Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Gilmore Girls.

Rory walked into the Inn in search of her mother. "Hi Michel. Have you seen my mom?"

Michel looked up appearing annoyed and said, "What do I look like? Her watch dog? She could be anywhere."

"Okay," Rory said, "thanks anyway." Rory decided to go into the kitchen, where she would get more help and maybe some cookies.

"Rory!" Sookie yelled. "I need you to taste this pie for me."

'Pie will do,' Rory thought to herself. "Yumm," she said to Sookie after she bit into the peach pie. "There's something in this that I can't put my finger on. What is it?"

"Well if I told you that, I'd have to kill you." Sookie said as Rory continued to look at her expectantly. "No really, it's a secret. My grandmother used to make her fruit pies the same way."

"Well it tastes amazing."

Lorelai then walked into the kitchen then and raced to her daughter's side. "Oh sweet daughter of mine. How was your first day of school?"

"Oh, it was okay."

Lorelai looked a Sookie and the two spoke with their eyes. "Rory, what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Okay? What about wonderful, fantastic, mind-blowing? But okay? That doesn't sound right, so what's wrong with Chilton?"

"There's just so much more work than I expected. I knew it would be hard, but I'm not sure if I can handle this."

"Ror, you don't get this upset about being given a challenging homework schedule. So tell me the truth."

Rory sighed. Sometimes she hated that she and her mother knew everything about her. "It's the people. They just aren't as friendly as everyone here. One guy in particular has already made it clear that he intends to make this year a living hell for me."

"What did he do? I'll kill him."

"He kept making stupid comments and he would touch me."

"Where?"

"What?"

"Where did he touch you."

"Oh, on the hand."

"Rory?" Sookie stepped in.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not sure, but I believe they call that flirting."

"No, this is different. He wants me to be uncomfortable." Listen, I need to go get started on my homework. I'll see you at home later, mom. Bye Sookie."

"Bye," Sookie and Lorelai called together.

Later that week on Friday evening Rory yelled, "mom come on. We have to leave now."

"But I don't want to."

"We can't be late for dinner mom."

"Let's just call and say that we got food poisoning and now we're dying."

"Right. Mom, you promised grandma and grandpa that we would have dinner every Friday. I guess I'll just have to quit school if you really don't want to go."

"Oh, fine, party pooper," Lorelai grabbed Rory's hand and walked to her car, "let's go."

Weeks later, Rory was having trouble understanding German. 'Why didn't I just take French? I already know French.' Rory slammed her book shut in study hall, because she had become too discouraged.

"Something wrong Mary?"

"Rory."

Tristan finally gave in, "What's wrong, Rory?"

Rory looked up at him curiously, contemplating whether or not to ask for help. "I just don't understand this German. I have never not gotten something. I have studied and studied, but it just doesn't make sense."

"I can help you with that. I'm fluent in German. Hence my being the teacher's assistant. I don't have time during school, but you can come to my house a couple days a week," Tristan said seriously, but then threw in, "I know you would like that, wouldn't you Mary?"

"No thanks, Tristan, I'll do it on my own." And with that Rory gathered her things and started to go to lunch.

"Rory, maybe you should get a tutor. I hate seeing you so aggravated with yourself. It doesn't have to be Tristan. " Lorelai said to her daughter after she heard what had happened during school.

"No one else has the time. I've already asked the best students."

"Is this guy really that bad?"

Rory sighed, "Yes, but I think I'm just gonna have to deal with it. I just can't get this. Mom, I've never not understood something. I hate it."

Lorelai laughed. "Rory, you can't be perfect at everything. Give yourself a break."

"Thanks mom, I guess I should go call Tristan now and get it over with. At least then I won't have to see his stupid smirk."

"Hello?" A young girl answered the phone.

"Um, hi, may I speak to Tristan, please?"

"Tristan," she heard the girl yell, "It's another one of your girlfriends.

"Hey," Tristan said in a husky voice.

"Tristan?"

"Yeah, who's this?" Tristan asked realizing he didn't recognize the voice.

"Um, it's Rory."

"Rory? I don't think I know anybody named Rory."

Confused for only a second, Rory realized what Tristan was saying. "Ugh, fine, it's Mary!"

"Oh, Mary, can I help you?

"I need you to help me with German."

"Am I hearing things? I thought you just said you need my help."

"Will you help me or not?"

"Sure, tomorrow after school at my house sound good?"

"Yeah, can I have directions to your house?"

"You can follow me."

"Well, actually I won't be driving. I need to tell my mom how to get there."

"Oh, don't worry. I'll take you home after."

"Oh, no Tristan, there's no need."

"Don't worry about it Rory. Bye." and with that Tristan hung up the phone.

Rory took a deep breath as she hung up the phone then thought to herself, 'Did he just call me Rory?'

As Tristan hung up his phone he looked at himself in the mirror and saw that he had a genuine smile on his face, and then he thought, 'I just called her Rory,' as the smile fell from his lips.

"Oh My God!"Rory yelled as she realized that her ten-page paper for English was due the next day and she only had two pages written. She stayed up most of the night typing her paper and woke up the next morning exhausted. Rory dreaded the coming day. She got up, dressed slowly, and packed her book bag carefully. After she was finished, she and her mother walked to Luke's Diner and ate breakfast.

"Luke! More coffee! You let my cup go empty."

"So drink slower." Luke yelled from behind the counter. He slowly walked out from behind the counter and made his way to the Gilmore's table. "How many times do I have to tell you this stuff will kill you?"

"However many times it takes you to hear me tell you that everyone has to die sometime. I choose to die from too much coffee. Now pour." Reluctantly, Luke filled Lorelai's mug and began to walk away.

"Not so fast. I need all you've got," Rory called, forcing Luke to turn around and fill her mug as well. "Thank you, Luke." Rory said sweetly as Luke mumbled incoherently. "Oh, and could you bring me a large cup to go. I barely slept last night."

A few minutes later Rory said, "Time for me to go. Wish me luck."

"You sound like you're going to the firing squad instead of school."

"Maybe not a firing squad, but this afternoon could turn into a dual. And I'm not so sure I will win if it does."

"My daughter, the optimist. I taught you well."

Rory laughed for the first time that day. "I gotta go. I don't want to miss the bus."

"Bye, sweets."

Rory made her way to her locker, and found Tristan waiting for her there. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Now Mary is that any way to greet the guy who is so generously offering you his services?"

Rory finally lost it. She used all the strength she had and pushed him up against her locker. "My name is Rory. NOT MARY. So call me Rory. Got it?"

"Geeze Mar, I didn't know you wanted me that badly."

"Ugh, you're insufferable," Rory said. She walked away without ever getting her books from her locker.

Rory felt much better after she handed in her English paper. At least there was one less thing to worry about. It was over and done with. Rory decided to find Tristan during study hall and apologize to him. She found him in the back of the library making out with yet another beautiful carbon copy type girl. "May I talk to you?" Rory asked loudly.

"Excuse me." said the girl, "We're a little busy."

Tristan looked at Rory, "You heard the girl, Mar. We're busy. You'll have to wait if you want me. There's a long line."

Rory's jaw tightened at his words. "I just wanted to apologize for this morning. Sorry. Bye now." Through gritted teeth she said, "Have fun."

"Where were we?" said the girl as Rory walked away.

"Actually, I have to go. I'll see ya later Babe."

"Oh, okay, bye Tris" Then she planted a big kiss on his lips. "Come get me anytime you want to do this," she looked around, "again."

Tristan ran to catch up with Rory. "Rory wait." When Rory stopped and turned to him, he said, "Okay, now you can do it right."

"Do what right?"

"Apologize."

Rory threw her hands up and made an irritated sigh. "You egotistical jerk! Do you think the world revolves around you?"

"Pretty much. At least my world does."

"Well mine doesn't. You are so aggravating, infuriating and..."

"Maddening?"

"YES!"

"I turn you on."

"Excuse me?"

"You are full of passion when you yell at me."

"No Tristan, I'm full of anger. I won't be needing you to tutor me. I'd rather get a C than end up in an insane asylum."

"Why not an F?"

"I would do anything, not to get an F." Rory said before she walked away.

"Rory calm down and come back here."

"Oh no, just leave me alone."

"I'm just joking with you. It's all in fun. Now come on. You need my help. You will get an F if you don't get it and you know it. It's only the beginning and you're already having trouble. It will only get worse."

"Ugh, fine. I'm just having a bad day, so everything is ten times worse than normal. Don't go thinking you can get to me like this every day."

Tristan smirked and muttered under his breath, "Don't be so sure about that."

Tristan found Rory at the end of the day, and the two of them headed for his car. Girls who wanted to talk to Tristan constantly stopped them. When they finally made it to Tristan's black jaguar, he surprisingly opened the passenger side door for her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The two rode most of the way to Tristan's house in silence. When they were almost there Tristan said, "My house is pretty big."

"Okay. And?"

"Well, I heard you're on scholarship or something. So I thought I would warn you. You probably haven't been in a house like mine before."

"Oh, right.. Thanks." Rory didn't bother to correct him. She would rather he believed she was on scholarship than that her grandparents paid her tuition. The only reason she put up with Chilton was so she could go to Harvard. She didn't like the life of the rich. She absolutely hated when people at her grandparents house took care of her like she couldn't do things herself. How hard is it to take off your own coat, or get your own ice tea? Besides, most of the people at Chilton were really shallow, and she would rather know which ones really wanted to know her.

"Here we are."

Rory looked up at a beautiful large white house with dark blue, almost black, French doors at the front. "Nice house." She complemented quickly.

"Thanks. Come on, we should get started."

Tristan and Rory walked through the house until they came upon a small den. Rory instantly loved this room. It had warm red walls and two fluffy leather chairs that looked inviting. There was also a cherry wood desk in the corner of the room/ Rory walked toward the desk, but Tristan stopped her.

"No, sit in the chair over here." He pointed to one of the leather chairs. "You won't need to write anything, might as well be comfortable."

Rory looked back and forth from the cozy chair to the desk chair and finally decided to take Tristan's "suggestion".

"Tristan!" A little girl who couldn't be older than five yelled. She ran into the den and jumped into Tristan's arms. The little girl had lighter hair than Tristan's and it curled all the way to its roots. Her eyes were also slightly lighter than Tristan's. They were like Crystals shining in the ocean. Rory could tell immediately that she was related to Tristan.

"Hi there Alexa. How was your day?" Tristan said, paying extra attention to the little girl.

"It was great. We went to the park and I got to play on the swings."

"Wow. Why didn't you invite me?"

"It was for school silly." Alexa giggled at Tristan then looked around the room. "Who's she?" she asked looking at Rory.

"Alexa, this is Rory. Rory this is my little sister Alexa."

"Hi there." Rory said awkwardly.

"Hi." She said to Rory then turned to Tristan and whispered into his ear quietly, "She's not like the others."

Tristan smiled and whispered back, "No, she's not." Then he stood up and said, "Alexa, Rory and I need to study for a while. How about you go find Teresa and ask her to play with you?"

"Will you come see me later?"

"Of course."

When Alexa had left the room, Rory said, "She's precious."

"Yeah, I know. Let's get started." Rory thought to herself that Tristan was just as stuck up when it came to his sister...but somehow it was different. More like prideful than egotistical. She was actually impressed.

Tristan noticed Rory staring at him and quickly snapped her back to reality. "Wow Mar, I didn't know all I had to do was act nice to a kid to get you to admit to yourself that you're madly in love with me."

"God Tristan, can't you be sincere for more than five minutes at a time?"

"No, it gives me hives...that's not very appealing to the ladies."

"Oh, right, of course. Let's just get to the studying."

After they were situated, Tristan began his lesson. "Let's start with vocabulary." Tristan pointed to various objects while Rory struggled to remember their German counterpart.

When Rory began to identify the objects correctly, they worked on pronunciation. After an hour of studying, they decided to take a break.