Authors Note: Thanks Lore2, cmbarrytx, pinacoladachick and Haley for your reviews. It's interesting to read that you think the H/E relationship is like L/R, cause I never intended that. And I don't think it fits completely. But I love to read your thoughts.

Chapter 9: The Talk

"Rory."

"Grandma – is everything alright?"

I hope I don't look devastated, does she notice that I've cried only a few minutes ago?

"Yes, I'm alright. Hope made some lunch for us, please come inside."

"Sure."

She stands up and together we're leaving the roses to get some lunch. Before we enter the house I turn towards her.

"Thank you for giving me some time with Hope alone. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness."

"You're welcome Grandma – do you need some more time?"

"That would be great – if you don't mind spending the day in the garden."

"Not at all – the roses are beautiful, it's the perfect place to read."

"Thank you, Rory."

Inside Hope is busy getting everything on the table.

"Can I help you Aunt Hope?"

"Yes, you could get the dishes – they're in the cupboard above the sink. Emily, could you get the bread please, it's on the little table in the kitchen, you can't miss it."

I can see her winking to Rory.

"Of course." I reply, pretending not to have noticed it.

That's Hope's way of teasing me. She always gets me to do these things, normally making fun of me, when I'm returning with what she's asked me to get, but not today.

We have a pleasant lunch. I manage to calm down and to get my thoughts in order. I'm ready to hear her opinion now. As soon as we've finished, Rory stands up to leave again.

"Lunch was lovely Aunt Hope."

"Thank you Rory."

"I hope you'll excuse me, but my book is so interesting that I can't wait to go on with it, and your rose garden is the best place to do that."

"Of course you are excused, enjoy your book and as I said before if you need anything don't be afraid to ask."

"I won't."

She gives me a little smile and I'm smiling gratefully back at her. Right now I decide that I'll buy her something nice tomorrow. When Hope and I are alone she's the first one to speak.

"Are you ready to hear everything I have to say?"

"Yes, I am." I say, looking directly into her eyes.

"So you said you can't specifically say when it started, but at some point he stopped talking to you."

"Right."

"And you?"

"What do you mean 'and you'?"

Perhaps I'm sounding a little more aggressive than I intended to be. I need to be calm. I know she's not saying those things to hurt me.

"Were you still talking to him?"

"Of course I was talking to him."

"And so was he, you know what I mean Emily. Did you tell him your feelings, that you felt abandoned?"

"He wouldn't have listened."

"So you didn't?"

"No." I say quietly.

I'm not able to look at her for a while. I have to fight against my tears. Finally I continue.

"I shouldn't have to tell him how I feel, he should know it without me mentioning it – he did before."

"Perhaps he should, but sometimes it's hard to know what the other person is feeling. I think he didn't realize how you were feeling."

"But why? Why did we change? For many years of our marriage we always knew what the other one was thinking."

"I don't know Emily. Things change. Perhaps everything was so much routine that you stopped talking and therefore didn't know the feelings of each other anymore. A marriage is hard work – you know that, you're married for 39 years now."

"Are you and Maurice happy?"

"Yes, we are. But of course we had hard times, too. Even when you're thinking the other one should notice something, sometimes he isn't. And then I have to tell him what I feel. Or he has to tell me. Emily I'm sure Richard didn't notice how neglected you were feeling. You really should talk to him. That might hurt you both, but it's the only way to safe your marriage, and that is what you want, right?"

Oh yes, that's exactly what I want. But I don't know how. It's not that easy to talk to him. It's hard for me to tell him my true feelings.

"You don't have to answer me Emily – I know that you want it. Because you still love him – and he loves you."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've seen your eyes when you were talking of him and Pennylin."

"No, I mean how do you know that he still loves me?"

"Because he always did. Whenever I've seen the two of you together I've always seen your love for each other – he would do everything for you and vice versa. I can't believe that this has changed. And it's not him who has left – you did."

"He left me months ago."

"From your point of view – which you didn't share with him. For him your leaving must seem as some sort of betrayal."

My head is turning towards her – betrayal, isn't that a bit harsh?

"When you want me to stop you have to tell me."

"No please, go on." I say.

Even when I don't like it, I want to know what she has to tell me.

"Go back and talk to him, make him listen to you. I'm sure he will."

"But that's not that easy, Hope."

"I never said it would be."

"We're always fighting now, we can't spend a dinner without fighting over every little thing that comes to our minds. Lorelai tried to lock us in a one-room cabin at the test run for her Inn and it was terrible."

Hope starts to laugh.

"It's not funny."

"No, not from your point of view – but from mine. So Lorelai tried to reconcile the two of you?"

"Yes, in her own vicious way."

"I can just picture this."

"But it was a complete desaster, Hope."

She stops smiling.

"I'm sorry Emily. – So you want to give up? Not even try to talk to him?"

"I don't know, I've tried so often…"

"No you didn't – not really." she says firmly.

"How can you say that?"

"Because I know you, and when Emily Gilmore wants to talk to her husband, she gets him to listen. I don't think that you've honestly tried it. You backed down, because you were scared of it."

She's right. Again I can't look into her eyes.

"Make him talk to you. I know you can do that."

'Make him talk to you' – that's what Lorelai told me, too when we were shopping. If I'd only listened to her advice back then – perhaps everything would be different now.

"I don't think a talk is the solution to everything. He knows how I'm feeling, cause I finally told him."

"You said you didn't."

"Well it was no quiet talk. After the catastrophe at the Dragonfly we had a terrible fight – there I said everything to him. I said that he wouldn't consult me anymore and everything I was feeling. I was angry when I said it therefore it was no quiet talk, but now he has to know what is going on with me. Why didn't he come to me after it? I was expecting him to come – we even could have made up then, but he didn't come. I'm not sure if he wants to make up. Perhaps the two month apart will be good for us. Perhaps he will miss me, when I'm not around the corner."

"I'm sure he misses you, as he did before."

"How can you say that he missed me – he knew where I was. He never came to me and told me to come back. You don't know how much I was wishing for him to come after me, to fight for our marriage. Why do I have to start this?"

"Because you left. He has pride Emily, you know that. And you have it, too. That makes everything so difficult. Neither is willing to give in. From his point of view you left him, therefore you have to come back. That's it. If you want to safe your marriage you have to do the first step, that's my opinion. You know you miss him and love him – but he doesn't. Perhaps he should know, but he's waiting for you to come back."

I have to think about this. At the moment it's all a little bit too much for me. Perhaps she's right.

"I have to think about that."

"Of course. So, you want to talk about something else now?"

Oh yes, she knows me well. She knows that we have to stop now. That I need time to think about it.

"That would be nice. – Thank you for your words though, I think I needed to hear them. I'll have to figure out what to do now, but I appreciate that you told me your opinion so freely."

"You know me – that's why you came here, right? And knowing you there are not many people to whom you would listen in such a situation."

"Yes, that's right."

"Does Rory now?"

"She knows that we've separated, but not much more. I can't discuss my marital problems with her or Lorelai."

"Of course not, neither could I. – So how's Lorelai? Tell me about that Inn of hers."

I tell her about Lorelai and of how proud I am of her. It's nice to talk to Hope, I've missed our conversations, and phone calls are not the same. After some time we recognize that there's no need for Rory to spend her time in the garden anymore. I'm going outside to get her. The weather is lovely. Perhaps we should spend the rest of the day outside.

"Rory?"

"Grandma?"

"Would you mind, if Hope and I would join you?"

"No, of course not. Are you alright Grandma?"

"Yes I am. It was very nice of you to give us so much time for ourselves."

"Please Grandma, that's no big deal."

"I appreciate it anyway. I'm going inside to tell Hope to come."

The rest of the day the three of us are sitting in her rose garden. The hours are flying – soon it's time to leave.

"I'm sorry Hope, but I really think we have to leave now. It was lovely here."

"I was thrilled to see you, and as much as I hate the thought that you have to leave, I think it's time – you look a little tired. I'm calling a cab right now."

"Thank you."

When she's coming outside again, she asks:

"When can I see you again?"

"Well tomorrow we're going shopping, right Rory?"

"I'd love to go shopping, but you decide Grandma."

"Shopping it is. But if you want you can join us, Hope."

"If Rory doesn't mind that I'm stealing her time with her grandmother."

"No, you really should come. You're not seeing each other very often, so please come."

"Okay – sounds like a plan, a fun plan."

We're heading for the door. Hope hugs Rory goodbye.

"It was so nice to meet you Rory. Could you give your grandmother and me a minute?"

"Sure. I'll wait outside for the cab."

And that she does. I turn to Hope a questioning look on my face.

"Emily, I hope I don't was too harsh. It's not that I don't understand you. I felt I had to say these things, but maybe I should have comforted you more."

"Nonsense. As I said I needed to hear that. Don't worry about it Hope. I'm so glad about our talk."

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure. And if you want me to only listen to you, just call – no matter what time it is. I'll always listen to you."

"Thank you Hope. That's good to know."

"You're welcome. So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, you do. Goodbye Hope."

"Goodbye Emily."

We're giving each other a last hug. And suddenly I notice that it's not only Rory who's allowed to touch me. No, it's Rory and Hope. Of course – how could I forget about her?

I'm glad about today. She's right, there are not many people I would allow to talk to me like that. But then there aren't many people who know me as well as her, either. I don't like some of the things she said, but I needed to hear them. I have to think about them. Maybe there's a chance to safe our marriage after all. With that comforting thought in my mind I'm driving back to The Ritz.

So you got more Hope. I needed to get Richards position into this story, and that was my way of trying it. I know this story is from Emily's POV and that's great, but you only get half of the truth that way. So Hope was the perfect opportunity to balance the picture a little. Hope you liked it. Please tell me your thoughts.