Sorry I took so long to get this part up. I personally, hate waiting for slow authors. (Like me!) But my teachers are being extremely evil with the homework loads. By the way, I still own none of this.

Oh, and all those who are waiting for Tristan, please be patient. This is a TRORY fic.eventually. : )

~

"Hey" Rory exclaimed, as she jumped into the warm jeep.

"Hey" her mother distractedly replied.

"Off to Grandmother's house we go!"

Hmmm, yes.how was the research?"

"Good, I think I'll be able to get it all done and still have plenty of time to enjoy this wonderous holiday."

Lorelei gave her daughter a skeptical look; "You're in an exceptionally good mood for someone heading to her grandparents' home, especially your grandparents. Why is this?"

Rory smiled, "I don't know. I guess I'm just glad to get this project done."

Another "Hmmm" was Lorelei's only response.

Rory turned to her mother, "Speaking of weird behavior.you seem awfully distracted." Lorelei didn't respond. Rory decided to press on. "Is there a reason for this?"

"We have no hot water."

"What?"

"The hot water heater is broken."

"How did that happen? I was under the impression things like water heaters don't just break."

Lorelei shrugged from behind the wheel. "I don't know. In reality, I was under the same impression as you."

Rory leaned back into her seat and crossed her arms. "Hmmm, this is troubling."

Lorelei was getting enthusiastic about their conversation. "I know! I even spoke to Luke."

"And?"

"He needs help fixing it! How outrageous is that?" Lorelei swung her arm violently through the air. Her daughter, however, maintained a higher degree of calm.

"Wouldn't that job fall into Jesse's hands?"

"He got out of it. The slimy little snake!"

"How did he manage that? Luke wouldn't let a.umm.snake past him."

"Apparently he'd already left to spend vacation with his mother." Lorelei sounded indignant.

"So this puts a delay in your plan to have warm water."

"A small one, but I've been thinking."

"O good, but possibly dangerous, thing for you to do."

Lorelei gave no response to her daughter's comment, but instead explained the results of her thinking. "There is a certain, young, brown- haired boy who would do whatever you asked."

Rory smiled, "I can ask Dean tomorrow, at the big dinner."

"Ohhh, the big dinner. A smile spread across Lorelei's face, and then quickly vanished. "Wait, tomorrow? I want hot water today! Think about it! Cold showers! No Coffee! That is unless we want to boil water like the old pilgrims.not fun!"

"Did the pilgrims have coffee?" Lorelei didn't answer, but instead looked at her parents' huge mansion they were now parked next to.

Rory got out of the car. "Access to warm water has never stopped us from going to Luke's for coffee before. Now without the hot water we actually have an excuse to make the journey."

Lorelei got out of the jeep, "But what about the showers?!"

"We'll just have to rough it." Rory rang the doorbell. Then gave an optimistic smile, "Just think, cold showers could even wake us up better than coffee." As Lorelei moaned her response, the door opened.

"Oh God, Lorelei, no person wants to hear that from you. Especially when you are a guest in their house."

Lorelei's eyes rolled skyward. "Sorry Mom."

This seemed to satisfy Emily Gilmore, despite the eye rolling. "Now get in here, it's positively cold out. Let Cecilia take your coats."

"Hello Cecilia." Rory handing her coat to the latest maid.

The plump woman took the coat with a smile. "My name is Anna Miss Gilmore."

~

The four Gilmores now surrounded the dining room table.

Rory was uncomfortable. The silence was that of people who couldn't think of anything to say to each other. It was worsened by the fact that the only sound was that of Lorelei's fork scraping her plate as she pushed her unwanted lamb around it. Miraculously, Emily Gilmore ignored this and instead directed a question at her granddaughter. "So, how are you and that boy, Dean, doing?"

Rory smiled at the mention of Dean, "Good, we haven't broken up in months."

Emily looked down at her plate, "Maybe that wouldn't have to be a concern if you could see one of your role models in a healthy relationship."

Lorelei's head shot up and she was immediately defensive. She loudly placed her fork on the table. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Emily gave a very good blank stare. "Nothing, I'm just saying-"

"You're implying I don't set a good relationship example for Rory."

The blank stare was still in place, "Why, yes, I suppose I am." Lorelei tried to stop it, but her hurt showed on her expression. Emily attempted to explain, "Well, Lorele,i I'm just saying, you and Max broke up- "

Lorelei raised her hand to the standard stop position. "No, Mom, don't say anything."

"Alright." Emily looked back down to her plate and resumed eating dinner. Neither Rory nor her grandfather spoke. The silence was, yet again, awkward.

Lorelei, however, didn't notice, Rory judged by the constantly changing facial expressions, that Lorelei was having some type of internal battle. Rory was about to ask her mom if she was all right, when Lorelei excused herself.

"I'll be right back."

"Where are you-" Rory didn't bother to finish the question, her mother was already out of the room.

Suffice to say, the rest of dinner was a silent occasion, even after Lorelei had returned to her seat, seemingly under control again.

~

"What was that about?"

"What was what about?"

"Rory 'humphed,' her mother was going to play dumb. "The whole "I'll be right back" thing."

Rory and Lorelei were back in the Jeep, soon to be leaving Hartford for Stars Hallow.

"I wanted to run my hands through hot water. You know, say my goodbye. Because who knows, this broken water heater thing could be serious. It could be only ice cold water for a couple of days. You should have joined me. It would have been a nice little congregation around the bathroom sink."

"Mom."

"What? I'm serious."

Rory sighed and let the conversation drop. If her mom didn't want to talk, Rory wasn't going to push her. "You'll never guess who I saw today!"

"Who?" Lorelei didn't seem to mind the topic change.

"I can't just tell you. You have to guess."

"Okay. Hmm. Was it.George Bush?"

"No."

"Are you sure it wasn't one of them? They do look alike. You could have mistaken one for the other. I mean even for a father and a son, they look-"

"No. Okay, you don't get to guess anymore. I saw." Rory bit her lip, trying to build suspense, thus irritating her mother, "Evil Tristan."

"Evil Tristan, Evil Tristan, you mean the Evil Tristan, as in the "Away at Military School" Evil Tristan?"

Rory smiled at her mother's response. "One in the same." Lorelei was taking the news well, not that Rory had expected her to be overly excited or saddened by the prodigal boy's return.

"Well, isn't Evil Tristan supposed to be away at military school, thus explaining the "away at military school" part of his name?"

Rory made a mock suspicious face, "I know! I asked him about that. Apparently, military schools are allowing Christmas breaks now."

Lorelei's face became one of mock anger. "I am very disappointed in the whole military school system. I expected no breaks, a twenty mile run every other morning, and five or six beatings each afternoon."

"Well, don't be too disappointed, the military school must be doing something awfully good. Evil Tristan seems to really want to return to Chilton for next semester. Although I'm doubting that it's regular beatings causing his strange desire. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the running. I'd hate to have to run." Rory shivered at her own worst nightmare.

"Lorelei was amazed. "So wait, the Evil Tristan wants to come back to Chilton? Why do I find that to be funny for some reason?"

"I don't know." Rory didn't seem nearly as amused as Lorelei.

Lorelei seemed to notice. "Wait, do you want him to come back?"

Rory shrugged, "I don't know, maybe."

"Maybe? For such a smart kid, you don't know much."

"Well, he can be nice at times."

"So can Satan."

"Mom."

"Hell, even your grandmother can be nice at times-"

"Mom!"

"So, being nice at times doesn't count for much. So, what else?"

"Ummm," Rory gave the visage of thinking deeply, "His hair is really short."

Lorelei feigned excitement. "Oh my God!"

Rory laughed. The rest of the car ride to Stars Hallow involved much laughing, as was appropriate for a teenage girl who had just been released on Christmas break.

~