Disclaimer: I do not own anything, if I did, I would lose time writing fanfic but I would write back Tristan in Gilmore Girls.
Author's Note: I've had a major crash recently which made me lose all of my data.. including updates on all of my story. I've been avoiding reinstalling Word because I had lost inspiration to write alltogether. Well, this short fic is my way of getting out of my writer's block. Hope you enjoy!
Second note... Happy birthday Nate(MrSchimpf)... This one is for you, for your support and love.
Didi
Time After Time
She was a little behind the crowd, not too far away to miss any details but far enough not to be questioned of her presence. She didn't officially have any right to be present and she knew it would hurt her just as much to be there, but she wasn't able to stop herself from attending. She held her black umbrella shielding herself from the pouring rain, currently transfixed by the priest who was reading passages from his Bible.
In front of her was a sea of black umbrellas that prevented her from recognizing the identities of the people surrounding the priest. So far, she hadn't recognized anyone she knew but a single tear mixed with the rain that had still found a way to wet her.
Rory was in the regular restaurant where she always met Logan on Wednesday nights. But he was late as always. Didn't he understand that this was her last year of college? She had other things to do than wait for him, she would wait when they were out of college but not now. She tapped on the table while she checked her watch and decided that after almost two years of dating, she should get away. She should have been a more important priority to him, his first priority.
After waiting a little more, she paid for the drink she had ordered while waiting and got up to leave. She was angry at Logan, well this would be the time where he would get there late and she wouldn't be there and wouldn't be reachable but she wanted more. She left the restaurant concentrating on ways to hurt Logan but bumped into someone. Hurriedly she said, "I'm sorry" without looking up, not wanting to show the tears of anger falling from her eyes to the stranger.
She felt two hands steadying her form and looked up as she heard, "No problems, really."
The stranger retrieved his hands from her without a second glance but she asked, "Tristan?"
He swiftly turned around to look at her face, upon recognition a smirk crept up his face, "Mary"
And that was the beginning. The way they reacquainted, the way they fell in love. Tears started to pour from her eyes as she saw the hole and the tomb in front of the priest. She had no right to cry, no right to be there, but still she was getting wet from the rain as her umbrella fell from her hands but she didn't realized it as the priest kept on talking.
They were in front of the fire in his house, "I love you Rory."
Rory looked at Tristan and kissed him softly, her engagement ring sparkling under the light of the fire, "I know you do."
"I want to hear you say it."
Tears glistening in her eyes, Rory said, "I can't tell you, if I do." She took a deep breath, "I won't be able to go on with life."
He looked at her in the eyes, "You know you have my heart, and as much as I would like to give you my soul, I can't."
Rory whipped her tears away, "I know, that's why I can't tell you."
Rory looked at her wedding finger, wondering how things got so screwed up, where did things go wrong, she knew, she always knew! it was that night it all started.
"Want to go somewhere quieter?" Tristan asked as they were having their weekly coffee.
Rory raised an eyebrow, "What do you have in mind?"
He leaned closer, took her right hand in his to retrieve her engagement ring and whispered, "I want you. I can't take it anymore."
She smiled, "I want you too."
She discretely took off her wedding band to put it in her pocket and look in front of her, tears sparkling as they mixed with the rain.
"I'm getting married tomorrow!" She cried as she refuged in his arms.
"So, it's our last night?"
Rory smiled sadly and whispered, "unless you change your mind."
Tristan took a step back, "I can't! You have my heart, you know it. But I have to do my duty."
She cried, "But you'll be miserable."
He sighed, "Maybe. But you'll always be in my heart. Let me give you one last night."
Her tears flowed even more as she thought of Logan. The one that acted as if he didn't hear when she called for Tristan in the middle of the night while they made love. The one that loved her enough to act as if he didn't know she wasn't in love with him.
"I'll always love you Rory."
Rory snuggled closer to him but stayed mute.
Tristan rose from the bed, "God damn it Rory! Say it! Once!"
She closed her eyes, willing herself not to speak her heart out. She dressed slowly, "My mom is waiting for me. I'm getting married in 6 hours."
He stayed in bed, deceived.
She saw the priest close his Bible, turning around with a mission done. She scanned the crowd, and finally saw him holding the arm of his wife. He hugged his mom and pushed his wife to follow his mom. He scanned the crowd and let his umbrella fall as he saw her against a tree, an umbrella beside her on the dirt, tears falling down her cheek and with a swollen belly. He walked forward to meet her but she raised her hand to stop him. She mouthed, "I love you!" then she left.
She was waiting for her coffee, she thought she was happy in her life when she received a tap on her shoulder with a whisper on her ear, "I love you, I've never stopped thinking about you."
She turned to face him with a cold glare, "Then why did you marry her? Why did you let me marry Logan?" She took her coffee and left the coffee shop.
He followed closely behind, "Rory, Wait!"
She stopped and turned around, her face down and her voice cold, "What could I do for you Tristan?"
Tristan discreetly held her hand, "I want you to say that you love me, I want to hear it once."
Rory tugged on his hand and whispered, "I can't say it because that would be cheating on Logan, I've hurt him enough already."
"I didn't have a choice in the matter Rory. I wanted to be with you but he's holding the strings. What would you have me do? Get kicked out of the family?"
Her eyes filled with furry, she held back her tears, "Exactly! That's what love is about! It's not about money or contracts!"
She walked away and forgot to take her coffee. Tristan watched her knowing nothing he could do or say could make her stay.
On the way to leave, she turned to face him and screamed, "It's yours!"
He looked at his father's grave at his feet and murmured, "I despise you for ruling my life." He glanced at Rory, making her way between the tombstones as a stray of sunlight pierced the cloud for less than a second to hit her directly. There, surrounded by the light, she looked like an angel, his angel.
He turned in the direction of the limousine where his trophy wife was waiting with his mom. Both looking angry at him that he was taking too long to join them, forcing them to keep the façade and hide the joy they both felt that the tyrant was finally dead.
He looked back at Rory who was near the other side of the graveyard.
"Tristan, don't be such a baby. We are both cheating, at night I go back to Logan. For as long as I'm with him, I won't betray the love I always had for him but sharing these words with you..."
He approached the limousine but didn't climb in; instead, he looked at his wife and mother and said, "I'm sorry, I've been an idiot."
His mother seemed happy because of his words but her features were of pure furry as Tristan swiftly turned around to run in the rain.
Rory touched the Iron Gate and felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn't turn or move, her heart beating frantically. She heard, "I'm sorry, I've been an idiot." She turned to face him slowly, "If you'll take me back, I won't deceive you." Her face contorted in pain and panic, hiding the happiness she felt. "I'll divorce, you'll divorce and we'll finally be able to marry."
Her face came back to normal, from a distance they could hear the pleading of Tristan's mother for him to come back. She kissed him softly and replied weakly, "Then take me to the" she took a deep breath her face contorted in pain and breathed out, "hospital."
"Logan, I'm pregnant." Logan's face reflected the confusion he felt but before he could say anything, "I love you Logan, but I can't keep lying to you." She sat down on the couch, "When I met you, you made me think of him, of the chances I could've taken with him but didn't. I love you dearly, but I love him more."
Logan looked at the flames dancing in the fireplace, flames that contrasted with the icing he felt in his heart at hearing his worst fear becoming true. He only asked, "How long has this been going on?"
Relief washing over her, she whispered, "A week or two, before we married but we were friends before. But it doesn't matter anymore, he made his choice and it wasn't me." She took his hand in hers but he retrieved it. He didn't say a word, stood up and left the room.
He came back just a second after, "I would like it if you could leave. I never liked being second choice and still don't. I'll leave for a couple of days while you move out."
Rory was trying to get some sleep but she was overjoyed by looking at the tinny form of her daughter lying beside her. She looked over at her baby to the leather chair by the bed where Tristan was sleeping. A smile crept up her face and she was finally about to sleep. Today, a life ended, but life started for three people.