Chapter Three: Looking through the night…

As usual, Rory Gilmore came home to an empty house, the same house she had spent half of her childhood in, the one her young daughter now called home. The kitchen and living room were little changed, save for a few additional scuff marks left by the little boys who spent their first six years bumping around the house. The second floor, however, had been expanded before her mom's wedding, so that Rory's current bedroom was huge, with more than enough closet space. Rory's former room, now Laylee's, was filled with "Go Minutemen!" knick-knacks, family pictures, and books inherited from Rory and the twins. It seemed a little empty, though, without the bubbly occupant, the bed neatly made in such an un-Gilmore-like fashion. The habit was most likely picked up from her Danes grandfather, who Lorelai on many occasions had accused of turning the remaining Gilmore legacy into a Danes.

Rory set her suitcase on the landing and reached for the phone to call the diner and check on her little girl. Before she could dial, however, the front door swung open.

"Mom! Guess what!"

The swirling bundle of bones and curls launched herself at her mother, squeezing her waist.

"What, sweetie?" Rory asked, kissing Laylee's head gently.

"There's a scout here!"

"A scout?"

"To watch Jacky's game," Laylee giggled, releasing her mother as her grandma came through the door.

"From UConn," Lorelai clarified, leaning in to kiss her daughter's cheek. "Hey, babe."

"Hey, Mom. A scout? Is that good?"

"Oh, yeah… Major proud grunting going on back at the diner. I thought Luke was going to actually smile."

Rory grinned. "Is Jack nervous?"

"Oh, you know Jack… never nervous about anything," Lorelai teased, her tone contradicting her words.

"Right," Rory laughed, glancing down at her now red blouse after noticing her daughter's painted face. "Laylee!"

Laylee giggled and tossed her curls over her shoulder.

Rory sighed but couldn't help but smile at her little girl's so very Lorelai-like manner.

"Go change, Mom! We've got to get to that game before kick-off."

"Laylee, kick-off's in forty-five minutes, and the field is five minutes away."

"But, Mom, we've gotta get there in time to get all the snacks we'll need to keep busy. Plus, I like it when they call Jack's name, and the crowd goes wild, and Jack gets as uncomfortable as Luka during a Damien's sale."

Lorelai grinned at her granddaughter's finely-honed ranting skills.

"I second all of that. Get your bum changed," she shooed.

"Red and white, Mom!" Laylee called up the stairs. "Don't forget!"

A car horn beeped out front.

"Ride's here, Mom! I'm gonna go wait in the car with Luka and Will!"

"I'll be right there."

Rory heard her mom enter her room behind her just as she was pulling on a long-sleeved red turtleneck.

"Hey, how was she?" Rory questioned about her daughter's behavior.

"Great, as usual. Luke taught her how to plunge a toilet, since he was sick of getting emergency calls. That went really well, let me tell you. A lot of pouting, a lot of name-calling."

"She's getting so old! I feel like I'm missing so much."

"You are."

Rory paused for a moment while touching up her make-up, glancing at her mom in the mirror. Lorelai quickly changed the subject.

"So, yeah, Laylee was wonderful. Will on the other hand… whoo…"

"What'd he do?"

"Got in a fight at school."

"Will!"

"Yep."

"But he hasn't…" She trailed off, remembering Will's last fight. "What about?"

"They're reading The Scarlet Letter in class. Apparently it got out of hand."

All Rory could manage was an "Oh."

"He's a good boy, but he's got a double dose of stubborn and the Gilmore tendency to act without thinking."

Rory grinned a little at that. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

Rory and Will had always been pretty close, probably because Will was mostly a male version of the eldest Lorelai, with his quick wit, charming smile, and intense self-preservation instincts. They each confided more in each other than anyone else, even the things they could not share with their mother.

To Rory's request, Lorelai nodded while handing her daughter her purse. "Just if it comes up in one of those long, intense philosophical discussions you two go off on. One of the ones Jack has been running from since his little legs could hold him up."

"Jack is his parents' son," Rory laughed, taking her purse and starting for the door at the sound of an impatient horn. "So, fill me in, sports mom, is this scout thing big?"

"Huge," Lorelai answered with a proud smile Rory knew only came out on very special occasions. "We're talking recruitment, scholarships… My baby boy is about to start being courted."

"And here I thought that's what Natalie has been doing all summer."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "They'll be after Will soon, most likely. And then they'll be back for baseball season. I'm so proud of them, but it makes me sad, too."

"Because they're here to take your boys away?"

Lorelai paused and nodded. "They're my babies…"

Rory snorted a little. "Who are taller than you and could probably carry you with one hand."

"Very, very big babies… Incredible Hulk babies."

"I think turn more red than green when they're mad," Rory offered lamely as some sort of distraction. When she saw she wasn't amused, she added: "Well you can relax, Mom. You have almost two years left with them. And I can't see Jack going too far away. Too much Luke in him."

"Ah, yes, the hermit gene."

The car horn honked again.

"MOM!"

Lorelai Gilmore Danes was admittedly terrified when the second heartbeat emerged during the sonogram. Twins! There was the momentary flash that perhaps she was the next Miss Cleo and there was money to be had in that, followed by the startling realization that two heartbeats meant two newborns at the same time. Could she and Luke handle it?

And then, months later, they had been informed that she carried two boys. Luke hadn't been able to stop grinning, talking constantly of everything he could teach his sons. Lorelai, while overjoyed, was a little nervous. She didn't know if she could raise one little boy, let alone two. Sure, she loved little Davey Belleville, but she had raised a girl, a distinctly girly girl. She certainly could relate to the hyperactivity of a little boy, but she didn't understand sports, construction equipment, or action figures. Her sons, from the beginning, had shown an affinity for all of the above. Jack's first word was "baseball", and Will's was "backhoe". Each did their mother proud with their second word: "coffee".

The moment she held those boys in her arms, though, her terror retreated. She proved very good at raising boys, since all it really required was a lot of energy, playfulness, and tenacity. Now, she could name every Marvel superhero, distinguish between a loader, a backhoe, and a backhoe-loader, and make calls along with the best umpires and referees in the county. She was at every sports event possible, cheering her boys on, even if she was still a little confused as to just what the point of it all was.

There was something special about boys, something completely different from little girls. Little boys are endlessly devoted to their mothers, and Lorelai had never shied from being the center of attention. Will and Jack had always doted upon their mother, and vice versa. While she cherished her years with Rory, she had never felt safer than when she fell asleep in Luke's arms, knowing her sweet baby boys were just down the hall.

And now, as much as she tried to stop it, her precious baby boys were growing into amazing young men. They were tall and handsome, solid and athletic like their father with bright, Gilmore blue eyes. Jack, with his sweet, steady devotion to family and beloved girlfriend, and Will, with his charming, ceaseless flirtation that hid a searching soul, were a study in contrasts, and yet there had never been two closer brothers.

Lorelai had the whole package: adoring partner, three beautiful children, and one vivacious granddaughter, her personal Mini-me, who was currently chattering away ceaselessly with the gaggle of teenage girls surrounding her Uncle Will, soaking up the attention.

Laylee broke off from her uncle's admirers at that moment, hopping down the bleachers to where Luke stood, leaning against the railing as he focused intently on the game. He turned away slightly with a smile, holding his arm out for her climb up on the bars in front of him. As she did so, he returned his hand to its original position, now encircling her small body lest she fall, much as he had with the boys when they had been younger.

He was definitely her real grandfather, more than Christopher no matter how hard the latter tried, and more than her paternal grandfather who had died before Laylee was even a twinkle in her father's eye. Luke and Laylee had a very special relationship. She was the only Gilmore girl who actually allowed him to teach her things, even if she made a grand show of protest to emulate her grandmother. She looked at him with reverence every time he spoke, soaking up everything he had to pass down, as she was now doing. Luke was gesturing towards the field with one hand, probably explaining some obscure football rule. She nodded enthusiastically, repeating the gesture and, in the process, falling back into his chest. He laughed, and though Lorelai could not hear him, she could imagine the deep rumble leaving his chest and shaking the tiny little girl.

Laylee righted herself, leaning over the railing to shout encouragingly at Jack as he pulled back, looking for a pass. That Lorelai could hear, even ten rows up.

"Those two are so cute," a voice giggled behind Lorelai. She looked up and behind her as Natalie plopped down onto the bleachers next to her.

"Hi, Nat," she greeted, "Intense game, huh?"

"Which one? The one on the field or the one Will's running?" Jack's beloved girlfriend teased. "He's really milking the sympathy factor on that black eye. He's told about three different versions of how he got it. One involves an unfortunate run-in with an angry mother cardinal while retrieving a treed kitten."

Lorelai grinned. "Oh, that one's true. Except he was twelve, and the bruising was a little further south."

Natalie's natural laughter bubbled out easily, one of her most endearing qualities, which assured her a high station in the Gilmore-Danes clan's affections.

"Whoa, Mom! Not so loud!" Will objected as he came and sat on his mother's right, the opposite of Natalie.

"Ah, here he is now, Nat. Casanova has deigned to grace us with his presence."

"Hey! You stole that vocabulary from Rory," Will ribbed, wrapping an arm around his mother's shoulders. "So where is my darling big sis?"

"Well, since you were so busy flirting, she was forced to go get more snacks. Herself! Will, I can't believe you left your favorite sister to such a dirty job!"

"You couldn't go?"

Lorelai gasped dramatically, pushing away from Will. "Natalie! My own firstborn son doesn't know me at all! Jack I might be able to understand; he's so much like his father. But you! We're kindred spirits, William."

Natalie giggled again before putting on a serious face. "Personality change is one of the first signs of substance abuse, Will. Just say no to drugs!"

Will shook his head and apologized profusely as Lorelai laughed.

"All right, all right."

They returned to watching the game in companionable silence until Natalie sucked in a quick breath in response to the action on the field.

"Oh, I hate when they do that," she said, shielding her eyes, just as Jack was sacked.

"Ouch!"

"I hate that part, too," Lorelai confessed.

"C'mon, defense!" Luke shouted from below.

"Protect your QB!" Laylee's young voice quickly followed.

"God, who is she?" Lorelai asked aloud. "My own Gilmore legacy, completely Danes-ified."

Will laughed. "I don't think that's a word, Mom."

"No, really?" Natalie rolled her eyes, now uncovered since Jack had picked himself up and waved at the crowd, mostly to assure his mother that he was alright.

"Yoohoo! Lorelai!" a very familiar voice called from the aisle beside them, as a very out of breath Babette made her way across to them, Morey in tow. He was still exceedingly tall, if a little stooped with age, and she was even shorter, if that were possible. "Hey, dolls. How are ya? Oooh, Willy, that's quite a nasty shiner. Don't let Patty see; she'll wanna comfort you."

Panic seized Will's face, and he quickly ducked his head.

"Violence is not cool, cat," Morey intoned, looking as reproachfully as he could muster at his young protégé. "Peace, love, and music."

"Sorry, Morey," Will apologized sincerely. "You have time to play a little tomorrow afternoon? I mean, if that's okay with you, Mom. I need some help with the stuff for Miss Patty's upcoming dance recital."

Lorelai nodded, and Morey agreed.

"Come over wheneva, sugah. I'll have some cookies or somethin' sittin' out for ya. I just love when you and my Morey play togetha; you've always made some beautiful music. Even when you was just a little squirt bangin' on the keyboard. Lorelai, doll, this boy has talent."

Will blushed a little. The only thing he was modest about was his music. He had started taking lessons from Morey at the age of five, in exchange for helping Babette out with little chores around the house. That lasted until high school, when Morey said it was time for him to "stretch his wings and fly away". They still got together to play, though, especially in preparation for Will's performances.

"Alright, Babette, he's going to get a bigger head if you keep that up."

"Says Big Head herself," Will muttered as Babette and Morey excused themselves.

Natalie tried to withhold her laughter, but it came out as a snort.

"Will! You hurt Mommy," Lorelai objected.

" 'Big Head want dolly,'" Will mimicked.

"You are never going near your sister again." She then noticed Rory mounting the steps. "You! What have I told you about sharing Mommy's embarrassing stories? Especially with the boys."

"Um… only do so when you're not in the vicinity?"

"Rory!"

Natalie continued to giggle. Rory handed her a bottle of water. "Here, don't choke."

"Hey, watch it," Lorelai turned to scold Natalie. "I control how much time my son is allowed to spend with you."

Natalie sobered as quickly as she could, a grin still peeking out every so often.

"Speaking of which, are you coming to Sunday night dinner?"

"Meeting Jack's grandparents? I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"It's really not that exciting. And don't worry, we'll protect you from Emily."

"Mom!" It was Will's turn to object. "She's really not that bad."

"To you."

"Mom, Grandma really tries," Rory defended as well.

"We're not having this conversation until Jack and Luke are here to be on my side."

Natalie rolled her eyes again, before looking out onto the field in time to watch Jack make a 25-yard pass to the end zone. They all stood up and cheered loudly, just as the band struck up the Stars Hollow High fight song and Laylee leapt up the bleachers to their feet.

"Whoa, Mom, Nonna! Did you see Jack make that throw? Out of the pocket, too! On the run! Now we're winning!"

Without receiving a response, she bounced back to her Luka's side, making him give her a high five before she returned to leaning over the railing to shout encouragement to the players.

"I got about a fourth of that," Rory confessed, setting all the food down.

Natalie shook her head with a laugh. "How do you live with Laylee during the fall and not know about football?"

Rory shrugged, and Will quickly changed the subject.

"That was an amazing throw. And Grayson made a great catch, too. Jack's always been good at making plays out of nothing."

"Ha! Take that Mr. UConn. That man is gonna be all over my boy."

"Um… is now the proper time to insert a Trojan joke?" Will grinned.

"Will, dirty!"

"Hey, you set that one up…"

"Does your grandmother know just how dirty that mind of yours is?"

"I got it from somewhere. And I'm a sixteen-year-old boy. I have an excuse. What's yours?"

"Oh, go away and flirt!" Lorelai pouted, sitting down as the fervor tapered off, shooing Will.

Will grinned and headed down to Laylee and Luke, probably to grunt and talk about how great that play was.

"Connor's with his friend's family, but I'm gonna go check on him, since he's my responsibility tonight, and I prefer to keep my going-out privileges," Natalie excused herself. "Be back in a sec."

"I love that girl," Lorelai laughed as Natalie left. "Jack's got good taste."

Rory nodded in agreement, mouth full of Red Vines. She offered one to her mother, who took it.

After she swallowed, Rory said, "I can't believe Laylee's leaving tomorrow already to go see Dad for the weekend. I never get any time with her. I see her more in the summer when we're in Italy. I have to go to a foreign country to spend time with the daughter who shares a house with me."

"Maybe it's time to consider a career-change," Lorelai hinted as delicately as possible. Any subject involving her daughter's life choices was still touchy, even all these years after the Great Schism of 2005.

Rory's eyes flashed in surprise as she looked to her mother, but the topic of the conversation chose that moment to bound once again up the bleachers, this time slipping and bashing her knee on the concrete.

"Ouch!" Laylee hissed, remaining on her rear and rolling up her jeans to examine the wound. "It skinned through the jeans, Mom!"

"Are you okay, Laylee?" Rory asked, on her feet to comfort if need be.

"I will be in sec," Laylee grinned, craning her neck over her shoulder, "Luka! Come fix me!"

Luke turned around with a sigh and trudged up the bleachers to crouch beside her, pulling a Band-Aid out of his pocket (where he'd kept one every day since the boys were toddlers) and checking out the skinned knee.

"Whipped, I tell ya," Lorelai laughed. "Don't you think it would be nice if my husband responded that quickly every time I called?"

Rory forced a grin, still a little in shock from Laylee's response. She managed to quip, "Uh, he does."

"Oh, right. Well, she learned from the best then."

And in that moment, it occurred to Rory for the first time that she wasn't raising her daughter at all: her parents were.