Disclaimer: I own very little. Actually, I'm not sure I own anything
at all. *scratches head* The plot is mine, I think.
Author: *dun dun* Shay!
Email: tlcforever@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13ish
Spoilers: Season One, Season Two and thus far of Season Three.
Pairing: Chris/Sherry, Chris/Lorelai, Rory/Tristan (because if there's a will, there's a way), Lane/Dave and traces of Rory/Jess
Feedback: Is most definitely welcome.
Authors Note: A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed. I definitely did not expect 20+ reviews just for the first part. I would *really* like it if you would all continue to review for this part *hint hint* :) And sorry for taking so long to put this up. I know I said Thursday, but I forgot it was Thanksgiving and with that and a whole bunch of other stuff, I've been a bit busy. But anyways, onto the conclusion of the story!
Oh yeah.. there's flashbacks in this part, so all those will be in italics. Enjoy! One more thing! I suck, I know :) There's a little something special for all the Dippers in here :) Hee
Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)
Baby I miss you / most at christmas time / and I can't get you / off my mind / every other season / comes along / and I'm all right / but then I miss you / most at / Christmas time
The rest of the day was pretty much devoted to preparing the house for Christopher and family. Sometime after six, Lane and Dave came over, surprising everyone by announcing that - with the approval of the Kim's - they were getting married. The news sent the girls into a tizzy and they started planning the wedding right then and there. Dave and Tristan looked on in amusement while Lorelai and Lane argued over which was better - a spring or a summer ceremony. Rory, however, sat quietly, her expression pensive.
******
"Rory?" Jess's inquisitive voice asked, laced with concern as his girlfriend, to whom he had just proposed, sat there, staring at him, her face pale, body trembling and blue eyes wide with fear.
Rory's lower lip started to quiver at the sound of his voice and suddenly she was on her feet, running from his apartment, ignoring the fact that she had left her coat behind and the cold November air was chilling her right to the bone. She heard him yell after her, but didn't stop until she reached her apartment, some six blocks away. Hurriedly she located the extra key from under the doormat, flung the oak door open, slammed it shut and locked it, leaning against it, panting heavily.
He had proposed. He had proposed. That was the only thing running through her mind. He had proposed and she had left him without an answer.
******
"Ror?" A deep, husky voice asked, breaking into her reverie. Her eyes refocused on the guy kneeling in front of her, his hand gently cradling her own.
"I'm okay," she managed to mutter. "I just need some air. Excuse me."
The four other occupants of the room watched as she quickly exited the room and Tristan sighed when he heard the front door close behind her. Questioningly, he glanced back at Lorelai, who shrugged. Lane however, sat with an apologetic look on her face. "I'll go talk to her," she finally said, standing and slipping on her coat. Quietly she opened the door, startling Rory, who had been sitting on the porch swing, staring off into space.
"I'm sorry," Rory said quietly, her eyes still staring out at the winter wonderland that was Stars Hollow.
Lane took that as an incentive to sit down and plopped down next to her best friend. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't even think.."
At that statement, Rory finally gazed over at Lane and shook her head. "It's not your fault. It shouldn't even be bothering me anymore. I mean, I said no, I was the one who ran away. But it still hurts."
"Maybe you still love him?" Lane asked softly, trying not to upset her friend further.
Rory shook her head again, more vehemently this time. "I love him, yeah. But I'm not in love with him anymore. There's no reason why this should hurt so much still."
"It hurts because it hurts him. You care too much, that's all."
"Maybe," Rory contemplated this.
Smiling slightly, Lane nudged her shoulder with her own. "Enough about Jess. Tell me about you and Tristan."
At the mention of Tristan, the cloud that hovered over Rory's face dissipated and she smiled back at her. "Tristan is.. well.. hmm.."
"Rory!" Lane exclaimed, playfully.
"Lane!" Rory mimicked before smiling again. "Tristan and I.. we're good. He's good. I'm good."
"So you're good?"
"We're good."
"Good to know."
"He's.. I don't know. He's the one I never expected."
Lane nodded in understanding. "Given your history, that's pretty understandable."
"Yeah," Rory murmured, picking at an imaginary piece of lint on her jacket.
"Is he a good kisser?"
"Lane!" Rory laughed.
"Well?"
There was a pause before a huge grin spread across Rory's face and she sighed. "Yeah," she breathed.
"That good, huh?"
Nodding, Rory glanced over at her. "I love him."
Lane smiled. "I know."
"That obvious, huh?"
"Yup."
"I should probably tell him."
"Probably a good idea," Lane agreed.
Rory was about to respond when Lorelai stuck her head out the door. "Oh good, you two are still alive. I thought you might have frozen by now."
"We're coming," Rory responded, getting up and heading back into the house.
******
Later that night, Rory and Tristan were spread out on the couch, watching Frosty The Snowman on television, both silent in contentment. Well, Rory was content, Tristan's thoughts were elsewhere.
Once the movie had gone to commercial, Tristan turned his attention to Rory, who smiled at him, her eyes full of happiness. Her smile faltered at the look on his face, however. "What?" She finally asked.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Rory responded, moving into a sitting position.
Tristan swallowed, his eyes clouded over and the fact that she couldn't read them frightened her a bit. "What's up with you and that guy at the diner, earlier?"
The smile left her face entirely at his question and her body tensed. She hadn't told Tristan about Jess, never so much as mentioned him. There just had never been the right time to bring it up. "Umm.."
"Is he like, your secret lover or something?"
"What?" Rory gaped, even more taken aback by that then the previous question.
"There's something going on between you two, Ror. I saw the way you looked at each other."
Sighing, Rory gently laid her hand on his arm, her eyes connecting with his. "He's.. he's not my secret lover. We just, we used to date, okay?"
Tristan searched her face for any hint that she was lying, but found nothing. "What happened?"
Accepting there was no way out of this, Rory leaned back against the couch, her eyes glazed over as memories of the past ran rampant through her head.
"Marry me."
"I- I can't."
"Why not?"
"I just can't."
And again she ran.
Shaking these thoughts from her mind, she gazed back over at Tristan, who was watching her intently. "Jess.. we dated all through our senior year and part of the first year of college. It was on our one year anniversary that he came over.. and he proposed. I freaked out. We had only been together for a year and I knew I loved him and he loved me, but it was too soon, too fast for me. I couldn't make that kind of decision. So I ran. A few days later, I went back and told him I couldn't marry him. He asked why and I knew if I told him, he'd come up with some kind of excuse, so I ran again. As much as it hurt, I knew that was the end of us. I couldn't go back to him, knowing he wanted so much more then I could give him. A week later I called him and we ended it. We met again that Christmas and agreed to try and be friends. But that was the last time we saw each other until today."
Tristan took all this in, watching her face as it worked with emotion. When she finished, he asked. He couldn't help it, he had to know. "Do you regret it?"
Rory was silent for a second before shaking her head. "No, I don't regret it. It wouldn't have worked. We were too young and we hadn't been together long enough to make that kind of commitment."
"Do you still love him?"
" I know I hurt him, but no, I'm not in love with him anymore."
"That's not what I asked. Do you still love him?"
"I'll probably always love him, Tris. I care about him immensely. But I don't see him like that anymore."
Tristan nodded in acceptance. "I'm sorry I accused you of having a secret lover."
Rory smiled at his apology. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I should have."
"It's okay, I know now. C'mere," he growled, pulling her closer to him and claiming her lips as his own.
Standing in the hall, watching her daughter and her boyfriend kiss, Lorelai sighed. They reminded her so much of herself and Christopher. Christopher, who would be arriving tomorrow, complete with Sherry and their daughter. Christopher, who would be staying in her house, with her, for the next two and a half weeks. Christopher, who had broken her heart countless times. Christopher, who she still loved.
******
Rory groaned as she caught the time illuminated on the clock next to her bed. It was after 3 and she still couldn't sleep. Sighing in resignation, she got up, slipped on her robe and headed into the kitchen. A flash of light surprised her and curiously, she headed into the living room, surprised to see her mother sitting on the couch, television on, a box of kleenex on one side and a pint of ice cream in her hand. Frowning, she moved into the room a little more.
"Mom?"
Lorelai jumped at the sound of her voice. "Hey, kiddo, what are you doing up?" She asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide the evidence she had been crying from her voice.
"I couldn't sleep," Rory answered, moving over to the couch and sitting down. "What's wrong, Mom?"
"Nothing," Lorelai said, unconvincingly.
"Since when do you sit in the dark, crying over nothing?"
"I wasn't crying," Lorelai protested.
"Yes you were," Rory countered. "Now seriously, what's wrong?"
Lorelai sighed and met her daughters gaze. "Sometimes I wish you weren't so damn perceptive."
"Sorry, I'll try to work on that. Would you please tell me what's going on with you?"
Swallowing another bite of ice cream, she finally caved. "I don't know if I can go through with tomorrow," Lorelai revealed, sniffling as she scooped up more ice cream onto her spoon.
Realization dawned on Rory and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her mother. Lorelai dropped the spoon back into the container and pushed it onto the table, returning her daughters embrace. No other words were exchanged, they just sat, hugging, until they finally fell asleep, hanging onto each other for dear life.
******
Since the preparation of the spare room had been completed the day before, Tristan had more then willingly opted to sleep in a real bed, rather then the couch, so that was the reason he had for ambling down the stairs the next morning. He was surprised to see Rory and Lorelai curled up in each others arms, sleeping as soundly as they could in such a position. Smiling to himself, he descended the last step, made his way over to Rory, placed a soft kiss on her forehead before heading into the kitchen. Fishing around the cupboards, he located the canister of coffee and put on a pot. After his first disastrous attempt at making coffee for her, she had taught him the proper way to make it just the way she liked, so here, he did so with ease. As predicted, a few moments later, a sleepy Rory entered the kitchen. He watched in amusement as she made her way around the kitchen with her eyes closed, finding a mug without a problem and pouring the dark liquid without spilling a drop. Settling into a chair, she took a sip before sighing happily.
"Mmm..."
"Morning to you, too."
At the sound of his voice, her eyes flew open and she smiled. "Morning."
"Sleep okay?"
Groaning, she shook her head. "Not really. I definitely don't advise sleeping sitting up. Especially with my mom. She tends to kick."
Tristan grinned at the annoyed, yet affectionate tone she held for her mother. "Why were you two on the couch anyway?"
Rory's face fell a little as she remembered the conversation they had before falling asleep. "I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to get something to drink and found her sitting on the couch, crying."
"Is she okay?"
Shaking her head, Rory sighed. "No. My dad's coming today, with Sherry and Christy. She hasn't seem him since he showed up at my Grandma's a few years ago, after he had left her when he found out Sherry was pregnant. She still loves him and last night she just broke down, realizing that she's going to have to watch him with another woman, the woman who stole him away from her and watch him interact with Christy, like he never got the chance to do with me.."
"Wow, that must be rough," Tristan said, sympathetically.
"Yeah.."
"Morning," Lorelai mumbled, coming into the kitchen a few seconds later. She, naturally, headed right for the coffee maker, poured herself some and took a deep gulp of the sweet ambrosia. The three were silent, just staring at each other and drinking their coffee. Finally Lorelai muttered something about a shower and disappeared upstairs. Once she was gone, Rory sighed again, a look of hurt and concern on her face.
"I'm so worried about her. She doesn't like admitting when something's bothering her, or when something hurts and I'm scared that the next two weeks are going to do something to permanately damage her."
Giving her a reassuring smile, Tristan reached across the table and took her hand. "She's strong, Ror. And if something does happen, you'll be there for her. She'll be okay."
Meeting his gaze, she sighed again. "I hope so."
******
Three hours later, Tristan, Rory and Lorelai sat in the living room, watching television when there was a honk from outside. Lorelai froze, her eyes large and glassed over. Rory put a supportive arm around her waist and with Tristan's hand firmly in hers, she led them out of the house to where Christopher was helping Christy out of her car seat. There was a silent, yet collective sigh of relief when Sherry was nowhere to be seen.
"Dad!" Rory exclaimed, letting go of her mother and boyfriend to embrace her father. Christopher had just set Christy on the ground when Rory reached him and he swung her around, laughing.
"Hey, you."
Grinning, Rory gave him another hug but released her hold when she felt a tug on her pants. She looked down to see a three year old Christy, staring up at her, smiling happily.
"Wory!" The little girl shouted, squealing in excitement as her big sister picked her up, showering her chubby face in kisses.
Even Lorelai couldn't help but smile at the scene before her and bravely, she approached the group, Tristan trailing behind her. Christopher looked up just as she reached them, a grin of unparalleled joy spreading across his face. "Lor," he greeted, the smile never fading.
"Chris," Lorelai greeted back, surprised at the lack of venom her voice held.
Without missing a beat, he enveloped her in a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her. With tears in her eyes, Lorelai hugged him back, reveling in the feel of him, letting herself, just for a moment, forget all that had transpired since the last time she had been in his arms.
"It's so good to see you, Lor," he whispered in her ear before letting her go.
"You too," She murmured.
Rory walked over to them, Christy still in her arms and Tristan beside her. "Dad, this is Tristan. Tristan, my Dad, Christopher."
After the two men had shaken hands, Rory sent her father a quizzical look. "Where's Sherry?"
"She was put on a last minute assignment, which took her out of town."
"So she's not coming?"
Christopher shook his head. "No. She decided she'd just spend the holiday's with her parents when she got back."
Rory shot her mother a look and Lorelai smiled tensely. "Oh."
"Yeah. She sends her love, though," Christopher shrugged.
"Oh, well, that's too bad," Lorelai said, forcing a smile. "Come on, let's get you inside."
Christopher watched as she linked arms with Rory and headed back towards the house. Shaking his head, he smiled and followed.
*******
Jess stared down at the words printed in his copy of Pride and Prejudice . Well, actually, it had been Rory's, but that had been so long ago and he was sure she had forgotten about it, so he now claimed it as his own. Sighing, he put the book down, staring out at the frozen lake, ignoring the cold that ran rampant around him.
Ever since the bridge had collapsed by the lake in Stars Hollow, he migrated to a small town right outside of Hartford to escape his life and just think. Even in the dead of winter. It just brought him a sense of solitude that nothing else did.
Closing his eyes, he leaned up against the rail on the side of the bridge, his finger idly tracing random shapes into the snow. He was thinking, about Rory, about how she had moved on, about how he needed to move on, about how he accepted the fact she was with someone else, but still needed her in his life.
Friends.
It was a word that had been thrown between them since they had split. It was a nice notion, but up until now, he had deemed it impossible. If they could go back to being friends, he could still have her in his life, still hold onto the one person who had made him feel when he had drifted into the unfeeling oblivion.
Again, he sighed, but this time got to his feet and headed towards his car. It was time to get his life back on track. It was time to get over Rory.
******
"I don't wanna," Lorelai pouted, sticking her lower lip out for the full effect.
Rory rolled her eyes as she finished applying a bit of lip gloss. "You're not getting out of this, Mom. Besides, you're not going to be alone. Tristan and I will be there. Dad will be there.."
Lorelai continued her pouting and stomped her foot in defiance. "Doesn't she understand that Christmas is supposed to be the time of Goodwill towards men? Forcing us to spend the next four hours in a house full of uptight rich people is not Goodwill."
"Christmas is time for family," Rory rebuked, turning to face her mother. "And Grandma and Grandpa are family. We're going. Stop pouting and get dressed!" She ordered, a look of humor on her face.
Grumbling, Lorelai turned on her heel and stalked out of the bathroom and up the stairs. Christopher appeared in the doorway of the bathroom a few moments later, laughter in his eyes.
"She still hates going there, huh," He said, smiling as Rory turned towards him. She rolled her eyes again, good naturedly.
"Always."
"Ah, she'll get over it. She always does."
"But not before kicking and screaming the entire way there," Rory grinned as she and her father exited the bathroom. They paused just outside the living room as they watched Tristan and Christy play a game of Candyland. Rory's heart warmed at the scene before her. For a brief moment, she imagined him playing with their daughter but immediately shook it away. It was way too soon to be imagining those type of things.
There was suddenly a loud thud from up above and they all jumped at the sound of a long line of curse words the followed. Tristan promptly covered Christy's ears with his hands and removed them with a grin once the tirade was over. A few moments later, Lorelai reappeared wearing an elegant black dress, her hair pulled up into an elaborate french twist.
After a brief argument with Lorelai about going, the group headed out of the house, en route to Hartford.
*******
"Come in, come in," Emily greeted warmly, her eyes sparkling with joy as she ushered her daughter and family into the large Gilmore manor.
"Merry Christmas, Grandma," Rory greeted, placing a chaste kiss on the elder woman's cheek.
Emily returned the sentiment, repeating it to each of the members of the group. She greeted Tristan excitedly, happy to see him again, relieved that he and Rory were still dating. The two had met before, when Emily had made a day trip into Boston to spend some time with her granddaughter.
"Christopher!" Emily exclaimed, unable to hide her elated tone as she embraced him. "It's so good to see you again."
"You too, Emily," Christopher smiled, hugging her back, somewhat awkwardly.
After releasing him, she gestured towards the living room, where the rest of the guests were gathered. Upon entering, they were all immediately introduced to one another and Tristan was surprised to see his parents there. They greeted somewhat hesitantly before drifting away from each other, as they would stay for the rest of the night.
Halfway through the party, Lorelai disappeared, although no one realized it except Christopher. Grabbing two flutes of champagne, he headed up the stairs and knocked on the door to the room that had once been Lorelai's. A soft "Come in" was emitted and he opened the door, not at all surprised to see her sitting on her bed, staring off into space.
"Thought you could use some booze," He greeted, joining her on the bed.
"Smart boy."
"I try."
They sat in amicable silence for a few minutes before Lorelai tilted her head to gaze at him. "I'm glad you're here."
Christopher nodded. "Yeah, me too."
"I missed you," Lorelai said suddenly, after a few more moments of silence.
A grin spread slowly across Christopher's face as he met her eye. "I missed you, too, Lor."
Silence ensued once again before Christopher cleared this throat, causing Lorelai to look over at him in confusion.
Catching the look on his face, a slow smile spread across her face. "What is with you?"
"Nothing," He shrugged, but not before a grin of his own appeared.
"Chris," Lorelai whined, poking him in the side.
Placing his glass of champagne onto the night stand beside the bed, his face grew serious. "Can I be completely honest with you?"
"Umm.. of course," Lorelai stuttered, her heart rate speeding. It wasn't often that his expression was so serious.
Exhaling loudly, his eyes gazed up at the ceiling for a moment before dropping back down to the woman next to him. "Sherry didn't exactly go out of town for business."
"Oh?"
"She.. she left, Lor. We got into a fight a couple of days ago because she kept claiming that having a family was hurting her career and there were changes that had to be made. She wanted to send Christy off to some boarding school. She's barely three and she wants to ship her off already. I wasn't going for it. Then we woke up this morning and she was gone. Just a note on the fridge saying she left and she'd send for the rest of her stuff.."
"Chris, I'm so sorry."
Christopher shook his head. "Don't be. We both knew it wasn't going to work.. that's one of the reasons we never got married. I just can't believe she would leave Christy like that. And so close to Christmas..."
Lorelai laid a sympathetic hand on his arm and offered a small smile. "You'll just have to make it up to Christy, then. Be the best father she could ever dream to have."
"I'm trying," Christopher smiled. "Thanks for listening, Lor. I know it's probably not the easiest thing for you to hear about, but I really appreciate it."
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" Lorelai said with as much confidence as she could muster.
"Yeah. Friends."
They settled into an uncomfortable silence before there was a loud knock on the door, startling them both.
"There you two are," Emily said stiffly, her face expressing her disappointment in them. "Dinner is ready."
Resigning to their fate, both adults slid off the bed with a heavy though inaudible sigh. Lorelai followed her mother out, but Christopher stayed back for a second, watching her leave.
"I miss you, Lor.." he whispered into the empty room before heading out himself.
******
"So, that was interesting," Tristan commented as the group made themselves comfortable in the car, before heading back to Stars Hollow.
Rory rolled her eyes and sighed. Apparently there was a woman there, a Kelly Larson, who had a deep desire for her father. And when Emily had returned with her mother and father, both in tow just prior to dinner, she had gone off on Lorelai, cursing her, calling her a whore.
"Yeah, nothing says Merry Christmas like being attacked by a four foot professional housewife," Lorelai said dryly from her seat up front.
Christopher snickered at that but quickly shut his mouth when Lorelai shot him a dirty look.
"So, the annual Snowman contest is tomorrow," Rory supplied, in effort to ditch the tension filled silence that had taken over the car.
"Annual Snowman contest?" Tristan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a perfectly respectable tradition," Rory defended. Tristan gave her a look and she returned it. It was a few seconds before Tristan broke and Rory cried out in triumph. Christopher shot Lorelai a look and they both smiled.
******
Despite the late hour, the bookstore in Hartford was still open and Jess sat inside, drinking a coffee, fully enraptured in his current novel of choice. That all changed, however, when suddenly his chair lurched and a strong feminine voice cursed loudly. Shutting his book, he looked up into a face that brought back many memories.
"My, my, my. If it isn't Ms. Paris Gellar..."
******
The next day was a whirlwind of activity, as they had agreed to have their own personal snowman contest. After arguing for a good solid hour, it was decided that it would be girls against guys for the snowman contest. Bundling up as best as they could to secure themselves from the biting December wind, they all headed out to the center of town. As Tristan and Christopher talked strategy, the girls had begun to pack snow together in order to begin their "snowwoman." Even little Christy was helping, her face red from the cold but her blue eyes clear with innocence and happiness. Once the men had started their man, Rory and Lorelai had turned Christy into their ally, sending her over to the guys ever now and then to kick the mounds of snow they had accumulated.
Half an hour later, Luke appeared with coffee for them all and a small cup of warm milk for Christy. They took a break for a few minutes to collect themselves and then headed back to work. It was another hour and a half before Lorelai and Rory yelled victoriously that they were finished. Christopher and Tristan stopped what they were doing and made their way over to them. They stood back proudly, staring at the snowwoman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Madonna. The guys groaned and Christopher announced they conceded victory to the ladies and that they should probably head inside, since Christy was starting to get sleepy and it was insanely cold outside. Lorelai argued she was hungry, so they decided that the group would split up. Christopher and Lorelai, along with Christy headed home and Tristan and Rory went over to Luke's to round up some food.
As they waited, Rory turned in surprise when she heard a familiar voice. Standing in the doorway was Paris. But that wasn't the most baffling thing. Right beside her was Jess, smirking as the scribbled something down a piece of paper and handed it to her. When he looked up, his eyes locked with Rory, but held no contempt or hurt. Instead, he smiled and motioned Paris over to the two.
"Rory, Tristan."
"Jess. Paris?" Rory said, her voice not disguising the shock she felt.
Tristan nodded in greeting at Jess but grinned when he noticed Paris. "Gellar. Fancy meeting you here."
Paris smiled back. Though she sometimes saw the two during school, she hadn't really spoken to either of them since high school. College had obviously loosened her up a lot and she spontaneously hugged him. "Tristan!"
The two released each other and then she and Rory embraced, two old friends reuniting. "What are you doing here, Paris?" She asked wonderingly.
"Oh, we," she gestured to Jess, "ran into each other last night and we spent some time talking. He forget his book in my car, so I came by to drop it off."
"Well, it's good to see you," Rory exclaimed, getting over her initial reaction. Just then Luke appeared with their food, so they bid farewell, promising to call each other over the holiday and headed back towards the Gilmore house. Once down the street from the diner, Rory grinned, an idea forming in her head.
Tristan caught the look and groaned. "What now?"
"Paris. And Jess."
Those three words were all it took before Tristan began to shake his head. "Uh-uh. No way."
Rory didn't respond, just smiled devilishly.
******
The rest of the night was relatively uneventful. They ate, they watched, they talked, they argued, they plotted to get Paris and Jess together and then they went to sleep. Well, technically, they went to bed. Lorelai lay in her room, staring at the ceiling, contemplating all that had happened since Christopher had arrived the previous day. He was still the same, still Christopher. He had definitely matured, but still held the ability to banter with the best of them, still could keep up her and Rory when they were arguing back and forth, still the same carefree smile imprinted on his face, the same horrible taste in music. She cringed as she thought about how they had gotten into his Volvo the previous day, to go to her parents house, and were greeted by the uncivilized sounds of the Offspring.
And then she thought, about the talk they had in her room at her parents. Sherry had left him. Stupid, stupid bitch, she thought with more malice then anticipated. She had been the reason they weren't together now and she had the nerve to just leave him, like it didn't matter. Like it didn't affect anybody. More then that, Lorelai shook her head at the thought of a mother leaving her child, her daughter. Never in a million years, for all the coffee in the world could she leave Rory. And the worst part of that was what a wonderful child Christy was. With her dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she was absolutely beautiful. She had Christopher's sense of humor, which was already present and she held the same love for coffee, which she had gleefully found out earlier, when the child had stolen her cup and drank greedily from it and then announced she wanted more. Shaking her head, she rolled over, determined to find sleep. But it eluded her. After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, she threw back the blankets and padded downstairs. She was surprised to see the light over the sink in the kitchen on and Christopher leaning up against the counter, his back to her, his eyes roaming over the white world outside.
"Couldn't sleep?" She asked softly, coming further into the kitchen.
Christopher turned at her question. He silently shook his head. "No."
Almost hesitantly, she joined him at the sink, a giddiness entering her heart when she saw it was snowing. "It's snowing," she whispered, her face entranced, her voice awed.
"That it is," He smiled at the tone of her voice.
With a natural ease, without even thinking, they moved closer to each other until his arms were around her waist and they both stared out the window, watching the tiny flakes fall from the moonlit sky. It was quite awhile before they realized the position they were in and Lorelai turned, to escape his grasp. However, with both his hands possessively at her waist, all she was forced to do is turn into him, her face meeting his chest.
They both froze at the contact, both hearts racing, both mind whirling. Lorelai stepped back a step, her eyes searching his, her breath catching in her throat at the look of unsubdued desire burning in them. How long they stood there, staring at each other is unknown, as time seemingly stood still in that moment. When his eyes swept down to her lips, her tongue instinctively darted out to wet them. The two hearts, now so close, both began to beat furiously as his grip tightened on her waist. She stared up at him, her blue eyes wide, with hesitancy, with want, with uninhibited passion. Slowly, their faces inched closer to each other until they were only centimeters apart. Pulling her closer, the feel of the heat radiating off her body was all it took for him to crush his lips to hers, their lips dancing the dance lovers have done since the beginning of time. Time apart, circumstances all led to this moment, to this climax and they both threw caution to the wind, as the kiss deepened, spiraled further and further into oblivion. Lorelai's knees weakened and she leaned against up for support. A groan fell from his throat as he began weaving them, still connected at the mouth, through the kitchen, down the hall and up the stairs. Lorelai put up no resistance, hanging onto him the entire way.
******
The next morning Tristan, Rory and Christy sat in the kitchen, all sipping on coffee, waiting for the two remaining beings to appear. Rory tried to concentrate on her sister, but her mind really was elsewhere. Tristan had told her that her father had never returned to the room they were sharing the night before and was nowhere to be seen in the rest of the house. Except for one room. And when her parents came down together a half hour later, her suspicions were confirmed.
Christy, who had immediately taken to Tristan, asked if he would play Candy Land again and he happily obliged, leaving the kitchen with her little hand in his. His eyes darting between Lorelai and their daughter, Christopher opted to escape, leaving with the excuse he needed a shower. Lorelai poured a cup of coffee and sat down across from Rory, who openly stared at her, disbelievingly.
"I don't believe you two," She finally sputtered, ignoring the bit of coffee that had sloshed over the side of her cup with the emission.
Lorelai sighed as she glanced up at her daughter. "Ror.."
"No, Mom. After everything that's happened, you go and sleep together, again? Did you just conveniently forget that he has a girlfriend?"
"No, he doesn't," Lorelai protested in her defense.
Rory gave her an incredulous look. "What?"
Shaking her head, Lorelai sighed again. "Listen, Ror. It's not place to tell you what happened, that's your father's job. But just believe me when I tell you Sherry's not in the picture."
And with that, she exited the room, leaving Rory staring after her in wonder.
******
"Huh."
Christopher glanced up from the television to see Lorelai standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and her face set. Sighing, he hit the off button and set the remote on the table. "I guess we need to talk."
"No shit, Sherlock."
Giving her a somewhat annoyed look, he nodded. "Alright.."
Lorelai bit her lip as she sat down and met his gaze. "So.."
"Last night.."
"Yeah."
"..Was amazing.."
"Yeah."
"But?"
Shaking her head, Lorelai sighed. "Chris, we can't do this. Not again. We can't just sleep together and then you just disappear again, like it meant nothing. I can't take it. It hurts too much."
"Lor.. listen," he paused, taking her hand. "We both know how we feel about each other. That's no secret. It's there, it's real and we both know it's not going away. I know I hurt you last time and I wouldn't blame you in the slightest if you want me to leave and to never come back. But maybe last time was wrong. Maybe this is the time, this is the right time for us. We're both single. My job is opening a branch in Hartford.."
"Chris," Lorelai interrupted, her hand softly resting on his thigh. "Chris, you're just coming out of a relationship. You have a kid. You have to think about that."
"Don't you think I have, Lorelai? Why do you think I couldn't sleep last night? I kept thinking about you and how much I love you and how that love was the reason I could never give Sherry one hundred percent and why she packed up and left. I kept thinking about how much I miss you and how amazing you are and how much Christy already adores you. Hell, she's already picked up your coffee obsession," he added with a grin. "I want another chance, Lor. I need another chance. And if it doesn't work this time...." his voice trailed off.
"Then we'll know for sure," Lorelai finished softly as his eyes met hers. "I still don't know Chris."
"How about we give it a go while I'm here," Christopher suggested, his face brightening. "We'll spend the next two weeks.. testing the waters, seeing if it seems right. And if it does, great. We'll keep it going. If it doesn't... I'll go back to Boston and try to get on with my life."
Lorelai smiled at his suggestion and was silent for a good ten minutes. Finally, she nodded. "We probably owe it to ourselves to give it one more chance. Just promise me one thing?"
Christopher grinned happily. "Anything."
"You don't have any other soon to be pregnant girlfriends hiding out somewhere, do you?" She asked with a smirk. Christopher laughed before leaning over to kiss her.
******
Christopher and Lorelai told Rory over dinner that night, what the plan was. Though she acted shocked, surprised, even disinterested, inside, she was jumping for joy. The next five days passed without event and on Christmas Eve, after a very loud, very rambunctious town Christmas party in the center of town, they all headed back to the house. Once there, they exchanged one gift each, a tradition that had started way back when Lorelai was a child. After that, Tristan and Rory both bundled up again and headed out, just wanting to spend some alone time together. They stopped at Luke's, though it was closed, he opened up long enough to give them each a to-go cup of coffee, before wishing them a Merry Christmas and heading back upstairs. It started to snow again as they headed back through town and it was coming down quite heavily by the time they reached their destination -- the lake. Though the old bridge was gone, there were still tree stumps surrounding it and they found a large one, and sat down, saying nothing, just thoroughly enjoying each others company. Rory was first to break the silence.
"You know, my mom says the best things happen in the snow," she remarked, her eyes watching adoringly as the flakes danced around them.
"Yeah?" Tristan said, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his cheek to hers.
"Yeah." She confirmed, turning in his arms to they were standing face to face. She found herself lost in the deep blue seas that were his eyes and sighed in contentment.
Smiling, he leaned his forehead against hers. Then gently, he pressed his lips to hers. "I think I agree with your mom on that one."
"Mmm," Rory murmured and smiled up at him, her eyes glowing. "I love you."
Tristan's body tensed at her words. She had said them. More then that, she had said them first. Something he had deemed unimaginable. His mind whirled in circles until he finally realized she was trying to pull away from him, probably because he had taken so long to reply.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. God, I'm such an idiot. Way to ruin the moment, Rory," she muttered.
Tristan placed a finger against her lips, effectively shutting her up. "I love you, too."
Rory gazed up at him, grinning at the undeniable truth in his eyes. Scooting closer, she closed her mouth over his once again. After a bit, they pulled apart, finally taking notice of the cold and decided to head home. Hand in hand, they embarked again, back through the town until suddenly Rory stopped in her tracks. No more then ten feet away, in front of the building that was Stars Hollow High, was Jess. But he wasn't alone. Nope, not alone. He was standing there, his arms wrapped tightly around a girl - but not just any girl. Paris. And they were kissing. Passionately. Rory let out a giggle and Tristan rolled his eyes.
"Let's go, I think they wanna be alone."
******
Christmas day, the next morning, was a mad flurry of wrapping paper, boxes, oohs and ahs, exchanged kisses, hugs and incredibly good food, as Sookie, Jackson and their newborn son, Matthew, came over to celebrate the holiday with them. Sookie naturally cooked and by the end of the day, they were all stuffed. Much later, once all the guests were sitting in a circle in the living room, playing Candy Land, as coaxed by Christy, Lorelai slipped on her coat and headed outside to watch the snow fall. Christopher excused himself and followed, sitting down beside her on the wet and snow covered porch.
"Penny for your thoughts."
Lorelai turned to him and smiled, moving underneath his arm in search of warmth. "I think this was my favorite Christmas ever." She said decidedly.
"Mine too," He agreed, kissing the top of her head.
"We did good."
"That we did."
"Chris?" Lorelai said, looking up at him.
"Hmm?"
"Stay."
"Okay." He agreed and they kissed, sealing their future, for the new year and beyond.
******
Beh. I know the ending was kind of rushed, but I edited a lot of things to include the P/J element, per request of - ahem - you know who you are. Again, all reviews are welcome. I'm sorry to any Lit fans who wanted an R/J ending.... I love those two together, but my heart belongs to Troryness. Readers of my other stories.. sit tight, updates are coming soon.
And *pimping myself out here* Go check out the GG Fanfic Awards - http://www.after-tonight.net/fanfic !
That is all. Goooooooodbye *salute*
--Shay
Author: *dun dun* Shay!
Email: tlcforever@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13ish
Spoilers: Season One, Season Two and thus far of Season Three.
Pairing: Chris/Sherry, Chris/Lorelai, Rory/Tristan (because if there's a will, there's a way), Lane/Dave and traces of Rory/Jess
Feedback: Is most definitely welcome.
Authors Note: A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed. I definitely did not expect 20+ reviews just for the first part. I would *really* like it if you would all continue to review for this part *hint hint* :) And sorry for taking so long to put this up. I know I said Thursday, but I forgot it was Thanksgiving and with that and a whole bunch of other stuff, I've been a bit busy. But anyways, onto the conclusion of the story!
Oh yeah.. there's flashbacks in this part, so all those will be in italics. Enjoy! One more thing! I suck, I know :) There's a little something special for all the Dippers in here :) Hee
Baby I miss you / most at christmas time / and I can't get you / off my mind / every other season / comes along / and I'm all right / but then I miss you / most at / Christmas time
The rest of the day was pretty much devoted to preparing the house for Christopher and family. Sometime after six, Lane and Dave came over, surprising everyone by announcing that - with the approval of the Kim's - they were getting married. The news sent the girls into a tizzy and they started planning the wedding right then and there. Dave and Tristan looked on in amusement while Lorelai and Lane argued over which was better - a spring or a summer ceremony. Rory, however, sat quietly, her expression pensive.
******
"Rory?" Jess's inquisitive voice asked, laced with concern as his girlfriend, to whom he had just proposed, sat there, staring at him, her face pale, body trembling and blue eyes wide with fear.
Rory's lower lip started to quiver at the sound of his voice and suddenly she was on her feet, running from his apartment, ignoring the fact that she had left her coat behind and the cold November air was chilling her right to the bone. She heard him yell after her, but didn't stop until she reached her apartment, some six blocks away. Hurriedly she located the extra key from under the doormat, flung the oak door open, slammed it shut and locked it, leaning against it, panting heavily.
He had proposed. He had proposed. That was the only thing running through her mind. He had proposed and she had left him without an answer.
******
"Ror?" A deep, husky voice asked, breaking into her reverie. Her eyes refocused on the guy kneeling in front of her, his hand gently cradling her own.
"I'm okay," she managed to mutter. "I just need some air. Excuse me."
The four other occupants of the room watched as she quickly exited the room and Tristan sighed when he heard the front door close behind her. Questioningly, he glanced back at Lorelai, who shrugged. Lane however, sat with an apologetic look on her face. "I'll go talk to her," she finally said, standing and slipping on her coat. Quietly she opened the door, startling Rory, who had been sitting on the porch swing, staring off into space.
"I'm sorry," Rory said quietly, her eyes still staring out at the winter wonderland that was Stars Hollow.
Lane took that as an incentive to sit down and plopped down next to her best friend. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't even think.."
At that statement, Rory finally gazed over at Lane and shook her head. "It's not your fault. It shouldn't even be bothering me anymore. I mean, I said no, I was the one who ran away. But it still hurts."
"Maybe you still love him?" Lane asked softly, trying not to upset her friend further.
Rory shook her head again, more vehemently this time. "I love him, yeah. But I'm not in love with him anymore. There's no reason why this should hurt so much still."
"It hurts because it hurts him. You care too much, that's all."
"Maybe," Rory contemplated this.
Smiling slightly, Lane nudged her shoulder with her own. "Enough about Jess. Tell me about you and Tristan."
At the mention of Tristan, the cloud that hovered over Rory's face dissipated and she smiled back at her. "Tristan is.. well.. hmm.."
"Rory!" Lane exclaimed, playfully.
"Lane!" Rory mimicked before smiling again. "Tristan and I.. we're good. He's good. I'm good."
"So you're good?"
"We're good."
"Good to know."
"He's.. I don't know. He's the one I never expected."
Lane nodded in understanding. "Given your history, that's pretty understandable."
"Yeah," Rory murmured, picking at an imaginary piece of lint on her jacket.
"Is he a good kisser?"
"Lane!" Rory laughed.
"Well?"
There was a pause before a huge grin spread across Rory's face and she sighed. "Yeah," she breathed.
"That good, huh?"
Nodding, Rory glanced over at her. "I love him."
Lane smiled. "I know."
"That obvious, huh?"
"Yup."
"I should probably tell him."
"Probably a good idea," Lane agreed.
Rory was about to respond when Lorelai stuck her head out the door. "Oh good, you two are still alive. I thought you might have frozen by now."
"We're coming," Rory responded, getting up and heading back into the house.
******
Later that night, Rory and Tristan were spread out on the couch, watching Frosty The Snowman on television, both silent in contentment. Well, Rory was content, Tristan's thoughts were elsewhere.
Once the movie had gone to commercial, Tristan turned his attention to Rory, who smiled at him, her eyes full of happiness. Her smile faltered at the look on his face, however. "What?" She finally asked.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Rory responded, moving into a sitting position.
Tristan swallowed, his eyes clouded over and the fact that she couldn't read them frightened her a bit. "What's up with you and that guy at the diner, earlier?"
The smile left her face entirely at his question and her body tensed. She hadn't told Tristan about Jess, never so much as mentioned him. There just had never been the right time to bring it up. "Umm.."
"Is he like, your secret lover or something?"
"What?" Rory gaped, even more taken aback by that then the previous question.
"There's something going on between you two, Ror. I saw the way you looked at each other."
Sighing, Rory gently laid her hand on his arm, her eyes connecting with his. "He's.. he's not my secret lover. We just, we used to date, okay?"
Tristan searched her face for any hint that she was lying, but found nothing. "What happened?"
Accepting there was no way out of this, Rory leaned back against the couch, her eyes glazed over as memories of the past ran rampant through her head.
"Marry me."
"I- I can't."
"Why not?"
"I just can't."
And again she ran.
Shaking these thoughts from her mind, she gazed back over at Tristan, who was watching her intently. "Jess.. we dated all through our senior year and part of the first year of college. It was on our one year anniversary that he came over.. and he proposed. I freaked out. We had only been together for a year and I knew I loved him and he loved me, but it was too soon, too fast for me. I couldn't make that kind of decision. So I ran. A few days later, I went back and told him I couldn't marry him. He asked why and I knew if I told him, he'd come up with some kind of excuse, so I ran again. As much as it hurt, I knew that was the end of us. I couldn't go back to him, knowing he wanted so much more then I could give him. A week later I called him and we ended it. We met again that Christmas and agreed to try and be friends. But that was the last time we saw each other until today."
Tristan took all this in, watching her face as it worked with emotion. When she finished, he asked. He couldn't help it, he had to know. "Do you regret it?"
Rory was silent for a second before shaking her head. "No, I don't regret it. It wouldn't have worked. We were too young and we hadn't been together long enough to make that kind of commitment."
"Do you still love him?"
" I know I hurt him, but no, I'm not in love with him anymore."
"That's not what I asked. Do you still love him?"
"I'll probably always love him, Tris. I care about him immensely. But I don't see him like that anymore."
Tristan nodded in acceptance. "I'm sorry I accused you of having a secret lover."
Rory smiled at his apology. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I should have."
"It's okay, I know now. C'mere," he growled, pulling her closer to him and claiming her lips as his own.
Standing in the hall, watching her daughter and her boyfriend kiss, Lorelai sighed. They reminded her so much of herself and Christopher. Christopher, who would be arriving tomorrow, complete with Sherry and their daughter. Christopher, who would be staying in her house, with her, for the next two and a half weeks. Christopher, who had broken her heart countless times. Christopher, who she still loved.
******
Rory groaned as she caught the time illuminated on the clock next to her bed. It was after 3 and she still couldn't sleep. Sighing in resignation, she got up, slipped on her robe and headed into the kitchen. A flash of light surprised her and curiously, she headed into the living room, surprised to see her mother sitting on the couch, television on, a box of kleenex on one side and a pint of ice cream in her hand. Frowning, she moved into the room a little more.
"Mom?"
Lorelai jumped at the sound of her voice. "Hey, kiddo, what are you doing up?" She asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide the evidence she had been crying from her voice.
"I couldn't sleep," Rory answered, moving over to the couch and sitting down. "What's wrong, Mom?"
"Nothing," Lorelai said, unconvincingly.
"Since when do you sit in the dark, crying over nothing?"
"I wasn't crying," Lorelai protested.
"Yes you were," Rory countered. "Now seriously, what's wrong?"
Lorelai sighed and met her daughters gaze. "Sometimes I wish you weren't so damn perceptive."
"Sorry, I'll try to work on that. Would you please tell me what's going on with you?"
Swallowing another bite of ice cream, she finally caved. "I don't know if I can go through with tomorrow," Lorelai revealed, sniffling as she scooped up more ice cream onto her spoon.
Realization dawned on Rory and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her mother. Lorelai dropped the spoon back into the container and pushed it onto the table, returning her daughters embrace. No other words were exchanged, they just sat, hugging, until they finally fell asleep, hanging onto each other for dear life.
******
Since the preparation of the spare room had been completed the day before, Tristan had more then willingly opted to sleep in a real bed, rather then the couch, so that was the reason he had for ambling down the stairs the next morning. He was surprised to see Rory and Lorelai curled up in each others arms, sleeping as soundly as they could in such a position. Smiling to himself, he descended the last step, made his way over to Rory, placed a soft kiss on her forehead before heading into the kitchen. Fishing around the cupboards, he located the canister of coffee and put on a pot. After his first disastrous attempt at making coffee for her, she had taught him the proper way to make it just the way she liked, so here, he did so with ease. As predicted, a few moments later, a sleepy Rory entered the kitchen. He watched in amusement as she made her way around the kitchen with her eyes closed, finding a mug without a problem and pouring the dark liquid without spilling a drop. Settling into a chair, she took a sip before sighing happily.
"Mmm..."
"Morning to you, too."
At the sound of his voice, her eyes flew open and she smiled. "Morning."
"Sleep okay?"
Groaning, she shook her head. "Not really. I definitely don't advise sleeping sitting up. Especially with my mom. She tends to kick."
Tristan grinned at the annoyed, yet affectionate tone she held for her mother. "Why were you two on the couch anyway?"
Rory's face fell a little as she remembered the conversation they had before falling asleep. "I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to get something to drink and found her sitting on the couch, crying."
"Is she okay?"
Shaking her head, Rory sighed. "No. My dad's coming today, with Sherry and Christy. She hasn't seem him since he showed up at my Grandma's a few years ago, after he had left her when he found out Sherry was pregnant. She still loves him and last night she just broke down, realizing that she's going to have to watch him with another woman, the woman who stole him away from her and watch him interact with Christy, like he never got the chance to do with me.."
"Wow, that must be rough," Tristan said, sympathetically.
"Yeah.."
"Morning," Lorelai mumbled, coming into the kitchen a few seconds later. She, naturally, headed right for the coffee maker, poured herself some and took a deep gulp of the sweet ambrosia. The three were silent, just staring at each other and drinking their coffee. Finally Lorelai muttered something about a shower and disappeared upstairs. Once she was gone, Rory sighed again, a look of hurt and concern on her face.
"I'm so worried about her. She doesn't like admitting when something's bothering her, or when something hurts and I'm scared that the next two weeks are going to do something to permanately damage her."
Giving her a reassuring smile, Tristan reached across the table and took her hand. "She's strong, Ror. And if something does happen, you'll be there for her. She'll be okay."
Meeting his gaze, she sighed again. "I hope so."
******
Three hours later, Tristan, Rory and Lorelai sat in the living room, watching television when there was a honk from outside. Lorelai froze, her eyes large and glassed over. Rory put a supportive arm around her waist and with Tristan's hand firmly in hers, she led them out of the house to where Christopher was helping Christy out of her car seat. There was a silent, yet collective sigh of relief when Sherry was nowhere to be seen.
"Dad!" Rory exclaimed, letting go of her mother and boyfriend to embrace her father. Christopher had just set Christy on the ground when Rory reached him and he swung her around, laughing.
"Hey, you."
Grinning, Rory gave him another hug but released her hold when she felt a tug on her pants. She looked down to see a three year old Christy, staring up at her, smiling happily.
"Wory!" The little girl shouted, squealing in excitement as her big sister picked her up, showering her chubby face in kisses.
Even Lorelai couldn't help but smile at the scene before her and bravely, she approached the group, Tristan trailing behind her. Christopher looked up just as she reached them, a grin of unparalleled joy spreading across his face. "Lor," he greeted, the smile never fading.
"Chris," Lorelai greeted back, surprised at the lack of venom her voice held.
Without missing a beat, he enveloped her in a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her. With tears in her eyes, Lorelai hugged him back, reveling in the feel of him, letting herself, just for a moment, forget all that had transpired since the last time she had been in his arms.
"It's so good to see you, Lor," he whispered in her ear before letting her go.
"You too," She murmured.
Rory walked over to them, Christy still in her arms and Tristan beside her. "Dad, this is Tristan. Tristan, my Dad, Christopher."
After the two men had shaken hands, Rory sent her father a quizzical look. "Where's Sherry?"
"She was put on a last minute assignment, which took her out of town."
"So she's not coming?"
Christopher shook his head. "No. She decided she'd just spend the holiday's with her parents when she got back."
Rory shot her mother a look and Lorelai smiled tensely. "Oh."
"Yeah. She sends her love, though," Christopher shrugged.
"Oh, well, that's too bad," Lorelai said, forcing a smile. "Come on, let's get you inside."
Christopher watched as she linked arms with Rory and headed back towards the house. Shaking his head, he smiled and followed.
*******
Jess stared down at the words printed in his copy of Pride and Prejudice . Well, actually, it had been Rory's, but that had been so long ago and he was sure she had forgotten about it, so he now claimed it as his own. Sighing, he put the book down, staring out at the frozen lake, ignoring the cold that ran rampant around him.
Ever since the bridge had collapsed by the lake in Stars Hollow, he migrated to a small town right outside of Hartford to escape his life and just think. Even in the dead of winter. It just brought him a sense of solitude that nothing else did.
Closing his eyes, he leaned up against the rail on the side of the bridge, his finger idly tracing random shapes into the snow. He was thinking, about Rory, about how she had moved on, about how he needed to move on, about how he accepted the fact she was with someone else, but still needed her in his life.
Friends.
It was a word that had been thrown between them since they had split. It was a nice notion, but up until now, he had deemed it impossible. If they could go back to being friends, he could still have her in his life, still hold onto the one person who had made him feel when he had drifted into the unfeeling oblivion.
Again, he sighed, but this time got to his feet and headed towards his car. It was time to get his life back on track. It was time to get over Rory.
******
"I don't wanna," Lorelai pouted, sticking her lower lip out for the full effect.
Rory rolled her eyes as she finished applying a bit of lip gloss. "You're not getting out of this, Mom. Besides, you're not going to be alone. Tristan and I will be there. Dad will be there.."
Lorelai continued her pouting and stomped her foot in defiance. "Doesn't she understand that Christmas is supposed to be the time of Goodwill towards men? Forcing us to spend the next four hours in a house full of uptight rich people is not Goodwill."
"Christmas is time for family," Rory rebuked, turning to face her mother. "And Grandma and Grandpa are family. We're going. Stop pouting and get dressed!" She ordered, a look of humor on her face.
Grumbling, Lorelai turned on her heel and stalked out of the bathroom and up the stairs. Christopher appeared in the doorway of the bathroom a few moments later, laughter in his eyes.
"She still hates going there, huh," He said, smiling as Rory turned towards him. She rolled her eyes again, good naturedly.
"Always."
"Ah, she'll get over it. She always does."
"But not before kicking and screaming the entire way there," Rory grinned as she and her father exited the bathroom. They paused just outside the living room as they watched Tristan and Christy play a game of Candyland. Rory's heart warmed at the scene before her. For a brief moment, she imagined him playing with their daughter but immediately shook it away. It was way too soon to be imagining those type of things.
There was suddenly a loud thud from up above and they all jumped at the sound of a long line of curse words the followed. Tristan promptly covered Christy's ears with his hands and removed them with a grin once the tirade was over. A few moments later, Lorelai reappeared wearing an elegant black dress, her hair pulled up into an elaborate french twist.
After a brief argument with Lorelai about going, the group headed out of the house, en route to Hartford.
*******
"Come in, come in," Emily greeted warmly, her eyes sparkling with joy as she ushered her daughter and family into the large Gilmore manor.
"Merry Christmas, Grandma," Rory greeted, placing a chaste kiss on the elder woman's cheek.
Emily returned the sentiment, repeating it to each of the members of the group. She greeted Tristan excitedly, happy to see him again, relieved that he and Rory were still dating. The two had met before, when Emily had made a day trip into Boston to spend some time with her granddaughter.
"Christopher!" Emily exclaimed, unable to hide her elated tone as she embraced him. "It's so good to see you again."
"You too, Emily," Christopher smiled, hugging her back, somewhat awkwardly.
After releasing him, she gestured towards the living room, where the rest of the guests were gathered. Upon entering, they were all immediately introduced to one another and Tristan was surprised to see his parents there. They greeted somewhat hesitantly before drifting away from each other, as they would stay for the rest of the night.
Halfway through the party, Lorelai disappeared, although no one realized it except Christopher. Grabbing two flutes of champagne, he headed up the stairs and knocked on the door to the room that had once been Lorelai's. A soft "Come in" was emitted and he opened the door, not at all surprised to see her sitting on her bed, staring off into space.
"Thought you could use some booze," He greeted, joining her on the bed.
"Smart boy."
"I try."
They sat in amicable silence for a few minutes before Lorelai tilted her head to gaze at him. "I'm glad you're here."
Christopher nodded. "Yeah, me too."
"I missed you," Lorelai said suddenly, after a few more moments of silence.
A grin spread slowly across Christopher's face as he met her eye. "I missed you, too, Lor."
Silence ensued once again before Christopher cleared this throat, causing Lorelai to look over at him in confusion.
Catching the look on his face, a slow smile spread across her face. "What is with you?"
"Nothing," He shrugged, but not before a grin of his own appeared.
"Chris," Lorelai whined, poking him in the side.
Placing his glass of champagne onto the night stand beside the bed, his face grew serious. "Can I be completely honest with you?"
"Umm.. of course," Lorelai stuttered, her heart rate speeding. It wasn't often that his expression was so serious.
Exhaling loudly, his eyes gazed up at the ceiling for a moment before dropping back down to the woman next to him. "Sherry didn't exactly go out of town for business."
"Oh?"
"She.. she left, Lor. We got into a fight a couple of days ago because she kept claiming that having a family was hurting her career and there were changes that had to be made. She wanted to send Christy off to some boarding school. She's barely three and she wants to ship her off already. I wasn't going for it. Then we woke up this morning and she was gone. Just a note on the fridge saying she left and she'd send for the rest of her stuff.."
"Chris, I'm so sorry."
Christopher shook his head. "Don't be. We both knew it wasn't going to work.. that's one of the reasons we never got married. I just can't believe she would leave Christy like that. And so close to Christmas..."
Lorelai laid a sympathetic hand on his arm and offered a small smile. "You'll just have to make it up to Christy, then. Be the best father she could ever dream to have."
"I'm trying," Christopher smiled. "Thanks for listening, Lor. I know it's probably not the easiest thing for you to hear about, but I really appreciate it."
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" Lorelai said with as much confidence as she could muster.
"Yeah. Friends."
They settled into an uncomfortable silence before there was a loud knock on the door, startling them both.
"There you two are," Emily said stiffly, her face expressing her disappointment in them. "Dinner is ready."
Resigning to their fate, both adults slid off the bed with a heavy though inaudible sigh. Lorelai followed her mother out, but Christopher stayed back for a second, watching her leave.
"I miss you, Lor.." he whispered into the empty room before heading out himself.
******
"So, that was interesting," Tristan commented as the group made themselves comfortable in the car, before heading back to Stars Hollow.
Rory rolled her eyes and sighed. Apparently there was a woman there, a Kelly Larson, who had a deep desire for her father. And when Emily had returned with her mother and father, both in tow just prior to dinner, she had gone off on Lorelai, cursing her, calling her a whore.
"Yeah, nothing says Merry Christmas like being attacked by a four foot professional housewife," Lorelai said dryly from her seat up front.
Christopher snickered at that but quickly shut his mouth when Lorelai shot him a dirty look.
"So, the annual Snowman contest is tomorrow," Rory supplied, in effort to ditch the tension filled silence that had taken over the car.
"Annual Snowman contest?" Tristan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's a perfectly respectable tradition," Rory defended. Tristan gave her a look and she returned it. It was a few seconds before Tristan broke and Rory cried out in triumph. Christopher shot Lorelai a look and they both smiled.
******
Despite the late hour, the bookstore in Hartford was still open and Jess sat inside, drinking a coffee, fully enraptured in his current novel of choice. That all changed, however, when suddenly his chair lurched and a strong feminine voice cursed loudly. Shutting his book, he looked up into a face that brought back many memories.
"My, my, my. If it isn't Ms. Paris Gellar..."
******
The next day was a whirlwind of activity, as they had agreed to have their own personal snowman contest. After arguing for a good solid hour, it was decided that it would be girls against guys for the snowman contest. Bundling up as best as they could to secure themselves from the biting December wind, they all headed out to the center of town. As Tristan and Christopher talked strategy, the girls had begun to pack snow together in order to begin their "snowwoman." Even little Christy was helping, her face red from the cold but her blue eyes clear with innocence and happiness. Once the men had started their man, Rory and Lorelai had turned Christy into their ally, sending her over to the guys ever now and then to kick the mounds of snow they had accumulated.
Half an hour later, Luke appeared with coffee for them all and a small cup of warm milk for Christy. They took a break for a few minutes to collect themselves and then headed back to work. It was another hour and a half before Lorelai and Rory yelled victoriously that they were finished. Christopher and Tristan stopped what they were doing and made their way over to them. They stood back proudly, staring at the snowwoman who bore an uncanny resemblance to Madonna. The guys groaned and Christopher announced they conceded victory to the ladies and that they should probably head inside, since Christy was starting to get sleepy and it was insanely cold outside. Lorelai argued she was hungry, so they decided that the group would split up. Christopher and Lorelai, along with Christy headed home and Tristan and Rory went over to Luke's to round up some food.
As they waited, Rory turned in surprise when she heard a familiar voice. Standing in the doorway was Paris. But that wasn't the most baffling thing. Right beside her was Jess, smirking as the scribbled something down a piece of paper and handed it to her. When he looked up, his eyes locked with Rory, but held no contempt or hurt. Instead, he smiled and motioned Paris over to the two.
"Rory, Tristan."
"Jess. Paris?" Rory said, her voice not disguising the shock she felt.
Tristan nodded in greeting at Jess but grinned when he noticed Paris. "Gellar. Fancy meeting you here."
Paris smiled back. Though she sometimes saw the two during school, she hadn't really spoken to either of them since high school. College had obviously loosened her up a lot and she spontaneously hugged him. "Tristan!"
The two released each other and then she and Rory embraced, two old friends reuniting. "What are you doing here, Paris?" She asked wonderingly.
"Oh, we," she gestured to Jess, "ran into each other last night and we spent some time talking. He forget his book in my car, so I came by to drop it off."
"Well, it's good to see you," Rory exclaimed, getting over her initial reaction. Just then Luke appeared with their food, so they bid farewell, promising to call each other over the holiday and headed back towards the Gilmore house. Once down the street from the diner, Rory grinned, an idea forming in her head.
Tristan caught the look and groaned. "What now?"
"Paris. And Jess."
Those three words were all it took before Tristan began to shake his head. "Uh-uh. No way."
Rory didn't respond, just smiled devilishly.
******
The rest of the night was relatively uneventful. They ate, they watched, they talked, they argued, they plotted to get Paris and Jess together and then they went to sleep. Well, technically, they went to bed. Lorelai lay in her room, staring at the ceiling, contemplating all that had happened since Christopher had arrived the previous day. He was still the same, still Christopher. He had definitely matured, but still held the ability to banter with the best of them, still could keep up her and Rory when they were arguing back and forth, still the same carefree smile imprinted on his face, the same horrible taste in music. She cringed as she thought about how they had gotten into his Volvo the previous day, to go to her parents house, and were greeted by the uncivilized sounds of the Offspring.
And then she thought, about the talk they had in her room at her parents. Sherry had left him. Stupid, stupid bitch, she thought with more malice then anticipated. She had been the reason they weren't together now and she had the nerve to just leave him, like it didn't matter. Like it didn't affect anybody. More then that, Lorelai shook her head at the thought of a mother leaving her child, her daughter. Never in a million years, for all the coffee in the world could she leave Rory. And the worst part of that was what a wonderful child Christy was. With her dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she was absolutely beautiful. She had Christopher's sense of humor, which was already present and she held the same love for coffee, which she had gleefully found out earlier, when the child had stolen her cup and drank greedily from it and then announced she wanted more. Shaking her head, she rolled over, determined to find sleep. But it eluded her. After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, she threw back the blankets and padded downstairs. She was surprised to see the light over the sink in the kitchen on and Christopher leaning up against the counter, his back to her, his eyes roaming over the white world outside.
"Couldn't sleep?" She asked softly, coming further into the kitchen.
Christopher turned at her question. He silently shook his head. "No."
Almost hesitantly, she joined him at the sink, a giddiness entering her heart when she saw it was snowing. "It's snowing," she whispered, her face entranced, her voice awed.
"That it is," He smiled at the tone of her voice.
With a natural ease, without even thinking, they moved closer to each other until his arms were around her waist and they both stared out the window, watching the tiny flakes fall from the moonlit sky. It was quite awhile before they realized the position they were in and Lorelai turned, to escape his grasp. However, with both his hands possessively at her waist, all she was forced to do is turn into him, her face meeting his chest.
They both froze at the contact, both hearts racing, both mind whirling. Lorelai stepped back a step, her eyes searching his, her breath catching in her throat at the look of unsubdued desire burning in them. How long they stood there, staring at each other is unknown, as time seemingly stood still in that moment. When his eyes swept down to her lips, her tongue instinctively darted out to wet them. The two hearts, now so close, both began to beat furiously as his grip tightened on her waist. She stared up at him, her blue eyes wide, with hesitancy, with want, with uninhibited passion. Slowly, their faces inched closer to each other until they were only centimeters apart. Pulling her closer, the feel of the heat radiating off her body was all it took for him to crush his lips to hers, their lips dancing the dance lovers have done since the beginning of time. Time apart, circumstances all led to this moment, to this climax and they both threw caution to the wind, as the kiss deepened, spiraled further and further into oblivion. Lorelai's knees weakened and she leaned against up for support. A groan fell from his throat as he began weaving them, still connected at the mouth, through the kitchen, down the hall and up the stairs. Lorelai put up no resistance, hanging onto him the entire way.
******
The next morning Tristan, Rory and Christy sat in the kitchen, all sipping on coffee, waiting for the two remaining beings to appear. Rory tried to concentrate on her sister, but her mind really was elsewhere. Tristan had told her that her father had never returned to the room they were sharing the night before and was nowhere to be seen in the rest of the house. Except for one room. And when her parents came down together a half hour later, her suspicions were confirmed.
Christy, who had immediately taken to Tristan, asked if he would play Candy Land again and he happily obliged, leaving the kitchen with her little hand in his. His eyes darting between Lorelai and their daughter, Christopher opted to escape, leaving with the excuse he needed a shower. Lorelai poured a cup of coffee and sat down across from Rory, who openly stared at her, disbelievingly.
"I don't believe you two," She finally sputtered, ignoring the bit of coffee that had sloshed over the side of her cup with the emission.
Lorelai sighed as she glanced up at her daughter. "Ror.."
"No, Mom. After everything that's happened, you go and sleep together, again? Did you just conveniently forget that he has a girlfriend?"
"No, he doesn't," Lorelai protested in her defense.
Rory gave her an incredulous look. "What?"
Shaking her head, Lorelai sighed again. "Listen, Ror. It's not place to tell you what happened, that's your father's job. But just believe me when I tell you Sherry's not in the picture."
And with that, she exited the room, leaving Rory staring after her in wonder.
******
"Huh."
Christopher glanced up from the television to see Lorelai standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and her face set. Sighing, he hit the off button and set the remote on the table. "I guess we need to talk."
"No shit, Sherlock."
Giving her a somewhat annoyed look, he nodded. "Alright.."
Lorelai bit her lip as she sat down and met his gaze. "So.."
"Last night.."
"Yeah."
"..Was amazing.."
"Yeah."
"But?"
Shaking her head, Lorelai sighed. "Chris, we can't do this. Not again. We can't just sleep together and then you just disappear again, like it meant nothing. I can't take it. It hurts too much."
"Lor.. listen," he paused, taking her hand. "We both know how we feel about each other. That's no secret. It's there, it's real and we both know it's not going away. I know I hurt you last time and I wouldn't blame you in the slightest if you want me to leave and to never come back. But maybe last time was wrong. Maybe this is the time, this is the right time for us. We're both single. My job is opening a branch in Hartford.."
"Chris," Lorelai interrupted, her hand softly resting on his thigh. "Chris, you're just coming out of a relationship. You have a kid. You have to think about that."
"Don't you think I have, Lorelai? Why do you think I couldn't sleep last night? I kept thinking about you and how much I love you and how that love was the reason I could never give Sherry one hundred percent and why she packed up and left. I kept thinking about how much I miss you and how amazing you are and how much Christy already adores you. Hell, she's already picked up your coffee obsession," he added with a grin. "I want another chance, Lor. I need another chance. And if it doesn't work this time...." his voice trailed off.
"Then we'll know for sure," Lorelai finished softly as his eyes met hers. "I still don't know Chris."
"How about we give it a go while I'm here," Christopher suggested, his face brightening. "We'll spend the next two weeks.. testing the waters, seeing if it seems right. And if it does, great. We'll keep it going. If it doesn't... I'll go back to Boston and try to get on with my life."
Lorelai smiled at his suggestion and was silent for a good ten minutes. Finally, she nodded. "We probably owe it to ourselves to give it one more chance. Just promise me one thing?"
Christopher grinned happily. "Anything."
"You don't have any other soon to be pregnant girlfriends hiding out somewhere, do you?" She asked with a smirk. Christopher laughed before leaning over to kiss her.
******
Christopher and Lorelai told Rory over dinner that night, what the plan was. Though she acted shocked, surprised, even disinterested, inside, she was jumping for joy. The next five days passed without event and on Christmas Eve, after a very loud, very rambunctious town Christmas party in the center of town, they all headed back to the house. Once there, they exchanged one gift each, a tradition that had started way back when Lorelai was a child. After that, Tristan and Rory both bundled up again and headed out, just wanting to spend some alone time together. They stopped at Luke's, though it was closed, he opened up long enough to give them each a to-go cup of coffee, before wishing them a Merry Christmas and heading back upstairs. It started to snow again as they headed back through town and it was coming down quite heavily by the time they reached their destination -- the lake. Though the old bridge was gone, there were still tree stumps surrounding it and they found a large one, and sat down, saying nothing, just thoroughly enjoying each others company. Rory was first to break the silence.
"You know, my mom says the best things happen in the snow," she remarked, her eyes watching adoringly as the flakes danced around them.
"Yeah?" Tristan said, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his cheek to hers.
"Yeah." She confirmed, turning in his arms to they were standing face to face. She found herself lost in the deep blue seas that were his eyes and sighed in contentment.
Smiling, he leaned his forehead against hers. Then gently, he pressed his lips to hers. "I think I agree with your mom on that one."
"Mmm," Rory murmured and smiled up at him, her eyes glowing. "I love you."
Tristan's body tensed at her words. She had said them. More then that, she had said them first. Something he had deemed unimaginable. His mind whirled in circles until he finally realized she was trying to pull away from him, probably because he had taken so long to reply.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. God, I'm such an idiot. Way to ruin the moment, Rory," she muttered.
Tristan placed a finger against her lips, effectively shutting her up. "I love you, too."
Rory gazed up at him, grinning at the undeniable truth in his eyes. Scooting closer, she closed her mouth over his once again. After a bit, they pulled apart, finally taking notice of the cold and decided to head home. Hand in hand, they embarked again, back through the town until suddenly Rory stopped in her tracks. No more then ten feet away, in front of the building that was Stars Hollow High, was Jess. But he wasn't alone. Nope, not alone. He was standing there, his arms wrapped tightly around a girl - but not just any girl. Paris. And they were kissing. Passionately. Rory let out a giggle and Tristan rolled his eyes.
"Let's go, I think they wanna be alone."
******
Christmas day, the next morning, was a mad flurry of wrapping paper, boxes, oohs and ahs, exchanged kisses, hugs and incredibly good food, as Sookie, Jackson and their newborn son, Matthew, came over to celebrate the holiday with them. Sookie naturally cooked and by the end of the day, they were all stuffed. Much later, once all the guests were sitting in a circle in the living room, playing Candy Land, as coaxed by Christy, Lorelai slipped on her coat and headed outside to watch the snow fall. Christopher excused himself and followed, sitting down beside her on the wet and snow covered porch.
"Penny for your thoughts."
Lorelai turned to him and smiled, moving underneath his arm in search of warmth. "I think this was my favorite Christmas ever." She said decidedly.
"Mine too," He agreed, kissing the top of her head.
"We did good."
"That we did."
"Chris?" Lorelai said, looking up at him.
"Hmm?"
"Stay."
"Okay." He agreed and they kissed, sealing their future, for the new year and beyond.
******
Beh. I know the ending was kind of rushed, but I edited a lot of things to include the P/J element, per request of - ahem - you know who you are. Again, all reviews are welcome. I'm sorry to any Lit fans who wanted an R/J ending.... I love those two together, but my heart belongs to Troryness. Readers of my other stories.. sit tight, updates are coming soon.
And *pimping myself out here* Go check out the GG Fanfic Awards - http://www.after-tonight.net/fanfic !
That is all. Goooooooodbye *salute*
--Shay