A/N: One day, a long time ago (well.... September), a little auction took place, attended by only the coolest people. The wonderful Boston won me, on behalf of the equally amazing girl, Pooh herself. Here is the result of her prompt...
As usual, I own nothing, even the idea for this story, as that belongs to Pooh :D
Becoming Home
Things weren't going Sookie's way. Even more so than usual.
It had been one week, three days, and five hours since she started working at the Independence Inn on the outskirts of this sleepy little town. It had been one week, six days, and two hours since she picked up all her worldly belongings, and moved out of her parents' home, 42 miles away, into a tiny apartment above a store that sold collectible plates. It had been two weeks, four days, and 18 hours since she graduated from Culinary School.
All her classmates had been so jealous of her new job. The Independence Inn was known for it's four and a half star cuisine, and more so for the genius that was the prickly Chef du Fresne.
Jealous? She scoffed at the thought. They shouldn't be. For all her crowing about how great this job was going to be, what was she doing now? Plating salad. She could practically feel all her culinary knowledge flying out of her head as she performed this menial task. She was bottom of the totem pole, and considering the one time Chef had watched her work she had tripped over her own feet, landing sprawled on the ground, and breaking three plates, she could be a long time down there.
She blew her bangs out of her eyes, and began washing the salad tongs she had dropped yet again, staring out the kitchen window. She had a great view from here. She could see right down the paved path to the duck pond, and the big trees behind it, their leaves swaying in the breeze.
A small brunette girl of around seven years old was laying next to the pond on her stomach, a thick novel spread out in front of her. She seemed to be engrossed by it's contents. Sookie was skeptical as to whether the tiny nymph of a girl could truly read such a big, grown-up looking book. She herself felt that she would have struggled to read something half that size. Not that Sookie was stupid - far from it, in fact. She just lacked the concentration span to sit still for so long.
"Sookie!" a fake French accent barked, pulling her from her thoughts. "That Chilli Chicken Salad is not going to plate itself."
Sighing, she dried off her now well-washed tongs, and returned to her small station in the far corner of the kitchen - as far away from the window, and the beautiful Spring day, as humanly possible.
Lorelai Gilmore, the bubbly Junior Manager, whirled into the kitchen in her usual cyclonic state. As she did every day, she greeted each of the staff by name as she made her way to the coffee machine. Sookie gave her a shy smile as they made eye contact. And so began another routine for Lorelai in this kitchen - the daily arguement with Chef Du Fresne about her use of the coffee that was intended for guest consumption. As usual, she won the fight, using her trump card - the owner, Mia, always allowed Lorelai access to the liquid heaven that the pot contained.
Sookie's shift was just finishing, and as she cleaned up her station and unbuttoned her Chef's Jacket, she eavesdropped on the conversation Lorelai was having on a cordless phone.
"What do you mean, Mia? ... Seriously? Flowing like the Mississippi? ... That's graphic. ... No, I understand. ... Okay I'll work something out. ... Ciao!"
Bubbly persona stripped away, Lorelai slumped down on the workbench in defeat. "Stupid Mia having to go to the hospital," she grumbled into the shiny silver counter.
Sookie glanced around. At this time of day, the kitchen was between shifts, and only she and the Sous Chef, Henry, were around. Henry seemed absorbed in the prep he was doing for the dinner service.
She approached the counter slowly. "Are, are you okay?"
Lorelai, startled, looked up. "Uh, not particularly. Mia can't get back here because her daughter-in-law has gone into labor. So I need to stay here even though Rory has a play-date, and I promised I would take them to the park. Her friend's mother thinks an inn isn't an appropriate place for children to spend their time due to the prevalence of businessmen away from their wives, and women of questionable morals. So now I either have to disappoint my kid yet again, or find someone else to watch the kids." She took a much needed deep breath.
"That's your daughter out by the lake, right?" Sookie confirmed.
The brunette nodded. "Yeah. Rory."
Sookie studied the woman carefully. She judged her to be about the same age as herself - pretty young to have a school-aged kid. She bit her lip as she made her offer. "I can watch them if you like. I'm just about to finish up here. That's... if you'd like."
Lorelai's eyes widened and dilated. "Oh my God, are you sure? That would be great. It would help so much. I'll just have to call Mrs Kim and check that she approves. Rather over-bearing, you see."
"Oh, God yeah. Of course."
Taking a deep breath, Sookie peeked out the door, and watched as Lorelai galloped out to the reception area, muttering about where the 'damn phonebook' was. It was found in the 'damn drawer' several minutes later, and Sookie went back to scrubbing her station while the phone call was underway.
When Lorelai bounced back into the kitchen, her previous bad mood long forgotten, it was instantly obvious what the answer to her request had been. "Thank you so much, Sookie," she gushed. "It took a bit of convincing that you weren't, in fact, a paedophile, serial killer, or an owner of toe-socks, but Mrs Kim is okay with you watching the girls." She scribbled down an address on the rear of a till receipt pulled unceremoniously from the bottom of her purse. "I should warn you though. Lane's mom will most likely watch you the entire time through her front window. Nothing to worry about. She does it to me too."
Sookie stood, nodding along to the speech, twirling her pigtail around one finger.
"Wait," Lorelai gasped. "You are sure this is okay, right? I don't want to be a burden. It's just... and you don't..."
Sookie stepped forward slowly, as if the other woman were a frightened animal, and placed her hand on Lorelai's shoulder. "No. Lorelai, I'm glad to help. What else am I going to do? Let you disappoint Rory while I sit at home watching Doogie Howser?"
"Okay," she conceded. "I'll go get her, and fill her in."
Gathering her purse and sweater, Sookie watched Lorelai approach the little girl, and start talking. She mused that even if the matching hair and build didn't give away the two as being related, the way they communicated would settle it. As they stood in front of each other, both sets of hands waved around furiously as they spoke. When Rory's hand reached up of it's own volition to twirl through her long hair just like Lorelai's had a minute earlier, Sookie couldn't help but giggle.
The sun shone down on Sookie and Rory as they walked quietly towards the square.
"What grade are you in?"
Rory grinned. "I just started first grade. Mommy and Mrs Henley said that I could skip to second grade, since I'm going to be seven in two weeks, but I didn't want to leave my friends. I don't mind. It's really easy, so I can finish all my work before everyone else, and then read by myself."
"You must like reading. That was a really big book you had earlier."
The girl shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. It's Oliver Twist. I like him. He doesn't have a daddy, just like me. But he doesn't have a mommy either, and I do, so I'm lucky."
"You don't have a daddy?"
"Well, of course I have a daddy. You only get babies by having a mommy and daddy. We just don't see him much. He calls me when he can, but he moves a lot."
Sookie raised her eyebrows at the child's frankness. She was obviously a very smart kid. Smarter than any of the six year olds she had encountered before.
As they approached the square, Rory looked up at Sookie curiously. "Do you have babies?"
"No, cupcake. No babies yet. And people say you're supposed to be married to have babies." The second the words came out, she clamped her hand over her mouth, knowing that it was the wrong thing to say.
Rory stopped in her tracks. "My mom isn't married. And she had me."
"Oh, I know, munchkin. You and your mom are a special case."
Somewhat appeased, Rory started walking again. "Yeah, we are pretty special."
The facade of Kims' Antiques loomed in front of them. Furniture was scattered across the front lawn haphazardly, flanking their approach up the front walk. Rory stepped forward to knock confidently on the imposing door, as if she had been in the position a hundred times, which Sookie considered probably wasn't too far from the truth.
A brash Asian woman, shorter than even Sookie herself, answered the door with an appraising glare. "You're the chef?" she asked without a formal greeting.
"Uh, yes. My name is Sookie St. James, ma'am. I work at the inn with Lorelai. She's super sorry that she can't come herself, but I swear I'm not a kidnapper or a murderer or any of those things."
Mrs Kim looked her up and down. "One hour. You stay in park." She held out a small paper bag. "You take flaxseed muffins for snack. And don't use water fountain in park for drinking. I saw the loner man drinking from it yesterday. Who knows what disease he has."
"Yes, of course, ma'am."
A tiny black-haired girl tore through the door at that moment. "Rory!" she squealed, wrapping herself around her friend.
"Lane!" Mrs Kim admonished. "That is not how young ladies greet visitors."
Lane stepped away from Rory, and hung her head. "Sorry, momma."
With a nod of the head from Mrs Kim, the three girls started down the steps.
"I'll take good care of her, I promise," Sookie reassured her.
"Yes. You will."
With that, the door closed, and Sookie promptly lost her footing and fell down the remaining stairs onto the walk.
"I'm okay!" she called to the two girls who were rushing to her side. "Just a couple of grazed hands." She pulled herself back to a standing position with difficulty, and shooed away the tiny hands offering to help. They ran down the walk hand in hand.
The curtain in the front window twitched.
"Freeze, chickens!" Sookie called when they reached the sidewalk. Taking her literally, they froze like statues in place, smiles threatening to crack their pose at any second. She pried each of their hands down from their stock-still position, grasping them tightly as they crossed the road to the park.
Once on the grass, the children raced to the playground, screeching. Sookie bustled to catch up, and found the perfect spot to situate herself and watch them. Under the shade of an old oak tree, the grass was soft but dry, and she had the perfect view of the girls. She sat upon the red plaid rug, and set the unappetising-looking muffins out on the paper bag they came in. Unhappy with the selection, she glanced over at the cluttered house across the square warily before reaching into her purse and pulling out three mini Mars bars, surreptitiously placing one behind each muffin, out of the view of Mrs Kim's sharp eyes.
She leaned back, resting on one elbow, watching Rory and Lane on the swings, competing to see who could swing the highest. A longing sigh escaped her lips. For not the first time, she wondered if she had made the right decision, coming to this place, not much more than a sleepy village, and leaving her home. She had been dating a fellow student at culinary school for a few months before the job at the Independence had come along. Without seeing each other every day, the relationship seemed to have fizzled out. She had seen enough of this town to know that available men in their twenties were few and far between.
The hour went quickly, and soon she was waving two grumbling children back over to her.
"Here's the deal, munchkins," she said in a low, conspiratorial voice, as they stood in front of her. "If you sit down with your backs perfectly aligned against Lane's house, her mother won't be able to see you eating the Mars Bars."
Their faces lit up.
"After you have finished your muffins, that is." She examined the baked goods. "If they can really be called 'muffins', that is." She banged one against her palm, which left a distinct red mark.
She helped them sit in the appropriate position on the edge of the rug, and begrudgingly ate one of the muffins herself, determined to set at least somewhat of a good example. Chocolate confectionery aside, naturally. Snacks consumed amid feverish chatter, they were soon packing up the rug and trash, and walking back to the Kims' house.
"Are you sure you can't watch me for the rest of the day, Sookie?" Lane asked as they approached the white picket fence.
"Oh, you wouldn't want that," she chuckled. "I'm probably not very fun. You know... lots of boring, adult stuff. Most kids don't like me."
"But we like you," Rory pouted, her face the spitting image of an expression Sookie had seen on the girl's mother several times.
Sookie turned towards the two girls with a surprised look on her face. "Really?"
"Well yeah," Lane piped in. "Why wouldn't we? You took us to the park." It was so simple.
The unadorned front door to the Kim house swung open suddenly to reveal Lane's mother. All three girls jumped slightly at the noise.
"Say goodbye to Rory, Lane," Mrs Kim commanded.
With her back to her mother, Lane scowled. "Goodbye, Rory," she recited obediently.
When Lane stayed in place, Mrs Kim took a step over the threshold. "Step away from Rory and Sookie, Lane."
Lane glanced once more at her friend, before running into the house.
"No running inside!" they heard being shouted as the door closed.
Rory and Sookie began the long, slow walk back to the inn quietly. After they turned onto Birch, Rory piped up.
"I wish I could spend more time with Lane," she sighed. "There's normally only grown ups at home."
"What's wrong with grown ups?"
"Grown ups are boring."
Catching herself from tripping on a crack in the pavement at the last second, Sookie pouted dramatically. "Boring, are we?"
"Oh no, I didn't mean you were boring. You're like mommy. But the guests aren't very fun. They don't look like they'd want to just sit and play, and have ice cream."
"Probably not," Sookie giggled. "Is enjoying ice cream important?"
"Oh, yes! Especially if it's cookies and cream... or Gone fishin'.... or Raspberry Ripple."
Sookie tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well... I don't think we have any of those flavors in the kitchen, but I know we have some homemade strawberry. It's better than the stuff you buy at the store, I hear."
The small girl's eyes widened, making the bright blue even more startling. "Really? Do you think..." She cut herself off, seemingly remembering her manners.
Sookie took Rory's hand in her own as they crossed the street. "Of course we can, cookie."
Sookie and Rory sat on the kitchen steps of the inn, eating bowls of strawberry icecream, the only sounds their eager slurping of the dessert, when Lorelai found them, and fell into position beside them. Her finger reached to Rory's bowl covertly to swipe a taste.
"How was your afternoon, Sweets?" she asked, nudging Rory's shoulder with her own.
"I was a princess trapped in a tower..." she began, and Sookie tuned out the chatter for a moment as she observed mother and daughter together. They didn't seem to mind one bit that a virtual stranger was overhearing their conversation. In fact, they seemed completely at ease in Sookie's presence.
She was roused from her reverie by the insistent tapping of a tiny finger on her shoulder. Shaking herself back to reality, she followed the finger up to where it was joined to Rory's body.
"Sookie?" the little voice enquired.
"Yes, munchkin?"
"Did you hear what Mommy said?"
"Sorry, I was away with the fairies."
Large blue eyes widened further. "You know fairies?"
Both grown ups giggled. "No, cupcake, it's just a figure of speech. Now, what did you say?"
"Me and Mommy..."
"Mommy and I," Lorelai interrupted.
"Yes, Mommy and I... were going to watch a movie tonight. We have popcorn and everything. Do you want to come?"
Sookie bit her lip and pulled at the cuticle on her thumbnail nervously. "Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude..."
Rory's bell-like laugh echoed over the lawn. "Why would you be intruding? Movie night is for me and Mommy and our friends. And you're our friend, aren't you?"
"Well, I..."
Rory quickly turned to face her mother. "She is our friend, isn't she, Mom?"
Lorelai pretended to think about the situation for a minute, an act obviously put on for her daughter. "Well.... I think there's a distinct possibility that she could be...." She caught Sookie's eye. "I'm sure that after a movie night, we'll have a much more definitive answer on that."
As Lorelai took the empty bowls back into the kitchen, Sookie couldn't help the small smile that was creeping over her face. Maybe, just maybe, Stars Hollow wasn't such a bad place after all. With some friends, it could, in fact, turn out to be home.