***Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore girls, never have, never will. Ill just settle for fanfics

***Chapter 2***

When Tristan pulled into Rory's driveway he noticed Lorelai's car wasn't there. He helped Rory out of the car and up the porch to the door, opening it with his set of keys.

He maneuvered his way through the dark house to Rory's room with ease, flicking on the light switches as he went.

Rory had been silent the whole ride home, and Tristan knew from experience she was feeling like crap. He went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of pajamas.

"Change into those, Mare," he said handing her the clothes. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Tristan closed her door on the way out and sat at the table where he had eaten so many meals consisting of pop tarts and coffee.

For as long as he could remember, Rory's home had always been his home too. Though his house had every comfort money could buy, it lacked the comfort of love, something that Rory's home was overflowing with.

Tristan had met Rory when they were in Kindergarten together. Even at the age of five they attended an elite private school and Rory's grandparents paid her tuition. They had become best friends instantly, despite the fact that Tristan couldn't pronounce 'Rory' and it came out as 'Mary,' something that bugged Rory immensely. But as the years went by and Tristan learned how to say 'Rory,' he affectionately chose to still call her Mary, and Rory no longer minded.

It wasn't even until high school that Tristan truly realized how well the name suited her. She was sweet and innocent, and completely oblivious to her stunning features. Sure, she had just had a serious boyfriend, but she was too classy to let their relationship go to far. Tristan admired her more than he would ever let anyone know.

When Tristan met Lorelai at the Gilmore household, he knew she was special. She would stay up with Rory and Tristan when they had sleepovers, always being the first one to drag out the pop tarts or the chocolate. She organized movie nights and picnics, never excluding Tristan from her plans. Lorelai understood what Tristan's home was like, distant, cold, and loveless. From the time she met him she realized she had to intervene and save him from the world of snobbery that would consume him when he got just a few years older.

So by the time they moved to the house in Stars Hollow when Rory and Tristan were twelve, Tristan was part of the family. Lorelai gave him keys to the house and told him he was welcome anytime, day or night. Over the next few years, Tristan spent more time with the Gilmores than he did with his own family. And the Dugrey's hardly noticed.

In fact, the small house in Stars Hollow was what he called home. He spent three days out of the week staying over at the Gilmores, returning to his real house in Hartford only on weeknights when Rory insisted on studying in peace. He kept most of his clothes in her room; he had his own personal dresser drawer and one quarter of her closet space. His entire CD collection was mixed in with hers, and his goldfish lived by her bed.

Rory had a full sized bed in her room that they shared. Rory got the right side, Tristan the left, next to his fish. Lorelai didn't mind that they shared a bed. She trusted Rory and Tristan, and she knew that Tristan loved Rory enough to keep their relationship innocent.

The truth was that he had fallen in love with her that first day of kindergarten, and he hadn't snapped out of it yet.

Tristan let out a long sigh. This kiss had been their first real kiss in all these years. Sure he kissed her on the forehead or the cheek all the time, and they had shared a couple of quick little kisses during Jr. High games of spin the bottle. But this was different. It was life altering. Too bad it had happened under the worst of circumstances.

Rory opened her door and beckoned for Tristan to come back in.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" she asked.

"Of course Mary," he answered, taking her hand. He pulled a pair of sweats from his dresser drawer and changed in the bathroom. When he returned, he climbed into his side of the bed and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. Rory snuggled against him and rested her head against his chest.

When Lorelai peeked in on them hours later, she saw the picture of Tristan and Rory intertwined in each other's arms. She smiled and closed the door behind her, knowing that all was right in the world.

*****

Across town Dean lie awake, thinking of Rory. He wondered what went wrong, dying to repair their damaged relationship.

And he wasn't the only one thinking about Rory. Her pretty blue eyes haunted Jess' dreams all night long. Just across the room, Luke dreamed of Lorelai's pleading face, begging him for more coffee.

***A/n: well aren't the Gilmore girls popular? And I know that jess technically wasn't around at the time of Madeline's party, but for my purpose, he is. Hope you're kinda getting a feel for rory and Tristan's relationship. Please review!!!