A/N: Ok, so I am officially the worst updater on the planet. I am SOOOO sorry. I've had this chapter partially written for like 2 weeks and haven't had a chance to post it. When I say that my life is crazy that is no exaggeration. Lets just say my brother's getting married, all of my grandparents are staying at my house and relatives from Canada are here too…..plus school and work. Stressed is a relative word…anyway here's the next chapter…it's kinda short and different than I first planned, but I think like this way better. Tell me what you think. I have ideas for the next 2 chapters, so I'll TRY to post them ASAP. Y'all are awesome!

Tristan was at Buzz Buzz Buzz by 4:45 and sat at a table by the enormous picture window to wait anxiously. As he sat he began to think up all the excuses why she wouldn't come. There were a lot: she had another hostage situation, she had to give a statement, she was doing her laundry this evening, she came to her senses and realized he wasn't worth the effort, her mom called and said she couldn't…ok, well maybe the last two were stretching it a little bit, but still couldn't imagine that she would actually come.

As he sat back to watch out the window he picked up his coffee and sighed, 'I hope she comes' he thought.

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Rory was on her way to the coffee shop at 4:50. She had decided to walk, but was now regretting it- it gave her time to think about where she was going and who she was going to meet; it gave her time to second guess herself.

' What are you thinking, Rory? What could have possessed you to say yes? He's gonna be just like all the rest. He'll never understand why you gave up your dream. He'll never understand why you did what you had to do to protect the people that you love.'

She shook her head and turned around to go back home. She told herself that it was useless, there was no point. He'd probably pick up some scantily clad leggy blonde and forget all about her. At that thought her head snapped up " over my dead body' she thought and turned back around to march back to the coffee shop, not even willing to try to understand where that thought came from.

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Tristan was about to leave and go home when Rory burst through the front door breathing heavy and looking like she would kill anyone who tried to get in her way.

Tristan smiled as she found him with her eyes and saw her visibly relax as she walked over to his table.

" Where's the fire?" He asked with a grin.

"Nowhere. Sorry I'm late. Something came up" ' yeah, she thought, my sanity'

" That's ok, however I was about 30 seconds away from going home. I was sure I was being stood up"

Rory smiled at how accurate that statement would have been if she hadn't turned around and come back.

" Now who in their right mind would stand up the Tristan Dugrey?"

" No one" he said smugly.

" Enough with the chitchat, where's my coffee?"

Just as she said that the waiter came over and sat down two pots of coffee and two giant mugs. Tristan watched her eyes light up and close as she breathed in the heavenly scent that was her life source; he watched as she poured herself her first cup and gulped down a quarter of it in one gulp.

She sat back and smiled at him. " So, how's life?"

" Life sucks, but then it would be disappointing if it was any other way."

" Likewise. There's something I've been wondering for the past couple of days. But.."

Tristan leaned forward curiously, "What is it?"

Rory leaned in like wise, looked around to make sure no one was listening and whispered "If you're illiterate, would you benefit from alphabet soup?"

He was confused for a couple of seconds then threw back his head and laughed like he hadn't laughed in a long time. Rory chuckled along with him, but wondered about the surge of emotion in her stomach when she heard his laugh; it was full, deep and true- not a fake laugh or a courtesy laugh, but one that came from deep inside. She found that she liked knowing she could make him laugh like that…that too was another emotion that she didn't want to explore right now.

"So, how have you been, Rory? What brings you here of all places from Hartford?"

"It's a long story."

" I've got time"

"Well, it all started when I got my first job at the Hartford Gazette…."

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45 minutes later they were still sitting at the same table, Rory telling her story calmly and Tristan listening intently…." And that's how I ended up here." She said with a sigh.

"Wow. He said, that's quite a story, but it still didn't answer my main questions."

"Which were?"

" Why did you quit journalism to become a negotiator? I mean I understand that searching for your Grandfather's abductor brought you here to North Carolina, but that was years ago. What made you stay? To move here and make such a drastic career change?"

" Well, honestly I've always been amazed by this profession since I took a criminal justice course in college on a bet. It fascinated me enough that I graduated with a double major in journalism and Criminal Justice or Actuarial science. Believe it or not, the thinks that I learned came in very handy while I was a reporter, but after the abduction journalism held no interest for me anymore. I couldn't stand that fact that I was writing about what was happening instead of being a part of preventing what happened to my Grandfather from happening to some one else. He would have wanted it that way." She looked at her hands as she said that. When she looked back at Tristan that were tears behind her eyes. "I would have done anything and still would do anything to have been able to save my grandfather from those insane men, but it's too late for him. All I can do is to do my best and help others like him."

" I'm so sorry Rory," Tristan said. "I had no idea that was what happened. had heard that your Grandfather passed away, but I had no clue that it happened like that." He reached over and laid his hand on hers, absorbing her pain, and taking comfort in the fact that she didn't push it away.

She looked at his hand and decided it was time to move on. " Thank you, Tristan. I haven't told anyone that story, ever. I mean, the only other people that really know what happened are my mom, Luke and grandma. Even the cops who helped with the case don't know all the details. I guess it's been eating me alive holding it inside like that and I didn't ever realize it."

When she stood up and walked around the table he stood. She gave him a quick hug that equally shocked and pleased him and then asked, " Do you have any plans for the rest of the evening?"

" None that can't be changed" he murmured as he looked into her cloudy blue eyes that had been full of tears only moments before.

" Come on," she said, " there's something I want to show you."

They walked out of the coffee shop hand in hand toward their destination. The waiter that had been serving them watched them walk away wondering who they were, and what their story was- he'd heard bits and pieces of the conversation. He shrugged, took the $50.00 tip the guy had left and thought to himself ' I hope they come back again'.