Ok, this is my first attempt at a Gilmore fic. :) It takes place when Rory's seven years old, and it's the very first time she's really meeting her grandparents. I'm working on my own backstory that Emily and Richard only saw Rory when she was an infant. Anyway, so here it is, please don't be afraid to be harsh:
"Bit the Hand that Feeds You"
by malkaRory Gilmore hid shyly behind her mother's leg, clutching the edge of Lorelai's jeans with nervous excitement. It was her first time, and she wasn't sure how she should act, what she should do, what she shouldn't do.
Her mom had told her to be herself, and they would love her. She was a great kid, and an amazing daughter, Lorelai'd said. But she was still scared. She couldn't seem to find the right words to say. They kept getting stuck in her mouth whenever she tried to talk.
She peeked out slowly from her hiding spot, and her eyes went to her grandfather's feet. Her grandfather was a very tall man. But he didn't scare her. He reminded her of Little Bear's father. Round but cuddly. She raised her eyes to study his face, only to find her grandfather staring curiously back at her, his mouth tilted slightly up in one corner. She let out a small shriek of surprise and shuffled back until she was completely hidden in her safe haven behind her mom's leg.
"Lorelai, move aside and let your daughter see her grandparents. You're scaring the poor girl," her grandma ordered sternly.
"Yeah, Ma, that's why she's scared. I'm shielding her too much," Lorelai replied sarcastically. "It has nothing at all to do with the 5-foot monster statue staring at her."
"That gargoyle is a priceless work of art," her grandma protested, her eyes going to the figure in the hallway.
"And it's red hair makes it seem surprisingly lifelike," Lorelai commented, keeping her gaze frozen on Emily. Rory involuntarily let out a giggle. Her mom was so silly sometimes. Grandma's mouth turned down as she grasped Lorelai's implications. She glanced at Rory, who slapped a hand over her mouth, blushing furiously.
"Very clever, Lorelai. Teach your daughter to hate us. Brainwash her into thinking we're the villains. We're the bad guys. Maureen!" she called out, holding up her wineglass. Josie, the maid, quickly stepped forward and refilled it with bubbly stuff. Rory wondered briefly why Josie was doing Maureen's work for her. It was awfully thoughtful of her.
"Mom, I do not brainwash Rory into thinking you're a villain," Lorelai denied. "It would counteract completely with the subliminal messages I planted on her Sleeping Beauty tape."
"What did you just say?" her grandma asked, brows furrowed.
"'Mom, I do not--,'" Lorelai started to repeat.
Emily waved her hand in dismissal. "I wasn't talking about your sad attempt at humor, Lorelai." She turned her steely eyes to Rory, who shrank back slightly. "What did you call your daughter?"
"Uh...Rory?" Lorelai clarified, a confused expression on her face.
"Rory," Emily repeated, twisting her mouth around the name. "Why on earth would you call her that?"
"Oh, riiiight," Lorelai amended in an apologetic tone. She turned to Rory. "Sorry, babe, forgot to call you by your real name, Bobo the Enthusiastic Elf."
Rory opened her mouth in delight at the image of herself as an elf. She resisted the urge to twirl, as elves were wont to do.
Emily raised her eyebrow a fraction of an inch. "Hear that, Richard?" she asked over her shoulder. "Lorelai calls her daughter 'Rory.'"
Her grandfather didn't answer, having left the room a few moments ago in search of his newspaper.
"It's a perfectly good name, Mom," Lorelai shrugged, keeping her voice even.
"Yes it is, but for a cat, not for my granddaughter." Emily pursed her lips.
Rory felt like she was about to cry. Her grandma hated her. She sniffled quietly, and then felt Lorelai's hand wrap itself around her own. She instantly cheered up. Her mom was the only one who could do that. Make it all better with just one touch. She scooted even closer to her mother.
"Mom, Rory is a great name," Lorelai said patiently, resting her free hand lovingly on Rory's head. "No one else in Stars Hollow is named Rory."
"Have you checked with the cats?" Emily quipped lightly.
Lorelai opened her mouth, closed it, smiled a bright, false smile, and glanced at Rory, giving her one of those 'It's gonna be a long night' looks. Rory smiled back, stretching her mouth wide to make her grin as wide as Lorelai's.
"You never told me Rory needed braces," her grandma said suddenly, crouching down until she was at Rory's level. Rory tightened her grip on her mother's hand.
"Her teeth are perfect, Mom," Lorelai said through her clenched fake grin.
"Oh, Lorelai, anyone can see the girl needs braces," Emily insisted. "Rory, honey, let me see your teeth," Emily pressed.
Terrified that there was something else wrong with her, Rory clamped her hand over her mouth, which was still frozen in its huge grin. She willed her lips to come together, but they stubbornly refused, exposing her repulsive teeth wherever her hand didn't reach.
"Ok, that's enough," Lorelai said suddenly, lifting Rory by the waist and cradling her against her shoulder. "I did not come here so you could pick apart Rory or me. Stupid me, I thought that maybe we could put our difference aside. That--that once you'd seen how fantastic and perfect and beautiful Rory is, that you would get it."
"Get what, get what, what aren't I getting?" Emily shouted to meet her daughter's raised tone.
"That I am okay. That Rory is okay. Even without Christopher, we're going to be okay," Lorelai said defiantly. "But no, you couldn't even wait five minutes until I could tell you about the gold star Rory got in class again or my promotion at the Inn or how beautiful the new house is."
"What Inn?" Emily asked, flabbergasted.
Lorelai stared at her mother for a moment. "We have to get home." She turned to leave the room, despite Emily's protests.
Just then, Richard re-emerged. "Ah, Lorelai," he acknowledged, as if just realizing she'd been in the house. "Rory," he added, nodding at her. Rory swallowed, confused. There was a very tense feeling in the room, and she'd been eager to leave. She hated it when her mom was upset.
"Going somewhere?" her grandpa asked, reaching up with a light hand to awkwardly brush a piece of Rory's hair off her face. Lorelai didn't answer, and that's when Rory realized her mom was crying. She felt a stab of pain and guilt, and-and-anger at her grandparents. Her eyes filled with tears at the same time her jaw locked defiantly. No one hurt her mother.
Before she knew what she was doing, she turned her face, opened her mouth, and bit down hard on Richard's hand.
"Oh!" Richard let out a yelp of surprise. Instantly Emily was by his side, muttering something about Lorelai not being able to control her daughter. Lorelai didn't answer; she simply continued to the outside.
Once the two were safely in their car, Lorelai sighed heavily and leaned her head on the steering wheel, shoulders shaking.
Rory felt her own tears streaming down her cheeks. She'd made it worse! She'd hurt her mother.
But then Lorelai looked up, and Rory realized with a start that Lorelai wasn't crying. She was--she was--laughing! Rory blinked in confusion.
"Mom--?" she asked softly.
"It's okay, sweetie, " her mother assured her, all the tension gone from her voice. She wiped at the tear tracks on her cheeks. She shook her head in wonder and met Rory's eyes, suddenly forcing the smile off her face. "You know that it's not okay to bite your grandpa again," she said sternly.
Rory nodded, ashamed, and looked down at her hands. Lorelai started up the engine. "Now, if you wanted to go for your grandma next time, we could work something out, " she added slyly. Rory let out a squeal of surprised laughter. Lorelai joined her. When their fit had finally calmed down, they exchanged a warm look.
"What do you say I introduce you to the wonder that is coffee?" She offered. Rory nodded eagerly. She knew it was Lorelai's favorite drink in the world, and she'd yet to try some. It sounded weird, but she'd been waiting for just the right time. And tonight definitely seemed like the right time.
"Yeah?" her mom reaffirmed. Rory nodded again and wiggled in her seat happily. "Great. There's this place right near our new home. 'Hardware'. Someone's Hardware. I have been assured that they sell food though."
"Like...ice cream?" Rory said slyly.
"Exactly like ice cream," her mom answered, pulling out of the mansion's long driveway. "With mounds of whipped cream and chocolate sauce and that gooey messy marshmellow stuff." Rory smiled broadly. Her mom was the greatest.