He reads and I really wanted to kiss him."
"Fifteen minutes after I met Sam, I wanted to kiss him. I waited about 16 hours. Jenna, you never get a second first kiss. Billy Reid was a geek, but I still remember that kiss. A good one feels like magic."
"What about the first time you kissed Donna?"
"Jenna, it's different for guys. Her lips were soft and we didn't stop at justone kiss."
"Yeah, that's because the sexual tension was combustiblebefore you bought a clue," Jenna laughed.
Mara had to laugh and was relieved that Matthew stayed asleep in Josh's arms while he started laughing. Sam walked in and they merely glanced at him and continued laughing. For his part Sam didn't care why they were laughing. He handed Jenna a chicken wrap and placed the bag at Mara's feet. I saw Maureen downstairs. She'll be up shortly to spring you. I need to know where we're going."
Mara reallywanted to go to the Bay house, but she couldn't do that to Jenna. "Home is fine with me. Ginger said she put the basement in my dressing room. Jenna, why don't you make your ownway home? I know you wanted to do a little book shopping."
Jenna got up and left a kiss on Mara's neck. "I love you. Thanks."
Jenna got downstairs just in time to see Jacob leaving from his appointment. His backpack had just slipped down his left arm and clattered to the floor.
"Allow me."
"Thanks. How come you're back?"
"Mara told me it was bad form to not have at least a brownie on a first date."
Jacob laughed, "Great, but I onlyhave about five bucks on me."
"I'm a fun, fabulous, fearless female. I'll treat this time."
"I wouldn't have pegged you as a Cosmo girl."
"Guilty pleasure I share with Ainsley. How about we walk over to Cocoa Latte?"
"They make great blondies."
"Yeah, but you haven't lived until you've tasted Mara's caramel brownies. If you are good maybe I'll ask for the recipe and make you a batch."
"Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow?"
"Evening maybe, the day is set aside for my tea with Mara."
It took Jenna two hours to make it home. Jacob walked her back to the mansion so she had the car drop him off at home. She started the coffee maker for Sam and brewed a pot of English Breakfast tea for Mara. She assumed Josh would eitherbe with them or over shortly thereafter so she turned her base of cold tea into her signature lime iced tea. For the first time in 12 years, Jenna was actually thinking of not becoming the Canadian Prime Minister when she grew up. The PM's office had serious competition in the form of becoming a chef. Mara had arranged for Jenna to spend three weeks studying in Pairs at the Cordon Bleu. Margaret was going to accompany her and evenwith her new relationship with Jacob, she still couldn't wait for the middle of September.
Mara looked over at Sam who held Matthew in his arms and gave him the brightest smile he'd ever seen. She gingerly looped her arm through his right one and laid her head on his shoulder.
"I love you, Samuel Norman Seaborn."
"And I love you my darling. We are finally that happy little twisted family."
"You remembered."
"Mara, I commit ever word you say to memory. When we're apart, all I need to do is close my eyes and you're there."
"Sam, every day I fall in love with you all over again. If I ever claim in a fit of rage that I hate you, remind me of this moment."
"Do you ever worry about how blessed we are?"
"You mean that God has given us so much that we will always be his punching bag? Yeah, but then I remember what Margaret said to me our first New Year's Eve while you were still in a coma. We are a grand romance, Sam, which means our love will always conquer."
"The two of you are going to make me vomit," Josh replied with a big goofy grin on his face.
"You're just bitter man because we picked Toby," Mara teased.
"I thought giving birth would have systematically taken care of Dragon Lady, but Iguess evil is always evil."
"A leopard never changes her spots," Mara chuckled.
The limo stopped and Mara found herself choking back emotions as Josh helped her out of the car. They stopped at the guardhouse to show Matthew off to Bill who was on duty. Sam smiled the second he stepped foot in the house because he could smell freshly brewed coffee.
"Jenna, we're home."
She came out of the kitchen munching on a brownie. "Hey, I'm going to go swimming. See ya later."
"I'm going the head home and stop Donna from rushing right over."
"OK, We'll see you tomorrow, Josh," Mara replied.
Sam gave Mara a saucy look, which she laughed at. "In your dreams, loverboy. I want a nice long shower and a nap. You can watch Matthew."
Sam looked down at his son who was still peacefully sleeping. "Son, you're going to have to learn that only Daddy has an all access pass to Mommy." There was no reaction as Sam thought, 'Yup, ignored by yet another member of this household.'