Title: More Than This
Part: 4/?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters they belong to the creators of Gilmore Girls/Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Rating: PG.
Category: R/T.
Author's Notes: Thanks everybody that reviewed and told me that the last installment didn't suck. I guess I was just worried, because the tone of it seemed a bit different than the first two chapters. And Tristan seemed a bit too cooky, instead of cocky. In the next chapter, he'll be redeemed (in reverse, lol). I'm sorry this chapter took longer that I said (I didn't promise!!). I always spend a lot more time on typing it up and polishing it, than I do on writing it. --Also, you may have noticed, it's no longer a friendship story. There's been a change of plan again. It won't have two endings. I was very stubbornly trying to stick to my 'just friends' idea. But, what they say is true; the story writes itself. It should have been expected. How can those two not like each other? I don't know whom I was trying to convince…And yay, we're finally out of Chilton!
Chapter 4
Rory sat at her kitchen table slowly clicking her spoon against the inside walls of her cup.
"Honey, that's so annoying!" Lorelai said as she breezed past Rory.
Rory looked up at her mom's already retreating figure. "Oh, sorry!" Rory said grouchily.
Rory heard a voice coming from the living room. "Hello is anybody here?"
"In here…?" Rory answered.
"Hey!" Lane said as she entered the Gilmore kitchen.
"Oh hey, it's you," Rory said with little enthusiasm.
"Okay, and once more with feeling."
Rory smiled. "Hey Lane!" She said brightly, before looking down to stare at her cup again.
"Okay, spill. What's wrong?" Lane demanded.
"Nothing's wrong!" Rory said, slightly laughing.
"Okay, then why are you looking so down? Tristan called you last night to say, he was still coming, right?'"
"He did…" Rory answered.
"Yeah, so? That's good." Lane commented
"Maybe, but Lane…I can't help but feel like I've totally guilt-tripped him into going."
"How so?" Lane asked, concerned.
"Well, he was initially trying to say no, but I -me with my troubling, overactive imagination- thought he did that because of Dean. And why do I keep pushing him to get on with Dean, anyway? Technically, Tristan has no connection to Dean. I shouldn't make them feel obligated to spend time together, much less like each other." Rory said almost out of breath.
"Yeah, I know, Rory. But, they do have a connection: you. Tristan is your friend and Dean is your boyfriend. You just thought it'd be nice if they got along." Lane told Rory in a comforting tone.
"Nice for me…I guess. Gosh, have I always been this selfish?" Rory cried out.
"Rory, come on." Lane warned her friend not to go there.
"Yeah, okay, " Rory said softly, "I guess I just wanted to show Dean what a good guy Tristan really is."
"And for Tristan to see that about Dean." Lane said.
"Yeah…That too." Rory frowned. "It's just, he was trying to say no, I don't think it had actually anything to do with Dean. He obviously just didn't want to go. He had a date! Or some 'potential booty', as he likes to call it. And now he's stuck coming to my stupid town event, because I manipulated him into it." Rory felt a few tears stinging against her eyes. She quickly rubbed them.
"Oh, crap. The jerk was right. I'm definitely pms-ing." Rory deadpanned.
Lane laughed. "Well you said he totally forgot about that. And from what I've seen Tristan doesn't seem like the type of guy that would do something he doesn't want to do." She offered.
"Alright," Rory sighed and stood up. She walked over to the stairs, "MOM, hurry up! We were meeting them ten minutes ago!"
"I'm coming! I'm coming," Lorelai raced down the stairs, "just have to look for my one shoe, that I'm sure is around here somewhere…Millie!"
Rory walked back to Lane.
"So, you're meeting them at Luke's?" Lane asked.
"Yes. Neutral ground, you know? And Jess can act as a buffer slash mediator if needed."
"Right," Lane nodded.
"Hey! What about me?" Lorelai stumbled in on one foot, skillfully worming her other foot in her shoe, using one hand. "What am I?"
"You're my support system," Rory answered.
Lorelai smiled proudly, "And Luke can be your bodyguard!" She added.
"Okay, let's go-" Rory was cut off by the sound of her beeper. "Oh, it's from Tristan." She read the text message out loud.
"R, 1st park car @ yr crib, c ya @ L. in 5. XX T."
"Oh, there he is!" Lorelai said, looking out the window.
Rory quickly stormed out of the front door, where Tristan had already started walking towards Luke's.
"Tristan!" He turned around. "Wait!" Rory breathed heavily coming up to him.
"Hey, Rory?" Tristan put his hands on her shoulders, to slow her down. "What happened? I thought I was running fifteen minutes late." He said.
"What else?" Rory rolled her eyes. Tristan looked at her for further explanation.
She sighed. "My mom couldn't find her one shoe. And speaking of shoes…" Rory guided Tristan back to his car.
"Did you bring your hiking boots?" She whispered urgently. He nodded.
"A shuffle?" Nod.
"A long black coat?" Nod.
She huddled him a bit closer and Tristan got this conspicuous look on his face.
"Did you bring that flashlight? The big one we saw in the gardening shed behind your house that one day?"
"Yeah, " he whispered.
"Good…Good. Good boy." She smiled at him, satisfied.
"Okay, so I wanted to talk to you to too."
Rory waited for him to speak and when he didn't she raised her eyebrows.
"In private." Tristan specified.
Rory shrugged her shoulders. Tristan pointed past her.
"Hello ladies!" he waved at Lorelai and Lane who were standing in the doorframe with big smiles painted on their faces.
Rory turned and felt embarrassed. She hurriedly signaled them to scoot. "Ahem."
"-Okay!" She said to Tristan, "Let's go talk in my room."
Rory went inside and Tristan followed after he got something from his car. He went into the kitchen to stand behind her, where she was talking.
"-Mom, Lane. Tristan and I need to…discuss, uhm, some strategies for tonight. Secret stuff, you understand. So, if you could kindly leave for the living room for five minutes, that'd be great."
"Okay," Lane and Lorelai stood up. Lorelai walked pass Tristan, "But, you're stripping for us later." She said and poked him in the ribs. Tristan smiled uncomfortably.
Rory and Tristan moved into her room. Rory sat down at her bed and looked at him expectantly.
"Yeah, okay. You see I needed to do this in private…I got you a belated Easter present, but forgot to get something for your mom. So…here." He held out a fancy-looking bag for her.
"Oh, Tristan. You didn't have to do that!" She said, but happily accepted and unwrapped the present anyway.
"Oh," she pulled it out. "It's so cute!" Rory said.
"It's an Easter bunny" He explained, standing before her.
"Yeah, I see. But, he's wearing a gap and glasses. And holding a ruler and a notebook!" She said enthusiastically.
"So, you like it?" He asked and sat down next to her.
"Yeah, I love it." She said and put her hand on his knee.
"I figured, "He said smugly. "And even though everybody else hated him, Brainy Smurf was probably your favorite, right?"
"That's right." She said smiling.
"Mine was -" Tristan said, but Rory cut him off.
"Smurfette! I know, " Rory laughed, "Gosh, you're so predictable, Tris!" She pushed at his knee.
"Not anymore than you are, apparently." He smiled.
They beamed at each other for few moments more, before Rory put the bunny away on her pillow. She changed her tone.
"So, how did it go with Jessica, exactly? You didn't say on the phone last night."
"Oh, she was pretty pissed. Yet she seemed so relieved about not having to come with me next week, I couldn't find the nerve to still ask her."
"She does sound pretty nice," Rory said quietly, "And about the party, I sort of have a plan…" Rory said and they moved closer together. At that moment Lorelai walked in.
"Hello Lovebirds, we have to go!" Lorelai said.
"Oh." Rory looked around her. "Well, we need to talk for a bit more. Can't you wait for us?"
"Honey…" Lorelai said with a tired tone. "We can't keep Dean waiting there like that forever!"
"Oh, " Rory sounded so disappointed that Tristan had to refrain from laughing. Why couldn't we? He smiled to himself. Lorelai noticed and frowned.
"Oh, okay. You go, meet Dean and we'll follow soon?" Rory offered.
"Okay…Lane's already left too. Bye!" Lorelai ran out of there.
"Bye!" They said simultaneously.
Rory stood up and closed her door.
"So, I know this probably is going to be disappointing to you, but remember, it's all part of my plan." Rory said and looked at Tristan questioningly.
"You can go on," he said.
"Okay, our best bet for Dean to agree to let me go with you next week when I talk to him tomorrow, is for me to play the 'But, you took my mother!'-Card. And to work that one to our fullest advantage, we have to let them win tonight…" Rory looked at him expectantly, before continuing. "Now, we are probably the only competition they have, since nobody else in this town takes it seriously. So, I figure, we just have to take us out of the equation and voila; victory for them!"
Tristan nodded, "Okay, but what about that Kirk dude?"
"Well, his partner is Marianne O'Malley, and she, like you, also experiences her egghunt debut tonight. Plus, and I cant confirm this, but I've heard from pretty reliable sources -I overheard my mom and Dean talking on the phone yesterday- that Marianne has a little crush on Kirk. And please, Kirk with a girl who likes him? That's a recipe for disaster!" She laughed.
"Okay, so that's the plan?" Tristan asked.
"That's the plan, so far. And you being extra, extra nice to Dean, of course." She smiled.
"I'll try," Tristan said dryly.
"Now, I don't know how good we are together, so just planning to hold back a little, probably isn't a guarantee for loserdom. It's a ninety minute hunt, so I guess it will be best to either start late or quit early." Rory suggested.
"Okay, but if we start late then most of the eggs will be gone. And showing up eggless will seem too suspicious." Tristan calculated.
"Okay, so we will stop early and hide in the bushes, or something. We'll see. But, we have to go now. If we don't, that as well will seem suspicious." Rory said.
Tristan and Rory both got up and started their walk over to Luke's.
"They will think we've planting a minefield." Rory said cynically.
"Yeah," Tristan looked pensive, "Or have been 'flying on the wings of love'."
"Huh?" Rory asked confused.
"Your mom?" Tristan said explaining, "She called us Lovebirds earlier. It was a stupid pun-joke that obviously required too much of your limited memory." He said teasingly.
"Yeah. Funny. Haha." Rory said, sounding slightly bitter. "And Lord, 'flying on the wings of love'? How lame does that sound?"
"Rory Gilmore, ladies and gentlemen. From now on no longer eclectic." Tristan announced in an anchor-type of voice.
"I was never eclectic," she said, "I'm very picky about stuff!"
"Yeah, especially about your friends, right?" Tristan smiled at her knowingly.
"Right! And my men." Rory added thoughtfully.
They walked quietly for a while.
"So, it's probably going to get pretty late, I assume you're spending the night?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, I asked my dad and he was shockingly fine with me spending the night at a girl's house. I think he was surprised that I bothered to ask him for once."
Rory gave him a look.
"But, he knows you have a boyfriend. So, yeah, that's it. He trusts you."
Rory patted him on the shoulder and changed the subject by pointing over to the square. "Oh, look at that! They brought back the mini-farm from last week! It has baby chicks and lambs and a cow! See, Jackson is milking it!" Rory laughed.
"Can we go there later?" She asked Tristan.
"Sure," He shrugged.
"Okay, but then I'll have to stop back at the house first. I have to get my camera, so I can snap a picture of you holding a little goat!" Rory teased him.
"I don't think so, Gilmore!" He laughed.
They'd arrived at Luke's doorstep and Rory moved to get in.
"Hey," Tristan stopped her. "What exactly am I giving up by letting them win?"
"Oh," Rory whispered, "When you win, you get to keep all the eggs you've assembled and are free to eat them. You know, if you want to take the express to Heart Attack City. And this year Al's Pancake World is the sponsor, so that means on top of that a free meal at his Saturday night 'all you can eat'-buffet. For in case you wanted to add even more fun to your cholesterol party." She smiled. "Do you think you can manage to give that up?"
"It'll be a sacrifice, yeah, but sure." He said, "And I'll do anything that keeps me from having to plead with Paris to please go with me!"
Rory laughed softly.
They waited for a bit, before they entered. Rory saw Dean sitting at the table by the window and rushed over to him, trusting Tristan to follow her. She quickly pecked Dean on the cheek and did a silent prayer before sitting down. She saw Tristan approaching them slowly, like a tiger heading for it's prey, but he backed off when Rory decided to throw him a strict look.
"Hey," Dean said to him.
"Hey man," Tristan greeted him and sat down next to Rory and opposite of Dean.
Rory squirmed in her seat. "So Dean, where's mom?"
Dean pointed towards the counter.
"No, Luke! Give me the coffee!"
"Lorelai, you already had two cups too many!"
Rory and Tristan both turned their heads away, in what seemed like disgust.
Dean had to laugh at that. "What's the matter you guys?"
"Nothing!" Rory said defensively.
"Okay…" Dean swallowed.
Rory squirmed some more and was happy to see Jess coming up to their table. "Hi Jess!"
"Hey Rory," he said a bit skeptical at her enthusiasm. "You hungry or something?"
"She is!" Lorelai answered for Rory while she sat herself down. "And can you get her a coffee too? I was unable to pursue Luke into already having it ready for her, though I told him she really, really needed it!"
"-What? Why?" Dean asked.
"-Are you alright?" Tristan asked urgently.
"Yeah! I'm okay, just a little…." Rory looked at her mom for a rescue. Great going, mom! What should I say? My hormones are standing in my way?
"She's…she's a little coffee deprived."
"What?" Tristan bent his head to her. "Are you skipping coffee again? You shouldn't do that. Your body isn't used to it."
"Ohh!" Lorelai gasped. "You actually have skipped coffee? Honey, you know that's the #1 Gilmore Sin!"
"Mom, it was no big deal. I was a bit edgy and nervous. So, I thought it would be wise. Mom, Tristan, I now realize that I'm a Gilmore and hereby pledge that I shall never do it again." Rory said tiredly.
"Why were you feeling nervous?" Dean questioned with concern.
"Just for school, I guess. Upcoming finals must be really getting to me. Tristan made some comment about liking nail polish on a girl and I totally freaked out. I started laying into him about feminism and animal testing. Of course, that in turn freaked him out and he called me a neurotic headcase."
"And then you suggested to her she quit coffee?" Lorelai looked at Tristan sternly.
"No mom, like I said, Tristan just made me realize that I am a bit stressed, so I thought it would help."
"How could you think that? In what cruel universe would we have to live in for that to ever be the answer?" Lorelai cried out astonished.
"Mom, it's no big deal! Coffee, you know, is just a drink. Albeit, a very addictive drink, there are tons more important things in the world than COFFEE!" Rory stood up, "Now, If you'll excuse me. I suddenly have to go to the bathroom. "
The table watched her walk away. Jess started whistling and went back to his work as if nothing had happened.
"Look, I'll talk to her. I think I have a pretty good idea about what's bothering her. And really, it's no big deal." Tristan told Lorelai and Dean.
"Okay, then." Lorelai said. She stood up and nudged Dean, but he wouldn't budge.
"Seriously, Forester. It's just something that happened at Chilton."
"Okay, man," Dean said in a forced tone.
"We'll see you soon," Lorelai told Tristan and dragged Dean out of there.
AN2: Rory's rant was probably me talking. I find coffee disgusting and I hate writing about it, hehe. You can expect the next chapter next week.
