After a much too long interval, I give you: a new chapter! I am sorry about the delay; I've found my senior year at college taking up more time than I thought it would.
ProFfeSseR - Thanks for pointing that out...I hadn't thought of it. It does raise the question of where exactly they got together, though, doesn't it?
Everybody else: thanks for the reviews and keep 'em coming!
The first sign that something was wrong came when Lorelai woke up one morning to find Christopher already dressed and sitting next to the bed, studying her seriously. Quelling the fluttering of uneasiness in her stomach, she smiled.
"Good morning."
"Morning."
He rose from the chair and walked over to the coffeepot, pouring a healthy amount of coffee grounds into a filter before walking over to Rory's little bed and kissing her on the forehead.
"Morning, princess," he whispered when she opened her eyes. Rory grinned widely.
"Hi, Daddy," she said before jumping out of bed and racing for the bathroom.
Christopher walked over to the coffee maker and poured Lorelai a mug, handing it to her without meeting her eyes. She took it with a bright smile and drank deeply, wondering what was wrong.
They walked Rory to school as they had done every morning, and then she left to do her rounds at the Inn. When she returned to the shed a few minutes before Mrs. Kim would bring Rory home, Christopher met her at the door.
His packed suitcase sat next to the armchair.
Lorelai felt her heart drop to her toes. She gripped the doorknob tightly to keep from sinking to the ground.
"You're leaving."
"Yeah. Back to the grind."
"You didn't say anything."
He sighed. "I couldn't, Lore. I didn't want to tell you."
"You'd better wait till Rory gets home, because I'm not doing your dirty work for you again."
"You know I wouldn't go without saying good-bye to her. I love her more than anything."
Lorelai bit her tongue to keep herself from saying she knew she'd regret. "Fine."
"I wish you would come with me. Both of you," Christopher said softly, reaching out to cup her cheek. "I still want to marry you, y'know."
She shook her head. "I can't. I have to stay here. I want to stay here."
"All right," he sighed. "Just know that if you ever change your mind, I'm waiting with open arms."
Rory had never been so upset. Her precious Daddy, who had been there for so many weeks, had left her and gone to that strange place far away where she couldn't see him every day. Lorelai tried to explain to her that he had never promised to stay in Stars Hollow forever, that they had all known he was only visiting and would have to leave soon, but Rory shook her head stubbornly and turned away, tears running down her cheeks.
Lorelai, while hurt herself, felt helpless in the face of her daughter's sadness and anger. She was too young to understand all the reasons that Christopher felt he had to live and work so far away, and too old to simply believe that she would see him "soon". However, Rory was her mother's daughter. She still loved to go to school and visit with Lane. It was only at night when there was no Daddy to tuck her in that she became quiet and sad.
Mia noticed the circles under Lorelai's eyes and knew instantly that she was not as resigned to Christopher's leaving as she had insisted. She still did her work well, but was withdrawn and aloof. Tyler, Jason, and Sookie had all privately asked Mia if everything was all right with Lorelai; she didn't seem herself. Mia gave them the standard answer: as far as she knew, Lorelai was fine, Rory was fine, everything was fine. But she was no fool. She knew exactly what was troubling them, and would have taught that boy the meaning of pain if she'd had the chance. Since she couldn't, though, she was determined to see her girls cheered up.
"Lorelai, stay for a minute, please," she said at the close of the weekly staff meeting. Lorelai shrugged and sat down again. "You and Rory aren't busy tonight, are you?"
"No, I guess not," Lorelai answered. "Why?"
"I'd like you to come somewhere with me tonight. It's the weekly town meeting, and it's better than a night at the movie theater. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
"A town meeting? I don't know, Mia," Lorelai said doubtfully. "Rory might get bored."
"No one's ever bored at these meetings, dear. Trust me. You've both looked so down lately. Please come."
Lorelai sighed. "All right, if it'll make you happy."
"Oh, good, we're right on time," Mia enthused as the three of them walked towards the dance studio. "Mark Cunningham gets a little irritated if anyone's late."
As Mia, Lorelai, and Rory took their seats near the back, the selectman banged his gavel on the podium. "Order, people!" he called. "Taylor, are you ready?"
"Yes sir, Mr. Cunningham," a man near the front said earnestly. He was around Mia's age, and stared up at the selectman with admiring eyes, his hands poised over an old-fashioned typewriter.
Mia leaned over to Lorelai. "Taylor Doose," she whispered. "His father owns Doose's Market in town. He wants to be just like Mark when he grows up."
"Right," Mr. Cunningham said, clearing his throat. "First order of business: the frightening number of speeders in town. Last meeting there was a motion for a speed limit of 20 miles per hour to be set and rigorously enforced."
"Twenty miles an hour!" exclaimed the short, blond woman Lorelai recognized as Babette Dell. "We'd never get anywhere!"
"What speeders are you talking about, Mark?" the familiar Miss Patty asked from across the aisle.
"Just yesterday some hoodlum came roaring down Main Street going at least forty," Mark said vehemently. "I barely had time to get across to the sidewalk."
"Oh, don't exaggerate," scoffed another townsperson. "I slowed down when I saw you."
"Because you knew you were going too fast! If you hadn't been going too fast, why would you have had to slow down, hmm?"
"Because you walk like a turtle with arthritis, that's why," answered the townsperson.
Lorelai laughed out loud in spite of herself, and blushed when the entire room turned to look at her.
"Is something amusing, young lady?" Mr. Cunningham demanded.
"No, sir," she said quickly, feeling like a naughty schoolgirl.
"I don't think I know you. Who are you?"
"That's Lorelai Gilmore, Mark," Miss Patty said eagerly. "She's been working at the Independence Inn for five years now. Isn't that right, dear?"
"Um, yes…"
"Hiya, sweetie," Babette called, waving energetically. "Why haven't you come back to visit me and Maury?"
"Oh, we've been pretty busy…"
"Lorelai's head of household staff at the Inn," Miss Patty informed the room importantly. "Worked her way up from a maid – and raising that beautiful little girl, too!"
The already curious crowd, ignoring Mark's calls for attention, now craned their necks to look at Rory, who was contentedly reading a picture book beside Mia. Lorelai stared at Miss Patty, wondering how on earth she knew all of that.
"Oh, isn't she gorgeous!" exclaimed one of the older women. "What's her name again, Lorelai?"
"Rory. Short for Lorelai," Lorelai answered. Rory looked up at the sound of her name.
"And just look at those baby blues," Miss Patty cooed. "She'll be a knock-out, that one."
"Just like her mama." Babette winked at Lorelai. "Wait till the local boys get a load of you two."
"You come to me when she's about ten or so," Miss Patty insisted. "We'll sign her up for dance lessons. She could be a prima ballerina – look at her feet!"
"I bet she'll sing," another woman argued. "Look at her mouth!"
"Actually, she wants to be a reporter," Lorelai informed them all proudly. "She saw Christiane Amanpour on the news when she was three and told me that's what she wanted to do. She wants to go to Harvard."
Mark threw down his gavel in disgust.
"Harvard! Well, the boys love a girl with brains," Miss Patty said with a grin. "Don't they, honey?" she asked Rory, whose eyes widened as she tried to hide behind Lorelai's arm.
"Some girls have it all," Babette sighed. "Me, I never was very smart."
"Aw, don't say that, baby," Maury said, reaching down to squeeze her shoulder. "You're smart enough when it counts."
"Well, it's been loads of fun, as always," Mia said, standing and taking Lorelai's arm. "But we really must be going. See you next week!"
"Lorelai, darling, if you need anything at all, just ask," Miss Patty said, giving Lorelai's hand a squeeze. "You're both part of the family now."
Lorelai gave a feeble kind of wave, took Rory's hand, and followed Mia out into the street.
"What was she talking about?" Lorelai asked when they were out of earshot and well on their way back to the inn. "What family?"
"The Stars Hollow family, dear. That's the wonderful thing about living in this tiny little town: you're never left to fend for yourself." Mia smiled at her. "You and Rory have just been officially adopted. You couldn't go without anything now even if you wanted to. We small-town folk, we watch out for our own. And we'll all watch out for you."
Read and review, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!