AN: Sorry I'm so late on this chapter! As I said before, I was visiting family for Christmas so that set me back a bit, but it still shouldn't have been this long. I don't have an excuse except for writers block and the challenge of writing realistic, yet interesting law. I'm sorry=( I hope you all had a great holiday season and a Happy New Years!

This is the long awaited court chapter, which has been very hard to write because of all of the involvement with law. As I have said before: I do not know how this situation would be dealt with in real life, so bear with me. I will try to make this realistic, but I'm just gonna write how the story played out in my head so please try not to judge me on the authenticity too much.

By the way to those who were wondering, this story is not going to be javajunkie. Don't get me wrong, I am javajunkie all the way, but I want the story to be about Lorelai and Rory's relationship. I may include Luke, as a friend though. Wow, sorry for the long AN! Thanks to those of you who actually read the whole thing=)

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It was the morning of court and nervous energy filled the Gilmore household. Rory hadn't let her mom out of her sight since she had woken up, and had followed her around as they was getting ready. This didn't go unnoticed by Lorelai and it reminded her of when Rory was little and got lost once. She hadn't even really been lost, she had just wandered into a hallway in the inn while Lorelai was cleaning a room. It hadn't been a big deal, but Rory was still scared after that. For weeks she wouldn't let Lorelai go more than a few feet away from her without crying. Rory was probably about 3 or 4 then, but she was acting like the same little girl now.

Lorelai glanced at the clock and realized they had to leave now to make it on time, "Ready to go, Rory?" she called over to her daughter who was actually just right next to her.

Rory's face paled a little, but she just nodded.

As the car pulled away, Rory could not stop fidgeting. She was usually a pretty patient person, but today she was so nervous that moving was the only way to control her stress. Suddenly she was jolted back to the real world, as she heard her name being called, "Rory, earth to Rory!" Lorelai was calling to her.

"Oh sorry," Rory responded, "What did you say?"

Lorelai was looking at her concerned and didn't seem to hear Rory's response, "No matter what your gonna be OK, alright? There's nothing you or I can do now to affect what's going to happen, so try to take a few deep breaths and calm down," Lorelai said, trying to the comforting.

"I don't feel like it's going to be OK," Rory said quietly.

"It will be OK. No matter what, life will go on," Lorelai said trying to be strong, "Your dad isn't a serial killer. Living with him would be OK, maybe you would even enjoy since you do have fun with him when he visits. Now I'm not saying I'm hoping for him to win. Trust me, it would hurt a lot not to see you everyday, but it's not like we're going to lose each other. We would still see each other all the time, and I would still love you. I will always, always, love you no matter what, Rory," Lorelai was trying to sound strong for her daughter, but by the end of her speech she was almost crying. She was just as scared as Rory was that they would lose, but she was trying to be confident so Rory wouldn't be as nervous anymore.

After listening to her Lorelai, Rory was actually crying a little. Maybe everything her mom said was true, but knowing Lorelai, that speech was probably meant to convince herself just as much as it was for Rory. Even if Rory knew that her mom didn't know everything, she still felt a little calmer, because she did trust her mom when she said everything would be OK. "I will always love you too, Mom," Rory responded to Lorelai, "And no matter what, I'll still always be on your side, and you'll always be my best friend."

"Right back at ya, Kid," Lorelai replied with a few tears in her eyes. Both girls felt a little more confident the rest of the drive, and before they knew it they had arrived at court. They climbed out of the jeep, just as Christopher pulled up. All of Rory's nerves came back and she froze in place. She didn't know what to say or do. Luckily, before Christopher could say anything, Lorelai came up behind Rory and protectively put her hand on Rory's shoulder, "Hey Christopher," she said coldly.

Before Christopher could say anything, a women climbed out of his car and spotted Rory, "You must be Rory! I've been dying to meet you. Your dad here has told me all about you," she said excitedly, "Oh sorry, I should introduce myself, I'm Cindy, Chris's girlfriend," she held out her hand for Rory to shake.

Rory looked at Cindy surprised and shook her outstretched hand, "I'm Rory... but I guess you already know that," Why was her dad's girlfriend here? And why did she seem so excited to meet her? Rory looked over at her mom and saw she looked just as confused as she was. "Oh, this is my mom, Lorelai," Rory added to her introduction.

"Hi," Cindy said to Lorelai. Lorelai smiled back, but Rory could tell it was fake. Her mom must see something strange about Cindy too.

"So...," Christopher spoke up nervously, "We should probably head inside now."

"OK," Lorelai responded. Everyone could feel the tension rising as they walked into the building. Once inside, Lorelai and Rory, and Christopher and Cindy, went their separate ways to go meet with their lawyers.

"Tell me if I'm wrong but that women seemed really strange back there," Lorelai whispered to Rory, "And why was she even here?"

"You're definitely not wrong," Rory whispered back. Just then Sara, the lawyer, saw them and made her way over to start preparing. Before they knew it, it was time to head into the courtroom. Rory still really wanted to go in but she was forced wait outside the room because she was too young. A child counselor was going to come to talk to her separately though.

"May I speak with Lorelai, or Rory Gilmore please," a man said as he walked into the waiting room.

Rory looked at her mom nervously who gave her a reassuring smile, as she stood up and made her way over to the man, "I'm Rory Gilmore," she said quietly.

"Hi Rory, I'm Mr. Jonas. Can you talk with me for a little bit?" It was obvious he was used to dealing with nervous kids from the way he talked.

"Um, OK," Rory said quietly as they made there way down a hallway to a small, brightly painted room. Rory guessed it was supposed to make things seem less serious for kids. When she saw the room, she wanted to roll her eyes. She was sick of being treated like a baby. She obviously knew what was going on, so why couldn't she be treated like an adult?

Rory was reminded of why she was there in the first place as Mr. Jonas started talking again, "So Rory, before we start, I want you to know that this isn't some big interrogation. I only want to talk to you so we can have a better understanding of how you feel right now. Nothing serious, just casual conversation."

Rory responded without really thinking, "I can tell," she mumbled quietly as she looked around at the bright walls.

"Oh sorry, what was that?" Mr. Jonas asked politely.

"Nothing," Rory replied nervous again. She quickly changed the subject, "So, what exactly are we talking about? Is it where I get to say my opinion of the court case? Because I had notes, but I was supposed to give them to the lawyer so I don't have them now. Not that I'm unprepared. I am prepared, trust me. I don't even need those notes if you don't want me to use them..." Rory rambled on nervously.

As soon as he had the chance, Mr. Jonas interrupted Rory's rant, "No, no, don't worry about a thing, Rory. This isn't a stressful talk, you can just tell me about your life and relationship with your mother and father. But you don't even have to do that if you don't want to," Mr. Jonas smiled kindly.

Rory took a deep breath, "Oh, OK. I guess I can do that. Will it help make the decision in court?" She asked curiously.

"It may play a part in the decision," Mr. Jonas answered, then moved on, "Can I ask you about a usual day in your life?"

The two talked casually for a while, and Rory was just starting to feel a little more comfortable with the counselor as the talk was coming to an end. "So, Rory from what you've said and from how you have handled this, it seems like you would prefer to live with your mom, like you do now. I just want you to know that you don't have to stick with that decision, or even choose a side at all."

Rory suddenly got a little more defensive and responded quickly, "I do want to live with my mom. I know you and all the court people think that our house isn't good enough, but I really like it. It's perfect for us, and it's completely safe. Everything in Stars Hollow is completely safe, and Mom would never let anything happen to me," Rory started to remember her notes and list all the points she had written down.

The counselor smiled to try to get Rory to relax again, "I believe you Rory. If you're sure about what side you are on and have made the decision by yourself, than that's good," He looked at his watch for a second, "Your parents will probably be out of court soon, so we can go wait outside if you want."

Rory nodded and they left the room. She was getting more and more restless, knowing that the more time that passed the closer she was to hearing the decision.

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Meanwhile, court had begun and it was time for the main arguments to begin, "I have heard the lawyers opening cases and now I would like to here from the defendant. May Ms. Gilmore please tell me why she feels she deserves custody of Lorelai Leigh Gilmore," the judge announced.

Lorelai took a shaky breath. She knew that she didn't have that much control of what happened, but this was her chance to have at least a little say, "Thank you, Your Honor. I feel that I deserve custody of my daughter because for all 11 years of her life, I have raised her by myself, with little help from her father. I may have made some mistakes and immature decisions, but I know Rory is happy and safe with the life she has. I can't afford all the extra expenses that Christopher can, but I always make sure she is provided with what she needs. I also have always encouraged Christopher to be a part of Rory's life, and have never kept Rory from spending time with him as long as she wants to. It is only recently that Christopher has shown any interest in spending time with Rory for longer than a weekend visit. I know I'm not the perfect mother, I mean who is? But I do love Rory more than anything and I know I would do anything for her, so please just don't take her away from me," Lorelai finished strongly but she had a few tears in her eyes. She felt like she had just fought for her life, which in her mind, she kind of had. She liked to say Rory was her heart and she loved her more than life itself.

The judge nodded at Lorelai without showing emotion, then turned to Christopher. Man, couldn't she at least have gotten a judge with some personality, Lorelai thought. "Mr. Hayden, please state your case," the judge said just as emotionlessly.

Christopher gave a confident smile, "Thank you. Obviously, I love my daughter and only want what's best for her, which is why I think gaining custody is so important. Money won't be something to worry about which will allow Rory to get the education she deserves and will open so many doors for her," He said slimily, "I think it's only fair for me to get to see my daughter now, since I haven't gotten the chance in the past..."

Lorelai was furious, what did he mean 'hadn't gotten the chance'? She had tried so hard to get Christopher to simply show up in the past. Lorelai was about to yell at him but luckily her lawyer interrupted, "Objection," She looked at the judge who nodded, then continued, "Mr. Hayden was given the opportunity to see his daughter, but simply didn't take it," the lawyer stated calmly.

Christopher's lawyer looked smug, "Yes, but that was before Christopher found out about the unsafe living conditions, Rory was dealing with," the lawyer looked so satisfied that it was obvious this was the plan from the start. That's what you get for messing with a rich lawyer from Hartford society.

After that everything was a blur. Lorelai's lawyer tried to object to Christopher's claims, but it was no match for Christopher's lawyer who, no doubt, was the most prestigious and expensive lawyer around. After that, it didn't take long for the judge to reach a decision.

Still with as much as a stonewall facade as ever, the judge announced their decision, "I award custody of Lorelai Leigh Gilmore to Mr. Hayden, but on the condition that she sees Ms. Gilmore one day a week, not required to be overnight," the judge banged their gavel, "Case dismissed."

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AN: Sorry! I know some of you may not like the outcome of this chapter. Don't worry, there will be a happy ending, but all stories need some drama, right? I hope this wasn't too boring or unrealistic, I had a lot of trouble writing it. Also, if you're wondering about Christopher's girlfriend, there is a story with her which will all be explained later. Please tell me your thoughts in reviews=)