AN: Okay. I fell down the stairs. Evidently because I'm the queen of gracefulness. So all I can really do is lay here with my grapefruit of an ankle elevated, and type. So, chapters out the wazoo until I heal. Lucky you, huh? I hope so, anyhow.
"Do you remember the time you made me kiss you?" he asked, leaning back against the side of her bed.
"You're making that up," she informed him, lying on her side, looking down at his head.
"I'm not making it up! I was five and you were four. You told me you'd hit me if I didn't kiss you," Will laughed.
"I did not!"
"You did too! We were in your backyard, behind the tree house."
"And you kissed me?"
"Yeah. But you still hit me afterwards."
"You're making this up!"
"I am not," he turned to look at her, clearly amused.
"What made you think of that?"
"I was just thinking about the tree house. It popped into my head. I was so bummed when your dad tore it down."
"Well, we had all sort of outgrown it," Anna reasoned.
"It was our childhood, though."
"I guess so."
He leaned back against the side of the bed, shifting slightly on the hardwood floor. He had no idea what time it was, and knew he couldn't leave until she agreed to talk to someone. She'd stopped crying a while ago, and they'd just been talking for the last little bit.
"Ann?"
"Yeah?"
"What's stopping you from talking to someone?"
"It's embarrassing, and just hard to think about it at all. I feel so dirty; every time I think about it, I just can't imagine anyone else knowing. It was bad enough telling you—I was so afraid you'd look at me differently."
He stood up and sat back down, this time next to her on the bed. He motioned for her to sit up, next to him. She did that, and looked expectantly at him.
"This wasn't your fault. This happened to you, and it was horrible—but you are letting this dirt bag win if you let it take over your life. And lying in bed crying is letting it take over your life. You are stronger than this. Admitting you need help, and talking to people that can help you is strong, not weak."
She nodded, knowing what he said was right. She didn't feel very strong, but she wanted to be. He made her sound like this amazing woman, and it made her almost feel like she could be who he spoke of.
"You're nodding. You'll do it?"
"Will you go with me? I mean, just the first time? Walk me there?"
He nodded. "I'll even find out where you should go, I'll do whatever you need."
He hugged her, and she let him hold her for a while. She felt as if she might melt right into him, and breathed deeply for the first time in days.
"I'm proud of you," he said, hugging her a little tighter.
"Oh my God, it's so late!" she said, noting the time. "Don't you have class in the morning?"
"Yeah. I should go. But I'll come back after class and we'll do this. Okay?"
She nodded, and gave him a weak smile. "Will, thank you."
"Anytime. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," she nodded, as he stood up to leave her. She sat back against her pillows, wondering if she could really go through with this.
&&&&
The next morning, Erin walked into the nearest coffee shop to her parents' house and scanned the patrons, looking for his slightly messy brown hair. She saw him nursing a cup of coffee, and moved to slide into the booth across from him.
"Thanks for calling me."
He nodded. "Coffee?"
She nodded, and he held up his hand, signaling the waitress. She smiled sweetly at him, and poured Erin's coffee without looking at her.
"You need anything else, Sweetie?"
"He's just fine, Honey," Erin quipped, shooing the attractive waitress away.
"Jealous much?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry, habit. So, you wanted to talk?"
"Last night, I just had to get it all off my chest. I'm not sure I can get over this, Erin. What you did, I'm not sure it's forgivable."
"I know," she said, looking down into her coffee.
"I mean, how can I be sure that you won't come back just to leave again when you get bored of me?"
"Jess, I," she started.
"Not that you've even told me you want to come back!"
"I do," she said emphatically.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Why?"
"What? Because I love you, and I miss the kids," she listed.
"Why haven't you called?"
"I thought they wouldn't want to talk to me," she said quietly.
"Well, they did."
"Oh."
He sighed. "There's just one thing I can't understand. If you loved me, why didn't you come to me? After all that time, when we first got together, about you 'teaching' me to come to you with my thoughts, concerns, feelings—you just didn't feel like it when it came to you?"
"I can't explain it to you. I just lost myself."
"And you've found yourself now?"
"I don't know," she whispered.
"Maybe," he sighed, taking a moment before looking back into her eyes. "Maybe you should go to California."
"What? You can't be serious!"
"I'm very serious. Do it right, talk to the kids. We'll call it a trial separation."
"This is what you want?" she asked, tears in her eyes.
"I think this is what you need. Find whatever it is you need. When you do, call me."
He set his jaw, having said his peace. She just nodded, looking out the window.
"Can I come by tonight?"
"It's your home," he responded, throwing money down on the table and leaving.
&&&&
Rory was trying to get marshmallow out of the carpet. One would think she would know better than to start a food fight during a screening of Animal House, but no. And as she had started it, she was stuck trying to get the sticky substance out of the new carpet.
"Having fun?"
"You know, if you hadn't provoked me, I wouldn't have had to throw that marshmallow at you," she raised an eyebrow at her husband.
"I've never provoked you!"
"Hah!"
"Well, maybe once or twice," he grinned devilishly.
"Maybe," she rolled her eyes.
"Any word from Jess?" he asked, sitting down on the couch to watch her work.
"Yeah. He's coming for the kids as we speak."
"He mention anything?"
"No. He said he didn't want to talk about it. He sounded bad, though."
Tristan nodded. He felt bad for his friend, and he wished he could do something to help out, other than just take the kids. He knew it was pretty much all they could do though.
"HAH! I am the victor!" she cried, successful in removing the goo from the carpet.
"So, Vic, what are you going to do to celebrate?"
"Hmm. Smores?"
"Or we could retire upstairs for a little mid-day romp," he smiled.
"We're not having another kid, Tristan," she warned him.
"What? A challenge is a challenge."
"Do you want me to remind you how old you are?"
"I know how old I am."
"Do you want me to tell you how old you'd be when this hypothetical child graduated high school?"
Tristan winced. "Not so much."
"I thought so."
He stood up, moving towards the kitchen.
"Where are you going?"
"To start the Smores," he called, causing her to smile and follow him into the kitchen.
&&&&
Will rushed back to pick Anna up, straight after his Saturday morning lab. He'd looked up the closest rape survivors group on her campus, and had the information shoved in his jacket pocket. He knocked lightly on the apartment door and waited, hoping she hadn't changed her mind. She opened the door herself, looking much more like herself. She had obviously showered and dressed, and her face wasn't tear-streaked.
"Hey, ready to go?"
She nodded, but didn't move to come out to join him.
"I uh, got the information," he said, handing it to her to look over.
"On the website, it said you didn't have to talk, you could just observe," he continued, as she was still silent. She looked up from the paper in her hands and nodded.
"Okay. Let's go." Her voice was determined and she pulled the door shut behind her as she followed him down to his car.
&&&&
"Wow. Good to hear that Paris is still a nutcase," Lorelai laughed, after hearing Rory tell her of the phone call and the new addition to their plans for going to Stars Hollow the next weekend.
"All I have to say is Marty is a brave, brave man," Rory agreed.
"Speaking of brave men, any word from Jess?"
"Yeah. Uh, Erin left."
"She's in Boston you mean?"
"No. California. He told her to go, and she got her stuff last night, and left."
"Ohmigod. You're kidding me!"
"Nope."
"Poor Jess! Does Luke know?"
"I don't know. He called here earlier, and he didn't say much, just that she came by. He'd gone to see her, and left the kids with us the night before. This is such a mess."
"What a nerve she has!"
"It's still a little weird, to hear you on Jess's side," Rory smiled, hearing her mom sound so upset for him.
"It's been like twenty years, Rory."
"I know. I still get a kick out of it."
"Well, glad to entertain you so. Hey, he's coming next weekend, too, isn't he?"
"I thought so, but I'm not so sure now."
"I'll have Luke call him. He shouldn't be alone right now."
"Yeah. Tristan will probably have Jess help him tail the kids," she giggled.
"They wouldn't," Lorelai laughed.
"Well, we haven't ever let Ella just go off on a road trip like this before, and that boy calls here every night. They talk for-ev-er," Rory drawled out.
"How cute!"
"Tell that to Tristan."
"Aw, what does he know?"
"Right. It's just his kid," Rory joked.
"He doesn't remember what it was like to be in Billy's position?"
"Hey, I'm pretty sure you were the only scary parent Tristan ever encountered. All the others were pretty non-existent."
"I wasn't scary!"
"Mom! You put the fear into all of the guys I went out with!"
"I was sweet to them! I was nice to Dean, remember how nice I was to him?"
"Not at first! You hated him! And Jess, you hated Jess, even before we really dated," she listed.
"But I grew to love them all, that's the important thing, here, really."
"You only grew to love Jess because he's family. And Dean because you knew he'd never do anything to make you upset with him."
"Well, my reasons for being the caring, considerate woman I am aren't important," Lorelai laughed.
"Okay. And on that note, I'll talk to you later, Mommy Dearest," Rory laughed, as they got off the phone and she went off to join Tristan in the kitchen, to help out with dinner.