A/N: Apologies for the delays, peops. The weather here took a ridiculously hot turn which put paid to the writing and the posting of fic (and the general use of my computer or my body to a certain extent! lol). Thanks for the reviews on the previous piece - really glad y'all liked it. Now, here's the next one, and it's something completely different.

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

4. Rockin' Richie Gilmore - 2nd January 2012

"Are you sure about this, Grandpa?" asked Rory from the doorstep as he ushered her out. "I mean, I'm sure if I ask around somebody else could take the kids for the afternoon-"

"Rory, my dear, I shall be quite alright. I was a man of business for over forty years, I am quite certain I can look after my own great grandchildren for a few hours without supervision. You do trust me, don't yout?"

"Grandpa, you know I do," she sighed. "It's not that, it's just... I love my kids, but they can be kind of a handful."

She really wasn't kidding. Though Jack and Tori were pretty well-behaved and even grown up for their ages, the truth was they were not yet seven and barely four, and they could really be a lot to keep up with sometimes. Her grandparents were capable people, Rory knew that, but with Emily out of commission with a nasty bout of food poisoning, that just left Richard to deal with the kids. Capable he may be, but he was also advancing in years and had never once had to handle the Mariano children by himself.

"Rory, I promise that we will be perfectly fine," her grandfather insisted. "There is a nurse here tending to your grandmother, and a maid and a cook available should I need their assistance. That said, I am quite sure I can keep two small children amused for what is now barely five hours of time," he said, checking his watch. "Now go, enjoy your event, and do not worry."

"Okay," she said at last, finding a smile as she reached to hug him.

She looked past him to the kids then, chasing each other up and down the long hallway. They seemed happy enough and they did love their great grandpa. It would be fine, she was sure.

Richard closed the door behind Rory and turned to the children then. Jack stopped running when she saw Great Grandpa staring and Tori literally ran into his back, bouncing off and landing on her butt. She looked startled by the exprience but got herself up again without complaint.

"Can we see Gran?" she asked then. "We brought a movie, we could watch it with her. Sick people like to watch TV."

"It's the only good thing about being sick," Jack agreed, nodding solemnly.

"Well, your great grandmother really isn't feeling well enough for visitors right now," said Richard awkwardly, glancing towards the stairs. "But you know, your father installed a DVD player and a television in my study some time ago. We could watch your movie in there, I suppose."

"Yay!" Tori yelled happily, arms raised in joy and excitement as she hurried down the hall.

She was back again in a second, looking pensive.

"Where is it?" she checked.

"You know where the study is, Toria," said Jack, rolling his eyes. "It's the door Great Grandpa always comes out of!" he declared, taking her hand and leading the way.

They were such intelligent children, Richard thought with a smile, and a very loving brother and sister pair. They were a joy to watch over and no trouble at all, just as he told Rory. Of course, Richard had walked barely five paces before he heard a crash in his study and reconsidered his previous thought.

Fortunately, there was no harm done. Victoria had apparently got a little too curious about his record collection and some of the vinyls had fallen from their shelf.

"No harm done," her great grandfather told her, stooping to retrieve the albums. "But you know you must really be careful with these. They're quite old and practically irreplaceable."

"Ir-re-place-able," Tori repeated, struggling some with so many syllables. "What's that?"

"It means that there is only one, or at least very few, in the world," Richard explained. "So if something were to happen to it, I couldn't just buy another."

"Like people," said Jack thoughtfully. "A person is irreplaceable. You can't get another one just the same."

"Very true, Jack." Richard nodded. "Quite the astute observation in fact."

He realised in a moment that his words were a little pointless since the small children were unlikely to understand. Choosing simpler words he smiled at Jack.

"You're a very clever boy, you know?"

"I know," he said, smiling wide. "Mommy says so a lot."

"She says I'm clever too!" Tori insisted, not wanting to be left out for a seocnd. "Daddy says I'm gonna be top of my class when I start school in the Fall, but that's forever away," she said with a sigh, reaching down to pick up the last record from the floor. "He's funny!" she declared, pointing to the picture on the cover.

"Excuse me, Victoria, but there is nothing at all funny about Chuck Berry," Great Grandpa told her seriously. "He is one of the greatest musicians that ever lived. See here," he said, showing her the album cover. "He plays the guitar, better than anyone else in the world."

"Better than Uncle Zack or Uncle Gil?" asked Jack with wide eyes.

"Certainly." Richard nodded once, before considering. "Which is not to say that those two aren't fine guitar players also, but Chuck Berry..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "He is in a league of his own. You know when I was young, perhaps a little older than you, Jack, I dreamed of being the next Chuck Berry, of being just that good at playing the guitar and singing. I dreamt of being on the stage. My name up in lights - Rockin' Richie Gilmore!" he declared with stars in his eyes.

The children laughed at his dramatic arm gestures and tone of voice. They didn't know if he was being serious or joking around. Either way, it was kind of funny to think of their great grandfather on stage, rocking out the way Hep Alien did. It was tough to think of him being anything but a kindly old man who they loved as their great grandpa.

"That plays music, right?" asked Jack, coming closer and eyeing the record with interest.

"Certainly it does." Richard nodded once, clambering to his feet. "Before your CD discs and your music pods, this was the only way to play music, and still the best way if you ask me," he said, going over to the turntable and putting on the record.

Jack and Tori shared a look, the both of them giggling. They didn't understand how music could be better from a big black disc than it was from a small silver one or out of somebody's cell phone. To them, music was just music, and Tori in particular liked to dance to it.

There was a crackling sound coming from the record player now and then suddenly a guitar lick that set Tori's feet to moving. Jack wasn't much for dancing, but his head bopped along to the tune too.

It was impossible to tell what the man singing was saying when he started, he talked even faster than Grandma Lorelai! But Tori liked when he kept on saying 'go, go, go' and was joining in with gusto by the second chorus.

Great Grandpa Richard sure seemed to be enjoying himself too. He looked funny when he danced, but Tori liked it. She rushed over to stand by him and copy all his strange moves, having the time of her life. She squealed happily when Richard suddenly swung her up into his arms and danced her around the room. Jack was in fits of giggles as he watched the display, turning circles in his own childish dance.

Richard quite forgot that he had ever been nervous about keeping the children entertained. They played several of his records, singing and dancing to all the greats, but no-one seemed to impress Tori so much as Chuck Berry.

By the time Jess came to collect his son and daughter, Richard was exhausted and yet grinning from ear to ear as he opened the door to his grandson-in-law.

"They run you pretty ragged, huh?" said Jess with a smirk he couldn't help.

"Oh, we had marvellous fun," he declared breathlessly. "Didn't we, children?"

"We danced to the Go Go song!" Tori declared happily.

"Great Grandpa used to be a rock star!" Jack added with a grin.

"Really?" Jess checked, looking from the kids to Richard, smirk widening all the time. "I had no idea."

"Oh, they have their wires crossed, of course," Richard explained, shifting his feet. "Though there was a time when I had a dream..."

"Rockin' Richie Gilmore!" Jack declared, dancing around.

"Go, go, go!" Tori chimed in, spinning in circles and pounding her feet.

"Okay, okay," Jess tried to quiet and calm them both. "C'mon, we gotta get you guys home, and I think Great Grandpa needs a break."

"Yes, I believe a stuff drink in a quiet room might be called for." Richard admitted. "Though I must say we did have the most remarkably good time."

"I'm glad." Jess smiled, ushering the kids out towards the car. "Take it easy, Johnny B Goode," he told Richard, still smirking as he left.

Richard Gilmore watched his great grandchildren clamber into the car, watched his grandson-in-law strap them in, and then saw the car pull off the drive, Tori and Jack both waving like windmills. On the breeze their little voices carried, still singing their new favourite song. Richard smiled and closed the door. Though he was tired enough to prove his actual age, somehow in his heart he felt very much younger right now.