I do not own GG.
"You have to see the present I bought Luke!" Lorelai came bursting through the back door arms laden with bags.
Rory stood to give her chair to one arm of packages. She grabbed her pint of ice cream just before her mother sat a large group of bags down on top of it. It had been a week since the doctor's office, and Lorelai had since convinced Rory to surprise Luke with the news he was going to be a grandpa. In fact, it was going to be a surprise for the whole town, but Rory wasn't aware of Lorelai's grander plans.
"Mom, you've gone a bit overboard in the retail therapy don't you think?" Rory laughed as she shoveled a large spoonful of birthday cake ice cream into her mouth.
"Nope. It's not every day that you get to tell the world that you are going to have your first grandchild!"
"The world? I thought we were just telling Luke."
"That went out the window with the discovery of this amazing decoration shop in Hartford. I think I bought every gray and teal decoration they had."
"Gray and Teal?" Rory asked mouth full of ice cream.
"Pink and blue are so 2012. We're going for a more modern baby announcement. Plus, these colors don't rat us out, ya see," Lorelai transitioned seamlessly from ranting to a 1920's gangster and back again,"I told Miss Patty that I'm throwing a surprise party for you to celebrate your official taking over of the paper. So she and Babbette are on board, and getting everyone you love to attend."
"I don't think this is a good idea. How do I tell everyone I don't know who's baby it is?" Rory asked while adding more canned whipped cream to her dwindling pint.
"You don't. The dad is out of the country and until you tell him you don't feel like you should name him… easy peasey. Besides no one would dare ask when Super Proud Luke goes full grandpa. Don't forget this is the town that took me in and loved me, and you. I told them I didn't know who your father was. It never mattered."
"Okay," Rory sighed," I will agree to your ridiculous party, as long as you agree to help me find a place to live here in town."
"Done. You live at Luke's old place. He suggested it days ago. I've spent all morning melting plastic to redecorate."
"Okay, second condition then. We go see grandma today. I tell her, and then we flee if need be."
"Going to be hard to flee far enough and be back in Stars Hollow by tomorrow for your party. How about a restraining order?"
"Just get in the car."
The dynamic duo spent the car ride to Nantucket singing along to Lorelai's signature mix of Spice Girl's, Frank Sinatra, and Bon Jovi. They drank chocolate malts, and ate their weight in french fries as they drove through the crisp air pretending it was still summer.
"Well, we're here. Last chance to back out." Lorelai fidgeted in her seat unable to stop reliving when she had to tell Emily that she was pregnant with Rory.
No way would she allow Emily to treat Rory as she had her. This wasn't a negotiation, and it wasn't a teen girl telling her parents that she had screwed up again. This time was different. Rory was a grown woman with a career and a support system in place. She wouldn't have to forge a path of her own. Lorelai would make certain of that. No man- no problem. Rory isn't her mother, but that doesn't mean she needs to be Emily either.
Somewhere between planning her tactical defense/retreat strategies and realizing exactly why Rory didn't want to tell the father of her baby that they were even having a baby, Lorelai found herself suddenly sitting on the deck of her mother's Nantucket home.
"Lorelai!" Emily shrieked.
"Wha… what mother?" Lorelai asked instantly pulled out of her dazed state.
"Grandmother asked if you wanted a mojito." Rory coaxed her mother back to reality.
"Oh… yeah sure."
"Oh… yeah… sure." Emily mocked as she poured Lorelai a drink.
"So grandma, I wanted to see you today because I have something hard to tell you."
"Oh no!" Emily laughed," When your mother started talks that way it was always 'I have an infected piercing' or 'I'm pregnant'!"
"Well, hold your horses Will Rogers." Lorelai snorted.
"Grandma, I am pregnant." Rory stated.
Emily laughed," That's not funny!"
"Mom…" Lorelai sighed.
Rory excused herself from the table and fled into the house; tears streaming down her cheeks. Lorelai could feel the red creeping up her neck and onto her face. Emily looked confused.
"I thought she was joking! I didn't mean to upset her." Emily explained.
"Yeah right. This is why I told her we shouldn't do this. You acted worse when I told you, but seriously what is wrong with you? Did you forget to take your pills or something this morning?" Lorelai yelled at her mother while throwing her napkin to the ground.
"You will not speak to me that way! I didn't mean to hurt her. I am thrilled that Rory wanted to tell me. I want nothing more than to make up for the time I lost with you and now I can! I can be the grandmother I should have been the first time. YOU WON'T TAKE THIS FROM ME!"
Lorelai was taken aback," I didn't take anything from you the first time. You gave it away. Don't give it away this time, mom."
Emily rose from her seat and walked into her beach home. She found Rory sitting in the window seat crying, and texting furiously.
"Rory," Emily called and took a seat next to her grand daughter.
Rory looked up at her grandmother and instantly Emily was transported back to a time she had lost. Instead of seeing a grown woman of 32, Emily saw the grand daughter she had missed. In her place sat a 3 year old Rory crying over a skinned knee. This…this is what I would be missing-she thought.
"I'm so sorry. I never meant for this to happen…" Rory sobbed," I didn't mean to -mean to disappoint you."
"Oh sweetie," Emily squeezed her grand daughter's hand," you could never disappoint me. I laughed because it just didn't seem like it was possible."
"Because I'm supposed to be perfect." She began sobbing again.
" No sweetie because to my knowledge you weren't seeing anyone other than that dreadfully boring Paul, and according to the incessant emails he sent me he's not able to have children."
"What? Paul emailed you?" Rory laughed wiping her nose with the back of her sweater sleeve.
"Here," Emily handed over a hanky," Paul emailed me 3 times a week when you were dating, and once a week since you split up. He says he doesn't want to lose my great council."
"You… council Paul?" Rory asked in disbelief.
"Of course not! I haven't even replied to one of his inane self indulgent excuses for emails. He's truly a bore. However did you manage to put up with him for so long?!" Emily complained.
"He was such a nice bore though. He left me alone. It's all I really asked of him."
"But he's not the father?" she asked.
"No. He's not. I don't really know who the father is. Still not disappointed with me?"
"I'll let you in on a little secret. The night before I married your grandfather, I had a fling with a man I had dated some years before. It meant nothing- I loved your grandfather, but it was my chance to sow the last of my wild oats. When I became pregnant with your mother I lived in fear that I had created a life with Arnold Windmere. Thankfully the timing was off, but it took a very judgmental doctor many visits to convince me of such."
"Grandma!" Rory scolded," I can't believe it. You were a wild one."
"Were? I am a wild one! Where do you think your mother got it from?"
"So why did you treat her so poorly when she got pregnant?" Rory asked.
"In truth- she was 16, and I was scared. It made all those horrible memories flood back all at once. We had built a prim and proper life as the Gilmores. I just kept imagining it all melting away. I regret the time I lost with both of you."
"So why don't you tell mom that? It would mean the world to her."
"Your mother became the amazing woman she is today to spite me. She was a stubborn child. I'd say do your homework, and she would hear watch happy days. When I said that she was irresponsible and should get married; she ran away and started a wonderful life. If I told her now she'd just do the opposite and you'd end up with a tattooed grandma for that little one." Emily mused.
"We're having a party tomorrow in Stars Hollow to tell all of my friends. Would you like to come?"
"I think your mother will have more fun if I'm not there."
"I won't though. Please come. Mom will be happy you're there too. I know it."
Emily cupped the face of her beautiful grand daughter," Such a beautiful and truly awful liar, but I'll be there."
"Mom! You're out of mojitos!" Lorelai skipped into the room.
"Lorelai that pitcher was full!"
"POINT ME TO YER FINEST RUM, MATEY!" Lorelai bellowed in an awful pirate accent.
"Lorelai! You're pirate accent is terrible. Point yourself to the rum. You have two hands!" Emily chastised.
"Fun fact: the so called pirate accent was created by Robert Newton in 1950. Before then no one actually spoke like that." Rory spewed knowledge to try to break the tension between the two women.
"No need to facto-spew kid." Lorelai advised as she kissed the top of Rory's head.
"So mom got angry, but she's over it. Grandma, you didn't get angry at all. This really didn't go how I saw it going." Rory chuckled.
"What can I say. We Gilmore women are an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, covered in peanut butter and powdered sugar."
"So we're the puppy chow of women?" Rory asked.
"Oh no! I'm not dog food. You speak for yourself Lorelai!" Emily argued.
"Grandma, puppy chow isn't dog food. It's a sweet treat." Rory strained to explain," It's cereal, peanut butter, and chocolate all rolled in powdered sugar."
"It sounds awful." Emily whined.
"Looks like the menu is set for tomorrow then!" Lorelai grinned from ear to ear.