"Your father wants to talk to you."

"Really?" Gracie didn't look up from painting her toenails. "I don't want to talk to him."

"It's your birthday." Ainsley said.

"He already said happy birthday."

"Just go see him."

"Yeah well, when I come back up in tears, it'll be your fault." Gracie closed the bottle of nail polish and hopped off her bed, glancing around. She saw her black flip flops lying near her desk and slid her feet into them, then walked out. Ainsley continued to stay in her daughter's room, heading into her closet to find the dress they had gotten a few weeks ago. Gracie showed up at the Oval Office a few minutes and stood by Bridget's desk after being told he was in a meeting. She looked around the outer office, marveling at everything. She remembered back when she was eleven when they first got to the White House she had no idea where to go or how to get there. Now, she knew every nook and cranny of the building and could get there in a matter of minutes.

The door opened and a few people that Gracie kind of recognized but could really care less walked out.

"You can go in Gracie." Bridget said. She sighed and walked in, shutting the door behind her.

"Mom said you wanted to see me." was her greeting and Sam didn't look up for a second. He stopped doing whatever he was doing and nodded.

"Yeah. Gracie, I know that you're mad at me and I'm sorry you feel that way."

"Yeah right."

"But I'm doing this because I love you."

"You got a weird way to show your affection then because you've ruined my life."

"I have not."

"You have too!"

"Have not!"

"Have too!"

"We're not doing this. Come on," Sam stood up and extended his hand to Gracie, who gave him a look. "Okay but just follow me okay?"

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Gracie reluctantly followed Sam out of the room and out of the West Wing to one of the rooms where they held state dinners.

"I a m not coming in with you to sit at another one of your boring dinners." she said.

"It's not one of my boring dinners." Sam said. "It's your boring sweet sixteen."

"What?"

"Yeah. And since you're in a tanktop, shorts, and flip flops, I think you want to go upstairs and change quickly."

"You said you cancelled it though."

"I know what I said. Go change. You don't want to keep everyone waiting more then you already have."

Gracie quickly turned and mentally tried to find the quickest route back to her bedroom.

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

"Why are you sitting back here?"

Gracie looked up from the salad she had been stabbing to Sam.

"What?"

"Why are you sitting back here?" he repeated.

"I realized that none of those people are my friends. I don't think I know half of them. They don't really care about me."

"Okay Molly."

"Huh?"

"You know... Molly Ringwald, Sixteen Candles..."

Gracie shook her head.

"No? Brat Pack? You know, Rob Lowe? Ally Sheedy? Judd Nelson?"

"I think you're crazy."

"No. Just old apparently." Sam frowned at the thought and ran a hand through his hair. "So if none of them like you, why are they here?"

"See that girl right there," Gracie pointed and Sam looked, then nodded. "She's obsessed with you."

His eyes widened and Gracie nodded.

"I'm not kidding. Her locker is decorated with pictures of you and it's right next to mine so I still see you during the day. She cried when she found out the article about Mom and Uncle Josh having an affair was a fake. She figured you'd get a divorce and suddenly the 48-year-old President of the United States would want to marry a girl that's the same age as his daughter."

"That's... horrifying."

"Yeah and she's in history with me so we really go at it when we're discussing you in class."

"Why did you invite her?"

"I didn't. She came with one of the guys I invited."

"You think he'll be mad that she really wants me and not him?"

Gracie laughed quietly and shook her head.

"He's—" she cut herself off, the smile on her face fading. "Excuse me,"

Sam visibly cringed at his daughter's tone. He knew that tone. It was a mix of him and Ainsley when they were pissed about something. Gracie stood up and walked over to a couple that was making out at an empty table. She tapped the guy on the shoulder and he broke away from the girl to turn and look at her.

"Hi."

"Gracie, hey," Ben gave her a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

"We were kind of busy." Karen went to pull Ben back to her but he pushed her hand away.

"Oh I could see that." Gracie said.

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

Sam, Ainsley, Josh, Donna, and Zoey had gathered at table a few feet away to watch what happened.

"You think one of us should get in there?" Josh asked.

"No." Ainsley shook her head. "I say we let her have another shot at Karen."

"Ainsley!" Sam turned and looked at her.

"I'm just saying and while she's at it, she could have a shot at Ben, the bastard."

"You really don't want something overhearing you and make it seem like the First Lady is cursing off children." Zoey said.

"Forget about that," Sam said. "So you finally agree with me."

"On what?" Ainsley asked.

"About Ben."

"When he is making out with another girl at our daughter's birthday party, I don't like that. Yes Sam, for once in your life you were right."

"I know about these things."

Josh turned to Donna and pointed at Sam.

"He's 'da man' and I will be following his code of conduct when Joanie reaches the age that she is allowed to date." he said.

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

"I didn't know there was something going on between the two of you," Gracie said.

"There's not." Ben quickly said. "We were just uh... she..."

"Let me guess, she wasn't breathing and you decided to give her CPR."

"Would you believe that?"

"No."

"I didn't think so."

"And who the hell invited you?" Gracie moved so she could see Karen.

"I came with Ben. He asked me."

"Oh really?"

"Uh," Ben scratched the back of his head, the same sheepish grin on his face. "I thought we were over."

"If you thought we were over, then why did you even decide to come to my party? To show off your new trophy?"

"Well, I told you I'd come—"

"I wasn't even aware that we were over. We never really discussed this."

"Truth is Gracie, he likes me more." Karen said. "Come on Ben."

"I want to talk to you." Gracie grabbed him by the arm, then looked at Karen. "Get the hell out."

Gracie pointed to the door and Karen smirked as she stood up. Even with her heels, Gracie still did not come close to the other girl's height.

"Says who?"

"Says me. This is my house."

"Actually, it's the federal government's,"

"Actually, it's my father's seeing as he is the President at this point in time and will be for the next four years so get out or... or... I'll get the Secret Service on you."

"Gracie, come on." Ben started but she threw him a look as she dragged him out of the room. "What do you want?"

"Oh, only to do this," she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face. "Now take Miss Super Slut and leave."

"You hurt me."

"Well good because you hurt me even worse." the door leading into the room opened and Karen walked out. She took Ben by the arm and they walked away from Gracie, who stood there for a minute, then quickly headed for her bedroom. After a few minutes everyone realized she had not come back and the group sitting at the table looked at each other.

"Well, who wants to go talk to her?" Sam asked. Everyone pushed their chairs out, leaving him in the middle. "Great."

"I'll go," Ainsley stood up and looked at Sam. "You can wait in the hallway. Don't want her throwing something at you."

"Right, I'll be up in a minute."

"Okay." she left and Sam shook his head.

"See Frenchie was right." he said.

"Who?" Josh asked.

"You know, from Grease. She said something about the only guy a girl can trust is her father."

"You're a dork."

"So I've heard."

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

Ainsley handed Gracie a towel after she lifted her head out of the sink and watched her for a minute.

"Feel any better?"

Gracie shook her head as she lowered the towel and started crying again. Ainsley sighed and pulled her to her side, holding her for a minute.

"Are you going to be crying for a while?"

Gracie nodded.

"Okay. Could we possibly move this to your bed then?"

Gracie looked up, a puzzled look on her face.

"I have a few extra pounds I have to carry around and standing for a long time is not very comfortable." Ainsley said. She looked down at Gracie who didn't respond. "It was a joke. You can laugh you know."

"I don't feel like laughing." she mumbled, walking out of her bathroom and plopping on her bed. She stood up again and went over to her dresser, grabbing a pair of sweat pants and a tanktop out. She changed, then sat down on her bed next to her mother. The door opened and Sam poked his head in.

"Is it safe to come in?"

"Go away." Gracie groaned, dropping her head onto Ainsley's shoulder. She kissed the top of her head, rubbing her arm gently.

"Okay... well uh, I'll be outside if anyone wants to cry on Daddy's shoulder."

"She's not in the mood for jokes Sam." Ainsley said.

"Apparently." he shut the door and the Seaborn women sat in silence for a minute.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not really, no."

"Guys can be jerks."

"Not all of them."

"Name one guy that is not a jerk."

"Daddy." this made Sam, who was standing outside the door, grin.

"And this comes from the girl who was screaming her brains out at him not even five hours ago." Ainsley teased.

"I mean, to you he's not."

"Please. Your father is less than perfect. Only by a little bit but he's still not perfect."

Sam frowned at this, then shrugged. At least she had said he was only a little off.

"He's better than most guys."

"He's done some things..."

"Like what?"

"The only one I think I'll share with you right now is that... hmm... we had been dating about a month and he went to the Kennedy Center with Grandpa Jed. CJ found him making out with Mallory— she's Leo's daughter. I don't think you remember Leo. You were only four when he died."

"I've heard stories."

"Stories don't do justice. He was another great guy. And your Uncle Josh and Uncle Charlie and Grandpa Jed and Grandpa are all great guys too."

"Every guy I've dated have been jerks."

"Well darlin' you're only sixteen. I didn't expect you to find the man you're going to marry by now. You shouldn't even be thinking about dating now. I know it's fun to ogle at the guys but you should be worrying about school. Besides, you're going to give your father a heart attack and I need him around for a while longer."

Sam pumped his fist into the air. Finally. Finally! Finally she agreed with him!