AN: I have nightmares like these, so these do happen. I've been looking it up and it doesn't seem possible, but it is, I swear. But this was semi-inspired by Forest Fire by Brighton.

Lorelai POV

A scream ripped through the house, my heart jumping into my throat. I hoped it was just a dream, but the screams were still terrifying. I ran down the stairs as fast as I could, Luke just behind me, and we burst into her room, not caring whether we woke her.

I knelt down on the floor, just in front of her face, while Luke grabbed the bin, ready for the vomiting that would come next.

"Hon, it's just a dream," I started, lightly shaking her, "Come on, you're okay. He's not here."

I refused to say that the dream wasn't real. These dreams were about Christopher, about what he could have done on that day when she was 10 and about what he could do now he's out of prison. It's not real right now, but it could become real at any given point, and I didn't want to invalidate her fears given that they were mine, too.

A few moments later, her eyes opened. She sat up wordlessly, and the bin was shoved under her face just as she started being sick. I pulled back her long hair, using the hair tie on her bedside table to secure it so I could focus on her and not her hair.

I climbed behind her, straddling the bed. I rubbed her back while she vomited, with Luke sorting out a cold washcloth for her face and a glass of water. It was a routine we had perfected over the years, and even though it was a routine we shouldn't have had to perfect; we knew it wasn't her fault.

She finished and slumped back against me. I put the bin on the floor, pushing back the urge to gag. Luke handed her the glass of water (and a straw because we knew it was easier) and gave me the washcloth, disappearing again to dispose of the mess. I gently wiped her already-damp head, wiping away the sweat and cooling her down at the same time.

"Thank you," Rory murmured, "I know the shrink said I had to learn to deal with this alone, but... thanks."

"The shrink is an idiot," Luke muttered to himself as he came back into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, "If you're screaming and throwing up because of a dream, it's not okay for you to be alone. When you're not screaming, you deal with it completely alone, even though we never asked you to, but I have no intention of leaving you on your own when you're like this."

"And anyway, I'm pretty sure Babette would call the cops if we left you to scream for hours," I half-joked, but then I turned serious again, "I don't mind doing this. I don't like that we're in a position that makes us do this on a semi-regular basis, but I don't mind looking after you. I promise."

She nodded and then turned her head, attempting to snuggle into me. I smiled sadly, "Do you think you can go back to sleep?"

She was still for a minute, before nodding, "If you stay."

"I'm not going anywhere," I promised, "Sit up for a minute so I can get up, and then you can lay down."

She tiredly sat up, and I stood up, ignoring the ache in my thighs. Luke stood up as Rory laid back down, and he kissed her forehead, "I'll see you in the morning."

He then kissed me and then left, pulling the door to behind him. I knew he'd be sleeping on the sofa, something we alternated on nights like these. One of us stayed with her, and the other crashed on the couch, so we were closer if it happened again. I got into bed beside Rory, wrapping my arm around her waist, holding her close.

I woke up in the exact same position, my back protesting. I unwrapped myself from around her and left her to sleep for a bit longer. I had intended on starting a pot of coffee, but Luke had beat me to it.

"How is she?" He asked, turning to look at me. His eyes dropped down to my stomach, and I realised my scars were on show since my top had climbed up and my bottoms had slipped down a bit. I pulled my top down uncomfortably, hating how sad he looked when he saw them.

"She's still sleeping, which is a good sign," I told him, pouring myself a cup of coffee. I drained it in one, "I'm going to get dressed, keep an ear out for her."

I walked up the stairs and collected my clothes before heading into the bathroom. I looked in the mirror and raised my top, looking at the matching scars. One was white and had happened 3 years prior, but the one that made Luke really sad was still pink since it had only happened 4 months ago. I ran my thumb over it as tears clouded my vision. I no longer felt ashamed about what happened, but it didn't stop me from thinking about what we had lost.

I did this every morning. It was something that helped the first time around, spending 5 minutes just thinking about that, and while it felt ten times worse this time around, it was helping.

After my 5 minutes of grief and my quick shower, I re-joined Luke in the kitchen, where Rory had just made an appearance. She looked better than she did last night, but she still seemed pretty exhausted.

"Dad's making French toast," She informed me without looking up, her nose in a book.

I smiled, and kissed Luke's cheek before sitting down, "That sounds good. What's the plan for today?"

"I need to go shopping for stationary, sort my bag out for school, return a book to the library, I need to see Lane to give her back one of her CDs, and then I'm at the Inn for the wedding," Rory told me. Luke looked at her like she had grown three heads, and I was just as confused.

"Most of your stationery is new, you're not even a month into the new term. And I'm not sure you need to do much with your bag," I pointed out, confused.

She glared at me like I was an idiot, "It's a new school, which means a new curriculum. If I use the notebooks that I used at Stars Hollow High, I'm going to get myself all confused, so I need new ones; I'm using my money for it since it's not technically necessary, but it is helpful. And I'm sorting my bag to make sure anything from Stars Hollow High isn't left in there so I have room for anything that Chilton might pile onto me."

"Right, of course," I muttered, rolling my eyes and chuckling, "What time will you be at the Inn?"

She thought, "About 1ish? I'm not supposed to start until 2, but I know you might need the extra help."

The day sped by with overseeing the wedding at the inn, but it went off seamlessly. Rory bounced between every job available, proving I was right to train her in every job possible, and she made me incredibly proud. She did all of it on very little sleep, and when the wedding was over, she slumped against me, exhausted.

"I'm ready for bed," She told me, and I chuckled.

"Food first, then bed," I corrected. She groaned in response.

We drove to Luke's for food, who rolled his eyes at what we ordered. He turned to Rory and said, "You're so much like your mother."

She beamed up at him, "Good."

AN: I really enjoyed writing the dream part, does that make me a terrible person? Let me know what you thought.