- Chapter Three -

"Want one?" she asked him as she moved a cigarette to her lips with her right hand and offered him the pack with her left.

Tristan declined.

Shrugging, she inhaled deeply and blew a puff of smoke upwards, head tilted towards the sky.

It was about two thirty in the morning, and they were in the club parking lot, leaning against Jack's car. Rory had wanted a smoke and she had asked him to come outside with her. Despite the lampposts that dotted the length of the parking lot, it was pretty dark. No moon in sight.

"That's bad for your health, you realize?" Tristan piped in, trying to break the silence that had fallen over them.

"Why? Do you care?" came her unexpected answer. She moved over to the hood of the car, sitting on top it and leaning back against the windshield.

He mimicked her actions, stretching back against the windshield and focusing on the black clouds floating overhead. A puff of smoke rose up beside him and disappeared into the heavens.

"Does that surprise you," he retorted and felt her shift her position beside him.

"Yes."

A silence, this time less awkward, fell between them.

A few minutes later, Tristan decided to venture forth and test the ice once again.

"So Mary, do you live in Hartford?"

She didn't correct his mistake.

"Yeah, I've spent almost my entire life here," she finally managed to spit out. "You?" A cloud of smoke followed her words.

"No. I live in Stars Hollow. It's just a few miles outside of Hartford"

"That name seems so familiar but I can't place it…" she broke off as a drop of water landed on her lips. Rain clouds were rolling overhead.

A second drop followed, landing on her eyes lashes.

She arched off the windshield and slid to the ground before drawing in a last puff and throwing away her cigarette. It fluttered to the floor and the lit end smoldered for a second before its glow was stolen by the wind.

"Come on," she called, clasping his hand and dragging him towards an unknown destination. Raindrops followed in their wake.

---

The pounding of their feet against the rusty metal along with the roar of the sudden wind left no room for voices to be heard. So as she dragged him up a fire escape that ran the length of the building, he kept any questions he had to himself.

Like a steel vine, the staircase wound its way up the face of the building, nine flights later, ending at the roof. Clambering up the last of the steps, they finally emerged on the roof. Except for the occasional pigeon, it was deserted.

"Come on," she called after him, running towards the opposite end of the roof which was covered by a Plexiglas ceiling. Raindrops beating at his back, he followed.

Today, the area was void of chairs so Rory decided to sit on the floor instead.

Leaning back against a wall, she slid to the floor, crossing her legs out in front of her and letting her hands fall to her sides. Smoothing back the strands of hair plastered across his forehead he sauntered over to her and also took a seat.

For a few moments, listening to the raindrops as they bounced against the ceiling, and allowing the wind to toy with their hair and clothing, the two simply sat in silence.

She was the first to break it.

"This is going to sound stupid but I feel like I've seen you or met you before." That was the reason why she had danced with him for so long. There was something about him that drew her to him.

"Well…there was this porno I once starred in…" he began, but stopped upon seeing the seriousness in her eyes. "I don't think so. I'd remember you." He smiled as a grin lit up her features.

"That's true, I'm quite memorable."

"Or maybe I just have a mind like a steel trap," he countered, earning another grin from her.

The wind had picked up.

After another pause, she spoke up again.

"I come up here a lot."

"Hmm," came his reply.

"It's sort of like my cloud nine." She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them.

"Stars Hollow is kind of like one big cloud nine," he added, unaware of the grin on his face.

"I still can't place that name."

The raindrops were dying off but the wind remained defiant, rustling by in waves.

He turned to her and watched as her brow narrowed in concentration.

"Maybe I'll take you sometime," he said off handedly. This earned a smile from her.

"Was that a proposition?" As she turned to him, her right eyebrow arched, he noticed the soft glint in her eyes.

"I…" he began but was cut off as a movement ahead caught his attention. Figures were emerging from the stairwell.

Rory noticed too and irritation shot through her veins as she recognized the figures…Jack and a few of his buddies. Tristan rose from his position, but Rory remained seated. She wasn't in the mood to argue with Jack.

Having spotted the two, Jack made a beeline for them.

"Enjoying your self?" his voice broke through the roar of the wind as he finally came inside the shelter. The slight slur in his words gave away the fact that he was drunk.

"Enormously," Rory responded, locking eyes with him.

"Glad to hear it Rore." His two friends stood around him like bodyguards. "Glad to hear it."

Tristan was about to speak when the guy broke through.

"And who is your friend here," Jack inquired, shifting his gaze from Rory to Tristan. He moved, or rather staggered, towards Tristan, who stood his ground.

"How is that any of your concern," came Rory's response.

The rain was falling faster now.

For a second, Jack looked taken back but then he quickly countered. "You know who my father and I ran into last week at the golf course? Richard. He looked quite well." There was a malicious glint in his eyes. "He speaks so highly of you Rore…kept telling us about how Emily was already planning the..."

"Are we going to play that card again?" she interrupted him, eyes no longer smiling. She had risen to her feet and now stood directly in front of Jack, eyes blazing. For a second the two simply stared at one another before Rory finally turned back to Tristan.

"Thanks for keeping me company Tristan. I had fun." Tristan noticed that the smile curling at her lips did not reach her eyes. But before he could respond, she was already out of the shelter, heading towards the fire escape.

Jack sent him a grin before walking after Rory. The two guys who had accompanied him did the same.

He watched them disappear from view before propping back his leg and leaning against the wall. What just happened?

As usual, his weekend consisted of working in the diner, then catching a shift at the record store, and then, spinning for a few hours at another one of Hartford's clubs. Wishful thinking in tact, he had hoped some how she might be there, and they'd get a chance to…a chance to…he didn't know what.

All he knew was that he wanted to see her. Within the span of a few hours spent talking, laughing and dancing, now burned into his memory, she'd made that happen. She's made him want her.

Shrugging off his own stupidity, he changed tracks and got back to the spinning. It had been one day. Not even a day. A few hours. How could he possibly like someone within the span of a few hours? And besides, hadn't she left the club with some other guy?

---

Not too far away, in a similar club, Rory downed her third drink while Jack pulled her closer to him on the booth, nuzzling into the crook of her neck and trailing kisses down her shoulders. Not even aware of it, her mind drifted to Tristan and the feelings that had emerged from every corner of her body at his touch.

Jack no longer had that effect on her. No one ever really had that effect on her.

That dangerous effect that made you long for something better, she thought bitterly.

Trying to push aside the feelings that had surfaced in her, she reached for Jack's glass, also half empty and downed it with a single gulp. What was the point in getting her hopes up anyways? Her future was already set.

---

Monday Morning

Headphones blasting Metallica's Sanitarium, he weaved his way through the throngs of students crowding the halls, heading for his first period class. As usual, lost in the song, the smiles and smirks cast his way by swooning females went unnoticed. He entered the classroom and almost instantly, his eyes fell on her. As if sensing him there, she looked up from yet another book she was engrossed in. Catching her eye, he sent her a beaming smile. The gesture was not returned.

He dropped his gaze and moved towards his seat, confusion tugging at his strings. When the bell rang an hour later, indicating the end of class, he hung back, wanting to talk to her. But she wasn't alone. Three other girls were with her and at the moment, her undivided attention seemed to be on a conversation she was having with one of the girls.

Not wanting to be late for his next class, he rose from his chair and walked out the door, deciding to catch up with her later.

From over Paris's shoulder, Rory watched as he exited the room.

---

He'd never been too great at making friends. All his life, he'd only had two great friends, Jess and Lane. And now, as he entered the cafeteria, headphones once again secured over his ears, he knew he didn't care. All he needed in life awaited him back in Stars Hollow.

Rory watched from above her book as he entered the cafeteria, scanned the tables and moved towards an empty seat near the window.

"Gilmore…not you too," Finn piped in upon seeing where Rory's glance had fallen.

Rory broke away from Tristan to meet Finn's eyes as they smiled at her. "Huh? What?"

"It's sickens me to see you this way. How can you have sunk so low?" There was a smile playing at his lips but both he and Rory knew that he was serious. Finn, always acting the part of the older brother, never approved of the guys she chose.

"What are you babbling about Finn," Rory inquired, coming back to her senses.

"You, and every other girl here, have a thing for that…that Justin bloke."

"It's Tristan," Rory found her self correcting the mistake for the second time.

"Well now, already on a first name basis are we?" Collin mocked from across the table.

"Why? Are you jealous?" Rory spat back and grinned.

"Hardly," Collin retorted. Now the entire table had their eyes focused on Tristan.

"Since you're so fond of the guy, how about we invite him over to our table?" Logan, feigning politeness, turned to Rory and asked.

Logan had the same mentality as Finn. He didn't think any guy was good enough for Rory or any of the other three girls to date. And he only put up with the guys they dated because Rory always called him on their double standards, saying how the girls never insulted any of the bimbos the guys dated. Well, not really anyways.

"Leave it alone okay," Rory retorted, a hint of irritation in her voice. The table went silent.

---

Nursing his can of coke, he flipped through the pages of his latest book. Every so often, her presence drew him in and his gaze left the words on his book and landed on her. It was almost mechanical.

At the moment, she seemed wrapped up in a conversation she was having with one of her friends, a tall male with dark brown hair. She looked animated.

A slight rustle to his left pulled him back to reality and as he turned, his eyes fell on Isabelle.

She reached over and pulled his head phones off, sliding them down to his neck. A dazzling smile decorated her features.

"Hey gorgeous, I saw you sitting all alone and decided to offer my company? You interested?" Eyes focused on him and lips set in a pout, she waited for his answer.

"Um…sure?" came his unsure reply.

"Great" she giggled and shifted closer to him.

"So what are you reading?" Her hands had somehow found their way across his shoulders.

He turned the cover towards her and let her read the title.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray?" The quizzical note in her voice told him that she had never heard of the book.

"Yes, It's about a man named Dorian Gray whose age and ill repute have been transferred into a painting…sort of giving him eternal yo…" he trailed off, catching the vacant look in her eyes. "Call it plastic surgery without the needles and botox," he switched gears and was rewarded with a smile.

"Oh," she cooed, further snuggling into him. She was practically on his lap now. Despite the fact that she looked and acted like a lamb ready for the slaughter, Tristan knew that Isabelle knew exactly what she was doing. He had picked up on that the first time he had run into her.

Tristan grinned. "Do you want to borrow it," he asked. Her slender fingers were tangled in his hair.

"How about you read it to me instead," she purred at which a chuckle escaped his lips. She really knew how to work a guy.

---

"…so I ended up choosing the yellow stilettos instead of the red ones…" Maddie's voice floated through the air. "Do you think that was a good choice Rory…I mean yellow really isn't my color but…Rory…Rory!"

Someone was calling her name.

"Huh? What? Yeah yellow, yellow, great choice…great choice," Rory deadpanned.

Now everyone's gaze was fixed on her.

"Love, you alright?" Finn inquired, moving to place a hand across her forehead.

Scowling, she shoved him off. "I'm fine Finnegan." She ducked her head and took a bite of her sandwich but she didn't taste anything. For all she knew, it could have been made of sawdust.

The truth of the matter was that she wasn't fine. She was far from it. She'd had yet another argument with her grandparents. The same argument as every other time; same plotline, different dialogue.

---

"Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtues are not real to him. His sins, if there are such things as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of some one else's music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him. The aim…" he trailed off, once again noticing the look in her eyes. She was hanging on to every word but it didn't seem to be getting through.

He scanned the length of the page and settled on a passage he thought she might like. He didn't know why, but he found Isabelle amusing.

"Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind and poisons us. The body sins once, and has done with its sin, for action is a mode of purification. Nothing remains then but the recollection of a pleasure, or the luxury of a regret. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful." This time, as he finished, he noticed her eyes were round with curiosity and interest.

"So what did you think?" he asked her, taking a sip of his drink.

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it," she echoed in a husky whisper. "Interesting."

"Isabelle…," came a singsong voice from behind him, "whose your gorgeous friend?" He felt someone slide in next to him and pivoted just in time to see a petite blond sit down and stare up at him.

A few other girls joined the table, all sending him pouty smiles.

"This ladies, is Tristan." Her voice had lost its sultry edge. He nodded politely at the girls before closing his book and taking another sip of this drink.

---

"Your friend looks like quite the ladies man, Rore," Collin called to her and motioned at something to the right of her.

She looked up from her book and allowed her gaze to drift to Tristan. He was surrounded by Isabelle and her friends, apparently engaged in what appeared to be an amusing conversation. She didn't know how to feel.

"He's taking away all your action Finn," Collin chortled. Finn however, was far from amused.

The bell rang indicating the end of lunch. Relieved for any excuse to get out of there, Rory quickly packed up her things, threw out a quick 'see you later' and bolted for her locker.

Tristan did the same.

---

As the final bell rang, she packed up her books and headed out of the classroom, towards her locker. People smiled at her or called to her in the hallway but wrapped up in her thoughts, she barely noticed anything. Even when she was only a foot away from him, lounging against her locker, she didn't see Jack and only when he called her name repeatedly did she finally return to reality.

Jack stood leaning against the locker to the left of her own locker, brow furrowed in concern or irritation…she couldn't tell.

"Hey." He knew he was treading on thin ice. Fists shoved in his pockets, eyes focused directly on her, he looked sincere.

"Hey," she returned the greeting half heartedly.

"Look Rore, I'm sorry about dragging in…"

"It's fine." She spun the combination on her lock and opened the door. As always, her locker was pristine, everything in its place. Extending herself on the tips of her toes, she reached for a text book on the highest shelf. She needed to get started on her Biology assignment.

"I was drunk and totally out of it. I really didn't mean to…"

"It's fine," she cut him off again. Maybe she could start on the English assignment today and work on Biology tomorrow.

"Rore," he spoke as he came around her and took her chin in his hand. "I'm sorry."

---

Isabelle had insisted on Tristan escorting her to her locker.

As they strode through the corridors, she waved and winked at people, all the while keeping her hand linked with his. Tristan merely smiled. Jess would find this beyond amusing. And Lane, she'd find a way to a make a connection between this scenario and some 60's song.

Beside him, Isabelle chatted away, something about a party this weekend.

As they turned a corner, Tristan's eyes instantly landed on Rory…and some guy she was with. They same guy from the club.

For a moment, he paused, earning a silence from Isabelle. She had been in the middle of inviting him to the party when his sudden stop had forced her to cut off mid sentence.

"Oh, yeah, that's Jack and Rory," Isabelle explained upon seeing where Tristan's gaze had landed. "They've been together for about a hundred years now, off and on, off and on. I mean really. I don't know what he sees in her." Once again, her voice had lost that sultry edge. "She's not even that pretty." They both knew that was a lie. Tristan could almost hear the jealousy in her tone.

"Rory?" he questioned. He'd thought her name was Mary.

Tristan watched as Jack cupped Rory's chin and halted any movement on her part. So, she had a boyfriend.

"Come on, lets go," came Isabelle's voice from beside him, "this is dull." She tugged at his arm and walked him towards a different corridor.

---

"Jack," she shrugged off his touch, "I said it was fine okay. No need to apologize."

"Fine," he pulled back and once again leaned against a locker.

"Look, I have to go home now. Robert's expecting me." She closed her locker and turned to him. "I'll…I'll call you later."

Before he could respond, she was already half way down the hall.

---

Perched on the top of a bench, he moved his gaze from his book to his watch. He'd been waiting for the bus for fifteen minutes. Frustrated, he returned to his book.

It was only ten minutes later, when he heard his name that he looked up from his book.

Seated in a silver convertible, a Porsche by the looks of it, sunglasses perched on the top of her head, she waved at him to get in.

Intrigued, he got off the bench and sauntered over to the car before tossing his bag into the back seat and getting in.

"Buckle up," was all she said as she shifted gears and drove off.

---

I know not too much went on in this chapter but bear with me. I wanted to set the base for the story and this chapter is sort of like a "leading up to something good" chapter. The next few chapters will include a massive party, Stars Hollow and hopefully appearances by Jess. Go Jess! Thank you for all the reviews and I hope you keep them coming.

Cheers.