Her daughter's shrill cry tore through Lorelai's dreams and she struggled towards consciousness. As much as she loved sleep, there was a tiny human being in a little crib who needed her. That was what her life was about now. She was always second, and Rory was always first. She pulled the tiny baby out of the crib and cradled her, nursing her.

She was so completely helpless, trusting, delicate. Her porcelain hand wrapped itself around one of Lorelai's fingers and gripped hard while she nursed peacefully. Lorelai had never felt so many emotions at once: adoration for the precious creature in her arms, a fierce desire to protect her with her own life, and an overwhelming fear that no matter how hard she tried, she would mess everything up somehow.

They'd been on their own for a little over a month, now. The little shed that served as their apartment could have fit inside her parents' living room. Lorelai, however, would never complain. Mia, the plucky owner of the Independence Inn, had taken her in after only a moment's hesitation and given her a job as a maid. Lovely little Rory had instantly won the woman's heart, and she insisted on keeping Rory with her in the office while Lorelai went on her rounds.

They were poor. Sometimes Lorelai broke into a sweat trying to figure out how they were going to eat the next day. Mia taught her how to sew, and it was much cheaper just to make clothes for herself and Rory than to buy them. Her mother would have a fit if she knew that her daughter counted pennies for food and sewed her own clothes, but Lorelai had never been happier.

She had not heard from Christopher. He'd hardly been around during the pregnancy and had only shown up at the hospital hours after Rory's birth; to be fair, she was very much persona non grata with his parents, and they kept him too busy to spend any decent amount of time with her. Still, if he was grown up enough to father Rory, he was grown up enough to stand up to his mommy and daddy every now and then.

Lorelai sighed and pulled Rory away. Rory smacked her little lips a couple of times, and then proceeded to fall asleep again. As Lorelai tucked her back into her little crib, the baby let out a tiny sigh and shifted under the covers. Lorelai leaned over and kissed her gently. "Sweet dreams, precious."

"I've finished room twelve, Mia," Lorelai said, poking her head into the office.

"Wonderful, Lorelai," Mia smiled. "You know, if you worked a little more slowly you might get along with the other maids better."

Lorelai made a face. "I don't want to get along with the other maids. They say rude things when they see Rory, and it's very hard not to just beat them up for treating her like she's anything but the most gorgeous thing in the world."

"Parents are very protective of their children," Mia said, looking pointedly at her. "Which reminds me: it's Tuesday."

Lorelai groaned. "Mia, no."

"Lorelai, however badly things were between you and your parents, we had a deal."

"I know, I know, call Mom and Dad once a week, got it. But can't I skip this week? I have a huge headache."

"You most certainly cannot skip this week."

"All they'll say is 'Lorelai, come home,' and I'll say 'But I am home,' and they'll say that a hotel is not a home, and we'll hang up angry. It doesn't help anything."

"Not for you, maybe," Mia said firmly. "But if I were your mother, and you had left the safety of my home, I would live for these phone calls."

Emily lived for these phone calls. Every Tuesday around five o'clock she could be found on her armchair next to the telephone, willing it to ring. Sometimes, depending on Lorelai's work load, the call came a little later, and then Emily grew restless, thinking that perhaps she wasn't going to call at all. But she always did.

Judging from Lorelai's reticence during the calls, Emily knew that they weren't her idea, and that left to herself, she might never have called the Gilmore residence again. It was one thing that Emily was forced to thank that woman Mia for, even if she still burned with resentment at the thought that she, and not Emily, would have the joy and privilege of watching Rory grow up.

The phone rang.

"Lorelai?"

"Hi, Mom. How are you?"

Every day I wake up and you aren't here I die a little more. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good."

Long pause.

"So I found out that I can take my GED in March. Then it'll be just like graduating high school."

"Well, that's a relief."

"Most jobs won't take you without at least a GED or diploma."

"I know."

Another pause.

"Rory tried to roll over the other day. She's getting so big."

And every day that precious childhood slips away from you both and I don't even get to watch it happen. "That's wonderful."

"One minute, Mom." Sounds of a distant conversation. Lorelai gave into something. "Mom? Do you – do you and Dad want to come see us?"

Emily couldn't breathe. "See you? And Rory?"

"Yeah. Come for a visit. Friday. Mia will put you up with a room."

"Mia will be there?"

"No, she has to go out of town for a conference. You can stay in her room for a night or two. No charge."

"That's very…generous of her."

"Yeah, she's great."

"You do realize that now I'll know where you live."

"Yes, Mom. I realize that."

"Well, I'll have to ask your father, of course, but I'm sure he'll have no objection."

"Okay, well…I'll tell Mia you're coming."

"All right."

"I'll see you Friday. Bye, Mom."

"Tell Rory I love her."

"I will."

"Goodbye."

"Nice, isn't it?" Lorelai said proudly, leading her parents through the lobby. Richard, after a brief and dignified struggle with Emily, had gained possession of his granddaughter and showed no sign of relinquishing her anytime soon. "Mia's been running it on her own for a long time."

"It is rather charming," Emily said shortly. "So you and Rory live here, do you?"

"Yes, Mia takes the rent out of my pay."

"Do you have a financial paper here, Lorelai?" Richard suddenly asked. "I want to check on the Dow."

"Oh – sure, Dad. Go ask behind the counter."

Richard handed Rory to Emily, and as he walked away she and Lorelai sat in the comfortable armchairs that were placed in the sitting room.

"You've managed to keep yourself alive," Emily said rather stiffly. "Have you finished proving yourself? Are you ready to come home?"

Lorelai sighed and studied her hands clasped in her lap. "Mom, I'm not coming back to Hartford. This isn't just a little trip I took to scare you."

"Hmph."

"It's not," Lorelai insisted, her voice quiet. "Mom, I like it here. I like it a lot. I'm a good worker, and Mia says that in a few years I can be assistant manager if I keep improving like I have been. Of course, I'll need my GED, but I can do that."

"So you're never coming back? Just like that? And all your father and I will receive are a phone call every week and occasionally an off-hand invitation to come and visit you?"

"No. I want to see you on holidays, and you and Dad are welcome to come visit anytime you want. But I won't move back. I'm sorry, but I've made my decision."

"I don't understand why you're being so stubborn," Emily snapped. "You could still have everything you were meant for. We could place Rory in day care and you could finish high school and go to Yale just like we'd planned."

"Mom, I will never send my kid to day care. I love her more than anything and I can't stand not being around her. She's my life." She paused. "You never sent me to day care. Why would you make me do that to Rory?"

"I was older than you are now. I had a husband and a home and financial stability. You have a family willing to help you, Lorelai, and you're throwing it all away to live like one of those welfare mothers!"

"I appreciate that you want to help me," Lorelai argued. "I do. But if I let you help me, I would also have to let you control me, because that's how you are. You don't just belong to any of your society groups, you're on the boards. You wouldn't want to just be involved in my life, you'd want to be on the board of directors, and I don't work like that."

"So you're cutting me out completely? What about when Rory grows up – will you teach her to hate us as well?"

"Oh, stop it, Mom," Lorelai sighed. "I won't teach her to think anything about you. That's all up to you."

"Does this place serve dinner?" Richard asked, coming over. "I'm quite hungry."

"Yes, but I hope Sookie hasn't been in today," Lorelai answered, standing.

"Sookie?" Emily questioned.

"She's this girl my age who wants to be a chef someday. She's always in the kitchen bothering Jason, and she's a big klutz. Yesterday he actually picked her up and dumped her outside."

The next day, as they drove away from the inn, Emily watched the building and her daughter until she could no longer see them.

"She wouldn't come home?" Richard asked quietly.

"No," she whispered.

It was a very quiet ride.

A/N: Don't expect every update to be this fast. I just had absolutely no writer's block this week, which is unusual. RnR!