I apologize for the delay! This chapter has had a lot of delicate nuances I needed to iron out. I've also started a Harry Potter story if any of you guys are interested.

I do not own anything related to Hamilton or West Wing.

I realize that I made a typo in Please Say Yes. I said that Ainsley was 32 but I meant 30.

X

Ainsley snuggled into Sam's side on his leather couch. "Honey… I've been thinkin' about what we talked about the other day." A blue throw blanket draped over the two of them.

Sam's arm was wrapped around Ainsley's waist. "What, about Mary Marsh in lingerie?" He yawned.

Her large green eyes popped. "Sam! Stop that! Now I can't stop thinking about it!"

"You can't stop thinking about Mary Marsh in lingerie? Wow, if that's how you really feel and you wanna go be with her, then I support you." He teased.

"…You're kiddin', right?"

"No, I really do support you if that's how you feel." He gave her a cheeky smile.

She glared at him. "You know she hates me, right?"

Sam grinned. "Hey, you two could have really hot, angry sex. Don't let me stand in your way. Would you let me sit in the corner and watch? I promise to behave myself." Ainsley gave Sam the finger, prompting him to put his hand over his heart. "Good Lord, Ainse, I can only get so aroused. The doctor said I shouldn't have an erection for more than four hours, you know."

Ainsley's oval face turned pink, matching her hot pink velour tracksuit. "SAMUEL NORMAN."

Sam smirked. "Ainsley Charlotte."

She gave him a warning look. "Samuel Norman, you had better behave yourself. … Anyway I was thinkin'…"

"You're still thinking about Mary Marsh? I knew it."

Her face turned red. "SAMUEL NORMAN!"

"Okay, I'll be good. For now." He kissed her cheek.

Ainsley gave Sam a warning look. "I was gunna say… that I think that you should have a real talk with Josh. About us, I mean."

He furrowed his brows. "About us? That's none of his business."

"Well… yes and no."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean that Josh's no good at understandin' things outside of himself. He thinks that everyone thinks, or should think, the way he does. If he's full, then everybody else should be full." She stroked his hand with her thumb.

Sam hesitated. "…Maybe we're more different than we thought." His voice sounded defeated.

"You're both very different, but that's okay. Look how different Kat and I are. Look at how different Steph and Kat are."

He nodded. "Yeah, that's true. You'd be hard pressed to find two friends more different than Steph and Kat. … But what if we've grown apart?"

She squeezed his hand. "Your friendship'll probably change, but that's not necessarily bad. … What I'm sayin' is that you, his best friend of what… 15 years?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, 15 years."

"His best friend of 15 years, is gunna marry a Southern, Christian, gun totin' conservative from a large family. I reckon he thinks you're gunna change."

"What? He thinks I'm going to start voting Republican?"

Ainsley shrugged. "Maybe."

He hesitated. "…I mean… my politics might change, but I'd have to actually change my mind. Yours might change too."

"They might change, if I actually changed my mind. … But I reckon that Josh doesn't get why any Democrat would change their mind," she said gently. "Unless of course it's a Democrat who disagrees with him."

Sam let out a laugh. "Is he that closed-minded?"

"More or less."

"He's not that ignorant, … is he?"

She spoke in a gentle, delicate tone. "Honey, I know he's your best friend and I don't wanna disparage him, but I reckon he is that ignorant."

He creased his forehead. "Wow."

"But… I reckon that it's bigger than even that."

Sam furrowed his brows. "What? What do you mean?"

"I mean that Josh would be freaked out even if I were a Democrat, to a degree at least," Ainsley explained.

"Why?"

"Because again, you're his best friend. He sees y'all as this hotshot duo on the DC political scene. He has this fantasy that y'all have women trippin' over themselves to sleep with you cause you're powerful men who work for the President."

He let out a laugh. "Who does he think we are, James Bond?"

She snorted. "That's exactly who he thinks y'all are."

Sam was shocked. "He thinks we're a James Bond duo? But I don't want to be James Bond."

"Don't write it off so fast. James Bond lives quite the life."

"Jet planes and a different girl in every movie?"

"Yeah, and gadgets and missions and danger and adventure," she added.

"Somehow I don't think a license to kill is the adventure that I'm looking for."

Ainsley smiled. "Hmmm… what adventure are you lookin' for then?"

"Just a simple life with the woman I love." He kissed her temple.

"Do you have any particular woman in mind?" she batted her eyelashes.

Sam chuckled. "Do you even have to ask?"

"I hear Mary Marsh might be available."

"We'll always have that sultry night in Bimini, but I'd never take Mary Marsh away from you."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's so kind."

He gave her a cheeky smile. "I just know how much Mary Marsh means to you."

"I reckon Josh's issue with you not bein' James Bond with him forever is that he's gonna have to do it alone. Or at least he thinks he'll be all alone."

He shrugged. "I guess."

"I reckon that Josh just needs to know that there's room for him in our lives. He probably needs you to sit him down and say it and then you have to show him you mean it."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Ainsley spoke in a casual tone. "And then he and I need to have a little talk too."

He furrowed his brows. "What? Why?"

"He needs to know that he's not losin' you. He needs to know that there's always room for him in our lives, and he needs to hear it from me."

He held her a little tighter. "Okay, we can do that. But I'm going to be there with you when you have that conversation."

'And now for the part you're not gunna like.' "No, you can't be there. And you can't get upset, no matter what he says."

"Absolutely not." Sam said.

'I knew it.' "It's non-negotiable. It's not gunna work if you're there. …And Toby or CJ can't be there either," she said.

"Oh, come on!" he exclaimed.

"Honey, that's the way it has to be. Josh needs to speak freely and get everythin' out there. It's the only way to suck out that poison." She insisted.

He raised his eyebrows and creased his forehead. "I just think it's a bad idea."

Ainsley shrugged. "I've dealt with worse. I was a vocal conservative at Smith, you know."

"Yeah, I still don't understand why you did that."

"Because I don't back down from a fight."

"It's one thing to not back down from a fight, but you picked the one place where you'd be guaranteed to have to fight all the time." Sam took a deep breath. "Look, Josh is vindictive and he doesn't let things go and this'll only rile him up even more."

She raised her delicate eyebrows. "You don't think I could kick his sorry, scrawny chicken ass?"

He tucked his chin. "…That's not the point."

"Then what is the point?"

"The point is you'll just fuel his anger. You won't be able to reason with him."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you doubtin' my ability to talk down a firebrand Democrat man?"

"No. …I'm doubting his ability to act like an adult."

Ainsley shrugged. "He might have trouble actin' like an adult. So what if he does? I can take it."

"Trust me. I know what he's like when he gets like this. There's no reasoning with him."

"I reckon that you're not givin' him enough credit."

He shrugged. "Maybe so, but I know him, so I doubt it. It's not worth the risk."

"I believe you. But I can handle whatever he throws at me. I'm sayin' that you can throw me in the Lion's Den and I'll come out swingin'." She assured him.

"I know you'd come out swinging, but that doesn't mean I'm throwing you in the Lion's Den. And if you're in the Lion's Den, then I'm jumping in too." Sam said resolutely.

She swooned. 'He's so sweet and wonderful. How did I get this lucky?' "I know you would and I love you for it." She kissed his cheek, his other cheek in her hand. "But the only way this is gunna work is if Josh and I duke it out on the playground for a bit."

He furrowed his brows. "Duke it out?"

"Were you ever friends with someone as a kid who you didn't like at first and but became friends with after y'all worked out your differences?" Ainsley asked.

Sam raised the inner corners of his eyebrows. "You know that duking it out with Josh could get ugly, right?"

"I know, but I can handle it. And it's our only option." She assured him.

They cuddled on the couch for a few minutes before he spoke. "…You know… I'll always have that sultry night in Bimini with Mary Marsh, but it was nowhere near as special as each and every moment I've had with you." He kissed her temple.

Ainsley smirked as she raised her delicate eyebrows. "Really."

Sam smiled. "Yes, really."

"This 'simple life with the woman you love'-"

"You mean a simple life with you, Ainsley Charlotte Hayes." He gave her a little squeeze.

She smiled. "Yes, me, Samuel Norman Seaborn. What does this 'simple life with me' look like?"

He smiled. "As many kids as you want running around our white picket-fenced yard, both of us having our dream jobs, and maybe a dog in there somewhere."

Her heart melted. 'That sounds perfect.' "That's all you need?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. And anything else that you want that I didn't think of. Horses, a bunch of dogs, chickens… whatever you want."

"Hmmmm… There should be fruit trees and an herb garden and a vegetable garden and berry plants. We could even get a greenhouse."

"A greenhouse?" he asked.

Ainsley nodded. "Yeah, so we can have fresh fruit and herbs and veggies year round. You'd probably have lots of fun doin' that with our kids."

"I would have lots of fun doing that. And maybe a saltwater fish tank," he said.

"A saltwater tank, like with all the tropical fish?" she asked.

"Yeah." Sam pulled her closer to him. "But anyway. I'll love whatever life has you in it." He kissed her temple.

X

Donna made notes as Josh leaned back in the chair behind his desk. "Did you hear about how Toby's gonna be a dad?" Josh asked.

She looked up. "Yes! I think it's great!" Her smiled faded as he avoided her eyes. "…Don't you think it's great?"

He hesitated. "…Well, yeah I guess it's … great." The morning sunlight danced across his auburn hair.

She furrowed her brows. 'I don't believe you.' "Why wouldn't it be great?"

Josh flipped through reports and polling data. "…He might not wanna be a dad. … And it's not like he's gonna have just one kid. One kid's bad enough, but he and Andy are gonna have twins."

Donna eyed him carefully. "What do you mean, 'one kid's bad enough'?"

His warm brown eyes darted. "Well… kids are… you know… a lot."

She studied him. "Kids are a lot of work, but they're worth it."

He raised his eyebrows. "Are they worth it though?"

Donna was stunned. "Yes, they're worth it. There's a special sort of love and connection that you get from all the hard work of raising them."

His tucked his chin under. "Hmm. Do you want kids?"

Her oblong face lit up as her blue eyes sparkled. "Yes, one day. But I have to meet the guy first though. … I guess I could adopt or get a sperm donor, but it's very expensive. I like the idea of adoption, but it's hard to get approved as a single parent." She pictured herself raising a family in her dream house with Josh, complete with cats and dogs.

Josh stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded. "Do you have the wires?"

Her thoughts happily drifted to when she went home with Cliff after Ainsley's birthday party and the date they had a couple days afterwards. 'What about Cliff? I bet he'd be a great dad and husband. And he's lots of fun and he's got a great sense of humor.'

"Donna?" Josh asked.

Donna felt a jolt as she snapped back to attention. "Oh… Sorry about that. … The wires. Yes, they're right here."

X

Sam caught up with Josh as he left the Roosevelt Room. "Hey, Josh. Are you free for lunch?" He held his lunchbox.

Josh nodded. "Yeah, sure." His voice was a bit tense. "Can you believe that we're only getting one debate?"

Sam shrugged. "Well at least we got a good debate format."

"Yeah."

"And we know that this President only needs one debate to run circles around Ritchie," Sam added.

"That's true. As long as it's not Uncle Fluffy," Josh said apprehensively.

Sam spoke with confidence. "It won't be Uncle Fluffy."

Josh pulled his eyebrows to the bridge of his nose. "Really?"

"Really. It's going to be the President. I can feel it. But worrying about it won't do any good. There's only so much that we can control," Sam said as they walked down the stairs.

"Yeah."

Sam took a deep breath. "You know, speaking of my lunch, I wanted to talk to you about this vegetarian thing."

Josh came to an abrupt stop, his brown eyes wide. "Sam-"

Sam interjected. "No, Josh. It's okay. I talked about it with Ainse and we agreed that I needed to talk to you about it. She's going to have a talk with you too."

"Oh, good. ... Wait, why does she wanna talk to me?"

They reached the end of the staircase. "We think that you have some unresolved issues with her. We want to give you the chance to, in her words, 'suck out the poison' and for the two of you to 'duke it out' like two kids on the playground."

Josh furrowed his brows. "Duke it out?"

They entered The Mess. "Did you ever have that friend when you were a kid who you didn't like at first and but you became friends with them after the both of you had a chance to work out your differences?"

Josh pulled his eyebrows up and together. "Are you gonna be there?" He bit his lip.

Sam shook his head. "Nope. It's important that you be allowed to talk freely without me or Toby or CJ or anyone else jumping in." 'Against my better judgment. But yes.'

"…I'm kinda nervous to be alone with her." Josh's eyes were rounded.

'I know. Me too.' "She can take it." 'I hope. … Yes, she can take it,' Sam assured himself.

"Really? You sure?"

'Yes, she can take it.' "We both just want you to be able to talk without anyone getting mad at you."

Josh nodded. "I can do that."

Sam took a deep breath. "So… about me no longer being a vegetarian. You think I'm changing who I am for Ainsley."

Josh hesitated. "…Yes. Is that a crime?"

'How do I phrase this?' "No, I just … I just don't think you understand where I'm coming from."

Josh scrunched his face in confusion. "I don't?"

"Well, I wasn't defined by being a vegetarian. It's just something I did for a while. Second of all, do you realize that Ainsley's 30? We both want kids and in a few years, she will be of 'advanced maternal age' and any pregnancy that she'd have at that point is called a 'geriatric pregnancy'?"

"They actually call it that?" Josh sounded surprised.

Sam nodded. "They call it that for a reason, and that reason is because it's a lot harder to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and have a healthy pregnancy once you get to a certain age. So if there's any lifestyle change that either of us can make that might make it easier, we're going to do it. Even if it doesn't actually make a difference, it'll be worth it because we'll know we did everything we could. And we figured that we best get started now to give ourselves time to adjust."

Josh's eyes grew as he raised his eyebrows. "This is just …. I dunno… This is… Just wow."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno… Hearing you talking about kids and how you're getting ready to have a family. I guess it's final," Josh sounded defeated.

Sam furrowed his brows. "What's final?"

Josh's square face was downcast. "You and Ainsley and your 50 kids."

Sam studied Josh. "What's this really about?"

"It's just… you're getting really serious, although Donna says that it's been serious for a long time. I just feel like it's the end of an era."

"The end of an era? Well, of course it is. We can't be James Bond forever. And I certainly don't want that. But that doesn't mean you're not going to be a part of the next era, though."

Josh perked up. "Really? You really mean that?"

"Of course I do! You're my brother. I don't want to start this next chapter of my life without knowing you'll be there. Things are going to change, but I want you there. As does Ainsley. … Besides, don't you want to be Uncle Josh?" Sam smiled.

Josh spoke with a note of uncertainty. "And Ainsley's cool with that?"

"Of course she's cool with that!"

"She's cool with that? She hates me though," Josh said tentatively.

"She doesn't hate you. She just a problem with some of the things you do sometimes… Look, Josh, I don't want to be a DC James Bond wannabe, cause all that is meaningless without a family. What do career advancements and power matter if you don't have someone to share your life with?"

"…Not much. … I guess… to some people," Josh mumbled.

"And you didn't think I was one of those people. You thought I was in the wannabe James Bond crowd."

Josh hesitated. "…Yes."

Sam laughed. "I can promise you that we've never been that cool. And his life is kind of sad."

Josh looked perplexed. "His life is sad?"

"Yeah. The man's never had a meaningful relationship his entire life and all he has to keep him company are women who betray him or die or both and a bunch of cool gadgets. He doesn't even have a cat."

Josh averted his eyes. "That's not… altogether a bad thing." His defiance escalated.

Sam felt a pang of pity for him. "My point is he doesn't have anyone he can share his life with, not even a cat. And if you don't have that, then what's the point?"

Josh hesitated. "I… I don't know."

"Any career that I have going forward isn't just for myself. It's all to serve my family and everything I do along the way needs to fit into that. ... And I want to be clear. I go to church and pray and have a relationship with God because I believe in God. My faith in God saved me."

Josh looked at him skeptically. "You didn't believe in God before."

"I did as a kid and then I lost my way. I hit rock bottom, especially because we found out about MS right after I found out about my dad's affair. It was rough for a while and Ainsley helped me through. I tried going to therapy, but it just wasn't enough. Then I got talking to her friend who's a priest. At first I just had some questions about forgiveness and then he took me under his wing. It was like I was finally found again." 'How do I say this? He's going to think I've gone insane if I'm not careful.' Sam took a deep breath before he spoke in a gentle tone. "There's a Bible story about how when one sheep strays from the flock, a good shepherd goes off to find that sheep no matter how long it takes. The shepherd does that cause a sheep lost in the middle of the night'll probably get eaten by wolves and the shepherd loves each of His sheep. Well… I was that lost, cocky little sheep who thought that he could take down all of the wolves on his own, and I wasn't."

Josh stammered. "I… I… I just.. woah. I just dunno."

"But back to me the fact that I'm no longer a vegetarian. You have to understand that love means doing whatever you can to make the other person as happy as they can possibly be without any thought for yourself."

Josh struggled to speak. "I can see that. … I guess I just… I just don't think she's gonna… you know… What was it that you said?"

Sam raised his eyebrows. "You don't think she's going to do whatever she can to make me happy without any thought for herself?"

Josh hesitated. "…Yeah. That."

"She does, tenfold. You didn't see the half of what I was like back when the affair came out and we found out about the MS, but she did and she didn't flinch. Anyone else would have run away, but she didn't. … And sometimes it's just the little things. Like when you guys went to Indiana, she made all of my favorites from scratch so all I had to do was pop them in the oven and follow the cooking instructions on the index card or toss the little salad kits she made with salad dressing. You know why she did all that?"

"Because she loves you?" Josh asked skeptically.

"Yes, and she wasn't there to take care of me. You see, she didn't want me doing anything other than resting. She didn't want to have to cook for myself. She even went as far as to have Ginger let Leo know that I was going to come to work anyway so he could tell the security guards not to let me in, ... you know, before I came in to staff the President."

Josh was stunned. "…I … I didn't know that."

"Now keeping score of who does more for the other is something you never, ever wanna do because the score doesn't really matter when you love someone. But if we were keeping score, she'd 'win' hands down every time. And if you were to ask her, she'd probably say that I was being ridiculous and that I 'won' hands down every time."

Josh studied Sam's tanned, rectangular face. "Really."

Sam nodded. "Relationships and love and family are what's really important in life."

Josh raised the inner corners of his eyebrows. "It's just …. You're gonna change. You're gonna start… you're gonna start voting Republican."

Sam shrugged. "You're right. I might change my mind on some things, or everything, but that's only if I change my mind."

"You?"

"Yes, me. What if it turns out that we're wrong about everything?" Sam asked.

Josh avoided Sam's eyes, his voice was small. "I… I wouldn't know."

"Would it be better to remain ignorant than to change our minds? Or perhaps remain stubbornly committed to stances that don't work even once we find out that we're wrong, or at least that there's more to the story?"

Josh hesitated. "…Maybe."

"My views are all centered around what I think is the right way to solve a problem. Ainsley's the exact same way. What if there's a better way to solve the problem?"

"…You sure you want me to do this? You know umm… 'duke it out' with Ainsley I mean? And you promise you won't get mad?" Josh sounded unsure.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure."

X

There was a dainty knock on Josh's office door. "Hey, Josh? Do you have a moment to talk?" Ainsley said from the other side of the door.

Josh looked up. "Yeah, come on in." He put aside the polling data he had been reviewing.

She walked inside, her heels clicking on the floor. "Would you mind terribly if I took a seat?"

He grimaced. 'If you must.' "…Yeah, go right ahead."

"Thank you." She sat across from him. "Before we go any further, I just want you to know that you can say absolutely anythin' that's on your mind. I won't get upset. Same thing goes for Sam and everyone else."

'Yeah right.' "Okay."

"You think I'm a threat cause you think I'm gunna change Sam and that there won't be any room for you in his life, but I promise you that's not the case." Ainsley's long and glossy blonde layers gently floated in the breeze that came through Josh's open window.

'That's bullshit, cause you're already changing him!' His jaw was set.

"You can say it. Suck out that poison," she said.

'Yeah, like that's gonna help. You're the poison.' "Suck out the poison?"

"It means that you need to get this off your chest, before it consumes you."

Josh took a deep breath. "How do I know you're not just saying that?"

"Well… why would I lie?" she asked thoughtfully.

His nostrils flared. 'Are you fucking serious right now? You'd lie so I'll shut up and let you ruin my best friend, you bitch!'

"It's okay, Josh. You can say it," Ainsley said, relaxed.

'No I can't say it! I'll lose Sam for good if I do!' He grinded his teeth.

"I'm not gunna get mad at you, and Sam won't either. You can say it."

"You wanna do this, and I mean you really wanna do this? You want the truth?" Josh asked uncertainly.

"Bring it on, Josh. I can take it."

He took a deep breath. 'We'll see. But I doubt it.' "Okay then. The honest, truthful answer to your question is that you're a manipulative bitch and I'm the only one who sees you for who you really are." The tension his chest relaxed as he simultaneously became more nervous.

She did not flinch. "You've been holdin' onto that one for longer than the SEC's held onto the National Championship title. Why do you think I'm manipulative?" She spoke in a gentle and genuinely sweet tone.

He was stunned. 'She's not ... upset?' "Because… Sam used to be … free and now he's going to church, he's a vegetarian anymore and he wants a family."

"He's told you why he's goin' to Church now and why he's not a vegetarian anymore. Both of those things were his ideas. And he's wanted a family for quite some time."

His face grew hot. 'I'd give ANYTHING to have my dad back, even if he did cheat on my mom! Sam has NO idea how lucky he is.' "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. He doesn't need some imaginary guy in the sky to tell him that everything's gonna be okay and to forgive his dad. He should just get over it and forgive his dad."

She laughed. "Oh, I'd just love to see you say that God is just an imaginary guy in the sky to the President. And forgiveness isn't that easy for him, but that's for him to talk to you about not me. And as for him no longer bein' a vegetarian, that's not just for me. He's doin' it for our kids and for himself."

"For kids he doesn't even want! … Or, at least he didn't want kids until YOU came along." 'This was a bad idea.' Josh's temper escalated.

Ainsley's voice remained calm. "How do you know that he doesn't really want kids?"

Josh was stunned. "…I… I don't." 'But of course he doesn't want kids. I don't want kids. Why would anyone want kids? Well, besides Toby and Donna and you and Republicans and now Sam, I guess. Apparently.' The images of Donna raising a family with a perfect handsome stranger resurfaced and irritated him even more.

"Then why do you insist that he doesn't want kids?" she asked.

"Because he's never said that he wanted kids," he said.

"Have you ever asked him if he wanted kids?"

'No, of course not! Why would I ask a stupid question like that?' "No. Why would he want kids?"

"Because he likes the idea of raisin' the next generation and there's just somethin' special that you get from havin' kids that you can't find anywhere else," she said serenely.

'This is why feminism is good! That way no one gets tied down and saddled with that responsibility when they could be living their lives!' "That's a bunch of crap. Life can have meaning without having kids. This isn't 'Leave it to Beaver'." He thought about what it would be like to raise kids with Donna. 'Okay, maybe having kids isn't SO bad.' "And besides, you're a Republican."

Ainsley shrugged. "We just have a different way of solvin' the same problems. Is that such a big deal?"

"…No."

"As he told you, if he changes any of his opinions, it's because he changed his mind." She reminded him.

"…Yeah. I get that. But I still don't get why you have to be the one who he has kids with." 'Why can't he just do… that with someone like Mallory? That is… if he has to have kids at all.'

"Why?"

"Because you're a Republican." Josh hesitated. "… But…I guess…is Sam really happy?"

"You've known him longer than I have. Have you ever seen him this happy?" she asked.

He hesitated. "…No." 'She's right and I hate that she is.'

Her voice was gentle. "What is it, Josh?"

He ran his hands through his hair. "You don't love him! You don't love him at all! And if you did love him, then you'd leave him." He glared at her.

"Why would me lovin' him mean that I'd leave him?"

Josh's jaw was set. "Because if you really love someone, then you set them free."

"That's different. That's for when the other person isn't happy."

"And what about you? Aren't you unhappy?" he asked.

"No, but it's sweet of you to think of me." She smiled. "Sam's the best thing that ever happened to me and he says the same thing about me. Isn't that all that really matters?"

He pursed his lips. 'No, cause life isn't one of those stupid Hallmark movies!' "…Sure."

"Isn't Sam a grown man capable of makin' his own choices?" She asked.

'Grown men can still make mistakes.' "Sure."

"What if one of those choices is somethin' you disagree with? What if one of those choices is to marry me? Does that still apply?"

Josh struggled for a moment. 'NO! … Wait… I guess she's right. I hate that she's right.' "…Sure. I guess."

"See… I love Sam so much that I'd not only do anythin' for him, but I also respect his choices, for better or for worse. Sam and I've already discussed what us gettin' married would mean."

'He discussed it with you and not me?? I'm his best friend.' He fumed.

Ainsley continued. "Just because somethin' is a non-negotiable for you doesn't mean that they're non-negotiable for us."

'SEE?! That's the problem!' He took a deep breath. "I can see that now. … I just … I just always thought it would be non-negotiable for Sam."

"That's cause you don't let go of your preconceived notions of who someone is. I think that's also why you think I'm nuthin' more than a Bible thumpin' Evangelical Christian. … And, not for nuthin', but I'm not even a Bible thumpin' Evangelical Christian."

"I don't think you're just a Bible thumping Evangelical… I think you're a blonde, leggy… very attractive Bible thumping evangelical," Josh said.

She put her hand over her heart. "Well, thank you. I appreciate the compliment, but I'm not a Bible thumpin' Evangelical Christian."

'Crap.' He looked to the floor and chuckled awkwardly, his voice coming out as an unfortunate squeak. "… Oh." She pressed her lips together as she hid a vindicated smile. "Well… you're umm… you're welcome," he mumbled. He scratched his forehead with his thumb, his face growing red with embarrassment. "Did you need anything else?"

"No, I think we covered everythin'. I'm gunna get goin' cause I have to go take my lunch before my meetin'." Ainsley left.

He felt a wave of relief wash over him. 'Glad that's over with.' He pulled out the reports for the latest polling data. 'Maybe she does love him. And Sam is happy. So I guess…?' The rest of the tension went away over the course of the day.