Title: Debutante
Author: Lady Eliza
Characters: All Characters
Rating: PG-13/T
Summary: Rory is in her sophomore year at Chilton and she is also coming out into society like a proper young lady. But there's a hitch, her boyfriend Dean and good friend Jess are not approved to be escorts. Her grandmother brings in a replacement, one Logan Huntzberger to the rescue. Her very own Knight in Shining Armour.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of its characters.
AN1: This story takes place in the second season with just a few minor adjustments. Basically, the coming out ball is going to be the main part of this fic. After the coming out party I'm going to skip from season 2 to season 5 'Written in the Stars' episode. That will probably be a different fic, which of course will continue from the end of this fic. Hope that wasn't too confusing (lol).
AN2: This fic is AU even though some parts might go along with the show the majority of the fic is a game of 'what if' by me, the author. I've been writing this story more so than 'Grown Up' but I'm still writing that fic so don't worry I'll get around to posting a new chappie soon. I hope you guys enjoy this fic, let me know what you think.
-GG-
Christopher Hayden looked up at the home that housed his only child and the woman that he would always love. He had finally grown up like he should've done sixteen years ago. This recent philosophic mood came upon him because a woman he had been seeing for several months had demanded that he grow up or else she had threatened to leave. It had been pretty serious until he'd realized she hadn't been Lorelai; they had amicably split two months ago.
He knew that Lorelai was the only woman he'd ever love or was ever meant to be with. He and Sherry had been heading towards the ultimate commitment since he had smartened up for her, but the only face he could see himself growing old with was Lorelai. So, he had been pleasantly surprised to get a call from her telling him that their only child, thus far, was being presented to society and he was supposed to walk her down a flight of stairs.
He couldn't believe how fast Rory was growing up. Why in a few years she would be off to college and he felt so very old at the moment. He was going to make things right with Lore and he was going to be more involved in his daughter's life. A move to Hartford was in the works but everything was hush hush, so no one was going to find out about it until he was ready to enlighten them. He hoped his girls would welcome him with open arms. He had wasted a lot time searching for things that were right in front of his face.
Christopher had come to Stars Hollow to see his daughter and Logan Huntzberger together before he had been called back to Boston for an emergency business meeting. He'd left and was only now getting back into town since the debutante ball was approaching at a rapid pace. Plus his mother had called and demanded he be in town so she could have him, Lorelai and Rory over for dinner. If he knew Francine Hayden she had something up her sleeve.
Lorelai was on her fourth cup of coffee when she heard a car door slam and she went out to investigate in her pyjamas and bunny slippers. She looked at the man who stood looking at the house she had bought with her own money and smiled. There he was, the only man she had ever loved with all of her heart, the father of her child, her best friend, and she had missed him terribly. He had been gone for a few days but she had missed him so.
Looking at Christopher Hayden now, one would never guess him to have been an irresponsible young whelp going from company to company. He had smartened up these past few months and Lorelai liked it very much. This was the Christopher she had hoped he'd turn into. She prayed he'd stick around and be involved in her and Rory's life for a long time to come.
Christopher saw Lorelai come out of the house and stand there for a few seconds before she ran down the stairs towards him. He smiled and waited for the onslaught that would follow. God, it felt so right to have her in his arms. She fit perfectly, like she always did…like she always would.
"Hey Lore, sorry I didn't call before coming down here," said Christopher.
Lorelai smacked his arms and said, "Chris, you know there's no need for you to call before showing up, you're family."
He smiled and said, "Glad to hear that."
She smiled and grabbed his arm and literally dragged him all the way up the porch and into the house. "Shh…we've got to be quiet since our child is still slumbering after her waltzing lesson with Logan, which was interrupted by Gran," said Lorelai.
"Trix is in town?" asked a bewildered Chris.
"Yes she is and she's been putting the fear of god in my mother, who under normal circumstances is a pain to be around, but with this debutante business it's just driving everyone else mad. I think I actually had a somewhat normal conversation with a lady in the DAR as Gran and my mother were yelling at one another," said Lorelai in her usual fast-paced manner.
"Wow, I've been gone a week and already things have progressed so much. It's like missing an episode of Veronica Mars," said Christopher.
"You watch Veronica Mars?" asked Lorelai.
"Yes, is there something wrong with that?" asked a defensive Christopher.
Lorelai giggled, "Do you think she actually likes Duncan or Logan more?"
Before Christopher could answer Rory spoke. "I can't believe I wake up in the morning to hear my parents debating a teen drama."
"At least we're interesting, imagine me and Chris talking about the weather or golfing at the club. Oy vey! That'll be the day," said Lorelai.
Chris could only roll his eyes as he got up and gave his daughter a hug. "Hello sweetie, how're things going?"
"Well Gran showed up…"
-GG-
"So Logan, what is this I hear about you escorting some young lady to a debutante ball?" asked Colin McCrae.
Logan winced when he saw that everyone's attention was on him. He had thus far avoided mentioning his duty as escort at the 'Deb ball' aka future wives club, as everyone at Choate called it. His good friend Colin probably found out from his father Andrew, who was a golfing partner of Mitchum.
"Yeah, my mother got me stuck being escort to one of the granddaughter's of her DAR cronies," said Logan suavely. He winked at a girl going by and she gave him a come hither look.
"I thought you vowed never to escort anyone after the Fallen girl," said Stephanie Vanderbilt.
"I did, but mother can be terribly incessant. I'm a man of my word, even though I didn't necessarily give my word," smirked Logan.
"Mmm…" said Stephanie. She knew Logan since the two of them had been in diapers and this was the first time she'd seen Logan do anything his parents asked him to. He was always the rebel when in came to obligatory functions. This was quite a development in the life of the young Mr. Huntzberger.
"Who are you escorting anyways?" asked Colin curiously.
Logan opened his mouth to answer Colin truthfully, but then shut it quite fast. He didn't want to tell the rest of his classmates about Rory. She had become a special part of his life and he didn't want that aspect to blend with his life at school. For some unknown reason he wanted to keep Rory all to himself. He knew that many of his friends would be on spring break during the actual ball so he didn't need to worry about any or them or Rory running into them. Instead he smirked at everyone and said, "No one you would know. Now, whose party shall we go to this weekend?"
Colin frowned; there was nothing that Logan kept from him. The two of them were the best of friends since they had been given seats next to one another at Wakefield Academy for preschool. Now that he thought about it, Logan had been acting weird ever since he had this escorting business thrust upon him. Colin could only shrug when a girl with nice legs stood in front of him.
Stephanie looked at Logan curiously. Since when did Huntz change the subject? He usually had nothing to hide from them. Apparently there was more about this debutante than even the elusive Mr. Huntzberger was willing to share. That caught Steph's curiosity. She had some digging to do.
-GG-
Rory Gilmore sighed and basically inhaled her cup of coffee after another extenuating day at Chilton. This year Paris and her cronies were giving Rory the silent treatment, though Madeline Lynn tended to slip up and wave while shouting 'hello' on occasion. No, that wasn't all that was on Rory's mind at the moment.
Rory was sitting in Luke's Diner reminiscing about all the things that she needed to take care of for this debutante ball that she had been so looking forward to. She had received numerous phone calls from her Gran's assistant Sheila Kensington, who kept reminding her that she had numerous fittings and such.
This debutante ball was supposed to be recreational, but now it seemed to have taken over her life. It seemed she was stuck with it for better or worse.
As Rory was pondering her newfound realization of just how much time a debutante ball took up, someone had come down the stairs of Luke's Diner and was now checking her out. Jess Mariano had just arrived in Stars Hollow from New York and was already wishing for the city where you could disappear in a crowd. The only positive thing about Stars Hollow was the enchanting creature who was sipping her coffee and probably pondering a good book.
It wasn't everyday he found another person so in love with books as he. She was a different person than any he had met thus far in his life. He'd reckon that coming to this hellhole was worth it for the sole delight of having someone like Rory to taunt and get to know. He'd heard a rumour of a boyfriend and just the other day he saw the beanstalk like boy. He didn't understand how a smart girl like Rory ended with a Neanderthal like Dean Forrester aka Stock boy at Doose's.
Jess quickly grabbed the coffee to refill her cup; she'd finished her last batch. He'd never met two people that were as addicted to coffee as Rory and her mother. Jess didn't really like Lorelai ever since she'd tried to 'bond' with him. He knew why he'd been shipped off to a hick town, and Luke only took him in because he felt responsible to pick up after his sister.
Jess approached the daydreaming Rory and said, "Well hello there."
Rory was so startled out of her reverie that she almost spilled her cup of Joe. "Dammit! Oh Jess! Didn't see you there."
Jess made a grab for the cup and saved the content from spilling over Rory's school uniform. "Yeah I figured."
Rory made a squeaking noise and answered, "Sorry…"
As Jess was refilling her coffee he really took a look at her school uniform. He knew she went to school in Hartford, but he'd figured she'd transferred out to a more challenging school because she was really smart. "I didn't realize you went to private school," said Jess.
Rory looked at him in a quizzical manner and said, "I didn't realize it mattered."
"Oh no it doesn't I just figured you went to a public school in Hartford because Stars Hollow High isn't challenging enough for you," said Jess in an apologetic manner.
"Well, I transferred out of SHH halfway through my sophomore year after I got accepted to Chilton. I need to go to a really good prep school to get into the college I want to go to," said Rory.
"Where do you want to go to college?" asked Jess wondering if it was Connecticut State or NYU.
"Harvard."
Jess' eyebrows rose, "Wow those are some lofty goals. I'm sure you'll get in with your talents."
"Thank you."
"So, how did you get accepted to a private school halfway through your sophomore year?" asked Jess.
"Someone dropped out and they had room. I was on the waiting list for a while; my mother and I were quite enthusiastic about getting in," said Rory.
"I'll bet," came the reply back.
Before Rory could respond her cell phone rang. She looked at Jess apologetically and looked around for Luke, since he wasn't there she felt compelled to answer it within the confines of the Diner since it was freezing cold outside.
Jess watched her as she picked up and answered the phone, probably her boyfriend on the other line. But he was still compelled to listen to Rory's one-sided conversation.
"Hello," said Rory
"Shelia, I'm waiting in Luke's Diner just like I told you I would be…" There was a pregnant pause.
"I actually have to take bowing lessons? I thought you were joking." Rory sighed.
"Yes, I'll have the bloody lesson and the fitting as well. Tell him where I am and he has my cell phone number."
"Goodbye Sheila," came at the end of the conversation.
Jess smirked at the pout on Rory's face. "Bad news? I really didn't want to interpret your one-sided conversation."
"Yes, bad news for me and getting to spend time with my dad. He's here for an untold amount of time before he has to go back to work and I've got to learn how to bow," snarled Rory.
"I'm probably going to regret asking, but why do you need to learn how to bow?" asked Jess.
"I'm a debutante."
"Okay…" trailed off Jess.
"I'm a young woman of good breeding and marriageable age, and am going to be presented to society," deadpanned Rory.
Jess burst out laughing, but he took in her humourless face and looked at her with a bewildered expression. "Why in god's name would you want to do such a thing?"
Rory sighed and explained everything about the DAR and how it sounded like fun at the beginning, but now it seemed too much trouble. They got right up to the reason that she needed bowing lessons.
"So let me get this straight, your mother wasn't a debutante because she became pregnant with you thus your grandmother wants you to do it. Wow! I would never go to such lengths to please someone," said Jess.
"It's not just to please my grandmother I'm doing it because I want to have this experience. I just hate that my grandmother and great-grandmother are at each other's throats. There's way too much tension in the air," said Rory.
Jess just smiled and changed the subject to the new book she was reading. The two them kept on chatting without realizing that the bell to the diner rung and a new person had entered.
"Hey kid," said Christopher Hayden.
Rory's face lit up and she jumped and kissed her him. Jess had never seen this guy before and he sure wasn't Dean. Who could this be? The answer came within seconds of that thought.
"Jess I'd like to introduce my father, Christopher Hayden. Dad, this is Jess Mariano, Luke's nephew," said Rory.
"Oh yes, the infamous Luke," Chris grinned down at his little girl then he turned to the young man and extended his hand, "How do you do?"
Jess grabbed the proffered hand of Rory's dad and shook it well; the man had a strong grip. "Nice to meet you...Sir."
"Oh don't call me 'sir' I feel so old when people call me sir. Just call me Chris like everybody else. So, what are you two kid's up to?"
"I'm waiting for my ride to show up for my bowing lessons and my final dress fitting," whined Rory.
"Oh dammit! I forgot about the bowing. I think I deliberately made myself forget that part. I'm sorry to add on your responsibilities Ror, but your grandmother, the other one, called and wanted to let you know that she was having a photographer for 'Mayflower Weekly' come by right after your dress has been finalized to take pictures for their issue on the DAR debutante ball. You and the Huntz have to pose for it," said Chris.
"Oh great, a photo op," mumbled Rory.
"Sorry kid, I have feeling that these pictures might find their way into your grandfather's campaign somehow."
"No dad, that's just insane," said an aggrieved Rory.
"You're his only grandchild Rory; I'll bet my inheritance that the campaign manger will use you as much as possible. They'll even try to get Lorelai and I married to make the whole nuclear family angle. Crazy politicians," was all Chris had to say.
Before anymore could be said a Ferrari, with tinted windows, came to a halt in front of the diner and Rory abruptly got up and said, "Alright we'll talk about this some more when I get back home Dad. Goodbye to both of you." With that she grabbed her bag and ran out the door to the waiting car.
Jess could only sit there and ponder all that had been said and wonder who was behind the wheel of the fancy piece of machinery.
Chris waved to his daughter and watched the boy with the black hair stare at his daughter's retreating back. He knew what effect Gilmore girls had on men and he wasn't comfortable with the young man having that look on his face for his daughter. That was his daughter, for Pete sakes!
Edit: December 31st, 2007
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