Chapter 1 – Stars Hollow, NY

Rory closed the door to Stars Hollow Books for the last time. It was kind of bittersweet as the bookstore had not only been where she worked part-time since she arrived in Stars Hollow, but Andrew had become a good friend and also an enabler in terms of her book addiction. Not only did he pay her well, but her salary included two books a paycheck. Fifty-two weeks a year times four years definitely allowed her to build up quite a little library.

She started to walk down the quiet street, heading towards home when she looked back and saw Andrew standing outside the bookstore with a smile. She waved back to him once last time, still clutching the gift bag he had supplied her with as she turned in her key after her last shift. Inside lay a first edition copy of "Pride and Prejudice", once of her favorite books and a Barnes and Noble gift card for $500. She had laughed first, knowing Andrew's opinion on the big named books stores and then gave him a heartfelt hug, when he told her that while his shelves would always be waiting for her, he knew Barnes and Noble had a better supply of textbooks.

She walked slower tonight knowing that tomorrow she would be starting a new adventure and there was a good chance that she would not be returning here for a while or maybe longer. The fact was Stars Hollow was where she lived, but it wasn't home. True it was the first place where she felt safe in her short 18 years of life, it was the first place that was not temporary, the first place where she did not get carted off from as soon as she settled but home….no that was something she was still searching for, something that had alluded her throughout her life, but something she wanted more than anything.

She stopped in front of Doose's Market and knocked on the window. The brown haired boy turned and smiled and walked towards the door to unlock it.

"So last shift?" Dean her friend from school asked her.

"Yes, it's strange, I mean the bookstore has been my home every day after school for four years and now…well I guess I don't know what I will be doing everyday once classes are over. I am assuming I will find myself a nice little cubicle at the library and stake my claim" she said with a laugh. If anyone understood Rory's crazy commitment to studying it would be Dean. He had gotten roped into being her study partner in freshman year and never strayed during their four years at Stars Hollow High and their classes that they took at Chilton as part of an advanced placement group of students. Heck if it wasn't for her he probably would never have done as well as he did earning himself a partial scholarship to Cal-Tech for Engineering.

"Don't forget to find yourself a good coffeeshop, you will need one for your all-night study sessions and maybe try to have some fun too" he told her truly concerned that his friend would spend the next four years hibernating in the library, never allowing anyone to see the amazing girl she was inside, the person no one really knew existed except for a small group of people who had finally earned her trust. He was glad he was one of them, knowing full well how much that trust meant, it was not something that came easy for Rory, not that he blamed her. She had overcome so much, turned all the negative energy that shaped her life and instead of using it as an excuse to wallow to give up she instead was a beautiful, caring, passionate about her beliefs, and smart….really, really smart. Not only was she valedictorian at Stars Hollow High but she received a special award at Chilton for her straight A average in their advanced placement classes.

"Hey I am a party animal, who do you know that can throw a movie marathon like I can?" she said with a laugh.

"That is true, I don't think anyone can match your expertise in planning the perfectly themed movie night. I am not sure what I will do once I get to California" he said with a smile.

"Don't you worry, I promise to email you themes and movie titles so you can plan your own" she told him with a laugh.

"Well I better let you close up the store. Will I see you before I leave tomorrow?" she asked him.

"I will be there for breakfast, I promise" he told her.

"Well ok then. I will see you tomorrow" she said with her usual trademark grin that he was lucky enough to see on a regular basis, something that he would miss when he was across the country. But underneath the smile he saw her fear, the insecurity….

"We will talk all the time I promise, and like you said I am an email away. You are going to be fine Rory, better than fine" he told her taking her hand.

"I am going to miss you though, I mean who else is going to listen to all the crazy things that go through my head" she told her best friend.

"You will email me a daily synopsis and I of course will email you back with commentary. Plus I will be home during the breaks, I can drive up to see you, we can have all night marathons and you can tell me all the great things that you experience up at Yale. Rory, you are my best friend, 3000 miles isn't going to change that. I will always be here for you" he told her.

"I know…and I will always be here for you, plus you will have to make sure I get a picture and a biography of any girl you consider dating. You cannot be trusted after your last few girlfriends, especially Lindsey, can you picture if you were still dating her? She would probably have sent you to Cal Tech with a shirt marking you her property".

"That she would have, trust me breaking up with her was the best advice you ever gave me….even though I should have listened to your advice before I actually dated her" he said laughing. She was right, he had made some terrible choices in the girlfriend department. "I promise I will send full files on any girl I meet".

"Ok deal, I will keep a private investigator on standby, you never know what they may be hiding" she said.

"That goes both ways Rory. Don't hide from meeting people, you are an amazing girl. Any guy would be lucky to have you for a girlfriend so don't hide ok….and if any guy bothers you, I will get on the next plane out. I will kick his sorry ass, no one treats my best friend badly without having to deal with me" he said with a fake macho attitude.

"Ok down boy, I don't think you will have any asses to kick. I am not going to Yale to meet a guy, I am going to get an education and….."

"Rory, you will find where you belong. I know you will. You have come too far…"

"Maybe. Even if I don't I will have a great education and then I can travel the world and write about all my experiences".

"You will and when you are a famous journalist I will get to say, I know her….she is my best friend" he told her as he took her in his arms and gave her a tight hug. God he would miss her, she had truly made a place in his heart since the day he met her four years ago. He could remember the day he saw her. His first day at Stars Hollow High, they were both in the freshman orientation and he saw her standing alone in a corner. Baggy clothes, her bangs covering her face…but then she had looked up and her big blue eyes caught his. They were the most expressive eyes he had ever seen, but what he saw broke his heart. Such pain and sadness. He knew that day that he would befriend her and while most of his friends made fun of him over the past four years about his best friend and his hidden feelings, the fact was his feelings for her were pure. True she was beautiful and kind, sweet and compassionate but it became very clear to him that she would never be his girlfriend. No, she became more. His best friend, the one person he shared all his secrets with, she became his second little sister, even though technically he was only two months older than her. He loved her truly…but he was not in love with her. He probably could have if he had let himself but he never allowed himself to look at her like that. That was not what she needed, she needed a friend and over the past four years he also realized that even if he had tried it never would have gotten anywhere. First off, she wasn't ready….there was too much pain and mistrust for her to allow anyone that close to her heart. Secondly, they had different dreams…their lives would not ever have melded romantically, but as best friends they were perfect.

He knew one day she would meet the person who was her other half….God she more than deserved someone who loved her unconditionally, who would allow her to fly but at the same time give her the security that she so desperately craved….he only hoped that when that day came she would allow that person in instead of hiding behind the façade that she hid behind, the façade she had created to survive.

Rory left Dean to finish closing up with the promise that he would see her tomorrow and she continued her journey through the town that had become her safe haven. She walked by Luke's, the man who helped sustain her coffee habit and also her love for greasy burgers, even though he insisted she ate a side order of vegetables as well. He was cooking her celebration breakfast tomorrow and she could almost taste his pancakes and bacon….and whipped cream and waffles. She needed to get home, suddenly she was starving and she was sure that Mia had made something delicious for dinner.

She walked by Miss Patty's Dance School, she smiled as she remembered all the recitals she helped put together. She was not allowed to teach the kids to dance, no that would have been scary, Rory was notorious for having two left feet, but she was great at putting together a show and Miss Patty capitalized on her talents.

She smiled as she stopped at Kim's Antiques, she laughed at the trouble she and Lane got into there. Well to the average person the trouble they got into was pretty tame, but to Ms. Kim you would think she and Lane robbed a bank and kidnapped the Dali Lama. She had said her goodbyes to Lane last week as she was heading to Julliard for school and was participating in a summer program before her first semester began.

Her stroll took her past the library, the video store, Gypsy's Garage and then finally she turned up the path towards what had been her home for the past four years since she arrived there at the tender age of 13, so lost, so hurt, so scared. Searching and praying for just a few moments of peace…and she had found them here. A few moments turned into a week of normality, then into a month, a year. For the past four years she had lived what others would consider a normal life and she loved it but she still missed what she longed for…she still missed the idea that someone was out there missing her, that somewhere out there she had a family.