"You're nicer now." Rory said interrupting the silence and startling Tristan.

"What?" He said confused. He was driving her home again for the last time that week.

"You're nicer now." She said again.

"I am?"

"Yeah, ever since you came back from military school. They really shaped you up there." Rory declared looking at him from the passenger seat.

"Well, I'm glad I went then." Tristan replied.

"Me too."

"How'd you do on the World History quiz today?" Tristan asked, glad for conversation.

"Okay, I think." Rory moved around in her seat. "Number ten was hard though."

"I had some trouble with that myself."

"The big test is next week." Rory sighed, "That's going to be a killer."

Tristan hesitated and then said, "We could study together for that if you wanted to."

Rory looked at him curiously, "We could?"

"Yeah, if you want to." Tristan pulled into her street.

"Okay, sure." Rory grinned at him.

The first real grin Tristan had seen since she had come back to school. He had been driving her home for two weeks now. He grinned back. "Tuesday after school okay?" He parked in her driveway. "Yep." Rory got out of the car.

"You do have a ride tomorrow, right?" Tomorrow was Friday, Tristan wouldn't be driving her home.

"Yes, my Grandma's picking me up." Rory leaned down to talk to him, "Thanks for the ride Tristan."

"No problem, see ya." He said as she closed the door.

Rory waved and walked into the house.

Tristan drove off smiling to himself.

* * *

The weekend flew by along with Monday, and here they were at Tristan's house studying. They had been studying for two hours now, non- stop.

"Who issued the Monroe Doctrine?" Tristan asked.

Rory laughed, "Well, hmmm, President Monroe?"

Tristan smiled, "Oh right. My bad."

"Okay, during the age of imperialism, what . . . " Rory was cut off by a voice coming from the front of the house.

"I'm home!" Kathryn announced. She came into the kitchen carrying her brief case. "Hey, hun." She said to Tristan.

"Hi Mom." Tristan said.

Kathryn eyes then landed on Rory. "Hello, you must be Rory, I'm Kathryn, Tristan's mom." She held out her hand.

Rory stood up and shook it, "It's nice to meet you Mrs. ...Mrs. .." Rory stumbled with her words, not sure what name to use.

Kathryn laughed and brushed it off with her hand. "Just call me Kathryn, I no longer deal with formalities. So have you two been studying?"

Tristan sighed, "Too much."

Rory nodded, "I'd say were about ready for that test tomorrow."

"Well, good because guess what were having for dinner tonight?" Kathryn asked with laughter in her bright blue eyes.

"Something good I hope." Tristan grumbled.

"It's your favorite, Tris." Kathryn set her brief case down on the kitchen desk.

Tristan's face lit up, "Fajitahs?!" He asked like a little boy who was just told that he could have ice cream for dinner.

"Yes, we haven't had those in quite awhile." Kathryn smiled and began assembling ingredients.

"Yeah, not since Dad wouldn't." Tristan abruptly stopped and turned slightly red. He looked down at his books.

Rory watched the scene play out curiously around her. The smile had disappeared from Kathryn's face and Tristan was unusually quiet. She said, "I've never had fajitahs before." Hoping to fill in the void of silence.

Tristan jerked his head up with a look of pure astonishment on his face, "Psycho."

"Hey! I resent that." Rory glared at him.

"Well, there's a first time for everything." The smile returned to Kathryn's face. "Would you like to eat over tonight Rory? We have plenty."

Rory hesitated, why not? "Yeah, sure that'd be great. Can I call my grandma and let her know?"

"Absolutely. The telephone's right over there." Kathryn gestured to it. "They'll be ready in about a half an hour."

After she called her grandparents, Rory and Tristan continued to study for the next half an hour until dinner was ready.

"Wow, these are really messy." Rory laughed as half of her fillings spilled out from her tortilla.

Tristan took a bite from his perfectly formed tortilla, "You put too much in it, that's why. You have to master the art of a fajitah, with that comes time and experience."

Rory tried to reassemble her messy tortilla, "This better be worth it."

"Oh, believe me, it is." Kathryn finished off her first fajitah and began reaching for another tortilla. "You're allowed to eat as much as you want on fajitah night."

"That's why I like them so much." Tristan said with his mouthful.

"Chew, swallow, then talk." His mother scolded lightly.

But Tristan just grinned, his mouth still full of food.

"Oh, gross." Rory said looking away.

"Having any trouble?" Tristan asked after swallowing. He noticed that her fillings had fallen out again.

"No." Rory stared at him defiantly and then looked down at the mess on her plate. "Yes." Came the defeated answer.

"Here, I'll do it." He reached across and took her plate. He reassembled the tortilla neatly and handed it back to her.

She stared at it, amazed. "How'd you do that?"

"Skill." Tristan said egotistically.

"Don't listen to him." Kathryn rolled her eyes. "After you have them a few time it becomes pretty simple."

Rory took a bite of hers, with her mouth still full she said "Oh! This is really good." She realized her mouth was still full and clamped her hand over it blushing slightly.

"Oh, gross." Tristan said in a mock female voice.

Kathryn laughed, "It's okay. That's what happens when you take your first bite of the Farley Secret Recipe of Fajitah Goodness."

"Secret Recipe of Fajitah Goodness?" Rory asked amused.

"Well it is good isn't it?" Kathryn shot back playfully.

Rory took another bite and nodded. She said, not before swallowing, "It's not good, it's delicious."

"And someday it'll be passed down to me." Tristan said dreamily and then he laughed. "But for now I can only have them when Mom feels like making them."

"You don't know the recipe yet?" Rory asked.

Kathryn shook her head, "Of course he doesn't. He's not near responsible enough to hold such a thing. I'll tell him when he's eighteen, same as me."

"Is this a family tradition thing?" Rory said finishing hers off not noticing the winks that passed between Tristan and his mother.

"For over a hundred years." Kathryn said.

"How did this become a tradition in an Irish family?" Rory asked amused. "Well, you look Irish anyway." Rory said to Kathryn.

"One of my great-great uncles brought it in to the family. He was Mexican, or something." Kathryn secretly grinned at Tristan. "But if I told you anymore I'd have to kill you."

Later on, after dinner was over and eaten Tristan was about to bring Rory to her grandparents.

"Thank you for dinner." Rory said to Kathryn.

"No problem." Kathryn said and embraced a confused Rory. "I'm sorry about your mother." Kathryn pulled away and looked Rory in the eye. "I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks." Rory murmured, surprised at Kathryn's sudden embrace but grateful all the same.

Tristan and Rory left and on the way there he said, "You do know that my Mom was pulling your leg about the whole secret recipe thing, right?"

"She was?" Rory asked surprised. "I didn't know."

"Yeah, fajitahs are really easy to make. I don't even mess them up."

"So that whole thing about her great-great-great uncle wasn't true?"

"Well, actually my Uncle Fred was the first to make it and it's been a favorite ever since." Tristan grinned.

Rory laughed, "I should have known."

'I still can't believe you've never had them before."

Rory shrugged, "We never really cooked anything at home, we always went to Luke's practically every night for a burger. My Mom used to say." Rory trailed off, the past tense freezing her tongue.

Tristan glanced at her sympathetically, "You'll have to come over again the next time we have it." Changing the subject.

Rory nodded, something was pulling at her heart. "I'll take your word on that."

He pulled into her driveway, "See you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah. Thanks for everything." She closed the door and walked to the door.

Tristan waited until she was inside, like he did every other time, and then pulled away.

* * *

Where was she?

Tristan stared out into the courtyard, his eyes searching for her. Where was she?

He had seen her in the classes they had together today, she was definitely here today. It was already 3:30, they got our of school at 3:00. She would've told him if she had gotten a different ride home. Maybe she was talking to a teacher.

Tristan walked back into the school, looking into random classrooms searching for her. All of them were empty. The library! Maybe she lost track of time reading a book.

He started for the library walking quickly, something wasn't right. He could feel it. He scanned the library hastily, but found no Rory. He walked to the back of the library where he often went to find solitude, not many people went there. That's when he saw her.

She was hunched over in one of the many leather seats. Her whole body was shaking with bitter sobs, her hands covered her face. Her long brown hair was wept forward covering the sides of her face.

"Rory." Tristan breathed. Something stung his heart and it hurt. He moved to her quickly, she didn't even notice him, just went on crying. He sat down next to her and then she did lift her head only to turn it away ashamed. "Rory." He said again he reached out to touch but she flinched.

He bit his lip frustrated. She wasn't going to pull away from him. He gathered her into his arms and let her cry. At first she stiffened at his touch but eventually relaxed against him. She burrowed her head into his shoulder while the tears came.

"It's okay, it's okay." He whispered into her ear as he rubbed her back.

She clung to him, "Tris.Tristan?" It was hard to catch her breath

"I'm here." He kissed her hair softly and brought her closer to him. He held her until her sobs subsided into small tears.

When only a few tears coursed down her cheeks, Rory gulped in breaths of air greedily. "I'm.I'm sorry." She tried fruitlessly to wipe her still falling tears.

"It's okay." He repeated.

"I just miss her so much." Rory said into his shoulder.

"I know, I know." Tristan stroked her long, silky hair.

She pulled away and wiped the last of her tears away with the back of her hand. "Everything is so different."

"It can never be the same again." He looked straight at her. Blue on blue.

"I know, and that's why I hate it so much." She balled her hands in frustration. "I haven't been back in three weeks and neither grandma or grandpa will take me. It hurts them too much." She sighed, "But I miss everyone so much, and it makes everything harder."

Tristan realized what she was talking about, "You want to go home?"

She looked at him, her eyes full of appreciation that he understood her. "Yeah." She whispered it. "I need them because.because they knew her. Everyone here just sees her as my mother or Emily Gilmore's daughter, they didn't really know her at all." She forced a smile. "They don't understand. But you do."

He only squeezed her hands, "I'll take you today."

Her eyes widened, "You will?"

"Yeah, I will." He stood up and offered her his hand.

She took it and stood up next to him, "Okay."

Their hands never parted as they made their way to his car.