Disclaimer: I do not hold any rights to Gilmore Girls or any of its
affiliates, so don't sue me. Thanks.
a/n - now, thanks for the reviews on the last chapter and sorry for any strange numbering that was going on; it should all be fixed now. So as promised, here's the next installment (in a descent amt. of time!)
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Chapter 29 - It Was Supposed To Be A Party
Rory hurried nervously towards the two men engaged in a staring contest. The things men do for love. She shook her head and lunged in between the two men. "Dad! Hi!" Rory leapt towards her father, ignoring the tension in the air. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh.. I just wanted to be part of the welcome home festivities." Chris managed a tiny smile at Rory, his glaring gaze still fixed on Luke.
Rory smiled feebly, still vying for their attention. "So I take it you two know one another?"
"You could say that." Luke was practically growling. Rory turned her attention to the picnic basket by Luke's feet.
"Ooh! Did you pack this stuff up for me?" She tried to sound giddy, but the effort was lost in the tension. "And you even got me a pretty basket with a bow and everything."
Clearing his throat, Luke looked somewhat embarrassed. "Yeah... well, it was the last one in the store. Don't get used to it."
"Aww Luke, I knew you missed me." Noticing the annoyed look on her father's face, Rory switched gears again, digging into the basket. "Oh! There's even coffee in here! Did you know that in all of Chicago, they can't make a decent cup of coffee?" She directed the question to her father, thankful to see the that the men were no longer looking at one another. "It's a gift and a curse having drank Luke's coffee. Once you've had a cup, no other coffee will ever quite fill the void." Rory was babbling incoherently, ignoring the tension in the air.
"But enough about coffee, I think I saw one of those 'throw the ball in the jar and win a goldfish' games over there, and you know how I love goldfish," Rory was off and running, already pulling her father along behind her. "It's the only game I ever win at. Like last year it was just my third try when I won little Hamlet, but he died before we got home, so I don't think I'm going to name the next one anything from Shakespeare. It's a bad omen to be named after all those tragic-" Rory stopped suddenly, realizing that she was just leaving Luke behind. "Uh... did you want to come?"
"No." His response was immediate, and Rory had to stifle a giggle as he quickly rephrased, "I mean, no thanks. I'm sure your Mom is starving, so I'm going to go take the rest of this to MY GIRLFRIEND." Luke spoke through clenched teeth, stressing the words as he walked away.
"Okay then, I'm going to go win a fish for my DAUGHTER." Chris yelled after him, snatching Rory's hand and stalking towards the game tents.
"Hey Dad, think you could.. uh.. maybe loosen the grip just a little?" Rory attempted wiggling her fingers in his death hold, but to no avail. He didn't even seem to have heard her as he continued pushing impatiently through the crowds. Sighing, she kept trying to get his attention as she trailed along behind him. "Really, I'm pretty sure that most circles regard unrestricted blood flow as a positive thing..."
* * * * *
Jess sat on the roof playing with the short wooden necklace he wore. It was the only gift Rory had given him. They'd bought matching ones back in May, and he'd worn it all summer long. He used it to remind himself that she was real, not just a figment of his imagination. But she wasn't and she was back, finally. And after all this time, Jess knew that they had some serious face-to-face talking to do.
She had called this afternoon to talk to him, but he hadn't been ready yet. He'd chickened out when the phone had started ringing, afraid of what she might say. That she didn't want to be with him. ...Or that she did. No matter what she had decided, things were going to change between them, and honestly, Jess was a little scared of that. So he had avoided her.
He sighed and laid down backwards. The party below was still going strong, and he could see every move she made. She had just finished breaking up a fight between her dad and Luke, and now she was playing games near the gazebo. Jess smiled at the sight of her. This was what he'd been waiting for. Regardless of his own fears, he was still ecstatic that she was back.
The expression of pure concentration as she aimed her ping-pong ball shots was more than enough to crack Jess' normally stoic expression. No one could resist laughing at her misguided approach to throwing as she competed with her father. But his smile faded as she landed the first shot. Rory wasn't hopping up and down and dancing like he would have expected. Instead she just beamed and accepted the fish as she fell into a conversation with the girl running the game. Her short yellow sundress wrinkled slightly as she leaned casually against the counter, an interested smile on her face.
There was something new, and Jess wasn't sure what to make of it. There was a noticeable difference in her now than before she left; she seemed more mature, more self-assured. Rory was carrying herself with a much more experienced air, and Jess had no doubt what had given her that. A summer in the city could do a lot to a person... He felt his body begin to tense up, suddenly uncomfortable with this thought.
Focusing again on the booth, Jess realized he'd lost track of her. She was no longer by the gazebo but was walking directly towards Miss Patty's, right towards him. And she wasn't alone... She was with someone... Jess felt his fists clench as he recognized her companion. Dean.
His face hardened as he saw the way Dean rested his palm across her back, guiding her through the crowd. The determined look on the kid's face was easily readable, and Jess couldn't help but frown further. There was no way he was going to let Dean win her back, not after all of his waiting: first for her to break up with Dean, and now another whole summer of her getting over him. A growl rose in his throat as anger overtook his earlier turmoil.
It was Jess's turn, and he was ready to fight for it.
* * * * *
"Rory, can I talk to you?" Rory stilled at the sound of a extremely familiar voice.
She smiled apologetically at the girl behind the counter, an old friend from Star's Hollow High, and then turned around slowly, forcing herself to grin as she greeted her ex-boyfriend. "Hi Dean. Long time, no see. How are you doing?" Her tone sounded perky enough, if not too much so, and Rory almost sighed aloud at the immediate tension that overtook her.
Why was this so hard? Dean was her friend, and just because they'd had one awkward visit in Chicago didn't mean things had to remain that way between them. After all, she'd had hundreds of awkward moments with Lane in the past, and their friendship was as strong as ever. Why shouldn't that work with Dean too? Her smiled became brighter at the thought and she decided to give it another try, turning her attention back to the conversation, or rather monologue, that had been going on without her.
"...for weeks. And I was thinking that maybe we could talk... you know, alone." He stressed the alone part, tilting his head towards the building on their right.
"Umm.. sure." Rory turned towards her father, who was already talking animatedly with some man at the water pistol game counter, debating the merits of sprinting rabbits v. the unconventional racing carrots they were using. "Dad, I'm going to go over there for a while, okay?"
"Yeah, sure..." He wasn't listening and Rory turned and followed Dean's back as he wove his way through the crowd, stopping on the other side of Miss Patty's. He stopped abruptly, and turned around to face her only inches away.
"I've missed you Rory." There was a serious tone in his voice and Rory suddenly felt even more uncomfortable. She shifted restlessly and tried to back away.
"Uh.. I missed you too, Dean. Thanks for coming to my party."
"Did you really?"
"Really what?" Rory was only half paying attention. The other half of her brain was engrossed with figuring out a way to get out of there without looking rude.
"Miss me? You're not just saying that to be polite?" His tone sounded hopeful and Rory finally looked up to meet his eyes, disappointed with herself for the unfriendly thoughts she'd been entertaining.
"Dean, I thought we'd already covered this back in July." Rory responded somewhat impatiently. "You are a great guy, and I would be crazy not to miss you when I go away for a whole summer."
"But even before that..." He left the sentence unfinished, his eyes displaying his pain, and Rory sighed. He needed her to spell every little thing out for him.
"Yeah, May wasn't such a good month for us either." She looked earnestly into his eyes as she continued, "But even then I still considered you one of my best friends, and I really do miss you not being around." Rory smiled soothingly, hoping that he would finally accept that she was telling him the truth. Because she was; she'd meant every word of it. Dean had been an important part of her life, and Rory didn't want him to disappear just because they weren't dating anymore.
She grinned as a smile lit up his face. "Good, because I really think we could work this time, if you'd give it a chance..."
Dammit! He wanted to get back together. Rory suddenly felt sick. She didn't know how to break it to him that she still didn't love him like that; that her feelings were strictly platonic. She just wished that she wasn't so blind sometimes; she should've seen this coming.
But he was oblivious to her obvious discomfort, still rambling on about how they could make it work. She placed her palm on his arm, preparing to decline as nicely as possible when a voice behind... no... above her broke into the exchange.
"Too bad that's not going to happen."
* * * * *
"...wasn't even wearing a life jacket!" Lane paused for her first breath since he'd started the Porsche, and Tristan sighed in relief. He'd been seriously concerned the girl would run out of oxygen and he'd have to spend his first official date with Rory in the emergency room explaining how it was that he'd almost killed her best friend.
Cutting the engine on his vehicle, Tristan shot his passenger a curious look, "Do you always talk this much?"
"What?" Lane paused for a second, startled by his directness, but she quickly recovered, shooting him a dirty look as she explained, "You would too if you were forced into silence at least six hours out of the day by a lunatic Korean woman who has still clings strongly to the belief that children should be seen and not heard. And yes, before you say anything, I'm well aware that I'm not a child anymore. The psychopath that is my mother on the other hand, well, let's just say I'll still be a child at seventy-four if she has anything to say about it. ...unless I start popping out quiet little Korean children of my own-"
"And that is where I'm going to have to ask you to please stop." Tristan grimaced at the image her words were providing him as he climbed out of the car.
Looking at him over the hood, Lane blushed slightly. "Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away."
In response, Tristan just shook his head and laughed. "You know, I think I'm beginning to understand why Rory rambles so much."
"Hold up for just a minute there, Boot Camp Boy." Lane fixed him with her pointer finger as she scolded, "I still haven't decided whether I like you or not, so I suggest that you wait another couple hours to start with the insults."
"C'mon Penny; we both know that's a lie." Tristan smirked at the girl, who just narrowed her eyes at him in response. But her nasty look was slightly marred by the involuntarily twitching of her lips. Not missing her amusement, Tristan added, "Everyone loves me. You can't help it."
At that, the smile she'd been resisting burst through, and Tristan rolled back on his heels in triumph as she conceded, "Okay, fine. But you're still about three steps from being swallowed into the core of Stars Hollow, the center of all madness, and insulting the only ally you have is not the most..." Lane trailed off as she focused her attention on something over his shoulder, and Tristan followed her gaze.
"What?" He looked from side to side, not seeing what she thought was so interesting. Games, food, talking people. Nothing that seemed capable of silencing this talkative girl. "What is it?" He continued searching for what was so eye catching, when he saw it.
The vision immediately caused his heart to drop from his chest. Isolated from the rest of the party, leaning up against the building he'd parked in front of was her. There was no doubt in his mind that the dark-haired beauty with her back to him was Rory. And standing directly in front of her was him... the only person he'd ever truly hated, Dean.
It sure hadn't taken her long to track the so-called ex down, had it? Emitting a disillusioned laugh, Tristan started walking towards them. He only paused momentarily when he heard the nervous voice behind him calling out, "Tristan! Just wait a second, I'm sure it's not what-"
But he wasn't listening to her; he was done trying to understand, and he was done waiting. Whatever game Rory was pulling him into was over right now. If she thought that he was going to sit back patiently while she second guessed her decision to be with him, she was sadly mistaken. Tristan was going to find out right now what she wanted.
As he moved closer, Tristan felt his blood begin to boil. He had to get there fast; they looked so comfortable with the smiling and the touching and-
Suddenly another figure leapt off the building to join their ranks, and Tristan's eyes narrowed. He didn't recognize the kid, but from the menacing looks he was getting from Bagboy, it had to be that other kid... the one from the diner. Tristan felt another flash of anger at the added threat, but it quickly melted away as he realized that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Now he could set both of them straight at the same time.
* * * * *
"Too bad that's not going to happen."
Both teens looked up to see a wiry, dark-haired figure jumping off the roof of Miss Patty's. Jess. Rory's nausea increased and she almost groaned out loud as Jess ambled towards them. How could this be happening?
"What?" Dean spoke up, placing himself directly in Jess' path towards Rory.
The second teen was practically growling as he advanced on his aggressor. "You heard me. It's not gonna happen, so why don't you just find some other girl to stalk?" Sneering, Jess finished, "I'm sure there's someone of your 'caliber' out there."
"Jess, please..." Rory's meager attempt went unheard as the two continued sizing one another up.
"And who are you to decide what she wants?" Dean was towering over Jess, who continued to glare up at him undaunted. "Because unless there some really strange custody arrangement I'm not aware of going on here, I'm still thinking that would be Rory's decision to make."
"Well, it's just that she's already made that choice." Jess smirked as the blood drained from the other teen's face, pleased with the impact his little reminder induced.
With that, Jess started moving towards her and Rory waged an internal war as to what she should say, but her thoughts vanished suddenly as stop suddenly as a pair of strong arms came from behind, possessively wrapping themselves around her waist.
"Now that, I would definitely agree with you on." Tristan smirked as he cooly sized Jess up; then, in his typical smart-ass fashion, he nodded a small greeting to Dean. "Bag-boy." And before Dean could come back with a witty remark of his own, Tristan had shifted his attention back to Jess, "and I guess that makes you burger boy."
* * * * *
Lorelai watched as Chris settled into a conversation with Jackson by the water gun game, his nasty mood obviously fading. Sighing in relief, she shifted her eyes towards Luke, who was stalking towards her. He looked mad, but she could do something about that...
A smile was beginning to tug at her lips when something across the lawn caught her eye. A shadowed figure was perched right on top of Miss Patty's dance studio, a cigarette burning in his hands. Jess. She'd recognize his brooding anywhere. But that wasn't what concerned her; what concerned her was that her oblivious daughter, accompanied by Dean, was headed directly for him. And those three together could result in nothing but trouble.
She was already moving towards the imminent disaster when she ran smack into her boyfriend's stubborn chest. Having forgotten momentarily about his approach, Lorelai was extremely relieved to see him; now she wouldn't have to diffuse the situation by herself. Grabbing his arm, she attempted to continue her movement. "Luke, we've got to- "
Refusing to be pulled anywhere, Luke snapped, "No Lorelai."
But she wasn't paying attention to her moody boyfriend. Instead her eyes were glued to the lurid scene unfolding outside Miss Patty's. She grimaced as Jess jumped down onto the ground in between Rory and Dean.
More desperate, she tried again to tell Luke what was going on. "You're not listening. It's-"
"Lorelai, I'm really not in the mood for this right now." Luke sounded downright exhausted as he continued, "I just came over here to give you this food before it gets cold." She wanted to scream with frustration at the man's lack of observational skills. Didn't he see that she was trying to tell him something?
Once again, she opened her mouth to protest, "It's not..." But her voice tapered off as another masculine figure joined the threesome, wrapping his arms around Rory's waist. That had to be Tristan. And even if she couldn't see his face, Lorelai expected it was drawn in a line just as tight as the other two boys'.
But Luke, his back towards the scene, was oblivious to what she was watching with such interest. Rolling his eyes at her lack of attention, Luke informed her, "Listen, I've got a lot of cleaning up to do at the diner, so I'm just going to go. I'll call you later." He started to walk away when she frantically grabbed his arm.
"Luke. Stop pouting and look over there. Tell me what you see." He turned in the direction of her finger, and his eyes widened.
"Dammit." With that, he was gone, shoving his way through the crowd, hoping to get there before anything happened.
* * * * *
Rory freed herself from Tristan's arms, glaring at him as she distanced herself from the group. "Tristan..." Her voice held warning, but he was not paying any attention as he locked stares with the other two teens.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have anybody to annoy in your own city?" Dean sneered, raising to his full height as he loomed over Tristan.
Unaffected, he retorted, "But it's just so fun to annoy you." Grinning, he continued, "Besides, I thought Mary might be having trouble readjusting to small town life after OUR summer in the big city, so I decided to drop by and, you know, incorporate a little excitement into her night." Tristan's gaze moved suggestively towards Rory, the meaning of his words coming through clear.
"Well, as you can see she isn't lacking for excitement." Jess gestured towards the massive party going on behind him before adding, "so you're-"
"-and her name is Rory." Dean cut into Jess' threat, earning himself two sets of glares.
"Well, if you would let me finish, I was going to say that then when I found out she was finding excitement all by herself, I got a little jealous. Decided to check it out for myself." Tristan smiled widely, his eyes shifted from Dean to Jess and back again as he delivered the statement with his usual mocking arrogance. "And it's called a nickname, Bagboy. You see how that works? Like I just called you Bagboy, that's your nickname. Same way, I call her Ma-"
"Yeah, well if you're enjoying the party so much maybe you should get back to it." Dean's words cut into the air, an unspoken threat.
"That's right. We're busy here." Jess a step towards Rory, lightly touching her elbow. A fire ignited in Tristan's eyes at the touch and Rory watched him with extreme discomfort. She'd never seen him look so... well, scary.
"You guys.. can we please just..." Her latest attempt at logic was cut off by Dean pushing between her and Jess, grabbing her hand with extreme force.
"Yes. WE," he held up their hands for both Tristan and Jess to see, "are busy." Jess glowered and clenched his fists while Tristan just smirked and leaned casually against the building.
"I'm sorry boys, but Mary and I made plans for tonight. So you two will just have to find something else to do." Tristan, suddenly stood up straight and snapped his fingers as if he just had a startling realization. "I know! Maybe you guys could go someplace together and just have a nice, quiet chat about what you think Mary and I are busy doing." He smirked at the two as their faces contorted in rage.
"Tristan!" Rory yelled out in shock, and he shifted his gaze back towards her, shrugging his shoulders innocently.
"It was just a suggestion."
Rory covered her face in her hands; she might've laughed at the sheer gall it took to say something like that if the situation hadn't been so dire. He was purposely picking a fight with those two, and the only time Tristan did that was when he felt threatened.
"I think RORY," Jess was speaking now, apparently bored of their verbal sparring, "will have plenty of free time tonight after I put you out of commission." The distance was rapidly closing between the two as Jess spoke.
"Dean, do something." Rory begged the only boy that was still paying half a wits attention to her.
"Don't worry, Ror. I'll do something all right." Dropping her hand, he began to approach Tristan in time with Jess. "As soon as I finish helping Jessie here beat the accountant into the ground, I'll take you home so we can finish our conversation."
Tristan held his hands up in mock surprise, making a perfect o with his mouth. "Now boys, you're not telling me that it takes your combined efforts just to take down little ol' me?"
"What? You getting scared that you left your bodyguards at home, rich boy?" Jess was sneering as he continued to advance on Tristan.
Unafraid, Tristan raised himself to his full height and stared down at Jess, his tone suddenly losing all of the playfulness. "You do not want to mess with me, burger boy. Ask your friend over there what happened when he gave it a try."
Seeing Dean's fist tense, Rory knew the first punches were going to be momentary. Desperate for help, she whipped around, only to see Luke whooshing by her, and situating himself directly in the middle of the three boys. "Don't even think about it."
Rory sighed in relief, turning to her mother. "Thank God you're here."
Lorelai smiled down Rory's panicked expression. "Well, to quote the words of my compassionate daughter, 'your boyfriends, your problem' but I figured you defused the earlier situation for me, it's only fair that I pull out the big guns for yo- " Her smile faltered as another figure came around the side of the building. "Shit."
* * * * *
Chris had actually begun to enjoy himself, discussing the unusual game set- up with the man he'd met last May... Jackson something or another.
"I'm telling you, man, this place is like a scene out of some horror movie dream sequence. All these carrots racing towards a giant rabbit?"
Jackson shook his head in disapproval. "You've got to have an open mind. My wife is selling vegetables right over there," Jackson gestured towards the woman Chris recognized as Lorelai's friend, "and these carrots make people hungry."
"All I'm saying is that where I'm from, a rabbit that vicious," Chris pointed at the sharp-toothed pictorial hanging at the right side of the wall, some strange orange substance dripping from his teeth, "is going to do nothing but scare the customers away, not to mention give their children nightmares."
"I really wish people would stop saying that! The picture is not that scary!" Jackson had then launched into some sort of monologue concerning their lack of artists in town when he'd spotted them off to his right.
The burly figure shrugging Lorelai off of his arm, as she tried to stop him from walking away. What did she see in that guy? A look of disgust came over his face as he remembered the earlier comment. 'My GIRLFRIEND.' Who did he think he was?
But Chris's irritation ebbed away as he noticed the concerned look on Lorelai's face. She was pointing at something across the field... following her fingertip, his eyes focused on Rory and some boy, no wait... two... no, three boys. What was Rory doing meeting with three guys all the way over there? And why did Lorelai look worried rather than irritated by it? Chris didn't really see a problem, but the way Lorelai and Luke were rushing towards the group, there was obviously a level he didn't know about going on.
Thinking maybe he could find out by calling her over, Chris waved his arm and yelled. "Rory!" But she couldn't hear him, and Lorelai and that bonehead boyfriend of hers were getting closer by the second. Turning to the man that he'd been talking to, Chris excused himself. "Excuse me. I think something is up with my daughter." Chris started to push away when the guy he was standing with grabbed his arm.
"Rory... Rory Gilmore is your daughter?"
"Yeah, and I've got to go see what's up, if you would let go of me." Chris gave the guy a strange look as he began to follow him.
"So you're Lorelai's ex?"
"Yeah.. so?" What was wrong with this guy, playing twenty questions at a time like this? And why was he following him? Chris continued to push through the crowd.
"But you two are definitely broken up? There's no reason why you chasing after her and Luke would be a bad thing?"
"No, I guess not. Now if you'll excuse me..." Chris finally pried himself from the man's grasp as he cleared the large herd of people at the edge of the party. Rounding the corner, he stopped abruptly as he reached his destination. Taking in the scene, he groaned to himself. "Great, just great."
* * * * *
It was almost comical really.
Lorelai stood on the edge of the scene, watching it all unfold. She never thought she'd see the day where Dean and Jess were on the same side of an argument, but it looked like where Tristan was concerned, they were. The two were staring menacingly at him, and now that Luke had jumped in the middle of it, they appeared to deciding whether or not they could take Luke on too. She stifled a giggle as he started his typical ranting.
"I don't know what the problem is here, but I'm guessing it has to do with that girl over there." Luke pointed at Rory. "And if I'm right about that, which I know I am, then I can assure you that you three fighting will not impress her. You two ought to know that already," Luke shot a dirty look at the two teens he actually know before continuing, "Honestly though, I don't really care. You will not be fighting tonight, so I'm telling you all to just get out of here, especially YOU." Luke focused his attentions on Jess. "I don't even know what you're thinking, getting into this position. I thought I told you no more fighting. I want- "
"Lorelai, you didn't tell me your boyfriend had a son, especially one that is so obviously... troubled." Chris sneered as he spit the last word out, as he walked up behind the foursome, adding offhandedly, "Figures though... like father like son..." He paused for a second to fix Luke with a satisfied grin before continuing his saunter towards Lorelai and Rory.
Unfortunately for Chris though; he was unprepared for the extremity of Luke's temper. Nobody even had time to respond as Luke's fist came flying out nowhere. It hit Chris's jaw with a resounding crack, and immediately the fight was on. Chris lunged at him, tackling him around the waist.
Jess took advantage of the disturbance to throw a fist at Tristan. Falling backwards from the force of the hit, the blond immediately went into fight mode. Holding up his arms to defend against Dean's forthcoming punches, Lorelai could see the skills he'd learned at military school coming into play. Tristan was in much better shape than either of the other two, and he easily blocked against their attacks.
"Would you guys stop it?" Lorelai screamed at the top of her lungs at the massive group of quarreling men, causing a slight pause in action. A very slight pause. But as soon as they'd stopped the three teenagers commenced fighting and Luke was spurred back into action, shoving Chris in the direction he came.
"Get the hell out of here." With that, Luke turned his back on the man and started towards the three teens who were still pummeling one another on his right.
"You wish." Chris wasn't ready to give up just yet. Right as Luke grabbed hold of Jess's arm, intending to yank the youth out of the fight, Chris landed a running leap onto Luke's back, knocking him into Dean and causing both to fall to the ground, Jess getting captured in the collision and crushed under them.
That gave Tristan all the advantage he needed. Lorelai cringed as she saw him setting it up. Dean was pulling himself up off the top of the pile and turned around just in time to see Tristan's fist slamming into the center of his face. Reeling from the power behind the punch, Dean went flying backwards and fell to the ground. When he didn't get up, Rory's face twisted in horror and she looked up to meet the unapologetic look in Tristan's eyes.
"I told him next time I wasn't pulling punches." She remained still, locked in his unwavering stare until it was broken by Jess's fist making contact with the side of Tristan's jaw.
Turning towards the source of the punch, Tristan launched an assault similar to the one he'd used on Dean, but unfortunately for Tristan, Jess proved to be a much worthier opponent. Obviously the attitude wasn't the only thing he'd learned off the streets of New York. The boys exchanged blows pretty evenly, pure hatred registering on both faces.
Suddenly, Lorelai noticed the rush of air on her right side where Rory had been crouched over Dean's unconscious form. Turning around, she saw her jogging away from the group.
"Rory, wait!" Lorelai ran after her daughter, casting one more glance at the fight going on behind her. She met Luke's gaze as he crushed Chris's head into the side of the building.
Honestly, if it wasn't so personal she would have been laughing her ass off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
an - okay guys, this is like my favorite chapter in the whole story; i know it's written kinda odd, every scene going back in time just a little, but that's what happens when you try to write synchronized events. but it's still the first chapter of this story i ever wrote, the one the whole thing is built around (do you see now why the lame chris plot had to be included?) And i know everyone's physical orientations to one another are kinda hard to envision, not only b/c everyone's so spread out, but b/c i'm taking liberties with the organization of Star's Hollow. But you'll just have to go with me on that. I'd draw u a picture if i could, but i can't so i won't. Sorry.
Anyways, if you ever felt inclined to review this story; this would be the chapter i'd most like to get feedback from you on. Thanks. i'll have the next chapter proofread and posted in a few days.
a/n - now, thanks for the reviews on the last chapter and sorry for any strange numbering that was going on; it should all be fixed now. So as promised, here's the next installment (in a descent amt. of time!)
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Chapter 29 - It Was Supposed To Be A Party
Rory hurried nervously towards the two men engaged in a staring contest. The things men do for love. She shook her head and lunged in between the two men. "Dad! Hi!" Rory leapt towards her father, ignoring the tension in the air. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh.. I just wanted to be part of the welcome home festivities." Chris managed a tiny smile at Rory, his glaring gaze still fixed on Luke.
Rory smiled feebly, still vying for their attention. "So I take it you two know one another?"
"You could say that." Luke was practically growling. Rory turned her attention to the picnic basket by Luke's feet.
"Ooh! Did you pack this stuff up for me?" She tried to sound giddy, but the effort was lost in the tension. "And you even got me a pretty basket with a bow and everything."
Clearing his throat, Luke looked somewhat embarrassed. "Yeah... well, it was the last one in the store. Don't get used to it."
"Aww Luke, I knew you missed me." Noticing the annoyed look on her father's face, Rory switched gears again, digging into the basket. "Oh! There's even coffee in here! Did you know that in all of Chicago, they can't make a decent cup of coffee?" She directed the question to her father, thankful to see the that the men were no longer looking at one another. "It's a gift and a curse having drank Luke's coffee. Once you've had a cup, no other coffee will ever quite fill the void." Rory was babbling incoherently, ignoring the tension in the air.
"But enough about coffee, I think I saw one of those 'throw the ball in the jar and win a goldfish' games over there, and you know how I love goldfish," Rory was off and running, already pulling her father along behind her. "It's the only game I ever win at. Like last year it was just my third try when I won little Hamlet, but he died before we got home, so I don't think I'm going to name the next one anything from Shakespeare. It's a bad omen to be named after all those tragic-" Rory stopped suddenly, realizing that she was just leaving Luke behind. "Uh... did you want to come?"
"No." His response was immediate, and Rory had to stifle a giggle as he quickly rephrased, "I mean, no thanks. I'm sure your Mom is starving, so I'm going to go take the rest of this to MY GIRLFRIEND." Luke spoke through clenched teeth, stressing the words as he walked away.
"Okay then, I'm going to go win a fish for my DAUGHTER." Chris yelled after him, snatching Rory's hand and stalking towards the game tents.
"Hey Dad, think you could.. uh.. maybe loosen the grip just a little?" Rory attempted wiggling her fingers in his death hold, but to no avail. He didn't even seem to have heard her as he continued pushing impatiently through the crowds. Sighing, she kept trying to get his attention as she trailed along behind him. "Really, I'm pretty sure that most circles regard unrestricted blood flow as a positive thing..."
* * * * *
Jess sat on the roof playing with the short wooden necklace he wore. It was the only gift Rory had given him. They'd bought matching ones back in May, and he'd worn it all summer long. He used it to remind himself that she was real, not just a figment of his imagination. But she wasn't and she was back, finally. And after all this time, Jess knew that they had some serious face-to-face talking to do.
She had called this afternoon to talk to him, but he hadn't been ready yet. He'd chickened out when the phone had started ringing, afraid of what she might say. That she didn't want to be with him. ...Or that she did. No matter what she had decided, things were going to change between them, and honestly, Jess was a little scared of that. So he had avoided her.
He sighed and laid down backwards. The party below was still going strong, and he could see every move she made. She had just finished breaking up a fight between her dad and Luke, and now she was playing games near the gazebo. Jess smiled at the sight of her. This was what he'd been waiting for. Regardless of his own fears, he was still ecstatic that she was back.
The expression of pure concentration as she aimed her ping-pong ball shots was more than enough to crack Jess' normally stoic expression. No one could resist laughing at her misguided approach to throwing as she competed with her father. But his smile faded as she landed the first shot. Rory wasn't hopping up and down and dancing like he would have expected. Instead she just beamed and accepted the fish as she fell into a conversation with the girl running the game. Her short yellow sundress wrinkled slightly as she leaned casually against the counter, an interested smile on her face.
There was something new, and Jess wasn't sure what to make of it. There was a noticeable difference in her now than before she left; she seemed more mature, more self-assured. Rory was carrying herself with a much more experienced air, and Jess had no doubt what had given her that. A summer in the city could do a lot to a person... He felt his body begin to tense up, suddenly uncomfortable with this thought.
Focusing again on the booth, Jess realized he'd lost track of her. She was no longer by the gazebo but was walking directly towards Miss Patty's, right towards him. And she wasn't alone... She was with someone... Jess felt his fists clench as he recognized her companion. Dean.
His face hardened as he saw the way Dean rested his palm across her back, guiding her through the crowd. The determined look on the kid's face was easily readable, and Jess couldn't help but frown further. There was no way he was going to let Dean win her back, not after all of his waiting: first for her to break up with Dean, and now another whole summer of her getting over him. A growl rose in his throat as anger overtook his earlier turmoil.
It was Jess's turn, and he was ready to fight for it.
* * * * *
"Rory, can I talk to you?" Rory stilled at the sound of a extremely familiar voice.
She smiled apologetically at the girl behind the counter, an old friend from Star's Hollow High, and then turned around slowly, forcing herself to grin as she greeted her ex-boyfriend. "Hi Dean. Long time, no see. How are you doing?" Her tone sounded perky enough, if not too much so, and Rory almost sighed aloud at the immediate tension that overtook her.
Why was this so hard? Dean was her friend, and just because they'd had one awkward visit in Chicago didn't mean things had to remain that way between them. After all, she'd had hundreds of awkward moments with Lane in the past, and their friendship was as strong as ever. Why shouldn't that work with Dean too? Her smiled became brighter at the thought and she decided to give it another try, turning her attention back to the conversation, or rather monologue, that had been going on without her.
"...for weeks. And I was thinking that maybe we could talk... you know, alone." He stressed the alone part, tilting his head towards the building on their right.
"Umm.. sure." Rory turned towards her father, who was already talking animatedly with some man at the water pistol game counter, debating the merits of sprinting rabbits v. the unconventional racing carrots they were using. "Dad, I'm going to go over there for a while, okay?"
"Yeah, sure..." He wasn't listening and Rory turned and followed Dean's back as he wove his way through the crowd, stopping on the other side of Miss Patty's. He stopped abruptly, and turned around to face her only inches away.
"I've missed you Rory." There was a serious tone in his voice and Rory suddenly felt even more uncomfortable. She shifted restlessly and tried to back away.
"Uh.. I missed you too, Dean. Thanks for coming to my party."
"Did you really?"
"Really what?" Rory was only half paying attention. The other half of her brain was engrossed with figuring out a way to get out of there without looking rude.
"Miss me? You're not just saying that to be polite?" His tone sounded hopeful and Rory finally looked up to meet his eyes, disappointed with herself for the unfriendly thoughts she'd been entertaining.
"Dean, I thought we'd already covered this back in July." Rory responded somewhat impatiently. "You are a great guy, and I would be crazy not to miss you when I go away for a whole summer."
"But even before that..." He left the sentence unfinished, his eyes displaying his pain, and Rory sighed. He needed her to spell every little thing out for him.
"Yeah, May wasn't such a good month for us either." She looked earnestly into his eyes as she continued, "But even then I still considered you one of my best friends, and I really do miss you not being around." Rory smiled soothingly, hoping that he would finally accept that she was telling him the truth. Because she was; she'd meant every word of it. Dean had been an important part of her life, and Rory didn't want him to disappear just because they weren't dating anymore.
She grinned as a smile lit up his face. "Good, because I really think we could work this time, if you'd give it a chance..."
Dammit! He wanted to get back together. Rory suddenly felt sick. She didn't know how to break it to him that she still didn't love him like that; that her feelings were strictly platonic. She just wished that she wasn't so blind sometimes; she should've seen this coming.
But he was oblivious to her obvious discomfort, still rambling on about how they could make it work. She placed her palm on his arm, preparing to decline as nicely as possible when a voice behind... no... above her broke into the exchange.
"Too bad that's not going to happen."
* * * * *
"...wasn't even wearing a life jacket!" Lane paused for her first breath since he'd started the Porsche, and Tristan sighed in relief. He'd been seriously concerned the girl would run out of oxygen and he'd have to spend his first official date with Rory in the emergency room explaining how it was that he'd almost killed her best friend.
Cutting the engine on his vehicle, Tristan shot his passenger a curious look, "Do you always talk this much?"
"What?" Lane paused for a second, startled by his directness, but she quickly recovered, shooting him a dirty look as she explained, "You would too if you were forced into silence at least six hours out of the day by a lunatic Korean woman who has still clings strongly to the belief that children should be seen and not heard. And yes, before you say anything, I'm well aware that I'm not a child anymore. The psychopath that is my mother on the other hand, well, let's just say I'll still be a child at seventy-four if she has anything to say about it. ...unless I start popping out quiet little Korean children of my own-"
"And that is where I'm going to have to ask you to please stop." Tristan grimaced at the image her words were providing him as he climbed out of the car.
Looking at him over the hood, Lane blushed slightly. "Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away."
In response, Tristan just shook his head and laughed. "You know, I think I'm beginning to understand why Rory rambles so much."
"Hold up for just a minute there, Boot Camp Boy." Lane fixed him with her pointer finger as she scolded, "I still haven't decided whether I like you or not, so I suggest that you wait another couple hours to start with the insults."
"C'mon Penny; we both know that's a lie." Tristan smirked at the girl, who just narrowed her eyes at him in response. But her nasty look was slightly marred by the involuntarily twitching of her lips. Not missing her amusement, Tristan added, "Everyone loves me. You can't help it."
At that, the smile she'd been resisting burst through, and Tristan rolled back on his heels in triumph as she conceded, "Okay, fine. But you're still about three steps from being swallowed into the core of Stars Hollow, the center of all madness, and insulting the only ally you have is not the most..." Lane trailed off as she focused her attention on something over his shoulder, and Tristan followed her gaze.
"What?" He looked from side to side, not seeing what she thought was so interesting. Games, food, talking people. Nothing that seemed capable of silencing this talkative girl. "What is it?" He continued searching for what was so eye catching, when he saw it.
The vision immediately caused his heart to drop from his chest. Isolated from the rest of the party, leaning up against the building he'd parked in front of was her. There was no doubt in his mind that the dark-haired beauty with her back to him was Rory. And standing directly in front of her was him... the only person he'd ever truly hated, Dean.
It sure hadn't taken her long to track the so-called ex down, had it? Emitting a disillusioned laugh, Tristan started walking towards them. He only paused momentarily when he heard the nervous voice behind him calling out, "Tristan! Just wait a second, I'm sure it's not what-"
But he wasn't listening to her; he was done trying to understand, and he was done waiting. Whatever game Rory was pulling him into was over right now. If she thought that he was going to sit back patiently while she second guessed her decision to be with him, she was sadly mistaken. Tristan was going to find out right now what she wanted.
As he moved closer, Tristan felt his blood begin to boil. He had to get there fast; they looked so comfortable with the smiling and the touching and-
Suddenly another figure leapt off the building to join their ranks, and Tristan's eyes narrowed. He didn't recognize the kid, but from the menacing looks he was getting from Bagboy, it had to be that other kid... the one from the diner. Tristan felt another flash of anger at the added threat, but it quickly melted away as he realized that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Now he could set both of them straight at the same time.
* * * * *
"Too bad that's not going to happen."
Both teens looked up to see a wiry, dark-haired figure jumping off the roof of Miss Patty's. Jess. Rory's nausea increased and she almost groaned out loud as Jess ambled towards them. How could this be happening?
"What?" Dean spoke up, placing himself directly in Jess' path towards Rory.
The second teen was practically growling as he advanced on his aggressor. "You heard me. It's not gonna happen, so why don't you just find some other girl to stalk?" Sneering, Jess finished, "I'm sure there's someone of your 'caliber' out there."
"Jess, please..." Rory's meager attempt went unheard as the two continued sizing one another up.
"And who are you to decide what she wants?" Dean was towering over Jess, who continued to glare up at him undaunted. "Because unless there some really strange custody arrangement I'm not aware of going on here, I'm still thinking that would be Rory's decision to make."
"Well, it's just that she's already made that choice." Jess smirked as the blood drained from the other teen's face, pleased with the impact his little reminder induced.
With that, Jess started moving towards her and Rory waged an internal war as to what she should say, but her thoughts vanished suddenly as stop suddenly as a pair of strong arms came from behind, possessively wrapping themselves around her waist.
"Now that, I would definitely agree with you on." Tristan smirked as he cooly sized Jess up; then, in his typical smart-ass fashion, he nodded a small greeting to Dean. "Bag-boy." And before Dean could come back with a witty remark of his own, Tristan had shifted his attention back to Jess, "and I guess that makes you burger boy."
* * * * *
Lorelai watched as Chris settled into a conversation with Jackson by the water gun game, his nasty mood obviously fading. Sighing in relief, she shifted her eyes towards Luke, who was stalking towards her. He looked mad, but she could do something about that...
A smile was beginning to tug at her lips when something across the lawn caught her eye. A shadowed figure was perched right on top of Miss Patty's dance studio, a cigarette burning in his hands. Jess. She'd recognize his brooding anywhere. But that wasn't what concerned her; what concerned her was that her oblivious daughter, accompanied by Dean, was headed directly for him. And those three together could result in nothing but trouble.
She was already moving towards the imminent disaster when she ran smack into her boyfriend's stubborn chest. Having forgotten momentarily about his approach, Lorelai was extremely relieved to see him; now she wouldn't have to diffuse the situation by herself. Grabbing his arm, she attempted to continue her movement. "Luke, we've got to- "
Refusing to be pulled anywhere, Luke snapped, "No Lorelai."
But she wasn't paying attention to her moody boyfriend. Instead her eyes were glued to the lurid scene unfolding outside Miss Patty's. She grimaced as Jess jumped down onto the ground in between Rory and Dean.
More desperate, she tried again to tell Luke what was going on. "You're not listening. It's-"
"Lorelai, I'm really not in the mood for this right now." Luke sounded downright exhausted as he continued, "I just came over here to give you this food before it gets cold." She wanted to scream with frustration at the man's lack of observational skills. Didn't he see that she was trying to tell him something?
Once again, she opened her mouth to protest, "It's not..." But her voice tapered off as another masculine figure joined the threesome, wrapping his arms around Rory's waist. That had to be Tristan. And even if she couldn't see his face, Lorelai expected it was drawn in a line just as tight as the other two boys'.
But Luke, his back towards the scene, was oblivious to what she was watching with such interest. Rolling his eyes at her lack of attention, Luke informed her, "Listen, I've got a lot of cleaning up to do at the diner, so I'm just going to go. I'll call you later." He started to walk away when she frantically grabbed his arm.
"Luke. Stop pouting and look over there. Tell me what you see." He turned in the direction of her finger, and his eyes widened.
"Dammit." With that, he was gone, shoving his way through the crowd, hoping to get there before anything happened.
* * * * *
Rory freed herself from Tristan's arms, glaring at him as she distanced herself from the group. "Tristan..." Her voice held warning, but he was not paying any attention as he locked stares with the other two teens.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have anybody to annoy in your own city?" Dean sneered, raising to his full height as he loomed over Tristan.
Unaffected, he retorted, "But it's just so fun to annoy you." Grinning, he continued, "Besides, I thought Mary might be having trouble readjusting to small town life after OUR summer in the big city, so I decided to drop by and, you know, incorporate a little excitement into her night." Tristan's gaze moved suggestively towards Rory, the meaning of his words coming through clear.
"Well, as you can see she isn't lacking for excitement." Jess gestured towards the massive party going on behind him before adding, "so you're-"
"-and her name is Rory." Dean cut into Jess' threat, earning himself two sets of glares.
"Well, if you would let me finish, I was going to say that then when I found out she was finding excitement all by herself, I got a little jealous. Decided to check it out for myself." Tristan smiled widely, his eyes shifted from Dean to Jess and back again as he delivered the statement with his usual mocking arrogance. "And it's called a nickname, Bagboy. You see how that works? Like I just called you Bagboy, that's your nickname. Same way, I call her Ma-"
"Yeah, well if you're enjoying the party so much maybe you should get back to it." Dean's words cut into the air, an unspoken threat.
"That's right. We're busy here." Jess a step towards Rory, lightly touching her elbow. A fire ignited in Tristan's eyes at the touch and Rory watched him with extreme discomfort. She'd never seen him look so... well, scary.
"You guys.. can we please just..." Her latest attempt at logic was cut off by Dean pushing between her and Jess, grabbing her hand with extreme force.
"Yes. WE," he held up their hands for both Tristan and Jess to see, "are busy." Jess glowered and clenched his fists while Tristan just smirked and leaned casually against the building.
"I'm sorry boys, but Mary and I made plans for tonight. So you two will just have to find something else to do." Tristan, suddenly stood up straight and snapped his fingers as if he just had a startling realization. "I know! Maybe you guys could go someplace together and just have a nice, quiet chat about what you think Mary and I are busy doing." He smirked at the two as their faces contorted in rage.
"Tristan!" Rory yelled out in shock, and he shifted his gaze back towards her, shrugging his shoulders innocently.
"It was just a suggestion."
Rory covered her face in her hands; she might've laughed at the sheer gall it took to say something like that if the situation hadn't been so dire. He was purposely picking a fight with those two, and the only time Tristan did that was when he felt threatened.
"I think RORY," Jess was speaking now, apparently bored of their verbal sparring, "will have plenty of free time tonight after I put you out of commission." The distance was rapidly closing between the two as Jess spoke.
"Dean, do something." Rory begged the only boy that was still paying half a wits attention to her.
"Don't worry, Ror. I'll do something all right." Dropping her hand, he began to approach Tristan in time with Jess. "As soon as I finish helping Jessie here beat the accountant into the ground, I'll take you home so we can finish our conversation."
Tristan held his hands up in mock surprise, making a perfect o with his mouth. "Now boys, you're not telling me that it takes your combined efforts just to take down little ol' me?"
"What? You getting scared that you left your bodyguards at home, rich boy?" Jess was sneering as he continued to advance on Tristan.
Unafraid, Tristan raised himself to his full height and stared down at Jess, his tone suddenly losing all of the playfulness. "You do not want to mess with me, burger boy. Ask your friend over there what happened when he gave it a try."
Seeing Dean's fist tense, Rory knew the first punches were going to be momentary. Desperate for help, she whipped around, only to see Luke whooshing by her, and situating himself directly in the middle of the three boys. "Don't even think about it."
Rory sighed in relief, turning to her mother. "Thank God you're here."
Lorelai smiled down Rory's panicked expression. "Well, to quote the words of my compassionate daughter, 'your boyfriends, your problem' but I figured you defused the earlier situation for me, it's only fair that I pull out the big guns for yo- " Her smile faltered as another figure came around the side of the building. "Shit."
* * * * *
Chris had actually begun to enjoy himself, discussing the unusual game set- up with the man he'd met last May... Jackson something or another.
"I'm telling you, man, this place is like a scene out of some horror movie dream sequence. All these carrots racing towards a giant rabbit?"
Jackson shook his head in disapproval. "You've got to have an open mind. My wife is selling vegetables right over there," Jackson gestured towards the woman Chris recognized as Lorelai's friend, "and these carrots make people hungry."
"All I'm saying is that where I'm from, a rabbit that vicious," Chris pointed at the sharp-toothed pictorial hanging at the right side of the wall, some strange orange substance dripping from his teeth, "is going to do nothing but scare the customers away, not to mention give their children nightmares."
"I really wish people would stop saying that! The picture is not that scary!" Jackson had then launched into some sort of monologue concerning their lack of artists in town when he'd spotted them off to his right.
The burly figure shrugging Lorelai off of his arm, as she tried to stop him from walking away. What did she see in that guy? A look of disgust came over his face as he remembered the earlier comment. 'My GIRLFRIEND.' Who did he think he was?
But Chris's irritation ebbed away as he noticed the concerned look on Lorelai's face. She was pointing at something across the field... following her fingertip, his eyes focused on Rory and some boy, no wait... two... no, three boys. What was Rory doing meeting with three guys all the way over there? And why did Lorelai look worried rather than irritated by it? Chris didn't really see a problem, but the way Lorelai and Luke were rushing towards the group, there was obviously a level he didn't know about going on.
Thinking maybe he could find out by calling her over, Chris waved his arm and yelled. "Rory!" But she couldn't hear him, and Lorelai and that bonehead boyfriend of hers were getting closer by the second. Turning to the man that he'd been talking to, Chris excused himself. "Excuse me. I think something is up with my daughter." Chris started to push away when the guy he was standing with grabbed his arm.
"Rory... Rory Gilmore is your daughter?"
"Yeah, and I've got to go see what's up, if you would let go of me." Chris gave the guy a strange look as he began to follow him.
"So you're Lorelai's ex?"
"Yeah.. so?" What was wrong with this guy, playing twenty questions at a time like this? And why was he following him? Chris continued to push through the crowd.
"But you two are definitely broken up? There's no reason why you chasing after her and Luke would be a bad thing?"
"No, I guess not. Now if you'll excuse me..." Chris finally pried himself from the man's grasp as he cleared the large herd of people at the edge of the party. Rounding the corner, he stopped abruptly as he reached his destination. Taking in the scene, he groaned to himself. "Great, just great."
* * * * *
It was almost comical really.
Lorelai stood on the edge of the scene, watching it all unfold. She never thought she'd see the day where Dean and Jess were on the same side of an argument, but it looked like where Tristan was concerned, they were. The two were staring menacingly at him, and now that Luke had jumped in the middle of it, they appeared to deciding whether or not they could take Luke on too. She stifled a giggle as he started his typical ranting.
"I don't know what the problem is here, but I'm guessing it has to do with that girl over there." Luke pointed at Rory. "And if I'm right about that, which I know I am, then I can assure you that you three fighting will not impress her. You two ought to know that already," Luke shot a dirty look at the two teens he actually know before continuing, "Honestly though, I don't really care. You will not be fighting tonight, so I'm telling you all to just get out of here, especially YOU." Luke focused his attentions on Jess. "I don't even know what you're thinking, getting into this position. I thought I told you no more fighting. I want- "
"Lorelai, you didn't tell me your boyfriend had a son, especially one that is so obviously... troubled." Chris sneered as he spit the last word out, as he walked up behind the foursome, adding offhandedly, "Figures though... like father like son..." He paused for a second to fix Luke with a satisfied grin before continuing his saunter towards Lorelai and Rory.
Unfortunately for Chris though; he was unprepared for the extremity of Luke's temper. Nobody even had time to respond as Luke's fist came flying out nowhere. It hit Chris's jaw with a resounding crack, and immediately the fight was on. Chris lunged at him, tackling him around the waist.
Jess took advantage of the disturbance to throw a fist at Tristan. Falling backwards from the force of the hit, the blond immediately went into fight mode. Holding up his arms to defend against Dean's forthcoming punches, Lorelai could see the skills he'd learned at military school coming into play. Tristan was in much better shape than either of the other two, and he easily blocked against their attacks.
"Would you guys stop it?" Lorelai screamed at the top of her lungs at the massive group of quarreling men, causing a slight pause in action. A very slight pause. But as soon as they'd stopped the three teenagers commenced fighting and Luke was spurred back into action, shoving Chris in the direction he came.
"Get the hell out of here." With that, Luke turned his back on the man and started towards the three teens who were still pummeling one another on his right.
"You wish." Chris wasn't ready to give up just yet. Right as Luke grabbed hold of Jess's arm, intending to yank the youth out of the fight, Chris landed a running leap onto Luke's back, knocking him into Dean and causing both to fall to the ground, Jess getting captured in the collision and crushed under them.
That gave Tristan all the advantage he needed. Lorelai cringed as she saw him setting it up. Dean was pulling himself up off the top of the pile and turned around just in time to see Tristan's fist slamming into the center of his face. Reeling from the power behind the punch, Dean went flying backwards and fell to the ground. When he didn't get up, Rory's face twisted in horror and she looked up to meet the unapologetic look in Tristan's eyes.
"I told him next time I wasn't pulling punches." She remained still, locked in his unwavering stare until it was broken by Jess's fist making contact with the side of Tristan's jaw.
Turning towards the source of the punch, Tristan launched an assault similar to the one he'd used on Dean, but unfortunately for Tristan, Jess proved to be a much worthier opponent. Obviously the attitude wasn't the only thing he'd learned off the streets of New York. The boys exchanged blows pretty evenly, pure hatred registering on both faces.
Suddenly, Lorelai noticed the rush of air on her right side where Rory had been crouched over Dean's unconscious form. Turning around, she saw her jogging away from the group.
"Rory, wait!" Lorelai ran after her daughter, casting one more glance at the fight going on behind her. She met Luke's gaze as he crushed Chris's head into the side of the building.
Honestly, if it wasn't so personal she would have been laughing her ass off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
an - okay guys, this is like my favorite chapter in the whole story; i know it's written kinda odd, every scene going back in time just a little, but that's what happens when you try to write synchronized events. but it's still the first chapter of this story i ever wrote, the one the whole thing is built around (do you see now why the lame chris plot had to be included?) And i know everyone's physical orientations to one another are kinda hard to envision, not only b/c everyone's so spread out, but b/c i'm taking liberties with the organization of Star's Hollow. But you'll just have to go with me on that. I'd draw u a picture if i could, but i can't so i won't. Sorry.
Anyways, if you ever felt inclined to review this story; this would be the chapter i'd most like to get feedback from you on. Thanks. i'll have the next chapter proofread and posted in a few days.
