Companion piece to Send Me On My Way.
"Mommy, how come Rory is not here?" Six year old Thomas asked, totting an old album book in his hands as he climbed onto the couch and plopped down next to her. His fingers held open a certain page, and as he settled in Lorelai peered down at the page to recognize that he had indulged himself into the old album she had made for Rory a long time ago, but she had forgotten to take it with her.
"Rory has her own family now sweetie." Lorelai said sweetly explaining, as he gazed at the pictures in the album and turned the page. They were gazing at the section of pictures where Rory had been four to five years old and reminded Lorelai how alike her and Robyn were at this age.
Both Rory and Robyn had both divulged into their books by now. Although Robyn didn't take as much interest in junk food as she did in fruit, the little girl inside was just as free, took interest in her father's cooking and loved to help around the house. She also took curiosity in her brother's constant questions, and adored Grace and Jaclyn.
"With Jess and Grace and Jackie?" Thomas asked innocently, as he flipped another page of the album.
Lorelai was in constant awe how her kids grew so quickly. She looked at Rory who married Jess and together they had two beautiful little girls. She watched every question that Thomas asked every day and watched his mind expand, and then she watched Robyn who was witty and gained knowledge in her quiet reserved manner. She was so much like Luke in every way, and is a definite daddy's girl, while Thomas is the complete opposite and has the manner of Lorelai asking questions and lets his imagination soar with everything that he does.
"Yep, they're you're nieces." Lorelai reminded him, swearing that she just saw another hundred questions pop into his mind.
"My nieces?" He wrinkles his nose in question as he gazes up at her with his grey blue eyes.
"Yeah, trust me you'll get the whole process when you're older." She decides she's not going to explain as the next question following out of his mouth would be 'why?' Guaranteed.
"But why are they my nieces?"
Lorelai looked up towards the ceiling wondering how she should explain the whole process. "Well see everybody has a place in the family tree, and they coincide after your sister and Jess."
"Co-in what?"
"They're in a very delicate line process." Lorelai reworded, trying to turn his attention towards the album and noticed a picture of Rory pregnant.
He jabs the picture with his finger and smiles. Thank goodness for plastic coverings. "That when she had Gracie?"
"Before she had Gracie." She corrected lightly and watches him marvel at the picture of when his niece was a newborn.
His eyes light up, "She was so little, but now she's so big" and he emphasizes his hands soar above his head in excitement as he shows her.
The front door opens, and shuffles open as Robyn enters first, her brown hair in piggy tails wiggle back and forth as she walks in. "Hi Mommy!" Luke enters next, carrying a red ball and a shovel.
"Hey sweetie, how was the park?"
Robyn smiles, trotting over to her and Thomas. "It was good, but I'm not sure I like the sand so much."
Lorelai exchanges looks with Luke who just shrugs. "But the sand is of course the best part. You can build sandcastles and---" Robyn visually shudders as she diverts her eyes to the album.
"What about the sand man?"
Thomas looks up and rolls his eyes with a sigh, "There is no such thing as a sand man."
"Is too." Robyn argues, sitting down next to her mother on the couch.
"Okay enough. " Luke chimes in holding his hand up. "Robyn who told you there was?"
"I don't know." Robyn shrugged, leaning back against the couch." Some girl in my class."
----
"Are they both asleep?" Lorelai asked that night as he shut the door to their daughter's room and she shut their son's.
"Yeah, I had to read her Kiss Goodnight at least a couple times before she finally fell asleep." Luke put her hands in her pocket and walked towards her wrapping his hands around her in a comforting gesture.
This was their now.