I still don't own GG...

Huge thanks to all the reviewers. It's great to see what others think, even the bad (as long as it's constructive).

Recap Chapter 17:

She took out the first pile and it was so obvious that her mother had arranged them so that she could see the ones she needed to see first. There were really great pictures of her and Tristan. She couldn't believe the poses her mother had gotten them in. the first one was of her and Tristan when he had tackled her to the ground. She saw something on his face that she had never noticed before. She didn't know exactly what that look meant but she wanted to know. The second picture was of the two sleeping on the couch together. She had to admit they looked good together. The third was a little sneakier of her mother. It had been taken this morning while she slept. Only in this one Tristan was awake and he was watching her sleep. Although she should have been a little freaked out by the whole thing she couldn't help but notice the expression on Tristan's face. He looked extremely happy. It was as if he was so content with just watching her sleep. Looking at the pictures again she noticed that her expression mirrored Tristan's perfectly. She knew then that she had to go talk to him.

Rory was approaching the living room with the stack of picture ready to show them to Tristan and to get his reaction.

"Tris, can I talk to you for a min..." she started just as the doorbell rang.

They both ran to the door to see who it could be. Tristan reached it first and opened the door to reveal a gorgeous blonde.

"Hi Tris!" she said with a huge smile on her face.

"Katherine!!!!"

Chapter 18

Rory stood by and watched as Tristan hugged the beautiful blonde girl at their door. She could feel the jealousy boiling in her veins. Who was this girl and why was she at her door? It was funny how at the exact moment that she was about to go talk to Tristan about her feelings another girl would show up at the door. She didn't have much of a choice but to hold off telling him that was if she ever did now. Disappointed, and a little sad Rory went to her room.

"You look really good Tris. I think it's been way too long."

"What are you doing here Kat? You weren't supposed to be here before next weekend."

"Well, little brother, I decided to take some extra time off and come sooner. So, what's going on?" "Not much, I want you to meet someone. This is..." As he turned around he noticed that Rory was no longer behind him. "Rory? Where'd she go?" He couldn't imagine why she'd just leave.

"If you're talking about the girl who was at the door with you she went to that room there." Katherine said pointing to Rory's bedroom.

"Anyway, that girl was Rory Gilmore. She left Stars Hollow a little over a month ago and now she's staying with me for a while."

The Rory Gilmore? Are you talking about YOUR Mary? As in the girl who stole your heart back at Chilton?"

The girl couldn't believe what her brother was telling her. Back in high school he had told her all about the new girl, the Mary that he was in love with. He had spent many nights telling her how much he wanted to go out with her and how she just wouldn't give him the time of day. She remembered the night of Madeline's party when he had gotten home and told her about the kiss and how she had ran away. The only time she had ever seen her brother cry over a girl was the day he had come home from school with tears in his eyes because she had told him that she hated him.

"The one and only. She came here looking for a job and the manager at the store hired her while I was away, then I offered her the spare room and she took it."

"Have you told her how you feel?"

"No I haven't. I plan on telling her though but not yet. The timing has to be perfect."

"Don't wait too long you might miss out on something really special." She was scared that he'd wait too long and that she'd find someone else.

"Come on I'll introduce you."

Rory was sitting on her bed looking at the photos. She was so glad that she hadn't had the chance to tell him anything. Now she knew that it was a mistake and that she could never say anything. How could she have been so stupid to think that there was absolutely nobody in his life? After all he was Tristan, hot Tristan, good kisser Tristan. She just liked him so much. What didn't make sense to her was that for the last month he hadn't gone out on any dates and he hadn't mentioned that blonde and now there was this beautiful woman in their apartment and...she just didn't want to think about it anymore. Suddenly there was a knock on her door. She just knew that it was he.

"Rory can I come in? There's someone I'd like for you to meet." His voice said from the other side of the door.

Did she really want to meet this girl? Maybe she should pretend to be asleep. She couldn't do that; she just had to know what was going on. "Come in."

The door to her room and in walked Tristan followed by the girl.

"Rory, I'd like you to meet my sister Katherine. Kat, this is Rory"

"Your sister? Umm, hi." Wow! Wasn't this embarrassing?

"Yeah my sister, what did you think Ror?"

"Uh...I don't know..."

"Hi Ror. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Okay girls how about some coffee."

"Sure Tris." The girls said in unison.

"I'll go make some and I'll meet you in the living room."

The girls sat on the sofa getting to know each other a little more. Rory told her about her life in Stars Hollow. She told her about going to Chilton and about her grandparents. It was unbelievable how comfortable she felt with this girl. It was the first time she had ever met her and she already felt like she'd known her forever.

"...all we saw was Tristan's bare butt as he was running away from the dog." That was the conversation Tristan heard when he walked back into the living room. Both of the girls were laughing so hard they were almost crying. He just knew that this wasn't the first embarrassing moment Kat had told Rory about. Would he ever hear the end of this?

"Okay girls, enough talking about me. I know I'm everyone's favorite subject but those embarrassing moments are off limit k?"

"Awww, poor wittle Tristan is embarrassed. It's ok Twistan." Kat said to her brother making all sorts of weird faces.

The trio spent a few hours drinking cup after cup of coffee and talking about all kinds of different things. Rory heard more about Tristan's childhood and how he had been close with no one in his family but Kat. Kat told her more about the crazy days of Tristan Dugrey and about the millions of girls who'd always call their place for him.

Rory learned a lot that night. She could really see the love the siblings shared and it made her smile. Tristan had grown up so much in the past two years. She knew without a doubt now that the old Tristan who would have went out with every girl in class and who would have "hooked up" with just as many girls didn't exist anymore. She could see that even though he could still be just as flirtatious that he was more serious. She liked the new Tristan more but she was happy that he still teased her and still flirted with her.

"Okay you guys I think I'm going to go to bed." Rory said when she noticed it was now 2am.

"So am I but we have got to spend some more time together. Are you working tomorrow?" Kat asked Rory.

Tristan couldn't believe what his sister was saying. She didn't even know Rory and she wanted to spend time with her? This kind of scared him. Sure it was cool that his best friend –his sister- wanted to get to know the woman he loved but what if she told her too much?

"I'm off tomorrow actually. What did you have in mind Kat?"

"We could go shopping."

"Sounds good. 'Night Kat, 'Night Tris."

"'Night Ror, sweet dreams" (of me) Tristan thought to himself.

Once Rory was out of earshot Kat turned to Tristan.

"You have to tell her. You two would make the absolutely best couple in the world. I think she'd be really good for you."

"Really?"

"Oh yes."

"Too bad she doesn't feel the same way right?"

"How can you say that? I could see the emotions in her eyes. She totally has feelings for you. I think I even saw jealousy in her eyes earlier when I got here and you gave me a hug."

"You're crazy, you know that?"

"'Night little brother."

With that she walked into his bedroom and closed the door leaving him to sleep on the sofa.

{}{}{}{}

Kat woke Rory at 10 the next morning. The girl wanted to go to the mall as soon as possible. Reluctantly Rory got up and went in the shower but not before having at least 2 cups of coffee. Tristan was nowhere to be seen which probably meant that he was gone to work already.

After putting on a pair of jeans and a dark blue sweater and tying her hair in a ponytail Rory was ready to go.

The two girls went to practically all the clothing stores looking at the jeans and pants and shirts. They picked out outfits to try out and headed to the change rooms. Rory tried on a black skirt with a red tank top and walked out of the room to show Kat.

"That looks absolutely great and it's perfect for tonight." Kat said examining the outfit. The skirt was almost a mini and the tank top was pretty plain but it fir her perfectly.

"Thanks, I think so too. Perfect for tonight? What's tonight?" Rory asked her kind of confused.

"I thought we'd go out tonight. The last time I was here Tristan and I went to this dance place and we had a blast. We have to go there tonight."

"Okay, but I'm not 21 yet, I can't get in everywhere."

"No worries, this place is 19 and over."

"Sounds good. I have lots more to try on so I better get going then." Rory said as she headed back into the change room to try on more clothes.

When the girls walked out they both had a pile of clothes that they wanted to buy. Rory had almost forgotten that she couldn't afford so many clothes.

"I have to start eliminating some of these. I can not afford all of this."

"Nonsense Ror. Give me that black skirt and tank top and it'll be my gift to you."

"I can't let you do this Kat. I'll just put these black pants and this blue shirt back on the rack." She had already stepped closer to the rack when Kat stopped her.

"I insist Ror. Get the pants and the blue shirt and give me the skirt and tank."

"Thanks Kat. I owe you."

They paid for their merchandise before heading to the food court to grab a bite to eat. It was close to 4pm and Rory was exhausted. Who knew shopping would consume so much energy?

When they sat down Kat decided it was the perfect timing to have a little chat with Rory about her brother.

"So Ror, how do you like the new Tristan?" Kat asked in a casual tone.

"I think it's really great that he's changed. It's a big difference from high school. I do know that some of it was an act back then though."

"He told me a lot about you two back then."

"He did? That can't be good."

"I know about a certain kiss and about two PJ Harvey tickets."

"Oh! You must think I'm horrible then."

"Not anymore. I think you were just young and confused then. My brother wasn't exactly the nicest guy in the world."

"You don't know how horrible I feel about the whole thing. I didn't really mean that I hated him; I just wanted Dean to take me back. How stupid was I?" There was a lot of regret in Rory's voice.

"Not stupid just a little blind maybe. What made you come to Tristan?"

"I had no idea that he was still here. It just kind of happened."

"Are you happy that you did?" Kat knew that this conversation was dragging on but she didn't feel it was right to just ask her how she felt about him.

"I'm glad I ran into him. We were never good friends back at Chilton but now we've become close. I don't know what would have happened to me if I wouldn't have seen him."

"I think he's glad that you're here. Out of everyone at Chilton you're the one he missed the most when he left."

"What? Are you serious?" Rory couldn't believe what Kat had just told her. Tristan actually missed her? Why hadn't he contacted her then? Why didn't he call or write? She knew the answer, it was always the sane answer to all her troubles: Dean. Dean had hated Tristan and didn't want her near him, he would have freaked if she would have been in contact with him. She remembered the night before Jess left. Dean had picked a fight with him. A realization hit her then. If it hadn't been for Dean she wouldn't be in North Carolina with Tristan. She guessed it kind of evened things out.

"Yes I am serious. When Tristan would come home after a long day at Chilton he would tell me about Mary, the one girl who didn't throw herself at his feet. He was completely intrigued by you. To him you were everything he wanted and everything that he'd never have." The tone in Kat's voice was a little sad.

"If he was really intrigued and stuff why did he have to tease me and annoy me?" She was having a hard time digesting this.

"Rory, Tristan is a Dugrey. That was his way of showing you that he was interested. In case you didn't know my parents didn't exactly teach us how to show our emotions."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Rory didn't understand. Why did it make a difference now how Tristan had felt about her in high school?

"I just thought you had to know. It also brings me to this. How do you feel about my brother?"

"We're good friends. I like being around him we have fun and he understands me."

"That doesn't answer my question. Don't try to hide it Ror, I see the sparks between you."

"I guess I can't lie then right? I do have feelings for him. As for when or if I'll tell him well, it's unknown."

"What's this if? Why wouldn't you tell him?" Kat was confused. If she really cared for her brother why wouldn't she do everything possible to be with him?

"Here's the thing: I'm probably going to have to leave North Carolina in the next month..."
A/N: Okay guys, sorry it ends at a really bad place but if I would have continued it would be like 10 pages long. Please let me know what you think.