Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Gilmore Girls, actors, characters, plots, etc, that would be the wonderful people at WB. Although if I did, I'm pretty sure there'd be some big changes coughChadcough. Anyway if you do feel inclined to sue me, some people have strange urges and we must accept them for who they are, I'm currently flat broke so all you will get is a used textbook, probably on organic chemistry.
Chapter 1:The boy reread the list of books, double checking the numbers printed on the multi-coloured pieces of card sticking out like street signs on the tops of the bookshelves. According to his reputation, he was a party-boy who liked fast cars and faster women, but in truth he was a hard-worker and didn't mind spending the last Friday of his holidays studying for the impending first semester of his tertiary education.
As he passed the second last row of shelves, he sighed inwardly in frustration, the numbers were still in the 600's he need 713.8 RAL. Maybe he should give and go party like every other 18-year-old he could think in their 'last days of freedom' before the start of university. Looking into the last aisle, the boy noticed a brunette girl already there.
It always weirded him out whenever he bumped into anyone in library aisles, it seemed wrong, like the aisle was not available if some was already there. He considered this library etiquette dilemma as he watched the girl struggle in vain to free a book from the top shelf. Smiling inwardly he took note of the stool a couple of metres from her. And on the floor, near her feet there was a travel mug of coffee and a small pile of books.
The boy appraised the girl, she was quite pretty in an intriguing way, she had a magnetic air about her, easily the centre of attention at a party, She was undeniably familiar too, looking again at her face, he tried to pick why. Suddenly the girl was thrown back from the shelf and colliding with the other shelf. Seconds later, all the books on the shelf the girl collided with began falling on to her. Just as the boy was about to help the girl, he finally realised who the girl before him and he spontaneously began clapping.
--The girl reached up impatiently. She concluded that libraries discriminated against more vertically challenged members of society. Why was it the exact books she required were always just too high for her to reach, she thought, as she jumped slightly, trying in vain to get the object of her desire? Without warning the bookshelf released its vice-like grip on her precious book and the girl was flung back into shelves behind her.
For a moment she sat on the floor, stunned, yet happy, her back side a little sore, but her brain satisfied with its catch, before she heard an eerie creaking coming from somewhere. It was followed by the sound of material being torn then suddenly books were raining upon her slight form. Their pages fluttered slightly as the books took a short flight from their high prisons. They fell like a hundred fat flightless birds, with resounding thunks as they landed awkwardly, a stream of ouches accompanied as they all attempted to make like pigeons and land on the girl. From beneath her literary avalanche, the girl could hear clapping. How dare they? She thought as she resurfaced from her mountain of books. Her eyes narrowed on the indecent clapper, so openly enjoying her moment of sheer embarrassment.
"Miss Loralie Leigh Gilmore," began the indecent clapper, a blonde boy, about the girl's age, smirking, "I see my absence has done you no good at all."
The girl continued to sit, confused, then it hit her.
"Tristan Du Gray!" she exclaimed momentarily forgetting her situation, proud of her memory skills, then scowling added, "well are you going to do the decent thing and help me up, or you going to just stand there?"
"Anything for you, Mary," the blonde smirked, hauling up the girl, "Good to see you still remember me."
"Well I see you managed to hit you're head at military school, and are still stuck in high school," Rory said, snatching her hand back.
Any rebuttal on Tristan's part was prevented when a wiry, old woman barged in on their little reunion.
"In case you failed to realise your current location, let me remind you. You are in a library and in libraries you should be quiet," she scolded the two angrily, far from quietly, then noticing the pile of books, paled and continued as if physically pained, "How could you? All these books! You will have to put these back in the right order before you leave. And next time you are thinking about going into a library, remember this day."
The librarian eyed the two of them critically before leaving as hurriedly as she had arrived.
"Well Mary, I see you have your hands full, I'll leave you to it," Tristan said as he began to leave.
"Oh no you don't! You are going to help me put all these books back, she was talking to you to," Rory hissed.
"Actually you're the one who made the books fall, so you should be the one who has to put them back, I'm just an innocent bystander," Tristan returned, he did really need to find that book.
"But there are so many books," Rory changed her tactic, using the damsel in distress card, "How will a little ole' girl like me put all of them back, and in the right order too?"
Tristan considered his situation for a moment, her pleading eyes, their messy history, the book he needed to find, the plans he had made for the evening… what the hell, of course he'd help her.
"Fine, I'll help, but you owe me big, very big," he said making a big show of his generosity, like she was asking him to donate a vital organ.
The pair set to work, sorting through the pile of books, for the most part in silence, due to the librarian's little outburst earlier and because neither teenage knew where to begin talking. Finally as he replaced the last of the books, Tristan found the book that he had been originally looking for.
"Good thing I didn't leave before then, I needed this one," Tristan said to Rory, tapping the book in his hand.
Rory looked up, a little surprised that he actually came to the library looking for a book, then frowned when she read the title.
"That's my book," she exclaimed, trying to grab it out of his hands.
"No?"
"Yes!"
"Serious?"
"Very!"
"But I found it," Tristan said pouting, giving Rory his best 'puppy dog eyes'.
"No, I found it first," returned Rory, ignoring the look he was giving her.
"Well I have it now," Tristan replied triumphantly holding the book well out of her reach.
"If I hadn't found it first, I wouldn't have made all the books fall and made you help me put them back and therefore you wouldn't have found it second."
"Yes, but if I hadn't been looking for it, I wouldn't have been here to help you and you would still be sorting."
They both stopped, staring confusedly at each other, their arguments didn't quite make sense.
"How about we share the book, since there seems to be only one copy?" Tristan said, practically.
"Um okay," answered Rory, it sounded a bit suspicious to her that Tristan would want to share something with her.
They made their way to the front of the library where they found that the self-checkout stations all had 'out of order signs' on them. Approaching the help desks, they noted the librarian from before looked rather smug. Tristan laid the book on the table and pulled out his student card.
"You're too late," said that librarian haughtily.
"Pardon?" asked Rory, as politely as she could.
"Borrowing hours are between 8 am and 7 pm on Monday to Friday and 8 am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday," haughty and sneering. Scary.
Tristan and Rory simultaneously checked their watches, it was 7:10pm. Rory felt like she was going to blow her top and would have if Tristan hadn't been there.
"Well, we spent the last three hours resorting all the books in that particularly aisle, as you may remember, where there was an unfortunate accident, which I might add if this library improved its service may have been prevented," said Tristan using all his tricks.
Oozing charm, the giga-watt smile and the slight lean forward, all screaming upper class, old money, "Speaking of this particular library, I was about to make a recommendation to my father for a substantial donation to it. This library has this particular book that seems rather popular yet particularly difficult to find, but now, I'm not sure."
Tristan had added a patronising tone and a disappointed head-shake to complete his rich-boy stance and finally made sure that the now-stunned librarian saw his last name on his student card as he put it away. Rory found it extremely hard to keep a straight face as she watched Tristan behave exactly as most people, including herself, expected him to act.
"Well, I'm sure we can make an exception, this one occasion," said the librarian with a nervous smile, ready to impress walking money, which almost made Rory gag.
"Maybe I will speak to my father in that case," replied Tristan, smiling, as the librarian put the book through.
Escaping the confines of the library, the pair doubled over alternating between laughing and choking.
"Will you actually speak to your father about the library?" Rory asked when she finally recovered.
In response Tristan just shrugged nonchalantly, it would depend on whether he actually spoke to his father and on what terms.
"Well I guess this is mine then, Mar," Tristan said, waving the book in front of her face, teasing her.
"What!" exclaimed Rory, "No, you can't do that, I really, really need it."
"Do I need to remind you what we just went through to borrow this? Now do you think would be in touching distance of the book if I hadn't been there? Hmm?" Tristan asked, jokingly, "This better live up to expectation, or that was one massive waste of time."
A comfortable silence settled over the pair as the walked aimlessly through the grounds of Yale University.
"You hungry?" Tristan asked, taking a chance, "Do you want to grab something to eat?"
Rory considered the offer for a minute. Tristan had actually made it through three hours without any innuendos, so he must have grown up, at least a little, it would be nice to do some catching up plus he had said it casually, not like a date.
"Okay," replied Rory, startling Tristan, he hadn't expected her to agree so readily, but there was a catch, "As long as I get to pay for what I eat."
"Sure," lied Tristan, as long as he was around, Rory was never going to pay for another meal again, "What do you feel like, then?"
"Umm, anywhere as long as they have good coffee." Well, naturally.
"Well, I know a great little Italian place," replied Tristan as they made there way to the car park and got into his black convertible BMW.
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AN: Do not, I repeat, do not read and review… I'm trying reverse psychology, how am I doing?