Gracie quietly walked into the Oval Office as the Joint Chiefs walked out.
"You're not supposed to sneak in here like that." Sam said, not looking up.
"Dad, you know how you were telling me that we're going to the Kennedy Center for that show?"
"Yeah..."
"Are we still going?"
"Why?"
"I was just wondering."
"Yeah we're still going."
"Do we... happen to have an extra seat?"
"Why?"
"I was just wondering."
"What are you getting at?"
"Nothing. I'm just curious." Gracie said. "I'll see you later."
She walked out, closing the door behind her and Sam grabbed the phone, dialing Ainsley's office.
"Yeah, Allison does my wife have a minute? Okay thanks." Sam leaned back in his chair and waited for Ainsley to come on the phone.
"Shouldn't you be going to war with some country?"
"That can come later. Gracie was just in here and I've got a feeling she's coming to you next. Say no to whatever she asks."
"What did she ask you?"
"If we were still going to the Kennedy Center tonight and if so, do we have an extra seat."
"Really? Why would I say no to that?"
"I don't know. Just say no."
"Did you say no?"
"...no. But she's going to ask you something else. I know she is. That's how she is so then you two gang up on me and I have no choice but to say yes later on. So just say no now and save me the trouble."
"Go back to work Sam." the phone clicked and Sam hung up the phone, frowning to himself. Gracie, on the other hand, quickly made her way towards her mother's office and smiled at Allison.
"Is she busy?"
"No. You can go in."
Gracie thanked the older woman and rushed into Ainsley's office.
"MomDaddysayswehaveanextraseattonightattheKennedyCenterandIwannainviteBentocome." she said quickly. Ainsley, who spoke as fast as her daughter, stared at her for a minute and realized that this was the thing Sam warned her about.
"Ben Newman?"
"Yes."
"He's a nice boy."
"He's a very nice boy. Never done drugs or drank. Starts Georgetown in September, has a band, and will register as a Republican on his 18th birthday."
"What does he play?"
"In his band?"
"Yes."
"Guitar."
"He's talented."
"Very talented." Gracie said. "Please, please, please, please, please persuade Daddy to let him come."
"He can come. You don't need to ask Daddy. He already talked to me about it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he knew something was up and he called me and when you asked about the extra seat, he knew you wanted to bring someone so he said for me to tell you yes."
"Really?"
"Mhmm."
"He is the best!"
-----------------TWW---------------
"Absolutely not!" Sam exclaimed. "Are you out of your mind Ainsley? Didn't I tell you to say no?"
"Sam, she likes him." she said.
"Yeah and she also liked that Jerry kid and the Roman kid."
"His name was Chris and he was jerk and he hurt my baby so we're not counting him."
"I don't want to count any of them!"
"Ben is a nice kid."
"He's older than her."
"You are also older than me."
"That's different. You were twenty seven we when we started seeing each other. You were grown and understood how to make good decisions."
"Sam, she's going to be sixteen in three months! And she begged me. She said, 'Mom please ask Daddy, my absolute favorite guy in the whole entire world, to let Ben come with us."
"I'm not going to get sucked into this."
"Well, do it for me at least."
"Why?"
"Because I am three and a half months pregnant and I do not need to be arguing over something as petty as this with you! If he's there, she won't be whining that she's bored."
"Yeah because he's going to be shoving his tongue down her throat." Sam muttered. Ainsley gave him a look.
"He's not like that."
"You saw them at my birthday!"
"Sam, he kissed her on the lips and then she smiled and put her head on his chest. That was it. I even asked her and she said there was no tongue involved."
"Alright!" Sam put his hands over his ears and clamped his eyes shut. "I don't need to hear that!"
"Then stop being childish. She'll have a good time with him and he'll keep her out of our hair."
"He's not coming."
"Too late, I told her he could come."
"So you went behind my back."
"You made her very happy Sam."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I told her you already knew so you told me to tell her he could come."
"I never said that though."
"But you made her day anyhow." Ainsley said. "And I'm proud of you honey."
"You put words in my mouth!" Sam sputtered.
"Yeah but now you've got a guaranteed place in her heart."
"I shouldn't have to beg to have a guaranteed place in my daughter's heart. I'm... already supposed to have that."
"Life's tough."
"You're taking enjoyment out of this, aren't you?"
"Damn right I am. You are going to be nice to the boy Sam."
"You're not my mother."
"No but I am the mother of your children and I tend to stick to their side, not yours. And I will hurt you if you ever did anything to either of them that made them unhappy."
"You tend to scare me a lot of the time, you know that?"
"I have that affect on people."