This was the sort of thing that had to be done in person. One doesn't just call on the phone, saying, "Hello Grandma, yes, I'm fine, oh by the way, I've had a steady boyfriend for the past eleven months. Oh, and you hate him already."

No, that would just never do. Instead, Rory had compiled a laundry list of subliminal messages to send her grandmother. She would arrive wearing her Chilton uniform. This had been selected for two reasons. One being that Emily liked when Rory wore blue, and another being that Chilton was a prominent reminder that Rory was a model child.

She wore the locket her grandmother had bought for her last birthday, and she wore her hair back in a french braid. Emily used to braid her hair for her when she was small. These were all little things, hopefully not to obvious. A recognized psychological ploy can do more harm than good.

She arrived at the door and rang the bell once, only once. She knew how Emily hated when people rang over and over. Several moments later, a maid came to the door and took her coat. She was new; Emily must have already fired to last one. Too bad, too, becuase Melinda had only worked for a couple days, and Rory liked her.

"Hello there, I'm Rory," she introduced herself to the new girl. The maid have her a skittish glance and fled to the kitchen. Rory cautiously called into the mansion. "Grandma?" Emily's head popped out from the solace.

"Rory? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you. It's important."

"Well alright then, come into the parlor and we'll have something to eat. It's about tea time anyways. Lola!" The maid appeared and Emily snapped out an order. "Tea. And muffins. Yes of course fresh, where so you think I live? This isn't the ghetto, you know." The maid dematerialized and Emily sniffed. "What did you want to tell me, Rory?"

"Well..." suddenly she found herself at a loss for words. How was she supposed to start this? "I haven't been completely open with you. I have a boyfriend."

"Oh, marvelous! I always knew you would get over that small town kid, Ken."

"Dean."

"Ph, it doesn't matter. Who is this new gentleman?"

"We've sort of been dating for a while now." Emily paused to take a sip and looked at Rory expectantly. "Well..." she pressed on, "for a long time. Almost a year now." Emily choked.

"And you never thought it important to tell me?" she was outraged.

"It just never came up." Emily was quiet for a long moment, the deafening silence seeming to last forever.

"Who is this young man?" Rory squirmed a little in her seat.

"Tristan Dugrey." she mumbled, and Emily went pale as a sheet. Rory tried to improve the situation.

"Military school was just a mistake, he really belongs at Chilton, and He's really great, he's been nothing but a gentleman to me! And he's really great with everyone at home. Mom loves him, Luke likes him, and everything. He...he gets good grades..." she searched for something more to add, but was interrupted.

"Rory why are you telling me this now?" the question cut straight to the next point.

"Well, as you know, the new years eve function is tonight, and mom and I are coming, and so is he." Emily said nothing. "He's going to meet with his father. Mr. DuGrey will also be there." still nothing. "And...well...I..." she floundered with nothing to say. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, her grandmother looked up from her tea.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, then." she said coldly, and left the room. After a minute Lola came and cleaned up the tea.

-

"Aweful." she told Tristan, and he kissed her on the head.

"Don't worry Mary, I'll win her over tonight. I'll be so civil she'll cry tears of pure joy." he said soothingly, and her misty eyes grew serious. The blue became intense, and her voice deadly soft.

"Don't call me that tonight, Tris. Nothing. No Mary, no Sweety, no anything. Okay?" he nodded, and kissed her on the lips.

"Promise me." she said, and he kissed her again.

"I'll be good. Alright? Let's go get ready."

-

The car ride over was anything but peaceful. Lorelai drove them over, and she and Finn sat in the front seat discussing the ups and downs of Madonna. The debate grea quite heated when Finn said he though the kiss with Brittany Spears was planned. Tristan sat with Rory in the back, holding her hand. She wore a crushed velvet champagne colored dress, with black lace trimming the bodice and hem. Small earrings sparkled, and her hair was worn in solf pleats. When Tristan first saw her exit her room like that, it nerarly took his breath away.

The back seat of the car was, in a word, awkward. Rory tried to reassure Tristan that things would be okay with his dad, and Tristan tried to act like he wasn't worrying. He ran his hand through his hair, fretting over the future of the night.

-

"Rory, hello." Emily greeted the group warmly, shaking Tristan and Finn's hand when they entered the room. The party was in full motion, with soft music, and the occasional titter of a gossiping society member. The air smelled of spiked eggnog and vanilla.

"Tristan DuGrey," Tristan said as he shook Rory's grandmother's hand. She smiled at him politely.

"Why hello there, so, I finally get a chance to meet the boy I've heard so much about," she said. Rory frowned at the barely veiled jab. Lorelai stepped in.

"Hey, mom, have you met Finn? He's also a student at Chilton." Emily nodded to him, and spoke through a fake plastered smile.

"So, how long have you been dating my daughter?" she asked.

"Mom," Lorelai reprimanded sharple. Emily turned on her heel and left the group to their own devices. They mingle for a time, Finn quickly finding a girl to escort around, and Rory staying by Tristan's side.

The dive back into the world he grew up in was bracing. Tristan greeted people who he had known his entire life, yet they treated him like a complete stranger now. Apparently they already knew about his absense from the acadamy. Remaining civil whilst answering questions about his experience there was one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his life.

Was is aweful? Did you run every morning? How were your grades? And they just let you back into Chilton, no questions asked? Do you know what I would have to do to enroll in my son? How many badges did you win? The questions never seemed to end. He finally excused himself and Rory to to find refreshments.

"Worse than you thought?" Rory asked.

"No, at least no one has outwardly called me an embarassment yet. I guess that means I'm still good." Rory reached up on her tip toes and kissed him quickly. He smiled and she handed him a glass.

"So, do you want to toast?" she asked, and the blood drained from his face. "Tris?" he wasn't even looking at her anymore, his eyes searched behind her. She stole a glance and saw a man in a tuxedo. He had graying blond hair, and a rigid posture. He was walking slowly and purposefully toward them.

"Do you want me to stay?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"No, I need to talk to him on my own."

"Do you want a code signal?"

"What?" his eyes flickered to her and then back to his father, still across the room.

"I'll watch you from over there, and when you pull on your ear, I'll come get you. Or cause a diversion. Or get my mom to. Or--"

"Hi dad," Tristan said, wishing his voice was stronger than it sounded. Rory looked behind her to the figure who had just arrived. She flashed him a polite smile, and moved away from the pair. From across the room she could still see him. Both he and his father were speaking rapidly, their voices hushed and their smiled fixed firmly in place. If she hadn't known better, Rory would have thought they were just exchanging pleasentries.

"Allo, love," Finn came up behind her. She kept her eyes on Tristan.

"Hey, Finn," she said absently.

"Ah," his eyes followed hers to see Tristan and his dad. "They're fighting."

"How can you tell?"

"Look. They aren't looking at eachother. Theyre looking at everything they can except eachother, and still smiling like it's the happiest day of theit lives." he sipped his drink.

"Where did your date go?"

"Home. It seems I can hold my liquor far better than she, and her mother took her home to avoid embarassment." Rory nodded.

"Hey what do we do if the lad needs saving?" he asked intuitively. Rory shrugged.

"I suppose I could break out in song," he mused, earning him a small smile on her part.

"Oh yes, becuase grandma would love that." Rory smiled wider, imagining Emily's face. The pair waited idly.

Tristan never tugged on his ear.

What happened next was far more exciting.

See now, I actually have to make it far more exciting.

Never fear, I have a plan. Sort of. A vague, fuzzy little plan. I think it's about time to end this thing, so, a couple chapters will probably do it.

18 comments until we reach lucker number 100...

Maybe I'll write afic where Lane's bf gets the ever loving crap beat out of him. THEN WHAT, YOU HORRIBLE BOY?

Sorry, frustrations of the latest episode showing through...

Seriously though.

Ugh.

Comment!