A/N: So I was hanging around on incensed with gilmoregirls1979 sudden censorship (I'm wearing a purple ribbon for WITS), when I started to read my reviews from "Speed Dial." I realized that I missed getting those review email in my mailbox, so I thought I'd give this thing another go. In doing so, I realized that I have a lot of latent hostility towards Chris. My fics tend to do him a lot of physical harm. But I'm okay with that.
The premise: Did anyone else think that Rory was less than enthusiastic about the Luke and Loralei relationship when she went to see Chris in "The Party's Over?" And that somewhere in Chris's brain, he could have misconstrued that as "let's all be one big happy family"? You didn't? Just me? Oh well…
Chapter One: The Consequences of Backpedaling Clowns
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Chris' apartment
(knock, knock, Chris answers.)
CHRIS: Rory, hey! What are you doing here? I – uh, here. Hey, it's good to see you, kiddo! (Hugs her) Uh, come on in, sit down. Uh, Gigi is asleep, which is basically a miracle, but what the hell, for you I'll wake her up.
RORY: No, that's okay. I can't stay long.
CHRIS: Well, some sit down.
RORY: No, I can't stay.
CHRIS: Okay.
RORY: I don't want you calling Mom anymore.
CHRIS: What?
RORY: I want you to stay away from her.
CHRIS: Rory, I –
RORY: Mom's in a relationship now, and she's doing really great. He's kind, and, well, he's there. And she's happy.
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Chris looked up at his daughter's last words. "He's there?" He questioned her enthusiasm, with a hint of hope in his voice. "So she's just settling for 'there' now?"
Rory frowned at this misconstrued playback of what she had meant to be letting her father down easy. "You know what I mean Dad. He's there. For her, especially. You are…not so much."
Chris wasn't sure how to take this. "Yeah I haven't been there in the past, kiddo. But," he trailed off and thought of the consequences of what he was about to say to his now first-born daughter. "I…that could change."
Rory recoiled at what her dad was implying. "Dad, no…Don't do anything like…you'll…" she stammered, not knowing how to tell her father to stay the hell away while still remaining the calm little lamb that everyone expected of her. But before she could collect her thoughts, her father jumped in with some of his own.
"Does she love him?"
Rory was too lost in her own head to realize what Chris has just asked her. "What?"
"Does your mom love this guy? More than me?"
Rory should her head. "No, dad. Don't do that. She doesn't love you anymore. You've run over her too many times for that. She's moved on. That's what I came here to tell you. You have to let it go. Let her go. Because she's let you go. She's with Luke now."
Chris smirked a little at this in his own weasel-like way. "I keep hearing you say that to me. But you never answered my question. Does she love him?"
Rory stammered her way to an honest answer. "I …I don't know. We haven't really talked much about it."
Chris smiled, satisfied. "So what's the deal? You don't like this guy"
Rory scoffed at her father's obvious obliviousness to her life. "Are you kidding? I love Luke!" And without thinking she reverted to the standard answer. "He's like a fa…."
Chris froze. "Like a what?"
Rory backpedaled faster than a clown on a unicycle at the circus (they had gone once, when she was eight). "Like a friend. I was saying that Luke is more like a friend to me than mom's boyfriend. I love him." And adding a little something extra for her dead-beat dad. "He'd do anything for me"
Chris sneered at this. "Hey kiddo, you know that true…"
Rory snickered and interrupted the obvious lie that was reaching her dad's lips. "Don't you even say that's true of you too, Dad. Even you know that's a lie." She looked down at her watch. " I should get going." She started towards the door and opened it.
Chris was still stuck on the last words out of her mouth. He was in Super-Dad mode now, right? Why not do right by his other daughter while he was at it? He stopped her at the door, pushing it closed.
"Look Ror, I know I haven't been the best dad in the world…ever. But I'm trying to do things right now. I promise I'm going to make this thing right."
Rory stopped and look up at the bearer of one-half of her chromosomes, thoroughly perplexed. "What thing?"
Chris put on his best pitiful/sympathetic face. "Us. You me and your mom. Our family."
At this, Rory had to laugh out loud. She had had enough of this. She tried to let him down easy, but the kid gloves were coming off. "Please, Dad. We don't have a family. Mom and I do. "
Chris wasn't used to this side of his daughter. She had always been so nice to him, no matter how man times he screwed up. He had always thought that in the end, she wanted the three of them together as a family (well, four now, if you count Gigi). He had to interrupt her "But we could…"
" I already told you no, Dad. We do just fine without you. We have for years. Mom and me, and that's it." As she opened the door, she realized the bitter clinch and she turned right before shutting the door and added. "Oh, and I guess Luke now too."
She saw the furious look on her biological fathers face right before she heard the loud click of the latch. She knew it was the wrong thing to say to her dad, especially condsidering his past record of fervently pursuing her mother (who could blame him?), she knew it was mean, but she had had enough. However as she got into her car and headed back to Yale, she realized that, for some reason, she was on the verge on tears. She picked up her cell phone, pressed and held in the number one. When she heard the familiar voice on the other end, she almost broke down.
"Mom? I think we have a problem? Yeah, I need to talk…I'm on my way over now. Okay, bye."
And she made her way back to Stars Hollow, with only a small inkling of the trouble that lay ahead.
A/N: It's an LL, I promise! Just let me get there!