Lorelai POV
I took a shaky breath as I walked down the corridor, following the man in the uniform.
I had taken the day off work to do this, and while Luke knew what I was doing, I had kept it from Rory, not wanting her to worry. As I sat down in my seat, he walked in and sat down opposite me, hatred burning in his eyes.
I picked up the phone and so did he, and before I had the opportunity to speak, he spoke, "Why are you here?"
"Why did you do it?" I asked, "What did it achieve?"
He rolled his eyes, "It achieved pain. It wasn't quite what I wanted; I wanted to play with her for a bit before killing her, but you taught her well. But I'm curious; how is she?"
I was grateful that there was glass between us because I had the urge to reach out and strangle him, but instead, I took a deep breath and started again, "What exactly did you do to her?"
He laughed, "She hasn't told you? I thought you were best friends."
"What did you do to her?" I asked, swallowing nervously. I needed to know.
He smiled, "I was walking around the school looking for a place to hide, but a place where I could grab her from, and as I walk past a bathroom, she walks out. She started to run and I grabbed her arm, dragging her back. I put my hand over her mouth so she wouldn't scream and injected her with Ketamine to either calm her down or knock her out - either route worked for me. I carried her out to my car using a few of the shortcuts so I could skip the main entrance, and then drove to my parent's home in Hartford rather than where they're living now."
I already felt sick and we had barely started. However, I remained silent and let him continue.
"I played with her, breaking her legs and kicking her a lot."
"You also stomped on her a few times," I reminded him, remembering the boot prints on her chest and stomach. He chuckled but otherwise ignored my comment.
"When she came around, she started kicking and fighting, despite the obvious breaks and the pain she was in. I hit her in the face and she slowed down for a moment, letting me resume what I was doing prior. See, I had a few friends that I was in prison with coming over and I was preparing her for them."
I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and interrupted him, unable to take it anymore, "Rot in hell."
When I told Luke about what he had told me, he looked as sick as I felt, "I know he talked about the black market, but planning to do that... No wonder she hasn't spoken about it."
"And it's no wonder that she flinches when we touch her," I said, looking over at her. Her bruises on her face were pretty much gone but her eyes were just as black due to the lack of sleep. She was resting, a book closed on her lap and her gaze focused on the outside.
"We should take a road trip," Luke suddenly said, "It might help to clear our heads and it might help Rory in some way or another."
I shrugged, "I don't know. We'd have to ask her what she thinks. But not today, I just want a movie night and to hold her in my arms."
"Go home, I'll bring snacks when I finish here."
I did just that, taking Rory home and asking about the movies she wanted to watch. She picked out her favourite films from the box we had filled over the years, and we cuddled up on the couch with her in my arms. Being able to hold her soothed the pain in my heart, even if it only lasted a few hours.
When the boys came home, Jess was laden with bags and Luke was empty-handed, clearly enjoying the fact it wasn't him carrying the bags. Luke took the top bag from Jess and dropped it in Rory's lap, who pulled out a large tub of hot soup; he would always make it at work as he could, and bring it home fresh off the stove, meaning we didn't have to wait for food. He then held out a spoon, allowing her to dig straight in.
She beamed up at him, "Thanks, Dad."
"What do I get?" I asked, removing my arm from around Rory's shoulders so she could eat.
He handed me my bag, and I found two tubs in there. I pulled out the first one and decided to leave the second for later, "Chili cheese fries!"
It was one of my many comfort-foods and I loved that my husband wouldn't even question it.
Luke and Jess said down with their own bags and started eating, and as we did, I noticed something. Jess could barely keep his eyes off of Rory. I didn't know whether it was a crush or just plain concern, but he would look at her every few seconds. She didn't notice, her eyes fixed on the telly, watching Willy Wonka.
After dinner, I headed into the kitchen to take a breather. I had spent the whole day trying not to fall apart, especially after Christopher told me what he had planned. Holding her and being close to her had helped in a big way, but I was really struggling with it. I sighed and was about to return to the movie when Luke wrapped his strong arms around me, kissing my neck softly and holding me as close as possible.
"I'm not okay," I admitted quietly, tears starting to stream down my face again. I had turned into a bit of a cry-baby over the last few weeks and I was tired of it, but I couldn't control it, either.
"No one is okay at the moment," He told me, "But we will be. I promise."
AN: I know this chapter is approaching M territory with what I'm insinuating, but I'm hoping it's okay. Imagine what you think happened, this is going to be down to you to decide. And let me know what you think he was 'preparing' for.