The Other Gilmore

Good News

Frankie made it back to New York from Paris, exhausted but excited for the future. She immediately began sorting through her wardrobe, making piles of items she wanted to take, and items she wanted to give away. Just as she was placing the last of her giveaway clothes in a box, her cell phone rang.

"Hey, Rory."

"Did you know mom and dad got married?"

"Yeah."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I thought it would be better coming from them."

Rory scoffed, leaning back in her seat as she sat in a parking lot. "I can't believe you went and didn't tell me."

"Hang on," Frankie said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Is that what they told you? That I was there? Because I wasn't. They didn't invite me. They only told me after the fact when we all got back to the hotel around the same time. I wasn't there. I don't know if mom was wearing a dress, or if she had a bouquet of flowers, or if dad had a llama as the ring bearer. I know as much as you do."

Rory sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm just upset."

"I am, too, but don't take it out on me. I wasn't there."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

Frankie nodded, looking around her room. "I have to keep packing."

"You're not leaving for a couple months. Although, I still don't know why you're not graduating."

Frankie rolled her eyes, sitting down at her desk. "I have a lot of stuff that I need to go through, and boxes of stuff that I want to bring back to Stars Hollow. I don't actually have all that much time to get through everything, so I'm starting now. And as for me not graduating; if you had an incredible opportunity to go and work for the best newspaper in the world, but you had to leave school early, would you take the opportunity, or would you pass it up just to finish your degree?"

Rory stayed silent, unsure of how to respond.

"That's what I thought. I gotta go. Have a good night, Rory." Frankie hung up, tossing her phone on the bed as she let out a heavy sigh.

The following Friday night, Frankie was running late to dinner at the Gilmore mansion. She had been held up in rehearsal that morning and had missed her train, but she was now in a cab, wishing that the driver would go more than twenty miles an hour on the highway. When they finally reached the house, she tossed him some cash and jumped out, racing up to the front door.

"Ah, Frankie, how nice of you to join us," Emily said, a look of disdain on her face as the girl walked into the living room.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. Rehearsal ran late this morning and I missed my train." Frankie walked over to her parents, giving them both a kiss on the cheek, then greeted her grandfather with a warm hug. She bent down and kissed Emily's cheek, gratefully taking the champagne Richard was holding out for her before sitting down next to Rory on the couch.

"We were just about to get to presents," said Lorelai excitedly, grabbing a box by the coffee table and placing it on her lap.

"To the happy couple," Richard said, raising his glass. "To Lorelai and Christopher."

"Here, here," the twins cheered.

"To Lorelai and Christopher," Emily repeated.