Dear Wally
A story about an age old mystery of finding out what you want
A story about a box that holds a treasure and finding out that that something you want in life is right in front of your nose
Notes
Post-"You Jump, I Jump, Jack"
Notes:
+ Emily and Richard are not together, they are separated.
+ Lorelai is still in Friday Night Dinner attendance.
+ Paris and Doyle are already in a dating relationship.
+ Rory and Dean are not together
Inspiration: (song) Dear Wally by Aslyn
Cast List
Rory Gilmore, Logan Huntzberger, Lorelai Gilmore, Luke Danes, Miss Patty, Paris Gellar, Doyle Evans, Finn Crawford, Colin Richardson, Stephanie Fontaine, Rosemary Petersen, Robert Grimaldi, Isabel Gardner, Emily Gilmore, Richard Gilmore, Sookie St. James, Jackson Belleville, Kirk Gleason, Taylor Doose, Marty, Michel Gerard, Steven Sebastian Easton, Walter "Wally", Elisabeth
My own characters added in. Isabel Gardner is one of Logan's many girlfriends.
Chapter One
Patrons, Parties, Presents and Patty
Dear Wally,
A party is erupting around me as I write and sit in the warm interiors of Misses Hodges home on Main Street. Lights, music, and drinks have the whole town celebrating. What they are celebrating is still a mystery to me and Misses Hodges but we sit here on a bench in the town square and seeing the town happy like this is wonderful. I wish you were here to see it yourself. I love you.
Yours Always, Elisabeth
"Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee," Lorelai shouted into the kitchen of the diner where Luke was swamped with orders that needed to be filled before the coffee even tickled her nose for the night. She knew he was busy, but still managed to fish out her crazy Lorelai antics for the holidays and bug him until wits end.
Rory watched from the table and laughed to herself. She was ten when Luke moved and settled into Stars Hollow and she silently contemplated what life would be like without Luke and his diner in Stars Hollow and what her mother would be like without someone like him to bug. She would still be Lorelai, but it would be her that she would be bugging to wits end. Thank God for Luke, Rory silently thought to herself as Lane came rushing in from the party outside and the snow that was slowly falling down from the darkened December sky.
"Finally," Rory was distracted by Lorelai bringing two giant sized cups full of coffee towards their window table. "I got coffee."
"Did Luke finally break down and get you some?"
"No. He's a bad boyfriend for that," Lorelai jokingly pouted, sliding into her chair across from her daughter who was home for the holidays.
"How did you get the coffee then? He doesn't let Cesar get it for you because Cesar always gives you too much and oh my gosh, you went behind the counter didn't you?"
"I am sworn to secrecy," Lorelai said, pretending to lock her mouth with an invisible key.
"If I tell Luke, what won't I get for Christmas?" Rory was tempted and couldn't help but play along with the charade that Lorelai had whipped up.
"Um, the Colin Farrell look-alike that has a big red ribbon draped around him like the New Year's Baby under our tree," Lorelai pointed out, knowing her daughter's obsession with the Irish actor.
"Mom, you're the one in love with Colin Farrell, not me," Rory informed her as Lane stole some fries from the fryer in back and sat down next to her and grabbed for the salt in the center of the table.
"Okay, who's the irresistible hunk that has you dreaming steamy dreams all night long?" Lorelai inquired as Lane popped right into the conversation and gave away hers.
"Definitely Ben Mackenzie," she said, surprising even Rory on that one.
"Ben Mackenzie? Like O.C. Ben Mackenzie?"
"What? He's hot."
"Yes, he's hot, but he's O.C. Ben Mackenzie, Lane. Since when do you watch the O.C.?" Rory asked, dipping one of the French fries into the ketchup pile that she had made on the side of the plate.
"Since never. But that doesn't mean that he isn't hot," Lane crunched on a crispy and surprisingly curly French fry that was amidst the straight and yellow ones. "Who's yours?"
"Mine?" Rory looked between her mother and Lane, surprised.
"Yes, yours Miss Susie Homemaker, you have to have a fantasy man in those sultry dreams that I know you have," Lorelai said, watching her daughter blush a bit from the embarrassing, but true statement.
She did have a fantasy, but it didn't include some famous actor like theirs did. Sure, she would like to dream about Colin Farrell or Ben Mackenzie, doing things to her that could only happen in her dreams, but they weren't the stars in her mind. Instead, she opted for the fantasy of a Yale Male: one who held her passion for books and love of classic movies like The Breakfast Club, The Princess Bride, and of course, who could forget the Gilmore staple movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Of course, she would never tell Lane or Lorelai that, instead, she would just indulge them with some A-list Hollywood hunk of an actor that they were expecting from her. "Josh Duhamel," she finally said a name off the top of her head.
"Las Vegas dude?" Lorelai's eyes popped open as two more people entered the diner, hungry and searching for a seat in the crowded, closed quarters.
"I didn't think you watched Las Vegas," Lane said, looking at her through the side of her glasses and giving her a strange look that only a best friend could do.
"I don't. But Win a Date with Tad Hamilton definitely changed my mind about watching the show," Rory pointed out, putting another fry in her mouth before Lane or Lorelai could ask another fantasy dream question that resulted in her lying to them again.
It was the holidays: Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's…and it wasn't the time to be lying to two of the most important people in her life. It was more of a time to bond with them over said movies and tons of chocolate that would have them begging Luke to cook them healthy food in the morning. Popcorn, tater tots, Swedish Fish, Snocaps, Butterfingers, Crunch Bars and a mess of Reese's assorted candies were definitely in the cards for tonight: their annual Christmas Eve "Eat Chocolate until you turn into a Chocolate Factory" Movie Marathon.
"Okay, so…Lane, you got the movies?" Lorelai asked, seeing as their plate was almost empty.
"I've got the Strictly Ballroom and the Gone with the Wind. You're supposed to have the others."
"Others? There are others?" Rory joked as Lorelai's eyes almost popped out of her head.
"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, what is rule number three in our handbook?" Lorelai asked very motherly and shockingly.
Rory rolled her eyes as she held her left hand up and her right hand was placed on her chest over her heart, "never have less than two movies on movie marathon nights. If you do have less than two movies, you must watch each of them three times through and throw popcorn at the hero of the movie at least once."
Faking the crying and bigheaded pageant, Lorelai gasped at her "girls" and started to overreact like the pageant mom would, "I am so proud. You and you," Lorelai turned to Lane, "are so my daughters. My pride and joys."
All three of them bust out in laughter which turned heads all over the diner, but none of them noticed. They were all in the spirit: the holiday spirit and were very ready for their movie marathon night. The ritual had become a staple in their lives as well as Stars Hollow. Kirk had even started letting the Lorelai's and Lane pick out the occasional black and white movie at the Black, White and Read Movie Theatre, which Stars Hollow loved. Their movies were classic: they had chosen movies that were black and white, from the Stooges to the Marx Brothers and even managed to slip in a color one now and then, A Miracle on 34th Street being one of their favorites.
Looking back out the window and into the festive town that she loved so much, Rory was surprised to see Lulu as Holiday Holly, the mystical and totally made up Christmas figure that Taylor was set on having every year since before Rory could remember, pass outside the window. Lorelai had been Holiday Holly one year and then Gypsy even got the honors, only to prove to Taylor that she didn't want to be Holiday Holly even though she really did.
Rory actually expected Babette to get the honors this year, or at least Miss Patty, since she choreographed the dance that Holiday Holly always danced and the path through the town that usually came with being Holiday Holly. Miss Patty should at least get once chance to be Holiday Holly and Rory decided that next year would definitely be her year, no matter what.
Looking back into her almost empty coffee cup, Rory scrunched her nose and looked over to the counter where Luke was scrambling to cash out customers, get new ones seated, take their orders and get them out just as quickly. He wasn't usually this busy on Christmas Eve, but then again since Taylor had decided to advertise the town in every Connecticut newspaper claiming that they were "the only small town in Connecticut host to Holiday Holly and the famous Luke's Diner, where you can get free fries on Christmas Eve."
"Merry Christmas Ladies," Miss Patty's voice turned her attention away from the counter to the flirtatious dance teacher who had once tried to teach her how to dance and failed miserably.
"Merry Christmas Patty," Lane and Lorelai reciprocated a smile on their lips as Miss Patty started passing out her staple gifts of candy canes and tiny good luck beads that she had learned how to make on one of her many trips to exotic cities outside of Stars Hollow like…. Boston, even though Boston wasn't and isn't that exotic. Rory preferred Paris or Barcelona much more.
"Merry Christmas Miss Patty," Rory finally said as she moved to go and refill her coffee cup herself.
"Rory, can I steal you away for a couple of minutes?" Miss Patty's inquiry intrigued Rory. The once upon a time Hollywood starlet flashed her bright smile and silently asked her again. The last time Miss Patty had whisked her away, it was to dress her in one of her old dance outfits and see if it still had all its glitter that she remembered it having. But Rory had a feeling this time it would be different; she prayed it would be different.
"Sure, just let me get more coffee. Do you want some?" she asked, offering Patty the chance to get a free cup out of Luke's without him seeing it.
"No thanks, sugar. I'll be just outside the door," she responded and with that, walked right back out the door, waiting on her.
Rory quickly filled up three to go cups, one for her, Lane and Lorelai and watched to see if Luke saw her do this or not. Thankfully, he didn't. Rory knew if he did, he would go all fatherly on her and Lorelai wouldn't even try to save the day. Slipping out from behind the counter without him so much as noticing, Rory handed over the two cups of black coffee to Lane and Lorelai, telling them she would meet them at the house with Swedish Fish and Snocaps in tow.
Walking out the door, she stood by Miss Patty's side and waited for her to start with another Hollywood Starlet story that Rory loved hearing. Her starlet stories actually inspired her to write like a Hollywood writer sometimes, getting swept up with romantic one liners and sassy retorts from the heroine.
"Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered if anyone else was out there?" Miss Patty asked, gazing up into the dark Stars Hollow filled with stars sky.
"Um…"
"Don't worry honey, it was rhetorical," Patty assured her and started to walk along the sidewalk leading over to Doose's Market, that was amazingly still open at almost ten o'clock at night. Rory was amazed that Taylor would stay open this late, but it was all good for her. That meant she could raid the shelves before Kirk got to it first, like he usually did, just to piss her off on Christmas Eve. "How has your holiday been so far, Rory?"
"So far, so good, although Mom's promise of Colin Farrell wrapped in nothing but a red ribbon under our tree is kind of freaking me out and causing me to rethink that whole not admitting her to a mental hospital thing."
"That's good to hear," Patty laughed at Rory's moment of truth, and "I have something for you."
"For me? But you already gave me your classic candy cane and bead. I like the bead, it's pretty," Rory told her, walking along slowly as she hung on to the present and her coffee with one hand. Her bead was pretty and was another one to add to her collection.
Throughout the years, Rory had acquired a varied collection of beads from cities across the world; from the handmade blue toned ones that Miss Patty had snatched from a London street vendor to the emerald and pink tie dye looking ones that were from selected cities in Spain and Italy that she never would reveal. Miss Patty wasn't the richest, but she knew how to bargain with anyone even when she was an ocean away and speaking a different language.
"I'm glad you like it Rory, but I have something else for you. Something that I think you'll like even better," she said, pulling Rory over to the side to fish out a small sized box not bigger than a bread box but not smaller than another piece of jewelry.
"Miss Patty," Rory started to object when she stopped her.
"Don't argue about it Rory, just take it," she said and then reminded her of the importance of the Christmas spirit and that giving was a part of the holiday experience, especially in this town. "I'm off to Brussels the morning after next, so if you don't see me before then, which I have no doubt you will, Merry Christmas, Rory."
"Thank you Miss Patty. I just wish I had something more to give you," Rory said as Patty stood there with nothing but a smile on her face when an idea popped into her head. "Hey, if you walk me home and we see Colin Farrell in that red ribbon, I'll be happy to give him to you."
Miss Patty laughed at her again, "Honey, I think your mother has claim on him," she started to turn around, heading back towards the town square to take Lulu back to the dance studio to change out of the Holiday Holly getup. "But hey, if you happen to find a muscular and hunky James Denton there, I'll take him. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," Rory softly said as she watched Miss Patty walk off and then looked down at her package. Wrapped in the thinnest sparkling silver paper with a multicolored ribbon strapped around it, Rory only had one thing on her mind now. Forget about Swedish Fish, Snocaps and whatever other kind of junk food that she could get her hands on in Doose's before it closed, all she wanted to know now is if she should open the gift now or wait until the clock struck midnight tonight.
Oh, the hard decisions that came with Christmas: there was the casting of Holiday Holly, the kind of tape to use so her mother wouldn't over tape the presents like last year and every year before that, contemplate how many cups of coffee that they could get before Luke noticed they were getting it for free and figuring out if you should open spontaneous gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.