DISCLAIMER:

1) I don't own anything related to the West Wing, Hamilton (the series title), or Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure(the story title).

2) The Chapter title is inspired by the Hamilton song My Shot by Lin Manuel : Mentions of Rosslyn (mostly consistent with the In this White House episode, with a few details added)

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Ainsley heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her office as she worked at her desk in her dimly lit office.

"Leo?" Ainsley called out as the door slammed open. "Mr. Tribbey." Ainsley stood up and then briefly glanced down.

"I see they've found you an office." Lionel said as he looked around.

"Such as it is." Ainsley said.

Tribbey turned to look at her. "Good men and women have worked in whatever room was available in this building, and have done so without complaint."

"I don't believe you heard me complain, Mr. Tribbey." Ainsley said.

"I believe I did, Miss Hayes. Now, why don't you tell me what this is all about?" Tribbey asked.

"Sir?"

"These people here are trying to do something. I'll have their backs while they're trying. What are you doing here?" He jabbed his finger in her face.

"Serving my country." Ainsley said.

"Why not join the Navy?" He mocked.

"I was been asked to do this." Ainsley said.

"And you said yes." Tribbey said.

"Yes."

"Why?" Tribbey questioned.

"I feel a sense of duty." Ainsley said.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said, 'I feel a sense of duty'." She repeated as her emerald eyes pierced through him. "What, did ya just walk outta The Pirates of Penzance?"

"Sir?"

"Why, he's an Englishman." He sang.

" 'He is an Englishman' is from H.M.S. Pinafore." She corrected.

"It's from Penzance. Don't tell me about Gilbert and Sullivan." He paused. "It's from Penzance or Iolanthe... one of the ones about duty."

"They're all about duty. And it's from Pinafore." She corrected him again.

"Miss Hayes..."

"Is it so hard to believe, in this day and age, that someone would roll up their sleeves, set aside partisanship, and say, 'What can I do?' " She gestured towards herself.

He smirked in disbelief. "Yes."

Tribbey threw up his hands in resignation and broke the awkward silence. "I want you to go up to the Hill this afternoon and I want you to talk to the Associate Majority Counsel at Government Affairs."

"You're sending me to the Associate Counsel 'cause I speak Republican."

"Yes. Two staffers in the Communications Office - Steve Joyce and Mark Brookline - testified at Governmental Affairs that the White House couldn't produce the Rockland memo because the White House didn't have the Rockland memo."

"But I'm guessing that we have it?"

"Yes." He dropped a folder on her desk. "Read about it, then fix it."

"I will... And thank you for asking me."

"Yeah." He snarled before he left her office.

"Mr. Tribbey?" She said as he turned around at the doorway. "I'd like to do well on this, my first assignment. Any advice you could give me ... that might point me ... the way of success ... would be, ... by me, ... appreciated."

Tribbey paused for a moment and then sarcastically said, "Well, not speaking in iambic pentameter might be a step in the right direction."

She looked back down at her desk. "Yeah."

As he walked out, she said, "The President's way too moderate for your taste."

Lionel Tribbey walked back in. "Excuse me?"

"On affirmative action, capital gains, public schools, free trade..." She continued, looking him in the eye. "You left a lucrative practice in Chicago and a seven-figure income….. It wasn't out of duty?"

He thought as he walked towards the stairs as Ainsley recalled Leo's words from earlier when he said "Ainsley, don't worry about Sam or Josh and Toby or C.J. or the Democrats on the hill or Republicans on television. You're here to serve the President. Anyway... welcome to the White House." And with that, she immediately got to work on the Rockland memo.

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Ainsley's POV

Ainsley passed Donna as she fixed the sputtering printer in the Bullpen. She replayed the disaster of the meeting with Brookline and Joyce in her mind. But nonetheless, she was shocked that they didn't understand the importance of manners and how writing a quick apology note for claiming that the White House didn't have the Rockland Memo when they did have it, which was negligence at best, was the politically and socially savvy thing to do.

"Hey!" Sam followed Ainsley as she walked out of the bullpen in a cream wool coat.

"Hey."

Ainsley turned towards Sam. "Hey."

"Did you talk to Steve Joyce and Mark Brookline?"

"Yes, I did."

"See, I was told you were just gonna be working in the Majority Counsel's office, which I wasn't wild 'bout to begin with, but it's my understanding I'd be talking to Brookline an' Joyce, seeing as how they work for me." He said as she looked down for a moment.

She took a deep breath and looked back at him. "I was taking initiative."

"Well, wasn't that spunky of you."

"Sam," 'Pull yourself together. Just hold on a little longer.' Ainsley reminded herself on as she was the verge of tears. "d'ya think there's any chance that you could be rude to me tomorrow? … Tomorrow is Saturday. I will be here... You can call me an' be rude by phone, or you can stop by an' do it in person. … 'Cause I think if I have to endure another disappointment today from this place that I have worshipped, I am gonna lose it. … So if you could wait until tomorrow, I would appreciate it." She said as she successfully held back her tears and then walked away.

Sam's guilt took over as he followed her, first through the lobby and then the hallways that became darker and darker to her dungeon of an office. "Ainsley, I'm sorry for what…." he rehearsed over the faint sound of her heels reverberated through the hallway. He listened to the churning of the boiler, which sounded like Donna's printer.

"Ainsley?" He yelled over the boiler. "Look..." He paused in the doorway. "Can I talk to you for a minute? … All I was really trying to say—" Sam stood speechless as he read the card attached to a vase of dead flowers that said 'BITCH'.

"Who did this?" he uttered under his breath. "Who did this?" his temper escalated.

"I don't know." Ainsley said.

"Yes, you do." Sam said.

"Don't worry about it..." Ainsley said as she brushed it off and walked around her desk towards her chair.

"Who sent you this?" He examined the handwriting.

"Don't worry about it..." Ainsley said.

"Ainsley?" Sam asked.

"Sam..."

"How'd your meeting end up going with Brookline and Joyce?" He looked at her face.

Ainsley fought back tears. "It went great, Sam. ...I talked to them for a couple minutes, and I think that—" The door slammed open as Sam stormed out of the office. "Sam!"

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Toby's POV

Josh and Toby watched Sam storm back into the bullpen, still fuming as much as he had been 30 minutes ago. This level of anger was reserved for when someone went after one of his own, like when Lillenfield had attempted to expose their boss Leo's addiction problems. Which was why he was really confused when he found out that Sam was so angry on behalf of that Hayes girl.

Sam stood in Toby's office doorway. "After Ainsley discussed the Rockland memo with Brookline and Joyce, they put this on her desk." *CLA-dassshhh!* Sam explained with fury in his voice as threw down the dead flowers onto Toby's desk. "So I fired them."

Josh and Toby sat there silently as Sam paused and then continued to rant. "Josh, she works here. There could have been a lawsuit against us." Sam asserted and paused again. "Josh, this isn't me being the knight in shining armor so I can get the beautiful girl or something..."

'That's exactly what it's about.' Toby thought.

Sam continued. "This is about professionalism."

"Dude, we didn't say anything. That's all you."

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Ainsley's POV

As Ainsley nimbly walked down the dimly lit maze to her office the following morning, a hazelnut latte and a peach muffin in hand, she had this strange feeling that she wasn't alone. Then she noticed framed Gilbert and Sullivan posters on her wall she could hear the faint sound of "He's an Englishman" playing in her office. When she opened the door, she found CJ, Toby, Josh and Sam singing, more posters on the walls and fresh flowers on her desk. In that moment she realized that despite their differences, she had been accepted as part of the team. 'They did all this... for me?'