TW: For the mentions of a deceased family pet. I know that can be really rough to hear about for a lot of people.

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"Riana, Riana, are you listening?"

Riana continued pushing food around her plate as her mind drifted off into space. She just couldn't bring herself to eat anything at that moment.

"Riana!" Emily repeated more sternly.

Riana looked up. "Sorry, what's going on?"

"I was just telling your mother and sister that her cousin Claudia has passed away," Emily told her.

"That's sad," Riana sat up. "Sorry to hear that, grandma."

"The funeral's on Thursday. So I thought we'd all go together," Emily stated.

"Oh cool, another day where I can't work or hang out with the others," Riana thought to herself bitterly.

"Ooh, whoa. Two problems. Impossible to get away from the inn Thursday. Two, I've never met this woman." Lorelai said to her mother.

"You most certainly have," Emily huffed.

"When?" Lorelai questioned.

"Several times," Emily insisted.

"I'll take one."

"We went to her house in Groton to see the first moon landing. She'd just gotten a new Philco."

"I have no memory of this whatsoever."

"Rory, correct me if I'm wrong, but men have walked on the moon regardless of whether your mother remembers it or not?" Emily asked her granddaughter.

"That's the rumour," Rory answered.

"God, I'm bored," Rory thinks as she fiddles with the tablecloth.

"I know men have walked on the moon. I just don't know Claudia." Lorelai said with gritted teeth.

"So you're not going?"

"Not this time."

"I don't think Claudia's planning to die a second time."

"Not with that attitude," Riana joked. Earning a look from Emily.

"Mom, I couldn't go if I wanted to."

"Fine."

The four of them sat there in silence until Emily spoke up again. "Oh wait; Rudolph Gottfried,"

"Another cousin?" Lorelai asked.

"No, a nazi that we knew. I'd forgotten. We stayed with him once in Munich. Nice old man. Interesting stories."

Riana looked over in confusion. What was the hell was her grandmother going on about.

"Mom, you socialized with a n*zi? That's despicable! That's heinous!" Lorelai shouted.

"No, dear, that was a joke," Emily said somewhat smugly. Causing Rory to laugh.

Riana shook her head. "You stop paying attention for two seconds."

The weird feeling Riana had during dinner didn't disappear. Her brain just felt so... empty.

While Riana contemplated the emptiness of her head, her sister was loudly informing their mother of an upcoming school event. "Mom! The Chilton bake sale is today!"

"I know. I got it covered," Lorelai told her.

"They expect the things to be homemade," Rory said.

Riana let out an Elmer Fudd style laugh. "Yeah, right."

The teen didn't know much about how things worked at Clinton, but she knew for sure that 90% of those parents would be paying someone to bring food in for them.

"I've got it covered," Lorelai insisted.

"All of the parents pitch in, so this is really, really important. You know that, right?"

Lorelai and Rory continued to quip back and forth while Riana stood up from her chair. "Welp, see you around."

Riana made her way out of the house to go wait for Jaya. Soon followed by Lorelai, Rory, and Lane (for some reason). The last of which quickly ran off.

Just as Lane ran off, Jaya walked over to them. Along with Babette, Morey and a wagon with the family cat, Cinnamon, inside."

"Buon Giorno!"

"And a good morning to you," Riana smiled and moved to pet Cinnamon. "Hello, sweetie."

"Wow, Cinnamon, riding in style," Rory exclaimed.

"Yeah, Morey made it. Cinnamon's not walking good these days, but she still likes her passeggiatas. That's Italian for a nice walk," Babette told them.

"Passeggiata," Morey mused in a thick italian accent.

"Oh God, he makes it sound so sexy," Babette smiled.

"Come on," Morey blushed. Causing Jaya to roll her eyes with a smile.

"What's going on back here?" Riana pointed to a covered area on the cart.

"Oh, it's Cinnamon's private area. Sometimes she likes to be alone. She's just like Morey in that sense," Babette turned to Morey. "Hey, say passaggiata again."

"I can't do it on command, Babs,"

"Oh, he's blushin'. God, I love a man that blushes!" Babette said. Causing Riana and Jaya to give each other goofy smiles.

"We better head off," Riana said.

The two of them said their goodbyes. Making sure to give Cinnamon one last pet before leaving.

"Those two can just be the most sometimes," Jaya said. "God love em."

"It's good to see how much you've settled in," Riana said.

Sometimes it shocked Riana that it had been five years since Jaya and Morey had moved in with Babette. With Morey marrying Babette and Jaya gaining a new stepmother.

"It's kinda funny, but I can't imagine my life before the two of them got married," Jaya chirped. "It's gonna be weird when I move for college for something."

"My god, you are thinking far ahead!" Riana jokingly panicked.

"Come on! It's only three years away," Jaya smirked.

"AH! The passage of time!" Riana said as she started running away.

"You can't escape it, Riana Gilmore!" Jaya shouted as she chased after her.

Riana started feeling a bit better as the day went on. It must have helped to be around her friends. There was an awkward moment when the others tried not to talk about the movie they saw last Friday. Not wanting to leave Riana out, she reassured them it was fine. Just because she couldn't go out on Friday nights didn't mean they couldn't.

After school, Riana, Jaya and Joey were wandering around the streets. Splitting up from Andy and Lewis due to band practice and study.

"I'm confused. Why was your family making jokes about being friends with Nazis?" Joey asked.

"I am just as confused as you are," Riana said before spotting Rory and Lane. "Hey, Rory!"

"Oh hey,"

"How did the totally homemade bakesale go?" Riana asked.

"Sookie nearby set the table on fire,"

"Sounds about right,"

"Babette, Dad?" Jaya called out as her parents walked by.

"Hey, sweetie,"

"What's going on with Cinnamon?" Jaya asked when she noticed

"She's dyspeptic. So's Morey. Too many clams."

"Bad clams," Morey sulked.

"This doesn't reflect well on Al's establishment," Babette told the teens.

"You had clams at Al's?" Lane asked.

"Al's Pancake World?" Rory added with an incredulous tone.

"Yeah, well, we had a coupon," Babette justified.

"Do you need me to grab anything for her?" Jaya asked.

"No, no, sweetie, just enjoy your avro,"

As Babette and Morey walked off, the five teens stood there in silence for a moment. Until Rory piped up suddenly. "Oh wow! The store! Hey, listen, I have to pick up some stuff, so-"

"What do you have to pick up?" Lane quizzed.

"Just some...stuff. So I'll talk to you later tonight,"

"I'll come," Jaya smiled.

"Why?"

Jaya was taken aback for a second. "I wanna get something for Cinnamon."

"I'll come too," Joey said.

"No! I-" Rory looked around. "Never mind, I don't need anything."

Riana and her two friends all looked at each other.

"You know what? Go get whatever you need. I'm gonna head somewhere else." Jaya said.

"Wanna head to my place?" Joey said to his friends.

"Yep, sure,"

"I'm gonna go home too," Lane said.

"Great! Go, bye!" Rory waved them off.

The rest of them walked off. Trying not to be offended by Rory's seemingly standoff attitude.

Three of them walked without saying anything. Wanting to address Rory's weird moment back there but not wanting to say anything that might have come off as rude.

The three of them hung around Joey's place for about an hour until Jaya was pulled aside by Joey's mother, Marianne. "Babette's on the phone for you."

"Thanks, Ms Watson," Jaya took the phone from her.

"Babette?" Jaya listened to Babette's teary voice. "What's wrong? Cinnamon? Yeah, I'll head home now."

"What's going on?" Riana approached her.

"It's Cinnamon, they, they're-" Jaya stuttered. "Cinnamon dead."

Riana and Joey stared at their friend in surprise. There was a quiet understanding that it was bound to happen soon, but it was still a shock.

They rushed back to the Dell house. Finding Babette and Morey talking to the vet about Cinnamon's passing.

"I'm glad you all came," Babette thanked them. "Riana, honey, Rory was here earlier. She went to grab your mom."

Riana nodded in understanding. She moved to comfort Jaya. Who had been staring at the white sheet covering Cinnamon.

"I can't believe she's gone," Jaya snuffed.

"Can I get you anything, Morey?" Joey said.

"This is life, kiddo; it breaks your heart," Morey said with a sad look.

Soon enough, Rory and Lorelai returned home. Wanting to make sure Babette and Morey were okay.

"She looked like she was sleeping. I thought she was asleep, so I nudged her, and she didn't wake. So I gave her a push, and she rolled off the couch, and since I waxed the floor, she went straight across the room, and then she knocked over the lamp, and she still didn't move. I knew it was over. Oh, God, my baby."

Riana and Joey listened to Babette's comically morbid story. Knowing not to laugh no matter what.

"Tell me it wasn't the-" Morey stopped himself.

"Oh, Morey, don't do this to yourself. He thinks it was the clams," Babette cried.

"She saw me eating them, and she gave me that 'hey, man, what's up?' look and-" Morey shook his head.

"It wasn't the clams. Morey, in human years this cat was 260 years old," The vet told him.

"That's a good, long life," Lorelai said to Babette.

"Listen, why don't you let me take her out to the van and then I'll get out of your way," The vet said.

"Oh, no, stay. All of you, please stay. Cinnamon would want you here," Babette begged.

"We'll stay as long as you want," Rory nodded.

"I'll never eat clams again," Morey said with a tear in his eyes.

While all this went on, Jaya hadn't said a word. Seemingly still processing what had happened.

Once word had gotten out about Cinnamon, many people gathered at the house for an impromptu wake. With even more coming through the door every few minutes.

"It was rough," Joey explained to Andy and Lewis. "She slid across the floor when Babette tried to wake her up."

"Jeez," Andy exclaimed.

Jaya had been uncharacteristically quiet all night. Greeting the guests at the door with a sad smile and a small nod. Earning a tight hug from Ms Patty when she arrived.

At some point, she opened the door for the new kid, Dean. His arms were full of drinks. Jaya and Riana moved to take the drinks from him when Rory walked by.

"Oh, hi, wow. I wasn't expecting you," Dean said with a smile.

"Or me you. I mean, you, me. I mean, hi," Rory bubblers.

"Oh, you two know each other," Riana said sarcastically with a smile.

"No!" Rory states

"No?" Dean questioned.

"Well, he goes to my old school, so I see him there sometimes, but I go to Chilton now."

"That's nice," Jaya said. Then, wandering off when she was called over by some other guests. Leaving Dean to bring the drinks in on his own.

Riana started to follow after Jaya, only to stop at the window. Spotting someone she didn't recognize at their front door.

"Mom!" Riana called out to her mother.

"What is it?" Lorelai said as she and Rory walked over to the window.

Riana pointed to the man.

"Isn't that-" Rory started. Only to be cut off by her mother.

"Oh, no."

"That's Mr Medina," Rory exclaimed.

"Tonight's Thursday!"

"Well, am I in trouble? Did the school call or something?" Rory said with a hit of concern.

"Oh, thank god, it's just a teacher," Riana breathed. Momentarily panicking when she thought some stranger had turned up their door.

"No, no, you're great. I, um, let me just come back in just one second." Lorelai started walking away.

"Wait, what's going on?" Rory pressed.

"Let me tell you in a minute,"

"Tell me now."

"Max is here,"

"Max?"

"Max is here to pick me up,"

"What? For like a date?" Riana questioned. Causing Rory to make a noise.

"Listen, I'm gonna go talk to him real quick, and I'm gonna be right back."

Riana and Rory made their way back into silence. With Rory going off who knows where and Riana trying to find her way back to Jaya. Eventually, finding her sitting on the ground outside the kitchen.

"Hey," Riana sat next to her. "You doing okay, or do you want some space."

"No, I'm good. I'm glad you're here."

"Anytime,"

The two of them sat there. Then, Riana realized that Jaya must have been listening in on what was happening in the kitchen.

"I guess eventually you have to move on. Figure out what your life is going to be when you're not busy taking care of somebody else," Babette's voice said from the kitchen cabinet. "Jeez, look at this place. Not a clean glass in sight!"

"Let me help you with that," Lorelai's voice said.

The sound of glasses and shuffling echoed along with the sound of a chair scraping across the floor. "Here, sugar, use this. Morey sits on it when he helps me."

"How does Morey get around in here?"

"Oh, just fine. He had a couple of concussions his first year here but he never complains. Neither of them ever do. They're just the sweetest things. I don't know what I'd do without them." Babette sobbed.

"Oh, Babette. What do you mean 'without them'?" Lorelai questioned.

"I saw on Oprah a few weeks ago. She had on families who lost a child. Most of the marriages went belly-up for the pain of it all. Even though they loved each other. It just made me think Jaya and how-" Babette let out another sob.

"Babette, that is not gonna happen to you."

Jaya leaned over to Riana. "Can we go outside?"

"Sure, sure," Riana whispered back.

The two of them made their way outside. "Sorry, I just needed some air."

"Don't worry about it," Riana told her as she leaned against the rail. "You're going through a tough time."

"It just sucks," Jaya explained. "I'm gonna miss that cat so much. I remember when dad brought me to meet Babette for the first time. She showed me Cinnamon, and she was just so hyper back then."

"You should have seen her as a kitten," Riana smiled. Remembering back to when she was a little kid.

Back inside, the sound of a piano filled the room. Creating a nice melancholy for the two friends.

"I don't tell Babette how much she means to me," Jaya mused. "She's just... she's amazing, and I never tell her how much she's changed our lives for the better."

"Are you gonna say something?" Riana encouraged.

"I'm gonna tell her tonight. After everyone's gone home, I'm gonna sit her down, and her tell how much she means to me."

"That's good. I think it will really help her through this," Riana rubbed Jaya's arm.

Jaya smiled and looked around the yard. Only for her smile to shift into confusion. "Isn't that your sister and the new kid?"

Riana looked around to see Dean walking away from Rory. The both of them with smiles on their faces. Riana moved to go ask Rory about what was going on. They met at the door to find their mother walking through it.

"Oh! Finally. I've been looking everywhere for you two," Lorelai smiled.

"Well, you found us," Rory shrugged.

"Listen, I have some explaining to do. Okay. So sit down in that tiny little chair, and I'm gonna do it right now." The two of them awkwardly sat in the same chair. "That man on the porch was Rory's teacher."

"Yeah, I got that," Riana told her.

"Well, he and I were going to sort of hang out together."

"On a date," Rory asked.

"No, on something that could appear like a date to the untrained eye."

"On a date?" Riana continued.

"No, something that could appear like a date to the untrained eye."

"Seriously?" Riana rolled her eyes.

"Okay, it was a date."

"How long have you been dating him?" Rory questioned.

"I haven't. This was gonna be the first time."

"When were you planning on telling us this?"

"Their wedding probably."

"No, by the rehearsal dinner at least."

"He's a teacher," Riana told her mother.

"I know," Lorelai said.

"Rory's teacher," Riana insisted.

"He teaches me things every day in a very small classroom with a lot of other kids who probably won't be high-fiving me when they find this out."

"I knew, sweetie, and I told him this was one of the things I was concerned about."

"And?"

"And he thought we could be discreet."

"Oh, you've done a great job at that!" Riana said. Getting up from the uncomfortable chair position.

"Are you guys mad? Lorelai timidly asked.

"Yes!" They said in unison.

"Alright. Because I'm dating him?"

"No! Because you didn't bother telling us!" Riana squawked. "I was kinda freaking out when a random stranger was at the door."

"I didn't lie. I kept information from you,"

"MOM!"

"Cause I thought you were going to take it bad. Thank God I was wrong." Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"That's not the point!"

"I just can't believe that you didn't tell me about this. Why wouldn't you tell me? There's a million guys in this world and you end up with Mr. Medina." Rory added.

The girls continued shouting at their mother.

"Okay, okay. Listen, I'm sorry. I won't date him. I promise."

"I don't care if you wanna go out with someone! I just wanna know if someone is coming to the house so I don't end up freaking out in front of them!"

"You think I don't get the weirdness factor?" Lorelai turned to Rory. "Believe me, the last thing I intended to do was date your teacher."

Rory let out a sigh. "I believe you."

Lorelai then gave them a speech about how liking someone isn't something you can plan. How they'll meet a great guy, and he'll make their heads all foggy, and they won't know what to do with themselves.

The conversation ended with Riana in a huff. From then on, her mother and sister started making jokes about how she and Rory were in total control of Lorelai's life. The problem was Riana didn't want to be in control or anything like that. She just wanted Lorelai to tell her things that might involve her. She was sick of being kept out of the loop.

This was a regular occurrence in Riana's life. The Friday night dinners, for example. She didn't get a choice in the matter. She was just told to do it.

"I feel like there was something important I was meant to do today...." Riana thought to herself as she got really for bed that night. "I'm sure it's fine."

Meanwhile, her grandmother was in her own home. Annoyed by the phone call she had just had with her daughter.

I just wanna make it clear: Jaya is Morey's kid from a different relationship. About five years before the start of the story; Morey got married to Babette. Making Babette Jaya's stepmother.

Jean Jacket is going okay right now. Tonks' is still getting used to him (but they can eat food within 5 meters of each other so that's good). I am currently in a really sad/bad mood because of somethings that my mother said today (bringing back some hurtful memories of  primary school). Normally I would say I'll be fine, but I'm just not in the right head space to say that.

I hope you all have a good week, and that something really great happens.