Disclaimer : No.
Feedback : Geesh. nearly 160 already? Thanks all of you.
Note : I am extremely sorry that I backed out on the whole "I'll have a chapter up this weekend" thing. Sunday got hectic and I've been swamped with homework all this week, so this is honestly the first chance I've gotten to write. However, the rest of the week are half days, so I'll be updating on a regular basis (this story only has like 3/4 more chapters anyway) for the next few days. And then its back to my other story :) Well, anyhoo, I'll shut up.
"Baby, Be Mine"
Chapter 15
Rory eventually forgave Christopher for leaving, agreeing to come up to Maine and visit every couple of weeks and he, in turn, promised that he would move back to Hartford before she headed off to college so they could establish a real relationship. After another week, he headed off to start his new job with Lorelai and Rory settling right back into their own lives. Things with Tristan escalated into a very solid thing and when the charges against the man who had attacked her went to court a week later, he was right there beside her. Dan Lindey was convicted of sexual assault and battery and sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary, much to everyone's relief. Once that was out of their lives forever, preparations for the Stars Hollow Christmas Celebration started and naturally, the Gilmore's were right in the thick of it.
******
December 21
"No. That is just wrong. Unnatural." Luke pointed out.
"Just plain gross," Rory interjected.
"Listen to her."
"Its not supposed to be red or green. Thats just, ew."
"I refuse."
"But its coffee!" Lorelai whined, holding out red and green food coloring out to Luke, who took a step back. "Come on, Christmas coffee, don't you get it? It would be the birth of something totally new! We'd be trend setters."
Rory snatched the food coloring out of her mothers hand. "I will not drink colored coffee. Besides, the brown would get jealous and we can't have that. Do you really want to risk having your every other day of the year coffee turning on your because you decided to color your beverage of choice for one day?"
Lorelai frowned. "But its Christmas coffee!"
"No," Both Luke and Rory said in unison, cracking smiles after.
"Come on, live a little."
Luke shook his head. "Im not dying my coffee." He said, heading back towards the diner.
Lorelai watched him go, pouting. Once he disappeared inside, she turned back to her daughter, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You. You are my child, my flesh and blood. Do I mean nothing to you? Don't you know you're supposed to agree with whatever I may suggest?"
Rory grinned. "Only when your suggestions don't include ruining a perfectly good thing. Brown coffee is perfect as it is. Any added coloring would just ruin it."
"Pfft. Im not talking to you."
"Yes, you are. Otherwise I won't tell you what I got you for Christmas."
Lorelai's guard fell and she opened her eyes really wide. "Tell me!" She squeaked, jumping up and down a little.
"Not now. Too much work to do."
"Evil." Lorelai muttered, watching Rory walk away.
*****
"So, whats the plan for this weekend?" Tristan asked, laying his arm around her shoulders.
Rory snuggled into his side, relishing in his warmth. "We have my grandparents party to attend on Christmas Eve and then after present opening on Christmas Day, everyone will gather in the center of town and we'll have the Stars Hollow Christmas Annual."
"Am I invited to this?" Tristan murmured into her hair.
"Yes. But you must bring gifts. Its a rule."
"For everyone?"
"Just the people you've met will be sufficient. Thats how it usually works with outsiders."
Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Im an outsider? Wasn't I officially adopted?"
Rory giggled, her heart swelling at the intensity of his blue eyes. They really were amazing. "You were. But you're not a resident, so you missed out on the picking names out of the shoe."
"Shoe? Isn't that supposed to be a hat?"
"Yeah, but my mom was in charge of the hat one year, which was just ignorance on the givers part. Anyway, she lost it and was forced to replace it with something else. So she donated a heel."
Tristan chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Why don't you just buy a new hat?"
Rory gave him a confused look. "That would defeat the whole tradition."
"This town is definitely odd."
"Yes, it is," Rory conceded. "But I wouldn't change it for the world."
"Neither would I." Tristan agreed, kissing her head.
*****
December 24
"You go in. I'll hide in the bushes."
"Mom, just ring the doorbell." Rory sighed, shivering in the winter wind.
"I don't wanna."
"Fine, I will." Rory said, reaching out to ring it, only to have her arm immediately snatched back by her mother.
"We need a game plan," she hissed.
"Its like, two degrees out here, Mom. Do we have to do this?"
Lorelai grinned sheepishly and nodded. "Yes, we do. Otherwise we'll be forced to spend the entire night with stuffy rich butts instead of sitting on the couch, watching sappy Christmas movies and eating candy canes."
Rory sighed again, allowing her mother to pull her out of the view of the front of the house. "Okay, whats the plan, Major Mom?"
Rubbing her hands together, Lorelai leaned in closer, just in case, you know, a random weirdo decided to listen in on their conversation. "We'll mingle. Be the ideal family of the hosts. After the third of the four course meal, I'll conveniently remember that I left the tree on at home, major fire hazard you know. We'll make a big spectacle when Mom won't let us leave and then sneak out the back."
"Ummm, right. And we're making a big spectacle, why?"
"Because its always fun to see my mom get her feathers ruffled." Lorelai said as if it were the most obvious thing ever.
Rory nodded. "Ah, got it. Can we go in now, before my fingers fall off?"
"Onward!" Lorelai announced.
*****
"Hello, beautiful," a husky voice suddenly murmured in Rory's ear, strong arms coming around her waist.
Rory turned to see a pair of familiar blue orbs. "Hey." She whispered, standing on her toes to kiss him.
Tristan smiled happily, planting another kiss on her lips before responding. "Having fun?"
"I am now."
"Told you Im the king of all things fun."
"Who says its because of you? I'll find a cure for that ego, yet."
Tristan laughed, pulling her closer to him. "You know you love it."
"Hmmm," Rory murmured, breathing in his scent. "When did you get here?"
"About an hour ago."
"Grandparents reaction?"
"Only missing a trombone and an elephant for me to ride in on."
"Oh, well. Theres always next year."
Tristan pulled back, his eyes burning into hers. "Is there going to be a next year?"
"Yes." Rory said confidently, a smile brightening her features.
His only response was crushing his lips to hers, murmuring words of love when they parted.
*****
Emily stood not far away, chatting idly with fellow members of the DAR, when the sight of her granddaughter and the DuGrey boy caught her eye. A genuinely happy smile formed on her lips, a feeling of pride growing inside of her. Helen Donovan, a close family friend noticed the look and followed Emily's gaze.
"Isn't that your granddaughter?"
Emily nodded proudly. "Yes, Rory."
"And the DuGrey's eldest? I didn't know they were seeing each other."
"Its been a few weeks now," Emily stated. "He's a wonderful boy. Treats her with so much respect."
Helen looked thoughtful. "Doesn't he look like Christopher did at his age?"
Emily glanced at her friend abruptly. "No, I don't think so."
"Its the hair. And that smirk, can't miss that. I just hope she doesn't make the same mistakes as Lorelai. Tsk, that would be such a shame."
"Rory's not going to," Emily said, fuming. "Excuse me."
Helen watched her go in bewilderment.
*****
"Ready?" Lorelai whispered in Rory's ear a few hours later.
"Kinda dancing here, Mom," Rory reminded her.
Lorelai flashed her a grin, ignoring the rest of the couples dancing. "He can come, too." She bribed.
Rory groaned and turned her attention back to Tristan, who was watching the two of them in confusion. "My mom wants us to bail. You in?"
Tristan gazed around the room and then back to the angel in his arms. Grinning, he nodded. "Sure."
Lorelai clapped her hands and pushed her way in between the two of them, grabbing both their hands and pulling them into an empty room. "Now, heres what we do. I'll go make petty conversation with my Mom. Rory, you come in a few minutes later, frantically reminding me that we left the tree, all candles included, on and we have to get home immediately to turn it off. She'll argue that both of us don't have to go. You'll bring up the fact that I can't be trusted alone with fire, so you must come and supervise. She'll refuse to let us leave. We'll make a huge thing out of it and after she throws a fit, we'll head into my room and shimmy down the drain pipe."
"In a skirt?" Rory questioned reluctantly.
"I already checked all other possible escape routes. Theres bells on the backdoor, so thats out. Front door is obviously not an option and your room doesn't have any real navigational ways."
Sighing in resignation, Rory agreed. "Okay. What about Tris?"
Lorelai tapped a nail on her chin in thought. "We'll wait for him outside. He can get away with just leaving, something about prior engagements or something of that sort. Then we'll all go back to the house where steaming hot cocoa and holiday sweets await."
"Alright. Ready to put this into action?" Rory asked.
"Lets go," Lorelai said and promptly marched out of the door.
******
"Ouch, watch it, Mom. I'm still kind of down here, you know," Rory cried as one of Lorelai's heels came in contact with the top of her head.
"Sorry, sweetie." Lorelai called down to her.
Rory grumbled and finally reached the snow covered ground, happy to have finally made it off the drain pipe. A few seconds later, Lorelai joined her and they headed over to the jeep, jumping in to get warm.
"Think she noticed we're gone yet?"
"Nah. I'd say we still have a good fifteen minutes."
"Lets hope she lets Tristan out without much hassle," Rory said, pressing her hands against the heater.
"Looks like there wasn't a problem," Lorelai pointed out, gesturing towards the front walk where Tristan was currently ambling towards them.
He stopped outside the jeep a few minutes later and Rory rolled down the window, despite the freezing cold. "So I guess we'll meet at your house?"
"I'll meet you at our house," Lorelai said, pushing her daughter out the door. "You go with him. If you get there any more then twenty minutes after me, Im going to be making new ornaments with certain parts of his body. Understood?"
Rory giggled at that and linked arms with Tristan. "We get it. See you in a bit, Mom."
*****
"A Charlie Brown Christmas! C'mon, we have to watch that," Lorelai whined, tossing a few pieces of popcorn at Tristan who was handling the remote at the moment.
"We watched that last night, Mom," Rory said from her spot on the floor, her head in Tristan's lap.
"That was Snoopy's Christmas Carol," Lorelai argued.
"Same thing."
"Nuh-uh. Charlie Brown and Snoopy are two totally different characters."
"Wrestle-Mania Christmas!" Tristan suddenly exclaimed, flipping the channel.
Lorelai gave him a pathetic look. "No way. Theres nothing Christmas-y watching overweight men beating the crap out of each other. Someone get the remote away from him."
Rory reached up to grab it from him, but he held it just out of arms length. "Remote. Now."
Tristan smiled devilishly. "What is it worth to you?"
Groaning, she sat up. "Just give it to me."
"I can't do that. Not without a little compensation first. I mean, how is that fair? Giving up an item that is in my possession without something in return."
"May I remind you, you are in my house?"
Tristan winked and leaned in closer. "And for the price of one overly amazing kiss, it can be yours." he whispered.
Rory shivered from the feeling of his breath on her ear. Tipping her head back, she grinned. "Fair trade."
Lorelai watched in amusement at the bickering, but suddenly felt extremely weirded out when things turned lovey-dovey. Jumping off the couch, she headed towards the stairs. "Okay, Im going upstairs to watch tv. You two behave. You can stay if the roads get any worse." She said the last part to Tristan.
"Night, Mom."
"Okay. Night."
Lorelai smiled and bounced up the stairs to her room. Once she was gone, Rory leaned back into Tristans arms, love filling her every pore as his mouth came to meet hers. It was instantaneously deepened and the remote clattered to the ground, forgotten. Her mind was hazy, but at the same time, completely clear as she pulled him down on top of her. After a little more making out, Tristan pulled back, surprised to see her eyes clouded over with the same sense of desire he was feeling. The entire world narrowed down to that one place when Rory opened her mouth and uttered two words he wouldn't have ever expected her to say.
"My room."
*****
And I'll leave it there. More tomorrow.
~ Shay
Feedback : Geesh. nearly 160 already? Thanks all of you.
Note : I am extremely sorry that I backed out on the whole "I'll have a chapter up this weekend" thing. Sunday got hectic and I've been swamped with homework all this week, so this is honestly the first chance I've gotten to write. However, the rest of the week are half days, so I'll be updating on a regular basis (this story only has like 3/4 more chapters anyway) for the next few days. And then its back to my other story :) Well, anyhoo, I'll shut up.
Chapter 15
Rory eventually forgave Christopher for leaving, agreeing to come up to Maine and visit every couple of weeks and he, in turn, promised that he would move back to Hartford before she headed off to college so they could establish a real relationship. After another week, he headed off to start his new job with Lorelai and Rory settling right back into their own lives. Things with Tristan escalated into a very solid thing and when the charges against the man who had attacked her went to court a week later, he was right there beside her. Dan Lindey was convicted of sexual assault and battery and sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary, much to everyone's relief. Once that was out of their lives forever, preparations for the Stars Hollow Christmas Celebration started and naturally, the Gilmore's were right in the thick of it.
******
December 21
"No. That is just wrong. Unnatural." Luke pointed out.
"Just plain gross," Rory interjected.
"Listen to her."
"Its not supposed to be red or green. Thats just, ew."
"I refuse."
"But its coffee!" Lorelai whined, holding out red and green food coloring out to Luke, who took a step back. "Come on, Christmas coffee, don't you get it? It would be the birth of something totally new! We'd be trend setters."
Rory snatched the food coloring out of her mothers hand. "I will not drink colored coffee. Besides, the brown would get jealous and we can't have that. Do you really want to risk having your every other day of the year coffee turning on your because you decided to color your beverage of choice for one day?"
Lorelai frowned. "But its Christmas coffee!"
"No," Both Luke and Rory said in unison, cracking smiles after.
"Come on, live a little."
Luke shook his head. "Im not dying my coffee." He said, heading back towards the diner.
Lorelai watched him go, pouting. Once he disappeared inside, she turned back to her daughter, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You. You are my child, my flesh and blood. Do I mean nothing to you? Don't you know you're supposed to agree with whatever I may suggest?"
Rory grinned. "Only when your suggestions don't include ruining a perfectly good thing. Brown coffee is perfect as it is. Any added coloring would just ruin it."
"Pfft. Im not talking to you."
"Yes, you are. Otherwise I won't tell you what I got you for Christmas."
Lorelai's guard fell and she opened her eyes really wide. "Tell me!" She squeaked, jumping up and down a little.
"Not now. Too much work to do."
"Evil." Lorelai muttered, watching Rory walk away.
*****
"So, whats the plan for this weekend?" Tristan asked, laying his arm around her shoulders.
Rory snuggled into his side, relishing in his warmth. "We have my grandparents party to attend on Christmas Eve and then after present opening on Christmas Day, everyone will gather in the center of town and we'll have the Stars Hollow Christmas Annual."
"Am I invited to this?" Tristan murmured into her hair.
"Yes. But you must bring gifts. Its a rule."
"For everyone?"
"Just the people you've met will be sufficient. Thats how it usually works with outsiders."
Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Im an outsider? Wasn't I officially adopted?"
Rory giggled, her heart swelling at the intensity of his blue eyes. They really were amazing. "You were. But you're not a resident, so you missed out on the picking names out of the shoe."
"Shoe? Isn't that supposed to be a hat?"
"Yeah, but my mom was in charge of the hat one year, which was just ignorance on the givers part. Anyway, she lost it and was forced to replace it with something else. So she donated a heel."
Tristan chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Why don't you just buy a new hat?"
Rory gave him a confused look. "That would defeat the whole tradition."
"This town is definitely odd."
"Yes, it is," Rory conceded. "But I wouldn't change it for the world."
"Neither would I." Tristan agreed, kissing her head.
*****
December 24
"You go in. I'll hide in the bushes."
"Mom, just ring the doorbell." Rory sighed, shivering in the winter wind.
"I don't wanna."
"Fine, I will." Rory said, reaching out to ring it, only to have her arm immediately snatched back by her mother.
"We need a game plan," she hissed.
"Its like, two degrees out here, Mom. Do we have to do this?"
Lorelai grinned sheepishly and nodded. "Yes, we do. Otherwise we'll be forced to spend the entire night with stuffy rich butts instead of sitting on the couch, watching sappy Christmas movies and eating candy canes."
Rory sighed again, allowing her mother to pull her out of the view of the front of the house. "Okay, whats the plan, Major Mom?"
Rubbing her hands together, Lorelai leaned in closer, just in case, you know, a random weirdo decided to listen in on their conversation. "We'll mingle. Be the ideal family of the hosts. After the third of the four course meal, I'll conveniently remember that I left the tree on at home, major fire hazard you know. We'll make a big spectacle when Mom won't let us leave and then sneak out the back."
"Ummm, right. And we're making a big spectacle, why?"
"Because its always fun to see my mom get her feathers ruffled." Lorelai said as if it were the most obvious thing ever.
Rory nodded. "Ah, got it. Can we go in now, before my fingers fall off?"
"Onward!" Lorelai announced.
*****
"Hello, beautiful," a husky voice suddenly murmured in Rory's ear, strong arms coming around her waist.
Rory turned to see a pair of familiar blue orbs. "Hey." She whispered, standing on her toes to kiss him.
Tristan smiled happily, planting another kiss on her lips before responding. "Having fun?"
"I am now."
"Told you Im the king of all things fun."
"Who says its because of you? I'll find a cure for that ego, yet."
Tristan laughed, pulling her closer to him. "You know you love it."
"Hmmm," Rory murmured, breathing in his scent. "When did you get here?"
"About an hour ago."
"Grandparents reaction?"
"Only missing a trombone and an elephant for me to ride in on."
"Oh, well. Theres always next year."
Tristan pulled back, his eyes burning into hers. "Is there going to be a next year?"
"Yes." Rory said confidently, a smile brightening her features.
His only response was crushing his lips to hers, murmuring words of love when they parted.
*****
Emily stood not far away, chatting idly with fellow members of the DAR, when the sight of her granddaughter and the DuGrey boy caught her eye. A genuinely happy smile formed on her lips, a feeling of pride growing inside of her. Helen Donovan, a close family friend noticed the look and followed Emily's gaze.
"Isn't that your granddaughter?"
Emily nodded proudly. "Yes, Rory."
"And the DuGrey's eldest? I didn't know they were seeing each other."
"Its been a few weeks now," Emily stated. "He's a wonderful boy. Treats her with so much respect."
Helen looked thoughtful. "Doesn't he look like Christopher did at his age?"
Emily glanced at her friend abruptly. "No, I don't think so."
"Its the hair. And that smirk, can't miss that. I just hope she doesn't make the same mistakes as Lorelai. Tsk, that would be such a shame."
"Rory's not going to," Emily said, fuming. "Excuse me."
Helen watched her go in bewilderment.
*****
"Ready?" Lorelai whispered in Rory's ear a few hours later.
"Kinda dancing here, Mom," Rory reminded her.
Lorelai flashed her a grin, ignoring the rest of the couples dancing. "He can come, too." She bribed.
Rory groaned and turned her attention back to Tristan, who was watching the two of them in confusion. "My mom wants us to bail. You in?"
Tristan gazed around the room and then back to the angel in his arms. Grinning, he nodded. "Sure."
Lorelai clapped her hands and pushed her way in between the two of them, grabbing both their hands and pulling them into an empty room. "Now, heres what we do. I'll go make petty conversation with my Mom. Rory, you come in a few minutes later, frantically reminding me that we left the tree, all candles included, on and we have to get home immediately to turn it off. She'll argue that both of us don't have to go. You'll bring up the fact that I can't be trusted alone with fire, so you must come and supervise. She'll refuse to let us leave. We'll make a huge thing out of it and after she throws a fit, we'll head into my room and shimmy down the drain pipe."
"In a skirt?" Rory questioned reluctantly.
"I already checked all other possible escape routes. Theres bells on the backdoor, so thats out. Front door is obviously not an option and your room doesn't have any real navigational ways."
Sighing in resignation, Rory agreed. "Okay. What about Tris?"
Lorelai tapped a nail on her chin in thought. "We'll wait for him outside. He can get away with just leaving, something about prior engagements or something of that sort. Then we'll all go back to the house where steaming hot cocoa and holiday sweets await."
"Alright. Ready to put this into action?" Rory asked.
"Lets go," Lorelai said and promptly marched out of the door.
******
"Ouch, watch it, Mom. I'm still kind of down here, you know," Rory cried as one of Lorelai's heels came in contact with the top of her head.
"Sorry, sweetie." Lorelai called down to her.
Rory grumbled and finally reached the snow covered ground, happy to have finally made it off the drain pipe. A few seconds later, Lorelai joined her and they headed over to the jeep, jumping in to get warm.
"Think she noticed we're gone yet?"
"Nah. I'd say we still have a good fifteen minutes."
"Lets hope she lets Tristan out without much hassle," Rory said, pressing her hands against the heater.
"Looks like there wasn't a problem," Lorelai pointed out, gesturing towards the front walk where Tristan was currently ambling towards them.
He stopped outside the jeep a few minutes later and Rory rolled down the window, despite the freezing cold. "So I guess we'll meet at your house?"
"I'll meet you at our house," Lorelai said, pushing her daughter out the door. "You go with him. If you get there any more then twenty minutes after me, Im going to be making new ornaments with certain parts of his body. Understood?"
Rory giggled at that and linked arms with Tristan. "We get it. See you in a bit, Mom."
*****
"A Charlie Brown Christmas! C'mon, we have to watch that," Lorelai whined, tossing a few pieces of popcorn at Tristan who was handling the remote at the moment.
"We watched that last night, Mom," Rory said from her spot on the floor, her head in Tristan's lap.
"That was Snoopy's Christmas Carol," Lorelai argued.
"Same thing."
"Nuh-uh. Charlie Brown and Snoopy are two totally different characters."
"Wrestle-Mania Christmas!" Tristan suddenly exclaimed, flipping the channel.
Lorelai gave him a pathetic look. "No way. Theres nothing Christmas-y watching overweight men beating the crap out of each other. Someone get the remote away from him."
Rory reached up to grab it from him, but he held it just out of arms length. "Remote. Now."
Tristan smiled devilishly. "What is it worth to you?"
Groaning, she sat up. "Just give it to me."
"I can't do that. Not without a little compensation first. I mean, how is that fair? Giving up an item that is in my possession without something in return."
"May I remind you, you are in my house?"
Tristan winked and leaned in closer. "And for the price of one overly amazing kiss, it can be yours." he whispered.
Rory shivered from the feeling of his breath on her ear. Tipping her head back, she grinned. "Fair trade."
Lorelai watched in amusement at the bickering, but suddenly felt extremely weirded out when things turned lovey-dovey. Jumping off the couch, she headed towards the stairs. "Okay, Im going upstairs to watch tv. You two behave. You can stay if the roads get any worse." She said the last part to Tristan.
"Night, Mom."
"Okay. Night."
Lorelai smiled and bounced up the stairs to her room. Once she was gone, Rory leaned back into Tristans arms, love filling her every pore as his mouth came to meet hers. It was instantaneously deepened and the remote clattered to the ground, forgotten. Her mind was hazy, but at the same time, completely clear as she pulled him down on top of her. After a little more making out, Tristan pulled back, surprised to see her eyes clouded over with the same sense of desire he was feeling. The entire world narrowed down to that one place when Rory opened her mouth and uttered two words he wouldn't have ever expected her to say.
"My room."
*****
And I'll leave it there. More tomorrow.
~ Shay