Disclaimer: I still own nothing to do with Gilmore Girls.
Author's Note: I'm really grateful for all of your reviews. Thank you- I hope you continue to read and enjoy!
She was still holding his hand as she led him down the street towards her house. He wasn't sure what that signified, wondered if he should pull away while his confusion about her continued. Then again, he repeated to himself, she was still holding his hand. Voluntarily. He had to keep glancing down to make sure he wasn't imagining it. He had seen her get rid of Dean. She wasn't upset, she wasn't crying and if she was running anywhere he'd have to go too because she was pulling him with her. And he didn't hold out much hope for his ability ever to pull away. Even if he wanted to. Her hand fit his in a way he couldn't imagine with anyone else, the innocence of the connection offering a welcome reminder him that this was still Rory Gilmore. Still his Mary, whatever her sexual status, whatever flawed choices she'd made. He was almost disappointed when they reached her house and she had to let go of his hand to open the door.
"Where did they go?" Luke peered out of the window again in the direction of Lorelai's gaze.
"What? Oh- I think she must have taken him home." She took another gulp of coffee, half-smiling to herself.
"And that doesn't bother you?" Luke stared at her in disbelief.
"Why would it bother me?" She focussed on him again.
"She's just had a very public argument with her married boyfriend and gone running home with some cocky rich kid I've heard both of you call the evil one. Who's probably just been waiting for a moment like this when she'd be vulnerable. And didn't you say you were never letting her alone with a boy in the house again?"
Lorelai stared at him. "Hey, that's my daughter you're talking about!"
He sighed. "I know. It's Rory. Can you honestly tell me you're not worried about her?"
"Like hell I'm not," she muttered, draining the rest of her coffee and standing up.
"What are you doing now?" he asked, half exasperated as she gave him a quick kiss.
"Going home," she said as she hurried out the door.
"What?"
"Well, it's not like I can leave her alone with him."
Rory's hand felt cold despite the summer heat as soon as she pulled it from his. She'd held on longer than she'd intended, afraid that, if she let go, this time he'd be the one to run away.
"So, this is it," she said timidly.
He smiled at her. "Rory, I've been here before, remember?"
She blushed. "I'd forgotten."
"Really?"
Every brief encounter he'd shared with her was burned into his mind more clearly than events that should, objectively, have figured much higher on the scale. Like graduation, like his eighteenth birthday. Why was it that back here, all he could remember was that rehearsal, the last time he'd had a chance to try and get under her skin before he'd had to leave. Even with Dean glaring at him. Once again he forced himself not to be hurt by the simple fact that he hadn't occupied her mind in the way she'd consumed his. She'd been too absorbed with Dean - and Jess, according to Paris. Whoever he was. Tristan sighed. He could do without thinking about her ex-boyfriends. Of course, it was just as well she hadn't thought about him that way. If she thought about some of his ex-girlfriends, she'd probably never have let him in the house.
She shook her head, blushing slightly as images of him leaning over her, threatening to kiss her in rehearsal flooded her mind. She couldn't lie to him.
"Not really."
Her wide eyes met his again and he caught his breath, feeling like a Romeo who'd somehow made it still alive to Juliet's awakening. He couldn't believe that he might be granted an opportunity to rewrite the ending, couldn't quite believe that he was still questioning whether the first ending had been the right one.
"Is chocolate all right?" she asked, turning away and going to the kitchen.
"Uh-yes."
He followed her into the kitchen, not really caring about the ice cream. There was so much to talk about, so many questions that he could hardly think of anything to say. He was sure, though, that her clash with Dean had been enough for one day and wished that he could lighten the atmosphere by instigating their usual innuendo charged banter.
She wasn't doing much better in the art of conversation, staring at him again and again as if she couldn't quite believe that he was there. Having admitted to some level of not-unfriendly feeling towards him and then feared never seeing him again, having him stand before her in her own home was too much to process at this point. The whole showdown with Dean didn't rate a thought in her over-stretched mind. She scooped the ice cream into two bowls, aware that he was concentrating on her as though she was performing brain surgery. She blushed again.
He cleared his throat. "So, I guess I've given the town something new to talk about? I'm sure they were watching you and Dean."
Her eyes widened in horror but he saw something resembling amusement as well.
"They'll have seen me drag you home! My reputation is truly ruined forever."
"Like it wasn't before," he teased without thinking.
This time she met his look and he was surprised at the sadness in her eyes. "I know."
That convinced him above all that she was the same Rory. He was wondering how to make it better, how to convince her that her innocence wasn't dead in his mind, when something resembling a whirlwind burst through the door.
"Rory? Rory, where are you?" Lorelai stopped as she reached the kitchen.
Rory raised her eyebrows. "Hi, Mom. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I-" Lorelai's searching eyes took in their surprised, blameless looks, the guiltlessness of the ice cream bowls. She managed to process the scene and sighed in relief.
"Mom?"
She shook her head to clear it and tried to smile. "I saw you talking to Dean and just came to see if you were all right." She glanced at Tristan.
"I'm fine. This is Tristan. I told you he was staying near Grandma on the Vineyard."
"And now he's here."
Lorelai sounded less than pleased. He offered a hand, feeling uncomfortable. Dealing with parents had always been a problem, although usually they were throwing their daughters at him, not looking at him with the kind of suspicion that made him worry about his bodily safety.
"Yes, he is." Rory looked puzzled, if a little annoyed.
"It's good to meet you, Ms. Gilmore."
"Lorelai," she corrected automatically, not bothering to shake his hand.
Rory glared at her. "Can I talk to you for a second, Mom?"
"Of course, honey." She was still looking at Tristan as if she was afraid he might steal her ice cream or maybe even the coffee machine.
"Outside," Rory said sharply. "Now!"
Even Tristan jumped at the tone in her voice and Lorelai meekly followed her daughter outside.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I could ask you the same question," Rory hissed.
Lorelai looked at her in surprise. "I came home to see if you were ok. You obviously had this huge row in the street with Dean and then you went running off with some strange boy."
"He wasn't strange! It's Tristan!"
"I guessed that, actually. And remembered that his full title was Evil One, Spawn of Satan, Bible Boy."
"So you decided I wasn't allowed to be alone with him?"
"No!" Lorelai protested vehemently and then wilted under Rory's scowl. "You've just been so confused, I didn't know what to think."
"I am not confused! I made one mistake! And I wish I hadn't but I can't take it back. How can I put it behind me if even you don't trust me any more?" She pushed her hair back from her face and stared at Lorelai, the hurt evident in her eyes.
Lorelai stepped forward and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "I'm sorry." She smiled suddenly. "Am I supposed to trust Tristan too? That couldn't be good for his reputation!"
Rory managed a laugh. "Actually, I think you are."
"What's he doing here, anyway?"
"I don't really know. He said he came home for a few days."
Lorelai looked at her sceptically. "Home. Yes, I'm sure that was the attraction."
Rory caught her meaning and blushed. "I wish."
She turned and went back into the house, unused to being so open with her mother, no matter how close they were. Lorelai followed in an even more baffled state than before.
"Everything ok?" Tristan asked and Lorelai caught the tenderness in his look.
"Everything's fine," she answered brightly. "Good to meet you, Tristan. I'm just going, so I'll see you both later, all right?"
"Bye," Rory answered pointedly.
Lorelai extracted herself from the house and headed back to the diner, preparing to berate Luke for causing her needless panic. She might not be thrilled by the idea of the Evil One with Rory, but it was clear from the look in their eyes that whatever was going on was very real. She hoped Rory wasn't just on the rebound.
"What was all that about?" Tristan asked.
"Oh, she was just afraid I was going to steal your virtue," Rory answered, glancing at him through her lashes.
He laughed, astonished that she still had the power to catch him completely off balance.
"My what?" He went to put the ice cream back in the freezer, which had the advantage of bringing him closer to her.
"Apparently I'm a man eater now," she said matter of factly, punctuating the words with a giggle.
"You were always a man eater, Mary," he said softly, leaning in to trace the outline of her face with a finger. "You just didn't know it before."
She blushed again and he could feel the heat rising in her face. She cleared her throat, unable quite to meet his eye.
"How are things with your parents?" she asked nervously, determined to break the moment before he could kiss her. It was one thing to have decided she wanted him to, but she wanted to be sure that they'd both finished dealing with the Dean episode before getting into something else. Especially something that was already frightening in its intensity.
He took a step back, a little disappointed even though he wasn't sure that either of them were ready for a change in their relationship yet.
"Don't know. I haven't been home yet."
"Really?" She wanted to reach out and touch him now, found herself folding and unfolding her arms in a pointless gesture of discomfort instead.
He shook his head. "Stayed in my grandfather's pool house last night."
"Oh."
She could see that he didn't want to talk about it. She wasn't surprised. Even when he'd talked about military school and not going back to Hartford, his parents didn't feature much in the conversation. A hint of bitterness- that was it.
"Guess I should get it over with." She met his eyes then, saw hurt and fear there. She surprised him again by laughing.
"We really are a mess, aren't we?"
He grinned back, but the smile was quickly replaced by the lost look again. Impulsively he reached out to her and she took his hand. "Will you come with me?"
She squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Of course. My turn to be the knight in shining armour. Although the armour would be awfully heavy. What is the female version of knight, anyway?"
He rolled his eyes at her babbling and led her purposefully to the door, afraid he'd change his mind if they didn't go immediately. "I don't know. Perhaps we could market 'Mary' as a noun."
"I like it."
He stopped abruptly, causing her to wrench her arm and catapult back to him as she tried to continue walking. This time the grin that spread over his whole face was triumphant.
"You like it?"
She rolled her eyes and dropped her gaze. "As long as it pertains only to me."
"Agreed."
She tugged at his hand again. "Come on, DuGray. And wipe the silly look off your face!"
"Can't promise that, Mary," he said as they started walking again, watching as she smiled at the name.
