Title: Don't You Forget About Me

Author: Amira

Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and its characters belong to Amy Sherman Palladino for Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Hofflund/Polone in association with the CW network.

Rating: K+

Timeline: All the way from good old Season 1 right through to post Season 7.

Summary: One-shot. A series of snapshot moments cataloguing the five men in Rory Gilmore's life. Ultimately this is a Trory. However I would like to know if any Rogan fans out there would like it if I wrote an alternative with a Rogan ending. I wouldn't scrap this, but rather post a version 2.0 I guess. Let me know, ppl ...

Author's Note: WARNING! This story contains potential spoilers for the final few upcoming Season 7 episodes so read at your own risk. For those who do continue on, I hope you enjoy.

Don't You Forget About Me

If you would be loved, love and be lovable….

¸.•¨) ¸.•¨) ¸.•¨
(¸.´ ¸.•´'

Dean

When his lips first brushed across hers, she had felt her nerves jump through her skin, her cheeks burn red, before reality dawned down on her, causing her to fly faster than her feet could carry her out of Doose's Market.

Later when she lay upon her bed, she replayed the moment over and over again in her mind, as she scrutinized each singular detail. His brown eyes locking with hers. Her palms clammy with sweat. His tall body so close to hers. His chapped lips pressing against her own berry glossed ones.

Oh God, had she really said 'Thank you?'

Did she even do it right?

Did this make him her boyfriend?

Would he kiss her again?

Her cheeks flushed as she realized would he even want too after she had scampered away like that?

She smiled burying her face into her pillow, her heart beginning to race again as she relived the moment in her mind as she finally acknowledged that it wasn't all a dream.

She had kissed a boy.

Her first kiss.

---

Jess

She remembered the exact moment she knew.

She had been sitting at the counter of Luke's, sipping on a cup of coffee reading a book he had recommended, while he had been scowling at Kirk who was undertaking another juice diet in order to cleanse his palette.

It wasn't like how it had been with Dean.

He didn't do romantic things. He didn't get along with her mother. He challenged her. He made her feel things she had never felt before. Things she didn't even know were possible.

Desire.

Lust.

Passion.

Watching him surreptitiously she allowed herself a small smile as he moved by her to attend to another customer, his hand lightly brushing against the small of her back, sending a smooth enjoyable tingling sensation throughout her body.

Even if he wasn't one for public displays of affection, he always had a way of making her know she was in his thoughts.

He hadn't told her he loved her. Not yet at least. Nor had he expected or forced her to return the sentiments.

And it was okay.

In fact it felt pretty great.

And there sitting at the counter of Luke's Diner, watching him dart around serving customers, on a morning just like any other before heading into Chilton, she was struck by a sudden realization.

She struggled not to let the shock shine through her delicate features as a large uncontrollable smile graced her face. She quickly resolved to herself that she wouldn't screw it up this time. She would wait for the perfect moment before letting him know, not knowing that it would never come. She had grabbed her back-pack ready to catch her bus smiling happily as he nodded back tentatively at her, confused at her sudden newfound source of happiness.

She was in love.

Her first real love.

---

Marty

They were sitting upon the couch, feet propped upon the coffee table in front of them as they watched episode after episode of their insane 'I Love Lucy' marathon.

He suddenly reached forward, his arm brushing against her own as he leaned down to grab a handful of popcorn and she felt … nothing.

It was only then she became acutely aware that what they we're doing may be construed as a 'date' to the casual observer. She and Dean had many similar nights. She had even managed to swindle Jess to try out a few. In fact she realized she had never actually just hung out with a guy by herself that hadn't been her boyfriend.

She chanced a glance at him as he shovelled a large portion of the popcorn into his mouth intently watching the scenes playing across the screen before him.

Janet was always being crazy with the whole exercise deal. Tana was a little too weird most of the time. And Paris … well she was Paris.

So when she wanted to do one of her and her mother's famous marathon viewings, in light of missing spending time with Lorelai, no one had really come to mind as a potential companion. But when she had been standing at the coffee kiosk later on and had mentioned the notion in passing to him, he had jumped at the idea of a 'Three Stooges' viewing.

She had been taken aback slightly before conceding on the idea, cementing their friendship as they began the first of many marathon nights.

She smiled softly.

Her first 'Yale' friend.

She chanced a glance at him, noticing his eyes were glued to the screen, obviously not in the slightest bit concerned at her nearness or trying to drudge up some way to make it into something more.

It felt nice that she could just sit here ... just sit here and hang out with a guy on her own and have it not mean anything.

Shaking her head slightly, she rid herself of her inane ramblings, letting her mind re-focus back on the television in front of them.

She let out a delightful laugh as he mimicked the voice of Desi Arnaz causing popcorn to fall out of his mouth, repeating Ricky's most famous line, "Lucy, you've got some 'splainin' to do!"

Her first guy friend.

---

Logan

She was sitting on their bed in his New York apartment, furiously typing away on her laptop editing her latest article for Hugo's online magazine. She had opted to stay the night at his place, given the ruckus Paris and Doyle had been up to lately with their latest venture into 'tantra'. She didn't even want to know how that had come about.

He was busy arguing with Phillip on his blackberry as he paced the living room attempting to gather all his items into his briefcase, all the while gulping down his morning coffee.

She glanced furtively from her laptop as he quickly hoisted up his briefcase, slipping on his coat as he prepared to head down to the office for another day. Before leaving he made sure to ask if she needed anything from the store when he headed back in later that night.

She just shook her head, her mind too focused on the article in front of her. He was out the door before she even realized, and back even quicker as he quickly rushed forward, planting a soft kiss upon her mouth, whispering his love against her lips before he was gone again.

Her plush lips vibrated with electricity as she allowed herself a small moment of reprieve basking in the simplicity of it all, how much had changed since they had first begun this dance they were now in. Not without their down moments, she had shown him there was more to relationships while he in return had opened her eyes, showing her there was so much more to life.

Not planning every single moment.

Taking risks.

Living life.

Carpe diem.

She closed her eyes briefly, smiling softly before placing herself back in the zone as she resumed typing up the article before her.

Her first adult relationship.

---

Tristan

She had tiredly hopped onto the subway as people bustled by her off the train. After a long exhausting day at work she had been looking forward to a warm relaxing night in her bathtub with nothing but a good book and a glass of wine.

Her eyes flitted, silently resenting the people who had a seat as her feet throbbed, aching in her high heels. She paused as she took in the newspaper a young woman was reading, a large picture of Logan and his fiancé decorating the society pages. Her mind instantly flashed back to her final year at Yale.

¸.•¨) ¸.•¨) ¸.•¨
(¸.´ ¸.•´'

She had been happily basking in the joy of completing her college degree. She had just fulfilled one of her life long goals. And the feeling was exhilarating. She had been offered so many exciting opportunites. The most completely and utterly amazing being the The Reston Fellowship at the New York Times. She couldn't believe her luck when she had gotten the phone call. Lorelai had been been thrilled for her. Even Hugo wanted to speak to her later after her graduation about working at the online magazine possibly as a campaign journalist. All in all, the options were endless. And here she was now dressed in her graduation garb about to graduate from one of the country's most prestigious Ivy League schools, Yale University.

Life was pretty darn good if she could say so.

And then while she had stopped to adjust the cap on her hair assessing her reflection in a window nearby, he had pulled her aside suddenly into an empty courtyard, causing her to let out a surprised laugh as she was swamped with the many memories of their little rendezvous'.

But then she noted his anxious demeanour as he fidgeted before her. He was always confident, self-assured. He never fidgeted. The smile had frozen across her face as she noted his hand playing with a square object indenting his jacket pocket. Heart pounding, her eyes never leaving his hand she managed to squeak out hesitantly, "Logan?"

Smiling nervously, he moved standing close to her before bending down on one knee, removing a small black box from his pocket. Her heart literally stopped. He clasped her left hand in one of his own. "Rory … there's so much I could say, but I don't think any words could convey the depth of love that I feel for you. These past 2 and a half years have been incredible, something I never could've even imagined the day we started this thing. And now things are going so perfectly, you've got the job here in New York and I'm starting new with my work ... I just ... I would be honored if you'd let me continue this crazy fun journey with you." His fingers trembled as he opened the box before her, revealing a beautiful sparkling 3 carat diamond. "Rory Leigh Gilmore … Ace … will you marry me?"

Her face was frozen in a mask of shock.

Her mind was a flurry with activity, memories of their times together flashing quicky, causing her eyes to shut tightly at the onslaught. This wasn't happening. Everything had been going so good. She had just finished college. She wasn't even sure she was taking the internship. Regardless, she wanted to focus on her work, her new job. She wanted to live in her own apartment. She wanted to travel.

She … she wasn't ready for this.

A tear slipped down her cool cheek as she prepared to break the heart of the boy she loved. She opened her eyes taking in Logan's smiling face as he mistook her tear as a tear of joy. Her voice shook, thick with emotion as she whispered softly. "I'm so sorry Logan."

¸.•¨) ¸.•¨) ¸.•¨
(¸.´ ¸.•´'

They had parted amicably but drifted further apart as the years passed, managing to salvage a sweet sort of semi-friendship that was now nothing more than the occasional e-mail now and then. When he had proposed, she had a million reasons why she said no, but deep down when she really thought it about she came down to only one reason why. She knew it was being naïve, terribly romantic and down-right girly, but he simply wasn't it.

He wasn't the one.

Not the one like her mom had found with Luke.

She smiled sadly at the picture of the happy couple, as it reminded her of the extreme lack of love life she was currently swimming in. Holding back a sigh she allowed her body to be pushed and pulled as people tried to squeeze onto the peak hour home until she was slammed gracelessly into a fellow passenger's chest.

Two strong arms had encircled her frame, steadying her from falling any further, sending unexplainable tingling pleasurable shocks throughout her body. Her eyes fluttered closed briefly as she breathed in this man's musty addictive scent. She didn't know what she was doing but she couldn't rationalize it. Her heart was racing, but she was sure it wasn't because of the almost fall but of this passenger's presence. She slowly raised her eyes upwards to find a pair of shocked brilliant blue ones gazing back into her own.

She righted herself so that she was standing straight, his arms still surrounding her, their eyes never leaving the others' as they basked in each others' presence.

She didn't think she'd ever see him again.

"Mary," he voiced stunned.

She let out a loose giggle at this. She hadn't been a Mary in a very long time but spared him the embarrassment of informing him. Instead opting for allowing herself the luxury of checking him out, which she performed quite unsuccessfully as he held back a laugh at her actions before allowing himself the same pleasure.

He looked good.

Damn good.

The years had obviously treated him well. His former constantly tussled blonde hair was now neatly trimmed. His azure eyes sparkled with maturity. He was dressed smartly in a navy blue business suit that he filled out incredibly well, judging from what she could feel of his well-defined chest.

Really damn good.

Her eyes lifted back to capture his but instead caught his eyes travelling up and down her form, before re-locking on hers.

They had both been caught.

She couldn't control the smile decorating her face as they both laughed loudly at the others actions. She shook her head amused. "Tristan DuGray. I see that you never did learn my name."

He grinned back at her, before realizing he still had her locked in a tight hug, slowly pulling his arms back to his sides. She couldn't explain it but she felt an instant loss deep within her.

"So what brings Rory Gilmore to New York City? You live here now?"

She nodded her head, smiling. "Most of the time. My work forces me to travel a lot but I guess you could call New York home base." He looked at her questioningly causing her to explain. "Proud foreign correspondent for CNN. Yourself? Still an army man?"

His eyebrows raised dutifully impressed at her words before shaking his head at her. "What, is it the Armani business suit that gives it away?" Her cheeks tinged pink and he let out small chuckle. "I'm sort of the same. Travelling that is but home is here. I'm actually a lawyer. Didn't really enjoy the whole army experience and thought I'd put those good ol' high school bantering skills to good use."

He winked at her, causing her cheeks to tinge pink, as he leaned back amused and pleased that there was still some remnants of the girl he once knew. After their final parting before he was shipped to military school he didn't think he would ever lay his eyes on Rory Gilmore again. Naturally he had heard tidbits here and there through the Hartford grapevine, but he had eventually lost track of her. But now all of sudden she was standing before him evoking feelings that he thought were long forgotten back in Chilton with his former 16 year old self.

Rory smiled pleasantly back at him, still unable to believe this was actually happening, her eyes glancing down at his hand, noting the absence of the wedding band. She chewed her bottom lip anxiously as she realized her stop was soon approaching but he spoke first interrupting her from voicing her thoughts. "My stop is coming up. Do you want to go grab a bite to eat? Maybe some coffee? You know catch up and everything?"

She bit back the large uncontrollable smile threatening to streak across her face, "Why Mr. DuGray, are you asking me out on a date?"

He grinned down at her, causing her heart to thud painfully against her ribcage in anticipation of his answer. She let out a little gasp of surprise as he snaked an arm around her waist bringing their bodies closer together causing her to shiver in delight. "So what if I am?"

Rory flushed slightly before her clammy palms clasped the lapels of his business suit jacket. She thought briefly of her previous relationships and how they had turned out.

But if she really considered all the events that had led to this moment, this man now standing before her, had been the first to pull at her heart strings. She just hadn't realized it. He had confused her, challenged her, even attempted to befriend her and maybe could've shown her more if she had allowed him the chance.

But back then she hadn't been ready for it.

It was too much and she was too young to truly understand.

But she was ready now.

She didn't know where this would lead, what was even happening now, the sudden feelings he was inducing in her ... she couldn't explain it.

All she knew it was something she couldn't let slip away.

She tilted her head upwards before pressing a soft gentle kiss against the corner of his lips, enjoying the tendrils of electricty it sent through her veins, as she whispered softly. "I'd love to."

He struggled not to let the shock paint over his face as she returned to her own limited space on the train, her blue eyes twinkling in laughter and delight as her hand slipped into his, entwining their fingers together.

She had certainly changed since he had last seen her.

Tristan DuGray.

Her one that almost got away.