Rory was waiting at Penn Station, Tristan's train was due any minute. He was coming in for a five day weekend so that they could go apartment hunting. Now that they had been together almost eighteen months, they had decided it was time to move in together. It probably would have happened sooner if they lived in the same state already, but due to the distance they had had many discussions over which one of them would move.

Flashback

"Tris, I should be the one to move, I already have to travel to Boston a lot for Hayden stuff so it makes sense."

"No Rory, you only have to come for the firm like two days a month. Would you do the rest of the time?" Tristan asked, only to interrupt her before she could answer. "We both know all the publishing companies around Boston specialize in non-fiction, which isn't what you want to do."

"I could make it work," Rory started earnestly.

"I that you could and would, but Rory, you love your job. You love the authors you work with, reading the new manuscripts, everyone in your office even. I have hit the max level of progression that I am going to in my office, and I mainly just tolerate a lot of them. I have been offered positions previously to come back to Manhattan, I think that now is the right time."

"But Tristan, I don't want to make you uproot everything." Rory said, squeezing his hand.

"You aren't. It is my choice. Really Rory, I would probably be making the same choice even if you weren't involved," he said, leaning over and giving her a light kiss, not wanting it to distract from the conversation.

"Okay well then, I think we need to look for a bigger place, a place that is ours."

"Are you sure? You love your apartment, and it is big enough to work. No, I know you like to bring work home sometimes, and so do I, we need more than a one bed apartment. We need a den or a second bedroom, something big enough that we can both have a place for any work we bring home."

"Okay, where?" Tristan asked, agreeing with her reasoning.

They had managed to agree on trying for the Upper West side. It was an area that they knew well, and they both liked it. Rory had found four places that they both liked the look of, so they were going to try and see them all. Thankfully, they all had the same listing agent so it was easy to arrange the viewings. She hoped that one of them was the right fit for them.

"MARE!"

Rory looked up at the call, only to be engulfed in Tristan's arms.

"Tris, I missed you," she murmured into his ear, as he had her pulled tight against him.

"I missed you too," he replied before pulling her in for a passionate kiss, well as passionate as they could be for the sake of common decency considering they were surrounded by people.

"How was the trip?" Rory asked, as they moved and Tristan's hand slid into hers.

"It was okay, I brought some papers that I had to review, and it passed the time. Plus now I don't have to find time to review them over the weekend," he smiled, giving her hand a swing.

"Do we need to drop anything off at my place, or what would you like to do now?" Rory asked, so she knew which direction to start walking.

"I only have this bag," he said pointing to his leather laptop bag. "I figured I have enough stuff left at your place to tide me over for the trip. So do you want to go eat? Or is it too early?"

"Shake shack?" Rory asked. "Or do you want something fancier than that, or take out?"

"Shake shack actually sounds perfect." Tristan said with a smile, leaning down and giving her a quick kiss, before leading the way.


"Which did you like best?" Tristan asked, as he flopped down onto Rory's couch. It had been much more tiring than he expected to traipse all over the Upper West Side apartment hunting.

"I think we can both agree it is between that third floor walk up with the roof terrace, or the newer condo that looks over the riverside," Rory asked, swinging her legs up onto his lap.

"Aww you mean you didn't like the basement suite?" Tristan asked with a laugh.

"Ugh no! What was he thinking even showing us that one? It didn't meet any of our requirements and it was somehow more expensive than all the others!" Rory exclaimed with a groan.

"I have no idea. I agree with your two choices as well. I think it really comes down to; older with some character, or shiny and new. They are almost the same rental fees so that isn't really a deciding factor."

"I honestly like them both equally, so how about you choose, you are moving further than me, and you probably care more than I do anyway, Mr Architect."

"Are you sure? You have to live there too."

"I'm sure. It's not like I cook and have an opinion on the kitchen," she said with a laugh. "I honestly do like both of them."

"Okay, well then. I think I like the walk up more, the roof terrace swings it for me. Is that okay with you?" he asked, watching her face to ensure that she is telling the truth and to see if he can catch a glimpse of her real feelings on the matter.

"That's my favorite too!"

"So we are agreed?"

"Should I message the realtor?" Rory asked, just to confirm.

"That would be great, then they can get the ball running first thing Monday." Tristan said, pulling her closer by her legs, causing her to release a little shriek, making him laugh. Using his hand, he gently turned her face to him, forcing her to make eye contact. "So we are really doing this?"

"Moving in together?" Rory asked, scanning his face for clarification.

"Yeah."

"We sure are, a regular Bert and Ernie," she chirped.

"Except we will have one kingsize instead of the two twins," Tristan agreed with a smile, lowering his head to brush his lips lightly against hers.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips.

"I love you too."


"Is it still too late to get out of this?" Rory asked Tristan as she climbed out of the car at the Gilmore house.

"Yes, the maid has already seen us, your mom's car is here already, we can't leave now. At least it is only brunch, we should be able to get out of here relatively early."

"Shhh! You will jinx us saying that." As Rory finished her sentence the front door was opened.

"Rory, Tristan, come in." Emily Gilmore said loudly from the entranceway.

"Grandma!" Rory exclaimed as she walked towards her, quickly glancing at Tristan as if to say 'I told you so.'

"Mrs Gilmore," Tristan said, greeting the elder lady with a kiss on the cheek.

"Now Tristan, how many times have I told you to call me Emily."

"Sorry Emily." Tristan answered with a smile.

"Come on, everyone else is in the parlor already. Mimosa?"

"Yes please Grandma," Rory said, greeting her Mom and Luke at the loveseat.

"No thank you Emily, I have to drive back. I will just have orange justice if that's okay?" Tristan answered, shaking hands with Richard.

"So how is everything going with you youngsters?" Emily asked, once they were all seated.

Tristan looked at Rory, only for her to nod back at him, leaving it up to him to answer.

"Everything is great with us, we actually just signed a new lease this morning," Tristan answered, squeezing Rory's hand for support.

"A new lease?" Richard asked, as he looked at the others in the room, trying to gauge if anyone else knew what they were talking about.

"Yes, I am moving back to Manhattan, and well, we decided that Rory's apartment was too small for the both of us, so we are moving to somewhere bigger."

"Together?" Emily asked.

"Where? Are you staying in the same area?" Lorelai asked, quickly picking up on the undertone from her parents and wanting to avoid it.

"Yes, together. It's on the Upper West side, a third floor walk up with a gorgeous rooftop terrace." Rory said with a smile, knowing that her mom was trying to help.

"What about your firm Tristan?" Luke asked, Richard nodding along, he had been wondering the same thing.

"I actually had been approached a few times by different headhunters in New York before, so once we decided to take the next step, I contacted one of them. I managed to get a great position with a firm in Midtown, it's more money, higher up the food chain, and looks like it will be more interesting projects," Tristan answered the men with a smile.

"Oh good, I am glad to hear it," Richard said. "It sounds like it should be a good progression for you."

"Next step?" Emily asked pointedly.

"Moving in together Grandma. That is all." Rory said, firmly, trying to quash anything before Emily could start.

"That will be great for you two. No more weekend treks between cities," Lorelai said excitedly.

Tristan and Rory smiled at Lorelai, before looking at each other adoringly.

"Yes, I think I can speak for us both when I say, we are very excited to not spend every Friday or Sunday traveling anymore." Tristan said.

"We will still go to Boston probably once a month to see Paris and Doyle, and obviously I have the firm commitments as well, but it will be nice to come home to Tristan everyday," Rory said, looking over at him.

"It's been a long nineteen months," Tristan stated.

Emily opened her mouth to start talking only to be interrupted by the maid announcing that the food was ready. With a look of distaste at being interrupted, Emily stood and invited them all to go to the dining room.