This story takes place during the episode of Honor's wedding…it's a Trory.

(I do not own anything it belongs to the CW and ASP.)

Rory finished talking to Lorelei and Chris and walked up to the stage. She quickly found her place and sat down at her place card. When all of a sudden she felt two strong hands massaging her shoulders.

"Mary, Mary you are tense, you aren't nervous are you?" Asked a familiar voice.

"Who's that guy feeling up our daughter?" Asked Chris going into protective mode.

"I don't know, he must be one of Logan's drinking buddies, cause she hasn't smacked him yet." Said Lorelei.

"Well if it isn't Bible Boy. How are you Tristan?" Asked Rory as she turned around to look at the man.

"How did you know it was me?"
"Because you are the only person that would think to call me Mary." Said Rory as she stood up to hug him.

"No I don't think he's a drinking buddy, she probably knows him from somewhere else, Chilton maybe." Said Lorelei.

"Okay we are now going to start the panel discussion."

The emcee for the event went through his speech and welcoming every one to the event.

"Our panelists include Yale Daily News, Princeton Tribune, Harvard Chronicle, and Columbia Herald. What I would like for us to do is go down the line and have each of our panelists introduce themselves starting with the Yale Daily News."

"Rory Gilmore, editor Yale Daily News."

"Tristan DuGrey, co-editor Princeton Tribune."

"Dylan Easton, editor Harvard Chronicle."

"Dwight Fischer, co-editor Columbia Herald."

The discussion got underway and everybody made their points through out it, but the most entertaining for the audience had to be those from Tristan and Rory who honed their bantering skills that were lost in their separation from each other. It was not lost on the other panelists or the people in the audience that these two somehow knew each other. At one point during the discussion, Rory noticed that on her side of her placard, 'Rory' was crossed out and 'Mary' was written in at that point she glanced over at Tristan who just smirked knowing that she noticed the name change courtesy of him.

When the discussion ended, Tristan leaned over to Rory.

"So what are you doing right now?"

"I am jumping a train to New York City for my boyfriend's sister's wedding."

"Well I'm heading back to Jersey if you want a lift." Said Tristan.

"No I couldn't ask you to do that it's too far out of your way." Said Rory.

"Well you didn't ask I offered, plus not only will it give us time to catch up, but it will also save you some money." Said Tristan.

"Are you sure?" Asked Rory.

"Positive." Said Tristan.

"Okay, um I just have to go say good bye to my parents. Why don't you come over and meet them." Said Rory.

"Okay."

Tristan and Rory walked over to where Lorelei and Chris were talking.

"So what did you guys think?" Asked Rory.

"You guys did great." Said Chris.

"Mom, Dad this is Tristan DuGrey, we went to Chilton together."

"Nice to meet you Tristan, I'm Chris and this is Lorelei."

"Nice to meet you both." Said Tristan.

"So what time is your train hon?" Asked Lorelei.

"Actually Tristan is heading back to New Jersey and offered to drop me off in the city." Said Rory as they started leaving the hall where the panel was held.

"Thank you Tristan." Said Lorelei.

"It's no problem."

"Let's go get your stuff out of the jeep then." Said Lorelei.

"Okay."

"So are you going to change before going?" Asked Lorelei.

"No because as soon as I get there I'd have to change again." Said Rory.

"Why's that?" Asked Tristan.

"Because with Logan's family you have to dress for dinner." Said Rory.

"Society family?"

"The society family." Said Lorelei exaggerating.

"So let me get this straight you wouldn't date me because I was from there but you're dating this guy." Said Tristan.

"No, I wouldn't date you because you were an ass."
"I was 16!"

"Tristan you pulled a safe job with Bevis and Butthead and got shipped off to military school." Said Rory.

"Hey I came and said good bye before I left." Said Tristan.

"Yes and because you did that I had to kiss Paris dressed as Romeo!"

"Really, man I should have stuck around a little while longer to see that." Said Tristan.

"No, you should have been the one dressed as Romeo." Said Rory.

"So did they ever date?" Asked Chris while he and Lorelei watched the exchange with amusement.

"No I think they kissed once after her first break up with Dean, but it never went further than that." Said Lorelei.

"So Tristan what did Rory mean about you pulling a safe job?" Asked Chris as Lorelei and Rory headed over the jeep.

"I uh, fell into a bad crowd junior year and ended up breaking into a safe of one their father's and, we got caught when the alarm kicked on. But since we were minors the police let our parents handle it and my father decided military school was the best option for me so I was shipped off the next morning."

"Wow." Said Chris.

"It was harsh but honestly it was the best thing for me." Said Tristan.

"Okay we're all set." Said Rory as she brought her bag over to where Tristan had parked his car.

"All right so Mary still carry a book in your purse?" Asked Tristan.

"Still carry your ego?" Countered Rory with a smile.

"Never leave home with out it." Said Tristan.

"Okay well we're going to take off now call me when you get there." Said Lorelei.

"Okay I will." Said Rory.

"Good take care of her Tristan." Said Lorelei as she hugged Tristan even though she just met him.

"Always. Uh I mean I will. Yeah let's go Mary." Said Tristan.

Lorelei smiled at Tristan's slip up and automatically knew that he had feelings for Rory. She also knew that she also liked Tristan a lot more than she liked Logan.

"Have fun, no stealing yachts and if you do make sure that Colin and Finn know the best station house in the area." Said Lorelei.

"Okay, I'll try not to, and the best one is the 15th because there is a redhead that works the desk."

"Gotcha."

"That and the last time they got arrested she frisked Finn and he swears she pinched him." Said Rory.

"I'll talk to you later." Said Lorelei.

"Bye." Said Rory as she got in and Tristan shut the car door.

Rory and Tristan left in his car and headed toward the highway to New York. As Tristan got on to the highway he started the conversation again.

"So what did your mother mean about no stealing yachts, and the thing about the stations?"

"In May I stole a yacht with Logan." Said Rory.

"Rory! And you're still with him. That's nice Ror, the guy gets you arrested and you stay with him." Said Tristan getting mad.

"It wasn't Logan's idea Tristan, it was mine he was at his sister's engagement party and I was interning for his father, his father said some things and I was upset and I showed up there I told Logan and then we stole the yacht."

"But the thing is he didn't try to stop you did he Rory?" Asked Tristan.

"No."

"You deserve so much better. So explain the whole thing with the stations and the redhead." Said Tristan tabling the discussion for the moment.

"Logan and his friends have pulled some stupid stunts and sometimes they get caught and the thing with the redheads is, Finn who is rarely sober has a thing for redheads so much so that he has asked me to dye my hair."

"So how did you meet them?"

"I met Logan at the newspaper, and then we became friends, when they rescued me from my grandparents when they tried to sell me off to the highest bidder." Said Rory.
"Really?"

"Yeah, but they forgot a couple things, not only didn't they tell me, but I had a boyfriend at the time too."

"Ouch, how did he react?"

"Left me standing in my grandparents driveway with everyone watching, including Logan, Finn, and Colin."

"So who left you there?"

"Dean." Said Rory as she looked down at her hands then out the window.

"Bagboy did that I'm surprised."

"Yeah, well Dean and I shouldn't have been together in the first place at the time."

"Why's that?"

"You have to promise me you won't judge me Tristan."

"Rory, I promise."

"He was married, still is actually."

"I'm sorry I thought he was smarter than that."

"He wasn't alone in the decision to sleep together, I was there too."

"Yeah but it was his choice to cheat on his wife regardless who else was involved." Said Tristan trying to make her feel better about the situation.

"So enough about my shot at adding Magdalene to my name, what's been going on with you?"

"Graduated from Military School, joined the Naval Reserves and now I go to Princeton."

"Do you still speak to your family?"

"When I have to."

"So what do you do with the reserves?"

"When I go to Annapolis in September I'll be going for law, I'm pre-law right now with a minor in journalism. Which is why I was at the panel."

"What type of law?"

"Military."

"That's great Tristan, military school agreed with you huh."

"Yeah, I don't even want to think of where I would be right now if I didn't go there."

"I imagine you'd be stuck going into the family business."

"Without a doubt, I'm still the heir but I won't get any control until the old man keels over. Which is exactly the way I want it."

As Tristan kept driving he and Rory decided to get more information out of each other about their time apart.

"Okay Spring Break freshman year. What did you do?" Asked Tristan.

"Paris and I went to Florida, and ironically enough we ran into Madeline and Louise, and as a dare Paris and I kissed again. But in our defense we were drunk."

"Nice."

"So what about you what did you do?"

"Actually I worked during Spring Break."

"What kind of company would make a college student work on Spring Break?" Asked Rory joking around with him.

"The kind that would rather keep the country safe than have one more drunken college student on their hands, I did my reserve duty that week and the past 2 years actually." Said Tristan with a smile.

"So you've never been to Spring Break, my what would your loyal subjects think of their king?" Said Rory sarcastically.

"That he grew up, the past 2 years I actually volunteered. It keeps me out of trouble and the other guys and I play poker after work."

"And that keeps you out of trouble?"

"We play for quarters." Said Tristan.

"Nice high stakes game, how much do you usually make out of the poker game?"

"About 10 bucks, enough to do my laundry at the end of the week."

"What ever works."

"Exactly."

A couple hours went by and Tristan finally pulled into New York City.

"What hotel?"

"The Plaza."

"Nice, so Logan's already here right?"

"Yeah, and if he isn't Colin and Finn are around."

"Okay I don't want to just leave you here, unless I know you're safe."

"Thanks Tristan, if it'll make you feel better I'll call Logan right now."

"Could you?"

"Yeah." Said Rory as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Logan's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's me are you at the hotel?"

"Yeah, but stay at the station and I'll come get you."

"I'm not at the station, I caught a ride with someone from the panel."

"Rory! You took a ride from a stranger that you have known for a couple hours at most are you nuts!"

"Logan calm down, I got a ride with a friend of mine from Chilton who was on the panel and he was driving back to Princeton. And asked me if I wanted a ride."

"Okay so you know him?"

"Yes, and my parents met him and Lorelei liked him." Said Rory.

"Okay, well I'll meet you outside how much longer are you going to be?"

"We just got on 5th Ave. now."

"Okay, see you in a couple minutes."

"Bye."

"How are your eardrums?"

"Fine. I probably should have told him I knew you first huh?" Asked Rory with a smile.

"Yeah, but just so you know I would have reacted the same way."

"He said he was going to meet me outside."

"Good then you won't have to carry your bag your self."

"It's actually light compared to when I go to my mother's."

"Let me guess you bring laundry with you?"

"Of course, it's free at my mom's all I have to do is bring junk food."

"Nice. Well listen I'm going to write my numbers down for you, if you need an escape from society call me, I'll listen to you vent."

"Thanks and here's mine if you can't get me on the cell call Stars Hallow and my mother will help you out."

"Sounds good, talk to you soon Mary."

"Bye Bible Boy."