A/N Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story. You're amazing and remind me to give you your gold stars later.

Rory's eyes suddenly widened like a deer caught in the headlights. Tristan could hear footsteps behind him, but dared not turn.

And then a voice from behind him said "Hi I'm Logan, and you are?"

Tristan felt himself smiling despite himself as he said, "Tristan Dugrey, nice to meet you." He said extending his hand stiffly. Logan shook it with more force than was necessary, before sitting down next to Rory.

Smirking Logan said, "Ahh I thought you looked familiar. The notorious black sheep of the Dugrey family." He then wrapped his arm around Rory with a pathetic attempt at nonchalance."Tell me how did you ever get the courage to tell your family to go to hell and walk away from all that money?" High society in Hartford, was much like any other, everyone knew everyone. If not personally then by name at least. Pedigree's were worn proudly like some sort of suite of armor. Good news traveled quickly in such a exclusive club, but bad new moved with such a speed that it seemed almost instantaneous.

Next time why don't you just go for the jugular directly, Tristan thought "Because I decided that being my own person was more important than anything money could buy." Not completely able to resist the urge to dig at Logan a bit. The threesome could feel the atmosphere around the table shift from controlled, falsely pleasant, to somewhat more caustic and real.

Logan's arrogant grin faltered slightly. This was a situation that was entirely new to him, people usually took his rude words without comment. He wasn't sure exactly what he'd walked in on. And was not pleased in the slightest by Rory's new 'friend'. "So Ace how do you know Tristan?" Logan asked, deciding it was best at least for now to ignore Tristan's slight. His words were thick with implications leaving little doubt of what his thoughts were.

"Well we went to Chilton together," Rory said bothered by Logan's innocent boyfriend act. It was one that came up all to often and was hard to disregard. Gently she felt herself shrugging off his arm, as though the possessive weight of it were too much. "And as it turns out he transferred here to finish out his degree." As she raised her cup to her mouth finishing what was left of her coffee.

Logan knew instantly that Tristan's move here was not a matter of happenstance. One look at that carefully blank face and he knew. Knew that Tristan was here for one purpose and one purpose only. And smirked at the thought of a battle for Rory, he knew that she was already his, but Tristan would prove to be an interesting competitor.

Tristan wanted badly to laugh at the look on Logan's face, but took a pull from his beer instead.Overconfident. That was Logan in one word. Sure of himself in a way that only a lifetime without resistance could produce. Every move he made was one made with self assurance and haughtiness. He knew Logan so well, because hell a few years ago they could have passed for the same person.

He wondered how Rory could have fallen for such an asshole. "Well Logan, I'm sorry to say but Rory promised to show me around a bit before it got too late, so I guess I'll see you around." Tristan said uttering these words more like a challenge then anything else.

Rory though acutely aware of not having made such a promise stood up gratefully. Glad to get away from the terse cloud that had enveloped the table.

"Undoubtedly." Logan said dryly as he stood up and helped Rory put her jacket back on. "Call me later okay?" He said shooting a meaningful look at Tristan. Before pulling Rory in for a forceful, dominating kind of kiss. The kiss shouted that she was his and his alone.

When Rory broke away she glowered at Logan leaving little doubt that she knew exactly why he had kissed her. Blushing, she turned toward Tristan and extended her hand. If Logan was going to be difficult, than so would she.

Tristan took it with a knowing smile, as she led them out of the bar. He could feel Logan's death glare boring into his back as they walked away.

As soon as the couple disappeared behind the doors Logan flagged down a waitress and ordered a beer knowing it would not be the last one he drank tonight.

"I'm sorry about that," Rory said shooting Tristan an apologetic glance as they entered the brisk night air. Tristan knew that this hadn't been the first act of machismo that Rory had dealt with from Logan.

"It's okay, but can I ask you something?" Tristan said hesitantly. He felt her release his hand at these words as if she knew what was coming.

"Sure, I guess." Rory said deliberately averting her eyes.

"How can you deal with that? I mean, when we were in highschool you absolutely detested arrogance and egotism. No offence but he seems to be the king of both." He asked. As they began to wander aimlessly in the general direction of the dorms. The night air was cold, but not uncomfortably so. The world around them was muted, the only constant noise was the clack of Rory's boots against the macadam, and the two's hushed voices.

Rory wasn't precisely sure how to answer that question. Should she just come out and say, I'm not the same girl I was back then? Or should she just skirt around the issue and try to defend him? Honestly she hadn't a clue. Finally she said, "When I met him he looked so sure of everything. Nothing fazed him, not even for a second. And he challenged me in a way that I hadn't been..." Since you, her mind screamed. "for a very long time." She said slightly disgusted by her inability to say it.

"He told me once, 'that I couldn't do a casual non-exclusive relationship.' That I wasn't 'that kind of girl.' It made me so angry that I just had to prove him wrong. You know? So we started our little fling and though it wasn't perfect it was fun..."

"But now?" Tristan prompted softly. Still not sure what to think.

"Now I don't know...it just isn't all I expected it to be." Rory answered. To say the least, she thought ruefully. "But that's the crux isn't it? We're always disappointed when our expectations don't match up to reality." It was a jaded comment, one that hurt Tristan to hear. He wanted, more than anything to revive her old unfailing optimism.

Tristan had gone to Yale expecting Rory to be the exact same person she had been. It was a selfish, naive belief. People changed constantly, he himself was a testament to that, and he had been a fool to think that she would still be the same person she once had been. He was surprised to learn that despite (or maybe because of her change) he still wanted her more than anything else in the world. This revelation had been a long time coming though. He grinned as he thought of he and Conner's first big 'discussion' on that very topic.

FLASHBACK

Tristan had been lying on his bed staring blankly at the ceiling, in the room he and Conner shared in military school. The room was quiet, a lull following there most recent fight. Conner was laying on his own bed ice pack pressed against his face, deep in thought.

Casually Conner said, "You wanna know something?" His eyes remained closed.

"Sure," Tristan replied keeping his gazed fixed on the ceiling. .

"I think you're full of shit." Conner simply stated.

Tristan barked with laughter, "Really, what makes you think so?" keeping his voice deceptively light, as though he couldn't care less what his friend thought.

Conner sat up searching Tristan's face for some emotion beyond his usual blank guardedness. "Because you walk around with this facade of toughness and authority. Like you're so remote that nothing touches you. You like to pretend that you're cynical and pessimistic, but in reality you're nothing of the sort."

"How did you draw such and erroneous conclusion?" Tristan asked finally looking at Conner.

"Erroneous, my ass!" Conner said smiling. "Don't worry though, your veneer works most of the time. It's just on occasion that you slip and start to think about her."

"Her?" Tristan asked feigning disbelief. All the while knowing exactly what Conner was talking about. The girl he scarcely allowed himself to think of. The girl with those haunting blue eyes and mocking smile.

"The girl you never talk about, but are so obviously insatiably, head over heels, Romeo and Juliet type of in love with." and after a pause he added, "And don't ask me how I know it's a girl, you wouldn't get that starry eyed look over just anything."

"You want me to blacken the other eye?" Tristan asked wryly. Wondering vaguely how he could be so easy to read. That how despite everything, all of his careful evasion Conner still knew what no one should ever know.

"See you just proved my point! You wouldn't get defensive if I wasn't right. You're tongue mad because you're so easy to read." Conner said laughing.

END OF FLASHBACK

"No," Tristan said softly after a few moments of consideration. "The trick is you're supposed to keep going until you find someone who matches all your expectations, no matter how lofty they are." He kept his eyes carefully averted, afraid they might betray his true feelings and the implications behind them. So he stared instead, at the odd shadows the streetlights cast on the sidewalk bellow.

"But don't you get tired of all that constant waiting and disappointment." Rory said, her voice slightly strained. Leaving no doubt that she knew exactaly what it felt like to be tired and fed up with love.

"Yeah," Tristan said. You have no idea. "But that's what makes the whole terrible situation worth it in the end." Hoping his voice was filled with a believable amount of conviction, but doubting it. Conner had been right he wasn't as pessimistic as he'd like to think he was. But that didn't necessarily mean he was an optimist either. Truths be told like so much else in his life it lie somewhere in the infuriating middle. But around Rory, whether she knew it or not, he felt a lot more able to look on the bright side.

"Well aren't you just a Nicholas Sparks novel," Rory said attempting to direct the conversation away from love in any form.

He laughed lightly, "Damn and I was shooting so hard for Dr. Phil."

She grinned genuinely glad to have Tristan with her. He was warm and comforting when he didn't have to be. It was incredibly nice to have someone to talk to who didn't know all her deep dark secrets. "Well I guess that means you'll have to try harder next time."

"I supposed so," Tristan said as they approached Rory's dorm. He was sad to know that they would soon part ways for the night.

"Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Rory said when they reached her door.

"Unless you wanna take me up on an offer of wild passionate sex?" Tristan said leaning against the wall, smirking lecherously.

She laughed, "Now as much fun as that sounds, I think I'll have to pass."

"Can't blame a guy for trying." Tristan said.

"Better luck next time." Rory said grinning and shaking her head, as she opened her door.

"Well G'night Mary," Tristan said.

"Night," She said softly before disappearing behind her door.

Tristan turned and began the path to her own dorm thinking the entire time about Rory Gilmore. Replaying every moment of the past few hours in his head, smiling.

A/N

Please review I want to know your thoughts on my latest chapter. Whether it was disgustingly corny or not.