Disclaimer: I only own my ideas, nothing else.
Chapter 19
Three long weeks later saw Rory standing at the arrivals hall of JFK airport in New York. As she scanned the throngs of people flooding out of the gate and into the arms of waiting loved ones, she could not believe exactly how much she had missed Tristan.
Although they had spoken as often as their schedules allowed, it was not enough for Rory. At times, she actually believed the chance encounter with Tristan had been a dream, or at most a fantasy she so desperately wanted to believe in, she had convinced herself of it. The only thing that grounded her and kept her from denying Tristan's existence was the web camera's choppy motion that brought her and Tristan close right before she went to bed so that he could say good night to her.
In Rory's mind, she prepared a mug sheet of sorts, trying to recall all of Tristan's features as to play "match it" with the faces streaming out of the gates. Tristan wasn't expecting her but she couldn't wait the time it would have taken Tristan to make it all the way to Stars Hollow many hours later.
The comfortable feeling Rory had when she thought of Tristan hadn't dissipated during the weeks apart. One would think that such a long distance between a new couple would be a strain, yet they seemed to bear it well. Rory smiled to herself, losing herself in her memory as images of Tristan floated past, then her family and friends, glad to see Rory back to normal, well back to strangeness…since to the Gilmore Girls…well normal would be blasphemous.
Rory squinted, her eyes tired from continually scanning the crowd. The plane landed 30 minutes ago. Where on earth was he!
As her frantic mind calculated the possibility that she had missed him, or that she had taken down the flight information wrong, a man came to stand right in front of her, blocking her view of the sliding doors.
Irritated, Rory verbally berated the dark coat in her view. "Excuse me," Rory began none too politely. "I'm waiting for someone and you're blocking my view. Please move!"
The man simply looked down at the girl before him as she bobbed her head from side to side trying to keep an eye on the people exiting the doors from around her obstruction.
"Why Mary, which other boyfriend are you expecting?" said the man with a smirk.
"For your information I only have one boyfriend. What kind of girl…" Rory began berating the man and then she jumped him with an unGilmore like squeal.
Tristan caught Rory as she launched herself at him and staggered back under her weight.
"You really should cut down on the chunky monkey." He teased.
Her only reply was to punch him then capture his lips to reclaim as her own.
"Now this is more like the reception I imagined. None of that yelling at me to move thing. If I weren't the suave debonair confident man I am, I would have been hurt by your initial welcome. Now what were you thinking of that was capable of distracting you…" Tristan simply held her tighter and smirked.
"Wouldn't you like to know…" Rory left the suggestion hanging as she bounded off…
Tristan simply groaned and picked up his carry on luggage. "I've really been a bad influence on her." And with that, he left to follow his bounding bundle of happiness.
In Rory's car, she questioned his sanity once more. "Are you sure you want to go straight to Stars Hollow? I love it, but I still think a first timer needs to be in top physical and mental form to survive it in generally one piece." She rambled as she nervously twisted at the steering wheel.
"Physical form?" questioned Tristan.
"Why to run away from Miss Patty who will indubitably attempt making you husband number nine, since you're now legal. And potentially Kirk…who will try to wash your car and you and the clothes off your back…for a nominal fee of course."
"Of course." Agreed Tristan remembering Rory's version of the Stars Hollow Interpol. America's most wanted indeed. "Do I even want a refresher about the mental form?" Tristan baited her.
"Well, my mom's final approval remains to be bestowed. You need to remember that she is Lorelai…none of that old stuff people call my grandmother. And you need to be up to date on all types of trivia. Then, it remains to be seen if Luke the supplier of coffee likes you, and if you can survive Doose's accusations that you've broken some obscure law…"
"Well a law degree may come in handy with that little issue…" Tristan started to wonder what had Rory so upset about him meeting her town.
"Rory," Tristan interrupted her stream of thought with her actual name. "What's so horrible about me in your town?"
"Nothing."
"Well there has to be something, last week meeting your town was all you could talk about." Tristan remembered with slight contempt. His male attempts at getting his girlfriend to engage in an adult conversation failed. Her attention being more focused on regaling Tristan with the nitty gritty about her town. With Rory's exuberance at sharing her town with someone, he couldn't rain on her parade and place his hormones first.
"I…I…" Rory tried to voice her feelings, unused to actually confronting issues with a boyfriend, even though she was more accustomed to simply ignoring them or denying them.
"I don't want them to scare you away." Gushed Rory, a bit too fast as to be intelligible.
"What was that again?" teased Tristan.
"I don't want them to scare you away." Rory admitted at a normal speech speed.
"Aw…Mary, trust me, if I was that easy to scare, I would have bolted after seeing you polish off an entire New York steak plus all the fixings." Laughed Tristan. Even then, he gathered Rory up into his arms to reassure her. "Why don't we spend the day in New York then, call it an early night and leave for Stars Hollow tomorrow morning? That way, jet lag will no longer be an issue and baring an adventurous night being horizontal, or vertical.." Tristan was cut off by a punch to his arm. "ok, ok, there will be no reason why I shouldn't be in top physical and mental form to compete for approval from your town of horrors." Tristan cringed in defense against the punching attack he expected from Rory, however, he relaxed and opened his tightly shut eyes when she didn't retaliate. As soon as he thought he was home free, Rory smacked him on the upside of his head.
Later On that day…
"I can't believe you booked us into the presidential suite at the Plaza. Are you crazy?" Rory's voice increased in pitch, incredulous with Tristan's ability to swing the best suite at a landmark hotel.
"Don't worry about it." Tristan said. "I just wanted to be comfortable. And that king sized bed looked really comfortable." Leered Tristan in Rory's general direction.
"Don't do that." Rory cringed.
"Don't do what?" Tristan continued to leer.
"That!" Rory was obviously uncomfortable.
"What!" Tristan feigned innocence and continued to bug her.
"That! You're creepy. You look like a decrepit old man!"
"You forgot cradle robber."
"What?"
Tristan elaborated. "If I'm a decrepit old man, and you, I naturally assume are the forever young you…then I'm also a cradle robber."
"That's just wrong." Rory shuddered.
"Nope, it hasn't been wrong since the invention of Viagra." With that Tristan flopped onto the bed sending his best come hither gaze at Rory.
"Once again, I reiterate," Rory began as she too joined Tristan on the bed and crawled towards him. "Creepy." She whispered as they kissed.
After a very relaxing afternoon snoozing, snogging and snuggling, not necessarily in that order, they decided to go out on the town.
After consuming the largest ice cream sundae Rory had ever seen in the FAO Schwartz toys store, perusing Manolo's at their flagship store and "window shopping" down Fifth Avenue, Tristan and Rory were both exhausted. Rory had enjoyed the afternoon immensely. It was terribly passé to say, but when they walked into the store, since everything about Tristan screamed old money, all the sales associates were in a frenzy to aid them, and they hadn't even been snippy when Rory didn't buy anything.
"I can't believe the attendants were so nice. They're never nice after you tell them you don't want to buy any of the pieces. But some of the coats were so nice…" reminisced Rory.
"Well I'm sure they just enjoyed seeing you in all those beautiful clothes, you make the clothes gorgeous. Are you sure you didn't want the Dolce and Gabanna coat?" prodded Tristan.
He knew exactly why the attendants were so nice to Rory. With all intention of buying her desires for her, as soon as Rory went into the dressing rooms to try things on, Tristan had whipped out his platinum card and simply twirled it about his fingers, proving to the attendants Tristan's willingness, and ability to purchase anything…adding blood to the feeding frenzy to sell items to Rory.
Tristan was pulled abruptly out of his thoughts by Rory's abrupt halt on the sidewalk outside Saks. All colour drained from her face as her eyes remained fixed on a society couple walking towards them. The man's blonde hair and average height flagged a person he knew he should recognize. When he saw the blonde on the man's arm giggle incessantly and speak of summer houses in the Hamptons and on the Vineyard and winter chalets in Aspen and St. Moritz, he knew.
Logan and his "perfect" wife were headed right towards them. A meeting between the two couples was imminent.
Just great. Was Tristan's last thought to himself as Rory pulled herself closer to Tristan, gripping his arm tightly and pressing her side into his in her attempt to hide.
Soothingly he wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered endearments into her ear. As she visibly relaxed, she managed to compose herself moments before Logan spotted them.
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A/N: Ok guys, I know, 2 weeks till an update is a long time. Well, Diana Gabaldon's new Claire and Jamie novel came out, and I just had to read that, in addition to my textbooks and classnotes. And I'm sick. Basically a walking talking drippy nose dragging herself between classes and home. I hope you enjoy this and hopefully I can write the Logan Tristan scene soon. I have no idea how to have it play out…my brain is too foggy to think right now. Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Southerncoffeeaddict- glad you liked amorous. I never actually took the SAT, but if you ever have any word suggestions when my vocab gets repetitive. Please, suggest away!
Oh, and about how Richard and Emily feel about the situation…I think they'd be pleased…I mean Tristan's supposedly responsible, grown up, a charmer, and he's got a title…what more could they want?
But I don't know whether the town people will like him or not? If any readers have an idea of how the town will react to Tristan and Rory's relationship, please help me out with ideas?