Legacy
Summary: Rory Hayden is raised by the patriarch of the Hayden family, one Edward C. Hayden. How does life turn out for Rory?
Disclaimer: The Gilmore Girls does not belong to me, it belongs to the CW and Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Prologue
My birth was unexpected to say the least. In the upper spheres of society a young woman having a child out of 'wedlock' was just not deemed appropriate, or if a girl got into a 'situation' it was quietly taken care of without anyone from polite society being none the wiser. The girl in question would either be sent away to a maiden aunt or some other such reclusive relative. The child in question would be given up for adoption or raised by the family in secret until the child became an adult. Isn't it just Victorian?
My parents were just children when I was born and both their families, the Haydens and the Gilmores, couldn't decide what to do with me. My great-grandfather decided for everyone. Edward Chaffee Hayden was going to take on the responsibility of raising his grandson's child. Of course, both sets of grandparents had something to say about it. My great-grandmother Lorelai, for whom I was named, put it aptly 'simply having children does not make parents.*' Emily Gilmore was not amused.
Grandfather Edward did make one small concession; I would have some type of relationship with both Richard and Emily Gilmore and Straub and Francine Hayden. Where were my parents during this discussion do you ask? Well, Christopher was agreeing to the idea because he didn't believe he was ready to become a father and family man. Lorelai, on the other hand, tried to run away with me before she was deemed an unfit parent by the Hayden family lawyers. So, I was brought to live in a grand manor and raised to greatness.
The two great influences of my life were my great-grandfather Edward and my great-grandmother Lorelai. I was moulded at a young age to take the helm of Hayden Enterprises and become more than both of my parents. My grandfather carefully planned my education while my grandmother militaristically took care of anything and everything that was needed to make me into an accomplished lady. The end result was a cold and calculated mask of a business woman with the class and elegance of royalty. I was their one saving grace.
I went to the best schools on the east coast and skipped several years due to my grandfather hiring the best tutors during the summer months. I graduated at the age of fourteen from Choate-Rosemary Hall and attended Princeton University. In my grandfather's educational master plan he wanted me to attend Princeton to appease the Hayden side of the family, which I did while earning a degree in Business Administration, therefore I was also able to attend Yale in honour of my Gilmore legacy. At Yale, I was going to study anything I wanted and start working part-time for Hayden Enterprises. But it would be at Yale where I really started living.
It would be at Yale where I would flourish and be challenged with those like me. It would be here where I met my match.
*quote by John A. Shedd
Author's Note: I know it's ridiculous to start another story with two works-in-progress, but I couldn't get this idea to leave my head. I am working on Grown Up and Debutante, but this plot bunny just wouldn't let go. Let me know if you like the story or not.