Author's Note: Sorry, sorry for not posting in a while, but new job and new routine. But haven't forgot about the story, just taking time to edit. I also still don't own anything, so anything sounds familiar, it's probably from original.

Chapter 16

Her Comparative Politics class ended moments before Rory's cell started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Thank God! Did you return that blue sweater?"

"Oh, no."

"Answer, please?"

"Two days ago."

"Why?"

"Why? Because two days ago, you asked me to take it back. Demanded me, in fact."

"And suddenly, you're just so freaking reliable that you just hop to it and do whatever I say?"

"I've always been freaking reliable. It's how I was raised."

"So, blame me."

"I am not returning the blue sweater again. So, don't think about asking."

"But I want it. I need it."

"I've already returned the capri pants twice. I've tried to return a couple of your other items that were all-sales-final which make me look retail-simple. And this is not the first but the second time I will have returned the blue sweater."

"Ooh, the capri pants, have you taken those back yet?"

"I can't show my face in any stores in New Haven. They think I'm paper mooning them."

"She was very cute in Paper Moon. You're very cute, too."

"Calling me cute is not going to persuade me. And I have classes. A life."

"Monday afternoon, that's you free time. Right? I remember some bragging to that effect. Go back on Monday. "

"Oh, well, Monday used to be free."

"Used to be? It's not free anymore?"

"I guess it slipped my mind to tell you the last few days. Um, I actually got an internship."

"Really?"

"Kind of an important, high-profile one."

"Wow! That's great!"

"It's for a newspaper in Stanford that Logan's dad acquired. He offered me the spot himself."

"Logan's dad?"

"Yeah. It was kind of out of the blue."

"How does he know about your interest in journalism?"

"He said he remembered Grandpa bending his ear about me, and when Logan mentioned me...I guess he thought it was a good fit."

"Oh, when did you hear?"

"A few days ago. I start on Monday."

"Wow. Congratulations."

"It's a pretty amazing opportunity."

"Yeah, sounds like it. You'll be having lunch with the op-ed editors from the Times hanging out with Peter Jennings. Dan Rather will be valet-parking your car."

"Yeah, it's more likely that I'll be pulling wire reports off the AP machine, but sure."

"Good. So, no worries on the blue sweater front."

"It's off my radar screen."

"Really? So, you're really not gonna make the effort?"

"I'll see if I can swing by on Tuesday."

"Just send your assistant. You're getting an assistant, right?"

"Oh, I'm sure. I'll see you Friday night."

"Bye, Hun."

"Bye."

ooo

On Friday night, Rory was eating dinner as usual with the grandparents.

"Tennis lessons. That sounds great, Grandma." Rory tried to feign interest in Emily Gilmore's new hobby.

"I've always liked tennis. And I have to say I'm excited by the prospect of getting some good, healthy exercise."

"I'm excited by the prospect of those fetching tennis costumes." Her grandfather added, suggestively.

"Richard, not in front of Rory." Emily warned.

"Oh, I'm fairly worldly now, Grandma," defended Rory.

"She was a heck of a tennis player in her day." Richard, ignoring them, boasted about his wife. "And very competitive."

"I wasn't that competitive."

"This woman was kicked off the field hockey team at Smith for elbowing Ceacy Evertz in the neck."

"She got in the way." added Emily casually.

"This happened in the parking lot after the game." Her grandpa added.

"Now, now," Emily said dismissively. "Rory, tell us more about this internship. It sounds very exciting."

"Well, all I really know is that I'm going to be shadowing Mitchum Huntzberger just sort of learn and observe, plus pitching in here and there," Rory explained, and it's true that was really all the details she had received when she called the newspaper office.

"You are going to learn a hell of a lot." Richard affirmed.

"It was very sweet of Logan to arrange this for you," Emily fawned. It seemed she was still thinking that Rory was on good terms with the young Huntzberger.

"Well, actually Mitchum Huntzberger offered it to me himself," Rory clarified.

"Really?" Emily said, clearly surprised.

"How about that? He just called you up?" Richard who also seemed to be surprised as well. "Your reputation for excellence preceded you?"

"Well, he came by Yale, and actually he said that you inspired him to seek me out." Rory stated, simply.

"Well, that's wonderful, Rory. Let's celebrate. Diana, bring some champagne." Emily immediately called for the maid, before returning her attention back to Rory. "Are you sure that Logan did not bend his father's ear? You two sure seemed awfully cozy at the wedding."

"No, not really. I was just being polite."

"Now, there would be a lovely match between you and him. The Huntzbergers are a lovely, prestigious family in our community and that boy is turning into a fine gentleman. He will one day inherit his dad's company, you know," stated Richard.

"Oh, yes, what a handsome, upstanding man he's becoming, indeed. He would make a great husband, perhaps you should let your availability for courtship be known," her grandmother added suggestively and excitedly.

Too excitedly, thought Rory.

"I'm not sure I'm his type, Grandma." Rory said, hoping that will halt this conversation.

"Oh, posh." Emily said as she beckoned. "He doesn't know what he wants. You're a Gilmore.

ooo

As most Friday nights, Rory was driving home, exhausted from dinner with the elder Gilmores. She was heading back to Stars Hollow because Rory had plans to go see her best friend, Lane and her band Hep Alien, at 3 am at Plaza Duplo-4th Street. Her genius plan was to go to her mom's house, go to bed early, set the clock for 2 o'clock, get up and go rock. But first, she had to make a delivery to her mom at Luke's with the promise of lemon pie.

"Here's your blue sweater. And I hope you're happy, 'cause the saleswoman called me a name. Where's my pie?"

"Luke, pie!" called out Lorelai.

"What do we think?"

"It's great."

"Huh."

"No."

"I thought it was light blue."

"No. It was dark blue."

"Did they have one that was light blue?"

"You are officially banned from ever shopping in New Haven again."

"Well, thank God I have you to do it for me."

Luke placed the pie plate in front of her.

"Hey, Luke. You're the only one I like around here at the moment."

"Right back at you," answered the gruff diner owner.

While tucking her hair behind her ears, Lorelai started. "Okay, so, other than your stylist duties, what else is going on in the life of the young and the hopeful?"

"I'm considering taking Russian."

"Very practical. How's Marty?"

"He's fine. Just, you know, very occupied with his multiple jobs. I swear he has so many jobs around campus, in a couple years, his resume could rival Kirk's."

"Wow." Lorelai knew by the way Rory looked that something was up. "How was dinner?"

"Oh, you know... Grandma."

"Yes, I do know her, although it has been nice not having to go to those dinners every Friday night." Lorelai gloated. She noticed that Rory still looked distracted. "What happened?"

"Well, I told them about the internship..."

"Oh no,"

"And how Mitchum offered it to me himself..."

"And?"

"They all but started planning my wedding into the Huntzberger family."

"Oh, God."

"Yeah. She even told me I should declare my 'availability for courtship' to Logan."

"Oh, wow, how many goats are they trading you for?"

"I don't know, but I know that Marty wouldn't like it. He's got this irrational fear of goats."

"Noted, when Marty asks, I only deal in cows."

Rory could only respond with a half-hearted smile, but still could not shake the steam-rolled feeling from what was said to her by her grandparents.

In the last few years, she had witnessed Emily and Richard Gilmore insert themselves into her mother's love life, by trying to get her to reconcile with her father, Christopher Hayden. It had recently happened again when Emily allegedly told her father to come to the vow renewal to win back her mother once and for all. Emily had blatantly disregarded that her mother was finally with Luke and that she was happy. This was the reason her mom and her grandmother had not spoken in weeks, with no reunion in sight.

Rory had also noticed that from the time she introduced them to Dean, her grandparents had been increasingly dabbling in her own love life. While she was with Dean, they had invited her entire class from Chilton behind her back with the excuse that she should socialize with the right kind. When she was with Jess, her mother had been able to stop them from interfering because that was when they found out her father was having a baby with someone else. Last year, the novelty of Yale had kept her grandparents at bay, but earlier this year, she was shanghai-ed by them yet again with a party full of their friends' eligible bachelor sons despite being back with Dean, at the time.

Rory knew that she would eventually have to tell the grandparents about her relationship with Marty before they found out somehow. However, Rory was prolonging doing this, by wanting to protect the novelty of the relationship with him. She was also not ready for whatever reaction they were going to have. After all, Marty was not from a societal background nor he did care that her last name was Gilmore, so Rory could only deduce they will treat him similarly as Dean, Jess and Luke.

But she would worry about that another night, Rory needed to get to bed to get to Lane's show.

At promptly 12:30 am, Rory felt a weight on her bed which woke her up. Her mother's voice said, "Do you want me to talk to her?"

Rory turned the clock to confirm the time. "12:30?"

"I mean I'm already on bad terms with her, what's one more fight?"

"Can't we talk about this tomorrow?" Rory begged as she desired to back to sleep.

"It is tomorrow. I just don't think it's right. Especially, since they don't know the whole story. I mean I am your mom, and we are very close, in case you haven't heard, so if anyone should be negotiating for livestock, it should be me."

"Grandma and Grandpa are just trying to help."

"Helping is too nice way of putting it. Fine. But I have half a mind to call them up to give them a piece of my mind,"

"That would involve actually talking to them," Rory pointed out, hoping that would end the conversation and Lorelai's rant.

"But I'm not talking to Grandma."

"Well, you would have to talk to her, if you want to let her know all that."

"No, I don't."

"Mom."

"I don't! I can just call her, not let her get a word in and hang up."

"That won't work." Rory said impatiently. "Now, I have to get up in two hours, so if you don't mind, beat it."

"But-" protested Lorelai.

"Hey. Sleeping."

Her mom left the room, not before she turned on the ceiling light, accidentally on purpose in her sulking for having poked holes in her plan's logistics.