Chapter 9: End of Vacation:
It was two days before Rory and her family was going home; four days before she'd be back at Harvard and hard at work in her classes. It was four days before Tristan would be back at Princeton. It was something that neither of them was looking forward to, since they'd both admitted the feelings they had for each other. Since that first date at the movies they'd gone out every night and spent everyday together. They were inseparable. Now they had two days left before they weren't in the same town anymore. They had been together ever since Nadi. In two days, Rory was headed back to Stars Hollow, and then Boston. Then, Tristan would be in Hartford before heading back to Princeton.
Ring…ring.
"Hello?" Maria asked answering the phone.
"Hello, Maria. Is Miss Rory available?" Tristan asked.
"I will go get her," Maria replied.
Two minutes later, Rory was on the phone talking to Tristan.
"I wanted to know if you were busy tonight," Tristan said.
"I'm not busy, actually. Miraculously, Emily Gilmore has graciously held back on the number of parties and gatherings we need to attend the last two days we are in Fiji," Rory said.
"Never thought I'd see the day," Tristan joked.
"Hardy har har," Rory said rolling her eyes.
"So what do you want to do tonight?" Tristan asked.
"I don't care," Rory said.
'I'll be gone in two days. All I want is to spend time with you,' Rory silently added.
"We could have a picnic on the beach," Tristan suggested.
"Oh, that sounds great," Rory said.
"Great. I'll have the cook pack us a picnic dinner," Tristan said.
"This could be interesting," Rory mused.
"What makes you say that, Mar?" Tristan asked.
"Your cook making a picnic dinner," Rory replied laughing, "I can just picture it now: something really elegant and sparkling champagne."
"You're making fun of me," Tristan pouted.
"Suck it up, Bible Boy," Rory teased, "You know you like it."
"Only because you said so," Tristan said.
"I have to go, my book is calling me," Rory said.
"What book?" Tristan asked.
"The Scarlet Letter. Bye, Tris," Rory said.
"Good book. See you at seven," Tristan confirmed before they both hung up.
To:
Alicia Matthews
From: Rory Hayden
Subject: Spring
Break
Ali,
Have you figured out spring break yet? Cause a friend of mine, Tristan, is going to Hawaii and wanted to know if I wanted to join him. He did say of course that you could come as well. Since it'll be him and his guy friends it would probably be good for me if some girls came. I already told Tris I would come. Of course, this was after he begged and gave me the puppy dog look, so how could I say no? Let me know SOON because he really needs to know if we're going. I was thinking of asking Paris as well. Get some of your friends together and see if they want to come. You could bring Jason too. Ttyl
Rory
To: Rory Hayden
From: Lane
Kim
Subject: RE: Hey
Ror,
Sorry it took me so long to reply. Mama was on a rampage and it lasted all through Christmas. I just read your email, what a great best friend I am. Stars Hollow is great. The same way it always has been. FYI, DF is moping around like a sad puppy dog and I will definitely tell him about the hunk of metal junk. So you ran into Tristan DuGrey huh? What was that like? Has he changed any since Chilton? Or is he still the same ET? Lol. I love the nickname Lorelai came up with for him. I'm glad you're having such a great time in Fiji. Where are you now? When you wrote be before you were in Vomo. How was Christmas dinner with ET and is his parents? I've got to go now because Mama is calling me. Ttyl
Your Best Friend,
Lane Kim
To: Lane Kim
From:
Rory Hayden
Subject: RE: Hey
Lane,
That's okay. I figured your mom was being the typical Mrs. Kim. What was she on a rampage about? Glad you'll tell DF. Running into Tristan was interesting. He has actually changed since Chilton. He's so great. He still insists on calling me Mary but believe it or not, it's not as annoying as it used to be. Two days after Christmas we went to a movie and are… officially dating, which could be interesting once I'm back at Harvard and he's at Princeton, but I guess things can be worked out. I miss you and SH. And Luke's coffee. I was seriously hoping for some during winter vacation but NO…we HAD to go to Fiji as a big happy family. Fiji has been great actually. We're on Kadavu at the Papageno Resort. Dad's parents and mom's parents went back to Nadi yesterday and should be flying out today. They all had to get back for some really important function or something that occurs tomorrow. Anyway Mom, Dad and I are here in Kadavu. Tristan's parents went back yesterday because Mr. DuGrey had to go on a business trip today and Mrs. DuGrey was attending the same function as both sets of my grandparents. Anyway Tristan is left here alone at the same resort as us. And we're going out tonight. I'll email you first thing tomorrow all about it.
Rory
After doing the email thing, Rory went back to The Scarlet Letter. She had just finished it about five minutes before Tristan was supposed to pick her up.
"Mommm! Tristan will be here in five minutes and I have no idea what I'm going to wear," Rory yelled.
"Five days you've been going out and you still freak about clothes?" Lorelai asked.
"I'm a girl it's bound to happen," Rory offered as an excuse.
"You didn't freak about clothes this much with Dean, so you really must like Tristan," Lorelai observed.
"Yeah, yeah. Now please help me find some clothes or else I'll be wearing this when Tristan gets here," Rory said.
"What are you guys doing?" Lorelai asked.
"Having a picnic on the beach," Rory replied.
"Then you need to wear pants and a sweater because it's supposed to be cold tonight," Lorelai said.
"Okay…but which ones?" Rory asked.
"Your blue sweater and these black pants," Lorelai replied pointing to the clothes she was talking about.
"Hair?" Rory asked.
"Down," Lorelai replied.
"Thanks, Mom," Rory said.
Tristan showed up just as Rory finished getting dressed and then they left.
"So what beach are we going to?" Rory asked.
"The main beach," Tristan replied, "Then we get on a boat, owned by my dad, and head to a little cove that is unknown to those who don't live here."
"That's cool…but how'd you find it then?" Rory asked.
"Spend enough summers and other vacations here, and you practically become a local. You can find just about anything without help," Tristan replied.
"Sounds like fun," Rory remarked.
The picnic was great and they got to know each other a little more, but they knew they only had one day left in the same place. Rory would be leaving the day after tomorrow and then Tristan would be leaving the day after that. It was cutting close for classes, but he loved Fiji.
"So why Fiji?" Tristan asked.
"What do you mean?" Rory asked.
"Why did your family pick Fiji to come to for Christmas?" Tristan clarified.
"My mom picked it actually. She figured if she had to be stuck with her parents and dad's parents then it should be somewhere fun and sunny," Rory explained, "That was her logic for choosing Fiji. Amazingly enough both sets of grandparents thought Fiji was a great place to go…they don't know the real reason mom picked it though. She told them it was because the best place to be at Christmas."
"What does that mean?" Tristan asked, "About your parents and grandparents?"
"They don't get along, especially my parents and my dad's parents. My mom's parents and my dad's parents don't really get long well either. They used to be friends but then my mom got pregnant and wouldn't marry my dad, so Strobe and Francine Hayden always thought my mom ruined my dad's life and blamed it on the way she was raised. My mom and her parents don't get along very well either. It's a mystery as to why I get along with her parents," Rory replied.
"What about you and your dad's parents?" Tristan asked.
"That's another story all by its self," Rory replied in a tone that conveyed she didn't want to talk about it.
"Okay," Tristan said.
'What does she mean by that?' Tristan wondered, 'It can't be that bad considering Lorelai's parents adore her. How could anyone not?'
"So what's in the picnic basket?" Rory asked changing the subject.
"You'll find out in time," Tristan replied as the car came to a stop at the marina.
Tristan got out of his car and did the gentlemanly thing by opening Rory's door for her and helping her out.
"Why thank you, Mr. DuGrey," Rory said.
"You're welcome, Miss Hayden," Tristan said winking.
Tristan grabbed the picnic basket and they walked down the dock towards the 'boat' Tristan's father owned.
"Tris, this is more like a cruise ship then a boat," Rory remarked once she saw the huge thing. Her eyes grew as wide as saucers as she looked over it.
"It's actually a yacht with all the cruise ship luxuries," Tristan told her.
"Wow…" Rory marveled.
"I take it you've never seen one?" Tristan questioned looking at Rory.
"Not if it wasn't on television," Rory admitted.
"What! How come? Surely the Gilmore's or Hayden's must own at least one of these?" Tristan asked.
"Until I was 17, it was me and my mom. Remember how she worked at an inn as a maid for a long time before she became the executive manager? She didn't finish high school or attend college, so my dad was the one with all the money, and he still didn't have that much. Surprisingly, my grandparents never had a yacht although they do a have a vacation home in Martha's Vineyard," Rory explained.
It wasn't until they got on the yacht that Rory noticed the name. It was called 'the DuGrey.' She looked at Tristan for an explanation to the name, considering it wasn't a normal boat name, and he gave it.
"After my parents had me, they found out they couldn't have anymore kids so my father bought this yacht thinking at least if something happened to me, the DuGrey name would live on… if the yacht never crashed," Tristan said.
"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but why couldn't your parents have more kids after you?" Rory asked.
"My mom was pregnant with twins and there were complications in labor. My twin sister was stillborn and I was born with lung problems. The problems fixed themselves within 72 hours of being born, but it wasn't pretty. My mom was told that because of the complications she'd never be able to have more kids," Tristan explained sadly.
"Aww, was she sad because of that?" Rory asked softly.
"I don't know. No one really talks about it. I only know because I saw the birth and death certificates for Tracey, and then my grandfather told me the story," Tristan replied.
"Two 'T' names, interesting," Rory said.
"You and your mom are both Lorelai," Tristan observed.
"Yeah…but that's because she was hopped up on Demerol when she named me," Rory said.
"How'd she get Rory from Lorelai?" Tristan asked.
"I have no idea," Rory responded, "When I was five, we would introduce ourselves by our middle names, when we met new people. It's actually how Lane knew me for six or seven years. Sometimes I still tell people I'm Leigh."
"It's a cool name," Tristan said.
"Yeah. When I was 11, I told my mom that my first baby girl was going to be Leigh Lorelai Victoria. Then she would have all our names," Rory remembered smiling.
"Your mom's middle name is Victoria?" Tristan wondered.
"Yep," Rory replied.
An hour later, after they had eaten and were lying on the blanket looking at the stars, Rory was thinking back the question Tristan had asked about her dad's parents and her. She knew if this relationship with him was going to go anywhere, he'd have to know eventually because she knew she'd have to tell him at some point.
"Tristan, remember earlier your question about me and my dad's parents?" Rory asked.
"Yes. You said that it was another story itself," Tristan recalled.
"When my dad came to Stars Hollow the first time, I was 16. His parents were back in Hartford and my mom's mom had the brilliant idea to have them over for dinner. That turned out to be the worst idea. Things were said about my mom because she had me and didn't marry my dad back then.
That's when I realized they didn't want to know me. My mom told me they did, but that they were too blinded by past hurt and pride that they couldn't see how much they wanted to know me. It was like a year later that they told me to my face that they never wanted to know me. At there own son's wedding no less," Rory said sadly, "My mom always said that they wanted to know me, but then they told me they didn't. So now, I don't know them and they don't know me. I'm related to them but they're complete strangers. They didn't even come to graduation. I doubt they'll come to my college graduation either. They only came for Christmas because it was a family thing and my dad told them they had no choice."
"Wow," Tristan remarked, "That's harsh."
"I'm over it. It's their loss, but my mom is pregnant now and I wonder if they'll want to know my little brother or sister, or if they won't," Rory said, "And if they do want to know him or her, it will only be because my parents are married now."
'So that's what that was. I never thought Rory would have to go through that,' Tristan thought sympathetically, 'Although I guess it can come with the territory of having a teen mom.'
"If that is the reason then they really don't want to know your baby brother or sister," Tristan remarked, "And it's their loss that they don't want to know you because you're great."
"It's just that I know what it's like to not want to be known by them and I really don't want that for my baby brother or sister. It sucks and I wish they did want to get to know him or her, even though they are stuck up," Rory said.
"I hope they really do want to get to know your little sister or brother," Tristan said.
"So do I," Rory agreed thoughtfully.
They talked a little more then fell asleep on the blanket. Rory woke up about an hour later and realized they had to go because she was leaving in four hours. Tristan was already awake and ready to go.
They left the marina about an hour later and got to the resort in twenty minutes. Rory still had to pack up before the plane left and she had about two hours to do it. Just outside the door of the villa where her and her parents were staying, Tristan attacked her lips in a long but slow kiss. He dreaded letting her go, but she had to go a day early so she could do some stuff before going back to Harvard. He wasn't leaving for another day, but he would see her to the airport and say goodbye; the worst thing to happen to him all winter. This was because he was and always had been in love with Rory. He was waiting for the right time to tell her. It had to be when he knew she was truly okay with this relationship. He planned on finishing the year at Princeton and then transferring to Harvard just to be around her all the time. He wasn't going to take any chances on their new and budding relationship. He had fallen and knew she was about to fall. She had to completely fall before he said those three words that would change everything for both of them. He also knew that she had had a sort of bad breakup with Dean just before she left for Harvard. Now she might be ready to completely fall for another guy, especially the one who annoyed her to no end in high school. This is why it was so amazing that they were now dating and prepared to try the long distance thing.
The airport was bustling when Tristan and the three Hayden's got there. He wasn't supposed to leave until the next day but he'd decided that he'd get an earlier flight to Hartford and was on a later flight than Rory and her parents. That way he could maybe spend some time with Rory before they both headed back to school. The flight they were on left a little late and Tristan had to head back to get his bags so he left as soon as they were boarded and off into the air. His plane left about five hours after theirs.