Rory sat in a semi circle with the other girls. Tristan was with his last girl, Kristen,she thoughther name was. The two would finish in a few moments, then the clock would strike nine. He was running a little late, it was 8:57 pm as it was. Then they'd sit in a circle on the couches and Mr. Tristan DuGrey would come out and select fifteen love-r-ly ladies to stay.

"I'm not sure." Diane, a tall comely siren, sat tall. "I mean, I just imagined he'd be a better listener you know? Want to find out about us in this ten minutes." She brightened quickly. "Maybe he got a good sense of me just from looking at me."

Rory examined Diane's model like body and smirked to herself. The kind of sense he gets anyway.

The veranda doors opened and Kristen and Tristan walked in. His arm was slung heavily and possessively around her shoulder and she blushed brightly.

Tristan made his entrance as he was supposed to. The easy switch from girl to girl was adding to the jerk like character he was trying to put forward. During the one on one interview he'd started before filming he'd explained his jerky past, and how he'd changed. He knew the millions of viewers didn't see him as a jerk, but becoming one for these girls was so...memory evoking.

Flavor of the week. The trademark term floated lazily between his ears. He remembered names and faces from high school only vaguely. He was shamed by his old behavior now. He wanted to tell Rory that, but he couldn't. Not with these stupid cameras floating around.

Biff came out. "Tristan." He handed him a tall bottle of champagne. "Please fill the glass of fifteen women?"

All the girls were handed empty glasses, the crystal glittered marvelously in the light of the room. Tristan glanced between them. He knew a few girls he wanted to keep for sure. Rory, Kristen, Janet...um...Laura. It's hard to pick girls based on ten minutes of getting to know them. Technically he was supposed to be finding a girl he thought would see the jerky aspect of his character and either confront him face to face (interviews don't count) or refuse him when he tried to fill their glass for the reason he was a jerk.

But at the same time...he was supposed to be finding a girl that the "real him" could fall in love with. ABC just wants it all, don't they?

Tristan proceeded to move around the room slowly, keeping heavy eye contact with some of the girls he knew he was going to cut. He noticed though, Rory was staring strait ahead, avoiding any eye contact whatsoever.

Tristan gave a smirk. High school mentality it is.

Rory felt like...like. She was at a loss for words. She held her glass limply at her side, upside down.

The bottle...the white champagne bottle with the pale pink liquid. The bubbles floated up, popping at the surface. It was like a cobra, fascinating her, holding her interest. Beautiful and dangerous.

Tristan stepped up to her, toe to toe. He held up the bottle. "If you hold the glass light that the champagne will spill." He said lightly.

"So I'm told." She replied.

He smirked. "On the dress? White and pink?"

"Wh-" She realized what he meant. "Me?"

"Don't be too flattered, you haven't won." He responded.

"Don't be immature!"

He cocked an eyebrow and grinned.

Realizing the cameras, and the astonished and envious gazes of the other twenty four girls. Rory glared at Tristan. He was setting her up to look stupid on TV.

"You gonna let me pour, Mary?"

"It's Rory."

"Here." He handed her the whole bottle and reached for the other unopened one on the table. "Knock yourself out."

He uncorked the next bottle with a refreshing pop and smirked.

"I don't drink." Rory replied.

"You gotta live a little, kiddo." He poured into the glass of Diane, keeping a smoldering gaze on Rory who stood dumbly holding the full bottle of champagne.

Tristan's POV

I couldn't believe I'd just done that! Singling Mary out like that, on national telivision! She was standing there, dumbfounded, holding the expensive beverage and an empty glass. She looked unsure what to do. I felt horrible. I wanted to take the bottle, apologize, and beg her to stay. I'd changed so very much from how she once knew me. I'm a negative of how I once was, a complete poloroid change, and I can't tell her. I can't apologize to the horrible things I did to her.

It hurt.

I couldn't help looking at her as I poured into the glass of the girl next to her. Deanna? Diane? Dinah?

Her cheeks flushed violently, her hair tumbled foward and back. Ah Rory Gilmore, you're still the Mary I left all those years ago.

Rory's POV

I held the bottle and the icyness numbed my fingers. I couldn't believe he'd done that. Actually, I do believe it. He's such a jerk!

I glanced at the cameras zooming in and panning the girls as Tristan began filling their glasses. My white dress glittered as I shifted slightly, nervously. I had been the first pick, humiliated by handing me the whole bottle and creating the wicked banter.

How dare he not cut me! Now the jerk is just mocking me.

"And you." Biff held up his own glass. "Are the final 15. Raise your glasses in a toast to a wonderful night."

"A wonderful night." I echoed with the other girls as I raised the whole bottle. I gave him the evilest gaze I could muster and drank directly out of the bottle. I controlled the gagging reflex of the burning alcohol pouring down my throat and clicked the bottle against Diane's glass. She eyed it slowly and smiled slightly.

"He's got a wonderful sense of humor." She whispered.

I looked at the champagne and took a longer gulp. I'm gonna need this.

Authors Note: Thanx so much to all the reviewers. I read every single review! Thanx to my constant reviewers and the great people who started this story after reading my military school trory "Dealin' With It" and as some of you pointed out, yes, the title has absolutely nothing to do with the story in that one, but it actually correlates in this one, w00t!