Lorelai and Rory stood on the porch to Emily and Richards house.
"Just push the door bell." Rory encouraged her mom.
"No, I cant."
"Why?"
"Cause I have this feeling that if I push that button, some little green alien is going to pop out of there and suck me into alien hell."
"We go through this every week. Just push the button."
"No."
"Fine, I'll push the button." Rory said pushing the doorbell.
Emily came to the door in an all green outfit.
"You're late." Emily said as she opened the door the them."
"Oh who called it? Little green alien." Lorelai murmured to Rory. Rory worked hard not to laugh.
"Rory dear you look lovely." Emily said hugging Rory. "I thought I told you I didn't like that shirt, Lorelai."
"Yeah you did mom."
"Well then why on earth did you wear it?"
"It was the only thing clean."
"Well I just hope you don't offend our guests." Emily said giving Lorelai a disapproving glance.
"Guests?"
"Yes, I tried calling your house to inform you, but wouldn't you know I got your answering machine." Emily said in fake surprise.
"Wow, what a shocker." Lorelai said.
"Yes, well we can't keep our guests waiting any longer. You've already made a bad impression by being late."
"Oh, and the little green alien sucks us into hell. I knew only bad could come of you ringing that damn bell."
Lorelai said following Emily into the family room, followed by Rory.
"Robert and Alicia, this is our daughter Lorelai and our wonderful grand daughter Rory. Lorelai and Rory, this is Robert and Alicia DuGrey."
At the name Rory jerked up her head.
"Ah Rory, Richard tells me you go to Chilton."
"Yes sir I do."
"My son Tristan went there. Did you know him?"
"Oh how many ways we could answer that one." Lorelai said absent-mindedly.
"What?"
"Yeah, I knew him." Rory said coming to her mothers rescue. Rory and Lorelai took a seat on the couch.
"He's out on the patio if you want to go see him." Mrs. DuGrey said warmly to Rory.
"He's... He's back?" Rory asked stunned.
"Yes, well Alicia just couldn't stand to have him in Military school any longer, and what with the business going the way it is, I hope to leave it to Tristan sometime in the near future." Mr. DuGrey said.
"Business going that well for you Robert?" Richard asked
"Oh fairly well." Robert went into detail about his company while Rory's mind wandered. She had often wondered what happened to Tristan, how he was. In the end curiosity won her over.
"I think I'll go to the patio and see him." Rory said getting up.
"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked. Her voice was pleading.
"Yup, fairly positive."
"Are you sure you want to leave me here with these lovely people... all alone?"
"Yup, still positive." Rory said smiling at her mother and heading out for the patio.
Rory reached the patio. She saw the back of Tristan. He was faced the other way from her. He didn't see her come in. Rory stood back and admired his features. Tristan had always been good looking, Rory had to admit. But it was his personality that threw her off from ever giving him a second thought. But now he was standing there right in front of her, and her stomach gave a jolt. Rory cleared her throat. Tristan turned around.
"Well, hello Mary. You look nice."
"Its Ro--"
"Its Rory, I know. I'm just teasing you." Tristan said walking towards her smiling.
"How are you?"
"Well, I'm not marching in line with the troops anymore, so I guess you could call this good."
"Well, that's good. Are you coming back to Chilton?"
"In a couple of weeks."
"Oh." Rory said emotionlessly
"Don't sound so happy Rory." Tristan teased.
"I'm sorry. Its just that you didn't exactly make it a very pleasant experience for me while you were there."
"I know, I know. I'm really sorry about that. I'll be nice to you this year, I promise. Military school, I guess you could say it changed me."
"Well that's the whole point of the program so I'm told." Rory said unsure as to weather or not she believed him.
"Yeah, I guess so. How's your boyfriend?" Tristan said hoping the answer would be that she broke up with him.
"We broke up. I don't have a boyfriend anymore."
"I'm sorry to hear that. No ones been good enough to fill the place of bag boy Dean?" Tristan asked, his voice was sincere when he said he was sorry to hear that her and Dean broken up. Could he really have changed that much in one short year?
"Well, I did date my friend Jess for a while. Jess is really great. You should meet him sometime. But we were just better off as friends I guess."
"You sound really close to him."
"I am, he's one of my best friends. Apart from Lane and my mom of course."
"So your single?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I'll have to change that sometime in the near future."
"There's the old Tristan I know and loathe." Rory said smiling.
"Well, I'd like to tell you that I'm just kidding..." Tristan's voice trailed off, he was now smiling too.
Rory's cell phone rang. She picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Rory? Is that you?" Luke's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"No Luke, this is just a girl who sound very much like Rory, picking up Rory's cell phone."
"Rory, Jess has been in an accident."
Rory's face went pale. Tristan could tell something was wrong.
"He. he what?"
"He's at the hospital in Hartford."
"What was he doing in Hartford?"
"He was coming to see you I guess. I don't exactly know."
"Well is he okay?"
There was no answer.
"Luke, is he okay?!" Rory demanded.
"They don't know." Luke said, his voice gruff.
"I'm coming over to the hospital right now." Rory said the tears now streaming down her face.
"Rory, there's nothing you can do right now, he's unconscious and visiting hours are over."
"Well, I just can't sit around and do nothing!"
"Visit him tomorrow. Besides, I don't think you want to see him right now. He'll look better tomorrow."
"Fine, but I'm going over first thing tomorrow morning." Rory said. The tears were uncontrollable.
"I'll be here. Tell your mom I'm spending the night here and ask her if she'll make it known that I'm not going to open up the diner tomorrow?" Luke said.
"I will. Bye." She hung up the phone. She was shaking.
"Rory, are you okay?" Tristan asked stepping closer to her.
"No, no I'm not okay. Jess was in an accident and they don't know if he's okay or not. God, just when things were going good. I was good with my mom, good with Lane, good with Jess, I was getting on better terms with Dean, you came back from military school and you're being nice, which is odd, but I was starting to think I'd have a friend at Chilton. But now Jess is hurt and I feel like my whole world is crashing down." Rory said trying to wipe away her tears. Tristan brushed her face with his hands, wiping away the tears for her.
"It's going to be okay, Rory." Tristan pulled her close to him and wrapped her in his arms. He was half surprised when she didn't fight it.
"Jess will be fine. Things will be good for you again. I promise."
"He was coming to see me. Its my fault he's hurt." Rory said burying her head into Tristan's chest. He felt warm and very comforting. Everything from the way he held her, to the way he smelled made Rory feel safe. She liked the feeling. So did Tristan. He breathed in the scent of her hair and remembered exactly what it was that kept him going throughout his whole time at military school. The thought that he would one day come back and show Rory he was a changed man, and that he loved her. He had always loved her. That would take time, but he was willing to take that time.
"It is NOT your fault. I want you to get that in your head right now, Rory. It was not your fault." Tristan said pulling her away from him and looking her straight in the eyes. His hands still on her waist. Rory looked away.
"We better go back in there." Rory said. "God, I must look a mess."
Tristan gently brushed away the remaining of Rory's tears and the smudged mascara that ran down her face. Rory felt a surge of warmth go through her body as he did this. She wasn't sure what was so different about Tristan. Perhaps it was because he didn't seem to have that ego he once had, and he didn't constantly razz her about dating him. Or maybe it was the fact that he made her feel special, somehow in some stupid way, Tristan was getting to her.
"You look great. You always look great." Tristan said flashing her a smile.
"Way to flatter a girl." Rory said.
"Ready to go in there?" Tristan said, trying not to rush her.
"Yeah I am." Rory said walking back into the house and walking to the family room.
"Rory honey, we were just coming to get you. Dinner is about to be served." Emily said not noticing how upset Rory looked.
Rory and Tristan headed into the dining room. When Rory walked in Lorelai rose from her seat.
"Rory, what's wrong?" she said running over to hug her daughter. Lorelai flashed Tristan a look that said 'if you did this, I swear I'll hunt you down and kill you'.
"Luke called my cell phone and Jess has been in an accident. They don't know how bad he is." Rory said trying not to cry again.
"Oh my God. Do you want to go see him?"
"Luke said it wouldn't do any good. He's unconscious and visiting hours are over anyways. I'm going first thing in the morning anyway."
"How is Luke?"
"He's fine. He wanted you to tell everyone that he's not going to open the diner tomorrow. He's spending the night there."
"What hospital is he at?"
"The Hartford Hospital."
"What was he doing so close to Hartford?"
"He was coming to see me I guess."
"Oh honey, I don't know how you'll be able to get to the hospital tomorrow. I've got that thing with Sookie at the Inn first thing tomorrow morning. And if Luke's spending the night there, he obviously can't take you."
Rory looked bewildered.
"I can take you." Tristan volunteered.
"No, I can't ask you to do that." Rory said.
"No, really. I know I was a jerk to you last year. Let me make it up to you. I'll pick you up bright and early tomorrow and I'll take you to the hospital."
"Okay then, its settled. Thank you Tristan." Lorelai said sincerely.
"Well, lets eat." Richard said from his seat at the table.
"Spoken like a true Gilmore." Lorelai said under her breath.