Chapter 7: Graduation and Marriage Go Together Like a Horse and Carriage
Another Year later in June.........
[Lora]
Lora sat at her computer trying to write her speech. Like her mother and her brother, she was chosen as valedictorian. Now her head was blank. There was a knock on her door.
"Dad?" Lora said, trying to guess who it was.
"Mom," said a voice on the other side of the door.
"Come in, Mom," Lora said.
Rory walked in.
"We're going to Luke's for dinner," Rory said. "Like, right now."
"That's nice," Lora said.
Lora turned back towards the computer while Rory lingered in the doorway.
"Are you still there?" Lora asked, not turning around.
"No," Rory said, sarcastically. "I'm in the kitchen."
Lora turned around. "Mom, I can't come," Lora said. "I have to work on my speech."
Rory started laughing.
"What is so funny?" Lora asked.
"You sound just like me when I was your age," Rory said. "Now, I'm going to sound like my mother."
"Oh, great she's going into Grandma-mode," Lora said to no one in particular.
"You've been working on this all day," Rory said. "Let's go to Luke's and get you some coffee and re-fuel you. You need to take a breather kiddo."
"Thanks, 'Grandma'" Lora said. "Bring me back something. Now go away I have to work."
"Okay, let me try this my way," Rory said. "Here's what happens if you take a break. You come back and your head is refreshed and you make a speech that will make everyone cry. Mom and I will start blubbering and on the other side of me, I'll here your father sniffle and I'll ask, 'Dean, are you crying?' and he'll sniffle and say, 'No.' And we will finally find the thing that makes your father cry."
"How nice," Lora said.
"Here's what happens if you don't take a break," Rory continued. "You won't be able to write a speech. Instead at the last minute, you'll throw something together that will be totally horrible and Headmaster Charleston Jr. will push you off the stage before you can even finish your speech."
Lora stood up so quickly her roll-away chair rolled so far back it nearly hit Rory.
"Let's go," Lora said.
[Ross]
One Week Later..........
"So, you're definitely coming tomorrow?" Rory asked Ross as they talked over the phone.
"Of course, I'm coming," Ross said. "Why would I miss it?"
"I don't know," Rory said. "Classes?"
"I'll be there mom," Ross said. "I wouldn't miss my little sister's graduation. Chloe's coming, too, by the way."
"Thanks," Rory said. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Ross said. "Bye."
Ross hung up and turned to Chloe, who was sitting on his roommate's bed studying.
"Did you tell her?" Chloe asked.
"You were sitting in the room," Ross said. "Why don't you tell me?"
"I was too absorbed in my studies," Chloe said. "Why didn't you tell her?"
"It's not the kind of thing you tell someone over the phone," Ross said. "Besides, she couldn't talk very long. She was making sure we were coming. We will tell them, then."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Good because if you don't I'm going to take you to New Jersey and throw you into a swamp."
"No you won't. You can't live without the Ross love."
Chloe laughed and chucked a pillow at Ross who chucked a pillow back. This went on for a while until they erupted into a pillow fight.
[Rory]
Rory, Dean, Ross, Chloe, Luke, Lorelai, Mr. And Mrs. Forester, Clara and Phil (who were married the year before), all sat together and watched as Katherine Geller, the salutatorian and Lora's best friend, finished her speech. Slowly, Lora made her way up to the podium. Looking very nervous.
"She's so pale," Rory whispered.
"She always looked like that," Ross joked. "You just noticed that?"
"Dean," Rory turned to her husband, who nudged Ross.
Lora adjusted the microphone, but it flopped down at the surface of the podium. Lora tried to fix it, but it kept flopping down. Rory could tell she was struggling not to laugh, but she burst out laughing anyway, causing everyone else to laugh.
"A little help here," Lora said, through laughter.
Headmaster Charleston Jr. came up and fixed the mike.
"Thank you," Lora said. "That wasn't supposed to happen."
Everyone laughed. Lora looked much more relaxed. You go girl, Rory thought.
"I came here in my freshman year and met very interesting people," Lora said. "My first day was great. I have so many memories from here. Friendly debates with Mr. Medina, biology labs with Mrs. McAllery, watching my brother in the exact same place I'm standing making a huge fool of himself."
Everyone laughed including Ross.
"Just kidding, Ross," Lora said. "I love you."
Ross waved his hand in an "I forgive you" gesture.
"Ross has really been an inspiration to me," Lora said. "So have my parents and my grandparents. Though we all go our separate ways we will always remember each other and the memories that we had at Chilton."
Rory felt a tear escape her eyes and Lorelai and Dean squeezed her hands. Lora didn't seem to be choked up like Rory did.
"Thank you," Lora said, stepping away from the podium.
Everyone clapped.
"You crying, too?" Loralai asked.
"Yeah," Rory said.
Rory heard a sniffle beside her.
"Dean?" Rory said.
"I'm not crying," Dean said, a little too quickly.
Touchdown, Rory thought. When Lora received her diploma she, like Rory and Ross, stuck her tongue out at Luke, Lorelai, Dean, Ross, and Chloe.
"She has lived with you for too long," Lorelai said, imitating her own mother causing Rory to laugh.
[Dean]
Hours later, Dean, Rory, Ross, Lora, and Chloe all sat in the living room. Rory and Dean sat on opposite ends of the couch while Lora's head rested on Rory's lap and her feet were on Dean's. Chloe was sitting on Ross's lap in the armchair next to the couch.
"You're speech was great, Lora," Rory said. "You made your Dad cry."
"I was not crying," Dean said. "I'm getting over a cold."
"Sure, you were," Rory said.
Dean made a face at her.
"Well, I enjoyed it," Chloe said.
"Thanks guys," Lora said.
"I don't mean to take the spotlight away from Lora," Ross said. "But, I have some new."
All eyes turned to Ross.
"Chloe and I," Ross began. "Well.........not right away...........but, we're getting married."
Dean's jaw dropped. His son was getting married? He had so many emotions swirling inside of him he didn't know what to say. He looked at Rory, who's look was similar to his. Only Lora seemed to have her emotions under control.
"That's great!" she said, giving them both hugs. "Congratulations!"
"How did you....." Dean stuttered. "When did you........When are you........"
Rory smacked the back of his head.
"When did you get engaged?" he finally managed.
"Last week," Ross answered.
"When do you plan on getting married?" Rory asked.
Dean braced himself for the answer. He didn't want Ross getting married while he was still in college. He was too young.
"In a year," Chloe respond. "After we graduate.
Dean breathed a sigh of relief.
"Congratulations," he said, finally giving them a hug.
It took Rory a while before she finally gave the same reaction.
A few hours earlier Rory and Dean got into bed.
"I can't believe Ross is getting married," Rory said. "He's growing up so fast."
"I know," Dean said. "They both are."
"I know. It seems like just yesterday when they were born."
"Yeah and I went into the kitchen every time you had to breast feed."
Rory and Dean laughed at the memory before going to sleep.
To Be Continued............
A/N: Sorry to skip a few years ahead. I'm rapping the story up so the next chapter will be the last chapter plus the epilogue. Chapter 8 is coming soon.
Another Year later in June.........
[Lora]
Lora sat at her computer trying to write her speech. Like her mother and her brother, she was chosen as valedictorian. Now her head was blank. There was a knock on her door.
"Dad?" Lora said, trying to guess who it was.
"Mom," said a voice on the other side of the door.
"Come in, Mom," Lora said.
Rory walked in.
"We're going to Luke's for dinner," Rory said. "Like, right now."
"That's nice," Lora said.
Lora turned back towards the computer while Rory lingered in the doorway.
"Are you still there?" Lora asked, not turning around.
"No," Rory said, sarcastically. "I'm in the kitchen."
Lora turned around. "Mom, I can't come," Lora said. "I have to work on my speech."
Rory started laughing.
"What is so funny?" Lora asked.
"You sound just like me when I was your age," Rory said. "Now, I'm going to sound like my mother."
"Oh, great she's going into Grandma-mode," Lora said to no one in particular.
"You've been working on this all day," Rory said. "Let's go to Luke's and get you some coffee and re-fuel you. You need to take a breather kiddo."
"Thanks, 'Grandma'" Lora said. "Bring me back something. Now go away I have to work."
"Okay, let me try this my way," Rory said. "Here's what happens if you take a break. You come back and your head is refreshed and you make a speech that will make everyone cry. Mom and I will start blubbering and on the other side of me, I'll here your father sniffle and I'll ask, 'Dean, are you crying?' and he'll sniffle and say, 'No.' And we will finally find the thing that makes your father cry."
"How nice," Lora said.
"Here's what happens if you don't take a break," Rory continued. "You won't be able to write a speech. Instead at the last minute, you'll throw something together that will be totally horrible and Headmaster Charleston Jr. will push you off the stage before you can even finish your speech."
Lora stood up so quickly her roll-away chair rolled so far back it nearly hit Rory.
"Let's go," Lora said.
[Ross]
One Week Later..........
"So, you're definitely coming tomorrow?" Rory asked Ross as they talked over the phone.
"Of course, I'm coming," Ross said. "Why would I miss it?"
"I don't know," Rory said. "Classes?"
"I'll be there mom," Ross said. "I wouldn't miss my little sister's graduation. Chloe's coming, too, by the way."
"Thanks," Rory said. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Ross said. "Bye."
Ross hung up and turned to Chloe, who was sitting on his roommate's bed studying.
"Did you tell her?" Chloe asked.
"You were sitting in the room," Ross said. "Why don't you tell me?"
"I was too absorbed in my studies," Chloe said. "Why didn't you tell her?"
"It's not the kind of thing you tell someone over the phone," Ross said. "Besides, she couldn't talk very long. She was making sure we were coming. We will tell them, then."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Good because if you don't I'm going to take you to New Jersey and throw you into a swamp."
"No you won't. You can't live without the Ross love."
Chloe laughed and chucked a pillow at Ross who chucked a pillow back. This went on for a while until they erupted into a pillow fight.
[Rory]
Rory, Dean, Ross, Chloe, Luke, Lorelai, Mr. And Mrs. Forester, Clara and Phil (who were married the year before), all sat together and watched as Katherine Geller, the salutatorian and Lora's best friend, finished her speech. Slowly, Lora made her way up to the podium. Looking very nervous.
"She's so pale," Rory whispered.
"She always looked like that," Ross joked. "You just noticed that?"
"Dean," Rory turned to her husband, who nudged Ross.
Lora adjusted the microphone, but it flopped down at the surface of the podium. Lora tried to fix it, but it kept flopping down. Rory could tell she was struggling not to laugh, but she burst out laughing anyway, causing everyone else to laugh.
"A little help here," Lora said, through laughter.
Headmaster Charleston Jr. came up and fixed the mike.
"Thank you," Lora said. "That wasn't supposed to happen."
Everyone laughed. Lora looked much more relaxed. You go girl, Rory thought.
"I came here in my freshman year and met very interesting people," Lora said. "My first day was great. I have so many memories from here. Friendly debates with Mr. Medina, biology labs with Mrs. McAllery, watching my brother in the exact same place I'm standing making a huge fool of himself."
Everyone laughed including Ross.
"Just kidding, Ross," Lora said. "I love you."
Ross waved his hand in an "I forgive you" gesture.
"Ross has really been an inspiration to me," Lora said. "So have my parents and my grandparents. Though we all go our separate ways we will always remember each other and the memories that we had at Chilton."
Rory felt a tear escape her eyes and Lorelai and Dean squeezed her hands. Lora didn't seem to be choked up like Rory did.
"Thank you," Lora said, stepping away from the podium.
Everyone clapped.
"You crying, too?" Loralai asked.
"Yeah," Rory said.
Rory heard a sniffle beside her.
"Dean?" Rory said.
"I'm not crying," Dean said, a little too quickly.
Touchdown, Rory thought. When Lora received her diploma she, like Rory and Ross, stuck her tongue out at Luke, Lorelai, Dean, Ross, and Chloe.
"She has lived with you for too long," Lorelai said, imitating her own mother causing Rory to laugh.
[Dean]
Hours later, Dean, Rory, Ross, Lora, and Chloe all sat in the living room. Rory and Dean sat on opposite ends of the couch while Lora's head rested on Rory's lap and her feet were on Dean's. Chloe was sitting on Ross's lap in the armchair next to the couch.
"You're speech was great, Lora," Rory said. "You made your Dad cry."
"I was not crying," Dean said. "I'm getting over a cold."
"Sure, you were," Rory said.
Dean made a face at her.
"Well, I enjoyed it," Chloe said.
"Thanks guys," Lora said.
"I don't mean to take the spotlight away from Lora," Ross said. "But, I have some new."
All eyes turned to Ross.
"Chloe and I," Ross began. "Well.........not right away...........but, we're getting married."
Dean's jaw dropped. His son was getting married? He had so many emotions swirling inside of him he didn't know what to say. He looked at Rory, who's look was similar to his. Only Lora seemed to have her emotions under control.
"That's great!" she said, giving them both hugs. "Congratulations!"
"How did you....." Dean stuttered. "When did you........When are you........"
Rory smacked the back of his head.
"When did you get engaged?" he finally managed.
"Last week," Ross answered.
"When do you plan on getting married?" Rory asked.
Dean braced himself for the answer. He didn't want Ross getting married while he was still in college. He was too young.
"In a year," Chloe respond. "After we graduate.
Dean breathed a sigh of relief.
"Congratulations," he said, finally giving them a hug.
It took Rory a while before she finally gave the same reaction.
A few hours earlier Rory and Dean got into bed.
"I can't believe Ross is getting married," Rory said. "He's growing up so fast."
"I know," Dean said. "They both are."
"I know. It seems like just yesterday when they were born."
"Yeah and I went into the kitchen every time you had to breast feed."
Rory and Dean laughed at the memory before going to sleep.
To Be Continued............
A/N: Sorry to skip a few years ahead. I'm rapping the story up so the next chapter will be the last chapter plus the epilogue. Chapter 8 is coming soon.