The L/L action will begin head-on next chapter, that's a promise! I just needed this chapter first!

Rory was seated on the couch reading through notes in a binder the size of War and Peace when Lorelai arrived back home. As her mother opened the door, Rory sprang up, looking nervous.

"How did it go?..." she asked.

"Well, aside from the Bacchae ladies tearing me to shreds with their evil death glares," Rory grinned at that, "it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been."

She sat back down on the couch and Lorelai joined her, picking up her binder, exaggerating its weight and putting it on the table with empty mugs of what had once been coffee.

"What do you put in this thing? Sheets of paper made of metal?"

"Nooooo…" Rory sighed, "It's my binder for Mr. Medina's class. It has all my notes from the whole year so far categorized by author and colour-coordinated for which work by which author it is. Chronologically, of course."

"Hunh. Maybe you could do that to my closet for me? I can never find anything in there. It's like Maurice Sendak unleashed his wild things in the middle night to leave my clothes in disarray." She looks into space thoughtfully, "Oh, no, wait. That was me. Looking for my sparkly pink shirt which I found, a week later, while doing laundry, tucked away in your drawer."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that."

"It's okay. Only now, you can repay me for you unlawful thievery by cleaning my closet, doing the dishes and, of course, making home cooked meals every night. And you can sit in the corner of the kitchen by the hearth with all the ashes – "

"Mom." Rory was clearly not amused.

"Yeah?"

"What did Mr. Medina say?"

"He said that he thinks you're smart and capable and very pretty, only not quite as good looking as your strikingly beautiful mother."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Mom. This is important."

"That's what he said. He said you're smart and hard-working and that it takes a while for people to adjust to Chilton. He said taking time to get used to the workload is normal, and you have nothing to worry about."

Rory sighed.

"Oh, and that he likes to watch sentimental 90s movies, so I think we should write your next paper on Julia Roberts."

Rory looked at her mother sharply.

"Mom, you didn't."

"Uh oh. Not a fan of Little Man Tate?"

"Mom! This was parent-teacher night. You were supposed to go there and talk about me and how I don't deserve a D and you were supposed to tell him I work really hard and you're so glad to meet him and that my grandparents are on the board and pay a good portion of his salary." She moaned all in one breath.

"I did say that. Minus the part about Richard and Emily. Although we did mention that we don't like the Caroline Bingley-esque mothers and their godawful taste in coffee." Lorelai didn't understand what Rory was getting so worked up about.

"You told him I called those women Caroline Bingleys? They pay his salary, they run the school… why did you do this to me?" Her voice dripped with anger.

"What?" Lorelai threw up her arms. "What did I do that was so horrible, Rory? I went there, I talked to the guy, he ensured me you're not going to fail out of the institution, we talked a bit and then I left. Is that such a crime?"

"You chatted with my teacher. At Chilton. Mr. Medina isn't a friendly, chatty kind of guy. He's a teacher. He has his master's from Stanford, he doesn't talk about Julia Roberts and Colombian brew. He talks about Shakespeare and Chekhov and Katherine Mansfield. I can't believe you would bring that stuff up. You probably made me look so stupid."

Lorelai got it now; her face got hot with anger. "You mean: I probably made me look stupid. Listen up, Rory, I put you in that school and I can take you out just as easily if you turn into one of those egotistical self-loving typical socialites. Just because I didn't go to Stanford University or the Ivy League does not mean I am unintelligent and that is not the attitude any daughter of mine will take. And, just so you know, Max did enjoy talking about those things. He brought them up. He made the Pride and Prejudice reference, he elaborated on my Little Man Tate allusion and he asked to check out Luke's for a cup of decent coffee."

Rory looked at her mother in surprise.

"You're unbelievable," she said slowly. "You flirted with Mr. Medina?"

"What! No!" Lorelai was incredulous. "It was strictly friendly banter and Rory-related talk! He only gave me his number in case I had any concerns about you. My mission was entirely Rory-centric."

Rory gathered together her papers. "You know, there was a reason I didn't want you to go tonight. Now everyone in my school is going to think I sent my hot mother to flirt with my teacher for grades. Thanks a lot, Mom. Next time I'll just ask Grandma to go."

Lorelai was baffled and hurt as she walked Rory stalk of to her room. She needed coffee. She grabbed a jacket and headed off to Luke's.