First off, thank you to everyone who enjoyed this story and left me a review and/or clicked on "fave/follow". I'm glad the story was liked so far. I hope it stays like this because we're heading into the drama. Enjoy the ride; it has some very fluffy scenes in the beginning too.
Side-note: If you're carving fluff-only, I also recommend reading my post-revival one-shot "Her Story, Her Daughter, Her Husband", which blends perfectly fine between the first and the second Chapter. What a coincidence! *self-promotion over* Let's get it on with the drama!
Second Chapter: How It Should Have Been
Everything fell into place after the wedding. Finally. It felt like it should have been like this all these years ago. Lorelai and Luke worked hard to let the other in their life as much as possible. No more sayings like, "this is mine, keep out of it." His was hers and hers was his; it was theirs.
Luke was a big help dealing with Rory's crisis, but helping with Rory was never Luke's issue. It was about Lorelai letting him in. She always drew the line at some point, but this time she didn't; she let him in and let him be part of the situation. She involved him the decision-making; she allowed him to be involved as much as he wanted, and he wanted to be involved in every single way.
Sometimes Luke would give too much; Rory and Lorelai had to fight hard to keep him out of the delivery room. He wanted to be there when his first grandchild was born. But in the end, Lorelai promised him he'd be the first to see the baby. He was indeed the first to hold the baby, after Rory and Lorelai of course, but once the baby was settled into his arms, he refused to let go.
To Lorelai and Rory's surprise, Luke was a natural with a baby, but he reminded them that he grew comfortable with babies when Stars Hollow hit the great baby-boom of 2007. First, he had been introduced to his niece Doula, and later to Lane's twins, who he was a godfather to. Lorelai had then eventually forced him to hold Sookie's third child over and over again.
Babies seemed to like Luke. They relaxed in his arms, and no on knew why. Rory's little baby was no exception. Whenever the kid was not feeling well, Luke was the one who could do the calming-down the best. It was a running-joke the family grew to love over time. Luke was nothing but a big softy to them, a teddy bear, which the youngest family-member hold on to tightly whenever Luke was within reach.
Luke was happy to be a grandfather; he spent every free minute to create all these great grandfather-memories, which his daughter could not built with his father, William. Therefore, he had to cut time at some other places. Spending time alone with April, apart from his grandchild and wife, was not working anymore. Luke finally let Lorelai into April's life completely. No more separate lives.
The no-separation-rule also applied to their finances; Luke and Lorelai had to work hard to make it work. With Rory and the baby, April going to grad-school, the annex for the Dragonfly Inn and tackling daily life, money had to be a strict business now. The wedding had cost a little fortune as well; and, in general, it was better to plan ahead. They weren't on a strict budget, but out-of-the-blue shopping-sprees wouldn't take place every so often.
However, Lorelai persuaded Luke shopping-sprees had to happen every once in a while. April appreciated Lorelai's effort, and Luke was happy he was liberated from his duty to be a shopping assistant. He liked seeing his daughter and his wife bond; he finally granted them the alone-time he had denied them all these years along. Luke didn't know why he didn't allow them that earlier. April didn't turn against him or liked Lorelai better than him. Nothing bad happened, quite the opposite, he was happy to notice that April's vocabulary improved whenever she hung out with Lorelai. Luke was pleased to see that he no longer needed to look up every other word she spoke, but only every third to forth word. Communication with her improved a lot.
After all this time, they were finally becoming the family Luke and Lorelai had always dreamed of, when they were lying in bed together after their first engagement and decided kids would be good. They had three wonderful kids, not one all theirs, they came from all over the place, but neither Luke nor Lorelai wanted to change a thing about that fact. With Paul-Anka, they made the picture-perfect family.
That was proven to Lorelai again, when she was sitting in bed, waiting for Luke to join her. She heard him walking up the stairs and soon, he entered the bedroom with their grandchild in his arms. He settled into bed next to her, the kid pressing against his chest; he smoothed over the child's back. Lorelai couldn't help but stare at the duo next to her. It filled her heart with more love than she could handle inside her; she could not hold back the adoration she felt for these two people next to her. She had to let her feelings out and the best way to do that was to let her actions speak. She rolled onto her side, ready to join the cuddling the other two were so good at.
"Rory was asleep, so I thought I'll bring the little One upstairs, instead of waking her. She seems exhausted", Luke said when he noticed Lorelai staring at him like the 8th wonder of the world. He caught her looking at him like that more often lately. He saw nothing but love in her eyes. And that was what he liked about their marriage: They didn't need to tell the other how much they cared and loved each other; just one look was enough and the other knew.
"I'm not complaining. You know I love it when there's three of us in the bed." Paul-Anka stirred on the end of the bed, so she added quickly with a laughter, not too loud, so she wouldn't wake the dog or the kid falling asleep on Luke's chest, "Or four of us."
Luke chuckled as well, as he petted over the kid's head, lifting his head up, so he could place a kiss on the kid's forehead. "I'm afraid our grandchild won't ever be able to spend the night alone in a bed."
"There's worse in the world." Lorelai stated. They had been through worse. A grandchild staying every night in their bed, was a small hassle. But she figured Luke needed to rant and keep his grumpiness alive somehow. It defined him.
Luke saw Lorelai's smile across her face, which he loved; he had fallen for this smile all these years ago when they had first met in the diner. He couldn't help himself but smile back at her. He wouldn't let her have the last words as easily though and retorted, "I'll remind you in 15 years when there's still four of us in the bed."
"Did you hear that Paul-Anka? You'll gonna break the record for being the oldest Polish Lowland Sheepdog on this entire world. There ain't a dog that is older than you, buddy." Lorelai joked as she pushed the dog a little with her feet. Paul-Anka lifted his head for moment, to find Lorelai and Luke staring at him. When there was no sign of a treat or a caress other by a foot, he dropped his head again and went back to sleep.
"That dog's gonna outlive us all." Luke pointed out, making it sound like it was the worst nightmare to be outlived by the beloved pet.
"He's been with us through it all this crap, that's only fair", Lorelai said as she carefully placed her head on Luke's shoulder. That way she had a better angle to look at the baby sleeping on Luke's chest. And the body-contact with her husband was another advantage she wouldn't give up on. All the pillows in the bed weren't as comfortable as Luke's shoulder.
"There's still some of the new baby scent left, isn't it?" Lorelai asked as she dropped a kiss to the kid's head. The dark blond curls were soft against her lips. Soon it would be time for the first haircut. Lorelai would do whatever it took to postpone the visit to the hairdresser as long as she possibly could. Nothing could compare to the hair of a baby.
"Hardly. This one just smells like the rest of the world now." Luke took in some of the baby's smell and placed another kiss on the child's head. He grew to enjoy showing affection towards his grandchild as often as he could. Lorelai kept reminding him that he should as long as he was able to. This was the time to give all the love they wanted to as the child was still too young to fight against it.
"This time goes by too quickly." Lorelai sighed, as she went through the child's hair, softly drawing circles with the tips of her fingers.
Luke sighed. It was true, time had passed by quickly. Day after day, week after week, month after month. The kid grew fast and time seemed to keep slipping through their fingers. He side-glanced at Lorelai, smirking. "Yeah, but we've got it all well documented, haven't we?"
"All on my phone." She nodded and sat up to reach for the smart-phone on her bed stand. "By the way, let's take a picture of you."
"Another one?" Luke groaned because he knew Lorelai could easily loose herself in her obsession of documenting every step of their grandchild's growth. Not once were they late for appointments or town-meetings because Lorelai was still taking pictures of the kid.
"In 20 years time, when this little bundle of joy will give us a hard time, you'll be happy to have them and remember these innocent times in bed." Lorelai stated as she opened the camera on her phone, turning it to horizontal format.
Luke couldn't oppose anything to that, so he posed for the camera as Lorelai took a photo or two. After that, she rested her head again on his shoulder to show him the pictures and then, she decided it was time to take a selfie, which Luke was happy to be part in. He had gotten used to taking selfies over the many years Lorelai had gotten addicted to her phone and the front camera it had to offer. Luke learned how to pose, and when to make an odd face. He became a pro at taking selfies, much to Lorelai's delight.
Lorelai placed the phone back on the bedside table and rolled on her side, ready to fall asleep. She nudged Luke in the side and said, "Hey, it's time for the little One to move to the middle of the bed. It's not fair, you have our favourite grandchild all to yourself."
Luke grumbled when he had to remove his personal hot-water bottle. It was his least favourite part of their nightly routine. Lorelai immediately snuggled closer, draping an arm softly over the child's body. It was a moment like this, in which Lorelai felt content and complete, even though the family wasn't at this moment.
It was Labour Day when the family was finally complete again. April came by to check in with the family. She was not good with babies and refused to lice up to be an aunt to the kid, who had turned one this summer. Still, April had sneaked out to hold the kid once since then kid came to the world. At first, no one noticed, but after scrolling through the many pictures Lorelai had taken with her phone, she noticed there was no picture of April holding the kid. Lorelai was set to get one of her with the kid today. April wouldn't be able to visit until Thanksgiving. The baby would have grown to a proper toddler by then. The phase of being cute and being helpless was going to end soon because the kid had learned to walk this month. The photo of Lorelai's dreams had to happen today or it would be a missed opportunity forever.
However, April was not as open to the idea as Lorelai thought she would. April crossed her arms in front of her chest, when Lorelai approached her with the suggestion. She was not a fan of it at all. She had never held a child before and tried getting her out of this. With a grossed out face, April asked, "Is it safe for me to hold it? Like it's not contagious or something?"
Lorelai, Luke, and Rory laughed about the worries April had. They exchanged looks of amusement, and Lorelai said, as she rolled her eyes, "No. Besides, I was at the doctors the other week and he said everything's fine with our little One. So go ahead, and take your-"
April held her hand up to stop Lorelai from talking and handing over the child. "Don't say the n-word, please, I beg you!"
"The n-word?" Lorelai frowned for a moment, until she realised what April meant with saying that. "It's not a curse-word."
"I'm way too young to be an aunt", April said, and folded her arms once again in front of her chest. She sat down on the couch in the living room and reached for her phone again. But that wouldn't stop her from keeping a conversation rolling. She was capable of multitasking and it stunned Luke every time she joined a conversation out of the blue, fully aware of what had been discussed so far. It caught Luke off guard and he couldn't imagine concentrating on two things at once, reading and listening to a conversation.
"You're the only real aunt this kid will ever have, so step up to this job." Lorelai asked April. She wanted her grandchild to have the perfect family, which also included an engaging aunt.
April looked up from her phone, and responded, "I will. Eventually. When it-"
"Stop calling my kid an 'it'!" Rory had watched the scene unfold in front of her, but she had to step in now. She felt the need to protect her child. She took her kid from Lorelai and propped the kid against her hip. The kid, however, was not pleased with the change of location, still reaching the arms in Lorelai's direction.
"I will be an aunt to it-"
"April!" Rory and Lorelai said in unison, watching the 25-year-old leaning back to the couch in frustration.
"I'll be an aunt to-", April started again, but Rory caught her off, before she could reach the crucial part of the sentence.
"Don't say 'it' again." Rory warned her, shifting the toddler from on side of her hip to the other, but the kid's mood wouldn't improve. She frowned at the kid and her stepsister.
April rolled her eyes, which everybody could see. She no longer wore her hair down and couldn't hide behind it anymore. She had ditched the colourful head a while ago, and instead wore her hair up in a high messy bun. The operative word was messy. Handling the wild hair she refused to comb on a regular basis was tricky and April never put much effort into her appearance. Strands of hair were framing her face. She clicked her tongue in disapproval first and chose her words more carefully. "-to this human-being who yet has to develop a personality and the ability to take care for basic human needs without help from others."
The others in the room were silent. No one had expected her to say something like this. However, in the end, it was something only April would come up with. Lorelai locked eyes with Rory. She mumbled, "I don't know if that's better."
"Take it or leave it!" April ordered quickly, cutting time short for the Gilmore Girls got react to it with a sassy come-back.
"Sold." Rory gave in and bouncing the toddle up and down in her arms, which seemed to do the job of lighting the mood.
April was satisfied, and was sure to sneak out of holding the baby everyone was so eager to put in her arms. "I'll be an aunt to his human-being when I can actually do something cool. Like reading a book."
Rory knew how to persuade April. She smiled, as she talked, "You can read a book now and you know how important early intervention is to the human brain. The synapses develop right now. Whatever a kid sees now, affects how a person will see and understand the world later on. This is your chance to experience environmental influences on the human brain."
"Really? You're taking biology and take it against me to force me to hold this spitting thing?" April's mouth dropped open because she was defeated by her own interests. Biology had turned against her. She felt betrayed.
"Stop calling my kid a thing!" Rory shook her head in disbelief. She neared April on the couch, ready to hand her child over, whispering, "Really, you did not do well in the aunt-department, kiddo."
"Just get it over with. Hand the baby over." April eventually said, stretching her arms out. She looked into the child's blue eyes and smiled as the child reached for her glasses. April stopped the little hands from grabbing them and caught the hand in her fist, giving it a squeeze.
Lorelai squealed at the sight in front of her. She finally got was she wanted. "Wait! I have to get my phone. I need pictures, all the pictures in the world. This needs to be documented. April holds a baby, my grandchild. Finally, are aunt and-"
April averted her eyes from the toddler and shot her stepmother a grim look. She warned her, "Don't say the n-word."
Lorelai, however, didn't acknowledge the warning, she was too happy with the sight in front of her. She hopped to the little table in the foyer to fetch her phone. She gushed, "This will so be the best Christmas-card in the history of all Christmas-cards. Luke, hon, get in there with them." She motioned with her arm in his direction.
"Are you sure? Maybe I should take the photo-", Luke began, but Lorelai cut him off, and was already taking position to take photos, "No, please, I want the most precious photo of the four people in the world, who mean the most to me. Ah, April, the baby really suits you."
Luke lifted his finger to April and to Rory, grumbling, "Don't get any funny ideas. I love the little One, but that's it for now. Do you hear me? The both of you?"
Rory frowned, as she placed a hand on her kid's back, to support April with making sure the toddler would look into the camera. "That's a little late, Luke."
"I'm talking about a brother or sister. We don't need another one", Luke said and sat down on April's other side. He gave her a shove, to get her attention, "I didn't hear you replying, April."
April looked lost, as she was about to lose the battle of keeping her glasses on her nose. She sighed, sounding annoyed. "No child for me in the next decade."
Luke was relieved. He enjoyed his time with his grandchild, but he couldn't imagine having another one around yet. He was still busy with the Diner and it would be too much for him. As soon was he was retired, he would be open to have a crazy bunch of grandkids occupying the house and his life. But for now, the one grandchild he had was more than enough.
He was pulled out of his thoughts, when April shrieked, "Can we get this over with, please? Fast!"
Lorelai flicked her finger in Paul-Anka's direction, who was lying on an armchair. "Buddy, go to daddy. Come on!" Luke protested at first because he didn't like being called the dog's father, but he lifted the dog to his lap anyway.
Lorelai took photos, which would look great on the Christmas cards. Finally, she was in the position to make everyone jealous of the family she had. They were picture perfect when they looked into the camera with their bright smiles across their faces. She wouldn't want to change a thing. She wanted this moment to last. She wanted the world to stand still. This was what she had been waiting for her whole life. The happiness and joy, which her family brought to her life. She was finally there, at the happy place down the road. She looked pleased on the screen of her phone, taking the happy faces in.
What the happy faces didn't know yet, was that Rory felt overwhelmed with all of these happy family moments. She didn't feel like she was in control of her life anymore. She watched it happen, went along with everything her mother, and Luke, decided to be right for her and her child.
She lived under their roof. The house she grew up in was no longer her home where she had an equal voice in deciding things. Lorelai and Luke outnumbered her, they worked as a team, which Rory was happy to see, but often they went against her will and treated her like a child. It was never her intention, but doing things unconsciously was even worse than doing it intentionally. Lorelai would dismissively say things like, "I've had a child before, I know what should be done. Trust me."
Rory did trust her Mom. She had raised Rory well enough, but Rory wanted control back. She wanted to be the one calling the shots, but ever since she told her mother and Luke she would keep the baby, every single bit of control went out of her hands and right into Luke and Lorelai's hands.
She didn't want to tell anybody else about the pregnancy; it had still been early, but Lorelai had decided April needed to know, right there at the wedding reception, when everything had been so fresh and still undecided. Her mother had decided when it was right to tell people, what do next, where to be, what things to buy, and where to put them.
Lorelai had done it before, and Rory had no clue. Lorelai put her on bed-rest, told her to write the book, told her to keep Logan, the father of the child, up to date. And it was fine in the beginning because Rory had no direction and the world kept spinning around her. Her Mom gave her directions and she was happy to follow wherever she led. She relied on her because babies and their breeding were not her special field. She had to rely on and trust Lorelai.
She trusted Lorelai, of course, there was not question about that; Lorelai was her Mom, who had guided her perfectly fine for the last 34 years. But that was the point, her mother made her feel like a child and not a self-determined adult.
Rory was asked about her opinions, but she was not the one calling the tune. Lorelai made the final decisions and Rory was sure whenever she would stand up to her, she would fail to persuade her. Only profound actions, like dropping out of Yale, would make her mother stop having things firmly in her hands. The situation asked for an extreme action, which meant to cut her mother off from the leading position, to get herself some space to be herself, and to make decisions on her own, and for her own kid.
It was time. The time to break free was here; she had to break the circle she had gotten herself into. It was almost two years ago she had told her mother she was pregnant. She had been long enough in that circle.
However, Rory didn't notice that by breaking that one particular circle she was so fed up with being in, she fulfilled another circle and made the lives of the Gilmores full circle. History repeated itself, when Rory left nothing but a letter for her mother. She left town and was set on not returning any time soon. She had to get some distance between her ever-controlling mother, who never gave up the lead when it came down to wanting the best for her child and grandchild.
But right now, Rory knew what was best for her and that was not being here anymore. She glanced back once more, not thinking of what this might do her mother emotionally, and if it would hurt her. Rory concentrated on how much better she would feel herself.
She would be finally living on her on, at the age of 34. She would make a life without anyone else possible. Just she and the kid she grew to love so much, but never had the chance to enjoy by herself. Her mother and Luke were always there, taking her kid away from her, to take care of their grandchild. She couldn't even remember the last time she had changed diapers. Luke would offer his help whenever he could. Changing dirty diapers didn't gross him out as much as the others. But Rory missed the dirty work. From now on, it would only be her, who would change diapers and the thought couldn't make her happier.
The pressure, which had built over the last two years, was gone as soon as she left Stars Hollow behind. She left in the car her mother and Luke had paid for. With the baby seat her grandmother had bought for her. Her kid wearing something Sookie had given to her.
She didn't like the car, it was nothing she would have chosen herself, but the car brought her from point A to point B and that was its purpose.
She didn't like the baby seat; she wanted to get another one, which would grow with the kid. She considered it ridiculous to buy an extra seat as her child was getting taller, but the seat served its purpose.
She didn't like what her kid was wearing; she never wanted her child to wear the colours a gender-stereotypical world asked to. Not blues. No pinks. No stereotypical colours. But Lorelai every so often reminded her that she needed a lot of clothes in that period of a kid's life. They grew out of everything so fast that you couldn't be picky what they were wearing and most people were still not as cautious when it came to gender-neutral clothing and bought what they were used for a certain gender. Blue for boys. Pink for girls. The clothes served their purpose.
But Rory couldn't stand it anymore. Having things she didn't want, but keeping them because they served their purpose. She would sell the car, and buy another one. She would get rid of the baby seat. That onesie her kid was wearing at the moment would get thrown away as soon as she arrived.
Rory didn't know where she was heading to yet, but one was for certain, she was going away. Away from her mother, away from the life she did not set up for herself. The life she just followed along. Ahead of her was a life in which she finally became an independent, and happy woman.
Lorelai and Luke did not know yet about Rory's decision. They were about to leave to see a movie in the Black-White-Read-theatre. Lorelai couldn't remember whether Kirk would show his third film or if the screening would take place next week. She called out to Rory because she wanted to let her know they were leaving. However, there was no response coming from her room. Luke called out again, as he helped Lorelai into her jacket, smoothing over her arms. She patted his shoulder, before she went down the hallway to tell Rory in person.
She did not see the warning signals of Rory's departure. Lorelai didn't notice that the stroller was no longer in the foyer. She didn't register that the floor was no longer covered with little toy cars here and dolls there. She did not register that the high-chair did not longer sit on the high end of the table. She didn't notice, and she didn't sense anything odd or weird.
It took her by surprise, when she did notice that Rory's room was empty. She stopped in her step at the door-frame to the room. The room was empty, the furniture was still there, but all of Rory's personal stuff was gone. The crib was gone. The shelves empty, only single books remaining, which Lorelai was sure Rory had copies to. The desk was no longer full of papers and pens. No notes were spread on it.
All was gone because Rory was gone. Lorelai took her time taking it in. Taking in what this meant. There was no explanation. No warning signals that this might happen. Rory was gone. Her grandchild was gone. Their stuff was gone. They weren't here anymore.
She reached out for the door-frame to steady herself because her knees were about to give in. She shook her head, but the fact that her daughter and grandchild were not longer hear didn't change. Shaking her head didn't change the fact that her daughter had taken off.
Luke came to see what was taking her so long. He asked what was going on, but Lorelai didn't answer him. She couldn't. When Rory left, she had taken all of Lorelai's words with her. Lorelai finally stepped into the room to gather a piece of paper from Rory's bedside table, which had caught her eye. In a neat handwriting, a few lines of explanation were written down, starting with a "Dear Mom and Luke".
Lorelai drew in a sharp breath, and holding it afterwards. She turned to Luke, as she read through the lines, her eyes swelling up with tears. She let herself fall down on the bed, the paper dropping on the bed next to her. In disbelief, she went with her hand through her hair, finally exhaling, staring at the wall in front of her. The world seemed upside down, not correct anymore. Her daughter had left her; Rory was supposed to be here. Her room was empty, but it was supposed to be full of stuff and life. Nothing was left here, but a broken heart inside Lorelai.
Luke picked up the paper and read the lines himself, which had shaken up Lorelai so badly. He had to sit down as well. He never imagined something like this would ever happen to him or Lorelai. He was short of words; the very few written on the paper had taken them all away from him. All he could do was let his actions speak, and right now his wife needed someone to be there for her. He put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him, patting her upper arm, up and down, smoothing over it, giving her some physical comfort.
They couldn't remember how long they sat there; in each other arms, being left by their daughter and grandchild. Suddenly, Lorelai sprang up and ran to the foyer to get her phone. She wouldn't let her daughter get away with this, without any kind of fight. She dialled Rory's number, there was the ringing tone, but Rory didn't answer the call. Lorelai reached the voice mail, but she didn't leave a message. She ended to call just to re-dial. She wanted to speak to her in person.
Again she tried calling Rory, but she didn't pick up this time either. Lorelai left a message, asking her to call her back. Her voice sounded neutral, no hint of emotion in it. She was surprised she could pull herself together this well. Inside, she was torn between hurt and anger, but overall the confusion hovered over her like a dark cloud.
She tried calling Rory the third time now, and when she reached nothing but the voice mail, the emotion finally broke free. She was staring at her phone, the hands started to tremble, and the eyes were filling up with tears. She sensed Luke standing beside her and she looked up into to his eyes, which were reflecting the same hurt she felt. With a weak voice, hardly above a whisper, Lorelai said, "She won't pick up."
Luke didn't waste time, took the phone out of her hand, placed in on the table near by and gathered her into his arms. They hadn't shared a proper hug since they had found out Rory had left them. As soon as Lorelai was pressed against Luke, she let go. No more need to be strong, to be composed, or OK with the situation because the situation was horrible. She didn't need to be OK with situation; she didn't need to be composed; she didn't need to be strong, because she and strong arms which would catch her.
Luke cradled her neck, bringing her head further in the crook of his neck. He pulled her closer, never wanting to let go off her. He placed kiss after kiss on her head, letting her cry as long as she wanted, as long as she needed.
She, eventually, withdrew herself from the embrace, just to give Rory another call. Luke stayed close, and wiped the tears off her cheeks. Her eyes giving her thanks to him, not once leaving his gaze as she waited for Rory to answer the call, but Rory didn't pick up.
She tried calling her over and over again, and every single time Rory didn't pick up. She tried calling her so often, and left messages ever so often. Some were angry, some were desperate, some were devastated, some were sad and teary and consisted more of sobs than words. Sometimes she hung up immediately after reaching the voice mail. She texted her. She sent massages on every single social media platform she was part of. She sent e-mails. She did everything she could to reach out to her kid, but all she had in the end was no answer and a letter telling her that Rory left and wouldn't come back.
Eventually, when Lorelai was all worn out of the attempts to get in touch with Rory, she lay in bed, sobbing, crying, and not understanding the world. The hurt consumed her. She was not capable of doing anything else but feeling the pain of being abandoned by her own child. She had driven away her own child and that hurt.
Luke was there all the time, whispering words of comfort, being close to her, handing her tissue after tissue, petting her head. He did everything to make her feel better, even though he knew that nothing could make her feel better. The longer she mourned, the more time he had to worry. Not just about Lorelai, but about Rory too. He wondered what happened that she decided to leave like this. She must have been desperate if she thought there was not other way than taking off without a warning.
While stroking Lorelai's hair, he fished the flip-phone out from his front pocket of his flannel shirt. He flipped it open and dialled Rory's number. He didn't expect her to pick up; he was prepared to leave a message on her voice mail. The beep signalled him to start speaking, but he was still taken by surprise. So, he stammered at first.
"Rory, this is- This is Luke. I know you won't return my call, or any of your mother's, but- … This took us by surprise. And we- … I don't care why you did it. Just- Tell me that our little One is OK. We love that kid. … And you. Tell me you're both fine. We don't need to know where you are; it's your right to stay away. Just, please, tell me you're OK."
Lorelai and Luke couldn't remember when and how they fell asleep that night. It was one of the worst nights they ever had in their lives. It was only the first of many awful nights to follow, but they didn't know that yet.
The morning came and neither of them found the energy to get out of bed, to face reality with work and a normal, daily routine. Especially, since their daily routine was so rudely mixed up and ripped apart the day before. Nothing would ever be the same again.
When Luke, eventually, made his way out of bed to get Lorelai some coffee, he noticed his phone was flashing a small green light. He flipped it open and found a little envelope on the left corner. He didn't know what it meant and gave it to Lorelai to check. He thought some distraction of ordinary life and his incapability of dealing with technology would do her good.
He smiled to himself, when she took the phone and the cup of coffee with a typical Lorelai frown, rolling her eyes. She pushed a few buttons on the phone and then, her gaze shifted. She looked stunned, and held the phone to him. On then display was a short message, saying, "We're OK. - Rory."
Lorelai dropped to phone to the bed, biting her lips. She shrugged and said, "I know she had to spread her wings sometime, but I never thought it would be like this."
Are you OK after this? I hand you a virtual tissue, and hope you'll forgive me for this. But if you're angry, then I'll also understand. I got angry with AS-P for the last four words and this is my way of dealing with it. The last four words and the concept of full circle upset me, and here I am taking this story COMPLETELY full circle now, no happily ever after. Let's watch this go down in the next chapter even more. Are you in? xxx
