Disclaimer: We don't own Gilmore Girls.
Rory sighed as she looked around at the empty apartment. Though she was excited to move to Palo Alto and start her next chapter, she felt as though she was leaving a piece of herself here. Logan set the last box down in the hallway and turned back to look at Rory.
They'd spent yesterday packing the last of their things and had taken turns driving to Hartford where Emily and Richard had kindly set up a storage locker for both of them as well as storing a few things in their pool house. When they left here, Rory would be returning to Stars Hollow while he would be staying with Honor and Josh while he sorted out what to take with him from his parents' house and what he would leave behind.
"Rory? Are you ready to go?" Logan asked. Rory turned and nodded before joining him in the hallway. After Logan had locked the door behind them for the last time and picked up the box, the two of them set off down the hallway. Rory bit her lip as they stood in the elevator and watched as the door to the apartment was concealed by the sliding doors of the elevator. She sighed and looked at Logan, who looked back at her knowingly. "I'm going to miss this place too. It's where my life with you truly started," he said.
"We were happy here, weren't we?" Rory said. It wasn't a question. Logan nodded and shifted the box to one arm so that he could hold Rory's hand.
"Yup, but I'll be happy wherever we end up because we'll be together. You sure you don't want me to come to Stars Hollow with you?" Logan asked. The previous night, during a takeout dinner eaten on the apartment's living room floor, they'd discussed Logan going with Rory to Stars Hollow and whether or not she would be staying there until they were ready to move. Rory didn't think Lorelai was done with whatever she had up her sleeve, and when they'd come home after celebrating with their friends, she and Logan had stayed awake until nearly 2:30 in the morning trying to figure out what had been going through Lorelai's head when she had told the townspeople about inviting Luke and Lane to Rory's graduation and then their engagement. Rory nodded.
"I'm sure, but just in case things don't go well, can I call you?" she asked. Logan nodded as he released her hand to slide his arm around her waist and hugged her to him.
"Of course! Of course, you can, Rory, you don't even need to ask. Say the word and I'll come as fast as I can," he said. By this time, they had reached the ground floor of the building, and after saying goodbye to the doorman and the security guard on duty, the two of them stepped out into the warm May sunshine. Logan unlocked his car and set the box on the front passenger seat before he turned to Rory and pulled her into his arms.
"Don't forget that grandma wants us to come over tomorrow and help with the invitations for the engagement party," Rory reminded him. Logan nodded and kissed her quickly. He was surprised and grateful to Emily for planning their engagement party on such short notice. He never thought he'd be helping to address invitations for his engagement party, but he was looking forward to spending more time with the elder Gilmores and work on building his relationship with both of them.
"See you later, Ace, drive safe," he said before kissing her one more time.
"See you later, you too. Text me when you get to Honor's place," Rory said. Logan nodded before the two of them separated and got into their cars. On her way out of New Haven, Rory stopped at a Starbucks for coffee before continuing her drive to Stars Hollow. As she drove, Rory thought about the phone call from Lane on the day of her graduation. She'd managed to keep her mind off of what the residents of Stars Hollow would say while she and Logan were packing, but now that she was driving back to her hometown, her anxiety about it was starting to rise.
Growing up, she had always thought of Stars Hollow as a tight-knit community, and to a certain extent it was, but when she'd moved away from home to attend Yale, Rory had realized that there was a line between being close and being too close. She loved the people of Stars Hollow and always would, but she wasn't okay with knowing everyone's business and having everyone know hers. Rory gripped the steering wheel as she thought about Lorelai telling the townspeople about her engagement and their reaction. She was dreading returning home and having to listen to the tidal wave of opinions that were surely coming her way.
An hour later, Rory had arrived in Stars Hollow. As she came out of the stationary store with some empty boxes, she heard her name being called and turned around to see Babette and Miss Patty hurrying towards her.
"Rory, sweetie! You're home! Now we can do the re-enactment of your graduation ceremony. We would have loved to be there for your graduation, all of us wanted to come so bad, sugar! How come that boyfriend of yours didn't try and get extra tickets for the whole town, he's loaded isn't he?" Babette said in one breath. Rory raised her eyebrows and busied herself with putting the boxes in her car before taking a deep breath and turning around to face Babette and Miss Patty, who were both looking at her expectantly along with Taylor who had joined them. Rory drew herself up to her full height and squared her shoulders.
"First of all, Logan is my fiancé now, Babette. Second of all, it's very rude of you to assume he could get tickets for the entire town because he has money. We will not be doing the reenactment because Logan and I are moving to California next week and I have a lot of things I need to get organized before we leave. My graduation from Yale wasn't about the town of Stars Hollow, it was about my fellow graduates and myself. Logan tried to get tickets for Luke and Lane because I said how much I wished Luke could be there," Rory said. She spoke calmly but she could feel the slow burn of anger beginning in her belly. Before anyone else could say anything, Taylor jumped in.
"Of course, we're doing the reenactment, Miss Gilmore. It was decided at the town meeting that there would be a reenactment of your graduation ceremony for those, aka the people standing in front of you and the rest of our town, who were not invited," "Taylor-" Rory started to say but she was cut off, "Secondly, your engagement was discussed at the town meeting, how do you expect to survive in a strange city alone without the people who raised you? That and the fact you're too young to get married," Taylor finished. Rory's fingers curled into fists and her cheeks became flushed.
"No, we are not doing the reenactment! I already stated my reasons for that to Babette and Miss Patty and you were standing right there when I said it! What's next, you want Logan to reenact his proposal to me?! That won't be happening and I won't be alone in Palo Alto, I'll be with my fiancé! The same man I have been with for three years! I am twenty-two years old, Taylor! I am old enough and more than capable of making my own decisions for the next chapter of my life, which I am embarking on with the one person I love more than anything in the world!" Rory snapped.
"Rory, honey, just listen to us. You're making a big decision that impacts not only you but the rest of us! We thought the plan was for you to go to college and then become an overseas correspondent. You've always been so focused on your dream and now all of a sudden you're throwing those away for some boy," Miss Patty tried to explain. Rory shook her head in anger, she'd had enough.
"Well, I hate to break it to you Patty, but this isn't your life, or Taylor's or Kirk's or Babette's, it is mine! It's my life and I'm the only one who gets to decide how to live it and who is going to be in it! I'm not throwing anything away; I just found a new dream along my path that I want to come true!" Rory shrieked. Looking around, she saw a lot of people were watching the confrontation but she was too angry to care. She turned back to the three standing in front of her and shook her head. "You know something, I'm not going to miss this town. I'm not going to miss having my life discussed and judged and having all of you try to push what you want onto me. I'm not going to miss people who have no concept or understanding of boundaries." With that, Rory turned on her heel and got into her car before driving towards her mother's house.
Rory sighed as she folded another shirt and put it into the suitcase Emily had lent her to pack more clothes and any other belongings, she wanted to take with her. She'd already loaded two of the boxes labelled "Donate" and "Storage" into her car and had packed all of her books and the rest of her shoes into the remaining two boxes. She paused as she held the light blue dress she had worn to that disastrous dinner, if you could call it that, at the Huntzbergers. Rory chewed her bottom lip as she held the dress in her hands and looked at it. Did she leave it in the wardrobe at her mother's house? Take it with her to California? Donate it? Put it in storage? Burn it? No, despite the bad memories associated with the dress, it was far too pretty to burn. Rory pursed her lips and put the dress in the box that held her shoes. She looked around her mostly barren room, her clothes were the only thing left to pack. Rory lifted the box holding her books and carried it out to her car before returning for the final box. She was just packing the last of her clothes when she heard the front door open and close. A few seconds later, Lorelai appeared in the doorway. Her eyes took in the empty room before focusing on Rory, who placed the last pair of jeans into the suitcase before zipping it closed and turning to face her mother.
"I heard about the confrontations," Lorelai said. Rory snorted.
"Stars Hollow gossip mill strikes again, ladies and gentlemen," she said sarcastically.
"Rory, did you have to say what you did to Patty, Babette, and Taylor?"
"Did you have to act the way you did on my graduation day? And did you have to come back here after and tell the whole of Stars Hollow about my engagement before I'd had a chance to say anything? Mom, not only did you take Logan's generous gesture and twist it into something horrible, but you managed to ruin what should have been one of the happiest days of my life!"
"Well maybe you shouldn't have told us about your engagement on your graduation day then," Lorelai said, not wanting to admit Rory was right. Rory's mouth dropped open.
"Are you serious right now?! I wanted to share that with you and dad and grandma and grandpa! They are all happy for me and Logan, Grandma even gave me the advice to talk to Logan and figure out where we were headed next, so why can't you be happy for me?!" Rory shouted.
"BECAUSE THIS WAS NEVER PART OF OUR PLAN! You weren't supposed to get engaged at twenty-two and sign your life away to some trust-fund brat, Rory, that was never supposed to happen! I can't be happy for you because I think you're too young to be engaged and get married. It will impact your career; you won't get to travel to different countries and report on the events there. You wanted to be a travelling journalist, the next Christiane Amanpour, remember? That's always been the plan," Lorelai said, the words she'd been wanting to say to Rory for the last two days, to talk sense into her, finally coming out. Rory shook her head.
"My dreams have changed, Mom. I still want to be a journalist, because I love writing, but I don't want to be a foreign correspondent and be worried about my safety in the middle of a warzone. I still want to work in journalism, but I want a life with Logan too. I don't want to have to choose between my career or love when I can have both, it doesn't have to be one or the other," Rory said.
"No, no, Rory listen to me. You have always wanted to travel and write about events in the world. Reporting on the action, sleeping in tents, the excitement, that's the part of the job, you have always wanted that," Lorelai said, only to be met with another shake of Rory's head.
"No, Mom, that isn't what I want. You're the one who has always craved excitement and adventure, remember? Being a travelling correspondent sounded good, but it wouldn't give me stability or someone to come home to at the end of the day. I would spend more time on a plane or a bus than I would in one place. Logan is who I want to come home to at the end of the day, not at the end of a month or a year," Rory said, her voice shaking.
"Why does it have to be him, Rory? Why can't you travel and be in a long-distance relationship? You two have done it before," Lorelai said.
"It's him because he's my true love! I love Logan more and more every single day. My love for him grows every day if that's even possible! I told you at the vineyard I thought he was my one and he is! I know that, I've known it for a long time. We've already done the long-distance thing and it sucked! You wouldn't understand because you've never been in a long-distance relationship but I know what it's like to live without Logan, even for a year, and we both know we don't want to do that again. What did you think was going to happen after I graduated, that Logan and I would go our separate ways?"
"Yes! That's exactly what I thought would happen, Rory. I thought he would be a college sweetheart that you would look back on, I never expected him to ask me for your hand and I never expected that you would say yes!" Lorelai exclaimed. Rory's head was spinning.
"Well, I did say yes. You were hoping I would say no, it's written all over your face! Logan and I love each other and we are going to get married, no matter what you say! I don't want to walk away from him and look back ten years from now and wonder what if! If you can't be happy for me, that's your problem, not mine!" Rory said as she picked up the suitcase and slung her purse over her shoulder. She couldn't stay here.
"Where do you think you're going?" Lorelai demanded.
"Away from you! I'm not going to stay here for the next week and listen to your pathetic attempts to try and talk me out of the decision I've made," Rory snapped as she pushed past her mother. She walked down the hallway to the front door, Lorelai following behind. At the door, Rory turned to look at her mother, whose face was a mask of anger. "You know what makes me sad? I thought you were starting to understand and accept Logan after you saw how Mitchum treated him at the vineyard on Valentine's Day weekend last year. Your words and actions over the last few days have proven otherwise," Rory said in a quiet voice before she turned to the door and pulled it open.
She shut the door behind her and headed down the porch steps of her childhood home. Rory opened the passenger side door and settled her suitcase and purse in the front seat before closing the door and walking around to the driver's side. She took one last look at the house before driving away, one destination in mind.
Thirty minutes later, Rory pulled into Richard and Emily's driveway. How strange this house used to seem daunting and strange to her, and now she was coming here for comfort. Leaving the suitcase and boxes in the car, Rory held her purse in one hand as she knocked on the door with the other. She heard footsteps on the other side and the door was pulled open by Emily.
"Rory! What a lovely surprise! We weren't expecting you until later today. I – Rory is something the matter?" Emily stopped and studied her granddaughter. She took in Rory's pale face and her wet-looking eyes. She ushered Rory into the house before shutting the door behind them and leading Rory into the parlour. Once they were seated, Rory spoke.
"I, um, I just got into a big fight with Mom, and I – I didn't know where else to go so I came here. I'm sorry I should have called first," she said.
"Nonsense, Rory! You know you're welcome here anytime!" Emily said before turning to the maid who had entered the room. "Danielle, would you please go and tell Mr. Gilmore that his granddaughter is here? And then could you bring us some tea, please? Rory, what kind of tea would you like?" Emily asked.
"Peppermint, please, if you have it," Rory said. Emily nodded to the maid who nodded back and disappeared. A few moments later Richard arrived in the parlour and took in the scene before him. Emily was holding one of Rory's hands while smoothing her hair with the other.
"What is wrong? What's happened?" Richard asked as he sat down in his chair and steepled his fingers together. Emily told him what Rory had told her before she lapsed into silence and Richard rolled his eyes in frustration. He started to say something only to be stopped by a look from his wife, who turned to Rory.
"Rory, what was the fight about?" Emily asked. Rory took a couple of deep breaths before telling her grandparents about the events of that day and the phone call from Lane on her graduation day. The maid had brought the tea in while Rory was talking and Emily nodded a thank you at her.
"I don't know why Mom can't accept the fact I'm marrying Logan! I love him, and she's acting like our engagement and upcoming wedding are a death sentence!" Rory sobbed before taking a rather large gulp of tea. Emily and Richard looked at each other, they were at a loss of what to do. Rory sniffled as she set her tea on the table in front of her and opened her purse to look for a pack of Kleenex.
"Rory, I'm assuming you're not staying with your mother while you and Logan prepare to move to Palo Alto?" Richard said. Rory shook her head as she dabbed at her eyes.
"No, I actually don't know where I'm going to stay tonight or for the next week. Maybe I'll just go to a hotel," she croaked.
"Don't be silly, Rory, you'll stay here! Your things are here and we have a lot to do before the engagement party. We can go shopping one day and get you a new dress and some shoes, maybe invite some of your girlfriends along and make a girls' day of it?" Emily suggested. Rory nodded.
"That sounds great, Grandma. That reminds me, Logan and I made the list you requested for invites," Rory said. She reached into her purse again and took out the piece of paper before handing it to Emily.
"Excellent, we can work on the invitations tomorrow and get them sent out. Now, how much luggage do you have in your car?" Emily asked.
"I have some boxes and a couple of bags," Rory replied.
"All right, why don't you leave them in the car for now and go and have a bubble bath and then lay down for a little while? I just bought some lavender scented bubble bath and body oil that I think would do wonders to help bring your nerves down," Emily said. Rory nodded as she and Emily stood up.
"That sounds good, Grandma, thank you," she said. Emily nodded and led Rory upstairs. Once her granddaughter was settled with some comfortable clothes and the bath running, Emily headed back downstairs and into the parlour where Richard was still sitting.
"What are we going to do Richard? Can Lorelai not see how much she's hurting Rory?" she asked. Her husband shook his head.
"I think she can see how much she's hurting her, but she doesn't care. I think all we can do, Emily, is be there for Rory and Logan. Let them know they have our support no matter what," Richard replied. Emily had to concede her husband was right. As the two of them sat there, lost in their own thoughts, the doorbell rang. Before Emily could get up to answer it, the maid made her way to the front door and they heard her greet someone before closing the door. She appeared a few seconds later with Logan behind her.
"Hello Richard, Emily. I hope you don't mind my dropping by like this but Rory texted me and said she was here. Did something happen?" Logan asked. Emily nodded as she gestured for Logan to take the seat across from her. Richard handed Logan a glass of scotch before settling back down in his seat. Logan looked from Richard to Emily, who both sighed before Richard told him what had happened between Rory and Lorelai and some of the Stars Hollow residents earlier that day. Logan felt a cold feeling grow in his stomach as he listened, was this what was waiting for him with his own family when he and Rory announced their engagement?
"It feels like for every person who is supportive of us, there are people who are against us. How can we make this easier?" Logan asked.
"I'm not sure there is a way to make things easier, per se, but something you can remember is that when you and Rory are faced with a problem, it's not the two of you on opposite sides of the issue, it's the two of you against the problem, son. You remember that, and the two of you will be able to get through anything," Richard said. Emily nodded in agreement.
"Another thing you must remember is love is stronger than anything else in the world. The love you and Rory share, Logan, will get you through some of the hardest and darkest days of your lives. Good times, bad times, your love will only grow and prosper throughout them all," Emily said gently. Logan nodded as he brushed his hand over his eyes. He could only hope he and Rory would be like Emily and Richard and not like his parents. Emily watched him with a soft smile on her face.
"Why don't you go check on Rory, and when the two of you are ready come down and we'll order dinner in?" she suggested. Logan nodded and Emily got to her feet to lead him upstairs. Once she'd shown Logan the bedroom Rory was settled in, she headed back downstairs. Logan carefully pushed open the door before stepping through and shutting the door softly behind him. Rory was fast asleep on the bed, one hand tucked beneath her cheek. Logan removed his shoes and socks before padding across the room and carefully settling onto the bed next to Rory. As he lay down and wrapped an arm around her, she cuddled closer and rested one of her arms across his stomach. Logan rubbed the spot between her shoulder blades and exhaled.
"We won't let them win, Ace. I promise," he said.
As always, thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites! You make our hearts happy!
Chapter 8 Reviews:
52shari: Lorelai definitely does know how to hurt Rory and Emily is very good at putting Lorelai in her place. Thank you! When I was writing Chapter 8 I thought "what would Lorelai do to get even with Rory?" and then it hit me. Lorelai has always thought Rory only needed her to be happy, no one else. Was the confrontation between Lorelai and Rory what you were expecting in terms of Rory telling Lorelai to "sit and rotate?"
Roganjalex: Thank you so much!
Bseriel: That's something we're taught but, sadly, I think people forget that you can't get something without giving something in return. I don't see anything wrong with that but then again I'm not an almost forty-year-old who is stuck in the mindset of a sixteen-year-old who never really grew up.
Rori Potter: Yes, poor Rory. Sadly I don't think we've seen the last of Lorelai's antics in trying to get her daughter to change her mind. Lorelai can't deal with the fact that her daughter can be happy without her and that the other people in Rory's life are genuinely happy for her and not jealous like Lorelai, that's what is going through her head.
Red Lighting: Supportive friends and family make everything better. I guess we will have to wait and see on that one!
Sondrasr: Thank you! The celebration with their friends was really fun to write about! It is sad what Lorelai said and did but the monsters of jealousy and irrationality play a big role in that.
Debbie Azzopardi Cooke: Wow, all caps! Thank you so much! I am so happy you are enjoying the story and I hope you enjoyed Chapter 9! You're welcome, thank you for reading and taking the time to leave a review!
Jumpingaces: I am so glad you love the story and are enjoying the chapters! I'm glad to see Rory standing up for herself too, it is empowering as hell to stand up for yourself. The moments between Logan and Rory make me happy and I'm glad to be writing a Rory who is being her own person and learning to be strong in the face of her mother. I think it hit her this chapter and I don't think it will be the last time it does. Logan will always be there to comfort her and be there for her. Hope you enjoyed Chapter 9.
Mvnlaredo: Lorelai really annoyed me in Chapter 8 and Chapter 9, so you're not alone! Standing up for yourself and your dreams and what you believe in is so important, especially when it shows other people you're not someone who can be pushed down. Supportive friends are wonderful. I don't know if Lorelai will give up or not, I guess we will have to wait and see what happens in future chapters.
December Jeffries2: That is something I never even considered! Right at this moment because of the confrontation between Rory, Babette, Miss Patty and Taylor, I'm going to say no. I suppose it might be something that comes out later but we'll have to wait and see. I think if they were to find out what Lorelai said to Rory they would have something to say to her, but I'm not sure if that is a plot incident that will be included in this story. The situation with Lorelai is definitely far from over, the confrontation between Rory and Lorelai in Chapter 9 was just the tip of the iceberg I think. I think Rory did get some closure in a way in Chapter 9 because those are the words she's been wanting to say to her mother since her graduation day. Sad but true, if you refuse to accept your child's or another family member's choices, you're going to be on the outside looking in. A conversation between Rory and Logan about having a family and when they plan to start one is something I have been thinking about! Thank you for your review! As always I enjoy reading what you have to say!
That's it for this week, guys! Have a wonderful day/night/week wherever in the world you are and I'll be back next week with Chapter 10! Stay safe and stay healthy!
Until next time, xoxoxo