A/N: In two half days I'm going to be done with school! And then I'm done! Three more exams, and I'm outta there! Yay!

Thanks for the reviews. I love you ALL! If Ashlee reads this, thank you so much for the banner! I'll post it as my icon so you can all see the prettiness.

Calls.

[Cut To: Luke's Diner, LORELAI and RORY are having breakfast. LORELAI looks exhausted and RORY is obviously happy]

Rory: Can we call now?

Lorelai: No.

Rory: Why not?

Lorelai: Rory, honey, stop. We will call them today, I promise. It's not like we have a choice.

Luke: Who are you calling?

Lorelai: My-

Rory: (excitedly)Gramma and Granpa!

Luke: (to RORY)You look excited. (to LORELAI)You...don't.

Lorelai: I'm not.

Rory: And I am!

Luke: Then why are you bothering to call?

Lorelai: Mia. (long pause during which LORELAI doesn't elaborate)

Luke: Mia...

Lorelai: Said that we had to.

Luke: Oh, that's rough.

Lorelai: Yeah. It's worse than rough.

Luke: What's so bad about them?

Lorelai: What's so bad, he asks. I couldn't even give a list, Duke.

Luke: Well, that's life, huh?

Lorelai: Oh, yeah, life's great.

Luke: Coffee?

Lorelai: Keep it coming.

[Cut To: Independence Inn, lobby, LORELAI and RORY walk in and see MIA]

Mia: Lorelai?

Lorelai: (walking up to the counter)Hey.

Mia: Do you know what today is?

Rory: Gramma and Granpa!

Mia: Well, I guess Rory knows.

Lorelai: She can't stop talking about it.

Mia: So are you ready?

Rory: Yes!

Lorelai: Uh, yeah, after work.

Mia: Oh, after? Sure.

Lorelai: Okay. So...see you later, then.

Mia: Bye.

Rory: Bye.

[Cut To: Independence Inn, room 15, LORELAI is cleaning and RORY is at the desk, reading her book]

Rory: So we'll call after work?

Lorelai: I said we would.

Rory: Yeah, but will we really?

Lorelai: Yes. We've got to call today, so we'll call today.

Rory: Sometimes you say things but then don't do them.

Lorelai: Well, we have to do this.

Rory: Okay, so-

Lorelai: New topic, please.

Rory: Fine. When am I going to get my new book?

Lorelai: What new book?

Rory: I finished this one a million days ago! So can't I have a new one?

Lorelai: Maybe, I don't know. They take a while to make. All night, actually.

Rory: Then I want one of yours.

Lorelai: Those are for when you get a little better at reading, babe. When you're older.

Rory: But I can do it now.

Lorelai: I don't think so.

Rory: You used to say that I could do anything.

Lorelai: Totally different context.

Rory: (frustrated)I want to read it!

Lorelai: (mocking RORY's voice)I know you do!

Rory: (innocently)Please?

Lorelai: Fine, we'll go get one later. But it's going to be hard.

Rory: I know it will.

Lorelai: Really, really hard.

Rory: Okay.

Lorelai: This isn't making you want to read it any less, is it?

Rory: Nope.

Lorelai: Making you want to read it more, huh?

Rory: A little.

Lorelai: Then we'll get it later.

Rory: After we call-

Lorelai: Buh, buh, buh. I don't want to hear it again.

Rory: But-

Lorelai: No.

Rory: I-

Lorelai: Stop.

Rory: Fine.

Lorelai: Fine. Read.

[Cut To: Independence Inn, potting shed, LORELAI is sitting on the bed and RORY is looking at a shelf of books]

Rory: We had more at home.

Lorelai: This is our home. (RORY looks at her) And I know.

Rory: There's only (counting on her fingers)five here.

Lorelai: Smart girl.

Rory: They're long.

Lorelai: So maybe you shouldn't read them, huh? Maybe we should just find some shorter ones.

Rory: No, I can do it.

Lorelai: Okay, then pick one. We should get back.

Rory: (pulling a book off of the shelf)This one.

Lorelai: Let me see.

Rory: (handing it to her)Here.

Lorelai: "The Scarlet Letter?"

Rory: Yeah, letter. Like my letters. (singing)A, B, C, D, E, F-

Lorelai: Not quite like your letters.

Rory: Let's go.

Lorelai: You sure you want to read this one?

Rory: Yes.

Lorelai: (sighing)Okay. (to herself)I don't believe in censorship anyway.

[Cut To: Independence Inn, room 18, LORELAI is making the bed and RORY is sitting on the floor with her book]

Rory: Pl-ant-ied dep in the town's ear-liest...

Lorelai: Planted deep in the town's earliest...

Rory: ...in-fan-ky and kildhood-

Lorelai: What page did you say you were on?

Rory: (excited)Did I say it right?

Lorelai: Infancy and childhood. Now, what page?

Rory: Nine.

Lorelai: Oh, great. Only ten million more.

Rory: Really?

Lorelai: Really what?

Rory: There's that many more pages?

Lorelai: No, honey, Mommy was just being...funny.

Rory: Oh. It was funny.

Lorelai: Thank you.

Rory: You're welcome.

Lorelai: Aren't we polite.

Rory: "Politeness is close to godliness."

Lorelai: Excuse me?

Rory: That's what Gramma tells me.

Lorelai: Really, politeness? I remember back in my day when it was, "cleanliness is close to godliness." Do you know what it means?

Rory: What?

Lorelai: Godliness and politeness and all that.

Rory: Yeah. Of course.

Lorelai: Okay, what does it mean?

Rory: It means...to...uh...I have to read. (LORELAI smiles)

[Cut To: Independence Inn, room 25, LORELAI is done cleaning, but she's straightening things on the desk, etc and RORY is reading]

Rory: But then, what (trying to sound it out)re-re-rems of other man-you-scrip-tees...

Lorelai: I need to see that one. (RORY shows her the book)But then, what reams of other manuscripts. Why don't you take a break?

Rory: I've taken a whole bunch of breaks already.

Lorelai: Exactly. So one more can't hurt.

Rory: Are we taking our break to call Gramma?

Lorelai: Uh...I thought you forgot about that.

Rory: You said not to talk about it.

Lorelai: And yet, here we are.

Rory: You said we had to.

Lorelai: We do.

Rory: You said if we had to, then we would.

Lorelai: We will. (RORY gets up and picks up her book, getting ready to leave)Later.

Rory: Isn't now later?

Lorelai: No, now is now.

Rory: But later was later, so now now should be later.

Lorelai: I'm confused. (pause)You learned that from me.

Rory: So we're calling?

Lorelai: (sighing)Yes, we're calling.

[Cut To: Independence Inn, lobby, LORELAI comes out of the maintenence room and walks very slowly over to RORY at the counter. RORY gives her a look]

Lorelai: What? I'm here.

Rory: Took you long enough.

Lorelai: I'm old! My bones are...cracking.

Rory: (to MIA)Miss Mia?

Mia: Yes?

Rory: Can we have the phone? Mommy's ready to call.

Mia: Of course. (she turns and takes the phone off of its base)Here. (to LORELAI)Dial nine to get out.

Lorelai: (with a fake smile)Thanks. (LORELAI and RORY walk over to the couches and sit down, LORELAI dials)Hello? This is Lorelai. Is Emily there?

[Cut To: Gilmore House, dining room, EMILY and RICHARD are eating dinner. A MAID comes in]

Emily: Janet.

Janet: Yes, ma'am?

Emily: Well is there a reason that you're in the room?

Janet: Phone call, ma'am.

Emily: Do I take my phone calls while I eat, Janet? (before JANET has a chance to answer)No, I don't. No calls.

Janet: (on the phone)I'm sorry, Miss Lorelai? (both EMILY and RICHARD look up suddenly)Mrs. Gilmore isn't-

Emily: (jumping up, to JANET)Give me that. (on the phone)Lorelai?

Lorelai: (on the phone)Mom. Hi. How are you?

Emily: How am I? When are you coming home, Lorelai?

Lorelai: (on the phone)Mom, I'm-I'm not. I live here. I work here. I...eat here.

Emily: Oh, you eat there, so you're not coming home? (RICHARD gets up)

Richard: I have work. (he leaves and goes into his office)

Lorelai: (on the phone)No, that's not why.

Emily: I tried to look up Stars Hollow in the Phone Book, but I couldn't find it anywhere.

Lorelai: (on the phone)You don't need to know where it is.

Emily: If you're not going to tell me then I'm certainly going to find it myself.

Lorelai: (on the phone)No, I don't need you to find it. Really, we're fine.

Emily: Let me speak with Rory.

Lorelai: (on the phone)What?

Emily: Let me talk to her, please, Lorelai.

Lorelai: (on the phone)Okay.

[Cut To: Independence Inn, lobby, LORELAI hands the phone to RORY, who grins widely]

Rory: Hello?

Emily: (on the phone)Rory! How are you, sweetheart? Are you alright?

Rory: Yeah, we're really, really good.

Emily: (on the phone)Can you tell me the phone number to the place you're staying?

Rory: Um, I don't know the number here. I could ask-

Lorelai: (grabbing the phone)Mom, come on. Don't ask things like that.

Emily: (on the phone)Don't you think I have a right to know?

Lorelai: Let me think. No.

Emily: (on the phone)It's not as if I can't use the caller ID.

Lorelai: You don't have caller ID.

Emily: (on the phone)Can I talk to her again, or have my rights been revoked?

Lorelai: Play nice. (she hands the phone to RORY)

Emily: (on the phone)So, what have you been up to? How's school?

Rory: Oh, school hasn't started yet. Not 'till August.

Emily: (on the phone)Well what have you been doing? I mean, if your mother won't even send you to school-

Rory: I just come with Mommy to work.

Emily: (on the phone)To work? What does she do?

Rory: She's a really good cleaner.

Emily: (on the phone)A cleaner? What does she clean?

Rory: She's a maid.

Emily: (on the phone)A maid? Oh, dear Lord. Rory, don't worry, we'll come and get you, I promise.

Rory: I don't need you to come get me, Gramma. I'm fine.

Lorelai: (grabbing the phone again)Bye Mom. (she hangs up and RORY looks at her, confused)

Rory: Mommy.

Lorelai: I'm sorry. I know, I'm sorry. Next time, I promise. I'm sorry, honey. But I'm just afraid that she's going to make you want to leave. And you don't want to leave, do you?

Rory: No.

Lorelai: (looking at RORY's sad face)I'll be better next time.