Counting Stars
By: Gnome
Chapter Four: Not Enough Credit
Rory looked down, smiling absent mindedly. Alex looked at her from across the conference table, catching her eye suspiciously. She just grinned wider and looked down, knowing she'd get grilled when this building meeting was over. But she couldn't stop smiling......Goodnight, Princess. He was so cute. And to feed her a line from a Disney movie, he knew her as well as he could after just seeing her again. She felt Alex kick her under the table and she looked up to see that everyone was looking at her expectantly.
Alex knew that she was about to ask the man at the head of the table, Karl Norton, to repeat the question, so he just answered for her, "We're working on three cases together right now."
"How many cases are each of you working on alone?" he asked.
She looked down at the folder that was laying open on her desk, "One."
"Two." Karl nodded, moving onto the next few people. Rory hated these meetings. They were boring and the only thing they were for was to check on the progress of the building. Karl Norton owned the main practice, employing four other attorneys, and Rory and Alex had the second most successful business in the building. But they were the best two person partnership in New England. Quite an accomplishment for two recently graduated Yale students.
People started standing up and Rory looked around, standing up as well, "Are we done?" she asked Alex.
He just shook his head, rolling his eyes, "You drink too much."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, following him out of the room and down the hall.
He smirked, "It's pretty bad when you have a hangover on a Wednesday."
"But I'm not hungover." she shook her head as he pushed the button on the elevator for the third floor.
"Uh-huh."
"No really, I didn't even drink last night."
"Rory, if you're going to start lying about how much you drink, I'd stick with just saying you had one martini."
"No, but I really didn't drink. We just went to laser tag-"
Alex stopped in his tracks, "Who's we?" he asked, grinning.
Rory's eyes widened so that she resembled a deer caught in the head lights, "We who?"
"Exactly."
"Huh?"
"That's what I'm wondering."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"That's what I just asked you!"
"Alex I'm about to punch you in the face if you don't stop!" she yelled.
He laughed at her, something he did quite often, "Who'd you go on a date with?" he asked.
She shrugged as a ding sounded and they stopped at the third floor, "I dunno." the doors slid open and she walked out.
He followed her, "Rory." he called in a sing song voice.
"Yes?"
"Who'd you go out with?"
"I'm not telling you." she said in the same tone as he'd called her name.
"Aww, come on."
"Nope."
"Please?"
"No."
"Give me hint."
"Die."
"That's not a very good hint."
"It's not a hint at all."
"Cheater."
"Loser." she pushed open a set of double doors and walked into a large room with a huge window facing downtown Hartford and brightly painted walls.
"Ouch." he touched the left side of his chest, "That hurt."
"Did it?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
"Mean."
"I try."
"Rory." "Alex."
"If you don't tell me then I'm going to cry."
She turned to face him, grinning, "Oh really? This'll be fun." she sat on the bean bag in their 'relaxation room' her legs crossed, "Oh, hang on a second." she stood up and grabbed a Coke from the refrigerator in the room and turned off the big screen T.V. "Okay," she got comfortable, "Go on, I'm ready now."
He just shook his head, "You are so mean."
"I am not!"
"You are too."
"I take offense to that." she popped the tab on her drink.
"Tell me."
"Never."
"Rory...."
"Yeah?"
He stepped closer, "If you don't give me a name then you will be forced to suffer the consequences."
"I'm shaking." she rolled her eyes.
"I'm giving you one last chance."
"As I said before; die."
"Okay, I gave you fair warning."
"Uh-huh." she said, taking a drink of her soda, but wound up spitting it out as she began laughing uncontrollably.
"Tell me and I'll stop." he said, tickling her.
"Alex, quit!"
"Tell me."
"No!"
"Mmhm." he continued.
"Fine, fine fine!" she yelled.
He pulled his hands away only a few inches, his eye brows raised, "That was quick."
"Yeah." she laid back, closing her eyes.
He sat down beside her, he'd previously been on his knees, "You gonna tell me now?"
She opened her eyes, "No." He moved to tickle her again and she jumped, not even bothering to run because she knew he could catch her, "Fine, okay, I'll tell you, just don't do that again!"
He sat back, grinning, "Who?"
"Tristan Dugrey."
His eyes widened, "Bradin's brother?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't even knew you two knew each other."
"Obviously."
"So how long have you been dating?" he asked.
"We're not dating. We went on a date. That doesn't mean we're DATING or anything." she bit her lip, knowing that she was smiling.
"You really like him?" he asked.
Rory nodded, "Yeah. I really do."
He smiled, "Well, I'm happy for you."
"Thanks."
"I think he'll be good for you."
She looked up at him, "Why?"
"Because for once, you're not comparing a guy to Jess."
She looked down, "I guess not." there was a note of sadness in her voice.
Alex looked around, an uncomfortable silence enveloping them. He sat up quickly, "So tell me all about it. Everything. From the time he asked you out to the time you closed the door. And don't leave anything out."
She smiled, making herself comfortable, "Well, first off, I stole Madeline's shirt to wear...."
THAT AFTERNOON, STARS HOLLOW
Rory opened the door to her childhood home, looking around at the warm house. "Mom!" she called.
"Oh, hey sweetie." came from the couch.
Rory walked over and kissed her mom on the cheek, "Hey."
Lorelai smiled, "Hi. I'm surprised. I didn't think you'd come home until this weekend."
"Well, something happened that I had to tell you in person."
"Oh? I love stories."
"Yes, I know."
"So, tell me."
"Well, you know that whole coming home party thing for Tristan Dugrey?"
"Yes, I recall it being mentioned a few times."
"Yes, well, as you know, I went."
"Yes, I did know that."
"Yeah, well, guess who I saw there that asked me out on a date."
"No!"
"Yes!"
"But Bradin's married!"
Rory looked at her mother, slightly confused, "What? No, mom, Tristan! Tristan asked me out!"
"Tristan?"
"Tristan."
"When for?"
"Last night."
"What? You went on a date and didn't tell me before hand? I knew this would happen. I knew he'd ask you out. Because my life is a soap opera."
"What?"
"Nothing. So, Tristan asked you out, huh?"
"Yeah." she smiled.
"And? Wait, hold on, don't tell me he took you to one of those damn restaurants where everything is in French and even the waiter can afford to pay a college tuition just by their tips-"
"No." she cut her off, "No. I thought he'd take me to one of those places too, but he didn't."
"Where did he take you?" Lorelai asked, obviously getting more and more interested.
"Laser tag."
Her jaw dropped, "A society boy took you to laser tag?"
"Yes. And guess what I got to wear."
"What?'
"The orange shoes."
"The orange shoes?" she asked.
"The orange shoes."
"We love the orange shoes."
"Yes, we do."
Lorelai smiled, "I like this boy."
Rory nodded, "Yeah, I think I do too."
"You think?"
"Yeah. I mean, I really do."
Her mother grinned, "You can tell me all about it on the way to Luke's."
Rory looked at the crutches laying on the floor, "You're going to walk to Luke's?"
Lorelai shook her head, waving her hands around, "Don't be ridiculous. We're driving. Grab the keys for me."
LUKE'S
Once they were settled and had coffee, Lorelai started talking to her daughter, "So, tell me, would you go out with him again?"
"Definitely. No, mom, it was so adorable. He used a line from Aladdin on me."
Lorelai clapped excitedly, "Which one?"
"You know after Aladdin and Jazmine kiss and he says 'Goodnight, princess' after they kiss and he falls back onto the carpet and floats all the way down?"
Lorelai grinned, "He said Goodnight, princess?"
Rory nodded, "Yeah." they both squealed excitedly.
Lorelai gasped, "And he kissed you!" Rory smiled, biting her lip. "Oh my God, tell me what he looks like. I need a visual here."
Rory though for a moment, "You remember what Bradin looks like?" her mother nodded. "Well, he looks almost exactly like his brother, but his hair is a little longer and he's a little shorter. Bradin's buffer than Tristan, but not a lot."
"Personality?"
"You'd like him. He's really easy to joke around with and he hilarious. He bought me ice cream." she looked down, thinking, "And for some reason I started talking about Jess at one point-"
"Was he a jerk? Do I need to go kick him around a little?"
Rory laughed, "No, that's just it. He was completely sweet about it. He didn't complain or anything."
"Wow."
"I know."
"That's good luck right there. He's not a whimp or anything, is he?"
"No. Not at all."
Lorelai smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but Jess walked over, "What can I get you?" he asked, looking down at the pad in his hand. When neither of them spoke, he looked up and sucked air in sharply, "Oh, sorry, I wasn't even looking. I'll get Luke to-"
"No, it's fine, Jess. Don't be ridiculous." Rory said, "We're friends now, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. So, what do you two want?"
"I want waffles." Rory said. Jess turned to Lorelai and she was about to say what she wanted when Rory's phone rang. She jumped, surprised at the vibrating in her pocket and the sound of Bowling For Soup's "1985".
"Who is it?" Lorelai asked.
Rory didn't recognize the number. She shrugged, flipping the phone open, "Hello?"
"I have a request."
"Hey Tristan." Lorelai grinned, sitting up straighter in her chair, and Jess's head whipped in Rory's direction. "What's your request?"
"Okay, I know this is short notice, but I need a favor."
"Like what?"
"Like, this Friday my grandparents are forcing all of us to go to a family dinner."
She smiled, leaning back in her chair, "Fun."
"Oh yeah." he said sarcastically. "And I need someone to go with me."
"Okay..." she trailed off, that was all?
"Oh, yeah, and it's at Le Reuge." he said timidly.
Rory's eyes widened, "Le Reuge?"
"Yeah. But before you say no, I know that you hate restaurants like that, so it totally wouldn't count as a second date. It would just be a friends thing. I promise I'll make it up to you, but if you don't go then I'd have to ask someone that I really don't want to go with, or else my grandparents would set me up and I really don't want to do that."
"As friends?" she asked, and Lorelai suddenly got a murderous look in her eye. Rory shook her head, waving her hand.
"Just as friends. And I swear I'll make it up to you on a real second date."
"You swear?"
"I swear."
"Sure."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Okay, thanks."
"No problem, I don't think your grandmother likes me much anyway."
"She will. I'll pick you up at six."
Rory smiled, "Kay. Bye."
"Talk to you later."
She hung up and smiled at her mom, "What?" she asked to see that she was staring at her.
Lorelai shook her head, "Nothing. Um, I want French toast, Jess." Rory's eyes widened and she turned to see Jess nod, trying to hide his hurt from her. She'd completely forgotten he was there. "So, what was that all about?" Lorelai asked.
"Friday Tristan's grandparents are making all of them go to Le Reuge and he needs someone to go with him."
"So he's taking you out on a second date with the whole family?"
She laughed, "No. This is only a friends thing. He said he'd make it up to me on a real second date since he knows I hate those places."
Lorelai nodded, "Um yeah, that sound great but, don't you think that was just a little um, cold?"
"What?"
"You know, Jess was right here-"
"Hey, it's not like I called Tristan. He just had really bad timing!"
"Okay, okay, I didn't mean to accuse you-"
"Besides, me and Jess are friends now, so it doesn't matter anyway."
"Okay. I know." she said quickly, regretting having said anything.
Rory looked down, "Besides, it's not like I told Jess he couldn't date."
Lorelai nodded, looking down as they sat in a heavy silence, "So, tell me more about Tristan's party."
Rory smiled slightly, "Nice change of subject."
Lorelai grinned, "I know."
Jess slammed the girls's order on the counter for Cesar and startled two people sitting at the counter. He looked at them staring at him, "What?!" he said harshly. They shook their head, looking down. A few moments later Jess felt Luke's hand on the back of his neck, pulling him into the back room. When they got in, he pulled away from his uncle, "What's your problem?"
"What's my problem? What the hell is your problem?" Luke asked harshly.
He shook his head, "No problem. I'm great. Just peachy here in PerfectTown, USA. Say, Farmer Bob dropped Willy and Bobby off earlier along with a gallon of milk and-"
"Stop. Just stop right now. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Her!" he said loudly, pointing out into the diner.
"Who?" Luke asked, throwing his hands in the air.
"Rory Gilmore!" he yelled. Who the hell did Luke think was making him this mad?
"What about her?" he asked, now softer since he knew how much his nephew had been hurt by her.
"She's talking about her damn dates on the phone while I'm taking her order. She went on a date a few days ago and now she's going to dinner with some guy's family!"
"No." Luke shook his head.
"No what?"
"No. You are not going to turn back into that seventeen year old who hates the world because of a girl. You went through this with Dean, but you aren't going to let her do this again. Talk to her, be her friend. Try to win her back if you want, but do not become the teenager you were seven years ago. You're better than that. You had her for a while. Be grateful for the time you had her, but give her a chance to be with someone else. She's her own person, and yes, I realize that you love her, and I'm sorry, but do not let her get to you!" Luke said firmly. Jess was staring at a spot behind Luke, not even pretending to look at him. "Jess." he ignored him. "Jess!"
He looked up at him, "What?!"
"Stop."
"I'm twenty five years old. You can't tell me how to act."
"I can when you're showing a mirror image of the teenager you were when you lived with me."
"Whatever."
"Jess, don't."
"Fine. Are we done?"
"Unless you wanted to say anything else?"
"No."
"Then yes, we're done."
Jess walked out of the back and got a few plates, taking them to his tables. Luke looked over at Lorelai to see that she'd been watching the doorway to the back while Rory was cutting her waffle. They locked eyes and she sent him an apologetic look. He shrugged, going back to work. He loved Rory, he really did. Like a daughter. But he hated how much she was hurting Jess.
FRIDAY
Rory spun around for Madeline, "What do you think?"
"I think you just need to have all my clothes, because they look better on you then they do on me." her friend answered, looking her over in the dark purple dress that fell just below her knees with a flowing skirt and a tight top. It was sleeveless, but the straps were thick. She had on silver shoes, the same ones that she'd worn to Tristan's coming home party, and she had on the heart necklace that Luke had given her for her graduation, but no other jewelry.
She laughed, "Thanks."
"Where are you going?"
"Le Rouge."
"Ooh, fancy for a second date."
"It's not a second date."
Madeline looked taken aback, "What?"
"It's a thing his family is doing. For us it's just a friend date, he said he'd make it up to me since he knows how much I hate these places."
Madeline laughed, "Now that's the kind of guy-" but she was cut off from a knock at the door. "I got it." she said, standing up and walking out of the room. Rory tilted her head and spun around again, looking at the dress from every angle. A few moments later, her friend appeared at the door, "Ready?"
Rory turned to face her, smiling anxiously, "Ready."
Madeline smiled knowingly, "Don't be nervous."
"But it's his grandparents!"
"And they'll love you!" her friend walked in and took her arm, "Now go and show them just how damn loveable you are!"
She hugged her, "Thanks Maddy."
Madeline shrugged, "No problem. He's waiting."
Rory walked out into the living room and smiled at Tristan in his tux, "Ready?" she asked.
He smiled, holding his arm out, "Yeah." Rory walked over to him and linked her arm through his and they walked out of the apartment.
LE ROUGE, RESTAURANT
Rory walked in the door after Tristan and her eyes widened upon seeing all the people who were obviously high class. She turned right back around, but Tristan caught her arm, holding her back, "Where do you think you're going?"
"The car misses me." she was close to freaking out. All these people had judged her growing up, and hadn't liked her in school. Now, most of the time she could pretend she was comfortable, hiding behind her Chilton uniform or Alex, but now she felt like that same fifteen year old girl who just wanted to be accepted by her peers.
"You can't leave me alone here, Gilmore." he pulled her back, wrapping his arm around her waist. She calmed down, breathing in deeply.
Tristan walked to a man standing behind a podium with the reservations, his hand slipping from around her waist to hold her hand. He was about to tell the man his name, but the host smiled widely and said with a heavy French accent, "Mister Dugrey! How nice to see you again. Your family is right this way." he led them through the restaurant.
"You know him?" Rory asked, bewildered.
Tristan shrugged, "Different social dinners. Most of the hosts at these restaurants know a lot more people than you'd think." they stopped at a large table, Bradin, Cassidy, Airin, Vanessa, and their parents and grandparents were already there.
Tristan pulled Rory's chair out for her. She smiled as she sat down, "Thank you."
He nodded and sat down beside her. "Sorry. Bad traffic."
"No problem, no problem at all. Now introduce us to this lovely friend of yours, won't you, Tristan?" his grandmother asked.
"Oh yeah, of course. Grandma, Grandpa, mom, dad, this is my friend Rory Gilmore. Rory, these are my grandparents and my parents."
"Hello Rory, darling." his grandmother said warmly.
"Hello Mrs. Dugrey. It's wonderful to meet you." Rory smiled politely.
"Oh, nonsense. I'm simply an old woman. Nothing nice about age at all."
The whole table chuckled lightly and everyone fell into comfortable conversation. After several minutes of talking, Rory turned to Vanessa, who was on her right. "Have you ever been here?" Airin's girlfriend asked.
Rory shook her head, "No. You?"
"No." she had dark skin and almond shaped light brown eyes with naturally black hair flowing down her back in gentle waves. Rory guessed al least one of her parents was from India, but wasn't sure.
Rory turned back to Tristan, "So, um-"
"My grandparents are paying." he said, seeing that she was reaching for her purse.
Her hand came back to her lap, "Ah." she looked down, unsure what she should say.
Tristan smiled gently, "Rory, you know, you can talk."
She nodded, "Yeah, I know, I just....." she trailed off, unsure of what to say, and he still had that impossible smirk on his face.
He grinned, "I know, it's a lot, but they're big on show."
"Oh really? I hadn't noticed." she said sarcastically.
He laughed, "Yeah. Just ignore it."
"Huh. Yeah right- oh my God," she turned so that her face was block at a certain angle.
"What?" he asked, looking around.
She shook her head, "This guy over there, my grandparents tried to set us up a few months ago."
"And?"
"And I wound up throwing a cocktail in his face and walking out of the restaurant when he made an innuendo."
He laughed, "You threw your drink on him?"
She grinned, "Yes."
"After he made an innuendo?"
"Yeah." she poked him gently, "So be careful what you say."
He smiled, "But I'm always a gentleman."
She rolled her eyes, "Yeah right."
"So Rory, are you still in school?" Tristan's grandfather asked.
She looked up, smiling politely, "No sir, I graduated this past summer."
"Did you? What university?"
"Yale."
"Good school."
"Yes Sir."
"What was your major?" his wife asked.
"Law."
"Ah, so, do you have a private practice or do you work with someone?" Tristan's father asked.
"I'm actually in a partnership with Alex McCartney."
"Oh really? I had no idea. So then you must have recently covered a case for a friend of mine. Her daughter's name is Lorraine Thronton."
Rory nodded, "Yes. Alex and I covered her."
"Well congratulations, I heard you won the case."
"Yes ma'am." before anyone else could speak, the waiter came with their drinks and menus.
11:00, TRISTAN'S CAR
Rory let out a long sigh, "Did that go well?" she asked.
Tristan grinned, "That went very well."
"And you're not just saying it?"
"I'm not just saying it."
"Good."
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"Coming."
"Oh yeah, that."
He laughed, "Yeah. That."
"No problem. So where do you plan on taking me fore our real second date?"
He thought for a moment, "Where do you want to go?"
She shrugged, "I dunno."
He looked over at her as he pulled into a parking space in front of her building, "Well, think about it, and I'll call you tomorrow."
"Okay. And you know, it wasn't that bad."
"What?"
"Tonight. You don't give your family enough credit."
He smirked, "You've just met them. They like you, so now you can't leave."
She grinned, "I can't?"
"Uh-uh. You're just stuck with us."
"I think I'll live."
"I hope so."
Rory smiled, "Goodnight, Tristan."
"'Night."
She climbed out of the car and walked inside, Tristan just shook his head, his family actually liked her. They hadn't liked someone he'd dated in years.
By: Gnome
Chapter Four: Not Enough Credit
Rory looked down, smiling absent mindedly. Alex looked at her from across the conference table, catching her eye suspiciously. She just grinned wider and looked down, knowing she'd get grilled when this building meeting was over. But she couldn't stop smiling......Goodnight, Princess. He was so cute. And to feed her a line from a Disney movie, he knew her as well as he could after just seeing her again. She felt Alex kick her under the table and she looked up to see that everyone was looking at her expectantly.
Alex knew that she was about to ask the man at the head of the table, Karl Norton, to repeat the question, so he just answered for her, "We're working on three cases together right now."
"How many cases are each of you working on alone?" he asked.
She looked down at the folder that was laying open on her desk, "One."
"Two." Karl nodded, moving onto the next few people. Rory hated these meetings. They were boring and the only thing they were for was to check on the progress of the building. Karl Norton owned the main practice, employing four other attorneys, and Rory and Alex had the second most successful business in the building. But they were the best two person partnership in New England. Quite an accomplishment for two recently graduated Yale students.
People started standing up and Rory looked around, standing up as well, "Are we done?" she asked Alex.
He just shook his head, rolling his eyes, "You drink too much."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, following him out of the room and down the hall.
He smirked, "It's pretty bad when you have a hangover on a Wednesday."
"But I'm not hungover." she shook her head as he pushed the button on the elevator for the third floor.
"Uh-huh."
"No really, I didn't even drink last night."
"Rory, if you're going to start lying about how much you drink, I'd stick with just saying you had one martini."
"No, but I really didn't drink. We just went to laser tag-"
Alex stopped in his tracks, "Who's we?" he asked, grinning.
Rory's eyes widened so that she resembled a deer caught in the head lights, "We who?"
"Exactly."
"Huh?"
"That's what I'm wondering."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"That's what I just asked you!"
"Alex I'm about to punch you in the face if you don't stop!" she yelled.
He laughed at her, something he did quite often, "Who'd you go on a date with?" he asked.
She shrugged as a ding sounded and they stopped at the third floor, "I dunno." the doors slid open and she walked out.
He followed her, "Rory." he called in a sing song voice.
"Yes?"
"Who'd you go out with?"
"I'm not telling you." she said in the same tone as he'd called her name.
"Aww, come on."
"Nope."
"Please?"
"No."
"Give me hint."
"Die."
"That's not a very good hint."
"It's not a hint at all."
"Cheater."
"Loser." she pushed open a set of double doors and walked into a large room with a huge window facing downtown Hartford and brightly painted walls.
"Ouch." he touched the left side of his chest, "That hurt."
"Did it?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
"Mean."
"I try."
"Rory." "Alex."
"If you don't tell me then I'm going to cry."
She turned to face him, grinning, "Oh really? This'll be fun." she sat on the bean bag in their 'relaxation room' her legs crossed, "Oh, hang on a second." she stood up and grabbed a Coke from the refrigerator in the room and turned off the big screen T.V. "Okay," she got comfortable, "Go on, I'm ready now."
He just shook his head, "You are so mean."
"I am not!"
"You are too."
"I take offense to that." she popped the tab on her drink.
"Tell me."
"Never."
"Rory...."
"Yeah?"
He stepped closer, "If you don't give me a name then you will be forced to suffer the consequences."
"I'm shaking." she rolled her eyes.
"I'm giving you one last chance."
"As I said before; die."
"Okay, I gave you fair warning."
"Uh-huh." she said, taking a drink of her soda, but wound up spitting it out as she began laughing uncontrollably.
"Tell me and I'll stop." he said, tickling her.
"Alex, quit!"
"Tell me."
"No!"
"Mmhm." he continued.
"Fine, fine fine!" she yelled.
He pulled his hands away only a few inches, his eye brows raised, "That was quick."
"Yeah." she laid back, closing her eyes.
He sat down beside her, he'd previously been on his knees, "You gonna tell me now?"
She opened her eyes, "No." He moved to tickle her again and she jumped, not even bothering to run because she knew he could catch her, "Fine, okay, I'll tell you, just don't do that again!"
He sat back, grinning, "Who?"
"Tristan Dugrey."
His eyes widened, "Bradin's brother?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't even knew you two knew each other."
"Obviously."
"So how long have you been dating?" he asked.
"We're not dating. We went on a date. That doesn't mean we're DATING or anything." she bit her lip, knowing that she was smiling.
"You really like him?" he asked.
Rory nodded, "Yeah. I really do."
He smiled, "Well, I'm happy for you."
"Thanks."
"I think he'll be good for you."
She looked up at him, "Why?"
"Because for once, you're not comparing a guy to Jess."
She looked down, "I guess not." there was a note of sadness in her voice.
Alex looked around, an uncomfortable silence enveloping them. He sat up quickly, "So tell me all about it. Everything. From the time he asked you out to the time you closed the door. And don't leave anything out."
She smiled, making herself comfortable, "Well, first off, I stole Madeline's shirt to wear...."
THAT AFTERNOON, STARS HOLLOW
Rory opened the door to her childhood home, looking around at the warm house. "Mom!" she called.
"Oh, hey sweetie." came from the couch.
Rory walked over and kissed her mom on the cheek, "Hey."
Lorelai smiled, "Hi. I'm surprised. I didn't think you'd come home until this weekend."
"Well, something happened that I had to tell you in person."
"Oh? I love stories."
"Yes, I know."
"So, tell me."
"Well, you know that whole coming home party thing for Tristan Dugrey?"
"Yes, I recall it being mentioned a few times."
"Yes, well, as you know, I went."
"Yes, I did know that."
"Yeah, well, guess who I saw there that asked me out on a date."
"No!"
"Yes!"
"But Bradin's married!"
Rory looked at her mother, slightly confused, "What? No, mom, Tristan! Tristan asked me out!"
"Tristan?"
"Tristan."
"When for?"
"Last night."
"What? You went on a date and didn't tell me before hand? I knew this would happen. I knew he'd ask you out. Because my life is a soap opera."
"What?"
"Nothing. So, Tristan asked you out, huh?"
"Yeah." she smiled.
"And? Wait, hold on, don't tell me he took you to one of those damn restaurants where everything is in French and even the waiter can afford to pay a college tuition just by their tips-"
"No." she cut her off, "No. I thought he'd take me to one of those places too, but he didn't."
"Where did he take you?" Lorelai asked, obviously getting more and more interested.
"Laser tag."
Her jaw dropped, "A society boy took you to laser tag?"
"Yes. And guess what I got to wear."
"What?'
"The orange shoes."
"The orange shoes?" she asked.
"The orange shoes."
"We love the orange shoes."
"Yes, we do."
Lorelai smiled, "I like this boy."
Rory nodded, "Yeah, I think I do too."
"You think?"
"Yeah. I mean, I really do."
Her mother grinned, "You can tell me all about it on the way to Luke's."
Rory looked at the crutches laying on the floor, "You're going to walk to Luke's?"
Lorelai shook her head, waving her hands around, "Don't be ridiculous. We're driving. Grab the keys for me."
LUKE'S
Once they were settled and had coffee, Lorelai started talking to her daughter, "So, tell me, would you go out with him again?"
"Definitely. No, mom, it was so adorable. He used a line from Aladdin on me."
Lorelai clapped excitedly, "Which one?"
"You know after Aladdin and Jazmine kiss and he says 'Goodnight, princess' after they kiss and he falls back onto the carpet and floats all the way down?"
Lorelai grinned, "He said Goodnight, princess?"
Rory nodded, "Yeah." they both squealed excitedly.
Lorelai gasped, "And he kissed you!" Rory smiled, biting her lip. "Oh my God, tell me what he looks like. I need a visual here."
Rory though for a moment, "You remember what Bradin looks like?" her mother nodded. "Well, he looks almost exactly like his brother, but his hair is a little longer and he's a little shorter. Bradin's buffer than Tristan, but not a lot."
"Personality?"
"You'd like him. He's really easy to joke around with and he hilarious. He bought me ice cream." she looked down, thinking, "And for some reason I started talking about Jess at one point-"
"Was he a jerk? Do I need to go kick him around a little?"
Rory laughed, "No, that's just it. He was completely sweet about it. He didn't complain or anything."
"Wow."
"I know."
"That's good luck right there. He's not a whimp or anything, is he?"
"No. Not at all."
Lorelai smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but Jess walked over, "What can I get you?" he asked, looking down at the pad in his hand. When neither of them spoke, he looked up and sucked air in sharply, "Oh, sorry, I wasn't even looking. I'll get Luke to-"
"No, it's fine, Jess. Don't be ridiculous." Rory said, "We're friends now, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. So, what do you two want?"
"I want waffles." Rory said. Jess turned to Lorelai and she was about to say what she wanted when Rory's phone rang. She jumped, surprised at the vibrating in her pocket and the sound of Bowling For Soup's "1985".
"Who is it?" Lorelai asked.
Rory didn't recognize the number. She shrugged, flipping the phone open, "Hello?"
"I have a request."
"Hey Tristan." Lorelai grinned, sitting up straighter in her chair, and Jess's head whipped in Rory's direction. "What's your request?"
"Okay, I know this is short notice, but I need a favor."
"Like what?"
"Like, this Friday my grandparents are forcing all of us to go to a family dinner."
She smiled, leaning back in her chair, "Fun."
"Oh yeah." he said sarcastically. "And I need someone to go with me."
"Okay..." she trailed off, that was all?
"Oh, yeah, and it's at Le Reuge." he said timidly.
Rory's eyes widened, "Le Reuge?"
"Yeah. But before you say no, I know that you hate restaurants like that, so it totally wouldn't count as a second date. It would just be a friends thing. I promise I'll make it up to you, but if you don't go then I'd have to ask someone that I really don't want to go with, or else my grandparents would set me up and I really don't want to do that."
"As friends?" she asked, and Lorelai suddenly got a murderous look in her eye. Rory shook her head, waving her hand.
"Just as friends. And I swear I'll make it up to you on a real second date."
"You swear?"
"I swear."
"Sure."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"Okay, thanks."
"No problem, I don't think your grandmother likes me much anyway."
"She will. I'll pick you up at six."
Rory smiled, "Kay. Bye."
"Talk to you later."
She hung up and smiled at her mom, "What?" she asked to see that she was staring at her.
Lorelai shook her head, "Nothing. Um, I want French toast, Jess." Rory's eyes widened and she turned to see Jess nod, trying to hide his hurt from her. She'd completely forgotten he was there. "So, what was that all about?" Lorelai asked.
"Friday Tristan's grandparents are making all of them go to Le Reuge and he needs someone to go with him."
"So he's taking you out on a second date with the whole family?"
She laughed, "No. This is only a friends thing. He said he'd make it up to me on a real second date since he knows I hate those places."
Lorelai nodded, "Um yeah, that sound great but, don't you think that was just a little um, cold?"
"What?"
"You know, Jess was right here-"
"Hey, it's not like I called Tristan. He just had really bad timing!"
"Okay, okay, I didn't mean to accuse you-"
"Besides, me and Jess are friends now, so it doesn't matter anyway."
"Okay. I know." she said quickly, regretting having said anything.
Rory looked down, "Besides, it's not like I told Jess he couldn't date."
Lorelai nodded, looking down as they sat in a heavy silence, "So, tell me more about Tristan's party."
Rory smiled slightly, "Nice change of subject."
Lorelai grinned, "I know."
Jess slammed the girls's order on the counter for Cesar and startled two people sitting at the counter. He looked at them staring at him, "What?!" he said harshly. They shook their head, looking down. A few moments later Jess felt Luke's hand on the back of his neck, pulling him into the back room. When they got in, he pulled away from his uncle, "What's your problem?"
"What's my problem? What the hell is your problem?" Luke asked harshly.
He shook his head, "No problem. I'm great. Just peachy here in PerfectTown, USA. Say, Farmer Bob dropped Willy and Bobby off earlier along with a gallon of milk and-"
"Stop. Just stop right now. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Her!" he said loudly, pointing out into the diner.
"Who?" Luke asked, throwing his hands in the air.
"Rory Gilmore!" he yelled. Who the hell did Luke think was making him this mad?
"What about her?" he asked, now softer since he knew how much his nephew had been hurt by her.
"She's talking about her damn dates on the phone while I'm taking her order. She went on a date a few days ago and now she's going to dinner with some guy's family!"
"No." Luke shook his head.
"No what?"
"No. You are not going to turn back into that seventeen year old who hates the world because of a girl. You went through this with Dean, but you aren't going to let her do this again. Talk to her, be her friend. Try to win her back if you want, but do not become the teenager you were seven years ago. You're better than that. You had her for a while. Be grateful for the time you had her, but give her a chance to be with someone else. She's her own person, and yes, I realize that you love her, and I'm sorry, but do not let her get to you!" Luke said firmly. Jess was staring at a spot behind Luke, not even pretending to look at him. "Jess." he ignored him. "Jess!"
He looked up at him, "What?!"
"Stop."
"I'm twenty five years old. You can't tell me how to act."
"I can when you're showing a mirror image of the teenager you were when you lived with me."
"Whatever."
"Jess, don't."
"Fine. Are we done?"
"Unless you wanted to say anything else?"
"No."
"Then yes, we're done."
Jess walked out of the back and got a few plates, taking them to his tables. Luke looked over at Lorelai to see that she'd been watching the doorway to the back while Rory was cutting her waffle. They locked eyes and she sent him an apologetic look. He shrugged, going back to work. He loved Rory, he really did. Like a daughter. But he hated how much she was hurting Jess.
FRIDAY
Rory spun around for Madeline, "What do you think?"
"I think you just need to have all my clothes, because they look better on you then they do on me." her friend answered, looking her over in the dark purple dress that fell just below her knees with a flowing skirt and a tight top. It was sleeveless, but the straps were thick. She had on silver shoes, the same ones that she'd worn to Tristan's coming home party, and she had on the heart necklace that Luke had given her for her graduation, but no other jewelry.
She laughed, "Thanks."
"Where are you going?"
"Le Rouge."
"Ooh, fancy for a second date."
"It's not a second date."
Madeline looked taken aback, "What?"
"It's a thing his family is doing. For us it's just a friend date, he said he'd make it up to me since he knows how much I hate these places."
Madeline laughed, "Now that's the kind of guy-" but she was cut off from a knock at the door. "I got it." she said, standing up and walking out of the room. Rory tilted her head and spun around again, looking at the dress from every angle. A few moments later, her friend appeared at the door, "Ready?"
Rory turned to face her, smiling anxiously, "Ready."
Madeline smiled knowingly, "Don't be nervous."
"But it's his grandparents!"
"And they'll love you!" her friend walked in and took her arm, "Now go and show them just how damn loveable you are!"
She hugged her, "Thanks Maddy."
Madeline shrugged, "No problem. He's waiting."
Rory walked out into the living room and smiled at Tristan in his tux, "Ready?" she asked.
He smiled, holding his arm out, "Yeah." Rory walked over to him and linked her arm through his and they walked out of the apartment.
LE ROUGE, RESTAURANT
Rory walked in the door after Tristan and her eyes widened upon seeing all the people who were obviously high class. She turned right back around, but Tristan caught her arm, holding her back, "Where do you think you're going?"
"The car misses me." she was close to freaking out. All these people had judged her growing up, and hadn't liked her in school. Now, most of the time she could pretend she was comfortable, hiding behind her Chilton uniform or Alex, but now she felt like that same fifteen year old girl who just wanted to be accepted by her peers.
"You can't leave me alone here, Gilmore." he pulled her back, wrapping his arm around her waist. She calmed down, breathing in deeply.
Tristan walked to a man standing behind a podium with the reservations, his hand slipping from around her waist to hold her hand. He was about to tell the man his name, but the host smiled widely and said with a heavy French accent, "Mister Dugrey! How nice to see you again. Your family is right this way." he led them through the restaurant.
"You know him?" Rory asked, bewildered.
Tristan shrugged, "Different social dinners. Most of the hosts at these restaurants know a lot more people than you'd think." they stopped at a large table, Bradin, Cassidy, Airin, Vanessa, and their parents and grandparents were already there.
Tristan pulled Rory's chair out for her. She smiled as she sat down, "Thank you."
He nodded and sat down beside her. "Sorry. Bad traffic."
"No problem, no problem at all. Now introduce us to this lovely friend of yours, won't you, Tristan?" his grandmother asked.
"Oh yeah, of course. Grandma, Grandpa, mom, dad, this is my friend Rory Gilmore. Rory, these are my grandparents and my parents."
"Hello Rory, darling." his grandmother said warmly.
"Hello Mrs. Dugrey. It's wonderful to meet you." Rory smiled politely.
"Oh, nonsense. I'm simply an old woman. Nothing nice about age at all."
The whole table chuckled lightly and everyone fell into comfortable conversation. After several minutes of talking, Rory turned to Vanessa, who was on her right. "Have you ever been here?" Airin's girlfriend asked.
Rory shook her head, "No. You?"
"No." she had dark skin and almond shaped light brown eyes with naturally black hair flowing down her back in gentle waves. Rory guessed al least one of her parents was from India, but wasn't sure.
Rory turned back to Tristan, "So, um-"
"My grandparents are paying." he said, seeing that she was reaching for her purse.
Her hand came back to her lap, "Ah." she looked down, unsure what she should say.
Tristan smiled gently, "Rory, you know, you can talk."
She nodded, "Yeah, I know, I just....." she trailed off, unsure of what to say, and he still had that impossible smirk on his face.
He grinned, "I know, it's a lot, but they're big on show."
"Oh really? I hadn't noticed." she said sarcastically.
He laughed, "Yeah. Just ignore it."
"Huh. Yeah right- oh my God," she turned so that her face was block at a certain angle.
"What?" he asked, looking around.
She shook her head, "This guy over there, my grandparents tried to set us up a few months ago."
"And?"
"And I wound up throwing a cocktail in his face and walking out of the restaurant when he made an innuendo."
He laughed, "You threw your drink on him?"
She grinned, "Yes."
"After he made an innuendo?"
"Yeah." she poked him gently, "So be careful what you say."
He smiled, "But I'm always a gentleman."
She rolled her eyes, "Yeah right."
"So Rory, are you still in school?" Tristan's grandfather asked.
She looked up, smiling politely, "No sir, I graduated this past summer."
"Did you? What university?"
"Yale."
"Good school."
"Yes Sir."
"What was your major?" his wife asked.
"Law."
"Ah, so, do you have a private practice or do you work with someone?" Tristan's father asked.
"I'm actually in a partnership with Alex McCartney."
"Oh really? I had no idea. So then you must have recently covered a case for a friend of mine. Her daughter's name is Lorraine Thronton."
Rory nodded, "Yes. Alex and I covered her."
"Well congratulations, I heard you won the case."
"Yes ma'am." before anyone else could speak, the waiter came with their drinks and menus.
11:00, TRISTAN'S CAR
Rory let out a long sigh, "Did that go well?" she asked.
Tristan grinned, "That went very well."
"And you're not just saying it?"
"I'm not just saying it."
"Good."
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"Coming."
"Oh yeah, that."
He laughed, "Yeah. That."
"No problem. So where do you plan on taking me fore our real second date?"
He thought for a moment, "Where do you want to go?"
She shrugged, "I dunno."
He looked over at her as he pulled into a parking space in front of her building, "Well, think about it, and I'll call you tomorrow."
"Okay. And you know, it wasn't that bad."
"What?"
"Tonight. You don't give your family enough credit."
He smirked, "You've just met them. They like you, so now you can't leave."
She grinned, "I can't?"
"Uh-uh. You're just stuck with us."
"I think I'll live."
"I hope so."
Rory smiled, "Goodnight, Tristan."
"'Night."
She climbed out of the car and walked inside, Tristan just shook his head, his family actually liked her. They hadn't liked someone he'd dated in years.