Chapter 1: The Lack of Un-Lip-Locked Females

". . . so then I said, 'Gimme all you got', and you know what? The Scrawny kid did! I mean, he was like, more than a foot shorter than me, and a freshman--"

"Wait, are you telling me that you were flirting with the girlfriend of a Freshman! You, The Reigning 'King Of Chilton', had to stoop as low as to try to steal the girlfriend of a poor, pathetic Freshman!" Rory Gilmore paused, tilting her head in consideration as she studied her best friend, "What did you do, diminish the population of the rest of the females in this school that you haven't dated?"

Tristan DuGrey tried, and failed to look innocent, "Nooo. . . Not exactly. . ."

"Oh, My God," Rory choked on a laugh, "You did, didn't you! Tristan, Tell me, can you name one non-freshman female that you haven't lip-locked yet!"

He paused in the act of opening his locker to gather his things, "Ummm. . ." He smiled. "Well--"

"And I don't count." She interrupted quickly, before any lewd remarks passed through his lips.

"Oh, Darn." Tristan mock-sighed, then tilted his head, just as she had, "Well. . . technically, we have kissed. . . It was so sad that it made you cry."

Rory gaped, "Well, you pulled my braid; it hurt!"

He grinned, "Well, my youthful exuberance was too much for you, it was my first kiss! How old were we then, anyway?"

She shook her head, smiling. "We were six. Remember? Our grade one teacher saw us 'cavorting' in the sandbox, and made us eat lunch inside for the rest of the week." Rory laughed at the memory.

Tristan chuckled, too. "Ah, yes, Mrs Wagner. That was the day that you stole my heart. . ." He paused, and then added thoughtfully, "You never did give it back."

Rory leaned back against the lockers, a hand over her own heart. "You don't say! I left you heartless!" She straightened; a devilish glint in her eyes. "Well, that would explain a lot."

He actually succeeded in looking semi-wounded, "Are you implying that I have no heart?" Tristan grabbed his bag, and shoved a few books into it.

"I'm not implying, Tristan, Dear. I'm stating. Very clearly, I might add." She turned away, and proceeded to walk to her own locker, at the other end of the hall.

"Hey!" Tristan slammed his locker shut and shouldered his bag, catching up with her easily. Getting to her locker a second before her, he expertly spun her lock, and opened it.

He grabbed her books, and took her bag from her. She was leaning negligently against the next locker, grinning mischievously.

"What?"

Rory kept smiling, "You can't, can you?"

"I can't what?"

"You can't think of one non-freshman girl that you haven't had a 'relationship' - and I use that term very loosely - with."

"I. . . Well I can! I just. . . . . you. . . and. . . Amanda Leahy!" Tristan finally sputtered out.

She shook her head, sadly. "You went to the 'Spring Florist Formal' with her in freshman year." Rory smiled triumphantly, as she grabbed her book bag out of his hand. Grinning even wider at the look on her Best Friends face, she turned and walked outside to his car. Taking out her set of keys, she unlocked the passenger door, and climbed in, throwing her bag into the back seat.

Opening the driver-side door a moment later, Tristan glared playfully at Rory, he slid in, and slammed the car door closed, his bag quickly joining hers in the back.

"Admit it, you can't think of any." Rory said with a straight face.

Trying to suppress his own smirk, Tristan stuck his tongue out at her.

Seeing his response, she laughed, "I love you, too."

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"My brain is going to explode. I can't possibly study anymore." Rory groaned as she lay her head down on the pillow that had been supporting her as she read. The only response that she got was a soft groan. Turning her head tiredly, she looked at the figure beside her with half-opened eyes. "Tristan. . . Tristan. . ." She sing-songed in his ear.

"Rory. . ." He groaned half-heartedly.

She smiled and repeated herself, "Tristan. . ."

He grabbed an extra pillow, and put it over his head. "Go away, Ror. Lemme' sleep."

She shook her head, "Tris, I need you to take me home." She yawned, then grabbed the pillow, and took it off of his head.

He opened one eye and looked at her tiredly, "Call your mom, and stay here."

Rory looked at his exhausted face and nodded slowly. "Kay."

Leaning over the side of Tristan's bed, she grabbed the phone on Tristan's bed-side table, and pressed the speed-dial #1.

RING...

RING...

"Gilmore House o' Horrors, How may I help you!" Lorelai said into the receiver, sounding slightly out of breath.

"What were you doing, Mom?"

"Baby! How is the fruit of my loins this evening? And why aren't you home, it's almost midnight!"

"Mom. . . What were you doing when I called?" Rory asked suspiciously.

"Umm. . . nothing?"

"Wrong answer."

"Well. . . Ror, You have to promise not to be mad, kay?"

"Mom, you didn't."

"I did."

"No. . . I thought I told you to wait for Luke." Rory shook her head, and Tristan shot her a quizzical look, not bothering to lift his head.

"Well, Mommy got hungry." Rory could practically hear her mothers pout. "I mean, it's supposed to be simple, right! All I had to do was put on the sauce, then open the bag of cheese, then throw on the pepperoni, then BAM! In the oven it goes, and 10 minutes later, I have all that Pizzaey Goodness!"

"Well. . . What did you do?"

"They didn't give enough cheese! If they gave more cheese, then everything would be fine!"

"Mom, I bought another bag of shredded cheese 'cause you said there wasn't enough when I got it."

"There still wasn't enough! And I munched on some while I was putting the sauce on. . ."

"Okay, Mom. . . What did you do when you found out that there wasn't enough cheese?" Rory said as patiently as she could.

"Well. . . I added more?"

"More? Where did you get mor. . . Oh no. Tell me you didn't!"

"Ummm. . . I didn't?"

"You did."

"Mm-hmm. They were sitting there, all alone. They needed more cheesy friends! And they looked so pretty, too. . . All wrapped up in individual slices. . ."

"Yeah, individual slices the have been in our refrigerator for three months!"

"So, I un-wrapped them then tore them up in tiny pieces then put them on the pizza, where they could frolic with their own kind. Then I opened the pepperoni bag and threw them on. It was perfect. . . The evenly spaced pepperoni, and lots of cheese. . . Heaven."

"And then what?" Rory knew something disastrous was coming.

"And then, I put it in the oven, just like it told me to. I even pre-heated it! Then, well. . ." Lorelai trailed off.

"Then. . ." She prompted

"Then. . . I saw that there was a Dawson's Creek marathon on. . . And it was True Love! My favorite!"

Rory groaned, "You forgot all about it, didn't you?"

"But it was Pacey! And Joey!"

"Okay, let me re-phrase; when did you remember it?"

"Umm. . . When I smelled the smoke." Lorelai mumbled it under her breath, half-hoping that her daughter wouldn't hear.

"Smoke! There was smoke! What did you do!"

"Well, the only thing I could do! I grabbed the cordless, and ran outside! Then I called Luke. He got the fire out. We've just been airing the place out since. It smells like burnt cheese."

"Yuck." Rory wrinkled her nose.

"Mmmhmm. Definitely a 'yuck'. So, again, why aren't you home?"

Rory smiled, "I'm at Tris's, we practically fell asleep studying, so I'm staying here, Okay?"

"Sure, Babe. It is like your other home, anyway. You have your side of the closet, and everything!"

"Yeah, tired now. Tease tomorrow. Kay?"

"Sure thing. He still staying' here tomorrow?"

"Of course. I was here last weekend, it's his turn to haul ass to Stars Hollow. Oophf!" Rory glared at Tristan as he put the pillow that he had just smacked her head with, back under his own.

Lorelai laughed, having a good idea of what had just happened. "I'll see ya' tomorrow, Babe. Have fun."

"Have fun? Greedy here, steals the blankets, I'm gonna' freeze!"

"Well. . . I'm sure you'll keep warm, somehow."

"Go away, Mom."

Lorelai grinned, "I'm Gone. 'Night, Hun."

"Goodnight, Mommy." Rory placed the phone back in its cradle, and leaned back onto the bed.

"C'mere" Tristan murmured, as he opened his arms.

Rory shifted into his embrace, placing her head on his chest, her one arm across his stomach, and her other under his arm, just brushing the side of his head. In the familiar position, she began to relax, "'Night, Tris."

"G'night, Rory." Hearing her breathing even out moments later, he brushed a kiss on the top of her head, "Love You."

"Love you, too." He heard her murmur in reply, before drifting off, again.

He fell asleep with a contented smile on his face.

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Ohh! I got 17 reviews! I'm sooo happy! Thank you to you all! Especially darasun and Madz, cause you're two are some of my favorite Trory writers! Ever! Yay!

Ok... note to self; CUT DOWN ON THE COFFEE!

I'm a bit nutz right now, sorry.

So, seriously, tho, should I continue?

Jayde