As the Blue Corolla carrying the teenagers pulled up to the Grayson mansion, Rory looked up in wonder at the massive house that stood before her eyes. She had heard of Tim's house at school, but she had never been here before. Tristan caught Rory's awestruck stares in wonder. Opening the door he stepped out of the car and reached out for her hand. Beneath the surface Rory felt her stomach churning. She knew that her dad was probably going crazy not being able to find her. But she had to do this. For one thing, she had to get away from that house. Trapped and suffocating were not feelings that she wanted to feel at her birthday party. Nevertheless, it was dumb to leave. And, she wouldn't have done it if not for him. Tristan was just the catalyst that had got her to walk out that door. It had to be his smile, or the way he had been looking at her all evening. It had the power to melt feelings Rory didn't even know she had.

Walking into the massive foyer Rory took stock of her surroundings. Down the hall and to the left was the soda table. A huge table devoted to every kind of soda one could possibly think of plus some Rory had never heard of. Orangina? What the hell? Across the hall from the refreshments was the dance floor. Dance floor? Rory wondered. Rory's eyes wandered some more until she caught sight of the band. A band! What 13 year old kid could arrange to have a band play at a stupid junior high party? Then again, Rory had never socialized all that much with the rich clique of Hartford, that is, outside of her few close friends. Jenna's parents had money, but you couldn't tell until you really got to know their family. They lived comfortably, but modestly. In addition, Christopher had always gone against the grain of Hartford society and was always taking heat for it from his parents as well as from the Gilmore side. From that, Rory simply didn't see the fun in getting to know many of the kids at the private school she was currently attending. Most of them just seemed so stuck up, like Paris Geller, who Rory saw in the distance leaning against a column in the hall watching the scene on the dance floor.

Just then two other classmates walked up to Rory and Tristan.

Rory: "Uh oh..." (Under her breath) referring to the class gossips Louise and Madeline.

Catching the nervousness in her voice, Tristan leaned in closer to Rory and clasped his hand in hers. "What?" He asked, not knowing was she was so nervous about.

Rory shook free of Tristan's grasp and just nodded toward the foursome headed their way. Madeline and Louise were, as per their usual, on the arm of a couple of guys that Rory did not recognize. Probably high school guys, Rory guessed.

Louise spoke first. "Well, well, if it isn't Rory Hayden with Tristan DuGrey...how on earth did this match come to be?" Louise was eyeing Tristan up and down the whole time, while remaining on the arm of her date.

Rory: "We're not..." But Tristan was already pulling her out onto the dance floor in an attempt to get her away from the group.

Tristan: "Let's dance," Tristan whispered into Rory's ear as he pulled her away from Louise and Madeline's stares.

The song was changing from a fast one into a slower one. "Brown Eyed Girl"was playing. And, Tristan was pulling Rory closer to his body. Much closer than the two young teenagers had ever been to each other. As Tristan's arm snaked around Rory's back she felt shivers run all the way up her spine and back down again until she found herself relaxing in his embrace. Her head now against his shoulder, they swayed to the music. Rory looked up once to see Tristan gazing into her brown eyes. His face getting closer and closer to hers until suddenly and without any warning his lips were on hers. Rory reveled in the moment. It was the best birthday present a girl could ask for. Her first kiss, dancing with her first... Rory wondered if Tristan was her boyfriend now... And suddenly the last several minutes came back to her. Since they had arrived at the party Tristan hadn't once called her Mary.

Tristan stopped kissing Rory and looked intently into her eyes. And there it was. A single tear dropped from her eye.

Tristan: "Rory..."

Rory: "You know my name," Rory whispered, lowering her gaze.

Tristan: "Rory..." And, once again, Tristan brought his lips to hers.

Around the room

Paris Geller had been watching Rory and Tristan since they walked through the door. And, the moment she saw them kiss out on the dance floor her pulse rose dangerously high. So this is the date Tristan had been bragging about at school today. Why did it have to be with her? Paris questioned. Paris didn't know why she didn't like Rory Hayden and she wasn't about to try and analyze it. Her shrink would certainly do that next week. All Paris knew was that Rory had always rubbed her the wrong way. And, she had a feeling that this streak of competitiveness (as her over-priced and over-paid shrink had once told her that she was too competitive) wasn't going to go away. She made a decision. One that she would later regret.

Jenna had been looking for Rory and Tristan to arrive when she suddenly saw them walk in together. They were almost immediately shanghaied by Louise and Madeline and their dates. Jenna started to make a beeline over to save them from the gossip mill when the sexy guitarist from the band came up to her. Dave Rygalski had been working these party gigs for several months mostly because of the sparkling eyed brunette who always seemed to be front and center, staring back at him while he played to the party. He had heard her name at the party he played at last month. And, this was the party that he would ask her to dance. She didn't look too young. Probably 14 or 15 to his 16.

Dave: "Hey Jenna. How about a dance?" Dave casually asked upon walking up to the girl that had occupied his mind so intently all month.

Jenna: "Oh, uh sure..." And Dave led her out onto the dance floor. Jenna forgot all about her plan to save her best friend from the infamous gossips in the hall. She was mesmerized as the Dave Rygalski led her out onto the dance floor.

An Asian girl stood at the sidelines gazing at the boy named Dave Rygalski. She had seen him briefly at another party a month ago and she hadn't stopped thinking about him. Finding out about this party through one of her friends back at her public school she had managed to convince her very conservative Korean mother that she was would be at a Christian Bible Study with the Amnesty International group at her school. Lane smiled briefly. She wondered if her mom would ever pick up on the fact that she was definitely not involved in any of the Christian or International groups at school. Then her mind wandered back to Dave and she wondered if she could gather the courage to ask him to dance. Suddenly, she saw him talking to a pretty brunette; and then he was leading her out onto the dance floor. Lane's heart dropped into her stomach. She turned to leave the dance area when she saw a familiar face walking through the foyer. Lane couldn't place the face or why this girl looked so familiar. The girl was with a gorgeous blonde guy and Lane suspected that the familiarity was just a coincidence. Until her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a group of teenagers walking toward the couple that had just arrived at the party. Lane didn't see anything familiar at all about the other kids. They were simply the same types of kids that were always at these Hartford parties, and they all seemed to act and even sometimes look alike. She was about to head over to the refreshment area when she heard a name from their conversation that she thought she had heard before. "...Rory Hayden and Tristan DuGrey..." a blonde girl was saying to her friends. Lane must have read the situation wrong during her first impression because this girl didn't seem to be saying their names in a casual let's hang out manner. She seemed to be a little jealous of the girl named Rory. Rory... why was that name familiar? Hayden... She didn't know anyone named...oh! Lane was suddenly taken aback. Lorelai Hayden-Gilmore! The local inn manager from her town. This has to be her daughter! Lane had overheard a conversation at the diner just the other day between Lorelai and Luke about a daughter that Lorelai had that was turning thirteen this week. Lane had been surprised. She had known Lorelai her entire life and never knew she had any kids. Especially not one her age. Lane had wondered at the unusual name, Rory, and why she had never seen her around town visiting her mom. She watched the couple some more and saw the blonde boy lead Rory out onto the dance floor. She found herself watching with a little bit of envy herself as the boy wrapped his arms around the girl and seemed to float to "Brown Eyed Girl". This was one of Lane's favorite songs right now and she felt herself melting. She was suddenly pushed aside by the girl that had been leaning against the pillar for ten minutes now. The girl had finally moved and had bumped into Lane.

Paris: "Hey, watch it. Move out of my way."

Lane: "What's your problem, anyway?"

Paris: "My problem is that you are in my way and I am trying to get through."

Paris gritted her teeth. She had to find a phone. She had realized that if she could get through to either the Gilmore's or the Hayden's she would be able to get Rory out of the picture so that she could finally have her chance with Tristan. There was no way Rory's overprotective family would take well to the fact that their perfect Rory was making out with the school bad boy on the dance floor right at this moment. It was a problem that Paris secretly envied, although she would not have admitted to it. Paris had seen Rory with her dad recently at her school's parents' day and he had already tried to give the third degree to a couple of guys in the eighth grade class who he thought were looking at his daughter the wrong way. Rory had seemed to be quietly humiliated. But all Paris could think of back then was how she wished her dad could have done that exact same thing, instead of off on another business trip on the other side of the world.

Lane: "Fine," moving aside for the abrasive girl to get by, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at her. How rude, thought Lane, who does this girl think she is, anyway?

Back at the Gilmore's fancy party:

Christopher Hayden was beside himself. He had just found out that his daughter had left the party her grandparents had thrown for her with the DuGrey kid. He knew about him only from reputation from some of the other parent's at Rory's school. And it wasn't a positive sort of reputation either. Tristan was known for getting into trouble. And now he was with his only daughter.

Lorelai: "Chris? Maybe you should sit. You look as white as a ghost."

Chris: "Dugrey. Tristan. That kid is bad news. We have to find her."

Lorelai: "We will. Don't worry. It's probably just a party some kid is throwing. We just need to talk to some of these people and find out which kid."

Chris: "Just a party! I don't understand you, Lorelai. Our daughter just ran off with an obviously no good kid and all you can say is it's just a party? Do you know the kinds of things that kids are into today?"

Lorelai: "Let me guess, sex, drugs, rock and roll?" Lorelai tried to joke to make the situation light again.

Christopher just glared at Lorelai.

Lorelai: "Okay, okay, we'll find her already. Don't worry so much." Despite the outside appearance she was putting on, Lorelai was actually quite concerned about her daughter after hearing from Chris that Tristan was known as a troublemaker. Lorelai hadn't gotten such a great vibe from him when she had met him just before the disappearance act that her daughter had pulled. Well, she is my daughter, thought Lorelai. She flashed back to a time when she and Christopher had played this very same disappearance game from one of Emily's fancy parties. Christopher wasn't exactly known as the neighborhood saint back then either. Fatherhood sure had changed him. Lorelai found herself wondering what it would have been like if things had worked out differently. Shaking herself out of her thoughts she started to make her way around the room in an attempt to chat up some of the parents. Surely one of them must have been in on planning their kid's party.

Emily heard the phone ringing in the distance. Glancing over her shoulder at her estranged daughter and son-in-law, she made her way toward the phone.

Emily: "Hello?"

Paris: "Hello. Is Mr Hayden available, please?"

Emily: "Who's calling?"

Paris: "Paris Geller. I go to school with Rory."

Emily: "Paris? Do you know where my grand-daughter is?"

Paris: "Yes. Is Mr Hayden available, please?"

Emily: "He's busy right now. Where is Rory?"

Paris: "There's this party - tonight - at the Grayson house. And, there seems to be a situation involving Mr Hayden's daughter and Tristan Dugrey. I felt it my responsibility to call and let someone know. I - I think Rory is in trouble... You better have Rory's dad get over here right away."

Emily was too shaken to even respond to the girl on the other end of the phone. She hung up abruptly and went to go find Christopher.

She found both Lorelai and Christopher speaking with some of her guests.

Emily: "Excuse me, may I borrow you two for a moment?" She casually asked of Lorelai and Chris.

Christopher: "Emily? Did you find Rory?" Chris asked as soon as they were an appropriate distance away from the other guests.

Emily: "One of Rory's classmates just called. She is at the Grayson manor. Apparently, the Grayson's son has thrown a party tonight. You better get down there. She is with Tristan."

Lorelai's mind jumped into over-drive. She pulled Chris away, bumping into Luke in the process, who had accompanied her here tonight.

Lorelai: "We have to go. Where is the Grayson place, Chris? Luke, can you drive?"

Christopher: "What does he have to go for?" He glared at Luke.

Lorelai: "Because you are not in a condition to drive." She was firm in her decision.

Rory's little brother had peeked his head out from the stairwell and was bewildered at what he was overhearing. His parents and grandparents were talking about his sister.

Little Chris: " I want to go too!" He called out, while he ran down the staircase.

Christopher: "Son, you need to stay here and keep your grandparent's company. We will be back real soon, I promise. And, Rory will be back too."

Chris didn't look like he believed his father. He didn't want to stay there. He wanted to see his sister. He had seen her go out the front door with the blonde haired boy, and had wondered where she was going.

Chris: "No! I want to go!"

Lorelai: "Aww, let him come with us. He just wants to help," She pleaded with Christopher.

Christopher: "No. He must stay here. I am not dragging him to some wild party where he could get lost."

Lorelai: "Christopher, I really doubt Rory would go to a wild party." Looking down now at her son, "But maybe your dad has a point. We will go and get Rory and I promise that all of us will be back soon."

Chris: "Who's that?" Chris asked, pointing at Luke who he had just spied.

Lorelai: (with a glance over her shoulder) "Luke is a friend of mommy's. He is going to help us find Rory."

Chris: (looking skeptically at the strange man who Lorelai called her friend) : "O-Okay...please come back soon, though...I am BORED! And, Rory hasn't even opened her presents. And, we haven't had cake yet! And, it's chocolate!"

Emily rescued the adults from the young boy, shooing them off to find their daughter.