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

Jess- Thank you again so so much! Haha. I bet you're getting tired of hearing that. Well, I hope not. But still. It's… ok, I don't really know what to say, so I'm just gonna kinda shut up now.

Ms. Vaughn- Mmmmm…. a Logan kiss… that would be beyond awesome… or Finn. I have a sad obsession with Finn, y'know, not that anyone could tell or anything (yeah right!) Haha. But you know what? I read your review, and all of the sudden, my life just felt more complete knowing that you love Logan, just as I'm sure your life is more complete knowing of my obsession with Finn.

liz3386- mwahaha. I heart Taylor with all my, well, heart. And yes, Tristan did. See first sentence. I'm evil. Bwahahaha! Kidding… or am I…?

katiebird- oh man, you live in New Zealand? That's awesome! I'm glad to be helping your Gilmore Girls cravings.

beauty unfolds- It's…. ok, I can't reveal that... haha. Eggnog… I haven't really tried it, as a friend of mine was wowed to find out. He told me that I'm trying the Eggnog Lattes at Starbucks next time we go. Haha. I'm a Peppermint Mocha girl, myself. Don't worry, random is good. I survive on randomness.

More thank yous to Amanda, mar0506, smile1, rika, Padme the 2nd, Chubyheart, amanda, romik, queenmischa, xoxocmmxoxo, piper-h-99, Juliet in Neverland, sooty7sweep, c, OTHlover04. I love you all alot!

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Jess, because without her, well the story kinda wouldn't be here. Sorry it took so long, I really am. I've been having troubles of sorts, but hey, the next chapter is here, and that's all that matters, right? Well, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Years to you all! I hope to have the next chapter up before Christmas, because I know where I'm going with the story, but yeah, things happen, so this is just in case. But I'm hoping to have lots of time, because Winter Break is in a week! Whoot!

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"That was unexpected?" Rory exclaimed. "That's an understatement! That was weird. It was odd. It was very un-Tristan like."

"Hon, he was drunk. Or, should I say, is drunk. Nobody acts like themselves when they're drunk. Or when I've spiked the already spiked eggnog," Lorelai explained with a mischievous grin.

"Mom!"

"It makes it taste better," Lorelai replied.

"What's Taylor going to say?" Rory asked.

"Nothing. Unless you tell him. You don't want to rat out your own mother," Lorelai pointed out.

"Do you know how many people in this town drink the eggnog?"

"I'm waiting for them all to pass out so I can dress up like Santa and steal all their presents to keep for myself," her mom said.

"I don't think that's how the Grinch operated."

"He was misguided," Lorelai retorted.

"And now, Hep Alien!" Taylor introduced, gesturing to the band members as they came out from back stage.

Lorelai nudged Rory. "How about we bum rush the stage as soon as they begin? We could body surf."

"I don't think I trust the people of this town to keep me up, especially since you spiked the eggnog," Rory replied.

Gil and Zach started singing 'Jingle Bells'. In the middle of the song, Gil launched into a guitar solo, almost jumping off the stage.

Rory stood on her tip-toes, scanning the crowd and watching the band.

"What're you doing?" Lorelai asked, amused.

"Watching the band," Rory replied.

"He's not up there, and you won't find him in the crowd," Lorelai pointed out. "And even if you do, what are you going to do? Try to reason with him and find out why he kissed you? Babe, he's drunk."

"I'm not looking for him," Rory protested.

Lorelai hid a smile. "I must have been mistaken, then."

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Rory found Lane backstage after the performance. Lane rushed over to her, drumsticks still in hand. "How'd we do?"

"You did fine," Rory assured her. "Taylor didn't stop it, and nothing was thrown onstage."

Lane squealed and gave her best friend a huge hug, hitting her in the back with the drumsticks in the process.

Zach wondered over, carrying two cups of eggnog. "Rory. Did you hear my guitar solo during 'Jingle Bell Rock'?"

Rory glanced over at Lane for a moment, who held a giggle behind her hand. "I did. It was very-" she searched for the right word-"inspirational."

Zach bobbed his head. "It kicked ass."

"Tons of it," she agreed, nodding her head and struggling to keep a straight face.

As if to symbolize something, he held up one of the cups in a mock toast, and then downed it in one gulp.

"Do you know the eggnog's spiked?" Rory asked.

Zach lifted up the remaining cup and examined it from all sides. "Really?" he asked slowly. "No wonder it tastes so good." He thrusted his glass toward Rory and Lane one more time, then walked off.

Lane, finally not being able to hold it in any longer, burst out laughing. "He is completely smashed." Rory started to giggle also, but Lane called her on something. "You're blushing. Girl talk time. Spill."

Rory sighed, knowing there was no way she could hide something like this from Lane. "Tristan kissed me."

Lane squealed again, jumping up and down. "Again? Why?"

"He was drunk."

"So? Drunken men never lie. They may be a bit impaired, but they don't lie."

Rory shook her head. "Tristan doesn't like me."

"Of course not," Lane agreed in a mockingly solemn voice.

"Are you ready to join in the festivities now that you're done?" Rory asked in an abrupt change of the subject.

"Sure. Let me put my drumsticks down." The two walked off the stage and toward the gazebo.

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"Where's Lorelai?" Lane asked. She had picked up a candy cane and was twirling it around with her fingers.

"Luke's. She's trying to convince him to be more social. Apparently, the hair flip is going to be involved."

"It never fails," Lane agreed.

They climbed the steps of the gazebo, and Miss Patty met them halfway up. "Rory, Lane. How nice to see you both."

"Hi, Miss Patty."

"Lane, I saw that band of yours playing. That guitarist of yours is very nice." Miss Patty looked at her in a way so that Lane could not misinterpret her words.

Lane made a face, causing Miss Patty to laugh. "Well, I must be off. I have to find that charming friend of yours, Rory. He promised me a dance."

Rory smiled. "Bye, Miss Patty."

"Bye, dear." She turned, but ran into someone else and struck up a conversation.

Rory walked up the rest of the gazebo steps, but was literally run into by a man.

"Sorry." The man tipped his hat and bowed deeply to her. She looked at him, studying him, sure he wasn't from the town. He was about her age, but she wasn't sure. He had an Australian accent, and a top hat was perched on the top of his head.

"Look up." Rory followed Lane's directions and tipped her head back, only to see mistletoe.

The man followed her gaze up. He threw an arm around her and returned his gaze back to her. "Well, love, guess we're obligated. Unfortunately, I have to make this quick. We're on our way to Hartford, but decided to make a pit stop before facing the parents. So, I'm going to have to really impress you later. Do you mind?"

Rory laughed. "No." She leaned up.

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Tristan watched as Rory laughed about something the jack-ass she was with said something, then leaned up to kiss him. He had spotted her, and was going to talk to her when that happened.

He turned away, disgusted. Fuck this, he thought. I can take the bus to my parents. They won't be happy to see me, but it'll be better than here.

He stalked away, never knowing that Lorelai saw him.

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Rory gave the man a light peck on the lips.

"C'mon, Finn," came an irritated cry.

Finn tipped his hat toward Rory again. "Sorry again, m'lady, but I have to bid you adieu. 'Til we meet again." He bowed slightly, then jumped down the steps and hopped into a waiting Escalade.

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Tristan angrily shoved his things in his bag. He'd go spend the rest of the year at Harvard with Ryan, and then probably apply there. If he never had to see Rory fuckin' Gilmore again, he'd be just fine. With disgust, he threw her present on the couch.

Lorelai was sitting ob the back of the bus stop bench, calmly drinking coffee. She turned her head to look at him as he turned around to walk the other way.

"Hold it right there, Terry Malloy," she commanded.

"What?" he snapped.

"Where're you going?" She took another sip of her coffee.

"My parents."

"Never pegged you as the masochistic type."

"I'm chock-full of surprises."

"I repeat, where're you going?" Another sip of coffee.

"My parents."

"You're going around in circles," she pointed out.

"So are you," he countered.

"What'd she do? Is she still oblivious?"

"I don't wanna talk about her," he told Lorelai simply, flopping himself down on the bench beside her.

"Too bad, I do."

"So you can talk, and I'm gonna wait for the bus."

"I'm sorry, what are you going to do? I couldn't hear you over all your asshatishness," Lorelai dead-panned.

Tristan raised an eyebrow her direction. "Is that even a word?"

"No questioning my etymology while I'm mad at you." She paused, then added, "Or ever."

"I'm not going to talk."

"And I'm not going to leave you alone until you do."

They sat in silence, listening to the music coming from the town square not too far away. Lorelai studied Tristan for a bit, before saying,

"You play a very convincing drunk."

"Years of practice." He opened his mouth to add something else to his statement, but snapped it shut right away. Lorelai looked at him, so he just blurted out, "She kissed someone else."

Lorelai promptly burst out laughing.

"What?" Tristan was getting a bit annoyed now at Lorelai. Were all the Gilmore girls this annoying? He then mentally chastised himself, knowing that he should know the answer to that.

"You obviously don't know Rory as well as you like to think you do," Lorelai informed him. "Rory doesn't go around randomly kissing people."

"Well, she did."

Lorelai laughed again. "Not only was that an incredibly unintelligent argument, but there was a reason. There had to be." She looked around, taking in the setting, before declaring, "Such as mistletoe, perhaps?"

Tristan suddenly felt very stupid. He should have known it was something like that. Rory didn't do that. Logically, he knew that. Logic somehow seemed to fail him when he was around her, however, and know he was incredibly embarrassed. He refused to meet Lorelai's gaze.

She put a soothing hand on his back. "It's ok. Just one of the side effects of knowing a Gilmore girl."

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A/N2: Yes, that was Finn. Yes, the Finn. It will all be revealed in at a later time… a sequel of sorts perhaps…? Mwahaha. Maybe, if you play your cards right….