The nightlife streamed around her, a mixture of scantily dressed and half drunk college students but Rory Gilmore ignored it. She was curled up on a hard plastic pool chair, the same spot that she had sat down on almost a half an hour ago. Her contemplations for moving had long since disappeared and she remained seated, her eyes glued on the drink held in her hand. The air was warm and she felt comfortable only dressed in a tank top and denim skirt. Bringing the cup up to her mouth, she took a long sip, letting the alcohol burn its way down her throat and wished that she had thought to bring a book. Spring Break was supposed to be wild and fun especially for a college freshman like herself but it really wasn't her scene and unfortunately she had realized this too late.
She had lost sight of Paris ages ago, last time she had seen her she was flirting with one of the only sober college guys at this party. Rory wasn't worried though; Paris was a big girl and could take care of herself, not to mention that she could make a grown man cry without breaking a sweat. Rory's sanctuary in the corner of the party on the uncomfortable chair had been found after hours of aimlessly wandering around the pool-side party, dodging propositions from leering guys. Eventually she had got tired and had flopped down on the first available chair, not leaving since. The music was starting to hurt her ears but she didn't want to leave, didn't want to admit defeat by going back to her hotel room. Rory Gilmore was determined to prove that she could handle Spring Break in Florida.
Taking another sip of her drink, she frowned when she realized that it was empty. Sighing, she decided to take this as a sign and she stood up, stumbling a little bit and trying to stretch out her sore muscles. Making her way to the bar, she avoided going near the pool, knowing that drunk people and bodies of water don't mix. She signaled to the bar tender to refill her drink, smiling slightly when he nodded and winked in her direction, ignoring the guy that he had just been talking to. It made her a little uncomfortable but at the same time, and this was probably the alcohol talking, it made her feel special. The guy who the bartender had snubbed turned towards the girl who had caused him to wait for his drink.
"Mary?" He asked in disbelief. The brunette girl leaning against the bar didn't turn; instead she remained watching the crowd, a small frown on her face. He thought for a minute, trying to remember her name, knowing that her real name hadn't been Mary. It had been years since he had last seen or talked to her and he had tried to forget the majority of his past after the hell that was military school. Before he could open his mouth to say more a voice cut in.
"Rory! There you are!"
He watched Rory turn towards the girl, a small smile appearing on her face. "Hey Paris, having fun yet?"
He definitely remembered Paris, how could he not? "Paris Gellar." He stated a smirk on his face. The other girl's name suddenly occurred to him and he felt like an idiot for forgetting. "And Rory Gilmore. It's been awhile." Both girls turned to face him after hearing their names.
"Tristan Dugrey?" Paris asked in disbelief. Tristan inwardly chuckled at the looks on their faces.
"That would be me." He paused, looking over at Rory who was still staring at him in shock. "My gorgeous looks shock you into silence, Mary?" He leered jokingly at her, prompting her into surprised laughter. She looked at him curiously, wondering how he got her to laugh when up until recently she had been having a miserable time.
"Anyway," Paris turned back to Rory, effectively ignoring Tristan. "I'm going to stay here for a while; you looked bored so I thought that I would tell you not to wait for me."
Rory looked amused and exchanged a look with Tristan. "Sure Paris, just don't do anything I wouldn't do." Paris hugged her quickly before turning to the boy standing beside her.
"Good to see you again Dugrey. We should catch up sometime. I'm assuming that your mother has your phone number?" She didn't wait for a response. "I'll call you." With that she walked away.
"She never changes, does she?" Tristan looked at Rory who laughed softly, nodding in agreement. "But you have, haven't you?" He gestured towards her somewhat revealing outfit.
Rory scoffed. "What, because of how I'm dressed? Clothes don't make the person Tristan."
"Ah but naked people have little or no influence on society."
"Mark Twain, Dugrey? I'm impressed, maybe you've changed." She gave him an appraising look.
"What, because I know some quote from an author? Intelligence doesn't make the man, Rory." He grinned; he had missed these moments with her. Not waiting for a response, he changed the subject. "No book tonight?"
She sighed. "No, I forgot." Her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
He shrugged. "Same as you, I'm guessing. Studies got to be too much and I needed a break. A couple friends of mine were heading down here and had space in their car so I tagged along."
Rory nodded and took a sip of her drink. She didn't know what to say to this man that she hadn't talked to since the middle of high school. "So how have things been going lately?"
"Lately as in since I left Chilton?"
She shrugged. "Sure, how have things been going since you left for military school?"
"I can't complain. Well actually I can but I wouldn't think that you would want to listen to me if I did."
Rory laughed, surprised that she was enjoying herself with someone that she hadn't talked to or thought of in years. "That's true."
Tristan grinned in response, putting his hands in his pockets and surveying the party around him. This didn't seem like her scene and he could tell that she was uncomfortable. "Do you want to get out of here?"
She stiffened and glared at him, putting down her drink. "Wow, and here I had thought that you had changed."
"No, no, no, not like that. I wanted to know if you wanted to get a cup of coffee or something. We could catch up or something."
She sighed. "We were never friends Tristan; we don't have anything to catch up on."
"Exactly! We weren't friends but we could change that. C'mon, if I wasn't such a jerk to you when we were younger, don't you think that we would've been friends?"
"Maybe but we weren't then and we aren't now."
"Just come for coffee with me Rory. If you get uncomfortable and want to leave you can. Just for old time sakes and now you can say that you honestly tried to be friends with me."
She looked thoughtful for a minute, weighing the pros and cons in her head. "Okay," she said finally. "But I'm not staying long."
He nodded, not having expected anything else. They walked out of the party together that night, and thus began one of Rory's defining friendships in her life.
The two of them became friends after that to both of their surprises. At the end of the night, he walked her to her hotel room door, giving her a slip of paper with his number and email on it and told her to call him sometime. Despite this, he was still surprised when he heard from her almost a week later and they talked for hours about nothing and everything at the same time. Somehow, despite the personality clashes and the distance, the two of them had become close friends and they wouldn't give that up for the world.
-
Tristan Dugrey walked into his house, duffel bag slung on his shoulder. The rest of the boxes that he had packed up from his dorm room were in his car but he decided not to bring them inside yet. Time spent with his family was never civil and he didn't want to bring in his stuff only to take them back outside once everything fell apart. Dropping his bag and kicking off his shoes in the hallway, careful to leave them out of the way, he made his way towards the formal living room where he knew his mom would be.
His house was exactly as he remembered it; cold and unwelcome. He hated it here, hated what it represented, and hated how small and insignificant it made him feel. In the years since he was sent away, he probably hadn't spent more than two weeks here but that was all going to change this summer. For some reason that was currently escaping him, he had decided to spend his summer here, decided to face his family head on. Almost immediately after pulling up in his driveway he had regretted his decision but it was too late to turn back.
"Tristan!" He looked up to see his impeccably made-up mother stand up from the couch that she had been sitting and opening her arms. He let her hug him not because he wanted to but because it was expected and he knew that it would be rude not to. Tristan Dugrey was anything but rude.
"Hello mother," he replied, pressing his lips chastely to her cheek and quickly pulling out of her embrace.
Cynthia Dugrey sighed as she watched her son and only child walk out the door after mumbling something about getting his stuff from the car. She knew that their relationship was horrible and that he hated spending time with her and her husband but she hoped that it would change. She wanted to be the kind of mother where her son could come to talk about anything, the kind of mother that Tristan deserved. She might not have been there for him growing up but she would definitely be there for him now.
Eric Dugrey stepped into his living room, newspaper in hand and slipped an arm around his still wife. "So Tristan's here? I saw his car in the driveway."
Cynthia nodded in response. After a moment she whispered almost inaudibly, "Does he hate us?"
He sighed and pressed his lips against her temple. "We haven't gone about anything thing right so far Cyn, I wouldn't blame him if he did." He tightened his arms around her. "But that's going to change this year, okay? It'll be a fresh start for all of us."
Dinner that night was an awkward rather stilted affair and Tristan wished that he could be anywhere but at the table that night. He could tell that his parents were trying, that they wanted them to be a family but he knew that he couldn't just forget almost sixteen years of neglect. It was with great relief that he excused himself from the table that night, claiming that he was tired from his trip. He could see his parents exchange sad glances as he left but he ignored them; he wasn't in the mood to be nice.
It was late when the doorbell echoed through the house, jerking Cynthia out of her sleep. Glancing at the clock, she let out a rather unladylike groan before climbing out of bed and grabbing her robe on her way to the door. She was an extremely light sleeper and knew that neither Eric nor Tristan would have woken at the noise. She padded through the hallway, her bare feet slapping against the cool tile until she reached the front door and opened it, revealing a rather distraught girl.
"Are you okay?" Cynthia asked immediately, feeling rather silly for saying it right after the words came out. It was obvious that the young girl was not alright.
The girl looked up, fidgeting with her t-shirt. "Is Tristan here?" She whispered.
"Of course." Cynthia gently guided the girl into the house. The house seemed too quiet, only filled with the girl's occasionally sniffs. "I'm Cynthia," she said finally, not knowing what else to say.
"I'm Rory," the girl replied, wiping at her palms against her cheek. "I'm so sorry for waking you up, I wasn't thinking."
Cynthia shook her head. "I wasn't sleeping." At Rory's doubtful look she sighed. "Okay I was sleeping but obviously you're more important." She paused for a minute. "How do you know my son?"
They were now in the living room and Cynthia led Rory towards a couch and gestured for her to sit.
"It's kind of a long story. But the short version is that we're friends."
Tristan's mother nodded, it was reassuring to know that her son had people that cared for him and were cared for in return. "I'll go get him," she said, making her way out of the room.
Rory nodded. "Thanks." She looked embarrassed for a minute. "It's nice to finally meet you; sorry it wasn't under better circumstances."
Cynthia waved her concerns away. "Hold on, I'll just be a minute."
She made her way up the stairs and down the dark hall until she reached Tristan's room. Gently pushing open the door and walking to her son's bedside, she softly pushed the hair back from his face and shook him. He didn't wake immediately nor did she expect him to. Smiling slightly, she shook him harder and her mind flashed back to when she would wake him up in the mornings when he was younger. Rolling over, he groaned annoyed, pulling a pillow over to cover his head.
"What?" He grumbled.
"Someone's here to see you," she told him softly, moving away from the bed. She knew that he didn't like being close to her, that he didn't regard her as much.
"It's late, I'm tired. Tell them to come back in the morning." He rolled over, considering the issue closed. His mom usually let him have his way and he didn't expect this time to be any different.
"She looks upset, Tristan. I think you should go downstairs."
He raised his head a little from the pillow. "Who is it?"
"She says her name's Rory."
Tristan's eyes shot open and he pulled himself out of bed. He was only wearing his boxers as per usual and so he grabbed a t-shirt on his way to the door. "Is she okay? Is she hurt?"
Cynthia shook her head. "She's upset; I don't know what happened though." She paused for a second, thinking things over. "Tell her that she can stay for a while if she needs it."
He nodded, not really listening and raced downstairs. He realized when he reached the landing that he didn't know where she was. Hazarding a guess, he headed for the living room and was rewarded with Rory Gilmore's tear-stained face greeting him.
"Mare," he whispered when he reached her, causing tears to slide down her face faster than ever. "What's wrong?" He wiped the liquid off her cheeks and pulled her into his arms after sitting on the couch.
"I'm sorry I woke you up, I wasn't thinking. I should go." Rory started to stand up, ready to leave but Tristan pulled her back down into his arms.
"It's fine really." He smoothed a hand over her hair. "I'll be there for you whenever you need me, you know that."
She nodded, before more tears came and she choked on a sob. "I made a mistake, a huge mistake. I'm an idiot, my mom hates me, and I hate me." Tristan just pulled her closer, letting her cry into his chest as she detailed the events that had happened with Dean earlier that night.
It was hours later that she drifted off to sleep, half on Tristan, and half on the couch. He didn't care that his right side was falling asleep, that he was tired himself. Rory was one of his best friends and he would do anything for her. He hated Dean for what he had done, hated him for making his friend cry. He sighed and pushed the hair back from her sleeping face.
"Is she okay?" Cynthia spoke from the doorway. She had been watching the two of them for about five minutes now and could see her son's devotion to the girl.
Tristan didn't look up. "Not at the moment, but she will be." His voice was low and soft.
She nodded. "Let me know if you need anything. I set up the guest bedroom beside your room for her just in case. Make sure that she knows that she's welcome here."
He nodded in response, not commenting that he would be surprised if Rory felt welcome here, he sure didn't and he had lived here for his whole childhood. "I will thanks."
She left the room and Tristan sighed, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the back of the couch until he eventually fell asleep.
Hours later, Rory woke up slowly. Her eyes felt heavy and her hair felt damp. Disoriented and confused, it took her a minute for her to realize where she was and what she was doing there.
"Hey, you're awake." Cynthia walked into the room, this time dressed in more than a robe. She kept her voice low as Tristan was still sleeping. "Do you want some coffee? I just made some."
Rory nodded in response and got up from the couch, careful not to wake up Tristan in the process. She followed Cynthia through the house until they reached the kitchen where a fresh pot of coffee was waiting. Cynthia gestured towards the pot and the mugs sitting beside it and sat down at the kitchen table next to a man reading the paper.
"This is my husband Eric. Eric this is Tristan's friend Rory."
Eric lowered his paper slightly and smiled uncomfortably at Rory. "It's nice to meet you." He gestured for her to sit at the table and when she did he handed her a piece of his newspaper. She smiled in response, picking up the editorial section that he had given her and started to read.
This is how Tristan found his family almost half an hour later when he stumbled into the kitchen. His mind was still kind of muddled from sleep and he didn't say anything until he had poured himself a mug of coffee and had taken a sip.
"Good morning." He looked confusedly at Rory who seemed to have fit into his family perfectly without even trying.
"'Morning," Rory replied, smiling and feeling more like normal. She knew that she probably looked awful and that she would have to face reality eventually but somehow she felt like everything would be okay.
"Hello Tristan," Eric said, looking up from his paper and smiling at his son.
"Good morning, sweetheart," Cynthia put in and gestured to the fridge behind him. "There's lots of food in the fridge, in case you're hungry. I noticed that you didn't eat much last night at dinner."
Tristan nodded his thanks, still surprised at the maternal characteristics that his mother was displaying. He turned his gaze to Rory. "How are you?" He asked softly.
She smiled slightly. "I'm better, thanks. I'm sorry for waking you all up so late last night; I wasn't thinking."
Tristan was about to argue but his father cut him off. "Don't be sorry Rory. You're welcome here whenever you want, no matter the time." Cynthia nodded in agreement. "Actually we were about to offer that if you wanted to you could stay with us until everything is sorted out." Eric and Cynthia didn't know exactly what had upset Rory so much but they could guess and they knew that she might want to stay for a while.
Their son looked in shock at his parents. They had barely ever let him have friends over when he was younger, instead insisting that they didn't have time to look after other people's children. Tristan never disputed this, preferring instead to get away from his house and his family. It was almost unheard of for the Dugreys to invite someone voluntarily to stay at their house.
Rory's mind flashed to what was waiting for her in Stars Hollow. She thought of seeing Dean and Lindsay everyday and the awkward situation with her mother. As she opened her mouth to respond, she didn't realize that her answer would change everything. "I'd love to, thanks."
-
Rory stared down at the cell phone in her hand. After eating breakfast with Tristan and his family, she had excused herself to shower and call home to tell her mom about her new summer plans. The shower part had been easy; the phoning home, not so much. She sighed and leaned back into the couch, dreading this call but knowing that she had to. Her mom was probably worried sick especially since she had left so hastily the previous night. Finally she punched the numbers into the phone and held it up to her ear, taking a deep breath.
"Rory?" Her mom answered, picking up almost immediately.
"Hey mom."
"Hey mom? Hey mom? That's all you can say? I was worried sick!"
Rory took another deep breath, trying to stop the tears from coming. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. I just couldn't handle it, I'm such an idiot."
On the other end of the phone Lorelai sighed. "You're not an idiot sweetie, we all make mistakes. But that doesn't mean that you should just up and leave without informing your mother first."
"I wasn't thinking." Rory paused. "Forgive me?"
"Of course I'll forgive you." She thought for a minute. "Where are you?"
"Tristan's house." She hesitated. "That's actually why I'm calling."
"You didn't just call to stop me from continuing with my panic attack when I realized that you weren't in your bed when I woke up?"
Rory laughed softly, knowing that Lorelai wouldn't be so happy once she told her that they weren't spending the summer together. "That too. But the Dugreys have been great and they kind of offered that I could stay here this summer and I kind of accepted." She said the last part in a rush.
There was silence on the other end.
"Mom?"
"Is this because of Dean? Because you shouldn't just leave because of him! It was your town first Rory; everybody loves you. They'll all be on your side, nobody will blame you."
"That's the problem. I just, I don't know, don't feel like being there when everyone realizes that I'm not perfect, you know? And I know that that seems stupid to say because I'm not perfect, but I just want some air, some room to breath."
For a moment there was silence, but then Lorelai spoke. "The only way you can get some air is away from me?"
"No, mom! It has nothing to do with you. I just need to get away and be someone else for a while. You understand, don't you?" Rory's voice was pleading and desperate.
Lorelai sighed. "Yeah kid, I understand." She paused. "But I can still see you right?"
"Everyday if you want," Rory agreed, relieved that this was over.
"So how big is their house anyway?" Lorelai finally asked, settling down in her couch, ready for a long talk with her daughter.
Rory laughed, happy that things hadn't changed with her mother, happy that there was still one constant in her life.
-
Rory looked around the guest bedroom, now her room. Her stuff was scattered everywhere as she hadn't had time to unpack completely yet. She knew that she had made the right decision to stay, knew that this was the best option for her to choose. Turning around when there came a knock on the doorframe, Rory was met with the face of Cynthia Dugrey.
"Unpacking?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the catastrophe at her feet.
Rory nodded and laughed. "It's a work in progress." She looked down, suddenly shy. "Thanks for letting me stay here Mrs. Dugrey, it means a lot."
Cynthia laughed. "Call me Cynthia, Rory and it's no problem. You mean a lot to Tristan and so we're happy to have you here."
"He means a lot to me too, he's a great guy. You and Eric must be proud of him."
Tristan's mother nodded. "Yeah, we are. Immensely proud of him." Suddenly emotional she swiped at her eyes and was hit with inspiration. "I was planning on going shopping this weekend; do you maybe want to come along?"
Rory looked unsure for a moment, knowing what Tristan's relationship with his parents was like. She could see the desperation in Cynthia's eyes and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'd like that."
"Okay, great!" The smile on Cynthia's face could have lit up the whole room. "I'll leave you to your unpacking." As quickly as she had come she was done, leaving a faint trail of her perfume behind.
Rory sighed, looking down at the unpacked bags in front of her. This summer was the start of something new, something different, she could feel it. For once she didn't run from the unknown, she ran towards it and she knew that it was the right choice.
-
That summer at the Dugrey house was spent mostly just the four of them and occasionally Lorelai and they wouldn't have had it any other way. In a family where feelings were kept hidden and nothing of great importance was imparted, it was nice to have Rory there, someone who wore their heart on their sleeve. Eric and Cynthia had become immensely fond of their son's friend, soon coming to look at her as if she was their own daughter. It was because of Rory that Tristan finally developed a good relationship with his parents and because of Rory that everything changed for the better in the Dugrey household.
The end of the summer was bittersweet. Rory was back off to Yale for her second year while Tristan was off to Princeton for his. Eric and Cynthia were back to their lives, disappointed to be back to reality after their summer. They had made both Tristan and Rory promise to come to monthly dinners to spend time together as a family, ignoring the fact that technically Rory wasn't family. That summer was the beginning of something more than any of them could ever have imagined and it changed them all for the better, preparing them all for what was to come.