DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gilmore Girls or anything else affiliated with it.

A/N: Don't worry, my starting this story does not in anyway mean that I have abandoned Nothing Is Ever Simple, I am still very much dedicated to it, I just felt the need to write this one as well - I've become re-addicted to Gilmore Girls lately! Anyway this story is AU and slightly OOC for Rory, at least for the first few chapters.

Background Information: Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Hayden the third aka Rory was raised by her father, Christopher Hayden, instead of her mother Lorelai Gilmore. Chris and Lorelai remained close, even though Chris was essentially raising Rory as a single parent. Because of this Rory and Lorelai have a good relationship and get alone well, even though Rory is closer with Chris. Since she was not living with Lorelai, Rory had always been known to those around her as Lorelai Hayden, not Rory Gilmore. Gigi doesn't exist in this story, 'Rory' gets along well with her Hayden grandparents and doesn't know anyone in Stars Hollow – Lorelai always visited her and Chris in Boston, or they met at either of their parent's houses. EVENTUALLY going to be a Trory.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Chapter One:

Christopher Hayden yawned as he bent over to pick up the rolled newspaper sitting on his front doormat. Making sure not to tip the steaming cup of coffee in his hand he carried the morning paper over to the dining room table so he could read it as he ate his breakfast.

Chris lived in a large 2-storey apartment in Boston with his only daughter, Lorelai Hayden. He vaguely wondered whether Lorelai was awake yet, she would be late for school if she didn't get up soon. At that moment his maid/cook, Elissa, walked into the room carrying his breakfast. A hot plate of scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast and half a grapefruit. Half a grapefruit? Chris wrinkled his nose. His mother must have been speaking to Elissa again – Francine Hayden had an unbending rule about grapefruit for breakfast, one thing she was constantly trying to impose upon her son and granddaughter.

"Grapefruit?" He asked with a grimace.

Elissa laughed, Chris was glad she felt comfortable around him and Lorelai. Elissa had been with them for 8 years now. She came in the morning, fixed breakfast and helped make sure they both got out of the house on time. Leaving not longer after them, she usually returned mid-afternoon to clean the house and fix dinner before going home again. She felt like part of the family after all these years.

"What Mrs. Hayden wants, Mrs. Hayden gets. The woman is scary," replied Elissa, trying to look solemn.

Chris laughed at the look on Elissa's face. If he was Elissa and his mother had told him to make sure grapefruit was served for breakfast he knew without a doubt he would be making sure grapefruit was served for breakfast.

"That she is Elissa, that she is. Could you please go upstairs and make sure Lorelai is awake and getting ready for school? She needs to be dressed and down here very soon if she wants to make it on time."

Elissa nodded and headed to the staircase.

Chris turned his attention back to his eggs, attempting to ignore the evil looking fruit sitting inconspicuously to the side, and opened the newspaper he had collected earlier. Turning to page 6 Chris let out a sigh.

"Lorelai Hayden: The Hayden Heiress Caught Out And About Again"

Just then Lorelai came bounding down the stairs, half dressed in her private school uniform. Her shirt was untucked and her tie loosely draped around her neck. Spotting her father at the dining room table she walked over and grabbed a piece of toast from his plate, not bothering to greet him. Chris hastily closed the paper and placed it to the side.

"Lorelai," he started in a tired tone.

"Dad, don't start with me now," she replied in a voice that signified boredom. "I'm running late for school and Mike is picking me up," she glanced at her watch quickly, "5 minutes ago. Gotta run, might see you tonight though." She added the last part as an afterthought as she quickly ate the last bite of the toast she had stolen from Chris' plate and tucked in her shirt.

"You will see me tonight Lorelai," Chris said authoritatively. "I want you back here at 4:30pm please, I need to discuss something with you."

"Whatever," replied Lorelai as she walked out of the dining room. Chris winced as he heard the front door slam.

Elissa walked back into the room as Chris reopened his paper to the gossip pages.

"Elissa, could you please call the offices and tell them not to expect me today, and to either postpone or cancel all my appointments? I have to go see Lore in Stars Hollow."

Elissa nodded. She had met the older Lorelai Gilmore on numerous occasions when she had come visited Chris and Lorelai in Boston.

Putting down his paper Chris went to get dressed so he could drive down to Stars Hollow and see Lorelai the second.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Lorelai Gilmore looked curiously as she saw the black Jaguar pull up in front of Luke's Diner. No one in Stars Hollow owned a car like that. She knew Chris did, but Chris had never visited her in Stars Hollow. She frowned as she watched Chris step out of the car and look around.

What could he be doing in Stars Hollow. Lorelai sighed. She knew the only reason Chris could be in Stars Hollow without warning was their daughter, Lorelai the third. She thought back to the phone conversation they had had a couple of nights ago.

Flashback

"Lore, it's me, Chris."

"Hey Chris," replied Lorelai brightly. She loved hearing from Chris, after everything they had been through, he was still her oldest friend.

"Listen," Chris started awkwardly. "It's about Lorelai. I'm worried."

Lorelai the second sighed, she had been expecting this phone call to come eventually. The other day while she was at the drug store in Hartford picking up some cold and flu tablets that weren't 7 years out of date she had picked up a copy of the Boston Globe from the newsstand on her way back to her car.

Every now and then Lorelai would pick one up if she saw it, she liked knowing what was going on in Boston, since it was where Chris and her daughter lived.

"I know. Chris I saw Monday's Boston Globe."

Chris tried to think back to what had been in Monday's paper. He winced as it came to him. Monday's paper had contained a drunken picture of Lorelai draped over one of her male friends, Colin something or other Chris though randomly, waving a half empty bottle of vodka around.

"I'm guessing since you've called me this hasn't been the only incident," Lorelai continued at Chris' silence.

"It's been getting worse and worse Lore," Chris confirmed. "Ever since she met this new latest group of friends. Coming home drunk, if she comes home at all, skipping school. And her attitude. She's gone from polite and sweet to rude and abrupt. It's been going on for about 3 months now…"

"3 months?" Interrupted Lorelai, shocked. Why hadn't he called her before now if this had been going on for 3 months? Sure, she hadn't raised her daughter, but she still cared.

"I know what your thinking Lore," replied Chris. "But it started out innocently enough. I thought it was just teenage rebellion at first, God knows we got up to enough back in the day." Chris paused, remembering the fun he and Lorelai use to have. "But it's just been getting worse and worse. I wanted to see if I could fix it before I called you. And I've tried. I've tried banning her from seeing these new friends of hers, grounding her, God Lore, I've tried everything I can think of. She's gotten to the stage now where she doesn't even try to sneak out, she just ignores me and walks straight out the front door."

Lorelai's eyes widened as she listened to Chris regale the events of his past three months. The person Chris was describing didn't sound like their daughter at all. It sounded like the antichrist.

"What, well… what… I mean," Lorelai started, not really knowing what to say. Taking a deep breath she started again. "Do you have any ideas as to what we can do?" She asked.

"I've honestly no idea Lore. I'm starting to run out of options here. I just wanted to let you know. If this continues, next time anything happens, I think we are going to need to talk in person and give it some serious thought."

"Sure thing Chris," replied Lorelai. "I'm glad you called me," she added timidly. Lorelai wasn't always 100% sure where she stood as a parent to Lorelai the third.

"Well, you are her mother. Thanks for listening Lore, I'll be in touch, though hopefully not soon," Chris tried to joke, but failed miserably. His heart wasn't in it, not with the way their daughter was acting.

"Thanks for calling. See you later Chris," replied Lorelai softly, hanging up her phone.

End Flashback

It was Thursday morning. Hardly what Lorelai assumed Chris meant when he had said hopefully we wouldn't be in touch soon. She saw a look of recognition pass over Chris' features as he saw the words Luke's Diner painted in a window. Lorelai chuckled, she may have mentioned this place in passing. Or every time she saw Chris.

Lorelai smiled and waved at Chris as he walked into the diner, his eyes scanning the restaurant for her. Spotting her, he walked over and sat down. Lorelai couldn't help but notice how tired he looked.

"So," she started out lightly, "I'm guessing this is not what you meant when you said you hoped we wouldn't be in touch too soon."

Chris closed his eyes momentarily and tossed a newspaper he had just pulled out of his coat across to table to her.

"Page six," he said shortly.

Lorelai opened the paper with guarded hesitation. She had already seen her daughter in the paper once this week, she didn't really want to see her there again. Lorelai gasped as she saw what Chris was referring to. Under the title of 'Lorelai Hayden: The Hayden Heiress Caught Out And About Again' was another picture of their daughter, this time hanging off a different boy. She was wearing a dress that Lorelai thought looked more like a shirt, exiting a well known bar in Boston.

"She needs to get out of Boston," Chris said suddenly. Lorelai nodded, she had been expecting Chris to be thinking something along those lines.

"She can come here," replied Lorelai.

"Thanks Lore, I mean, I know you have your life and I wouldn't ask you to do this, but I've run out of options in Boston."

"It's the least I can do Chris, she is my daughter after all," replied Lorelai.

"Yeah, but I'm dumping her on you now that she has turned into and an, an… an impossible brat," Chris finished with definiteness.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows with humour.

"Impossible brat hey?" She asked, chuckling.

Chris looked at her, his brown eyes imploring.

"I honestly don't know how else to describe her at the moment Lore," he paused, gathering his thoughts. Lorelai watching him with concern, he looked so defeated. "She is the polar opposite of the bright, happy child you saw last time you were in Boston."

Lorelai nodded, covering one of Chris' hands with one of her own in a supportive gesture.

"We need a plan," she decided.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Lorelai Gilmore waved to Christopher Hayden as he drove around the corner and out of sight three hours later. After their initial meeting at the diner, they had returned to Lorelai's house in order to hash out a plan of what to do with their daughter.

They had decided that she would be moving to Stars Hollow to live with Lorelai. Luckily for them, Lorelai the third and Chris had never visited her in Stars Hollow, so none of the towns folk knew Lorelai the third as Lorelai Hayden. Chris and her had decided that in order to start fresh and change back to the girl they had know, Lorelai the third needed to be know as something different. It wouldn't do her any good to getting back on track if gossip and rumours followed her.

They had decided she would go by the name Rory Gilmore while she was living with Lorelai, a nickname they had called her when she had first been born, before Chris and Rory had moved to Boston. She was going to be enrolled at Chilton Prepatory Academy in Hartford and Lorelai and Rory would attend weekly dinners with both Lorelai's and Chris' parents in Hartford on Friday nights.

Lorelai personally thought that Chris had decided on the last term simply to torture her. She was convinced she was going to have a harder time dealing with Friday night dinners than Rory was, but Chris was insistent that Rory would revert back to her old self quicker if she was around her grandparents on a regular basis.

Remembering this Lorelai walked over the counter on which she kept the phone and walked back to the kitchen table with it. One the pad she and Chris had written on earlier, Lorelai surveyed he list on things to do before Chris brought Rory down Friday afternoon.

1. Clear out sewing room.

2. Call Emily and Francine.

3. Call Chilton and enrol Lorelai under name Rory Gilmore.

4. PUT FOOD IN FRIDGE.

Lorelai frowned at the last point. She didn't remember writing that there. Turning and opening the fridge door Lorelai found no food, but a sticky note from Chris stuck to one of the shelves at eye level.

"Lore, throughout the years Rory has become very accustomed to eating – every night – and not just junk (tater tots are not considered nutritional). Make sure you feed her. Chris."

Lorelai chuckled at Chris' note. There was no way she was going to start cooked, she was pretty sure Chris didn't want Rory to end up with food poisoning the first week she spent in Stars Hollow. She ate at Luke's Diner most the time anyway, but maybe just for good measure she would buy a couple more boxes of poptarts.

Sitting back down at the kitchen table, Lorelai took a deep breath and started to dial the number for Chilton, mentally reorganising the list so that talking to her mother and Francine Hayden were the last priority.

"Good Afternoon, Chilton Prepatory Academy, how may I help you?" Answered a stern sounding women.

Lorelai faltered for a moment.

"Uh, I'd like the speak to the headmaster please," she replied with caution.

"One moment," came the voice. "Headmaster Charleston will take your call, connecting you now." Lorelai started to thank the lady but she had already put down the phone.

"Headmaster Charleston speaking."

Lorelai took a deep breath and started to explain the situation to the headmaster of Chilton Prepatory Academy.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

A/N: So, first chapter of my new story :) This is the first time I've written a story for Gilmore Girls, so I hope it turns out okay!
Please please please review and tell me whether I should continue with this idea or not! I like it - but I don't know about anyone else...

Nothing Is Ever Simple will NOT be forgotten or pushed aside in any way shape or form. I already have the next three chapters written for that story - so the updates will not stop - promise!

So... Using the very cool new review button - let me know what you think! (Same as with my other story - those who review get a sneak peek of the next chapter!)

Avery xoxo