Disclaimer: This show 'tis not mine, fore if it were I would be a millionaire. But alas, I am but a mere pauper.

A/N: I'm really really trying to shoot these chapters out as quickly as I possibly can!!! I'm having a blast with this story, but I do have to tell y'all that after this story is done, I'm most likely going to fix my 1st story because I finally found my writing style, and my first story really sucked at the beginning.

Thanx: To my lovely beta, Katherine (rosie4299) she has been a blessing to me and I love her dearly!!! And of course to all of my reviewers, because without you I'm just a crazy person making up stories about fictional characters ;) hehe... wait, I'm still a crazy person making up stories about fictional characters... oh well !!! )

Rating: PG-13 (if that)

Chapter 16: Good Samaritan

Tears streamed down Rory's face as she drove towards New Haven for a night of crying herself to sleep. Her cell phone began to ring as she drove, so she fumbled around her sweater pocket in search of the said item. Life sucked for Rory. She had just gotten into one of the worst fights with her mom that Luke had overheard! Oh! Thinking that Luke overheard her talking about having sex new tears sprang in her eyes because of how utterly humiliating it was.

The new tears blurred her vision, and she turned her head to pull her ringing phone out of the pocket. She cursed and turned her attention to the task at hand, while driving with her knee. The next thing she heard was a blaring horn; a pair of headlights headed her direction and she screamed as she turned the wheel as hard as she could.

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Lorelai sat on the couch numbly, but looked up when she heard the door open again. She hoped Rory was coming back, but her hope fell when she saw Luke standing there. Lorelai was relieved to have someone, but she wanted to talk to Rory. She really didn't mean to lose her temper, but she always taught Rory to be as responsible as she could be. All it would have taken was that Rory forgot to take her pill one time, and she could be pregnant.

"Hi Luke," Lorelai said, quietly.

"Hi, how are you doing?"

"I've been better," she said as tears threatened to fall.

Luke moved over to the couch and embraced Lorelai. She fit perfectly in his arms and he stroked her hair as she cried into his shoulder. Even though it was a slight bit awkward because of what he overheard, he was glad for the opportunity to comfort her. He wanted to kill the little punk as much as Lorelai did, but for right now he was satisfied to hold her sobbing form in his arms.

"Hey now, it's okay."

"How can it be okay, Luke? She could be pregnant." Lorelai yelled, but then the reality of the situation sunk in. "Oh my God! She could be pregnant. She's not ready to have a baby! Hell, I'm not even ready to have a baby! How can she do this? I taught her about sex when she was 2!"

Luke shifted uncomfortably, "I don't know, but you don't know if she's pregnant. Rory's responsible..."

"All it takes is once, Luke. She's living proof of that."

Luke was silent then, and knew Lorelai was right. He hugged her again, though and she allowed him to pull her close. This was what she needed to have for tonight. No thinking about the "boundaries" they had, just feeling and doing what comes natural. Lorelai pulled out of their embrace and looked into Luke's eyes. They were filled with compassion and... love? Had that always been there? Lorelai didn't know, but she did know what she wanted. In the next moment, her lips were joined with Luke's.

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Rory opened her eyes and almost gagged as the smell of smoke and burnt plastic reached her senses. She tried to focus, but her eyes kept involuntarily closing on her. Glass was broken. She knew that. A familiar voice. It was a man, but who? Tristan! Rory struggled to find her phone, but her head felt like it weighed a ton and she put her hand onto her forehead. A hot, sticky liquid coated her fingers and she deducted that she was bleeding. Almost in slow motion she reached around the seat for the phone. An eternity later, she found it and put the receiver to her ear.

"Hello? Rory! What happened?"

"Tristan?" her voice cracked as fresh tears began to fall. "Help me!"

"Baby, what the hell happened?!" he asked in alarm.

"I don't know. It hurts Tristan!"

Just then, she heard voices outside of her car and she saw a young man prying her door open. Rory was in hysterics by then, and she tried to tell Tristan the last thing she remembered. It all blurred together, but she remembered broken glass and blood. Of course those were the only words Tristan heard on account of Rory's sobs, so he began to freak out.

"Rory? Where are you? I'm coming to get you, Rory.'

By then, the good Samaritan was able to open the car door and he reached for the phone. Rory saw a blur of a face as her vision began to get hazy again. Her body went on auto pilot as her head began to spin again. She handed her cell phone to the man as she laid her head on the exploded steering wheel.

"Hello?" the kind man greeted.

"Rory? What? Who are you? Can you tell me what's going on? All I heard is something about broken glass and blood! Where's my girlfriend?" Tristan babbled in complete panic.

"Woah, calm down. I saw your girlfriend swerve to avoid a semi-truck. Her car rolled into a ditch, but she seems to be okay. The fact that she was talking is a good sign. I've already called 911 and they should be here soon, but her car crashed on I-35 near the Parks Mall."

"Oh, okay. I'm only a couple minutes away. I'll be there soon. Thank you." Tristan said in relief.

"You're welcome," the angelic stranger replied as he hung up the phone.

He turned his attention to the young woman, and began speaking calmly to her as she began sobbing again. The entire night amounted to more than Rory could handle. First, her mother yelled at her for having sex, and now she was in a car accident; to top it all off she really needed Tristan and he wasn't there. Rory felt alone and she cried as her head began to pound and dizziness overwhelmed her.

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Luke and Lorelai were staring at each other after parting. Neither one of them was sure what exactly happened, but they both enjoyed it. Luke gulped and shifted uncomfortably under Lorelai's intense gaze. Lorelai's brain went into overdrive after they broke apart. First, she gets into a huge fight with her daughter, and now she just kissed Luke. Thankfully, the phone rang and it interrupted their staring contest. Lorelai jumped up and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Lorelai, it's Tristan."

Anger began building inside of Lorelai. It was really this boy's fault that she and Rory were fighting. "What do you..."

"Lorelai, I don't have time to talk. Rory was in a car accident."

Her heart dropped to the floor when those six words reached her ear. The last words she said to Rory came rushing back to her and she instantly regretted them. She couldn't even focus on what Tristan was saying because the fear for her daughter's safety was clouding her normal thought process.

"...said she was okay. Lorelai? Are you listening to me?"

"Huh?" she said as she snapped out of her daze. "How is she? Are you with her?"

"I'm almost there, but I knew I should call you. Some guy stopped to help her and he said it looked like she was okay. Alright I see her car. Hartford Memorial is the closest hospital, so meet us there, okay? I really have to go, though."

Tristan hung up the phone before Lorelai could say another word. Luke turned around then and knew instantly that something happened. Her face was drained of all color and she seemed to have aged five years. Terror was in her eyes and Luke was by her side in a moment to comfort her.

"What's wrong, Lorelai?"

"I...it's Rory. She was in a c...car accident."

Lorelai broke down as Luke pulled her out the door towards his truck. He knew they had to get to the hospital and if they didn't go right away Lorelai would fall to pieces. That was one thing about their relationship. Even if something weird happened between them, in serious situations they could push that aside and do what needed to be done. The two of them knew they could count on each other.

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Tristan stopped his car and ran towards the young man who was looking into the wrecked car. Tristan's stomach lurched as he surveyed the damage. The entire front end of the car was smashed in and the windshield was shattered; there were dents and scratches on the sides and top of the car. The driver's side door was crushed and deformed, and Tristan couldn't fathom how that guy was able to open it by himself. Finally, Tristan reached the scene.

"Rory?" he yelled as he looked into the door.

"T..Trist..tan," she sobbed.

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek and whispered soothing words in her ear. The helpful man watched the couple interact and smiled at the two, they were obviously in love. Rory was sobbing as she slumped over her steering wheel.

"I w...want t...to get out of the c...car," she bawled.

"I know, honey, but we need to wait for the ambulance, okay?" Tristan told her as he rubbed her back.

"I l...love y...you."

"I love you, too," he whispered to her.

He thanked every higher power for keeping Rory safe. The car was most likely totaled and she was able to sit up and talk, fully conscious. Sure, she was a little out of it, but he supposed that was because of how scared she was. He was scared, too. Tristan shuddered as he recalled the scream of absolute horror. Then, he remembered hearing a muffled banging noise. That was the worst feeling he'd ever had in his entire life. The feeling of dread. He was terrified that something had happened to her. Luckily, she was relatively safe. Then, the sirens began blaring and the ambulance pulled onto the road.

"It's okay now, Rory. The paramedics are here."

"Will you stay with me?" she asked him, like a frightened child.

He nodded and replied, "Of course I will. I'll be right beside you, holding your hand the whole time, but right now I'm going to go talk to the guy who found you while the paramedics check you over okay?"

Rory nodded her understanding and sniffled as the paramedics and Tristan traded places. With that, Tristan walked over to the man who stayed with the love of his life. The man was tall and had a medium build. He had bright green eyes and slightly wavy brown hair that he kept kind of shaggy.

"Hi, I'm Tristan Dugrey. Thank you so much for staying with her."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Daniel McGiver. I've been in a few car accidents myself and I know how horrible it can feel to be all alone," he said with a smile.

"Yeah," Tristan replied as he ran his fingers through his messy hair. "I was on the phone with her when the accident happened. I just heard her scream and I thought..."

"It's okay," Daniel cut him off, knowing Tristan shouldn't finish that sentence. "She's fine and everything will be okay. That's the important thing. It is surprising that she made it through that without getting more injured."

"I know. I'm not really a religious person, but I know someone was watching out for her," Tristan said as he glanced back at the car where the paramedics were taking Rory's vitals.

"Sir," one of them called. "We're going to take her to the hospital now, but she looks fine."

Tristan sighed in relief and shook Daniel's hand, thanking him again. Daniel got into his car and drove off into the night. He would never know how much his presence really meant to both Tristan and Rory. Because of him, they were kept calm and collected through the entire ordeal. Fate sent him into their lives in the calm before the storm.

A/N: Please Review! Go to if you want to be part of a Trory Fall Fic Exchange! I'd love to have you!!!