A/N: This takes place after the season finale of Season 4. I realize that this kind of fic has been written before, but bear with me LOL...Hope you enjoy...R/R!

Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls is one of the best shows on TV!...Unfortunately, I don't own it...That belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino...

Aftermath – Chapter 1

Lorelai was rooted to the floor. She stood in her kitchen, shocked at what had just happened. Her daughter had run out of the house after screaming that she hated her. Rory...Rory hated her? That was a first. But Lorelai couldn't mask the disappointment she felt for Rory. For her daughter, who had just slept with her ex-boyfriend, who also happened to be a married man.

Lorelai headed for the door to go back to the inn. When she opened it, she saw Rory on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. "Oh no," Lorelai whispered. She shut the door and walked slowly towards her daughter. "Rory?"

"Go away!" Rory cried. Her face was buried in her hands and she could barely stand.

"Rory, please, come inside. We'll talk, we'll—"

"No!" Rory looked up at her mother. Lorelai saw the redness in Rory's eyes and the tears streaming down her face. "You'll only tell me how stupid I was! You'll only ruin it for me! You already have!"

Lorelai knelt besides her daughter. "Rory, honey, I know you think I ruined this for you...But please, think. Dean is married. Dean..." She stopped. "Rory?"

Rory was now quiet. She wiped her tear-stricken face and dropped her hands. She was staring at the ground, not saying anything. "OhmyGod..." Lorelai could tell that she was coming into the full realization of what had happened. "OhmyGod, Mom..." Rory looked at her mother, fear and worry filled her face. "What have I done?"

Lorelai reached over and hugged her. For a moment, both were silent. A million thoughts ran through Lorelai's mind. She wanted to tell Rory everything would be okay. That things would fix themselves. But they wouldn't. Everything was a mess. This whole night was shaping up to be a weird bunch of events...Jason coming back, her parents admitting their separation, Rory and Dean, Luke...

Luke. Lorelai knew something was different about him, but she never thought much of it, until things really started changing. He showed up with flowers...He asked her out...He kissed her. And the crazy thing was that she had kissed him too. And throughout all of it, it felt so right.

"Mom?" Rory asked. "You should...go back to the Inn."

"Honey, I can't just leave you here. No, the Inn is fine. Sookie and Michel will take care of it."

But Rory shook her head. "I just think I need some alone time now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Lorelai looked at her daughter and nodded. "Okay. Just stay at the house then, and don't let Dean back in." She half-meant it as a joke.

"Don't worry. I don't think I want to deal with anything else tonight." Lorelai and Rory got up. "I'll be fine."

"Call if you need anything," Lorelai said. She turned to head back to the Inn.

"Mom," Rory said quickly. Lorelai turned around. "I'm sorry."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Hey, things are gonna work out."

As soon as Rory was inside, Lorelai returned to the Inn. The door to the Inn was locked, as it would be every night as closing time. Lorelai took her key out and opened the door, locking it behind her as soon as she entered. By now, everything was quiet. No one was downstairs. She guessed that everyone had went to bed. And no wonder. It was 11pm. She didn't realize that she spent so much time back at the house.

Lorelai walked around, surveying everything. The downstairs rooms were just barely lit now by the moonlight, but one thing stood out. Lorelai flipped a switch and the front room exploded with light. On the reception counter, was a vase of a dozen roses and a card attached with it. Lorelai picked up the card which read:

Dear Lorelai,
I really would like to discuss our relationship more. I've changed my whole life around for you and I don't think I could go on without you by my side. I realize that I made some mistakes. I definitely made mistakes, and I'm sorry. I should've never opened up that lawsuit against your father, and I immediately withdrew my case once I realized that I may have lost you forever. I don't want to lose you. Please, if you'll just give me another chance, I know things could work out. I love you. –Jason.

Lorelai stared at the card and the roses speechless. She put the card down and was about to turn off the lights.

"Lorelai."

She jumped. "Oh my God don't scare me like that." She turned around to see who it was and saw Jason, sitting in the same chair he had been sitting at before.

"Jason?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting," he replied casually. He got up and walked over to her. "Lorelai, please..."

Lorelai looked back at the card he had written her. "You can't love me," she said finally. "You don't."

"Why not?" he asked. "Why can't I?"

"Because." She knew that wasn't an answer but she couldn't come up with anything. She just knew that she didn't want Jason to be in love with her. It would only make it that much harder to walk away.

"Lorelai," he whispered and before she knew it, he kissed her.

And little did they know, Luke Danes was standing on the stairs, watching the whole thing.