Thank you to everyone who is reading and those who are reviewing as well I'm so pleased you are enjoying it. Gilmore lover, the Lorelai part is coming up, I just needed to do the Emily part to break down a few barriers ;). So now the 1st part of the birthday treat. Hope you enjoy
A New Phase - Chapter 10
"Stop fidgeting Lorelai," Emily chastised her daughter as Lorelai shifted across the seat once more.
Lorelai scowled at her mother, "Well if you'd told me we were going shopping in New York rather than just saying shopping I wouldn't be fidgeting. I would have been better prepared. I wouldn't have drunk 9000 gallons of coffee this morning if I'd known we were going to be in the car for 2 million hours. Why did we need to go shopping in New York anyway? Have you bought out all the shops in Hartford or something?"
Emily flicked her eyes in annoyance and took a calming breath, "Lorelai stop being petulant. It is your 40th birthday and I want you to have something that we both approve of as a gift. I thought a trip into New York would make a nice surprise."
Lorelai looked sheepishly at her mother. "It is. I just really have to pee!"
Emily closed her eyes in distaste, "Must you be so crude?"
"Yes," Lorelai stated matter-of-factly and shifted awkwardly once more. "Because either my kidneys are about to explode or this seat is about to get really wet."
Emily rolled her eyes once more and pushed the button that lowered the screen between the back compartment of the car she had hired and the driver. "Please pull in as soon as you are able, my daughter needs to make a comfort break."
"Thank you Mom," Lorelai breathed a sigh of relief as the car pulled into a McDonalds and as soon as it came to a stop she bolted from the car.
Emily watched her daughter with mild amusement and sat back into the leather seat of the car. She found it strange to think that almost 40 years had passed since she became a mother. There had been times which felt like no time at all had passed, other times it felt like an eternity. She didn't feel old enough to have an almost 40 year old daughter; she didn't feel like she had been alive long enough herself to have a child that age. Yet here she was taking Lorelai into the city for her 40th birthday treat. There was more to the trip than just shopping but she had yet to tell Lorelai that she and Richard had flown Rory in from California. Their granddaughter had only been able to arrange a few days off and had been unable to get Lorelai's actual birthday off. So instead Emily had devised the entire weekend in New York to spoil her daughter around Rory's availability the weekend before Lorelai's birthday; something that she had managed to pull off without her daughter realising with the help of a very accommodating Luke, who had taken many a call over the last few weeks.
Emily opened her book to check her schedule for the weekend once more. She would take Lorelai shopping to get clothing for the weekend as well as trying to get Lorelai to select jewellery as a birthday gift. At 4pm Richard, who was already in the city on business, would collect Rory from the airport, which would give them time to get to the hotel before she and Lorelai returned and the four of them would go out to dinner together. The Saturday, would begin with her spoiling both her girls taking them for manicures and a spot more shopping, after which they would meet up with Richard for lunch. The afternoon was scheduled for Rory to take her mother sightseeing before they met for an early dinner allowing the day to end with a visit to the Broadway to see The Lion King, which Rory had picked and which Emily was almost certain would not be her or Richard's taste no matter what the critics said. Sunday was relatively quiet in that all that was planned was a brunch in Central Park before they had to get Rory to the airport for her return flight. They would arrive back in Connecticut to have a birthday tea just the three of them before taking Lorelai home. Emily ran her pen down the page, mentally ticking off everything she needed to do to ensure each step happened as perfectly as possible. It was a busy weekend to be certain but she was sure that everything would work out well. Now that she had Lorelai the only thing that could go wrong was a delay with Rory's flight, which had been on time when Rory had called her to say she had arrived at the airport in California. She jumped slightly as the door to the car flew open and snapped shut her book.
Lorelai flopped back into the car holding a coffee cup. "What?" she asked combatively as she slid her legs in. "You can't just use the bathroom, you have to buy something."
Emily shook her head, using Lorelai getting situated to hide her book from view. "We shall be there shortly, and we can have lunch."
"I get lunch?" Lorelai gave her mother a gleeful smile. "Can we have hot dogs?"
"No we cannot," Emily wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I have made a reservation."
"You've got things planned, we're doing stuff," Lorelai grinned at her mother, her voice light and childish. "I know that face, that's the I've-got-a-list-and-we're-following-the-list-no-matter-what! face. Soooo, what we doing?"
"We are going to have lunch and then go shopping," Emily answered quickly.
"Aaaaaannnndddd?" Lorelai insisted.
"And nothing," Emily shook her head, trying to bring the conversation to the end.
"Alright, don't tell me," Lorelai pouted playfully. "You know I'm just gonna bug you till we get there."
"You are turning 40 not 4 Lorelai," Emily muttered tiredly. "Please just drink your coffee and sit quietly."
As she had expected her daughter did neither, instead excitedly chattering away about anything and everything as the driver guided the car into Manhattan and they joined the queues of traffic making its way through the congested city. Finally the car pulled up outside their hotel for the weekend and Lorelai fell silent as she took in her surroundings.
"The Plaza?" Lorelai whispered. "We're having lunch at the Plaza?"
"Not exactly," Emily answered as the driver opened the door for her and she elegantly stepped out into the noise of the city. She stifled a smile as Lorelai scrambled after her, the expression on Lorelai's face one of awed excitement. "Come on Lorelai."
"Mom there are bags," Lorelai squeaked as the driver began unloading the car. "Mom are we staying at the Plaza?" Lorelai excited grabbed at Emily's arm. "Oh my god are we staying here?"
Emily smiled widely at Lorelai's excitement. "Yes we are. Now let me get us checked in." Emily swept into the lobby while Lorelai scampered along behind her. She tried to ignore her daughter as she dealt with checking in, pleased that Lorelai seemed completely oblivious to what the receptionist was saying with regards to their booking. Admin taken care of Emily led Lorelai to the lift were they taken upstairs to the room by a porter. Despite herself she couldn't help but laugh as Lorelai practically fought him to open the door to the suite, bursting into the opulent suite like a small child eager to see if Father Christmas had visited.
"Ooh Fancy," Lorelai burbled as she scanned the living room portion of the suite. "Gold. No Beds."
"It's a suite, there's a bedroom through there's a for your father and I," Emily explained pointing towards a door off the lounge area before pointing back at a door that Lorelai had run right past, "the room through there is for you."
"Dad's coming?" Lorelai asked as she moved to window to take in the view. "How long are we staying?"
"The weekend," Emily waved the porter to start unloading the bags. "The black through there please the rest in the master."
"Mom," Lorelai turned and looked at her horrified. "What about my stuff? What about clothes?"
"Luke packed you an overnight bag, so you have night clothes and toiletries," Emily explained, "we're going to go shopping. We need two new outfits for you for the evenings and casual outfits for tomorrow and Sunday."
"Happy," Lorelai grinned.
"I'm glad," Emily tipped the porter and then strode round the opulent room, pausing by the window to take in the view out across Central Park.
"So I believe lunch was promised," Lorelai bounced on her heels beside Emily.
Emily glanced at her watch, "Oh yes, we must get going. Come on, we can unpack later," She ushered Lorelai out of the door.
After their lunch, Emily guided Lorelai into the women's department at Saks Fifth Avenue. Emily's shopping expertise kicked in and she quickly scanned the floor looking for what she thought Lorelai would need. "Now we need a formal dress for tonight," Emily announced as she strode towards a display of clothing, "and something more fun for tomorrow. Though still appropriate for wearing while dining in a restaurant. After dresses, we should look at casuals." Emily selected a plain black sheath dress from the rack. "What do you think of this?"
Lorelai scanned the dress that her mother was holding, it was formal as was required, quite simple but it had an interesting neckline. It was definitely something she would choose, and it surprised her that her mother had picked it for her. "It's a great dress Mom," she caught sight of the price tag and gasped. "It's 600 dollars!"
"So?" Emily looked nonplussed and held it out to her, "Do you want to try it on?"
"Mom, this dress is 600 dollars," Lorelai shook her head. "You cannot buy me a 600 dollar plain black dress."
"Lorelai, I can buy you whatever I like," Emily fixed her daughter with an imperious stare. "Now, if you don't like this dress, we can find another," she placed the dress back in its place on the rack and moved to another designer's section. "This," she held out another black dress. "This is very you."
"It is," Lorelai nodded in agreement, taking the hanger from her mother and studying the black dress intently.
"Right, now let's try it on," Emily ordered, she reached forward as she saw Lorelai reach for the tag and tapped her daughter's hand. "Do not look at the price tag. That is not your concern." Emily stepped around the rack to look at the display. "We need that coat. That will go perfectly with this dress." She looked around the stand. "Here it is. Now fitting rooms are over there. Go try these on and I will find something for you to wear tomorrow night that's appropriate."
Lorelai did as she was told and made her way to the changing room where she quickly slipped out of her own clothes and into the dress and coat that her mother picked out. Staring at her reflection she exhaled slowly, surprised about just how perfect the clothes were for her.
"Lorelai?" Emily voice sounded from outside the fitting room. "How does it look?"
Instead of answering Lorelai stepped out of the cubicle so that Emily could see for herself. Her eyes darted to the assistant who was stood beside a wheeled rack containing a wide selection of clothes, "Geez Mom, are you related to the Flash, how did you choose stuff so fast?" she looked back at her mother. "What?" she shifted awkwardly as her mother continued to stare at her, Emily's eyes studying her with fierce intensity. "What is it? You don't like it?" she glanced over her shoulder at her reflection in the cubicle mirror. She silently cursed herself for thinking she looked good in the clothes. "I look like an idiot don't I?"
"You look beautiful," Emily told her softly. "Everything about that outfit is perfect."
"Really?" Lorelai turned to look back at Emily, who had moved a step closer.
"Yes," Emily suddenly looked away, "and there is a wrap that matches the colour of that coat which you can wear while we're eating. Well that's tonight clothing taken care of," Emily walked to the rack, "for tomorrow I thought something more summery, something that is floaty. You look so good in those floaty knee length skirts. Maybe something in a floral." She picked up a skirt to study it before putting it back on the rack in disgust. "Not that."
Lorelai looked back at her reflection and zoned out her mother's critique of the clothing she had picked and just stared. She felt like she looked amazing. The coat was the perfect green for her complexion. The dress holding her in exactly the right places. It wasn't just a dress, it was the dress, the type that comes around once every few years. That one piece of clothing that seemed to be made just for you.
"Here, try this," Emily interrupted her study of herself and Lorelai jumped slightly, instinctually grabbing hold of the hanger that Emily was offering her. "You look perfect Lorelai. Beautiful," Emily told her softly her voice shaking slightly. She inhaled sharply and steeled herself. "Hopefully we can get some shoes to match that coat. Now try this on."
Lorelai nodded and stepped back into the cubicle to change out of one of the most perfect outfit she'd ever worn. An outfit that her mother had chosen for her no less.
The rest of the shopping trip continued in much of the same vein, her mother making selections of clothing and shoes, which when tried on all looked like they had been made just for her. Slightly bamboozled by this fact Lorelai didn't seem to register just how much her mother was buying for her. It wasn't until Emily was peering into the jewellery cabinet at some diamond drop earrings that Lorelai realised that the assistant who was carrying around their purchases had to be clutching in the region of $5000 worth of clothes and shoes that she finally called time on the shopping spree.
"Mom," Lorelai touched Emily's forearm. "I don't need earrings to wear tonight. My earrings are fine."
"They are very pretty Lorelai, but these…" Emily looked up and caught her daughter's expression and took the cue stopping herself from finishing her sentence. "Well, alright, maybe we don't need some for tonight. But you must choose something for your actual birthday gift."
"Mom. No. All this," Lorelai waved at the assistant. "All the other things I'm sure you have planned. It's too much. You don't need to do this."
"I want to do this. I want to get you something that you can look at when you are my age and think my mother and father gave this to me for my fortieth," Emily shook herself, seemingly caught off guard at the interruption to her shopping.
"It doesn't need to be jewellery Mom," Lorelai reasoned. "Maybe we can pick something up tomorrow, something to commemorate our trip."
"Alright," Emily conceded, she glanced at her watch, "well I suppose I should settle up the bill and we should get back to the hotel so we can get ready for tonight. Your father should be there by now."
Lorelai followed her mother as Emily paid the bill and arranged for their purchases to be delivered to the hotel with the exception of her perfect outfit for tonight which Lorelai dutifully carried on the ten minute walk back to the hotel. Emily seemed strangely nervous as they made their way up to their floor and hesitant as she opened the door. As the door opened Lorelai could hear her father's deep voice and for a moment she thought that he was on the phone until he rounded the corner without a phone in his hand. Moments later she heard who he had been talking to, the soft voice that was the most familiar noise to her. She dropped her bags in surprise and rounded the corner to where her daughter was sat.
"Rory!"
"Mom," Rory jumped up and ran to her, throwing her arms around Lorelai's neck.
"I thought you couldn't come," Lorelai whispered.
"Not for your actual birthday. I manage to wrangle a few days off." Rory stepped back and glanced towards her grandmother who was picking the discarded garment bag off the floor. "Hi Grandma."
"Hello Rory," Emily greeted her verbally, knowing that she would have to wait for Lorelai to let go of Rory before she could properly greet her. "Well now we're all here, the birthday weekend can truly begin."
"Mom," Lorelai looked up at Emily. "Thank you". Hugging Rory once more she missed her mother's nod of acceptance and the pleased look that passed between her parents. Her parents had got Rory to her, there was nothing that they needed to get her for her birthday at all.