Author's Note: Thank you to the people who have reviewed already. Please let me know if there are any inconsistencies or other problems you would like me to work out. Thanks and hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Gilmore Girls.

Frying Pan to Fire

Rory stared at Tristan and tried to come up with a suitable comment that would restore her dignity. Here she was, tired, mad, crushed and frustrated. He stood there, perfect: his impeccable grey pin-striped suit rested perfectly on his tall frame, his dark gold hair was coiffed perfectly and his expression of surprise was even perfect, confound it. Except now he looked confused.

"Do you work here? Or are you visiting a friend?"

Rory sighed and watched the floors tick by slowly. Please, hurry and rescue me from this, she prayed. "Yes, I work here. I'm just leaving for the day."

"Where do you work? There are a lot of offices in this building." His eyes sparked with understanding. "You work at the Chronicle don't you? That's where you got on."

"Yep, that's where I work. What are you doing here?" As if she didn't know.

"I work at the Chronicle now too." Tristan smirked suddenly. He assumed the posture of an arrogant male, certain of his appeal. "Heard I was coming and decided you had to be in my presence didn't you?"

Rory rolled her eyes as she saw they were only two floors away from her destination. "You wish, Dugrey. I've been working at the Chronicle for a while now. Your ego still rivals the Eiffel tower for size."

His smirk stayed on his face. "That's not the only thing that rivals the Eiffel Tower. Want to see?"

The doors opened to ground floor and she walked away without bothering to answer him. Freedom was so close she could taste it…

"Wait, I'll give you a ride home." And the taste turned sour in her stomach. Rory ignored him and tried to wave down a taxi. He stayed beside her and kept talking.

"Come on, I have a car and this way I can show you how I rival the Eiffel Tower." A cab screeched to a halt and she jumped in but his hand got in the way before she could slam the door.

"Have dinner with me tonight." His eyes were twinkling with mischief. Hers were sapphire flames. "Give me your address and I'll pick you up at seven. Sort of a 'welcome to the team' dinner."

"How about you let the lady go, huh?" The cabbie asked irritated. "Look, miss, the meter's running while you talk to your boyfriend here."

Rory stiffened. "He's not my boyfriend." Turning to Tristan her eyes narrowed. "I will not give you my address, we will not have dinner together and you will remove your hand. I have had a bad day and I do not need nor do I want your presence. That is pushing it for my sanity. If it makes you feel any better, you'll see me tomorrow at work, although the thought makes me ill. Now, let me go."

Tristan's eyes had stopped twinkling during her spiel. He stepped back and abruptly turned and headed back into the building. Rory turned to give the cabbie her address and found his eyes on her. "What?"

"That was kind of harsh, miss. He just wanted to take you to dinner." Rory flopped backwards. Could this day get any more bizarre?

"Just take me home." She sighed out her address and stared out the window the entire ride. Ben & Jerry were waiting for her.

Tristan's POV…

Stupid idiot. Why did you have to push her so hard? Tristan continued to berate himself mentally as he rode the elevator back up to where his new future waited. You saw her eyes, you knew she was in pain. The thought of those beautiful blue eyes filled him with a warmth he hadn't experienced since high school.

High school… Chilton… He leaned against the wall and let the memories flood him. Rory walking away from him after he had teased her. Rory reading. Rory studiously taking notes. Rory laughing with friends. And his sweetest memory of them all: Rory's lips against his as he'd made a dream come true.

"Tristan Dugrey?" He was plunged into the present by the man standing in front of him. He grasped the hand and smiled.

"Yes, and you're Gary Carrick right?"

"Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Mr. Temple has told me a lot about you. My office is right this way." He led him through the maze of cubicles to the desk overflowing with paperwork and motioned for him to sit in the seat Rory had been in only a little while ago. Tristan seated himself and waited for his new boss to get on with it.

"Okay, just so you know, there's going to be some hostility." Tristan blinked. He'd thought the boss was going to warn him of the office rules, give him his desk and an assignment, not to tell him that he already had enemies here. Yeesh, what kind of a place was this?

"Why? I've only just got here." Gary leaned forward and braced himself on his paper cluttered desk.

"Because the staff had assumed Rory Gilmore, an employee here, would get it. She's a big favorite around here, kind of the paper mascot, and there are many who will resent her not getting this post. She seems to be putting up with it just fine. However, her best buds aren't going to feel the same way. I just wanted to warn you."

"Why didn't she get it, if everyone wants her to have it?"

Gary tossed him a wry glance. "Probably because Mr. Temple pulled rank on me with this one. But, that doesn't matter now. We've got some issues that need taken care of." So saying, everything became business. But later, when Tristan was relaxing in his apartment, he couldn't help but think back and wonder: have I already lost my chance with Rory?

The next morning, Rory's POV…

Balancing the three cups of coffee, her purse and the portable laptop she insisted on carting from work to home and back again, Rory carefully pressed the elevator call button. When the elevator arrived, she repeated the process and waited for the doors to close. She really hoped that she had the elevator to herself for a while at least, then she could gather her composure before she faced Tristan. That night, instead of being furious at Preston for cheating on her, she'd found herself reliving her high school years with Tristan. Her mind had kept coming back to the kiss he hadn't given her because of her boyfriend at the time. But there isn't a boyfriend now, her mind whispered traitorously.

"Hold the elevator!" a voice called out. Groaning, Rory prayed to God that the doors closed quickly but a shiny loafer stopped their progress.

What did I do, God, that this week has to be so bad? There wasn't an answer, but she hadn't really been expecting one anyway. She appeared to be out of God's favor right now.

"Good morning Mary." Tristan greeted. She nodded coolly back in response. He smirked. "Are you afraid to open your mouth because your tongue would hang out? Go ahead; I don't mind you ogling me." He laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him, but in reality… he did look drool-worthy this morning. He was wearing a navy pinstripe suit with a light blue shirt underneath. His tie matched perfectly and his hair was longer than he'd worn it in high school but the slight wave it produced was adorable.

She stiffened when she realized she was ogling the man and, confound it, he knew it too. His smirk had grown into a grin. Rory faced front and avoided his gaze. He chuckled but stayed silent. He followed her off onto their floor and remained behind her all the way to her desk. She shot him a suspicious look but he only smiled before taking the coffee off her hands.

"I just thought I'd help you out." She glared at him but she couldn't refuse his help. Their coworkers were popping their heads up out of neighboring cubicles like gophers, trying to see what was going on between Rory and the new guy. Rory set everything down and held her hands out for her coffee.

Tristan leaned negligently against her desk, still holding onto her coffee. "You know, Mary, you haven't said good morning to me. I'm hurt that you can't spare even that much for an old friend." Whispers started to flow through the room as the gossip mill heard his comment. Rory looked bored but Tristan kept smiling. "How about you say good morning and something pleasant to me and I'll give you back your coffee?"

Rory was so stunned and horrified she blurted out, "You're holding my coffee ransom?"

He chuckled again and confound him if it didn't sound nice. "Yeah, I guess I am. Maybe we should get the crime reporter over here to do a write up about it." He chuckled again at the look Rory shot him.

She weighed the ramifications of being stubborn (no coffee) and giving in this once (coffee). She sighed. This was the first time she'd ever had cause to regret her addiction to caffeine. "Good morning Tristan. I hope you're feeling well today." She even threw in a smile.

He blinked in shock before smiling genuinely. "Thank you, Mary. And yes, I am feeling well." He handed over her coffee but stayed at her desk. She started to tell him to leave but Kat McKenzie stopped at her desk just then. Rory smiled at her friend and offered her a cup of coffee.

"Morning Kat. What's up?" Kat smiled her appreciation of the coffee.

"Nothing much. We have a staff meeting because of the new guy." She shot Tristan a flirtatious look out of her green eyes. Kat's name also reflected her looks, which had been the cause of great heartbreak for the males on the newspaper. Her cat-like green eyes and spiral red curls had been featured in many fantasies and Kat had never avoided a chance for a quick dive in the sheets. Rory had often seen her give the look she now gave Tristan; it said clearly "why don't we get busy?"

Although normally Rory laughed off her friend's player nature, today it irked her for some reason. It's just because I don't have someone to be romantic with anymore, she told herself. But as she watched Tristan return the look, her stomach tightened. Maybe not.

"So, you're the new guy?" Kat practically purred. Tristan grinned and propped his hip on Rory's desk. Rory jerked her laptop out of her case as she fumed inwardly. Had her desk suddenly become the lockers at Chilton, where Tristan had daily brought his conquests?

"Yes, I'm the new guy. Mary, aren't you going to introduce me?" Tristan laid a friendly hand on Rory's shoulder. Kat's eyes took in the rather proprietary manner of Tristan and the tension humming through Rory's body. She grinned a purely feline smile. So that's the way of it, she thought happily. About time Rory had more than the pretentious pretty boy Preston after her.

"Mary? I guess you don't know her after all. Her name is Rory." She extended a hand and smiled invitingly. "I'm Kat McKenzie, crime reporter."

Tristan grasped her hand while keeping his hand on Rory. "Tristan Dugrey, the new international reporter. And I've known Mary since high school. We're old friends." Rory stood abruptly and stepped out of his reach.

"Shall we?" Rory took her laptop with her as she stalked to the meeting room. Tristan enjoyed the easy sway of her hips but grew annoyed when he saw other guys following the same path. This was his chance, he'd decided at home last night, to have the relationship with Rory he'd dreamed about all through high school. He needed to make certain no guys got in the way. Mary was his.

He looked over at Kat and saw her giving him a smile of approval. He smiled back. "I guess I don't need to explain my attentions." She shook her head before leading him towards the meeting room. "So is she dating anyone?"

"Yeah, some guy named Preston Grant. He's a lawyer with an office near here. They've been going out for a while now, but you should be able to give him some competition." She enjoyed his look of annoyance at the mention of a serious relationship. This boy was definitely caught, but she didn't know if Rory realized she had a fish on her line. The poor thing would probably drown himself trying to get free or at least be made aware of.

She sat in her seat and watched Tristan claim the one next to Rory. Judging from his smile and Rory's frown, this was one office romance that would give her something fun to do. She always had wanted to play matchmaker. She grinned and began flirting with the man seated next to her. The two people whose lives she planned to interfere with sat across from her, unaware of her plans and probably better off for it.

"Alright children, pay attention now." Gary strode into the room and tossed a file down. He smiled wryly at everyone as he continued the gentle teasing. "Class, we have a new student today. Everyone, say hello to Tristan Dugrey. Tristan, say hello to everyone." Tristan stood up and waved at everyone. Everyone waved back, with all the females under forty adding a flirtatious smile. Rory just sat with her arms crossed.

"Now, let's get down to business." As Gary talked about the responses to yesterday's paper, Tristan watched Rory. He was fascinated with the changes the years had brought. Where most people who show beauty in their younger years lose the attractiveness as they grow older, she had grown into a classic beauty that stole his breath. Her skin was as fine as ever, her face surrounded by delightful dark curls. Rory's eyes had always had the power to stop his heart, and Tristan was glad of it. She still gave a man the impression of something celestial, as well as the urge to bring said celestial being down to earth and hold onto her. He leaned backwards and smiled contently while placing an arm behind Rory. Smiling nonchalantly at her attempt to dislodge him, Tristan returned he attention to the meeting. He had his Mary and a chance to win her over again. Things looked good.

Boy, was he ever wrong.