Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot.

GET INSIDE YOUR HEAD

"You never get a second chance

to make a first impression"

John W. Weikert

Prologue.

"Do we really have to go in?" Lorelai whined, hesitating in front of the door of her parents' house.

Rory smiled, "Yes, mom. Do I always have to remind you that for the next three years we don't have a choice?"

Lorelai pouted. "I know that we're condemned to hell, but you know me and I need to take out a bit of giddiness before coming in close quarters with my mother, the famous 'Emily from Hell with love'!"

Rory laughed and rang the bell. "You know that very deep down in your heart you love her very much."

The door was opened by a new maid. "Good evening, Misses. Mr and Mrs Gilmore are waiting for you in the living room. Can I take your coats?"

While Rory and Lorelai were taking off their coats, they heard a heated discussion coming from the living-room. They both did not recognize the voices. What they heard was "And we will send you in Military school because we are tired to pull you out of trouble! You can't disown the Dugrey name over and over!"

Mother and daughter looked puzzled and after a moment of hesitation they entered into the room which contained two embarrassed Gilmores and a couple with a blond boy around Rory's age.

Emily Gilmore seemed relieved by the entrance and after clearing her voice she said, "Janet, James, Tristan, please meet my daughter and granddaughter Lorelai and Rory. Actually, Rory will be starting Chilton this Monday. She will probably be in some of your classes, Tristan."

The blond boy, whom now the younger Gilmores identified as Tristan, smirked. "Really? Nice to meet you Mary. If you need help catching up..."

Rory felt a blush rising on her cheeks, the way he looked at her could be only described as intense. "My name is Rory, not Mary." She whispered, being too shy to say anything else.

Lorelai, on the other hand, was a different story. "Somehow, I think that you heard correctly the name. I see that the time passes by, but the Chilton code is still the same. You can call me Mags if you want."

Tristan seemed to be taken aback for a moment by her forward way but then his smirk widened. "I could have guessed that myself, Lorelai."

Lorelai looked at him for a moment and then smirked back. Then she turned toward Mr and Mrs Dugrey and said, "I am sorry, but did I hear something about Military school?"

The Dugreys nodded, then Tristan's father spoke, "Our son is constantly pulling pranks and getting suspended. We are at our wits' ends, I cannot think about anything else that will make him change his attitude."

Lorelai observed the guy,. she came from the same background and she guessed that behind his obnoxious behavior and witty comebacks, he was probably fighting all the masks that high society was requiring him to wear. She sighed, knowing that the kid would soon screw-up if he didn't find a way out. She turned to look at her daughter, sweet and innocent, and she was scared that in Chilton they were going to eat her alive. An idea started to form in her mind, after all what did she have to loose?

She took a big breath and turned to look at Mr Dugrey. "Do you mind if I talk alone with your son?"

Mr Dugrey gave his consent with a nod.

Rory looked at her mother quizzically, but Lorelai just winked and said, "Come on, Bible boy, follow me in the library."

Tristan eyed her curiously, recently not many things caught his attention, but the two younger Gilmores managed to catch his interest, they seemed close to each other but one was a Mags and the other was definitely a Mary. He was intrigued, he shrugged his shoulders and then followed Lorelai Gilmore in the library.

When they entered, she close the door and leaned on it. Tristan looked around and then went to seat on the desk. The silence stretched for a while. Then Lorelai spoke, "I didn't get along much with my parents either."

Tristan smirked. "I gather that they didn't have the time to send you to a convent."

Lorelai smirked back, the kid was smart and didn't really care about anything anymore. "I wanted to talk away from prying ears because I want to make a deal with you."

Tristan looked at her seriously. "Go on..."

Lorelai took a deep breath and then went on, "I love my daughter very much, Rory is everything that a mother could wish for and even more. She will start Chilton on Monday and I'm actually worried that the spoiled sharks will tear her apart. I want you to look discretely out for her, you are obviously well placed in the Chilton's ranks, a word from you could help get her transfer easier."

Tristan asked, "What do I get in return?"

Lorelai smiled, "You won't have to go to Military school, I'll offer to take you home with me and Rory. My only rules are always to tell me the truth no matter how inconvenient that is, and not to go out at night during school days, no skipping and pranks at school either. Tristan, your father wasn't joking. If you don't start to behave better he will send you to Military school. If you agree to this little deal, you'll have my daughter's back at school and you won't have to leave your life-style. But I warn you Tristan, I am only asking that she be let alone, she is off limits for you."

Tristan smirked. "Well, Lorelai, it's a bit difficult to look out for someone and not getting closer. Beside, with my charm it would be impossible for her to resist me."

Lorelai laughed. "You have never even talked to her, she may be shy and naïve, but believe me, she is a good judge of characters. She will see behind your façade, she won't fall for your act."

Tristan seemed thoughtful. "I noticed that she seems smart, I always enjoy a good challenge. Are you sure you want to take me home with you Lorelai?"

She seemed to weight his words. He obviously thought that she would get scared by his threats, but she wasn't, she trusted Rory. On the other hand, Tristan was just trying to test how much Lorelai would put herself on the line for him.

Lorelai smiled, "I am sure about my offer, you keep your part of the bargain and I'll keep mine. Regarding Rory, I trust her enough, she will make the right choice for herself. So are you in?"

She walked to him and extended her hand, Tristan sighed, this woman was offering a way out of Military school, but he was worried that she could see too much about him, she seemed to read him like an open book and he didn't like that much. He made up his mind, took her hand and shook it.

"Ok, Tristan, let's go back and see if I can convince your father." Lorelai opened the door of the library and went back to the living room.

Rory looked at her mother and understood that she had definitely done something that both were going to regret. Her mother had a perchance to stir up trouble that was amazing.

Lorelai took a seat near Rory and looked directly at Mr Dugrey. "I talked with your son, and I'm confident that this year he won't cause much trouble. Instead of Military school I'm offering to take him home with me, he and Rory will be studying together and I can assure that my daughter will see that he gets good grades. We'll keep him out of trouble."

Mr Dugrey looked at Lorelai and replied, "What makes you think that he will behave better if he comes to live with you? What can you do that we didn't?"

Lorelai smiled. "My behavior at his age was even worst, I think I can see his problems more clearly because I have been there too. I am not promising you that he'ill get better, I'm giving him a last chance before you send him at Military school."

Rory, while her mother talked, was watching Tristan. He seemed at ease everywhere, he obviously couldn't care less about being a better son or student. She could understand why her mother wanted to help him, he was a male version of herself at his age. What she didn't get was, why she would put her daughter in close quarters with a 'playboy'. Luckily, she had just met this handsome boy back in their town and therefore, she was going to be immune to him, or at least she hoped.

Tristan caught Mary watching him intently, she was a pretty girl, a challenge and the next notch on his bedpost. He winked at her and was surprised when she didn't flirt back. She looked at him like he was an annoying bug, it was almost like she could really see behind the mask and was judging him not worthy of her time. He felt anger rise inside, this girl didn't know that she had stepped on the wrong foot of the King. Her life at Chilton was going to be hard and he was going to make sure about it.

Mr Dugrey sighed and after a moment said, "I consent to Tristan coming to live with you. But if he screws up this time, I'm sending him away with a one-way ticket to North Carolina."

The rest of the evening was spent discussing the details of Tristan's moving to Star Hollow.

Rory had a deep sinking feeling that this night was going to change the course of her life forever and she was scared that Tristan would make Chilton a living hell for her. She had seen how pissed he had been that she didn't fall at his feet, like she had to be all over him because he had winked at her. She was going to teach him a lesson, he thought he could have any girl he wanted, well, he could definitely not get her.

She was going to take him down a peg or two.