❝WEDDINGS SURPRISES❞
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⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ chapter forty-four,
Gilmore Girls — Season Two

May 15th, 2002

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[ LUCY'S POV ]

TODAY IS THE WEDDING BETWEEN Sookie St. James and Jackson Belleville, and I'm currently having a fight with my hairbrush. While the dress I'm wearing is beautiful— blue, floral and low cut— my hair just doesn't want to work in the way I want it to. I'm trying to pin it back into a bun, but pieces of hair just fly out of the clip and I'm left nearly crying in the mirror.

     I expected to be going to this wedding with Tristan and my dad, but now Dad isn't coming. Tristan's meeting me outside in less than an hour, and I'm panicking over some hair. Tristan's lucky he doesn't have to fuss over his hair. He'll never understand this struggle.

     The wedding is at the Independence Inn and Sookie even catered for her own wedding which I find to be the funniest thing, but she is the best chef in town so I'm not surprised. The whole town has been invited, and besides my dad, I don't know a single person who isn't coming to this wedding. Everybody has been waiting for this day for months since they got engaged at the basket bidding festival, and now it's finally here. They're getting married.

     They're an unusual couple, but they're also very suited for one another.

     The chef and the produce man. Poetic, right?

     After all the stress I've had to endure in recently, this wedding is the perfect excuse to relax and not worry. Well, there's the matter of giving Addy that bastard book, but I'm doing it today at the wedding as it's still haunting my desk. Sure, we've seen each other at school but with these end-of-year exams overwhelming us, I've hardly had any time to breathe let alone talk to her about anything.

     On a happier note, I believe I aced my exams, and on Saturday, Dad and I are having our celebratory dinner at Sniffy's. I've missed the previous Saturday night dinners as I've been studying for the exams, but now I'm a free bird for the rest of the summer.

     I tried to persuade Dad to come to this wedding, but he's being stubborn. He wants to stay at the diner despite nobody coming in because of the wedding, and I've chose not to argue with him anymore. If he wants to be stubborn and fight with Lorelai some more, he can do. She tried to apologise this morning after sending several notes and letters apologising, and Dad still hasn't properly forgiven her. Can't say I blame him though, I'd still hold a grudge.

     Anyway, I have a wedding to get to and a hot date to stand with. I don't have time for—

     "Oh, my God!" I shriek, clutching my chest as I step out of the bathroom. "You know, normal people announce their presence. They don't just stand there and stare. What the hell are you doing here?"

     Still struggling to breathe after the jump scare, I stare straight ahead at Jess who stands in the room with a bag slung over his shoulders. How did he get up here without Dad following after him? Come to think of it, where the heck is Dad if Jess is here? Why is Jess here?

     Jess is holding the book I'm supposed to give to Addy, and he's not said a word. "Uh, hello. Why are you here? Last I checked, you were on a bus."

     "You didn't give it to her," Jess says, ignoring me.

     I step forward, snatching it from him. "I'm giving it to her today. I've been busy." That isn't a lie, and while the book has been watching me study over the past two weeks, I still haven't had time to give it to her. Giving it to her would lead to the talk, and I'm not sure I want to discuss it. But I've put it off for too long, and now I'm giving her the book today. "Now what the hell are you doing here?"

     He stays silent, his hands in his pockets, and I sigh. I really don't have time for this. "You know, me and my dad called you, like, six times. I asked you to call when you got home, and did you? Nope. Now, I know we aren't besties or anything, but a phone call would've been nice, jerk."

     "I know," he replies quietly, eyes on the ground. He looks almost ashamed to admit that he was wrong not to call. "I'm sorry."

     I scoff. "What do you want?"

     "I wanna come back."

     I retreat, surprised that those words came out of his mouth. If somebody told me last year that Jess would want to stay here, I would've laughed in their face. "I'm sorry. What?"

     "I want to come back," he repeats.

     "Why?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

     "I just, I..." He looks visibly uncomfortable. Gosh, this is amusing. "I just wanna come back."

     This doesn't sound like the Jess I know, this sounds like a different version of the Jess I'm used to. He came all the way back here, and is asking to live here again. He wants to stay here. For real.

     "You know, people thought my dad was crazy for letting you live here. They told him that he was crazy, they told him he was insane. Hell, they told him to start writing letters to Jodie Foster but he ignored them." I take a step forward, and I realise I'm slightly taller than Jess in heels. This is awkward. "My dad was so sure that he knew what he was doing and then you showed up and you know what happened? You proved them right. He was crazy, and now after all that has happened, after all the chaos and havoc that you have reeked, you're seriously standing there telling me you wanna come back?"

     Jess ignores me, as he always does, and he looks towards the side of the room that we used to share. "He didn't pack up my stuff yet."

     "You have too much stuff," I bite back. "Should've taken more with you."

     "When were you planning on sending it back to me?" he asks, and I shake my head because who do I look like? I don't have time to pack all his crap up, thank you.

     "We've been busy, we have lives."

     "So, what do you think?" Jess asks.

     I hit my foot against the floor a couple times, trying to figure out what to say. I look back over at our side of the room, and I sigh. "I guess it'd be fine if you came back," I say begrudgingly. "But things have to be different."

     He nods. "I know."

     "You need help with school, ask me. You need to crash another car, ask me. You need anything, ask me. Don't be a dick to my dad again, he's only ever tried to help you. If you're serious about living here, keep to your side of the room and we won't have problems, okay?"

     "Okay."

     "Okay. You're staying," I accept.

     "I'm staying," he choruses.

     "Shame, I liked the extra room," I sigh, peering over at our side of the room again. "Don't take up too much room, 'kay?"

     "Why you dressed up?" he asks.

     "Sookie's wedding."

     "Hmm." Not sure what that means, but I just accept his response.

     I look at him. "I guess it's good to have you back because I really have to tell you how much I hate Charles Bukowski."

     His eyes widen. "Seriously?"

     "Oh, yeah. You can keep that crap."

     "You obviously didn't give it a chance."

     "I did. It was crap."

     "Is that the only word you know?"

     "Only word to describe what I read," I argue.

     I laugh, shaking my head because it surprisingly is good to have Jess back in town regardless of all that's happened.

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     EVERY GIRL DREAMS ABOUT HER WEDDING. Well, supposedly every girl dreams of her wedding day. I, on the other hand, imagine I'll be dressed in white and that's it. I'm unsure on what food I'll eat, what cake flavour I'll choose, and what flowers will decorate the tables. I'm unsure on the details of my future wedding— if I have a future wedding, but some people make mood boards on this kind of crap.

     Don't get me wrong, weddings are beautiful and elegant but I can't imagine having a big, expensive wedding. Despite how much money I may have when I'm older, I would rather not have the most obnoxiously loud wedding. I'd rather just have a small, intimate wedding with the love of my life.

     I look at Tristan who sits alongside me. We're sat close to the back, and we watch as Sookie and Jackson exchange their vows. Tristan's hand rests on my thigh, and my hand lays upon his. Addy is sitting with Nathan— her now ex-boyfriend— a couple rows ahead, and they're whispering to one another.

     It's nice that they've remained friends despite their breakup that occurred less than two weeks ago. They split amicably, and I'm relieved they did because I'm friends with both of them. I wouldn't know what to do if they fought every day about their breakup. Although, I do wonder if she told him about the reason behind their breakup, whatever that reason could be.

     "You have any requirements for your wedding?" Tristan asks, his voice low as he speaks in my ear.

     "For the groom to show up," I quip.

     Tristan chuckles, his hand squeezing my leg. "Would be a fool not to," he murmurs, and I find myself smiling like a damn fool. I swear, this boy always turns me into a blubbery, red-faced mess.

     "What about you?" is what I then ask, strangely curious to see what his requirements are for a wedding.

     He looks me in the eye, and I stare back, admiring him. "For the bride to show up," he replies, mocking my answer, and I smile.

     "Would be a fool not to," I hum, taking my eyes off him so I can lay my head against his shoulder.

     I've never been one to think of my wedding day, but more recently, the idea of it all seems a little more clear— it seems like it could happen for me one day. Sure, I still want the enclosed, intimate kind of wedding with friends and family, but the whole concept of being married to someone— a particular someone— sounds nice. "Do you think you will?" Tristan asks.

     "Will what?"

     "Get married," he adds on. "Do you think it'll happen?"

     I shrug, tracing my thumb over his knuckles. "I'd like to one day," I reply softly, hoping we aren't disrupting the ceremony, but we're near the back and nobody is listening to us. "What about you?"

     "I'd like to one day," he replies, mimicking my exact answer.

After Jackson kisses his bride, we stand and cheer for the happy couple as they begin to walk down the aisle, hand in hand. Following on from the ceremony, the wedding reception kickstarts. Everybody separates, joining their own groups and talking while Jackson and Sookie make the rounds.

As I'm saying my congratulations to the happy couple, I spot Addy in my peripheral vision. The moment Jackson and Sookie step away from us, I turn to Tristan and say, "I need to talk to Addy for a second. I'll send Nate over to watch you."

"Yeah, like I need watched," he scoffs.

"Trust me, you'll need backup. Patty is making the rounds." She's been eyeing up each male that's at this wedding, and my boyfriend will likely be next on her list so the least I can do is send Nathan over to stand by him.

"God, be quick," he begs, leaning down to push his lips to my cheek. "And be nice, okay? Don't need any cat fights at the wedding."

I move away and towards Addy who is standing at the buffet table. She's wearing a floral dress similar to mine yet hers is a baby pink colour. Nathan wears a matching tie, and I smile. Despite their breakup, they seem closer than ever. It's strange but comforting.

I stand in front of my two friends. "Hey, guys. You both look beautiful," I say, giving Nathan a pat on the arm. "Uh, would be okay if I spoke to Addy alone for a second?"

"Oh, she's all yours." Nathan beams. "You look beautiful too, Luce."

"Thank you. Can you go stand by Tristan? I'm afraid Patty will get him if he's alone too long." I'm afraid Tristan won't come back to town if Patty gets her hands on him.

Nathan chuckles. "You got it."

Nathan walks by me, and I turn my head towards Addy, the book clutched against my chest. "Hey," I say, offering her a shy smile. It feels like forever since we last talked. "Uh, I have something to give you, but before I do, I just... I need to talk to you."

Addy dips her head. "Yeah, I figured."

I hold the book up, showing her it, and she doesn't look the least bit surprised that there's a book in my hands. "You know who left it for you, so I don't have to tell you," I begin. "Look, I'm not mad if you like Jess, okay? I'm mad that you felt the need to lie to me, Addy. We don't do that. We don't lie to each other, not about boys, not about anything. Remember when you had that ridiculous crush on Rhett Waters in the fifth grade? You told me about him even if he was massive ass. Also, when I was nine and I kissed Nick Freeman, you were the first person I told. We tell each other everything even if everything involves you liking my cousin."

     I don't know where I'm going with this, but now that I'm talking, I can't seem to stop. "Since the beginning of our friendship, you and I have always put boys and silly things like this behind us because our friendship has always been more important. Now, I don't care who you like or why you like him, but I wish you'd just told me because finding out on my own hurt, Addy."

I grip the book tightly, and Addy stares at me closely. I can see that she's listening to me— that she's understanding where I'm coming from. "You're my best friend. I love you. I'd do anything for you, but I'd never lie to you. You told me that the person you liked was somebody I didn't know, but I hate to break it you, I know Jess, Addy. Now listen, I couldn't care less that it's Jess and he's my cousin because you are more important, and if you like him, I don't care. I just want you to be happy, and if he..." I pause, staring closely at her as I finish with, "If he makes you happy then that's fine, I'm okay with that."

Addy inhales slowly, her eyes peering at the ground for a quick second before she looks back up at me. "I'm sorry," is what she says first, and I nod, unsure on what else to say. I've said all I needed to say. "You're right, I shouldn't have lied. I did— do like Jess, but I have no plans to do anything about it, and I'm not lying about that."

"Why?" I ask, confused as I assumed she'd want to be with him.

She shrugs, and then she chuckles softly. "When I told Nathan that I like Jess, he didn't even seem surprised. I mean, Nathan has known all this freaking time, probably before I did, and he still wants to be friends with me. How can any guy be that kind, that considerate, that perfect? He still cares about me, and I treated him like dirt. I feel horrible for it all, and I realised that I don't want anything with Jess. I just liked another boy and..." She looks down at the ground, her heel toeing at the grass. "And it was nice having feelings— feelings I once had for Nathan, but I don't want a relationship, not right now, maybe not for a while. I like just being his friend, I really do."

Wow. I hadn't expected that. I'm not surprised Nathan reacted in that way. He is the sweetest guy imaginable, and I don't think he has a bad bone in his body. I hate that Addy is beating herself up over it though. She deserves to have something passionate and loving with somebody, like what I have with Tristan. She deserves it all, and I hope she can realise that one day.

I step forward, holding the book out to her. "Addy, you can keep those feelings, you know? You can have that love, if that's what you really want."

She stares at the book and then back up at me. "Keep the book," she insists, and my eyes widen. "I mean it, I'm going to get over this silly crush and move on. I have my family holiday coming up, and while I hate those things, it'll be nice to take some time away from town, rearrange my thoughts, you know?"

"Are you sure?"

She nods, and she steps towards me. "I'm so sorry I lied to you. I've been a sucky friend lately, and I know I should've just told you. You're the nicest person alive, Luciana Danes. Seriously, you've got a heart of gold. You, my friend, are one of a kind, and I love you a lot. I'm sorry."

I roll my eyes and throw my arms around her in a much-needed hug. She immediately reciprocates, her arms wrapping around my middle as we stand in the middle of the wedding party, hugging the life out of one another. At the end of the day, Addy and I are best friends, and there's literally nothing that could ever, ever separate us. She's my person, my lifeline, my platonic soulmate, my girl. I love her very much, she knows that, and nothing will ever break us. Adelaide Sloane is going to be in my life until the end of time, I just know it.

"Now, can I just say..." I pull away, my hands on her shoulders. "What the hell were you thinking?"

She begins to laugh, and I join in.

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     I STROLL DOWN THE STREET, hand in hand with my guy. We have some time before I have to go home, and we're walking through the town, down the street that I used to live on. For some odd reason, I found myself wanting to go to my old house. I know that nobody lives in it, and I imagine there's still little anecdotes in there that I'd love to see again. There was so much furniture in that house that Dad either sold or just left there. Nobody ever asked questions, and as far as I know, nobody has been in the house since.

     Tristan's suit jacket hangs over my shoulders as we walk, and I get the spectacular view of the crisp-white fitted shirt he's wearing. Seriously, he looks divine tonight, and while he always looks gorgeous to me, Tristan in a suit does something entirely different to me, I can't explain it.

     "If you're going to stare so much, at least take a picture, sweetheart." My face turns an embarrassed shade of red, and Tristan chuckles, sliding an arm around my waist.

     I lay my head against him as we continue to walk. The second we come across my old house, I stop and I stare at the house I once called home— the house my grandfather owned, the house my dad grew up in. While the apartment is my home, this house will always hold a special place in my heart. My fondest memories as a child were in this house, and I always wondered if I could maybe live here again when I'm older.

     Tristan stops, and looks at the house he's only ever seen once. "Nobody lives here, right?" I hum in response, and I feel Tristan's hand slip out of mine.

     He then moves forward, and pushes open the old rickety gate that Grandpa was always fixing when I was younger. "Tristan, what are you doing?" I ask, looking up and down the street to check there's nobody around.

     "Going inside," he replies casually.

     "What? You can't do that."

     "Nobody lives here." He walks to the front door and he pushes it open, using very little force as the hinges obviously rotted away ages ago. I watch him, my feet unmoving as I'm unsure whether I should follow him blind or stay still. "You comin', Blue?" 

     I hesitate for a second, considering the consequences of this, but then I realise that there's probably nothing wrong with doing this. I did use to live here, right? That's gotta count for something, I guess. God, what do I know?

     I put one foot in front of the other and I follow after my boyfriend. I'd follow him into anything, I realise.

     The second we enter and the door shuts behind us, I'm transported back to being a kid— to being a child who would be chased around by her father and grandfather. I think about how much happened under this roof, and I feel my chest ache recalling all the memories under here.

Dad says I used to crawl around constantly. According to Grandpa, I was the fastest crawler he'd ever seen. I remember sitting on the sofa after preschool with Grandpa and looking at photos of Dad and Aunt Liz, commenting silly things about the way my dad would dress in high school. I think about the family dinners we would have. My earliest memory is in the kitchen, stuffing my face with my dad's cooking after a long day at the hardware store. I then remember my grandfather collapsing in front of me and not coming home later that evening.

I hope he's watching me, and I hope he's proud of me. He used to have so many photos on the walls of me, of Dad and his accomplishments, of Aunt Liz, of him and Grandma. I never knew my grandmother but Grandpa talked about her a lot, so I always knew she was a kind woman. I'm so honoured to have her name be part of mine.

I feel a hand touch my back, and I smile, my chest aching at how much I adore this house. "You know, I've always said that this house would be my future house when I'm older. After getting my law degree, I'd move back home and find somewhere nearby to work, and I'd buy this house for my future family."

"That's nice," Tristan whispers, looking over at the sofa that's still here after twelve years, and it looks the exact same. "Your dad never threw this thing out?" He moves towards it, and when he sits down, I swear I see dust fly out of it.

"When Grandpa died and dad had to sell the house, some things didn't sell and he just left them here." I shrug, looking around at the space I once called home.

Tristan looks over at me, holding his arm out to me. I move towards him, taking his hand. He pulls me onto his lap, and his jacket falls off my shoulders as I securely wrap my arms around his neck. He pushes a strand of loose hair behind my ear, his hand resting against my jaw. "You still want all that? The house, the job, the family? Here?"

I nod, swallowing the overwhelming lump in my throat. "Yeah, I do. I can just imagine having crazy kids running around here, begging me to make dinner and read to them. My husband would come home from wherever he'd be, and we'd help each other, you know? We'd put the kids to bed, then we'd sit on the sofa and watch movies, and then we'd fall asleep next to one another in the bedroom my grandparents once had. We'd then wake up and do it all over again."

Tristan continues to stroke his hand against my cheek softly, and the touch is enough to bring tears to my eyes. "You can have all that, Blue," he tells me, and I nod, moving my eyes off him. Just as I do, he lifts my chin so I'm staring right at him again. "You can have it all, do you hear me? You can have the kids, you can have the house, you can have..." He swallows thickly, his hand resting against my cheek again. "You can have it all, Luciana. All of it."

"You think?"

"Blue, I know."

I bend toward him on instinct, and his fingers trace my jaw as I push my lips upon his. Tristan kisses me back with gentle urgency, with care. He's soft and sweet, delicate and calm. Every muscle eases as I lean into him, accepting every little thing he has to offer.

I feel him smile against my mouth, and then he pushes one final kiss to my lips before drawing away. "Tristan," I whisper, my forehead resting against his. He hums, acknowledging me, and I speak, "Thank you for being here, for loving me, for accepting me. You've been the better part of my life for the past year and a half, and I really, really love you."

Tristan reels back slightly, staring into my eyes affectionately. "I love you too," he replies, his fingers skimming my shoulder. "And if you'll let me, I'd like to keep loving you for longer, if that's okay?"

My eyes swell with tears. "That's definitely okay."

Tristan takes my mouth this time, and it's no longer gentle and sweet, it's commanding and ruthless. My arms loop around his neck, and we sink into one another. His hands frame my jaw, tilting my head back slightly and I shift on his lap, trying to get comfortable. A groan rips out of him from deep within his chest, and I hum in satisfaction.

"My God," Tristan rasps between kisses, his hands holding onto me tightly.

My laugh comes out lightly and breathy, and Tristan nips on my bottom lip softly, surprising me, and my eyes flutter to a close for a quick second. "Tristan," I force out, my lips attaching to his for a long second. He hums, hearing me, but he won't take his lips off me, and I can't seem to stop either. His hand ghosts over my throat, holding me close to his face as he moves his mouth against mine urgently and gracefully.

I say his name again, a little louder as he moves to attack my neck. I grip his hair, holding onto him for dear life as his lips trace a path from my jaw to my neckline, stopping at my collarbone before moving back up to reattach to their rightful place.

When he pulls back after a second, I stare at him, our chests heaving. "I don't want to leave," I say loudly, my hands holding his face.

"I know what you mean," he chuckles lightly.

"No," I breathe out, shaking my head. "I mean, I want to stay here with you right now. I..." My eyes close, and I try to consider my words before I blurt them out. "I want you. Here. Now."

"Oh," he whispers, realising what I mean. "Now?" He sounds surprised, but for the past few months, we've been teetering on the edge of it happening so... it shouldn't come as a shock. "Are you sure? I mean, we're—"

"I know," I interrupt. "I know it's dirty and gross and, you know, an abandoned house, but I just want to be with you right now. I'm ready— I've been ready, and I really want you. I mean, obviously you can say no because I sound insane but I just—"

"Yes," he interjects, and my words are swallowed. "I want you. I've always wanted you, you know that. It's just..." He looks at me, worry in his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything."

With that, Tristan moves forward and claims my mouth with hot desperation, and my hands reach out to grab ahold of his collar. I pull at the tie he's wearing, relieved that it unknots in seconds, and while he continues to move his mouth against mine urgently, I begin to toy with the buttons on his shirt.

He pulls back, and his eyes flare with heat, and I feel my insides twist. He places his hand over mine, stopping me for a second, and then he begins to unbutton the next one and the next one and the next one until his shirt is open.

I rest my hand against his chest, feeling how warm he is against my hand, and Tristan leans forward to push his lips against mine again. "Lucy, are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes." And with that single word, Tristan tugs at the zipper on the back of my dress.

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authors note:

🤧 tristan and lucy >>> ANYONE ELSE

woah i boshed out 5000 words, go me!

this is the end of act one... and all i have to say is THANKYOU for reading and loving this story as much as i love writing it. writing a love story like lucy and tristan's means so much... they're the most beautiful couple in the world to me

act two will cover seasons 3 and 4 . . .

again, thankyou so much for the votes and the comments, it means so much! <3

p.s. if yall HATE the end of this chapter, leave me alone. no, they won't catch a disease in that house and lucy is on birth control (just didn't want to write about it ha). also, this is just a fanfic and totally unrealistic... anyway thanks x