The Party is So Not Over
Chapter 10: Projected Dreams
By jessebelle
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, that honor belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino. Nor do I own anything else referenced that it clearly Not Mine! If you've heard of it, I unfortunately can't claim it. But what a world we'd live in if I did.
Spoilers: This story is my own ending of episode 5x08 The Party's Over. Anything before is canon, though everything after has been changed.
Please read and review. I live on feedback.
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Previously:
"We're not done yet, ladies and gents. The lovely Lorelai still has one more question, and then it's time for the main event. If you'd open the last envelope?" She'd forgotten she still had another question to answer. Closing her eyes she took a moment to regroup, shoving away all of her overwhelming feelings to examine later, before reaching out and taking her final question. With a shaky hand she opened it, for some reason having a feeling it was more serious then the others. Sure enough, reading the question and having her answer immediately come to mind, she knew she was in trouble. "Lorelai, can you please read and answer the question?" Her head jerked up to face Kennedy's waiting stare. She sighed and cleared her throat.
"Uh, what is your biggest regret?" It was different from Tristan's question, not as vague and clearly holding a heavier meaning. In her mind's eye she saw herself, lying in bed with Dean that first night. She knew she couldn't tell everyone else that; that her biggest regret was sleeping with her married ex-boyfriend from high school. She opened her mouth, with the intent to lie. Her story was clear, truthful; but not completely. She planned on informing everyone her biggest regret was getting back together with Dean that first time instead of telling him she loved him. What came out though was, "Pass. I uh, pass. I can do that, right?" She saw Kennedy's surprised expression.
"Yes, you can. But before you do I want you to make sure that's what you want. Unlike the other questions, the one in this envelope wasn't completely random, nor anonymous. It was generated specifically for you, by someone you know personally, and is most likely something that's harder to answer then the question in your hand. Do you still want it?" She hesitated for a moment before nodding in confirmation. She knew she couldn't lie, and what ever was in that envelope had to be better then revealing her recent indiscretion to her grandparents and the rest of the crowd.
"Yes, I'll take the other question." You could feel the anticipation in the air as Kennedy reached in his jacket, pulling out another envelope, her name scrawled across the front in a handwriting she knew belonged to her grandfather. Taking the envelope, she looked up and caught her grandfather's eye. He looked slightly nervous, but not affected enough to make her worry worse then she was. She opened the envelope and could feel her heart pounding. Then reading the question, she froze.
"For most of your life I've noticed that while she has the best intentions, your mother tends to project her thoughts, dreams, and feelings onto you; raising you as an almost clone, quite possibly unknowingly in an attempt to get back at us her parents, as well as giving you the life she might have led had you not come along. Since you were a baby you were 'Harvard bound' with the intention of becoming an overseas correspondent like your idol, Christine Amanpour. While you have the talent, the drive, and the passion, I don't believe a normal four-year-old would develop these goals on her own. I want you to examine your goals, your future plans, and verify they're really your own and not a product of your mother."
Her first instinct was to be offended, to ask how in the world he could ask her this question. Was he crazy? She'd always wanted to-… she'd always wanted to go to Harvard, become an overseas correspondent, since before she could remember, and she had a feeling that was her grandfather's point. Once again she looked up and met his eyes that watched her anxiously, as if afraid she'd start denying his accusations and cut off all ties with her grandparents, again. Her mind started working, faster and faster; instances like the ones he'd mentioned where her mother fostered her ideas onto her. The mistrust and dislike of her grandparents she'd heard about and shared until she'd started high school and really gotten to know them for herself. The feelings she'd 'felt' for Dean after Jess came into the picture because she couldn't like him; he was a bad boy and all wrong for her. The anger she'd felt during her grandfather's office party following the car accident when everyone treated her like a mindless woman who didn't know any better. The freedom she felt in New York, going after what she really wanted. Even choosing to go to Yale, her mom's reaction to finding out she'd applied to other schools besides Harvard…
She understood where he was coming from, his concerns. Not that she still wasn't upset he'd asked her this; questioned her career goals, but, she understood and did as he asked. She thought about being overseas, reporting on wars, natural disasters, and traveling all over the world in search of the latest story. She remembered Jess' words that night; questioning her on whether she could handle living in the trenches with bombs going off around her, his offer to drive his car into her while screaming a foreign language so she could practice. She remembered her response to Logan's challenges of being a real reporter; diving into a story headfirst and experiencing what she planned to write about first hand, her protests and fear at the thought. And suddenly she knew….
"Yes, my mother has influenced me, probably more then I realize. And you're right; my dreams of being the next Christine Amanpour are the result of that. I don't want that for my life, never settling down and only living for my next story. I'm not the most outgoing person, and now that I think about it I really don't want to be on TV." Her response received a little laughter, and she continued. "But I do want to report the news, maybe not from the trenches, but I still want to be a reporter; working for a newspaper somewhere and getting my name out there. The idea may not have started as my own, but it is what I want to do." She saw her grandparents take in her words. Emily still looked a little in shock at her husband's question, and Richard smiled accepting the truth at what she said. The family moment was broken, once again, by Kennedy.
"Thank you, Lorelai, Tristan. That concludes the question/answer portion of tonight. And now it's the time you've all been waiting for; the main event. If everyone could direct your attention behind you to the right." The entire crowd turned, gazing at the indicated spot where someone, another LDB member perhaps, stood on a lit platform. "The theme of tonight is Arabian Nights, and when challenged with creating a stunt only a few things came in mind. The first was snakes, and by the looks on many of your faces I have a feeling we chose right in shooting that option down." There was scattered laughter from the crowd, but Rory didn't think the joke was funny. She was glad that Tristan stood next to her as she grabbed his hand for support as Kennedy explained what they'd be doing. "The next idea involved flying out to the real desert, but beyond leaving these two out there overnight we were out of ideas, at least until we did a bit more research. Even if the idea came from a Disney movie, we feel that tonight's stunt will be thrilling enough for all of us and captures the true feeling of a Life and Death Brigade Event. Lorelai, Tristan; it's time for your magic carpet ride." And suddenly the entire portion of forest where they were looking was lit up revealing several cables and a huge, hand-woven, Persian rug.
Rory knew at the sight of if exactly what they were going to have to do, something that both scared and thrilled her. Confirming her fears, Kennedy went on to explain.
"Their task is simple. Attached to our magic carpet are two harnesses that they must strap themselves in. When ready, each must pull a chord that will release the catch wire which will in affect, start their wild ride. Cables have been attached to each corner of the carpet that are connected to the main cable that starts from the platform and will bring them gliding to a halt at the end of the line, literally. Lots of work has gone into this stunt, tailoring it directly to the two of them and their exact weights in order to perfectly balance their new ride. I can assure you it's perfectly safe, and Lorelai, no potatoes were harmed in the testing of this stunt." Kennedy shot her a grin as he joked about the last Event she'd participated in. She didn't find it funny. "Now, if everyone will follow the lighted path to the landing pad, and if our two initiates will follow me, we can begin."