Disclaimer- The author swears that she owns nothing, although she would like to make a deal with someone on Chad Micheal Murray's soul. lol. Kidding. About the soul thing. I really don't own it though. It belongs to the w.b.

chapter 14

"The Quarrel that lead to the ring"

Time passes by ever so quickly and one minute you are a new couple, fresh and everything is exciting. The next you blink and you have been together years and you're sitting at some fancy restraunt and he has asked that question you've been waiting to hear for months now, his voice all high pitched and squeaky, incredibly nervous and his hands are shaking as he puts on the finger.

His parents hate you, your parents love him, or your parents hate him, and his parents love you. One year of getting on each others nerves and arguing about cakes, flowers, tuxes, and getting nervous about dresses; not to mention the ever endearing pressance of annoying grandmothers, and the Mother in law who is insistant that you are ruining her sons life.

Not to mention the pressance of the ex-girlfriend who attempts to ruin everything and causes you, the bride, to have your first big pre-wedding fight with your fiancee because you think that he cheated on you with her when in fact he was completely innocent.

Now, Rory Gilmore had been through this all.

Her and Tristin had dated all through college, many ups and downs, one almost-pregnancy scare which had been a fluke, and then graduation had come. Tristin had attended her graduation at Yale, and she had attended his at Harvard.

Word had naturally got around to his parents that he was majoring in journalism. This had caused the biggest fight Tristin had ever had with his parents and now there was an immensely big rift between them.

Marriage had been spoken of, but never planned. They'd been together only for a short time, and both of them were young, fresh out of college. So instead they waited, and they each experienced the adult world together, and got their success.

The two had become the power couple of The New York Times paper. When they had applied as a couple, the editor had been given the brilliant idea to give them an opinion column, with one side for Rory's opinion, and another for Tristins. Their light bantering during the meeting had inspired the idea. Now, they got money off of it.

After seven years of working at the paper and being a couple (with only one messy breakup that only lasted for a week and then they got back together) Tristin proposed. Only, he didn't do it in the average way. No candlit dinner, nothing fancy.

Instead, the two of them had been arguing at Luke's. Tristin had neglected to inform Rory that Summer, his ex from high school, was going to be at a party they had attended the night before. Things had been said by Summer, and as Tristin and Rory had been eating lunch with a now married Lorelai (she had married Luke shortly after their graduating college) a fight had occurred.

"I can't believe you just sat there and let her say that!" Rory had snapped. "You let her make me look like a complete and utter fool, and a bitch."

"What was I suppossed to do?" exclaimed Tristin. "You can handle yourself, I know you can. You handle me perfectly. I assumed you would have handled her."

"I did handle her," Rory had pointed out, "but as my boyfriend, you should have defended me as well."

"I was at a loss for words."

"That's a first," Rory snorted, "you weren't at a loss for words when Dean insulted you at that town meeting once, and might I add, I, your girlfriend, defended you then."

Lorelai had been watching the exchange between the two slack jawed. "Uh, guys, you might want to-----"

"What if I'm not there at all to defend you? What are you going to do then?" Tristin hollard.

"Defend myself," snapped Rory, "but I don't want there to be a time when you aren't with me!"

"Guys, you might want to lower your-" Lorelai tried to get them to lower their voices but it was of no use. They just kept on quarreling.

"Well, I don't want there to be a time when I'm not there with you, either!" Tristin shot back.

This is the weirdest make up I've ever seen, Lorelai had thought.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Rory demanded, a look of irritation on her face.

"Marry me," said Tristin.

"What?" Rory and Lorelai both said in unison, Rory louder then Rory. The whole of the diner was now staring at them.

"Marry me," Tristin repeated, and then slowly, "I have loved you since I the moment I clamped eyes on you. What could be more reasonable than to marry you?"

Rory, still in shock, exclaimed, "We'd kill each other!"

"Nonsense," said Tristin, smiling impishly.

"Neither of us can keep our temper," Rory reasoned.

"I can, unless provoked," insisted Tristin.

"We're both stupidly stubborn, especially you. We'd only quarrel!" Rory insisted.

"I wouldn't," Tristin tried to assure her.

Rory laughed and Tristin sighed. "Would you just stay with me?"

"Stay with you?" echoed Rory. "What for? We're already fighting."

"Well, that's what we do," said Tristin, "we fight. You tell me when I'm being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you're being a pain in the ass, which you are, ninety-nine percent of the time. I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings. You have like a two second rebound rate and then you're back doing the next pain in the ass thing."

"So what?" Rory said, still not completely sure how to take all this.

"So its not going to be easy," started Tristin, "its going to be really hard. We're going to have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, everyday. Will you do something for me, please? Just picture your life thirty years from now. What's it look like? If it's something different, a life with out me, say no. I lost you once, I think I can do it again; If I thought that's what you really wanted. But don't you take the easy way out."

Rory smiled and shook her head. "You arrogant son of a bitch," she laughed.

Tristin smiled, "I love you too honey," he said, "so what will it be, yes or no?"

Rory smiled. "Yes," she answered. She was rewarded with a diamond engagement ring slipped on her finger to seal the deal and the standing ovation applause of the crowd at Luke's Diner, including both her Mother and Luke.

A/N: So, I neglected this fic. I know I have and I am horrible for it. On the bright side, I have an excuse. A very good one. Mom and I have been trying to get my story Sandy Shores published, and guess what, a publisher has accepted it! That's right folks. Sandy Shores by yours truly, Cambria Covell, is getting published. I just got the acceptence letter today. If you take the happiness that Rory felt when she got into Chilton and mutiply that by like a million then you'll get how happy I am. Seriously, I'm incredibly happy. Maybe you guys will do me a favor and buy it when it comes out? Pretty please? ;) Anyone whose interested about my story and whats going on with it, please e-mail me if you want to know more. My e-mails on my bio. Enough rambling. On with the thank yous.

LoVe23

IloveJmac: Thanks and I appricate you saying that I'm a good writer. :)

Rismonstar: I would have, but I'm trying to keep it PG. Plus, I couldn't think of a date as interesting as the one that I had just written about.

tickle582

Pearls24: Thanks. Love n' stars, the ending that I put, was actually the signature someone used on an online newsletter that I used to get. It just stuck.

mar0506: I want to thank you so much for adding my story to the c2 community. I'm glad that you liked it.

Loritaro fan of J.R.A: Yeah well, I figured a few more chapters wouldn't hurt. The next chapter is going to be the ending though. The ending I've written feels right. Its the perfect place to end.

deal4321

KarahBella

GG10291: lol. Yeah. I thought it would be a funny thing to put in there.

Indiegirl: I thought I'd be original and have it be Summer instead of Dean. Deans evil and I hate having to write anything with him in it although I will do it if forced.

solodancer: I thought the "New Sex" was a Lorelai thing to do too. ;)

Toby7: It pains me to have to write anything involving Dean...seriously. Its excruiciating got kicked in the stomach pain.

piper-h-99

Sarai: Yeah. I didn't like the ending of the chapter either but it was one of those ones where you just want it done. The third date thing...I believe it started with Sex and the City. Or possibly Friends. lol.

Thank you guys. You rock! 158 reviews. Woot.

Love n' stars,

Cambria