(Emily and Richard's dining room. Absolute quiet. EMILY and RICHARD are unnerved by the chilly silence emanating from RORY and LORELAI. EMILY shoots RICHARD an eyebrow message to say something.)
Richard: (clearing his throat) So, Rory! (RORY looks up as if coming out of a trance.) How's school?
Rory: (Nods) Good. (She looks down again.)
Richard: That's good. (He shrugs to EMILY.)
Emily: Lorelai, how are things going with your new inn? (RORY looks up.)
Lorelai: (swallows and forces a smile) Oh, great.
(RORY returns to picking halfheartedly at her dinner.)
Emily: (smiles) That's wonderful. Isn't that wonderful, Richard?
Richard: Yes, yes of course.
Emily: Have you started interviewing people yet?
Lorelai: Actually, yes.
Emily: And?
Lorelai: And, what?
Emily: Who have you hired?
Lorelai: (laughs a little) Oh, no one yet.
Emily: Why not?
Lorelai: Well, the first man we met with referred to himself as Jim throughout the interview.
Emily: So what?
Lorelai: His name was Eric.
Emily: Oh.
Lorelai: Actually, it only got worse from there. (EMILY sets down her fork.) After him we had a Cher look alike, a guy who tried to steal the tablecloth while we were sitting at the table, and a woman who I swear to god actually was the mother in
Emily: So you didn't hire anyone?
Lorelai: (sarcastically surprised) No, Mom, we didn't. We would have, but we didn't feel like cleaning up after every guest who got hacked to death in the shower.
Emily: I just don't see how you're going to be able to open this inn without employees.
Richard: Now, Emily, there's still plenty of time to hire people. I'm sure Lorelai has this all thought out. (LORELAI looks like she feels sick.) Right, Lorelai?
Lorelai: (She's shaken by lying to her daughter and her parents, but tries to smile.) Right. (She goes back to her meal and changes the subject.) The soufflé is delicious.
Emily: I'm glad.
Richard: Oh, Rory, I found that first edition of The Awakening we were talking about last week. Let me get it for you. (He rises and leaves.)
(There's another awkward silence. LORELAI drains the last of her wine. The phone rings.)
Emily: I'll get that. (She exits. LORELAI clears her throat; RORY looks up.)
Lorelai: (trying to be civil) So you've been awfully quiet this evening.
Rory: (bitingly hostile) I'm sorry, I didn't know there was a conversation quota I was supposed to be meeting. Tell me, can I fill it with small talk, or does it have to be intelligent conversation?
Lorelai: Don't talk to me like that. (RORY is silent; her face emotionless.) Look, yesterday was bad. Really bad. I didn't—
(EMILY enters the room.)
Emily: It was just one of those telemarketers.
Rory: (coldly) I have to go to the bathroom. (Leaves.)
(EMILY pauses, then sits slowly, looking like she's about to comment on the tense situation, but LORELAI cuts her off.)
Lorelai: What were they selling?
Emily: Who?
Lorelai: (deadpan) The Partridge Family.
Emily: What?
Lorelai: The telemarketer, Mom.
Emily: Oh. (Busily spreads her napkin in her lap.) Some new phone service. I hung up on them.
Lorelai: I usually just tell them I don't have a phone. (She laughs, and EMILY smiles vaguely. There's a pause.)
Emily: (Takes a sip of wine.) So what was that all about?
Lorelai: (avoiding the question) What was what all about?
Emily: You don't have to lie to me. I know a fight when I see one.
Lorelai: (grimly) Just drop it, Mom, okay?
Emily: After all, it's not like you and I didn't have our share of arguments.
Lorelai: (muttering) You couldn't let it go, could you?
Emily: I'm just saying, there's no need to be ashamed of fighting with your daughter.
Lorelai: I think I need another glass of wine.
Emily: (suspicious) What are you hiding, Lorelai?
Lorelai: Nothing. I'm not hiding anything.
Emily: Is everything all right?
Lorelai: Of course everything's all right. Why wouldn't everything be all right?
Emily: You haven't been yourself all evening.
Lorelai: (defensive) That's not true.
Emily: Of course it is.
Lorelai: No, it's not!
Emily: (shrugs sarcastically) Fine, it's not true.
Lorelai: God! You can't just let me be, can you?
Emily: (primly) Lorelai, you're shouting.
Lorelai: (losing it) Every comment that comes out of your mouth is critical! (standing up) Would it kill you to be supportive? Or are you too busy celebrating the fact that my daughter hates me too?! (She storms out of the room.)
Emily: (dumbstruck) Lorelai! (Stands, places her napkin on the table, and chases after LORELAI.)
(In the front hall. LORELAI is pulling on her coat.)
Emily: Lorelai, please come sit down. You haven't finished your meal.
Lorelai: I'm not hungry, okay? (opens the front door) Tell Rory I'm waiting in the car. (She goes out and slams the door.)

(LORELAI and RORY in the car, driving home. RORY stares out the window as they enter Stars Hollow.)
Rory: (suddenly) Grandma's mad at you.
Lorelai: Oh, believe me, I know. The hatred's just flooding in from all generations.
Rory: (under her breath) Not undeservedly.
(LORELAI brakes sharply and pulls over.)
Rory: What are you doing?!
Lorelai: Get out of the car.
Rory: What?
Lorelai: You heard me!
Rory: (gets out) You're unbelievable.
(RORY slams the door, and LORELAI speeds off. Slowly, RORY crosses the street, hugging her coat around her.)
(LUKE is cleaning the counter of the empty diner. He looks up when RORY enters.)
Luke: Hey, you want some coffee? I can heat up what's left in the pot.
Rory: That's okay. (She stands there awkwardly.)
Luke: Your mom coming?
Rory: No, she had... (vaguely) something else to do. (She quickly scans the diner.) Is Jess around?
Luke: He's upstairs. (She starts up the stairs. He points his dish rag at her.) Five minutes. (She nods.)

(Upstairs. JESS is reading on his bed, wearing plaid pajama bottoms and a t-shirt with a picture of a rat that reads Black Death: European tour 1347-1351. He's reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. RORY pushes open the door and he looks up. Wild World by Cat Stevens begins to play softly.)
Rory: Hey.
Jess: (sounding surprised) Hey.
(Slowly she walks over and curls up next to him. He pulls himself into more of an upright position to put an arm around her, and she tucks her head under his chin. With one hand he dog-ears his book and sets it down. She takes a deep breath and exhales, seeming to deflate completely.)
Jess: That bad, huh?
(She nods, face crumbling.)
Jess: (exhales) God. I'm sorry. (He kisses her hair, and she closes her eyes, holding onto his shirt with one hand.)
(Music crescendos on the chorus. Downstairs, LUKE checks his watch and sighs, exasperated. The camera cuts to him reaching the top of the staircase, opening the door to the apartment, and starting to enter. He then catches sight of RORY and JESS sitting on the bed. JESS is holding RORY while she cries. JESS looks up and sees LUKE. They watch each other warily for a minute, then LUKE nods and leaves, closing the door respectfully behind him. RORY doesn't notice; JESS buries his face in her hair. Music decrescendos.)
(Downstairs again, LUKE picks up the phone and dials.)
Luke: (awkwardly) Hi, it's Luke. How's it going? (pause) Listen, I wanted to talk to you about an idea I had...
(Fade out on him talking on the phone.)

(LORELAI at the inn. She's standing at the front desk tapping a pen on a legal pad. After a minute she makes an exasperated noise and leaves for the kitchen. Cut to the kitchen, where she pulls out an empty pot of coffee.)
Lorelai: (desperately) Sookie! (A man wearing a chef's hat enters carrying a large pot.) Fletcher, where's Sookie?
Fletcher: She's not here. Is there a problem?
Lorelai: Yes, there's no more coffee!
Fletcher: (worried) But the last breakfast seating was an hour ago.
Lorelai: Oh, you meant a problem with the inn. Right. I'll go get coffee elsewhere.
(She leaves the kitchen and stops to talk to MICHEL at the front desk.)
Lorelai: Michel, do you know why Sookie's not here?
Michel: No.
Lorelai: Okay. I'm going to Luke's to get coffee, so if anyone calls, I'll be back soon.
Michel: I could try to care less, although I'm not sure that it would be humanly possible. (LORELAI rolls her eyes.)

(LORELAI walks through a surprisingly empty center of town. Townie Mischief music plays. Miss Patty's is closed, as is the market. She goes up to Luke's and tries to open the door, but it's locked. She looks surprised, then notices the note taped to the door.)
(Camera angle on the note. It reads: The diner will be closed all week, possibly longer. Sorry for the inconvenience, but don't bother complaining. P.S. Lorelai—come to the inn.)
(Camera cuts to LORELAI driving down a road towards the inn. She turns onto a dirt road and travels for a moment, then hits the breaks. There's a line of cars parked along the side of the road. She gazes for a moment, parks, gets out, and walks the rest of the way, looking bewildered by the cars. At the end of the road she stops dead.)
Lorelai: Oh my god...
(La-las play in the background. Camera pans across the grounds of the inn, where dozens of townspeople are working industriously, building, painting, etc. Fade out on LORELAI looking shocked.)

(Second commercial break.)