Title: Just What I Needed

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls. I just wanted to do a simple sweet Trory for Valentine's Day. The title of the fic is the title of a song by "The Cars".

Summary: Happy Valentines Day.

Rating: G

Authors Note: See I was sitting trying to think of a title when it came on the radio and it sounded JUST like something Tristan would say to himself, or someone might say about him. Like us Trory Freaks! ;) Although I'm not just a Trory... I'm a R/J too. So I guess you could say I'm more of a AOBD(Anyone But Dean) I'm sticking the lyrics at the end of the story. In a second "Chapter". And let's just pretend he didn't get sent away okay?

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Just What I Needed

Tristan's alarm clock rang out in the dark and he groaned. He looked over at the time, 'Why the did I set it for 3:30am?' Usually he wasn't in bed until well after midnight, but in a moment it all flooded back to him. The plan, the reason he actually went to bed at 10 last night. Tristan jumped out of bed and into the shower. After going through his morning routine he threw on a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt. He gathered his uniform, two nicely wrapped packages, an envelope, and headed out.

Hopping into his silver BMW he maneuvered his way away from his house, through the dark streets. It was nearly a half an hour before he passed the sign that said Stars Hollow. He checked the slip of paper in his hand and chuckled. It was amazing what you could find on the internet. He parked the car on the corner of her street and walked the rest of the way to her house. He climbed the steps to the porch carefully making sure they didn't give his presence away. He pulled out the envelope and slipped it under the door. He didn't allow himself to chuckle, or even smile until he was safely at the car.

Tristan drove back to the highway and headed back for Hartford, the sun was just slowly beginning to peak over the hills. He spotted the rest stop up ahead and pulled in to change clothes and catch a moments nap. He set his watch's alarm and lay back in the seat.

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Rory woke up slowly. It was Valentine's Day, she groaned. She and Dean had just broken up a week ago otherwise this would have been a great day. Rory pulled herself out of bed and went into the Kitchen to make coffee. The scent soon drew Lorelai from her room upstairs. She clomped her way down the stairs in slow tired steps, yawning. She was about to turn into the kitchen when a pink envelope at the door caught her eye. She walked over and picked it up. Reading Rory's name typed on the front she hid it behind her back and approached the kitchen. Lorelai stood in the doorway, and watched her daughter.

"Rory," she started.

"Yeah mom?" Rory asked groggily.

"You and Dean broke up last week right?"

"Yeah Mom. Thanks for bringing that up first thing this morning of all the mornings you could have picked."

"I was just curious," Lorelai paused and slowly pulled the envelope from behind her, "Curious as to why this seems to have been shoved under our door in the night." She held the envelope toward Rory.

Rory took it as she took another sip of her coffee, "I wonder who it's from."

By now Lorelai had gotten herself a cup of coffee, she sat across from her daughter and watched as she opened it. Rory pulled out a beautiful card, with lacey hearts and all. The front said, "Just so you know..." Rory opened it and quickly read the inside, tears coming to her eyes.

Lorelai took it from her daughter and read the inside for herself. It simply said, "Somebody thinks you're special." There was no signature, no nothing. The two spent many minutes pondering over it before Rory realized she was going to be late. The two flurried around the house trying to prepare. Lorelai told Rory she could use the jeep since she had missed her bus. Lorelai wasn't going to work right away anyways. Rory hurried out to the jeep in her uniform and started for school being very careful.

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Tristan's watch went off and it took him a moment to figure out where he was. He got up quickly and left the rest area though. Attempting to smooth the wrinkles in his uniform along the way. He arrived at Chilton early. There were only a handful of other cars in the parking lot. He went through the doors and carefully found her locker. He twisted the combination, gave it a light tap, and set a small box inside.

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The box was so small Rory almost missed it at first. She wondered about it, but dismissed it as possibly Henry's doing for Lane. Best friend's could be pretty surprising and quirky after all. She slipped it into her backpack for later. When she arrived at her first class she was surprised to see Tristan already there, his head slumped on his desk.

"Don't drool," she remarked as she took her seat.

He lifted his head slightly, "Happy Valentine's Day, Mary" His head promptly returned to it's position on the desk.

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The day had gone by fast, Tristan slipped out of the school in his free period after lunch and went to the nearest Starbucks. He ordered a metal thermos filled with their best coffee. He took it back and carefully placed it in the, for some reason, unlocked jeep. 'I guess people are more trusting in small towns.'

He slipped back into the school un-noticed just in time to make it to his last class.

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Today had been AWFUL. Rory sighed as she gathered her things from her locker. She was just heading out the door when she spotted Henry.

"Henry!" she called.

The boy came over to her, "Hi Rory"

"Hi I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"Delivering Lane's little gift."

"What? I didn't do anything."

"No? Hmm.. Strange. Well I'll see you tomorrow" She walked off in a daze and by the time she got to the jeep she decided she needed a good cup of coffee. She'd better hurry home to Luke's. She climbed in and placed her backpack on the passenger seat thinking of what might be in the box. She gasped as she spotted the warm metal thermos sitting in the cup holder. She pulled it to her and undid the top, savoring it's scent. She filled the little cup and brought it to her mouth. Within minutes the entire thermos was empty. She smiled and set it in her cup holder. She was already on her way home when the smile disappeared, to be replaced with confusion.

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This time Tristan took a chance and parked right out front of her house. He jogged up the sidewalk and set a slightly larger rectangular object on the doormat. He turned and hurried away. But it was too late, because as we all know, Stars Hollow is a nosy little town and Babette had already seen him. She stood in her window talking rapidly on the phone, probably to Miss. Patty.

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Rory arrived at the house and pulled into the driveway. She pulled out her backpack and the thermos and walked across the yard to the stairs. A small wrapped object on the stairs caught her eye. She stooped to pick it up before unlocking the door and going in. Rory sat on her bed, her backpack had been discarded on the floor once the smaller box had been removed from it. She tore open the wrapping on the smaller package to reveal a small box. Upon opening it she was shocked to find a small gold bookmark, the kind with the slots to make it easy to mark your page. At the top was a tiny cup of coffee enclosed in a circle. She opened the other present now to find a new copy of "A Midsummer Nights Dream" She jumped up still holding both objects and found the phone. She quickly rang her mom.

"Hello?"

"Hi! Mom! Meet me at Luke's in 10?"

"Sure I was on my way there now."

They hung up and Rory ran to Luke's she walked through the door and sat at a table. Jess brought her over a cup of coffee immediately.

"Hi Rory."

"Hi Jess," Rory smiled.

"Happy Valentine's Day. Has it been a good one so far?"

"I guess, kind of strange though."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

Rory was about to answer when he mom walked in the diner door.

"Mom, over here!"

Lorelai slid into the booth across from her daughter and looked at Jess . "Hi Jess. Honey what'd you want?"

"She was just about to tell us about her interesting day. While I get you some coffee."

Jess headed behind the counter and argued animatedly with Luke over giving Lorelai coffee. Rory told her mother about her day. Her mother was just as puzzled she took a sip of her coffee when Jess brought it back over. Just then Miss. Patty entered. She lit up when she spotted Rory and approached the table.

"So Rory, who was that handsome young man at your house this afternoon?"

Lorelai and Rory both stared at her and said "Huh?" at the same time.

"Young, handsome, blond, uniformed. What more do you need?"

Rory looked at Lorelai and it clicked. "Tristan. Mom can I see your cell phone?"

"Sure Hun. But you owe me an explanation."

Rory took the phone outside and dialed Tristan's number

"Hello?" a cold sounding voice answered

"Hi, may I speak to Tristan please?" There was a muffled movement and then it stopped.

"Hello?"

"Tristan. Thank you. But Why?"

"What? Who is this?"

"It's Rory. I know what you did. Why?"

"Because it was you."

"So, am I that special?"

"I thought the card cleared up that."

"Sorry I said that. But thanks Tristan. Thank you very much. I loved it all."