"You never did answer me about whether you wanted to make it clear you were my proper date tonight or just the plus one?" Rory asked Tristan, as their town car approached the hotel that was hosting the Gilmore Insurance Gala.
Rory had persuaded her Grandmother to hold the event somewhere other than the club for a change, an attempt at not coming across as 'elitist' and 'high society'. Yes, they were as a family, but not all of their staff are and it doesn't exactly scream welcoming to host the event at a members only club.
"I think, I didn't spend nine years trying to get you to deny it when it finally happened." Tristan said, leaning in and giving her a kiss, careful not to mess with her lipstick. "I'm happy for everyone to know we are a couple, if you are?"
"I agree, I don't want to head into the holiday party season pretending that I don't have you, and dealing with set up attempts."
"Ah, I get it now. I am really just here to save you from interfering grandmothers."
"Yep, as long as you know your place we are good," Rory said, leaning over with a smirk to give him a final kiss as the car slowed to a stop.
"And just where exactly is my place, Mare?" Tristan asked softly, sliding close to her so he could get out of the car first, to help her out.
"Right here, beside me," Rory said, kissing him and pulling him as tight as their location allowed.
"Rory! Tristan! When did you get here?" Richard exclaimed, pulling his granddaughter into a swift hug.
"Hey Grandpa!"
"Richard, we just got here ten minutes ago, sir," Tristan answered, greeting Richard with a handshake, returning his arm to its position wrapped around Rory's waist.
"Ah, have you seen Emily yet? She was hovering near the door hoping to catch you as you came in."
"For any particular reason, or just so she could inspect whether my dress and date are appropriate?" Rory asked, the look on her face telling Richard that she already knew the answer.
"Well at least with young Mr DuGrey here, we know she will have no complaints in that department, and you are looking particularly lovely tonight, isn't she Tristan?"
"She always does sir," Tristan said, pressing a gentle kiss against Rory's temple.
"I think you are correct, it was just an inspection that she wanted, I will try and buy you some time. I know she seems to forget that you need to mingle as a member of the board and society now, and not just as an aimless teenager forced to attend these things," Richard said, with a wink.
"Well, I am still forced to attend these things," Rory said with a laugh. "It is just more noticeable if I don't show up these days. Anyone we must say hi to sooner rather than later? Other than the obvious ones that is."
"Not that I can think of. Francine came tonight unexpectedly, she said she wanted to see what the hotel was like. I think a few people are here for the same reason, we are having it somewhere different and they all want to be nosey."
"Well that's only human nature Grandpa," Rory said with a smile. "We are going to go and greet some of the easier people, and be seen to mingle."
"Sounds like a plan."
"See you in a bit sir," Tristan said, as he followed Rory across the room, keeping his arm around her. "Richard is right, there is definitely a higher percentage of the society crowd here than normal."
"Oh well, hopefully that will lead to some new business for the firm. They tend to feel the need to at least contact us for a quote after they have gotten drunk on our dime."
"Spoken like a true executive," Francine said, appearing beside the couple.
"Grandmother," Rory said, embracing the stylish older lady.
"Mrs Hayden," Tristan greeted, bussing a kiss against her cheek.
"Tristan, how many times must I tell you to call me Francine?"
"Just one more, I think," Tristan said, causing the group to laugh.
"Grandpa was saying that he thinks you came to get the inside scoop on the new venue?" Rory asked her grandmother.
"Well, it's been so long since someone chose to host an event somewhere other than the club, usually if it isn't the club it's in Manhattan. I just wanted to see how they run a Gala; see if the food is good." Francine said, defensively.
"I know Grandma, I also went rogue on where the Hayden Holiday party is this year. Still in Boston, but I picked a newer hotel instead of the usual one. I actually considered renting out one of the taprooms and getting them to run a private event but I thought I might need a few years to ease you into that one." Rory said, laughing as she watched a look of horror flit across her grandmother's face.
"Oh please no, never let me hear you suggest that again," Francine pleaded.
"Well with the younger associates and partners, I'm just thinking of what might appeal to them, not everyone enjoys a black tie affair."
"What do you think Tristan?" Francine asked, looking at the guy man for his opinion, realizing he was the same age as a lot of their junior associates.
"I would enjoy something like that a lot. It might be a good idea for a summer party, a change from all the golf course affairs. In my firm at least, there are a lot more people who don't play golf, so they don't enjoy those," Tristan said, squeezing Rory's waist so she knew he was supporting her, while trying to be respectful to her Grandmother.
"I always forget how different things are for your generation compared to how things were for mine," Francine said with a sigh. "So Tristan, how did you get dragged into this affair?" she asked, knowing the young man always likes to avoid society.
"In this case I was a rather willing sacrifice, I couldn't allow my girlfriend to attend alone, or with another, so here I am," Tristan smugly replied, enjoying the look of shock flicking across Mrs Hayden's face.
"Girlfriend?" Francine stuttered, looking closer between the pair, taking in the change in body language compared to previous events the couple had attended together, his arm wrapped around her waist, instead of just a hand on the small of her back, the way she had leaned into his body while they were talking; all very subtle things, but enough that she should have picked up on them. "When did this happen?"
"About six or seven weeks ago? When I had that gala for work." Rory said, looking at Tristan to double check, while answering her grandmother.
"Yes, we attended together, but I ended up having to leave early when grandfather had his heart attack. Even running for a family emergency I felt awful having to abandon Rory, and the situation with Grandfather's health made me very aware that life is short. Rory and I had a big chat a few days later, and well here we are. Seems we had both been wanting more, but unwilling to take the risk." Tristan answered Francine, with a small shrug, while looking adoringly at Rory.
"Here we are," Rory said, leaning up to brush a kiss against the corner of his mouth; too close for friendship, but not scandalous either."
"Well I for one am very happy for the two of you. It has been a longtime coming. You make a delightful couple," Francine said, reaching over and giving Rory's hand a subtle squeeze of approval.
"We need to keep moving Grandmother, or else Grandma will be chasing us for not mingling enough," Rory said, rolling her eyes.
"Yes, you have done well to avoid her so far. I will see you when you are next in town Rory, and Tristan, I hope I shall be seeing a lot more of you young man," Francine finished, brushing a kiss against each of their cheeks, before moving on quickly.
"Why does she always make me feel like I'm fourteen, and I just got caught in the liquor cabinet?" Tristan whispered to Rory.
"It's your conscience." Rory quipped. "It's very delayed," she added. He pinched her side in retaliation, causing her to have to fight a giggle, releasing a soft burst, drawing attention towards them. Emily glared across the hall at them. "Quick, find someone friendly," Rory squeaked out.
"I see either my parents or the Huntzbergers. I don't recognise anyone else," Tristan said, looking around.
Rory tried to spot some people, as she should know more of the attendees than Tristan, but while she was looking, she managed to miss a couple approaching.
"Rory Gilmore, it has been a while," Mitchum Huntzsberger greeted her, himself and Shira having approached while Rory and Tristan had been looking the other way.
"Mr and Mrs Huntzberger! How are you?" Rory said, in her best customer service voice,
"Now Rory, it's Mitchum and Shira to you." Mitchum said, smiling his best shark smile.
"Of course, Tristan, do you know the Huntzbergers? Mitchum, Shira, this is my boyfriend Tristan DuGray." Rory said, managing to get the introductions.
"We've met before, how are you?" Tristan asked the couple.
"We are good. How are you? I think you were just starting Columbia the last time we met?" Mitchum asked, eyeing the couple contemplatively.
"Yes, I was. I actually work for an architectural firm in Boston now."
"Well done, I'm sure you are moving up the ranks quickly. How about you Rory? We haven;t seen you since before your graduation from Yale?" Shira said, managing to make the last question sound like a veiled insult.
"I actually work for a publishing house in Manhattan. I'm one of the senior editors." Rory said proudly, she was proud of her career, even if it wasn't what she had wanted to do when she had known the Huntzbergers, but she had grown a lot since then.
"Really?" Mitchum asked, unable to hide his shock, for all that he knew about the journalism business, he tended to avoid publishing books.
"Yes, I love it there, I have three authors on the current New York Times Bestseller list."
"Congratulations, that is quite the achievement," Mitchum managed to state through gritted teeth, he had honestly thought the girl would never amount to much, it hadn't actually been any falsehood that he had stated at the end of her internship with him.
"So how long have you two been together?" Shira asked curiously, she always tried to be on top of any society gossip, and she hadn't heard of the DuGray heir seeing anyone seriously.
"Only six weeks or so, but we have known each other a lot longer, isn't that right Ror?" Tristan answered, giving his girlfriend's waist a supportive squeeze.
"Yes, I've been trying to get rid of you since I was fifteen, and you were torturing me daily at Chilton," Rory said, smiling up at her boyfriend.
"You both went to Chilton?" Shira asked, realizing how little she had bothered to learn about Rory while she had been involved with her son.
"Oh yes," Tristan replied with a smirk, "Of course, as all of society knows, I ended up in military school, whereas Mare here finished as Valedictorian."
"I hadn't realized that you had gone to school in Hartford," Shira said, looking at Rory while trying not to show her long held distaste for her.
"Oh yes, I switched sophomore year, and never looked back, even when I wished I could get away from Tris here," Rory said, batting her eyelashes and trying to act like an innocent society girl, it was enough to very obviously throw Shira off.
"Honey, I see Emily trying to get our attention, and I think that is one of the guys from the board with her, I recognise him," Tristan said, realizing that Emily was preferable to the Huntzbergers, so he wanted to get away.
"Oh yes, that is Mr Graham, he is my right hand on the board, makes sure that everyone does what I want when I'm not there. I introduced you last year at the Christmas party, that is probably where you know him from." Rory smiled up at Tristan, knowing he knew fine rightly who Mr Graham was but was giving her an opportunity to emphasize her position to the Huntzbergers, who currently looked extremely perplexed. "Sorry we are being rude, I took over as head of the Gilmore Insurance board last year, so there were a lot of new faces for Tristan to keep track of. Anyway, we had better go and see what Grandma wants before she comes for us, you know what she is like," Rory said with a false smile.
"Of course, it was lovely to see you, hopefully it won't be as long before we see you again," Mitchum stated.
"Hopefully, it was nice to see you, Mitchum, Shira," Rory said, as Tristan led her away from the unpleasant couple towards Emily, who for once was the lesser of two evils.
"Did you know she went to Chilton?" Shira asked her husband once they were alone again.
"No, I didn't. It sounds like she is doing well for herself, I'm shocked, I didn't think she had anything going for her," Mitchum said, honestly.
"I had always wondered if you said that because it was true, or to get her away from our son."
"Oh no, I would have told you it was what I believed."
"Do you think we were wrong about anything else?" Shira asked, watching as Rory seamlessly greeted her grandparents and several business associates.
"I don't know." Mitchum said, hoping they hadn't been or their son would never forgive them.
