Title: Somewhere Between Far and Away
Author: Nocturnal
Rating: PG-13 (strong language and sensuality)
Summary: Rory Gilmore and her mother, Lorelai relocate to Tree Hill, a small North Carolina town far from Stars Hollow. Lorelai promises herself that she would escape her parents and make a life she could never regret. Rory has withdrawals after leaving Dean and her best friend, Lane behind in Stars Hollow but made dedicated promises to keep their relationships as strong as ever. Will the Gilmore Girls be able to keep those promises?
Author Note: I love both Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill so I figured I'd make a crossover. This is my first crossover and I'm only basing them on the first seasons of each show. Remember to leave me some reviews so I can feel special enough to continue this story!
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Chapter One: Promises
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"Honey?" Lorelai turned from the steering wheel to see her daughter, Rory, reading a book. "Don't you ever get tired of reading books?"
"This is a hobby. You do those when you're tired." Rory answered pulling the book down from in front of her face.
"I know and it's great hobby, but we have been traveling through some dozen states and the only time you've looked away from the book is when we've stopped to eat." Lorelai complained trying to pay attention to the road.
"And now." Rory set the book in her lap. "Mom, what else can I do in a car for so long?"
"I don't know." Lorelai looked around for an idea. "The scenery! Come on, look how beautiful it is!"
"It's dark outside." Rory pulled the book back up in front of her face.
"Exactly, you shouldn't be reading in the dark. You'll go blind." Lorelai pulled the book away from her daughter's face.
"I'm using the over head light." Rory pulled the book from her mother's reach. "I think that's enough light to read a book."
"Not if the light magically goes out." The over head light went out over Rory's head.
"Mom!" Rory shut the book closed. "This isn't about me reading, is it?"
:"Yeah. It is." Lorelai put both of her hands back on the wheel returning her full attention to the road.
"You are bored, aren't you?" Rory tucked her book in her bag and set it on the floor in between her feet.
"Yes!" Lorelai exhaled and slummed her shoulders down. "It's crazy that I've been driving this car for a whole day without any coffee for two whole hours and bad soccer mom hair! I'm afraid I'm going to turn into Mommie Dearest on you!"
"I told you to pack an extra thermos of hot coffee." Rory scolded her mother's rashness.
"I did! I just managed to kill it off about seven hours ago." Lorelai straightened up a little better. "I think it's okay because we are almost there."
"Really?" Rory checked her watch. "It's almost five a.m."
"Good, the first thing I'm doing when we get to Tree Hill is finding a great place that has coffee." Lorelai pressed down on the gas pedal letting the jeep speed up as they cruised down the highway.
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"Okay, so we are here. Our new house and my very own inn." Lorelai shoved an arm around her daughter's waist.
"It looks remarkably close to our old home." Rory's eyebrows raised as she looked up at a large creme colored Victorian style home.
"That's the point. Now, the movers have all our stuff in the U-Hauls and all I need to do it call the company and get some of those lumberjack-types to fish our furniture into the house." Lorelai pulled a cell phone from her pant pocket and starting dialing. "While I'm doing that, you get the fun of picking us up two, hot black coffees from town."
"I don't even know where they sell coffee here." Rory complained.
"Ah, that's the fun, my dear!" Lorelai let her arm drop as she put the cell to her ear and started talking to the receiver on the other end.
Rory pouted in front of her mother before she signaled her daughter to get a move on. Rory stole a glance at her watch again, 7:28 a.m. There had to be somewhere open selling coffee.
Tree Hill was a small town as far as Rory had seen. It reminded her very much of Stars Hollow except she didn't recognize any of the people in this town. It looked more modern, seeing as most stores didn't possess another era like quality to them. There wasn't a Taylor here, bossing denizens about property problems or laws. There wasn't a Dean here either. She couldn't help but feel a pit of guilt for leaving Dean behind, however she promised she wasn't going to ever take his bracelet off. She pulled on the leather band on her wrist before stopping in front of a suitable coffee supplier.
"Karen's Cafe." Rory read aloud. "Let luck be a lady."
She stepped into the little cafe, immediately smelling brewing coffee. This was the spot. Boy, she missed Luke's. The place had a few early risers sitting, eating breakfast or reading a morning paper. Rory noticed a dark-haired woman standing behind the counter fiddling with a stack of napkins. As if she knew she was being watched, the woman looked up and spotted Rory standing awkwardly observing the place.
"May I help you?" Her smile seemed like a welcome.
"Um, two large black coffees, please." Rory smiled back, stepping up to the counter.
"Oh." Her eyebrows furrowed a minute. "Do you mind waiting a moment? I just put a fresh pot on."
"No." Rory took a seat at the counter. She liked this woman, she had an unattainable gentleness and kindness to her than she couldn't help but envy.
Rory pulled the book she was reading earlier out of her bag and casually flipped to the page she left off of.
"Of Mice and Men?" The woman's voice questioned from behind the book. "You a John Steinbeck fan?"
Rory set the book down on the counter watching the woman set two foam cups down on the counter.
"Yes." Rory felt a little surprise of sudden interest toward the woman.
"That's wonderful. You should meet my son, he loves him too." She smiled pointing a finger at the book in Rory's hands. "I'm Karen Roe."
She held her hand out to shake and Rory responded firmly.
"Rory. Rory Gilmore."
"Ah, the newcomer." Karen smiled genuinely at her.
"This is a small town." Rory exclaimed before putting her attention back to Of Mice and Men.
"Here you go, two black coffees to go." Karen set the two large cups in front of Rory.
Rory fished in her bag for money but Karen put a hand up stopping her.
"Consider this an official welcome." Karen mildly interjected before handing the cups to Rory.
"Thank you, so much." Rory smiled tucking the book in her bag and taking the coffee.
"Come back soon!" Karen called out to her as she slipped out of the cafe.
Rory hurried back to the new house, sipping down her coffee all along the way. If she didn't hurry, she knew her mother just might be having caffeine withdrawal seizures. As she pushed her way through the front door of the house, she was bull rushed by Lorelai.
"Oh! Coffee!" Lorelai grabbed the full cup from her daughter's hand and took a large gulp. "Wow, this is almost as good as Luke's."
"You better not let that slip to Luke." Rory smirked, poking fun at her mom.
"Hey, I said 'almost'." Lorelai took another long sip. "I never said it was."
Rory looked around to see the place looked almost the same as Gilmore Manor back at home except more with an inn cleanness.
"The guys didn't take long." Lorelai waved a hand around the room. "The company boss was running around the rooms like the white rabbit in Alice In Wonderland except instead of carrying around one of those really classical pocket watches, a cheap sports watch that has a timer and glow-in-the-dark surface. It was still funny watching him freak out as I kept stalling him."
"Where's my room?" Rory asked yawning.
"Oh, it's down the main hall, the first door on the left." Lorelai ushered her through the house. "All your stuff should be in there, you just need to unpack it."
"Uh-huh." Rory just said opening the door.
The room was bigger than hers back home but looked just as cozy. It wasn't the same. And the town wasn't the same either. She couldn't go to Luke's anymore, she couldn't be dragged to Lane's to help her best friend with her always developing problems, and she couldn't wander into Doose's Market on occasion to steal looks at Dean.
"You know how sorry I am for making this move, honey." Lorelai set her arm around her daughter's shoulder and letting her head relaxing against Rory's forehead. "I'm gonna make this work. I promise you new friends and a new school. And I promise you Tree Hill will eventually feel like Stars Hollow."
"This is your dream, mom. I'm not going to let you give it up and I'm glad you didn't let grandma or grandpa take it from you either." Rory hugged her mother tightly. "You deserve this."
Lorelai just sighed and patted her daughter's head. She pulled the empty cup from her hand and let her go.
"You should get some sleep and then you can unpack." Lorelai kissed her daughter's forehead. "In a day or two you are going to start school at Tree Hill High School and it will be good."
"I have to say going back to public school is a relief." Rory smiled up at her mom before sitting on the empty bed.
"Rest, hon. I'll wake you up later." Lorelai walked back to the door but stopped as Rory's voice rose.
"Shouldn't you get some sleep?" Rory asked lying on her back.
"Nah, as long as I got coffee with me. Where was it you got this from?" She held the empty foam cup up.
"A little place called Karen's Cafe." Rory let her eyes close as the door lock clicked shut.
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"I've come to claim a cup of coffee!" Lorelai announced as she walked up to the counter to face a young, comely looking teenage girl. The girl smiled at the remark.
"Ah, then it is that you shall claim." The girl replied pouring a cup for Lorelai.
"After school jobs, I remember those." Lorelai sighed as if she was remembering a fond time. "As long as the pay isn't crap."
"Oh, no. It's great." The girl was strangely open to Lorelai's awkward personality. "I know the person who runs the cafe, so it's not really a job."
"Oh, I know how that is. Free coffee." Lorelai sipped the coffee and set a few singles on the counter. "Gosh, caffeine is my life, so you'll probably be seeing me a whole bunch against your will."
"Oh, that's okay. You'll be my first regular customer Mrs.-?" The girl filled the money in the register.
"Lorelai Gilmore." She smiled taking another sip on the sweet elixir.
"That's a unique name. My name is Haley. James---Haley, James." She chuckled nervously.
"I blame my mother for my name so.."
"I do too!"
"Hals!" A boy's voice called out as he stepped up to the counter next to Lorelai. He had an unruly amount of dirty blonde hair and sultry cerulean eyes. "When you get off?"
"About five hours from now." Haley rolled her eyes. "You know when I get off, why?"
"I was gonna go down to River Court, wondered if you wanted to come along." He leaned his elbows on the counter and glanced over at Lorelai who was staring at him.
"I could take a picture, it may last longer." Lorelai quipped and watched as the boy laughed wholeheartedly.
"If I had a camera, I'd let you." He returned the joke with pristine.
"So, what's River Court, some drug slum?" Lorelai asked.
"It's a park. Luke goes there to play ball." Haley answered holding back another giggle at Lorelai's joke.
"Oh. Maybe Rory would like that." Lorelai wondered sipping on her coffee which was starting to deplete quickly.
"Who's Rory?" The boy asked.
"My daughter. She doesn't really play basketball or anything but she could met new people. People that are her age and aren't graying yet."
"Yeah, sure. She can show up if she wants to." Luke raised an eyebrow. "It's just me and a few friends."
"Would it be too much to ask for a refill?" Lorelai dipped the cup at Haley.
"No problem." Haley smiled and filled the cup again. "I'll try and see if I can get off. Maybe I'll see Rory?"
"Maybe." Lorelai simply replied waving a goodbye to the two.
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"Why did you say that, mom?" Rory's eyes felt like they were about to tear up. "I don't even known these people. What if they are crazy or cannibals or something?"
"Well, if they are then they won't have a fulfilling meal now, will they?" Lorelai shoved a pair or Rory's pants in an open drawer.
"Mom? Can you please be serious about this?" Rory's mouth hung open aghast.
"I guess I wasn't thinking about how you'd feel about this when I said it." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You should go, it sounds fun and you shouldn't pass up something that spells out F-U-N."
"It's basketball, mom. I don't play sports except that one game of golf with Grandpa and that was even terrible!" Rory threw a pair of underwear in a separate drawer and took a seat on her bed. Lorelai stopped putting clothes away and took a seat next down to her daughter.
"It's not about playing whatever game they play. Just go, hang out, and have a little fun. You can hate me all tomorrow if you'd like,okay?" Lorelai compromised.
"Fine, but if I come home with a chunk bitten out of me, I am totally blaming you." Rory poked a finger at her mother's chest.
"Fine." Lorelai smiled. "Let's finish unpacking."
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