HARVARD V YALE

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino and takes place in my "Strange Ties" universe which was a fic in which the Chilton Gang-Paris, Tristin, Louise, and Madeline teamed up with Dean and Lane to take care of Rory after she was assaulted and is a one-shot of why Rory would choose Yale over Harvard.

Rory sighed as she looked at the brochures, reading them intensely. Hearing a knock, she looked up to see Lorelai, holding Lucas in her arms.

"Hey, Study Girl, how about taking a break and saying hi to the cutest little boy in the world?" the woman quipped, causing the younger girl to smile briefly. "Ha! There's the smile I know and love. You've been so serious with those brochures ever since you got them," she continued. And I hate seeing her so stressed out, she added to herself. Choosing between two colleges that had accepted her was supposed to be a happy time, not a stressful one. She wanted her daughter to be happy and confident, not stressed out. Granted, all parents wanted that for their kids, but after everything Rory had been through, Lorelai could readily admit that she had become more overprotective and wanting to take control of things, something that she was still working on curtailing as she knew that it wasn't really beneficial.

"I've been thinking," Rory began.

"Uh-oh. Now what have I told you about that?" Lorelai teased, earning her a dirty look from her daughter. "What's up, Kid?" she prompted as she sat on the edge of the bed, holding Lucas close.

"I know we worked my whole life to get me into Harvard, but I've been considering Yale," the younger girl stated.

"Really. How come?" her mother asked.

"Well, I know they would both be really expensive, but I have Lucas now and Harvard is really far away and I would be alone. If I went to Yale, I could stay with Grandma and Grandpa, we could visit you on weekends…" Lorelai nodded as she listened. She makes good points, she mused. To be honest, she had been wondering what to do about things herself. She would absolutely take care of Lucas for Rory if she asked her to, but the fact that she was trying to do what was best for her son spoke wonders.

"Yale does sound like the better choice."

"But either way, how am I going to afford it?"

"Grandpa and Grandma will help."

"Will you call them? Tell them what I'm thinking, see how they feel about it?" At this, Lorelai nodded, pulled her phone out, and dialed their number, putting the phone on speaker. Wow. Talk about changes, she thought to herself. A couple of years ago, she would've balked at calling her parents, hemming and hawing and forcing herself to do it for Rory, but now, she did it automatically. Oh, it wasn't like their relationship was perfect, far from it, but ever since that awful night…there had been a change in their relationship.

"Lorelai, is everything all right?" Emily's voice coming over the speaker broke through the woman's musings.

"Everything's fine, Mom. Rory was just looking at college brochures and she was wondering how you'd feel about her going to Yale," Lorelai replied.

"Why, that would be wonderful. It was my alma mater," Richard reminded her. I can't believe she's giving Yale some thought, he mused. Last he had heard, she was all about Harvard.

"Yes, I know. And I was also thinking that if I went to Yale, Lucas and I could stay with you…if it was all right?" Rory queried softly.

"All right? What kind of question is that? Of course it's all right," Emily stated. As if we would have it any other way, she thought. And this was a big load off of her mind, worrying about her granddaughter and grandson.

"More than all right," Richard added. "If she chooses Yale and wants to stay with us, we'd be delighted to have them both. And if she chooses Harvard, we'll help out anyway we can."

"Then it's decided: Yale it is," Rory declared.

"Excellent. Let us know if you need anything while getting squared away," Richard requested.

"Will do, guys. Thanks," Lorelai replied.

"You're welcome," her parents chorused. Then they all hung up and mother and daughter looked at one another.

"I'M GOING TO YALE!"

"MY BABY'S GOING TO YALE!"

THE END