Seventeen year old Lorelai Gilmore takes her one year old daughter Rory and moves to the other side of the country to get away from her parents and she's lucky enough to knock on Stef and Lena's door while looking for work. Can the Adams Fosters help the young teen find a way to mend her broken relationship with her parents or will the Gilmores be torn apart forever.
(Instead of going to the Independence Inn, Lorelai takes a bus all the way to California - the furthest place she can get without a passport.)
Differences in the Gilmore Girls Show
- Lorelai goes to Chilton Acadamy and all the other kids and faculty members are the same as in the show. The only difference is that instead of Rory it's Lorelai there.
- Star's Hollow obviously doesn't come into the story here at all and so the story is mostly from The Foster's perspective.
Differences in The Fosters
- This story takes place around season two and there is no major drama in the Foster's house.
- Callie and Jude got adopted together and are well adjusted to their new life.
- Callie and Brandon don't (and never did) exist and so she never ran away nor did she get sent to Girl's United.
Lena was enjoying the quiet of the house while unloading the dishwasher and planning on what to make for dinner that evening when she heard the doorbell ring. Not thinking much of who could be at the door she opened it up and found a young girl around the same age as her own girls standing there.
"Hi." Lena smiled. "What can I do for you?" She questioned.
"I'm looking for a job, any job." Lorelai said with a boldness that surprised Lena. "Just for the day." She clarified. "I'll clean out your attic or wash your car if you want. Hell, I'll even wash your ass if that's what you want."
Lena was completely taken aback by the girl standing in front of her but she was equally curious about her as well. "Why don't you come in and talk for a moment." She offered, hoping to find out a little bit more.
Lorelai hesitated for just a minute but then walked in and sat down in the living room while Lena took a seat across from her.
"What's your name?" Lena asked the young girl gently.
"Lorelai." Lorelai replied, avoiding giving a last name altogether. She wasn't about to lie, she didn't need to; but the less everyone knew the better.
"Are you in some sort of trouble?" Lena enquired. "Do you need some help because we can..."
"Just a job." Lorelai interrupted. "I'll do anything for cash and maybe a glass of milk if you can spare it. I won't get in your way, I'll just do what you ask and be gone by the end of the day."
Everything within Lena was telling her to send this girl away, maybe even report her to the cops incase she was a runaway or wanted for some crime. A voice in her head - Stef's voice to be exact - was telling her to be cautious about strangers but for some reason Lena just couldn't stop herself and soon she was agreeing to have Lorelai help her clear out the garage - a task she'd been planning to tackle for weeks now.
"Could I maybe get a glass of milk now. You can pay me the money when I'm done.?" Lorelai requested.
Lena observed the girl for a moment before finally nodding. She wondered if maybe the girl was pregnant and that's why she was asking for the milk and she also wondered when she had last had something to eat. Lena headed into the kitchen to make Lorelai a sandwich and get her her milk when she heard her yell that she'd be right back and then heard the front door open. Once again Lena felt nervous wondering what she'd gotten herself into. Maybe she shouldn't have left Lorelai alone in the living room and wondered what she could possibly have stolen when suddenly she was back and the front door closed again.
"Could you put the milk in this please." Lorelai said as she made her way to the kitchen the way Lena had gone.
Lena's eyes widened in surprise as Lorelai handed her a sippy cup. Pregnant was something she had considered but she didn't expect a baby tagging along already.
"It's for my daughter." Lorelai confirmed the unasked question.
"Your daughter?" Lena confirmed, still surprised by this entire encounter.
"Yes." Lorelai replied without a hint of nervousness or shame. It was like she'd just informed Lena that she had a sweater or a backpack.
"Where is she?" Lena asked curiously.
"Around the side in the shade." Lorelai answered.
"You left her outside?" Lena asked aghast. "Alone?"
"She'll be fine." Lorelai replied. "She's in her stroller so she can't get anywhere and she's a good baby really. I didn't want her getting in the way here and ruining your house."
"Don't be silly, bring her in." Lena ordered, more sharply than she intended. "You can't leave her out there all alone."
"She's okay, really." Lorelai said as she reached for the now filled sippy cup.
But Lena pulled it away out of her reach. "Bring her inside." She ordered, just like a parent would.
Lorelai finally nodded and once again disappeared only to reappear a few minutes later with a gorgeous blue-eyed baby in her arms.
"Oh my god she's adorable." Lena gushed as she studied the baby carefully for any sign of neglect or ill health. But she was surprised to find that she was not only healthy looking and happy but also very well dressed.
"Ma." The baby babbled as she reached out for the cup in Lena's hand and Lena willingly handed it over and watched as the little girl stuck the sippy cup into her mouth and drank hungrily.
"What's her name?" Lena asked, itching to hold the beautiful little baby. She'd always wanted a baby of her own but knew that it just wasn't in the cards for her.
"Rory." Lorelai replied. "Lorelai actually but Rory for short." She explained.
"She is such a doll." Lena said as she reached out to stroke the baby's soft hair.
"Um, the job?" Lorelai pulled Lena out of her daze, desperate for some extra money.
"Right." Lena said, wondering how Lorelai would manage a task as great as clearing out the garage with Rory around. The clutter garage was no place for a toddler. "The garage is kind of a big task, how about you help me clean the panty instead."
"I'll do it all." Lorelai said. "I'll come back tomorrow if I can't finish today."
"Honey, the garage is no place for a baby." Lena explained. "We have boxes upon boxes stacked in there and it's probably full of dust too."
"That's okay, Rory can sit in her stroller outside." Lorelai replied.
"Let's just start with the pantry and see how that goes." Lena suggested much to Lorelai's disappointment.
Twenty minutes later Rory was sitting on the kitchen floor with an empty pan and a wooden spoon and banging away happily while Lorelai stood on a small stool and handed Lena everything on the pantry shelves. They had decided to empty the entire pantry, clean it out, reline the shelves and then put everything back. Just as Lorelai had said, Rory was content to just sit and watch and didn't really come in anyones way or demand much attention. The only time she really required to be held a moment was when Lorelai accidentally dropped a can of beans making a loud bang and startling the baby.
Lena kept a close eye on Rory as they worked and without being requested refilled her sippy cup with some more milk and even handed the baby a carrot stick to chew on.
"So, tell me about yourself." Lena asked casually, hoping to steer the topic to more specific details about Lorelai and her circumstances.
Over the next hour Lena learned that Lorelai was seventeen and had left home because she couldn't conform to her parents' way of life. Four days ago she'd arrived in San Diego and knocked on doors for jobs. The first day she had been lucky enough to find an old lady that needed her closet cleared and sorted for goodwill and let them spend the night in her living room since the work wasn't completely done. The next day she had finished that job, washed two cars and raked a yard but yesterday she hadn't been as lucky and didn't find any jobs. Most people just turned her away and so she had snuck into someone's garage and spent the night there.
"We'll see what happens tonight." Lorelai finished as she began lining the freshly cleaned shelves while Lena wiped down the cans and jars so that she could hand them back to Lorelai for shelving.
For another two hours the two of them worked, taking short breaks every so often to play with Rory. Lena offered the use of the bathroom so that they could shower and clean up and then made Lorelai a proper meal. In return Lorelai helped her with dinner which Lena invited her to stay for. She hadn't said anything yet and she knew that Stef would not be to happy about it but she had every intention of allowing the girl and baby to stay for the night.