"So, Logan Huntzberger, huh?" Tristan asked in a forced casual voice.

Rory glanced at him sharply. He was tense. That wasn't normal. Tristan was normally one of the most relaxed drivers in the world. His shoulders were set. His posture was rigid. His hands were gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. "I know. I was surprised to see him there. He normally avoids all Huntzberger parties."

There was an uncomfortable beat before Tristan spoke again. "You two looked pretty cozy before I came along," he finally commented lightly, although his body language told Rory he was treating the situation anything but.

"I haven't seen Logan Huntzberger in years. We don't really keep in touch."

Tristan didn't reply.

"You're not going to go all high school on me, are you?" Rory asked, matching Tristan's light tone. "Although you could probably take Logan in a fight." Rory made a face. "Scratch that. He could probably take you. All he has to do is pull your hair, and you'd go off screaming to find your gel."

Tristan shot her an annoyed look. "This is serious Rory. It's not something you can joke away. You were damn near cuddling Huntzberger when I saw you two. He was drooling all over you!"

"I was not cuddling him!" Rory replied hotly. "I can't believe you'd say that! Logan was a big part of my life-"

"You're defending him?" Tristan almost exploded. "He watched you the entire night! There's no chance in hell he only wants to be friends again." Tristan saw the look in Logan's eyes as he watched them. It was a look all too familiar to Tristan. A look of patience and impatience, hurt, and hope all in one. Tristan had used it when he was in high school, looking at the same infuriating girl in an idiot bag boy's arms. What was it about Rory Gilmore that made her so hard to let go? "He wants you back, Rory," Tristan declared flatly.

Rory shrugged. "Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't."

"That makes me feel a whole lot better," Tristan snapped.

"But I chose you, Tristan," Rory continued as if Tristan had never spoken. "I'm with you. If you trusted me, you wouldn't be acting like this."

"Words aren't going to cut it Rory! I know what I saw," Tristan snapped. "I saw him."

"And what exactly did you see Tristan? Yes, Logan hugged me. Yes, he might have stood a little too close. It was probably just habit Tristan!"

"Please," Tristan scoffed. "You honestly expect me to believe that's his habit?"

"Well yes," Rory said frowning. She exhaled loudly. "Look, Logan's always been a charmer. Practiced flirt," Rory said with a roll of her eyes. "Even in school, Logan knew exactly how to get a girl to want him. It's second nature."

"So you admit that Logan wanted you to want him?"

"I'm saying it was subconscious habit."

"So subconsciously, you think he wants you?"

"Subconsciously, he charms girls. It didn't matter that it was me."

"You were the only girl he was charming that night."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"I'm sure it is. I watched him, Rory," Tristan gritted out. "I watched him. He talked to his dad, his friends, but never to other women. Never."

There was an extremely long pause.

Rory exhaled. "Wow. Look at that. I think you just won an argument."

"Guess I did. Who knew this would happen." Tristan wasn't smiling though. "Can't say I'm particularly happy about it. I feel like you won. You always win."

"That's not true. You kick my ass in the sports questions of trivial pursuit all the time. And in Star Trek trivia."

Her attempt at levity eased the edges of his anger, but his face remained impassive.

"In the kitchen too," she continued. "I still say that your grater's broken. It doesn't make sense to have only one side grate and the other just... to be a slide for ingredients."

Tristan shot her an almost horrified look. "Tell me you weren't playing bagel hockey with Lorelai again."

"No." Rory's lips twitched. "Bagel roller coaster. Almost as fun."

"Roller coaster? How did you make a roller coaster in my kitchen?"

"It was easy. Grater, spatula, spice rack."

"Is that why you made out with me at the door till we were late? So I wouldn't see the kitchen?" Tristan asked incredulously.

"Behold my evil plan," Rory grinned. "We left it up there if you want to try it. It'll make you smile."

Tristan finally smiled. "I love you, Mary."

Rory quickly pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you for understanding."

Tristan's light hearted feeling vanished suddenly at her words. She did it again, he thought fiercely. How does she do that? I was furious with her. And him. Because he loves her. Because he wants her. Because she doesn't realize what she's doing to him. Because she doesn't realize what she's doing to me. Somehow, she got me joking about bagels.

Tristan shook his head slowly.

"Tristan?"

"I don't," Tristan said shortly.

"Don't what?"

"Understand," Tristan gritted out. "I don't understand at all. He wants you. He loves you. Hell, his entire family was pushing you at him."

Rory laughed. "Tristan that's crazy. The Huntzbergers hated the fact that Logan and I were together."

Tristan sneered. "That's not the way Mitchum Huntzberger's telling it. He talked to me. Told me I was lucky to be with you, that you were a loving person."

Rory gave a small laugh. "What was he supposed to say, that I was a cold uncaring person?" Rory interjected "He was probably just trying to be polite-"

"And then," Tristan continued as if Rory hadn't spoken. "And then he launches into charming little anecdotes," Tristan said, every word dripping with sarcasm. "About how much Rory took care of Logan when he was sick, how Rory fixed Logan's 25th birthday, how Rory racked up an enormous phone bill talking to Logan on the phone when he was in London." Tristan stopped the car at the light a little harsher than was normal. "And he went on and on about how lucky I was to have someone do that for me too. And that he could only hope Logan could find that love again. And he talked on and on and on about Logan and his hopes for Logan, and how much people like Logan need the right kind of people by their side."

Tristan stared hard at the light. "And I agreed with him. I stood there and said nodded. I stood there and nodded as he practically told me to give you up. That you and Logan were the perfect couple."

He was Huntzbergered, Rory thought. Happens to the best of us. "That's not true. He has split ends like you wouldn't believe."

Tristan turned the steering wheel to enter the parking lot in Rory's building, for the first time thankful for the tricky parking lot. It gave him a reason not to talk to Rory. He parked the car and turned the ignition off. Neither of them said a word until they entered the building.

"Are you coming in?" Rory asked softly. "I think we have to talk, and I'd rather not argue in a moving vehicle."

Tristan didn't say anything but followed as she walked into her apartment.

Rory gestured to the couch, and sat down next to Tristan.

"Look, Logan wasn't perfect in college. Neither was I for that matter, but I'll talk about that later. Logan in college was… well, a jack ass."

"What's new?"

Rory chose to ignore that comment. "The first few months of our relationship… wasn't a relationship. It was friends with benefits. Dates whenever he felt like it. Sex whenever he-"

"Skip that part please," Tristan interrupted quickly. "I get the point. Picturing you and Huntzberger in bed makes me want to hurl."

"My point is it wasn't all that great. He was avoiding all responsibility, then for a time I was. We both had so much growing up to do. We ended up hurting each other. Badly. We didn't speak for about three months after that. He didn't want to talk to me because I turned him down, I didn't want to talk to him because he dumped me. That's about as far from perfect as you can get."

Tristan was quiet. All the fight seemed to have gone out of him. "But you loved him."

Rory looked down. Yes, she had loved Logan. She had loved him enough to think that he was the one for her. She had told her mother as much. "I loved Logan, yes. But I'm with you now."

Tristan stood up to pour himself a drink. "You've never told me you loved me." He kept his shaking hands hidden from view as he walked behind the counter.

"Does that matter? I'm with you, not with Logan."

He slammed his glass down the table. She hadn't answered him. Just avoided the question. "I changed my mind," Tristan replied shortly. "I have an early day tomorrow, I'm going to go get some sleep."

"What? Tristan-" Rory shook her head and walked towards him. "Tristan-"

He took a step back, raising a hand in warning. "No. Don't touch me," he said quietly. "You'll change my mind. I don't want you to try. I want to walk away and remember that you've never told me you loved me. You can't make me forget Rory. Not again." He walked out the door and it shut with a quiet click.

Rory bit her lip, and picked up her phone.

"Which of the X-men was a musical theater star?"

"Hello to you too," Rory smiled as her mother came on the line. "Are you watching Jeopardy again?"

"You don't know the answer, do you!"

"Hugh Jackman."

"Hah! Ok, remember I'm your mother and I gave you life. Please tell Luke that Hugh Jackman was a musical theater star. I have you on speaker phone because I'm fixing his costume. Stand still Luke!"

"No he wasn't!" Rory grinned as she overheard Luke. "Hi Rory. Wolverine was not parading around in tights! That was not Hugh Jackman!"

"Yes he was," Rory said absent-mindedly, moving to sit on the couch. "He won a Tony for the Boy from Oz. He hosted the Tonies a billion times. Plus the Oscars."

Lorelai grinned. "Honey, you just made Mommy's day."

"Why?"

"Ms. Patty's throwing a costume party for her anniversary."

"Which husband?"

"The second. The theme is of course, musical theater. After much use of my talents and skills, I got Luke to cave, and say he'd wear a costume, but on the condition that it was worn by someone cool. Like the X-men."

Rory smirked. "So who's Luke going to be? Peter Allen to your Liza Minelli?"

"Yep!"

"No!" Luke grabbed the phone. "Rory, talk some sense into her!"

"Too late," Lorelai grinned. "Now shoo."

"Are you really going to make him be Peter Allen?"

"Nah, I'm feeling generous. Maybe just Curly from Oklahoma."

"Oh, you've always wanted to be a southern belle."

"Exactly." Lorelai sat down on her couch. "I didn't think you'd call tonight, not that I didn't want you to. Thought you had that work dinner you were taking Tristan to?"

"Yeah. Guess what happened. Actually, don't guess, because you'll never guess."

"Logan showed up."

Rory stared. "You're good. Who told you?"

"Mother's intuition," Lorelai replied gaily. "Well, that and mom just called me, asking about how serious you and Tristan were."

"No," Rory said in horror.

"She told me that Logan was back."

"I've got a bad bad feeling about this."

"Get ready for worse," Lorelai warned her. "She wants a dinner. With you and Logan. I was supposed to call you tomorrow morning to arrange it."

"Why am I not surprised," Rory muttered under her breath. "And Tristan?"

"I'm supposed to schedule it next Wednesday. Apparently it's the only time my parents are free. Please don't make me run down the number of combined marriages and deaths in the Faris family that has them utterly unable to leave them alone."

"Mrs. Faris died?!"

"Bootsie, Tootsie, Sootsie and Apple."

"I thought her kids names were Brendan, Timothy, and Susan?"

"Those were her cats. Apparently the maid just didn't understand that Bootsie doesn't eat apples because he's allergic, that Sootsie can't go near tootsie rolls because she likes them and chokes on them, and that Tootsie shouldn't go near soot because he's asthmatic."

"What about Apple?"

"Apple got run over by Mr. Faris's new car."

Rory stifled a giggle. "Poor Apple. But Apple was the most evil one. She scratched my leg once when I came too near the fruit punch. I guess it's kitty karma." Rory paused. "And Wednesday? Wednesday's-"

"It's the DuGrey family thing, I know. Did Tristan want you to come with him?"

Rory shook her head slowly. "Not exactly. We were talking about it, but Tristan's never really been close to his family. I don't think he's even told his family about us."

"He hasn't?" Lorelai's answer came a little too quickly. "Why not? Is he ashamed of you?"

"No, nothing like that," Rory reassured her mother. "I mean, all his friends know we're together. Just not his family. I'm sure they know of it- but not from him. We're not exactly hiding it."

"You've been dating for like three months now, that's not even counting the eight months he spent chasing after you. Why in the world wouldn't he want you to meet his parents? Everyone loves you." Lorelai paused. "I don't know if-"

"Don't say it," Rory said quickly and a tad resolutely.

"Don't say what? I didn't say anything!" Lorelai defended herself.

"You were going to ask me if Tristan really cares for me. He does okay? Just this evening he had this total jealous fit over Logan."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He saw me talking to Logan – and Logan might have been standing a little too close for comfort," Rory admitted sheepishly.

"How was it like seeing Logan again though?" Lorelai asked.

"I... I...." Rory paused searching for the world. "Wonderful. It was wonderful," she said finally. "It was like... me and Luke's burgers. I used to eat them everyday, but when I went to Yale, I stopped eating them. Not because I wanted to, just because I was forced to. And then when I came back one summer break, I had a bite of Luke's burgers again, and it was almost like I'd never stopped eating them. They were good and juicy and warm and... Hey can you tell Luke to make me burgers the next time I'm there?"

"Sure thing Rory!" came a reply that was impossibly cheerful and grumpy at the same time.

"Thanks Luke!" Rory replied raising her voice a bit. "I'm sure you'd look great in gold pants!"

"Not you too," came Luke's growl. "I refuse to wear anything shiny. There is nothing that looks good shiny."

"Space suits are shiny," Lorelai chimed in.

"X-men suits are shiny."

"Hugh Jackman's grin is shiny."

"Apples are shiny."

"Apples?"

"Apples are cute! They paint little faces on them and you bob for them. They're adorable," Rory said as she defended the cute shiny things.

"Fine, some shiny things are cool," Luke said rolling his eyes. "Now can you get me out of these things?"

"In a bit. I like staring at your butt."

"Overshare mom."

"You should see it. Even his butt looks mad."

"My butt is not mad!" Luke snapped. "Stop talking about my butt."

Rory giggled. "Oh wait, my call waiting just beeped. I'll talk to you tomorrow!"

"Wait, do I say yes to the dinner with Logan? Or will you be coming down with a bad case of... Wednesday-itis?"

"Wednesday-itis?"

"It's new disease that makes you pale and scary and makes your forehead grow big. Also gives you the strange impulse only to wear little girl dresses."

"Like Wednesday Adams?"

"Exactly. So?"

Rory took a deep breath. "I'm good for Wednesday."