Disclaimer: Jamie and I own nothing. The characters belong to Amy Sherman Palladino and the WB. Take it up with them if you have to.
Authors: Susie and Jamie (Mrs. Witter)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Paris/Tristan/Rory…though if you know us at all, you can guess how it ends…
Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long to get up, writing is ten times harder when working on two people's schedules, but we hope you find it worth the wait. Thanks to Surya for being wonderful and betaing and everyone else who might be reading and reviewing, it means the world to us both.
Chapter 3: StayOnce outside the fresh air had afforded her brain enough oxygen for her to realize she was overreacting. She had foolishly allowed her petty high school insecurities to resurface. What did it matter if Tristan was still hung up on Rory? After all it wasn't like she was still interested in him, that ship had sailed long ago, hadn't it? Deciding it most certainly had, she made her way back inside to apologize to her date for her unreasonable brashness.
As she walked back into the crowded room her ears were assaulted with the buzz of the at least thirty conversations. She quickly scanned the room, taking in the scene before her without really seeing it at all, not that it mattered, it was no different then all the other socialite parties. Her attempt to find her date for the evening seemed to be in vain as she couldn't seem to locate him amongst the various groups of people. Sighing, she turned on her heel, ready to look in another part of the house when she collided with a man.
Tristan grabbed Paris's shoulders as she nearly toppled them over, to steady her. Grinning, he looked down at her and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "Are we staging mutiny here, Gellar?"
Paris's eyes flared a moment at being run into but softened with the sound of his voice. "Unfortunately not," she quipped, wishing for the excuse to leave.
"We could always start one," he suggested easily. When she rolled her eyes and looked longingly at the nearest exit, he steered her into the direction. "We don't have to stay, you know. I'm sure no one will miss us."
A smile curved the corners of her lips, she knew he was right and yet despite wanting to leave she wasn't quite ready yet. "They wouldn't, but it's still early, and as my date you cannot leave until you dance with me," she stated firmly, raising an eyebrow as if daring him to question her.
Always the gentleman, Tristan offered his elbow with a gallant smile and led her to the backyard again, where various couples were dancing under the soft glow of what seemed like hundreds of tinkling lights. Paris twined her arm in his and followed him, smiling. "So you'll have to tell me what else is in this date contract, Paris. I'm not sure I know all the protocol of dating you."
She laughed; it was a light melodious sound that escaped her lips not nearly often enough. Taking his proffered hand while situating her self in his arms she replied, "Now what fun would it be if I told you everything now?"
He chuckled as his other hand settled comfortably on the small of her back and they swayed gently to the music. The flirtatious gleam in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by him as he stared down at her face and he felt that familiar tug in his stomach. She had grown into a confident woman and yet there were still hints of the young girl he used to know, the one who had grown up with him. It intrigued him more than he would have liked to admit. "Well, if you're not going to tell me, at least let me apologize for saying or doing whatever it was that pissed you off so royally."
At his words and the reminder of why she stalked off her face flushed a deep red, instinctively she moved closer to him in an effort to conceal her blush. "Thank you, but it was nothing, you didn't do anything, I was just…" Just what? Being petty? Reverting back to high school? What? "Let's just forget it. I'm sorry for running off."
There was something more to it, he knew that, but decided not to pursue it. Whatever it was, it would ruin the friendliness that had settled over them again and he didn't want to risk getting yelled at by her again. But still, something nagged at his conscience. "You and Rory seem close now."
Paris tensed a moment at the mention of the brunette before scolding herself. Rory hadn't put her this on edge since before they graduated high school. She nodded her head, "We were roommates in college."
"And you didn't kill each other?" he joked, trying to lighten the serious expression that had taken over her features. Earlier, when they were talking to Rory and Lex, the two women seemed incredibly comfortable in each other's presence so he had to wonder what made Paris so prickly now. "That's amazing."
"Trust me, it wasn't for lack of trying," she replied with a chuckle.
"Oh I'll bet," he answered and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. She rested her head lightly on his shoulder and he unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand. His gaze wandered over to the other dancers and not surprisingly, he saw Rory in Lex's arms, head on his shoulder. Their eyes locked briefly before she turned her gaze away and laughed at something Lex said. Tristan looked away and focused on Paris. "How's your mother?"
"Neurotic as ever," Paris responded easily. "Unfortunately now that I don't live at home, when she does see me she is more critical than she ever was before. Of course, when she calls I have the pleasure of hanging up, only that gets me even more lectures on proper etiquette," she rambled, not sure why she kept going. It wasn't like her to ramble but her mother always did have a way of unsettling her like no other.
"That sounds about right," he said as the music changed to something more upbeat and he pulled away from her to twirl her under his arm. She laughed at the elaborate move, making an extremely pretty picture: tarnished golden hair tumbling over her shoulders, her eyes dancing in the light and the flimsy material of her pink dress swirling around her knees. "I see someone has taken dance lessons."
She smiled as they continued their intricate dance, "Who hasn't?" she asked rhetorically. "I might not have danced at any of the dances I went to when we were younger, but that doesn't mean I didn't know how to dance."
"That's okay. I don't like to dance in public, too much, either." A leering grin spread over his face and he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "I prefer most of my dancing to be done in private."
"I know," she replied with a laugh, "your reputation precedes you, DuGrey."
"It's not all as horrible as it sounds, you know."
"I know," she confirmed, once again resting her head on his shoulder as the music slowed.
"Back then, no one knew me as well as you did, Paris. No one ever gave me the benefit of the doubt or a second chance." Unbidden, his gaze rested on Rory again and he hated himself for it. "You always did. Of course I managed to ruin that and ran out of chances with you, didn't I?"
Paris shrugged, turning her head so she could meet his gaze, "I don't know, you are doing pretty well with the one you have right now."
Tristan stared down at her face and watched the light play across it. Her eyes were wide, sincere and beautiful. Mesmerized, Tristan lowered his head, with every intention of brushing his lips against hers but was cut off by a boisterous voice. "Hey DuGrey, do you mind if I cut in?"
Paris turned her head but not before Tristan saw the disappointment flash across her face. He looked over her shoulder at Lex and Rory who were still in an embrace but obviously waiting for his response. Rory looked at him curiously and he didn't know why but he was glad she didn't know about his intention to kiss Paris. "Sure Lex," he said dryly as he let go of Paris. "Perfect timing. As usual."
Before she allowed Tristan to let go of her completely, she moved in closer to him, standing on her tip toes, her mouth next to his ear, she whispered, "We can finish this later." And before he had time to smirk she moved away, taking Lex's proffered hand.
***
Lex waltzed off with his date and Tristan turned to Rory, one hand in his pocket and the other resting limply at his side as he debated on whether or not she'd rebuff his request to dance. Their last conversation hadn't ended on a particularly cheery note and he could tell that she was wary of him as well, as she kept her distance and bit her bottom lip. What the hell, he thought as he watched her. "So, do you want to dance?"
Rory looked up, startled by his voice. When Lex had decided to whisk away Paris, she had wondered whether or not Tristan would actually ask her to dance, or if they would just stand here waiting for their dates in awkward silence, obviously he had chosen the former. Upon hearing him clear his throat, she realized she had yet to answer his question. Weighing her options one more time, she finally responded with a simple nod of her head as she took his proffered hand.
Tristan stepped closer to her, slipping one arm around her waist and holding the other firmly in his arm. She tensed a little at the soft collision of their bodies and he was going to back away when she reached up and rested her other hand on his shoulder. For an awkward moment, they stared at each other without moving. He grinned, trying to break the ice. "Am I leading or are you going to take over?"
His grin was infectious and she found herself returning it. "You can lead. Unless of course you would prefer I lead, I am just not so sure how good I would be, at leading. At least I don't usually, even when my mom and I danced, at the marathon, she led, but I could try," she babbled, snapping her mouth shut when she caught site of his smirk and became conscious of the fact that she was rambling.
You're cute when you ramble, he wanted to tell her but wisely kept his mouth shut. Flattery had never worked with her in the past and he didn't want to bring back the tension. "Marathon?"
"Yeah, my town, Stars Hollow, they have a twenty-four hour dance marathon every year and the last couple left standing wins a trophy. It's terrible, you can't walk for like a week after," she replied with a wistful smile, indicating that despite the pain, it wasn't really all that terrible at all.
"Sounds better than the crap we go through in Hartford," Tristan returned easily. "Girls in white cotton ball dresses, hoping to spend life on the arm of some boy that they won't even remember in two years as they're showcased in society like some rare collectible. Who would go through the humiliation?"
Her cheeks flamed as he continued his description, bringing to mind the image of herself in such a dress, at such a place engrained in her memory. Resting her head on his shoulder, in an attempt to hide her face, she responded, with what she hoped sounded like cool confidence, "I did."
She said it so softly; he thought he didn't hear her. "Excuse me?"
"I did," she repeated herself, her words coming out clearer this time, as she realized despite his description, her actions were nothing to be ashamed of.
He tried to picture it, he really did. The image of sixteen year old Rory Gilmore in those ridiculous dresses came to mind and despite his harsh words regarding the subject, he knew that she probably looked incredible, as if she fit into that world. "I would have paid good money to see that."
"Why? So you could laugh at me? I'm glad you didn't have the opportunity," she bit out, the words sounding harsh to her own ears, as she lifted her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"That's not what I meant," he said, surprised that she sounded hurt. To make it up, he grinned cheekily. "I just never figured you for the high society deb that you so obviously are. I mean, you were so popular at Chilton."
Her anger quickly dissipated at his words and she found herself smiling at him, "Oh yeah, Queen of Chilton that was me."
"You didn't fit," he stated and when she narrowed her eyes, he clarified, "I mean it in a good way. Most of us were spoiled and cynical. You were different."
She wasn't sure how to respond to his comment, but knowing he meant it as a compliment, she responded with the only words that came to mind, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He smiled and in the silence that followed, she returned her head to his shoulder. He held her closer, unconsciously tightening his grasp on her waist. Her hair smelled faintly of vanilla and he had to stop himself from running a hand through the silky softness.
This is nice, she thought running her hand along his shoulder, to the soft hairs at the nape of his neck, very nice. She knew she should pull away that she wasn't supposed to feel this comfortable, like she fit, with another man, a man who wasn't Lex, a man she hadn't seen in years, and really, barely knew, but she did feel and she didn't want to pull away. Instead she allowed herself the moment to pretend that this was okay, after all, it was just a dance, one that would soon be ending at that. What could it hurt?
***
"Well," Lex chuckled as his eyes wandered over to his girlfriend in Tristan's arms across the dance floor, over Paris's shoulder. If he was insecure and brought up differently, he would have rushed over and pried them apart. Fortunately Claytons never caused scenes. "The DuGrey charm: working its magic. I can't believe I forgot. His reputation is rock solid, after all."
Paris tried her best to hide her amusement as he attempted to keep his jealousy in check and she couldn't help but wonder if he had any clue of the history between Tristan and Rory. Realizing there was no way he would know because Rory would never admit there was anything between her and Tristan, Paris shook her head before looking her dance partner in the eyes. "You're welcome to go over there if you like, reclaim your girl, this song is almost over anyway."
Lex was torn. On one hand, he didn't want to be the territorial caveman that dwelled deep down inside him and he wanted to trust Rory and on the other, he wanted to let Tristan know in no uncertain terms that the beautiful brunette was his without sounding like a jealous boyfriend. The two of them did look awful cozy. "They're just dancing. I can wait until the song is completely over."
Paris held back a very unladylike snort as she watched his gaze narrow while he watched the couple. She knew if she allowed herself to analyze the situation as Lex was no doubt doing she would be annoyed and jealous as well, after all it was her nature, but she wasn't going to allow herself to do that. Instead she continued to dance, listening as the final strains of the song filtered through the air before pulling back from Lex. "Go ahead," she said with a wave her hand, indicating the other couple who seemed to not have noticed the end of the song.
He gave her a sheepish smile and then, instead of bolting over to his girlfriend, he walked calmly towards them. As he approached, they pulled away from each other as if they had just realized the song had ended. Fisting his hands, he pocketed them and smiled pleasantly. "Hey DuGrey, can I have my girlfriend back now?"
Tristan's lips curled into a smirk at the tension engulfing the other man. As he was about to retort his gaze caught Paris's, who had just sidled up beside Lex, telling him to play nice. He nodded his head in acknowledgement before turning back to Lex, "She's all yours, man. I was just making due, since you stole my date."
Rory giggled a little nervously, like she did whenever things got uncomfortable. "Would you listen to them, Paris? Treating us like we're some kind of trophy."
Paris smiled politely before responding her tone dripping with sarcasm, "Imagine that, society men treating women like trophies. Scandalous."
Tristan knew the expression Paris had on very well. Fortunately, he knew the exact thing to do to make her smile as well. He came over to stand beside her and tucked her arm in the crook of his. "Paris, you know I hold the utmost respect for you. Now let's go find a quiet corner to go make out."
Just as he predicted Paris smiled, despite herself, and he led her away from the other couple. Lex turned to Rory and smiled brightly, wanting to forget that she had been dancing in Tristan's arms moments ago, blissfully unaware of anything. "They make an odd couple."
Rory nodded, watching as the other couple weaved their way out of the room arm in arm. It was clear from how at ease they looked, their heads tilted towards one another, virtually oblivious to the elderly couple they almost ran into that despite their oddness they somehow worked. This idea left her feeling strangely disappointed, she had Lex, she should be happy for Paris and Tristan. Shaking her head she turned back to her boyfriend, "So, now that you have me all to yourself what are you going to do with me?"
Lex was glad all her attention was on him again, he was stupid to think that Rory had any interest in Tristan. They hardly knew each other, after all. He grinned and took her hand in his. "Oh, I can think of plenty but I'm sure we'd get booked for public indecency."
Rory smiled, outwardly laughing, but after her dance with Tristan inwardly she couldn't help compare the two men, they were similar, both society men, both could hold their own in the banter department. Why did she even feel the need to compare, it shouldn't matter what Tristan was like, but she couldn't let it go. Trying her best to shove the other man out of her mind for now, she directed what she hoped to be a genuine smile at Lex, "I guess we'll just have to make due some other way for now?"
"That or we could follow DuGrey's lead and go up to my room," he suggested softly but in a tone that implied he was serious. He saw her draw in her bottom lip between her teeth and furrowed her brows in consideration. Lex knew that if he let her think about it too long, he'd never get her to his room so he leaned down and brushed his lips coaxing against hers. He pulled away and murmured huskily, "C'mon Rory. We've schmoozed long enough. No one will miss us and my parent's won't even notice."
A demure smile crossed her features, as her cheeks colored slightly, the husky quality in his tone causing her mind to wander where he wanted it. "Okay," her answering coming without anymore thought.
"Great." Lex pulled back completely, smiling. He thought he'd need to do more convincing. Taking her hand in his again, he tugged her towards the winding staircase, anxious to get her in a room where they could drown out the sounds of a society party that was getting too dull for his tastes and have a little fun of their own.
***
Tristan's car pulled to a halt in front of the Gellar mansion. Paris turned to face her date for the evening, ready to thank him for putting up with her for the night only to find she was looking at an empty seat and a closing door. Turning back to her window she smiled as Tristan opened her door, and extended her his hand in order to help her from her seat. As she took his hand she spoke, "Thanks, you didn't have to do that."
He smiled at her, taking a minute to admire her legs as she got out of the car. "My pleasure."
Once securely on her own two feet, she took her hand back, using it to effectively backhand his shoulder, "Pig."
"You can't fault me for appreciating beauty." He grinned unapologetically as they walked to the front door of the Gellar mansion.
"Sorry Tristan, I know you too well. Those lines won't work on me," she shot back with a grin of her own.
He placed a hand over his heart in a dramatic gesture. "You know, it really hurts when you doubt that I'm anything but sincere. If you really knew me that well, you'd know that I think you're gorgeous," he stated, his voice softening towards the end.
She couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks at his words, despite her wariness of his compliments, the sincerity of his tone had her wanting to believe him, it wasn't everyday someone told her such things. Of course this didn't stop her from falling back on her own defensive mechanisms, "You are so full of it, DuGrey."
Tristan sighed; it was obviously going to take more than sincere words to make Paris believe anything he was saying. With anybody else, he would have given up on winning them over but this was Paris, a girl he had known as a child and a woman whom he found attractive and interesting. She had grown up since their days at Chilton. He also knew that she was a very complex individual with a multitude of trapdoors and brick walls protecting that big heart, "This is true, darling. It's ingrained in my DNA and I am but a slave to biology."
A chuckle escaped her lips as they halted their walk, turning towards each other. Ignoring his last comment she spoke, "Thanks for going with me tonight. I had a lovely time."
He smiled and without thinking, tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "I had a great time, too. I don't think I would have been able to handle a party like that without you."
If it weren't for the fact that his hand had moved to caress her cheek she would have called him on the obvious line, instead all her energy was focused on not reacting to the tenderness of his touch and all she managed was a nod accompanied by "Me too."
On instinct, he lowered his mouth and kissed her cheek while his thumb continued to softly stroke the other. When he pulled away, her eyes fluttered opened. "Goodnight Paris."
"Goodnight Tristan," she returned her mind still a bit hazy as she watched him walk back to his car, a small smile curving her lips.
As he reached his car, a thought popped into his mind and he turned around, glad to see that she was still standing near the door. "Hey Paris, I'll call you. Maybe we can do this again sometime." She smiled in response and he slid into his car, a smile on his lips as well.