AN: Finally I've thought of a song that fits the chapter, well, sort of. You wouldn't think it was so hard to convince fictional characters to do something, would you? But I'll tell you, I had to put in a lot of work to get Rory to the decision she made. Silly, stubborn girl...

Coming out of his bedroom, Luke replaced the cap on his head as he crossed the room and Rory looked over at him, avoiding the paper in front of her, as she twirled a pen rapidly between her fingers. "Is there a particular reason that you wear that thing every single second of every single day?"

"Is there a particular reason you're here, on my couch instead of at home or with Jess somewhere?"

"I'm trying to decide which college will be lucky enough to have me. Can't do it at home, too many distractions. And Jess would be just as bad as all the books and CD's in my room put together."

"Fair enough. Well, I'm heading over to Sookie's."

"Right, the baby-sitting. The big parental audition to see if you and Mom are compatible with a small child - should be a fun night, shame I can't come and watch."

"I'm going to ignore you and just leave now. Lock up when you leave, or before you go to bed, or, whatever."

"I will. Hey, Jess is absolutely set on Harvard, isn't he?" Rory checked, stopping Luke from leaving. "There's no way he'll change his mind about that anytime soon?"

"Not if the last ten years are anything to go by. Why?"

"Well, I've just been thinking, you know? About where the best place for me is, and I can't deny that Harvard is an amazing school. It's just... I don't want it to look like I chose it because that's where he's going. But it will. If that's what I decide, everyone's going to think I did it just to stay with him and suddenly I'm Felicity without the hair issues and I'm not terribly comfortable with that."

"Ok, first of all," Luke replied, moving back into the room a little and taking a seat on the chair opposite Rory. "I haven't got a clue who Felicity is, so I can't help you there. But have you talked to your mom about it?"

"Sort of, she's just so excited that I actually got in, that she doesn't really have much of an opinion about which one I should choose."

"Lorelai doesn't have an opinion? That's gotta be a first."

"I know! And this is the worst possible time for her to decide to just sit back and let things happen. I need conjecture, I need people to start being persuasive, I need someone to tell me what to do! Luke, what should I do?"

"You shouldn't let anyone else influence this decision. It's too important to allow every Ton, Dick and Harry to tell you what they think of it. You're the one who has to live with it so you should be the one to make the choice. You know that."

"Yes I do, but I can't, so I need the contractor, my grandfather and the town mayor all to share with me what they think, as well as anyone else that feels the urge, so, come on, let me hear it, where do you think I should go next year?"

"To a psych ward, preferably one far away from me,"

"You're a very mean man! I thought having a girlfriend would help with that, but apparently I was wrong, you're still as crotchety as ever."

"It's my way of trying to stop people asking my opinion on things that have nothing to do with me."

"Fine! You go and try to be a parent for a couple of hours and I'll sit here, trying to choose. With any luck I'll have a full on break-down and then I won't have to ever pick anything ever again."

"As long as you stay optimistic, there's no way you can fail in your mission." He told her, standing up again and walking out the door.

"...Optimistic..." Rory muttered, throwing the pen aside and jumping off the couch, headed for the computer in the corner and grabbing the phone as she went. "Ok, so, I know I said I needed time by myself to think this all over, and I know I said that you would just distract me, but I think, at this point what I desperately need, is a distraction. So, can you please come over?" she ranted as soon as the phone was answered, not even allowing the person on the other end to speak.

"Do you have any idea how bad that would have sounded if someone else had answered?" Jess asked after a beat, unable to stop himself from smirking. "I mean, if you'd said all that to TJ..."

"Jess, please!"

"Ok, I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Thank you!" Rory ended the call before collapsing in the desk chair and opening a search engine.

Lorelai collapsed on Sookie's couch and groaned as Luke fell beside her, both of them completely exhausted.

"It wasn't this hard last time around was it?" Luke asked, rubbing his eyes, trying to stay awake.

"It couldn't have been! No way. No, I think, what it is, is that last time we were closer to the babies age than we are now, so somehow that helped us relate to them better, and convince them to do what we wanted."

"Like eat that mashed up crap considered to be food, or stop crying, or to go to sleep?"

"Yeah, all that. Much easier when you're young, apparently."

"Guess that means we should try and convince Jess and Rory to stick close to home, at least for the next few years."

"Oh yeah! Can we get them to come and take over?"

"No. Rory's trying to pick a college, and you're the one who volunteered for this, remember?"

"That's right, I did. Darn! Well, that's fine – Davey's fed, he's clean, and he's sleeping. That means the hard part is over, right?"

"From what I remember, that means we get to sit back, relax and wait for the parents to come home."

"Oh good, I like this part the best."

"Do you really?"

"Mmhmm." She leaned over and kissed him.

"What's the plan? We act like teenagers instead of getting the actual teenagers here?"

"Well, yeah man," Lorelai replied, smacking her lips as if she were chewing gum. "Coz, this is like, so what, like, teenagers do, like, you know?"

"Totally," Luke agreed, kissing her again.

"Alright, so, this is a good one – Harvard has the largest academic library in the country." Jess announced, scrolling through a webpage and Rory scribbled that down on a piece of paper.

"Good, that's good. I like books."

"I thought as much. Ok, yeah, so according to MapQuest," he added, looking at another browser, "Yale is much closer to home, just under an hour away. But if you want to get far away from here, then, Princeton would be the go with three and a half hours separating the two, while Harvard is only about an hour and forty."

"Ok, but, I'm not sure which of those is a pro,"

"Depends on your mood I guess. If you're fighting with someone here then the more distance the better. But, if for some reason you have to get back to town in a hurry, then it'd be good to be close by."

"Well, I think that would make Harvard the better choice then – gives me distance, but not too much."

"Ok, so put that down." Nodding, Rory added another item to the pro Harvard column before Jess told her, "Yale has the best drama school."

"I won't be taking drama – I prefer my dramatics to be of the spontaneous, untrained kind."

"But it's still worth putting down; imagine getting to see the next big Hollywood star as an awkward eighteen year old."

"Ok, ok. I'll add it."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help you out here. Who knew you couldn't make up your own mind?"

"Let's just see where we are with the lists, shall we?" Rory told him, reaching for one as Jess picked up another.

"Oh, Harvard's class sizes are the smallest, I'm gonna put that down."

"Ok..."

"Doesn't look like Princeton's doing to well here, but this is pretty cool – I don't think I've ever been featured on a pro/con list before."

"Uh huh."

"You really have no idea what you want to do, do you?"

"I really don't. And you don't need to point that out to me, unless you're going to follow it up with some a suggestion or something."

"How about putting all the names in hat?"

"That's your idea of helping?"

"Well, TJ said that's what I should do, just thought I'd throw it out there, see if there was anyone brave enough to leave this choice up to chance. Bad call?"

"I'd try just about anything at this point." Rory replied, standing up and heading to the coffeepot he had begged Luke to allow in the apartment. "Why would you need to do that, though? You already know where you'll be, don't you?"

"I do. I guess he just wanted to be involved somehow. Dad's making space at his place too."

"What about the dorms?"

"Don't ask me to explain my parents; I don't think it can ever be done." Jess replied, just before the phone began to ring. "Oh boy, now I'm in trouble. What do you want to bet that's my mom and she heard every word I just said?"

Rory laughed as she reached for the phone. "Ooh, spooky!" she tossed the handset to him, as his home number flashed on screen.

"Sorry Mom." Jess said as soon as he answered, causing Rory to laugh again.

"What for?" Liz asked.

"Um... nothing. What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you were going to be out much longer."

"You need something from Doose's?"

"Do you mind?"

"No, it's fine. I don't think I'm being much help here anyway. Your personal shopper is ready for service, what can I get you?" Rory handed him a pen and spare piece of paper and he quickly scribbled down a few things. "Ok, I'll see you in a bit."

"Thanks honey. You know you're the best right?"

"I had an inkling,"

"Really, I'm going to have a plaque made up for you."

"Thanks, that'd be great. I won't be long."

"Ok, I'll see you soon."

"Since, apparently I'm completely useless to you," Jess said to Rory, putting the phone down, "I should probably be going."

"You're not completely without use," she objected. "But you're right, in this instance you've been no help at all, so you definitely should leave. Let me try and collect my thoughts again without you sitting there, throwing data at me, like the number of people pruning the ivy at each of these places."

"Hey, every one of those facts will help you make an informed decision, and you'll thank me."

"If you say so. Now go before I start seriously considering TJ's idea."

"Oh god, I'm gone." He told her, gathering up the books he'd brought over.

"Leaving a Jess-shaped hole in the door, very nice,"

"Please do not do that, think about it more."

"I can't!" Rory growled.

"You can, you'll work it out, just take a little more time."

"One more day and then I'm making you pick." She decided.

"Well, I could do that right now, if you want."

"No you can't, coz you have to go pick up... milk duds and apple cider..." Rory replied, reading off the list in Jess's hand. "These are must have items?"

"Apparently,"

"Well you'd better hop to it then."

"If you're sure you don't want anymore of my fun facts - I've got a bunch."

"I think knowing about the third person to walk on the moon having been a Princeton graduate is just about enough. But thank you for sharing that and so many other things with me. It's going to be very helpful, I'm sure."

"It will. You'll see."

"Ok, well you have to leave so I can reflect and work out how much that will effect my final decision."

"Goodnight crazy."

"Goodnight Wikipedia,"

"I don't think I'm there yet, but thanks."

"Oh, would you just go!" Rory asked, pushing him towards the door. "Come on, you're mom is probably sitting at home wondering 'where is that child of mine with my milk duds already?'"

"Geez, if you wanna be by yourself all you have to do is ask." Jess told her sarcastically. "I can take a hint." Rory rolled her eyes before leaning in and kissing him. "So, you want me to stay?"

"Get out! I have lots and lots and lots of thinking to do."

"Well remember to stop before your brain explodes, ok? Coz the top of your head would look really weird with a hole in it."

"I'll do that."

"Good, I can go then."

"Do you have to?" Rory asked, grinning.

"You really know how to mess with guy's head, don't you?"

"It's a gift."

"I'm going to leave. I am, before you get a chance to confuse me anymore."

"Thank you for all of your... help."

"You're welcome. Remember; you feel your head starting to detonate, step away from the lists."

"Will do," Rory nodded and with one last kiss, pushed Jess out the door.

Lorelai stopped next to the coffee table and glanced down at the pieces of paper scattered across it, each titled with the name of one of the schools Rory had gotten into.

"I feel like Thai tonight, what about you?" Rory asked, coming out of her room.

"Yeah, you look cute in your tie, sure."

"Mom?"

"Huh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Tying a yellow ribbon around an old oak tree?"

"What?"

"Ok, fine. I'm sorry, I wasn't listening; I was snooping, trying to work out where your head was."

"You mean aside from on top of my neck?"

"Well, this just doesn't make any sense." She explained, waving the pages. "When did you even start making pro/con lists, anyway?"

"When, by some miracle, I got accepted to all those fancy colleges and couldn't make up my mind."

"And can you tell me why Jess is listed as a con everywhere?"

"He's a pro for Harvard."

"He's also a con." Lorelai pointed out and Rory snatched the lists off her, reading through the additions she'd made after Jess left the previous night.

"Right..."

"Why is that? I thought you guys would be over the moon if you could go off to school together,"

"Yeah, well, I sort of am."

"How can you sort of..."

"I already had this conversation with Luke; couldn't you just talk to him about it?"

"No, I don't think so, not when it's about you."

"I give you permission to talk about me, its fine."

"Rory what's going on?"

"He's going to Harvard, no question, and everyone's always known that. The only reason I ever thought about college was because of him, and I don't want everyone to think I picked that one because of him too. I don't want to look like a sheep."

"But it would be stupid to just rule out an amazing place that could make you even more amazing because someone else is there. If you want to go to Harvard, go to Harvard. If you want to go to Princeton, go to Princeton. Like I told you when you were trying to decide whether or not to go to Chilton – forget everyone else and just decide what you wanna do."

"I'm trying to, but it's hard."

"Alright," Lorelai nodded, "so, does that mean you're going to have to keep adding things to these lists until one of them screams 'pick me!'?"

"That's pretty much the plan, yeah."

"Well, from what I saw, one of them is already doing that." Rory looked between the papers in her hand and her mother. "Can I just take another look? Make sure I wasn't imagining things?" Rory sighed.

"Knock yourself out; I'm going to go order some dinner,"

"Sounds great." Lorelai told her, sitting on the couch and spreading the three sheets on the coffee table.

When Rory climbed into bed that night, instead of hitting the soft pillow, her head landed on paper. She sat up, turned her lamp on and looked at the paper curiously. There at the bottom of her Harvard pro column where the words 'PICK ME!' in her mother's handwriting, as well as a folded up Harvard banner that she'd obviously borrowed from Jess. That's why she wanted to go get the food, and why she took so long, Rory mused.

Looking around the room a little she found the other lists on her desk and read through them all slowly.

Maybe it was the lateness of the hour, maybe she was just sick of trying to make the decision, but as Rory stared at the supposedly 'helpful' lists that she'd drawn up, and the crimson material on her bed, she made up her mind.

Scrunching a couple of sheets into a ball and tossing them into the bin, Rory then took the one remaining and pinned it to the cork board leaning on her desk.

"Hello Harvard," she said quietly, picking up the banner and moving it to her desk before lying down in her bed again and closing her eyes.

AN: Well, there you have it, we're off to Harvard! (Yay?) It was always the dream, so I figured it was about time she got there, and getting to have her cute boyfriend there with her as well, what could be better than that? Plus, this will ensure she never has to deal with Marty or Logan, (that's definitely a good thing right?)