#pat isn't even far enough in to have met gilmore!!!!

[wonderlandleighleigh]

stars hollow prompt? something w/ kitty or esther visiting? or a random comedian friend?

(Taking some llllllliberties. Takes place mid season 6, after Friday Night's Alright for Fighting)

Lorelai frowns as she peeks out the window and sees three cars driving down the street and right up in front of the Schneider household. "Uh..."

Rory looks up from her book and frowns back, her book forgotten. "What's wrong?"

"The cavalry has arrived at the Schneider's place," she says, nodding out the window.

Rory gets to her feet and looks, seeing the three cars park and one person each get out. They all look a bit older than Lorelai herself, two women and a tall man.

"What do you think happened?" Rory asks.

"I'm sure we'll find out eventually."

Rory nods and frowns.

*****

"Kitty Bruce, as I live and breathe."

Kitty grins at the younger woman as she puts a few items into a cart at Doose's Market. "Why Lorelai, I never," she jokes back, though it's half-hearted.

"I saw you and your siblings pull up to the house," Lorelai says. "Is everything okay? Did something happen?"

The blonde takes a breath. "My mother passed away. My...biological mother. Dad and I are trying to decide whether or not to fly out for the funeral."

"Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry," Lorelai says sincerely. "That's terrible. Are you guys alright?"

Kitty shrugs. "We weren't close. It still hurts a little in a woulda-coulda-shoulda kind of way. I think Dad and I are both leaning towards no on flying out. It's really far, and he doesn't travel well, and...I think it'd just be better to send a card and maybe make a donation in her name or something."

Lorelai nods. "If there's anything you guys need...."

"I think we're okay," Kitty promises. "But...you know. You guys have been so great to my parents for so long...maybe you could come to dinner tonight. Midge is going to cook, and she always makes enough for an army when she's stressed."

"Dinner, yes, of course we'll come to dinner," Lorelai tells her. "We'll be there, and we won't bring anything we tried to make."

"Seven?" Kitty asks with a soft laugh.

"With bells on."

*****

"It must be weird," Rory comments as they walk across the street. "How long do you think it's been since Kitty even saw her mom?"

Lorelai shrugs. "I don't know. From what she said, it didn't seem like they were close. I think her mom left when she was pretty young."

Rory huffs out a breath as they get to the front door of the Schneiders' home. "It makes me sad."

Lorelai nods in agreement. "It is sad."

Rory nods, but doesn't say more. She knows this isn't about her, but she can't help feeling like her relationship with her father is heading in the same direction as Kitty's with her mother.

The door opens and Ethan grins at them. "Hi, Gilmores."

"Hi, Ethan," Lorelai grins back, kissing his cheek before stepping in. "How is everyone doing?"

"Well, Esther and I never met Honey so we're mostly just here as support," he reminds them as he gives Rory a light hug and a pat on the back. "Ma is in damage control mode and Kitty is helping out in the kitchen. Lenny's in the garden."

Lorelai grins at her daughter. "Go help Midge and Kitty. I'm gonna go check on the old man in the garden."

****

She finds him weeding a particularly gnarly part of the garden and takes a seat on the ground. "You never come back to this section."

"Well, it's time I did," Lenny tells her. "I let it go too long."

Lorelai nods. "I'm really sorry about Honey."

He shrugs. "We're getting old. Older," he tells her. "And she and I we uh...we weren't particularly responsible when it came to our health back in the day."

She frowns a little as she watches him go silent and go back to weeding. "Hey, Lenny."

"Yeah?"

"For what it's worth, I don't believe for a second that you should have gone before her," Lorelai tells him. "And I"m really glad you're still kicking around. Giving us advise. Making sure we don't act like morons all the time."

Lenny stops weeding and turns to her, sighing a little. "I'm very happy to do it. You're good girls, you and Rory. I'm very grateful."

Lorelai smiles and pushes his shoulder gently before getting to her feet. "You should come inside. Your kids are never here, and they're here for you."

He sighs and lets her help him up, before heading back into the house.

"...Then Dad shows up to the studio with a Klan hood on," Kitty says, making the room laugh. "And he says, 'is this okay? I wanted to fit in. I know you've got one of these, so I figured...'"

"Where the hell did you get a Klan hood?" Ethan asks as Lenny steps into the house.

"I had lots of friends," Lenny explains. "Sometimes they'd gift me prison uniforms, and sometimes...other such uniforms."

"So wait, what did the host do?" Esther asks.

"He threw a microphone at my head," Lenny tells her with a proud grin. "Nazi fuck."

Midge shakes her head and walks over to him to kiss his cheek. "You should go clean up."

"I can just wash my hands," he assures her. "I don't want to miss having all the kinder here."

She smiles and soon dinner is finished, and everyone is sitting around the table.

"I think we're not going to go," Lenny tells everyone. "Kit and I talked it over and...it just feels like we'd be in the way of the people who were close to her. So...we're going to send a card and we're going to donate some funds in her name to a good cause, and we're going to respectfully stay here."

"I think that's a good plan," Esther assures him, leaning over to give him a one-armed hug. "And we can all stay the weekend."

He chuckles and kisses the top of her head. "Cramped in this little house, just like we all were in that apartment on Riverside Drive. Us, you three kids and your grandparents, all trying not to trample each other."

"Those were good times," Midge beams. She turns to Lorelai and Rory. "My parents lived with me for a long time, and that included just after Lenny and I got married. It was complete chaos. But in the best way. My parents really weren't sure about him at first, but then, suddenly, Papa was talking Lenny's ear off about politics and art and Mama was sitting down with him early in the morning for coffee."

"Those really were good times," Ethan agrees. "And then Uncle Noah and Aunt Astrid and Chaim would come to visit and it the place was stuffed full."

"Trying to fit all you kids around that little kitchen table to eat was a nightmare," Lenny chuckles. "But your grandfather was dead set on that farkakte no children at the dining table rule."

"Insane," Midge laughs.

"'How are we supposed to have a decent conversation with all those sticky little hands?'" Kitty asks in her best Abe Weissman voice, making her siblings and parents laugh.

"I miss him," Esther says. "He had his faults, but he really cared about us."

"The museum trips," Ethan recalls. "And the nights when we were older and he'd drag us out to the theater. When I came back from the war, he took us to see Hello, Dolly with Pearl Bailey. That was some show."

"I'll say," Lorelai says, sounding impressed.

"Poor Dad, couldn't come," Kitty giggles.

"She would remember me!" Lenny cries.

Rory looks confused. "You knew Pearl Bailey?"

"No," he admits. "But i uh...as a gag in Vegas once, I picked up a fire extinguisher and pretended to blast her with it...and it went off by accident."

Lorelai and Rory groan in horror.

"No, Lenny!" Lorelai cries. "That was Pearl Bailey!"

"I know," he agonizes. "It's how I got thrown out of Vegas. I've never been back since."

Midge leans over and kisses his cheek. "You're not missing much anymore. It's not the way it used to be."

He sighs softly. "I like it here better these days, anyway," he tells her.

*****

It's not too late when the get home and Rory sighs softly, thinking over the night's events. Lenny and Kitty had kept their spirits up, but Rory has known the man too long to not notice when he's down.

"I was thinking of going to the bookstore tomorrow and getting Lenny a few new things," Rory tells her mother as they sit in the kitchen.

"I think that's a really nice idea," Lorelai says. "He'd love that. I'm going to take Kitty for a manicure in a couple of days. I think a little spa treatment would be good for her."

"Yeah," Rory agrees. "I think I'm going to make a call."

"Loooogan?" Lorelai teases.

"No," Rory rolls her eyes as she grabs her cellphone and heads for her room. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you, Sweets."

Rory closes her door, waiting to hear her mother make her way up the stairs before dialing.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Grandpa."

"Rory. Hello," he says, obviously not expecting to hear from her. "It's getting late, shouldn't you be out carousing with your friends?"

"No carousing tonight," she laughs softly. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Oh, I'm fine," he promises. "Just getting some reading done before I turn in. I was going through my bookshelves, and found a few things I had forgotten I'd purchased."

"It's like finding something new all over again," Rory grins.

"Precisely," Richard agrees. "I'm halfway through the first one."

"Tell me about it."

[lilac-city]

Met someone in real life today who was wearing the “Gilmore’s Glorious Goods” shirt from the Critrole merch store. I shouted “CRITICAL ROLE!” She said “Yes” and then I realised I don’t know how to talk about Critical Role in real life so I said “It looks like a soft shirt.”