*1 week later.

*Tristan's Office

*Tristan is sitting with his back to the door, his mind is far off, and his eyes are set to the window. Uncontrollably he sighs just as the phone rings.

"DuGrey, speaking." He answers the phone solemnly.

"Gilmore, listening." Rory's voice rings through the phone.

Tristan turns in his chair, "Rory?" Looking at his watch, "It's 12:30, don't you have—

"Class."

"Well, yea."

"Week before finals, half days."

"Right…so you're calling me because?"

"…Because I left you three messages on your machine, and you never called me back."

"Sorry. I've been busy."

"Oh. Well you did get them then?"

"Yes." Tristan replies, discontentment in his voice.

Rory sighs, "What happened the other night."

"I told you, I had a case in the morning."

"Tristan, don't lie."

"Rory let it go!" Tristan yells back into the phone. As the words leave his lips, Tristan's face goes white. He tries to recover, "Rory I didn't mean—

"No… it's ok. You're right, I should just s-stay out of it." Rory answers quietly. "Bye, Tristan."

"No, Wait. Ror—

Tristan is cut off by the click at the other end of the phone.

Tristan slams down the phone in frustration. As he leaves his office and heads for the elevators, he curses to himself.

"M-mister DuGrey…you h-have a meeting in an hour." Tristan's meek secretary calls out to him.

"Cancel it." He answers frankly.

*Outside

*Tristan is walking swiftly down the street. Unsure of where to go he crosses the street and turns left. As the minutes pass, he grows more and more disgusted with himself, incoherently he murmurs to himself.

"Damnit…Can't do anything…. screw up. Jackass!" Tristan yells the last word, catching the attention of a woman in front of him.

"Excuse me!"

Tristan stops short, whipping his face with his hand, "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to yell, I was…talking to myself." He answers quietly.

"Do that a lot do you?" The thin woman asks curtly

"Just, when I'm being a complete asshole." He replies not paying attention.

"I see…giving yourself a bit of a talking to." A smile breaks onto the woman's face.

Tristan looks up at her, "Something like that. I'm Tristan, Tristan DuGrey." Tristan fumbles slightly.

"Laura Alister, but everyone calls me Ali." Laura answers.

"Hello, Laura."

"So, Mr. DuGrey. What did you do to deserve such verbal abuse from yourself?"

"Oh...uh," embarrassed, Tristan stops himself.

"Was that a bit forward of me?" Laura smirks.

"Actually…yes." Tristan answers, smiling for the first time in a week.

"Good teeth you go there." Laura Comments, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable…that's just one of my problems, I'm very direct, not many people like that."

"I do."

"Really? That's a first."

"That's sad."

"Tell me about it, so many people these days, have trust issues. It really doesn't matter I mean 50% of the people you'll ever meet won't remember your name, let alone anything you've ever said to them."

"Exactly." Tristan says, fidgeting with the cuff of his jacket. "So, it's 1:00, and your walking in the direction of Vincent Street, so you can't be on the way to work…which means you're either going home, or meeting your boyfriend for a mid afternoon rendezvous."

"That's a very blunt statement to make." Laura smirks at Tristan. "I can see we're going to get along."

"I thought we already were."

"Right. Well to answer your question, I was on my way home; I just finished my last class of the semester, so I am now officially a woman of the summer."

"Teacher."

"Yea…you?"

"Lawyer."

"Not bad." Laura answers, shaking her head in approval.

"So, no boyfriend."

"Well…there's Sam, but he doesn't count."

"Why not?"

"He's a dog…and are relationship is simply platonic. I feed him, he keeps me company."

"I see…Coffee?" Tristan points the coffee shop down the street."

"That'd be nice."

*10 minutes later—Coffee Shop

"…Not to bring it up again, what was that whole self—destructive outburst back there, about?" Laura asks sipping her drink.

"It's complicated." Tristan stops. Looking at Laura, his confidence builds, and he continues, "I guess, I'm what you'd call a perpetual surveyor. Always moving around, never making an effort to put roots down…always alone….

*In mere minutes Tristan relives his entire life, right up until this afternoon.

"So…you yelled at this woman, that you're in love with."

"Well no, I mean I was in love with her for a very long time, but I'm not anymore. A few months ago I finally realized what she meant to me."

"Which is?"

"She's my friend, I mean she's everything to me, because she was the only person who ever believed in me, but I don't want to be with her, not now. She has Jess, who strangely enough completes her, and now they're going have this kid…and it made me think—

"Why can't you have that?" Laura interjects.

"Yea," Tristan answers awestruck. He laughs at himself, "You must be so disappointed."

"Why?"

"Well, I just blew that smart ass image out of the water." Tristan raises an eyebrow at Laura.

"No…I think it's kind of cute, actually."

"Cute enough to get me a date?"

"Sure." Laura smirks at Tristan before continuing seriously, "So, what are you going to do?"

Tristan drums his fingers on the table, "I have no idea, she probably hates me."

"No she doesn't, probably just pissed off by your stubbornness."

"For a complete stranger, you pick things up pretty quickly."

"It's not hard…" Laura trails off. "You should go see her, work things out, and after you do, you should give me a call." Laura replies standing up.

"Thanks…Ali."

"You know what, Call me Laura."

"But you said—

"I know, but it sounded nice when you called me Laura." Laura smiles faintly at Tristan, "Goodbye, Tristan." Laura turns to the door and leaves.

Tristan follows suit, smiling to himself.

*Rory's apartment 3pm.

*Rory is laying on the couch sobbing as she flips through a magazine. She jumps at the knock at the door. She moves slowly towards the door.

"I'm coming." She says silently.

Rory opens the door.

"Hi, Rory." Tristan says quietly, his eyes glues to the floor. "Can I come in?"