Emily and Richard hosted their Christmas parties two weeks early, before Christmas. It was because their friends would usually spend time with their families when the Christmas holidays got near, so two weeks early it was. Then when Christmas came, the three of them would spend time together. They would watch Christmas movies in the media room while drinking hot chocolate and eating gingerbread men together; then when it was time for dinner, they would move on to eat the Christmas dinner and then open Christmas presents after eating.

However, Elsie had to get through the Christmas party first, before Christmas came. Skye was hosting a New Years' Eve party, so Elsie hoped to get a New Years' Day kiss from Cassian at midnight.

The only thing was that Skye would show up to the Christmas party since she didn't want to be alone.

So, Skye and Elsie got ready together. Skye's dress was longer and made out of red velvet, with white trim, while Elise's dress was darker and shorter.

However, apparently Emily uninvited Lorelai to the Christmas dinner, so Elsie wasn't sure how to feel about that. For as long as Elsie could remember, Lorelai was always there at the Christmas dinner.

Now it was just Rory showing up.

Elsie and Skye listened to Holland Prescott talk about her husband not spending time with her for the holidays because of business related reasons.

"—and I know that he's off seeing that whore again," Holland said.

Elsie grimaced, "He's seeing a side woman?"

Holland scoffed, "Not a side woman but a side guy."

Elsie winced but nodded. She couldn't wait 'til Catalina, Maria, and Lian heard about this. She felt a bit bad for wanting to tell the tea party girls about it for gossip points...but gossip.

The doorbell rang.

Elsie asked, "How do you know it's a side guy?"

"I saw them kissing," Holland replied.

Elsie asked, "Why not divorce him?"

"Oh, I'm planning on it," Holland grumbled.

Emily and Rory came into the living room.

The party moved on over to the dining room where they got their food o eat.

Gigi said, "Emily, you've outdone yourself yet again."

Alan joked, "Yes, I can't imagine the hours you spent slaving over a hot stove."

Emily replied, "You're teasing me, Alan."

"It's delicious Emily," Alan replied.

"A compliment for my chef is a compliment for me," Emily said. "Thank you, Alan."

Richard said, "I, for one, would like to know where Henry is at this hour. Probably gallivanting around London like a bull out to stud."

Skye giggled.

"Richard, please," Emily scolded.

Richard replied, "Well, how is he supposed to negotiate the contract tomorrow morning if he's been out at all hours with some cheap tramp?"

"Knowing Henry, she wasn't cheap," Alan stated.

Score! More gossip points for me, Elise thought. Henry Germaine likes his women expensive, not cheap. And Holland Prescott's husband is seeing another man. Ooh, maybe I shouldn't use that one. That one is forcing him out of the closet and that's something I shouldn't do. Just go for Henry Germaine's expensive women.

"This is wildly inappropriate dinner conversation." Emily said, "Especially in front of three young ladies."

Skye and Elsie looked at each other, knowing that it wasn't inappropriate to them. Elsie had heard worse over tea at Emily's tea parties.

Richard messed with his bowtie, asking, "Is it unbearably hot in here?"

"It's a little warm," Elsie admitted.

"Richard, don't loosen your tie at the table," Emily admonished.

Holland asked, "So, what are your plans for the Christmas holidays, Elsie, Skye, and Rory?"

"Oh, I was going to host a New Years' Eve party," Skye said. "Probably spend time with my aunt, uncle, and cousin."

Elsie nodded, "I was going to hang out with my grandparents and attend that New Years' Eve party. I plan on antiquing with my grandmother."

"I'll probably just be hanging out with my mom," Rory said.

The mom that didn't want anything to do with me, Elsie thought bitterly.

"Oh, it's such a shame she couldn't come," Gigi said. "She's always such a kick."

Elsie found that she didn't miss Lorelai's presence.

"Lorelai wasn't feeling well, so I suggested she stay home," Emily lied.

"It is hot in here," Richard said. "I'm going to lower the thermostat."

"Poor thing," Holland said. "What's wrong with her?"

"She had to work," Elsie said quickly.

"Oh," Holland replied.

Emily called out to her husband, "Richard, forget the thermostat!"

"Tell her we missed her," Gigi said.

"I will," Rory replied. She looked like she didn't appreciate the lie.

Emily called out, "Richard!"

It registered that Richard hadn't come back in. "Excuse me," Elsie muttered, getting up to go check on Richard.

When she found her grandfather on the ground, the world seemed to spin and her body got hot and her vision started turning black.

She had fainted. She was glad to know that she was going to be the girl in the horror movie that faints when she stumbles upon a dead body.

Elsie, Skye, and Rory sat on some chairs to wait for some news. There was a blonde-short haired woman in pink. Emily was trying to talk to the nurse.

"That nurse is a lesbian," Skye whispered to Elsie.

Elsie asked, "How do you know?"

"I can tell," Skye replied.

Elsie fidgeted around and opened her Forget-Me-Not locket to look at the picture of herself and the picture of her grandparents.

Richard had promised her that he would never leave her behind. He can't leave her behind! He just couldn't! She didn't want another person to leave her behind like her mother did.

The nurse went beyond the doors, so Elsie and Rory went to talk to Emily.

Rory asked, "Did you find out anything?"

"Please! They run this place like the CIA," Emily said. Another friend of the family came from around the counter. "Joshua, thank god! This place is infuriating."

"It's all right, I'm here," Joshua said. "I'm going to check on him right now. Have you filled out the forms yet?"

"I can do that," Elsie stated.

"I don't care about the forms," Emily replied firmly. "I want to see my husband."

Joshua looked at Elsie, "Is she being obstinate?"

"Yes," Elsie replied.

"Very," Rory added.

Elsie wanted to tell Rory that he wasn't talking to her, but she held her tongue.

"Let me see what's going on and then we'll take it from there," Joshua said. He went through some doors.

"And there he goes through the doors," Emily said.

"Maybe I should call Mom again," Rory said.

"Never mind, I'm sure she's very busy," Emily told her.

Rory started, "That's not true, I bet she'd—"

"Rory, go get your Grandfather a paper," Emily interrupted.

Rory started, "But—"

"I'll get him a paper," Elsie said. "I know what newspaper he reads."

"That'll be great, dear," Emily replied.

Rory asked, "Should I get a coffee?"

"No, dear, I'm fine," Emily told her.

Elsie looked at Skye, who just looked awkward. "You want me to get you a coffee?"

"Hot chocolate is fine," Skye told her.

Elsie went to get a newspaper and some hot chocolate.

After getting the paper and a to-go cup of hot chocolate for Skye, she returned to the waiting room where Lorelai and Luke were.

At least, she was sure that was Luke. She remembered the backwards hat. She handed the hot chocolate to Skye and looked at Luke and Rory.

"Your 'mother' and him weren't on a date," Skye muttered to Elsie. The way she said mother implied that there was air quotes around it.

Elsie didn't care about that, "Any updates on my grandfather, though?"

"Just give your mom a couple of minutes back there," Luke said. "I bet she finds something out." He looked at Elsie, "Are you okay?"

"He promised me that he won't leave me behind," Elsie replied, tearing up at what happened. "I don't want him to leave me behind."

"Well, when you see you, be sure to tell him that, okay? People like hearing stuff like that," Luke told her.

Why was this complete stranger giving her advice? He only saw her once. He spent sixteen years not knowing Lorelai had another daughter.

Lorelai came through the doors.

Rory called, "Mom!" She went to go hug Lorelai.

Lorelai said hugging her, "Hey, you! Hi."

Skye glared and put one arm around Elsie's shoulders, and giving her a one-armed squeeze, like she remembered that she promised to be Elsie's mother.

Elsie appreciated the effort. It was more than what Lorelai gave her.

"It was horrible! Eloise even fainted," Rory said. "It happened so fast."

"They're about to bring him out of the big test room any minute, so just hang in there," Lorelai said.

Rory asked, "Where's Grandma?"

Knowing Emily, she was probably demanding some poor soul to switch rooms so Richard can have a better view.

"Kicking some patient out of the room with the good view," Lorelai stated.

I knew it, Elsie thought a little smugly at how well she knew Emily.

"I hope they get him unhooked fast, otherwise he's going without the life support machine," Lorelai stated.

That was actually kind of messed up.

Rory asked, "So how long before they bring him back?"

"Very soon," Lorelai said.

"I'd like to do something," Rory stated.

Lorelai asked, "Like rollerblade?"

"Like get some coffee or make phone calls or do something that isn't standing here waiting," Rory said.

"Okay, got it," Lorelai said. "Well as partial as I am to the phone, I'm voting for the 'get coffee' idea."

"Okay, good." Rory asked, "Luke, tea?"

"Ah, peppermint preferably," Luke stated.

"I'll be right back," Rory said.

"Hey, he's gonna be fine," Lorelai told her.

"I was just getting to know him," Rory replied.

And Elsie grew up with the man, so how does Rory think Elsie feels?

Skye grabbed Elsie's arm and dragged her off away from them.

Perhaps Skye figured that Elsie shouldn't see how Lorelai completely ignored Elsie in favor of Rory. It was much appreciated.

It was much appreciated when Cassian, Anthony, Vivienne, and Pepper came over, because Skye must've called them. They knew that Elsie would've dropped everything to rush over to the hospital because if they were in her shoes.

She hugged Cassian first.

Luke and Lorelai were watching as Eloise's friends tried to console her.

The guy in the leather jacket put it around Eloise's shoulders and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He took the newspapers that Eloise was holding as she put on the leather jacket, before handing them back.

Luke asked, "Who are they?"

"I'm guessing those are Eloise's friends," Lorelai said. She remembered seeing them together on Rory's first day, but she didn't know them or their names. Rory never said anything about Eloise's friends.

Emily came through the doors and went to speak with Eloise about something, before she went on.

A guy on a gurney went by and Luke took a deep breath.

Lorelai asked, "Jeez, are you okay?"

At some point in the hospital room, Elsie had taken Cassian's leather jacket off so she can read Richard the entirety of The Wall Street Journal to him. When that one was finished, she tearfully said, "For a while there, I thought you left me behind." She set that one aside so she can read him The Financial Times

"I love you to much to do that. I made you a promise when you were six that I'll never leave you behind," Richard told her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "I fully intend on keeping that promise, Elsie."

Elsie leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, thankful that he was still alive.