The next time they saw each other again was after the long winter. Alex was at the general store, buying buttons for Pa's new shirts, when a whirlwind of brown hair and blue eyes swept its way inside. She could recognize that voice anywhere, and she did, as Lorelai and Rory gasped in awe at the rows and rows of peppermint sticks and lemon drops and ribbon candies.
"What should we get, Mama? I want to taste everything."
"So do I, sweetheart, but first we need thread and cloth and coffee, lots and lots of coffee. I promise we'll come back later and you can buy every single kind of candy you see here, all right?"
Rory nodded, her braids bobbing behind her, and pointed to something behind the counter. Alex couldn't see from where she was, and when she leaned over to look around Miss Patricia's stout physique, her eyes caught Rory's, and at once the child exclaimed, "Miss Cabot! Mama, look! It's Miss Cabot."
Lorelai turned around and their gaze met, but before either of them could speak, Rory ran over to Alex and offered her a brown paper sack. "Would you like a lemon drop, Miss Cabot?"
"I would love one," Alex said. She didn't particularly like sweets, but perhaps having something in her mouth would render her unable to engage in any further conversations with either Gilmore.
"I can't believe we finally found you!" Rory continued. She had taken Alex's hand without Alex's knowledge and was drawing her closer and closer to Lorelai. "Mama didn't think we would see you again after we took the other road, but she was wrong. You were wrong, weren't you, Mama?"
"I was indeed." There was a twinge of bitterness to Lorelai's voice which Alex could not ignore. But neither could she address it, so she simply kept her silence.
"Are you a teacher here, Miss Cabot? I'll be starting school next week and I really hope you'll be my teacher."
"Miss Cabot isn't a teacher anymore," Lorelai answered before Alex could get a word in. "She's not even Miss Cabot anymore. She's married now, Rory, remember?"
"Actually, I'm not."
Two pairs of eyes regarded her with astonishment.
"You're not a teacher?" Rory asked, disappointed.
"I'm not married," Alex explained. "I'm still a teacher. So yes, I will probably be your teacher when you arrive at the schoolhouse next week. You'd best not be tardy, Miss Rory Gilmore."
"I won't, I won't, I won't!" Rory sauntered. "I'll be the first one there, I promise!"
"You're not married," said Lorelai incredulously.
"I'm not," said Alex. She watched Lorelai's brows furrow as Lorelai tried to make sense of what she was hearing.
"What happened to Steele?"
"Nothing happened to Steele. I simply told him that I did not wish to be his wife. There was very little else he could do about it. There's very little anyone can do about anything, once I've got my heart set on it."
"Well," Lorelai said. She was smiling now, a small one that would simmer and simmer until it burst into a grin when nobody was looking. Alex knew that smile, knew that grin. "Well, well, well. Miss Cabot, you're full of surprises, aren't you?"
"Perhaps I am," Alex said. She almost smiled, but feeling slightly ridiculous, she shrugged instead.
"I guess I will have to find out," Lorelai said.
"I guess you will," Alex said, and this time, she did smile.
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timeasmymeasure
Yours is the last one. NO MORE PROMPTS!
Date: 2009-05-31 05:55 pm (UTC)"What should we get, Mama? I want to taste everything."
"So do I, sweetheart, but first we need thread and cloth and coffee, lots and lots of coffee. I promise we'll come back later and you can buy every single kind of candy you see here, all right?"
Rory nodded, her braids bobbing behind her, and pointed to something behind the counter. Alex couldn't see from where she was, and when she leaned over to look around Miss Patricia's stout physique, her eyes caught Rory's, and at once the child exclaimed, "Miss Cabot! Mama, look! It's Miss Cabot."
Lorelai turned around and their gaze met, but before either of them could speak, Rory ran over to Alex and offered her a brown paper sack. "Would you like a lemon drop, Miss Cabot?"
"I would love one," Alex said. She didn't particularly like sweets, but perhaps having something in her mouth would render her unable to engage in any further conversations with either Gilmore.
"I can't believe we finally found you!" Rory continued. She had taken Alex's hand without Alex's knowledge and was drawing her closer and closer to Lorelai. "Mama didn't think we would see you again after we took the other road, but she was wrong. You were wrong, weren't you, Mama?"
"I was indeed." There was a twinge of bitterness to Lorelai's voice which Alex could not ignore. But neither could she address it, so she simply kept her silence.
"Are you a teacher here, Miss Cabot? I'll be starting school next week and I really hope you'll be my teacher."
"Miss Cabot isn't a teacher anymore," Lorelai answered before Alex could get a word in. "She's not even Miss Cabot anymore. She's married now, Rory, remember?"
"Actually, I'm not."
Two pairs of eyes regarded her with astonishment.
"You're not a teacher?" Rory asked, disappointed.
"I'm not married," Alex explained. "I'm still a teacher. So yes, I will probably be your teacher when you arrive at the schoolhouse next week. You'd best not be tardy, Miss Rory Gilmore."
"I won't, I won't, I won't!" Rory sauntered. "I'll be the first one there, I promise!"
"You're not married," said Lorelai incredulously.
"I'm not," said Alex. She watched Lorelai's brows furrow as Lorelai tried to make sense of what she was hearing.
"What happened to Steele?"
"Nothing happened to Steele. I simply told him that I did not wish to be his wife. There was very little else he could do about it. There's very little anyone can do about anything, once I've got my heart set on it."
"Well," Lorelai said. She was smiling now, a small one that would simmer and simmer until it burst into a grin when nobody was looking. Alex knew that smile, knew that grin. "Well, well, well. Miss Cabot, you're full of surprises, aren't you?"
"Perhaps I am," Alex said. She almost smiled, but feeling slightly ridiculous, she shrugged instead.
"I guess I will have to find out," Lorelai said.
"I guess you will," Alex said, and this time, she did smile.