Title:
Miss Me?
Author: DaxisSteele
Rating: PG
Summary: Senior year, One bus, two enemies, 14 hours together.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. Characters do
not belong to the author.
Chapter Eleven: I Stole The Monkey
"Hi Dad." Rory hugged her father tightly.
"Hey Baby." Christopher smiled at his daughter. "Tarzan huh?"
"Yeah." Rory chuckled.
"Couldn’t you pick someone a little less...buff? Someone that didn’t give your old man an express car to an early grave?"
"Nope, that was the plan. The faster I kill you off the faster I get my inheritance." She shook her head at her father.
"Speak of the devil." A newly redressed Tristan came up behind Rory and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Hey Mary." There was pure mischief in his smirk.
"Behave or I’m selling you to Miss Patty." She pouted.
"I’ll be good I promise. Boy scouts honor and all that crap."
"You were never a boy scout." She laughed.
"Minor detail." Tristan looked over at her father. "Nice to meet you Mr. Hayden, I’m Tristan DuGrey." He held his hand out to Christopher who shook it somewhat shocked.
"A DuGrey?" He looked over at his daughter. "And your mother hasn’t castrated him yet?"
Rory took one look at the terrified look on her boyfriend’s face and burst out laughing. "No, she seems content terrorizing him without bloodshed." When he started to relax she added, "for now anyway."
"Speaking of your mom, what’s next on the agenda? It’s only ten o’clock there has got to be more to it than this." Christopher smiled at how comfortable the two seemed together.
"Shh, don’t let her hear you say that. You’ll wind up in the middle of a cock fight."
"What?!?" Rory flushed when she realized how bad that sounded.
"No, Dad, that’s not what I meant." Her face was scarlet. "Mom decided she wanted to sponsor a cock fight for Cinco De Mayo a few years ago but she has been banned from getting anywhere near animals so she made these huge cardboard wings and beaks and strapped them on Kirk and Dean and took bets on who would win. Kirk broke his wing with the first hit and it was just hanging there slowing him down so he actually started pecking Dean with this huge beak." Tristan’s face was buried in Rory’s shoulder stifling the tears of laughter.
"I think I would have paid to see this." Tristan squeezed out between gasps.
"Don’t encourage her." Christopher scolded until he caught sight of Kirk climbing a tree and then broke into hysterical laughter himself as the mental image took firm root. "On second thought that would be hysterical."
"How did we make out with the auction?"
"A little over a thousand. Matt and Lane bought each other." She smiled. "It’s not much but it’s that much more that we don’t have to borrow."
"Borrow for what?"
Rory’s face fell. "Grandma went a little crazy when she found out about Tristan and I, and mom had flashbacks to when she brought you home to meet them the first time. She started talking about us like we were cattle. I think Grandma is already planning the wedding."
"I bet that went over well." Christopher was more than familiar with the tirades of Emily Gilmore.
"Needless to say Mom went ballistic. She decided we aren’t going back, which of course means that Grandma will pull the funding for Chilton."
"And what does your mother do in the face of any crisis?" Christopher chuckled slightly.
"Party."
"She could have come to me you know." He looked momentarily saddened.
"Dad, you’re already paying for Harvard. I think she needed to find a way to do this on her own, you know rub Grandma’s nose in it."
"That is so your mother." He sighed and relented.
"Lor-e-lei! Lor-e-lei!" The chanting rose to a steady dim.
"Oh god! What’s she up to now?" Rory scanned the crowd and located her mother shimmying up the drainpipe onto the roof of the porch.
"Rory, will you come up here please."
"Oh, Lord help me."
"I don’t think anyone will help you when your mother is concerned." Christopher laughed and watched Rory make her way to the house and shimmy up next to her mother. Christopher took the opportunity to speak to Tristan alone. "You hurt my little girl and I will kill you, she is too good to be dragged into that world." Tristan didn’t need to ask what world he was talking about. He was well aware of how Rory’s parents felt about the Hartford social scene.
"If I hurt her I’ll hand you the gun, although I don’t think there will be much left after Lorelei gets her claws in me." He smiled wistfully. "And as for dragging her into that world, I think it’s the other way around. She’s dragging me out of it and I love her even more for it." Christopher studied him looking for the sincerity in his eyes. When he found it he nodded and turned back to the display at the house, mumbling, "take care of my baby."
"I will sir." Tristan nodded at the acceptance and looked up to see Lorelei raise her bullhorn.
"Is everyone having a good time?" She smiled that thousand watt smile when the crowd hollered yes. "Good. Then I won’t keep you from scouring the lawn for hopeful mating partners. And Tristan if that’s what you’re thinking..." She pointed at him in mock aggression. He playfully raised his hands in surrender.
"Never crossed my mind." He shouted up to her.
"Yeah right, and I’m my mother’s perfect little angel." A burst of laughter erupted throughout the crowd. "I just wanted everyone to know that at the stroke of midnight tonight there will be a freedom run through the center of Stars Hollow!" The cheers were overwhelming. "I suggest you wear sneakers or go barefoot if you want to outrun the pigs! Accept for Keystone Copper Dan here, cause everyone knows he is firmly under my mystical power and will be running with us." Dan laughed and nodded. "So, party, party, party, and drink yourselves silly cause I want to see some wonder woman underoos running down the street! And remember this, they can take my inheritance, but they can never take...my FREEDOM!" Right on cue Rory and Lorelei turned and mooned the waiting crowd. Cheers and wolf whistles erupted again and mother and daughter hugged, laughing hysterically. The music roared again and the party resumed. Tristan caught Rory around the waist and pulled her to him when she reached the ground again.
"Hey there, you." Rory smiled up at him.
"Freedom run huh?" His impish grin sent butterflies on a bombing mission in her stomach.
"Ah, yeah."
"I never knew you had a tattoo." Rory’s eyes went wide and her face once again flared scarlet. She had forgotten about the matching devils holding a ‘Live Free or Die!’ sign she and her mom had tattooed on their left cheek. "What else haven’t you told me about you?"
"I was sixteen and impressionable and she’s well my mom, and you know Mom, she’s just Mom." He kissed her cutting off the ramble.
"I’m surprised it wasn’t a cup of coffee."
"The guy at the tattoo parlor refused to do a Starbuck’s Logo, something about trademarks."
Tristan just laughed. "Why am I not surprised that you are completely serious?"
"COCK FIGHT!" Rory just groaned at her mother’s shriek. She heard the front door slam as Lorelei went to retrieve the masks and wings.
"Taylor and Kirk must be at it again." She rolled her eyes.
"I’ve got ten on Taylor!"
"No way, Kirk’s scrappy." Someone shouted from the ring that had gathered around the two. "And he knows how to use his beak!"
"His beak?" Rory turned to see Amy standing next to her with James, the local guy that bought her.
"Just watch. I promise it’s entertaining. I just hope Sookie doesn’t fall off the porch again when she starts laughing hysterically. She had to get six stitches in her head." Rory chuckled.
"I wonder if she’s going to make Taylor fight in the donkey mask. That could be a disadvantage." Tristan watched as Kirk strapped on the chicken head and wings. The two began circling each other and clucking loudly.
"Is this normal behavior around here?" Amy whispered to Rory.
"Only when my mother is involved." Rory shook her head and turned back to the show in the center of her lawn.
"Ooh, that had to hurt." Tristan hissed as Kirk plucked Taylor’s back with his beak. Taylor spun and whacked Kirk upside the head with his wing. "Do we know what started this fight?"
"Taylor wanted Christmas lights at the Pilgrim parade and Kirk said they were banned for use with any holiday other then Christmas, hence the name." Lane came bounding over to Rory and Tristan.
"Hey Lane." Rory smiled. "Where’s Matt?"
"Talking to Chilton people. Did you see him? He is so hot. Not that you aren’t Tristan, because, that loincloth, wow. But Matt, he’s got this cute little mole under his eye, and he loves any type of music you can find, and he doesn’t want to be a doctor."
Rory just laughed and cut off her friends rambling. "He sounds perfect."
"I can’t wait for the Freedom Run. Umm, yum."
"Lane!" Rory giggled even harder.
"What, like you weren’t thinking the same thing. Not that you didn’t get to stare at Tristan half naked for a few hours."
"And once again I am standing right next to you Lane."
"So?"
"Could you please not talk about me like I wasn’t here?"
"What’s the matter Tris you getting all flustered?" Tristan glared at Rory.
"And we have a winner!" Lorelei bellowed out over the crowd.
"Damn, I missed the end of the fight." Tristan moaned as he strained to see who won. Taylor was sprawled on the ground in a huge donkey mask with his wings spread to the side. Tristan lost his composure and broke out in a fit of laughter. "Now that is a sight I will never forget."
"What time is it?" Amy leaned over and looked at Lane’s watch.
"Eleven thirty."
"Wow time flies around here. I better get going if I’m going to make curfew." She looked over at James and smiled sweetly. "Walk me to my car."
"Yeah sure."
"Bye Tristan, bye Rory, see you Monday."
"Bye Amy."
"You know, if nothing else comes out of this I think you just made a lot of friends at Chilton." Lane smiled.
"You think?" Rory looked pathetically hopeful.
"Definitely. They love anyone who can throw a good party." Tristan shook his head. "Chilton students are unusually easy to please when loud music and beer are involved."
"I somehow doubt many of them got past Luke. He guards the kegs like it’s the last stand at Bull Run or something like that." Lane jumped as two hands were suddenly wrapped around her waist. "Hey Matt."
"Hey. I’ve gotta ask. Are all your parties like this?"
Rory shook her head. "No, usually they are worse. We only had one night to plan this one. We’ve been planning the New Year’s Bash since January second."
"Count me in." He turned to Tristan. "Come on T, the guys are getting ready for the freedom run behind the house." He released Lane and pushed his friend in the opposite direction.
"Are you really going to do this with Tristan here?"
"Of course. Why wouldn’t I?" Rory grinned evilly. "I haven’t lost a race yet!"
"Something tells me, this year you want to be caught."
"Maybe." They ran into the house to get ready.
~~~~~~~~~
"On your mark, get set, go!" Rory had no idea where Tristan was as she took off down the street. She knew eventually the more athletic runners would pull toward the front of the pack with her out of necessity. No one really wanted to see Taylor and Jackson sprinting down the street in tighty whiteys. The distinct sound of police sirens could be heard amongst the crowd behind her and she darted past Luke’s and over to the gazebo. Grabbing the monkey off the table she turned and ran back in the direction of her house. "Rory’s got the monkey! Get the monkey!" She darted down one of the alleys before the oncoming traffic could catch her. She never lost the monkey race and didn’t plan to now. Not when she knew Tristan was back there somewhere gaining on her. All she had to do was make it two more blocks with out getting arrested or hijacked for her prize and she would win. Steady breathing and the thud of gaining footsteps alerted her to his presence. She didn’t have to look back to know Tristan was closing the gap between them.
One block and she was home free.
He was right behind her as she moved the monkey to the other hand. Ducking her tiny body through the trees in Babette’s back yard she chuckled when she hear him swear. "Luke! I’ve got the monkey! I’ve got the monkey!" She made a mad dash for the front porch to deposit the monkey in the correct place.
"No you don’t." Tristan grabbed her by the waist and they tumbled to the ground wrestling for the stuffed animal. She squirmed out of his grasp and shot up the stairs like lightning.
"I got the monkey, I got the monkey!" Tristan sat content on the ground staring up at the woman he loved dancing around with a stuffed monkey in her Grinch underwear covered in mud. If he could he would make this moment last forever. Climbing the stairs behind her he scooped her in his arms and kissed her fiercely. Pulling away he pulled a clump of mud out of her hair with a smile.
"You can have the monkey any day if it means I get to watch you do the happy dance in your underwear." The smirk that scorched her veins crossed his lips. "The Grinch?"
"Scooby doo?" He looked down at his boxers and laughed.
"Fair enough."
"We better get dressed. It’s freezing out here." She ran into the house to clean up and claim some of the hot coffee Luke had waiting.
"God I love that girl." Tristan grinned like an idiot and followed her into the house holding the monkey to his chest. "I stole the monkey!" He laughed when a loud swearing session erupted from the bathroom.
"Doesn’t matter. Luke witnessed the master returning the monkey to its rightful place!" She snarled back.
"Yes, but possession is nine tenths of the law." Tristan pulled on his jeans and sweater and fought the urge to kiss the glare off her face as she emerged.
"But I don’t get any coffee if I don’t have the monkey, mom’s rules. I am quickly approaching werewolf stage so I suggest you hand it over." She quirked her brow and stalked toward him.
"Nope. You’ll have to find a way to get back in your mother’s good graces." He raised the monkey over his head out of her reach.
"Jerk." Her pout was worthless as he reached forward to kiss her protruding lip.
"That won’t work."
She leaned to whisper in his ear in a seductive singsong voice. "I’ll put my leather pants back on."
He groaned and relaxed just enough for her to jump and grab the monkey out of his hand. "I got the monkey, I got the monkey." Rory danced out into the yard leaving a slightly flabbergasted Tristan in her living room. He never would have guessed the side of Rory he had seen that weekend even existed but the idea of her beginning to understand her power over him scared the bajeezus out of him. He went back out in the lawn to join the returning veterans and hear the tales of the unfortunate jailbirds they would have to go bail out. With in minutes the party was in full swing again.
~~~~~~~~
The party wore down around five the next morning when the weary town wandered its way over to Luke’s dinner to rehash the stories of the party over pancakes and strawberry milkshakes. By the time Lorelei, Christopher, Luke, Rory and Tristan returned to the Gilmore house they were almost asleep on their feet. With Christopher crashing on the couch Lorelei didn’t even bother to argue when the two teens stole away to Rory’s room to pass out on her bed. She knew from experience that they were way to tired to try anything so her maternal instinct was silenced as she pulled Luke up to her room to crash out for several hours of sleep.
Rory sighed as Tristan’s arms snaked around her and pulled her against his chest. Before she could even mutter goodnight he was fast asleep. Snuggling deeper into his grasp she yawned and fell into a deep slumber. The hours of clean up would have to wait. Now they needed to recoup.