I grinned at Rory across the table as she snacked on her fries. "So, I guess Miss Patty's class was fun?"

"She had to dance with Kirk." Lorelai grinned. "I would have too if I didn't have a sudden urge for Ben and Jerry's"

"That's why we were even in Hartford. They don't have one over here." Rory informed me.

I laughed and jangled my rolex. I paused and looked at the piece. "OH CRUD!"

"What?"

"I'm suppposed to escort Hannah Gregory down the stairs at 10 and it's 9:30." I grabbed my jacket.

"I would pay money for that." Rory grinned with an almost smirk. "You tripping down the stairs in a tux!"

"You don't have to, free show." I smirked back.

"Then I'm comin" I informed him, then we kept running. Her heels gave a neat ,dull click each time they hit the tile. If we had slow motion-ed the scene ite!"

If she hadn't grabbed my hand, the electricity of the touch jolting me from my stunned state, I could still be standing there.

I threw my keys to the valet and Rory and I rushed up the stairs.

"You again?" He cried after us.

"Evil twin!" I yelled back.

"I thought you were the evil one." Rory smiled at me.

"Only around you, Mar."

The doorman stopped us. "Name?" He asked Rory with narrowed eyes. His gaze drank in her summer dress and pumps with a thinly disguised sneer.

"She's a Gilmore, and she's wearing white." I informed him, then we kept running. Her heels gave a neat ,dull click each time they hit the tile. If we had slow motion-ed the scene it would be us running together down the hall, turning our heads to each other, and smiling.

I hurried into the drawing room. Two couples had all ready gone down the staircase.

"You jerk! How dare you be late! We're going in two couples!" Hannah yelled at me, her ladylike demeanor tucked somewhere in the miles of lace on the train of her dress. She threw another shot of amber liquid down her throat quickly. She wasn't a drinker, she was trying to be tough so I knew that it was burning as it warmed her throat and stomach.

"What are you drinking?" I snatched the bottle from her.

"YOU'RE LATE!" She thundered.

"Take a chill pill." I panted from the fun and the adrenaline of the mad car ride here, but I panted mostly from Rory's electeric touch. "Come on."

"Who are you?" She narrowed her eyes at Mary.

"Who was gonna escort you?" I asked Hannah, buttoning my tux jacket. "Mary, back staircase, meet me at the bottom."

"Jane. Do you know how humiliating it would be!"

"There's an extra guy?"

"Yeah, like he could get a girl to agree to go down with him? The guy looks at himself in the mirrorin his spare time! That's narcissm if I ever saw it."

We came to the top of the stairs and she curtsied and I bowed. She slipped her hand on my elbow and we came down the stairs like a lame scene from Titanic.

After we came down, we waited for the rest of the couples to come, then we all danced while the adults swigged brandy till they were stone drunk and the kids snuck out to the balconies and partied for the rest of the night while the all talked away for the rest of the night and the sober people were willing to drive them all home.

"You're going to have to dance with Jane." I informed her.

"You're kidding."

"I have a date, my escorting you down the stairs was pure luck on yourpart. You're lucky I was willing to do that."

"Tristan!" She pleaded out of the corner of her mouth as we lined up with the rest of the couples. "You're awful!" She cursed like a drunken sailer, smiling the whole way.

"That's my trademark." I smirked.

The orchastra started a slow song and Hannah cursed me under her breath before sliding up to Jane who looked pleased and grinned up at me.

I scanned the crowd and saw Rory standing in the back. I sidled up next to her and brought her out to the dance floor before she realized what was going on.

"Tristan!" She hissed as girls in thousand-dollar dresses looked at her K-Mart dress and me. "What are you doing?"

"I thought I'd give them something to talk about." I whispered. Seeing the appraising gazes I knew that I was. I caught my mom's eye. Her eyes were cloudy and I knew she was considering what to think, but then they brightened only the slightest bit and she gave me a small nod and tight smile before returning to her champagne.

"I can't dance." She mumbled.

As everyone did complicated dances around us, waltzes, slow tangos, old fashioned swings, all dances that they learned in charm school, we slowly rotated in a circle in the center of the floor, letting them all dance around us.

"You think they're really feeling the rhythm of this?" I snickered sarcastically.

"I'm half expecting Dean to-" She trailed off and blushed.

"Dean's not here." I whispered back.

"Platonic?" She whispered, her head leaning against my shoulder.

"Never." I whispered back.

Her eyes flew up to mine but I just smiled softly at her. "Come on Mary, I'm going to teach you how to dance."

I pulled the car up to her house and I smiled at her. "Tell your mom that your Grandparents had never been prouder than to see you dance with the great Tristan DuGrey, Mary."

She smiled at me, a little giddy from the champagne, but not drunk. "That was such a fun party. I always thought they'd be stuffy!"

"Well, they can be when we're around the parents keeping up reputation. But once we crank up the stereo it's more fun."

"I crashed a party." She giggled a little. "I can't believe I did that."

"I am the party." I informed her.

"Of course." She sighed. "You're so full of yourself Tristan."

I smiled and she smiled back.

"I'll see you Monday and get my car back?" I asked.

"Well, I'll see you Monday. With my mom it's all I can promise!"

We shared a laugh.

"You're mom is quite the character..." I turned to face her to see her already looking at me and trailed off.

"Who woulda thunk."

"What?"

"Who woulda thunk that I would have spent the night dancing with Tristan DuGrey instead of socking him?"

"Who woulda thunk that I would have spent the night dancing with Mary? Who woulda thunk that at all?"

"The gods of irony." She whispered.

"Listen Mar, I have a surprise for you. Can I pick you up tomorrow night?"

"Five, good?"

"Five is perfect. I need the day to set it up."

"What is it?" Rory tilted her head.

"Do you want me to ruin the surprise?" I asked in mock horror.

She smiled. "Tomorrow night then?"

"Tomorrow night."

She slid out and shut the door.

I watched her walk to the door as I started up the engine. Who woulda thunk?

"I'm through accepting limits
Cuz someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try I'll never know
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've Iost
Well if that's love"

Rory twirled around and fell onto the bed still belting out the chorus her favorite song. The upbeat tempo could hardly cover all the emotions pulsing through her.

"It comes at much too high a cost
I'd sooner buy Defying Gravity
Kiss me goodbye, I'm Defying Gravity
And you can't pull me down!"

"I take it you had fun." Lorelai grinned at her.

All she could do was nod and grin.

"Oh, a letter came for you from North Carolina."

Shorter chapter but it's a lead up chapter! Yes, Redding military school for boys is in North Carolina! And the song is one of my favorite songs it's from the Broadway musical Wicked and I highly suggest everyone look up the song and listen to it "Defying Gravity" in Wicked it's the best song of all time. My friend sent it to me.

I don't usually promote other people's stories but I really suggest people take a look at "Puppet Master" if you haven't all ready because it's my favorite Rory/Logan and Logan is so much like Tristan (only not nearly as hot, lol) so you guys might like it!)