disclaimer: I own nothing.

Title: The safe haven

Summary: Takes place after the season finale. Rory Gilmore runs away from her grandparents and finds a face from the past. Trory.

Chapter two

To hell with common sense

The grandfather clock in his house chimed and though he heard it, he needn't look to see what time it was. He knew that it was time for him to get his stuff settled for the night. Tristin Dugrey was on a routine, it was a habit. Ever since his father had shiped him off to military school, routine, routine, routine, had been instilled in his mind. He had one for the entire day.

In the morning, he'd wake up precisely at five when his alarm clock radio would ring. He'd groan, open his eyes, blink several times to adjust to the bright light, and then he would turn over and shut the annoying machine off.

Next, he would get out of bed, drag his ass down the stairs, make himself something half way edible to eat, and then drag himself back up again and take a shower, then get dressed in his usual baggy jeans and a stained t-shirt. Afterwards, he'd go into his study, pay some bills, and then leave the house and do morning errands.

At eight, he would arrive at his diner, Mary's. Once there, he'd open the place up for shop, and get ready for a full days work. Then come closing time, he'd drive himself back to his house, have dinner, read or sometimes, on a rare occassion, watch television. Then he would walk back up the stairs, get another shower, and turn in for the night.

It was how his day went, always. Every now and then instead of going directly home he'd go out with a friend of his, either Duncan or Bowman, and then sometimes if he was in the mood, he'd have a date, which he still never failed to get.

Never once since Military school had he talked to his parents. All forms of communication had stopped when they'd shiped him off. Duncan and Bowman had got sent with him too, and they as well had broke off any ties they might have had with the Hartford society life.

They had become better friends and better people because of it. It was, in short, a pathetic existance. He was neither rich, nor poor, and his name meant nothing to those that he met. No misjudgements were made about him and he had a great group of people that he called friends who were his employees and neighbors.

During military school, Tristin had taken a liking to cooking. Once he'd graduated, he had made a descision to stay in North Carolina, Duncan and Bowman had stayed along as well. They'd found Beaufort when looking for a place to live, and their first year out had shared a small, three bedroom, one story house.

Now they all lived on their own, Tristin living in a nicely sized white painted two story house with three upstairs bedrooms. One had been made into his study, the other his bedroom, and the third, his small library.

Mary's Diner had been founded by Tristin and was ran by himself, Duncan, and Bowman. Tristin was the boss and cook, Duncan second cook, and Bowman was the co-manager with Tristin.

The name, Mary's Diner, had not been a coincidence. When looking for a name of the diner, Tristin had remembered Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, more commonly known as Rory Gilmore, the girl who had stolen his heart in his Chilton days, and had never given it back. He remembered the nickname he'd given her that had irritated her so, smiled and suggested the name to his friends.

They'd looked at him oddly, but being at a loss for names, had agreed. So the empty building on main street that had once been the local bar became Mary's Diner.

Today, Tristin had been confronted with the owner of that nickname, Mary herself. In other words, the one, the only, Rory Gilmore.

When he'd seen the young twenty year-old walk in, he'd been mesmerized and couldn't figure out why. There'd been a sense of dejavu, and then, when she looked up at him and he'd seen those familar, haunting blue eyes, he'd remembered instantly.

"Mary," he'd breathed.

"Dugrey," she'd breathed.

Then there was an awkward silence. Of all the people tto walk into his diner, she did. This was not what he needed. He'd only gotten over her a few years ago, and now she'd come back into his life. Great.

"Gilmore," he'd said bitterly, "what are you doing here?"

Rory was taken aback by his attitude, and said, "I came here completely by accident. I didn't know you lived in this town. I was looking for a place to live, and decided to stop here."

"What'd you do, play innie minnie miney moe in order to find your new home?" he said, irritated by the fact that she was there. He knew what was going to happen. It was going to be high school all over again.

He'd fall madly in love with her, she would be completely oblivious to it, and then she'd be gone, and he'd never get his chance with her. Their story was always one hundred percent predictible.

"No," she said, ticked off by his behavior towards her, "I didn't. Look, I didn't plan this. I didn't even know you were here. I haven't even thought about you in years. It wasn't on purpose that I came, it just happened."

"It just happened?" Tristin snorted. "Sure it did."

Rory rolled her eyes. "You ever heard of serendepity, Tristin? It's not my fault I stopped here. Gut instinct told me to which means that obviously whatever the hell my destiny is, its going to take place in this town. So blame serendepity Tristin, not me."

He sighed. "Look," he said, "I'm sorry. It's just...out of all the people from my past to come through those doors, you were the one I didn't expect at all. I'm just surprised."

"Your surprised?" she said. "I am, too. I mean, I haven't thought about you once since the Shakespeare thing, and then bam, I walk into a diner and your there, a completely random diner. Speaking of which, what are you doing working at a diner? Shouldn't you be at Princeton or something?"

"Nah," he said, "I'm the black sheep of the family now, I kind of tarnished the Dugrey name and once I got to military school, I never went back. I'm done with Hartford, and Hartford's done with me. Hell, I haven't talked to my Father since the day after he shiped me here to North Carolina."

"That's good you got away from them," she said, "I remember Paris said once that your folks weren't that great."

"Well, they weren't," he said.

"So, now explain the diner, and the coincidental name?" she said.

"The names not coincidental," he said, "your memory popped up when I was thinking about names. As for the diner, its mine. I took up cooking in high school and liked it. Then I moved here with Duncan and Bowman who were shiped off to military school with me, and we opened this place together. They're around here somewhere."

There was a moments silence and they just sat there, staring at each other. Rory smiled and she said, "You did good Dugrey."

"Thanks," he said, smiling back.

Then he grew a little worried. If Rory Gilmore was randomly showing up in the small town of Beaufort then something must be wrong. Shouldn't she have been back home with her Mother, spending the summer with her, having a good time, waiting for the next Harvard school year to start?

"So," he said, "what are you doing in nowheresville U.S.A, Mary?"

"Oh, we so should have started with me," she said reluctance in her voice and Tristin could tell that she didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I understand if you don't want to talk about it."

"Thanks," she said and then after a moments pause, added, "so do you have coffee in this joint?"

Tristin chuckled slightly. Still the same old Mary, he thought. Then he said, "Only the best North Carolina has to offer."

With that, he poured her a cup, and then got back to work.

Sighing, Tristin ran his hands through his hair, and adjusted himself in the big, comfy lazy boy chair. He was tired and weary. By all rights, he should have been in bed right now, but the thought of Rory Gilmore in the same town as him was keeping him up.

That fact would keep any straight male up.

The phone rang and Tristin didn't want to pick it up at all. He wanted to sit there and drown himself in thoughts of Rory Gilmore. But finally he relented and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" he croaked.

"Dugrey man, you sound like crap," Bowman's voice came through the phone.

"Yeah well," he said, "you try getting hit with a ten pound hammer, and you see how it feels."

"Dude," said Bowman, "what the hell are you talking about?"

Tristin sighed. "I'll tell you about it later," he said, "I don't feel like talking about it now."

"Okay," said Bowman, "you had better tell me. Look, I just wanted to tell you I'd be in late tomorrow for work, alright? I've got this thing to go to out of town and it runs late."

"Frat party, in other words?" Tristin said, chuckling. Bowman wasn't even in college and he still got to enjoy the lifestyle.

All the girls their age were all pretty much in college and Bowman knew a lot of girls.

"You know me too well," said Bowman.

Tristin rolled his eyes and then said, "Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow buddy."

"Yeah," said Bowman, "see you tomorrow."

Tristin hung up the phone and shook his head. Sometimes he wondered if he needed a good old fashioned night of stupidity, like so many a night he'd had in his high school days. Common sense stopped him though and sometimes he wondered if he should just say to hell with common sense...

The one thing he knew that he could never go to hell with however was Rory Gilmore...unfortunately.

A/N: Chapter two, as quickly as possible. Thanks so much for reviewing. You guys are awsome.

Thank you to:

Blackrougefillie:Your penname rules. Thank you. I'm glad you like the story.

Poetic Angelica: I'm not really sure where its going, but it will be long, and there will be plenty of troryness.

mochaddicted79: I like going for the original. ;)

piper-h-99: You say the magic words and it happens. I swear the more you put update please, update please, the more sooner I am too. lol.

royaleye: It takes place after the season five season finale. So, a few.

Sum41rocks:Really? That's cool. I was flipping through my copy of A walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks and it takes place there and the way he described it made it sound cool and I needed a place that was in North Carolina. I could have made one up, but I was too tired.

mar0506: Thanks, I thought that would be a great idea, just to put them in an unusual setting.

jmarit17:lol. Thanks, I thought Mary's diner would be cute, considering where the nickname orginated. I couldn't picture putting Tristin in a business firm. On the show, it kind of seemed like he resented that way of life a little bit, so I decided to make it not the typical trory fanfiction where he's running the family business.

beautymarked:Thanks. ;)

Thank you guys. Heres to hoping you'll like chapter two just as much.

Love n' stars,

Cambria