Title: Reality Has No Place In Our World
Author: Samantha
Summary: After too, too, many horrible relationships, Rory can't handle the thought of ever seeing a boy. Ever again. Besides family members. So it's no surprise when she's thrilled to see one certain long-lost-almost family member, except to herself. And him.
Chapter Two: Very Out Of Time

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"You're late," Lorelai sing-songed at her daughter's car, watching as it slowly wound its way past the Danes house, out towards the Dragonfly. Lorelai's watch read six fourty-five, and even though that meant the family would be late for dinner at the Gilmore House of Torture, it meant that Gigi was over two and a half hours late for her precious ballet lesson, which would certainly piss off Sherry. And even after all these years, Lorelai was still completely immature when it came to pissing off Sherry. She supposed she'd always feel this way, because she certainly still felt that way about Natalie Hartman, the first girl Chris had ever had a crush on, at the age of eight. Chris was hers, and hers alone, and even though Lorelai was happily married to Luke, she knew that deep in her heart she'd always wish that Chris had only chosen her.

"Lorelai!" Luke called, slamming the front door of the house.

"What?" she called back, turning around to face him.

"Where's my red tie?"

Lorelai grinned across the yard. "You mean the lucky one?" Luke had worn a red patterned tie the first day he'd gone with Lorelai to some obligatory family function, and that was the first night Lorelai had invited him inside the house. She'd made him keep the tie on the longest, and the next day when he was leaving, she commented once again on how she liked it. Soon after she'd started calling it the lucky tie, and now it was a sign that if he had to get dressed up, he was gonna get lucky.

Luke grinned back. "Yep, the lucky one."

"I think it's shoved under the bed somewhere."

"Thanks, baby." He turned and headed back into the house. Lorelai smiled at the term of affection. It had started in a round-about way...actually, it had started as a term of affection in bed. He didn't use it any other time, though, until she'd given birth. In the delivery room, he'd held onto her hand with all his might, urging her along with "You can do it, baby." From then on, he'd called her "baby" at home and in front of family, but right after Rory's debacle with Andrew, he'd started using the term, however reluctantly, in public. Now, though, he was comfortable with using it in front of everyone, and she was very proud of his growth.

Lorelai was stirred from her thoughts as Luke exited the house again, this time without slamming the door. She stood as still as she could, a smile creeping onto her lips as she felt him walking up behind her. When he wrapped his arms around her waist, she happily settled her hands over his and leaned into his strong chest.

"She late again?" he murmured into her ear.

"Yes," Lorelai murmured back, reaching one hand up to caress his perpetual five o'clock shadow.

"Emily's gonna be mad," he pointed out.

"So's Sherry, which makes up for Emily," Lorelai retaliated. Luke laughed.

"Yes, I suppose that does," he said, nodding slowly. "Oh," he groaned after a minute. "Rory goes home tomorrow."

"I know," Lorelai said sadly.

"How are we going to handle this?"

Lorelai smiled. "We do it every week."

"And I never think we can handle it." Lorelai could hear the smile in his voice.

"And we always do. Don't worry, babe. We've got a whole town full of babysitters, if we really need one."

"Hmm. And they're getting better at sleeping."

"That they are." Lorelai closed her eyes. "Right now, though, I just want to concentrate on this."

"What?"

"This," Lorelai whispered, keeping her eyes closed and leaning into Luke more. He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and leaned his head against hers.

They were forced to move when the kids pulled up, all three dressed in their grandparents-dinner best. Rory leaved the car idling, jumping out of the driver's seat and sliding in next to Diane. Luke took Rory's seat and Lorelai got in next to him.

As they drove the thirty minute drive to Hartford, Rory thought about Andrew Allen. Hours after her second rebel boy relationship ended, she'd literally run into Drew at the front door of Hector's Tacos. Neither of them were paying attention, and they'd suddenly knocked each other down. After a few seconds of glaring, they helped one another up, discovered they were both major fans of Hector's, and promptly began a relationship. She was introducing him to Paris within minutes, Lorelai and Lane within hours, and Emily within days. After three weeks, she spent spring break with him and his family in Providence, Rhode Island. They'd spent their nights with his family, and their nights sprawled on the couch in the basement, watching old movies and feeling giddily in love. They spent the first week of summer in Stars Hollow, wasting away their days laying on the benches in the gazebo, watching the heat rise from the pavement and grinning at the townspeople gossipping about them. Rory'd explained how everyone had almost shunned her when she'd spent two weeks away from the town because of a boy, her last boy, and now they were all happy to see her happy. Lorelai had told them she'd heard talk that Rory and Drew were going to stay together forever, traveling the world together and bringing their babies home to Stars Hollow every month to show them off. Drew said it was a nice thought, and Rory agreed; two weeks later, Drew presented her with a tiny tiny promise ring, the only size he could afford. It was real yellow gold, though, and the tiny little diamond was a full 1/16th of a carat. Rory promptly hugged him and said she'd never take it off.

Back in the real world, Rory glanced at the spot where the ring was. She imagined she could still see a tan line. She'd only taken the ring off for a second a month ago, and since then she'd been missing it. It had somehow disappeared into thin air in the one second, causing Rory to break down in sobs every once in a while. The ring had disappeared the same way it seemed Drew had, and it was still killing her. She missed him with all of her feeling, all of her being, all of her heart and all of her mind. She knew in her soul that she and Drew would have been together forever. Forever. If only it hadn't happened, she might be wearing an engagement ring right now, in preparation for a wedding ring after he'd gone for his master's.

"We're here," Luke announced, pulling the car to a stop in the cul-de-sac. Rory shook herself from her thoughts and unbuckled her little sister from her seat.

Drew would have to wait until later. Real life had to go on, as Rory knew only too well.