"Andrew Zimmerman Hocker."

"Lorelai Alice Huntzberger."

The beautiful girl made her way across the stage, her blonde hair swaying slightly in the warm May breeze. A group of 10 people cheered loudly and she blushed, embarrassed at the spectacle they were making. She shook hands with the provost and took the black vinyl folio embossed with the Yale signia that contained her diploma. Looking out into the crowd, she immediately spotted her parents. Her mother stuck out her tongue, making Alice laugh. She flipped her tassel and made her way back to her seat. That was it. Four years of pre-med classes, and a thirty second walk across the stage and it was over. Placing her folio in her lap, she pulled out the envelope that had been given to her earlier by her father. His instructions were that she wasn't allowed to open it until she sat down again. She eagerly opened the envelope. Patience had never been her strong suit. She got that from her mother.

February 18, 2012

Dearest Alice,

Tonight, after thirteen hours of labor, you came into the world. A beautiful, red, screaming, wiggly little bundle. The moment the nurses placed you in my arms, everything became about you and for as long as I live, everything I do is for you. It's important for you to know this because I will screw up. My father was never a father, so I don't have an example of how one should act. I'll probably let you down, make you cry, make you hate me at some point, but if you know that everything I do is for you, maybe, just maybe, we'll be ok.

Your mom and I have a long and complicated love story. We started as friends, became each other's worlds, and then broke up. Why did we break up? Your mom wanted to follow her dreams. Alice, if you take after either of us, I want you to be like your mom. She is the most courageous person I know. She is smart, driven, compassionate, and has never failed to go after what she wanted. Even me. When I was too scared to make the first move, she did it for me. When I was afraid of going to London after college, she's the one who encouraged me. When I wanted to get married because I was terrified of what was out there in the world, your mom chose to follow her heart and go after what she wanted. I once told her that she lived a scared life but I was wrong. She's always been the brave one. Especially when it came to you.

I love your mom with everything that I am and everything that I have. She is the star around which we both will revolve. And now you, sweet girl, you are the star around which both your mom and I revolve. I never knew my heart could feel like this; like it's going to burst out of my chest with the love I feel for you. This feeling is very foreign to me. It scares me. But unlike the other times, I won't cower away from this. You're the reason I need to be brave. So for you, I will.

I wish I had a long list of advice to give, but I think you'll probably have to learn most of those life lessons yourself, especially if you're as stubborn as your mom and me. Here's one, I suppose. Don't ever be afraid to love. It's the greatest gift you can receive, someone's heart. Don't take it for granted, protect it as if it was your own, and never be afraid of that gift. They wouldn't have given it to you if they didn't see the value it you.

I'll tell you my secret. It's something that took me many years to learn. Sometimes, when there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire. Not literally, of course. I simply mean that when you have nothing left to lose, you have to make that leap and take ahold of your own destiny, even if it doesn't seem to make sense. Follow your heart; it will never steer you wrong. Never will I regret that Thanksgiving day that I told your mom I was all in. That one defining moment of my life, when I had nothing left to lose and I really went after what I wanted, has led me to this place. Sitting next to a tiny little human, wrapped in pink, who has my mouth and blonde hair as well as my heart.

For as long as I live, you have my heart, sweet girl.

I love you.

Daddy

The tears were swimming in her beautiful blue eyes as she read the letter. How had he known that she needed to hear him say this? Today of all days, she needed his words of encouragement and love. The letter meant so much and solidified the man she knew him to be. She turned to look over her shoulder and caught his eye. She smiled shyly before looking back at the letter, reading it for a second time.

She looked back at her family; her amazing and supportive family. She had grown up in private schools. She knew she had it good. Her friends told her that her dad was the hottest "DILF" they'd ever seen. He had a little less hair than she had seen in her baby pictures but she had to admit that he was not a bad looking guy, for a dad. His arm was around her mother's shoulders and she was leaning into him. He turned to whisper something in her ear and she laughed. Her parents had always been ridiculously in love. When she was younger, their seeming inability to not touch was disgusting but as she got older, she loved that they were clearly so affectionate with each other. She had seen enough from her friend's parent to know that the love her parents had towards each other and their children was not the norm.

Next to her mother was her little brother, Elias. They called him Eli. They were five years apart, just like Eli and their younger sister Ava were five years apart. While she had her father's blonde hair and her mother's blue eyes, he had the brown hair of their mother and the brown eyes of their father. Ava was the weird one, with their mother's blue eyes and beautiful red hair that came from one of their Gilmore ancestors. The two girls were a study in the defiance of recessive genes.

Eli was a junior in high school, and apparently exactly as his dad had been at that age. He never wanted for female attention and was far too charming for his own good. While she had been quieter and more serious, Eli was the life of the party. She often envied his carefree attitude because she had always carried the weight of responsibility on her shoulders. It wasn't that anyone expected it of her, but she understood from a very young age that she would constantly be under a microscope because of her father's job and her parent's joint social status. Ava was still coming into herself, but at twelve, she was quick witted and smart mouthed, but never maliciously. She had a compassion in her that was rare in girls her age, often befriending the underdog. She idolized Eli and Alice and they adored her. It was rare that siblings would be so close, but the three of them were.

Alice had wanted to be a doctor since she was eight years old; the year her father was diagnosed with cancer. She wasn't old enough to understand anything except that her daddy wasn't feeling good. He lost a lot of weight and he lost his hair. Eli had asked to have his head shaved so Logan wouldn't be the only bald one in the house. Her mother had gotten a tattoo, something Alice didn't find out about until her 21st birthday.

She could still remember the day her career decision had been made so clearly. She had been so scared. He already looked skinny and pale, and not at all like the dad that used to play with them. He tried, but he got so tired. On that day, she and Eli were helping their mother make cookies, when he called down stairs "Rory?" He started to walk down the steps, but when he was half way down, he fell and started shaking. They all rushed to his side, but her mother told them to go downstairs and put on a movie. The next thing she remembers, they were visiting him in the hospital. She knew her daddy was sick and didn't want him to die. When the doctor let her listen to her dad's strong and steady heartbeat through the stethoscope, that was it. She wanted to make sick people feel better, just like her dad's doctor.

So the future was in front of her and now she had to make the most important decision of her life; Harvard Medical School or John's Hopkins University. Her parents knew she was struggling with the decision. All of the pro/con lists her mother had helped her with told her she should go to Harvard, but her gut told her John's Hopkins. She just had a feeling that something bigger was waiting for her there than at Harvard. Her parents had promised to support her in whatever decision she made and remained completely neutral, but she had a feeling her father was pulling for John's Hopkins. He had never expressed it, but she just had a feeling.

She re-read her father's words of encouragement. "When you have nothing left to lose, you have to make that leap and take ahold of your own destiny, even if it doesn't seem to make sense. Follow your heart; it will never steer you wrong." She looked back at him and wasn't surprised to see him looking at her. She smiled a huge, bright smile and mouthed "Baltimore." His eyes widened and he smiled. "Really?" he mouthed back. Alice nodded her head and he let out a small fist pump. Her mother turned to him with questions in her eyes, but he just smiled and pulled her closer.

She looked back to the front as the provost stood at the podium. "Ladies and gentleman, I introduce to you the Yale University class of 2033."

A/N: Well, that's it! This is a little bit of a thank you for my beta, xshynenstarx, who read the letter, but not the rest of the chapter. Thanks for all of your hard work on this story. You're the absolute best.

To my readers, you all are so amazing. I never thought I could write a full story, but your words of encouragement and feedback helped me push through. I learned some ways to make the next story better, but I'm still very proud of this little piece of the future of our favorite characters. Thanks again, until next time!