Pairing: Established relationships for L/L and P/J; R/T eventually
Spoilers: May reference any and all episodes from seasons 1 & 2, up to and including Lost and Found.
Rating: PG
Summary: Future fic. Seven years after graduating from Chilton, Rory and Paris are business partners. What happens when they strike up a joint venture with Tristan DuGrey?
A/N: WARNING!! Major Tristan angst ahead!
Unholy Alliance
by Grace
Part Four: You break her heart, I'll break your face…
"You two know each other?" the three of them asked simultaneously.
They all laughed uncomfortably, then stood there in stunned silence for several seconds. It was Tristan who finally spoke up. His voice was strained as he asked, "How exactly did you two meet?"
Rory flushed slightly. "I ran into him—literally—at a coffee shop yesterday."
Tristan was relieved—it had only been an innocent chance encounter.
Then Ryan spoke up. "And last night, we went out to dinner. Now it looks like she'll be coming to New York for a visit soon."
Tristan's heart plummeted, but he tried to shrug it off. After all, this meeting was supposed to help him put Rory in the past, once and for all. He should be happy that she was dating his friend and business partner.
But he wasn't.
Rory was getting concerned by his sudden silence. "Are you okay, Tristan?"
He forced a laugh. "Yeah. I was just thinking about what a small world it is."
Ryan was still confused. "I don't get it. How do you two know each other?"
"We went to high school together for a little over a year," Rory explained calmly.
Oh, and by the way, she's the only girl I've ever really loved, Tristan thought to himself.
Ryan chuckled. "Wow, that is pretty amazing. So he's the old friend you were meeting for coffee?"
Rory nodded an affirmative. "I'm so glad I get to see both of you now!"
Suddenly, Tristan felt very much like a third wheel. "You know what? Why don't the two of you go on without me? Rory and I can catch up some other time."
Her face fell. "Tristan, no. I came out here to see you."
He waved his hand dismissively. "It's no big deal, really. I'm sure you'd much rather get to know Ryan better." Turning to his friend, he said, "I'll see you on the plane."
Before he could walk away, Rory reached out to give him another hug. "Let's not let another nine years go by, okay?" she said quietly.
He nodded into her shoulder, not trusting his voice. Breaking out of her embrace, he quickly walked away.
When Tristan was gone, Ryan turned to her and said, "So, coffee?"
She inclined her head in agreement, refusing to acknowledge the pang of disappointment she felt at Tristan's departure.
* * *
Tristan proceeded quickly through the security checkpoint and walked rapidly towards his gate. He found a seat away from the rest of the passengers and pulled out his cell phone.
"Paris Gellar."
"Hey, it's me."
"What's wrong?" she asked immediately.
"It turns out God has a sense of humor, and today the joke's on me."
"What happened?"
"You know that date Rory went on last night? It was with none other than my business partner, Ryan Salinger. I discovered this when I foolishly started to introduce them."
"Oh, Tristan!" Paris' voice was filled with sympathy. "What did you do?"
"I begged off joining them for coffee; made some excuse about how the two of them should spend time together."
"Rory just let you leave?"
"No, she tried to stop me, although not very hard."
"Maybe this is for the best," Paris said tentatively.
Tristan sighed heavily. "Yeah. Maybe."
* * *
Rory and Ryan sat sipping their coffee, an awkward silence between them.
"Are you okay with this?" Ryan finally asked.
Rory looked up in surprise. "Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"
"No! It's just…don't you think it's a little strange?"
She shrugged. "Maybe a little. I mean, I haven't seen him in nine years, and now this."
"You guys…you didn't date in high school, did you?"
Rory laughed. "No. We didn't even get along very well."
He looked relieved. "Good, because it would have been weird, knowing you kissed him and stuff."
"Actually…" Rory dropped her gaze guiltily.
"You kissed him?!"
"Just once!" she hastened to explain. "We had both just broken up with other people, and it sort of…happened."
He still didn't look convinced, and she reached out and placed a hand over his. "Is this going to be a problem? It was so long ago, and it didn't even mean anything."
"No, of course not. It just took me by surprise."
Rory smiled. "Good, because I really do want to get to know you better."
"I'd like that."
* * *
Tristan was absorbed in the latest issue of Forbes when Ryan finally boarded the plane. He sat down beside his partner and buckled his seatbelt without a word. The silence persisted all through the preflight safety instructions.
"Do you have a problem with this?" Ryan asked quietly.
Tristan feigned ignorance. "Do I have a problem with what?"
Frustrated, Ryan swatted the magazine away from Tristan. "Don't bullshit me, T. You know I'm talking about Lorelai."
"Why should that matter to me?"
"She told me you guys kissed."
His heart clenched, but he didn't let it show. "And?"
"And she said it happened once and didn't mean anything."
Tristan picked up the magazine and began paging through it again. "Then obviously it didn't mean anything."
Aware that he was being dismissed, Ryan leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.
* * *
Paris' door was closed when Rory got back to work, so she went straight to her own office. She was just delving into a stack of articles to be edited when the phone rang.
"Lorelai Hayden."
"Rory?"
"Lane! Hi, how are you?"
"I've had better days. I finished a thirty-six-hour shift this morning, and I'm on again tonight."
Lane had graduated from medical school earlier that year, and was in her first year of residency at a hospital in Boston.
"Ugh, why aren't you sleeping?"
"I just woke up, actually. So what's new with you?"
Rory quickly filled her best friend in on her recent encounters with Tristan and Ryan.
"I am so jealous, Rory. I can't even remember the last time I saw an attractive guy not wearing a lab coat. I so need a date."
"What, you mean being a doctor isn't really like it was on ER, where everybody slept with everyone else?" Rory teased.
Lane snorted. "Not even close. Most of us are lucky to sleep, period."
"Tell me again why you wanted to do this?"
"Right now, I honestly can't even remember."
"Sounds like you need a vacation."
"Funny you should say that. I actually have a weekend off later this month, and I was thinking we could road-trip somewhere. Based on your recent boy adventures, I think New York sounds like fun."
Rory laughed. "Same old Lane."
"So tell me more about Tristan. Is he hot? Maybe the four of us could go out."
"I don't know if I'd call him hot, exactly. He's…Tristan."
"Well, what does he look like?"
"Hmm. Blond hair, blue eyes, about six feet tall, athletic build…"
"So in other words, he's hot."
"Tell you what—you can let me know if he's hot or not after you meet him."
"Fair enough."
"So what else is new with you?"
"Well, now that my mother has finally ventured onto the Internet, she keeps e-mailing me pictures of eligible Korean men."
"You're kidding me. Where does she find them?"
"I have no idea. It's not like Stars Hollow has a high Korean population, and she never seems to go anywhere."
"It is a mystery."
"Have you gone home at all since we last talked?"
"No, I haven't been back since the Fourth of July. I've just been too busy lately. Plus, the house is pretty crazy now."
"I still can't believe your mom and Luke have three children under the age of six."
"Sometimes, neither can they! Hey, it was really great talking to you, Lane, but I need to get back to work."
"Okay. Let me know about New York."
"Will do. 'Bye."
"'Bye."
* * *
Tristan opened the door to his apartment and carelessly dropped his bags in the hallway. Although it was only a short hop from Hartford to New York, he felt completely exhausted. He told RJ he wasn't feeling well, and was taking the rest of the day off. Ah, the perks of being the boss.
He flipped on some lights as he walked further into the apartment. The shades had been closed during his trip to keep the summer sun from turning the place into an oven. He went to open them, and stood for a few minutes admiring the panoramic view of Central Park.
Turning, he surveyed the rest of his home. Everything was immaculate, the work of an interior decorator giving it a casual elegance. And yet, it was cold.
He thought back to the short time he had spent in Rory's office. It contained a bookcase, one shelf of which held a copy of every back issue of the Harbinger. The rest of the shelves were crammed with reference books, as well as some prized editions from Rory's personal collection. There were framed photos littering every flat surface in the room—of friends, family, neighbors, even the Stars Hollow gazebo. There were several plants, in varying stages of health, lining the windowsill. A small couch in one corner of the office was accented with what appeared to be homemade pillows. The accompanying coffee table held a vase of fresh flowers, a candle, and a hardcover book about Stars Hollow. There were Beanie Babies, a Slinky, and some PEZ dispensers nestled on top of and beside her computer monitor.
In short, her office was more of a home than his apartment. He flopped down sadly on the expensive Italian leather sofa in his living room. He didn't deserve someone as amazing as Rory, and it was about time he started getting used to that idea.
To be continued…