Title: Shelter From The Storm.

Summary: "In starting over we could get some place different." What if Lorelai had found her way to Stars Hollow before Rory's birth?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Gilmore Girls. I am in no way connected to Gilmore Girls or the WB. I also have no connections to Billie Letts or Twentieth Century Fox. This story idea is mostly my own, although it is inspired by the movie/book Where The Heart Is. (I always thought that there were several similarities between Lorelai and Novalee)

A/N: This was one of the hardest things I've ever written, but I hope you guys enjoy it.

*~*~*~*

It was almost midnight when the pain started. The first pain was sharp and woke her from her dreamless slumber. She placed her hand under her belly and winced, trying to stay calm and resist the strong urge to panic. She tried to figure out what she needed to do. Maybe it would be best to call for Luke or to find his room and wake him up. Or maybe she should just leave. It must have stopped snowing by now and she had heard that labor lasted for hours, sometimes even days. And maybe she wasn't even in labor. Yes, she should just leave.

As she made her way slowly towards the door she felt a strange sensation, almost like something popping and then horror shot through her as she began to feel that she'd lost control of her bladder, but she quickly realized that it was her water breaking and she stood in place until she felt she could move again.

"Not here." She whimpered, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. "Not now. Please." She looked down at her belly. "Wait, please!"

After a few deep breaths, she composed herself enough to unlock the front door and pull it open. A cold gust of wind hit her, bringing a swirl of snowflakes with it. The snow hadn't stopped or slowed, it had gotten worse. If she left the house she risked getting stuck in the snow and giving birth outside.

She quickly shut the door and tried to come up with a more rational idea. That was when the next pain hit and she reached out to the wall next to her for support, knocking several pictures from their hooks and watching them fall to the floor, the glass in their frames shattering.

"No." She cried softly, struggling to crouch down and clear up the mess she was making.

Another pain worked its way around her belly from the sides to the front. She put her hands out on the floor in front of her to stop herself falling forwards. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to remember that all pregnant women in labor seemed to do a lot of breathing in and out. After a minute or so, the pain subsided and she silently thanked every God and higher power she could, begging them not to send any more pains. She stared at the shattered glass on the floor in front of her, and the small puddles of fluid around them. She had to clean it up, but all her body wanted to do was collapse on the floor and rest. She wished there was a way to sleep through it all.

When she attempted to stand up she felt another pain in her hips and let herself drop back to the floor, digging her fingers into the carpet and biting her lip. If her labor was going to last for days or even hours, she couldn't imagine that she would survive. Not if the same pains accompanied it, or somehow got worse.
The next pain made her want to cry out and she covered her mouth with her hand, breathing through her nose as best as she could. But eventually she needed her hand back on the floor to support her and the second she moved it away from her lips a wail of pain escaped.

Luke's eyes shot open and he pushed himself up in his bed, wondering if the noise was real or if he had been dreaming. He strained to hear any noises in the house and soon heard a door opening. Climbing out of bed he pulled on the clothes he had been wearing that day and stepped out into the hall just in time to see his father descending the stairs.

"What's going on?" He asked, following quickly.

By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs his father was already crouched on the floor beside Lorelai.

"It's ok." He reassured her gently.

"It hurts, it hurts!" She cried shaking her head as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I know. Just try and stay calm.

William looked up at his son, who was staring at Lorelai in alarm.

"Luke…"

"She's not… is she?" He stammered.

"What does it look like?"

"But she can't! Not here!" Luke protested, gesturing wildly with his hands.

"No, she can't. That's why I need you to go and call an ambulance."

"But…"

"Luke!"

At the sound of his fathers raised voice Luke seemed to be shaken from the trance he was in and hurried to find the phone.

"I can't do this. I can't. Make it stop!"

"I would if I could, but unfortunately I can't." He explained calmly, helping her up and letting her lean on him as they walked slowly back into the living room.

"You're hurting me! Stop it!" She commanded to the child in her belly.

"I don't think it has much of a choice. And neither do you." William smiled softly, sitting her back on the couch.

"I'm sorry about the photo's, Mr. Danes." She whimpered. "And the mess on the carpet. I didn't mean to."

"I know."

"They're on their way." Luke announced, as he rejoined them. "But have you looked outside recently? It's going to take them forever to get here in this weather!"

"Lorelai, I have to talk to Luke for a minute. I'll be right back." William explained calmly and Lorelai nodded as she tried to breathe in and out slowly.

William stood and walked over to his son, taking him by the elbow and pulling him out into the hall.

"Luke, that girl is in labor!"

"I know!"

"And your little comments about the ambulance not getting here aren't going to help her."

"I'm sorry, but…"

"I need you to help me keep her calm until they do get here."

"And if they don't?"

William looked from Luke to the living room and then shook his head slowly, walking away without a response. Luke ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath before following.


* * * * *

Help still hadn't arrived by 2am and Luke paced and panicked silently while William helped Lorelai from the couch to a sheet and some pillows in the middle of the room. He ordered Luke to fetch a cold washcloth as he draped a sheet over Lorelai's legs and helped her get as comfortable as possible.

Luke returned moments later and handed his father the washcloth, which he used to gently wipe the sweat from Lorelai's face as she gritted her teeth against the pain.

"Just remember not to push." He instructed her.

"But I need to. I have to." She almost begged. "It feels like I need to."

"I know, but there are no experts here to tell us if it's safe for you to push. So you need to hang on for as long as possible. Ok?"

"Ok." Lorelai nodded, gripping at the sheet she was lying on.

"Maybe I should go and get someone…"

"Like who, Luke?"

"I don't know. Liz maybe?" He offered desperately.

"She's working nights."

"Well… How about Patty then?"

"No." Lorelai pleaded.

"Babette?"

"Babette Dell?" William seemed to consider this for a while. "She doesn't know what she's doing…"

"And we do? The woman has attended more births than most midwives."

"Yeah, but they weren't human births, they were feline." William rolled his eyes as Lorelai looked between the two of them in confusion and fear.

"Well that still makes her more experienced in all this than us. Besides, she knows all these special… homeopathological remedies… or whatever. At least she may have some idea of how to control the pain." Luke suggested.

"Yes! Stop the pain!" Lorelai nodded vigorously.

"Ok, go and get her. But hurry!"

Luke nodded and hurried into the hall, pulling on some boots and a coat before braving the harsh cold and snow outside. William rubbed Lorelai's back supportively, as she battled the pain of each contraction.

"Tell me something." She begged in between breaths.

"Like what?" He smiled reassuringly.

"Anything…"

"Uh… well…" He paused for a second. "We thought Luke was going to be a girl. He was originally a Lucy, not a Luke."

Lorelai laughed softly through her tears.

"I don't even have a name for my baby." She said, realization of how unprepared she was dawning on her. Hitting her with the force on an explosion. "I don't have anything for my baby."

"Well, lets see if we can fix that, shall we? Now… do you think it's going to be a girl or a boy?"

"It's a girl." Lorelai stated with complete certainty. "Definitely."

"Ok… and what are your favorite girls names?"

She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "I don't know."

"Sure you do. How about… Anna?"

"No, that's not her name."

"Jennifer?"

"No."

"Emily?"

"Oh God!" Lorelai cried out in pain. "No, not Emily."

"Well, how about your middle name? Do you have a middle name?"

"Victoria."

"That's a pretty name."

"Lorelai."

"What?" He frowned.

"Lorelai. I want to name her Lorelai." She insisted.

"But… that's your name." He smiled and chuckled softly.

"So? Men name their sons after themselves all the time! It's always Edward junior this and Harold the third that. Why can't I name my baby after me?"

"I suppose there's no reason at all."

"Right. So… she's going to be Lorelai. Like me." She nodded.


* * * * *

It was almost an hour later when Luke returned with Babette, a short woman with curly blonde hair and wide inquisitive eyes.

"Well I'll be…! You really do have a girl giving birth in your living room, don't ya'?!" She exclaimed when she first laid eyes on Lorelai.

"No, I made it all up." Luke shot back sarcastically.

"Thank you for coming, Babette." William smiled gratefully. "This is Lorelai, and she's in a lot of pain."

"Make it stop, please!" Lorelai wailed.

"No kidding she's in a lot of pain." Babette chuckled as she knelt beside her. "Hey sugar, how are you feeling?"

"Is it almost over?"

"She wants to push but I didn't think she should until the ambulance was here or until she really couldn't stop herself." William explained and Babette nodded.

"That's good. You can't force it, darl. You have to let the baby tell you when he's ready to come out."

"It's a she. And she wants to come out now!"

"Well we'll have to see about that won't we?" Babette looked from William to Luke. "Ok boys, out of the room while I see what's what here."

Luke and William stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind them.

"She's going to have that kid right here, in our house, isn't she?" Luke sighed.

"Looks that way. Unless that damn ambulance decides to show up within the next hour or so."

"The house isn't clean enough! She should be in a hospital with insanely crisp white sheets and people in stupid hats and masks…"

"I agree. She should be. But she isn't, and it's not the first time a woman has given birth somewhere other than a hospital…"

"She's not a woman, she's a girl. She's sixteen!"

"I think it's fair to say that this qualifies her for womanhood, don't you?"

Before Luke could say anything in response, Babette opened the door and stepped out into the hall with them.

"It's comin'!" She exclaimed in a high-pitched whisper. "I see it. It'll be here any minute!"

"Well… what do we do?!"

"Nobody panic!" Babette instructed. "Nobody panic!" She repeated as she turned and headed back into the living room.

"Nobody panic? Is she crazy?"

"Luke…" William warned, following Babette into the room.

He knelt down beside Lorelai, resuming his position of wiping her face with the cloth. Luke hesitantly walked over and watched for a moment, feeling useless and out of place. Awkwardly kneeling down beside her, he took her left hand in his and she smiled gratefully as she squeezed it.

"Ok doll, you can push!" Babette encouraged enthusiastically. "Push!"

"I'm trying!" Lorelai howled, gripping Luke's hand tightly.

"You're doing great, just keep pushing sugar! I see the head, keep pushing!"

"I am, I am!!!" She screamed, following it up quickly with "I can't, I can't!!!"

"It's ok, just breathe and try again." William instructed, trying to stay calm.

"I don't want to." She shook her head and let more tears fall. "Let it stay in. I don't want to push anymore."

"It's too late for that now, darl. I see the head, she's comin', ready or not!"

"No! Push her back in!" Lorelai insisted, causing even Luke to smile.

"I don't think that's an option." Babette chuckled. "Just one more push!"

Even though her head lolled from side to side in protest, Lorelai drew in a deep breath and pushed as Babette counted to ten out loud.

"And one more…"

"No, you said just one. No more!"

"I think this is the last one…"

"I don't believe you!" Lorelai cried, shaking her head defiantly.

"Luke, sugar, run and get some towels. And do you have one of those little… rubber bulb thingies?"

Luke frowned, staring at Babette as if she were speaking a foreign language.

"You know!" She insisted, waving her hands around. "Those little things they put in the ear cleaning kits at the drug store. The little sucker things. Do you have one?"

"Oh, yeah, in the bathroom."

"Get it, clean it with hot water, and I mean really hot water darl, just don't melt it. And bring it here."

Luke looked to his father, who looked just as confused and shrugged.

"Ok, lets have that last push!"

"Just one more?" Lorelai asked plaintively.

"Just one more, sugar." Babette nodded. "Scream your lungs out if you want to, just push that baby out!"

"Scream?" Lorelai looked at William for permission and he smiled and nodded. "Ok."

From the other end of the house, Luke could hear Lorelai's screams and he hurried to finish gathering the things Babette had asked for, returning to the living room just in time to hear the baby's first cry. He froze in the doorway for a moment, the room was silent except for the baby's choked cries, as everyone held their breath and watched it in amazement.

"Luke, sugar, bring that over her." Babette waved him over and he shook himself from his stupor and quickly made his way over.

He and William watched as she gently cleaned the baby, using the tiny rubber bulb to suck fluid from it's nose and mouth.

"What's her name?" Babette asked warmly.

Lorelai opened her eyes slowly and struggled to lift her head from the pillows propping her up.

"Lorelai. Lorelai Leigh." She almost whispered.

"Well, Lorelai Leigh… I'd like you to meet Lorelai Victoria." Babette laughed to herself as she placed the squirming new born on Lorelai's stomach.

Lorelai stared at the little pink baby, and the little pink baby opened its big, curious eyes and looked right back at her.

"Hello, baby." She said softly, lightly stroking the wispy brown hair on its head and crying tears of joy and relief.