Gray morning light shone in through Lorelai's bedroom when Juliet blinked awake a few minutes before 6:30. She closed her eyes for a few minutes, listening to Lorelai's soft snores.
When Juliet was a kid, she used to lay awake at night, paralyzed with worry about school or friends, or her parents. On those horrible nights when nothing helped her turn her brain off, she would climb into bed beside Lorelai and let the sounds of her breathing lull her to sleep. Even at twenty-nine, she found the familiar rhythm soothing, especially after the screaming match they'd had with Emily last night.
She opened her eyes again after trying fruitlessly to fall back asleep and turned her head to the side, where Lorelai was still snoring beside her, one arm draped protectively over Juliet's stomach. She knew that her sister wouldn't be up for a while, and cursed the way residency had robbed her of the ability to sleep in, wistfully remembering the Saturdays in undergrad where she'd sleep until noon.
Whatever. That wasn't going to happen today.
Juliet gently pried herself out from under Lorelai's arm, and pulled the comforter back up over her sister, smiling fondly as she fingered the quilt made from Rory's old onesies. She padded into the bathroom, waiting to turn on the light until she'd closed the door behind her, even though she knew Lorelai slept like the dead.
Juliet brushed her teeth quickly, undid the braid she'd slept in, before brushing her hair and re-braiding it. She turned off the light as she exited the bathroom, and took one last look at Lorelai, who was still sound asleep. Taking the stairs two at a time, she made her way to the kitchen, planning to make herself a cup of tea before snagging one of Lorelai's Cosmopolitans to read.
"Hi, Auntie Jules," Rory said, not looking up from the mountain of books and papers she'd spread out on the kitchen table.
"You're up early," Juliet furrowed her brow at her niece, grabbing an empty mug from the cabinet. "Why? You can't possibly have homework already."
Rory finally looked at her with wide, frantic eyes. "I'm so behind, though! I'm starting almost a month into the school year, and Chilton's curriculum probably moves a lot faster than Stars Hollow High, so it's almost like starting two months late! And I want to be able to talk to the other kids about books, so I have to re-read the most well-known books I own, and review a few of my more obscure ones so that I can give relevant recommendations! And, I have to brush up on critical theory, so that I can contribute a well-informed opinion! I mean, what's the point of reading Kafka if you don't understand Marxism? Oh! I need to go to the store –"
"Rory."
"Yeah?"
"Take a breath. Your brain doesn't retain information as well when you're stressed, so all this preparation will be for nothing."
"I know," Rory grumbled, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "Ugh, I wish you could just write me a Xanax prescription!"
"Stupid AMA Code," Juliet rolled her eyes jokingly, walking to the sink and filling the kettle with water.
She placed the kettle on the stove and turned it on, grabbing a tea bag from the box Lorelai kept in the cabinet for her.
"You want a cup too?" Juliet held out the box so Rory could see it, even though she knew what the answer would be.
"No, thanks," Rory turned her doe-eyed gaze on Juliet pleadingly as she looked up from the table again. "Can you make coffee while I get dressed, though?"
Juliet hesitated, taking a deep breath. Rory doesn't know, remember?
"Sure," she nodded, pulling out the bag of coffee grounds. Her niece gave her a smile, breezing into her bedroom to get ready.
"You don't have to do that," Lorelai said, coming up behind Juliet and tugging on her braid gently.
"I'm almost thirty, Lor, I can make coffee."
"I know you can. I just don't want you to feel like you have to, especially after last night," Lorelai tucked a loose strand of hair behind Juliet's ear.
Juliet shook her head. "Don't worry about me. You got nailed way worse than I did."
Lorelai scoffed. "You still got yelled at. And, I mean, that's on top of your encounter with the Hartford Strangler."
Juliet chuckled. "Don't remind me. I think my neck still has claw marks."
Lorelai kept stroking her hair, a look of maternal concern on her face. "Let's just go to Luke's for coffee, okay? I still can't believe you've never tried his pancakes."
Juliet smirked, giving Lorelai's arm a poke. "I still can't believe you've never introduced me to the guy you like!"
"I don't like him!" Lorelai insisted, batting her hand away. "Well, of course I like him, he's my friend, but I don't like like him, not like that."
Juliet snorted. "You sound like you're in junior high."
"Yeah, well, you started it," Lorelai said, her cheeks bright red. She huffed, smoothing her hair down. "Can you just be ready to go in half an hour?"
"Sure," Juliet smiled, dropping the subject for now. Looking over at the table, she gestured to the pyramid of papers that Rory had left behind. "By the way, Rory's in full Hermione Granger mode, so we probably won't see her much after breakfast."
"God, that kid. So prepared for everything," Lorelai shook her head fondly. "Is it okay if I take the bathroom first?"
"It's your house."
Lorelai rolled her eyes, flicking Juliet's forehead. "It might as well be yours too, silly."
The diner's door had barely shut behind the three of them before Juliet heard a voice from across the room say,
"Excuse me, Dr. Gilmore? Dr. Gilmore!"
Rory groaned, sitting down at an empty table. "Now I remember why we've never brought Auntie Jules here before."
Kirk, one of the weirder people who lived in her sister's weird town, was making a beeline for them, rolling up the sleeve of his shirt to display a cut on his wrist. He planted himself right in Juliet's path, blocking her from sitting with Lorelai and Rory.
Somehow, and very much against her will, she had become Kirk Gleason's primary care physician. It seemed like every time she saw him he had some new injury or mystery illness that needed her immediate attention.
"Kirk, you know you can just call me Juliet."
"I know, but since I need your services as a medical professional, I figured I'd refer to you as such."
She sighed, putting on her best 'bedside manner' smile. "What's up, Kirk?"
He shoved his wrist closer to her face. "I was delivering mail yesterday, and, as is a hazard of the occupation, one of the envelopes slipped from my grasp and cut my wrist. Do you think it's infected?"
She heard a few snickers from Lorelai and Rory's table, and shot them a glare, fighting a laugh of her own. Turning back to Kirk, she leaned closer to the cut, putting a hand underneath his wrist to get a better look.
"Um, it doesn't look infected right now, but I can clean it for you if that would make you feel better?" Kirk nodded, and she glanced around the crowded diner, before addressing Lorelai. "Is there a first aid kit in here?"
"Oh, Lucas!" Lorelai sang, waving a napkin in the air like a silk handkerchief. "We have a medical emergency out here!"
"Caffeine withdrawal is not a medical emergency," came the gruff reply from behind the counter.
"Luke, please!" Kirk whined, his voice taking on a desperate edge. "I'm risking blood poisoning here!"
Luke looked up from the register and took in the reality of Kirk's dire circumstances. Rolling his eyes, he made a show of grabbing the first aid kit, and came over to Juliet and Kirk, placing the bright red box on the table beside her with an exaggerated scowl.
"Thank you," she mouthed.
"Glad I could help, doc," he deadpanned as he walked away.
Juliet quickly wiped off the small cut with an alcohol wipe, making Kirk whimper, and placed a bandaid on his wrist.
"Mother always kisses it better," he reminded her.
"I'm not kissing your wrist, Kirk," when he pouted, she gave him a placating smile. "I'm supposed to maintain professional boundaries, remember?"
Kirk nodded and angled his arm so he could get a better look at the bandage on his wrist, prompting another snicker from the peanut gallery. Juliet gave Kirk's arm a quick pat.
"All better?"
"I think so. I'll call you at Lorelai's house if anything changes."
Oh, joy.
"Okay, have a good day, Kirk," she waved goodbye, smiling politely.
Juliet sat down with Lorelai and Rory, rolling her eyes with an amused smile.
"So I take it you guys still haven't told him that I'm a psychiatrist, not an ER doctor?"
"What would be the fun in that?" Lorelai laughed, slapping her arm lightly.
"A shrink is what Kirk really needs, what this whole stupid town needs," Luke grumbled as he came to their table and filled Lorelai and Rory's empty coffee mugs.
"Aw, you can't imagine living anywhere else, admit it!" Lorelai teased, tugging on his shirt playfully.
Luke slapped her hand away with a glare, and pointedly turned to Juliet.
"Anything to drink?"
"Um, Earl Grey tea, if you have it?"
He nodded, then gestured to all of them. "And what are you eating?"
"Well, Jules hasn't tried your pancakes, and therefore has not yet lived!" Lorelai waved her hands in front of her face dramatically, a twinkle in her eye. "So she and I will both have those, and. . . Rory?"
"French toast, please," Rory said, smiling politely.
Luke nodded again, then turned to leave.
"Oh, wait!" Juliet held up the first-aid kit, and he turned back around, sighing. "Thanks again for letting me use this."
"Yeah, you saved Kirk from Death by Paper Cut," Lorelai beamed up at him. "Luke Danes, a hero among men!"
Luke accepted the first-aid kit with a barely concealed smile, and Juliet shared a smirk with Rory at the way the tips of his ears turned red when Lorelai teased him. When he was back behind the counter, Juliet grinned at her sister, eyebrows raised.
"Don't start," Lorelai warned, sticking a finger in her face.
Juliet held her hands up in surrender. "I didn't say anything!"
On Sunday afternoon, the weather was significantly warmer than it had been all week, so the three of them sat on the front porch, sharing a can of whipped cream. Rory had her legs draped over Juliet's lap as Lorelai sat on her other side, painting Rory's toenails a dark red.
"Want me to do yours next, Jules?" Lorelai asked, frowning in concentration. "Or are you even allowed to have painted nails at work?"
"Toenails, yes. Fingernails, no."
"Man, they really try to wipe out individuality over there, don't they?"
"You're so right," Juliet said in mock realization. "I thought it was germs they were wiping out, but that must be a lie they tell to control us!"
"Thank God you have me to open your eyes," Lorelai glanced up at her and winked.
"So, remind me why you're insisting on doing this?" Rory asked, gesturing to her toenails.
"Well, because you're going to be starting private school tomorrow," Lorelai explained. "We have to maintain your individuality, too."
"Yes, but I'm going to be wearing shoes. Nobody's going to see my feet."
"Exactly! The same shoes as every other girl in that school, with the same skirt, and the same shirt!"
"Wow, it's almost as though there's a uniform at Chilton!" Rory said around a mouthful of whipped cream.
They were silent for a moment, watching Lorelai carefully paint Rory's pinky nail.
"Are you nervous?"
"About what?"
"About starting Chilton," Lorelai said in a 'duh' tone of voice.
"Well, I wasn't until I heard about my impending loss of individuality," Rory laughed.
"Guys! Guys!" Rory's friend Lane called, running up to the porch. "New CD! XTC. Apple Venus Volume 2!"
"All done!" Lorelai squealed, jumping up to let Lane into the house.
"But you only finished half my toes!" Rory protested.
"Who cares?! You're gonna be wearing shoes anyway!" Lorelai called back over her shoulder.
Rory sighed, rolling her eyes at Juliet with a smirk. Juliet laughed.
"Let's go inside. I'll do your other foot."
After listening to Lane's new CD, the four of them had ordered pizza and watched Gilligan's Island reruns as they ate. All too soon, it was time for Juliet to head back to Hartford.
"Okay, but we could totally pull off the whole Mary Ann and Ginger thing for Halloween," Lorelai was saying as she followed Juliet into the bedroom to grab her stuff. "Ooh! And if we show up to Friday night dinner in costume, Mom and Dad would accidentally be dressed as the Howells! We'd all match!"
"But Dad's a Yale man!" Juliet said, impersonating Mr. Howell's voice.
"Oh yes," Lorelai said in her Lovey Howell impression. "Poor Mr. Howell couldn't take it if a Yale man cheapened his Harvard background."
Juliet laughed, zipping her overnight bag shut.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay another night?" Lorelai asked again.
"My scrubs are back at my apartment. Besides, I don't trust your fuzzy alarm clock to wake me up on time."
"Hey! Don't mock my clock!" Lorelai protested as she followed Juliet back down the stairs. "Ooh, I made a rhyme!"
Juliet smiled at her over her shoulder as she walked into the kitchen and poked her head into Rory's room. She and Lane lounged on her bed, reading magazines and listening to Fleetwood Mac.
"Hey," Juliet said, knocking on the open door. "I'm leaving."
Rory put down her magazine as she got up to hug her aunt.
"See you soon?"
"Friday, if not before then," Juliet confirmed, pressing a quick kiss to Rory's cheek. "Good luck tomorrow."
"Hey, I need good luck too!" Lane called, getting up too. "I'm gonna have to talk to other people at school for the first time since kindergarten."
Juliet smiled sympathetically at Lane, rolling her eyes jokingly. "I guess you get a good luck hug too."
"Ugh, if I have to," Lane said with false reluctance, hugging her quickly. "Bye, Juliet."
"Bye, Lane. Bye, Rory."
"See you later, Auntie Jules."
She waved to the girls one more time as she left the bedroom, walking over to the coffeemaker where Lorelai stood.
"Walk you out?"
Juliet scoffed. "Duh."
Lorelai put her arm around her sister as they walked the short distance to her car, and opened the door for her like a fancy chauffeur.
"Alright, drive safe," Lorelai said, hugging her quickly.
"Let me know how tomorrow goes?"
"I will!"
Juliet turned her car around, waving one more time at her sister before driving off. She glanced in her rearview mirror, smiling fondly when she saw Lorelai still outside, watching her car until it was out of sight the way she always did.
The next day, Juliet walked past the waiting room of the psych ward, searching for her attending. Seeing someone that looked like Lorelai, she frowned, turning around. Her eyes widened as she took her in her sister's pink tie-dye shirt and cowboy boots.
"What are you wearing?" she laughed. "Is this supposed to convince me to do the Mary Ann and Ginger costume with you?"
"Yeah, yeah, yuk it up," Lorelai rolled her eyes, pulling her coat more tightly around her. "I've just had the longest day of my life, and it's only nine-thirty!"
"Yeah, I'm sure those eight-second intervals really stretch out when you're actually on the bull."
"Shut up," Lorelai flicked her in the forehead, scowling. "I've already gotten enough crap from Mom today, I don't need any from you."
Juliet forced herself to stop laughing, then furrowed her brow. "When did you see Mom?"
"Earlier, at Chilton. Did you know Mom and Dad are friends with the headmaster there?"
She shook her head no, then stopped, another laugh bubbling in her throat. "You wore that to Chilton?"
"My clock didn't purr on time!"
Juliet opened her mouth to say I told you so, but decided against it, sensing that was probably the last thing her sister needed to hear right now. She sighed, reaching out and squeezing Lorelai's arm gently.
"Hey, in a few weeks, this will be something you laugh about," she promised, hoping she sounded reassuring. "I mean, come on, you're telling me you didn't enjoy the scandalized look on Mom's face? Not even a little?"
Lorelai cracked a smile, pinching her fingers together. "Just a little. I thought that one vein in her forehead was finally gonna pop."
Juliet smiled back. "See?"
Lorelai's smile faded just as quickly. "I hate the idea that I made a bad impression at Rory's school, though. She's already gonna get crap from the other kids because she's new, I don't want her to also be the new kid whose mother dresses like a cowgirl."
"Look, who cares what all those kids think? They'll show how snooty they are right away, and then Rory won't be with any of them when they crash their Porsches for fun."
"Yeah," Lorelai snorted, then looked at her watch with a sigh. "I should head back to Stars Hollow. I'm technically not scheduled to work today, but, I don't know, I feel like I need a distraction."
"I still need to find my attending. Call me later tonight, okay? I get off at 6."
"I will," Lorelai nodded, hugging her goodbye quickly. "And you're still good for tomorrow? Same time?"
"Same time."
The phone rang right as Juliet emerged from the shower in a clean pair of pajamas, her hair wrapped in a towel.
"Hello?"
"Our mother is insane."
"What happened?"
Juliet heard Lorelai suck in a deep breath, signaling that a tirade was coming. "She shows up at Chilton without asking or telling me, to make sure that Hanlin is 'taking care of' Rory, which I already told you about. And then, she calls me when I get home, asking me what size Rory is so that she can buy out the school's entire accessory collection – and, get this: she wants to buy her a car!"
"What?" Emily had refused outright to buy Juliet a car when she was Rory's age, even though it had been her father's suggestion. Her mother told her at the time that she wasn't responsible enough, but Juliet suspected that Emily didn't want to make it any easier for her to visit Lorelai without her knowledge. She would've laughed at her mother's hypocrisy if it wasn't so predictable.
"I know! And then, she had a bunch of guys – including Kirk, who apparently doesn't have enough jobs in town – break into my house to install a DSL! God, this is exactly what I was afraid of, going to them for money. She gets just a little bit of control, one big thing to hold over my head, and suddenly she's trying to take over everything else!"
"I'm sorry," Juliet said sympathetically.
For most of their childhood, Emily's hypercritical and domineering tendencies were evenly distributed between the sisters. But after Lorelai had gotten pregnant, it seemed as though she got the lion's share of their mother's manipulation and shaming. When she and Juliet were alone, Emily could be mean and petty, but for the most part, she allowed her younger daughter control over her own life.
"Whatever, I should learn to expect it by now," Lorelai sighed. They were both silent for a moment, while Juliet traced the floral pattern on her pajama pants. "Ooh! I didn't even tell you!"
"Tell me what?" Juliet sat up straighter, relieved that her sister sounded happier.
"This hot dad from Chilton came down to the Inn just to ask me out!"
"Yeah? What does he look like?"
"Oh man, total silver fox. A little like Harrison Ford," Lorelai gushed, and Juliet could almost see her twirling her hair around her finger.
"And? Are you gonna go out with him?" Juliet prodded.
"I don't think so. I don't want to make things weird at school for Rory if I can help it, especially after today's cowgirl incident."
"Yeah, I guess that's fair," she allowed. "She'd be okay, though. Dating another parent isn't that weird."
The phone crackled in Juliet's ear when Lorelai sighed.
"It's not just that," she admitted hesitantly.
"What?" Juliet asked quietly.
Lorelai paused for a moment. "Were you serious?"
"About what?"
"'About what?'" she mocked. "The thing you were teasing me about all weekend, that's what!"
Oh. "That you're in love with Luke?"
"I am not in love with –"
"Love, attraction, crush, whatever. There's definitely a vibe between you guys."
Lorelai huffed, and Juliet could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. "Was it like – was it just me? You talked a lot about me liking him, but not so much about . . . oh God, I do sound like I'm in junior high."
Juliet laughed. "Just a little, but that's like, a requirement when you have a crush. And as for the other thing. . ." she trailed off, thinking of how best to put her thoughts into words.
"Yeah?"
"I could tell a lot more how you felt because I know you so well. I mean, he definitely seems interested, but I met the guy three days ago, so I'm not totally sure."
"Rory told me not to date him."
"Why? Does she hate him or something?" Juliet frowned, cocking her head. Rory had been pretty content to laugh with her when they were playfully ribbing Lorelai about her crush. She didn't understand why her niece hadn't voiced any objections sooner, or at least not contributed to the teasing.
"Nah, pretty much the opposite. She's afraid we won't be able to eat his food again if he and I break up."
Like mother, like daughter. "Are you afraid of that too?"
"A little," Lorelai confessed. "He's one of my best friends, you know? I don't want to lose that."
"Sure, that's definitely a risk."
"Ugh! Your shrink-ness is messing with my brain! I was doing just fine not thinking about how I feel about him, and now I can't stop!"
"Sorry," Juliet chuckled, pulling the towel down from her hair once the weight began to hurt her neck.
"Whatever. I'm just gonna put a pin in. . . whatever I'm feeling. What about you, any romantic prospects?"
"There's this geneticist at work who's kinda cute, but I don't think anything's going to come of it."
"Aw, why not?"
"I just feel like it's a bad idea to date someone I work with, you know? Besides, we're in the same group of friends at work, and I don't. . ." she trailed off, chuckling at how she'd accidentally repeated her sister's words back to her.
Lorelai laughed too. "Pin?"
"Pin."
Notes:
Here's episode 2! Things are still relatively canon-compliant for right now, but that's definitely going to change as the story continues! Also, let me know if you want to see more of Lorelai without Juliet there, I'm focusing a lot on her perspective. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!