The Beginning of a Beginning?

By Antigone Solange

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

Chapter 17

::Back to California::

"California! Here we come!" Rory sang aloud, sticking her head out the window of the car. They had just crossed the border into California, and Rory turned up the volume to the song, "California" by Phantom Planet.

"Hey Mary, I don't think it's such a good idea for you to be sticking your head out the window…" Tristan tried to coax Rory safely back into the passenger seat.

"What are you talking about? Dogs do it all the time," Rory countered.

"Are you always going to argue with me?" Tristan "We're not even married yet!" Tristan huffed.

"Hey! You're the one who asked ME to marry YOU, not to mention, I quote 'I'd miss your smile and your innocence and all the witty arguments we have'" Rory replied.

"Okay, okay. Point taken," Tristan conceded. "Though, you won't be so innocent after we're married," Tristan whispered under his breath.

"I heard that," Rory stated, then proceeded to giggle.

"What?" Tristan questioned Rory's uncontrollable bursts of laughter.

"Oh nothing," Rory replied mysteriously.

"No. Tell me," Tristan whined. "We should have an open relationship in which we tell each other everything," Tristan suggested.

"Well, if you MUST know, I was just imagining you sleeping on the couch every night," Rory laughed at the expression that suddenly appeared on Tristan's face. "So, you might want to watch those words of yours, honey," Rory added with a syrupy sweet smile.

"You wouldn't! You wouldn't exile me!" Tristan exclaimed, while attempting to make big puppy dog eyes at Rory. "You can't resist me," Tristan said.

"Uh huh, that's what you think," Rory replied as she turned away from Tristan, giving the impression that his attempt to make her crack was unsuccessful.

"That's right! I don't think you'd have the guts to exile me," Tristan replied confidently as he looked over at Rory.

"Tristan! Keep your eyes on the road, please," Rory chastised.

Tristan smirked. "Only if you say, 'Tristan, you're the hottest man alive, and I'm lucky to be engaged to you, and of course I'd NEVER make you sleep on the couch.'"

"No!" Rory shouted, blushing.

"Then I'll just keep looking at you instead of the road," Tristan threatened.

"Tristan! Stop playing games! This isn't funny," Rory pleaded. "I'm serious!"

"And so am I," Tristan deadpanned.

Exasperated, Rory gave in, "Fine. Tristan, you're the hottest man alive, and I'm lucky to be engaged to you, and…" Rory trailed off, mumbling under her breath.

"What was that? I couldn't hear that last part," Tristan teased.

"And Of course I'd NEVER make you sleep on the couch," Rory recited. "Unless you deserve it," Rory added in a quiet tone.

"But I would never do anything to deserve it," Tristan said, giving Rory a lopsided grin.

"Okay. I said it. Now, watch the road," Rory commanded.

"Yes, of course, my lady," Tristan followed Rory's direction.

"Now I think it's time for me to take a nap," Rory declared, snuggling deeper into her seat.

"We'll be in California soon. I'll wake you when we arrive," Tristan gave Rory the go-ahead to rest her eyes.

Rory was fast asleep in the seat beside Tristan. Every once in awhile, he would glance over at her. She was so beautiful it was hard to keep his eyes on the road and off of her peaceful form. He was so happy in that moment, contented. He had the girl of his dreams with him, and he was driving down a long road toward paradise. The sun was shining high, and before him lay a future full of promise.

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

"Wakey, wakey, sleepy-head," Tristan nudged a slumbering Rory. Rory moaned in response, her eyes remaining closed.

"C'mon sleeping beauty. We're in California!" Tristan ran his hand along Rory's arm, trying to wake her up. Rory's only response was another moan as she changed positions in the uncomfortable seat.

"Mary, if you don't wake up right now, I'm going to do things to you that would make you blush even as a married woman!" Neither Tristan's urgent tone nor his words' implications could stir Rory from her deep sleep, so Tristan did the only thing he could think of. He leaned his face down near hers. Closer and closer, he came until his nose brushed against hers. His lips were a hair's breath away. And then, they were touching. It was soft at first, an almost nonexistent kiss. Then, he pressed down harder, clearly claiming her lips with his. Rory moaned again, but this time, she was coming back from the depths of dreams. She definitely thought she was dreaming, though. Tristan' breath on her cheek felt surreal. He kissed her again, and this time she responded. It was short and sweet, and when Tristan pulled away, Rory's eyes fluttered open. A smile spread across her lips.

"That was a great wake-up call," Rory broke the silence.

"It was the only thing that worked," Tristan muttered with a laugh. Rory gave a quizzical look, completely unaware of Tristan's previous attempts to wake her up.

"Don't worry, though, Mary. You're going to have a lifetime of great wake-up calls, I promise," Tristan winked.

Rory blushed, "I guess I could get used to that."

"Well, here we are: Coastal California!" Tristan exclaimed. He had parked the car at a look-out point. They could see the whole expanse of Pacific Ocean until it disappeared into the horizon.

"It's breath-taking," Rory breathed. The beauty of the nature surrounding her was amazing to say the least. As Rory stared out at the open ocean, Tristan stared at her. He watched her expression turn from one of awe to one of genuine appreciation. Rory soon realized she was being watched by a none-too-subtle Tristan. Another hot blush spread across her face.

"What?" Rory questioned.

"You know what else is breath-taking?" Tristan responded.

"Oh please! Do not turn corny on me!" Rory's eyes widened in mock disbelief. "I don't think I can handle it," she scoffed.

Tristan laughed. It was a deep melodic sound that made Rory's heart swell. She loved the sound of his laugh. It made her feel comfortable and safe. Smiling, Rory turned to get out of the car.

"Let's get some fresh air," she suggested.

The two exited the car to stand at the edge of the United States of America. It was a long way down to the rocky shore, but the view was spectacular. Rory moved to Tristan's side, slipping her tiny hand into his larger one. They stood together in silence just appreciating the beauty. They stayed there together, watching the horizon until the sun began to set. Hand-in-hand, they watched as the sky turned from a bright cerulean to a vibrant orange. The sun sunk lower and lower until it disappeared into the ocean, and only some orange and pink residues were left in the sky.

Tristan wrapped his arm around Rory's shoulder and led her to the car. He held the door open for her as she climbed into the front seat.

"I guess chivalry isn't dead, yet," Rory commented.

"Oh c'mon, Rory. What do you take me for? I am an upstanding young gentleman," Tristan responded. "I'd say you've got yourself quite a catch," Tristan smirked at her.

Rory just rolled her eyes, "I can't deny that, but I'm not going to feed your ego anymore."

With that, Tristan hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine. Winding through the cliffs, they drove back toward civilization to find a hotel for the night.

Holy Crap! It's been what…THREE years? I am so sorry I lost a lot of motivation for this story. I can't even believe I still got reviews up until last year!

With the posting of this chapter, I still can't promise to keep updating on a regular basis, but I guess I can promise that I will eventually one day finish this story. Don't keep your hopes up for the near future, though. That's only if we're lucky. I haven't even watched Gilmore Girls in forever! In fact, I haven't even reread this story yet. So I'm not sure if this chapter even really coincides with the rest of the story. I'm sorry if there are holes or if it doesn't seem to make sense. I'm just trying to crank out the last few chapters so it can be over. Then, I will probably go back for a good editing session. This story really needs it.

So this chapter's title is from the song "Back to California" by Sugarcult. That is my lazy attempt at a chapter title.

Also, I don't own "California" by Phantom Planet.

It's pretty late—4am. So I'm pretty tired, but happy that I got this chapter up. I hope you guys are as happy with it as I am at the moment. It is kind of a fluff chapter, but I mean, with the proposal in the previous chapters, I don't think there's much I can do right now. Still gotta break the news to Logan somehow…You guys can look forward to that in the next chapter. A phone call from the hotel, perhaps? Hehehehe

Antigone Solannge

(Yeah, I changed my penname…but I am too lazy to go back to all the previous chapters to change it on those…)