A/N: This was already written up before that last chapter was written. I will have more written, I just don't know at what intervals I can write, but in the meantime, a new chapter.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Dialogue used from the series, so if you recognize it, it might be from the original.

Chapter 7

On Friday late afternoon, Rory opened the door to her childhood home in Stars Hallow. She was struggling with her multiple hampers through the doors. She hoped that her mom was home, called out. "Hello?"

"Kitchen." answered her mother from the other side of the house.

Rory took one more attempt at getting her dirty laundry into the house, and she tried to kick it in,
"Ow, that rat bastard."

"Are you okay?"

"Gimme a hand" Rory clearly getting frustrated. Lorelei began to applaud. "Okay, Bob Hope's laughing in heaven but I'm not."

"Bob Hope got into heaven?" encouraged her mother.

"Please grab a bag." Rory pleaded.

"This cannot all be laundry,"

"It's all laundry. The machine's fixed right? Even Marty side-eyed these bags in the car this morning."

"Yes and humming like new. Which one's the rat bastard?

"That one!

"Take that! And that." Lorelei started kicking the bags. Then she paused and asked, "Why was Marty in the car this morning?"

"Oh, he's taking a coach back to Chicago. I dropped him off the bus depot on my way here." Hoping she sounded casual enough and that her mom did not notice the subtle blush that crept to her face. It was indeed what happened in the morning, but she did not mention how they made out for twenty minutes in the parking lot under a "Kiss and Ride" sign.

During the last week, it had been hard to find time in between all their schedules to seeing each other and they lived in the same building. On top of it, he had work and she had the paper. So, seeing him that morning was cathartic.

They were going to be spending their Spring Break in two different regions, two different states. Heck, two different time zones. Rory pouted.

"I wanna get a load going before I go to Grandma's," Rory deflected, and pulled the cloth hampers by the strings through the kitchen.

"Good idea."

She got to the washing machines, and they were both in use. "Hey, you're using it."

"I know."

"Well I called dibs."

"No, you didn't call dibs."

"I'm a college student coming home on Spring Break. That implies dibs on the washer and dryer."

"There is no implied dibs in dibs. If you don't call it, you don't get it."

"Well, this is just wrong." Rory went back to the laundry room to check how much longer. "You are only washing two socks!"

"They were dirty."

"That's wasteful."

"I really wanted to wear them tonight," Lorelei smirked.

"They are your dancing Santa Clause socks. You are not going to wear those for 10 months."

"No, I can wear them eccentrically any time I want."

"Well, then you're gonna have to put one of my loads in while I'm gone." Rory glanced at the time.

"And risk a hernia?"

"I'll never finish otherwise…"

"Fine. I'll do two loads, how's that?"

"Thank you." said Rory, dramatically. "All right, I gotta take off."

Lorelei protested. "Drive safe. You've got gas, right?"

"Yea I got gas."

"Enough gas to get to Hartford?"

Rory nodded, wondering where her mother was going with this.

'Oh well because I've got a $20 -Ah a $20 on the fridge right here. Look! Ho -ho, here it is! I'm not gonna use it. You should use it for gas."

"Is it that obvious I'm broke?" Rory knew where this was going.

"Well, you mentioned the minutes on your cellphone, a hint of panic in your voice, and now the months of saved-up laundry.

"Well, there are no good jobs at Yale, and I'd take anything. Trust me."

Lorelei smiled at Rory deviously, "Well, I took the liberty of asking around town for you, made you sound all pathetic and ragged. And there are a few temporary things that you could take. You are very in demand in Stars Hallow."

"Like what?"

"Well, the radio station needs someone to drive up the hill couple times a day and shoo the cows away from the transmitter."

"I'm not good with livestock."

"Well, the road crew needs a part-time "Slow down" sign-holder-upper. You'd get to wear a helmet."

"I don't think so."

"And I've saved the best for last, Andrew needs help doing inventory at the book store. I think that's probably your best bet."

"That sounds great, actually."

"Cool, just give him a ring."

"Thank you!" Rory hugged her mom and kissed her cheek.

"Now I need to borrow some clothes to get to the dinner."

"You're in clothes." Lorelei protested. "Or do you smell like Marty too much?"

"Oh sure, she'll insist I take my jacket off, and I'm down to my "Give Bush a wedgie" T-shirt."

Lorelei who always encouraged rebellion, was delighted. "Oh, please wear that to Grandma's!"

"I'm gonna borrow some clothes." Rory called as she headed upstairs to her mother's closet.

"There's another $20 in it for you." Lorelei begged.

"Start one of my loads."

"$40! If you snap a picture of her seeing it." Lorelei cried out as a Hail Mary idea.

"Finish your sock." Rory retorted while she picked out dress to wear to her grandmother's.

She did not want to go but out of obligation, she had to. They were after all, paying her tuition but what they did, interfering with her mother's relationship with Luke was very conniving and was a side of them, namely her grandmother that she always detested. How can they treat people like they are so far beneath them? That's the same attitude I see when Logan and his friends talk to Marty. Marty… I better keep that topic under wraps tonight too.

She said goodbye to her mom and she headed out, for what she dreaded was going to be a long boring, passive-aggressive evening.