So We Meet Again - Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I own nothing, the WB owns everything, yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill. If you're going to sue, try someone who has more money than I do, k?
~
"Mom, could we get out for awhile? I think I'm getting car sick," Rory asked several hours later, slumping into the back seat and holding her stomach.
Glancing ahead at the open road, Lorelai frowned at her daughter. "But that's the beauty of a road trip! The lights, the chaos, the confusion, the sickness-"
"Mom!"
"Okay, okay, we'll get out once we get to the next motel."
A satisfied smirk formed on Rory's face, knowing she had won. "Good."
Lorelai knew never to argue with her daughter when she got like this. It was utterly pointless. Rory was rarely ever cross, but when she was...watch out.
In the backseat Rory shifted uncomfortably, cradling her aching stomach and trying to will away the pain. She knew she should never have let her mother take her into taking a road trip - she just wasn't up for it. School had been overly stressful the past week, and she had been looking forward to a weekend of kicking back with no stress involved. Now, that would never happen.
School hadn't been the only thing stressing her out, if she was perfectly honest with herself. Her relationship with Dean had been on the rocks lately, and she often found herself picking arguments with him over the smallest of things. She couldn't help herself - it was like they were both in this cycle that neither of them could break. Just the night before they had had a vicious spat over the phone, which had resulted in Rory coming to tears and locking herself in her room for over an hour. Her mother never knew about that. She would never know either, because Rory intended to keep it that way. Lorelai had enough stress in her life and she didn't need any added problems. So it was best to just be secretive.
"Look, we're here!" Lorelai said eagerly, when she saw the motel they were nearing.
"Oh, yay," Rory could see the flashing neon-blue sign that said 'Motel' and she inwardly let out a groan. This place was a dump.
"Well, I said I'd stop at the first motel we came to-"
"No, no, it's okay, really," Rory said, forcing a smile to her face.
"We can keep driving and try to find a better motel, if you'd like," Lorelai suggested.
Rory let out a deflated sigh. "I don't think my stomach would agree with that."
Lorelai stepped out to get the luggage; leaving Rory to stare ahead at the crappy motel they would probably be spending the night in. This wasn't exactly her idea of a good time. The place was run-down, and badly in need of a new coating of paint, for the one it had now was a muddy shade of brown that was peeling, revealing dull strips of white underneath.
Walking around to the front of the car, Lorelai tapped on the glass, signaling for Rory to come outside. Once the door was open, Rory planted both feet firmly on the pavement and let out a deep breath. She was going to be okay.
"How are you holding up?"
"Am I that green?" Rory asked, only half joking.
"Nah, you'll be okay once we get some food and water into ya," Lorelai said comfortingly, steering her daughter towards the motel.
"We'll see."
***
One more night. One more night and he would be free of this place. Tristan flopped back onto the stiff mattress with a happy sigh. It was true he had been forced to stay only a few days, but that was enough for him. Being considerably wealthy, he was used to living the high life and this was not exactly his cup of tea.
But he had been forced to go to such measures in order to escape military school. Military school. Just those two words sent shivers up his spine, and a sick feeling crept into his stomach. It had been torture. Pure and utter torture is the only way he could think to describe it. The rules had been harsh; the lectures long, and the punishments severe. He had been slowly wasting away in that school, and he did the only thing he could think of doing at the time.
He ran away.
It hadn't been easy, that was for sure. He knew that his parents would be sending out someone to look for him as soon as word had broken out that he had escaped, which meant he had to keep a low maintenance if he hoped to avoid getting caught. No flashy cars, no expensive hotels - nothing. So he had been forced to stay in the grubby motel in order to lay low. His parents would never believe that he had been cooped up in such a place; hell, he wasn't even sure if he believed it himself.
However, very soon he would be free from all of that. He was planning to flee the state as early as the next afternoon; he even had everything prepared already. The plan was to hitch a ride to the airport and board a plane with some money one of his friends had loaned him. He didn't dare try to tap into his savings account for fear that his parents would be able to track him. That would not be a good thing at all.
He had no idea what he was going to do when he got to the next state. But anything was better than military school.
Pulling himself out of bed, he decided to head downstairs to the tiny restaurant for a final meal. Tomorrow would only come soon enough.
***
"Do you think we've got cable?" Lorelai asked excitedly, glancing at the small television that sat on a nearby stand. It was an hour since they had arrived and unpacked, and she was
"I doubt it," Rory said softly, her mind obviously elsewhere.
"But that means I'm going to miss the Great Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle."
Chuckling, Rory eyed her mother wryly. "Such are the great tragedies of life."
"Do not mock my television preferences. Need I remind you of that unhealthy Barney obsession you had as a child?"
"Okay, okay," Rory held up her hands, knowing her mother had won that round. "Actually I think I'm going to grab a bite to eat."
"That sure was a speedy recovery," Lorelai commented, remembering Rory's earlier carsickness.
Rory shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it was. Want me to bring anything up for you while I'm there?"
"Coffee would be good."
Nodding, Rory turned to grab her purse that was lazily thrown onto the bed. "Coffee it is, then."
"Okay, I guess I'll see you in a little bit. I'm just going to catch up on some late-night TV shows while you're gone."
Waving a quick good-bye to her mother, Rory headed downstairs, intent on hunting down a meal. She quickly made her way through the small crowd that occupied the restaurant to a table in the back of the room, away from the crowd. She figured it would be a quiet spot to relax, which was exactly what she needed.
Once the waitress had taken her orders, she slid back into the chair, absently munching on some a bunch of nuts from a nearby bowl while she waited for her food to arrive.
She didn't expect what would happen next.
Just as she was about to place a peanut into her mouth, she felt someone bump into her shoulder, and then a warm puddle of coffee flew into her lap, causing her to jump. "Hey!" she shouted, and angrily got up from her seat to see who had so rudely bumped into her. She had half a mind to give him or her a good lecture or two. The nerve.
"Mary."
The soft voice broke into her anger, and she blinked rapidly, not quite believing what she was seeing. It COULDN'T be him. It just couldn't.
"Tristan?"
Disclaimer: I own nothing, the WB owns everything, yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill. If you're going to sue, try someone who has more money than I do, k?
~
"Mom, could we get out for awhile? I think I'm getting car sick," Rory asked several hours later, slumping into the back seat and holding her stomach.
Glancing ahead at the open road, Lorelai frowned at her daughter. "But that's the beauty of a road trip! The lights, the chaos, the confusion, the sickness-"
"Mom!"
"Okay, okay, we'll get out once we get to the next motel."
A satisfied smirk formed on Rory's face, knowing she had won. "Good."
Lorelai knew never to argue with her daughter when she got like this. It was utterly pointless. Rory was rarely ever cross, but when she was...watch out.
In the backseat Rory shifted uncomfortably, cradling her aching stomach and trying to will away the pain. She knew she should never have let her mother take her into taking a road trip - she just wasn't up for it. School had been overly stressful the past week, and she had been looking forward to a weekend of kicking back with no stress involved. Now, that would never happen.
School hadn't been the only thing stressing her out, if she was perfectly honest with herself. Her relationship with Dean had been on the rocks lately, and she often found herself picking arguments with him over the smallest of things. She couldn't help herself - it was like they were both in this cycle that neither of them could break. Just the night before they had had a vicious spat over the phone, which had resulted in Rory coming to tears and locking herself in her room for over an hour. Her mother never knew about that. She would never know either, because Rory intended to keep it that way. Lorelai had enough stress in her life and she didn't need any added problems. So it was best to just be secretive.
"Look, we're here!" Lorelai said eagerly, when she saw the motel they were nearing.
"Oh, yay," Rory could see the flashing neon-blue sign that said 'Motel' and she inwardly let out a groan. This place was a dump.
"Well, I said I'd stop at the first motel we came to-"
"No, no, it's okay, really," Rory said, forcing a smile to her face.
"We can keep driving and try to find a better motel, if you'd like," Lorelai suggested.
Rory let out a deflated sigh. "I don't think my stomach would agree with that."
Lorelai stepped out to get the luggage; leaving Rory to stare ahead at the crappy motel they would probably be spending the night in. This wasn't exactly her idea of a good time. The place was run-down, and badly in need of a new coating of paint, for the one it had now was a muddy shade of brown that was peeling, revealing dull strips of white underneath.
Walking around to the front of the car, Lorelai tapped on the glass, signaling for Rory to come outside. Once the door was open, Rory planted both feet firmly on the pavement and let out a deep breath. She was going to be okay.
"How are you holding up?"
"Am I that green?" Rory asked, only half joking.
"Nah, you'll be okay once we get some food and water into ya," Lorelai said comfortingly, steering her daughter towards the motel.
"We'll see."
***
One more night. One more night and he would be free of this place. Tristan flopped back onto the stiff mattress with a happy sigh. It was true he had been forced to stay only a few days, but that was enough for him. Being considerably wealthy, he was used to living the high life and this was not exactly his cup of tea.
But he had been forced to go to such measures in order to escape military school. Military school. Just those two words sent shivers up his spine, and a sick feeling crept into his stomach. It had been torture. Pure and utter torture is the only way he could think to describe it. The rules had been harsh; the lectures long, and the punishments severe. He had been slowly wasting away in that school, and he did the only thing he could think of doing at the time.
He ran away.
It hadn't been easy, that was for sure. He knew that his parents would be sending out someone to look for him as soon as word had broken out that he had escaped, which meant he had to keep a low maintenance if he hoped to avoid getting caught. No flashy cars, no expensive hotels - nothing. So he had been forced to stay in the grubby motel in order to lay low. His parents would never believe that he had been cooped up in such a place; hell, he wasn't even sure if he believed it himself.
However, very soon he would be free from all of that. He was planning to flee the state as early as the next afternoon; he even had everything prepared already. The plan was to hitch a ride to the airport and board a plane with some money one of his friends had loaned him. He didn't dare try to tap into his savings account for fear that his parents would be able to track him. That would not be a good thing at all.
He had no idea what he was going to do when he got to the next state. But anything was better than military school.
Pulling himself out of bed, he decided to head downstairs to the tiny restaurant for a final meal. Tomorrow would only come soon enough.
***
"Do you think we've got cable?" Lorelai asked excitedly, glancing at the small television that sat on a nearby stand. It was an hour since they had arrived and unpacked, and she was
"I doubt it," Rory said softly, her mind obviously elsewhere.
"But that means I'm going to miss the Great Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle."
Chuckling, Rory eyed her mother wryly. "Such are the great tragedies of life."
"Do not mock my television preferences. Need I remind you of that unhealthy Barney obsession you had as a child?"
"Okay, okay," Rory held up her hands, knowing her mother had won that round. "Actually I think I'm going to grab a bite to eat."
"That sure was a speedy recovery," Lorelai commented, remembering Rory's earlier carsickness.
Rory shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it was. Want me to bring anything up for you while I'm there?"
"Coffee would be good."
Nodding, Rory turned to grab her purse that was lazily thrown onto the bed. "Coffee it is, then."
"Okay, I guess I'll see you in a little bit. I'm just going to catch up on some late-night TV shows while you're gone."
Waving a quick good-bye to her mother, Rory headed downstairs, intent on hunting down a meal. She quickly made her way through the small crowd that occupied the restaurant to a table in the back of the room, away from the crowd. She figured it would be a quiet spot to relax, which was exactly what she needed.
Once the waitress had taken her orders, she slid back into the chair, absently munching on some a bunch of nuts from a nearby bowl while she waited for her food to arrive.
She didn't expect what would happen next.
Just as she was about to place a peanut into her mouth, she felt someone bump into her shoulder, and then a warm puddle of coffee flew into her lap, causing her to jump. "Hey!" she shouted, and angrily got up from her seat to see who had so rudely bumped into her. She had half a mind to give him or her a good lecture or two. The nerve.
"Mary."
The soft voice broke into her anger, and she blinked rapidly, not quite believing what she was seeing. It COULDN'T be him. It just couldn't.
"Tristan?"