"All I want is for you to actually be nice to people. You don't want them thinking you're Scrooge."
"I ran the country for eight years. It's over and done with. Now I can sit out on our beach, basking in the sun."
"It's December."
"Still, I was president. It's over. I don't care what people think about me anymore."
"You could've been a bit nicer."
Sam sighed and stopped arranging presents under the Christmas tree to turn and look at Ainsley, who was sitting on the couch.
"I cannot stand your friends. They drive me out of my mind. Just like our children, who by the way, where the hell are they?"
"Well, Nicky is asleep upstairs, waiting for Santa to come so you better get a move on if you want all those presents under the tree by morning."
"Yeah, well if someone helped me, maybe I'd get this finished."
Ainsley stretched a leg out, kicking Sam in the back.
"I know Nicky's upstairs but we... I vaguely remember us having another child." he said.
"She said her flight was delayed and she should be home around midnight." Ainsley glanced at the clock. "Go to bed. I'll finish this."
"Well, if she's gonna be in in a half hour, I'll just wait for her."
"No. Honey, I'll wait up for her. Really. I will."
"So you're ordering me to go to bed." Sam said.
"Yes, I am." Ainsley agreed.
"She's bringing someone isn't she?"
"His name is Kyle."
"What does he do?"
"He's majoring in communications."
"Republican?"
"Democrat."
"Doesn't mean I'll like him." Sam muttered, turning his attention back to the presents.
"Oh no of course not." Ainsley smirked. "Why should you like any boy that dates your daughter?"
"Well, let's see. One, they're all bastards. Two, they want to put me in an early grave or three, they want to give me a grandchild before I'm seventy."
"Sam, we're going to have a grandchild before we're seventy anyway."
"No we won't."
"Yes we will. She turned twenty last June. I had her when I was twenty-eight. If she's like me, in eight years, you'll be sixty."
Sam made a cranky noise and Ainsley wasn't sure if it was because of his age or the possibility of being a grandfather. He sighed and leaned back against her legs.
"I can't be sixty in eight years. We have a four year old."
"Well you are. And besides, he'll be twelve then."
"There is no way I'm fifty two."
"Well you are."
"There is no way that we've been together twenty years."
"Actually twenty-one. We had our first anniversary 19 days after Gracie was born. But anyway, we have been together that long."
"But... no."
"Yes."
"It's not possible. It feels like I was just shaking your hand thinking, God, I'm going to wipe the floor with this blonde, leggy, Republican."
"It didn't quite turn out that way but I know what you mean." Ainsley said. She leaned forward, her arms going around Sam's shoulders. "You're gonna be nice to this kid."
"Do I have to?"
"Yes. One other thing,"
"What?" Sam turned his head slightly so he could see Ainsley.
"Kirkwood is in California, not Oregon." she grinned.
"Shut up."
"Being serious here, when you first met me on Capital Beat, did you ever think, in your wildest dreams, that twenty years down the road we'd be married, have two kids, and be the President and First Lady?"
"Being President, yes. Being married to you? I think I would've sent myself to an insane asylum for thinking such crazy things." Sam smirked. Ainsley smacked him lightly on the chest before he continued. "But I don't regret it."
"Oh gee, that's good to know!"
"Well I don't! I'm saying something sentimental here and you're being abusive and yelling at me. The point I'm trying to make is I was madly in love with you the second I laid eyes on you."
"Yeah, uhuh."
"Oh come on. You can't say you weren't madly in love with such a good looking guy like me."
"Good looking? Maybe twenty years ago." Ainsley teased. "Look at you. You've let yourself go. You used to be so muscular and now you've put on weight."
She poked him in the stomach and he poked her right back.
"Look who's talking."
"I've had two kids. What's your excuse?"
"After you had Gracie, you got right back in shape. Now, what's your excuse?"
"I just had another baby."
"Yeah. Four years ago."
"So you're saying I'm fat."
"You started it." Sam mumbled.
"Very mature."
"I'm just teasing you. You know that right? You're not fat. You're still skinny. Well... I mean, you have put on weight. You're not 115 anymore or however much you weighed when I met you."
"I know. I wasn't teasing you though." Ainsley said.
"Hey!"
"And your hair! God! The two things that were so important to you when we first met was your weight and your hair. You're going gray."
"It's stress. I ran a country for eight years." Sam defended.
"I read an article that stated stress didn't contribute to gray hair." Ainsley said.
"You know, people say that men are the mean ones in relationships. You put me down so much. At least I said I was teasing you!"
Ainsley laughed and rested her cheek on top of Sam's head.
"I'm kidding. I actually like you like this."
"Fat and gray?"
"You're not fat! I was kidding! And you're not totally gray. Just around here," she touched the sides of his head. "Sam, it's been twenty years."
"Stop saying that!" he exclaimed. "We're old."
"Yeah but like I said,"
"Don't say it."
"You can't expect to still be muscular and have a head full of dark hair. Be happy you still have a head full of hair."
"Ainsley,"
"I'm just saying. And you can't expect me to have a however tiny my waist was when we met." she said. "I like the gray in your hair. It's distinguished. Sexy."
"What were we talking about?"
"But you are going senile." Ainsley grinned. "You were saying something about how you were madly in love with me the second you laid eyes on me."
"Oh yeah. We're like Romeo and Juliet."
"Star crossed lovers?"
"Really, if you think about it, we're like them. Come from feuding parties, yadda, yadda. It was fate."
"Fate."
"You don't think so?" Sam asked, tilting his head back. "I mean, I forget who I was originally supposed to debate but he was stuck somewhere. Then everyone that should've been next, couldn't do it. So then it was just you."
"Oh no, I agree with you. I think we've had this conversation before." Ainsley moved so she was sitting on the floor next to him.
"We probably have. I don't think—no I know that I couldn't have picked a better wife, mother of my kids, First Lady. You're my best friend, my other half, my soul mate. You complete me. "
"Sam,"
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him before he kissed her. They sat like that for a few moments before they broke away from each other.
"I..." Ainsley stopped for a second, her voice cracking. Sam chuckled and wiped a few tears off her face.
"Stop."
"I can't wait until you write a book. It'll be, in the words of Gracie, so freaking awesome."
"Yes, I'm amazing."
"You make me cry."
"I've noticed."
"You're very sweet."
"So I've been told."
"I love you."
"I love you too. I have something for you."
"Oh really?"
"Yes." Sam stood up and walked over to a huge box. He brought it over to Ainsley, then sat back down next to her, a stupid grin on his face. She laughed softly and began to rip the wrapping paper off. "I probably should've given this to you before because I don't really want you crying again."
"I'm sure whatever it is, I'll love it."
"Yeah okay."
Ainsley got on her knees and opened the box. She frowned and pulled out a slightly smaller box.
"You got me a box."
"Hey, you said you'd love it."
"Am I going to cry because it's an upsetting gift? You got me a box?"
"Open the damn box Ainsley."
So she did and pulled out a smaller box.
"Oh I see what this is. It's the box inside the box thing."
"I was bored."
"I could tell. How long is this going to take?"
"Keep going."
This went on for about five minutes until Ainsley came down to two small boxes.
"Which one?" she asked. Sam shrugged. "Sam,"
"I honestly don't remember which one your gift is in."
"I hate you."
"You love me."
"Why I do is still a mystery."
"Hang on," Sam pulled both of the small boxes out and looked at them. "Ah. Okay. Close your eyes."
Ainsley sighed and shut her eyes, hearing paper ripping, then Sam took her hand. She felt something cool on her finger.
"Okay open."
She opened her eyes and stared at the ring now on her right hand. It was a thin platinum band with alternating diamonds and sapphires.
"I figured I'd forget so I marked the one that had your present." Sam said, making her laugh quietly. "It's..."
"An eternity band. I know. This was the one I was looking at in the magazine a couple months ago."
"I know. I didn't get it because you said it was pretty. I... I got it because... well, that's how long we're gonna be together. An eternity."
"You have to stop talking. Every time you open your mouth, you make me cry."
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."
"It's not but... sometimes I just can't handle it."
The front door opened and closed quietly and then they heard footsteps coming down the hallway.
"Hey, we're supposed to open presents together." Gracie said, seeing the boxes opened.
"It was my present." Ainsley said, wiping her eyes.
"Why are you crying?"
"Your father."
"What did you do now?"
"Why do you always think that I've done something wrong?" Sam asked, standing up. Gracie grinned and walked over, getting pulled into a tight hug. "School was over three days ago. Where've you been?"
"I went to California." she replied, hugging her mother. "Kyle took me home to meet his parents. I stopped in and saw Aunt Sarah while we were there. She said for me to give you something but I don't want to give it to you. Mom knows though so she can give it to you."
Ainsley smacked Sam hard over the back of his head.
"Ow! What the hell?"
"She said you never call and that you're a loser and need to get a life." Gracie said. "She also said you owe her a lot of Christmas presents so you may have to call and have a yelling match with her."
"I hate her."
"Stop it. She's your sister and you love her." Ainsley said. "Gracie,"
"Yes?" she turned and gave her mother a charming smile.
"Did you bring Kyle with you?"
"Hmm? Oh! Yes, I did! He's—" Gracie turned around and frowned, not seeing her boyfriend behind her. She sighed and headed back into the hallway. "Kyle?"
She paused and Ainsley heard Kyle mumble something and Gracie let out another sigh.
"Don't be stupid. They're people." she came back into the room, her hand gripping Kyle's tightly. He looked very nervous and after a look at Sam, Ainsley didn't blame Kyle for being nervous. "Kyle, these are my parents, Sam and Ainsley. Mom, Daddy, this is Kyle Manning."
"It's nice to meet you." Ainsley smiled, extending her hand. Kyle quickly shook it, returning the smile nervously.
"It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Seaborn."
"Ainsley is fine."
Gracie looked at Sam expectantly over Kyle's shoulder and reluctantly, he held his hand out too.
"Nice...to meet you Kyle."
"It... it's an honor to meet you sir." he stammered, staring at Sam with a mixed look of horror and awe.
"Thanks."
"You'll meet my brother in the morning." Gracie said. "And I'll show you around in the morning. It's pretty late."
"Yeah. You guys go get settled upstairs." Ainsley said.
"I'll show you to your room Kyle." Sam said. Gracie opened her mouth to protest as the men disappeared upstairs and Ainsley gave her a look.
"Mom—"
"No."
"But—"
"No."
"I'm twenty years old!"
"I do not care. What you do in your dorm away at college is your business but while you're in our house you two will not sleep in the same room, especially under your father's watch."
"That's not fair!"
"I don't care! Your grandparents didn't let me and your father share a room when we came down until after we were married."
"But they're so old-fashioned!"
"Yes well your father and I are old too so too bad. Go to bed." Ainsley kissed Gracie on the forehead and she sighed, then stomped upstairs. Ainsley shook her head and quickly arranged the rest of the presents under the tree, then went upstairs. Sam was already in bed, his eyes closed. She knew he wasn't asleep though. Smiling slightly, she shut the door, then got into bed.
"She mad?"
"I told her that my parents didn't let us sleep together until we were married and she walked upstairs in a huff." Ainsley said.
"Good."
"What room did you put him in?"
"The room furthest from Gracie's."
"You know, if I was twenty-seven and snuck out of my room to sleep with you, I think she'll do the same."
"Should've put him in the dungeon." Sam muttered.
"We don't have a dungeon."
"Should've made one."