Losing My Mind

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls…but think of the possibilities if I did…

Setting: A while after Rory makes her statement, "You'd have to be stupid to think that, given our history, I would ever, barring a piano or a safe falling on my head, wanna go anywhere with you, ever." The dance with Dean did happen, and Tristan did fight with him, but Louise's party did not happen, and neither did the piano bench kiss. Rory is dating Dean.

A/N: This idea just came to me randomly one day. Rory's claim of never going out with Tristan unless something hit her on the head inspired a very crazy idea, and I decided to go along with it. Don't take the whole story too seriously. Also, keep in mind that Rory isn't exactly herself in this fic, having had a heavy object hit her on the head…

-&-

"Oh, Rory, dear, are you alright?" Babette's raspy voice inquired as the plump, short woman in question came huffing and puffing down her porch stairs toward Rory, who was clutching her head in pain. "Don't think that we throw safes out of our window all the time, baby," Babette prattled on as she needlessly made a show of examining Rory all over for injury. "It's just that Morey had this old, rusting safe in the house, said it used to belong to his father, and we didn't know what to do with it, so we just…" Babette made a throwing motion with her arms, then dropped them to her broad sides, shaking her head. "Rory, dear, we didn't mean to hit you. It was too heavy to pull outside and we thought throwing it out the window onto the sidewalk was the best way…we thought maybe someone would see it and want it and take it…"

Abruptly, Babette changed the topic. "Did I tell you that our little ape-ricot is growing into the prettiest little kitty in the neighborhood? Just yesterday we noticed that she didn't fit into Morey's old boots anymore, which are her favorite place to hide. Morey and I, we were in tears. Oh, our little baby's growing up! Just like Cinnamon did…" Babette sniffled, and Rory seized the opportunity to get away.

"Uh, Babette, I think I'll be fine. It was just one of the corners of that safe that hit me and, look, it's not even bleeding. So now I really have to go, catch the bus, you know, for school. So, uh, bye…" Babette had her hands clasped together and tears in her eyes as she thought of her old cat, Cinnamon, and Rory's mishap with the old safe was forgotten. She nodded as Rory turned, a little woozily, to head toward the bus stop, not really noticing that Rory was leaving at all.

"Come back and see us soon, hon!" she called, suddenly jovial. "Oh, and sorry about the safe again, sweet! I hope you'll be alright, Rory!" Rory waved to her out of the ordinary neighbor and made her slightly unsteady way to the bus-stop, far from alright.

(…)

Opening her locker, Rory admitted to herself that she was feeling slightly light-headed, a little woozy. She shoved a few books into her backpack, not noticing that she'd packed the English, Science and Math books when the homework was on Africa, a subject they were studying in History. She groaned and absently rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand as, frowning, she stared at the locker door, trying to remember something she knew she'd forgotten. But what?

"Ah, there you are, Mary," a blond-haired, blue eyed boy greeted her with a friendly, teasing smirk on his handsome face. "Been looking for you all day. But you don't know or care about that, now do you?" He leaned in close, his breath on her face.

Rory frowned at him. Did she know this boy? She thought she faintly remembered him as being one of those handsome, cool, popular, rich boys that roamed the school, one of those that every girl would get down on her knees for. And he's paying attention to her? "My name's Rory," she told him as politely as she could, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

The handsome boy looked a little surprised, perhaps by her polite tone, but then quickly recovered. "Whatever you say, Mary," he teased, a smirk dancing on his face. He was teasing her, and she could see how it could get irritating. But who cared what he called her anyway? It didn't really matter if he called her "Hey you!" or "Mary". He was one of Those kids and she was…nothing.

He leaned in closer, and she almost pulled back, but something stopped her. Hold on Rory, she told herself. One of Those kids, a popular, absolutely handsome boy, is very likely flirting with you! You do not pull back when that happens. And so she stayed still. And that seemed to surprise the boy even more. But he recovered from that surprise just as smoothly as before and inched a little closer. "Um…" Rory began, a little uncomfortable. "Did you want something? It's just that I have to be home by…" she let her sentence trail off and saw how miserly it sounded.

"Oh, don't worry, Mary, you won't be home after curfew. I'll make it a point to get you there on time myself." He was flirting with her! He was really flirting with her! Rory was surprised. She didn't even know this boy, and he was being an outrageous flirt. She clutched her backpack tighter and blinked once, slightly confused but also undeniably pleased. This was her chance to be popular at the school! And she would finally have a boyfriend. Her first boyfriend. That was, assuming that would ask her out or something…

The boy brushed his lip against her cheek as though it were a perfectly normal thing to do and then stood back, nonchalant, hands in his pockets. He extracted a menu from his left-hand pocket and handed it to her. "It's called Maggie's and the food's really good. I got two because I thought that Cissy would be coming with me, but since we broke up, I thought maybe you and I could…" he let his sentence stay un-ended much as she had, and Rory saw through the whole Cissy thing easily. He'd got the menus, secured reservations, just recently, thinking of her. There had been no Cissy involved. It was easy to see. But then why did he look as though he thought she would refuse?

"Well, I would love to," Rory began, and as she did she watched, her own surprise growing, as shock transformed the boy's face. "But I don't even know your name. Oh, and mine's Rory, by the way. Not Mary. Maybe at the restaurant we can discuss how that confusion arose." The boy looked utterly amazed.

So amazed that he stuttered slightly. "Y-you'll g-go?" he asked, his face contorted with shock. "R-really?" And then he quickly recovered his cool and composed manner. "OK, sure, then. It's a date. So Friday after school I'll drive you there, 'kay? My name's Tristan, in case you somehow, miraculously, forgot it. Bye, Mary," he called, smirking again, though still seeming surprised by something.

By what? It's me who should be surprised; Tristan, Tristan DuGrey who I've heard so much about, who is so handsome and popular and rich, has asked me out! And he's surprised? As though I would refuse! Yeah right. I would have said yes even if I'd already had a boyfriend. Which I don't of course. Lowly Rory Gilmore doesn't have boyfriends. But starting now…Starting now…she was still Rory Gilmore, and yet she was changed. Because now she had a boyfriend, and he was one of the best-looking guys she'd ever seen.

Tristan, Tristan, Tristan DuGrey, Tristan, Tristan…echoed in her mind as she skipped to her bus, and Rory could hardly wait two whole days. She wanted Friday to be there that moment. I think I'm love, she told herself, grinning. Tristan, Tristan, Tristan DuGrey, Tristan, Tristan…

-&-

A/N: So? What did you guys think? Don't worry, I'm planning for the other chapters to be longer and in Rory's POV. This was kind of a prologue…Reviews are loved!