See! I told you that I'd be back!
SO, I'm not going to do a long authors note, but I do have to say this: This update is dedicated to Didi (Siaram), because today. . .or rather yesterday, is/was her birthday. . . she's old. lol Sorry, you know I love you. . .as a birthday gift, go read some of her Trory fics, I'm her beta, so can you mention me if you do? lol. . .I'll get more credit. wink
So, since I said that I wouldn't have a long A/N, but I don't seem to be able to shut up, sorry.
Without further ado. . . I give you. . . Chapter 4.
Enjoy.
J.
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Chapter 4: (Almost) Death By Hairspray
"Ouch!" Rory squealed, looking down at her mother, she silently glared.
"Forry." Lorelai mumbled between the pins that were stuck in her mouth, and apparently in her daughters' side, as well. She stuck the last pin that was in her hand into the waist if the dress, and stood up.
"So?"
Lorelai smiled and took the remaining pins out of her mouth. "It's beautiful."
And it was. The deep wine red dress skimmed Rory's figure, gliding over it lovingly. The empire waist flowed down into a flowy skirt that ended just above her knees in the front and just below them in the back. The scooped neck was low, yet modest, and it had capped sleeves.
Rory faced the mirror, and pressed her hands to her fluttering stomach. "It is." Looking over at her mother, she smiled. "Thank you."
"Ah," Lorelai waved a teasing hand, "Nothing's too good for my baby. And, I, am by far the best."
"No argument from me." She looked at herself in the mirror one more time before she sighed, "Can you please unzip me?"
"Sure," Lorelai carefully pulled the zipper down as to not dislocate the pins that were holding the material in place, stretching her back; she looked over at the clock, "Oh! I was supposed to be at the Inn fifteen minutes ago! We're planning a wedding; and Sookie needs me to get the final menu." She kissed Rory on the cheek, and started towards the door, "Meet me at Luke's tonight, around seven?"
"Okay, see ya' then, Mom." Rory said as her mother disappeared from her bedroom door, and muttered something about her other shoe. Hearing the front door close a minute later, Rory carefully shimmied out of her dress, careful not to get caught on the pins.
Frowning at the quiet, she went over to hr stereo system, a gift from her grandparents two years ago, and turned it on. Pressing Play, she smiled as the sounds of her mothers 'new' Bangles CD started to pour from the speakers.
Setting her dress on her bed carefully, she turned to her dresser and grabbed a pair of jeans while softly singing along, "Six o'clock already, I was just in the middle of a dream, I was kissin' Valentino, By a crystal blue Italian stream, But I can't be late, 'Cause then I guess I just won't get paid, These are the days, When you wish your bed was already made. . ."
She sighed as she looked in her closet for the t-shirt that she was looking for, "Ah-ha!" She held the dark blue shirt with rhinestones on the front that proudly said, 'Baby' in front of her just in time to see Tristan walking into her room, "Ah! My God, Tristan, out!" She clutched the material to her bra-clad chest with one hand, and pointed to her bedroom door with the other.
Tristan looked up, startled by the sight of a scantily clad Rory, and almost dropped the bag of chips that he had been in the process of opening as he had walked into Rory's room unannounced, as he had done many times before. "Uh, oh. . ." Tristan trailed off, speechless at the sight of Rory's flat stomach, and the hint of skin that showed above the edge of her bra, that hadn't been covered by the t-shirt that she held to her body.
"Tristan!" She repeated again, amusement dancing in her eyes.
Realizing that he was very close to staring, Tristan quickly turned his back. "Sorry." He called, just loud enough to be heard over the beginnings of 'Eternal Flame'.
Rory shook her head, and smiled slightly as she scrambled to put on her top. "No problem." She flipped the stereo off, and turned to face her best friend who was still half in her room, and facing the kitchen table. "You can turn around now."
Tristan turned, and breathed an inner sigh of relief as he saw that she was almost fully covered. "Sorry, again."
Rory smiled as she waved a dismissive hand, "as I said, it's no problem. . . You gave me a mild heart-attack, but, it's all fine." She winked at him, and tilted her head as the familiar scent of coffee invaded her nostrils, "You went to Lukes?"
"I try to never come to the Gilmore house unarmed." Walking out to the kitchen, and setting the bag of half-opened chips on the table, he dug in the bag and brought out four chocolate chip muffins, and set them beside the take-out tray of four coffees. "Where's Lorelai?"
Rory grinned as she grabbed a muffin, and sat down in a chair. Reaching for a cup of coffee, she answered, "At the Inn, she just left, actually, I'm surprised that you didn't see her."
Tristan shrugged, "I came in the back door."
Nodding at his explanation, she broke off a piece of her muffin, and popped it in her mouth, washing it down with the hot coffee. "Mmmm. . . there's nothing like Lukes after being mutilated by pins." She laughed slightly.
"Lorelai making your dress for the dance?"
"Yes. And I swear, she poked me so many times even I'll start thinking that I'm turning into a pincushion." She shuddered dramatically.
"Awww. . . Poor Rory's got some booboos. . . . . will you let me kiss them better?"
Shaking her head, she tossed a stray crumb at his head, laughing as it got caught in his tousled blond hair.
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"I am going to kill you."
"I know. . . . . I'm about ready to kill myself and save you the trouble."
. . . . ."Luke?. . .Can we have some coffee?"
Looking over at the two teens who were sprawled out over a greater portion of his counter, Luke shook his head. "What's wrong with you two?"
"We're dying." Rory mumbled as Tristan nodded, his face resting against the counter-top.
"Uh-huh. And may I ask, Why?" He took two large cups, and filled them with coffee.
"Miss Patty." Was the answer that he received from Tristan as he placed the coffee down between their heads.
Rory pried her face off of the Formica, and took a sip of the coffee that was closest to her, sighing, she looked up and Luke and grinned tiredly. "We had our first class with the kids at Miss Patty's today. I had no idea that teaching a bunch of eight years olds to not step on each others toes could be so tiring."
Tristan, who had taken a gulp of his coffee to semi-revive himself, nodded and smiled, "I am proud to report that there were no foot casualties on my watch."
"That's only because you made me do the whole class with Patty. The only thing you did was tell them it was time to start dancing, tell them to stop laughing after you fell on your ass when you tripped over a stray shoe, and tell them that class was over. You didn't even dance with me!"
"Well, I didn't know that you were looking forward to it." He leered playfully.
"Oh, yes. The thought of being pressed up against you, dancing to the rhythm of Mozart was the only thought in my head all day." Rory rolled her eyes and finished her coffee. Holding it out to Luke, who had a dazed expression on his face, she smiled, "More?"
Shaking his head and muttering something about fast talking teenagers, he filled her cup, sat the half-full coffeepot on the counter in front of them, and walked away.
"You scared Luke away." Tristan admonished teasingly.
"All in the name of coffee, my good, Tristan." She took the coffeepot and refilled his cup. "All in the name of coffee."
Fifteen minutes, a pot of coffee, and two cheeseburgers later, Rory waved around a fry, "So, what's going on for tomorrow night?"
"Well, I'll have leave for a bit, because I didn't bring my suit with me. I'll change into that and pick some other stuff up, then I'll be back here so we can have some dinner before we get ready." He tilted his head in thought as he ate a fry, "We have to stay at the formal at last an hour. . . so, we dance, we drink the weak punch, and mock everybody else. Sound good?"
"It sounds great. Mom will want me to bring the camera."
"Why?"
"So she can mock later, of course."
"Of course."
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"Mom!"
"What?"
"I can't find my shoes!"
Lorelai frowned as she lay on her bed, staring at her ceiling, listening to the low sound of the radio, "What ones!" She called back to her daughter.
"The silver and blue high strappy ones! They'll match my bracelet, and earrings!"
Turning her head to the side, she cringed as she saw the offending shoes on her chair, one half hidden my a pair of Jeans, and the other on it's side, "I don't know! Why don't you look in the big closet!"
"I did!"
Huh. . . "Well, Do it again!"
"Okay!"
Lorelai heard Rory shuffling around in the closet, and stealthily rolled off her bed, careful to make as little noise as possible. Untangling the shoes from yesterdays wardrobe, she silently ran out of her bedroom, and down the stairs, being careful to avoid the squeaky ones; a talent that she had perfected as a teenager. Creeping past the closet where her daughter was currently digging through, again, she made her way into Rorys room. Looking at the neat space she frowned.
Muttering a soft 'Aha!', Lorelai threw herself on the floor, and looked under Rory's bed. Books. And Books. . . and more books. Her eyes widened as she heard Rory stand up. Hurriedly stuffing the shoes under the bed, Lorelai stood up and looked for a hiding place. Hearing Rory come closer, Lorelai panicked, and threw herself into the closet
Rory walked into her room and stopped, hands on hips for a minute, trying to think of where the shoes could be. Her eye was caught by a flash of silver strap that protruded from under her bed. She frowned as she bent down and retrieved one of the shoes that she had been looking for. Placing it on the bed, she fished for the other with her hand. After retrieving the other shoe, she narrowed her eyes, realizing that she had looked under her bed. Shaking her head she sat in her bed, looking at the now closed closet door.
"You can come out now, Mom. I know that you're in there."
She heard a muttered response that sounded suspiciously like, "Damn, foiled again." and then saw the door of the closet slide open a crack.
"Can you help Mommy, honey? She got stuck diving into your closet."
Rory laughed, and stood up, rolling her eyes as she opened the closet the rest of the way and saw her mother half on a shelf, one arm hooked on a clothes hanger, one foot on the floor, and the other tangled in a pair of pants. Shaking her head, she pulled her mothers leg free, and then offered her hand to her mothers' free one.
Pulling herself up, Lorelai grinned sheepishly. "Hi Rory."
"Hi Mom. Thank you for giving me my shoes back."
"What? I didn't have your shoes! What would you think such a thing?" Lorelai dramatically brought her hand to her chest and put on her most innocent look.
"So, what? You dive-bombed my closet because. . .you wanted to practice aerobics among my clothes?" Rory rolled her eyes and walked over to her mirror, smoothing some lotion onto her face.
"Okay, I'm sorry. . . I used them last week. They looked killer with my black ruffled skirt!"
"The short one, or the hooker one?"
"The hooker one, of cour—Hey! I don't look like a hooker in it!"
"The first time that you wore it, a guy asked you 'How much?', it's your black ruffled hooker skirt."
Lorelai crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue at her daughter. Seeing the gesture in the mirror, the more mature of the Lorelais laughed.
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"Knock, knock." Tristan said as he entered the Gilmore Home later that evening.
"Fancy Shmancy."
He turned to see Lorelai lounging on the couch. She patted the space beside her, and grinned. "Rory'll be out in a sec, she's primping."
"I am not! I'm trying to do the ankle buckle on my shoe! You messed it up, again!" Rory called from her bedroom.
"Oh, I feel so loved." Lorelai laughed.
"Well, you should. I kicked her out of the bedroom after she tried to attack me with a second can of hairspray." She explained to Tristan s she walked into the living room. Seeing Tristan's mouth drop, she grinned and turned full-circle, "Do I pass the inspection?"
He grinned and tilted his head, "I don't know . . . there's something missing. . ."
Rory narrowed her eyes, as she saw Tristan stand and take something from the pocket of his coat, "What did you do?"
"I didn't 'do' anything. . .or anybody, thankyouverymuch." He added after seeing the impish glint in her eyes.
Rory pouted, "You take away all of my fun."
"Well, I hope this will help you get over your pain." Tristan opened the small box to reveal a thin silver chain with a white-gold horseshoe pendant on it. The horseshoe had two small chips of sapphire on it, one at each point of the U, at the center of the dip, there was a small diamond, and tiny diamond and sapphire chips were woven throughout the rest of it.
"Tristan. . . ." Rory trailed off, staring that the beautiful, and undoubtedly expensive, piece of jewelry.
"Don't 'Tristan, you shouldn't have'. I did, deal with it. I actually had it custom made for your birthday. . . but it was finished early, and I thought that you'd like it for tonight."
Rory frowned, as Lorelai jumped up from the couch, eager to see what could have possibly prompted a 'You shouldn't have' from her daughter, "Oooohh. . . Pretty." Looking at Tristan, she widened her eyes, "Can I be your best friend, too?"
He laughed and placed the box in the still speechless girls hands. "No, but you can be my best friends mother." He grinned as he grabbed a small package out of his coat and handed it to Lorelai.
"Oh, I couldn't. . ." She trailed off, her eyes glowing.
"Take it." Tristan rolled his eye, and grinned as Lorelai eagerly grabbed the package, and opened it.
"Ooooo. . . It's wonderful!" She grinned at him a she took out the small silver coffee cup charm. "I love it! Thank you!" Lorelai took off her charm bracelet, her latest favorite fashion accessory, and attached the coffee cup to it. "Ahhh. . . It's perfect. Isn't it perfect, Babe?" She held out her wrist and showed it to Rory.
"Yeah, it's great." She looked at Tristan and frowned, "You do know that you're never buying me anything, ever, ever again, right?"
After a long suffering sigh, Tristan answered, "I know, I know. You say that every time."
"And you never listen." She scolded.
"Ah, that's why you love me."
"Help me put it on?"
"Sure." Tristan took the necklace out of the box, and Rory held the soft curls of her hair on her head, so he could easily fasten the clasp. He stepped back, and she let her hair drop, sending it cascading down over her shoulders.
Turning to him, she shrugged, "So?"
"It's beautiful."
Only Lorelai noticed that his eyes weren't on the necklace, but on Rory's face.
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Okay, so, what'd ya think? I'm really proud of this chapter. . . I think that it's the longest one that I've made for this fic.
I hope that you liked it, and I'd really love to know what you think.
Again, I feel like I should stress that You take time to read 'Siaram's fics, because, without her, You wouldn't have this update. . . I was my birthday gift to her, and I didn't want to disappoint.
So, please, tell me what you think. . . I love to hear from you all.
Jayde
