Title: Expect The Unexpected
Chapter Eight: Panic Alert
Disclaimer: Standard. Nothing new here.
Okay, I just realized that I made Dean run out of the Inn and do nothing, so that will be talked about here.
~~~~~~~~~~
Lorelai woke up at six-thirty Thursday morning. She rolled over and looked at the empty space in the bed next to her. She groaned and sat up.
"Another early morning," she muttered. She rubbed her eyes and stretched. Something on the bedside table caught her eye.
"Oh, my sweet husband!" Lorelai jumped out of bed and grabbed the steaming hot cup of coffee off of the table. She took a long, sweet, caffeine-filled sip. She sighed happily and ambled downstairs to wake up her grandchildren.
~~~~~~~~~~
Rory happily woke up late in her husband's arms, for the first time in a very long time. She checked the clock. Six forty-five. She didn't have to get her kids off to school, and the diner could stand to open later than seven for once, so she pulled Jess's arms tighter around her and went back to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
Laura was standing at the door in her very pink and sparkly jacket that Lorelai had made for her for her sixth birthday. She watched the chaos that frequented Lorelai's house on schoolday mornings. Lorelai was currently slumped at the table over her fifth cup of coffee. Luke was getting his jacket on. Grandpa Luke was in the car getting it heated up. Chris was apparently still asleep.
Lorelai looked around. She realized that Chris still wasn't up, so she broke the only rule she'd made about having a teenage boy at her house. She burst into the guest room (backwards with her hands over her eyes), flipped on the light, and said "Come on, Chris, up up up! Time for school!"
There was no answer, not even a fierce scrambling for clothes or a groan. Lorelai's hand slowly dropped down.
"Chris?"
The bed was either made up or hadn't been touched. Lorelai suspected the latter. Sometimes traits skip a generation, and she hoped that one of her worst traits hadn't landed squarely on Chris's shoulders. Angry tears filled her eyes as she ran outside to her husband.
Luke was sitting in the car with Laura in the backseat and the younger Luke in the passenger seat. Lorelai opened the driver's side door to a blast of music.
"Luke! I need you."
"What is it, Lorelai?" Luke stumbled out of the Jeep. "I was jamming to the CD."
Lorelai snorted.
"What?"
"You were jamming?"
"What? Isn't that what you say?"
"No," Lorelai snorted again, "and besides, it was a Barney CD!"
"Fine. Whatever. What is you want?"
It hit Lorelai again. "Luke..." she trailed off.
"What? What is it? You're scaring me, Lorelai."
"It's...it's bad."
"What is it? Is someone hurt? Who is it?"
"I don't know where Chris went."
"Oh, no."
"Oh, yes. I don't think he's been home all night."
"Oh....Dammit!" Luke suddenly burst out, slamming his fist down on the hood of the Jeep, making the Jeep jump.
"Luke! Luke, calm down. It's okay."
"No, it's not, Lorelai! This kid has that horrible attitude like his father, and now he's gonna turn into you, staying out all night, and he's gonna get some girl pregnant and ruin her life, and it's just started! We--" Luke caught sight of Lorelai's hurt face. "Oh, Lorelai, honey, I'm sorry, I--"
"You're right," she interrupted, her eyes full of tears, "I guess I did ruin my life. If I had never gotten pregnant, I wouldn't have had Rory and I wouldn't have come here and I wouldn't have met you. And now I'm thinking that that was one of the worst things that ever happened to me." Lorelai spun on her heel and fled into the house. Luke, torn, took a step toward her, before giving up and slumping back to the car to take his two good grandkids (in his opinion) to school.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
"Hello?"
"Rory! There's something you ought to know. Have you been downstairs yet?"
"Um, no. Lane, what's this about?"
"Just come downstairs. Bring Jess."
"Okay, see you later." Rory placed the phone back on the hook softly and wondered what had happened.
~~~~~~~~~~
Lorelai sat on the couch with the phone in her hands, softly crying. She had hoped that Luke would come into the house, like he had so many times before, but she had heard the car start and drive away. She had tried to call Rory, but the phone was busy (at seven a.m.), so she had just hung up and started crying. Then fatigue overwhelmed her and she stretched out and tried to cry herself to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
Luke went home the long way for two reasons: he wanted to stop by his diner and see how his nephew and daughter were doing (boy was his family life complicated) and he dreaded going home, knowing that Lorelai was there and that he hadn't followed after her. He had a feeling that she didn't want to see hi m right now.
Luke slowed down as he got closer to the diner; there was a big crowd around it. He couldn't see what was going on; he figured Rory and Jess were kissing or fighting and everyone was watching. He parked the Jeep, got out, and fought his way to the front. What he saw there he never would have believed if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chris woke up on the bridge in the park. He kissed Jen and woke her up, explaining that he needed to get to school. He grabbed his backpack from where he had stashed it behind the bushes, planted another kiss on Jen's forehead, and dashed around the corner to the school.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dean woke up with a stiff neck. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his neck with one hand. With the other hand he tried to raise himself up. He stood up and realized where he was. He was standing in the middle of the diner. There was broken glass all around him. He spun around and looked through the gaping hole in the large window to find the town staring back at him, Luke with the most prominant scowl. Dean turned around to get away from it only to find himself face to face to an almost identical scowl on the face of Jess, but he didn't have to look at that scowl for long, for he hardly had time to look pitiful for Rory before he hit the ground and blacked out.
Chapter Eight: Panic Alert
Disclaimer: Standard. Nothing new here.
Okay, I just realized that I made Dean run out of the Inn and do nothing, so that will be talked about here.
~~~~~~~~~~
Lorelai woke up at six-thirty Thursday morning. She rolled over and looked at the empty space in the bed next to her. She groaned and sat up.
"Another early morning," she muttered. She rubbed her eyes and stretched. Something on the bedside table caught her eye.
"Oh, my sweet husband!" Lorelai jumped out of bed and grabbed the steaming hot cup of coffee off of the table. She took a long, sweet, caffeine-filled sip. She sighed happily and ambled downstairs to wake up her grandchildren.
~~~~~~~~~~
Rory happily woke up late in her husband's arms, for the first time in a very long time. She checked the clock. Six forty-five. She didn't have to get her kids off to school, and the diner could stand to open later than seven for once, so she pulled Jess's arms tighter around her and went back to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
Laura was standing at the door in her very pink and sparkly jacket that Lorelai had made for her for her sixth birthday. She watched the chaos that frequented Lorelai's house on schoolday mornings. Lorelai was currently slumped at the table over her fifth cup of coffee. Luke was getting his jacket on. Grandpa Luke was in the car getting it heated up. Chris was apparently still asleep.
Lorelai looked around. She realized that Chris still wasn't up, so she broke the only rule she'd made about having a teenage boy at her house. She burst into the guest room (backwards with her hands over her eyes), flipped on the light, and said "Come on, Chris, up up up! Time for school!"
There was no answer, not even a fierce scrambling for clothes or a groan. Lorelai's hand slowly dropped down.
"Chris?"
The bed was either made up or hadn't been touched. Lorelai suspected the latter. Sometimes traits skip a generation, and she hoped that one of her worst traits hadn't landed squarely on Chris's shoulders. Angry tears filled her eyes as she ran outside to her husband.
Luke was sitting in the car with Laura in the backseat and the younger Luke in the passenger seat. Lorelai opened the driver's side door to a blast of music.
"Luke! I need you."
"What is it, Lorelai?" Luke stumbled out of the Jeep. "I was jamming to the CD."
Lorelai snorted.
"What?"
"You were jamming?"
"What? Isn't that what you say?"
"No," Lorelai snorted again, "and besides, it was a Barney CD!"
"Fine. Whatever. What is you want?"
It hit Lorelai again. "Luke..." she trailed off.
"What? What is it? You're scaring me, Lorelai."
"It's...it's bad."
"What is it? Is someone hurt? Who is it?"
"I don't know where Chris went."
"Oh, no."
"Oh, yes. I don't think he's been home all night."
"Oh....Dammit!" Luke suddenly burst out, slamming his fist down on the hood of the Jeep, making the Jeep jump.
"Luke! Luke, calm down. It's okay."
"No, it's not, Lorelai! This kid has that horrible attitude like his father, and now he's gonna turn into you, staying out all night, and he's gonna get some girl pregnant and ruin her life, and it's just started! We--" Luke caught sight of Lorelai's hurt face. "Oh, Lorelai, honey, I'm sorry, I--"
"You're right," she interrupted, her eyes full of tears, "I guess I did ruin my life. If I had never gotten pregnant, I wouldn't have had Rory and I wouldn't have come here and I wouldn't have met you. And now I'm thinking that that was one of the worst things that ever happened to me." Lorelai spun on her heel and fled into the house. Luke, torn, took a step toward her, before giving up and slumping back to the car to take his two good grandkids (in his opinion) to school.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
"Hello?"
"Rory! There's something you ought to know. Have you been downstairs yet?"
"Um, no. Lane, what's this about?"
"Just come downstairs. Bring Jess."
"Okay, see you later." Rory placed the phone back on the hook softly and wondered what had happened.
~~~~~~~~~~
Lorelai sat on the couch with the phone in her hands, softly crying. She had hoped that Luke would come into the house, like he had so many times before, but she had heard the car start and drive away. She had tried to call Rory, but the phone was busy (at seven a.m.), so she had just hung up and started crying. Then fatigue overwhelmed her and she stretched out and tried to cry herself to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~
Luke went home the long way for two reasons: he wanted to stop by his diner and see how his nephew and daughter were doing (boy was his family life complicated) and he dreaded going home, knowing that Lorelai was there and that he hadn't followed after her. He had a feeling that she didn't want to see hi m right now.
Luke slowed down as he got closer to the diner; there was a big crowd around it. He couldn't see what was going on; he figured Rory and Jess were kissing or fighting and everyone was watching. He parked the Jeep, got out, and fought his way to the front. What he saw there he never would have believed if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chris woke up on the bridge in the park. He kissed Jen and woke her up, explaining that he needed to get to school. He grabbed his backpack from where he had stashed it behind the bushes, planted another kiss on Jen's forehead, and dashed around the corner to the school.
~~~~~~~~~~
Dean woke up with a stiff neck. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his neck with one hand. With the other hand he tried to raise himself up. He stood up and realized where he was. He was standing in the middle of the diner. There was broken glass all around him. He spun around and looked through the gaping hole in the large window to find the town staring back at him, Luke with the most prominant scowl. Dean turned around to get away from it only to find himself face to face to an almost identical scowl on the face of Jess, but he didn't have to look at that scowl for long, for he hardly had time to look pitiful for Rory before he hit the ground and blacked out.