Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still don't own Gilmore Girls. tears This chapter's title is from Goo Goo Dolls' "I'll Be". So, that's not mine either.

Author's Beginning Note: Sorry for the wait! I ran into a few problems before I could write this chapter:

1. The main one was that I did not go to my dad's house for a while. That was a problem because I had left my Season two set there and it's also the only place I can upload to fanfiction.

2. I couldn't decide which direction to go for this chapter (I had a few different ideas).

3. I've been incredibly stressed out and semi-depressed.

4. I write best in the middle of the night (since I have to get up for school at 6 o' clock in the morning, it is a problem.) Which brings me to my next point…

5. School.

I know that excuses don't make up for the wait at all, but I hope this chapter was worth waiting for. Anyways- I would like to thank everyone who read and especially those who reviewed the last chapter. I was incredibly surprised (and happy!) with the response- over 50 reviews for a single chapter from a new author… That's incredible! Special thanks go out to the reviewers who gave me tips on what to work on. I do have to say this before I go on with the chapter: I was not satisfied with how I ended the last chapter. I think it was too fluffy and too cliché. And since I can't stand extreme fluffiness or clichés (as it is one of the reasons I decided to write my own story) I'm hoping that this chapter will justify last chapter's ending enough to forgive myself… Okay, I just read that last sentence and it was incredibly hard to follow… Anyways, on with the story! Once again, italicswords from Run Away Little Boy; not mine.

I noticed some mistakes from last chapter, and being the OCD person I am, I had to point them out: Rory already had her jacket on; she didn't need to grab it before going after Tristan (after Rory yells at him) AND I spelt Louise as Louis.

Chapter Two: I'll Be Your Crying Shoulder

Rory let it all out. She cried and cried and cried. She didn't care that her mom or Lane might be looking for her, that she was probably going to be the talk of school tomorrow after her very public breakup at school, or that Tristan was seeing her so weak. Okay, so maybe she did care a little about the last part, but frankly, she couldn't stop herself from crying.

She couldn't recall the last time she had cried- at all. Actually, she could. It was the last time she broke up with Dean.

But so much had happened since then and she had put on a brave face and completely ignored her emotions. She had "lost" a wonderful and caring stepfather. Her grandfather had become absolutely miserable and his mood was affecting everyone around him. Her father had replaced her and her mother with Sherry.

Losing Dean had just been the last straw. Even though he had been a huge jerk in the end, he had still been her first kiss, her first boyfriend, and her first love- not to mention a huge part of her life. And that was the reason her built-up emotions were let loose. She knew she would miss just having him around.

It was at this point that Rory became conscious of the fact that Tristan had his arms around her tight, doing his best to comfort her. He was mumbling things that she assumed were to try to console her, but she could not grasp what he was actually saying.

As her tears started to subside, she could finally hear what Tristan was saying.

"You're going to be all right. Don't let what he said get to you. You're not stupid. God, you're as far from it as can be!" Tristan let out a short laugh. "I should have kicked that moron's ass when I had the chance." He swallowed some other choice words about Dean that he knew Rory wouldn't appreciate, especially at this point in time. "Anyway, you're going to be fine. You're strong; you prove that every time you stand up to Paris. And if you can get past Paris being Paris, then you can definitely get past this. Just…don't let it bother you."

Rory caught the worried tone in his voice so she guessed this would probably be a good time to say something to assure Tristan she was not having a mental breakdown.

She pulled her head away from his shoulder and did as best as she could to wipe her tears away. Tristan stopped talking the moment she lifted her head. He gazed at her solemnly, his eyes darting over her face for signs that she was okay.

"Hey," Rory said croakily. She cleared her throat.

"Hey," Tristan replied quietly. He was still staring at her searchingly. "You okay?"

Rory swallowed and looked to the ground. She nodded slightly. "Sorry I got all girly and teary."

"You don't have to apologize for that." Tristan gave her a small smile.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but…" Rory trailed off for a moment in thought. She decided to just get to the point. "What are you doing here?"

Tristan's heart sunk and his smile fell.

"Not that I mind. In fact, I'm pretty glad you're here. It's just… Yeah, we have been getting along better, but I just didn't expect you to be the one to come and rush to find me," Rory explained.

Tristan was left speechless. Just when he thought she didn't want to even look at him, she said something to make him just about trip over himself in realization of how utterly amazing this girl was- and she didn't even know it. He cleared his throat and managed to put together a sentence.

"You know how yesterday we had that whole heart to heart, and you told me you were worried about me hanging out with Duncan and Bowman?" When Rory nodded, he continued. "And how you said that you cared about me?"

"Care," Rory automatically corrected, without blinking.

Tristan gave her a half-smile. "Right. Care."

He paused for another moment before going on. "Well, take this situation as a sign of me saying the feeling's mutual."

A slow smile appeared on Rory's face as they sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

During this time, Rory thoughts turned to one subject, or rather, one person: Tristan. Just the previous day, they had been yelling and saying hurtful things to one another. Today, she had practically jumped into his arms and cried her eyes out. It seemed like this…friendship? Well, whatever this was…was happening so fast when she thought of everything that had happened in terms of how long it had transpired.

But in her mind, she felt like it was completely natural. Yesterday, she had seen the good side of Tristan. The compassionate side he had briefly shown her that one night a year ago after their respective breakups. She realized that this boy just wanted someone to talk to, to listen, and to be there for him. He was the clichéd poor rich boy that she had suspected he was this entire time. Her talk with him last night hinted at this fact numerous times. Why else would he go around doing reckless and stupid things with Duncan and Bowman? Certainly the reason was that he just wanted someone to give him some attention.

She knew next to nothing about him, his family, his beliefs, or his life. She did not know his favorite color, movie, band, or book. Hell, she didn't know if he liked to read. But at the same time, she felt she knew enough about him to know that he was a decent person and a loyal friend. His actions from the past hour alone proved that.

Rory felt that no matter how much she learned about him, knowing those two facts were really all that mattered. It did not matter that he could be a jerk, a pain in the ass, or incredibly cruel when provoked.

She also got the feeling that now that they were being civil to each other, he would do anything he could to try (and she would too) to keep them from going back to how they used to be with all the screaming and arguing. Especially since it seemed he did not have any real, true friends.

The sensation of Tristan's hand on her cheek brought her out of her thoughts and back to reality.

She met his eyes and gave him a small smile as she placed her hand on top of his.

"Thanks for being here for me," she whispered, gazing into his eyes intently.

"Anytime," he declared.

Rory's smile widened.

"Do you…want to talk about it?" Tristan asked hesitantly.

"No, not really." Rory knew he really didn't want to be the one for her to talk to about this, but she was touched he had offered. Besides, she had her mother to help her through the crappy part of the break-up.

"Are you sure? You seemed pretty upset," His brow was scrunched together in concern and Rory could not help but notice how attractive it made him look.

"Yeah. It wasn't so much of the break up really, since I knew it's been coming for a while, but a combination of things. I bottle up my emotions and it ends up like this."

"Well, that's not good. You should try to work on that," Tristan told her. Then something else Rory had said registered in his mind. "Wait, so you didn't break up with him just because of tonight?" he asked, surprise seeping in his voice.

"No, actually," she sighed. "Things haven't been so good between us. Dean has been pretty clingy lately, especially since Luke's nephew, Jess, showed up. And as I said, the caveman act was getting tiring. I couldn't even look at another guy without Dean feeling threatened."

"But you told me things were going really well for you two," he accused lightheartedly.

"I know I did. I didn't really want to admit to myself that things weren't good. I didn't want to risk getting into a fight with Dean since I hate fighting with anyone. But, during the past few weeks, we had been fighting a lot, and over stupid things."

"I see," Tristan said shortly. Another silence ensued.

"Hey, what are you doing now?" Rory asked Tristan, her eyes lighting up.

Tristan's concerned look turned into one of inquiry. "Nothing, why?"

"You're not going anywhere?"

"Nope; I was just planning on going home."

"You should come to Luke's with us to celebrate the end of Paris's rule over our lives!"

"Luke's?" Tristan questioned.

"It's this diner in Stars Hollow. Luke makes the best coffee and burgers." Rory's eyes practically glazed over.

Tristan chuckled. "Sounds like fun."

"So this is the infamous Luke's?" Tristan asked, looking around the diner as he, Sookie, Lorelai, and Rory walked through the door together, a bell chiming over their heads. He took in the minimal decorations, occasional customer, and the man in the flannel shirt and backwards baseball cap behind the counter who was fixing a watch. "It feels so…laidback." When the others gave him a questioning glance, he added, "In a good way." His voice took a softer tone. "A very good way."

"Damn straight, mister," Rory quipped, casually throwing her jacket on the back of the chair closest to the door.

"Hey, you guys get a table. I'll be right there," Lorelai said, her eyes fixed on Luke. She didn't wait for a reply before walking over to the counter.

"O-kay…" Rory said, confused. "What was that about?" she asked as everyone took a seat at a table.

"Well, I told your oblivious mother about how Luke feels about her dating that one guy," Sookie supplied.

"Guy? What guy?" Tristan asked, confused.

"She went out with this guy from her business class earlier this week. And yesterday, he came into the diner with his mom and dad. Let's just say that he had a South Park shirt on and looked around our age." (A/N: Okay, I hate to disrupt the story, but was it just me, or did that guy not look that young?)

Tristan stifled a laugh. "Oh, really?"

"Yep. But mom swears he normally looks older," Rory said disbelievingly.

"And Luke over there," Sookie pointed to the beloved diner owner. "Wasn't too thrilled that Lorelai, as I told her before we left Chilton, would date everyone in the world before him."

"Huh," Rory stated. "Didn't actually think about it that far. I just thought that he was really, really, really, really jealous." She bobbed her head with each "really" to stress her point.

"Luke has a crush on your mom?"

"Yup. That man right there, my newly found friend, has been pining for Lorelai for years, through all her problems, relationships, relationship problems…" Sookie trailed off as Tristan's cell phone rang.

"Hey, Richie Rich," Luke called out. When Tristan looked to Luke, the diner owner pointed to a no cell phones sign. "If you take that call, it's gonna be outside."

Tristan glanced to Rory and Sookie. "I'll be back in a minute." He smiled and picked up his jacket before going outside.

"Finally!" Sookie exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "So that was Tristan? Bible Boy? Spawn of Satan?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Yes Sookie, that's him."

"Well, he's not as mean as you described," Sookie said.

"No, it seems he's capable of being nice, too. But this is a completely new discovery, so I don't know the extent of his niceness capabilities," Rory joked.

"It just goes to show, first impressions are not always right," Sookie said mock sagely. "However, you never mentioned how…not ugly he is," Sookie added suggestively as she nudged Rory's arm.

"Oh, stop it Sookie," Rory said playfully as she rolled her eyes. "I expected this from Miss Patty, not you."

"Oh, come on, Rory! Sure, you said he's all Hugh Hefner with the girls of Chilton, which implied that he was good looking, but you never mentioned he's movie-star gorgeous." Sookie rambled, looking over Rory's shoulder as the blue-eyed girl rolled her eyes. "And speaking of Miss Patty…"

Rory turned in her seat to see Tristan talking to Miss Patty. "Oh, dear," Rory muttered before she dashed outside. Tristan turned at the sound of the bell. He was completely serene, the total opposite of the terrified expression that she expected to be greeted with.

"Hi, Miss Patty," Rory greeted politely. "Tristan." She said his name as more of a question, as she was not sure why he wasn't running for the hills.

"Oh, hello dear," Miss Patty replied, not taking her eyes off Tristan. "I was just getting to know your fine, fine friend here." Miss Patty let her eyes wander over Tristan's body at an excruciatingly slow rate as she took a drag from her always-present cigarette. Rory shuddered, but Tristan didn't so much as blink.

"Well then," Rory said uncomfortably. "I'm gonna steal Tristan here from you, if you don't mind."

Miss Patty looked crestfallen. "Oh, do you have to?" she protested.

Tristan chuckled. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Patricia," he told her, grinning. He turned to enter the diner.

"Oh, the pleasure was all mine," Miss Patty said as she gazed at Tristan's…assets.

Rory controlled her urge to throw up. "Bye Miss Patty," she told the woman.

"Bye Rory, tell your friend to come by again." Miss Patty called over her shoulder as she walked away.

Rory went into the diner once again, shutting the door behind her. "Coffee!" she whined, plopping back down in her seat with a slight pout. Tristan smirked at her.

"Jess, get down here!" Luke yelled up the stairs.

A few moments later, Jess came down the stairs, running his hands through his hair. "Yes, Uncle Luke?" Jess asked in mock respect.

"Get Rory some coffee," Luke told him, pointing over to Rory's table. Jess looked to where Luke pointed.

"Who's the guy?" Jess asked.

"Some kid from Rory's school."

"Now what would our dear, local stock boy have to say about that?"

"Nothing," Lorelai said shortly. "He and Rory broke up tonight. So, if you don't want your eyes gauged out, don't mention it." Lorelai flashed Jess a sarcastic smile.

"Huh," Jess replied before Luke started asking details about the breakup, demanding to know if he had to strangle Dean once again. He moved to get the coffee pot. As he approached Rory's table, he caught the end of the conversation.

"Ugh, please, just kill me now," Rory said, obviously disgusted by something. Sookie simply laughed.

"Now, Mary. You say this as though you don't think I'm worthy of being checked out by an older woman," the unfamiliar guy joked.

"Tristan. I don't think you're worthy of being checked out by an older woman," Rory stated bluntly. She looked up at Jess when she smelled coffee nearby.

"Jess-I-don't-know-your-middle-name-Mariano! I love you!" Rory exclaimed, practically drooling at the site of the full coffee pot.

"Huh," Jess repeated for the second time in the past minute. "Why, I love you too, Rory."

Rory sat staring at the empty mug on the tabletop as she waited for Jess to fill it up. The other two occupants of the table sat in silence, entertained by the site in front of them. When Jess did not fill up her mug, Rory looked up at him. "It's still empty." She pouted. "I don't get it," she said as she turned to Tristan. "He has the coffee but he won't give it to me." When Jess continued to stand there, Rory snapped. "Okay, I'm done with the cutesy stuff, either fill er up, or I'm stealing all your Clash CD's. And your Metallica shirt," she said menacingly through narrowed eyes.

Jess's eyes widened slightly and he swiftly filled her mug to the brim. "Sookie?" Sookie shook her head.

"I'm gonna so see Jackson. No doubt he feels neglected," Sookie said and gathered her things. Sookie waved goodbye to Lorelai before she left.

"What about you, Richie Rich? Coffee?"

Rory giggled.

"What?" Jess asked in confusion.

"Aw, that's so cute, Luke's rubbing off on you!" Rory said as she moved to pinch his cheek. When Jess dodged her hand and continued to look confused, she supplied an explanation. "Luke called him that about five minutes ago. By the way, Jess this is Tristan. Tristan, this is Jess, Luke's nephew."

Before the two males could exchange greetings, Luke stomped over to the table, fuming. "He called you stupid!?" Luke demanded.

"Luke…" Rory said weakly, not wanting to relive the fight.

"Just answer the question, Rory. Did he call you stupid?"

"Luke, come on…" Lorelai urged, tugging at the man's arm. "Now's not the time," she said gently.

"I'm guessing that's a yes. Damn it, I'll kick his ass, I swear. Not just a lousy headlock…" Luke muttered, walking back to the counter with Lorelai to get the rest of the details.

"So…" Tristan said to break the tense silence. "I'm assuming Luke would join my Let's Throw Rocks at Bag Boy Club?"

"Bag boy? I like that," Jess said thoughtfully.

"Three members!" Tristan said, pumping his fist through the air in mock victory as the diner door opened with a chime.

Rory cracked a weak smile.

"Jess! Customers!" Luke shouted. Jess rolled his eyes, and turned his head to glare at Luke properly.

"What am I, your sla-" Jess abruptly shut up as Luke pointed to a table with two pretty girls. One was a bleach-blonde wearing a pink shirt while the other, in sharp contrast, a brunette in a Ramones shirt. The brunette examined her dark colored nails, obviously bored, as the blonde spoke rapidly, casting lustful glances at Tristan.

"My pleasure," Jess muttered under his breath, eyeing the brunette.

A thought struck Rory and she eagerly brought up the subject, hoping to move the subject from anything Dean-related. "Who was that on the phone, Tristan?"

"It seems my former sidekicks have had their cars, credit cards, and other rich boy toys taken away," Tristan said nonchalantly. "Oh, and they've been sent to prep school in Switzerland with explicit instructions that should they get into an iota of trouble, they will be disinherited and disowned," he added with a smirk.

"What?!" Rory exclaimed with widened bright blue eyes. "What did they do?"

"They broke into Bowman's dad's safe. Actually, I should thank you. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be on my way to military school in North Carolina on daddy's wishes. But I doubt the girls would mind when I came back," he stated smugly as he pretended to flex his arms.

Suddenly, there was a loud, obnoxious giggle from the other side of the diner. Both Tristan and Rory turned to see the source of the laugh: the blonde sitting with the brunette that had grabbed Jess's attention. Jess himself was sitting backwards on a chair next to the brunette. He looked over to Tristan and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, Hayley, he is so funny!" the blonde exclaimed overenthusiastically, touching Jess on the shoulder.

Jess shrugged away from her touch and moved his chair even closer to the girl supposedly named Hayley.

"Jess! Stop flirting with the customers and get back to work!" Luke scolded. Jess got up from his chair, twirled it the right way and stuck it under the adjacent table. Meanwhile, the blonde had continued her cackling.

Rory tried to stifle her laughter, but failed, and in doing so, brought the blonde's attention to her and Tristan's table. The blonde gave her a malicious glare that immediately shut Rory up. Tristan was now the one trying to control his chuckles.

"More coffee, Rory?" Jess asked in an attempt to save her from behind the counter. His smirk, however, showed that he was actually enjoying seeing Rory flustered.

"Uh, no thanks," she replied meekly as she fiddled with the handle of the mug.

When she looked up, she saw the fake blonde standing next to the table, staring down at Tristan.

"Hi, my name's Britney," she said in what she must have thought was a seductive voice.

"How fitting," Rory muttered under her breath. "Spear Britney, spear Britney…" she chanted in just above a whisper. Tristan smiled, having heard Rory.

The blonde, however, took his smile as a sign of encouragement. "What's yours?" she asked, leaning over so Tristan could get a good view of her breasts from the extremely low cut of her pink shirt.

He looked her in the eye. "The name's Tristan," he said with a smile sure to make any girl-except for Rory, of course- swoon. He did not move his eyes downward a millimeter.

"That's a nice name," she purred, practically crawling onto Tristan's lap as she trailed her pointer finger down his firm chest. Over Britney's shoulder, Tristan could see Rory making gagging motions. "You got a last name?"

"Dugrey," he told her while struggling not to laugh at Rory's antics.

Britney's eyes widened and she quickly attempted to straddle him. "Oh, really?" she breathed. There was no doubt she knew just how powerful that name was. Tristan suddenly looked glum.

"Britney, we're leaving," Hayley called, standing up from the table she had been sitting at by herself.

Rory looked to the ceiling dramatically. "Thank you!" she mouthed with her arms outstretched upward.

"Oh, come on, little sister, lighten up!" she whined. "I just made a new friend. His name's Tristan, Tristan Dugrey." Britney made sure to stress his last name.

Alex stared back at Britney, obviously not caring who he was. "I'm leaving. If you want to explain to mom and dad why you're breaking school-night curfew, go ahead. But I'm going home. Jess here thinks that Old Man and the Sea is better than A Farewell to Arms, so I want to do some reading." She walked over to Jess who was standing behind the counter. "Bye, Jess. I'll come by here tomorrow to continue our little Hemingway debate." She smiled somewhat shyly (which was completely unlike the confident persona she projected), leaned over the counter and pecked him on the lips before swiftly walking out the door. Britney soon followed, albeit reluctantly.

Silence ensued. Jess turned to Luke and Lorelai, who gazed at him in question. "Huh," he stated in explanation and then went upstairs.

"So…That Britney was just one hell of a girl, wasn't she?" Rory said sarcastically with a hint of jealousy.

"Yep, she reminds me of Angela at school. You know that girl I dated last month? Fake blonde hair, always sticking her chest out and throwing herself at anything male…"

"Yeah, but does Angela straddle someone's lap after being introduced for less than five seconds?"

Tristan thought for a moment. "No, it's more like fifteen seconds."

"Ah, then Britney is the girl for you. You don't have to wait the extra ten seconds," Rory said bitterly.

Tristan was taken aback- and hurt- by Rory's statement. He heard her sigh in regret.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Oh, really? Than what did you mean? Because please- don't hold back on my account." He met Rory's eyes with his now stormy blue-gray ones.

"It just reminds me of all the times I go to my locker and see you pushing some girl against it. And since we're out of school, I forgot about that. Our precious friend Britney had to remind me."

Tristan calmed down a bit, realizing where she was coming from. "I understand," he said quietly.

"Do you forgive me?" Rory asked timidly.

Tristan stared at her and then sighed. "Of course I do. But just to let you know, I'm going to try to take your advice and look for a girl with substance."

"Oh really?" Rory asked in interest. "Does that mean…?"

"NO! Not Paris!" Tristan cried, his eyes widening. He took a deep breath. "Someone who's smart," he said, gazing at Rory intensely. She looked down at her lap, blushing slightly, before returning her eyes to his. "Funny. Caring. Beautiful- I don't mean on the outside. On the inside." He paused, staring deeply into her eyes. "Someone who doesn't care about money." His peaceful expression turned tense. "Someone who doesn't care about my name."

"Hey…" Rory said, noticing Tristan's irritated mood. "What's wrong?"

Tristan was quiet for about ten seconds. "It really sucks," he declared finally. "That no matter where I go, whether it's Hartford or little ol' Stars Hollow, my last name follows me."

"I…had no idea you felt that way," Rory said slowly.

"Yeah, well, I do," he said, still fuming.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, my mother and I think of you as Bible Boy," Rory offered in an attempt to calm him.

He smiled a wry smile. "A little. I just hate that my father's reputation defines me as well."

"Don't allow it to. What's your dad like, anyway? I've never heard anything about him."

Tristan smiled, his anger dissipating. "You really are a small town girl, you know that?" Rory raised an eyebrow. "He's a hotshot surgeon in Hartford."

"That wasn't my question. I asked what he's like, not what his job is."

"I'll let you know when I find out myself," Tristan said, his eyes on his coffee mug. He looked back up at Rory after a moment to see a sympathizing expression on her face. "It's not that he's a bad person or anything. It's just…he's all work, work, society parties, work, and society parties. I don't spend much time with him," he clarified. "What about yours? I assume you don't live with your dad since I doubt he would like Lorelai dating other guys, especially ones so young."

"It's a pretty long story," she said.

"I don't mind."

Rory looked at him in slight distrust.

Tristan realized the reason for her scrutiny. "I'm not going to tell anyone, just like how I trust you're not going to tell anyone my personal stuff." He stuck his pinky finger out with a small smile. He knew he didn't have to worry about Rory making fun of the childish gesture. "Do we have a deal?"

She returned the smile and hooked her pinky with his after thinking for a second. "Deal." She paused for a few moments to gather her thoughts.

"My mom and dad knew each other practically their whole lives. But for the purpose of your sanity, I'll fast forward the story to when they were sixteen…"

And they sat there, in Luke's diner, exchanging life stories, opinions, random subjects and laughs until closing time, not noticing that Lorelai had left with a smile in their direction an hour beforehand.

Author's End Note: So this chapter was kind of a filler chapter, although some details are important. I don't think this chapter was as good as last's as a whole, but I did like some things I did cover in this one such as Rory and Tristan getting to know each other better. Let me know what you think! You know, by reviewing? Pwease? With ice cream and cherries and Tristan on top?