NO LONGER:

TITLE: No Longer

PAIRING: L/L, J/P, R?

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, just this story and the made up stuff about this show…such as Tristan Dugrey this late in the show or them getting married.

SUMMARY: Tristan divorces Rory, but fate disagrees.

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Razorblade Tone:

About two or so weeks later towards the end of the middle of July (AN: Let's just say around July 23rd), Rory was finally home for more than a day at a time. She had actually been home for the past three or four days…not that Dana knew that. She had spent the last three days at Jen's house. Tristan was doing okay and Kyle and the rest were doing pretty good too.

Jen's dad had dropped Dana off at her own house so that Dana could gather a few items and some clean clothes. When she got inside though she heard someone.

'Hello?' She called.

'Dana?'

'Mom?' Dana asked surprised going towards the voice which ending up in the kitchen. She saw her mom standing there looking through a cabinet.

'Dana!' Rory said and hugged her daughter.

'Mom, what are you doing home?'

'I umm, I actually got a call from umm this uhh person.' Rory said explaining with as little detail as possible. Dana lifted her eyebrows. Rory sighed and sat down, then motioned for Dana to do the same. She obeyed.

'My dad was never there. I grew up wishing he would've been there for me just a little bit, but he wasn't. I realized that some how I had managed to pull a Christopher Hayden on you, and pretty much left you to fend for yourself.'

'You did this last year too.' Dana pointed out.

'I know.' Rory said looking down at her lap.

'What aren't you telling me?' Dana asked suspiciously.

'Nothing.' A Lie.

'Mom.' She said sternly. Rory licked her lips and took a deep breath.

'What is it? Oh my god, Tori—'

'Tori is fine!'

'Mom…I don't get it.'

'Your…your father called me.' There it had been said.

'My father?' Dana asked confused.

'He…he's decided that no matter what I want, he wants to a part of your life.'

'A little late for that!' Dana said getting mad.

'He didn't have a choice.'

'So you're defending him now?' Dana yelled standing up.

'I didn't let him see you. He never had a choice in that matter!'

'So that's it? I see him, find out who the guy really is and then act like he's my father?' Dana asked on the verge of tears.

'Dana—' Rory pleaded.

'No! Don't Dana me! You're away for more time then you're here and all of a sudden it's okay to see my father after 15 years? I'm sorry but that doesn't fit right with me!'

'You don't have a choice! When Tori comes home, we're going up to Connecticut to see him.'

'MOM!' Dana screamed. Rory looked away.

'I'm sorry. But don't you want to meet him?'

'Of course I do! That's one of my goals in life, but you diluting me with all that garbage and now—nothing. You're forcing me to see him!' A tear rolled down Rory's cheek. Dana had to look twice. Only once had she actually seen her mom cry openly and that was when Richard Gilmore had passed away and even then she wasn't sure if she had seen any tears fall.

'Mom?' Dana asked gently.

'I'm sorry! I've done such a bad job, and my two girls aren't even my girls anymore. I let my eleven year old go to a camp all summer!' Rory said tears falling faster. Dana hugged her mom.

'You're doing the best you can.'

'But the best sucks!' Dana laughed. Even Rory had to laugh at what she said.

'Mom no matter what, I will and Tori will always love you!'

'I wasn't even there for your birthday!' Rory said putting her head in her hands.

'You could make it up to me in a way.'

'I'll do it! Whatever it is, I'll do it.'

'I want to see who my father is.'

'You will—'

'No, I meant pictures. I know you have some.'

'If you look at your sister, you see him.'

'But I want to see him.' Rory nodded and got up taking deep breaths.

'Stay here.' Rory went upstairs and returned a few minutes later with a big box.

'I uhh, I haven't looked at these for a long time.' Rory admitted.

'How long?' Dana asked sitting on the sofa.

'The last time that I really, and I mean really looked at them was the day I found out your father was gone.'

'15—'

'A long time.' Rory confirmed and took the lid off. Inside we're boxes of pictures. Rory took out an envelope a picture dropped onto the floor which Dana picked up. She looked at it. It was a baby with blonde hair and blue eyes.

'I've never seen this one. Why is Tori holding a Hot Wheels car?'

'DC, that's not Tori, that's your dad.' Dana looked at it again.

'But—'

'I told you to look at Tori for what your dad looked like.' Dana nodded.

'Can I see a more up-to-date one?' Rory nodded and found some. She handed them over to Dana. Dana's stomach dropped when she saw the blonde man. She gasped.

'What's this guys name?'

'Tristan Dugrey. You knew that.'

'Christopher.' Dana whispered.

'What?' Rory asked.

'Nothing—I umm I need to uhh….I left something at TC's house.' Dana said jumping up.

'How about you come grocery shopping with me first and then we can swing by jen's.'

'No, I umm I need to go now.' Dana said breathlessly.

'Okay, I'll drop you off.'

'No, I'll walk.' Dana said grabbing a sweatshirt and opening the door.

'Dana!'

'Go to the store, I, I umm, I just need to grab my stuff.' Dana said shutting the door and leaving. Once outside, the tears started to fall as she jogged out of site of her house before lying on a stranger's lawn and crying.

Meanwhile, Rory grabbed her purse and drove to the store. She pulled into the Acme (AN- if you care...that's pronounced like acne—just change the "n" to an "m".) and found a good spot. She grabbed a basket and headed inside. Within about ten minutes she had all the items she wanted—plus more.

Dana reluctantly got up and went to TC's house. She knocked on the door but found that he wasn't home. He was normally home and if he wasn't, he was meeting a client since he worked at his home during the summer. She wiped away a tear and walked to the middle of the lawn and sprawled herself out on it. She felt the tears come again.

'Oh I'm sorry.' Rory said turning around in the junk food aisle and almost collided with someone.

'No it's okay.' The man said. Rory looked at him and smiled and then walked away embarrassed. He looked pretty handsome but that just made her lead to thoughts about a blonde haired man. She thought that seeing those pictures had affected her more than Dana for now she was even hallucinating him as she walked down the aisle. There was no way he could be the one pulling a few soda's from the shelf. He couldn't be the man that had a few items at his feet not put into a basket/cart because of he eagerness to get back home. Heh, but that was the problem. It was him and in with her sudden jitters, it made it nearly impossible to walk down to aisle and not knock into a shelf. She swallowed her fear and continued to walk, but then dropped her basket from sweaty hands and made a loud noise.

Tristan looked up, you had too. He rushed over to help the woman. Rory took the offered hand and then jumped when she saw who it was.

'Tristan, I uh…you're real, right?' she stuttered.

'Umm hi. Yes, I'm real.' He said awkwardly.

'I uhh, what?' Rory attempted. Her stomach rumbled loudly. She realized she never got to eat before Dana came home.

'What are you doing here?' Tristan started.

'I umm I live a few minutes from here.' she said.

'You do?' he asked. He was completely shocked to have Rory Gilmore in the flesh in front of him.

'Yea, why are you here?'

'I live about 10 minutes from here. I tend to eat and I ran out of that thing called food.'

'Tristan you don't have to be an ass!' Rory said getting pissed off at his need to be overly sarcastic.

'You're right. You've been one enough for both of us. Have a nice rest of your life.' He said glaring at her before picking up his food and leaving the aisle.

'Wait.' Rory pleaded. He turned around with icy eyes.

'Dana wants to meet you.' She said quietly.

'Because I'm forcing you too.'

'No. She told me today that, that was one of her goals in life. To get to know you.'

'Does she know…?'

'I told her today. She was at a friends house.' Tristan nodded.

'I'm sorry I snapped at you I just…wow. Rory Gilmore is standing in front of me…she even called me to not go.' Tristan said sadly.

'Its been awhile.' Rory nodded.

'You uhh you wanna get something to eat? You know or whatever…'

'I'm not hungry.'

'I heard your stomach growl.' Tristan pointed out. Rory looked defeated.

'Sure.' She nodded and went with him to the food court. They both got a drink and went to sit down. They didn't talk for awhile.

'God, I so feel dejavu (sp?) right now.' Tristan looked confused at Rory's statement.

'I mean I've told you this before…'

'Rory, what? Is something wrong?' Tristan asked concerned. It was amazing…even if he was mad at you he would still be worried about you.

'I uhh there's something you don't know. I've been avoiding this for eleven almost twelve years.'

'Okay…?'

'You umm, you kinda have another daughter.'

'Kind of...?' Tristan questioned.

'Err yea. Apparently you impregnated me at the Chilton reunion.' Rory said softly.

'I umm, your kidding right?' Tristan asked, eerily calm. She shook her head. He got up and threw his cup in the garbage and then walked outside. Rory was stunned at his actions. She slowly got up and decided to leave. When passing the exit, she saw Tristan sitting on a bench. She made a beeline for him and sat down apprehensively,

'What was that?' she asked.

'I removed myself from the situation.'

'What?'

'I apparently not only have one but two girls, both of which have never met their father before. I don't know what's going on in Rory-ville, but here on Earth, we call that cruel.' He said. He wasn't yelling but you couldn't miss the hurt and bitterness in his voice.

'Cruel? You're calling me cruel? You walk out on your daughter and me! Why would I want to give you another chance to do it again?'

'Oh, you think I wanted to leave? I heard you talking with your mom. You didn't want me around and you know it.'

'Tristan! I was in a severe car accident, I had just give birth to a baby and you think I didn't want you there! How did you sum that one up?'

'Emily—well a mixture of both. Your grandma got to you before I did when you woke up and my mom had called me saying that you wanted me to leave your life. I didn't want to believe it so I went back to the hospital. I heard you talking about how you didn't want me and how it was my fault the accident happened.'

'What? I would never say that! That's not true! You didn't cause the accident! IF anyone did, it was my dad. If I remember correctly, we were in a fight that he caused to happen in the first place.'

'So you were talking about your dad…?'

'Yes! And you didn't walk out by choice…?' their tone's were curious, no longer annoyed or hurt.

'I would never have if I'd known…'

'See I thought you did, and when I called your cell, it was disconnected.'

'I threw my cell phone against the wall.' He said looking down.

'I'm sorry.'

'Why? For not believing me?'

'For not telling you about Victoria.'

'Is that her name? Victoria?'

'Yea. Victoria Alexa Dugrey. She looks just like you.'

'It's ironic. The two times—well three times we had sex when you weren't pregnant were the times that I got you pregnant.'

'It's somewhat scary how that happened.' Rory agreed. Tristan looked at his watch and winced. He wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

'I really need to go, but that's my cell phone number—and yes, it works.' She smiled and waved goodbye as he ran into the lot to his parked car.

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Well that's Chapter 26. I've started number 27 already except that I lost the paper I wrote it on, so I'm going to try and do it from memory as best as I can. I granted the wish that everyone had! I brought Tristan back into the story, but Rory and Tristan won't know quite yet. Next chapter preview:

'Dana what are you doing?'

'Photo album…I need one.'

'I umm what?'

'I need to see a photo album…one from your past. More specifically, your ex-wife.'

'Dana, I—'

'Tristan I would never do anything to cause you pain or whatever, but if what happened earlier today is true, well then I'm not who you think I am.'

I haven't written all of it yet, only about 2 pages….but I did have some typed before I lost it. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Also, I probably won't have another chapter out for a while, but I will try my hardest to get some more out soon! I have Spring break coming up, so that should give me some time! Please Review! Thanks, Kiki