A/N: Hello all you pretty people! I have over a hundred reviews!!!! I am so psyched!! I actually should have mentioned it last time, but I didn't notice till after I'd posted Chapter Eight.

I apologize that the chapter is a little short – this is really as long (or as short, depending on how you look at it!) as it needs to be. It has everything it needs to in it, and I'm not going to try to lengthen it just because it needs to be longer.

Thanks are at the end of the chapter.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: R/T, R/J

Disclaimer: I do not own "Gilmore Girls." That is owned by Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB. I do, however, own most of this storyline (some was taken from previous episodes), so steal that and I will haunt you for the rest of your life.

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"I can't believe it took them so long to get together."

"Yeah," Rory smiled. "He'd loved her for … what? Twelve years, at least, before he even asked her out. Then another six before he proposed."

Tristan laughed. "Well, at least she said yes…" he trailed off, glancing at Rory uncomfortably. They were sitting on the front porch of the Gilmore Residence, with hot cocoa – well, Tristan had hot cocoa; Rory had coffee – warming the mugs in their hands. Tristan stared off into the distance, not really seeing it. Rory's voice jolted him from his reverie.

"Tristan…" she started, looking at him. "Look. I'm sorry, I really am. It's just … we were so young! We had barely gotten our high school diplomas the first time you asked me, and the second time we were only in our second year of college. At least separately we had a chance. I …" she trailed off.

"Rory," he paused, considering his words carefully before proceeding. "I understand what you're saying, but I think that we could have made it. Okay, we were young, but we were in love, and –"

"Precisely. We were young and in love. That should say it all, Tristan."

"Okay, okay. Maybe we should just drop this argument. We're not getting anywhere."

"Yeah," Rory sighed, taking a sip from her mug as she propped her feet on the railing. "You're completely right.

Tristan eyed her apprehensively. He frowned.

"What?" She asked, looking at him strangely.

"Why are you giving in so easily?"

"I'm not giving in. I'm just saying that I agree with you. The discussion was getting us nowhere."

Tristan sighed, then settled back into his chair. "Yeah. Sorry, I'm just a little … I dunno."

They sat for a while, each mulling over their own thoughts, before Tristan spoke again.

"Rory can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Have you had a boyfriend since I … left?" he asked, swallowing as he said the last word.

Rory paused before answering a quick "No." They both were quiet for a few minutes before Rory looked at him and quietly asked, "What about you?"

Tristan's eyes met Rory's, and for a few minutes they sat transfixed, until a falling icicle caught their attention, causing Tristan to wrench his gaze from Rory's. He looked down at his cup of cocoa. "No … I haven't. I've been on a few dates, but none of them were very serious. I just … no one's you, Rory."

Rory eyes had misted over when he made that pronouncement. She quickly blinked back her tears and said quietly, "Oh."

Tristan looked at Rory before asking quietly, "Do you think we could … well, get back together?"

Silence met his question as Rory weighed her possible responses. Finally, after what Tristan would have called four hours, but in reality had been about one minute, Rory answered him. "Not right now. Not right away. We need to … get used to each other first, I suppose. And it's not just us, either. Tricia is important in this as well. We really can't rush into this. She'll be affected as well.

"We can get to know each other again. And you and Tricia can get to know each other for the first time… But just remember what I said in the diner. It doesn't matter how, it doesn't matter why, and it doesn't matter where. If you leave us, don't expect to come back here without losing something."

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A/N: Thanks to these people for reviewing the eighth chapter: Carrie, crissy, mandie, Melissa Larkin, miss.pebbles, Sarah V., ShadowGoddess, Shannon E., Sleeping Star, SmoothAsVelvet, starbelly, wishinstar, and the one anonymous reviewer.