Disclaimer: I am not ASP, nor will I ever own anything that belongs to her.

A/N: I can't tell you how much joy it brings me to know that you guys are enjoying this story. I just wanted to let everyone know that this chapter is the beginning of the end. I have the whole second part of the story already written in my head so it should be up relatively fast. Thanks so much for sticking with it and I hope you like the second part of the story!

A couple days later, Tristan had formulated an idea in his head. This in and of itself was a scary concept because Tristan was a very stubborn person. Once he came up with an idea, he was going to follow through with it. His grandfather hassled him about it, but now that he was a 'reformed' man, he figured that it wasn't such a bad thing. After all, it was his stubbornness that had finally gotten him Rory.

"Mary!" He said as he entered the apartment.

"What?" She asked as he came around the corner into the bedroom.

"When was the last time you did something spontaneous?" He asked with a glint of mischief in his eyes. Normally, this would cause Rory to go into a panic mode that would end up with her saying. 'What the Hell are you thinking?' but she had been under a lot of stress lately and didn't want to put up the struggle with his ironclad will. Plus, she was a naturally curious creature. So instead, she replied.

"Not for a while, why?" She asked while he dug out their suitcases from the back of the closet.

"We're going on a little trip." He said throwing clothes into each bag.

"Oh really? And where are we going?" She said, playing along.

"I was thinking maybe Paris." He said seriously. "My family owns a chateau right outside of the city." She started laughing.

"Oh my god. You're not kidding." She realized.

"Not at all." He said with a grin.

"Tristan, we can't just pick up and leave the country for a few days. What about work?"

"If we leave right now, we can spend Saturday, Sunday and Monday in France and be back by Tuesday. Call in sick on Monday, you'd only be missing one day. Come on, you know you want to."

"Wanting to and being able to are two very different things." He gave her a pout.

"What's stopping you?" She thought about it a little longer. "Seriously, this is the best time to do it. We are going to be busy for the rest of the summer. We already are taking our vacation time for the wedding in a couple weeks. And as much as I love North Carolina, I'd hardly call it a vacation." He saw the look and waited for the question.

"Do you understand how much this is going to cost?" She asked

"Mary, I don't know how many times I've told you this, we can afford just about anything." She sat down on the bed.

"That's such a strange concept."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." He said quickly. "Come on, what do you say? Where's that sense of adventure and curiosity? We need a vacation and for more than one reason." She was actually starting to go with it. It did make pretty good sense, and she would only miss one day of work.

"You promise we'll be back by Tuesday?" She said with a sideways glance.

"Cross my heart and hope to die." She giggled at his answer and threw her hands up in the air.

"Then I guess we are going to France."

"Yes!" He said as he picked her up and spun her around. "You finish packing and I'll call and get everything arranged." With a quick kiss, he had left Rory with a bed full of clothes shoved into suitcases.

"I don't even want to know how he survived without me." She muttered as she took all the clothes out and started folding them properly.

OOOOO

"You made a list." He said as they boarded the plane

"I did not! I was being spontaneous!" She objected a little too loudly.

"It's ok. You can admit it. I have no problems with a list." He smiled at her.

"Ok, but I struggled with it. I really struggled." She said giggling a little.

"I'm sure it was. The first step is admitting you have a problem." As the plane took off, Tristan slipped his hand into Rory's. A woman on the other side of the aisle smiled.

"Are you two on your honeymoon?" She asked politely. Rory shook her head.

"No, just a vacation."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't assume but you make such a great couple." Rory smiled as she thought about their relationship. It seemed like they had been with each other their entire lives, when in reality it had only been a couple of months. Tristan squeezed her hand a little and Rory turned and glanced at him. He often wished he could stop time, and this was one of those moments. It's too soon to get married, he thought to himself. Right? He wasn't an expert on dating lengths but surely a couple of months didn't qualify as a proper span of time. Then again, he wasn't one to follow the rules. And their current living situation did change things. They were practically married already. On the other hand, they both had to finish college. Tristan's head began to fill up with a Pro/Con list. Rory soon fell asleep and Tristan began writing all of these thoughts onto a piece of airline stationary.

"God, Rory would be so proud." He muttered under his breath.

OOOOO

"Oh my God!" Rory exclaimed as she entered the Chateau Dugray. "This place is absolutely stunning."

"You're absolutely stunning, this is just a house." Tristan smirked.

"I can't believe that we're here, in France!" She went up to kiss him but he stopped her.

"This is our first kiss in a foreign country, gotta make it count." He said as he tipped her back. She threw her arms around his neck and gasped in shock as he gave her one of the best kisses she's ever had. As soon as her head stopped spinning, she wanted to return the favor. She stood up.

"I hear it's always better the second time around." She leaned in to kiss him and they were swept up in each other again. Tristan instinctively ran his fingers through her hair and began to kiss her neck. Rory moaned and needed the wall to hold her up. His lips trailed up her neck and behind her ear and back down to her collarbone. She leaned down and caught his lips again. Tristan felt her small fingertips brushing across his skin under the hem of his shirt. She lifted the shirt over his head and began trailing kisses across the top of his chest.

"Bedroom." He managed to spit out. She pulled away long enough for him to pick her up and wrap her legs around his waist. She continued to kiss him as he carried her to the nearest bed. He placed her gently on the bed, her legs still wrapped around him, and stopped.

"Tris?" She questioned. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face but kept his hand on her cheek.

"Marry me." He said simply. She completely froze.

"What?"

"Marry me." He said again, as if it was just another sentence. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his list. "Before you answer, I've already made your list." She took the stationary out of his hand. He noticed she was shaking. She moved to sit up and Tristan sat down next to her.

The reasons Rory should marry me:

I feed her caffeine addiction

I still call her Mary even after all the filthy stuff we've done

I know how to cook

I'm not so terrible to look at

The sex is mind-blowing

I love her more than anyone else ever could, and she knows it.

The diamond I'm holding is huge.

She looked up and saw a box in the palm of Tristan's hand.

"Where's the other half of the list?" She asked curiously.

"It wouldn't be in my best interest to show you that half now would it?" He said with a trademark smirk. She smiled.

"Touché." She eyed the box again.

"Nah ah ah," he said shaking a finger at her. "Not until I get an answer." She smiled.

"Well," she started to tear up, "I guess I'll have to say yes then."

"Really?" He looked at her tears.

"Yes, Tristan. Nothing would make me happier." He got down on one knee and opened the box. Rory gasped at the sight in front of her. Inside was a gorgeous white gold band with a huge diamond in the center and two smaller diamonds on either side. It was simple and elegant. I couldn't have picked a better choice out if I had a million rings, she thought. He took the ring out and slid it on her finger. They kissed passionately.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear, the emotion breaking in his voice.

"I love you too." She said through her own tears. She kissed him again, never letting go.

OOOOO

The next morning, Tristan woke up to find Rory gazing at her fingers.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, his voice still groggy from sleep.

"That I need to get a manicure because everyone will be staring at my hands." He smiled.

"No morning after regrets?"

"None," she said with a kiss. "Did you plan it like this?" She asked him.

"Like I would plan to propose to you half naked in bed, before I got lucky?" She giggled. "It was a day for spontaneity. I just looked down and saw you staring up at me and I thought, 'What are you waiting for? You're never going to find anyone better than her.' So, I blurted it out. I know it wasn't the most romantic turn of events, but,"

"Shhh." She placed a finger on his lips. "It was perfect." She traced his lips with her finger. "You had a ring, that meant that you were going to ask eventually." She pointed out.

"Well, I was walking by a jewelry store and I saw it in the window. It looked perfect so I went in to ask about it. The lady behind the counter said that there were three diamonds because it represented the past, present, and future. I liked that idea."

"So you just bought it. Just like that?" He nodded. "Is that why you brought me to Paris?"

"I wanted to take you somewhere special, just for a vacation and then I thought, if I'm taking you somewhere special, I might as well ask you while we are there."

"You made a list." She said.

"That was on the plane while you were sleeping."

"Were you nervous? You didn't seem nervous."

"I was a little afraid you would say it was too soon." He admitted. She smiled and leaned in closer to him.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She asked in a near whisper.

"Of course."

"I've wanted to marry you for a long time." He smiled.

"How long?"

"I think when you met my mom, I realized that you were probably the only person in the world for me."

"We had only known each other a day or two." He said, laughing at her, but knowing she was right.

"Yeah, but I knew. I knew the moment I saw you again that something was there. Love at second sight?"

"Sure. But can I tell you a secret?" He leaned close, mimicking her.

"Of course." She smiled.

"For me, it was love at first sight." She wanted to cry but she just curled up tighter against him and put her head on his chest.

"What did I do to deserve you?" She said quietly. Tristan laughed.

"I ask myself that same question every day." He said as he kissed her forehead.