"Roooooory!?!?" Lorelai's voice wafted through the apartment.

"Hey, Mom!" Rory and her mom hugged tightly.

"Look! I brought you a housewarming gift!"

"A what?"

"Mom told me to…open it!"

"Oh! The monkey lamp?"

"Of course! Every house and apartment should have one," Lorelai said excitedly.

"Somehow, I don't think this is what Emily wanted you to get us. But I think it's much better than what she would have picked out."

Later…..

Tristan looked over at them. They were unpacking boxes happily. What was so great about boxes? Monkey lamps, giant coffee cups, pajamas with cupcakes…Rory had them all. They were giggling, but he couldn't tell why. He looked around his sparse bedroom and wished he had bought more stuff. He walked over to his desk and quickly grabbed his coat and keys.

"Hey Ror?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh, I'm going out for a bit. Call my cell if you need me."

"Okay. Bye."

He slammed the door shut and walked outside. Tristan didn't know where he wanted to go. He just wanted to get out of there, all of her candy colored shit and souvenirs from her trip to Europe were making him nauseous.

But where was he supposed to go? He walked down the street, passing Urban Outfitters, the COOP and Cutler's Records. What was it that Lorelai brought? A house warming gift? He could get Rory a gift….


But what the hell would she want from him? That girl had everything she could ever want. And if she ever did want anything, all she had to do was snap her fingers and a team of 50-some odd people would come running to her side. Tristan sighed. Rory Gilmore was so different then all the girls he had known before. They would be happy with an empty box.

On the other hand, all those girls were total airheads. Their heads were empty boxes.

Tristan casually walked into the COOP and picked up a navy coffee cup emblazoned with the Yale logo in gold. "Hmmph," he thought, "She might like this."

"Excuse me?" Tristan motioned towards a salesperson. His years of etiquette classes on Saturday mornings and dances at Miss Barkley's had paid off. His manners were impeccable. "I need a present for a …uh…a friend of mine. She has everything and I'm a little overwhelmed right now. Could you help me to select a gift?"

The saleslady, a lithe dance major, was the kind of girl Tristan might have flirted with in the past. As his eyes trailed up and down her long muscular limbs, he remembered why. Tristan quickly shook the thought as she replied.

"Well what kind of friend? Are you close, is it a girlfriend, a friend, a friend's girlfriend? Information such as this is vital in choosing the appropriate gift." Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she spoke.

He rolled his eyes. Tristan himself had no idea who Rory was to him, withstanding what he should tell some ditzy salesperson.

"Rory is my…."

"Oh, so now your mystery woman has a name?"

"Yes, Rory."

"What's your name?"

"Tristan DuGrey. And you?"

"Jenni. Jennifer Nelson. Anyways, what were you saying about Rory?"

"Rory is my…roommate."

"Oh…bad ex-girlfriend memories there?"

Tristan scratched his head. "More like the fact that she was never my girlfriend."

"Oh." Jenni said quietly.

Tristan brightened, "Well, how about that present?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Wow, Rory!" Lorelai squealed, "I never knew you had so much underwear!"

Rory rolled her eyes and thought, 'Maybe it's time to get out of here.'

"Mom, why don't we go for a coffee break?"

"Ah, the elixir of life! But of course!"

They left the apartment and were greeted by a surprise when they arrived at the local Starbucks.

"Tristan!?" all but shrieked a shocked Rory.

"Hey Ror!"

"So this is the infamous Rory Gilmore," smirked Jenni.

Crossing her arms across her chest, Rory glared at her bibleboy.

"Who are you?" She said to Jenni.

Standing up with a smile, Jenni shook Rory's hand. "Jennifer Nelson. Call me Jenni."

"Uh hi?" Lorelai waved. "I'm going to get some coffee."

As Rory assuredly pushed aside Jenni to sit next to Tristan, he thought, "This is going to get interesting."