Title: Regretting The Future

Author: Me!!!

Summary: Rory regrets what she's done in the past day, so when she tries to wish it away she erases more than just one day, but her entire life.

Feedback: I love REVIEWS (other than coffee of course)

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. Even though I so want the monkey lamp in Lorelai's living room.

Spoilers: None whatsoever!

Author's Note: I have a retro light up fake fish tank!

Everything is good up to RUN AWAY, LITTLE BOY minus the tinsie tinnie fact that Tristan's still around.

* * * * * * * * * Chapter One: From Dawn Til Dusk * * * * * * * * *

The early morning rays shone through the Venetian blind shunning the darkness into the corners. The sleeping figure curled into a ball yawned as she covered her eyes with pink shelled fingers. She tilted her head ever so slightly squinting to see the time. The image blurred in and out, until everything came to into focus.

"Mom!" Suddenly the girl jumped to her feet, accidentally striking her head onto the ceiling. "Ice.Ow!" she cried in anguish tears streaming down her face.

"Rory, child of mine, did we run out of coffee because if we did I'll kill Taylor for the delayed shipment-," ranted the older woman as she strode into the room. "Why are you in bed and why are you clutching the top of your head? You weren't doing the hokey pokey again were you?" she scolded lightheartedly.

"I'm late," she pointed the Hello Kitty clock with both of its whiskers leaning to the seven. She raced into her closet tossing her uniform onto the bed, "Help me get me ice, coffee, my books, something!"

"Calm down and I'll drive you there. Can't have Il Duce give you detention," Lorelai yelled from the kitchen as she hopped on one foot putting on her shoe.

Rory put on her ensemble and squirmed into her oxfords grasping the side of the wall. "Where's the coffee?"

A sputter and a hiss resounded through the hallways only to be followed by a howl. Rory scrambled to the counter and gasped in horror. Her mother crouched on the floor held a silver knob in her outstretched palm. Choking back the pain she sputtered, "I hurt Bert. I killed Bert!" Rory's gazed meander back and forth from her distraught mother to the dying coffeemaker. A drop of elixir slipped onto the heating coil withering in pain as it sizzled up. The red "go" life flickered before fading into the oblivion.

"Mom, I need coffee, how could you kill Bert?" she demanded.

Tears formed behind her eyes, "You were in a rush and Bert was having one of his slow days. You know the one where we end up staring for the first drop to fill the pot. Anyway, I hit him and turned a few knobs and this broke off."

"I don't have time for coffee. I have to get to school," whined the teenager dragging her mother to the back door.

"Wait I'm not dressed." iThanks for stating the obviousi Rory vehemently exclaimed to herself. Her mother furiously tried to straighten her wrinkled duck pajamas.

"If we stop at Luke's for two coffees would it matter?" she bargained.

"Good point." And with that the mother-daughter duo rushed out the door without their coats.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Jeep careened down main street and lurched forward at the stoplight. The light dimmed onto red and patiently, to some extent, they waited for the change. "Ror, let me run the light it takes five minutes to change to green. Please." She pouted and used her Bambi eyes.

"No. You stay here and I'll run and get our coffees. I don't need another Luke refusal right now," she shrieked as she hopped from her seat and burst through William's Hardware Store/Luke's Diner.

The door swung open exposing her eyes to the bright green paint and surprised townsfolk gasped at her hap hazardous attitude. The man in flannel turned to greet his regular customer only to be shoved out of the way. "Hey Rory, no one passes the white counter line." Rory grasped the handle of the pot and shook it vigorously, "Luke, where the hell is the elixir of life, the air we Gilmore's breath, heaven's delight?"

Luke grabbed her shoulders forcing her to look at him, "Rory what's wrong and since when have you become a clone of Lorelai?"

Frantically she threw open the cabinets searching for the sacred bean while explaining her predicament to him, "Woke up late, Bert broke, Mom's at light, and there's no freaking coffee!"

"Sorry Rory, I sold the last cup to that man over there." Rory advanced her glare at Kirk. The cup slowly rose to his lips in slow motion. Impulsively, she darted through the labyrinth of tables and chairs, while the customers were spilling ketchup onto their shirts and a distinct 'Noooooo' came from the crowd, she snatched the paper cup from Kirk's clutch.

She line backed into the diner door only hearing the faint cry of Kirk and a thud of liquid onto the pavement. She fell to the floor and tore at her hair. Beside her Dean leaned forward, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry Rory I didn't see y-"

But his apology was dismissed, "Arrgh." She literally shoved him into the black garbage bags on the corner and stormed into the Jeep.

"Soo, bad time to ask where's the coffee?" Lorelai asked cautiously as she drummed her fingers on the wheel.

"Oh yeah."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A half an hour later and thirty minutes into her first class, Rory stumbled into the silent room.

"Well, Miss Gilmore it's nice to see you join us for the Persian War," incited Ms. Marx. Snickers echoed through the seats as Rory handed the pink late slip to her. "Ok now that everything's been settled, Alexander the Great was the son of the Macedonian King Philip II..."

Rory tuned out the rest Ms. Marx's monologue. She stared out the window and hummed the theme of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

"-more. Miss Gilmore." Rory snapped her head from her fixative gaze. Above her the teacher placed her hand on her hip clearly signifying that this was not a pleasant visit.

"If you were planning on dreaming in class, you should have stayed at home. Ten page report on the cultural diffusion of Alexander's empire on my desk Monday." The bell rang a minute too late, the Chiltonites poured out of the now barren room.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Come on Ernie, open up." Rory pounded on the wedged locker and firmly grasped the lock. Placing her foot on the bottom half she mustered all her strength. *Pop * The door flung open and books scattered onto the floor. Muttering a few detest words as she piled the countless books on Virginia Wolfe and Sylvia Platt, she felt the presence of the radiating hundred watt smirk brazen through her open locker door.

Closing the door she confirmed her worst fear, "Tristan."

"Mary. Mary," he said huskily as he ran his fingers through his blond hair.

"It's Rory," she restated for the hundredth time.

"Mary, were you dreaming of me before?" he smirked.

"Only of the countless ways to mutilate your corpse," she replied hurriedly as her eyes darted for an escape.

"Touché. But we're off the track. I have tickets-" but this time Rory refused to let him finish.

"What the hell is wrong with you? I'm not going anywhere with you, ever. I won't be some flavor of the week or some conquest. There will be no more sexual innuendos or "playful" banter," she exploded like a volcano lying dormant for eons. All those hateful words, thoughts, actions spurred from her mouth with the fury of a thousand wild horses.

Shocked by her initial reaction, Tristan tried to sway the conversation back into his hand, but Rory hadn't finished what she needed to say. "I refuse to feel sorry for you and your poor family." She said in a sarcastic voice, "Oh, I'm Tristan, King of Chilton and my family and friends could give two shits about me. All alone for Christmas and birthdays, so I seek iLovei, if that's what you call it, in my girlfriends Candy and Summer. Who the hell names their kid after a season? The only thing I can hope for you is for you to find the female equivalent to you, Tristan. Maybe, you'll the be the first one to get dumped, see how that feels. Now get out of my way!" With the last comment still hanging in the air, she threw up her arms and whirl winded into Biology. The crowd of Chiltonites staring with blank, unforgiving faces for their beloved leader. Judgment Day had finally come.

"That was low for you, Mary," Tristan spoke softly, giving up all hope of her acceptance. Tucking the tickets in his blazer, he mournfully walked off in the opposite direction.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Not my best work! But don't blame me its three in the morning.

~Stephanie~