October 1985

"Julieeet! Where's my favorite sister?" Lorelai called in a sing-song voice, coming into Juliet's room and plopping down on the bed next to her.

"What, Lorelai? I'm trying to do my homework," Juliet said with a roll of her eyes, but put her pencil down anyway. "Do you need me to take Rory for a bit? She doesn't make as much noise as you do."

Lorelai exhaled in frustration. "No, the nanny kicked me out of her room,"

"Again? Seriously? Why?"

"Mom thinks she's 'too attached' to me. She threw a fit yesterday when she found out I was getting up with her at night instead of letting her self-soothe. Apparently, I'm spoiling her," She rolled her eyes. "God forbid a child actually likes her mother in the Gilmore house!"

Juliet huffed in understanding as she covered Lorelai's hand with her own."I'm sorry, Lor."

"Thanks," Lorelai said, her eyes focused on the comforter's floral pattern.

Then, she took a deep breath, sitting up cross-legged and facing Juliet. Juliet mirrored her, furrowing her brow.

"I need a favor."

"Anything. Well, not anything. I refuse to listen to Barry Manilow with you."

"It's not that."

Juliet raised her eyebrows. Lorelai always rose to the bait whenever she mocked her Barry Manilow obsession. "Okay, you sound serious. What is it?"

"I need you to cover for me tonight."

"What? Are you going to a party? You haven't done that since you found out about Rory! Not that you shouldn't have fun just because you have a kid, but you don't really seem like you want –"

"It's not for a party," she said, cutting Juliet off by placing a hand on her knee. Juliet tilted her head, waiting for Lorelai to elaborate. "I can't stay here. It's bad for me, and it's bad for Rory."

All the air went out of Juliet's lungs.

"You're leaving me?" she asked quietly, hating how childish her voice sounded.

Lorelai's eyes filled with tears. "I don't want to leave you. I wouldn't, Jules, if it were just me. But I have to think about what's best for Rory. I can't stay here, knowing that they won't let me be around my baby as much as we both need. I can't let them do to Rory what they did to us."

"No, no, I get it," Juliet said, exhaling shakily. "I'm gonna miss you guys, though,"

"I'm gonna miss you too," Lorelai said, leaning forward and hugging her tightly.

Juliet buried her face in Lorelai's shoulder, her fingers curling into her shirt. They held onto each other for a long moment, then pulled back, both wiping at their eyes.

"Oh, crap," Juliet chuckled wetly, wiping at the large mascara-smudged tear stain on Lorelai's shirt. "Sorry about your shirt."

"Eh, at least it's not spit-up," Lorelai said with a wave of her hand.

"So, why do you need me to cover for you? Mom and Dad are at a function tonight, you could just leave while they're gone."

"I want to leave before they do, so I have a longer head start. And that would work a lot better if they don't know I'm gone until after they get back."

Juliet nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. "Okay. I'll think of something to tell them."

"Thank you," Lorelai exhaled, reaching forward and hugging her again. She pulled back, reaching into her pocket for a folded piece of paper. "Can you put this on the table after they're gone? I don't want you to be the one who has to tell them."

"Yeah, I can do that," Juliet said softly, staring at the paper in her hand as her vision blurred with tears.

"Hey," Lorelai said, putting her hand on her arm gently, "I'll call you when I get there, I promise."

"Where are you going?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know yet. Somewhere Emily and Richard won't think to look."

"Okay. Then let me just. . ." Juliet rolled off her bed, walked to her dresser, and grabbed a tea tin full of money. She pulled all of the bills out and handed them to Lorelai. "Here."

"Jules, I can't take this."

"Yes, you can! You don't know how quickly you'll find a job, and it's not like I'm spending this money on anything important. I was just gonna buy candy or something."

"I don't know," Lorelai said, smiling, "candy's pretty important. Especially Red Vines."

"I was thinking Twizzlers, actually."

Lorelai gasped. "Twizzlers? How are we related?"

"I must be adopted. I guess you'll have to take the money so I don't give business to Twizzler." Juliet said with a playful shrug.

"Well, when you put it like that. . ." Lorelai trailed off as her face turned from joking to contemplative. "I don't know, Jules. It doesn't feel right."

"It's for Rory, remember?"

Lorelai hesitated, staring at the money in her hand.

"It's too much."

"It's not a big deal. You'd do the same for me."

"It's a very big deal. Especially since I'm not doing the same for you. I'm supposed to take care of you, not the other way around."

"What have you been doing for the last fourteen years? You've never not put me first, Lor. Now we just both have to put Rory first."

"You're a really good sister," Lorelai said sincerely, pocketing the money. "And a great aunt."

"Great Aunt Juliet, huh?" Juliet joked, ignoring the sentimentality that often made them both uneasy.

"Oh, yes!" Lorelai said in an uppity British accent. "Great Aunt Juliet, who only eats tea and crumpets!"

"And embroiders pillowcases!"

"And never takes her giant hat off, even to sleep!" The accent was getting even more ridiculous.

"I suppose she's above helping her dearest sister pack, then?"

"Of course, but not above keeping her company while she packs!" Lorelai said, grabbing Juliet's hand and pulling her toward her bedroom, delaying their goodbye for a few more minutes.

The sound of Emily's blow dryer disguised Rory's babbling as the three of them walked down the stairs a few hours later. Lorelai was holding Rory on her hip and carrying a duffel bag with her free hand, while Juliet carried Rory's stroller and diaper bag.

"Dad won't be home for another hour or so," said Lorelai, helping Juliet get the stroller upright as best she could with her hands full. "We have plenty of time before they notice we're gone."

"If they ask, I'll say Rory was colicky or something and you took her for a walk."

"God, you're a good liar. I've taught you well."

"Yes, you have," Juliet nodded, already feeling heat behind her eyes.

"A good sister I am," said Lorelai in what was quite possibly the worst Yoda impression Juliet had ever heard. It was so bad that Juliet's anguish faded and she burst out laughing, which made Rory giggle and clap her hands.

Lorelai smiled at her daughter, handing her over to Juliet briefly.

"Say bye-bye to Auntie Jules, honey."

"Bye-bye," said Rory, happily opening and closing her hand. Lorelai had instructed her to say goodbye to Juliet enough times before she left for school in the mornings for her to not think anything different of saying it now.

"Bye, babe. I love you," Juliet said, holding Rory close for a moment, before pulling away and pressing a kiss to her niece's downy cheek.

Lorelai held her hands out, taking her daughter from Juliet and gently securing her into the stroller, tucking a fluffy blanket around her. Without anything to do with her hands, Juliet put them in the pockets of her sweatpants, rocking back on her heels.

"Got everything you need?"

"And more," said Lorelai, patting her back pocket that held the money from Juliet. "Thank you."

"Of course."

Lorelai glanced around, making sure she wasn't forgetting anything. Taking a deep breath, she smiled sadly at Juliet.

"Okay. I guess this is. . .um, I guess this is goodbye for now," she said, tucking her hair behind her ears and avoiding Juliet's eyes, the way she always did when she didn't want her sister to see her cry.

"See you later," Juliet corrected in a choked voice.

"Yeah, I like that better," Lorelai reached for her, wrapping her arms around her sister. There was still enough of a height difference between them that Lorelai could tuck Juliet's head beneath her chin, but the gap was rapidly shrinking.

They stood together for a few minutes, neither wanting to be the first to let go. They let their tears fall more freely now that they weren't making eye contact, and Juliet could feel her hair becoming just as soaked as she was sure Lorelai's jacket was. Lorelai finally pulled away when Rory whimpered indignantly at being left out.

Squeezing Juliet's shoulders one last time, Lorelai swung her bags over her shoulder.

"Ready, kid?" She said, turning to Rory with a bright smile. Rory babbled incoherently in response. "That sounds like a yes to me!"

Juliet opened the door for them, wiping her eyes.

"I'll call you," Lorelai promised.

"You better!"

Lorelai gave her a watery smile as she pushed the stroller down the driveway. Juliet stood in the open doorway, watching them go. Lorelai turned over her shoulder and waved at her just before they went out of sight. Juliet waved back, and went inside, quietly closing the door behind her so the maid wouldn't be alerted, and walking upstairs to finish her homework.

Notes:

So, I know I said just one more chapter before this part of the story is finished, but I ended up breaking this section into two parts. I have decided to continue this story into the original series, but I'll probably break it up into multiple stories. Feel free to let me know your thoughts, good or bad, or ideas you have for how our girl might affect the story! I have a plot idea that I really like, but it's definitely not set in stone yet. Thank you for reading!