Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls! It belongs to the WB. No profit is being made.
Author's note: I know I messed up with the dates. Ignore it. Thanks for all your reviews!!! And tell me when this story is getting to clichéd. I have a thing about not repeating stuff, which is why I want my story to be unique. I haven't seen a sad-ending Trory yet.
Chapter Two:
"We did some catching up… and we formed a pretty good friendship. She became my best friend. We would do everything together, go to parties, study… most people thought we were a couple, even though we never admitted it. And it was true… neither of us wanted to. At least not then… we both felt it would jeopardize our friendship. At least I did. "
"You guys must have been really close then," Angela smiled faintly.
"We were more than close… I guess it was inevitable. We both gave in after months of pent-up feelings…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rory looked around the Zeta's fraternity house. It was foreign and yet strangely familiar, as it resembled her grandparent's house. She wandered through the rooms, looking for a certain blond-haired man. She caught sight of him sitting alone, in front of the grand piano and slowly approached him.
He was lost in thought, his eyes were focused on some spot on the wall.
"Can I sit here?" she asked tentatively. Tristan's head snapped up.
"Yeah," he said, and moving to make room for her on the piano stool. But aside from that, he didn't say anything else.
Rory sighed, "Look Tristan, I'm sorry, but I told you before… I don't want a relationship. Not now. I don't have any feelings for you aside from deep, deep friendship,"
"You said that already," Tristan replied flatly.
Rory noted sadly that Tristan refused to look at her. He must really hate me. Rory thought. In truth, Tristan refused to look at her because he was afraid of what he might show. He was afraid of scaring off Rory. He had learned long ago that for Rory, he had to do it slowly. Let her see his feelings for her gradually.
Rory sighed. "Tristan, there is nothing more important to me then your friendship…"
"Friendship?" Tristan snorted bitterly. "Rory, ever since Chilton, I wanted more than just your friendship. I wanted your love, I still do. You're telling me I can never have that. So Rory, I'm giving up,"
"Giving up?" Rory asked bewilderedly. "Giving up what?"
Tristan looked her steadily in the eye, blue eyes meeting blue. "I've given up trying to make you admit that you love me. I've been patient, two years patient. I was always there for you, I listened to you, defended you… but nothing worked. So-," Tristan smirked. "Good-bye Mary," and stood up.
Before she knew what she was doing, Rory yanked Tristan back down, and pulled him into a heart-stopping kiss. Tristan froze, but then responded immediately. They pulled away a few seconds after. Tears trickled down Rory's cheeks. Tristan's face fell. "Talk about de javu." He sighed. "I knew it was too good to be true…"
He looked at Rory, who was still looking at him, and crying. "This is the part where you run away. I remember,"
Rory shook her head and smiled. "I'm changing it… " Tristan looked questioningly at her. "This is the part where I stay," she whispered, and with that, Rory wrapped her arms around Tristan.
Tristan gladly embraced her. "I love you," he whispered.
Rory pulled away. Oh God, I said it too soon, Tristan thought. "Rory, you don't have to answer me back right away, I-"
Rory put a finger on Tristan's lips to stop his rambling. "I love you," she said simply.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"She got a job, and became assistant editor of a teen magazine. I continued with law. I proposed to her after I graduated. We got married six months after. A year and a half after was when everything went to hell…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You have to work tonight? Again?" Rory said angrily, her temper getting the better of her.
"Look, I'm sorry Rory. Dad wants to make me a partner, and so I have to take more responsibility of the firm, so I get more familiar with it. After that, all these late nights will stop. I promise you," Tristan said, getting his papers and trying to reassure her at the same time.
"When? When you retire?" Rory snapped.
Tristan shook his head, and walked out the door of his office. Rory was right on his heels. "Tristan, you're barely home anymore! You spend 18 hours a day at work!"
"Rory, I don't have time for this, have you seen my keys?"
"Are you even listening to me? When is the last time you ate dinner here? Do you know what color the flowers are in our garden?"
"Yeah, different roses," Tristan said, remembering Rory had planted them.
"Wrong, they're tulips. See? How many maids do we have?"
"Four,"
"That would have been right two weeks ago. I told you I hired Lila temporarily. Do you know who Lila is? Or why I hired her?"
"Umm…"
"She's Olivia's sister, and her sister needed work. What's the name of our cook?"
"Uh… Maria,"
"Wrong again, Maria is on vacation for a month. We have a substitute named Helen. When is-"
"I get the message!" Tristan said, finally stopping his search for his keys to look at his angry wife. "Now, have you seen my keys?"
Rory sighed. She walked to the table in the hall, and picked up the keys lying on top. "These keys?"
Tristan smiled, "Thanks," he took the keys from Rory, and kissed her deeply. That did it. Rory melted into his embrace. "I've got to go," he said, pulling away from her.
Rory nodded. She watched as he got into the car, backed up, and sped away. After a while, her dreamy expression faded. "I hate it when he does that,"
She walked to the kitchen. "Helen, Tristan won't be eating here now. Leave something for him to eat when he gets back,"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"The Evil One missed dinner? Again?" Lorelei asked her daughter.
"Yeah. I'm getting worried. He's getting thinner; he looks tired all the time. It's not healthy for him. I've told him that, but he won't listen! He's too intent on not disappointing his father," Rory sighed.
Lorelei paused. "There's something else you aren't telling him either,"
Rory shifted the phone. "Mom, I can't tell him that now. Not when he's so busy,"
Lorelei shook her head. "Rory, you have to,"
"The doctors said it was still in the early stages, and there's a good chance I'll get well. It's not like it's a life or death situation,"
"Still, you have to tell him,"
"I'll tell him when I do get well,"
"Leukemia isn't something you hide from your husband, Rory,"
"Mom, Tristan is so busy, he has so many problems, and he's always worried… If I told him, he'd worry needlessly. You know how he gets,"
"Rory, sooner or later he's going to notice. Don't you think he would take the news better if he heard it from you, and not from looking into your cabinet where you keep all your medicines?"
"Mom it's no big deal. I'll get well.," Rory replied.
"That's what you keep saying. Cancer like the flu or something,"
"Mom, can we stop talking about it? How are you and Luke?"
"Rory, don't change the subject! When do you meet Paris next?"
"She said she had to meet me this Wednesday,"
"I still can't believe that girl chose to become a doctor instead of a journalist…"
"She's doing a great job as a doctor. I think she's the only high school person I'm still in touch with,"
"Hey! Don't forget Bible Boy!"
"He doesn't count," Rory grinned.
"Who doesn't count?" a voice called.
"Hey!" Rory grinned at the man leaning against the doorway.
"Mom, Tristan's here, gotta go, I love you, bye!" Rory said hurriedly. She hung up the phone.
"Who doesn't count?" Tristan asked again, walking towards Rory. Rory stood up.
"You don't," she said, walking into his arms.
"You wound me Mary," he said leaning closer.
Rory smiled, and closed her eyes as he kissed her. While he was kissing her, Rory discreetly moved her hand to hide the bottle. It fell down, and Rory pushed it under the bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mrs. DuGrey? Doctor Gellar can see you now,"
Rory walked into the office. Paris looked up from a file she was reading.
"Rory, sit down," Paris said.
"What's with the long face? Haven't seen you so sad since when we were in college and you got a C on your first paper" Rory smiled, sitting down. Paris didn't smile.
"Rory, the tests show that you haven't been responding to the treatment we've been giving you. You'll have to start chemotherapy,"
"Chemotherapy? No problem, I take it a few times, then I get well?"
"Rory, I don't want you to get any false hopes up. I want you to take it easy. Tristan should come here too…"
Rory shifted in her seat guiltily, "I haven't exactly told Tristan yet,"
Paris stared at her. "You haven't told him yet? Why?"
Rory shrugged, "He's so busy… I don't want him to worry. I don't want you to tell him Paris. I want to be the one to do it,"
Paris stared at her incredulously. "Do you have any plans of telling him?"
Rory nodded, "I'll do it later,"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You're leaving? On a five-month trip, and you only thought of telling me the day you leave?" Rory said furiously.
Tristan was hurriedly packing. "I thought I told you,"
"You thought you told me? Tristan, this is exactly what I'm talking about. You don't know what's happening in the house anymore! You're barely home, you don't notice anything! You don't know that the door to the library is broken, because you're never there! You don't know that the vase that Mark gave us as a wedding gift is broken! Hell, you wouldn't even know if I had filed for divorce!"
Tristan stopped dead in his tracks, and whirled around. "You want a divorce?" he said in surprise, shock, and hurt.
"NO! Tristan, you never listen to me!" and with that Rory ran out of the room.
"Dammit," Tristan said, and quickly followed her. "Rory!"
Tristan looked around. "Uh… Hannah, have you seen my wife?"
"No sir," the maid, who was not named Hannah answered. "You might want to check the library,"
"Why didn't I think of that before? Thanks," Tristan ran out of the room.
Tristan walked to the library. That was strange, there was no door… hmm… he was sure there was a door… then he caught site of Rory, curled up in the sofa in front of the fire place.
"Rory?" he ventured.
She didn't answer.
Tristan walked to the sofa. Rory pointedly turned away from him.
"Rory…"
"Whatever you have to say, say it. You don't want to miss your trip to Europe, which is I'm sure way more important then your wife,"
Tristan winced. "Rory, you know that's not true. You know you're the most important thing in my life-"
"You sure don't act like it," Rory said bitterly.
"Rory, you of all people know that you have to balance your personal and business life-" Tristan attempted.
Rory cut him short. "In high school. Now, family is first priority. I mean, you have no idea-"
"What do I have no idea about?" Tristan asked gently.
Rory shut her eyes. "Never mind,"
"No really, tell me… what?" Tristan insisted.
"Tristan… I… " suddenly the grandfather clock rang seven.
"Go…" Rory said softly. "You don't want to miss your flight…"
Tristan stood up to leave. "Rory, I don't want to leave with things between us like this,"
Rory nodded. "I'll go with you to the airport. We can talk about it in the car…"
Tristan smiled. "All right,"