Fifty Shades of DuGrey
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the 'Gilmore Girls' or the 'Fifty Shades' trilogy or the characters involved. I merely thought the title would be a funny twist, so I decided to go with it.
Re-uploaded
Rory could sense the tension in the room as she fumbled over a couple of papers, before nervously clearing her throat. It was just another interview, one more interview where she would make a complete ass out of herself.
And how did she know this? Experience. Experience told her that she sucked when under pressure, which was probably not the best trait to have going straight into an interview. Fortunately her previous work experience had covered all the general bases of the job requirement, so at least she didn't have to worry about feeling stressed and under qualified.
She just needed to relax – find her zen. Otherwise she was going to end up with a bad case of verbal diarrhea. And considering the usual speed with which she talked, she pretty much sounded like a cartoon chipmunk on speed.
'Sorry about the hold up, I'm sure he'll be with you shortly,' the woman who had led her into the room apologized once again, giving Rory a tight smile as she rummaged through a pile of files on the desk, her burgundy nail polish gleaming back at Rory as she ran her hand over one in particular before pulling it out of the stack.
Her heels clanked loudly against the polished wooden floor as she exited the room, leaving Rory sitting there grasping her resume, feeling the intimidating presence of the large empty chair in front of her.
The door opened once more and Rory was almost certain the secretary had left something behind when she heard a very deep male voice respond to her presence.
'Sorry, I hope I haven't left you waiting too long. I just had some business that needed attending to.'
At the sound of his voice, Rory rose to her feet and turned to face him. Her eyes locked onto his as her mouth dropped open in shock.
Tristan DuGrey stood there, only a few feet away. His hair was shorter than she remembered it being the last time she saw him, but the suit and tie wasn't all that different from the uniform he'd been made to wear while attending quickly hid her shock at seeing him again with a smile, as she automatically tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear.
'Well, this is a little awkward,' she muttered softly, letting out a breathy laugh.
Tristan just stood there staring back at her as the silence lingered between them. His eyes soaked her in, as he gave a brief shake of his head.
'Rory Gilmore. You were the last person I expected to see standing here,' he eventually muttered as he frowned at her in confusion. 'Not that I am complaining, but I never really imagined you being the personal assistant type.'
'Oh, you'd be surprised,' she added quickly, unsure whether she had just been insulted or complimented as she diverted her gaze to the floor.
He motioned for her to take a seat as he made his way around the desk before settling into the large leather chair opposite her.
Rory sat down slowly and started shifting around in her seat, hoping to find some comfort in this strange situation she found herself in. Picking up a pitcher of water that had been sitting on the table, he held it towards one of the glasses on the desk and asked her if she wanted any. Shaking her head politely, she bit her lip and decided to just treat this like any other interview.
So what if the guy who was interviewing her was a blast from the past? She was a grown woman, who had run into plenty of old friends and school mates over the years - she could handle it.
Placing her credentials on the table, Rory decided that clearly this wasn't going to be any ordinary interview and resolved to just go with the flow.
'So you're in charge of this company?' she asked, raising her eyebrows as he poured himself a glass of water, the corners of his lips twitching into a smirk.
'Not the whole company, just this department,' he remarked and after a beat added. 'You would be surprised at the amount a guy can accomplish when he's being holed up in military school.'
'How was that by the way? The last time I saw you, you didn't seem too keen on going,' she asked and found that she was genuinely interested in his answer. She watched on as he rubbed the back of his head before sending her a mischievous smirk.
'It was certainly an experience I'll never forget.'
'So I'm guessing it wasn't all fun and games then,' Rory remarked and couldn't help but smile at the thought. 'It's hard to imagine what you would have been like in a girl-free zone. I mean it must have been pretty tough on you, because if memory serves me correct you were a bit of an extreme dater in high school.'
'Hey, that's not true. I only dated a couple of them,' Tristan said, holding his hands up in his defense.
Rory shook her head in amusement. 'I honestly don't see how that makes it any better, but okay.'
Tristan leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk as he moved in closer. Rory involuntarily mimicked his actions and then blushed when she realized what she just did, as she pulled back slightly hoping he hadn't noticed.
'What about you?' he asked, his voice taking on a hint of seriousness as his eyes locked on to hers.
Rory couldn't help but fidget. 'What would you like to know?'
'Are you married?'
Taken a little aback by the question, Rory glanced down at her hands and surveyed her jewelry-free fingers. 'No. I mean, there was someone, but it didn't work out.' When she glanced up she caught him studying her expression and quickly blushed. 'I thought you might want to ask me some work related questions?'
'No need,' he quickly stated, as he sat back in his chair. 'You already have the job.'
Rory frowned. 'But you haven't even looked at my credentials yet….'
Tristan merely shrugged at this, as if it were a common inconvenience.
'From what I remember about you Mary, you're more than capable. In fact the minute I saw that it was you in here, I knew I had to hire you.'
'Oh.' She wish she had something better to say than just oh, but he caught her off guard. 'Are you sure?'
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt like slapping her forehead. Way to go, Rory. The first job offer you get and you question their decision, she mentally scolded herself. But a part of her was feeling a little suspicious about his motive – didn't he used to hate her?
He brushed aside her comment as he rose to his feet. 'I'll get Miranda to write up a few legal documents and meanwhile we'll discuss a salary that you feel comfortable with.'
Grabbing the hand rests of her seat, she clutched them as she worked up the nerve to say what was on her mind, and then quickly blurted it out. 'Tristan… Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but why? I mean, I always thought you sort of hated me after what happened.'
Tristan sent her a meaningful glance, his eyes clouded over with some strange emotion that she couldn't place.
'Mary, I'm not really one to hold a grudge. And besides, I would be an idiot if I let you just walk out of here.'
Crap, she just put herself in an awkward position and she knew it too. Clearing her throat as quietly as she could, Rory stared down at her feet as she could feel the tell-tale signs of a blush creeping over her.
'Oh, good.'
'So, are you fine with this? Because if you don't want the position, just tell me now.'
'No. I mean, yes! I want this. I mean, I need this. A job, I mean,' she blurted out and then cringed. 'I'm sounding kind of pathetic now, huh?'
Fortunately for her, Tristan looked more amused than anything else as he held out his hand to her and gave her what she could only describe as a dashing smile. Boy, was she an idiot, she mentally kicked herself, wishing that the earth could open up and swallow her whole.
Rubbing her forehead out of mortification, she glanced down at the outstretched hand and hesitated for a second before reaching out and grasping it. He gave her palm a firm squeeze.
'So it's a deal then.'
'I guess so,' Rory agreed, as she smiled back at him. Tristan continued to hold her hand as the seconds ticked by before eventually letting go.