Troubled Pasts

Ch. 7: All We Need is Bag Boy

By StoppedataLight

Disclaimer: you know the drill

Dean got his backpack from the ground and made his way to the parking lot. When he got in his truck, he threw his hard hat in the seat next to him and started the engine. Another long day, he thought to himself.

He merged into traffic and headed towards his apartment. He had officially finished his second week at his new construction job, and was about to start his new part time handy man job. It was only at night, and it paid good. He could always use the extra money, and it wasn't like he had anything better to do, but it was at Yale.

Mostly it was fixing random problems that occurred in the dorms, and helping to keep the grounds under control. When he heard about the job, his first thought was no way. The more he thought about it though, the better it seemed. The pay and hours were too good to pass up and what were the chances he'd even see Rory? The Yale campus was huge, and if he was gonna ever see her again, now was as good as time as time as any.

He assured himself it was gonna be fine as he headed to the Yale campus. He pulled into the lot and headed to the office where he was supposed to check in.

On his way out however, he saw a very familiar leather jacket. He turned from where he was and stood behind one of the many large white columns that were scattered around the various buildings. It was him. Jess. At Yale. Jess at Yale. Rory at Yale. Jess and Rory.

He felt like a caveman as his mind could only form one syllable words and short phrases. He didn't mind staying away from Rory, if that was what she wanted, but not from Jess. He had seen what the jerk had done to Rory and damn it if he let the asshole do it again.

He watched Jess walk to a beat up car and start to unlock the door before he approached him.

"What are you doing here?" Jess turned around when he heard Dean's voice, and he laughed.

"Figures."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Figures you'd show up now." Jess shook his head.

"Leave her alone Jess."

Jess laughed. "I'm not the one you need to be telling that to."

"What are you talking about?!"

"The name Tristan ring a bell?" Jess said sarcastically.

"What does he have to do with anything?" His own voice dripped with bitterness.

"Until tonight, I hadn't seen Rory in three years. She doesn't love me anymore, or you either."

"Get to the point Jess!" Dean was starting to get madder, even though he was glad that Jess wasn't with Rory anymore, or so he said, he could sense what was coming with Tristan.

"Tristan's the one with Rory."

"What are you talking about?! He went to Chilton with her, he got to sent to military school during her junior year!"

"Yeah? Well he's back now, so mine as well get over it bag boy. If you're here to win her back, you mine as well not even try."

"For your information I work here, I wasn't here to see Rory."

"Oh really? It was just a coincidence that you got a job where you knew Rory to school? Huh. How irnonic." Jess shook his head, and tried to unlock his car door.

"Well, what's your excuse then asshole?!"

"I work with Tristan! I didn't know who he was! He brought me hear to meet Rory, or Mary as he called her! I didn't even know it was her until she opened the door!"

"Sure Jess. So, you just happened to get a job with Tristan." He shrugged, sarcastic, and mockingly.

"Hey I never met the guy!" He shrugged. "You said yourself he got sent to military school junior year! I wasn't even in Stars Hollow then! So shut your mouth Dean. You were the one who had to take a job at Yale, where you knew she would be, so you could even be around her. So why don't you back off and go back to your wife!"

With that, Jess slammed his door and drove off, screeching his tires on the pavement. Dean felt like he was back in high school fighting with Jess over Rory. He hated this feeling, like this was the way it was gonna be and he couldn't do anything about it. When him and Rory broke up, he had started getting this feeling, and he hated. She was the only one who had ever really hurt him. Sure, the divorce with Lindsay had hurt and he felt bad, but he never really loved her, he had only even dated her in the first place to make Rory jealous.

He walked up the path after work and cut through a building of dorms in order to get to his truck on the other side. He was passing a flight of stairs when he heard her. He knew it was her. His boss Ray, had said that they would have a lot of work to do to get ready before all the students moved in, and only a few were in now. Jess had proved that she was one of the one's already there.

He heard another squeal of delight, and was sure it was her voice. He didn't want to confront her, especially not now, and when he heard a male voice, he was even surer. As he slowly took one step at a time, he tried to make sure their weren't any creaks. When he got up the small flight, he looked over the ledge at their foot level, and could see two dorm rooms across the hall from each other that had their dorms open.

"Tristan?!" Rory yelled from inside hers.

"Yeah?!" The male voice called back from across the hall.

"Hurry up! Bring Willy Wonka!"

"Ror! We've watched it three times in the past week and a half!" He said laughing. Dean felt his heart sink in his chest when he thought about them spending that much time together.

"Come on Tris, it's my favorite! It's either that or Pretty Woman!"

"Don't go there Mare!" He yelled obviously teasing her.

"Would you rather watch that? Because I know how much you love it!" It was obviously some kind of inside joke between the two and knowing that hurt too.

"Mary. I don't know what I'm gonna do with you." He spoke normally now, as they both met in the middle of the hall, and she put his arms around his neck.

"Oh you know you love the Oompa Loompas."

"Maybe just a little bit." He used his thumb and pointer finger to gesture just a little bit.

The way he leaned in and the way Rory took a deep breath he could tell that the asshole was about to kiss her. All he wanted was to jump in and rip him off her, pounding him to shreds, but he knew he couldn't. Not yet. He would approach her sometime, but now right yet.

As their lips met Dean gritted his teeth and bit his tounge, determined not to say anything. They pulled apart after only a moment, and Rory smiled.

"Time for Oompa Loompas." The asshole smiled at her.

"Ready?"

He gripped her waist tighter after she nodded and smiled, and lifted her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and put her arms behind his neck while he clasped his hands behind her back.

"Yours or mine?"

"My DVD player sucks. Plus we've been there three nights in a row, lets go to yours."

"That's because mine smells. But whatever you say Mare."

Tristan carried her in and they were lost from his sight. He waited a sec, and could hear shuffling around and a couch squeaking, then some low murmurs

He'd get her back eventually, he would. He had lost her the first time to Jess, and even though it took him two years, he got her back, even if it did end badly again. If they could make it after Lindsey, then they could make it after Tristan. If it was the last thing he did, he would have Rory Gilmore.