A/N: Here it is: the first whole chapter! I hope everyone's excited. Anyway, I just wanted to point out something, here. I am not a lawyer, nor have I ever been involved in any kind of legal proceeding at all—meaning that the will reading depicted in this chapter is total and complete imagination. I tried to be as realistic as possible, but I probably failed. I have probably made so many grievous errors that the entire scene is rendered completely unrealistic, but such is life. The point of the chapter is to set things up for the rest of the story, get over the unrealistic will reading.
Next: Not that I don't absolutely adore your reviews so far (and trust me, GG has officially become my new favorite genre to write in because of them), but I would like to request some comments on the subject of character. I'm a little nervous about how Rory came out in this chapter, and I know I didn't really get around to using Logan's voice either—maybe I'll try a chapter where at least part is from his perspective? I don't know—you tell me.
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So here I sit, in this ridiculously hard chair in this stupid lawyer's conference room. There are several people here that I didn't think I'd ever have to see again, much less in the same room together.
We're all waiting to hear my Dad's will.
I'm sitting with Logan to my left. His hand is tangled in mine and I don't think I've ever been more grateful to him for his calming presence. Across the table my mom is sitting practically in Luke's lap, and both she and Luke are looking a little worse for the wear. Francine Hayden is sitting a little to her right, and she looks so sad and uncomfortable that I don't think I've ever felt so sorry and vindicated at the same time. A friend of Dad's that Mom apparently knows also is sitting at the other end of the table—I think he's the executor. The big surprise, though, is sitting to my right.
Sherry showed up for both the funeral and the will reading. She's sitting there, back straight, looking for all the world like a grieving widow. Too bad she never really made it down the aisle and managed to abandon both fiancé and daughter in one fell swoop. She's been sniffling at appropriate places, but I don't think she's actually shed a tear at all.
Suddenly, the guy in the back clears his throat. He's just finished sorting out stacks of papers and passes one to everyone but Luke and Logan. I go to ask why, but Logan just rubs my arm comfortingly and shakes his head. I guess he doesn't really need one, now that I think about it.
"Thank you all for coming." His voice is pleasant, and I can tell he really wishes he didn't have to do this. "Well, I suppose we should just get to it, shouldn't we? Are there any questions before I begin the reading?" He looks around the table and no one says anything. He nods his head solemnly and picks up the first page in his stack. He indicates that we can follow along, and he begins.
"I, Christopher Marcus Hayden, being of sound mind do hereby declare this to be my last will and testament.
In the first, I would like to take care of my daughters.
To Lorelei Leigh Gilmore (Rory) I leave the control of the remainder of my assets, after my final debts and expenses have been paid. I'm sorry I was never really there when I should have been, but I want you to know I wish I was there now.
To Georgia Ann Hayden (Gigi) I leave the contents of the condo (with the exception of the CD collection) which is to be sold and the money given to her trust fund—which she will be access at the age of 18.
To the issue of Gigi's custody:
I leave full custody of Gigi, having been given to me by both court ruling and agreement with her mother, to her sister. In the event of Rory being unable to care for her, or if she has yet to reach the age of 21, Rory's mother Lorelei is to take custody.
In the second, I would like to mention my mother.
She has not always agreed with my choices, she's made no secret of that. However, I want her to know that I never wished her any ill feelings and I hope she does what makes her happy.
In the third, I would like to take care of Lorelei Gilmore.
Lorelei has been my greatest friend for as long as I can remember. We've had our ups and downs, but in the end our friendship has endured. To her I leave my CD collection, and I wish her the best in all of her future endeavors.
Lastly, I would like to mention my former fiancée Sherry.
To her I leave the enclosed letter. She is to open in at her leisure, and beyond that, I wish her the best.
The will continues in legal jargon, discussing how the assets were to be liquidated, exactly what was to be done with his office stuff, his share in the business, ect. I honestly stopped truly comprehending what was going on after the first part.
I turned 21 last October. I'm moving to Hartford with Logan to take a job at the Hartford Chronicle in three weeks. Logan is talking about proposing soon, and I've already made clear that as long as we talk about the important things first, I'm ready and willing to say yes. We've yet to have the important conversation that details exactly what we want to do, but I know it's coming soon. My new job is 9 to 5, at least theoretically, and will be until I advance significantly at the paper. I'm certainly capable of caring for my little sister.
I guess Gigi is moving in with me and Logan.
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The will reading ends and the executer hands Sherry her letter. She beats feet out of the office like the very fires of Hell are licking at her heels. She didn't even look twice at me, my mother, or Gigi, and to be honest I'm not sad to see her go. My grandmother nods to me and my mother, pats Gigi on the head uncomfortably, and leaves as dignified as she can.
The executer beckons my mother and me into his office. We leave Luke with Gigi in the hallway—he exchanged a look with Mom and calmly picked up a book to read to her. Logan follows us, probably because I've yet to let go of his hand.
He closes the door and invites us to sit. I'm nearly a basket case now, with altered plans swirling around in my head and Logan's hand being nearly the only thing keeping me grounded. As I sit, Logan struggles pull up another chair for himself with his free hand, and I almost laugh and let go, but then I remember why I'm here and why I haven't let go of his hand, and I let the moment pass.
"Well, Christopher seems to have laid out everything very clearly, and all we really need to do now is make sure everything is in order and sign the papers, alright? This should be pretty painless." He stops and looks at us all, with sympathy in his gaze. I just nod slightly and I hear my mother mumble something, I assume it was her agreement.
"Alright, then. The stipulations in the will call for Rory to be over 21, and since I see from your birth date that you are, that takes care of that issue. Now, as to the other, it also states that you must feel you are capable of taking care of her, and that is an issue we should get to the bottom of immediately. First of all, do you think you are capable?"
He and everyone else looks at me, apparently waiting for me to say something.
"I realize, probably better than most people, what it takes to take care of someone by yourself and at a young age. And I also know it would probably be easier to just let Mom take her, but honestly, I don't want to. I want her with me, like Dad apparently wanted." I realize as I say it that I'm not just saying it. I do want Gigi to live with me. I know it'll be hard, but I also know if I let her go live with Mom I won't feel good about it. I'll feel like I rejected her, and that is something I definitely don't want to deal with.
"Are you sure, Rory? Because if you're not, than I don't want you to feel bad about letting me take her—"
"Mom, I'm okay, really. I can do this. And besides, Logan will be there to help me." At this, I feel Logan squeeze my hand. I glance at him and he looks a little relieved. I'll get to the bottom of that later, but I focus back on the problem at hand.
"Well, if you think you can handle it, we'll set you up with a Children's services home visit and—"
"Why do I have to have a visit from Children's Services?" I'm confused; it says I'm supposed to take her, right there in the will. I listened to it being read out. Why would I need someone to verify my ability to care for my sister?
"It's a formality, really. It happens in most change of custody cases. It is also in your best interest that you have the visit well documented and cooperate fully because of Sherry."
"What? She hasn't been in the country since she left Chris—what would she have to do with any of this?" Mom's voice is harsh and you can hear the hate she feels for Sherry in the indignant question.
"Well, the type of custody agreement Chris had with her basically states that she has temporarily given up rights to Gigi. This doesn't mean, however, that she can't ever sue for them again. Having proof that the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut both find you capable and fit to be Gigi's guardian will go a long way if Sherry were to ever try to sue for custody."
"Why both states?" Logan asks his first question of the day, and I'm almost surprised that he said this much. He's very into supporting me silently when it comes to the screwy politics of my family.
"The State of Massachusetts is supposed to insure the safety of all children residing in the state, which includes Gigi at the moment, and Connecticut will be responsible for her well-being once she moves in with you—I'm assuming you will be staying in Connecticut, correct?"
At my nod he continues.
"Well, can I ask as to the basic details of your future plans? It will help for the DCF interviewer to know a little background going in."
Logan squeezes my hand comfortingly and I open my mouth to start.
"Actually, I'm moving from New Haven to Hartford to be closer to work—I got a job at the Hartford Chronicle—and Logan will be living with me. Our apartment has another bedroom, so that won't be a real problem, and I believe the school district is alright, but I haven't checked up on that yet for obvious reasons."
"May I be frank, Rory?" His expression is calm and Mom doesn't look worried, so I nod again.
"It sounds like a sound plan, but if I were you I would consider the idea of marriage. Not that it's a necessity or anything at all, but I would be remiss if I didn't tell you it would look more permanent to the interviewers if you were at least considering the idea." Logan squeezes my hand and nods.
"We are considering it." The executer nods again and I watch as he glances at his papers.
"Well, if you don't have anymore questions, I can have you sign the papers right here and then you can take Gigi back to either your apartment or her condo."
I nod and pick up the pen on the desk and sign my whole name to the papers on his desk. The secretary from outside is ready and when the executer beeps her over the intercom, she comes in and notarizes it quickly.
We leave the room and I suddenly feel a little better than I did 20 minutes ago. Logan squeezes my hand and we walk over to Gigi and Luke. He glances up and wraps up the book, pulling Gigi down off his lap and leading her over to me. She's dressed in the same black jumper from the funeral yesterday, but by now it's rumpled and has a stain of some kind down the front. I kneel down, finally letting go of Logan's hand.
"Hey Gigi, you remember Logan from the hospital, right?" I gesture to Logan, who is standing just slightly behind me and has his hand on my shoulder. Gigi nods quietly and I take that as my cue to continue.
Only problem is, I really don't want to. I don't want to tell her that she's coming to live with me, because then she'll want to know why, and I'll have to go through the whole painful explanation of death that I already covered once this week. Suddenly, Logan jumps in to the rescue.
"Hey, you guys want to go get ice-cream? Because I really think we should go get ice-cream. I'm kind of hungry." At Gigi's excited giggle, I breathe, thankful that I don't have to answer painful questions now. I stand and take Gigi's hand. Mom and Luke are exchanging eye-messages and I realize they're going to make an excuse and leave us. I catch my mother's eye and she looks guilty and then firm. I sigh slightly—she's going to play the Mom Card and make me do this on my own.
"Honey, I think Luke and I should go and give you guys a chance to talk. I've got to go check on the Inn and make sure Michel and Sookie haven't started World War III over the position of the buffet tables, and Luke should really get back to the diner—you know we'd like to stay, but we should probably go."
"But Mom—"
"Rory." I understood that tone. It was the I'm-doing-this-for-your-own-good-so-you'd-better-just-go-with-it tone, and it brooks no argument. I nod and give up. I am resigned to doing this by myself.
Logan leads us both to his car, which has recently been outfitted with her car-seat and a bag full of her toys. We load her into the car with a minimum of chaotic fuss and get in the car ourselves. As soon as we start the car, the CD of Gigi's favorite songs hits us.
I'd forgotten we'd put it in on the way over here, and as the heinous strains of "The Wheels on the Bus" hit me for the second time today, I remember why I blocked it out. Gigi giggles as the song repeats and to my surprise, I hear Logan humming along beside me. I relax a little. Logan's here.
I don't have to do this alone as long as he's here.
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We pull into the parking lot of the ice-cream place and Logan stops the car. He glances at me and squeezes my hand before getting out of the car. I smile a little and help him get Gigi out of the car.
We walk up to the counter in the shop and I make my order and Logan places his. Gigi is having some trouble deciding, and I smile at the sight of poor Logan, wrapped around her little finger and catering to her every whim and desire. He picks her up and keeps her on his hip as she carefully samples each of every one of the 32 flavors offered, and then decides on the first one she tried. He grins slightly and looks pointedly at me. Apparently, he thinks Gigi and I are more alike than he originally thought.
We take our ice cream to the table and sit down, with Gigi deciding that Logan's lap looks much more comfortable than her own chair.
"So, Gigi, I guess we need to talk." Logan gets the ball rolling, and but he's staring at me to get me to finish.
"O.K." Her voice is small, and I know she knows this is something important. "What's going to happen?"
"Well, since Dad can't be with you anymore, he asked me to take care of you." I pause and gage her reaction. Logan's looking at me like I've just won the Pulitzer Prize for being able to do this without pulling my hair out.
"Cause Daddy's dead?" Gigi's innocently asked question still hits me like a ton of bricks. It just never gets easier, hearing that he's really gone like that.
"Yeah, sweetie. But you're going to come and live with me and Logan now, in Hartford."
Gigi chews on her bottom lip for a moment. "Is that where Grandma lives?" I nod, but her question brings up a previously-unthought-of aspect of this arrangement. Francine Hayden sees Gigi, fairly regularly from what I understand. I would hate to interrupt that, but I haven't spoken to Francine since that night I saw both her and Straub at Grandma and Grandpa's house in high school. She refused to even acknowledge me at the funeral yesterday. I decide that I can deal with that later.
"Do you live with Grandma?"
"No, sweetie, Logan and I live in an apartment away from her house." Gigi frowned at that.
"Will I have a room?"
"Of course. And you can decorate it however you want." Logan fields this question, and I shoot him a grateful look. Today just feels so surreal and I'm not sure how to handle it. Logan looks at my strained face and takes over the light chatting that is designed to distract Gigi from the reality of the situation.
The reality that has me trapped in a nightmare I can't wake from.
It's funny, because it's not like my Dad was all that present in my life to begin with. I only had weekly phone calls from him beginning midway through high school, and those pretty much stopped when I got to college. After that, I spoke to him occasionally, saw him even less frequently, and prior to him paying for college really hadn't had much prolonged contact at all.
I don't have the slightest clue how he would want Gigi to be raised—he never took the time to raise me, who knows what his philosophy was with my sister.
I pause in my musing and look at Logan. He's got my little sister perched on his lap and he's talking animatedly with her about what things in her room can be pink; right now they seems to be debating whether it is necessary for the entire bed to be pink, or if just the bed spread will suffice. She's got him wrapped around her finger and he seems to be enjoying every minute of it.
Who knew that the Yale playboy of the century would be so utterly charmed by a five year old girl obsessed with the color pink? On the other hand, Logan has become increasingly enamored with the idea of a family.
We've even talked about marriage. I mean really talked, not just in the hypothetical "maybe-someday-perhaps if" kind of way, I mean really talked about what it would be like to be actually married. To have to decide where we're spending the holidays together, to have to make career-type decisions together, how we would deal with our families—together. We sat in bed about a month ago and put it all out on the table.
He wanted to talk about it, and so we did. We talked about how his family hated me but he didn't care. We talked about how my mother was hesitant and why. We talked about how we'd already lived together and what had worked and what hadn't. Honestly, if he hadn't forced the issue I probably wouldn't have brought it up, but I'm glad he did. He pushed and now I feel so much more comfortable about where we're going and what I'm doing. We're living together again in Hartford in a few weeks—or at least that was the plan, with Gigi we might need to do something temporary that is do-wop group free—and we are moving forward with our lives.
Watching him with her makes me think that we're really going to be ok, and for that I am eternally grateful. He's just about the only thing I'm really sure of at all for right now.
Gigi has talked herself into a sleepy daze and she's settling back on Logan's shoulder, dripping sticky birthday cake flavored ice cream on his shirt. His voice is getting softer and he's sending my eye messages that we should probably leave soon. I nod at him and let him lead me out of the ice cream shop.
He leads me over to the car (my very tiny Prius, I'm going to have to get a more child-friendly car, too) and fastens the sleepy Gigi in the back seat. He opens the passenger door for me and takes the keys gently out of my hand. At my questioning look, he kisses my cheek and rubs my upper arms.
"You look tired. Let me take care of you for now, alright?" His smile is small and worried, and I'm not sure I have the energy right now to do anything other than listen to him and do what he says.
I nod and let him help me into the passenger seat. He kisses the top of my head before he straightens up and closes the door. I can feel how worried he is about me, but I'm just so tired. It's like once I stopped to sit and think I realized just how exhausted I am. I haven't been sleeping well at all, and I guess it's finally catching up with me. Not even Gilmore Girls can live on Coffee alone, even we need our solid eight hours.
Logan turns the radio on low and glances back at the now sleeping Gigi and I close my eyes, drifting off in the passenger seat of my Prius and wishing for all the world that my life could go back to the way it was four days ago.