Once again, I love you guys! The reviews I'm getting brings sunshine to my life and just makes me want to write all day everyday. However, I will be out of town this w/e. I will try and work on a couple of chapters while I'm gone, but I'm not sure I'll be able to get them online. But, I promise I'll put a couple up Sunday night. K?
Also, I know I've asked this before, but I finally have the time to read stories now. So, if you would like me to read your story, please tell me in a review and I will do my best to have it read by next week. Remember to leave the name of the story.
Okay… here's the next chapter… enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I only own Michael…
"Rory! What the hell happened to you?"
Rory shot up from her sleep and looked around. 'Where the hell am I?' she thought. As she looked around, the night before started coming back to her. Jess stirred beside her and opened his eyes. She watched him, pleading with her eyes for help. Jess sat up and looked at Luke, who was standing with his hands on his hips and a half worried, half angry glare on his face beside the bed.
"Oh geez," Jess said and laid back down.
"That's all you have to say, Jess? 'Oh geez.' You are caught in a bed with Rory, who somehow has a black eye, and all you can think to say is 'oh geez?'"
Rory touched her eye and let out a little yelp from the pain. Jess shot back up and took her hand. "You okay?"
Rory nodded and looked at Luke. "Please don't be angry Luke. I'll explain. I promise I will, but can you please just give me a second?"
Luke contemplated this while looking from Rory to Jess to their hands interlocked. He sighed. "I'll go make some coffee. Be downstairs in fifteen minutes."
Rory nodded. Luke turned to leave. "Wait!" He turned back around. "Can you get my mom here? I'd rather tell you both at once."
Luke nodded and left.
Rory took her hand away from Jess' and let her head fall in both her hands. Jess put an arm around her and pulled her towards him. She rested her head on his shoulder and Jess planted a kiss on her forehead. "You did the right thing, Ror." Rory nodded in response and started to cry. "Hey." Jess took her face in his hands. "What's up?"
"He's not gone."
"He will be."
"He's in my dreams, in my thoughts."
"It will get better."
"He's going to come for me."
"I'll be here."
"He'll kill you."
Jess fell silent for a moment. "Not if I kill him first." He planted another kiss on her forehead and hugged her.
Jess and Rory came down the stairs dressed, groomed and holding hands. Lorelai was not there yet, so they both sat at the counter and Luke set down a cup of coffee in front of Rory. She gulped it down within minutes and held her mug out again. Luke smirked and refilled her cup. The room was eerily silent. No one had anything to say until Lorelai got to the diner.
The bell rung above the diner door and Rory turned.
"OH MY GOD! Baby, what happened?" Lorelai asked as she rushed over to her daughter.
Rory didn't even feel the tears come this time. They appeared as her mother hugged her tightly. She needed this. She needed her mom. Before she knew it, she was crying to the point where she was struggling to even breathe. "Oh sweetheart. Please calm down. I can't do anything if I don't know what's going on." Rory moved away and took a few deep breaths. She sat down by Jess again and squeezed her eyes shut real tight. He grabbed her hand and she looked over at him. He squeezed her hand to show support and she gave a small smile to him.
"Mom, Luke, I'm no longer engaged to Michael."
"Well, I should hope not. You spent the night in the same bed as Jess. That doesn't help an engagement much," Luke said.
Rory looked down for a second and regained her strength. "Yeah, well, neither does abusing your fiancé."
Lorelai gasped. "Rory, you're not saying-"
"Yes, mom. Michael has been hitting me."
"Has been?" Luke asked.
"Has been… for about a year now. At first, it was nothing big. He would just grab me a little too hard or smack me once across the face. But as time went on, he got worse. The hits turned to punches. He would," she paused and continued while beginning to cry, "He would throw me up against walls. He even used a knife a couple times."
"Oh sweetheart," Lorelai said and hugged her again. "How could I have not seen this?"
"Oh gosh mom, don't blame yourself. He never did it where anyone could see. I always covered it up- until now."
"Why did you stay with him?" Luke asked.
Rory looked down again. "I truly believed him when he said he loved me. And, I thought I loved him too."
"What made you see differently?" Lorelai asked. Rory looked at Jess. "Oh," Lorelai replied. "So what happened?"
"I told him I was leaving. He obviously thought differently. He attacked me. Somehow, I got away and came here at 3AM."
"3AM! Sweetie, you must be so tired," Lorelai said. "It's only 5:30."
Suddenly Luke threw a mug against the wall. Everyone looked up at him with total shock. "WHO DOES THIS GUY THINK HE IS, HUH? DOES HE GET HIS KICKS ABUSING YOU? DOES HE HAVE TO BE IN CONTROL OR SOMETHING?"
"Luke, please-"
"No Lorelai. This guy is scum. He's worse than scum. He's… mildew." A look of realization crosses Luke's face. "He is the little bugs that eat the scum and mildew."
"Okay, okay babe. I know, but getting angry isn't going to help. We have to think," Lorelai said.
Luke thinks for a second. "Oh, I'll think alright. I'll think about how I'm going to rip the skull out of that kid's head the whole ride to his place. Jess, you coming?"
Jess got up but Rory pulled him back down. "STOP!" Luke stared at her for a second. "Nobody's going anywhere. I understand you guys are angry. I understand you guys want revenge and I completely understand how hurt you guys are. However, whatever you're feeling doesn't compare to what I'm feeling right now. I don't care how bad you two want to kick this guy's ass; it's not going to happen. Michael is dangerous- especially now. Yes, I would love to see Michael go through all the pain I went through, but I'd pick your guys' safety over it any day."
Luke sighed and sat down on the chair across from Lorelai. "So what then? What do we do?"
"We have to go to the police," Lorelai said.
"It's not going to help," Rory answered. "It's Michael's word against mine, and unfortunately, Michael has many lawyer friends. It'll just turn into a messy court battle with no evidence."
"Yes, but they have to do something," Luke said.
"Sure, they'll look it over, and do all they can, but without any evidence, nothing can be done," Rory said.
"So, what do we do?" Jess asked.
"I need to get evidence," Rory answered.