AN: I am so sorry for the long wait in updating. Real life tends to get in the way.I am not abandoning this story, never fear. Thank you so much for the lovely reviews. And my fave Trory writers know where they can read the smutty version of this chapter. And another big big thanks to Season 4.5 for fixing this chapter.

After the peaceful sceneryof Central Park, the Met was almost auditory overload. Groups of tourists were chatting, kids were running around and employees were announcing audio and guided tours.

Junior and Rory bypassed all of those lines, choosing to explore on their own.

The need to feel and touch each other had not wavered one bit. Holding hands partially satiated the need.

"Now we could spend all day exploring and showing each other our favorite exhibits."

With a cheeky-grin Rory told him, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Tristan smirked and grabbed her in a one armed hug. "You think you're so clever," he dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head. "Bad pun aside, let's go explore."

"Okay. Why don't you lead the way?"

"Deal, but I'm saving one special exhibit for our very last stop. I really think you are going to like it."

"Ohh, what is it?"

Tristan grabbed her hand and led her around a group of grade school students. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Okay. Sorry. I won't ask again. But since you won't tell me that, how about you show me your favorite exhibit?"

They walked through the different forms and styles of art, stopping occasionally in the different eras when something caught one of their eyes.

Two hours and many exhibits later Tristan led Rory toward the Fashion Institutes new exhibit.

"Okay, knowing who your mother is, I'm sure you've grown up with an appreciation of fashion. And when I saw that they were opening this exhibit I knew I had to bring you here."

"Don't keep me in suspense any longer. Lead the way."

Tristan maneuvered them in the right direction. As they approached the exhibit he kept glancing at Rory's face. The minute she saw the sign proclaiming "Chanel" he saw her face light up and knew he had made a right decision.

As they walked down the aisles of the exhibit, her mind was working in overdrive. I just can't believe how thoughtful he is. He really had turned my image of a bad-boy on its ear. There is so much more to him than I ever imagined.

While they were looking at a collection of dresses, Tristan leaned over to whisper in her ear, "So, good surprise?"

"Oh my god. Good doesn't even begin to describe it."

Tristan stood behind Rory as they watched a video presentation of Coco Chanel's life. He brought his hands up and started massaging the nape of her neck. With every swipe of his thumbs, it got harder to concentrate on the video.

His caresses were innocent by anyone's standards, but the emotions evoked were anything but simple. His touch and the way he treated her brought forth very complicated and strong feelings from her. Feelings she had a hard time ignoring.

Rory closed her eyes. Thoughts and flashes of their time together buzzed through her head.

She moved closer to Junior, breathing in the scent of him. He moved his fingertips into her unbound hair, letting it slip from his hands in a caress. Resting her head on his shoulder, she released a soft contented sigh. She couldn't remember the last time one of her boyfriends had read her so well or observed her as thoroughly as Junior did.

She had such conflicting feelings in regards to Junior. He was like the two different sides of a coin, and she found that she liked both sides very much. But it was getting so complicated. This was supposed to be a purely physical fling, but he was slowing drawing her in with his thoughtful, compassionate and intellectual side. How was she supposed to keep her emotions at bay? Most of her was truly impressed by him but there was a small part of her that was a little dismayed at the potential damage to her heart.

Throughout the rest of the exhibit, Junior was a constant and tempting pressure against her back. As they were leaving, the curator approached them.

"Rory. It's wonderful to see you."

Drawn out of her mussing about Junior she turned to face the woman. "Oh! Susan, it's great to see you, too. How have you been?"

"I've been great. How is your mother? I haven't had the chance to see her in a while."

"You know Lorelai," pausing when she felt Junior's hand slip from her waist, "Oh, I'm sorry, Susan this is my friend, Junior."

Tristan took the hand Susan offered. "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

"Likewise. I should get back, but I wanted to say hi before you left."

In an unconscious movement, she slipped her hand into Junior's warm grasp. "Well, thanks for stopping. And the Chanel exhibit was great. Junior brought me here to see it. I'll have to tell my mom about it. She'll just die."

"Well, I'm sure I'll see her and Chris here before too long. I guess I'll see you at her party."

"Yes, you will. I'm just doing last minute checks, but we are all set for Friday."

"Good. Well, Junior, it was nice meeting you."

"You too. We had a wonderful time."

"I'm glad, and thanks for bringing Rory down. Rory, lets grab coffee next time you're in the neighborhood."

"Sounds good. Bye, Susan."

They turned to leave and Tristan squeezed her hand. "Is there any thing else you want to see?"

She rested her head against his shoulder as they walked toward the exit. "Not that I can think of."

As they walked down the street toward his car, Tristan tried asking about the party. "How are the birthday party plans going?"

Her gazed locked onto his face, her eyes unreadable. "They're fine." Turning, she watched a group of kids playing. "So, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?I seem to remember you saying 'All bets were off once we left the Met'."

Tristan was more irritated about the brush off than he let on. He wanted to get to know her but every time he got too near or asked too personal of a question, she put the focus back on the physical attraction they had for each other. Deciding that it would be best not to push her, he went along with her topic change. "Oh, trust me. All bets are off once I get you back to the apartment."

Squeezing his hand she smiled, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's hurry."

The walk to Junior's apartment was over too soon. The whole car ride from the Met was silent. She had been trying to ignore her conflicting emotions regarding him all day long.

"Umpfuh…" her breath was startled right out of her when Junior unexpectedly picked her up and carried her down a hallway. She took in her surroundings and focused in on a massive walnut bed. The light from the floor to ceiling windows illuminated the room. He carefully placed her on the bed. Watching as he stretched over her supine form, she looked into his eyes. Her heart fluttered and started beating faster.

It was times like these when his eyes captivated her. Showing such depth and charisma that she wondered who he really was. When you looked past his sexy clothes and his devil-may-care attitude he was such a different person. A person she could easily see herself loving; the kind of love that lasted a lifetime.

Too bad he wasn't the forever kind of guy.

Not wanting to waste their time with such heavy thinking, she tried to look away but his rough whisper stopped her.

"Don't, Rory. I'm right here."

Her hands tightened around his biceps. "I always get breathless when I'm around you. Sometimes my heart beats so fast that I'm afraid that I'll pass out."

A smirk appeared right before he lowered his lips the final few inches. He pressed his mouth on hers. She groaned when she felt the fire stir deep within her belly. His hands kneaded the nape of her neck. He took her mouth in a wet open kiss. His silky tongue thrust inside and tangled with hers.

She sunk farther into the down comforter, drowning in a maelstrom of sensations. Only able to catch her breath when Junior started placing kisses down the column of her neck.

His voice came out huskier thank normal. "It's just you and me, tangled in these sheets for the rest of the afternoon." He nipped at her collarbone, remembering that one of the most sensitive places on her body was her neck. He watched as her nipples tightened in invitation and as she squirmed deeper into the bedding.

He gripped her wrists in his palms, lightly pinning them to the mattress. "Look at me, Ror. Know it's me that makes you feel this good."

Arching against him, she pulled slightly at her restraints. "Trust me. I know who exactly is responsible for driving me slowly insane."

Chuckling, he let go of her wrists and moved his hands down to the hem of her shirt while she slowly spread her legs to make room for him.

They sat cuddling on the sofa when Tristan heard a low buzzing noise. "Do you hear that?"

"Wha—Oh! My phone, hurry it might be the Bubble Lounge."

"Hello?"

"Can I speak with Rory Hayden?"

"This is Rory."

"Hi, this is Chad from the Bubble Lounge. I had a message to call you."

"Oh, thanks for getting back to me. I'm just calling to verify that we have the lower level reserved for Friday. It should be under Hayden. I spoke with someone earlier and she said that it wasn't on the list, but that that didn't mean anything."

"Well, Miss Hayden…." As soon as Rory heard his tone of voice, she knew she was about to get some bad news. "I've looked over every reservation we have gotten for the last two months, thinking it might have been booked under another name, but I just don't have anything down for your party. I wish there was something I could do to accommodate your celebration but we just don't have anything available for that night."

Tristan watched as Rory's face fell. Whatever she was hearing had to be bad news. Pinching the bridge on her nose, she asked, "So, there's no way you can fit us in? The invitations have already gone out, RSVP's have been sent in….I understand. Well thank you anyway."

Silence settled over the room. Only hearing her side of the conversation, Tristan was able to decipher that something had happened to the reservation. As soon as he saw the twin trials of tears flowing down her cheeks, he was around the table. Pulling her into a hug, he whispered, "Ror, it'll be okay."

Taking a shuddering breath, "No it won't. The party is ruined. I have no back up place. I don't know what could have happened. My dad was in charge of the reservation. He wouldn't have just not done it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laying this on you."

Tristan cupped her cheeks in his hands, bringing her gaze up to his. "Rory. I'm here for you. You just have to let me."

Winding her arms around his neck, she quietly cried into his shoulder. "I just don't know what to do."

Tristan felt helpless. He quietly held her, trying to frantically come up with an alternative location for her party, when all of the sudden he was struck with inspiration.

"Rory, I have an idea."

"What?"

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to hear me out."

"Okay."

"What about the Met?"

"The Met?"

"Yeah, your mom is a fan of Chanel. There is a Chanel exhibit. There is more than enough room. And that lady, Susan from today, I'm sure if you explained what happened, she could help you."

Rory lifted her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. Tears filled her eyes again.

"Damn, Ror. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. It was just a thought."

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. "No, it's not that. It's a wonderful idea and it's the perfect place for my mom's party. I should have thought of it myself."

Tristan wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a strong hug.

"Now all I have to do is call two hundred people and tell them that the venue has changed."

"Need some help calling?"

A startled look appeared in her eyes. "Junior, I foresee some late nights for myself. After I call the entire guest list, I still have to deal with the catering and the florist. I don't know how the venue change will affect then, but I'm sure it will. And you have to work tomorrow. It's really sweet of you to offer, but it's not your problem. I'm sure I can handle it."

He knew she was skittish when it came to anything beyond the physical nature of their relationship, if you could even call it that. But he also knew that getting past this barrier she kept putting up was too important. If he was truthful, he was also scared that if he didn't push her a little harder, she wouldn't ever let him in. She would just end their affair and he already had too much invested in them to let it just slip away. He realized that she saw him as a temporary distraction. It had been his choice to play this game of deception and now he was backed into a corner. But that didn't mean he had to play by Rory's rules. He could make them up as he went along. "Ror, you have to work also and I know it's not my problem, but I want to help you. No one is forcing me. I just want to be there for you."

If Tristan hadn't been intently listening for a response, he might have missed the softly whispered, "Okay."

Please read and review. They make my day. Drop me a line if you are interested in the missing NC-17 scene.