"I smell coffee," Lorelai grinned from ear to ear, "Is that my only special awesome coffee of the day?"

She crawled out of bed and crept down the stairs. She knew she had to limit her coffee intake to a cup of day, and she had made a deal that she would switch to decaf after her first trimester. But she didn't have to start that fake coffee yet. She smelled the sweet smell of perfect Luke's coffee waft throughout the house.

She stopped when she saw that there was a full pot of coffee brewing.

"Are you trying to kill me Luke? I can't handle temptation. A whole pot there, and only a cup for me. I'm like a Pooh bear in need of honey."

Luke pored her a special cup of coffee, all the more special because he brewed and poured it specially in the cup she stole from the diner. Even though, he was owner of the diner and she was his wife, and it was technically their diner. But it was her bootie, her treasure trove of swag.

"We have company coming," Luke answered and settled at the kitchen table nursing his cup of green jasmine tea.

"Oh surprises. Not good for the baby, you have to tell me now. No choice. Fetus vetoes all."

"This surprise, I think you'll want to wait for."

"Is it a pony? If I have to wait, it better be a pony, or a Camaro."

Rory was on her way, and it was Luke and Lorelai's shared day off from work. Luke and Lorelai had spent years trying to come up with a perfect shared day off of work that worked for them and Sookie and Jackson. Sookie had Saturday off with Jackson, and Luke and Lorelai had perfect Sundays.

"The surprise should be here in under an hour," Luke picked up the paper and started to read about Taylor's bid for a nomination for Mayor, and subsequent failure. He couldn't help but chuckle that Taylor had lost to Kirk. Although he wasn't sure how he felt about a world where Kirk was running for Mayor of Stars Hollow. He hoped that Mrs. Kim reconsidered the nomination from Lane, and the entire Korean Christian hub of Stars Hollow.

That woman was scary, but she got stuff done.

"Is it an hour yet?" Lorelai asked, holding her empty cup of coffee. She poured some hot water in with some mint tea, "I'm thinking if I don't wash the cup, it will still taste like coffee."

"Good luck with that,"

"We could always go upstairs and make another baby before the surprise comes," she said coyly.

"You do know it doesn't work that way," Luke asked.

Lorelai glared, "We can at least make out before the surprise get's here,"

He glanced at the clock. He could chance it. If he didn't have time to kiss his wife, what kind of husband would be be.

Rory, meanwhile, was stuck in traffic, in Hartford. Traffic on a Sunday. What was the world coming to. She was stuck in Hartford, right in front of Chilton. She was being haunted in her car that once was top of the line, and now was merely adequate.

"Move cars, move," she yelled out in front of her.

It was as if, in that moment, her high school was trying to mock her. Look at me, I'm a lofty education that gave everyone but you a lofty future.

"Enough of this," she gave up. She had been driving for hours. She thought it would very beat poet of her to drive, but now she just wished she had taken a flight.

She found an open parking spot in front of the Chilton, and decided she would wait the traffic out. She spotted a coffee shop across the street. The Bean. It was kismet.

It was a warm spring day, and she grabbed her large over sized sunglasses and hid behind them. The last thing she needed was to be recognized and asked a million question from someone from Chilton or her D.A.R days. She crossed the street with one thing on her mind: coffee, coffee, coffee.

When she reached the counter she could only articulate her mantra, "Coffee please,"

"What kind?" asked the barista.

"Coffee," she answered, "The black kind that can make my eyes open even when they protest. Straight, no frou frou soy or half caf, just black coffee. Pronto."

The barista rolled his eyes and poured her a tall dark handsome cup. She paid the man, but didn't tip because of the eye roll. If she came back for a second cup, which she certainly would, she would likely sweeten up. Gilmore charm came after the second cup, especially when the Gilmore wasn't sixteen anymore. Charm wasn't as easy anymore. She pulled her glasses over her head like a headband.

"Mary," a voice said behind her.

She turned around and it was high school all over again, and she had just been hit by a deer.

"Tristan. Tristan Dugray," she deadpanned.

She hadn't expected to see him here. Didn't Paris mention that he was working close to Janlan and his Uncles out in New York. He was all tall, and boyishly handsome. He hadn't changed much, he still looked like trouble with a wink and a smile. But he was stubbly. She had to admit herself attracted. But he was Tristan. Like her mother said, just because you're attracted to pie, didn't mean you date pie. But he was tempting pie, likely because she hadn't had any dessert in a long time.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. Paris mentioned you were in Washington D.C, going the Woodward and Bernstein route. Nose to the perpetual grindstone,"

"I'm taking some time off to spend some time with family," she answered.

"I've taken over the Hartford branch, as a senior partner. It's been pretty hush hush, but it's official now. Been a few months now."

"Congratulations," she said, "I'm just in town on the way to Stars Hollow, trying to wait out the traffic hour... on a Sunday,"

"There has been construction on the highway. Slows thing down. I'm here meeting a friend for a morning coffee," he smiled, "some people have a running buddy, I have a coffee buddy. And there he his now,"

Rory turned around and she almost spilled her coffee all over herself. There in front of here was Jess Mariano.

She barely heard Tristan say that she was welcome to join them. What was around door number two? Was Logan hiding in the washroom? Was Dean coming out of the kitchen? Had weird Marty hid under the table?

"Rory?" Jess exclaimed, and came over and pulled her into a hug.

She hadn't seen him since the wedding, and even then it was a quick visit. She spent most of the time helping Sookie and her mom, or her grandparents. He had tried to get a moment in with her, but she had avoided him most of the night. She didn't know what to say with him anymore. They were sort of family now, did that make him off limits. Whatever attraction she had thought she had felt for Tristan, seemed to pale in comparison to Jess. He made her whole body react. She leaned into the hug, he still smelled like home. Rory backed away quickly.

"I have to go. Don't tell my Mom yet, it's a surprise. Tristan great seeing you," she said and almost tripped out the door.

It wasn't graceful, but anyone who could survive two run ins with the past within five minutes deserved some understanding. She leaned against her car, and texted Luke that she was in traffic. Even though her heart was beating, she didn't have time to go back home only to play ghosts of boys past.