TITLE: No Longer
PAIRING: R/T, L/L, J/P
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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What You Hear Is Fate:
'Mom! Tristan! I'm home!' Dana said walking though the door. She saw the three of them eating breakfast.
'Morning.' Rory said standing up.
'Well you all look like shit.' Dana commented sitting down and taking her blood sugar.
'Thanks.' Rory said sarcastically but gave her a look of disapproval for her word choice.
'I had an incident last night.' Tori said.
'What else is new?'
'Dana!' Tristan said in disbelief.
'Sorry.' She said looking down.
'So you guys were supposed to show us your favorite two houses today,' Tristan reminded them.
'Oh yea, but there seems to be a problem with that.' Tori said. Rory and Tristan raised their eyebrows.
'Yea, we saw a lot of awesome houses but surprisingly me and Tori agreed on the same house. We both got this weird feeling when we saw it.'
'Well then let's get on our way.' They all got into the car as Dana and Tori gave them directions. Ten minutes later they pulled in front of an open house.
'Right here!' Dana shouted agreeing with Tori in excitement. Rory and Tristan's jaws dropped at the site of the particular house.
'What?' the girls asked simultaneously.
'N-nothing, its just, well, your father and I have looked at this house before.'
'You two go on inside. Your mom and I will be along shortly.' They nodded and ran inside.
'Well I never thought I'd see this house again.' Rory said giving it a once over.
'That makes two of us.'
'We can't move in here! There's too many memories from this house.'
'I don't know, you're the one always talking about fate.'
'One look.' Rory broke down and brought Tristan with her. Needless to say, they bought the house going slightly over asking price to ensure that they would get the house.
'So any reason why you both had odd looks on your faces when looking through the house?' Dana asked as they climbed into the car.
'Your mom and I used to live there.' Tristan said. There was no other way to say it. It was dead silent.
'That's creepy.' Tori said burrowing her eyebrows. Dana nodded mutely in agreement.
'Umm so all of our stuff is in storage except for the three suitcases and I checked up on that apartment for this week and we can go there today.' They all agreed to pick their stuff up and leave the house for good.
'So do we know what this place looks like?' Rory asked.
'Nope, but if it's a dump then at least we're only staying there for a small amount of time, plus, the Super said it was open for this month before a family moves in permanently.' Tristan said focusing on the road.
'Oh. Rory said trying to put a name on the feeling in her stomach. They parked and were directed by the Super to the apartment. Rory stomach dropped when she stood outside the door. Tristan seemed a little weirded out too.
'Isn't this—?'
'Yes.' Rory said interrupting Tristan as they walked inside. It looked almost the same.
'Now what?' Dana asked.
'Dana, I don't know if you remember, but you and I used to live in this apartment.'
'Uhh, was this on purpose?' Tori interjected.
'Not in any way.' Tristan said looking around.
'I'm getting a twilight zone feeling.' Dana said.
'Yea that or we're on a TV show without knowing it, SO IF THERE'S ANY HIDDEN CAMERA'S, YOU CAN COME OUT NOW!' Tori added, and then it was quiet.
'Well it's a nice apartment.' Tori said finally. They all nodded.
'Well it's not like we have another option for now. Girls, there are two rooms on the right side, pick which one you want.' They nodded and went to investigate the rooms.
'Weird Day.' Tristan breathed.
'Tell me about it. I think the gods' are mocking us.' Rory said frowning.
'Come on.' He said taking her hand and taking her to the room on the left—their room…well for the week. Rory sat on the bed.
'You know this day couldn't have gotten any stranger.' Rory said.
'It can always get weirder.' He said smiling and sitting next to her.
'I was perfectly happy last night before we got that phone call.'
'Well that's good to know. So are we ordering in?'
'Pizza?'
'Eww no, let's get Indian.' Tori said walking into the room.
'Indian! Forget it, Japanese!' Dana argued joining. Rory and Tristan looked at each other.
'Italian?' Tristan suggested. They all thought about it before smiling and nodding.
'Wow, a problem solver. You know we've always needed one of those.' Dana said. Tristan smiled and picked up the phone dialing the number that was on a brochure. They all told him what they wanted and soon the order was complete and he hung up the phone.
'30 minutes.' Tristan said. They all nodded.
'So umm, Mom, Tristan…I kind of have something I wanted to tell you.' Dana started looking down.
'Can your sister be in the room for this?' Rory asked.
'She can be, I don't know if you want her to be.'
'Tori, go watch some TV.' Tori sighed and left the room shutting the door on her way out.
'I kind of met a guy.'
'You're pregnant.' Rory stated.
'Uhh—'
'Dana Lorelai Christina Dugrey! I cannot believe this!' Rory yelled standing up. Tristan stood up and took Rory's arm.
'Rory, she didn't say yes…so?' he asked sighing.
'NO!' Dana said shouting back.
'I'm not stupid, mom! I thought you trusted me!'
'Oh Dana, I do but your grandma didn't expect it to happen. Your dad and I didn't plan for you or your sister either.' Dana looked confused. Rory forgot she had never exactly told her daughter's what had happened. It was always, he left and that was it.
'We'll get back to that, but for your info I'm a proud virgin!' Dana said calming down. Tristan looked uncomfortable.
'Relax, mom already had the sex talk with me.' Dana sighed motioning for them that it was okay for them to sit down again.
'His name is Ben and he's so nice. I met him at school, he's new this year and he's so nice.'
'What does he look like?' Tristan asked.
'Sandy blonde hair, smooth brown eyes. An adorable smile that makes him have dimples that makes me melt. Everyday I see him all I want to do it hug him. He's not that tall, about 5'8'', which wont be bad since I'm 5'4'', and I just…all I want to do is make him smile.'
'Wow.' Rory said in awe.
'Sounds a lot like something I went through.' Tristan admitted.
'You're gay?' Dana asked surprised.
'No, I just mean I went through that thinking about a girl.'
'Summer?' Rory asked.
'I was talking about you, Rory.' He said dead panned.
'Oh.' Rory said blushing.
'Yea?' Dana asked.
'Yea. Your mom and I met in high school; you know I was the player—never heard of a long-term relationship. Your mom was the new kid, sweet and not affected by the high class social structure of the school. I met her and immediately knew she was the one I wanted to be with.' He said with a happy glint in eyes.
'Well I don't know if I want to be with him forever, but I've definitely found a great liking in him.'
'That hot, huh?' Rory asked smiling.
'Actually, he's more of the good-looking cute type.'
'Good looking?'
'She said good looking!' Rory said happily!
'She's my daughter!' Rory cheered. Dana gave her a weird look.
'Not many people say good looking anymore but I will always use it.' Rory said explaining.
'Did you think dad was good looking?' Rory looked at Tristan and frowned.
'Can I refuse to answer?' she asked. Dana shook her head.
'Incredibly.' She said quietly.
'Mary?' Tristan asked smirking.
'Get over it!' Rory defended herself.
'You thought I was incredibly hot.' Tristan said nudging her.
'See Dana, look what you did!' Rory said incredulously. Dana stifled a laugh.
'Thanks for telling us Dana.' Rory said smiling.
'Sure, I just thought you guys might like to know in case anything happens and I find myself with a boyfriend.'
'Just be careful, okay?' Tristan said.
'I will.' Dana said smiling and opening the door.
'She was three yesterday!' Rory complained into his chest. Tristan smiled and rubbed her back. There was a knock on the apartment door.
'Come on, foods here.' Tristan said. They got up and made their way to the main room where Tori and Dana had set up plates and utensils. Tristan paid the delivery guy and the four started to eat dinner on the floor. It was just like a picnic, but it was indoors…and okay it wasn't a picnic, just them eating on the floor since there was no furniture around.
'So about your not planning for us.' Dana said.
'What?' Tori asked confused. Tristan looked at Rory, she gave a helpless look back.
'Your mom and I were married for a little over a year before we got a divorce. About a year later, I was at your mom's party and we were together that night and your mom ended up pregnant. Three years later, we were at a Chilton reunion and things went to far and your mom ended up pregnant with you, Tori. I had left right after Dana was born—not by choice, and so I'd never came back until I found you all this summer.'
'Wow, you know even spark notes would've given you better detail.' Dana said.
'Yea, but that's everything that happened.' Rory said quietly.
'Why did you never tell us we were not expected?'
'Because we had both of you out of wedlock and you guys didn't need to deal with that.' Rory explained.
'Deal with that? What?'
'You both grew up without a father, that was hard enough on you guys. Your father's and my history is complicated and you guys didn't need to deal with that too.'
'So how much was true?' Tori asked.
'What do you mean?'
'You told us Dad left because he found another woman.' Tori yelled.
'What?' Tristan asked.
'Tori where did you hear that?' Rory asked. Dana looked down.
'Dana told me that that's what you told her happened!'
'Dana?' Rory asked.
'It was your birthday. You locked yourself in your room crying. Tori was six, and I didn't know what happened, so I just told her what I thought. It made it easier to hate you.' Dana said referring to Tristan.
'I never left your mom for another woman, would never have thought of it.'
'I'm sorry.' She said sincerely. He nodded his head. They were all quiet for a while busy eating their dinners.
'So uhh how's school?' Tristan asked.
'It sucks. I have this weird teacher who smells like old fish, and man is she just a fugly teacher.' Tori said sighing.
'I'm sorry to hear that. I once had a teacher who picked on me because I was fascinated with this one girls' ear. Well it wasn't her ear that was fascinating, it was her, but that was what it looked like was staring at.'
'And what happened?' Dana asked.
'Mrs. Caldecott was her name. Uhh she asked me if staring at this girls' ear was more interesting in listening to her lecture, and of course I said no, but nothing could've torn my eyes away from this girl.'
'What was so special about her?' Rory asked.
'Everything. Her voice. Her personality, hair, eyes, nose, cheeks, body. She was gorgeous to me.'
'Sounds like you were in love.' Dana said.
'Yea.'
'So what happened to her?' Tori asked.
'Divorced, has a couple of kids. She's probably somewhere on the floor eating dinner much like we are.' He said smiling. The two girls didn't get it was Rory he was talking about.
'So what about you Dana?' Tristan continued.
'Uhh I told you about Ben. Danielle, one of my good friends from school, her mom just found out she has cancer so Danielle's really upset about that.'
'Oh wow, she's such a nice woman too.' Rory said gasping.
'Yea.'
'Mr. Judson is retiring in June.' Tori said.
'Aww, why?' Rory asked. He was one of her favorite teacher's at the school. He was a gentle and kind old man.
'Nearing his heaven reservation I guess.' Rory frowned.
'So you guys never wanted to go to Chilton?' Tristan asked.
'I went there for 5 and 6 grade, but due to some…difficulties I had, mom pulled me out and Tori never went there.' Dana said.
'Difficulties?' Tristan asked.
'I didn't like people.' Was all she said.
'Oh, were they mean to you?' he pushed.
'Tristan…' Rory said softly.
'What?'
'Just let it be.' Rory said, trying to help out Dana…and herself.
'If it's that bad, someone should be notified.'
'I went into a diabetic coma, missed 6 months of school because I kept getting dizzy spells after I woke up from the coma, and Chilton didn't offer me any support in getting back on track. Redid everything I missed over the summer going into 6th grade. 6th grade hit and mom got Cancer. I refused to go to school when that happened, Tori was home with us too. Mom went into chemotherapy, but it wasn't working. Somehow and finally the doctor's got it under control and got rid of the cancer and it hasn't come back since. I missed 5 months that year. That's why I left.' She said quickly and quietly.
'Wow, look how late it is, come on Tori, we better get to sleep.' Dana said standing up quickly and walking away leaving Rory and Tristan alone.
'Please don't say anything.' Rory said quietly.
'How can I not? Rory, you almost died from cancer!'
'It wouldn't of mattered, you hadn't seen me for a bunch of years and I wasn't even in your life in the slightest.'
'You know with all the stories I'm hearing about the overdose with Tori, or her friend committing suicide, or Dana's uncontrolled diabetes, or your cancer, I'm starting to think that maybe Tori was right. I have taken life for granted my whole life.'
'That's what sickness or diseases are here for isn't it? To help us remember that we cant take life for granted, because it might just bite us in the ass and hit us twice as hard.' Rory said quietly.
'I want to be with you, Rory, and if that means all the troubles and sad days you've been carrying around come with you, then so be it. Why did you not tell me about your cancer?'
'It wasn't important.'
'Wasn't important?'
'I was prepared for my life to be over. I even gave my good bye's to everyone just in case I didn't make it.' She said looking down.
'So you were just going to give up?'
'There was nothing I could do! This isn't even worth fighting over. I hated those days and I try to bury them so no one has to relive those horrible days when we thought every new day was my last day. You don't know that feeling.'
'I don't, but I wish I could've been there for you.'
'You can be from here on out. I'm giving you that opportunity, now run with it.'
'Oh, I'm sprinting.' She smiled at him and allowed him to take her in his arms.
'I'm not going to stop until I'm sure that I've worn out life to its fullest so hold on.' He whispered.
'I'll hold on, but if you drop me don't look back.'
'There's no chance of that.'
E
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So yea just ignore the fact that pizza is Italian. I am fully aware of that and the first part of this chapter is kinda strange. I wrote it before at I think 3 am. :0) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review as always!
P.S. You reviewers are AWESOME! You all rock and I'm sending you all thank you's and hugs via air. Overnight shipping too! Oh and next chapter I'm going to do that reviewer thing where I respond to reviews and such so anything you need to say/ask, this chapter would be the one to do it in…or any chapter since I'm most likely going to do that from now on. :0) Thanks, Kiki
OTHLover14smile1: thank you! That means a lot to me. :0)
troryforever: oo the edge of your seat? That definitely makes me want to write more quicker!
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BumpyRider: I don't know if she'd be that gullible, but it was the least serious thing I could think of.
IloveJMAC: oh that's okay and thanks!
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