As per usual, I own nothing of consequence. This is a completely new direction for me, and my first time writing Tristan. Feedback is craved as if it was chocolate. This is a one-shot, but I don't know - there are ideas in my little brain that could extend it given the right motivation. Thanks to my beta, Emma.
Motivation to Change
The first I heard about it was when my mother made a passing comment about some DAR function. Usually when she starts down the society track I tune out the conversation more quickly than you can say 'I don't care.' But this time a name caught my attention.
"Lorelai did such a wonderful job! The event was spectacular, the best turnout we have had in years. She has been such an asset to the chapter," my mother commented exuberantly.
"Lorelai? Lorelai Gilmore?" I ask. I remember that Rory's mother is named Lorelai, but even in my brief encounter with her, she didn't seem a likely candidate for DAR membership. Rather, she shunned everything to do with our society, and in turn taught her daughter to do the same.
"Oh, yes! I always forget you went to school with her," my mother replies.
I went to school with her?
Does she mean Rory, then?
Rory is in the DAR?
Has hell frozen over?
My mother interpreted my stunned silence as an invitation to expand on her account of some function or another that Rory had organized.
"Of course, the evening was not without a little excitement. Both Emily and Richard had rather vocal arguments with the Huntzbergers. Your father heard Richard talking to Mitchum in the men's room and said that he hadn't heard Richard so riled up in years. Apparently Mitchum gave Lorelai an internship at some paper he owns, only to tell her she had no talent. Although I wouldn't be surprised if that comment was made in an attempt to put her off having a career; there is no way she will be able to work if she marries their son."
If ever there was a moment in my life where I have felt that I must have slipped into a parallel universe, this was it. Rory is with Logan Huntzberger? I never would have pictured him with a girl like my Mary, or her with a guy like Logan. She was so set against me, and Logan and I are cut from the same cloth. This is all a bit too much. Their relationship is serious enough for people to be thinking about their marriage, which lends credence to the idea that Logan has settled down, but completely tips the bizarreness scale.
I need a drink. I walk over to the drink cart and pour a generous splash of scotch into a glass. Mom frowns at me, and I know she wants to comment on my drinking so early in the day. I scowl, hoping to put her off.
"Tristan, tell me this. How is it that Logan Huntzberger can settle down with one girl and you can't? Don't think I don't know your reputation. Isn't it time to stop having sex with every girl on campus?" she asks me.
"Mother, don't ask me this," I plead.
"Why not? You have responsibilities you cannot continue to ignore, Tristan. This family has a reputation to maintain, and a legacy to preserve. I know that your father has talked to you about this. I'm asking you to stop fighting him simply because you always have. Think about it. It is time to grow up," she implores me.
"Logan is older than me, Mom. I'm only 21. I still have a year and a half left of college. Let me have until then before I loose my life to this?" I reply.
"I just want the best for you, darling. I want you to be happy," she smiles at me, cupping my cheek.
It's too much now. All this information, all these requests and accusations. I need to leave now – need to blow off some steam. And I need to know what is going on with Rory. Even after all this time, there is something about that girl. She is someone for whom I would do what Mom asks me.
"I have to go, Mom. I'm going to be out with friends tonight, don't wait up."
I wonder if Colin is still a friend of Logan's. I can remember Uncle Andrew mentioning the two of them traveling around the Pacific during my freshman year at college, so I assume they are still re-enacting scenes from Stand by Me with Finn. I pull out my cell phone to dial my cousin. Perhaps I can meet them tonight instead of being stuck in Hartford doing nothing – kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.
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I walk into The Rich Man's Shoe, where Colin had informed me earlier that he would be this evening. I've been here before with him, although it has been some time since my last visit. It seems like a rather quiet Friday night for my cousin, but it still beats spending the evening with my mother and father as they argue about whether the new secretary wants to be in his pants (I imagine she already is).
I spot Colin and Finn with some guys I've met in the past, seated in a back booth. Colin glances up and acknowledges me with a nod. I walk over to the booth, sitting down and gesturing to the waitress to come and take my order. Apparently, where I have sat is enough of a drink order – she brings me a double of scotch straight away. I take a sip of the amber liquid and savor the slow burn.
"Colin. Finn," I greet them before acknowledging the rest of the table.
"Dugray. You're a long way from New Hampshire," Colin replies.
"I've been ordered home for the weekend to attend some function with Mom and Dad tomorrow night. I had to get out of the house though. Mom has been on my case since I got home. I think she has set me up with someone tomorrow night. No prizes for how that will go," I joke.
"Ah yes, the 'when are you going to start acting responsible?' speech. I'm a big fan of that one," Finn laughs.
"How is Dartmouth?" Colin asks me.
"The same as it always is. Lets not talk about school – it's boring. I go to the courses I'm told to enroll in, get the grades I need in order to not loose my black card, and lament every day that passes bringing me closer to my destiny," I sigh in response, draining the remainder of my drink. These guys all know the drill. They live it too.
"You need a refill," Finn tells me, reaching to fill my glass with the bottle of scotch in front of him. I smile. Finn has the right attitude towards alcohol. Taking hold of my glass I tip it in Finn's direction to acknowledge the refill, and then move in for the kill.
"So I've been hearing some interesting rumors lately. In fact, if I didn't know better I'd think I'd taken a trip down a rabbit hole," I comment.
"Oh yes? What have you been hearing?" Colin replies.
"My dear Mother asked me today why I couldn't be more like Logan Huntzberger, and settle down with a pretty girl. Tell me it isn't true. Has the great playboy fallen?" I ask.
Finn is grinning, his eyes dancing with excitement. I glance around the table taking in all the guys' expressions, and they all confirm what I've heard.
"If you have heard that one Logan Elias Huntzberger has in fact been a committed boyfriend to one Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, known variously as Rory, Ace, and 'reporter girl' for over six months, then yes, you have heard correctly," Finn states with mock seriousness.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," I laugh.
"Fallen, indeed. The boy is whipped. You should have seen him before they made it official. Poor Robert here very nearly ended up on the receiving end of a very jealous Huntzberger's punches. My birthday party nearly ended with a fist fight over a girl!" Finn replied, inclining his head towards a nondescript brown haired guy towards the back of the group. The guy is nodding his head with Finn's comment, laughter showing in his posture.
"You're stupid enough to make a move on his girl?" I ask Robert.
"She wasn't his. They were still seeing other people as well. Besides, why should Logan have all the fun? She's stunning. And my God, did she look hot the night she was with me in that little skirt," Robert answered with a leer, as if he was daring Colin or Finn to say differently.
"Just make sure you keep your appreciation to yourself now," Colin ordered the guy. Clearly, Robert had caused more than a little tension in this group over the past year. Upsetting Logan was not the way to stay in with this crowd.
"Sure, sure. Anyway, I know I have no chance now. They're inseparable," Robert assures him.
"And where are the wonder-couple this evening?" I ask casually.
"Rory's 21st birthday party," Colin replies.
"Oh? Why aren't you fine gentlemen there?" I ask.
"Emily organized it. Therefore, Emily writes the guest list. We didn't rank. No worries though, we're throwing her a real party tomorrow night," Finn answers with glee. I see a wild night ahead for my sweet little Mary.
"Emily? How is she getting Rory to agree to that? When Emily threw Rory a surprise 16th birthday party, Rory pitched a fit! She actually ended up yelling at her grandmother in the middle of the party!" I exclaim.
"How do you know her?" Colin asks, confused by my last comments.
"We went to Chilton together."
"Ah, of course – the blazer," Finn replies realization showing in his eyes. Obviously, I'm missing something here…
"So who got her? You or Eric?" another guy asks with a smirk. He's an old friend of Duncan. Lanny, I think. Colin glances at him with a slightly anxious look on his face, as if he is tossing up whether he wants to know the answer to this question. Whichever way I answered, it was inevitable that my response would get back to Logan, and I don't know how Logan would react if he was told I had pursued her.
"Neither. She was a Mary. No way was she letting anyone in her pants – not that I didn't try," I admit.
"Really?" Colin asks in surprise. I think he has figured out that she wasn't just a Mary, she was theMary. I remember mentioning her at some family function at the Vineyard a few years ago.
"Not to mention she had a major grudge against society guys. Although evidently she's over that now. How Logan managed to get her past that I'd love to know, all my attempts failed miserably," I reply.
"You're not still into her are you, mate?" Finn asks, a protective tone creeping into his voice, sending me a gentle reminder that they are still Logan's friends and will protect his interests.
"No, No. I'm over that now," I answer with a white lie.
"She was still anti-society when we met her, though. She reamed out Logan several times before there was any action. She actually called him a buttfaced miscreant after we played a prank on her, among other things. Logan couldn't believe it, and went around repeating her insults under his breath for days. Thought he was going mad, we did," Finn chuckles.
"Sounds about right," I replied. That's the girl I remember, not this DAR society party planner drone that my mother is admiring.
"Boys," a voice acknowledges from behind me.
"Huntzberger! We didn't expect you tonight," Colin replies, looking slightly guilty for being caught talking about his friend.
"Well, here I am," Logan states simply.
"What happened? We thought you would be staying with Rory," Finn asks.
"I have lost favor with the elders. Ace kept murmuring something about sex, pot roast, precious gifts and Fiji. And I'm pretty sure they weren't linked together in any pleasurable way. From the looks Emily and Richard were giving me, I thought it best to leave with the other guests, before either one of her grandparents got hold of something sharp enough to castrate me," Logan answered.
"Grandma and Grandpa figure out that their little angel is not that innocent?" Colin asks with a smirk.
Logan nods slowly.
"I take it you are the prime suspect for affecting that change? I mean, Rory has always been squeaky clean, especially around her grandparents. She can do no wrong, at least in their eyes," I ask after gesturing a hello to Logan.
"Tristan. Yup, you got it in one. You know Ace?" he replies, greeting me in kind.
"I went to Chilton with her," I explain for the second time tonight.
"Of course. You're that Tristan – the bane of Rory's life during sophomore and junior years. What did you call her again? Mary?" Logan asks me.
"She told you that?" I ask. Why would she tell him that?
"Of course," he replies simply. As if there is nothing unusual about them sharing such things.
"It's rather sickening really. They are always whispering some secret or another to each other. The very picture of a young couple in love, or so my Mother says," Finn comments slyly.
"Who said anything about love?" Logan asks abruptly, looking around at the larger group at the table. Most of the guys are involved in other conversations, but it is obvious they are keeping some attention on what Logan is saying.
"Well, aren't you?" Finn asks quietly, yet bold in his accusation.
"No. Huntzbergers don't love. It's too messy. There is too much to loose," Logan states automatically, as if he is reciting a lesson that has been drummed into him since his youth. It probably has.
No one responds to that comment. Finn and Colin look at each other with expressions that indicate that they've heard this argument countless times now, and are waiting for Logan to finally realize that even if Huntzbergers don't love, he never has followed the rules anyway. After a few minutes of silence, Logan picks up Finn's glass and drinks deeply, consuming all that remains.
"I'm going to play some pool. Coming Colin?" Logan states, requesting Colin's company. Colin nods, standing to follow Logan. Once he leaves, I turn to talk to Lanny. I didn't keep in contact with Duncan after I left Chilton in junior year, and Lanny will have the news of what he is up to now.
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Throughout the night I can't help glancing in his direction. I wonder what he has that I didn't. I wonder momentarily if he feels tempted to see other girls anyway. It is what our fathers did, after all. But any girl that tries to get his attention is less than politely rebuffed, or ignored completely. And the ones that know his group – well, they don't even bother to try gaining his attention.
Around closing time, I notice him looking towards the entry, a grin slowly forming on his face. I turn to see what has captured his attention, and there she is… as beautiful as ever with her startling blue eyes and expressive face. She walks directly towards him, a matching smile forming on her face.
"Ace! Why are you here?" he asks her before pulling her into his embrace.
"The party finished at eleven. I was bored without you so I waited until Grandma and Grandpa went to bed," she explains.
She seems to try and meld herself into him, looking into his eyes with adoration. He reaches to a strand of hair that is obscuring her face, pushing it back behind her ear. It is one of those gestures that show how he truly feels. He may not have admitted it to himself yet, may have denied it vehemently to his friends, but he loves her. As she does him.
Perhaps he changed for her. If anyone could provide sufficient motivation for a man to change, it would be Rory Gilmore. Because, if having her were the consequence for committing to one relationship, then Logan Huntzberger would have been a fool not to say yes.
God knows I would have.