Disclaimer: The CW owns the Gilmore Girls. I barely managed to get it on my TV half the time.

Chilton Wednesday morning

It had been a few days after Tristan had gone to his Grandfather for his reluctantly given advice. Tristan having taken' it to heart had begun to covertly watch her and found it an impossible task to ferret out what that he could help Rory annihilate because she was acting abnormally happy.

He had started to lose hope when the universe decided to throw him a bone and she showed up to school in a particularly black mood. At first the hair stood up on the back of his neck stood up when he saw her walking down the hall with people scrambling to get out of her way and he prayed she wasn't pissed at him for some imagined wrong. When she stalked passed without even sparing Tristan a look, he found that he could breathe again. And started on his and Janlan's plan immediately.

In the morning classes he shared with her he made it a point to sit near Rory when others had edged away hoping she noticed he was giving her his unspoken support and to also act much to everyone's relief as a buffer between her and their peers by taking the brunt of her glares and growls. 'Just don't smack her in the ass.' a voice that sounded a lot like his Grandfather sing-songed in his mind as he followed her from class to class.

His ex-girl friend Summer, who had been away for the past month recuperating from getting butt implants and had been out of the gossip loop, had not liked the fact Tristan was spending his time near Rory Gilmore and paying her no mind. Summer then stupidly planned that if she acted interested in him he'd take her back making her the Queen of Chilton again and leaving little virgin Mary all alone in the big wide world to fend for herself without a second thought. She put her plan into action after most everybody had gone on to lunch, leaving only stragglers in the halls

Rory who had been at the lockers exchanging her books for her next classes before she headed off to lunch, heard the distinct sound of someone being pushed up against them and looked around her locker's open door and saw Summer pressing herself against Tristan trapping him between the lockers and her body and leaning in to kiss him. For the first time that day after her hellish morning she felt her mood slightly lift because of the panicked look on his face, the way he shoved Summer away from himself using just his index fingers and then him bolting for the safety of nearby restroom.

She then watched mildly interested when Louis strode forward to drag Summer off none to gently by her arm and shove the dazed looking girl into the nearest empty classroom. 'Complete moron, and Death wish." was all Rory could make out from the tongue lashing Summer was getting from her friend on the other side of the closed door which she figured was a pretty good concession considering how many people were between her and said closed door with their ears pressed against it listening.

Chilton Prep Lunchroom

A small group of Chiltionites were laying in wait near the doors when Tristan entered the surprisingly hushed cafeteria. After spotting him the group huddled together and had a few seconds of murmuring amongst themselves. Suddenly Paris who he hadn't spotted amongst them because of their tight grouping was shoved out of the mass and stumbled in Tristan's direction because of the strength in which she'd been
forcibly expelled with and shot an annoyed look over her shoulder at the unapologetic looking group. He opened his mouth to ask her what was going on but she cut him off getting right to the point. She pointed at a table with a lone occupant. "Fix whatever the hell you screwed up with your girlfriend." she ordered "She's scaring the natives on a massive scale...It's making me jealous."

Tristan realized that this could be an early chance at redemption about the Summer incident. Sure he had shoved Summer away before her unnaturally large lips had touched his, he had then gone quickly into the nearest bathroom and had gargled anyway just to be safe but the damage had been done. Rory had seen Summer touching him and he worried she had might believe he'd been cheating on her. He wanted to clear the sir between them and do it fast but he wasn't stupid.

"I'll need two things. A protective cup and a large mug of coffee." Tristan told the group firmly not willing to budge on either one. His future ability to procreate and with whom depended on it. Ten minutes he found himself properly outfitted and ready to make his way to her table. Placing the coffee down in front of her and quickly making his way to the far side of the table he became aware that every eye in the room was on them.

It didn't seem to bother her because she didn't even bothering to look up from her book when she reach out grabbed the coffee and took a large swig from the steaming mug. He expected cries of "Hot! Hot!" and "I tink I bunned ny thung!" but got nothing. After taking and immediate second and third drink from his offering she set the mug down before looking up at him. She still looked mad but had a more approachable vibe about her.

"Are you alright?" He asked automatically and sat down taking the chance she wouldn't lunge across the table and beat him mercilessly with her book.

"Just so you know I made Mr. Medina cry when he asked that twenty minutes ago. And I am more then willing to give you the same treatment." she warned.

"But I brought you coffee." Tristan defended himself pointing at the mug.

"And that is why you aren't a Eunuch. Yet." she informed him in what that reminded strongly him of Paris'
'You-should-have-known-that-already-but-didn't-because-you-are-an-idiot' tone.

"Oh. uh, Well I'm sorry about what you saw happen with me and Summer." he apologized nervously, fighting the urge to look away not wanting to see a look of disgust in her eyes when she looked at him.

"Why?" she asked surprising him her eyes disgust free.

"Why?" he asked confused.

"Yes, why are you apologizing for that? To tell you the truth your running from Summer like she'd just told you she was contagious with something, made my morning." she answered, her body language telling him she was annoyed that he'd just wasted ten seconds of her time.

"Ok, so just to be clear, we're good, even though you saw that me and that Summer thing?" he asked hopefully, not really believing that it was going to be that easy.

"As good as we ever were." Rory shrugged and turned her attention back to her book.

'Damn it! And just why isn't she jealous of Summer being all up on us?' his ego ranted. Aloud he decided to just let it go and asked her about what had her so mad all morning hoping she'd tell him since Summer didn't look to be an issue with them but had been a good excuse to use as a reason for him being there.

"Nothing you need to worry about." she waved him off and turning another page of her book.

"But maybe I can help," he argued, "Was what happened last Friday night?" he probed thinking that that might be a place to start.

Now that caught her attention fast and she turned her narrow eyed gaze at him, "No, it wasn't about Friday night." she answered slowly, "Besides how do you know about that? I had figured she'd have kept that quiet."

"I don't know what THAT is. I also don't know who the SHE is for sure. I just know some woman was yelling your name and screaming that it was all somebody named Richard's fault. It went on for a good half hour. Everybody in the neighborhood heard it."

"Really? A half hour?" Rory asked him, fighting with herself not to grin and tried to hold onto her last shreds of her anger because otherwise she would have to ask Tristan for his help. Because if she got happy she would have to plan dickweed's downfall instead of doing it the 'Breaking Knee Caps Way' like she had wanted to. "Why couldn't I have been raised by wolves or a psychopath? Bet they don't get amused by this kind of stuff." she complained under her breath.

"Yeah, the neighborhood's talking about it. I've heard our maids talking about how it might have even been your grandmother. But nobody knows for sure." he explained and watched amazed as her mood shifted faster then a lightning strike and she collapsed into laughter. At the sound of her first snort, conversations started up all over the lunchroom. Some where about Rory and what might have had pissed her off all morning, it being his fault was the most popular opinion and others were about how they had thought Summer would have had a better sense of self preservation considering her future as a rich man's mistress.

Fumbling her cell phone out of her denim purse, Roy managed to get across to him to call the second number on her contacts list, ask for a Lorelai Gilmore and tell her exactly what he had just told Rory.

Two minutes after that Tristan found himself holding her phone away from his still ringing ear and musing that she and her mother had the same laugh.