She hated it at some points but at others, she loved it. But those other times, she only loved it because it meant that she was closer to Harvard. She hated it because well, because she wasn't like the rest of them. They shot her dirty looks every time she passed one of them and all she wanted to do was get the looks to stop. She didn't want to fit in, she was happy to be herself At least this year is the last one and I made a new friend that should make it better, right? She thought to herself. She was in her room listening to music on the night before she had to go back to hell. She had gotten back a few days before from the trip to Washington with Paris. She groaned to herself. Paris. She still didn't understand why she had agreed to run with her. Maybe it was because Paris was her only "friend" there; if you could call Paris that. She had broken up with Dean the year before. He had asked her why but she couldn't tell him why. She knew she had feelings for someone else but she wasn't going to tell Dean that. She heard her phone beeping and she looked at it, knowing it could either be Paris or her mom.

One new message

She read the message and dropped her phone. It was from Paris. Tristan was back. She dialed Paris' number. "What do you mean he's back?"

"Jeez Gilmore calm down, he just sent me an IM telling me he was back and he was going to Chilton."

She groans. "Fine, fine. I'll see you tomorrow Paris."

"Night Gilmore." She hangs up.

Rory falls back on her bed and goes back to listening to music. She looks over at her computer and sighs. She gets up and turns it on, logging onto the IM. She goes to IM Paris but a new window comes up.

YouKnowYouLoveMe invites you to chat, do you accept?

Rory rolls her eyes and clicks accept.

Hey Mary.

You should change your screen name Bible Boy.

Wait, who?

You, you're Bible Boy.

How did you know it was me?

Your ego preceded you.

Funny Mare. So, did you miss me?

She laughs to herself, deciding to have some fun messing with him. Of course I did Bible Boy, now I can sleep peacefully at night but I'm sure I could have a better night's sleep if you were with me.

His jaw drops open when he reads what she says, shaking his head. Mare, Mare, Mare. I'm sure Bag Boy would be happy to help you sleep better at night.

Dean and I broke up, Tristan.

How come? If you don't mind me asking.

No, I don't. I just wasn't into it anymore so we went our separate ways. But enough of that, did you miss me?

He smiles, knowing that wasn't the reason. Of course I did Mare.

Sorry, I have to go. Have fun tomorrow and welcome home.

CoffeeGirl has signed off.

Tristan sighs at the computer then logs off. "I guess I'll talk to her tomorrow."

Next day at school.

She was running late, her stupid fuzzy alarm clock didn't go off on time so her mother had to drive her. Her mother promised that she wouldn't get her anything else that was fuzzy and she would go out and get her a regular alarm clock. She got out of her mother's car and made her way into school, keeping her eyes down, going to her locker. She bumps into someone, loosing her balance and almost falling but the person catches her. She looks up and sees that it's Tristan.

"See Mare, I knew it was a matter of time before you were falling at my feet."

She groans and stands up, fixing her skirt. "Thanks Tristan." She walks away from him and goes to her locker.

He walks over to her and leans against the locker that's next to hers. "You ok?"

She looks up at him. "We should talk after school, ok?"

"Everything ok Mare?"

She smiles softly at him. "It's funny how you still call me Mary even though we both know I'm not one."

He pulls her to him and hugs her, whispering in her ear. "You'll always be my Mary."

She hugs him back and smiles. "Thanks. Come on, you get to walk me to class."

He slings his arm around her shoulders and smirks as they start walking. "I figured you wouldn't have it any other way. What's your first class?"

"Trigonometry. You?"

"The same actually."

She playfully groans. "Great, just great."

He puts his hand up to his heart. "You wound me Mare." He leads her into the classroom and sits down behind her. "So can I ask you what we're going to talk about after school?"

She turns in her chair and looks at him. "It's something I should have told you after you left but I didn't know how to tell you through a letter and I didn't know if I could call you." She bit her lip and looked at him.

"Hey, it's ok. I'm sorry I didn't call. But you know you can tell me anything."

"I know and I will, after school. Just know that I wanted to tell you, I just didn't know how to."

He looks at her. "Do you remember what I told you that night?"

She nods, speaking so only the two of them could hear. "That no matter what I'm yours and you're mine and that in the end, we'd find each other again and be together."

He smiles at her. "Which is why you broke up with Bag Boy."

She rolls her eyes at him. "Keep thinking that." She smiles at him. "I'm really happy you're back."

He winks at her. "Me too Mare, me too."

She looks at him. "Just promise me you won't hate me Tris."

"I promise you Ror, don't worry."

"Thanks." She turns back in her chair as the teacher walks in.

After school.

Tristan was waiting for Rory by her locker after going to his locker. He saw her walking towards him with Paris and smiled at her.

She said goodbye to Paris when she saw Tristan. She walked up to him and stood in front of him. "You know Tristan, you keep waiting for me like this and people will think we're together."

He smirks at her. "Would that be so bad?"

She raises an eyebrow at him. "Would what be so bad, us being together or people thinking that we're together?"

"Us being together. Come on Rory, we both know that if I wasn't shipped off that we'd be together right now."

She smiles at him and nods. "I agree, I just like to see you sweat."

He glares at her. "You're evil."

"Yeah but you like it."

He pulls her closer to him and kisses her softly. "I do, very much."

She kisses him back and grins. "Figured as much. Now move so I can get my books." She pushes him aside and gets her books. She hands him her bag and takes his free hand in hers. "Can we talk at the park?"

"Just tell me what you have to tell me."

She looks at him and stops them from walking. She leads him over to the bench and gets him to sit down. She squats down in front of him and looks at him. "Alright, but you can't interrupt until I'm done."

He nods. "I won't, I promise."

She looks down then back up at him. "When we, you know the condom broke as we both remember. We didn't think anything would happen but something did. I got pregnant. I told my mother and she was going to help me raise the baby so I could keep it and go to school. But one night I got these really bad cramps and I lost the baby, I had a miscarriage. The baby was three months along, I lost it right before we started school last year. I didn't know how to tell you over a letter. I'm sorry."

He looks at her, at a loss as to what to say to her. He just pulled her to him and hugged her to him. "I'm sorry Mare, so sorry."

She sat in his lap and hugged him back, keeping her arms around him. "Shh, it's ok. Mom told me it happened for a reason. I blamed myself but I now know it wasn't my fault. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

He looks up at her and kisses her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to be with you while this all happened."

"I know if you knew you would have come to see me or helped me. But now, nothing is stopping us from being together, right?"

He smiles softly. "Right."

"So do you hate me?"

"Rory no, I can't hate you. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm mad at myself for leaving you when I did."

She moves his face so he's looking at her. "Tris, you didn't know. And besides, if you left when you did, do you think we'd be where we are right now?"

He looks at her and shakes his head. "No, we wouldn't. I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

She kisses him softly. "No, it wasn't but we were."

"You know I meant what I said that night, that no matter what, we'd be together."

She smiles, nodding. "I know and I believe you."

…Rory wakes up in a panic and looks around. She looks to her right and sees her husband's head poking out of the blankets. She kisses his head and grins when she feels someone sleeping next to him. She pulls the covers back and sees their daughter, curled up next to her father. She moves the hair out of the sleeping girl's face and kisses her forehead.

"Mommy?" The six year old, rubs her eyes and looks at her mother.

She smiles. "Shh baby, its ok. Mommy is here. Did you have a bad dream?"

The little girl nods. "Monsters in my closet."

"Did daddy let you watch Monster's Inc. again?"

She nods and goes into her mother's open arms. "He told me it was ok."

"Ari, you know that that movie scares you."

"I know but I like it."

Rory looks over at her husband then back at her daughter. "Baby, you want to wake Daddy?"

She nods and goes over to her father and tugs on his shoulder. "Daddy?"

Tristan rolls over and holds his daughter close to him. "You ok Princess?"

"I had a bad dream."

He sighs. "Bell, I told you that you shouldn't have watched the movie."

The little girl rubbed her eyes. "I know daddy and I'm sorry."

He kisses the top of her head. "Bell, you didn't do anything wrong, I'm sorry for letting you watch it and have bad dreams. But, I promise you that there are no monsters in your closet. I'll go back to your room with you and show you."

Rory smiles at the two of them. "Ari, go with daddy, ok?" She kisses the girl goodnight as Tristan brings her into her room.

He comes back a few minutes later and gets back into their bed and pulls his wife to him. "She's asleep."

She smiles some and kisses him softly.

"You ok Mare?"

She chuckles. "We both know I'm not a Mary, yet you still call me that."

"You're still my Mary." He pulls the covers over the both of them and looks at her. "Another bad dream?"

She nods. "Same one."

He rubs her back and kisses her forehead. "Ariabella is fine Ror, nothing happened to her."

"I know but if you would have went away when you were supposed to,"

"Mare, I didn't. I stayed and we had Ari, we finished school and we went to Yale together. Everything worked out like I told you it would."

She smiles. "And the whole time in high school I thought you didn't care."

He growls playfully. "I've always cared about you Mare."

"But seriously, we've known each other for eight years and you still don't know my name? It's Rory, come on, say it with me, Rory."

He laughs, shaking his head. "You're my Mary so deal."

She kisses him softly and nods. "It does have a certain ring to it…" She giggles at him.

"Good because no matter what, you can't get me to stop."

"I know and I love it. I love you."

He grins. "I love you too."