Previously on Gilmore Girls:
"I love you too." He said to appease her. "But right now I want to show you, not tell you. I know it's a strange phenomenon for you, but when it comes to you and me, words just aren't enough." She was surprised by the honesty in his voice.
"Okay, show me." She said.
Famous last words, Rory thought as she caught her breath. She should have known better than to challenge Tristan DuGray to anything. For the last week, Tristan had been showing her just how much he loved her. Every night he would show up at her door, or vice versa, and they would eat dinner together, watch TV, do some work, and then spend the night under the covers.
"Oh my God." Rory said as his head appeared from under the covers. "You're relentless." He just smirked proudly and kissed her once more.
"Hey, you wanted it." Tristan said, with an exhausted smile. Rory was still surprised at the level of intimacy that Tristan brought to the bedroom. He was fantastic in bed, she hadn't expected anything less, but it was the care and attention to her that truly shocked her.
"Yeah, I guess I did."
"It's better without words." He said in an "I told you so" kind of manner.
"You're right." She said as she stretched one last time before curling up to face him.
"Hey Ror?" He asked slowly.
"Hmm."
"Have you ever thought about the two of us…living together?" Her eyes opened wide.
"The thought hadn't crossed my mind, no." She tried to read his expression, but it was more thoughtful than telling. "Why?" She needed more information. Shrugging, he finally turned to face her.
"This week has been fun. I mean, we don't have to do it right away or anything, it's just something to think about." He seemed really calm about it considering he had never lived with anyone before.
"I'll think about it."
OOOOO
Her pro/con list was mocking her. Both sides were tied as she analyzed Tristan's proposition. The last and only time Rory had ever lived with a guy was with Logan. She had been desperate at the time, but it ended up working kind of nicely. She had thought about Tristan and what this would mean for their relationship. More time together versus less sleep from getting up in the middle of the night when his pager would go off, back and forth, back and forth. Until she thought of something that she hadn't factored in. Did she actually want to? Thinking back to their first weekend together, Rory smiled. She could be like that with him every day. She decided to add it to the pro side when her phone rang. It was her mother.
"Hi." Rory said as she tucked the phone under her jaw and walked into the living room.
"Luke is home." Lorelei said happily. "And he brought me a present."
"Oh really? What is it?"
"A diamond ring." Rory stopped dead in her tracks. "We're getting married!" Squealing with joy, the two women danced around.
"I'm so happy for you Mom."
"Me too kid. I've got to go, but I love you."
"Bye!" She was smiling like a fool when a knock came on the door. Figuring it was Tristan, she quickly hid the list under a pile of work stuff and told him to come in.
"You're never going to guess what mom just told me." She said as she looked up. It was Chris.
"What?" He said.
"Dad! I thought you were Tristan. Never mind." She said as she waved it off. "How are you?" She asked with a hug.
"I'm good, how are you?"
"I'm great." Chris eyed his daughter and realized that she looked exactly like Lorelei did when she had a secret.
"So, what did your mom just tell you that you were so eager to tell Tristan, but now has you looking like you've seen a ghost?" Another knock on the door saved Rory from telling her father the news. This time, Tristan entered. With a quick kiss, Rory invited him inside.
"I don't think you two have met. Dad, this is Tristan DuGray. Tris, this is my dad Christopher Hayden." Tristan saw how nervous she was, but shook Chris's hand anyway.
"Pleasure to meet you sir."
"Please, don't call me sir. Chris will do just fine." He said with a smile. "Although I believe that Rory here had some news for you." He said, turning the attention back to Rory. Making something up, she turned to Tristan.
"I decided to move in." She said. Tristan knew that this wasn't the thing that had Rory looking pale, but her eyes begged him to play along. "My lease is up at the end of the month anyway, so it seems like the perfect time."
"Good." He said with a smile. "We can start packing your stuff this weekend."
"Great, hey, do you guys want something to drink?" She asked as she looked at the two men who clearly knew something was up.
"I'll take a soda." Chris said, figuring that they needed to talk in private.
"Okay, Tristan?"
"Water's fine." Rory literally ran out of the room.
"Did I interrupt something?" Tristan asked Chris. He just shook his head.
"When I walked through the door, she thought I was you and said that I would never guess what Lorelei had just told her…then she realized it was me and freaked out. I have no idea what is going on, but clearly, I'm not supposed to know. Why don't you go help her with the drinks." Tristan nodded.
"I'll see what I can do." He walked into the kitchen to find Rory on the floor in the corner talking on her cell. "Need any help?" He mouthed. She motioned for him to stay and he began getting the drinks that they needed.
"Chris, you want ice?" Tristan asked, poking his head out of the kitchen.
"Yes, please." He said nonchalantly. Tristan disappeared back into the kitchen.
"Oh my God!" Rory said, still on the floor.
"Mare, what is going on." He asked as he crouched down in front of her.
"Mom's engaged, she just told me, and I almost told Dad. Now Mom wants me to tell him if I want to…what is that supposed to mean? Of course I don't want to, but he knows that something is going on and isn't this kind of news supposed to be done in person by the person?"
"Hey, take a breath." She did, but only because he commanded it. He helped her stand up. "You don't have to tell him."
"Yeah, I do." She said, grabbing the drinks off of the counter.
"Okay, I'll stick it out in here." He said.
"No! Please, come with me." She begged. He looked hesitant, but once again, for better or worse he was at her beck and call.
"Fine. I'll come with you." He said.
"Thank you!" She took a deep breath and walked back out into the living room.
"There you are, I was just about to send a search party." Chris said as he took the drink from Rory.
"Okay, I know I'm the world's worst liar, a trait I didn't get from either parent." She sidebarred to Tristan. "But I had to ask permission before I could tell you what I'm about to tell you." She said again.
"Secret call to Lorelei, got it." Chris smiled. "And she gave you permission?" Rory nodded.
"Dad, she's engaged." She said bluntly, figuring there was no nice way to say it. "It just happened two seconds before you walked in the door, and I didn't know if they were telling people so I didn't want to spread the word if it wasn't okay with Mom first."
"To Luke?" He asked for clarification. Rory nodded.
"She's so happy, Dad."
"Good, she deserves it."
"Yeah, she does." Rory agreed. Tristan watched the interaction between the two. In Chris's eyes, Tristan saw a little bit of himself. Although better disguised, Chris was giving the impression of Tristan's feelings in high school whenever he watched Rory talk about Dean. Pinpointing the feeling, he glanced over at Rory. Chris was feeling inadequate. He didn't deserve Lorelei and yet, he loved her like he would never love anyone. How would Tristan react if he got the news that the love of his life was engaged to someone else? He would probably go on a bender and then try to drunkenly kick the other guy's ass, which would only continue the cycle of inadequacy. Lost in his thoughts, he realized that he hadn't been listening to the conversation the two had been having. When Chris stood up, Tristan decided he better start paying attention.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" Rory asked.
"I can't. I've got to get home to Gig, but call me and we'll all go out sometime."
"That'd be great." Tristan said.
"You both are welcome anytime." Rory said with a smile. "Although, I won't be living here much longer, will I?" She realized.
"Anytime." Tristan told Chris with a smile.
"See you later kid," Chris said as he kissed Rory's forehead. "Love you."
"Love you too." She said.
"Bye Tristan."
"Nice meeting you." Tristan waved as he wrapped his arm around Rory's shoulder. As soon as the door closed, Rory collapsed into Tristan's arms.
"I should never have had to do that."
"No, but you handled it well." He said as he kissed the top of her head. "It's not your fault that he's still in love with her." She nodded.
"Yeah actually, it is." She said. The pain in her voice was evident as she walked away from Tristan.
"Whoa, whoa, back up. What are you talking about?" He said, following her down the hall to her bedroom.
"If they hadn't had me, they would have had closure a long time ago. I screwed up any chance they had of being together."
"Rory, look at me." He said as he grabbed her by the shoulders. "You, Miss Rationality, are being completely irrational. Yes, your existence changed the course of their lives. But if you asked them, they wouldn't change a thing."
"I highly doubt that." She said as she sat down on the bed. Tristan took a deep breath as he tried to get his point across.
"You've changed everyone's life for the better, including mine." He said as he sat down next to her. She smiled. "I don't know where I would be without you."
"Now you're just trying to make me feel better." He shook his head and paused, as if considering what he actually wanted to tell her. Rory saw the look and her reporter instincts went into overdrive. "Hey, what is it?" She reminded him.
"Do you remember right before Romeo and Juliet when I got suspended?" Rory nodded. "I wasn't suspended. I was in a weeklong rehab retreat."
"What?"
"I got into a fight with my dad, went out, got drunk, started driving and crashed my car." Rory closed her eyes and put a hand over her mouth. "I was fine but the judge wanted me to learn my lesson. As you know, I didn't. But in between the crash and leaving for military school, you were there, telling me that I could be a better person, that Duncan and Bowman didn't have what I had going for me. Even when you didn't know me, you saw right through me. You were the first person to see something more in me than I did in myself." She brushed the stray tear off of her cheek and nodded. "You're always saying that I'm your superhero, but that's not true, you saved me."
"This is why you told me I had no right talking about your relationship with your dad." She realized. "I had no idea that things were that bad."
"I should have told you sooner. Like I said before, I hate talking about it." He sighed. "I never talked to my dad again after I left for military school."
"What about when you came back from Baltimore? Before he died?"
"It was like a business deal. I dealt with the doctors because my mom couldn't handle it, but otherwise we might as well have been strangers. I wasn't there when he died and I went to the funeral because my mom made me."
"Tristan," Suddenly, every conversation they had had about his family made perfect sense. "you've been walking around for years with all of this on your shoulders?" He didn't say anything. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be sorry. Just appreciate the fact that you have two parents who love you, okay?" He asked. She nodded and wrapped her arms around him.
"I love you." She whispered before kissing his forehead. He closed his eyes, overwhelmed by her love. He looked into her eyes, which were so comforting and he got lost for a minute.
"Still?" He asked, only half-joking.
"There is nothing in this world that you could tell me that would make me love you less." She comforted him.
"You either." He thought about it. "This is the real thing, isn't it?" He stated as he looked at her. "The unconditional, you and me forever, kind of thing?" Rory looked at her hands before meeting his gaze.
"Yeah." She said, her stomach in knots. "I guess so." Tristan nodded slowly, processing everything that had just happened. "What are you thinking?" She asked.
"That I don't want to screw this up."
"Impossible."
"You don't know that."
"You're my superhero." She said with a mischievous grin.