Gilmore Girls: Rory's Secret

Part One

Rory quietly sipped her coffee as she waited for Emma and her mom to show up. Luke's hadn't changed a bit since the last time she'd been there, with the small exception that Luke had added an electronic self ordering system, upon Taylor's insistance.

Suddenly the door swung open to reveal a bright, blue-eyed blonde. Emma ran straight over to her mom, her blue backpack bobbing up and down behind her.

"Mom!" She announced excitedy as she reached the table. "You'll never guess what happened at school today!"

"What happened at school today?!" Rory squealed just as excitedly.

"Mitchum Huntzberger came to talk to us about running a business!"

Rory almost choked on her coffee before she remembered that her daughter had no idea about Mitchum Huntzberger being her grandfather. She'd been trying to keep the secret about Logan and the affair in New Hampshire for 12 years now, and so far it had been easy. But this was the first time during her life that Emma had any contact with the Huntzberger family. Rory tried to hide her sudden discomfort and forced a smile on her surprised face.

"Great, Emma!" She gulped, taking another sip of her coffee to drown out her shock. "That's really great!"

At that moment Lorelai walked in and  over to their table with a real smile on her face, unlike Rory's fake one.

"Hello, ladies," Lorelai dropped her purse and plopped down in the chair between Rory and Emma, letting out a loud sigh as she did so. "Alright, where's the coffee?"

"I'll get it!" Emma sprang up and skipped to the bar at the front to order.

Rory turned to her mom, a look of deep distress clouding her face. "Mom, I may have a problem."

Lorelai held up her hand and closed her eyes tightly. "Hang on, honey, I can't think without caffeine."

"Mom!" Rory hissed as if her daughter had just recieved a very bad grade.

Lorelai's eyes shot open. "What?"

Rory glanced over at the bar to make sure Emma was still occupied. Then she whispered urgently, "Mitchum Huntzberger came to Emma's school today!"

"And?" Lorelai asked, not understanding what the big deal was.

Rory was growing impatient. "Mom! Mitchum Huntzberger!"

"What's wrong with that?" Lorelai asked again.

That was when Rory remembered that she hadn't told her mom about the rather large secret she was keeping from both her ex-boyfriend and their daughter. "Um..." Rory shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Nothing, I guess."

Rory and Lorelai sat in silence until Emma came back, Lorelai completely oblivious to something being wrong, and Rory going through mental turmoil.