Pairing: Established relationships for L/L and P/J; R/T…eventually
Rating: R
Spoilers: May reference anything from seasons 1 & 2
Summary: Seven years after graduating Chilton, Rory and Paris are business partners. What happens when they strike up a joint venture with Tristan DuGrey?
Disclaimer: The characters depicted her were created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, and are the property of Hofflund-Pollone and Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions. They are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit is being made from their use.
A/N: This chapter's title quote is from Three Men and a Baby. I love that movie…
Unholy Alliance
By Grace
Part Eighteen: I build fifty-story skyscrapers, I assemble cities of the future…I can certainly put together a diaper…
"I invited him," Paris responded from the front seat. Her voice took on an edge when she added, "Is that a problem?"
"Nooo," Rory replied slowly. "I guess I'm just wondering why."
Paris sighed as she put the car in park and turned off the ignition. "Because, Rory, this is an important weekend for me, and I wanted him to be here for it."
"But he already knows you're pregnant." Rory's voice reflected her genuine confusion.
"So do you," the other woman shot back.
"But…this is my house. And we're family."
Paris turned in her seat to face Rory, her features uncharacteristically soft. "I consider Tristan to be a part of my family, too. I'm sorry if you have a problem with him being here."
Feeling a surge of compassion, Rory reached out and rested her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I don't have a problem with it, Paris, I promise. I was just…surprised."
Paris nodded her head in understanding, and the three quickly extricated themselves from the car. As they mounted the porch steps, the front door was flung open by a typically exuberant Lorelai Danes.
She practically hurled herself at Rory, wailing "My firstborn!" in a terrifying Scarlett O'Hara accent.
Struggling to breathe as Lorelai practically crushed her ribs, she managed to gasp out, "Hi mom."
When the senior Gilmore girl finally loosened her death grip, Rory looked up to see Luke standing in the doorway holding Charlotte, while Billy huddled beside his leg…and just behind him, slightly off to the side and holding Emma, lurked a positively petrified-looking Tristan DuGrey.
Deciding to delay the torture tactics until after she had greeted the rest of her family, Rory crouched down and extended her arms to Billy, who excitedly flew into them.
"Rory! I missed you!"
She hugged her little brother tightly. "I missed you too, sweetie. Are you getting excited about starting kindergarten in a few weeks?"
He nodded his head vigorously against her shoulder, then pushed back slightly and met her gaze. "Mm-hmm. Mommy said that we can go next week to pick out my backpack and stuff."
"Wow, that's pretty exciting. Make sure you pick out a good one, okay?"
"'Kay."
Releasing Billy, Rory rose to her feet and plucked Charlotte from Luke's arms. "Hi there, baby girl," she cooed, hoisting Charlotte above her head as the little girl giggled with delight.
"You're getting so big! Pretty soon you and your sister are going to be terrorizing Billy, aren't you?"
"Hey!" protested the little boy, as the adults burst into laughter.
Handing Charlotte back to her father, Rory strolled towards Tristan, her gait practically predatory. "Well, look at what we have here," she drawled. "Apparently the lion and the lamb learned how to get along after all."
His handsome face twisted into a scowl. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She stifled a giggle. "Tristan, have you even held a child before?"
He shifted slightly, obviously uncomfortable. "Well, no." He paused. "How could you tell?"
Gently, she extricated Emma from his arms. "Because the last time I checked, a little girl is not the same as a football."
His face flushed scarlet, a development she ignored as she covered Emma's cheeks with kisses.
Stumbling over his words, Tristan mumbled, "I'm—I'm sorry if I did something wrong…I didn't mean…"
Catching his eye, Rory unexpectedly flashed a dazzling smile. "I was just teasing. You should have seen Luke when Billy was born—it was like watching Darth Vader try to cuddle a puppy."
"Hey!" protested the father in question, sounding very much like his five-year-old son.
"Oh, I don't know," interjected Lorelai. "Maybe not Darth Vader, but at the very least Chewbacca."
"He was definitely better than Jabba the Hutt," commented Paris.
Jess beamed at his wife. "You really have been paying attention to the movies, haven't you?"
"As fascinating as this analysis of Star Wars is—despite its vast inferiority to Star Trek—the point of this little gathering is to have a nice family dinner, so why don't we move this inside?" suggested Luke.
Lorelai pouted. "You're no fun."
"So I've heard," he deadpanned.
Luke, Lorelai, Paris, Jess, and Billy filed into the house, but when Rory moved to follow them, Tristan said, "Wait."
She turned to face him, confusion clouding her eyes. "What is it, Tristan?"
"Are you going to do this all weekend?"
"Do what?"
"Antagonize me. Make me feel like the stranger that I am. I'm only here because Paris invited me, but if this is going to be such a hardship to you, the very least I can do is stay at a hotel or something." His voice was bitter and sad.
"Tristan…I thought we had moved past this. I was just teasing; you should know that."
He ducked his head. "I know. I just—I've never been around a family like this. I know I don't fit in here."
Studying him for a moment, Rory handed Emma back to him and placed her hand on his elbow. "Then it's time for you to learn how to fit in. Welcome to my home, Tristan."
* * *
The entire group was crowded around the dinner table an hour later, eagerly digging into Luke's homemade fired chicken. Society-bred instincts kicking in, Tristan automatically reached for his knife and fork at the beginning of the meal. A gentle nudge from Rory reminded him that they didn't stand on such formality in Stars Hollow. The food was delicious, but the conversation was even better. He had sat through countless meals with the upper crust of society, evenings filled with wealthy businessmen, politicians, dignitaries, and celebrities. The topics ranged from meaningless chit-chat about the weather or the latest hit TV shows, to heated debated concerning foreign policy, economics, and the environment. In spite of the starchy, suffocating shirts, Tristan had often found these conversations invigorating. Never, though, had he ever heard so much laughter. Lorelai and Rory kept up a near-constant stream of witty banter, with occasional sarcastic barbs from Jess and good-naturedly dour remarks from Luke. Even Paris seemed more relaxed and at home than Tristan had ever seen her, tossing off one-liners that resulted in wide, surprised eyes and hearty guffaws. Little Billy joined in the laughter without knowing why, while Emma and Charlotte's high-pitched two-year-old giggles punctuated the atmosphere.
When everyone had eaten more than they had any right to, and were pushing back from the dinner table, the doorbell rang. Tristan didn't miss the meaningful glance exchanged by Lorelai and Paris, but before he had a chance to ponder that, Rory rose from her seat and announced, "I'll get it."
She made her way quickly to the front door, expecting to find Babette or Miss Patty on the other side of it. To her astonishment, she discovered her best friend. "Lane! What are you doing here? I thought you had to work this weekend."
Lane grinned at her, dark eyes sparkling behind her glasses. "Some of the shifts got switched around, and since I knew you were coming here, I thought I'd come see everybody." She peered into the house. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"Of course not!" Rory exclaimed. "Come on in; we just finished dinner. I know everyone will be thrilled to see you."
"And I'll be thrilled to see everyone."
Entering the house, Lane followed Rory into the other room. She immediately caught sight of Tristan, and feigned astonishment at finding him there. "Tristan! I didn't know you were going to be here this weekend."
He gave her a wide smile, grateful to see a familiar face. "It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision." He stood and walked over to greet her, pulling her into a hug. "It's great to see you again, Lane."
"You, too. What brings you to Stars Hollow?"
He released her and looked back at the table. "Paris, actually. She seemed to think it was important for me to be here."
At his words, all eyes focused on Paris. "What is the reason for this visit, Jess?" Luke asked.
"What, can't a guy come home for a little family bonding?" Jess replied with a smirk.
His uncle folded his arms across his chest and leaned back, his face a study in skepticism. "Sure, but it's not something you do."
Jess turned and gazed at his wife, an unspoken communication passing between them.
Paris nodded, and then said, "I guess it's time."
"Time for what?" interjected Lorelai.
Paris reached over and took Jess by the hand. "We have an announcement to make."
Lorelai's eyes began to shine in understanding, but Luke still looked puzzled. "Well, what is it?" he asked gruffly.
It was Jess who answered. "We're going to have a baby. Paris is pregnant."
With a squeal of excitement, Lorelai jumped up and rushed over to them. "I'm so happy for you! When did you find out? How far along are you? When are you due?"
Paris laughed. "Hey, one question at a time! We found out several weeks ago, but we wanted to tell you in person. I'm due in late March or early April."
"That's wonderful, Paris. Are you excited?"
The younger woman nodded, her cheeks flushed. "A little scared, too."
"That's normal," Lorelai reassured her. "The really scary part comes after the baby is born."
Paris blanched. "Gee, thanks," she said wryly.
Meanwhile, Jess stole a glance at Luke, who had remained silent. There was a note of bitterness in his voice, a remnant of the insecurities from his teenage years, when he asked, "So what do you think, Uncle Luke?"
The other man stood and clasped his nephew's hand before pulling him into an awkward hug. "I'm proud of you, Jess," he rumbled.
Jess simply murmured, "Thanks" before releasing his uncle.
Abruptly, Lorelai whirled on Rory. "You knew!" she exclaimed. "You knew and you didn't tell me!"
Her daughter smiled smugly. "It wasn't my news to tell."
"Hmph. Okay, who else knew?"
Tentatively, Tristan raised his hand.
Seeing his response, Lorelai advanced on him, her expression predatory. "You knew. You already knew. So why, exactly, was it so important for you to be here?" She shifted her attention to Paris and Jess. "What's really going on here?"
Paris grinned. "Did you ever consider a career as a private eye?"
"Aha! I knew it! Spill."
"Why don't we go into the living room, where we'll be more comfortable?" Jess suggested.
"Fine," Lorelai conceded.
When they were all settled, one twin on Rory's lap and the other on Tristan's, Paris cleared her throat and began to speak. "Obviously, this night is all about family. That's something I haven't really had since my parents died. Even then, our relationship was iffy at best. The hormones have apparently turned me into a sentimental sap, which is why I wanted the family all together—even you, Tristan. You're the closest thing to a brother I have."
He ducked his head and blushed, snuggling Emma closer. "Thanks, Paris."
"Now, I know better than most that things rarely go the way we expect them to, and so we have to have contingency plans. I didn't ever expect to lose my parents so young, but at least I was old enough to take care of myself. I don't want my child—our child," she amended, glancing at Jess, "to ever wonder who is going to take care of him or her. We've talked it over, and we want this baby to have godparents—guardians that will know and love the baby, and be there in case anything ever happens."
"That sounds reasonable," Luke commented.
Jess nodded. "That's the other reason we wanted all of you here. Rory, would you consider being our child's godmother?"
She beamed, her eyes filling with tears. Handing Charlotte to her mother, she went over to Paris and Jess and hugged them. "It would be my honor. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, Rory," Paris whispered. Raising her voice, she continued with, "Of course, godparents generally come in sets of two. That's why we'd love it for you to be the godfather, Tristan."
His crystal blue eyes widened in shock, and he nearly lost his grip on Emma. Noticing this, Rory giggled and said, "With a little luck, he'll have been child-handling skills by then."
"Cute, Rory," shot back Tristan. Setting Emma down on the couch, he went and shook Jess' hand, and then embraced Paris. "This means so much to me, you guys. I am so honored and flattered. I would love the privilege."
"Then it's yours," Jess replied.
* * *
By nine-thirty that night, Billy and the twins were snuggled in their beds, sound asleep; Luke and Lorelai were relaxing on the couch in the living room; Lane had gone home to her mother's; and Paris and Jess had gone for a walk around Stars Hollow.
Rory loaded the last of the dessert plates into the dishwasher, and then wandered out to the front porch. The heat of the day had dissipated, leaving a pleasantly warm summer evening—with just a hint of the impending autumn in the air.
She drew in a deep breath, reveling in the fresh air, the peace and quiet—and then nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice came out of the darkness behind her.
"It's beautiful here."
Whirling around, one hand pressed over her pounding heart, Rory yelped, "Don't do that, Tristan!"
"Sorry. I thought you knew I was out here."
She took a calming breath before responding. "Subconsciously, I probably did. I guess I was just lost in thought."
"It's easy to do that in this place. You were lucky to grow up here."
Her face twisted into a wry smile. "Funny, I don't think the rest of the people from Chilton would agree with you."
"They just don't know what they're missing."
Crossing the porch, Rory took a seat beside him on the old wooden swing. "When did you become so sentimental?"
He averted his gaze, obviously embarrassed. "It's just…seeing your mom and Luke, Paris and Jess…I never saw myself as the white-picket-fence, two-point-five kids and a dog kind of guy. They just seem so happy, you know? For the first time in my life, I don't know, I feel like maybe I've been missing out."
Leaning back against the swing, Rory set it into a gentle swaying motion. Gazing up at the stars, she responded quietly, "It's strange to think of Paris and Jess being parents. I've always known I wanted to have that someday. This just makes me want it more."
"You'll have it someday, Rory."
She turned to face him. "You don't think you will?"
He laughed bitterly. "I'm not supposed to be the marrying type, remember? I'm just the rich, idle playboy. Women want someone more dependable—someone like RJ."
"Okay, that's enough feeling sorry for yourself, DuGrey. If Paris Gellar and Jess Mariano can live their own fairy tale, it can happen to you, too."
"Maybe, but when?"
"When it always does—when you least expect it."
He didn't reply, just tilted his head back and closed his eyes. After a moment of sitting motionless, he reached over and took Rory by the hand. They stayed that way for a long time, enjoying the night and each other's company—all without saying a word.
To be continued…