Title: Some Things Change
Author: Christine (Christine.2001@juno.com)
Rating: PG-13??
Spoilers: Umm…I guess up until "The Third Lorelai"…the rest came from my head.
Pairing: R/T
Starring: Rory, Tristan
Guest Starring: Lorelai, Dean, Luke, Lane
Summary: Tristan and Rory have become good friends, although she and Dean are still dating (they never broke up the first time). After something happens with Dean, Rory sees that things are beginning to change between her and Tristan.
Disclaimer: Nooo officer! That's not Tristan stuffed under my bed……Well….I was going to give him back!!…. Eventually.
Feedback: Oh, YES Please! This is my first fic and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.
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Chapter 4/16
"What time is it?" Rory groaned as she tried to hide from the sunshine that was invading her room. She took a moment away from her attempted escape to look at the fuzzy clock on her nightstand. The furry hands told her that it was now 1:30. And from the annoying rays of sunlight coming through her curtains, she figured it was p.m. With another groan she threw the covers back over her head. The same head that was currently beating and throbbing with what was the start of a major headache. "God! What's wrong with me?!?!" she moaned. Then, her headache suddenly got worse. She thought about what conspired last night. She didn't have a boyfriend any more. With that thought, she threw back the covers, knowing that she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. "I just want to avoid everyone today," she thought. "It's probably all over town already." With a tiny snort, she corrected herself, "It was all over town last night in the five minutes after the breakup. Mom can just siphon my coffee under the door." As she stopped to listen to the noises coming from her kitchen, she noticed the distinct smell of the elixir of life. "Mmm…speaking of coffee. Can't face Stars Hollow gossip mill without at least a pot of it." She slowly trudged towards the door, not at all eager to begin her day. She opened the door to reveal her mom pouring two cups of piping hot coffee.
"Hey, sweetie! I was just about to see if you were ready for your morning coffee…Although this is not exactly morning, but I thought I'd let you sleep in."
"I'm always ready for coffee. And thanks. I needed it."
"No prob. So…I was thinking for lunch, I could go pick up some burgers from Luke's and bring 'em back here."
"Mom, I know what you're thinking, but they're all gonna track me down anyway. They're going to bombard the house. Maybe even an air raid. You know that there's no stopping people hungry for gossip."
"We can stop them! We'll man the towers! I knew that those would be useful one day! But nooo…you wanted to tear them down because they were, 'impractical,'" she said making quotation marks in the air while speaking.
Ignoring her nonsensical rant, "It's okay mom, let's go to Luke's. I can't hide forever."
With that, the two women changed and headed off to the building marked as a hardware store. As they take a seat at their normal table, Rory notices everyone staring after her. She sees, out of the corner of her eye, that Taylor has taken out his cell phone. With a self-conscious look, Rory covers her face with her hands. "It's started," she mumbled.
"Honey, I can't understand you with you hands on your face. It sounded like you just admitted doing something not so attractive, and is usually followed by an excuse me. Emily Gilmore would faint at such an admission."
Taking her hands away, she glared at her mother. "Not helping," she accused with a finger pointing at the older Lorelai.
"Don't point that cute little finger at me, missy," she demanded, pointing her own finger at the little Lorelai.
The two sat with determined looks on their faces, staring at each other in a face off, both with fingers still outstretched. The staring continued until Lorelai blinked.
"Ha! I win!"
With a look of defeat, "You're too good for me, kid. I have taught you well."
Luke walks up to the table of his two favorite customers. "The usual?" He asked even though he knew the answer. "And you," he said pointing to Rory, "get an extra large coffee today and a sundae. On the house."
"Aww..Luke, you don't have to do that!"
But Lorelai, after hearing the extra large coffee part, sat there gaping at Luke with her mouth wide open. "Oh Luke, I've been through so much trauma! You don't even know. I mean, I had to hire this plumber! And he just sat there all day with his pants dipping down way too far! It was enough to make me run, screaming from the room without my coffee!!! Imagine! WITHOUT my coffee!!" She enunciated each of her last three words by pounding her fists into Luke's arm. Grabbing his arm and staring up at him with a puppy dog face, "Please Lukey! I need help!!"
"I could have told you that." But with one last look at her beautiful face and her pouting lips, he relented. And Lorelai could see it in his face.
"Yes!" she said with a triumphant smile.
"That stuff will kill you!" Luke shouted over his shoulder as he walked back to the kitchen.
Lorelai leaned closer to Rory as if about to tell a secret, "I'm goood!"
Rory just shook her head, chuckling. "When are they going to see that they love each other!" she thought to herself.
Just then Babette walked up to the table, trailed by Miss Patty, Kirk, and Taylor.
"Rory, sweetie! I'm so sorry, honey. But don't worry about it. I met so many terrible men before I met my Maury," her short, scratchy voiced neighbor, with a striking resemblance to Sally Struthers, said.
"Yes, Rory, doll. I'm so sorry! I was one of the ones who encouraged you two. I thought you'd make such a good couple. Be that boy doesn't deserve you," Miss Patty crooned.
"Rory, you must forgive me. I knew something was wrong with that boy. There was just something about his eyes," Kirk said, motioning to his own eyes, "They're just too….beady"
"Rory, I never liked him. He handles the peaches all wrong. I can tell. He *tosses them down. He doesn't place them, he tosses them. You can tell a lot about someone by the way they handle their fresh produce," Taylor said with a solemn shake of his head.
"You guys, thank you, all of you, but really I'm fine!"
They all nodded with sympathetic looks on their faces, as if they didn't believe her.
Noticing Rory's uncomfortable look, Lorelai decide to take action, "Ok, well thank you all. I know Rory appreciates your concern, but I think that visiting hours are over. This wild one needs to be sent back to her cell pretty soon," she says pointing over her shoulder at Rory all the while pushing them out the door. "Buh-bye now!" And with that, she shuts the door to their protests.
As they two finish eating and drinking their extra large coffees, Lane comes bounding in. "Hey Rory! Hey Lorelai!"
"Hey Lane, meet any nice Korean boys lately?" Lorelai says with a smirk.
"Haha. Nope, I guess Henry, will just have to do."
"Hey mom? Is it okay if I go hang out with Lane for a little while?
"Sure no problem, babe. Have fun you two!" she shouted after their retreating backs. "Don't go robbing any liquor stores or super markets! But if you do, we need more coffee at home!"
Sitting up in Lane's room, they listened to some of Lane's hidden stash of CD's. Otherwise known to her mother as the 'forbidden noise'.
As a PJ Harvey melody flowed from the stereo, Rory divulged the details of her break up with Dean.
"So basically, you're saying that you broke up with Dean to be with Tristan."
"I didn't break up with Dean to BE with Tristan! I broke up with Dean because he didn't trust me and he was trying to control me."
"So…this had absolutely NOTHING to do with Tristan?" Lane said with one eyebrow arched and a look of disbelief. Then, after a short pause asked, "Wait. Have you TOLD Tristan yet?"
"Lane! What are you talking about! You sound almost as bad as Dean! No my break up with Dean was not a result of my relationship with Tristan. And no I haven't told him yet," she said with a disgruntled sigh.
Lane held her hands up as if in surrender. "Hey, I'm just checking. I've seen how you two look at each other. Oh don't give me that look. It's true whether you want to believe it or not."
"Yeah, Lane. Whatever you say." "That's just crazy," thought Rory.
"Lane! It is time for dinner! Come down now!" Mrs. Kim's voice rang through the entire house.
"I'm coming, Mama!"
Giving each other a little smile, the two best friends said their goodbyes and Rory headed back home. As she walked down the streets that she knew like the back of her hand, she thought back to her conversation with Lane. "What did she mean, 'the way we look at each other'?" With a shake of her head, she cleared those ridiculous thoughts from her head. As another thought entered her mind, she stopped dead in her tracks. She had to go back to school tomorrow! "Ugh. Way to spend a relaxing day before going back to that hell hole! Well at least Tristan will be there to help get me through the day. Wait! Am I thinking about Tristan again!" With a sigh, Rory continued on the short walk to her house. "I must be going crazy or something."
End of Chapter 4
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