A/N: So after the realization that AU's are some of the most difficult things to do, I decided to pick a new starting place.

Begins at the beginning of Season 5. Rory sent the letter to Dean and Lindsey found it. Dean and Lindsey are over and tensions in Stars Hollow are high. Rather than dealing with it, Rory moves back early, to find Paris wallowing over Asher, who has died. We open the scene after Rory and Paris have both moved in, but before pretty much all of the other students have. That is where the similarities from the season stop… for now. I've made up my mind who Rory is going to end up with, but you'll have to stay tuned to future chapters to find out! hehe. Read on! Oh, and don't forget to review.

Ch. 1-Do Something Fun

Rory sat down on her bed and grabbed her latest book: The Divine Comedy by Dante. She had moved in a few days early; after what happened in town between her and Dean and Lindsey, she just didn't want to be around anyone. Rory let out a sigh, thinking back to it all. She tried to focus her complete attention on her book, but before she was able to get through three lines, her phone rang.

"Hey mom," Rory said.

"Hey sweets, what are you up to?" Lorelai sounded bored.

"Reading Dante's Inferno. I figure I'm going to burn in Hell for breaking up Dean and Lindsey, so I want to know what I'm getting myself into."

"Oh Rory- don't beat yourself up over this. It was just as much Dean's fault."

Rory sighed again. "I just want to forget it all right now- at least until things cool down some."

"Is Paris there? Why don't you do something with her? I know she has a thing for Boggle, but I'm sure if you beat her badly enough you can break her of that."

"She's been gone most of the day. Asher died and she's been depressed and making funeral arrangements."

As if on cue, Rory heard the muffled sounds of an old 45 from Paris's room.

"I guess she just got back," Rory said, sighing heavily. She couldn't deal with Paris right now.

"Well, hun- Luke just got here for our date. Go out and do something fun tonight."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see."

"Call if you need anything," Lorelai continued.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do-" Rory said, smiling.

"Well, since you wouldn't kiss Luke I guess that doesn't leave much."

"Have fun," Rory said.

"Fine… bye." Lorelai concluded pretending to be exasperated.

"Bye." Rory hung up the phone. Before settling back with her book she decided to grab a bottle of water. She opened the door to the common room and was met with the overwhelming smell of pipe tobacco.

"UGH!"

She opened Paris's bedroom door. "Paris! What are you doing?" The curtains in Paris's room were drawn. The room was completely dark- or had been until Rory opened the door. Paris was sitting in a leather chair, which Rory assumed was Asher's. She was wrapped in a suit coat and was smoking a pipe.

"I just wanted to feel like I was with him again…" Paris trailed off.

"Paris- you need to get out of here…"

"Maybe later. Right now, I just want to be close to him."

"But…" Rory tried to protest.

"Maybe tomorrow Rory- please!"

"Ok… ok." Rory backed out of the room and closed the door.

She sighed again. Paris was mourning her dead boyfriend and she no longer felt like reading about hell. What to do…she thought. She recalled her mother's instructions. "Go out and do something." Maybe Marty is back, she contemplated happily. It had been months since she'd seen Marty.

Rory wandered back into her room and pulled on her warn but incredibly comfortable Converse shoes. She grabbed her jean jacket from the back of her desk chair and walked out, closing the door behind her. As she walked through the common room she grabbed her water bottle from the counter. She opened the door to the suite and walked out backwards, facing the interior of the room. She closed the door behind her and backed up quickly, expecting that since barely no other souls were on campus she didn't have to worry about…

She fell into someone. "Oh my goodness! I'm so…" She turned around to see none other than the infamous Tristan Dugrey. "So not sorry…. Oh my god! What are you…" She had yet to complete a sentence and was trying to get up off the ground and as far away from Tristan as possible.

"Nice to see you too Mary. Throwing yourself at me already, I see," Tristan was smug as always. "Miss me that much?"

"Ugh… in your dreams Tristan. What the hell are you doing here?" Rory was already pissed, she didn't need him adding to her mood.

"I go to school here, Mare." He looked her up and down, realizing exactly how much he had missed her in the past two and a half years. "And all my friends thought I was exaggerating when I told them about you."

"One, I'm surprised you've managed to keep friends. And two, I definitely do not want to know about who you've talked to about me." Rory turned to leave, so that she could find Marty, but Tristan grabbed her arm, causing her to stop in place. She turned on her heel, and decided that for at least a second, she'd hear him out.

"Come on; can't we put this nonsense behind us? I'm a changed man."

"After the way you just eyed me like a piece of meat, I highly doubt you've changed at all. And honestly, no, I would rather not put this behind us. I'd rather there not be an us at all; in thought or in reality."

"Wow, still got that spark of life I see. Tell me Mary, what have you been up to?" Tristan leaned against the wall, content that he'd managed to hold her attention and keep her from leaving for the moment.

"Tristan, do you want something, or are you just here to torment me?"

"What's with the short temper tonight? You used to love our spats." He had a sly twinkle in his eye, and Rory knew he was getting too much enjoyment from their conversation.

"No, you always loved annoying me, and I participated in our 'spats' to keep you at a distance. Which obviously did nothing, because here you are, two and a half years later, and we're at it again."

"We can be at something else, if you'd like," he said, winking at her, like he would have back at Chilton after a similar remark.

"Tristan please, I told you once, you're not stupid. Arrogant, crude, insensitive and annoying, yes. Stupid, no."

Tristan furrowed his brow. "Ouch…You know what? Your vocabulary has increased dramatically since we had this discussion last…"

Rory continued, unaffected by what he said. "And only if you were stupid would you honestly think that I would ever go anywhere or do anything with you." Rory was fed up now. "Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be."

"Well, I don't. So I guess I'll see you when you get back." Tristan sat down in front of her door and stuck the ear pieces to his I-Pod into his ears. Rory gave him an evil glance before turning around and heading up the stairs, to where she prayed Marty would be in his room.

The second floor was silent, which was strange. The hall was barely ever silent, and Rory found it eerie. She easily found Marty's room, and knocked on the door. She waited almost a minute, hoping, praying that Marty would come to her rescue. With no luck she turned around and walked back down the stairs, dreading that Tristan would be there waiting for her to return.