Disclaimer: The West Wing and all affiliated characters belong to NBC and Aaron Sorkin

Disclaimer: The West Wing and all affiliated characters belong to NBC and Aaron Sorkin.

A/N: One-shot, about Sam’s love life and the reason Ainsley is so quick to quit the Hoover Institute

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“I’m quitting my job” Ainsley announced as she sat down at the kitchen table where Sam was reading the paper and drinking his coffee.

The reply was a distracted “uh-huh”.

“Sam?” She asked, putting on her ‘do-not-mess-with-me-I’m-a-gun-loving-republican’ face. “I’m quitting the Hoover Institute.”

“That’s gre-wait, what?” he asked. “It’s only been nine days.”

“Well, we’re getting married, and with the distance between LA and Palo Alto, it’s not such a great idea. Plus there’s the whole ‘black sheep of the republican party’ thing after working for Bartlet.”

“So, you’re moving back?” Sam asked, excitedly. He hadn’t made it back to Washington for Leo’s funeral, there were meetings to conquer, but Ainsley had insisted on going. “After all,” she said to him over the phone, “Without him, I may have never had seen you again after Capitol Beat. I may have to kick the gravestone.”

She had tears in her voice as she teased him.

She had come back last night, flying into LAX instead of San Jose. Sam had woken up to find a much missed head of blonde hair snuggled up next to him.

“No, I’m moving to D.C.” she said with a sly smile.

“Oh, because the distance between LA and Santa Clara County is ridiculously far as it compares to the distance between DC and LA.” He said returning to his paper.

“I’m serious Sam,” she said, putting her game face back on, “I talked to CJ about talking to Josh for me about the White House Counsel’s office. And if Josh isn’t out here in the next week to ask you to re-join the West Wing staff, well then, I’ll become a Democrat!” She said theatrically standing up and taking to orange juice out of refrigerator.

“You’re already engaged to one, so technically-” Sam said.

“We’re a bipartisan household.” Ainsley finished for him, “I like you, not your politics. If Carville and Matalin could make it work, then no problem, we’re not even pundits, there’s one hurdle we don’t have to jump.”

“So, because there’s a new administration I may be, not definitely, asked to join, you’re quitting an amazing job, and deciding that we’ll move out to DC.” Sam asked incredulously.

“No, because there’s a new administration being led by your best friend who just happens to look positively awful, and will, sooner or later, be in desperate need of your help, I’m quitting a mediocre job and taking up a much better one in DC and being so gracious as to invite you to come with me.” She said with one of those smile that Sam simply could not say no to.

“Fine,” he said relenting, “If Josh gets his act together and comes to see me in the next week. We can, move to DC.”

“What if he just calls you?” she asked, curiously.

“He won’t” Sam said, putting his coffee cup in the sink and the newspaper on the kitchen counter. “Josh is a sucker for nostalgia.”

As Ainsley promised, Josh did approach Sam with a job, that day in fact. And like Ainsley promised, he looked like death warmed and served on a piece of toast.

“This guy’s the real deal”

“You said that last time,” and look how right he was.

“And look how right I was! Tell me you don’t miss it.”

“I don’t miss it.” Sam said simply to humor him. Liar, he thought.

“Liar”

“Attorney, and amazing thing what you did.” And that was just the easy part.

“Well that’s the easy part; it’s what you do with it that counts.”

“You know how much I’m making now?” he asked.

“Its gonna make me wanna puke”

“Not make you want to, you’ll actually puke.” I can afford working for government wage.

“So you can afford coming back and working for government wage.”

“I can afford to do good work right here. You wouldn’t believe what I’ve gotten the firm to do; you should come work for me!”

“Democratic House, we never had that.”

“Republican Senate.”

“Moveable”

“Conceivably” You almost lost though.

“I almost lost though, you know, I think you should appreciate the shot.”

“I can’t do it.”

“It can’t just be the money.”

“There’s my love life.”

“That’s a moveable feast.”

“Not quite, I’m getting married.” Please don’t ask to whom, please don’t ask to whom.

“Well, I’ve heard it before.”

“Nice!” Sam said, shocked. Josh apologized and continued to try and sway him. Little did he know he had Sam at ‘Open door, give blank stare.’

When he arrived home Ainsley was already making dinner. “Josh came to see me today, congratulations; you get to keep your party affiliation.”

“So, what position did he offer you, communications director?” She said, a smile slowly growing on her face.

“Deputy Chief of Staff”

Ainsley’s eyes grew as big as saucers as she dropped the salad tongs. “Deputy Chief of Staff?” Sam nodded, “Deputy Chief of Staff?!”

“I know it’s huge.”

“You’re taking that job.” She said with a note of finality, “That is too good an offer for you to pass up, and he knows it.”

“I know it too, I’m doing it.”

The salad tongs were dropped once more, “You took the job? Without talking to me, without telling me first?” she asked in a shrill tone.

“Slow down, you’re the one who wants me to do this.” Sam said, thoroughly confused, “And no, I haven’t taken it yet.”

“I still want a say!” she whined, “I’m sorry, still, you’re gonna do it?”

“Yeah, but I’m not gonna tell him right away, I’m to sleep on it.”

Sleep on it he did, and was greeted the next day with another phone call from Josh.

“Twenty-four whole hours, way to give me some space!” Sam laughed into the phone.

“It’s been twenty-eight, gimme a little credit.”

“You can’t count the different time zones.”

“Whatever, it’s transition, these are like dog hours, a day is like one of your human weeks.”

“That’s quite a selling point.”

“I been thinking, so you’re engaged, people do this and have marriages.”

“Yeah, who?” he asked putting Josh on speakerphone so he could drink his coffee.

“Y’know, theoretically. She’s an attorney, right?”

Oh, buddy you have no idea, she’s about to be your attorney, “Yeah.”

“Gee, I wonder if she’ll be able to find gainful employment in the lawyer capitol of the known universe.”

“She’d have to take the bar again, would you?”

“Well I’d assume she’d do a number of things she would do for you that I would balk at.”

Sam sighed and picked the phone back up, “She doesn’t, she doesn’t hate the idea.” Hell, she practically invented it.

“See you tomorrow.”

Sam sighed, Ainsley would love this.