AN: I know I said no more updates 'til Monday but I couldn't help myself. I'm putting off writing my essay and what better way to do that than update. Here's a question though, I've also written the next chapter but it ends a tad abruptly nd you'll be left hanging then. Do you want me to post it or would you rather I wait until Monday so I can update quickly from it?

Holy Cross Baby: you're right, it's more Smmer being manipulative. Although, of course, she went though alot, my guess is that she regretted the abortion later on and so, blamed him so he, in turn, blamed himself.

photobooth romance: I'm glad his behaviour is making sense, I'm busy trying to pull it all together now.

Thank you to everybody who's still reviewing it warms my little heart!

Disclaimer: I don't own GG

Rory lay in bed. Louise had still been awake when Rory came in but she was flipping through Cosmo and barely registered Rory quietly getting ready for bed.

She felt hot all over, she was still tingling from his touch and her heart hadn't yet slowed down. Ho could he do this? How could he make her feel this? She'd never felt this way before. She shook her head miserably in the dark. She couldn't go down this road, she couldn't fall for him. He was inestimably screwed up, he was angry, he pushed her away at every chance. He'd shown nothing attractive about his character. What she'd learned about him in the past few weeks should have her running for the hills. So why did she still smile when she thought about the way his eyes sparkled when she received one of his rare smiles? When she imagined the feel of his palm lying gently against her cheek? Was she imagining the good in him?

She shivered, she didn't know if it was remembering the feel of him against her, or the anger in Matt's eyes. She thought again about what Louise had said. He had turn tonight, she'd something in him that frightened her, frightened her more than Tristan ever had. Oh God, I'm never going to sleep. Yet slowly her exhaustion overtook her.


Tristan was sporting a superb shiner the next morning in class. She hadn't seen him in breakfast, or Matt for that matter. He smirked at her as he walked past, taking a seat next to a girl named Jacqui. He touched her cheek, brushing a strand of hair from her face and Rory found her eyes riveted on him, jealousy bubbling up inside her. He turned and smirked at her when he caught her watching him. She blushed as Paris raised her hand.

"I have an announcement for the class," She told Mr. Cybula, their math teacher.

He nodded wearily, he had given up fighting Paris' interruptions a long time ago, he had that defeated look of somebody completely and utterly disenchanted with his job. Paris took centre stag at the head of the class.

"I was speaking to Mrs. Kennedy this morning, and she has requested that all Theatre Studies students stay on campus this weekend to prepare for opening night,"

There was chorus of groans, from Rory included, she had been looking forward to spending the weekend with her twin. Paris pushed on,

"Practices will start after school this afternoon in the hall…costumes are arriving tonight."

"Thank you Paris," Mr. Cybula said with resignation and Paris nodded, taking her seat.

"It'll be good," Paris said, "Almost everyone from our group project is in the class, we'll be able o get heaps of work done. We'll only be missing Madeline and Finn. And let's face it, they're not that much help"

Rory smirked, wait, when did she start smirking?


Rory scowled at herself in the mirror of the girls' dressing room. She looked like an f-ing idiot in her costume. She looked like, like a pilgrim! As though she'd just stepped off the Mayflower. Louise was busy trying to hike her frumpy black dress up so that she could show some seventeenth century leg and Paris glared at her.

"Louise!" She snapped, "Mary Warren was not a Playboy Bunny!"

Rory snickered and Louise looked non-plussed.

"Well she danced naked in the woods Paris, obviously she wasn't that innocent!" She retorted in a Duh voice.

Paris rolled her eyes. Rory jumped when she heard Mrs. Kennedy's voice booming from the hall.

"Time's a wasting people!"

"I swear to God that woman never needs a microphone" She muttered as they hurried into the hall.

She tried to listen to their teacher as she went over the itinerary for that day, she really did, but she kept finding herself drawn to Tristan, staring at him openly. He looked up once and caught her, she expected his smirk but instead she saw a different look in his eyes. His mouth was set in a grim line, concealing the full lips that has smothered hers the night before, but his eyes, they washed over her as though they didn't even notice the dowdy navy blue sack that made her into Ruth Putnam. They locked eyes and neither heard Mrs. Kennedy as she roared at Tristan to get hi butt on stage. Suddenly he seemed to snap out of the trance and he bounded up the stairs.

Being Ruth Putnam meant a lot of sitting around pretending to read her book while she waited to be called up to the stage. That was, until the disruption.

"Well, well, well…Mr. Mulchrone, so nice of you to grace us with your presence," Mrs. Kennedy roared as Matt sauntered in.

"Thank you," He replied oafishly and a few of the kids giggled.

He stared over at Rory and she shifted under his intense gaze. Up on stage Tristan's blood boiled.

"Take your seat Mr. Mulchrone!" Mrs. Kennedy snapped.

Matt took a seat behind Louise and Rory, a couple of rows back and kicked his legs up on the seat in front of him. Louise nudged Rory.

"Hey…do you want to sneak back to Hartford this weekend?" She whispered so quietly that Rory almost missed it.

"What?" She exclaimed, "We can't do that,"

"Sure we can…please Rory, I have to see Jay…I'm going nuts not being able to talk to him"

"He's not allowed to see you," Rory hissed, "It's a violation of his bail."

"We'll be careful, please, please!"

The urgency in her voice softened Rory.

"You really like him don't you?"

Louise nodded miserably.

"He's the first guy I've really liked since Mike"

"Okay, okay…I'll see," Louise settled back just as they were called up to practice.


It was just the Theatre kids at dinner that night, occupying one table in the cavernous dining hall. Mrs. Kennedy had convinced the school to order pizza and Rory lifted her fourth slice to her mouth. Summer was siting across from her watching with a look of disgust on her face. She hadn't eaten anything yet.

"I don't know how you can eat like such a pig Rory Gilmore-Hayden,"

Rory rolled her eyes, her mouth full and Louise jumped in.

"Well she doesn't have the sort of figure she needs to watch does she Summer Roberts?"

Paris and Tristan laughed and Summer glared at her.

"Well at least I'm not dating a rapist murderer Louise"

The table fell silent, slices of pizza half lifted to open mouths dripped melted cheese as everyone waited to see what would happen. Summer smiled triumphantly as Rory and Louise stood up and stormed out of the dining hall.

"That was uncalled for Miss Roberts" Mrs. Kennedy spat as she hurried after the girls.

"Alleged, Summer, alleged…get it right. The trial hasn't even begun," Tristan said quietly, returning his attention to his food.

"Yeah, alleged by you Tristan!"

"No, not alleged by me Summer, alleged by evidence which could have gotten there any number of ways! And I'll remind you that you've made your own fair share of allegations in your time" He threw his pizza slice down and left as well, Summer staring open-mouthed at his treating back.


As he left the dining hall he leaned his head against the wall. Why did he just stand up for his girlfriend's murderer? Was it because he was Rory's brother. Stupid, it's because you don't really believe he did it! Whoa, where did that thought come from? He felt as though his world was spinning out of control. He was starting to believe that none of this would ever be over. Those had been his words to Rory when they'd heard the news in the car. It's finally over, but it wasn't, it was far from anything remotely resembling over. Then they'd been so happy, hadn't even cared that they were in the back of a police car heading for the station, hadn't cared if they were expelled from school. They were together and they were free from everything Liz's death had begun. But now, so much had happened, his ideas about his life had bee completely shattered, and not only by Rory's outburst in the library. It had been earlier than that, it had even been before she arrived at the school. Her, the catalyst for his fight with Liz that made her leave that night. The walk home that didn't take her home at all. Liz had known, somewhere that they were coming to an end. That Tristan had woken up one morning and realised that the future they'd planned wasn't all he wanted in life.

He banged his head against the wall, trying to knock some sense into himself, gingerly he touched his black eye. After he'd told Rory to leave he'd turned back to Matt who was still shaking with anger.

"I don't know what the fuck is wrong with you Mulchrone, but you need to get it together! You had one drunken kiss at a party and you think you're married to her!"

Matt had launched himself at Tristan again, tackled him onto his bed. Tristan was strong but Matt was bigger and had the element of surprise. Before Tristan could do anything, Matt's hands were around his throat.

"She was different! She was nice until you got to her! You ruin everything! You ruin everyone!" He screamed, pressing his fingers harder into Tristan's flesh.

He choked and Matt had looked down at him, his eyes flickering. Tristan gripped Matt's arms, trying to push him away. All Tristan could see was Matt's eyes above him, everything else was turning black as those strong fingers gripped him. Finally he used all his strength to roll off the bed, flinging Matt off him. Tristan jumped to his feet unsteadily, coughing and spluttering, clutching his throat.

"You crazy fuck!"

Matt stood up, panting as hard as Tristan, he glared at him, saying nothing before he turned and left the room, slamming the door shut.

He didn't know where Matt had stayed, didn't care. Since then they'd maintained a stony silence. What was happening to the life that had seemed to set just a few weeks before?


Louise was in tears before they even got out of the dining hall.

"I didn't realise everybody felt like that 'til just now," She sobbed on Rory's shoulder. "I…I…I thought everybody believed him, like us. It was so stupid of me!" She stammered between sobs as Rory hugged her. Finally she stepped back, swiping furiously at the tears that ran down her face. "I'm sorry Rory, I shouldn't be crying like this,"

"Hey…never apologise for the way you feel," Rory said, remembering the day her father had said that to her.

The dining hall doors burst open and Mrs. Kennedy stormed out. The girls sprang apart.

"Girls, I am so sorry about that…rest assured that Summer Roberts will not go unpunished for that remark," Rory nodded, slipping her arm around Louise's shoulders. Mrs. Kennedy softened, "Rory, Louise, how about we finish up rehearsals for tonight, go back to your rooms and get some sleep, we'll see you in the morning."


But there was no sleeping, instead they were driving silently out the Chilton gates with the car lights off. They reached Hartford in cord time, breaking only a few speed limits. They parked a little while before Rory's house and crept up the drive. Rory pulled out her cell and dialed Jays.

"Hey butthead, it's me, Rory…come outside"

"What?" Jay asked sleepily.

"Come outside, I have a present for you," She repeated with a sly smile at Louise who blushed.

"What are you talking about?" He persisted.

"Ugh jut come downstairs, open the door and walk out idiot!" She hissed, stomping her foot.

A few minutes later Jay cautiously opened the door and peered out. When he saw Louise and Rory he threw the door open and ran out to meet them.

"What the fuck are you doing here!" He cried and their smiles dropped. "This violates my parole! Are you stupid?"

Louise looked crestfallen.

"I…I just wanted to see you," She whimpered and he softened.

He held out one arm and she ran to him, closing the distance in seconds. He wrapped his arms around her ad kissed her forehead, making eye contact with Rory who smiled.

"I'm sorry guys, it's just I was expecting a lynch mob or something,"

Rory shrugged and Louie snuggled closer to him.

Rory crept upstairs to her room to give them some time together, but it could only be a flying trip. She found a couple of books she'd been missing and a jumper she wanted.


Jay touched Louise's cheek softly.

"How's everything going?"

"It's horrible without you," She said quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"You just be careful, and Rory too…there's somebody on that campus who's killed before, it must have been somebody there, they put that fucking necklace on my desk,"

Louise felt him bristle with anger and she ran her hand down his arm, trying to calm him, he looked down at her with concern.

"I mean it Lollie,"

"Who would do that?"

"Matt Mulchrone," Jay said without thinking.

Louise pulled away suddenly.

"What! Are you serious?"

Jay pulled her closer to him.

"I don't know, I was thinking out loud. He had no motive but he and Finn are the only guys who spend that much time in my room,"

Louise's eyes were wide.

"What?" Jay asked, worry evident in his voice. "What is it?"

"Rory," Louise whispered.

"What about her?"

"She an Matt…"

"What!" Jay roared before he caught himself. Lowering his voice again he hissed, "What about them?"

Louise looked everywhere but him until he grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him.

"They…they kissed at a party last week and they went on a date yesterday"

Jay cursed.

"I don't trust him Lollie…he came to the detention centre to see me and was talking about how he believed me, and just knew I couldn't do a thing like that. But there was this look in his eyes," Jay stared at his feet, "He was laughing at me, inside, just laughing…the cops won't listen though."

Louise cupped her hand to her mouth.

"Oh my God Jay,"

"Just stay away from him"

Louise nodded.

"Of course,"

"And make sure Rory does too,"

Louise nodded again as Rory appeared.

"We have to go," She whispered.

Rory waited in the car as Louise and Jay said goodbye.

"You remember what I said," He told her. He was holding her left hand and cupping her cheek with his right, se was in tears again. She nodded.

"I will,"

He pulled her to him again, wrapping his arms around her. She buried her head in his neck before tilting it up to kiss him. He kissed her back.

"I love you," She whispered, turning quickly and running to the waiting car.

Jay stood in the driveway, watching the car drive off…she loved him.

AN: There you go, hope you liked it! Don't forget to R&R to let me know if you want another update. It's just sitting in my documents folder, all alone with noone to love it - Bye!