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 here were created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, and are the property of Hofflund-Polone 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.

Author's Note: It is the fic that never ends/It just goes on and on my friends… Yes, it's back again. I make no promises as to when Part 37 might arrive.

Finally, this chapter's title quote is from the delightful Ocean's Eleven.

Unholy Alliance

By Grace

Part Thirty-six: "Does he make you laugh?" "He doesn't make me cry."

"We need to talk." The words echoed ominously in Tristan's mind as he took a seat beside Rory's bed. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"I may have just woken up from a coma, but I'm not stupid. I want to know what's really going on here. Why are you and Ryan at each other's throats?"

He didn't sare meet her gaze. "It's complicated."

"Tristan." Her voice held reproach. "Talk to me. If it has anything to do with me, I think I have a right to know."

"Maybe you do."

She flashed a triumphant smile. "So it does have something to do with me."

Slowly, he nodded.

"Start talking, DuGrey."

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Tell me..." Her voice shook slightly. "Tell me what happened before the accident."

"You followed me out to the parking lot, and we...argued."

"About what?"

"You asked me not to go, and I told you I couldn't stay."

"Why not?" she pressed. "What's so terrible that you have to leave?"

He chuckled mirthlessly. "The last time I answered that question, you ended up in a coma."

"I don't think we have to worry about that happening again. Please tell me, Tristan. I need to know."

He forced himself to look at her when he answered. "I can't stay here and watch you marry Ryan."

Her eyes widened, and her voice was barely above a whisper. "Why not?"

He sounded almost defeated when he replied, "Because I love you, Rory."

She gasped, and then the room began to spin. I love you, Rory. The words she had heard over and over in her head...the words Ryan could have never said...Ryan, who always called her Lorelai, never Rory...

Tristan's features were etched with concern as he reached over and grasped her hand. "Rory, are you okay? Rory? Rory!"

Finally, the fear in his voice penetrated the swirling confusion in her mind. "Yes, I'm...fine."

"Are you sure? You look like you've seen a ghost."

She gripped his hand tighter. "Yes, I just... That nurse, she said you were here every night. Did you...did you talk to me?"

He nodded, not sure where she was going with this.

"And did you tell me that you...loved me?" She practically squeaked the last two words.

Again, he nodded.

She stared at him, half in wonder, half in fear. "I think that maybe I could...hear you."

"You could...hear me?" he echoed, stunned.

"I think so. And I felt...safe, and happy. And when I woke up, I just assumed it had been Ryan, but then he got here and told me that he loved me, but something didn't seem right, and I couldn't figure out what it was, but then you said it, and you called me Rory, and I heard Rory in my dreams, but Ryan always calls me Lorelai, and..." She paused, breathing heavily. "You love me?" she whispered.

"Yes."

"But...how long?"

"A long time, Rory. Much too long, I think."

"And Ryan..."

"Ryan knows how I feel," he admitted. "I tried to step aside, but I can't. I don't want to."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

He shrugged. "I didn't think you'd want to hear it. I don't exactly have the best track record with you," he pointed out.

"We were sixteen," she protested weakly.

Glancing down, he realized he was still holding her hand. He loosened his grip, but she didn't let go.

"Rory, I need to know how you feel about this. Maybe not this second, but soon." He swallowed hard before continuing. "If you're happy with Ryan and want to marry him, I won't try to get in the way. But if you think there might be any kind of a chance for us, I'm going to do everything in my power to convince you to take that chance."

"You're certainly not pulling any punches, are you?" she said with a weak smile.

"Not this time. Not with you. I'm tired of playing games, and I'm tired of pretending. Maybe you'll never love me, but I think I'd rather know one way or the other.

There were tears in Rory's eyes. "I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do now."

He reached over with his free hand and brushed her hair back from her face. "Just focus on getting better right now. I'm not going anywhere for a while."

"You promise?"

He smiled. "I promise. No more running off to Italy."

"Good." She yawned, obviously drained. "I like having you around."

"I like being around. Now get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

She closed her eyes without protest, her small fingers still wrapped around his hand. He watched her sleep for a long time, and then closed his eyes and settled in for the night.

Ryan was at the hospital bright and early the next morning, and to say he wasn't pleased to see Tristan still there was an understatement. He entered the room quietly, so as not to wake Rory, and said softly, in a voice filled with anger, "We need to talk."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately," Tristan muttered as he followed his former partner out of the room.

As soon as they reached the waiting room, Ryan whirled around, his eyes blazing. "You've got a hell of a lot of nerve," he spat out.

Tristan eyed the other man. "Save it, RJ. She knows," he said wearily.

"Knows what?"

"She knows that I love her. I told her--again--last night. Whatever happens next is up to her."

"You don't love her. You're not capable of it," RJ sneered. "Lorelai knows that. She loves me, T. She's going to marry me. All you've succeeded in doing is embarrassing yourself."

"I'm not embarrassed," Tristan said calmly. "You, on the other hand, are definitely afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

Tristan's voice was low, taunting. "Afraid of the fact that she hasn't given you an answer to your proposal. Afraid that maybe now she never will. Afraid that she doesn't love you as much as you want her to."

"You're a bastard," RJ hissed.

His smile was practically feral. "Yes, I am. But then, that's never really been a secret, has it? Rory doesn't seem to mind. Do you know what she did last night after I told her I loved her?"

"What?" he ground out.

"She held my hand and made me promise not to leave," Tristn said with a smirk.

"She just came out of a coma. She probably didn't even realize what she was doing.

"Oh, she knew. And do you know what else she told me?"

"Enlighten me," he snapped.

"She told me that she could hear me when she was in her coma. She heard me tell her over and over that I loved her. She probably would have heard you too--if you had been there."

RJ was furious. He pulled back, and without hesitation sent a fist flying into Tristan's face. Blood erupted from his nose, and he yelled in pain and shock.

"Jesus, RJ, what the hell is your problem?"

RJ looked ready to punch him again. "What's my problem? You're the one trying to steal me fiancée!"

"She's not your fiancée yet!"

Before RJ could respond, security appeared and pulled the two men away from each other. Just then, Luke and Lorelai walked in.

"What the hell's going on here?" Luke demanded to know.

"He punched me," Tristan growled.

"Did you deserve it?" Luke asked.

"Probably," he admitted.

Lorelai stepped in. "We're sorry about the disruption, officers, but we can take it from here. We'll make sure they stay out of trouble."

One of the officers, whose nametag read "Dunlap," nodded. "Okay, ma'am, but if anything else happens, we're going to have to ask you all to leave."

"Don't worry," Luke said grimly. "They'll behave."

Once security was gone, Luke faced the two younger men. "Are you two nuts? Rory doesn't need this kind of stress."

"Lorelai doesn't even know I'm here," Ryan said.

"Maybe it's better that she doesn't," Lorelai spoke up.

Ryan stared at her for a moment, and then understanding seemed to dawn. "You want her with Tristan, don't you?" he said slowly. "You want me to just disappear so they can live happily ever after. What did I ever do to make you hate me?"

Lorelai looked stricken. "I don't hate you, Ryan. I just..."

"You don't think I'm right for your daughter. I can respect that, but I don't agree with it, and I'm not going to just go away."

"I didn't really think you would," she replied.

He smiled sadly. "No, but you were hoping."

Lorelai didn't answer. After a moment, she said, "I'm going to go check on Rory."

"I'll be in soon," Luke replied. "First I need to talk to these two."

She nodded and headed down the hall.

"This crap stops now," he said to them. "I don't care how much you say you love her--no one loves her the way her mother and I do, and we're not going to let you upset her. We clear?"

They nodded, both of them suddenly feeling very young.

"Good. Now I'm going to go see Rory, but security will be watching you, so don't screw up." With that, he walked away.

Rory woke up when her mother entered her hospital room, and flashed her a tired smile.

"Hey sweetie. How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Still tired, but okay. Where's Tristan?"

"He's in the waiting room. I'm sure he'll come see you in a little while."

"I hope so," she said softly. "He told me he loves me, mom."

Lorelai sat down on the foot of the bed. "How do you feel about that?"

Rory hesitated. "I'm not sure. I think I could hear him when I was in the comas, and what he was saying...it sounded right. But...it's Tristan."

"Is that really such a bad thing?"

"I don't know. I'm just so confused! I mean, Ryan proposed! And I love him."

"But?"

She sighed. "But hearing Ryan say he loves me has never made me feel the way I did when I heard it in my coma."

"What was so different about it?"

"It just seemed more...right, I guess. I felt accepted, and secure. It was a feeling I wanted to wake up and have."

"And now you know it wasn't Ryan making you feel that way."

"Right. But do I really know it was Tristan? Maybe I was just dreaming the feeling."

"Maybe, but how did you feel when he told you he loves you after you woke up?"

"I felt, I don't know, content, I guess. Like things made more sense after he said it. Do you know what I mean?"

Lorelai nodded. "I think so. Honey, how do you feel about him?"

"That's the part I haven't figured out yet."

Luke entered the room then. "Morning, Rory. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Do you think they'll let me go home soon?"

"Why don't I go find a doctor and see if I can find out?"

Rory smiled up at him. "Thanks, Luke. That would be great."

Luke left, and soon passed Ryan, who was coming down the hall.

In the hospital room, Rory turned back to her mother. "This is all such a mess, mom. The only thing I'm sure of right now is that I have to tell Ryan I can't marry him."

Out in the hallway, Ryan froze. He couldn't have just heard Lorelai say that. This had to be a nightmare. His jaw set and fists clenched, he walked into the room...

To be continued…