Sorry it's taken me so long to update this one I've just been going through a really rough time lately. I tried my best to avoid it but because of said rough time this chapter might be a little...angsty. But I tried to avoid it, I really did. Reviews and messages always welcome! Peace out!
Rory cringed as she lifted her head. Her mother groaned as she did the same. "Note to self, shoulders are good for crying on, but not so much for sleeping on," Lorelai said as she rubbed her neck. Rory nodded in agreement and then flinched as the pain shot down her neck.
"So what's for breakfast mom?" Rory stood up and padded into the kitchen, Lorelai following close behind. Lorelai opened a cabinet. "A stale chocolate chip cookie?" She asked as she pulled a bag out of the cabinet and opened it, peering within. Rory shook her head. Lorelai put the bag on the counter and stood on her tiptoes to look in the cabinet again. "Cheerios?" Rory looked hopeful and reached for the box that Lorelai had just pulled out. "You know I can't remember the last time I bought Cheerios." Rory's hand dropped mid reach. Lorelai put the box on the counter beside the stale cookie bag and reached into the depths of the cabinet once more. "Jane magazine, U2 commemorative plate," Lorelai pulled things out of the cabinet. "A Bangles tee-shirt?"
"Hey that's mine!" Rory snatched it from Lorelai's hand.
"Ah yes, but I carried you inside me for nine months. Nine long months where I couldn't wear any cute clothing only bags with arm holes. Which entitles me," Lorelai grabbed the shirt back. "to steal any and all of your clothing that looks cute on me."
"Will I ever live down being the cause of your fat months?"
"The other kids called me whale girl right up until I dropped out, so I'd say that's a big fat, notice the emphasis on the fat, no." Lorelai smiled.
"Payback's a bitch," Rory said slightly to herself.
"Among other things," Lorelai added. "So Luke's?" Lorelai put the shirt on the kitchen table and went to grab her purse and a coat. Rory seized the tee- shirt and tossed it on her bed before picking up a coat and following Lorelai out the door. Lorelai held the door open for her. "I saw that," Lorelai informed her as Rory brushed past her.
"Well it is mine," Rory explained for the hundredth time to her mother as they walked through the snow. They waved at Babette and Patty as they passed the two of them gossiping in the square. In the distance they saw Kirk arguing with Taylor over his snowman. Taylor had knocked Kirk's snowman over and refused to help him rebuild it.
"Didn't I already explain this to you?" Lorelai asked exasperatedly.
"Fat months, got it. But I still say it's mine."
"And here we are at the beginning again."
"Ok, peace?" Rory held up her hand in a peace sign.
"Just call me Ghandi." They had reached Luke's. Rory held the door for her mother. They moved to a table and Lorelai pulled her coat off. "Man it's a South American country outside." Luke had walked over to their table and was pouring coffee for them.
"What?' he asked.
"Chilly."
"You know it's not pronounced chilly. It's Chilé." Luke pulled a pen from behind his ear and a pad of paper from his pocket so that he could take their order.
"Yes the Chileans would be very mad if they hear us mispronouncing it." Rory smiled.
Lorelai put her hand on Rory's. "But this is America where we unapologetically bastardize other countries' cultures in a gross quest for moral and military supremacy."
"Ah I just had Déjà vu all over again." Rory rubbed her forehead.
"I never understood that phrase. Isn't it a bit redundant?"
"But that's the point, by the time you finish the statement you have deja vu."
"All over again," Lorelai added.
"It's a vicious cycle."
Luke sighed, obviously frustrated. "I don't have time to sit here and listen to the two of you battle over who's crazier so either order something or get out."
"Service with a smile," Lorelai said to Rory.
"Pancakes with a side of bacon please," Rory said quickly to Luke.
"You respond to this boorish attitude?" Lorelai said with false disbelief.
"Hey I don't play with fire."
"What does that even mean?" Lorelai looked at Rory.
"And nothing for Lorelai," Luke mumbled as he fake wrote on the paper.
"Fire," Rory said as she pointed at Luke.
"I'll have the same thing she's having," Lorelai said to Luke as he walked away. "Grumpy puss that one," she said to Rory. "So what's the deal with today? Do you want to go to the mall and play guess-how-many-times-we-can-hit-up-one-sample-tray-before-the-sampler-guy-notices?"
"Ok first of all we need to come up with a better name for that game…"
"How can you beat guess-how-many-times-we-can-hit-up-one-sample-tray-before-the-sampler-guy-notices?"
"Ok not a better name, but a shorter one at least." Lorelai nodded. "And secondly I can't do anything today I promised Paris that I would work on graduation stuff with her today."
"Such a short visit."
"Short, but sweet."
"It'd be sweeter if you'd give me your Bangles tee."
"Fine you can keep it," Lorelai clapped her hands. "For now."
"What are you so excited about?" Luke asked Lorelai as he set pancakes on the table.
"I get to keep Rory's Bangles tee-shirt."
"For now," Rory repeated.
"Well it doesn't take much to get you excited," Luke said. Lorelai closed her eyes.
"I am locking that in my memory. The day Luke talked about getting me excited." Rory giggled.
"That's not…I didn't… ah never mind." Luke walked away from the table.
"But seriously next visit I want it back." Rory took a bite of the pancakes Luke had set in front of her.
"So it's double good for me, I get a tee- shirt and a guarantee that you'll come back soon."
"Yeah because without the shirt I might never come home." Lorelai smacked Rory's arm.
Rory was folding her clothes in her bedroom, Lorelai lounged on the bad in front of her. "I still can't believe you came home for less than a day, you won't let me keep your Bangles tee, and you monopolized the washing machine."
"It's not like you were using it." Rory put her freshly laundered clothes in a bag and then threw the bag in a heap with others.
"I had important washing needs which I could not attend to due to your cornucopia of laundry."
"Tell you what, next visit I'll let you throw your stuff in with my cornucopia of laundry." Lorelai sat up.
"First of all I don't need your permission to use my own washing machine," Lorelai said as she handed a stack of clothes to Rory. "And second, you totally used my word."
"Fine plethora." Rory shoved the clothes into another bag and then stared at her mother.
"Abundance," Lorelai challenged.
"Profusion."
"Excess."
"Surplus."
"I'm out. Let me help you with that." The two of them loaded all of Rory's bags into her car. "Ok let me take a good look at you, it's going to have to last me a long time" Lorelai held Rory at arm's length.
"I promise I'll be back when the war's over." Lorelai hugged Rory for a couple of minutes. "Say hi to dad for me will you? I mean when you see him, don't go out of your way. I know you're still hurt and I'm still mad, but…"
"I got it babe. One message from Rory to Christopher, signed, sealed, and delivered."
"Bye mom." Rory kissed her mother on the cheek and then got in the car.
"Be safe. No Kamikaze missions, you hear?" Rory shook her head at her mother and then backed out of the driveway. Lorelai stood in the front lawn, watching her daughter drive away. Then she slowly turned and walked into the house. She sat down on the couch and hugged a pillow to her chest. The tears that she had held back since Rory had mentioned Christopher began to fall and Lorelai sobbed uncontrollably in the big lonely house.
A sound at the front door woke Lorelai. She looked at the clock, one am. She must have been dreaming. Then she heard the sound again. It sounded as if someone was trying to break in. Lorelai threw the pillow aside and grabbed an umbrella. Then she tiptoed her way towards the front door. Someone was standing in her foyer. "Ah!" she jumped out at the man, brandishing the umbrella in front of her.
"Jesus Lor," Christopher said.
"You scared the hell out of me Chris." Lorelai slowly lowered the umbrella.
"And you were going to what, Mary Poppins me?"
"I don't know what I was going to do, but someone was at my door in the middle of the night, or early in the morning whatever."
"We are married you know. Which means I live here."
"Not lately."
"You kicked me out!"
"And for good reason to."
"I'm not having this argument with you I just came to get some of my stuff that I left here and then I'm gone." Lorelai shook her head.
"Story of my life."
"What the hell does that mean?" Christopher turned to Lorelai.
"You know damn well what I mean." Lorelai crossed her arms.
"Look I wanted to be there with Rory, but you wouldn't let me. You left Lor! No forwarding address. I couldn't find you."
"It's not like you looked that hard."
"Damn it Lor, I thought we were over that."
"I'm not the one who brought it up!" Lorelai began to shout.
"Fine blame it on me, that's what I'm good for. In fact lately that's the only thing I'm good for…"
"Well this is your fau…"
"Save it Lor. Just let me get my stuff and then you'll never have to see me again." Christopher walked upstairs and began to pick things up. Lorelai sighed and then followed him.
"That's not true." She was a bit calmer.
"What isn't?" he growled, not turning to look at her.
"I will have to see you again, when we sign the divorce papers." Christopher threw one last thing in the box he had brought and then turned, his expression had softened.
"Have you told Rory yet?" Lorelai shook her head. "Well I think she needs to know, and you've made it pretty clear that you're the favorite parent…"
"Chris don't be like that."
"I'm ok with it. You were there and I wasn't. It's my fault this marriage is ending, not yours. It's only right that you're the favorite. But you need to tell her. And soon." Lorelai nodded. Then Chris picked up the box and walked down the stairs. He looked around the house once more and then opened the front door. Lorelai followed him. Christopher set the box down and then took her hand, palm up. "Goodbye Lor," he whispered as he placed his key on her palm and then gently closed her hand. He touched her cheek softly and then turned and picked up his box. And just like that he was gone, out of Lorelai's life.
"Goodbye Chris," Lorelai whispered as she watched his car drive down the road. His brake lights flashed at the end of the road and for a second Lorelai thought he might be coming back, but then the brake lights went off and Christopher sped off down the road.