She could hear them from the top of the stairwell. Their argument had increased in volume in the last twenty minutes. The woman never could keep an argument quiet so no one knew what was going on - another reason she had begged her son years ago to not marry the girl. Thirty-five years later and she still hadn't warmed to the petite red-head then again she never bothered either. She had to admit that her daughter-in-law had proven herself over the years; she did have what it took to be a Gilmore, but she'd never tell her that. Her daughter-in-law was no longer the pretty twenty-three year old that first walked into her home, but instead a fifty-eight year old woman who had weathered every insult with grace and poise. She had aged with grace as well something that Trix always hated when she looked at Emily. The argument moved closer to the stairwell.
Her son's voice boomed up, "You're hysterical. I can't talk to you when you're hysterical."
Trix snorted and muttered, "Hysterical, indeed. Seems to be a constant with the girl...woman." She always forgot that Emily was no longer a child.
"You make me hysterical." Emily's retort was something new that Trix hadn't heard come from her daughter-in-law before, "You have to get her take that offer back!" Emily's voice had a trace of desperation in it. She couldn't hear Richard's response.
"Richard Gilmore, I have put up with a lot from this woman over the years...but this time, she's gone too far!" Trix was frozen in her spot at the bottom of the stairs. In all the years, she's never heard Emily complain so openly about her behavior or how Emily was treated. She heard her son beg Emily to keep her voice down. "I can go louder!" It really was classic Emily to continue like a teenager. Her son responded in the typical manner trying to defend his mother.
"Now you listen to me. I don't care if she demeans me and looks down on me. I don't care if she thinks I've tarnished the Gilmore name. I don't care if she thinks I'm the whore of Babylon. I've long ago given up any hope of getting into her psychotic good graces, but that woman is horrible and selfish. And she cannot get away with this. I won't let her." Emily's voice cracked with emotion she was surly trying to keep at bay.
The conversation faded out while Trix thought about what Emily had said. Did she think of Emily as a whore? At one time, yes. But time had proven that wrong because Emily had always been devoted to Richard. She seemed to have forgotten what it means to be a mother when it comes to Emily. Trix realized that she'd caused her daughter-in-law more harm than ever truly intended. The hatred between the two of them was mutual, but it hasn't always been. She remembers the look on the girl's face when she was first introduced all those years ago. She looked hopeful and then by the end of the night, she looked close to tears. Trix was brought back to the present by her son's voice.
"Emily...What is this about?" His voice had a trace of despair in it. Probably because Emily was close to tears.
"She'll never come back here, you know." The pain was clear in Emily's voice.
"Who? Mother? Of course she will. She-"
"Lorelai."
"What?" The surprise in Richard's voice was clear. He apparently hadn't expected that answer from his wife.
"If she gets that money, Lorelai will never come back here. She won't have to." Trix could hear the woman's pain and despair. She had caused her daughter-in-law to think about her daughter never coming back again.
Trix didn't know the circumstances behind Lorelai leaving years ago with baby Rory, but she knew that it nearly killed Emily. Trix always assumed it was Lorelai's inability to listen to Emily or even understand her mother's point of view. The young girl never did get along with her mother- they were too much alike; neither of them realized that though. She remembered Richard calling her for help saying that Emily wasn't getting out of bed or even eating. She had packed her things and flown from London to see what was going on with her daughter-in-law. She never expected to see a thin and frail woman in place of the strong-willed woman that had faced off with her for years. The memory still haunted her. Emily was never told that Trix had seen her in such a state. She couldn't allow mother and daughter to be separated again. Lorelai may not know how much her mother loved her, but Trix saw it in her memory of the too thin woman unmoved in her bed and in the pain in Emily's voice.
Trix made the decision there in the hallway that the money wouldn't go to Rory. There would be another chance for the money to be inherited by the youngest Lorelai. Trix needed to help fix the relationship between her daughter-in-law and her granddaughter. Trix steeled herself and walked into the doorway of the living room and saw Emily near tears and Richard trying to find something to say to his crushed wife.
"I've ordered a car." She needed to make it appear as if nothing had changed, "Women shouldn't drive." The statement had the desired effect, "Are you ready?" Trix couldn't stand the pain in the woman's eyes. She desired to pull the girl in her arms.
"Yes, I'm ready." Emily stated as she looked at Richard.
Trix walked away from the living room. She needed to keep her distance from Emily so that the wall wouldn't come crumbling down, "I shall die soon, you know."
Yes, she had always hated her daughter-in-law, but the woman deserved a chance to rebuild the relationship with her daughter. The only way to do this was make it look like she was taking the money because she feared that the money wouldn't be handled properly. Emily really was a lovely woman who had proven that she was the best choice for Richard and it fell to Trix to mend bridges.