Secrets, Twins, and Second Chances
A/N: AU FF. Lorelai and Chris got married when Rory was 5. They live in Hartford in Chris's childhood home (his parents died when Rory was 2). Rory went to prep schools all her life and she never met Tristan, Dean, or Jess. She, Paris, Madeline, and Louise are best friends. Lorelai and Chris have a 3-year-old son, Robert Landon Hayden. ~= Tristan's thoughts, *=Rory's thoughts, #= Ryan's thoughts $= Taylor's thoughts.
Chapter 1: Just Another Saturday in September.
"RORY! Time to get up and go with Mommy to get coffee!" Lorelai Hayden bellowed as she bounded into her daughter's cavernous bedroom.
"What happened to having the cook make it?" Rory mumbled grumpily from under the mountain of blankets on her four-poster bed.
"I want you to come with me though. Your evil father won't get up and come keep me company," Lorelai whined.
"Fine, fine, fine," Rory grumbled, dragging herself out of her warm cocoon. Rory and Lorelai had been in the kitchen for about 15 minutes consuming their elixir of life when Chris came in, his face white as a sheet.
"Lore, we need to talk," he said pulling his wife off her kitchen stool and towards his study.
******
30 minutes later, a very tense Rory watched he solemn parents enter the kitchen, bringing with them an air of seriousness.
"What's wrong?" Rory asked, looking worriedly from one parent to the other.
"Ror, there's something we need to tell you that we should've told you a long time ago," Chris started as he sat down on a stool across from Rory. He glanced at Lorelai and then continued. " When you were born, your mom and I had to make a decision. Your grandparents agreed to support you mom if she gave up one of her babies. Since she was still a minor, she had to do what they said."
"What do you mean give up one of her babies?" Rory asked.
"You have a twin brother, sweetie. Your dad and I sent him to live with a family friend in North Carolina. We agreed he would stay there until you turned 16. Well, you're both 16 now and the family friend is sending him to live with us. We know it won't be easy for you but we hope you'll try and treat him as if you'd known each other all your life," Lorelai said gently.
"When will he get here?" Rory asked calmly.
"He gets in tonight. I've already talked to Headmaster Charleston and he'll be starting school with you on Monday."
"What's his name?" Rory asked.
"Ryan Lynn Hayden. He's 15 minutes older than you," Chris said smiling at his daughter's interest in her newfound brother.
"Well, I better go get dressed. I promised Robbie I'd take him to the park to play with his friends today," Rory said getting up off her stool.
"Just be sure you guys are home around 4 or so. Robbie will need a bath before we go to the airport. Ryan's plane gets in at 6:30," Chris called after his daughter.
"Ok, Dad," Rory called over her shoulder as she quickly climbed the stairs to her little brother's room.
"Wowy!" Robbie squealed happily as his big sister picked him up out of his bed.
"Hey buddy! Why don't we get you dressed and we'll go to the park and you can play with Katie and Petey," Rory said, taking her little brother into his closet and getting out his favorite jeans and airplane shirt.
"Ok, sweetie, run and eat your breakfast that Carlotta brought up and I'm gonna get dressed."
Rory walked across the hall to her suite of rooms and threw on her comfy hip hugger jeans and baby blue sweater set. Just as she got done tying her favorite blue sneakers, Robbie came scampering into her room, demanding to be taken to the park. Laughing, Rory allowed the toddler to pull her down the stairs, out the door and into her Jeep Liberty.
******
"Come on Robbie, its time to go home," Rory called to her now extremely sandy and muddy little brother.
"But Wowy, Katie and Petey don't have to go," Robbie whined as he reluctantly dragged himself away from his friends.
"Katie and Petey don't have to take a bath so they can go pick their big brother up from the airport," Rory said leading the grubby little boy to the car and putting him in his car seat.
"Bye Paris! Bye Madeline!" Rory called to her friends (Petey was Paris's little brother and Katie was Madeline's little sister) and climber into the car.
"Wowy, when did we get a big brover?" Robbie asked as Rory turned onto the long street that led to their mansion.
"We've always had him, he just lived somewhere else. His name is Ryan and he's the same age as me; he's my twin. Now, Mr. Robbie, march up the stairs and let Carlotta give you a bath," Rory ordered, pulling into the driveway and helping her brother out of the car.
"Hey Ror?" Chris called as he saw his daughter walk past his study door.
"Yea Dad?" Rory said, popping her head into the study.
"Make sure you put on something nice. My friend's son is coming in at the same time Ryan is and he invited us to have dinner with them."
"Ok, Dad," Rory said, blowing her dad a kiss and skipping us the stairs to her bathroom.
2 hours later the 4 Haydens piled into Lorelai's Envoy and headed towards Hartford International Airport. They were able to find the gat that the 6:30 flight from Raleigh with out too much trouble and were waiting when the passengers got off the plane.
******
Ryan Hayden gripped his duffle bag and stepped confidently out of the terminal. He immediately knew who his family was. His dad had sandy brown hair and was wearing a pale blue polo shirt and dark blue blazer and khakis. His mom was in a dark blue skirt suit and a pink blouse. His twin sister was wearing a baby blue peasant top dress. His little brother was a copy of his dad except he didn't have on a blazer. They looked like the perfect family.
******
Rory watched as 2 teenage boys disembarked from the plane. Immediately she knew the one with the dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes was her twin brother. She didn't spare a glance for the other boy.
"Are you the Haydens?" the brown haired boy asked coming up to Rory's family.
"Yes. It's good to finally meet you, Ryan. I'm your…dad, Chris. This is your mom Lorelai, your twin sister Rory, and your little brother Robbie." After Ryan had shook hands with everybody, Chris continued. "Now, I know you just got into town, but one of my colleagues is meeting his son for this flight also and he invited us to dinner. Is that alright with you?"
"Yea, sure. I'm ready whenever you are," Ryan said casually.
"Great, Edward's right over here," Chris said, leading the way to the place where a well-dressed family was standing.
"Christopher, how are you?" A tall man with dark brown hair that was frosted with gray said, shaking hands with Chris.
"Fine, fine. I'd like to introduce my family. This lovely lady is my wife Lorelai, my daughter Rory, and my sons Ryan and Robbie. Ryan just moved here from North Carolina," Chris said putting his hand on Ryan's shoulder.
"Pleasure to meet all of you. This is my wife Amelia, my son Tristan and my daughters Taylor and Tessie. Tristan's just back from military school and Taylor got back last week from boarding school in England. Well, shall we head to the restraint?" Mr. DuGrey said turning towards the exit.
******
Tristan DuGrey had never seen a more beautiful girl than Rory Hayden. A year at an all guy school may have weakened his judgment of the ladies a bit, but he was sure he was looking at an angel. She had the silkiest looking chocolate brown hair, the most enchanting sky blue eyes and the creamiest skin he'd ever seen.
******
"So, Rory, what school do you go to?" Mrs. DuGrey asked, as everyone began to eat his or her meals later that night.
"I go to Chilton Academy," Rory answered politely.
"Really? How wonderful! Tristan and Taylor start there on Monday. I do hope you'll be sure to show them around and introduce them to everybody," Mrs. DuGrey gushed.
"Of course Mrs. Dugrey. I'll have to show Ryan around as well, he starts Monday also. What grade are you in?" Rory asked turning to Tristan and Taylor.
"We're both seniors. What about you 2?" Tristan said, smiling slightly.
"Same. You're twins?" Ryan asked.
"Yup," Taylor replied, smiling affectionately at her brother.
"So tell us how it feels to be a twin. Rory and I both just recently found out about each other.
"Well, for us, it's basically always having a best friend around. Even when we had to go away to school, we told each other everything. Being twins is one of the best things in the world," Taylor answered.
"I hope we become as good of friends as you 2 are, and I hope all 4 of us can become good friends as well," Rory said, with a warm smile.
~I hope we become even more than good friends~