Author: Nat
Rating: PG13
Spoilers: I’m Australian
and because we’re so far behind I don’t think it applies… besides, it’s mostly
AU anyways.
Pairing: Rory/Tristan
Standard disclaimer
applies
A/N: First of all, thanks to
Surya for betaing and the pimping of the first chapter. I got such an amazing
response. Thanks to all those who reviewed and asked for more. I’m now such a
review whore that after the first 9 reviews I got so hyped I wrote another
chapter. Heres hoping that I get as many reviews this chapter and it spurs me
along some more.
Enjoy!
- The Life
and Times of an Unwelcome Third Wheel -
I loved the way that Rory wouldn’t take shit from anyone. But especially not from him. The first time she came to dinner was probably one of the strangest nights of my life. Rory and Dad facing off across the dinning room table, eating the roast dinner arguing back and forth about everything from the Trade Deficit to the latest Tom Clancy novel. She didn’t back down from the argument either.
Dad is a big guy, over 6’6”, dark hair, blue eyed. He was a scary guy. Not that he scared me, more that I knew what it was like to get on his bad side. Tristan had been on his bad side for at least seven years now, I knew the consequences of not doing exactly what our Dad wanted. But Rory, man, she was like a pit bull, she just would not give up.
And
I think Dad liked that about her.
While
Tristan sat there scowling and our Mother sat there with that look that said she
wasn’t in the room, Rory and Dad worked up a sweat trying to beat out each
other with literary insults. I sat quietly and ate my dinner.
There
were unspoken rules at our dinner table. You didn’t speak unless you were
spoken to, you ate everything on your plate, you didn’t ask benign questions
like ‘how was your day dad’ or ‘what did you get up to today Mother’. They
asked the questions, annoying questions like ‘how are your grades’ and ‘did you
make such-and-such a team yet’, or at least Dad did when he was in a good mood.
But
Rory came to dinner and broke every rule we had. And Dad still liked her.
“So Rory, tell me how your grandparents are. I ran into Richard at the Club weekend before last and I believe he told me that you have dinner with them on Friday nights.” Dessert was being served and David Dugrey leaned back in his chair to allow the maid to place the plate in its setting before him.
“They’re
well thank you. I’ll let them know you asked after them.” Rory smiled and
slipped into a more relaxed posture now that dessert had been served and the
debate about Salinger was over.
“They
must feel privileged to have such a wonderful grandchild. I have to haul these
two by their ears to see their grandparents.” Tristan grunted into his dessert
as Jordan snorted into his. “Something to add boys?”
“I
see Pop every other Tuesday.” Tristan raised his eyes to look at his father.
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“You
do?” Rory watched as David’s eyebrows arched in surprise then drew down in
thought. “What do you do?”
“We
meet in a coffee shop and have something to eat and drink and talk about life’s
mysteries.” Tristan said sarcastically
“I
see. Do you join them Jordan?” Jordan’s eyes were wide flicking from Tristan to
his Father.
“No.
I knew nothing about it.” His petulant voice signifying his displeasure at once
again being left out of something that Tristan got to do that he didn’t.
“Well,
I find that very commendable Son.” David Dugrey nodded at Tristan before
turning to Jordan. “Maybe you should look into making similar arrangements
young man.”
Rory
smiled, wondering what twelve year old in their right mind would want to spend
an afternoon after school with their grandfather.
“So
Mr Dugrey, do you golf at the club?” Rory asked trying to turn the conversation
again.
“Rory,
dear, please call me David. I won’t ask you again.”
She
grinned impishly at him. “Ok, David, do you golf?”
“I
used to, seems to take up entirely too much time these days. I occasionally
manage to squeeze in a short nine-hole game on a Sunday though. How about
yourself?”
“My
grandfather taught me. We have fun when we manage to get time to play together.
He’s having too much fun running his business to have fun on the golf course
now days.”
“Yes,
well he has made a marvellous success of it.”
Jordan
waited until Rory met his eyes before mouthing the word ‘brown-noser’ at her
causing her to choke on her tiramisu in a fit of giggles.
Cecille
Dugrey who had remained mute during the whole of dinner after the first brief
introduction to Rory started to flap about. “Oh, dear! Are you alright
sweetheart? Would you like some water? Jordan go and get some water!”
“Rory?”
Tristan’s dropped spoon clattered on the table.
“I’m
ok.” She coughed repeatedly. “Just went down the wrong way is all.”
She
was red faced, but the half standing, half still in his seat Jordan was just as
red. Something that didn’t escape Tristan’s notice.
“What
did you do Jordan?” Suddenly all eyes we’re on him and they watched as the red
that was flaming across his cheeks melted down his neck.
“Nothing.”
Rory to Jordan’s rescue again. “I’m fine Tristan. Though I would like that
water please.”
Jordan
bolted from the table before she had half finished the request.
Dinner
ended with Rory never getting the drink of water, Jordan having disappeared.
Cecille Dugrey pleaded a headache and retired to her bed for the night leaving
Rory and Tristan with David in the sitting room while David and Rory sipped at
strong, bitter smelling coffee.
“So
what are you kids going to do tonight?”
Rory
sipped at her coffee. “Watch a movie I think.”
She
raised an eyebrow in question at Tristan. “Yeah, I got a couple of dvd’s.
Should keep us out of trouble.”
David
laughed heartily climbing out of his chair. “Good thing, son, good thing. Well
Rory, if you’re staying late, you’re welcome to one of the guest rooms. Just
make sure to call your mother and let her know you’re alright.”
“Thanks,
but I won’t be here that late. I have to be home by one.”
“Oh
but that’s too late to be driving all that way! Would you like me to call your
mother? I’ll let her-”
Rory
smiled tightly. “No, that’s ok.”
David
Dugrey nodded. “Ok dear, just know you’re welcome anytime.”
Rory
nodded and he left the room. Tristan let out an explosive breath of air and
slumped back into the chair. “God. I thought he’d never leave.”
Rory
smiled and stood, offering her hand to Tristan to pull him to his feet. “C’mon.
What movies did you get?”
Tristan
rambled off a bunch of names as he led Rory upstairs to the games room where an
entertainment centre was set up for his and Jordan’s use. Rory kicked off her
shoes and collapsed onto the leather couch as Tristan busied himself putting
the dvd in, grabbing a blanket for them to curl into and turning the lights
off.
Landing
next to Rory he pulled her to him and flipped play with the remote before he
threw it back onto the coffee table. His mouth immediately moved to her neck
lightly sucking and biting.
Her
eyes closed and she arched into him before pulling away slightly.
“I
thought we were going to watch the movies.”
“We
can.” Tristan spoke around the light kisses his lips were now landing.
“You
don’t seem to be concentrating on it.”
He
grinned at her as she turned to meet his eyes. “That’s why I put in the Sandra
Bullock one first. What’s there to concentrate on other than you and me and
making out?”
Rory
leaned in and pressed a kiss to his mouth, pulling away before he could deepen
it. “I like the sound of that, but I want to watch the movie.”
“You
can watch the next one.” Tristan growled and rolled her onto her back so that
she was half under him before he crushed his mouth to hers.
Rory
opened her lips to his tongue and ran her hands up under his shirt arching her
back, pressing into him. He crawled further onto her, his hands tangled in her
hair and lightly ground against her, pulling back before she could protest.
Repeating the motion until she started to push back. He was about to grind into
her harder when the door flung open and Jordan let himself in.
Tristan
sat up and Rory flinched when he yelled. “Get out!”
“No!
I came to watch the movies with you.”
Feeling
Tristan gather himself to get up and chase after Jordan who was standing at the
door with that same infuriating smirk that drove her insane when Tristan used
it on her in the past, she sat up and gave him a light kiss before turning to
Jordan. ‘Come on in and have a seat. We’ll start again so you can see it from
the beginning.”
She
smiled at Tristan who was scowling at her. She grabbed the remote then pulled
Tristan down to her again before hitting the back button to start again.
Tristan
and Jordan fell asleep halfway though the second movie. Rory gave Tristan a
kiss goodbye before covering Jordan with another blanket and beat her curfew
home where her mother was waiting to hear about her dinner.
Tristan
woke up at four am with a kink in his neck and tied Jordan’s shoelaces together.
Jordan
woke up and tripped over, cracking his skull on the coffee table and needed
four stitches.
The
next week I listened as my father sang Tristan’s praises in finally finding a
girl worthy of his time. Tristan’s time that is. I knew my brother liked girls
and that he wasn’t gay, I always used to spy on him at parties and things when
he used to sneak off with girls. Most every time it was a different girl
though. This was about the forth time Rory had been to our house though.
Tristan had never brought a girl home before, at least not to introduce them to
our parents and have them stay for dinner. Rory was different.
I
wondered why.
It
wasn’t like Dad hadn’t met Tristan’s girlfriends before. You can’t avoid
introductions at those parties sometimes. But I hardly ever heard Dad say
anything nice about them more than ‘she’s from a good family’ type thing. But
Dad raved about Rory. In his own way anyway.
He
asked how she was when ever he and Tristan were in the same room. He asked
about her more than he did about us. And I could just tell that he was proud of
Tristan.
Like
he did anything to make Rory the person she is.
I
overheard him talking on the phone one night, bragging to one of his associates
about Tristan and Rory. ‘My eldest son Tristan, what a great kid he is, dating
young Rory Gilmore, Richard’s granddaughter. She’s the junior vice president,
going to be valedictorian and go to Harvard, she’s one young lady with her head
screwed on right’ blah, blah, blah.
The
only time I remember him ever bragging about us to his friends and associates
is when one of us topped a class or won something. Not counting the Company
Christmas Party Story™.
Every
year Dad would stand on the stage, with his champagne in hand with arm was
wrapped around his wife and Tristan and I to his side he would recite that
story. Everyone would drunkenly laugh at Tristan while they showered me with
those condescending smiles.
‘We
all know that one day I’ll be too old and decrepit to run the business.’
One
of the drunken mob would interrupt - ‘No way David, you’ll outlive us all you
stubborn old bastard!’
More
laughter.
‘Stubborn
I’ll give you, but not yet old!’ More laughter ‘But we all know that the company
will be left in good hands. My two young sons here already have excellent
head’s for business!’
Then
he’d slap us both on our backs while Tristan grinned.
‘At
the tender age of seven, Tristan here tried to sell two year old Jordan.’ A
light laughter would filter through the room as those people who were new to
the company would laugh thinking that was all there was to the story.
‘Now,
Tristan, not only did he try to sell young Jordan here, he taught him to cry when
someone would say they didn’t want to buy him!’
Laughter
would erupt and Tristan would just stand there smirking.
‘Now
Tristan only asked for an Oreo back then, but its good business to know what
your product is worth and asking for anything less is bad business. But
hopefully he’d realise that Jordan is worth at least a pack of Oreos these
days!’
More
loud laughter before Tristan would speak.
For
the rest of the night, Dad would sing Tristan’s praises while haughty ladies in
fur would pinch my cheeks and call me adorable, saying I was at least worth two
packs of Oreos.
And
all the time Tristan would be feeling up some hot chick out on the balcony.
Now
he has Rory. He gets everything.
I
hate him sometimes.