"Rory! Over here!"

Rory looked around the crowded wine bar, having heard her name shouted over the din. She had been trying to catch the hostesses attention to be directed to her friends table, but it sounded as if they had found her first. Just then she spotted them, Tristan was standing up waving, trying to capture her attention while Paris was beside him trying to pull him back into his chair, Doyle was, as usual, trying to ignore the pair.

"May I help you?" the hostess asked, finally appearing.

"I actually see my friends table, is it okay if I go and join them? They are expecting me." Rory said, smiling politely at the hostess, she always tried to be polite to the staff when she was out, she hated people who thought they were above serving staff.

"Of course," she said, stepping aside to allow Rory to pass.

Rory weaved her way through the room, heading to one of the central tables that held her friends, before greeting them all with hugs.

"Hey guys!"

"Gilmore, it's about time you got here!" Paris exclaimed.

"We have only been waiting five minutes Paris," Doyle said, trying to pacify his wife.

"She's only annoyed they wouldn't let her order until our full party arrived," Tristan added with an eye roll in Paris' direction.

"Sorry Paris, it took longer than I thought to get a cab, I probably should have ordered a car but I wasn't sure if the board meeting would run long." Rory said as she sat down between the two men. "How is everyone's week going?"

"No, Gilmore, look at that menu and pick what you want so we can order as soon as that server gets back here." Paris stated emphatically, pushing the menu into Rory's hand.

"Okay, okay," Rory said with a laugh, opening the menu as Tristan caught the servers eye and beckoned him over.

"So, now how has everyone's week been?" Rory said, repeating her question, now that they had all ordered.

"Busy, I have the worst intern with me this week, the guy doesn't know the difference between a catheter and a cannula, almost led to a very messy painful mistake for someone," Paris said, angrily.

"I've been having a good week," Doyle said with a smile. "The Obama visit to the city at least gave us something interesting to write about for a change."

"And I have almost finished the blueprints on that build I was telling you about," Tristan said, with a bright smile. "What about you? What has you in town this week?"

"There was a meeting of the Hayden Board, Grandma was handing off some more responsibilities and they had to be signed off by the board and the family. So nothing interesting."

"Sounds like it could be interesting. Are you taking on any of the duties that she is giving up?" Paris asked, shrewdly. She always could spot the story.

"Most of them, so it means making my Hayden association more public, on the business side anyway," Rory answered, as their drinks were delivered.

"That might make things interesting for you. You're dating a lawyer aren't you?" Tristan asked.

"Ugh, don't even talk to me!" Rory said with a groan, looking like she wanted to bang her head off the table in frustration.

"What's wrong with this one?" Doyle asked, he had long gotten used to listening to Rory's relationship woes.

"I needed a date for the gala this past weekend, so I figured 'hey,it's been six weeks, he can be my date.'"

"Let me guess, it did not go well?" Tristan said sympathetically.

"Of course it didn't, we all know there should be a six month dating minimum for meeting the Gilmore's," Paris said. Rory rolled her eyes derisively at Paris.

"Not going well might be an understatement for this one. First he was a bit judgmental about Luke's and irritated him. He tried to order something with avocado, we all know how that goes with Luke. Then after we walked around Stars Hollow, while I tried to ignore his judgmental Mahantanite looks, when we were checking in to the Inn he hit on Mom, and no not the polite of you look like Rory's sister, fake flattery hit on. This was a blatant attempt at an actual pick up."

"Wait, what? In front of you?" Doyle asked. "That takes some balls."

"When we got to the Inn, no one was at the desk so I went looking for Mom and left him there while I checked the kitchen, and storeroom etcetera. I don't find her, so I head back only to find him talking to her. Mom later pulled me aside and told me that he had been full on inviting her up to his room, that he was there alone but had booked a king hoping that he would hit it off with someone in the quaint little town who could keep him warm."

"He didn't!" Paris exclaimed.

"Yip! And then -"

"Hang on, it gets worse?" Tristan asked, interrupting her.

"Uh huh. Once he got to the country club, he spotted Grandma Hayden instantly and asked if I knew her and could introduce her. I said yes, I hadn't spoken to Mom yet at this point, so I thought it was funny to see the shock on his face when I called her Grandmother. But as the night went on and we met more people, and he seemed to realize how well connected I was, he went from saying he worked at a firm in the city to oh I'm just trying to get some experience in a small firm before hopefully moving to a bigger firm, said pointedly to my Dad!"

"Oh no, so obviously you aren't seeing him again," Paris stated matter of factly, before seeing uncertainty flicker across Rory's face. "Oh come on, the sex can't be that good."

"It is good, I'll give him that," Rory answered, while Tristan and Doyle both made faces at the image that thought provoked. "I guess I'm just getting fed up of trying to work out what each date is using me for, at least Theo was blatant about his intentions. Better the devil you know, and all that," Rory said with a shrug.

"Don't tell me this is honestly the best you think you can do?" Paris asked, shocked. Watching Rory shrug as if in agreement broke Tristan, he had to comment.

"Gilmore, Mare, you are gorgeous, smart, hilarious and down to earth. Anyone who can't see all that and only wants to use you for your connections is an absolute idiot!" Tristan exclaimed angrily.

"He's right Rory. I'm an idiot according to my wife," Doyle said, as Paris scoffed. "And even I can see you are a catch."

"Ignore me guys, I've been surrounded all week by people in the office getting engaged, it seems to have had more of an effect on me than I thought," Rory said, forcing a smile while taking a drink of her wine.

"Do you actually want to get married?" Tristan asked, genuinely curious.

"No. I think it is more that I'm not even close to that point in my life right now. I don't have anyone to rely on, or to be there when I get home after a bad day, or even just someone that I want to say goodnight to every night before sleep, and good morning when I wake. I think I am just realizing how lonely I am," she finished with a shrug. While she had been talking Paris and Doyle had been smiling at each other, knowing that was what they had, while Tristan was looking thoughtful.

"You can always text me every night and every morning," he said with a smirk. "You can even throw in a picture of you in your pjs," he added with a wink, as they all laughed, thankful that he had lightened the mood at the table.