Sorry, minor case of writers block has plagued me recently. And when I say minor, I really mean minor.

Thanks again for all of the reviews, it has been so great to see how many people are reading and enjoying this fic. You guys are so nice over in this section! lol. I think I'll have to hang out here more.

Anyways, wanted to make a little mention about the style of writing. For this story I really wanted to bring across Lorelai and Rory's characters more, hence the random rants off into nowhere. So hopefully, everyone can follow. It made sense to me, but I'm kinda crazy so sane-ness isn't exactly apart of my genetic make-up.

Any who, I'm done with that now. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

"Having children makes you no more a parent than having a piano makes you a pianist"
(Michael Levine)

Lorelai rolled over on to her opposite side, so that she could face the phone. She said she'd call him. She always did when she was away, and same with him. It was that comfort in routine that was probably keeping her with him. Without him, there'd be no routine to follow and she'd, once again, be hopelessly lost.

It was nearing eight, she probably should call. He'd begin to worry otherwise, and him worrying would throw off the routine.

She reached over and grabbed the large black phone from the nightstand and placed it besides her, stretching the cords to their limits. She lifted her finger up into the air and began dialing the familiar digits once again.

He picked up within two rings.

"Hello," he answered coolly. He was always so calm and composed, while she was and would always be a car wreak just waiting to happen.

"Hey, baby," she whispered back, hoping her voice didn't give her away. "How was your day?"

"Boring. Even the Stevens, you know, the ones upstairs, I didn't hear a pep out of them. They must be on vacation or something. Usually they're so vocal. I miss the 'stupid bitch' 'ugly bastard' arguments. It's like a soap opera for free. Well, if you try not to think about the rent and all that kind of stuff."

Lorelai smiled faintly, "You're rambling," she teased.

"Yeah, well, I get it from you, babe."

"Not my fault that you're so enamored by me that you feel the need to mimic my most adorable traits. It's the only explanation."

"Sure thing. Anything happen to you in Mayberry? Did Barney arrest people for pulling those U-turns again? And did the town drunk make it into lock up okay again? I always worry about him."

"Things were pretty dull around here too," she lied, "Not even a citizen's arrest from Gomer Piles. Can you believe it?"

"Oh, you have got to be kidding. And here I expected you to come back with stories all about how Sheriff Andy and Deputy Barney Fife took down those villains who dared pull a U-turn in their town!"

She forced a soft laugh, "Sorry to disappoint. But I hear Opie's planning' on leading the boy scouts in their annual parade tomorrow."

"Well you'll have to take a lot of pictures for me."

"How could I not!"

"So, besides, the very disappointing lack of involvement from the fictional town Sheriff, anything else happen? Get pulled over again?"

"Nah, nothing. It was a boring drive, just as it will be the same boring drive on Saturday. Just minus the Christian Rock power hour for three hours straight!"

"Ah yes, I thought I fell over something this morning. Did it happen to be your forgotten CD collection?"

"And you didn't run after me and hunt me down by going car to car just to give me those CD's. I should really look into getting me a new live-in boyfriend. Maybe Mr. Steven's form upstairs is looking to join an exchange program."

"Yes, how dare I, how will you ever forgive me."

"Oh, I'll think of something," she teased as she continued to lie and pretend everything was okay. Lorelai had mastered the art of lying to others a long time ago. But some days, it was hard to separate where the lies ended and the real Lorelai began.

And she wished that one day, she could forget that they were lies and, like everybody else had done years ago, believe her.

Rory ran to the only place she knew she could find an impartial shoulder. As soon as that clock hit six, she grabbed her bright yellow book bag and ran for the door like she was being chased by a slew of rabid dogs or something. She didn't even bother taking off her pale pink apron, with the bright yellow daisy iron-on she had added a couple of months much to Luke's dismay. He had claimed that now it was a girly apron and when she finally left for Harvard and gave it back to him permanently he would have to hire another girl or an extremely gay man. She had suggested one of the ones from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, sooner or later they'd be looking for work and what's better then frolicking around a diner in a pale pink, daisy-decorated apron.

He hadn't appreciated the sarcasm. He continued to point out the fact that she had accidentally dyed it pink the first week she had it, and he'd forgiven her for that, but the daisy was just too far. Rory had just responded with a small smirk and said accidentally, of course. I would never do anything like that on purpose. I still have no idea how that damn red sock ended up in my wash.

But right in that moment, she didn't give a damn about the apron. And that was new for her. And she couldn't stop thinking about the great apron debate, as she liked to refer to it as, as she bolted across the Town Square towards the Kim's household/antique shop.

Once outside, she practically ripped open the front gate and then continued her mad dash straight to the door, ultimately using her momentum knock rather loudly on the front door. Mama Kim was not going to appreciate that knock. She'd probably find a bible verse on it and then shove it in Rory's face for the next twenty to twenty five years. In fact, Mama Kim had really made a mistake denying her true calling to be some Middle Eastern European Prison Guard and becoming an antique saleswoman. Although, she was quite good at that too, Rory couldn't deny the true talent Mama Kim had to even make stone cold Taylor cry every once in awhile.

Within seconds, the door slowly, or at least to Super Rory slowly, to normal people it was probably at a normal pace but she was in no state to make such a determination, and Lane popped into view.

"Rory? I thought you had to work tonight," Lane started in, but Rory cut her off before she could finish any more on that thought.

"I met my birth mom. Actually Luke met her, I just ran into her by accident. I might've yelled at her a little, events are kinda fuzzy right now, is that a bad thing? Cause I heard that it is. I'm only fifteen."

"Rory," Lane tried to butt in, but with no success.

"Well, practically sixteen in what? Two, three days? Is it two or three? What day is it? Oh my god. My memory's gone! Harvard won't take me now!"

"Rory!"

"The memories the first thing to go. Oh my god. I'm turning into an old person! Hey, hey, Lane, do I look pale? Sickly? Near death in any way?"

"Rory!" Lane clapped her hands together, jarring Rory out of her rant for the moment. "Listen to me, you're not going to die of old age. I thought you were the smart one, you have to be old to die of old age, and let me tell you, in no time was fifteen ever considered an elder. Trust me. I've actually paid some attention this year."

Rory nodded, "But,"

Lane held up her hand sternly, "Secondly, you are going to sit down because you're only freaking yourself out and freaking me out by extension, and I can only handle one freaking out person at a time, do you understand?"

No response.

"Nod if you understand."

Rory nodded slowly.

"Okay, take my hand, and we're going inside to find you a chair. You can have any chair. We have a lot of them," Lane grabbed Rory's hand and lead her through the house, "Except that chair, it's near the end for it, mama will kill you if she sees you in it. She thinks it will break the second somebody sits in it. Sadly I agree, but I have seen many a chair like this sold so apparently people are really that stupid."

Rory nodded, "I can't believe it."

"What? That people are stupid, cause I was only kidding. Not all people are stupid, just most." Lane stopped in the kitchen, allowing Rory a second to sit down in one of the awaiting chairs by the table.

"No," Rory shook her head, "I met my real mother. I really met her."

Lane's expression softened, "Yeah, you did, didn't you." She pulled up another chair to the table and sat down, "What was she like? I know you talked over the years about possibly meeting her or something, but your parents seemed dead set against it, anyways, that's not important, what's important here is that, well, was she like you imagined?"

"Sorta. I didn't really get to talk to her. I mean, really talk. Luke did. But he didn't want to fill me in on anything. Actually he didn't want me to work. Something about being or maybe feeling too emotional. I donno, whatever it was, I told him that I was working cause it was my shift and to just drop it!"

"And I see you left right from work by that absolutely fabulous fashion statement you are making right now," Lane motioned to the apron.

Rory jerked her head down, "Oh, I forgot about that. Luke will probably wonder why I didn't leave it like I normally do. Probably thinks I'm up to something again."

"Yea, he has gotten quite suspicious about you and your apron bringing home habits. It seems that somehow, someway, something new keeps popping up on yours the same weekend you take it home to clean it."

Rory smiled faintly, "Yea, this is totally freak him out. Cool."

"See it's not that hard to smile," Lane teased.

Her smile grew a little, "He seemed kinda guilty or something today. Who knows what's up with him. Kinda the drawback to having a monosyllable friend. You never really get to know those juicy details that make a story. Unless he's ranting, cause then you find out more then you wanted to know."

Lane nodded, "Maybe he felt guilty about talking to her. I mean, I know you said that you yelled at her and stuff, and your parents never really seemed to keen on the idea of you two meeting, and he is pretty good friends with your parents so many he thinks he's supposed to hate her or something. Not flirt with her."

"Why do you think he was flirting?"

"I donno, it just painted a really funny mental image. Monosyllable man flirts. I mean, just the sound of it sounds like some cult comedy movie from like the sixties or something."

Rory cracked another small smile, "I'll make sure to look for it next time I'm in a movie store. And if nobody's made it, pack up, cause we're moving to Hollywood with that idea, baby!"

Lane smiled, "California here we come," she began singing softly, "Da, da, na, na, I don't know the words," she continued in rhythm, "But I know Mama Kim would totally approve of me knowing this song."

"Well knowing is being used very lightly, but otherwise I think you have yourself a hit with that."

"Dang, we'll be a double threat. Music and Movies. We'll be the new J.Lo's. Just minus the whole Benifer thing. That was just embarrassing to all mankind."

Rory nodded, "Agreed."

"So, do you want to tell me what happened, or are the details still a little fuzzy?" Lane asked softly, changing the conversation back now that Rory had calmed down some.

"She was, well beautiful."

Lane nodded, knowing better then to interrupt just yet.

"And she looked a lot like me. Well, of course, stupid, she's your mom, well, your birth mom, cause I guess that my mom is my mom even if I didn't actually pop out of her I popped out of this stranger, and now I'm blubbering on about nothing. Did that last little part even make any sense? My mom is my mom. What kind of sentence is that! That is not a Harvard sentence!"

Lane stuck out her hand again, "Rory, Rory, breathe. I need you to calm down, okay? That's why we are in these chairs. In the Kim household so you cannot do anything stupid."

Rory nodded, "I just said the most awful things to her. Well not awful in the content, but in the delivery. I was just," she paused looking for the right adjective, "mean."

"Whatda mean?"

"Well, I never really gave her a chance to explain herself. I just went for the throat. And I yelled. And cried. I don't remember ever crying in public like that before. I mean, she was already down. She was crying before me."

Lane nodded again, waiting for the right moment to speak again.

"I mean, in my head that conversation went so much better. I mean like Hallmark card or ABC family movie better. Air Bud had nothing on the goodness of my endings. Disney could not touch my envisioned endings!"

"Yea, but you were also how old when you imagined them?"

"Well,"

"Rory, let's face it. The woman has been out of your life for almost sixteen years. She hasn't bothered to contact you once, and your parents' obviously didn't want you to meet her, so maybe, well, you should listen to them. Maybe they know something about her that you don't, and are just trying to protect you in every sense of the word."

Rory nodded, "I know, you're right."

Lane smiled, "Just don't let the whole obey your parents thing get out, I've got an image to maintain."

"I guess, I just want to know, well, stuff. I mean, my parents said that they named me Lorelai after one of their family members. And then at some function or another, somebody messed up and called me Rory by mistake, and it kinda stuck. And as interesting and creative a story as that is, Rory is kinda far off from Lorelai, don't you think? Somebody would have had to have had to messed up bad. And I mean bad."

"Do you think that maybe you're birth mom named you or something?"

Rory shrugged, "I donno. Maybe! I just want to know these things! I want to see if I'm anything like her, you know. Maybe clear up some things."

"Roots," Lane summed up.

"Yeah, I want to know my roots."

"But at the same time you don't want to talk to her?"

"Precisely."

"Well that could go round and round for quite some time," Lane pointed out, "Both sides have strong pro and con arguments," Lane paused, "Wow. Never thought that debate class would actually pay off."

"I've been thinking about this for hours," Rory mumbled before she thumped her head down on the table in front of her, "And my brain hurts."

Lane smiled faintly, "Well, hun, you know I love you, but I can't make this decision for you. I know you know that."

Rory mumbled something incoherent.

"Just sleep on it. Maybe talk it over with your parents. They might know something. Besides that, I'm just an opinionless shoulder."

Rory lifted her head a little, "How thoughtful," she mumbled before banging her head back down.

Lane stood up and walked over behind Rory, wrapping her arms around the other girl's small frame from behind, "Hey, you know I'll be here if I feel the need to talk this out some more. I'll sneak a phone up tonight. No sleep for me! Sleep is for the weak! And I am Lane! Super-friend!"

"Glad to have you around, super-friend Lane."

Lane released Rory from the hug, on account of the fact that her back could no longer take staying in that position any longer, "Any time, Rory," she smiled.

Rory lifted her head up and looked at the clock, "I should get home. Mom and Dad are probably worried by now. Kirk's probably out looking for me now."

"Oh, is he doing Police work now too? I thought you had to have some training for that."

"No, no, he's doing missing person and/or family pet finding. Didn't you get the flyer?"

"Must have missed that one."

"Really? It's a shame. It had a really great picture of him dressed up as Sherlock Holmes on it." Rory stood up from the chair, "Really, we should have it framed. It's a classic."

The girls walked back towards the door, "Do you still have a copy?"

Rory nodded, "I'll bring it to school tomorrow."

Lane opened the door, "Good deal."

Rory nodded, "See ya tomorrow," she forced another fake smile onto her face as she walked out the door, apron still attached to her hips.

It was going to be a long night.

Updates up ASAP.
Reviews are not only welcome, but encouraged. lol.