Title: Chances and Choices
Author:  Megan Reilly
Rating: PG
Summary: It's better to take a chance and have it turn out bad than spend your whole life wondering what might have been.
Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino, the WB, etc.
Archiving statement: OK for Mystic's archive. Other archives, NO. Please do not archive this story without my permission.

The strained air in the car was only more uncomfortable after they dropped off Luke and Jess and covered the short distance from the diner to the Gilmore house. Lorelai waited until they got out of the car to say, "You're grounded."

Rory just nodded.

"I trust you to make your own decisions, Rory, but it would make me happy if you didn't spend any more time with Jess," Lorelai continued.

Rory half-nodded.

"Rory?"

"What?" Rory demanded. "What do you want me to say? I already said I was sorry."

"At least acknowledge -"

"Yes, mother," Rory snapped.

"Rory," Lorelai warned.

"Yes, mother," Rory repeated.

Lorelai was furious, but she didn't want Rory to know. She wanted them to be able to talk about this, but it looked like they couldn't. Rory was acting just like Jess.

No, that wasn't it. Rory was acting just like teenage Lorelai.

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Lorelai said.

"Being hurt is a part of life," Rory said. "And Jess wasn't hurting me."

"You didn't go to school so you could be with him," Lorelai said, amazed at her calm. "If that's not him hurting you, then it's him influencing you to hurt yourself."

"That's my choice," Rory said defiantly.

"Not when it affects other people," Lorelai pointed out.

"What about when you make decisions that affect other people?" Rory demanded.

"What?" Lorelai didn't understand the sudden change in focus from Rory to her.

"Your decisions affect me, but I don't see you asking me about them," Rory said.

"What are you talking about?" Lorelai cried.

Rory just shook her head. "Can I go to my room and start being grounded now?"

"Is this about me not marrying Max? Again?" Lorelai asked, still not understanding.

"No," Rory said. "This is about me. I decided not to go to school, okay? And Jess just happened to be there. It's got nothing to do with you, or who you date or don't date, or marry or don't marry, or kiss or don't kiss."

Now Lorelai understood.

"But I don't tell you who you can be friends with," Rory continued. "So I'd appreciate it if you'd return the favor."

"Jess told you," Lorelai surmised.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rory demanded.

"Because..." Lorelai didn't have a good answer. "I didn't think it would be a big deal."

"I bet it was a big deal to Luke," Rory said.

"Rory, I've always tried to keep that part of my life separated from our life," Lorelai said. "You know that."

Rory shook her head. "That's not going to work with me anymore."

Lorelai held up her hands out of frustration. "I don't know what to say to you, Rory. I don't know what you want from me."

"I want you to figure out your own life before you tell me how to live mine," Rory said, quite seriously. And then, before any more argument could erupt, she went to her room and closed the door.

Lorelai let her go, sinking onto the couch with a deep sigh. The kid had a point. How many times and how many different ways had she heard those same words over the last year? She had to sort out her own feelings and deficiencies if she was to have any hope of showing Rory how to lead a normal, healthy life. Just because Rory ordinarily did so well on her own didn't mean Lorelai could sit back and watch.

The telephone rang and Lorelai reached over and picked it up. "Hey."

"Lorelai? What happened? Did you find Rory?" Sookie sounded worried.

"Yeah, we found her." Lorelai instantly regretted the pronoun, knowing Sookie would call her on it.

"'We'?" Sookie asked.

"I kind of ran into Luke," Lorelai admitted.

"Luke."

"But it wasn't like that, Sookie. He was looking for Jess, and as it turned out, Jess and Rory were together."

"Why?" Sookie asked.

"I guess they decided to ditch school together. I'm not really sure. Rory hasn't been forthcoming with the details. I'm not sure I want to know the details," Lorelai said.

"But she's okay."

"Aside from being mentally scarred by my recurring romantic failures? Rory's fine," Lorelai responded.

"Oh, honey, don't blame this on yourself," Sookie said.

"It's true," Lorelai groaned. "I guess there's not much I can do about it, though, unless Sherman and Mr. Peabody want to come over to my house with the Wayback machine."

"I don't think you'd want them to do that," Sookie said.

"I don't," Lorelai agreed. "I'm sure it'll all blow over in a couple of days. I just hate fighting with her."

"Nobody said raising a teenager would be easy," Sookie pointed out.

"Thanks for looking on the bright side," Lorelai retorted. "How are things at the inn?"

"It's been slow all day," Sookie reported.

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Why would I do that?" Sookie giggled. "I better go, the dinner rush is about to start. See you tomorrow."

"See you," Lorelai said, but Sookie was already gone. She leaned back on the couch and looked around, finding herself with nothing to do. She could watch the news on TV, but it just wasn't the same without Rory.

Lorelai knocked softly on Rory's door around six o'clock. "Rory?" There was no answer, so Lorelai tried the handle. Locked. Her heart immediately started pounding. She just knew Rory had locked the door and gone out the window, to run away to meet Jess. Trying to quell her fears, she knocked again. "Rory?"

The door opened. Rory had a red mark on her cheek and her hair was tangled. She'd obviously been asleep. "What?"

"Are you okay? It got kind of quiet."

"I'm fine," Rory replied, rubbing her eyes. They were red already. Lorelai hated the thought that she'd been crying.

"I was just wondering if you, uh, you know, wanted to get some dinner."

"I'll eat later," Rory said, and started to close the door.

"There's nothing in the fridge, I checked."

"I'm not hungry anyway," Rory replied, and again started to close the door.

"I feel like a salesman here," Lorelai said, glancing down at the foot she'd playfully wedged between the door and frame to keep it from closing completely. "I don't want us to be fighting anymore."

"We're not," Rory said, although Lorelai didn't particularly believe her. "I'm just not hungry, that's all."

Lorelai looked at her daughter carefully. "Okay," she said, taking her foot out of the doorway and taking a step back. "Last chance," she offered. "Want me to bring something back for you?"

"I said I wasn't hungry," Rory repeated. "Besides, I'm not in the mood for whatever part of the world Al's Pancake World is focused on this week."

"Who says it has to be Al's?" Lorelai asked.

"Don't you say?" Rory pointed out. "I figured you're too chicken to go to Luke's by yourself, or you wouldn't be standing here."

"Rory, that's not really..."

"Kind? Appropriate?" Rory demanded. "It's true, though."

"Never mind. I'm sorry I asked you," Lorelai bristled. "I'm going to go have dinner by myself. Better company, anyway."

"Fine," Rory said, and closed the door firmly.

"You don't want me to give a message to Jess?" Lorelai yelled annoyingly through the door. Rory ignored her. It was probably just as well.

"What can I get for you, Ms. Gilmore?" Jess was working the counter at Luke's, an apron wrapped around his hips.

"Burger and fries," Lorelai said. "And coffee."

"Coffee, coming right up," Jess replied, setting a cup down in front of her and filling it. Then he stood back, as though he was waiting for something.

"You get your tip at the end," Lorelai pointed out.

"Right. I forgot," Jess said, sarcastically.

"Rory's grounded," Lorelai told him.

"I figured," Jess nodded.

"I'd like it if she didn't hang out with you anymore."

"Isn't that Rory's decision?" Jess pointed out.

"Yes. It is," Lorelai admitted. She could hear people whispering behind her. "How many?" she asked Jess.

He glanced behind her. "Four or five. But you know, maybe they're not all talking about you and Uncle Luke."

"Where is 'Uncle Luke'?" Lorelai inquired.

Jess shrugged. "I don't keep track."

Great, thought Lorelai, another person hiding out to avoid seeing me. Just what I needed. "Hey, maybe I'll have that burger to go," she told Jess.

He nodded, and went back to the kitchen for a moment. "Ms. Gilmore, do you mind going back in the storeroom and getting some takeout containers?" Jess asked her when he returned. "I really shouldn't leave the register."

"No problem," Lorelai said, setting her purse on the counter and getting up.

"You know where it is, right?" Jess called after her.

"I've been there before," she told him, and headed back to the storeroom. The door was open and the light was on.

"Weird," Lorelai shrugged, and started looking around for the take-out containers. She stopped short when she saw Luke, sitting on a stepstool, reading a magazine. "Luke," she said. "What're you doing here? I mean...what kind of magazine is that?"

Luke looked at her doubtfully, but tilted the magazine so she could see the cover. Entertainment Weekly. "It's Jess's," he said quickly, lest she think he was interested in entertainment. "What did you think it was?"

"Never mind," Lorelai said quickly. "How come you're hanging out in the storeroom?"

"Why are you back here?" Luke asked, getting up. "Customers aren't supposed to be -"

"I guess Jess was feeling short-handed. He sent me back here to get some takeout containers."

"We don't use takeout containers. There's Tupperware in the kitchen, he knows that," Luke said. He shook his head and said, irritated, "Jess."

"He knew you were back here hiding out from me and decided to stir up some trouble," Lorelai surmised. "Look, I'm sorry. I'll just go."

"Lorelai, you don't have to -"

"No, I do," she said, turning to exit the storeroom. She reached the door and pushed on it, but nothing happened. "Luke?" She tried the handle. It turned freely, but the door didn't budge.

Luke frowned and came up next to her, trying the door. "Must be stuck," he said, shoving it with his shoulder. The door didn't give.

"Or Jess shoved something in front of the door," Lorelai said.

"Why would he do that?"

"Why does that kid do anything?" Lorelai pointed out. She put her hands into the pockets of her jeans and moved away from where Luke was standing. "At least we won't starve."

There was a tapping at her window. Rory turned her head, but didn't see anyone, so she told herself it was her imagination and settled in more comfortably with her book.

The tapping came again. "Did you lock yourself out?" Rory demanded, getting up and expecting to see Lorelai lurking outside. Instead, she was surprised to see Jess. Rory opened the window and leaned out. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" Jess asked.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Rory said.

"Why? Your mom's not home," Jess pointed out. Rory looked at him curiously. "I saw her at the diner. I think she's gonna be there a while, so it's safe."

"I still don't think it's a good idea," Rory told him. Then his words connected in her mind. "When you say you think she's going to be there for a while, what exactly does that mean?"

"I'll tell you if you let me come inside," Jess offered.

"I'll find out anyway," Rory rebuked his offer and reached to pull the window closed.

"Rory, please," Jess said.

She hesitated. "I'm sorry, Jess," she said finally, and closed the window, drawing the blinds closed. But she'd hesitated, and that itself was enough to make Jess smile.

To be continued...

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