Ooh, this is so good. I always think I'm not going to like this pairing, then someone writes it beautifully. There are so many moments that ring wonderfully true here - I especially love the scene with Sam and Josh in the bar. Then Sam stumbling around trying to figure out what to do, insisting he's not going back to law, then finding himself doing just that. And then he finds something he deeply, palpably wants (and your portrayal of UST is just delicious)... but, just as in canon, you know there's no chance the politics isn't going to take precedence. Anyway, yeah, did I mention I like this?