Friday

"All set?" Lorelai Gilmore placed a pizza box on the low slung table before settling back on the couch next to her daughter. Rory nodded and pointed the remote at the television across the room, moments later music flowed from the speakers and Pippi Longstockings rode across the screen in all her black and white splendour.

"Best movie ever!" Lorelai exclaimed excitedly, holding out her hand as Rory reached for a slice of pizza.

"Since when?" Rory raised an eyebrow.

"Since forever, you know when I was pregnant with you I watched this movie-"

"87 times." Rory cut her mother off. "I know the story but it's never been your favourite before."

"It's always been my favourite." Lorelai argued.

"No it hasn't." Rory contradicted, "You have several favourite movies and Pippi Longstockings has never been one of them."

"Yes it is." Lorelai pouted in a childlike manner.

"No it's not."

"Yes it is, yes it is, and…yes it is!"

"You are five." Rory laughed before they both turned their full attention to the screen. Despite having seen the movie more times than they could recall, it didn't take long before both females were totally absorbed in the story unfolding before them. So absorbed, that neither heard the frantic hammering on the front door until Paris burst into the living room.

"Paris!" Rory jumped to her feet, "What are you doing here? Were we meant to be studying? Coz I swear I didn't forget, I just-"

"Gilmore!" Paris interrupted, holding up a hand to silence Rory's panicked rambling. "Chill, I'm not here to study."

"Oh." Rory visibly deflated in relief, "Then how come you're here?"

"And what's with going all action hero on our door?" Lorelai looked past the two teenagers to the dent the violently swinging door had left in the wall behind it.

"Oh…I'll pay for it." Paris barely glanced at the damage before grabbing Rory's arm and dragging her down the short hallway to the latter's bedroom, "You need to get changed."

"What? Why?"

"Because you can't go dressed like that." Paris waved her arm dismissively at Rory's flannel pyjamas as she rifled through the wardrobe.

"Go where?" Rory's frown deepened in confusion, "The corner of Manchester and Colombo?"

"Not appropriate?" Paris asked looking down at the black mini and halter top she'd chosen.

"Not unless I'm Divine Brown."

"Right." Paris replaced the clothes and continued rummaging.

"Are you going to tell me what you're doing?" Rory pressed.

"Finding you an outfit."

"I meant here, why are you here and where do you think we're going?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"Out out. I think we need to be more proactive in our social lives, you know, take some control and just put ourselves out there."

"Out where Paris?" Rory folded her arms and sank onto her bed. "I'm not going anywhere with you unless you explain this sudden need to spend more time with the exact type of people you always claim to have no patience for."

"Jake asked me out."

It was a small miracle that Paris' words were in the right order considering the rush they tumbled out of her mouth in. It was almost as if she believed they had to be said quickly before they were no longer true.

"Jake?"

"Jake Mahoney."

"Jake Mahoney asked you out?" Rory deadpanned.

"Uh huh." Paris nodded like a giddy schoolgirl – which she uncharacteristically was at that moment.

"You hate Jake Mahoney." Rory pointed out, still not quite believing that the person she was looking at was in fact Paris Gellar.

"No I don't."

"Paris, when his dad was under investigation for fraud you were president of the campaign to kick him out of Chilton."

"That was two years ago, I'm over it."

"Yeah but last I heard he wasn't."

"Who told you that?" Paris closed the wardrobe and moved to open the duchess.

"Tristan."

"Tristan DuGrey?"

"…Uh, yeah."

"When were you talking to Tristan DuGrey?"

"Earlier in the week."

"Earlier in the week?"

"Wednesday if you must know…he was bugging me in the hallway and somewhere amongst his usual taunts, innuendos and crude pick-up lines, he may have mentioned being careful around Jake."

"Since when are you and Tristan friends?" Paris narrowed her eyes suspiciously, completely ignoring the point of Rory's explanation.

"We're not." Rory immediately and truthfully answered.

"Then why were you talking to him?" Paris insisted on pursuing the topic and seeing no way out Rory stood and blatantly changed tack,

"So you're going out with Jake huh?"

---------

"This place is dead." Matthew noted as he entered the pub a step behind Tristan and Jake. The three boys paused in the doorway taking in the sight before them. Faded fluorescent lights flickered above the bar creating an eerie, shifty atmosphere that was almost as dark as the night they'd stepped in from.

"It's a pub, it serves alcohol, it'll do." Jake shrugged. He crossed the room to sit next to the man slumped at the bar, the venue's lone patron.

"It's the only place in Hartford that we've never used our IDs in." Tristan pointed out.

"You mean the only place that hasn't figured out they're fake yet?" Matthew asked and Tristan punched him in the arm.

"Say it a little louder, I don't think the barman heard you."

"Sorry." Matthew muttered before they moved to join their friend.

"So are you ever going to tell us why we're here?" Tristan asked once all three had ordered and received their drinks from the solitary barman. "Coz you know Madeline's having a huge party tonight…"

"We went to a party at Madeline's last weekend." Jake took at tentative sip of his beer before knocking back half the glass in one gulp.

"Your point?"

"I want to do something different tonight."

"So we're hanging out in the lamest excuse for a "night-spot" in Connecticut?" Matthew scanned the empty building once again, noticing for the first time a pool table and jukebox tucked into the far corner; neither looked like they'd been used in the last decade.

"No one's stopping you from leaving." Jake snapped, "But Tristan and I are staying."

"Misty Bowden was asking if you're going to be there."

"Misty Bowden's a slut."

"That's never bothered you before." Tristan reminded him. He didn't particularly want to get caught in the middle of the argument but Jake's attitude had him puzzled.

"Well it does now and I'm staying here…just trust me ok."

"Ok." Tristan nodded ignoring his instincts that were screaming at him to take his car and get the hell out of there. The boys lapsed back into silence for a few minutes before Matthew stood up,

"This is stupid, there's no one else here and if you won't even tell us why we're here then I'm leaving."

"Bye." Jake waved over his shoulder, eyes never straying from his drink. Matthew was almost at the door when Tristan jumped up and jogged after him.

"Wait up!"

"DuGrey!" Jake yelled, "Where're you going?"

"We came in my car. It's too far to walk so I'll give Matt a ride to Maddy's or wherever the hell he wants to go, then I'll come back."

"You'd better come back." Jake scowled and Tristan struggled to swallow a sarcastic reply, it was obvious that his friend wasn't in the mood to take a joke,

"I won't be long."

---------

Tristan didn't lie; half an hour after leaving Matthew at Madeline's he arrived back at the pub. The sight that greeted him stopped him dead. In the far corner on the bar Jake was playing pool with Paris Gellar. Neither of them noticed him approaching slowly, but when he cleared his throat his best friend looked up and laughed at the look of absolute shock written plainly across Tristan's face.

"Hey man you finally made it back."

"Uh, yeah, well I said I would…Hey Paris."

"Hey Tristan." Paris looked uncomfortable and out of her element. "I'll leave you guys to talk."

"No, no, no." Jake's arm snaked around her waist holding her in place as she tried to walk away, "Tristan and I don't need to talk. You and me however…"

"But…I…should…probably…keep Rory…company." Paris protested distractedly, half-heartedly pulling away from Jake as he trailed kisses down her neck.

"Rory's here?" Tristan's eyes immediately focused on the couple in front of him that he'd been subtly trying to avoid looking at. Being forced to watch his best friend spading the girl he had always felt a brotherly protectiveness for was not something he appreciated.

"Uh huh, right over there." Jake pointed and Tristan turned finding Rory in the familiar pose of book in one hand, coffee cup in the other.

"I'm going to see if she's ok." Paris insisted finally breaking away from Jake and crossing the room quickly.

"Told you I had a plan." Jake smiled sideways at Tristan.

"This is your plan? I thought you were kidding." Tristan frowned.

"My friend, you know I never kid. But seriously, this is perfect, I get Paris and Rory's right there just begging for you to keep her company."

"I seriously doubt Rory would beg for anything but my immediate demise." Tristan snorted.

"You'd be surprised." Jake insisted.

"How did you get them here?"

"You're not the only one who knows how to charm the females at Chilton."

"But Rory Gilmore and Paris Gellar meeting us in a dingy back-ally pub? It's just not them."

"It was actually pretty easy. I just laid it on thick until Paris caved and agreed to come on a date with me and Paris being Paris panicked at the last minute and ran to Rory for back-up. They didn't know what kind of place this was until it was too late and they were already here." Jake explained, loving how the look of disbelief etched across Tristan's face showed that he'd finally one-upped the "King of Chilton". A fact that wasn't lost on Tristan.

He was nodding slowly, taking it all in as Paris rejoined them, "I guess I'll leave you two 'lovebirds' alone."

"Play nice DuGrey." Paris warned before he went to sit at Rory's table. Rory barely glanced up as he slid into the seat opposite her.

"Hi."

"Hi." she returned.

"I thought I warned you to stay away from Jake." Tristan blurted out and Rory looked up startled by his tone.

"I'm not anywhere near Jake."

"But Paris is."

"Then maybe you should have warned her instead."

"You're her best friend, I figured you'd pass the message along."

"I'd hardly say I'm Paris' best friend."

"She brought you here tonight didn't she?"

"Louise and Madeline had other plans."

"You shouldn't have come."

"I didn't have a choice."

"You could have said no. If you didn't come then Paris wouldn't have either."

"Is somebody jealous?" Rory raised an eyebrow. She'd been more than happy to spend the night watching movies with her mother and so wasn't in the mood to be social and she definitely wasn't in the mood to deal with Tristan's cryptic accusations.

"Of Jake? Please, I am not interested in Paris like that."

"I meant of Paris, you don't seem thrilled about sharing your best friend tonight."

Rory's statement shocked Tristan into momentary silence. What was he doing? Rory was the last person he wanted to pick a fight with. He never fought with Rory, sure they had had more than their share of arguments but fighting was completely different. Fighting was serious and serious did not factor into whatever kind of relationship he and Rory shared. Continuing their current "conversation" was only going to ruin any chance he possibly had of completing his mission of the last three years. If Tristan DuGrey was anything he was not a good loser, he got what he wanted and there was no way one little girl was going to change that.

"What is your problem?" Rory finally snapped, bringing Tristan crashing back into reality.

"Jake's only after one thing."

"Oh and you're not?"

"We're not talking about me."

"Then what are we talking about?"

Tristan hesitated at Rory's obvious annoyance and glanced behind him. Jake and Paris had gone back to their game of pool and appeared oblivious to everything else. Sighing he decided to let Paris learn Jake's tricks for herself and salvage what little chance of a civil exchange still remained.

Never mind…forget I said anything."

"Fine." Rory nodded tersely and sank back in her chair to resume her reading.

"So…do you want a drink or something? My shout." Tristan offered as filler to the harsh silence several minutes later.

"I'm good." Rory held up her cup as proof before her good manners got the better of her and she glanced up at him and smiled gently, "But thanks."

"No problem." Tristan returned the smile. A more comfortable quiet settled between the two and as his mind started to wander he began to absentmindedly drum his fingers against the table top.

"Do you mind?"

"Huh?" Tristan looked up distractedly, "Do I mind what?"

"Don't worry." Rory shook her head, breaking eye contact when the door behind them swung open and two men walked in. Both were wearing large bulky jackets and had a distinctive 'fresh from the farm' look about them,

"Uh Tristan…what kind of place is this?" Rory asked, an edge of nervousness floating just below the surface of her voice. The second man had thoroughly checked her out as he passed and was still casting curious looks in her direction as he chose a seat at the bar.

"Jake chose it." Tristan shrugged apologetically.

"It seems kinda dodgy."

"Yeah, I had no idea what it was like until we arrived." Tristan told the truth and shifted any blame off himself in one effort. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Rory rolled her eyes at his playful leer, "And here I thought you were going to act civilized for one night."

"I can do civilized."

"Prove it." She challenged jokingly.

"As you wish Ma'am." Tristan stood up and held out his hand. For a moment Rory thought he was going to ask her to dance but instead he pointed to her cup. "Would you like a refill?"

"You read my mind." She smiled, relieved. The cup was still half full but if Tristan was going to be polite she figured she should play along and return the favour. Tristan made his way up to the bar and waited for the bartender to finish pouring the other men's drinks before he was served.

"One coffee please."

"Sure thing." The man nodded and disappeared, reappearing a moment later and handing Tristan the steaming cup. Rory stepped up to him as he turned to make his way back to the table,

"Did you get sugar?"

She had approached him so quietly that Tristan yelped in fright and threw his hands backwards to steady himself, inadvertently pouring the hot liquid over the large man closest to him. Simultaneously both the men rose to their feet angrily.

"Dude I am so sorry."

Tristan was tall but these men were easily a foot taller and he wasn't dumb enough to take on a losing battle.

"It was an accident." Rory added, "My fault really."

Tristan pushed her behind him as they backed away from the advancing men. Across the room Paris and Jake had watched the scene unfold and now come to their friend's aid.

"Calm down man, it was an accident." Jake adopted the type of calm voice a teacher might use on a small child in an attempt to placate them.

"Well your pretty-boy friend here needs to learn to be more careful." The man snarled as he locked Tristan in a death stare.

Behind the group Paris was involved in a staring match of her own, only instead of a person; she was staring open-mouthed at a black satchel resting on the bar. Checking that no one was watching her; she crept forward and lifted the flap to get a closer look at the contents. Her suspicions confirmed, a small gasp left her lips. The sound was tiny but in the silence that currently filled the bar, she might as well have screamed.

The men spun around. Tristan and Jake swore. Paris froze and Rory screamed.