Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Gilmore Girls, characters or storylines. I do not own the rights to any of theseason1dialogue used for this chapter.

Rory was standing in a room she recalled all too well. It was the piano suite of an old school acquaintance. She tried to remember her name, was it Matilda? Or Madeline? She didn't remember but it was her house anyway.

And it was definitely an M name.

She felt like she was in some demented movie, except this wasn't a movie with hot rods or burger joints or any other poignant memory of someone else's history. This was her history and she was in her past.

She studied the room; this was a place she remembered, mainly because this was the place she escaped to when she found the Chilton hordes at the party too much.

A book sounded better to her at the time, and with it she carried it around everywhere. It was strange to her now. Like a strike of lightning she remembered.

She had forgotten.

Bob twisted around the room, she could see some food stains on his white wife beater and with a view found him undesirable to say the least.

He was oohing and ahing around the joint, like he never seen anything so magnificent. That's what it was like to people like them, extravagance that is. Their senses were alert and primal; they noticed everything and were engorged with delight.

The properties of families around the area were massive with wide tended gardens. The wide elm tree lined streets were sparingly scattered, with expensive houses just like this.

Everything was oak or mahogany. Nothing was gum or pine.

Hell of a difference between this and her laminated wood apartment, but she chose to rise above her pettiness and decided it was a very pretty room.

"Oh look a piano." Bob pointed out like he had never seen anything like it, and made himself a bed on top of the instrument. He lit himself another cigarette and flopped on his back, his belly rising with every ragged intake of air.

"Oh how exciting." Rory replied with faux excitement. "So this is one of my life choices? I can hardly keep myself contained."

"Sarcasm will get you no where."

"I wasn't sarcastic, I was thoroughly overwrought with emotion," she said with a grin and took a seat at the end of the piano bench.

He blew smoke into her face. "I'll bet."

She heard the piano squeak with every movement and she looked at it wondering if his fat ass could fall through and destroy the beautiful instrument. "You shouldn't sit on the piano, you could break it."

"I don't weigh nothing sweet cakes. I'm an angel," he twisted again and more squeaking exploded from the weight.

He was so fat. With the way he was flaunting himself around the place she was sure he thought he was some kind of male model; denial was a dangerous thing. Especially for large musical instruments.

"Yeah, and I'm wonder woman. Get off the piano."

He shook his head, and grinned. She could see a lot of metal in his mouth from his wide-open grin.

Bob was missing a few screws she was sure of it.

He grinned at this mental comment. "Nope. I want to see the action from a box seat."

She saw a few boys walk past the door and gaze in and she hugged herself. She was still in her nightdress.

"Can anyone see me?"

"Nope. Your body ogling is for my eyes only."

She groaned and thought that was disgusting but hey at least she didn't have teenage boys ogling her goodies. The prospect of that happening was appealing to her as having root canal.

"Well good. I guess," she sat down and took the cigarette from Bob's stubby fingers and took a drag. "So what do we do now?"

That was the question wasn't it? What does she do now? She was here, in her past, something that should have been weird and scary, but it was oddly comforting. Like she could witness what a mess she had made of her life firsthand.

"Wait." Bob said thoroughly enjoying what he had in store.

She raised her eyebrows.

Wait for what exactly. To see herself turn into a blubbering idiot when a boy kisses her; that was always fun. She wished she had a camera for these special Kodak moments.

"Cynicism doesn't suit you."

"Neither does smoking but you don't see me stopping," she turned to him. "Why are you smoking anyway? I thought that sort of thing stops when you die."

He took another puff, like a portable chimney and let out a groan of comfort. He moved so he was flat on his back again.

"Mmmh, yeah well. Don't tell anyone."

She grinned and tapped her legs. Impatience was not exactly her forte but she was a quick learner.

"Oh lookie here! Who is that?" Bob announced with an over exaggerated surprise. She had to look, and on swivelling came to view a face she hadn't seen for close to fifteen years.

A blond boy in a nice red woollen jumper walked into the room, head down, hands stuffed into his pockets. And utterly adorable. For a sixteen year old. Any more thoughts about his appearance could land her into a lot of trouble, so she did her best to focus on his spiky hair and the sad look on his face.

"Tristan." Bob shouted into an oblivious boy's ear. "I was wondering when you were going to get your behind in here. People are waiting ya know."

Tristan sat down next to her at the piano and he was so close that she had to get up and tried not to panic.

"Why panic?"

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because I'm sitting next to someone from fifteen years ago who looks exactly the same as I remember? Or maybe because I'm half-naked. Take your pick." Bob chose not to pick, he was watching Tristan's fingers on the keys with more interest then her shrieking and he clicked his tongue.

"Talented boy, don't ya think?"

Rory chose not to comment. She was too busy pacing the room feeling a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach that could turn to an anxiety attack at a whim if she wasn't careful.

She knew who would come in and she wasn't looking forward to it.

Coming face to face with your past was never an easy thing, but actually coming face to face with yourself from the past had to be a whole lot worse.

"Look at those fingers would ya." Bob said seeming to Rory to be more like a little devil then an angel.

Casting her gaze to Tristan's fingers and arms she felt a noise escape her throat. The only thing she could think was 'Wow'. He did have the nicest hands. Big and strong and oh boy she should not be thinking that.

It struck her as strange that she did not notice this when she was younger. Hands and arms were always her thing.

She dreamed about them.

She lusted after them. The contours of the muscles and the strength.

Bob was laughing.

She walked to him and pulled at the few puffs of hair that were on his balding head. "You're evil."

He laughed and slapped her hand away and straightened up his hair, like it was his pride and joy. Hopefully from the state of it, that was not the case.

Rory walked into the room. Not her now, the her from the past; the fifteen year old Rory. So innocent and sweet.

She fought the urge to run screeching from the room.

The sixteen year old Rory hovered at the door. Trying not to be vain or anything but she was such a pretty girl. So innocent and wide eyed.

Her blue eyes stood out like beacons and she was looking at the boy at the piano; she looked uncomfortable. Tristan looked uncomfortable. Present day Rory was uncomfortable. The only person in the room who didn't follow lead was Bob.

But that was to be expected.

'Oh sorry.'

'No problem.'

Rory was staring at her young self and at Tristan; they were so innocent. She wanted to grab her young self by her small shoulders and rattle some sense into her. Tell her that life was hard and she was going to have to build up strength in order to survive, but Bob looked at her and put his finger to his lips and shhhed her.

'I'm sorry.'

'About what?'

'About you and Summer.'

"Liar." Bob said loudly pointing at young Rory's head and poked it.

"Hey," she raised a finger to him like a sword and gave him the most vicious look she could conjure, which probably meant she had her mouth open and looked mentally impaired. "She's not a liar. Leave her alone."

She felt the need to defend her younger self from her manic guardian angel because she was in her position once before and disliked the though of a fat finger poking at her head.

He didn't seem overly wrought at her facial expression. In fact he kind of got a good giggle out of it. "She likes him. Look at her face all smoochy and crap. What's up with that if it's not love?"

"Well you tell me, cause you seem to think you know everything. Pluck something else from your you-know-what."

"That's very crass Rory. I'm liking it."

Rory sighed, missing some of the conversation and blew out some air. "Oh brother."

They focused back on the two teenagers.

'What are you doing?'

'Talking about the test.'

'Why?'

'Because you said you didn't want to talk about Summer.'

Bob snorted. "Very smooth. You had the touch once upon a time. No wonder you had so many glorious opportunities in your youth."

Rory glared at him. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing."

Oh right nothing. "You don't fool me. You think I've lost my touch don't you?"

He whistled and started looking around the ceiling like it held a wealth of knowledge that only he could decipher.

"I haven't lost anything."Rory mumbled and walked to the wall, leaning against it and started paying attention again to what was going on. "And how long do we have to wait for the change?"

"Patience Rory. It is a virtue you know."

"Like you would know."

'He's...not my boyfriend anymore.' She heard herself say.

"Not Dean. Not that guy! He used to crawl up under my skin, ya know?" Bob said with a mock shiver.

"No, I don't know." Rory said starting to really dislike this guy.

'Idiot.'

'So's Summer.'

'You think you'll get back together?'

Bob scowled and rubbed his belly in a Buddha motion, maybe he was trying to invoke good luck.

"Not in this freaking life. No way I'm letting that happen again."

She was trying to let all his comments slide but now he was just saying this stuff to lure her, and she was biting. "Hey shut up, this is my life you're talking about."

'He was pretty set in his decision.'

'When did it happen? '

'Yesterday.'

'Wow.'

"So how does this work anyway? What am I supposed to do?"

Bob looked at her, grinned his cheesy, yellow toothed grin and shrugged. "This is a different, what do you guys call it, dimension you could say. This Rory reacted differently to you. What happens now, you just watch and learn. This was all done before."

She humphed and waited.

It seemed to take forever. She didn't remember the conversation lasting this long before.

'Well no, but you're sad.'

'Yeah well, I am sorry.'

Huh she remembered that apology. She savoured that apology for oh about ten seconds before someone went and spoiled it with a kiss. Rory couldn't believe how much was coming back to her. This was amazing. All those little holes in her memory were starting to get replenished; it was refreshing.

'I accept your apology.'

Tristan looked at the young Rory and gave her a lopsided smile. A melt your heart, I'm a sweet puppy dog, adopt me smile. 'Oh man, it's a great party huh?'

'Yeah not bad. It gave me a chance to catch up on my reading.'

Bob clapped his hands with glee, his eyes twinkling at her. "You're going to love this Rory babe. Absolutely love this."

Hmm. She doubted that. Anything Bob loved she had an indication that it wasn't too good or liked by many other people.

'You are very odd, you know that?'

'Thank you.'

'You're welcome.'

This was the pinnacle moment of this little episode, Rory thought. The crying and running out of the room. She watches on as Tristan leans in for a kiss to the young Rory, her hair tied half up and looking pale and scared and she winced for him.

She kept on wincing and when she didn't hear anything in say the form of No it's not you. It's just - I have to go she opened her eyes

There she was lips locked with Tristan's, and she was enjoying it. Not that she hadn't; but she didn't seem to savour it as much as this young Rory was. "What the hell?"

"I know. Beautiful isn't it? I tried to help you but did you listen. Noooo."

They opened their eyes at the same time and she witnessed pretty innocent blue eyes meeting seductively cool blue. She was amazed.

Bob laughed out loudly and roughly and so hard that he fell of the piano onto the wooden floor tiles. Rory didn't bother helping him up. She was too busy staring gobsmacked at the two teens so into each other. How? When did this happen?

They answered for her.

"Rory I have been wanting to do that since the first moment I saw you."

The young Rory smiled so shyly, meekly, innocently that it was disgusting and stared back at him. It was a kind of stare that guys dream about. 'I'm glad.'

She's glad? What kind of answer was that?

"Well a damn better one then the one you shrieked at him."

"Shut up."

"Are you ready to go now?"

"Where?"

"To the future of this reality. To your time except on this path. You're going to be impressed trust me."

Rory scowled and then shrugged. "Eh, I don't know about trust but I guess I am somewhat curious."

"You little cat you." Bob grabbed her hand and they did the shimmering thing again. They left little Rory and Tristan in the Piano room, locked in a kiss.