Author's Note: Alright, so just for the record if I don't update as often in the next four weeks, it's because I have this totally HUGE English assignment (research paper) in addition to an in class novel and an outside reading novel. More than likely I'll be curled into a ball in the corner of my room crying hysterically while cursing explorers and the French (both related to English) instead of in front of my computer.

Chapter 8

It was perfect. The sun was shining, the flowers were in bloom, and butterflies danced around them. She looked into his eyes and watched as they danced and sparkled. Life could not have been better.

He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled back and looked into her eyes again.

"I love you." he spoke gently.

She was silent for a moment. Looking at his playful yet sincere face she felt no fear. She didn't doubt herself, it felt right.

"I love you too."

"Kids! Come on! Time for lunch!" Lorelai yelled from a distance.

"Let's go." he said, getting off her and offering his hand to help her up.

They followed the direction of the voice. The trees parted and they found themselves in the clearing on front of the tool shed that the Gilmore girls had once called home. Lorelai was helping Luke set up food on the picnic table. Rory smiled to herself as she held Tristan's hand and watched as the two adults flirted with each other. She sat down next to Tristan on the bench and beamed at Luke and Lorelai from across the table.

"Rory, hun can you pass the watermelon slices?" Lorelai asked. But Rory could not stop beaming at the perfection of the moment. The sun, the butterflies, the flowers, the feeling of complete warmth and happiness was all she felt as she blocked everything out.

"Rory? Rory, sweetie! Snap out of it! Rory, wake up!"

"What? Oh sorry, zoning out there." Rory shook her head and laughed.

"Well, can you please pass the watermelon?" Lorelai asked again.

"Sure." Rory complied.

"I wonder where Jess and Paris ran off to?" Luke asked of no one in particular.

"Don't know, we got separated when Rory decided to play tag." Tristan smirked and poked her in the side.

She giggled. "Hey, that tickles!"

Tristan just shook his head and looked in her eyes.

"I love you Mary." he said, taking her hand in his.

"I love you Mac." she replied.

"Aw! You two are so cute!" Lorelai squealed. Turning to Luke she said, "I told you we were right in setting them up! They're perfect for each other."

"Yeah, I guess they are." Luke mused.

~

Tristan shot straight up in his bead breathing heavily.

"No, no, it was a dream." he told himself visibly relieved.

He closed his eyes and the images flashed through his mind again. "DuGrey's don't love." he told himself aloud.

~Then why do you take so much pleasure in thinking about that dream?~ his inner voice taunted.

"I don't." he said.

~It felt so real to you. You loved it. You love her, you always have so why don't you admit it?~

"I haven't always loved her." Tristan argued. "I was interested in her, she was just a conquest but that's over with. She made it quite clear that I would never get anywhere with her."

~So you decided to be her friend instead? You know it's not enough. You know that you long for more than that but you refuse to because you're afraid of getting hurt!~

"Shut up! God, sometimes I hate having a conscience!" he grumbled angrily.

~Because you know I'm right! You love her but the only other girl you loved, Summer, broke your heart! Well news flash Mac, you didn't really love her. You were in love with someone else, Rory, and when you kissed her that night she took a piece of your heart when she ran. It broke you. The break-up with Summer broke you. You love Rory Gilmore! Now tell her before you screw it up and you lose her!~

"I don't love Rory Gilmore. I never have and never will. She is my best friend, nothing more." he said through gritted teeth.

~Just keep thinking that Mac, you'll see that I'm right~

"Jeez, I've gone mental." he muttered lying back down to try to salvage the rest of the night with much needed sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lorelai stole a quick look at Rory.

"Are you okay? You don't look so well hun." Lorelai commented as the two women drove home from Harford after picking out the bridesmaid dresses. Sookie was following behind them in her own car.

"I'm fine, I just didn't get much sleep." Rory said tiredly.

"Dreams again?" Lorelai asked.

Rory sat up alert. "What do you mean?"

"You had dreams back around the time when we planned Tristan's birthday party and I remember you not getting much sleep towards the end there. Like you were trying to keep yourself awake so you wouldn't have them anymore. Although, I don't know why, from the sounds of it, they were pretty good dreams." Lorelai answered.

"What did you hear?" Rory asked trying to hide the panic in her voice.

"Just you laughing and when I went in to shut you up you were smiling."

Rory looked relieved. "Well, don't worry, those dreams stopped a long time ago. I didn't have any dreams last night. I just couldn't sleep. It was weird though, I couldn't sleep cause I had this strange gut feeling. Like I was restless but I, me personally didn't have a reason to be. Very out of body experience. Like it wasn't me who was restless."

Lorelai looked at her curiously. A crazy theory was forming in her head but she shook it off. ~No, impossible, they haven't even admitted to liking each other yet. No way they could have that kind of connection~ she thought to herself.

"Hey babe, I was wondering, tomorrow could you and Tristan take the invitations down to the stationers for me?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, I sure, I'll have to check with Tristan but if he can't then I'll do it myself."

"No!" Lorelai exclaimed. Rory looked at her oddly. "I mean, I don't want you to go by yourself, after all it's all the way in Hartford and he knows the town better than you do. I don't want you getting lost." she quickly lied.

"Mom, I'm how old now? I think I'll be fine. Hartford is not the mystery that you're making it out to be." Rory reasoned.

"Still, take Tristan with you." Lorelai said forcefully.

"Okay." Rory said confusedly.

~

"So, I was forced to drop off the invitations with you because I know my way around Hartford better than you do?" Tristan asked skeptically.

The two had just emerged from the stationers and decided to casually stroll around the street lined with little shops filled with curious things. Despite it still being January therefore still being relatively cold out Rory insisted that they soak up some local culture otherwise known as scoping out the nearest coffee place in a ten-mile radius.

"Yup. My mom was really weird about it…" Rory trailed off and looked at Tristan concerned for he had rubbed his eyes for a third time in ten minutes. "Are you okay?"

"What? Oh yeah, don't worry I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep." he said yawning at the end.

"Apparently." Rory smiled. "It's okay, I can relate. I couldn't sleep either."

"Really why? Too much coffee?" he joked.

"Hey! There is no such thing as too much coffee! That's a myth." she finished defensively.

"Sorry, I forgot, one of the cardinal rules in the Gilmore Circle of Insanity, do not disrespect coffee."

"It's okay, you're a first time offender I'll let you off easy. So tell me Mac, why couldn't you sleep?"

"Oh, it was nothing. I was just really…restless." Rory looked up at this. "Like I was trying to sleep but…it's so frustrating when you want to sleep but something keeps stopping you from it you know?"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. That's why I couldn't sleep myself. In fact, I had the same feeling yesterday night too." Rory noted more to herself than to Tristan.

"Really? That's when my drea…when I started having trouble sleeping too." Tristan said cautiously.

Oh could they be any blinder?

Tristan cleared his throat nervously.

"So, what's your favorite movie of all time?" he asked.

"Oh, not fair! You can't narrow a question like that down." Rory objected.

"Why not?"

"Because think of how many movies there are! It is impossible to pick just one!"

"Fine, give me your top three." Tristan bartered.

"Four." Rory challenged.

"Why four?"

"Because the first one can't count. It's a category all on its own."

"Fine give me your top three plus one extra." he said rolling his eyes.

"Okay, well my extra one that does not count is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

(AN: I know, forgive me for the horribly cliché moment.)

"Are you serious?" Tristan asked curiously.

"Yes, my mom and I watched it all the time when I was younger until we kind of wore the tape down beyond repair. We've been too lazy to replace the copy." she said sheepishly.

Tristan laughed. "Okay, so the top three?"

"Well, in no particular order: You've Got Mail, The Cutting Edge, and Independence Day."

"Wow, from email lovers to ice skating Olympians to aliens…you've got a broad taste in movies."

Rory stopped and turned to him in shock. "Wait, are you telling me that you've actually seen those movies? Independence Day I can understand but I never took you for the romantic sap that is the target demographic for the other two."

Tristan laughed. "What did you expect me to watch?"

"I don't know…I see you as a James Bond kind of guy."

Tristan shook his head and began walking again. "Well, I happen to be a very big fan of 007 but I do like to keep an open mind about movies."

Rory rolled her eyes. "In other words all of your ex-girlfriends made you watch them?"

"Basically, although I have to admit, I haven't really seen those movies given that I had other things to occupy myself with at the time." he smiled when he saw her laugh. "What about you? What's the story behind your favorites?"

"That's easy. In You've Got Mail, the two characters absolutely hate each other in real life but are best friends online. She says something totally horrible and hurtful to him but then Tom Hanks goes the distance to make things right Meg Ryan. He goes from jerk to sweetheart and all the while they talk about books and coffee."

~Sounds familiar~ Tristan thought.

"Next, The Cutting Edge. Well, the main character Kate is this book-loving prima donna and Doug is this typical jock. At first they also hate each other but they realize that they are the only people who can stand each other. The whole movie is filled with witty banter being tossed back and forth between the two and while I admit, the scenes of just their skates flying across the ice can give you a headache the more you watch it the less it gets to ya."

"Well, two romance movies, both of which have very similar character relationships mind you, I can see…but how do you get to Independence Day?"

"Some nice comedic relief. The perfect combination of action, romance, and humorous side remarks made by Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum that only the intelligent pick up on."

Tristan shook his head. "You never cease to amaze me Rory Gilmore."

"I try." Rory said smugly before catching site of a Starbucks up ahead. "Coffee!" she yelled happily before tearing off to claim a cup of heaven.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February…

"Hey man, my pancakes are looking at me." Lorelai complained.

"No they aren't." Luke grumbled.

"Yes they are. The eggs are looking at me. They are on top of the pancakes and I swear the bacon is placed in a way that can only be described as a Cheshire cat grin." Lorelai shuddered. "Aah, Cheshire cat, bad memories, floating flowers…"

"Luke, coffee and muffin please." Rory asked, walking into the diner.

"Coming right up."

"Key flavored Certs, bed and breakfast people, too nosy, aah…" she rambled.

"What is she going on about?" Rory questioned sitting down next to Lorelai.

Luke walked over and put a mug and muffin in front of her. "She began to ramble when she said Cheshire cat." he answered.

"Aah." Rory too shuddered. "Bell, I don't want to ring the bell."

"Stupid itinerary." Lorelai grumbled.

"Liberace room." Rory added.

"Sammy big kitty." Lorelai went on.

"Snap out of it or the coffee goes down the drain." Luke threatened.

"Whoa, snap back into reality." Lorelai stood up straight. "I'm good. You good?" she asked Rory.

"I'm good." Rory affirmed.

"Good. Spare the coffee." Lorelai begged Luke.

"Do I even want to know what you were rambling insanely about?"

"Horror story from our road trip to Harvard." Lorelai explained.

"Bed and breakfasts are evil." Rory grumbled.

"It's okay sweetie, those mean senior citizens are far away from here. Even if they try to find us they'd never suspect a humble inn manager and bookworm daughter to be the publishing mother daughter pair that left them clueless." Lorelai comforted in mock sincerity.

"I don't want to know." Luke walked away shaking his head.

Jess tumbled down the stairs in a rush.

"Hey, little diner boy, you're going to be late for school!" Lorelai yelled as Jess rushed around behind the counter grabbing a glass of orange juice and muffin as he went.

"I can't find my copy of 'The Scarlet Letter', have you seen it? We're having an open book debate in class today and if I don't have that book I'll be dead." he said hurriedly.

"I saw you reading it in the corner booth." Luke said from the kitchen.

"Thanks Uncle Luke. Later Aunt Lorelai, Rory." he said with a wicked grin before grabbing his book and running out the door.

"Hey! I'm not your aunt yet pal!" Lorelai protested.

"But it has such a nice ring to it." Rory grinned.

Lorelai swiveled on her stool face her daughter. She opened her mouth in protest and put her hands on her hips in a huff. "School, now."

Rory's grin widened. "Bus, gone." she mocked.

"Then you better start walking." Lorelai pinched her cheek with fake sweetness.

"Jeep please?"

Lorelai let out an annoyed sigh. "Every time you need the Jeep I'm wearing heels." she complained, handing over the keys.

"Thanks mom, love ya! Bye dad!" Rory yelled to the kitchen.

Rory left just as quickly as Jess. Lorelai's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Luke ran out from behind the grill and wore an expression similar to Lorelai's.

"Did she just say…?" Luke trailed off.

"I don't know, I'm still sleeping. That's the only explanation, this is all a dream." Lorelai rambled.

"Okay, then I am too. Call me when we wake up." Luke said numbly before walking back into the kitchen.

Lorelai was silent for a few moments trying to process what just happened. After a few seconds though, it didn't seem as weird as she thought. Smiling slightly to herself she pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a number and as she waited for the other end to pick up.

"Dad." she said under her breath. "Who would have thought?"

She let out a content sigh. On the third ring the other end picked up.

"Independence Inn." came the French accent.

"Michel, can you pick me up?" Lorelai asked.

AN: Okay, I know you all want Rory and Tristan together right NOW but there's a method to the madness. Just be patient and the waiting will be worth it (I hope). Let's not forget I write faster every time I get a review. The more reviews…the faster you get genuine Trory.