Where There's A Will Chapter 6: Rory 1, a gilmore girls fanfic

Author's Note: Once again, an extremely long chapter had to be split into two. My apologies. For the Lit fans, though, Jess makes his first appearance (though not in person) here, so yay!

This here takes place about a month after the last chapter. All you really have to know is that the Friday night dinner after Lorelai's talk with Emily went well (yay!) Luke and Lorelai are now living together (double yay!). All else is explained.

A few other things to get out of the way: Since this is set in 2007, it was before Facebook chat was established (I myself didn't get a Facebook till 2008, but I looked it up). Therefore, that is why Jess and Rory use instant messenger (probably Skype or AIM; I didn't really decide) instead of simply using Facebook chat, like we have the opportunity to do it now. :) I hate extreme I.M. speech, and I just decided that, being writers, Rory and Jess would be as anal about grammar as I am. So it might be a little unrealistic, but just suspend disbelief about how close their IMing is to their actual dialogue.

I also chose to set this at the real Westfarms Mall in Hartford. Now, I've never even been to Connecticut, so obviously I have not been to the mall, and information comes from Google. The stores are really there, and I tried to do my best with placing the stores in the same floors they were on based on the website (and I googled some of the store's clothing-Gymboree, btw, is AWESOME!), but the reality is I haven't been to Westfarms, so my details are probably wrong. Not to mention, I have no clue if the stores were open or in the same locations in 2007, so for the sake of my fic, let's just pretend they are. That holds true to the next chapter as well. Still, if you HAVE been to Westfarms, feel free to give me a little guidance!

Inspiration for this chapter and the next came from how I'm a little bothered by how Rory has no serious rejection during the series. I mean, pretty much the only guy who said "no" to going out with her is that guy she met in the laundry room of Yale, during Season Four (Logan caves and pursues a real relationship with her, instead of a casual one, eventually). I appreciate how the show made Rory go down a darker path by sleeping with Dean and "taking a break" from Yale, but this still bothers me. While in many ways I prefer the young Rory to the older one, there are times Rory comes off a little too perfect. So, I thought I would change that! I love the fanfics I've read that have Rory really struggling throughout her gig in the campaign, which also makes its way into this fic. A lot of this won't make sense until you read the second half of this chapter, but just a head's up before then. :)

Enjoy!

Rory (Part 1)

Things got even stranger when they arrived home. While Rory had prepared herself for the awkwardness of Luke living in her house, she hadn't fully realized that for Luke, the Crap Shack was permanent, and Rory herself was a guest. She simply couldn't get over the fact that her home for half of her life was now home to someone else. When she stepped into her room, she found a sweater April had left during her last visit, earlier that month. She didn't mind sharing her room with her almost stepsister, but she wasn't used to sharing her space, either. Even Gigi's brief stay in her room seemed minor compared to sharing her room with a fourteen-year-old girl.

There were only a few times in Rory Gilmore's life that she kept things from her mother when a fight wasn't going on. Usually, she only keeps things from her mother when she thinks that her mother might disapprove, but there were a few occasions where she had different motivations. One was when Lane and she were working on the shrine in Lane's closet, and Rory couldn't tell her mother on account of the Mom Code. The other was when Rory took a while to tell her mother about her first kiss. While there have been more instances over the years, these are the first ones that come to Rory's mind.

Now, as she glances at her mother on Black Friday, where they are having their typical marathon shopping day, Rory realizes that she has kept something from her mother, yet again.

What she doesn't know, however, is how to fix it.

To be fair, Rory didn't mean to keep anything from her mother. Life on the campaign is hectic, and Rory is barely able to find time to sleep, eat, and write and research her articles. Aside from a few scattered calls to her mother and Lane and status updates on Facebook, Rory barely has a chance for a social life, either. In fact, it was Facebook that ended up being the catalyst for the secret she kept.

For, no less than a week and a half ago, Rory logged in to find a friend request from none other than Jess Mariano.

Rory had had a particularly hectic day in Columbus, Ohio, when she received the fateful request. She had had to go to several meetings and speeches, and although she wanted nothing more than to go home and rest, she still had an article to write. She was just glancing at her Facebook page while taking a break from her article when she noticed a new notification. Instantly, she found her heart beating quicker, as the name registered. Jess Mariano. The same person she had made a conscious effort not to think about over the last year and a half.

She was surprised to see the friend request, to say the least. Though Facebook stalking confirmed that both Logan and Dean had Facebooks, Rory hadn't added them, and Logan and Dean hadn't added her, either. Rory knew that with her being the Maid of Honor and Jess being the Best Man, she would have to face Jess eventually, but she hadn't expected to confront Jess so soon.

As Rory stared at the friend request on the screen, she found herself remembering how, after she came home from the conference in Washington D.C. before her senior year, her mother had given her a lecture about how she was stringing Dean on. It occurred to Rory that the last time she saw him, she had done the same thing to Jess. Regardless of her feelings for Logan and any feelings she may or may not have had for Jess at the time, it hadn't been fair to kiss him like that. Sometimes, the thought of Jess made her feel guilty. While Logan hadn't fixated on her faults, and Dean had looked past them, she sometimes felt like she had messed up the most while Jess was around. He had been the only one to confront her after she dropped out of Yale, and he had seen her play with his feelings during the infamous kiss. It was true that Jess was the least put-together out of the boys she had dated, yet somehow, he had also been the one who expected the most out of her.

Looking again at the friend request, Rory realized that things would be even more awkward at the wedding if she didn't accept it. After clicking the "Confirm" button, she was surprised when she received an instant message a few minutes later. The screenname was truncheonwriter, leaving no room for guessing about who had instant messaged her. She found herself smiling when she read the message:

"So, I'm thinking we need to seriously do something about this whole incest relationship people are going to think we have after Luke and your mom get hitched. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have a whole Flowers in the Attic thing going on."

In spite of herself, Rory could not help laughing. Even in instant message form, Jess's sarcastic tone was apparent.

"Hey, don't be so harsh on the whole cousins dating thing," Rory found herself typing. "I don't know if I ever told you, but my great-grandmother actually married a cousin of hers. Dating cousins seems to be pretty accepted in the Gilmore world."

"Seriously? So I guess we found the cause for your coffee and talking habits and your freakishly blue eyes, huh?"

"Funny, the eye thing is what my mom said when she found out too," Rory typed, before she could stop herself. Jess didn't respond for a few minutes, probably because of the awkward relationship between he and Lorelai. Hoping to lessen the awkwardness by changing the subject, Rory wrote, "So how did you get my screenname, anyway?"

"Facebook. Thanks for accepting the add, btw. You seem to be pretty busy on the road. Luke told me all about your gig."

"Really? Then did he also tell you that even though I've been on the road since early June, I still have yet to meet Senator Obama face-to-face?"

"Nah, he didn't mention that, but dear ole Uncle Luke's also been pretty preoccupied with the baby and wedding. I blame your mother. She's brainwashed him. She's turned him from a classic bachelor into a domestic man."

"Aww, but they're so happy!" typed Rory. She was beginning to realize how much she had missed talking to someone who knew Luke and her mother as well as she did. It was becoming tiresome to explain her mother and Luke's saga every time someone asked about her stepfather-to-be. "Aren't you at least a little excited to get an Auntie Lorelai? Think of the joy of calling her that."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there. Do you think she'd mind if I call her that?"

"Coming from you, it'll probably annoy the heck out of her, but don't let that stop you."

"What happened to the sweet Bambi-like Rory, who is not only the only person in the world to likes her mother, but is best friends with her? Has the Yale education turned you against her?"

"Oh, she's still here, but she still does enjoy getting a rise out of her mother every now and then. Mom's been really sappy about the wedding, so really, I'm doing her a favor by making sure she doesn't become like all the sappy brides-to-be we've mocked."

"I thought you said you were happy for she and Luke?"

"Well, let's just say I'm happier when my mother isn't waking me up in the middle of the night for video Skype conferences to talk about wedding plans, wearing one of Luke's shirts, still in the afterglow."

"Okay. Serious mind rape there."

"Aww, you're having issues imagining your aunt and uncle getting some loving?"

"Don't even go there."

Rory was surprised by the ease of Jess's and her conversation. Even over instant messaging, it felt just like the way they had talked and joked during their senior year of high school. She found herself thinking about the ease of Luke and her mother's banters and comparing the two. Before she could get too far in her comparison, her mind echoed back Jess's previous words. Don't even go there.

"I was wondering whether there was any chance of us meeting up before the wedding," Jess said. "I heard you were gonna be in Philadelphia in a few weeks."

"I guess that could be arranged," Rory typed, surprised that he had brought her up. She certainly wasn't about to complain, but she was taken aback by how Jess hadn't so much as hinted at the last time they had seen each other. "Do you have my new cell number, so we can arrange it when things get closer?"

"Well, assuming it's the same one you have up on your Facebook page, yup, I might have it."

"Right," wrote Rory, still a little taken aback. "Well, I'd better go now. I have an article to write. I assume your number is on your Facebook page too?"

"Nope, but I'll text it to ya. Have fun on the article. I should probably do some writing too."

She wanted to ask him whether he was working on another book, but she knew she didn't have time to get into another conversation. "Okay, looking forward to it. Bye Jess."

"Bye cous."

Staring at the screen after Jess had logged out, Rory realized that her heart was pounding. She found herself thinking about how Jess had Googled the distance from Stars Hollow to New Haven after she officially decided on Yale and wondered if Luke had also told him that she was stopping in Philadelphia the week after Thanksgiving. A part of her was glad she hadn't asked Jess how he had gotten that particular tidbit of information.

She thought again of the similarities between Jess's and her banters and her mother and Luke's, but was able to put this thought aside. The brown eyes of a fellow campaign reporter had been haunting her lately, and Rory was happy to concentrate on that instead.

Never, in all of Rory's twenty-three years, has she ever seen a busier mall on Black Friday. The entire city of Hartford seems to be out at Westfarms Mall that day, and there is barely any space available to walk around in. After pushing through a crowd of teenagers on the escalator, Rory turns to her mother.

"So what do we do first?" Rory asks, pointing to the list she is holding of items they need to buy. "Should we brave the maternity stores for you first or do you want to go through the fun ones?" At about eleven weeks pregnant (Rory really isn't keeping track), Lorelai is barely showing, but for Lorelai, the realization she will not be able to shop for cute outfits is horrifying.

That is why Rory is so surprised when Lorelai's attention becomes diverted by a nearby store. "Ooh! Gymboree! Do you have any idea how many of your cute outfits I got here? I swear, kid, if it weren't for Gymboree-well, that and some other stores-you would have not been anywhere near as well dressed as you were."

"Yeah, because I'm sure Gymboree was the go-to place for Grandma and Grandpa when picking out my outfits," says Rory, rolling her eyes, but she cannot help noticing the wistful gaze with which Lorelai eyes the store. "Hey, do you want to go in? I mean, we might as well, since we're here. You said you wanted to look at some baby clothes anyway, and we need to get you in a good mood before we go maternity shopping."

"I knew I sent you to Yale for a reason," says Lorelai, grinning, and she all but pulls Rory into the store.

While Rory expected to feel awkward by going into the baby store, she feels herself warming up to it a little after she and her mother set foot inside. Though she doesn't plan on having kids herself for a long, long time, she is charmed by the tiny outfits that fill the store. Her mother, however, does not waste any time. She marches up to a young salesgirl the instant they step inside.

"Excuse me, but do you have any tiny baseball caps here? Or plaid?"

"Mom!" says Rory, embarrassed, but the salesperson merely shrugs. She is a short, college aged brunette, who looks around nineteen or twenty.

"Well, that depends on the gender and age of your baby," she says. "Do you know his or her size?"

"Oh, it's not born yet," Lorelai says, patting her stomach, "and won't be until about June, according to the doctors, though this one over here was about a week late, so I don't know that I trust doctors here. I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet, though my guess is they'll be a bigger chance for plaid if it's a boy than a girl."

"Her fiancé doesn't leave the house without a backwards baseball cap or a plaid shirt," Rory explains to the bemused salesgirl. "I guess she's planning on turning her next offspring into a mini him, though seeing as my almost stepfather has threatened to withhold coffee from her a couple of times-and if you knew my mother, you'd know that withholding coffee is a crime punishable by death-God knows why."

"Hey, I resent that!" Lorelai says, faking a pout. "Luke happens to clean up very nicely, and as you can see from the outfit he wore to your grandparents' after the diner's Thanksgiving, he also owns a variety of other outfits besides flannel. This little one is gonna wear far more than just flannel and baseball caps, believe me! Still, if Luke ever has to take Baby No-Name to the diner while I have work, he or she will need to adhere to the uniform accordingly."

"Uh, need I remind you what happened when Jess tried to dress up like Luke, then blamed it on the supposed diner uniform?"

"Jess, no matter how much you might have thought so at the time, does not have the cuteness factor going for him in the same way," says Lorelai firmly, causing Rory to recoil slightly, remembering Jess's and her Instant messaging conversation. "Believe me, firstborn, if I dress this baby up like Luke, someone's going to be getting a lot of tips."

The salesgirl is grinning now, and Rory stifles her own laugh at the mental image of Luke's expression, after seeing his baby dressed up like him. "Well, I think we do have a selection of a few plaid shirts that you might consider once your baby is older," the salesgirl says, beginning to lead them to the infant section. "You're right, though, that most of our plaid is for boys, not girls. I'm not so sure about baseball caps; most of our hats are pretty seasonable, so most of the hats we have here are for winter, which, if it's going to be a June baby, I'm sure you don't want." She grins at Rory. "Don't worry. My little sister was just born a few years ago too, and my mom went crazy when I first got my job here. She made me use all of my discounts for Sara's gifts. I'd like to tell you it gets better, but the truth is, there are even more cute things out as the kids get older."

She is the only person that day who accepts the age of Rory and her mother, without so much as a second glance. Still, it isn't until later that day that Rory's gratitude sinks in.

The scene when Lorelai picked up Rory at the airport was very reminiscent to a previous one, after Rory had finally arrived home from D.C. the summer before her senior year. Both times, the girls squealed and hugged as soon as they saw each other, and the force of their hugs caused them to tumble to the ground. On the way home, they chatted easily and traded pop culture references, tidbits about Stars Hallow gossip, and life on the campaign trail. Still, it wasn't until they reach the diner that Rory was truly hit by how different her mother's life really is.

The first thing Rory noticed when she stepped into the diner was how quickly Luke and her mother caught each other's gazes. While the two were always in-tune with each other, even before they began dating, Rory had never noticed the two so in-sync before. She guessed living together had made her mother and Luke more in touch than ever.

Luke gave her a hug as soon as he saw her–he had become more open about physical affection since April-and quickly went off to prepare her a burger and cup of coffee. Lorelai smiled at him before he left. Even through Rory's and her conversation about the current Britney Spears drama, Lorelai's eyes kept following Luke. Rory was used to her mother's goo-goo eyes from before, but she was unprepared for how Luke kept smiling back.

Dinner was perhaps the strangest event of all. Luke had gotten Caesar to cover so that he could take advantage of the short five days she was home (today was Wednesday, and she was leaving on Sunday), and instead of Luke making dinner as she had half expected, they ordered in pizza and settled in to watch Moulin Rouge. Luke, of course, got salad, and every few minutes, Lorelai interrupted to movie to complain about how nauseous the pizza making her feel. Lorelai's morning sickness hadn't been too bad, but every so often, nausea hit. Rory didn't know what was more unbelievable; the fact that her mother really was having trouble eating pizza-a fact which she blamed on the baby being Luke's-or the fact that Luke had already seen Moulin Rouge a few times before.

She had planned to talk to her mother about the guy issue she had been going through after Luke went to bed, but instead, Lorelai fell asleep halfway through the movie. After apologizing to Rory and explaining that the pregnancy had made Lorelai more tired, Luke scooped Lorelai up bridal style and carried her to bed. And so Rory spent her first night alone in her room, left to wonder whether things would ever be the same between she and her mother again.

"We need shoes," says Lorelai, a few short minutes after they leave Gymboree.

Rory automatically looks down at the piece of paper she is holding. "It's not on the list."

"That's cause I just thought of it right now," says Lorelai. "My wedding heels are gonna be my something new for the wedding. I've already got it all figured out. I'm using some of the material from my old dress to make my new wedding dress, so that's my something old, and I'm using a certain unmentionable for my something blue. Plus, I'm borrowing my mother's tiara, so all that's left is my something new."

Rory stops mid-step to stare at her, almost running into a nearby store in the process. "You're borrowing Grandma's tiara? Why didn't I know about this?"

"I'm sorry, sweets. I thought I told you," Lorelai says, looking genuinely apologetic. "I know a tiara was what I planned with Max, but Mom seemed so excited about the idea, and, well, it did get my 'something borrowed' requirement in, as well as shut Mom up about my head being too big for a veil. You're not upset that I forgot to tell you, are you?"

"No," Rory says grudgingly. "You've woken me up enough nights to go over wedding details on Skype. I don't know where you're going to be able to get shoes here, though. Knowing you, you're gonna want really fancy bridal shoes, and I think we'll have a better chance at that at a bridal or boutique store, not a mall."

"You're probably right," says Lorelai, looking disappointed, but after a moment, she brightens. "Oh, why don't you help me with that tomorrow? I'll treat you and buy you some really fancy shoes for the wedding, too. Nothing less for my maid-of-honor."

"Tomorrow's going to be our last full day together," Rory says, a little put-out. "I thought we could have a movie day or just talk or something."

"We can have a movie night later," says Lorelai, not catching on to Rory's terse tone. "It's just that Luke is going to be working tomorrow, and I still want a chance to our girly things before he gets off of work, you know? We can have breakfast at the diner and talk then beforehand."

It is on the tip of Rory's tongue to say that she actually meant a movie day, so she could just spend time with her mother and not feel left out in her own household, but Lorelai has already spotted a maternity store and is making her way towards it.

Rory is startled by the calmness with which Lorelai handles the store. On the car ride there, they were mocking the store's name-Motherhood Maternity, as though anything could be less original than that-and the hideous styles that the store is sure to have, but once inside the store, Lorelai appears almost giddy. She asks Rory's opinion on almost every article of clothing she sees and almost drags Rory to help her pick out lingerie. For her own part, Rory is beginning to develop a headache. The store definitely doesn't have as many hideous styles as she was anticipating, and some of her mother's outfit choices are even cute, but it is definitely nothing like shopping for normal clothing.

After filling up three bags worth of maternity outfits (and certain unmentionables that will be used on the Honeymoon), Lorelai gets into a conversation with the woman who is checking out the clothing about her upcoming wedding. "I know it seems like a cliché, but it really wasn't like that," she says, as Rory looks around the room, wondering if anyone would assume that she is the one who is pregnant. "We would have gotten married regardless of any baby, and the baby is just the icing on the cake, sort of speak. Luke and I have been dancing around each other for a really long time. Right, sweets?"

It takes Rory a few moments to realize her mother is talking to her. "Huh? Oh, yeah," she says quickly. Her mother, who no doubt expected Rory to fill in the blanks of Luke's and her relationship, gives Rory a curious look, but after a few moments, she continues talking.

"Luke was my friend for eight years before he got the courage to ask me out," she tells the check-out woman. "Actually, when he did ask me out, it was to his sister's wedding, and I didn't even know it was a date, but when he asked me to dance, I started to get a better idea. When I told my daughter over here about the dance, she said the way I said 'Luke can waltz' sounded more like 'I'm surprised I still have my clothes on.'" She giggles, sounding more like a young Molly Ringwald than the thirty-nine-year-old that she is. "That was three and a half years ago, so we still had to go through a lot to get to this point, but we have, and I'm so glad we did."

The check-out woman, a redhead in her mid-thirties, gives Lorelai a genuine smile. "Well, I definitely hope the wedding and rest of your pregnancy go well. Who knows, maybe I'll see you again in a couple of months!"

"God, I am so not ready for getting even fatter than the outfits I bought!" says Lorelai, making a face, and the check-out woman laughs. Rory breathes out a sigh of relief when they finally exit the store. While maternity stores are not as traumatizing as Gigi's birth was by a long shot, she cannot help eying some of the especially large woman and worrying that they are about to pop.

"You know, Sookie is convinced that we should have known the past wedding wasn't going to pan out, but it's fate this one is," Lorelai tells Rory, oblivious to Rory's relief after leaving the store. "I don't know what I was thinking last time, renting another spot and going out to buy my dress, when I could have easily just had the wedding at the Dragonfly and made my dress myself. I mean, just the fact that we weren't even thinking about including the Chuppah should have told me something! Not to mention the whole 'groom seeing the bride's dress before the wedding is bad luck' turned out to be true." She lowers her voice. "Will you mock me if I tell you that I'm seriously starting to become like your grandmother-that I have a feeling that after the dress is done, I'm going to wait until Luke falls asleep so that I can try it on every night?"

"Well, it's better than last time, when looking at your wedding dress made you cry every time you looked at it," says Rory under her breath.

She is half looking forward to Lorelai's wrath, as she is becoming seriously freaked out by the happy pod Lorelai that her mother has become, but Lorelai only gives her a quick glance before shrugging. "You've got that right. Yet another sign of the wedding that was doomed not to happen."

Even though her mother does not seem putout by her statement, Rory has the urge to apologize, but before she can say anything, her mother's eyes brighten yet again. "Ooh, did you write down that we need purses? Cause I was thinking we could see if Jessica McClintock has any. I want to make sure that me, you, April, Sookie, Lane, and Liz-and probably even my mother, just to placate things a little-have matching purses. Speaking of which, do you have any idea what to do about April's partner? I know Luke would prefer that she walk down the aisle solo, but with everyone else having partners, it's going to look kinda odd, don't you think? Do you think there's any chance that Kirk's determination to be a groomsman will wear Luke down, and April can walk down the aisle with Kirk?"

Sighing, Rory tunes out the rest of her mother's chatter by taking out her pencil and adding "purses" to the list.

When Rory was seven-years-old, she experienced her first Thanksgiving dinner at the elder Gilmore residents. She had been going to their annual Christmas party every year with the exception of the Christmas after Lorelai first brought her to Stars Hollow, but she had never gone there to Thanksgiving before. This year, however, Mia was going out of town to visit her son, and after some major convincing that Lorelai and Rory should not be alone, Lorelai agreed to brave her parents' Thanksgiving dinner.

Rory could not remember that particular Thanksgiving very well, but her mother had told her about it. How her mother had spent hours fretting over their outfits, before finally deciding on an outfit that turned out to be a few inches too short on Rory, and an enormous debate with Emily Gilmore had followed as a result. How even though Christopher had (naturally) not made it, Rory's grandparents had spent the entire time talking about what a fine man Christopher was. How one of Lorelai's former classmates and her family was there, and she spent the entire time making snide comments about Lorelai's lifestyle. Even the turkey turned out to be slightly overdone, ruining the entire bright side of the meal.

This particular Thanksgiving, however, turned out to be as different from that Thanksgiving as it possibly could be. For one thing, Luke was there, and Emily managed to avoid the topic of Luke's profession (and Lorelai's pregnancy) to her other guests by talking about the beautiful wedding Luke and Lorelai would be having. For another, Rory was older, and everyone, even the most conservative Republicans, seemed interested in her journalism gig. Most differently of all, Emily and Lorelai were much more polite around each other than normal. Though there were a few little remarks-Lorelai's crazy statements, and Emily's disparaging ones-there were not as many as normal.

"What's your damage, Heather?" Rory whispered to her mother, after a rare moment alone in the dining room, when Emily was entertaining her female guests in the living room. Luke had been taken hostage by Richard, who was entertaining the male guests in his study. "Last time I saw Luke and Grandma and Grandpa together, you were convinced they were going to maul him like it was World War Three. Now Grandpa is treating Luke like he's his own son, and neither grandparent is even mentioning the embarrassment of you marrying another man, a mere year after your whirlwind marriage with Dad. What gives?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Remember what your grandmother said to me the Friday night dinner after I mentioned Luke and I were an item again?" Rory nodded, remembering how, though it had taken her mother a long time to catch her up on it, her mother had told her the startling fact that Emily and Richard didn't seem bothered that their daughter was back together with Luke. "Well, my mother must not have been lying when she said that us getting back together was inevitable, and she couldn't fight it anymore, or else they really did get used to it after last time, cause they've been strangely polite with Luke ever since. I mean, yeah, Luke's not their favorite person ever, and Dad's still on Luke's case about franchising the diner, but I think they're almost okay with him now. I told you how almost nice the Friday Night dinner after I told mom about the engagement and you-know-what was. It's been so weird. I keep on waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"I guess it's not too surprising," said Rory thoughtfully. "Grandpa's happy as long as he has someone to show off, and since Luke's not the most talkative person anyway, I'm sure he can get Luke to go along with everything he says. Grandma's just happy that you're letting her help plan the wedding and aren't going to do something drastic like eloping again. From my journalistic observations, at least, it seems like things have actually improved on the Friday Night dinner front."

"Oh, I wouldn't go as far to say that," Lorelai said. "Ms. Eva Peron is always at her best while making public appearances, and as for Mr. Juan over here, he's just good at doing whatever Ms. Eva says."

"Hmm, I like this particular metaphor," Rory said, with a nod of approval. "Should we buy some sheet music and make Grandma learn a rousing rendition of 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina'? Or should we go back to your more typical metaphor of the other Eva and have the grandparents sing 'Springtime for Hilter' instead?"

"There is definitely something to be said with famous dictators having musical songs and wives named Eva," Lorelai said. "Someone should seriously invest in a musical of the fictional, but more aptly named, Eva Mussolini. In the spirit of typecasting, we can even get Patti LuPone to play her, because she's Italian."

"But knowing Madonna, she'll just steal the part for the movie version again, anyhow."

"What have I told you about mocking the Evita movie?" Lorelai said with a finger wag. "No matter how amusing it might be to imagine the Material Girl-turned-Mystic as an Argentina dictator, you're forgetting Antonio Banderas. He might not be as good a singer as that high pitched tenor on Broadway who originally had the role, but he seriously ranks in terms of eye candy."

Before Rory could retort that Mandy Patinkin was responsible for saying one of the most famous movie lines in The Princess Bride (and perhaps all of film history) and didn't deserve to be mocked so cruelly, Emily interrupted by calling them into the living room. This ended their discussion for the night.

Leaving the elder Gilmore's was bittersweet. Emily and Richard were departing on a short weekend trip to the Vineyard, thus canceling the next night's Friday Night Dinner. On one hand, Rory was relieved not to be walking on eggshells anymore; though it had been a pleasant Thanksgiving this year, she always preferred spending time with her grandparents alone to having to be on her best behavior around their friends. On the other, she was genuinely sad to leave them, though she knew she would see them again during the holidays, a mere month away. She was surprised, however, when, just before her grandparents hugged her goodbye, Emily turned to Lorelai and requested that they have lunch when they returned, so they could discuss wedding decorations. Even though her mother had denied it, she could tell Emily and Lorelai were a lot less tense around each other than before.

She watched Richard pat Luke on the back, and Emily give her mother a small, pursed lipped-but genuine-smile, with a combination of feelings. Once again, she was confronted with how had happened since she'd left. Though she knew her mother would burn her alive if she ever found out, Rory had missed Friday Night Dinners. She wondered if she would find a job near Hartford after the campaign.

The shopping trip gets slightly better after the trip for maternity clothing. Her mother is very supportive throughout Rory's trips to bebe, Cache, and Lord and Taylor, but is also understanding that Rory's price range right now is better suited for Forever XXI. In the end, she treats herself to a black sweater from Cache and a few chic, knock off dresses from Forever XXI.

Just as Rory's stomach is beginning to growl-although Westfarms Mall has all of the shops they need, it does not have a food court, and she and her mother were discussing mall hopping so that they could get their desired junk food fix in-Lorelai points to the last item of the to-do list again. "So, what do you say we look at purses, before grabbing some pretzels for a pre-lunch and making our way to the nearest mall with a food court? If we pick the right place, we might even be able to get my shoe shopping out of the way."

Rory sighs, but forces a smile onto her face. "Sure. Lead the way."

If possible, Rory is even more uncomfortable inside Jessica McClintock than Motherhood Maternity. Whereas most of the women inside Motherhood Maternity were older than she, the girls inside Jessica McClintock really are around her age. A group of giggly young women, led by a blonde who reminds her of Lindsay, are going crazy looking at wedding dresses. One short redhead even sighs that since she doesn't have a boyfriend now, she will probably never get married.

Rory has to bite her lip to keep from saying something. Whatever happened to being a career woman? she thinks, wondering why these woman are in such a rush. Still, her mind inadvertently crosses to Logan. She can't get over the fact that if she had accepted Logan's proposal, she would probably be in the same situation as these women are.

The clutches are the right color–the bridesmaids are wearing ice blue dresses, with silver accessories, to keep the winter theme going-but Lorelai does not like any of them. Rory is relieved, since it is now past two 'o clock, and their late breakfast feels very far away, but her mother's attention is caught by a display of blue bridesmaid dresses. Rory rolls her eyes as she approaches her. "Mom, you don't need those! You already have bridesmaid dresses," she says. Although her mother wanted to make all of the girls' dresses, Luke was worried about the amount of pressure she was already putting on herself with planning a wedding in two months, and Lorelai finally consented to only making Rory's and her dresses. She ended up buying the bridesmaid dresses, which are currently being altered, from the same boutique as she bought her original wedding dress.

"I know, I'm just getting ideas," Lorelai defends herself. Rory sighs.

"Mom, you already paid for the bridesmaid dresses you are using," she reminds her. "Not only that, but you already had everyone come in for measurements, and with April especially, it's not like you can fly her back just to be measured again. I mean, I guess you could get the measurements you gave to the alteration ladies, but how would that look? Ditching the dresses you spent hours picking out and asking my advice by emailing me picture of by buying dresses you got totally on a whim? Something tells me Luke might not appreciate that too much."

"Can't a bride at least get ideas for her maid of honor's dress?" Lorelai says, pouting, but Rory shakes her head. Even the mention of her special maid of honor dress has not managed to placate her. One of the store workers, who was previously helping the group of young women Rory's age, comes over. As she moves closer, Rory gets a whiff of the strong flowery perfume she is wearing.

"May I help you?" she asks politely.

Her mother is still lost in her own world looking at dresses, so Rory decides to take matters into her own hands. "We're fine. I'm just trying to get her to stop looking at bridesmaids dresses, when she already bought some perfectly acceptable ones."

"Hey, I told you I was getting ideas for your maid of honor dress!" Lorelai whines, turning around to glare at her. The store worker laughs. She is wearing bright lip gloss, which matches her bright pink shirt. She seems only a little younger than Rory, and if Rory hadn't known better, she would have pegged her as one of the bridesmaids in the young woman's wedding.

"Man, I wish my sister and I were that close," she says, still laughing. "I think she'd pick just about anyone, including the geeky girl who was like two years younger than everyone else and sat in front of her in eleventh grade English and read Star Trek magazines, before she picked me to be Maid of Honor."

Rory and Lorelai turn to each other and freeze. It is a misconception they have become used to over the years, but today, Rory finds it hitting her especially hard. She is suddenly hit by the possibility that this baby could very well be a girl. While Rory knows that even another daughter would not upset her mother's and her relationship, her mind becomes fixated on the fact that nobody will ever mistake the future baby and her mother as siblings.

"Actually-" Lorelai starts to say, but Rory cuts her off with a fake grin. Her heart pounding, she turns back to the store worker.

"What my big sister was saying"-here, she bumps her mother with her hip, and Lorelai frowns-"is that we're really half siblings. Miss Bride-to-be over here was sixteen when I was born, so we didn't really grow up in the same house or anything. Same mothers, different fathers. Believe me, that having different fathers thing really makes a difference. But now I'm going to be an aunt, so I think I can overlook her craziness from having a dead beat father. Oh, huh, I guess she's not showing yet, is she? Yep, it looks like my big sis is bringing more than just a bouquet of flowers down the aisle."

"Rory," says Lorelai, softly, but Rory ignores her.

Swallowing and forcing another smile for the store worker, she says, "I actually have to go to run an errand. But don't worry, my moth-sister can entertain you. Her fiancé was a Trekkie when he was younger, and he turned out okay, so maybe she can convince you to tell your sister that not all geeky nerds are bad or anything. I mean, generally nerds, not sorority girls, are the ones who are accepted to Ivy League schools, and they're the ones who get good jobs, so nerds have a higher place in society than sorority girls, right?"

Without wasting for the girl's response, Rory rushes out the door, ignoring her mother calling her name. Running with an amount of force she has not exhibited in a long while, she disappears into the Black Friday crowd and gets on the escalator, until she is two floors down. From there, she shuts herself in a stall in the nearest bathroom. She takes out her phone from her purse and is just about to call Lane when she thinks better of it. Her best friend will probably be too preoccupied with Steve and Kwan, and Paris will not be sympathetic in this kind of situation. As for Olivia and Lucy, she has only talked to them via Facebook, and though they are a good distraction, she has never turned to them with a more serious conversation. Before she can stop herself, she dials the next number she thinks of.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jess," she says quietly.