And so she was following Sam to dinner. He was wearing a beautiful black sweater, stark contrast to the white dress shirts she usually saw him in, jeans covering the rest of him, and while she thought he looked cute in anything - or nothing, she guessed - the casual clothing made him look even more adorable and like a typical guy, as opposed to the slightly uptight aide to the most powerful man in the world.

“Here we are,” he said after they had walked several blocks. “Tony’s.” She started to go in the main way. “Nah…follow me. I’ve got my own private entrance.” He smiled, and she obediently followed him around to the back, where he knocked on the kitchen door. “Hey, Tony!” he called.

A large, balding Italian man appeared in the doorway. “Eh, Sam! Longa time, noa see-a!”

“Ah, Tony, been awhile, yeah.”

“Eh, Armenio! Looka who’sa hera!”

Another, scrawnier Italian, obviously a kitchen hand, looked up from the stove. “Sam! Youa wanta your usuala?”

“No…” Sam smiled and looked over toward Mallory, who had stepped back into the shadows. “Mallory, c’mere.” She stepped forward and smiled shyly as she stood beside him.

“Ahhhh, Sam’sa got himselfa a new girlfrienda!” Tony grinned. “Comea with a mea!” He led the way to a very small patio with a single table set up at its center. “Sam, anythinga youa wanta, ona the house!”

“Tony, really -“

“I-a insista!”

“Well…” He looked over at Mallory. “Spaghetti?” She nodded and smiled, feeling shyer than usual, what with Sam obviously already knowing this man fairly well.

“Spaghetti ita isa!” Tony grinned and disappeared back into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a large plate of spaghetti and meatballs. He placed it in front of Sam and Mallory, who thanked him, and departed again. When he returned, Armenio was in tow, both of them carrying violins. They began to play a beautiful Italian love song, creating the perfect atmosphere, hand-in-hand with the star-lit night and the company.

Sam twirled his fork in the noodles and put it to his mouth at the same instant Mallory did the same. Just as in all the old love films, a strand had been snagged by both forks. Not for that reason alone, Sam’s lips met Mallory’s in a gentle kiss that left her mind numb. The music swelled slightly as he gently took her left hand with his right hand, willing to eat left-handed if it meant he got to hold her hand the entire meal. She didn’t protest at all, smiling sweetly, the pasta the last thing on either of their minds.

As dinner ended, Sam thanked Tony and walked with Mallory, still hand-in-hand, to the park which was nearby. There was a small pond, across which one could see the dome of the Capitol illuminated by the lights of the Mall. They sat on a bench with a perfect view and Mallory gently leaned her head against Sam’s shoulder as he put an arm around her protectively.

She had nearly fallen asleep despite the slight chill in the air - somehow she didn’t notice it as she snuggled against Sam - when he gently rubbed her arm. “Mallory…we should go…”

“Okay,” she whispered, wishing they could stay that way forever.

“I, um…Forgive me if I sound too forward, but I - would you like to just crash at my apartment? Following any plans you want, just that it’s closer and you’re almost asleep as it is…”

She put a finger to his lips. “Sure, Sam.” They smiled at each other, the sort of smile one has when they know they’ve found their one true love, and walked to the nearest entrance of the park, from where they hailed a cab and headed back to Sam’s.

Sam didn’t realize that Mallory wasn’t as tired as he thought, that the reason she leaned her head on him had nothing to do with fatigue, but surely enough, they both went straight to the bedroom. She slept in his robe, savouring the softness of it, and he slept beside her, cradling her in his arms as she snuggled against him. They fit together like that perfectly, as if adding another - though not entirely needed - sign that they were meant for each other.

Mallory was certain it had all been the most wonderful dream imaginable when she awoke the next morning…Except that she was still in Sam’s arms.

~*~*~*~

She stared into her drink, sighing. Sam had been supposed to meet her for dinner and drinks, but he’d called last minute to say he couldn’t make it. Probably another birthday message, she thought ruefully. Especially if her father had any sort of knowledge about how close she and Sam were getting…Yeah, he’d be writing birthday messages every night until the end of time - or the end of the administration, which would SEEM like the end of time.

The woman beside her smiled sympathetically. “Trouble with Prince Charming?”

“Yeah…He had to cancel, probably a last-minute assignment.”

“Changing the world?” Mallory smiled weakly and nodded. “He work for the President or something?”

“Yeah, actually….speech-writer.”

“Not by chance Sam Seaborn, is ‘e?”

“Yes, he is…why?”

The woman grinned and turned to her companion. “Hey, Trix, Sam Seaborn’s latest!”

The other woman laughed. “His Achilles Heel at work again.”

“Achilles Heel?” Mallory asked. She knew what it meant, just not what they were talking about.

“The spitfire woman. The one who can argue point and counter-point better than he can. Who can argue with him for an hour or two and will still melt when he grins that movie-star grin.”

Mallory just blinked at them. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Naw…It’s a different one every few weeks. He was engaged to that Lisa chick first, right?”

“Yeah…they say he left her at the alter. Then Erica, then Selena Roberta Emilia something, then that girl he was in the paper with…Laurie? Something like that.”

Mallory fought the urges to start crying or storm over to the White House and smack Sam around a few times. “I’m sorry…I have to be going…” She left money on the counter to pay for her drinks and hailed a cab outside.

She’d moved into her new apartment a few days before, and Sam had been helping her set it up, but her bedroom was still a slew of boxes surrounding a bed. She fell into it, choking back tears at what the other women had said. A little bit later, she heard Sam enter the apartment and call her. “Mallory? Hey, Mal?”

She stood, fighting back the urge to kill him with a cricket bat. “Finish up the assignment?”

“Yeah, your dad’s got it in for me, I swear, and with Toby and the President as co-conspirators…I’m sorry I had to cancel dinner…forgive me?” He handed her the bouquet of flowers he held in his hand.

“Yeah.” She sighed. How could he make her melt like that? “So what were you working on?”

“Some speech for the American Poultry-lovers Society.”

Poultry…chicken…chicks. “That reminds me…Who was Lisa?”

“Lisa?” He looked slightly guilty.

“And Erica? And Laurie? And Selena Chiquita - whoever she was?”

“Mallory -“

“I’m just the latest girl of Sam Seaborn, apparently, and I don’t care what happens to you anymore. Goodbye!” She turned on her heel, then remembered the flowers in her hands. “And take these with you!” She threw them back at him. They landed inches from his feet as she stormed back into the bedroom and started to sob.

The sound was like a hammer on Sam’s heart. He slowly picked up the flowers, then turned and walked out, wishing she would’ve heard him out, that anything he would’ve said could’ve made her less mad.

On his way out, he saw three men, dressed in big old winter clothing - including ski masks - even though it wasn’t THAT cold yet, enter the building. While he normally would’ve thought nothing of it, something about those men made him nervous.

Then he heard the shot.

Putting aside his normal, cautious, slightly skiddish attitude toward guns, he ran in and saw the fallen watchman. The men had already ran off in separate directions to pillage and plunder and rifle and loot (drink up, me hardies, yo ho!), and Sam whipped out his cell phone and dialed 911. Then he ran to Mallory’s apartment, calling Leo on his way down the hall.

The door was already ajar when he got there, and it was right then that he realized he’d been wrong about their intent. They weren’t just thieves…They were much more evil than that.

Mallory was screaming, and somehow the sound of her scared out of her mind gave Sam even more courage - or initiative - to go in there and try to beat the crap out of the guys with the guns. Which wasn’t a good plan, but he wasn’t thinking about that.

Only one of the guys was in there, the rest were off torturing other people. And try as she might to struggle, the man was a lot bigger than Mallory and all that was happening was she was wearing herself out. “Get away from her!” Sam commanded, hoping the guy might take him seriously though fully knowing it wouldn’t happen.

Mallory gasped at Sam’s voice. “Sam?! Oh, God, Sam, help, please!”

There was no way he’d turn back…He stood back and charged, full force, sacking the guy with all the power of a high school linebacker. The guy was caught off-guard, and Mallory stared at Sam in awe. “I SAID, get away from her!” Sam yelled again, slugging the evil guy in the face as soon as he looked like he’d gotten his bearings back.

It was at that moment that they heard a whistle, echoing through the walls. The man cursed. “The signal,” he muttered, then got one shot at Sam, kicking him in the stomach before he ran off.

Two police officers dashed into the room. They saw Mallory on the bed crying, most of her clothes having been torn off by the perpetrator, then saw Sam struggling to get up, in pain from the swift blow.

“Okay, buddy, you’re coming with us,” the one officer said gruffly, dragging Sam to his feet and slapping handcuffs around him.

“I didn’t-“

“You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you…” The officer began to recite the Miranda as they pulled Sam from the room and to the police car.

Leo passed the police on his way in, and saw someone being escorted by them, dark haired, head down. He rushed to Mallory’s apartment and found his daughter sobbing, huddled in a ball. "Baby? Are you okay?” He sat on the edge of her bed and hugged her. “Did someone hurt you?”

“They - Sam stopped ‘im, but…Daddy, the police took Sam! He saved me and they took him!”

“Oh, Baby…lemme go get him released, okay? You’ll be okay here?” Mallory nodded tearfully. “I will be back as soon as I possibly can.” With that, he dashed out to his car and started in the direction the police had gone. He knew Sam wouldn’t have done something like that anyway…

The police noticed the car following them closely and began to grow nervous. Possibly one of the suspect’s friends, potentially dangerous…They turned the car sharply into an abandoned parking lot, and try as he might, Leo couldn’t turn that quickly and the car crashed into a telephone pole.

~*~*~*~

The Christmas tree’s lights had never shone so brightly as they did the following Christmas. Mallory sang happily along with the Christmas CD as she hung up the stockings…one for her and one for Sam and one for Dana, their two-month-old daughter. Sam stood behind her silently, and as she finished hanging the last one, he wrapped his arms gently around her. “Ready for the big party?”

“Absolutely. And we’re gonna be flooded with Secret Service, aren’t we?” She smiled.

“That’s what you get when you invite the President.”

“Yeah And Josh -“ As if on cue, the doorbell rang. “-Is coming over early to help set up?”

“It would appear so, yes.” Sam grinned and released her so he could go open the door. “Hey, Josh! You’re here.”

“So it would seem. CJ and Toby and everyone were gonna finish up real quick and head over.”

“Okay, cool.”

“Mal, long time, no see! I hear you’ve got yourself a nice ring now…”

Mallory blushed and smiled, holding out her left hand to show Josh the engagement ring which Sam had given her just after Dana had been born. Sam had been the one to help her get over the terrifying ordeal, and she’d allowed her heart to trust him like she’d never trusted anyone before…And she’d never been happier.

Josh was carrying a large sack of food, which he took into the kitchen and started setting on trays that Sam got out for him. Within the next half hour, CJ, Toby, Donna, Cathy, Ginger, Bonnie, Mrs. Landingham, Charlie, and the first family - with Secret Service standing near the door - had all arrived. They sat around, laughing and joking and enjoying each other’s company.

Sam noticed movement in front of their condo. “Mallory…we have company…”

“Yeah, Sam, I know…” She laughed and gestured to the living room full of people.

“No, c’mere, Mallory.” She stood, looking puzzled, and went with him to the window.

The shapes at the end of the drive were sketchy in the slight pool of amber light cast by the security light. But as they came a little closer, one could easily tell the fairly tall, slim figure of Margaret leading the way, looking over her shoulder the entire time. Walking slowly behind her, using the cane he’d grown accustomed to after his leg had been nearly crushed in the accident, was Leo. “Leo, be careful, it’s icy…” To punctuate her words, she (unintentionally) slipped on the path and barely managed to right herself.

“I’m okay, Margaret,” he said easily, smiling. He’d gotten used to his overprotective secretary in the past year. They made it to the door, which Sam opened for them, and everyone greeted the most recent arrivals warmly. Mallory handed Dana - who was awake and seeming to revel in the attention - to CJ and ran over to hug her father.

“Hey, Baby!” Leo smiled. That sight was becoming increasingly more frequent recently. After the accident, the good moods had been even fewer and further between than they had been before, but he was seeming to be getting along better - which made Mallory happy so she didn’t have to worry so much about him.

“Hi, Daddy! I wasn’t sure if you were coming or not -“

“Of course! What, you think I’m gonna ditch my own daughter’s Christmas feast?” He ruffled her hair teasingly. “And where’s my only granddaughter?”

“Over here, Leo.” CJ smiled as she cooed at Dana.

“Folks?” Jed stood, and the only reason the rest of the room didn’t was because he’d insisted that, for the evening, they forget about the fact that he was the most powerful man in the world. “I know you’re all very comfortable, but I have a request. Is there any chance, possibly, that we could, y’know, do a picture together? A sort of…memoir of the administration.” No one disagreed, and after a fair amount of shuffling and moving around, they were frozen on film for the rest of time, able to remain unaging to the eye for eternity.

::And the credits begin to roll::

Lady
I’m your night in shining armor
And I love you
You have made me what I am and
I am yours.

My love
There’s so many ways I want to say
I love you
Let me hold you in my arms
Forever more

You have gone
And made me such a fool
I’m so lost in your love
And aww
We belong together
Won’t you believe in my song?

Lady
For so many years I thought
I’d never find you
You have come into my life and
Made me whole

Forever
Let me wake to see you each and every morning
Let me hear you whisper softly
In my ear

In my eyes
I see no one else by you
There’s no other love like our love
And yes
Oh yes, I’ll always want you near me
I’ve waited for you for so long.

Lady
Your love the only love I need
And beside me
Is where I want you to be
‘Cause my love
There’s something I want you to know
You’re the love of my life
You’re my lady.