SEEING STARS HOLLOW
AS she trailed alongside her father and sister, Hayden couldn't help smile. He was actually there, and he was interested in her, in Rory. He was even interested in Stars Hollow itself. But it was the idea of Saturday that had her stomach filled with excitement "So you'll really come?"
"To see you dance?" He scoffed with a grin "You betcha. I'll be the one front row with flowers to throw on stage."
"Can you make sure you aim for Louise?" Rory perked up "Hit her right in the kisser?"
Hayden snickered at the thought of her blonde friend "What did she do this time?"
"She told me my uniform was out of style." Rory was in disbelief "How can my identical uniform be out of style and no one else's is?"
"Oh, don't worry, she told Paris the same." Hayden assured "It's probably because you're the only two girls in the entire school that make sure their kneecaps are covered at all times."
Rory shoved her jokingly as she laughed "It's school policy!"
Christopher smiled as he watched them "So, what's next?"
"This is the town flower shop." Rory pointed out as they strolled through town "Um, over there is a good pizza place. That's the stationary store and that's Al's Pancake World."
Christopher raised an eyebrow "Good pancakes?"
"Oh, he doesn't serve pancakes." Hayden snorted in amusement, chuckling at her father's expression alongside Rory "He switched to international cuisine a couple of years ago, and dropped the pancakes."
"He would've changed the name but he had already printed like a million napkins with the original name so he just kept it." Rory added with a smile.
Christopher glanced between his daughters "What kind of international cuisine?"
"He kind of hops around."
Hayden nodded "Last month it was his salute to Paraguay."
Her father grimaced "Anyone salute back?"
Rory shook her head "Not really."
"Hayden! Rory!" The three turned to see Miss. Patty coming out of her studio "How are you girls? Oh, Christopher. I didn't see you there."
Hayden snorted "Yeah, right."
"Miss. Patty." He greeted politely.
She waved him off witch a chuckle after shooting Hayden a look "Oh, please Christopher, we're all like the file parents around here and I'm one of their mothers. And since you're their father, well that would make us... a couple. A couple of what I don't know. So, call me, well, anything you want."
Christopher's eyes widened before he turned to Hayden "So, kid, Miss. Patty here taught you how to dance, huh?"
"Yep, she's the best." Hayden grinned and gestured to the studio "I did my very first pirouette in there."
"And I cried with pride." Miss. Patty added with a fond smile before it fell slightly as she turned to her sister "Rory... well, let's just say she and dance didn't get on."
Rory sighed and turned to her dad "I twisted my ankle, fell to the ground and took six other girls with me at the Christmas Pageant in first grade. Lindsay Lister never forgave me."
Hayden snickered at the memory before sighing as she checked the time on her watch "I gotta get to work, but stop by for food?"
"Luke's it is." Rory confirmed with a smile.
Christopher nodded with a matching expression "See you soon, kid."
☕️
HAYDEN had just delivered Kirk his lunch when her mother called her over to the counter. Lorelai put a hand on her shoulder as she approached "You'll help won't you?"
"Sure." she confirmed instantly before looking between Lorelai and Luke "What am I helping with?"
"We're painting the diner after dinner tonight."
Luke sighed "The place doesn't need painted."
"Please," Lorelai rolled her eyes "I found old gray chippings in my donut the other day. And they weren't sprinkles, Luke. Oh how I wish they were."
Hayden eyed her mother knowingly "You still ate the donut didn't you?"
Lorelai sipped her coffee in answer and Luke rolled his eyes "It's not that bad. Beside's if it does need painting, and that's a big if, I can do it myself."
"I know you can but you don't have to." Lorelai shrugged "I love painting. In fact, you'd be doing me a favour by letting me."
"It's true, she keeps trying to get me and Rory to redecorate our rooms." Hayden confirmed with a nod making the man sigh.
"Fine." he relented after a moment and the Gilmore girls shared a smirk "But no pink. Or curtains."
The two nodded but before they could agree out loud, the bell jingled and they turned to see Rory leading her father inside "Hey!"
"Oh hi, where were you?" Lorelai questioned as they sat down beside her at the counter.
"Well we saw Al's Paraguayan pancake house, Hayden's dance studio, we were stalked by several towns people and apparently I look like Billy Crudup."
Lorelai scoffed "You do not."
"Take it up with Jackson." he shrugged before perking uo as his cellphone began to ring.
"Ah, ah, ah, ah,. Hey, hey, hey, hey." Lorelai gestured to the no cellphone sign behind the counter.
Christopher shrugged sheepishly before answering "Hello? Emily!"
Hayden watched her mother tense "Emily?"
"It's your mother." He whispered before focusing back on the phone call "Uh-huh. Well actually I'm sitting here with your girls. Sure." he held out the phone to Lorelai who groaned "She wants to speak to you."
"Hi mom."
"Lorelai, Christopher's in town!"
Lorelai gasped mockingly "What?! I didn't know! Although coincidently I'm sitting across an amazing Christopher hologram."
She could practically hear her mother's eye roll of the phone "Well I had this wonderful idea. Christopher's parents are in town too. You remember Straub and Francine don't you?"
Lorelai sighed "Ah yes - the Schnickelfritzes."
"The who?"
"The Hayden's." Lorelai responding Hayden to raise an eyebrow. She hadn't heard much about her father's parents growing up but they where her namesake and so she was interested.
"Well I called them up and invited them to dinner. They said they are free to join us all tonight."
Lorelai blinked in surprise "Join us all?"
"Yes. You, Hayden, Rory, Christopher, your father."
Her grip on the phone tightened "That's quite a gathering mom."
"Well I should say so." Emily retorted "We haven't all been together since the two of you were children. And Straub and Francine haven't seen the girls since they were babies."
Lorelai sighed "Yeah I know but--"
"It'll be like a wonderful reunion - all of us together again." She cut her off "I never thought it would happen."
Lorelai couldn't help but glance to Christopher as he perused the menu with Rory and Hayden pointing out their favourite's "Yeah, me neither."