Disclaimer – nope don't own Gilmore Girls.
A/N – Here are some clarifications. 1 – The main portion of this story is Winnie grown up. She is 24 in these scenes. This therefore makes Rory 43 and Lorelai 59. I know it's hard to picture Lorelai that old but just picture her like Goldie Hawn or Susan Sarandon or even Cher, just because your older doesn't mean you have to look like a grand-ma!
2 – The Flashback range over Winnie's life, she can be anywhere from days old to 24.
3 – Josh is 3 years older than Winnie.
4 – Rory and Logan have four children Lily (short for Lorelai of course) is 13, then the twins Matt and Olivia are 10 and Charlie is six.
5 – Oh and I've fixed the flashback confusion, or I hope I have anyway.
Hope this clears it all up folks!
Flashback
"Hey mom," Winnie ran into the house dropped her bag by the door ran into her room and was back at the door before Lorelai could get a word in.
"Bye mom,"
"Bye," Lorelai laughed as she heard the door slam shut. She knew exactly where her daughter was headed.
Winnie ran through town waving at people as she passed.
"Winnie could you please slow down, it's not safe to run through town like that."
"Sorry Taylor!" Winnie only slowed a bit as she breezed into her father's diner.
"Hey dad, ready?"
"Not yet, you wanna do a round with the coffee while I got tell Mark we're leaving."
"Sure," Winnie walked behind the counter and grabbed the coffee pot she grimaced at the smell. Un-like her mother she did not have an addiction to coffee. Something her mother would have been extremely disappointed about if it didn't constantly remind her that she had a daughter with Luke Danes.
"Hello Winnie dear, you and your dad spending a day together?" Miss Patty asked.
"Yup, he's finally decided I'm old enough to learn how to fish. Last week he filled up the pool in the backyard and today he's actually taking me to the lake."
"Well isn't that nice. I 'm surprised he didn't have you fishing the minute you learned to walk."
"Mom had me convinced that if dad took me to the lake the crocodile that lived at the bottom would have his feelings hurt because we were taking his supper and he would follow me home and try to eat our house, definitely one of her more creative excuses but also I think a little less believable, anyway when I turned nine last month I asked dad if he'd teach me any way."
"That mother of yours has one crazy imagination."
"I know,"
"Come help me with the poles Winnie," Luke walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the apartment; Winnie placed the pot on the counter and ran up after him.
"Dad?"
"Yeah,"
"How come mom doesn't want me to fish?"
"Because she loves you and she believes that if you learn to fish you'll turn into me."
"But she loves you too, doesn't she want me to be like you."
"Winnie I am going to tell you something that I have been waiting for a long time to tell you," He sat down on a box and pulled his nine-year old onto his lap. "Your mother, though I love her very much is crazy. She has always been crazy and she always will be crazy, but even though we know this to be true we still love her and part of us loves her because of this. And it's because of this that she doesn't want you to fish, in her mind if you learn to fish you will want to play sports and start hating coffee, it'll turn into an evil chain of events that will make you more like me and less like her."
"But I already hate coffee, and I already like sports."
"Yes but mom doesn't know this, well she knows that you don't like coffee but it still makes her slightly crazy,"
"So we're just supposed to accept everything mom says and does because she's crazy."
"Exactly,"
"And we're okay with this?"
"Imagine what life would be like if mom was like Ashley's mom and she never made any jokes or anything."
"That wouldn't be fun, I'm glad moms crazy, and I don't want her to be like Ashley's mom."
"Me neither." They sat in amicable silence a moment then, "Dad?"
"Yeah,"
"Are we gonna fish?"
"Yeah."
End Flashback
Winnie drove through the small town of Stars Hollow and stopped at the diner she had grown up in.
She climbed out of her car and the door slammed shut behind her.
"Winnie!" Winnie turned around and smiled.
"Hey Sookie!" She hugged her mother's best friend.
"Are you here for Josh's birthday?"
"Yeah oh and I got the invitation to Davie's wedding, I can't believe he's marrying Hannah. I am so happy for them!"
"I know we're so excited, you're going to come right!"
"I wouldn't miss it. So where are you headed?"
"To meet your mom actually, you want to come with me?"
"Yes I do. I haven't seen mom in months."
"You must miss her,"
"So much."
There was a silence that passed between them and they both knew what the other was thinking and they were both afraid to bring it up. The silence continued until finally Winnie gave in to it.
"How is he?"
Flashback
"Hurry up Winnie!" James Bellville called quietly.
"Shut up Jami you know I'm faster than you, if I didn't have to carry this stupid bucket."
"I offered to carry it, you said you could do it yourself."
"I CAN!" Winnie cried frustrated with her best friend.
"Sssh! They'll hear us Win, be quiet." Winnie was fuming but she shut her mouth and they continued through the trees. Suddenly Jami stopped, "There they are!" he whispered.
"They're in the car, I thought you said they were going to have a picnic."
"He said they were,"
"Well they aren't we can't do it if they're in the car!"
"Shut up Jami, look they're getting out!" Jami's head snapped back.
"Good lets go," They moved quickly behind the car.
"I love your truck Josh, it's so … rustic" The blond bimbo beside Winnie's brother purred.
"Yeah, I know I love it too." Winnie tried to hold in her laughter, she knew for a fact that her brother hated her dad's old truck. Jami covered Winnie's mouth with his hand to keep her quiet.
"Come on," They each had a hand on the large bucket filled with freezing lake water. They saw Josh and the blond bimbo leaning in towards each other slowly and just as slowly Jami and Winnie crept behind the couple. They lifted the bucket over their heads and with a quick glance at each other and perfect timing the water descended on the kissing teenagers.
A shriek was heard as the blond jumped up, her mascara streaking down her pale face. Josh's face was paralyzed with fear and anger and all that could be heard was Winnie and Jami who had doubled over in laughter.
"I'm going to kill you!" Josh lunged at his sister and Jami and Winnie took off back through the trees. They were running and laughing with all of their might.
When they reached the gazebo they fell into a pile of laughter.
"That was by far the best we have EVER done!" Jami laughed.
"Did you see her face, she freaked."
" Do you think you'll get in trouble for this one?"
"Are you kidding, dad doesn't know how to get mad at me,"
They both relaxed against the boards of the gazebo and 12-year old Winnie collapsed on her best friends shoulder.
"That's true," Jami wrapped his arm around Winnie. Their laughter had ended and they were now coming down from their excitement. Winnie moved up from her position on Jami's shoulder and the two kids froze.
They were inches apart and as Jami leaned in closer to his best friend he was reminded of the scene he had just witnessed with her older brother.
Winnie's heart was racing, her best friend was about to kiss her, and she was going to be kissed, for the first time! By her best friend! Their lips touched only for a few seconds when Winnie jumped up.
"Thanks Jami, I'll call you?" Winnie raced down the street towards her home. As she neared the house she heard her brother arguing with her parents, Winnie paused beneath the kitchen window and listened.
"She drives me crazy! Her and Jami are trying to ruin my life!" Josh yelled.
"Come on Josh it was just a joke."
"Its always a joke with Winnie! I hate her!"
"Take that back Josh you don't mean it," Lorelai tried.
"I do mean it, she ruins everything, Cindy probably won't ever even look at me, my life is over, everyone at school will have heard!"
"Oh Josh, she's just a girl they'll be more where she came from." Luke jumped in. Winnie had had enough listening. She walked in through the kitchen and every head turned towards her.
"Hey," was all she said but it was enough to drive her brother mad. He Leapt between his parents in an attempt to attack his sister. Luke held his son back.
"Go to your room Bronwyn, and don't come out until I tell you, and you're not going to Cameron's party this weekend" They were all waiting for Winnie to get upset, she had been talking about Cam's party for a month, but the slow smile that appeared on her face shocked all of them.
"What happened, why are you so happy?" Lorelai asked, she had never thought she would punish her children but it seemed that raising two at a time was different than just one. Not to mention the fact that her daughter seemed to be much more of a troublemaker than she could have ever imagined.
"Jami, Jami Bellville kissed me!" Winnie ran up to her room in a daze. Luke and Lorelai's heads snapped towards each other's.
End Flashback
"He's good."
R and R PLEASE!
