oooh! aren't i mean to make u wait for this chapter? well its not really

that hard to figure out where rory is going. today was my last day of

summerschool! woo hoo! u know what that means? i can probably update

more often! lol. cuz im sooooooo bad at updating. totally j/k. ne

ways...

o! one last thing. u would be proud of how much i researched this chapter.

i went on mapquest.com and found out that a ride from nc to hartford

ct would be like 12 and a half hours and like 757 miles. talk about

a sore butt after that drive! i feel so proud of my homework! lol.

***

disclaimer: as i have said before, if i owned the show would i have

to put one of these up?

***

Chapter 19: Run Away Little Girl

***

Rory didn't know what she was doing. All she knew was she was

on the highway headed North. North to see Tristan. She checked the gas

meter, and seeing that it was almost empty, she pulled off to the highway

to get to a gas station.

She filled up the tank of gas and bought a road map, she would

need one to get to Connecticut. It wasn't exactly just a little trip

across town.

Seven hours later she was still on the road. She had made it

through the southern states and was approaching Maryland. But she

still had a hell of a drive to go.



*****

Back home Lorelai was panicking. It had been over seven hours

since she had sent Rory out for toothpaste, and she still wasn't home.

Lorelai had already called AAA and the local hospitals to find

out if there had been any car accidents this evening. None had been

reported.

So now Lorelai was pacing the floor nervously, sure she was

wearing a hole in the carpet. Then it hit her. She started calling

everyone she knew in Connecticut.



*****

The phone rang in the Gilmore household. Emily rolled over to

look at the clock. It was three in the morning.

"Who would be calling at this hour?" Richard mumbled, putting

the pillow over his head.

"I don't know. Just ignore it. Let the machine pick up."

"Hi Mom, it's Lorelai. Rory's missing-" Emily grabbed the phone

quickly when she heard Lorelai's voice on the machine.

"Rory's missing?" she practically screamed into the phone.

Richard sat up in bed.

"I don't no where she went. I sent her out to buy toothpaste

and she didn't come home," Lorelai said. She sounded like she was

crying.

"Calm down Lorelai. There has to be an explanation. How long

ago did she leave?" Emily asked, turning on the lamp on the bedside

table.



"Seven hours ago," Lorelai wailed.

"Seven hours!" Emily repeated.

"Why is she calling us?" Richard whispered to Emily.

"Richard wants to know why you are checking here," Emily said

into the phone.

"Well, she took the car, and its been so long, I was figuring

she was heading to Connecticut."

"Did you two have a fight or something? Rory wouldn't just run

away with no reason like that."

"No, no. We didn't fight. Her boyfriend moved back to Hartford

a couple of weeks ago and she's really upset," Lorelai explained. "Maybe

you know them Mom. Could you find me the Dugrey's number?"

"Rory is dating Tristan Dugrey!" Emily cried excitedly. "Why

that's wonderful! I can't believe she didn't tell me the news!"

"Mom! This isn't the time or the place. Rory's missing! Now do

you have their number or not," Lorelai yelled into the phone.

"Right, I'm sorry. Let me get it. Ah, here it is."

Emily gave Lorelai the phone number.

"Thanks Mom. I'm gonna call over there and then call around

Stars Hollow. If Rory shows up at your house, call me the second she

shows up at the door."

"I will Lorelai. Call us when you find anything out. Goodbye."

"Bye." Lorelai hung up the phone and started dialing Tristan's

house.



*****

Tristan was the one who answered the phone.

"Whoever this is it better be good because I'm not the person

you want to wake up at three in the morning," he said into the phone

grumpily, still half asleep.

"Tristan, Rory's missing," he heard Lorelai say on the other

end.



He immediately jumped out of bed. "She's what?" he cried.

"She took the car out like almost eight hours ago now, and she

hasn't returned. She's been so upset, I figured she was heading to

your house."

"My God," he said. "I have to find her."

"No, Tristan, that won't do anything. She's probably on the

highway right now, you'd just pass her by. Just stay there and wait up

for her."

"Isn't her cell phone on?"

"She forgot it at home." Lorelai answered.

"I'll be waiting up for her. Call me the second you hear anything.

"I will."

Tristan hung up the phone and pulled on a pair of sweats.

He couldn't believe how stupid Rory was acting, running away without

telling anyone? He ran downstairs to wait by the window for her to come.

*****

Luke and Jess were downstairs in the diner. It was only four in

the morning and still pitch black outside, but there was no way either

of them could sleep.

They had received the call that Rory was missing half an hour

ago, and now Luke was baking muffins like a mad man, and Jess was polishing

a whole into the tables.

Luke was going crazy with worry. After all, he loved Rory like

a daughter. He couldn't stand it if something happened to her. And Jess,

well Jess was like her big brother. He had always been protective of her

when she lived in Stars Hollow, and now he was kicking himself because

he couldn't be there with her wherever she was.

By five o'clock, half of Stars Hollow was assembled in the diner.

Many had received calls from Lorelai herself, and the rest had heard it

from the quick moving grapevine found in small towns. They were all

going insane with worry for the pretty girl that all of them loved so much.

*****

Rory shifted uncomfortably in her car seat. It was eight o'clock.

She had been driving for more than twelve hours. She spotted a sign reading

"Hartford, Next Right Only." Smiling, she pulled into the right lane,

anxious to get out of the car and into Tristan's arms.

***

a/n: sorry about this chapter, it was a little repetitive but i just

wanted to make it clear that like everyone in the world is freaking out

about Rory. o, and jess and rory never dated. sorry if that's kinda

unclear. they deffinately have a brother/sister relationship.