"Lorelai, please fill in the blanks here." Emily begged.

"Mom, I don't want to talk about it right now." Lorelai replied.

"Emily, let the girl be. She'll talk when she's ready." Richard inputted.

"Well let's gather your belongings." Emily changed the subject.

"I am not going back there, Mom." Lorelai shook her head. "He can have all my stuff."

"Oh, Lorelai that's ridiculous. Richard, tell her that is ridiculous."

Richard nodded his head, "Yes, Lorelai, it is your stuff, therefore you're entitled to have it."

"I don't care."

"Well what about Rory's belongings?"

"I don't care either." Rory spoke softly yet sternly.

Emily stood still looking directly at the girl. It was the first time she had ever seen Rory. Emily noted that it was undeniable that this was Lorelia's child. Rory was the spitting image of her mother. Emily felt for a brief moment a painful emotion tugging on her heart. But she quickly shifted her eyes and cleared her throat.

"Well, then let's find a hotel to stay in for the night, and we'll leave for Connecticut tomorrow." Emily signaled for the limo driver to pull up.

"Mom, you rented a limo?" Lorelai asked in disbelief.

"Of course." Emily replied nonchalantly.

The driver came around and opened the door. All got in and Emily directed him to the nearest 5 star hotel to spend the night. Throughout the limo ride, not much was said. Lorelai and Rory sat close together gazing out the window together. Richard was indulged in a local newspaper and Emily was reviewing notes for her latest DAR meeting. The silence was eerie if anything. Once checked into one of Tennessee's finest hotels Rory and Lorelai quickly fell asleep on one of the king size beds.

"Look at them, Richard." Emily whispered. "Isn't it positively mind blowing?"

"What's that dear?" Richard inquired.

"Their looks... Rory's features are identical to Lorelai's"

"Hmm. Yes they do look a lot alike." Richard replied.

"I can't believe I am standing here looking at my daughter and granddaughter."

"Well, Emily. It's been a long day, and tomorrow will be long as well. We'd better get some sleep and plenty of rest for the plain ride to Hartford tomorrow morning."

"In a minute." Emily replied, brushing Richard off. Many minutes passed by before Emily finally had her eyes full of the two girls. She laid down beside Richard, but Emily didn't get any sleep that night.

The flight from Nashville to Hartford went over smoothly, and Rory was starting to warm up to Richard. On the other hand, she found Emily to be hateful and cold. Richard was more like a big life size teddy bear, which made Rory very comfortable. By that evening they had entered the Gilmore Estate and stood at the gate of the Gilmore Mansion.

"Wow!" Rory exclaimed. "It's huge!"

"Shhhh.." Lorelai hushed.

"Did you live her Mommy?" Rory asked.

"A long time ago sweetie. But let's not discuss it right now okay."

Rory was about to burst with excitement.

"Diana will show you to the guest room. We have breakfast at exactly 8:30 am." Emily stood for a moment looking at the young girls. "Good night."

"Good night." Lorelai replied.

"Good night." Richard added.

"Good night!" Rory smiled.

Richard smiled back at the little brown hair girl.

"Follow me please." Diana beckoned.

Rory and Lorelai followed the maid upstairs and into an enormous bedroom. Rory's eyes lit up the second the door opened. She gazed around the room looking at all the paintings. She took notice in a large book shelf that was overloaded with reading material. Everything about the room was beautiful and far more than Rory had ever seen at once.

"Mommy, this bedroom is as big as our house." Rory noted.

"I don't think it's quite that big." Lorelai sleepily replied. "Close though." She quickly added.

"Are we staying here?" Rory asked hopefully.

"For a little while. Until I find a new job and a new place for us to live."

"Why can't we stay here?"

"Because, Rory, this isn't our home. This is their home. We're just guests."

"But they're your parents..." Rory objected.

"That doesn't matter." Lorelai pulled down the covers to the bed. "Come on let's lay down and get some rest."

Rory hopped up onto the bed. "A limo, a big hotel room a big house. Are your Mommy and Daddy rich?"

Lorelai was startled by her daughter's question. She wasn't too sure how to answer it.

"Rory... Mommy's very tired. I just want to go to sleep, so be quite.?"

Rory wasn't used to Lorelai being so distant and defensive. Nevertheless, she did as her mother requested and within minutes had fallen fast asleep.

The next morning Rory woke up at 8:45. Lorelai was still sleeping peacefully. Rory decided not to wake her mother but to wonder downstairs instead. When she reached the bottom step she heard Richard and Emily talking. She followed the sound of their voices into the kitchen. Richard and Emily both stopped chatting and gave full attention to the girl.

"Well good morning." Richard greeted. "Are you hungry?"

Rory shook her head yes.

"What is your favorite breakfast food?" Emily asked.

"Captain Crunch and Lucky Charms mixed together." Rory replied.

Emily and Richard both sat confused.

"Diana..." Emily called. "Bring out a warm bowl of oatmeal."

"Have you ever had oatmeal?" Emily asked Rory.

"No Ma'am." Rory replied shyly.

"Well come, sit down with us." Richard invited. "Where is your mother?"

"Asleep."

"I see. She must be very tired." Emily said right before taking a sip of tea.

Diana brought out a warm bowl of oatmeal and sat it down in front or Rory. Rory's nose met the aroma of the breakfast food and she immediately new she would find this food delicious. She quickly began to eat barely taking time to swallowing. Richard and Emily gawked at the little girl and her eating routine. Clearly, they were not used to this type of behavior. Suddenly Lorelia's voice interrupted their breakfast.

"Rory?" Lorelai's footsteps finally reached the kitchen. "Rory, what on earth are you doing?"

"She's eating breakfast Lorelai." Emily answered.

"I can see that Mom. Rory, why did you leave our room this morning without waking me?"

"You were sleeping good." Rory replied timidly.

"Rory, don't you ever walk out of a room without letting me know. You hear me?" Lorelai was becoming such a grouch.

"Lorelai, I hardly think you have a right to be fearful of Rory's safety. Certainly you should know that in this house she would be closely watched." Emily commented.

"Trust me Mom, I know how well watched a person is in this house." Lorelai remarked. "Come on Rory."

"Where are you going?" Richard asked.

"To look for a job and a place to live."

"But I'm not done with my oatmeal." Rory whined.

"So that's it?" Emily threw her fork onto the table. "You call us, tell us that you need us. We come and rescue you, then you won't tell us anything about what happened and why you needed us to begin with and now, now you're just going to up and leave with our granddaughter who we just met? Nothing has changed about you Lorelai."

"Mom, let's not do this."

"Go, Lorelai." Emily replied.

"I can't tell you what happened!" Lorelai sobbed. "It's too shameful." Lorelai covered her face with her hands. Rory got up from the table and walked over to her mother.

"Don't cry Mommy." Rory said, hugging her mother around the waist.

Lorelai fell to her knees hugging Rory.

"Mommy, please don't cry." Rory's eyes began to tear up.

Richard arose from his seat and helped Lorelai up from the floor.

"Come, Lorelai sit on the sofa." Richard guided her into the sitting room. Rory followed closely behind.

Lorelai sat down on the sofa and began to wipe her tears from her eyes. Rory sat down on the sofa beside Lorelai.

"Are you hungry?" Richard asked.

"No." Lorelai sniffled.

"You might feel better if you eat something."

Lorelai sat in silence, not looking her father in the eyes.

"I have an idea." Richard stated suddenly "Rory, why don't I show you my college year book? Would you like to see what I looked like 20 years ago?"

Rory stayed focused on her mother, even though she was tempted by Richard's bribe.

"Go ahead sweetie." Lorelai replied. "I'm going to rest here for a while."

Reluctantly, Rory rose from the sofa and followed Richard into his study. Emily walked into the sitting room bringing with her a glass of water and handing it to Lorelai.

"Please, Lorelai." she began. "Tell me what happened."

Lorelai sighed "I screwed up so bad."

"How?"

"I let him back in." Lorelai replied, tears whelming up in her eyes again.

"Who?" Emily asked hastily.

"Christopher." Lorelai whispered.

"I don't understand..." Emily replied confused.

"He drank, he lied, he cursed, he gambled, he hit me, he hit... Rory." Lorelai's voice broke at Rory's name. "Sweet innocent Rory." Lorelai burried her head in her hands. "And.. I took him back."

Emily sat back in her chair with her mouth gaping. "I can't believe Christopher would do all those things. His parents certainly didn't raise him to be that way."

"Well, Mom, you didn't raise me to get pregnant at 16."

"Lorelai, it's no longer about you being pregnant at 16. What we need to decipher through now is what is to be done about Christopher."

"Nothing." Lorelai replied.

"What do you mean, nothing?" Emily asked. "Of course something has to be done. He cannot get away with what he has done to you and that child." Emily was becoming upset.

"Mom, I just wanted away. And you gave me that, and I am so great full, but I never want to see, or talk to Chris ever again."

"You won't have to." Emily stated. "Your father will."

"Mom, no." Lorelai objected again.

"Lorelai, I know you're strong and independent. You made sure I was aware of that years ago. But think about your daughter."

"I am thinking about Rory Mom, that's why I don't want to make a big deal out of this."

"Lorelai, do you want to screw up again?" Emily asked.

"Of course not." Lorelai replied.

"Then give Chris what he deserves."