-1Driving Home For Christmas.
Chapter One.
Finally it felt like Christmas. Here she was snuggled up, all warm and cosy, in her winter woolies as the first snow fall of winter fluttered down around her and finally she was on her way home. There had been so many hectic moments during the day when she'd been certain that the last flight to Hartford before Christmas would be leaving without her. The haunting vision of spending the festive season alone in her undecorated flat, with its empty fridge and faulty heating she hadn't had time to get repaired, had been her inspiration for hitting all her deadlines by lunch and at last leaving the newspaper office she had practically lived in since her promotion to Features Editor last September. She loved her job with every breath in her body but it was true what they said, there really was no place like home. Especially at Christmas.
She heaved her jam packed suitcase towards the airport's entrance, stopping for a rest as it toppled over and she found she lacked the strength to put it back onto its wheels. After finally managing to rectify the situation, with one big burst of effort she yanked the heavy case the last ten yards into the airport only to be met by total chaos. Hoards of disgruntled passengers filled every possible space available and in every direction she looked people were loudly complaining to fraught staff members who were desperately trying to placate them. Unable to decipher exactly what the sharp female voice booming out of the tannoy system was saying she looked around frantically trying to find someone who could tell her what was going on.
"Excuse me," she tried to grab the attention of one of the worker's who had finally managed to break away from an angry looking businessman only to be surrounded by distraught passengers from every angle, one of whom barged past her sending her flying to the floor as he did so.
"Hey!" jumping up angrily she shouted after the man who was now unleashing a barrage of abuse at the staff member. "You can't do that! Just who exactly do you think you are ?! You… you…you….idiot." She trailed off unable to think of a more cutting insult.
"Nice Mary. You always did have the verbal repertoire down to a T," a familiar voice chuckled behind her. No. It couldn't be. She slowly began to turn her head in the direction of the voice.
It was.
Fists clenched, she rubbed her eyes vigorously in a vain hope that this was a hallucination which in a few seconds she would no longer be having.
It wasn't.
"Here, you lost this in the carnage." He handed her the stripy hat which had previously adorned her head. Her hand immediately shot up to her hair. Sure enough her "hat hair" was now on display for the whole world to see. For him to see. Quickly she yanked her hat back over her head in an attempt to cover it then cursed herself for even caring. This was the boy who had made her first years at Chilton a nightmare, the boy she couldn't once remember ever calling her by her actual name, who..who…who was every inch as attractive now as he was back then, she conceded. In fact possibly a little more. Again she cursed herself for even letting the thought cross her mind.
"What are you doing here?" She asked as if him being there was the most ludicrous thing in the world.
"Catching a plane funnily enough," he smiled wryly. "Well, at least I'm trying to."
"What is going on with that anyway?" She inquired hoping she would finally be able to elicit some information on the cause of this pandemonium.
"Poor visibility," he replied. "All fights are temporarily grounded."
"How temporarily?" She asked seeing Christmas in Stars Hollow slipping slowly from her grasp.
"Temporarily enough to cause this chaos," he nodded towards the scene surrounding them.
"But it's almost Christmas I need to get to-,"
"Bethlehem?" He interrupted grinning wickedly. "The Nativity sure has been updated since I was a kid, last I heard it was a donkey they travelled on not the 15.30 to Hartford."
"Ha. Ha. Nice to see you still possess that outstanding wit Bible Boy."
"So where's ...?" He ignored her, glancing around for anyone male shaped who she may actually be with. Inwardly he prayed there'd be no such obstacle. "What was his name? Dan? Or was it Dylan?"
"Dean." She corrected him. "Please," she looked at him with utter contempt and disdain in her voice. "Dumped him years ago."
"Really? Well who would have thought it?"
"Well I get around," she deadpanned.
"Is that so?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively. She grinned coyly moving closer to his frame, close enough for him to be able to feel her ice cold breath on his cheek as she whispered into his ear.
"Well one thing's for sure," she told him bluntly, "you'll never know."
"Now now Mary," he weaved his way through the bustling crowds after her as she marched towards the departure boards. "You wouldn't leave a poor boy all alone at Christmas."
"Wouldn't I?" she asked as she abruptly stopped to read the boards causing him to fall straight over the suitcase she was pulling behind her.
"Ooops!" She grinned down at where he was sprawled on the floor.
"I'm fine thanks." He snapped, pulling himself back up to standing position.
"Well, thanks for the Chilton flashback but seeing as I don't appear to be flying to Hartford anytime soon, I'm going to try and find somewhere quiet and get to know Oliver Twist a little bit better," she informed him. But as she turned to walk away she felt his hand gently grab her wrist.
"Look Rory," he pleaded finally using her actual name. "I know we didn't always get along but it's Christmas and we're both stranded. There is no where quiet around here and I happen to know you already got to know Oliver Twist intimately in high school."
"Hey! They were just rumours!" She grinned her frostiness towards him melting just a little.
"Of course they were," he nodded patronisingly. "We both know you're a literary whore Gilmore!"
"Better than an actual one, like most of your girlfriends," she quipped back.
"Ouch!" He clutched his chest in mock pain. "Nice shot."
"I got a lot of target practice in high school," she grinned.
"I know, I've still got the scars," he smiled back. "So are you going to let me buy you a coffee or what?"
"Coffee?" she perked up. "Now why didn't you just say that in the first place?"
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"Pull up a pew," she motioned to him as she made a makeshift bench from her Hello Kitty suitcase and sat on it gulping the steaming coffee which had just made her day a lot better. He did the same with his case as she pulled a book from her jacket pocket and began to read.
"Social Mary," he quipped. "Real social!"
"Sorry!" she replied sheepishly pushing the book back into her pocket. "So…," she struggled for something to say. "Army didn't work out for you then?"
"Actually it did. I was out there on the front line for a while until I got injured. And well that was the end of my whole Army career," he told her, regret clear in the tone of his voice.
"I'm sorry," she stated sincerely.
"Not your fault."
"I was out there too," she told him. "For a little while."
"You were?" he looked surprised.
"I was working on the Washington Post as a Political Correspondent and they posted me out there."
"Wow. Get you, little Rory Gilmore's a Political Correspondent now!" he teased but he was clearly impressed.
"I was. I work in features now. After my Dad…," she hesitated. "Well let's just say that my life changed and I didn't want to be as far away from home anymore."
"You always were a Mummy's girl!"
"That's me. 27 and still tied to the apron strings," she joked in a vain attempt to stop him noticing her unease. He noticed but refrained from pressing her on the matter
"Well you made it as far as Washington so you should be commended. I always thought Hartford would be pushing it!"
"So what are you doing now?" She asked curiosity getting the better of her.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you Mary."
"Try me."
"I'm a teacher," he announced as if it was the most natural thing in the world causing her to spit out the mouthful of hot coffee she had just taken.
"Thanks, your reaction fills me with confidence!" he laughed.
"A teacher?!" she gasped "You?! You're a teacher?!"
"I just said so didn't I?"
"They let you be a teacher? You? Tristan Dugray?"
"That is my name yes."
"But…but..but how could they let you loose on those young, impressionable minds?!"
"I guess they see something in me that you clearly don't," he chuckled.
"I sincerely hope that you've changed since Chilton or those poor kids are in trouble!"
"Oh come on I wasn't that bad!"
"You so were." She laughed.
"Alright," he conceded. "Maybe I was but I've changed Mary. I'm actually really enjoying it. I've even
surprised myself."
"You so haven't changed Dugray," she teased. "I know you're only doing it for the fit moms!"
"Well I do have to admit," he smirked at her. "That is a very nice perk of the job!"
"I knew it." She laughed.
"Speaking of fit moms, how is Lorelai the 1st?" He grinned.
"Hey!" She laughed. "Don't even think about it Bible Boy! And she's the 2nd actually."
"2nd what? Fit Mom this week? She'd be the…,". He paused jokingly to count on his fingers. "The 3rd actually."
"The 2nd Lorelai you idiot!" She laughed playfully hitting him on the arm.
"Ow!" He feigned pain rubbing his arm vigorously.
"Oh boo hoo." She mocked sticking her bottom lip out.
"No sympathy for anyone Gilmore, that's your problem." He jokingly pulled a face at her.
"No, right now you're my problem!"
"Don't lie we both know you love me," he nudged her playfully, raising his eyebrows suggestively in her direction.
"That is so not true. We both know your, somewhat dubious, charms never managed to work their magic on me".
"I would try to deny that but then you are the only girl I've ever made cry by kissing her," he winced, the jokey tone in his voice suddenly absent. She cringed at the memory, burying her head in her hands.
"That really wasn't about you," she tried to assure him as she lifted her head up.
"Oh don't try to soften the blow now Mary, it's been 11 years, I'm dealing with it in the best way I possibly can," he teased.
"Kissing as many women as possible to prove it was in fact my problem not yours?" She suggested smiling.
"Exactly! You were clearly an ice queen Gilmore, it'd take what?, Say 11 years of increasing levels of global warming to thaw your heart?" He glanced suggestively in her direction.
She gulped as he leaned his head slowly towards hers. He was going to kiss her and she was actually seriously considering kissing him back, confident that this time there would definitely be no tears. She frantically tried to think things through in the mere seconds she had before his lips would meet hers. This was Tristan Dugray for goodness sakes! How could she even be contemplating this? He was a nightmare. Or at least he used to be. He really did seem to have changed and right now she was having trouble fighting a clear attraction to him. She gave in and moved her lips towards his…
"Attention all passengers travelling on the 15:30 to Hartford! Attention all passengers travelling on the 15:30 to Hartford!" A loud voice boomed out of the speaker situated directly above them causing both Rory and Tristan to jump apart before their lips had found the opportunity to meet.
"Damn!" Rory muttered wiping away the last remnants of her coffee which she'd managed to spill down her jeans as she'd jumped in shock.
"Due to circumstances beyond our control this flight has been cancelled. We apologise for inconvenience caused." The voice finished its announcement.
"Well it looks like we're stranded in Washington for Christmas." Tristan stated, standing up and pulling his case to a vertical position.
"No way!" Rory shook her head. "I have to get to Stars Hollow, I'll…rent a car and drive home!"
"You can't be serious, Christmas will be practically over by the time you get there!"
"You don't understand, I need to be with my Mom. It's complicated. Don't you want to go home for Christmas?"
"Not really," he admitted. "My Dad will spend the entire festive season putting my down, whereas if I'm here I can call, wish everyone a Merry Christmas and then forget about him and his utter disdain for me for another year".
"Sorry I didn't know things were that bad."
"Ah they always have been, it's nothing new . Are you really going to drive home?"
"Yes I am!" She said decisively grabbing hold of her case. "I'm going to go hire a car right now."
"Well drive carefully," he told her. "And Rory?"
"Yes?"
"Maybe in the New Year when you're back in Washington we could go out, you know on a date?"
"A date? Right. A date?". She was flustered, her cheeks were turning red "A date. Sure."
He leant forward and planted a delicate kiss on her cheek, only causing it to become even redder.
"Call me." He told her about to walk away.
"I don't have your number!" She called after him. "Wait, let me get a pen to write a down," she stated rummaging in her rucksack. "Where is it? I know I have one! Great reporter I am, can't even find a pen when I need one. Ah there it is! Oh no that's tutti frutti lip gloss I don't think that'll work very well. Ah! I have an eyeliner in here somewhere, now where is-,"
"Rory!" he interrupted her one woman attempt to speak as many words as possible without pausing for breath and placed a small rectangular card in her hand.
"I'll see you in the new year," he smiled and walked away as she looked down at the business card , smiling as she traced the outline of his name with her fingernail.
She sighed. She'd been waiting for a hire car to what felt like forever. It appeared that everyone else had had the same idea but now -thankfully the number of people in the tiny cabin appeared to be dwindling. The owner came forward placing a set of keys on the desk.
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"Now folks, I don't know who was here first but I only have one car left," he announced and Rory immediately pounced forward to grab the keys, her fighting instinct kicking in.
"I'll take it!" she announced pulling the keys towards her, attempting to prise them from the hand that had hold of the other side. They struggled for a few minutes neither willing to give up their claim to the last car available before both looking up.
The keys clattered to the ground as both let go in utter disbelief.. Rory gulped.
"Jess."