Title: Mary or Mary'ed: Chapter One
Author: Aquarius Angel
Rating: PG-13
Summery: What was once thought to be just a silly nickname, causes a dramatic turn in a Gilmore's life.
A.N.: This chapter is a little slow, but it is the set up for the rest of the story. Trust me if you keep reading the story will unfold. Oh this is season six, when Rory restarts Yale and Logan redeemed himself after the Thanksgiving oops. However this is before Logan's sisters wedding and the mouthy bridesmaids.
Though the brigade would never admit to this, they were at times found to be acting like regular students. Not the regular college students who party and drink coffee, though as we all know they do plenty of that in their own way, but the students who were at times forced to study. And like everything else they do wither it was considered a law or more of an understanding, they would gather together around their reigning prince and their first princess before ever thinking of studying alone or with anyone else from their group.
However, their study group was far from the typical college study session. For one they were all studying different classes, from math to journalism, or economics to foreign politics. Still the group would find just the presence of friends, who are also stuck studying, as an encouragement to attempt to bucker down for a night of studying.
For the most part the group remained silent during their study sessions, at least for the first forty minutes or so. After a while someone in the group, okay mainly Finn, would start to grow restless, and so as all things this group does they would spruce up their study time, they did this by creating a question game, similar to truth or dare only with studying. Sometimes the questions would have to do with one persons study subject. Like what are the pros and cons of corporations expanding and globalization?
Answers would vary:
"Easier to travel to locations that have yet been conquered, and yet leaving those areas to be conquered by entrepreneurs." Colin would usually answer in some manor that would either be Life or Death Brigade related or all business.
"People walking around in fake Prada and Dior and at the same time making it easier for me to hire maids from Asia." Stephanie always related it to herself or fashion, though occasionally would surprise everyone with a comment that was philosophical or charitable.
"Jobs taken away from within the country, but corporations make more money with out unions and minimum wages." Rory's answers were generally correct, or she would quickly Google for the correct answer, it wouldn't be until the end of the night and a hurting brain that she would finally give up and answer with a more comic and pop cultured referenced answer.
Finn's answers revolved around parting and usually a drink, movie, or song reference. And Logan would either refuse to comment or answer with a witty and correct answer as he could on the spur of the moment (mean 95 of the time).
None the less, as their study nights got later and those involved started getting bored with their books, okay so it was usually Finn who was lacking any and all alcohol beverage, the questions would start veering off study questions. Usually the questions came out randomly and were usually just as random. Like what's your favorite color, what schools did you attend, questions you would assume that friends would know about each other, but this group did not and thus were added into the game. These questions would only really start getting personal when it got to be after a certain time in the morning, usually around four. And that's when the studying usually stopped as everyone was paying more attention to the question and the answers than their actual books.
But that's just a general overview of what happens to the main five members of the Life and Death Brigade on their study nights. True some nights they have additional members, but for the most part it was usually just the five of them. The King Logan, the Queen Rory, the jester Finn, the lady in waiting Stephanie, and the advisor Collin, these five made up the royal court of the LDB.
On this night no one knew what their questioning would lead too, and after this night no one will take claim in who asked the question that set the following events into play…
It was a few weeks into the spring semester. Rory was back at Yale, and back together with Logan. The professors had started handing out mid-term assignments all ready, and the LDB court was cracking down and pulling an all night study session. It started off with a good portion of the LDB being present but as the time flew, or rather crawled, they were down to just the five students studying. Rory being behind in her studies and having an extra work load hardly paid attention to the questions that had started an hour earlier. Logan was making up for her lack of talking by actually answering the majority of the questions, and actually taking the time to goggle for answers. But Logan had gotten up to make more coffee, and the group was growing restless and demanding in their want to avoid the studying.
"Jockie."
"What kind of name is that?" Stephanie asked Collin
"Oh there's a story, but not one suited for your virgin ears."
"Whatever. Rory…Hey Rory!" Stephanie said while the three of them stared at her yellow stained hand and the pure yellow page under her nose. They were asking personal questions now and Rory hadn't answered one yet. Stephanie was not about to let her get past this one, even though she already knew Rory's answer. "Rory, answer time."
Without even looking up Rory answered, "Mary."
"What?" Collin asked not sure what she said.
"Do you even know what the question is love, you have you eyes, noise and ears into that book." Finn replied with the closing of his politics book.
Rory sighed and looked up from her journalism guide to look at the three staring at her. "You were asking about nick-names, Princess, Lover from Down-under, and Jockie. Mine was Mary." She had left it at that by picking up her highlighter and reopening her book to continue studying.
They were all expecting their queen to answer Ace, the nickname Logan gave her, and refers to her as more than her given name. However her answer threw them all for a loop. Not to mention the significance of the nickname she mentioned.
"Does Logan know?" Stephanie asked. Rory not realizing that she was being talked to ignored her. "Rory does Logan know?"
Logan having walked back into the room with a pot of hot coffee was a bit confused. He had heard Rory's voice, he assumed that they had finally gotten her to answer one of the stupid questions, but now he wished we had heard her answer. "Does Logan know what?"
Staphanie, Collin and Finn all had their mouths hanging open and looking from Rory to him. Rory on the other hand appeared to still be studying. Logan assumed that it was something that Rory was not aware of, sure he was use to Rory not knowing everything about the ways of the life he lived, but what could she have said that left his three closest friends in shock and her so clueless.
Seeing that the three were not going to answer him, Logan filled Rory's cup with more coffee. "Ace what was the question?" Logan knew that she really did not want to be studying with the group tonight because she had a big test in the morning, but this proves that she can block everything out around her, however he needed to know. "Rory."
"What?" She honestly didn't hear him, she knew he refilled her coffee but she did not hear him ask a question, she really needed to get the journalism notes down before the morning.
"What was the question?" Logan asked again, looking over at the still shocked faces of the trio. If they weren't careful their faces would freeze like that.
"They were asking about high school nicknames. Why?" Rory said now looking over at the three staring at them. "What's wrong with them?"
"What was your answer?" Logan asked while taking a seat, he now had an idea, but he needed to hear her response.
"Um…you know how I transferred into Chilton, well the very first day this boy started calling me Mary it kind of stuck for a while." Rory said hoping to get back to her studying now that she told Logan this.
"You don't know, she doesn't know." Stephanie said back to back not letting Rory say if she knew or not, though the entire room knew she didn't have a clue as to what they were talking about.
"How can she be mary'ed and not know." Collin asked while finally sitting back in his chair shaking his head.
Finn started laughing, until Logan gave him a look that said stop or I'll kick you out.
Logan for his part remained calm. "Well it can't be the bad, I mean you did have other boyfriends before me, of course you dated someone from you school. This means no rules have been broken, and thus we are in the clear."
Rory looked at him like he was crazy, because she had no clue as to what he was talking about. "No I didn't, my other two boyfriends were from my hometown, not Chilton."
Finn started laughing, but it was Stephanie this time to stop him with a kick to the shin.
Logan was still calm. "Well did you at least go on one date with the guy that deemed you as Mary?" Rory just looked at him like he was crazy. "Ace you got to work with me here, there are only a handful of ways to get around this and you seem to not have accomplished any of them." Logan was starting to get mad, which just confused Rory and thus making her mad.
"Will someone, anyone of you four, please tell me what is going on, and why this is so important all of a sudden?" Rory stared at all them. Logan had his head in his hands, losing all hope. Collin looked grim, Finn was on the verge of laughing again, and Stephanie was looking from the three guys hoping one of them would answer. "ANYONE ANSWER ME NOW!"
They all grimaced, but Stephanie looked over at her. "Well it has been a tradition from way back that as a reigning royalty, per say, you have the right to "Mary" one girl."
"What? I thought it was the Virgin Mary thing."
"Well it is, but it is also more." Stephanie looked at Collin for help.
"The girl that is called Mary is considered off limits to all, until she has been "de-Mary'ed," Seeing that Rory was going to interrupt he continue quickly, "which does not mean her loosing her virginity necessarily. There are a few ways to be de-mary'ed. However it seems that you did not get de-Mary'ed, and thus Logan can not date you."
Rory was really confused, but was not sure what questions to ask or if she really wanted any answers.
"Really it's simple, a girl is named Mary, and no one can touch her until she dates the guy that gave her the nickname." Finn said. "However if I would have been at the school I would have helped in de-Marying you." He finished with a wink.
Rory was not sure what to think. She looked over at Logan who still had his head in his hands. "We are not in high school anymore, does it still matter?" Rory was talking to Logan, but it was Collin who answered
"Some would say no, more would say yes. Tradition states that the de-marying should have taken place within a year of deeming. Whoever deemed you must not have been a true gentlemen player."
Rory didn't give Collin an answer. Honestly she wasn't sure if she would have ever dated anyone from Chilton, maybe if Jess wasn't around at the time of her and Dean's downward slop, but those what-if thoughts were not helping her present state. Quickly remembering Logan's reaction to finding out she had not been "de-mary'ed" and Collin saying that they could not date.
"Logan?" Rory was looking at her boyfriend hoping he would give her a reassuring smirk. He didn't even look up as he shook his head no. "So you won't continue dating me since I have not been 'de-mary'ed'?" Logan would still not look up at her. "FINE!" Rory slammed her book close, got up, quickly threw her books into her two bags, grabbed her purse and was quickly heading for the door.
"What do you plan to do Rory?" Stephanie asked before Rory had the chance to leave the apartment.
"Since this 'Mary-thing' is so important to the four of you, I will go get 'de-mary'ed', any questions?" Rory said staring at the four of them, Collin, Finn and Stephanie were all looking at her while Logan had gotten up and walked back into the kitchen.
"You never told us who the King of Chilton was that Mary'ed you." Finn said with a big grin.
"Tristan DuGrey."
