Parents.

[Cut To: Doose's Market, LORELAI and RORY are walking to the register with a full basket]

Rory: I thought you said we couldn't afford this much?

Lorelai: Well, John said that we can buy it now but pay for it later. That's what an account means.

Rory: Oh, okay.

Lorelai: (reaching the counter)Hey, John.

John: Hi Lorelai. (to RORY)Hi Rory.

Rory: Hi.

John: Did you find that second job?

Lorelai: Uh, no, not yet. It's no big deal.

John: Well, I still hope you find one.

Lorelai: Thanks.

John: Okay, so I'll just put this on your account?

Lorelai: Yup.

John: All done. Bye.

Lorelai: Bye. (walks towards the door, but it opens and KAREN walks in)

Karen: Lorelai.

Lorelai: Karen.

Karen: (to RORY)How are you, Rory?

Rory: Good.

Karen: Good. (to LORELAI)So, what school did you decide on?

Lorelai: What?

Karen: For Rory's preschool?

Lorelai: (as she moves aside so that they don't block the door)Um...yours?

Karen: Oh.

Lorelai: Is there...is there a problem?

Karen: Oh, well, you didn't turn in your paperwork, so I just assumed...

Lorelai: No, um, incorrect assumption. (she laughs nervously, then neither says anything)Is it too late? Was there a due date?

Karen: Yes, there is. The eleventh.

Lorelai: Uh, sorry, I don't really have a calendar...when's that?

Karen: Tomorrow.

Lorelai: To...tomorrow? Seriously?

Karen: Didn't I tell you that?

Lorelai: Ha...no.

Karen: I didn't? Oh, Lorelai, I'm so sorry.

Lorelai: No...no, it's-

Karen: It must have just slipped my mind, I feel so horrible.

Lorelai: It's okay. Really. I can go home and get it.

Karen: Are you sure?

Lorelai: Yeah, it's no problem. At all.

Karen: Really?

Lorelai: I promise, Karen. It's fine. It's fine.

[Cut To: Luke's Diner, LORELAI and RORY are at the counter]

Lorelai: ...and it's not fine!

Luke: (while he serves other customers)Why not?

Lorelai: Because! I don't want to go back there! I just left what? A week ago?

Luke: A little more.

Lorelai: And now I'm supposed to go back? And...and talk to them? After all of this?

Luke: Yes.

Lorelai: Duke, come on. How is that taking my side?

Luke: I am taking your side. But Lorelai, this is your kid. You do what you have to do.

Lorelai: Uh.

Luke: She needs school, doesn't she?

Rory: Yes.

Luke: And to go to school you need this stuff, right?

Rory: Yes.

Luke: And if Rory can figure it out then you can, too, right?

Lorelai: (groaning)Yes.

[Cut To: Independence Inn, room 22, LORELAI is cleaning and RORY is in a chair reading]

Lorelai: Honey, don't you want to put that book away? You've been reading it non-stop.

Rory: No.

Lorelai: It's probably not good to look at it so much. You should be playing or...watching tv.

Rory: (turning to look at LORELAI)I don't want to.

Lorelai: You don't want to go to the park?

Rory: No.

Lorelai: I'll come with you.

Rory: No.

Lorelai: C'mon. Do it for me? Please?

Rory: (sighing)Okay.

Lorelai: You really like that sighing thing, huh? (RORY smiles)

[Cut To: Stars Hollow Park, RORY and LORELAI are on the swings]

Rory: Are we going to move again?

Lorelai: I don't think we should get into this again.

Rory: I just want to know if we have to leave.

Lorelai: Yeah, we probably have to leave. But maybe I can talk to Mia.

Rory: Tell her we don't want to leave.

Lorelai: I will. (after a pause)You wanna play tag?

Rory: You're it! (she takes off running)

Lorelai: I'm gonna get you! (she runs after RORY)

(time lapse. LORELAI and RORY are on a bench, tired)

Lorelai: How long were we out there?

Rory: Two...three minutes?

Lorelai: Feels like longer.

Rory: Definitely.

Lorelai: So, running?

Rory: We should never do it again.

Lorelai: Amen.

Fran: (walking up to them)Hi, girls.

Lorelai: (uncomfortably)Oh, uh, hi Fran.

Fran: Are you...on a break?

Lorelai: No, I'm done for the day.

Rory: Except for turn down.

Lorelai: Yes, except for turndown.

Fran: (letting out a breath and sitting down)Oh, thank goodness. I thought maybe Mia had gone through with all that firing nonsense. I'm glad she forgot about it.

Lorelai: Oh, no, she didn't. I just don't have anywhere else to go yet, so...

Fran: You're not really going to leave, are you?

Lorelai: Yes.

Fran: Oh, Lorelai.

Lorelai: (to RORY)Honey, go play on the swings, okay? I'll be there in a little while.

Rory: Okay. (she runs toward the swings)

Fran: Why did she need to leave?

Lorelai: She sees me yelling enough. And she's smart. I don't want her to know and remember that I'm yelling at then hate me.

Fran: I'm sure she won't-

Lorelai: Did Mia ask you to do this?

Fran: Do what?

Lorelai: Because this is between me and her.

Fran: Lorelai, I don't-

Lorelai: Are you supposed to convince me that this is the right thing? That it's not so bad? You don't know my parents and you don't know what it was like. I came here to get rid of that. I am making my own decisions, my own choices. And I am not going to be blackmailed into calling the parents that made me run away!

Fran: I know that you don't want to hear this, but you'll miss them. When you don't have them anymore, you'll really wish that you'd have gotten to know them better.

Lorelai: Wow, you guys have almost a word-for-word argument, huh? That's exactly what Mia told me.

Fran: Well of course it's on her mind.

Lorelai: And I appreciate that she's thinking of us, but I don't need her help in this area.

Fran: That's not what I meant, although she does care about you, we all do. I meant because of her mother.

Lorelai: Why, is she as terrible as mine?

Fran: She died, Lorelai.

Lorelai: What?

Fran: Mia's mother died last Wednesday. I thought she'd have told you.

Lorelai: No, she didn't. That explains so much. Why she's been so adamant about it.

Fran: She misses her. They were close. She doesn't want you to regret your relationship.

Lorelai: Oh, I feel so badly for her. (checking her watch)I should get back. Maybe I'll have time to talk to her before turndown. (she stands up)

Fran: Oh, okay. I guess I'll see you later, then?

Lorelai: Sure. (calling to RORY)Rory! Come on, we have to go! (RORY comes over and they leave)

[Cut To: Independence Inn, LORELAI and RORY walk in the lobby and over to MIA at the counter]

Lorelai: Hi, Mia?

Mia: (happy that LORELAI is talking to her again)Lorelai! Hello!

Lorelai: Hi, um, can we talk?

Mia: Yes, of course. (to ALECK)Would you mind watching the desk for a moment?

Aleck: Sure. (MIA reaches under the counter and pulls out an envelope, then leads LORELAI and RORY to a couch)

Lorelai: Maybe this is the kind of conversation we should be having in a more private area?

Mia: I could get an empty room.

Lorelai: Okay. (MIA goes back to the counter and picks a set of keys off of the wall)

[Cut To: Independence Inn, room 14, LORELAI and MIA sit down in chairs opposite each other at a table and Rory sits on the bed]

Lorelai: (to RORY)Oh, no, honey, don't mess up the bed. Sit on the floor.

Mia: It's fine. (to RORY)Don't worry about it. (RORY sits back down on the bed)So, what is it that was so important we had to relocate?

Lorelai: I saw Fran today. Just now, actually. (MIA looks at her expectantly)She...she told me about your mom.

Mia: (looking down, referring to her mother)Bless her soul.

Lorelai: Mia, I didn't know that that was why...all of this...I had no idea.

Mia: Well how could you? I didn't tell you.

Lorelai: I'm so, so sorry for your loss.

Mia: Thank you. She's a wonderful woman. (starting to cry)Was. She was a wonderful woman. I can't get used to saying that. Four days ago she was alive.

Lorelai: (gently)How did she...?

Mia: Heart attack. She was only sixty-five.

Lorelai: (moving her chair closer to MIA's)I'm so-

Mia: She used to tell us kids that she'd live to be a hundred. After my father died, we were all so shaken. She wanted to give us a promise that we could hold on to. That we'd never be alone. I believed that story for too long. I took her for granted.

Lorelai: I'm sure you didn't.

Mia: When we were younger, every time we were sick, she's stay home with us. She'd let the other kids stay home from school and we'd all have a little party. Just the four of us.

Lorelai: You have two siblings?

Mia: A brother, Luke. And my sister Carrie. Do you have any brothers or sisters?

Lorelai: No, just me.

Mia: I love them to death. They're both flying in for the funeral.

Lorelai: When is it?

Mia: Tomorrow afternoon. Because Mom loved Mondays. The only person in the world I've ever met who loved Mondays. She said they were a new start. So we wanted it to be on Monday.

Lorelai: That's sweet.

Mia: Thank you. Look at me, I must be a mess.

Lorelai: Oh, no, Mia, you look fine. You look like an angel's smiling down on you.

Mia: (smiling through her tears)Thank you. She always was an angel. She just didn't have her wings yet.

Lorelai: I'm sure she was.

Mia: I just wish I'd spent more time with her, been around more. Told her I loved her.

Lorelai: I'm sure she knew.

Mia: Yes, well. That's why I think it's important that you and your mother...

Lorelai: We don't have to talk about this now.

Mia: No, something positive should come out of all this. And that would be you calling your mother.

Lorelai: You don't understand what it was like.

Mia: Please? Won't you call her for me? For my mother's memory?

Lorelai: (knowing she can't say no)Okay.

Mia: Really?

Lorelai: Yeah.

Mia: That's great, really. Thank you.

Lorelai: Uh-huh.

Mia: Well, despite what you say, I'm sure I need to clean up. I'll just use the restroom in here, and you can get to doing turndown?

Lorelai: Sure, okay.

Mia: (getting up to go into the bathroom)Oh, and here. (she hands LORELAI the envelope she got earlier)

Lorelai: What's this?

Mia: You asked if you could be paid earlier?

Lorelai: Oh, right, of course.

Mia: I'm sorry, I really should have given it to you yesterday.

Lorelai: No problem. I'll see you later tonight, I guess.

Mia: Goodbye.

Rory: Bye.

[Cut To: Main Street, LORELAI and RORY are walking]

Rory: Why are we going to Luke's again?

Lorelai: Because you were really good at the inn, with Mia. I'm glad I've got such a good kid.

Rory: So we're gonna call Gramma and Granpa?

Lorelai: Yeah. We have to, now.

[Cut To: Luke's Diner, LORELAI and RORY walk in and over to a table]

Luke: Oh, hey. How'd it go?

Lorelai: As good as can be expected. She was pretty upset.

Luke: Well, of course. She hasn't talked to you in a while.

Lorelai: Yeah. (after a pause)Wait, how did you even know?

Luke: What do you mean?

Lorelai: How did you know about my talk with Mia?

Luke: Mia? I meant the one with your parents. For the school stuff.

Lorelai: (shocked)Oh, my God. Oh my God, I totally forgot.

Luke: You forgot?

Lorelai: I was at the park, and I saw Fran and then I went to talk to Mia...

Luke: So you don't have it?

Lorelai: (panicking)No!

Luke: Don't you have to have it tomorrow?

Lorelai: Not helping, Duke! (getting up)Can you watch Rory?

Rory: What?

Luke: What?

Lorelai: Can you watch her so I can go?

Luke: I can't...I can't watch kids. You don't even know me. What if I'm a serial killer?

Lorelai: You're not!

Luke: I can't take her. I'm meeting my uncle.

Lorelai: Bring her with you! She loves uncles!

Rory: What?

Luke: I'm pretty sure you don't want her around Louie.

Lorelai: Louie's your uncle?

Luke: Yeah.

Lorelai: Blow him off! (LUKE looks at her)I know, I know. I'm just desperate.

Luke: Why don't you just take her?

Lorelai: Because I'm kinda hoping to (whispering)sneak in unnoticed, you know?

Luke: Why?

Lorelai: I don't want to talk to my mom!

Luke: I'm really sorry, Lorelai. But I have to go see Louie, he's moving away tomorrow.

Lorelai: No, I know. It was so inappropriate for me to even ask. (sighing)So I guess I'm taking her.

Luke: Sorry.

Lorelai: No, no. Okay. (to RORY)Let's go.

Rory: No food?

Lorelai: Nope. I'll get you your you're-a-really-good-girl meal tomorrow.

Rory: (excited)So we're going to go see Gramma and Granpa?

Lorelai: I hope not.