A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you for your reviews, I live off of them :-D Here is the next chapter! There is a little more of R/T interaction, but Nicole is included as well. I know you want her gone, but she is still here causing trouble as usual. You also get to see the not so nice side of Lana, although she can be much worse. Okay enough with me going on and on. On with show...







Chapter 6

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Rory, Jess, and Alex all shot Lorelai a quizzical look, their thoughts were along the same lines as Lana's except they agreed with Lorelai.

"Ok...Mrs. Danes it is then.", he said almost charmingly. Luke came down from his old apartment, where he was fixing up a place for Jess to stay.

"Travis, this is Luke Danes, Grandpa Luke this is Travis Griffin."

"I'd offer you a cup of coffee, but it seems you've already had your share.", he grunted in greeting.

Jess and Alex fought back fits of laughter.

"Speaking of that, Lana I'm sorry I have to cut this short, but...", he trailed off indicating his coffee stained pants sending Lana into a fit of stifled giggles.

"I'm sorry, maybe we could finish this another day.", she managed to get out, still laughing over the large stain that look as if...well you get the picture.

"I'll be seeing you Travy.", Alex said to his departing figure.

"So?", Lana asked the group.

"So what?", Lorelai replied.

"What did you think of Travis? And Alex not a word from you.", she asked adding the last part as she saw Alex readying a replied.



It was an awkward moment, no one wanted to be the bad guy and say what they actually thought, but per usual Jess was the first to speak up.

"I don't like him."

"Not you too. Why not?", queried Lana impatiently. What was wrong with these people?

"One he is far to much like your dear old dad at that age and two a gut instinct.", Jess said glancing at Rory and then at Alex.

"Fine then. Mom?", Lana said getting more then a little annoyed.

"Hey either way I go I put my foot in my mouth so we're not going there.", Rory replied cautiously.

"For what I hear, and believe me there is a lot you don't know, Travis Griffin is not a person you want to be hanging around.", Lorelai stated remembering a conversation she had with her mother about this kid, her mother may have been getting on in years, but she was never wrong when it came to country club gossip. She let Rory be hurt by Tristan and God help her if she would let history repeat itself.

"I don't believe this! I'm going home. To Hartford.", she exclaimed putting emphasis on Hartford. No one told her who she wanted to be around, not anyone.

"Lana you don't have your car. I'll drive you.", Rory sighed. Maybe they could talk about it in the car.

"Fine. Come on. We're not getting any younger.", she sighed impatiently.

They all hated when she slipped into her societies child mode that she had learned from Tristan at a young age. Lorelai should have known better, we all know how much she hates being told what to do, and that once she makes up her mind she doesn't change it easily, but then Lorelai was the same way.



The car ride was silent. Dead silent. Both mother and daughter hated it, but neither made a move to strike up conversation either. Finally they pulled into the driveway of the large mansion.

"Come on in mom.", Lana invited. She didn't want to leave things like this with her mother.

"Um...I don't know Lan.", Rory replied not wanting to see her ex-husband.

* Wow it feels weird calling him my ex-husband. *, she thought to herself.

"Please mom.", she pleaded.

"All right, but only for a second.", she gave in. Actually she should talk to Tristan about Lana's new friend.

"Good come on.", she smiled leading her into the house.

When they enter the house they got a little more then they had bargained for. The ever charming Nicole Read was there sitting on the couch watching a movie, Tristan no where in sight.

"Lana?", she called when she saw her and Rory enter the house.

"Nikki! How are you today? Making yourself at home I see.", she greeted in fake sincerity.

"Yes well, your father is just getting some popcorn. Shall I tell him your here?", she replied just as fakly.

"No, it's okay we wouldn't want you get off your pretty little...", she started.

"Lana!", scolded Rory, although she couldn't say she disagreed with her mocking this women. What did Tristan see in her? This lady reminded her of the whiny snot Veruca Salt on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, sounded like her too.

"Oh hello. You must be Lana's mother, Lorry, right?", she said noticing Rory.

"It's Rory, and yes I am.", she said biting her tongue so she wouldn't say something she would regret.

Just then Tristan came from the kitchen with a large bowl of popcorn, which he almost dropped when he saw Rory.

"Tristan.", Rory greeted.

"Mary, how are you?", he smiled in greeting.

"I thought your name is Rory.", questioned Nikki.

"It is. Dad has called her Mary since they were sixteen.", Lana whispered bitterly to Nikki.

"Tristan I need to talk to about...Lana.", Rory whispered so Lana wouldn't overhear.

"What's wrong Mar?"

"Can we go somewhere that she won't over hear please?", Rory hissed.

"Oh sure. Come on we'll go into my office.", he said concerned knowing Rory wouldn't come to him if it weren't something to be worried about.

"We'll be right back.", he called to Nikki and Lana.

"Where are they going?", Nikki demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know. They do that a lot. Go off to God knows where.", Lana implicated.

"Listen here little brat I am at the end of my rope with you!", exclaimed Nikki angrily.

"Then tie a noose in it and slip it over your head.", she retorted walking to her room.

"Where are you going!", Nikki yelled.

"To my room wicked step mother. Have you got a problem with that?", she turned away coldly and left Nikki standing there alone with her thoughts and the TV's flickering lights.



"What's wrong Ror?", Tristan asked when they got to his office.

"A few things really. 1) I know you get this a lot, but what the hell are you thinking just throwing all this at your daughter? She is only sixteen, she can't handle someone new barging into her life in a split seconds notice."

"Rory you have no right," Tristan interrupted.

"Oh I have no right as the mother of our child to know about the environment she is living in? And I wasn't finished. Second of all do you know the kind of people she has decided to hang around. They say girls date men like there fathers, but Travis is like a mini Tristan. I don't want her around that.", ranted Rory.

"Wait a second Travis Griffin!"

"The one and only. He was in Stars Hollow earlier this morning, but that was actually funny. Jess poured coffee in his lap."

"What? Jess is back too?", he sighed trying to take everything in. Boy Rory was the only one who could ever play on his emotions like this.

"Yeah you've miss out on a lot the past two years.", she said bitterly, but then saw the hurt look in his eyes. Her attacking him wasn't going t solve anything.

"Look Tris I'm sorry. I know barging in here like this and then babbling on about everything doesn't exactly make you think very highly of my mental stability, but I'm just worried about Lana.", she said sadly, not meeting his eyes.

"It's all right, Mary.", he smirked walking over and giving her a comforting hug. He had forgotten about his new fiancé, and how she was still in the house.

"What is going on here!", Nicole cried upon coming into the room and seeing their embrace. Her eyes were green with jealousy and hate of Rory and her satanic offspring.

"Nicole it isn't what you think.", explained Rory.

"Really? Maybe I should her believed that insolent little brat of yours.", she spat at Rory.

"That was out of line. I will not have you insulting my daughter or wife.", he said quickly, not actually thinking about the words that had just come out of his mouth.

"Wife. Wife! WIFE!", Nikki roared.

* Uh oh. Now I've done it. *, Tristan thought.

"I didn't mean that."

"You didn't mean that? You didn't mean that? Well then tell me exactly what you meant.", Nikki fumed.

"It's just...a force of habit. I mean I...we were married for almost fifteen years.", he explained weakly. Nicole had quite the temper. His father could really pick 'em.

"Good bye Tristan. You might be hearing from me, but I'm starting to doubt that.", she said storming off.



A/N: Dun dun dun. Is this the end of the nasty Nicole? Will she be back or is she gone for ever? Stay tuned to find out. R/R.