Never Too Late
Summary: L/C. Set ten years in the future. Something terrible happens that makes Christopher re-examine his life and finally choose between the mother of his baby and the woman he loves.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone you recognize. Cassy and anyone else you don't recognise are mine.
A/N: The title sucks, so that's subject to change. A few other notes about the fic -- Christopher and Sherry are still married, and Gigi is ten. Lorelai is still single, owns the inn with Sookie, and has a nine-year-old daughter named Cassandra Lorelai Gilmore, whose father is out of the picture. Sookie is still married to Jackson, and they have four kids, ten-year-old Jake, nine-year-old Kyle, eight-year-old Sarah, and seven-year-old Jalie. Rory has graduated from Yale and lives in an apartment with Laine and Paris on the outskirts of Stars Hollow, where she's a high school English teacher. After a failed engagement to Jess, she's now single and happy. She sees Gigi and her father regularly, but is with her mother and Cassy every day. Also, she kept the Friday-night family dinner with her grandparents a tradition even after she paid back thei loan, and got Lorelai and Cassy into it as well.
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Lorelai rushed around her room, looking for her other shoe. There was an important dinner tonight at the inn for one of it's wealthiest guests, and she absolutely had to be there. Being there on time was another story. In addition to the shoe, she only had on one earring, Rory wasn't there yet, and in short, Lorelai was running late.
"Mommy, I found it!" called Cassy. The little girl ran in, holding her mother's other earring triumphantly. "It was on the coffee table, in the living room."
"Thanks, babe," Lorelai said, taking the earring. As she was putting it in, she heard the front door open and close.
"Mom, Cassy!" Rory yelled.
"Upstairs!" Lorelai hollered back.
Rory appeared in the doorway behind Cassy, and scooped up her little sister. Cassy giggled as Rory twirled her around, then set her down next to their mother. "Hi, mom," Rory greeted.
"Hey, sweetie," Lorelai returned, looking around.
Rory took one look at her mother's mismatched feet, lay down on the bed, reached under, and pulled out the missing shoe.
"You found it!" Lorelai squealed. She gave her older daughter a kiss while slipping the shoe on. "You are amazing."
"I lived with you for eighteen years," Rory countered. "I know where you throw your shoes. I also know how long it takes you to find them. You, my friend, are officially late."
Lorelai glanced at her alarm clock, and cursed under her breath. She hurried downstairs, with Rory and Cassy close behind.
"Now you be good," she said, kissing both of her daughters good-bye. "You know where to reach me. I shouldn't be home too late. Love you both."
"Love you too, Mom," the girls chorused. Lorelai left, and Rory took Cassy into the living room to watch TV.
"What movie did you rent?" Rory asked.
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," Cassy replied. "Mom wanted something involving candy."
Rory smiled. "Mom usually does." She started the movie for Cassy, and then went into the kitchen to make popcorn. When she went back into the living room, Cassy was already absorbed in the movie. Rory sat down next to her on the floor, and put the bowl of popcorn on the table behind them. Cassy curled up against Rory, and the sisters continued to watch the movie together.
Toward the end of the movie, Cassy fell asleep, so Rory carried her into her bedroom, Rory's old room. After tucking her in and kissing her good-night, she slipped back out into the hallway. She went into the living room to see the end of the movie when the phone rang.
"Hello?" she answered, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Cassy.
"Rory, it's me," came Sookie's voice. "Is your mom there?"
"No," Rory said slowly. "Isn't she there?"
Sookie sighed on the other end. "No, honey, she never showed up. I thought she was just late or something, I mean, that's Lorelai, but she was supposed to be here over an hour ago. I'm really worried."
Rory swallowed hard, trying to fight down a rising panic. "Oh, well, I'll call around, and let you know if she turns up."
"Thanks, sweetie," Sookie said.
Rory hung up the phone, hands shaking. She looked out the window, half expecting to see her mother's car in the driveway, but she couldn't see anything. It was late, and pitch-black outside.
Forcing herself to calm down, she went back to the phone and dialed Lorelai's cell. There was no answer, so she left a message on the voicemail and hung up. Ten minutes passed, and Lorelai didn't call back, so Rory called her again. Still no answer. After five or six more tries, Lorelai still wasn't picking up. Now Rory was really getting scared. In all her twenty-eight years, this was the first time that she had no idea where her mother was or how to reach her.
For lack of anything better to do, she paced around the living room, trying to organize her thoughts. Lorelai was missing. She wasn't where she'd said she'd be, and she wouldn't or couldn't answer her phone. None of this was making Rory feel any better.
Finally, about half an hour after Sookie's call, the phone rang. Rory dove for it. "Mom?" she asked hopefully.
The voice on the other end was not Lorelai's. "Is this Rory Gilmore?"
"Y-yes," Rory stammered.
"Ms. Gilmore, this is Dr. Mark Andrews, from Hartford Regional Hospital. Your mother has been in an accident..."
Summary: L/C. Set ten years in the future. Something terrible happens that makes Christopher re-examine his life and finally choose between the mother of his baby and the woman he loves.
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone you recognize. Cassy and anyone else you don't recognise are mine.
A/N: The title sucks, so that's subject to change. A few other notes about the fic -- Christopher and Sherry are still married, and Gigi is ten. Lorelai is still single, owns the inn with Sookie, and has a nine-year-old daughter named Cassandra Lorelai Gilmore, whose father is out of the picture. Sookie is still married to Jackson, and they have four kids, ten-year-old Jake, nine-year-old Kyle, eight-year-old Sarah, and seven-year-old Jalie. Rory has graduated from Yale and lives in an apartment with Laine and Paris on the outskirts of Stars Hollow, where she's a high school English teacher. After a failed engagement to Jess, she's now single and happy. She sees Gigi and her father regularly, but is with her mother and Cassy every day. Also, she kept the Friday-night family dinner with her grandparents a tradition even after she paid back thei loan, and got Lorelai and Cassy into it as well.
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Lorelai rushed around her room, looking for her other shoe. There was an important dinner tonight at the inn for one of it's wealthiest guests, and she absolutely had to be there. Being there on time was another story. In addition to the shoe, she only had on one earring, Rory wasn't there yet, and in short, Lorelai was running late.
"Mommy, I found it!" called Cassy. The little girl ran in, holding her mother's other earring triumphantly. "It was on the coffee table, in the living room."
"Thanks, babe," Lorelai said, taking the earring. As she was putting it in, she heard the front door open and close.
"Mom, Cassy!" Rory yelled.
"Upstairs!" Lorelai hollered back.
Rory appeared in the doorway behind Cassy, and scooped up her little sister. Cassy giggled as Rory twirled her around, then set her down next to their mother. "Hi, mom," Rory greeted.
"Hey, sweetie," Lorelai returned, looking around.
Rory took one look at her mother's mismatched feet, lay down on the bed, reached under, and pulled out the missing shoe.
"You found it!" Lorelai squealed. She gave her older daughter a kiss while slipping the shoe on. "You are amazing."
"I lived with you for eighteen years," Rory countered. "I know where you throw your shoes. I also know how long it takes you to find them. You, my friend, are officially late."
Lorelai glanced at her alarm clock, and cursed under her breath. She hurried downstairs, with Rory and Cassy close behind.
"Now you be good," she said, kissing both of her daughters good-bye. "You know where to reach me. I shouldn't be home too late. Love you both."
"Love you too, Mom," the girls chorused. Lorelai left, and Rory took Cassy into the living room to watch TV.
"What movie did you rent?" Rory asked.
"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," Cassy replied. "Mom wanted something involving candy."
Rory smiled. "Mom usually does." She started the movie for Cassy, and then went into the kitchen to make popcorn. When she went back into the living room, Cassy was already absorbed in the movie. Rory sat down next to her on the floor, and put the bowl of popcorn on the table behind them. Cassy curled up against Rory, and the sisters continued to watch the movie together.
Toward the end of the movie, Cassy fell asleep, so Rory carried her into her bedroom, Rory's old room. After tucking her in and kissing her good-night, she slipped back out into the hallway. She went into the living room to see the end of the movie when the phone rang.
"Hello?" she answered, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Cassy.
"Rory, it's me," came Sookie's voice. "Is your mom there?"
"No," Rory said slowly. "Isn't she there?"
Sookie sighed on the other end. "No, honey, she never showed up. I thought she was just late or something, I mean, that's Lorelai, but she was supposed to be here over an hour ago. I'm really worried."
Rory swallowed hard, trying to fight down a rising panic. "Oh, well, I'll call around, and let you know if she turns up."
"Thanks, sweetie," Sookie said.
Rory hung up the phone, hands shaking. She looked out the window, half expecting to see her mother's car in the driveway, but she couldn't see anything. It was late, and pitch-black outside.
Forcing herself to calm down, she went back to the phone and dialed Lorelai's cell. There was no answer, so she left a message on the voicemail and hung up. Ten minutes passed, and Lorelai didn't call back, so Rory called her again. Still no answer. After five or six more tries, Lorelai still wasn't picking up. Now Rory was really getting scared. In all her twenty-eight years, this was the first time that she had no idea where her mother was or how to reach her.
For lack of anything better to do, she paced around the living room, trying to organize her thoughts. Lorelai was missing. She wasn't where she'd said she'd be, and she wouldn't or couldn't answer her phone. None of this was making Rory feel any better.
Finally, about half an hour after Sookie's call, the phone rang. Rory dove for it. "Mom?" she asked hopefully.
The voice on the other end was not Lorelai's. "Is this Rory Gilmore?"
"Y-yes," Rory stammered.
"Ms. Gilmore, this is Dr. Mark Andrews, from Hartford Regional Hospital. Your mother has been in an accident..."