welcome to congress

[imnotrobin]

California's 48th has been red for as long as most people can remember but Sam runs a good campaign on the issues and tries his best to deflect everything his opponent throws at him. There's the usual mud-slinging, most of which is fixated on the fact that Sam had once accidentally dated a call girl and then not-so-accidentally continued his friendship with her after he knew her chosen profession.

He thinks it helps that Ainsley's by his side. She makes an excellent candidate's partner and while she's still just his girlfriend, he has a ring in his pocket that's burning a hole and he thinks tonight is the best time to do it. He'll propose to her now, before they call it, and no matter what happens, hopefully she'll be with him through it all.

"Ainsley? Could I borrow you for a moment?" Sam pitches his voice a little lower, just enough to be audible above the excited din of the ballroom they've rented out to hold their party in. It's getting down to the wire, with the votes, and he's still deadlocked with the republican candidate. It might come down to the last few precincts before one or the other of them pulls away.

"Away from the cameras and the people? There's something I wanted to ask...talk to you about."

Comments

[imnotrobin]

"Sailor? Am I in for some rough seas? Or are you my port in a storm?" It's terrible wordplay but that's what he and Ainsley do best and Sam thinks the levity only highlights the tenderness they have when they get the chance to come together like this.

"I love you, Ainsley. So, so much. So much that words are a poor way to express it."

[theirlawyer]

"More of the yacht thing," is all Ainsley says with a little wave of her hand, smirking at Sam as she stares at him fondly. "I love you so much too, Sam. We're going to do so well together," she promises. "The history books are going to remember that."

[imnotrobin]

"Mmmhmm, we're going to take Washington by storm," Sam agrees. He runs a hand down her back and gazes at her, utterly sappy and fond. He's so in love with her that it makes him stupid and his tongue is far from glib.

"C'mere?"

[theirlawyer]

Ainsley happily curls in with Sam, draping her hand over his chest as she wiggles the ring and looks at it with adoration and pride. "I should buy you some kind of engagement gift," she says. "I'd hate for us to be uneven so early in the engagement."

[imnotrobin]

"You know that engagement gifts aren't meant to be mutual, Ainsley. The gift is that you've agreed to marry me. You don't have to give me anything else in return." Sam had thought that was just a given but with Ainsley, one never knows.

"Do you so hate being indebted?"

[theirlawyer]

"Sam, you know me," she lectures patiently. "I'm all about equality. You might think my agreement is a gift, but I think that your asking is just as much gift. You've given me a gorgeous ring on top of that. I owe you something in return," she insists. "A ring of your own."

[imnotrobin]

"Well, yeah, that's a wedding ring," Sam says, grinning at her. "Do you want to plan a trip somewhere? We are probably going to end up being really busy soon but I can squeeze out time for a quick getaway."