Disclaimers: I don't own anything except for Hope, Faith and Dustin.
Author's Note 2004/03/12 : Chapter completely revised. I tried to kill every misspelling and grammatical errors but I'm not sure I won the final battle.
Memories
Chapter 3: The Guilt
Rory is awakening by the smell of coffee. Looking around her, she realises that she is asleep in her old room. Closing her eyes, she can imagine her mom coming inside the room with plenty of reasons to wake her up.
"Rory!Get up! We have to go to Luke before we go to the country club!"
"I never agreed to that mom!" Rory replies sleepily.
"But the devil made me agreed for both of us! Here, have a coffee, it might cheer you up a little!" Lorelai offers a cup of coffee from behind her back.
"Tonight, you better be prepared to suffer!"
"How?"
"Item number thirty four on my list of «How to make Lorelai Gilmore scream»" Rory says with a devilish smile on her face.
"You wouldn't dare!" Lorelai says looking scared.
"It never stopped me before!"
"Fine, I would have thought that after thirty three times, you would have learned compassion!"
Rory is smiling remembering that she had finally had fun at the country club that day. That's when Tristan and she has met again after so many years.
"Still as beautiful as ever, Mary" Tristan whispers in her hear, making her jump.
Before turning around, Rory knows who it is. Slowly, she turns to face him threatening, "If you make me jump like this another time, I'll have a stroke, and if I survive you are in for torture."
A smirk appears on Tristan's lips, looking at her suggestively, "I'm all in for torture, especially if it involves you, me and no clothes."
"If you want nakedness, it could be arranged but there's no way I'll be wearing my birth suit in front of you."
Pondering on the fact that she is still the same but a little less shy, Tristan replies, "It's nice to see you, Rory. It's always a pleasure to banter with you!"
Rory looks at him, "It's nice to see you too Tristan."
And they sit on the grass and start talking like two old friends.
Getting out of bed, she goes in the kitchen where she sees Tristan with bloodshot eyes. Coming closer to him, she puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I know it's a bomb on you but she's my daughter and I love her. I just thought it was fair that I give her father a chance to be one. That is if you want to."
Tristan passes his arms around her waist, rests his head on her chest, he tries to fight the tears, "I'm a daddy, it's sudden, I haven't been prepared for that but I wouldn't dream to have a baby with another woman than you. Can you give me a little time to adjust?"
Breaking the embrace, Rory looks into his eyes whispering, "Take all the time you want."
"Why didn't you call me?"
"I didn't want to be found."
"Leigh, do you know who the father is?" Hope asks.
Leigh looks at the woman that has taken a place close to a mother in the previous months and calmly replies, "Of course I know who the father is!"
"Does he know?" Shaking her head 'no' is the only answer Leigh makes. Hope continues, "Don't you think he has the right to know?"
"I just don't want to be found."
"Where were you?" Tristan asks.
"Montréal in Canada."
"How did you hide from all the people I've sent searching for you?"
"My name was Leigh Haden. I didn't used the y in my father's name because it would have been too obvious. I didn't have a place with my name on the lease. My landlord took me in her house after finding me crying in a park. Then when I got Leila, they rented me an apartment that they own with a verbal lease."
"Did they take good care of you?"
"Hope was there the whole twenty four hours of labour."
Tristan is stunned, "Hope?"
Giving him a tender smile, Rory starts explaining, "Well the little girl came to me first, her name is Faith, her mother Hope is not a tall person, she has the most amazing smoothing eyes on earth and they are purple. Her husband Dustin is almost forty years old but looks our age. Women flirt with him on the street but there is only one woman for him. His hair are black and he always has the good timing to disappears when a conversation doesn't involve him or when he feels that someone need aid but won't talk in front of him. They call themselves the trio of «Faith, Hope and Destiny». Faith is always playing with destiny, while Hope fights to help change the fate and Dustin has hope in the good of people. It's a wonderful family, they're always bickering with each other but they love each other."
Tristan is watching her as she speaks and states, "I would love to meet them but I have to tell you, if you ever leave again, don't let me behind, I won't forgive you a second time."
Looking down at the floor fighting tears threatening to fall, "I'm sorry I left without goodbyes. I needed to find myself without mom. I've lost my mom and my best friend on the same day." Sitting down on the floor, she starts weeping but continues, "I feel partly responsible for her death; I am the one who suggested the surgery. I convinced her to do it! I'm so sorry, I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me."
Sitting down beside her, Tristan puts an arm around her shoulder, Rory rests her head on his shoulder, wetting the fabric of his shirt. Tristan whispers, "Lorelai told me the night before she died that when you would come around, I should tell you this. She said that she'll always be proud of you and will always love you no matter what. For the rest I forgive you. I want to apologise for not thinking straight while we made love, I should have used something."
Raising her head Rory to look inside his eyes, "It was my fault too, I haven't thought about it either."
"But you were the one pregnant; you had to pay for the consequences."
"I'm happy with the result, now you have to decide what you want to do." Rory whispers while resting her head on his chest.
Author's Note: Loved it? Hated it? Drop a note you'll make me happy!
Siaram