My first Gilmore Girls fanfic. I love the show and am so excited about the revival coming to netflix! Anyways, I have decided to change the storyline to make myself happy.. Meaning Luke and Lorelai are together and married and have been through all seven seasons of the show. Also, Jess and Rory get back together a year or so after Rory Graduates from yale. This story takes place about five to six years after Rory Graduates from yale. Revolves around Rory's younger half-sister
I own nothing. Credit goes to the creators and all those who have rights over the show.
Chapter One
Victoria Lorelai Danes had always been her father's little girl. The parent she was closest to. Her mother had Rory for a best friend, the daughter she had at sixteen. Victoria was the daughter she had at 22 years old with a man she met two years earlier at a town meeting where Mia introduced them. The daughter she raised with a man who not only stayed around, but stayed around long enough to convince her to marry him. She was the daughter who grew up with her father and mother around twenty-four seven. The one that captured her grandfather's affections the first time the family had Friday diner at the Gilmore household when she was ten. The one whose grandmother pulled her out of Stars Hollow Elementary and signed her up for a private elementary school where the whole fourth grade class could speak at least one foreign language. The one who was never arrested, never dropped out of college and never ruined her grandmother's hope for her to marry a man they approved of. She wasn't Rory Gilmore. She was Victoria Danes.
She should have known it was a mistake to accept the internship at the Stamford Eagle Gazette. The internship didn't turn out well for Rory. Of course, Rory was dating Logan at the time and the Huntzbergers weren't thrilled of their relationship. While Rory's internship didn't turn out the way she wanted, Victoria thought it was going great. Some of the reporters were starting to ask her opinions and showing her the process of putting together not only a professional newspaper but also a successful website. She was the coffee girl and the "hey, read this quick" girl. She was certainly doing better than the other interns. Then shit had to hit the fan for entirely different reasons that had nothing to do with her intership.
"Hi Logan." She greeted the man with an awkward smile.
"Victoria, my father said he had given you an internship." Logan looked at her in surprise. He wasn't surprised that she was there. He knew his father gave her a summer internship. It was how grown up she looked that surprised him. Last time he saw her she was a sixteen year old kid with scabs, scrapes and bruises from playing soccer. Now, she was a young woman wearing a pencil skirt and blue blazer.
"Yeah, I had one last summer at the New York Times and thought it might be good to give another paper a try. To get more experience." She told him while tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "I won a contest…..When I got the internship."
"Great, I should probably let you get back to bringing those coffees to their owners."
"Yeah," she sighed, balancing one four cup holder on her extended arm that aslo held a cup holder."Enjoy your meeting or whatever you are here for."
"A meeting," he told her.
"Then good luck at your meeting," She told him with a small smile and subtle wave before she walked towards a room full of cubicles and reporters on their computers. She set the cup holder down in front of a small dark haired woman and pulled a box of donuts from her bag. Two other interns joined her and set down more cups of coffee and donuts.
"Breakfast!" The red haired intern with a loud mouth yelled.
Staff members crowded around them and Victoria ducked out of the way. She was able to grab the coffee with Mitchum's name scribbled on it and a donut before the food and drink disappeared. Natalie noticed and raced after her as the dark haired young woman made her way to Mitchum's office.
"Victoria, where are you going?" Natalie asked in her nasally voice.
"Bringing Mr. Huntzberger his usual coffee. Unless you would prefer to?" Victoria asked with a big smile on her face. Natalie was the most fake person in the world and a complete bitch to Victoria the moment she met her.
"Yes, I would. You already have options once you graduate next year. It's time for a wanna-be novelist to realize she's not cut out for journalism." She wheezed in her nasally voice.
"Well, here you go." Victoria offered, holding out the coffee and donut for the redhead to grab.
"Thanks."
Victoria watched her walk towards his office with a big smile. She couldn't wait to tell her mom she got back at the witch. She skipped towards the break room where Carmen, a nice part time reporter, was waiting for her with Mitchum's correct coffee order, a box of muffins and an extra coffee for Mitchum's guest.
"Thank you so much," Victoria told her as she took the coffee and donuts from her. "I'll thank you in my very first novel I publish. Which of course I will probably never write since I'm looking at a future in editing, but thanks nonetheless."
"No problem. I can't wait to see her leave here in tears."
"Oh, she will be a wreck!' Victoria promised with a smile. "At least a nervous wreck. I don't want to ruin her future or anything serious."
Carmen laughed and patted the young woman on the shoulder as she headed back to work. Victoria waited another minute before she left the break room and headed towards Mitchum's office. His receptionist noticed her and gave her a big smile.
"I know what you did." The older women told her as she went to open the office door for her.
"I don't know what you are talking about." Victoria hummed as she walked past the receptionist and into the other room.
"I swear I didn't know what was in the cup!" Natalie protested as Victoria walked up to the desk and noticed the frog was in Logan's hands and coffee had been spilled on the left corner of the desk.
"What happened in here?" Victoria demanded, a shocked look playing on her face.
"You did this!" Natalie growled as Victoria set the box of donuts down on a stack of newspapers and the cup holder onto a dry spot.
"What did I do?" Victoria asked innocently as Mitchum reached out to grab the cup of coffee with his name scrawled on it.
"Apparently, you put a frog in my cup of coffee and tricked Natalie in giving it to me." Mitchum told her with a sour face as he took a drink from the starbucks cup. His face relaxed and he looked at Victoria approvingly. "Just what I asked for. At least one of you knows how to act in a place of business. Anymore practical jokes, and you are out of can leave Miss Tanner."
Victoria watched Natalie leave the room with a smirk on her face.
"Oh, Miss Tanner," Natalie turned around with hope on her face."Bring your frog with you."
Victoria thought she was going to lose it. Logan gave her a wink as he handed Natalie the frog. The red haired woman looked at the frog in disgust and ran out of the room to get the animal back outside.
"Miss Danes," Mitchum greeted as he handed Logan the other coffee and opened up the box of donut. "How are you this morning?"
"Good, how are you?" She asked as he motioned for her to take a seat in front of his desk. Logan looked shocked at their pleasant greetings. There were only a few interns he could remember his father actually approved of.
"Well, very well at the moment. Jerald told me he asked you to cover that high school baseball team for him because he had an emergency. Is this correct?"
"Yes," she told him, suddenly finding the end of her skirt interesting.
"He showed me the article you wrote and I have to say I am impressed. Not many journalists have a wide variety of interests. I was surprised by how much you know about baseball." He told her with a smile. "I also liked the interview you conducted with the team and that pitcher. Are there really five different schools interested in him?"
"Yes, though yesterday my mom found more messages on the answering machine. He has a pretty strong arm." Victoria told him as Logan watched her with interest. "I am personally hoping he chooses a college close to home, but he seems to like the idea of going to California. Luckily he has a year left before he has to chose."
"I have to congratulate you on writing a professional article on a family member. There isn't a single hint that your brother is Jared Danes. However, next time a reporter asks you to write an article, make sure he has confirmed it with me."
"I am so sorry. I thought he had told you beforehand. I promise it won't happen again." Victoria assured him as she looked over at Logan who gave her a reassuring smile.
"It is no problem. Just make sure it doesn't happen again." He grabbed a folder off the top of one of the filing cabinets. "Here are a few rough drafts of the articles printed this morning. I want you to read these and then proof read what was published online. Make sure there aren't any mistakes. Our website has become our greatest sources of income along with our apps. Oh, and I included the login information for the Newspapers facebook, instagram and twitter. Give our regards to that family whose kids had been killed in that shooting." He took a pause and handed the folder to the young woman. "I would like you to have all of this done in time to join us for lunch."
"Join who for lunch?" Victoria asked, surprised at the invitation. She always had lunch in the break room where she was able to double task and complete the to-do list she was given.
"Logan and myself. Logan is in town for business and has allowed time in his schedule to talk about the family business. I figured lunch would be a good distraction and since you have been doing a great job, I think it's only fair to ask you to join us." Mitchum told her, sitting down in his chair and opened his laptop. "You should get to work."
"Yes, sir." Victoria agreed before she left the room to join rest of the interns in a cramped space where three tables were pushed together.
XXX
"I can't believe my father invited you to lunch," Logan stated with a dazed look.
Victoria rolled her eyes at him as they waited for their seats. Mitchum had excused himself to take a call and said he would be back in a matter of moments. The restaurant was a high end one with chefs from Paris cooking in the kitchen. It was the type of place her grandparents would chose to go to.
"I didn't expect it either. I expected the mean man my mom told me all about. He's not a grinch, but he still isn't the nicest man. I saw a man break down in tears because of him last week."
"You talk almost as much as your mom," Logan commented.
"I've heard that many times before. My dad always jokes that I am her carbon copy." She told him with a weak smile. "I think Rory looks more like mom then I do. I have dad's eye and his hatred of spending hours in the morning on hair and makeup."
"That must have come in handy when you had to share a bathroom with four younger siblings."
"You would think so, but Charlie spends more time in the morning than mom does. Plus, Emma started the priming and priming phase when she was six." Victoria replied, not taking a single breath as she talked.
"How old is she now?"
"She's ten."
"Ten?" He asked, rubbing his chin. "Wow, the years really seem to grow."
"Yea," Victoria agreed with a snort. "I can't believe that Rory is 18 years older than Emma. It's weird how all of us kids is are different places. Rory is working and getting serious in her current relationship. She is practically ready to settle down. Jared is going into his senior year at Stars Hollow High while Charlie is preparing for his first year of high school. Ben's going into middle school and Emma is still in elementary school."
"What place are you ?"
"The nervous college student who graduates next spring," she answered with a shrug of her shoulder. "Nothing as exciting as the others. Emma gets to go to the State capitol this year. She's so excited she gets to miss the whole day of school and dad is most likely going to be a chaperone. Jared want me to be a chaperone for his Senior Class Trip in the spring. Oh, and Ben…"
"Hey, do you ever stop talking about your family?" He asked, a smirk playing on his lips as he interrupted her. "I don't think I have heard a word out of your mouth the past ten minutes that hasn't been about your family."
"They are my safety net when I am uncomfortable."
"Ah," he said as realization hit him. "We can be friends without it being awkward. Rory and I might not have worked out, but you had always been a pretty cool kid. Colin and Finn loved babysitting you and your sibling when we would ditch the five of you."
"They were the best babysitters I think we ever had. I learned how to make killer drinks at the age of fourteen. It has made my college years quite the social engagement." She laughed as she started to feel more comfortable. "How have you been?"
"Good," he answered with laugh. "I really found my calling in California. I am here visiting my family before I head to New York. I want to to start a second branch of the company there."
"What about the family business?"
"I have no idea," he answered truthfully. "I wish I could just take over, but I don't think I'm cut out for it."
Victoria was about to reply, but Mitchum returned with a scowl on his face. He looked at the two's relaxed state and decided to grab his coat. "I have to set up and attend an important meeting. Why don't you two stay and enjoy lunch. Catch up and talk about the future. I'm sure Logan can convince you, Victoria, to chose to work at one of our news papers once you graduate next year. I'm sorry to leave on such a short notice." He turned towards logan and gave him a small pat on the shoulder. "Son, I'll see you tonight at dinner."
The two watched him leave in silence before they stood up and joined the waiter who called their name. Logan took the lead as they followed the waiter to a table that was outside on the patio and much more secluded from the inside.
"This still doesn't have to be awkward." Victoria suggested as she grabbed the menu and opened it. "We could just be two long-lost friends who are ordering-oh my god do you see these prices?"
"I can pay," he laughed as she gaped at the menu.
"Sixty dollars for steak. My dad makes great steak and he only charges $14.99." She pulled out her cellphone and took a picture of the prices. "I have to show him this. He will love ridiculing it. Suki doesn't even charge these prices."
"Don't Richard and Emily take you out to eat?" He asked, surprised the Gilmores haven't made it their mission to get their granddaughter accustomed to the high society life.
"Mom always gives them a budget in hopes to keep us humble. Of course Grandpa has spoiled us, but we have never come here."
"It is relatively new."
"It has to be with these kind of prices. I bet you it won't last another six months." She held out her hand with ap poker face.
"You are on," he reached out to shake her hand, then pulled it back. "What are the stakes?"
"If I am right, you have to pay me two-hundred dollars even."
"If I win," he paused to look around, "you have to come back here and have dinner with me."
"You're on," she agreed as they shook hands. "I hope you aren't poor when I win."
"I hope you aren't a sore loser."
"Touche."
They grinned at each other and looked back at the menu. Neither noticed Emily Gilmore looking at the pair from one of the restaurant windows. She looked at the pair with a smile and a plan forming in her head. Rory might have let Logan go, but there was always Victoria. Victoria was Emily's last hope of having a grandchild in the good graces of society. Rory had backed out and worked on a career, and her grandsons and youngest granddaughter were too much like their parents to be bothered about social functions and social status.
"I think I am going to stick with a salad," Victoria stated. "It's the most decent priced item on the menu."
"I said I would pay," Logan reminded her as he shut his menu. "I am going to have the steak. You can have it too if you want."
"There is no way I could let anyone pay for a meal I would never pay for myself."
"Did you see the prices for salad?"
"I didn't pay much attention…" She trailed off as she looked down at the menu and her jaw fell. "Twenty bucks for a salad!"
"The waiter is coming, so decide which twenty dollar salad you want." he told her with a smirk at the waiter approached the table.
"The lettuce better be made out of diamonds," she grumbled as the waiter asked for their order.
Emily watched the pair for a few more minutes before one of her friends tapped her on the shoulder. She gave the pair one more smile before she left with her eyes sparkling with mischief. She was going to have to call her youngest granddaughter later that evening.
XXX
Victoria didn't want to get out of her car. She preferred to sit in the car parked outside of her parents house. Rory's car was parked ahead of hers and the knowledge her sister was home made her stomach twist in knots. She knew she did nothing wrong. It was just lunch and she had been invited by Mitchum. The fact she had enjoyed herself had nothing to do with the equation. It's not like she could have easily ignored Logan or pretend he didn't exist. He had been a big part of Rory's life at one point, which meant he had been apart of the family. He had been a part of her life.
Lorelai looked out of the living room window for the twentieth time in the last five minutes. Rory and Jess were sitting on the couch with their hands entwined, Jared (17) was in the kitchen setting the table and Charlie (14) was sitting at the living room coffee table looking at a sports magazine. Ben (11), the youngest boy, was upstairs in his room playing with his playstation and the baby of the family, Emma (9), was sitting on the living room floor as she leaned against the couch. Luke joined his wife at the window and looked out at his oldest daughter's car.
"Why is she just sitting there?" He asked, looking at his wife for the answer.
"I have no idea."
"Should I go out there?"
Lorelai looked at her husband then back to her daughter's car.
"No," she told him as she pulled out her cellphone and dialed her daughter's number.
"Hello?"
"Why are you sitting in your car? The rest of us are getting hungry and your father won't let us eat until your butt is this house." Lorelai growled as Luke moved towards the door. "Your father is about ready to pull you out of your car."
"I can not come inside."
"Why?" Lorelai snorted at her daughter's robotic response.
"Rory is here." Victoria breathed, clutching the phone tightly in her hand.
"She is always here for dinner on Thursdays. All six of my children are suppose to be at my house Thursday nights for Dinner."
"I saw ...Dad!" Lorelai heard her daughter yell into the phone. She looked out the window and saw Luke struggling to pull their daughter out of her car.
"This is ridiculous! Get inside the house!" Lorelai heard luke yell through the phone.
"I've decided I'm not hungry."
"Get in the house!" Luke demanded
"I don't want too!" Victoria snapped, dropping the phone. Lorelai could see her holding the driver's seat with an iron grasp.
"I don't care what you want." He replied, finally able to tug the girl from the car and slamming the door shut.
"Uh, hey?" Lorelai whined, not able to hear the two bicker. She set her phone on the end table by the couch and rounded the wall to open the door for the two. Luke had his arms wrapped around her waist as she struggled to break free. "The neighbors are going to start talking if you two don't stop yelling."
"I'm not the problem here," Luke grumbled as he let go of his daughter and pushed her inside the house. "Your daughter has seemed to have lost her mind."
"I have lost my mind?" Victoria gave her father a crazy look. "I am not the one who ripped someone out of their car."
"You young lady were suppose to be home an hour ago," he accused. Lorelai gave her youngest daughter a sympathetic look as she dragged her into the living area where Rory and Jess waved at her.
"Have you finally decided to try a summer living in your car. Is it a new experiment for all senior double majors? Perhaps to choose between English or Business?" Jess joked.
"Yeah, it's called 'Help me, my father is insane. I need to get away.' It's going to be ground breaking once it's done and I write a short novel that will be turned into a two hour long lifetime movie." Victoria retorted, sending her father the evil eye before she moved into kitchen. She sat in the chair nearest to her bedroom that had been part of the addition when her parents remodeled the house after the birth of her oldest little brother, Jared and then remodeled again after Emma was born.
Instead of buying a new house, her parents decided to remodel the house. They turned a two bedroom and one bathroom house eventually into a six bedroom house and three bathrooms. The bedroom upstairs was remodeled with an attaching master bathroom and a walk in closet. Two bedrooms and a bathroom were also added to the upstairs. Downstairs the kitchen was made bigger, a third bathroom was added along with two more bedrooms. After Rory graduated college, Jared moved into Rory's room due to Victoria's request that Jared and Charlie no longer share a room because she was tired of hearing two arguing every night. The younger two each had their own bedroom upstairs. Once Victoria graduated college, she expected her room to be cleared out and turn into a office for her parents.
Jared gave her a smile as her placed a coffee cup filled to the brim with fresh coffee and a mountain of whip cream on top sprinkled with mini chocolate chips. She pouted before she took a drink. The rest of the family trailed into the kitchen and filled the dining table. Emma, who usually sat right next to Victoria was sitting in the middle of Rory and Jess. Luke made sure to sit the farthest chair away from his daughter, making it clear wasn't happy with her. Lorelai helped Jared movie the bowls and trays of food onto the table before she sat down next to Rory. On both sides of Victoria sat her brother. Jared was on her left and Ben to her right. Charlie Sat two chairs down from her, giving her mischievous look that said 'I know something that you don't know.'
"So, how is the internship going?" Rory asked, plopping a heap of mashed potatoes on her plate and then passing it to Emma who passed it to Jess with a scrunched up nose. She hated mashed potatoes ever since she fed Paul Anka mashed potatoes two years ago and was barfed on by the dog.
"Oh, it's an internship. Much like the one you had."
"Well, have you been doing more assistant like work or are you getting first hand experience?" Rory replied, giving her sister a small smile. She was going to teach seventh and eighth grade english at Stars Hollow Middle school when the school year started. "It's a dry spell for journalism. It doesn't matter how great of writer you are if you don't have the credentials to put you ahead of all the others."
"Rory, I want to do editing or publishing. I'm not trying or going to steal jobs from you." Victoria retorted, giving her sister an annoyed look. "I don't know why you are so upset."
"Oh, you don't?" Rory snapped, narrowing her eyes and giving Victoria the nastiest glare she could muddle up. "Do you honestly think I was jumping for joy when I heard you had an internship at one of the Huntzbergers newspapers."
"Rory," Lorelai scolded, "This internship is great opportunity for your sister."
"Yeah," Charlie agreed with a smile. "I erased the message on the machine earlier today from an assistant at the Stanford Gazette. Apparently, Victoria is being offered a job by Mitchum Huntzberger himself for after she graduates."
"What?" Rory yelled, reaching behind Emma's back and grabbing Jess's hand. "You said no, right?"
"I hope she didn't say no," Jared remarked as he mother gave him a curious look.
"Well, I….urgh...I said….urgg…"
"You said yes, right? This is a great opportunity," Luke told his daughter, wearing a huge a smile. "I am proud of you. How come you didn't tell us earlier?"
"When did I have time to tell you?" Victoria snorted, using her fork push around the food on her plate. "I was just told about the opportunity today. Besides, shouldn't you be scolding charlie for erasing a message before I could hear it."
"Well, you should have called as soon as you found out. Charlie isn't to blame."
Lorelai gave her husband a warning look. He sometimes went too far with their eldest daughter. He wanted to know where she was every minute and to talk to him at least five minutes every hour. She was sure he was getting on their daughters nerves.
"Dad, you need to start accepting the fact I'm not going to tell you every little thing as soon as it happens."
"Now, wait a minute…"Luke started, throwing his fork on his plate. "I deserve to know everything that's happening in your life."
"Luke, stop badgering her. This is my fight with her!" Rory snapped, trying her best to look mad which was hard for her because she adored her little sister.
"How is this even a fight?" Emma put in as she looked at her older sisters like they were pathetic. "You two get mad at the silliest things and even then that's not a fight because Rory sucks at being angry."
"I do not!" Rory objected.
"Uh, yeah you do," Charlie laughed. "Not that Victoria is any better."
"Yeah," Jared pipped up, "All you two have done is set a great example for us. How dare you be such great individuals."
"Yeah," Ben agreed, " Now mom and dad expect us to not release the class hamster in the classroom or pants your friends."
"I actually put a frog in a cup of coffee today," Victoria stated, making her little brother smile.
"I don't care what you kids do," Lorelai admitted, sticking her bottom lip out. "You always disappoint me."
"How"? Emma asked, falling for her mother's bit.
"By being great kids who listen to every single thing their parents tell them." Lorelai gave Emma a disapproving before she continue. "Is it so much to ask for some pazazz? I need some kind of entertainment. I didn't have six kids to just have them disappoint. People expect the children of someone with my legacy to make bold statements and shine brighter than all the other stars."
"How about we all shut up and eat," Luke suggested.
"I've already finished eating," Jess told the group before he stood up, put his plate and silver in the sink, and walked out of the room and back to the living room.
"Are you seriously going out there to sit by yourself while we eat?" Rory called to him, giving him an incredulous look.
"Yeah," he answered.
"He does not know how to properly fit in with this family." Victoria remarked, picking up her fork and taking a bite of the steak on her plate.
"Oh, I know!" Rory agreed with a pout as she stabbed a carrot on her plate with a steak knife. "How he expects to be invited every time we have family dinner, is beyond me."
Just like that, the family started eating dinner. The conversation about the Huntzbergers was dropped for the time being, much to the appreciation of Victoria. At that moment, she didn't have to worry about justifying her lunch with Logan to Rory. It was nothing get upset about. That day was probably the first and last time she would have lunch with Logan Huntzberger anyways.