I got confused about what beta'd chapters I had reposted so I had to check and I think I haven't reposted anything after chapter six yet so I am behind. Anyway here is the beta'd version of chapter seven.

Chapter 7: Christmas in Fiji:

The days went by, and it was soon Christmas Day. Rory and her family were on one of the islands of Mamanuca. They were staying at the Vomo Island Resort in the Royal Deluxe Villa. So far, there had been no huge fights between her parents and both sets of grandparents but that wasn't to say it wouldn't happen soon. As it turned out, the DuGrey's were also on Mamanuca at the same time as the Gilmore's and Hayden's. All of them were even getting together for Christmas dinner and presents. As soon as Emily Gilmore found out that Tristan and his parents were island hopping as well (and would also be on some of the same islands at the same time), she planned things that the four families could do together. Like Christmas, for example. This of course meant that Rory had to go out and look for a present for Tristan. She didn't find anything, but at least she'd tried. It was the least she could do, especially since she had no idea whatsoever of what Tristan would even want. What do you get a guy that probably already has everything anyway? The DuGrey's would be over pretty soon and Rory was hardly ready. She was half-dressed and kept doubting the outfit she had chosen to wear. They were having Christmas dinner on the veranda overlooking the beach and the ocean. The veranda was covered, so they weren't technically eating outside, according to Emily, who hated eating outside. She said it was for animals. To get to the island of Mamanuca, they had taken a seaplane from Nadi Airport. It was interesting, to say the least.

To: Lane Kim
From: Rory Hayden
Subject: Hey

Hey Best Friend,

What's up in SH? Fiji is great! We're staying on Mamanuca at the Vomo Island Resort. And you'll never guess who's having Christmas dinner with us. Spawn of Satan. I literally ran into him when we were in Nadi. Then Grandma Gilmore found out that he and his parents would be here at the same time as us, so she planned this whole big Christmas shindig. Of course Emily Gilmore would die if she heard me call it that, but who cares? They're buying me a car when we get back to the states because she overheard me talking to mom about selling that hunk of metal I have now. That's what I'm going to call it from now on. At least until I can sell it then never have to think about it or talk about it ever again. Oh and you can tell D that I'm selling it as soon as I get back. Of course, I really should sell it in Stars Hollow so that he'd definitely find out, but you could just tell Miss Patty and she'd tell the whole town. Then there would be no way whatsoever that it wouldn't reach Dean. I've really got to end this now or I'll be late for dinner. I'm going to be late as it is. Later!

Rory

As soon as Rory sent the email, she finished getting dressed and headed to the dining area of the villa they were all staying at. Tristan and his parents were already there and everyone was just sitting down.

"Tristan was just saying that he and some of his friends are going to Hawaii for spring break," Lorelai informed Rory.

"Actually, I was wondering if you were doing anything then," Tristan said.

"I don't think so, but it's three months from now. Alicia was saying something about going to Miami," Rory said.

"Oh yeah, I remember you telling me that," Lorelai recalled, "The last weekend your dad and I came up to see you."

"But nothing is set yet," Rory said.

"This Alicia, is she Mike Matthews' daughter?" Strobe asked.

"Yes she is," Rory replied, "On both sides of her family, the women and men have gone to Harvard."

"It's good that she is going there also. It's good for children to attend where their parents went," Mr. DuGray said with a pointed look at Tristan.

'Oh great, let's mention the fact that neither of my parents went to college and that I'm going to Harvard not Yale or Princeton,' Rory thought.

"So what's for dinner, Mom?" Lorelai asked, changing the subject.

"I had the cook make traditional a Christmas dinner. We've had enough authentic Fijian food for now," Emily replied.

"Where did you get all the supplies for a traditional Christmas dinner, Emily?" Francine asked.

"Oh I had the turkey flown in from the states as well as everything else; At least what Maria couldn't find here," Emily said.

"Dinner is ready, Mrs. Gilmore," Maria said after she had entered the covered veranda where everything was set up, except the food.

"Please bring it in, Maria," Emily said.

"So, Rory, what are you going to do about that car of yours?" Strobe asked.

"I'm going to sell it when we get back. It's basically a heap of junk anyway," Rory answered.

"So then what are you going to do about a car?" Francine asked.

"We are getting her a new one. It was supposed to be a graduation present anyway…now it's just a little late," Emily answered for Rory.

Things went well during dinner and nothing happened that would make Emily regret having the DuGrey's attend. Of course she naturally wondered why Tristan and Rory were getting along so well. She knew their past history, Lorelai had told her, but things seemed to be going well for the two now. Later that night, Tristan and Rory were walking on the beach while the adults talked about typical adult subjects. The two of them were talking about college.

"You know I'm going to Harvard, but I still have yet to find out where you're going," Rory inquired.

"Princeton actually. Not something my dad is too happy about. I was supposed to go to Yale and carry on the DuGrey legacy, but after military school, Yale and the whole future of being a DuGray was so wrong. So I decided to forgo Yale entirely and applied to every other Ivy League school possible. When my dad found out, he wasn't too happy about it… he actually blew up," Tristan explained.

"My dad was supposed to go to Princeton. Then he was supposed to become a lawyer just like his dad," Rory said.

"Why didn't he?" Tristan asked.

"My mom got pregnant. He asked her to marry him but she said no, and eventually my mom went to Stars Hollow with me and my dad went to California. Until they got married the summer between my junior and senior year of high school, I really hardly ever saw my dad. He came to Stars Hollow twice before they were married. Until then I only saw his parents twice and one of those times was when I was only like two. My dad moved from California to Boston sometime during junior year. He lived with his girlfriend Sherry until they broke up. She was pregnant and called to tell my dad, but she cheated on him. He didn't go back to Boston until he went to get his stuff and by then Sherry had moved out of their apartment," Rory explained.

"So how old were your parents when you were born?" Tristan asked.

"I'm 18, they're 34. Do the math," Rory said.

"16…" Tristan said after some quick subtraction, "How did your mom do it?"

"After she left Hartford, my mom went to Stars Hollow and the first place she went to was the Independence Inn where she got a job as a maid. She was the executive manager when I started at Chilton. The Inn burned down a few years later, and since my mom always had this dream that she'd start her own inn with her best friend, the head chef at the Independence, she went along with it. This leads to her owning the Dragonfly Inn with her best friend, Sookie. We actually lived in the tool shed behind the Independence until I was 11," Rory replied.

"Wow. I never would've thought that," Tristan remarked.

"It was cool actually, even though it was only one room," Rory said.

In one day, Tristan had learned more about Rory Gilmore than he ever had when they were both at Chilton. Of course that was because he'd never bothered to get to really know her. He had wanted to so badly though. Now was his chance, if she gave him one.