Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls or anything affiliated with the show.

A/N at the end of the chapter. Enjoy

xoxoxoxoxo

Tristan walked down the silent halls of Chilton as if he was walking through his own home. It was the last period of the day, but Tristan didn't have any intention of going to history class. Instead, he headed toward his locker. He could get any information about the missed class from one of the guys in the class later that day. But he didn't want to be around when the final bell rang. He didn't want to take the chance of running into her.

He couldn't stop thinking about her. That had been a problem before, but it had increased disturbingly in the last few months. It was as if that kiss they shared on stage had set the snow ball rolling, and it got bigger with each moment he spent with her, until it became hard to ignore and impossible to escape. He didn't know how he was going to get back to how things used to be, where he'd just push a fleeting thought of her right out of his mind. His fleeting thoughts were different now, and how was he going to ignore the thought of her arms around his waist, kissing her in the quiet of his foyer, her brown hair threaded through his fingers?

He sighed. There he went again. He should have known better than to get involved with her. When she finally accepted her feelings for him, he ignored the nagging doubt she wasn't over Dean yet. He was too anxious to be with her to take caution at all. Then he went and tried to play hero by talking to Louise about getting Paris off Rory's back. He didn't think Rory was going to find out about it. He thought Louise would be discrete, but apparently he didn't have enough clout to make her keep secrets from Paris. So Rory found out, and that led to her confessing they wouldn't last long, and him implying their break up. He was such an idiot. He should have talked to her about it instead of walking away. He should have told her the only reason he got involved in her problem with Paris was because he didn't want Paris to drive Rory away from him.

He planned on talking to her after he realized he was going to lose her. He went to her house on Saturday with every intention of working it out. But then he saw her with Dean, almost kissing, and he knew he lost. He should have tried to fix things sooner, but he couldn't say he was surprised things ended with her going back to Dean.

He balled his hands into fist out of frustration. He couldn't keep thinking about all the mistakes he made with her. He couldn't keep beating himself up about it. He needed to put it behind him and move on.

He needed a few things from his locker before he could head out. Otherwise, he would have left by now. The longer he stayed in the halls, the more likely he would get caught. An hour in detention was the last thing he wanted right then.

After a quick flick of the dial, he opened the locker door. He quickly took the books he needed, wondering what she was doing and quickly chastising himself. It was going to take some time, but he was determined to get Rory Gilmore out of his mind.

He suddenly smelled vanilla and coffee. That was a first. Of all the times he had thought of her, he had never actually smelled her before. Maybe his obsession ran a little deeper than he thought.

"Hi," he thought he heard her say.

A cold shiver went down his spine. Okay, he had to be going crazy. He was imagining her speaking, but it sounded too real. He straightened slightly. If he looked around and didn't see her, this would be downright creepy.

He looked behind the locker door and was surprised he wasn't going crazy. She actually stood there, with her chestnut hair held back by a navy headband, her yellow book bag strapped onto her back, her blue eyes clouded in uncertainty.

"Hey," he returned, then cleared his throat. That came out a little warmer than he would have liked. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"It's my independent study period. I have a pass for the library."

"You must be lost. The library is on the other side of the building."

"I was looking for you."

He kept his face neutral even as a spark of pleasure ignited. He knew better now. He wouldn't let himself get excited prematurely. "So, you found me. Now what?"

"Can we talk?"

Tristan looked around, knowing they were staying out too long. "We're going to get caught."

"Then we'll be able to talk in detention."

He smirked at her naiveté. "You haven't been in detention with Culpepper, have you?"

"I haven't been in detention, ever."

That erased the smirk. She was risking her good standing by being there. Even though he had tried to break her out of her shell, he actually respected her ability to toe the line. She shouldn't have broken the rules just to talk to him. "You shouldn't be here, Rory. You should be at the library."

"I need to talk to you, and I can't get to you any other way."

"Maybe that's for the best."

He closed the locker door and walked around her. He knew he was discouraging her from trying to talk to him again, but that might help his peace of mind. The less he saw her, he was sure the more he'd be able to get back to normal.

He was several steps away from her when she spoke. "You're not my second choice."

He turned around and looked at her. She looked a little more vulnerable than usual, her blue eyes a bit desperate. He only saw her like that once before, and it was that day Dean came to Chilton. Again, he suppressed the pleasure and now the hope. She didn't say anything that he should be excited for. So he wasn't her second choice. She hadn't said he was her first.

She continued. "I know how it looked when you saw me with Dean, but I was trying to tell him about you. He just got confused, but Dean and I…it's over, Tristan."

He was having a hard time suppressing the hope now. "What are you saying?"

She huffed in frustration. "I'm not running back to Dean. I don't want you to be my stand-in boyfriend. I just want you to be my boyfriend."

A smile escaped him. He couldn't help it. He had Rory Gilmore telling him she would rather be with him than Dean.

So Rory Gilmore wanted him. But he wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily. "So, you want me to be your boyfriend. What's in it for me?"

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "If you think I'm going to beg, you're nuts."

"No, I don't want you to beg. I just want some privileges."

She paused, her arms tensing. "Like what?"

He took a step toward her and cocked his head. "I want to pick you up for school and drop you off at home every school day."

She visibly relaxed. "It's a waste of time and gas."

"But it's my time and gas."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay."

"And I want to a hand in handling Paris."

She tensed again. "No."

"Rory, I can't let her get to you."

"It's between Paris and I."

"But it's because of me, so that makes me part of it. I know her, Rory. I can get her to ease up on you without the shady tactics."

That made her relax again. "No shady tactics?"

He shook his head. "My word."

She hesitated, then sighed. "Fine, but you can't get too involved."

He smiled, knowing he would be. He didn't want Paris ruining this. He didn't want anyone ruining this.

He couldn't resist anymore. He closed the distance between them, cupped her neck with his hand and kissed her. Her soft lips gave way under his and she tasted of sweet coffee. She was so intoxicating, he knew he couldn't let himself go on too long. It was easy to lose himself to her and they were still out in the middle of a Chilton hallway. Headmaster Charleston frowned down upon PDA and it wouldn't surprised Tristan if, when caught, Rory and him would get a lecture about restraint and abstinence.

He lifted his head. Her blue depths shimmered up at him, and he couldn't remember ever being this happy. He finally felt like he had her. She was his, not on loan but really his, and no someone else's.

"There's one more thing."

"What?" She breathed.

"You have to use my Harvard messenger instead of the Tweety bag."

She shook her head. "No way."

He pulled away from her slightly so he could take her hand. He wasn't going to let her get in trouble. What ever happened to him, he didn't want his Mary to be affected by his behavior, even if it was with a measly detention. He started guiding her toward the library. "Come on," he said. "You know my bag is better."

"Give it up, Tristan. You're not going to convince me to give up my backpack."

"Why not? If I got you to give in to dating me, I think I got a pretty good shot at this."

She answered him by shooting him a death glare. He chuckled and pulled her close, kissing her again before letting the topic go, knowing that having her was enough of a victory for him…for now.

xoxoxoxoxo

So as you my have guessed since this chapter is in Tristan's POV, this is the end of the story. It's been a pleasure to finally put this idea into words, and I like to think this may have happened in the series if Tristan and Rory had been given a shot. Thank you so much for reading, for lifting my spirits with your reviews and just pushing this story on. I hope you enjoyed your time in my Trory world.