AN: It's fall and I've decided to re-watch Gilmore Girls. This will be updated slowly as I'm working on this during writer's block for other fics.
Victoria broke off from her sister and Lane and skipped over toward her friend, Haley, who was sitting on the steps of the west entrance of Stars Hollow High.
"Haley!" Victoria called out before she pulled her friend into a hug.
"Hey," Haley said with a laugh, "you're happy this morning."
"Has an extra shot in my coffee this morning," Victoria grinned.
Haley just shook her head and softly laughed, "You ready to head in? I told Jason we'd meet him outside the gym."
"He's already here?" Victoria asked while she looked down at her watch and noticed the time. It was unusual for the boy to get up any earlier than absolutely necessary.
"Apparently the coach wanted an early morning practice. He was not impressed and complained all through the movie last night," Haley said with a roll of her eyes.
"Fun," Victoria chuckled and linked her arm with Haley. Together they ascended the stairs and walked through the large double doors.
"So, you free tonight?"
"I have a shift tonight."
"Again. You've been working every night this week," Haley whined.
"Sorry. You know I'm saving up for a new computer," Victoria explained, "We could do something tomorrow though. Hang out at your place?"
"Can't. I got my schedule and I'm tutoring tomorrow after school. After dinner?" Haley offered.
Victoria nodded, "Should we invite Jason?"
"Probably. You know how sulky he gets when he's left out," Haley said with a chuckle.
Victoria nodded as a flash of red caught her eyes. She looked to her right and her eyes locked with Sam Johnson as she walked by with her two friends Brooke and Kate. Victoria couldn't help her smirk, and it only widened when she saw the blush bloom on Sam's cheeks as she looked away.
"You know, you're going to have to be less obvious if you plan on keeping this hidden from Lorelai."
Victoria looked back toward her best friend and fought down the blush at the amused look in her eyes, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Uh-huh. Sure."
"Hey!" a loud voice called out. Victoria and Haley looked up and saw Jason bound out of the gym in jeans and his basketball jersey.
"How was practice?" Haley asked when he wrapped his lanky arms around her shoulders.
Jason sighed, "It was fine, but why we had to get up at the crack of dawn is beyond me."
"I don't think seven is the crack of dawn," Victoria pointed out.
"Whatever," Jason waved off her comment.
Haley looked at her watch, "Come on. Warning bell is about to go and I for one do not want to be late."
The trio turned and walked to their first class and while the couple was distracted chatting about their latest assignment Victoria took the chance to look back over her shoulder and caught Sam's gaze once more. She smiled at the cheerleader before she turned back around and joined her friend's conversation.
*o*o*
Victoria stood at her locker after her last class of the day when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around and saw her sister and Lane.
"Hey," she nodded.
"Hey, I'm headed over to the Inn. You coming?" Rory asked.
"Not today. I have a shift."
"I thought that was tomorrow," Rory said with a furrowed brow.
"Switched."
Rory nodded, "Got it. Do you want me to let mom know?"
"Told her this morning," Victoria said, "See you guys later."
"Bye," Rory and Lane called out as they went their separate ways.
*o*o*
Victoria walked down the road toward her house. The sun had set, the air had a chill, but she was still wide awake after her sift at the video store. Her house came into view, and she was surprised to see Sookie on the porch with her mother. She looked at the time and frowned. She wasn't late, it was barely past eight. She felt even more confusion when Rory stepped outside wearing a blue plaid skirt.
"What are you wearing?" Victoria called out once she was close enough to be heard.
"Oh my gosh, Vic!" Rory yelled in excitement as she bounded down the stairs, grabbed hold of her, and spun them around.
"Stop. Stop. What's going on?" Victoria laughed once she finally pulled free of Rory. She looked at her mom in confusion and saw the barely contained excitement.
"We're going to Chilton!" Rory said, her smile so wide Victoria was sure that she could count her molars.
"You got into Chilton, Rory I'm so happy for you!" Victoria smiled before the words truly sunk in, "We?" she asked slowly as she sought out her mother.
"Yeah, sweets. You and Rory are starting on Monday."
"But…I…since when did I apply to Chilton?"
"You're a great student and so smart. You deserve the kind of education that Chilton offers just as much as Rory."
"But…you didn't even ask me."
"Hun, I could not just apply for just one kid. And you did it, kid. You got in," Lorelai explained suddenly regretting not mentioning the application to her youngest, "This will be amazing for you."
"Alright," Victoria sighed. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of leaving Stars Hollow High or her friends but she supposed that Chilton may offer better computer classes that she was currently taking outside of the community college.
"Your skirt is inside," her mom said and nodded to the door, "go try it on and I'll hem it."
*o*o*
"I'm gonna miss you," Haley said.
"We'll still see each other all the time. I'm not moving to Hartford, you know. I'm just going to school there," Victoria said as she tried to keep an optimistic tone.
"But it's not the same." Haley frowned, "I didn't even know you wanted to go to Chilton. Thought that was a Rory thing."
"Yeah," Victoria just sighed, she still had mixed feelings on attending the private school, but she was trying to remain positive.
"You still have me you know," Jason piped up.
"Meh," Haley shrugged.
"Hey!" Jason said offended.
The girls laughed at the look on his face and Haley pressed a kiss to his cheek, "You know I'm just teasing you."
"Listen guys, I got to do something before class. I'll see you later," Victoria said once she caught sight of Sam as she turned the corner.
"Sure. See you later," Haley said with a knowing look on her face as she pulled the confused Jason down the hall.
Victoria sauntered down the hall and once she saw that Sam was alone, she made her moved, "Hey Sam," Victoria said as she pulled the cheerleader into an empty classroom.
"Oh, hey," Sam said with a nervous smile, "I was hoping to talk to you."
"Oh," Victoria said, surprised, "sure, what's going on?"
"Umm, well you know that hayride thing."
"Yeah," Victoria drawled unsure of where this conversation was going.
"Well, Peter Shaw asked me to go with him."
"Oh"
"And I said yes."
"Umm," Victoria looked down. She knew this would happen one day and with her leaving for Chilton probably sooner rather than later, but it still came as a shock.
"I'm sorry"
Victoria looked up and saw the nervous look on Sam's face, "You don't need to apologize. I mean we weren't really in a relationship, were we?" Victoria said wryly.
"No, but…"
"Hey, Sam. It's going to be okay." Victoria pulled the other girl into a quick hug, "You deserve someone that you can be open with. If you like Peter and this is something you want, then I'm happy for you. Sure, it hurts now but neither of us was ready to be out in the open. Hell, I haven't even told my mom yet."
"Bad timing, I guess," Sam said with a wry grin.
"Definitely, but we had some good times though," Victoria said with a laugh and pulled Sam into another hug.
"I got into Chilton. Rory and I start on Monday" Victoria whispered.
"Congratulations," Sam said as she pulled back.
"Thanks," Sam said with a small smile. It was true what she told Sam, they weren't in a relationship, but that didn't mean that she didn't really like the other girl and wished that things were different.
"I'm gonna miss you" Sam pressed their foreheads together.
"I'm gonna miss you too but maybe this is a good thing. Gives us space from each other and then maybe we could eventually be friends."
"Yeah," Sam whispered.
Victoria looked into her blue eyes and leaned in further to press a soft kiss to the blonde's lips. Their moment was quickly interrupted by the warning bell.
"I guess this is it," said Victoria.
"See you around?"
"See you around," Victoria confirmed, and the pair went their separate ways.
*o*o*
After school, Victoria sat in the gazebo with Haley and Jason killing time before she had to meet up with her mom and sister for dinner at Luke's.
"Hey, who's that?" Victoria asked when she spotted her sister walking down the road with a boy she couldn't recognize.
"That's Dean. He just moved here from Chicago," Jason said as she crunched on a handful of pretzels.
"Move here?" Haley said, "From Chicago? Wow, that's a downgrade," she laughed.
Victoria hummed in interest. She had never seen Rory spend time with anyone except Lane before, it was such a strange sight.
"Looks like he's got his eye on the other Gilmore," Haley pointed out the obvious.
"Bad timing on his part," Jason said.
Victoria rolled her eyes, "Again. We are not moving to Hartford. We're still going to be living here."
*o*o*
Victoria sat at the table with her mom and Rory. They were quiet, which was unusual for them, but Victoria was taking advantage of the silence since she still felt the sting of her minor breakup with Sam.
"You were late getting home tonight," Lorelai said.
"Yeah, I went to the library."
Victoria quirked an eyebrow, as far as she could tell Rory had spent the afternoon with the new kid showing him around before she headed back home.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, we're having dinner with your grandparents tomorrow night."
"We are?"
"But it's September" Victoria pointed out the obvious.
"So?"
"So, what holiday is in September?" Rory asked.
"It's not a holiday thing. It's just dinner, alright?"
"Fine" Rory muttered.
"Okay," Victoria nodded.
Luke brought their food to the table, burgers and fries all around, and Victoria's mouth watered at the smell.
"Red meat kills. Enjoy."
Victoria chuckled as he walked away and dug into her fries.
"I finished hemming your skirts."
Victoria said a muffled thanks, her mouth full but Rory stayed suspiciously silent.
"A grunt of acknowledgment might be nice."
"I just don't understand why we're going to dinner tomorrow night. I mean, what if I had plans? You didn't even ask me."
"Well, if you had plans, I would have known" Lorelai pointed out the obvious. Victoria stayed silent knowing that she did not want to get in the middle of the brewing fight. While it was rare that her mother and sister fought when they did it could get intense.
"How?" Rory countered.
"Well, you would have told me."
"I don't tell you everything. I have my own things." Rory said a little petulantly in Victoria's opinion.
"Fine, you have things," Lorelai said with an eye roll.
"That's right. I have things." Rory said with a nod.
"Hey, I had dibs on being the bitch tonight."
"Just tonight?" Rory snarked. Victoria didn't know what had gotten into her sister, but she was in fine form tonight.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lorelai spat. It was clear that her mom was also shocked by Rory's tone.
Victoria was not ready for Rory to say, "I'm not sure I want to go to Chilton."
"What?"
"The timing is just really bad."
Victoria had a bad feeling that Rory, for some insane reason, no longer wanted to go because a cute boy smiled at her and gave her some attention.
"I can't believe what I'm hearing."
"Rory, this is ridiculous. You're the whole reason we're going to Chilton. It will throw the doors to Harvard wide open for you," Victoria said, finally joining the conversation.
"We don't know that I can't get into Harvard if I stay here. Besides, Chilton must be costing you a lot, shouldn't all your money be going towards buying an Inn with Sookie?"
"Okay, enough! I appreciate your concern, but I have this covered."
"I still don't want to go," Rory said as she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"Why?'
"Because I don't."
"I have to get out of here," Lorelai muttered, clearly in a state of shock. Victoria watched as her mother pushed back from the table and struggled to put on her coat and she stumbled towards the door.
"We have to pay!"
Lorelai turned around and threw some money on the table. Victoria watched, unsure if she should follow. She looked down and saw their food and decided that her mom and sister would probably be hungry later, so she quickly finished her burger and grabbed some to-go containers from Luke.
She packed up the food, grabbed the money off the table to pay Luke at the register, and then began her walk home.
As she walked through the town she had to pause as the hayride passed her by and she felt a dull pain in her chest when she saw Sam on the wagon with Peter, his arm wrapped around her. She knew it would happen eventually, but she really hadn't thought that she'd have to deal with seeing them together so soon.
Victoria made it home and heard Macy Gray playing loudly. With a sigh, she walked up the stairs and carefully entered the war zone. She looked over and saw her mother on the couch, so she hit there first.
"Figured you'd be hungry."
Victoria put the food down on the table and sat down next to her mom.
"It's about a boy," Lorelai said.
Victoria tried to look shocked but based on the look her mother shot her she was unsuccessful, "You knew?"
"Not for sure. I saw her walking with the new kid earlier, but I never thought she'd make life choices based on a boy she has known for all of an hour."
"Apparently she's more me than I ever thought."
"Don't worry so much, mom. She's going to Chilton." Victoria said.
"You sound so sure."
"She's just riding the high of a new crush. Sure, it feels all-encompassing now, but you know that the initial spark fades fast. No need to panic just yet."
Lorelai reached out and pulled her daughter into a side-hug, "I love you, sweets."
"Love you, too" Victoria murmured, "Now eat, you'll need your strength for round two."
*o*o*
Victoria was tired. Her last day at Stars Hollow High had been emotionally draining. Even though she kept telling her friends that she wasn't moving and that she would see them all the time it still felt like the end of an era. Her life was about to change radically and if she was being honest, the last thing she wanted to do tonight was have dinner at her grandparents'.
"So, do we go in or do we just stand here reenacting The Little Match Girl?" Rory asked after they stood in front of the door for five minutes.
"Okay, look, I know you and me are having a thing here and I know you hate me, but I need you to be civil, at least through dinner, and then on the way home, you can pull a Menedez. Deal?"
"Fine" Rory muttered.
"You ready?" Lorelai turned and asked Victoria.
"Yup"
Lorelai reached out and rang the bell and within seconds the door opened. But it wasn't a maid as they expected but her grandmother herself that greeted them.
"Hi, Grandma," Rory said with a smile.
"Wel, you're right on time." Emily Gilmore said and motioned for them to enter.
"Yeah, Yeah, no traffic at all."
"Hi, Grandma" Victoria finally greeted her grandmother.
"Hello, dear"
Victoria pulled off her coat and her hat and hung it up on the nearby coat rack. She ignored her grandmother's judgmental look when she spotted the pink highlights.
"I can't tell you what a treat it is to have you girls here."
"Oh, well, we're excited too," Lorelai said after she hung up her own coat.
Emily looked down at the coffee cup that Lorelai held tightly, "Is that a collector's cup or can I throw it away for you?"
Lorelai looked around and moved to throw it away in a nearby wastebasket when Emily called out, "In the Kitchen, please."
Emily then moved forward and linked her arms with Rory and Victoria and led them into the living room. Victoria spotted her grandfather on the couch reading his newspaper.
"Richard, look who's here."
"Rory, Victoria. You're tall," he said without getting up from the couch.
"I guess" Rory muttered, and Victoria didn't blame her. She didn't really know how to respond to that statement either.
"What's your height?" he asked.
"Five, seven" Victoria answered.
"That's tall," he said, and Victoria was becoming a little annoyed by the fixation on their height.
"Hi, Dad," Lorelai said from behind the girls.
"Lorelai, your daughters are tall."
Victoria rolled her eyes and felt Rory elbow her in the side.
"Oh, I know. It's freakish. We're thinking of having them studied at M.I.T."
Richard just nodded and then went back to reading his paper and Victoria was happy that the conversation seemed to reach its inevitable end.
"Champagne?" Emily asked as she passed out the flutes of champagne.
"Fancy," Lorelai noted.
Victoria looked over at her grandfather and watched him put down his newspaper after a sharp look from her grandmother and hid her smirk by taking a sip of the bubbly alcohol.
"Well, it's not every day that I have all my girls here for dinner on a day that the banks are open. A toast. To Rory and Victoria entering Chilton and the new exciting phase in their lives."
"Here, here," Richard said and took a sip of champagne.
"Let's sit. This is just wonderful. An education is the most important this in the world, next to family."
"And pie," Lorelai said to try and break the awkward tension. Victoria smothered a laugh, but Emily and Richard just stared blankly, "joke, I'm joking."
Silence descended upon the family, and nobody seemed keen to break it. Victoria sat beside her mother and watched as Richard handed part of his paper over to Rory. The night was still young, but it felt like they had spent hours in the house already.
Finally, they were saved when a maid entered and announced that dinner was ready.
"Rory, how do you like the lamb?" Emily asked.
"Not too dry?"
"No, it's perfect."
"Potatoes could use a little salt, though" Lorelai exclaimed, and Victoria often wondered why her mother insisted on trying to get a rise out of her parents.
"Excuse me?"
"So, Grandpa, how's the insurance biz?" Rory asked.
Richard looked up from his meal, "Oh, people die, we pay. People crash cars, we pay. People lose a foot, we pay."
"Well, at least you have your new slogan." Lorelai joked.
"And how are things at the motel?" Richard asked.
"The Inn? They're great."
"Lorelai's the executive manager now. Isn't that wonderful?"
Even though the words sounded complementary Victoria could hear the derision in her grandmother's tone and it rankled her nerves.
"Speaking of which, Christopher called yesterday."
Victoria's jaw clenched shut. Her father was always a sore subject. While Rory was happy to forgive their father's faults and just embrace the time she had with him, Victoria wasn't quite so forgiving. The fact that he took time out of his day to call her grandparents but not them just made her angrier.
"Speaking of which? How is that speaking of which?" Lorelai asked, upset that her father would bring up Christopher.
"He's doing very well in California. His internet start-up goes public next month. This could mean big things for him," He stated and then turned to Rory then Victoria and said, "Very talented man, your father."
"They know," Lorelai said, and Victoria was sure that she was not hiding her frown sufficiently enough. It was not a secret that she was not close with her father.
"He always was a smart one, that boy," Richard continued, oblivious to the tension that settled in the room, "You must take after him," he said to Victoria and Rory.
Victoria snorted. It was highly unlikely, and she would hate to imagine that she got anything from her deadbeat father who fled from responsibility and still acted as if he were a teenager.
"Speaking of which, I'm gonna get a Coke," Lorelai said as she pushed back from the table and stomped towards the Kitchen, "Or a knife" she muttered.
After a few minutes, it became clear that Lorelai was not returning so Victoria turned towards her sister and nodded her head towards the Kitchen, "I think we're going to go talk to her-" Victoria started to say but she was quickly interrupted by her grandmother.
"No, I'll go. You stay and keep your grandfather company."
It was silent in the dining room. All they could hear was the faint murmuring from the Kitchen, a loud ticking clock, and the faint snores that their grandfather made as she slept at the dinner table.
"Well, this has been a fun night," Victoria said sarcastically, "Hopefully we won't be back until Thanksgiving."
"I wasn't too proud to come here to you two begging for money for my kids' school, was I?"
Rory and Victoria's heads shot towards that Kitchen when they heard their mother yelling.
Rory looked back over a Victoria and sighed, "I think this is going to be a regular thing."
"Yeah," she agreed with a sigh.
*o*o*
The trio walked down the street towards Luke's. After the dinner at the grandparents' house Victoria was all in favour of coffee and pie at Luke's.
"So, nice dinner at the grandparents' house."
"Yeah, her dishes have never been cleaner."
"You and grandma seemed to have a nice talk," Victoria said.
"How much did you two hear?"
"Not much," Rory assured their mother, "You know, snippets."
"Snippets?"
"Little snippets," Victoria joined in.
"So basically everything?"
"Basically, yes." Rory nodded.
"Well, the best-laid plans," Lorelai said and pulled open the door to Luke's to let her children enter the diner.
"I think it was brave of you to ask them for money," Victoria said to her mother.
"Oh, I so do not want to talk about it," said Lorelai.
"How many meals is it gonna take 'til we're off the hook?" Rory asked.
"I think the deli spread at my funeral will be the last one," Lorelai said with a smirk, "Does that mean…"
"Can't let a perfectly good plaid skirt go to waste."
Victoria locked eyes with her mother a quirked her eyebrow as if to say 'I told you so' but before anyone could say anything else Luke walked over to their table to take their order.
After their orders were placed, coffee all around, chili fries for Rory, and apple pie for Victoria, Lorelai started in on her interrogation.
"So, tell me about the guy."
"Mom," Rory whined.
"Is he dreamy?"
"Oh, that's so Nick at Night," Rory said while she looked away from her mother towards Victoria and pleaded for help from her sister.
"Well, I'm gonna find out anyway."
"How?" Rory asked.
"I'll spy," Lorelai said with a tone that meant it should have been obvious, "Or I'll ask your sister."
Victoria looked over at her mom and shook her head, "Nope, twin code. We don't spill secrets to the mom."
Lorelai frowned at her daughters, but their conversation was interrupted by Luke returning with their food.
"Okay, coffee, pie, fries. I can't stand it. This is so unhealthy. Rory, Victoria, please put down the mugs. You do not want to grow up to be like your mom."
"Sorry, too late," Victoria said with a smirk towards Luke and then shot her mom a soft smile.
