AN: This chap cuts back and forth between NC and New Haven. I hope it's pretty clear. Finally we get some Trory time. Yea! As always, reviews are appreciated.

Paris sat on the edge of the couch at 6pm that Friday night. Her blind date was to pick her up at 6pm. That was all she knew. Rory wouldn't give up any other information at all. She had helped her pick out an outfit appropriate for the date. At five after six, Paris jumped up and started pacing.

'I've been stood up! This is what I get for agreeing to be set up. The first time Rory set me up, I'd fallen for the trick of thinking Tristan actually wanted to go out with me, and now this!' Paris thought. She was heading back into her room to put on comfortable clothes when there was a knock at the door.

When she opened the door, there was a fairly attractive guy standing there. He was slightly dressed up and holding flowers. Paris smiled, despite her sour mood just moments prior.

"Hi, I'm Marty. I'm here to pick up my date."

"Marty? Hi, I'm Paris."

'Marty? Why does that name sound familiar?' Paris searched her memory, but couldn't put that name in any certain context that Rory had mentioned before. She took the flowers from him, putting them in a vase.

"Rory told me to come a little late, I hope I was late enough."

"She told you to come late?"

"Yeah, something about how guys always make the mistake of showing up right on time, not giving women enough time to put on the final touches."

"That sounds like something Rory would say. You were fine."

'Okay, maybe this won't be so bad.'

"So, you all ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go, Marty."

Meanwhile, in Chapel Hill, Rory and Tristan were walking into a hole in the wall pizza place. The walls were plastered in local pictures and UNC sports paraphernalia. It was packed full of people and loud. Rory looked up at Tristan and he smiled.

"Hey, we'd like a table for two," Tristan walked over to the hostess area.

"Two? Sure, that'll be about fifteen minutes."

"Great."

"So, you're going to love this pizza. It's the best in the whole world," Tristan announced after turning back to Rory.

"We have pizza in New Haven, you know."

"Not this good. I've been to New Haven hundreds of times. Alumni dinners. Class reunions. Family weekends. More than I care to remember."

Rory nodded and smiled, "Okay, I know New Haven doesn't have the best food in the world. Although, we do have excellent tacos."

"We're you even reading my survey? I'm hurt. It's all about the pizza."

"Does that mean we're getting Danish for breakfast?"

"If you're good."

"I clearly get the impression you're trying to impress me. We're so getting the Danish!" Rory did a little happy dance. Tristan watched her in amazement and started laughing.

"Are you laughing at my happiness?"

"I'm sorry. I've just never seen someone get so happy over the thought of Danish."

"You should see my mom on Danish day."

"I bet you two are a trip together."

"We have our moments."

At this point, they were seated in the back of the restaurant, in a big wooden booth. It felt completely secluded and cozy. The placed their drink orders and started pouring over the menus.

"So, what do you like on your pizza?"

"I'll eat literally anything on pizza. Just no all-veggie pizzas. Or low fat cheese. The more the better, really."

"That's what I like to hear. So shall we get some garlic bread too?"

"Yeah, but make it with cheese."

"How much pizza can you eat?"

"Oh, tons. We should probably get an extra large."

Tristan looked at her a bit in surprise.

"What? I like to eat."

"No, no. It's refreshing."

"Hey, fair warning. I wouldn't want you to order a medium, then you'd be all hungry; it's really not fair."

He smiled and placed the order when the waitress came back.

Back in New Haven, Paris and Marty arrived at an Italian restaurant. She kept reminding herself that Rory had made all the preparations, so the evening wasn't going to be a total nightmare. And Marty seemed to be okay. He was easy enough on the eyes. And the fact that he was her age was sort of nice. He wasn't as immature as some of the cretins she had gone to high school with.

They walked into the restaurant and were immediately seated.

"So, Paris. Rory wouldn't tell me anything about you. What are you studying?"

"Oh, I'm pre-med. How about you?"

"I'm pre-law. But I'm not sure that will be the case much longer."

"You don't like law?"

"It's sort of what everyone in my family does. I'm thinking it might be time to shake things up a bit."

"Yeah. I did that by coming to Yale."

"Not a legacy, huh?"

"No, Harvard is the school in our family."

"Ah. Well, if it means anything, I think you made an excellent choice. Harvard is much too stuffy for my tastes."

Paris smiled. He was good at this. Not too good so that she got the impression he had dated the entire female population of the school, but he seemed like a nice guy.

"Well, thank you. I think so too. So, how do you know Rory?"

"Oh, ah, that's actually sort of an interesting story. Or rather a mortally embarrassing one," Marty began, as he recounted the gory details of waking up naked outside Dufree's suite five door.

Rory was laughing so hard that her coke actually came shooting through her nose. Tristan was recounting one of his tales of the pranks he'd pulled at military school with his roommate.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, man, that burns. I hate it when that happens."

"I've never seen a girl do that before."

"You really have to come over for a movie night with me and my mom. You might see both of us do it at the same time if you're lucky."

"Now that I might have to take you up on."

Rory smiled, having finished wiping coke off of her face, and Tristan reached across the table and put his hand on hers. She looked from her hand to his face and noticed the way his eyes were sparkling. Then she heard her cell phone ringing.

"Oh, crap, I'm so sorry. I forgot to turn it off. Do you mind, it might be my mom."

"No, definitely, take it."

"I'll be right back," she added, regretfully pulling her hand away form him and answering her cell phone as she headed to the rest room to hear better.

"Hello?"

"YOU SET ME UP WITH NAKED GUY?"

"Paris?"

"Yes, it's Paris. Are you kidding me?"

"Marty is a great guy."

"Rory, he got drunk and lost his clothes. And he wore your robe."

"Paris, he just made a mistake. And I think it's quite a funny anecdote."

"Rory—,"

"Paris, aren't you still on your date?"

"I excused myself to the bathroom after I asked how he knew you."

"Well, were you having a good time before the naked story?"

"Yes," Paris reluctantly admitted.

"Then get back out there and get to know him. You'll forget the naked story. Well, at least you'll find out that he doesn't make a habit of acting that stupidly all that time. And I can get back to my dinner with Tristan."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your dinner. How's everything going?"

"Good. I'll tell you about it Monday."

"So, wait, you've seen Marty naked?"

"Paris, back to your date."

"Just wondering."

"Later, Paris."

Rory shook her head. Leave it to Paris to freak out on a date. She was sort of hoping it had been her mom. She was dying to find out what happened on her group outing with Luke and Sookie and Jackson. She was hoping Luke and her mom would snap out of whatever was keeping them from realizing they were supposed to be together. She made it back to the table to find Tristan taking the last piece of garlic bread.

"Well, I was wrong."

"Excuse me?" Tristan furrowed his eyebrows as he brought the last piece of bread up to his lips.

"Well, I thought you were trying to impress me, but sneaking off with the last piece of cheese bread, I mean, that's one of the cardinal sins of the Gilmore's."

Tristan slowly withdrew the offending piece of bread away from him lips, frowning. He looked at her, now seated across from him, and the seriousness of her facial expressions.

"You seriously have room left in your body for more food?"

She nodded.

"Amazing," he uttered, and took his knife, slicing the piece in half, offering her one and devouring his half.

"Delegating. Very important skill. Two points," she said, finishing off her half.

"There's a points system?"

"Oh, so much you still have to learn."

Tristan got up to pay the bill, and they headed out to the next locale he had on his 'must-show-Rory' list.