Hey everyone! Welcome to my new fic, set (mostly) on a sunny beach somewhere along the coast. Anyway, hope you enjoy it! Oh, and please don't forget to review.

***

Rory yawned luxuriously. With a mental sigh of relief, she revelled in the fact that semester exams were over and that it was, at last, term break.

"What are you going to do over the break, Paris?"

"Something pretty damn relaxing."

Rory smiled, thinking of her own plans: to spend it with her boyfriend at his beach house.

"Actually," Paris continued, "it's going to be a special brand of Hell."

"Why's that?"

"I'll probably be at home with my dad's new live-in girlfriend after mom finally divorced him last summer. Her name is Cindi. A peroxided Malibu Barbie with nothing between her eyes except for more peroxided hair."

"My commiserations."

"If you tell me to turn my frown upside down, I'm going to hit you."

"I wasn't, I swear." Rory was struck suddenly by a fantastic idea. "You know, I've just had an idea."

"Must have been a first." Seeing Rory's expression, Paris felt compelled to add a 'What?'

"Why don't you come along?"

"And be a third wheel? Urgh. Even talking with a human doll beats hanging around with you two."

"No, it's not like that. Actually, his sisters are going to be there with some of their friends, and his friends too. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Jamie will be there?"

Paris glared at her.

"Shall I take that as a 'sure Rory, I'll come'?" Rory teased, grinning.

"Fine. But stop grinning in that irritating manner. The fact that my ex-boyfriend is there has no weight whatsoever."

"Okay, okay."

***

"Is it my turn to drive yet?" Tristan was desperate to get behind the wheel.

"Nope. Won't be for another hour."

"But we'll be there by then!"

"Yep." Jess grinned. He had only met Tristan a couple of times, but had had plenty of fun in making fun of him already. He called him 'Blondie', to which Tristan responded by calling him 'Jessica'. That part wasn't so fun.

"But I'll look like a weakling sitting in the backseat."

"Huh. Desperate to impress James' girlfriend?"

"Of course not. I have a girlfriend, remember?" Tristan took on a hurt expression. "How could you think something like that?" He paused. "Although, I do hear she is pretty. And smart, too. A Yale girl."

"Yale, huh?" Jess reminded himself that Rory had probably gone to Harvard. Nonetheless, he drove just that little bit faster, unable to get her out of his head. 

***

Rory and Paris stood by the kerb, waiting impatiently for their ride.

"So who exactly are we waiting for?"

"James and his sisters." Rory checked her watch. "They'll be here in a little while."

"Well, they are already 2 minutes and 37 seconds late. Wait, why are they with him?"

"They're hitching a ride with him, apparently."

"Hmm. I'm sure they have their own cars."

Rory shrugged.

Vroom vroom. A car pulled up next to them, knocking Paris and Rory's suitcases over as it slowed to a stop.

"Nice driving, James," Paris said caustically, stooping to pick up her bag.

"He'd thank you, but he's not here."

Rory looked up, and froze when she saw the driver. The clothes, a black bomber-style jacket and faded jeans; the hair, cropped more closely, but still dark and full; the face, more angular; the body language casual, nonchalant, but there could be no mistaking the eyes. The eyes that looked at her, looked through her, looked into her. "Jess."

"Rory."

"Oooh, this is a Dear Diary moment," Paris remarked.

"Hi Mary." Another familiar voice came from the backseat. "Paris, hey."

"Tristan?" "Tristan?!" Rory and Paris spoke simultaneously. Having received two stuns in less than 5 seconds, Rory felt a little dizzy. Meanwhile, Paris had begun berating Tristan.

"Paris, hey?" Paris mimicked Tristan. "Is that all you can say after what you did?"

Tristan looked blank.

"Don't look like you didn't do anything!"

"Uh…" Tristan had forgotten how intimidating Paris was.

"You walked out on my production of the pivotal last scene in Romeo and Juliet!"

"Oh, that."

"Oh, that? Oh, that? I hardly need to remind you that it was 50% of our final mark!"

"Paris, I got sent away to military school."

"So? Does that prevent you from giving me at least 2 days notice? Luckily for you, Mrs. Caldecott appreciated my postmodern feminist adaptation though that costume–"

Tristan rolled his eyes.

"I'm not through with you yet! You're going to regret this."

"I am already," he groaned.

Jess looked at Rory, who was still standing, in a state of shock, while the others were seated.

"Are you gonna get in?"

"I'm debating it at the moment."

"Barely a minute and already taking potshots at my driving skills."

"Well…based on your track record…"

"Hey, that bear ran at me. Not vice versa."

"Bear? It was a little furry possum." Rory grinned. After a moment, so did Jess. It brought back memories for both of them, and the smiles gradually faded, as they stood looking at each other. Rory remembered something.

"Uh, Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's my … where's James?"

"Slight hiccup. Had to stay to finish some paper that had to be in before break or something. Told us to take his car. Nice of him."

"Hm. And where are your … I mean, his sisters?"

"They're already there, waiting for us." Catching Rory's confused look, Jess hastened to add an explanation. "Finished early."

"So, you and Tristan have -"

"You know that guy?"

"Tristan? Yes, unfortunately."

Jess looked at Rory, who really didn't feel like explaining. The shock was wearing off, and she could tell that the journey ahead was going to be very uncomfortable. 

"Long story."

"Okay." He paused. "Look, I promise to stick to the speed limit."

"Oh, alright." Rory got into the front seat next to Jess, and he smiled.

"Pass me the map?"

Wordlessly, Rory got it out, and, as she handed it to Jess, his fingers brushed against hers. Something light and static. Their eyes locked, dark eyes on blue, and Rory felt butterflies in her stomach.

Tristan saw this little exchange, and his expression was indecipherable. In his mind flittered images of Rory as he last saw her, before the play, at the party, where he had kissed her.

Paris saw both these things, and she rolled her eyes.

The trip just got a lot more interesting…

***

So, what did you think? Want to read more? All you have to do is to click on that little purple 'review' button down there. Meanwhile, if I get a healthy number of reviews, you can look forward to a road trip with plenty of embarrassment, romantic moments and surprises…