A/N: Hi everyone! I know I've taken long enough to get this posted, but
here it is. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for your reviews!!! There is
not much Tristan in this one, but more is soon to come. I know you probably
want to know if it will be a r/t, don't worry answers will come in time.
With that here is the next chapter.
Chapter 4
********
"Lana?", Alex said breaking the long silence.
"Yeah.", she replied softly.
"Are you okay?"
"I will be. I don't feel like seeing mom right now, can we go somewhere else?", she asked weakly. This was no time for her to be explaining the situation to her mother and, worse yet, her grandmother.
"Sure.", he smiled. He knew just where to go.
"Oh no. I forgot about Travis.", she said mentally scolding herself.
"It would be better if we all forgot about him.", he retorted his smile fading away.
"Alex, you're supposed to be a friend here. What if Dad answers? He hates Travis even more than you do."
"You're Dad's a smart man.", he scoffed.
"That isn't helping me."
"Depends on your perspective.", he said flatly.
"Why don't you like him?"
"Maybe we should just go see Rory and Lorelai now."
"Now what are you, the King of subject changes?"
"Only if you are my queen.", he smirked.
"Fine. I'll drop it for now. For now.", she smiled back.
"Since talking to your mom can wait, I have thought of the perfect place to go."
"Really? Sounds intriguing, where is it?"
"Hum. Well I'll give you one hint. It's in Stars Hollow.", he continued to smile.
Lana frowned, "In Stars Hollow? The smallest town in the world, Stars Hollow?"
"The one and only."
"This ought to be interesting."
Finally the two found themselves at the one place that could make them forget everything. It was the bridge that Rory and Lana had taken him to for a picnic the first time he visited, about thirteen years ago. Ever since then it had been their own little spot, a hide away for just the two of them.
"I didn't think you would remember this place.", Lana said in awe.
"How could I not? Remember all the hours we used to spend here? All the picnics?"
"This place always made me feel better."
"I know.", he smiled.
Alex sat down on the bridge cross legged and looked out at the water.
"You always know.", she smiled back and laid her head in his lap looking up at the stars, this time not envying them. To her it seemed the other way around.
"That's what I love about you you always know how to make me feel better.", Lana continued innocently and looked at him with a smile
They sat in silence for a while. Alex didn't know how to respond, he knew what she meant but a part of him wanted to read into it further. That part had slowly been taking over the other.
"I love...u...un...unicorns.", he almost slipped. That had been happening to much lately. Damned that part of him.
"Unicorns?", Lana laughed, she could have sworn he was about to say something else. * Why did I say unicorn? Why? Why? Why? *, he thought.
"Yeah. They're just the best.", he said lamely.
"Okay not only is that very frightening, and I mean very, but it's a lie.", she said giving him an odd look.
"A lie?", he had been caught this time.
"Yes. Not only do you not like unicorns, you hate them. I remember my sixth birthday I had a unicorn on my cake and you scrapped the icing off because you didn't like the unicorn.", she stated.
"That unicorn was possessed!", Alex exclaimed in defense.
"I think I'm ready to talked to my crazy family now.", she laughed.
Lana took a deep breath as she stood on the familiar doorstep of her Grandparents house. Grandpa Luke would go nuts when he finds out about Nicole and of course Grandma won't be happy either. She was preparing herself for the look in her mother's eye.
"You ready?", Alex asked squeezing her hand in reassurance.
"As I'll ever be.", she replied squeezing his hand in the same friendly gesture.
She rang the doorbell, which oddly enough was the sound of barnyard animals. Lorelai bounced to the door, time sure hadn't affected her.
"Hi Lana, Alex? Why are you two back again? What happened?"
"Um...well a lot actually.", she said glancing back to Alex for the nerve to go on.
"Come in, and explain. Now before I have a nervous breakdown.", ordered Lorelai with an uneasy expression.
"Actually I already did that.", Lana said under her breath.
"Mom...Hey...Lana, Alex what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you.", Rory asked walking into the room with a ceramic coffee mug in her hand.
"Um...Well we...I have something to tell you.", Lana began again glancing back at Alex.
"You two aren't pregnant right? Right?", questioned Lorelai intensely.
"No! No, no, no. It's um...", Lana protested.
"Spit it out child of mine.", Rory responded.
"Dadsgettingremarried.", she said quickly.
"Excuse me? Slower please.", Lorelai asked.
"Dad is getting remarried.", Lana said only a little slower, but enough to be heard. Rory's eyes widened and she dropped the mug she was holding. The coffee and shards of the mug flying in all directions.
"Mom! Are you okay!?", Lana asked worrying.
"Me? Oh...I...I'm fine.", she replied picking up the small pieces.
"Rory, you don't look okay.", Lorelai said skeptically.
"Really, I'm fine. It's all in my past. Honestly.", Rory said unconvincingly.
"Uh huh. Well then I'll be right back, excuse me.", Lorelai said walking off to find a phone. Lana lead her obviously distressed mother to the couch, while Alex cleaned up the mess that was the living room floor.
"I must talk to the Evil One. He will not hurt both my daughter and granddaughter again. No, no, no.", Lorelai mumbled while dialing his phone number.
Tristan: Hello.
Lorelai: Don't hello me Evil One.
Tristan: Back to Evil One again?
Lorelai: Well when my very distressed granddaughter comes into my house with a tale of you marrying the queen of England, I don't know I instinctively revert to nicknames.
Tristan: She's really upset, isn't she?
Lorelai: I'd say so. When were you planning on telling us about this? When is the wedding?
Tristan: You really do get to the point, don't you?
Lorelai: I asked a question.
Tristan: Well Nicole and I have decided that a long engagement would be best after what happened tonight.
Lorelai: Are you sure about this Tristan? God you just came off of a fourteen year marriage and you want to jump right into another one?
Tristan: Lorelai please.
Lorelai: Just think about it and talk to Lana, don't yell at her or pretend everything is just peachy.
Tristan: I'll keep that into consideration.
Lorelai: You better. ( Alex walks in to the kitchen.)...I've got to go. Just think about it.
Tristan: Good Bye Lorelai.
"So Lorelai, who might that have been on the phone?", Alex asked knowing that it had to have been Tristan.
"It...it was...Luke. It was Luke.", she stuttered.
"Luke, huh? Well I thought Luke disconnected his phone because you kept calling every ten seconds.", he said looking her straight in the eye.
"Um...um...", Lorelai stuttered again trying to think up another excuse.
"That's what I thought. It's okay we all knew you were bound to call him and bite off his head. Heck if you didn't I was going to.", he replied setting Lorelai at ease.
"We should go check on those two.", Lorelai said walking away.
When they go to the living room Lana had fallen asleep on the couch and Rory was sitting on the floor sorting through some old boxes.
"Hey babe.", Lorelai whispered not wanting Lana up. She sat next to Rory on the floor and Alex sat at Lana's feet silently.
"Hi mom.", Rory greeted with a small smile.
"Whatcha up to?", she inquired.
"Oh nothing. Just going through some old boxes. Feeling a little nostalgic.", Rory replied.
Lorelai nodded and smiled sympathetically.
"The Tristan box, I know it well.", Lorelai added. Rory pulled a dried rose out of the box.
"He gave me this when he proposed," she started ignoring her mother's last comment.
"It was in our last year of college, in Harvard. We had been dating a little over a year and he took me out for dinner and a lady came by selling roses. He bought this one and attached to it was the ring.", she continued wistfully and sighed realizing that it was completely over and that he had proposed to someone else. She instinctively hated this women, as did her daughter and Alex, even though she had yet to meet her.
"Honey?", Lorelai said calling her out of her reverie.
"I'm going to get rid of this, for good.", she stated heading off towards the garbage can.
She bit her lip as she watched it fall into the pile of trash covering the pieces of the mug she dropped.
"I'm going to bed.", she announced, deciding to stay there instead of driving across town to her apartment.
Lorelai and Alex smiled sadly as she walked away.
"I'll be right back.", Lorelai whispered to Alex.
"Go ahead and rescue it.", he smiled back.
"Mind reader.", she mumbled.
"No you're just predictable.", Luke said walking through the door, and kissing his wife.
"Hey Alex.", he whispered, again not wanting to wake Lana.
Lorelai retrieved the box and hurried it off upstairs.
"Alex, you should probably stay the night it's getting late. Call your house and tell them.", Luke told him.
"Like they would care anyway." he sighed, "Where is the phone?"
Lorelai came down the stairs phone in hand, and Alex grabbed it from her.
"Hey!", she yelled indignantly.
"Shh.", hissed Alex.
"Hey!", she whispered.
He dialed the number and waited for someone to answer, expecting it to be Franklin, their butler. To his unfortunate luck Travis answered.
Travis: Hello.
Alex: (sighs) Travis? It's Alex.
Travis: Oh hello Alexander.
Alex: Yeah. Anyway I'm not going to be home tonight I'm staying in Stars Hollow. ( He instantly regrets saying those words.)
Travis:(cockily) Well, well, well.
Alex: It's not like that.
Travis: Have a nice night Alexander. (Hangs up laughing.)
Alex: TRAVIS!
Chapter 4
********
"Lana?", Alex said breaking the long silence.
"Yeah.", she replied softly.
"Are you okay?"
"I will be. I don't feel like seeing mom right now, can we go somewhere else?", she asked weakly. This was no time for her to be explaining the situation to her mother and, worse yet, her grandmother.
"Sure.", he smiled. He knew just where to go.
"Oh no. I forgot about Travis.", she said mentally scolding herself.
"It would be better if we all forgot about him.", he retorted his smile fading away.
"Alex, you're supposed to be a friend here. What if Dad answers? He hates Travis even more than you do."
"You're Dad's a smart man.", he scoffed.
"That isn't helping me."
"Depends on your perspective.", he said flatly.
"Why don't you like him?"
"Maybe we should just go see Rory and Lorelai now."
"Now what are you, the King of subject changes?"
"Only if you are my queen.", he smirked.
"Fine. I'll drop it for now. For now.", she smiled back.
"Since talking to your mom can wait, I have thought of the perfect place to go."
"Really? Sounds intriguing, where is it?"
"Hum. Well I'll give you one hint. It's in Stars Hollow.", he continued to smile.
Lana frowned, "In Stars Hollow? The smallest town in the world, Stars Hollow?"
"The one and only."
"This ought to be interesting."
Finally the two found themselves at the one place that could make them forget everything. It was the bridge that Rory and Lana had taken him to for a picnic the first time he visited, about thirteen years ago. Ever since then it had been their own little spot, a hide away for just the two of them.
"I didn't think you would remember this place.", Lana said in awe.
"How could I not? Remember all the hours we used to spend here? All the picnics?"
"This place always made me feel better."
"I know.", he smiled.
Alex sat down on the bridge cross legged and looked out at the water.
"You always know.", she smiled back and laid her head in his lap looking up at the stars, this time not envying them. To her it seemed the other way around.
"That's what I love about you you always know how to make me feel better.", Lana continued innocently and looked at him with a smile
They sat in silence for a while. Alex didn't know how to respond, he knew what she meant but a part of him wanted to read into it further. That part had slowly been taking over the other.
"I love...u...un...unicorns.", he almost slipped. That had been happening to much lately. Damned that part of him.
"Unicorns?", Lana laughed, she could have sworn he was about to say something else. * Why did I say unicorn? Why? Why? Why? *, he thought.
"Yeah. They're just the best.", he said lamely.
"Okay not only is that very frightening, and I mean very, but it's a lie.", she said giving him an odd look.
"A lie?", he had been caught this time.
"Yes. Not only do you not like unicorns, you hate them. I remember my sixth birthday I had a unicorn on my cake and you scrapped the icing off because you didn't like the unicorn.", she stated.
"That unicorn was possessed!", Alex exclaimed in defense.
"I think I'm ready to talked to my crazy family now.", she laughed.
Lana took a deep breath as she stood on the familiar doorstep of her Grandparents house. Grandpa Luke would go nuts when he finds out about Nicole and of course Grandma won't be happy either. She was preparing herself for the look in her mother's eye.
"You ready?", Alex asked squeezing her hand in reassurance.
"As I'll ever be.", she replied squeezing his hand in the same friendly gesture.
She rang the doorbell, which oddly enough was the sound of barnyard animals. Lorelai bounced to the door, time sure hadn't affected her.
"Hi Lana, Alex? Why are you two back again? What happened?"
"Um...well a lot actually.", she said glancing back to Alex for the nerve to go on.
"Come in, and explain. Now before I have a nervous breakdown.", ordered Lorelai with an uneasy expression.
"Actually I already did that.", Lana said under her breath.
"Mom...Hey...Lana, Alex what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you.", Rory asked walking into the room with a ceramic coffee mug in her hand.
"Um...Well we...I have something to tell you.", Lana began again glancing back at Alex.
"You two aren't pregnant right? Right?", questioned Lorelai intensely.
"No! No, no, no. It's um...", Lana protested.
"Spit it out child of mine.", Rory responded.
"Dadsgettingremarried.", she said quickly.
"Excuse me? Slower please.", Lorelai asked.
"Dad is getting remarried.", Lana said only a little slower, but enough to be heard. Rory's eyes widened and she dropped the mug she was holding. The coffee and shards of the mug flying in all directions.
"Mom! Are you okay!?", Lana asked worrying.
"Me? Oh...I...I'm fine.", she replied picking up the small pieces.
"Rory, you don't look okay.", Lorelai said skeptically.
"Really, I'm fine. It's all in my past. Honestly.", Rory said unconvincingly.
"Uh huh. Well then I'll be right back, excuse me.", Lorelai said walking off to find a phone. Lana lead her obviously distressed mother to the couch, while Alex cleaned up the mess that was the living room floor.
"I must talk to the Evil One. He will not hurt both my daughter and granddaughter again. No, no, no.", Lorelai mumbled while dialing his phone number.
Tristan: Hello.
Lorelai: Don't hello me Evil One.
Tristan: Back to Evil One again?
Lorelai: Well when my very distressed granddaughter comes into my house with a tale of you marrying the queen of England, I don't know I instinctively revert to nicknames.
Tristan: She's really upset, isn't she?
Lorelai: I'd say so. When were you planning on telling us about this? When is the wedding?
Tristan: You really do get to the point, don't you?
Lorelai: I asked a question.
Tristan: Well Nicole and I have decided that a long engagement would be best after what happened tonight.
Lorelai: Are you sure about this Tristan? God you just came off of a fourteen year marriage and you want to jump right into another one?
Tristan: Lorelai please.
Lorelai: Just think about it and talk to Lana, don't yell at her or pretend everything is just peachy.
Tristan: I'll keep that into consideration.
Lorelai: You better. ( Alex walks in to the kitchen.)...I've got to go. Just think about it.
Tristan: Good Bye Lorelai.
"So Lorelai, who might that have been on the phone?", Alex asked knowing that it had to have been Tristan.
"It...it was...Luke. It was Luke.", she stuttered.
"Luke, huh? Well I thought Luke disconnected his phone because you kept calling every ten seconds.", he said looking her straight in the eye.
"Um...um...", Lorelai stuttered again trying to think up another excuse.
"That's what I thought. It's okay we all knew you were bound to call him and bite off his head. Heck if you didn't I was going to.", he replied setting Lorelai at ease.
"We should go check on those two.", Lorelai said walking away.
When they go to the living room Lana had fallen asleep on the couch and Rory was sitting on the floor sorting through some old boxes.
"Hey babe.", Lorelai whispered not wanting Lana up. She sat next to Rory on the floor and Alex sat at Lana's feet silently.
"Hi mom.", Rory greeted with a small smile.
"Whatcha up to?", she inquired.
"Oh nothing. Just going through some old boxes. Feeling a little nostalgic.", Rory replied.
Lorelai nodded and smiled sympathetically.
"The Tristan box, I know it well.", Lorelai added. Rory pulled a dried rose out of the box.
"He gave me this when he proposed," she started ignoring her mother's last comment.
"It was in our last year of college, in Harvard. We had been dating a little over a year and he took me out for dinner and a lady came by selling roses. He bought this one and attached to it was the ring.", she continued wistfully and sighed realizing that it was completely over and that he had proposed to someone else. She instinctively hated this women, as did her daughter and Alex, even though she had yet to meet her.
"Honey?", Lorelai said calling her out of her reverie.
"I'm going to get rid of this, for good.", she stated heading off towards the garbage can.
She bit her lip as she watched it fall into the pile of trash covering the pieces of the mug she dropped.
"I'm going to bed.", she announced, deciding to stay there instead of driving across town to her apartment.
Lorelai and Alex smiled sadly as she walked away.
"I'll be right back.", Lorelai whispered to Alex.
"Go ahead and rescue it.", he smiled back.
"Mind reader.", she mumbled.
"No you're just predictable.", Luke said walking through the door, and kissing his wife.
"Hey Alex.", he whispered, again not wanting to wake Lana.
Lorelai retrieved the box and hurried it off upstairs.
"Alex, you should probably stay the night it's getting late. Call your house and tell them.", Luke told him.
"Like they would care anyway." he sighed, "Where is the phone?"
Lorelai came down the stairs phone in hand, and Alex grabbed it from her.
"Hey!", she yelled indignantly.
"Shh.", hissed Alex.
"Hey!", she whispered.
He dialed the number and waited for someone to answer, expecting it to be Franklin, their butler. To his unfortunate luck Travis answered.
Travis: Hello.
Alex: (sighs) Travis? It's Alex.
Travis: Oh hello Alexander.
Alex: Yeah. Anyway I'm not going to be home tonight I'm staying in Stars Hollow. ( He instantly regrets saying those words.)
Travis:(cockily) Well, well, well.
Alex: It's not like that.
Travis: Have a nice night Alexander. (Hangs up laughing.)
Alex: TRAVIS!