Hey everyone!! Sorry it's taken so long! This chapter was really hard to write for various reasons. The scripted part of the story starts in the middle of 'Richard in Stars Hollow'. Anyway, it's up now and with ten reviews and a PM. Thank you all, same ten reviews to update. And now for the review answers:
Just a Girl of the Hollow x3: Sorry I made you gasp.Unless that's a good thing. Lol Thanks for your reviews.
mrcrockz06: Thanks. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Curley-Q: Wow. I think goose bumps are good. I hope this satisfied your needs. 'Dirty!' lol
hollowgirl22: Sorry you're getting upset. You might have to wait a little bit longer. If she doesn't tell him in this chapter, she will in the next. I haven't decided yet. lol
RBDFAN: Me too. That's actually why I put him in. I needed an evil character.
CuriousCaker: Glad you enjoyed it. How was this chapter?
h sloanx16: Thanks! A new reviewer, love you guys! I try to portray them like that, I'm glad you see it like that. Any suggestions?
Literati and naley forever: How's this for Literati? Glad you enjoyed it.
NERD1144: I'm glad you love it. I plan on keep writing!
Aiden-Tonic: Sorry you feel that way. I know it's cliché, but I couldn't help it. It was just screaming for it to happen. I know too well the consequences of rape. My little sister was molested at age two. I just had to incorporate into the story somehow.
Thanks everyone! Love you all!
Brianne
Dani lay curled up on the floor of Luke's apartment, naked and sobbing, her wrists were bleeding from where the bonds Paul had tied around her cut them. She felt…empty…. She couldn't believe she had her virginity, stolen by this man. What would Jess say? Jess… She got up, hissing at the pain in her abdomen, she pulled on some clothes and splashed her face with cold water to regain the color. Still crying and still hurting, Dani walked down the empty streets of Stars Hollow, praying she wouldn't bump into anyone. No luck.
"Dani?" Lorelai Gilmore passed the crying girl and caught her by the shoulders, "What's wrong?" She asked kindly.
"Nothing, everything." Dani sobbed, allowing Lorelai to hug her soothingly. "What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be at the Inn?"
"Forgot pajamas." Lorelai said, holding up a plastic bag. "You want you tell me what happened, honey?"
"He raped me." Dani started to shake, both from memories and pure exhaustion. "He raped me and I can't tell Jess." She kept repeating that as she sank to her knees, shaking harder than ever.
"Honey, you need to breathe." Lorelai knelt down beside her, worried for the girl. "It's going to be all right, now who raped you?"
When she got no answer, she shook her gently, hoping to snap her out of it. "Dani, please tell me." When she still got sobs as an answer she pulled out her cell phone. "Luke, bring Jess down here, now."
When Jess came running up ten minutes later, their positions had not changed. He pulled his little sister into his lap and held her. Just sat there and held her. When Lorelai saw this, she finally began to understand the deep, special, unique, bond the two shared. "Kris," Jess said clearly. "I need you to tell me what happened."
Dani shook her head. "No." She whispered. "No."
"Kris, please." Jess pleaded, desperation entering his voice.
"No." She said so quietly, he thought he misheard her.
"Kris, please. Tell me." He said softly, noting how she avoided his gaze.
Dani shook her head, refusing to look at him, knowing if she did she would crack and tell him.
Luke, Dani and Jess stayed at the Inn that night, Dani tossed and turned, trying to sleep and finding it impossible. Around three, Dani gave up on sleep and pulled on some clothes, grabbing a sweater she snuck out of the room, closing the door quietly. She crept down the hall, almost holding her breath. She pulled open the front door, leaving it unlocked and slipped out into the early morning chill. She wondered down to the lake and sat beneath the weeping willow, skipping rocks. She pulled a book out of her back pocket, one she had taken from Jess one day, wondering what the fuss was about. She opened it, pulled out her pocket flashlight and began to read.
"Dani, wake up." Someone was shaking her shoulder.
"Stop." She moaned and batted the hand away.
"Dani, wake up." She was being shaken harder. "Come on, wake up." A cup of coffee was pushed under her nose and then jerked away.
"Not fair." She moaned, opening her eyes to find Rory in front of her, the sky still dark. "Hey." She sat up, yelping at the pain.
"You okay?" Rory asked concern showing openly on her features.
"Yeah." Dani rested the hot coffee on her abdomen, relaxing slightly. She groaned and lightly hit her head against the tree.
"Um," Rory hesitated, biting her lip, "My mom mentioned last night."
"Yeah." Dani grimaced. "Will you ask her to not tell anyone? I haven't even told Jess."
"Why not?" Rory asked.
"Well, picture telling your mom that your father's friend had raped you." Dani said, straightening up against the tree. "Fun conversation, huh?"
"Wow." Rory leaned on one hand. "You and Jess are that close?"
"Yeah." Dani sipped her coffee, enjoyed the warmth spreading through her body. "Wanna hear the story?"
"It might help me understand a little bit better." Rory confessed.
"Jess is the byproduct of our mother's, more likely than not, drunken affair with…I think it was the guy Luke calls the 'prize she picked up at a weinersnitzel.' The guy didn't even stick around to see Jess turn two months. He came back to see Jess when he was two and so began the second, once again, short lived 'romance' of Liz Danes and Jimmy Mariano, our dad left the next day and we haven't seen him since. Nine months later, enter me. Jess was my only friend; my mother was stoned every night, a different guy every week, if that long. Two weeks before we came here, enter Paul, the rapist. Jess knew he was trouble from the start. I scoffed at the very idea. I didn't listen and look where it landed me." Dani furiously wiped her eyes.
"Wow." Rory repeated, looking at Dani in a whole new light, now that she knew what the 15-year-old had gone through.
"Yeah." Dani laughed sarcastically, lying on the damp grass. "One of my favorite memories was when Jess made the mistake of telling me to shut up one too many times in one day and a week later, he was practically begging me to say something."
"A week?" Rory asked, laughing.
"Yeah." Dani grinned. "I still can't believe I lasted that long. I was only, like, nine."
"Now I'm scared to test your limits." Rory said, her blue eyes twinkling merrily.
"I tend to have that effect on people." Dani said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. She yawned and stretched. "What time is it? Oh wait, duh." She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "5:54. Crap!" She leapt to her feet, yelping.
"You sure you'll be okay?" Rory asked, accepting Dani's offer to help her up.
"Yeah. Um," Dani turned to face her friend. "Could you," She paused. "Would you mind reminding me not to yelp when I get up? It doesn't have to be much, just a glance."
"Sure, but…" Rory was cut off by something behind her, judging by Dani's wide eyes it wasn't something good.
"Why would you be yelping, Kris?" Jess stepped out from behind a tree.
"Because," Dani struggled to come up with an excuse.
"Because she tripped and fell in the diner last night. She's a little sore." Rory quickly jumped to her friend's defense.
"You okay?" Jess asked, transferring his gaze from Rory to Dani, who was standing behind her.
"Yeah." Dani tried to brush it off but couldn't help wincing when she walked toward him.
"You really sure?" He couldn't help asking.
She hugged him, needing his reassurance. "I'm fine." She whispered, kissing his cheek quickly.
"Glad to hear it." He grinned, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Can I have my book back now?" Dani grinned and tossed it to Rory, who caught it and slid it into her pocket, zipping it shut, trapping his book. "Mean!" He whined, drawing smiles on the two girls.
"Life's tough, get used to it." Rory teased.
"Well, then I will become an old miser, rich and grouchy, I will live in my house, writing, curtains drawn and laughing at the world." Jess declared.
"Let me know how that goes." Dani laughed at her brother, leaning against him.
"No more phone calls to you." He teased, gently tugging on her braid.
Rory fell into step beside Dani, linking their arms. The trio walked toward the Inn laughing and chatting.
The next morning, Dani woke up to Jess banging around the apartment. She struggled to sit up in bed. "Hey Jess?" She called softly.
"Morning, Kris." Jess surveyed his sister, bluntly put, she looked like crap. "You look horrible."
"Thanks a lot." She retorted.
"I'm asking one more time, so please don't bite my head off." He pleaded, "But, Kris, something's…" He searched for the right word. "Different, wrong."
"I know." Dani said quietly, looking into her brother's chocolate gaze. "Something has changed. You were right, you were so right." She forced herself to keep looking into his eyes.
"I was right about what?" He asked, playing absently with her sheets.
"Paul." Was the only clue she offered.
"Kris." His voice had deepened with anger. "What did he do to you?" She showed him her wrists where the rope he had tied her with cut her. He gently ran his fingertips over them, ignoring her hiss of pain. "What else?" He looked up at her. She stood up, and lifted her shirt slightly in the back where he had tied her waist to the bed.
"Jess, I don't want you to hurt him." Her tone was firm and at the same time, afraid. "Give me a promise, I won't tell you what else until you give me your word." When he paused, she insisted. "Jess, he'd kill you."
"I promise." She sat next to him on the bed.
"Jess, he raped me." He dropped the sheet he was fiddling with and looked up at her, stunned beyond words. "When I came back to the diner that night." She spilled out the entire story, relieved to have finally told him.
After she was done, he looked at her. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked quietly, only his tone betrayed his hurt.
"I, I, don't know." She admitted. "I knew I was in trouble, and I was too proud to tell you. I didn't want you to think me weak."
"I would never ever think of you as weak." He said. "It took a lot of strength to tell me this, Kris."
She hugged him. "I love you." She whispered. He returned the sentiment, holding her tight.
Dani and Jess walked past the Stars Hollow bus stop on their way home to the diner. Rory and a friend got off the bus in front of them, not noticing the pair behind them
"I think I got rabies." The girl complained.
"It's just a bus, Paris." Rory said, obviously trying not to laugh.
"It smelled." Paris whined. Dani stifled a giggle.
"It smelled like a bus." Rory corrected, walking in the direction of Luke's.
"I'm gonna have to burn my clothes when I get home." Paris said, picking at her hair.
"You know Paris, you have a car. We could've driven." Rory pointed out.
"We have to get the feel of the small town world. You're not going to get the feel of a small town world in a BMW. Is there something crawling in my hair?" Paris, all but shrieked.
"All right, so we're here now, where do you wanna go?" Rory asked.
"I don't know, where's the bad part of town?" Paris asked, pulling out a notebook.
"Walking right behind you." Dani interjected, unable to keep silent.
"What?" Rory and Paris whirled around facing the grinning duo.
"This is Jess and Dani Mariano." Rory made introductions. "This is Paris Geller, she goes to school with me."
"Sup?" Dani greeted her while Jess waved vaguely.
"You said you're the bad part of town." Paris said eagerly turning on the Marianos. "What have you done?"
"We faked a murder." Dani laughed, her eyes sparkling with the memories.
"No way." Paris breathed, scribbling furiously. "Well, where's the local bar?"
"In Woodbridge." Rory jumped in.
"Why aren't you helping?" Paris turned on her.
"I'm trying, you're just looking for something that's not here." Rory said, leading the four to Luke's.
"What's this?" Paris asked.
"Luke's Diner." Rory answered.
"Our home." Dani said in unison with Rory.
"Diner. Okay, good, good." Paris murmured, looking up at it.
"Whatever." Jess muttered, pushing open the door.
Dani dropped her backpack behind her counter and donned an apron.
"What are you doing?" She heard Rory ask Paris.
"Trying just to blend in, fade away, observe." Paris retorted angrily.
"Hey Rory. Coffee?" Luke stood in front of them.
"Thanks Luke." Rory accepted happily.
"Who's your friend?" Luke asked.
"Angela Landsbury." Rory said, poking fun at Paris, just a little bit.
"Oh." Luke didn't get the joke.
"You're the owner here?" Paris demanded.
"Yup. You want some coffee Angela?" Luke asked, turning to get Rory's coffee.
Paris was openly staring at the diner. "No thanks. So, you run the diner, huh?"
"Oh boy." Jess and Rory muttered at the same time.
"You get a lot of truckers through here?" Paris asked. "You know your niece and nephew faked a murder?"
"Truckers?" Luke asked. "Fake murders?"
"Yeah. You know, guys on the road for weeks, lonely, looking for company, a little pick me up. Things like that." Paris demanded. "Rapists? Abusers?" Dani's head shot up at the mentions of rapists and abusers, she rushed upstairs in the middle of Kirk's order, feeling sick. Jess found her over the toilet, he held back her hair and rubbed her back soothingly.
"It's so hard." Dani cried, "Every step, every comment, everything reminds me of him."
"That's because it's an open wound," Jess consoled, "With time it will heal."
"What are you, Dr Feelgood?" Dani teased, wiping her eyes.
Jess laughed, "I'm going downstairs."
Dani stood, her face deathly white. "I'm right behind you."
"Hey, where'd he come from? What's up there? Is that where you keep the girls? You got yourself a little cathouse up there?" Paris demanded, not noticing Dani.
"Wow, I think she got you Uncle Luke. You better give up now." Jess added.
"Do not add to this insanity." Luke turned to his nephew.
"An innocent boy like me should not be raised in an atmosphere like this." Jess was really egging Paris on.
"Jess!" Luke was really frustrated now.
"I wanna be good, life's just not letting me." Jess was looking like an innocent little boy, barely able to keep a straight face.
"Rory, get her out of here." Luke sounded tired.
"Okay, let's go." Rory pulled Paris to the door.
"Why do you need me to leave? What have you got to hide?" Paris asked, struggling against Rory.
"Paris, let's go!" Rory pushed Paris out the door, calling behind her. "Mom and I will be by later tonight!"
Dani and Jess were practically rolling on the floor they were laughing so hard. "Where's this cathouse of yours, Luke?" Dani asked, between laughs.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jess playfully whined.
"Jess, dirty!" Dani gasped, poking her brother in the ribs.
"I'm going to the bookstore." Jess headed the direction he'd seen Rory and Paris go.
"I'm coming too." Dani followed him, half a step behind, stepping on his heels to make him go faster.
"Quit it, Kris!" Jess walked backwards down the streets of Stars Hollow holding her away from him. Miss Patty and Babette immediately started talking about the two's antics.
A/N: Had to end it with a little humor there. I hope you guys enjoyed it and a new chapter will be up when I get my ten reviews!
Thanks all!
Brianne
