WHAT IT IS: A sequel, to my other Trory, What Happens When. Now, I had no intentions at all to do a sequel. However, you're getting one, because of all the Jess/Dean/Rory angst currently on the show—it's stressing me out. So, since I had decided that fluff was probably all I'd get out of a sequel and fluff is what I need right now (it's either fluff or unbearable angst coming out of me right now)—here's a sequel.
WHAT I OWN: Nada.
RATING: PG-13, just to be safe. It is fluff after all.
Luke was bustling around the diner on Friday morning. Lane was there, as well as Caesar, but the diner was completely packed full of people. He'd gotten a little bit of flack for not opening up early on Wednesday, but he'd just dismissed the comments and went about his business. He'd let himself enjoy spending time with his wife. AS much as the strong work ethic in him hated to admit it, there were some things more important in life than his career. Family definitely was something he cherished now. But as he reminded Lorelai, he did have to work sometime. Today was inundated with business, as it seemed all of Stars Hollow had tracked through the diner this morning. He was taking yet another order when he heard the diner phone ringing.
"Caesar!"
"What?"
"Phone!"
"Busy!"
"ARGH, Lane?"
"Yeah?"
"Phone, please?"
"How come she gets a please?"
"Shut up, Caesar!" Luke barked, returning to taking the orders from that table.
"Luke! Phone!" Lane yelled over the chatter of the crowd, letting the phone hang off the hook as she took more plates from the back and delivered them to the crowd. Luke took the orders to Caesar and picked up the phone.
"Yeah?"
"Luke?"
"Jess?"
"Is this a bad time?"
"Yeah, it is. What do you want?"
"I just wanted to thank you for putting me up over the holidays."
"No problem, you know you're always welcome here."
"I know, but with Rory there and everything, I would have understood if you told me to get lost. But you didn't."
"You're welcome."
There was an elongated beat, neither spoke, and Luke tapped his foot impatiently. Customers were still pouring into the diner, he could see coffee that needed to be refilled everywhere. As good and fast as Lane was, the demand was high today.
"Jess?"
"Yeah?"
"Is there something else you needed?"
"No. No. I just wanted to say thanks."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah. There's just some stuff on my mind. I'll be fine."
"You know, if you ever need to talk about, you know, relationship stuff, you can talk to me. I don't much about it, but I'll listen."
"I don't like where this conversation is going. I'm hanging up now."
"Right. Smart move."
"I'll call later about taking Will some time next month, okay?"
"Sounds good. Bye Jess."
"Bye Luke."
On the other end of the line, Jess hung up the phone and sat back down in a well-worn leather chair. He looked at his full answering machine, not wanting to go through the messages. He was sure some were work related, but he knew that she had probably called, too. It's not that he didn't like Erin. They'd gone out for a few months now. He never thought it was serious, particularly. At least, it wasn't for him. He was still dating other people and expected her to do the same. But before he left for Stars Hollow, she'd hinted at coming with him. That had completely freaked him out, and he left early, without telling her. He'd met her for a drink when he'd come back, but the whole night had been weird. He put his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Reality could wait a while longer.
Luke shook his head as he hung up the phone and went about his work. Lane looked like she was about to collapse from the constant turnover today. He and she worked almost another hour before they hit a lull and he told her take a break. Just then, Sookie and Lorelai walked in with the kids.
"Aw, geez," Luke muttered, causing Lorelai to look at him in shock.
"What?"
"Do you have to eat here?"
"What's wrong with you, grouchy?" Sookie asked, settling the kids down at a table.
"We've been swamped all morning, and we just got the crowd out."
"So? We're not a high pressure group, Luke. Just your wife, her best friend and three kids. No biggie."
"You say that now," he muttered, walking back to get the coffee pot.
"Are you two having enough S-E-X?" Sookie spelled.
"SOOKIE!" Luke barked. Lorelai giggled. "Don't encourage her," he said to Lorelai, and she nodded at him, patting his arm.
"Hey, just be glad Rory and Tristan aren't with us."
"Where are they, anyways?" Sookie asked, as Luke headed back to help Caesar make their orders.
"Oh, they're playing golf and having lunch at the Hartford Country Club."
"How posh. Rory plays golf?"
"Well, she did once. They're meeting the grandfathers there."
"Ah. So, tell me about the house."
"Rory's so excited. Tristan did good, I tell you."
"They mention kids, yet?"
"No. Man, it's killing me! I so want to know, you know, but I don't want to be the overly obsessed grandma wanna be," Lorelai mused.
"Well, you could work it into conversation casually," Sookie offered.
"What, like the next time we're out shopping, pull her into maternity stores and ask if she sees anything she needs?"
"That doesn't sound so subtle."
"I've never done good with the subtle."
"I'll attest to that," Luke agreed, setting down the plates. The kids, who'd been chatting amongst themselves, completely ignoring their crazy mothers, began to dig in.
"Whoa, there, Will. You act like we never feed you!" Lorelai laughed, as her son began to inhale his chicken fingers. Will looked up at her, barely chewing and took another bite.
"Well, he is half you," Luke reminded her.
"Right, right. I forget," she placed a hand to her forehead, as if dumbstruck. Luke began to turn away, and she grabbed the hem of his shirt.
"Hey, join us. It's empty in here."
"Nah, I have some ordering to do. You guys have fun at the park, though." He smiled at her, and kissed the top of her head.
Lorelai gave him a pout, but pulled her bottom lip back in as he retreated.
"Man, I never get tired of seeing that angle of him."
"You're so bad," Sookie giggled.
"What, you don't still feel that way about Jackson?"
"Well, sure. You don't end up like this," she pointed to her expanding tummy, "by losing that loving feeling."
"Are you about to break out into song?"
"Should I not?"
"I'm eating, here," she pointed at her burger.
"I'll save it for the park."
Lorelai laughed, shaking her head at her best friend. She and Sookie had decided to make sure they took plenty of quality time off with the kids when they got the Inn established and running smoothly. Their long time dream was not only a reality, but also a lucrative reality.
At the Hartford Country Club golf course, the three men had taken their first swings with their drivers and it was now Rory's turn. She smiled timidly and took her driver. Richard and Tristan both looked at each other warily, and Richard stepped closer to her.
"Uh, Rory, you do remember how to play, don't you?"
"Oh, yeah, no problem," she smiled. Her smiled waned a little as she looked to Tristan, who looked amused.
Ignoring him, she took the driver properly into her hands and took her stance beside the ball. Trying to line herself up correctly and saying a silent prayer not to remove all the grass in a three-foot square around her, she drew the club back and attempted to make contact with the ball. The club did in fact hit the ball, but it didn't go quite as far as the other's had. It landed only ten feet from her, and she screwed up her face in perplexity.
"Hey, you hit it," Tristan offered. She gave him a glare.
"What?"
"It didn't go far."
"Well, we'll have to work on that. You just have to use more force."
"Can I have a designated hitter?"
Tristan shook his head no. "That's baseball."
"No such thing in golf?"
"No. That would be sort of besides the point."
"And the point to golf would be?"
"To beat your own best score. You're competing with yourself."
"I hate this game," she admitted, as they followed their grandfathers down the course. He smiled and linked his arm with hers as they walked.
"So I hear Elizabeth has a suitor with marriage plans," Janlan said.
"She said no."
"But she's still dating him," he added.
"Yeah, she is."
"She deserves to be happy, don't you think? After the royal mess that was your father," Janlan said.
"Yes, I agree. But she said she was happy on her own right now."
"Well, I'm sure Emily would be happy to set her up if this fellow doesn't work out," Richard mused.
"I don't think that's necessary," Tristan said.
"So, have you heard from your father?" Janlan asked, changing the subject.
"Nope. Not that I'd have much to say if I had."
"Last I heard, he moved to Georgia."
"Georgia? Why on earth would he move there?" Richard asked.
"Well, he couldn't very well show his face in this town, or the tri-state area for that matter. I know his old college roommate was from there. I expect he was hoping to get a lead down there through him."
Tristan gave Rory the 'please change the subject' look. She furrowed her brow at him, and he mouthed 'apple tarts'. She giggled, causing her grandfather to look at her. Janlan had stepped up to take his swing.
"Rory?"
"Sorry, Grandpa. So, did you know this guy bought me a house?"
"Yes, your grandmother mentioned something to that effect. That's wonderful. Where is this house?"
"White Plains. It's nothing fancy, but we like it," Tristan informed him.
"When are you moving out of that tiny apartment you've been cramming everything into?" Janlan asked, smiling at his grandson.
"We are hardly crammed in. Besides, we like the close quarters," Tristan grabbed Rory around the waist, causing her to blush violently in front of the other two men.
"Now, dear, there's nothing to be embarrassed of," Janlan assured her. Richard cleared his throat, and Tristan began speaking again.
"We're moving in January. Second week. We figure we do need to at least report back to work before taking another two days off."
"Hire movers, they'll have it done while you're at work," Richard said as if it were the most logical plan in the world.
"Grandpa, it'll be fun. We'll get a ton of people together, have Sookie make a lot of food, it'll be like a party."
"Doing grunt labor is hardly my idea of fun," Richard scoffed, but smiled when he saw the excitement in his granddaughter's face.
"Well, I just can't wait to see this place. After you've finished with all the moving and unpacking that is," Janlan informed them.
"We'll have a housewarming party, just as soon as we get settled," Rory promised.
The rest of the morning went by, the four of them hitting tiny white balls around the lush green grounds of the course. When they finished their round, they all headed back to the dining room. After they'd all been seated and ordered, Janlan sat back in his chair and looked at his grandson.
"So, Tristan. You've gotten yourself a wife and a job, now a house."
"Yes, Gramps," Tristan agreed. He looked at him for the meaning of his statement.
"Well, son, it's just, well, is there something you'd care to share with us?"
"Um, no?"
Janlan and Richard looked at each other and exchanged a knowing glance before Janlan looked back at Tristan. Tristan shared a confused look with Rory, who shrugged before digging into her salad and bread.
"Gramps, seriously, you've lost me. What am I missing here?"
"Tristan, you just bought a four bedroom house. What message is that supposed to send?" Janlan asked, as if it were obvious to the world.
"Um, that Rory has a hell of a lot of books?"
"Tristan, seriously. When can we expect a great-grandchild?"
Rory choked a little in surprise, and then began downing the water that Tristan handed to her. Her widened eyes looked up in surprise at the two men.
"You thought that I was—that's why we—oh, no! No, no, no," she tried to explain, as the pieces fell together in her mind.
"Gramps, I assure you, we'll let you know when that happens. But it's not happening now. We just got married," he reminded.
"Why would you think that?"
"Well, your grandmother was curious. Your mother mentioned to her on Christmas day that Tristan had purchased a house, and you know your grandmother," Richard explained.
"Well, you can put everyone's mind to rest," Rory assured him.
"But you two are thinking of having children, correct?"
"Yes, Gramps, we are, just not this very second," Tristan agreed, still looking a little weirded out to be having this discussion with their grandfathers. Rory quickly changed the subject by asking her grandfather about work. They spent the rest of lunch chatting. When Tristan and Rory finally escaped to the privacy of their car, Rory burst out laughing.
"What?"
"Oh, come on. That was kind of funny."
"What, the kid thing?"
"Yeah. I mean, uncomfortable considering who was grilling us, but come on!"
Tristan smiled and began laughing a little at the thought of it all. They had been so sure, so eager. Never had he thought these two men would give a fleeting thought to when they would procreate.
"Well, at least everyone's not on our case," Tristan offered.
"Mom's dying to know."
"Did she say something?"
"No, but she wants to. It looks like it's paining her sometimes not to ask me when we're having kids."
"You enjoy seeing your mother in pain?"
"Well, no, but it is sort of funny. And I don't want to encourage her feeling the need to start badgering me, so. . ." she trailed off.
Tristan nodded, fully understanding her thoughts. There had been a lot of thoughts of babies in his mind lately. He thought only women got the baby itch, but maybe that's what was going on. He looked at Rory for a moment.
"Ror?"
"Yeah?" she turned in her seat to look at him better. He looked into her eyes and almost lost the nerve to say what was on his mind.
"It's just, lately I've been seeming to think about that more lately," he began, and stopped suddenly.
"Thinking about what? Having a baby?" she asked softly.
"Yeah. I mean, I know we said we want them, but we always put eventually on the end of that statement."
"I know."
"So, what are your thoughts?"
"I've been thinking about it. Seeing Mom with Will, being around family, it's definitely brought out some of those nesting qualities."
"Do you think we're ready?"
"Do you?"
"I think we're close."
"I know."
The stared at each other, both looking a little unsure, but extremely excited. He smiled at her, and she leaned towards him quickly, kissing him before he could say anything further.
"You know, if you want to start trying, we should probably wait 'til we get back to our room," he said as they pulled away from each other.
"How fast can you drive?" she asked, starting to not care where they were at the current moment. Even in the car in the parking lot of the country club. It couldn't be the first time people had made love in this parking lot, she thought to herself.
"You're killing me. I need to be able to concentrate to drive," he informed her.
Tristan revved the motor and took off for the Dragonfly as fast as he could make the car move. They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in their room, working on their newfound goal. They ordered dinner up to the room, and as they began to eat, Rory brought out a pad of paper and pen.
"Why do I think there's going to be a list?"
"You mean other than the fact I've already started one?"
"I thought we were doing this—besides, it's sort of too late to decide we don't want to start trying to get pregnant," he pointed out.
"This isn't a should we or shouldn't we get pregnant. It's more than a pro/con list."
"What is it, exactly?"
"It's a 'stuff we need to get done before a baby comes' list."
"You aren't even pregnant."
"Ah, yes, but we still have some things to talk about. Stuff like getting a nursery ready, how I'll deal with work, and disciplining this kid," she began to tick off random things.
"Come on, us needing to discipline the perfect angel child we'll have?" Tristan mocked.
"So you're saying this kid will be like me?"
"Ouch, I was a good kid!"
"I'm sure you were. You forget I knew you in high school. And I've talked to Paris in detail about this. And your mom."
"You should put 'don't tell people we're trying' on that list."
"What about my mom?"
"Nuh-uh. No one. I'm not discussing the best sexual positions for having a boy over dinner at your mom's house. It's creepy."
"Alright. I give you that one, that is creepy."
"We're doing this," the enormity hit Tristan again of what they were doing.
"I know." Again they broke out into goofy grins that had been plastered on their faces since they left the club. After dinner, they cuddled up on the bed and worked on Rory's list, talking excitedly about the future.
WHAT I OWN: Nada.
RATING: PG-13, just to be safe. It is fluff after all.
Luke was bustling around the diner on Friday morning. Lane was there, as well as Caesar, but the diner was completely packed full of people. He'd gotten a little bit of flack for not opening up early on Wednesday, but he'd just dismissed the comments and went about his business. He'd let himself enjoy spending time with his wife. AS much as the strong work ethic in him hated to admit it, there were some things more important in life than his career. Family definitely was something he cherished now. But as he reminded Lorelai, he did have to work sometime. Today was inundated with business, as it seemed all of Stars Hollow had tracked through the diner this morning. He was taking yet another order when he heard the diner phone ringing.
"Caesar!"
"What?"
"Phone!"
"Busy!"
"ARGH, Lane?"
"Yeah?"
"Phone, please?"
"How come she gets a please?"
"Shut up, Caesar!" Luke barked, returning to taking the orders from that table.
"Luke! Phone!" Lane yelled over the chatter of the crowd, letting the phone hang off the hook as she took more plates from the back and delivered them to the crowd. Luke took the orders to Caesar and picked up the phone.
"Yeah?"
"Luke?"
"Jess?"
"Is this a bad time?"
"Yeah, it is. What do you want?"
"I just wanted to thank you for putting me up over the holidays."
"No problem, you know you're always welcome here."
"I know, but with Rory there and everything, I would have understood if you told me to get lost. But you didn't."
"You're welcome."
There was an elongated beat, neither spoke, and Luke tapped his foot impatiently. Customers were still pouring into the diner, he could see coffee that needed to be refilled everywhere. As good and fast as Lane was, the demand was high today.
"Jess?"
"Yeah?"
"Is there something else you needed?"
"No. No. I just wanted to say thanks."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah. There's just some stuff on my mind. I'll be fine."
"You know, if you ever need to talk about, you know, relationship stuff, you can talk to me. I don't much about it, but I'll listen."
"I don't like where this conversation is going. I'm hanging up now."
"Right. Smart move."
"I'll call later about taking Will some time next month, okay?"
"Sounds good. Bye Jess."
"Bye Luke."
On the other end of the line, Jess hung up the phone and sat back down in a well-worn leather chair. He looked at his full answering machine, not wanting to go through the messages. He was sure some were work related, but he knew that she had probably called, too. It's not that he didn't like Erin. They'd gone out for a few months now. He never thought it was serious, particularly. At least, it wasn't for him. He was still dating other people and expected her to do the same. But before he left for Stars Hollow, she'd hinted at coming with him. That had completely freaked him out, and he left early, without telling her. He'd met her for a drink when he'd come back, but the whole night had been weird. He put his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. Reality could wait a while longer.
Luke shook his head as he hung up the phone and went about his work. Lane looked like she was about to collapse from the constant turnover today. He and she worked almost another hour before they hit a lull and he told her take a break. Just then, Sookie and Lorelai walked in with the kids.
"Aw, geez," Luke muttered, causing Lorelai to look at him in shock.
"What?"
"Do you have to eat here?"
"What's wrong with you, grouchy?" Sookie asked, settling the kids down at a table.
"We've been swamped all morning, and we just got the crowd out."
"So? We're not a high pressure group, Luke. Just your wife, her best friend and three kids. No biggie."
"You say that now," he muttered, walking back to get the coffee pot.
"Are you two having enough S-E-X?" Sookie spelled.
"SOOKIE!" Luke barked. Lorelai giggled. "Don't encourage her," he said to Lorelai, and she nodded at him, patting his arm.
"Hey, just be glad Rory and Tristan aren't with us."
"Where are they, anyways?" Sookie asked, as Luke headed back to help Caesar make their orders.
"Oh, they're playing golf and having lunch at the Hartford Country Club."
"How posh. Rory plays golf?"
"Well, she did once. They're meeting the grandfathers there."
"Ah. So, tell me about the house."
"Rory's so excited. Tristan did good, I tell you."
"They mention kids, yet?"
"No. Man, it's killing me! I so want to know, you know, but I don't want to be the overly obsessed grandma wanna be," Lorelai mused.
"Well, you could work it into conversation casually," Sookie offered.
"What, like the next time we're out shopping, pull her into maternity stores and ask if she sees anything she needs?"
"That doesn't sound so subtle."
"I've never done good with the subtle."
"I'll attest to that," Luke agreed, setting down the plates. The kids, who'd been chatting amongst themselves, completely ignoring their crazy mothers, began to dig in.
"Whoa, there, Will. You act like we never feed you!" Lorelai laughed, as her son began to inhale his chicken fingers. Will looked up at her, barely chewing and took another bite.
"Well, he is half you," Luke reminded her.
"Right, right. I forget," she placed a hand to her forehead, as if dumbstruck. Luke began to turn away, and she grabbed the hem of his shirt.
"Hey, join us. It's empty in here."
"Nah, I have some ordering to do. You guys have fun at the park, though." He smiled at her, and kissed the top of her head.
Lorelai gave him a pout, but pulled her bottom lip back in as he retreated.
"Man, I never get tired of seeing that angle of him."
"You're so bad," Sookie giggled.
"What, you don't still feel that way about Jackson?"
"Well, sure. You don't end up like this," she pointed to her expanding tummy, "by losing that loving feeling."
"Are you about to break out into song?"
"Should I not?"
"I'm eating, here," she pointed at her burger.
"I'll save it for the park."
Lorelai laughed, shaking her head at her best friend. She and Sookie had decided to make sure they took plenty of quality time off with the kids when they got the Inn established and running smoothly. Their long time dream was not only a reality, but also a lucrative reality.
At the Hartford Country Club golf course, the three men had taken their first swings with their drivers and it was now Rory's turn. She smiled timidly and took her driver. Richard and Tristan both looked at each other warily, and Richard stepped closer to her.
"Uh, Rory, you do remember how to play, don't you?"
"Oh, yeah, no problem," she smiled. Her smiled waned a little as she looked to Tristan, who looked amused.
Ignoring him, she took the driver properly into her hands and took her stance beside the ball. Trying to line herself up correctly and saying a silent prayer not to remove all the grass in a three-foot square around her, she drew the club back and attempted to make contact with the ball. The club did in fact hit the ball, but it didn't go quite as far as the other's had. It landed only ten feet from her, and she screwed up her face in perplexity.
"Hey, you hit it," Tristan offered. She gave him a glare.
"What?"
"It didn't go far."
"Well, we'll have to work on that. You just have to use more force."
"Can I have a designated hitter?"
Tristan shook his head no. "That's baseball."
"No such thing in golf?"
"No. That would be sort of besides the point."
"And the point to golf would be?"
"To beat your own best score. You're competing with yourself."
"I hate this game," she admitted, as they followed their grandfathers down the course. He smiled and linked his arm with hers as they walked.
"So I hear Elizabeth has a suitor with marriage plans," Janlan said.
"She said no."
"But she's still dating him," he added.
"Yeah, she is."
"She deserves to be happy, don't you think? After the royal mess that was your father," Janlan said.
"Yes, I agree. But she said she was happy on her own right now."
"Well, I'm sure Emily would be happy to set her up if this fellow doesn't work out," Richard mused.
"I don't think that's necessary," Tristan said.
"So, have you heard from your father?" Janlan asked, changing the subject.
"Nope. Not that I'd have much to say if I had."
"Last I heard, he moved to Georgia."
"Georgia? Why on earth would he move there?" Richard asked.
"Well, he couldn't very well show his face in this town, or the tri-state area for that matter. I know his old college roommate was from there. I expect he was hoping to get a lead down there through him."
Tristan gave Rory the 'please change the subject' look. She furrowed her brow at him, and he mouthed 'apple tarts'. She giggled, causing her grandfather to look at her. Janlan had stepped up to take his swing.
"Rory?"
"Sorry, Grandpa. So, did you know this guy bought me a house?"
"Yes, your grandmother mentioned something to that effect. That's wonderful. Where is this house?"
"White Plains. It's nothing fancy, but we like it," Tristan informed him.
"When are you moving out of that tiny apartment you've been cramming everything into?" Janlan asked, smiling at his grandson.
"We are hardly crammed in. Besides, we like the close quarters," Tristan grabbed Rory around the waist, causing her to blush violently in front of the other two men.
"Now, dear, there's nothing to be embarrassed of," Janlan assured her. Richard cleared his throat, and Tristan began speaking again.
"We're moving in January. Second week. We figure we do need to at least report back to work before taking another two days off."
"Hire movers, they'll have it done while you're at work," Richard said as if it were the most logical plan in the world.
"Grandpa, it'll be fun. We'll get a ton of people together, have Sookie make a lot of food, it'll be like a party."
"Doing grunt labor is hardly my idea of fun," Richard scoffed, but smiled when he saw the excitement in his granddaughter's face.
"Well, I just can't wait to see this place. After you've finished with all the moving and unpacking that is," Janlan informed them.
"We'll have a housewarming party, just as soon as we get settled," Rory promised.
The rest of the morning went by, the four of them hitting tiny white balls around the lush green grounds of the course. When they finished their round, they all headed back to the dining room. After they'd all been seated and ordered, Janlan sat back in his chair and looked at his grandson.
"So, Tristan. You've gotten yourself a wife and a job, now a house."
"Yes, Gramps," Tristan agreed. He looked at him for the meaning of his statement.
"Well, son, it's just, well, is there something you'd care to share with us?"
"Um, no?"
Janlan and Richard looked at each other and exchanged a knowing glance before Janlan looked back at Tristan. Tristan shared a confused look with Rory, who shrugged before digging into her salad and bread.
"Gramps, seriously, you've lost me. What am I missing here?"
"Tristan, you just bought a four bedroom house. What message is that supposed to send?" Janlan asked, as if it were obvious to the world.
"Um, that Rory has a hell of a lot of books?"
"Tristan, seriously. When can we expect a great-grandchild?"
Rory choked a little in surprise, and then began downing the water that Tristan handed to her. Her widened eyes looked up in surprise at the two men.
"You thought that I was—that's why we—oh, no! No, no, no," she tried to explain, as the pieces fell together in her mind.
"Gramps, I assure you, we'll let you know when that happens. But it's not happening now. We just got married," he reminded.
"Why would you think that?"
"Well, your grandmother was curious. Your mother mentioned to her on Christmas day that Tristan had purchased a house, and you know your grandmother," Richard explained.
"Well, you can put everyone's mind to rest," Rory assured him.
"But you two are thinking of having children, correct?"
"Yes, Gramps, we are, just not this very second," Tristan agreed, still looking a little weirded out to be having this discussion with their grandfathers. Rory quickly changed the subject by asking her grandfather about work. They spent the rest of lunch chatting. When Tristan and Rory finally escaped to the privacy of their car, Rory burst out laughing.
"What?"
"Oh, come on. That was kind of funny."
"What, the kid thing?"
"Yeah. I mean, uncomfortable considering who was grilling us, but come on!"
Tristan smiled and began laughing a little at the thought of it all. They had been so sure, so eager. Never had he thought these two men would give a fleeting thought to when they would procreate.
"Well, at least everyone's not on our case," Tristan offered.
"Mom's dying to know."
"Did she say something?"
"No, but she wants to. It looks like it's paining her sometimes not to ask me when we're having kids."
"You enjoy seeing your mother in pain?"
"Well, no, but it is sort of funny. And I don't want to encourage her feeling the need to start badgering me, so. . ." she trailed off.
Tristan nodded, fully understanding her thoughts. There had been a lot of thoughts of babies in his mind lately. He thought only women got the baby itch, but maybe that's what was going on. He looked at Rory for a moment.
"Ror?"
"Yeah?" she turned in her seat to look at him better. He looked into her eyes and almost lost the nerve to say what was on his mind.
"It's just, lately I've been seeming to think about that more lately," he began, and stopped suddenly.
"Thinking about what? Having a baby?" she asked softly.
"Yeah. I mean, I know we said we want them, but we always put eventually on the end of that statement."
"I know."
"So, what are your thoughts?"
"I've been thinking about it. Seeing Mom with Will, being around family, it's definitely brought out some of those nesting qualities."
"Do you think we're ready?"
"Do you?"
"I think we're close."
"I know."
The stared at each other, both looking a little unsure, but extremely excited. He smiled at her, and she leaned towards him quickly, kissing him before he could say anything further.
"You know, if you want to start trying, we should probably wait 'til we get back to our room," he said as they pulled away from each other.
"How fast can you drive?" she asked, starting to not care where they were at the current moment. Even in the car in the parking lot of the country club. It couldn't be the first time people had made love in this parking lot, she thought to herself.
"You're killing me. I need to be able to concentrate to drive," he informed her.
Tristan revved the motor and took off for the Dragonfly as fast as he could make the car move. They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in their room, working on their newfound goal. They ordered dinner up to the room, and as they began to eat, Rory brought out a pad of paper and pen.
"Why do I think there's going to be a list?"
"You mean other than the fact I've already started one?"
"I thought we were doing this—besides, it's sort of too late to decide we don't want to start trying to get pregnant," he pointed out.
"This isn't a should we or shouldn't we get pregnant. It's more than a pro/con list."
"What is it, exactly?"
"It's a 'stuff we need to get done before a baby comes' list."
"You aren't even pregnant."
"Ah, yes, but we still have some things to talk about. Stuff like getting a nursery ready, how I'll deal with work, and disciplining this kid," she began to tick off random things.
"Come on, us needing to discipline the perfect angel child we'll have?" Tristan mocked.
"So you're saying this kid will be like me?"
"Ouch, I was a good kid!"
"I'm sure you were. You forget I knew you in high school. And I've talked to Paris in detail about this. And your mom."
"You should put 'don't tell people we're trying' on that list."
"What about my mom?"
"Nuh-uh. No one. I'm not discussing the best sexual positions for having a boy over dinner at your mom's house. It's creepy."
"Alright. I give you that one, that is creepy."
"We're doing this," the enormity hit Tristan again of what they were doing.
"I know." Again they broke out into goofy grins that had been plastered on their faces since they left the club. After dinner, they cuddled up on the bed and worked on Rory's list, talking excitedly about the future.