The Beginning of a Beginning?

By babydrag0nfly

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, and I certainly don't own Tristan, but a girl can dream can't she?

A/N:

Season4.5: personally, I don't think Tristan would drop the "Mary." It's like an affectionate pet name for her. He lovers her, right, and lovers have nicknames for each other, at least in my world they do. ;) Thanks for the review! :)
Chubz88: Exactly! And it'll be really meaningful and full of drama hehe ;)
Molinhas: Thanks! :)
Emily: hehe Thanks! Well…they're going to get together over this trip (obviously) but I might take it just a tad slow since Rory is still kind of hung up on Logan. She's not going to all of a sudden jump to Tristan, you know?
WindgFairy90: :P I know, I know, shut up lol. Thanks for reviewing, finally! Sheesh ;)
Callista NicTeryn: Oh yes! Hehe…a really long trip with JUST Rory and Tristan…LOTS can happen ;)
Tyler: oh there certainly will be lots of adventure. I'm not sure about a new character though since I've already introduced one. MAYBE though…we'll see.
Weeping Rose: Wow! Thank you! :) I'm glad my story has such an impact on you.

Chapter 6

::I'm Quite Aware We're Dying::

"Hey. WOW! Logan, are you going to be alright?" Solange came up behind Logan. They were still standing in the café.

"I don't know," Logan stared off into space. He was thinking about Rory, she looked so angry. It's all my fault! What am I going to do?

"I feel like this is all my fault," Solange took the blame. "I mean, if I hadn't asked to go to coffee with you…"

"No. It's not your fault. I really…like you, Solange, but I also love Rory. I just don't know what to do," Logan sighed.

"Why don't we get out of here, and maybe we can talk about it," Solange suggested. They left the little coffee shop without ever getting their intended coffee.

In the car, Solange began, "Logan, I like you, too, and I never meant to screw up your relationship with Rory, but I still can't help feeling like it's my fault." Solange bit her lip in worry.

"Solange, it really isn't your fault at all. I should have told Rory beforehand. I had called her, but her phone was busy. I should have been more persistent. If I had clearly communicated this to her, she would have understood. But I hope this doesn't mess up our friendship," Logan said uncertainly.

"No. Of course not," Solange smiled despite the situation.

"I think I'll just go visit her tomorrow, and clear a few things up. Knowing her, she probably wants a little time to herself to think," Logan planned.

----------------------------------------

Tristan looked over at Rory. He was shocked. He had planned on asking her to come along on the trip with him, but he never imagined that she would actually willingly go with him.

Realizing that he had left her hanging for quite awhile, Tristan quickly replied, "Of course you can come with me, Rory." He even used her real name to show that he was serious.

"Thanks," Rory sighed, and closed her eyes. "I need some time away from here." Rory added, "and Logan."

"Oh, it's no problem," Tristan could feel his spirits rising; Rory was coming with him on a road trip that would last at least a month, maybe longer. "It's actually really funny. I was about to ask you if you wanted to come with me, back there in the café," Tristan laughed.

The rest of the ride back to Rory's house was made in a comfortable silence. Tristan thought about the upcoming trip. He couldn't wait. Rory on the other hand was thinking about less joyous events. However, she hoped that this little trip could help her breathe. She also thought that maybe her being away could help Logan get his priorities straight. She figured that if Logan didn't want to be with her, he would continue to pursue the girl in the café. At least then she wouldn't be putting on any pressure.

Tristan finally pulled up to Rory's house. As Rory was about the get out of the car, he turned to facer her and asked, "I'll call you later tonight so we can get the travel plans straight?"

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about all that logistical stuff," Rory laughed. When it came to trips, apparently she always forgot about that. Don't let it become a habit, she mentally scolded herself. "Bye and thanks, again," Rory closed the door to Tristan's BMW, and headed to her front porch.

Tristan left Rory's house. He was so elated that he rushed home as fast as he possibly could to get ready for his trip. It was going to be the road trip of a lifetime.

----------------------------------------

Rory opened the door quietly. She didn't really want to attract the attention of her mother. Frankly, she wasn't in the mood to talk about her run in with Logan. However, she didn't know how she would get away with not telling her mother about leaving on a road trip with Tristan the next day. At that moment, Lorelai came waltzing into the hallway by the front door. She saw Rory standing there and raised her eyebrows in question.

"Hey, Mom!" Rory tried to sound excited.

"What are you doing? I mean. I come in here, and all your doing is standing there quietly. You didn't even tell me you were back. You didn't even tell me you left, actually, which got me a little worried, but Luke calmed me down, reminding me that you're a grown up now," Lorelai started rambling.

"Uh…well…I was going to yell, 'MOM I'M BACK!' at the top of my lungs, but you just popped in here, destroying my whole plan," Rory tried to save herself.

"Nice try, kiddo, but I can see through you. You are the fruit of my loins, after all," Lorelai pointed out. "So, what's up? Really, why were you trying to avoid me?"

Rory just walked into the living room and sat down on the couch, waiting for her mother to join her. Lorelai, the knowing mother that she was, sat down next to her daughter and wrapped an arm around her.

"Tell me everything from the beginning," Lorelai demanded.

Rory went through the whole gory story, not leaving any detail out.

"So…I've decided that I want to go with Tristan on his road trip. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon, and he's going to call me later to tell me the whole plan. I don't know, Mom. I think I just need some time to think things through. If Logan wanted to break up, he could have just told me…"

"Hey! Stop jumping to conclusions. How do you know the girl wasn't like his friend or something? Maybe she was even his cousin. Just because she is of the opposite sex of him doesn't mean that they're having some affair," Lorelai tried to convince Rory not to assume.

"I guess…" Rory admitted that maybe she was assuming just a little. "But I still think I should take a little time off from this place. I know I just got back from college, but this Logan issue is suffocating me, and I need air."

"That's fine, honey, take all the time you need,"

"Thanks, Mom," Rory gave her mother a tight squeeze.

"So does this mean that I can take your spot when Logan goes to the Bahamas?" Lorelai pleaded.

Rory just gave her mom a playful swat.

"Now, can I trust Tristan?" Lorelai seriously asked. If her daughter was going to be gone for more than a month, she wanted her in dependable hands.

"Well…" Rory hesitated. She really didn't know Tristan that well. "I don't think he'll ditch me at a gas station in the middle of nowhere if that's what your thinking."

"Hmm…" Lorelai contemplated.

"At least he understands my need for coffee. Like today…he knew that I go through coffee really fast, so he got me two cups," Rory tried to convince her mom.

"Good point. He's trustworthy," Lorelai confirmed.

Rory mentally cheered. YESS! California, here I come!

I guess this is kind of a short chapter…compared to the last one. It's also a sort of filler, but there was a little TRORY action. They're going on a road trip…yay! The next chapter will probably be a bit of a filler too…they'll have the phone conversation, and then set off on the actual trip.

Not that many people updated for the last chapter. It made me sad :( especially when I worked so hard on it at MIDNIGHT too!

This chapter's title is from the song, "Always" by Blink 182. This relates because Logan is kind of aware that his and Rory's love is dying, or more like his love for Rory is kind of dwindling. I mean he still loves her, don't get me wrong, and he'll always love her, but it isn't quite the same anymore now that he's met Solange. It's like he's had an epiphany. ;)

So give me some ideas on what should happen during this road trip like what cities should they stop at? I am going to do the trory get together a tad slow because I want Rory to spend some time thinking of Logan, and I want there to be subtle signs that Tristan likes her, and eventually, Rory will slowly realize that maybe she's falling for Tristan…you get the idea. SLOWNESS lol

So you all better review and make me feel better and make up for last chapter lol

P.S. for all you who noticed my slip up about Tristan going to school at Stanford (I forgot to have him tell Rory that he went there because otherwise…how would she know?) I'm sorry. It doesn't make that big of a difference; so if you don't get what I'm talking about…don't worry :) just keep reading the story

Babydrag0nfly