Hi, yeah it's been awhile, this is a new story. Don't worry, Don't Forget to Remember Me is with my beta and will be posted as soon as I get it back. I really hope you like this. Let me know what you think.
PMB
The Broken Road
Every long lost dream led me to where you are That God blessed the broken road
Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true...
That led me straight to you
Lorelai's Choice
With an oomph the bus pulls away from the station and continues on its normally scheduled route down the long highway and into the night. Sitting In the back, alone, a teenage girl stares at her shoes – not talking to anyone, or making eye contact. This is her life now: Sleeping on buses, cleaning up in grimy gas station bathrooms, and scarcely eating. She has to conserve what little money she has, knowing as she does that it still won't last forever, and there is no one to turn to for help. In two days, exhaustion overtook her body and mind as she'd ridden, barely able to sleep, to New York and back again. She just wanted to close her eyes for a few minutes but every time she did, she saw their faces. She can still see the shame in her father's eyes and hear the abhorrence in her mother's tone. Finally after forty-eight hours she loses the battle with sleep and her blue eyes fall closed.
"Mom please," she begged from the sofa in her parents living room. She'd known they wouldn't be happy when she told them. How could they be? She didn't expect them to take things this far. How could they ask her to make a choice like this?
"Don't get hysterical, Lorelai," her mother replied coldly rolling her eyes. "Just get your things and go."
Her father sits across from her staring at his lap, completely silent letting his wife throw their only daughter out of the house.
"I'm sorry, Mom!" she cried. "I didn't mean t-"
"Look," the older woman snapped growing impatient. "We gave you a choice, and you made your decision. Now I have made mine, I want you out of this house, now! And that's final!"
"Where am I supposed to go?" The young girl demanded anger and fear evident in her voice.
"That is not my problem, Lorelai," She said pointedly, then stood up from the sofa and walked away.
Her eyes jerk open and Lorelai sighs as the bus stops again. With one exception the bus is hurriedly emptied, everyone headed to their houses and families, but not her. She's alone. Thinking about it, tears well up in her eyes but she shuts them tightly keeping the unwanted moisture at bay. She thinks about her parents' house, the place she used to live and tells herself she never wanted to be there anyway.
Since she was a little girl she'd dreamed of living someplace far away, and she had been almost desperate to get away but not now, not without a plan. She doesn't have a dorm room at an Ivy League school or the promise of a park bench with Chris, in Paris, to look forward to. In the blink of an eye she had turned her life upside down, and that was confirmed as she watched the stick turn pink.
The rain picks up outside, pounding on the window by her seat. She leans her head against the cool window and stares out at the blur of the city. All she can think about are the last few tumultuous days.
She told her boyfriend and he dumped her. He looked her in the face and asked her "Why don't you just get rid of it?" and when she replied with, "No," he walked away. He told her he wanted nothing more to do with her and he definitely wanted nothing to do with their baby.
She can't even bring herself to think of the similar ultimatum her parents had given her.
No one understood that this baby is already part of her. She already loves it. She tried to explain that to them. To her mom and dad, the two people who were supposed to be there to support her no matter what but they just wouldn't hear it. She only has herself now, well, herself and this unborn child that she is suddenly responsible for.
Lorelai reconsiders as the bus screeches with bad breaks coming to yet another dramatic stop. Can she go through with something so horrible? Can she turn around and go home and give into what everyone expects her to do?
"Last stop," the driver yells motioning for her to get off the bus as she shakes her head violently. It isn't an option. She is angry with herself for even debating it; picking up the back pack of clothes she managed to collect before she left home, she stands up.
Saying that she is terrified would be making a bit of an understatement. Not only is it late and dark outside but thunder is beginning to rumble in the distance accompanying the rain. How can they do this? She wonders.
"No, it doesn't matter," she says trying desperately to convince herself. "It's going to be okay, you'll figure it out."
She pulls her bag over her shoulder and steps off the bus and into the small sleepy town.
William Danes a man just over forty walks downstairs and slips his coat on as he picks his keys up off the counter. He has a nice life; a beautiful wife he would do anything for, a son he couldn't be more proud of, and a daughter who, though has lost her way will always be his baby girl; he lives in a nice house and a small town and wouldn't trade it for anything. He looks up and notices his son, Luke, sitting on the couch putting his shoes on.
"Going out with Rachel tonight?" he asks.
"Yeah," The boy replies.
"What you two planning on doing?" he asks his son gruffly as he tosses him the keys to his truck.
"It's Friday night, we may catch a movie or something," Luke replies.
"That sounds nice," he says as he slides his wallet in his back pocket. "Don't stay out too late though. I need you to help me with some yard work tomorrow."
"Yes sir," Luke answers. He stands up and picks his hat up off the table and places it on his head backwards before giving his dad a head nod and walking out the door.
William sighs, a very discernable shake of his head rallies the small smile spread on his face. He walks outside in the nick of time to see his seventeen year old son pulling out of the driveway, and thinks about his own teenage years; it's a fine, fine memory. The clash of thunder brings him back to the present and he half mumbles, "Damn rain," before turning and walking back in the house.
As he pulls out of the driveway he notices his father watching, a rather distant and pleased look suddenly shining in his eyes. He laughs out loud, though there's no one to hear him, and hums as he drives to pick up his girlfriend. He heard the clash of thunder and knows the rain isn't far off, but liking the steady rhythm of rain, he decides to take the long way to her house.
Stars Hollow, his home, is the only place he has ever known and he wouldn't want to trade the quaint town with the kooky people for anything, so driving around, or even walking, he feels like he's paying homage to his favorite town – his town. He drives past his father's store, and then circles the square as the sky opens up and the rain begins to fall: Fat, heavy drops splattering the truck's windshield. He flips on the wipers, smiles to himself, and makes a right hand turn towards the Independence Inn.
It is really coming down by the time he pulls up in front of the inn belonging to his mother's best friend. He grabs the package from his passenger seat and slides out of the car.
Mia is standing behind the front desk when he comes in. She looks up at him and smiles, "Hello Lucas."
"Hey Mia," he replies. "Mom asked me to bring this by."
"Oh right, well you can just leave it on the counter."
"Okay," He walks over and sets the package down. "Everything okay?"
She sighs looking up. "One of my maids just quit and I'm short staffed but other than that no, everything is great." She smiles. "John told me how good you did at the meet, yesterday. He said you're the best on the team."
Luke shakes his head a little embarrassed. "Nah. I'm okay, but…I don't know."
Mia smiles at her best friend's son and looks up from the checks she is signing. "Have you heard from Elizabeth?"
Luke shrugs. "Not in a few days."
Mia frowns and shakes her head. "Your mother must be worried sick."
"Probably, but Liz is gonna do whatever Liz wants to do."
Mia nods in understanding. "Thank you for bringing it by, Lucas, I'll call your mother and tell her I received it."
"Kay, bye Mia."
He hurries back to the truck and starts towards Rachel's house.
As the antique dark green truck moves along the road, Luke looks outside. It is hard to see through the accumulated moisture but he is still able to make out the figure of someone walking in the rain.
Luke keeps driving but something about seeing that person doesn't sit right with him. After debating with himself for a few minutes he turns the truck around.
Since it is dark and raining he has to strain to find the figure in the contrast of the task is not an easy one, but he is successful in the end. He brings the truck to a stop and reaches across his seat to roll down the passenger side window.
She is soaking wet and freezing cold. She has no idea where she is going to sleep tonight. All she wants is to get out of the rain. She looks up and all she can see is precipitation and a sleeping town. She remembers passing a gazebo at some point. She could sleep there or at least get out of this downpour. As she tries to remember which direction it was in a dark green truck pulls up beside her.
Her heart rate picks up. She tries to run but she can't make her feet move. Instead she turns her concentration to the person requesting her attention.
"What the hell are you doing? Don't you know you're walking in the middle of a thunderstorm?" he calls to her.
Lorelai gapes at him. She doesn't know what to say.
"I…uh…"
"Where are you headed? I could drop you off."
Lorelai is unsure of what to do. This guy can't be much older than she is and he certainly doesn't look dangerous but she shouldn't talk to someone she doesn't know. He could be an axe murderer. Then again he offered her a ride which means immediate shelter from the storm, but where would he take her. She has nowhere to go.
Lorelai shrugs her shoulders.
Luke feels bad for the girl. He knows he's never seen her around town before, so maybe she's new and just doesn't know her way around yet.
"Get in," he offers again.
Lorelai holds her breath and pulls open the door. Immediately opening the door she feels warmth on her cold face, and she has to admit that it's better than walking in the rain, so she decides it's better than dying of hypothermia.
"Hi I'm Luke," he offers as an introduction.
"Hi." She manages through her chattering teeth.
"Jeez, you're freezing, where do you live? I can drop you off."
"I…I'm…I…don't know," she answers honestly trying to control her shaking.
Luke turns toward this mystery girl. Her hair is long and black and when she rotates looking back at him he can see that her eyes are incredibly blue and tearing up. She is beautiful but she looks so miserable.
Lorelai is overwhelmed. She doesn't know where she is or where she is headed. She doesn't know how long she will spend on the streets or how hard it will be to find a job. She looks over at the boy next to her and feels a tear slide down her cheek. This is the first one she's allowed herself to cry since her parents kicked her out two days before.
"Do you live in Stars Hollow?" he asks.
Lorelai looks down at her hands and shakes her head.
"Is there someone you need to call?"
She shakes her head again, unsure why she is answering him.
"Where is your family?"
She looks up another time, finding his eyes, "I don't have any." She whispers, reminding herself that she is truly alone in the world, as more tears begin to fall.
Luke sighs. He really wants to help this girl. In all honesty, she reminds him of his sister, who just recently got knocked up, moved out, and then married her loser boyfriend at seventeen.
"Do you have anywhere to go?" he asks, already knowing the answer she'd give him.
"No." She confesses to him timidly. She wasn't about to lay down her whole life story for this guy, but she is much too tired to think up a lie for him, besides, he hadn't dragged her off to some basement and raped her yet so maybe she is safe after all.
Luke turns away from her and puts both of his hands on the wheel. He is conflicted but he knows that she needs help. "I'm going to take you to my house," he tells her firmly. "My mom and dad will know what to do."
Lorelai is too cold, hungry, and weak to argue with him, so she nods her head and remains silent.
She isn't sure how long she'd been in the car with him, but looking up from her hands she watches him pull the truck into the driveway of a very old and beautiful house. It may not be as large as her parents' house with the ivy covered gates and the tiled driveway, but it is no less impressive; large enough to be perfect, not overwhelming.
He stops the car but she doesn't move to climb out of the truck, afraid of what is behind the door of that house; they certainly don't know each other, so the 'why' in his insistence on being chivalrous is fuzzy. It's not like her parents gave a damn what happened to her, their only child, and their unborn grandchild.
Luke gets out of the truck without a word and walks around to the passenger's side to open the door for her. The rain is still coming down outside and he is starting to become drenched with the cold rain.
"Come on," he says. "It's cold out here."
He must have seen the fear in her eyes because when she looks down at him, his face softens. He holds out his hand to her and nods. "It's okay, really. You can trust me."
She doesn't know why but for some reason she believes him. Reluctantly she takes his hand and climbs out of the monstrous vehicle. As she steps down, she considers how appalled her mother would be that she accepted the ride in the first place and that almost makes her smile.
Luke begins to walk in the direction of the door pulling the mystery girl he'd just met along behind him.
He pushes the door open and steps inside, wiping his feet on the rug at the entrance. She reluctantly follows suit but pulls her wet coat around her body tighter; she's afraid someone will notice, through her soaking clothes, that she's pregnant even though she's not showing yet.
She watches him walk further in the house, and timidly follows. In her mind she's making comparisons to her parents' house; where theirs is unwelcoming, this one is inviting. The smell in this beautiful white house is one of cookies baking in the oven, unlike her parents' house. She wants to believe that this is what she was meant to find, but she doesn't want to get her hopes up to have them shattered again.
She's still shaking violently from the cold rain, her teeth chattering. Luke hears her teeth rattling together and sees her shaking when he turns around, so he grabs a throw blanket from the hall closet.
"Here, this will have to do until we can find you some dry clothes," he says soothingly as he wraps the blanket around her shoulders.
The smell of cookies from earlier becomes stronger as they walk deeper into the house, and there's a smell of something else she just can't put her finger on, but her stomach growls like the thunder outside causing Luke to nearly jump out of his skin.
"Mom!" He yells loudly. "Where are you?"
"In the kitchen," a woman's voice is heard echoing through the hallway, although muffled by the distance Lorelai can still detect the warm and loving nature in it's tone.
Luke leads Lorelai into the living room, and motions to the couch if she would care to sit. "Make yourself comfortable, and I'll be right back."
He takes a few steps away and then turns back to see the girl hesitantly sit down on the edge of the sofa as she clings tighter to the blanket he gave her. With a heavy sigh he turns back in the way of the kitchen and jogs into the room to inform his mother of the situation at hand.
"Hey," he says quickly as he enters the warm room.
She turns away from the stove and smiles at him. "I thought you were going out with Rachel."
Shit! He thinks. He'd completely forgotten about Rachel in his haste to get home. Making a mental note to call her when this is all straightened out he looks up at his mother seriously. "I have to tell you something."
Her face falls in worry. "What?"
Luke reaches behind his head and nervously rubs the back of his neck. "I…uh…kinda…I mean…"
"Lucas!" she warns needing him to get to the point.
"I brought someone home." He blurts quickly.
Her expression resembles confusion. "What?"
"I was on my way to pick up Rachel and I saw this girl walking in the rain, so I offered her a ride…it's what Dad would do, and I was just trying to be nice but she isn't from around here and she doesn't have anywhere to go so I brought her here."
"You brought someone here?" she repeats for clarification.
"Yeah, she's uh…in the living room." He confirms.
Her jaw drops. "Luke you can't just go around picking up strangers and bringing them home, what if she is some sort of sociopath."
Luke looks down at the floor and then slowly brings his eyes back up to meet hers. "I think she's really in trouble, Mom." He tells her quietly.
Her features relax and she nods calmly. "Okay, I'll go talk to her. You stay in here and keep an eye on dinner."
"Yes ma'am."
She starts to leave but then turns back to her son. "What's her name?"
Luke's face goes blank, as he realizes he never bothered to ask.
Lorelai wraps her arms tighter around her body, trying to warm herself. She shifts uncomfortably in her wet clothes, trying not to feel so awkward in a stranger's home and in her own skin. Nervously, she shakes the pain caused by the cold out of her hands and squeezes them tightly between her thighs while she waits for that Luke boy to return.
Her eyes dance around the room. She sees family pictures on the wall. The people in them look perfect, but most of all they look happy. She wonders if they are as normal as they appear. She takes a closer look. Luke, the guy who picked her up, clearly has his mother's eyes and his father's everything else. His sister looks a little crazy, and she shares her mother's blonde hair but her eyes are brown like her father's. Lorelai can't help but wonder what her baby will look like. Footsteps can be heard in the hall, she braces herself as she turns and watches the older woman from the picture approach her.
When Leigha Danes walked into her living room the last thing she expected to find was a child. She almost stops to marvel at the girl who appears younger than her own children but catches herself and smiles.
"Hi," she says gently, not wanting to startle the already terrified teen.
Lorelai looks up at her and Leigha can see the tear track impressions made on her dirty face. "Hi," she replies, her voice soft and barely audible.
They hide in the uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Lorelai's eyes grow wide in realization and she jumps up dropping the blanket behind her as she stands. "I shouldn't be here," she blurts. "I don't know you. I don't know where I am. What am I doing?"
From her spot on the sofa Leigha can see how young the girl is and she wonders how she ended up wandering the streets. "How old are you?" she finds herself asking.
Lorelai stares down at her and finds herself falling back down onto the sofa. She looks down at her lap and mutters quietly, "Fifteen."
Leigha stops herself from gasping out loud. Her son was right. This girl does need help. Her mind travels away to her own daughter, Liz, and she wonders what she would want someone to do for her if she was out on her own, alone, and scared. Leigha makes a decision.
Lorelai looks up and sees the woman smiling softly at her in a way that says everything is going to be okay. "Why don't we get you changed into something dry, and then we can talk. Is that okay….." she asks kindly, trailing off, giving Lorelai room to fill in her name.
"Lorelai."
"Lorelai." The woman repeats. "I'm Leigha, Leigha Danes. Why don't you follow me upstairs? I know that my daughter will have something that will fit you."
She stands and motions for Lorelai to follow.
Luke pulls the lasagna out of the oven and walks over to the cabinet to pull out the plates while he waits for the bread to finish up. While debating whether or not to set out a plate for the mystery girl his mother re-enters the room.
Luke turns to her. "So?"
"So what?" His mother questions back.
"What happened? Why was she out there in the streets?"
"I don't know." Leigha tells him honestly. "We didn't get that far."
"Well how far did you get?" Luke replies incredulously thinking that is the first question she should have asked.
"Don't take that tone with me Lucas."
"Sorry," Luke sighs. "I just meant…."
She stops him and explains. "It's okay. I just got her some of Lizzie's clothes and showed her where the shower is. Oh and I got a name."
"Oh. What is it?" He wonders.
"Lorelai." She says simply.
Luke isn't surprised that the mystery girl would have a name as enchanting as she is. "That's a….weird name." Leigha shrugs. "Is she staying for dinner?"
"I think so, Luke. Set a place for her and go get your father out of the garage." She says. "I'm going to go check on our house guest."
Luke nods. "Yes, Ma'am." He turns to take the bread out of the oven.
"Oh Luke?" she says.
"Yes Mom?"
"You did good. Picking her up, bringing her back here. You did a good thing. I'm proud of you."
He smiles. "Thanks."
He watches his mother walk away and then takes the bread out of the oven and proceeds to get his father.
"Hey Dad," he calls as he enters the garage. "Mom says to come in for dinner."
William looks up from the boat he is restoring, "I thought you were going out with Rachel?"
Luke shrugs. "Plans changed."
"Alright," William says with a grunt as he stands.
"I'm going to wash my hands," Luke says before walking into the house and immediately starting toward the phone. He feels bad for blowing off his girlfriend, but it wasn't intentional. It just happened. She'll understand, he tells himself as he picks up the phone and dials her number.
"Hello?" he hears when she picks up the phone. He notes that she sounds aggravated and he sighs knowing how upset she is going to be.
"Hey Rachel, it's me." He says quietly.
"Luke? Where are you? You were supposed to be here over an hour ago." she replies angrily.
"I'm at my house, look something came up an-"
"Something came up?" She repeats
"Yeah, there was an emergency, I'm sorry."
He can tell that her voice has softened. "It's okay, I guess. We can go out tomorrow?"
"We'll see." Luke says rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll call you tomorrow, and I'm real sorry again for making you wait like that."
"It's alright Butch," she says sincerely. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Yeah, tomorrow." He mutters into his end before placing the phone back on the receiver.
William walks in the house as Leigha makes her way downstairs. She smiles. "Hey."
"Hey." He replies.
"We need to talk." She tells him and grabs him gently by the arm to pull him into the kitchen.
"What's going on?"
"We are going to have a house guest for the night." She explains never losing her smile.
"We are?" her husband questions gruffly.
"Yes."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Lucas found a girl walking in the rain and brought her back here." She tries calmly but William jumps up.
"He did what?"
"She was soaking wet and freezing cold and he just did what he thought you would do in that situation. She is just a kid William, please."
William sighs, he isn't that excited about the idea of sharing his house with a stranger but his wife seems insistent on letting her stay the night. He sighs, "Just tonight."
Leigha smiles wider and nods, kissing his cheek. "Thank you."
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