Title: All I ever wanted

Pairings: R/T (obviously!) L/L

Summary: At 24, Rory is now an editor of Apple Daily and working on her new book. When she moved in to her new apartment, of all people she actually gets HIM as her neighbour. DRATS!

Author: Nimisha (natalie_portm18@hotmail.com)

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: ANNOYED NOW. Stop asking me this stupid question. If they are mine, I'll be rich and would not be here.

Note: Love the reviews you guys wrote to me. Please send more, I survive on it like Lorelai needs coffee!

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Tristan DuGrey groaned when he woke up. As usual, he felt a warm body beside him. He stared down at the obvious female shape hidden by the comforter. Who is she? What happened last night? All he remembered was going to the pub -- to get drunk, as usual. Then, after...

Tristan shrugged. It was always the same. Going to work, going home, get out for dinner, go to pub, get drunk with a woman, and wake up, before going to work…

It was a vicious cycle. He had done nothing else. On frequent occasions, he would fly to somewhere else to do business. He was a workaholic, there was nothing but work in his life… yes, and plenty of women threw himself at his feet. They were all one-night stands. They meant nothing to him.

All but ONE.

It was years since he saw her. And he would never see her again. The world was so large, how was he going to find her?

By asking some of your old classmates, or going back to Hartfort. Or going to Stars Hollow.

He couldn't. He just… could not do that.

Why?

Because I'm afraid. That's why. She hated me, remember? And if I went back, I don't know what I'll expect to see. Will she be married with bag-boy? Or hooking up with another guy?

And the worst thing was, what if she wasn't there anymore?

Tristan groaned silently to himself. He was a stupid jerk. He actually still held a candle for a girl, no, a woman, he corrected himself, that he had not seen for six years. He was stupid, making her life hard at Chilton and all that.

And he never apologized once.

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He had waked up early, he found out later. But he quickly bathed and got out of his apartment, not before leaving a note, to tell the woman, which he had never even took a look at, to get out of his apartment. In polite words, of course.

He quickly ran down, and his driver, Leo, was there, as efficient as always. He got into the car, and Leo drove off, without a word.They got to the small, quaint café that he loved to have his breakfast at. He had been a regular for three years and the owners knew him very well.

"Morning, Tristan." Amalia, a plump, motherly woman greeted him when he came in and smiled at her. The lady boss went to get his order while he stared out, at the usual window-seat he had sat daily.

Staring out of the window, Tristan sighed. His life was meaningless, utterly meaningless. He had become what his father wished for -- a heir who inherited his father's company.

I expected Dad would also trap me in a loveless marriage in the future.

He missed the old days at Chilton. Hanging out with his buddies, being a rebel, having Rory Gilmore in his life.

Then, going to military school…

It was another good memory. He made great friends, friends that were what he called brothers, that went through hell with him. After graduation, he wanted to go back to Hartford after graduation. But, no, his father had intervened AGAIN and immediately shipped him off to Yale.

That's when life truly became a hell for him. He changed. The rebel became the nerd. He buried himself in his studies and actually graduated from college a semester early.

Tristan smiled mirthlessly. Imagine what Rory or Paris or even the others would think when they knew I actually graduated early from college. They would never believe it.

After graduation, he had gotten a job at his father's company. He had a tense and bitter relationship with his father. They were business partners at most.

On the other hand, his mother… was long gone.

His father had retired the year before.

Now, three years later, he had become the president of DuGrey enterprises and one of eligible bachelors in the America. Yet, he was dead inside. There was no emotion in him. Not anymore.

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Amalia came bustling out of the kitchen to serve her only customer in the early mornings -- only to stopped short at the sight of him.

The restaurant had been opened for twenty years and there were a lot of customers, even though it was such a small shop. Yet, she had never met such a young man like him before. It was also three years since her Joshua died. And three years since Tristan came into the couple's life.

Jonah had remarked that he looked so much like Joshua, which was true.

But there was something else about Tristan Sebestian DuGrey that reminded her of her son. He had the same innocence that was in Joshua's eyes. The innocence that showed that he was still a boy, a boy that was hurt before.

The pain and sadness in his eyes were too deep, too painful to be hidden. He was hurt too many times, that he closed himself to the world. He was a machine.

But even machines had to rest.

As Amalia walked up to him, she noted that he was slumping in his seat, his face haggard and black rings circling his eyes. He looked like he should be thirty-four instead of twenty-four years.

She tapped Tristan on the shoulder and set the plate and the mug of coffee on the table.

"Eat up, Tristan."

He snapped out of his thought and gave her a weak smile. "Thank you, Am."

Amalia nodded in acknowledgement. "Enjoy."

Tristan smiled. "I will."

She turn to walk back to the kitchen when she stopped. "You must take care of yourself. Hear me?"

Tristan nodded, touched by her concern.

After eating his breakfast, Tristan walked out of the café and walked down the sidewalk, to where his chauffeur. Walking down the empty street, if anyone saw him like that, they would see that he was such a lonely man. A defeated man who had no purpose in life.

It was just another day in the life of Tristan DuGrey.

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Aphrodite's POV

Once more, Athena and I were in her apartment. We were looking at Tristan this time. I was crying while looking at him, while Athena was so cold, and unfeeling. Her face was so devoid of emotion.

Hey, I do have EMOTIONS!

Well, DUH! I mean, I said, your FACE is devoid of emotion. I didn't mean, you.

Still, u said I'm unfeeling, and I did feel sadness as I watched him.

Really? You're really good at acting. Maybe you'll get an EmmyGod nomination.

Aphrodite, you know that gods are NOT allowed to express emotions. It was in the handbook.

There was a handbook?! No one told me that there was a handbook for gods.

That's because Father knew that you would break every single rule in the book, and never bothered to let you read it.

He was correct.

Wow. You're ACTUALLY thinking? Oh Zeus, the apocalypse is coming! Aphrodite is actually DEEP in THOUGHT!

Haha… very funny, very funny.

I am a funny person. Still, I do not need the nomination in the first place. Everyone knows that Hera would get the award. She was the best in acting.

That was so true. She is such a …

Hush. Let's get back to Tristan. Please, no more crying.

But he is such a poor boy. He needs comforting!

Remember the bet. You are not going to go down there now.

I know… BUT look at him!

He does not need heartbreaks, sis.

I guess. I think we should get Rory to him soon.

Yea. For once, I agree with you.

Really? Oh Zeus, the apocalypse is coming! Athena, the stubborn goddess of wisdom and war, is in agreement with ME!

Not funny.

I thought you said it was funny just now?

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