Rory was standing in front of the mansion. She had her suitcases sitting next to her, but she just was standing there, looking at the door. She took a deep breath. Knocked on the door.
"Richard, who could that possibly be at this hour?"
Jess had everything he owned stored in the back of his car. He slept curled up on some friends couches, other friends floors, working an odd job here and there for about a week. He had tried calling Rory, wanting to tell her he would be back soon, but Lorelei always picked up the phone or it went to voicemail. He tried again, ten on a Saturday morning seemed just about as good a time as any.
"Hello?" He could hear Lorelei, out of breath, probably rushing to the phone before Rory could get to it he assumed. After a couple of his breaths, "Rory?" She asked, and he could hear the hitch in the voice, and he was hit with two things at once. Her voice sounded the same as Rory's when they were about to cry, and she was asking if he was Rory, which meant Rory wasn't there. "Rory is it you? I know you are at mom's and dad's. I know you are mad at me, but say something, anything. Please." He could imagine hearing the tears hitting the phone and he breathed in deep a few times.
"Lorelei, Its Jess." He said it quietly, hoping at the same time that she would slam the receiver down and that she would tell him what was going on.
"Jess?" She sounded heartbroken and hopeful all at the same time
"Yea. That's me." He forced out a laugh, but it was to sharp compared to his soft whisper.
"Where are you? Have you seen her?"
"Rory? No." He breathed her name, and tried to get his brain to wrap his head around everything he had done wrong to lead them all here. "What." He took a sip of water, wishing it was something stronger. "What happened?"
"She left." He heard her pacing, heard her heels clicking against their floor, which felt so close and so far away at the same time. "Just packed her bags and left while I wasn't home. I thought –" She takes a few breaths then falls to the floor, leaning against the wall. "I thought she was with you, I thought she just ran away, then I was thinking of school and graduation and how much she really is my daughter, and I didn't want this for her!" She is crying again and he wants to hang up but he needs to prove that he isn't who she thinks he is.
"She is at her grandparents?" He waits to hear her conformation, and he can almost see her nodding her head. He takes her silence as a yes. "I'm on my way." He says it as he about to leave, one foot already out the door. Then one whispered promise. "I'll bring her home Lorelei."
Authors Note: I'll keep this short and sweet. I know its taken me awhile but I think I've found my way back to writing, and I would really like to finish this story before I start anything new.
