Quick note: to all of the devoted GG fans. I realized I made an error in part 5 with Rory stating that she knew Logan since high school but you all probably figured out by now that I confused Logan with Tristan. :-(

Part 7

"Emily, just let it go! We have already let our daughter go and give her the freedom to do her own thing in her own time." Richard and Emily are in the kitchen, talking.

"No, Richard, I will not let it go. She is our only daughter and I will not tolerate a marriage that I don't completely approve nor support!"

"I understand he's not exactly the knight in shining armor you have in mind for Lorelai."

"No, he's not any knight in shining armor by any means. He doesn't have any sense of class or dignity. What he did last night was completely classless and totally embarrassing."

"Emily, just wondering. Are we still talking about Lorelai here or about you?"

"What do you mean, Richard?"

"Well, it seems that you're more concerned with how our guests perceived you last night rather than the potential union between our daughter and Luke."

"No, this is strictly about Luke and Lorelai. How dare you turn this around on me!"

"No one is turning anything around on you, Emily. I am simply stating a fact through an observation."

"Well if you ask me, that is a very faulty strategy, Richard."

"Some would say so," Richard clears his throat, moving to the living room and settling down with a newspaper.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Emily says stubbornly and then decides to follow him. "Fine, you can walk away from me. But I am still going to talk about this. As much as she thinks we have disowned her, that does not give her the right to just go off and marry whomever she pleases."

"She *does* have the right to marry whomever she pleases. And as her father, I am not going to interfere with whatever decisions she makes. And as her mother, I expect you to do the same."

"And so I'm a lousy mother for not doing so?"

"I never said that, Emily."

"As her mother, it is my duty to talk to her and advise what's best for her. I thought you would know that by now, Richard, but clearly we have never been on the same page about anything." Emily walks away, leaving Richard continues to read the newspaper.

"I NEED THE BIGGEST BOWL OF ICE CREAM YOU CAN FIND, CLARISSE. AND CHOCOLATE SPRINKLES. NOW." Emily bellows from afar. Richard raises his eybrows and whistles.

Meanwhile in Hartford

Zack and the band are finishing up their last song on stage. Applause and cheer fills the venue. "Thanks for coming out tonight, everyone. Stick around for Hot Air Balloons right after us! This is Hep Alien signing off." Zack says into the microphone, while giving a salute with his hand." The curtains draw and Zack turns around to the band, hi-fiving everyone.

"We did it guys! We rocked it tonight!" Zack says proudly. "The sound was exceptionally awesome too."

"Yeah, I'm glad I decided to spend the extra money for those amps. Might've meant a few hundred dollars short on groceries this month, but hey! The return is much greater. A wise investment move, I must say," Gil says earnestly while unplugging the equipment.

"All I know is, I've gotta track down the blonde-haired cutie up front in the is the definition of absolute perfection," Brian says dreamily.

"Yeah, you're probably not her definition of absolute perfection." Zack says regrettably.

"Whoa, man, ,easy on the let-down. Sensitive heart here," Brian grips his heart, pretending to be in pain of a broken heart.

"Guys, that was amazing!" Lane exclaims, clutching her drumsticks. "I could probably do that performance ten times over."

"Says the gal whose heart was beating out of her ribcage," replies Gil.

"Very funny, Gil. So what if I got over my anxiety? But that hour on stage only felt like 20 minutes!" Lane says excitedly. Just then, Seth Harper enters backstage. "Great performace, guys. I see a gig in your future." Seth holds up a few papers. "The response was incredible. You guys really know how to get a crowd up on their feet." The band looks at one another in awe. Zack gestures to the papers

"What are those, sir?"

"These are contracts. We would like to give you the opportunity to become one of our recurring bands. Saturday night gigs, paid in full. Whadaya say?"

"No way!" Lane says in disbelief. Zack extends a hand in front of Lane."

"I think what she means is...we would be happy and oh so honored to play Blue Eagle Saturday nights."

"Excellent. I will need a few signatures and then you guys can be on your way out. I'll be back with the pens." Seth Harper extends a hand to Zack, who shakes it earnestly. He walks away. Zack, Brian and Gil exchange hi fives and bro hugs. Lane turns to Zack.

"Zack! This is so insane!" Lane hugs Zack. "All of this is happening so fast! It's like we're suddenly famous overnight!"

"Well, that's the way it works, am I right guys?"

The guys pause. "Well actually, this kind of occurrence is quite rare and would be considered extremely lucky in the eyes of Van Halen who can only attest to their humble beginnings," Brian states.

"Humble beginnings? Well what about us? We also started out in the garage, with a barely-there guitar and Lane with her beginner drum set. What about that beginning?" Zack argues.

"Cool vibes, man. Let's bask in our glory for now," Gil says cooly, trying to keep the cool and excitement in the room.

"You're right. We did it and now we have a real reason to celebrate!" Zack turns to Lane and hooks an arm around her shoulder. Seth re-enters the room.

"Alright guys, here's a pen for you...for you...for you...and for you." He hands all of them a pen. "So you can either read through all of the gibberish or just sign the bottom of each page. Your pick."

"I think it wouldn't hurt to just skim through it," Zack replies.

"Sure thing." Seth says.

"And this isn't like a scam or anything?" Brian asks shyly, prompting Gil to elbow his stomach. He huffs in response, holding his stomach.

"This is only a contract. You are not re-signing the Constitution. As far I know, I am the one and only owner of Blue Eagle and if I claimed otherwise, I would just be scamming myself." Seth flashes him a quick grin.

"Right...just checking," Brian says while rubbing his stomach, eyeing Gil.

"Friendly band banter," Gil explains, smiling earnestly at Seth.

They all talk a moment to read and sign the contract and then hand it over to Seth.

"Pleasure doing business. Your next gig is next Saturday, same time, same place. We'll see how that goes and whether or not we're still feeling you then. Gotta get the next band set-up. I'll get back to your guys in a bit." Seth nods and walks off.

Lane jumps up and down and kisses Zack. "How exciting! I can't wait to tell Rory the news!"

"Yeah but the important thing is to not let him see how ecstatic we are about the deal. Let's go outside and talk about it a little more, Lane."

"Ok, let me just unhook the cables. I'll be right there." Lane replies. Zack gives Lane a kiss on the cheek as he begins to walk towards the exit door. The exit door stays propped open. Lane is still bent down busy with the wires, unhooking them and and detangling.

"Need any help, Lane?" Gil comes up, asking her.

Lane waves him off. "It's a cinch. It's like a bigger version of tangled up headphones. Thanks Gil."

"Sure thing, Lane." Lane looks up and smiles at Gil. Then she takes a double look at Zack outside in the parking lot, who is now talking to a brunette girl with wavy hair and blonde streaks and feathery bangs. Lane gasps and then swallows, dropping one of the wires and looking on.

"Hey Lane, we gotta get outta here in 10," Brian says from a distance. Lane continues to look at the scene unfolding in front of her.

Iowa

Rory is in bed, the covers pulled up. Tessa watches TV on the other side of the room. Rory puts down her pen and puts her assignment away in the drawer. She pauses as she looks in the drawer, and pulls out a jewelry box of memorabilia between her and her mom. She looks through the items and pictures, smiling to herself. Her smile fades when she comes across a glimmer of silver jewelry. She digs it out and holds it up to the light and realizes that is a charm bracelet she received from Logan a few months back. She presses her mouth closed and proceeds to place the bracelet on top of the drawer by the lamp base, looking at it a little more before turning off the light