Chapter Eleven

Note: There is going to be a huge change in the next couple of chapters, so if you've read this before you might want to read it again.

Hint: It won't be so tragic. Although for some of the characters it might not be a happy ending. Just warning you now.

Logan, Rory, Lorelai, Luke, Tristan, Arabella, Blair and Nathan are sitting in the Gilmore living room. They've been sitting there for what seems like hours, but it really has only been a few minutes. Avery has called them all together because she has a big announcement to make. Everyone looks at each other wondering what it is.

Avery stands alone in the front of the room and sighs a big sigh. "I'm pregnant."

Logan and Tristan choke on their beers. Rory shrieks. Lorelai looks dismayed and Luke looks like Luke.

Arabella and Blair start bouncing around screaming excitedly "We're going to be aunts!"

And Nathan, well, Nathan just sits there staring at her.

He whispers. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," she whispers back to him.

"For how long?" her mother's voice breaks their moment.

"Excuse me?"

"How long have you been pregnant?"

"The doctor thinks about five weeks."

Rory starts to cry. "You lied to me."

"I lied to you," Avery whispers and starts to cry as well.

She hates having to watch her mother cry. She hates that her father and grandparents are disappointed in her. She hates that Nathan isn't saying anything. And she hates that she feels this is all her fault, and Nathan is being let off easy. Especially by her family and his father.

But she drifts off to a land called daydream…

Prom Night

"Avery." Nathan holds her chin in one hand and twists her whole head to face him. He says her name seriously.

"Ouch, you're hurting me." She averts her eyes.

"Avery," he pleads, "look at me."

"No," she whispers shyly.

"Look at me!" he shouts.

"Stop it!"

"Avery….Avery, I love you."

"Wha…what?"

"Look at me." Avery looks at him. "I love you."

For minutes the back of the limo is blanketed with complete silence. Then Avery giggles. She hides her face against Nathan's chest.

"I've…"

"What?"

"I've wanted to hear you say that for so long, but have resigned myself to believing that it is just not meant to be. And now…and now, I'm not so sure I want to hear it from you."

"Why not?" he asks, his curiosity growing.

Avery lifts her head so she is staring into his eyes. "Because I'm not so sure that you believe it."

The limo is silent again.

"I think," she says, "your just jealous of your friend, Adam."

"Maybe…" He nuzzled his face against her chest.

"Hey…hey!" Avery giggles. "Stop that!"

Nathan lifts his head a little to slide his hand from the small of her back to her side and up to her breast.

"Nate," she whispers. "Nate…hmm…"

In return she moves her hands up his muscular arms, sliding them underneath his jacket, up to his shoulders, lifting it off. She holds him close to her, so he can hear her heart beating.

Normally, this wasn't his style. He would normally just rip off the girl's clothes and they'd go at it, but Avery is different. He wants to remember her differently. He wants it to be special; not just for her, but for him too.

As he kisses her neck, he begins to undo the buttons of her shirt (well, his shirt). She arches her back a little. She is naked, except for her black boy-short underwear. She digs her fingers into his back (he is just glad that she didn't have long finger nails like most girls do). Then she slides her hands down his back and towards the front of his pants. He can feel the movement of her hand undoing the zipper, and sliding the pants down his legs. He is just wearing boxer shorts now.

She smiles up at him; a cautious smile, so he wasn't sure whether it is one of pleasure or one of nervousness or both. He hopes it is both.

"I'm scared," she whispers to him.

"I'll take care of you."

333

When Tristan calms down he asks Avery, "What would you like us to do?"

"Well," she begins seriously. "I've thought of abortion, but that is totally out of the question. I don't even want to hear it from any of you. I am having this baby whether any of you wants it or not. Right now, I'm thinking of adoption, but I'm not sure yet. My doctor says that I still have time. She says that there are many families who are willing to adopt. Sort of like the one in Juno."

"Juno?" Rory asks. "Whose Juno?"

"The movie," Lorelai presses. "How can you not remember it? You were sitting right beside us in the movie theatre."

"Why are we talking about movies when we should be talking about what the hell I'm going to be doing now?" Nathan asks upset.

Avery turns to him. "Do you seriously think that this only affects you? What about me? What about what I'm going to be going through the next eight months? What about me?"

Avery sinks to the floor in tears and the twins fly to her side and try to cheer her up.

"If you decide to keep the baby," begins Blair.

"We'll babysit!" offers Arabella. "For free!"

"Girls!" snaps Tristan. "Shut up!"

One in the morning (on the day after prom)

She is sleeping peacefully in his arms when they pass by a beach. He knocks on the driver's window.

"Stop here," he says quietly.

He shakes Avery awake. "What?" she asks groggily.

"Let's go for a walk."

She puts on his shirt, and begins searching for her shoes.

"No need," he whispers. "Sand."

The night air is refreshing after having been cooped up in the car for so long.

"It's beautiful out tonight, isn't it?"

"Yes," he looks down at her.

"I had a fun time."

"Me too," she smiles up at him. "But this isn't going to happen again."

"I know."

They walk for half-an-hour in complete silence, just listening to the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks.

"What time is it?" Avery asks him.

He looks at his watch. "Around one-forty."

She looks panic-stricken.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…"

He turns her around so he can face her and sees tears streaming down her face.

"You need to take me home now!"

"What?"

"I promised my mother I'd be home forty minutes ago!"

"I'm sure she'll think that you went to a party or something and…" he trails off when he sees the look of fear on her face. "I'll take you home."

"Thank you."

333

Tristan looks over at his son and knows what he has to do.

"Avery," he says. "We will contribute financially to whatever you decide to do. But," he continues, "my son is to stay out of your business."

"What?" everyone else shouts in shock.

Lorelai is standing in front of Tristan. "What about my granddaughter? What about what your son has done to my granddaughter?"

Nathan stands up not wanting to hear any more. He walks into the kitchen.

"Your son seduced our daughter!" cries Rory. "Don't you think he should take responsibility?"

In the kitchen Nathan opens the fridge to be greeted by moldy cheese and day-old pizza.

"Looking for something?" asks Avery, from behind.

"Just beer. Something to drive the edge off."

"That's anxiety."

Logan yells for everyone to shut up already. Everyone sits down and is silent.

"You," he points at Tristan. "Take your family and leave. If I hear that your son has said one word, I mean, one word to our daughter then you'll be hearing from our lawyers. You know," he thinks, "you may be hearing from them anyways."

Tristan beckons his girls to get ready to leave when he asks them, "Where's Nathan?"

"In the kitchen with Avery," shrugs the twins.

Everyone hightails it to the kitchen, but halts at the door from the sight they are met with.

"I know," whispers Nathan. "But aren't you scared?"

"Of course I am!" exclaims Avery. "I'm the one carrying this baby, aren't I?"

"Come here," beckons Nathan. "Dance with me."

"There isn't any music," states Avery.

"This is the song my mother used to sing to me when I was little. If you've been thinking your all that you've got, then don't feel alone anymore. Cause when we're together then you've got a lot, for I am the river and you are the shore."

Avery steps into his arms and presses herself close to him so she can smell the fresh citrus of his cologne. His arms wrap around her waist as she rests her hands around the base of his neck.

"And it goes on and on…watching the river run…further and further from things that we've done. Leaving them one by one…and we have just begun watching the river run, listening and learning and yearning, run river run…"

Tristan's heart melts. He knows what love feels like and looks like and is saddened that he has to ruin it.

"Nate?"

He looks up.

"We have to go now."

Nathan kisses Avery's forehead and whispers goodbye.

Two weeks after graduation

"I'm leaving for Europe in a week!" exclaims Nathan excitedly, as he holds Avery in his arms.

"What?" she looks up at him.

"Yeah, Tristan says that I need to have more adventures. So, in a week I'm packing my things and am going backpacking for two months and then I'm off to Princeton."

"I'm sorry," Avery is shaking her head in confusion. "What about the baby?"

Nathan answers puzzled. "Didn't my father tell you he'll pay for it?"

"Excuse me!" Avery shouts. "He'll PAY FOR IT?"

She suddenly sits upright and stares at him. "HE'S GOING TO PAY FOR OUR BABY?"

She starts to cry. "What the fuck does that mean?" she asks defeatedly.

Nathan stands up to leave. He looks pained. "Just call me when the baby's due."

"Yes," she chokes. "Goodbye."