Mark had apparently already forgotten the punchline of the joke Martinez had just finished telling. But it was definitely the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

Sophia just smirked at him. A drunken Mark was turning out to be an outstanding State Dinner date. She wasn't sure just how two glasses of wine had magically produced this wonder, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

And he was so affectionate, all of the sudden. Up until now, he'd been pretty shy and reserved, but get a couple of drinks into the guy, and suddenly his arm was locked around her waist, and she was pretty sure that a piece of paper could not have been wedged between the two of them, the way he kept leaning in to her. Possibly it was for balance, since he didn't seem to be the steadiest on his feet, at the moment. She didn't think she'd been hugged this much since her father's inauguration.

"You're so beautiful," he told her, unashamedly, as Chris and Beth snickered at his antics, out of range.

"Thank you," she said, grinning. "You're not so bad yourself."

"No, but, but, you… you're seriously, you're so beautiful. You're the most beautiful girl I ever saw."

"You sure that doesn't have anything to do with me being the first girl you've been out with, since you got back to Earth?"

"Nope," he said, slurring a bit. "Always thought you were beautiful, even 'fore we even met."

"Yeah?"

The interesting things you could learn, from a drunken date.

"Mm-hmm," he confirmed. "Hey, Sophia?" He leaned in from behind and hugged her again, leaving his arms wrapped around her waist, and dropping his chin onto her shoulder.

"Yes?" she giggled. The champagne was getting to her, a little bit, too. And she was ticklish.

"Why'd you say yes, anyway?"

She turned around to look at him. Did she dare give him a serious answer?

"Are you even going to remember my answer, tomorrow?" she teased him.

"Prolly not," he grinned, "so that means you have to tell the truth. It's like a umm.. One of those things," he trailed off, trying to remember the right word. He nudged Rick, "Hey what's that thing Catholics have, that truth serum chamber; I can't remember what it's called."

"A confessional?" Rick rolled his eyes. Marissa shrieked with laughter.

"Right! A confessional. So, Sophia, you gotta answer the question. I won't tell anyone." He looked at her, solemnly. Expectantly.

"What was the question again," she smirked at him.

"Um. I forgot," he admitted, sadly. "Did I tell you that you look really beautiful tonight?"

"Yep," she grinned at him. "You want to sit down?" she motioned to a nearby chair.

"Nope," he smiled back at her, shamelessly. "Can't keep my arms around you when I'm sitting down." He pulled her in for another squeeze, lacing his fingers through hers.

"You're going to be really sore tomorrow," she laughed.

"Don't care," he slurred.

"You just never quit, do you?"

"That's what she said," he mumbled, as his legs started to give out.

And that was how it came to be that Sophia Roberts was laughing, as she led her drunken astronaut dinner date from the East Room, towards the elevator.