"Mommy, how much farther do we have to walk?" Rory asked annoyed.
"Just till we find a hotel or motel or inn, or anything where people spend the nights." Lorelai replied in a tired voice.
"Are we ever going back to Tennessee?" Rory asked looking up at her mother.
"No." Lorelia answered shortly.
"I miss school."
"It's summer."
"I still miss it."
"You can start at a new school." Lorelai replied.
Rory sighed, it seemed like their life had no real direction. Finally Lorelai and Rory spotted a small hotel. They walked in and Lorelai began to speak to the lady working at the front desk.
"Hello." Lorelai greeted.
"Hello." The lady replied.
"My name is Lorelai. This is my daughter Rory. I was wondering if perhaps you could do us a favor. See, we need a place to stay for a couple nights, but we have no money. Is there some way I could do some work for your company to earn a couple nights of sleep here?"
The lady didn't answer. She leaned back away from the desk and sighed.
"Okay, well, thank you anyway." Lorelai spoke as she turned to leave.
"Wait." The lady called.
"I can't let you stay here at the hotel without paying. And there's no way you could do enough to work to make it even. But I have a spare bedroom at my house, and you're more than welcome to stay in it for a couple nights."
"Is it close to town?" Lorelai asked hopefully.
"It's right next door."
Lorelai smiled, "Thank you so much, that would be great."
That night Rory and Lorelai sat up talking about Chris. Lorelai was surprised at how mature Rory was about the subject. Rory cried, somewhat, but it was mainly over her mother. She didn't feel much sympathy for Chris. Ever since that night, she had been afraid of him and when it came to loving someone greatly, she could only relate to her mother. Rory figured she would have loved Richard greatly too, had they spent more time together. She told Lorelai that she would miss him, but Lorelai promised that she would see him again soon. Sleep took over their bodies, and soon morning came. Lorelai slowly rose out of bed and looked at the clock. A knock was heard at their door.
"May I come in?" A voice asked.
"Of course." Lorelai replied sleepily.
The lady from the front desk, Linda Sawyers, walked in.
"When you told me about your situation, I wanted to find a way to help you." She began, "So I called a friend of mine in Stars Hollow. She has a small inn there, and she's looking for a maid. It won't be much money, but she will provide a room for you and your daughter to stay in."
Lorelai's eyes widened and her heart started beating faster and faster. "Oh my god. You didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to." Linda replied.
"I also took the liberty of buying you a bus ticket which will take you straight to Stars Hollow."
"I'll repay you." Lorelai said solemnly.
"No... You won't. It is a gift for you." Linda smiled.
"But you've already given me more than..."
"Good luck Lorelai... Your bus leaves at 11:00 am."
Linda shut the door behind her as she left.
Lorelai woke up Rory and quickly cleaned them both up the best they could look. They arrived at the bus station just in time. Rory was excited about Stars Hollow. She kept commenting that the name sounded like a place in a story book. Lorelai's spirit had been lifted greatly as she could feel her luck finally turning around, and her life finally having a purpose. She found it odd that it took a tragedy such as Chris' death to finally give her freedom in life.
By noon Rory and Lorelai stood on the steps of the Independence Inn. Lorelai took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
A small foreign man answered.
"Hi... I'm..."
"The maid... I know. We've been expecting you. Please, come in."
Lorelai and Rory walked in and looked around at the beautiful lobby.
"Ah... You must be Lorelai." A friendly voice inquired.
"Yes. I am." Lorelai smiled as she turned to see the kind face.
"I'm Mia, owner of the Independence Inn." she smiled.
"It's very nice to meet you. I am so thankful that you have given me a job, and I'll do my very best I promise. Oh, this is my daughter Rory."
"Well, hello there. You're possibly the prettiest thing I've seen all day." Mia grinned.
Rory blushed, but a smile followed.
"Well, lets show you your room shall we?" Mia lead them up stairs.
"Oh my this is beautiful." Lorelai gasped. "You're whole in is just... beautiful."
Mia chuckled, "Thank you. I've spent years here. It wasn't always so nice. It's came a long way."
"Once again, I just want to thank you for this opportunity." Lorelai reminded.
"My dear girl, you're doing me a favor as well. It's by far an even trade. I'll leave you two to get settled in."
"Oh, we don't have much." Lorelai replied " A change of clothes and that's about it."
"I see." Mia noted. "I have diner at 7:00 pm every evening if you would like to join me."
"That would be wonderful." Lorelai replied.
Mia smiled once more and exited the room.
"Is this where we're going to live?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, do you like it?" Lorelai asked.
"Mmm hmm." Rory shook her head.
Lorelai walked over to the window and looked at across the town of Stars Hollow. It was so beautiful, and so simple, and so... different. She had never seen a place so calm and peaceful. She felt like this was the one true place to call home. Here she could have a new life, and no one would know about the old one. Lorelai turned and walked back over to Rory who was flipping through some magazines that had been left laying on a table.
"Rory." Lorelia said calmly. "What would you think about changing our last names?"
"To what?" Rory asked sweetly.
"Gilmore." Lorelai replied.