Title: Another World
Chapter Eleven: The Middle of the End
This is my favorite chapter so far! You wanna know why? I did research, that's why. Chris searching on the Internet? I did that. I found those. I looked through all those fabulouse choices, and I found these three that just go perfect together.... But more talk about the other two later.
Anyway, it's really close to ending! I think they meet in the next chapter. Don't worry--I've read every single one of your reviews, and I've noticed a large number of them pleading that Lorelai and Rory don't just fall into each other's arms and gush about how they've been best friends forever, they've just never known it. To quote...some actor I've seen in TNT promos, "without conflict, there'd be no drama." So don't worry, there's plenty of drama. But it's not all drama, cause that'd be really annoying....
Just read.
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Lorelai Gilmore
One of my favorite movies is a very little known Audrey Hepburn flick. I've only seen it a few times, most recently on the Women's Entertainment network. It's called Paris When It Sizzles and it's absolutely hilarious.
You see, Audrey is this typist who's hired by William Holden, a screenwriter, to type his entire movie in one weekend. There's one problem--he hasn't written it yet.
So William and Audrey spend a weekend writing Bill's movie--filled with so many movie cliches it's not even funny--and somehow imagine themselves as the lead characters who--you guessed it--fall in love. This somehow causes both Bill and Audrey to fall in love...but I have yet to see the end. I keep catching snippets, and the last time it was on TV, I taped it, but it somehow got cut off in the last twenty minutes or so.
Sigh.
Why am I telling you about my woes regarding this movie? Because I got a very interesting visit the other day, and my visitor mentioned something about favorite movies.
So I was trying to remember mine.
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Alexis DuGrey
I shouldn't be doing this. I know for a fact that I should not be doing this.
I should not be kissing my husband goodbye as soon as our plane lands in Paris.
I should not be hopping on the first flight back to the States I can find.
I should not be flying directly back over the Atlantic.
I should not be touching down at Kennedy Airport in New York City.
I should not be hailing a taxi.
I should not be carrying the one measly bag over my shoulder.
I should not be looking for this hotel.
I should not be walking up to the front desk.
I should certainly not be asking for the executive manager.
But I am.
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Christopher Hayden
Being your own boss has endless perks. For instance, it is now four o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon, but am I at the office? Nosir, I'm stretched out on my couch, in my apartment. Granted, I've got my laptop in front of me, but I'm not doing work. Nope, no work for me. This certainly doesn't count as work.
I'm surfing the Internet for the best diamond rings I can find. After a few minutes of looking and finding stuff so extravagant that I know Lorelai would love it for a day but would eventually, cast aside, I finally find the best engagement ring out of all of the thirteen pages. A one and a quarter carat round diamond set in a platinum band. It's simple and elegant, and I know that Lorelai will love it. Now on to the wedding bands.
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Lorelai Gilmore
Bored, bored, bored, I think to myself. I am very bored bored bored.
"Excuse me, Miss Lorelai?" the ten-year-old daughter of my front desk clerk pokes her head into my office. I smile.
"Hey, Ashley, what's up?"
"My mom says that someone needs you out here," Ashley explains.
"Oh, okay." I stand up and start walking out of my office. Ashley falls into step beside me and says, "She looks all rich."
I laugh. "Yeah, most everyone here looks all rich." We're now in view of the front desk, and I can see an older woman at the front desk, at least in her forties, dressed immaculately in a beautiful traveling outfit. She's only carrying one bag, which completely goes against the rest of her personality that I can discern from just glancing at her. Ashley runs up to her mother, and I walk around the counter and up to the woman.
"Hello, I'm Lorelai Gilmore, executive manager. I was told you wanted to speak to me?"
"Yes, uh, I did. Do." She shakes her head and laughs nervously. "I guess I'm a little nervous."
"I don't see why, there's no need to be nervous, but if you'd like to, we could step into my office." I gesture to the office I just left, and she nods almost imperceptibly. I nod and start walking, hoping she'll follow me. She does.
"Well, here we are," I say, entering my office. "Please, sit." I gesture to the one seat in front of my desk and sit myself in my very large office chair. She nods and settles herself down, dropping her bag and purse at her feet. I smile and look expectantly at her.
After a minute she clears her throat and tries to begin. She's trying to procrastinate, though, because the first thing out of her mouth is, "Who's this?"
I look at the picture. It's a collage, actually, with pictures of Chris from every year we've been together, starting when we're both six and ending last year. Last year's picture is the biggest one, though. It's a candid of him right after I told him a joke, and he's laughing. His eyes are doing that crinkly thing that I adore, and he's smiling as wide as he can. I smile fondly at it.
"That's Chris."
"Oh. Husband?" she asks, almost hopefully.
"No. Boyfriend."
Her face drops a little, and I feel as though I should rectify the situation.
"But we've basically been together since we were six. I mean, we split up one time when we were twenty-two, but we got back together when we were twenty-eight. He moved in about nine months ago. Is it nine months? Yeah. Wow." I finish talking to her by talking to myself. I look up and she's smiling.
"Wow, that's wonderful. Uh, I guess I should introduce myself."
"That'd be a good start." I smile, then realize somthing and laugh. "Although you're probably a therapist, judging by the way you can sit there and make me spill my life story. Or at least part of it."
"No, I'm not a therapist." She smiles. At least she gets it. "Actually, I think you may have heard my name before."
"Oh?" I ask, feigning interest. Another braggart.
"Yes. You see, I'm...." She trails off, blushes, and looks down. "You can do this, Alexis. Just focus," she whispers to herself. Immediately I wrack my brain, thinking of an Alexis I know. Like who? Alexis...I seriously know no famous Alexises. That's weird.
"This is so hard," Alexis somebody tells me, looking up.
"It shouldn't be hard," I say politely. "Whatever you need, I"m here for you." I am so cheesy at this job, it's not even funny.
"Okay, I guess I can handle that." Alexis smiles and laughs nervously. "All right, I'm just gonna come right out and say it." She smiles tightly. "My name is Alexis DuGrey."
Oh, I am so lucky my ass is not on the floor, cause I think I almost fell out of my chair.
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Alexis DuGrey
Oh, my, that was hard. And she does recognize me, I can tell by her face. She's incredibly pale, and her mouth is hanging open as if she wants to say something but can't. Her eyes dart around the room, taking in everything, focusing on anything but me. I don't say anything, just watch her, knowing that she's filled with a million emotions right now, and she's trying as hard as she can to sort through them. Finally, after what seems like ages, she clears her throat and moves her gaze from her desk to meet my eyes. I smile, slightly.
"So, you're Alexis DuGrey."
"Yes, I am."
She smiles. "How is she?"
"Good."
"Good. That's good." Tears are welling up in the corners of her eyes. "Why are you here?"
"Because her birthday was a few days ago. Her--"
"Sixteenth," she interrupts.
"Yes. Her sixteenth. And, I don't know if you remember, but the arangement your mother and I agreed on was--"
"If she wants to, she can now live with me."
"Exactly."
"Well, if I were her, I certainly would not wish to live with someone I've enver met before."
"Actually, I don't think I would either."
"Right. So I'm planning on meeting her at my parents' party in December."
"You see, I told her that she didn't have to go."
"Oh." Lorelai's gaze goes back to the desk. She traces a whorl in the wood as she says, "And if she doesn't go?"
"We can arrange another time for you to meet her."
"Ah. Well. Is that all?" She looks up at me again. The tears are gone, along with any semblance of friendliness.
"Uh, I suppose so."
"Good." Lorelai stands up. "Now, will you be staying here tonight?"
I stand up also. "I think so, yes."
"Alright. Talk to Colleen at the front desk, she'll check you in. If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be." She grabs her purse and coat and opens the door. Then she pauses, closes the door again, and turns around to me.
"Thank you, for taking care of my baby all these years," she says softly, gazing down at the floor. After she finishes, she looks up at me. "I mean it. None of this could have been possible if it weren't for you."
"You're welcome."
She nods, and opens the door again.
"If it means anything," I start to say, and the door closes abruptly. "I think she really wants to meet you."
With her back still towards me, Lorelai nods, slowly, and then opens the door and leaves. I wait until she's gone, so I don't run into her, and then I walk to the front desk.
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Christopher Hayden
I'm standing anxiously over our printer...anxiously cause Lorelai just called from downstairs saying she'll be home in a few minutes, the printer cause I'm printing out locations of Zales stores near us, to go pick up Lorelai's engagement ring that I just ordered. It finally finishes printing, and I quickly exit out of the website and start shutting the computer down. I close the laptop, unhook it from the printer, grab my jacket--
And the door opens.
Damn. I was so close to a quick escape, and now Lorelai's home, and she'll never let me leave....
She looks upset. Very upset.
"Lor?" I whisper softly. She jumps, realizes it's me, and shakes her head. She hangs up her coat and starts to walk to the couch, but instead of sitting down she throws her arms around my neck and leans into me.
"I met her," she whispers into my shoulder.
"What? Who?"
"The mother of our daughter."
"Oh." That sounds so weird. "Are you okay?"
She nods into my shoulder, and then whispers, "Just hold me."
"Okay," I say, my mind automatically whirring with how I can edge out of the apartment and get the ring. Lorelai sniffles, and then I feel tears on my shoulder. I sigh, slightly. No ring tonight. Oh, well. At least I get to hold Lor. And I do, hugging her tighter to me as the tears come faster.
Chapter Eleven: The Middle of the End
This is my favorite chapter so far! You wanna know why? I did research, that's why. Chris searching on the Internet? I did that. I found those. I looked through all those fabulouse choices, and I found these three that just go perfect together.... But more talk about the other two later.
Anyway, it's really close to ending! I think they meet in the next chapter. Don't worry--I've read every single one of your reviews, and I've noticed a large number of them pleading that Lorelai and Rory don't just fall into each other's arms and gush about how they've been best friends forever, they've just never known it. To quote...some actor I've seen in TNT promos, "without conflict, there'd be no drama." So don't worry, there's plenty of drama. But it's not all drama, cause that'd be really annoying....
Just read.
~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~
Lorelai Gilmore
One of my favorite movies is a very little known Audrey Hepburn flick. I've only seen it a few times, most recently on the Women's Entertainment network. It's called Paris When It Sizzles and it's absolutely hilarious.
You see, Audrey is this typist who's hired by William Holden, a screenwriter, to type his entire movie in one weekend. There's one problem--he hasn't written it yet.
So William and Audrey spend a weekend writing Bill's movie--filled with so many movie cliches it's not even funny--and somehow imagine themselves as the lead characters who--you guessed it--fall in love. This somehow causes both Bill and Audrey to fall in love...but I have yet to see the end. I keep catching snippets, and the last time it was on TV, I taped it, but it somehow got cut off in the last twenty minutes or so.
Sigh.
Why am I telling you about my woes regarding this movie? Because I got a very interesting visit the other day, and my visitor mentioned something about favorite movies.
So I was trying to remember mine.
~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~
Alexis DuGrey
I shouldn't be doing this. I know for a fact that I should not be doing this.
I should not be kissing my husband goodbye as soon as our plane lands in Paris.
I should not be hopping on the first flight back to the States I can find.
I should not be flying directly back over the Atlantic.
I should not be touching down at Kennedy Airport in New York City.
I should not be hailing a taxi.
I should not be carrying the one measly bag over my shoulder.
I should not be looking for this hotel.
I should not be walking up to the front desk.
I should certainly not be asking for the executive manager.
But I am.
~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~
Christopher Hayden
Being your own boss has endless perks. For instance, it is now four o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon, but am I at the office? Nosir, I'm stretched out on my couch, in my apartment. Granted, I've got my laptop in front of me, but I'm not doing work. Nope, no work for me. This certainly doesn't count as work.
I'm surfing the Internet for the best diamond rings I can find. After a few minutes of looking and finding stuff so extravagant that I know Lorelai would love it for a day but would eventually, cast aside, I finally find the best engagement ring out of all of the thirteen pages. A one and a quarter carat round diamond set in a platinum band. It's simple and elegant, and I know that Lorelai will love it. Now on to the wedding bands.
~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~
Lorelai Gilmore
Bored, bored, bored, I think to myself. I am very bored bored bored.
"Excuse me, Miss Lorelai?" the ten-year-old daughter of my front desk clerk pokes her head into my office. I smile.
"Hey, Ashley, what's up?"
"My mom says that someone needs you out here," Ashley explains.
"Oh, okay." I stand up and start walking out of my office. Ashley falls into step beside me and says, "She looks all rich."
I laugh. "Yeah, most everyone here looks all rich." We're now in view of the front desk, and I can see an older woman at the front desk, at least in her forties, dressed immaculately in a beautiful traveling outfit. She's only carrying one bag, which completely goes against the rest of her personality that I can discern from just glancing at her. Ashley runs up to her mother, and I walk around the counter and up to the woman.
"Hello, I'm Lorelai Gilmore, executive manager. I was told you wanted to speak to me?"
"Yes, uh, I did. Do." She shakes her head and laughs nervously. "I guess I'm a little nervous."
"I don't see why, there's no need to be nervous, but if you'd like to, we could step into my office." I gesture to the office I just left, and she nods almost imperceptibly. I nod and start walking, hoping she'll follow me. She does.
"Well, here we are," I say, entering my office. "Please, sit." I gesture to the one seat in front of my desk and sit myself in my very large office chair. She nods and settles herself down, dropping her bag and purse at her feet. I smile and look expectantly at her.
After a minute she clears her throat and tries to begin. She's trying to procrastinate, though, because the first thing out of her mouth is, "Who's this?"
I look at the picture. It's a collage, actually, with pictures of Chris from every year we've been together, starting when we're both six and ending last year. Last year's picture is the biggest one, though. It's a candid of him right after I told him a joke, and he's laughing. His eyes are doing that crinkly thing that I adore, and he's smiling as wide as he can. I smile fondly at it.
"That's Chris."
"Oh. Husband?" she asks, almost hopefully.
"No. Boyfriend."
Her face drops a little, and I feel as though I should rectify the situation.
"But we've basically been together since we were six. I mean, we split up one time when we were twenty-two, but we got back together when we were twenty-eight. He moved in about nine months ago. Is it nine months? Yeah. Wow." I finish talking to her by talking to myself. I look up and she's smiling.
"Wow, that's wonderful. Uh, I guess I should introduce myself."
"That'd be a good start." I smile, then realize somthing and laugh. "Although you're probably a therapist, judging by the way you can sit there and make me spill my life story. Or at least part of it."
"No, I'm not a therapist." She smiles. At least she gets it. "Actually, I think you may have heard my name before."
"Oh?" I ask, feigning interest. Another braggart.
"Yes. You see, I'm...." She trails off, blushes, and looks down. "You can do this, Alexis. Just focus," she whispers to herself. Immediately I wrack my brain, thinking of an Alexis I know. Like who? Alexis...I seriously know no famous Alexises. That's weird.
"This is so hard," Alexis somebody tells me, looking up.
"It shouldn't be hard," I say politely. "Whatever you need, I"m here for you." I am so cheesy at this job, it's not even funny.
"Okay, I guess I can handle that." Alexis smiles and laughs nervously. "All right, I'm just gonna come right out and say it." She smiles tightly. "My name is Alexis DuGrey."
Oh, I am so lucky my ass is not on the floor, cause I think I almost fell out of my chair.
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Alexis DuGrey
Oh, my, that was hard. And she does recognize me, I can tell by her face. She's incredibly pale, and her mouth is hanging open as if she wants to say something but can't. Her eyes dart around the room, taking in everything, focusing on anything but me. I don't say anything, just watch her, knowing that she's filled with a million emotions right now, and she's trying as hard as she can to sort through them. Finally, after what seems like ages, she clears her throat and moves her gaze from her desk to meet my eyes. I smile, slightly.
"So, you're Alexis DuGrey."
"Yes, I am."
She smiles. "How is she?"
"Good."
"Good. That's good." Tears are welling up in the corners of her eyes. "Why are you here?"
"Because her birthday was a few days ago. Her--"
"Sixteenth," she interrupts.
"Yes. Her sixteenth. And, I don't know if you remember, but the arangement your mother and I agreed on was--"
"If she wants to, she can now live with me."
"Exactly."
"Well, if I were her, I certainly would not wish to live with someone I've enver met before."
"Actually, I don't think I would either."
"Right. So I'm planning on meeting her at my parents' party in December."
"You see, I told her that she didn't have to go."
"Oh." Lorelai's gaze goes back to the desk. She traces a whorl in the wood as she says, "And if she doesn't go?"
"We can arrange another time for you to meet her."
"Ah. Well. Is that all?" She looks up at me again. The tears are gone, along with any semblance of friendliness.
"Uh, I suppose so."
"Good." Lorelai stands up. "Now, will you be staying here tonight?"
I stand up also. "I think so, yes."
"Alright. Talk to Colleen at the front desk, she'll check you in. If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be." She grabs her purse and coat and opens the door. Then she pauses, closes the door again, and turns around to me.
"Thank you, for taking care of my baby all these years," she says softly, gazing down at the floor. After she finishes, she looks up at me. "I mean it. None of this could have been possible if it weren't for you."
"You're welcome."
She nods, and opens the door again.
"If it means anything," I start to say, and the door closes abruptly. "I think she really wants to meet you."
With her back still towards me, Lorelai nods, slowly, and then opens the door and leaves. I wait until she's gone, so I don't run into her, and then I walk to the front desk.
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~~~~~~
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Christopher Hayden
I'm standing anxiously over our printer...anxiously cause Lorelai just called from downstairs saying she'll be home in a few minutes, the printer cause I'm printing out locations of Zales stores near us, to go pick up Lorelai's engagement ring that I just ordered. It finally finishes printing, and I quickly exit out of the website and start shutting the computer down. I close the laptop, unhook it from the printer, grab my jacket--
And the door opens.
Damn. I was so close to a quick escape, and now Lorelai's home, and she'll never let me leave....
She looks upset. Very upset.
"Lor?" I whisper softly. She jumps, realizes it's me, and shakes her head. She hangs up her coat and starts to walk to the couch, but instead of sitting down she throws her arms around my neck and leans into me.
"I met her," she whispers into my shoulder.
"What? Who?"
"The mother of our daughter."
"Oh." That sounds so weird. "Are you okay?"
She nods into my shoulder, and then whispers, "Just hold me."
"Okay," I say, my mind automatically whirring with how I can edge out of the apartment and get the ring. Lorelai sniffles, and then I feel tears on my shoulder. I sigh, slightly. No ring tonight. Oh, well. At least I get to hold Lor. And I do, hugging her tighter to me as the tears come faster.