Disclaimer: You all know it, I own nothing, not even the computer I'm using to write this.

Katherine breathed the morning air in deeply and ran a hand through her newly short hair. She had decided that, at 42, it was time for the chop. She had always said that women over forty should cut off all their hair, otherwise it ends up looking a birds nest on mutton trying to look like lamb. Jackson hadn't liked it at first, but that was men for you, none of their fantasies involved women with short hair, it was all waist length blond curls and push-up bras. She smiled softly. Twigs snapped behind her and she turned to see Tristan jogging towards her. She smiled widely, she had always liked Tristan, well not always, she'd resented him being the first real boy in Theo's life but that was a mother thing. He was worth four of his father at the same age.

He slowed from his jog to a walk and fell into step beside her.

"Can't get out of the military school regime huh kid?" He laughed ad shrugged.

"It's good for me" Katherine nodded.

"I haven't seen you around much"

"Yeah well…that wasn't my decision" Katherine nodded again. "I've been meaning to tell you, I like your hair" He slowly lifted his hand to touch her bob and she blushed. He was sensual, that's what made him different to Cal. Cal was, always had been, blunt. But this boy, he had heart. He seemed to realise what he was doing and pulled his hand away.

"Thank you Tristan, how is your mother?"

"She's okay, pumping dad for money still"

"Good on her"

"Yes, I suppose so"

"And how is college going?"

"Well I'm working harder than I ever have"

"About time dear one" He laughed.

"Yes after all those study sessions that were trumped up movie nights with Theo" Katherine smiled. They were nearing the boundary of their properties and Katherine turned to him.

"Would you like to come in for coffee?" Tristan shrugged.

"Sure"

They reached the kitchen and Katherine switched the coffee pot on. They both knew the road the conversation was about to go down.

"So Nate and Theo have been together for a year" Tristan began, not able to contain himself any longer.

"Yes" Katherine replied, her attention on the coffee pot. "Jackson and I were surprised to say the least. More surprised that it's lasted this long"

"Why?"

"Oh come on Tristan, don't beat around the bush. You know as well as we do that nobody saw that coming. I mean a Gates with our daughter?" Katherine breathed a sigh of relief that Theo had chosen this morning for a belated catch-up breakfast at a local restaurant with Lisa before she flew back to England, she didn't need her walking in on this.

"But, we've accepted it…for now. She's changed, a lot of things about her have changed since…well for a while now"

"Since I left?" Katherine raised an eyebrow.

"Why would it be since you left?"

"It uh…It wasn't under the best circumstances" Katherine smiled ruefully.

"Ah yes, the infamous falling out she never spoke of, only hinted at. I'm not going to ask, I don't want to hate you. Maybe it was since you left, it's bee for a long time anyway." The pot was finished and she poured them each a cup and, like so many times before, Tristan's feet led him to the conservatory where they took their seats.

"I'm telling you this because you and Theo were once very close. And I get the feeling now that she has shut you out but I think you should know" Tristan nodded for her to go on. "I don't pretend to know what happened but sometime in senior year she started to change. She quietened down. "You remember what she used to be like. She'd run riot, play up, shock the society" Tristan smiled in remembrance of the balcony and her motorbike parked out the front of the dormitory. "She started studying more, all the time really, she was always locked in the library surrounded by books, not real books like she used to read, not literature, but sociology and politics. And most of all, she lived for society, she fell into it. Trips to the country club and parties, lunching with ladies. "She stopped riding her bike?" Tristans eyes widened in surprise.

"She doesn't ride Betty anymore" Katherine shook her head.

"Stella's been relegated to the garage for nearly two years. She just stopped riding her and then one morning announced she wanted a car. Jackson and I told her she could have one as a graduation present if she was in the top 10 of the class. Of course, she was, but by then she knew she was going to New York so she decided on a diamond pendent instead. She said a car would be impractical and that Nate had one anyway."

"So they were together by then?"

"They went to prom together. We thought it was as friends. She didn't tell us until they were away at college and she announced thy were moving in together." It was clear to Tristan by Katherine's tone of voice that she didn't approve.

"They live together?" Katherine nodded.

"She started off in college for a fortnight until they found an apartment"

"So she kept everyone in the dark?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well she didn't tell me, or Rory, or you guys that they were together"

"She didn't tell Rory?" Tristan shook his head. Katherine shook her head. "Well, there you go indeed. She didn't tell people a lot of things. She'd always had her heart set on Yale so Jackson and I just assumed. Then at the club one night Paris congratulated her on getting into Columbia. You could've knocked me over with a feather. Columbia? Since when did our baby want to go to Columbia? And to study sociology or international policy or whatever the hell it is she's studying. She'd always wanted fine arts! The next time we saw her after she left, she had a new wardrobe, suits and pencil skirts, society gowns, hats for god's sake. She always hated hats. I remember the struggle at the first garden party to get her into a chic little cloch and she wasn't having a bar" Tristan smiled sadly.

"You've changed...you've both changed" Katherine found herself saying, knowing her daughter would kill her if she could hear. Tristan sighed and made to get up but Katherine put her hand on his arm. "I know Theo, Tristan...she's an artist not a fucking politician or whatever she thinks she is now" Tristan tried to hide shock at Katherine's vulgarity. She smiled at his attempt. "...she's a romantic at heart...deep down she always wanted that love story. Oh sure she pretended that she just wanted sex or whatever it was you two had, she's never been as good at going against the tide as everybody likes to think. She wanted that love story where you were friends first and then grew to more"

"But that's the way it happened" He fet himself saying quietly and Katherine stared at him.

"Really? It was more than friendship or sex? To both of you? Come on Tristan, you guys were seventeen, she wanted love, endless summers, camping trips with all your friends. She wanted beauty and skinny dipping in the river" Tristan stared hard at the ground, furious at the pain in his throat.

"How do you know this?" He finally choked out and Katherine sighed.

"She's my daughter Tristan, she's so much like me it hurts sometimes" Tristan looked at the older woman with new eyes. And he could see it, they didn't look alike but they were the same.

"Then why has she turned into a Stepford Wife?"

"I think she got tired of feeling" Was the whispered response. "People do that" They stared at each other. Katherine could see Theo's girlish infatuation with this boy. He was the one every girl had thought they could tame. She wanted to hate him for hurting her but she couldn't.

AN: Stay tuned for Chapter 7 which shows more of the relationship between Tristan and Theo, plus their newest showdown at 3am.