"Do you want to run now this is your final chance?" Lorelai offered.

"Just the bell." Jess suggested.

"He can't say I didn't offer." Lorelai rang the bell.

"Hello." The maid answered.

"Hi we're with the Alien Abduction alliance and we were hoping we could have a minute of your time to discuss our plight to…" Lorelai attempted to continue.

"We're returning her to the cast of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest in the morning." Jess interrupted. "We were invited to dinner."

"You ruined some of my best material." Lorelai tutted as they entered.

"Teasing the new maids is Mom's highlight each week." Rory explained.

"I particularly liked the time I told that one girl we were here to kidnap them." Lorelai recalled. "By the way is that…"

"No, that's not Lucia." Rory confirmed.

"What's the longest they kept a maid?" Jess asked.

"About three weeks." Rory replied.

"There was one who quit after fifteen minutes." Lorelai recalled. "And the nanny I got to quit in four hours."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"Lorelai, Rory. Jess, I'm glad you could come." Emily greeted them.

"New maid?" Lorelai asked.

"Lucia put the dry cleaning through the washing machine." Emily explained. "Please sit down, Richard will join us in a moment. Can I get you all drinks?"

"A Martini would be great Mom."

Emily poured Lorelai a Martini and Rory and Jess a soda.

"I'm sorry." Richard apologised when he walked in. "Business call."

"It's okay Dad." Lorelai told him.

"Hey Grandpa." Rory smiled.

"Rory. Jess it's nice to see you again." Richard sat down. "How's school Rory?" He inquired.

"Going great." Rory replied. "I have a paper I need to finish over the weekend, but I've already done the research I just need to write it."

"That's good."

They made polite conversation until the maid announced that dinner was ready.

"I hope you like chicken Jess." Emily said while the maid was serving the salads.

"I eat most things." Jess replied.

"Good."

"Jess, what are you reading at the moment?" Richard inquired.

"1984." Jess replied.

"A very good book." Richard remarked.

"Rory's trying to get me to attempt to read Fountainhead again."

"You don't like Ayn Rand?" Richard asked.

"I'll stop you there Dad otherwise this will turn into a very long debate. Trust me I've seen it several times. Jess doesn't understand what Rand is talking about but likes Hemingway. Rory likes Rand and doesn't like Hemingway." Lorelai summarised. "They both try to get the other to read the book they don't want to and then have a huge debate about why it's so bad."

"Thanks Mom." Rory said blushing slightly.

"It beats the debate you had on the Importance of Being Earnest."

GG

"See that wasn't too bad." Rory said optimistically when they left.

"What dinner were you at?" Lorelai asked.

"Mom, it was better than the numerous times you and Grandma go into an argument during dinner, or the last few times we went to dinner."

"True." Lorelai had to admit.

"And I actually made it through dinner." Jess pointed out.

"So do you think you can live through this every week?" Lorelai inquired.

Jess shrugged.

"Let's get back, I want some pie." Rory said.

"You just ate." Jess pointed out.

"Have you just met my daughter?" Lorelai inquired.

"Never mind."

TBC