A Gilmore Christmas

By: Alyson Tierney AKA Halliwellgirls1

DISCLAIMER: The characters of Lorelai Gilmore, Rory Gilmore, Richard Gilmore, Emily Gilmore, Luke Danes, Sookie St. James, Jackson Melville, and Davey Melville are solely the property of Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB network. The song is "All I Want for Christmas" by Roxanne. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes. Don't sue; I'm a very poor college student who only paid $91 for 14 people's Christmas gifts.

NOTE: Yes, I am well aware that Christmas isn't for a month and a half, but trust me, by the time we get to the end of this, it will be Christmas, so humor me ok? I hope you will enjoy this, I wrote it last winter, and that's when it takes place. This is the third of eight chapters, please read and review as always.

Poodernite: Thanks! I thought it would give it a really adorable and yet sad and longing edge to it. And yes, you're right, Emily isn't usually that harsh, but I wanted to write her a little tougher than she usually is. Yeah, I understand I don't accept anonymous reviews, and believe me, that's the way I want it. If people can take enough time to read stories, they can take five seconds to register. Thanks for your kind words, and I hope you will enjoy this chapter!

CamdenCav12: For me it's the twelve days of Christmas. My friend looked at me in July and goes "It's.....July." Hee! Thanks for reviewing! If you like suspense, you'll love this chapter!

Proffesser: Thanks! I thought the flashbacks added a nice touch. Keep reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter!

Chapter Three

Lorelai hummed as she washed the dishes on a warm summer night. She could see five-year-old Rory out the window, playing in her sandbox. She looked down, and then up again, and saw her daughter who was looking frustrated and yelling at something out of Lorelai's sight.

"Mommy!" Rory's voice called out, and Lorelai was out the door in a flash, "This duck is bothering me!" Rory looked more annoyed than scared as a small green and brown duck walked towards the sandbox, quacking.

Lorelai grinned, "You want Mommy to get rid of the duck?" she asked.

"Yes, please." Rory said, "It might poop on my sand castle or something."

"Okay, honey." Lorelai ran forward, and chased the duck away. It waddled a few feet, before it took to its wings and flew out of there.

Rory smiled, "Thanks, Mommy."

"You're welcome, honey." Lorelai said, hugging her daughter, "Hey, that's a nice castle you've built there."

Lorelai raced into the police station a mere twenty minutes later. She raced directly to the chief's office and burst in without knocking, "What is it?" she asked.

Chief Denhauser hurriedly got up from his desk, "Ma'am, please take a seat." His face was as troubled as his voice.

"What is it? What happened?" Lorelai asked, but she did sit down.

"Miss Gilmore, as you know, we extended the search to all of Connecticut yesterday and this morning..."

'Oh, God, please no...' Lorelai's mind screamed.

"...my associates in Stamford found a young woman's body..."

'Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!' Lorelai nearly passed out. She was clutching the arms of the chair so fiercely her knuckles were white.

"...she matches your description of Rory, and they've transported her to this station to see if you can make a positive identification."

Lorelai stuttered badly, "S-s-so you're n-n-not sure it w-w-was her?"

"Not positive. We need a family member to make a positive identification."

"Okay." That was the only word that would come out of Lorelai's mouth. She wordlessly followed the chief out of his office, down the hall, down another hall, down some stairs, down another hall, turning left, and there they were. At the morgue.

Lorelai awoke to a sudden jerking movement in the double bed she and Rory shared while living in the potting shed. She could hear six-year-old Rory calling out pitifully, "Mom? Mommy?!?"

Lorelai moved closer to her daughter, "Honey? Rory, wake up, I'm here,"

"Mom!" Rory screamed, and then opened her eyes, looking around frantically.

"I'm right here, darling." Lorelai said, and Rory collapsed in her mother's arms, tearfully.

"Mommy, don't go away." Rory said, clutching her mom for dear life.

"I won't, honey. I'm right here." Lorelai said, soothingly, cuddling her daughter close.

"A young woman's body was found in the country outside Hartford this morning. Officials say it is not the body of Rory Gilmore, the Stars Hollow woman who has been missing since Thursday. They have not made a positive identification yet, and the state of Connecticut continues to be scoured for the missing woman."

Lorelai sat on the couch, surrounded by her parents, Sookie, Jackson, and Luke. Baby Davey was sleeping in his car seat in the chair. Everyone was exhausted, from searching and worrying and the sheer panic they'd experienced before discovering the body wasn't Rory's.

'There they go again, calling Rory a woman. She isn't a woman, yet. She's still my baby, always and forever.' Lorelai snuggled into the arm of the couch, wanting to go to sleep and never awaken from the horrible nightmare that was now her life. She buried her nose into the cotton fabric of Rory's pink ice-cream pajamas. They smelled like her daughter. Lorelai thought back to when Rory had run away to her grandparents' house because they had fought. 'I miss those days. Please, can I have those days back? Please?' Lorelai asked.

Lorelai got up from the couch, shuffling out of the living room, through the kitchen, and into Rory's room in her blue fuzzy slippers. She heard her mother call her, but Lorelai ignored her. As she shut Rory's door, she heard Sookie saying, "Leave her be. She needs to be alone."

Lorelai sniffled as she turned on Rory's CD player. She turned it to the radio station that played Christmas songs this time of year.

"I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need, I don't care about the presents under the Christmas tree, I don't need to hang my stocking there above the fireplace, Santa Claus won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas day, cause I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know."

Tears began to make their way down Lorelai's cheeks, dripping onto Rory's pajamas. She sniffled, and went over to Rory's bed, crawling under the covers. She reached for Colonel Clucker, and held the stuffed chicken to her face. Breathing in deep, she started to cry. Tears streamed in little rivers down Lorelai's cheeks as she listened to the familiar song.

"Make my wish come true; all I want for Christmas is you, you, baby! Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas, I don't need a wish for snow, I just wanna see my baby, underneath the mistletoe. I won't make a list and send it to the North Pole... Cause I just want you here tonight holding on to me so tight, make my wish come true, all I want for Christmas is you!"

Lorelai had cried herself into an exhausted slumber by the time Sookie came to check on her an hour later.