Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: When I saw the previews for the road trip to North Carolina (7x17), I knew I had some serious writing to do. It's almost too perfect. Everything that happened on the show happened here, except Logan never came after Rory. Enjoy!

Rory, Lorelei and Emily sat down in the restaurant. Emily took a look around her and cringed.

"I can't believe we are sitting here. Who knows what kinds of diseases this place is carrying."

"Grandma, I'm sure this place is fine." Rory said, trying not to laugh.

"Well, I'm going to wash my hands." She said as she got up. Lorelei grinned maniacally.

"You are horrible!" Rory said with a laugh. "You know Grandma would hate this place, she can barely stand Luke's!"

"I know, but you have to admit that the meanness is totally covered up by the fact that you get to witness it. We're going to have to add this to the list of awesome road trip memories!" Rory just laughed and rolled her eyes. "So, tell me about this whole Logan thing."

"What's there to say? He refused to listen, even though I had a valid point about his father being right and so I left him. I'm really just tired of dealing with it, you know? No more Logan Huntzberger for me." She proclaimed loudly. The man behind Rory suddenly took notice. He hadn't heard that name in years. He turned around in his chair and saw a girl his age, long light brown curly hair. He couldn't resist the temptation to ask.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overhear, but did you say Logan Huntzberger?" Rory turned around to face the man behind her.

"Yes I…" She stopped mid-sentence. She couldn't believe her eyes. In front of her sat Tristan DuGray, a much older, much hotter, manlier version of Tristan DuGray. She noticed his classic hair was cut much shorter now. She had forgotten that he went to North Carolina for military school. That must explain the hair, she thought. Tristan recognized her.

"Mary?" He said, unable to control his tongue or believe his eyes. He was in a state of shock. She had grown up, it seemed. She was still as strikingly beautiful as when he left her, but she looked like a woman instead of a girl.

"It's Rory. Although I'll give you that one, it's been awhile." She said with a smile on her lips. "Oh my God. I can't believe it. How are you?" She seemed interested in hearing his story. He forgot how genuinely kind she was.

"I'm good. And what about you? What are you doing down here?"

"I'm fine, I'm down here for my surrogate grandmother's wedding. Are you still living down here?" She remembered that? He was impressed.

"Yeah, for now. I just got back from Iraq so I'm afraid I'm kind of in limbo." He noticed the shock on her face, and he couldn't say he blamed her.

"Really?" She said, completely dumbfounded. She found her composure quickly again. "Well, that explains the loss of hair." She heard her mother cough behind her. She was choking back a laugh. Tristan noticed and smiled.

"Hi," he stood up. "Tristan DuGray." He extended his hand. She shook it.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't introduce you."

"Lorelei Gilmore. I remember him." She said to Rory. Just then Emily came back from the bathroom. She noticed the tall man who was now standing at their table.

"Oh, Grandma, this is Tristan DuGray. We went to Chilton together." Emily remembered how much trouble he had caused as a boy. "He was sitting at the table behind us. Isn't that ironic?"

"Nice to see you again." He extended his hand. She took it and put on her society face.

"Yes, what a small world."

"Would you like to join us?" Lorelei asked. "We can pull up a chair." She motioned to the empty one next to Rory.

"I can't. I was just on my way out I'm afraid. Thank you though."

"Oh that's too bad." Emily said, not really meaning it. Rory was disappointed; she didn't want him to leave.

"Are you sure?" Rory asked, clearly wanting him to stay.

"Yeah, I've got to check in before they think I've gone AWOL." He joked. "It was nice seeing you again Rory." He said.

"Yeah, you too." She watched him walk away. Lorelei wrote down Rory's cell phone number and email address on a napkin.

"Oh Shoot! Rory, I forgot my purse in the car, will you go get it?" She asked, slipping her the napkin under the table. Rory felt it and looked down.

"I thought you left it at the hotel?" She felt the napkin.

"No, I left it in the car."

"Oh, sure." She said, walking slowly out the door. It wasn't until she got outside that she actually read the napkin. rolled her eyes.

"Tristan!" She called out to him. He turned around as she caught up to him.

"Hey," He was completely taken aback.

"I just thought it would be a shame if we met again like this, and we left without getting to actually talk." She handed him the napkin. "Just in case." She said with a grin. He took it from her and read it.

"You're going to Yale?" He looked up.

"See, this is why I gave you the info." He smiled at her audacity. She had changed, and he liked it.

"Bye Tristan." She started walking away. Once he recovered from the shock, he spoke up.

"Hey! Rory!" This time it was her turn to be surprised. She slowly turned around. "How do you know Logan Huntzberger?" She grinned and started walking backwards.

"I can't give all my secrets away, then you won't call." She turned around and didn't look back. Tristan laughed out loud and shook his head.

"You're right." He muttered to himself. He got in his car and sat there for a second. He could not believe her. He smiled as he started the ignition and drove away.

OOOOO

Rory was lying on the hotel bed watching a movie when she felt her cell phone vibrate. She looked at the Caller-ID but it didn't have a name. She grabbed it and went outside onto the balcony.

"Hello?" She said, wanting it to be Tristan.

"Hey, it's Tristan." She grinned.

"Hi,"

"How are you?"

"I'm fine and you?"

"I'm good." It was quiet for a second. "So what are you doing right now?"

"Not much actually."

"Hm. Well, how do you feel about ice cream?"

"I love ice cream,"

"Good, I was hoping you would say that. I haven't had worthwhile ice cream in quite some time and I needed an expert's opinion. You know, in case things have changed since I've been gone."

"What! They don't have good ice cream in the middle of the desert while there's a war going on? Where are the nation's priorities?" She mocked him. He laughed.

"Care to tell me where you are so I can pick you up?" She gave him the information. "Awesome, I'll pick you up in ten minutes?"

"Sounds good. Bye." She hung up her phone and went back inside. Lorelei and Emily were both engrossed in the movie.

"Who was that hon?" Lorelei asked.

"Tristan, he's taking me out for ice cream." She started flipping through the phone book.

"What? Already? Man, you weren't kidding. That kid moves fast." Rory rolled her eyes.

"Aha!" She said as she tore out an ad. "Mom, nothing is going to happen. We live a thousand miles apart, remember?" She sat down on the bed. "Besides, I haven't seen him in five years, I just broke up with someone and he just got back from Iraq. We are just getting together to catch up."

"Sounds like the perfect one night stand to me." Lorelei whispered to her daughter, who looked horrified and hit her mother with her purse. "God I feel like I've been sucked into a time warp. A young war veteran is taking you out for ice cream. Don't forget your poodle skirt." Emily finally spoke up.

"For goodness sake's Lorelei, you're ruining the movie." Lorelei looked over shocked.

"Rory's talking too!" She said, but it went unnoticed. Rory laughed and waved goodbye to her mother.

"I'll be back later."

"Have fun!" Rory shut the door and walked down the stairs to the parking lot. She saw Tristan, leaning against the trunk of his car. She grinned and walked over to him.

"Hi." He said, moving around the car to open the door for her.

"Hi. Thanks." She said as she sat down. Tristan walked around and got in. "So, you want some good ice cream." She stated.

"That's the mission."

"Well I did a little reconnaissance. You know where the Promenade is?" He looked at her.

"That I can find, yes."

"Super. That's where we want to go."

OOOOO

"So you really have never had Coldstone before?" Rory asked. He shook his head.

"But I'm now a firm believer."

"Good." She smiled at him. They had gotten ice cream to go and were now wandering through the Promenade. He sat down on a bench and she joined him.

"So tell me, how do you know Logan Huntzberger?" He asked, curious.

"It's a really long story." She said.

"I've got time." He smiled at her.

"Well, it all started when I committed adultery." Tristan choked on his ice cream.

"I'm sorry, did you just say…"

"Yep, and that's only the beginning." She said as she regaled him with her adventurous tale of the past few years, including the tryst with Dean. It was safe to say that Tristan couldn't believe his ears.

"And that brings us to this very moment." She said, watching his reaction. "Go ahead, you can say it. You're completely horrified." He smiled.

"Well," He joked. She hit him in the arm playfully. "You certainly have changed since Chilton. But that's okay. You're allowed to change."

"I'll say. It's your turn. Tell me how you got to this point in time." He smiled and looked down.

"Well, I came here for military school, and I actually really liked it so I enlisted in the National Guard when I turned eighteen. By the time we graduated, we were invading Iraq. I spent that summer training, turned nineteen in September and was deployed in November."

"Wait, I thought you said you just got back?" Rory interrupted.

"I wasn't done yet." He said with a smile. "But I'm glad you're paying attention."

"Oops, sorry." She pretended to zip her lips.

"Anyway, that was my first trip over. I was there for a year. I got back safely and everything was fine. I came home and started college but I was only home for a year before I got re-deployed. This time, it was for eighteen months. So while you are graduating in a few months, I'm going to be a sophomore in the fall."

"Wow." She said. "What was that like?"

"It was…life-changing." He said. "There's no explaining it, unless you've been through it." She grabbed his hand. He was surprised by the action and stared at her small hands covering his. He didn't know why but he was suddenly finding it very hard to breathe. He met her eyes and she smiled.

"Well," She said, breaking the moment. "I for one, am very impressed with the way you turned out. And I'm very happy that you are home safe."

"Yeah?" He sat up a little straighter. She laughed.

"Yeah. I always knew that you could be something great. I think that's why I was so frustrated with you in high school." He groaned.

"Oh, please don't bring up high school. I was an immature jackass."

"Well, sometimes. Sometimes you were sweet."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'll be the first to admit that we had a rocky start, but by the time you left we were friends, weren't we?" He thought about it.

"Didn't you say you hated me?" He said.

"Ok, so we had a rocky start and a rocky end," she admitted, "but there was some good in the middle. I seem to remember a very specific Casablanca reference that flew right over your head."

"I remember a kiss on a piano bench." He said, mischief in his eyes. Rory remembered that too.

"Even that had a rocky start and a rocky end." She said.

"By rocky you mean our significant others dumping us and then you running away crying?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean." She said with a laugh.

"Ok, just making sure." He said. She shivered as a breeze past by. "Here, you're cold." He handed her his jacket.

"No, aren't you going to get cold?"

"I'm fine, really." He put it on her shoulders. She noticed that he had long sleeves on, even under the jacket. They sat there for a minute or two. "Come on, I should get you home. Your grandmother would not approve of you being out so late."

"Probably not." She said as she got up. "Drive me home?" He smiled. They drove the rest of the way in silence. He pulled up to her hotel and parked the car. She didn't get out.

"We're leaving in the morning." Tristan nodded.

"I figured as much." She sat there some more.

"I'm really glad we found each other again." She said. "It's nice to be reminded of simpler days." You have no idea, he thought.

"Yes, yes it is." He smiled sadly. "But I have your email address, and your number. We can keep in touch." He said, trying to reassure himself more than her.

"I'd like that."

"Come on, I'll walk you to your room."

"Ok." She got out of the car and started climbing the steps to the room. They stood awkwardly in front of the door. "Thanks." She said. He noticed the way the moon was reflecting off her already milky skin. No, Tristan. His head yelled at him. You are not doing this. Just let her go, it's easier. She has no idea what she's getting into. Walk away.

"Well, here's looking at you kid." She said, her hand on the door. And at that simple phrase, his head shut up. He reached out and grabbed her hand from the door. Rory looked at him and before she had time to think, his lips were on hers. It was a light, simple kiss but it did more damage than any other kiss ever had. When he pulled away, her eyes were still closed. She opened them hazily and smiled. "See. No tears."

"Goodnight." He smiled and walked away.

"Goodnight." She whispered into the soft moonlight.