AN: It's been a month since I updated this. I've started a couple of stories since then. I wanted to make sure I got a couple of chapters for them up before I posted for this one again. This chapter is filled with fluff, so I hope you all don't mind the sweetness. I hope you all are still reading this. If not, I understand.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. So don't sue.
Tristan had been acting strange. Rory had noticed not long after he had gotten back from his business trip. He was spending a lot of time on the phone. When Rory would walk into the room he would talk in hushed tones. She was really starting to worry about him. She would have to ask him about it this weekend. They had plans to go to see his mom for her birthday this weekend. Maybe something had happened at work. Rory pushed it out of her mind. She had an article to finish. It wouldn't get finished if she didn't concentrate.
"Rory?"
Rory looked up from her computer to see Megan standing in her doorway. Megan came in and sat down in the chair across from Rory. For someone who was pregnant Megan had more energy than most women who weren't. She had the energy of a twenty-two year old when Rory thought about it. Rory smiled to herself thinking that things would change over the course of the next few months.
"I heard you were going to see my mom this weekend."
"Yeah I am. Why aren't you going?"
"Billy couldn't get time off from work. Plus I have a pile of work to do."
"I can't leave until I get this article done." Rory said rolling her eyes.
"Which one?"
"The one I did on Colin Farrell. I'm having to edit half the things he said. I swear he had to have been drunk when I talked to him."
"I don't envy you right now. Just do the best you can hon. Don't worry too much about it."
"And to make things worse you're brother is acting like he's bi-polar."
"Leave him to me." Megan said struggling to get out of the chair.
She braced herself on the arms of the chair and pushed herself up. Rory gave her a concerned look before Megan rolled her eyes. Rory knew the newfound energy wouldn't last long. Megan was already almost five months along, yet she wasn't showing yet. She just looked like she had gained a little weight. 'I hope I get that lucky when I get pregnant.' Rory thought to herself as she went back to work.
XXX
Tristan drummed his fingers on the steering wheel wishing the traffic would move. Rory had already asked him to calm down half a dozen times. He had apologized knowing she was worried about him. He hadn't been this nervous in a very long time. And he had a good reason to be nervous. One question could make or break his relationship with Rory. Being stuck in the Brooklyn tunnel didn't help. He saw Rory giving him a worried look out of the corner of his eye and stopped fidgeting. He looked into the rear view mirror realizing Maddie hadn't said much since leaving. She had the DVD player head phones on and was watching a movie.
"Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" Rory asked breaking the silence.
"I'm sure." He said giving her a reassuring smile.
She smiled back at him before looking out her window. They wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. He needed to call his mom and tell her that they were going to be late. If he did he would risk having Rory find out what was going on. He would just have to risk it, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number. The answering machine picked up after three rings.
"Hey mom, it's me. I was just calling to let you know that we'll be late. We're stuck in traffic. I'll call you when we get closer to Hartford." He hung up the phone with a smile.
"What are you smiling at?" Rory asked giving him a weird look.
"I can't be happy?" He asked giving her a quizzical look.
"We're stuck in traffic Tristan. What's so happy about that?"
"That we're together." He said reaching for her hand.
Rory almost felt bad for doubting him, almost being the key word. He was still hiding something. What was it? She settled against her seat feeling him trace circles on her palm. He was trying to calm her down; which meant that whatever he was hiding couldn't be that bad. She thought about that for a while and tried not to be negative. Traffic started to move and once they were out of the tunnel they saw ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars flashing lights. There had been accident at the exit of the tunnel. They were still cleaning it up and luckily Maddie didn't see the cloth-covered body lying on the ground just outside the tunnel. Tristan was silent for the rest of the hour drive to his moms. When they pulled into the driveway Rory saw her mom's jeep in the driveway.
"Tristan, why is mom here?" Rory asked turning to face him.
"I didn't tell you that my mom had invited her and Luke?" He asked giving her an innocent look.
"No. You didn't." She said crossing her arms waiting for an explanation.
"Well she did." Tristan said opening his door as he avoided her gaze.
Maddie was out of the truck before Rory and Tristan could stop her. She rang the doorbell bouncing from foot to foot as she waited for someone to open the door. The maid opened the door and Maddie pushed past her.
"Maddie!" Tristan called after her once he walked in.
"Sorry! Excuse me." Maddie called over her shoulder as she ran down the hall.
"It's alright sir. She didn't do any harm." The maid said taking their coats.
"She has better manners than that. I don't know what's gotten into her lately." Tristan said sympathetically.
The maid nodded her head before walking out of the room. Tristan and Rory walked down the hall to the sitting room. Olivia, Luke and Lorelai looked up when Tristan and Rory sat down. Maddie was talking a mile a minute telling them about things at school, crazy things her and Jack had done and about how Rory had taken care of her while she was sick a few weeks before. Tristan beamed with pride when she mentioned Rory. She always made sure to mention Rory. She had done it since they had met. She also had to know where Rory was at all times. The only other person she did that with was Tristan.
"We're waiting for one more person." Olivia said in a break during conversation.
Rory gave Tristan a questioning look thinking maybe he knew what was going on. He gave her an innocent look before smiling. The doorbell rang and Olivia rose to answer the door. Rory heard a voice that made her stand up and walk down the hall.
"Dad? What are you doing here?" Rory asked giving him a shocked look.
"Do I need a reason to see my daughter?" He asked pulling her to him.
"No, I'm just surprised to see you. Jess isn't coming he?" She asked Tristan in a teasing tone.
"No." He said shaking his head.
They all sat down to dinner and everyone was talking when Tristan stood and cleared his throat. Everyone looked at him knowing what was going to happen, everyone except for Rory.
"I have something I want to say." Tristan said before looking down at Rory.
He took her hand as she stood from the table. He got down on one knee without taking his eyes off of her. Rory stared at him with wide eyes.
"I know we haven't been together that long. But you know me better than anyone I've ever met. You've been calling my bluffs and knocking me off of my pedestal for years. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else. Lorelai Leigh Gilmore will you marry me?"
Rory hadn't noticed him pull a box out of his pocket until he had opened it. She blinked back tears trying to get a good look at the ring inside. She let out a nervous laugh before nodding her head.
"I think she's in shock." Olivia said looking at Rory.
Tristan smiled as he slipped the ring on her finger. She let out a gasp when she finally saw the ring. It was beautiful, it was an obviously an antique. The silver band was engraved with intertwining leaves. There were two small diamonds with a large diamond in the middle. Rory had never seen a ring like it before.
"It was my grandmothers. My grandfather gave it to me before he died. He told me I should give it to someone I thought deserved it." Tristan said as he stood.
"It's beautiful." Rory said jus above a whisper.
"I'm getting a new mommy?" Maddie asked standing next to them.
"You are." Tristan said picking her up.
Maddie smiled before squirming out of his arms. She wrapped her arms around Rory's waist and started to cry.
"I prayed that you would say yes." She said looking up at Rory.
Tears flowed down Rory's face as she looked down at her. She felt stupid and a little neurotic, she had worried over nothing. Things were going to be fine.
XXXX
Later that night while they lay in bed Tristan explained things to her. He had been planning this for over a month. He had to work around everyone's schedules. Now that it was over he could relax and enjoy everything. Until they started to plan the wedding; but he would worry about that when the time came.
"I love you so much." Rory whispered in his ear before laying her head on his chest.
"I love you too Mary." He said pulling her closer to him.