"What are you doing here?" Lorelai asked immediately as she stared at Carven.

"I'm here to see you." Carven smiled.

"Sorry, I have a meeting with my landlord at 12:30."

"Surprise." Carven replied walking closer to her.

Lorelai's face became blank. "Oh, no... no..." She shook her head. "You're my landlord? You're Mr. Hampton?"

"I am." Carven confessed. "If I'm not his clothes sure do fit me well."

Lorelai was not amused. She stood there regretting the fact she had rented the apartment. "Well, let's get down to business then."

Carven walked alongside Lorelai as they headed to a table. "You look very charming this afternoon." Carven commented.

Lorelai stopped walking and turned quickly "Let's get one thing straight right now. I don't date. Even if I did date, I wouldn't date you. You're my landlord and nothing else."

Carven squinted his eyes. "You don't take a compliment very well, do you?" Lorelai didn't reply. "Alright, well, down to business then." The two ordered lunch and went over everything for Lorelai's new apartment. By 1:00 pm Lorelai was tying her apron back on, as Carven was exiting the inn.

"What a nice man." Mia commented as she walked over beside Lorelai.

"Don't let him fool you." Lorelai replied as she straightened her apron and headed for the stairs.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly and before Lorelai had noticed it was 3:30. Rory should be coming into the inn at any moment. A little anxious about seeing her daughter, and ensuring that everything was okay, Lorelai had managed to dust the same shelves in the lobby for ten minutes. Her eyes stayed focused on the doorway, as she awaited Rory's arrival. By 3:40 the shelves had never been cleaner and there was still no sign of Rory. Lorelai tried to not jump to any conclusions, but when the clock struck 3:50, panic struck Lorelai's heart.

"Mia." She called as she walked over to the front desk.

"What is it?" Mia asked, noticing the concern in Lorelai's face and voice.

"My daughter, Rory, was supposed to be here at 3:30 today, and well... as you can see, she's not."

"Oh, dear... Well, not let's not panic. Have you tried calling the school? Perhaps something happened with her bus schedule."

Lorelai shook her head no. "May I use the phone?"

"Oh, of course." Mia handed Lorelai the phone. It rang several times, but no one never answered. Lorelai's eyes began to tear up as she thought of the thousand things that could have gone wrong.

"Don't panic." Mia repeated. "I'm sure everything is okay."

"I don't understand." Lorelai replied confused. "She should be here! "

Mia came around to the opposite side of the counter. "You go on home, Lorelai, see if she's there. She may have forgotten she was supposed to meet you here today. I'll keep an eye out for her here."

Lorelai quickly pulled herself back together. "Thank you, Mia." She obliged.

Mia sighed as she watched Lorelai hurry out of the inn.

Rory stepped off the bus, she had no idea where she was at, but she knew it wasn't the Independence Inn. She looked around the street, and didn't recognize anything or anyone. The first thing she thought of was that she needed to call her mother. She walked into the first place of business that she saw.

"Excuse me." The little voice asked as her head barely raised above the counter. "May I use your telephone?"

The rough looking man gazed down at the child. "Sure." he replied a little off guard.

Rory took the phone and dialed the number of the inn.

"Hello?" The small Frenchman answered.

"Hi, is Lorelai there?" Rory asked.

"I am sorry, she has went home for the evening."

Before Rory could reply, the man hung up the phone, leaving Rory with only a dial tone. Looking up at the man who was focused on making a pot of coffee, Rory decided to use the phone once more. She quickly dialed the number to their new apartment.

A breathless Lorelai answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Mom."

"Rory!" Lorelai asked frantically. "Where are you?"

"I'm not sure." Rory replied. "It looks like a restaurant."

"Is there a sign anywhere?" Lorelai questioned.

Rory gazed around the room. "There's one that says William's Hardware." Rory replied. "But I don't think they sell tools here." She added.

Suddenly, Lorelai's heart sank. She knew exactly where Rory was calling from. "Stay there, sweetie." She replied calmly. "I'll be there as soon as I can."