Author: Hadlee May
Summary: Jess and Tristin leave Rory's wedding early and drink a round of beers in Luke's apartment before getting on with the rest of their lives. Please Read! One Shot
Disclaimer: Don't own a flippin thing, save for the plot and a special little surprise character in the end. That and I own the mention of a silent one. : )
AN: I decided that I am extremely good at one shots. Easy to write, and quick to end, though this could potentially go off as a chapter story, or possibly have a one shot sequel… or better yet for me a series of ones, except I could post them all under the same title, that way any one could be the last. I just got a brain blast for my "Like Jess, Like Eliza" story, should be coming out by the end of Jan or Feb, depends…it might not have the drama you want, but the last chapter will, most definitely. Two more left!
Anyways, please review my story. Lots of reviews make me happy and make sme good about my self. Please!
Okay, anyways, on with the story.
Jess was late, as usual. He sidled into the cathedral moments before the bride would walk down the isle. Truthfully, he wasn't sure he was even going to stay for that. Seeing the once his Rory Gilmore walking down the red carpeted isle, decked in white, bouquet in hand, veil covering her face, he knew it was the end for him, and needless to say, he wasn't happy about it. Sure he had messed up everything they had, screwed with her heart as though he didn't care. He'd probably, in all respects destroyed her life to a point where she didn't want to look back, but, it didn't mean he had to like the fact that she had finally chosen the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with: and it wasn't him.
He sat on the last pue, on the bride's side. He spotted Luke up front, sitting idly, watching the ceremony in it's awe inspiring beauty.
"I hate weddings." Jess muttered, remembering the last wedding he had attended. His mother's, nearly six years ago in Stars Hollow. He'd walked her down the isle, and bolted, seeing Rory one more time before disappearing into the oblivion known as New York. His only contact with Stars Hollow had been through Luke, and occasionally his mother, who'd stationed a winter home in the town. Neither had been too happy about having to call him and tell him the news.
He hadn't been invited, and had showed up in his normal attire. A pair of jeans, long sleeved undershirt, and a band shirt, maroon, displaying the words: Maroon 5. He hadn't even planned to be in the same town when it happened, much less the same church, but he saw it and he'd been drawn inside, taking the first seat he could find, not noticing the blonde who sat close by, slouched in his seat, head hung low, arms crossed across the tux clad chest.
"You're telling me." He replied, scooting closer to Jess, who finally noticed him with a nod. "You look comfortable." He commented on Jess's choice of clothing.
"You look like you're in hell." Jess countered, nodding towards the formal clothing. Tristin Smirked, shaking his head.
"You've no idea. God I hate this suit." He grumbled, loosening his tie, then returning to the position Jess had first seen him in.
"So, you a friend of Rory's?" Jess asked. Tristin shrugged.
"She hated me in high school. I doubt I was on her list of invites by choice. Our grandparents are friends, you?"
"Ex boyfriend. My Uncle is her mother's husband." Jess grinned.
"Incest, much?" Tristin teased quietly.
"Not then. God I hate this guy she's marrying? Some stupid preppy rich boy who excites her, no doubt." Tristin could hear the pure hatred Jess was feeling. Tristin felt the same way. The jealousy he'd felt momentarily of Jess when he'd mentioned he was the bride's ex boyfriend vanished, knowing that whatever had happened in the end was bad, and had left both with a broken heart, and funny enough, this guy still loved her.
"Excitement could be one word you'd think of when you mention Logan Huntzberger. Life and Death Brigade ring a bell?" Tristin chuckled, "Tristin DuGray, by the way." He introduced, sticking out his hand.
"Jess Mariano." Jess shook his hand. "Life and Death Brigade?" Jess laughed, the name sounded like some crazy club ten year olds made in their back yard.
"It's a secret society…I only know about it because my dad was a member. They get their rocks off doing daring stunts that nearly kill them. That's how Rory and Logan got to know each other."
"What happened to you, didn't join?"
"Nope, didn't go to Yale. I rebelled and decided to go to UCLA, just to piss my father off." Tristin smirked once more. "You thirsty?" He asked. Jess nodded.
"I could go for a beer." Jess nodded.
"Let's go." Tristin stood up, Jess following suit. They quickly exited the church, passing by a momentarily stunned Rory Gilmore who was standing at the entrance. "Was that Jess and Tristin?" She wondered to herself, her eyes following the exit curiously. She shook her head. "No, it couldn't be."
oOoOoOo
"So let me get this straight, you just up and left her?" Tristin asked, leaning against the lazy boy placed in Luke's apartment above the diner, taking a sip of his beer.
"Yup. God I was stupid. But you know, Dad who I've never met showed up out of nowhere for a millisecond, I flunked out of high school, and found out I couldn't take Rory to prom, one thing she wanted to do. I thought I was a screw up, and that she hated me, so I left, followed my dad to California."
"Wow."
"Yeah, I called her from Venice and she said she might have loved me, if I'd stuck around."
"Lucky son of a bitch you are." Tristin took another swig. "Stupid one, too."
"Yup. I came back. To get my car, chased her down, told her how I really felt, but it was too late. Huntzberger better treat her right." Jess laid back on the couch, closing his eyes, wishing the beer could just wash away the pain he was feeling at the moment.
"We can pound him if he doesn't…So, did you really ever move on?" Tristin asked.
"For a while. Almost got married. Girlfriend at the time got pregnant, we planned on doing it after the baby was born." Jess trailed off.
"What happened?" Tristin asked.
"She had the baby, then left it with me…two years ago…" Jess sighed.
"Wow. Where is he...um…she?" Tristin asked.
"She…Sawyer. Mom has her for the day. She figured I might be too incapacitated to take care of a toddler on this day, so she agreed to watch my little Sawyer Grace."
"Are you too incapacitated?" Tristin giggled.
"Give me another can or two and I might be." Jess laughed.
oOoOoOo
Luke stood at the diner door confused. The door was gently propped open, every light in the place on, curtain pushed aside leading up to the apartment he'd lived comfortably in until he'd married Lorelai. "Jess." He muttered, knowing the culprit immediately.
He wondered up stairs to find not only Jess passed out drunk in his living area, but a blonde man, lean, and dressed in a suit, was sound asleep in one of the arm chairs. He had no doubt, whomever it was, Jess had easily corrupted him into having a few beers instead of attending the ceremony. He sighed, turning off the lights and heading back down stairs, quietly closing the door behind him. Jess would wake up the next morning, puke his guts out then get what was needed and disappear into the distance, like he did every time he visited the tiny town.
oOoOoOo
Morning came in the form of a headache, and the feeling of what he'd eaten for lunch in the back of his throat. Jess stumbled off the couch and rushed into the bathroom.
Minutes later, Jess re-entered the living area, only to find Tristin gone, but a flash of yellow paper resting on the seat where his new found friend had slept caught his attention. Curiously, Jess picked it up and read it.
Jess,
You have no idea how good it was to know that I wasn't the only person who's had their hearts stomped on by Rory Gilmore. Our precious little naïve Rory Gilmore, so oblivious to everything. You got further than me, of course, I pursued her for nearly a year and a half, and got no where. Just a friendly I hate you. Good luck with your Sawyer Grace, it was great meeting you. Possibly the best wedding I've attended. Thanks.
Your friend,
Tristin DuGray
Ps: email me sometime, we can discuss our loathing towards one Logan Huntzberger
Jess smirked, heading into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He wanted to get his daughter and be out of town before he had a chance to see too much lovey dovey form the happy couple. Just a glass of water and some aspirin and he was out of here.
oOoOoOo
Dressed in the same clothes as the day before, Jess wondered down the steps to the apartment to be greeted by a full diner. Of course, this being Stars Hollow, all eyes were on him, including Rory and Logan, who had yet to leave for their honeymoon.
His eyes almost popped out seeing his ex girlfriend playing with his two year old daughter. But the look on her face was almost priceless. Sensing her father's presence in the room, Sawyer Grace Mariano hopped out of Rory's arms, shouting "Daddy" and ran to Jess, who knelt on the floor, gathering her in his arms.
"Hey baby." He cooed softly to her. She giggled in his ear, talking quickly, in mostly made up words. He only recognized a few: Rory, grandma, Luke, and, to Jess's non surprise, coffee. "You ready to go, we got a long drive ahead of us." He kissed her cheek gently, walking past where Rory and Logan sat and heading towards the table where his mother was waiting for him. "Thanks for watching her last night." Jess said quietly.
"No problem. You're okay to drive right?" His mother, concerned, touched his forehead, making weird movements, hit him playfully in the back of the head, checking his reaction.
"Fine mom, just had a few beers."
"I know you're good, Jess, but you know the rules, you harm my little angel and I'll beat you with a broom stick." Liz touched Sawyer's soft brown hair a caring smile playing across her face. "Just like you, happy, all jumpy, rambling about anything in some foreign tongue." The mother/grandmother smiled sadly.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, where's Luke? I wanna say goodbye before I go." As he spoke, his uncle came out of the storage room. He nodded at his mother before standing up and heading towards the counter, trying his best to ignore Rory. "Hey Luke, I'm heading off, we plan to make it to California by the end of the month so Aunt Lily can see her special little niece whom she likes spoiling so much." He shifted Sawyer on his hip. Luke nodded.
"Be bad for you daddy, Sawyer, give him pure hell." He kissed the baby's cheek. He gave Jess a quick hug, moving quickly away from his nephew, heading towards a table, taking a customer's order.
"Bye Sawyer." Rory spoke to the toddler who was waving at her excitedly.
She managed out a bye and Rory, then, to Jess's surprise and great amusement, she stuck her tongue out at Logan as Jess carried her out of the diner and to his car, parked in the back of the diner.
He didn't look behind him, or he would have seen Rory touch Logan's arm and whisper something in his ear before getting up and following her ex boyfriend out of the diner.
She found him placing Sawyer in a car seat, taking careful measures to make sure she was comfortable and safe all at the same time.
"You married?" She broke the silence.
"Nope."
"But she's yours?" Rory asked.
"Yup." Jess replied, closing the door and leaning against it, facing Rory, eyes boring to hers.
"So, it's just you and her?" She asked.
"Yup, has been since she was born. What'd you think I'd do? Leave her??" He questioned.
"Never said that." She replied.
"The thought probably crossed your mind the minute she called me daddy. What do you want, Rory, don't you have a husband you need to attend to?" He asked impatiently. Despite the feeling of love he would always feel for her, he wanted nothing more than to just get away.
"Jess." She sighed. "I saw you with Tristin yesterday?" She said.
"So?" Jess shrugged.
"Never would have thought it. Ex boyfriend and my high school enemy in cahoots." She shrugged.
"We went back to Luke's and drank a few beers. Why is this a big deal?"
"Because, neither of you were supposed to be there."
"We left before you said I do. Rory."
She didn't say anything. Jess sighed. "You know the guy might have been in love with you. Spent all night calling himself a dumb ass and me a stupid son of a bitch. Turns out his parents forced him to go, was all too happy to go get drunk."
"You're still impossible, Jess."
"Yeah, well, I guess there's things that never change." He gave her one final glance before standing up straight, opening the driver's door, and climbing in, slamming the door shut. She watched him turn and talk to Sawyer, who's smile brightened the angry look on Jess's face, a smile, instead of smirk, playing across his face.
Jess didn't give her another look as he pulled out of the spot and down the road of Stars Hollow.
Rory Gilmore wondered back into the diner, sitting back on her stool, snuggling up to Logan, her mind cluttered, her heart confused.
Somewhere along route 87, Tristin DuGray sat in a the driver's seat of his Porsche, his eyes glued to the road, some sad song by Maroon 5 playing in his cd player. Only five more hours and he'd be back to the place where'd found some sort of piece away from Mary. North Carolina, where he, occasionally, took especially bad students from the military school on all night hikes, whipping them into shape before returning to New York to argue cases with a branch of his father's law firm. He felt a wave of moving on pass over him and he smiled. This was the beginning of a new horizon for Tristin DuGray, he could practically smell it on the air.
On a busy highway, Jess quietly driving, listening to Sawyer sing along, or, rather, hum, with the radio, which was blaring some heavy rock. He smiled at this. "Hey kiddo, can you say California here we come?" He asked her. She giggled, attempting the new words.
"Calfawna!!!" She shouted gleefully, and Jess grinned.
"Good enough." He smirked, turning the radio down and pushing the gas pedal closer to the floor. Only 34 hours left.
THE END
AN2: Hope you enjoyed. I always thought a possible friendship…or just meeting between Tristin and Jess would be interesting, but I decided in the end, just to make it an acutance, with a possibility for more. I betcha this would make a good LONG story, or a few chapters, maybe…but, you know me with long chapters…I have two more chapters left of my Like Jess, Like Eliza story and yet to make progress, because I can't get progress with that. If anyone has suggestions, put it in the review. It deals with Jess, a new girlfriend, and a fifteen year old Eliza. I'm not sure how to start it.
Anyways, please review. I much appreciate it if you do. I'll take anything, flames…or good ones. I take what I can get.
Review Please!!!