*ATTENTION*- Due to the nature of the events in this episode, reader discretion is advised.

Chapter 21- It Should Have Been Rory.

Saturday morning Lorelai sat at the diner, harassing her daughter as she worked.

"So you're sure you don't want to come?"

"Yes, I am mom. I don't really want the image of Kirk wearing tights to be forever etched into my mind."

"All right, Luke and I will just go then."

"I feel pity for your eyes." She replied picking up a plate and handing it to the only hungry customer in the diner.

"The whole town is gonna be there, you know." Lorelai added.

"The whole town, except me." Rory replied. Luke came down the stairs and entered the diner.

"The whole town is gonna be where?" He asked.

"Patty's play," Lorelai replied.

"I'm not." He retorted.

"Oh, yes you are. You are because I'm going."

"I'm starting to seriously doubt whether dating you was a good idea. I mean building the sets for the thing was too much participation for me, and you twisted my arm into that. Now I have to watch this awful thing?"

"Don't you want to see how your sets look?" She did that pouty thing again. God, he was a sucker for the pouty face. "Fine, what time does it start at?" He conceded.

"Six. I have some stuff to do at home and at The Dragonfly. I'll be back around five-thirty and we can go then."

"All right, bye." He leaned over the counter to kiss her. She left. Jess tramped down the stairs seeing the end of the conversation.

"She's got a nice little hold on you, doesn't she, Uncle Luke." He stated sarcastically in Luke's general direction. He kissed Rory. Luke looked at him.

"The same could be said for you." He retorted. Jess cocked his head, looking at him funny and laughed.

"Oh, touché my friend, touché, that was nice, but Rory and I are a mutual thing, right Rory?" She nodded.

"Yep, we are Luke. We're like Sonny and Cher, Fred and Ginger, and those Canadian ice skaters from the Olympics." She blushed having stated that last pair. "Well, so what. I watched ice skating on the Olympics, everyone's always telling me I have to be more athletic, right?

"Whatever." Luke glanced at the time. "I've gotta get cleaned up if I'm going to this play thing with your mother."

"Go ahead, we'll watch the diner." Rory replied.

"In other words, you'll sit here, kiss and talk about books?"

"Yes, pretty much. If a customer comes in, one of us will attend to him though."

"I can see it now. Luke's Diner, it's the place where the service is friendly only if you don't mind the diner owners', girlfriend's, daughter making out with her boyfriend while you eat."

"I don't think that'll catch on, Luke." Rory replied.

"Just not snappy enough, a bit too long too, you know people and their short memories. They'd never get passed the owners', girlfriend's daughter thing before they just decided to screw it and go to McDonalds." Jess added

"Whatever." Luke went upstairs leaving them there together. Jess wiped off the counter and Rory tended to the only customer again.

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"Jackson! Are you almost ready?" Sookie yelled.

"Yes, does this shirt look okay?" He asked coming out into the living room.

"Yes, yes it looks fine. We're just going to see a play."

"I know, but are you sure? I thought maybe it was the wrong mood."

"It's fine, let's go. Lord knows, a shirt with the wrong mood won't exactly spoil the evening." She glanced at the babysitter. "Will everything be all right here?" She asked.

The sitter, who was a young teenage girl nodded. "It'll be fine, have fun." She replied.

Sookie turned back to Jackson, and shooed him out the door shutting it behind them.

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Luke and Lorelai had gone to Patty's play about an hour ago. Rory was just sitting at the counter, sipping a cup of coffee and looking at a book casually. She noticed that her coffee was getting kind of empty, so she went around the counter to fill it up with the pot from the coffee maker. Jess had gone upstairs to get a book they had been talking about. The little bell over the door rang. Rory didn't turn around but just started to talk to the customer.

"I'll be right with you, as soon as I get there. Caesar isn't here, so we can't actually make you anything besides maybe a sandwich and coffee."

"I didn't come here looking for a ham on rye, or a black cup of coffee, missy." She turned around startled by his harsh voice. In front of the door stood, a guy who looked like he was about thirty-five or forty years old. He was holding a gun in his hand. "Hand over the money in the cash register missy." He brandished the pistol at her.

She just stood there frozen. "Well, get going!" He demanded. He moved up to her quickly, and pushed her towards the cash register.

"Okay, I'll do it." She replied, fiddling unsuccessfully with the buttons.

Jess came down the stairs.

"I found the book we were---" He stopped in mid-sentence after looking up and seeing the scene.

"Jess, watch out he has a gun!" She screamed. Hearing this, the robber grabbed Rory and held the gun to her head.

"Don't do anything stupid, or I'll shoot your little friend here." The robber added. Jess swallowed hard. "Now give me the cash from the register, since SHE doesn't seem to know how to run it."

Jess noticed at Rory's eyes. They were so big and so scared looking. He gave her reassuring look.

"Fine, I'll give you the money. What kind of robber robs a moderately successful diner at this hour of the day? It's not even very dark man." Jess grabbed a takeout bag and threw the small amount of cash into it.

"Shut up and hand it to me." The robber threatened.

"Here." Jess said handing it to him. The robber pushed Rory over to Jess, and he caught her. She buried her face in his shoulder.

"You all right?" He whispered. She nodded.

The robber looked at the money, and shut the bag.

"Thanks kid. Have a nice day." He cocked the pistol and shot Jess in the chest and kneecap. Rory pulled back at the noise and Jess collapsed to the floor. The robber ran out the door.

"Jess!" She screamed, tears coming to her eyes. "Are you all right?"

He was speechless because the pain was too great. She ran to the phone and dialed 911.

"Yes, Luke's Diner has just been robbed. And please send an ambulance my boyfriend's been shot." She threw the phone back on the hook and ran back to Jess. Reaching him, she embraced him loosely being careful not to press on his chest wound. She felt one arm curl around her back loosely. She kissed him, and he tried hard to kiss her back.

"It'll be okay, the ambulance is on the way. I love you."

"Thank you, Rory." He replied holding his chest hard. God, it hurt! She stayed there with him, doing all she could, right on the verge of crying the whole time.

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"Where hath thy monkey gone?"

"I knoweth not, my lady." Kirk replied. "Thou hath not spied it?"

"No, sir"

Luke and Lorelai sat in the audience watching this whole scene unfold. Kirk was playing the monkey king, and he was dancing around on stage with those monkeys with the red butts. Worst of all he had to wear tights. It was an Elizabethan play with monkeys, and Kirk in tights. It was a Miss Patty production after all.

"Where did Patty get all those monkeys?" Luke whispered to Lorelai.

"I think they're on loan from Hartford." She replied. "Cost a fortune to get them, but she insisted. It's like seventy-five percent of the budget. I mean, men in monkey suits would be funny too. Although, lord knows that the monkey's with the red butts are hilarious."

"Why do I try and talk to you?" Luke asked.

"Because my quirks drive you wild with pleasure"

"There's a sentence I never expected to hear." He replied.

Suddenly two gun shots rang out.

"Ooh! Finally, good special effects." Lorelai shouted. The whole rest of the room gasped.

"That wasn't a special effect Lorelai, it came from outside!" Luke insisted running to Miss Pattie's barn style doors and throwing them open just in time to see the thief run out of the diner. He ran as fast as he could after him, but he couldn't keep up. He ran past the diner, and stopped realizing he couldn't catch him. "Shit! Rory and Jess!" He yelled, realizing that they were inside. Lorelai was bounding down the street and they both rushed in to the diner to see what had happened.

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*

All through the night I'll be standing over you

All through the night I'll be watching over you

And through bad dreams I'll be right there, baby.

*

"Mom!" Rory exclaimed. Lorelai ran over to her daughter and Jess.

"What happened?!" Lorelai demanded.

"This burglar came and ordered me to give him the money from the cash register, and Jess came down. The guy had a gun and he grabbed me and threatened to shoot me. Jess---Jess gave him the money and he shot Jess instead. That bullet should have been mine, but Jess---" She was crying now and couldn't speak through the sobs.

"Its okay Rory, I'm here." She cried on her mother's shoulder.

*

Holding your hand, telling you everything is all right

And when you cry I'll be right there

Telling you, you were never anything less than beautiful

*

"Jess, are you all right?" She asked quietly.

"Why does everybody--- ouch--- keep asking that? Do I look all right?" He asked.

"Because we're concerned about you, you just got shot. Come on, Jess." Rory replied through tears. Lorelai found a cloth and gave it to Jess to hold pressure on the wound. He was nearly to the point of passing out.

Luke stood there, not knowing what to say. His diner had just been robbed, his potential step-daughter was nearly shot, and his nephew WAS shot. They all just stayed there, silent. Soon they heard the ambulance coming.

*

So, don't you worry.

I'm your angel standing by

*

A/N: A little bit more adult natured, not a lot, but a little. Sorry, about the use of a few "French" words, but it seemed like they would really use it. Lyrics are Jewel's "Angel Standing By." THANKS EVERYONE for the nice, honest reviews. I know I have some typos issues, but don't we all? I've got twenty-one down, two to go, come back tomorrow for the next chapter. :)