Author's note: Argh! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in… how long has it
been? Forever, anyway. I've been busy with finals, and then finding a
job, and then signing up for a summer session class, and then taking said
class and working at the job I found… you get the picture. I actually had
to reread the fic to remember what exactly I'd written. *sigh* Anyway,
here goes….
Disclaimer: Since I kept forgetting to put this in before, I'll do it now to save my sorry butt from any potential lawsuits—please don't sue me—I do have a decent amount of money now, but I also have a $500 tuition bill to pay out of pocket and a car insurance bill… so, I own nothing. Not the characters, not the names, nada, with the exception of the people I've created for my own amusement.
And without further ado, here we go!
Lorelei and Rory skipped down the road to the Inn, both excited at this prospect of a new person and what she'd be like. As they approached the building, they simultaneously slowed down and smoothed out their clothing. No matter how excited they were, they knew that Mia was still hurting over the loss of her daughter and son-in-law. The two Gilmores strode into the inn's dining room and located Mia in the far corner. Mia stood as they approached her, embracing Rory and then Lorelei.
"Rory, you are more and more beautiful each time I see you."
"Aw, Mia, thank you," Rory replied.
The three women sat down at the table and placed their drink orders with the waiter who smiled at Lorelei and then bustled off. Mia clasped her hands together underneath her chin and looked at Rory and then at Lorelei.
"Well girls, I hate to start the dinner conversation out so suddenly and with such a heavy subject, but I just need to know. Have you made a decision?"
Lorelei glanced at her daughter before answering for both of them. "Yes, we'd love to have Sara live with us, as long as that's what she wants too. I think what we need to do now is iron out the necessary details—when she'll be here, where she'll go to school, all of that good stuff."
Mia sighed with relief and broke into a wide smile—the first sign of happiness Lorelei had seen on her face since picking her up from the airport that afternoon.
"Oh, thank you so much. I can't tell you how much it means to me for the two of you to be so generous. Now, to get down to business. Sara is incredibly intelligent. The public school system in her hometown has an excellent reputation, probably due to the fact that a lot of senators and congressmen's children attend schools in the city. However, I'm afraid that she may not be quite so challenged at Stars Hollow High—much like the situation you faced, Rory. I've got the funds for a private school, so I'd like to look into that avenue. The logical choice would be to seek admission at Chilton, since it's an excellent school, and because Rory is already there—knowing someone will make the transition easier, to say nothing of more convenient for everyone."
Lorelei processed Mia's comments, and then replied "I think that sounds perfect. I can call El Duce tomorrow and set up a testing session for a day or two after Sara arrives here. I wish we could give her more time to get settled before threatening her with the prospect of hell, but I don't want her to lose any time, either. Which brings up the question of when she'll be arriving?"
Mia sighed, and rubbed her forehead.
"I'd like to get her here as soon as possible. We're letting her decide what should be done with her parents' things. I think she likes the idea of donating the furniture and clothing, save a few special items, to charity. She's not terribly partial to her bedroom furniture, so we won't have to worry about moving that. She drives a used Ford Explorer, so with any luck we can fit all of her clothing and other things into that, and ship whatever won't fit. With all of that to contend with, I'd say that she could leave Virginia in three or four days."
Lorelei and Rory nodded, and then Rory asked "Mia, what kind of stuff does Sara like? I mean, books, movies, sports?"
"Well sweetheart, she loves to read. She's a movie fanatic, and she drove her parents nuts from the age of three onwards with a slight obsession with Willy Wonka something or other."
At the mention of their favorite movie, Lorelei and Rory turned to each other and grinned. If Sara liked that movie, they would be sure to get along fine.
Mia continued, "She's a tennis nut. She started playing a few years ago, and she's fallen in love with the sport. She plays the violin, and she's always been active in student government. She had a part time job on the weekends back in Virginia, but I don't like the thought of her working, especially if she's going to be attending a school as rigorous as Chilton."
Lorelei nodded again. "I really don't want Rory working while she's in school. If she has time in the summers, that's fine, but while school is in session, she has enough to worry about. I feel the same way about Sara."
Mia smiled, knowing that sending Sara to live with Lorelei and Rory in Stars Hollow was the best thing that could come out of the situation. They were such wonderful girls, and Sara would be so happy living with them. And now Mia would have even more of an excuse to venture to the East Coast to visit her favorite three girls.
"Alright, now that we've gotten the biggies out of the way, is there anything else you would like to know?"
Rory grinned, and then said "Mia—what's her last name?"
Mia groaned, and then replied "I can't believe I haven't told you yet. I suppose this would be a good time to fill you in on some of her family background. Sara is sixteen. Her birthday is on January 2, so she's a few months younger than you, Rory. Her last name is Thomas, and her middle name is Elizabeth. She's 5'2", and she's tiny and athletically built. She's almost as sarcastic and witty as the two of you."
Mia paused to take a breath, and then began again.
"Her mom and dad met in college. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but my daughter hated Stars Hollow. She was in love with the idea of living somewhere besides a small town in Connecticut. She loved big cities. When she graduated from high school, she attended the University of Texas at Austin. She met Sara's father there. They married after they had both graduated, and they had an incredible marriage. Sara was their pride and joy, and the family was that family everyone wishes they had… much like the two of you," she said, beaming at the Gilmores.
"Sara's dad worked for the government, and her mom was an elementary school teacher. They lived in the same Virginia town from the time that Sara was born. Four days ago, my daughter and her husband went to a dinner party to celebrate the completion of a project my son-in-law was working on. On the way home, they were hit by a drunk driver and killed. That's pretty much the basic facts, up until now."
Mia glanced over at Lorelei and Rory, and saw that they had tears in their eyes.
"Oh, girls, please don't cry. It's incredibly sad, but there's nothing anyone can do now except move on and try to help Sara do the same."
Lorelei smiled at her friend. "So, the plan is that you'll go back to help Sara with the details of donating the clothes and other belongings, and then get her packed and moved up here… today is Saturday, so she'll be here on what, Wednesday?"
Mia nodded. "Yes, Wednesday. Go ahead and reserve me a room at the Inn from Wednesday until Sunday. That should mean that I'll be here while she's settling in and unpacking and testing for Chilton. It sounds perfect."
The three women smiled at each other. Rory thought of the excitement and uncertainty that another girl living in the house would bring. Lorelei thought of how painful it had to be for a young girl to be so alone in the world, remembering how she had felt so many years before. Mia thought of her granddaughter, still in Virginia with close family friends. Life was sometimes so unfair, but it would be interesting to see how this whole situation turned out.
Disclaimer: Since I kept forgetting to put this in before, I'll do it now to save my sorry butt from any potential lawsuits—please don't sue me—I do have a decent amount of money now, but I also have a $500 tuition bill to pay out of pocket and a car insurance bill… so, I own nothing. Not the characters, not the names, nada, with the exception of the people I've created for my own amusement.
And without further ado, here we go!
Lorelei and Rory skipped down the road to the Inn, both excited at this prospect of a new person and what she'd be like. As they approached the building, they simultaneously slowed down and smoothed out their clothing. No matter how excited they were, they knew that Mia was still hurting over the loss of her daughter and son-in-law. The two Gilmores strode into the inn's dining room and located Mia in the far corner. Mia stood as they approached her, embracing Rory and then Lorelei.
"Rory, you are more and more beautiful each time I see you."
"Aw, Mia, thank you," Rory replied.
The three women sat down at the table and placed their drink orders with the waiter who smiled at Lorelei and then bustled off. Mia clasped her hands together underneath her chin and looked at Rory and then at Lorelei.
"Well girls, I hate to start the dinner conversation out so suddenly and with such a heavy subject, but I just need to know. Have you made a decision?"
Lorelei glanced at her daughter before answering for both of them. "Yes, we'd love to have Sara live with us, as long as that's what she wants too. I think what we need to do now is iron out the necessary details—when she'll be here, where she'll go to school, all of that good stuff."
Mia sighed with relief and broke into a wide smile—the first sign of happiness Lorelei had seen on her face since picking her up from the airport that afternoon.
"Oh, thank you so much. I can't tell you how much it means to me for the two of you to be so generous. Now, to get down to business. Sara is incredibly intelligent. The public school system in her hometown has an excellent reputation, probably due to the fact that a lot of senators and congressmen's children attend schools in the city. However, I'm afraid that she may not be quite so challenged at Stars Hollow High—much like the situation you faced, Rory. I've got the funds for a private school, so I'd like to look into that avenue. The logical choice would be to seek admission at Chilton, since it's an excellent school, and because Rory is already there—knowing someone will make the transition easier, to say nothing of more convenient for everyone."
Lorelei processed Mia's comments, and then replied "I think that sounds perfect. I can call El Duce tomorrow and set up a testing session for a day or two after Sara arrives here. I wish we could give her more time to get settled before threatening her with the prospect of hell, but I don't want her to lose any time, either. Which brings up the question of when she'll be arriving?"
Mia sighed, and rubbed her forehead.
"I'd like to get her here as soon as possible. We're letting her decide what should be done with her parents' things. I think she likes the idea of donating the furniture and clothing, save a few special items, to charity. She's not terribly partial to her bedroom furniture, so we won't have to worry about moving that. She drives a used Ford Explorer, so with any luck we can fit all of her clothing and other things into that, and ship whatever won't fit. With all of that to contend with, I'd say that she could leave Virginia in three or four days."
Lorelei and Rory nodded, and then Rory asked "Mia, what kind of stuff does Sara like? I mean, books, movies, sports?"
"Well sweetheart, she loves to read. She's a movie fanatic, and she drove her parents nuts from the age of three onwards with a slight obsession with Willy Wonka something or other."
At the mention of their favorite movie, Lorelei and Rory turned to each other and grinned. If Sara liked that movie, they would be sure to get along fine.
Mia continued, "She's a tennis nut. She started playing a few years ago, and she's fallen in love with the sport. She plays the violin, and she's always been active in student government. She had a part time job on the weekends back in Virginia, but I don't like the thought of her working, especially if she's going to be attending a school as rigorous as Chilton."
Lorelei nodded again. "I really don't want Rory working while she's in school. If she has time in the summers, that's fine, but while school is in session, she has enough to worry about. I feel the same way about Sara."
Mia smiled, knowing that sending Sara to live with Lorelei and Rory in Stars Hollow was the best thing that could come out of the situation. They were such wonderful girls, and Sara would be so happy living with them. And now Mia would have even more of an excuse to venture to the East Coast to visit her favorite three girls.
"Alright, now that we've gotten the biggies out of the way, is there anything else you would like to know?"
Rory grinned, and then said "Mia—what's her last name?"
Mia groaned, and then replied "I can't believe I haven't told you yet. I suppose this would be a good time to fill you in on some of her family background. Sara is sixteen. Her birthday is on January 2, so she's a few months younger than you, Rory. Her last name is Thomas, and her middle name is Elizabeth. She's 5'2", and she's tiny and athletically built. She's almost as sarcastic and witty as the two of you."
Mia paused to take a breath, and then began again.
"Her mom and dad met in college. I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but my daughter hated Stars Hollow. She was in love with the idea of living somewhere besides a small town in Connecticut. She loved big cities. When she graduated from high school, she attended the University of Texas at Austin. She met Sara's father there. They married after they had both graduated, and they had an incredible marriage. Sara was their pride and joy, and the family was that family everyone wishes they had… much like the two of you," she said, beaming at the Gilmores.
"Sara's dad worked for the government, and her mom was an elementary school teacher. They lived in the same Virginia town from the time that Sara was born. Four days ago, my daughter and her husband went to a dinner party to celebrate the completion of a project my son-in-law was working on. On the way home, they were hit by a drunk driver and killed. That's pretty much the basic facts, up until now."
Mia glanced over at Lorelei and Rory, and saw that they had tears in their eyes.
"Oh, girls, please don't cry. It's incredibly sad, but there's nothing anyone can do now except move on and try to help Sara do the same."
Lorelei smiled at her friend. "So, the plan is that you'll go back to help Sara with the details of donating the clothes and other belongings, and then get her packed and moved up here… today is Saturday, so she'll be here on what, Wednesday?"
Mia nodded. "Yes, Wednesday. Go ahead and reserve me a room at the Inn from Wednesday until Sunday. That should mean that I'll be here while she's settling in and unpacking and testing for Chilton. It sounds perfect."
The three women smiled at each other. Rory thought of the excitement and uncertainty that another girl living in the house would bring. Lorelei thought of how painful it had to be for a young girl to be so alone in the world, remembering how she had felt so many years before. Mia thought of her granddaughter, still in Virginia with close family friends. Life was sometimes so unfair, but it would be interesting to see how this whole situation turned out.
