Date:1/6/02 7:04:48 PM Eastern Standard Time
From:miss_wales@hotmail.com



Title: Into the Night
Author: Meghan (miss_wales@hotmail.com)
Rating: PG-13 to R
Spoilers: Season One; it’s now their junior year, but nothing of Season Two 
has happened.
Pairing: R/T
Starring: Rory and Tristan
Guest Starring: Lorelai and Paris
Special Appearances By: Luke and Coffee
Summary: Rory has a bad day that may take a turn for the worst. How will she 
recover?
Disclaimer: Damn, foiled again. All right I did it, me me me. I stole the 
characters. But I am making no money. I was just playing with them. Their 
are my marionettes. They do nothing without me knowing, so there has been no 
illegal activity on their part. No officer, he was born that way. Yes I 
agree it should be illegal to be that good looking. I promise I’ll return 
them, I was just borrowing them for the time being.
Warning: An abundance of sexual tension.
Feedback: It makes my ordinary day a holly jolly Christmas. Please send it.


“I know that Tristan, just don’t talk to me today. I’m seriously homicidal 
at the moment, and the picture of your mutilated carcass hanging from power 
line is all to tempting at the moment.” Rory then jammed the last of her 
things into her back before slamming her locker door shut. The look of sheer 
fear on Tristan’s face was real. He gave her one last forced smirk before 
turning on his heal and walking quickly down the hall.

A large tear traced its way down Rory’s cheek as she recalled that moment. 
She hadn’t meant what she said, ok, well at that moment she had, but now, 
she felt nothing but regret. She would have to apologize to him come Monday. 
Even a jerk like Tristan didn’t deserve what she had said to him.

At her stop she flung her bag over her shoulder and exited the bus. The walk 
home was cold and lonely. The chilly autumn wind whipped at clothes and 
stung her face. The dry fallen leaves crunched under her feet as she made 
her way home. She struggled to climb the porch. All she wanted to do was 
collapse into sleep and never wake up again. Rory unlocked the front door. 
She grabbed the mail out of the box before opening the door. Once inside she 
flung the mail on the table. She almost screamed when she saw her homework 
on the table. Rory shed her coat and bag on the floor before flinging 
herself into bed. She final sobbed into her pillow. Her muffled cries 
echoing through the house.

The only good thing about today... it was Friday. She wouldn’t have to 
suffer any of the consequences of today until Monday. At least... that was 
what she thought.

END PT 1

The warm autumn sunlight crept across the floor of Rory’s room. The 
threshold between light and dark silently moved deeper into the room. Each 
passing moment bought the day closer to its victim. Rory slept on, 
blissfully unaware of the encroaching morning. The light consumed her bed, 
it’s fingers reaching towards her face.

Rory was aware, even in her state of slumber, that she suddenly felt warmer. 
She subconsciously welcomed the heat, snuggling even deeper into her covers. 
Rory was content to lie in bed all day, but that was not possible. The 
sunlight finally reached her eyes. Rory blinked a few times to adjust to the 
glare, before slowly sitting up in bed.

Her tired hands rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Rory glanced out the window. 
It was a perfect day. The birds were chirping gleefully as they flew through 
the air. The leaves rustled slowly to the ground as the light breeze blew 
them down from the trees. A scowl crossed Rory’s face. This was a perfect 
day that she couldn’t enjoy because she was still grumpy about yesterday.

Rory angrily threw the covers aside as she climbed out of bed. A frown 
marred her face showing the anyone who looked at her exactly what she felt. 
Her feet thumped loudly against the hard floor as she plodded her way to the 
kitchen.

“Morning darling... wait, make that good afternoon.” Lorelai’s voice came 
from the living room as she looked up from her magazine. “I’ve never known 
you to sleep this long.”

Rory’s only response was a deep groan of discontent. She continued on her 
journey to the coffee pot. The deep black mixture still gurgled as it 
dripped through the filter. Rory smiled on the inside. No matter how bad her 
weeks got she could always look forward to hot coffee on Saturdays. Rory 
grabbed her “Saturday” mug from the cupboard and
proceeded to pour herself a cup of dreamy goodness.

Rory sighed in relief as the hot liquid caressed her empty stomach. She 
snatched a pop tart from its box before slowly walking to the living room to 
join her mother. Lorelai watched her daughter as she crossed in front of the 
coffee table before she sat on the other end of the sofa.

“Bad day yesterday?” Lorelai cocked her head to the side.

“You have no idea.”

“Try me.”

“Rather not, this is one of those days that are so bad you don’t want to 
talk about it.”

“Well you know where to find me when you do want to talk?” Lorelai ran her 
hand along Rory’s shoulder in a comforting fashion. “Besides, I’ll weasel it 
out of you soon enough.”

“Mom.”

“What? You are my daughter, we share DNA. I know how you think, because you 
are me thus making me you, and if I were you, which I am, then I know that I 
would be able to weasel the information out of me, meaning that I will 
weasel it out of you.”

Rory felt as if her head was spinning from her mother’s train of thought. 
Lorelai stared back at Rory with an aura of complete confidence in her 
logic.

“Mom.... you lost you after DNA.”

“I can go over it again.” Lorelai was about to start in again but stopped 
when Rory stood up.

“No, I’d rather not hear it. I’m going to do some homework.” Rory sipped her 
coffee mug as she headed back to the room.

“Okey-dokey.” Lorelai’s voice called after her.

Once in her room Rory grabbed her backpack off the floor. She proceeded to 
pull the contents out of the sack and onto her bed. The pile of work seemed 
much larger than normal. The stack of books teetered precariously closed to 
toppling off the bed. Papers were strewn about haphazardly. Rory let out a 
sigh of stress before diving in.

***

Lorelai heard her daughter scream from downstairs. She darted out the door 
and down the stairs and almost slammed into a disgruntled Rory.

“What’s wrong honey?”

“I’ve had it.”

“Had it with what?”

“Everything. Not only do I have more work than normal, but I don’t get half 
of it. I’ve never not gotten anything. This ticks me off. I wanted a calm, 
hell free weekend, and what do I get Chilton’s version of house arrest.” 
Rory paced back and forth as she rattled off her problems. “What I need is a 
stress free day, and I won’t get that anytime soon. God, even coffee isn’t 
helping.”

“You mean the miracle elixir is failing you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh dear... this is bad.” Lorelai looked shocked, coffee had never failed a 
Gilmore girl before. “How much work do you have left?”

Rory seemed be steaming. “Just one essay.”

“Only one?” Lorelai asked again.

“Just one..... why?” Rory could almost see the manipulative gears turning in 
her mother’s head.

“Ok, be a bum and put it off till tomorrow. Tonight we have fun. Me, you, 
Willy Wonka, and a ton of junk food. Sound good to you?”

“Heavenly.” Rory almost drooled at the prospect of no work.

“Good I’ll go get the movie and candy you get the...” The phone began to 
ringing, interrupting Lorelai’s comments. She picked up the handset, which 
was surprisingly on the recharger. “Gilmore Fun House how may I serve 
you?... Sookie hey doll.... how are you?... what?.... you’re kidding me... 
you have to be... Sookie I really... Rory needs I night
off, can’t you.... it can’t be that bad... no I can’t come.... fine. I’ll be 
over in a few minutes.”

Lorelai tossed the phone onto the couch. Her eyes raising from the floor to 
meet her daughters. Lorelai was prepared to give her daughter the bad news 
but Rory spoke first.

“Go.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Rain check?”

“You bet.”

“Ok, I’ll be late... you do work tonight and I’ll hurt you. Watch a movie, 
be a bum, but whatever you do.. NO WORK!”

“Ok mom. Go, sounds like Sookie was desperate.”

“I’ll be back.” Lorelai grabbed her coat and was out the door.

Rory shook her head thoughtfully, couldn’t anything go her way. It was then 
she noticed the blinking light on the answering machine. She must have 
missed the call earlier. Rory pressed the button and prepared to hear a 
telemarketer, but that was not what she got.

“Hi Rory, it’s Madeline. Look I know were not huge friends and all, but I 
was just calling you to invite you to this party I’m having tonight. You 
don’t have to come, but I just thought it would be nice to have you there, 
despite what Paris says you’re not that bad. So show up or not, Party’s at 
8.” The message continued with directions to Madeline’s
house. Rory was stunned, a party... a Chilton party... maybe she should go. 
For where there were Chiltonites, there was always entertainment, there was 
noting more interesting then watching people be fake all evening.

Rory contemplated the decision for all of two seconds before heading to her 
room to get ready. After leaving a note to her mom, she grabbed the keys to 
the Jeep and was out the door. Maybe a night of being around mindless 
socialites would do her some good.

END PT 2