Title: The ultimate curve ball

Author: Joy

A/N: Set three or four weeks after 'Pulp Fiction' (Ep. 17), but right before 'Live and let Diorama' (Ep. 18). This is a Trory but Logan and the stooges do make a fairly significant appearance. Tristan isn't a screwed up sixteen year old boy anymore so don't tell me how out of character he is. We have no idea what he would be like after getting his butt kicked at Military School in North Carolina. Since I am from North Carolina there will be references to real places and events so that you know... Now on with the show.

1. Voice from the past

Rory Gilmore's life had become complicated. After she went to Finn's party with another guy, Logan had become a dutiful boyfriend type. He was making plans and inviting her out...making her feel special, like she was the only girl. Then nothing... All communications stopped on his end. She got the hint. She debated letting him know that she was done with the situation but she knew that would end badly.

In the end she knew she was the girlfriend type girl but she was scared to commit again. That and the only guy she was interested in was the commitment-phobe of the century. Briefly considering heading over to visit Logan, Rory decided to go with the 'when in doubt, get coffee' routine. This was a perfect plan.

Little did she know that not only was there a master plan to the universe, but there was also something that made the plan...something with a sense of humor. After all how else do you explain pug dogs looking like they do? This sense of humor was about to rear its head long enough to throw her the ultimate curve ball...a voice from the past...one that years from then she would still cherish. It was the getting to the future that was tough. Funny thing about curve balls is they effect more than their intended target, as others would find out soon enough.

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Rory was rushing to get some coffee for her caffeine fix just after four in the afternoon. She wasn't paying particular attention to anything, just her path. Unfortunately someone stepped in her path looking up at the building she lived in, without seeing her approach...her curveball in the flesh. She bumped into the male body with a thud knocking his shoulder. He barely caught his satchel that presumably held his laptop and other items.

"Oh...I'm so sorry. I was just in a hurry and..."

"Mary?" a familiar voice said in disbelief.

"Bible Boy," Rory said quickly then giving him a brief hug, that turned into a little more solid embrace.

"Bible Boy?" Tristan asked, pulling away only far enough to look at her face.

Rory let go of his arms. "It's what my mother and I called you due to the whole 'Mary' thing," she waved it off.

"I am touched I had a nickname amongst the Gilmore Girls," he responded with an open smile.

"First of all you are creeping me out with the lack of smirk in place," Rory stated plainly.

Tristan dutifully smirked for her, "And what was the second thing my lady?"

Rory grinned, "You had three nicknames in the Gilmore household. Bible Boy was just the nicest."

He laughed, "What were the other two? Or will I be scarred for life?"

She chuckled, "PG rating."

"Then please proceed," he gestured with his hand.

"ET and..."

"I'm sorry? You called me ET...like the alien? That thing was ugly."

Rory laughed out loud. "ET...Evil Tristan...I guess technically Evil Tristan was your nickname. ET was just the nickname for your nickname...And you proved your nickname by getting kicked out of school the night I needed you most. I had to kiss Paris, Tristan... Paris."

"Girl on Girl kiss at Chilton. My... how very progressive. I should have stayed to see that."

"You should have stayed to save me from such a fate."

"Well think of it this way...now when you play 'I have never' you can say you kissed a girl and watch people oh and ah at you," Tristan teased.

"Can do that anyway...Don't need the Romeo and Juliet fiasco to pull that one off," Rory stated. Tristan's jaw dropped. "Thinking of adding Magdalene to my Mary?"

A mischievous grin spread across his face, "No...You'll always be my Mary. But I do want to hear that story."

"Another time perhaps," she commented.

"Conversation is going well enough that I warrant further attention...There is hope for me yet," he stated.

"There was always hope for you Tristan. I was just never sure you would learn to use it."

"I said it before and I'll say it again... You are very odd."

"Thank you."

They were standing very close together still. An outside observer would note the lack of personal space between them...in fact two outside observers did notice the lack of space...but we will get to that pair later on.

They smiled warmly at one another remembering a weird and good moment they shared in the past. "And you didn't even try to kiss me," Rory teased. "Someone seems to become a grownup."

"Well, we were getting along so well I didn't want to send you running away crying...you know my ego never recovered from that?" Tristan stated with a little mock annoyance in his voice.

"You had ego enough at sixteen for you to be taken down a notch."

Rory's smile told him that she honestly didn't realize how much she had hurt him.

Tristan decided to come clean on the past now that he was given the chance...a chance he had slightly hoped for on this trip...one he had been planning for. Of course he was actually told not to come home until he talked to her, but that's a later story (or later in the story as the case maybe). "Hey Mar," he said quietly.

"Yeah, Trist," she countered.

He smiled a little then let his face go back to slightly serious. "I lied about the kiss."

Rory tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"When we were sophomores...I know you said it didn't mean anything to you...which by the way knocked me down way more than a notch... But...it meant something to me," Tristan stated honestly.

"It meant something to you?" she said slowly as if trying to make the words make sense.

"It was...special... I don't normally take that long to approach a girl with a kiss. I wanted you to know it was me. I wanted you to want me to kiss you...for a few seconds you even kissed me back...but then..."

Rory let the words sink in and stared a bit. She cautiously said, "I'm...Was I who you were talking about after your date with Paris?"

He nodded which caused her to look down shamefaced. "For a smart girl you really are blind at times," he said innocently.

She shrugged, "I've never been good at reading guys I guess."

Tristan smiled softly, "It's what makes you come off as a Mary no matter your age." He grabbed a couple of her fingers and squeezed.

Rory stared at him a while. She thought a lot about that kiss afterwards...in particularly after he moved. She had to admit there was more feeling on her side as well...how else could you explain the fact that she knew she would have let him kiss her in front of Dean the night he was being sent to military school.

Rory sighed, "Okay so you deserve some honesty here. I have thought about that night and that kiss. I have tried to make it make sense... I knew you could be nice and I will admit I enjoyed the banter between us. But liking you wasn't something I could do...I mean I missed you when you were gone... I didn't have you to bicker with. I was left with Paris." Tristan laughed at that. "The point is in hindsight the kiss was my little attempt to admit things weren't right with Dean...and that I was attracted to you." She didn't want to see the cocky look on his face so she didn't look up.

"So... what was my third nickname?" Tristan asked quietly knowing that Rory had admitted more than he ever thought possible.

Rory looked at him in shock, "No gloating. No 'I always knew you wanted me.' Who are you and what have you done with Tristan DuGrey?"

He chuckled, "Like you said...I grew up a bit. Now tell me my last nickname please."

"Spawn of Satan," she grimaced before he laughed out.

"That's impressive. I suspect you have met my father then?" he teased.

"No...Let's just say it was instinct."

TBC...

A/N: I couldn't resist writing a Trory. I suppose it has something to do with how frustrated I was with how the let Logan off so easily from his treatment of Rory when he slipped out on her for that two week period. So I am writing my revenge. Now I have a Rogan story so you all know I like Logan, but I wanted to try something else. I know we didn't jump right into romance here...its mainly back-story, but wait. It's coming.

Now class... I will REVIEW so Joy will get to the kissing. I will REVIEW so Joy will get to the kissing.