"Tristan? What the heck are you doing here?" Rory sighed. "This is only a
dream. I will wake up and this whole terrible day will have been a
nightmare."
Tristan smirked. "'Fraid not, Mary."
Rory screamed in frustration. "MY NAME IS RORY! R-O-R-Y! How hard is that to learn?"
"Very hard, apparently" Tristan replied.
"Yeah, for a person with your limited amount of brain cells" Rory huffed and stomped off to find her mother. "MOM! MOTHER, WHERE-"
"She's not here. She went to Luke's to get coffee." Just then, the door opened and Lorelei stepped in, carrying two extra-large cups of coffee. "Rory! You're home. Where-"
"Give me that" Rory interrupted, grabbing one of the cups and gulping it down.
"Hey!" Tristan protested. "That was my coffee!" But Rory ignored him.
"Mom, what is Tristan doing here?"
Lorelei shrugged. "His car ran outta gas, Gypsy's on vacation, the inn was booked, and so I offered him our guest room for the night."
"Since when do you bring perfect strangers home?" Rory demanded.
"Well, he was wearing a Chilton uniform…"
"Mom! You know what, whatever, I can't take this." Rory stomped up the stairs to her room. She lay down on her bed and thought for a while. She knew what she had to do.
Rory headed down the stairs. The guest room door was closed; she assumed Tristan was in there. She knocked, walked right in without waiting for an invitation, then gasped and blushed. Tristan was standing there, clad only in a pair of boxer shorts.
"I'm sorry; I didn't know you were changing…"
"Rory, Rory, it's OK." Tristan pulled on khakis and a beater. "I was just changing for Friday night dinner."
Rory had forgotten it was Friday. She sighed. "I guess I'd better go change, too. But first, I wanna apologize for acting the way I did. I don't hate you. I hate the fact that you went around telling everyone you were taking me out, but I don't hate YOU. I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted… Rory."
"Rory smiled. Friends?"
"Friends."
"Alright, I'm gonna go change. Be back in a little while."
"Rory, wait." Rory turned. "What is it, Tris?"
"What… happened today? You came in with your face all tear-streaked, and when I left school, you were lip-locking with Bag-Boy and happy as a clam. I just wanna make sure you're ok."
Rory was touched at his concern. She sighed. "I guess I'll tell you."
~Flashback~
"I love you, you idiot!" Rory grabbed Dean and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. At first Dean reciprocated, but he pulled away after a few minutes.
"Listen, Rory, I don't think this is such a good idea." Rory looked at him, stunned. "Why not?"
"Rory…" Dean sighed, raked a hand through his floppy brown hair. "I've moved on."
"Moved on?"
"I've found someone else."
"Oh…" Rory said, in a small voice. "Well, congratulations then. I hope you two will be very happy. Started to walk away.
"Rory-"Rory turned back. "What?"
"Do you think we can still be friends?"
"Not now, Dean. Maybe someday, but right now it hurts too much to be around you. Have a good time with your new girlfriend." And with that, Rory walked away.
~End flashback~
"Wow, Ror. I'm sorry." Rory managed a small smile. "Yeah, well, I don't think I am. He and I never really worked as a couple. Besides, I think I like someone else, too.
"Oh" Tristan's spirits sank. He had been so happy when he found out Rory and Bag-Boy weren't really together. But if she liked someone else-
Rory looked at her watch. "Yipes, now I really do have to go change. Be right back!"
Rory went to her room. A few minutes later, she came back downstairs. She was wearing a red sundress that flattered her complexion, as well as a pair of strappy white sandals. She looked beautiful. Tristan had pulled a blue Ralph Lauren polo shirt over his beater, and put on socks and loafers. Rory thought about how handsome he looked. Then, she gave herself a mental slap. "Friends, you're just friends, Rory. FRIENDS!" Rory thought to herself.
"MOM! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" Rory yelled up the stairs.
Lorelei reluctantly came out of her room, dressed in a black skirt and a long-sleeve purple blouse. "Do we have to go?" she whined.
"Yes" Rory answered firmly. "You do want me to get into Harvard, don't you?"
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that part. Let's go," said Lorelei, grabbing Emma and Leigh from their playpen and making sure that the diaper bag was fully stocked. On the way out the door, she grumbled (as she did every week) about how unfair it was that Luke got to miss these things because he had to work.
After the dinner, they had a "parody" movie night. They started with Scary Movie, moved on to Scary Movie 2, and finished with Not Another Teen Movie. By the end of the night Tristan was exhausted, but he had to admit he'd had fun.
The next day; Rory, Lorelei and Tristan dragged themselves out of bed around 10:30. They each showered and dressed, and headed to Luke's for breakfast.
"Lukey..."
"No coffee, Lorelei."
Lorelei pouted. "I'll be your best friend!"
"You already are."
"Ok, how about this?" Lorelei whispered in Luke's ear. Luke blushed and poured his wife a huge cup of coffee. Rory shook her head.
"I don't even wanna know…"
"You probably don't" Lorelei agreed, plopping down at the table with Tristan and her daughter. The twins were napping in their double stroller. Luke came over, bearing four plates of pancakes and bacon on a tray, along with several cups of coffee and one cup of tomato juice for himself. He sat down next to Lorelei.
"So, what are you guys doing?" he asked.
"Well," replied Lorelei, "I was just about to ask Tristan where he's going, exactly.
"My parents have a summer home in Mackinac Island, in upstate Michigan. "I was just gonna head up there for a while, enjoy some peace and quiet."
"Wow. That sounds fun. Too bad I can't just up and leave like you can." Lorelei sighed enviously. Then, she got an idea. She and Luke had been planning to take a romantic vacation, but she didn't want to leave Rory alone, especially not with the twins. She assumed there would be competent adults on Mackinac, and (much as she hated to do this) she could take the twins to Emily and Richard's house.
"Rory?"
"Yeah, Mom?"
"How would you like to take a vacation?"
A couple hours later, it was all planned out. Lorelei had called Emily and Richard on her cell, and they said they would be happy to take care of little Leigh and Emma for a couple weeks. Rory and Tristan were going to leave the next morning, bright and early, for Mackinac. Tristan decided they would take the scenic route, and he could show Rory a bit of the country. After all, they had the entire summer. It was only May 11, and they had until September 2nd. (If only everyone's summer vaycays could be that long… sigh). Tristan had assured Lorelei that the servants on the island were more than competent, and, in any case, Rory and Tristan were 16 and perfectly able to take care of themselves. Rory wasn't sure about spending an entire summer with Tristan, but it was either this or hang around Star's Hollow by herself for the entire summer. Lane, as it happened, was being shipped off to Korea the next week so she could visit family, and the few friends she had made at Chilton all had glamorous summer plans, as well.
Plans in mind, everyone headed off to bed.
**************************************************************************8
The next day, Luke drove Rory, Tristan, their bags, and a canister of gas to where Tristan's car was parked. To everyone's relief, the car had not been broken into or stolen. Rory and Tristan loaded their stuff into the SUV and started off, excited for their long vacation.
Tristan smirked. "'Fraid not, Mary."
Rory screamed in frustration. "MY NAME IS RORY! R-O-R-Y! How hard is that to learn?"
"Very hard, apparently" Tristan replied.
"Yeah, for a person with your limited amount of brain cells" Rory huffed and stomped off to find her mother. "MOM! MOTHER, WHERE-"
"She's not here. She went to Luke's to get coffee." Just then, the door opened and Lorelei stepped in, carrying two extra-large cups of coffee. "Rory! You're home. Where-"
"Give me that" Rory interrupted, grabbing one of the cups and gulping it down.
"Hey!" Tristan protested. "That was my coffee!" But Rory ignored him.
"Mom, what is Tristan doing here?"
Lorelei shrugged. "His car ran outta gas, Gypsy's on vacation, the inn was booked, and so I offered him our guest room for the night."
"Since when do you bring perfect strangers home?" Rory demanded.
"Well, he was wearing a Chilton uniform…"
"Mom! You know what, whatever, I can't take this." Rory stomped up the stairs to her room. She lay down on her bed and thought for a while. She knew what she had to do.
Rory headed down the stairs. The guest room door was closed; she assumed Tristan was in there. She knocked, walked right in without waiting for an invitation, then gasped and blushed. Tristan was standing there, clad only in a pair of boxer shorts.
"I'm sorry; I didn't know you were changing…"
"Rory, Rory, it's OK." Tristan pulled on khakis and a beater. "I was just changing for Friday night dinner."
Rory had forgotten it was Friday. She sighed. "I guess I'd better go change, too. But first, I wanna apologize for acting the way I did. I don't hate you. I hate the fact that you went around telling everyone you were taking me out, but I don't hate YOU. I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted… Rory."
"Rory smiled. Friends?"
"Friends."
"Alright, I'm gonna go change. Be back in a little while."
"Rory, wait." Rory turned. "What is it, Tris?"
"What… happened today? You came in with your face all tear-streaked, and when I left school, you were lip-locking with Bag-Boy and happy as a clam. I just wanna make sure you're ok."
Rory was touched at his concern. She sighed. "I guess I'll tell you."
~Flashback~
"I love you, you idiot!" Rory grabbed Dean and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. At first Dean reciprocated, but he pulled away after a few minutes.
"Listen, Rory, I don't think this is such a good idea." Rory looked at him, stunned. "Why not?"
"Rory…" Dean sighed, raked a hand through his floppy brown hair. "I've moved on."
"Moved on?"
"I've found someone else."
"Oh…" Rory said, in a small voice. "Well, congratulations then. I hope you two will be very happy. Started to walk away.
"Rory-"Rory turned back. "What?"
"Do you think we can still be friends?"
"Not now, Dean. Maybe someday, but right now it hurts too much to be around you. Have a good time with your new girlfriend." And with that, Rory walked away.
~End flashback~
"Wow, Ror. I'm sorry." Rory managed a small smile. "Yeah, well, I don't think I am. He and I never really worked as a couple. Besides, I think I like someone else, too.
"Oh" Tristan's spirits sank. He had been so happy when he found out Rory and Bag-Boy weren't really together. But if she liked someone else-
Rory looked at her watch. "Yipes, now I really do have to go change. Be right back!"
Rory went to her room. A few minutes later, she came back downstairs. She was wearing a red sundress that flattered her complexion, as well as a pair of strappy white sandals. She looked beautiful. Tristan had pulled a blue Ralph Lauren polo shirt over his beater, and put on socks and loafers. Rory thought about how handsome he looked. Then, she gave herself a mental slap. "Friends, you're just friends, Rory. FRIENDS!" Rory thought to herself.
"MOM! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!" Rory yelled up the stairs.
Lorelei reluctantly came out of her room, dressed in a black skirt and a long-sleeve purple blouse. "Do we have to go?" she whined.
"Yes" Rory answered firmly. "You do want me to get into Harvard, don't you?"
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that part. Let's go," said Lorelei, grabbing Emma and Leigh from their playpen and making sure that the diaper bag was fully stocked. On the way out the door, she grumbled (as she did every week) about how unfair it was that Luke got to miss these things because he had to work.
After the dinner, they had a "parody" movie night. They started with Scary Movie, moved on to Scary Movie 2, and finished with Not Another Teen Movie. By the end of the night Tristan was exhausted, but he had to admit he'd had fun.
The next day; Rory, Lorelei and Tristan dragged themselves out of bed around 10:30. They each showered and dressed, and headed to Luke's for breakfast.
"Lukey..."
"No coffee, Lorelei."
Lorelei pouted. "I'll be your best friend!"
"You already are."
"Ok, how about this?" Lorelei whispered in Luke's ear. Luke blushed and poured his wife a huge cup of coffee. Rory shook her head.
"I don't even wanna know…"
"You probably don't" Lorelei agreed, plopping down at the table with Tristan and her daughter. The twins were napping in their double stroller. Luke came over, bearing four plates of pancakes and bacon on a tray, along with several cups of coffee and one cup of tomato juice for himself. He sat down next to Lorelei.
"So, what are you guys doing?" he asked.
"Well," replied Lorelei, "I was just about to ask Tristan where he's going, exactly.
"My parents have a summer home in Mackinac Island, in upstate Michigan. "I was just gonna head up there for a while, enjoy some peace and quiet."
"Wow. That sounds fun. Too bad I can't just up and leave like you can." Lorelei sighed enviously. Then, she got an idea. She and Luke had been planning to take a romantic vacation, but she didn't want to leave Rory alone, especially not with the twins. She assumed there would be competent adults on Mackinac, and (much as she hated to do this) she could take the twins to Emily and Richard's house.
"Rory?"
"Yeah, Mom?"
"How would you like to take a vacation?"
A couple hours later, it was all planned out. Lorelei had called Emily and Richard on her cell, and they said they would be happy to take care of little Leigh and Emma for a couple weeks. Rory and Tristan were going to leave the next morning, bright and early, for Mackinac. Tristan decided they would take the scenic route, and he could show Rory a bit of the country. After all, they had the entire summer. It was only May 11, and they had until September 2nd. (If only everyone's summer vaycays could be that long… sigh). Tristan had assured Lorelei that the servants on the island were more than competent, and, in any case, Rory and Tristan were 16 and perfectly able to take care of themselves. Rory wasn't sure about spending an entire summer with Tristan, but it was either this or hang around Star's Hollow by herself for the entire summer. Lane, as it happened, was being shipped off to Korea the next week so she could visit family, and the few friends she had made at Chilton all had glamorous summer plans, as well.
Plans in mind, everyone headed off to bed.
**************************************************************************8
The next day, Luke drove Rory, Tristan, their bags, and a canister of gas to where Tristan's car was parked. To everyone's relief, the car had not been broken into or stolen. Rory and Tristan loaded their stuff into the SUV and started off, excited for their long vacation.
