Pairing: R/T, of course
Rating: PG-13 at the most
Spoilers: May reference anything and everything from Season 1
Disclaimer: The characters referenced here are the property of Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and Warner Brother Television. No copyright infringement is intended. The characters are being used solely for entertainment purposes, and no profit is being made from them.
Unbreakable Heart
by Grace
Part 6: Tingle Bells, Tingle Bells, Tingle All the Way
By the time Lorelai walked back into the house, glowing and starry-eyed, Rory was once more awake.
"And where have you been, young lady?" she teased.
"At Luke's," her mother replied with a happy little sigh.
"Wow, he must have given you two pots of coffee for you to look like that."
Lorelai shook her head. "No, actually, I didn't have any coffee."
"Wait, what? You went to Luke's, didn't have coffee, and you're happy about it? Who are you and what have you done with my mother?"
With a dreamy look, Lorelai sank to the floor and murmured, "Luke and I kissed."
"On purpose? On the lips?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because he makes me…tingle."
"Tingle?"
"Mm-hmm. Just like Tristan makes you tingle."
Groaning, Rory responded, "Mom, those are two entirely different situations. You and Luke are two single, consenting, slightly insane adults. I'm dating Dean. Tristan and I are just…"
"Electric?"
"No! I was going to say friends."
"You've mentioned that several times, but I still don't believe you. Friends don't make each other tingle, Rory."
Her daughter was starting to get angry. "What do you want me to do? Should I break up with Dean just because lately every time I'm around Tristan I can't think straight? Because the feeling of the one kiss we shared is still etched in my brain? Because it's almost irrationally important to me that I find a way to help him? Because I can sense his presence in a way I've never been able to sense Dean?" When she finished, Rory burst into tears and buried her face in a pillow.
Lorelai shuffled over to the couch on her knees, and wrapped her arm around Rory. "Sweetie, I think you just answered your own question. Or should I say questions?"
Rory lifted her head, her face tear-streaked and blotchy. "I know, and that's what scares me."
"I know. It's never easy letting go of your first love. Sometimes I still don't think I'm completely over your father. But it wouldn't be fair to either you or Dean to stay in the relationship if Tristan is the one you want."
"What if Tristan doesn't want me?"
Lorelai smiled softly. "Oh, sweetie, I don't think you need to worry about that."
"Are you sure?"
"I've seen the way he looks at you, the way he acts around you. You're his world, his heart, his soul. He's never known anyone like you; never known that someone like you could even exist. Now that he's found you, I don't think he's ever going to want to let you go."
"Are you trying to make me even more terrified than I already am?"
"No, I'm trying to make you see that the way Tristan feels about you is special. It's real."
"I know. It's just…it feels like it's all happening so fast."
"Oh, I know that feeling, believe me."
"What's going to happen with you and Luke?"
"I don't know. But I know that I'm willing to take the chance and find out."
"Why?"
"Because I know that if I don't, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
For the first time, Rory smiled. "Then I guess that's a good enough reason for me."
* * *
By three o'clock that afternoon, Rory was considerably more composed. She figured that Dean would arrive at the house first, and her only hope was that he would be gone before Tristan got there. She didn't think she could handle another confrontation between the two of them, at least not today.
It wasn't long before a knock came at the door, and lo and behold, there was Dean, waiting on the porch. Her expression guarded, Rory ushered him into the house.
"How are you feeling?" he asked solicitously.
"A lot better, thanks. I've been sleeping most of the day, and the headache is almost completely gone."
"Good, good. And hey, at least you get a day off from dealing with Tristan."
"Actually, he's coming over this afternoon."
"What? You've got to be kidding me. Doesn't this guy know when to quit?"
"Dean, it's not like that. He's bringing me my assignments, and we'll have our tutoring session."
"Rory, you need your rest."
"I've been resting all day. Besides, you know I can't afford to fall behind in my class work. Neither can Tristan."
"Why is it so important to you to help him?"
"Because he's my friend. And because I…care about him."
Dean looked at her with wary eyes. "What are you saying?"
She sighed. "I'm saying that I think we need to talk."
His voice became hard and cold. "You're breaking up with me, aren't you? You're breaking up with me because of him."
"No! I mean, that's not the only reason. I don't feel like you trust me, Dean, and I can't be in a relationship with someone if we don't trust each other."
"What are you talking about?"
"I know you were spying on us yesterday."
His eyes blazed, and Rory could tell he was on the verge of losing control. "Did he tell you that? He's just trying to manipulate you."
"My mom told me," she replied softly but sternly. "I had no idea Tristan even knew."
His face blanched, and he knew he had made a grievous error. "Look, Rory, I wasn't really spying. I just…I just came over to see how you were doing."
"In other words, you came to check up on me. If it was so important to you to know, the least you could have done was ring the doorbell so I could invite you in to see for yourself. It's not like I had anything to hide. Instead, you chose to lurk in the bushes and peer through the window like some kind of stalker."
"Rory…"
"I don't want to hear your excuses, or your rationalization for your behavior. There's nothing you can say to justify what you did. Ever since we got back together, I've felt stifled. You've come up with eighty-seven different anniversaries for us to celebrate. It's like you think we have to have all these reasons to stay together. I've run out of reasons, Dean, and I don't think we should see each other anymore."
"But I love you…"
"You say that, but real love involves trust. That's something we obviously don't have."
"I can change, Rory! I know I can."
There were tears in her eyes, but she was resolute. "This isn't about trying to change you. I don't think I love you anymore. I'm not completely sure I ever did love you."
"Please don't do this," he pleaded, his face crumbling.
"I have to," she whispered."
"Isn't there anything I can do to change your mind?"
She shook her head slowly.
"Then I guess there's really no point in my staying here any longer, is there?" He glanced up, hoping she might contradict him.
"I guess not."
In silence, she walked him to the door. As it closed behind him, she burst into tears and sank to the floor.
Hearing her sobs, Lorelai rushed to Rory's side. Without a word, she cradled her daughter in her arms, and rocked her as she cried.
* * *
Almost forty minutes later, Tristan stood patiently on the Gilmore porch, waiting for someone to answer the door. When it swung open to reveal Rory, he was stunned to see that her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot. She had obviously been crying, and a spike of concern shot through him.
"Rory, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
She shrugged. "Not particularly. You want to come in?"
He stepped over the threshold as she held open the door.
"So what happened? Or do you not want to talk about it?"
"I don't mind. Besides, if I don't tell you, my mom probably will."
"I heard that!" yelled Lorelai.
He grinned. "True. Let's at least sit down and get comfortable before you launch into the saga."
"It's not much of a saga, really. Dean and I broke up today."
Tristan froze mid-way through sitting down on the couch. "You what?"
"We broke up. More precisely, I broke up with him."
He completed his descent to the sofa cushion with a soft thump. "Okay. Um. Yeah."
"Speechless?"
"Something like that. I'm just surprised, I guess. I thought you two were the happy, golden couple."
"We were, for a little while, at least. Things were never quite as good after the first break-up, and lately…lately things have been confusing." She sat down beside him, and shyly turned to face him.
Tentatively, he reached out and clasped her hand. "Confusing how?"
She blushed, and felt her heart flutter within her chest. "Confusing how…you make me feel."
"And how is that?" he asked in a whisper, fear and hope warring in his voice.
Her flush deepened. "You make me feel special. And sometimes you…you make me tingle."
Tristan grinned. "Tingle?"
"Yeah, when we, when we kissed, it made me tingle."
He shifted closer to her. "So would it be a good tingle?"
She nodded.
"And would you be terribly upset if I tried to recreate that phenomenon?"
Mutely, she shook her head. Slowly, he leaned in and brushed the barest of feather-light kisses across her lips. When he pulled away, he locked his penetrating blue eyes with hers, and said quietly, "For the record, you make me tingle, too. Believe me, I've never tingled for anyone else."
Her face lit up with a smile. "Neither have I."
His eyes darkened, and his face became somber. "Rory, I want you to know, we don't need to rush into anything. You can take all the time you need to get over Dean or whatever. I've waited this long for you; it certainly won't kill me to wait a little longer. I'll wait as long as it takes."
By now, her eyes were shining with tears. "You keep on surprising me, Tris. I'm not even sure why you were willing to wait for me at all, after what I said to you last year."
"Well, it's not like I wanted to wait for you…" She smacked him lightly on the arm. "I just couldn't get you out of my head, Rory—or out of my heart. I tried to keep my distance, but sometimes, I just couldn't tear my eyes away from you."
Rory squirmed around on the couch until she could lean back against Tristan's chest. "You know, sometimes I could feel you watching me."
He was startled, to say the least. "Really? Wow." As he had wanted to do for months, he allowed his fingers to brush through her hair, gently massaging her scalp. "Speaking of watching each other, I never did get to find out exactly why you fainted upon sight of me last night."
Cheeks crimson, Rory titled her head back to meet Tristan's gaze. "I did have a concussion, remember. So it's not like your half-clad physique was the sole cause for my collapse."
The characteristic smirk slid into place. "At least you acknowledge that it was a contributing factor."
Dryly, she replied, "I may have been in denial, but that didn't mean I had been stricken blind."
"You know, right before you passed out, I asked you a question that you never answered."
"And what was that?"
"Do you like what you see?" he asked, his husky tone sending shivers up and down Rory's spine.
"What do you think?" she murmured, leaning her head back to plant a gentle kiss on his neck.
"Have I mentioned how much better I like you when you're not mad at me?"
"Have I mentioned how much better I like you when you're not making me mad?" she chided gently.
"Touché. I never meant to hurt you, Rory. When I was around you, I couldn't seem to think straight. It was like all my brain functions reverted back to when I was five years old, pulling Paris' pigtails and throwing sand at Louise."
She giggled. "You pulled Paris' hair? Gee, it's no wonder she fell for you."
"Well, I could pull your hair, but you've already fallen for me."
"Pretty confident, aren't you?"
"Not with you. Never with you, Rory. I never had to work for anything until you came along. Nothing was ever worth working for before you."
Tears filled her eyes yet again. "Thank you. Thank you for thinking I was worth working for, and for being willing to wait."
"Believe me, I would do it all again."
"Just so you know, you were worth tormenting for more than a year."
"Gee, thanks."
"Aww, you know my biting wit is one of the things you like best about me."
"Well, that, and the fact that you're going to help me get an 'A' in English."
"You think so, huh? I think we need to work out some kind of payment plan."
"What exactly did you have in mind?"
"Hmm…gold, diamonds, maybe a romantic dinner for two."
"Have I mentioned that I like the way you think? I'll take payment plan 'C,' by the way."
"Once or twice. But I don't mind hearing it over and over."
"Greedy girl. What do I get in return?"
"We can discuss that after you read me the next five chapters of A Tale of Two Cities."
"That could take hours."
It was Rory's turn to smirk. "I'm counting on it."