AN: I know that I suck at updating and that I started this story a year and a half ago, but this will be the last chapter and the story is finally coming to an end. Thanks to everyone who read it along with my other stories and I hope that if I keep writing (which I plan to do) that you will all keep reading.

hr

Rory wakes up the next morning and looks around; she sees a familiar room but has no idea where she is. There is nobody in the bed with her and she is fully clothed, but there is no one in the other bed either. She listens closely and hears fingers typing softly on the other side of the room so she sits up. Rory sees Tristan sitting there, not looking at her or even near her. He doesn't even want to acknowledge that Rory is there, that Rory once again slept in his bed drunk.

"Tristan? What happened last night?"

"You were drunk and came here; I couldn't send you back to your room. But now that you're awake, it's time for you to go home."

He was distant and cold, a voice that Rory had never heard him use before. She looked at him and saw something unfamiliar in his eyes. He looked hurt, but she didn't know why – Rory couldn't remember anything from the night before after getting to that party. She didn't know how she ended up at Tristan's door or what she said to him to make him angry. She remembered the fight from the day before when he told her that she went home to get back with Dean. Where would he get an idea like that? Did she tell him something about Dean when she was drunk? Did she confirm that she was back with Dean even if it was the farthest thing from the truth?

It was becoming more obvious every minute that Tristan did not want Rory in his room so she escorted herself out and walked across campus back to her own room. When she got there she needed to lay down because the hangover was starting to catch up with her. She must've drunk more than the four beers that she remembered in order for her head to be pounding the way it was. Before lying down, Rory took a nice, warm shower to try to fix things, but that didn't work. She went to her bed and passed out for a while trying to figure out how to fix things with Tristan.

Tristan was in his room staring at his unmade bed where Rory had slept the night before. He was still so angry at her for kissing him and then running back to Dean. But then he thought about what she told him in her drunken stupor – before the part about loving beer. She said that she liked him, but why would Paris lie to him? Paris always seemed to supportive of Tristan's feelings and put her own feelings for him aside. At least that was what Tristan thought; he could never believe that Paris was trying to sabotage the one thing that meant everything to him. Tristan was tired to being pushed aside for Dean when Dean surely proved that he was not going to make Rory happy. There had to be something that he could do to get the girl and pushing her away was not going to do it. Sleeping on the floor the entire night had made Tristan's mind and body both stiff…he thought a nap would help to feel better.

Paris woke up to find her roommate out cold and thought that maybe she did come back at some point during the night in order to be that sound asleep at noon. She didn't want to think that Rory had been in Tristan's bed all night. Paris decided to give her roommate some time to sleep so she showered then went for a walk around campus. She stopped in the library to pick up a few books for a paper that she had to write when she ran into a guy that she had never seen before. The two of them reached for the same book at the same time.

"I kind of need that for a paper," Paris started.

"So do I, so it seems we have quite the dilemma here."

"I don't do fun and games so hand over the book."

"You're a bit tense; maybe we can share the book."

"Is that your way of flirting with me? Because I don't catch on to that type of thing."

"Maybe it was, but I didn't catch your name."

"Paris Geller…and you?"

"Kevin Goldman."

"Well, Kevin, if you let me have the book, we can both be on their way."

"Or since the book is in my hand, you can meet me back here at say 8 tonight and we can share it."

"Fine. If you're not here at 8, I will hunt you down and take the book."

Paris didn't know why she accepted this meeting with Kevin, but she needed to do something to get her mind off of Tristan. Kevin seemed interesting and his last name sounded Jewish, so someone her own Jewish family would approve of. If Kevin proved to be boring and dumb, she could always use him as another ploy to get Tristan. Everything in Paris Geller's mind went back to Tristan…just as it had back in her days at Chilton.

She walked out of the library and started to head back to her room with all of the books except for the one that Kevin had when she ran into Alex. He was looking good that morning, but a little lost around campus. It seemed like he didn't want to go back to his room, but couldn't find any other way to occupy his time.

"Good morning, Paris."

"Hi Alex, how are you?"

"A little tired, I went to go to bed last night and found your roommate drunk in Tristan's bed and I didn't know where he was."

"But Rory was in her own bed when I woke up this morning."

"Then she must've left. She was in Tristan's bed last night."

Paris was angry, she let her guard down and now Rory was getting what she had wanted. She said goodbye to Alex and stormed back to her own room to find that Rory wasn't there. Maybe she had imagined the sleeping girl this morning when she woke up.

Back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai woke up Monday morning and got ready to head to Luke's for coffee and then over to the Dragonfly. She walked into Luke's and saw Lane and Zach arguing over free breakfast and Caesar shuffling in the kitchen to get all of the orders out in a timely fashion. Everything was the same as normal so Lorelai took her regular seat at the end of the counter closest to the cash register and waited for Luke.

"Good morning, Lorelai," he said with a kiss.

"Coffee, please?"

"How much have you had already this morning?"

"I don't know, one or two…or five. I lost count, but none of it is as good as your coffee, Luke."

"You don't need my coffee, you've had enough. Don't you know coffee can damage so many different parts of you?"

"And I know you want all my parts to be in perfect condition."

To keep himself from replying to Lorelai's last comment, Luke gives in and pours her a cup of coffee. Then she made a face at him which he responded to by handing her a blueberry muffin which Lorelai proceeded to eat. She still had another half hour until she had to go to the inn for work, so the two started to converse.

"So, how's Rory? Is something wrong? Is that why she came home for the weekend?"

Lorelai loved how fatherly Luke sounded when he talked about Rory. He had always been this way, probably since he raised her more than Christopher did.

"She just had boy issues, no big deal. She'll be fine, I think she made the right decision," but Lorelai wasn't sure which decision was right either.

"That's good. If any boy hurts her, I will hurt him."

"We all remember the headlock you put Dean in the first time he broke her heart."

"Too bad it didn't teach him his lesson."

Lorelai laughed as the two continued to discuss how well Rory was doing at Yale and living with Paris. Luke tended to avoid the subject of boys except to be protective of Rory; he really was like a father.

When Rory woke up, she looked at the clock and it was after three. She had thrown away the day like a typical college student who went to a party the night before. But she still hadn't figured out how she ended up in Tristan's bed that morning or what she had said to him the night before when she was drunk. It wasn't like Rory to get so drunk that she doesn't remember what she did or that she woke up in someone else's bed that she didn't know she went to. She also started to wonder if she had done anything with Tristan the night before even though he was so cold to her that morning.

After showering again and actually becoming human, Rory decided to walk back across campus over to Tristan's room. She needed to talk to him and find out what happened otherwise it was going to drive her crazy. Rory stood outside of Tristan's door for a while, but couldn't get the courage to knock. He was so angry this morning, and that look in his eyes – a look of pain that she hadn't seen. While she was pacing outside the door, Alex was heading back to the room. He noticed Rory standing there and asked if she wanted to go in – after thinking for a few seconds, she entered the room and saw Tristan sitting on his bed with a book.

"Tristan, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"I don't really want to talk right now."

"But I do, and I think it's really important."

"What part of me not wanting to talk do you not understand? You're a smart girl, Rory, figure it out."

"I don't know why you don't want to talk to me, Tristan. I really don't know what I did – and I don't remember getting here last night. You yelled at me yesterday, something about Dean and I don't know why. Please, fill me in on what I did."

Tristan saw the tears starting to form in Rory's eyes and decided to take a walk with her; the two of them could clear up everything. He wanted to tell her how much it hurt to hear that she was back with Dean. Maybe he could grow a pair and tell her how much he cares about her and how badly he wants to be with her. Then she could understand what she did to him by leading him on like that.

"You wanted to talk, so talk," Tristan started.

"I went home for the weekend because I really needed to think. Lane told me that if I wanted to figure out how I felt about you that I would have to kiss you, so I did. Brian and I broke up because he thought I had feelings for you. I honestly didn't know how I felt about anyone. But Dean…"

"He'll always have your heart; he was your first love and your first time, I get it – I don't see why you needed to talk to me about that."

"You're wrong, Tristan. For once you're not being egotistical and for once you are the reason. I fell for you, I fell hard and that kiss scared me – I didn't know what to do about these feelings. I needed to be home with my mom, she always helps me."

"Then why did Paris tell me that you went home to get back with Dean."

"Paris? I haven't talked to her in a week. She didn't know anything."

"Really? She seemed to know when I went over there the other night."

"Paris likes you, she wants you."

"I know that, I'm irresistible," the smirk finally returned.

"Wait a minute, I think I finally get it – …"

"Get what?"

"This was all Paris – telling you that I was going to see Dean and all of the encounters since we ran into each other at that party. Paris was trying to get you for herself and therefore…"

"Ruining every chance I had at finally getting you."

"But she didn't this time. Tristan, I really do like you, more than I like Brian and of course more than Dean."

"Does this mean we have a chance?"

"If you want it to mean that."

Words couldn't express Tristan's response so he pulled Rory closer and put his mouth to his. The kiss got deeper and deeper as Rory collapsed into Tristan's embrace. For the first time in a while, everything felt perfect. But the perfection couldn't last too long because Rory had a roommate to deal with. She had stopped Paris from ruining something that could be amazing, and Rory won – she had Tristan.

Luke had decided to cook Lorelai dinner that night because she'd called from the Inn to tell him about her stressful day. He had a surprise for the woman he'd been in love with for years. Rachel and Nicole both saw it so long before Luke ever admitted it. Everyone knew that Luke and Lorelai were meant to be together and now they were and he wanted to solidify everything.

Dinner was cooked and the two ate over a candlelit table. After dinner Luke kissed Lorelai passionately and they started to walk over to the bed. Lorelai sat down and instead of following her, Luke got down on one knee. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a beautiful diamond. Lorelai looked at and without a work pulled Luke closer. The two of them made the sweetest love that night and immediately after Lorelai called her daughter. Rory's voicemail picked up and Lorelai said six words, hoping Rory would call back soon.

"I'm going to be Mrs. Luke Danes."

Rory returned to her room to see Paris for the first time that day. She was ready to explode, this wasn't the first time Paris had ruined something but it was all for the same basic reasons. She wanted to scream – but she needed to stay calm. This was years of tension and it was finally time to break it. Everything from Chilton that had kept the two from being friends had come out in the past few months with the return of Tristan. He'd been everything to make them hate each other then and now he had done it again.

"Rory, I haven't seen you all day. How have you been? I heard you didn't come back last night."

"I got a little drunk and luckily waking up in Tristan's bed I was able to fix everything between us. He's my boyfriend now by the way"

Paris looked at Rory with a hurt look, a look of defeat. Her greatest conquest was officially lost because Tristan got the only girl that he wanted as more than a one night stand. Her dreams of being with Tristan DuGrey were going to have to fade away – Rory was her roommate and best friend and from the look in her eyes, Paris could tell there was more conversation to come.

"Why did you try to ruin everything Paris? Why did you tell him that I was getting back with Dean when you knew that wouldn't happen? C'mon Paris, you always have a come back and you always have something to say – so say something. What did I do to make you want to stop me from being happy?"

"You had what I didn't! Tristan's wanted you since we were at Chilton, he never wanted me. You made him date me and he only did it because you said to but even on the date he was mentioning you. It sucks to be second to the one person that I always wanted. I never get what I want."

"Sabotaging my relationship with his wasn't going to help you at all, Paris. He knew you wanted him, if he wanted you he would've done something."

"I was trying to make him, Rory, don't you get it. Boys don't swarm to me as they do to you. I'm not perfect like you."

"I'm not perfect, Paris."

"You are to Tristan and that's all that's ever mattered. I had a crush on him for twice as long as you've even known him. It hurts, Rory, it really does."

"I'm sorry, Paris, but we are together now."

Paris didn't want to say anything in response, she needed to get out. She knew that she and Rory would patch things up, but they each needed to be alone. Rory and Tristan were together – it was inevitable. Paris thought that maybe she would give this new guy, Kevin, a chance. He could be a replacement – he was already able to keep up with her…

THE END