Everlasting Cloud
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I own whatever isn't actually in Gilmore Girls unless specified.
Summary: Rory is about 26, works for the Boston Globe. Lorelai and Luke are married. Everything happened in the show so far plus a bit more. Logan got Rory pregnant at the end of her senior year of college, but she lost the baby due to an accident. Tristan goes to England for a medical program for 6 months, and has to leave Rory in the states.
Many, many thanks to my beta Love23. She knows she's wonderful. :0)
Please enjoy, and thank you!
Chapter Twenty-One:
He walked into the Admissions office and immediately found the person he needed. "Hi, I'm here to sign up for the re-integration program."
"Ahh, well you're a little late, but we'll find somewhere for you. Is there any place in particular you'd like to be placed?" The administrator asked.
He shrugged his shoulders. "Yea, I've been busy with finals. Do you have anything in Hartford or near Hartford?" The woman pursed her lips and flipped through a binder of papers.
"I don't see anything left there. I could do a New York City, or Providence, Rhode Island? Do either of those sound good?" He bit his lip. "Oh and I have a Boston as well."
"Do they all take the same amount of time?" He asked anxiously. The woman smiled.
"It depends if you're with someone who's done the program before and is qualified." She answered honestly.
"Are any of the people qualified?" He asked still not sure which one to pick.
"Hmm. Yes, the one in Boston and the one in New York City." He sighed again and scratched his scalp.
"I'll take the one in Boston."
"Dear god, you're about to pop!" Mark said, making a popping noise with his finger and mouth. Winnie gave him a death glare.
"I still have two months. Thank god you're not planning on having children soon." Mark laughed.
"So all funniness aside, I have to ask you a serious question." Winnie immediately clutched the desk and gasped.
"You said the word 'serious'. Wow, I guess pigs do fly." She said mockingly.
"Hardy har har." He scoffed. Winnie giggled. "Sven offered me the job."
"What job?" Winnie asked, confused.
"Your job." He said, looking down. She looked surprised.
"Oh, well congratulations. Although, from what I hear, Rory actually got you that job." She shrugged.
"I know, I was just wondering if you were okay with it. I mean, its a lot more money than I make right now, so I want it, but if you'd rather I didn't, then I won't." He said quickly. She looked touched.
"Wow. No Mark, take it. When this baby is born I'll have my hands full. Someone needs to do it, and you're more than qualified." She replied sincerely.
"Are you sure?" he asked wearily.
"Absolutely. I'll even give you my number in case you have any questions." She said smiling.
"Oh, but I already have your number." Winnie put her finger to her lips.
"Shh, just go with it." Mark laughed and nodded.
"Thanks Winnie."
"Sure." He gave her a hug as best as he could with her pregnant belly. She laughed at how close he could get with her stomach there.
"Oh my god, this morning was horrific!" The two turned to see Rory arriving in a huff. She dropped her things and unlocked her door. She then proceeded to kick her things inside and slouch against the wall. She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. Winnie and Mark looked at each other and then looked back at her.
"Are you…are you okay?" Winnie asked tentatively.
"No!" Rory yelled. Winnie made a motion to Mark with her hands, clearly letting him know that she'd take care of it. He nodded thankfully and walked away quickly. She walked towards Rory and shut the door behind them so they were alone in Rory's office.
"What's wrong?" Winnie asked gently.
"I don't know." Rory sighed, frustrated.
"Let's sit down." She helped Rory to her chair and brought over a chair for herself.
"PMS?" Winnie asked, beginning the list.
"No, it ended last week so it's not that." Rory said, practically whining. Winnie nodded and twisted her mouth.
"Did you have coffee this morning?" She listed off.
"Of course." Rory scoffed.
"How much sleep did you get last night?" Winnie continued.
"About 8 hours." Winnie nodded. That was a decent amount.
"Pent up sexual frustration?" She asked again.
"What? No!" Rory exclaimed.
"Well I'm running out of ideas here." Winnie shrugged.
Rory groaned. "I haven't talked to him in a few days now and it's driving me crazy! He's supposed to be in the US and be with someone doing something. He's like MIA!"
Winnie nodded, knowingly. "Is Tristan in the country at least?"
"Yea, he called me when he landed but he couldn't talk long. It's been 6 days! Honestly, why haven't I seen him yet and more importantly, why hasn't he called?!" Rory yelled, practically in tears.
"I don't know, sweetie, but you'll see him soon. Alright?" Winnie said placating. Rory nodded. "Come here." Winnie pulled her into a half hug. Her stomach was really causing some problems.
"I really, really miss him." Rory whispered.
"I know." There's a moment of silence. "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"
"Eating and then sulking in front of the TV." Rory said dejectedly.
"Eat dinner at my place tonight. Rob's cooking something and he hasn't seen you in awhile. I'm sure he'd like to catch up with you." Winnie smiled.
"And what about tomorrow? I get to sulk in front of my TV tomorrow night, but not tonight?" Rory pouted.
"Eat with Mark tomorrow night. Or you can come over tomorrow night too. Maybe help us with the baby's room?" Winnie suggested. Rory smiled and nodded.
"Thanks." Rory sighed.
"Sure." Winnie smiled.
"Should I bring anything?" Rory asked.
"Yourself." Winnie answered. Rory rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Alright, hang on. Let me write that down." Rory joked.
"There's that smile." Winnie said happily.
"What's Rob been up too?" Rory asked, finally coming out of her funk. Winnie sighed.
"I don't know. Saving lives, I suppose. He's doing something now for that England program. I'm not sure what though. I haven't really been paying attention to him lately. He's kinda annoying and we're in a fight." Winnie revealed.
"Really?" Rory asked in concern.
"Yea. I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm incredibly horny." Winnie whined, sounding much like Rory earlier. Rory's eyes opened wide.
"Yea, didn't want to hear that." Rory said, clearly blushing.
"Well, now that I've started I'll just finish. Anyway, he's afraid that this late in the pregnancy, he's going to hurt the baby. And I'm not into woman on top right now. I feel like I'm going to suffocate him with my belly, and it's just a problem." She explained, clearly at a loss.
"Maybe I shouldn't come over tonight, then. Let you two work out your differences." Rory teased.
"No, it's fine. Rob is having someone over." Winnie said, slapping Rory's arm playfully.
"Oh, so you invited me over because you don't want to be the only female." Winnie looked away guiltily.
"I knew it!" Rory yelled in mock indignation.
"Yea, yea." Winnie laughed.
"So who's coming over?" Winnie asked Rob. When Winnie came home from work, she and Rob had called a truce, since they were having a guest over.
"Oh, just someone from the England program. I was put on the re-integration list." Rob shrugged.
"What's that?" Winnie asked confused.
"It's basically a pointless program to get the doctors to think about American health systems again. To remember that we actually charge for our medicines." Rob explained.
"Was that a cut against European health care?" Winnie asked, with a raised brow.
"No! It's just a different way of thinking over there. Nothing against either system, they're just different." Rob laughed.
"I see. So who's this guy?" Winnie asked as she straightened out the kitchen.
"Tristan Dugrey. He's an amazing doctor. But then again, those that are selected for the trip usually are." Rob answered, not seeing Winnie's reaction. 'Tristan Dugrey? That sounds familiar.' Winnie thought.
"What's his specialty?" Winnie asked, trying to pinpoint the name.
"He doesn't really have one, but he's interested in the heart." Rob answered from the living room.
"Ahh. Well I invited Rory over tonight. She's sulking because she hasn't talked to her beau in awhile." Winnie advised.
"Aww I haven't seen her in awhile. How is she?" Rob smiled as he stood at the kitchen doorway.
"Pretty good. Had a mini breakdown this morning, but I fixed it!" Winnie said triumphantly, flashing Rob a brilliant smile. At that moment, Rob couldn't think she was anymore beautiful.
"Of course." He chuckled.
'When's this guy coming over?" Winnie asked, walking towards him.
"Oh umm, about 25 minutes." He replied, looking at his watch.
"Alright, I'm going to get changed then." As Winnie walked to the bedroom to get changed, she thought about the name. Rory's boyfriend was named Tristan, but they couldn't possibly be the same, right? Tristan isn't a very common name, but could there have been 2 Tristan's on the trip? She wouldn't know until they saw each other. Unless…she did some research on Tristan. She quickly looked at the clock and changed, before re-emerging into the kitchen wearing something a little more casual, but still nice. She helped Rob in the kitchen.
"You know, the guy Rory is with is named Tristan." She mentioned casually. Rob looked at her in interest.
"Really? Are they the same guy?" He asked, intrigued.
"I don't know. I guess we'll find out." There was a knock on the door.
"And sooner than we thought. Finish washing that and put it into the bowl." Rob said and went to get the door. Winnie could hear the two men. She finished and exited.
"Tristan, this is my wife, Winnie. Winnie, this is Tristan." Rob said as he introduced the two.
"Hi." Tristan replied and shook Winnie's hand.
"Hi, welcome." She smiled.
"Thank you. I love your home. It looks really nice." Tristan said. Winnie beamed at the compliment.
"Tristan, can I offer you something to drink?" Winnie asked.
"Oh, water would be great." Winnie nodded and waddled out leaving Rob and Tristan alone. They talked briefly when a timer beeped.
"Crap, hold on Tristan. Make yourself at home. Look at some photos. Whatever. I'll be right back." Rob said and exited. He nodded and sat down on the couch.
There was a photo album on the coffee table, so he picked it up and briefly looked through it. They were wedding pictures of Rob and Winnie. He smiled at the pictures and thought of Rory. How he wished he could call her and see her. He continued to leaf through the photos when someone caught his eye. His flipped back and looked at the photograph. It was Rory. God was this a small world. He slowly turned the page and Rory seemed to be in more and more photos. There was one with Winnie and Rory hugging each other tightly and brightly smiling into the camera. Then there was one with a guy who wasn't Rob in the middle of the two. He has a tattoo on his forearm. He rubbed his stubble coated chin in confusion. He heard footsteps and saw as Winnie came back in holding his water.
"Thank you." He replied gratefully.
"Sure. What are you looking at?" She sat down next to him.
"Rob said to look at some pictures." He said motioning toward the album. Winnie smiled.
"Those are from our wedding." Tristan nodded. Winnie looked at the ones he was stopped at. All of them had Rory in them. She pointed to the one with her, Rory and Mark.
"This is one of my favourite's." She said and pointed.
"Oh? Why?" Tristan asked.
"Well I see both of them everyday. He's the wackiest guy you'll ever meet, and this one. She's a handful, but very lovable." Winnie laughed as she thought of her friends. He nodded his head in agreement.
"Do you know her?" Winnie asked. He looked at her startled.
"Oh, I umm…" And at that precise moment, there was a knock on the door. Winnie smiled widely and patted Tristan's arm.
"It's open!" She called. The door was opened and in came Rory, covered in snow and wearing mittens.
"It's not even Christmas yet and already they're sold out of New Years supplies!" She said, huffing having not looked up from her door. Tristan, however, was stuck in place. Staring at Rory.
"Rory?" Winnie coaxed.
"Yes?" She looked up and saw Winnie, but her attention immediately went to Tristan. She dropped the bag she was holding.
"I…oh my…Tristan." Rory stuttered before running over to him. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her tightly, swaying in place. Winnie smiled softly and silently got up and left, leaving the two in private. Rory pulled back slightly and stared up at him.
Not wanting to wait a second longer, he crashed his lips to hers. She moaned into his mouth as the kiss was deepened almost as soon as it started. Her arms snaked around his neck and pulled him closer to her. He picked her off the floor slightly, so involved in her. He finally broke the kiss and placed her back on the floor.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, his eyes shining brightly.
"I think the question is, what are you doing here?" She asked, playfully slapping his shoulder.
"Rob is my assigned guy for settling back into the U.S. You?" He replied unable to stop smiling.
"I work with Winnie. She invited me over for dinner." Rory replied laughing. 'Of all the places…'
"You don't think they knew, do you?" He asked.
"Oh my god, Winnie and her ulterior motives!" Rory grumbled, loving the feeling of being in Tristan's arms again.
"I know this isn't the place, but how have you been?" He asked.
"Miserable. I had a mini breakdown this morning." She pouted. He gave her a concerned look.
"What happened?" He asked, tilting her chin up to look him in the face.
"I hadn't heard from you in awhile. I just…you're it for me Tristan. No one else." She blurted out. His stomach did somersaults at her revelation. He caught her in a deep kiss.
"You're it for me too." He said in between kisses. Finally they separated.
"We should probably join Rob and Winnie before they think we ditched them." She laced her fingers through his.
"Yea, come on. Let's go." They entered the kitchen to see Winnie and Rob sitting at the table. Upon seeing Rory and Tristan, the two stood up.
"Did you know?" Rory immediately asked.
"Know what?" Winnie asked, confused.
"Know that this was my Tristan?" Rory huffed. Winnie and Rob shook their heads.
"Before Tristan got here, I pieced it together and it was confirmed when he was looking at my wedding photos. Rob didn't know either." Winnie explained, happy that she was able to indirectly help her friend.
"Well now that you guys actually know who each other are, Tristan this is Winnie. She's one of the ones who's always in my office." Tristan nodded as if what she said clicked.
"Nice to finally meet you." Tristan said honestly.
"Likewise." They once again shook hands.
It was a rather peaceful meal filled with small romantic touches on both sides of the table. Rory knew Winnie and Rob needed to talk and she knew that she and Tristan needed to talk badly.
"Rob, this food was amazing. Thanks for having me, guys." Rory said as Tristan and she prepared to leave.
"Oh, you know we love you. Come back any time. The nursery needs some of your touch in it." Rory grinned and nodded towards Rob. She gave both of them hugs as Tristan shook Rob's hand and gave Winnie a light hug. Rory took Tristan's hand and lead him outside and finally onto the street. Once there, she jumped into his arms hugged him tightly. He let out a grunt but hugged her back with one swift motion.
"Where are you staying?" She asked, still in his arms.
"Copley Plaza Hotel." He answered.
"Fancy, aren't we?" She teased as she let go.
"I try." He said haughtily.
"Stay with me. Save that $300 plus to buy something for me!" She yelled playfully. Tristan chuckled at her and nodded.
"I'd love too." They walked in silence and got onto the train. Once arriving at Rory's stop, they got off and slowly made their way to Rory's apartment. Before she opened her door, she prepped him.
"Okay, so had I known you'd be here, I probably would've cleaned it up a little…" He cut her off with a sweet kiss.
"Babe, we're dating. You've already won me over." He whispered against her lips. Her heart fluttered. She leaned up and fisted the front of his shirt in her hands as she kissed him. She pulled back and shifted her keys so she could insert the right one. She opened her door and led them in, shutting it behind them.
"This is it. Home sweet home." She watched as Tristan took everything. He smiled as his eyes moved over to her kitchen. She had pots and pans hanging up, most of them still with their original packaging on them. Before he could look more, she grabbed his hand and pulled him.
"Main room, kitchen. Clearly. Okay, moving on." She said as she pointed out the various rooms in her abode. He chuckled. "This is my study." He peeked his head in and marveled at the walls lined with books. Whoever helped her move in must have had fun bringing the boxes of books in. "The bathroom. In that room is the guest room, although half my closet is currently living on the bed. And this is my room." She pushed the door open fully and pulled him in. He took in the blues and pinks and the clutter. Everywhere. How did she function?
"I told you it was messy." She said sheepishly.
Tristan laughed. "It's very nice."
"Well I thank you for being courteous." She scoffed.
"Hey, you warned me first. It's not like I can be surprised." He replied.
"Exactly." She looked at their clasped hands and bit her lip. Tears came to her eyes.
"Rory?" She turned and took her hand away and wiped away the pending tear.
"I'm fine." She said quickly.
"No, you're not. Come here." He turned her and sighed when he saw her tear-brimmed eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing…I just, I missed you that's all. You being back, it's like a slap in the face. I didn't realize how much I missed you until tonight." She rambled.
"Ditto, Mary." She couldn't help the smile that formed when she heard the name roll of his tongue. He smiled, trying to encourage the smile on her face to get wider. It worked.
"Come on." He said as he grasped her hand and brought her with him to her kitchen. He pointed to a high stool. She sat on it as she watched Tristan go through cabinets and drawers. When Rory asked if he was looking for anything, he quickly silenced her with a finger.
"If you tell me, maybe I can help you." She pointed out.
"No need, I found it." He pulled out a bag from the freezer and headed over to her nice coffee maker. A huge smile enveloped her face as she watched him make her coffee. As they waited for the coffee to brew, he walked over to her and stood between her legs.
"I heard you met Jim." Tristan said, smiling. Rory opened her mouth and closed it. She'd completely forgotten to tell Tristan! She knew there was something she was forgetting.
"Yea, I did! It turns out he's the grandfather of Mark, my coworker. I offered to tag along with him since it was at Redding Hospital. How did you know that?" She asked in awe.
"Jim called me I guess…an hour after you left. He wanted to give me an update of his health and then told me he had great news." Tristan said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Oh?" She replied, urging him to continue.
"Yup. He said that you were even more beautiful in person…that he approved…you're an angel…oh, and I was crazy to leave you here for 6 months." She grinned.
"Yea, the picture was a nice touch." She teased. Tristan laughed sheepishly.
"What can I say? I carry a picture of you around with me so I can make sure that I'm actually ma—umm, dating you and it's not just a dream." 'Nice almost Freudian slip,' Tristan thought as he mentally chided himself. Rory didn't seem to notice, but then again the buzzer on the coffee maker just went off. He backed away and found two mugs. He poured coffee into them and handed Rory one. She smelled it, savouring the smell and then greedily gulped it down. Tristan set his half finished mug aside and pulled Rory up. He had a certain glint in his eyes that Rory couldn't quite place.
"Have you ever just thought that life was meant to be?" Tristan asked. Rory cocked her head in confusion.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Like something is destined for you and how you make it there is up to you?" He asked looking deep into her eyes.
"Like fate?" She asked, wondering where he was going with this.
"Yea, I guess." He shrugged.
"I don't know. I guess so. I've never thought about it." Liar.
"What about true love?" He pressed on.
"Tristan, what's going on?" She asked shakily.
"Just answer the question." He said firmly, not letting her 'run' from the topic of conversation.
She sighed. "I believe that there is someone out there for everyone who just completes them in every possible way." She finally replied. He nodded. "Why are you asking me this?"
"I believe that if something should happen, it will. We've been thrown together numerous times, like tonight. Who would've ever thought we'd see each other tonight?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "I also believe in true love. I believe that love can be pure and last a lifetime." He said seriously. She nodded.
"I don't understand…" She began, but he cut her off.
"You told me today that I'm it for you." Realization dawned over her. "Well you're it for me too." Silence. He licked his lips and dug his hand into his pocket.
"I've been carrying this around with me ever since I boarded that plane in England." He pulled his hand out of his pocket to reveal a royal blue velvet box. Her hand flew to her mouth as he gracefully lowered himself onto one knee.
"Marry me, Rory. I can't possibly imagine not being with you forever, and I know if I don't ask now, I'm going to ask at the most inappropriate time because I'll be in the moment and…god, do you see what you do to me? You make me ramble! I know we haven't been together for that long, but we've known each other for years and I'm just…please Rory. Say yes and be my wife." He opened the ring box. A gasp emitted from her mouth as tears rolled down Rory's cheeks. She stared into the eyes she loved so much it hurt as she thought about it. And for once, thought just the right amount.
She couldn't find the words. All 26 plus years of learning suddenly flew out the window. Her Yale degree couldn't even help her. So she succumbed to just nodding. She knew he got the message because the next thing she knew was him jumping up and wrapping his arms around her in a large hug. He pulled back and kissed her long and hard. She pulled back and stared him in the eyes. He smiled and using the pad of his thumb, wiped away her tears.
"I know you have fears for the future, especially having children, but you can trust me that I will always love you. The ability to conceive or not." His words calmed her inner nerves.
"Can I have the ring?" She hiccupped. He laughed and nodded taking the ring out of the box and slipping it onto her ring finger. She took her hand back and inspected it close up. It was a slightly large ring, but it was one of the most elegant and beautiful ones she'd ever seen. She gleefully latched onto his lips, biting his lip and pulling herself closer to him. She leaned and brushed against him. He moaned into the kiss and pulled her closer. She placed one leg around his waist and without breaking the kiss; he hoisted her up so she could lock her legs together behind his back.
"Bedroom." She said in between kisses. He blindly walked to her room and carefully placed her down massaging her lips with his. Trailing one of his hands up her leg, he went under her skirt and massaged her upper thigh. Using one hand, she unbuttoned her skirt and then pulled Tristan's shirt from out of his pants. He removed his hand and pulled down her skirt and underwear in one motion. She kicked off the offending garments and busied herself unbuttoning his shirt and then pushed it off his broad shoulders.
Finally, the kiss stopped as their shallow breath's encouraged the fast pace of clothing removal. He unbuttoned his pants and pulled his boxers and pants down and kicked them off and then helped Rory take off her wrap shirt. As soon as her bra was undone, he latched himself onto one of her nipples, then bit and sucked it making her arch into him. He did the same to her other and moved his fingers down to her folds. She moaned as he felt around her slick opening, and tested her. Moving back to her lips, he slid a finger into her. She groaned into the kiss as his tongue swept through her mouth in time with his finger.
"I need you." She mumbled and grabbed his hand to stop him. He grabbed his pants but she pulled him back.
"Mary, we need something…"
"I'm on the pill." She was? He nodded and moved back above her. She spread her legs for him and anticipated his entrance. She felt him swirl the head of his penis around her opening, making himself slippery with her pre-cum. She bucked up against him and in that moment he thrust all the way into her. They both moaned at the contact. He pulled back and thrust into her again and again. She threw her head back as his penis stroked her g-spot over and over again. She whimpered as she felt a pending orgasm. Tristan, getting close himself, felt as her walls clamp once or twice which indicated how close she was to the edge. He took one leg and placed it on his shoulder and then did the same with the other one. They both moaned at the new position. Tristan pushed in deeper a few more times before tickling her clit with his thumb and sending her over. He rode into her as she rode out the waves. The last of her waves sent Tristan off as his body jerked and he spilled himself into her and then collapsed on top of her.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Tristan pulled out and lay down next to her. She looked at him through dazed eyes and lazily kissed him. He pulled the covers up and over their bodies.
"That was incredible." Rory said, and kissed Tristan's chest. He wrapped his arm around her naked back and became eye level with her.
"Since when have you been on the pill?" The topic startled Rory.
"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.
"Birth control. Wait, Rory you're not on it? I thought…"
"Oh, no I am. Sorry, I'm tired. Yes I'm on the pill." She replied quickly.
"When did you start it?" He asked.
"Let's see…well I wanted to make sure it worked when I visited you in England so I guess…4 months ago."
"Okay good." He said taking a deep breath.
"Should I have told you? I mean, I didn't think it was important and…" he cut her off by placing a warm kiss on her lips.
"It's fine, you didn't have to tell me. I'm not sure if when I reached for a condom was the right time, though either." He teased.
"Yea, maybe not." She moved her hand from underneath the covers to once again stare at her ring. "This is absolutely beautiful. Where did you get it?" He cupped her hand in his so they could look at it together.
"A store in England." He replied, remembering the day.
"It's incredible." She pointed at the large diamond. A diamond just under 1 carat sat in between two diamonds, each .15 carats. It was impressive.
"Just like the woman I bought it for." He said lovingly.
"Oh, you should probably take it back then. It's not nice to give a woman someone else's ring." She teased. He laughed and gave her a squeeze.
"This ring is why I could never talk long on the phone if it was during the day. I had to keep making calls to make sure the ring was available." Rory grinned up at him.
"How much did this cost you?" She asked.
"A pretty penny." He said without hesitance.
"Tristan!" She whined. "Tell me." He shook his head and kissed her.
"Well then answer this: what year would this ring have been popular in because it's not something you see nowadays." She said admiring the ring on her hand once more.
"The woman told me it's an antique from the 1950s." Her eyes widened as she squinted at it.
"This must have cost over $5,000." She gasped. He said nothing, just winked. She groaned. "Why won't you tell me?"
"Because it's none of your business." He tapped her nose. She huffed and pouted.
"Pouting? Really?" He teased and turned his body so he was looking down at her.
"You're mean." She said scowling.
"I know, but you love me anyways." She nodded her agreement as he leaned down and once again kissed her. She let out a squeak when she felt his warm hand slip between her legs and massaged her sensitive nub. He grinned wickedly as he initiated round two.
The next morning, Rory couldn't concentrate at all. She would work in cycles; type, look at ring, sigh, and smile. And then repeat. She looked at her clock and groaned when she saw that only an hour of work had passed. Since Winnie was pregnant, she came in a little late everyday so Rory was alone. Mark usually arrived the same time as her, but he was usually sleeping until Sven walked by his desk and smacked his head for him to start working.
She ran her hands through her hair, sighing. Four times. They had sex four times before they even considered sleep. In the morning, she woke up with her legs intertwined with his and with his hand resting on the small of her back. As soon as she stirred, Tristan did as well. 'He probably went back to sleep, that lucky bastard,' Rory thought.
"Ugh, this is the worst thing ever. I feel like a cow." Rory looked up when she heard Winnie's voice.
"A cow? No, you're not that big!" Rory said laughing. Winnie ignored her.
"So, tell me about freaky coincidences." Winnie said, referring to the night before.
"Very weird." Rory agreed.
"So after you guys left, Rob and I settled the feud and I'm all better now!" Winnie smiled. Rory rolled her eyes. "What did you and Tristan do after you left? Oh and I must say that he is hot. Like flaming, boiling, steaming, electrifyingly hot." Rory grinned. She couldn't deny that.
"Well, this happened." She picked up her left hand and showed the ring. Winnie gasped and pulled Rory's hand closer to her.
"No! You're engaged?!" Rory nodded. Winnie jumped and yelled happily. After she yelled, she looked at Rory's ring.
"This is the most exquisite ring I've ever seen! Where did he get it?" Winnie asked in awe.
"England. It's from around the 1950s." Rory answered proudly.
"He must have paid like $7,000 for this thing." Winnie said as she nodded her head.
"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me." Rory pouted.
"How did he do it?" Winnie asked excitedly, as she clapped her hands together.
"Well, I was upset because I missed him and so he made me coffee and then he asked me about love. Asked me if I believed in fate and true love. And then he said he did because he knew me. And then he got down on one knee and just…asked. And after I said yes, he smoothed my nerves over by promising me that he'd always love me." Rory said with her eyes half closed, remembering that part of the night. Winnie 'awed' and squealed.
"This is so amazing! I'm so happy for you." Rory smiled widely.
"Thank you."
"Is there some kind of secret meeting I wasn't invited too?" Mark asked looking at how close Rory and Winnie were. He continued rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"I got engaged last night." Rory said happily and promptly showed Mark her ring.
"Wow that's nice. Wait, how did you get engaged? Don't you technically need your significant other to be there? Or was it like a videoconference over the Internet? Damn, our country keeps getting more and more anti-social." Mark ranted.
"Mark, Tristan—my now fiancé—he's working with Winnie's husband for the end of his program. When I went over Winnie's last night to sulk in my misery, he was there. Voila, we went back to my place and he proposed." Mark smiled and looked at her ring.
"Good taste." He nodded in approval.
"It's from the 1950s." She bragged.
"Seriously? What a tush. He couldn't get a ring made in the last 5 decades?" Mark scoffed.
"I thought it was nice." Rory said, looking at her ring. Winnie scowled at Mark.
"It is. Well, that's great, Ror." Mark replied uncomfortably. She nodded quickly.
"What's going on in here? I swear, the rest of the world could blow up and as long as you three were in the same place, you wouldn't even notice." Sven announced coming into her office. The three snickered.
"Rory got engaged last night!" Winnie said excitedly.
"What?" Sven asked.
"It's true, my boyfriend came back from England and he proposed to me last night." She said giddily.
"That's it, Gilmore leave!" Sven yelled. The three looked at each other bewildered.
"I'm sorry…leave?" Rory sputtered.
"Honestly Gilmore, you just got engaged and you're at work?" Sven asked in disbelief. Rory nodded, unsure of what Sven was talking about. "Do I need to spell it out for you? You get engaged, you take a day off. You have an anniversary, you take a few days off. You get married, you take a week off. You have a baby, you take a few months off. You die, you never come back. Get it?" Sven explained in his own special way.
"Kind of?" Rory shrugged.
"Work will be here when you get back, you must go spend your time now with those that you love." Sven said sweetly.
"He's sleeping right now. He's very jetlagged with the time change." She explained.
"That's probably not the only thing he's jetlagged from." Winnie muttered. Rory gasped and nudged Winnie.
"Either way, next time you follow the rules." Sven admonished. Rory nodded.
"Utelle, I'm sending you an article this afternoon. Let me know what you think of it." Sven said and left.
"He just keeps getting weirder and weirder." Mark whispered. The two nodded their heads in agreement.
"So, what happened after he proposed?" Winnie asked immediately.
"We had sex." Rory shrugged. Winnie clapped her hands.
"Sounds so romantic." She said dreamily.
"I forget what that's like. To finally know whom you're going to spend the rest of your life with. I mean I love Rob, but I'm married. There's no more excitement wondering who I'm going to marry." Winnie pouted.
"It's not that exciting." Mark said.
"Aww you'll find someone." Winnie said, patting on his shoulder.
"I think I found her." He said softly.
"Leslie?" Rory nudged Winnie. "Err, I mean Laura? Sorry." Mark sent a glare at Winnie for her slip-up.
"Yes. Maybe. I'm not sure yet." He said indecisively.
"When you know, you know. Trust me on that." Rory said wistfully. He nodded.
"Alright, I'll leave you and your rock to bond." Winnie said and gleefully clapped again before walking out. Mark muttered something and followed Winnie out.
Rory sighed and leaned her head on her hands. She dazed out for a few minutes before she shook herself from it and worked. Forcing herself to focus, she soon wrote without a thought. Three hours she looked up and rolled her neck, trying to get the kink out of it. Standing up, she exited her office for the break room. Upon entering it, she prayed the gods for the full pot of coffee. She quickly poured herself a cup and leaned against the counter, savouring every drop. She whimpered into her cup as the hot liquid scalded her throat but she kept drinking. She refilled her cup two more times before someone else came in. Rory recognized her. It was the woman who replaced the shopping writer many months before. She was petite and soft spoken. Everything she owned seemed to be designer brand. At least that's what it seemed like.
"Hi Rory." She said as she poured herself some coffee.
"Hi Marielle. How's the job going for you?" Rory asked kindly.
"It's a lot of work, but people are friendly. That's a good thing, right?" Marielle answered a bit unsure.
"Definitely." Rory nodded.
"My goodness. I almost forgot! There's this guy wandering around looking for you. He's blonde and tall. He's holding a paper bag." Marielle said suddenly.
"Tristan?" Her eyes lit up.
"Maybe, I don't know." She shrugged.
"Thanks!" Rory said and quickly exited. She went to her office, but he wasn't there so she weaved through the boxes of cubicles looking for him. No luck. She bit her lip and thought about where he could be.
"She was in her office. Not sure where she is now, sorry. You could check the break room. They have coffee." She heard suddenly.
"Ahh yes, where there's coffee, there's Rory." Rory's eyes widened when she heard his voice. She followed the sound of their voices. She saw Tristan standing there talking to Winnie.
"Ah there you are." Winnie said when she saw Rory. Rory smiled and looked at Tristan.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, her smile getting bigger. He shrugged.
"I missed you." He said simply. They could hear Winnie 'awe'. Rory glared and Winnie giggled before leaving them alone. After Winnie left, Rory smiled and leaned up to give him a quick hello kiss.
"So this is your work." He said as she led him towards her office.
"Yup, this is where the Boston Globe functions." He took a look around and nodded. He joined her in her office.
"Impressive." He was about to give her another kiss when someone ran in.
"Rory, oh thank god I found you. What the hell is this?" Rory looked up at the journalist who had a flabbergasted look on her face. She didn't even notice Tristan. Rory took the papers from her hand and looked them over quickly.
"Hmm, they look like promotion papers." She answered.
"No! They can't be. I can't be promoted. I'm only 21. This is an internship, not a job." Rory quirked an eyebrow.
"Look," she pointed at a paragraph. Tristan watched in fascination. "They're offering you a paid job. They must like your work." Rory explained. The girl finally took a deep breath.
"Wow." She sighed and finally noticed Tristan. "Oh! Hi! Sorry I interrupted. Do I go to Sven about this?" The newly promoted intern asked. Rory nodded and watched as the girl ran off. Many college students were off now for winter break so it wasn't odd to see younger people wandering around.
"That doesn't usually happen." Rory said to Tristan. He nodded and walked back over to her. Giving her a quick kiss he looked around her office briefly.
"I'm here because I wanted to take you to lunch." He said softly, just enjoying being near her. She grinned.
"Of course. Let me just get a little more work done and then we can go, okay? In fact, let me get about 15 minutes of work done and then I can leave for today." She said remembering Sven's words earlier.
"Are you sure?" He asked surprised. He knew how important her job was to her.
She winked. "Yea, I got yelled at for being here the day after I got engaged."
"Seriously?" He laughed.
"Yup, my boss is a whack job." She laughed back.
"Okay, get your work done. I'll just wander around your office." He said waving her off. She laughed and sat down at her computer as he walked over to her wall and read articles she'd written. About five minutes later both of their heads turned when they heard a body plop into a chair. It was Mark, of course.
"Can I help you?" Rory asked professionally.
"I am this close to bashing a whole in my cardboard cell." He held up his fingers to show an inch. Rory laughed.
"Why?"
"The stupid person next to me plays music all day. And yea, that's cool I love music, but all they're listening to is High School Musical. I mean seriously, how much We're All in this Together can one person take?" He grumbled. Tristan laughed. This was bizarre. He'd never seen such a lively office. Mark snapped his head up.
"How long has he been standing there?" He said looking at Rory from the corner of his eye.
"Mmm, about ten minutes." Rory responded. Mark nodded and stood up.
"And who might this be?" Mark asked. Rory groaned, knowing she wouldn't get any more work done. She saved everything and logged off her computer.
She stood up and smiled at the two men. "Ahh…my two favorite men. Mark, this is the man you called a tush." Tristan coughed and gave a strange look.
"I won't ask." Tristan said trying to hide his grin, at the sight of Mark's blush.
"Wise choice. Tristan, this is Mark. Jim's grandson." Rory said, finishing up the introductions.
"Ahh, great to meet you." Tristan said and shook his hand.
"How do you know my grandfather?" Mark asked.
"I'm actually his old doctor." Tristan explained.
"Dr. Dugrey?" Mark asked suddenly.
"That would be me." Tristan said chuckling softly.
"Wow, this is way too small of a world." Mark said in shock.
"Anyway Mark, here." She said as she handed Mark her keys.
"Why are you giving me these?" Mark asked in confusion.
"Tristan is taking me to lunch and then I'm going home. You're welcome to escape the show-tunes and work in here." She said patting him on the back.
"Thank you! You are a god, well goddess. You are the goddess of goddesses." He rambled as he bowed down in reverence. Rory chuckled and nodded.
"I'll see you tomorrow Mark." She said as she gathered her things.
"Bye. Nice meeting you Tristan." Mark said to Tristan.
"You too." Mark watched as Rory walked out with Tristan, their hands joined.
"So where are we going?" Rory asked as they left her building.
"I want to see your city." Tristan said, lifting up their joined hands to kiss her knuckles.
"I would hardly call it mine, but this is beautiful Boston." She said throwing her free arm out toward the city.
"It is beautiful." He said and took a deep breath.
"Can I ask you a question?" She looked up at him.
"I wish you would." He said sweetly.
"After we get…married, or even before. Now even. Where will we live? One of us will have to leave our job." She asked hesitantly.
"I can do my work anywhere." He told her.
"I know, but so can I." She said looking up at him.
"Where do you want to live?" He asked. They were interrupted by Rory's phone.
"Ugh, sorry." She looked at the caller id. "It's my mom."
"Go on." He prompted her. She smiled weakly and flipped open her phone.
"Rory Gilmore speaking, daughter of Lorelai Gilmore II also known as she-devil." Rory answered.
"You are my daughter!" Lorelai called happily.
"What's up?" Rory asked, laughing.
"Well I know you're probably busy with work, but, I just wanted to tell you that I am currently on my way to see you." Lorelai responded cheerily.
"What?" Rory asked weakly.
"Try not to sound so excited." Lorelai deadpanned.
"No, I am…but why?"
"I miss you, and I want to see my daughter!" Rory sent a look to Tristan. He lifted his eyebrows in question.
"When are you getting here?" Rory asked.
"Well I left about ten minutes ago, so…an hour and a half." Lorelai said looking at her watch.
"Alright, I'll see you then, mom." Rory said, hiding the defeat in her voice.
"Yes you will. I'll meet you at your work." Lorelai answered.
"I'm actually not at work." Rory responded in a hesitant voice.
"What? Why?"
"You'll see when you get here." Rory smiled.
"Are you sick?" Lorelai asked in concern.
"Quite the opposite." Rory chuckled.
"Ookay." Lorelai let her hesitance show through. "So I'll meet you at your apartment then?"
"Okay, sounds good. See you soon." She flipped her phone shut and let her head fall on Tristan's shoulder.
"My mom decided to come and visit me." Tristan laughed. He was used to Lorelai and knew Lorelai probably decided to make the trip ten minutes before she left.
"Well we can still grab something to eat." Tristan offered.
"She's meeting me at my apartment. Wait, my apartment smells like sex!" Rory looked horrified.
"Well…don't you think that when she sees me, she'll know? Especially when she knows we're engaged?" Tristan asked teasingly.
"While you make a very plausible point, the thought of my mother being able to smell it is kind of…horrific." Rory cringed. He kissed her temple.
"So you wanna pick something up and then go back and de-sex your pad?" He said, with a semi-serious face.
"You don't mind, do you?" She asked sheepishly. He shook his head.
"I haven't seen Lorelai in awhile. Plus, I want to be there when you tell her we're engaged." She smiled and him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I sure got lucky." She said with a southern drawl.
"Yes ma'am." He replied imitating her drawl, and tipping an imaginary hat. They made their way towards Rory's apartment decided what kind of take out to get along the way. They settled on Indian.
"Okay, grab that." Rory pointed to the laundry basket. He picked it up and followed her to the bedroom. She started to take the sheets off her bed. He dropped the basket and came behind her, pulling her against him.
"You know, it seems an awful waste not to take another romp while the sheets are still on the bed." He whispered seductively in her ear.
"Tristan! We can't. My mom will be here soon and we have work to do!" She pushed him away.
"Alright, alright, but I'm getting you later." He promised and helped her strip her bed. She left and came back with new sheets. In the midst, the window was opened and some air freshener was sprayed. They made the bed.
"Hey, can you deal with the food and I'll go throw these in the washer." He nodded and left for the kitchen. About 5 minutes later, she appeared in the kitchen and took a plate of the food. They sat at her counter-table and ate with minimal chatter. Within the next hour, dishes were washed, clothes were cleaned up, and piles of papers were made while the books found a nice spot in the corner of her room. Finally, when everything seemed to be nice, she plopped down onto her couch. Tristan laughed and joined her, lifting her upper body and then letting it go when he sat down so her head was resting on his lap.
"I know you don't want to tell me, but was the ring more than $10,000?" She asked.
"No." He answered.
"Was it more than $5,000?" She pushed.
"Yes." He answered again. She groaned.
"You must love me a lot to put that kind of money out." She whined.
"If the ring was more I would've still gotten it for you. I loved it for you, I love it on you, so it's worth it to me." He said seriously. She smiled up at him and let her hand caress his stubbly cheek.
"You didn't shave." She pointed out.
"No, not today. You like a little scruff, right?" She nodded.
"I think it's sexy." He smirked and rested his hand on her stomach.
"Lie down." He followed her orders as she lifted her head. He scooted down and lay parallel to her. She leaned back against him and turned the TV on. She ended up mostly on her back, with Tristan right above her. He peered down at her and kissed her.
"I can't help kissing you. I finally got the girl and I'm wired." He confessed. She giggled and ran a hand through his soft hair.
"You smell like flowers." She said, once again giggling.
"Well you don't exactly have anything else." He replied sarcastically. A smile stretched over her face.
"You used my shampoo?" She laughed. He nodded sheepishly.
"We're already like a married couple—sharing bathing supplies." She teased him.
"Shut up." That only made her laugh harder. He leaned down and kissed her deeply to cut off her laughing. She smiled against him and she moved her hand behind his head to pull him closer. There was a knock on the door.
"Your mom has bad timing." He murmured against her lips.
"Always did, always will." She said as they both sat up. She turned her ring so the stones were facing the inside. She didn't want that to be the first thing her mom noticed.
"Mom?" Rory asked.
"Rory!" Was heard through the door. Rory opened her door and immediately hugged her mom.
"Oh my baby! How are you? Tell me about your life." Lorelai said happily.
"Well, first I want to show you why I'm home." She shut the door behind her.
"Oh, right." Lorelai said, wanting to know what was going on.
"Let me just say that I went to work this morning, but left early when I got an invitation for lunch. We were actually on our way when you called." Rory explained.
"Okay, enough with the prepping. I wanna know!" They sat down on the couch.
"Tristan's here." Lorelai immediately felt Rory's head.
"You are a little warm." Rory rolled her eyes and removed her mom's hand.
"I'm serious." Rory deadpanned.
"Hi Lorelai." Tristan called out from the corner he was standing in.
"My god, there he is. Come here and give me a hug!" Tristan laughed and hugged Lorelai tightly. "When did you get back?"
"About a week ago, but Rory and I just saw each other again last night." Tristan explained.
"Oh. I'm interfering with your plans!" Lorelai sat.
"Oh, Lorelai, it's fine. In fact Rory and I have all the time in the world to spend with each other." Tristan said with a knowing smile.
"Okay, I'm just going to pretend that wasn't laced with double meaning and say that's good because I wasn't leaving." Tristan and Rory laughed.
"So, what's been going on? How's your life?" Lorelai asked Rory again. Rory smiled brightly and reached out for Tristan. He came next to her as she played with the ring and turned it around.
"Tristan and I are engaged." One, two, three.
"OH MY GOD!" Lorelai jumped up and started screaming incoherent things and hugged the both of them at the same time squashing the three of them together.
"Any baubles?" She showed her mom her ring. Lorelai grabbed her hand as her jaw dropped.
"Wow. That is…extraordinary." Lorelai tapped her nail against the diamond to make sure it was real.
"I'm so happy!" She yelled out. Tristan and Rory smiled at each other. "They're going to be the cutest—your child—umm chilly. It's acutely chilly in here, huh?" Lorelai asked, catching herself. Rory noticed the slip up. She gave a weak smile. This was proving to be harder than she thought.
"You guys, you can say it. I won't break." Rory said softly. Tristan rubbed her back.
"We just know how hard it is for you, and of course it doesn't help when I go and say something like that." Lorelai said apologetically. Rory shrugged.
"I'm okay." She shrugged off Tristan's touch. "I'm just going to umm, bathroom." She pointed and quickly left for the bathroom. When they heard the door shut, they let out deep breaths.
"I'm sorry, Tristan, I didn't…" Lorelai began.
"It's okay." He put his hand up to stop her. "She's trying to deal with this."
"It's not for sure, you know that right?" He nodded.
"If she can't, that's okay. I just want her to be happy, you know? And if kids are involved that would be wonderful. If they aren't, we'll deal." Tristan said honestly. Lorelai agreed and gave him a quick hug.
"I know you'll take care of her. Logan might have been the best thing that happened to her."
"Well I wouldn't say that, but he definitely got Rory and I close again." A few moments later, Rory emerged. Her eyes were slightly red, the biggest indicator that she had cried. Lorelai hugged Rory tightly and told her it would be okay.
"I'm gonna take a walk, alright?" Lorelai asked. Rory nodded. Lorelai exited promptly.
"If…the…many…kids…" Tristan tried to get the words out but he wasn't sure how.
"Tristan, don't. It's okay. It's my issue not yours." She said, trying to placate him. He sighed and shook his head.
"See you're wrong. Especially now." He paused and looked at her. "Rory, we're engaged, planning on getting married, okay? This is just as much my issue as it is yours now. And it's not even an issue! I'm not going to lie to you, okay? You know I want children, but guess what? I'd rather have you." He said seriously.
"You say that now, but what about a few years from now? As I reach an age where it would be risky for any woman to have children." She asked.
"You're all I need. Everything I need." He ran his hand down her arm and took both of her hands in his. He pulled her closer.
"When I asked you to marry me, I asked to marry all of you. To be with all of you, okay?" She nodded. He kissed her forehead and wrapped her in a warm, loving hug.
So as they talked it to death, even with Lorelai, after she returned, paths were cleared, doors reopened, and lives made possible. There was always something about that Isis.
A/N: One more chapter (possibly two if I feel like being nice with an epilogue) left! Ermm, sorry this was delayed. I've actually had it ready but my beta was busy, busy and I'm not the only author she reads for. So we wait and get happy when my chapter is sent back and looks silky smooth. And I've already started on the next chapter. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Reviewed? Thanks, Kiki.
sand-n-surfgurl93: So this is a late thanksgiving /early Christmas (Hanukah, Kwanzaa – whatever you celebrate) present. And I'm glad you like it. :0) Makes it more enjoyable to write!
Curley-Q
princetongirl
LoVe23: haha well thank you.
Kylie1403
Mongoose 187
kris