Mother's day, 1987. Hartford.

Lorelai stands outside her parents' house and shivers. It's May, it's not cold. But something about being here sends a chill down her spine. It's been a while but this really shouldn't be so hard. She's an adult now. She makes her own choices, she lives independently. Almost. She knocks tentatively on the front door. It swings open aggressively.

"Lorelai?" asks Emily, stunned.

"Happy Mother's day, Mom."

"I... you look thin."

"Well, you know, baby weight dropped eventually."

"Right."

They stand in awkward silence. Lorelai notes how she's still on the doorstep. Not invited in. The biggest middle finger Emily Gilmore can give.

"Would you like to speak to your father?"

"No, mom, I have to um... go back to Rory and... work. Here." says Lorelai, shoving a folded piece of paper into Emily's hands.

"What is this?"

"It's my address. You don't have to visit. In fact, don't visit. Please. But now, you know where I am. If that's something you think about. And, I don't know, if you wanted to send Rory something on her birthday, you could. She's three in October."

"I know."

"Not that I'm asking but, well, you like her."

"I love her."

"Right. I'm gonna... I'm gonna just go. Say hi to dad for me."

"Lorelai?" calls Emily, suddenly scared.

"Yeah?"

"Come to the Christmas party. Bring Rory." she looks at Lorelai pathetically. If Lorelai didn't know better she say there were tears in her eyes. "Please?"

Lorelai nods.

"See you at Christmas, Mom."

"See you at Christmas, Lorelai."

February 2018. Stars Hollow.

Lorelai walks into the house. It's deathly quiet. No baby noises, no stroller in the hall, no diaper bag on the stairs. She tiptoes through to the living room. Rory is sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket, eyes red from crying.

"She's gone?" asks Lorelai, slowly.

"Logan left about an hour ago."

Lorelai nods slowly. They stand in uncomfortable silence for a minute or so. Someone has to break it. Lorelai takes one for the team.

"Rory, how did you let this happen? After everything? Everything I taught you all your life about being a mother, being there for your kid..."

"Mom, please, not now." Rory whimpers. Lorelai sighs. Something about Rory's face reminds Lorelai of when she broke up with Dean the first time. She looks sixteen again.

"It hurts so bad, mom." Rory cries. Lorelai caves, and sits down next to Rory, pulling her close.

"I know babe, I got you." she says. But silently in her head she sends a message to her baby granddaughter, whose somewhere en route to London. I got you too, kid. I promise.

Mother's Day, 2024. London.

Logan rolls over in bed and checks his phone. He winces when he sees the date. Mother's day. Usually he just stays in with Victoria on this day and they play board games and eat ice cream and he just crosses his fingers that she doesn't notice. But Victoria's almost seven. And she's smart. She can see all the cards and the decorations and she almost certainly will have heard chatter at school. Logan hears her little footsteps begin to patter down the hall, so he turns his phone off. One of Victoria's greatest joys in life is waking her dad up.

"Dad?" A little voice whispers, as Victoria pokes her head around the door. No response. Victoria takes a running jump at the bed, landing on Logan's legs. "Dad! Dad! Wake upppp!" she shouts.

"Little monster!" says Logan, sitting up and grabbing Victoria, mid-bounce. She squeals and flops down next to him, catching her breath.

"Dad?" she says, after a while.

Logan inhales sharply. Here it comes. "What's up, Ace?"

"I know what I want to do today."

"You do?"

"I want us to go to Nando's together. And you can get the burrito AND the chicken if you want. Then we should take the bus to the London dungeons and go on the tour."

"You hate the dungeons, they scare you."

"But it's your favourite thing."

"Hey Ace, why are we doing all this?"

"Because it's Mother's day." she says simply.

"It is."

"And I don't have a mother. And I don't need one cus I've got you. So instead of just staying inside all day which is kinda sad we can go out and celebrate you!" she says, putting her finger on his nose.

"That's what you want to do?"

"Really really. More than anything else in the whole entire world."

"Ok. Go and get dressed then."

"Ok!"

"Hey Ace?"

"Yeah?"

"You know the only reason I'm doing ok at the Dad thing is because you're the coolest?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Ha!" laughs Logan. "Go on then, get out of here."

He watches her run down the hall to her bedroom. He's relieved that she seems happy but still, this problem is just postponed, not solved.

Mother's Day, 2021. New York.

"You know Doula and I are just two people?" says Jess, staring at the tables full of food in front of him.

"I wanted to be sure we had enough. Y'know me, feed feed feed." Liz replies.

"And you know the concept of Mother's day is that we do things for you?"

"I know but you already do so much for me and TJ, letting us live with you and all, you deserve a treat, you deserve three different kinds of pie."

"Can't argue with that."

Liz plops down a salad bowl and looks at Jess sympathetically. "Are you lonely, my boy?"

"What kind of a question is that?"

"The kind you ask when your grown son is moping around like a heartbroken teenager. Is it Rory? 'Cus it's been years now, hasn't it? Do I need to call Uncle Luke?"

"You do not need to call Luke."

"Tell me then." says Liz, starting to wash up a saucepan. "I'll face the other way and I won't even look at you if that helps. I won't talk either, it'll be like Luke is in the room."

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'll find a baseball cap."

"Seriously?"

"Looking out the window."

Jess pauses for a moment. "It's really not anything dramatic. I guess I kinda feel like... like we're not done. It's open-ended. I don't know how else to explain it. But timing's never been our friend and I don't want to screw up her life."

Liz puts down the pan. "Can I turn around now?"

Jess sighs. "Whatever."

Liz strokes his hair and Jess flinches away from her slightly, even now. "All you have to do is find the right wormhole, kiddo."

"What does that mean?"

"Means whatever you want it to mean."

Mother's day, 2033. Stars Hollow.

"Phone's ringing!" Jess yells. No response. "Are you people deaf?" he calls again. Still no response. "Fine." he mumbles to himself. "Guess the faithful servant will answer it."

"Hello?" he says, picking up the phone just as Rory walks in. Jess rolls his eyes.

"Who's this?" says Emily Gilmore's sharp voice.

"Uh, Jess, Mrs Gilmore." says Jess. Your grandmother he mouths to Rory.

"Oh, Jess. I don't want you." says Emily.

"Swell." says Jess, giving Rory the phone and a kiss. "I'll be hiding." he says.

"Hello Grandma."

"Rory, I don't want you either. I want to talk to your mother."

"Ok, grandma, hold on." Rory takes the phone out to the porch. "Mom? Grandma wants you."

"What? Why? Tell her I'm not home."

"Mom..."

"Please?"

"Mom's not home." says Rory.

"Tell her I'm meeting her for tea tomorrow afternoon because that's when I'm in town and I need to discuss something. Rory, you're not to come. And don't let her bring Luke or any other one of the hundreds of people that seem to live in your tiny home. Goodbye, Rory."

"Goodbye, grandma."

Rory hangs the phone up.

"So? What did she want? Am I in trouble?" Lorelai nags.

"I don't think so. She wants to meet you for tea tomorrow."

"Uhhh I'm in trouble."

"Could just be because it's Mother's day."

"We have never ever been for tea on Mother's day."

"Well I don't know why you're asking me! She just said she had something to discuss with you."

"Intrigue."

"Indeed." Rory sits down next to Lorelai and sighs heavily. Lorelai pats her leg.

"How far along are you now, babe?" she asks.

"Nineteen and a half weeks."

"It's the gender scan soon, isn't it? You gonna find out?"

"I want to. Not that it matters I'd just like to know. Jess isn't sure though, he keeps changing his mind. I think he's nervous."

"Nervous about it being a boy or it being a girl?"

"Both I think." says Rory, stroking her bump. "Right now it's just 'baby' and I think maybe it's easier for him to process that way."

"Well I'd like it to be a girl." states Lorelai.

Rory rolls her eyes. "Big surprise."

"What? Can't have too many Gilmore girls!"

"It'll be Mariano mom."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because Victoria's a Gilmore."

"It's different. Jess and I are together. It feels right."

"Then... I'm happy for you." Lorelai smiles and pulls Rory close to her. "Hey name it Lorelai though."

"Of course." Rory sarcastically replies.

So this chapters a little different, I suppose. Let me know of you like this kind of jumping about in time style or not. Thank you for reading!