Disclaimer: The usual, I own nothing
It was the first party of the season. Yet more than that it was his party, and that made all the difference to the old gang. Rory and Logan were pulling to a stop in the circular drive when Rory saw Louise Grant being helped from a limousine by an older man. She let out a small squeal. This must be the fiancee she had heard about.
Louise saw Rory and clacked towards her in her towering heels. They hugged and Rory didn't miss the glow about her old friend.
"This is Rupert Rory, my fiancee" She leant back into him and he reached for her hand.
"Rory is one of my best friends from Chilton Rup". Rory scrutinized him. He was older than Louise that was obvious, Rory guessed mid-to-late thirties. She had heard through the grapevine that he was a merchant banker, distinguished, tasteful, exactly who Rory had always seen Louise marrying. The old Janis Ian song ran through her mind and brought a smile to her lips.
Love was meant for beauty-queens and high-school girls with clear-skinned smiles who married young and then retired.
She recovered herself when she felt Logan's hand on her shoulder.
"It's lovely to meet you Rupert" She shook his hand gently. "This is Logan Huntzberger. Logan you'd remember Louise" Rory ended the sentence with clenched teeth and Louise blushed. Rory and Logan had been on their first "break" when he and Louise first met. Rory, along with half the party, had later walked in on the pair in a compromising situation in the kitchen of Colin's parents' home. Rupert looked confused and ran his fingers through his short dark-blonde hair. He was very handsome, Rory thought. He was dressed casually that evening in a pair of chinos and a black long-sleeved shirt with cream flecks. He wore wire-rimmed glasses and kept his hair trimmed very short. It was already flecked with a little grey. He had an air of fun around him still though. He smiled gently.
"We should get inside"
Tristan DuGrey stood at the front door of his parents' home greeting his guests. They were all the old crowd. He sighed inwardly, scanning the crowd of people for the faces he might possibly want to see. He broke into a grin when he saw Louise and Rupert coming towards him. Louise had been the first person he'd seen when he arrived back for the summer. She had visited him as soon as she heard he was back, helped him plan this party and told him all about the wedding. The three of them went out for dinner the week later. He shook Rupert's hand and pulled Louise into a hug with a kiss on the cheek. The next time he looked up Lorelai Leigh Gilmore was standing in front of him.
"Well, well, well. Mary…how are you?"
Logan and Rory walked into the party. She shook her head slowly taking it in, it was like she'd stepped back in time to Louise's party all those years ago. Logan squeezed her arm,
"Want a drink?" She nodded.
"Just one thanks" He returned with Finn, Colin and Stephanie in tow, proffering a glass of champagne to his girlfriend. She took it with a smile. She vaguely recognized people from college or worse, from hih-school. Duncan and Bowman were nowhere to be seen she realised with a smirk. Madeline passed by with a dejected Paris. Rory hugged her, trying not to look sympathetic. Doyle had broken up with her that week andshe had worked herself up and was convinced that this was the end of the world.
"What are you drinking?" She asked Rory.
"Champagne"
"I need some of that"
"Absolutely love, splendid idea. Drinks all around" ranted Finn as he went off in search of the bottle.
"Have you met Rupert?" Paris rolled her eyes and gladly took the flute being given to her. Rory squeezed her arm.
"Well you and I can be alone and miserable together next week, Logan's going on a trip to visit his parents" Rory told her and Paris just nodded while Colin giggled.
A while later, coming back from the bathroom Rory ran into Tristan. He was a little tippled already and got straight to the point.
"Have you seen her?"
"Of course, yes" She answered distractedly, her eyes darting around for a release.
"How is she?"
"Look, Tristan…I don't know okay"
"What do you mean you don't know? Of course you know. I just want to know how she is, what she's doing"
"I'm not giving you dirt on Theo Tristan"
"I'm not asking for dirt" He was raising his voice and a few people turned to look. He sighed loudly in frustration and grasped Rory's elbow, dragging her into the hallway.
"Don't man-handle me Tristan"
"For God's sake Rory. I'm just asking questions"
"They're questions I don't feel comfortable answering" He shook his head and roll his eyes.
"God, what is wrong with wanting to know about an old friend? You're just pre-occupying yourself with all the stupid adolescent crap from junior year". Rory looked up at him, her eyes glinting.
"Judging by the look in your eyes Tristan, it's you who's pre-occupied with stupid adolescent crap from junior year"
Rory checked for traffic and dashed across the road. She was meeting her grandmother for lunch in half-an-hour and wanted to get a coffee-to-go before-hand.
"Mary!" She started as somebody grasped her arm.
"Tristan?" Her eyes were wide, with shock? He stared at her for a few seconds before letting her go.
"That's what they say" She blushed and then hugged him before stepping back and scrutinising him. He looked different, older somehow, not physically, maybe in his eyes or the way he set his jaw.
"How are you?" He asked, barely believing his luck at running into his Mary.
"I'm great, I'm…I'm late actually. I'm meeting my grandmother for lunch soon and I wanted to fit in a coffee"
"I'll walk you to the nearest Starbucks" She smiled and they set off.
He had done well at military school, risen through the ranks and joined the Marines. They were sending him to college, he was studying Law, at Harvard, just like his father never wanted.
"I thought I'd run into you there this year. Of course I've spent most of my time holed up in the library" Rory cocked an eyebrow and he smirked.
"Don't look so surprised all those years the bookworm in me was just waiting to come out"
"Well," Rory began, "I didn't go to Harvard, I decided on Yale instead, it's closer. I'm enjoying it, somewhat. The social scene is good"
"What a reversal" He smirked again. They carefully avoided the topic of Theo as they talked about old friends. But eventually Rory realised the time.
"I really do have to go though Tristan" He nods and stands to see her out.
"I'm having a party, this weekend. You should come. And…and feel free to bring anyone you want" He told her suggestively as they left the coffee shop. Her eyes darkened and she knew who was alluding to.
"I'll see, that'll be nice" She stood up on her tip-toes to kiss his cheek. "It was good to see you".
"It was good to see you too Mar,"
Rory and Theo sat by the pool at Rory's grandparents' house with mugs of coffee. If Theo had been looking she would have the seen the indecision in Rory's stormy eyes. Finally, blurting it out she garbled;
"I saw Tristan the other day," If Theo was startled by hearing this name she didn't show it. She simply waited for Rory to go on. "He's uh…he's with the Marines, studying law. He's having a party this weekend, on Friday night, at his place. Logan and I are going to go if you wanted to as well". Theo finishes her coffee and shrugs.
"I'd love to," she says with no emotion. "But it's Nate and my one-year anniversary and he's taking me out for a surprise".
Rory spies Logan standing with boys and sneaks up on them. They were talking quietly about his trip away the next week she imagined. He started when she wrapped her arms around her.
"Oh Ace it's you, god I thought it Paris getting all needy"
"Paris? Needy?" Rory chuckled. "Were you telling the boys about your trip?"
"His trip?" slurred Finn as he ambled over. "When did it become his trip?" Logan made cutting motions across his throat but Finn babbled on;
"I was the one that came up with the idea"
"What idea?" Rory asked suspiciously.
"He's drunk"
"Shut up Logan" She hissed. "What idea Finn?" Finn was looking uncertainly from Logan to Rory.
"Uh…the idea uh…to uh…to go to uh…the boys weekend in Vegas" He finished quickly.
"Really? Well that is very interesting Finn considering my boyfriend is supposed to be visiting his parents next weekend. It's interesting wouldn't you say Logan?"
"Uh…very" He replied with an uncertain smile. She wheeled on him in fury.
"Doesn't Helen live in Vegas?" Rory asked cuttingly. Helen was one of Logan's many girls on campus.
"I uh…I'm not sure"
Across the room an increasingly uncomfortable Rupert was attempting to give an increasingly drunken Paris banking advice.
"Well my best bet would be to take three quarters of your shares out of…" Paris held up her hand to stop him.
"Juss a minud" She slurred as she reached for another cup of ambiguity and downed it like a football captain. "Okay…"
"Uh…as I was saying…" And then all of a sudden it happened, she burst into tears, lurching on him.
"How can she be and I'm and then aaaahhhh" Sobs wracked her body while an appalled Rupert calmly patted her back. Madeline materialised in an instant and started dragging her away.
"Rory!" A furious Rory turned to where Madeline was standing with Paris who was sniffling and moaning something about Louise being a sex fiend and a husband stealer. Her anger melted away.
"Honey?" As she leant into Paris she could smell the reek of alcohol seeping from her pores. "I think I'd better take her home" She turned back to Logan.
"Give me your keys" He hesitated. "You'd better give me your keys now or so help me God Logan" he quickly fumbled through his pockets and handed her the keys to his Porsche.
Slowly, with the help of Colin and Tristan she managed to get Paris in the car.
"How can Louish be getting married and I'm all alone?" Paris was sobbing.
"It'll be okay honey" Rory said quietly as she pulled out of the driveway. "We'll all be okay."
AN: I know it's a bit different but bear with me. This story has been in my mind for a while now.