Everything
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and the characters that you don't recognize from the show.
Summary: When Rory Hayden comes back to Chilton, she still sees Tristan Dugrey as her brother's annoying friend that won't seem to leave her alone. But when opinions change, friendships can form, and maybe, it could become something more.
Good to know: Rory went to school in England for a year, then comes back to Chilton for her senior year. She hangs out with her old friends. Lorelai and Christopher are married and they live in Hartford. Dean and Jess don't exist; she's not friends with Paris.
Rating: PG13
Chapter 9
That night, the teenagers were on the beach. Rory looked around the campfire at her friends. They all seemed so happy. Together. Amber was snuggled up with Danny, and Chelsea with Mike, and April was sitting on Josh's lap. Tristan had his arms around her –in a strictly friendly kind of way she might add- Rory smiled as she saw Kelly and Charlie sneaking glances at each other. They obviously had a thing for each other, but neither would admit it. Some people could just be so blind...
"When are we leaving?" Rory asked Danny groggily as she staggered into the kitchen the next morning.
He shrugged, "Probably after lunch; it's a few hours drive back, plus and I haven't done my homework."
"Big shocker." she said sarcastically, "I need coffee."
"What else is new?" he said, handing her a mug which she greedily accepted.
"Shut up you."
Rory went over to the fridge and opened the freezer door, pulling out a carton of cookie dough ice cream, before digging in with a spoon.
Her friends stared at her.
"What?" she asked with a mouthful of ice cream.
"Ror, it's nine o'clock in the morning and you're eating ice cream?" Kelly asked.
"Yea, so?" she responded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Her mother is Lorelai so she is half Gilmore." Tristan reminded, giving them a pointed look.
They murmured sounds of agreement and understanding.
"So, we have what, four or five hours before we leave? What are we suppose to do 'til then?"
Tristan smirked, "I could think of a few things."
"Yea, so could I... I think they're somewhere along the lines of hurt... Tristan... and ummmmm... oh yea... bad."
"Really? I had some other things in mind."
"Oh? I what might those things be?"
Tristan's eyes darted to Danny, who raised his eyebrows at him and crossed his arms over his chest, this was definitely not something that he should be saying in front of him, he was her brother after all; he looked back at Rory, who had an amused look on her face.
He scratched his head and made a face, "Oh, you know... stuff."
"Stuff involving..."
"Ummmm..." he looked at Danny again, who now, along with the rest of the group, was looking at him in amusement.
Rory gave him a teasing expectant look.
He cleared his throat and looked out the window, "Wow, it's a nice day outside isn't it?"
Rory smirked.
"Hey!" Tristan exclaimed.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"That's my smirk!"
"You own a smirk?"
He stared blankly at her for a moment, "Mmm hmm." he said, nodding his head.
She rolled her eyes, "Well I learn from the best."
"So you think I'm the best?" he said, his trademark smirk plastered back on his face.
"Ego check, Mr. Dugrey."
The two continued with they're playful banter and flirting (the latter denied by Rory of course), their audience long forgotten.
"Is it just me or have they been abandoning us a lot lately?" Rory asked Tristan as she watched Mike and Chelsea's retreating figures.
He just shrugged, it'd been four weeks since their friends had started pushing them together; he was use to it by now. Rory on the hand, well, it usually took her a while to catch onto certain things...
They sat down on the sand with their backs leaning against a log.
"So what do you wanna do?" she asked, then seeing Tristan's face and remembering that morning, she said, "Wait- don't answer that."
"What? Why?"
She raised her eyebrows.
Tristan smirked, "Were you thinking of something dirty, Mary?"
"I wasn't but you were."
"And how do you figure that?"
"'Cause your mind lives in the gutter."
"Well then, why don't you come for a visit?"
"I'm just fine and dandy where I am thank you."
"Fine and dandy?"
"Shut up."
Tristan let out a chuckle, "Ok then... let's talk... about... books?"
"Yea, but I'm not really in the mood to have a one sided conversation."
"How would it be a one sided conversation?"
"Well, considering you don't read..."
"I read!"
Rory snorted, "Yea right."
"I do!"
"Oh, you do now do you?"
"Mmm hmm."
"Ok then, what do you read?"
Tristan stared at her for a moment, "Books."
"What kind of books?" asked an amused Rory.
"Good... books."
"Really now?"
He nodded his head, "Yup."
"And what would these 'good books' be about?"
He continued nodding his head, "S-stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
Still nodding slowly he stared blankly at her teasing yet innocent face.
"You don't read do you?" Rory said finally.
He shook his head, "Nope."
Rory laughed, "Ok then, no books, we could talk about... sports?"
"You hate sports." he chuckled.
"Maybe... a little... bit."
"Ror,"
"Hmmm?" she asked, smiling.
It was his turn to give an amused look.
"Ok fine, I hate them with ever fiber of my body."
Tristan just smiled and shook his head. He was use to girls hating sports, frankly it actually annoyed him a bit that they were so... girly, but Rory... Rory just made it cute, she made everything nice. There was just something about her that always made him smile.
Rory noticed him staring at her.
"What?" she asked, smiling, something she found herself doing a lot when she was around him.
He smiled, "Nothing."
And they just sat there... smiling.
------
"You think their cheeks hurt from smiling so much?" Charlie asked as the eight teenagers peered outside at the pair from the beach house window.
"You'd think so." Kelly said.
"We shouldn't be spying, you guys really gotta learn not to get so involved in these things." Danny said.
"Says the guy who's watching them like a hawk." Amber said.
"I am not."
"Danny, she's your sister, you're protective of her, even though the guy is Tristan, you know, your best friend, whom you completely trust, and wouldn't even dream of hurting Rory?"
He rolled his eyes but remained silent as they continued to watch the two.
"How the hell can they smile so damn much?" he finally said.
"Beats me." Josh said with a shrug.
"That was fun." Amber said as Danny started up the engine.
"So what are you doing tonight?" Tristan asked Rory.
"I dunno. Danny's doing his homework, not that he's procrastinating or anything, right Danny?" Rory asked, his response was a grunt, "So he's not gunna be able to entertain me, mom and dad are going out tonight... so I guess that leaves me... bored."
"How exciting."
She yawned, "I know."
"Oh, I know!" she said.
"What?"
"You could come over and entertain me."
"Entertain you? How?"
"Yea, you could dress up as a clown... no, wait- clowns scare me, an oopma loompa, yea, you could dress up as one of those and parade around the house while I laugh at you."
He stared at her, "How 'bout I just bring some movies."
"Yea, that works too." she said, then she turned to Kelly and Amber, "You guys wanna come?"
"No!" came their immediate response. Tristan held back the urge to roll his eyes.
"Ummm, ok then." Rory said.
The five teenagers lapsed into silence.
"Soooooo..." Amber finally said.
"Shhhhh." Kelly whispered.
Amber turned around and looked at Kelly questioningly, then she saw Tristan and Rory asleep, her head lay on his chest while his chin rested on top of her head, a small smile played on both their lips.
'Maybe it won't take forever, she can't really be that blind, Amber thought, 'I mean, by the looks of it, it's only a matter of time, right?'