Disclaimer: I do not own "Gilmore Girls" or "Into the Night" sung by Nickelback.

Author's Night: I had just finished a Gilmore Girls marathon when I listened to this song. I thought it would be a cool song to set a dance between Tristan and Rory to. I hope it turned out alright; it's my first song fic. Let me know what you think!

Into The Night

Tristan Dugray leaned against the pillar as Rory Gilmore danced with her date. He towered over her slim frame, easily engulfing her with his gorilla arms. It infuriated Tristan to see the monkey wrapped around his Mary. She simply had to admit the connection that caused her eyes to meet his every time she turned around. He already had.

When her eyes collided with his on the last turn of the dance, Tristan started determinedly towards the couple in the middle of the dance floor. Dean glared at him, wishing there was enough heat in his gaze to physically shorten this punk or at least knock his confidence down a peg or two.

"Mary, Bagboy." Tristan greeted. His eyes burned with hate as he stared at Dean. He directed his question at Rory, while keeping his eyes on the gorilla. "Mary, may I have this dance?"

Dean actually snarled before reaching a hand to wrap around Tristan's throat. A flare of anticipation lit in Tristan's eyes even as he readied himself to defend. Rory's hand stopped the action unexpectedly. Dean's shocked gaze swung to meet her pleading one.

"Please, this is my school and these are my classmates. I have to get along with them for another two and a half years. Just one dance, alright Dean?" Her words asked permission while her tone declared her intention to dance no matter his decision. Recognizing it, Dean growled, shrugged off her hand and left the dance floor. He leaned against the same pillar Tristan had been leaning against. The scene on the dance floor was the same except the male lead had changed.



Tristan bowed mockingly, hand extended, to Rory before the music started. "May I?"

Rory cut her eyes at him before she curtsied in the same mocking manner. "You may. Warning though, I can't dance anything but the most basic slow shuffle." She copied his smirk, certain that information would throw him off.

Grasping her hand, Tristan jerked her body into his as the sound of guitars filled the ballroom with an edgy, almost tango beat. His eyes burned with something other than hate as he locked his gaze on Rory's shocked one. Her mind had no problem recognizing the emotion flaring to life in her body and his eyes: desire. His smirk claimed his mouth as it left hers. "Don't worry, I can."

He began to move as the music poured out of the invisible speakers. He had his arm wrapped firmly around her back, pressing her breasts firmly to his chest. He kept her right arm firmly extended with his left as he pushed her back in time with the music. Her eyes remained helplessly locked on his as the words filtered through her mind.

"Like a gift from the heavens

It was easy to tell

It was love from above that could save me from hell

She had fire in her soul, it was easy to see

How the devil himself could be pulled out of me

There were drums in the air as she started to dance.

Every soul in the room keeping time with her hands.

And we sang A-oh-a oh-a oh-a

And voices rang like an angel singing

Saying A-oh-a oh-a oh-a

And we danced on into the night



And we danced on into the night…"

The words were replaced by the guitar and drums again. The heady sound gave Rory the courage to attempt to out-dance Tristan. She halted in at the edge of the dance floor, removed her left hand from his left shoulder and began to push him, almost flirtingly. The surprise in Tristan's eyes was quickly replaced with pleasure as he followed her lead. She released his right hand and gripped the edge of her skirt. Instead of a blue a-line dress that halted mid-calf, it was a floor-length red dress with a scooped back. He no longer wore a suit in her mind but a black silk shirt with billowing sleeves and halfway unbuttoned. She swished her skirt provocatively before turning in front of him and doing a quick cha-cha. He caught her and spun her back into his arms. Her back pressed into his chest as she leaned her head back on his shoulder, her eyes challenging him. He swayed backwards with her sinuously, never looking away from her while the words continued to flow around them.

"Like a piece to the puzzle that falls into place

You could tell how we felt from the look on our faces

We were spinning in circles with the moon in our eyes

No room left to move in between you and I

We forgot where were and we lost track of time and

We sang to the wind as we danced through the night

And we sang A-oh-a oh-a oh-a

And voices rang like an angel singing

Saying A-oh-a oh-a oh-a

And we danced on into the night

And we danced on into the night…"

A laugh burst from Rory when Tristan spun her out then in again, ending with her facing him this time. Grinning, they pressed close to each other as they began to improvise a tango. His leg slid between 

hers as he stepped forward, the rasp of fabric on her legs setting off electrifying sensations throughout her body. In retaliation she slid her hand higher on his shoulder until she encountered his soft hair. She scraped her nails against his sensitive nape, smiling wickedly when he reflexively shivered. His eyes narrowed on her, giving her only one moment to worry before he dipped her deeply.

Rory laughed out loud and arched her neck until her hair brushed the floor. Tristan was captivated by the sheer joy on her face and swung her back into his arms. The music had already begun to die down when they simply stood in each other's arms, breathing heavy from more than the evening's exertions. A spark of something, quickly recognized by each other, flashed between them. Both had forgotten the boyfriend stranded on the other side of the room as they stared with hunger at the person opposite, but he was hurrying to remind them of his presence.

"Thanks for the dance." Rory laughed nervously. "It was more enjoyable than I thought it would be." Dean had stepped behind her in time to hear the last part of the remark. His already sky-high temper blew out of the galaxy. He grasped Rory's shoulder and pushed her behind him in his single-minded determination to reach Tristan. He failed to check his strength, however, and Rory stumbled from the power in his push. Tristan, whose eyes had yet to leave Rory, noticed. His mind snapped.

"Who do you think you ARE!?" he screamed, infuriated at Dean. He swung so hard and so fast his punch clipped Dean on the chin. He was down with no knowledge of getting there. Tristan stood over him, breathing hard with hands clenched. "I don't think you're welcome here, Bagboy. Leave now before you lose ambulatory control."

Tristan turned his back on Dean and grasped Rory's elbow. His hold and voice were firm even though his eyes were hard. "Will you wait for me at my car? I'll drive you home. I need to take care of this." The last word was bit out as he jerked his head to indicate where Dean laid on the floor. Rory 

glanced at him first, then at Dean. Nodding, she collected her coat and shoes before heading out into the snow. She needed to speak with Lorelai first anyway.

Tristan slowly let out a breath before he turned on his heel. He carefully strolled over to Dean and shoved his hands firmly into his suit pockets. "We have to talk. Follow me." Tristan headed towards a hallway, knowing Dean would come if only to try and take a swing at him. He also knew the entire school population would follow with the hopes of hearing the fight.

"What do you want, Rich Boy?" Dean snarled. He resisted the urge to rub his jaw. It throbbed like an all-nighter but he wouldn't give the snob the satisfaction.

"Rich Boy the best you've got? No wonder Rory attends here and you go to Stars Hollow High. You haven't finished evolving enough to grasp sophisticated insults. Speaking of Rory-"

"Leave her alone, she's mine." Dean growled. He stepped forward, certain that Tristan would follow up the claim with a disagreement, which would have to be followed up with a fight. Dean really wanted a fight.

Tristan chuckled as he kept his hands firmly in his pockets. "No such luck, Beav. Rory is now mine, which she will realize soon if not now. That dance was the conclusion of a chemistry experiment that began when I walked into my class and found Rory. Neither you nor I deserve her, but we both want her. You had your chance with her. Now I want mine." Tristan again pivoted on his heel.

"You'll screw it up. You're a player and she hates you." Dean called to his retreating back. It irked him that Tristan wouldn't fight. It wasn't right to attack with the enemy's back turned. If the stupid prick would just turn

"You did screw it up, were obsessive, physically hurt Rory and now she can't stand you." Tristan shot back as he kept walking. He smirked when he heard the now familiar growl.



Meanwhile, outside …

"Yes, Mom, that's exactly what happened!" Rory exclaimed into her cell phone. She had just finished re-telling the night's events for her mother, who was in shock.

"I can't believe you actually danced and did not major harm." Lorelai murmured before focusing on the main issue at hand. "But, Babe, Dean was always so nice! I mean, yeah, he was a little overbearing … and obsessive … and jealous… never mind, I just convinced myself of his deserving the status as your ex. But Bible Boy as your new boyfriend?! Rory, that's going to take some getting used to."

Rory leaned against Tristan's Shelby Cobra as she continued to listen to her mom's worries about Tristan. She was so immersed in the conversation she didn't notice Tristan until he was standing next to her and handing her a cup of hot apple cider from inside the ballroom. She smiled her thanks before she sipped the spicy liquid.

"Mom?" Rory interrupted. "Do you want me to just bring him home to you?" Tristan's eyebrows rose when Rory glanced at him then chuckled.

"Yes, he's standing next to me." His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. Rory laughed harder. He looked worried.

"Here you go Mom." Rory handed him the phone, grinning widely. "My mom wants to talk to you." She continued sipping on her apple cider as Tristan glanced askance at the phone before hesitantly putting it to his ear.

"Yes?"

"Is this Tristan?" Lorelai asked loudly.



" Yes ma'am, I'm Tristan…"

What? Ma'am? Have you not heard the gossip about me having a baby (who happens to be Rory by the way) when I was sixteen? I do not qualify for ma'am yet, thank you. One point deducted." Lorelai snobbily informed him.

" I'm sorry, I meant no offense. The ma'am and sir have been drilled in me by my parents. I always fall back on polite mannerisms when I'm scared witless…" he grinned as he listened to Lorelai laugh heartily.

"I appreciate honesty. Half a point added."

"Only half?"

"You implied I was older," she reminded him, "and I'm a woman. That's a big no-no. Now," on the other end of the phone Lorelai shifted until she was comfortable. "I want you to answer my questions simply with a 'yes' or a 'no.' I'm sure you've already figured out my daughter is supremely smart, a strange byproduct for my offspring, so I don't want her to know what I'm asking you, kapeesh?"

"Yes."

"Smart boy. Okay, first question: do you respect my daughter?"

"Yes."

"Do you love her?"

Here Tristan hesitated. He was unfamiliar with love other than its existence as a word girls seemed to treasure. When it came to emotions, he only knew he hoped that this crazy and delightful 

feeling he had towards Rory was love. "I can't answer that yet. I haven't had any experience with the true thing yet."

"God, you are almost too smart." Lorelai sounded disgruntled that he had passed the easiest question. His honesty had come through on it as well. "Next question: do you intend to ask me for permission to date her?"

"Yes."

"Do you intend to pursue her if I say no?"

"Yes."

Lorelai swore softly. Honesty again. She was a sucker for honest kids. She perked up as she thought of a really hard question to answer honestly when speaking with the mother of a potential girlfriend. "Do you want to take my daughter to bed?"

"Yes." Even though he managed to keep his voice under control, Tristan couldn't control the slight blush that fired beneath his skin. He hoped Rory would attribute it to the weather. Snow had started falling again.

Lorelai's mouth dropped open. "Did you seriously just answer that?"

"Yes."

She smirked. "You are really hung up on her, aren't you?"

He glanced at Rory and caught her gaze. "Yes." The word came out almost like a caress and Rory suddenly found her empty cup more interesting. Tristan smiled and swiped a hand over her hair, knocking off the snow that had collected there.



"Bring her home to me now and we'll talk logistics." Lorelai ordered.

"Logistics?"

"How you're going to get her to go out with you, duh! Goodness, you just lost that half a point for not knowing how to deal with women."

"Name one man who can understand women and you can take away another half a point. Fail to do so and give me two points." Tristan challenged. Lorelai chuckled.

"Mel Gibson and …" she swore again before hanging up the phone. Tristan laughed himself as he closed the phone and handed it back to Rory. She gazed questioningly at him.

"Come on, I have orders to take you home." Tristan leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks for the dance. I didn't have a chance to say that before." Rory blushed as she climbed into the passenger seat. The motor roared to life and they drove off into the night.

Author's Note: I've had this story and From this Moment On in my head for so long. I finally decided to sit down and write them. I intended for From this Moment on to be a one-shot. After reviewing this story, skip to my other story and tell me if I should continue. I definitely will continue this one, even though I had thought it would be a short fic. Please review Thanks!