Author: aynat (©Tanya Long)
Description: A funeral, a baby and a new beginning. To start over Lorelai needs to say goodbye.
Spoilers: One from the last eppy of season five on... in chapter four.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Gilmore Girls characters, though I would kindly pay for Luke. I make no money from this, it's purely for fun!
Author's Note: I know how evil I was posting only what I did... but I did that to scare you. I knew how you would react, and I knew you'd be back.
Christopher had always been Lorelai's true love, she knew that. Timing was never right though, and now it never would be. Not that it ever would be anyways, she had Luke. She was happy with Luke. There was a future with Luke. And yet, it seemed so strange to know the possibility of her and Christopher would never arise again. She was in her mid-thirties, with a grown daughter, but now she knew... she was all grown up.
As Lorelai left the church, Rory was behind her, talking with Christopher's mother and Lorelai hoped that nothing would happen to upset her daughter more today. She knew when they got back to Stars Hollow they would go straight to Luke's cafe, and she knew it would be closed. But he would be there. For her. For Rory. She silently thanked him as she headed towards her jeep, knowing the reception would make that moment take forever to come.
And it did. Lorelai shook as she tried to sip her drink, whispering to herself not to have more than one. She wanted a drink to calm her nerves, but she didn't want to have to come back tomorrow to pick up her jeep. She wanted to spend tomorrow with with Rory and Luke and maybe...
"Gigi!"
Lorelai looked over to see Christopher's mother holding his second born daughter. Lorelai noted how much the child had grown since the last time she'd seen her, and said a silent prayer for the baby. She knew it would be dreadful for that child to be raised in this household, with that woman. She wished there was something she could do for her.
"Ms. Gilmore?" Looking up a man in a pressed, dark blue suit offered his hand. "Mr. Laymen, I was Christopher's lawyer."
Lorelai shook his hand, trying to keep herself from shaking. She'd met a ton of people today, mostly family of Christopher's who never made any sign that they knew of his first born child. But she didn't expect to meet his lawyer today. She was already made aware that she would be expected to attend the will reading, which made sense since she was the mother of his first daughter. She still couldn't believe he had a will. Prove, she figured, that he really had changed... really had grown up.
"Ms. Gilmore?" Lorelai shook herself back into the present and apologized. "It's no worry," he assured her," today is a difficult day."
"It certainly is," she whispered.
"I'm sorry to do this now, but I really must," he continued. "Christopher's daughter Georgia's mother is in Europe. She was contacted but apparently had signed all custody over to Christopher and wants nothing to do with the baby now."
"What?" Lorelai said.
"Now as you know, Rory is Georgia's godmother," he told her. "However, in Christopher's will he says that custody is to be given to you."
"Me?" she asked.
"Yes," he assured her. "He intended to tell you. It was just this way until your daughter was out of college," he said, trailing off.
"Wait, he wants me to raise Georgia?" Lorelai repeated, confused.
"Yes Ms. Gilmore, those were his wishes."
The rest of the reception was a blur for Lorelai. She couldn't bring herself to comprehend what the lawyer had told her. He wanted her to raise Gigi. She couldn't understand why he choose her. Then she saw Rory sitting on the staircase with her head down. Then she knew. Christopher wanted her to raise his second daughter because she did well with the first. Rory was everything Christopher could ask for in a daughter, and he wanted that for Gigi. It was then Lorelai realized Christopher didn't pick her for a bunch of reasons, just one, Gigi.
Rory hadn't said a word to her mother since she received the news that her dad had died. In fact, she hadn't said a word to anyone. When her mom had phoned to tell her she asked if she wanted to drive to the funeral together, and Rory had agreed. No matter what, she wanted her mother beside her through all of this. They were going to need each other, she realized that. Rory knew her mother had Luke, and that Luke would be there for her, for both of them. But they had lost her dad. Christopher Hayden was dead. No matter how good Luke's intentions were, his being around was difficult right now. He was in the position of a father figure to Rory, always had been. But now she'd lost her father, she didn't want another one. Not yet. She loved Luke so she prayed it wouldn't hurt him, but deep down she knew he understood. He had given them both space, just being there as the shoulder, the maker of food, the clothes washer, and anything else they needed.
Rory realized then that her mother was lucky to have found Luke, but she didn't think Lorelai Gilmore could realize that right now. She had lost the biggest piece of her youth, and Rory knew it would take time to see the real Lorelai again. Rory also knew it might never be the same, because with Christopher gone things couldn't be the same. It still didn't seem real.