Chapter 22 commences here:
readers: I have no idea what's gotten into me. Jeez, talk about unexpected. Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed the string of kidnapping stories recently? [Authors of said stories: No offence indented, I promise!] They're everywhere! But that doesn't matter. What really matters is that:
Chapter 22 *really* commences 8 lines down.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
-authors anonymous
p.s. Everyone give a round of applause to Jess! {Insert applause here} "Thank you, thank you very much!" Jess said, and gave a small bow while winking at the lady in the first row.
p.p.s. I don't know about other authors, but I usually just sit down and type. But no more! This chapter actually had 'planning' {ooh, ahh...} and took me most of the night to plot. So, please give credit where credit is deserved. (ie: Me). So, without further ado...
Ladies and Gents: Chapter 22 starts NOW:
---
"Luke!" Lorelai cried, flinger herself at the flannel clad man standing in the doorway. "Luke!"
"You already said that," Luke said dryly as he unwrapped Lorelai from his legs. "Come on, up you get..." he muttered as he not-so-gently scooped Lorelai into his arms and plonked her on Rory's bed. "What is it Lorelai?"
"Oh Luke," Lorelai said, clutching at his shirt.
"Lorelai," Luke said sternly, "you call me, out of nowhere, at nine o'clock in the evening, won't tell me what's wrong, make me leave my diner, in the middle of my before-bedtime-snack rush, with, may I add, the likes of Jess, who has probably burnt it down by now, you tell me to come over right away, and now that I'm here, all that you can think to say is-"
"Rory's gone!" Lorelai said blankly, and let her hands fall to her lap.
"What?" Luke exploded, nearly jumping off the bed in a rage. "Where?"
"Um, I'm not sure..." Lorelai said after a minute of silence. "She didn't tell me. But I suppose that she didn't have time to, right?"
"What? You're not making any sense Lorelai!"
"Do I ever?" Lorelai pointed out.
"True." Luke took a deep breath. "Why wouldn't Rory have had any time?"
"Oh, well, she was kidnapped, right?"
"What?" yelled Luke, really jumping up this time. "When?"
"About twenty minutes ago..." Lorelai replied sedately.
"Did you phone the police?" Luke demanded.
"Uh, no, I phoned you." She restrained herself from adding her usual 'duh!' at the end.
"Jesus, Lorelai!" Luke grabbed the phone out of Lorelai's hands. "Wait a second. Why aren't you hysterical?" he asked suspiciously.
"Ugh, it's SO overdone."
"But necessary."
"You think?"
"Yeah, probably. But hey, what do I know? I'm just the diner guy."
"Okay. Should we start again?" asked Lorelai.
"No, that'll take too long. We could start from here, if you want to."
"Yeah," Lorelai smiled at Luke. "Just give me a minute." Luke watched as Lorelai did several breathing exercises and rolled her shoulders a few times. "Okay, ready!"
"Jesus, Lorelai!" Luke grabbed the phone out of Lorelai's hands and started dialing. "What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't!" Lorelai cried hysterically, wringing her hands together in a most unLorelai-ish motion. "Oh god, my baby's gone!" Then she promptly broke down in tears.
---
"Don't say anything," a deep voice whispered into Rory's ear as a hand covered her oh-so-kissable mouth. "Don't make a sound, okay?"
"Mmmhmm," Rory mumbled.
"Good. Come on. No sudden movements!" the captor said as he propelled her backwards out of her bedroom window. Rory couldn't fight back, she was much too terrified, weak kneed, petrified, frightened, fearful, nervous, anxious, and worried. In other words, she was scared. Really scared. Keep that in mind, as that's how Rory was feeling.
"Come on!" the man hissed, irritated at Rory's lack of co-operation. Really, there is no pleasing some people. As he hoisted Rory over his shoulder, she realized the danger she was in, and started flailing her arms and legs. No screaming though. She didn't want to be squeezed to death! The abductor ignored her feeble movements and dropped her in the back of an unmarked, black truck, threw a blanket on top of her, and drove away into the night.
-
Rory must have fainted, because the next thing she knew, the sun was streaming over her. Rory struggled to sit up and rubbed her eyes. The landscape was going past very quickly. Looking around, Rory realized that she had no idea where she was. Rory groaned.
"Uh, excuse me!" Rory yelled, tapping on the back window. The driver turned around and looked at her.
"Yeah?"
"Um, I need a bathroom. And some coffee. Please."
He grumbled. "Next gas station is five miles. Can you wait?"
"Yeah, I can wait..." Rory replied, turned around and hugged her knees to her chest. "I can wait."
-
"All right," Rory's captor murmured in her ear, "here's the gas station. You've got two minutes, I'm timing. And yes, that is a gun in my pocket. Go." Giving her a shove, Rory ran into the dirty building.
Inside the small bathroom, Rory stared at the toilet in revulsion. It was utterly the single most disgusting thing she had ever seen in her entire existence. In all of Stars Hollow, she had never encountered such a horrible sight. Taylor wouldn't have allowed it. Taking a deep breath, Rory closed her eyes.
Rory let the cool, only slightly brown water run over her hands. "Ugh!" Rory groaned, "No soap! Great!" She turned to wipe her hands, but to her dismay, there were no paper towels. "Perfect!" Rory wiped her hands on her skirt, pushed her hair behind her ears and thought, short and hard.
"Could I get away? Perhaps. Could I get home if I did get away? Doubtful. Okay Rory, think!" Rory said, starting to get anxious. "I can do this. I don't have any money, any idea where I am or any house-keys. Maybe I can't do this. I can't phone my Mother because if I go back into the gas station he'll see me. I could get someone to create a distraction...no, that wouldn't work." Rory looked around herself in dismay. "I could find a call box, but I don't have any money...wait a minute!" Rory exclaimed, pulling a slightly creased dollar bill out of her bra. "Thank goodness for Mom! Wait a second! Phone booth's don't accept dollar bills!" Rory could have hit herself. "And I can't go to get change because then he would see me! Well that settles it! I'll have to go back to him and just escape at a more convenient time. I'm feeling kind of dumb, so I might need to be rescued. Oh well...." Rory unlocked the bathroom door and strolled back to the truck. "Okie dokie!" she said, climbing into the front seat this time.
Her kidnapper barely spared her a glance. "Good. Here's some food. Uh, brunch I guess," he said, and handed her a take-out cup of slightly cold coffee and a bag of assorted sugary foods.
-
"So, where are we going?" asked Rory, several hours later.
The driver replied stiffly, "I can't really tell you that."
"Oh, okay," Rory replied, falling silent again. The hours passed slowly as Rory stared out the window at the passing scenery, which changed from grassy fields to leafy forests to barren wastelands all in less than an hour. As the scenery changed, so did Rory's moods. Some moments were of casual observance, others of arresting fear. She thought of her Mother and how worried she would be. Hysterical with fear, obviously. She moved onto Luke and the diner, then Jess and all of his pranks. As she fondly thought about each and every inhabitant of her home (including Babbette's gnomes), Rory realized that she wasn't in Stars Hollow anymore. Rory realized that she was in grave danger.
-
Night had fallen when the truck pulled up to a seemingly abandoned shack in the middle of nowhere.
"Get out."
"What?" cried Rory. "You're going to leave me here? Abandon me in the middle of no where?" The man didn't answer, but got out of the car and walked around to the passenger door. Taking Rory's wrist roughly, he pulled her out and herded her into the house.
Inside stood a polished wood desk with an expensive blotter and an assortment of writing utensils. Behind the desk was a huge leather covered chair facing away from the door. Everything was bathed in the bright light of the one lamp standing to the right of the desk.
"That will be find, thank you," a voice said from the chair. Rory gasped loudly. The man who had kidnapped Rory nodded briskly at her and left, pulling the door closed behind him. It shut with a resonant click.
"Sit down," the voice commanded. Rory looked across the room and saw an uncomfortable wooden chair was sitting just beyond the pool of light. Hesitantly she walked across the room, her saddle shoes sounding like sand crabs across the floor. She sat down. The chair turned around slowly. "Rory," the chair said, "how nice of you to come."
"Grandma!" Rory exclaimed.
-
"Yes Rory."
"But why?" Rory asked, shocked beyond belief.
"So, how is school going? Can I get you a soda? Some Perrier?" Emily asked, getting up from her extremely comfortable leather chair as any good hostess would do. Rory, however, wouldn't have any of it.
"Why?" she demanded, refusing to be side tracked.
Emily sighed and returned to her chair. "Stubborn, like your mother..." Rory glowered, but said nothing. "It's for your own good Rory. You need to realize that."
"What?" Rory burst out, "For my own good? Kidnapping me is for my own good?"
"Rory, don't you see?" Emily asked, the lamp casting half her face in shadow. "I can't have you turn into your Mother. It simply cannot happen."
"I am NOT my Mother!" Rory said furiously, not quite understanding the situation. "And even if I was-"
Emily shook her head sadly. "Rory, look at yourself...all the men, the spotlight...you are only one half of the Gilmore Girls."
"What are you going to do with me?" asked Rory, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. Emily could be pretty damn scary when she tried.
"Rory, you must realize that Harvard is out of the question."
"So this is about Harvard?"
Emily ignored Rory's outburst. "You are going to Yale," she said, smiling grimly, "the producers have spoken." Emily looked almost lethal in her blood red coat and nails. "They decided that you would go to Yale..." She spoke to herself now, only vaguely aware that Rory sat in front of her. "Because it's closer? Maybe. To carry on the Gilmore Tradition that your Mother broke?" she spat, "certainly not. It was to create more tension between Lorelai and myself. To drive another wedge between us. But no more!" Emily declared, striking one perfectly manicured hand on the table. "Changes are a foot Rory. Big changes!"
Rory swallowed. "Changes?"
"Oh yes. You'll go to Yale all right..." Emily paused for dramatic effect. "Even if you have to stay here to do it!"
Rory gasped. It was all so clear! "You wouldn't!"
"With the glory of the internet, you can take all of your classes with a modem connection!"
"You can't!"
"You'll stay here for the next five seasons," Emily cackled, "and I will be the new Gilmore Girl! [insert maniacal laughter here]"
"You won't food anyone!" Rory cried, enraged.
"Why not? I'm witty, charming, rich...Lorelai and I, we're mother and daughter..." Emily looked directly at Rory for the first time. "And there is nothing you can do about it."
-
Rory sat huddled in a corner of the room. Emily was writing in her day planner. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Rory didn't know what to do, how to escape. When Emily planned something, she planned it right. 'So, that's her ambition...to become a Gilmore Girl!" Rory pulled her knees closer to her chest. For the first time in her entire life, Rory was at a loss of what to do.
---
Tristan sighed when he hit the bare highway. Nothing soothed him like a long, fast drive. Scanning the road ahead, he floored it, and zoomed off into the distance.
-
"Shit!" he yelled, furiously kicking the tire of his car. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" Tristan punched the window, and it broke under the impact of his fist. "Glass can do that," he reflected aloud, before beginning a long dialogue consistent of rude four letter words that most certainly can't be classified as PG-13.
Tristan reflected on his life. First Rory's betrayal, then a stupid flat tire or broken engine, or whatever the hell was wrong with his expensive car this time. "Does the entire universe hate me?" he cried into the sky. The only answer was a hard drop of rain on the hot asphalt, followed by another and another. In a matter of minutes Tristan was soaked to the skin. With one last look at his car, Tristan trudged along the road, away from the car, but not his problems.
---
Rory listened to the rain pelting on the ceiling. Emily was still scratching away, but more irregularly now. Knock knock knock. It took her a minute to realize the pounding was on the door, not in her head. "Uh, Grandma, should I-"
"No. Whoever it is will go away."
Rory stared at the door, willing it to open. After a few more knocks, the noise stopped. Rory sighed inwardly. Then a face pressed against the window.
Rory had just enough sense let not to scream when a very wet face look in on her. With a start Rory realized that it was Tristan. She could have cried with joy when she saw him, and sadness when he turned and walked away. Rory could stand it any more. She had to make things right. She stood up shakily, ran to the door and didn't stop when Emily told her too. After a minute of fumbling with the lock, she wrenched the door open and ran outside, into the storm.
---
"Tristan!" Rory screamed, her voice raw and hoarse.
Tristan hunched his shoulders and increased his pace.
"Tristan, wait!" Rory cried, her breath coming in short gasps. "Tristan!"
He spun around. "What?"
Rory was taken aback. "Tristan, what's wrong?"
"You know what Mary?" Tristan spat at her, "If you don't know, you haven't read enough Fan Fiction!"
Rory looked into his stormy blue eyes and she finally understood. Tristan looked down into her shining blue eyes and understood that she understood, but she still needed to understand that she needed some time to fully understand the choices she had to make. Rory understood that Tristan understood that she had understood but still needed to understand her not- very-unusual situation. Rory also understood that Tristan was hurt, and in order to understand how he was feeling she would have to understand him when he spoke to her, and occasionally she had to understand that she needed to return his calls. Furthermore, Rory understood that she needed to understand, and soon.
[AN: If you don't understand, read the next sentence]
Rory had to choose.
Tristan took Rory's hand a together they walked to his car, which had magically been repaired (road side assistance at it's finest, folks!) by the magic car repairing fairies that live in stories such as these. Together they drove off, back to Stars Hollow, without saying as much as a word.
---
Rory and Lorelai were standing in front of a very large, angry crown of townspeople. Their precious Rory had been taken, and they demanded justice. Somewhere in the back, Taylor was muttering about public executions and their effectiveness.
Dean walked over to Rory and Lorelai. "Hey," the tell man said.
"Dean!" Lorelai said, smiling falsely. "Kidnapped anyone lately?'
"Look, Lorelai, like I just explained to the police, I wasn't in town because Taylor sent me to get some imported brussel sprouts from New York."
"Right. Can anyone prove that?"
"Mom!" Rory exploded, exasperated. "Dean didn't kidnap me! How many times do I have to tell you?"
Lorelai pouted. "Do you blame me for jumping to conclusions? It's usually him who does it!"
"You also blamed Jess," Rory pointed out.
"Hey, Jess does too sometimes!"
"Yeah, but I usually go with him out of my own free will!"
"Fine, fine..." Lorelai muttered.
"So, Dean, are you leaving town?"
He nodded. "Uh, yeah, I think that would be best, for the next few chapters at least." Dean smiled at Rory, nodded at Lorelai and walked away. Rory took her Mothers hand and Lorelai smiled down at her favorite daughter.
"After this is over, what do you say to some Luke's coffee?" Lorelai whispered.
"You know it!" Rory said, hugging her mother tightly.
"Ooh, look!" Lorelai said, pointing at the police car in the road.
"How?" Emily demanded, as the NYPD [blue] handcuffed her. "How could you have possibly found out? I demand an explanation!"
Lorelai nudged Rory, "You know what this means, don't you? No more dinn-"
"Lorelai!" Emily called, as she was being seated in the back of the police van, "I except to see you on Friday! No excuses!" Rory rolled her eyes at her mother.
"Do YOU have an explanation for this?" demanded Emily of Kirk, who was already cuffed in the back seat. Kirk shrugged. "I'm ticklish."
---
Authors Note: It's finished! I'm so proud! I think I can safely say that that was the most original kidnapping duo around. Kirk and Emily. Oh, what is the world coming too? Well, I hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it. That was all written down and then typed, so it was quite a bit of work, so I hope the end result was worth it. And it's really long, for those of you who demand it. That said, my fingers are about to fall off, so I don't think you can expect another chapter for about two weeks. I really need a break. Incidently, I just found out that I was nominated from some Gilmore Girl Fan Fiction award, which I didn't even know existed. So whoever did that, thank you very very very much. You guys are great. This is actually the first fic I've ever written, so I'm quite proud. *gives self pat on the back*. Please review, because every review is one less day you have to wait for chapter 23! -aa
readers: I have no idea what's gotten into me. Jeez, talk about unexpected. Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed the string of kidnapping stories recently? [Authors of said stories: No offence indented, I promise!] They're everywhere! But that doesn't matter. What really matters is that:
Chapter 22 *really* commences 8 lines down.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
-authors anonymous
p.s. Everyone give a round of applause to Jess! {Insert applause here} "Thank you, thank you very much!" Jess said, and gave a small bow while winking at the lady in the first row.
p.p.s. I don't know about other authors, but I usually just sit down and type. But no more! This chapter actually had 'planning' {ooh, ahh...} and took me most of the night to plot. So, please give credit where credit is deserved. (ie: Me). So, without further ado...
Ladies and Gents: Chapter 22 starts NOW:
---
"Luke!" Lorelai cried, flinger herself at the flannel clad man standing in the doorway. "Luke!"
"You already said that," Luke said dryly as he unwrapped Lorelai from his legs. "Come on, up you get..." he muttered as he not-so-gently scooped Lorelai into his arms and plonked her on Rory's bed. "What is it Lorelai?"
"Oh Luke," Lorelai said, clutching at his shirt.
"Lorelai," Luke said sternly, "you call me, out of nowhere, at nine o'clock in the evening, won't tell me what's wrong, make me leave my diner, in the middle of my before-bedtime-snack rush, with, may I add, the likes of Jess, who has probably burnt it down by now, you tell me to come over right away, and now that I'm here, all that you can think to say is-"
"Rory's gone!" Lorelai said blankly, and let her hands fall to her lap.
"What?" Luke exploded, nearly jumping off the bed in a rage. "Where?"
"Um, I'm not sure..." Lorelai said after a minute of silence. "She didn't tell me. But I suppose that she didn't have time to, right?"
"What? You're not making any sense Lorelai!"
"Do I ever?" Lorelai pointed out.
"True." Luke took a deep breath. "Why wouldn't Rory have had any time?"
"Oh, well, she was kidnapped, right?"
"What?" yelled Luke, really jumping up this time. "When?"
"About twenty minutes ago..." Lorelai replied sedately.
"Did you phone the police?" Luke demanded.
"Uh, no, I phoned you." She restrained herself from adding her usual 'duh!' at the end.
"Jesus, Lorelai!" Luke grabbed the phone out of Lorelai's hands. "Wait a second. Why aren't you hysterical?" he asked suspiciously.
"Ugh, it's SO overdone."
"But necessary."
"You think?"
"Yeah, probably. But hey, what do I know? I'm just the diner guy."
"Okay. Should we start again?" asked Lorelai.
"No, that'll take too long. We could start from here, if you want to."
"Yeah," Lorelai smiled at Luke. "Just give me a minute." Luke watched as Lorelai did several breathing exercises and rolled her shoulders a few times. "Okay, ready!"
"Jesus, Lorelai!" Luke grabbed the phone out of Lorelai's hands and started dialing. "What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't!" Lorelai cried hysterically, wringing her hands together in a most unLorelai-ish motion. "Oh god, my baby's gone!" Then she promptly broke down in tears.
---
"Don't say anything," a deep voice whispered into Rory's ear as a hand covered her oh-so-kissable mouth. "Don't make a sound, okay?"
"Mmmhmm," Rory mumbled.
"Good. Come on. No sudden movements!" the captor said as he propelled her backwards out of her bedroom window. Rory couldn't fight back, she was much too terrified, weak kneed, petrified, frightened, fearful, nervous, anxious, and worried. In other words, she was scared. Really scared. Keep that in mind, as that's how Rory was feeling.
"Come on!" the man hissed, irritated at Rory's lack of co-operation. Really, there is no pleasing some people. As he hoisted Rory over his shoulder, she realized the danger she was in, and started flailing her arms and legs. No screaming though. She didn't want to be squeezed to death! The abductor ignored her feeble movements and dropped her in the back of an unmarked, black truck, threw a blanket on top of her, and drove away into the night.
-
Rory must have fainted, because the next thing she knew, the sun was streaming over her. Rory struggled to sit up and rubbed her eyes. The landscape was going past very quickly. Looking around, Rory realized that she had no idea where she was. Rory groaned.
"Uh, excuse me!" Rory yelled, tapping on the back window. The driver turned around and looked at her.
"Yeah?"
"Um, I need a bathroom. And some coffee. Please."
He grumbled. "Next gas station is five miles. Can you wait?"
"Yeah, I can wait..." Rory replied, turned around and hugged her knees to her chest. "I can wait."
-
"All right," Rory's captor murmured in her ear, "here's the gas station. You've got two minutes, I'm timing. And yes, that is a gun in my pocket. Go." Giving her a shove, Rory ran into the dirty building.
Inside the small bathroom, Rory stared at the toilet in revulsion. It was utterly the single most disgusting thing she had ever seen in her entire existence. In all of Stars Hollow, she had never encountered such a horrible sight. Taylor wouldn't have allowed it. Taking a deep breath, Rory closed her eyes.
Rory let the cool, only slightly brown water run over her hands. "Ugh!" Rory groaned, "No soap! Great!" She turned to wipe her hands, but to her dismay, there were no paper towels. "Perfect!" Rory wiped her hands on her skirt, pushed her hair behind her ears and thought, short and hard.
"Could I get away? Perhaps. Could I get home if I did get away? Doubtful. Okay Rory, think!" Rory said, starting to get anxious. "I can do this. I don't have any money, any idea where I am or any house-keys. Maybe I can't do this. I can't phone my Mother because if I go back into the gas station he'll see me. I could get someone to create a distraction...no, that wouldn't work." Rory looked around herself in dismay. "I could find a call box, but I don't have any money...wait a minute!" Rory exclaimed, pulling a slightly creased dollar bill out of her bra. "Thank goodness for Mom! Wait a second! Phone booth's don't accept dollar bills!" Rory could have hit herself. "And I can't go to get change because then he would see me! Well that settles it! I'll have to go back to him and just escape at a more convenient time. I'm feeling kind of dumb, so I might need to be rescued. Oh well...." Rory unlocked the bathroom door and strolled back to the truck. "Okie dokie!" she said, climbing into the front seat this time.
Her kidnapper barely spared her a glance. "Good. Here's some food. Uh, brunch I guess," he said, and handed her a take-out cup of slightly cold coffee and a bag of assorted sugary foods.
-
"So, where are we going?" asked Rory, several hours later.
The driver replied stiffly, "I can't really tell you that."
"Oh, okay," Rory replied, falling silent again. The hours passed slowly as Rory stared out the window at the passing scenery, which changed from grassy fields to leafy forests to barren wastelands all in less than an hour. As the scenery changed, so did Rory's moods. Some moments were of casual observance, others of arresting fear. She thought of her Mother and how worried she would be. Hysterical with fear, obviously. She moved onto Luke and the diner, then Jess and all of his pranks. As she fondly thought about each and every inhabitant of her home (including Babbette's gnomes), Rory realized that she wasn't in Stars Hollow anymore. Rory realized that she was in grave danger.
-
Night had fallen when the truck pulled up to a seemingly abandoned shack in the middle of nowhere.
"Get out."
"What?" cried Rory. "You're going to leave me here? Abandon me in the middle of no where?" The man didn't answer, but got out of the car and walked around to the passenger door. Taking Rory's wrist roughly, he pulled her out and herded her into the house.
Inside stood a polished wood desk with an expensive blotter and an assortment of writing utensils. Behind the desk was a huge leather covered chair facing away from the door. Everything was bathed in the bright light of the one lamp standing to the right of the desk.
"That will be find, thank you," a voice said from the chair. Rory gasped loudly. The man who had kidnapped Rory nodded briskly at her and left, pulling the door closed behind him. It shut with a resonant click.
"Sit down," the voice commanded. Rory looked across the room and saw an uncomfortable wooden chair was sitting just beyond the pool of light. Hesitantly she walked across the room, her saddle shoes sounding like sand crabs across the floor. She sat down. The chair turned around slowly. "Rory," the chair said, "how nice of you to come."
"Grandma!" Rory exclaimed.
-
"Yes Rory."
"But why?" Rory asked, shocked beyond belief.
"So, how is school going? Can I get you a soda? Some Perrier?" Emily asked, getting up from her extremely comfortable leather chair as any good hostess would do. Rory, however, wouldn't have any of it.
"Why?" she demanded, refusing to be side tracked.
Emily sighed and returned to her chair. "Stubborn, like your mother..." Rory glowered, but said nothing. "It's for your own good Rory. You need to realize that."
"What?" Rory burst out, "For my own good? Kidnapping me is for my own good?"
"Rory, don't you see?" Emily asked, the lamp casting half her face in shadow. "I can't have you turn into your Mother. It simply cannot happen."
"I am NOT my Mother!" Rory said furiously, not quite understanding the situation. "And even if I was-"
Emily shook her head sadly. "Rory, look at yourself...all the men, the spotlight...you are only one half of the Gilmore Girls."
"What are you going to do with me?" asked Rory, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice. Emily could be pretty damn scary when she tried.
"Rory, you must realize that Harvard is out of the question."
"So this is about Harvard?"
Emily ignored Rory's outburst. "You are going to Yale," she said, smiling grimly, "the producers have spoken." Emily looked almost lethal in her blood red coat and nails. "They decided that you would go to Yale..." She spoke to herself now, only vaguely aware that Rory sat in front of her. "Because it's closer? Maybe. To carry on the Gilmore Tradition that your Mother broke?" she spat, "certainly not. It was to create more tension between Lorelai and myself. To drive another wedge between us. But no more!" Emily declared, striking one perfectly manicured hand on the table. "Changes are a foot Rory. Big changes!"
Rory swallowed. "Changes?"
"Oh yes. You'll go to Yale all right..." Emily paused for dramatic effect. "Even if you have to stay here to do it!"
Rory gasped. It was all so clear! "You wouldn't!"
"With the glory of the internet, you can take all of your classes with a modem connection!"
"You can't!"
"You'll stay here for the next five seasons," Emily cackled, "and I will be the new Gilmore Girl! [insert maniacal laughter here]"
"You won't food anyone!" Rory cried, enraged.
"Why not? I'm witty, charming, rich...Lorelai and I, we're mother and daughter..." Emily looked directly at Rory for the first time. "And there is nothing you can do about it."
-
Rory sat huddled in a corner of the room. Emily was writing in her day planner. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Rory didn't know what to do, how to escape. When Emily planned something, she planned it right. 'So, that's her ambition...to become a Gilmore Girl!" Rory pulled her knees closer to her chest. For the first time in her entire life, Rory was at a loss of what to do.
---
Tristan sighed when he hit the bare highway. Nothing soothed him like a long, fast drive. Scanning the road ahead, he floored it, and zoomed off into the distance.
-
"Shit!" he yelled, furiously kicking the tire of his car. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" Tristan punched the window, and it broke under the impact of his fist. "Glass can do that," he reflected aloud, before beginning a long dialogue consistent of rude four letter words that most certainly can't be classified as PG-13.
Tristan reflected on his life. First Rory's betrayal, then a stupid flat tire or broken engine, or whatever the hell was wrong with his expensive car this time. "Does the entire universe hate me?" he cried into the sky. The only answer was a hard drop of rain on the hot asphalt, followed by another and another. In a matter of minutes Tristan was soaked to the skin. With one last look at his car, Tristan trudged along the road, away from the car, but not his problems.
---
Rory listened to the rain pelting on the ceiling. Emily was still scratching away, but more irregularly now. Knock knock knock. It took her a minute to realize the pounding was on the door, not in her head. "Uh, Grandma, should I-"
"No. Whoever it is will go away."
Rory stared at the door, willing it to open. After a few more knocks, the noise stopped. Rory sighed inwardly. Then a face pressed against the window.
Rory had just enough sense let not to scream when a very wet face look in on her. With a start Rory realized that it was Tristan. She could have cried with joy when she saw him, and sadness when he turned and walked away. Rory could stand it any more. She had to make things right. She stood up shakily, ran to the door and didn't stop when Emily told her too. After a minute of fumbling with the lock, she wrenched the door open and ran outside, into the storm.
---
"Tristan!" Rory screamed, her voice raw and hoarse.
Tristan hunched his shoulders and increased his pace.
"Tristan, wait!" Rory cried, her breath coming in short gasps. "Tristan!"
He spun around. "What?"
Rory was taken aback. "Tristan, what's wrong?"
"You know what Mary?" Tristan spat at her, "If you don't know, you haven't read enough Fan Fiction!"
Rory looked into his stormy blue eyes and she finally understood. Tristan looked down into her shining blue eyes and understood that she understood, but she still needed to understand that she needed some time to fully understand the choices she had to make. Rory understood that Tristan understood that she had understood but still needed to understand her not- very-unusual situation. Rory also understood that Tristan was hurt, and in order to understand how he was feeling she would have to understand him when he spoke to her, and occasionally she had to understand that she needed to return his calls. Furthermore, Rory understood that she needed to understand, and soon.
[AN: If you don't understand, read the next sentence]
Rory had to choose.
Tristan took Rory's hand a together they walked to his car, which had magically been repaired (road side assistance at it's finest, folks!) by the magic car repairing fairies that live in stories such as these. Together they drove off, back to Stars Hollow, without saying as much as a word.
---
Rory and Lorelai were standing in front of a very large, angry crown of townspeople. Their precious Rory had been taken, and they demanded justice. Somewhere in the back, Taylor was muttering about public executions and their effectiveness.
Dean walked over to Rory and Lorelai. "Hey," the tell man said.
"Dean!" Lorelai said, smiling falsely. "Kidnapped anyone lately?'
"Look, Lorelai, like I just explained to the police, I wasn't in town because Taylor sent me to get some imported brussel sprouts from New York."
"Right. Can anyone prove that?"
"Mom!" Rory exploded, exasperated. "Dean didn't kidnap me! How many times do I have to tell you?"
Lorelai pouted. "Do you blame me for jumping to conclusions? It's usually him who does it!"
"You also blamed Jess," Rory pointed out.
"Hey, Jess does too sometimes!"
"Yeah, but I usually go with him out of my own free will!"
"Fine, fine..." Lorelai muttered.
"So, Dean, are you leaving town?"
He nodded. "Uh, yeah, I think that would be best, for the next few chapters at least." Dean smiled at Rory, nodded at Lorelai and walked away. Rory took her Mothers hand and Lorelai smiled down at her favorite daughter.
"After this is over, what do you say to some Luke's coffee?" Lorelai whispered.
"You know it!" Rory said, hugging her mother tightly.
"Ooh, look!" Lorelai said, pointing at the police car in the road.
"How?" Emily demanded, as the NYPD [blue] handcuffed her. "How could you have possibly found out? I demand an explanation!"
Lorelai nudged Rory, "You know what this means, don't you? No more dinn-"
"Lorelai!" Emily called, as she was being seated in the back of the police van, "I except to see you on Friday! No excuses!" Rory rolled her eyes at her mother.
"Do YOU have an explanation for this?" demanded Emily of Kirk, who was already cuffed in the back seat. Kirk shrugged. "I'm ticklish."
---
Authors Note: It's finished! I'm so proud! I think I can safely say that that was the most original kidnapping duo around. Kirk and Emily. Oh, what is the world coming too? Well, I hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it. That was all written down and then typed, so it was quite a bit of work, so I hope the end result was worth it. And it's really long, for those of you who demand it. That said, my fingers are about to fall off, so I don't think you can expect another chapter for about two weeks. I really need a break. Incidently, I just found out that I was nominated from some Gilmore Girl Fan Fiction award, which I didn't even know existed. So whoever did that, thank you very very very much. You guys are great. This is actually the first fic I've ever written, so I'm quite proud. *gives self pat on the back*. Please review, because every review is one less day you have to wait for chapter 23! -aa