A/N: If it seems like Gigi's dance teacher should be played by Sutton Foster, just go with it.

Chapter 10

Gigi perspired heavily as she jumped. The small jumps strengthened her feet, ankles, and knees before moving on to a couple petite allegros. She was in her spare bedroom, where she'd had large mirrors installed, along with a barre. Her teacher, Michelle, was leading her in a lesson. She was in her late forties now, still thin and agile on the dance floor. They had started at the barre exercises before moving on to center work.

"Good," Michelle said. "I think we have just enough time for fouettes."

Gigi did the series of turns as requested before they called it a day. They were in her kitchen hydrating a short while later when her doorbell rang. She glanced at the time and her brow lowered. Chris was on the other side of the door when she opened it. "You're early." She rested her hand on her hip, frowning at him.

"Whoa, I'm having a flashback to when you were seven," he said, taking her in. She was still in her leotard and tights. "Except you gave me that look when we were running late." He peered passed Gigi into the apartment, seeing her guest. "Am I interrupting?"

"We were just finishing." She opened the door to let him in and gestured to the older woman. "Dad, you remember Michelle from my ballet classes."

"Sure," he said, smiling and offering her his hand to shake.

"Hi," she said. "I'll get out of the way, if you guys have plans."

"You don't have to rush off," he said. "I'm early anyway. We were just going out for dinner." Gigi agreed to a weekly dinner with her dad, as long as it wasn't Friday night.

"Oh, that's nice," Michelle said with a smile.

"Go ahead and get ready," Chris told Gigi. "I'll wait."

"Fine. Same time next week?" she asked the woman.

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

She went upstairs to take a quick shower before putting on a pair of jeans and a sweater. When she descended the stairs, she caught the tail end of Chris saying something lame. And then Michelle laughed at it. Wait, she was still here? Gigi joined them, raising a brow at her dad.

"That was fast," he said. "We were just talking." He turned to Michelle. "Hey, do you have any plans tonight? Why don't you join us?"

"For dinner? I don't want to impose on you father-daughter bonding time."

"You don't mind, do you Gi'g?" he asked.

She raised her shoulders and shook her head. "No, you can come, if you want."

"Okay," Michelle said. "I need to go change first, and ask my babysitter to stay late. I won't hold you up?"

"Not at all. We'll pick you up."

When Michelle had gone, Gigi stared at her father. "What are you doing?"

"What?" he asked, residual smile still on his face. "I'm being polite. She doesn't have any plans, she should come with us."

Gigi refilled her glass with water. "You were flirting. I heard you." She drained half the glass before stopping.

"What? That wasn't flirting," he said, as though she was being completely absurd. "I was just talking."

"No, you were flirting, and you just asked her out. When will you learn that impressionism is not your friend?"

"I'm going to need you to elaborate on that one."

She sat her glass next to the sink and turned back. "Michelle is a spunky, pretty brunette."

"So?"

"So, Lorelai is too. Maybe it's subconscious, I don't know, but you get your hopes up about women when you date. Then when she doesn't make the right references or like old movies, you're disappointed. I'm worried that you can't let Lorelai go and be happy with someone else," Gigi said. "I don't like being sad for you, but you make me sad sometimes. I understand Lorelai will always be special to you, but she can't be the most special."

Chris protested, "Come on, I know Lorelai and I don't work. It was just a nice idea in the back of our minds for a long time."

"I know you know. But that doesn't mean you don't still measure other women with the Gilmore stick."

"Well, no one else compares to a Gilmore girl." His lips quirked to a half smile.

She didn't smile back. She glared. "Stop that. Stop worshipping the ground Lorelai walks on. You will never be happy as long as you keep her on that pedestal," Gigi said. "The rest of us feel like we aren't as pretty or smart, or as fun. And it's a shitty feeling."

He paused silently for a moment. "Us?"

"Yes, us. All of us incomparably inferior non-Gilmore's. Do you want to know the real reason I entertained the idea of going into newspapers?" she asked. "I desperately wanted to better than Rory at something." She added, "Might as well beat her at her own game."

He looked at her strangely. "What?"

"I hate that the best I can do is maybe come in second to her, if I'm lucky, because she's allegedly superior." She asked, "What if Mom was with some guy, and I wouldn't shut up about how great he is? The absolute best, most wonderful guy in the whole world. A real mensch. But don't worry, Dad, I won't compare you to him, because no one could possibly come close to him." She asked, "How would that make you feel?"

"Okay, it would suck." He thought about it some more. "It would suck a lot. I'd hate it," he said. "And probably develop a complex. I would definitely hate the guy." He looked up at her with a frown. "Do you hate Rory? I don't want you to hate your sister."

"I don't hate her," Gigi said. "I'm not as angry as I used to be. But I used to be."

"I'm sorry," he said. "That was my fault. I didn't know how it felt."

"Just keep in mind she and I are different, but that doesn't make her better."

He nodded. "Okay. That's fair."

"And that goes for other women, too. Different from a Gilmore girl doesn't mean inferior." She took a deep breath. "So, I think you need to find someone who's the opposite of Lorelai."

"Opposite."

She nodded. "Yes, to rule out all possibility of settling for a second rate, Lorelai 2.0." She thought of Jennifer Stiles. "Maybe you should find a nice blond."

Chris smiled again and shook his head. "Nice try, but it doesn't work with your mom and me, either."

This time, she frowned at him like he was crazy. She shook her head quickly. "No, not Mom. I'm just saying, if you find someone totally different, you won't get your hopes up if she's almost-but-not-close-enough to Lorelai." She added, "Learn to appreciate someone for who they are instead of being disappointed by who they aren't."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "You're overthinking this."

They gave Michelle a 30 minute head start before going to pick her up. "Good news," she said when she opened the door to her apartment. "My mom can stay to watch my son for a couple more hours."

"Great," Chris said. "We won't keep you out too late."

They went to a pizza place for dinner, probably not where Chris and Gigi were originally going to go, but that was okay. Gigi had a big salad with a slice of pizza.

"So how old is your son?" Chris asked.

"Eight. He just started third grade," Michelle answered.

"Third, he must be on multiplication."

She nodded. "I'm worried how soon I won't be able to help him with math," she said. "I know the day is coming."

Chris nodded. "I remember long nights helping this one with projects."

Somewhat cynical, but not trying to be mean, Gigi said, "I reaped the benefits of his guilt."

He explained, "I have another daughter, Rory. I was in high school. I wasn't around when she was growing up. I never forgave myself for that, and I've tried to do better the second time around."

Michelle looked at Gigi. "I think you did a pretty good job. Gigi worked hard when she was younger. She'd improve, but still insist she wasn't good enough."

Chris looked at his daughter, concern apparent. Gigi's gaze fell to her plate. He agreed, "She is a hard worker. She puts me to shame." Feeling out other places of common ground, he asked Michelle, "So, have you been married?"

"Once—Ethan's dad. We were only married three years before he died in an accident. Ethan was still in diapers."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's tough."

She nodded. "Yeah, it's just the two of us." She asked, "What about you?"

Gigi chewed a bite of salad and watched how her dad would handle the question. She was so sure Chris had difficulty connecting with his dates because no one could stand up next to Lorelai. But maybe his marital status was off-putting, and not the best way to make a good first impression. And when was the last time Gigi went on a first date, anyway? It was probably hard.

"Uh, yeah, I've been married," he said. He took a sip of his soda. "Gigi's mom and I were married for a couple years—until she left for a job in Paris."

Defensively, Gigi added, "But he was just trying to do the right thing there, since he didn't get to the first time. It was ingrained in his mind at a very young age that getting married is the only way to correct unplanned pregnancy."

"Ah," Michelle said with a nod, brows raised slightly. "I don't think that's true."

"Something I've learned the hard way," Chris said. "Twice. Rory's mom and I tried about 20 years too late."

Again, Gigi interjected, "But the French elopement is highly questionable. I don't think you guys were ever legally married."

Chris and Lorelai would have needed birth certificates and proof of divorce, along with a permit proving they had resided in France for at least 40 days. Gigi doubted they had any of that on hand. The officiant could have been lecturing them about these requirements, for all they knew.

To Gigi, he said, "Sometimes you forget I can pay people off." Then he turned his attention back to Michelle. "It was spur of the moment—when we took Gigi to see her mom in Paris for the first time."

Apparently missing the point of the story, Michelle asked Gigi, "How old were you?"

"Almost four."

Michelle took a bite of salad, watching the younger woman thoughtfully. "Did you remember her?"

Gigi rocked her head back and forth. "Not really."

Chris turned a frown on her. "You didn't remember her?"

"You told me my mom wanted to see me, and I wanted a mom." She shrugged. "That's all that mattered."

"I didn't mean to leave you with a stranger." He cringed and glanced at Michelle. "Even the second time around, I am not nailing it."

Gigi shrugged again. "It's okay." She had wished her dad had stayed with her in Paris though.

Michelle said, "I wish Ethan had his dad around, all the time. I think it's just going to get harder when he gets older."

Chris nodded. "It will be."

She smiled a little. "You could sugar coat it a little for me. I'd be okay with that."

"I believe honesty is the best policy," he flirted back, grinning.

Gigi allowed them each to get another back and forth in before she said, "It wasn't so bad having a single dad. Like when I got my first period and he offered to get me anything I needed."

Michelle asked, "What did you need?"

"A laptop."

She grinned. "Nice."

Gigi asked Chris, "Hey, did you know Michelle has performed on Broadway?"

"Broadway? Wow, really?"

"Oh yeah, back before I got married. I was in a few shows."

"Anything I've heard of?"

She nodded and took a sip. "I did some dancing and singing in Thoroughly Modern Millie. I've starred alongside Brian D'arcy James. And I did Young Frankenstein."

"Hey, Mel Brooks, you can't go wrong there." Then, to Gigi's chagrin, he quoted, "It's Frankensteen."

She cringed, just happy he didn't know any of the songs from the aforementioned musicals. But Michelle smiled at his impression.

When she excused herself to the restroom, Chris asked Gigi, "What was all that about? Are you embarrassed by my two failed marriages?" He added, "I'm not saying I'm proud, but you seemed a little defensive there."

"It just—it sounds worse than it is, when you really think about it. Setting aside the fact that you've been overly eager to commit for the wrong reasons, the right woman could still be out there."

"And what would the right reason be?" he asked, as though quizzing her rather than not knowing the answer. He didn't want her to repeat his mistakes. Even if he did have enough money for her to do so.

She was silent for a couple beats. Then, "Love is romantic and all, but probably not enough. . . Both people have to want to be in it."

He grinned a little and nodded. "Smart."

They didn't leave when they were finished eating, instead ordering dessert and a few rounds of drinks while they talked. Well, Chris and Michelle talked, Gigi mostly listened. She found herself feeling like the third wheel. There weren't many patrons left in the restaurant when they decided to call it a night.

"Thanks for inviting me, I had a good time," Michelle said when they stopped at her apartment. "It was good to go out. I never get to go out."

"Oh, well, we should do it again some time," Chris said, congenially. He glanced at Gigi for confirmation, but she frowned at him. "Are you doing anything Saturday night?"

"I'm not, but I'd have to get a sitter for Ethan."

Gigi looked from Michelle to Chris, and decided to throw him a bone, "I could watch him."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We can hang out." She looked at her dad. "At the house, you have video games. Boys like video games, right?"

Chris looked at Michelle. "I haven't played them in ages." He blinked. "I'm an adult."

She chuckled and smiled. "Okay. Saturday."

"Saturday," he repeated.

She looked at Gigi. "Don't slack off. We still have a lesson next week, even if I have a crummy time with him."

The corner of Gigi's mouth lifted slightly. "Okay."

When it was just the two of them, Chris said, "Hey, that was nice of you to offer."

Gigi considered him a moment. "Well, I want you to date. But I don't want to go on the dates with you."

"I should get going," he said, heading for the door.

"Hey, Dad."

He turned back. "Yeah?"

Then she wasn't sure how to say it. "About what we talked about earlier, as far as father figures go, I would only feel like your daughter." Gigi tried to choose her words carefully, "Rory too. Even though you aren't alone in paternal affection for her, and you've made mistakes, she—from what I've seen—she only reciprocates with you." Gigi shook her head. "I'm sorry, this isn't coming out very well."

"I think I understand what you're saying," Chris said with nod. "And, thanks. It means a lot."

XXX

Gigi watched Ethan move his playing piece three spaces forward to slide down the ramp, bumping off her piece.

"Sorry!" he said with a cheeky grin, taking pleasure in putting her green pawn back Home.

"I'm going to remember that," she told him. She flipped over the next card in the stack and moved one of her pawns back a space.

It was early December, and Chris was still dating Michelle. Gigi was cautiously optimistic. Luckily, Michelle didn't depend on her to watch Ethan every time they went out. Gigi didn't mind hanging out with the boy now and then.

Ethan was kneeling in front of her coffee table, surveying the board. He scratched his head in thought, ruffling his light brown hair before flipping the next card. His jaw dropped comically when Gigi's cat jumped on the table, taking a few steps across the game board and knocking over some of the pieces. "Hey!"

She picked up her feline friend and held him to her chest. "See? He saw what you just did. He's defending my honor." She whispered to her cat, "Thank you, but I can take him." She showed no mercy, and won the game. "Do you want to play the grownup way this time?" she asked as they reset the board.

"Yeah," he said brightly. "What's the grownup way?"

She picked up the deck of cards to give them a quick shuffle, then dealt them each five cards. "You get to pick which one of those you want to use, and then you draw a new one. And we get points."

"Okay," he said, taking a look at his options. Then he picked up the box with the extra pieces. "How about we use these too?"

She peeked in at the red and yellow pawns. "What will we do with them?"

He picked out half the pieces. "I'll be blue and yellow, and you be green and red." He put all the pawns in their corresponding home bases.

Gigi watched. "All right," she said slowly. "But how about the red and yellow guys can only go around the board backwards, not forwards."

Ethan thought about it. "Only four can go back."

"And when you get a 10, you can go back one."

"That's going to take them a long time to get around."

"I know, they can be for extra points." Her phone buzzed from the lamp table, so she reached over to answer.

"Hey, how's it going?" Chris asked.

"Fine. We're playing board games."

"Good. Uh, would it be okay if Ethan stays there overnight?"

"I guess," she said slowly. "Why?" Her brain kicked in and she shook her head quickly. "Ew, don't answer that." She hopped up to go in the next room.

"Thanks, things are going well and we thought since we've been going out for—"

"Stop stop stop stop," she interrupted. "I don't need details." They ended the call and she went back to the living room, wondering what she should tell the eight year old. She took her seat on the couch. "So, that was my dad. I told him we were having such a good time playing games that your mom said it would be okay if you stayed, and we can stay up all night."

Ethan's brows shot up. "All night?"

"Yeah, unless you fall asleep."

"I won't," he said confidently.

He was passed out on the couch two hours later, half way through the movie he picked. Gigi stopped it and looked around. She put a blanket over Ethan and turned the lights off. She took her phone and went to her room. She was glad her dad was having a good time with Michelle. It was nice, to have someone. Gigi scrolled down her list of contacts, to the very bottom. She looked at the last name for a few seconds before she tapped it.

"Hi, it's Gigi. I'm just sitting at home by myself and I . . . I don't know, I wanted to hear your voice."

She wanted to tell him she was toying with teaching ballet classes with Michelle. She needed to tell him she decided what direction to take her career. She wasn't going to travel long distance anymore. It wasn't her life goal to travel anyway. The notion was always in her head, that one should want to travel and see the world. But she'd already seen Europe, and if she wanted to go to Asia, Chris would be more than willing to pay her way. He had for Rory, when she finished her first big journalism assignment.

That meant she wouldn't be going to Seattle anymore. It was for Xavier's own good. It would be better for him for her to stay away. He could go on with his life without her sporadic disruptions.

Xavier didn't say anything at first. "We've been missing each other."

"I've been busy," she said, quite sure he knew she was avoiding his calls at work. It was probably obvious when she forwarded him to his dad or sister when his name popped up on the caller ID. More lately though, Sloan had not been coming to the office. Gigi was curious why that was. There seemed to have been a dustup between father and daughter. She had overheard the other girl argue to Jason, "You can't decide that for me." Gigi wanted to ask Xavier what that was about.

Instead, she just asked, "How have you been?"

"Fine," he said, somewhat stilted. "I'm, uh, on a date."

Her heart sank all the way down to her stomach. "Oh." She was speechless for a moment as her eyes filled with tears, then she was a little upset with him. "Why did you answer if you're on a date?"

"I don't know. She's in the restroom and your name popped up on my phone, and you haven't—I haven't—I just answered."

"I'm sorry, I'll let you go. Get back to your date." Gigi fought the lump in her throat. "She could be the one."

"What? Wait—"

She hung up before the tears started to fall.

XXX

After Chris walked Michelle and Ethan to her car the next morning, Gigi asked, "So it's going well?" She was tired. She had not slept well.

"Yeah, we have a lot of fun," he said. "You know what I really like about her?"

"What?"

"We both have a lot of stories about our kids, but after I tell one about you, she can match it with one of her own," he said. The woman had seen Gigi in some of her best and worst moments in her childhood. "It's just really nice to share stories with someone who knows you. I've never had anyone like that before." Then Chris segued, "Hey, so, the holidays are coming."

"I know. I'm going to order tickets for the Nutcracker." She paused a beat. "We could ask Michelle if she and Ethan want to come with us, if you want."

He grinned. "Really? That was always our thing, you wouldn't mind inviting other people?"

She shrugged. "Our club isn't that exclusive."

"Alright, yeah, we can ask them." Then he said, "I actually wanted to give you your present early." He slid a key across the table over to Gigi.

She stared at it for a moment. "What does it go to?"

"Your very own pied-a-terre in Paris," he said happily, as though he was sure this was just what she wanted.

She stayed overly calm as she played dumb, "What do I need an apartment in Paris for?"

His shoulders dropped and he gave her a withering look. "Come on, you know why," he said. "You haven't been there in a few years, and your mom has asked when you're going to visit. I thought this way, you'd have your own place—if you want to, you know, get away."

"I don't want to visit."

"She's your mom, Gi'g, she wants to see you."

"Then why doesn't she come here?" Gigi demanded. "Why doesn't she ever come here?"

"I know she's made mistakes, but she's still your mom."

"She does not want to be my mom. She rejected me, and it hurts." Her voice cracked because of the lump in her throat. "Just let me be the one to reject her." She blinked to keep the tears from falling. "Please."

Chris exhaled heavily and nodded reluctantly. "Alright."