Prologue

Lorelai hated funerals.

Well she hated this one. She'd never been to any others though so couldn't say for certain she'd hate all of them.

There were several reasons for this.

Mommy was super sad for one. She had cried every day after Grandmother had died. Daddy had tried to cheer her up but it hadn't worked.

"She made me who I am today. After what happened…She helped me reach my full potential! Now she's gone! What am I supposed to do now" Lorelai had overheard Mommy crying to Daddy the other night.

Daddy had tried to help. Lorelai knew Grandpa had tried to help her as well but Mommy still seemed super sad.

Secondly loads of grown-ups were also acting super sad and offering "condolences". Lorelai did not know what that word meant but she'd heard it a lot said to Grandpa and Mommy.

It was annoying.

And speaking of annoying there was Christopher.

Christopher was being super annoying. He constantly wanted to play and stuff. It was a funeral! You weren't meant to play at funerals. They were meant to be sad and boring. Frankly Lorelai just wanted to go home and get ready for school on Monday. She liked school.

Then she had found it.

A picture of a girl, "No" Grandmother's voice echoed in her head "A young lady", in a photo on Grandpa's desk.

She didn't think anyone had noticed her come into the study. She'd been very sneaky.

Lorelai looked harder at the photo.

The girl (lady) looked a lot like her mom, though a few years younger, and Lorelai felt drawn to the mysterious woman.

She was still staring at the picture when her Grandpa came in a few moments later.

Her Grandpa stared at the girl in the picture for a long time before coming over and talking to her.

"What are you doing in here Bea?" Grandpa asked with a smile that seemed sad. Grandpa had been very sad since Grandmother had gone to heaven.

"It was boring out there and Christopher was being annoying again." Lorelai pouted.

"He's only four years old Bea. He doesn't understand how to behave properly yet. Especially at an event like this." Grandpa said somewhat sternly. "But I agree with you that it was quite boring out there." Grandpa winked at her, and Lorelai giggled, before he explained further. "Your Grandmother was a very influential women Bea, especially these last few years, and your Mother and Father had to make sure her life was properly celebrated."

"Grandmother was super old though." Lorelai argued. "It's not a surprise that she died and went to Heaven now."

Grandpa actually laughed at that. If a bit sadly.

"I think she would have agreed with you there. She would have hated all this fuss. Or at least pretended to." A wistful smile followed that statement. "You're a lot like her you know Bea. Very blunt. Your mother took a lot of that from her as well."

Grandpa paused to think about the recently dead woman.

"She lived ninety-six years. Such a good long life. A very fine innings indeed." Grandpa smiled again. Then his eyes focused once again on the photo of the pretty young lady.

"If only we could all live so long." He continued his tone far more bitter than it was before. His voice becoming tinged with sadness once again.

"Do you know who the lady is Grandpa?" Lorelai asked excitedly about the figure in the photo. Grandpa had seemed to recognise her quite well.

"You don't recognise her?" Grandpa asked shocked. He seemed really surprised.

"No…" Lorelai thought hard. "Should I?" Lorelai asked back.

Grandpa then started muttering to himself.

"Too painful perhaps… Not enough memories maybe? Then again no photos being out? Only six…She still can't be angry can she? Resentment? That day though… Oh Rory…" Grandpa sighed and the mutterings stopped.

"Grandpa?" Lorelai questioned as the man came out of his thoughts.

"That's your Grandma Lorelai." Grandpa said. Somehow both reluctant to say who the girl was and yet also proud about the girl in the photo's identity.

"But Grandmother Lorelai died when she was really really old. The priest said so today!" Lorelai exclaimed. "That lady in the photo is really really young." Lorelai continued confused. "She shouldn't be dead yet."

"No she shouldn't" Grandpa whispered softly.

"Your Grandmother Lorelai was my mother Bea." Grandpa stared at the photo of the younger lady again. Then Grandpa pointed at the girl in the photo. "Your Grandma Lorelai, the lady in the photo, was your Mother's mother…My daughter." Grandpa said sadly.

"Mommy's mommy?" Lorelai asked with awe. "I didn't know mommy even had a mommy! She never talks about her. Is she dead? She must be dead right! Or she'd come visit. What happened?"

Richard Gilmore looked sadly at his great-granddaughter. The fourth member of his family to bear the name Lorelai.

"That, my dear Bea, is a very very long story."