A/N: Nothing to say, really, just doing this out of tradition (cue the dancing Russians!...It's a 'Fiddler on the Roof' joke...never mind...). Needless to say, I don't own any of these characters, so I won't say it. Take that.

MR GALLO GOES TO WASHINGTON

Based on characters created by Steven Levitan

Jack Gallo took off his reading glasses and sat them up on his forehead before looking up at Dennis Finch standing across the desk from him.

"Dennis," he said, "Do I really need to know these names?"

"C'mon, Jack," Dennis responded, sharpening a pencil and handing it to his boss, "You don't want to be too humiliated if someone asks you who these people are. What kind of person can't identify the leader of other nations?"

"If his brother is the governor of a southern state, he's president."

Dennis gave him a sour look. "Leave the sarcasm to the professionals."

At that moment, the door burst open and Nina flew in.

"Jack," she snapped dramatically, "I'm mad."

Jack and Dennis looked at each other. "Well, we knew that..." Jack answered.

"Three days ago I handed that little hobbit a television commercial I shot for your campaign and nobody's said a damn thing to me about. I want to know if you're going to use it or not."

"Is this true Dennis?"

Dennis chuckled. "Well...how can I put this..." He lowered his head, pouted and said in a child-like voice, "Yes."

"Dennis," Jack scolded him, "I am disappointed in you. If Nina was kind enough to do this for me, you could have at least let me see it..."

"Thank you, Jack," Nina smiled.

"...Before I said no."

The smile disappeared. "Thank you, Jack."

Beaming brightly, Jack put an arm around Nina and led her out the door. "No problem, Nina, no problem at all. I promise I'll watch it as soon as I get a chance."

Gently, Jack pushed Nina out the door and closed it before she could question him any further.

Nina stood a moment, trying to figure out what happened, before hearing a voice calling her name from behind her.

"Nina?...Nina?"

Finally hearing, Nina turned and, looking down, spotted Maya coming towards her from her office.

"Hey, Nina," she said, "I have a question to ask you."

"Sure, Maya. Unless it has to do with the early seventies."

"Remember a couple of months ago, we ran an article about women seducing men?"

"Yeah, it was in July, why?"

Maya suddenly got a startled look on her face and shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing...just..."

Nina's questioning glance broke into a wicked smile. "Why, Maya Gallo, are you..."

"No!" Maya snapped, backing off, "Of course not, I..."

"Come on, Maya," Nina persevered, following her back to her office, "I know that look. The flushed face, the stammering, the too-quick denial. You're trying to lure some poor married man into a clandestine, wicked night of desire." Nina's eyes teared up. "I am so proud of you."

"First of all," Maya told her, "That is probably the least moral thing you have ever said in your entire life."

"And second?"

"He's not married."

"I knew it! What's his name?"

"No, no," Maya smiled shyly and looked down at her desk. "You'll make fun."

"Why would I? I mean, unless it's Finch..."

Maya turned away from the desk and looked out the window. Nina's smile vanished, followed by a look of shock.

"Oh, my god, it is Finch!" she gasped.

Turning around, Maya clasped her hands in front of her chest. "Oh, please don't tell anyone. I don't want anyone to know..."

Nina stood up straight and shook her head. "Fear not, dear Maya. No one will hear it from me."

"Promise?"

"I promise. No one will hear it from me."

"And that means not telling someone who will tell everyone."

"Why, Maya, would I do that?"

"In a heartbeat."

Leaving, Nina laughed. "I swear I'd never do anything like that."

Out of sight, Nina snapped her fingers in disappointment and headed for her own office.

"Dennis?"

Looking up from his desk, Dennis spotted Elliot stepping off the elevator holding a newspaper rolled up in his hand.

"Has Jack seen the morning Times?"

"No, not yet. He just finished the Post and is up to Newsday."

"Take a look on the front page."

Elliot handed the paper to Dennis, who did as told. Once flattened on the desk, Elliot pointed to a story in the bottom right hand corner.

PUBLISHER'S DAUGHTER IMPLICATED

IN '98 CT CONGRESSMAN SCANDAL

Dennis shrugged. "So?"

"Just read it."

"The daughter of Congressional candidate Jack Gallo has been implicated in a five year old scandal involving the disappearance of a Connecticut congressman...What?"

"Yeah. Maya is in the middle of political scandal."

The morgue of Blush Magazine occupied most of the bottom floor of the building. Riding down, Maya suddenly felt a chill as she stepped out into the badly lit hallway. Turning to her right, she followed the only light she saw, shining from a door window. On the window in black tape was the word MORGUE.

Opening the door, Maya was startled to find a familiar...if creepy...face at the desk.

"Kevin?"

Startled, Kevin stood up. "Oh, hi Ms. Gallo."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in the mail room."

"Well," he explained, "Y'see, I had this rash..."

Maya stopped him with a held up hand. "Never mind."

"OK. What can I help you with?"

"I'd like a hard copy of this article."

She handed him a slip of paper. "'Seduction: It's Not Just for Guys Anymore', by Melissa K. Dennis. Oh...kinky..."

"Just get it, Kevin, please?"

"OK." Turning away, he added, "Jeez, don't get huffy."

When Kevin disappeared into the deep, cavernous room where one copy of each and every edition of Blush was kept, Maya took a deep breath and looked around.

She expected to feel some kind of second thoughts about all this by now, but oddly enough, she didn't. It was almost as if this was... right. Like some greater power was pushing her onward to her goal, that goal being Dennis Finch. The more she thought, the more she felt the most embarrassing thing about it was not that she was going to do it, but that she was actually consulting her father's magazine on the subject. Oh, well, you must give the devil his due, and if there was a magazine that had expertise in the subject of seduction, it was Blush.

Back in the stacks, Kevin searched for the month and year. So, he thought, my little leak to the New York Times has not rendered you incapable of conducting a normal life, has it? Well, Maya Gallo, wait until I get rolling. HAHAHAHAHAHA...

He stopped in mid laugh when he heard the echoes of his maniacal laugh bouncing through the morgue. Finding it, he pulled the copy off the shelf and brought it forward.

"Here ya go, Ms. Gallo."

"Oh, thank you, Kevin. By the way, did you hear something just a second ago?"

"Uh...no..."

Maya shrugged. "Oh, well."

Dennis continued on into the Times' piece.

"According to sources close to former Rep. Michael Tenser (R-CT.), Mr. Tenser has identified Maya Gallo, 40, of Manhattan as one of two women he claims kidnapped him and then dressed him in the women's clothing he was found in by New York police. The discovery of Tenser in March of 1995 after a nationwide search by police agencies and the FBI led to his resignation from congress and his eventual divorce from wife, current Rep. Anne-Marie Tenser (D-CT).

"I don't believe it."

"Believe what?"

Dennis quickly flipped the Times over and looked back at Jack, who had just come out of his office. "The cost of the New York Times."

"Hm. Or could it be this article in the New York Times?" Jack asked, producing his copy and showing the article to Dennis.

"I thought you read Newsday second."

"Be unpredictable and no one can predict it. Gallo's Law."

"I don't believe it for a minute, Jack," Elliot spoke up, "Maya's not that kind of girl."

"Oh, I don't believe it either, Elliot. If you'd read on, even the FBI and the police don't believe it either."

Jack sat the paper down on Dennis' desk and pointed further into the story, reading:

"A spokesperson for the FBI told a reporter for the Times that they 'bluntly do not believe' Mr. Tenser's statements, calling them 'unsubstantiated' and pointing to the fact that Mr. Tenser was confined to a psychiatric facility not long after the incident. New York police say they did speak to Ms Gallo at the time, following up on a receipt from a pizza delivery that had Mr. Tenser's credit card number, but that there was no solid evidence at the time that she was involved.

"The NYPD is "confident that Ms. Gallo was not involved in any way" with the congressman's disappearance, a spokesman for the New York Police Department said when asked, and have no plans to reopen the case.

"So you see," Jack finished up, "I have already made the mistake of jumping to conclusion once already, and I'm not about to do it again. Dennis, where's Maya?"

"She said she had to go down to the morgue for something and she'd be right back."

"When she comes back up, have her come into my office so I can talk to her. Until then, let's keep this under our hats."

Jack turned back to his office. Dennis looked up at Elliot and said, "You remember how to do that, right?"

"Do what?"

"Keep things under your hat."

OK, so the crack about Elliot was mean, but he deserves it. I'll keep the chapters coming, I promise. No quiz today, go out and enjoy.