Thanks for the reviews and follows, keep them coming please, would love to know what you think! I'm basically following the gg story atm, to explain the situation, but I have some new ideas planned for the next few chapters.
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Megan stood outside her grandparents' house alongside her parents and sister. None of them had said much since leaving Stars Hollow earlier that evening. Thing between everyone were tense since Rory's outburst two nights ago. Rory had been in a bad mood since then, angry at her parents for not understanding her reasons for no longer wanting to attend Chilton. Both of her parents were mad at her for her change of heart, disappointed that she was apparently choosing a guy over such a good education opportunity. The 3 had had a loud argument on Wednesday night, which Megan heard end with her Dad yelling at Rory that she would be going to Chilton on Monday morning whether she liked it or not. Judging by how out of character Rory was being lately, Megan had no idea whether this would be the case or not.
"So do we knock, or are we just gonna stand here re-enacting the Little Match Girl?" Rory asked sarcastically.
"Hey! Cut the attitude ok, at least in front of your grandparents, we really don't need to give them anything else to criticize" Luke said sharply.
"Sure" Rory muttered.
Megan shuffled behind her Mom a little. She was not looking forward to this random evening at her grandparents' house. They usually only visited once or twice a year, and Megan couldn't remember her Dad coming with them since her parents had split up 6 years ago. She supposed that was one good thing about her sister's flip-out; her parents were united in their belief that Rory needed to start Chilton next week, and that changing her mind because of some boy was just crazy. Megan agreed with them, it was very un-Rory-like. Plus, she was pretty certain she had seen Rory talking to the boy in question the other day after school, and she couldn't see what the fuss was about, he was just tall. Megan was pretty sure he was the guy anyway, judging by how much Rory had started blushing when Megan had interrupted their conversation. But Rory was hardly talking to Megan or the rest of her family at the moment, let alone telling her sister anything about this mystery tall boy.
The door was opened by a nervous looking maid, and the four entered into what was still the fanciest house that Megan had ever been in. She couldn't believe her Mom had grown up here. They were greeted by Emily and led into the sitting room.
"Hello everybody, welcome. Goodness, aren't you girls tall? You really have grown since the last time we saw you" Richard exclaimed, as he began to pour drinks for everybody.
"Hi Grandpa, um, yes, I suppose we both got Mom and Dad's height genes" Rory answered.
"If you think I'm tall, you should see this girl Lana in my class, she's basically a giraffe, when we play basketball the other teams are always so jealous" Megan babbled.
"Oh that's nice dear, girls playing basketball, it sounds so exciting and modern" Emily smiled at her youngest granddaughter.
"Sport is an important part of any young person's education. Rory, do you play a sport?" Richard asked.
"Um no not really, just P.E at school, I don't have the best co-ordination for it really" Rory replied nervously.
Luke smiled and Megan chuckled at the thought of her sister playing any type of sport; she wasn't very athletic, choosing reading over exercising whenever possible.
"Well, there's still time. Now Luke, tell me, how's that little diner of yours doing these days?" Richard asked as he handed him a beer.
"Oh, um, yeah, it's pretty good thanks, hard work but it's doing ok".
Megan shuffled a little closer to her Dad. Even though her grandparents seemed polite enough, she knew that they judged her Dads choice of business, and disapproved of her Moms decision to leave home and have children so early without marrying, and with a man who didn't wear a suit to work. Their general displeasure of the way their daughter led her life was the main reason that Rachel and therefore Luke and the girls didn't have much contact with Richard and Emily, seeing them just once or twice a year.
"I can't wait to hear all about Chilton" Emily smiled at Rory as they sat down to dinner.
"Well I don't actually start until Monday Grandma, but the interview was great, we got to see all around the campus".
"You must be a smart girl to have been accepted into Chilton Rory, I heard that you really impressed them at the interview"
"Well, it was pretty good, we mostly talked about the books that I've been reading lately" Rory blushed at her Grandfather's praise.
"Excellent, reading is very important, such an important source of knowledge. And how about you Megan, how do you do in school, do you share your sister's love of books?"
"Um I do ok I guess, I mean not as well as Rory, and she's really the reader of the family" Megan replied uncertainly.
"Megan had her dance show last night, she performed a solo, it was incredible, you would have loved it" Rachel told her parents proudly, trying to change the subject; she didn't like to compare her daughters, in many ways they were very different, each with their own strengths.
"Oh that's nice, yes, I'm sure we would have enjoyed it, had we been invited of course. Now what does everyone think of the chicken? It's a new recipe I wanted to try out" Emily asked the table.
"It's delicious Emily, and the potatoes too, it's a great meal thank you" Luke complimented.
"Yeah, really tasty, thanks Grandma" Rory added.
"Thank you, I'm so glad to be able to give you girls a proper meal. With your father working so hard, and your mother away so often, I suppose you must both be rather used to diner food".
"Excuse me, I'm going to get some water" Rachel muttered, walking to the kitchen with an angry look.
Megan looked around the table worriedly. She was used to conversations between her Mom and grandparents ending like this. She hated how Richard and Emily picked apart their lives like this. And her grandma was wrong anyway, their Dad hardly ever let her and Rory eat at the diner, he was always making them healthy meals full of vegetables. Desserts or a pancake breakfast were definitely considered a rare treat in the Danes household, although Megan and Rory loved to try and sneak a donut from the diner whenever possible, which was always easier when their Mom was around to help, as she shared her daughters love of the junk food that Luke so objected to them eating.
"I suppose I better go and check on her" Emily sighed, after Rachel had been gone from the table for a little while.
As the rest of the family sat around the table in silence, raised voices could be heard from the kitchen. Megan looked at her grandfather and noticed that he had somehow managed to fall asleep.
As the argument carried on in the kitchen Luke cleared his throat. "Girls, let's go and wait in the other room, to give them some privacy". He began to steer Rory and Megan back into the living room. Unfortunately he wasn't quick enough to avoid them from hearing the next part of the argument though as the voices grew louder.
"So this is how it's going to be every week now is it? We come here to have you judge every part of our lives, make little digs wherever you can? That's what it's going to take for you to allow us to borrow money for Rory's education huh?"
As they heard this Rory and Megan's eyes widened, they looked at each other in shock.
…
"So…um…good dinner with the grandparent's hm?" Rory ventured as they entered back into the diner after a silent car ride.
"Oh yeah, one of their best" Rachel grinned sarcastically.
"You and grandma seemed to have a nice talk."
"How much did you hear?"
"Just snippets" Rory reassured.
"Yes, just teeny tiny snippets" Megan added sarcastically.
"So, basically everything?" Rachel grimaced.
"Um, yep, pretty much" Megan answered, and Luke nodded his agreement.
"So how many dinners until we're off the hook?" Rory asked.
"Oh I think the meal at my wake will be the last" Rachel joked. "Hey, does this mean you're really going to Chilton?" Rachel spun round to face Rory, looking hopeful.
Rory nodded, with a big grin on her face.
"Oh sweetie, that's awesome, you won't be disappointed!" She gave her daughter a huge hug. "Now go upstairs and try your skirt on so I can hem it before I leave tomorrow."
Rory raced upstairs, hugging her Dad on the way.
Luke beamed, pleased with his daughter's decision, and went out back to get the diner ready for the morning.
"So, we have to visit them every week now huh?" Megan mumbled to her Mom.
"Yep, afraid so hon, it was the only way I could get them to agree to lend us the money, and unfortunately me and your Dad just can't afford Chilton without their help. Is that ok?"
Megan shrugged, rolling her eyes slightly. She figured that it would have to be ok, since it was for Rory's education, which had apparently become the most important thing in the family right now. "I guess…but how? You won't be here every week will you?" she asked her Mom.
"Well, I'm going to try and figure out something with work so I can be here more often, I hate having to leave you girls so much, but I won't be able to be here every week. Your grandparents want your Dad to come with you when I can't though, sort of a whole family thing" Rachel explained.
"Oh, ok" Megan supposed she had been hoping for too much by thinking that perhaps these dinners would only happen when her Mom was in Stars Hollow.
"But your grandparents have put aside the same amount of money for your education too. So if we need it for a dance program, summer school, or even if you want to go to Chilton in a few years' time, it's there. They insisted, they wanted it to be fair for you both" Rachel told her, pulling her youngest daughter in for a hug.
Megan smiled slightly, pleased that her grandparents had thought of her. She always felt that they favoured Rory over her, seeing her as the smarter and less troublesome of the two, but maybe that wasn't true.