Disclaimer : All things GG are not mine, but ASP's. No copyright infringement intended.
Author : Shay (tlcforever@hotmail.com)
Rating : PG-13
Pairing : Established pairings for L/L & P/J. References to R/D & T/K. Eventual T/R
Spoilers : Anything up through season 3 is fair game, though I'll probably be selective about it.
Distribution : If you want it, take it. Just let me know.
Feedback : Tames the wild beast. Or something. I love feedback and will love you if you give it. :)
Authors Note : Bleh. Okay, so this idea has been floating around in my head the past few days and I just can't take it anymore. I can't. It's driving me crazy, so I decided to write it down. Updates for this story are going to be far and few between, but I promise I'll do my best.





Subtle Invitation
Part 01.

.."I only wanted you to be there when I opened up my eyes"..






Twenty-six year old Rory Gilmore opened an eye, making note of the time displayed on the fuzzy pink clock on her bedside table. Stretching underneath the blankets, she opened the other eye and stared up at the ceiling. Today was the hardest day for her, for today was the two year anniversary of the accident that had claimed the life of her high school sweetheart - and fiancé, Dean Forester. It had been the same cold and wet December day that they had been driving in, heading back to her hometown of Stars Hollow, Connecticut for the wedding of her cousin Jess Mariano and close friend, Paris Gellar. It had been snowing heavily and they had decided to pull over to the side of the road until it slowed down a little. The two had been sitting in Dean's SUV for a little over an hour when suddenly the squeal of tires was heard and then the sound of crunching metal and broken glass cut through the frigid air. According to the police report, another car had been going too fast for the weather conditions and had hit a patch of ice on the road. Unable to stop, the car had slammed into the drivers side of the SUV, killing Dean instantly. Rory had escaped with minor physical injuries, but suffered from something far worse - a broken heart.

Closing her eyes, Rory forced the tears back and threw her legs over the side of the bed, slipping on her slippers as she got up. Grabbing her robe, she padded across the room and down the hall, to where her roommate, and lifelong best friend, Lane Kim was curled up, watching Saturday morning cartoons. She glanced up when Rory entered the room and gave her a sympathetic look. Rory shrugged it off and headed into the kitchen, pouring a cup of coffee and opening the fridge in attempt to find something to eat. As usual, there was nothing but cartons of take out food. Biting her lip, she grabbed a random one, found a fork and joined Lane in the living room.

The two sat on the couch in silence, watching as the Scooby Doo gang solved yet another mystery. When the show cut to commercial, Lane glanced over at her friend, who was staring down into the chinese carton, a pained look on her face. Reaching over, she shook Rory's form slightly. "Hey, you okay?"

"We had chinese before we left," Rory responded, sounding as if she were a thousand miles away.

Lane sighed and tugged the food out of her hand and set it on the table. "Rory, you do this every year. I know you miss him, but you really need to move on."

Rory shook her head. "I can't."

Sensing the tears were about to fall, Lane scooted over and gave her a big hug, letting her cry on her shoulder.


******


"Sorry, I'm busy tonight," Tristan DuGrey said faintly to the blonde in front of him. She frowned.

"Oh, well. Some other time, then."

"Yeah, some other time..."

The woman handed him her card and drifted off into the sea of people. Tristan glanced down at the card in his hand, sighed and tossed into the trash. The man next to him shook his head in disbelief. "Man, DuGrey, what is your problem?"

For what seemed to be the first time, Tristan acknowledged his cousin and business partner. "What?"

Josh DuGrey shook his head again. "That's the fourth babe that has asked you out today and you've turned them all down."

"I'm busy tonight."

"Yeah, right," Josh scoffed. "What could be so important that you passed up a date with four beautiful ladies?"

Tristan glared at him for a minute. "I've got work to do."

"That's all you ever do, Tris. Forget about Karen, man. She isn't worth it."

"Whatever," Tristan dismissed, getting up from the table they were sitting at. "I'll see you back at the office."

Josh watched him go, a frown on his handsome face. Tristan had been in a funk ever since his relationship with Karen Mankowski had come to an end, earlier that year. He didn't know the whole story, of course, but what he did know is that his cousin was planning on proposing to her, but had come home from a business trip, only to find her in bed with one of his best friends. It had been a tough break, but he expected him to bounce back quickly, like he normally did. This hadn't happened yet, obviously and he was beginning to worry. Slowly a grin spread across his face, an idea forming in his head. He knew how to get Tristan back into the world of living...


******


It was a week later that Lane had a revelation. She had been sitting at the kitchen table in the apartment she and Rory shared in New York's upper west side, flipping idly through the newspaper in search of a job. She had graduated from NYU with a teaching degree, but had been unable to find a suitable position as a music teacher. Sighing, she closed the paper and went to refold it when the ads on the back caught her eye. The personal ads. Grinning mischievously to herself, she gazed over them and then down to the number at the bottom of the page. Rory would probably kill her if she did, but it was time for her to get over Dean and what better way to do that, then go out with a bunch of random guys? Deciding to do it, she grabbed the nearby pad of paper and after a few minutes, had the perfect ad composed. Dialing the number, she officially placed it. The operator informed her that it would appear in the following weeks issue and Lane hung up, smirking. She may not have found a job, but she had found the solution to her friends dating phobia. Folding the paper, she dropped her glass in the sink and headed into her room.


*****


"Come on, just let me set you up," Josh said again, staring at his cousin, who was seated behind the large oak desk.

Tristan groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "No, Josh. As much as I appreciate your concern about my personal life, I'd rather not be stuck out with whatever bimbo you pick out for me."

Josh leaned forward in his chair and smirked, something that seemed to run in the family. "What if I set you up with a girl of substance? Someone with the looks and the brains to back it up?"

"Do you even know a girl like that?" Tristan rebuked.

"No, but I can find one, I'm sure," Josh grinned.

Another groan came from Tristan and he shook his head. "Have my cousin go out and pick up a girl, for me. Great, no. I don't think so."

"Come on, DuGrey. Just one date, I swear. You haven't gone out with anyone in months, it could be therapeutic for you."

Tristan rolled his eyes and sighed. Josh wasn't going to give up, he knew that. And really, what could one date hurt? "Fine. One date and if it sucks, I'm holding you accountable."

The previous smirk reappeared and he stood up. "I'll take all blame."

"Yeah, yeah," Tristan muttered, waving him out of the room. Josh left without a complaint, shutting the door behind him. Now that his cousin had agreed to go, all he had to do was find a girl that was not only beautiful, but smart and would be able to hold his interest. Stopping by his office, he grabbed his coat and headed out into the hustle and bustle of New York's streets. Every decent looking woman he passed, he took a good look at, resulting in quite a few disgusted glares being thrown his way, but it didn't deter him. After walking a good ten blocks, he sighed. This wasn't going to work. Turning around, he started back in the direction of the office, only to stop dead in his tracks. Grinning to himself, he dug in his pockets for some change and grabbed the first newspaper he saw. Time for desperate measures.



******



"No, no, no!" Rory exclaimed, glaring at Lane from her seat at the restaurant they were eating at.

Lane grinned. "Oh, come on, Rory. It's not like you have to actually date the guy, just go out, have a decent time and come home and whine about he talked with his mouth full or how he didn't know anything substantial about the life and times of Sylvia Plath. It'll be good for you."

Rory shook her head vehemently. "No! I can't believe you did this to me. You're supposed to be my friend."

"I am your friend," Lane protested. "That's why I did it. You've done nothing but work yourself to the wire the past two years. You're young and you know Dean wouldn't want you sitting around, mourning him. He'd want you to be happy."

"I am happy," Rory retorted, though without much conviction.

"Rory."

"Fine, I'm not happy!" Rory conceded. "I just don't see how going on multiple blind dates is going to help me."

"You're 26 years old, you've only had two boyfriends your entire life. It's time for you to do casual dating. Ask your mom, I'm sure she'll back me up on that."

Rory sighed, glancing down at her plate and then back at her friend. "Okay, fine. I'll go out with this guy."

Lane squealed in excitement and started raving about what she should wear and how she should do her hair. Rory managed to pay a little bit of attention, even as her mind began to wander. What had she agreed to?


******

Hehe. Got an idea on where it's going? Whatever. Don't expect an update anytime soon, but it won't be more then a month, promise!

-- Shay