She heard the voice behind her. A woman.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Jess stiffened in her arms. And started to shake. But Lorelai just gave him one more hug, and said, "Mommy's here." She stood to her feet, turning and keeping Jess behind her, but never letting go of his hand.

She found the horrible woman standing there, a towel around her naked body, a comb running through her hair. Lorelai held Jess' hand, which was one of the only things that kept her from lunging at the bitch who had hurt her little boy. Liz' eyes were wide, Lorelai expected both from surprise and anger. Then the woman's eyes went from Lorelai to the man standing in the doorway.

His face was still focused on the little boy behind Lorelai. And he looked speechless.

Lorelai steeled herself for the fight that was coming.

Liz spoke first, but to the man. "Luke, why would you let her up here?"

The man, Luke, still looking at Jess, returned her question with a question. "Liz, did you hurt the boy?"

Lorelai watched as Liz turned her fighting stance from Lorelai to Luke. Like the two of them were going to fight it out.

Liz hesitated, which gave Luke the time to ask again, in a much louder tone, "I asked you a question. Did you or did you not hurt Jess?"

"No, Luke, I didn't." Liz lied. "I would never hurt my little Jess." She looked over behind Lorelai, and said, "Would I, little guy?" Her voice was fake, like she didn't know how to talk to a little child – because she never had unless she was yelling. Lorelai shifted so Liz couldn't make contact with Jess, who upon being addressed from Liz, clung harder to her legs.

Luke, still facing Liz, crossed his arms in front of his body, and asked, "Then why would he tell this woman…" he pointed at Lorelai. "…who he calls 'Mommy' that you hit him?"

The façade started to fade from Liz' face as she realized that she had missed quite a bit of the interaction between Lorelai and Jess. She stuttered, "She.. she told him to call… and I just had to make him come with…" Now she turned to Lorelai, her eyes on fire knowing that she wasn't going to convince Luke. Her words came shooting out, like bullets, "I want you to get away from my son, you bitch. You can't just stalk me and come try to take him away from me when I try to start and get my life together."

Lorelai had waited long enough. She had held her tongue when that woman had thrown her son out into the hallway. She had made herself be quiet when Liz had told her not to expect to get paid for taking care of Jess. She had even sat there and been quiet while these two strangers duked the situation out. But the minute she heard Liz refer to Jess as "her son" – that was the last straw. And she was ready for this.

"How dare you call him your son!" She started out yelling. Her hands were shaking. Her voice, on the other hand, was strong. "You hit him, starved him, threw him out – and he was only six." Liz had crossed her arms in front of her, pretending not to be concerned about what Lorelai was yelling about, but Lorelai watched as Liz' eyes went to Luke every once in a while. But Lorelai didn't care. Because now was her chance to speak her mind. "I took him in. He became part of our family. I fed him. I bought him clothes. I sat up with him night after night while he had nightmares of the HELL you put him through. I put him in school. I let him into my heart."

Lorelai glanced at Luke, who was looking at her with mouth wide open. But Lorelai didn't linger there. Back to Liz, she started reviewing what had happened that night. "Then tonight, I get home from work to find that you've come and ripped him out of his sleep, out of his bed, out of his life. With no warning, no call, no nothing you just come in and take MY SON away from me…"

Liz started screaming back, "Your son? How dare you call him your son when I gave birth to him!"

Lorelai stepped closer only to have Jess weigh her down in fear. But she was still screaming, "That's all you gave him." Liz started to talk but Lorelai wouldn't give her the chance. "My little girl was distraught knowing that 'her Jess' was gone, and she was afraid someone was going to come in and take her away in the middle of the night." Liz rolled her eyes. Lorelai didn't stop. "I drive two hours in the middle of the night, and I find my son scared and crying because you've hit him, hurt his feet, and bruised his arms."

Now Liz couldn't make eye contact with her.

And Luke said, "We need to sit down and talk…"

"No." Lorelai said adamantly, looking at him now. "He is coming home with me. I will not leave MY SON here to be abused and mistreated. I could never live with myself."

It started to get heated when Liz said, "You have no right to him. You take him out of this house and I'll have you arrested for kidnapping." It was then that Lorelai noticed something she recognized from Christopher. And she put the pieces together. It all made sense. The middle of the night dragging Jess out of his room. The insistence that Lorelai leave Jess here. The stubbornness of the man there in front of her.

And she started to voice what she knew. "How many days?" She asked Liz.

Confusion on the woman's face. "What?"

Lorelai gestured to the woman's hands. "How many days since your last fix?" Confusion changed to uncertainty. Yeah, bitch, I know exactly why you wanted my son. "Your hands, they're shaking."

"I have low blood sugar." Liz responded defensively.

But the Lorelai looked at Luke. And she asked, "How much money did you tell her you would give her if she came back here?" The man just stood there, again, speechless. His mouth moved, but nothing came out. And Lorelai continued, turning a little to indicate Jess. "And, let me guess, you told her she had to bring her son back here in order to get the money…" Luke looked down at his shoes, and Lorelai knew that she hit the nail right on the head. "She hasn't been involved in his life for four years. So how about you just give the drug addict her money and let me have my son back."

Luke looked up at her. And his gruff voice spoke with a little bit more gravity. "I don't understand how you think it's ok to keep calling him your son. He is my sister's son. And my nephew."

"What more do you want me to say to you?" Lorelai yelled in frustration at the stubbornness of this man. "She hurt him. Not just four years ago. But tonight."

Luke's voice still stayed quiet, but clipped. "But he is family. We will take care of him. His grandparents and I will look after him until Liz gets things under control."

Liz, who now knew that her brother was on her side, started to look confident again, and walked over to Lorelai and reached out to touch Jess.

And that was when the adults in the room were confronted with just how hurt and traumatized the little boy had been. Because just the act of Liz getting close to him, reaching her hand out to him, caused him to cry out, "NO! Mommy, don't let her hurt me." And he buried his face into her leg, cries of terror flying from his mouth. "Please, Mommy, I told you she would hurt me if I told you."

But Lorelai would have none of it. Again shifting, she put her body in between Liz and Jess.

And then she let her gaze find Luke's. And she watched as his stance on the whole issue changed. She saw pity for the little boy finally take root.

Liz again reached around Lorelai, this time saying, "Jess, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

But Jess just continued to shriek, "Mommy. Make her go away! MOMMY!"

Lorelai growled at Liz, "Step back. Now." Her hands were ready to push the woman away, willing to hold up her promise to Jess that she wouldn't let Liz hurt him.

But she didn't have to.

Because a deep voice from Luke caused Liz to step back. "Get away from the boy, Liz."

Lorelai looked up in surprise at the tone he used with his sister.

And Liz was just as surprised. She jumped back, and then walked over to Luke. "Big brother, I promise you, I never hurt him before…"

Luke just shook his head in amazement. And then he held his hand out to gesture to Jess. And his voice was soft. But grave. "Children don't react that way to someone who hasn't hurt them."

"He's just scared of the new place, Luke." Liz was desperate. She knew if she couldn't convince Luke that she was a good mother, that he might not give her the money. "He just needs time to get used to the place here."

Lorelai had now again crouched down to pull Jess, who was shaking uncontrollably, into her arms. She held him so she could still see Luke and Liz. But she just cooed to her little boy, "Jess. It's ok."

His little voice was the only voice of reason in the whole room. "It won't be ok until we are going home."

Luke's eyes immediately met hers. And she noticed there were tears in his eyes. And then the most subtle of things happened. He nodded his head. And Lorelai knew exactly what he meant. Liz was still prattling on about how she really was a good mother and just needed a chance to change, something about having the money to make a life for her son.

Lorelai whispered into her son's ear, "Let's go home, kid." And she stood up, holding his hand in hers, so he was on the opposite side where they would walk past Luke and Liz. His hand was still shaking. But he was ready.

Liz saw them start towards the door, and jumped in front of the door, and said, "You're not going anywhere." Then she looked at Luke. "Right? You're not going to let her take your nephew. You can't just let her…"

Luke grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away from the doorway. And then quietly said to Lorelai over Liz' screams, "Go. Now."

And Lorelai didn't need to be told twice. Despite the yelling from the addict behind them, before she knew it, she was down the stairs, out the diner, and to her car with her precious little boy with her. As she set him in the backseat and helped him buckle up, he again hugged her neck, and he said, "You saved me, Mommy."