Lorelai entered the room she and Rory were sharing, and found her daughter sitting up in bed, Indian-style, contemplating her hands.
"No Saturday morning cartoons?" Lorelai asked, trying to be light.
"It's Sunday morning," Rory answered dully.
"That's right. Who can keep up anymore?"
Rory just shrugged.
Lorelai sat down on the end of the bed.
"I'm sorry, Mom. Not just about, well, you know... But the awful things I said to you. I didn't mean any of it," she said, starting to tear up.
"Yes, you did, Rory. You may not have meant all of it, but there's some truth in every blow up, or people wouldn't blow up."
"I -"
Lorelai lifted a hand to stop her. "I know you're sorry, Rory, and I accept your apology. I'm your mother, I'm always gonna be your mother, and I'm going to love you whether you like it or not, babe.
"But that doesn't change the fact that you resent me a little, whether you realize it or not. For the record, I wasn't upset that you had sex without telling me, but that you did it with Dean. Huge difference."
"I know," Rory said, crying. "I don't resent you, I really don't. I was just mad at myself for being so stupid, and you were there." She swiped at her face.
Lorelai sighed. "Rory, I don't know what to tell you. I laid it out for you last night, has that sunk in at all?"
She nodded numbly. "I don't know what to do, Mom."
"I know, hon, but that's why you've gotta figure it out."
"I can't see Dean again. But he lives here, and I live here... This is a disaster," she said in panic. "What if he does leave Lindsay? Everyone will know it's because of me."
"And there are the consequences," Lorelai stated, matter-of-factly. This being a mother thing was tough, and she found it startling how easy it had been when Rory was growing up. Only now that she was an adult had they hit their first real snag.
Rory threw herself back down on the bed, and buried her head under the pillow. "Call Yale. I'm never coming out," she announced, her voice muffled.
Lorelai wrestled the pillow away from her, and eyed her daughter. "Smothering yourself won't solve anything."
"You'd be surprised."
"Ha ha. Now get up and get dressed, we have breakfast to attend."
"Moooom..."
"Rory, you're not five. You didn't act that way when you were five."
She looked at her mother pleadingly, but for once Lorelai stood firm. She took her daughter's hand and pulled her into a sitting position.
"We're still in the middle of the test run, okay? We cannot have things looking weird right now, no matter how much you want to go Garbo on me. I know you want to be alone this morning, but I promise after breakfast you're free. You can do whatever you want to do, and as soon as this day is over I'm all yours if you want or need me. If you don't, that's fine, too. I'll be here. But come on, Rory, I've got to find out if this place is running right, and that's going to take this second full day. Do this one little thing for me?"
Rory really looked into her mother's eyes, and sighed. She knew she had to be there for her, just like she'd been there her whole life. This was her mother's life's work, and she knew, no matter the circumstances, she couldn't mess that up.
"Okay," she gave in. "I'll eat breakfast. I can't promise I will fully enjoy it, or that it won't make a reappearance later..." Lorelai made a face at that. "But I'll eat. I'll smile. Maybe. I'll act as normal as possible, and everyone I know will still know that I'm not a virgin anymore."
"Well, neither am I."
"Mom."
"No one's going to know, Rory. It doesn't come with a tattoo on your forehead."
"It might as well."
"You're weird, kiddo. C'mon, get up, get a shower, and things will start looking better. They almost have to at this point, right?"
"You would think," Rory answered wryly. "But that doesn't necessarily make it fact."
"That is not the optimist I know! Rory, as bad as things seem now, it's not the end of the world," she said, getting up and moving closer. "You made a mistake, and while I know that's pretty new territory for you, I also know you can make it through it. It isn't pretty, it isn't easy, but life goes on. Trust me, I'm the Queen of Mistakes, I know this."
"You're not the queen, Mom. I know you want to be, but you're not," she said with a slight smile.
"There's that smile! I love you, you know that, right? I've told you at least twice in the last ten years?"
"I know, Mom, and it's been a lot more than twice. I love you, too."
They hugged, and they both felt slightly better, even though they knew they were only at the beginning of dealing with everything that had happened.
Lorelai tucked Rory's hair behind one ear, and sighed. "I'm going to go on down and see how things are going, and if you're not down in fifteen, I'm sending Kirk after you. Naked."
Both of Rory's eyebrows raised questioningly.
"I'll explain later. There'll be a lot of explaining to do later."
"No Saturday morning cartoons?" Lorelai asked, trying to be light.
"It's Sunday morning," Rory answered dully.
"That's right. Who can keep up anymore?"
Rory just shrugged.
Lorelai sat down on the end of the bed.
"I'm sorry, Mom. Not just about, well, you know... But the awful things I said to you. I didn't mean any of it," she said, starting to tear up.
"Yes, you did, Rory. You may not have meant all of it, but there's some truth in every blow up, or people wouldn't blow up."
"I -"
Lorelai lifted a hand to stop her. "I know you're sorry, Rory, and I accept your apology. I'm your mother, I'm always gonna be your mother, and I'm going to love you whether you like it or not, babe.
"But that doesn't change the fact that you resent me a little, whether you realize it or not. For the record, I wasn't upset that you had sex without telling me, but that you did it with Dean. Huge difference."
"I know," Rory said, crying. "I don't resent you, I really don't. I was just mad at myself for being so stupid, and you were there." She swiped at her face.
Lorelai sighed. "Rory, I don't know what to tell you. I laid it out for you last night, has that sunk in at all?"
She nodded numbly. "I don't know what to do, Mom."
"I know, hon, but that's why you've gotta figure it out."
"I can't see Dean again. But he lives here, and I live here... This is a disaster," she said in panic. "What if he does leave Lindsay? Everyone will know it's because of me."
"And there are the consequences," Lorelai stated, matter-of-factly. This being a mother thing was tough, and she found it startling how easy it had been when Rory was growing up. Only now that she was an adult had they hit their first real snag.
Rory threw herself back down on the bed, and buried her head under the pillow. "Call Yale. I'm never coming out," she announced, her voice muffled.
Lorelai wrestled the pillow away from her, and eyed her daughter. "Smothering yourself won't solve anything."
"You'd be surprised."
"Ha ha. Now get up and get dressed, we have breakfast to attend."
"Moooom..."
"Rory, you're not five. You didn't act that way when you were five."
She looked at her mother pleadingly, but for once Lorelai stood firm. She took her daughter's hand and pulled her into a sitting position.
"We're still in the middle of the test run, okay? We cannot have things looking weird right now, no matter how much you want to go Garbo on me. I know you want to be alone this morning, but I promise after breakfast you're free. You can do whatever you want to do, and as soon as this day is over I'm all yours if you want or need me. If you don't, that's fine, too. I'll be here. But come on, Rory, I've got to find out if this place is running right, and that's going to take this second full day. Do this one little thing for me?"
Rory really looked into her mother's eyes, and sighed. She knew she had to be there for her, just like she'd been there her whole life. This was her mother's life's work, and she knew, no matter the circumstances, she couldn't mess that up.
"Okay," she gave in. "I'll eat breakfast. I can't promise I will fully enjoy it, or that it won't make a reappearance later..." Lorelai made a face at that. "But I'll eat. I'll smile. Maybe. I'll act as normal as possible, and everyone I know will still know that I'm not a virgin anymore."
"Well, neither am I."
"Mom."
"No one's going to know, Rory. It doesn't come with a tattoo on your forehead."
"It might as well."
"You're weird, kiddo. C'mon, get up, get a shower, and things will start looking better. They almost have to at this point, right?"
"You would think," Rory answered wryly. "But that doesn't necessarily make it fact."
"That is not the optimist I know! Rory, as bad as things seem now, it's not the end of the world," she said, getting up and moving closer. "You made a mistake, and while I know that's pretty new territory for you, I also know you can make it through it. It isn't pretty, it isn't easy, but life goes on. Trust me, I'm the Queen of Mistakes, I know this."
"You're not the queen, Mom. I know you want to be, but you're not," she said with a slight smile.
"There's that smile! I love you, you know that, right? I've told you at least twice in the last ten years?"
"I know, Mom, and it's been a lot more than twice. I love you, too."
They hugged, and they both felt slightly better, even though they knew they were only at the beginning of dealing with everything that had happened.
Lorelai tucked Rory's hair behind one ear, and sighed. "I'm going to go on down and see how things are going, and if you're not down in fifteen, I'm sending Kirk after you. Naked."
Both of Rory's eyebrows raised questioningly.
"I'll explain later. There'll be a lot of explaining to do later."