Title: Girl Like That

Authors: Mrs. Witter (Jamie) and ChristineCS (Chris, duh)

Disclaimer: Jamie and I, despite the harem we own (we know it creates mass confusion about the ownership thing), do not own Gilmore Girls, their characters, matchbox twenty, their songs or Rob's awesome writing talent so we don't own the lyrics in the chapter title. We also don't own Mark Paul Gosselaar or Emilie De Raven, but you'll have to think about why that is added. We do however claim ownership on our own writing. So consider yourself warned.

Rating: PG – 13

Pairing: Rory/Tristan

Chapter 15: And if there's a distance here between us

Vaughn tugged on a strawberry curl and watched as it bounced back up. She had never touched her hair with anything stronger than scissors or the iron that straightened her hair, so she wasn't quite sure how long it would take for highlights. The truth of the matter was, a hell of a lot longer than one would think. See, had she known this, she would have never worn these heels. She winced as a newly formed blister brushed up against the inside of her shoe. Ouch.

Her violet eyes focused on a familiar figure. And instead of the predictable 'oh no' echoing in her head, as it usually was, her feet, her sore, misused feet, actually walked towards him.

"Hey Montgomery," Vaughn greeted him. There, she could get over any weird feelings of guilt over how their day at Burger King had gone sour. And life could return to normal.

Cole Montgomery didn't really like malls but he figured he needed to frequent this place if he wanted to have nice shoes and the cool leather jacket he had just bought from a men's store. Besides, Tristan had decided that he needed to do some shopping. Hearing Schuyler's voice from somewhere behind him, made his dislike for malls go up one more notch. He turned to face her. "Claymore."

For all that people blamed her for how bad things could get between her and Cole, it really was his fault too. And this was a prime example. "What brings you here?"

He thought that much would be obvious since he had a shopping bag in his hands but he couldn't tell her that. If anything, he was raised to be civil. Cool, detached and aloof. "Oh, just the usual liveliness of the mall." Damn, the sarcasm had crept in.

It was always best to be the bigger man, or woman in this case, because it always left the other looking like an ass. "Where are you going for Thanksgiving break?"

He hated the fact that she could be nice when it was a struggle for him. Showed how little she cared, he mused. "The Montgomery mansion. Although, DuGrey is insisting I go to Hartford. It's not like anyone is going to miss me back home. You?"

"Well, since Leo's going to be at his in-laws, and I hate my mother," Vaughn answered, popping a piece of Trident White into her mouth. "It looks like it's going to be a lovely holiday with Roger."

He felt sorry for her and didn't like it. Change of subject. "So, have you managed to use up all your savings yet or are you still in need of something?"

"My savings are safe and could still blow yours out of the water," Vaughn returned. "And I'm not really shopping, I'm waiting for Rory."

He smiled slightly, Rory Gilmore seemed like the shopping type. "Really? Where is she?"

"Can't tell you, it's a secret," Vaughn shook her head, her curls bouncing. Rory wanted to surprise the guys with her new highlights. "And you should go. To the DuGreys, that is."

He nodded, he had been seriously considering it ever since Nicholas had called and informed him that he wasn't going to show up and he wasn't ready to stretch the limits of his affection for Ronnie. "I just might. DuGrey says he needs someone to help fend off the hotties."

"You should warn him that he might not want to completely scare them away with your presence." Damn, should have known that whole nice thing wouldn't last that long.

A chink in her armor of politeness - he grinned, glad that he was still able to push her buttons. "As long as you're not going to be hanging off DuGrey's arm as his trophy girlfriend, I think Hartford is safe."

"I don't think Hartford will ever be safe with the two of you residing there," Vaughn countered. Now, back to the niceties. "What have you bought so far?"

To share or not to share? He gave her a once over, to see what she was wearing. His gaze lingered on her snug blue sweater and sighed. She had good taste, he had to give her that. He pulled out the leather jacket from the bag and handed it to her. "What do you think?"

She ran her hands over the material. She loved leather. "Very nice." Vaughn held the jacket against him. "Very nice indeed. You shock me with your good taste, Monty."

He cringed as she giggled. "Don't ever call me that again, Skye. And I've always had good taste, sweetheart. You've just never realized it."

Her lips went into a pout for a moment, at the use of that particular wretched nickname, before a smile returned to her lips. "Don't lie to me, I have pictures that was totally prove you wrong."

"Oh no, anything but those." He widened his eyes in mock horror, actually enjoying the banter. Then he clucked his tongue and took the jacket back from her hands. "I wouldn't be so eager to bring those pictures out, Schuyler. I do remember a certain seven-year-old in a tutu."

This made her grin even wider. "So do I."

"Hey, that was all Nick and Ronnie," he replied quickly, wagging a finger at her. "I thought you promised me you would never talk about it again. You swore on that…what was the name of that old ratty bear you had? Buttercup or something…"

"Buttercup," Vaughn nodded, she was rather uncreative at the age of seven, and named her most treasured stuffed animal after, who at the time she considered, the greatest movie heroine of all time. "Technically, I didn't mention it. Technically I only mentioned I had a picture of it."

"Whatever," he said rolling his eyes and little annoyed that he remembered Buttercup and was happy to be talking to her when he was still pissed. He ran a hand through his hair and looked around wildly for his roommate. "God, DuGrey shops like a girl."

She cuffed him on the shoulder. "Maybe he has a reason for all this shopping. He could be not enjoying it."

"Whatever the reason, I need to go find him before he starts flirting with the girl at the cash register." He grinned wildly as he dragged her towards the store he had last been with Tristan in. "I saw her first and I don't trust DuGrey to let an opportunity pass on getting her phone number."

"You're bringing me with you while you pick up a girl?" Damn, did her voice just squeak? And was her face turning red? Because it felt slightly hot.

He looked at her oddly. "Well, someone's gotta get DuGrey out of there while I work my magic."

"And you expect me to…help you?"

"Well, yes," he answered only belatedly realizing how implausible that was. But when they got to the store, Tristan was nowhere to be seen and a bored and unattractive bleach-blonde male had replaced the cute redhead at the cash register. Just his luck. He looked down at Schuyler and sighed. "Looks like I'm stuck with you."

Well, he didn't have to sound so sour about it. "Why?"

Cole didn't know why. After all, she was the one who had approached him and she could have left at any given time. He looked down at the wrist he was still holding between his hands. He laughed a little awkwardly. "Well, because I seem to be glued to your wrist." He immediately dropped her hand as if it were a hot potato and stuff his hand in his pockets.

Vaughn awkwardly stuffed her hands into the back pocket of her jeans. "And now that the problem is amended?"

"Well, you can go look for your roommate who is probably wondering where you are and I can go look for mine to see if he took the redhead out for coffee," Cole joked with a light laugh. "Or we could both go and look for Rory and see what surprise she has in store."

"Whatever you want to do." Though Vaughn wasn't quite sure how Rory wanted to expose her surprise. Huh.

What did he want? If only he knew. "Well, knowing Tristan and Rory's track record, they probably already bumped into each other."

"So does that mean we should or should not seek them out then?"

They probably would last longer together if Tristan and Rory were there to smooth out their violent tendencies. "Sure."

She frowned, it was sort of sad that they didn't seem to have the ability to stay alone together for long peacefully. "I think I'm going to go."

"No," he said quickly and grabbed her upper arm as she turned to leave and he wasn't quite sure why he didn't want her to go. No one confused him more than Schuyler Vaughn Claymore. "Don't. Stay. We'll go."

He did this on purpose, Vaughn was quite certain of this. All this…confusion that swirled around inside of her. His entire fault, and the bastard probably knew it too. "Okay."

He'd upset her or something. Cole didn't know he had the ability. He let go of her arm and raised his hand in a gesture that said 'lead the way'. "Let's go and see what trouble our roommates have gotten into now." To bring back civility he grinned and added, "did you hear about the almost skinny dipping?"

"Who almost skinny dipped?"

Right. Rory hadn't shared. "Tristan and Rory. He came to our room all wet and looking like a man who had just gotten laid. Which he didn't."

Vaughn couldn't explain why (or just wanted to deny it), but her face felt rather warm, and she was rather certain she was blushing. She hated him; it had to be a fact by now. "Oh."

"What?" he said with a teasing smile. Banter was always safe, always easy. "Did I offend your delicate sensibilities?"

He had a nice smile. A great, melting smile. She wished she hadn't noticed. "No more than you usually do."

"Oh right, Catholic boarding school."

There really was nothing to respond to that. Since, it was pretty much the truth. "Guess so."

They were heading in the general direction of mall's food court when a familiar voice called their names and he turned to see Rory waving them over to a table. He turned to Schuyler with an eyebrow raised as they walked towards their friends. "Are those highlights?"

"Wow, you can differentiate between colors," Vaughn commented, feeling a bit more like herself than she had throughout this entire exchange. "Congratulations."

"Down tiger," Rory stated as she saw the scowl on Cole's face, as they joined Tristan and her at the table. She slid over her basket of fries in his direction. "Have a fry."

"Are you offering me food?" Cole joked with her and then tugged at her blonde highlights. "Those look nice, by the way."

"Very nice," Vaughn agreed, stealing one of the fries, despite the fact that she hadn't been offered one. "Almost makes me think I should get them done."

Cole couldn't picture her any other way than strawberry blonde.

"Don't touch your hair," Rory commanded and kicked Tristan in the shin under the table. "She should leave it like that, right?"

"Uh yeah," Tristan put down his burger, and readily agreed. Though, truthfully, he didn't see what the big deal was. It was just hair. Though, Rory's did look great. Really great. "Keep it pinkish-red."

Vaughn rolled her eyes, "You're one of those guys who are completely useless when they have food in front of them. Aren't you?"

"Absolutely." He picked his burger up again.

"Tristan is pretty much useless always," Rory said rolling her eyes and then sticking her tongue out at him.

It was a good thing his mother had instilled him with good manners. So it was that which kept him from sticking his tongue back at her, mouth full of food and all.

"So is Cole. Guess that makes a more universal guy thing," Vaughn told Rory.

"Yeah, let's see who'll change the tires and get rid of the vermin without us," Cole remarked with a snort.

Rory guffawed. "Like either of you have ever changed a tire."

"Montgomery use to change the tires on his own private go-carts when we were younger," Vaughn spoke up, before grinning wickedly. "Of course, he use to try and replace them with his mother's precious family heirloom china. Evelyn didn't like that very much."

"Excuse me, but I think it was you who actually snuck the china out of the house," Cole said, jabbing his finger in her upper arm and then turned to Rory and Tristan to explain. "She was so small, it was easy to get past, Mother."

"He paid me money," Vaughn shrugged.

"Because you started pinching me. She had sharp nails." He lifted her hands and examined the cuticles. "Still does."

"I like money," she stated simply.

Tristan watched this exchanged with interest. So this was what it must have been life for them as children. He could almost see…dare he think it? Sparks. "It's why the rich get richer, Vaughn."

Rory sipped her Coke and watched as Vaughn discreetly tugged her hands out of Cole's and then, folded them nonchalantly on her lap. Smirking inwardly, she adopted an innocent expression. "So, what else did you guys do together?"

"What do you mean?" Cole asked, brows drawn together.

"Well, you two were obviously close. You sound like you did everything together."

"Our parents were close, they encouraged it," Vaughn wrinkled her nose. "But, to answer your question, I broke Cole's nose, and he broke my arm. At different times, of course."

"You two sound like my parents who have broken a lot of things together," Rory piped with a grin. "They were best friends."

"Interesting how life turns out for some people," Vaughn mumbled, sinking down in the chair.

"I think if there's that much history in a relationship of any kind; it's a terrible thing to waste. Don't you agree Tristan?" Rory asked as she kicked him under the table.

Tristan coughed, feeling very much the abused boyfriend, except without the title. "Terrible."

Cole glanced quickly at Schuyler who was suddenly interested in the material of her sweater and didn't look up. He sighed and glanced back at Rory, who was all smiles. "So, uh, anyone want a refill?"