Expect the unexpected
Things aren't always as they appear...
Disclaimer: I own nothing... Neither the characters nor the songs mentioned...
Paring: Tristan-Rory...
AN: Essential information before reading the story...
It is set in season 1, after the episode: Lilies Daises and troubadours, exactly after the summer.
And, for the reckon, Lorelai and Max broke up...
Hope you'll like it... please review, let me know your opinions, your ideas, how would you like the story to develop and, of course,if you liked it!
Parties nerves and crazy gypsies
-Stupid Party! Not only have I had to deal with that one at school...now I even have to see him out of it! That's all grandmas' fault!! How... ahhhh!!
Said a brunette to her, looking upset while she was walking back ad forth the entire length of the lived, full of crazy and funny objects living room... She was wearing a pair of big, pink, and fluffy slippers, decorated with fairies and stars, which made her appear little and sweet... Her face was worried; her hair was tangled and messy, as if she'd refused to deal with them on purpose...
She wore normal clothes, nothing even close to look sexy, but still she looked beautiful in her simplicity...
-"Hon, ready to rise and shine??"
-"No time for your sense of humour right now"
-"I wasn't being sarcastic! What's the big deal anyway??"
-"Haven't you realized?"
-"What?"
-"Mom! Birthday Party! Tristan's house! Tristan's party! Tristan! THAT TRISTAN...Bible boy! The one who calls me Mary and who teases and annoys me every time he sees me! That's the Huge deal! How could you let grandma force us to go to his stupid party?? Why hadn't you screamed and stumped loudly your feet and moaned as usual?? And How come are you looking at me like I'm a crazy lunatic gypsy?"
-"Honey...sit down! Come on, breathe: In and Out, In and Out..."
-"Mom!"
-"Listen, I know you kind of hate this guy, and I'd...I'd be mad at him too if I were you, but... that's not the point!"
-"Bu..."
-"Shh! You know I love you and I'd do anything to make you happy…"
-"SO…"
-"NO! I'm concerned about you in this period, you keep wallowing and thinkin' but Dean and what could have been, I know you... like him and... You suffer, but hey! It's time to move on! You'll go to that party, we'll both go; you'll have fun, you'll meet some cute guy, I'll look for a perfect man Brad Pitt-like, I'll decide he's "the One", we'll fly to Las Vegas and in a Abby, next to people dressed like Elvis Presley, we'll get married! And we'll all live happily ever after!"
-"I lost your train of thought..."
-"Me too...but, the point is that we'll go and have fun...Maybe you'll find out that the guy isn't how he seems..."
-"Sure, and pigs might fly!"
-"Oh and aliens might come here and kidnap Michel and..."
-"And he'll drive them crazy"
-"So they'll bring him back at the Inn"
-"And disappear forever!!"
-"Or at least 'till Tom Cruise decides to shoot another fantasy movie"
-"No, I don't think they'll agree...The last one was pretty enough...bu maybe with the smile he has he could..."
She never finished the sentence since a smell of burnt came from the kitchen...
-"My Coffee!!"
- "You mean OURS!"
The two girls ran towards the small kitchen with worried expressions on their faces... despite the rest of the house looked pretty well lived; the kitchen had a hint of brand new... They weren't fan of homemade meals...That's for sure!
As they got to the kitchen, then, it was too late...the coffee had become of a brownish black color...
-"Yuck!!"
-"Gross!!"
Their expressions were disappointed, but Gilmores never surrender when there's a lack of coffee...
-"Luke??"
-"Definitely..!"
When we talk about coffee there's nothing able to stop 'em from having a sip!
-"Guess you should put on something nicer that the ordinary pair of jeans you're wearing..."
-"What's wrong with them? They're so comfy!"
-"Sure! If you wanna go to a pick-nick they're perfect!"
-"Then what am I supposed to wear??"
-"I know where you are headed Missy..."
-"Well, that's great because I have no idea...Give me a hint!"- She said coyly to her mother...
She could play the role of the naive one really well...
-"What do you want me to lend you??"
-"Well there's that white sweater..."
-"No no no no, you're gonna wear something that looks like a dress!"
-"Mum..."
-"HA ah ha! No way! If your grandmother forced ME to dress up, you'll do that either!"- She stated simply, with a devilish grin on her face...-"What about the violet dress I bought you ages ago and that you never wore? It was nice... Oh! There's the light blue one you wore at the town-dance when you were 13...who knows where it is... Oh and the Pink one you..."
-"I think I'll go for something less colorful... .."
-"Good pick...Oh please do something to your hair too...It looks as if a storm of birds perched on it!"
The young girl shot to the grinning and right then jumping woman a fulminating glance before turning around heading to her room to get dressed
-"Be sure to be ready and perfect in 10 minutes' time! I will not be able to survive without coffee any longer ...!"
Fireworks and broken dishes
More than 20 minutes, various crisis and screams later, the two girls where ready to leave...
The older one was wearing a simple though elegant black sleeveless knee-length dress, with a dark-grey ribbon that softly wrapped her waist, of the same color of her tiny purse, while the younger one was wearing a silk midnight-blue top, who made her blue eyes stand out, and a matched bell skirt, of the same color and pattern, that stopped a few inches before her knee, showing-off the bare legs that the high black heels she wore made look longer..
She had managed to get her long hair slightly curly, and to put a faint blue little flower on one side. Her white skin contrasted the darkness of her clothes, and gave her a chic and sophisticated look...
The two could look like sisters to people who didn't know them...
Who could imagine they were mother and daughter??
The people of the village shot them curious and admiring gazes as they walked past the streets towards their favorite place...there was a smell of coming fall in the air...as the summer didn't want to leave room for it, as it wanted to impose her presence a little more...
You could feel the welcoming of the small village as you walked through the lightened avenues, just like everyone acknowledged your presence and loved he fact that you shared the same interest in that town... You could see, smell, and even feel tradition everywhere, as the little town didn't want to go on, but living apart; following its own customs and habits...
As the pair entered the millionth time the hardware store who happened to be a neat and cosy diner, the owner of the place, a man obviously uncaring of the way he looks since he wore a plaid over-sized shirt, a blue baseball hat and a pair of floppy and worn out jeans, Look at them as they were a sort of angels on earth..
-"Earth to Luke!"
-"Earth to Luke! We have a S.O.S Coffee here!"
He jumped and dropped the dish he was holding in the hands, causing a sudden complain from a tall, thin guy near him, with dark brown eyes and hair that did not look very clean..., :
- "I'm not going to pay you for another hamburger Luke! And I won't pay you either if the other one won't look or taste as the one I should be eating by now!"
-"You kiddin' right? If you hadn't even bitten it!"
-"I recognize the difference"
-"You're Crazy"
-"NO! I expect to be served the same meal you..."
-"Oh stop it! ... Lorelai, Rory! You look amazing!"- He, looking tired, directed his attention to the two girls that entered before, and that had already took a seat to better watch the show of the two men arguing childishly...
-"Thanks! Hey, Nice performance!"- Said sarcastically Lorelai
-"Yeah, you really rock, Kirk had no chance to win against you" - Added Rory jokingly
-"What? Since when I am a boxer or who knows what you're thinking of me now?"
-"MMmm I was thinkin 'bout a... Sumo player..."- Told him Lorelai almost seriously...
-"NO! It looked more like a dance performance at Miss Patty's school! - Said Rory in response, trying hard not to laugh..."
-"You two will drive me crazy..."
-"NO! Hey emergency! He discovered our plan! We have to review the situation!"- Said loudly Lor. Leaning towards her daughter and pretending to whisper her new arrangements...-"Deal?"
-"Deal!"- Answered Rori, putting a wide and ingenuous smile on her face, pretending nothing had just happened...
-"Oh my...Anyway where are you going tonight so dressed-up?"
-"A boring, stressful, stupid party we're obliged to go to..."
-"It looks like you'll be the next best fore teller of the Country...Com'on Rory, look on the bright sides, you may enjoy it!"
-"Sure..."
-"Hey we're late!"- Interjected Lorelai- "Luke! Two coffees to go..."- Since he kept looking at her, as he was deciding to give her or not the coffee, she added: - "C'mon! If the party turns out to be a flop how am I supposed to react if I had no coffee in my body?!"-
This didn't helped much...He was even more sceptic that before! Thus she said in a child-like sweet voice: - "Please...lucky Luk..."-
-"Okay...but I must warn you! It will kill you! And sure the hell I won't blame myself for letting you kill yourself!"
-"Ok deal"- she said quickly and, still looking sceptic, he handed her two plastic cup of hot coffee...
When music talks to you...
As they got into the old greenish jeep and turned on the radio, the notes of a sort of rap/rock song filled the air:
...you never can tell
When you're swimming with sharks that you can't repel
No one can hear you yell...
You never know where
You won't know how
When you least expect it
Expect the unexpected...
-No...This no...
No, he couldn't take away her music, one of the few things that could let her relax, daydream, and get lost in her thoughts and memories... He couldn't just crash into her life and steal that precious shelter...She won't let that song remind her of him. She won't let him in her world, in her own "kingdom"...He could tease her at school, but he will not tease her between the lines of the songs...
That's why she abruptly switched down the radio.
Lorelai, though, given that she understood her daughter's feelings, could not let her put up barriers that will prevent her from sneaking in the "real" world. Rory needed someone to lead in her world, she needed to let someone in, and she needed to move on...
That's why she wanted her to listen to that damn song...
-"Com' on it was cool...leave it!"
-"No"
-"Why not?"
-"Because"
-"That's not the right answer..."
-"Who tells?"
-"Rory..."
-"Lorelai..."
-"You should..."
-"What?"
-"Never mind, we're gonna listen to this song no mater what you think"
-"But..."-She said in a sort of plea tone...
-"I like it and I want to listen to it OK? Let's stop it..."
Despite the protests of her daughter, then, Lorelai turned on the radio again, this time raising the volume even more...
...This is one day you'll never forget
Cash in your pockets and no regrets...
Rory tried not to pay attention to the words of the song, but she couldn't help hearing...
When the music talks to you, there's no way you can get away from it...
And the song, in that very moment, was speaking to her, directly to her heart...
-"Mom!"- Almost shouted Rory...
She was afraid of who knows what...
But maybe, deep inside, she really wanted to give the guy a second chance, she just was too stubborn to admit it to herself...or too scared to get hurt...again...
–"It's too loud!!"-
Once the music starts to talk to you...
... You either talk to her...
...Or its voice will get louder and louder...
-"I can't hear you!"- Yelled her back
Until it reaches your heart...
-"Just relax and enjoy the moment..."- And with these words she lowered the vol.
'Till you're forced to listen to her...
...Don't be surprised by what you hear
Things aren't always as they appear
The unexpected ain't nothing to fear
The truth is always clear...
After about 15 minutes, Lorelai stopped the car and set her gaze directly into the navy blue eyes of the girl sat in the passenger's seat.
She was about to speak when she preceded her...-"I got it, I'll have fun, or at least I'll try..."
-"About that boy..."
-"I won't be rude, Promise...but if he comes up with his usual annoying remarks I'm not sure I'll be able to stop myself from slapping him..."
-"Rory..."
-"Hey! You never know...If I 'm ever gonna break my promise I wanna be sure I'd warned you first!"
-"I'll pretend I didn't hear what you last said... Now let's get out of here and get the party started!"
As they got off the car, they finally noticed the Huge mansion in front of them. It looked olden, but it possessed that old-fashioned owe that is able to leave you stunned...In fact, the two Gilmores stared at the building as if they were looking at some sort of picturesque ghost-inhabited castle...the atmosphere was fascinating, that's for sure, but a thought crossed Rory's mind... It was almost creepy, and if someone lived there all alone they would surely feel very lonely...She pushed that thought away as they crossed the path that led to the front door, and she put up a fake smile on her face -just to be polite-, she thought...
-"You are...?"
Said a clearly tired and frustrated butler
-"The Gilmores"
-"Let me check..."
He took what seemed like ages to find their names
-"Oh here you are, May you leave me your coats and gently come inside?"
They looked at each other and stifled a chuckle, then handed him the coats and got into the mansion...
It looked even more luxurious and perfect than they had imagined, but it also seemed cold, unlived, fake...How'd someone feel if they had to live in a place like that one, but actually can't live it at all, because of the fear of breaking down something, destroying the halo of sham perfection that surrounded it...
Not good presumed Rory...
A.N.: The song mentioned above belongs to the band: "Dog eats dog" and it is named: "Expect the unexpected"
Certain things never change...Or do they?
-"Hello! You must be Loralie! Oh and who's this amazing young lady? Oh, your daughter Lori I suppose! She's so like Christopher...Have you heard from him lately?? I heard of a new job, a nice amount of money, cool uh? It's funny how things change...Oh! What a pity your wonderful mother couldn't make it tonight! Do you remember why she didn't join us?? I think..."
-"Cut off..."- Whispered quickly Lor to Rory, trying to "save" her from the awkward and boring conversation that was about to start with that old lady...
Gosh! People never change -thought Lorelai- they're as noisy as 30 years ago...
She was stuck there, obliged to listen to that odd elderly woman, nodding or saying every now and then things such as: Really? Wow! No..! Come again? Crazy...Sure...
The woman was a friend of her mother who, only god knows how, apparently knew almost everything about every human being living or not on Earth... She was stocky, with hair dyed of a red-brownish colour, she wore big earrings, circular in shape and of what seemed gold, and she also wore a necklace made with pearls. She was wearing a scarlet red short dress -matching with her dark red lipstick- that was at least one size smaller than how it should be, plus her make-up was heavy, with golden eye shadow and a thick layer of orange blush on her cheeks...
Thus, the result was pretty awful...
While she pretended to talk to the woman, Bonnie or Barbara she was called, -she couldn't remember since she paid no attention to what she said...- Other people came towards her, one was "Bonbra" 's Husband –She made up her name sine she didn't know it! It kind of suited her...She would have talked about this issue with her daughter later...- The other two man were friends of him...
She kept on smiling while inside she was just thinking that Rory's predictions might turn out to be right...
While Lorelai had been stuck in a conversation with some elder friends of her parents, Rory, given that she had just lost her moral/physical supporter, suddenly realized that she new nobody at this party. There were a lot of people, some of them elderly, others just rich, stuck-up, conceited and boastful young...She recognized the majority of them because they went to Chilton, She knew she should know them, but she actually would not let herself give them the chance to get to know her...
At that point she looked around, trying to spot a familiar tousled head...in vain... unexpectedly she felt the loneliness of being alone in a huge ballroom, perfectly decorated in shades of peach and dirty white...even the people inside seemed part of that odd picture, as if they were immortalized during a formal celebration...all dressed-up, all trying to reserve room for themselves in that manufactured society...Nothing was out of place, the small round tables, the long crystal table where the buffet was placed...everything matched: the colors, the meals, the drinks, the lights...everything was freaking calculated and carefully decided... You could be even afraid of walking, in the fear of breaking that Harmony, that glee of faux...
Rory felt like she was the only one out of place... everybody were doing something: dancing, chatting, eating...even her mother found –even if not welcomed- company... She, instead, was standing alone, leaned on the wall, feeling an unwelcome sense of loss because the 2 people that could lighten her sense of uselessness, emptiness, weren't there...
One was her mother, for sure...
But the other one? Who was number two?
She thought about lane,
Then Dean...
But the real number 2 of her list, according to her heart, was another one... a person her heart had started to accept, while her brain kept on denying and pushing away...
She felt the urge to go the bathroom but at her demand of the directions towards it, the maids and the waiters she bumped into pretended to be too busy to acknowledge her presence, she thought to go at random; - sooner or later she would have found the restroom, wouldn't she? - Anyway, not completely thrilled at the idea of getting lost in the house and being found by a rescue team called by her mother, she decided to keep trying to ask for directions...
At last, she managed to find a waitress that mumbled her a few basic directions: upstairs, straight on the hallway, second or third door on the left...-or was it right? - She wanted to go ask someone else, but since she'd had more tries for the night than she could bear, she decided to trust the fate...
CHOICES OF THE HEART
Maybe the idea of the rescue team wasn't as far-fetched as it seemed to be 10 minutes later, since she couldn't remember how she managed to get to the bathroom...
That was the reason why she was wandering through the empty halls and the silent clean-cut rooms, having no idea of where she was, and starting doubting she would be able to find a way out of that "labyrinth". She even forgot if she was at the second or third floor...
She continued walking and the echo of her heels was the only noise she heard, and it was the only sound that broke the silence... She was up to start screaming: "Help!!"
When she heard the voices of two people coming from a room not far from where she was. That discovery made her release the tension for she was sure; then, she wasn't the only living human being in there...
She wanted to talk to them asking how to reach the ballroom but, all of a sudden, she realized that they were fighting...loudly...She thought they weren't her business, but she couldn't help overhearing as she recognized one of the two voices...
How couldn't she? Even if she had been deaf she would have been able to recognize it...That voice tormented her days, her dreams, her mind and heart, it had slipped into her life, her songs... and it seemed like it had no intention to leave her alone...
The yells grew louder and louder as she approached the room, but still she wasn't able to understand the topic of the matter... but just a few words...
What the hell!
Not possible!
...ONLY cause trouble!!
So worthless...!
Thankful of what I gave you...
I Knew...
...HUGE MISTAKE!!...
At this point, she heard a door being slammed and quick furious steps coming nearer her...
She didn't want to be seen, but since she had no choice, she had to face the owner of the other voice... She thought the meeting would lead to an awkward conversation, but the man barely seemed to notice her, he just smiled at her to let her know he acknowledged her presence...
He was an elderly tall man, and his feature reflected a halo of beauty that time had slowly been fading away...
After watching him leaving, she stood still, undecided between stop him and ask for directions, or get to the room her tormentor stood, to make sure it was all right...
That choice would have influenced the course of that evening, she knew that... and,
For once, instead of making her usual pro-cons list, she let her heart choose...
She decided to follow its decision, wherever it would lead her...
That was the main reason why she found herself opening the knob of the wooden door...
For once, she didn't know what to expect, except the unexpected...
Curled up on the cold marble ground there was non-the-less than a dishearten Tristan DuGrey...
The dark cobalt blue suit he wore was messy, rumpled, and best suit his appearance...
He looked bothered, sick, worn-out, the total opposite of his usual cheerful and sunny countenance...
His feature was slightly lighted by the delicate glimmer of the moonlight, coming from the window above him... He held his head with the hands, and as he heard the door open, he raised his crystal blue eyes to meet the ones of the person who entered the room... His face filled with disbelief and misunderstanding when he recognized the person in front of him...
-"Tris..."- She said slowly, with a low voice...
He didn't respond, but threw his head back, leaning it onto the wall, his expression looking empty and hurt...
She didn't know what to do...Obviously it wasn't alright...
-"What's up?"- Still no response... –"There's something I can do for you?"- She told him kindly... But he harshly replied mumbling what seemed like: -"Leave..."
She was struck by his words, but she earlier decided to follow her heart, no matter where it would had led her, so she was going to stay...ignoring his bitter words
Instead of living, then, she approached him and sat on the floor, cross-legged...
She met his gaze, and once they locked eyes, suddenly it seemed like they were the only people on Earth, it was like that silence that surrounded them was filled of sympathy, understanding and affection...
It was like they were lost in each other's eyes, as they were looking at one another for the first time, as they had just truly saw the other person, and comprehended they knew nothing at all...
His figure appeared so heartbroken and, in order to ease his sadness, she cuddled up with him, placing her head on his collarbone...
They remained in that position for what seemed like hours but, actually, it didn't have passed more than a bunch of minutes...
Will and Won't
It didn't have passed more than a bunch of minutes when she finally spoke...
-"Happy birthday..."
-"What?"
-"Happy birth..."
-"I got it..."
-"Then why yu asked?"
-"Never Mind..."
-"Yes!"
-"NO!"
-"Yes..."
-"WhaT?"
-"Dunno...but I kinda like pulling your leg..."-He chuckled and his face grew a little bit happier...
-"At least I managed to make yu smile..."
-"Right..."
-"I prefer you when you smile...not grin let's point it out...bu, it makes you look... I don't know...more hmm... Human?"- He looked at her with a puzzled expression...-"No, no, no I do not mean you're not... but ... sometimes it's just...you know, you bother me and you are all like "Hey I'm the king, I'm a rich cocky and subtle arrogant and I don't care bout you all"- She teased him imitating a grave male's voice...-And when you...I know it looks like I am a fool but..."-
He just stared at her, as though she was a sort of angel-like figure, amazed by her beauty and her wittinessand her touch of craziness...
-„D'yu understand me? I don't know how to explain it but...You're different, that's all..."
-"Hope in a good sense at least"
-"Oh yeah..."-She didn't know if she should have risked...but she tried nevertheless...
-"Will you tell me what happened??"
At first, he didn't reply, but let his face darken...
Then, as he decided she kind of deserved to know at least the highlights of the matter, he looked down on the floor and started mumbling...
- "Dad, fight, stupid...he's and idiot...worthless..."-
-"You know, if I'd had a dog here I'd have understood his barking but not the sense of your words...Please, think up of a phrase that makes sense..."- she pointed out...
It was hard to him...hard to accept and process what had happened, what he'd been told...
His ego was too big to let him admit he was scared stiff...
He knew he could trust her, but, it was like he was trying to preserve her from the ruthlessness of the world...of his world...to be precise...
Finally, he spoke, trying the best not to meet her eyes, that were trying to do the opposite...
-"You know...Sometimes...It comes a point in your life, when... you find yourself jammed into a crossroad...You can... Either decide to believe that love doesn't exist, that you only like people, maybe you can like some ones more than others but, the feeling you have is just affection,
Or...you can rather accept the fact that love is not unconditioned, and that certain people deliberately decide not to love others... Not everyone is meant to give and get that love...So... there are people who can't help being cold and regardless and tactless; they... treat you like crap and they tell you bullshit and harsh things and they hurt you, all because they are unable to feel that precious love. They deny it, they refuse it, and they mock the ones who still believe in it...Some of them may ... try to make up for the loss they have, they.. Try to be "normal", and here's the big deal...
They make mistakes along the way...and... They cannot come back... So they just...blame on you the fact that you're a... mistake..."-
She listened carefully to his monologue...At first she was confused, given that she didn't understand the point of his speech. But then a flood of numbness filled her body as the comprehension of his going round in circles set in...
She stood still, not knowing what to say...
-"I'm sorry..."-She mumbled a little bit ashamed...
-"Don't be..."
-"But..."
-"It's not that is your fault...Besides I think you must come back to party before your mother calls the 911...and then, what will that dread of your boyfriend think of you?? You don't want to put up a fight with country boy, do ya?"
-"I couldn't care less 'bout what he thinks since he's not my boyfriend anymore..."
-"No?"
-"No"- She said with a tiny yet firm voice...
-"How come?"- He told her with a sarcastic nonchalance, letting her intend he was all but upset about the news...
-"Things didn't work out...It up was time..."
-"Yeahh..."- He sighed, and she looked at him questioningly, seeing as she didn't hear him...or her
Then, as something pretty important suddenly came to his mind, he told her abruptly:
-"Haven't I told you earlier to leave??"-
-"You know, you could be the exact copy of Dot. Jekyll and Mr. Hide..."
-"What?"
-"Your brisk change of mood really gives me the creeps..."
-"Ah..."
-"And, for the reckon, I'll leave when I feel like doing it..."-
He was about to remark at her innocent allusive phrase when he changed his mind...
-"Who cares"
-"Are you crazy? What's wrong with you? One moment you're sad and sweet and kind and the other you're the mean jerk of always!"- She said while a rousing anger flamed into her eyes...
-"What about you? Ain't you the one who first tells people that she hates 'em, and then she's playing the role of the caring and gentle one!!"
-"I never..."- Realizing she did said -even if indirectly- that she hated him, she stopped...
She'd never given much importance, weight, to those words... They came to her mind in a moment of anger...She'd never thought he could have heard her, and he could have taken her seriously...
-"I didn't mean that"- She added, after a few instants of reflection...
- "I was...just...mad at you for being a jerk and making me fall out with Paris..."- Initially he thought it was all of an excuse then, he didn't know how to explain it, but he saw a spark of sincerity in her eyes, and he understood she didn't mean it and she wanted him to forgive her...That's why he did it.
-"I kind of deserve it, let' say..."- He stated jokingly but, deep down, he meant those words...
-"Yes...No...I mean yes but..."
-"Hey! Hey, Relax! Just breathe...Water under the bridge?"
-"Water under the bridge..."-
Then he smiled at her...She couldn't say how, but his smile had a curious effect on her, it made her chill out, forget the worries and the bitterness; she could have melted down...
All of a sudden, she felt the urge, the need, to kiss him...
Her body wanted to, even if her mind was telling her to stop before going too far and broke the spell...
Therefore, she pushed away that will...
.
Or at least she tried...
... 'Coz the moment he set his eyes on hers,
... When blue met blue...
... She knew it was too late...