Disclaimer: They are not mine. I sooooo wish they were.
Spoilers: Dear Emily and Richard, maybe? This is pre and post series, so anything is game.
A/N: Lorelai and Emily had good closure in the last episode, but I didn't think there was much between Lorelai and Richard. I wanted to give them some. And yes, I am a major daddy's girl. Is it showing?
This is my first GG fic.... read at your own risk.
Richard Gilmore had to be up and out of bed in three hours, and he had yet to sleep. His granddaughter's crying had been constant for the better part of the day, and his daughter was too stubborn to ask the nanny for help. She was to stubborn to use the nanny anyway, and Richard wasn't sure exactly what they were paying the woman for.
He sighed and stood up from the bed, being careful not to wake his wife, who had been especially cantankerous today. Slipping into his slippers and tying his robe, he left the room and headed down the hallway.
Lorelai's door was open just a crack and he peeked through slowly. She was sitting in the rocking chair, holding the screaming baby in her arms. Seeing his daughter as a mother still stopped his heart, for reasons both good and bad.
"Lorelai?"
"She won't stop crying. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."
Her voice was broken and she was holding back tears. She hadn't been like this since she told them she was pregnant. Richard slipped into the room and closed the door behind him. He silently crossed to Rory's crib and pulled a yellow blanket from the side of it. He spread the blanket out on the bed.
"Put her down on the blanket, Lorelai."
"But she'll scream even louder-"
"Do as I say."
She stood carefully from the chair and settled Rory on the blanket.
"Move her so her head is on that corner. Good. Now tuck that other corner up around her stomach. Take that side and wrap it around her. Do the same with the other side. Make sure it's tight, but not too tight. Perfect."
Rory's cries had quieted, but she was still upset.
"Now what?"
"Pick her up and walk her around the room. She'll be asleep soon."
Lorelai obeyed and began to pace the room, bouncing her daughter gently.
Richard sat down on the bed and watched them for a while, marveling at how little his daughter resembled a teenager now. She was a mother. Full fledged.
"Thank you for your help, daddy. How did you know how to do that?"
"It worked for you."
"It did?"
"When you were a baby, after your mother had gone to bed, I would send the nanny home and stay up with you for a while. Your mother thought I was working in my study, but I just wanted to spend some time with you. We had fireside chats."
"Like Roosevelt," she remarked with a smile.
"Yes. I talked and you stared up at me like you were listening. In reality you were probably thinking about how you could get out of the situation."
"I wasn't, daddy. You never dressed me in frills and lace. You let me wear flannels and suspenders."
"Well, your mom said she would be gone all day, I figured a little rebellion with your wardrobe would be alright for the day. Besides, you couldn't help me build your treefort if you were wearing frills and lace."
"Remember how loud mom shrieked when she came home and I had sawdust in my hair? I suppose that's where Rory gets her lungs."
"Possibly, although you've got a good set too."
"The treefort was never finished."
"I know."
There was a long pause, and Rory fell asleep, her long lashes resting on her rosy cheeks.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Are you disappointed in me?"
He sighed as she sat down next to him, her eyes round with question.
"At first, maybe I was. I wish that things hadn't turned out this way. But I am constantly surprised by your ability to do this. It's not an easy job."
"No, it's not."
"You haven't given up."
"I can't. I'm a Gilmore. Giving up would involve a lynch mob."
"You sound like your mother."
"Great."
He smiled and reached for the baby.
"Why don't you go get ready for bed. I'll sit with Rory for a few minutes."
"She's my responsibility, daddy."
"Are you going to begrudge me time with my granddaughter?"
"I guess not."
"Then go. I'm going to take her down to my study for a bit."
"Thank you, daddy."
Present Day
Richard cooed at the little girl in his arms as he bounced her gently. She stared back at him, her dark hair almost long enough to fall into her eyes. She was the looked just like her mother, except her tiny mouth. That was all her dad.
"She's beautiful, Rory," Richard said, glancing over at his granddaughter. "Did you two decide on a name?"
"Victoria, after mom and grandma. We'll call her Tori for short. We're still arguing over a middle name."
"Victoria Mariano. Sounds like a movie star."
"We're hoping for novelist."
"Like her dad."
Rory sighed a little.
"Grandpa, I know you weren't happy when I married Jess-"
"I never said that."
"You didn't have to."
"Rory, it doesn't matter what I thought then. You're happy. And you have this little girl now too. There is nothing for me to be disappointed over."
"Really?"
"I know Jess doesn't have the kind of job that most people in my social circle would have. But to be quite honest, he probably works harder than the rest of us. He pours a little bit of himself into every piece he writes. Not many people have a job like that."
"No, they don't."
"I read his book."
"What did you think of it?"
"Well, it's not the genre I would normally pick, but it was very good. He could give you a run for your money."
"Now grandpa..."
He chuckled and looked down at Tori, who was drifting off to sleep.
"She reminds me of you."
"She does?"
"Yes. About the same size you were too."
"That's what mom said."
"I never told your mom this, but I loved having you around the house when you were a baby."
"You did?"
"The world makes more sense when you're holding a baby."
She smirked at his uncharacteristic assessment.
"Grandpa, did mom ever tell you why she left?"
"She said she didn't belong there anymore."
"But you do you know why? I mean the one thing that finally made her leave?"
"I don't want to talk about this, Rory."
"Grandpa, please. I think you need to know. After all these years."
He was quiet for a moment and then nodded.
"She said that you and grandma were fighting a lot. About me. She said that grandma wanted to send her back to school and let a nanny raise me, and you were against it. She said that the two of you fought so hard, yelled so much and hurt each other so badly that you went into your office. She said there were tears in your eyes and she couldn't put you through that again. She thought it would be better if she left. Now she knows it was misguided, but she didn't do it for her. She did it for you."
"I didn't know that."
Rory nodded and reached over to touch her daughters hand.
"I think she regrets it. Not the leaving, but the way she did it. She never meant to hurt you."
"I know."
There was a knock on the door and Luke poked his head in.
"Can I come in?"
"Of course, Luke. Tori hasn't met her grandpa yet."
"I would have been here sooner, but I had some problems at the diner and then my truck broke down," he explained as Richard handed him the pink bundle. He immediately softened his voice.
"She's beautiful, Rory."
"Thank you."
Richard stood from his chair and leaned over to kiss Rory's forehead.
"I am going to go and find your grandmother and take her home."
"Okay. Thank you for coming, grandpa."
"You're welcome, sweetheart. I love you."
"I love you too, grandpa."
He slipped quietly out of the room and found Lorelai walking down the hall.
"I finally found some decent coffee, but then I had to go to the gift shop and buy some perfume because if Rory smells coffee on me when she can't have any, she might jump out of that bed with super hormones and attack me-"
He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.
"Kind of like you're doing right now, Dad. Are you alright?"
He pulled away slightly and looked down at her.
"You're a wonderful mother, Lorelai. I never told you that. And I am so proud of you for raising such a great woman."
"Dad..."
"I just wanted you to know."
She nodded and blinked away the tear that threatened to fall from her eye.
"I think I always knew that. But it's nice to hear it."
He nodded, suddenly uncomfortable with all the emotion.
"Well, I need to find your mother."
"She's in the waiting room, asleep. She drooled a little."
"Did you-"
"Yes, I have a picture."
He smirked and headed down the hallway.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"Happy Father's Day."