Everything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and the characters that you don't recognize from the show.

Summary: When Rory Hayden comes back to Chilton, she still sees Tristan Dugrey as her brother's annoying friend that won't seem to leave her alone. But when opinions change, friendships can form, and maybe, it could become something more.

Good to know: Rory went to school in England for a year, then comes back to Chilton for her senior year. She hangs out with her old friends. Lorelai and Christopher are married and they live in Hartford. Dean and Jess don't exist; she's not friends with Paris

Rating: PG13

LilyLOVESwb --Just wanted to let you know that I have every intention of continue 'Road Trip', but I wanted to finish this story first. It's kinda hard writing two trories at once because then you get the same ideas and they get to be really similar, but I do plan on finishing it.

Chapter 12

"What is it?!" Rory exclaimed to her brother as they sat in the kitchen the next morning.

"I already told you," Danny said with a mouthful of cereal, "it was nothing."

"Well you don't just go 'Listen we have something to tell you' for no reason. When you say that, it usually means that there's, well, something to tell."

"Ha. Usually. Not always."

"Ugh! Tristan was like that yesterday too! He was talkin' about some stuff and when I didn't get it he wouldn't explain it to me. He said it was 'nothing'."

"Well maybe it was nothing."

"Yea, well, maybe not! And even if it was nothing, there'd be no harm in telling me... unless it was something. And since he wouldn't explain it to me it obviously was... something!"

"When's Tristan picking you up?"

"Way to change the subj- omigod! Tristan's picking me up in like..." she glanced at her watch, "now!"

She quickly left the kitchen when she heard the doorbell ring.

Rory opened the front door and smiled at her boyfriend.

"Hey," Tristan said, leaning down and greeting her with a kiss.

"Oh, get a room will you?" Danny said, entering the main lobby.

"It was just a little kiss." Rory told her brother.

"Yea, and I'm sure it'd stay 'just a little kiss' if I hadn't come in." he said rolling his eyes.

She glared at him, "Don't think I'm finished with you. If you don't tell me, I'll just get Amber or somebody else to."

"Their lips are sealed."

"I wouldn't be too sure if I were you."

"Yea, well, you're not."

She stuck her tongue out at him before heading out the door with Tristan.

"What was that all about?" Tristan as he started the car.

"Well you know how last night Danny was saying that they had something to tell us?"

"Yea."

"And he never got to finish because Amber announced that we were together?"

"With her voice? How could I forget?"

"Yea, well, this morning I was asking Danny what he was gunna say last night, but he wouldn't tell me."

"Why?"

"Beats me."

"Do you think it might've had something to do with Amber telling them about us?"

"They didn't even know about it in the first place, what could it possibly have to do with what he was about to tell us?"

He shrugged. "Then it was probably nothing."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Nothing shmuthing. It was definitely something."

Chelsea, April, Kelly, Amber, Mike, Josh, Charlie, and Danny sat at the cafeteria table. Tristan and Rory had gone off to do some 'research for a project'.

"How the hell are we suppose to tell them now?" Amber groaned.

"Easy. We Don't." Danny said.

"What? We have to."

"Look, I haven't seen Rory this happy with a guy in ages, and I'm not gunna let that bastard ruin that. We'll just have to deal with him ourselves."

"Danny,"

"What?"

"We all love seeing Rory happy and I'm more than relieved that she and Tristan are finally together, but this is not something you can keep from her."

"Yes it is."

"He's back in Hartford, which means that he'll be back at Chilton by next week, tops, and even if you do somehow manage to get rid of him by then, do you really think that he won't go and bother Rory? Last time I heard, she hit him; he isn't just gunna let something let that go."

He stared at her. "Damn."

His parents had allowed him to come back to Hartford due to his 'good behavior' at that god damn boarding school in Chicago. He laughed to himself, if only they knew...

He would be starting school tomorrow; the sooner the better according to his father.

Boxes were piled everywhere around his room, and he contemplated whether or not he should finish unpacking everything. He came to the conclusion that there would be plenty of time to do that later, right now, he had some business to attend to.

He grabbed his keys, hopped in his car, and headed towards the Hayden mansion.

No one hit Nick Mackenzie and got away with it. And she knew that. Or she would, at least.

"We're coming in now!" Danny announced as he and Amber walked into the living room just in time to see Rory and Tristan pull away from each other.

"You don't have to tell us that you know." Rory said.

"Yea, and risk seeing my sister and best friend making out? I don't think so."

"We weren't making out."

Danny looked at her and Tristan's disheveled features, and raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, so maybe just a little. No harm in that."

He rolled his eyes as he and Amber sat down on the couch facing them.

The four teenagers stared at each other.

"Would you like something?" Rory questioned after a few moments of silence.

"Well, ummm, about this morning, I actually did have something to tell you..." Danny began.

"Ha! I knew it!"

"Yea, well, you know how last weekend at the beach house we saw-"

He stopped when he saw Rory giggle at something Tristan had whispered in her ear. She was happy with him. He was happy with her. They were happy with each other.

"Sorry, you were saying?" she said, stiffling another giggle.

"You know what? Nevermind. It's nothing."

"Danny," Amber warned.

"What? It's nothing, really."

"Oh, you so can not do that." Rory said.

"Watch me."

"If you don't tell me, then Amber will."

"No she won't."

"Yes she will."

"No she won't."

"Yes she will."

"You know," Tristan said, "You could just ask Amber herself."

They all turned towards her, and Amber stared at them helpessly.

"Ummmm... Danny can tell you!" she said, nodding at her boyfriend.

Ding Dong

"I'll get that." Rory said, getting up to open the door, "I'm gunna get it out of one of you, you know. I always do."

Tristan watched Danny and Amber shift uncomfortably on the couch.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Wrong? What makes you think something's wrong? Everything's just fine and dandy." Danny said sarcastically.

Tristan turned to Amber, "What happened?"

"Uhhh, well, ummmm, you see-"

"Where do you think you're going?" they heard an all too familiar voice say from the hall.

"Let go of me!" Rory shrieked.

'Smack'

Without a seconds hesitation Tristan and Danny had rushed to the front door.

"You shouldn't have pulled me back." Danny muttered, holding an icepack over his shoulder.

Josh and April had arrived shortly after Nick had come, and Tristan had taken Rory upstairs.

"Yea, and watch you kill the guy?" Josh said.

"He deserved it."

"Yes he did, but you still shouldn't have done it." April said, "So beating him up isn't gunna work. What's plan B?"

Silence.

"Oh please tell me you have a plan B." Amber said.

Nothing.

"Omigod, you don't! Ugh! You guys are supposed to think ahead! Did you really think that you could just get rid of him by beating the crap out of him?!"

The guys gave her a sheepish look.

"Unbelievable!" April exclaimed.

Danny ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Well what the hell are we supposed to do now?"

"I don't know, but you better think of something. Fast."

------

Rory huddled up against Tristan on her bed while he stoked her bruised cheek soothingly.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked her softly.

"Yea, a little."

"I'll get him for this Ror."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Well-"

"You better not hit him like Danny."

"I-"

"Tristan,"

He sighed. "Fine. But I'm still gunna get him."

"Just leave it alone."

"No way."

"Please?"

He looked at her pleading face. "Don't you want him to leave though?"

"Of course, but he's back here to stay and there's nothing we can do about it. So the best thing for us is to just ignore him."

"Correction, the best thing for you is to just ignore him. We'll take care of the rest."

Rory was too tired to argue, she'd deal with it tomorrow. She snuggled deeper into his chest and his arms tightened around her. She felt safe with him, something she hadn't felt in a long time; he would never hurt her.

Would he?