Sugar and Spice
By Misha
Disclaimer and Notes in Part One.
Chapter Seven: Aftermath
Christa sat in the kitchen with Rory, still able to hear every word her grandparents and parents were saying out there.
"It's not about us." She told Rory softly. "It's about them and their plans and the fact is, look at who are parents are. They both say we were the result of their defiance and rebelliousness, not the cause. They would have done their own thing anyway."
She wasn't sure that true, but it sounded better than admitting that she and her sister had screwed up everyone's lives.
She winced as Straub's voice carried. "Our son was bound for Princeton. Every Hayden male attended Princeton including myself, but it all stopped with Christopher. It's a humiliation we've had to live with every day, all because she seduced him into ruining his life. She had those babies and ended his future."
Christa winced and turned to Rory. "Well, maybe we should be thankful that we ended up with our parents instead of..."
"Yeah." Rory said weakly as the yelling continued. "You know at least they acknowledge you." Rory commented.
"Because they have to." Christa told her, having no illusions otherwise. She knew her grandparents loved her, in their own weird way, but she also knew that part of it was because they had been forced too. "I live with Dad, so they acknowledge me."
The yelling continued and then Christa heard the slamming of doors.
"I think it's over." She told her twin quietly.
"Yeah." Rory said softly. "You're really going to live with those people?"
"Yeah." Christa said with a sigh. "It's gonna be fun, huh? But it's only for a few months and at least you and Mom'll be nearby."
She wasn't at all certain about living with the Haydens, but she hadn't really had a choice. Besides, at least it meant being back on the East Coast and being near her mother and sister.
That was a plus, at least.
After that wonderful display with Haydens and another scene with her father, Lorelai found herself out on her old balcony. It was where she always hid after a scene with her parents or during some boring function.
She wasn't surprised when Christopher joined her on the balcony.
"That was..." He began. "That was a memorable evening."
Lorelai looked at him. "Oh, yes, it was beautiful in there. We should commemorate it with an oil painting or a severed head or something."
"Next time we get this group together we're gonna have to frisk for weapons." Christopher joked.
"Hand out gags." Lorelai added.
"Employ six individual cones of silence." Christopher suggested.
Lorelai laughed.
"Boy, the old balcony is still the same, isn't it?" Christopher asked her, looking around.
"In all it's beautiful away-from-them-ness." Lorelai agreed, remembering all the times they'd come out there too hide.
"Perfect hide-out -totally private. We spent a lot of time out here." Christopher reminisced.
"Sneaking Dad's telescope, scanning the sky for alien ships." Lorelai remembered with a fond smile.
"Never found any." Christopher pointed out.
"Huh, imagine that." Lorelai said with a slight laugh. "And then when we older, scanning the neighbours houses for naked people."
Christopher laughed. "Found a couple of those."
Lorelai joined him in the laughter, mainly because it felt good to be focusing on something other than that scene in there.
"Mrs. Dominski undulating in her big fat underalls is forever carved into my brain." Lorelai said with a smile.
Christopher laughed again. "And in mine."
He pulled a tequila bottle out of his jacket. Lorelai had to laugh, that was just like the old days.
"Here's to Mrs. Dominski's underalls." Christopher toasted.
"Aw, you're holding out on me." Lorelai complained.
Christopher took a swig and then handed it to her. "And in an effort to further chronicle this balcony's history, we are now in the immediate vicinity of the spot upon which was Rory and Christa's initial emination."
"Yes, we are." Lorelai said, remembering her. "Here's to Rory and Christa."
She took a swig of the tequila, thinking about her beautiful girls. Rory probably wouldn't approve this scene if she were to come upon it, Christa would probably steal the bottle of tequila.
"The bright spots in all the darkness." Chris said softly.
"And how." Lorelai agreed.
Christopher looked at her. "You know, even if you hadn't gotten pregnant and I hadn't ended up with Christa and everything had gone as planned, I still never would have made it through Princeton."
"Oh, I don't believe that." Lorelai said softly.
Christopher laughed lightly. "Yeah, well, that's why you're you and I'm not."
He stepped towards and shot her a look and the next thing Lorelai knew they were in each other's arms, kissing deeply and he was pushing her down onto the balcony.
Some things never change. She thought fondly, before getting completely wrapped up in the kiss.
Rory and Christa were still in the kitchen, drinking soda, when Emily entered. "There you two are, I was wondering were you went."
"I'm sorry." Rory said standing up.
"No, it's nothing to be sorry about." Emily told her. "Can I get either of you anything?"
"We're fine." They said in unison.
"That's hardly dinner." Emily said, with a dismissing look at their cans of soda. She opened the fridge. "Well, that was quite a bit of excitement tonight."
"We heard." Christa popped up.
"Not the good kind," Emily continued, taking a few containers out of the fridge.
"Nope." Rory said softly.
Emily turned and looked at them both. "None of this means anything."
"Oh, I know." Rory said.
Christa nodded.
Emily sighed. "Straub is actually a good man." She told them. "Very smart. He was one of the top lawyers in his field - a very arcane aspect of International law. And he's always been so active in his community. His charity work has never diminished over the years. Oh let's face it - he's a big ass."
The twins both laughed at that.
"Rory, Christa, I know you two heard a lot of talk about various disappointments this evening and I know you've heard a lot of talk about it in the past." Emily said, looking at them both, as she served them up a plate of food. "But I want to make this very clear-neither of you, your persons and your existences have ever been-not even for a second-included in that list. Do you two understand me?"
"I do." Rory said.
Christa nodded. "Me too."
Rory knew that was a more difficult concept for her twin to grasp than her, as odd as it might sound since Christa had been the reassuring her, but Rory knew that Christa always felt like she was a disappointment to Emily, so this was big for her.
Emily smiled as she handed them each a plate. "Good, now eat up, both of you." She looked at Christa. "And please, tell me you're going to do something about that hair of yours before you start Chilton."
