Title: The Way To Atlantis
Chapter: Nine
Chapter Title: The Power of Lorelai
Rating: R
Coupling: Paris/Jess, Lane/Dave, and half Rory/Tristan.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, it belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino, The WB, and Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions. I also do not own Franka Potente's "Believe" from Run Lola Run.
Author's Note: To my buddies at the FF fanfic thread for being patient with me.
*
I don't believe reality would be/the way it should
But I believe in fantasy/the future's understood
Tristan was throwing a stress ball up in the air and catching it as he sat at his desk, relatively bored. It was in mid air when suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed it. "You better quit goofing of Tristan, you're going to get us in trouble."
"Matt, Lighten up. This is cake. It'll be done in no time." Tristan sighed and shook his head as he looked at the man three years his junior. "You're more like your sister every day."
"Leave Paris out of this. Besides, just because you married the owners granddaughter doesn't mean the rest of us don't have to do our work."
"Richard is just as hard on me as he is on you guys. Besides, our new client is floral shop on Ann St. It's going to be cake. You went to the shop right?"
"Right," Matt responded slowly.
"You took pictures?"
"They're right here." Matt held up a photo envelope with the logo for a familiar one hour photo place on it. They insured that place too.
"Great." Tristan tossed him a thin binder and a package of photo protecting sheets. "Put them in the binder. You wrote a list of items in the store right?"
"Yeah, it's right here." Matt handed him a legal pad.
"Okay I'm going to go online and check out prices on this equipment. When we're done we can call the building owner and their flower provider." Tristan settled at the computer as Matt carefully began sliding photos into the sheets.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door and one of the receptionists poked her head in, "Tristan."
"Yes Margerie?"
"Your mother in law just called, Rory's in the hospital."
Tristan jumped up and began pulling on his coat, "Why, did she say?"
"She's having contractions."
"It's two weeks early." He looked at Matt for help.
"Go," Matt said. "I can handle it. I'll finish the photos, and research the equipment. Call me when you know something."
"I will."
*
The nurse clicked the door shut behind her and turned to the bed, "Mrs. Dugrey, your husband is here. Would you like me to send him in?"
Her interruption caused Rory's hand to freeze in midair, her grip slackening and her aim off. The nurse simply ducked the ice chips that would have hit her head, but had hit the door instead. "Yes. Get him please." The nurse nodded and ducked out of the room. The doctors told Rory to push, and she was doing so for what she thought was the hundredth time when the nurse returned with Tristan in tow. If she hadn't been in pain Rory may have laughed at the sight of him all decked out in surgical gear. "Tristan, it's about time."
He moved to the head of her bed and reached for her hand, "I got here as soon as I can. How are you doing?"
"How am I doing?" She squeezed his hand and jerked him forward. "I am about to push something the size of a watermelon out a whole the size of a grape! How do you think I'm doing?"
"Aren't you exaggerating just a little honey?"
Rory growled but before she could reply the doctor interrupted, "You've got to breath Rory, breathe and push okay we're almost there."
"I am pushing," she screamed at the doctor. She dipped her hand into the cup of ice chips and flung about three at him.
"Now, now. You keep doing that and I'll never be able to get the baby out." That got her to stop, and she calmed for a moment as she tried to comprehend never having the baby, being stuck in this labor limbo forever. "I can see the head." the doctor said, breaking her concentration. "Just one more push Rory." It seemed like time stood still and then a loud wail broke the silence. "Congratulations, it's a girl."
*
"I didn't know a baby could be so beautiful," Lorelai commented. She and Chris were standing in the hall outside the nursery, gazing through the glass at their new grandchild.
"I didn't know a baby could have so much hair."
"This may top Rory's birth."
"Really?" Chris looked at her confused. "How so?"
"Well I still helped create this little being. It's my granddaughter. Meaning she has some of my genes."
"God help her."
Lorelai glared at him. "This time though, I didn't have to go through labor."
"I could see how that could be a plus."
"Tristan told me Rory threw ice chips at the nurses."
"Sounds like someone I know."
"I taught my baby well," Lorelai paused with a smirk. "She threw them at the doctor too."
"I feel sorry for whomever delivers our great-grandchild. Lorelai Emily is going to want to top her Mom and Grandma."
"We'll teach her the ways of the Gilmore."
"Well I guess that means I'll have to come around and make sure she stays relatively sane." Chris glanced at Lorelai out of the corner of his eye.
"I guess so."
*
The door clicked shut softly behind Tristan as he entered Rory's hospital room. "Your mom and dad are viewing Lola now."
"And yours?" Rory asked.
"Give their congratulations but are very busy with a business associate in Amsterdam and a staff crisis in Hawaii."
"Seperate vacations? Are they seperated again?"
"Yeah, which actually means Dad and one of his clients are hitting the strip clubs and Mom's screwing a pool boy."
"Oh." Rory was quiet.
"Let's not be like them."
"On again, off again?"
"Bitter enemies."
"We have a child now."
"They had three."
"We're different Tristan."
"Are we really? Am I that much different from my father?" Are you that much different from your mother?"
"I married you didn't I?"
Tristan smiled a little. "I'm just nervous. We have all new responsibilities now."
"We do."
"We have a little girl to raise, to raise properly, to love. We have to protect her, and teach her."
"She'll teach us too you know."
"I hope we all do a good job at teaching each other."
"So do I," Rory laid her hand on his. "So do I, Tristan."
"Aren't you scared at all?"
"To death."
Tristan's laugh came out sounding like a bark as he tried to stifle it. "Now is not the time to quote movies from our teens."
Rory smiled, but it soon faded. "I am scared though. I'm scared that I'm not going to be a good mother. I don't know anything about being a mother. I want my daughter to be as close to me as I am to my mom."
"You'll be fine, sweetie." Tristan hugged her. "We'll all be just fine."
To be continued....
