A/N: Full steam ahead! To anyone who thought this story was over, oh my how wrong you were.

May 31, 2007

Dear Jess,

I filed my very first story! Obama was at the University of Iowa, discussing healthcare. He told a heartbreaking story of a family dealing with a number of unexpected illnesses who had to file for bankruptcy to pay for the life-saving medical care that was needed. He said that as a country, this is not who we are. It was so inspiring. I really think he's going to push for the implementation of some type of universal healthcare system. After all, Canadians don't have to pay for every cotton ball, syringe and set of medical gloves that have to be used in order to treat them, so why should we? It's crazy. His remarks were so refreshing! I'm already hoping that one day soon I'll be able to call him President Barack Obama.

I've met some of the other reporters and wow, do I feel like the Doogie Howser of this bunch. As soon as I thought of that, I remembered when you came to my grandparents place two years ago and assumed that I'd graduated already. Even when you said it then, I secretly wished I could have told you that yes, that's exactly what it was –I'd graduated already, obviously. I'm going to feel like Doogie Hoswer for this whole campaign, which will not help when it comes to missing you.

I miss you so much, Dodger. I've barely been gone for… ugh. I don't even want to think about it. Mom and Luke are doing good, though you probably know that. My grandmother's already complaining that I'm not keeping in touch very well. Does she not understand that I'm reporting on a presidential campaign?

I hope Truncheon and the guys are good. Tell them I miss them too!

Have you registered for classes yet? If you haven't, it must be coming up soon. You won't have many electives first year, but hopefully what they require you to take will be interesting. I loved most of what I did in first year, except for the part where I was advised to drop a class –that part was less fun. Anyway, let me know when you've registered, I'm super interested to hear what you're taking!

Looking at my ring before I fall asleep is the only way I can get a decent night's rest. Pretty soon this campaign is gonna run me ragged. Sleeping in different places all the time is going to be really hard.

I just keep wishing you were closer; somehow the distance thing feels different, not being in the same place in relation to you. I haven't even been gone that long yet and on nights that I don't have at least one dream involving you, I feel cheated.

… I can sense you might be laughing at me right now. If you are, then stop. I can't help being all mushy.

Obama's in Hartford on June twenty-third; I'd love it if you could meet me there, but I'm going to try and stay with my grandparents that night. If I could see you during the day, or after the event, that'd be amazing. I'm not exactly sure when it's happening yet though, so I'll get back to you on that.

Mark your calendar! I'll be in Philadelphia on July fifth! Obama's speaking to the National Education Association. The fifth is a Thursday, so we're staying in Philadelphia for the weekend I think. After that it's D.C. on the eighteenth. We have to do something for your birthday, okay? It's so very considerate of them to place the Senator in Philadelphia on my boyfriend's birthday weekend. Start thinking of what you want to do. Let's plan to do something on the Saturday, the seventh. If I can, I'll be with you on your actual birthday, but I don't know if they're going to cram another event in a different city before we go to D.C., so planning for the Saturday is safest, I think.

I love you so much! Email me back soon!

-Rory

When Jess opened up his email on the morning of June first, he was going to be very content to write Rory a tender reply letter until he read that she was going to be in Philadelphia. At first he didn't even notice the date, but when he re-read her words to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, he saw that he was going to get to see her for his birthday. Jess went from a guy who never cared about his birthday to suddenly loving his birthday in a matter of seconds.

A reply to her email suddenly felt insufficient. He wanted to hear her voice; he wanted her to hear his –how happy he was. Jess couldn't remember what the time difference was between Iowa and Philadelphia, or even if Rory was technically still in Iowa. Her phone rang and rang until the voicemail picked up.

"Rory! I read the story you filed on Obama's speech on healthcare and it was amazing. I'll come to Hartford on the twenty-third; let me know when you know about timing. I'll stay in Stars Hollow above the diner the night before and come out to Hartford whenever you happen to finish up. I'm assuming the evening will be a family affair; it's a good thing your grandparents like me now. July fifth is inked in; I can't believe you'll be here for my birthday –that's all I want, just you… naked, in my bed. I hope you're not in a room full of people when you listen to this –if you are, sorry for the blushing and giggling you may or may not be able to explain. I love you Ror; okay, bye."

When she realized she'd missed Jess' call, it made her sad –sadder than it really should have.

"Jess! I'm so sorry I missed your call. The thing in Hartford on the twenty-third is in the evening, so I have Sunday. We hit the road first thing in the morning on the twenty-fifth. I still don't know where we're going, all I know is they hate holes in the schedule, so they filled it with something. We won't have any alone time, but it's better than nothing, I guess. And don't worry, after Obama's speech on July fifth, I plan to develop a hatred of clothing until I leave Philadelphia. Love you."

Rory left the message for Jess right before getting on the phone with Hugo to discuss her story on Obama's healthcare remarks. Her phone buzzed with an incoming text while she was in the middle of her conversation.

Don't worry your pretty little head about not getting alone time together while you're in Hartford. We get to spend time together, that's all that really matters. We'll make up for it when you're in Philly. Naked. All. The. Time. Get excited.

Rory laughed when she saw his message and texted right back: Oh, I am.

I can barely contain myself just thinking about it. Alright, you're busy. I love you Rory. I'm so proud of you. I'll send you a proper response to your email by tomorrow –promise. xoxo

June 2, 2007

Dear Rory,

You are definitely Doogie Howser. Don't let it freak you out too much, you know what you're doing –you earned your place among the rest of those reporters, don't ever doubt that.

Your first story was so great. It sounds like Obama's making the right kind of waves already. I don't know why we don't already have some kind of universal healthcare system. Greed should not interfere with health matters –we could really stand to learn something from Canada and all the other countries that have universal healthcare in place. Obama's right: bankrupting people in this way isn't who we are as a country, or it shouldn't be, anyway.

Truncheon's good, the guys are good. They all say hi and send their love. Nothing much has changed around here in terms of day-to-day stuff. I'm starting to talk to the guys about how to redistribute some of my responsibilities when I start school. Whether I like it or not, I'm going to have to at least take a small step back. But the good thing about living where I work is that I can get stuff done at any time.

I've been hearing from Luke and Lorelai a lot and it's only been a few weeks. I'm worried they might think I'm in a pit of despair or something. But it's nice of them to care so much. Wow, did you ever think you'd see the day when I said that?

Lane's even been calling me. I forgot how much we have in common. Zach's going on tour for a few months, so I'm going to try and get to Stars Hollow every couple of weeks while he's gone –hang out, probably get roped into helping with the babies, avoid Mrs. Kim at all costs. Actually, there's an idea: whenever Mrs. Kim graciously offers (but does Mrs. Kim ever graciously offer to do anything?) to take the babies for a while to give Lane a break, I can swoop in to take her mind off Mommy-related stuff.

I haven't registered for school yet –I think my registration date is at the beginning of July. I'll tell you more about it when I see you on the twenty-third, but the course requirements don't seem too bad. It all seems like stuff I'm interested in. I think I might take a few philosophy courses as electives, maybe sociology. I haven't really decided yet.

I miss you too, Ror. All the time. It is weird and very different now that you're moving around everywhere –I feel it too. I like it when I dream about you. My favourite dreams are the X-rated ones –there've been a few of those. Remind me to tell you about them when you're here. Dreams are never as good as the real thing….

I'm glad to hear that the Claddagh ring is reminding you of everything it's supposed to. That's exactly why I gave it to you. I don't think what you said is silly at all; I didn't laugh. It made me feel good.

I love you, Rory. Talk soon.

-Jess

"Oh my God, I can just see you playing with the babies, holding them like little footballs and yelling at them playfully when they're both crying," Rory giggled as she talked to Jess on the phone a few days after getting his email.

"You forgot to mention how quickly I'll be getting myself and Lane out of dodge when Mrs. Kim shows up," Jess laughed.

"Right, of course. I think it's great though. It's nice that you guys are hanging out."

"Yeah, it is. How's Virginia?"

"Good. His speech was to a bunch of ministers though. Not the most exciting thing,"

"Don't tell the ministers that, lest they smite you down."

"My lips are sealed."

"Your stories are really well done, Ror. What does Hugo have to say about your work?" Jess asked.

"He's really happy," Rory smiled.

Jess heard her smile and it made him smile too. "Of course he is. So where are you off to next?"

"Spartanburg, South Carolina."

"Holy shit, there's actually a city called Spartanburg? How very American…"

"Yeah, Mom had fun with that one. The never-ending references…"

"I can imagine,"

"I can't wait to see you, Jess."

"I can't wait either, Ror. I'm marking the days already."

"Till Hartford, or Philadelphia?"

"Both, but only because Hartford comes first."

"Mmmhmmm. Eagerly waiting for me to develop my aversion to clothing, are you?"

"Of course," Jess grinned. "What's the plan for the Sunday in Hartford?"

"I'm not sure yet," Rory said.

"No worries."

"Jess, I'm sorry, I have to go."

Jess sighed to himself; sometimes he hated being a grown up. Certain aspects of life were a lot simpler when he could just be mad and refuse to deal with things. Being mature was hard work. "It's okay, Ror. Email me tonight. I love you."

"I love you too," Rory sighed sadly.

"You're working your dream job Rory, you shouldn't sound so glum."

"I know, it's just –"

"I know. Look at your ring. I bet pretty soon you're gonna get so into this campaign you might have times where you forget all about your boyfriend in Philadelphia where? Truncheon what?" Jess teased.

"Not funny, Jess," Rory said, her voice trembling slightly.

"Come on, Rory. Lighten up. Let yourself enjoy what you're doing."

Rory sighed again, but didn't respond.

"You have to go,"

"I do," she whispered.

"I love you, Rory. I'm not hanging up the phone until you can say it back without sounding like you're about to cry."

"We agreed to never hang up angry; we never made a rule about not hanging up when we're sad."

"Well, I'm making a new rule, then. And I'm invoking it now," Jess said.

Rory took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. "I love you, Jess."

Jess smiled. "Good girl. Was that so hard? I love you. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Bye."

Jess hung up the phone and was instantly out of breath. He sighed deeply and collapsed sideways onto his pillow with a soft thud. Being strong was exhausting.

Rory's phone rang just as she was pulling into her grandparents driveway after Obama's event in Hartford the night of June twenty-third. She'd been able to come by earlier in the afternoon and spend some time with both of them before Richard graciously offered to let Rory take his Jaguar to the event, so that she could just come right back to the mansion afterwards.

"What are you still doing up, Grandpa?" She asked when she came in to find Richard sitting in the living room.

"I figured I'd wait up for you. What with you being gone so much, I felt bad going to bed before you got home," Richard said.

"That's really sweet, but it's late. Aren't you tired?"

"Not at all," he said dismissively.

Rory's phone rang again; she'd ignored it the first time so that she could park the car. "I'm sorry Grandpa, can you hang on a sec? Whoever is calling me apparently will not rest until I pick up the phone. It's probably just Mom, but –" she stopped mid-sentence when she glanced at her phone and saw Jess' number. She picked up quickly, "Oh my God, I'm in Connecticut and so are you!"

"I know. Cool huh? Hi," Jess said softly.

"Hi," Rory smiled.

"Rory, would you mind terribly running to the pool house for me?" Richard asked. "I left my Proust out there when I was tidying earlier."

"Sure Grandpa," Rory said distractedly, turning around to walk back out the door.

"What's going on?" Jess asked.

"Oh nothing," Rory said, "my Grandpa forgot his Proust in the pool house so he sent me to get it."

"This one?" Jess said as Rory opened the pool house door, holding out Swann's Way.

"Oh my God!" Rory screamed. She wanted to close the distance between them at a quick run, but she was so shocked to see him standing there, she couldn't move.

Luckily for Rory, when Jess laid his eyes on her it had the exact opposite effect on him. He ran to her so quickly and embraced her so forcefully that he almost knocked her off her feet.

When Rory felt him cradle the back of her head lovingly in his palm, she wrapped her arms around him slowly –afraid she was dreaming. Jess held her tighter, sensing her hesitance.

"You're not imagining me, Rory," Jess whispered. "I'm here."

"Oh Jess," she said softly, tears of joy escaping her eyes. She pulled back slightly to look into his beautiful brown eyes, which were warm and radiating nothing but love as he looked at her. She smacked his shoulder playfully. "You conspired with Grandpa again?"

"Not just your grandpa –your grandma too. And Luke and Lorelai," Jess said, flashing a crooked grin at Rory. "Everyone agreed that you and I should have some alone time together before the day full of family festivities tomorrow –I didn't even ask for it, but hell, I didn't need to be told twice. Lorelai and Luke told me to tell you that they'll be here at ten tomorrow morning; they intend to spend as much time with you tomorrow as they can," Jess reached up and wiped away her tears. "Oh Rory, you have no idea how much I've missed you," he said quietly, pulling her close again and burying his face in her neck.

After silently holding each other for several minutes, Jess was able to get his emotions under control. "So how was the event?" He asked, continuing to keep a strong arm wrapped around her back. Now that she was within his grasp again, he had no intention of letting her go until he absolutely had to. "Was this another religious speech?"

"Yeah," Rory said. "But this one was actually really interesting! He called for everyone to 'rededicate ourselves to a new kind of politics –a politics of conscience. Let's come together –Protestant and Catholic, Muslim and Hindu and Jew, believer and non-believer alike … We can affirm our faith without endangering the separation of church and state, as long as we understand that when we're in the public square, we have to speak in universal terms that everyone can understand. And if we can do that –if we can embrace a common destiny … I believe we'll not just help bring about a more hopeful day in America, we'll not just be caring for our own souls, we'll be doing God's work here on Earth.' It was really an amazing speech, so attuned with the divisive issues surrounding the American public –really Jess, he's got a pulse beat on all of the major issues and he speaks to all of them so well; it's remarkable. You almost forget that he's running for the highest office in the land; I mean he's just so –"

"Stop talking," Jess demanded gently. He captured Rory's lips in a deep and passionate kiss, forcing her lips apart with his eager and impatient tongue, sweeping it into her mouth and devouring her possessively.

Rory melted into him instantly, holding Jess' face between her hands as she kissed him eagerly and moaned into his mouth.

Soon the sheer power of their kisses left them both breathless and weak in the knees. "God, I've missed you so much," Jess whispered. "I love you."

"I've missed you too," Rory said quietly, her cheeks blushing a deep scarlet red from the ferocity of their kisses.

"Please tell me the pool house door locks," Jess said quietly.

"It does," Rory giggled, "but Grandpa's waiting for me to bring him his Proust –"

Jess cocked an eyebrow at Rory and gave her such a seductive smirk that she actually felt her knees buckle.

"He doesn't need the book, does he?"

"Nope. You're all mine, Gilmore. I'll do my best to make sure that you're able to walk tomorrow. But I make no promises."

"It's always best to refrain from promises unless you're one hundred per cent sure you can keep them," Rory said, already hot and breathless with desire.

"Lock the door. You're wearing far too many clothes," Jess winked.

Thankfully, Obama's remarks at the National Education Association Annual Meeting were upon them before Rory and Jess had much of an opportunity to miss each other. Rory was going to be able to spend three whole nights in Philadelphia with Jess. She could barely concentrate on the speech being given –a speech she would have to file a story on later that day- she was so eagerly awaiting being able to see Jess. For the first time, Rory genuinely believed that the mere anticipation of spending three nights with him might actually be the death of her.

Despite her distraction, the story she filed was still beyond reproach. Hugo called her as soon as it went up and told her that taking a chance on her was the smartest decision he'd ever made. She was humbled and touched by his high praise. Before disconnecting the call, she confirmed that she wasn't supposed to be leaving Philadelphia until Sunday night.

"Yup, that's still the plan," Hugo confirmed. "Rest up a few days, kid. You deserve it. You've been doing a fantastic job. Hey, didn't you tell me that your boyfriend's based out of Philadelphia?"

"Yeah he is," Rory smiled. "The timing of this stop is perfect actually. It's his birthday this weekend. It's on Sunday, but we're going to do something together on the Saturday. It'll be nice to spend a few nights sleeping in a familiar bed."

"Well, that's great, Gilmore. I'm glad it worked out that way for you. Listen, rest up and celebrate –you both deserve to do a little celebrating. Just don't miss the bus on Sunday afternoon," Hugo said, equal parts teasingly and in dead seriousness, "we're doing that last minute stop in Delaware before heading on to D.C., remember."

"I won't miss the bus, Hugo. I promise," Rory said earnestly, laughing to herself.

"I know you won't," Hugo said reassuringly. "Enjoy having a few days to yourself; like I said, you deserve it. They'll fly by too, so make sure you make them count."

"I will. Thanks Hugo."

"Alright, I'll let you go then. Touch base when you're on the bus to Delaware."

"I won't miss the bus, Hugo! Girl Scout's honour!" Rory laughed.

"You were a Girl Scout?"

"Yeah, for about a month. Honour is the first thing you learn as a Girl Scout. Once I'd learned the most important of life's lessons, I decided it was boring. I do miss the cookies though…"

"Telling you to touch base on route to Delaware is my job. You are a reporter in my employ. I have a responsibility to prove that you are fulfilling your duties as a journalist and following this campaign around the country exactly as you should. It's not because I actually think you would miss the bus. You are staunchly dedicated to your work Gilmore. And if your boyfriend is even half as loving and supportive as I've been hearing that he is, if you miss that bus he'll drive you to Delaware himself."

Rory blushed. "Yeah, he's sweet like that. I think I'll keep him," she giggled.

"Okay, I've been nattering in your ear long enough. But, hey, ever since you mentioned your boyfriend's books to me, I've had this hankering to get my hands on them. I'd love to read them but I can't find them anywhere."

"Oh!" Rory said excitedly. "I can get you a copy of both of them when I'm at Truncheon with Jess over the next few days."

"Really?" Hugo asked. "That'd be great. Tell Jess I'll happily give you the money to pay him back next time you see him when the campaign's in Philadelphia again."

"No problem. He'll be flattered!"

"Okay, I really will let you go now. Until Delaware, kid!"

When Rory arrived at the Truncheon brownstone, she could hear her heartbeat drumming wildly in her ears. Even though she and Jess had been together for a year and a half, it felt strange to have a key to his place.

She was moved to tears when he presented her with two keys upon her graduation from Yale –one to the front door of the brownstone and another to his apartment, so that Rory could come and go as she pleased whenever she was in Philadelphia regardless of the hour and whether not Jess happened to be home.

Jess tried to shrug it off –in a very 'Jess' way- as a purely pragmatic and extremely logical thing to do. Even though Lorelai had given Jess a key to her home –which also happened to be Rory's permanent home, for now at least- this was different.

Jess giving Rory keys to Truncheon and his apartment marked a significant step forward in their relationship. They were moving into that next phase. Jess had no intention of asking for the keys back after the campaign was over. Rory knew that he meant for her to keep the keys he gave her –not just while she was away.

"Hello?" Rory said tentatively as she walked inside. "Matt? Chris? Andrew? Anybody?"

"I've been given strict instructions to keep my greetings to a minimum and send you upstairs," Chris said quietly.

"Chris? Is that you? Where are you? It's so dark in here!"

"Night is traditionally a dark time," he chuckled. "Everyone else is gone –finished hours ago. I'm the straggler for the day. I don't need much light. Jess is waiting for you upstairs."

"This feels very creepy," Rory said with a tiny smile.

"It's not, trust me. I work in the dark all the time. It's good to see you, Rory! I hope Jess doesn't keep you … busy the whole time you're here. It would be nice if we all got to hang out."

"I'll make sure we do. He's upstairs?"

"Mmmhmm. Upstairs. Don't worry, I'm turning on music as soon as you're out of my sight."

Rory had to force herself not to run up the stairs. She crept into Jess apartment quietly and found him sitting on his bed. "Hey, did you know that Chris is sitting downstairs working in the dark, like a –"

While Rory was distracted with putting her tiny bag down, Jess had gotten up and closed the distance between them. When she looked up, their faces were only millimeters apart. He cut her off midsentence, taking advantage of her open mouth and kissing her until she was breathless.

"I'm sorry," Jess whispered when he eventually released her lips, "you were saying?"

"I –I was?" Rory stammered. "I'm sorry, was I talking?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Sometimes I talk too much."

Jess laughed quietly. "Hi."

"Hi."

"How was the National Education Association meeting? Is the fate of America still doomed? Highly educated and under employed? Or are we catching onto that problem, and now too many people are working at McDonald's and the education system wants to gouge us some more?"

"Yup, that pretty much covers it. People spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on private schools and college, but no one's finding jobs. It's a real tragedy."

"I'm so glad I decided to go university…"

Rory giggled and laid her hand on Jess' chest. As soon as she felt the warmth of his skin beneath her palm, she stopped laughing.

"Are we done talking now?"

"Oh! Almost! But, three things…"

"One,"

"I missed you."

"Two?"

"Happy birthday … weekend."

"And three?"

Rory traced her fingers delicately through Jess' soft beard and cradled his cheek in her palm. "I love you."

Jess closed his eyes, leaned into her touch and smiled. "I love you too, Rory."

"Chris made me promise that I'd get to hang out with the whole gang at some point,"

"We will be of the larger 'we', don't worry. Brunch Saturday –all six of us. But Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"You said three things and you snuck in a fourth," Jess said lowly. "I'm gonna make you pay for that, you know."

Rory giggled. "I know. Why do you think I kept talking?"

"Oh, so that's how it is, huh? You look very nice, by the way. Sophisticated. I'm a little disappointed."

"Why?"

"Because it means that ripping your clothes off you isn't an option."

"Oh," Rory sighed, slightly disappointed herself. "But you're only wearing a button down shirt, with tiny buttons. Just because you can't rip my clothes doesn't mean I can't rip yours," she explained as she shrugged out of her suit jacket, undid her pants and kicked off her shoes.

Jess shot her a beautiful crooked smile. "I hate this shirt," he whispered.

Rory smiled, grabbing Jess' shirt in two greedy fistfuls to pull him towards her. She crashed her lips against his and gave his shirt a swift yank to either side, sending the buttons popping off and rolling all over the floor.

A loud, needy groan escaped Jess throat and reverberated through Rory's mouth. Locking his arms around her ribcage, he picked her up blindly but easily. Rory locked her legs around Jess' waist and started grinding against him. Before making it the short distance to his bed, Jess' hands had already found their way into Rory's pants; he squeezed her hot flesh hungrily.

Everything was a white-hot, needy blur. Within seconds, all of their clothing lay in a heap on the floor. They kissed each other so deeply they almost couldn't breathe, though neither really cared.

Rory found her way between Jess' legs, taking his length in her mouth so quickly that Jess' eyes went wide. She refused to release him until he climaxed so powerfully that dots clouded his vision.

It didn't take him long to recover his wits, determined to repay the favour. Jess flipped Rory onto her back forcefully and trailed hot, wet kisses all over her salty skin before tasting her core and setting a frantic pace. Within seconds Rory was tugging his hair deliciously. The jolts of pain caused Jess to smile against her skin before adding his fingers and making her cry out.

Before Rory had even come down from her high, Jess felt himself harden again. He crawled up her body quickly and buried himself within her, kissing her lips hard as their hips knocked against one another's with a sharp clap, coming to a forceful stop upon finding that there was nowhere deeper to go.

With a few heavy thrusts, they were both close. Jess sat up suddenly and yanked Rory with him, hoping that a change in position could prolong the euphoria. When Rory was positioned in Jess' lap with her legs locked behind his back, things changed –everything was suddenly happening in slow motion. They locked eyes, both remembering their first time and how it was almost just like this.

Rory traced Jess' lips with her finger and pulled him into a slow, languid kiss. Jess returned her kiss lovingly and pulled her down onto him harder as they continued to move. For all of the moaning and grunting and keening cries that filled the air when they started, they ended quietly, coming together in powerful silence.

"I could get used to this," Rory said breathlessly as she snuggled tightly against Jess' side. "Is it always going to be like this?"

"I hope so," Jess laughed. "If there's one up side to you being away on a campaign, it should be all the hot reunion sex."

"Agreed."

"It's only the beginning Ror. It won't always be loving phone calls and long emails and eager falling into bed. It won't always be easy. It won't be as easy when I start school, I'm gonna fuck up, you're gonna fuck up," Jess sighed. "It won't always be this simple."

"I know," Rory said quietly.

"We can do this though. We will. I'm so proud of you –you have no idea, Rory."

"Thank you for not wanting me to change –be someone else."

"Ditto," Jess smiled.