A/N: Sorry for the breaks between updates, but I'm finding it hard to make the time to actually write. Unless of course I stay up until 3AM, but call me crazy, I like sleep. At any rate, I'll update when I can.
The four agents entered the cabin and immediately began to set up high tech surveillance equipment for the perimeter of the cabin as well as the surrounding woods. Rory sat back and watched while Tristin conversed with the new agents. He knew all of them, he had worked with them before. He knew that there was no possible way for Mendoza's men to get within thirty miles of the cabin without them knowing it. With the entire burden of Rory's safety now divided among a team, Tristin felt a hell of a lot better. She would be safe now.
***
"Be advised that there are now five federal agents as well as Miss Gilmore to contend with."
"Damn it! When did this happen?"
"The original agent assigned to protect her, Agent Dugrey, apparently requested back up."
"He's probably suspicious of the Philadelphia PD."
"Yes, he's extremely intuitive."
"Well, this doesn't change anything. They're still in a secluded location, no witnesses around. I'll take care of it tonight."
***
"Rory, this is Agent Speas, Agent Thompson, Agent Smith, and Agent Martin." He pointed to each man, so Rory could associate a face with the name. "They'll be ensuring the safety of this location as well as keeping us up to date on the man hunt for Mendoza."
"Pleased to meet you," Rory said shyly.
Each agent nodded in greeting, then immediately went to work. Tristin returned to studying the case file. Rory decided to grab a shower and get to bed.
***
Tristin had only been puzzling over the case file for about fifteen minutes when a thought suddenly struck him. He put on his jacket and hurried out the cabin door. He was now having suspicions about the Philadelphia PD, but the car he had driven up had come from them. What if their location wasn't as secure as he thought it was...
Tristin began to carefully inspect the car, inch by inch. The inside of the car was clean. He crouched down on his hands and knees and carefully inspected the tires. Finding nothing, he laid on his back and searched the underside of the car. Bingo. There it was. A tracking device. Shit!! He needed a new plan, and fast. There was no way to tell how long it would take Mendoza to reach them. He had to move now.
Tristin charged back into the cabin and informed the agents of the problem. Immediately they devised a plan. While Agent Speas contacted DC, Tristin hurried to inform Rory of the latest development. He walked into her bedroom without knocking. Big mistake.
***
Rory had just gotten out of the shower. She had forgotten to bring her clothes from the bedroom into the adjoining bathroom. It wasn't really a big deal, so she didn't think anything of simply walking out of the bathroom into the bedroom with only a towel covering her. As she dropped the towel, Tristin walked into her room.
***
Tristin's eyes briefly swept over her body, before he realized what he was doing. His eyes finally made it up to Rory's face, their gazes locking. They both froze. Then they sprung into action. Tristin quickly averted his eyes and turned his back while Rory frantically grabbed for her discarded towel.
"What are you doing?" Rory managed to squeak out.
"Man, I am so sorry, I should have knocked..." Tristin babbled on, nervously apologizing.
Both of their faces had flushed a charming shade of pink, and for some reason, Rory's heart was racing. Tristin swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Then he suddenly remembered his reason for busting in like that.
"There's another problem."
"What this time?" she questioned, while hurriedly tugging her clothes on.
"There was a bug planted on our car. They probably know where we are. We're going to have to leave."
"When?"
"The sooner the better. As soon as possible."
"What's the game plan?" Rory, now fully clothed, came into his line of vision.
"Two agents, probably Thompson and Martin, are going to drive our car around. Lead them on a wild goose chase. That will give us time to get to another safe house. We're hoping they won't realize that we've discovered the bug."
"Alright," said Rory slowly. "I just need to get my stuff together." She rushed around the room, throwing her things into bags.
Tristin left her there and went back into the main room to further discuss the details of the plan with the other agents. He took long deep breaths. The image of Rory Gilmore naked, standing before him, was forever branded in his memory. He couldn't possibly forget any curve, any birthmark, if he tried. He groaned softly. This was torture.
***
Rory sat down on the bed and took a few deep breaths. Her heart was pounding and she was finding it hard to breathe. It's because they know where you are, she informed herself. Your life is in danger. Of course it has nothing to do with Tristin. Or the way his eyes had traveled intimately over her body. Or the lust she had seen in his eyes. Or the fire she felt coursing through her veins when she found that she was attracted to him. Don't be silly, she scolded herself. As soon as this mess is over, he'll go back to DC and you'll go back to Philadelphia. No use deluding yourself with these feelings. They're probably a sham anyway...just brought on by the situation we're in. It doesn't mean anything.
***
Tristin stood in front of the assembled agents, briefing them on the situation. "Alright, Here's what we're going to do. Thompson, Martin, you two will take the tagged car. Drive anywhere you want, maybe back to DC. Lead them to the Hoover building if you want. Just keep them away from where we're headed. Speas, Smith, you're with me. We're driving to a new location, hopefully somewhere secure this time. We are to stay in contact with both DC and each other the whole time. Understood?"
Four head nodded in confirmation. Rory walked out of the bedroom, into the main sitting area. She had her bags packed up.
Seeing her, Tristin knew it was time to move out. "Alright, this is it. Time to move. Good luck."
The two groups got into their respective cars. Martin and Thompson drove off first, driving north. Then Speas started up the engine and they were off. Tristin and Rory sat in the back seat, purposely avoiding eye contact with each other.
***
Mendoza's men were en route to the cabin when they saw the little green dot on the tracking screen begin to move again. "What the hell..."
One of them dialed Mendoza's number. "Sir, they're on the move."
"That's impossible. They wouldn't have any reason to change locations...unless they discovered the bug."
"Should we follow?"
"No, go to the cabin first. Look to see where they might have really gone. Somehow I doubt that Miss Gilmore is in that car."
"Yes, sir."
***
Speas drove on through the night. The next morning, Rory woke up to discover that she had snuggled into Tristin's arms during the night. She immediately disentangled herself and leaned against the car door.
Tristin let out a small sigh of disappointment. She was spooked now. It was going to take her awhile to feel comfortable around him again. Meanwhile, they had a crime to solve and a suspect to track down.
***
Mendoza's men arrived at the cabin. They pulled their guns from their jackets and approached the door. It looked deserted. They broke the door down. Just as they suspected. Everything was in shambles, as if they had left in a hurry. They went back outside and looked around. Imprinted in the soft dirt, they saw two sets of tire tracks. Now, which one to follow. They consulted their map showing them the tracking device. The tracking device was now traveling through Connecticut. Now, which set of tracks to follow...
***
A few hours later, Speas drove the car into DC. For now, the safest place for Rory would be in the Hoover Building. For one, Mendoza's men would never gain access to it. Two, the whole building was full of agents. Three, it allowed Tristin to join the efforts to track down Mendoza while simultaneously keeping an eye on Rory. For all intents and purposes, it was the ideal location.
***
Rory sat in a swivel chair in Tristin's office. She mindlessly spun herself around, like she used to do when she was younger. Her hair flew out in all directions. She soon bored of that activity and instead contented herself with looking around Tristin's office. She saw numerous commendations and awards. But no pictures of friends or loved ones. No hint of the man behind the FBI agent. Except...faded and crumbling, from an envelope in his desk drawer, Rory wonderingly pulled out a pair of tickets to PJ Harvey. What the hell... Why had he held on to the damn things?
***
Mendoza was livid. Somehow, his incompetent men had lost the trail of Gilmore and Dugrey. They told him that the green dot had mysteriously disappeared from the tracking screen. Perfect. Dugrey had, in all likelihood, discovered the bug and destroyed it. The only thing they had to go on was the location of the dot before it had disappeared. Somewhere in Connecticut. Wait a minute...Gilmore grew up in Connecticut. Mendoza smiled. He could still salvage this.
The four agents entered the cabin and immediately began to set up high tech surveillance equipment for the perimeter of the cabin as well as the surrounding woods. Rory sat back and watched while Tristin conversed with the new agents. He knew all of them, he had worked with them before. He knew that there was no possible way for Mendoza's men to get within thirty miles of the cabin without them knowing it. With the entire burden of Rory's safety now divided among a team, Tristin felt a hell of a lot better. She would be safe now.
***
"Be advised that there are now five federal agents as well as Miss Gilmore to contend with."
"Damn it! When did this happen?"
"The original agent assigned to protect her, Agent Dugrey, apparently requested back up."
"He's probably suspicious of the Philadelphia PD."
"Yes, he's extremely intuitive."
"Well, this doesn't change anything. They're still in a secluded location, no witnesses around. I'll take care of it tonight."
***
"Rory, this is Agent Speas, Agent Thompson, Agent Smith, and Agent Martin." He pointed to each man, so Rory could associate a face with the name. "They'll be ensuring the safety of this location as well as keeping us up to date on the man hunt for Mendoza."
"Pleased to meet you," Rory said shyly.
Each agent nodded in greeting, then immediately went to work. Tristin returned to studying the case file. Rory decided to grab a shower and get to bed.
***
Tristin had only been puzzling over the case file for about fifteen minutes when a thought suddenly struck him. He put on his jacket and hurried out the cabin door. He was now having suspicions about the Philadelphia PD, but the car he had driven up had come from them. What if their location wasn't as secure as he thought it was...
Tristin began to carefully inspect the car, inch by inch. The inside of the car was clean. He crouched down on his hands and knees and carefully inspected the tires. Finding nothing, he laid on his back and searched the underside of the car. Bingo. There it was. A tracking device. Shit!! He needed a new plan, and fast. There was no way to tell how long it would take Mendoza to reach them. He had to move now.
Tristin charged back into the cabin and informed the agents of the problem. Immediately they devised a plan. While Agent Speas contacted DC, Tristin hurried to inform Rory of the latest development. He walked into her bedroom without knocking. Big mistake.
***
Rory had just gotten out of the shower. She had forgotten to bring her clothes from the bedroom into the adjoining bathroom. It wasn't really a big deal, so she didn't think anything of simply walking out of the bathroom into the bedroom with only a towel covering her. As she dropped the towel, Tristin walked into her room.
***
Tristin's eyes briefly swept over her body, before he realized what he was doing. His eyes finally made it up to Rory's face, their gazes locking. They both froze. Then they sprung into action. Tristin quickly averted his eyes and turned his back while Rory frantically grabbed for her discarded towel.
"What are you doing?" Rory managed to squeak out.
"Man, I am so sorry, I should have knocked..." Tristin babbled on, nervously apologizing.
Both of their faces had flushed a charming shade of pink, and for some reason, Rory's heart was racing. Tristin swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. Then he suddenly remembered his reason for busting in like that.
"There's another problem."
"What this time?" she questioned, while hurriedly tugging her clothes on.
"There was a bug planted on our car. They probably know where we are. We're going to have to leave."
"When?"
"The sooner the better. As soon as possible."
"What's the game plan?" Rory, now fully clothed, came into his line of vision.
"Two agents, probably Thompson and Martin, are going to drive our car around. Lead them on a wild goose chase. That will give us time to get to another safe house. We're hoping they won't realize that we've discovered the bug."
"Alright," said Rory slowly. "I just need to get my stuff together." She rushed around the room, throwing her things into bags.
Tristin left her there and went back into the main room to further discuss the details of the plan with the other agents. He took long deep breaths. The image of Rory Gilmore naked, standing before him, was forever branded in his memory. He couldn't possibly forget any curve, any birthmark, if he tried. He groaned softly. This was torture.
***
Rory sat down on the bed and took a few deep breaths. Her heart was pounding and she was finding it hard to breathe. It's because they know where you are, she informed herself. Your life is in danger. Of course it has nothing to do with Tristin. Or the way his eyes had traveled intimately over her body. Or the lust she had seen in his eyes. Or the fire she felt coursing through her veins when she found that she was attracted to him. Don't be silly, she scolded herself. As soon as this mess is over, he'll go back to DC and you'll go back to Philadelphia. No use deluding yourself with these feelings. They're probably a sham anyway...just brought on by the situation we're in. It doesn't mean anything.
***
Tristin stood in front of the assembled agents, briefing them on the situation. "Alright, Here's what we're going to do. Thompson, Martin, you two will take the tagged car. Drive anywhere you want, maybe back to DC. Lead them to the Hoover building if you want. Just keep them away from where we're headed. Speas, Smith, you're with me. We're driving to a new location, hopefully somewhere secure this time. We are to stay in contact with both DC and each other the whole time. Understood?"
Four head nodded in confirmation. Rory walked out of the bedroom, into the main sitting area. She had her bags packed up.
Seeing her, Tristin knew it was time to move out. "Alright, this is it. Time to move. Good luck."
The two groups got into their respective cars. Martin and Thompson drove off first, driving north. Then Speas started up the engine and they were off. Tristin and Rory sat in the back seat, purposely avoiding eye contact with each other.
***
Mendoza's men were en route to the cabin when they saw the little green dot on the tracking screen begin to move again. "What the hell..."
One of them dialed Mendoza's number. "Sir, they're on the move."
"That's impossible. They wouldn't have any reason to change locations...unless they discovered the bug."
"Should we follow?"
"No, go to the cabin first. Look to see where they might have really gone. Somehow I doubt that Miss Gilmore is in that car."
"Yes, sir."
***
Speas drove on through the night. The next morning, Rory woke up to discover that she had snuggled into Tristin's arms during the night. She immediately disentangled herself and leaned against the car door.
Tristin let out a small sigh of disappointment. She was spooked now. It was going to take her awhile to feel comfortable around him again. Meanwhile, they had a crime to solve and a suspect to track down.
***
Mendoza's men arrived at the cabin. They pulled their guns from their jackets and approached the door. It looked deserted. They broke the door down. Just as they suspected. Everything was in shambles, as if they had left in a hurry. They went back outside and looked around. Imprinted in the soft dirt, they saw two sets of tire tracks. Now, which one to follow. They consulted their map showing them the tracking device. The tracking device was now traveling through Connecticut. Now, which set of tracks to follow...
***
A few hours later, Speas drove the car into DC. For now, the safest place for Rory would be in the Hoover Building. For one, Mendoza's men would never gain access to it. Two, the whole building was full of agents. Three, it allowed Tristin to join the efforts to track down Mendoza while simultaneously keeping an eye on Rory. For all intents and purposes, it was the ideal location.
***
Rory sat in a swivel chair in Tristin's office. She mindlessly spun herself around, like she used to do when she was younger. Her hair flew out in all directions. She soon bored of that activity and instead contented herself with looking around Tristin's office. She saw numerous commendations and awards. But no pictures of friends or loved ones. No hint of the man behind the FBI agent. Except...faded and crumbling, from an envelope in his desk drawer, Rory wonderingly pulled out a pair of tickets to PJ Harvey. What the hell... Why had he held on to the damn things?
***
Mendoza was livid. Somehow, his incompetent men had lost the trail of Gilmore and Dugrey. They told him that the green dot had mysteriously disappeared from the tracking screen. Perfect. Dugrey had, in all likelihood, discovered the bug and destroyed it. The only thing they had to go on was the location of the dot before it had disappeared. Somewhere in Connecticut. Wait a minute...Gilmore grew up in Connecticut. Mendoza smiled. He could still salvage this.