"Rory!" Lorelai exclaimed as she jumped out of Abbie's embrace. Surprised to see her daughter at home so early, ashamed of her gut reaction, she flushed hotly. She could sense Abbie's embarrassment and reached blindly for her hand to reassure her.
"Mom! What the...?" Rory recovered and began again. "I mean, is this my new daddy?" She tried to sound nonchalant, but this was quite a wrench that Lorelai was throwing into their neatly ordered, if somewhat eclectic, lives.
"Rory, come inside and I'll make introductions." Lorelai responded as she led Abbie into the house. She looked sideways at Abbie, hoping that her silence wasn't masking anger or hurt, and catching Abbie's eyes she only saw compassion and love. Lorelai was reminded of Abbie's earlier comments, that she'd made her peace with this, but now it was Lorelai's turn. Well, Lorelai hadn't exactly made a good showing so far, but she felt emboldened by the fact that Abbie's fingers were still entwined tightly with her own. She turned and grinned at Abbie, squeezing her hand gently. "Rory, this is Abbie. She's an unwilling guest in Star's Hollow and will be staying at the inn until further notice from Gypsy. If it all works according to my devious plan, she will soon be the town slave, indebted forever because of her refusal to purchase an American car. Abbie, this is my beloved daughter Rory, my angel, the apple of my eye..."
With a genuinely relaxed smile, she glanced from Abbie to Rory and back again, trying to determine how each was feeling. Meanwhile, Abbie and Rory looked uncertainly at one another until Abbie made the first move. Stepping forward, hand extended, she stated simply, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rory."
"Likewise." Rory said in surprise. She'd been confused, seeing her mother hugging this woman, and a little angry. After all, if Lorelai was going to be hugging anyone on the front porch, it should be Luke. The entire town had already agreed on that at a town meeting. But apparently Lorelai was carrying on in her usual manner, completely disregarding town edict and choosing her own lovers. And Rory understood that part. It was the idea that her mom had chosen a woman... Where on earth had that come from? Her mom usually was a little on the crazy side, doing things spur of the moment, but this wasn't like the time that Lorelai had decided to try the Sinead O'Connor hairdo or came to the conclusion that if they painted the entire house bright yellow, the color would revitalize them more than caffeine ever did. This was a WOMAN! Rory worked to wrap her brain around this new development.
"Rory." Lorelai whispered. "Stop staring and sit down."
"Oh. Sorry." Rory sat obediently in the wooden chair at the kitchen table. "So... How did you two meet?" She began, valiantly working to strike up some sort of conversation with the beautiful stranger sitting across from her, looking almost as uncomfortable as Rory felt.
"Well, I had heard that there was this great little antique shop in this tiny hamlet called Stars Hollow, and I have been looking everywhere for a working Victrola for my study. None of the ones that I had seen so far matched my idealized version, so..." Abbie realized that she was rambling, talking quickly like she always did when she was nervous. "Anyway, to make a long story short, my car broke down in town and I was having coffee at Luke's when your mom walked in and became my salvation." She smiled at Lorelai, who grinned in response.
"Ah... Okay... Well..." Rory stumbled around, unusually at a loss for words. "I don't mean to be rude, but do you mind if I go get cleaned up. We'll attempt conversation again once I've showered." Rory stood up abruptly and headed into her bedroom, only to reappear a short time later with her robe, disappearing, then, into the bathroom.
Once they heard the shower start, Lorelai turned to Abbie with an apologetic smile. "She's usually... Well, this was a bit of a shock for her. She usually rebounds pretty quickly though. Give her a little while and you'll be her new best friend."
"Lor, don't worry about it. This is something that can't be forced. She'll come around in her own time. Maybe the two of you ought to talk it out over dinner. I can eat at the inn and watch TV. I can't tell you the last time I was lazy and actually watched a television program."
"Are you sure? I know you've only got a few days left here and I don't want to waste them while you're stuck in a hotel room watching 'Fear Factor' or 'Tommy Lee Goes to College'."
"Good point. Maybe I'll read something. Do you have anything I could borrow? And please don't tell me that all you have is some such crap by John Grisham! I get enough crime drama in my own life."
Lorelai laughed and went to look through their bookshelves for something that might entertain Abbie for the evening. She returned a few minutes later with a variety of choices, from "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret?" to "Gone With The Wind". "I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for, and Faulkner's never-ending sentences didn't seem appropriate for light reading." Lorelai stated simply, as Abbie looked over the selection with a grin that grew with each title.
" 'Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day'?" Abbie questioned.
"It was Rory's favorite when she was little. It's a comfort book." Lorelai replied defensively.
"Okay. You've given me books by authors from Judy Blume to Charles Dickens. You certainly have varied reading tastes, my dear." Abbie teased as she leaned in to kiss Lorelai. She put a hand on the small of Lorelai's back, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them. Lorelai marveled again at the power this woman had to take her breath away. She ached at the thought of being away from her, even for an evening, and found herself half-wishing that Rory hadn't come home quite so early. Lorelai's hand reached up to caress Abbie's face, memorizing the angles and curves, the softness of her skin. Abbie moaned softly and tightened their embrace, sliding her thigh between Lorelai's. She felt a heat building and knew that if she didn't pull back now, Rory might catch them in a far more intimate embrace.
"I'll come by the inn after I have dinner with Rory, okay?" Lorelai whispered, her mouth centimeters from Abbie's. "Just give me time to talk to Rory, one on one, and she'll be fine with the whole thing. Then I'll come by, and maybe we can pick up where we left off..." She finished suggestively.
"I'd love that, Lorelai, but seriously, if Rory needs you tonight, she should be your priority. I'm not going anywhere, obviously." Abbie teased, but her eyes were serious. She'd once been in Lorelai's position. Coming out was harder than people realized. There was a vulnerability there, with people that you felt you could trust, people that were supposed to love you unconditionally. Abbie had learned the hard way that love was rarely unconditional, and life was never fair. She hated that Lorelai had to do this alone, but knew, deep down, that this was the only way that it could be done. Abbie couldn't help her with this step, but she could be there once it was taken.
"Here, why don't you take my car back to the inn? Rory can drive us to dinner, and then I'll just walk to the inn or have her drop me off." Lorelai handed the keys to Abbie just as Rory came out of the bathroom. "Did you have a nice shower, hon? Abbie's heading back to the inn. I thought that maybe you and I could have dinner together. Maybe even try someplace besides Luke's or Al's Pancake World. Whaddaya say to that offer?" She tried to get a feel for her daughter's disposition, feeling a slight panicky feeling that Rory would never accept this new development.
"Abbie can come too, mom, it's alright." Rory turned and offered a half smile to Abbie. "I don't think that reading "Little House on the Prairie" is her idea of a fascinating evening." She stated as she stared pointedly at the pile of books on the table. "Honestly mom, couldn't you do better than that? I have stacks in my room to choose from, and this is what you come up with. Abbie, join us for dinner," Rory offered, "and then if you still need something to read, I'll show you my secret stash. I keep the good books hidden away." Rory looked from Abbie to her mom, taking the picture in. Lorelai breathed a sigh of relief, sensing that the shower had given Rory a chance to begin puzzling through this new situation. Lorelai pulled her daughter into a tight hug and whispered into her ear. "Have I told you lately that you're my favorite daughter?"
