Title: Predictable

Author: ~aDdIcTeD-2-GG~

Rating: G

A/N: I know, I know, I know! I suck! I have a relatively good excuse this time though. LOTS and LOTS of major tests and assignments. See! I'm not sooooo terrible after all, am I!........... I agree, I still suck.

By the way, I kinda got the whole dinner with the grandparents thing wrong in the last chapter. Dinner's on Friday not Thursday.

Chapter 10: Greet The Guests

***** Friday Evening *****

"Stay calm, Dugrey – calm! It's just another dinner with the Gilmores," Tristan told himself, as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror adjusting his tie. "Tie?!? Why am I wearing a tie? I never wear ties!"

Tristan fumbled with his tie, trying to undo the abnormally tight knot. His hands were sticky and sweaty, and seemed unusually weak. Once the knot was undone he ripped his tie off and threw it on the floor, which was littered with about 10 other different ties that he had tried on and then discarded. The bathroom floor was a mess and it pretty much reflected what Tristan felt like inside. Rory had seemed rather angry and annoyed when he heard her on the radio and it had made him nervous. He couldn't make any decisions, he couldn't do his homework, he couldn't think straight at all! Tristan couldn't understand why Rory's actions were plaguing him. He had given her the cold shoulder once and now she was sending him hate mail in the form of a song. She was obviously pretty fired up about this whole thing if she was prepared to take such drastic measures. Who knew what kind of stunt she'd pull at dinner tonight?

"Tristan?" a voice called from the other side of the bathroom door. "Are you finished in the bathroom yet?"

"Won't be a sec, Mum!" Tristan called.

He quickly gathered up all his ties and carried them out of the bathroom. His Mum was waiting for him out in the hall.

"Your cousin Amy is staying with us until Sunday morning because your Aunt and Uncle are away on a business trip." Caroline Dugrey explained.

"Where is she?"

"She's down in the kitchen getting a bite to eat. Well that's where I last left her anyway."

"Ok. I'll go down and see her then."

"By the way, look after her at dinner tonight. Although I'm sure she'll get along well with Rory."

Tristan winced when he heard her name. Just when he thought he'd forgotten about her, as if on cue, someone just had to remind him.

Amy was Tristan's cousin from his Father's side. She lived a couple of streets away from their old house in Phoenix and had been a regular visitor in times past. The two cousins had become close after spending a lot of time together as children. They used to go to the same private school and were in the same grade. So, when Tristan found out that she was visiting, he was rather pleased. She was someone to hide behind tonight if he was confronted by Rory…

Tristan spotted her sitting on top of the kitchen bench top, looking right at home in the cook's presence. She was enjoying her and Tristan's favourite snack – Oreos and milk. He quietly snuck up behind Amy and then grabbed her shoulders, giving her a fright and causing her to spill her milk.

"Tristan!" Amy yelled. "Now I have nothing clean to wear to dinner tonight!"

"Serves you right for having Oreos and milk without me!" Tristan countered.

"Eww! Now my skirt smells like milk. If I wait long enough it'll probably smell sour too." Amy scrunched up her face.

"You're a big girl now, fix it yourself. Anyway, like they say, there's no point crying over spilt milk." Tristan snatched the Oreo packet from Amy and dug his hand in. "Hey, it's empty!"

Amy shrugged her shoulders and made a show of eating the last Oreo left. Tristan glared at her playfully.

"By the way you smell sour…"

Amy got up and chased a laughing Tristan around the house, threatening to pour a carton of milk on him. They ended up upstairs in the spare room where Amy was staying, with Tristan cornered and Amy still brandishing her carton of milk.

"Don't move a muscle or I'll pour this carton of milk on you. And I know how much time you spent in the bathroom tonight, making sure your outfit was just right!" Amy teased.

A faint pinkish tinge was visible on his cheeks.

"There's a girl isn't there?" Amy started up again. "Awwwwww, how sweet! Tristan's got a girlfriend! Tristan's got a girlfriend! Tristan's got a girlfriend!"

Tristan pushed his way out of the bedroom corner. It seemed that Amy had forgotten about her milk threat now that she had something else to hold over his head.

"Come on Tristan. Tell your kind cousin Amy about that girl of yours." Amy cooed.

Tristan walked out of the bedroom and hurried away, but Amy just followed him. He'd forgotten just how persistent this girl could be when she wanted.

"Please? Pretty, pretty please Tristan?" Amy whined like a little girl.

Tristan turned around.

"Look I don't have a girlfriend, ok?"

"But I betcha there's a girl of some sort isn't there?"

Tristan rolled his eyes and continued down the hallway and towards the stairs.

"Fine then, don't tell me." Amy said. "But when I do find out at dinner tonight you'll never hear the end of it…"

"Her name's Rory, alright?"

Amy's face broke out in a smile.

"Rory, huh? Is she pretty? Have you kissed yet? Does she like you? When are you going to ask her out?" Amy bombarded him with questions.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you! You're still not going to let me hear the end of this are you?"

"Nup!" Amy laughed.

"I have to finish getting ready, ok?"

"Sure. I wouldn't want you to disappoint Rory."

Tristan ran to his room and shut the door behind him.

***** The Gilmore residence, Stars Hollow *****

Rory grabbed her favourite black shoes and the keys to the Jeep, then ran out the door, yelling at her Mum to hurry up. Rory heard a knock at one of the upstairs windows and looked up. Loralei had stuck her head out of the window and was holding up two pairs of shoes.

"Which ones?" She called out.

"The brown pair!"

"Really?"

"No. I just want you to hurry up!"

Loralei's head disappeared from the window and her footsteps could be heard trampling down the stairs. The front door swung open and out came Loralei, carrying a cup of Luke's coffee, her hand bag and her shoes. She ran over to the Jeep and hopped in, grabbing the keys off Rory.

"Are we all set now?" Loralei questioned, her breathing still laboured.

"I think so."

Loralei started the car and backed out the driveway, while Rory did up her seat belt.

"You looking forward to seeing Tristan tonight?"

"Don't even talk to me about him." Rory spat.

"Why, what'd he do now?"

"Oh nothing! Only made me believe I was a friend of his and then dump me for the popular crowd!" Rory's voice was laced with sarcasm, a frequent occurrence when she spoke of Tristan.

"Honey, haven't we been over this before?"

"I said I didn't want to talk about it."

Loralei smiled and tried to stifle a laugh.

"You better not be laughing at me." Rory warned, a hint of humour evident.

"Of course not." Loralei replied immediately. "I was laughing at the colour of the road! Black! What a funny colour!"

Rory just shook her head. There was silence in the car… until Loralei talked of course.

"Surely you can tell me more, Rory. Seeing as I am your mother."

"Oh I see that arrangement works out well with you and grandma!"

"Look, we have a..." Loralei paused as she tried to think of a fitting word, "…special relationship."

"After I got mad at him on Tuesday, all week he's been trying to 'prove that he really is sorry'. Except to him, being sorry means following me around for awhile everyday, apparently "reminding" me that I really want him and asking me out on a date when he really doesn't mean it. He is really annoying me right now."

"Maybe he… never mind." She decided against saying out loud what she thought

"Tell me Mum."

"Maybe he does mean it. Maybe he really is sorry and really does like you – heaven forbid!" Loralei said dramatically.

"Uh-uh. Impossible." Rory replied straightaway.

"…Maybe you like him too..?"

Rory gave Loralei 'the look'.

"Ok, so maybe that's stretching it a little too far, but I still think he likes you!"

"Mum, you really should see someone about these unhealthy ideas of yours."

Loralei gasped out of horror.

"Rory, take that back! I order you, take back what you just said." Loralei squealed, getting dramatic all over again.

"How about you concentrate on the road rather than my social life. That policeman back there didn't look too happy when you drove through that last red light…"

"Oops…"

Suddenly Loralei didn't talk quite so much, in fact she went silent and so did Rory. Despite there being silence, there was no peace in the Jeep. Rory's mind was running into overdrive. "Tristan? He likes me!?! That can't be true. Well at least I know that I don't like him… or do I? Oh no, now I'm worried!" Her mind was filled to the brim with unwanted thoughts and ideas, most of them planted there by her mother, Rory decided. She just couldn't get rid of the things. The idea that she might like Tristan really scared her. After she'd spent so much time hating him, liking him would simply be too much. She had to hold her ground. He was a jackass and that was that. But one memory that kept coming back to her was the first night that they'd met. They'd gotten along so well together. She even recalled thinking she could see herself liking him and also telling her mother that he was 'alright'. She couldn't deny that they'd had something going on there. But it seemed like he'd changed so much between that Friday night and his first day at Chilton. Confusion!!! Rory's brain was declared a disaster zone!

There was something about Tristan that intrigued Rory. It wasn't his cockiness, frankness or any of his annoying traits. Rather it was something she felt that ran deeper.

It was something in those eyes of his.

She saw something there. That spark that caught her attention from the first time she met him. It was the first thing she noticed whenever she saw him and the last thing to cross her mind when she left his presence. How could someone so seemingly horrible have such a… beautiful quality. Maybe underneath his hard exterior, he was a gentle creature… Rory chuckled to herself.

The bright lights that marked the front door to the Gilmore mansion blinded Rory's eyes. She shielded her eyes from the harsh light and got out of the Jeep. Both mother and daughter stumbled towards the front door. When they had reached the door, Loralei took one look at Rory's facial expression and then obediently rang the doorbell.

"Miss Gilmore, Rory." Francine greeted them warmly, taking their coats and hanging them on the coat stand. "Mrs Gilmore and her guests are in the sitting room."

"Thanks, Francine." Loralei replied and then walked off in the direction of the sitting room.

Rory followed after her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"What is it, Rory?" Loralei asked.

"I'm going to uh, help Francine in the kitchen ok?"

"Why? My mother will be appalled!" Loralei commented, imitating Emily. "Social disgrace, Rory! Most unacceptable behaviour. You must first greet the other guests, says the Hartford entertaining manual. Everyone must entertain by the book, Rory."

Rory laughed and followed Francine into the kitchen. Loralei tagged along.

"I'm serious, Rory. Emily will have a fit if you don't come and greet the guests."

"I don't want to talk to Tristan, ok?" Rory confessed.

"As if my mother cares! It's all about manners and good hospitality."

'Exactly!" Hissed an angry Emily Gilmore. "Those are two things we lack at the present time."

"Hi Mum!" Loralei greeted jovially.

Emily raised an eyebrow at her and then continued.

"The guests are waiting so I hope you have a good excuse."

"Oh we do!" Loralei commented excitedly. "First, we were walking through the front door and this little guy in a cute little green suit and matching hat kidnapped us! And then when we finally broke free, a giant pink, fluffly teddy bear-"

"Enough Loralei! Just go and greet the guests." Emily stormed off in a huff.

"You don't by any chance think Grandma's mad at us, do you?" Rory questioned.

"Nah. Impossible."

"We should probably go in and 'greet the guests' then…"

"Tristan, here we come!"

Rory playfully punched her Mum's arm.

~aDdIcTeD-2-GG~