Authors Note: Well, here it is, chapter 6....the final chapter in this
story. It's shorter than the other chapters, but it's still a pretty good
conclusion. After you read it, don't forget to review, I'm anxious to find
out what everyone thought about it. Okay, so without any further ado, here
it is!
The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn....
Chapter 6: ...Is Just to Love and be Loved in Return
Dean and Rory exit the bookstore quietly. Dean is busy seething over Tristan, and Rory is just glad that she got out of there before the truth about her and Tristan came out.
"Man! I really can't stand that guy! He is so irritating, I just want to bash his face in!" Dean clenches his fists and scowls. Rory looks back at the bookstore wistfully, wishing she could be in there with Tristan instead of out here with Dean.
"Dean, he's not that bad of a person once you get to know him. He acts like a jerk to cover the real person inside. He's actually a very sweet and thoughtful person," Rory protests, as she is a strong believer that everybody has a little bit of good inside them.
"Rory, don't defend that creep! He's just a rich, spoiled asshole who has some twisted desire to sleep with you so he can brag to all his friends that he scored a 'Mary'," Dean replies angrily.
"That's not true, Dean!" Rory argues. "That jerk back at the bookstore is not the real Tristan, it's just a facade. The Tristan I know is gentle, kind, and has different layers. The Tristan that I've gotten to know is more like Christian, not the Duke!"
"Rory will you stop defending him?! He doesn't deserve it! I think you're completely wrong about him. I think that you're confusing the part he's playing and the person he really is, which is exactly what he wants you to do! And of course, since you believe that nobody can do wrong, you're actually falling right for his little act!" Dean slams his hand on his car in frustration. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you actually liked that moron!"
Rory just stares down at her shoes, and Dean gapes at her.
"You do, don't you." It's not a so much of a question, as it is a statement. It hangs in the misty and cold night air for a minute as Rory ponders what to say. She decides to stick with the safe tactic of denial.
"No, I don't! Dean...I love you!" Dean puts up his hand to stop her from speaking anymore. He doesn't seem angry, just defeated, like he just lost a big battle.
"It's okay, Rory. I'm not angry with you, I just pity you. I pity you because you're in love with a person that doesn't exist."
"You're wrong, Dean!" Rory insists passionately. "That person does exist, he's standing in that bookstore, probably wondering why he screwed up again, why he can't keep his big mouth shut."
"Actually, I was wondering who on earth could be making so much noise that we can hear them from all the way down the street," an amused voice interjects.
Rory turns around and sees Tristan standing there with an elderly man by his side.
"Tristan! What... why, why aren't you listening to the poetry reading?" Rory sputters, flustered.
"Why should I be in there listening to dull, unexciting poets, when I could be out here, where all the drama and excitement is?"
"Rory, as pleasant as it is to see rich boy again in the space of ten minutes, I'm going to leave...you can either leave with me, or hitch a ride back with lover boy over there," Dean says angrily, while jerking his thumb in Tristan's direction.
"Dean! You can't be telling me that you'd leave me here?" Rory gasps, surprised.
"Is that any way to treat a lady?" the old man butts in with a smirk identical to Tristan's. "Why, in my day, boys didn't drive off, leaving their dates behind."
"Grandpa, in your day, they didn't have cars to drive off in. The wheel wasn't even invented yet," Tristan retorts. Grandpa shakes his fist threateningly at Tristan, but Tristan just smirks.
"Rory.... what'll it be? I'm leaving right now." Dean starts getting into the car. He doesn't want to leave, he wants to fight for Rory until she chooses him, but he knows that it's useless, and that it's finally time to let go of her.
Rory stands there, and looks at Dean, who looks resigned, like he knows who Rory is going to choose. She then turns around, where Tristan is, standing there looking hopeful. Tristan's grandfather quirks an eyebrow at Rory, as if to say, 'well, who's it gonna be'?
She thinks about Dean, and how happy he has made her over the past year; how safe she feels with him. Then her mind flashes over to Tristan, and her heart skips a beat. She thinks about all their missed chances, and how he makes her feel.
She knows now who she wants to be with. With that, comes a startling clarity. For once, she knows she is making the right decision.
No regrets, Rory tells herself sternly. Seize the moment!
Rory turns back to Dean and heads for his car.
Tristan's heart drops to his stomach; everything looks hazy through his eyes, which have become blurry with tears, tears that he can't seem to control. He turns to his grandfather and motions that he wants to get out of there. He wants to be anywhere but here, where he thinks that there's going to be a repeat scene of Dean and Rory kissing, while he stands there stupidly, with Rory's books in his hand. He turns to leave, but his grandpa stops him with his hand and glowers at Tristan.
"Just wait, boy," he whispers knowingly, "for once in your life, be patient!"
Tristan watches on as Rory bends down and leans into the car window so she's level with Dean. He strains to hear what she's saying, and as the words process in his brain, he's struck dumb with shock.
"Dean...I will always love you. I know it sounds corny and you probably think I'm saying it just to make you feel better. But I'm not. I gave a part of my heart to you, and that part is yours forever. But I have to start giving my heart to other people. And you do too. Trust me on this. I know you probably won't want to be friends with me for awhile, but I hope that someday, we can be. You're an important person in my life, Dean. Don't forget that. Take care of yourself." With that, she kisses Dean on the cheek and watches as he drives away.
Tristan mentally cheers himself on, happy that he FINALLY gets the girl.
As soon as Dean's car is out of sight, Rory tentatively walks over to a stunned Tristan and his grandpa, who seems to have a perpetual smirk on his face.
"Hey," she says nervously, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"What was that?" Tristan asks, wanting her to confirm that she has finally let go of Dean.
"I broke up with Dean. I want to be with you. I don't know how long this will last, or if we'll make a good couple, but I do know you make me happy. I also know I can make you happy too. I am so tired of playing it safe all the time. Tristan, I don't want to be boring anymore! I want to live like there's no tomorrow."
Tristan just stares at her in wonderment for a minute, causing Rory to grow worried.
"Say something Tristan!"
"I'm sorry," he says slowly, a small grin spreading across his face. "But you, Rory Mary Gilmore, are anything but boring."
Rory breaks out into a broad smile and Tristan takes a step, closing the space between them. He engulfs her in his arms and as he leans down to kiss her, he whispers in her ear,
"You know what I learned throughout all this?"
Rory looks up at him, curiosity and laughter in her eyes. "What?"
"That the greatest thing that you'll ever learn..." Rory groans and playfully swats him on the arm, but he continues, "is just to love."
"And be loved in return," Rory finishes for him. She rolls her eyes good- naturedly. "God Tristan, how cliched can you be? That was like a cheesy ending to a really bad eighties movie!" Rory glances down the street that Dean had driven off on. "Say things like that, and I might want to reconsider my decision...maybe I can still catch up with Dean's car, if I- ..."
Rory never gets to finish her rant though, because Tristan silences her the good old-fashioned way: With a kiss.
The End
The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn....
Chapter 6: ...Is Just to Love and be Loved in Return
Dean and Rory exit the bookstore quietly. Dean is busy seething over Tristan, and Rory is just glad that she got out of there before the truth about her and Tristan came out.
"Man! I really can't stand that guy! He is so irritating, I just want to bash his face in!" Dean clenches his fists and scowls. Rory looks back at the bookstore wistfully, wishing she could be in there with Tristan instead of out here with Dean.
"Dean, he's not that bad of a person once you get to know him. He acts like a jerk to cover the real person inside. He's actually a very sweet and thoughtful person," Rory protests, as she is a strong believer that everybody has a little bit of good inside them.
"Rory, don't defend that creep! He's just a rich, spoiled asshole who has some twisted desire to sleep with you so he can brag to all his friends that he scored a 'Mary'," Dean replies angrily.
"That's not true, Dean!" Rory argues. "That jerk back at the bookstore is not the real Tristan, it's just a facade. The Tristan I know is gentle, kind, and has different layers. The Tristan that I've gotten to know is more like Christian, not the Duke!"
"Rory will you stop defending him?! He doesn't deserve it! I think you're completely wrong about him. I think that you're confusing the part he's playing and the person he really is, which is exactly what he wants you to do! And of course, since you believe that nobody can do wrong, you're actually falling right for his little act!" Dean slams his hand on his car in frustration. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you actually liked that moron!"
Rory just stares down at her shoes, and Dean gapes at her.
"You do, don't you." It's not a so much of a question, as it is a statement. It hangs in the misty and cold night air for a minute as Rory ponders what to say. She decides to stick with the safe tactic of denial.
"No, I don't! Dean...I love you!" Dean puts up his hand to stop her from speaking anymore. He doesn't seem angry, just defeated, like he just lost a big battle.
"It's okay, Rory. I'm not angry with you, I just pity you. I pity you because you're in love with a person that doesn't exist."
"You're wrong, Dean!" Rory insists passionately. "That person does exist, he's standing in that bookstore, probably wondering why he screwed up again, why he can't keep his big mouth shut."
"Actually, I was wondering who on earth could be making so much noise that we can hear them from all the way down the street," an amused voice interjects.
Rory turns around and sees Tristan standing there with an elderly man by his side.
"Tristan! What... why, why aren't you listening to the poetry reading?" Rory sputters, flustered.
"Why should I be in there listening to dull, unexciting poets, when I could be out here, where all the drama and excitement is?"
"Rory, as pleasant as it is to see rich boy again in the space of ten minutes, I'm going to leave...you can either leave with me, or hitch a ride back with lover boy over there," Dean says angrily, while jerking his thumb in Tristan's direction.
"Dean! You can't be telling me that you'd leave me here?" Rory gasps, surprised.
"Is that any way to treat a lady?" the old man butts in with a smirk identical to Tristan's. "Why, in my day, boys didn't drive off, leaving their dates behind."
"Grandpa, in your day, they didn't have cars to drive off in. The wheel wasn't even invented yet," Tristan retorts. Grandpa shakes his fist threateningly at Tristan, but Tristan just smirks.
"Rory.... what'll it be? I'm leaving right now." Dean starts getting into the car. He doesn't want to leave, he wants to fight for Rory until she chooses him, but he knows that it's useless, and that it's finally time to let go of her.
Rory stands there, and looks at Dean, who looks resigned, like he knows who Rory is going to choose. She then turns around, where Tristan is, standing there looking hopeful. Tristan's grandfather quirks an eyebrow at Rory, as if to say, 'well, who's it gonna be'?
She thinks about Dean, and how happy he has made her over the past year; how safe she feels with him. Then her mind flashes over to Tristan, and her heart skips a beat. She thinks about all their missed chances, and how he makes her feel.
She knows now who she wants to be with. With that, comes a startling clarity. For once, she knows she is making the right decision.
No regrets, Rory tells herself sternly. Seize the moment!
Rory turns back to Dean and heads for his car.
Tristan's heart drops to his stomach; everything looks hazy through his eyes, which have become blurry with tears, tears that he can't seem to control. He turns to his grandfather and motions that he wants to get out of there. He wants to be anywhere but here, where he thinks that there's going to be a repeat scene of Dean and Rory kissing, while he stands there stupidly, with Rory's books in his hand. He turns to leave, but his grandpa stops him with his hand and glowers at Tristan.
"Just wait, boy," he whispers knowingly, "for once in your life, be patient!"
Tristan watches on as Rory bends down and leans into the car window so she's level with Dean. He strains to hear what she's saying, and as the words process in his brain, he's struck dumb with shock.
"Dean...I will always love you. I know it sounds corny and you probably think I'm saying it just to make you feel better. But I'm not. I gave a part of my heart to you, and that part is yours forever. But I have to start giving my heart to other people. And you do too. Trust me on this. I know you probably won't want to be friends with me for awhile, but I hope that someday, we can be. You're an important person in my life, Dean. Don't forget that. Take care of yourself." With that, she kisses Dean on the cheek and watches as he drives away.
Tristan mentally cheers himself on, happy that he FINALLY gets the girl.
As soon as Dean's car is out of sight, Rory tentatively walks over to a stunned Tristan and his grandpa, who seems to have a perpetual smirk on his face.
"Hey," she says nervously, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"What was that?" Tristan asks, wanting her to confirm that she has finally let go of Dean.
"I broke up with Dean. I want to be with you. I don't know how long this will last, or if we'll make a good couple, but I do know you make me happy. I also know I can make you happy too. I am so tired of playing it safe all the time. Tristan, I don't want to be boring anymore! I want to live like there's no tomorrow."
Tristan just stares at her in wonderment for a minute, causing Rory to grow worried.
"Say something Tristan!"
"I'm sorry," he says slowly, a small grin spreading across his face. "But you, Rory Mary Gilmore, are anything but boring."
Rory breaks out into a broad smile and Tristan takes a step, closing the space between them. He engulfs her in his arms and as he leans down to kiss her, he whispers in her ear,
"You know what I learned throughout all this?"
Rory looks up at him, curiosity and laughter in her eyes. "What?"
"That the greatest thing that you'll ever learn..." Rory groans and playfully swats him on the arm, but he continues, "is just to love."
"And be loved in return," Rory finishes for him. She rolls her eyes good- naturedly. "God Tristan, how cliched can you be? That was like a cheesy ending to a really bad eighties movie!" Rory glances down the street that Dean had driven off on. "Say things like that, and I might want to reconsider my decision...maybe I can still catch up with Dean's car, if I- ..."
Rory never gets to finish her rant though, because Tristan silences her the good old-fashioned way: With a kiss.
The End