A/N: Okay this is a bory fanfic. Which is about "Bob" and Rory. "Bob" is the name that we, on came up with for Rory's future mate she hasn't met yet, but will end up with in the future. Any questions about that just reply or message. I've done a lot of research to figure out the "Bob" character so please respect him. This is pretty Au, so just go with it. I didn't want to explain Rory's situation right off the bat so you have to actually do some reading (Shock! I know) to figure it out. Message me if you need to. This first chapter is pretty short so just roll with it, and I promise the next one will be much better.
It was eight in the morning and Rory was lying in her bed twisting strands of hair, she had barely slept. She was thinking about how she had spent the last eight years of her life working to get somewhere, and she finally had. Of course she wasn't kidding herself. She was still working and trying to earn greater status in the Journalism world, but this was what she had hoped for since basically elementary school. Traveling to Iran and being a Foreign Correspondent, it seemed to good to be true, like any minute she'd be in for a rude awakening…
Paul Anka leaped on top of Rory, liking her face and laying down.
"Sorry, Hun. He just wanted to come wake you." Her mother, Lorelai, said as she entered the room and sat on the side of the bed.
Rory sat up, or at least tried to under the weight of the enormous Sheep dog.
"Well I could never turn that beautiful face away." She gripped the sides of his face and kissed him on the nose.
"Oh, why thank you!" Lorelai said in her southern belle accent. She looked at her big girl all grown-up sitting before her and let the happy smile fade from her face and looked at Rory with a cocked head and a sadder smile.
"Stop it, mom." Rory looked at her mom begging her not to get too sappy.
"This is the last time we'll sit on your bed together."
"We can come sit on after we eat at Luke's if that makes you happy."
"Oh…this'll be the last time we eat at Luke's."
"Mom…I won't be gone that long."
"That's the last time you'll lie to make me feel better."
"I'll call you from Iran and lie if you'd like?"
"That's the last time you're going to make a smart-ass comment to me!" She pouted her lip and her eyes welled.
"Mom…I love you, but you have to let go."
"What are you talking about? I am as detached from you as Clinton is from Monica." A moment of Lorelai's pouted-lip silence passed and she scooted Paul Anka over to lie next to Rory. "Don't go, Rory."
"Mom, I really want this. Please don't make me feel too guilty to go through with it." Lorelai got a hurt look on her face and placed her hand on her chest.
"Oh, Hun, no. I didn't mean for you to feel like that…I'm just worried. People die over there; people get hurt…they never come home. I just don't want you to be one of those people."
Rory leans over Paul Anka and gives Lorelai a hug.
"I promise I'll be safe, Mom."
They embrace for several minutes when Lorelai puts a hand to her face to wipe her eyes.
"Okay," Lorelai pulls away, "Sappiness over, let's eat!"
The familiar sound that both Rory and Lorelai loved rang above them as they entered Luke's. Luke looked up and immediately smiled. He dropped his cleaning rag on the counter and walked up to kiss Lorelai. They both wore platinum wedding bands and had for a year. They had their wedding on the gazebo, after being persuaded by Ms. Patty and Babette, and numerous "anonymous" letters with handwriting similar to Kirk's.
Lorelai and Rory sat at the table they had sat at for years; and preceded to "peruse" the menu.
"I wonder what I'll have…" Lorelai mocked while looking at the menu.
"I wonder what I'll have…" Rory followed her mother in the mocking.
"You two do this every time!" Luke raised his voice in mild anger.
"There's just so much to choose from." Lorelai smiled looking towards Rory.
"I know…waffles…pancakes." She looked at the menu weighing the options.
"You better choose soon, because it's busy. We're likely to run out." Luke said talking fast and brief, like he does when he's angry with Tailor.
"I think you'll just have to come back…" Lorelai said frowning while still "looking" at the menu.
Luke walked away but was quickly bombarded with shouts from behind.
"Bring pancakes!"
"And coffee!"
"And muffins!"
"And coffee!"
"And donuts!"
"And coffee!"
Even though Luke was angry he smiled looking at the table. He couldn't help but be happy. He finally had the woman that he loved and an amazing stepdaughter.
"So this is exciting…huh?" Lorelai asked Rory who was busily texting on her sidekick.
"Yeah..." Rory said not really paying attention to what her mother was saying.
"So…" Lorelai obviously had something on her mind but she wasn't giving it up.
"So…" Rory said still not listening.
In an exhausted attempt to get Rory's attention Lorelai threw her hand over her head and fell on the table. Rory didn't even notice.
Lorelai sat up and addressed the issue. "You know this means I'll be going to Friday night dinners alone." She said with special emphasis on the word alone.
Rory set down her phone. "Mom, ever since I went to Iowa you've been going to Friday night dinners alone. You're a big girl, you can handle it."
"Not true. When you started working at The Hartford Courant you still came to dinner."
"Yeah, but…that didn't count."
"Ah ha!" Lorelai pointed in Rory's face. Rory shoved her finger away.
"It's not nice to point." Luke brought out their food and cups of coffee
"You're just mad I proved you wrong."
Rory hadn't responded because she was busy on her phone again. Lorelai couldn't help but wonder who she'd been talking to all morning. She bit into her waffle and got the courage to ask her.
"So…who?" She pointed to Rory's phone with a fork in her hand.
"Oh…uh, Logan. I just wanted to see how things are in California."
"Really…how is he?" Lorelai tried not to sound too interested, and surprised.
"Engaged…happy." Rory frowned. She had dated other people since Logan. But he was still a big part of her life she hadn't been able to completely forget.
"Don't worry, Hun. There'll be others." She patted her daughter's arm.
"I know…it's just, different…that's all." She sipped her coffee and hoped her mother would change the subject.
"So…what's your first assignment when you get to Iran?"
"I don't know. Get picked up from the airport…? I haven't been informed yet."
"You mean those crazy guys at CSPAN are going to let my precious offspring travel aimlessly around Iran?"
"No…I'm supposed to be shown around by a diplomat."
"Ah…a diplomat…how very regal."
Rory rolled her eyes and drank more coffee. Two things she inherited from her mother. Sarcasm, and her love of coffee.