A/N: Italics are flashbacks! Enjoy the new chapter!
It had been six months since Rory had disappeared with Logan and Lorelai had still not made any move forward to try and reach out to Rory or even give up on this grudge she held. Luke had encouraged Lorelai to reach out to Rory as he felt that this grudge had gone on long enough but she stubbornly resisted. He wondered if she had always been this stubborn and how that would affect their relationship if they continued on. If they got married, would she not speak to him for months? He watched as Lorelai became more and more bitter as each month passed and he was starting to see who she really was and he didn't like it. He felt that she should be happy for Rory as Rory was following her dreams and her choices were not negatively affecting Rory, Lorelai, or anyone else.
He walked into the house one night after he closed the diner and looked for Lorelai. He wanted to have a serious conversation with her about her behavior and their relationship. He found her in Rory's room and was surprised by the sight. Lorelai had emptied the room and was now sitting in the middle of the floor on a sheet with paint samples.
"What are you doing?" Luke asked her confused at the situation
"I'm picking out paint samples." Lorelai responded as if it should have been obvious.
"Why?" Luke asked wondering what was going on as Lorelai had not gone in this room since Rory left.
"Because I am making it into a sewing room and I need a color that will stimulate my creativity." Lorelai responded
"But this is Rory's room." Luke stated not liking the direction this was going.
"I don't know who this Rory is that you are talking about. The Rory that I once knew no longer exists or else she would have not chosen Logan over me and she would have returned home by now, therefore there is no need for this to be a bedroom anymore." She responded angry.
"Lorelai, you know that eventually the two of you will make up and when you do you will regret getting rid of her room." Luke responded getting angry himself.
"No I won't because it's been six months and she hasn't reached out. When she does I will show her that I have been fine and have moved on. If she needs me, I will be there for her and she will learn that although my life can function without her, hers cannot function without me." Lorelai said standing up and walking out to the kitchen. Lorelai did not want to get into this or start questioning her decision. She was determined to stand strong with her decision.
"Do you really think that is a good idea? She is your daughter. She might never come back if you keep acting like this. Do you really want to lose her for good because you're being stubborn?" Luke asked shocked at her behavior and how she was going to treat Rory.
"Trust me. Society marriages never last. She will be back. I will never lose her. She will always need me." Lorelai stated smugly.
Luke looked at Lorelai as if she was crazy and realized that she had changed for the worse. He didn't recognize the woman in front of him.
"Isn't this sounding a bit like the old Emily Gilmore that you always said you didn't want to be like?" Luke made sure to emphasize Lorelai's mother hoping that it would wake her up to her behavior. Unfortunately it just made her more angry.
"I am not my mother. My mother wanted to control me and I am simply looking out for the best interests of Rory." Lorelai tried to defend
"You don't even realize it but you are trying to control Rory and you can't. Lorelai, I don't even recognize who you are anymore. I don't know if I can do this anymore." Luke admitted
"Do what?" she asked still looking at the paint samples.
"Be in a relationship with you." He answered simply
"Excuse me." Lorelai said finally looking up from the samples
"I don't think I can be with you anymore. I don't know who you are anymore because the woman I fell in love with is kind, caring, and supportive. You've become cold and angry and I don't think you realize how wrong you are about Rory and Logan I think Rory will be fine but you, you have already changed and not for the better. I'm sorry… Goodbye Lorelai." Luke said before walking out.
Lorelai sat down at her kitchen table and stubbornly thought to herself that he will back. No one can live without her, the Lorelai Gilmore.
Lorelai had continued managing the inn for the last seven years and in that time she had not reached out or asked about her daughter. She had thought about Rory every day but refused to admit that out loud. The lonelier she felt, the more she wondered about Rory.
She knew that she should have tried harder to get Rory back but she had thought that it would only be a few months, a year maximum before Rory returned to her. When a year had passed, she figured that it would be coming soon but as each month passed, she lost more and more hope and became angrier and lonelier. It had been seven years and she hadn't heard from her daughter and was beginning to wonder if she ever would. She imagined that Rory's life could not be that great since they were estranged but she wished that she knew some fact of her life. She didn't even know where Rory was living and if she had married Logan. She had assumed she hadn't as there had been no announcement in the newspaper, so why hadn't she come home?
After Luke had left her, she had waited for him to come back but she soon realized that he had meant what he said. She had frequented his diner to remind him what he was missing but he seemed to simply treat her like any other customer no matter how much she flirted with him. Once she realized that Luke had meant what he said, she had stopped flirting with him and they had remained on cordial terms with her frequenting his diner for her meals daily.
Lorelai had felt lonely with no one at home and without Luke but she made sure to spend all of her free time with Sookie or at the Inn. She had dated several men over the years. None had stuck more than a year but in the meantime they had helped her feel less alone.
In the last year she had begun to talk with her parents again but they kept away from the topic of Rory for different reasons. Lorelai would only occasionally call them and she attended their Christmas party every year as a chance to get some free food and booze. She also had a monthly dinner with them at her request.
It was a Monday morning and she was at the Inn looking over the books, thinking about Rory, like most days. Suddenly, her phone rang. Looking at the number, she was confused. Her mom never called first.
"Mom?" Lorelai asked.
"Lorelai. Your father had another heart attack. We are at Hartford memorial if you want to come." Emily said frantically
"I'll be right there. Stay Calm, I'm sure he will be fine." Lorelai said before hanging up and grabbing her things and telling Sookie.
As Lorelai drove to the hospital, she couldn't control her thoughts. She wished she knew where to find Rory. She should be here for her grandfather in case he dies. She thought about her relationship with her parents and how it had become so broken since she froze them out again. She knew they held back from her because of how she had left things. She couldn't believe all of the mess she made and now she was stuck with the consequences. She had no one to comfort her now while she waited to see how her father was and it was all her fault. However, she still didn't feel like Rory had made the right choice.
A/N: I have not abandoned this story, I promise! I have been busy and been struggling with inspiration but hopefully this makes up for the long wait. Enjoy & Review!
