Thank you for all your support so far! :) Here's the next chapter.

Chapter 2

"How's the cold going?" Luke asked as Lorelai sneezed for the hundredth time that morning in the diner.

"Oh it's fine." Lorelai said.

"No it's not." Rory said.

"Traitor!" Lorelai gasped.

"You know what might help with your cold? Is it stuffing yourself full of junk food?" Luke said.

"No." Vicky and Rory said in unison.

"That's right. No!" Luke said.

"Seriously! Why are you on his side?" Lorelai exclaimed at her daughters.

"It seemed like the right answer." Rory defended herself.

"He pays my wages." Vicky shrugged.

Lorelai sighed in defeat. "Can I just have my soup?" She asked.

"At least eat the carrots this time." Luke said.

"Ok." Lorelai said.

Luke put the food down on the table and then left them to it just as Jess came up to them with the coffee jug. "Coffee?" He asked.

"Uh yes. Thank you." Lorelai said. "How are you Jess?"

"Fine." Jess answered monosyllabically.

Vicky glanced up at him and gave him a pleading look.

Jess sighed. "How about you?" He asked.

"Oh..uh..I'm fine." Lorelai said taken by surprise by him actually wanting to hold a conversation.

Jess nodded. "I better go..." He said gesturing to the coffee jug.

"Oh. Sure." Lorelai said.

Jess caught Vicky's eye as he left and she smiled at him. He couldn't explain why but he smiled back before filling up other people's cups.

"Well that was weird." Lorelai observed.

"What was?" Rory asked.

"Jess. He actually participated in a conversation. A short one but a conversation still. Didn't think he had it in him." Lorelai joked.

"Aren't you being a bit harsh?" Vicky snapped, taking her mom by surprise.

"Sorry?" Lorelai asked confused.

"He was clearly making an effort and you still think badly of him." Vicky said.

"Vicky, I didn't mean to..." Lorelai said still confused.

Vicky just shook her head. "I'm going to get the early bus. I'll see you at school." She said to Rory and then left the diner.

"What's up with her?" Lorelai said.

Rory just shook her head. "You could try with Jess, you know." She said.

"I do!" Lorelai defended herself.

Rory laughed. "No you don't mom! You've had him in your bad books since the first day you met him."

"You didn't hear what he said." Lorelai said.

"He'd just moved here and he was angry. You could have given him the benefit of doubt." Rory said.

"I tried! But then he crashed your car!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Which you seem to forget that he was hurt in as well. You were so hung up on the fact that he was to blame that you didn't even realise he was hurt as well. You know he waited until the ambulance came and then insisted that they check me and Vicky out first and to not bother with him?" She said.

Lorelai stayed quiet.

Rory sighed. "I know he didn't give you the best first impression but can't you call a truce? He's our friend and he's Luke's uncle."

Lorelai sighed. "Fine." She said. She glanced over at Jess. "He likes Vicky, doesn't he?"

"You'll have to ask him that." Rory shrugged. "I have to get to school. I'll see you later."

"Yeah see you hon." Lorelai said, watching her daughter run for the bus.


Rory met up with Vicky at the lockers at school. "You'll never guess who's back." Vicky grinned.

"Who?" Rory asked.

"I'll give you three guesses. You hated him for a year and a half, he called you Mary and Paris got extremely jealous over him taking an interest in you." Vicky grinned.

"Seriously? Tristan?" Rory groaned. "What's he doing back?"

"Don't know. Heard rumours he's back for good behaviour and wants to finish his last year at high school here." Vicky shrugged.

"Great. That's all I need." Rory muttered.

"He wasn't that bad." Vicky laughed.

"That's because he didn't make your life hell! I've managed to make things right with Paris and he's just going to mess it up again." Rory groaned.

"But is Paris really going to get jealous again? I mean you said she seemed smitten by this Jamie guy." Vicky pointed out.

"She was. Is. I don't know. I don't really know what's happened with that." Rory admitted.

"Maybe he's changed? Maybe military school has been good for him." Vicky said.

Rory snorted. "I hardly think Tristan can change."

"Mary, you wound me." A voice said behind her.

Rory glared at Vicky as she realised her sister must have seen him coming up behind her. She turned round. "Hi Tristan." She muttered.

"So I guess I don't need to ask if you missed me?" He said with his trademark smirk.

"I guess not." Rory retorted.

"Come on, Mary. New year, new start. Why don't we start again and I take you out for a coffee?" He smirked.

"No thanks. I need to get to class." Rory said grabbing her books and walking off.

"Was it something I said?" He said to Vicky.

Vicky laughed. "If you want her, you're going to have to try harder than that, Bible Boy." She joked. "See you around."


Rory was sat in the dining hall having her lunch and reading her book when someone came and sat opposite her.

"And she's reading again. How novel!"

Rory looked up and scowled at Tristan. "Don't you have anything better to do? Like make out with most of the girls in this school?" She retorted.

"Someone sounds jealous." Tristan smirked.

"Not jealous. Just annoyed." Rory grumbled. "Seriously, what have I ever done to you that has made you want to annoy me so much?"

"Nothing." Tristan shrugged. "Just like talking to you."

Rory looked up at his more sincere tone and for one moment, didn't know how to reply. "More like, you like listening to the sound of your own voice." She said.

Tristan smirked. "That too."

Rory rolled her eyes. "So how come you're back then?" She asked. He wasn't going anywhere so she might as well talk to him.

"Got transferred back here on good behaviour." Tristan said.

"Good behaviour?" Rory raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah. I do know what that means." Tristan grinned.

"Could have fooled me." Rory said.

"Yeah well at military school, you can't really get away with bad behaviour." Tristan shrugged. "You learn the hard way."

Rory glanced at him and for the first time noticed some changes in his appearance. His hair was shorter and he was more bulky. "So you hated it?" She asked with a slight smirk.

"Not really." Tristan said and smirked when he saw the surprise in Rory's face. "It was actually alright. The teachers were ok if you got on with your work and I actually made some good friends there." He admitted.

"Well...good then.." Rory said. "So why did you come back then? If you were enjoying it so much?" She asked actually genuinely interested now.

"They said if I wanted to get into a good college, it would look more appealing on my application if I did my last year back here." Tristan shrugged. "So here I am."

"You want to go to college?" She asked surprised.

"Sure, why not. It will get me away from my family." Tristan shrugged.

"And here was I thinking it would be because you would get a good education. My mistake." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Ah well I didn't want you to think I changed too much." He smirked.

Rory just shook her head.

"Anyway, I'll leave you to your book." Tristan said getting up. "I guess I'll see you around."

"I guess you will." Rory said.

"Enjoy your reading. Mary." He said with a smirk.

Rory just rolled her eyes but she couldn't help but smirk a little as she watched him leave the dining hall, turning heads of most of the girls in the process. What surprised her though was that he didn't give them a second glance.


"Rory!" Vicky whined. "You just had to stop and see what Paris wanted!" She exclaimed as they watched their bus drive away.

"I'm sorry! But you know as well as me that if you ignore Paris, life won't be worth living." Rory exclaimed.

Vicky huffed. "We're going to have to wait for ages now for the next bus."

Just then a smart car drove up next to them and stopped. The window came down and they realised who it was.

"You two look like you might need a lift." Tristan said.

"Yes we do!" Vicky exclaimed happily.

"No we don't. We're fine." Rory said.

"Rory! The next bus won't be here for another hour! I need to go home to change before my shift at the diner. I don't want to be late for Luke." Vicky exclaimed.

Rory sighed. "Fine!" She huffed.

Vicky grinned at Tristan and got into the passenger seat as Rory headed for the backseat.

As they pulled up in the driveway of the Crap Shack, Rory groaned as she noticed a familiar figure waiting by the porch. "Great.." She sighed.

Vicky and Tristan both followed her gaze and saw Dean standing there, watching them. "You haven't talked to him yet?" Vicky asked her.

"I was going to call him tonight." Rory sighed. "Great, how am I going to explain this?"

"Uh tell him the truth." Vicky said as if it was obvious.

"Vicky.." Rory said.

Vicky sighed. "Look I thought you'd decided what you were going to do. This shouldn't really be an issue if you're still doing it. Unless you've changed your mind?"

"No I haven't. I just...I wanted to do it in my time." Rory said. She sighed. "I guess there's not time like the present though."

"Sorry sis." Vicky said sympathetically. "But the longer you sit here, the harder it will be."

"Yeah I know." Rory said. "Movie night after you shift? I might need a distraction."

"Sure!" Vicky smiled. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Rory said quietly before getting out and heading over to Dean.

"Are they still together?" Tristan spoke for the first time.

"Not for much longer." Vicky said watching Rory let Dean inside the house.

"What? Really? They're breaking up?" Tristan asked.

"Yep so your Mary will soon be free and single!" Vicky smirked. "I've got to go. Thanks for the lift."

"Yeah anytime." Tristan said watching her head towards the house as well. He sat there for a moment before driving off.

Hope you liked it! :) Please keep the reviews coming as I love hearing from you! Thanks! :)