Disclaimers and summary: See chapter one.

The Seventh Stranger
Chapter 3: You never answered when I called

It had been three days, three days and nights spent in bed crying between small periods of restless sleep. Gabrielle was at Tristan's side during his every waking moment, she held him and cried with him but never once in three days had he said a word. She checked out of her own room to move into his room. Sometimes, when he had fallen asleep, she took the opportunity to go for a small walk. She was exhausted from the lack of sleep but while she breathed in the fresh air and walked, it helped her keep her sanity. Every time she had fallen asleep, she had been awakened by Tristan's cry, sometimes he screamed, other times he only let out small sound but most of the times she heard him scream questions like, "How can you hate me Rory? You're the only one who can save me." She had a vague idea of who this Rory was and bit by bit, she figured out that it was the girl he had ran away from three days ago.

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Gabrielle was lost; she had no idea where she was. She had ventured into the streets hypnotized by the huge mansions, comparing them to the one that she had grown up in. While she tried to find her way back, still admiring the architecture of the almost castles, she bumped into someone and fell on the sidewalk. The other girl in front of her extended her hand to help her up as she babbled the whole time, "I'm so sorry, I can get so clumsy sometimes and I haven't been able to stop reading even if I'm walking. It's such a captivating story! I keep telling myself, one more line, one more line but…"

Gabrielle interrupted the girl, "It's okay, really. You're not from here are you?"

The girl laughed, observed by Gabrielle; wide sparkling blue-green eyes, brown and straight shoulder length hair, a little smaller than herself. The girl explained, "I'm visiting London with my grandfather and I live in my great-grandmother's estate for the summer. I leave in three days to go back to school."

Gabrielle smiled knowing that she liked this girl, "I'm here for another two days. I also have to go back to school."

Rory smiled and asked, "Where do you go to school?"

"I just graduated high school. I'll be going to Yale next week."

Rory's smile widened, "Well maybe we'll see each other around campus, I'm going to Yale also."

Gabrielle checked her watch and explained, "It would be very nice. Right now though, I have to go back to my hotel if only I knew where it is."

"Well, maybe I can help you." Rory gave Gabrielle directions and they both went on their separate ways. When Gabrielle was about to turn the corner, Rory screamed, "I forgot to ask you your name!"

Gabrielle turned around and screamed back before running away, "My name is Gabrielle … " The rest of her name was lost in the wind.

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Meanwhile, as Tristan slept, he relieved thoughts that he assumed had long since been forgotten.

"Mom, I need your help with my homework!" A very young Tristan screamed while entering his parent's room only to find his mom half naked with a man that was not his father.

"I can't help you right now sweetie, go ask your nanny." Defeated, Tristan left the room to find his nanny.

He tossed violently in his slumber as another memory plagued his dreams.

"Why do you keep throwing sand in my face?" Young Paris asked.

Young Tristan smirked and replied, "Because I know you won't say anything!"

Young Paris defied him, "And why wouldn't I?"

Tristan took a step closer to Paris and gave her a small kiss on the lips before running away screaming and smirking, "Because you just love me too much to get me in trouble!"

He turned again, this time to rest on his stomach.

"Tristan, you have to understand that I can't bribe everyone to forget about every mistake you make!"

Tristan looked at the floor and pleaded, "Father, please, can't we go to the carnival together? Just the two of us?"

Tristan's father sighed exasperatedly before exploding, "I don't have time to deal with all the things you want to do Tristan. You're going to be eight pretty soon. You have to grow up!"

He twisted onto his back in time as yet another haunting memory enveloped him,

"Hi I'm Austin!"

Tristan exchanged hands with the boy in front of him and replied, "I'm Tristan, Tristan DuGrey that is."

Austin was confused by the seriousness of the kindergarten kid that stood in front of him but replied anyhow, "It's nice to meet you Tristan. Why don't you lose your act a bit? You might enjoy life a little more!"

Fourteen years old Tristan walked inside the pool house and was met by his father with his nanny completely naked. His father screamed, "You never saw any of this son! We'll have to fix a code so this never happens again. And, remember, if you say a word, I have ways to make you regret!"

"Summer, what were you and Austin doing locked in the bathroom?"

"What are you going to do about it? Drag me to your Porsche pulling me by the hair?"…"I'm sick of hearing you calling me your girlfriend twenty times a day!"

"He's not my boyfriend, I hate him!"

He shifted back to his stomach,

"You're odd!"

"Thank you!"

"You know what these are?"

"Looks like concert tickets!"

"One of them is for you!"

"I can't date you Tristan!"

Back on his left side,

"Look guys, we have another rich boy joining us!" A guy said.

Another one laughed as he replied, "Do you think this one will bend for the soap willingly?"

Another guy rubbed his hands together as he muttered, "I bet I can make him and I will break him at the same time!"

This time, Tristan was screaming and he couldn't stop. He screamed until he was too exhausted to scream anymore. Sweat covered his face and body and when his voice broke, all he knew was that he was alone. Alone again. Alone forever! And the dreams continued,

"You are five against me! Can't you be man enough to be one on one?"

Smiling with rage, a guy yelled at Tristan, "Boy, you are going to regret saying that!"

Tears escaped Tristan's eyes while he slept,

"Guys, I'll do whatever you want but not this again! I'll do your homework, your chores! Anything but please, not this again!" Tristan was crying as he laid on his stomach on the floor of the shower, naked.

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Gabrielle entered the room in a hurry as she heard Tristan scream. As soon as she approached Tristan and touched his shoulder, he stood up in bed, took his head in his hands and begged, "Please, leave me alone! Please, I don't want to feel that pain again!"

Gabrielle embraced him in her arms and whispered in his ear, "Everything's going to be alright now. Tristan, everything's going to be alright!"

Tristan wrapped his arms around Gabrielle and muttered in his sleep, "I know you can change my world Rory if only you would give me a chance." Tristan laid back down and for the first time in three days, he had a peaceful rest.