On the evening of Sunday, August twenty-fourth Rory and Lydia arrived in Denver to cover the Democratic National Convention. As soon as they got in from Springfield Illinois, they caught wind of something that simultaneously thrilled their journalistic impulses and chilled them to the bone at the same time –Denver police had made arrests in connection to an alleged plot to assassinate Senator Obama. Information was barely twelve hours old and not officially confirmed, but inside a truck belonging to one of the suspects police found assault rifles, bipods, hunting scopes and silencers, wigs, fake IDs, camouflage clothing, walkie-talkies and bulletproof vests.

The girls immediately started perusing the story –chasing down leads and trying to get reliable confirmation from trustworthy sources. What they lacked in veteran experience they made up for with unparalleled aplomb, tenacity and focus. Together, Lydia and Rory had an opportunity to break this story and they were stronger and more credible working as a team.

They had separate rooms –Daniel and Jess were arriving the next morning to be with them until the end of the week- but until the boys arrived, Lydia and Rory hunkered down together and poured over the facts, pooling their resources and connections, working tirelessly to get something solid. Their bosses knew what they were doing and contributed what little they could, calling in favours and cashing in their tickets of seniority to give their reporters a running start on a story that everyone would be chasing as soon as it trickled down the grapevine. The girls were already facing stiff competition, where the race for confirmation was concerned. They all but forgot about the convention taking place in four days' time.

"They found meth in the guy's truck too," Rory said.

"You think that might negate the rest of the stuff?" Lydia asked. "Like they might not take all this seriously if it comes out that they're all meth addicts?"

"Meth addict or not, hatching a plan to assassinate the first African-American nominee for president is hatching a plan to assassinate the first African-American nominee for president. Especially considering he's the favourite and the frontrunner and everyone knows it."

"True enough. God, you always hear about this stuff and you know there are tons of foiled assassination plots on presidents and candidates, but suddenly to be in it –for you and I to be actively chasing the story is –"

"Terrifying and exhilarating in equal parts…"

"Seriously. It sounds horribly sheltered and clichéd, but when I took this job I had no idea I was signing up for –"

"This."

"Yeah," Lydia sighed.

"Me either," Rory agreed. "Would you trade it?"

"Not for the world."

"I'm with you, Anne Shirley. I do enjoy being deliciously scared."

Lydia laughed. "That nickname's never going away, is it?"

"Nope. Never."

"Daniel and Jess aren't going to like that we're trying to take the lead on this."

"Probably not. I don't blame them, objectively. But they understand our jobs –"

"Reporting on a presidential campaign and trying to crack an assassination plot wide open are not the same thing, Rory."

"True. But it's a good thing. We're loved. They'll be coming from a place of wanting to protect us. It's a good."

"I know, I just –"

"Lydia, they won't want us to actually stop doing our jobs. They just won't be crazy about the nature of the story, that's all. Do you want to stop? No one is making us peruse this so hard –we can stop."

"No! I don't want to stop," Lydia said quickly.

"Me either," Rory smiled.


"Lydia, I don't like you poking around in this."

"Daniel, I'm not 'poking around'. Rory and I are trying to crack this story."

"I know, but it's just –they had assault rifles. Forgive me for not wanting you anywhere near this; it has nothing to do with your ability as a reporter and I don't all the sudden want you filing your nails behind a receptionist's desk –but they had assault rifles, Lydia," Daniel sighed. "I just found you. I just started loving you…"

"Stop it," Lydia said softly, holding his face in her hands.

"What?"

"Stop talking like you're going to lose me. I'm not vying for an unsupervised jailhouse interview. Everyone involved in this is in custody. Rory and I are going to talk to a U.S. Attorney. He could talk to literally anyone he wants and he agreed to sit down with us –two wide-eyed twenty-somethings who are just starting out, do you have any idea how huge this is? No one's going to hunt me down."

"You don't know that," Daniel whispered, feeling his cheeks blush against Lydia's hands. "And yeah, I do."

"Stop assuming that someone will. This is my job, Daniel. You seem to be forgetting that this love thing is a two way street. It's new and wonderful and I'm in no hurry to do anything that would put a stop to it. Nothing is going to happen to me. I have to do my job. This is huge. If Rory and I break this story first, it could mean –God, I don't even know. I have to do this Daniel. Rory and I have to do this."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I knew that too," Daniel smiled, leaning his forehead against Lydia's. "Carrots."

Lydia smiled and caught his lips in a gentle kiss.

"You do realize that sooner or later, I'm whisking you back to Ottawa; you can report on politics all you want in our own backyard where there are hardly any assassination plots."

"Sounds like a fair deal to me. But in the meantime, this is where we are and this is the story. I have to see this through."

"I know. I love you and I'm worried –don't expect me to not be for as long as this lasts, but I'd never actually ask you to pass up the opportunity to get out in front of this. I know what this means to you and to Rory and your careers."

"I know you do; I know you'd never hold me back. It's one of the many reasons I love you so much."


"Say something, Jess!"

Jess sat speechless after Rory finished recounting all of the developments she and Lydia had uncovered in connection to the arrests and the men in custody. "I... I –I'm not sure that I can formulate what to say quite that fast. You might need to give me a sec."

"You must be thinking something," Rory pressed, hardly able to contain her enthusiasm.

"Oh, I'm having definite thoughts –I'm just not sure you'll want to hear them, that's all."

"What do you mean?"

"Rory –believe me, I understand the hugeness of this and I know exactly what you and Lydia are on the verge of and it's –it's amazing. I know who you are, I know what your job is and what that means and if I was gonna be Cold Feet Guy it would've happened a long time ago but this –Rory, this was an assassination plot. Even if it was a plot full of holes hatched by a bunch of meth addicts, they had guns –assault rifles, silencers, bulletproof vests. I don't like the idea of you being anywhere near this. I don't not support you; it's not like I want you to be popping bubblegum behind an assignment desk for your whole career. I know you need to chase this, I do –and a big part of me wants you and Lydia to have a massive by-line to frame and tell our grandkids about- but an equally big part of me hates that you need to chase this," Jess sighed heavily. "I hope that doesn't make me a prick."

"Jess," Rory whispered. "You're not a –I get it. I understand. But nothing is going to happen to us."

"You don't know that, Ror."

"We're not being targeted here. Lydia and I, we're just –"

"Writing the story? I know. But people who do this –people who plan what these guys were planning- they're sick, not right in the head. Yesterday, Obama was the target and by tomorrow night it could be the two beautiful innocent reporters prepping to break this massive story to the press."

Rory grabbed Jess' hands and held them tight. "Lydia and I got a sit down with a U.S. Attorney. The guys who hatched this thing are locked away and not getting out any time soon. I know this is an entirely different situation than reporting on a presidential campaign, Jess. If you think I'm not slightly terrified of this myself, you're not listening to my voice well enough. This guy that we're talking to tomorrow –he could talk to any member of the American press that he wants, but by some weird stroke of fate, he agreed to talk to us. We'll be safe. Lydia and I have to do this."

"I know you do. You're badass and I love you, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to also hate it. I'm in love with you, you're my life –there's no such thing as minimum safe distance between the woman I love and a story involving multiple armed assault rifles."

"Totally fair."

"Until this story is in the bag and we're not in Denver and I know you're safe, I hate your job," Jess whispered against Rory's skin.

"I don't blame you," Rory said against Jess' lips, silencing further protestations of worry with a deep kiss.


"Any words of wisdom on how to deal with this?" Daniel asked Jess the next morning; the guys had nothing to do but sit and wait and worry until Lydia and Rory came back from their big sit down with the U.S. Attorney.

Jess sighed heavily. "I got nothin' for you, man. The woman I love working tirelessly to break a story about a foiled assassination plot –that's a new one. I have no wisdom. I'm a wreck, just like you."

"If there's any bright side to this, our girlfriends are hard-core," Daniel grinned proudly.

"They totally are. The other bright side here is that they have each other, Frenchie. I don't like them chasing this story at all even though I understand why they have to –when it comes right down to it, it's safer for them to do this together. Two hardcore, dedicated reporters are better than one."

"Yeah. Jess –they'll be fine, right?"

"They'll be fine," Jess paused, "though it does feel a bit like we're watching our girlfriends play out some intense plot twist on The West Wing."

"The West Wing?" Daniel asked. "How is it like –?"

"Press Secretary C.J. Cregg controlling hoards of reporters chomping at the bit to get a story and Danny Concannon, the Washington Post correspondent who was way too good at his job and had a beat on all the biggest stories before anyone else."

"Right! It was always 'You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours,' with those two. It was a good thing they were in love… So, but then if that's the situation, which one is C.J. Cregg and which one is Danny Concannon?"

"Lydia's the redhead. Concannon was an aging ginger. Your girlfriend's Danny," Jess chuckled.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Awesome. Thanks for that."

"Don't scoff! Concannon kicked ass. It's a compliment."

"Yeah, he did, didn't he?"

"All the time. Him and Cregg made quite the team."

"The two of them working together were unstoppable."

"That they were."

"Unless they were fighting."

"But when they weren't? Unstoppable. Ror and Lydia are Cregg and Concannon at their unstoppable best."

"That doesn't do anything to ease my mind, though, Jess."

"Mine either. But hey –Rory and Lydia have each other, and you and me –we've got each other. At least we can freak out together. Think of how much worse this would be if one of the girls were doing this alone and we were panicking alone."

"That's almost –sweet. I'm supposed to be the nice one you know," Daniel winked.

"Don't get used to it," Jess said quietly. "I'm not vying for your Mister Congeniality crown, don't worry."

After what seemed like an eternity, Jess and Daniel jumped to their feet at the sound of the hotel room door opening. When Rory and Lydia walked across the threshold and saw both men standing tensely, they let the door close with a slam and closed the distance in quick, long strides.

Jess and Daniel only let themselves breathe when they had their arms wound tightly around Rory and Lydia. Jess and Rory were more accustomed to emotional reunions and embraces than Daniel and Lydia were; Daniel had to concentrate on making sure he didn't tremble as he hugged Lydia –he was supposed to be the strong one. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, so he simply buried his face in her hair and breathed her in.

"I'm okay, Daniel," Lydia whispered against him.

"Are you done hunting leads now? Can you just write the story?" Daniel asked quietly.

"Yeah, we can."

"I love you, Lydia. At the risk of sounding –try not to do stories like this too often, okay?"

"I'll try," Lydia smiled. "I love you too, Daniel."

"Ror," Jess breathed, tightening his arms around Rory.

"Jess, we got what we need."

"No more detective work?"

"No more detective work," Rory said softly.

Jess leaned back and pressed his forehead against Rory's. "Anytime you do a story that is remotely dangerous, I'm going to react exactly like this –to hell with being a tough guy. I know stories like this need to be written, but I'm never going to be okay with you being in harm's way."

"I love you, Jess."

"I know. I love you too, Rory."

"So, wait," Rory said, "were you and Daniel sitting here this whole time, sweating bullets together?"

Jess chuckled dryly. "Today's the wrong day to use that expression."

"Sorry, but… were you?"

Jess nodded.

Lydia stifled a tiny laugh and held Daniel's gaze. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, of course. What, you think we were each gonna wait this out alone?" Daniel asked.

"That's so cute!"

"Hey, we weren't like, holding each other or anything. Calm that imagination of yours, Miss Shirley," Jess interjected.

"Lydia's right," Rory said. "The image of you and Daniel sitting together, worrying about us –it does evoke a certain amount of cuteness. Manly cuteness, but still."

"Would you still think it was cute if Jess concluded that you were Danny Concannon?" Daniel asked Lydia.

"From The West Wing?" Lydia asked. "Why am I Danny Concannon?"

"The red hair."

"Right, of course."

"If Lydia's Danny Concannon, then who am I?" Rory asked. "Concannon was the reporter…"

"You, my dear, are C.J. Cregg," Jess smirked.

"I'll take it."

"So, I'm guessing that now that the detective work is done, said story still needs to be written, huh?" Jess asked with a sigh.

"Yeah. But with Lydia and I working together, it shouldn't take long. Are you guys good to keep each other company for a few hours while we hammer it out?"

"We'll only be in the room right next door," Lydia said when she saw Daniel's jaw clench reflexively.

"We'll be okay," Daniel sighed, kissing Lydia softly.

"Hurry up and write it and come back to us," Jess whispered to Rory.

"You do know we still have a D.N.C. to report on too, right?" Rory asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, and after what you and Lydia have gone through to be the first ones to report an assassination plot, he better win that damn nomination," Jess said.


Rory and Lydia received the shock of their lives when, by Tuesday evening –mere hours after confirming that the F.B.I. was investigating the incident as an alleged plan to assassinate Senator Obama and incite mass hysteria- the story went up on the girls' respective news sites and was promptly picked up by none other than The New York Times. The Times even went so far as to run it prominently as a lead story on their homepage. By nine o'clock that night, both Lydia and Rory received separate personal calls from the managing editor, seeking their permission to run the full story in hard copy on the front page of the morning edition.

By the end of the night as she and Jess lay in bed, Rory was still speechless. "The New York Times," she kept saying in disbelief, "Lydia and I are getting a byline in The New York Times!"

"It's fantastic, Rory," Jess smiled. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Jess."

"I was scared for you today Ror –really scared. Daniel and I waited together because being alone would've been unbearable," he whispered quietly.

Rory massaged Jess' scalp and turned his chin so that she could look into his eyes. "I know. I love you. I'm so sorry I put you through that. I don't like that my job has the potential to scare you like that –hell, I don't like that it has the potential to scare me like that."

"Were you scared today?"

"The whole time."

Jess sighed heavily and pulled Rory tightly against him. "It's over now. You wrote a groundbreaking story and you're getting a byline in the Times –you did that and you did it despite being scared. If scared Rory gets a byline in the Times –you work through your fear; you don't let it stop you. I love that about you."

"I certainly don't want my entire career to be made up of stories like that. Not all the time."

"It won't be. You can shape your career however you want –you already are. As the guy who's in love with you, I'm selfishly relieved that you don't want your whole career to be built on stories like the one you submitted today. Does that also mean that you don't want to trot the globe chasing dangerous stories either? What happened to wanting to be Christiane Amanpour?"

"I still idolize Christiane Amanpour and I still like the idea of getting to travel and report on all sorts of things. But I'm realizing I don't want to be Christiane Amanpour anymore. I just want to be Rory Gilmore –and maybe Rory Gilmore doesn't spend most of her life living out of a suitcase. I like the idea of having a home to come to –a home that actually feels like a home because I spend enough time there for it to be a proper home. A home that has you in it."

Jess kissed Rory softly. "I'm a fan of you wanting to be Rory Gilmore, because I kinda love her –a lot. I'm also blissfully comfortable with being part of your definition of home. You're my home too, Ror."

"I know," Rory smiled contentedly. "Oh hey! That reminds me, can you start looking into apartments for me?"

"Apartments?"

"Yeah. It's the end of August. The campaign will be over in November. If I want to move to Philadelphia the second this thing is done, I need a place to live. You know the city better than me and you can check places out, gather information for me."

"I can definitely do that. What are you looking for?"

"I don't know. Somewhere that's big enough for you to move in eventually, when we're ready. I don't know where I'm working yet, so it makes sense to pinpoint the neighbourhood search around the one thing I do know…"

"And what's that?"

"Where you are. I want to be within walking distance of Truncheon if I can, or a short drive. I'm willing to commute across the city for work if I have to, but I don't want you being across the entire city."

"I can work with that," Jess smiled. "How are you going to afford it? You don't know where you're working yet, which puts budget up in the air."

"Yeah I know, but I'm going to start putting out resumes soon and Hugo's not firing me. I have a job with him for as long as I want. It's not much, but it'll be enough to get by for the first little while, if I can't find a permanent fixture in the city right away. Plus, Lydia and I are talking about living together."

"Lydia? Really?"

"Yeah. You've seen her and Daniel together –they're definitely in it for the long haul, but they're nowhere close to being ready to live together. Lydia and Daniel have talked about it –they want to be normal and boring, just like us; she's planning on being based out of Philadelphia because that's where Daniel is, for at least the next few years. If her and I live together, it's kinda perfect. With any luck, when Lydia and Daniel are ready to live together, she can move out and you can move in."

"You've really thought this through."

"Of course I have. Did you think I was going to back out? Take some flashy job offer over living in the same city as you?" Rory asked softly.

"I don't know. I kinda figured that if you got an amazing offer, even if that offer wasn't in Philadelphia, you'd take it –and I'd be cool with that, we'd make it work. If we could make this work, we could make almost anything work. Philadelphia isn't back country, but it isn't exactly a booming reporter's paradise."

"Jess, you gave me the push I needed to put my career first when Hugo gave me this opportunity. When this campaign's over, I'm putting you first –which is exactly the way it should be. I love you; I'm not willing to risk losing you to chase a larger than life career. I want both things –an amazing career and a life with you. I believe it is possible to have it all, but in order for that to happen it's a give and take. There are times when I'll have to put my career first, when I'll want to, but there are also times when you, when we need to come first. You stepped up big time when you pushed me to do this –you refused to do what so many others would have, you didn't want me to take Providence to keep things idyllic and easy. When this is over, I get to be in Philadelphia with you; I get to watch you finish a duel degree and reach for the stars. That's what I want –I want to support you the way you supported me. After that? We can conquer the world together. That's the best part of now –not knowing what the future holds but knowing whatever it is, it'll be you and me doing it together."

"You're amazing," Jess said softly, feeling his eyes glaze over with tears. "I love you, so much more than you'll ever realize."

"Our story's not over yet, Mariano," Rory whispered. "I'm not about to leave this novel unfinished. The best part is that there are probably lots of surprises left –we're nowhere near the end."

"No, we're certainly not."


A/N: Denver plot to shoot up the D.N.C. was totally real. Did you catch my not-so-subtle "this story is long, but not over yet," thing?