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Not mine, not mine, not mine.
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Thanks : To everyone who has reviewed and Linda for her beta-ingness.
Authors Note : Sorry again, for taking so long. The inspiration is there, just not the drive to do anything with it. I'll keep the babbling minimal and let you get to reading. Don't forget to review!

Song/Chapter Title Credit : Forbidden Love by Madonna




"I Cry Real Tears"
Part Nine



In your eyes / forbidden love / in your smile / forbidden love / in your kiss / forbidden love






Dusk had fallen upon Hartford by the time we had reached the Gilmore Estate, and I was suddenly weary of accompanying someone here, when all I wanted to do was be with Rory. However, it was too late to go back now, so I gallantly slid my arm around Dayna's waist and stood back a bit while my father rang the doorbell. There was a loud female voice, some bickering, and finally the door opened to Mrs. Gilmore, who smiled brightly at us, though it seemed to falter slightly as it reached me.

"Alex, Morgan!" She greeted warmly, kissing both of my parents' cheeks. My father returned the sentiment and my mother followed suit. I plastered a smile on my face as my father turned towards us.

"Emily, these are my sons, Eric and Tristan. And these lovely ladies are Ben Mathis' daughters, Carla and Dayna."

"Hello," she said to the four of us, as our group entered the large home. Unlike the inside of our home, theirs was warm and homey, while still holding its rich atmosphere.

After the door had closed behind us, a maid appeared, took our coats, and led us into the sitting room. In there was an older man, whom I remembered as Rory's grandfather, from our brief encounter at her birthday party, and Mr. Hayden, who I had met a few days earlier, sitting, talking quietly.

"Richard, look who's here," Emily said as we entered the room. Richard Gilmore, a tall, intimidating, but not unpleasant man, rose to greet us, shaking each of our hands firmly before introducing Mr. Hayden, who immediately requested we call him Christopher. We all took our seats, as drinks were passed around and I fidgeted a bit with my tie. I always hated these types of things, and the fact that this was Rory's family made it so much more uncomfortable.

Speaking of Rory, where was she? Neither her nor Lorelai had been seen since we'd arrived. My heart stopped at the thought that they might not be coming, until my father, who somehow seemed to be reading my mind, spoke up.

"Why, Richard, where is Lorelai this evening? I thought she'd be joining us."

Richard took a sip of his martini and then smiled tightly at him. "Oh, she and my granddaughter will be joining us shortly."

"Lorelai seemed to have had a slight problem with her dress and requested Rory's assistance," Emily said, her voice slightly agitated. "They went upstairs, I'm sure they'll be back soon."

As if on cue, the two appeared, and my pulse began racing through my veins. Rory caught my eye and started to smile, but it faded when her eyes landed on Dayna, who was sitting much too close to me. Lorelai shot me a bright smile and said a polite, but obviously bored hello to my parents and brother. She settled down next to Christopher and they shared a smile. Through some twist of fate, the only open space left to sit was right next to me and Rory rolled her eyes before sitting down. Dayna shot her a suspicious look and moved closer to me. I shifted slightly and turned towards Rory.

"Fancy meeting you here, Mary."

"Please don't make this evening even more unbearable then it already is, Tristan," she shot back, turning her gaze away, towards her parents.

I was about to say something else, but the doorbell rang and I inwardly groaned. No doubt that would be Ryan and his parents. True enough, a few minutes later, Emily reappeared with the Sieks beside her, Ryan standing just off to the side, a smirk on his face. He waved a hello to Rory, who waved back, a smile spreading across her face. I sighed at that. She never smiled like that at me, never that genuine.

Seeing as how crowded the room now was, Emily suggested the "kids" go on out to the back patio until dinner was ready. We all agreed, none of us wanting to have to listen to our parents drone on about business ventures and the likes. So standing, we all followed Rory out the back door. Outside were a vast arrangement of flowerbeds, some blooming, and some not.

"Nice place," Ryan commented as he and Rory stepped further out into the yard. Rory smiled again, and the two of them settled onto one of the iron benches, talking quietly between them. Every few seconds, Rory's melodic laugh would float through the air, shooting a pang of pain through my heart. Tearing my gaze away from them, they came to rest on Dayna, who was watching them as well, her face showing clear interest. I followed her gaze and smirked when I realized it held steady on Ryan.

My thoughts were interrupted when the back door flew open, revealing Lorelai. "Dinner's ready," she announced, her voice full of fake chipperness.

Rory grinned at her mother, and the two hooked arms and headed back into the house. Taking Dayna's hand, I pulled her in with me, though her eyes were still on Ryan, who followed behind. They led us into an elaborate dining room and Mrs. Gilmore pointed out our seats. I sat down in mine, a smile gracing my features as Rory sat down across from me. She frowned at my expression, which then turned into a full-fledged smirk. We held the stare for a few moments, before she shook her head, in attempt to hide the smile that had also spread across her face.

Talk ceased around the table when the maid brought out our plates, placing the French cuisine in front of us. The silence ensued, though it didn't bother me much, as Rory kept glancing over at me, checking me out. I didn't let on that I knew, but inside hope began flourishing again. All through dinner, while Dayna blatantly perused Ryan, Rory and I snuck glances at each other, until right before desert, when our eyes met and she blushed, reverting her gaze back down to the table. Lorelai, who was sitting next to her daughter, saw this and shot me an amused look. I grinned back at her and then the maid returned with desert. With one more glance at Rory, whose head was still bent, I smirked. Deny as she might, she was interested. And I intended to take full advantage of that.


******


After desert, we all retreated back into the sitting room, where the men discussed business, though Christopher looked rather bored with the whole discussion, and the women giggled over the latest Hartford scandal, to which Lorelai sent "Help me, Save Me" looks towards Rory and I every few seconds. During this time, Eric and his date excused themselves, citing that they were going to get some fresh air, Dayna had finally retracted her claws from me and went to flirt with Ryan, who seemed to be enjoying it, leaving, you guessed it, Rory and I, to our own devices.

"You uh, you wanna see the library?" Rory's soft voice asked suddenly, her blue eyes staring at me expectantly.

Biting my tongue to keep the words laced with sexual innuendoes from spilling out, I nodded. "Sure."

She offered a small smile, though, I noted, was genuine and motioned for me to follow her. She led me through a maze of halls until we finally arrived at the said room, which, like our own at home, was overflowing with books, mostly classics. But unlike ours, the books were obviously read, not just set up for decoration.

"Come on," she urged and my eyebrows shot up in surprise when she grabbed my hand, pulling me further into the room. I won't deny that I felt suspiciously incomplete when she dropped the contact, but let a smile spread across my face as she walked slowly around the room, her fingers tracing the names of the different volumes. She seemed to be transported into a different realm, something I so desperately wanted to be a part of. My thoughts dissipated as she turned, a bright smile on her face. A thick book in her hand, she sat down and patted the cushion of the leather love seat next to her. I followed her request and dropped down beside her.

"Tristan..."

I glanced over at her when my name was uttered. "Yeah?"

She swallowed hard before meeting my eyes. "I'm sorry."

Sorry? "For what?"

She glanced down, her dark brown hair falling forward, hiding her face like a curtain. It took all the strength I had inside not to reach over and brush it out of her way, but the thought ceased when she spoke again. "For attacking you like that, after the karaoke party. I shouldn't have done that, but Dean was so mad when he saw you up there and he freaked out on me, so I freaked out and took it out on you. You were being so... nice to me, and I think I ruined any chance we had at being friends..." she finished softly.

Biting my lip, I gently touched her hand. "It's okay, Rory." I paused, mulling over in my head what to say next. "And you didn't ruin our chance of being friends. We can try again, if you want."

At my words, she pulled her hair back, gazing up at me. "Thank you."

I gave a nod of the head. What I was thinking when I said we could be friends, I don't know. I wanted to be so much more then her friend… but these things took time, I guess. Never had for me before, mind you. All I had to do was smile and whatever girl that was in my sights would swoon and we'd be off. There was a first time for everything, I suppose.

We sat in silence, that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, but somewhere in between. Eventually, the silence was broken when Christopher stuck his head in the door to inform us that my family was leaving. With a sigh, we both stood and followed him back out. Just before we reached the front foyer, Rory stopped me.

"I do."

The confusion I felt must've been written on my face because she grinned.

"I do want to try and be friends again, I mean."

Despite the pang that zipped through my heart at the word friend, I managed to smile. "Alright... friend."

Her smile intensified and she impulsively gave me a quick hug, whispering a 'call me' in my ear before my father called my name and tore me away. I left the house, with Dayna asking constant questions about Ryan, in a daze, her sweet scent of vanilla lingering where we had touched.


*****


I fully intended on calling Rory over the weekend, but my father had a different idea. He dragged me off to the exotic locale of New York City, where Eric and I were to escort potential business associates' daughters. Nothing unusual, but after dinner Friday night, my heart wasn't in it. We arrived home early Monday morning, leaving barely enough time to shower and get to Chilton. When I arrived, the first bell had already rung, so I picked up my pass from the office and headed to class, disappointment that I had missed our morning banter running through my veins.

The day went by slowly until lunch hour finally arrived. Instead of heading directly to the cafeteria, as I would normally do, I took a slight detour to Kennedy Hall, where both mine and Rory's lockers were situated. I smiled as I rounded the corner, as Rory stood there, unloading books from her bag into the locker. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I ambled towards her.

"Hello, Friend."

She jumped back slightly but rolled her eyes when she saw me. "Tristan."

"Miss me?"

"Always," she deadpanned, closing the metal door with a bang.

I smirked, causing her to groan. "What, no hug today?"

"I'd be too afraid of catching something."

"You weren't Friday night," I said, leaning against the row of lockers.

She gave me an exasperated look and hitched her bag onto her back. "Temporary case of insanity."

"I make you go insane?"

"No, you just drive me crazy."

"But you love it," I pointed out.

She paused for a moment, eyeing me critically before breaking out into a wide grin. "Shut up."

"No can do."

She shook her head and started down the hall. I pushed myself off the lockers and fell in step beside her. She gave me a sideways glance. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Yep. Lunch. C'mon," I said, taking her by the elbow and leading her in the direction of the lunchroom. She sighed, but didn't say anything and I grinned to myself. Things were looking up.


*****



And that concludes today's episode. Stay tuned, theres some good Trory-ness headed this way. But you'll have to read and review to receive :) Hehe

-- Shay