Pairing: Established relationships for L/L and P/J; R/T…eventually
Rating: R
Spoilers: May reference anything from seasons 1 & 2
Summary: Seven years after graduating Chilton, Rory and Paris are business partners. What happens when they strike up a joint venture with Tristan DuGrey?
Disclaimer: The characters depicted here were created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, and are the property of Hofflund-Polone and Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions. They are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit is being made from their use.
Author's Note: This chapter's title quote is from The Matrix.
Unholy Alliance
By Grace
Part Twenty-three: Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.
Lane glanced around anxiously as she entered the baggage claim area. It only took her a few moments to pick out Tristan's blonde head in the crowd. Her target acquired, she headed eagerly in his direction, only to draw up short when she noticed his morose expression.
"I wasn't expecting a parade, but you could at least look a little happy to see me," she chided gently.
He flashed her a tight smile. "Sorry. Could you do me a favor and check your voice mail?"
"Um, okay." She pulled out her cell phone and keyed in the appropriate code. She was slightly surprised that there was, in fact, a message waiting.
"Lane, it's Rory. Oh my God, Ryan proposed to me this morning! I don't know what to do! Call me as soon as you get this message. Oh, and please don't mention this to Tristan. Bye."
Lane hung up the phone, her expression stunned. "I take it you have some idea as to the content of that message?" she inquired.
He nodded somberly. "Rory and RJ are engaged."
"Not exactly," she said hesitantly. "He proposed, yes, but I don't think she's actually told him yes or no yet."
A shadow of hope crossed his face. "That's a good sign, right?" His voice took on an excited pitch. "I mean, if she was madly in love with him, she would have said yes right away, wouldn't she?"
"Calm down, sparky. I'm not exactly sure what it means. You have to understand, Tristan, that Gilmore women don't always run towards commitment with open arms. She and Ryan have only been together for what, three months? All she said was that she didn't know what to do. She hasn't told him no."
Tristan made a face. "You're so encouraging. And how did you manage to get all that from such a short message?"
She shot him a disdainful look. "Do you know how long I've known Rory?"
"Right, right. So now what?"
"For starters, let's get out of this airport. They all have this…smell. I think it's the jet fuel."
"Okay, but what about your luggage?"
Lane flushed. "Oh. That. Sorry, this whole proposal thing kind of threw me off guard."
He chuckled softly. "Glad to know I'm not the only one."
"Ooh, there's my suitcase!"
Tristan easily lifted it off the conveyor, and the two of them headed for the exit. "How was your flight?" he asked.
"Not bad. It's actually been a while since I flew, and it was both depressing and reassuring to discover that airplane food still sucks."
"I suppose there is comfort in continuity."
"Look, Tristan, I appreciate the attempt at small talk, but we may as well finish the Rory conversation so that we can enjoy the rest of the weekend."
"I guess you're right, although I'm not really sure what we're supposed to talk about."
They had reached Tristan's rental car, and Lane slipped into the passenger seat before answering. "What are you going to do about all this? Rory may be confused right now, but sooner or later she's going to give Ryan an answer. He's a good man, and she loves him. If he tells her what she needs to hear, she just might be convinced that they can have a happy life together."
He eased carefully out of the parking space and headed for the lot exit. "You think I don't know that already?"
"Of course you do. But are you going to stand by and let it happen, or are you going to try and do something?"
"What can I do? I can't force Rory to love me."
"No, you can't. But don't you think she should know that you love her?"
He sighed dejectedly. "I won't put her in that position, Lane. If Rory loves RJ and is happy with him, I will not stand in the way."
"Wow, you're being nauseatingly noble about this."
"Disgusting, isn't it?"
"I know you're trying to be fair to Rory, but what about what's fair to you?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll manage."
"But maybe you shouldn't have to," Lane answered softly.
* * *
"Hello?"
"Mom?"
"Rory! How are you sweetie? How's Chicago?"
"I'm okay, and Chicago is good. How was your Thanksgiving?"
"Oh, you know, the usual. It's always entertaining to put your grandmother, Luke, and Jess in the same room."
"Ryan proposed," Rory blurted out.
"And then Miss Patty stopped by…I'm sorry, what did you just say?"
"Ryan proposed. To me. This morning."
"Oh my God!" Lorelai screeched. "You're engaged?"
"Well, no. I told him I needed some time to think it over."
"Hmm."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rory asked defensively.
"Nothing! I just…well, it reminds me of Max, that's all."
"Ryan and I are nothing like you and Max!"
"I know, I know. Do you love him?"
"Of course!"
"Good. I'm sure you'll make the right decision, sweetie."
"Mom, what do you think is the right decision?"
"I don't think I can tell you that. Bye, hon."
Before Rory had a chance to respond, Lorelai hung up, and she was left staring at the phone in disbelief.
* * *
Tristan was pulling the car off the highway when his cell phone rang. "Hello?"
"Did you know he proposed? What are you going to do about it?"
"Lorelai?"
"Yes! Now answer the question—do you have a plan to stop my daughter from making the biggest mistake of her life?"
He felt a rush of panic surge up in him. "She hasn't said yes, has she?"
"Not yet, but I have a sinking feeling that it's only a matter of time. I managed to plant a seed of doubt, but I think it's going to be up to you to do the rest."
"What makes you think I can do anything?"
"You love her, don't you?"
"Yes, but…"
"It's a powerful emotion, Tristan. Just think about it." Then she hung up on him.
He looked over at Lane in confusion. "I take it Lorelai heard the news?" she asked.
He nodded. "She seems to be operating under the same deluded impression you are that I can influence her decision."
"If anyone would know, it's Lorelai."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's just say that Rory isn't the only Gilmore woman that has been completely oblivious to the love of a good man."
"How so?"
"Luke was head over heels for Lorelai for years before she finally got a clue. Everybody and their brother was telling her that he had a thing for her, but she just wouldn't hear it. She even went so far as to get engaged to someone else at one point. You might remember him—he was one of the teachers at Chilton. Max something."
"Mr. Medina?"
"That sounds right. Anyway, Ryan and Rory's relationship reminds me a lot of Max and Lorelai's. To an outsider, he seemed like the perfect guy for her—handsome, charming, and completely crazy about her. But it just wasn't right. Fortunately, Lorelai figured that out before they actually tied the knot, and called it off. She managed to move on pretty easily, which proved she made the right choice. On the other hand, she and Luke had an awful fight one time and didn't speak for a couple months. This was long before they ever started dating, but Lorelai was beside herself. She was completely miserable without Luke in her life, even as just a friend."
"So what are you saying, that I should pick a fight with Rory, stop talking to her, and hope the same thing happens?"
"Of course not. But maybe if Rory thought she was losing you, say to another woman, she might realize what you mean to her."
"But what if I don't mean that much to her?"
"At least then you'd know."
"I don't know, Lane—don't you think that all sounds a little, I don't know, high school?"
"Maturity is overrated. Besides, there's the other small problem of finding you a woman to go along with the scheme."
"That reminds me, there's something you should probably know."
"Okay, that's just never a good sentence."
"Sorry. It's just that, um, RJ and his entire extended family sort of think that you and I are, um, dating."
"What?"
Quickly, he explained the awkward situation with Kathleen, and how he had used their fabricated relationship to get her to stop molesting him. He finished up by saying, "Don't worry, Rory knows the truth. RJ, on the other hand, thinks we make a cute couple and that he saw it coming."
Lane snorted. "Ryan's delusional, but this just might work to our advantage."
"How?"
"Between the two of us, I think we may be able to convince Rory that she's missing out on something great with you."
Tristan groaned. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what exactly do you have in mind?"
Eagerly, Lane began to outline her plan…
* * *
Paris ambled into the Gilmore-Danes kitchen, her hand resting gently on the swell of her stomach. She and Jess had decided to extend Thanksgiving into a four-day visit to Stars Hollow, and they had spent the night at Luke and Lorelai's.
"Morning, Lorelai," she greeted the older woman.
Lorelai looked up from the morning paper and smiled. "Just the person I was waiting to see!"
Paris eyed her warily. "You're not going to try and convince me that going shopping the day after Thanksgiving is a good idea, are you? Because I really don't think I'm up to it."
"No, I'm plotting insanity of a different kind."
The blonde sighed and sat down. "Before you start, where are Luke and Jess? I might need reinforcements in logic and reason."
"Ha-ha. Luke's at the diner, and he asked Jess to give him a hand with the morning rush of post-Turkey Day shoppers."
"I guess I'm on my own, then. Enlighten me as to your latest scheme."
"Technically, it's not a full-grown scheme yet. It's more of a scheme seed. I wonder if Burpee ever tried to market those? Can't you just see a lush, green garden of ripening schemes, just waiting…"
"Lorelai," Paris said sharply. "Topic."
Lorelai pouted briefly. "Fine. We seem to have a minor crisis on our hands. Ryan proposed to Rory this morning."
Paris nearly spit out the bite of Pop-Tart she had been chewing on. "He what? They've only been dating a few months! It took me years to get Jess to propose!"
"You're kind of missing the point here."
"Did she accept?"
"Not exactly."
"She said no?!" Paris was obviously shocked.
"Not exactly. She told him she needed some time to consider it."
"I suppose that's a good sign."
"It's a starting point, but not much more."
"Can I ask you something, Lorelai?"
"Fire away."
"Do you dislike Ryan for some reason?"
"No! Of course not. He seems like a very nice guy. If Rory does decide to marry him, it won't be the worst thing she could do."
"Then why are you so adamant about stopping it from happening, if Rory seems happy?"
Lorelai's expression was sober. "Because I also don't think it's the best thing she could do."
"But how do you know?"
"Mother's instinct. Experience. Pick one."
"You believe Tristan is what's best for her?"
"That I do."
"Why?"
"Because I've looked in his eyes, and I can see that he loves her in a way that Ryan will never be capable of. Ryan doesn't have that kind of passion. Rory's a Gilmore. She needs passion."
"She's your daughter," Paris replied with a hint of skepticism.
"Do you think Ryan is the right man for Rory?"
Paris shook her head. "No—but I don't know why."
"Trust your instincts. It will serve you well as a mother."
"You sound like Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Yes, my young apprentice," Lorelai intoned.
"Maybe it's just because I have a soft spot for Tristan, but I can't help agreeing with you. He and Rory could be amazing together."
"Now how do we convince her of that?"
Paris pursed her lips. "Does Tristan know about the proposal?"
Lorelai nodded. "I called him earlier this morning, and he didn't seem too surprised. I have a feeling there's a part of the story we're missing."
"Hold on. Rory's in Chicago, right?" When Lorelai nodded, she continued. "Tristan is in California. I highly doubt Rory called him with the good news. So how did he know?"
"I think that's a question we're going to have to as Mr. DuGrey."
Paris leaned back in her chair, looking thoughtful. "Do you think Lane might have some insight on all this?"
"She might. I think she's in town, at her parents'. Let's give her a call."
Lane answered after two rings. "Hello?"
"Hey hon, it's Lorelai. Paris and I are having a pow-wow over at the house. Care to join us?"
"I don't think that would work."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm in California. With Tristan."
Lorelai's jaw dropped. "It's official. The whole world has gone mad."
To be continued…