Disclaimer: See prologue page. I also don't own Listen to Your Heart by D.H.T.
Chapter 2: Nothing to Lose
"So, Rory," Tristan began.
"So, Tristan," Rory responded.
It was after dinner. Shelly and Jordan had opted to go for a walk around their land to go see the wild horses that sometimes wandered onto their land. Tristan had asked Rory if she wanted to go for a walk at his house. When she'd accepted, Tristan felt like he was on top of the world.
"Jordan says your going to Harvard," Tristan said.
Rory nodded, a triumphant smile on her face. "Yep. My dream school."
"That's awesome," Tristan replied. "Congratulations."
"Thanks," Rory replied, bringing herself over to walk closer to him.
He felt the warmth of her body and had to control himself from taking her hand.
"The bad thing, though, is that my dad expects me to be home every weekend to go to his stupid parties," Rory said. "It's so stupid. My mom even plays along, and tells me I should be there so I can meet a respectable man."
Tristan thought back to his own mother and father's relationship -- how even though it was short, it was full of parties and galas.
"I understand," he whispered.
Rory looked at him. "How?"
"Can we go sit somewhere?" Tristan asked.
Rory nodded, and followed him up a hill to a tall oak tree. He sat down and propped his head up against it, and Rory sat down next to him, watching him intently.
"You've never heard of the DuGrey family of Hartford, have you?" Tristan asked.
"I have," Rory replied. "Janlan DuGrey is a good friend of my grandmother and grandfather. Their son, oh what was his name…"
"Valin," Tristan stated.
"He got into some trouble a few years before I was born," Rory said. "My mom talks about it all the time with his wife Sydney. She said he got some girl pregnant, married her, and then left her to fend for herself and their son."
Tristan looked at Rory. She couldn't read his face, and then everything seemed to click into place.
"You're the Tristan," she said.
Tristan nodded. "Guilty as charged. I'm the bastard child he left."
"You are not a… you're not one of those," Rory said.
Silence filled the air, and it was almost deafening. Rory rested her hand on top of his.
"My mom ran away from that life, and didn't marry my dad," she said, staring straight ahead. "Right after she had Shelly. They met up again when he was passing through Stars Hollow, Shelly was two. Stuff happened, and I was made. She still didn't want to marry him."
Tristan looked at Rory. "You don't have to…"
"I need to," Rory quietly interrupted. "I was five when they finally married. She took me away from my best friend Jess, and the one person who had ever been a father to Shelly and me -- Luke."
"That's why Shelly goes back to Stars Hollow so much," Tristan stated.
Rory nodded. "Yeah. She likes Luke, and I like Luke. I miss Jess a lot, but he and I manage our time to talk."
Tristan smiled as he noticed Rory's hand was still rested on top of his. "That's good, though."
Tristan then looked straight forward. "I was born with spinal meningitis."
Rory looked at him. "What's that?"
"It attacks the meninges of your brain," he responded. "I was supposed to either be mentally retarded or die."
He still stared straight ahead, not looking at Rory.
"What happened?" Rory questioned.
"That's why Dad left," he said. "He met Sydney, and decided she would be a better choice than some kid who couldn't carry on the family name."
Rory sighed, and Tristan looked at her. She was so beautiful.
"My first boyfriend was Dean," she said.
Tristan was clearly confused. "What does he --"
"We're having a true confessions time, aren't we?" she asked, smiling at him.
Tristan smiled back, and nodded. "Sure."
"Dean was awesome," she said. "He was a perfect first boyfriend."
Tristan looked at her. "But…"
"After two months, and seeing the way Jess and I acted around each other, he got jealous," Rory interrupted. "He… he would hold my wrists so tight bruises would show up. He even resorted to hitting me, but only where people couldn't see."
She took a deep breath. "One night, I decided I didn't want to take it anymore. I ended it."
Rory could almost feel a pain in her stomach, and her wrists. "He didn't want it to end. He… beat me, and he raped me."
Tristan held tightly to Rory's hand as tears began to stream down her face.
"I never told anyone, and mom often tried to push me into dating him again," Rory said. "Because he was a 'good choice' in her eyes."
"I got sent to Crescent View Community Health Center when I was sixteen," she continued. "I'd begun cutting myself."
"Why?" Tristan asked. "You didn't have to. Couldn't you have told someone?"
"Shelly was married and gone by that time," Rory replied. "I wanted to tell her everything. I couldn't, though."
Tristan nodded, understanding. "Oh."
"I was there for three months, and eventually things got back to what mom thought was normal," Rory said. "I went home, and Dean never came around again."
Tristan moved closer to Rory, and she laid down, laying her head on his stomach. "Everything was so messed up. Jess came by a few times, but only when Dad wasn't there. Dad doesn't like Jess too much. Mom's okay with him, though."
Tristan heard Rory sigh, and gently stroked her hair. "Hey, Rory?"
There was no response, and Tristan then heard her breathing heavily. She was asleep. He smiled as he watched her chest rise and fall. She was an angel.
Tristan and Rory were both still sitting under the tree when darkness fell. Rory had woken up from her nap feeling better. She had needed to tell someone what had happened, and no one had ever listened to her the way Tristan had.
Tristan smiled as Rory pointed to a firefly, and as she tripped over herself trying to run after it.
He walked over to her. "Nice going, Grace."
Rory smiled as he took her hand to help her up. "Thanks."
Tristan's eyes met Rory's. "I see one."
Rory looked at Tristan. "Where?"
"She's got coffee colored hair, and a smile that could light up a room," he replied.
Rory looked at the ground, and then up at Tristan again. "Really?"
"She scares the hell out of me," Tristan said. "But I think I like that."
She was shocked. She was scared, too. She didn't want to tell him, but then she thought
Listen to your heart
Before you tell it good-bye
Rory smiled, still holding Tristan's hands. "You scare me, too."
As the words left her mouth, he kissed her, and Rory felt as though the sky was exploding. She saw the colors of the rainbow as his arms wrapped around her waist. She heard the clouds move as she let her arms move up around his neck.
The planets aligned in that one moment. Everything was perfect.
She'd finally done what she hadn't been able to since Dean. She'd listened.
Listen to your heart
I hope you guys liked this chapter. BTW, spinal meningitis is an actual disease, and is often deadly. Crescent View does not exist (in case you were wondering), but if it does, then I don't own that either. Again, hope you liked it!The next chapter will contain a character everyone loves to hate, and hates to love!