Leaves
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to ASP and all those companies. I've spent all my money on Christmas presents anyway.
Pairing: R/T
Feedback: Please. Just so I don't disappear under a rock.
Author's Note: I'm updating even though I haven't written. Damn. No Troryness, sorry. I know I've written some in *somewhere.* Anyway, Lindsey, Tristan was supposed to be Rory's escort to all those debutante ball things. Jess is Rory's date to a party Emily is throwing to celebrate the end of the fun. Or socially acceptable masochism. Whichever. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
*****
Rory flung her bag onto the floor and hopped onto a stool, turning to Luke. She smiled; he glared.
"You are not sitting there until Jess comes down."
"Of course not. I'll just have a muffin."
"If I tell him not to give you coffee, he won't."
"No, Luke."
"He'll listen to me."
"I know."
"Oh, just take the damn thing." He slapped a cup down in front of her. "At least your mother can't do that."
"I can't do what?" Lorelai bounced up to Rory, who rolled her eyes, and retired to a table in the furthest corner.
Her cup was half full when Jess joined her.
"Hey."
"Hi, Jess."
"I'm going to this dance thing with you."
"Mom told me."
"I don't dance."
"But you will."
"No, I won't. I'm not taking lessons."
"I mean, on the night you'll get up and dance with me."
"Mmm. Maybe lessons wouldn't be such a bad idea. We should go somewhere besides Miss Patty's though."
"Sorry, don't have time. I'm not giving up movie night. You could still get them."
"Why did Lorelai ask me to go with you?"
"She likes you."
"She doesn't like Tristan?"
"Hasn't Luke told you about him yet?"
"Well, Luke's told me a lot of things. I take it they were true this time. He hasn't reformed?"
Rory hesitated. "Sort of," she replied cautiously, hoping Jess would move on; he just raised his eyebrows. "It's not like he's converted to Catholicism."
"He's just not such a mean bastard anymore." He took her silence for assent. "Everything your mother hates."
"I just said he wasn't so bad anymore."
"Think that'll matter to her?"
"Yes. She is not one `ist,' Jess. She's not racist or sexist or.... well, feminist - so not all `ists' are bad. That's not the point. She wouldn't make a judgement like that. She's letting me do all kinds of things, like go to the country club--"
"She's not comfortable with it though. She's trying not to alienate you from your grandparents, but she doesn't want you entering that world."
"I'm not."
"She obviously sees no redeeming value in it whatsoever. To leave it so completely. She wasn't thrown out, she chose to leave. Time has proved that she made the right decision, but to make that choice at the time--" Jess shook his head. "She must have had some compelling reasons. She must really hate that place, to have left, and stayed away when her parents offered their help. She needed that help so badly. How do you think she'd feel about you running right back?"
"I'm not." It sounded stronger this time, but it didn't feel it.
Lorelai began the trek to the table, triumphantly brandishing her mug; Jess stood, smiling at her.
"I better get to work. What colour is your dress for this shindig?"
"By no means is it a shindig. Why?"
"For the corsage."
It wasn't prom; Rory didn't want a corsage. Rory didn't even want a corsage for prom. "White."
"And what colour goes with that?"
**********
Lorelai plopped into the chair across from Rory and stared at Jess' retreating back.
"What did he want?"
"To ask me to tell you that his friend likes you."
Lorelai batted this away impatiently. "No, really."
"Just to reiterate the rules for Grandma's party. Nothing interesting."
Rory slugged her coffee; it was tepid. "What took you so long with Luke?"
"I have a date for your party too." Lorelai buried her head in her cup, but Rory was still staring at her when she emerged. "I needed one."
Rory shrugged. "As long as you mean it."
"What?"
"I know I have no right to get involved in your, ah, dating. But it still affects me. If you do start dating Luke, it will affect me. Good luck. As long as you mean it."
"I wouldn't be doing it for the free coffee. But, I'm not, doing it."
"Okay."
"Changing the subject, back to you. Jess?"
Rory forced herself to drink more of the cold coffee, ignoring the bitter sediment, wondering if her mouth looked as pinched as it felt. She wasn't sure what to tell her mother. She thought she knew what the truth was now, but she wasn't sure what Lorelai wanted it to be. She lowered the cup. "What about him?"
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You know..." Rory didn't reply, so she prodded some more. "You want to go with him, right?"
Rory shrugged. "He's my friend."
"Yeah. The same way Luke is my friend."
"No."
"No?"
"Not the same way Luke is your friend. We're just friends, Jess and I. I'm not sure that he knows that."
Lorelai closed her mouth. "Well, I totally thought you wanted him. Sorry about that."
"No, you were right. I did."
"And now you don't?"
"It's not that I don't--he's very attractive."
"It's just..." Lorelai propped her head on her hands and blinked at Rory expectantly.
"It's just that--" Rory still wasn't sure what to tell her mother. Wasn't sure if what Jess had claimed earlier was untrue. Wasn't ready to find out. Tristan wasn't worth it, yet.
"It's just that it's not enough. He's cute--"
"And sexy as hell."
"--and that--but--that's it. It's just that, and it's not enough." Rory glanced around the diner to see who was listening, and leaned into her mother, whispering, and blushing slightly. "He's sexy because he has all the attributes of sexiness, not because I can't stop imagining his hands on my body. Does that make sense?"
Lorelai smiled reminiscently. "Of course it does. Genuine attraction is an elusive thing. How do you know that it's not the real thing?"
"Besides, that's all it is, the sexy thing. He's nice, but I couldn't see myself studying with him or anything. Want some more coffee?"
Lorelai let it slide. "Go ask Jess. I don't know what we're gonna do when you tell him. And you complain about me. Huh."
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to ASP and all those companies. I've spent all my money on Christmas presents anyway.
Pairing: R/T
Feedback: Please. Just so I don't disappear under a rock.
Author's Note: I'm updating even though I haven't written. Damn. No Troryness, sorry. I know I've written some in *somewhere.* Anyway, Lindsey, Tristan was supposed to be Rory's escort to all those debutante ball things. Jess is Rory's date to a party Emily is throwing to celebrate the end of the fun. Or socially acceptable masochism. Whichever. Sorry if that wasn't clear.
*****
Rory flung her bag onto the floor and hopped onto a stool, turning to Luke. She smiled; he glared.
"You are not sitting there until Jess comes down."
"Of course not. I'll just have a muffin."
"If I tell him not to give you coffee, he won't."
"No, Luke."
"He'll listen to me."
"I know."
"Oh, just take the damn thing." He slapped a cup down in front of her. "At least your mother can't do that."
"I can't do what?" Lorelai bounced up to Rory, who rolled her eyes, and retired to a table in the furthest corner.
Her cup was half full when Jess joined her.
"Hey."
"Hi, Jess."
"I'm going to this dance thing with you."
"Mom told me."
"I don't dance."
"But you will."
"No, I won't. I'm not taking lessons."
"I mean, on the night you'll get up and dance with me."
"Mmm. Maybe lessons wouldn't be such a bad idea. We should go somewhere besides Miss Patty's though."
"Sorry, don't have time. I'm not giving up movie night. You could still get them."
"Why did Lorelai ask me to go with you?"
"She likes you."
"She doesn't like Tristan?"
"Hasn't Luke told you about him yet?"
"Well, Luke's told me a lot of things. I take it they were true this time. He hasn't reformed?"
Rory hesitated. "Sort of," she replied cautiously, hoping Jess would move on; he just raised his eyebrows. "It's not like he's converted to Catholicism."
"He's just not such a mean bastard anymore." He took her silence for assent. "Everything your mother hates."
"I just said he wasn't so bad anymore."
"Think that'll matter to her?"
"Yes. She is not one `ist,' Jess. She's not racist or sexist or.... well, feminist - so not all `ists' are bad. That's not the point. She wouldn't make a judgement like that. She's letting me do all kinds of things, like go to the country club--"
"She's not comfortable with it though. She's trying not to alienate you from your grandparents, but she doesn't want you entering that world."
"I'm not."
"She obviously sees no redeeming value in it whatsoever. To leave it so completely. She wasn't thrown out, she chose to leave. Time has proved that she made the right decision, but to make that choice at the time--" Jess shook his head. "She must have had some compelling reasons. She must really hate that place, to have left, and stayed away when her parents offered their help. She needed that help so badly. How do you think she'd feel about you running right back?"
"I'm not." It sounded stronger this time, but it didn't feel it.
Lorelai began the trek to the table, triumphantly brandishing her mug; Jess stood, smiling at her.
"I better get to work. What colour is your dress for this shindig?"
"By no means is it a shindig. Why?"
"For the corsage."
It wasn't prom; Rory didn't want a corsage. Rory didn't even want a corsage for prom. "White."
"And what colour goes with that?"
**********
Lorelai plopped into the chair across from Rory and stared at Jess' retreating back.
"What did he want?"
"To ask me to tell you that his friend likes you."
Lorelai batted this away impatiently. "No, really."
"Just to reiterate the rules for Grandma's party. Nothing interesting."
Rory slugged her coffee; it was tepid. "What took you so long with Luke?"
"I have a date for your party too." Lorelai buried her head in her cup, but Rory was still staring at her when she emerged. "I needed one."
Rory shrugged. "As long as you mean it."
"What?"
"I know I have no right to get involved in your, ah, dating. But it still affects me. If you do start dating Luke, it will affect me. Good luck. As long as you mean it."
"I wouldn't be doing it for the free coffee. But, I'm not, doing it."
"Okay."
"Changing the subject, back to you. Jess?"
Rory forced herself to drink more of the cold coffee, ignoring the bitter sediment, wondering if her mouth looked as pinched as it felt. She wasn't sure what to tell her mother. She thought she knew what the truth was now, but she wasn't sure what Lorelai wanted it to be. She lowered the cup. "What about him?"
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You know..." Rory didn't reply, so she prodded some more. "You want to go with him, right?"
Rory shrugged. "He's my friend."
"Yeah. The same way Luke is my friend."
"No."
"No?"
"Not the same way Luke is your friend. We're just friends, Jess and I. I'm not sure that he knows that."
Lorelai closed her mouth. "Well, I totally thought you wanted him. Sorry about that."
"No, you were right. I did."
"And now you don't?"
"It's not that I don't--he's very attractive."
"It's just..." Lorelai propped her head on her hands and blinked at Rory expectantly.
"It's just that--" Rory still wasn't sure what to tell her mother. Wasn't sure if what Jess had claimed earlier was untrue. Wasn't ready to find out. Tristan wasn't worth it, yet.
"It's just that it's not enough. He's cute--"
"And sexy as hell."
"--and that--but--that's it. It's just that, and it's not enough." Rory glanced around the diner to see who was listening, and leaned into her mother, whispering, and blushing slightly. "He's sexy because he has all the attributes of sexiness, not because I can't stop imagining his hands on my body. Does that make sense?"
Lorelai smiled reminiscently. "Of course it does. Genuine attraction is an elusive thing. How do you know that it's not the real thing?"
"Besides, that's all it is, the sexy thing. He's nice, but I couldn't see myself studying with him or anything. Want some more coffee?"
Lorelai let it slide. "Go ask Jess. I don't know what we're gonna do when you tell him. And you complain about me. Huh."