Sam waked around the Mural Room as Ainsley sat on the couch, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Gracie was staring up at the ceiling, a bored look on her face.
"You guys don't think I have better things to do with my time?" she asked. Sam turned away from the fireplace and stared at Gracie.
"Oh God I'm sorry honey. I didn't think you had meetings to go to or sit in the Situation Room with the Joint Chiefs. But now that I know, I'm sorry that I took you away from all of that."
"Gee Dad, you're hilarious."
"What time were they supposed to be here?" Ainsley asked. Sam glanced at his watch and back at his wife.
"Half hour ago."
"Can we give them a time limit?" Gracie asked. "Like... thirty seconds and we can go back to our lives?"
"No. Your mother's staff and my staff have rescheduled this thing too many times now. We're going to get it over and done with." Sam replied. "No matter how long we have to sit here."
"I have homework."
"You never rush to do homework. Besides, it's Saturday. You have until Monday morning in homeroom to finish your homework."
The door opened and Bridget poked her head in.
"The reporter is here."
"Okay." Sam nodded.
"About time." Gracie muttered, making Ainsley kick her lightly.
"Be nice." she said quietly.
"I hate these things."
"I don't care." Ainsley said as a blonde woman walked in. She seemed uncomfortable and Gracie saw her father become uncomfortable as well as her mother rolled her eyes before glancing at the clock in the corner.
"I just want to say that I didn't ask for this assignment." the woman said. Gracie raised an eyebrow as Sam laughed slightly. Was this woman insane? Did she not realize she was interviewing the First Family?
"That's fine. Uh... sit down." Sam motioned towards the other couch as he sat down on the other side of Ainsley. Her hand quickly found his and glanced up at him. "Gracie, this is Lisa Sherborne. Lisa, that's my daughter and you remember my wife."
"Yes, we've met a couple of times." she nodded, giving Ainsley a forced smile. There was a knock on the door and CJ came in.
"I—" she stopped, seeing Lisa sitting there and hid her smirk. "Mr. President, I didn't know you were in the middle of something."
"No it's fine." Sam stood up and went to walk away but Ainsley wouldn't let go of his hand. He looked at her and she gave him a look, one that did not go unnoticed by their daughter. "CJ, is it important?"
"You told me to tell you when they had news in the Situation Room, sir." she replied.
"I'll be a few minutes." he said, tugging his hand out of Ainsley's grasp. He followed CJ out of the room, leaving Ainsley, Gracie, and Lisa alone together.
"Why do I get the feeling that I'm being left out of the loop on something?" Gracie asked. Ainsley glanced at her daughter then stared at her lap. She really didn't like Lisa. She didn't like her at all. Of course, she'd only met the woman once or twice, possibly three times, but she didn't like her. She didn't like the fact that she was the one that almost was married to her husband. She didn't like the fact that she was the one that almost was the mother of her daughter. She thanked God every night that Josh got Sam to work on the Bartlet for America campaign and came between him and Lisa.
"You're not sweetie. Why would you think that?"
"I don't know. Maybe cause you could cut the tension in here with a knife."
Ainsley laughed lightly, hoping Gracie would let it go.
"I have to go to the bathroom." she said.
"Hurry back."
"Daddy won't be back for a while." Gracie replied, leaving the Mural Room. Instead of turning down the hall to the bathrooms, she headed down another hall, one she knew would lead her to the Vice President. Josh knew everything, especially everything to do with her parents. Gracie stopped outside Josh's office and gave his assistant, Barbara, a sweet smile. Barbara didn't like Gracie. She was one of the very few White House staffers that did not like the First Daughter.
"What can I help you with Gracie?" the bored woman asked.
"I was just wondering if the Vice President was busy."
"Why?"
"I need to ask him something."
"About?"
"A project to do with the White House. My father is in the Situation Room so I figured the Vice President could help me."
Barbara sighed and jabbed at the intercom.
"Mr. Vice President,"
There was minute of silence, then a loud curse from inside the office, and Josh swung his door open.
"Barb, I don't know how to work the— hey Gracie, what's up?"
"Do you have a minute?" she asked. Josh nodded and led his niece into the spacious office.
"What's up?" he asked, sitting behind his desk.
"Do you know who Lisa Sherborne is?"
Josh choked on his coffee and glanced over at the brunette.
"Why?"
"Because she's interviewing me and Dad and Mom."
"Oh that's got to be fun." Josh muttered. "Lisa Sherborne is a reporter for Vanity Fair."
"I gathered that much Uncle Josh. I want the juicy details."
"No."
"Please?"Gracie pouted and Josh tried ignoring the pathetic look on her face.
"That may work on your father but it doesn't work on me." he muttered.
"Uncle Josh!"
"Look, Gracie you know I love you, but... oh what the hell. But you didn't hear it from me okay?"
"My lips are sealed." she promised.
"Lisa was engaged to your dad when he lived up in New York and worked for Gage Whitney." Josh said. "When your mom was pregnant with you, Bartlet gave his fourth state of the union and Lisa was doing a cover story on your father. Your mom and Lisa didn't hit it off so well. And they've met at a few functions over the years and their relationship hasn't gotten better."
"Wait, Dad was engaged to her?"
"Yeah."
"Why did they split?"
"You have me to thank for your existence Grace."
"What do you mean?"
"Your father was gonna marry Lisa in September before Bartlet won his first election. I went to him to get him to work for the campaign and when he left, she gave him back the ring."
"Uncle Josh,"
"Yes darling?"
"I love you."
"You're very flattering sweetheart."
"They didn't break up because her name would've been Lisa Sherborne Seaborn right?"
"No."
"Oh," Gracie laughed and shrugged. "It would've been pretty funny if it was."
"Yeah. I have a meeting but it's been fun."
"I have to get back to my interview anyway. It has been fun though hasn't it?"
"Yes it has."
-------------------TWW-----------
Back in the Mural Room, Ainsley and Lisa were sitting quietly, neither wanting to speak to the other.
"It's a lovely place." Lisa finally said, not wanting to seem rude.
"Thank you."
"Look, Mrs. Seaborn—" Lisa couldn't help but feel jealousy as she said that but Ainsley waved a hand at her.
"Ainsley is fine."
"Ainsley, I don't want it to seem that there is any animosity between us. We're both grown women and can handle ourselves."
"Lisa, I don't have a problem with you. If anything, I should be thanking you." she said. "I just don't like the way you look at my husband and I can tell that you still have feelings for him. But hey, you were being foolish and that's your problem."
Lisa opened her mouth to speak but Ainsley kept on going, laughing slightly.
"Wow. That was very un-First Lady like of me."
"No, no it's fine. I think you're right."
"Do you regret giving him up?"
"Yes." Lisa admitted. "I loved him very much and I think I still do but I was afraid of following him to some state to help an unknown man run for president."
"Well that's the difference between you and me Lisa." Ainsley said. "I'd follow him to the end of the world and I didn't need seventeen years of marriage to help me understand that. We were only married a year and a half before he decided to pack up and go to California to try and win an election that seemed unwinnable. And we had a good life here in DC at the time."
The door opened and Sam came back into the room. He pretended like he wasn't standing outside the door, listening to the whole conversation and sat next to Ainsley.
"Where the hell is Gracie?"
"She went to the bathroom about an eternity ago."
"What did she fall in or something?"
"Sorry, I got waylaid in the hall." Gracie said, coming into the room. "Oh did we start already?"
"Nope, we were waiting on you." Sam replied.
--------------------TWW----------------
Ainsley chewed on her pen as she sat at her desk. Allison came in and dumped a pile of files on her desk, then stopped when Ainsley called her.
"Yes ma'am?"
"We're friends right?"
"I believe so Mrs. Seaborn."
"Good, sit down."
Allison seemed confused but obeyed the command anyway. Ainsley didn't say anything for a few minutes and Allison looked at her.
"Ma'am?"
"Hmm? Oh. Yeah. Now this is hypothetically speaking, if you had a friend who was married and her husband had a fiancee when he was... say... about 26 and about twenty years later, that fiancee shows up and your friend totally lost it on her... what would you think of your friend?"
"Mrs. Seaborn, where are we going with this exactly?"
"The President was engaged when he was 26 and the fiancee was the interviewer for Vanity Fair today and the President was out of the room, as was my daughter and we were alone together and I said some things."
"Are you... jealous ma'am?"
"God no! Allison, I'm married to the President. Why would I be jealous?" Ainsley asked. Her assistant merely shrugged.
"Is that all ma'am?"
"Yeah."
----------------------TWW------------------
Sam sighed and looked over at Ainsley, who was being exceptionally quiet.
"What?"
"What what?"
"Why are you so quiet?"
"I just don't feel like talking."
"The pod people took over your body didn't they?"
Ainsley looked over at Sam, giving him a look that said, 'fine mess with me but you won't live to see tomorrow'.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing." Ainsley stared ahead to the TV and tried her hardest to not give into Sam.
"You know, I wasn't too comfortable with her either." he commented.
"Who?"
"Don't play dumb with me. I know you too well."
"I didn't care."
"Yeah, that's why you're on the other side of the bed."
Ainsley looked away from the TV and noticed the huge gap between her and Sam.
"It... it was weird." she said quietly, looking back at the TV. "It's not a big deal. I could care less."
"Okay." Sam turned his attention back to his work while Ainsley fidgeted next to him.
"Sam..."
"Yeah?"
"Do you... sometimes do you... do you wish that... that things turned out differently?"
"What?"
"With... you know..." Ainsley trailed off as Sam turned and looked at her.
"Why would you even..."
"I don't know. It just, you know, crossed my mind."
"No. Honey, god no." Sam moved over and wrapped an arm around Ainsley. She sighed and buried her face in his shoulder, feeling very stupid at the moment. He lifted her head so he was looking her in the eye. "Ainse, I wouldn't want my life any other way than it is right now."
"She still loves you. She told me she does."
"I don't love her though. I love you."
"I know..."
"Then why would you even think something like that?"
"I don't know. I thought maybe... maybe you still had... feelings for her."
"No." Sam shook his head and Ainsley looked up at him.
"Really?"
"Why are you even questioning me on this?"
"Because my hormones are out of whack and I have several scenarios going through my head at the moment."
"No I don't have feelings for her anymore. To be honest, I don't think I had any for her when we were dating. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Okay."
"I just needed to be reassured."
"I know." Sam bent his head and kissed Ainsley softly. They sat like that for a couple of seconds before their bedroom door open and Gracie walked in, her pillow in hand with the dog, Ollie, trailing behind her.
"I don't feel good." she said, climbing between her parents. "Can I stay here?"
"Aren't you like... sixteen?"
"You know, when she acts childish, you tell her she's sixteen, but when she acts mature, you tell her she's six." Ainsley said.