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For disclaimer and notes, please see part one and, for one thing, part two. Happy Holidays. Previously, on the West Wing: Sam joins in the McGarry Thanksgiving traditions.
Lunch went by smoothly, much to Mallory's delight. Sam had loosened up enough to enjoy the meal and the company. Sam and Mallory cleared away the dishes after the filling meal, telling Leo to go sit in the living room. After all, he had spent the morning cooking the grand feast. Leo took to his recliner and found the football game. The `Skins were down by three in the first quarter. "Aw, c'mon," Leo groaned at the television set. "That was a first down!" Mallory stopped Sam before he reached the living room. "Yeah?" "Dad really gets into his football," she warned. "Okay," Sam said slowly. "Just wanted you to know beforehand." Sam didn't quite understand why but he kissed her cheek. "Thanks." He started for the living room but again, Mallory stopped him. "What is it?" "I know that you would rather be in California right now but... I'm glad you're here," she said before leaning up to kiss his lips. At that particular moment, staying was fine with him. They smiled at each other before going into the living room. "Gah," sighed Leo. "What happened?" asked Mallory. "Intercepted by the Titans," Leo groaned. Mallory kicked off her shoes and curled up next to Sam on the couch. Sam watched the replay but was lost. "Which ones are the Titans?" Sam asked Mallory quietly. "The ones with the T's on their helmets," she whispered. "Tennessee Titans." Sam nodded, watching as the football players lined up. The ball was snapped and the quarterback went back, looking for an open receiver. "C'mon, get `im!" Leo yelled. One of the defensive linemen charged the quarterback, sacking him, bringing a smile to Leo's face. "And that's good?" Sam asked. "For the Redskins, yeah. For the Titans, no." "Um, okay." "Third and twelve. They'll never make it," Leo said. "Third and twelve?" asked Sam quietly. "You really don't know anything about football, do you?" He shook his head. "See, you have four chances to go ten yards," she began. "Third and twelve means that you're on the third down-or third chance-and you have twelve yards to go before you can get a first down." "And first downs are good things?" "Very good things." "How?" "That means you've got another four chances to go another ten yards." The Titans' quarterback passed the football off and, by some miracle, it landed in the hands of his receiver, who was unguarded by any Redskin. Touchdown Titans. "Where were you?" Leo yelled at the TV screen. The Redskins were now down by nine then, with the field goal, ten. "Now what?" asked Sam. "Now it's the other team's turn with the football." Before long, Sam was getting the hang of this "football thing." He was picking up on the terminology and asking far fewer questions by the second quarter. "He-He grabbed his face mask!" Sam said. "Good that the official caught it this time," Leo said with a nod as the Redskins advanced five yards due to the Titan penalty. Sam noticed the time clock in the top corner of the screen. "How much further can they go in forty-eight seconds?" "We could see two more touchdowns before the half is out," Mallory said, tiring quickly of the game. They saw one additional touchdown before half time, putting the score at 14-17 Titans. Mallory stood and slipped her shoes back on as the screen showed replays of various other games. "Come for a walk with me?" she asked Sam as Leo wandered back into the kitchen for something to snack on. He nodded. She retrieved their coats from the closet before they set out. As soon as the door closed and the two were on the stoop, Mallory pulled Sam to her, kissing him longingly. "Didn't want to do that in front of Dad," she said breathlessly. "Yeah," he said, running one of his hands through her hair. She smiled. "Come on," she said as she started down the stairs. "You really didn't have to do this, you know," he said as they started walking at a slow, pleasant pace around Leo's neighborhood. "Do what?" "I would have survived." She looked at him, knowing he wouldn't have. He had been thoroughly depressed the night before as well as earlier that day. "Well, my reasoning was a little selfish," she said. "I like spending time with you. The fact that it's a holiday makes it all the more special." "Yeah." "Even if it does include football with my father." "Did you see that play? When the football went sailing into the end zone?" he asked. She sighed but it was exaggerated. "I've created a monster." "How come I had never found football sooner?" "That's a very tough question, Sam," she said. She could hardly imagine him at Princeton or even Duke, camped out at a football game, cheering loudly and doing the wave. She figured he probably spent his Saturdays in the library, studying hard. Though the thought of him now getting into football, becoming an avid fan, was enough to bring a smile to her face. She'd love to see him decked out in Redskin garb with one of those foam "Number One" fingers. She wound up giggling at the thought. "What?" he asked as they turned a corner. "Nothing," she said, trying to swallow her laughter but failing miserably. He stopped and looked at her. "What's so funny?" he asked, finding her laughter contagious. "The next time you get a day off, Sam, you should go see a football game in person." "Would you go with me?" She hadn't expected that question. Football was never really her thing but she knew enough to survive conversations with her father and therefore enough to explain the game to people like Sam. The thought of attending a football game had never appealed to her before but going with Sam was intriguing. "Sure." "Yeah?" "Why not?" "Great." She nodded as they continued walking again. There was a block of silence before Mallory started talking again. "If you don't... If you don't make it to California at Christmas, heaven forbid, but if you don't... Would you spend it with me, too?" she asked slowly, knowing she was treading on thin ice. Sam looked at her. He didn't want to think of two entire years going by without seeing his family. "If I don't make it, I'd love to," he said after a moment. "But what if... What if I could do both?" "Sam?" "Would you come with me?" he asked. "You want... You want me to spend Christmas with you and your family?" she asked. "If you want to." "In California?" "Yeah," he said quietly, realizing he may have made a mistake. "You're serious?" He nodded. "You really want me to go with you? I mean, I've had you for a while now... Would your family mind sharing you?" `Because I certainly would,' she thought to herself. He shrugged. "I think they'd just be glad if I actually showed up on a holiday," he said quietly. "With or without the woman I love." That was something new; he had never actually admitted his feelings for her. "You... Sam, you said you..." He looked at her. "I love you." Her look of shock wore off slowly, melting into one of happiness. "I love you, too." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her. When the kiss ended, they stood in the middle of the sidewalk, holding each other. "I'd love to go to California with you." By the time Mallory and Sam returned from their walk, half time was over and they had missed the first two minutes of the third quarter. Leo said nothing at their arrival, seeing as how he was rather entranced with the football game. The two returned to the couch, smiling at each other. Sam held Mallory while they watched. During a commercial break, Leo looked at his daughter; she had fallen fast asleep in Sam's arms. "You want something to drink or anything, Sam?" "No, thanks. I'm fine." Leo nodded. "You want to move her?" "I'm sorry?" "She's been asleep for a while now," he said. "She has?" Leo nodded. "Oh." "There's a spare bedroom through that door," he said, "if you want to be able to move around later." Sam nodded, deciding that would probably be best. He carefully scooped her up and walked slowly to the door, which Leo held open. Sam gingerly laid her on top of the made bed and covered her up with a quilt that was waiting, folded-up on the nearby armchair. Leo watched as Sam kissed her cheek gently. "I love you," he whispered. When he turned, he hadn't expected to see Leo still in the doorway. He could feel a lecture coming on but Leo only smiled faintly and nodded. "Leo, I-" "Don't worry, Sam. I've seen that one coming for a while now." The two walked back to the living room, closing the door behind them. "I know it may have seemed as though I've never really approved but... I do." "You do?" "I'm very thankful she's found somebody like you." "I'm very thankful to have found her."
End. ;)
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