DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. If I was an all mighty God of the universe, then Lorelai would be mine, ALL MINE!

CHAPTER 8 "What now?"

An hour later, Rory felt her eyes open. No matter how tires she was, sleep would just not come. Getting up, she looked around her, missing the fact that all her books were not there any more. She grabbed some jeans, a shirt, getting ready with another day with annoying Sherry when she noticed a small paper falling out of the jeans' pocket.

"I'll be right there, waiting for you, no matter how mad you get at me."

Reading it at first, it had made her a little mad. What did her mother think? That everything revolved around her? That she would always come back to her like this? On second though, Rory felt herself calm down. No, her mother was not being egocentric. She was just being her. Sefless Lorelai always taking care of her daughter's needs before her own. With little tears starting to pickle her eyes, she realized that her mother was always on her side, no matter how bad it got between them or no matter how much she hurted her. Shame washed all over her.

"Grandma surely is not like that" Rory taught.

She looked at the ceiling for a second, then dressing quickly, she got out of the room. Her eyes burned with determination, being in one of those rare state where she felt so brave to do something she would normally never do. She was going to drive to Stars Hollow. She WILL talk to her mother. She WILL make everything right.

Her mother did take the first step, now it was her turn.

Christopher got out of his room, all happy and smiling widly. Today was a good day to him. Dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, not his usual suit and tie, he would spend all of today with his daughter. It was a spur of the moment idea. He called the office and took the day off. And his talk last night with Lorelai was yet another successful thing he has done in his life.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The phone has rang a good twelve times before the sound had woken up Lorelai and she reached for it under her bed, having no idea how it had ended up there.

"Hello! House of sleeping Lorelai. Good manner never taught you to never call someone before at least midday in week-ends?"

"Lor?" Chris had interrupted with his irritated voice. He has become to hate those big rant of Lorelai's.

"Chris? Chris" Lorelai immediately jumped from bed. "Why are you calling so early? Did something happened to Rory?" Lorelai's instincts had kicked in and she was sure Chris was calling her to ask to come to some kind of hospital because Rory had just had an accident.

"Lor, I don't calling Rory anymore."

"What?" Lorelai stopped dressing and threw herself on the bed.

"You heard me. I don't want you calling Rory anymore."

"What are you talking about?" Lorelai rubbed her face to make the sleep go away.

"Rory is all upset because of you. You just made her sad." Chris stopped talking for a minute, wondering if he should say that he had planed to say next. "She was crying all night because of you. Did you know that?"

"Rory was crying all night because of me?" Lorelai was taken aback. She was sure her talk had been a good one yesterday. She couldn't have made Rory cry.

"Yeah!" Chris made sure his voice was angry and caring to make it all the more plausible. After all, it would take a good act for Lorelai to buy it.

"Well…" she did no what to say. "Give me Rory. I wanna talk to her."

"No! She is sleeping. I just put her to bed."

Lorelai laughed. "You! How the hell are you to tell me what to do with Rory?"

Chris did not know how to respond to that one. After, that was the woman who took care of Rory her entire life.

"Chris, Rory is an adult now. She can do whatever she wants now."

"She cried all night Lorelai. She said you were being all mean and cold with her on the phone." He even gave a mad sight.

Lorelai's mouth was sut, awaiting what Chris would say next.

"Just…just…don't call her again" Chris snapped before hanging up on his first love's face.

"Morning Gigi" he smiled at her

"Good morning daddy" said Gigi in somehow solemn voice.

That was all Sherry's fault, Chris taught. She was the one transforming their daughter into a robot talker. Anyways, he would worry about that later. He prepared some eggs, they weren't that good, but not that bad either. In the few years of living with his wife and tasting her disgusting food, he had learned how to not poison himself with simple cooking lessons.

Plate in his hand, a coffee in the other, he walked toward Rory's room. What's a Gilmore without coffee? Rory wouldn't even look at him if he didn't have coffee in his hands.

"Rory?" he knocked softly on the door.

There was no answer. She would probably be tired and still sleeping. It was only 10 o'clock in the morning.

"Rory?" again, no sound came from the room. He opened the door and got in. Surprised, the bed was empty. He looked around but didn't panic that much. After all, she was an adult now, 21 years old and she could do whatever she wanted. He looked at the bed. It was made a single paper was there.

I barrowed the car. I really needed because I saw this new library somewhere not far away. I just really needed a good book to read. I'll be back before noon.

Well, he wasn't really mad, more like surprised. Where could Rory be?

Rory stopped the car before passing the "Welcome to Stars Hollow" sign. Her arms were shaking and she didn't know who she had ended up there. That morning, she had just woken up so early and on an impulse, took the car and drove home. Her home. No matter how much she wanted to make herself believe that she was happy with her father, she wasn't. He was just never there.

Part of her wanted to run away, but the other wanted just to get into the house, make her mother understand how she was completely stupid and that she missed her mother more than anything and that she would do anything to fix this.

"I can do this. I can do this" she told herself desperately, trying to find some strength. She put her hand on the wheel, the other on the ignition, ready to enter Stars Hollow. Her hand trembled.

She took them off the wheel.

"You can do this" she tried to be stubborn.

She put her hands back on the wheel. Again, they were shaking.

"Yes. I can do this. It's just mom. Not grandma." But she had no idea before how much her mother frightened her in a way and that her opinion had some kind of big influence on her.

Her head screamed no, that she couldn't, simple wouldn't. How could she contain all those curious Stars Hollow heads, looking at her, asking her silent question on why she was not home and why she had an expensince looking car. In Miss Patty and Babette's case, there would be no silence. Only the town gossip's mouth keeping up with their reputation. Babette would run up to her, hugging her like crazy while throwing questions from here and there, having any idea at how much this annoyed Rory.

"She did the first step, Rory. Now, it's your turn. Plus, you gotta tell her you moved to Harvard." At that thought, it seems like most of Rory's earlier strength was fading away. How would Lorelai react to that?

Lorelai was still sook from her earlier conversation with Christopher. It did not seem to her that maybe, he could be wrong. In fact, she was totally ingrossed what whatever he had said, especially the part where she made Rory "cry". That meant only one thing. She had planned on calling Rory tonight also. She had planned on maybe coaxing some information out of her and trying to get her back to her senses. She decided not to call, taking Rory's feelings into consideration.

Rory parked in her mother's driveway. The jeep was not there. Lorelai was still at the inn. It was only one o'clock. Maybe she could go there. Maybe she could go to the inn and help out her mother a little. That would give her a chance to talk to her and know if she was ready to accept her apologies, because Rory was dying to move back home.

She drove all the way to the inn, looking all around her. Her mother again was right. Stars Hollow will never change and that gave her an odd feeling of safety. She was happy to know some things will always remain the same and that she would never loose what her most precious things.

The inn was packed. Cars were everywhere. The horses were busy being rode by some couple who looked very interested in the Dragonfly site. Michel came out a couple of minutes ago, holding some papers and looking very frighten. Only one person who make him so scared, her mother. And true to her statement, Lorelai poked her head outside, couple of minutes later, yelling some things on Michel.

"MICHEL! Come back here!"

"No! I will not!" replied the very French man

"MICHEL! The place is packed and I need your help." Lorelai yelled again, while some waiters had shove papers in her hands that need her approval and signature.

Rory got out of her car.

"May I help you?" asked Derek, one of the workers at the Dragonfly.

"No! That's okay, thanks Derek" Rory smiled and Derek realized who she was.

"Oh! Miss Rory. Sorry, I didn't recognize you." The man smiled back and left.

Rory walked slowly, feeling her strength decrease. She had to do it. She entered into the lobby. That's when she realized how packed the place was. She smiled a little, happy about her mother's success into her business. Lorelai was no wear to be found. Not in the lobby, not in the kitchen (she made sure not to be noticed by Sookie) and no where upstairs.

Finally, Rory knocked in her office. No one. She opened the door, looking around her. There was a cup of coffee from Luke's, hot and steaming. She went behind her mother's desk and sat down on the chair. She looked at the messy desk. There were all sort of forms and legal papers and insurance claims. But in the corner, there were some sort of weeding invitations with different addressees to be made. That must've been the wedding her mother mentioned in one of her oh-so-sensitive e-mails.

Rory put herself to work, preparing those invitations which would make her mother's life somehow easier.

She was almost done when the door suddenly opened and Lorelai appeared, holding out a book full of papers and a cup of coffee.

"Mom?"

Lorelai looked at in disbelieve and everything in her hands dropped, except the coffee.

"Rory?" she said weakly. "What…what are you doing here?"

Rory was already by her side, helping her collect her stuff. They both got to their feet, Rory handed the letters to her mother, who, at the same time, took a hold of her hand. Rory did not mind. She really wanted nothing more but to drop herself into her mother's loving arms.

"I came to see you" she replied shyly. "And I picked the good day since you desperately need my help today."

"You did not only came to see me. But my coffee too." Lorelai glared longingly at the cup of coffee from Luke's she had reserved herself. But it was empty. Rory's doing.

Rory blushed. "Sorry mom. I will get you another one."

Lorelai smiled, to relief a little of the tension. "It's okay."

They fell into a silence, both contemplating what to do and not breaking eye contact.

"Mom, I'll head to Luke's and get us coffee and then I will help you for the rest of the evening till the guests had quieted down."

"No! Rory, you don't have too. You have stuff to do. You should probably head back to Boston." Lorelai tried to reason.

Rory was hurt a little. Didn't her mother want her here? "You want me to leave?"

"No!" replied Lorelai, realizing she had send the wrong message to her daughter. Of course, she had wanted her there. She had been almost dying all those weeks without her. It was killing her to know someone she loved so much was mad at her.

Rory smiled weakly. She grabbed her keys and head out. "I'll be right back." she called out. She drove quickly to Luke's.

The diner was packed too. Rory found a place at the counter, waiting for Luke to be there. He emerged from the store room, a couple of minutes later, with a fresh new pot of coffee in his hands. When he saw Rory, he looked really surprised. Her mother had probably told him everything, but after all, she needed someone to speak with and no one was better then Luke.

"Hi Luke!" she smiled brightly

"Rory" he smiled right back, thinking their fight was over.

"Six coffees to go please"

"What? Six coffees? Are you crazy? Do you want to sign your dead right now? No way…" he stopped when Rory smiled, then laughed, then went behind the counter to give him a big hug.

He blushed at the no so familiar display of public affection, but hugged Rory right back. He just loved that little girl, so much like her mom.

Rory knew very well despite Luke's appareance, he was actually very happy to have someone to be with or something he could potentially call his family.

"Rory, you have to stop that. One Lorelai is enough." He said, regaining his composure and pulling back a little.

"Sorry. I just had to be sure you were still the same. Three coffes to go please and could you add some pies and a burger and fries and that's it."

Luke frowned at Rory but complied. He was feeling unusually happy today.

Rory drove right back to the inn, wanting to be there for her mother and help her out. She deposed all the food in the office and rushed outside where Lorelai was dealing with some clients.

"I'm back" announced Rory

Lorelai gave her one of her beautiful grins that Rory loved so much. The one Lorelai used in the very happy situations. Both girls sprend all afternoon doing this or that. Before they knew it, it was past four o'clock.

"Time for a break" said Lorelai cheerfully, taking the folders from her daughter's hand. Then, she gently took Rory by her hand and helped her up. They walked to Lorelai's office and sat down into a chair while passing around the coffees and the burgers from Luke's.

They ate and drank most of the coffee before Lorelai was able to muster up some courage and face her beautiful daughter.

"I'm so glad you came." She said sincerely.

"Yeah, you got coffee because of me."

Lorelai smiled despise herself. Her daughter was a lot like her.

"The inn is so packed." Said Rory

"I know," glowed Lorelai. "We are booked, booked, booked. For a couple of months. Everything is going so great."

"I'm glad."

Now that small talk was over, it was time for the real conversation to take place. Lorelai wanted answers and she couldn't hold back herself anymore.

"Rory?" she asked softly "Why did you came back?"

Rory looked at the floor. "I missed you mom."

Lorelai's heart squeezed. "Oh! Honey!"

"My life is with you, here. I just miss you being there all the time. In Boston, I feel like in grandma's house with all the rules and stict life."

Lorelai nodded sympatically. "So what now?" she asked her daughter.

"I don't know" replied Rory honestly. "I'm going to Harvard next year" she blurted out, waiting anxiously for Lorelai's reaction.