Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls does not belong to me. Archive: Mystic's archive yes; others, ask. Summary: Emily's put a curse on Lorelai; meanwhile, Rory does some investigating. Sleepless by Megan Reilly eponine119@worldnet.att.net May 24-25, 2001 "So, tell me about your plans for the summer, Rory," Emily Gilmore smiled across the dinner table. Rory shrugged. "Usual, I guess." "Beach parties and cookouts?" Emily asked. "Yeah, I hear that girl Gidget just got a two-piece swimsuit, can you believe it?" interjected Lorelai. When her mother looked at her, Lorelai made a face. "Beach parties?" "Well, I don't know," Emily said. "What is a typical summer activity for you, Rory?" "I don't know, Grandma," Rory said, and Lorelai could see she was cringing at having been put on the spot. "I'll probably hang out with Lane." "And go to the library every day," Lorelai said. "Not every day." Rory wrinkled her nose. "You should see this kid, Ma," Lorelai said. "She read every book in the children's section before she was in second grade." "Not every book," Rory said, but her protests went unheard. "Well maybe you could try something new," Emily suggested. Lorelai's heart sank, because she could tell just by her mother's tone of voice that something she didn't want to hear was about to be said. "Richard and I are going to Europe in July. Would you like to come with us?" "No!" Lorelai proclaimed, before Rory had a chance to answer. And when she saw the expression on Rory's face, she felt terrible. "Rory is too young to go to Europe, Mom." "She's exactly the right age, Lorelai," Emily said. "And it isn't as though she'd be on her own. Richard and I would be there." "Well...yeah!" Lorelai declared. "She's too young to go to Europe with you and Dad." "That's preposterous, Lorelai. You went to Europe with us when you were ten." "And look how that turned out," Lorelai said, getting up from the table. "Where are you going?" Emily demanded. "To get some coffee." Lorelai declared. "I need coffee." She practically ran into the kitchen. Rory just watched her mother go. "Thanks for offering, Grandma," she said, the beginning of what was to have been a diplomatic speech. But Emily nailed her with a hard gaze. "She's your mother, and she loves you, but don't let that get in the way of what's best for you," she instructed. Rory frowned, and nodded, feeling like a traitor. Then she just stared at the lace tablecloth, wishing her mother would come back. "Lorelai, that's a soup bowl, not a coffee mug!" Emily cried. "Then why does it have a handle?" Lorelai shot back. "I don't see how you can drink that stuff. It's certainly not healthy." "My health is fine, Ma," Lorelai informed her. "You're shaking." "Not from caffeine," Lorelai's tone was a warning not to mess with her. "I got an A on my health project," Rory said, but her heart wasn't in it. "I don't know how you can sleep at night. And you must have to go to the ladies' room every ten minutes," Emily continued to dig. "How long have I been sitting here?" Lorelai demanded. "Thirty seconds," Emily pointed out, truthfully. Lorelai put the large mug down on the table. It was empty. "Come on, Rory, we're going." "We haven't even had desert yet --" "I don't care," Lorelai said. "Let's go." She got up and headed into the foyer. After a moment, Rory followed her. The two women were silent as they went to the car and began the drive home. "I think you may have overreacted back there," Rory suggested as lightly as she could. "I never overreact," Lorelai informed her. Then she took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. "I'm sorry, babe," she said, looking at her daughter. "If you want to go, I'll call in the morning and apologize. It's an amazing opportunity for you. It's just --" "We're going after I graduate from high school. I know," Rory said. "And I was jealous," Lorelai admitted. It was a hard thing to admit. "I didn't really want to go," said Rory. Lorelai frowned and looked at her, trying to decide if Rory was just trying to spare her feelings. She couldn't tell. "Well, I'm sorry anyway," Lorelai said as they pulled up in the driveway of their house. Then she had to try to break the tension. "Hey, we're home in time to see 'Diagnosis Murder.' We never get to watch that!" "Get to is a little strong, don't you think?" Rory suggested as they went inside. She headed for her room. "Hey! Get your butt back here and keep me company!" Lorelai protested. Rory just shook her head and pushed her door open, closing it softly behind her. Lorelai smiled, settling on the couch and turning on the TV. A moment later, she turned down the volume. Summer nights were her favorite. They were quiet, and there was something in the air that you couldn't feel at any other time of year. Most people would probably call it humidity, she thought, going to open a window, but it was something else, too. The feeling that came from knowing Rory would fall asleep with her book open because she didn't have to get up for school the next day. But Lorelai did have to get up for work the next day, even though it would be Saturday, and that was why she got up from the couch when the evening news started. Rory's light was still on and as Lorelai paused, she thought she could hear the frantic turning of pages. She smiled. She loved her kid more than anything. That was the night it began. It was stuffy in the bedroom, so she opened the window. But then she could hear cars on the street rushing past. What were they doing out there, driving so fast in the middle of the night? Lorelai had plenty of opportunities to stare out the window at them, because she had to go to the bathroom. Again. She watched the numbers on her clock change, from 1:00 to 2:00 and onward. When they reached 4, she threw the clock across the room. It didn't help. "Coffee," Lorelai groaned like a zombie as she lurched into Luke's the next morning. Luke did a double take when he saw her. "You look awful," he said. "Thanks," Lorelai said, accepting the large cup of beautiful brown liquid from him and taking the first sip. Usually when she did, she could close her eyes and picture heaven. Today, if she closed her eyes, she was pretty sure she'd keel over right there on the floor, and since she was wearing her especially short skirt, that might cause a spectacle. "No, I mean it," Luke said. "And I say again, thanks," Lorelai snapped. "Are you okay?" He peered at her across the counter, deeply concerned. "I'm fine. I'm great," Lorelai said as perkily as she could muster. "No, I'm terrible," she said a minute later, collapsing against the counter. "I couldn't sleep last night. At all. It was torture, watching the hours go by on the clock." "Sounds bad," Luke said. "It was," she told him, finishing off the cup of coffee and holding it out to be refilled. "You want decaf?" Luke offered. "Blasphemer!" Lorelai cried, but she was smiling. Luke raised an eyebrow. "Might make it easier to sleep." "Please. I'm not that desperate. Besides, if you think this is bad, you don't want to see me in withdrawal," Lorelai said. "Yeah, I can see how that might get ugly," Luke concurred, pouring another cup, which Lorelai drank quickly. "Keep that up and I might have to take your keys." "Please, bartender, just another round," Lorelai said, but she was fishing money out of her purse to pay him so she could get to work. She got up from the stool where she'd been sitting and frowned. She glanced around. "What?" Luke asked. "You don't have a bathroom." "Should I have one?" Luke asked. Lorelai nodded. "You can use the one upstairs," he offered, glancing at her curiously. "Then I'll have a chance to finish snooping through your apartment," she grinned, but then she ran up the stairs. _ _ _ "This is it?" Lane asked incredulously. Rory nodded, her face serious and filled with purpose. "Isn't it great?" "Yeah. Great," Lane said, wiping bits of a spiderweb from her face. Then she had to wipe her hands off on her shorts. "Why are we here again?" "I wanted to see it for myself," Rory explained, tramping farther through the knee-high grass, which had been left untended nearly as long as the building itself. "My mom hasn't mentioned it since she came out here with Rachel." "Maybe she forgot about it," Lane suggested. "No, you don't understand. For my mom not to talk about something, that's huge. It's really big." "No, that's really big," Lane said, taking three quick steps away from yet another spiderweb, this one still occupied by a spider approximately the size of Texas. "I didn't realize these got this big," Rory said, tilting her head to check out the spider. "It's probably poisonous," Lane said. "It's not," Rory told her confidently, continuing to study the spider. Then she turned away from it and looked up at the building. "It would take a lot of work to put this place back together." "Yeah. A lot of work. Maybe that's why your mother hasn't mentioned it." "Maybe," Rory agreed. "Okay, we can go back to civilization now." "You owe me a trip to the CD store," Lane said, heading back for the Jeep. "Thanks for coming out here with me," Rory told her friend, continuing to look at the old building until it was out of sight from the road. _ _ _ "New boyfriend?" Michel sneered when Lorelai got to the inn. "No," Lorelai said, glancing at the clock. "And I'm not late, so why are you asking?" "No reason, except that you look like an old hag who has not slept in weeks." "Gee, Michel, you know how to make a girl feel good," Lorelai said. "How's your love life?" "Depressing," Michel reported. "Keep up the good work," Lorelai suggested as she headed into the kitchen. She stopped two steps in. "Why is the floor sticky?" "Just a small accident," Sookie said, her eyes wide. "How many did you take out?" Lorelai started looking about the kitchen, trying to count the workers and see if she could spot which ones were missing. "None," Sookie reported. "Good," Lorelai smiled. "But we might have to find another produce supplier." "You hurt Jackson?" Lorelai asked. For this, she needed coffee. She went to the pot and poured herself a cup. "I didn't mean to!" Sookie said. "I don't want to hear this, do I?" Lorelai asked. "Did you have to call an ambulance?" Sookie shook her head. "Did he walk out of here under his own power?" Sookie nodded. "He's fine," Lorelai decided, finishing her coffee. "Rory stay with her grandparents last night?" Sookie inquired. "No, but Sookie, you won't believe what my mother did," Lorelai declared, going into story mode. "A triple-axle?" Sookie suggested. "No, but close," Lorelai said. "She wants to take Rory to Europe." "That's great!" Sookie said. Lorelai frowned. "That's not great?" "Sookie, you know Rory and I are going to backpack through Europe when she finishes high school." Lorelai noticed the look Sookie was giving her. "What?" "Nothing," Sookie said swiftly. "Come on. I know that look," Lorelai said. "Nothing," Sookie said again, but then she gave in. "I didn't think you were serious." "Why wouldn't you think I was serious?" Lorelai asked. "I just thought it was one of those things. Like you want to do it, and you say you're going to, but it's not really...like a dream. I thought it was a dream," Sookie told her. "Like us having our own inn." Lorelai's frown deepened. "But we are going to have our own inn," she said. "Mm-hmm," Sookie said, turning quickly away to tend to a sauce that was beginning to bubble on the stove. "Sookie," said Lorelai, watching her friend skim the surface of the sauce with a metal spoon, something she knew Sookie wouldn't have done if she'd been paying attention. "Sookie, you're using metal." "Ack!" Sookie dropped the spoon into the sauce. Then she reached to try to pick it out and burned her fingers, which she stuck into her mouth while looking around for her wooden spoon. After a second, she gave up and just dumped the whole pot of sauce out. "No one's going to want that now." She retrieved the metal spoon and shoved it in the dishwasher. "Why would you think we're not going to have our own inn?" Lorelai asked her friend. Sookie shrugged. "Because it's just a dream, Lorelai." "A dream we're going to make real," Lorelai said stubbornly. Sookie just nodded and tried to move away to restart the sauce, but Lorelai blocked her path. "You're serious," Lorelai realized. "You really think it's not going to happen. That we're not going to do it." "It's no big deal," Sookie said. "Yeah," Lorelai said, in that way she had of trying to cover that she was really hurt. "You're right. No big deal." She moved out of Sookie's way. "Lorelai --" Sookie called after her, feeling regrets over the way that had just happened. "No, I have to...I have to pee. I'll be back in a sec," Lorelai said, heading for the bathroom. She could not believe how much she'd had to go this morning. It was like the coffee was heading straight through... "I'm cursed," she said, realizing it. "My mother cursed me." 2. Rory liked the library in Stars Hollow. It was small and out of the way and didn't have a great collection of books, but it was hers. When she was little, she'd actually believed it was her library. She smiled at the memory of what a silly kid she'd been. Today she didn't go look at the books. She had one with her that she'd only just started. "Hi Rory," said Jill, the librarian. "Hi," Rory said. "How would I find out who owns some property?" "What property are you interested in?" Jill asked. "There's an old building, near the outskirts of town. It's been abandoned for a while." Jill nodded. "I know the place you mean. It's been empty as long as I can remember. I don't know who owns it." "There's a way to look it up, though, right?" Rory asked. "All we've got here are old issues of the Stars Hollow Bulletin," Jill said, apologetically. "It's a place to start," Rory declared. _ _ _ "Do you think it's possible to put a curse on someone?" Lorelai asked Luke while she waited for Rory to show up for dinner. "Someone get on your bad side?" Luke asked. "My mother." "What'd she do now?" Luke inquired. "What makes you think she did something?" "When does she not?" "You have a point there," Lorelai acceded. "Did I tell you she wants to take Rory to Europe?" "That's great! Rory would love that," Luke said. Lorelai scowled at him. "Well, she would. And you know it." He pointed an accusatory finger at her before turning away to get some ketchup for Kirk, who was sitting at a table near the window. "Luke, can I ask you something?" Lorelai said when he returned. "As long as it's not about computers or the Red Sox, go ahead." Luke leaned against the counter. "When did the Sox get to be a forbidden topic of conversation?" Lorelai asked. "I thought you liked baseball." "I do like baseball," Luke confirmed. "Don't ask." "I won't," Lorelai promised. Luke continued to stand there. "What?" she asked. "You were going to ask me something?" Luke prompted. "Oh! Yes," Lorelai said. Luke tsked and she looked at him. "What now?" he demanded. "You tsked at me." "I did not." "You did too!" Lorelai insisted. "So what if I did?" Luke demanded. "Why would you tsk at me?" Lorelai demanded back. That, of course, was when Rory decided to arrive. Lorelai turned to her with a shocked expression. "He tsked at me!" "Good for him," Rory said. "What happened to you?" Luke inquired. "That's a dangerous question. You should know that after this morning," Lorelai told Luke, then turned to look at her daughter. "What happened this morning?" Rory inquired. "I told her she looked bad," Luke answered. "What happened to you?" Lorelai demanded. "Nothing," Rory said. "You look like you've been wallowing with Wilbur out in the mudpatch," Lorelai pointed out. "It's not that bad," Rory told her, smoothing down her tangled hair and rubbing her nose. Her hands left black streaks everywhere she touched. "You're right. It's worse. You look like you're auditioning to be a chimney sweep. Is Miss Patty staging Mary Poppins and I didn't hear about it?" Lorelai asked. "I was looking at old newspapers," Rory admitted. "Why?" Lorelai asked. "And you can't say it's a school project, because there is no school." "They could have assigned work to do over the summer," Rory offered. "But they didn't," Lorelai pointed out. "But they should have!" Rory said teasingly. "Honestly. What kind of school is Chilton that they don't keep their students slaving away all summer long. They might accidentally have some fun." "Fun rolling around with old newspapers," Lorelai remarked. "You need to clean up before the food gets here." "Too late," said Luke, arriving and placing their burgers in front of them. "I didn't order this," Lorelai said to him with a naughty smile. "You didn't have to," Luke said. "Eat. Here." He dropped a couple of packets of HandiWipes next to Rory's plate. "Aww, I'm gonna miss Pigpen," Lorelai said as Rory wiped down her face and hands. Rory just looked at her and started eating. "So what was in the newspapers?" "Nothing," Rory said. "Oh, did you know that there was a murder in our house?" "There's never been a murder in Stars Hollow," Lorelai told her. "If there was, we'd have a festival about it. Have you noticed we have festivals for everything in this town?" "We'll have to report them to the police for over-festival abuse when we get home," Rory said, digging in to her food. "What are you doing tomorrow?" she inquired a moment later. "Working," Lorelai responded. "Why?" "No reason," Rory said. "You wanna pick up some hours at the inn?" Lorelai offered. Rory didn't say anything, but the look on her face indicated she was against the idea. Lorelai put her burger back on its plate with the deliberation of a boxer ready to start a fight. "Rory. What's going on?" "Nothing," Rory replied too quickly, which was always an indicator something was wrong. "Rory, I love you, but you can't lie worth a damn," Lorelai said. "Maybe I was hoping you'd teach me to lie," Rory replied cutely. "Smart-ass," Lorelai muttered, casting Rory a threatening, sidelong look. "I'm onto you." "Okay," said Rory, like it didn't bother her at all. Suddenly Lorelai's eyes went wide. "What?" Rory asked. "This is about my birthday," Lorelai said with a big grin. Rory blinked innocently. Maybe a little too innocently. "So what if it is?" Lorelai's grin widened, and she caught Luke's flannel shirt as he walked by. "Rory's planning something for my birthday," she said proudly. Luke glanced from Lorelai to Rory and back again. "Good for her." His tone was gruff, like he didn't particularly care, which was always a good sign he did care, maybe a little too much. "Did she tell you what she's planning?" Lorelai coaxed. "Mom!" Rory warned. "She didn't mention it to me," Luke said. "Mom, your birthday is months from now," Rory reminded her. "That means you're planning something big," Lorelai grinned. "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" "I've been wondering about that," Rory said. "Really?" Lorelai asked excitedly. "Has anyone ever seen a breadbox?" Rory asked. "You should know, you're the genius," Lorelai reported, still unable to contain her grin. Luke happened by again, setting an oddly shaped metal box in front of them with a loud clang. "What's that?" Lorelai asked. "Your birthday present," Luke said. Lorelai looked at the slightly rusty box worriedly. "You sure about that?" She poked it. "It's a bread box," Luke told her. "Ah ha," Rory said. Lorelai picked it up, turning it over in her hands. "And here we have the rare species boxus breadrisingus," she said in her best PBS-announcer voice. "You should take it on Antiques Roadshow," Rory suggested. "We should take the whole town on Antiques Roadshow!" Lorelai said. "Can you imagine?" "Unfortunately, yes." Rory took the metal box from Lorelai and set it back on the counter. She was finished eating. So was Lorelai. "We should go." "You have big plans for the evening?" Lorelai asked. "I want to finish the book I'm reading," Rory reported. Lorelai faked the biggest yawn she could. That triggered an actual yawn. "Maybe an early night is a good idea," she agreed, stretching a little to shake off the yawn. "Hey, why are yawns contagious?" "They're not," Rory said. "Look around." True to form, several patrons of Luke's had their mouths stretched open. "Or maybe you're right, they're not contagious. The town's about to fall under the spell of an evil witch who wants us all to sleep for 100 years. Which doesn't really sound like such a bad idea." "Are you all right?" Rory asked. "You're making even less sense than usual." "Not possible," Luke interjected as he came to refill Lorelai's coffee. "One for the road?" she asked, stopping him from filling her cup. "One day this is all going to catch up to you," he warned, gesturing with the pot. But he dutifully filled a paper cup with coffee and handed it over. "Thanks, Luke," Lorelai said. She and Rory headed out of the diner. Within steps, Lorelai broke into a run. "New exercise program?" Rory inquired. "Something like that," Lorelai muttered. "I'll see you at home." She broke into a sprint, leaving Rory standing there on the sidewalk, wondering when, precisely, her mother had lost her mind. _ _ _ "Now she's expecting me to do something amazing for her birthday," Rory reported to Lane on the telephone that evening. "Whatever you do, she'll think is amazing," Lane said. "Your mom's easy. Unlike some people I could mention." "I take it the certificate for a fancy dinner didn't go over too well?" "She thought I wanted to get her out of the house so I could have a party. Oh, and she was insulted that I would think they'd have to go out for a good meal, because her cooking's not good enough," Lane said. "I'm sorry," Rory sympathized. "It's okay. It's a challenge. One day, I'll actually pick the right present. Of course, I'll probably be ninety by then. What are you planning for your mother's birthday?" Lane inquired. "Nothing yet," Rory said. "Then why does she think you're up to something?" "She gets crazy ideas," Rory said. She glanced at the clock and saw it was getting late. "I'd better let you go." "Right. No phone calls after nine," Lane repeated one of her mother's favorite rules. "I'm lucky to have a phone at all." Her mother's bellow was barely audible in the background. "There she goes, just like Big Ben. See you tomorrow?" "Count on it," Rory said, and hung up. She turned off the light and lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling. Wishing there was some way she could surprise her mother with the inn for her birthday. But that seemed impossible. Maybe it'd be better to forget it all together. But Rory couldn't, because she knew her mother wanted it. And for the first time in her life, it seemed possible, however implausible, to get her mother something she wanted so badly. Maybe it was because she was getting older, or maybe it was because her Lorelai had given her something she'd wanted, which was to go to Chilton. Even though that hadn't worked out exactly as she'd planned. Rory was still grateful for the opportunity. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a scenario in a "Skipper grows up" coloring book. So Rory put it out of her mind and went to sleep. _ _ _ "One thousand four hundred ninety seven, one thousand four hundred ninety eight..." If Lorelai counted another sheep, she was likely to become a proponent for hunting and start blasting away at the cute little lambs like Arnold Schwartzenegger in "Hoof And Mouth Terminator." She sighed and rolled over, then flopped back. She'd twisted and turned so much it could be an aerobic exercise. There was no use. She was never going to sleep again. All because her mother had cursed her. Lorelai checked the clock, hoping that if she couldn't sleep, it would be morning already so she could stop wasting her time. It wasn't. It was only two a.m. Not a whole lot to do at two in the morning. Lorelai yawned and turned on the small TV she had in her bedroom, flipping through the small selection of infomercials with the sound off. Every other commercial was for the psychic hotline. "Yes, Madame Mina, I'd like to know why the hell I can't sleep," Lorelai muttered to herself at the forty-second appearance of the Supernatural Friends Network. She punched the pillow behind her head and slid down a little farther. This was sheer torture. _ _ _ A zooming noise woke Rory up. She groaned and pulled her quilt over her head. It was summer, for crying out loud. She was supposed to be able to sleep late. And what the hell made a zooming noise, anyway? But it just continued. Zoom...zoom... Rory jumped out of bed and threw her bedroom door open. "What are you doing to me?" She yelled. Then she stopped. "Okay, this is a nightmare." "You're up," Lorelai said. "You're vacuuming," Rory said. Lorelai nodded. "Go back to bed. I'll call the doctor. You must be delirious," Rory suggested, moving toward the phone. "I'm not sick," Lorelai said. "Mom," Rory stared at the vacuum. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd get some cleaning done." "You couldn't sleep..." Rory had a horrible realization, which was confirmed when she looked at the clock on the VCR. "It's five in the morning!" "Early to bed, early to rise..." Lorelai offered, but she sank down on the couch and kicked the vacuum until it turned off. Rory sank down next to her. "I've been cursed," Lorelai said. "I'm dreaming this," Rory said. It was the only thing that made sense. "Ever since Emily said that about the coffee..." Lorelai tried to explain. "This is about coffee?" Rory roared. "That's it." She got up and went into her room, slamming the door. She put her pillow over her ears just in case and was back to sleep within minutes. Lorelai sat on the couch, feeling like her bones had turned to mush. The only thing in the world she wanted was to go to sleep. Just to try it out, she lay down on the couch, hoping against hope she'd be able to sleep. But the moment she did, her eyes were wide open. "Damn," she muttered. There was only one thing to do. _ _ _ "I can see you in there," Lorelai called through the closed, locked door of Luke's diner. "I'm not open yet. Go away," Luke yelled back grumpily. "Please, Luke, I need coffee," Lorelai replied. Luke stomped over to the door, threw the lock, and stomped away. Lorelai let herself inside. "Thank you," she said. "Lock it," Luke advised. Lorelai stood there looking at him. "Lock it, or Taylor Doesey will think I'm open and come over here for breakfast before he opens the store." "What's so bad about that?" Lorelai asked. "Maybe you should open earlier. You're missing out on a lot of business. I saw the guy from the florist shop getting in his truck. Country folk get up early." "Getting up early makes people want to talk, and then I don't get any work done," Luke said with a pointed glare at Lorelai. Lorelai made the gesture of closing her lips, locking them, and tossing away the key. Then she went looking for the invisible key, found it, and swallowed it, just to make her point. "Why are you up?" Luke asked. He sat down at the counter, where various spreadsheets and pieces of paper littered his area. He picked up a pencil and his calculator, then looked at her. Lorelai shrugged, remembering her recent vow of silence. Then she headed behind the counter to get a cup of coffee. "Maybe you should try the decaf," Luke suggested. "Oh, yeah, deal with insomnia and caffeine withdrawal. Are you trying to kill me?" Lorelai cried, guzzling her favorite hot drink. "Maybe it's time for you to admit you have a problem," Luke suggested gently. "Is this an intervention?" Lorelai cracked. "Do you need one?" Luke looked at her. Lorelai held his gaze for a moment, then shook her head. "It's just coffee, Luke. Comes from harmless little beans in South America." "So does cocaine, and you don't see me encouraging you to try that," Luke retorted. Lorelai shook her head and stared deep into the bottom of her cup. One of the psychic network commercials had a lady who could read tea leaves. Maybe coffee could tell your fortune, too, Lorelai mused, swishing the last bit of coffee around in the cup. "Did you want to ask me something?" Luke asked. "Huh?" His question took her by surprise. "Last night. I thought you said you wanted to ask me something." Luke's eyes were firmly planted on his spreadsheet. "Oh! I did," Lorelai admitted. "Do you think I say things I don't mean?" Luke looked at her as though she was the cheese in a mousetrap. "What are you talking about?" "You know how Sookie and I are going to open our own inn someday?" Lorelai asked. "Yeah," Luke answered. He put down his pencil, because he got the impression this was serious. Lorelai looked like it meant a lot to her. "Sookie kind of mentioned that she doesn't think we're ever going to do it. That it's just something I talk about, with no intention of following through." Lorelai looked into her coffee for answers, then looked at Luke again. "Why would she think I didn't mean it?" "Is this what you're losing sleep over?" Luke asked gently. "No," Lorelai said. "I'm losing sleep because my mother cursed me. I just...I don't want to be thought of someone who...someone like that," Lorelai continued. "That was like something my mother would say, that I can't do it. But it was coming from Sookie, and Sookie's not my mother." She looked at Luke and frowned at the expression on his face. "Okay. Level with me, Luke. What is it about me that inspires non-confidence?" "I don't think it's that --" "Luke," said Lorelai. Luke opened his mouth to answer her, then closed it again and went back to his spreadsheets. "I think you need to ask Sookie." "But I'm asking you." "I'm not the one who said it in the first place," Luke pointed out. "But you're not saying that you don't think it, ergo, you must think it too." "Ergo?" Luke asked. Lorelai laughed. "I'm not thinking straight." She put down her cup of coffee. "I shouldn't be here." She got up from the stool. "Thanks." "Going home to get some sleep?" Luke inquired. Lorelai shook her head. "I'm going to the inn." Something about the way she said it and the determination on her face made him watch her worriedly until she was gone. _ _ _ 3. Rory got on the bus to Hartford a little later than she'd planned. After her middle-of-the-night escapade with Lorelai, she'd relished the extra sleep. Now, sitting in her same familiar bus seat, the one she usually took when she went to work, she couldn't concentrate on the open book in front of her, because she was wondering if her mother had gone completely off the deep end. She just needs sleep, Rory decided. The bus was moving through downtown Hartford, so she tucked her book away and got up from her seat, getting off at the next stop. It was already hot outside and Rory brushed the hair off her neck as she walked up the street to the State Capitol building. Hartford wasn't that big a city, but it was a lot bigger than Stars Hollow and Rory looked around, surprised by how different the two cities were. Riding in the elevator up to the land records department, Rory had to ask herself why she was going so far with this. She couldn't tell herself it was curiosity over the abandoned building anymore. She wanted to know who the owner was. But she didn't know what she was going to do with the information once she got it. Land was expensive, even out by Stars Hollow. Her mother couldn't even afford to pay for Chilton. Stepping into the small, air conditioned office, Rory put thoughts of money out of her mind, too, and approached the counter. "I wanted to find out who owns a piece of abandoned property near Stars Hollow," she told the clerk, who was a woman about forty years old. "Abandoned? It's probably owned by the bank," the clerk told her, then smiled. "Let's see what we can find out. Do you know the location?" Rory told her. "Do you have any idea how much something like that might sell for?" she asked. She didn't know who else might be able to tell her. "Depends," the clerk replied, typing and looking at her computer screen. "If the land's slated for development, could be millions." "Millions?" Rory's voice squeaked a little. "Then again, if it's been empty as long as you say, bank might be ready to unload it cheap," the clerk said. "I've heard as low as a dollar an acre when timing's right." "A dollar an acre," Rory said. "That's not too bad, right?" "It's a big parcel," the clerk told her noncommittally. "Here we go." She clicked a button with her mouse, and a moment later, a sheet of paper slipped out of the printer. "There's all the information you'll need." "Do I -- does this cost money?" Rory didn't touch the paper, even though she wanted to. The clerk shook her head. "No charge, honey." "Thank you," Rory said sincerely, picking up the sheet of inkjetted paper. The land was, indeed, owned by a bank. One right there in Hartford. _ _ _ "Big party last night?" Michel inquired. "Yeah. Huge. We had a rave in the town square. Practioners of alternate religions danced naked in the moonlight," Lorelai said, rolling her eyes. "The police chief got loaded up on ecstasy. It was great." "You just look a little hungover," Michel pointed out. "You're fired," Lorelai said blandly. She couldn't get up enough energy to care. She felt her lack of sleep pressing down on her like a forty-ton weight. "Ha ha," Michel sneered as Lorelai went into the kitchen. "Lorelai!" Sookie grinned. "I have something for you. Taste." She shoved a cup toward Lorelai's mouth. Lorelai took a step backward. "What is it?" "Just taste it." Lorelai took the cup and drank. "Good. What is it?" "Orange cider." "It's good," Lorelai said more enthusiastically after taking another taste. "What made you think of it?" "Apple shortage," Sookie said. "Jackson says there's a blight." "Ooh, a blight," Lorelai said, turning away from the coffee she'd been going after and finishing the orange cider instead. "Is there Kool-Aid in this?" "Lorelai. Please." "Just asking," Lorelai said. "Sookie, we have to talk about the inn." "What's wrong? Is it in trouble? Did I do something? Oh, god, it's a lawsuit, isn't it?" Sookie moaned. "I swear that cook tripped over his own feet! My rolling pin was on the floor, but it was nowhere near him!" "The inn you think we're not going to start," Lorelai clarified. "Oh. That inn," Sookie said. "Goodness, you scared me." "Why would you think I'd say something and not mean it? We've been talking about having our own inn for a long time. I'm taking business classes." "I thought you were taking classes because we get tuition reimbursement and you were going to be damned if you let any of your benefits go to waste," Sookie pointed out. "Because you said --" "Sookie," Lorelai said. "I don't know," Sookie told her. "I guess I just thought that if it hadn't happened yet, it's not going to." "But we're young! And vital! Not to mention hot," Lorelai said, and Sookie giggled. "We can do anything we want to. There's a whole world out there to conquer." She smiled, and Sookie smiled back. "There will be a Lorelai and Sookie Inn someday." "I thought it was going to be Sookie and Lorelai," Sookie pointed out. "We'll have to talk about it later," Lorelai said. Then she poured some coffee and downed it in one long glug. "I have to order supplies. Anything you need?" "A juicer would be nice," Sookie said. "If you can squeeze it out of the budget. Ha, squeeze, get it, like oranges?" She laughed at her own joke, and Lorelai had to smile. _ _ _ "I'm sorry, I don't understand why you're here," the bank officer said, looking across his desk at Rory. He was wearing a three-piece suit with pinstripes. "I wanted to know about this property," Rory said. "Is this a school project?" The bank officer asked, looking again at Rory's t- shirt and jeans. "No," Rory told him, and said nothing more. The bank officer looked at her and also said nothing more. Rory waited. He waited. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for you," he said. "You didn't even check!" Rory cried. "Children can't own property, or take out loans," the bank officer informed her. "If you'd like to talk to my secretary about opening a junior account --" "I don't want a junior account, I want to know about this property!" Rory said loudly. The bank officer stared at her as though he'd never heard anyone raise his voice before. "Never mind. I don't want to do business with you anyway." She grabbed the paper back and ran out of the bank. Outside on the sidewalk, she felt ridiculous. She'd just proved that man's point, that teenagers were irrational and immature. Rory sighed. It was unfair. She scowled, and realized the people inside the bank were still staring at her through the glass doors. She turned away, feeling her face turn read. She'd figure this out. _ _ _ There was a pair of yellow rubber garden clogs sticking out from underneath the bushes at the Emily and Richard Gilmore's house. It took Rory a moment to realize there were feet inside the shoes, and legs attached. "Grandma?" Rory asked incredulously. Emily appeared from behind the foliage. "Rory! What brings you out here?" She beamed. "Just thought I'd visit," Rory said, getting down in the dirt next to her grandmother and picking up a trowel to help with the gardening. "I knew you didn't have enough to do with school out," Emily said. "Your quaint little town can't keep your mind occupied. Please consider coming to Europe with us, Rory. We'd have such a wonderful time." "I can't," Rory told her, watching an earthworm wriggle through the dirt. "I can't believe you do your own gardening." "We have help that takes care of the grounds," Emily explained. "But these roses are mine." She got back to work, wrestling with weeds. "It isn't easy to grow roses, you know." "I know," Rory said. "How did you know that?" Emily asked, sounding surprised. "Science fair," Rory replied. "You grew roses for the science fair?" Rory nodded. "How interesting. You must tell me all about it," Emily invited. Rory didn't say anything. "Or you could tell me over lemonade. I'll just ask Cook to make us up a batch." "No," Rory said, before Emily could get up. "That's okay." "Something's wrong," Emily realized. "Is it your mother?" "No. Well, yes. Kind of," Rory sounded absolutely tormented. "'Kind of' is not an answer," Emily prompted. "She wants to own her own inn --" "What's wrong with the one she's got?" Emily demanded. Rory just looked at her. "I'm sorry, dear, I'll try not to interrupt. Go on." "She wants to own her own inn," Rory started again. "And it'll be small and quiet and perfect, and she can set the policies, and it'll be an accomplishment." Her voice took on the quality of someone telling a fairy tale. Emily thought it sounded as though she was repeating something Lorelai had told her, complete with inflections, but didn't say anything. "A few weeks ago, Rachel -- that's Luke's girlfriend --" "The diner man has a girlfriend?" Emily asked. Rory nodded. "She was out taking pictures and she found this abandoned building, which she showed to Mom." "Your mother is friends with the diner man's girlfriend?" Emily asked. Rory looked at her. "I'm sorry, I just find that rather interesting in itself. Go on, I want to hear where this is going." "And it would be the perfect place for an inn. It's right outside Stars Hollow, and it's just the right size. It's owned by the Bank of Hartford." "Jack Jones works for the Bank of Hartford. He's a good friend of your grandfather's," Emily said. "I tried to find out how much they wanted for the property, but the people at the bank wouldn't even talk to me. They offered to help me open a junior account," Rory said. "Do you think you could talk to them? Just find out how much the property is?" "Why are you doing this?" Emily asked shrewdly. "I don't know," Rory replied. "I just...it's so perfect, and I thought maybe if I found out, then Mom could..." She trailed off. "It's just, she's done so much for me, for my dream of going to Harvard, like applying for Chilton. I want give something back to her." "She's your mother, Rory. She's not expecting anything in return," Emily said. "It's not just that," Rory said. "I'll talk to Jack," Emily promised. "Would you?" Rory's eyes lit up. "Of course, if it means so much to you. And to Lorelai," Emily added. "Now hand me that spray bottle. I think I see a weed forming right here." Rory did, and they went back to gardening. _ _ _ "What did you do all day?" Lorelai asked her daughter that evening as they met for dinner at Luke's. "Nothing," Rory answered, feeling guilty about the lie. She covered it quickly. "What about you?" "Same," Lorelai replied. Her eyelids began to sink even as she sat at their table, chewing her food. She jumped and forced herself to sit up straighter. "Are you all right?" Rory asked. "Fine," Lorelai answered, reaching for her coffee, only to find it was empty. "Garcon!" She yelled in Luke's direction. "That was rude," Rory pointed out. "He knows I was kidding." "That must be why he's rushing over here," Rory said, because Luke hadn't budged from his position behind the counter. "Maybe you should go home, if you're tired." "I'm fine," Lorelai said. "Oh no, that means something's really wrong, if you're insisting you're fine and not making jokes," Rory said. "I'm not in the mood," Lorelai snapped. "Because you're so fine," Rory pointed out. "Sometimes you are the most annoying kid on earth," Lorelai told her. "Sometimes you're the most annoying person on earth," Rory retorted. "Good, 'cause I try," Lorelai spat back. She shoved her plate away. "I'm going home. Are you coming?" "I'm not done," Rory said. "Do you want me to wait?" Lorelai asked. "Since you're standing up and halfway out the door, does it matter?" asked Rory. "You're grounded," Lorelai said. "And you're crazy," Rory pointed out. "I mean it," Lorelai said. "So do I," Rory replied. "As long as we understand each other," Lorelai said. "Then I'm going home." She walked out of Luke's. "What was that about?" Luke asked Rory. He'd come over with the coffee pot to fill Lorelai's cup. "She's insane," Rory said, as though she was long-resigned to the fact. "We try to love her anyway. It distracts her until the men in the white coats arrive." "That it does," Luke agreed. "She's got a lot on her mind right now." Rory looked at Luke. "Did she tell you what?" Luke moved his head sideways in that motion that said, yeah, well, you know... "She'll be okay once she gets some sleep," Rory theorized. Luke grinned. "What?" Rory asked. He leaned in conspiratorially. "I've secretly replaced the mountain-grown Folgers with decaf," he confessed. "You would never serve Folgers," Rory pointed out. "You're right about that." Luke straightened up. "Decaf? Really?" Rory asked. "I thought it might help." Rory nodded, and smiled. Luke smiled back at her, and then Miss Patty began having a mayonnaise emergency and he had to go. _ _ _ Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. "Stop it!" Rory shouted in the direction of her ceiling. Bounce. "MOM!" Bounce. Bounce. "I'm coming up there!" Rory screamed. Bounce. Rory flung the quilt back and ran up the stairs to her mother's bedroom. She threw open the door, exposing her Lorelai doing jumping jacks. On the bed. "Go to sleep!" Rory yelled. "Exercise helps you sleep," Lorelai told her, continuing to jump on the bed. "If you do it during the *day,*" Rory pointed out. "It's day." "It's four-thirty." "That's almost day," Lorelai told her. "Augh!" Rory jumped up on the bed with her mother. She grabbed her arms and wrestled her down onto the bed. "You are going to sleep!" She ordered, pulling up the covers as though Lorelai was a small child. "Can I have a drink of water?" "No!" "I have to go to the bathroom." "Shut up!" Rory slammed the door and started down the stairs. Halfway down, she paused to see if she could hear any sounds coming from her mother's room. Nothing. But by the time she reached the living room, there was a knocking at the back door. "Babette?" Rory asked, surprised to see her neighbor at the door in the middle of the night. "I heard the most awful screaming, sugar, I thought I'd better come over here and see if everything was okay." "Everything's fine," Rory promised. "You sure, sugar?" Babette asked. "Lorelai can't sleep," Rory reported. "That's all?" Babette asked. "It seems to be a big deal to her," Rory answered. "Oh, honey, all you gotta do is get her some cards. That'll fix her right up." "Cards?" asked Rory. "Solitaire. Does it every time. Of course, since I met Morey, I don't need my cards any more, if you know what I mean, sugar." Rory frowned. It was too early for her to try to figure that one out. "I'll go get you some cards. I'm sure I've got an extra pack," Babette offered. "No. That's okay. I appreciate it," Rory said. "Okay, sugar. Just try to keep her quiet," Babette whispered, before she turned away to go back to her little house across the yard. "I will," Rory sighed tiredly, shutting the door. She hadn't heard anything, so she was hoping against hope that her mother was asleep. She turned around and Lorelai was standing on the stairs. "Tell me a story?" she whined. "Go to bed!" Rory ordered, trying to go into her room. "Rory..." Lorelai wheedled. "Here." Rory shoved a thick book at her. "I thought you wanted me to stop exercising," Lorelai said, taking the heavy tome. "Read it. It'll cure your insomnia. I promise. Now go to bed," Rory ordered. She shut her door and fell exhaustedly into bed. _ _ _ But Lorelai was bored. And the boring book wasn't helping. She opened Rory's door to make sure her daughter was sleeping, then slipped out of the house. It had been years since she'd snuck out, Lorelai thought. And she'd never felt the need to sneak out of her own house before. She smiled, feeling gleeful. There was dew settling on the grass and it made her bare feet wet. She looked up and saw the stars and smiled at them, too, as she started up the street. Things looked different in the middle of the night. Lorelai had forgotten that in the years since she'd technically grown up and stopped staying out all night. It was like a world all to herself, she thought, continuing on down the sidewalk. Except it wasn't a world to herself. The Davidsons were loading fishing poles into their van for a summer trip. She waved at them and they waved back. As she approached the center of town, she saw a jogger. "Morning," she said, and the jogger was so distracted he tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. Kirk was struggling with what appeared to be a giant barrel of flowers outside the flower shop. "Your turn today, huh?" Lorelai asked. "Are those pajamas?" Kirk asked, staring in horror at the puffy clouds on the pants she was wearing. "Yeah," Lorelai said. "Want a hand?" She grabbed the other side of the huge bucket and helped him put it into the back of his SUV. "Why are you up so early?" "Part of the business," Kirk said. He got into the SUV quickly and drove off. A light was on inside the school. Lorelai wandered over, peeking in the window. A lone janitor was working. He had one of the desks turned upside down and was scraping gum from the underside of it with a knife. He jumped and screamed when he noticed her peeking in the window. Lorelai waved. "Sorry," she whispered. The janitor scowled. Lorelai continued on her walk, up toward Luke's. She could ambush him the minute he came downstairs and make him give her coffee. A police car cruised to a stop. "Hey, Janice," Lorelai said, greeting the sheriff's deputy who responded to calls in Stars Hollow. She won the pie-eating contest at the summer fair every year. "Lorelai," Janice acknowledged. "What brings you out here?" Lorelai asked. "You do." Janice got out of her patrol car, adjusting her belt as she stood. "Really?" Lorelai asked. "Had complaints." "I'm just taking a walk," Lorelai said. "Let's see." Janice produced her notebook and turned back several sheets. "Casing the home of someone leaving on vacation --" "But I waved!" Janice didn't pause. "-- assault on a jogger --" "He tripped!" "Disturbing the peace -- do I need to go on?" Janice asked. "I don't want to arrest you." "I'm just taking a walk," Lorelai protested. Janice looked her up and down, taking in the pajamas and the bare feet. "Go home and get some sleep, Lorelai." "I'm an insomniac," Lorelai protested. "And I've never been an insomniac before. I don't know how to do it! I haven't slept in three days. I'm getting desperate." "I can call the state mental institution. See if they can help you," Janice offered. "What's going on down there?" Luke opened his window and leaned out. "You want to file charges, too?" Janice called back up to him. "She's trying to arrest me for taking a walk," Lorelai said. "Lorelai?" Luke asked, surprised. "I'll be right down." The two women stood there until Luke appeared, wrapping his bathrobe around himself. "You don't have your hat on," Lorelai said. "I don't sleep in it," Luke pointed out. He turned to Janice. "What's the problem down here? Can I get you some coffee?" "Yes please!" Lorelai said. "I know you want coffee, you always want coffee. Janice?" "I guess I could use some." "Come on inside." Luke held the door open and turned on the lights, heading for the coffeepot. Janice sat down at a table, and Lorelai took a seat at the counter. The bell over the door jingled a moment later. "You open for business?" Luke heaved a sigh. "Come on in, Taylor." Taylor planted himself at the counter next to Lorelai. He was wearing his red cardigan buttoned up over plaid pajamas. "Nice plaid," Lorelai offered. "Nice clouds," he told her. There was a light knock at the door, and then it opened. "Knock, knock," came a cheerful voice. "Come on in, Pastor," Luke called. "Coffee's almost ready." "It's a beautiful morning," the pastor grinned and sat down. He was fully dressed, complete with clerical collar. "That it is," Luke replied, filling a cup for Lorelai. _ _ _ 4. The house was quiet when Rory got up. She hoped it meant her mother was asleep, but she tiptoed upstairs and found the sheets tossed everywhere, but Lorelai was nowhere. "Mom?" Rory asked. She received no answer. "Mom?" Rory called again. She knew it was Lorelai's day off, so she wouldn't be at the inn. Lorelai wouldn't have gone grocery shopping or to the mall without Rory. And as crazy as Lorelai had been acting, she could be anywhere, doing anything. Rory was struggling with her shoes as she hurried down the street, looking for Lorelai. "Rory?" Lane asked, seeing her friend rushing toward the center of town. Lane abandoned the lawn mower she'd been pushing. "I can't find my mom," Rory said. "You should leash her," Lane suggested. "Or one of those electronic collars that'd shock her if she strayed too far," Rory agreed. "Want to help me look?" "I'm not doing anything," Lane said, pointedly ignoring the lawn mower. She did turn it off before she unlatched the gate of the white picket fence and joined Rory. Screaming in Korean promptly followed from inside the building. "Yes, Mama," Lane said, reluctantly returning to her lawn-care duties. "Sorry, Rory." "Another time," Rory said, and continued up the street. "Psst!" Rory stopped, and turned. She saw Kirk, the strangest townie in Stars Hollow, hiding behind a light pole. "Kirk?" "Here." He took both her hands and placed them around an object. "Crush them up and put them in her food if you have to." Then he was gone. Rory stood there frowning at the bottle of sleeping pills Kirk had given her. Something was going on. After she spent another second standing there, finally straightening out the tongue in her shoe while considering and then dismissing the notion of pod people invading Stars Hollow and replacing the residents with even odder versions of themselves, she continued on. "Rory," Miss Patty said from her porch. "Good morning, Miss Patty," Rory said, stopping. "We have to do something to help your poor mother," Patty said. "Yes, I agree," Rory said. Apparently, Kirk agreed, too. Suddenly the sleeping pills were beginning to make sense. "You know what always works for me," Miss Patty said. Rory waited, but she didn't elaborate. "No, Miss Patty," she responded. "You have to..." she dropped her voice to a stage whisper. Rory wondered why stage whispers were always so much louder than regular whispers. "...bang the gong," she said. Rory was pretty sure a gong would keep everyone in town awake. But then she remembered Babette's ramblings. "You know," Miss Patty continued, "S--" "I'll suggest that," Rory said, interrupting her. "Thanks." She continued up the sidewalk quickly. Taylor Doesey stood outside his market, waiting for her. "What've you got for me?" Rory asked with a sigh. "Heat this to 400 degrees in a nonstick pan on top of the stove," Taylor said. "Milk?" Rory took the bottle from him. "Before bed, of course," Taylor instructed. "Of course." "Remember the nonstick pan! It's very important!" Taylor called after her as she continued on to Luke's. "Mom," Rory said, finding Lorelai at the counter. "Hit me again," Lorelai said to Luke, motioning drunkenly to her coffee cup. "It's just not working the way it usually does." She drooped. "Because you're exhausted," Luke said gently, filling her cup. "But I can't sleep," Lorelai whined. The town pastor cleared his throat. Rory looked at him, and he slipped a bottle of Nyquil from the pocket of his coat, then tossed it to her surreptitiously. Rory caught it one-handed. "You ever think about baseball?" Luke asked her as he set a plate of pancake on the counter for her. "No sports. Trust me," Rory assured him. She looked at Lorelai, whose nose was practically buried in her cup. Everything about her indicated she was asleep, except for her eyes, which were wide open and bloodshot. "How is she?" "It doesn't look good," Luke said. "I heard that," Lorelai snarled. "Maybe we need an exorcist," Rory said to Luke. "Come on, Mom, let's get you home." "Need coffee," Lorelai said, clinging to her cup. Rory shrugged, and began cleaning out her pockets so she could sit down and have breakfast. "What's all that?" Lorelai asked. "Gifts from the townspeople," Rory said. "They're for you." "People gave you these things?" Lorelai looked at the collection. "They mean well." "But I thought they were enjoying my wacky...wackiness," Lorelai said, then moaned, putting her head on the counter and covering it with her hands. "I'm not even funny anymore. Wacky wackiness, that's the best I can do. Shoot me now!" "Gladly," offered Roon, who'd stopped by to borrow a ladder. "Make it go away," Lorelai said, moving closer to Rory and attempting to kick Roon. "Take her home," Luke suggested. "I don't want to go home," Lorelai protested. "What do you want?" Rory asked. "A coffee IV," Lorelai whined. "Maybe the hospital's not a bad idea," Luke suggested. "Can I borrow that hammer?" Lorelai asked Roon. "She'd better not," Rory said, intercepting the exchange. "Home. Now," she ordered Lorelai, who dragged herself to her feet. "Thanks for taking care of her," she told Luke. "My pleasure," said Luke. _ _ _ "Pick your poison," Rory said, once again spreading out the items she'd acquired on her walk through town. "I finished your book," Lorelai said, digging it out from under her bed and handing it back. "You haven't opened it," Rory pointed out. "I knew it wouldn't do any good," Lorelai said. "I don't think anything will do any good. Is there a big scar on the back of my neck?" She leaned down so Rory could check. "No. Why, although I'm afraid to ask," Rory said. "The other night, on the X Files --" "You never watch the X Files," Rory pointed out. "It was that or the Thighmaster infomercial for the fourth time. In a row," Lorelai said. "There was this guy and he hadn't slept in forty four years. Or maybe it was twenty. Hey, did you know the Barenaked Ladies have a song about not being able to sleep?" "Pick one, or I'm hitting you with this book," Rory ordered. Lorelai pointed to the bottle of milk. "Okay," said Rory. "I have to go heat it up." "Cooked milk?" "What do you think hot chocolate is?" "Powder and hot water?" Lorelai offered. "I'll be right back," Rory said, going downstairs. She felt particularly exhausted herself. The phone rang and Rory grabbed it, stirring the milk in the pan. "Rory. Just the person I wanted to speak with." It was Emily Gilmore. "Hi, Grandma, what's up?" Rory asked. "I got the information you wanted on that piece of property," Emily said. "The price is very reasonable." Horrible fumes began to erupt from the pan on the stove. Rory glanced over and saw smoke billowing out. "I have to go," she said. "Rory?" "I'm sorry," Rory cried. "Thank you for checking on that, and I'll call you back later. I promise." She put the phone down, and went to the stove, turning off the burner. Once the smoke stopped pouring up from the pan, she saw some of the milk had burned onto the bottom of the pan. Guess that's why he kept saying "nonstick," Rory thought. She poured what wasn't burned into a cup and headed upstairs with it. "Okay, Mom, here you --" Rory stopped. Lorelai was asleep. Not talking, or whining, or climbing out the window in search of more coffee. Sound asleep. The kind of sound asleep that made Rory want to shake her gently, because she probably wouldn't wake up. But Rory didn't want to take any chances. She set the milk down on the table and tiptoed backward out of the room, closing the door softly behind her. END.