Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. I got swept up in school finals and then work. Now I have a moment for myself and I wanted to write this for all of you wonderful readers and reviewers. Please keep doing what you do and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Brief Respite

Tristan wearily sank onto his cot. The sun's relentless rays had beat into his skin until it had started sweating in surrender. His muscles ached and throbbed as he stretched, protesting anymore movement. Walking around on hard packed dirt in combat boots was harder on him than on his shoes. But the soldiers managed to walk in the boots, carry pounds of ammunition, supplies and a gun while remaining alert and cheerful. Tristan applauded their hardiness, but he was ready for bed. He was tired of following them around all day. But despite all this, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he called the U.S. He fumbled for the phone and began dialing the now familiar number.

In the U.S. …

Rory stared determinedly at her book as she lay propped up in her bed. She read the same line three times, finally giving up when she couldn't remember the name of the book or the line. She huffed, pounded her navy pillow and plopped back onto it, trying to fall asleep. She was up again five minutes later, pacing in her room. Rory didn't want to admit she was worried over Tristan, but the news today had been all about the recent hostage situation in Iraq that had ended with explosions. Rory knew the hostage had been held at a hotel near Tristan's and since the breaking of the news this afternoon, she had been unable to reach him through his e-mail.

Why hadn't he called yet, she thought? No, no, she wasn't going to think about him right now. She sat on her bed again and stared at the phone, almost willing it to ring. Just because he had called, not e-mailed, every night after he'd left didn't mean he was obligated to call her this night as well. He had no reason to call her, after all they weren't engaged or anything.

The thought of her and Tristan being engaged gave way to a brief image where they sat at a white table underneath a bower of trees. Tristan would be dressed in a blue suit that for some reason always seemed to be from the 1920's. She would be in a flowing white gown, also from the same time period. He would hold her hand in a tight grasp as he stared adoringly into her eyes. Rory, he'd say in that magnificent velvet voice of his, I'm in love with you. I need you… He'd lean forward, she'd lean forward and- RRRiinngg! went the bells.

Rory jerked back awake and fumbled for the phone. She'd actually fallen asleep while dreaming of Tristan. How embarrassing.

"Rory Gilmore." She murmured.

"Hey Mary." The velvet voice caressed Rory's still unsettled nerves. A fission of awareness snaked down her spine. Unaware of the smile creeping across her face or the sudden relaxation of her muscles, Rory settled back into the pillows.

"You should know better than to call me so late. I like my sleep." Rory complained. She had said the same thing each time he called her, but neither paid any attention to it. They both knew it was only part of their friendship… or whatever one called it.

"Yeah, I know. How are you doing?" Tristan managed to make a common inquiry sound like a naughty suggestion. And he wasn't even trying.

"Alright. The office is still a madhouse, but that's journalism and New York." She hesitated but couldn't resist asking, "Are you okay? I heard about the recent hotel explosion."

On his cot, Tristan smiled. "Worried about me, Mary?" He listened to her denials with a growing warmth in his heart. Being in a foreign country, surrounded by guys as comfortable carrying an M16 as they would be carrying a cell phone, it was heartening to have someone worrying over you.

"I'm okay, Rory. Today I went out with a battalion to learn more about the training they have to keep up while stationed out here." He grinned when she became silent. "Did you try to get a hold of me?" The silence stretched and so did his grin. "Aw, Mary, I didn't know you cared."

Unwillingly to enter that patch of quicksand, Rory changed the subject. "Kat asked after you today." The memory made her bristle. "Do you want me to pass along your love?"

"Careful, Mary. First you're worried about me then you're jealous. I'm going to be looking for the chain on my ankle soon." Rory rolled her eyes and sighed but he continued. "I don't know what you want me to say to that, except to tell her I said hi and I already have plans for when I get back to the states."

"And what are those?" Tristan half-expected icicles to be dripping from his phone due to the frost in Rory's voice.

"I'm taking a coworker of mine out. This coworker of mine has beautiful brown hair, gorgeous eyes that would make Cartier's a fortune if the exact shade was ever found in sapphires, and-"

"If you make any smart-aleck remarks about my body, I'll seriously harm you," Rory threatened.

"A tongue sharp enough to slice diamonds." He finished laughing. Rory smiled at the sound, but glanced at the clock. She had to go to be in order to be up at a reasonable hour for work.

"I've got to go. Take care of yourself, Tristan."

"You too, Mary. Make certain your day is clear the night of the 21st. If you have any dates, break 'em. That night's mine." He hung up before she could reply. Smiling, completely satisfied, Tristan fell asleep half a world away with visions of Rory dancing in his head. On the other side of the world, Rory set the phone back on the cradle with a smile on her face. It stayed there well after she'd fallen back into her dream of him from earlier. Both slept peacefully.

Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delay and the incredibly short passage. But I wanted to get the idea of how they are interacting with each other out there. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and I hope you like this blurp too. Please, review.