Chapter Six

Nathan considers himself a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. Maybe he inherited his bullshit radar from his mother. He heard that when his parents were dating, which was like, forever ago and a day, that his mother played hard to get (most certainly like another brunette that his father was or should he say is, found of). That certainly got his attention and surprisingly they fell in love.

After meeting Rory, he realizes that she must be the brunette in all those Chilton pictures his father hid in his desk drawer. He knew that his father was an amateur photographer back in the day, but thought that she was just some random on his way to his mother. Nathan doubts that his father knew he knew about the photographs. He doubts Rory knew about those either. His father used to be head-over-heels for this girl and she shattered his heart into a million pieces. He wanted to get back at the Gilmore's for making him question his father's intentions with his mother. Could his mother have simply been his father's version of Rory (the one he couldn't have)? If it was the last thing he would do (in high school, that is, he was going to make the Gilmores' pay). And he would enjoy doing it.

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"Nate?" Adam asks as he waves his hand in front of his friend's face, "Yo Nate? You still here?"

Nate snaps out of his trance. "Huh? Yeah, sorry."

"We were talking about Avery."

Adam starts to blush slightly. "You can't take Avery."

Nathan looks confused. "Why not? And why are you blushing, man?"

Adam, embarrassed, punches him in the arm. "I'm not blushing. The truth..." he looks his friend straight in the eye, "is that I really like her. I want to ask her to the prom."

Nathan laughs, "That's a joke, right?"

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"How...dare you...make my daughter call your mother grandma!" Tristan was shaking with anger.

Rory's eyes grow wide. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that my mom would do that. Honestly. I would never have suggested that."

"What?" snaps Tristan.

"I wasn't there, Tristan. I couldn't have stopped her, and before we place blame, you should remember that it's your twins who misplaced your youngest daughter. Plus, who takes their kid sister to a spa where the staff will hand her off to the first stranger who asks?"

"Yeah, well, trust me. I'm going to hit that spa with a lawsuit so long they won't know what hit them."

"I realize you're angry, Tristan. It wasn't very responsible of Arabella and Blair to leave Aurora without proper supervision, but who is it you're really angry at? Them, or you?"

"Seriously? You're a parent, and you're going to ask me that question? Of course, I'm angry at myself. And them. I'm really angry at them. Really angry...they're going to be grounded...that's what I'm going to do...ground them..."

"Tristan," Rory says tenderly, gently placing her hand on his arm. "Aren't you overreacting, just a little?"

"Are you fucking serious?" Tristan shakes with anger again.

"I'm sorry. I just..."

"You didn't think, did you?" Tristan shrugs her hand off of him. "Get your hand off of me!"

"Tristan..." Rory says with concern.

"You can leave..." Tristan tells her, already turning inside.

"Tristan!" Rory shouts at him angrily. "Don't walk away from me! I'm talking to you!"

Tristan turns around, "Yeah, well, now you aren't." He slams the door behind him. Resting on the door with his hands on his face in shame, his daughter looks up at him.

"Daddy...Daddy..." Aurora tugs at his jeans. "Daddy, what's wrong?"

He bends down. "I think I hurt someone's feelings that I like a lot."

"Oh, Daddy. You're so silly." Tristan smiles at his daughter's misunderstanding. His error in judgment wasn't silly, it was downright stupid. Especially if he ever planned on seeing her again.

Rory was already in the car with the engine started when Tristan swings open his door and runs towards her car. "Rory!" he calls out. She ignores him. "Rory!"

Tristan makes the roll down your windows sign. Reluctantly, she complies.

"What?" Rory snaps.

"Wou...would you like to have coffee with me?"

"Huh?"

"Would you like to have coffee with me? Now, perhaps?"

Rory glares at him. "I can't believe you'll ask me to coffee, but you won't address the elephant in the room. You should apologize before you make your move. Goodbye, Tristan..." She starts the car and begins to roll up the window, when she stops and says sarcastically, "Oh, and by the way, thanks Rory for dropping my daughter off at home instead of leaving her at the spa you are planning on suing!"

With that, Rory rolls up the window, backs out of his driveway and speeds away. She gets as far as the end of the block, before she drives in a circle and winds up back at his place again.

Standing in front of his doorway, she rings the doorbell. He answers it, not really expecting the visitor to be Rory.

"Oh," Tristan says amused, "you're back."

"I'm back. I can't really refuse coffee, can I?"

"Is that the only reason?" he asks, as he lets her into his house.

"Well, I had to see for myself, Tristan Dugrey as a loving father. It's something I never would have pictured before today."

"Come on," Tristan guides Rory into his kitchen with a gentle push on her lower back.

"You know," Rory says softly, "I never imagined when we were in high school that you would grow up to be so responsible and have such lovely children."

"Hey, stranger things have happened, Rory."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Like I would fall in love with an amazing woman, only to have her die seven years later."

Rory's face fell. "You know, at least you had those seven amazing years together. That should count for something."

Tristan smiles, "I wish I was nicer to you in high school. Then I would have gotten this wisdom every day."

"Tristan, wisdom comes with age," Rory explains.

"Doesn't everything," he whispers under his breath.

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The twins slam the door shut and race upstairs to their sister's room. They see Aurora, safe and sound, staring at the television, as if entranced by the show Kim Possible.

They let out a collective sigh and hug her at once.

"Oh my god," they both exclaim. "We are so, so sorry Aurora!"