Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N-2 months is better than two years right? I'm lacking inspiration and I have an idea for a 4400 fic, but I want to work on this. I know where this is going, I just need to figure out how to get there. If this chapter sucks, I apologize. It's nearing two in the a.m. and I'm beat and searching for my muse. Also, sorry for the lack of length. But hey, if you do read it and don't think it sucks, I'm a big fan of reviews.

-Ash-

-Chapter 4-

"Where were you?" Lorelei fired at her daughter the moment she walked through the door.

Rory shrugged and tossed her purse onto the hall table. "Nowhere."

"You may be able to lie to the outside world, but we keep no secrets in this house."

Brushing past her mom, Rory made her way to the couch. "If you must know, I was with Tristan." She watched as her mom's mouth dropped open, but she rushed on. "I was having a rough day, he took me somewhere to, I don't know, relax, and we fell asleep. Nothing more, nothing less. No big deal. No harm, no foul."

"Jess saw it that way?" Lorelei asked skeptically, an eyebrow arched. Rory's quickly averted eyes was answer enough. "Mmm-hmm, just as I thought."

"What's just as you thought?"

"He doesn't know. Nothing says a strong relationship like secrets and lies."

"No secrets, no lies." Rory sighed, exasperated. "There's just nothing to tell."

Lorelei nodded knowingly. "A little motherly advice? Nothing is never nothing. And if it is really nothing, tell Jess before he thinks it's a something."

"Too many things."

"Me and Jess, oil and water. But he cares about you babe, if you got anything on your chest, tell him."

Rory nodded. "I get it."

-----

Words blurred together as Rory's eyes skimmed over the same line, of the same paragraph, on the same page of her book, The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Ten minutes flew by without the slightest rustling of a turning page on Rory's part. Jess finally looked up from his reading to study his ever so quiet girlfriend. "Rory?" He finally broke the silence. "You ok?"

"Uh-huh, just in the reading zone."

"Funny, 'cause you've been on page 57 for at least ten minutes."

The book flipped shut and was discarded on the arm of the couch. She looked at Jess out of the corner of her eye and then looked straight ahead again. Being near him and remember the night with Tristan and her mother's words were making it hard to concentrate. The words typed on the pages were nothing more than squiggles. Usually have Jess so close was comforting, today it was nerve-wracking. 'Tell him' ran through her mind as a never-ending mantra and Rory could feel Jess' intense gaze in her face as she did nothing but stare into the empty space in front of her. "I didn't just fall asleep." She blurted out, earning herself a confused look from the person sitting on the other end of the couch. His eyebrows were drawn together and he leaned slightly forward.

"I think I need to buy a vowel, because I am no where near ready to solve the puzzle."

"Friday, you know, the day before yesterday when I was a no show at the weekly dinner. I said I was studying and fell asleep, I wasn't, I didn't, I lied. And you know me, I hate lying, loathe it really, and here I am, Rory the hypocrite."

Jess nodded and stood up, walking away a few steps and then turning around and walking back. "Ok, so where were you?"

There was a slight hesitation on Rory's part as she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. Her eyes lowered from his gaze as she answered. "With Tristan."

"Tristan?" He repeated the name slowly, as if testing the weight of it on his tongue. "Cocky, blonde guy from Yale?"

"Yeah." She watched him closely, gauging his reaction. When he looked ready to utter some angry words she cut him off. "Nothing happened I swear. I was frustrated and he took him to his thinking place, it's like a Study Tree, but not. We talked a little, joked around, and then fell asleep. Your call woke me up. See Jess, nothing. Not even worth mentioning really, but I didn't want you to think it was a something or anything."

Jess ran a hand through his naturally disheveled hair. "Nothing?" He asked, his eyes finding hers and holding them there, searching for the truth in the blue depths.

Rory nodded as she stood and approached him. "Nothing." She answered firmly, her hand reaching out over the divide between them. It touched his elbow and slid down to grasp his hand. "I just don't want to keep things from you."

Jess smirked at her and tugged her closer. "Me neither, so I should probably tell you now. Britney Spears hit on me the other day. I told her I was flattered but taken. Relax, you have no need to worry, I only have eyes for you, and besides…her music…kinda sucks."

Rory swatted him playfully on the arm. "Funny, really."

"I thought so."

She rolled her eyes before closing the gap between them and pressing her lips against his.

-----

"Hello Mary." Tristan fell into step beside Rory as she hurried to her first class of the day.

"Tristan, hi." She replied, glancing up at him.

He placed his hand on her arm, compelling her to stop. "Having a better day today?"

She shifted her books from one arm to the other, hers eyes wandering for a moment. "Yeah, I think a break and dip in some pond water was just what the doctor ordered."

"Are you sure it was the pond water and not falling asleep in my arms?"

Her cheeks instantly became tinged with pink. "That's not what happened."

"That's exactly what happened, Mary. Why deny it? It felt so right."

"In your dreams."

"Every night."

Rory smiled in spite of herself. The bantering, teasing, arguing, whatever one chose to call was so familiar. It felt natural, easy, almost fun. "You call it a dream, I call it a nightmare."

"Meaning I do appear to you late at night when you're asleep."

Rory began walking away from him at the same pace as before, not surprised that his presence remained beside her. "It ends with me waking up screaming."

"My name? Cause I can make that dream a reality."

"No, more like help me, somebody, please. Save me from this creep and his oversized ego."

They arrived in front of her building and Tristan proceeded to walk with her up the steps, towards the door. "You say creep like it's bad thing."

"Enjoy some alone time, Tristan, I've got a class and no desire to finish this conversation."

"Ahh, but we will. And that, Mary, is a promise."

Sarcasm dripped from her next two words. "Lucky me."