*2 weeks later
*Rory and Lane are shopping while Jess, Ryan and Tristan are painting the office.
*11:30-Harvard Mall
"So, how is Mr. Dad doing?"
"I don't know, he's been holed up in that office since Friday night."
"Really?"
"Yea, I think he's just decided to ignore the fact I know he's painting it for, Bradley."
"Is that what we're calling him today?"
"Hey, I'm just test running some names, so I don't end up naming my son after a brand of cars."
"Fine…"
"So, how's Ryan?"
"Good." Lane giggles. "You know that book you sent over…the one that hippy gave you…he found it, and started reading it."
"Oh no…"
"When he came to bed last night, I thought he'd just witnessed a murder."
"I guess he won't be joining us for dinner tonight."
"Are you crazy, of course he will. I mean, if he can't deal with being around you now, what' he going to do when I get pregnant?"
"I just feel bad—
"Don't. It's his problem"
"I'm surprised he still wants to marry you…you're so mean."
"I'm so not mean. I'm strict. There's a difference."
"Oo Baby store!" Rory exclaims. Lane rolls her eyes before following Rory across the mall.
*6pm-Jess/Rory's apartment.
**Ryan is putting food on the table as Lane and Rory sit down. Jess enters the kitchen, wiping his face with a hand towel before sitting down.
"Wow. Raviolis, yum." Lane says quietly.
"Yeah, how'd you manage this…you know with all the manly work you boys did today?" Rory asks in a mocking tone.
"What work? We didn't do work." Ryan says nervously, avoiding Rory's eyes.
"Shut up, woody Allen." Tristan strikes back.
"Actually, we didn't do anything." Jess replies wryly. "Someone, didn't want to get his hands dirty, so he fled to the kitchen." Jess continues looking in Tristan's direction.
"Hey I have to be in court in the morning, I can't have paint on my hands."
"Well, at least he made some edible." Lane replies.
"See, my vainness paid off." Tristan says smugly.
"So…anybody do any good reading lately?" Lane giggles
Ryan's face goes pink. "I hate you…"
"Right, back at you, babe."
Rory looks sympathetically at Ryan, "…Look, I'm sorry, that book was meant as a joke, for Lane. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
Jess squeezes Rory's hand, "Don't worry about him, he's just being a baby."
Ryan glares at Jess, while Lane clears the plates.
"…Speaking of which, how's the name game going?" Tristan smirks.
"Actually, we came up with a few pretty good ones today." Lane says happily.
"Such as?" Jess asks wearily
Rory's face perks up, "Ok…well, we tried Bradley out for a while, but decided it didn't fit right."
"Then we tried out Preston, which I though had a very sophisticated ring to it…"
"Until, we went into the music it store and we found out the clerk…the one with the blue hair and nose ring, was named Preston." Rory pipes in.
"Finally, after a few more horrible test runs, we decided to try some foreign names."
"So, I came up with Alister, and Ewan." Lane says proudly.
"But my favorite, was probably…Seamus." Rory pipes.
"Rory, I love you. But there is no way in hell, my son's name will end in mus."
"Well, I don't see you putting anything on the table." Rory replies crossly.
"Actually…" Tristan trails off.
Rory's eyes widen, "You mean to tell me, you guys actually discussed this…as a group?"
"Yea…so you talked to Lane about it."
"But, Lane and I are girls. We've been discussing this stuff since we were 6."
"Hey…don't discourage them…I want to hear what they came up with." Lane smirks.
"Fine." Jess says smugly. "We actually had some interesting ideas."
"Like…"
"Joshua." Tristan cuts Rory off.
Rory shakes her head approvingly, "that's not bad"
"Tucker." Ryan offers.
"That's kind of cute." Lane replies.
"Thank you." Ryan answers with pride
"How about you, Jess?"
"Well, let's see…there was Ben, Zander—
"Hmm, modern." Lane interrupts.
"Yea…and then I was there was Jacob." Jess continues quietly.
"Jacob?" Rory repeats.
"Um, yeah, Jake for short." Jess answers; his eyes focused on the floor.
There is silence for moment, broken finally by an unsteady Ryan, "D- dessert?"
Jess looks up from the floor, "Uh, that'd be great let me help you." Jess goes to stand up but is stop by Rory's arm.
"I like it."
Jess sits back down; amazed. "Y-you do?"
"Uh huh. I really do." Rory whispers, her eyes misty.
"So…that's it?" Jess asks, unsure.
"Yeah." Rory breaths her answer as Jess holds her close to him.
"So," Jess' words fumble as he puts his hand to Rory's stomach, "O-our son has a name?"
Rory shakes her head in response, Gently kissing Jess' neck.
Lane's eyes fill with tears, at the sincerity of the moment, noticing Ryan takes her hand in his. It is silent for a moment, although to Tristan, it seems like a lifetime. The beauty of this instant is not lost to him, though Tristan himself feels lost. Sitting at the table, surrounded by four people who were madly in love which each other, who knew exactly how their lives would pan out; Tristan Dugrey felt the oh-too-familiar pains of loneliness.
Unable to stand the awkward silence any longer, he stands up.
"Um, yeah. It's getting kind of late I should be going." He says solemnly.
Lifting her head off of Jess' shoulder, Rory responds, "It's only 8."
"I-I know, but I have court, early tomorrow. So I really can't stay." Tristan replies breathlessly.
"Ok…" Rory replies dolefully. "Here let me wrap up some cake for you, at least."
"No…it's ok. Really. I just have to go." With these last words, Tristan turns to the door, and leaves, leaving his four friends staring bewildered into the awkward air.
*Rory and Lane are shopping while Jess, Ryan and Tristan are painting the office.
*11:30-Harvard Mall
"So, how is Mr. Dad doing?"
"I don't know, he's been holed up in that office since Friday night."
"Really?"
"Yea, I think he's just decided to ignore the fact I know he's painting it for, Bradley."
"Is that what we're calling him today?"
"Hey, I'm just test running some names, so I don't end up naming my son after a brand of cars."
"Fine…"
"So, how's Ryan?"
"Good." Lane giggles. "You know that book you sent over…the one that hippy gave you…he found it, and started reading it."
"Oh no…"
"When he came to bed last night, I thought he'd just witnessed a murder."
"I guess he won't be joining us for dinner tonight."
"Are you crazy, of course he will. I mean, if he can't deal with being around you now, what' he going to do when I get pregnant?"
"I just feel bad—
"Don't. It's his problem"
"I'm surprised he still wants to marry you…you're so mean."
"I'm so not mean. I'm strict. There's a difference."
"Oo Baby store!" Rory exclaims. Lane rolls her eyes before following Rory across the mall.
*6pm-Jess/Rory's apartment.
**Ryan is putting food on the table as Lane and Rory sit down. Jess enters the kitchen, wiping his face with a hand towel before sitting down.
"Wow. Raviolis, yum." Lane says quietly.
"Yeah, how'd you manage this…you know with all the manly work you boys did today?" Rory asks in a mocking tone.
"What work? We didn't do work." Ryan says nervously, avoiding Rory's eyes.
"Shut up, woody Allen." Tristan strikes back.
"Actually, we didn't do anything." Jess replies wryly. "Someone, didn't want to get his hands dirty, so he fled to the kitchen." Jess continues looking in Tristan's direction.
"Hey I have to be in court in the morning, I can't have paint on my hands."
"Well, at least he made some edible." Lane replies.
"See, my vainness paid off." Tristan says smugly.
"So…anybody do any good reading lately?" Lane giggles
Ryan's face goes pink. "I hate you…"
"Right, back at you, babe."
Rory looks sympathetically at Ryan, "…Look, I'm sorry, that book was meant as a joke, for Lane. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
Jess squeezes Rory's hand, "Don't worry about him, he's just being a baby."
Ryan glares at Jess, while Lane clears the plates.
"…Speaking of which, how's the name game going?" Tristan smirks.
"Actually, we came up with a few pretty good ones today." Lane says happily.
"Such as?" Jess asks wearily
Rory's face perks up, "Ok…well, we tried Bradley out for a while, but decided it didn't fit right."
"Then we tried out Preston, which I though had a very sophisticated ring to it…"
"Until, we went into the music it store and we found out the clerk…the one with the blue hair and nose ring, was named Preston." Rory pipes in.
"Finally, after a few more horrible test runs, we decided to try some foreign names."
"So, I came up with Alister, and Ewan." Lane says proudly.
"But my favorite, was probably…Seamus." Rory pipes.
"Rory, I love you. But there is no way in hell, my son's name will end in mus."
"Well, I don't see you putting anything on the table." Rory replies crossly.
"Actually…" Tristan trails off.
Rory's eyes widen, "You mean to tell me, you guys actually discussed this…as a group?"
"Yea…so you talked to Lane about it."
"But, Lane and I are girls. We've been discussing this stuff since we were 6."
"Hey…don't discourage them…I want to hear what they came up with." Lane smirks.
"Fine." Jess says smugly. "We actually had some interesting ideas."
"Like…"
"Joshua." Tristan cuts Rory off.
Rory shakes her head approvingly, "that's not bad"
"Tucker." Ryan offers.
"That's kind of cute." Lane replies.
"Thank you." Ryan answers with pride
"How about you, Jess?"
"Well, let's see…there was Ben, Zander—
"Hmm, modern." Lane interrupts.
"Yea…and then I was there was Jacob." Jess continues quietly.
"Jacob?" Rory repeats.
"Um, yeah, Jake for short." Jess answers; his eyes focused on the floor.
There is silence for moment, broken finally by an unsteady Ryan, "D- dessert?"
Jess looks up from the floor, "Uh, that'd be great let me help you." Jess goes to stand up but is stop by Rory's arm.
"I like it."
Jess sits back down; amazed. "Y-you do?"
"Uh huh. I really do." Rory whispers, her eyes misty.
"So…that's it?" Jess asks, unsure.
"Yeah." Rory breaths her answer as Jess holds her close to him.
"So," Jess' words fumble as he puts his hand to Rory's stomach, "O-our son has a name?"
Rory shakes her head in response, Gently kissing Jess' neck.
Lane's eyes fill with tears, at the sincerity of the moment, noticing Ryan takes her hand in his. It is silent for a moment, although to Tristan, it seems like a lifetime. The beauty of this instant is not lost to him, though Tristan himself feels lost. Sitting at the table, surrounded by four people who were madly in love which each other, who knew exactly how their lives would pan out; Tristan Dugrey felt the oh-too-familiar pains of loneliness.
Unable to stand the awkward silence any longer, he stands up.
"Um, yeah. It's getting kind of late I should be going." He says solemnly.
Lifting her head off of Jess' shoulder, Rory responds, "It's only 8."
"I-I know, but I have court, early tomorrow. So I really can't stay." Tristan replies breathlessly.
"Ok…" Rory replies dolefully. "Here let me wrap up some cake for you, at least."
"No…it's ok. Really. I just have to go." With these last words, Tristan turns to the door, and leaves, leaving his four friends staring bewildered into the awkward air.
