Thank you to my beta, Lourenda.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"He told me I was special." Rory told the person on the other end of the phone as she headed to Luke's for dinner with her mother.

"Man, he needs a new line. I used that what? Six, seven months ago?"

"Not the point, Logan."

"Ace, he's right. You are special and he's obviously smart enough to see that."

"Aww, Huntzberger just got sappy on me." Rory teased, "So, enough about me, how was your day?"

"Good, went to Yale signed up for a couple of classes, tried to convince my academic advisor that this year will not be a complete waste of time and I will try to live up to my potential. Registration deadline is quickly approaching, you know."

"Logan…"

"Rory, you have to come back. You love school."

"It's obviously not my thing, I wanted to go for journalism, but I 'don't have it.' I need to find out what I do have."

"You have the talent for journalism, Rory." Logan sighed. He wished more than anything she'd go back to school.

"Can we just not talk about this anymore, please?" Rory asked, her voice practically pleading.

"I'll give up for now, but this is not the last you'll hear from me about it, Gilmore."

"I'd expect nothing less." Rory smiled as she approached Luke's. "I gotta go. Bye, Logan."

"Bye, Ace."

Rory hung up her phone and slid it into her purse as she walked into the diner and sat across from her mother, "Hey, Mom."

"Hey, Babe. How was work?"

"Fine."

"Fine? That's all I get? I'd ask you how school was and you'd go on for an hour about how you learned to square root bajillion. But something I'm actually interested in you won't talk about! What gives?"

"It was nothing to spectacular, Mom. I got held captive in a copy room with Tristan, he told me I was special, we almost kiss. Typical everyday stuff."

"He called you special? Didn't Logan already use that line? He's obviously not as smooth as we all thought he was."

"That's all you got from what I just told you?"

"So you and Tristan almost kissed, so what? Would it have been the end of the world if you had?" Lorelai asked.

"No, I guess not." Rory sighed "It's just he's finally got his life together and mine seems to be falling apart around me. I don't wanna bring him down."

"Maybe he's gonna be the one that saves you? He's your wonder wall."

Rory gave her mother a strange look, "You did not just quote Oasis."

"It's a good song!" Lorelai defended.

"Give me advice! Tell me what I should do!" Rory demanded.

"Ror as much as I love to meddle no matter what I tell you, you have to figure this out on your own." Lorelai told her daughter sympathetically.

"Growing up sucks."

"I know, Hun. I know."

------------------------------

Rory was leaning against the back of the picnic table waiting for her campers arrive when she felt a presence next to her. "Mary."

"Tristan."

"Ready to lose?"

"Are you?"

"We won't lose, not today."

"You are awfully sure of your team's abilities."

"Its endurance games today. Boys are better at endurance, it's a known fact."

Rory raised an eyebrow, "That's the most sexist thing I've ever heard!"

"It's true."

"You're gonna eat your words, DuGrey."

"Care to make a bet then?"

"What are the terms?"

"I win, you have to spend the weekend with me doing my choice of activities."

"And if I win?"

"We spend the weekend doing your choice of activities."

Rory thought over his proposal, either way she got to spend time with him. Which she found herself wanting to do more and more. "There will be restrictions on your choice of activities."

"That's no fun."

"That's the only way I'll agree to the deal."

Tristan pouted, "Fine." He said holding his hand out.

"I hope you're good at lawn work." Rory grinned shaking his hand, feeling sparks shoot up her arm as she did.

"We'll see about that." Tristan grinned before walking away.

------------------------------

Everyone was sitting in the field area waiting for Wendy to announce the first activity. Boys were on one side dressed in black and blue while the girls were on the other wearing pink and purple. War week was intense, even speaking to your boyfriend or girlfriend during the games was considered treason.

"The first activity is the counselor balance beam." Wendy announced. The balance beam was an eight inch wide piece of wood about four feet above a mud pit. The rules were simple, knock the other person off before they could knock you off.

"Sammie and Jeff, you're up first!" Wendy announced.

"Alright, Sammie. You're setting the tone for today's competition." Rory told her.

"No pressure."

"Kick his butt!" Kiah exclaimed, causing Sammie to smile.

"I'll try my hardest."

After about twenty minutes it was tied, boys had won twice girls had won twice. It was now up to Rory and Tristan.

Rory began to get on the plank of wood but couldn't seem to do it "Having trouble, Mare?"

"Tristan stop being an ass and help me up."

"That's treason! I can't help the enemy."

"Think of it this way, the sooner you help me up the sooner you can push me off."

Tristan glanced back at his team then at Rory. "Fine," he told her grabbing her waist and helping her up onto the plank causing his team to boo at him. He climbed up on the wood himself and turned to Rory who was standing on one end with her arms folded across her chest, "Ready to lose?"

"I cannot believe you'd push me off." She told him.

"Why's that?"

"After everything you did to me at Chilton, you'd think you'd at least give me a little help and let me win this challenge."

"Yeah, I think not."

Rory took a step closer to him, "You were constantly throwing suggestive comments my way, you beat up my boyfriend at a school dance…I was afraid to go to prom!" She told him.

"Not going to work, Rory. I'm not one for guilt, it's a useless emotion."

"You're one of those no regrets people?" She questioned stepping less than two inches away from him.

"You step closer to your death each time you move towards me." Tristan told her.

"Did it hurt?" Rory asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?" Tristan asked officially confused as to what she was talking about.

Rory didn't say anything but lunged at him knocking them both off the wood into the mud pit below. Though, they had both fallen off the wood but Tristan had hit the ground first making the girls claim victory. "Falling?" Rory asked as she pulled herself off of Tristan.

"That was low." Tristan mumbled.

"Apparently military school didn't teach you how to stay alert and never let your guard down."

"This means war." Tristan told her as they both stood up covered in mud.

"It is after all war week." Rory smiled sweetly at him before going over to celebrate her win with her team.

"What the hell was that?" Eric questioned.

"Huh?" Tristan asked turning around to look at his best friend.

"It was like you let her win!"

"She tricked me."

"It's a good thing you never got shipped off to real war because god only knows what would have happened if you did. 'Mrs. DuGrey, we're sorry to inform you but Tristan's a POW.'… 'Why? Because the enemy tricked him.'" Eric mocked.

"Ha Ha Ha. You're so funny." Tristan deadpanned.

"Seriously, you can't let her get to you. It's war week…Not even your precious Mary should be allowed to get into your head."

"She won't. I have a bet with her that I intend to win."

"What are the terms?"

"She wins we spend the weekend doing what she wants to do and if I win we spend the weekend doing what I want to."

"I'm assuming she put restrictions on your preferred activities."

Tristan glanced over at Rory who was taking off her mud soaked t-shirt and leaving her in a tight, pink tank top and groaned, "I was hoping she'd forget about them."

"If you can't control yourself around her, don't be near her."

"I'm not a child; I can contain myself around the girl I like."

"Let's hope so because I bet her fifty bucks the boys' team would win." Eric said before walking away.

------------------------------

It was the forth event and the guys had won the last two, giving Tristan the perfect opportunity to spend the lunch period gloating. "It's tug-o-war!" Wendy announced "Boys 12-14 vs. Girls 12-14."

"Alright, Girls! Let's even the score!" Tina cheered as the campers took their positions.

"Looks like we're gonna be going go-carting." Tristan smirked as he walked up to Rory.

"Why's that?"

"It's tug-o-war…Boys always win Tug-o-war."

"Again with the sexist attitude." Rory said shaking her head.

"It's true."

"Oh really?"

"Yep."

"Then why are your boys losing?" Rory questioned walking away.

Tristan glanced at his campers which were loosing horrible to the girls team "What are you guys doing?" he yelled "Pull Harder!"

"Bite me!" A camper yelled back as a reply.

"You're all a bunch of girls!" Eric called to them.

"If we were a bunch of girls, we'd be winning!"

"No wonder you are losing! You're wasting your energy coming up with lame comebacks!" Tristan called. No sooner had the sentence left escaped his lips had the whistle blown declaring the girls the winners, tying the score.

------------------------------

The last event was a relay race, the younger kids started it out then tagged the older kids and in the end it was one boy and one girl racing towards a finish line. Kiah, Darla and Danielle along with a couple of other girls around the age of seven began to do their challenges such as running through cones, eventually they all ran over to a group of older girls that were waiting for them.

Darla, Danielle and the other girls walked over to where the counselors were sitting waiting for the relay to finish but Casey and Nikki held Kiah back, "Do you remember what we told you yesterday?"

"The plan?" Kiah asked excitedly.

"Yes, the plan…You remember what you're doing right?" Nikki asked

Kiah nodded, "Yep."

"Ok, do what we told you to do."

"Are you sure it'll work?" The little girl asked skeptically.

"That's what we're hoping for." Casey smiled as she watched the little girl run off.

"You think she'll do it right?" Nikki asked.

"I hope so, let's go catch up." Casey told her before they both ran to catch up with their group.

------------------------------

"You never did give me your opinion on the go-carting matter." Tristan told Rory as their waited for the campers to cross the finish line.

"My opinion is there is no way in hell, I'm doing that."

"No swearing!" Darla yelled from behind Rory.

"Sorry!" Rory smiled "There is no way in heck I'm going go-carting."

"That's better." Darla smiled before turning back to her friends.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going to win." She told him, "and I hope you're good at yard work…You seem like a guy that's pretty good with his hands."

"No complaints so far." He grinned.

"That's the second time I've walked into that comment," Rory muttered. "I'm sure the shrubs at my mom's house would love to get a little TLC from you're magical hands." she deadpanned.

"And how about you, Mare? Would you like a little TLC from my magical hands?"

Rory blushed and was about to say something when she heard some say that the runners were coming. Dan Ridge and Emily were running towards the finish line. Dan was winning but Emily was quickly gaining on him. The two crossed the finish line and a photo was taken to determine accurately who one. Everyone was silently waiting for Wendy to announce the winner.

"The annual endurance day of war week now has a winner…For the first time in eight years the females have won!" Wendy announce proudly as cheers broke out amongst the girls group.

"We kicked your butt, Loser!" Rory told Tristan who just scowled and walked over to the rest of his team that was now sulking in self pity.

"Girls you did fantastic!" Rory told her campers proudly.

"It's because of the little kids, we got an early lead."

Rory glanced around and found Darla and Danielle, but not Kiah. "Where's Kiah?" she mumbled. She quickly scanned the area but didn't see her. "Do you know were Kiah is?" Rory asked Sammie.

"No, but I'll keep a look out for her." Sammie told her.

Rory saw Casey who was in the group the little kids had tagged, "Casey, have you seen Kiah?"

"No…" She told her glancing around "She should have been back by now." Her voice was worrisome.

"Ok, I'm gonna go look for her…Keep an eye out for her, please."

"Definitely." Casey nodded as Rory took off to search for the missing little girl.

Scanning the group of celebrating girls more thoroughly, Rory still hadn't seen Kiah and panic was starting to set in. "Where is she?" Rory muttered.

Rory glanced over at Tristan who was sitting on a bench and hoped maybe he'd know what to do, "Tristan!" she said, pulling him over to where no one could hear them.

"Did you come over here to rub it in my face that the girls won? That's mean, Mare…Very mean." He told her with a disapprovingly look, "Oh and Eric said you'll have to pry that fifty bucks out of his cold dead hands."

"Tristan! I can't find Kiah."

"What?"

"I can't find Kiah, she's not here."

"What do you mean?"

"What is so difficult to comprehend about that statement, Tristan! I lost Kiah! My camper, Finn's niece…I cannot find her!" Rory yelled, "I'm a horrible person! How can I not notice one of my campers is missing?"

"Rory…Calm down…She's probably just sitting off to the side with another group of kids."

"No!" Rory exclaimed tears welling up in her eyes, "She's not! I looked."

"Alright, I'll go look in the offices and activity rooms and you go look in the woods. We'll find her." Tristan told her.

Rory looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a look of uncertainly and it broke his heart. He knew it wasn't Rory's fault, she hadn't been assigned to look after the girls that had finished their part in the race but he knew she'd blame herself. "Rory, we'll find her. I promise."

She nodded before running off towards the woods while he ran towards the offices.

Rory was searching the woods with tears still in her eyes, "Kiah! It's Rory, are you in here?" She called but nothing. "Kiah!" Rory yelled desperately but got nothing back in return. "Oh my god…I lost a camper…I lost a seven year old little girl…Finn's niece." Rory whimpered to herself as she began to look more frantically.

Tristan walked into the art room. "Kiah?" he called out, but wasn't greeted with Kiah instead with an older boy.

"Who are you looking for?" The boy asked looking up from a picture he had been drawing.

"A little girl named Kiah, she's about this tall, her hair is strawberry blonde and has ringlets."

"Is she in Rory's group?"

"Yes."

"She's at the infirmary."

"How do you know?" Tristan asked.

"I was in there getting my allergy meds and she walked in and told Helen, the nurse, she had a stomach ache. Helen gave her a freeze pop and asked if she wanted to watch Dora the Explorer. I'm assuming she's still there."

Tristan blew out a breath of relief, "Thank you so much."

"No problem."

He was about to leave the art room when he turned around, "Why are you in here? Shouldn't you be out participating in the games?"

"Sports aren't really my thing, please don't tell." The boy asked pleadingly.

"You helped me out, I'll help you out. Just clean up after yourself."

"Thanks." The boy called out after Tristan who was already running towards the infirmary and practically busted down the door.

"Kiah!" He exclaimed as he saw the little girl sitting on a cot watching TV with a teddy bear in one arm and a juice box in the other.

"Hi Tristan!" The little girls said brightly.

Tristan picked her up and hugged her tightly earning a strange look from the nurse, "Have you been here since the race?"

Kiah nodded, "Yes."

"You scared Rory and me half to death. You've always gotta tell someone where you are."

"I'm sorry." Kiah told him resting her head on his shoulder. "I had a tummy ache so I came here."

"It's ok…Just next time tell someone."

"Is there a problem?" Helen, the nurse asked.

"No, she just wondered off without telling anyone. We were terrified."

The nursed nodded understandingly.

"I'm gonna go with Tristan." Kiah told Helen.

"Ok, are you feeling better?" Helen questioned.

"Yes, thank you."

"See you later, Hun." The nurse called as Tristan walked out of the infirmary with Kiah still in his arms.

Rory was walking back from the woods with her head hung low and tears steaming down her face, she hadn't found Kiah. What was she going to tell Wendy or Finn? She took this job to avoid jail, but at the moment she felt that like that was where she belonged. Rory looked up when she heard her name called, and saw Tristan standing there with Kiah in his arms. "Oh my god!" She yelled running over to them and taking Kiah in her arms and hugging her, "You scared me so much."

"I'm sorry, Rory."

"It's ok, just please never do that again. Always tell me where you are."

"I was in the infirmary, my tummy hurt." Kiah explained.

Rory's eyes were still watering now from happy tears not sad. She had grown so close to these kids in such a short time and she couldn't imagine what she would do if something happen to one of them. "Why don't you go sit with Sammie?" Rory suggested.

"Ok." Kiah said running towards where Sammie was sitting while Rory watched her carefully until she made it.

Rory turned back and collapsed into Tristan's arms, "I thought she was gone." She sobbed into his chest.

Tristan wrapped his arms around her tightly, "Rory, this wasn't your fault. It's happened to all of us at one point or another," he assured her but he knew that wouldn't make her feel any better.

"What if something had happened? What if you didn't find her?" Rory cried, "I don't know what I would have done."

"I would have helped you." He told her seriously.

Rory looked up at him and for the first time she really saw what a truly wonderful person he'd turned into. She saw a man that was caring and kind that would do anything for someone he cared about. Leaning up she crashed her lips against his and he took no time responding. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her even closer to him.

"We did it!" Casey and Emily exclaimed jumping up and down excitedly watching the couple from a distance.

"What'd you do?" Sammie questioned.

"Nothing." Casey responded immediately.

Sammie looked at her carefully then up at Rory and Tristan kissing and it dawned on her. "You are the ones that told Kiah to go to the nurses without telling."

"We did it for a good cause!" Emily defended.

"You practically gave Rory a heart attack and you used an innocent child!" Sammie reasoned.

"But it worked…" Casey told her as all three of them stared at Rory and Tristan.

And all the roads we have to walk are winding
And all the lights that lead us there are blinding
There are many things that I would
Like to say to you but I don't know how

Because maybe
You're gonna be the one that saves me
And after all
You're my wonderwall

I hope I explained everything in this chapter well enough. Describing the events was a little difficult. I probably won't update either of my stories before Christmas so I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!

Reviews/critiques are welcomed as usual.