A/N: This is completely AU. Just simply an idea, nothing more. I know that if this had happened the show wouldn't be the show it is, but I wanted to try my hand at it because it popped into my head. So, here goes. It's a oneshot, but please review and let me know what you think.
Lorelai walked off the plane biting her lip nervously. Her bright blue eyes were sparkling, and there were butterflies in her stomach that seemed to be flying at a much more rapid pace than she'd ever seen butterflies fly at. She had been both dreading and anticipating this moment for twenty years; she had been secretly wishing it would come yet hiding her hope from everyone in her life. Even Richard and Emily didn't know how much she had secretly longed for the day when she would see her daughter. She had often wondered over the years what she was like. Did she have her mother's dark brown hair, or her father's light, curly brown hair? Were her eyes grey like Christopher's, or an eccentric blue like her own? Did she have the common sense that her mother seemed to lack? Did she miss her mother, or did she even know she existed? Was she getting everything she needed? Was she happy? Healthy? The questions had raced through Lorelai's mind often in the past twenty years. Sometimes she wondered if she did the right thing. Sometimes she was sure she didn't. Other times, she was sure she had.
Lorelai sat down at a small table in the corner bistro of the busy airport. She took a daisy out of her book and laid it on the table softly. She fingered its' petals, wondering if she should take delicate care of the daisy as a remembrance. Her daughter, Rory. She smoothed her jeans out and anxiously tapped her black boots. She looked down at the black bangles shirt she was wearing. She knew her daughter would probably walk up to her and want to slap her for wearing a Bangles shirt. I mean, honestly, what type of impression was Rory going to have of her mother if her only memory is of her in a Bangles shirt. But Lorelai needed the Bangles shirt. Some little kids have blankies or teddy bears to comfort them when they have nightmares or have to do something brave; Lorelai had her Bangles shirt.
She fingered the stem of the daisy when she heard the chair across from her shift and a shadow emerge over the coffee table. She looked up and saw her. All five feet seven inches of perfection. Her light brown eyes, the electric blue eyes, the wide smile, the button nose, and the biting lip. She smiled to herself. Her daughter had certainly picked up some of her habits without even realizing it.
"Hi," Rory said as she sat down, looking at her mother, taking her all in. "How was the flight?"
"It was okay," Lorelai replied. "The coffee was horrible. Absolutely horrible. And the guy next to me farted and sneezed a lot." Lorelai wanted to kick herself inside. Not only was her daughter going to remember the Bangles shirt, but the first thing she ever said to Rory was about how the coffee on the plane was horrible and the guy next to her was gross. What a way to make an impression, Lorelai, she scolded herself.
"Airplanes do have horrible coffee," Rory replied. "I remember the first time I flew in one I got excited because they even had coffee. I never bought a ticket from American Airlines again. If they don't have good coffee, how can I trust them with my flight, you know?" Lorelai smiled and nodded. Maybe she wasn't such a freak after all. Or maybe her daughter was just such a freak that she didn't notice her mother was a freak as well. Yeah, that was probably it.
"Anyway, welcome to Chicago. I'm sure it's nothing like Connecticut, but it can be fun. It's a bustling city. There's a lot to do and a lot to write about."
"You're an author?" Lorelai asked. Her daughter, an author. She took after her grandfather.
"Well, actually, a journalist. I got really into writing in high school and was on the staff for the paper and I just fell in love with it. I'm employed by the Sun-Times, but I do some free lance work too. It's not too bad," Rory said. "What do you do?"
"I own an inn. My best friend, her name is Sookie, works there. She's the chef and everything she makes is exquisite. And then I have this receptionist named Michel. He's French and he's a prick in my ass. Honestly I have no idea why I keep him around, but he's fun to make fun of! And we make fun of all our guests all the time. I enjoy it," Lorelai said.
"What's Sookie like?" Rory asked, fascinated by the mother she'd always longed for but never known.
"Sookie is a character," Lorelai laughed. Rory loved the sound of it. "She is a perfectionist and changes the menu for everything at least two or three times a day. She gets worried, but she gets really hyper. She's a lot of fun when she drinks too much. She's a good friend, very easy to talk to about stuff. She's married to our produce man Jackson, and they have a few kids with jam-hands running around. That's basically all."
"She married the produce man? Is there a story behind that?" Rory asked, leaning forward.
"Well, one day Princess Sookie was sitting high in her castle and Produce Man Jackson came and tried to throw tomatoes up to break the windows so he could get Princess Sookie down. Princess Sookie got mad at him for making the windows tomatoey and then she and Jackson lived happily ever after." Rory rolled her eyes.
"What about you? Is your prince a produce man too?" she asked, wondering about her mother's love life.
"Of course not. My man cooks the produce. Well, not for me because I don't like vegetables. Or fruit, for that matter. I only like burgers, fries, cheese, pie, coffee and anything else that will clog my arteries and kill me sooner. I married the diner guy."
Rory made a face. She knew about diner guys. "So is your daughter's name Esperanza?" Lorelai laughed and shook her head no.
"We don't have a daughter. We have a five year old son though. His name is Diner Guy Jr." Rory looked at her mother skeptically. "Okay, okay, his name is Teague. Teague Michael Danes."
Rory smiled. "Do you have a picture?" Lorelai looked at her like she was crazy and pulled out an entire photo album of the child and showed it to Rory. She smiled as she looked at her little brother. He was cute. He had darker hair than she'd ever seen and grey eyes. She laughed when she saw a picture of Teague and his father in front of Luke's Diner. They had on matching plaid shirts and backwards baseball caps, but Teague was biting his lip. She recognized it as the signature biting-lip look apparently passed down from her mother.
"He's cute," she smiled. "How long have you been married?"
"13 years," Lorelai said. "I grew up in Hartford but after I got pregnant I fled to Stars Hollow. That's where he lived. I ordered coffee from him every morning for seven years before we finally got together. He made me a Santa burger and it warmed my heart and soul, like Campbell's soup. Only better." Lorelai smiled, thinking of the memory.
"What about you? What's your love life like?" Lorelai asked.
"Well, there is this one guy…" Rory trailed off but her mother looked at her expectantly so she continued. She couldn't let her mother down. "His name is Steven. He's a kindergarten teacher. I did a story on him for the paper because one of the kids in his class got an acting part in a movie and the kid said she practiced a lot during class and that her teacher always helped her. So, I interviewed him over dinner and then the next morning I interviewed him over coffee, and you know, I never really stopped interviewing him…" Rory trailed off and looked down at her feet, a small smile on her face.
"I'm happy for you, he sounds like a good guy," Lorelai said smiling. "What's the status?"
"Engaged," Rory said, putting her left hand out. "We're getting married in October." Lorelai smiled and admired the ring. "Please come, we want you there. I want you there," Rory softly pleaded with her mother, almost embarrassed.
"Of course I'll be there." Lorelai smiled, tears forming in her eyes. "I want to be there for you." Rory nodded.
"Your father and I…" Lorelai trailed off, unsure how to start what she was about to say. "Well, his name is Christopher Hayden and he is filthy rich and completely irresponsible. But, anyway, he was absolutely charming to a rebel schoolgirl like myself back when we were in high school. I was miserable, he was horny, that was our relationship. Then one morning I found out you would be coming along. I told Christopher and his father sent him to France to live with his grandmother. I didn't want to let go of you, kid. I was seventeen; I had no money or job, no common sense, no babysitting experience. I was miserable and lonely and hated the world. I didn't want you to have to live through that." She stopped and looked at her daughter. "I know it might not seem like it, but I really do love you. I mean, hell, you inhabited my insides for nine months and ate all my food. I remember staring at you after you were born and just crying because I knew I was letting my little girl go. I just thought you'd be better off there than you were with me."
Rory nodded, "It's okay, really… I'm fine with being adopted."
Lorelai looked at her skeptically, begging her to go on without saying a word.
"Someone chose me. You know? I mean, of all the kids to choose from, two people sat down and said I want her. That's kinda cool. Most parents get stuck with their kids, but these people chose me. And they love me. I would never have known I was adopted if they hadn't told me. They've given me everything I've ever wanted and needed. I've never lacked for anything. And they always told me if I wanted to find you I could and they would support me." Rory smiled. "They're good people, Mom. You'd be glad they raised me."
Lorelai smiled as tears stung her eyes. "Will you tell me about them? I want to know all about you."
Rory smiled. "Well, their names are Charlotte and David. They're in their late forties. Mom is an artist and she's really into colors. She's got this really weird condition called Synesthesia. It's so awesome. She can see colors whenever she hears a sound. That's why she's such a good artist. She'll sit outside and listen to the birds and paint masterpieces because colors just flood her mind. And Dad is just Dad. He loves football. He's obsessed with it. That and Mom, at least. And I have a little sister. Her name is Anna. And I have an older brother, Jake, but I don't know him. Mom and Dad had him when they were in high school and gave him up for adoption. When they got older they decided since they gave a child up for adoption, they'd take one in. So they got me. Anna's their own kid, though. She's 14 now and boy crazy." Rory smiled.
Lorelai looked at her daughter and wished desperately that she'd had the last twenty years with her. She knew it would be hard to come here and see Rory, but she knew she had to. She couldn't imagine going her entire life without seeing her daughter.
"I have something for you," Lorelai said, digging in her purse. She pulled out a wrinkled and faded picture and handed it to Rory. "It's the only other one I have. I figured you should have it."
Rory studied the picture. Lorelai in a hospital gown holding her daughter. Rory was dressed all in pink and her hand was on Lorelai's cheek. Rory could see Lorelai's adoration for her daughter even from the slight smile she had on her face. For the first time in her life, she caught a glimpse of how painful it must have been to give her daughter up. They'd both ended up okay. They were both happy and successful. They loved each other, even though they didn't know each other. They were both fine. Maybe they'd missed something, maybe they hadn't. But it didn't matter.
Rory smiled and for the first time looked up and noticed what her mother was wearing. "Hey, I have that shirt. I got it at when I was sixteen or seventeen. I swear I wear it like once a week."
Lorelai smiled. Me too, kid. Me too.