And the games begin…
Rory and Lorelei were getting ready for the party at Tristan's the usual manner that they got ready for things, which meant a stop at Luke's and enjoying a several cups of coffee and hamburgers. Which was meet in its' usual manner.
"Why are you eating burgers aren't you going to that party for the Tristan boy"
"Yes... and if you must know have you ever had food at a party at Hartford trust me this will be the only meal we'll be eating today, anyhow this is a custom years and years old eat before the party kinda like Scarlet O'Haira and when you're there at the party you look demure and lady like due to your bird like apatite"
"Whatever but I'm cutting you off... no more coffee"
Luke left the two Gilmore women alone the were sitting together talking for a change quietly about what they thought might happen at the party.
"Well I know one thing for sure Tristan promised us coffee for the next month if we hate it which won't be to hard considering it will have the usual Hartford crowd do you know boring that's going to be? To say we won't have a good time is as sure as saying Anna Nicole Smith isn't a big dumb blond"
"Anna Nicole Smith and her blondness aside I think you haven't had enough coffee for that lacked the famous Gilmore wit which you will need for tonight's party"
"We do what we can with what God gave us...and with the coffee that wasn't given to us even though we are paying customers"
Lorelei said in a slightly louder tone so that Luke could hear her as he passed.
"Not my problem plus to much of that stuff will kill you"
"Ahhh…but what a way to go"
Lorelei said in with a dreamy look on her face.
"What do you think hun? Death by coffee"
"Add chocolate in that and I'd agree with you"
Rory was caught off guard when she felt someone come up behind her and kiss her on the cheek. She turned to see who it was and saw that it was it was Dean.
'Oh God! How did I forget about him my boyfriend I forgot about my boyfriend. How did this happen?...Tristan that's what happened'
It was that moment that Rory saw Jess in the corner with his usual scowl and I'm so dark and broody look, Rory was again stuck by the effect Tristan was having on her life he had only been back for two days and already she had forgotten the two dark haired boys that had been the center of her own private love triangle angst. But then a thought crossed her mind one that sounded little like her mother, Lane, and Paris all wrapped into one.
'But isn't that a bad thing that the two guys you were so into can be forgotten so easily? But then again have you seen Tristan? He did look great with his gray t-shirt and buzz cut…yeah but you have a boyfriend a nice, sweet, caring, considerate, who happens to love you…like you can't say the same about Tristan you saw him with his niece, brother and sister maybe doesn't have the loves you part but everything plus he's funny and isn't afraid or uncomfortable when he's with people he doesn't know...ARGH!!!!!!!!! Stop this you can't compare Tristan to Dean. Tristan is your friend and Dean is your boyfriend and that is the end of it'
Rory looked at Dean who was speaking with an air of excitement.
"So I was thinking that if you don't have to Hartford for dinner with your grandparents that we could we go out maybe catch a movie"
Rory bit her lip and was about to say something but luckily Lorelei stepped in with an excuse.
"Sorry Dean but I kinda of promised a friend of mine that we would we go to a party they are throwing for their son tonight"
"Yeah and Paris is going to there you know what she's like"
Rory concluded lamely.
"Well Dean why don't you come over tomorrow right now I have to take my glamorous self and mini-me and get ready for the party"
With that the Gilmore girls left. Rory wanted to thank her mom for covering for her but was cut off when Lorelei spoke up first,
"Listen babe I know you want to be friends with Tristan and who can blame you he is the emissary of the gods coffee but you shouldn't keep it a secret. And you shouldn't lie about it I know that in the modern day relationship is built on a solid foundation of lie, backstabbing, and infidelity I mean have you seen The Bachelor and all the other reality T.V. but call me old fashioned I believe trust and honesty work better"
"I know it's just that Dean gets kinda does and impersonation of Ares when it comes to me and friends with other guys"
"Okay you lost me with the Ares bit you mean the tech. company Ares... or the Greek god of war Ares"
"The Greek god"
"Still not getting the comparison"
"He was always jealous of Aphrodite's other lovers when he could he killed them"
"Oh…kind of like O.J. Simpson"
"Yeah but without the killing of the girlfriend"
"And what did you mean by Ares the tech. company"
"There is this new tech. company that had a rep. at the inn she kept going on and on about the advanced package it has to offer and Michael being the little weasel that he is encouraged the rep. to go on and on, it only got worse when Sookie came in and in turns out that they have a sister company that works with cooking supplies"
"So what wrong"
"Nothing that's the point I was a great offer at half the price of the company were with DSL, security, back up networks the inn would never have an off day. It's just that I can't switch from the company we're already with."
"So you just wait till the contract lapses then you switch."
"Yeah and people find golden geese all the time trust me this was a one time deal, and that damn Edward Radcliff."
Rory just shook her head at her mother's antics as they continued on their way home.
Back at Hartford a very unpleasant conversation was taking place at the DuGray household.
"That son of a bitch... God if only you could grantee they guy wouldn't break I swear I'd beat him within an inch of his life."
Arthur said with such venom that both sisters weren't sure that he would stop at a good beating.
"Ar I know your angry but maybe you should take a deep breath?"
Violet said in a hesitant voice it wasn't that she was afraid her brother would hurt her, in fact his rage was legendary in its' own right in the family and few of Hartford's' elite, it was that when he was like this she didn't feel like it was her little brother who went out of his way to protect all of them from their father's drunken wrath.
"Take a deep breath you want me to take breath maybe you should try it Vi after all this is your party for your son and invited the one person I can't stand to be around our mongrel of a half-brother, who happens to hate us all because our father the oh…so wonderful father of the year... was married to our mother, did you forget you invited Phyre and his current lover and we all know how happy dad is with him after well he blasted open the doors of the closet he had been in. Oh…and let's not Tristan ...you and I both know that he thinks that he should have been booted off and never heard or seen from again... what do you think he's going to do just to make sure his life is as miserable as his was?"
Both sisters let out a sigh they knew there was little they could say to deny what Arthur had said, it was true their father went out of his way to punish them, they didn't understand it but that was the way it was.
"Ar... maybe I could call Verda and ask her not to come I mean we are still pretty close."
Rose said putting her hand on her twin's shoulder.
"It's not her…hell it's not even Ashton he's still a stupid lump of insecurity... but it's not him it that dick we call a father…I just…I…why does she stay with him?"
It had been something the Radcliff siblings had asked themselves a lot and in the end they had never been able to get the answer they needed, or wanted, at the end they had realized that sometimes you never know why people do the things they do so you learn to except it for what it is, but that doesn't mean you have to like it.
"Well…Arthur it's nice to see you again. Are you still helping the wives of Hartford get proof pf their husbands' extra curricular activities?"
The three Radcliff's turned around to see Julian DuGray coming down the stairs.
"Why have you been using your frequent flyer miles?"
Julian laughed a little his light blue sparkling with humor and kindness,
"I'm sorry Arthur but have you seen my wife? She is as Tristan would say hot."
Julian DuGray had a dreamy look on his face as he thought of his wife of fifty years. The three adults smiled at the man that unseen by him, finally shaking his head to clear his head Julian looked at the three, and asked the question that had lead to his coming down.
"So was it that had you all in such a thither and when I say you all I mean Arthur?"
Both sisters looked at their brother and then Julian and thought it best to avoid the topic.
"Oh…you now who Ar can be Juli…..and why didn't you say hello to me when I came in? Is it because I didn't say yes to Matt?"
Rose said putting on her best dumb blond routine.
'One more thing we can thank dad for turning me into the blond bimbo.'
Julian just snorted at the comment.
"Please Rose I know your not dumb so don't pull a what ever the name to the latest popular blond bimbo is. And frankly the less we talk about my dim witted son Matt the better…you my dear deserve better…and seeing as you haven't told me why you were shouting Arthur I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say the subject you were talking about was your father?"
When the three didn't answer, Julian just sighed and shock his head knowing that he wouldn't get anything out of them, but knew whatever was going to happen at Tristan's party was going to big.
'No one told me that once my son married I would become a father to all my daughter-in-law's family.'
Just as Julian was about to demand further explanation Tristan came in with Paris hot on his heels.
"Oh…hello Mr. DuGray, Mr. Radcliff, Rose, Violet."
Paris addressed the adults in her usual no brick manner.
"It's good to see you again Gellar so is there any chance you'll come work for me in the near future or am I still the scum that destroys happy families?"
"Nice try Arthur but I think I'll pass the last job you did got my parents divorced. And I find it interesting that the name of your company is called ARES rather fitting if you ask me."
"First off my lovely it was your father's own behavior that lead to the separation not me I just made sure he didn't rob your mother blind that's all."
Arthur said in his usual amused tone of voice, one thing Arthur Radcliff was used to in the Hartford was the hate they directed his way, one thing was being a badass rebel without a cause the modern James Dean, but it was another thing to publicly out the Hartford's elite less then kosher dealings be it in there personal lives or finical.
"Paris why don't we leave my uncle alone and go upstairs you said you wanted to see C.J."
Paris looked at Tristan giving him a small smile and went up the stairs, Tristan was shortly following after her.
When they got there both teens took a deep breath preparing themselves to see the once imposing C.J. DuGray.
When Paris quietly opened the door, she couldn't help the gasp that passed by her lips. Lying on his bed the once unstoppable C.J. DuGray, it unnerved Pars to no end she had never seen C.J. after his accident, and here he was lying on his bed with a variety of different machines surrounding him humming, as they pumped oxygen into him, Paris had been under the impression that because C.J. was being brought home meant that he wouldn't be this bad.
She saw that sitting to his right holding his hand talking to him quietly was Maria DuGray.
"Grams...uh…how is he doing?"
"Tristan... he's doing better he's got more color in his cheeks now."
Tristan gave a weak smile and gestured to Paris to sit down on the unoccupied side of his brother; Paris nodded and sat down taking C.J. other hand.
"Hey C.J... it's me Paris you might not recognize my voice seeing since every time you came into a room I got red and couldn't put coherent sentence together, I sounded worse than the local village idiot. And yes by that I mean your younger brother."
Tristan raised an eye-brow and the comment and Paris gave him a smirk in return, Tristan looked at the still form of his brother and couldn't think how this person was the same person that had been his best friend for seventeen years, it wasn't right .
'God if I ever see Logan I swear I'll kill him! He wasn't driving the car my ass and I'm David Bowie.'
Tristan didn't listen to what Paris was saying to C.J. all he could think about was the day he had heard about his brother's accident.
Flashback:
Tristan slammed the door of his car and went into the house he was his mother sitting on the sofa a book on her lap, in his pocket were the rejected P.J. Harvey tickets.
"Hey mom... is C.J. home I have to talk to him about his oh so wonderful advice."
"Hmm…what was that sweetie?"
"Where's C.J.?"
"He's not home yet he went out for lunch with that Duncan girl Katie or Cathy I'm not sure."
"When do you think he'll be home?"
"An hour... less... who knows with your brother... why what's up?"
"Let's just say his advice tanked instead of going out with me she hates me."
Tristan said as he flopped down on the sofa pulling at his tie.
"Ouch! That sounds more like the Titanic then just a plain tanking. Well be glad school's over for now kiddo... this means you can go to the beach, and do the stuff you young kids like to do and forget about the girl that has just cruelly and savagely demolished your heart."
Tristan smiled at his mother, she had a way about her that always made him feel better, as she turned her attention back to her book. Tristan heard the door open.
"Sis…sis…"
"In here Phyre what's up?"
"I don't know babe... I got a call from Theo and he said that I should get you and your adorable brewed that you call children over to St. Mary's"
Tristan raised an eyebrow at his uncle whatever was happening was big Phyre for all tense and purposes was a drama queen, but today he lacked his usual flair for the dramatic, in wasn't the way he had addressed his mother no it was more the way he mentioned Theo, it was always my baby, or lover boy and the countless other names Phyre had for his boyfriend.
"Tristan."
Violet said to her son Tristan got up from his place and without his mother needing to say more.
"I'm on it!"
Going upstairs Tristan got his brother and sister down stairs with little indecent, picked up his car keys and mobile phone, sent a text message to Cordilla telling her to meet them at the hospital.
The family got in the car Phyre Radcliff leading the way in his red convertible.
When the family reached the hospital they where greeted by Theo.
"Violet I think its best you sit down."
Tristan felt his heart lurch at the words that never bring anything good behind them, he felt this mother vice like grip on his arm and Catharine's on his hand John was holding his sisters hand. Tristan could see that his uncle was at a loss and didn't know what to do.
'God I wish Uncle Arthur was here he'd figure this out.'
"What is it Theo?"
The doctor took a deep breath and in a defeated voice said,
"I'm sorry Violet but it's C.J. he and his girlfriend were in a car accident they were hit ………………….."
Tristan couldn't hear anything else except the sound of his own blood rushing in his ears.
He followed his family though he couldn't remember moving his feet, he remember sitting down but not really.
Nothing registered until someone bumped his shoulder looking up.
"DuGray."
"Duncan"
Tristan shock his head to clear his thoughts when he heard what Paris was saying.
"Ok…promise you won't laugh but there was a time that I was planning on marrying you I even had the dress picked out I was going to be Cinderella and you were prince charming…well I'm no longer planning our wedding but I would like to be there for yours if I'm going to do that you have to be awake C.J. and you just have to…if you are going to get married I understand it's customary to date first then you have to meet the parents…all in all there is a lot of work you'll have to do and there is no way you can do it sleeping I've giving you a week to get up if you don't I'll come it your dreams personal to wake you do we understand each other? Good."
Tristan smiled and the thought and had to admit if anyone could do it, Paris could and probably would.
Paris brushed away C.J.'s hair from his forehead and kissed him on the cheek.
"So DuGary do you think this party has started?"
"Mom"
Patrick DuGary came into his son room Maria DuGary had stayed in the room contently holding C.J.'s hand while Paris talked.
"Well I was going to ask have you seen Tristan but seeing since his here you saved me a trip. Well we should all be going downstairs the guests are arriving and they want to see you Tris."
"Oh…joy and to think I forgot. Oh…and just so everyone in this room knows our very own Grinch has invited both Ashton and Verda so if anything blows up know that it's either Uncle Ar or Ashton my money is on Ashton."
Everyone else in the room took a deep breath to fortify themselves the animosity between the half-brothers was nothing if not legendary.
When they got to the bottom of the stairs.
"Well I say if you don't look gorgeous every inch a Greek god, it does my eyes good to see you again Trisie."
"Uncle Phyre…Theo…looking good I see Florida was good to you…is Aunt Iris with you?"
"She's back there"
Phyre pointed to the bar.
"She's gone Goth just to you know kinda like Angelina Jolie at the Oscars."
"You mean the time she kissed her brother... right... not the new I want to save the world Jolie."
"Like totally…and her boyfriend."
"Who's' boyfriend?"
"Your aunt Iris is like a total freak the pricings, tattoos…and stuff I think his name is Spike…Strife…something like that you know the kind of name that says I such a badass."
"He's name is Stinger. But you have to know it's covering up for a name like Endeavor."
Theo said supplying Tristan with the name of his aunt's boyfriend, just as he was going to ask them something else he saw Lorelei and Rory come in.
"Uh…I'm sorry Unc…Theo but I've got to go see you around later."
Tristan then made a bee line to the two Gilmore women.
"Hey…thanks for coming I haven't begun to mingle yet but I think your parents are already here."
Tristan said to Lorelei
"So that was the reason I felt like I was walking into the gates of Hell my parents are already here explains a lot."
"Did I mention this earlier but you both look lovely."
"Way thank-you I'd believe you meant me as well if you weren't to busy looking at my daughter but I'll take what I can get."
Tristan smirked at Lorelei and in his most charming way said,
"Lorelei I think it would be impossible to say how lovely you look I'd fall short so I'm better off saying nothing."
Lorelei and Rory snorted.
"What!"
"Whatever you say Casanova but I wouldn't kiss my mom with those lips after all the sucking up you'll tonight."
"Why do you think I always carry mouth wash with me? Come on I'll introduce you to my parents."
Lorelei and Rory were lead through from room to room until they came into what Rory could only guess was the ballroom.
"Mom…dad…I'd like you to me Lorelei and Rory Gilmore."
"Lorelei…Rory as I like to call them mom and dad but to the rest of the world Patrick and Violet DuGray."
"Wait a minute did you say Lorelei Gilmore?"
Violet said looking Lorelei up and down.
"Yeah he did that would be me."
"Did you go to Chilton?"
"Yeah I did I kinda of dropped out…"
"Why would you do that?"
Patrick contributed to the conversation.
"I was kind of pregnant."
Violet's eyes widened and then she let out an excited little laugh.
"Oh my God it is you. Just wait right here they aren't going to believe this."
Violet said as she ran off in the opposite direction.
"So Rory is your daughter then?"
"Yes she is."
Lorelei said briskly having been accustomed to people making snide comments on the topic of her pregnancy.
"You run an inn I understand…and Rory goes to Chilton."
"Yes on both counts."
"Well that quite amazing must say seventeen years ago to be a single mother I'm impressed I hope you don't take this the wrong way but could you talk to my daughter Cordilla I sure any advice you could give her would be great, we all try to help but at the end of the day she's Tessa's parent and not us."
Lorelei was shocked by the kind smile and the truly well intentioned words coming from one of the families of Hartford it went against everything that Lorelei was used to put it simply it shocked her to the very core of her being.
Lorelei was pulled out of her thoughts when Violet appeared once more this time pulling a reluctant Arthur behind her.
"See Ar I told you this party would be good for you see who Tristan invited without even knowing you knew each other."
Violet said the whole time making a lot of hand gestures and then finally pointing to Lorelei.
"Lorelei?"
"The one and only and you are?"
"I shocked you don't recognize me what happened to all the times we cut class together and went out smoking behind the school."
"Arthur!"
Arthur Radcliff gave Lorelei the biggest smile he had and in his own charming way,
"The one and only babe… looking good…I take the sixteen year old is the reason you never made it to graduation to help torch the place?"
"Damn and to think I missed…. you should have called… I would have come with Rory strapped to my back."
The two high-school friends hugged.
Arthur turned to Tristan and said,
"Hey Tris if I know Lorelei the way I think I do she's probably willing to kill for a coffee right about now."
"Oh…you know me so well."
Arthur smirked at Lorelei comment, Tristan and Rory soon left to go to the kitchen to get the coffee asked for.
As Tristan and Rory were headed to the kitchen, someone grabbed a hold of Tristan's arm.
"Tristan I haven't seen at all who are you?"
Tristan turned around to see that it was his Grandmother Hannah, Rory looked at the old women all Rory could say was that she looked broken she didn't that domineering woman of Hartford air about her, it was clear to Rory that a single word from Tristan could make or brake this woman.
"I'm sorry about that grammy Hannah you know how mom can get when she's planning a party."
Tristan then moved forward and hugged his grandmother.
"It's okay I understand so who is this lovely young lady."
"Grammy I would like you to meet Rory Gilmore…Rory my grandmother Hannah Radcliff."
The two women exchanged the customary greetings
"Tristan did you say Gilmore?"
"Yeah I did."
"If I'm not mistaken I think there was a girl named Gilmore in your uncle Arthur's graduating class I think he used to be sweet on her I can't remember what happened between them."
"I'm sure it was interesting knowing Uncle Ar…grammy I'm going into the kitchen to get Rory and her mom a cup of coffee would you like anything?"
"A cup of tea would be nice."
Tristan nodded and aging the two teens were on there way.
"Hay Ror you know what I just thought if my uncle and your mom had hooked up in high-school we would have been cousins?"
"I parish the thought."
"Well count yourself lucky because if they had you would have a nymphomaniac with a Aphrodite complex for and aunt, a brooding privet investigator for a dad, a vampire aunt with strange bathing habits, and a drama queen for an uncle oh and an aunt that has a habit of naming her children after characters from books and plays, and that is just on your dad's side of the family."
Tristan said with a smile.
"Which one is your mom? Because the rest sounds like something out of a Circus freak show."
"My mom is the last one."
"Really?"
Tristan just nodded his head.
"Wow no wonder you act the way you do and here I though Jess had his reasons to rebel."
Tristan just snorted at that comment.
"I blame James Dean you know?"
"James Dean for what?"
"This whole rebel without a cause crap for your going to rebel the rule is you have to rebel against something you can't rebel against nothing…it nothing!"
"That's not true he rebels against conformity and blindly following rules."
"Lack of a cause… conformity helps people who aren't as gifted or as smart as other people giving them an opportunity to prove themselves capable, it also gives people standers to measure there behavior, instead of letting people roam free…and as for rules how would people function without them? I'm mean think about it you follow the road rules if you didn't people would be crashing into each other and driving down wrong sides of the road I mean if you decided to do a study and you removed all the highway markers in the road people would be driving down the wrong lanes missing their exits so in summation rules and conformity are important to building a successful, harmonic society….and no this does not mean I support comcommunism."
"You know what you just said goes against every philosophy known to man."
"Oh…how every anti- superman of me?"
Tristan said in his most mocking tone.
"Come on let's gets this coffee to your mom."
Making their way through the people that kept on trying to reach Tristan they finally reached Lorelei and Arthur who were having by the looks of it the time of their lives.
"I guess there is still a chance that we'll be cousins Mar."
Tristan said as he looked at his uncle who for the first time Tristan noticed was actually interested in someone who wasn't family or a client, he vaguely remembered his uncle acting the same around Verda but that was nearly twelve years ago.
Rory tilted her head to the side and looked her mother and Tristan's uncle Arthur she had to admit the man was handsome, in a dark and dangerous sort of way.
'I wonder if this is the guy that mom means when she says bad boys are bad for you? I mean he has the look and Tristan is his nephew so why not?'
"Hey coffee for the lady and you have your liver killing drink in your hand."
Tristan smirked at his uncle.
"And you have an herbal tea in yours I'm ashamed to call you my nephew, unless you tell me it contains a large shot of vodka."
"I don't think grammy Hannah would like that very much."
Arthur visibly shuddered at the thought of his mother drunk it wasn't pretty.
"Hey dude…dudets I don't know. Blondie have you seen my older sister otherwise known as your mom anywhere?"
"Sorry Phyre she was here a minute ago but you know Vi here one minute gone the next, so were are your appendages? I don't see Theo or Iris any where."
Phyre snorted at that and said,
"Be glad she's turned into a Goth loving freak and you dearest older brother are no longer the only brunette in the family anymore."
Arthur raised his eye-brow at the comment.
"So your boyfriend wouldn't be avoiding me because his older sister is going to be here?"
"Uhhh…I don't know he just gets nervous around you I think he still feels weird with because of the whole angst between you and Verda."
"You know what I say Phyre keep it in the family. I dated the sister, my half-brother had an affair with her, the older brother impregnated my twin sister and your dating her brother, There's nothing better in life."
Arthur said bitterly as he knocked down the remainder of his drink.
"So all in all you're happy for me?"
Arthur looked at his brother and saw that his little rant had his brother's eye watering.
"Always."
Giving him a small smile.
"So Phyre your coming out of the closet is because you really are gay and not just away to piss dad off?"
"Maybe it's a little of both?"
The two brothers laughed at that. Rory and Lorelei smiled at the two very different men in very way.
Arthur oozed confidence, and male sexuality, he had an edge about him that suggested reckless fun, passion, intensity, and danger. Where as Phyre was slimmer, smaller, softer, he was fair where is brother was dark, he lacked the same obvious intensity, danger, recklessness, and passion but there was something about him that suggested a steadiness of character, a gentleness and a purity of feeling that was hard to find.
Rory looked at the two brothers they were at complete odds with each other and yet completely in sync.
"Well isn't this touching the fruitcake and the loser together I could just cry."
"Ashton."
To be continued…………….
A/N : So what do you think?