Disclaimer: I own a plethora of books. No rights to TV shows.

AN: Still no one got the movie references! And they were easy! The references were Batman (the first one) "have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?" which is what the Joker says before he killed Bruce Wayne's parents and Back to the Future involving the DeLorean that ran on plutonium to go back into time! And these are famous movies!

Thanks to everyone that reviewed and read my story. If I forgot you I am so sorry, but I will try and thank everyone that left a review.

Tammy: Thank you for being my first review and a positive one at that. I do think that Lorelai was going a bit Emily, but her reasons for it were much sounder than the way Emily acts towards Lorelai. She just didn't want Rory to become possibly Christopher and give up on her dreams.

Lukeandlorelailove: No as you can see they didn't meet on the road. Have no fear this will all be resolved in another few chapters. I think you all will be surprised at what I have planned.

SonnyCarlyJasonCourtney: I am glad you loved it in the early chapters. To quote a cell phone commercial how about now?

ProFfeSseR: Thank you for your review. I am sorry about the Dutch reference; I meant no harm by that at all. I also enjoy your stories and can't wait for a sequel to "it doesn't make any sense".

GilmoreLover: Thank you for your review. I am a die-hard Rory dis-liker. I will not say hater because she occasionally has her moments though last season they were far and in-between. I am planning something big and then perhaps stop making her so bitchy (can I say that on here?) Thanks again.

kckgirl: I would like to thank you for getting to my allusions of the fact that Lorelai did go to college while working full-time and when you consider all the sacrifices that she made for Rory the return attitude disgusts me. Hence, my evil Rory; it is my way of therapy because I cannot sit and yell at my television all night. It irritates my boyfriend (who yells at me that they are fictional and that leads to a fight and so on).

Ok enough of that. I know my Rory is way out of character for the show but there are so many things that irritate me about her that it comes out. Like I have mentioned before I have written many a fic that have not been posted with me killing her off because her attitude toward her mother irritates me that much.

I could rant about this for pages but I won't just know that I have my reasons.

Alright enough Author Notes. On to the fun!

Chapter 5: Who Am I to Go at It Alone

Emily was frozen in place in the entryway of the Dragonfly. The sight of her daughter, who was obviously not well, was almost too much for her. She was about to turn around and take a moment outside when she heard Lorelai.

"Mom, you're here. Just give me a minute to finish up with Michel and we can go to the dining room. Sookie is excited to be having lunch again so she made a whole new menu."

"That will be fine Lorelai," responded Emily, nearly shocked into silence at the sight of her daughter's nearly lifeless eyes.

Lorelai finished talking to Michel, and was walking back toward her mother when Emily caught sight of Michel waving at her and mouthing the words "No Rory" to her. That gesture nearly undid Emily's strong grip on her emotions but she held rein and followed Lorelai to the dining room.

"Here mom, let's sit at this table, it has a nice view. What would you like to drink?" asked Lorelai while nodding to the waiter standing near their table.

"My daughter will have a coffee I am sure and I would like an iced tea with a twist of lemon," Emily told the waiter not seeing the wince on Lorelai face at the mention of coffee.

"Actually, iced tea sound wonderful, give me a glass, too," Lorelai said quickly.

Emily was about to comment on that when she saw the slight shaking of Sookie's head through the glass window in the door of the kitchen.

'My god, does everyone know that Lorelai is nearly losing it?' Emily thought astounded at how terrible her daughter looked and how everyone seemed to be barely holding her back from the edge.

"Luke wanted to come too, Mom, but I told him not to. I still am not sure what you wanted to talk about and if you were planning to attack him and my choice of him I didn't want him here for that," said Lorelai firmly hoping to make it known to her mother that she would not be changing her mind.

"I was wrong about Luke, Lorelai. I am sorry about the things I said and did involving your relationship with him. I know now that he is a good man and I truly am sorry," said Emily quietly truly regretting her actions from the previous winter.

Lorelai was shocked again at how easily her mother apologized. However, history proved that Emily Gilmore rarely thought she was wrong and always had a plan B.

"Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why are you sorry? After all the scheming and plotting that you and dad did I find it hard to believe that suddenly he is an 'acceptable' match for me."

"I was being Lorelai."

"What! You were being me?"

"No! I mean I was acting just like your grandmother. I was doing some cleaning and came across a picture taken at my wedding of myself, your father, and your grandmother. I never noticed the look on your grandmother's face before, but it was one of complete disdain. All my life I struggled against that woman, and here I am acting just like her. Luke many never be able to act properly in high society, but I will not treat him like he was worth nothing. The two of you are obviously in love, I see that, and have seen that for years. I know he will be able to take care of you; I just didn't want him to take you away again. That was why I did what I did."

"I am confused mom. You pulled that stunt at the wedding so you wouldn't lose me."

"I thought that if you married Luke, you would never come back and at least pretend to be part of our family again."

"Mom, did you know that Luke parents are both dead?" Lorelai asked quietly

"What does that have to do with anything?" responded Emily confused at where the conversation was leading.

"Hear me out Mom. Luke believes that family is very important. It is why he never gave up on Jess or his sister. It is why he gave TJ that contracting job and tried to help him realize that he is better building things like shelves rather than houses. Even if we got married and had kids, he never would let me stop seeing you and dad. He probably would demand it," Lorelai finished softly reminded once again of why she loved Luke.

"When are you getting married Lorelai?" asked Emily, curious and hungry for wedding plans.

"Where is that waiter? I'm hungry."

"Lorelai?" Emily asked slightly confused at the rapid subject change.

"We are waiting to set a date Mom. Do you know what you want to eat?"

Emily decided that the subject was best left dropped and ordered the grilled chicken for lunch. She was flabbergasted that Lorelai's choice for lunch was a salad, but once again, seeing this time both Sookie and Michel shaking their heads from the dessert buffet, she decided to let it rest.

Lunch passed quickly, both women too involved in their thoughts to chat much. Lorelai was wondering how she could ask Emily for news of Rory without breaking down and Emily was curious at the constant presence of Michel and Sookie in the outskirts of the dining room.

"Mom?" Lorelai asked quietly.

"Yes, Lorelai?"

"Is Rory okay? She won't talk to me anymore and I just need to know if she is okay."

"Well, she seems very angry at everyone. Your father and I mentioned her taking a few classes next semester in different subject matter and she stormed off. We think perhaps you were right and we should have nipped this in the bud at the start. We were wrong and should not have let ourselves be influenced by Rory's emotions. As it turns out, you were completely right about the Huntzbergers; Mitchum did give her that internship to crush her dream. She fell right for the trap and now is sinking slowly into a black hole," Emily said keeping her eyes on her daughter's still form, watching as her eyes filled with tears and her body slowly began to shake.

"You and dad can't get through to her, either? She isn't going to go back to school, she is just going to give up. My baby girl is gone, isn't she? Where did she go mom? I want her back! WHERE DID SHE GO!" screamed Lorelai before crumpling into a heap on the floor.

Emily jumped up from her seat and hurried to her daughter. Sookie helped her bring Lorelai to her office, while Michel went to call Luke. Lorelai just sat against a wall of her office, sobbing quietly with her arms wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth like a small child who lost the most precious thing to them. Luke rushed in the office, paused for a second before gathering Lorelai to him and talking softly in her ear. She looked up at him and it looked to Emily like part of her daughter came back. She nodded her head and reached up for Luke who pulled her to her feet and led her out the door to his truck and home. As Lorelai was leaving she nodded to Emily, who reached out and touched her daughter's arm. She was touched by how gently Luke handled Lorelai, was about to follow when Sookie stopped her.

"It's best if she is just with Luke now, Emily. She really won't want to see anyone else."

"Does this happen often?"

"Not really."

"What about the guests? It can't be good for business if she breaks down in front of them."

"Oh, she never has done that, it usually is just her sobbing in her office till Michel hears her. He would get me and then call Luke to come and get her. In front of the guests, she is still the perfect manager, giving them the best vacation possible. It's just away from them, with things that remind her of Rory that set her off. It's why Michel warned you not to mention her and why we hovered. She has been worse these last few days because of Rory's birthday and we didn't want her to completely lose it," explains Sookie, concern about her friend filling her voice.

"Well, this has been an enlightening trip. Could you do me a favor and tell Lorelai that I will call her tomorrow and if you could see that she gets this. It is from her father," said Emily, tears filling her eyes at how much pain her granddaughter was causing her daughter.

"I will Emily. It really was nice of you to try and fix this, but I think it is something that only Rory can do."

"Let's hope that she will do that soon."

Emily said good-bye to Michel and also thanked him for taking care of her daughter. The Frenchman was embarrassed that his actions were caught but accepted the thanks anyway. His parting words were to tell Rory what she saw, that maybe it would make a difference.

On the drive back from Stars Hollow, Emily reflected on the relationships with her daughter and Lorelai's with Rory. It took twenty years, but she finally accepted the fact that for Lorelai to be the woman that she was, she needed to leave. She needed the freedom to make she own choices and to let herself give her daughter that same freedom as well. She also remembered the fact that even leaving her parent's house Lorelai never cut them completely off, unless she or Richard did something completely underhanded. She was usually always there for holidays and birthdays. She would occasionally call to let them know that they were okay. Though they didn't always know what was going on in the girls lives, it was that knowledge that they were okay that prevented Emily from breaking down completely.

She often admired the strength that Lorelai had and the life that she led. Emily knew that if she were in Lorelai's shoes now, she would not be as strong as Lorelai was. She would not be able to hold her tears and anguish inside; waiting for a time that she was alone. That took an amazing strength of character that Emily was proud her daughter had. However, there was that sick part of her that was glad that when her daughter left she still had contact with her. That is where the difference between Emily and Lorelai's relationship and Lorelai and Rory's. Emily knew that the reason that Lorelai stayed in contact with them, even in those early years, is because she knew as a parent that her parents would worry. By occasionally calling them, she squelched some of that fear, and that allowed her the freedom just to be herself.

Rory didn't have that option. She was not forced to grow up as Lorelai had been, so she never had to make choices like that. Perhaps that is why this situation is so difficult for her. The choices she had to make over the years were never that difficult. She had her pick of Ivy League schools, her major was decided by the time she was a small girl, and any other decisions were made with pro-con lists and the advice of her mother. The fact that she had to make a decision not based on fact and what she could write down, but by reading people and if they had any other motive in saying what they said is what caused all these problems. That is difference between Lorelai and Rory. Lorelai being brought up in the high society world knew that most people only helped others for what they could get in return, but because Rory grew up in a small town with neighbor helping neighbor and where her every achievement was met with praise, she was unable to deal with the situation that was recently handed to her. Emily knew that in order to mend this rift between mother and daughter she would have to be the one to talk to Rory and make her see that in the real world she was in now the motives of others far outweigh any work, pro-con list, or information she could 'google' up. She needed to realize that she was needlessly hurting her mother and ruining any chance she had of realizing the dreams that not only her mother had for her, but also the dream she once had for herself. As Emily turned into her driveway, the stubbornness the Lorelai and Rory both have took hold and she refused this time to back down. Her family's well-being depended on it.

Rory was walking up to the main house for her birthday dinner with very little excitement. She was refusing to think about past birthdays and the fact that for the first time that she could remember she wasn't woken up at 4:04 am to hear the story of her birth. She didn't realize that part of her was hoping she would hear it until she saw that she had been sitting up staring at the clock for the better part of an hour thinking that her mother would somehow tell her the story. Rory pushed all those feelings down and walked into the house and to the living room for cocktails.

"Rory, you're here. Happy Birthday! What would you like to drink?" said her grandfather, getting up to give her a hug.

"Umm, I will just have a coke, thanks."

"No, Rory you are of age now, what would you like to drink?" said Richard again.

"I'll just have a glass of wine, I guess. I am supposed to drive out to Yale later so I need to have my wits about me," said Rory, wishing she was anywhere but where she was.

"What are you going to be doing at Yale?" asked Emily, trying to figure out the best way to bring up her ultimatum.

"Logan and his friends are throwing me a party at some pub. He is picking me up at nine."

"That's nice. Oh look, the maid amazingly has dinner ready on time. Shall we go in?"

"Wow, this is really nice Grandma," said Rory, curious at the slightly cold attitude both her grandparents are exhibiting towards her.

"Well, you only turn 21 once. I'm only sad that your mother couldn't be here, I am sure that she would have liked to celebrate your birthday with you," said Emily cutting to the chase. She and Richard agreed that this angry Rory had to go and if they had to issue an ultimatum to her for that to happen then so be it.

"I thought I told you both I didn't want to talk about Mom. She made her choice and you both agreed she was wrong for kicking me out," Rory said angrily.

"Rory, your grandmother and I both think that you are treating your mother unfairly and taking advantage of the kindness that we gave you. You have had more that ample time to decide on a new major at Yale and return to school, however you refuse to even entertain the idea of returning. It is still, however, your choice. You insist on getting a glimpse of the real world and your grandmother and I have decided that you will get that. Starting next month you will be paying us a sum of $200 a month rent on the pool-house. That is not including the cable, electricity, and internet that you receive in the pool-house. Since that is included in our bill we will work out a sum that will be paid additionally to us for those amenities. I do not see that coming to more that $75 dollars a month. We believe that this is more than fair for you considering you are also completing your community service and when you consider the fact that the pool-house has been recently redecorated and worth much more that $200 a month I am sure that you will find this fair," said Richard sternly, hoping to make known to his granddaughter the consequences of wanted to live in the "real world."

Rory sat there in stunned silence. She could not believe that this was happening. Yes, she made more than enough to cover rent, but she was still stunned that her grandparents would do this to her.

"Mom put you up to this, didn't she. I know you went lunch with her today, grandma. What did you tell her, that her BRAT was being unmanageable and I wasn't thinking of returning to school. She came up with this idea, she didn't want me to move home and couldn't believe that you guys gave me a nice place to stay. Make her pay rent and then she would go back to school," Rory said standing up and staring with her fight face at her grandparents.

"No, Rory, your mother can't even talk about you without breaking into tears. I just don't understand why you won't talk to her, don't you understand what you are doing to her," pleading Emily, the image of her daughter sobbing on her office floor coming back to her.

"I don't care, don't you get it. SHE kicked ME out. SHE was the one that didn't tell ME that she was getting married. She doesn't want me to be a part of her life unless I do what she wants. I don't understand how you are all the sudden on her side," Rory yelled right back at her grandmother.

Emily had had enough at this point. She would never be able to forget the sight of her strong, independent daughter sobbing on the ground of her office like all the life is out of her and she would not back down.

"The reason, my dear Rory, is because she wants more for you than what she had. She cared for you and gave you much more than we ever, ever could have given her. We were wrong by just taking you in, it gave you no chance to think of the repercussions your action of up and quitting Yale would have on yourself. Now perhaps you will think about what you want in life, because we are doing exactly what should have been done from the beginning; letting you experience the life your mother had to lead the second she walked out that door. Richard, I am going to bed, please see the maid cleans up. Rory, we don't do this out of anger, it is because we want you to really understand what is happening to you. Happy Birthday," said Emily as she kissed a stunned Roryon thecheek and Richard on the top of his head before leaving the room.

"Rory?" asked Richard, trying to get a response out of her.

Rory looked at her grandfather, anger and shame showing in her eyes. Richard hoped that this would make her think, but perhaps it would only push her away farther.

"You will have the first rent check tomorrow, grandfather. Please do not try and talk to me for awhile. Tell grandmother the same." With that, Rory stormed out of the room, without another look.

Richard sank back down in his chair, heartsick at what was happening to his family. He just couldn't believe the change that came over his precious granddaughter. He went to the kitchen and told the maid they were done with dinner and both he and Mrs. Gilmore were retiring. He went to the open door of his study and looked at the painting that was done of Rory all those years ago.

"Where did you go, child? Where did you go?"

With that he turned off the lights and went to the stairs to bed.

Several hours later

"To my dear friend Rory, may the sun always shine, the clouds always be gone, the alcohol be free, and the women, excuse me, I mean MEN always be loose. Now let us raise our glasses to Rory Gilmore on this her 21st birthday!" toasted a drunk Finn at an exclusive club in Hartford.

"Hmm, somehow that toast sounded better on my birthday. Can men even be loose?" asked Colin while drinking his beer.

"He stole the toast from me. I used it on his birthday," responded Logan who was looking at Rory on the dance floor with Juliet and Stephanie.

"Hey man, is she okay?"

"Apparently she got into a fight with her grandparents and now has to pay rent to stay at the pool-house. This isn't good Colin. She isn't the same girl anymore. She is starting to scare me."

"Why don't you try and stop it?"

"Don't you think I have tried to talk to her? She refuses to talk to anyone anymore. If they question her at all they are screamed at and she won't talk to them. If I leave, then who will she have?"

"I suppose. Is this really that bad?"

"She is slipping into a dark place, Colin. If someone doesn't pull her out soon, she won't come back."

AN2: I already have part of the next chapter plotted out so look for it Wednesday or Thursday. It will have a talk between Luke and Lorelai, Richard's letter, and an appearence.