Family Portrait
Author's Note: Okay, once again I made a mistake with Liza's age, so just so everyone's clear she's still four, not five. Also, I'm sorry about the spelling mistakes but since I type rather quickly I sometimes miss them, even with spell check. I read them over as often as possible and change whatever I can find but I hope it doesn't disturb you're reading much. For all of you readers, I haven't made my choice in who Rory's going to chose either, originally this was supposed to be a Literati but I've become as confused as poor Rory. I hope you all trust me enough to understand why I did what I did in the chapter. Take care and happy reading. Oh! And review telling me what you think of course.
Chapter 16 Games of the Heart
Rory and Tristan sat across from each other in the sitting room of the Dragonfly Inn. For the past hour or so the two of them had just been sitting there playing game after game of Checkers together. Needless to say the future father of her child was clobbering Rory.
"I give up!" she exclaimed finally, "You win!"
"I know," Tristan smirked, "I am the king of everything."
"No, you were the king of Chilton, you are the king of being a jackass and you just might be the king of Checkers," Rory corrected him, "As for anywhere else, that has yet to be decided."
"Willing to give me a shot in one of those department?" Tristan raised a brow, "I have been supplied with a queen sized bed." Rory rolled her eyes at his insinuations and continued to put the game away neatly in its box.
"Been there, done that," she reminded him, holding back a smile. He was watching her carefully from the corner of his eyes as he continued began to help her clean up after their game.
"Well, neither of us can form opinions based on that night," he spoke up, "I mean, neither of us remember it because, if I'm not mistaken, we did have a lot to drink."
"After all we've been through in the past forty eight hours you're still the same Tristan, I'm amazed," Rory shook her head, putting the lid on the box and standing up.
"You're going to leave me all alone down here?" Tristan raised and inquisitive eyebrow.
"I'm sure you can manage," she retorted and turned to leave.
"Come on Mary," he pleaded, "At least sit down and talk with me a while longer." Rory sighed and gave into temptation. Taking her seat in front of Tristan once again. He had really been able to put her at ease since the morning they woke up his bed very naked. All the right things had been said to make her feel good. Make her feel like the old Rory Gilmore.
"Fine," Rory pretended that she had no other choice and she'd rather be elsewhere, "Just for a while."
"I knew I could charm you into staying," Smirking cockily, he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, "Not, how to get you into my room."
"How about you give up on that," Rory suggested, "Or you're going to find yourself in more pain than you've ever know."
"Why, Mary, do my ears deceive me?" Feigning shock Tristan leaned forward again, "Or are your actually implying that you are going to cause me pain."
"You know what I'm implying," she replied simply, knowing that they would both leave it at that. Never would it be voiced that temptation was slowly beginning to get the better of her. Really, even though she didn't want to, she was considering taking Tristan up on his offer. She knew he was kidding, being his old self, but Rory did want to know what it would be like to be with him not under the influence of alcohol.
After all, he had been her second and she could not remember what it had been like. She remembered clear as day what her first, and only, time with Jess had been like. The second time was supposed to be better, less painful. At least, that's what Rory had been told.
The only reason she hadn't slept with Jess again after their first night before Christmas had been because the opportunity hadn't presented itself. Someone would always walk in, or call, or they had to get somewhere quickly. Then, before she knew it, she was pushing him away.
It wasn't that she needed sex, far from it. It wasn't going to make her feel as if everything were perfect; it wasn't going to make her choice for her. She just wanted to feel something other than utter confusion for once, other than sadness.
Only after a minute did Rory realize that Tristan was watching her with a curious expression and Rory snapped out of her trance. She was being ridiculous. Tristan was actually getting to her; this was what he wanted her to be doing. It was just like she was in High School again; he was trying to get under her skin, and as usual it was working.
"You know, I think I'm actually going to go to bed," Tristan announced, standing up, "I have to drive back to Boston tomorrow morning to make it back in time for my first class."
Once more, Rory's mind whirred. There was no innuendo, no suggesting she follow. Should she assume that, if she wanted to, he wouldn't want her to come up with him? She knew that Tristan loved her just as much as Jess himself did, and he would be more than happy to have her. Maybe he had changed more than she thought he had, no she knew he had changed more than she thought. Tristan DuGray was an honest man now, an honest man who loved her and didn't want to hurt her.
"Tristan?" Rory turned as Tristan walked by her, she called out to him. Pausing, Tristan looked at her, his eyes boring into her and asking if she really wanted what she was implying just by saying his name. He knew, just by the tone of her voice what she was asking.
She didn't want to be considered a slut if she slept with him. It wasn't that she was looking for sex; it wasn't that she needed it or that she was using Tristan because of his implications earlier. Rory wanted to feel. That was all she wanted and Tristan was giving her the chance to feel. She had convinced herself of that.
If people knew what she was about to do as she stood up and took Tristan's hand she knew many would hate her. In her mind she saw their disapproving looks, the looks of disappointment, but either way it didn't matter to her. In the end, she was the one making the choice to do this now. She was the one with when it came time would chose between one of two men: one she loved more than anything in the world, one she was beginning to fall deeply in love with as well.
Things were getting so confusing as each second ticked by on the clock and no matter what Rory was going to feel and forget just for one night. She was pregnant with Tristan's child, she had given birth to Jess', and for once she wanted to do something without consequences.
Suddenly she stopped and muttered his name once more, "Tristan…"
"Rory, I know," He looked into her blue eyes once more as they reached his door. He conveyed to her in just one look his thoughts on what was happening. Once again she had underestimated Tristan DuGray, he knew that this wasn't her making her choice that this was just something she needed to do at the moment.
"Good."
"You're sure that you want this though?" he asked.
"You won't hate me for this?" she questioned in return, "Think any less of me?"
"Never," came his soft reply as he cupped her face in his hands and leaned in placing a soft kiss on her lips. It reminded her so much of the first kiss she had shared with this man back when he was just a boy back in Chilton. It was Rory's first real kiss with feeling she had experienced in what seemed like forever.
Breaking the kiss reluctantly, Tristan unlocked the door to his room and led Rory through the doorway. Before they were through though, Rory had locked lips with him once more. Adding passion and longing to the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into him. As he slid his arms around her waist, she kicked the door closed.
(The Next Morning)
Rory moaned slightly as she felt a weight lifted out of the bed, the warm body that had been pressed against hers all night was gone and she turned over and sat up slightly in bed. Rubbing sleep out of her eyes she tucked her short curly locks behind her ear and looked for Tristan.
Across the room she saw him, a sheet wrapped around him as he headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She watched him quietly from her spot on the bed, his bed. As he turned around to close the door he caught her eye and smiled. "You willing to join me for another round Mary?" he raised a suggestive eyebrow.
"What time is it?" Rory asked tiredly, holding the sheets closer to her bare chest now. Glancing to the curtained window she could see that the sun had likely just risen, or was starting to.
"Five," he replied and Rory groaned, sliding back down into bed.
"It's too early," came her muffled response.
"Well, I do have to be back in Boston this morning," he reminded her, "You going to be all right with no sexy me to warm you bed."
"You're full of yourself," Rory shot back.
"I know," he smirked, "But you weren't complaining last night."
"Go take your shower!" Rory rolled her eyes and leaned her head back into her pillow, unable to fall back asleep. She listened to the rhythmic sound of the shower, and thought about what she had just done. Surprisingly, there were no regrets at all. This was something she had thought she had to do, something she still believed she did.
Leaning over she reached for the phone and instead found a small, black book next to it. Furrowing her eyebrows Rory reached over and picked it up. She had never seen it before; it was definitely not something that was complimentary of the Inn either.
Sitting up again, she looked at the title and smiled slightly. It was a book of baby names; Tristan had probably picked it up at one of the local bookstores before coming to meet her back at the Inn. She had wondered where he had disappeared earlier the previous day. Apparently, his talk with Chris, Jess and Luke had gotten to him.
Stray strands of her new short hair fell in front of her face and Rory quickly brushed them back as she opened the book and began to look through the different baby names. With Liza, she'd never really had to. As soon as they found out she was a girl, they had known her name would be Lorelai. The Elizabeth had been a suggestion by Lane, and Luke. Although, secretly, she had always known that she would use Elizabeth for her middle name, she didn't know why though. This time it would be different; she would actually have to go through different names to decide.
Instinctively her hand went to her stomach and she wondered whether this time she'd be having a boy or another girl. No matter though, Rory knew she was going to love this child with all of her heart, already did.
A while later Tristan exited the bathroom, a towel rapped around his waist, hair damn and falling in front of his face. He winked at her and shot her a grin before pulling on a pair of boxers as he let the towel drop to his feet. Rory admired him as he dressed and when he was done, she herself got out of bed and headed for the shower.
It was standing under the hot water and washing herself off that Rory suddenly came to the realization that jumping in bed with Tristan had not made things any better than they had been, or any worse. She was still in the same predicament, had only forgotten about it for a short time. Pausing before turning the shower off, the hot water trickling down her body, she thought of Jess back at the diner.
He was probably just getting up; the early morning diner rush would probably just be starting soon. Her guess was that Luke was showing up with Liza and Lucas. Her daughter would be following Jess around as soon as he finished eating. Jess was an amazing father, already Liza looked at him as if her were some kind of superhero.
When she was done her shower and had changed, her hair curling as the air-dried it, and walked back into the room she found that Tristan was packed and ready for his return journey to Boston. For a whole week chances were she'd see neither of them, and nothing would get done.
"So, see any names you like?" Tristan wondered he held the baby name book in his hand.
"I don't know," Rory shrugged, "Didn't get too far."
"This is going to be good," Tristan told her, "We're going to be good with this."
"I know," "Rory nodded.
"'I've got to go," Tristan kissed her forehead and picked up his bag, "I'll call you later."
"Alright," Rory nodded and followed him out of the room, and then watched as he walked away towards the stairs.
(A half hour later, at Luke's Diner)
Rory pushed open the door to the diner and looked around, it was busy as it usually was around breakfast time and many of the usual costumers were eating breakfast at their respectful tables. She searched for her mother, Jess, or Liza but none of them seemed to be there.
"Luke!" Rory approached the counter, smiling at the man behind it.
"Rory!" Luke nodded his hello.
"Where are mom and the kids?" Rory wondered.
"They went with Lane and Paris," Luke replied, quickly serving some customers coffee, "I don't know where."
"And Jess?" Rory raised a brow.
"He's upstairs," Luke called back to her, "Go on up."
"Thanks," Rory told him and quickly ducked to the stairs and climbed up to where Rory knew Jess had been staying, Luke's old apartment.
Knocking lightly on the door, Rory was told to enter. She did, slowly opening the door not sure what she should expect to find on the other side of the door. What the younger Gilmore had not expected was to find a shirtless Jess buckling up the belt on his jeans. For a good moment in time, she was unable to pull her eyes away from him, and when she finally did she looked down at her shoes and tucked her hair behind her ear. Suddenly, she felt more like a subconscious teenager than a grown twenty-two year old woman.
"Rory," Jess paused as he grabbed a shirt from off of the bed. He approached her then, pulling it over his head.
"Hi," Rory looked back up at him.
"Hi," he nodded back. What happened next was hard for Rory to explain. It was almost as if they were seventeen again, just starting their relationship. Jess leaned in and kissed her, his hand reaching for hers and their fingers tangling together.
"Hi," Rory said again once they had broken the kiss. They stared at each other for a second longer, and Rory knew that if he kissed her again she might not be able to stop. Four years of waiting, wishing for a moment like this, even though she had driven him away, had left her longing for him. The kiss was a bitter reminder of what she had given up, of how much she had always loved kissing him.
Then, he leaned in again and Rory felt all her senses fly away. Her inhibitions were gone, just as they had been the previous night with Tristan. She let out a happy sigh and let herself be completely taken over by the kiss.
To her surprised, Jess was the one who broke it. Stroking her cheek gently and his brown eyes looking down at her, "I've got to go to New York tonight."
"Oh." Suddenly, Rory felt her heart sink. He had promised her that he would never leave her again.
"I'll only be gone a week," Jess assured her, "My boss, he needs me for a couple a days. My temporary replacement quit, and he's trying to find a new one."
"Oh," was all she could manage to mutter.
"I don't want to go," Jess whispered.
"I know," she nodded slowly, and then leaned in to kiss him again.
"Rory…" Jess muttered, leaning his forehead against hers.
"Just go with it Jess," she breather. He nodded and continued to kiss her. She was surprised at how both Tristan and Jess had been able to stir her this way, how they had both somehow allowed her to let go. Her mind was so far from made up and now both men were leaving her alone for a week.
(Late at night, at Paris and Rory's apartment)
They had returned home not even an hour ago, and now Rory sat on the couch in the dark alone. The past twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind of emotions, and Rory still wasn't sure what she was going to do with the mess that had become her life in such a short time.
Sure, she loved Jess. Always had and always would, but now there was also a new life growing inside her to think about. A new baby and Tristan, whom with just one look, Rory knew his heart belonged solely to her.
Jess, was as every filled with mystery. She knew he loved her, but other than that she knew nothing else of his thoughts and feelings. He was an enigma that Rory knew she might never truly understand, and that was something she loved about him.
She flashed back to him saying goodbye to Liza, promising his daughter he'd be back by weeks end. It was around the four year old that Rory saw the changes in him the most; he was dedicated to be a good father to this girl. It made her regret all the more pushing him away four years ago.
Standing up, Rory headed to bed. For once she decided that she would not let her issues bother her, she would wait until tomorrow to become the confused heap she knew she would. The weight had still not been lifted off her shoulders, and until it was she couldn't truly be happy.