Author's Note: Wow! It's been such a long time! I'm so sorry guys and I
hope that anyone who was reading this will continue reading it. Basically,
my life got incredibly crazy with school and softball and swimming and
exams. and just everything! But I'm back now. YAY! lol Oh, and thanks for
all of the great reviews! And I just want to tackle an issue that several
people have asked me about: why is it such a big deal that Rory's going to
college if she's only going to be about three hours away? Well, to answer
that: Rory and Lorelai are used to being around each other all the time.
this is a complete change in their normal schedules. And three hours can
be a lot more than it seems when it's six hours round trip. Just think
about the changes that would take place.
Oh, and FYI. I've decided that Lane's mother is sending her to some sort of Korean University that's nearby. I have no idea if one really exists or not. but just go with it. lol Oh, and Jess is going to the University of Connecticut (aka UConn).
Alright, now moving on. this is in Rory's POV. I hope you like it. And, as always, please remember to review.
Disclaimer: I still do not own the Gilmore Girls or anything associated with them, so please don't sue me. Plus, I'm still young (although I will be 14 in a week. YAY! haha) and I really don't have anything to give you.
~*~
I opened my eyes and could see that it was obviously morning. The sun was gleaming through the windows. It was a second before I realized where I was. I was still in my mom's bed and her arms were wrapped securely around me. It reminded me of how they used to be when I crawled into her bed after nightmares when I was little.
I sighed. I might have forgotten where I was, but at no time did I forget that today was the day that I was leaving behind my old life and practically starting over. It truly scared me and it truly upset me, but I couldn't help feeling excited at the same time. The fact that I already knew Alexa and knew that we would probably be really great friends was comforting. And, of course, Tristan would be there.
After pulling myself away from my thoughts, I looked at the alarm clock next to Mom's bed. It read 8:00. I sighed yet again and rolled out of bed. With the change in my position, Mom woke up, but slowly.
She yawned. "What time is it, Rory?"
"8:00. I think I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. I'm all packed, so then we can go to Luke's afterwards. That way I can say good- bye there, rather than making them come over here later," I said.
Mom got up and walked over to her dresser. "Ok sweets, that sounds fine. I think I'll just shower later anyways."
"Ok." I left her room and went down to mine. As I stepped inside my room I sighed for the third time that morning. Although nowhere near empty, the room lacked its former state of normalcy. I tried to shake off the effect that the differences in my room had on me and began to get ready.
Half an hour later, I was dressed and ready to go to the diner. I walked out into the kitchen, where Mom was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine of some sort. She looked up at me. "Ready to go?"
I nodded and she got up, smiled and put an arm around me.
"It won't be so bad, Rory, you'll see." I knew she was talking about saying good-bye. She was aware that I already knew that Harvard wouldn't be bad at all.
When we got to the diner, we found the closed sign hanging, but next to it we found an envelope hanging, addressed to us. Mom opened it and read "Meet me upstairs. -Luke." I looked at her and shrugged. She opened the door to an empty diner and looked around for a moment while I headed straight for the stairs. Mom followed closely behind me.
When I opened the door to Luke's apartment I was greeted with a shock.
"SURPRISE!"
Lane, Sookie, Luke and Jess were all standing there looking pleased with my stunned face. I whirled around and looked at my mom who was smiling. "You knew about this!" I accused her.
She tried to pull off an innocent look. "Of course not!"
Luke's voice came from behind me. "Liar."
"But. I mean. why?!" I asked as I walked in.
"We had fun at your big party and we thought you did too, but we wanted to do something special just from us," Sookie answered.
"And my mom actually let me come!" Lane said with great excitement.
"Thanks you guys. Really. You didn't have to," I said, blushing.
Jess shrugged. "We wanted to."
I smiled.
Mom, who was now standing next to me, was fidgeting like a little girl. "All right, as much as I hate to break up this little love fest, where's the coffee?! I'm currently going through withdrawal"
I'm happy to say that Mom got her coffee and survived and so did I. The party was great. It had everything that I was going to miss most in Stars Hollow: Mom, Luke, Lane, Jess, Sookie and Luke's coffee. I never wanted it to be over. I didn't want to leave. But all good things must come to an end sooner or later. It was eventually time for Mom and me to go home. Besides that, Luke and Jess had to finally open the diner and Sookie had to get to the inn and Lane had to get home before her mother sent out a search party.
Sookie came up to me. "I have to go honey. The inn needs me."
I grew sad. "I'm going to miss you, Sookie."
She gave me a hug. "Oh, I'm going to miss you too, sweetie. You call me if you're not getting good food, understand?" She kissed the top of my head and pulled away.
I nodded. "I'll come and visit all the time. I promise."
She smiled. "I know you will, angel. I know you will." Her eyes teared up and she waved good-bye and left quickly.
"Rory! I'm going to miss you so much!" Lane practically threw herself on top of me and I had to try hard not to laugh. But, boy, was I going to miss my best friend.
"I'll miss you too! So much! But remember, we have the telephone schedule worked out. So we'll talk at least every two days." I tried to comfort her.
"It's not the same."
"No, it's not. But it's something."
"I'm going to be all alone without you." Lane was crying now.
"No, don't cry! You're making me cry!" Tears streamed down my face.
We hugged each other and held on for a long time. Then Lane pulled away and walked backwards to the door. "Bye Rory."
I sobbed. "Bye Lane." And she left.
I kept crying and my mom gave me a hug. It did help a little, but nothing could have made me feel better at that particular moment.
Luke and Jess stood there awkwardly for a moment, but I dried my eyes and tried to smile. "Thanks for everything, you guys."
Jess walked over and hugged me. I remembered a time long ago when I had a crush on him. The thought made me smile because now he was one of my best friends and I liked it much better that way. "I'll miss you, Rory."
"I'll miss you too Jess. You'll do great at UConn." I was still proud of him for getting accepted there and I knew he was too.
"And you will do great, as usual, in fulfilling your dreams." I smiled and so did he. He turned to Luke. "I'm going to open now, okay?"
Luke nodded then walked over and wrapped me in a bear hug as Jess left. He made me feel safe. "If you need anything at all, don't you hesitate to call me. I mean it. Anything."
"Thank you, Luke. Not just for that and not just for today, but for everything you've done for Mom and me. Just thank you." He blushed slightly and I gave him a kiss on the cheek. I would miss my fatherly protector and coffee supplier.
Mom, Luke and I walked down to the diner. Mom and I each got another cup of coffee and I said good-bye one final time. And then we left.
As we left the diner, I felt like I left a part of me with it. And, yet, I smiled, knowing that if I had left something behind, it would still be there every time I returned. Stars Hollow helped to make me what I was. The diner, my house, the inn, and of course all of the people. they were all such a part of me. I was leaving behind part of me in each of those places and with each person. But I knew that every time I returned home, that part of me would be waiting, along with the people I had known my whole life, the people that truly cared. That fact was enough to keep me smiling. And when my mom looked at me and saw me smiling, she smiled too. That was just another way of her saying that she would always support me. What I felt, she felt and the other way around.
What I learned in my own strange way, is that some things will always change, but others will always be the same. You can always count on them. That's what home is. That's what Mom is.
~*~
Well, even though this is entirely different from what I had originally planned, I am ending the fic right here. However, I will write a sequel picking up exactly where this left off if you all review! Like I said though, you must review if you want a sequel. Otherwise I will never know and there will be no sequel! lol Oh, and I know that because I'm ending this here. I have yet to get to the Java Junkie and Trory good stuff, but I promise that if you all want a sequel, you can count on it there (along with, of course, the normal Gilmore good stuff).
I also want to take this opportunity to once again thank all of you who have reviewed along the way and also my friend Margaret. She has been editing some of the chapters for me and giving me feedback and I truly appreciate it. IF you all want a sequel (remember to tell me by reviewing!!!) it will be a joint fic with Margaret and myself writing.
Oh, and FYI. I've decided that Lane's mother is sending her to some sort of Korean University that's nearby. I have no idea if one really exists or not. but just go with it. lol Oh, and Jess is going to the University of Connecticut (aka UConn).
Alright, now moving on. this is in Rory's POV. I hope you like it. And, as always, please remember to review.
Disclaimer: I still do not own the Gilmore Girls or anything associated with them, so please don't sue me. Plus, I'm still young (although I will be 14 in a week. YAY! haha) and I really don't have anything to give you.
~*~
I opened my eyes and could see that it was obviously morning. The sun was gleaming through the windows. It was a second before I realized where I was. I was still in my mom's bed and her arms were wrapped securely around me. It reminded me of how they used to be when I crawled into her bed after nightmares when I was little.
I sighed. I might have forgotten where I was, but at no time did I forget that today was the day that I was leaving behind my old life and practically starting over. It truly scared me and it truly upset me, but I couldn't help feeling excited at the same time. The fact that I already knew Alexa and knew that we would probably be really great friends was comforting. And, of course, Tristan would be there.
After pulling myself away from my thoughts, I looked at the alarm clock next to Mom's bed. It read 8:00. I sighed yet again and rolled out of bed. With the change in my position, Mom woke up, but slowly.
She yawned. "What time is it, Rory?"
"8:00. I think I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. I'm all packed, so then we can go to Luke's afterwards. That way I can say good- bye there, rather than making them come over here later," I said.
Mom got up and walked over to her dresser. "Ok sweets, that sounds fine. I think I'll just shower later anyways."
"Ok." I left her room and went down to mine. As I stepped inside my room I sighed for the third time that morning. Although nowhere near empty, the room lacked its former state of normalcy. I tried to shake off the effect that the differences in my room had on me and began to get ready.
Half an hour later, I was dressed and ready to go to the diner. I walked out into the kitchen, where Mom was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine of some sort. She looked up at me. "Ready to go?"
I nodded and she got up, smiled and put an arm around me.
"It won't be so bad, Rory, you'll see." I knew she was talking about saying good-bye. She was aware that I already knew that Harvard wouldn't be bad at all.
When we got to the diner, we found the closed sign hanging, but next to it we found an envelope hanging, addressed to us. Mom opened it and read "Meet me upstairs. -Luke." I looked at her and shrugged. She opened the door to an empty diner and looked around for a moment while I headed straight for the stairs. Mom followed closely behind me.
When I opened the door to Luke's apartment I was greeted with a shock.
"SURPRISE!"
Lane, Sookie, Luke and Jess were all standing there looking pleased with my stunned face. I whirled around and looked at my mom who was smiling. "You knew about this!" I accused her.
She tried to pull off an innocent look. "Of course not!"
Luke's voice came from behind me. "Liar."
"But. I mean. why?!" I asked as I walked in.
"We had fun at your big party and we thought you did too, but we wanted to do something special just from us," Sookie answered.
"And my mom actually let me come!" Lane said with great excitement.
"Thanks you guys. Really. You didn't have to," I said, blushing.
Jess shrugged. "We wanted to."
I smiled.
Mom, who was now standing next to me, was fidgeting like a little girl. "All right, as much as I hate to break up this little love fest, where's the coffee?! I'm currently going through withdrawal"
I'm happy to say that Mom got her coffee and survived and so did I. The party was great. It had everything that I was going to miss most in Stars Hollow: Mom, Luke, Lane, Jess, Sookie and Luke's coffee. I never wanted it to be over. I didn't want to leave. But all good things must come to an end sooner or later. It was eventually time for Mom and me to go home. Besides that, Luke and Jess had to finally open the diner and Sookie had to get to the inn and Lane had to get home before her mother sent out a search party.
Sookie came up to me. "I have to go honey. The inn needs me."
I grew sad. "I'm going to miss you, Sookie."
She gave me a hug. "Oh, I'm going to miss you too, sweetie. You call me if you're not getting good food, understand?" She kissed the top of my head and pulled away.
I nodded. "I'll come and visit all the time. I promise."
She smiled. "I know you will, angel. I know you will." Her eyes teared up and she waved good-bye and left quickly.
"Rory! I'm going to miss you so much!" Lane practically threw herself on top of me and I had to try hard not to laugh. But, boy, was I going to miss my best friend.
"I'll miss you too! So much! But remember, we have the telephone schedule worked out. So we'll talk at least every two days." I tried to comfort her.
"It's not the same."
"No, it's not. But it's something."
"I'm going to be all alone without you." Lane was crying now.
"No, don't cry! You're making me cry!" Tears streamed down my face.
We hugged each other and held on for a long time. Then Lane pulled away and walked backwards to the door. "Bye Rory."
I sobbed. "Bye Lane." And she left.
I kept crying and my mom gave me a hug. It did help a little, but nothing could have made me feel better at that particular moment.
Luke and Jess stood there awkwardly for a moment, but I dried my eyes and tried to smile. "Thanks for everything, you guys."
Jess walked over and hugged me. I remembered a time long ago when I had a crush on him. The thought made me smile because now he was one of my best friends and I liked it much better that way. "I'll miss you, Rory."
"I'll miss you too Jess. You'll do great at UConn." I was still proud of him for getting accepted there and I knew he was too.
"And you will do great, as usual, in fulfilling your dreams." I smiled and so did he. He turned to Luke. "I'm going to open now, okay?"
Luke nodded then walked over and wrapped me in a bear hug as Jess left. He made me feel safe. "If you need anything at all, don't you hesitate to call me. I mean it. Anything."
"Thank you, Luke. Not just for that and not just for today, but for everything you've done for Mom and me. Just thank you." He blushed slightly and I gave him a kiss on the cheek. I would miss my fatherly protector and coffee supplier.
Mom, Luke and I walked down to the diner. Mom and I each got another cup of coffee and I said good-bye one final time. And then we left.
As we left the diner, I felt like I left a part of me with it. And, yet, I smiled, knowing that if I had left something behind, it would still be there every time I returned. Stars Hollow helped to make me what I was. The diner, my house, the inn, and of course all of the people. they were all such a part of me. I was leaving behind part of me in each of those places and with each person. But I knew that every time I returned home, that part of me would be waiting, along with the people I had known my whole life, the people that truly cared. That fact was enough to keep me smiling. And when my mom looked at me and saw me smiling, she smiled too. That was just another way of her saying that she would always support me. What I felt, she felt and the other way around.
What I learned in my own strange way, is that some things will always change, but others will always be the same. You can always count on them. That's what home is. That's what Mom is.
~*~
Well, even though this is entirely different from what I had originally planned, I am ending the fic right here. However, I will write a sequel picking up exactly where this left off if you all review! Like I said though, you must review if you want a sequel. Otherwise I will never know and there will be no sequel! lol Oh, and I know that because I'm ending this here. I have yet to get to the Java Junkie and Trory good stuff, but I promise that if you all want a sequel, you can count on it there (along with, of course, the normal Gilmore good stuff).
I also want to take this opportunity to once again thank all of you who have reviewed along the way and also my friend Margaret. She has been editing some of the chapters for me and giving me feedback and I truly appreciate it. IF you all want a sequel (remember to tell me by reviewing!!!) it will be a joint fic with Margaret and myself writing.
