DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. IF I WAS AN ALL MIGHTY GOD OF THE UNIVERSE, THEN LORELAI WOULD BE MINE, ALL MINE.

So sorry for the long update, just give me a couple of weeks, no more school and there will be more regular updates.

CHAPTER 7 "Jealous"

Today has been a day of single annoyance for Lorelai who spend exclusivly running after Michel, preventing him from scaring away some of good clients of the Dragonfly. It was almost 8 o'clock and Lorelai was finally able to go home.

She got in, kicked her feels, threw her purse somewhere and plopped down onto the couch. She looked around. The house was big, silent and empty. Usually, there would be this small scribbling sound from Rory's room, indicating that she was writing some assignment or an article. But none. Luke has offered to come and keep her company. She had turned him down. Right now, it wasn't a good idea. This huge house to herself, she didn't know what to do.

Remembering her hard work day, she decided it was better to take a shower right away and maybe watch some movie before sleep, because tired as she was, she wouldn't last long.

After her shower, she got in her pj's, the one Rory got her for her last birthday. With the words "Coffee Queen" in the back. There was nothing to watch on the TV, nothing she would want to watch without someone to mock it with.

Casually, she opened her small computer, deciding to check if something important came. Her heart stopped when she saw the e-mail from Rory. She tried really hard not to be nervous when she opened it. It was surely Rory e-mailling her to yell at her and ask her to leave her alone.

To her big surprise, it wasn't. There was only one single phrase. Nothing mean, nothing sweet. Just it.

Why did Taylor punch Luke?

Suddenly, her heart felt a so much ligher. A big grin appared in her face and she couldn't stop herself from showing it. This was it. This a sign her daughter was sending her. A small peace offering. Something to begin with. She quickly answered her.

Well...Jess came into town the other day. And Taylor, since he is in terrible mood swings 0since the day he's lost his selectman position, started spreading gossip around towm. Who would've taugh him the gossip guy? That's Patty and Babette territory. He was stealing their jobs. Anyways, Luke got fed up. (don't say this to one) But I kinda like Jess know. He matured a little and he's got some sense into him. Poor guy. He was just helping around for Luke when Taylor got in and started accusing him of strealing from his market. And then, one thing you know is that Luke walked up to him, punched right into the face and threw him out of the dinner.

It was a good show. I'm sorry you missed it.

Lorelai wanted to right something more but, on an impulse, ended her e-mail with an talk to you later, grabbed the phone and dialed Christopher's number.

"Hello?" Chris's voice answered

"Chris?"

"Lorelai? What a ...?"

"Can I speak with Rory?" replied Lorelai nervously

"Oh" Chris was taken aback. Lorelai called and wanted to talk to their daughter. Actually, her daughter. He knew Rory belonged more with Lorelai then him.

"Chris..."Lorelai urged, feeling that if this kept going on, she could surely her courage and hang up the phone.

"Hum...I don't know...she's busy..maybe you shouldn't. Maybe you should just call back or wait another week of two. You know, she's really tired. And maybe she doesn't wanna talk to you." Chris bit back his lips. That was a little too much that he said.

Oh! The bastard. Lorelai couldn't believe her ears. That guy was trying to keep her away from Rory. Her daughter. What would she do? Confront him right away? Or play the innocent and nice card.

She choose the last option. Putting on her most sweetest and childest voice, she answered him back.

"Chris, please, let me talk to Rory."

"Ok. Fine. Wait a sec." He sighed and got up to fetch Rory. It was better this way and if Rory ever found out that he was trying to keep her away from Lorelai, she would never forgive him. And god knows how much his little girl scared him when she had that stern-mad-take-control face.

"Rory. Phone."

Rory excitedly got out of her room, thinking that maybe it was Lane. Chris didn't tell who it was.

"Hello?" she asked excitedly.

"Rory?" answered Lorelai weakly.

Rory stop breathing. She didn't know what to say. She hasn't spoken to her mother for 2 weeks and there she was, calling her, when she was the one supposed to call.

"Mom?" Rory equaled her mother's nervous voice

A silence. A long silence. Both of them didn't say anything. Then, Lorelai hating this silence, threw the first thing that came to her mouth.

"Jess has a kid!"

"WHAT?" Rory's astonishment could be heard even miles away.

"He has a one year old kid." replied Lorelai, who was feeling her old self coming back slowly. Rory too. Suddenly, she forgot what happened in the last month. The fight, the Rory moving out. It was simply the mother and her best friend, the daughter, enjoying a nice gossip. A juicy gossip since it was also Rory's Ex.

"Oh my god!"

"I know" replied Lorelai knowingly

"But, how?"

"How? You want to send an image of how babies are conceived?"

"Mom!" Rory urged

"I don't know. I just know that one day, I come to dinner and there a crying baby. I look around, maybe some customer, but it's coming from upstairs. It could've been Luke. He didn't got lucky enough this week."

"Mom!" replied Rory in her annoyed tone she usually reserved her mother, but secretly keeping herself from laughing

"What? He should even be lucky that I even looked at him and choose him to be my boyfriend."

"Mom, the story"

"Right. So I go upstairs and see Luke, Jess and a small crying baby in Jess's arms. I was like, what the hell, I taught he was babysitting or something to get some money. but then, stupid me, since when does Jess babysit? Turns out the baby is Jess's and that he got custody of her because her mother didn't want her."

"Her?"

"It's a girl."

"Oh! That's so cute" cooed Rory into the phone.

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah. She's the cutest thing ever. So, Luke's appartment was upside down, diapers everywhere, baby clothes in the floor. Finally, I took her and told them to clean the appartment while I would watch her for a couple of hours. You should've seen the grateful glare of Jess. I swear, I should've snapped a picture and kept it into my Lorelai's-winning-over-her-enemies album."

"Mom!" chuckled Rory a little.

"So, I showed her around and then, when I came back, the appartment was clean and everything fine."

"Yeah, that's good. That was really nice."

"You know me, always ready to give a hand. Especially when it's Luke."

"Yeah."replied Rory dreamily

Having nothing to say anymore, both remembered their fights and that they were only mothers and daughters and not best friends. At least, not at the moment.

Rory cleared her throt and Lorelai got the message. Nothing had changed but at least, it was a small something toward peace.

"Ok well, I should let you go." said Lorelai carefully. "You might be busy with your dad, or Gigi and Sherry" That last word stuck into her. Lorelai hated Sherry with every fiber of her being. Not because of the fact that Chris wasn't with her anymore, but because she remimded her so much of her own mother, Emily. Sherry and Emily were almost the same. Expect for the fact that Sherry was self-sufficient. Both were very reserved, a strict healty food diet and both treated their daughters like ambulant trophys.

If only you knew, Sherry's a monster thought Rory. "Yeah. Sure." she put back the icy tone to remind her mother nothing had changed. Then, with a click, Lorelai was gone again.

Lorelai looked at her hands and sighed deeply. Her daughter was even more stubborn then her. She looked at the phone before burrying herself into the couch again, lost in her thoughts.

Rory sighed too. She was hurting her mother. And she had to admit, she missed that woman deeply. Sherry was really a monster. No! She wouldn't be like this. She wouldn't be like her grandmother.

She picked up the phone and dialed her mother's again.

Lorelai jumped a little at the sound of the phone next to her. Maybe it was Luke.

"Hello! Luke?" she asked tenderly, so sure it was him

"Sherry's a monster" Rory blurted out, shyly

It took her a moment to realise it was Rory calling her back and to acknowledge it was her. She smiled even more, Rory had called her back. She wanted to jump and scream. It was the most human conversation she had with her adored daughter in over a month.

"Oh! Yeah! Tell me about it" she put on her affectionate mother voice, knowing full well Rory couldn't resist it. Ror did not resist. She loved hearing her mother talk with that smooth voice.

"Yeah. She's horrible. She painted her house in green."

"Ewwww!"

"I know. The first day I got here, I just wanted to run away and come back here." Oh! No! Rory suddenly shut up, panicking.

"Then why didn't you?" asked Lorelai calmly, but dreading the answer.

"Because..."Rory didn't know how to answer to this one.

Lorelai changed the subject. "I hate green"

"It's not green green, it's a flashy green. Like a hi-liter." smiled Rory

"Please, don't tell me she turned you into her?" replied Lorelai in a horrified voice

"No. She didn't. But I was scared for a moment. Thank god dad saved me."

"Right. So, offspring?"

"Offspring sucks" said Rory knowingly

"And?

"Metallica rocks!"

"Good girl" Lorelai smiled tenderly

"She sends Gigi to kindgergarden."

"She what?" Lorelai's was almost of disbelief. How could a woman send her so adorable daughter to a kindergarden. And in summer?

"Poor Gigi. I feel so bad for her. We've actually became friend, me and her."

"Really?"

And the conversation kept on and on. Before they knew it, it was five o'clock in the morning.

"So, that was a good talk, wasn't it?" asked Lorelai

"Yeah, yeah, it was." replied Rory gruffly, trying very hard not to yell at her mother that she missed her and that she was sorry. But she wasn't ready to come home yet. She wasn't ready to face her mother. And that killed Rory. She loved her mother more than anything but still, she couldn't face her mother's disappointed face or her "i told you so" look she often gave Rory these days.

"Ok, well, I better get going. I have to work."

Lorelai hung up the phone without saying goodbye. A little more and she would've yelled at her daughter how stupid she was to leave Stars Hollow and how much she missed her. But she didn't. Stubborness. She couldn't bring herself to it.

Rory stared at the phone, smiling despite herself. She would call her mother tomorrow and apologize. Everything would be fine. She went to the living room when to replace the phone when she saw Chris starring at her.

She jumped a little.

"Dad? What are you doing up at five in morning?"

"Nothing. Couldn't sleep."

She stared at her father suspiciously. Why had he stayed all night? It was not another guy on the phone in order to her father to be worried. It was the woman she lives, lived with most of her life. Her mother. Her guide and strength. Her dad was acting weird right now, but she was way to tired to the anything about it right now. She desperately wanted her bed now.

"Ok. Well, I'm gonna go to bed. Night."

Rory turned to leave.

"Rory, wait! How was your mother?" asked Chris carefully, not wanting to arouse suspicion from his daughter.

"She's fine."

"You two talked a lot," came his somehow irritated voice.

"So?" She couldn't understand why it was a problem. Was Chris being jealous? No, that's not true. He could not be jealous. He knew better then anyone that Rory and Lorelai were always close. No matter what situation they were in.

"Nothing, nothing." Chris was clearly holding back his tongue. Not the time to open your mouth, man. You might scare her away and she will never come back to see you.

Rory gave him an odd look before hurrying to her room. Jumping into bed, her eyes closed immediately, overtaken by all that tiredness. Still, she slept somehow with a silly grin in her face.

He did not care it was really early in the morning. He picked up the phone and dialed. No matter what, he WILL win this fight.

A/N: Tell me what you think about it? Please? Press the review buttom down there.