** Alternate Universe**

"So tell us Rory how does it feel to have your book on the number one bestsellers list", the interviewer asked.

The lights were blinding, her publicist had warned her about accepting televised interviews but she knew it would bring good attention to her book. As a new author it was important for her to build up a fan base and these interviews seemed to be bringing her name to several of the "new authors to watch for" lists.

"Well I had never thought that I would write a book, it's kind of surreal to be honest." Rory felt herself blush as she looked up at the man behind the desk, "But I have been super lucky to find a publisher that believed in my book and has held my hand throughout the entire process."

"So your book is based on your life, is that correct?"

"Umm yes, there is a lot of the book that is based on events that happened. Some things have been tweaked and names have been changed but the basic premise is the same."

"Now in your book you talk about how close you are with your mom, it is a very special relationship- how has she reacted to the book?"

"I actually don't know- my mom and I haven't spoken in a few years. So for all I know she has no idea that this book is coming out."

"That's surprising, is this something that will be addressed in a sequel."

"Oh, I don't know about any sequels, this was already a labor of love." Rory deflected but she could tell the interviewer wasn't going to let it go. She shifted in her seat, "I guess you will all have to read the book for the nitty gritty!"

"Miss Gilmore-"

"Rory, please Ms. Gilmore makes me feel ancient and I am barely 25!"

"Rory" the interviewer corrected herself, "It is unusual for someone to write something so personal and yet not want to discuss it further. Your book is filled with antidotes of how your mother molded your life and how she was there for every milestone. Forgive me for wondering how this relationship changed."

"Um", Rory tucked her hair behind her ear. She had been prepared for a question like this but in reality she was afraid of what the answer would drum up. "As with everything there are two stories and multiple sides. There's the long and short as well as what she thinks and what I know. I'm not sure how much time your cameras have for such small details."

"We have all the time in the world Rory. The people just want to know what happened."

Rory sighed and straightened her shoulders, "Ok then, if you insist- but there are somethings you should know before I start. Growing up my mom was always my best friend, she was the only constant in my life. We didn't have a lot of means, we lived in a shed on a hotel property. Mom worked for our board and I played in the yard of the hotel, sneaking into the kitchens- I played with the other staff. That hotel was my entire world until I got to kindergarten.

"I was picked on a lot in school, everyone had known each other from activities and preschool. Even though I had grown up in Stars Hollow no one knew me or had any loyalty to me."

"Did your mother know?" the interviewer interjects

"Oh no, I never told her how bad it was. I think she thought that I chose to have a quiet existence. In reality I was so envious of all the other kids- they went on trips and had play dates. They were in the newest fashions, while I was in whatever my mom made me. I had one friend at school and she still is one of the best people in my life- but her mom didn't like my mom so that was strained at times.

"When I wasn't playing with Lane I would be reading. Books were an escape for me, the characters quickly became friends and I would immerse myself in their world. My love for reading just antagonized the other kids more though. They would hide my books or pick on me. One of my teachers got involved, she saw a group of girls throwing my book in the toilet. I was crushed, they knew I couldn't replace it. My teacher replaced the book and invited me to have lunch with her. She taught me how to deal with bullies. How they were intimidated by my intellect." Rory laughed and shook her head, "Which now I really doubt, I think they were crappy little eight year olds but at the time it made me feel better.

"I used it all as fuel to do and be better though. I pushed myself to be the top of my class, studying harder than anyone else. I wanted to get out of Stars Hollow and I remember sitting in that shed with my mom, we were listening to the radio and she told me how I was going to travel the world. How I was going to go to college and become a journalist and see every corner of the globe. She had plans for me and they sounded great."

"So you didn't want to be a journalist?"

"I wanted my mom to be proud of me. I didn't care how."

"And where was your father? Did he have anything to say about these dreams?"

Rory sighed and shifted pulling at her skirt, "My dad came in and out of my life and it never felt like he was really there for me. It always felt as if my father wanted my mom back and that I was the ticket to get that."

"That must have been hard"

"It was at the time, I just wanted my dad to want to spend time with me, I wanted him present for my birthday or Christmas. His trips always came with strings though, and I always thought that if he cared he would have wanted to provide for me more. My mom and dad came from Hartford society, and though my mom and dad always scoffed at that world I was always intrigued. When I was little the only contact I had with my mom's parents were at holiday parties. Even then it was strained and I wasn't able to talk to them too much. My dad's parents made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with me- and hearing that from family really does cut you. It's always there in the back of my head, knowing that no matter what I do they will never be impressed.

"The resources were there, my mom and dad could have given me the opportunities for more. I didn't have to be the girl who wore hand me downs, I didn't have to be picked on when I finally got to prep school. When I turned sixteen and got to Chilton and started a relationship with my maternal grandparents I realized how selfish my mother had been. Deep down I had always known that she had made the wrong choice leaving home for Stars Hollow, but it was thrown in my face time and time again. These kids I was now going to school with had all grown up together and knew my grandparents but I was kept away like a dirty secret. So once again I was at the bottom of the barrel in a new school where no one really cared; they were only formally polite for society's sake."

Rory took a breath to collect her thoughts, she was just so tired. She just wanted to get everything out and move on, "When I started to form a relationship with my grandparents my mother became paranoid. She worried I would want to live in society and that I would want to be a part of their world. Mom would constantly talk about how much she gave up to provide for us and the sacrifices she had made. At the time I would agree maybe because it was easier, but I always wondered what things would have been like if I had stayed with my grandparents.

"By the time I got to college I was straddling both worlds, my mom's and my grandparents'. They would invite me to events and I would go, but would go back to my mom's house and listen to her trash everyone there. When I chose Yale instead of Harvard I think a piece of my mom died a little. I convinced her it was because the journalism school was better, but really it's because I wanted something special with my grandpa. He was one of the most supportive people in my life and I wanted to make sure he knew how much I appreciated him. If going to his almator meant that much to him I would do it."

"And was that what finally fractured your relationship with your mother? Moving away from home, getting more life experience."

"Not at first, my freshman year I went home every weekend. We would have dinner Friday with my grandparents and then I would drive to mom's house and spend the weekend there, Sunday night I would load up my laundry and drive back to school. It went like this until Sophomore year I think."

"What changed?"

Rory smiled and her eyes lit up, "I made friends, new friends that were amazing. God they were the best- they pushed me to live a more exciting life. They invited me to parties and when we were at functions we would commiserate together, but they were some of the most caring people I had ever met. When I tried to introduce them to my mom though she was not impressed- they screamed society and that was like the ultimate betrayal. I went away to school and became friends with the people she hated. It didn't matter that they were kind or that they cared about me- they could provide what she couldn't and she felt threatened."

"Is this when your college romance started? The one that lasted three years?"

"Yes, my mom never approved of the relationship. I think he reminded my mom of my dad- to her he was reckless and flighty."

"And he wasn't"

"He had his moments, but most college guys probably do. He was extremely supportive though, when my roommate kicked me out for getting a promotion at work his remedy was for me to move in with him. When I needed to talk time off school he was right there next to me, he wanted me to go back but understood that I needed to figure out what I wanted."

"He sounds like he was perfect"

"He was", Rory smiled and looked down to her lap, "He asked me to marry him- every bone in my body told me to say yes. When I told my mom I was going to she screamed at me for hours. She said that I was unfit to be a wife, that I would only be a disappointment- that essentially he would get bored and I would be left alone. She went on and on and on, it tore me down so much that I started to believe that I wouldn't be enough. She brought up that my grandparents didn't want me and my dad didn't want me so in the end why would he. Every insecurity I had she cast a light on and told me how it would lead to my demise."

The interviewer passed Rory a box of kleenex and Rory thanked her, "So essentially she destroyed your relationship. She led to you saying no."

"I have no one else to blame but myself- she was the catalyst but I pulled the trigger. I said no, not because I didn't want to get married but because I was so scared that everything she said would become true." Rory sighed, "I was 22, fresh out of college- every job I had applied for had turned me down, there was absolutely nothing in front of me. So I said no and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret it. Though I am sure he is doing so much better without me", she lets out a laugh, "He is destined for great things and he can move freely now.

"It was six months later that I overheard my mom talking on the phone. She was discussing how she had made sure that every job I applied for thought I was unfit. After months of applying, rejections and tears I found out that everything I had worked towards was crumbling and it was all because of my mom. So I called a friend who owned a publishing house in Philadelphia- asked him if they were hiring, he said yes and within a week I had my things packed and I was signing a contract."

"That was with Trenchon Publishing House right?"

"Yes, my step brother Jess is a part owner, he let me sleep on his couch for a few months while I saved for an apartment that was deemed 'safe for a lady to live alone'. He actually gave me the idea to write the book- he said it was a story that needed to be told. So here I am"

"And during that time did you ever think to try and get in touch with your ex?"

"I actually did, I flew to California about three months after I started work in Philly. There was an author Jess wanted me to talk to and he sent me to Los Angeles. Once I had completed my work I booked a flight and went to San Francisco. I sat outside his office for about an hour and just as I was about to go in I saw him leaving. He was with this beautiful girl and he looked so incredibly happy- it wouldn't have been fair for me to interrupt his life again so I left."

Rory looked down again and sighed, "I am not under any illusion that I am faultless- I have made mistakes. Listening to my mother's vitriol was just one of them and I have been trying to fix those mistakes for the last few years. It just turns out that fixing that particular mistake isn't in the cards."

"And do you have any regrets about not becoming a journalist?"

"When I was 20 I had an internship- it was my first time working in a real newspaper. After a few weeks my boss came to me with an assessment, he had said that I had talent but I didn't have the spark. He actually told me I would make a good secretary. At the time it was like everything I had worked for was just crumbling, this man who had trusted me to work for his paper told me I wasn't cut out for the job. I was so angry," Rory laughed and shook her head, "He was so right though. I didn't want to be a journalist! This was just something that had been decided that I was going to do.

"In college I had friends that would talk about how much pressure they had from their families to follow in their footsteps. That they wish they had had options- and in a way I understand that. Looking back now though I don't think they realized how hard I had it too, they would laugh about how there was no expectation put on me to become anything. Instead I had the pressure of making up for my parent's errors. My mom looked at me to fill the shoes she should have worn, my grandparents looked at me to fill the void they missed because their daughter didn't go to college. In a way that is so much worse because you can't just follow a path, you have to forge your own with the understanding that you aren't doing it for your legacy, you are doing it to fulfill what someone else should have done."

"Do you resent that feeling?"

"Yes"

"Have you ever sat down with your family to discuss it?"

"No, what would be the point? They wouldn't care, mom and I haven't talked since I moved to Philly, my dad and I maybe talk every couple of months. My grandparents stopped calling two years ago, any friends I had in college are long gone. It's just me and that is fine, I think I have finally found what I was meant to do. Write and read, like I said earlier books are my escape, the characters are my friends and at the end of the day I get to do what I love."

**Six hours later**

"Hey you've reached Rory Gilmore please leave a message after the beep."

"He Ace"