A/N: You all are going to like this. For realzies :)
Phase 2
For a few days Rory continued to be in the dark about what exactly Phase 2 of her plan to get Tristan and Paris together would entail. She didn't bother herself with it too much, though. She'd seen her mother work plans enough times to know that sometimes all a stalling plan needed was a little well timed inspiration. Hers came in the form of a floor wide party at her dorm. Their resident assistant had dreamt up the rather fortuitous engagement of holding a sort of mixer in their common area. While Rory was moderately sure that this mixer was against the dorm's codes, she applauded it for the sole reason that it laid the groundwork for the next part of her plan.
"I could not have come up with a better setting for Phase 2 if I had planned it myself," Rory enthused, walking with Logan through campus. It was a milder day and they were enjoying the weather. Knowing Connecticut weather, it would be snowing and freezing the next week.
"So, your RA is throwing a party? How is that getting past the school?"
"She's framing it as a bonding event for the floor," Rory explained. "I must say, her positioning of the event is very impressive. You should use her next time you guys want to plan something moderately against the rules."
He smirked. "We're never just moderately against the rules, Ace. So, you said that I would be part of Phase 2. Fill me in."
"Yes, you are integral part," Rory said, threading her arm through his. "In fact, you are what could make and break this phase, and therefore, the entire plan itself."
"This is way too much pressure. Oh wait, I don't actually care about Tristan and Paris. Go on."
Rory rolled her eyes. "You should care. Tristan in a relationship is a good thing, remember?"
"Yeah, I'm still not convinced it will stop his flirting with you. But, that is a point with which we are vehemently opposed on. So, continue on with the plan."
"Paris knows and believes that Tristan likes her. That was the pivotal – and difficult – first step. But now, we have to nudge Tristan into action. There are two surefire ways to do this. Alcohol and jealousy."
"How do you know there will be alcohol at this thing?" Logan asked. "Isn't it in a dorm?"
"Believe me, there will be alcohol. While Paris and I are relatively dry, we're surrounded by a surprisingly high number of lushes."
"Huh, interesting."
"As for the jealousy, that's where you come in."
"Not happening," Logan said immediately, shaking his head. "I am not hitting on Paris."
Rory laughed, squeezing his arm. "I wasn't going to ask you to do that. You're mine, remember?"
"Every minute," he returned with a grin, kissing her cheek. "Okay, who are you sticking on her then."
Rory hesitated for just a moment before saying, "Finn?"
"Ha, no," Logan said, shaking his head. "There's no way he'd do it."
"Why not?"
"For starters, she's not a redhead. And beyond that, Finn can't stand Paris. He thinks she talks too much."
"He likes me and I talk just as much, if not more."
"Yes, but you are dating me. That automatically puts you in Finn Rothschild's good graces. Paris on the other hand…"
"He's the only one that will work," Rory pressed. "We need him."
"What about Colin? He always seemed to have a sort of weird thing for her."
"He won't be blatant enough with his flirting. We need someone who will be so over the top in his affections that Tristan can't help but notice. Finn is the only one."
Logan nodded appreciatively and said, "His voice does cut through a crowd. Well, talk to him yourself. See if he'll budge. I know he won't for me, but you may be able to persuade him."
While Finn was known largely on campus for his weekend shenanigans, Rory knew the true way to Finn's heart was not through a shot glass, but through his stomach. Like most men, Finn had an affinity for all things dessert and Rory made a special trip down to Stars Hollow to pick out Sookie's best.
"So, are these for your boy?" Sookie asked with a grin, standing behind Rory as she pored over the assortment of goodies in The Dragonfly's kitchen. Rory's attention was diverted by a tray of delicate chocolate truffles, and Sookie said, "Those are Jackon's favorites. He's a chocolate lover. One time for our anniversary I…" Sookie trailed off, eyes widening, "…and you don't need to hear that story."
Rory smirked. "Confusing me with my mom?"
"Yeah, a little," Sookie said, finishing the sentence off with a giggle. Rory decided on a the white chocolate peanut butter cookies and began putting them on a plate.
"Good choice," Sookie said, nodding appreciatively. "Logan will like those."
"These aren't for Logan," Rory said simply, looking at the plate and then adding a few more cookies for good measure.
"They're not? Oh, are you two…"
"We're still together," Rory said quickly. "Together and happy."
"That's good," Sookie with with a grin. "I always like Logan. He knows a good risotto."
Rory smirked. "Anyway, these are for my friend Finn. I'm going to try to bribe him into fake flirting with Paris."
Sookie nodded slowly. "Wow. Yeah, you might need more than the cookies for that. Take the truffles."
Rory grinned, watching Sookie fill a small white paper box with truffles. The door opened behind her, and before she could turn Lorelai said, "What are you doing here and why did I not know about it beforehand?"
Rory turned around and gave her mom a quick hug.
"Last minute decision," Rory said. "I needed something to bribe Finn into wooing Paris tonight."
"I thought you were setting her up with Tristan."
"That DuGrey kid?" Sookie interjected. "Didn't you pick him up from jail over break?"
"Yeah. But he was only there because he was busted by a fake prostitute," Rory said off-handedly. "Anyway, yes, I'm still setting her up with Tristan. This is phase 2."
"Phase 2," Lorelai repeated. "As in…"
"Tristan sees someone else hitting on Paris and is jolted into action. It's a foolproof phase, if I do say so myself."
"Look at my little Yentl," Lorelai cooed. "I'm so proud. What was Phase 1?"
"I got Paris to overhear Tristan admitting just enough of his feelings that she worked her way to her own conclusion."
"So, she thinks she discovered it herself," Lorelai finished, nodding appreciatively. "I have to say, babe, I'm impressed."
"I just want to get those two crazy kids together. And right now, I need Finn to do that. Which means I need to get back to campus.
"Already?" Lorelai asked unhappily.
"Yeah," Rory said. "The party's in about three hours and I still haven't gotten Finn to agree yet."
"Then duty calls," Lorelai said. "Drive safe and make sure to call me tomorrow with all the details."
"I will," Rory said. "And thanks for the treats, Sookie."
"No problem, sweetie. You go get Paris her man! God knows, that girl could use one."
It ended up being pretty easy to convince Finn. All it took was a promise to bring him another box of truffles and he folded like a lawn chair. There was another problem that had come on the Phase 2 horizon, though. And that problem's name was Paris Gellar.
"What do you mean you're not leaving our room?" Rory asked loudly. Paris gave her a look and Rory consciously lowered her voice. There was no reason to go all crazy on her roommate. The role reversal would be way too obvious, even to Paris. "Don't you want to at least join the party for a little?"
"What's the point?" Paris said, stretched out on the couch with a Hemmingway biography splayed out on her lap. "It's always the same. Drunk girl hits on drunk boy. Drunk girl and drunk boy make out on the couch. Drunk girl pukes on drunk boy. End of story."
"Okay, not all parties are like that."
"Yes, they are. They're boring and predictable, and I don't understand why you're excited. I thought you didn't like parties."
"I like parties," Rory said with a shrug.
"Since when?"
"Since…I don't know, okay. They're not that bad. Besides, Logan is coming with Finn and Colin."
"Finn and Colin are coming?" Tristan said, walking out of the bathroom. "Then I'm definitely not going."
'You too?" Rory asked in disbelief. She couldn't believe it. These two were singlehandedly ruining their chance at happiness.
"Those guys hate me on principal. No way I'm spending a whole night with them."
"But-"
"Besides, parties like this always have cheap beer."
"Okay, that's it!" Rory said loudly, drawing surprised looks from both her roommates. "You two need to stop being so ridiculous! You're both going to the party. This is supposed to be floor bonding and-"
"You know that's just a line she used to get this past the school," Paris said off-handedly.
"Paris is right," Tristan echoed. "This has more to do with getting wasted than anything resembling bonding."
"Fine, it's not floor bonding. It's Room 1008 bonding!"
"Why do we need to bond?" Paris asked skeptically.
"Because," Rory said, not exactly sure where she was going but too far gone to stop talking. "I want us to bond. We live together, after all. Wouldn't it be better if we were close."
"I don't want to be close to him," Paris said immediately, eying Tristan warily. Not to be outdone, Tristan returned, "I don't want to be close with her."
"We're all going to be close," Rory said definitively. "And we're going to the party. Otherwise, I'm…I'm cancelling our cable."
"What!" Tristan said loudly. "You can't do that!"
At the same time Paris screeched, "How am I supposed to watch my Biography programs? They have a segment on Hilary Clinton next month!"
"Well, you might just be missing Hilary next month," Rory said slowly. "It's up to you."
Rory's not-so-subtle blackmail worked and Tristan and Paris joined the party. She was surprised to see that in their shared reluctance to join the festivities, they stuck with each other on the outskirts of the crowd.
"You sure you want Finn to do his thing?" Logan asked, following Rory's gaze to the blonde pair.
"Yeah," Rory said, drawing her attention away from the pair. She glanced around for Finn and asked, "Where is he, anyway?"
Logan pointed over to the far corner where Finn had a busty redhead pressed up against the wall. Rory rolled her eyes and said, "I'll be right back."
She strode over to Finn and pulled him away from his redhead who shot her daggers as she said, "Um, we were talking."
"I'm sorry. I promise you can have him back in ten minutes."
"Whatever," the girl said, pushing back off from the wall and sauntering away. Finn frowned, watching her departure.
"Rory, why would you do that?" he complained, face sad as a puppy dog that lost its favorite squeaky toy.
"You're supposed to be hitting on Paris," she reminded him.
"Her name was Ginny," he said sadly, eyes still following the redhead. "She was going to show me her shamrock tattoo."
"Hey, focus!" Rory said, snapping her fingers in front of Finn's face. His attention returned to her – albeit reluctantly, and she reminded him, "The truffles, Finn. Remember the truffles."
"Right," he said nodding. He squared his shoulders and shook his head a little - preparing himself for the Paris-Gellar-Battle. "So, where is she, love?"
Rory covertly pointed to Paris, who was now standing alone. Perfect.
"I think I'm going to need a shot first."
"Yes, good idea," Rory said. That reminded her that she needed to get a shot in Tristan. There was a handle of vodka over on the table and Rory picked it up and poured a healthy dollop into Finn's empty cup.
"Bottoms up, champ," she said.
Finn downed the drink and then took a deep breath. She patted him on the shoulder and he turned and made his way toward Paris.
"Now, let's find the other one," Rory murmured to herself. She found Tristan a moment later, by himself with a cup of beer. Rory filched two plastic shot glasses from the table (she hadn't noticed them before with Finn) and filled them with the vodka.
"What do you say, roommate?" she said, offering him the shot glass.
"You've been really nice to me today," Tristan noted, taking the shot glass from her. "Why?"
"No reason," Rory said.
"It's not…" he glanced around them and then leaned in just a bit. "It's not because of the stuff I said about Paris, is it?"
"Maybe," Rory admitted. "What can I say? I like an underdog."
He laughed, shaking his head. He nodded toward the shot in her hand and said, "I can't believe you're drinking. The Rory Gilmore from Chilton wouldn't touch alcohol."
"People change," she said simply.
He nodded, gaze drifting over to Paris. "Yeah, I guess they do."
Just then Finn approached Paris, and Rory could see something flash across Tristan's face. His usual cocky grin came back into place before she could place the other look, though, and he raised his shot glass as he said, "To change."
She clinked her shot glass with his.
"To change."
Logan watched Rory take a shot with Tristan, surprised by the complete lack of jealousy that he felt at the blatant camaraderie. Maybe all of Rory's harping on him being better had worked, or maybe it was the way that Tristan had looked at Paris. He knew that look. It was the same one he'd had when he'd first started having feelings for Rory. Regardless, he didn't comment on the interaction when Rory joined him, face scrunched up from the shot.
"Why do you guys do this to yourselves?"
"Drink?"
She nodded, sticking her tongue out and shaking her head. "That was awful. No, that was worse than awful. That was...blaahhh."
"You probably just don't like vodka," he reasoned. "Maybe try some whiskey?"
She reacted much in the way that he thought she would, shaking her head firmly as she said, "Nope. That is not happening."
He laughed, winding his arm around her waist. She leaned against him, resting her head against his shoulder. He caught the scent of her shampoo, a mix of vanilla and lavender. She was gazing out at her masterpiece – Finn making quite the move on Paris Gellar. It was a sight to see – his undogged pursuit and her blatant disinterest.
"You were right," he said. "Finn was the man for the job."
"I'm glad you're seeing things my way," she said, grinning up at him. "Colin wouldn't have been nearly as good at this."
"As good at what?" Colin asked, appearing beside them.
"Wooing Paris Gellar."
"Hell no," Colin agreed. "And it would take a lot more than some truffles and cookies to make me do it. That was a bargain, Gilmore."
"I know," she said happily.
"Hold on, is Finn doing…magic tricks?" Logan said, leaning forward as he tried to get a better view.
The three took a closer look and sure enough Finn was doing some sort of tricks with a coin that he was trying to pull from behind Paris' ear. In the midst of the trick, though, he dropped it and it went straight down Paris' shirt.
"Oh, this is not good," Rory murmured.
Several things happened in quick succession, then. Paris' voice cut through the din of conversation and music as she screamed at Finn. She reached down into her shirt and grabbed the coin, throwing it forcefully at him. The coin hit Finn in the eye and he cried out, covering his eye with his hand.
"Well, that escalated quickly," Logan said.
Rory went back with the boys to their apartment, figuring she had done enough meddling (and unintentional Finn-harming) for one night. She got a package of frozen pizza rolls from the freezer and helped Finn put it on his bad eye. She sat next to him and said, "I'm really sorry, Finn. Honestly, when I asked you to help, I had no idea this would happen."
"Why the hell were you doing magic tricks, man?" Colin asked from the kitchen.
"I thought it might be my new thing. I was testing it out on Gellar first. See what happened."
"Well, I think it's fair to say it's not the best route," Logan said. He stood beside Rory and laid his hand on her shoulder. When she glanced up at him he asked, "You ready to go to bed?"
"Yeah." She stood up and asked Finn, "Is there anything I can get you?"
"My pride, for one," he returned. "And I really did like that coin. It was one of those state quarters."
"I'll look for it tomorrow," Rory offered. "Goodnight guys."
Rory followed Logan into his bedroom and shut the door behind her. The minute they were alone Logan began laughing.
"Stop it," she said, going over to his dresser and pulling out a pair of boxer shorts and a tshirt for herself. "It's not funny."
"It kind of is."
"Finn got a coin in his eye! That's not funny! That's awful. That's..." she trailed off, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "That is why you shouldn't meddle in other people's lives. Because people end up with coins in their eyes."
"If it makes you feel any better, Tristan had been over with her when we left. It is very possible they are doing the nasty right now."
Rory grinned a bit and admitted, "That does make me feel a little better."
"I knew it would," he said.
They both changed into pajamas and then slipped into bed. Rory snuggled up next to him, laying her head on his chest. His heart beat steadily beneath her ear, and she thought to herself that this was why she had done all of this. She was honestly happy with Logan – ridiculously so – and she wanted that for Tristan and Paris. They deserved that.
"Thank you," she said softly, pressing a kiss to his chest.
"For what?" he asked.
"For making me so happy."
He chuckled, his chest rumbling beneath her cheek. "Right back at you, Ace."
The next morning Rory came back to the dorm. The floor was a mess with remnants from the night before. She walked into her room, attention diverted momentarily by a stack of cups that had been put right next to the door. Tristan wasn't on the couch, but Rory didn't think much of it until she walked into her and Paris' bedroom and found him shacked up with Paris in the latter's bed. Both were still asleep and Rory slowly backed out of the room as to not wake them. With the door safely closed, Rory took a moment to celebrate her win. She pumped her fist in the air, grin so wide that it felt as if her face would crack, and happily whispered, "It worked!"
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this! If you did (or if you didn't) please leave feedback!
