Ok, for the first round of my little game, I send a spoiler or preview to everyone who participated. But this time I will keep my own rules. So again, write "Spoiler" or "preview" under your review if you want to paticipate!

Next chapter, because I´m bored and I just can´t wait to give you the next chapters, because they were sooo hard to write!

Chapter 16: Picking up the pieces

When Lorelai snapped out of her daze a few seconds later she followed him as fast as she could. She didn't want to imagine what Luke would do if Luke met Chris alone in their house with their kids, in the state he currently was in.

Of course Luke was faster and reached the house before her. He pushed the door open and ran upstairs from where he heard Williams voice.

They all were in William room, Gigi sitting in one corner of the room, while the other three threw Williams Lego through the room and Chris watched smiling.

"What's going on here?" Luke asked when he entered. The three kids stopped the throwing, but still smiled.

"They just wanted to..." Chris started.

"Get the hell away from my kids!" Luke hissed and Chris saw in his eyes that it was better not to argue with him. Just when he wanted to leave the room Lorelai came into it.

"Lor´ what happened?" Chris asked her when he saw her eyes glistering with tears.

"Just go downstairs Chris, please!" she told him and walked inside towards her kids. Chris walked out of the room but waited for Lorelai, while Luke looked like he would attack him any second. Lorelai kneeled down.

"Sweeties, why don't you tidy up here a bit. Daddy and I will be downstairs. Tell us when you're done. I'm sure Gigi will help you!" she said with a quivering voice, then she stood up. Gigi was studying her and one could see on Williams face that he knew something was wrong.

"Luke please!" she pleaded and touched his arm to lead him outside, he pulled away, but walked outside. Chris was waiting for Lorelai and they all walked downstairs, so that the kids wouldn't hear them.

"Lor´ are you okay?" Chris asked when they were standing in the living room and tried to turn Lorelai around, so that he would face her.

"Get your hands off!" Luke hissed and slapped Chris' hands away.

"So he can sleep in a bed with me, but isn't allowed to touch me? You said you wouldn't care!" Lorelai yelled at Luke, trying hard not to start crying.

"So you want him touching you? Then who am I to interfere! Go along Chris! Do whatever you like with her. But not before I get my kids out of here!"

"How can you say something like that? How? How can you not care? " Lorelai was roaring at Luke.

"How I can say that? Because obviously I've been a stupid idiot, believing that you would want me and love me as much as I love you. But the second he is back you let him manipulating you like he did before and expect me to just stand beside it watching. I can't wait until he will disappears again and then pick up the pieces. Every time he comes back you let him into your life, ruining everything and then walks away until he decides that it is time to come back. If you want that, it seems like I can't change that. As much as I want to, I cannot fight it, because this is going on for over twenty years and it will never change, no matter what I do. I tried to be cool when he showed up, out of nowhere. I was okay with it when his daughter spending the night. But this is too much! If you can't decide whether you want me or him, then I'll decide for you!" Luke told her, suddenly very calm.

"I want you Luke!" Lorelai said desperately.

"For what? Soothing you when he will leave you again?" Luke asked and walked into the kitchen. Lorelai wanted to run after him, but she knew there was no way she could talk to him now. She bit her lower lip trying to hold back the sobs that were building in her throat. She was shaking, but she wasn't realizing it.

"Lor´. I'm sorry!" Chris said and hugged her.

"Why did you come back?" Lorelai asked him and untangled herself from him.

"I told you. I had a meeting and..." Chris started.

"Is there a meeting on Wednesday?" Lorelai interrupted him.

"Yes!" Chris said and ran one of his hands through his hair.

"Chris!"

"No! No there is no meeting!" he said defeated.

"You lied! I can't believe this!" she was yelling again.

"I did not know that you were married! I did not know about the kids! I just thought you had left your groom standing in front of the altar."

"You knew that I was married and had kids when you came back today!"

"Lor´ I want you back! There is something between us. It's still there. I can feel it and I know you feel it, too. You let me stay here although you knew that Luke wouldn't like it. You knew what I was doing and you played along."

"I was caring for Gigi, Chris. Not for you. I feel pity for this poor little girl and the way you treat her. That's why I let you stay here. Nothing more!"

"You're lying to yourself Lorelai. I already said it at your parents vow-renewal. We belong together! For over twenty years we've belonged together! And I can give you anything you want now. I have money, I'm successful. We can travel, sail, visit parties, buy a house, whatever you want!"

"What I want? Are you really interested in what I want? I'll tell you! I want that Luke forgives me for letting you do this to us. Again, I might add! I want you to stop ruining my life, whenever you show up! I want you to treat your daughter better, because this girl is afraid of you! I wish that Luke was here with me right now, so that he would hear what I ´m gonna tell you: I do NOT love you. I've never loved you! I never knew what love was until I met Luke and I'm sure you never experienced it, because then you would see that this here is not love. Love is the way he cares for my daughter which is not his, love is when he is slipping vegetables into my food, so that I won't die before him. Love is when I can't sleep because I just have to stare at him. And in the morning he wakes me up because he is staring at me. It is when he held my hair and rubbed my back while I was throwing up during my pregnancies and afterwards we lay together on the bed, fantasizing about our babies. When he closes the diner because I am sick and he wants to be there for me so I won't get bored. When he sings our kids to sleep and thinks I don't know it. And tells me that he loves me every morning when he thinks I'm still asleep. That is love! And you showed up and I let you ruin it!" She was crying now. During her speech she had become louder and louder and in the end she had been yelling again.

"We can have that Lorelai! I swear, we can have that, and more!" Chris told her, stepped forward and lay his hands on her shoulders, trying to pull her close.

"I don't want you Chris! I want Luke! I had that with Luke!"

"But I want you Lor´! I need you!" Chris yelled and shook her hard. He was desperate.

"I love you Lor´. I love you!" he said and shook her harder.

"Auw, Chris you are hurting me!" Lorelai called out.

"We belong together. You don't need him! I..." he went on, but suddenly was pulled off of Lorelai and crushed against one of the book-shelves.

Luke heard everything. He had gone to the kitchen to grab a beer, but then had decided against it, wanting to go for a walk to clear his head and taking the kids with him, when he had heard Chris saying that there would be no meeting on Wednesday. He had waited behind the door. He wanted to know how Lorelai would react. He was hurt and angry, but he needed to know. And then he had heard her speech and his reaction. When she had said that he hurt her, it had been enough.

Lorelai realized that the shaking had stopped and the hands on her arms weren't there hurting her anymore. She opened her eyes, which she had closed, because of the pain and saw Luke in front of her. Without thinking she wrapped her arms around his waist and hid her face in his chest. She didn't want to see Chris anymore. She took a deep breath and was surrounded by Luke´s after-shave. This scent was so typical Luke that it calmed her immediately. No matter how many hours he spend in the diner, when he came back home he would still smell like this. And she could just smell it if she got close enough. When she would kiss him, hug him or snuggle into him, she would be surrounded by it. Like now.

Chris looked around confused then saw Lorelai clinging to Luke, hiding her face in his chest.

"Oh my god. I'm sorry Lorelai. I don't know how this could happen!" he said shocked about himself.

"Get Gigi and leave our house, now!" Luke said calmly, while he stroked over Lorelai's hair. He felt angry, but on the other hand guilty because of the things he had said to her. He couldn't understand why he had let it come this far. But the second he saw Chris all reasonable thoughts left his brain. Five years ago it had been the same and he had promised himself that it would never happen again. At first he had been successful hiding how much he hated it that Chris was there, but this morning and with the thought that this guy would live under his roof, it had been too much.

"Sure, I'm sorry!" Chris said and walked upstairs to get Gigi and her bag.

Lorelai and Luke were in the same position when he came back downstairs.

"Bye Luke! Bye Lorelai!" Gigi said and Lorelai stepped a little away from Luke, wiping her eyes with her sleeves and then turned around to Gigi.

"Bye Gigi. Have a good trip!" She said and hugged the girl.

"Luke, can I maybe come back?" Gigi asked unsure.

"Of course. Every time you want. Just call Rory, she will bring you here." Luke answered and also hugged her.

"Thanks daddy!" she whispered and hugged him back. Luke winked at her and the door closed and she was gone with Chris.

Luke looked at Lorelai, who still had tears in her eyes.

"I think we should start picking up the pieces" he said with a serious expression and sighed.

TBC Please review!