Claim: I own Bella, Ryan and maybe a few short scene characters…

Sum it up: "I never cared that much," Rory stubbornly retorted, and watched as he sauntered out of her life…again.

Mental notes:

flash backs will be represented in italic

Less dialogue than most of my stories

More happened during Rory's time at Yale

I love Trory )

Warning: Short chapters…

Feedback: would be beautiful

Upon watching Rory fall to the floor- Tristan's immediate reaction was to swipe her off the ground, and lead her over to a lounge chair set out on the patio. He silently scolded himself for being so cruel while tending to her seemingly listless body. After minutes of respiration and plenty of cold wet clothes- her eyes fluttered open, but shut instantly after they met with Tristan's' stormy blue ones.

"I'm sorry," he scratched his head, and took his cell phone from his pocket, "I didn't mean to upset you…I'll bring you to the hospital, to get you checked out- just let me call someone."

"No," she reached for his hand, and opened her eyes, "I'm fine really. I don't want to go to the hospital."

"Are you sure?" his worried eyes looked into hers, and she smiled a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay…" for a minute they both got lost in their worry she almost forgot her hand was still resting contently on his.

He moved away, and ran his fingers through his hair. "I…I just can't believe this."

She closed her eyes- afraid of the pain in his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry."

He nodded, seeming like he accepted this and then shook his head. "No you're not."

She looked up at him, and stood to her feet. "Excuse me?"

"You're not sorry, you're just a chicken," he said, "you're the same scared little girl I've known for so long."

She crossed her arms to her chest, challenging him, "you don't know anything about me. I said I was sorry, what more can you ask for?"

"You're not sorry Rory," he chuckled, and continued, "You're just running like you always do…you can't even face your problems anymore. Look at you- you're stressed-pathetic and miserable."

Rory was always use to Tristan's honesty- but boy was it ever so brutal? "You don't know anything about me Tristan," she repeated, a defiant glare threatening to rip him to shreds.

"Yes I do," he said and moved closer to her, "I know that you bite your lip when you're nervous- or when you're reading. I know that if you don't have coffee at least three times a day you start thinking you're going insane. I know what your favorite movie is and your favorite book. I know that you can't sleep with out a small amount of light- due to really bad dreams when you were younger. I know that you love that little girl watching TV in the living room, but what I don't know is why you didn't try harder- to let me love her too."

She sulked slightly, and her forehead creased in thought. "That's not fair- I tried looking for you, and I didn't find out I was pregnant until after you were gone."

He bit his lip- until he could taste a small amount of blood. "Are you sure that she's mine?"

She looked taken aback, and then she glared coldly. "Of course she's yours. What the hell do you think of me?"

He closed his eyes, letting the breeze cool down his reddened face. "She's five…"

Softening at this, she said, "Yeah…Her birthday is in September."

He clenched his fist together- angry that he didn't know it until Rory said it, and opened his eyes. "I have to go…"

After she heard his car speed off down the street she let the tears openly fall from her eyes, and went in search of the phone.

R-I-N-G

'Lo?' came a groggy mans voice.

'Sorry, I must have the wrong number,' Rory said, slightly embarrassed.

'Rory?' the voice asked, sounding more awake by the second.

She furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes widening, 'Luke?'

'Rory, it's been a long time,' he said- before saying, 'I'll go get Lorelai.'

'Um…okay,' she said, and bit her bottom lip.

She heard her mothers' voice- and forgot how to breathe for a couple of seconds. 'Who is it?' Lorelai asked, and she could hear Luke's silence through the phone.

'Lo?' came Lorelai's strained and tired voice.

'Mom…' Rory managed to get out- though she thought her mother didn't hear her because of the silence that followed. 'Hello?'

'Rory?' her mother gasped, and let the tears fall freely from her eyes.

Rory sat down on her couch, and fought back the tears because she knew her mother was on the other line crying her eyes out. 'Did you tell Tristan?'

'Tell him what?'

'Don't play dumb with me Mom…'

'He deserved to know,' Lorelai paused, and her face straightened, 'and it didn't seem like you were ever going to tell him.'

'How would you know?' Rory spit back- angry.

'How could you let them be in each others presence at the café Rory- and not immediately tell him that she's his kid?'

'I would have told him…'

'Just like you told him that you were in love with him,' her mother replied in sarcasm.

'I didn't tell him because I didn't love him,' she said through her teeth.

'If that's what you want to believe to help you sleep at night…'

'Whatever!'

C-L-I-C-K

Rory Gilmore crossed her arms to her legs, and buried her head in them, crying like she hadn't cried in years. It wasn't supposed to be this way- with her mother or with Tristan, but she couldn't change the past.

At this moment in time- she wished she could.

Bella watched her fragile mother, weeping like a baby, and ran over to her. The little girl wrapped an arm around her mother, and kissed her cheek.

"It's okay Mommy," Bella soothed, "don't cry."

Rory looked up at her daughter- and cried even more. "Baby, Mommy's just stressed," she managed to say between hiccups.

Bella bit her lip, "why were you and Tristy screaming?"

Rory's guilt put a heavy frown on her lips, and she ran her fingers through her daughters' curly locks. "Baby, remember when I told you that there's someone out there who is just like you in every way?"

"Yes," the little girl smiled, and moved to her mothers lap, "and you said that I get my attitude from him."

Rory wiped away a fallen tear, and tried to smile. "Well, what if I told you that Tristan was that someone?"

Bella's eyes lit up, and she jumped in her mothers lap, "really?"

Rory nodded, and traced her daughters face. "You have his nose, and his lips. You have his smile- the one that I love so much."

Bella laughed as her mother pinched her nose, but then furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you love it so much?" Bella cupped her mothers face.

Tears began to form again in Rory's blue eyes- "Because…I just do."

There wasn't anything more to say…

Meanwhile…

Tristan was driving around- going absolutely no where- and didn't give a damn. He occasionally wiped away a few bitter and angry tears.

There wasn't anything more to do…

Done…

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