Growing up Gilmore

A series of stories based on events in Rory's earlier years, as she grows up a Gilmore.

(Each chapter is a new story.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sad, but true.

I also apologize in advance for any bit of history which is slightly out of whack. For example, I don't think the girls lived in that house till Rory was about 12, but for the purpose of the story they moved there when Rory was 6. Oh, and they also already have the jeep.

Part 2- Green eggs and spam

(Rory is 7)

The phone rang at the Inn just as the theme to Rocky began to hum on Lorelai's cell phone.

'Michel, can you get that please?'

No answer.

'Michel! That drawer on my left is full of very sharp letter openers.'

'Lorelai I am unfortunately unable to answer that.' His French accent was annoyingly succinct.

'Why.' Lorelai rummaged frantically through her bag for her mobile.

'Zhat man from Wendell's curtains, I am prezuming his iz not Wendell az he iz annoyingly pathetic zounding, he haz rung 5 timez today to confirm our order and if I have to zpeak to him again I may cry.

'Michel, he's new, he's just being thorough.'

'Did I mention zhat I may cry.'

'Fine.' Lorelai sighed and picked up the phone, cradling her mobile in one ear and the landline in the other.

'Hello, Lorelai speaking.'

'Lorelai, it's your mother.'

'Lorelai, Its Clay from Wendell's curtains.'

Lorelai gaped, almost dropping the phone.

'Mom?'

'No, Clay. From Wendell's curtains.'

Lorelai sighed. 'Mom could you possibly hold on for one second, please?'

She held the mobile away from her and spoke into the Inn's cordless.

'Clay? Yes the order is fine. No I don't need it delivered this week. Next week is fine. Yes, that's fine. Okay, goodbye Clay. Yes, goodbye.'

Glaring at Michel, she picked up the mobile again.

'Mom? Sorry, we're quite busy today.'

'Well I can call back later. It's not like I have anything better to do. Would you like to call me back? I can sit by the phone and wait for you. Perhaps catch up on my knitting?'

Lorelai gritted her teeth at he mother's sarcasm. 'Now's fine mom.'

'I'm a bit behind on my embroidery, actually...'

'Mom! Now's fine. Really.'

Emily paused.

'Your father would like you to come to dinner on Friday night. Are you available?'

'Just dad, mom? Or are you also on his end of the invitation.'

'Fine, Lorelai, your father and I would like you to come to dinner on Friday.'

'Well, I'll have to check with Babette, I'm not sure if she's available to sit for Rory.'

'We'd like to see Rory as well, if you don't mind. She is our granddaughter.'

Lorelai hesitated. She hadn't been to her parents house since she'd 'run away' when she was 16 and Rory was a baby. In fact, apart from the occasional phone call, she hardly even spoke to them at all.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad-she did want Rory to know her grandparents, and she guessed this dinner was the first step.

'Okay, sure that would be nice.'

'Are you sure? Your schedules not to hectic? No small town shindig going on that night?'

'Shindig? Mom, since when did you ever use the word 'shindig'.'

Emily sighed.

'Really Lorelai. We'll see you Friday then. Dress appropriately. And don't be late. We eat promptly at seven so I will expect you there at 6:30. No earlier, and most definitely no later. Have a nice day.'

Lorelai listened to the hang up tone buzzing in her ear. Who was she kidding? It was going to be the night from hell.

Lorelai kicked the door of the jeep shut with her foot, and rested against the bonnet, paper cup of coffee in her hand. She watched as herds of young children filtered out the school gates, some dragging their bags behind them, some kicking them like footballs along the sidewalk. She felt that niggling feeling of apprehension when Rory didn't come out the gates with Lane, her best friend.

'Lane? How was your day honey? Seen Rory around?'

Lane looked up at her. 'It was great, Lorelai! Ms Palmer said me and Rory can do our art project together. She should be out in a minute. Ms Palmer wanted to talk to her about being the office monitor this year.'

Lane smacked her hand against her mouth.

'Oops! Don't tell Rory I said that, okay. She wanted to tell you herself.'

Lorelai smiled, realizing that, to a 7 year old, running around after your teacher was a great privilege.

'I won't tell her, Lane, don't worry.'

'Thank you! I have to get home, I have bible class today. Bye!'

Lorelai waved to Lane as Rory came running up to her.

'Mommy, Mommy! Look!'

Lorelai wrapped her daughter in a one armed hug as she took the letter off her daughter. She smiled.

'Another classroom excellence letter, Rory! I'm so proud of you sweetie.'

'It's my first of the year! And Ms Palmer wants me to be office monitor as well!'

Lorelai grinned at her offspring.

'Wow! What an honor, I'm so happy for you, babe.'

Rory smiled back at her.

'How come you came to pick me up today?'

Lorelai sighed, remembering the task ahead.

'We have to go into Hartford and buy you a dress.'

Rory made a face.

'A dress? Why do we need to buy a dress.'

'Because, hon, you don't have one.'

'I do, I have that blue and yellow one. I never wear it but I could if I had to.'

Lorelai cringed as she remembered the blue and yellow Mickey Mouse sweatshirt dress. It was hiding at the back of Rory's closet somewhere. Someone had handed it on when their daughter grew out of it. Although personally, Lorelai suspected the dress was never worn by that little girl either. It was hideous.

'No, it's okay. You need a...uhh... nice, dress. A party dress.'

Rory made another face, and sighed.

'Okay, I guess. If I have to. But not pink, okay mommy. Not pink.'

Lorelai laughed and helped her daughter into the jeep.

'Okay honey, I promise, no pink. And we can go for donuts afterwards, if you're good.'

Rory grinned at her mother.

'Okay! I'll be super good, mommy, promise. Let's go!'

Lorelai wished she could muster the same enthusiasm her daughter had. A dinner with her parents. What was she thinking.

'Rory? You ready yet? We need to get going or she probably won't even let us in.......take you time, hon.'

Lorelai stood outside her daughter's door, fidgeting with her jacket. She knocked on the door and went in. Rory was sitting on the bed in her singled and underwear.

'You know, Rory, I thought the dress had slightly more material when we brought it, but, hey, maybe I'm just imagining it.'

Rory gave her mother a look, and pointed to the pile of blue on the floor.

'Mommy, that dress has no zipper.'

'That can't be right.' She sighed, picking the dress up off the floor, and giving it a shake. It wasn't quite as bad as the dresses she herself was made to wear as a child. It was a nice blue, sleeveless, with a white collar and a skirt that wasn't puffed out by a million petticoats.

But it had no zip.

'That can't be right.' Lorelai muttered again.

Finally she found the zip, hidden under material at the back. She slipped the dress over her daughters head. Handing her daughter her shoes, she gave Rory's hair a final brush.

'Aww, babe, you look so pretty!'

Rory smiled shyly.

'Do you think Grannma will like me?'

Lorelai put her hand under Rory chin and kissed her on her forehead.

'Of course she will, sweets. How could anybody not?'

Rory grabbed her mothers hand and led her out of the room.

'Let's go then!'

Lorelai grabbed her bag and reluctantly followed her daughter out of the house, wishing every step she took towards the car was going in the other direction.

'It's...big.' Rory gulped.

Lorelai nodded. 'Yeh...and very...well, big.'

Rory looked at her mom.

'Aren't you going to ring the bell?'

Lorelai took a deep breath.

'You know, babe, no one knows we're here. Why don't we go back to Star's Hollow and have dinner at Luke's. I'm sure he'd love to see your pretty dress.'

'We can go there after, mom.'

Rory stoop up on a pot plant, and pressed the bell.

'Traitor' Lorelai muttered, giving her a look.

Just then the door opened, and Lorelai found herself looking at her mother for the first time in 6 years.

'Hi, Mom.'

There was a long, awkward pause.

'Good evening, Lorelai.' Emily Gilmore turned her attention on Rory.

'My word...I...I...I've seen pictures but I had no idea...Rory, you are a very beautiful girl, you know.'

Rory slipped her hand in her mothers, and turned her face to Lorelai's skirt. All traces of her earlier bravado had vanished.

Emily turned back to Lorelai.

'Well come one in, I want you to meet everyone.'

'Everyone, Mom? Everyone better mean you, dad, and the maid.'

'Oh, did I not tell you? We're having a bit of a get together tonight to celebrate Richard's new business venture.'

Lorelai ducked her, head, then looked her mother in the eye.

'No, Mom. I'm afraid you failed to mention that.'

Emily hesitated awkwardly. 'Oh well, It doesn't matter now. Come, in, please. It's freezing outside.'

Lorelai picked Rory up, onto her hip, as if she could use her as a sort of shield. Rory hid her face in her mother's hair as the pair followed Emily inside.

'...And then, to make things worse, Arthur found her in the greenhouse with the pool boy!'

Lorelai echoed the other ladies amused 'No!...'s

Personally she thought Arthur's wife had done him a favor. The woman sounded like a complete waste of chromosomes. She glanced over to where she had left Rory sitting on a settee reading an old Dr Seuss book from Lorelai's old room. There was a balding man sitting next to her-from the look of him, he was quite a few martinis ahead of the rest of the guests.

'And then....I found her in the greenhouse-with the pool boy! So I said- 'get out, you filthy woman-and the pool boy was in such a hurry to escape he fell in the pool! So then I said...'

So that was Arthur.

Rory was looking at the man with the look she had given Taylor when he tried to get her to buy half price butterbeans at Doose's. The looks she gave him right before...

'Rory, honey, it's okay!'

Lorelai hurried over to the little girl as tears formed in her eyes and her lower lip began to quiver. She reached her just as the waterworks started. Arthur looked at the Rory like he hadn't realized she was there, and hurried off.

'Shhh, Rory. It's alright.' Lorelai pulled her daughter onto her lap and cuddled her against her.

'Did you finish your story?'

Rory sniffed.

'Yes.' She whispered.

'Okay great! Why don't you tell me about it?'

Rory sniffed again.

'Well, it was a funny book.'

'Funny crazy or funny haha?'

Rory giggled. 'Funny crazy! It was called Green eggs and Spam, and it was all about...'

'Wait...Green eggs and Spam? Let me see that book.'

Rory obligingly handed her the book. Sure enough, the title was Green eggs and Spam...with the s of 'spam' carefully printed before 'ham' and the 'h' turned into a 'p' with a permanent marker. Smiling, she flipped though the book, remembering the day she had chicken pox and had gone through the entire book, printing s's before all the 'hams' and turning the 'h's into 'p's after her mother had refused to let her eat the stuff.

'Well Rory, you're right! This is a crazy story. Tomorrow after breakfast, we can look in the bookstore for the real version.'

Rory grinned.

'Okay, mommy!'

'Lorelai, good! I've been looking all over for you.'

Lorelai grimaced as her mother sat down beside her.

'Yes, well. We were hiding.'

Emily chose to ignore her.

'I wanted to talk to you about enrolling Rory at the local preparatory school. It feeds straight into Chilton, you know. And it's only a 10 minute drive from here.'

'Yes, but that would make it a 40 minute drive from Star's Hollow, mom.'

Emily looked at her. 'But what difference does that make if she's living out here?'

Lorelai almost choked on her drink.

'Why would we be living out here?'

'I didn't say 'we' Lorelai. I said 'she.'

Lorelai hugged Rory closer to her.

'I'm sorry, is that why you invited us here tonight? You want to take my daughter off me? Raise her as you own like some insane Movie of the Week?'

'Lorelai don't be so dramatic! Of course the offer is open to you as well, I just presumed that you would rather stay in Star's Hollow during the week so you could be closer to your job, and come home on weekends. But if you think you can find another job easily enough, then of course we'd be happy to have you both living here.'

'Mom! Are you serious? Do you really think I would leave Rory for 5 days a week?'

Emily sighed.

'We've already covered that Lorelai, I'm sure there's plenty of hotels you could work at out here in Hartford.'

'I work at an Inn, mom, and that's not the point! This is not our home. We have a home. In Star's Hollow. And there is a perfectly good school there, where Rory is doing brilliantly. And you know what the best thing about our home is? We both live there!'

Emily looked flustered.

'But I just presumed...with you accepting our dinner offer...that you wanted to reconcile.'

'I do, mom. I want Rory to know her grandparents. But if you think that I would leave her with you for the best part of a week then you are absolutely insane. Rory is my daughter. I love her. More than anything. And I will not part with her for some fancy school, or for anything else for that matter.'

'So, you want us to just sit by and watch while you throw both yours and Rory's life away!?'

Lorelai stood up, cradling Rory on her hip.

'I am NOT throwing our lives away. I have a good job. Rory's doing well at school. She's happy and I'm happy, and that, mom, is what makes our lives worth living. And if you can't accept that then maybe Rory is better off not knowing her grandparents!'

Lorelai stood, tears blurring her eyes. She let Rory slip to the carpet and grabbed her hand, towing her towards the door. She tried not to think about all the people watching her in horror. She stopped as she passed Arthur.

'I just did you a favor buddy. These people sure as hell won't be talking about your wife and the pool boy tomorrow.'

Arthur opened his mouth and closed it just as quickly.

Lorelai grabbed their coats and left the manor.

The drive home was silent. Not even the people on the radio had much to say, instead playing monotonous pop hits one after the other.

Eventually, Rory's sniffling became audible.

'Rory? What's the matter baby?'

Rory continued to sniffle. Lorelai pulled the car over.

'Rory?' She unbuckled Rory's seatbelt.

'Come one sweetie, tell me what's wrong.'

'You were mad.'

'I know honey, I'm sorry. But I wasn't mad at you, Rory.'

'Are you going to send me to live with Grandma? Katie from school lives with her Grandma and she doesn't even let her watch TV or play outside on a school day.'

Lorelai pulled her onto her lap.

'No sweetie, of course not! Grandma just wanted us to live with her. But I said that we didn't need to, because we already have our own house, in stars hollow.'

'It's just you and me, right mommy? We'll be best friends for ever and ever.'

Lorelai kissed her daughter's forehead.

'That's right, baby. For ever and ever.'

Rory smiled, then frowned again.

'Look, mommy. You made my hand red.'

Lorelai took her daughters hand in her own. There were fingernail marks across the top of her hand.

'Oh wow, I'm sorry, sweetie! I guess I must have held on a little too hard huh.'

She bent down to kiss it better, and Rory giggled.

'Yeah. Silly mommy.'

Lorelai crossed her eyes and scrunched her nose. 'Yeah! Silly mommy!'

They were still laughing as they buckled their seatbelts and continued the drive home.

A couple of weeks later found Lorelai hurrying her daughter inside, seconds before the rain began. Rory dumped her schoolbag in her room and went to the couch. She was almost done reading 'Green eggs and Ham.' Lorelai went to the machine to check for messages.

'Lorelai? It's Clay. I called the Inn but you'd already left and some French man gave me your home number and said I could call you anytime I needed. I just wanted to check that the curtains arrived okay. So call me back when you get this, and I'll send you your bill. Have a nice day!'

Lorelai rolled her eyes and waited for the next message.

'Lorelai? It's your mother. Listen...Richard and I talked about what was said the other night. We may have been a bit unreasonable in expecting you to move back. We just want what's best for Rory, you understand. We agreed we don't want Rory to grow up not knowing us. So...perhaps you could pop in for dinner every now and then. We're having a fabulous Christmas party this year. Official invitations have gone out already but there's a few left over. So let us know if you're available.'

There was a pause.

'And we'd love to hear how Rory's schooling is going, and you know, how she's doing. So we'll be expecting your weekly phone call I presume? And don't expect me to leave a message again. I hate talking to machines, it's so impersonal. Enjoy the rest of your day, Lorelai.'

The machine clicked, and Lorelai rolled her eyes good naturedly.

Rory looked up.

'Mommy? Are we gonna go to grannmas again? I want to see if there's anymore crazy books.'

Lorelai smiled thoughtfully. 'Rory? Pass me the phone will you. I need to call your Grandmother. We've got some talking to do.'