AN: I know you're disappointed that Christopher is coming back, but it had to happen. ASP never really told you what he did during the years he wasn't raising Rory, so I made some stuff up. After a brief intro most of this chapter will be from Christopher's POV. I really don't think this is up to the standard of the rest of the story but hopefully the next one will be better.


Emily thought her conversation with Christopher had been very productive. Christopher had a little trouble getting on track after Rory's birth. He'd been through a number of good schools and his father had decided he should work in the family business to ground himself before college. Christopher managed to live up to his part of our life plan. Surely he can get Lorelai to do the same.

Emily hadn't told Christopher about Lorelai's mysterious new man. But she had hinted that Lorelai would soon be too far out of reach. Emily knew that Lorelai was bound and determined to defy her. But Lorelai and Christopher had always been partners in crime and surely he could bring her back. Christopher was sensible enough to let his parents plan for him. And he could get Lorelai to be apart of his life plan.

Straub was taking Christopher on a business trip, so Emily had to wait a few days to see the result of her work. But it will certainly be worth the wait.


Christopher had begged off the business trip after only a few days. Emily's words left a ringing sound in his ears. He wasn't certain what he could do about the situation, or even what he should do. But he figured he was long overdue for a visit. His father still had a week left on his business trip and his mother was easy enough to dodge. So he packed a few days worth of clothes and rode his bike to a Holiday Inn just outside Stars Hollow.

Emily told him Lorelai was living in a shed at an Inn. Stars Hollow wasn't very large, it didn't take long to find. On the drive over he decided to observe Lorelai for a while before he confronted her.

He walked up the front steps of the Inn and peaked through the window. Lorelai was at the front desk talking on the phone and writing in the reservation book. She looks so…adult. Her curly hair was pulled back in a messy bun. She wore a straight gray skirt and a navy blazer. Christopher wondered if Emily had seen her like this, looking so elegant and professional. A redheaded girl walked up to the desk it what appeared to be a waitress uniform and the two walked out together.

Christopher walked around the outside of the building around to the back lawn where he found them seated on the grass eating lunch. Lorelai was laughing telling an animated story complete with hand gestures.

Christopher smiled. He'd dated a few girls since Lorelai but none who could pull off clever and hyper at the same time. Yeah we'll be back together again.

After Lorelai and the waitress went back inside Christopher carefully crept up to the small shed in the back. He knew he probably couldn't get inside, but he just had to see. The curtains were drawn so he turned the knob gently and the door popped open. The inside was bare. It was painted in a very Lorelai style, so obviously it was the right place. But there was no furniture. No bed, no crib? Lorelai still works here, where is she living?

Christopher spent the rest of the day wandering Stars Hollow. He'd heard Lorelai tell an older woman in a blue coat that she was at the desk until 6, so he knew when to swing back and follow her home. Way to sound like a stalker.

He just couldn't picture Lorelai in this town. When he and Lorelai were dating he could picture her backpacking through Europe. Maybe going to Columbia and getting a dive apartment in SOHO that her parents would despise. Maybe even moving to London, So she can stalk Bono more efficiently. But this little town seemed so incongruous with the Lorelai Gilmore he knew. I guess when you're down and out you take what you can get.


Christopher watched as Lorelai exited the Inn a few hours later. She didn't seem to have a car so her apartment must be close by. He followed behind at a distance. Hey I'm pretty good at this, and Lorelai always laughed when I said I could be a spy.

He watched her cross the square and walk down an alley way next to a hardware store. When he peaked around the corner he saw a staircase leading up to a side door on the second floor. Ah an apartment above a store, that's probably pretty affordable. Knowing that Lorelai probably still couldn't cook he waited for her to come back down the stairs for her inevitable take out run.

He had been staring at the staircase for about 10 minutes when the door opened and he heard a gruff "Ten minutes and no I'm not stopping for coffee." Christopher held his breath as the man clomped down the stairs and ducked around the corner with his back against the wall to avoid being seen. Who is this guy? I didn't see him go into Lorelai's apartment? Maybe he was already in there. All day, like some…BUM.

He moved to sit on a bench across from the hardware store. Ten minutes later he watched the same guy climb the stairs with some take out bags. He was going to sit there all night. He was going to sit there and see if that guy stayed all night.


He stayed all night. Christopher couldn't believe it. Lorelai just lets guys sleep over with Rory in the house? It occurred to Christopher that he hadn't seen Rory. But with Lorelai and Emily estranged there was nowhere else Rory could be. Christopher didn't see anyone leave for work that morning. See, a Bum. But a few moments later he saw the same guy pull the shades up inside the hardware store and flip the sign from 'closed' to 'open'. He works in the hardware store, that's convenient.

The town seemed to be setting up for a carnival or something. Christopher was glad there'd be some chaos around to disguise him. He was starting to get weird looks from the locals. And he could've sworn some woman in a brightly colored dress pinched his ass yesterday in the grocery store. He knew Lorelai wouldn't miss an event that offered cotton candy and a multitude of foods on a stick.

Christopher watched as Lorelai walked out the front door of the hardware store, holding Rory. Jesus, she got big. She must be talking now and everything. Lorelai made a big show of flipping the sign to 'closed' and turning off the lights, before reaching her hand out and dragging that guy out the door. He had his hands in his pockets and was rolling his eyes. But Lorelai reached up and wrapped an arm around his neck… and kissed him. Christopher winced as he watched the guy chuckle and shake his head while slipping his arm around Lorelai's waist.

Christopher followed behind them feeling his neck muscles tense. Lorelai was nudging the guy out of his bad mood. Dancing and flirting with him while Rory giggled along. Christopher had to look away from the familiar quirk of her smile. Rory was conceived on that smile.

"Daddy!" Christopher's eyes whipped forward to see Rory's little arms stretching to that guy. "Uppy, Daddy, uppy!" She wiggled her fingers at the guy until he grinned and reached over to pick the little girl up and lift her to his shoulders. My little girl. Rory squealed and clapped. She rested her little hands on the guy's baseball cap. "Yay! Tall!"

Christopher had been following them all evening. Lorelai and that guy holding hands. Lorelai and that guy kissing. Lorelai attempting to force-feed that guy funnel cake. -THAT GUY-getting hugs and kisses from -MY DAUGHTER-. And before he could even think…

"Lorelai."

She jerked around and gaped at him, "Christopher?"


The looks he was getting from Lorelai and that guy were almost enough to melt his skin off.

"Well I just wanted to see…you two. Hey Rory."

Rory looked at him blankly, "Hi person."

"I've uh, been here a few days. This is an…interesting place."

"Yeah," Lorelai smiled shyly, "it really is."

"So ummm…can I talk to you, alone?"

Lorelai looked over her shoulder, "Oh I'm sorry. Christopher this is Luke, Luke, Christopher."

Luke gave him a stern glare. "Hey."

"Yeah hi."

Lorelai turned her back to Christopher and rested a hand on Luke's chest. "Will you take Rory home, while I talk to him?"

That 'Luke guy' looked a little pissed. But he nodded. Rory waved over Luke's shoulder, "Bye bye person, bye bye Mommy. Daddy uppy."

They walked off across the square.

Lorelai walked them over to a bench.

"How did you find us?"

"What were you trying to hide from me?"

Lorelai laughed uncomfortably, "No of course not but I thought my mom said you were in prep school out in California."

"Well I was but I actually graduated."

"Really. Well…umm congrats. You going to college out there too?"

"No I'm not ready to voluntarily spend four more years in school. I was doing a lot of traveling. I went to Morocco, you were right maracas aren't actually from there. I work for my dad now."

"I thought investments held no interest for you?"

"Well yeah but I make some money and it's convenient living right near there."

"Convenient, sure. So how did you find us?"

"Well, uh…your mom called…"

Lorelai had been polite and calm up til then, "Jesus Chris, you will just let ANYONE tell you what to do won't you."

"Damnit Lorelai, it's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

"I want to help you Lorelai. Come on we can go somewhere cool, my dad's given me some money I can get us a place. You, me, and Rory. We can even get married."

"You haven't said much about her."

"She got so big."

Lorelai blinked at him dumbly and started laughing.

"Lor?"

She continued to laugh, "She got big," she said imitating Christopher. "Well duh Christopher. I know you maybe a little hazy on the process since you've never actually DONE it but if you buy food and feed your child she will grow. Like a Chia pet. Maybe one day when you're a little older and more responsible your daddy will get you a Chia pet."

Christopher flinched at the detached sarcasm in her voice. "Well Lor, that's why I'm here you know. I've grown it's not the same."

"OF COURSE IT"S THE SAME! You just told me you want to take care of us with some money from your dad. What about a real job Christopher? Do you know how fast a 'little money' from daddy goes with a kid? You don't even know where you want to go!"

"Come on Lor this place isn't you. What about New York? Or California? This place isn't you. You live in some dinky apartment above a hardware store, I can do better."

"Christopher you don't know anything about anything. New York, traveling the world- that was Lorelai the reluctant deb at 15. Lorelai at 18 is a mother! You obviously don't understand the difference. If YOU were actually a parent you would understand. The only things I want in life are for my daughter."

"Bullshit. What about that baseball cap guy?"

"You think that's not for Rory too? I LOVE that baseball cap guy but he loves US. US, the BOTH of US. That 'dinky' apartment is in a building he owns. He built us that apartment to keep your daughter from freezing to death come winter! He's starting his own business. He's building a life for us, for his family. All you can do is offer things without any proof of delivery."

"You're my family. Not his," Christopher ground out his face red and frustrated.

"What kind of cake did Rory have at her 2nd birthday? What's her favorite book? Do I have a driver's license?"

Christopher shook his head, "I'm going to try hard and I'm going to make you see that I'm your family."

Lorelai sighed sadly, drained from their fight, "Christopher, you shouldn't have to 'try' you shouldn't need to 'make' me. It should just…be."

"I'll be back and you'll see."


Lorelai walked back into the apartment and flopped down on the couch. Luke walked out from Rory's room and cleared his throat nervously, "So that's Rory's dad."

Lorelai shook her head slightly, "That's Christopher."

"Same thing right?"

"I hardly think forgetting the condom 3 years ago makes him a dad."

"So, uh, what does he want?"

"I guess he's feeling guilty. My mother called him."

"What?"

"My mother called him. No doubt feeding him a bunch of crap about how we're meant to be and he can ride in on his white horse/Harley and save us from obscurity."

"Obscurity? You're not wandering the streets living in a cardboard box."

"Anything less that a big cold house and a country club membership is a cardboard box to Emily Gilmore."

"So how did you leave it?"

"I pointed out that he was still immature and he promised he'd be back to prove me wrong."

"…Oh."


Meanwhile…

"Dad? Yeah, I'm sorry I ran out on the business trip. Yeah, uh huh, next time. Listen, can you pull some string and get me into college? Okay, know anyone at Yale?"