The Reformed, a gilmore girls fanfic

A/N: Riley Beaumont is credit to frompen2paper at Fanfic. The song is I'm Moving On by Rascal Flatts. And I have NOTHING against the South, or anyone from there, so sorry if I offended, but it was just for the purpose of the military guys being jerks.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Thank You.

I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons
Finally content with a past I regret
I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness
For once I'm at peace with myself
I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long
I'm movin' on

The tall, blonde haired, blue eyed, reformed boy stood in front of a dark Hartford mansion, dreadfully looming above his head. The gates may say DuGrey but that doesn't mean that's who he was, at least not anymore.

He could reflect back to a time when all he was was a shallow, womanizing prick, out for the game, and to mask his real feelings. He could never show how hurt he really was, or how much he really loved the one girl who could see through all of his bullshit. The brown haired, blue eyed beauty, who he would probably never see again. At least he can say she changed him for the better, because, after all, she was his only reason to change. Rory Gilmore was Tristan DuGrey's only reason to change. His reason to change who he was, to change how he acted, to take down the façade, to do well at Amherst Military Academy so he could show her that he wasn't the same, and that he would never be that Tristan DuGrey again.

He had graduated valedictorian and the second highest ranking officer in his class, out run only by his best friend Riley Beaumont. Riley had been the one to bring him off of his high pedestal when he first arrived, and the one to keep him grounded through his years at Amherst. He could remember his first day like it was yesterday.

His father's town car pulled through the forlorn, heavy metal gates. As they approached the barracks where Tristan would be sleeping for the next several years, he felt an oncoming sense of dread set in. He had felt it before, but now it was real. Tristan DuGrey, playboy extraordinaire, and King of Chilton was plopped down on this god forsaken plot of land in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina, far from the eye of Hartford society, as not to embarrass his father and disgrace the good DuGrey name any further. He sat in the confines of the car as long as he could, wallowing in his self-pity. The deeply tinted windows too soon gave way to gloomy gray sky, it was about to rain, a perfect reflection of this ghastly day. The door was opened for him, and he stepped out, a tired and sad smirk on his face. He bid adieu to the chauffeur and grabbed his few bags from the trunk of the car. He walked into the barracks with heavy heart and heavy mind, dismayed that he would have to spend an eternity here. He walked to an empty bunk in the scarce barracks, and plopped down. He closed his eyes for a minute, until a disruption woke him from his miserable reverie. He looked up to see the cause, and a group of cadets were scattered round the room, a few approaching.

'Well, what've we got here? Another blue-blood Ritchie-rich, I thought we took care of the last of them.' Said a then unfamiliar cadet, lacking the southern accent.

'Wellllllllll fellas, I think we got ourselves 'nother one to rough up' said another, a little more of an accent present.

'But first, where're you from?' said the first.

'Connecticut' he had replied.

As the uncomfortable and unpleasant conversation went on, Tristan sent a few quips to the way of these cadets. Who did they think they were? He was Tristan DuGrey, and would always be better than these insignificant jerks. But as that thought passed through his mind, it had shown in his eyes. The first one was quick not to miss it, and had Tristan against a wall before he could say Bye-Bye Chilton. Before the first shot could be thrown, a Cadet Captain strolled towards them.

'Let 'im go'

They hesitated.

'I said let 'im go, an' I mean now!' he shouted.

The cadet let go, and sneered at Tristan.

'Go on, get to the mess hall' said the Captain.

The cadet whispered to Tristan in passing, 'I'll be back for you.'

'You know, I didn't need your help. Things were fine.' Tristan started in on the Cadet Captain.

'Yeah, it looked that way from here boy. First things first, I'm your Captain, so you will address me as sir. Another thing, I don't give a damn about that platinum spoon in your mouth, or that 9-figure bank account you've got. Daddy's wealth doesn't mean a thing down here. And you should stay away from those guys, they've put tougher than you in the infirmary, and the closest you've been to fighting was cause some guy, who was making out with your girlfriend, scratched the paint on your Italian import sports car.'

Tristan was slightly amazed, but didn't show it. He didn't know how some who had known him less than 5 minutes could read him so well. He rubbed it off though.

'You work hard, and your blue-blood ass will be just fine here. This is your chance to start again …….'

'Tristan, Tristan DuGrey'

'Riley Beaumont, nice to meet you, and you're welcome for my saving your ass.'

I've lived in this place and I know all the faces
Each one is different but they're always the same
They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it
They'll never allow me to change
But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong

As Tristan looked up at the house that was once his home, well, not every really his "home" per say, but where he lived for most of his life, he now wished he was back at Amherst in the safe confines of the school, where people actually gave a damn who he was. Here, he was still just Tristan DuGrey, of the esteemed family, and disgrace to the name. He was the royal family fuck up, but he honestly didn't care anymore, cause this wasn't who he was. He'd lived here for so long, he knew all the people, how they all hid behind their masks of porcelain, so fake. Everyone person was different, but in a crowded room, you couldn't tell one DAR lady from another. Every expression, every fake smile was a perfectly trained art of never letting anyone see the real you. It caused less pain at the moment, but damaged the mind in the long run. It was the story of horror, where everything said, meant something different entirely. He promised he would never end up back here, the one place where he didn't belong, but he was back to show everyone the new him. He had been traveling for the last year, and neglected to come home for any leave during his time at Amherst. He wasn't surprised that the family didn't show up for his graduation, he actually liked it better that way. He would go see Headmaster Charleston, the one person who always thought him a screw up, and with Beau's help, he would pack up his things and be on a 747 to Paris, where his new home awaits.

I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't
Stopped to fill up on my way out of town
I've loved like I should but lived like I shouldn't
I had to lose everything to find out
Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road

He had lost the old him, but in the process gained a new one in replace. He gained his redemption, and faced his demons. As they said at Amherst, live life to the fullest, because you never know when it'll end. He was going to follow that motto starting now. He had long decided that the days, and months, and years that he watched pass him by would be made up for starting now.

I'm movin' on
At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me
And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone
There comes a time in everyone's life
When all you can see are the years passing by
And I have made up my mind that those days are gone

As he turned now, almost ready to board his plane to Paris, he slipped the letter into the mailbox at the airport. It read:

Dear Rory,

It's been a long time, and I'm just writing to tell you I'm sorry for all that I've done. I never meant to hurt you when we were at Chilton, it was actually just the opposite, it was all because I loved you. I probably always will. I just wanted you to know that I've changed, and you were the reason why. You gave me something to strive for, someone to believe in. I don't know what's going on with you these days, but I'm going to lend some advice. Like we said at Military School, live life to the fullest, because you never know when it'll end. I've dealt with the skeletons in my closet, I've faced my demons. I'm finally content with a past I regret. I'm finally at peace with myself, all because I've moved on, all because of you. I hope you can do the same, face your fears, live life, and chase your dreams. I want to give you the same hope you gave me all those years ago. I'm sure you can tell who this is by now, so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you Rory Gilmore.

Sincerely,

Bible Boy, Tristan DuGrey

Inside the letter was a small sliver of paper, with his number in Paris on it. He had moved on, but he wanted to stay connected to the one thing in his past that he didn't regret, and the one thing that gave him hope, Rory.