Lorelai POV

"Have you seen Rory?" I asked Lane, and she shook her head.

"Not in the last hour, why?"

I sighed. The boys hadn't seen her either, and I was a little worried. Her pain was worse than usual because of the cold and now was not the time for her to be sat on the floor because it's that bad. I was also concerned because of Luke and April.

Rory had never had to share her father before, and all of a sudden, he was doing things with another child when he'd usually do them with her. And I got that April was a slightly bigger priority with Luke wanting to make up for lost time, but it didn't mean Rory had to like it. It didn't help that he couldn't take her ice-skating this year because of her legs, even though it was one of their little traditions.

I brushed past Luke, more focused on keeping a lookout for Rory but he grabbed my arm and stopped me, "What's wrong."

"Nothing," I lied. I didn't make a habit of lying to Luke, but telling him about my suspicions were only going to make him feel guilty and I didn't know for certain, "Rory went for a wander and we agreed to meet up in 10 minutes for peppermint mochas from Weston's."

That part wasn't a total lie, except she was supposed to meet me 10 minutes ago. However, he brought it, giving me a kiss and returning to his conversation with April. They seemed to be on their way over to Kirk's booth, but I wasn't too focused on them.

I had been around the whole carnival, so I knew she wasn't around here. I swore under my breath and then hunted out the boys, "Tristan, you're coming with me."

He looked a little surprised, "Can I ask why?"

"Because I can't find Rory and there's a possibility that she's a heap in the snow. So, I might need a second pair of hands," I explained, already walking away. Luckily, he followed, the concern evident on his face.

We walked around quietly, looking for her. The whole town was at the carnival so it wasn't like it would be difficult to find her, but I still concerned. We headed for the lake and found her on the other side. She was on the floor, and she looked like she was crying. Tristan went to run to her, but I stopped him, "It's too slippery. Getting yourself hurt won't help her."

"Sorry, automatic," He said, returning to an almost normal walking pace.

When we got to her, we knelt down on the ground, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It hurts," She whispered, and while Tristan looked confused, knowing she wasn't talking about her legs, I got it immediately, "I thought I could be okay with it, you know? I like her, she's a sweet kid, but..."

"I know, baby," I murmured, "Let's get you up and home, because it looks like your legs are done, anyway."

She chuckled dryly, "That was a while back."

Me and Tristan helped her up, and I was grateful I had grabbed an extra pair of hands since the snow made it even trickier. While she was doing physio and was forced into exercise to help the pain, they had recommended a wheelchair for the time being for times when she couldn't walk. But with everything going on, we couldn't afford to do it.

To get her home, we went through the carnival, ignoring the looks, "We're going to put you down on this bench while I tell your father. Okay?"

"No, I don't..."

"Just about your legs, not about anything else. I promise."

She grumbled but allowed it, and I quickly made my way over to him, "Rory's done for the day, so we're going to take her home, and no, you're not coming with us. Enjoy your time with April."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "Is something going on?"

"No," I lied again, "They came to see you, so stay. Between me and Tristan, she'll be fine."

He looked over my shoulder at Rory and sighed, "She's been crying; what aren't you telling me?"

"She's embarrassed, that's it," I told him quietly, "If you're back before 3, I'll kick you out again."

I turned around and walked away, ignoring the horrible feeling in my stomach.

When we got in, I helped Rory get changed while Tristan made hot chocolates. I put her straight in her fuzzy pyjamas, with socks, slippers and her heavy winter blanket wrapped around her. I helped her get up and I walked her through to the living room. Tristan brought two of the drinks through, handing them to us (and reminding Rory that it was hot because he knew she'd immediately try to drink when she was like this) before going and getting his.

He then sat next to Rory, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. She was still crying a little but I knew she would calm down, at least until Luke got home, and then it would be a bit risky. I turned on the telly and found something easy to watch.

About an hour later, I heard Tristan chuckle under his breath. I looked back and saw that Rory had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead gently and then returned to the TV.

"I have to ask; why do you keep an overnight bag in your car?" It came out of nowhere and he laughed as a response.

"I got caught without anything once; my parents kicked me out because I had gotten in trouble at school and I ended up staying elsewhere, so when I got the car, I decided to keep a bag in the back, just in case," He explained, and I nodded.

"They seem to change their attitude about you a lot," I said as an observation, and he nodded, "If they kick you out again, you're welcome to come here."

He smiled, "Thank you."

Tristan reminded me of me in a lot of ways.

While he enjoyed the advantages of having parents like mine (the car, the private education, etc), he didn't love the lifestyle and he didn't have a great relationship with his parents. They cared enough to mostly keep him safe, but if he didn't fit into their little moulds, forget it. He loved the appeal of the small-town life, and he had seemed to have no problem with working as he often helped Luke out in the diner without being asked, which actually drove Luke insane because it wasn't an official job, and he was a good person at heart, even though it had taken a while for it to come out.

When Luke, April and Anna came in, Rory woke with a start. When she saw what woke her, she sunk back into Tristan, "I needed that."

I got up as April came to join the pair on the couch and I joined Luke and Anna in the kitchen, "Have a good time?"

"I'd forgotten how fun those things are," Anna admitted, "And it was nice to see him not being a grouch the entire time."

"He often tries to be one but fails miserably once a certain someone makes him join in," I paused, "Although, I guess there are two of them, now. He better hope that they don't start ganging up on him."

Anna laughed, but Luke frowned, "You better not give them any ideas."

"I wasn't going to, but now I am," I teased, pretending to go back to the living room. However, he dragged me back and wrapped his arms around me, making me laugh.

AN: I enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you enjoyed reading it. Let me know what you thought.