Title: Judging Lorelai
Chapter: Two
Chapter Title: Coming Home
Improv: Threw, Through, Week, Weak, Knew, New, Ate, Eight
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Gilmore Girls, that's Amy Sherman
Palladino. I do not own anything from Judging Amy, that's Amy Brenneman.
Summary: Lorelai finds herself drawn into a custody case that hits close
to home for both her and the judge, Amy Gray.
Authors Note: This is a crossover with Judging Amy. Also, muchos gracias
to Miya for betaing me! She's a doll.
Lorelai tore her gaze away from where a intimidating looking gray haired woman was talking to May and gave her attention to the male cop in front of her.
"What now?" Lorelai asked.
"Well, she becomes custody of Child Services until we can locate her parents," he replied.
"That's all?"
"I wish I knew ma'am. It all depends on what we find when we find her parents."
"What about until then?"
"You'll have to ask Maxine, from Child Services," he gestured to the gray haired woman.
"Okay, um, are we done here?" Lorelai was anxious to talk to this Maxine.
"Yeah, go ahead," the cop waved her off.
Lorelai approached Maxine, unsure as to how the stern looking woman would be on the girl. She listened to their conversation. "We're going to get you out of here and get you something to eat, and we're going to find your daddy," Maxine was saying.
"She already ate," Lorelai interjected.
"Excuse me?" Maxine straightened up looking at Lorelai curiously.
"Um, I'm Lorelai, Gilmore, I run this inn. I had our chef make her something to eat a little while ago, she was hungry."
"Oh," Maxine looked surprised.
"Can we talk?"
"Sure," Maxine followed Lorelai aside.
"What's going to happen to her until they find her parents."
"Well, she'll probably end up in a foster home, poor dear."
"How long?"
"Who knows," Maxine said, she seemed almost angry at the system. "It could be a week, could be forever. I hope it's not forever, the system is tough on a kid. Going from one home to another, through people's lives like a tornado. Not to mention, not all foster parents are safe, unfortunately."
Both woman looked at May. "Can I take her?" Lorelai asked.
Maxine looked at her, "Excuse me?"
"Can I, can she comes stay with me until they find her parents, or whatever happens if they don't?"
"Oh, well, that's a good idea, but there's a lot of paperwork and checks to be done. She'll have to go home with me tonight, but if you come back to the offices with me, you can fill out the paperwork and we'll see what we can do."
Lorelai nodded, "Okay. I want to do this."
*
By the time Lorelai walked through the door at home it was eight o'clock. She threw her purse on the floor and stumbled towards the couch. Rory emerged from her room in time to see her mother flop onto the couch.
"So what's new at the inn?" Rory asked.
Lorelai groaned.
"That bad?" Rory responded.
"I am so tired, and I am weak from hunger, and my butt isn't speaking to me anymore because I made it sit in that hard plastic chair and, wait, what time is it?"
"Eight."
"Crap, I better hurry to Luke's before he closes. I need food." Lorelai dragged herself up off of the couch and headed for the door, picking her purse up on the way. "Coming?"
"Yeah, sure," Rory said. "I could use a break."
She followed her mother out the door and shut it behind her.
"So are you going to tell me what happened?"
"I will, but it's a long horrible story and I need at least coffee first. Oh and Sookie made some pastries too big so she boxed some up and I left them in the jeep. We'll have to get them when we get home."
"Yum, I guess I won't be getting pie at Luke's then."
"Nope," Lorelai agreed.
"Can you walk any faster?"
Lorelai gaped at her, "I've been on my feet all day, I'm lucky they're even responding. If you want to go faster then you'll have to pick mommy up and carry her."
"Slow is good."
Lorelai gasped, "Are you calling me slow?"
"I think I did that a long time ago. Which only further proves my point, you are slow."