AN: HOW IS EVERYBODY? GOOD? BAD? INDIGESTION?

Well, school has started and I don't like it. I just wanted to point that out, and a while ago I went to a 'how to host a murder' party....have you been to one?

Well, I HIGHLY recommend it even if it's not your birthday, just round up eight friends, some alcohol and get accusing each other!

APPARENTLY, I'm a lunatic and blew up everything, including the bus and my girlfriend's hat. But I wasn't the murderer, that was my cult loony friend who wanted a world full of vegetarians and planned on kidnapping all the hot-dog stand's in existence.

Thanks everybody who reviewed, I know you killed her, but its okay, I forgive you. Hint: Run.

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Rory stared at Tristan, who insisted on staring right back, except with his trademark smirk etched on his face.

"Bible boy," She said dryly, and yet she was smiling, "What brings you to Madison?"

He raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe. "Isn't it obvious?"

She blushed and he smiled, remembering how much he loved that. "Where are you staying?"

"Blackwood."

"Ah."

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Rory considered thoughtfully. "Well, if you promise to be nice."

"Have I ever been anything but?"

"Oh, I would seriously beg to differ."

He chuckled and stepped inside, glancing at his surroundings before focusing on her.

"What in the world made you want to come visit me?"

He shrugged. "There was something about Mary," A smile, "That I just couldn't forget."

"Weren't you attacked by photographers downstairs?"

He lifted up the sunglasses, baseball cap and took off his jacket. "Apparently, dressing like a drug dealer gets you into five-star hotels."

She smiled. "I see you have something there for me..."

He handed her the video. "Willy wonka and the chocolate factory. I can't deny that I'm not at all surprised."

"And why is that."

"You seem like the type to like oompa loompa's." He smirked.

She smirked right back. "And you seem like the type to be terrified of them."

"Okay," He pouted, "Not terrified, just merely...irked by their strangeness."

She gave him a sly look. "I know who I'm going to call up in the middle of the night singing oompa loompa songs to.."

"Aw, didn't know you cared." That cockiness that never seemed to have left resurfacing.

She rolled her eyes. "Cared enough to torment you? I think I do."

"I'm touched. Really."

"Good to know, Bible boy." She led them to the living room where they both sat down on the lush couch.

"So, give me a brief summary of your life after play night."

"Play night?" He raised an eyebrow suggestively, "Amazing how you make Shakespeare sound so kinky."

She swatted his arm, both of them falling into the easy banter of their high school days without fail, as if they'd never been apart.

"You know what I mean!"

"Well, got shipped off to military school. Graduated, went to Princeton, graduated-"

"-I said brief, not dot points."

He smirked at her before continuing. "-Some girl I dated was in the modeling and film industry or something like that at the time, and one day when I went to pick her up from a shoot, the photographer insisted on doing test shots for me. Less than three days later, I'm signed to a famous agency in New York. Where I was at the time-"

"-I would never have guessed."

"-Shush Mary! I'm trying to tell my story! Alright, then after a while, I started doing film, landed the role of Ryan, changed agents, two years later, here I am."

"Trust you to get discovered on your girlfriend's photo shoot."

"Ex-girlfriend," He corrected, "Now its your turn."

"Well, Paris and I became friends after you left, graduated, went to Harvard, graduated-"

"-Hey, don't mock me!"

She grinned at him. "You know you love it. Anyway, I started off with an internship at The times, but I was having coffee one day in some café and a woman approached me about an ad she's doing. Something about how I looked like I truly loved coffee," A smile, "I got hired for it, got signed, because I just wanted to do acting part-time, plus it was kind of fun. I landed small role, got an actual agent and almost two years later, I find a certain blond-haired man at my doorstep, whom I haven't seen in a long time."

"You missed me." He said cheekily.

"The teasing? The constant Mary's?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course." He replied simply.

She paused. "I did a bit."

"Ha!" He said triumphantly.

Rory held her fingers a millimeter apart hastily. "Only this much though! Don't get ahead of yourself!"

"How is bagboy?"

Rory stopped, startled, as if she couldn't remember who he was talking about. "Bagboy? D-Oh! Well, we broke up not soon after you left."

"Why?"

"That," She gave him a poke, "Is none of your business, Mr. Dugrey." She told him smiling.

He grinned. "Alright. But I'm going to weasel the information out of you somehow."

She gave him a devilish look. "You just try."

"By any means necessary." He gave her a pointed look and winked.

She blushed. "You and the innuendoes!"

"My best friends."

"My mortal enemies."

"Fight to the death."

"What other possibility is there?"

"...Me. You-"

"-Do I want to hear where this is going?" Rory asked, giving him a mock glare.

"-Tsk tsk Mary. You've got a dirty mind."

She stuck out her tongue.

"Mature." He smiled, "As I was saying, Me. You. Popcorn and some freaky little orange men."

"Alright..but you better not scream." She warned.

"And if I do," He smirked, "I'll give a girlish scream and pretend it was you."

She gave him a shove and grinned at him then impulsively jumped up and gave him a hug. Tristan was surprised but hugged her back, her small frame feeling absolutely wonderful.

"I actually did miss you." She whispered.

He had a grin on his face, even though she couldn't see it.

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"I can't believe you made me watch that!" Tristan exclaimed, sprawled on the floor, munching on popcorn.

Rory flicked on the lights. "Made? I'm sorry, I remember someone saying something along the lines of

"Me. You-"

He smirked up at her. "-I like where this is going-"

She waggled her finger at him. "-Popcorn and some freaky little orange men."

"Hey, what time is it?" He asked, tossing some popcorn into the air and catching it in his mouth.

She glanced up at the clock. "A little after ten. Still early."

He raised an eyebrow and gave her an appraising look. "My Mary's become a party animal!" He said, acting shocked.

"Oh please," She protested, "You know you're worse."

"True."

"There wasn't much of an argument there."

"There wasn't much to begin with." He replied.

"So its still early. What should we do?"

"Aw, c'mon," Tristan complained, "That one's too easy!"

She shot him a look and he just gave her an innocent expression back.

"I know! Let's go to this second hand bookstore I discovered last week!" Rory said happily.

"Where is it?" Tristan asked, getting up and dusting himself off.

"A few blocks away."

He hesitated.

She noticed and hastily added, "But if you have somewhere to be-"

"No," He protested, "I was just wondering if we should hire a cab or something."

She shrugged. "Well, we could leave out a side door, dressed as drug dealers, so you like to say."

He smirked at her. "Oh, I don't know...you don't exactly look like drug dealer material."

She pouted at him. He laughed. "No, no. I take that back, you are the template of what drug dealers should look like."

She groaned. "The latter was worse."

"C'mon then, let's get going. I'll call a cab."

Tristan dialed as Rory disappeared into her room and emerged a few minutes later with a thick woolly scarf, a long brown jacket and a beanie.

Tristan couldn't help but smile at how adorable she looked.

Tristan put back on his disguise as they took the empty elevator downstairs.

"Isn't it pathetic how we have to dress like this to leave our rooms?" Rory said wryly.

"If you'd rather leave naked..."

She gave him a small shove and laughed, walking into the dining area and towards the kitchen.

"Side kitchen door." She told him.

"Hey, no need to explain yourself to me."

She glanced at him to smile sweetly. "You're a bit dim, Tristan darling." She drawled.

"Thanks, Mare." He said, grinning.

"Er, I'm sorry, this area is restricted." A kitchen hand cut through, staring at Rory, who was wrapped in her pale blue scarf, apologetically.

Rory just smiled at him. "Hi, my friend and I would really appreciate it if we could get through, we don't particularly want to leave out the main entrance."

The young man hesitated.

Tristan lowered his sunglasses temporarily. "Due to the overwhelming numbers of paparazzi outside. You understand." He smirked.

The man took a step back. "Mr. Dugrey, Miss Gilmore!" He exclaimed, looking back over at Rory, "I'm sorry. I di-didn't know it was you!"

"I realize I look like I've been vacationing in Antarctica." Rory grinned.

The man stepped aside quickly. "Terribly sorry, please step through. Would you like me to call a cab?"

"Oh no," Rory said, waving a dismissive hand, "That's alright. Thank you for your help."

Rory and Tristan stepped around him and headed towards the side entrance, which would exit out into an alleyway.

"You are so..." Tristan struggled to find the right words, "...unaffected."

"What?" Rory asked, puzzled as she breathed in the heady fresh air.

"By fame, people falling over themselves to grant your every wish..." Tristan said, somewhat in shock.

"If you ask me," Rory said, raising an eyebrow, "That's the worst part of acting."

"You can't possibly tell me that you don't enjoy the attention just that little bit?"

"Just that little bit," Rory admitted, "But only just that little bit."

"Amazing." Tristan breathed out.

"Again, what?"

"You haven't changed."

"Is that good or bad?"

"A good thing." He replied finally.

"But you," She grinned at him, "Seem to love being famous?"

"But of course!" He said, "I don't like the paparazzi, but the fans, the constant attention..."

"...The fans are nice." Rory said, smiling.

"...They know when my birthday is and occasionally give me gifts." Tristan said, waggling his eyebrows.

Rory laughed. "Tristan in power. It's a scary thought."

"A thought brought into reality for the past year or so."

"I always thought you were going to take over the family business."

"Hardly," Tristan scoffed, "When my father found out I was doing acting on the side of my law studies, he was furious. But now he just boasts to his country-club friends." He said, somewhat bitterly.

"That must be hard."

He didn't answer and instead got into the yellow cab waiting under a street lamp.

Tristan craned his neck and nearly laughed out loud at the sight of a photographer trying to bribe the doormen into letting him in.

"Where to?" Tristan asked Rory, forgetting about his father now that he remembered he was sitting in a cab with the girl of his dreams.

"Antarctica." Rory whispered to him mischievously, but to the driver she said, "Corner of Rodeo and fifth."

Tristan smirked. "Too short of a vacation, huh?" He said, repeating her conversation with the man in kitchen.

"No," She said innocently, "But it just to happens that a penguin followed me home..."

She gave him a pointed look.

He grinned at her and then pouted. "You're a lot meaner than I remember."

She laughed. "And what do you remember, Bible boy?"

"I remember that I still have to take you out to make up for that P.J. Harvey incident." He said, with the smallest twinge of hopefulness in his voice.

But she only smiled at him and Tristan melted.

This was high school all over again.

"I would like that." She answered finally.

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AN: Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.

That word starting with R - go do it.

I don't mean reproduce, but hey, if that's what it takes.....