The Other Gilmore

Portraits and Pranks and Mia, Oh My!

It was Friday night and Richard was away on business. Emily was not pleased that he was in Akron, Ohio, saying he was miserable and lonely. She then asked the twins if they would like to do something nice for him. They both agreed, only to be told that the something nice would be to sit for oil portraits of themselves. The portraits would hang in their grandfather's office over his desk. The thought freaked Frankie out, but Rory agreed without hesitation. Emily was looking at her younger granddaughter expectantly, giving the girl a look that said 'agree, or else'. So, with a forced smile, Frankie nodded her agreement, which seemed to please Emily.

The following day, as Frankie walked towards Ms. Patty's, she felt someone abruptly pull her into the alley behind Luke's diner, a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming.

"Sh, it's me," the voice whispered in her ear. She immediately knew it was Jess and relaxed.

Once he had removed his hand from her mouth, Frankie turned around. "What are you doing?" she asked with a sly grin.

"I have an idea, but I need your help."

"Okay," she said slowly, raising her eyebrow as a signal for Jess to keep talking.

"I want to pull a prank on Taylor," Jess stated with a smirk.

"I'm in."

"You don't even –"

"Doesn't matter. I'm in."

Jess smiled cheekily at the girl in front of him and gently grabbed her face, kissing her. "See, this is why we work," he said once they had pulled apart, earning a playful eye roll and a light smack from Frankie.

The pair snuck out of their respective homes that evening, meeting up in front of Taylor's store. Frankie laid down on the ground while Jess traced her body with chalk, and then they set up some 'Crime Scene' tape around the outline.

"Perfect," Frankie whispered with a grin, looking up at Jess with a twinkle in her eye.

"We make a great team," he responded, an identical gleam in his eye.

The following morning, nearly the entire town was outside Doose's Market to inspect the 'crime scene.' Taylor was making a big fuss, telling the police to do their jobs. Frankie and Jess stood back and watched their handiwork unfold from the town square, smirks plastered on their faces. When Rory looked over at them with a knowing scowl, it only made Frankie's feeling of accomplishment grow; she was pleased that her sister knew and disapproved for some twisted reason. She wasn't entirely sure why, but a psychologist could probably answer that question for her.

Jess and Frankie slipped away before anyone else noticed them, heading to the Gilmore house for a few hours. They didn't say much, just read quietly, but not wanting to be alone. When it was time for Jess to get back to the diner, Frankie accompanied him, wanting some of Luke's coffee. She sat at the counter while the boy worked, glancing over at him every now and then over the top of her book. When Jess would catch her, he'd either throw her a wink or a smirk, causing Frankie to blush.

Suddenly, the door burst open and in walked Rory, Lorelai, and Mia, Lorelai's boss and the woman who became like a second mother to all three of the Gilmore girls.

"Mia!"

"Oh, Frankie! I was wondering where you were," Mia said with a smile, giving the teenager a warm embrace. "Come, let me see you." The older woman directed the girl to do a spin, taking in her appearance. "Beautiful, as always."