A/N: Hi everyone. Thank you all SO much for your wonderful reviews, you
can't imagine how happy they make me. I hope this wasn't too long, but it
was under a month! There is more R/T in this chapter and will be in the
upcoming ones. Although I didn't go as far as someone suggested (You
probably know who you are), but I think it's enough for now. Also I'm sorry
if this is a little short but I've had mid terms for the past week and it
hasn't been easy to find time to write in between studying and my
malfunctioning computer. I really want to try and get the next one out
before my birthday ( Feb. 13) in almost 2 weeks but don't be mad if I
can't, because my computer does hate me. Enough of my rantings...go on and
read the story.
¤Kari¤
Chapter 22 **********
She really was the picture of happiness. Without knowing her very well, a person might not come off with that impression. She realized, vaguely, that to many people she might come off as almost indifferent and unsure, but she hadn't been more sure of anything in her life up until this point. All her life she had been used to the on-off, love-hate thing her parents had going, and she knew something like that would have drained her completely. The indecisiveness of those two drove always drove her nuts.
Alex was her home, he was the one stable thing in her life. He had always been there and always would be if she had anything to say about it. She couldn't ask for anything else then that, but one thought drifted through her mind from time to time. When would the fairy tale fade? Not the most pleasant of thoughts, but who had shown her different? Closest she came was Luke and Lorelai, but they were... unique, to say the least.
"Lukster!", Lorelai greeted as she walked into the dinner the next morning.
"And how do you want those eggs?", he ignored her and continued to take a man's order.
"Scrambled please!", she interrupted. Luke shot her an exasperated look.
"Uh...scrambled sounds good.", the man agreed reluctantly.
"Scrambled it is then.", he rolled his eyes at Lorelai and gestured for her to talk.
"How come, in those old Mini Wheat's commercials, Sweets has a Brooklyn accent and Wheat's has an English accent? They're attached at the back, wouldn't they have been raised in the same place?.", she asked out of nowhere, Luke rolled his eyes at her and placed a cup of coffee in front of her before speaking.
"Is that all you wanted to ask me?"
"Can't I just come for a visit?"
"You haven't gotten last nights dinner out of your system huh?", he sighed. He knew her too well.
"I swear something happened with my daughter and her bible boy last night.", she said suspiciously.
"Say that a little louder, Miss Patty wants to hear.", he nodded towards the old woman in the corner.
"I know Rory didn't 'go out for some air' like my mother insists, or at least not alone.", she lowered her voice a bit.
"Lorelai.", he sighed. Rory's business was her business and he didn't like to guess at what she did on her own time... no he didn't like Lorelai's guesses about what she did.
"Hi guys.", Alex appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"What are you doing here?", Lorelai asked.
"What just because I'm the boy friend now, I'm not welcome?", he raised his eyebrows.
"Sounds about right to me.", Jess slide in from the kitchen.
"Why are you still here any way?", he countered.
"Yea, exactly how long are you staying?", Lorelai chimed in.
"Would you really kick your own flesh and blood out?", he replied sarcastically.
"You're not my flesh and blood your his.", she pointed towards Luke.
"Leave me out of this.", he backed away to finish his diner duties. Kirk walked up to him not a moment too soon.
"These raisins are dry.", he deadpanned, plucking a raisin from his muffin.
"Have you ever seen a raisin that wasn't dry? If it wasn't dry it would be a grape. Would you like some grapes?", he rolled his eyes.
"...Grapes would be good."
"Sorry were out.", he turned and walked away.
"You know what I'll skip breakfast and just go find Lana, have fun.", he directed toward Luke, who was still dealing with Kirk. Alex made escape before Lorelai tried to make him stay or Jess for that matter.
"Lorelai, my dear Auntie Lorelai, I have my reasons for being here, but I'll be out of your hair as soon as I can.", he explained mockingly. Lorelai had to accept his answer because for once she was just tired of fighting with her smart ass 'nephew'.
"Don't call me Auntie.", was the response she had to be satisfied with.
"Yes ma'am.", he saluted and Lorelai left in indignation at being called both Auntie and ma'am within a five minute time period. He looked around for something, anything to do in the smallest town known to man, but came up with nothing. He smiled slightly as he saw Lana and Alex together outside the diner. He sort of admired Alex. It should be the other way around, but he admired Alex for going out and getting what he wanted. He on the hand ran away to hid in this forgotten town when life got tough. Well, you could only watch the happy couple for so long before you felt the overwhelming urge to through up.
"Mor...", Lana interrupted his greeting with a kiss. She knew she looked and sounded like a sap, even in her thoughts and her cynical side would have normally yelled at her, but it was disregarded for once in her life.
"Hello to you too."
"Finish eating already?", she asked taking his hand and walking down the street.
"Not quite, Lorelai and Jess.", he said, as if that explained it all, and it did. Lana laughed again as she saw two kids, a few years younger than herself and Alex, roll their eyes at them.
"What?"
"Those two," she nodded towards the boy and girl sitting on the bench silently mocking them, "They are us a month ago."
"And the cycle continues."
"Paris, how was your holiday?", Rory greeted brightly as Paris walked into her office that afternoon.
"As good as Thanksgiving with the Geller's and there numerous 'friends' can be. Talk about nightmares. How was yours?", she brushed over her experience and lightly headed into a more interesting topic.
"Well...it was fine. Very good. Well better than expected.", she replied evasively not wanting Paris to start in on her again.
"Hmm. I bet. So did you finish that interview on Congressman Carlton? Everyone loves a good scandal you know, and if we don't print it..."
"Here you go.", Rory offered promptly, with a little too much cheeriness.
"What's wrong with you?", Paris slowly grabbed the paper, eyeing her colleague suspiciously.
"What can't a person be happy in this office?"
"Happy, yes. Scary, no. You must want something.", Paris said cynically.
"Well if you want me to be depressed I can try.", she rolled her eyes.
"So do you want to go get some lunch?"
"Well...actually I'm already meeting someone for lunch.", she said nervously.
"Tristan?", Paris sighed.
"No... my mother. We haven't been spending much time together lately and neither of us are getting any younger. Ya know?", she lied.
"Uh huh.", Paris didn't believe a word of it. She wasn't that easily fooled, especially after knowing Rory since high school. She had never been too good of a liar.
"Yea, speaking of that I better go to meet her, she's probably waiting right now.", Rory excused herself after she saw a car suspiciously like Tristan's pull up. She ran and got her things than hurried downstairs before Tristan came up. She wasn't sure why she had to lie to Paris, maybe because she always had this judgmental face on when Tristan came by.
"Tris, hi. How are you? Let's get going.", Rory greeted quickly upon hopping into his car.
"How many cups of coffee have you had today?", he laughed.
"Mocking me isn't the best way to start out the day.", she teased back. She looked at him and memories came flooding back, good memories. Every thing he did unknowingly tested her resilience. Everything he said, how he said it, even the way he breathed made her fall for him more and more, but she couldn't let herself do that right?
"Of course not, where are my manners?", he smirked and started to drive away.
"I ask myself that everyday."
"Be careful or I won't tell you where we're going."
"So no Sal's today?", she questioned.
"I'm not that much of a deli man. If I see one more Italian sub I think I'll vomit."
"Oh what a lovely description. So where are we really going?"
"Hmm, look in the back.", he nodded his head to the back seat of the car. She did as he said and found...
"A picnic? In November?", she said skeptically. It really wasn't that cold, actually it was a pretty warm for a November day in Connecticut.
"You have a coat." He wasn't exactly sure how this idea would go over with her, but he thought the change would be better. A little more private.
"Yes, but I thought you we're sick of sandwiches.", she said as the car stopped at a small park within minutes of the newspaper.
"I am.", he replied simply while carefully taking the basket out of the car. "It's take out. I ordered everything in the chicken column."
"Very good.", she said as she eyed the Chinese food hungrily. She had forgot about breakfast, most likely her subconscious hadn't wanted an encounter with Lorelai.
"Where should we put the blanket?"
"Over under that tree, away from the ducks. They look a little too friendly.", she joked. He laughed at her and set the blanket where she directed. 'God, this like old times.'
"So how's Lana? You didn't threaten her with the stocks again did you?", he asked, taking the cartons of food out of the basket.
"No... there was some limb removal thrown in there.", she said as if the addition justified it.
"Well as long as it wasn't too harsh."
"We have some great parenting methods huh?"
"I'll say. So how are Lana and Alex doing? Apart from Lana's mother being so vindictive." Rory stuck her tongue out at his comment.
"They're as sickeningly sweet as ever. Just wish I could have given him the 'If you hurt my daughter' speech."
"Don't worry that's taken care of.", he smirked.
"Playing the part of over protective Daddy? How cute.", she replied absent mindedly. She did love it when he did that though. There was something so... gallant about it. Ugh, why did she have to see his good qualities when she needed to see his bad to snap her out of this.
"Glad you think so.", he smirked, looking her straight in the eyes. Ugh she couldn't hide from those eyes. He knew that too.
"Don't look at me that way.", she laughed. He shot her a lopsided but quizzical grin and she did what she had been fighting against for God only knows how long. She kissed him, and a hell of a lot longer than her earlier frame of mind would ever allow. Truthfully she was tired of worrying about what would happen later and took her mother's constant advice to 'live in the moment'. She could get used to this. Hell she was already getting used to this.
"Unexpected, but not unwelcome.", he smirked yet again. Having just realized exactly what she did, she thought it best to leave before anything else happened, she could never be sure with Tristan. She didn't want to regret what happened.
"Oh, look at the time. Paris'll have my head if I'm not back soon.", she teased walking to the car.
"What about all of this food?"
"Surprisingly, I'm not hungry. Now let's go before she has a conniption." He began to pack up the barely touched lunch.
"You? Not hungry? Doesn't that break some sort of law?"
"None that I can think of." She hopped into the car and he threw the basket into the back seat.
"You owe me a meal.", he stated plainly.
"Do I really?", she countered. She looked around to see they were now merely blocks away from the newspaper building. And she suddenly remembered her little lie to her friend
"Dinner tomorrow night."
"Fine with me, but if I agree will you drop me off right here?", she replied nervously.
"Feeling in a walking mood today?", he questioned with a raised eyebrow. His mind was still processing what had happened.
"Yea and I promised I'd get Paris some... danishes for her.", she covered weakly upon seeing a little bakery on the corner.
"You didn't tell her I was going to lunch with you, huh?" Damn, she knew he wasn't going to fall for that. Can't fault a girl for trying.
"If anyone asks you're my mother.", she conceded.
"Oh, that would make for a twisted relationship. Very Jerry Springer, Ror.", he mocked.
"Hey Paris is scary!", she protested.
"Ok, I'll drop you off here. You have lunch with Paris tomorrow and later we'll go to dinner, deal?", he reasoned.
"Deal.", she gave him a quick kiss goodbye before she even realized it and walked away. She watched Tristan drive away with a sigh. The walk to her building was going very slowly, but then again she had time to kill because she had cut her lunch pretty short. She laughed at herself silently. She had to be some sort of masochist to keep putting herself through all this, but her mother was right; she could help herself around Tristan.
¤Kari¤
Chapter 22 **********
She really was the picture of happiness. Without knowing her very well, a person might not come off with that impression. She realized, vaguely, that to many people she might come off as almost indifferent and unsure, but she hadn't been more sure of anything in her life up until this point. All her life she had been used to the on-off, love-hate thing her parents had going, and she knew something like that would have drained her completely. The indecisiveness of those two drove always drove her nuts.
Alex was her home, he was the one stable thing in her life. He had always been there and always would be if she had anything to say about it. She couldn't ask for anything else then that, but one thought drifted through her mind from time to time. When would the fairy tale fade? Not the most pleasant of thoughts, but who had shown her different? Closest she came was Luke and Lorelai, but they were... unique, to say the least.
"Lukster!", Lorelai greeted as she walked into the dinner the next morning.
"And how do you want those eggs?", he ignored her and continued to take a man's order.
"Scrambled please!", she interrupted. Luke shot her an exasperated look.
"Uh...scrambled sounds good.", the man agreed reluctantly.
"Scrambled it is then.", he rolled his eyes at Lorelai and gestured for her to talk.
"How come, in those old Mini Wheat's commercials, Sweets has a Brooklyn accent and Wheat's has an English accent? They're attached at the back, wouldn't they have been raised in the same place?.", she asked out of nowhere, Luke rolled his eyes at her and placed a cup of coffee in front of her before speaking.
"Is that all you wanted to ask me?"
"Can't I just come for a visit?"
"You haven't gotten last nights dinner out of your system huh?", he sighed. He knew her too well.
"I swear something happened with my daughter and her bible boy last night.", she said suspiciously.
"Say that a little louder, Miss Patty wants to hear.", he nodded towards the old woman in the corner.
"I know Rory didn't 'go out for some air' like my mother insists, or at least not alone.", she lowered her voice a bit.
"Lorelai.", he sighed. Rory's business was her business and he didn't like to guess at what she did on her own time... no he didn't like Lorelai's guesses about what she did.
"Hi guys.", Alex appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"What are you doing here?", Lorelai asked.
"What just because I'm the boy friend now, I'm not welcome?", he raised his eyebrows.
"Sounds about right to me.", Jess slide in from the kitchen.
"Why are you still here any way?", he countered.
"Yea, exactly how long are you staying?", Lorelai chimed in.
"Would you really kick your own flesh and blood out?", he replied sarcastically.
"You're not my flesh and blood your his.", she pointed towards Luke.
"Leave me out of this.", he backed away to finish his diner duties. Kirk walked up to him not a moment too soon.
"These raisins are dry.", he deadpanned, plucking a raisin from his muffin.
"Have you ever seen a raisin that wasn't dry? If it wasn't dry it would be a grape. Would you like some grapes?", he rolled his eyes.
"...Grapes would be good."
"Sorry were out.", he turned and walked away.
"You know what I'll skip breakfast and just go find Lana, have fun.", he directed toward Luke, who was still dealing with Kirk. Alex made escape before Lorelai tried to make him stay or Jess for that matter.
"Lorelai, my dear Auntie Lorelai, I have my reasons for being here, but I'll be out of your hair as soon as I can.", he explained mockingly. Lorelai had to accept his answer because for once she was just tired of fighting with her smart ass 'nephew'.
"Don't call me Auntie.", was the response she had to be satisfied with.
"Yes ma'am.", he saluted and Lorelai left in indignation at being called both Auntie and ma'am within a five minute time period. He looked around for something, anything to do in the smallest town known to man, but came up with nothing. He smiled slightly as he saw Lana and Alex together outside the diner. He sort of admired Alex. It should be the other way around, but he admired Alex for going out and getting what he wanted. He on the hand ran away to hid in this forgotten town when life got tough. Well, you could only watch the happy couple for so long before you felt the overwhelming urge to through up.
"Mor...", Lana interrupted his greeting with a kiss. She knew she looked and sounded like a sap, even in her thoughts and her cynical side would have normally yelled at her, but it was disregarded for once in her life.
"Hello to you too."
"Finish eating already?", she asked taking his hand and walking down the street.
"Not quite, Lorelai and Jess.", he said, as if that explained it all, and it did. Lana laughed again as she saw two kids, a few years younger than herself and Alex, roll their eyes at them.
"What?"
"Those two," she nodded towards the boy and girl sitting on the bench silently mocking them, "They are us a month ago."
"And the cycle continues."
"Paris, how was your holiday?", Rory greeted brightly as Paris walked into her office that afternoon.
"As good as Thanksgiving with the Geller's and there numerous 'friends' can be. Talk about nightmares. How was yours?", she brushed over her experience and lightly headed into a more interesting topic.
"Well...it was fine. Very good. Well better than expected.", she replied evasively not wanting Paris to start in on her again.
"Hmm. I bet. So did you finish that interview on Congressman Carlton? Everyone loves a good scandal you know, and if we don't print it..."
"Here you go.", Rory offered promptly, with a little too much cheeriness.
"What's wrong with you?", Paris slowly grabbed the paper, eyeing her colleague suspiciously.
"What can't a person be happy in this office?"
"Happy, yes. Scary, no. You must want something.", Paris said cynically.
"Well if you want me to be depressed I can try.", she rolled her eyes.
"So do you want to go get some lunch?"
"Well...actually I'm already meeting someone for lunch.", she said nervously.
"Tristan?", Paris sighed.
"No... my mother. We haven't been spending much time together lately and neither of us are getting any younger. Ya know?", she lied.
"Uh huh.", Paris didn't believe a word of it. She wasn't that easily fooled, especially after knowing Rory since high school. She had never been too good of a liar.
"Yea, speaking of that I better go to meet her, she's probably waiting right now.", Rory excused herself after she saw a car suspiciously like Tristan's pull up. She ran and got her things than hurried downstairs before Tristan came up. She wasn't sure why she had to lie to Paris, maybe because she always had this judgmental face on when Tristan came by.
"Tris, hi. How are you? Let's get going.", Rory greeted quickly upon hopping into his car.
"How many cups of coffee have you had today?", he laughed.
"Mocking me isn't the best way to start out the day.", she teased back. She looked at him and memories came flooding back, good memories. Every thing he did unknowingly tested her resilience. Everything he said, how he said it, even the way he breathed made her fall for him more and more, but she couldn't let herself do that right?
"Of course not, where are my manners?", he smirked and started to drive away.
"I ask myself that everyday."
"Be careful or I won't tell you where we're going."
"So no Sal's today?", she questioned.
"I'm not that much of a deli man. If I see one more Italian sub I think I'll vomit."
"Oh what a lovely description. So where are we really going?"
"Hmm, look in the back.", he nodded his head to the back seat of the car. She did as he said and found...
"A picnic? In November?", she said skeptically. It really wasn't that cold, actually it was a pretty warm for a November day in Connecticut.
"You have a coat." He wasn't exactly sure how this idea would go over with her, but he thought the change would be better. A little more private.
"Yes, but I thought you we're sick of sandwiches.", she said as the car stopped at a small park within minutes of the newspaper.
"I am.", he replied simply while carefully taking the basket out of the car. "It's take out. I ordered everything in the chicken column."
"Very good.", she said as she eyed the Chinese food hungrily. She had forgot about breakfast, most likely her subconscious hadn't wanted an encounter with Lorelai.
"Where should we put the blanket?"
"Over under that tree, away from the ducks. They look a little too friendly.", she joked. He laughed at her and set the blanket where she directed. 'God, this like old times.'
"So how's Lana? You didn't threaten her with the stocks again did you?", he asked, taking the cartons of food out of the basket.
"No... there was some limb removal thrown in there.", she said as if the addition justified it.
"Well as long as it wasn't too harsh."
"We have some great parenting methods huh?"
"I'll say. So how are Lana and Alex doing? Apart from Lana's mother being so vindictive." Rory stuck her tongue out at his comment.
"They're as sickeningly sweet as ever. Just wish I could have given him the 'If you hurt my daughter' speech."
"Don't worry that's taken care of.", he smirked.
"Playing the part of over protective Daddy? How cute.", she replied absent mindedly. She did love it when he did that though. There was something so... gallant about it. Ugh, why did she have to see his good qualities when she needed to see his bad to snap her out of this.
"Glad you think so.", he smirked, looking her straight in the eyes. Ugh she couldn't hide from those eyes. He knew that too.
"Don't look at me that way.", she laughed. He shot her a lopsided but quizzical grin and she did what she had been fighting against for God only knows how long. She kissed him, and a hell of a lot longer than her earlier frame of mind would ever allow. Truthfully she was tired of worrying about what would happen later and took her mother's constant advice to 'live in the moment'. She could get used to this. Hell she was already getting used to this.
"Unexpected, but not unwelcome.", he smirked yet again. Having just realized exactly what she did, she thought it best to leave before anything else happened, she could never be sure with Tristan. She didn't want to regret what happened.
"Oh, look at the time. Paris'll have my head if I'm not back soon.", she teased walking to the car.
"What about all of this food?"
"Surprisingly, I'm not hungry. Now let's go before she has a conniption." He began to pack up the barely touched lunch.
"You? Not hungry? Doesn't that break some sort of law?"
"None that I can think of." She hopped into the car and he threw the basket into the back seat.
"You owe me a meal.", he stated plainly.
"Do I really?", she countered. She looked around to see they were now merely blocks away from the newspaper building. And she suddenly remembered her little lie to her friend
"Dinner tomorrow night."
"Fine with me, but if I agree will you drop me off right here?", she replied nervously.
"Feeling in a walking mood today?", he questioned with a raised eyebrow. His mind was still processing what had happened.
"Yea and I promised I'd get Paris some... danishes for her.", she covered weakly upon seeing a little bakery on the corner.
"You didn't tell her I was going to lunch with you, huh?" Damn, she knew he wasn't going to fall for that. Can't fault a girl for trying.
"If anyone asks you're my mother.", she conceded.
"Oh, that would make for a twisted relationship. Very Jerry Springer, Ror.", he mocked.
"Hey Paris is scary!", she protested.
"Ok, I'll drop you off here. You have lunch with Paris tomorrow and later we'll go to dinner, deal?", he reasoned.
"Deal.", she gave him a quick kiss goodbye before she even realized it and walked away. She watched Tristan drive away with a sigh. The walk to her building was going very slowly, but then again she had time to kill because she had cut her lunch pretty short. She laughed at herself silently. She had to be some sort of masochist to keep putting herself through all this, but her mother was right; she could help herself around Tristan.