Why Me? - Chapter 27
"Breath In. Breath Out."
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Breath in. Breath out. Breath in. Breath out.
It was the only good piece of advice he could tell himself as he sat in the gazebo, alone. What else could he do? He had searched all over Stars Hollow, and couldn't find Rory anywhere. He knew Brad, he knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't dare take Rory anywhere else besides Stars Hollow because then that would take all the fun out of kidnapping her - by bringing her somewhere that he knew nobody could find them. By staying in Stars Hollow, the risk would always be there and the adrenaline caused by that risk would keep him going.
Or maybe he was wrong? Afterall, he thought he knew Brad before he hit Rory. How could he be so sure that he knew him well enough to make the assumption that he would stay in Stars Hollow now? He was crazy, he was a psycho, and he sure as hell was making one huge mistake by taking Rory. Jess leaned back in his seat and stared forward, what else could he do. Sitting there wasn't doing him any good, but he didn't know where else to look. He let his head fall down and stared at his feet, his shoes were all muddy and grassy from cutting through yards, and his ankles were being suffocated with dirt and muck.
"Jess!" He heard his voice being called and quickly shot his head up, hoping Rory would be standing there with arms wide open. But, it wasn't. It was Lorelai and Luke. What the hell were they doing in that car? He didn't care. He got up and jogged over to them, even though his legs were begging for rest.
"Hey, you guys find her yet?"
"Uh, no Sherlock if we had do you think we'd be standing here talking to you?"
Lorelai. She reminded him so much of Rory that it wasn't even funny. Well, looks wise of course. They had the same eyes, the same smile, and the same sarcastic wit. He couldn't help but smile.
"Wow Jess, you really find some sort of humor in this situation?" His smile quickly faded and he looked at Luke.
"So, Luke," Jess made an emphasis on Luke's name making sure Lorelai knew he wasn't expecting an answer from her, "found anything?"
"No not yet. You knew him pretty well do you have any ideas?"
"Nope, checked out every place I thought he'd be."
"Maybe you should recheck them, he could be walking around and not staying in one place."
The two men nodded in agreement and Jess took off. Luke looked over at Lorelai, who for once, she actually looked her age. All 32 years of it, if not more. Her dried up tear stains and smudged make-up showed her defeat, and for once she wasn't the quirky, spunky, never acts-her-age Lorelai Gilmore but the sad, heart-broken, defeated Lorelai Gilmore. He looked away, he couldn't stand seeing her like that. Even though they had been through tough times in the past involving Rory, he had never seen her quite this lost.
"Lorelai," he said, taking hold of her hand, "we've been through times like these. We can make it through, and I know we are going to find her."
Lorelai sat there for a minute, staring at their entwined fingers and it looked as though she was fighting a battle inside her not to cry.
"You don't know what it's like Luke." She whispered.
"I know Lor, but..."
Lorelai cut him off, this time sounding more angry and hurt than sad and remorseful, "No! You have no goddamn idea what its like to lose your kid, your best friend, and your world not once but twice! Twice!" She quickly let go of his hand and ran her fingers through her hair before slamming them down on her lap.
"And whats worse Luke, is the second time around... knowing you could have prevented it." Her voice trailed off into the distance as she leaned her head lightly against the window and closed her eyes, sighing heavily.
It was obvious she didn't want to talk anymore, so Luke silently made a promise to himself that he would find Rory no matter what it took. She was like a daughter to him, and even though he wouldn't show it... he was just as hurt as Lorelai.
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Brad put his arms down to his sides after declaring that this would be their new home and looked around with a disapproving look on his face.
"But this is no fun."
'No fun? No fun!?' Rory thought, 'this whole fucking ordeal is no fun!' Rory shook her head to herself, but Brad, never missing a beat, noticed.
"Oh, is something displeasing to Mrs. Gilmore?" He said sarcastically walking towards her.
"Uh, no Brad, this is fine I just... I'm a little hungry thats all." She said, wrapping her arms around her stomach.
"Oh. Well why didn't you say so earlier? I have the perfect little spot where we can eat. I really think you'll like it. Lets go."
Brad grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her along side him, making her sore legs and bruised arms throb with pain. Not to mention she thought her cheek bone was broken from where he had punched her before, but since her whole body was suffering nothing really outweighed the other in terms of pain.
"Where are we going now?" Rory hesitantly asked.
"Well, your hungry are you not?" Rory nodded. "Good, so were going to kill two birds with one stone. I have some buisness to take care of at the diner."
'Oh God,' Rory thought, 'Jess and Luke are at the diner. I wonder if they even know I'm gone!'
"What buisness?" Rory asked, suddenly getting confident and a little cocky.
"Lets see... by now I'm expecting your Mom to be out with Luke looking for you, and Jess to be roaming the streets, like the little hoodlum he is, trying to find you. We're gonna stop by the apartment, leave a little note - you know, just to be polite and say were doing fine - then you can go ahead and grab whatever food you want from there." Brad was fumbling with the lock trying to get it to open and when he finally did, he once again let Rory out first, smirking at himself and cockiness oozing out of every pore in his body. She took the opportunity whole-heartedly, and as he was attempting to lock the door again, she sprinted away as fast as she possibly could.
Rory screamed help, hoping someone would hear her, and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn't even know where she was going, it was to dark to recognize anything but she didn't care. The faster she ran the quicker she got away.
"Help!" She screamed, wondering if anyone would hear her...
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A/N - A little shorter than the last two but I might actually do another update later today so be on the lookout for that! Please R&R!!!
"Breath In. Breath Out."
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Breath in. Breath out. Breath in. Breath out.
It was the only good piece of advice he could tell himself as he sat in the gazebo, alone. What else could he do? He had searched all over Stars Hollow, and couldn't find Rory anywhere. He knew Brad, he knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't dare take Rory anywhere else besides Stars Hollow because then that would take all the fun out of kidnapping her - by bringing her somewhere that he knew nobody could find them. By staying in Stars Hollow, the risk would always be there and the adrenaline caused by that risk would keep him going.
Or maybe he was wrong? Afterall, he thought he knew Brad before he hit Rory. How could he be so sure that he knew him well enough to make the assumption that he would stay in Stars Hollow now? He was crazy, he was a psycho, and he sure as hell was making one huge mistake by taking Rory. Jess leaned back in his seat and stared forward, what else could he do. Sitting there wasn't doing him any good, but he didn't know where else to look. He let his head fall down and stared at his feet, his shoes were all muddy and grassy from cutting through yards, and his ankles were being suffocated with dirt and muck.
"Jess!" He heard his voice being called and quickly shot his head up, hoping Rory would be standing there with arms wide open. But, it wasn't. It was Lorelai and Luke. What the hell were they doing in that car? He didn't care. He got up and jogged over to them, even though his legs were begging for rest.
"Hey, you guys find her yet?"
"Uh, no Sherlock if we had do you think we'd be standing here talking to you?"
Lorelai. She reminded him so much of Rory that it wasn't even funny. Well, looks wise of course. They had the same eyes, the same smile, and the same sarcastic wit. He couldn't help but smile.
"Wow Jess, you really find some sort of humor in this situation?" His smile quickly faded and he looked at Luke.
"So, Luke," Jess made an emphasis on Luke's name making sure Lorelai knew he wasn't expecting an answer from her, "found anything?"
"No not yet. You knew him pretty well do you have any ideas?"
"Nope, checked out every place I thought he'd be."
"Maybe you should recheck them, he could be walking around and not staying in one place."
The two men nodded in agreement and Jess took off. Luke looked over at Lorelai, who for once, she actually looked her age. All 32 years of it, if not more. Her dried up tear stains and smudged make-up showed her defeat, and for once she wasn't the quirky, spunky, never acts-her-age Lorelai Gilmore but the sad, heart-broken, defeated Lorelai Gilmore. He looked away, he couldn't stand seeing her like that. Even though they had been through tough times in the past involving Rory, he had never seen her quite this lost.
"Lorelai," he said, taking hold of her hand, "we've been through times like these. We can make it through, and I know we are going to find her."
Lorelai sat there for a minute, staring at their entwined fingers and it looked as though she was fighting a battle inside her not to cry.
"You don't know what it's like Luke." She whispered.
"I know Lor, but..."
Lorelai cut him off, this time sounding more angry and hurt than sad and remorseful, "No! You have no goddamn idea what its like to lose your kid, your best friend, and your world not once but twice! Twice!" She quickly let go of his hand and ran her fingers through her hair before slamming them down on her lap.
"And whats worse Luke, is the second time around... knowing you could have prevented it." Her voice trailed off into the distance as she leaned her head lightly against the window and closed her eyes, sighing heavily.
It was obvious she didn't want to talk anymore, so Luke silently made a promise to himself that he would find Rory no matter what it took. She was like a daughter to him, and even though he wouldn't show it... he was just as hurt as Lorelai.
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Brad put his arms down to his sides after declaring that this would be their new home and looked around with a disapproving look on his face.
"But this is no fun."
'No fun? No fun!?' Rory thought, 'this whole fucking ordeal is no fun!' Rory shook her head to herself, but Brad, never missing a beat, noticed.
"Oh, is something displeasing to Mrs. Gilmore?" He said sarcastically walking towards her.
"Uh, no Brad, this is fine I just... I'm a little hungry thats all." She said, wrapping her arms around her stomach.
"Oh. Well why didn't you say so earlier? I have the perfect little spot where we can eat. I really think you'll like it. Lets go."
Brad grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her along side him, making her sore legs and bruised arms throb with pain. Not to mention she thought her cheek bone was broken from where he had punched her before, but since her whole body was suffering nothing really outweighed the other in terms of pain.
"Where are we going now?" Rory hesitantly asked.
"Well, your hungry are you not?" Rory nodded. "Good, so were going to kill two birds with one stone. I have some buisness to take care of at the diner."
'Oh God,' Rory thought, 'Jess and Luke are at the diner. I wonder if they even know I'm gone!'
"What buisness?" Rory asked, suddenly getting confident and a little cocky.
"Lets see... by now I'm expecting your Mom to be out with Luke looking for you, and Jess to be roaming the streets, like the little hoodlum he is, trying to find you. We're gonna stop by the apartment, leave a little note - you know, just to be polite and say were doing fine - then you can go ahead and grab whatever food you want from there." Brad was fumbling with the lock trying to get it to open and when he finally did, he once again let Rory out first, smirking at himself and cockiness oozing out of every pore in his body. She took the opportunity whole-heartedly, and as he was attempting to lock the door again, she sprinted away as fast as she possibly could.
Rory screamed help, hoping someone would hear her, and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She didn't even know where she was going, it was to dark to recognize anything but she didn't care. The faster she ran the quicker she got away.
"Help!" She screamed, wondering if anyone would hear her...
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A/N - A little shorter than the last two but I might actually do another update later today so be on the lookout for that! Please R&R!!!