Chapter 4:
May 2009
Rory had no idea why she accepted the offer to go out to this particular trendy bar in Dupont Circle. She had hoped in the five months she had been in D.C. she had managed to carve out a space that was not, well, this. Still, she appreciated the offer from some of the women that worked in the White House she didn't normally hang out with. These were the women who could talk shoes and handbags and sample sales with the best of them. These were also the women she made sure had no idea there was a Birkin hanging in her closet.
As Beth and Maxie discussed the hotness of the President's speechwriter (she conceded the point: he was hot, he also worked twenty hours a day and wasn't all that interested in dating anyone,) Rory scanned the bar, wondering who exactly put up with this obnoxious music.
Her scan passed a familiar face and she quickly snapped back to the pair of eyes that seemed to be hoping to meet hers.
Rory took a quick intake of breath. She hadn't seen that particular face, except in Facebook photos, since her freshman year of college. But the grin he was giving her made it clear he wasn't holding that against her.
He looked good, scratch that, he looked fantastic, that much she could tell. His dark hair was still cut short and his brown eyes sparkled even in dim light. And he looked every bit as fit as she remembered. His buttoned up style from before seemed long gone: he was wearing Jeans and a white button down, the first couple of buttons undone. She knew she was grinning back even before she decided to head his way. She made a quick excuse with the girls, who immediately saw where her eyes had landed and bid her 'good luck.'
"Of all the gin joints," she started as she stepped in front of him.
He laughed, "I think we might already have a beautiful friendship, Sam."
"Jamie McHenry, how are you?" She smiled widely as she embraced him in a hug. She couldn't hide the fact that she was happy to have run into Paris' only alive ex.
"I'm doing well, Rory Gilmore, glad to see you. How are you?"
"Well, to start with, these days, I'm Rory Hayden."
"As in Press Secretary to the First Lady, Lorelei Hayden? I'm impressed," Jamie whistled, before asking, with just a tad bit of hesitancy, "When did you get married?"
Rory flushed, "Not married. Just started going by my dad's last name."
Jamie's grin grew wider, "Ah, at least it's not Huntzburger. And Hayden?" He questioned, "As in Strobe Hayden?"
Rory chuckled, "As in Strobe Hayden. He was my grandfather. So what are you doing in D.C. these days?" she questioned, hoping to pull the focus from her last name.
"I'm getting ready to graduate from Georgetown Law." Jamie answered, somewhat bashfully. "And getting to ready to start a clerkship at the Supreme Court," he added, perhaps even more so.
"Really?! Congratulations. I always knew you were going to do something great."
"Aww, shucks. It's good to see you too you know. Also, good to see you on C-Span occasionally where no one is discussing your virtue." Jamie joked.
Rory mock glared at him before glancing around, noticing that, if he was there with anyone, he didn't particularly care. "Are you here with anyone?" she shouted over the new, much more upbeat song.
Jamie leaned closer and Rory's breath hitched as she got a whiff of the expensive cologne he wore, "Just a couple of guys from class-this place isn't really my scene. Would you maybe want to get out of here? The Mexican place up the street has fantastic margaritas and a much quieter atmosphere."
Despite the fact they had just run into each other again after five years or so, Rory felt no hesitation in saying 'yes.' This was the guy who kept dating Paris Geller after she blabbed to the entire nation about their sex life, which made him an intriguing drinking companion no matter where they were. She quickly bounced back to the group of girls she came with, all of whom eyed Jamie with the appropriate amount of appreciation, and once again bid her, 'good luck.'
Rory met Jamie at the door and as she caught another whiff of cologne, she could swear her heart skipped a quiet beat. They headed out into the warm May air of D.C., and a couple of doors down to Dos Taquitos.
"I've thought about you a lot, you know," Rory started as they sat down. "I'm not saying things would have worked out with you and Paris, but I was definitely sad to see you go."
Jamie grinned at her while he ordered a pitcher of margaritas and a large order of guacamole. "Thanks. And you! I've enjoyed watching from the sidelines. Your stuff from the campaign was great. And then, I didn't hear the name Rory Gilmore again, but all of a sudden, you were on my television, and ironically talking about eating healthy and exercising."
Rory laughed, "The name change was necessary. I'm not sure I've been forgiven yet for dumping the Huntzburger heir. But I'm enjoying what I do. Even if I had no idea this is where I'd end up. And don't tell Lorelei Gilmore, but I'm even enjoying the basketball and broccoli."
"I wouldn't dare. And from what I can tell you have charmed the pants off those journalists you wrangle, even the ones working for Huntzburger."
"I don't know about that, they were the ones who made sure to dig up the C-SPAN footage...although that moment preserved on Youtube for all eternity was more embarrassing for Paris than me. My step-sister said Headmaster Charleston was particularly grumpy the week everyone was sharing that video all over Facebook."
"Yeah, I can't say I'm not glad no one knows its me Paris is talking about. I had almost forgotten about it, but everyone at Georgetown seemed to find it hilarious-I pretty much hid to avoid talking about it because what could I say really? 'I'm the one the crazy blond is talking about?' I'm pretty sure I've earned the right to laugh at Paris' antics on my own, but laughing along with everyone else seems betraying something, somehow."
Rory noticed that while they were dancing around the subject of his ex-girlfriend/her best friend, Jamie didn't seem particularly upset anymore. She couldn't lie: she was surprised at how glad she was to run into him again. He was kind and charming, polite to a fault; ambitious, if the Supreme Court clerkship said anything and he knew his way around a Zagat guide. It would be nice to spend sometime getting to know him again, even without Paris around, but she knew that if they were going to be friends, they would have to talk about her. They had managed to find a friendship during their time in D.C. the first time around and they both wore the 'I survived Paris Geller' badge that was both impressive and rare. And perhaps it would be a good idea to have that talk now, Rory mused, before they'd had too much to drink and before they'd danced the topic dizzy. Still, Rory figured she would ease into it.
"Yes, the phone call I got from her can go down as one of her greatest rants ever. And you know, that's saying something."
"Right, although if memory serves me correctly, rant is pretty much Paris' typical mode."
"It is, and I spent four years living with her, off and on, I should know."
Jamie couldn't hide the shocked look on his face, "I'm surprised you kept living together, I know your friendship was always a little tenuous, but even after being in love with Paris I never quite imagined living with her."
Rory shrugged, "Honestly, she kind of grows on you. And with her, I at least knew what to expect. We didn't compete as much in college. There was no Tristan or Puffs mucking things up, we had different majors, and the guys we dated in college weren't anyone that would have come between us. After all the time we lived together, I speak fluent Paris. There was a coup to overthrow her tyranny as the Editor at the paper, and when the board voted me in, we had a bit of a falling out. But then, both our boyfriends were stupid at the same time and we ordered too much take out and made up. She was the first person I called when I got this job offer. My mom has always been my best friend, and my childhood friend Lane is like a sister to me, but Paris is one of the few people I trust to know me well enough to be completely honest." Rory laid it out for Jamie. Paris was her best friend, and if they could get past Paris, they would never be able to be friends again.
"I'm glad you are still friends. I know Paris has a hard time making them and an even harder time keeping them. You should be able to put surviving a relationship with Paris Geller under special skills on your resume. And they should probably give you a medal or something." Jamie noted with a smile and Rory hoped this meant the glaring issue of Paris would not be an obstacle to continuing their friendship.
"I hope it's shiny," Rory joked before steering the conversation away from her best friend. "So I want to hear about you. Obviously Princeton went well and congrats on surviving law school."
"Thanks," Jamie smiled broadly, fully dimpled and Rory felt a little flutter in her stomach. "Princeton is still standing, my parents were over the moon. I mean, they graduated from college, and even graduate school, but Princeton was a big deal to them. I did manage to date another girl or two there, here too."
"I remember pictures of a redhead…" Rory trailed off, as she thought back to what she knew of Jamie from Facebook.
Jamie nodded, "Sarah. She was great-we dated for a couple of years, but I came down here for law school and she went to Chicago…we parted ways as friends and she is headed to a law firm in Raleigh."
"And the Supreme Court! I know enough about law school to know that judicial clerkship's are hard to come by, and the ones at the Supreme Court are supposed to be impossible to snag." Rory was remembering just how impressive this guy could be.
"Yeah," Jamie dipped his head a little to hide the blush on his cheeks, "It was hard work. I can't say I have thought about much else in the last couple of years, but it was completely worth it. I'll be working with Beyer, who I have a lot of respect for. Its…big, the kind of thing you dream about but aren't sure you will ever get to touch. I'm enjoying the high you get when a dream comes true. But my guess is that as soon as my two years start, I will be itching for something new to work towards."
"I get that," Rory answered, "although I didn't even dare to dream this sort of opportunity I have now, I know about the high; after Christmas, right up until the inauguration I was surrounded by people who had this floaty feeling and walking though security into work every morning was both daunting and magical. Now though, well, its weird when working at the White House just becomes your normal."
"I'll bet." Jamie reached over to the pitcher and refilled their now empty glasses. "So, how are you enjoying D.C.?"
"It's great, although I haven't gotten to experience much…this is the kind of job where free time is at a premium."
"I'm sorry if I pulled you away from friends…"
"Oh don't worry, the girls I was out with tonight are the White House social butterflies. When I noticed you, they were discussing their tactics for trying to get someone's attention. They were all dolled up tonight, looking for prey. The group I normally hang out with is…lower key? But they got caught up in an issue of national security."
Jamie laughed, "Well, I was certainly glad to run into you. I knew you were in D.C. but the last few months have been crazy; I was actually planning on getting in touch with you now that my schedule is much lighter, at least for the summer."
Rory grinned, "We can have another summer in the city! But really, it's nice to see a familiar face. I've made friends at the White House but the couple of people I know from college that are here are journalists and I always feel like I have to be careful around them. Not that I know any grand, national secrets, but my relationships with them could get messy if we aren't careful."
"Well now you have someone else to hang out with. And I'd be glad to show you around if your interested…" Jamie trailed off and Rory hoped this was an honest invitation.
"I'd love that!" Rory exclaimed and took another sip of her margarita hoping to quell the butterflies she felt. She knew full well Jamie was just a friend, but her dating life had lagged since she had rejected Logan's proposal. A handful of dates of the trail, and a couple more here in D.C., none of whom made her smile as much as Jamie had tonight. Still, Jamie dated Paris and she didn't want to let herself get too worked up over a guy who held the status as her best friend's first love, particularly when that friend was as unpredictable as Paris.
As they finished the pitcher of margaritas in front of them, the pair traded stories mostly about the last few years, Jamie's time at Georgetown, Rory's time on the campaign. The stayed away from any potential landmines but it was clear that the both felt comfortable enough to share a few more personal tales. By the time the pitcher was empty and Jamie had appropriately marveled at Rory's guacamole eating skills, it was getting late for a weeknight.
"We are both headed to Georgetown, right? Want to just split a cab?" Jamie queried as he paid their tab.
"Actually," Rory started as she whipped out her phone. She searched her contacts for the car service Emily insisted she have for this very situation. She quickly ordered up a car, "They will be here in about five minutes."
"I'm impressed, do all White House staffers have such access?"
"Only the ones with Emily Gilmore for a grandmother. In the grand scheme of things to argue with her with, this was not one of them. She gets downright giddy every time I use it."
"Well then, be all means," They chatted about the weather as they moved towards the sidewalk. On the ride home, Rory decided to throw a little caution to the wind and see if she could nail down another hang out before the car dropped Jamie off.
"Hey so, this weekend is Memorial Day, and you know how they have the big concert on Sunday?" She started.
"Yeah, I usually watch it from my apartment."
"Well, one of the White House staffer perks are a pair of tickets…would you be interested in going with me?" Rory hoped she didn't sound quite as nervous as she felt.
"Definitely, that sounds like fun." Jamie grinned widely and the nerves receded just a bit.
"Great!" They traded numbers as the driver pulled up in front of Jamie's apartment.
"I look forward to hanging out again, Rory. I had fun tonight."
"Me too."
Jamie leaned in and placed a friendly kiss on her cheek. "I'll call you tomorrow about Sunday. Goodnight Ms. Gilmore."
"Goodnight Mr. McHenry." Rory lifted her hand in a wave as he walked up the stairs to his place.
She sat back in the seat as the car pulled away. She pushed away thoughts of Paris and how hanging out with Jamie could be a bad idea. She couldn't think about that, not while she couldn't keep the smile off her face.
AN: I think its safe to say I might be the first who has ever put these two together, but I thought they could be interesting. Also, the reason for Tristan being around: well, he speaks fluent Paris, as Rory would say. She is going to need a friend who can help navigate the landmines. I hope you are still interested. Its not Dean or Jess or Marty, but its also not Logan.
For the record, Jamie doesn't have a last name on the show, so I made one up.