4:00 pm

Setting: Back at the Hayden Household, Rory's Room

Rory stood studying herself in the full length mirror. Jenna was stretched out on the bed reading a magazine.

Rory: "Nothing. There is nothing in my closet even remotely acceptable." Rory turned suddenly to face her friend.

Jenna glanced up casually from the article she was reading. "What? (Glancing back at the magazine) This quiz is ridiculous! These questions are so stupid!"

Rory: "Jenna! Focus here!"

Jenna: "Sorry. Wear that wicked cute denim mini with the red scoop neck."

Rory: "Hi. When did I walk out of 1985?"

Jenna: "If your hair isn't huge then you don't look like you are from 1985. Chill. Tristan already likes you."

Rory: "Jenna, this is the first time he is going to see me "out". This is important! Red scoop neck, huh? You don't think that it is too much? It sounds kinda like something my mom would wear."

Jenna: "Your mom? I'm sorry, did I miss something? I've never heard you talk about your mom."

Rory sighed and sat on the bed next to her friend. "She was here yesterday."

Jenna: "Your mom? Really? What did she say? Where is she now?"

Rory: "She's coming to the party tonight. And she wants to suddenly spend time with us. Us, like as in me and Chris. Not Me, Chris and Dad. And she has a boyfriend. I feel like I'm on Jerry Springer. And... I wasn't all that nice to her either..."

Jenna: "Wow. This evening is going to be a hell of a lot more interesting than I thought! You better tell me all the details when I see you at Tim's party later. "

Christopher (calling up the stairs): "Jenna! Your mother is calling you home for dinner!"

Jenna: "I have to go...see you later...and, Ror, go with the red... Tristan will love it."

Rory: "See you tonight. You remember the plan, right? Are you sure it will work?"

Jenna: "It's emblazoned into my head for years to come. Don't worry. No one will ever know you are gone."

The Gilmore Mansion - 7:30 PM

Rory stood in the middle of all her relatives in the Gilmore's living room with a Shirley Temple in her hand. When is he going to be here, she thought, glancing all around the room. She saw her mom from the corner of her eye. Great, she thought. She's coming over to talk to me.

Lorelai made her way over to her daughter praying for the right words to come out of her mouth. She knew she had a whole lot to make up for. Hopefully she would be given the chance tonight.

Lorelai: "Happy Birthday, teenager! How does it feel to be 13?"

Rory just looked at her mom like she was from another planet.

Rory: "The same as it felt day before yesterday, when you weren't around and I was twelve." Rory stated coldly, eyes wandering, trying to think of any way out of the room.

Lorelai: "Look, Rory, I know I am not your favorite person right now but could we stop the cold chit-chat for a moment? I have something to give to you." Lorelai held out the gift that she held in her hand.

Rory: "Thanks..." she stared down at the small wrapped box that she now held in her hands. She hadn't actually expected a gift from her mother tonight."

Lorelai: "Well, open it already."

Rory slowly unwrapped the pretty gift to reveal a velvet jewelry case. Opening the case revealed a silver heart-shaped locket. Rory took a deep breath from the unexpected gift.

Lorelai: "Mom gave this to me when I was thirteen. I thought you might like it now."

Rory: "It's ..." Rory never got the next word out of her mouth. She saw a tall blonde boy enter the room just then causing her to lose her breath. She meant to tell her mom it was beautiful and thank her for the gift. But Tristan DuGrey appeared suddenly beside the awestruck teen.

Tristan: "Happy Birthday, Mary."

Tristan placed a peck of a polite kiss on her cheek that sent shivers up Rory's spine. He's just being polite, she reminded herself as she struggled to keep her composure.

Lorelai stood watching this exchange wondering how much else would be revealed about her daughter. Chris hadn't told her anything about Rory having a boyfriend. She wondered what else she didn't know, immediately thinking of herself at that age. She instantaneously became protective.

Lorelai: "So, Rory, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend who can't get your name right?"

Rory had just been standing there with the opened gift in her hand wondering what to say in this awkward situation. Tristan had just kissed her! The fact that it was just on the cheek was beside the point. He had never made a gesture like that before and it was the closest Rory had ever been to her first kiss.

Rory: "Ummm, Tristan, this is my m...um...this is Lorelai."

Tristan: "Nice to meet you," extending his hand out in greeting.

Lorelai: "So how do you know my daughter?" she questioned.

Tristan: "Your...(looking at Rory now) daughter? "We go to school together." He finished quickly.

Lorelai: "And how long have you been seeing each other?" Lorelai was looking at Rory now, searching for answers.

Rory: "We aren't seeing each other," Rory said quickly. What does she think we are? 30 year old divorcees? "Come on, Tristan, let's go..." Rory grabbed Tristan's hand and led him out of the room.

Once in the hall outside of the living room, Tristan turned Rory to face him.

Tristan: "So that was your mom, huh? She was..."

Rory: "Annoying," Rory finished his sentence with her own word for her mom. "She just showed up yesterday, out of the blue. No warning or anything. And now she is here, at this stupid party, trying to be all perfect and prove that she can raise us just as well as dad." Rory looked up at Tristan just then. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to go off on a rant there..."

Tristan (gazing at Rory in a new light): "No..it's okay...I mean we all have drama in our families. My parents are hardly talking this week. It's nice that your mom is back though. Did she just give you that?" Tristan pointed at the opened case with the locket that Rory still held in her hand.

Rory: "Um, yeah, just now..."

Tristan was already taking the locket out of the case and putting it around Rory's neck. His fingers glazed over her neck in the process sending ever more shivers down her spine.

Tristan: "You're beautiful, Rory..." He said as his finger grazed her neck again. He turned her to him once again... So, let's blow this joint, okay? What do you say? My brother is waiting out front with the car."

Rory just stood frozen for a few seconds (but it felt like an eternity). Had Tristan DuGrey really just called her beautiful and used her real name? The next moment was like a blur. Tristan had taken her by the hand and out the front door before she knew what was happening. She let him guide her to the door of the blue Corolla that was apparently his brother's. She knew that just leaving the party without permission or any goodbye at all would have repercussions later, but for this moment, she reveled in the feeling of being led by the most gorgeous guy in her junior high school class. She had no idea what lay ahead at the next stop or what drama was about to unfold on this night...

Meanwhile, at the party, Lorelai just stood in the living room after Rory had so abruptly left the room with the blonde boy named Tristan. There was a bad feeling running through Lorelai's veins about this boy who so obviously liked her daughter. For a flash of an instant Lorelai thought back to another time and place when she went running off with boys just as Rory had done. Well, I guess this proves she is my daughter, thought Lorelai.

Just then, Christopher appeared with his son at his heel.

Little Chris: "Mom!" Chris ran to hug his mom as Lorelai welcomed him into her arms.

Lorelai: "Hey there, little man. Having a good time?"

Little Chris: "Yes! But when is Rory going to open presents? I can't wait to give her mine!"

Lorelai: "I am sure she is going to love whatever you gave her. But I think your grandmother would prefer she open them at home. This isn't really a present opening party." Lorelai tried to explain the formality of this Gilmore party to her 11 year old son.

Little Chris: "That doesn't make any sense. Last year she opened her presents at her party. It doesn't make sense to not be able to open your presents at your own party."

Lorelai smiled. So Rory and her brother weren't accustomed to the fancy Gilmore parties every year. It made sense. Chris was just like her in the sense that he was also always trying to get away from the formality of his rich parents as well as hers.

Lorelai: (to her son) "I'll tell you what, if it is okay with your dad we can all go back to your house after the party here and open presents then. That way, technically, Rory can still open her presents on party night."

Little Chris: "I guess". (Looking up at his dad) "Can we do that Dad?"

Chris: "I think that can be arranged. That is if your mom doesn't have to get right back to her house."

Lorelai: "I can stay as long as you want." Lorelai smiled first at her son, then at her first love silently mouthing the words, Thank you.

Just then Emily approached the group.

Emily: "Where is Rory? I think it is time now that she said a few words for her guests. She is a teenager now and it is important to properly introduce her as a young adult."

Chris: "Emily, I really don't think that is necessary. She's still a kid, after all. Let's let her be."

Lorelai: "Yeah, you don't want her running away or anything now do you, Mom?"

Emily: "Honestly, why you two ever split up is beyond me. It's like you share a brain or something. Rory has responsibilities. And it is important to properly cultivate her to act appropriately in social situations like this one. Where is the girl, anyway?"

Lorelai: "She just went off toward the hall with a friend of hers from school, Mom."

Emily headed off to try and find her grand-daughter.

Lorelai: (To Chris) "I can't believe you actually let my mother throw her a thirteenth birthday party!"

Chris: (laughing now) "Well, we didn't really have a choice. My parents and your parents are actually splitting the cost of sending Rory and Chris to private school. There was no way I could afford it on my own. These parties during their teen years are only part of the deal. I believe Rory will be led, probably kicking and screaming, to the debutante ball that Emily is already planning when she turns 16. Rory is gonna love that." Christopher ended sarcastically.

Lorelai: "Oh god, I can't believe it. I came back just in time. If you need someone to run interference with Emily, I've done that before."

Chris: "I just may take you up on that one. But first we really should try and find Rory, unless Emily has already gotten her claws into her. Rory could never say no to her grandmother."

Emily came back around to the group after searching frantically for Rory.

Emily: "She's gone. One of the guests said they saw her leaving just 10 minutes ago with the DuGrey kid. He is bad news. Since when did she start hanging out with him?" Emily was glaring hard at Christopher now.

Chris: (too concerned about his daughter now) "What do you mean she is gone? I just spoke with her not long ago."

Emily: "Well, she is gone now. Where on earth did she get manners like that? Leaving her own party? You two better do something about that." Emily demanded.

Lorelai: "Yeah, mom, don't worry, we will," Lorelai expressed a little too sarcastically. She knew from experience that tearing into a stubborn 13 year old girl was pointless. Besides, she had a pretty good idea of where her daughter could have gone. The question was, which kid was having the party...

As Christopher started to worry about his only daughter going off with a boy, Lorelai switched into mom mode. It was a place she hadn't been in a long time.