Because I want to give you the Christmas Chapter on Christmas I´m gonna update very quick now. I just hope you like it! Reviews please!

Chapter 22: Snow, Laila and "five"

"Muuuumy, Daaadyyyy! Look! Look!" William screamed and ran into the kitchen area where his parents were washing the dishes.

"William Jeremy Danes, for the last time: Stop yelling!" Luke said and stopped his running by holding him back on his shoulders.

"But there is snow! It´s snowing!" William went on screaming.

"What! Snow! Yeah, it´s snowing! It´s snowing Luke!" Lorelai yelled just as loud as William when she looked out of the window.

"Lorelai Victoria Danes! Same rules for you!" Luke said and stopped her bouncing by placing a hand on her shoulder. But other than William she was not impressed and hugged him, then started bouncing and yelling again.

"It´s snowing! It´s snowing! Isn´t it magical when it snows! Look Luke, everything is so silent and pretty!"

"It would be if you would stop this annoying yelling. Geez, you´re not three years old anymore!" Luke told her.

"No, cause that would make you a pedophile and me a strange kid, because I would be younger than my own daughter!" she grinned and ran to the TV where the twins were watching Cartoons and turned it of.

"Muumy!" Sara began to protest and Laila started pouting.
"Come on, kids. We will dress you into something warm and then we will go out and enjoy the snow!" Before the two could react Lorelai had scooped them up in her arms and carried them to the bedroom to change them. William followed her babbling about the snow. Luke just shook his had, then finished washing the dishes.

"Luke! What are you doing? Leave this stupid dishes and get your coat!" Lorelai yelled when she came out of the bedroom with the twins in her arms and William following her. All were dressed in snow-dresses, caps and gloves.

"You go, I stay here inside." Luke told her. Lorelai looked stunned, then shocked.

"Hey kids, why don´t you go out already. But stay in front of the house. If I´ll see one of you near the lake you´ll be in your room for the rest of our time here. Understood?" she asked and when all three nodded she opened the door and let them out.

"Now to you! Why don´t you want to come out with us?" she asked Luke.

"It´s wet, it´s cold, you four are yelling, so I´ll get a headache and I have to tidy up in here."

"But Luke it´s your birthday. I want you to have fun. Please!" she begged.

"No, Lorelai. I really don´t want to. You go out and have fun. I stay here. It´s okay, really. Now go, the kids are waiting for you." he said and kissed her on the cheek before he went to William´s bedroom to make the bed. Lorelai sighed, then walked out.

When Luke was done making the beds, he looked out the window to watch Lorelai and the kids. But while Sara and William had a snowball-fight and Laila tried to build a snowman Lorelai just stood there, watching the kids. She looked sad and did nothing more then just to tell William to slow down or refusing Laila to help her. Luke felt sorry, because he knew it was his fault. They always had spend some time out together during the first snow. So Luke took his coat from the hook, took out his gloves and silently walked outside. Lorelai stood with her back towards him, oblivious to the fact that her husband stood just a few feet from her on the porch.

Luke took some snow from the railing, formed a ball and threw it at Lorelai. It hit her in the back.

"William, Sara! I told you not to..." she trailed of when she turned around and saw Luke standing on the porch, grinning at her. She began to smile, picked up some snow, made a ball and threw it at him. The ball hit him on the chest. When he didn´t react she threw one more ball at him. When it hit him in the stomach he began slowly to walk towards Lorelai, picked some snow up in the progress. She walked backwards, trying to get away from him. When he started to run, she started running, too. But he was faster and grabbed her arm, then smeared the snow he had in his hand into her face. She squeaked and wound herself in his arms, her face covered with snow. But then she turned around and rubbed her face against his, before she kissed him, pushing him towards her with a hand on his neck. Luke placed his hands on her face and rubbed the snow off her cheeks and her eyes, which were still closed. When the snow was off she opened them and looked into his, while she tried to deepen the kiss by trying to invade his mouth with her tongue. But Luke kept his mouth shut and pulled away.

"Not with the kids around. I´m not really fond of another tongue and throat discussion with our son!" he grinned and gave her one quick peck before he stepped back and wiped the snow of his own face. She then took his arms and and placed them around her waist, then leaned back into the embrace and Luke leaned his chin on her shoulder.

"I thought you didn´t want to come out!" she said barely above a whisper.

" But I can´t stand it when my wife looks sad and snaps at our kids" Luke said.

"Softy!" she smiled. Then they watched William and Sara rolling around in the snow for some time.

"I think I´ll help Laila!" Luke said, kissed her on the cheek and turned around towards the snow-man-to-be. But Laila wasn´t there.

Luke turned around one time, looking in all directions, but he couldn´t see her.

"Laila? Laila?" he called her, but got no response.

Lorelai who was standing beside William and Sara now turned around and saw the panicked look on Luke´s face.

"Lorelai where is she?" he yelled and ran towards the car, looked if she hid behind it. But she wasn´t there. Both Luke and Lorelai ran panicked over the snow covered ground, both calling Laila. But got no response. William and Sara also called her and looked irritated from Luke to Lorelai and back.

After they had checked behind the car, on the porch, behind the house and in the garage their panic reached a new level. Lorelai ran towards Luke and held onto his arms tightly. She wanted him to tell her that everything was all right, that he had found her. They had already searched for 15 minutes, but she wasn´t there. When she looked up at Luke she saw the same panic she felt, in his eyes.

"Luke, where is she? We searched everywhere!" her voice quivered.

"No, not everywhere!" Luke said and when she followed his gaze she gasped. They looked at each other for a second then began to run.

They both stared at the lake. The ice on it was broken on several spots and Lorelai let out a scream before Luke pulled her towards him.

"Mommy?" William asked when he reached his parents which both just stared at the lake.

"William take Sara and go back to the house." Luke told him and William understood that something was wrong. He ran towards Sara, took her hand and dragged her into the house, while she screamed and tried to slap his hand away.

"I go out and try if I see her." Luke said untangled from Lorelai and walked towards the lake. He took a step on the ice and it broke.

"Luke!" Lorelai screamed and held him back.

"No, no! You stay away from that lake."

"But we need to do something!" Luke yelled back at his crying wife.

"But you will break in and drown. I will call the police." she said and grabbed his hand. She knew that if she left him there he would try it again.

Together they ran into the house and Lorelai grabbed her cellphone and called the police.

"Daddy? Daddy where is Laila?" William asked.

"I don´t know, Will. I don´t know!" Luke said defeated and tried to hold back the tears. Then he suddenly felt sick and knew he was going to throw up any second. So he stood up and rushed to the bathroom.

Lorelai in the meantime had called the police and was in the middle of explained to them what had happened and where they were when she heard Luke screaming her name.

She dropped the phone and ran to the bathroom. Luke was still standing in the door-frame. She stepped in beside him and saw what he saw. Laila was sitting on the toilet, sound asleep. At first she started to laugh, but soon the laughing turned to crying out of relieve. She hugged her husband and clung to him.

"She could have been dead, Luke" she sniffed.

"I know" he just answered and rubbed her back. When she stepped back she walked over to Laila and took her off the toilet. Luke pulled up her panties and pants and Lorelai carried her over to the living room.

"Mommy, broke!" Sara said and showed Lorelai the cellphone where the display was broken. Lorelai just smiled and pressed Laila tighter against her, kissed her head several times.

The only time she had ever been scared that much and then relieved that much was when Rory and Jess had had the car accident and she just had had a broken wrist afterwards.

"Daddy, I know what I want for Christmas !" Will said suddenly as if nothing had happened. Luke smiled and felt relieved that William went back to normal so quickly.

"And what is it?" He picked him up and placed him in his lap when he sat down next to Lorelai. Sara snuggled into his side.

"A giny-pig!" William said.

"You mean a guinea-pig?" Luke asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, can we add it to my list for Santa?" he asked.

"William a pet is not a toy. You have to feed it, clean the cage, look after it when it runs through the house. And it´s tiny and boring and the cage smells. I think you should pick something different. You already have so many things on your list for Santa, I think that´s enough."

"But I only want a giny-pig. Please daddy! Tell Santa!" William begged.

"We will tell him. But you know that you won´t get everything you wish for." Lorelai said.

"Tell him, that´s the only thing I want!"

Luke looked at Lorelai with raised eyebrows. William had changed his mind so often about Christmas presents, but this time he seemed very sure. Luke was not very fond of that idea. He knew that if they would get William a guinea-pig, he would be the one looking after it. A three year old was certainly not able to care for a pet all by himself and he knew that Lorelai was even worse.

"We will tell him, Will" Luke sighed.

"Presents, good point. Sara why don´t you get your daddy his presents?" Lorelai said. Sara ran off towards her room while Lorelai nudged Laila.

"Hey, princess! Wake up! Laila!" she whispered into her daughters ear. Laila stirred and slowly opened her eyes.

"Mommy?" she said a bit confused. When Laila looked at her Lorelai couldn´t hold back the tears any longer.

"God, my princess. Don´t ever scare me like this again!" she sniffed.

"Mommy?" Laila asked again when she saw Lorelai´s tears and touched her mothers face, as if to inspect if she was hurt.

"Why is mommy crying?" William whispered to Luke, but loud enough for Lorelai to hear.

"Because your sister here scared us when she just went away without telling us. We thought she fell into the lake" Lorelai explained.

"But we are not allowed to go near the lake!" William said in a duh-tone.

"I know. But you are not always following the rules. And it´s very dangerous if you go near the lake" Luke said.

"Why?" Laila asked.

"Because you can drown and then you are dead" Luke explained.

"Why?" Laila asked again.

"Because you can´t swim"

"Why?"

"´Cause you are too small to swim. And because it´s too cold to swim."

"Pesents, daddy!" Sara yelled when she came back with a package in her hand.

"Thank you, baby!" Luke smiled and picked up Sara.

"My place!" she said and nudged William, who still sat in his fathers lap.

"Hey, Sara! Stop it! Your brother can also sit in my lap, not only you. But I think if you ask him nicely he is willing to move a bit so you both can sit in my lap!" Luke told his daughter.

"Will, please!" she then said to her brother. William looked up at Luke who just looked at him. William sighed, then moved a bit and muttered something. Luke ignored it.

Sara smiled and climbed onto Luke´s lap.

"And what do you say?" Luke asked her with raised eyebrows.

"Sank you, Will!" Sara said with a dramatic eye-roll. Lorelai who had watched the whole scene started to laugh.

When Luke opened his present he found three framed pictures in it. One picture of each kid. All three were dressed up nicely and the pictures showed the personality of the child perfectly. William was dressed in Jeans and a blue dress-shirt. He had his hands in the pockets and smiled into the camera with a dangerous glint in his eyes, while he obviously tried to look "cool".

Laila wore a light yellow dress and her hair was in a knot on her head. She looked shyly into the camera and Luke could make out the slightest smile on her face.

Sara´s picture was just as different from her sisters, just like the twins personalities. Sara wore a blue dress and obviously twirled around while the picture was taken. She grinned widely, stuck out her tongue and her dark curls were flying around her.

"Wow, thank you!" Luke smiled. It was a tradition that every year Luke would get new pictures of his dressed up kids. And after the kids would be in bed, Lorelai would give him his real present. Last year it had been a new fishing-set, the year before she had hired Tom to renovate Luke´s old apartment.

"Daddyyy!" Sara interrupted his thoughts.

"What, Baby?" he asked.

"´ute?" she asked an pointed to her picture.

"Very cute!" Luke laughed.

"Kiss?" she demanded. Luke gave her a kiss and then leaned over to Laila and kissed her also on the cheek.

"Five daddy!" William said when Luke wanted to kiss him and held up his hand.

"What?" Luke asked confused.

"Gimme five daddy!" William told him as if it would be the most normal thing. Lorelai burst out in laughter when Luke really gave William "five".

"How cute! Male bonding!" she laughed and William and Luke looked at her with the same annoyed expression what caused her to laugh even harder.

TBC