Disclaimer: Amy and Daniel Palladino, along with the rest of the WB, own Gilmore Girls. I'm just borrowing the characters.

Jess- Hmm, well, your review did actually help, and thank you for the suggestions. Made me think about everything. I like the Lorelai and Tristan friendship aspect because I feel that they could be good friends, despite Lorelai's biased toward him because of his tormenting of Rory. Ok, well, I'd say more about it, but I woke up like, an hour ago, so I'm tired. But I'm really glad you're enjoying my story!

Ms. Vaughn- Mindfuck is an awesome word. I encourage you to use in everyday life and see how people react. Same with asshat.

JeNsEnS wifey ChAdZ lover- I loved your story!

four51- I love you. You helped everything. Like I mentioned above, I'm tired, but... I don't know. I really don't have anything else to say but thank you.

More thank yous to sooty7sweep, bebe5975, OTHlover04, Robin2, smile1, Callista NicTeryn, and of course PomegranateQueen. I love you!

A/N: I procrastinate. It's what I do. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to procrastination. So, really, you can't yell at me to update sooner when I become nervous and twitchy if I don't procrastinate enough. It's a disease. I'm sorry. I'm getting help. Plus, it took me forever and a fucking day to get that goddamn "cookie" thing figured out. And here I am, thinking that cookies are just something you eat.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean growled to Tristan as soon as the meeting was adjourned.

The rest of the meeting had gone over surprisingly well after Kirk's announcement. Taylor's bug inspection failed however, mostly due to Gypsy and Andrew's warnings that if he tried to get them to shut down their businesses one more time, they'd release Luke. Luke had become particularly fed up and tried to attack Taylor, prompting Gypsy and Andrew to do their best to restrain him.

Tristan regarded the taller boy carefully. As much as he wanted to pound Dean into the ground, his saner part told him that it wouldn't bode well with Rory. So all her did was put his hands up and take a step back. "I just came here for the show."

Dean just nodded calmly, and threw a punch. Tristan dodged it and went for Dean's stomach. The brown haired boy caught his wrist in his left hand. Tristan glanced down at the hand holding his arm and smirked.

"Nice tan."

Dean responded by putting the blond in a headlock. Tristan elbowed his opponent in the stomach, thus getting away for the time being. Dean punched him in the jaw, and Tristan mimicked the move. If military school taught him one thing, it was how to give and receive a punch.

Rory stood in numb horror, watching the two duke it out in front of the whole town. She regained her voice when they stopped for a moment to breathe, and was able to scream, "Stop it!" when Tristan tackled Dean.

Dean was in mid-kick and Tristan had him in a headlock when they heard Rory scream. Both boys looked up at her to see the tears forming in her eyes. They looked back at each other and slowly backed away. Rory stared back at them for a moment, then turned and ran the other way.

Dean and Tristan both tried to get up at the same time, resulting in the tripping over of each other. The two finally managed to get up and glared at the other one. Luke got between them and grabbed each in a bruising grip.

"You," he said to Dean, "go back to your house. And you," Luke turned to stare down Tristan. "To the diner." When neither boy moved, Luke barked, "Now!"

8888888888888888888888

Lorelai followed her daughter to the bridge on the edge of town. Rory was sitting on the edge looking down at the water below. She was absentmindedly fidgeting with the watch on her left wrist.

"Ror?" Lorelai asked quietly. Rory just looked up at her mother, then back down at the water. Lorelai took this as an opportunity to sit down next to her and put an arm around her daughter. Rory leaned her head against her mom's shoulder.

"Did they stop?" Rory finally asked.

"As soon as you left," Lorelai replied.

Rory wrapped her arms around her torso, valiantly trying to fight off the night's cold. "Why do they have to fight?"

"Well, sweetie," Lorelai began. "It all started when man was created. Man was possessive and liked to fight."

Rory sighed. "But this time, Tristan didn't even do anything. Sure, he just showed up out of no where, but Dean should trust me. Especially since he was the one that got married, not me."

"It's a mystery, babe." Lorelai kissed the top of Rory's head and got up, pulling her daughter with her. "I think the best thing to do would to go get some coffee and pumpkin pie from Luke's, and then you can go back to your dorm and I can go home and we can call each other and eat ice cream and pretend we're sitting right next to each other."

The two Lorelai's began their walk toward Luke's. "What about Luke?" Rory inquired.

Lorelai just smiled at her. "I'm sure he can survive one night without me."

Rory giggled slightly and leaned her head against her mom's shoulder again.

8888888888888888888

Much to Rory's surprise, Tristan and Luke were sitting in the diner, talking. Well, actually, Luke was talking and Tristan was listening to the older man threaten him on what he would do if he hurt Rory in any way, shape or form.

The two stopped talking when the Gilmore girls entered the diner. Tristan got up quickly, left three dollars on the table he was sitting at and brushed past Rory, refusing to look at her.

"What was that about?" Lorelai asked Luke. "Heart to heart?"

"Oh, it's like a Lifetime movie!" Rory suggested.

"Luke's really his long lost father, and his mother- played by Candice Bergen- was killed by a stray bullet while getting him food when he was two." Lorelai grinned as she came up her with her most recent movie plot.

"I was just talking to him," Luke answered, wiping down a few tables.

Lorelai looked back at Rory. "I think somebody misses their son." She went behind the counter to get some pie, but Luke stopped her and turned her around. She pouted until Luke gave her and Rory a plate with pumpkin pie on it.

"What, no whipped cream?" Lorelai asked, examining her pie from all different angles. Luke reached behind the counter and handed her a can. Lorelai beamed at him. "You're an angel."

Rory laughed. "I should get going. Luke, coffee for the road?"

Luke sighed, but gave it to her anyway. Rory beamed. "Thanks, Luke. Bye, Mom." She kissed Lorelai on the cheek.

"Bye, hon. Call me when you get to your dorm," Lorelai called after her.

888888888888888888888888

Back at Yale, while Rory talked to her mom, Tristan was sprawled out on his friend's couch and watching TV. Said friend was sitting on the floor studying for a "killer" test he had the next day.

Tristan wasn't even paying attention to the TV. All he could think about was Rory and what Luke had said to him. He wondered if anyone cared about him that way. The look in Rory's eyes, which he would never forget. He felt as though he had let her down in some way. All he wanted to do was scream, "It was bag boy's fault!" but as Luke pointed out, she didn't care whose fault it was, just that they'd fought.

"Fuck," he muttered out loud, running a hand through his hair.

James looked up at him. "What?"

Tristan waved it off. "Never mind. Just thinking about someone."

James grinned. "Oh," was all he said.