Chapter 8 – Let the Sunshine In

After celebrating Luke's victory with him and her mom, Rory headed back to her apartment. Her mom had tried to get her to stay in Stars Hollow, but Rory figured she would leave her two parental figures to celebrate more privately.

Rory was just about to enter her building when she heard her name being called. Turning, she spotted Marty jogging toward her, which caused her to break into a smile. Renewing her friendship with Marty had been one of the best things she had ever done. She had forgotten what a good friend he was and she still felt bad she hadn't tried harder – okay, honestly, at all – to keep her friendship with him after the whole Logan/Chinese food incident. Looking back, that was just one more place her life had gotten derailed over the past two years. Now she had finally started to find herself again and she had to admit it was a nice feeling.

As Marty came to a stop in front of her, Rory said, "Hey, Marty. What brings you by?"

"I knew Luke had his court hearing today and I wanted to hear how it went," Marty answered as he held the door open for Rory.

Over the last few weeks, Rory had realized just how different Marty was from the group of people she had been hanging out with. She doubted any of them would have taken the time to come ask how her stepfather's custody battle had gone, but Marty had known how important it had been to her and to her family. "Luke won the case!"

"Good, I'm glad. He seems like a really cool guy," Marty replied.

Rory grabbed the keys to her apartment from her purse and unlocked her apartment door, remembering as she did the day Luke had come to check on her after the blowup with Christopher. He and Marty had spent the morning trying to make her laugh. It had been nice to see how well Marty and Luke seemed to get along. True Logan had treated Luke well, but she truly had never felt comfortable talking about Stars Hollow, let alone take him there. He just never would have understood why her little hometown meant so much to her. "Yeah, he is. Always has been, too. I am SO glad he and my mom finally got together." She turned toward Marty, who was still standing in the hallway. "Would you like to come in? We can watch a movie or something."

"I probably should go study, but your idea sounds much more fun. There is always tomorrow, right?"

"According to Scarlett there is," Rory said as she closed and locked the door to her apartment after Marty followed her in. "Go ahead and pick out a movie. I am going to go change. Oh and there are drinks in the fridge if you want something."

Rory walked down the hall and into her bedroom. As she changed out of the dress she had worn to the Family courthouse, she wondered at the happiness she was feeling at Marty agreeing to stay and watch a movie. She was truly looking forward to spending time with him. Even with Logan, it had been a while since she had felt that way, which was probably one of the myriad of reasons she had chosen to break up with him.

After changing into sweatpants and a tank top, Rory rejoined Marty in the living room. He was seated on the couch, holding a can of soda. There was another one on the coffee table that Rory assumed was for her. Marty looked up as she entered the room. "I got a soda for you, too, since I figured you might be thirsty," he confirmed.

Joining Marty on the sofa, Rory said, "So, what did you pick out for us to watch?"

Marty held up the DVD of Duck Soup. "You can never go wrong with the classics."

Seeing the movie made Rory once again think of that night so long ago and caused her to sigh. Marty gave her a concerned look and said, "We can watch something else, if you would like."

"No, it's not that," Rory said softly. "That is the movie we watched the night we stopped talking to each other. I know we have repaired our friendship, but I don't think you know how much I regret how I treated you, how I just let Logan take over my life and forget the people who mattered to me before he came along."

"Maybe it was just something you needed to go through," Marty said as he put the movie down on the table.

A look of confusion crossed Rory's face. "What do you mean?"

"You used to tell me how close you and your mom were, that she gave up the life she could have had in Hartford to give you one where you were free to make your own choices away from the mandates of the social set. Well, a lot of kids rebel by turning to the opposite thing they grew up with. You grew up learning to dislike and distrust the society set, so when you wanted to stretch your wings, that is what you turned toward," Marty replied matter-of-factly.

Rory raised her eyebrow. "Wow, that was quite insightful."

"Good to know those psych classes are coming in handy," Marty shot back with a grin.

Rory laughed a little, and then grew serious. "I hate to admit it, but I think you are right. I think some part of me always wondered what that world was like. When I was a younger I could explain it away by saying that I was attending Chilton because it gave me a better chance to go to Harvard. I was a debutante because it made my grandmother happy. I dated Logan because I like him. But I think I did all those things because it gave me a closer link to that world. It made me feel like someone special. But, the sad thing is, I should have already felt like that. My mom always put me first and my hometown practically made me their princess, so why did I still feel the need to prove myself?"

"This is going to sound like textbook psych, but could it be because you were trying to get your father to notice you?" Marty asked. "Since he was part of that world, maybe you were trying to find a way to fit in there so he would think you were worth coming back to."

"Are you sure you want to be a poly-sci major because psych really seems to be your forte?" Rory questioned.

Marty laughed softly. "Nah, just speaking from personal experience. I've learned that what our parents choose sometimes has nothing to do with us. We can't let their paths direct our futures. And, just so you know, you were and are worth coming back to. Your dad is the one who lost out because he couldn't see it.""

Rory was quiet for another moment. "I saw him today. He came to the court house. I told him that for right now the only contact I want with him is to check up on GiGi. Do you think I did the right thing?"

"I can't answer that, Rory, Only you can. Do you feel like you did the right thing?"

Nodding, Rory answered, "Yes, I do. At least for right now. Whenever he came around, it was never to see me, though he said it was. It was always to try and hook up with Mom. One day last quarter, he stopped by and I took him to my apartment. Logan was there and he and Dad spent some time comparing boarding schools they have been kicked out of. That should have tipped me off right there to what I was doing. You were right. I was trying to get my father to notice me and what better way than to date someone who was just like him. I told him that I had Luke and didn't need him. I didn't mean to hurt him, Marty, but I think he deserved to know the truth."

"Rory, no matter how we might want a good relationship with our parents, sometimes we don't get that, no matter how hard we try. Sometimes we are just different people. And it's okay to love your dad but not like him. I had to accept that is what I feel toward my dad," Marty replied softly.

Rory sat for a moment and thought about what Marty had said and realized he was right. A part of her would always love her father, but right now, she just didn't like him. For the time being she needed to concentrate on getting herself back and maybe, in time, she and her father could work on their relationship. Maybe it would never be what she wanted it to be and what was okay. Reaching over, she gave Marty a hug. "Thanks, Marty. That is just want I needed to hear." She paused for a moment. "Okay, enough seriousness. It's Duck Soup time."

As Marty got up to put the DVD in, Rory wondered at the slight tingle she had felt when she had hugged Marty, a feeling like she had wanted to curl up in his arms and ask him to not let her go. Shaking her head, she quickly wrote it off as lingering emotions from the day. But when Marty sat back down on the couch, she moved unconsciously so she was sitting right beside him.

XXXXXXX

Lorelai moved into the den and sat beside Luke, handing him the tub of popcorn she was carrying. After they had come home from having dinner with Rory, they had decided to decompress from the day by staying in and watching a movie. "Here you go. Here is your butterless, saltless, and therefore tasteless popcorn."

"Salt isn't good for you," Luke replied distractedly, clearly thinking about something else.

"Hey, a penny for them, mister," Lorelai said, waving her hand in front of Luke's face.

Luke looked over at Lorelai as if noticing for the first time she was there. "What?"

"Your thoughts. You seemed to be somewhere else right now and I wondered where that was," Lorelai said as she placed the popcorn down on the table.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about today. I know we won and I am happy about that, but I just can't help feeling that Anna gave in too easily," Luke admitted.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know her well enough to answer that, but I think the fact that over 800 people took the time to write character references says something about the kind of person you are, the kind of loyalty that inspires."

"But I didn't do anything to inspire that," Luke shot back.

"Hon, that is what does inspire it, the fact that you don't do anything to try and draw attention to yourself, that you just go about life being yourself. That is what draws people to you. Luke, you don't realize the kind of vibe you put off. People feel safe with you. When I first came to the diner, even though I gave you a hard time, I knew it was the kind of place I would feel okay about Rory going there alone. I somehow knew you would watch out for her. And I was right. And deep down, I think Anna knows that too. She just couldn't get past her own fears of losing her daughter to see that," Lorelai said softly.

A look of surprise crossed Luke's face. "I never thought you would be the one to defend her."

"I'm not really, I just kind of understand where she is coming from. I remember right before I was supposed to marry Max, he mentioned something about Rory having a curfew. I told him he did not need to bother himself with Rory, that she was my daughter and I would take care of her. Now granted you are April's father, but Anna has had her to herself for over twelve years. We moms have a hard time letting go of our babies. I think today she saw that it was okay to let go a little."

Luke was quiet for a moment. "Thank you for what you said at the hearing."

Lorelai grinned. "She was attacking my man and I could not have that."

"Staking your claim, huh?" Luke grinned back.

"You know it. Just reinforcing the idea of who you belong to, just in case she gets any ideas of trying to reclaim you," Lorelai replied.

Luke moved closer. "I think I told you once before that would not be an issue. I know who my heart belongs to and who has held it for years. And in case anyone ever forgets that, there is this reminder right here on my hand," he said softly as he ran his left hand down Lorelai's face.

Lorelai captured Luke's hand in hers. "I know mine has come in handy to show certain exes who I belong to and who I will continue to belong to."

"Good."

Lorelai stood up from the couch and pulled Luke with her. "I saw we go stake our claim on each other all over again."

"But what about the movie," Luke pretended to protest.

"I am sure I can find a much more interesting way to entertain you. Besides, I think we need to truly celebrate today's victory," Lorelai continued as she headed backward toward the stairs.

Luke reached over and shut off the TV, then followed his wife up the stairs.

Author's Note: I am SO sorry it has taken this long to update this story. I was having a HUGE case of writer's block. And then when I sat down to write this chapter, it didn't come out like I intended it to. Jess was supposed to make a appearance and other characters were supposed to get together (Marty and Rory, but obviously Rory wasn't quite ready). I am debating on leaving this series here or continue on with the next one. Please review and let me know what you would like to see. Again, I am sorry for the delay, but I do want to thank all the people who have written and asked if I was going to continue with this story. They are the ones that helped to push me past the writer's block.But even if you don't have an opinion of the series question, please review anyway and let me know what you thought of this chapter or of the whole story. I do takeread the reviews and useany and allsuggestions toward making myself abetter writer.

Also, I don't remember if they ever said Marty's major on the show, so if they did and I got it wrong, I'm sorry. I picked poly-sci because he seems to be that kind of guy. (And in no way is that meant as a slam because my best friend is MAJORLY into politics).