Act 3

On Saturday morning, Rory woke up to the phone ringing. "Hello," she answered it groggily.

"Good morning this is the nine o'clock wake up call for Ms. Gilmore," the front desk girl said over the line.

"Thank-you," she said and hung up the phone. Rory sighed heavily and sat up in bed rubbing her eyes.

"Billy," mumbled Lane from her bed, drawing Rory's attention. "It's a nice day for a white wedding."

Rory smiled at Lane's Billy Idol dream and trudged into the shower. Her dad was supposed to pick her up at ten, not too early, but they didn't get back to the hotel until late Friday night and Rory was still tired. Land and the guys had several appointments scheduled at houses around town. Rory still hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her about the previous night's comments.

Rory dressed quickly after her shower and packed her stuff into her bag. She wrote Lane a note to say she'd see her on Sunday and to call her later on her cell. She unlocked the deadbolt and chain on the door and slipped out into the hall.

"Rory," a voice behind her caused her to jump. She turned around to see Dave holding a Starbucks cup.

"Don't do that," she yelped and then laughed at herself.

"Sorry," he smiled. "I was hoping to catch you before you left." He offered her the coffee as a peace offering.

"Why, what's up?" she asked him and sipped the coffee gratefully. They began the walk downstairs to the restaurant.

"Do you want to get some food?" he asked her, avoiding the subject.

"Food and coffee," Rory smiled and followed him to a table. "You just said the magic words." The waiter brought them menus and they ordered. Once he was gone, Rory turned to Dave. "So?"

"Well, I wanted to take Lane out somewhere nice for dinner tonight," Dave said. "You'll be gone so she won't be doing anything else. I was just wondering if you know any nice places in Boston; I've never really been here before."

Rory wasn't completely sure; she explained to him that she'd only visited the city a few times. "One time my Mom and I found this little theater that played old movies," she suggested. "We saw Some Like It Hot. If the theatre is still here maybe you guys could start there."

"Okay," Dave nodded. "Sounds retro, right up Lane's alley." The waited brought them their drinks, two coffees, and Rory asked him for a phone book. Dave got the number and phoned the theatre, listening to the automated recording. "They're playing Ocean's eleven," he told Rory as he hung up.

"New or old version?" Rory asked him.

"Old," Dave replied with a grin and Rory could tell that he knew exactly what kind of movie Lane would like.

"Sounds good, Lane loves old Blue Eyes," Rory grinned as well. "Excuse me, could you tell us where we'd find a good Italian restaurant?" she asked the waiter when he brought their food.

"Bellini's on Grant and fourth has great food, but you better make reservations now, they get busy on weekends," the waiter told them and then drifted off to his next table once they thanked him.

"Okay, so we have dinner and a movie." Dave said thoughtfully. "We need something else, a stand by."

"Do you dance?" Rory asked him, Dave shrugged. "Go somewhere cool, with old swing or big band music. It's fun to dance to and you can look stupid doing it. Lane loves to get dressed up and she can have fun doing it."

"Okay," Dave flipped the phone book to the yellow pages and searched through the nightclubs listings. "How about.Alley Catz Piano and Jazz Bar?" Dave looked up at Rory for her opinion.

"That sounds cool," Rory nodded. "And it's down town so if it's lame then you guys can find something else to do."

"Gee Rory," Dave joked. "They said you were smart but I didn't think you were a date expert either."

"Well, I AM more than just a pretty face," she flipped her hair over her shoulder mockingly then smiled. "Actually, Lane and I used to plan out pretend dates and that was one that she picked, for the most part. She's going to be so psyched about this!"

Dave laughed and they finished their meals, coffee and paid the bill. Rory checked her watch and noticed that it was five minutes to ten. Dave waited outside with her until a shiny new Explorer pulled up in front of them-the one that her dad traded his Volvo in for after Gigi was born. "That's them," Rory noticed Sherri in the drivers seat.

"Okay," Dave got ready to go. "Thanks for your help Rory. Have a good time with your dad."

"Bye," she waved as Dave walked back into the hotel. She picked up her bag and approached the SUV. It was an odd beige/tan color that only Sherri could have picked out. Rory almost rolled her eyes when Sherri jumped out of the drivers seat, and overjoyed expression on her face.

"Rory," Sherri squealed and gave Rory a bone-crushing hug. For such a tiny woman Rory thought that she was freakishly strong. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too," Rory got in gasping for breath after the hug, and Sherri continued her hyper ranting.

"It's been so long, let me get your bag," Sherri yanked the bag off of Rory's shoulder and put it in the back seat. "I was looking forward to seeing you more often but now that you're not going to Harvard I guess that probably won't happen. Well, I guess we'll just have to make the most of the time that we do have. How's your mom?"

"She's fine," Rory replied, her head spinning. She thought that Lorelai talked fast!

"Good. Hop in," Sherri got into the driver's seat and Rory walked around to the empty passenger seat.

"Where's my Dad?" she asked Sherri. "He was supposed to pick me up."

"Oh, he had to go into work today," Sherri yammered on. "He'll be home before dinner though." Rory nodded that she understood, but couldn't help but feel upset that they didn't get to spend the day together. She pretended to turn around and play with Gigi, who was in the back seat in her car seat, so that Sherri wouldn't see the tears forming in Rory's eyes at the fact that Chris blew her off again.

They arrived quickly at the townhouse, thanks to Sherri's insane driving. Rory stumbled out of the SUV, thankful to be on solid ground, and worried that Sherri's driving would someday hurt her little sister. Rory grabbed her bag out of the back seat and followed Sherri and Gigi into the house.

The foyer of the house was just as Rory remembered it, as was the rest of the place, with the exception of the nursery. Gigi's room was a bright pink color with puffy pink curtains and a matching blanket. "I thought green was the new pink?" Rory asked Sherri as they put Gigi down for a nap.

"What? No! Pink is in this summer," Sherri said, sounding as if it was an important fact. Rory nodded that she understood. The rest of the day passed quickly, as Sherri kept receiving very important business calls.

"Aren't you on maternity leave?" Rory had asked her once.

"I'm only on leave from the office, not my clients," Sherri said as if she was thinking 'man, I thought she was supposed to be smart'. After that, Rory occupied herself with Chris's excellent CD collection.

At around five o'clock, the front door opened again. "Hello?" Chris cried out as he walked into the foyer. "Anybody home?"

Rory jumped up from her spot on the couch; even if she was upset about her dad not going to her graduation, she still wanted to see him. "Rory!" Chris smiled as he came into the living room.

"Hi Dad," Rory smiled and gave him a hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he hugged her back and kissed her forehead. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Rory said and they sat down on the couch. "How are you?"

"Fine," he smiled and leaned back to get comfortable.

"Oh!" she jumped up from the couch. "I brought souvenirs from Europe for all of you, and pictures." She grabbed her bag and pulled out some things.

Sherri came into the room then and squealed in delight when she saw jewelry in Rory's hand. "What have you got there?" she asked, sitting beside Chris and giving him a kiss that made Rory want to cringe.

"Oh," Rory handed her a gold watch. "This one's for you, from Switzerland. I got Georgia this," she refused to call her Gigi out loud still. She handed Chris a white blanket with very fine lace around the edge. "From Brussels." Sherri squealed again and grabbed the blanket, fingering the delicate lace. Chris and Rory both struggled not to laugh out loud at her excitement.

"Ok me! What about me?" Chris clapped his hands as he joked with her. "What'd you get me?"

Rory smiled and pulled a flat box out of her bag. "It's a vintage, mint condition, 45 that I picked up in Munich," she teased slowly and smiled at Chris's pleading expression for her to continue. "Benny Goodman, just like the swing kids had."

Chris looked surprised. "No way," he didn't believe her. She handed him the record and his mouth dropped. "Rory! This is so great, thank-you!" Rory smiled as Chris hugged her tight. Sherri looked over the cover with a confused look on her face.

"Who?" she asked and Chris stared back at her incredulously.

* * *

"So how much fun are you having?" Lorelai asked Rory over the phone later that night.

"Quite a bit," Rory said honestly. "Dad and I were just about to go through the pictures. Oh, and he liked the record."

"I'll bet he did," Lorelai said as she flipped through the paper.

"How was last night's dinner?" Rory asked fearfully, expecting the worst.

"It was great," Lorelai said sounding surprised herself. "They all love Luke."

"Who doesn't?" Rory quipped.

"The Applebee's were there," Lorelai continued. "They were great, and Dad even asked Luke to play in his company's charity softball tournament thingy next month."

"Really?" Rory was surprised. "What's the difference between softball and baseball anyways?"

"Softball has bigger balls," Lorelai replied and Rory snickered. "Dirty!"

"Sorry, it was just too easy," Rory smiled, not at all sorry.

"Yeah, yeah," Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Okay babe, you go hang out with your dad."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," Rory said. "Love you."

"You too," Lorelai called out. "Bye."

"Bye," Rory hung up the phone.

"Come on kiddo," Chris called from the table. Rory smiled and sat with him at the table. "So which first? Europe or Graduation?"

Rory pushed the graduation photos to the side, not really wanting to think about that just then. "Europe," she answered quickly. Chris pulled out the first packet of Europe pictures, but Rory stopped him. "There's a system," she said seriously.

"There is?" he asked.

"No," she smiled. "I just thought it would be fun to freak you out." He rolled his eyes and asked her where the first pack was from. "That one's London and part of Cambridge."

They progressed through most of England until they came to the Oxford pictures. "I like these ones," he told her. "Nice campus."

Rory smiled. "That's what Luke said," she told him. Chris smiled tightly and looked like he wanted to comment, but held it back.

"Next we go to France," Rory told him. "Mom made sure I took two copies of this one because she wanted you to have one." Rory handed him a print of Lorelai pretending to sleep on a bench in Paris, using her backpack as a pillow. "She didn't tell me why though."

Chris fingered the corner of the picture and smiled. "I know why." he remembered fondly. Rory looked at him curiously but didn't ask him to explain, so they moved on. "What's this?" he asked her, handing her a picture of a sign reading 'Luke's' in fancy script.

"Oh, that's the sign that Mom and I got for Luke in Paris," Rory laughed. "Mom and I argued with the owner for an hour before he finally gave it to us. Luke hung it up outside the diner last week.what?" she asked noticing the annoyed look on Chris's face.

"Nothing," he shook his head, trying to overcome the sudden sense of jealousy that overcame him at the thought of his girls spending all of that effort on another guy. They finished up the Europe pictures, with Chris's favorites being the one's of Rory at the Eiffel Tower and Lorelai trying to push the leaning tower of Pisa straight up again. "Do you want some coffee?" he asked her before they started on the grad pictures.

"Do you have to ask?" she joked.

"You certainly are your mother's daughter," he told her fondly as he brewed up a fresh pot.

"I've been told that," she smiled and waited for her coffee. Once it was ready he poured her a huge cup and joined her at the table again. "Okay," Rory pulled out the grad photos. "These are of the ceremony," she plunked five stacks of pictures down in front of Chris. "These three are the after ceremony pictures and these six are the party pictures."

Chris looked stunned. "You took this many pictures of graduation? Oh my god!" he laughed and pulled out the first stack of ceremony pictures.

"Mom gave Sookie picture duty, since Luke and Jackson are unable to take a decent picture and she was blubbering the whole time," Rory explained. "Sookie gets a little nuts when given a camera."

"I can see that," he laughed. There were many pictures of the Dean of Chilton, a ton of Rory giving her speech, some of Paris and Brad doing their air quotes and songs, a couple of Luke and Jackson crying, Emily and Richard looking proud. There were also a complete roll of Rory getting her diploma, holding her diploma, walking with her diploma, sitting with her diploma, etc. Many pictures of Lorelai also adorned the piles.

Chris looked proudly at one of Rory holding her diploma and smiling. "Can I have this one?" he asked her.

"Sure take whatever you want," she waved her hand dismissively. "We have the negatives and Mom made slides."

Chris set the picture with the shot of Lorelai on the bench and they dove into the after ceremony pictures. There were a bunch of different group shots of Rory and Lorelai, Emily and Richard, Sookie, Jackson, Luke, Paris, Madeline and Louise. Chris and Rory laughed at one shot of Madeline and Louise trying to look seductive for the camera in their caps and gowns, and at a shot of Rory trying to take Paris's gavel away.

Rory heard her father suck in a deep breath when he saw the pictures of Rory and Luke, some of them with Lorelai as well. "So Luke was there?" he tried to ask casually.

"Huh?" Rory looked over at the picture in his hand; Luke, Lorelai and Rory smiling together. "Yeah, he was there."

"Oh, is he seeing your Mom now?" Chris asked.

"No," she shrugged, not really wanting to get into Luke and Lorelai's relationship again - especially with her father. "I asked him."

"Oh," Chris replied, then: "Why?"

"Why not?" Rory looked annoyed and a little defensive. "He's Luke."

"What does that mean exactly?" Chris turned slightly red.

"Why does it have to mean something?" Rory didn't understand what her Dad's problem with Luke was. "I asked him and he came; he always comes."

"So he's after Lorelai," Chris said, as if Luke was scheming. "I knew he was into her, he always has been."

"Why don't you like him?" Rory demanded, her voice slightly louder and obviously annoyed now.

"I didn't say that," Chris defended himself.

"Is it because Mom and I like him?" Rory didn't listen to him and jumped up from her seat, as if to make her point more respected. "Or is it because he's always around and you never are?"

"Rory!" Chris stood up as well. "You know I wanted to see you more, I just- "

"But you never do!" she cried and grabbed the pictures he was looking at, putting them back into their envelopes. "You're never around, and you never were! Why is that the guy that owns the diner had more of a part in raising me than you did? You just weren't willing to make the effort to see me, or Mom. You weren't there for anything DAD!"

"Rory, that's not true," he tried to calm her down. Sherri came into the kitchen to see what was going on, but they paid no attention to her. "I wanted to be there Rory, you know that-"

"Stop that!" she cried.

"Stop what?" Chris cried out in confusion. Rory gathered up the pictures and started packing them into her bag.

"Stop saying my name like that," she yelled and tears started to creep down her cheeks. "Like you care about me! If you really cared about me you wouldn't have ignored me for fifteen years. I was just the daughter you had every time you felt the urge to see the East coast again."

"Rory no! That's not true; I love you!" he tried to grab her shoulder but she pulled away.

"That's never really been the problem Dad," she said sadly. "I know you love me, you just didn't want me."

"Rory stop it!" Chris said, his tone commanding and telling her that he'd had enough. "I get that you're mad honey, I really do. I'm sorry I wasn't around much when you were younger and I'm sorry that I had to miss your graduation; I wanted to be there. And I never want you to doubt how much I've loved having you in my life."

"That's the thing though, I was NEVER in your life. I was just someone you visited like an old friend from high school; ten times in as many years. You move to Boston and think that Mom and I would just jump at the chance to be with you," she took a shaky breath. "All because you felt guilty for pushing us away for fifteen years. Well now I'm older, and Mom's wised up, and we're not going to do it anymore! So take my advice Dad, don't screw this one up. You've replaced Mom with Sherri and you have a brand new daughter to use to ease your guilt about me. You have a new family now," she threw him a group picture of herself, Luke, Lorelai. "I guess it's just a matter of time before you're replaced too."

Rory turned and walked out of the kitchen, pointedly ignoring the tears that were beginning to leak out of Chris's eyes. She grabbed her jacked off of the couch. Chris and Sherri ran after her into the living room. "Rory," Sherri said quietly. "You don't have to go."

"I do," Rory said to her. "Say goodbye to Gigi for me." She turned to her father and sighed, her face full of pain. "Bye Dad."

She was out the door before Chris could reply. On the steps, she stood for a moment in shock. Suddenly, she began to cry, real gut-wrenching sobs. Her mind was racing; not only had she just had a huge fight with her father, but he hadn't come after her. After all of her words of not feeling wanted, he didn't even come after her. 'I left and he let me go,' she thought to herself sadly.

Rory wiped her tears away as best she could and pulled out her cell phone. She called a cab to bring her back to the hotel.

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