A.N: The return of the Killer Headache forced me to go back on meds. Gah. So here I am, (still) doped up, with my offering of Part 3. I meant to write this sooner but Tristan and Rory wouldn't play nice… and now, they've sympathized and decided to get along. Hee! Also, before I forget, I'd like to thank Juana for her fabulous idea about the Lorelai/Rory fight. Thank you so much!

* * * * *
It Had To Be You
by inmyeyes
03 : All That You Can't Leave Behind

As she stepped into her old house, a feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed her. She looked around, realizing that little had changed over the years. It felt like stepping back in time and if she closed her eyes, she could see her 17 year old self sitting on the worn sofa with her mother, a cup of coffee in hand and laughter filling the room as they talked. A wistful smile curled her lips. If only things could have remained that simple.

She shook off that feeling of wanting to turn back time, silently berating herself for her foolishness. She knew better than anyone that things could change in the snap of her fingers and once the change had taken place, it could never be erased. That was one of the things she learnt since living on her own.

Sighing, she settled herself on the sofa, curling her legs up and hugging a cushion to her chest. Exhaustion seemed to suddenly overtake her and she suddenly wished for times when life was so much simpler for her.

She sat there for a few minutes, listening to the stillness of the living room before she reached for the phone with a loud groan. Surprisingly, the phone was on the stand. Leaning back into the cushions, she dialled a familiar number and waited for the other person to pick up.

* * * * *


"I still can't believe that you're on a break," Paris commented dryly.

"It's not like it was voluntary, Paris," Rory retorted, taking sip of her latte.

Paris went on, as though Rory hasn't said anything. "I had trouble trying to convince you to go to London with me last year. You were all like 'But Paris, I have things to do!" Paris rolled her eyes but her grin gave away the fact that she was only teasing. "And now you're actually on a break. I don't believe this."

Rory gave her friend a dirty look over the rim of her cup. "Believe it. Besides, Ed basically said 'Go on this break… or else…'." She shrugged. "And I don't care to find out what the 'or else' is."

Paris swallowed her bite of her Oreo cheesecake before speaking. "I'm sure this messes up your entire schedule for the next week."

Rory groaned, the sound full of despair. She buried her face with her hands and shook her head desolately. "You will not believe how many things I had to cancel or postpone. My life is such a mess."

Paris couldn't help but snicker. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you're married to Fred."

Rory narrowed her eyes. "I'm not married to Fred. I just… need him. Besides," she paused, a wistful look entering her eyes, "I doubt I'll ever get married."

Their eyes met; Paris saw the hurt and pain that still lingered in her friend's expressive blue eyes but knew better than to bring it up. Instead, she decided to keep things light. She grinned deviously. "I bet that you have Fred with you right now."

"I do not," Rory swiftly protested but before she could react, Paris had already grabbed her bag and rummaged through it.

"Aha!" Paris exclaimed triumphantly, holding up Rory's beloved Palm Pilot. "You're a horrible liar, Rory Gilmore."

Rory just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in mock petulance. "Shut up, Paris."

* * * * *



The curtains were pushed to the side, letting in the bright beams of the sun's rays. The large room was instantly brightened and there was a loud groan as the body underneath the mountain of blankets burrowed deeper within his cocoon. In the dark confines beneath his comforter, Tristan strived to get back to his dreamless sleep, seeking the respite that he so needed.

Yet his pleas went unheeded as seconds later, he let out a grunt when a body unceremoniously plopped down on him. He didn't bother saying anything but just pushed off the unwanted weight. But the task wasn't easy when a pair of hands retaliated and started tugging at the comforter that was safely protecting him from the day.

"Tris-tan!" came the cheery voice. "Wake up, sleepyhead!"

He just groaned again and ceased struggling with the girl who was perched above him. Instead, he buried his head in his pillow and resolved to ignore the intruder. But the girl was persistent and her hands started to tug on his arm.

"Tristan! C'mon, you promised you'd-"

Knowing that she wouldn't give up until she got her way, Tristan threw off the covers and sat up, propping himself up on his elbows. "What are the chances of you shutting up and letting me get back to sleep?" he mumbled, falling back on his pillow and shielding his eyes from the blinding sunlight with his arm.

Natalie smiled brightly, an action that could have rivalled the sun's rays. "Ummm," she pretended to think. "Slim to none."

He moved his arm away and was met with one of Natalie's cajoling smiles. "Fine, fine." He sat up. "Give me 20 minutes and I'll see you downstairs for breakfast."

He didn't think her smile could get brighter but it did. With a gleeful shriek, she threw her arms around him. "Great!" She hopped off the bed and pranced across the room, stopping when she reached the door. She turned back and grinned impishly. " Tristan?" When he turned, she went on, "I'll see you downstairs in 15."

He gave a groan that was more pretence than anything else and then made a shooing motion with his hands. In return, Natalie merely winked and bounced out of the room. As he made his way to his bathroom, he muttered good-naturedly, "Wench!", smiling the whole time.

* * * * *

Her eyes widened as she scanned the faded words on the yellowed piece of paper. At first she thought her mind was playing tricks on her; she was convinced that she had misunderstood. So, she did not panic and rationally decided to read it again. Carefully, this time.

It had been Thanksgiving, and she was back in Stars Hollow during the weekend. It was her last year at graduate school and although she had gotten used to campus life and being on her own, a part of her still yearned for the simplicity that life at Stars Hollow had offered her.

They were due at her grandparents in an hour for Thanksgiving dinner and for once, it was Rory who was running late. Lorelai had her smug look on and was waiting patiently in the living room with a large mug of coffee, muttering something about how Rory finally got a clue and realized the merits of being late to the Gilmore dinners. Meanwhile, Rory was in her mother's room.  She had been looking through her mother's jewellery box, searching for a necklace that Lorelai had borrowed and had never returned.

And when she had pulled off the top layer of the jewellery box, she spied a piece of paper that was folded neatly and stuck to the side of the box. Intrigued, she had fished it out… and her life was changed forever.

* * * * *

Natalie pulled off her helmet, her rich brown hair tumbling out in waves. Her smile was victorious and self-satisfied. "I beat you… again."

Tristan just shrugged. "Well, you've been practising. It's not like there's a go-kart track at every corner of New York, Nat."

Natalie watched her brother for a second, suspicion making her clench her hands on the steering wheel. "You're not letting me win, are you Tristan?"

Tristan beamed an innocent smile. "Of course not, Natalie. How could you say such a thing?"

Natalie's eyes narrowed as she revved the engine. She didn't buy the wounded look that he was sporting. "I dare you to beat me DuGrey," she challenged.

His smile was cocky. "You're on, hotshot."

And they were off.

* * * * *

"Wait," he said hurriedly, his face a mask of confusion. "What did I do, Laura?"

The young woman shook her head, her blonde hair cascading across her shoulders. Wearily, she brushed loose strands behind her ear and sighed heavily. "It's what you didn't do."

His expression remained baffled. "What didn't I do?"

She breached the distance between them and locked her eyes on his, trying to prove her point. "How long have we been dating?"

A long pause. "A few months."

She smiled wryly. "6 months," she clarified. "And yesterday was?"

"Yesterday was May 6th," was his simple answer.

She laughed lightly, bitterness lacing her next words. "It was also my birthday."

His eyes widened as he quickly reached out for her hand. Laura took a step away from him, flinching away from his touch.

"Laura," he said beseechingly. "I'm sorry. I-"

She held a hand up, cutting him off. "Don't bother apologizing."

He still went on. "I've just been busy and I-"

"Tristan," she said, sharply. "Don't. Just don't, okay?" She bent down and picked up the purse that she had laid on the glass table. "I knew that it would turn out this way."

The puzzled look was back. "You knew? What- what do you mean? Why didn't you say anything if you were mad at me?"

She moved to stand in front of him and lay a hand on his cheek, her smile soft yet somehow self-censuring. "I'm not mad at you Tristan. I'm mad at myself. When we started dating, I knew that eventually we wouldn't work out." She lightly stroked his cheek and marvelled- for what seemed like the hundredth time- at how breathtakingly good-looking he was. "I knew that you didn't and couldn't love me." She saw that he wanted to say something and quickly hurried on. "It's not just me, though. It's every woman. You've closed yourself up so much, Tristan, that you don't know how to love anyone."

His eyes searched hers and he contemplated her words, their meaning still not sinking in. Her smile turned to one of regret and she drew away her hand only to place a light kiss on his cheek.

"Goodbye, Tristan."

* * * * *

"Hey, you're back," Lorelai exclaimed, smiling widely.

"Yeah, I called Paris and we met in Hartford. Haven't seen her in a while," Rory explained, standing near the staircase.

Lorelai patted the empty space on the couch next to her and invitingly held out the bag of Doritos in her hands. "Come sit and tell me what happened."

Rory looked down, unable to meet her mother's eyes and unwilling to see the hurt her next words would cause. "Um… I'm feeling kinda tired."

Although she didn't see it, she could sense that Lorelai's smile had faltered. She looked up quickly and attempted a smile.

"You sure?" Lorelai injected more cheer in her tone. "I have dip… and it's the salsa one that you love…"

"Not feeling up to any salsa-ing tonight. The bagel I had at the café is acting up and causing somersaults in my stomach."

"Bagel?"

"With cream cheese," Rory explained.

"Ah," Lorelai said with a gentle smile. "Your stomach always did have that love-hate relationship with cheese."

"Yeah, it does." There was an awkward beat of silence before Rory spoke again. "I'm gonna go lay down."

"Okay," Lorelai nodded. "You do that. I'll be here. With my Doritos, my salsa dip and the movie of the night, Flipper."

Rory's eyes widened in surprise. "Flipper? Are you that bored?"

"Evidently, I am. Besides," she countered, "I love dolphins."

That caused Rory to snort. "More like you love tuna."

Lorelai stuck her tongue out, which prompted Rory to stick her tongue out and for just a second, the years faded away and the past was forgotten and everything was great again. Then the tidal wave of memory hit Rory like a tsunami and her smile vanished.

"Uh… I'm gonna," she gestured in the direction of her room, "I'll be in my room."

Lorelai tried to wipe the hurt off her face but knew she wasn't successful. "Okay." She watched her daughter's retreating form and hated that the emotional distance between them was far greater than the literal distance. Resigned, she chomped noisily on a tortilla chip and sighed.

"It's just you and me, Flipper."

* * * * *

Natalie lifted the spoon into her mouth and closed her eyes as she savoured the taste of the ice-cream.

"This right here… is heaven," she purred as she took another spoonful.

"You're just saying that 'cos I paid for it," Tristan joked.

"Ice-cream is always better when someone else pays for you," she grinned as she dug her spoon in Tristan's sundae and took a large spoonful. "See, yours tastes orgasmic."

Tristan's big brother mode was on. "What do you know about orgasms?"

Natalie's eyes shined with mischief, reminding him of his own teenage years. "No first-hand experience, I'm afraid. I'm all talk." She shrugged prettily.

"You better be telling me the truth, missy," Tristan warned.

"Would I ever lie to you?"

"Yes, you would. And you have."

Natalie didn't say anything in defence of herself and just reached for more of Tristan's ice-cream. Seeing that, he pulled the bowl out of her reach.

"No more, Nat. You know that," he said, looking pointedly at her.

"I know," she sighed. "It's just that it's so good!"

Tristan purposely took a large spoonful and grinned. "I know."

"Meanie."

A napkin hit him in the face.

* * * * *

"Wow, you sure were chatty during dinner," Lorelai commented as she manoeuvred the jeep though traffic.

Rory kept her eyes on the passing scenery as she couldn't bring herself to look Lorelai in the eye. "Didn't feel like talking," she mumbled.

Concerned, Lorelai snuck a look at her daughter and caught the restrained anger in Rory's body language; the crossed arms, the furrowed eyebrows and the furious chewing on her bottom lip.

"What's wrong, Rory?"

The simple question triggered her anger. "You're asking me what's wrong?"

"Yes I am. It's a valid question," Lorelai replied, calmly.

"Pull over," Rory demanded.

"Huh? What?"

"I said," Rory enunciated sharply, " pull over."

"Okay Hitler, no need to get snippy." Lorelai made a left turn and pulled into an empty parking lot. She turned to face Rory. "So what's wrong?"

Rory uncrossed her arms and then crossed them again, her eyes defiant. "Do you have something to tell me, mother?"

"Hmmm… I ate the last of the chocolate chip-"

"Something important?" Rory interjected impatiently.

"Hey," Lorelai protested. "Those cookies are-"

"Like maybe something that affects my life… affects our life?"

Lorelai ignored Rory and just continued talking. "-important. They're a staple in our-"

"Like maybe something about how my parents were married?" Rory suggested, her tone acidic. "Hmm… I guess that never crossed your mind, huh?"

A look of recognition passed through Lorelai's eyes and was quickly replaced with shock then horror. "Rory-"

"I don't feel like talking right now, mother," Rory cut in, her eyes blazing with contempt. "We should just go home."

* * * * *

"Stop that!" Tristan admonished as the two siblings entered their house, laughing loudly.

"But I like tugging on your hair," Natalie protested, reaching up to take a tuft of blonde hair. "It's so purty," she said jokingly.

"Oww, Nat! You're 16, not 6! Stop-"

"Well, I have to agree with Nat. Your hair is pretty," was the comment that rang through the foyer. The pair stopped their tussling and turned to see Paris, leaning against the door frame leading to the living room.

"Paris!" Nat squealed, giving the older girl a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard through the grapevine that Beavis there," she inclined her head in Tristan's direction, "was back in town and decided to check it out for myself."

"Gossip sure moves fast," Tristan remarked as he dispensed a hug to his old friend.

"Especially when it comes to you," Paris said. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"

"Unscheduled visit," was his explanation.

"Sounds familiar."

"Huh?"

Paris shook her head and smiled. "Nothing."

The trio made their way to the kitchen, settling down at the kitchen table with glasses of iced tea. 

"So what's going on with you, Paris?" Tristan asked.

"Met Rory yesterday," she commented casually. So casually that Tristan's radar went up.

"Oh really?"

Paris had to grin at his noncommittal response. "Yeah, she's on a break. Been working too hard."


"Wait a sec," Natalie interrupted. "Rory? Rory Gilmore?"

"Yes, that very one," Paris answered.

"The PJ Harvey girl?"

Paris shot Tristan a look he couldn't decipher, then said, "That's her."

Tristan inwardly groaned as he realized what his wonderful sister would say next but knew that he could do nothing to stop her. Instead, he started planning damage control.

"The one who got away?"

This time, he could definitely interpret the look that Paris gave him; it was one of surprise and contemplation with a light touch of amusement. Oh, he was gonna have a hell of a time explaining this one to her.

"The one who got away?" Paris arched her brow at the phrase. "Yeah, that's Rory Gilmore."

Natalie seemed satisfied with her line of questioning and took a quick gulp of her tea. "Tristan drew a sketch of her yesterday," she offered.

Paris raised her eyebrow at him again and this time, Tristan winced. He knew he was doomed. He would never be able to explain this to Paris without humiliating himself or bringing up things he didn't want to bring up. He also knew that she was going to milk this for all it was worth and never ever let him forget it.

"Oh really?" was Paris' amused response.

"And it was really good too," Natalie said, smiling. "I've never met her obviously, but I think he captured her very well."

Paris tossed another look in his direction. He just drank his tea and gave a small smile. Oh, he was definitely doomed.

* * * * *