"I'm home!"

"Up here!" Ainsley yelled from upstairs.

"Where?"

"Our room!"

Sam deposited his things in the hallway and headed upstairs, smiling as he entered their bedroom.

"Hey,"

"Hi." Ainsley smiled. She leaned up for a second and Sam kissed her quickly before sitting down next to Gracie. She was sitting up and watching Dora the Explorer. "How was work?"

"Ah, you know." Sam waved a hand in front of Gracie's face and she turned her head towards him, then gave a big smile seeing him sitting there. "So you didn't turn into a couch potato. That's good."

He pulled her onto his lap and she grabbed his head, her fingers tightening on his hair.

"Ow, ow Ainse get her off me!"

She laughed and leaned over, gently pulling Gracie's hands off Sam's head.

"Do nice Gracie." she said, touching Sam's cheek softly. "See, Mommy do nice."

"Mommy do very nice." Sam grinned, giving his wife a suggestive look.

"Will you stop that! She's going to grow up and be sick and twisted and demented."

"You just said three things that all mean the same thing."

Gracie just giggled and grabbed onto Sam again.

"Gracie, you can't hurt Daddy." he said, reaching up to untangle her fingers from his hair.

"Give her to me. I have to give her a bath." Ainsley said.

"I haven't seen her all day!" Sam protested.

"Fine, then you give her a bath and I'll go make dinner."

"Fine."

"You have to make sure she doesn't splash."

"Honey, she's five months old. She doesn't know how to splash."

"Oh-kay then. Oh, you got mail too. It's on the counter."

"Where's her stuff?"

"In our bathroom."

"Okay then."

"Sam, I'm... never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing. You take care of it." Ainsley said.

"I am." Sam insisted, rolling up his sleeves.

"I know."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just go give her a bath. You know what to do."

"Yeah." Sam picked Gracie up and carried her into the adjoining bathroom. Ainsley sighed and walked out of their bedroom and headed downstairs.

----------------TWW---------------

About a half hour later, Ainsley headed upstairs and walked into the bathroom, her eyes widening. Gracie was sitting in her little tub as she giggled, her hands hitting the water. Sam was sitting on the floor, his blue dress shirt clinging to his chest and his hair matted down on his forehead.

"How's it going?" Ainsley asked.

"How do you think it's going?" Sam sneered. "She's a little demon!"

"You said you could handle it. It looks like you took a bath instead of her."

Sam gave his wife a look, which she returned.

"Go put on some dry clothes and check the dinner. I'll finish up here."

Sam nodded and pushed himself up off the floor, giving his daughter a stern glare. Gracie, however, just looked up innocently at him. Sam walked out of the bathroom and Ainsley could hear him going through the dresser.

"You drive Daddy insane." she said.

"And it's only gonna get worse." Sam muttered, peeling his wet shirt off him. "I didn't even put that much water in the thing!"

"I told you she splashes but do you believe me? No. So it's your own fault."

------------------TWW--------------

"So what happened at work today?" Ainsley asked, feeling Sam's arms slip around her.

"Did you know that it is near impossible for a Democrat to win in Orange County for the Congressional seat?"

Ainsley raised an eyebrow and continued making dinner.

"What brought this on?"

"I was speaking with Jan from Ways and Means..."

"The one who likes to call you cupcake?"

"Yeah," Sam smirked. "She told me that Horton Wilde had his fourth heart attack."

"Am I supposed to know who he is?" Ainsley asked.

"He's a Democrat running for Congress in Orange County."

"Oh."

"I said I wouldn't let it become part of my life but I've been thinking about it all day."

"Sam,"

"We're going to Debate Camp this weekend." he said, quickly changing the subject.

"I figured." Ainsley murmured.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just from what you've told me and what I've seen at work, you guys have a little work cut out for you. But it's fine Sam. He's going to get through this."

"How does someone get reelected when they lied to everyone?"

Ainsley was silent, trying to come up with a good reply to this. The MS and the reelection were a touchy subject with Sam. She remembered when Jed had told Sam about him having MS. It had been shortly after James and Elizabeth had told him about James's affair and their divorce. Sam had slowly been getting over that announcement when Jed dropped the bombshell on him. Ainsley remembered he had come home and cried to her. His father had lied to him and now the closest thing he had left to a father had lied to him as well.

"Because he makes up for it with the way he runs the country." she finally said. "Honey, I know you think I am some conservative Republican that would love to slay every Democrat she lays eyes on but I love President Bartlet. Don't tell any of my Republican friends..."

"You're leading another life." Sam joked, making Ainsley laugh softly.

"They still think I'm crazy for taking a job at the White House." she said, turning around.

"Well, I, for one, am every glad that you took a job at the White House."

"Mmm, best decision I've ever made." Ainsley leaned closer to Sam and he pulled away from her. "Besides marrying you of course."

"Good save." Sam mumbled before they kissed. They exchanged a few more kisses before Gracie began crying in the other room. Sam sighed and buried his face in Ainsley's shoulder. "She always ruins it."

"Let me go."

"Why?"

"So I can go tend to our daughter."

"Tend to me." Sam mumbled, kissing Ainsley's neck.

"I will tend to you later tonight."

"That a promise?"

Ainsley just gave Sam a smile as he released her and walked away.