Author's Note: Sorry it took forever for an update. Hopefully this chapter doesn't suck (I am always the optimist). Anyway, enjoy.

Disclaimer: The characters are still not mine. Nor will they ever be mine.

Sing For Me

Chapter 16

Lorelai walked away from the Diner and met up with Rory at Miss Patty's.

"Hey," Rory called out to her, "How did it go?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now," Lorelai said softly to her.

Rory sensed the sadness in Lorelai's voice so she backed off asking for any information at that moment. "Mom, do you still want to do this?"

Lorelai shook her head as if she was trying to snap herself back into action. She looked at Rory and put a smile on her face and said, "Yeah, of course I want to do this. We are going to get on that stage and show this town what crazy old broads we can be."

"If you take out the 'old' part I think that's information they already know."

"Yeah, well..."

Lorelai grabbed her costume and wig and she and Rory got ready.

When they finished changing they got outside right before the show was to start. Sookie was standing in front of the stage holding baby Davy who was sleeping. Lane and her band weren't far behind her, and Paris was also there sitting in a big lounge chair on the side, scribbling in her notepad with a camera next to her. She was no doubt noting any and all mental instability she saw.

Lorelai pointed to Paris, "So she really came."

"Yeah," Rory said.

"Does she not have anything better to do?"

"Well, she got into counting how many blatant scenes of homoeroticism there was in 'The Lord of the Rings' but I was able to convince her that behavior like that wasn't going to make her any friends anywhere except in internet forums."

"Yeah, well tell her that if she really wants to see a show with lots of homoeroticism she should watch 'Everwood.'"

"Mom..."

"I'm just saying."

They came up to Sookie who was nervously looking over at Jackson who was standing next to the stage.

"Hey Sookie," Lorelai said to her, "you doing okay?"

"No. Yes. No. I...Lorelai, he's going to embarrass himself up there."

"I'm sure he'll be okay, Sookie," Rory reassured her.

"I read his poem last night," Sookie told them.

"And..." Lorelai asked.

"And," Sookie shifted her feet," It's about oranges. The poem is about oranges."

"The color orange?" Rory asked.

"No, the fruit," Sookie responded.

"Jackson's poem is about the fruit?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh my gosh, this is going to be so bad."

"Ah, Sookie. It's not going to be that bad." Lorelai said that to Sookie with every intention of making it sound like she was talking about Jackson's poem but her voice sounded a little sad as she said it. Lorelai turned around to look back but turn back around when she didn't see the person she wanted to see behind her.

"I hope not." Sookie said than looked at Lorelai and noticed she didn't looked thrilled to be there. "Hey," she said, "Are you okay?"

"Huh, oh yeah. I'm fine."

Rory looked at Lorelai and looked back over a Sookie. She sighed and looked behind her to see what Lorelai had been looking at. That is to say, not been looking at. She didn't see anything but townspeople and Lane and her band. Rory looked at Lorelai with a small smile.

"Hey, I'm going to say hi to Lane really quick and wish her good luck. You gonna be okay?"

Lorelai smiled at her, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Okay." Rory walked away and went over to Lane who was busy telling Zach that he shouldn't start breaking his guitar on stage.

Just then Jackson walked over to Lorelai and Sookie.

"Jackson, Hey." Lorelai said to him. "You all ready to get up there and Poetize?

"Doesn't poetize mean to write poetry?" he asked her.

"Eh, whatever."

"I can't wait to get there," he told her. The nervousness came back to Sookie and she started shifting her feet again.

"Well, break a leg," Lorelai told him.

"Thanks," he said, "I really need to get back to the stage. I'm up first," the excitement in his voice was impossible to ignore. He gave Sookie a kiss on the cheek and Davy a kiss on the top of the head. "Daddy has to go on stage and poetize," he said to the sleeping baby.

"Good luck," Sookie called out to him. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh..."

"Sookie, you're giving yourself an anxiety attack," Lorelai cautioned her.

"You're right it's just a poem, right. How bad could it be?"