A/N: Thank you to everyone who took the time to review my first chapter. This is my first fan fiction story, and my goal is to make it more than just fluff. So I apologize in advance if I don't get right into the Tristan, Rory, Logan triangle. I'm hoping to establish who Rory has become and then delve into the romance side of it. I haven't yet decided who she'll end up with, but I'm leaning towards a certain blond haired bad boy from her past… hahaha…Keep reading and reviewing!

Once again, I do not claim any rights to the characters in my story. They are the sole creations of the WB, Amy Sherman-Palladino and Co. But I do express my utmost gratitude to them for providing us with such amazing characters to relate and believe in.

Chapter 2: Puzzle pieces

Silence filled the room as Rory's brain attempted to wrap itself around the idea that Tristan DuGrey was the man she had trying to get into see for the past two weeks. It had never occurred to her that the name Mr. DuGrey was the same man that over the years she had tried countless times to forget. It bothered her, like a small pebble in her shoe, that she hadn't quite been able to erase his image from her mind or stop herself from thinking about him now and again.

"Rory?" Paris asked quietly. She had only meant to cause Rory a few moments of surprise, not put this look of utter shock and confusion into her friend's blue eyes. Something about Tristan had always put Rory on edge, but Paris had figured that time and distance would have cured this.

"Tristan… wow now there's a name I haven't heard in awhile," Rory finally managed to say as she attempted to get her emotions under control. Chilton Prep had been almost a decade ago. And yet she still found herself thinking, "what would have happened if he hadn't been sent off to military school?" or "what if we had acted on our feelings for each other?" And then reality jolted her back to the present. She had been 15 when she had fallen for Tristan's bad boy ways. What does one really know at 15?

"Yah well, unlike some, I do my research, and realized that the big hoopla being made over the Senator's assistant was due to the fact that our very own Chilton playboy is apparently being groomed to take over the elderly statesmen's job," Paris informed Rory sarcastically, attempting to smooth over the situation by moving as quickly as possible away from any memories of the past.

"That would make sense. Delaney is getting up there in years, and all the rumors that his replacement is a young, ambitious hot-shot, with no sense of morals or ethics would surely fit with the Tristan we knew back in high school," Rory quickly replied surprising even herself at the bitterness in her response.

"Umm. Yah. Rory listen- Tristan's changed-" Paris started to say but then quickly changed here mind when she saw the look in her friend's eyes. Rory wasn't going to hear a thing that she said, so why waste her breath?

"I'd like to believe that, but while I may not have figured out that Delaney's protégée was Tristan, I have done my investigating on the young politician. And my reports have shown that he is still the same spoiled, lazy, charms-the-pants off everyone jerk that I knew and disliked back at Chilton," Rory concluded as the two women left the small apartment. All the pieces were starting to fall into place. She had discovered in her background checks, that the Senator's assistant had been born in Connecticut and gone to school at a ritzy military academy in upstate New York. From there he apparently had gone to Princeton where he had majored in International Relations and Government Policy.

"Whatever, listen Rory forget I mentioned it," Paris said sorry she had even mentioned it. She was surprised at how strongly Rory had reacted; the girl was normally so even-tempered and logical. It was one of the things she liked most about Rory.

"Yah good idea, we've got enough to deal with today," Rory agreed as the walked the six blocks to the Tribune's office. Stopping at the small coffee cart outside the building she ordered her second daily dose of caffeine.

"Morning Eli, how's business?" Rory asked as the man behind the cart prepared her coffee. He was as round as a bowling ball, with tortoiseshell glasses, and bald as an eagle.

"Quite excellent Marla," the man replied not looking up, "that's 1.85 please," he answered handing her the cardboard cup.

"Good to hear, have a nice day," she replied. Looking at Paris, she felt the need to explain the small man's odd behavior.

"You get your coffee there every morning, and he still hasn't been able to get your name right?" Paris asked in disbelief. She couldn't comprehend the incompetence of today's workers. It was one of the major issues she tackled in her editorial column she worked on.

"He calls me something different every day, I just kinda go with it. I won't argue with the man who serves me the best coffee this side of Luke's," Rory replied as they stepped through the doors of their building.

"Incompetence, I won't stand for it," Paris muttered waving good-bye to Rory as the two made their way through the hustle and chaos of the Tribune's main work center.

"GILMORE! My office NOW!" a male voice roared as she set her bag down on her meticulously ordered desk.

"Looks like Charlie is starting his day off just peachy," Paris kidded as she headed off towards her workstation.

"Great, later Paris," Rory responded as her friend walked away. First she gets the news about Tristan and now a one on one with her obviously crabby boss- all before 8 A.M. Grabbing her coffee, a pen, and her notepad she gingerly made her way towards the boss man's office.

A/N 2: Again this chapter isn't all that exciting but it does start to set the stage for things to come. Thanks and once again please read and review!