Thanks to the people who reviewed.

Curley-Q: About the initials I didn't even realized that until you pointed it out. But I wanted to thank you because it gave me a small idea.

Also thanks to my beta,curlyk03

Chapter 2: Late Night Talk

"What do want to know?" Rory asked

"I don't know. Something, anything, everything…" Ella whispered back afraid to break the silence that had come between them.

Both Lorelai's sat in the quiet of the night as Ella waited for her mom to break the silence.

"Ok, I'll tell you everything," Rory took a deep breath before continuing. "I had met him in my sophomore year when I transferred to Chilton. He would constantly hit on me calling me Mary-"

"Like the Virgin Mary?" Ella questioned with slight laughter in her voice.

"Yes, like the Virgin Mary," Rory answered then continued with her story. "He was a player, the King of Chilton people called him. He was cocky but I guess you could argue that he had a reason because most of the girls would fall at his feet and swoon when they saw him. He looked like an Abercrombie and Fitch model crossed with a Roman god…" Rory trailed off and got a far off look in her eyes.

"Ok mom, as hot as he might be, stop trying to undress him in your head. I can't believe I just said that about my father." Ella finished in a disgusted tone

"As I was saying, and I was not undressing him, I hated him-"

Ella cut her off, "Then why did you sleep with him?"

"If you quit interrupting maybe I would get to that part." Rory gave her daughter a look telling her silently that if she continues to interrupt than she won't keep telling Ella about her father.

Ella, understanding, made a show of zipping her mouth shut, locking it and throwing the key away.

"Funny," Rory said dryly, "Anyway in high school, I did hate him. He teased and annoyed me to no end. By the time our junior year came around, we had a tentative friendship." Rory paused a moment than continued, "We were doing this Romeo and Juliet project where we had to reenact the death scene. Of course he was Romeo and I was Juliet. So the day of the play we were about to go on stage and no one could find him. I remember Paris going crazy trying to hunt him down.

"When he finally walked into school he seemed a little upset and he told us that his father was pulling him out of school. I asked why and he said he had gotten into trouble and the police were letting their parents handle it, which for him meant going to military school in North Carolina. His father called for him and he kissed me good-bye and whispered 'good-bye Mary'."

"Wait!" Ella than interrupted, "That doesn't fit the time line, if that was the last time you saw him-"

"I never said that was the last time I saw him. And didn't I say something about interrupting me?"

"Sorry," Ella muttered

"I wanted you to understand the kind of relationship I had with him in high school. The very last time I had seen him was the summer before I went to Yale after I got back from Europe..."

Flashback

Rory looked around her grandparent's house and sighed. She hated that she was shanghaied into going to this party by her grandma. She had been there for a little over an hour and was bored out of her mind. Between having small talk with the people around her and being pushed into talking to every guy her grandmother claimed "would be perfect for her" she wasn't sure which was worse.

"Rory?" She heard her name being called behind her. She turned around and saw him. He looked almost the same as when she last saw him over a year ago, but his hair was shorter and he had a slightly mature air around him. She was also pretty sure that under the suite he was wearing, were very defined muscles that expanded over his body. But one thing that hadn't changed was his icy blue eyes that sent tremors down her spine.

She whispered his name than asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh you know my parents dragged me here because it's my last night in Connecticut before I head off to college." He replied

"That must suck, I was guilt tripped into coming here tonight also since I went to Europe this summer and apparently they haven't seen me since graduation." Rory stopped when she realized that she started to ramble.

He laughed, "Ya, I get what you mean I think that the line my mother used was, 'we let you go to the school you wanted to.'"

Rory chuckles to and asks, "So where are you going to college then if you got to choose?"

"United States Naval Academy," He answered with pride.

"Where's that?"

"Annapolis, Maryland."

"So, you liked Military school than?" Rory questioned in confusion. All she knew about it was what she had seen on TV or in movies, and that wasn't anything she could see him liking.

"Hell no! It was hard, I mean the classes were easy compared to Chilton but the discipline and no one caring what your last name was or who you are, that was the hardest. But enough about me, where are you headed?" He quickly changed the subject deciding he said more than he intended

"Yale, I leave next week." She answers seeing the way he had changed the subject.

"Really? I was sure you had your heart set on Harvard."

"I did, but Yale became Harvard. It had all the classes I wanted and as a huge added bonus it's close to home," Rory said, rambling off her reasons.

"This is out of the blue, but would you like to get coffee and we could catch up a little, leave this boring party?"

"Sure" Rory responds automatically wanting to spend more time with him. She shakes her head not knowing where those thoughts came from. Shaking it off, she smiles up at him.

----Footsteps----

They were sitting down with coffees in front of them at a small table in a local café in Hartford about 15 minutes away the Gilmore's house party.

They had been there for over two hours talking about his time at military school and the trip Rory had with her mother in Europe. He told her that he started hang around with Duncan and Bowman because he was having family issues. Her saying that she hated him was just the icing on the cake. After she apologized and told him that she hadn't meant it, they slipped into an uncomfortable silence. They both sat in the silence sipping their coffees when the both started to speak at once.

"Why did you-"

"How was-"

It was then that they both started to laugh and the tension and slight awkwardness that had settled around them had disappeared.

"You go first," Rory had said to him and motioned him to continue his question.

"I was going to ask how Chilton was after I left."

"It was good, I guess you could say. I mean as good as hell can be." He chuckled at her choice of words, "Paris and I had a truce, well kind of but the hate was gone and it became a subtle dislike. We became friends last year after something had happened. It got easier, well not academically, but you get what I mean. I did miss someone leaning up against the locker next to mine and bugging me." Rory finished with a small smile.

"Really?" He questioned and Rory could see in his eyes that he was surprised and had a slight glint of happiness in them.

"Ya, I did," Rory answered him in a shy voice as a reddish tint made its way to her face. She dropped her head to avoid his gaze.

"I missed you too…Mary." He smirked as he said the nickname and her eyes shot up to his and smiled at him.

They were caught in a stare until a middle aged waitress came up to them and cleared her throat, "I hate to ask you two kids to leave but we need to close up." The girl and boy looked around and saw that the café was completely empty and the chairs were now set up on the tables.

After thanking and saying goodbye to the waitress, they walked out to Rory's car and drove off in comfortable silence. The only words exchanged were directions to his apartment.

When Rory stopped in front of his apartment building, "So…" Rory started as she turned off the car.

"Do you want to come up? I mean to finish our coffee time." He rushed out wanting to spend more time with her.

Rory looks at him for a moment and knowing that she doesn't want the night to end, agrees.

When they get into his apartment Rory follows him into the kitchen, leans up against the counter, and watches him make the coffee. Thinking how just over a year ago, she could barley stand to talk to him and now she felt butterflies in her stomach as she watched him move to grab two coffee mugs on the other side of her. He had lost his tie and suit jacket at the door of his apartment. His dress sleeves had been rolled up and the top two buttons on his shirt were undone. As he moved around, she could see his now untucked shirt moving behind him. She had been right, he was gorgeous and she had a hard time pulling her eyes away from him. It wasn't just a physical attraction but something much deeper than what she recognized.

He catches her openly staring at him and she blushes and looks down, he sets the coffee cups down and stands right in front of her. "Mary…" he whispers

She looks up at him, their faces inches apart he slowly brought his head and kisses her softly. Then more passion came with each kiss as Rory wrapped her arms around his neck and he snaked his around her waist to pull her closer. When they pulled apart their breathing was heavy and their foreheads rested together.

"Bedroom," Was all Rory whispered

He looked at her in the eyes, "Are you sure?" She gave a smile nod. "I wasn't expecting this to happen when I invited you up here."

"I know you didn't, but I want this," She answered back

He just nodded his head and pulled her into his room and shut the door, the coffee forgotten.

End Flashback

"And one thing lead to another and now you're here" Rory finished as she looked at her daughter with a tiny smile on her face.

"I really don't know what to say, I mean why don't, I know him if his family was friend with the Gilmores then… I don't get it!" Ella said in confusion and exasperation.

"What you have to understand is that he wanted to get out of this life he disliked everyone in his family except his grandfather and his way out was through military school and the Navel Academy, that was how he explained it to me, it was something that he did by himself with no help form anyone in his family or the connection they had. From what I know he hasn't been back to Hartford since he left for college, and I had no way of contacting him after he left."

"Why didn't you have an address or cell phone number before he left?"

"He wasn't there in the morning."

"What?" Ella cried slightly disgusted

"It's not what you're thinking," Rory reassured her daughter.

Flashback

Rory opened her eyes with the light shining in them when she turned over to escape the sun she saw the color of the sheets were a dark blue rather then her white ones. She shot up in bed nervous at where she could be and the memories of the night before flooded her thoughts. Rory looked over at the other side of the bed and did not see the male companion she had fell asleep next to but a note and breakfast. She gingerly pick up the note and read it.

My Mary,

I am so sorry that I couldn't be there when you woke up and I didn't want to wake you. I had to leave early for school. I hope you don't regret last night because I don't. Feel free to stay as long as you like and I hope your breakfast and coffee are still warm. I will miss you Rory so much.

Love, T

Rory smiled a sad smile with tears in her eyes she wished that she was able to see him one more time. She brought the plate of food over to her and picked at the pancakes thinking that she no didn't regret it either.

End Flashback

As Rory finished her story Ella looked at her mom, "You loved him too, didn't you?" She asked

Rory look at her daughter and answered, "Ya, I did."

They both sat in silence listening to the tick-tock of the clock before Ella whispered, "You never told me his name."

"What?" Rory looked at Ella not have heard what she said.

"You never told me his name." She repeated

"Tristan, Tristan DuGrey."

Please review and thanks for reading

Nikki