Paris and Rory had opted for a casual night out at one of their favorite pubs in the neighborhood. They walked in and Rory smiled at the memories of time spent in a similar establishment in college. They chose a quiet corner booth in order to avoid being disturbed as much as possible and quickly began catching up after they'd ordered food and drinks.

"Alright, Gilmore. It's just the two of us now, so spill," Paris demanded.

"Spill what?" Rory laughed.

"You have that look on your face and I can tell that you're dying to tell me what's going on, so out with it."

"You're right, there is a lot to tell," Rory admitted. "I don't even know where to start," Rory said hesitantly.

"Try the beginning," Paris deadpanned.

"Alright, I guess the beginning is the Chilton reunion. I actually ran into someone there and we kind of...reconnected." Rory wasn't sure how Paris would take the news of what had been going on between her and Tristan. He had been a definite bone of contention between them in high school, and she could only hope that Paris wouldn't react poorly to the news.

"That's vague," Paris huffed.

"It's Tristan, Paris," Rory admitted quietly. "He was there and we started talking, and we've been hanging out since then."

"It's about damn time, Rory," Paris barked.

"I'm sorry, what?" Rory asked in confusion.

"That man has been in love with you for fifteen years. You guys weren't ready for each other then, but maybe you could be now."

"Wow...I'm a little surprised. I was afraid you would be upset," Rory said in relief.

"Not upset, Gilmore. Tristan and I have kept in touch since we ran into each other at Harvard. He was there for law school while I was there for med school."

"I had no idea you guys were in contact still. You never said anything," Rory replied.

"Well, like I said, you guys weren't ready for each other, and I wanted to try to prevent one of you leaving a path of destruction in the other's life."

"But now we might be?" Rory asked.

"You tell me. Are you ready to take control of your life and cut Tristan 2.0 loose?"

Rory almost spit her drink across the table.

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Tristan 2.0. It's obvious that Tristan was the original rich, blonde pretty boy in your life, and Logan was your do-over because you'd never given Tristan a chance. Have you gotten him out of your system yet?"

Leave it to Paris not to pull any punches.

"Yeah, I'm finished with him. Tristan's actually helped me to make a lot of changes in my life, and I'm feeling more like the old Rory every day."

"That's good. What kind of changes?" Paris asked.

"Well, he and I have started running together to help me clear my head and deal with stress. I thought I would hate it, but I've started looking forward to it," Rory chuckled. "Then I have this job interview, which hopefully turns into something. And he helped me see that I deserve better than Logan; that I should never be anyone's second choice."

"He's right, you know. You and Logan had a good run in college, but the time for that is long in the past. He's not what you need now."

"I know, and I realize that. Like I said, I called him and broke it off. We're completely finished."

"So, are you ready to give Tristan a chance? He deserves it, Rory. He's matured into a good man. He would treat you well," Paris said.

"I want to be," Rory admitted hesitantly. "It's just...I don't know. I think maybe my mom's getting to me. I said something to her about him, and it's like she totally took all of her anger toward Logan out on Tristan."

"Do you want my opinion?" Paris asked.

"Of course," Rory confirmed.

"Lorelai has never been okay with you being part of society, even though she's the one who initially pushed you in that direction when she put you in Chilton. When it comes to society, you need to make your own choices. Yes, the Dugreys are Hartford society, but they're a good family. You need to make the decision for yourself, Rory. But I will say that Tristan would do anything for you, and I think you'd be a damn fool not to jump in with both feet. He's not going to hurt you."

"Thank you, Paris. I needed that strong shot of reality," Rory said gratefully.

Dinner had continued with much lighter conversation, and before Rory knew it she was turning off the light to get some sleep. She drifted off to sleep easily, but soon her sleep was overtaken by the same nightmare she'd been having, but suddenly both Logan and Tristan were there with her. She was looking back and forth between both men when she suddenly heard her grandfather's voice, just as she'd remembered it. "The young Mr. Dugrey is a fine young man, Rory. He's honest and trustworthy. Perhaps it's time to let go of what's in the past and move toward your future."

Rory sat up in bed, her heart beating rapidly. She reached up and touched her cheeks only to realize that she wasn't crying or upset this time. In fact, she felt at peace. She reached over to her phone and dialed quickly.

"Hey, Mare. I miss you being here. Was it the dream again?" Tristan asked after answering on the first ring.

"It was the dream again," Rory admitted.

"You're not crying, though?" Tristan asked in confusion.

"I'm not," Rory said with a smile.

"Are you okay?"

"I really am. I know what to do now," she whispered cryptically.

"And what's that?"

"I'd rather tell you in person, but I promised I would call you if I had the dream again, so that's what I did."

"Well, I'm glad you called," Tristan chuckled.

"Hey, Tris? What time are you going to the office tomorrow morning?"

"I'll be in by 9:00," Tristan replied uncertainly.

"Okay, well I'll tell you all about it when I see you."

"Sounds good, Mare."

"And Tris?"

"Hmm?" he answered sleepily.

"I might miss you, too," she said before hanging up with a smile on her face.

She snuggled back into the covers and easily slept the rest of the night feeling more peaceful than she'd felt in a long time. She woke early the next morning, anxious to get on the road, and met Paris in the kitchen as she was about to leave for work.

"You're up before 7 AM, Gilmore. Everything okay?" Paris asked.

"Everything is better than okay," Rory confirmed. "I had that dream again last night, but this time Logan and Tristan were there, too. I heard my grandpa's voice telling me that Tristan was a good man and that it was time to move on."

"So?" Paris asked expectantly.

"I'm going to go for it, Paris. You're right; the dream is right. I just...I know in my heart that it's the right thing to do. He'll be good to me, and for me. I'm ready for him now," Rory beamed.

"Is that why you're up so early?" Paris asked.

"Yep."

"Well, go get your guy, Gilmore. Let me know how it's going. I expect to be in the wedding," Paris said with a laugh as Rory grabbed her things and walked out the door with a broad smile.

She put her belongings in her car next to the boxes that Doyle had loaded for her the previous day and steered her car back toward Hartford. Her mind was whirling with the upcoming conversation that she was planning to have with Tristan. Even though she was fairly certain that she knew how he would react, she couldn't help but still be a bit nervous. She couldn't help but laugh out loud as one of her favorite songs came on the station she was listening to, and she sang along to the lyrics.

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you

Yes, there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you

I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down, I wanna come too

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you

No one understands me quite like you do

Through all of the shadowy corners of me

I never knew just what it was

About this old coffee shop I love so much

All of the while I never knew

I never knew just what it was

About this old coffee shop I love so much

All of the while I never knew

I think that possibly, maybe I'm falling for you

Yes, there's a chance that I've fallen quite hard over you

I've seen the waters that make your eyes shine, now I'm shining too

Because, oh, because I've fallen quite hard over over you

Now that she could see things more clearly, she could admit that she'd been falling for Tristan since the second she saw him at the Chilton reunion. She just was so mired down in all of the crap that she was going through that she couldn't see it then, but now that she'd done some hard work and made some changes over the last few weeks she could see the writing on the wall. Talking to Paris about her mom's concerns had also helped; she needed to expect that her mom wouldn't be okay with her moving toward society, but that wasn't Lorelai's choice to make.

She was antsy for most of the trip, just wanting to hurry up and see Tristan and say what she needed to say. She silently thanked her grandpa for his words in the dream the previous night as she parked her car near Tristan's office and walked into the deli next door. She grabbed two cups of coffee and took a deep breath. It was time.

She walked into the offices of McCrae & Associates and smiled at the receptionist.

"Is Mr. Dugrey in?" Rory asked sweetly.

"He is, may I tell him your name?" the receptionist asked.

"Rory Gilmore."

"One moment, Miss Gilmore."

Just before the receptionist picked up the phone Colin walked through the lobby.

"Hey, Reporter Girl. You here to see Tristan?"

"I am," Rory confirmed with a smile.

"Come on, I'll show you his office." He then turned his attention to the receptionist. "I'm sure Mr. Dugrey would tell you that Miss Gilmore is welcome in his office anytime, so feel free to send her straight through next time."

"Yes, sir, Mr. McCrae," the receptionist confirmed.

"So, I heard from Logan after your phone call the other day. It's really over?" Colin asked as they walked through the large office building.

"It's really over," Rory affirmed.

"That's good, Rory. I know he's my friend, but you deserve better."

"I've heard that from a few people recently," Rory admitted with a chuckle.

"And speaking of better…" Colin trailed off as he stopped in front of Tristan's door and knocked. Rory just shook her head and laughed. Apparently the world was conspiring to help her see that Tristan was the man for her.

"Come in," Tristan called.

"And this is where I leave you. Have fun," Colin replied with a wink before walking away.

Rory gave herself one last silent pep talk and pushed Tristan's door open, earning a broad smile from him when he saw her.

"Hey, Mare. I didn't expect to see you quite this early in the day," he said happily.

"Well, I thought you might need coffee," she joked, holding out a cup and shutting the door behind her. The thought of a possible audience during this conversation made her nervous, so she didn't want to take any chances.

"I'll never turn down coffee if it's delivered by you," he chuckled. "Are you okay this morning? Did you go back to sleep alright after the dream?"

"I did," Rory replied.

"So, what do you know to do now?" Tristan asked, recalling their conversation in the middle of the night.

"In my dream...you and Logan were there with me," Rory began, watching his face carefully for any reaction. "And then I heard my grandpa's voice telling me what a good man you are, and that it's time for me to move on."

"And?" Tristan asked expectantly.

"And I'm ready to move on, Tristan. I realized that I've been falling for you since the minute I saw you at the reunion last month. I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine. I want to see what we can be together," Rory answered.

"You're serious?" Tristan asked with a huge smile on his face.

"I'm serious!" Rory said excitedly. "I want you to be my Luke," she then whispered. Fortunately, Tristan knew enough about her life to know what she meant by that.

"God, Mare, I've been waiting fifteen years to hear those words come from you," Tristan beamed.

"Well, you just heard them. What are you gonna do about it now, Bible Boy?" Rory flirted.

"I'm going to kiss my girlfriend."

Tristan pulled her flush against his body, relishing the feel of having her in his arms.

"Girlfriend, huh?" Rory giggled.

"Hey, I'm not stupid. I'm going to make damn sure that there are strings," Tristan chuckled.

"Shut up and kiss me, boyfriend."

"What the girlfriend wants, the girlfriend gets."

Tristan lowered his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly at first, deepening the kiss as he felt her respond. He had dreamed of this moment for over half of his life, and now that he was living the moment he found it to be even better than he'd dreamed. He groaned when she finally pulled away.

"We're in your office," she blushed.

"And the door's closed," he countered.

"Still, someone could walk in," she protested.

"I could lock the door."

"Or we could just continue this at your house after you get off work," she offered.

"Screw that. I worked all day yesterday after you left; I can take today off."

He moved toward his briefcase and Rory grabbed him.

"You can't be serious!" she giggled.

"I'm quite serious. Come on, Mare. Let's get out of here."

Tristan took her hand and locked his office behind him. He led her to a nearby office and knocked on the door.

"Hey, Colin," he began as they stepped through the door and into Colin's office. "I'm going to take the day off and spend some time with my gorgeous girlfriend."

"Girlfriend, huh? That's new," Colin said with a smile.

"Very," Tristan chuckled. "I worked from home yesterday, so I'm ready for court tomorrow. Call me if you need anything."

"You've got it, man. You two lovebirds have fun," Colin smirked.

Tristan and Rory walked out of the office and quickly realized that they both had their cars.

"I guess I'll have to let you go for the ten minute drive home," Tristan pouted.

"It would appear that way," Rory agreed.

"Damn. Guy can't catch a break," Tristan pouted.

"Aw, it's okay, baby. I'll make it all better."

Rory reached up on her tiptoes and kissed Tristan, leaving him breathless when she moved away from him.

"We'll finish that when we get to your place. In your car, mister!" she teased.

"Yes, ma'am," Tristan replied with a huge smile. He helped her into her car and quickly moved to his so he could follow her home. He couldn't quit grinning on the way home. He finally had the woman of his dreams. He was shaken out of his thoughts by the ringing of his phone. He laughed as he saw the name on the caller ID and pushed the connect button.

"Paris," he greeted warmly.

"Dugrey. I take it our girl has probably already arrived and talked to you?"

"She has."

"Good. Was the outcome what you'd hoped?

"It was, Paris. In fact, I took the day off so I can go spend time with my girlfriend. I may never get tired of calling her that," Tristan admitted.

"Save it; you're starting to sound like a giddy school girl. As happy as I am for you both, I'm actually calling to warn you that I will come after you with all of the resources at my disposal if you hurt her. I know that you love her, but I still feel it necessary to threaten you."

"I'm not going to do anything to screw it up, Gellar. I've been waiting way too long for this; I will make damn sure that she's the happiest woman in the world."

"Good, she deserves it," Paris replied, her voice softening.

"I know she does; I've been telling her that myself for the last few weeks."

"Well, don't have too much fun today," Paris said with a laugh.

"I'll see what I can do," Tristan chuckled. "We'll talk to you later, Paris."

Lyrics to song belong to Landon Pigg's "Falling In Love In a Coffee Shop"