Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls or any of it's characters, nor do I own any references I make to music, movies ect. Just my plot.

A/N: This plots been playing it's self out in my head for forever. It takes place in Chilton, Tristan never went to milatary school... blah blah blah. I'm sure you'll be able to fill in the blanks without fail, I'm just anxious to write this story!

Summary: Rory worships Damien from across the table, her view always obstructed by the cocky blonde. She's always tolerated him, but when he tries to change her will she forgive him? Trory.

Beauty's Consequences

She'd recently started eating lunch with him. The boy whom she'd admired from afar for months now, who barely had said a word to her. She was sitting at the same table as him now, along with a few of his friends; including Tristan. Tristan was Damien's best friend so it made sense that they'd sit together at lunch.

Rory didn't want it to make since. She didn't want the pieces to fit, she wanted Tristan to be part of a different puzzle, and she didn't need the added complication of his presence. It was hard enough to get Damien to acknowledge her without the interference of Tristan.

Sure, Damien and Rory were good friends. But Rory wanted more, though like Tristan he went for the petite, curvy blondes who normally lacked in the intelligence field. Not that Damien lacked in it, he was probably the smartest guy at Chilton, and involved in creative writing. He hated boundaries, he liked freedom, he hated divas, and he liked the simple beautiful-without-trying girl. Rory was the definition of simple, but she was his only girl friend. The only one who'd never dated him, ever. Time after time Rory heard him use the word friend and time after time Rory blushed slightly at the statement, she longed to be more than just the girl next door.

Damien wasn't just any guy. He was the guy. They just clicked, she knew it was to soon to say she loved him, but she was attracted. Beyond attracted. She wasn't even sure if there was a word to describe her feeling for him.

But as of now, there were no flirty comments coming from him. Just from Rory, and they barely ever escaped the crack between her lips, she didn't want to flirt if he didn't want to flirt back.

Tristan was looking at her again, staring at her as she walked down the hall. When she looked his way he gave her a small smirk, he flirted. But Rory didn't need him flirting, he flirted with everyone.

She returned a small smile, but neither said a word. Rory continued her way, while he continued his; it always was like this. She would ignore him, and he would leave her alone. They had a mutual relationship. He took the edgier side, leaning toward lewd comments, while she hung back, and politely listened, but then came up with a witty remark to override his.

Rory ignored whatever emotion she felt about Tristan, she wasn't ready to go dig deep inside herself to try to figure it out. She liked him, but then she didn't and she mixed those feelings at the same time. It was all to complex, besides she had to concentrate on Damien.

Damien was coming her way, ready to strike up a conversation about the latest fantasy novel he read. And Rory would listen intently, hanging on his every word. He was out of bounds though; Rory had never had a guy out of bounds.

But, like her mother she loved a challenge.

Rory sat alone today, Damien was absent from school. So Rory had resumed her previous position in the corner of the room. She barely knew any of his other friends, so it would be awkward to sit there. It would be pointless to sit there and exhausting. It would be silly.

So she sat alone, clinging to her book. But soon enough, her thoughts were washed away by the approaching blonde. Rory closed her book, ready to talk to him. To exchange the few words they usually did, she readied herself for his infuriating comments, and ignored the feelings that were rapidly overflowing in her mind. He was cute, he was annoying, he was decent, he was judgmental, he was a good listener, they were so different, she liked Damien, she hated Tristan, he needed to learn her name, and over time the bad engulfed the good.

"Mary." He said with a nod. He sat down.

"Tristan," She returned.

"You know, I can read you a lot better than you think I can." He smirked. Rory smirked.

"Really? What's going through my head this very second?" She smiled despite her best efforts not to. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea and she didn't want to feed his ego.

"Right now, your wishing I'd leave. But a few minutes ago, you were daydreaming about Damien." He smirked wider, arching an eyebrow, silently questioning if he'd answered the question correctly.

Rory blushed a deep shade of scarlet; she didn't want to answer the question. But she knew all to well that her cheeks were revealing the answer and if she lied she'd just come off as a coward.

"Right." She muttered looking at the ground.

"But, there's a complication. He doesn't like you."

"You sound like a psychic."

"Does that mean I got it right?"

Rory sighed impatiently, "Tristan..." She warned.

"I can get him to notice you." He smirked for the wider, quickly approaching a smile.

Rory perked up, "How?"

He shrugged and replied, "Dye your hair, and change your makeup."

"I don't wear makeup."

"My point exactly."

Rory paused, it was a tempting offer. Anything to get Damien to notice her, but it was also shallow. It made her feel worthless. Yet… if it would work it would be worth it, Damien was a great guy. Though, his one flaw was that he was shallow.

"Are you lyi-?"

"It'll work." He interjected. He could tell that he was drawing her in; her eyes grew more lively and excited with each comment.

"Tristan Dugery I know there is a catch."

"Well, I do get the privilege of seeing you in some hot makeup. And since I know Damien's taste…" He didn't even have to continue. A full day with Tristan would be not be a very large price to pay for a date with Damien.

She studied him, looking for the lie. It wasn't there, and if it was; it was well hidden. "Fine. Do you know where I live?"

"Yeah Mary, of course. I'm your stalker."

"I think we should have you reported."

"Daddy can get me out of any situation."

Rory dug a pen out of her pocket. If she didn't confirm this soon, the doubts would start to take their toll. She grabbed his wrist and flipped over his hand. Hastily she wrote down her address.

"Pushy." He muttered, "I'll be there at four." He didn't bother asking what time was good for Rory; he worked when he wanted too. Lived by his own rules.

"I have a visitor coming mom."

"Then we better go fetch the tampons." Rory stayed focused on Roswell, she barely paid attention to her own jokes.

"Tristan."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We hate the rich." Lorelei looked up from beloved TV astonished. "I don't care if you have an old man stay the night! Rich kids are where I draw the line."

"Mom, just for today."

"Well, I better give you some privacy." And with that said, Lorelei bolted for her bedroom locking the door in a teasing manner behind her. "I'll pretend he's not here!" She called down to Rory.

Rory knew her mom would get over it, for now she had about five minutes until Tristan arrived.

The doorbell rang and Rory's five minutes dissolved to nothing. With an exasperated sigh she walked over to the door. "Come on in." Rory said opening the door, barely glancing Tristan's way she walked off and took a seat on the couch.

She'd left him to fend for himself, in a place completely foreign to him. He didn't look sure of himself for once, he looked out of place. But soon enough he regained his composure and took a seat next to Rory.

"I brought hair dye." Tristan pulled hair dye out of the bag, with an almost bleach blonde girl on the box. "Makeup." He dumped assorted eyeliners and mascaras onto the table. "And directions on how to make your uniform more provocative and easier on the eyes.

Rory gulped, not sure if she wanted to change her appearance anymore.

"Don't worry, my moms hairstylist is here to redo your good girl hairdo." He didn't seem to think much of the fact that she was paling and not responsive.

"Lets start."

The things Rory did for love.

"There you go Mary. Although you don't resemble her much anymore." Rory stared into the mirror, for once wishing she were Mary. That she wasn't the blonde bimbo staring back at her, she didn't care if Damien would notice her, and she looked like a ditz.

But then again she was second-guessing herself; it was Damien who was sweet, kind, cute, smart and perfect. She hated being head over heels, hated the fact she'd do anything for him. Hated that this was Tristan standing behind her with the smirk instead of Damien.

"Thanks." She squeaked.

"Not happy?"

"Happy enough." Rory hated to disappoint. She gave him a quick awkward hug before assuring Tristan out the door then she resumed her place in front of the mirror, watching it like a movie.

Damien had noticed her. He'd shamelessly flirted with her, pinned her up against the lockers in a steamy makeout session, and gawked at her the whole day.

It was what she'd wanted so why wasn't she happy?

"I told you he was shallow." Tristan had said to her right before she got into Damien's SUV. It was the only thing he'd said to her the entire day, he shunned her along with Paris, Madeline and Louise.

Rory'd watched him walk further away never once looking back; he met Louise half way there and slipped his arm around her waist. That's when Rory felt a pang of jealously and dislike. Tristan had said he'd hated Louise. But here he was physically stating the opposite. He'd also tried to change Rory; mold her into a different person. He hadn't liked her the way she was, no one had. She'd lost some people she'd won one person.

But now the one she'd won was showing a different side, wallowing in a whole new light.

Standing in shallow water.

"Stop the car Damien." Rory said suddenly coming out of their utter silence. Damien was giving her a ride home and Rory was positive it was going to be the scenic route. Besides, she had things to take care of

"C'mon Rory Hun—"

"Mom always told me never to be a strangers Hun." Damien had barely slowed the car before Rory opened the door and jumped out.

Damien couldn't understand, everything had been going so well. He was going to pull over and they could have a steamy makeout session. It could have been perfect, but then again she was still Rory Gilmore ultimate goodie goodie.

Silly him for thinking he could get her to change, and then snag her before someone else did.

He drove away waving his finger in the air, knowing'Mary' wouldn't repeat it like a parrot. Besides, it fed his ego to think he was still in control.

Rory smoothed her short blonde layered hair cut, and brushed her choppy bangs out of her black eye linered eyes. She walked faster soon running back up the street, back to Chilton. Tristan stood leaning on the wall engaged in a conersation with his flip phone, Louise stayed next to him; staring at nothing. Rory brushed past him not looking back once. She didn't want to see him right now.

Rory sprinted through the halls of Chilton, entering the nearest girls bathroom. She stared in the mirror for a second, seeing what she'd become before viguorusly scrubbing the makeup off her face, then she wet her short layered bleached hair, pulling it into the best ponytail she could manage. She pulled her skirt further down her hips trying to increase the length and gave her shirt a good pull to strech it out.

Now she was ready.

"Tristan!" She said spinning him around, interrupting his and Louise's farewell kiss.

"They just hang off me." He said to Louise. "Hold on." Rory impatiently grabbed his arm and tugged him a safe distance from Louise.

"Why did you do this to me?" Rory could see Louise raising an eyebrow in the backround.

"What?" He asked arching an eyebrow

"I look like Barbie, just like another girl fantasizing about Ken." Rory said stepping away from Tristan terrified she'd do something she'd regret if she didn't. Louise scoffed and then turned on her heel walking away.

"Is Damien Ken?" Tristan asked wearing his smirk. Rory sighed. "Am I Ken?"

"Excuse me?" Rory asked astonished. "You think I liked you?"

"Only along with every girl in Chilton. Don't feel to different."

"You're avoiding my question." Rory snorted. But really she was avoiding her own answer.

He shrugged. "You wanted me to."

"Do you have any memory of me asking for this?"

"You asked with your eyes."

"Poetic, but lame excuse." Rory snapped getting playful, she hated fights and was desperate to lighten the situation. But then she wasn't, her mood had taken a turn down a darker path, "I'm not good enough for anyone." She sighed sinking onto the ground. She was loosing the battle for control, and he was weakening her knees.

Tristan sank down next to her, "You looked better before."

"No one else seemed to think so. No one likes Skipper, just Barbie." A tear escaped her eye; Rory knew it wasn't right to care what others thought. But the pressure of Chilton's in crowd was getting to her. Not to mention that the attention of the king was seriously complicating it.

"I think you were beautiful." Tristan smiled, showing everyone of is whitened teeth.

Rory looked up at him fighting back tears, she wasn't used to this lack of confidence that she was swimming in.

"You are beautiful."

A/N: I hope you liked it, I liked the ending but I'm not sure how in character it was. I did almost my best, just rushing to get it down.