Disclaimer: Amy and Daniel Palladino, along with the rest of the WB, own Gilmore Girls. I'm just borrowing the characters. New Order owns "Turn My Way." Elvis Costello owns "I Want You."
Inspiration: I want you/Oh no my darling not with that clown/I want you ("I Want You" by Elvis Costello).
A/N: Okay, my finals are actually this week, and I didn't study last week like I should have, or even last weekend. So I'm going to make this short and sweet, as I really need to study, but I wanted to post this because I love you all that much! Haha. Hope you like it, it's longer than usual, so it's all good because I plan on hibernating for a week or so after my finals. The Inspiration is a new thing, but hopefully it'll help to justify some of my song choices for the song names. This goes with the end of the chapter, mostly. Anywho, have a nice time reading!
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The land swept by quickly outside of the car. It was drizzling slightly, and the windshield wipers would go off every few minutes. Not that Finn or Rory could hear them. Inside the car, the two inhabitants were listening to show tunes at full blast. Well, one show, actually; Finn's favorite play, Avenue Q. He was singing along and laughing.
Rory sighed and looked out of the passenger window. She and Finn were going to get videos and possibly candy. Logan, Stephanie, and Colin had already put in their requests for what they should watch on this dreary day, but the final decision was ultimately left up to Rory. Stephanie had suggested she and Finn go because they came up with the best movies.
Rory, Logan, and Finn had been friends for almost three months now, and it was going great. It was almost back to normal. Almost. There were awkward moments to be had, not to mention the fact that nothing would be completely normal again. But the three got along great together, and in the end that was all that mattered, right?
She honestly hadn't expected them to get this far. She suspected that something would happen, someone would get jealous, or someone would say something and the whole thing would blow up. But things had been calm, or as calm as being friends with four LDB members could be. Stephanie made sure people got along well and that nothing dramatic happened to upset their happiness. She was trying very hard to get Rory and Finn together as a couple, but Rory knew it would never work.
"What movies do you want?" Finn turned down the music and glanced at her expectantly.
She pondered this a moment. "I'm not sure. Maybe a dramatic movie. It seems like a dramatic day, doesn't it?"
"No, it seems like a musical day."
"How does it seem like a musical day? I didn't see Gene Kelly dancing around the light pole we just passed."
"Okay, no musicals, check. How about crazy foreign films, then we can translate the dialogue into what we want them to say."
"Too much work."
"It's not too much work to make up your own plot for Run, Lola, Run, especially with that German techno in the background."
"Like I said, too much work. How about we watch Schindler's List and that one movie where Susan Sarandon's husband plays the convict?"
"Are you trying to make me cry?"
"If I say yes?"
"Then I'll cry," he told her seriously.
She laughed. "Okay, how about dramadies?"
"Crappy horror movies!" Finn yelled.
Rory thought about this a moment; this was probably the only thing that they'd be able to agree on. "Lead on."
"Excellent!" He parked the car and sprinted to Blockbusters. "I melt in the rain!"
Rory got there a bit slower, and by that time he'd already picked out two snacks and had made a bee-line for the horror section. "What do you have in mind?"
"Manos the Hands of Fate."
"That's not fair, we can't do it any better that Mystery Science Theatre did it."
"Do you live to shoot down my exciting suggestions?"
"Yes, but I welcome the boring ones."
"How's about Silence of the Lambs – mostly because I like Jodi Foster better than what's her face who did the sequel – North by Northwest, Rear Window, and Birds?" he suggested. "That's always a classic."
"I thought we were doing crappy ones."
"I changed my mind."
"And I've changed mine. How about a Hitchcock day?"
Finn snickered. "You said –"
Rory rolled her eyes. "That's it, I'm driving back; you've obviously regressed to seventh grade and can't possibly drive."
"It's a funny name," he protested.
"Pick out another movie by him, and let's go."
"Feisty. I like it."
"Get Psycho and let's go." She got her cell phone out of her bag, remembering that she couldn't hear her phone in the car so there was always the possibility of messages.
"What kind of snacks do you want?" Finn yelled at her from across the store.
"Everything!" she yelled back.
"Everything?"
"If it has sugar, bring it on." She dialed in her password to find that she had one message. It was a simple one from her mother:
"Hey, babe, I've got some exciting news, call me when you get this." Her mother giggled in the background and the message clicked off.
She quickly called the house, and Lorelai picked up after the second ring. "Guess what, guess what, guess what!"
"You're not wearing underwear today?"
"Close. I'm getting married!"
Rory nearly dropped the phone. "What? To who?"
"Bono!"
"You're joking."
"Yeah. It's Christian Bale."
"Mom!"
"No, I'm really getting married, hon. Luke proposed."
"When?" Rory was grinning ear to ear. The cashier was looking at her like she was crazy as she screamed into the phone out of excitement, but she didn't care.
"This morning, in bed."
"Ew, images."
"I'm just telling you how it happened," Lorelai defended. "So, we're in bed, and then he reaches into his drawer and takes out a ring and asks me to marry him."
"Aw!" Rory cooed.
"I'm getting married!"
"You're getting married! We have so much to do! I mean, the china patterns and the dress and the bridesmaids dresses and the food and the –"
"Will you be my maid of honor?" Lorelai interrupted.
"Of course!"
"Great. Then come home next weekend and we'll discuss the whole thing."
"What about you? Do you have to go?"
"Yeah, I should probably tell Sookie the good news."
"You haven't told Sookie?"
"Well, I wanted you to be the first to know."
"Mom, you didn't have to."
"I think the maid of honor has a right to know first."
"Are you going to tell Grandma and Grandpa?"
"I'll send them a singing telegram."
"Have you ever heard the phrase 'Don't shoot the messenger'?"
"Are you trying to tell me that they haven't?"
"It's a distinct possibility."
"Way to depress me on my engagement day."
"Sorry," Rory apologized. "Go tell Sookie now."
"Okay. I love you, babe."
"Love you, too." Then Lorelai hung up, and Rory slowly closed her phone. When she turned around, Finn – having already paid for the movies – was looking at her anxiously. She grinned and ran up to him, jumping into his arms.
"She's getting married."
"Your mum? To that Luke fellow?"
"Yes and yes."
"That's fan-bloody-tastic! I love weddings! They're always so festive, and someone always ends up crying in the broom closet."
"It'll probably be you this time, seeing as you have finally admitted your inner sensitivity to me," Rory teased, backing away from his grip.
"I'm going to make a mental note never to tell you anything ever again." He smirked at her. "I assume it's up to us to throw them an engagement party."
"If by 'us,' you mean 'me,' then yes, it's up to us."
Finn threw an arm around Rory's shoulders. "If it's up to you, it's up to us. How can you throw a party without us?"
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"Do you know what a fun word is?" Stephanie asked from her place on Rory's bed.
Rory didn't look up from her packing. "What?"
"'Bastion,'" Stephanie informed her.
"And why that particular word?"
"Because it rhymes with Sebastian."
"That's all?"
"And it's fun to say," she admitted.
"What are you doing reading the dictionary for anyway?" Rory questioned, opening her sock drawer.
"I couldn't find the phonebook," Stephanie quipped.
"And?" Rory prompted.
"I wanted to see how it defined all the dirty words," she replied somewhat sheepishly.
Rory rolled her eyes. "One of these days, I'm going to take you out for a whole girly day where we do girly things and talk about girly topics."
"Girly topics, huh? I've got a girly topic for you."
"Shoot."
Stephanie smirked. "A little birdy told me that you met a guy."
"And does this little birdy resemble my recently deceased roommate Paris?"
"Perhaps. So tell me everything!"
"There's nothing to tell that Paris hasn't already told you."
"She only told me that you went on a date with some guy. I'm talking details."
"There're no details to tell; we went out for coffee – once. No second date, no kiss goodbye, nothing."
"Why not?" she pressed.
"A multitude of reasons."
"And do these reasons begin with 'F' and end with 'inn?'"
Rory looked down intently at her suitcase. "No." After catching a look from Stephanie, she amended, "Maybe."
"So what? You're off doing the friend thing, so have a little fun until Finn gets his shit together," Stephanie suggested.
"Fun?" Rory repeated uncertainly.
"As in coming to the Aspens with us Wednesday for Thanksgiving," Stephanie clarified.
"You're inviting me to Colorado."
"That's what I said."
"I don't ski."
"So build snowmen, drink hot chocolate, and pelt us losers with snowballs. C'mon, it'll be fun! I need a girl with me, you said so yourself."
Rory relented. "I'll see what I can do."
Stephanie clapped her hands together gleefully. "Yay!"
"But for sanity's sake," Rory continued, "I'm telling people that you conned me into this."
"And I'll tell them I drugged you."
"How sweet."
"Shouldn't you be packing for your mom's house?"
"I was packing, but you kept pestering me about Jared," Rory argued.
"His name is Jared? As in Leto?"
"Not the same person, but the same first name."
"Is he cute?"
Rory groaned. "Steph!"
"He is!" she squealed. After seeing the look on her friend's face, she amended, "Letting it go."
"Thank you." Rory shut her suitcase and sat next to Stephanie on the bed. "I should probably be going."
"No problem. I'll buy you a ticket to Colorado."
"You don't have to do that," Rory protested.
"If it makes you feel better, I won't buy you a Christmas present."
Rory laughed. "You really want me to go, don't you?"
"Someone needs to protect me," Stephanie teased.
"Okay, get the ticket and I'll see you Monday."
"Sunday," Stephanie corrected.
"Sunday?" Rory echoed.
"Finn likes weddings. Too much, actually. He'll probably force us to wait for you to get back," Stephanie explained.
"Really?"
"No," Stephanie conceded. "I'm totally lying. But you will see us Sunday night."
"Baited breath, Steph."
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"I'm getting married!" Lorelai met her daughter in the middle of the Gilmore driveway, gathering her into a huge hug. Luke stood uncomfortably a few feet behind her.
"I know, I know!" Rory pulled away. "Lemme see the ring."
Lorelai thrust her hand out proudly. It was a platinum band with a tiny rose pattern interwoven. A 1.6 carat diamond was set in middle, glinting off the porch.
"It's so pretty," Rory breathed.
"Marilyn was right," Lorelai replied.
"When is she wrong?"
"Dating a Kennedy. Bad news."
Rory faced Luke. "What are you doing here?"
"Your grandmother decided that if I'm going to be a part of the family I need to start coming to Friday night dinners with you two," he answered.
"Mom, you actually told Grandma and Grandpa in a reasonable amount of time?"
"Monday night."
"No bloodshed, I assume, unless I missed the call from the hospital."
"They congratulated us and asked when the wedding was."
"And did you give them an answer?"
"Sometime between Jennifer Lopez's fourth wedding and Britney Spears' third."
"I'm sure they appreciated that."
"They did, subtly, in their own way."
"Glad to hear your humor gets some recognition."
"As is Colin Quinn." Lorelai wrapped an around Luke's waist. "You go first."
"Why me?" Rory complained.
"You're pretty and they like you better. And if they have, in fact, changed their minds you won't see it when your grandmother does her impression of Lizzie Borden."
"Lovely imagery, Mom," Rory replied sarcastically, ringing the doorbell.
"I thought I might help your appetite."
A blond maid opened the door and ushered them in, where Emily was standing right behind her.
"Couldn't have opened the door yourself, could you, Mom?" Lorelai asked.
"Stella needs to learn these things, Lorelai," Emily impatiently replied, indicating for the maid to take their coats.
"Stella? What happened to Inga, who was the maid here Monday?"
Emily rolled her eyes. "Good heavens, that woman was incompetent. She couldn't remember a thing to save her life."
"Plus she was such a bitch," Lorelai added. "I saw her flip you the bird when your back was turned."
"Enough, Lorelai," Emily said wearily. She held her hand out for Luke to shake. "How wonderful to see you again, Luke. Business is going well?"
"Business is going just fine, Mrs. Gilmore. How are things going here?"
"Fine, just fine. And please, call me Emily. We're practically family now."
"Scary thought," Lorlelai muttered to Rory.
"Follow me to the living room for drinks. Now Luke, I couldn't help but notice that you still haven't traded in your tick for a more economic vehicle like Richard suggested."
Luke looked at Lorelai helplessly, who whispered, "Welcome to the family, babe," before starting a new subject.
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"Red or yellow?" Lorelai held up a picture of each bouquet to Rory.
"Red," Rory decided, picking up another cheese fry. They were in the diner because Lorelai had said she didn't want to keep Luke out of the loop.
"Really? You think so?" Lorelai put both pictures down. "I liked the yellow more."
"Honey, the white washes out the yellow," Ms. Patty informed her.
"Not if I wear a black dress."
Rory sighed. "We've been over this, you're not wearing a black dress."
"But it'll make me looks skinny," Lorelai whined.
"Sugar, you're already skinny. You've gotta wear white to show Luke what's he's marryin'," Babbette replied.
"I already know what I'm marrying." Luke refilled Lorelai's coffee cup as he said this.
Lorelai beamed up at him. "He loves me."
"Lucas Danes, who knew that under all that man you were such a romantic?" Ms. Patty looked him over appreciatively.
"Jeez," Luke muttered. "Can you take this somewhere else?" he asked Lorelai.
"So much for the love," she pouted.
"For the rest of the freak show? There never was any."
"We should probably go anyway," Ms. Patty said. "I have a class in five minutes."
"Morey and I are going to the Jazz Café in Hartford," Babbette added.
"See you tonight?" Lorelai asked Luke. He nodded and kissed her goodbye.
Rory grabbed the wedding binder. "Where to now?"
"Do you want to go shopping?" Lorelai suggested. "There's a great vintage boutique in Hartford with vintage clothes."
"What about the wedding plans? If it's in spring, we should start planning now."
"We've got a whole bunch of time to do that."
"You say that now," Rory warned.
"How about we shop now, plan tomorrow and next weekend?"
Rory paused. "I'm not coming home for Thanksgiving."
"Then where are you going?"
"Colorado."
"Colorado?" Lorelai echoed. "With who?"
"Stephanie invited me."
"So you're going with the Suicide Society." Lorelai quickly understood what was going on.
"Yeah. Are you mad?"
"No, no. You're young, you need to have fun. They do know that Gilmores don't partake in physical activity of any kind, correct?"
"Correct," Rory confirmed. "I already told her that I'm not skiing."
"At least I won't have to worry about you doing a Sonny Bono impression," Lorelai joked.
"Christmas and New Years is all yours," Rory assured her.
"Won't it be awkward? I mean, you and Finn, sharing a cabin?"
"Stephanie, Logan, Colin, and Tristan will be there also," Rory reasoned.
"Hawkeye's going to be there?"
"I would assume so."
"Well if Hawkeye's going to be there, I guess I can't worry too much."
"Look how your mood changes when I mention one person," Rory teased.
"I trust him," Lorelai admitted.
"Why do you trust Tristan? It's like trusting Phil Spector."
"It's nothing like trusting Phil Spector," Lorelai scoffed. "Tristan isn't crazy."
"That's to be debated."
"He's cute. Cute guys aren't crazy."
"Ew, Mom! He's dating Stephanie."
"No!" Lorelai exclaimed. "I thought she was dating Colin!"
"They're not exactly dating, but yes, they're still together."
Lorelai wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "You crazy kids and your college ways."
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The time that elapsed between then and Wednesday went by quickly. Rory turned in an article Tuesday afternoon, studied for a test the next day, and packed after said test. She was excited about the trip, mostly because it was her first time taking a trip somewhere remotely close to the west coast.
At 4:02 there was a knock on the door. Rory grabbed her bags and opened the door. Finn and Colin were leaning against either door frame. They each took her bags from her.
"Leaving?" Paris called from her bedroom.
"Yeah. Are you going to be okay?" Rory called back.
"I'm leaving for Austria at midnight." Paris was meeting her parents there. Her mother wanted them to be together for the first time in almost four years.
"Have fun."
"Very funny, Gilmore. I'll see you Monday."
Rory stepped out of the room and followed the boys to Colin's BMW. Finn crawled in back and pulled the seat back so Rory could sit up front. Colin pulled out of the parking lot and turned on the music. Rory almost immediately changed it to another station, though Colin was used to it by now.
"We'll hopefully arrive in Hartford in about forty minutes," Colin informed her.
"And they're already there?" Rory was talking about Stephanie and Logan, whom she hadn't seen all day.
"We hope so."
Rory relaxed in her seat, sinking back into the black leather. Finn reached through the headrest to massage her shoulders. She shut her eyes and instinctively leaned back to his touch.
"You're tense," he murmured in her ear.
"School."
"This'll be good for you."
Within thirty-seven minutes they were at the airport. But it wasn't as Rory expected; it was an airstrip with only five or six planes and a handful of helicopters. Colin parked the car and helped Rory out. They grabbed their bags and Rory looked at her companions in confusion. Finn grabbed her hand and led to a helicopter. Colin talked to the pilot, thought Rory couldn't hear anything; the noise of the engine overwhelmed her.
Finn's voice invaded her personal bubble. "We're going to the DuGrey airstrip. They have their own private one that we can't get to by car. They're waiting for us there."
"Why did Stephanie have to buy me a plane ticket, then?" Rory yelled back.
"The DuGreys aren't letting us use their plane out of the goodness of their hearts, you know."
Rory nodded and Colin beckoned them over. Since it was arranged by weight, Finn got in front and Rory and Colin got in back. Colin handed her a pair of earmuffs and put his own pair on.
Rory had never been in a helicopter before, so the jerky movements and loud sound unnerved her. Lucky for her, the ride only lasted fifteen minutes. The pilot dropped them off in front of a huge Lear jet with the words 'DuGrey Corporation' printed on the side in big, blue block lettering. Finn rested his hand on the small of Rory's back as they walked up the steps into the cabin of the plane.
"Finally decided to join us, I see," Logan teased, kicked back in a plush, leather chair.
"We were planning on hijacking the heli for our own personal use, but alas, we're lazy," Finn replied. He plopped himself down on Tristan's lap and grabbed his champagne flute, downing the whole thing in one gulp.
"Don't be a stranger, Ace, pull up a seat." Logan gestured around the plane.
"That's my line," Tristan snapped playfully. "Don't be a stranger, Mary, pull up a seat." He pushed Finn off his lap and rubbed his knees enticingly. "You can sit here if you can't find anywhere else."
Rory glanced at Stephanie, but the blonde's facial expression wasn't giving her up. "Maybe later, Tris, when you've gotten me drunk enough."
She put her stuff down and took a seat next to Colin. Stephanie passed out the champagne flutes and Tristan poured.
"To Colorado!" Tristan held his glass up.
"To Colorado!" the five chanted back.
"In Omnia Paratus!" Finn added.
"In Omnia Paratus!" Six glasses clinked together.
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Saturday night rolled around way too quickly for Rory's personal taste. She had already read – and in some cases, reread – five books while her companions skied. She preferred the warmth of the fire, but ventured out to make snow angels and snowmen, and to dance in the snow, one of her favorite past times.
Of course, most of the patrons thought she was crazy when she did this, but the sentiments of others rarely deterred her. They were staying at the prestigious St. Regis Resort where they had two adjoining rooms. Suites, actually; they had suites.
She didn't want to leave; it was relaxing, a place where hot chocolate was actually made my Swiss maids and her coffee was delivered to her personally by Juan Valdez. Plus, best of all, the powdery goodness known as snow was literally at her fingertips all weekend.
That night, Finn, Tristan, and Stephanie had decided to come back early to keep her company. They usually went out about eleven in the morning, came back for lunch an hour or two later, then went back out on the slopes, not to be seen again until dinner. This time, the three joined her around four.
So now they just sat around the coffee table in the boys' suite, drinking hot liquid (hot chocolate for Tristan and Stephanie, coffee for Rory, and hot chocolate laced with vodka for Finn) and eating the various amounts of snacks that had been provided for them by room service, who were eager to serve them after seeing Finn's platinum card.
"This has been fun, but I need to go get changed for dinner," Stephanie announced.
Finn looked down at his watch. "It's five-thirty, love."
"You can never be prepared too early." She got up and Tristan followed her.
"I think I'll help her," he told the two.
Rory sniggered once they disappeared behind the doors of the bedroom. "Who do they think they're fooling?"
Finn shook his head. "They're not even trying anymore." He took a handful to peanuts and dropped them into his mouth one-by-one.
Rory leaned back against the couch. "I don't want to go back."
"After seeing a place like this? I should hope not!"
She swatted his chest. "Be serious!"
"I am! The only place prettier is the Alps. Or Sonoma Valley. Or this great beach in Orange County the tourists haven't found yet 'cos they're all busy getting melanoma at Laguna."
"You've been to the Alps?"
"Would I lie?"
"You've been known to."
"Your lack of faith shocks and appalls me. And for your information, yes, I have."
"And Orange County?"
"My mum owns a house there."
"Right on the beach?"
"I don't know what Josh Schwartz has taught you, but not every house in Orange County is right on the beach. She lives 'bout half a mile from the beach."
Rory laughed. "I've never been to the west coast."
"Really?"
"Would I lie to you?" she dead-panned.
It was his turn to laugh. "I guess I'll have to take you then."
It was then that Colin walked through the door. "Hey, you two."
"Hey," was the distracted reply he got. He rolled his eyes when he saw Finn and Rory staring at each other in an almost love-struck way.
"I'm gonna go change."
"Have fun," Finn replied.
The sound of a door opening was heard first, followed by a gasp. Almost right after that, Colin growled, "You goddamn rat bastard!"
Realization dawned on Rory as she snapped out of her dreamy staring contest with Finn and back into reality. "Colin just –"
"Yup."
"And we just –?"
"Yup."
"And now –?"
"Yup."
"Oh," was the only thing Rory could come up with.
Finn was able to finish the thought for her. "Fuck."
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Thank yous to:
Lovelock79, Emily, mystripedskirt, anon, princetongirl, d, crash&burn, Lisa, HappyNoodles, smile1, gilmoregirl, LandonLover, jmarit17, ReeseAnn, Rae, honeyluv, Bookworms, KeitaWolf, Bittersweetbloodbaby, PoeticAngel.
A/N2: I'm sorry I can't answer you all personally, like I said, lots of studying to be had. Joy and jubilation.