I drop down into my seat, lean back and release a breath. I look out into the night. Drained. Afraid to close my eyes for fear of passing out. Then I feel her presence and my focus shifts."Hey." I breath out. She smiles. But it's her new smile. The one that looks slightly forced. There is an uncertainty in her eyes as she searches mine. Hopeful, yet still reserved.

"May I just say, a truly excellent notion."

"It was Sam." I confess softly. I am rewarded with a grin. One that contains a glimmer of the past.

"Of course." She snickers.

"The vacation." I quickly interject with a small smile. I am starting to feel like myself. "Going with you part was all me."

She blinks three or four times. Then a small smile. But it's one I recognize. The one that tell me she knows something. Something I am on the verge of figuring out for myself. She leans forward and kisses me softly.

* * * * * I watch him sleep. He had practically passed out the minute we reached cruising altitude. His face still holds traces of boyish charm but the lines are etched deeper. I let my mind wander to when we'd first met. I'd finally decided to do something. Be something. I'd still been reeling when I'd left Madison, but I'd seen a Bartlet Ad and I'd summoned every ounce of courage and driven to Manchester. The next day I'd walked into the campaign office to volunteer. People were scurrying everywhere. No one noticed me. For a moment I thought about walking back out. What was I thinking? Then I had heard the phone ringing incessantly in his office. The secretary in me just couldn't let it go. His desk was messy, but the calendar was on top. I could take a message. When he breezed in, I had told myself to play it cool. Just act like I was supposed to be there."I'm your new assistant." "I had an old one?" He looked confused. And adorable. I tried to sell myself but just couldn't quite bring myself to lie. Suddenly, he cut to the point.

"When did your boyfriend break up with you?"

How had he known? How had he hit so squarely on the sore spot on my soul? "Dr. Freeride" had cost me more than money, more than college, more than opportunities. He had diminished me. All I had wanted when I'd driven to Manchester was to be whole again. To have a purpose. To mean something. To someone. Then he continued, "This can't be a place where people come to find their confidence and start over." Direct hit. But somehow I looked into his face and said- "Look, I think I could be good at this. I think you might find me valuable." His face softened. He searched my eyes. When the phone started ringing he'd said-

"Go ahead." He watched me as I answered. He smiled softly and I grinned at the dimples. Then he took his credentials off and handed them to me and walked out. That wasn't the moment I fell in love with him. But it was the moment I began to become whole again. To be capable of falling in love. To mean something to someone.

* * * * * My eyes spring open but I don't move. How long have I slept? I glance at my watch. Four hours. That's about all my body is conditioned for right now. The weight on my shoulder feels nice. Right. I look out the window into the black night. A vacation? During Transition? What would Leo say? My heart clenches.I think back to his funeral. Mrs. Bartlet had cornered me.

"He gave everything for this country." She looked at me fiercely. I had expected her to tell me I had big shoes to fill. As if I didn't already know that. As if I had any idea how I would manage without his guidance. But then her face had softened. Her next words had surprised me.

"He had regrets." She looked across the room and my eyes had followed, landing on the only reason I was holding it together at all.Then Mrs. Bartlet said- "He wouldn't want you to have them too. He loved you like a son." And she walked away. I look back down at my shoulder. She sighs softly in her sleep. I gently kiss the top of her head. I close my eyes and promise Leo that I will have a life.

* * * * * I stretch in my seat as the Captain announces our initial descent. The flight attendants are waking everyone up. A general buzz of excitement begins to build in the cabin. I lean over him and look out the window, giggling softly as I catch sight of the islands."That's a nice sound to wake up to" he says, brushing my hair out of my face and cupping my cheek gently. "What's funny?" "Remember-I told you- some guys take their assistants to Maui- it's not unheard of."

I expect playful banter in return.

"Donnatella," his thumb brushes my check and his eyes bore into mine, "I did not bring my assistant to Maui. . . . I don't need 3 weeks and 5 days. I know what I want from this relationship. I love you. Marry me."

Cultural Scenario.