Mariano: Annie, Jess's wife; Jeffery age seven and Haylee age four
Hanson: Lorelai "Laura" age seven, Matthew age five and Riley the baby
Luke and Lorelai still only have Audrey who is now 16. She still is unaware that she has a twin and Luke and Lorelai are still no closer to telling her. Some familiar faces make a return to the Gilmore world and I'm not telling you who they are yet. Enjoy ladies and gents (if there are any that write on here!) This will most likely be the longest chapter of them all.
Chapter 36: Audrey's First Day at Chilton
The sun shone bright in the Danes home. The cool Septemeber morning was just what Audrey Avery Danes had wanted her first day of Chilton to be. After months of waiting she finally recieved the acceptance letter. She stood in front of her mirror adjusting her uniform. She pulled her long curly, chocolate brown hair up into a ponytail. She put on her glasses, hiding her bright sapphire blue eyes, a gift from her parents. Audrey was lucky if she stood over five feet. She had always been small fo her age. But that didn't stop her.
Audrey took a look around her room. Her walls were covered in travel posters, Yankee team photos, pictures of the 'Vette she wanted for her seventeenth birthday. On her shelves she had trophies. All of them for baseball. Audrey was the star of the Stars Hollow Little Leauge, that was until she won Little Miss Hartford and had to drop out of baseball to compete at the state level. That was the other thing that covered her walls, sashes from her pageants and her crowns. Audrey competed in the pageants to earn money for school. She wanted to be an actress on Broadway.
"Well Katie," she said to her cocker spainiel. "Here goes nothing."
She slipped into the kitchen and started her mother's coffee. She found it stange that her father wasn't up yet. Luke was usually up before every other normal human being on the planet. She went up to her parents room and opened the door. There lying sound asleep was her parents.
"Mom!" Audrey exclaimed.
Lorelai bolted awake. "What?"
"It's 7:06!" Audrey cried.
"No it's not. It's 6:15," Lorelai argued.
"7:07! Get up! Daddy!"
"I still have ten more minutes," Luke whined.
Audrey pulled the blankets off their bed.
"Audrey, you are seriously bugging me," Lorelai said. "We still have ten more minutes."
"Rory told me this would happen! Get up!"
Luke groaned and rolled over to the clock. His eyes bulged as he saw the time.
"Damn it!" he yelled. "We had a plan. Lorelai get up."
"I'll be downstairs. Oh yeah and Mom? Please don't wear cutoffs and cowboy boots this time!"
"You're real funny, little one!" Lorelai yelled after her.
Audrey went down to the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of granola with peaches. In the battle of Luke and Healthy Food vs. Lorelai and Crap, Luke had won. Audrey ate as healthy as she could. She did have the Gilmore caffine addiction but she combated that with soda. But still every now and then she did sneak a cup of coffee. She set her bowl down at the table and reached for a coffee mug. She went over to the coffee maker and started to pour a cup for herself.
"That had better not be coffee in that cup!" she heard her father yell down.
"How does he do that?" Audrey wondered. "That's not fair Daddy! You let Rory and Mom have all the coffee they want!"
"No child of mine will be a coffee addict!" Luke retorted.
"No child of mine? What does that mean? Isn't Rory his kid too?" Audrey wondered again.
Luke and Lorelai come running down the stairs. Lorelai is running a brush through her hair and Luke is fighting with his tie. They each take a seat on the couch to tie their shoes. Checking her reflection in the mirror, Audrey begins to get nervous again. She didn't really want to leave Stars Hollow behind but she also wasn't sure that Chilton would be the right place for her. Audrey didn't like meeting new people, she didn't really like going into the city. She was so much like her father in that sense. She liked the closeness of her town.
"We have to stop at the diner," Luke said walking towards the door.
"Why?" Audrey asked. "We're already running late."
"Rory wanted to see you before you left," Lorelai said. "She has some advice or something."
The Danes' piled into their car and drove into town to the diner. Audrey felt so strange to not be walking to school with Camille Rogers, her best friend since the second day of kindergarten. Once they entered the diner they were attacked by four children of various heights.
"Uncle Luke! Auntie Lorelai!"one pair called.
"Grandma! Grandpa!" the second pair yelled.
"Ahh! Attack of the neices and nephews and grandkids!" Lorelai exclaimed.
"Ok guys back to your breakfasts," called Annie, Jess's wife from the kitchen. "Jeffy, Haylee, finish your juice."
It had been a surprise to everyone when Jess moved back to Stars Hollow with a wife and two kids. Jeffery was seven and Haylee was four. Annie and Jess had worked together in Philly. Annie was an editor in New York but had moved to the Hartford office when living in New York became too expensive for her, Jess and the kids.
The other pair of kids were Lorelai Kylie "Laura", age seven and Matthew "Matty" Hanson, age five. Rory and Marty's two kids. Rory had given up her job at Time Magazine when she had Laura. She worked now as a freelance writer and a stay at home mom. Marty worked all the time. He traveled from Ohio to Stars Hollow weekly until his new coaster The Destroyer was finished. After that was built and finished he planned on taking Rory, and the kids on a long cruise in the Caribbean.
"Good morning family!" Rory called as she came into the diner carrying her and Marty's adopted son Riley. After Rory had Matty the complications she suffered left her barren.But she and Marty wanted another child.They were ableto adopt Riley and kept in contact with his birth mom sending her pictures and such of him.
"Hi Rory!" Audrey called. Despite their age difference Rory and Audrey remained close as if they were only five or six years apart instead of 23.
"Hey kid! So are you excited about starting Chilton? I know I was. But at least you're starting at the beginning of the year and not a month or so into it already. That will definetly help," Rory said chattering on. "So anyway, here's my advice for my sister: Be polite, not that you aren't already, watch out for anyone who may be like Aunt Paris, join student council if you have time and watch out for the Puffs."
"The who?"
"The Puffs. Chilton society. Pain in the butts really. You have a great day."
Audrey stares out the window of the Jeep as they make the long drive into Hartford. Audrey had faced many different situations with different levels of intensity. She had been the last batter in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded and two strikes on her. She had tripped walking across the stage in the Little Miss Connecticut pageant. Nothing could ever have prepared her for the overwhelming awe of pulling up to Chilton for the first time.
"Is it bigger? It looks bigger," Audrey said.
"It's not as scary as it looks," Lorelai said. They climbed out of the car and walked into the school. Lorelai pointed out the places that she and Rory almost carved their intials into. As Audrey looks around the daunting main building of the school she reaches for her father's hand and holds on tight. They pass a group of three girls. One of medium height and short brown hair took one look at Audrey and put a disgusted look on her face. She turns to leave and the other two follow her.
Audrey, Luke and Lorelai sttod outside the door of the headmaster's office. Audrey put one hand on the handle and paused.
"You ready?" Lorelai asked.
"Ten seconds," Audrey replied. She began to hum "A Dream is a Wish" and then she let out a breath.
"Ready now?" Luke asked.
"Yes. Let's go."
The three of them entered the office and was greeted by a secretary about Rory's age. Lorelai and the secretary share a puzzled glance.
"Name?" the secretary asked Audrey.
"Audrey Danes. I have a meeting with the headmaster. It's my first day."
"Do I know you?" Lorelai asked the girl. "I swear you look very familiar to me."
"Louise Grant, I used to go here. Graduated in 2003. You look familiar also."
"Louise? Oh my God yes. You went to school with my daughter," Lorelai chuckled.
"Lorelai? Wow this is a small world. Give me a second and I'll let Paris know you're here."
Louise left the room and Luke and Lorelai shared a frightened look. It couldn't be the same Paris. That would just be too weird. Louise returned to the outer office.
"Paris will see you now," Louise said.
"When you say Paris, do you mean Paris Geller, Paris?" Lorelai asked.
"The one and only," Louise said.
"Oh boy."
The three walked into the office and saw the high backed chair. It was turned so no one could see who was in the chair. Suddenly the chair spun around. Paris's face was engulfed in a smile.
"Audrey!" she exclaimed. "It's so good to see you!"
"Aunt Paris! I had no idea that you were the princepal here," Audrey cried. "This is so cool."
"Please have a seat. Now Audrey as you well know, the standards set here at Chilton are higher and more difficult than Stars Hollow High. The students are more cut throat and ruthless in their attempts to be the best. This is not the environment for everyone. Lorelai I assume you'll be more involved with the parent groups this time around?"
"Yes. We will try to be as involved as our schedules will allow," Lorelai replied.
"We want Audrey to have all the best opportunities," Luke emphasized. "We'll do whatever we can."
"That's good. Please tell Rory that I'll give her and Marty a call to get together at a later time. It was good to see you again," Paris said dismissing Luke and Lorelai.
"Have a good day Audrey. Call us if you're going to go over to my mother's for the afternoon. If not Luke'll pick you up at three."
Audrey hugs her parents goodbye. She and Luke rub their noses together, their special thing that they have been doing since she was a baby. Lorelai led Luke from the room. Luke looked longingly at the door. He thought of the first day of kindergarten.
Audrey looked over her shoulder and saw Luke standing by the door. She bolted from her chair and ran to her Daddy with tears in her eyes.
"Daddy don't go!" she cried. "I don't like it here."
"I know you don't like it but give it a few days," Luke said. "I tell you what, you be a good girl today this weekend we'll go to New York to the last Yankee game of the season. Now go back to your desk and make some pretty pictures to give to Mommy when she gets home from Paris."
"I don't want to leave her here all by herself," Luke said, sadly.
"Oh my God. It's the first day of kindergarten all over again," Lorelai teased.
"She can't come have lunch with me anymore. She doesn't have any friends here. She's going to be lonely."
"She'll be fine, Luke. Audrey's a big girl she can take care of herself," Lorelai said patting his arm. "Come on. Let's go get some breakfast."
Luke took one last look at the door, sighed and took his wife's hand. He still felt bad about leaving Audrey there. She may have been almost seventeen, but to her father she was still the scared little girl who didn't want her daddy to leave her at kindergarten.
Back in Paris's office Paris overlooks Audrey's file. Audrey like Rory had hundreds of recommendations.
"What school are you looking into?"
"Yale," Audrey answered. "They have the best drama school. I want to be on Broadway. I love to act and sing."
"You have a lot of extras here. Your community service work is amazing. You collected over 1100 books in a book drive? That is impressive. Dance, choir, theatre, baseball. Audrey, I am very good friends with your sister and her husband. I am your Aunt Paris. None of this, however will be of any use to you. If students foud out that you are rather close to me it could be hard for you here."
"Yes Ms. Geller," Audrey replied.
"However in the privacy of my office you may address me as Aunt Paris," Paris said.
"Of course Aunt Paris. Silly me," Audrey giggled.
"Take your file to the attendance office and they'll give you your schedule. Have a good day."
Audrey takes the file from Paris and leaves the room. She half expected her parents, at least her father, sitting out in the hall waiting for her. But they weren't. She walked up to the main desk in the office and set the file down.
"Umm, excuse me?" she called, trying to get a secretary's attention. "I was told to turn this in here."
"What's your name?" the secretary snapped.
"Audrey Danes. It's my first day," Audrey said nervously.
The secretary disappears into another room and returns with another file folder. She begins to lay down different documents on the desk. "Here's your schedule, school map, words to the fight song. Memorize them, because you could be tested on them at any time. If you can do it in Latin you get extra credit. Any questions?"
"Where would I find my locker?" Audrey asked.
"Your locker number and combonation is located on the top left of your schedule. If you have any other questions make an appointment to see your counselor. She handles everything but bulemia and pregnancy, for that you'll have to see the nurse or Coach Carter. Welcome to Chilton."
Audrey giggles and heads off in search of her first class: Algebra II with T. DuGrey. As she walked the halls of the massive school she kept a look out for locker number 503. She didn't find her locker she did find room 209. She takes a seat in the second row and takes out her notebook, pencil case and Lucky Man. The three girls from earlier enter and one the blonde sits down next to Audrey, who was deeply involved with her book.
"Hi, I'm Andie Michaelson," she said, starlting Audrey.
"Oh my goodness!" Audrey exclaimed. "You frightened me!"
"I'm sorry. Anyway my name's Andie. You are?"
"Audrey," Audrey replied.
"That's a pretty name," another of Andie's friends said. "I'm Tarah."
"It's very nice to meet you," Audrey said. "You wouldn't happen to know where the 500 block of lockers are?"
"I think they're by the theatre," Tarah said. "Are you new here?"
Just then the bell rang. Tristan DuGrey walks into the classroom. "All right people take a seat. Welcome to Algebra II, I am Mr. Tristan DuGrey. You will address me as Mr. DuGrey or sir. Let me take roll and we'll get started."
Tristan picks up a class list and begins calling out the names. "Danes, Audrey?"
"Here, sir," she replied.
Tristan takes a good look at Audrey. He sees a little of Rory in her. He asks, "Do I know anyone in your family? Your mother perhaps?"
Audrey is visably embarrassed. "I don't know how you would know my mother, my sister maybe," Audrey said trying to draw the attention away from her. "Could we maybe talk about this later, sir?"
"Yes of course. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you," Tristan apologized.
Audrey sits up straight in her chair and never looses eye contact with Tristan during his lecture. Once class was released he called her up to his desk.
"You look so familiar to me. You look like Mary," he said. "I havent seen Mary in 24 years."
"I have no idea who you are speaking of," Audrey said, politely. "I don't know anyone named Mary."
"Mary was her nickname. Her real name was.." Tristan looks up at the celing, trying to remember her name. "It started with an 'R'. Rachel, Rebecca, Rory. Rory Gilmore."
"That's my sister," Audrey replied. "Did you go to school with her?"
"You can say that," Tristan said, laughing remembering the good times with Rory. "Tell her I say hi, if you see her anytime soon."
"I will, Mr. DuGrey," Audrey said leaving the room.
She walked down the hall and into her English class. If running into your sister's friend was hard, imagine having your mother's ex-fiance as your English teacher. Max Medina takes a look at Audrey and does a double take. To his old eyes he sees the woman that still haunts his dreams. The soft curls of Audrey's hair, the striking blue of her eyes, even hidden behind the glasses was all Lorelai. Audrey recogzines Max also.
When Audrey was 12 she had to wirte a paper on the two people she admired most. One was Mickey Mantel, and the other was her mother. She had discovered an old photograph of Lorelai and Max. Lorelai explained about her "Almost Wedding".
"You're Max. You're Mom's Max," Audreywhispered quietly.
"Excuse me?" Max replied. "Do I know you?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that out loud," Audrey stammered. "Never mind."
Audrey sat down in a seat and took out her notebook for English. Mr. Medina goes to his desk as the bell rings. He picks up the class list. He scans the list and stops at Audrey's name. Audrey Danes. Why does that last name sound so familiar? Danes?
Max shook the thought out of his head. There's no way that his Lorelai would have married that diner guy. But the teenage girl sitting in the second row had the last name of that man and looked so much like Lorelai. He had to know.
"I usually put together a list of your parent's names so in case of an emergancy I can get a hold of them. So when I call your name please tell me your parents' names and occupationsand a current phone number."
Max went down the list and came to Audrey. "Audrey Danes?"
"My mother Lorelai Danes," Audrey began.
I knew it! She wouldn't marry me but she could marry him! I was supposed to be that person. I was supposed to be with Lorelai. That should be my daughter.
Max controlled his angry thoughts and got through the class. After class Max called Audrey to his desk.
"Ms. Danes, I have a small confession to make. I know your mother, Lorelai. I'm pretty sure that you also know of me and the history that lies between us. If you feel wierd about having me for your teacher, please feel free to change English teachers. You won't be insulting me, if you do," Max said nervously.
"Mr. Medina, you and my mother have a history. It has nothing to do with me. I don't mind. Mom had nothing but nice things to say about you. Rory as well," Audrey replied. "I'll be fine."
"I just wanted to be sure, have a good day," Max said, dismissing Audrey.
She walked out of the classroom and right into Andie, Julia and Tarah. Audrey was startled again. She gasped and jumped back a little. "Jiminy Crickets! You three just pop up everywhere!"
"Jiminy Crickets?" Andie questioned. "Whatever happened to holy shit? Or Jesus Christ?"
"I don't see the need to swear," Audrey said. "There are so many other words in the dictionary that mean the same thing without getting into profanity."
"Oh my God! Is this girl for real? She's freaking Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz," Andie thought. "I was thinking since you're new and all I was thinking you could eat lunch with Tarah, Julia and I," Andie said sweetly.
"I'd like that, thank you," Audrey said smiling. Maybe Chilton wouldn't be so lonely after all.
"So how do you know Mr. Medina?" Tarah asked later at lunch. "I saw you talking to him after class."
"It'sa long story," Audrey said sipping on her thermos of juice. "My mother was once engaged to Mr. Medina."
"Wow!" Tarah exclaimed. "That is amazing. Is it weird to have him for a teacher?"
"I never met him until today. No it's not weird at all."
"To change the subject, what are your activities Audrey?" Julia asked.
"I take dance lessons, I'm in the choir in my town andI do pageants to raisemoney for charity and for college. I also enjoy the theatre. I want to get on Broadway someday."
"What plays have you done?" Andie asked.
"I was in Romeo and Juliet, Fiddler on the Roof, Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, just to namea few. I mostly did them in school."
Andie looks visably threatened. "Audrey would you excuse us please?"
"Yes of course," Audrey said. She picks up Lucky Man and begins to read again. Andie looks back at her and is clearly disgusted.
"I think she's sweet," Tarah said, once they were out of earshot. "I've never met anyone so polite before."
"It's all an act. What's with not swearing? Every kid in America has said shit at least once in their life," Andie snapped. "She's dangerous. This Audrey could very well steal my part. Besides I'm really close to getting Ryan back. This goody-goody could very well sink her claws into him and then he'll never come back to me."
"Andie, if I do remember Ryan wanted absolutely nothing to do with you after the stunt you pulled against Heather Miller," Tarah said. "I think that if you gave her a chance you could be good friends."
"Tarah shut up," Julia snapped. "Audrey Danes is a threat. Please try to remember that."
A/N: This still has a lot to it but I figured I'd left you guys hanging for way too long. So there you go. You have been introduced to Audrey Avery Danes, 16 almost 17, the new girl at Chilton. Coming up on Collide:
"I'm Ryan."
"Audrey. I'm Audrey"
"Luke you need to calm down. She's growing up."
"No she's not. She four and waving to us from the stage of the Festival of Living Pictures"
Stay tuned people! Please review.