1Jackson slammed the car door shut and revved the engine. Rory sat up straighter.
"What's going on?" Jess asked.
"Where's Lisa?" a tight ball formed in Rory's chest.
"She got away," Jackson growled, pulling out and speeding down the highway. "In the fucking woods. I have no idea where she is, but I know where she'll be going."
Rory did, too. Stars Hollow. And she knew, with a pit in her stomach, that that's where they were headed.
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Lisa was back in Stars Hollow within the next few hours. The police agreed to stop by the next day and question her, but to leave her alone for the time being. She was grateful for that. They dropped her at Luke's Diner and she stumbled in frazzled.
"Hello?" she croaked, tears coming to her sensitive eyes as she realized that nobody was there. "HELLO?"
She crumpled into one of the chairs, not knowing where else they could be. The Gilmore house was burned to the ground, she had heard, and she was too weak to walk to Sookie's place. She shook with tears as she sat at the table.
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Cynthia crossed her legs on top of Luke's bed and sat Indian style. Lorelai sat in an armchair across from her, and Emily pristinely sat on the bed next to Cynthia. Tana and Paris, Rory's roommates, were slouched on the floor.
Cynthia had known Lisa for what seemed like forever but had actually only been about a decade. Sharing the bond of petulant customers at the Lux, she felt she shared a sisterly covenant with the year-older woman that nothing could break. Not even a missile.
"I wish I could've gone," she muttered bitterly to Lorelai. "I want to help her."
"Knowing Jackson, Cynth," Tana put in warmly. "This is the best place to be at the moment."
"I'm not scared of him," Cynthia snapped, instantly regretting it. "I'm sorry. But I'm not. At the moment, I just want to strangle the bastard with my own two hands."
Emily spoke up. "How do you think I feel? I didn't like the Mariano boy to begin with. And now that he's kidnapped my granddaughter, well..." her face crumpled and Lorelai looked at her.
"Mom?"
"Its so hard, Lorelai," Emily murmured into her palms, shaking with sobs. "To know that you still hate me, even when your daughter is missing."
"I don't hate you," Lorelai hopped to her mother and gingerly hugged her. By the flinch that it registered in Emily, Cynthia could see that it was an irregular action. "I don't."
The hug triggered in all of the girls huge bawl-fests. Cynthia sniffed and rubbed her face.
"I hope Lisa's okay," she cried, then grew subdued. "Where do you think she is now?"
There was a bump and a voice from downstairs. Lorelai growled irritably as they heard the voice grow louder.
"We're closed!" Lorelai shouted. Then she grew ashen. "Wait...do you...do you think?"
Cynthia barreled down the stairs and Lorelai hopped behind her on crutches. When the saw the familiar small figure hunched over, crying, at the table, they nearly communally fainted.
"Lisa?" Cynthia gasped. The redhead lifted her head and choked.
"Cynthia-Lorelai-oh my God!" she lept from the table and embraced the two in a huge group hug. The rest of the women thundered down from upstairs.
"You're okay," Lorelai sobbed. "You're really okay."
"I'm here," Lisa shook. "I'm home."
