Title: NY State of Mind
Author: Doublemint Mystique
Rating: PG
Summary: AU. 16-year-old city girl Rory meets private-schooler Jess when she's forced to move to Stars Hollow.
Pairing: R/J
Comments: celticrockstar@bolt.com
Disclaimer: I own the story, nothing else.
Chapter One
"We're going *where*?" Rory said, raising her voice a few decibels as her eyes opened wide.
"Stars Hollow. It's in Connecticut," Lorelai answered, and she flipped though the phone book to find the nearest U-Haul.
"Wait, you can't just expect me to pick up and move to a town I've never even heard of," Rory protested, crossing her arms in front of her.
"There are a lot of towns you haven't heard of."
"But what about Lane?"
"Oh, see, there's this new thing called the phone."
Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere," she retorted.
"Oh, no? Well, those boxes I put in your room are going to be *very* disappointed to hear you say that."
Rory groaned loudly, and stomped away, slamming the door to her room with emphasis.
Lorelai followed her through the apartment and shouted through the closed door. "Hey, listen, I'll let you in on a little something. I'm not excited about moving either. But there are some things in life you just have to do, and, well, this is one of them. So you *will* pack those boxes, and have it done by Saturday. If not, then the people that move in after us will be damn pleased they have a pink fuzzy clock and lava lamp!"
"Go to hell!" Rory yelled, and cranked up her music to the highest level. She shifted position on her featherbed, and stared at her wall calendar. Saturday was five days away. She'd figure something out by then.
********
"But what about Lane?" Rory attempted again, as a last stab before they closed both the car door and the city chapter of her life.
"You know, that telephone I told you about works wonders," Lorelai said curtly.
They both stuck their coffee mugs in the cup holders, and sighed heavily. Rory wiped away the condensation on her window to look out at the city. She wondered if the magnificent skyline could be seen on a clear night in this Stars Hollow she was moving to.
Lorelai looked over at her daughter, and the anger she felt melted away. "Rory, I know you're upset about moving. I know you'll miss your friends, and the city--"
"Mom, reminding someone of what they'll be missing isn't the best way to cheer them up."
Donning a sheepish grin, the elder Gilmore continued, "But I've gotten to the point in my life where I need space. And this job will open up so many opportunities. I'll have more time off--"
"To spend with my only daughter. And we'll have a house, Rory, a real house..." Rory interrupted, mocking her mother. "I know, Mom, I've heard you say all of this a hundred times in the last four days."
"Then you also know how much it means to me. Running an inn, Rory. Me, I'll be running it, all by myself," Lorelai said proudly.
"Lorelai Gilmore, running an inn all by herself. God help us all."
"Oh, come on, Rory, cut me some slack. I raised a daughter all by myself, didn't I?"
"Mom, you do know that putting copies of Cosmopolitan in each of the rooms won't be considered 'running an inn'. It involves doing actual work," Rory responded with air quotes.
Lorelai's face turned to one of mock surprise. "Really? Quick, get that 'How to Actually Work for Dummies' book out of the backseat and read me the preface," she answered sarcastically. "Of course, I wouldn't be able to read it myself. No, no, that would be actual working."
"Ok, I get the point," Rory said, as the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Determined to look miserable for the duration of the trip, she quickly turned back to the window.
"You'll love Stars Hollow, I promise," Lorelai told her daughter.
"Hmmph."
"Rory, at least give it a chance. You haven't even been there yet."
"Neither have you. How can you be so sure I'm going to like it? They're a trillion miles from a subway *and* they won't have good bagels."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because Stars Hollow isn't New York," Rory grumbled.
"They have a stoplight," Lorelai rebounded.
Rory raised her eyebrows, "A stoplight? As in, just one? Wow, can you say "Score"?"
"Listen, I know it's going to be a big change, but you'll adjust. Who knows, maybe you'll become a pigtail-wearing small-town girl and actually like it."
"Fat chance," Rory retorted. "What the hell have you gotten us into?"
"I told you--"
"It was a rhetorical question, Mom," Rory said, annoyed.
"I promise, hun, you'll get used to it," Lorelai attempted once again to convince her.
"You know, as much as I'm enjoying this mother-daughter conversation, I'd much rather enjoy getting my last views of the city before it's too late."
"Yeah, sure, go ahead," Lorelai answered, defeat ringing through her voice.
Lorelai flicked on the car radio, and found a local college radio station. They were in the middle of a Bangles block, and she turned it up high. With a huff, Rory ripped her cd player out of the backpack that lay at her feet. Clicking her PJ Harvey in, she set it at the highest volume.
With the sounds of "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" drowning out "Walk Like an Egyptian", Lorelai emphatically turned her music up a little louder.
"Could you possibly turn that down a little?" Rory asked.
"What?" Lorelai yelled, knowing full well what the question was.
Rory went to turn off the radio, and in the process dropped her cd player onto the floor. When she picked it up, she said pointedly, "I said, would you *please* turn the music down a bit?"
"Well, you've already taken care of that, haven't you? And with such grace."
Rory made a face, and Lorelai responded to it with, "Watch it. What if your face stayed like that, and you ended up like the kid on the oatmeal box?"
"Once again--"
"Oh, yes, that's right. It's feeling-sorry-for-myself time. My mistake."
********
Some time later, Lorelai stopped the car. Rory woke up from her nap, and found a big building in front of them.
"Wow, that's a big house. Who does it belong to, the mayor?"
"No, that's *our* house. Isn't it gorgeous?"
"Yeah, sure," Rory responded. "Uh, maybe you should park in *our* driveway then."
"Oh, right! Wow, driveways, big houses, this is going to take a lot of getting used to."
They walked up the path to the front door. Attached to the knob, they found a note.
Dear Lorelai and Rory,
Welcome to Stars Hollow!!! I hope you like it here!!! I've packed some food in the fridge for your first couple of days!!! See you at the inn!!!
-Sookie
"Wow, thats a *lot* of exclamation points," Lorelai said, eyes wide.
"Boy, this Sookie is a perky one, ain't she?" Rory contributed, and Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Sookie? What kind of name is that? And why was she in our house?"
Lorelai didn't answer, but instead opened the door and headed inside.
"Wow," was all she could say.
"What?" Rory asked, appearing next to her.
"This house. It's...big," Lorelai answered, at a loss for a better, more sophisticated synonym.
"Big? It's gigantic," replied Rory. "My god, the living room is bigger than half our apartment."
"Look, stairs! In our house!" Lorelai squealed, and ran up and down the last steps a few times and then disappeared into another room.
"Yeah, Mom, it's perfect," Rory said, suddenly sounding upset. "It's only missing one thing."
"What would that be?" Lorelai asked as she emerged from the kitchen with a big bag of chocolate chips. "I think I'm gonna like this Sookie chic."
"Where's our stuff? Didn't you say it would be here by the time we got here?"
"I did say that, didn't I? Hmm, I'll just call the movers and see whats going on," Lorelai said.
She picked up a phone that was resting on the nearest end table. "Well," she said, "At least the phone company was here on time". She then hung up, and went to find her purse.
"Ah-hah!" she said as she uncovered an index card at the bottom of her bag.
"Mom, the number is written in lipstick," Rory pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I didn't have a pen."
Lorelai dialed the number, and when a man picked up on the other end, she said,
"Hi, this is Lorelai Gilmore. I just moved from New York City to Stars Hollow, Connecticut, but my stuff seems to have a case of moving jitters. Is there any possible way to--Thank you very much," she paused.
"Texas? No, no Stars Hollow *Connecticut*. I specifically--Thank you," she paused once again.
"How many days? Oh," she replied. "Well, then I'm assuming there will be no charge--Of course."
She hung up, and Rory asked, "What's the verdict?"
"Our stuff was sent to Texas. It'll be here in three or four days."
"Three or four *days*? What do we do 'til then?"
Lorelai grimaced, and then said, "Eat some chocolate chips?"
Author: Doublemint Mystique
Rating: PG
Summary: AU. 16-year-old city girl Rory meets private-schooler Jess when she's forced to move to Stars Hollow.
Pairing: R/J
Comments: celticrockstar@bolt.com
Disclaimer: I own the story, nothing else.
Chapter One
"We're going *where*?" Rory said, raising her voice a few decibels as her eyes opened wide.
"Stars Hollow. It's in Connecticut," Lorelai answered, and she flipped though the phone book to find the nearest U-Haul.
"Wait, you can't just expect me to pick up and move to a town I've never even heard of," Rory protested, crossing her arms in front of her.
"There are a lot of towns you haven't heard of."
"But what about Lane?"
"Oh, see, there's this new thing called the phone."
Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere," she retorted.
"Oh, no? Well, those boxes I put in your room are going to be *very* disappointed to hear you say that."
Rory groaned loudly, and stomped away, slamming the door to her room with emphasis.
Lorelai followed her through the apartment and shouted through the closed door. "Hey, listen, I'll let you in on a little something. I'm not excited about moving either. But there are some things in life you just have to do, and, well, this is one of them. So you *will* pack those boxes, and have it done by Saturday. If not, then the people that move in after us will be damn pleased they have a pink fuzzy clock and lava lamp!"
"Go to hell!" Rory yelled, and cranked up her music to the highest level. She shifted position on her featherbed, and stared at her wall calendar. Saturday was five days away. She'd figure something out by then.
********
"But what about Lane?" Rory attempted again, as a last stab before they closed both the car door and the city chapter of her life.
"You know, that telephone I told you about works wonders," Lorelai said curtly.
They both stuck their coffee mugs in the cup holders, and sighed heavily. Rory wiped away the condensation on her window to look out at the city. She wondered if the magnificent skyline could be seen on a clear night in this Stars Hollow she was moving to.
Lorelai looked over at her daughter, and the anger she felt melted away. "Rory, I know you're upset about moving. I know you'll miss your friends, and the city--"
"Mom, reminding someone of what they'll be missing isn't the best way to cheer them up."
Donning a sheepish grin, the elder Gilmore continued, "But I've gotten to the point in my life where I need space. And this job will open up so many opportunities. I'll have more time off--"
"To spend with my only daughter. And we'll have a house, Rory, a real house..." Rory interrupted, mocking her mother. "I know, Mom, I've heard you say all of this a hundred times in the last four days."
"Then you also know how much it means to me. Running an inn, Rory. Me, I'll be running it, all by myself," Lorelai said proudly.
"Lorelai Gilmore, running an inn all by herself. God help us all."
"Oh, come on, Rory, cut me some slack. I raised a daughter all by myself, didn't I?"
"Mom, you do know that putting copies of Cosmopolitan in each of the rooms won't be considered 'running an inn'. It involves doing actual work," Rory responded with air quotes.
Lorelai's face turned to one of mock surprise. "Really? Quick, get that 'How to Actually Work for Dummies' book out of the backseat and read me the preface," she answered sarcastically. "Of course, I wouldn't be able to read it myself. No, no, that would be actual working."
"Ok, I get the point," Rory said, as the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. Determined to look miserable for the duration of the trip, she quickly turned back to the window.
"You'll love Stars Hollow, I promise," Lorelai told her daughter.
"Hmmph."
"Rory, at least give it a chance. You haven't even been there yet."
"Neither have you. How can you be so sure I'm going to like it? They're a trillion miles from a subway *and* they won't have good bagels."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because Stars Hollow isn't New York," Rory grumbled.
"They have a stoplight," Lorelai rebounded.
Rory raised her eyebrows, "A stoplight? As in, just one? Wow, can you say "Score"?"
"Listen, I know it's going to be a big change, but you'll adjust. Who knows, maybe you'll become a pigtail-wearing small-town girl and actually like it."
"Fat chance," Rory retorted. "What the hell have you gotten us into?"
"I told you--"
"It was a rhetorical question, Mom," Rory said, annoyed.
"I promise, hun, you'll get used to it," Lorelai attempted once again to convince her.
"You know, as much as I'm enjoying this mother-daughter conversation, I'd much rather enjoy getting my last views of the city before it's too late."
"Yeah, sure, go ahead," Lorelai answered, defeat ringing through her voice.
Lorelai flicked on the car radio, and found a local college radio station. They were in the middle of a Bangles block, and she turned it up high. With a huff, Rory ripped her cd player out of the backpack that lay at her feet. Clicking her PJ Harvey in, she set it at the highest volume.
With the sounds of "Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea" drowning out "Walk Like an Egyptian", Lorelai emphatically turned her music up a little louder.
"Could you possibly turn that down a little?" Rory asked.
"What?" Lorelai yelled, knowing full well what the question was.
Rory went to turn off the radio, and in the process dropped her cd player onto the floor. When she picked it up, she said pointedly, "I said, would you *please* turn the music down a bit?"
"Well, you've already taken care of that, haven't you? And with such grace."
Rory made a face, and Lorelai responded to it with, "Watch it. What if your face stayed like that, and you ended up like the kid on the oatmeal box?"
"Once again--"
"Oh, yes, that's right. It's feeling-sorry-for-myself time. My mistake."
********
Some time later, Lorelai stopped the car. Rory woke up from her nap, and found a big building in front of them.
"Wow, that's a big house. Who does it belong to, the mayor?"
"No, that's *our* house. Isn't it gorgeous?"
"Yeah, sure," Rory responded. "Uh, maybe you should park in *our* driveway then."
"Oh, right! Wow, driveways, big houses, this is going to take a lot of getting used to."
They walked up the path to the front door. Attached to the knob, they found a note.
Dear Lorelai and Rory,
Welcome to Stars Hollow!!! I hope you like it here!!! I've packed some food in the fridge for your first couple of days!!! See you at the inn!!!
-Sookie
"Wow, thats a *lot* of exclamation points," Lorelai said, eyes wide.
"Boy, this Sookie is a perky one, ain't she?" Rory contributed, and Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Sookie? What kind of name is that? And why was she in our house?"
Lorelai didn't answer, but instead opened the door and headed inside.
"Wow," was all she could say.
"What?" Rory asked, appearing next to her.
"This house. It's...big," Lorelai answered, at a loss for a better, more sophisticated synonym.
"Big? It's gigantic," replied Rory. "My god, the living room is bigger than half our apartment."
"Look, stairs! In our house!" Lorelai squealed, and ran up and down the last steps a few times and then disappeared into another room.
"Yeah, Mom, it's perfect," Rory said, suddenly sounding upset. "It's only missing one thing."
"What would that be?" Lorelai asked as she emerged from the kitchen with a big bag of chocolate chips. "I think I'm gonna like this Sookie chic."
"Where's our stuff? Didn't you say it would be here by the time we got here?"
"I did say that, didn't I? Hmm, I'll just call the movers and see whats going on," Lorelai said.
She picked up a phone that was resting on the nearest end table. "Well," she said, "At least the phone company was here on time". She then hung up, and went to find her purse.
"Ah-hah!" she said as she uncovered an index card at the bottom of her bag.
"Mom, the number is written in lipstick," Rory pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I didn't have a pen."
Lorelai dialed the number, and when a man picked up on the other end, she said,
"Hi, this is Lorelai Gilmore. I just moved from New York City to Stars Hollow, Connecticut, but my stuff seems to have a case of moving jitters. Is there any possible way to--Thank you very much," she paused.
"Texas? No, no Stars Hollow *Connecticut*. I specifically--Thank you," she paused once again.
"How many days? Oh," she replied. "Well, then I'm assuming there will be no charge--Of course."
She hung up, and Rory asked, "What's the verdict?"
"Our stuff was sent to Texas. It'll be here in three or four days."
"Three or four *days*? What do we do 'til then?"
Lorelai grimaced, and then said, "Eat some chocolate chips?"