Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and places mentioned.

Title: A Belief in Second Chances.

By: RachelSkye rachelfebruary@yahoo.com

Rating: G. It might change to PG, but I still intend on keeping it between those two.

Introduction

Note: This is my first Gilmore Girls fanfic. It takes place six years after Rory graduates from Yale. This story mainly focuses on Rory and Ari (you'll see who he is in the introductory paragraph). I intend to add chapters with a lot of Lorelai, Paris, Lane, and Luke in it. I hope you all enjoy it, even though it might suck. I just write as I go along! Here it is:

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Rory Gilmore was a young journalist working for a well-established newspaper in Connecticut. Everything in Rory's life has been going surprisingly perfect. She never would have imagined how one unexpected event would lead to a life of bliss. It had been six years since she graduated from Yale, and almost five years since the birth of her son, Ari. Ari was a free-spirited boy with curly dark hair, and deep blue eyes like his mother. Of course, Rory didn't expect to have a child this early in her life. She was just out of college and didn't even have a job at the time. While she was pregnant, though, Rory found a job that she liked in journalism. It had always been her dream to travel the world, giving interviews to world-famous people, but being expectant with Ari, Rory chose a journalism job closer to her home in Stars Hollow. This job would allow Rory to be closer to her mother, her friends, and especially her baby.

While pregnant, Rory found a nice little house that she could afford with her new job in Stars Hollow. It was just enough room for her and her new baby. It was also fairly inexpensive because Rory still had to pay off the loan she took out from her grandparents to go to Yale. Rory knew that her child came first, but it was also a priority to her to pay off her loan soon. She wanted to get it over with because her grandparent still didn't know that she was having a child.

Now, almost five years after having Ari, Rory had just one more payment to give to her grandparents. After that, she didn't owe them a dime. They still didn't know about Ari, and Rory intended to keep it that way. If they had known about their great-grandson all along, they would have never accepted the money in the first place.

Rory sat on a bench by the Stars Hollow Pre-School waiting for Ari to get out of school. It had been such a long time since Rory had talked to Lane who was still working at her family's antique shop. When Rory came back to Stars Hollow pregnant, Lane was there for her. Lane and her mother were the only two people who supported Rory in raising Ari. Since they graduated from college, Rory hadn't heard from Paris. She just assumed that Paris was some world leader or whatever she wanted to be. Unlike Rory, Paris had the opportunity to be whatever she wanted be, to go wherever she wanted to, to do whatever she wanted to do. At times Rory felt jealous because Paris could do all this, while she had to drown her dream of being a big time journalist. After seeing Ari, though, Rory knew that there was no better job than the one of being a mother. It was more fulfilling than any other job could be.

Rory didn't think of Paris all the time. Most of the time she thought about Ari's father. They reunited, after dating in high school, and rekindled their relationship. A few weeks later, Rory found out she was pregnant. It was right before she was graduating from Yale. Her mother, grandparents, and all her friends were there to see her graduate, and Rory didn't have the time to worry about her pregnancy. After her graduation, though, Ari's father was gone. Rory didn't even tell him about her pregnancy. Almost five years later, Rory still hadn't seen or heard from Ari's dad.

Things were fine though. Rory and Ari were happy together. Rory was able to work, for the most part, from home, so she and Ari were able to spend a lot of time together. Ari also spent a lot of time with Grandma, or as Lorelai wanted him to call her, Gran. She said it sounded a lot hipper than grandma, and Lorelai intended on being a cool grandmother. She was the type who let the two of them pig out on chocolate chip ice cream whenever he visited her. In many ways Ari was like his mother and grandmother. He was extremely independent and free-spirited like Lorelai, but he also loved to read and was very responsible like Rory. Ari Gilmore was the perfect boy and the perfect son.

At noon the kids were released from school. Rory noticed Ari with his bouncing curly hair as he ran up to her. Rory got up from the bench as Ari ran into her, hugging Rory's legs. Rory picked up Ari in her arms, and brushed back his hair from his face.

"Hi Mommy!' Ari exclaimed smiling.

"Why hi there," Rory said smiling back. "How was school?"

"Fine," replied Ari. "What are we doing today?"

"I think we should go visit Aunt Lane today. How does that sound?"

"Great!" Ari yelled raising his arms with excitement.

Truthfully, though, Rory couldn't think of anything. Her mind was totally preoccupied with something else, and seeing Ari just provoked it more and more; Ari's father.

To Be Continued

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Have you all guess who Ari's dad is? It's really obvious. If you don't know it, here a hint: look at the name! I appreciate your comments, so respond if you'd like.