"So how'd you get out of going to that ball tonight?" Lorelei asked conversationally as she popped another starburst into her mouth.
"I told them that as a Gilmore, I wanted to and was obligated to spend Christmas with the Gilmores." Rory answered while munching on chips. "It was non-negotiable. "
The mother and daughter were sprawled on the living room couch. Junk food littered the floor around them and an old movie was playing on the TV set. It was the usual Friday night tradition at the Gilmore house.
"Wow, the pupil has surpassed the master." Lorelei complimented, quite impressed. "I didn't know you had it in you kid. That sounded firm."
"Well, maybe I said it slightly nicer, but I was clear in my message." Rory quickly added. Lorelei looked at her with an arched brow.
"Go on and ruin my moment of being a proud mother." Lorelei sighed in exasperation. "So what did you promise them in return kiddo?"
"What makes you think that I had to promise them anything in return for spending time with my mother and grandparents?" Rory asked defensively. Lorelei gave her the "yeah right" look.
"Because they are the Haydens, even more evil than Emily Gilmore herself, and they will make you feel guilty on any account." Lorelei stated flippantly. "So did you have to sell your soul for our holiday together?"
"No," Rory gave up with a sigh. "Just had to promise them a month of my summer break."
"Harsh kid. Want me to help you get out of it?" Lorelei volunteered with a hopeful expression.
"No," Rory replied meekly. "They're my family too and I should take the effort to spend some time with them. They have missed most of my life and are really trying to make up for it. The least I can do is meet them halfway."
"Do you regret it?" Lorelei asked, turning serious all of a sudden. "Do you regret not being raised in society? Be honest, Rory."
"No mom," Rory assured with a smile. "I understand why you took me away from that. You wanted me to be my own person instead of living up to a model. I sort of wish that I had grown up with my dad and brother, but if it meant compromising who I am, then I don't regret it one bit. Now, I don't mind getting to know them, but I will refuse to become anything I don't want to be."
"Good." Lorelei replied with an encouraging smile. "Always remember that you have choices. Don't ever let anyone take that away from you."
"I know mom."
"And if you're unhappy kid, then things need to change, no matter what. It's why I divorced Chris."
"It must've been hard" Rory commented.
"You bet it was. I suppose I had gone about it all wrong though." Lorelei admitted with a sigh. "I should have sat down and done it properly with Chris, but I just took off one day with you and mailed him the divorce papers two weeks after. There was a huge battle between our lawyers, but what confused them the most was that I didn't ask for a single penny as settlement."
"Why didn't you? It must've been extremely difficult to raise a child on your own. You didn't even go to grandma and grandpa. You just disappeared from their world entirely. They must've been worried sick."
"I didn't want to owe them anything." Lorelei replied with a shrug. "I knew that if I went back to my parents, I would have been sucked back into their world and the marriage. I wanted to break it out on my own, even if I had to start as a maid in an inn while raising a baby."
"Do you regret going back to grandma and grandpa for Chilton?" Rory asked with worry. "If it weren't for that, you still wouldn't have any contact with the world you hate. You wouldn't have to fight with dad over my time and share awkward dinners with grandma and grandpa."
"Of course not kid." Lorelei assured. "You had big dreams Rory, and if it meant going to an expensive prep school to achieve them, then I was willing to support you any way I could. Besides, it wasn't right of me to never let you meet your family. I was just scared that I'd lose you to them."
"Oh mom, you could never lose me," Rory whispered before launching herself across the couch to hug her mother.
"I'm glad to hear it" Lorelei replied as she squeezed her daughter tightly. "Because I couldn't bear it."
"Mom," Rory whispered. "Why did you chose me over Miles?" Lorelei paused in thought.
"Because I knew from the moment you were born, that you were mine more than Chris'" Lorelei answered after a pause. "Even as a child, Miles fit into society perfectly. He thrived on it and I knew I would be depriving him of his right if I took him away. He would resent it. I suppose it had something to do with him being the Hayden heir. He was perfect for the role. You, on the other hand, from the minute your innocent big blue eyes looked at me, I knew you would be crushed by the role. You would hate the constant need for appearance just as much as me. I just had a feeling you wouldn't want that kind of life. Call it mother's intuition."
"You were right mom. I don't want that." Rory confirmed. "And from the first time I met Miles, I knew he loved his position."
"I thought so. Does he resent me for not picking him?" Lorelei asked with uncertainty.
"No, if he does, he never mentioned it."
"I hate his polite impersonal mannerism towards me," Lorelei sighed. "But I suppose it's something I have to accept for choosing the path I took. He seems really overprotective of you though."
"Yeah," Rory agreed. "At first it was nice and all to have an older brother looking out for me, but after a while, it just got stifling."
"Give him some credit. He's just getting used to being an older sibling." Lorelei laughed.
"I know, but now that we're not going to the same school, things have been a lot better. I can finally kiss a boy without him looming over me in anger."
"And how is Bible Boy?" Lorelei asked in interest, keenly waiting for gossip. The serious mood had dissipated.
"You know, what happened to the no talking during a movie rule?" Rory asked belatedly.
"It had to be amended since my little girl went off to university." Lorelei answered easily. "Now be a good girl and tell mother all about your new boy toy."
"Well, we've been going out for only two months," Rory began. "But everything is going unbelievably great. I keep waiting for the bottom to fall out in this amazing relationship."
"Relax kiddo. You two were meant for each other." Lorelei assured flippantly. "Ever since high school, you've had this unconscious attraction towards him."
"How did you know?" Rory asked in surprise. "I only figured that out after we started dating."
"Please, I'm a mother, not blind." Lorelei answered with an eye roll. "Everyday you'd come home and bitch about him. It's so obvious you liked him, I just chose not to rile you up by pointing it out."
"Really?" Rory questioned skeptically.
"No, I also thought he would be a bad influence on my little girl, so I chose not to push you into realizing your feelings for him. But since he's still calling you that cute little nickname at Harvard and hitting on you, I'm thinking he really does like you a lot too."
"It was not cute when he called me Mary at Chilton!" Rory stated indignantly. "It was highly annoying."
"But you like it now." Lorelei stated with a smirk.
"Yes, but now we're going out. That's different." Lorelei regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
"Sure…so how is he as a boyfriend?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I wasn't so sure that this would work in the beginning." Rory admitted. "I mean, we're so different and he's a player. I wasn't sure that he could even commit to a single relationship. And he has annoyed me since high school, so I wasn't sure if I could even get used to not arguing with him."
"Then what made you change your mind?"
"Well…he's just so sweet. He's romantic and considerate and he never pushes for things I'm not ready for." Rory recounted with a wishful smile, her eyes glazing over. "We still argue, but it's always playful bantering that keeps me on my toes. He would bring me coffee every morning and walk me to my classes. When we go out, he would always make it clear to all his previous dates that he was with me."
"Have you slept with him?" Lorelei asked bluntly. Rory turned red immediately.
"N-no, not yet."
"But you are thinking about it?" Lorelei pushed.
"Well, yeah." Rory admitted uncomfortably. As close as she was to her mother, there were still some things she was uncomfortable discussing with her. And sex talk of any kind was definitely at the top of her list.
"Just make sure to do it safely." She warned. Rory looked at her in surprise. Her mother was rather too accepting of this fact.
"That's it?"
"You're twenty years old Rory," Lorelei began with a sigh. "I can't tell you not to sleep with your boyfriend. Believe me, my mother tried that once. I ended up pregnant at sixteen. All I want is for you to be safe and not have to go through an unplanned pregnancy. If you want, I could get you a prescription for birth control."
"N-no, I'll go get them myself, mom." Rory replied with gratitude, albeit a little uncomfortable. "But thanks." Despite their close relationship, Rory was still baffled at her mother's large capacity for understanding.
"No problem. Does Tristan know you're a virgin?"
"Yes, we talked about this." Rory answered with certainty. "We talked about this and he's willing to wait until I'm ready."
"Wow, he is an amazing boy toy." Lorelei remarked with a whistle. "Where can I get one of those?"
"Remember Luke mom?"
"Oh you're no fun!" Lorelei pouted.
"It wouldn't work anyway mom," Rory commented. "Grandma and grandpa like him."
"Oh, I take that back!" Lorelei immediately shouted. "I don't like him! I cannot like the same person my parents like. It's blasphemy!"
"Don't worry mom, I won't tell anyone."
"How'd they get wind of this relationship anyway? I have been going out with Luke for five months now and they have yet to find out, even with Friday night dinners, which has become a total snooze fest since you left, by the way, you traitor."
"Grandpa played golf with Tristan's grandfather last Sunday and Tristan may have mention our relationship to his grandfather. You know how fast news travels in Hartford."
"So has my mother requested him for Friday night dinner yet?" Lorelei asked with interest.
"Actually, she has." Rory replied. "She called me last week at school to say how much she approved of our relationship and asked if Tristan's going to come for dinner since we're both coming back to Hartford. He'll be joining us next week."
"And you just tell me this now, you evil child?" Lorelei cried in mock shock. "I thought we were close! I went through thirty one hours of labor with you…"
It was a typical night at the Gilmore residence.
(Break)
For the first time in his twenty years of existence, Tristan DuGray was happy. Truly, genuinely happy without the aid of alcohol or drugs, unless you count Rory Gilmore as a drug. And perhaps for him she was because every time he saw her, he became more addicted. Her smiles, her jokes, her hugs, her kisses, they all drove him wild. Just being with her made him soar and he wasn't even trying to sound sappy.
However, Tristan kept holding his breath for the other shoe to drop. In his young life, very rarely has a good thing lasted. From his early childhood he had memories of love and warmness, but that came to a crashing halt with the death of his mother. With the love of his life gone, Michael DuGray withdrew from everyone, especially from the son that reminded him so much of his dead wife, and poured his entire focus into work. Thus the DuGray fairy tale burned into ashes to be carried by the wind and the once warm home became a cold palace maintained by indifferent servants. At the tender age of four, Tristan's upbringing was left to a nanny and later, boarding schools.
Unlimited wealth and parental neglect became constant variables and soon the smart child learned to fend for himself. The product was an overindulged young man disguising his severe emotional handicap with a debonair charm. With money being the regular substitute for affections, soon Tristan sole purpose in life became to attract his father's attention. Reckless behavior and school suspensions swelled his records, but Michael DuGray indulged his heir's whims and sent his secretary, and on certain occasions, his lawyers, to clean up. After all, DuGray Finance wasn't going to run itself.
And thus, a disappointed heir entered high school with no goals in life. Used to getting everything he wanted either through money or charm, Tristan no longer felt the need to work. It's not like his father would even notice. He was good looking, rich, and extremely bored with his life at the tender age of fifteen. Parties, cars and girls no longer brought any thrill to him, they were just events that kept him relatively amused. That is until she came.
Rory Gilmore was at first, simply an enigma. She was pretty, smart and incredibly innocent. She was different. Tristan was intrigued with the novelty, so he asked her out.
And was immediately shot down.
He, the king of Chilton, was shot down! Tristan DuGray was turned down by a girl! Who the hell did she think she was? He became determined to push her off her high horse. He wanted to break her and make her just like every other girl at Chilton, shallow and easy. But he failed.
Rory Gilmore had just ventured into the unknown territory called upper society. Armed with her mother's warnings about the perils of the glittering world, Rory was adamant about not falling into its traps. Her one goal was to get into Harvard and Chilton was just a stepping-stone. The constant badgering and amorous advances of the blond playboy did little to deter her. Tristan became frustrated yet impressed.
He could never pinpoint the exact instance when his feelings for Rory became genuine. All he knows is that after a year of annoying her and hitting on her, he came to like her. The telling moment was when he walked into class on the first day of junior year and his eyes immediately sought out the brunette. When the sparkling blue orbs met his, realization dawned on him. He didn't even recall going through a period of denial. How odd.
That year, he pursued her with a renewed vigor, not to break her, but to have her. He could feel her resistance slowly failing and victory was almost in sight.
Then he went and took that stupid dare to break into a store safe.
It was so fucking ironic. Out of all the stunts he pulled to gain his father's attention, the one he didn't want his father to know about summoned the furious elder DuGray. It was actually quiet unprecedented for his father to take such a personal role in his punishment. And thus he was shipped off to military school, miles away from Chilton and her.
He spent the rest of his high school career trying to forget her. It was not easy, but he had managed it by graduation time. Of course, alcohol and countless girls also helped. Then, like all good little DuGrays, he was enrolled in Harvard. And he saw her again. Karma was a bitch.
Needless to say, all his work became undone and memories of her immediately seeped back into his mind. But it was as if he had taken a step back with her and all his work in junior year had become undone. She was hostile towards him and now there was a protective older brother added to the mix as well. To remedy this, Tristan continued his womanizing ways to get over her. She alienated him more for it. He sought refuge in more women. It was a huge positive feedback loop that everyone but Miles Hayden regarded in frustration. He was the only one smiling in glee.
So when elder brother left and sophomore year rolled around, Tristan had been frustrated to the end of his rope.
So he took a chance and outright kissed her.
It worked out quite magnificently, if he does say so himself. They were going onto two months now and he was currently driving to her grandparent's for dinner. The other shoe to his happy little relationship has yet to drop.
As he arrived at the courtyard of the Gilmore mansion, he smoothly parked his silver Porsche next to the old jeep that Rory was getting out of. Prefect timing. This boded well for the night.
"Hey Mary," he greeted cheerfully as he held out his arms. She immediately stepped into his embrace and bestowed a kiss upon his lips. But the once gentle kiss quickly turned heated as Tristan poured into it all of his pent up passion for her from the seven days they were apart.
"Mother here!" Lorelei interrupted pointedly. Immediately, the young couple broke apart. Rory blushed while Tristan smirked and extended his hand.
"I'm Tristan DuGray."
"So you're the Bible Boy that made my daughter's first year in Chilton like hell," Lorelei remarked flippantly while shaking his hand. "I'm Lorelei."
"I assure you mam that I only did it out of desperation." Tristan answered without a beat. "And Bible Boy?"
"In retaliation for you calling me Mary," Rory explained. Tristan arched a brow in amusement.
"You're corrupting my daughter!" Lorelei cried out dramatically. "Making out in a public place? What happened to my sweet little girl?"
"She grew up." Rory answered while slipping her hand into Tristan's.
"Damn the cycle of nature!" Lorelei cursed. "Well, now that I see your boy toy is every bit as good looking as I imagined, I will die content in knowing that I won't have ugly grandchildren. Therefore, I bestow my motherly blessings upon this union." She pretended to bless them like a priest.
"Is she always this dramatic?" Tristan asked Rory in amusement, greatly beginning to like Lorelei.
"Usually she's worse," Rory sighed.
"Hey blondie, don't push your luck!" Lorelei warned good-naturedly. "Remember, I could take back my blessings any time."
"Thank you for being ever so generous." Tristan quickly added.
"I will ignore the implied sarcasm in that statement and take it as a compliment," Lorelei replied. " Now, let's get this dinner over with so I can go home and eat ice cream!"
"Amen." Rory added before following her mother to the front door and dragging Tristan with her.
"Now, " Lorelei began as she pressed the doorbell. "If my parents like you, then my motherly approval doesn't go beyond the three of us. After all, I can't be known to agree with my parents."
"Dully noted mam." Tristan replied.
"And don't call me mam!" Lorelei chastened with a scowl before the door swung open.
(Break)
"Once again, thank you for the wonderful dinner. The food was delicious, Mrs. Gilmore." Tristan complimented with his usual dashing smile.
"Oh, you're welcome here anytime, Tristan." Emily Gilmore replied warmly. "I'm so glad that you and Rory are seeing each other. You two must come and visit us more often."
"Of course." Tristan promised, "and Mr. Gilmore, thank you for the advice. I'm sure it'll come in handy during my next project."
"Charmer…" Lorelei muttered with an eye roll. Rory tried to repress a giggle.
"Finance is a fine area to major in Tristan" Richard spoke while the maid handed the guests their coats. "You'll do your father proud."
"I'll try my best sir." Tristan beamed.
"Well, we'll be off now," Lorelei quickly announced before any more conversation could be struck up while quickly putting on her coat.
"Make sure to invite Tristan for dinner more often Rory," Emily demanded.
"Will do grandma."
"Well, bye mom, bye dad." Lorelei said as she opened the front door and slipped out, pulling Rory along.
"Bye grandma, grandpa!" Rory quickly called.
"Thank you once again, Mr. Gilmore, Mrs. Gilmore." Tristan added before also stepping out. "It was a pleasure."
"Good night Tristan, and please don't hesitate to come more often." Emily reminded him beside her beaming husband before the maid closed the door.
"Oh you are so off my good books, blondie!" Lorelei stated as soon as the door shut. "They loved you! In fact, they're probably planning your wedding in there right now!"
"So I guess I turned on the charms too much?" Tristan asked with a smirk.
"It was so blinding, I almost had to pull out the sunglasses." Lorelei chirped.
"I'm terribly sorry," Tristan apologized in mock humility. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
"For them liking you or almost blinding me?" Lorelei asked.
"Both."
"What do you say Rory?" Lorelei turned to her daughter with a mischievous smirk. "How shall we punish him…?"
(Break)
As soon as the door was shut after the three guests, Emily turned to her husband.
"What a delightful boy," she praised for the umpteenth time. "We couldn't have chosen better for Rory."
"Yes, a fine young man Tristan is." Richard concurred. "It's a shame that Janlan chose to retire in Hawaii though. He hardly sees his grandson."
"Yes, well the poor boy doesn't have a mother either, so it's up to me to plan their wedding." Emily announced. "I'm thinking a spring theme?"
"A little bit early Emily, wouldn't you say?" Richard remarked.
"Well, they are such a suited pair. We have to do our best to keep them together."
(Break)
"We have to break them up!" Miles stated with absolute conviction. "He's not good enough for her!"
"Miles, calm down," Chris replied, looking up from his morning newspaper The distant ocean waves could be seen through the large window of the Hayden Mansion in Florida. "You have brought this up numerous times and each time you go back to the same point. I certainly hope you don't argue your cases like this in court."
"Well, it's true!" Miles cried.
"Although Tristan DuGray would not be my first choice for Rory either, I've learned to live with it." Chris supplied, going back to his newspaper. "He's not so bad."
"So what, you're just going to let her marry him, dad?" Miles asked in disbelief.
"It'll hardly come to that." Chris assured as he poured himself more tea. "Rory's only twenty years old. At this age, it's perfectly natural to date, but nothing serious ever comes of the relationships. They are not mature enough for a lasting commitment."
"Yes, but apparently they have liked each other since high school," Miles interjected. "That sounds to me to be a mighty long time to be just a passing infatuation the two share."
"Has Rory told you that she has liked him since high school?" Chris asked.
"No…"
"Then stop jumping to conclusions, Miles." Chris waived it off before the younger man could add anything. "Eat something. You have to meet an important client of the firm in an hour. Focus on that instead of your sister's love life."
Miles fumed. It seems that ever since he left Harvard, things he worked for there had shot straight to hell. DuGray got elected as the new CCB leader and is now dating his little sister, both things which he had worked hard to prevent. It was not the fact that someone had taken over his previous position as the unofficial King that bothered him; it was natural enough for someone to fill that vacuum of power. It was the fact that DuGray had done it that made him livid. Julian must be jumping in glee.
"I still don't think it's a good idea to let her continue seeing him," Miles objected after a long pause.
"Well, I can hardly forbid her." Chris remarked dryly. "What makes you object so much to Tristan DuGray anyway? He's from a good family. His father runs one of the most successful investment firms in the country."
"I just don't like him." Miles replied while clenching his jaw. It was evident that he didn't want to go into any details.
"Look," Chris sighed, "Who would you pick out for her?"
"I don't know…" Miles thought with a frown. "Anyone but DuGray. How about the Huntzberger heir? Logan seemed to be a worthy man and it would be a very good connection. Newspapers could really come in handy when pushing the jury to sympathize with a certain view in a case… "
"Interesting strategy…that would be a smart match…" Chris paused in his reading to contemplate. "Fine. If they are still together when she comes for summer holidays, you have my full support to break them up. Logan will be there, so play matchmaker if you want. I believe Shira will be more than happy to help. Now could we please talk about something else?"
"Sure dad," Miles grinned in satisfaction at getting his way. A devious twinkle suddenly appeared in his genetic deep blue orbs. "I heard mom is getting really serious with that dinner guy."
Christopher suddenly dropped his teacup.