AN: Thank you for the reviews. Enjoy!

"Pack!" Lorelai cried out a couple of weeks later as she entered her apartment, dropped her purse and kicked off her shoes. "Must run and hide!" she added, bursting into Rory's room. The two teens on the bed shot apart like shrapnel, but Lorelai didn't seem to notice them.

"Mom!" Rory screeched as Lorelai began pulling random items out of drawers. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"They're coming! And they want to meet you and if I do one thing right as your mother, it will be keeping you hidden from those people."

"What people? You're freaking me out."

"Good. Freaked out is good. It's the appropriate response when one hears that the Hayden's are coming into town."

"The Hayden's...? What is with that family? Are there more of them I should know about? Will there be people popping up for years to come or is this it?" Rory asked as Lorelai held an armful of clothes and Jess just looked between the two of them.

"There's a couple more, great grandparents on Straub's side and maybe a distant cousin. But the first lot are really old, so they've probably forgotten about you and I doubt the cousin knew anything to begin with."

"Well that's a relief."

"I wasn't kidding about the packing and running and hiding you know." Lorelai told Rory, moving to the closet and trying to find a suitcase. "My mother just called to tell me they'll be in town by the end of the week. They're coming to dinner, she's very excited."

"Ok, can we put down my pyjamas please?" Lorelai did as she was asked. "Good, ok. Couldn't we just lie and say we were going out of town or something?"

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere, that's why we're lying."

"No. See, she wouldn't accept that. There would be follow-up questions – where are we going? When will we be back? Why didn't we mention this earlier?"

"You're doing it again," Jess announced and the two of them turned to look at him, almost having forgotten he was there. "Acting like drama queens," he explained. "I'm sure you're over-reacting about this just like you thought the dinner I went to would end in a massacre."

"I'm really not. The last time I saw Christopher's parents-"

"Doesn't count. You were eighteen the last time you saw everyone,"

"No fair! You caught onto my secret code."

"I listen, I observe, wasn't a hard code to crack."

"Well, anyway, you guy's had just had your first birthday and then they went off on some world wide tour. I didn't see them again before we left, so I'm sure fun will be had by all." Lorelai added sarcastically.

"I don't understand why they couldn't have done this earlier. I've been here for over a year, and he was here months ago. Why couldn't we have gotten this out of the way before? Or better yet, avoided it forever?"

"You know my parents are evil, right?" Lorelai asked. Rory rolled her eyes but then gave a small nod. "Well, the Hayden's, as hard as it may be to believe, are double that. So, even if they could have been here back then, they wouldn't have wanted to, because prolonging the torture is part of their fun."

"It'll just be once right?" Rory checked, kneading her temples.

"As far as I know. And if they try to involve the great grandparents or the cousin I'll tell them we're moving to Hellsinkini to form a girl group."

"Solid plan."

"So we're really not skipping town for the weekend?"

"I think we'll be staying."

"Ok, well, in that case, I'm going to see if I have anything in my wardrobe that would be suitable."

"Good luck with that."

"We may have to go shopping, so, next time you see Mrs. Kim ask her where she get's here ensembles, 'k?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. That wouldn't be weird at all." Rory added as her mom left the room. "Ugh, more meet the family dinners? This sucks."

"Well it seems like this'll be the last one." Jess pointed out.

"And if I'm really lucky, they'll be just like my so called father and run away sometime before we get there on Friday. And then die of old age before they have a change of heart."

"Are we actually rooting for that, or...?"

"No, I don't know. Can we just agree on this sucking?"

"Yes we can."

"Loving the solidarity,"

"It's what I'm here for."

"Well, that and the eye candy."

"As long as I have a purpose."

"I've got a question for you," Rory told Tristan the next morning, snatching a cup of coffee out of his hand and taking a quick sip.

"Hey! You live in the land of coffee, I need this!" he snapped, trying to grab his drink back as Jess snickered.

"Used to. But I wouldn't exactly call it the land of coffee, more like-"

"You had a question. That I'm sure was extremely important." He reminded her.

"Right. So, it's about the grandparents. You know Emily and Richard, and I'm wondering, have you ever had anything to do with Straub and Francine?" Tristan shuddered slightly and Rory paled. "I'm not going!" she announced.

"No, I'm sure he didn't mean- there must have been a draft or something, right Tristan?" Jess pressed. "That had nothing to do with your question someone was probably walking over his grave."

"That's ridiculous. No, he is terrified of my grandparents for some reason, and frankly, I don't want to know what it is, I'd just rather not know anything about them at all. Forget it, I'll fake sick or something, maybe break a leg, I'll work out a way to get out of this dinner."

"Fix it, now. Say something." Jess ordered as Rory started walking down the hall away from them.

"Hang on, Rory, I thought you said Strawberry. You know, like... D-Darryl Strawberry and I-"

"Forget it Tristan, I don't care. You've grown up with these society freaks and if the two of them scare you then I just... I don't need to know them, I've got one set of grandparents and they're... Tolerable, that's all I really need. Don't worry about it."

"They're not that bad. Really. I never really spent too much time with them, but whenever it was that I met them, I was really young, and I guess it wasn't the best day, cause your grandfa-"

"Our relationship has yet to be determined, stick to his given name."

"Straub was in a mood. Not a very good one, so that first meeting, whatever it was for, didn't go too smoothly, and whenever I met them after that, I was always a little afraid, which was probably unnecessary."

"Ok, that's fine. I need to hand in my French paper, so I'll see you guys later."

"Did I fix it? Are you going to go to dinner now?"

"I... Jury's still out on that one. I don't know right now, I've still got days to make up my mind anyway." She replied, walking away.

"I've screwed that up majorly, haven't I?"

"I'd say it was minor. It's ok we can work on her more later,"

"Good. I didn't mean to do that, it's just that guy..."

"He's really that bad?"

"I was eight and he was in a really bad mood. I don't know if it was something that I did, or what. His wife was pretty nice though. Quiet..."

"Ok, great, well, you just stick with the really vague answers and we'll have won her over in no time."

"That I can do,"

"Oh good, you're finally here." Emily said in lieu of a greeting as she opened the door to her daughter and granddaughter. "It would be nice if you could arrive on time when we have company though Lorelai. Please try and remember that for next time."

"Sorry Mom, traffic..." Lorelai replied feebly, following behind her mother who clearly wasn't interested in her excuses.

"Well, here we are at last," Emily announced, entering the living room with a big smile on her face as Lorelai and Rory followed apprehensively. "Straub, Francine, you remember Lorelai," she added, standing beside the girls. "And this is Rory." Francine managed a polite smile as did Lorelai, but Rory instead matched the glare that Straub was sending towards her and her mother.

"Of course. We haven't seen you in so many years," Francine added as if the group may have forgotten. "You're looking well, Lorelai."

"Thanks, you too,"

"Who would like a drink?" Richard asked standing and moving towards the drink cart. "Another martini Straub?"

"Please," Straub replied, nodding.

"You were just about to tell us about how well your retirement is going." Emily reminded him.

"Yes, we have wonderful stories about the Bahamas," Francine announced.

"See if you can't convince Richard to consider it. I've given up."

"You would love it Richard, the golf is superb."

"Oh, sounds like something we'll have to discuss later on, so as not to bore the women of course."

"Please don't torture us with the talk of spoiling a good walk." Lorelai begged and Straub looked at her for a moment before refocusing on Rory.

"How old are you young lady?" he directed to her as she accepted her drink.

"Sixteen." She answered, her eyes locked with his, not willing to back down before he did.

"Sixteen, that's a rather dangerous age for a young girl,"

"Rory is very smart." Emily put in. "She's caught up beautifully at Chilton."

"Chilton, eh? Once upon a time that could have been considered a suitable place for someone your age, but now..."

"It's where all the bad girls go, right?" Rory asked, "And they all trick their sweet innocent boyfriends into knocking them up? Oh, I'll tell you, my boyfriend and I have seen some real-"

"Rory, why don't you go on up to your room, ok? Now. We'll call you when dinner's ready." Lorelai told her and Rory turned to look at her, breaking away from her grandfather's gaze for the first time.

"Fine." She muttered standing and storming out of the room.

"Well, she certainly is a piece of work, isn't she? She said she has a boyfriend? I daresay you'll be meeting with him and his family soon enough if she's anything like her mother." Straub remarked as Rory disappeared from the room.

"Please, Straub, I'm getting a headache."

"What did you expect? She's my kid, and she can hold her own against anyone, even small minded-"

"Well, I'll tell you, I didn't really expect that. Given the way you were raised-"

"Given the way your son was raised I would have thought he could have be more of a man, but, you know, all these years later and somehow I'm still surprised by his cowardice."

"His cowardice? What about you? You ran away, you took that child-"

"He ran first. And at least I didn't abandon her. You never had any interest in my daughter anyway, so I don't see why you're so put out."

"Dinner is ready." Emily informed everyone.

"You wouldn't. You weren't here to see the mess that you made, what you're parents went through."

"I have already apologised to them for everything."

"And you think a few words can make up for it? We had plans, all of us. For you and for Christopher, and you just went and ruined it all, choosing to have that baby, destroying his future."

"Richard please, lead us into the dining room. Now."

"He ruined his own future. It's not as if I forced him to marry me and stay in some dead end job. He could have done anything he wanted, anything you wanted. But have you seen your son lately? I don't think he even owned a hair brush the last time he was here. Oh, yeah, and thanks for the heads up on that one, by the way."

"He had every right to-"

"Pay a surprise visit to the child you wish had never existed?"

"I don't have to sit here and listen to this. Being lectured by a child... We were humiliated, a humiliation beyond your comprehension, there were ways to take care of the situation that would have been easier on all of us, but you-"

"You take that back." Richard ordered, grabbing Straub's arm.

"You're spilling my drink!"

"You take that back! You won't come in to my house and suggest such things, not again. That girl is here. Now. She exists and she means something to people. You owe both her and Lorelai an apology."

"Well, that's rich, I owe them?"

"How dare you come here and say such insulting things! Rory is an extremely clever girl. Much smarter than that precious son of yours ever was and she will go to college. She'll go to college and nothing will get in her way."

"What?" Emily asked, shocked.

"She'll do it, I know she will, so it doesn't matter what you think of her. She is above you."

"Get your purse Francine."

"Richard, I don't understand this, what are you talking about?"

"We're leaving!"

"You aren't leaving, I'm kicking you out!" Francine stood and left the room behind Straub. Richard stormed after them and Emily trailed behind trying to get answers from her husband.

Lorelai stood in the middle of the room, as her parents voices continued on to the front door and then she headed for the stairs to find her daughter.

"Rory? Honey, how are you doing?"

"Just dandy." Rory replied, lying on the bed.

"So I'm guessing you stuck around to hear a little of his crap?"

"Enough to know that he's just thrilled to have such a wonderful edition to the family,"

"That man is... He sucks. He is a big jackass. I don't have a single childhood memory of him where he wasn't showing off his supreme jackassy ways. You shouldn't listen to a word he says."

"Bit hard when he's yelling them loud enough for the entire neighbourhood to hear."

"Still, his opinion is just his. No one else thinks that way about you, you need to remember that."

"I'll try."

"Good. So, I have something you should probably know."

"Oh good, because there wasn't enough emotional baggage hurled across the room tonight."

"Your grandfather-"

"The jackass I'm ignoring?"

"The other one,"

"Ok,"

"Well, he... he kind of got caught up in his defence of you, and he let it slip that you had plans to further your education beyond high school."

"...Great. That's just great. Now when I fail everyone will know about it and you'll all be able to give me those looks of shame and disappointment. I might as well give Paris an exclusive to print on the front page of the Franklin."

"He's pretty adamant that you're going to do it, so maybe hold off on that exclusive, ok?"

"Yeah, fine. Can we go? I'm not really in the mood to stick around and I can't even think about eating."

"Sure. I'll just go and say goodbye to my parents and then we can get out of here."

"What are you doing back so early?" Luke asked as Lorelai and Rory fell into a couple of chairs. "Is everything ok?"

"That all depends on your definition of ok." Rory told him and he turned to Lorelai for an explanation.

"Dinner was a disaster, not that I expected anything less. The Hayden's still hate me and my father will never forgive me for my past mistakes."

"He did not say that."

"He didn't have to, I can just tell."

"I'm starving!" Rory realised.

"Shocking. Would that be because the abysmal evening we just had didn't even include appetisers?"

"Probably,"

"Anything you want, on the house." Luke told them and Lorelai grinned.

"Anything?"

"I should really start paying more attention to what I say around you."

"Burger, fries, Straub Hayden's head on a platter." Rory replied.

"And for you? And please don't say pancakes."

"Waffles! With a side of bacon. And onion rings."

"I have no one to blame but myself."

"Ooh, then after that, I want pie. Rory, which one should we get?"

"I don't care as long as it's drowning in ice-cream."

"I'll get right on that."

A little while later Rory sat picking at her burger before pushing it away. "I think I'm gonna go home."

"But you barely ate anything," Luke replied.

"Guess I wasn't really hungry after all."

"Do you want me to come?" Lorelai asked, reaching for her purse.

"Nah, stay here, have a good night. Someone ought to."

"Ok, well call me if you change your mind."

"I will. Night. Thanks for the food."

"Night Rory," Luke called out as she headed for the door. "Is she ok?" he asked once she was gone.

"I think she will be, it's just those people are..."

"I remember."

"And now, on top of the fact that her grandparents suck, she has to deal with the news that my father announced 'she will go to college and she will be above Straub.'"

"So, just another happy meal at the Gilmore house then?"

"She will, I'm sure of it. And Straub rooting for her to fail will only make her work that much harder and achieve greater success. I just wish... It would have been nice for an anvil to have fallen on his head, or for a bus to shoot through the room, mowing him down. Or at the very least for a cream pie to appear in my hand so I could smash it in his face, you know?"

"Oh, I know, I'm drivin' that bus right now."

"Aw, thank you, that's sweet. Oh! I just decided I want cream pie for dessert."

"You do?"

"Well, if I can't shove one in the face of He Who Shall No Longer Be Named, I might as will enjoy it some other way."

"True."

On Sunday afternoon Rory stood by the window in the diner, clearing off a table as Jess cleared one beside her. She glanced outside for a second and suddenly couldn't hear anything Jess was saying. It was almost as if she were watching a re-enactment of her arrival, minus the one-woman welcoming party.

There, on the street corner, dressed head to toe in black, complete with a bomber jacket, stood someone she hadn't seen in a lifetime.

"No way..."

AN2: Umm... So, review?