Disclaimer: Amy and Daniel Palladino, along with the rest of the WB, own Gilmore Girls. I'm just borrowing the characters and everything else mentioned in this chapter.

Jess- It's ok. It sometimes takes a while to get put up on the board, so it probably didn't even show up. Ooh! 2 for 1! I like it...I do, don't I? I'm having a serious problem keeping modest with you as president of my fanfic club.... not that I'm complaining. Yeah, I was going to have the whole story take place over one weekend, than I realized that was not only stupid but very unrealistic. I figure Tristan is slowly trying to be nicer to her, getting her to see him in a different light.

four51- Sorry, I'm not Wonder Woman. And school's coming up, so I've gotta practice my "do-opposite-of-what-everyone-says" skills. Sorry again. But I'll keep updating a lot, and I'm really glad you love my story.

Special thank yous to bBy x jUjUbee, Mystified Dreamer, smile1, barbra, Mia, fairieangel, lilturtlegrl7,and PomegranateQueen. I love you!

A/N: I could write this chapter so it goes on forever. But it had to stop somewhere. It's my longest chapter ever though, so yay! I'm always worried that they're too short. So, enough of my odd phobias. But I was serious before, I could write these characters forever. I just hope they're not too OOC.

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"Helga's House of Pain Gym- we'll whip you into shape," Lorelai chirped into the phone after finding it in the crisper of the refrigerator.

Rory giggled at her mother's greeting. "What if I was Grandma?"

"Then she'd make a remark on phone manners, I'd roll my eyes, and she'd ask me to do something boring for one of her stupid charities," Lorelai replied.

"Leave some of that bitter for the rest of us, Mom," Rory teased.

"Sorry, babe." Lorelai reached her hand under the couch and emerged with her left shoe. "Did you get my message?"

"Of course. Did you get mine?" Rory asked.

"Nope. Did you call my cell?"

"Yup. A few minutes ago," Rory answered.

Lorelai frowned. "I thought I heard something. When we're done, can you call it again?"

"Why can't you call it?" Rory asked, raising an eyebrow as if her mom could see her.

"Because I tried that yesterday, and long story short, we're not speaking anymore," Lorelai joked. "How do you feel about Thanksgiving?"

Rory pretended to think about this a moment. "I don't know, what'd it say about me?"

"Well, it started asking questions about you, then finally said it'd be at the Dragonfly next Thursday. It invited you," Lorelai offered.

"Really?" Rory mocked those teenagers she always saw in TV shows that freaked when they heard about their crush being at a party. "I guess I'll have to make an appearance."

"You're playing this awfully cool," Lorelai remarked.

"Guys like an indifferent girl," Rory said.

"Ok, hon, I'm late for dinner with Luke. I'll see you on Thursday. I love you," she sing-songed.

"Love you too, Mom." Rory was about to hang up when she heard Lorelai remind her to call her cell. On the sixth ring, her mom picked up.

"It was in the shower of all places."

"The shower?" Rory asked, mildly surprised.

"The shower," Lorelai confirmed. "Where's Paris?"

"Watching C-Span, why?" Rory questioned.

"Put her on," Lorelai commanded.

"I'm starting to question your sanity," Rory remarked.

"Starting to? If you're just 'starting to', then I'm beginning to question yours," Lorelai joked.

"Mary," Rory muttered.

"Isn't that your nickname?" Lorelai teased.

"Not in the Tyler Moore sense," Rory replied.

"Rhoda, give Paris the phone." Rory rolled her eyes and handed Paris the phone, then walked into her room so she could work on a paper.

Paris walked in a few minutes later to give Rory the phone back. "Your mom invited me to spend Thanksgiving weekend with you."

Rory grinned. "Now you can finish that case study on us."

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Late Wednesday afternoon, Rory had just finished packing her suitcase into her trunk when Tristan sauntered up, holding a suitcase of his own.

"Mary!" he greeted over-enthusiastically, giving her a lop-sided grin.

"Hey, Tristan," Rory replied, not even bothering to try to correct him. "What're you doing here? With a suitcase?"

"My Ferrari crapped out on me," he admitted. "Can you give me a ride? You're my last hope."

Rory studied him as he got down on his hands and knees and gave her his best puppy-dog eyes. He stuck his bottom lip out as far as it would go and even managed to make it quiver a bit.

She caved, and let out a little laugh. "Fine. But you owe me coffee. And lots of it. And perhaps a picture," she added.

He just smirked at her and stuffed his suitcase in the trunk. "Coffee I can do. As for the picture, that was an once-in-a-lifetime performance saved for your eyes and yours only."

"I feel special," she dead-panned.

"Why, Mary, you'll always be special to me." Tristan smirked at her again and got into the car to be blasted with Ruby Soho.

"Rancid?" he asked.

"NOFX?" she countered, referring to the sticker she'd seen plastered on his suitcase.

He laughed. "Fine, no more questions."

Rory turned onto the freeway. "That'd be best. Where're you going?"

He smirked yet again, and Rory became suspicious. If he was going to say Hartford, he'd look more depressed. "Stars Hollow."

Rory turned the music down. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" I could've heard him incorrectly, she thought.

"All this Rancid making you deaf, Mar?" Tristan teased. "I said Stars Hollow. Lorelai invited me."

Rory gave him a disbelieving look. "My mother's name you remember?"

"I know your name, I just prefer my own name for you," Tristan replied lightly.

"I'll be sure to tell my mom to have you pick out the name of her next child," Rory said sarcastically.

Tristan smirked. "You're mad."

"Nope. Not mad. Definitely not mad. Not mad, not angry, not upset, nothing," Rory affirmed.

He raised an eyebrow. "And that's why you just recited the Thesaurus to me?"

Rory chewed on her bottom lip. "Yes."

He smirked. "I can't argue with that."

"Of course not," she agreed. "Your head might explode."

"We can't have that," he said solemnly, biting his cheek to keep the smirk off his face. "Too many people would miss it."

She threw him a sideways glance. "I can't imagine why people would call you a megalomaniac when you're obviously so modest."

"It's a gift," he replied, shifting in his seat to look at the back seat. "Where're your CDs?"

"Glove box." Rory reached over and opened it for him.

Tristan took out all the CDs and began milling through them. "PJ Harvey, Death Cab for Cutie, Blur, Warrant?" He held a CD toward her. "And Cherry Pie, of all things. Mary, I'm impressed- underneath that angelic exterior, you're just a dirty pervert like the rest of us."

She rolled her eyes and seized the CD away from him. "It's Zach's. He's probably wondering where it went."

Trying his hardest to keep the jealousy from his voice, knowing logically that Rory wouldn't be that calm if she was talking about an ex-boyfriend, Tristan questioned, "Zach?"

"Bandmate of Lane. She got annoyed with his playing it during all waking hours, so she hid it in my car," Rory explained. "He does a good Time Bomb. Remind me to interrogate you about your stupid dislike of Rancid."

Snapping out of his reverie, Tristan resumed his search for a different CD. "It's at the top of my list. How is it stupid?"

"Because it is," Rory replied.

"I just love your logic," he said patronizingly. "What about Talking Heads?"

"Take me to the river."

"I'll take that as a yes."

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Half an hour later they arrived at the Gilmore residence. "Mom?" Rory called. No answer. She walked into the kitchen, Tristan on her heels, and found a note telling her to go to Luke's.

Rory put her suitcase in her room while Tristan took in the house, fiddling with various objects around the room.

"It's very-" he paused, searching for the right word.

"Don't say cluttered," Rory warned, having just come out of her room.

Tristan smirked. "I was going to say comfortable, but we can go with your word."

She made a face at him. "Ready to go to Luke's?"

"Do I have a choice?" he countered.

She shook her head. "Not really."

Lorelai was working on her third cup of coffee when Rory and Tristan got there. She jumped up when she saw her daughter and pulled her into a huge hug.

"Luke! Coffee!" she barked.

"You'd think that she'd stop doing that after we've been dating a while," Luke muttered to Rory while pouring her coffee.

"It's Lorelai," she pointed out.

"Good point." He bent down and kissed Lorelai's forehead, then extended his hand. "Tristan." The two exchanged a manly handshake.

"Too much testosterone," Lorelai mentioned to Rory.

"What should we do about it?" Rory asked.

"Feminism?" Lorelai suggested.

"Women's right to choose," Rory agreed.

"Abortions all around!" Lorelai exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in a broad gesture around the diner.

"You're insane," Luke said. "I advise you to run while you still have the chance," he told Tristan.

Lorelai cackled evilly. "No use, he's already in our clutches. We have to corrupt him while he's still in a stupor over our dazzling features and sharp wit."

When Luke stooped slightly to pour her more coffee, she captured him in a kiss.

"Public displays of affection should not be allowed in the place where you serve food, Luke," Taylor called out disapprovingly.

"You're still bitter because of the $100 you lost," Miss Patty noted.

Tristan leaned over to Rory so he could whisper, not wanting to accidentally offend one of them without knowing it. "There was a running bet?"

Rory nodded and took a sip of her coffee. "Babette won the most money, followed by Kirk, and then Miss Patty." She finished off her coffee and reached for her mom's only to have her hand slapped away.

Lorelai broke the kiss and grabbed her coffee. She gave Luke a quick kiss and a slap on the butt as he walked away. "Wasn't there another Angel with you?"

"Paris is coming later tonight," Rory explained.

"Ah." Lorelai switched subjects again. "Movie night tonight. I got A Fish Called Wanda, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Fierce Creatures."

"Raided the 'F's?" Tristan asked.

"It's the only decent letter," Lorelai replied. Switching gears yet again, she said to Tristan, "Glad you could come with us this year."

Tristan shrugged. "It's better than my house."

"You're preaching to the choir. I figured you'd have more fun at our Thanksgiving. The things that get lit on fire are by accident, here," Lorelai replied. "Speaking of which, you two are going to come down to the inn tomorrow to help set up."

"Order or request?" Rory asked.

"I'm making you an offer you can't refuse," Lorelai joked in her best Al Pacino impression.

"So basically you're forcing us to do manual labor in a bad Godfather impression?" Rory summed up.

"Yes," Lorelai confirmed. "But I made it sound better. And my impression wasn't bad!"

"Tristan, what do you think?" Rory inquired, signaling Luke over for more coffee.

"I think the impression was pretty good," Tristan replied.

Lorelai smiled at him. "I like him, can I keep him?"

Tristan cocked an eyebrow at her. "Ms. Gilmore, are you trying to seduce me?"

"You watch good movies. That's it, you're now taking my place at Friday night dinner," Lorelai exclaimed.

Rory laughed at her mother's newest idea to try to get out of Friday night dinner. "Ok, Tristan, now that we've settled that my mother is in love with you, what do you think about her as a slave driver tomorrow?"

"I'm thinking that I'll take Luke up on his offer to leave while I'm still mostly in control of myself," Tristan replied.

"Smart boy," Luke grunted, pouring more coffee for his favorite junkies.

"Shush you," Lorelai said good-heartedly.

"Many things leave with my silence," Luke informed her.

Lorelai looked up at him with a big smile and batted her eyelashes dramatically. "You're pretty." He kissed her again. "Movie night tonight!" she called to him as he retreated behind the counter.