Gilmore Residence
2:29PM

Spring cleaning was never something Rory Gilmore liked and she had a feeling her mother didn't like it any better. Sitting across from the woman in the living room, Rory studied the look on her mother's face and found herself wanting to laugh. Lorelai looked confused, as if the lamp she held in her hand were an artifact from some other planet and not the monkey lamp she'd bought herself at a yard sale only a year before.

"You're laughing at me, aren't you," Lorelai said quickly, throwing a glance at her daughter.

Rory sat up straighter, "No, I'm not laughing."

"Inwardly, you're laughing."

"If I were laughing, you'd see it."

"Not if it's an inward laugh."

"Mom," Rory pleaded, knowing the more her mother spoke to her, the more she wanted to laugh. "Seriously, not laughing at you."

"It's ok to laugh at me, you know, I'm not gonna hold it against you."

"Noted."

"I might get mad for a second and attack you with tickles and then get all fat because I'll be depressed and eating too much, but I won't hold it against you."

"Ok," Rory smiled as her mother went back to staring at the lamp. She finally sighed and placed it back on the table where it came from, "Dilemma?"

"Just trying to decide whether I still need it or not."

"You didn't need it in the first place," Rory laughed.

"I know. Total impulse buy, but you know, it's cute."

"So don't throw it away."

"That's what I'm thinking." Lorelai smiled.

"Good," Rory said, secretly liking the stupid looking lamp.

Lorelai nodded as her daughter sifted through old books, trying to figure out which to toss and which to keep, "You know, you do that every year."

"What?"

"Pretend like you're actually going to throw away your old Nancy Drew collection, and then you never do. They just return to the boxes with the Chronicles of Narnia and the Hardy Boys to collect more dust for next Spring cleaning."

Rory smiled, "Well, sooner or later I'm gonna have a kid, you know."

"Later rather than sooner," Lorelai said quickly.

"And I'm gonna want said kid to read these books."

"What if you get a kid like me?" Lorelai teased.

"Then I'll find movie renditions to hold their interest."

Lorelai let her jaw drop open, "Hey, I like books."

"Sure, with big pictures and large print."

"I read that book Max gave me." Lorelai bit her bottom lip when Rory stared at her, "Ok, so I read the first sentence, but it was twenty pages long, that's gotta count for something."

Rory shrugged, "You read magazines, that counts for something."

Lorelai smiled, "See, I read."

"Yeah," Rory stood, hoisting her books up, "I'm gonna take these to the attic and work on stuff up there."

Lorelai watched her daughter head towards the stairs, "Hey, while you're up there, see if you can find my old Hello Kitty shirt. I know it's up there somewhere, but you know me and the attic."

"Big scary dark place; Lorelai no like."

"Insert a word here and there and you've got it, kiddo."

Rory smiled, "I'll find it." She bounded up the stairs, careful not to trip. She'd done the falling down thing before, it wasn't something she'd like to repeat. The attic door was not locked, but Rory knew the door would require some pushing to get open. They rarely went up into it. She slammed her shoulder into the door and coughed in response to the stale air inside.

"Small scary dark place is more like it," she whined, stepping inside. It was about the size of her room and the roof's angle made it seems smaller.

Ducking her head, Rory went and put her box back in its place in the attic, glancing around at the boxes that were there to see which one might have that shirt her mother wanted. It was a shirt she only wore in the summer because she said it was a summer shirt, but it got boxed away come August and Rory had to find it every Spring. It was a cute shirt, she had to admit, but she didn't understand her mother's obsession with it. Opening a box, she jumped back, letting out a small gasp and knocking over boxes behind her when a Jack-in-the-box went off. It sang its strange, broken tune, and she crammed it back into the box, remembering why it was up there.

Rory was afraid of it. When she'd been eight Sookie had bought it for her as a Christmas present thinking she'd love it. She'd prefer Sookie just cook her something, at least that didn't jump out with its horrid happy clown face, laughing cruelly at her. She'd run it upstairs that same night and hid it in the attic. Rory glanced around, finding the duct tape and sealing its lid. Not that she was still afraid of it, she just hated it.

Turning, she moaned at the boxes she'd knocked over. She had to pick them up. "Great," she muttered, going to lift the box, staring at its contents. The tape around it had broken and sprawled on the floor were her mother's personal things. Rory lowered her eyebrows, staring at the yearbook for Chilton so many years before. It still looked stuffy, she thought to herself. The Hello Kitty shirt lay next to it and she grabbed it, draping it over her shoulder as she started jamming the items back into the box, knowing her mother wouldn't want her perusing through her past, but a small object caught her eye.

A diary.

"Mom's diary," Rory said softly. She slammed the book on top of the pile and turned, gripping the Hello Kitty shirt tightly in her hands. "Just ignore it Rory," she told herself.

At the doorway she stopped, turned, then turned again. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to fight her curiosity. Trying not to turn back around and read the diary. Rory looked towards the stairs. "I told mom I'd be up here a while," she sighed, "She'll catch me." Biting her bottom lip, she opened her eyes, gave a small smile and ran back to sit next to the box and remove the diary, flipping through to the beginning.

"I am my mother's daughter," she whispered. Flipping to the first page. She whispered softly to herself, "It all seemed to start that day I first told Ashley. We were outside of the school..."
**********
**********
Chilton Academy
Seventeen Years Ago
May
4:02PM

Lorelai stood at the side of the school looking into a mirror while trying to re-adjust her lipstick as Christopher walked away looking a little goofy with red smudges on his mouth which held a grin. She smiled herself, touching her lips gently. It felt good, to kiss. Never in a million years would she have thought that something so bad could feel so good.

"It's like chocolate, only better," she said with a smile, looking up at her friend Ashley Taylor.

"That's great, now you know your driver's gonna be here any minute."

"Yeah, wanna ditch him and see how bad my parents freak out?"

"Not really a good idea, Lorelai."

"Why not?"

"Because you're already making your parents upset as it is."

"I'm pissing them off," Lorelai corrected.

"That's what I said," Ashley combated.

Lorelai pointed at her friend, saying, "No, you said 'make them upset'. All proper and primp and geez, you've been at Chilton too long."

Smiling widely, Ashley responded, "I've been here the same amount of time as you, so it's not Chilton you have to blame."

"You saying I'm delinquenting myself?"

Ashley looked up at Lorelai, her brown eyes holding confusion in them, "I don't think that's a word, but yes, I think you're doing this to yourself."

"And you, Miss Future Psychologist, why would I be?"

"To upset your parents."

"There's that word again."

"What?"

"Upset."

Ashley huffed a breath and tugged on her long brown braid, "I'm going now, Lorelai."

"Hey, no, you're going home with me remember, you're the alibi."

"I don't wanna be the alibi."

"Come on, Ash, you're my best friend."

"I know, and for that I'm going to pay dearly one day."

Lorelai smiled evilly, "But not today."

Ashley shook her head. "One day you're gonna need an alibi and I'm not gonna be there, what are you gonna do then?"

"You know me, I'll think of something."

Ashley nodded, pulling her dark back pack off the floor and pointing to the limo that pulled into the school's gate, "There's Franklin," she said softly, watching the limo driver's sullen expression as he came to a stop in front of them.

"Are you sure it's Frank? Might be Jeff or Dick."

"Jeffrey or Richard."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Ashley laughed, "Lorelai, you make fun of your mom for not remembering the names of the staff, but it doesn't help when you don't say their names correctly, on purpose! That sort of makes you the worse person."

"Howso?"

"At least your mom doesn't remember their names because she's got all that staff and just chooses not to remember. You know their names and screw them up just to piss them off."

"Ah Ha!"

"What?"

"You said 'piss'."

"I did not," Ashley said, her cheeks turning red.

Lorelai smiled, "And dammit, I don't have it on tape."

"Shut up, Lorelai."

The two climbed into the limo and threw their bags on the floor. Lorelai looked up, "Hey Frank."

"Hello Lorelai, how are you this afternoon?" The man answered, his tone annoyed.

"Just peachy. Is the evil Emily Gilmore home, or can we actually go there?"

"Your mother is at a friends."

Lorelai nodded her head, pointing forward, "Good, to the house jeeves."

"Yes, ma'am."

Lorelai made a face, turning to her friend, "So, I have something to tell you."

"What?" Ashley asked, staring out the window.

"I snuck out last night, went to Christopher's."

Ashley turned, "You did what?"

"I went to Christopher's."

"Why would you do that?" Ashley asked, scratching her head.

Lorelai grinned and pressed the button that raised the wall between the front seat and the back section of the limo. So Franklin couldn't hear and report what she was going to say.

"Not again, Lorelai," Ashley whined, "You're gonna get in trouble."

"Granted, but it's fun."

"Yes, that's nice, but you shouldn't do it."

"Hey mom, how are ya?" Lorelai smiled when her friend scowled. Then she grew serious, "Nah, we didn't do anything, just had to talk with him about something."

"Yeah, sure," Ashley turned again. "I don't understand your fascination with all things not right."

"I was too talking with him."

"If you say so, still doesn't explain why you can't just stick to doing things you're supposed to do rather than doing things that'll just get you in trouble."

"Hey, I did my homework."

"You copied it off me while you thought I wasn't looking."

Lorelai nodded, "Ok, so I turned in my homework."

"I turned in your homework."

"Ugh, cut me some slack."

"Maybe one day I will, when you deserve it." Ashley turned back to the window and Lorelai frowned, knowing her friend was upset with her.

"You know, when I met you, you were fun. You were all preppy-kid, but you laughed at my rebelliousness."

"Well, sneaking extra pudding in the school cafeteria is funny. Running around having sex with your boyfriend, a guy you said yourself is not a long-time thing, is not. There could be some serious consequences."

"Serious consequences? Like what?"

Ashley shrugged.

Lorelai grew serious again, "Ok, I got what for ya."

Ashley turned to her friend, her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "What?"

"I'm late."

"For what?"

"Oh, Ashley, hon, please tell me you're kidding."

Ashley started to shake her head and then her eyes went wide, "You're late."

"Yeah," Lorelai glanced up at the division, wondering, not for the first time, if there were a microphone hidden somewhere in the back section.

"Like, you're late, how late?" Ashley asked.

"Like, two weeks."

"Lorelai, this isn't even funny."

"See the non-laughter on my face," she pointed, "I'm being dead serious right now."

Ashley sighed, "Ok, so it's not April..."

"Ash, you know me."

"Better than anyone."

"I'm not lying to you."

"But Lorelai," she started.

"No buts," then she brought her voice down to a whisper, "I think I'm pregnant," then she added quickly, "But I'm probably not."

"You're barely sixteen."

"Not even," Lorelai corrected.

Ashley looked down at her hands in her lap. "So what are you gonna do about it?"

Lorelai sighed, then knocked on the divider before lowering it slightly, "Franklin, we need to stop someplace and get some tampons."

Ashley looked up, whispered harshly, "We can't stop here, everyone knows us in Hartford."

"You're right," Lorelai turned up to the divider, "Drive us to the next town."

"Yes, ma'am."

Lorelai lifted the divider, "You know he knows I hate being called 'ma'am' and you're chastising me for calling him Frank." She sunk back into her seat feeling slightly nervous. She wanted to be able to say she was joking, but she wasn't. When Ashley glanced at her, she simply smiled back, trying to assure herself that everything would be ok.
* * * * *
Stars Hollow
4:28PM

Lorelai walked down the aisles of the small market with her heart pounding in her throat and Ashley two steps behind her. "Why can't they put these things were you can find them?!" she argued with the shelves.

Ashley shrugged her shoulders, glancing around. She didn't like being there, it made her stomach turn thinking that they were sneaking around in some place she'd never been. "How's about I walk around one side of the place and you take the other?"

Lorelai nodded, "Yeah, holler if you find one."

"How's about I just find you?"

"Yeah, wouldn't want to get me all nervous or anything."

Ashley laughed softly and started away.

Swallowing hard, Lorelai continued walking through the aisles, not looking at where she was going, but examining each item on the shelf. She'd never been to this place before. Her mother kept her very much in the confines of Hartford and the land of the rich, even though she knew she hated it. She felt like crying. Things would be so much easier with a map.

"Watch it!" she heard a guy tell her as she felt her shoulder slam into someone.

"Whatever," she muttered back.

He grunted at her and she turned, staring at him.

"Hey, look, sorry. I'm not exactly in the best mood today."

"Oh, today," the guy said, "Good to know."

"What's your problem?"

"Guess I've got the same problem you've got."

"Good to know," she repeated his statement.

"Yeah," he stated, pulling on his cap.

"Fine," she responded, looking to the shelves again.

The guy continued looking at the canned foods behind her. "What's a Chilton?" He asked, turning to point at her jacket's emblem.

"It's a private school, what's a William's Hardware," she pointed at the vest he wore over a t-shirt and flannel shirt.

"It's a store. What's your name?"

"Lorelai. What's yours?"

"Luke," he said lowly, and Lorelai could almost see him swallow.

"You live around here Luke?"

"Yeah, you don't."

"Very observant."

"I've been known to observe."

"Good for you."

"Yeah, what are you looking for?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"'Cause I live here, know the store better than you, I could help you find it."

"I'm looking for the, um, the pharmacy type area of the store."

"Why, you don't look sick?" He stared at her and she felt funny. Like she was being examined. She stared back at him though, her way of making things even, until he looked away.

"I'm not sick."

"Then why do you need the pharmacy?"

"Inquisitive, aren't you?"

He bit the inside of his cheek, angry. "Just concerned."

"Why?"

"Can't I be concerned?"

"You don't know me."

"But you're rich, rich people need someone to be concerned about them."

Lorelai smiled, "And that's why my mom has servants and butlers and stuff. So THEY can be concerned about me. I don't need you to be concerned about me."

"You're not here for medicine."

"Huh?"

"It's that observant part of me."

"Fine, what am I looking for?"

"Pharmacy section is down that way," he pointed and then walked away.

"I was going there anyway!" She shouted at him. Turning around, she went where he pointed and found Ashley examining the pregnancy tests on the shelves.

"What was that?" Ashley asked.

"Oh, that was Luke," Lorelai said, shaking it off.

"Ok," Ashley said slowly, pointing at the shelf, "So, there's like a million of 'em, which do you want to take?"

Lorelai reached into her pocket, pulling out a twenty and then started looking at the labels, "This one, the strip turns pink. It's a color."

"So."

"So I like it better than the lines and sticks thing. Totally confusing. Colors are good. Blue is preferable, but there are colors."

Ashley nodded as Lorelai lifted it off the shelf and handed it to Ashley. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to wait in the car, you buy it."

Ashley's eyes went wide, "What? No, you buy it."

"Why do I have to buy it?"

"Your problem; your purchase!"

Lorelai stared desperately at her friend, "I'm freaking out here, please." She waited for Ashley to respond with a 'no', but the girl took her twenty and began walking towards the cash register as Lorelai made her way to the limo. Ashley stood in line, turning red and gripping the box and the money as she waited for the line to move. Why must there be a line? She asked herself. If there weren't a line, she reasoned, this would be easy. But you're not pregnant, your friend is, she argued.

"Ugh," she slammed a foot down and closed her eyes. She knew this was the kind of trouble she'd get into with Lorelai. Her mother had warned her, her schoolmates had warned her, but she couldn't help it. She had an attraction to the girl. Not a weird one, just a curiosity, like she had to be friends with her. Ashley put her item on the counter and practically screamed when someone came to stand beside her. It was a tall boy that smelled like wood. She glanced up at him quickly and then looked away when she saw he was staring down at her.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna bite. Townies aren't as bad as you think," he grunted at her, putting his large can of green beans on the counter beside her box.

"Hey Luke," the cashier called, "How's your dad?"

Luke stared down at the cans, "He's fine, ma'am."

"And how are you, hon?"

"Good."

The cashier rung up Ashley's item and stared at her a moment. What was Ashley gonna say? She didn't even look at the cashier when she said, "It's for a friend."

Luke sighed behind her and Ashley turned to look at him. "What?" He asked.

"Really, it's for a friend," she said, handing the cashier her money.

Nodding, Luke pointed at her jacket, "Your other friend. I know. Don't think you're lying, just think it's sad."

"Sad."

"Yeah, people don't usually associate those problems with girls like you."

"Well, Lorelai likes to break all preconceptions," Ashley took her change and her bag and left the store, wanting to run screaming. She jumped into the limo's open door and threw the bag at Lorelai. "There, it's done."

"Would you like to make another stop, ma'am, or can we head home?"

"Home," Lorelai said, her voice drooping. She stared at the box in her hands through the plastic bag that surrounded it and her heart leapt back into her throat again. But for some reason, she knew she wasn't afraid of the outcome of the test, she feared having to tell one person: Emily Gilmore.