Title: The ultimate curve ball

Author: Joy

A/N: Sorry for this being posted this late in the day but I had a fight with my husband that took way too long to sort out. At least my husband and I sort stuff immediately...oh well.

A reviewer asked me if I used AOL or Yahoo. I don't. I can't find the review for some odd reason and the person didn't write out an email address so I had no way to reach them. Everyone is always welcome to drop me an email. And as some reviewers know if you write something that catches my attention in a review I write you...most of the time even giving further spoilers.

Otherwise thanks for everyone's reviews. I hadn't intended on putting in the Stooges/Finn parts below but since lots of you wanted to see what would happen in Stars Hollow and the addition didn't interfere with the story I added it LATE last night...well EARLY this morning. Enjoy.

11. Just being a good friend

"Now how is this supposed to go mate?" Finn asked as Colin drove them all to Stars Hollow.

"I can't go in because Luke knows what I look like and Colin can't go in because he will only antagonize Luke," Logan replied.

"Hey," Colin began, "I resemble that remark," he said trying to be funny.

"It's got to be you man."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Fine...but if he kills me with his coffee pot you have to explain it to Rory," the Aussie said as he attempted to think of ways to pull this off.

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At the restaurant Rory sat nervously playing with Tristan's cell phone. "Go on Rory. It won't bite."

"I don't make the best impression over the phone," she muttered.

"And to think you never got over that after all these years as a phone sex operator," he teased.

"Very funny," she groaned.

"Becky or Becca is my best friend's little sister...she's as close to a sister as I have. Oh you should call her Becca...only me and Rob get away with Becky...She will be thrilled to talk to you."

"But..."

"Dial the number."

Rory sighed and let the phone ring uncomfortably while Tristan paid the check. He gathered their belongings and leftovers.

The phone picked up with a Southern belle with an overly exaggerated accent on the other end, "Hey Trist'n...how was the horra' that iz New Anglend? Headin' back to the Sath'rn part of heav'n?"

"Ah...actually, Tristan asked me to call," Rory stated.

The accent was dropped immediately, "Was he in an accident? Is he okay? "

"Oh no...I mean yeah... No Tristan wasn't in an accident and yes he's fine...He said I would understand once I spoke to you."

"Okay, color me confused? Tristan's alright but he asked you to call me?" Becca muttered.

Rory looked to Tristan who mouthed 'Identify yourself'.

"Oh I am suppose to introduce myself...I'm Rory."

"Still not getting it," the other girl said in a bit of a southern twang emerging.

Tristan shook his head at Rory, "What do I call you?"

"Oh...sorry...I guess you would know me as Mary."

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"MARY...the Mary!" Becca practically screamed. To say Becca was excited was an understatement. Truth was that she had known for a long time Tristan's happiness depended on finding his Mary. Becky didn't ever really think the two should be together since she had heard the horror story that was their friendship, but she knew that Tristan was a little too enamored with his idealized version of his Mary. If he didn't face reality in some small way, he was never gonna have a woman measure up.

Rory had to take her head away from the phone due to the excited scream through the receiver. "He got your number...or something. I can't believe it. He actually did it."

Rory shook her head, "Actually we quite literally bumped into one another. Tristan has been wooing me ever since, quite successfully at that."

Becca chuckled, "I'm not surprised. He's been planning out what he would do or say if he ever saw you again for as long as I've known him...and that's been four years...but I guess the planning has only been in the last two years."

"Really," Rory uttered shocked.

Tristan waved his hands in front of her face, "Tell Becca we need a place to crash so we can hit the gardens and Apple Chill."

"Did you hear that?" Rory asked.

"Yeah...Man things must have gone really well if you're coming tomorrow...tell him he's sleeping on the floor."

"You're sleeping on the floor," Rory relayed the message.

He smirked, "Only if you refuse to be cuddled."

"I heard that," Becca fussed. "There will be no frolicking on my hide-a-bed."

Rory chuckled, "Oh don't worry. Tristan is withholding from me until such time as he has my complete attention."

Becca laughed, "That is as it should be...I would expect nothing less."

"Why?" Rory inquired.

Becca clucked her tongue at Rory, "Tristan is my brother Rob's best friend. I know him pretty well. He takes relationships seriously."

"That isn't the Tristan I knew," Rory stated.

"Maybe not but its who he is now."

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Finn walked to the counter of Luke's diner as calmly as possible. Everyone in the diner plus people on the street were staring at their car or Finn himself.

Luke raised an eyebrow at the stranger, "Can I help you?"

"Yes actually... I need five hamburgers, three chili fries, whatever pie you have and eight coffees to go," Finn stated in as monotone a voice as possible.

Luke stood there a moment and stared at him, "What did you do to Rory?"

"What?"

"You are trying to make up for something, I want to know what. Now you aren't that little weasel I caught undressing my surrogate daughter, so be thankful for that, but I know this has something to do with Rory so out with it!" Luke ranted.

"She was on a date with a guy and I kept her occupied while my friend tried to run him off?" Finn said in a tone begging for mercy.

"Explain in a little more detail please."

Finn sighed and sat at the counter even as Luke put the order slip in for Caesar to make. The Aussie felt the diner man look him over. "I have the fortune and misfortune to be friends with weasel you referred to. I like Rory a lot. She is one of the most intelligent and fun girls I have met in forever. The weasel got freaked out about the commitment level of his relationship with Rory and fled...he insisted that myself and our other friend Colin duck Rory... Today Rory ran into some guy she knew from a while ago...high school I think. They may have dated."

"I'll kill him if he tried to get Rory to quit school again."

"Excuse me."

"Guy bout this tall, dark hair, leather jacket, looks like he has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide," Luke growled describing his nephew.

"Ah...no...Guy about this tall, blond hair, military type, good with shouting orders."

"Who the hell is that?" Luke said quickly.

"Um...Weird name...mythological or Shakespearian... Tristan...Tristan some color name..."

"Tristan...Bible boy is back. The world is coming to an end...Tristan is who she was on the date with?" Luke clarified.

"Ah...yeah..."

"For once I will have more info than Lorelai," Luke stated. "The food will be ready in a little while."

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Rory sat with her ear pressed to the phone taking in all the knowledge Becca was offering, " I have been told of the former player ways of my dear friend and I do see some of that ego emerge if we are at a club...but I have never seen him take a girl home. My brother Rob insists that Tristan came into the program completely sullen. It took him a few months before he could confirm that yes there was a girl left behind but no they weren't together. After Rob lay out his trials and tribulations Tristan opened up. Rob suddenly realized that Tristan was so used to having to be 'on' all the time he basically just crashed when he got to school.With no girls around he had to actually make friends and he really didn't know how. By the time he brought Tristan home to visit it was obvious that he was great at the outward appearance but had never had a girl that was a friend in his life. Eventually some of the guys that Tristan became friends with knew there was some girl named Mary that TJ was stuck on so they didn't pester him about dating other girls... Rob got him set up with a summer job and he started to become a person. My father taught him how to manage the money he earned and the assets he had without an accountant."

"That's funny," Rory chuckled.

"Why?" Becca asked.

"My ex-boyfriend used to call Tristan the accountant because of how he dressed. Anyway go on," Rory said while Tristan began to look on nervously.

"When he was about to graduate he about had a melt down. He completely panicked about going home AND seeing you. It was the first time anyone in the family other than Rob heard about you let alone realized the torch he had been carrying. Our family practically adopted him so he knew he had support once he crossed his dad... I guess the part you need to hear is that while his buddies went nuts over the college girls that were in their presence Tristan stayed to the side. Every once in awhile some of his buddies would tease him and he would show them up by turning on the charm and having the girls flock to him. But like I said before he was carrying a torch for you... He did date a few girls for a little while... in one case they seemed a pretty good match, until he found out that her mother knew exactly who he was and what he could stand to inherit. That about broke his heart."

"That's awful," Rory said sympathetically.

"You're telling me...About that time was when he started to write you letters and then chuck them. Over and over again. I saved the ones I found. I don't know how many got tossed with the trash. I only ever read one once, because I didn't understand who you were since it was addressed to Rory. The ramblings I am getting to is just...he honestly believes that you were the only person that saw him, that didn't judge him, that wanted the best for him, that encouraged him, and that would never use his name against him. He wanted to be somebody for you. When he told me about this trip I made him swear he would try to find you. I guess fate thought it was important too."

"I guess so," Rory mumbled as she looked at a timid looking Tristan.

"I never read another one but I saved the ones I found so if ever he did find you...they were yours after all."

"That is debatable," she said cryptically. "Why was it so important ?"

Becca clicked her tongue again; "No girl could measure up to you in his mind. Tristan dated a couple really great girls but somehow his heart wasn't in it... I basically told him he wasn't allowed home until he at least talked to you. He needed to have the reality to compare to his ideal. I tried to remind him that everyone changes...that you had changed. I tried to convince him that his ideal version of you was probably never true...I was hoping that once he met you again he would give up his mantel, so he could really commit to someone...one in particular...not me...a friend of mine."

Rory gazed at Tristan, talking to Becca but also speaking to him. "He did find me different than he remembered. He has done a good job reminding me who I was." Tristan rubbed her hand. "I needed reminding."

Becca cleared her throat, "Well, I will expect you late Friday night. Tristan knows where the key is... Just do me a favor."

"Sure," Rory said amiably.

Becca sighed, "Don't lead him on and don't break his heart. Not again."

"I wasn't aware I broke it to begin with."

"Lets just say that the kiss you shared in high school was a huge deal and twice you said it meant nothing to you...one time pretty harshly...In fact one time you said you hated him."

Rory winced as she remembered the instance being referred to. In hindsight that was the beginning of Dean's possessiveness and her emotional infidelity. "That was a mistake... I'll be more careful."

"Good." With that the line clicked off and Rory was left feeling like the bad guy, not that Tristan made her feel that way but...

Tristan was looking at her shrewdly before asking, "What was that at the end?"

Rory smiled softly, "Just a good friend being a good friend."

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Luke handed Finn the sacks of food after he already moved the coffees to the car. "So don't let Rory drink all that coffee...no more than half okay?"

"Got it."

"And suggest she ration it or something."

"Sure."

Luke gazed at Finn one last time and said, "Why are you doing this again?"

"Just a good friend being a good friend."

"For the weasel."

Finn smiled sadly, "Partly...but mainly for Rory."

Luke smirked, "Right answer."

TBC...

A/N: Did you like Finn / Luke? Hey does anybody know if they are bringing Colin and Finn back next year? I love those guys...can we start a petition to keep their parts going?

Please REVIEW even though it's a weekend. Please REVIEW even though it's a weekend. Press the button...you know you want to. All the other kids are doing it.