Chapter 9



"And then she took the birthday cake, blown out candles and all, and sat down, right in the middle of it! There was frosting and chocolate cake all over that cute little butt of hers. People couldn't stop laughing at her for the longest time" Lorelai finished, clapping her hands together, laughing.

"Mom..." Rory started, but was cut off.

"And that's not the worst part. The worst part was this was last year!" Lorelai yelled, causing a few people in the diner to turn their heads and look, only to realize it was Lorelai and get back to their meal.

"It was not!" Rory yelled, receiving a glare from Luke, who had managed to hide a smile.

Tristan covered his mouth with his hand and clutches his stomach with the other. Never in his life had he had a night filled with so many jokes and real laughter. His stomach was starting to hurt more and more the longer Lorelai talked, yet he didn't want the night to end. Shoving the last of the 3 plates of fries they had ordered into his mouth, he munched it happily and grinned at the Mother and Daughter, both with a twinkle in their eye.


Is this what a relationship with your parents is supposed to be like?


"Tristan, don't believe her, okay? She's a pathological liar!" Rory claimed, throwing a crumb in her Mothers direction.

Tristan smiled and wiped his hands on the napkin before winking at Lorelai "She may be that, but her stories are too good to not be true. I'd believe anything she'd say, any day."

Rory raised an eyebrow in challenge "Even if she said you were an egotistical, arrogant, spoiled rich boy with an unbelievable amount of stock in Trojan condoms?"

Tristan's eyes widened for a moment, shocked that Rory had outted him in such a way in front of her Mom, but the look was quickly --and masterfully-- replaced by a natural sweet grin, a pink flush coming to his cheeks. "Now, Lorelai, don't believe ANYTHING she says. If you're a pathological liar, she must be one too," He grinned at the both before grabbing a napkin and wiping off Juliet's face, which was now covered in an insane amount of chocolate milkshake.

Lorelai looked at her daughter and nodded her approval, "He's got you there, kid."

Rory rolled her eyes and looked at Tristan, her harsh words stopped in her throat as she watched him gently take the little girls chin in his hand and wipe of the remaining traces of milkshake. Tristan smiled at Juliet's sleepy face, looking her straight in the eye. He ran a hand through her hair softly before kissing the top of her head and moving to clean off Elly's face, which held just as much milkshake as Juliet's had before.

Lorelai watched her daughter as she gazed at the new boy in her life, wondering when Tristan managed to sneak his way into her daughters heart, whether Rory would admit to that statement or not. She grinned lazily and kicked her daughter under the table, letting her know she had seen all the dreamy faces Rory had just given off.

Not looking over at her Mother, for fear of the "Have you gone mad?!" look, Rory set her brow in confrontation mode and set off. "I may lie, but I doubt the 100 girls who's worlds you've rocked don't." She grabbed his cell phone off the table, snatching it away before he could even look up at her and held it up. "Shall we call them and see what they have to say about Trojan's biggest supporter?" She grinned evilly and slightly, and to her shock, playfully. She watched as Tristan sat up sharp, causing a strange look from the newly, and fully awakened Elly, who continued to wipe her own mouth off with the sleeve of her white shirt.

"Rory, Rory, don't play games. Give me back my phone. You know all the girls, if there are any, " He said, looking over at Lorelai playfully "are just there to call for homework and banquet dates." He placed his hand on his chest and sighed "I'm surprised you think of me that way, Rory-- No, I'm hurt you think of me that way. A poor southern boy as myself."

Rory rolled her eyes and slid the phone back to him on the table "Connecticut isn't southern, O Smart One."

"I know, it just sounded good." He slid the phone in his jacket pocket and gave her a wink.

" 'You've won a million dollars' couldn't sound good coming from your mouth, less much anything else." She retorted, her cheeks pinking with the excitement of their old banter.

"When you're around me, Rory, the last thing you're thinking about is money."

"I highly doubt that. I HIGHLY doubt that."

"Luke! LUKE!" Lorelai cried, her ears about to ring from the sound of their voices going back and forth, with the horrible lack of comebacks. "Luke!"

Tristan and Rory continued to spar as Luke walked up, seeming to pay them no attention. "Why do you insist on yelling all the time. No wonder you're not allowed into the Library. And here I was, thinking it was because all the books you've checked out have either been returned with coffee stains, have not been returned at all, or have been accidentally eaten by your nonexistent cat."

Lorelai gave him a sweet smile and chose to ignore all his comments. "Could you bring me the check and a fork."

He gave her a strange look before crossing his arms over his chest. "You've got a fork right there, why do you need another one."

"Because I want the fork I jam into my ear to be clean."

He shook his head and didn't even bother asking before he ripped off the ticket. "24.98.
And no, you can't put it on your tab." He smirked and walked away before she could say
anything else. Lorelai pulled the cash out of her purse with a disgruntled look and flipped
it on the table before noticing the two small children who were now asleep, and probably
had parents that were frantic in looking for them.

Whoops.

Standing up, Lorelai managed to pick up Elly, resting the young girls tiny head on
her shoulder before slinging her purse onto the other one. "Hey, Ken and Barbie. I think it's time we get these two to their parents, yeah?"

Tristan stopped his verbal draw with Rory to look at Juliet, who was fighting to keep her eyes open. He glanced down at his watch, amazed to find it already 9 PM. "Gah! My Aunts gonna have my head on a stick for keeping them out so late!"


*Wish you well, I cannot stay
You deserve an award for the role that you played*


"First good idea I've heard all night." Rory mumbled, standing up and pushing her chair in. Tristan shot her a look and picked up Juliet, resting her as comfortable as could be in his arms, allowing her head to fall on his shoulder. He pushed her hair away from her face as best he could, and struggled to get her large coat out of the way of his chin.

They made their way out of the warm diner, out into the cold air of the snowy night. Rory sniffed her nose, while Tristan and Lorelai did their best to keep the little girls extra warm.

"I hope your Aunt doesn't have my head on a stick as well. I highly doubt we'll look good as room decorations, no matter how cute we may be."

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"Wow, your Aunt was really....Insane." Rory stated, brow wrinkled, twisting her hands in front of her, unsure if 'insane' was the proper word for such a person.

Tristan smiled softly and scratched the back of his head, nodding it slowly. "Yes, they both really are actually. One time, when I was around Juliet's age, they were watching me for my parents. They took me to the store with them-- I'd never been to a store before--"

"--You'd never been to a store before?" Rory asked, bewildered.

"Nope," he answered as if it was nothing, "so when I went with them, it was something completely new, and I loved it," He laughed softly, rubbing his cold hands over his mouth for a moment. "I'd never seen a parking lot. I'd never seen where the food came from, it was always just placed in front of me. I don't really think I completely understood at that age though. The connection that everyone went to the store, and bought their own food and whatnot. My parents never went, and if they did, they'd never taken me. This sounds really stupid, doesn't it?" He glanced down at her. He knew she couldn't understand this story the way he could, and he wasn't sure what made him start up on telling it, but he wanted to. He wanted to keep going, and even if she said it was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard in her life, he'd continue telling it.

"No..." Rory said slowly, avoiding his eyes slightly. "It's not stupid. Just...strange."

He smiled at nodded his head towards the sky. "That's my life to you ... strange."

He left that to rest on her mind for a moment before continuing, "So, being only what--like 5? And completely curious, I made sure I pointed out everything I could possibly see, and when they weren't looking I managed to sneak away. I wasn't gone long, but I was in the toys section when they found me. My Aunt practically smothered me with kisses before throwing my over to my Uncle, who didn't even let go of me till we got to the car. I don't ever remember ever being so happy to be in trouble." He sighed.

"I think you're always happy when you get in trouble." Rory quipped

"I am." He said simply, almost too seriously. He was giving too much away, he knew it. It didn't bother him though. Rory was simple. Rory didn't have years of walls built up around her that needed to be taken down before she could see anyone but herself. He loved hating her for the fact that she could see right through him.

"Now that's really strange."

"Rory, do you think it's funny that we lived our childhood's an hour away from each other, but in two completely different worlds?" He had changed the subject slightly. He had managed to remove her thoughts from his personal memories to something less close, without leaving what he really needed to talk about. Thanking years of training on excuses, ploys, and watching his parents toy with each other, he glanced over at her profile.

"You've lost me."

He smiled, "You find my life so completely strange to you, while all the while, I'm grasping to hold on to it."

Rubbing her forehead, she stopped and turned to him "Still lost here. Stop, back up and explain what you mean."

"My life, no matter how shitty or weird or strange it may look to you, is all I've ever known. Your Mother probably took you to the store whenever she went. Your Mother probably panicked if she couldn't find you. You probably grew up surrounded by people who thought you were the cutest little girl to walk the face of the planet. It's normal for you. I grew up with none of that, and when my Aunt and Uncle were so scared for those 5 minutes they couldn't find me, I was in your world...and it was strange to me."

"Tristan, I know you grew up in a hard family and in an even harder society but I don't see where you're going with this at all."

He smiled, "In my world, I'm normal. I'm fucked up because it's normal. I'm a trouble maker because it's normal. You were right when you said I enjoy getting in trouble. When I'm caught, for that split second right before the yelling starts, and the punishment is handed out, I'm 5 again, and they're scared of losing me. For that split second, I'm normal in your world."

She watched him for a moment, and he couldn't remember a time when his palms felt so clammy. He gave her a nervous grin, and he felt his lips twitch slightly. "I'm not unhappy in my world, Rory. I'm not dying inside. I'm just numb. I'm just playing by their rules to be normal."

She starred at him hard. Where in the hell did all this come from? Everything about him had changed within a matter of moments. He didn't even look the same. He didn't even sound the same! His normally scratchy voice was smooth and heavy. He looked softer, his sharp features seemed to have taken on an innocence she'd never seen on him before. For a moment she could have sworn she'd heard something her mother once told her in his words. A phrase, a feeling. Something in there seemed familiar and touchable. Sucking in a shaky breath, she forced the words past her tightened throat

"Why are you telling me this?" Her voice felt strange. Like it came from someone else around her, nothing more than an echo.

He smiled at her simply. A smile that wasn't tainted in cheesy charm, but tingly and natural. "Because sometimes I just wish I was normal to you."


*No more masquerade, you're one lonely star
[One lonely star and you don't know who you are]*


The ground seemed the best place to keep her eyes. He had suddenly seemed too close to her, too touchable, too breakable. Too important to turn away from, too interesting to even try to. She started walking, knowing she wouldn't even need to tell him to follow along. She looked up quickly, the wrap around porch of her house just in her view. Her Mother was gone, having told Luke about the jeep, and his insistence to go retrieve it tonight. She'd be alone in the house for a while, if only she could get inside.

"Rory..." His voice had returned to normal. Scratchy, rough. She didn't need to turn and look at him to know he would now look to her as he always did. Handsome, flirtatious, dangerous. She listened to him struggle with his words, and she could feel him standing behind her. She quickly made her way up the steps of her porch, waiting to feel the safety of the door handle under her hand.

"Rory, I-- " She stopped. Her fingertips only a wisp away from grasping the door knob and running inside, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't leave him there with nothing.

"Tristan," She said simply, slowly turning around to face him. She was surprised to find yet another Tristan standing before her. A scared, desperate one, and her with in a heartbeat, her strength against him faltered.

A small smile slipped upon her lips, and Tristan could actually feel his heart stopping, as if holding it's own breath to hear her words.

"I'll give you a tour of my world."