Again I needed some tricks to be able to update because I can´t upload documents anymore. I hope they´ll fix it. I mean it´s not like this is the first time that happens!

But I don´t wanted to make you wait any longer and I need your reviews very fast, so that I can finish chapter 33. So keep me awake.

I also noticed that I have some new reviewers and I really appreciate it. I mean I love you guys who always review, don´t get me wrong, but it´s nice to have some names you don´t know in your review-box.Thank you so much.

And the last chapter has been the chapter with the most reviews, so again Thank you, you rock! Please review this one, too!

Chapter 31: Judge Emily

Luke looked confused through the room, his expression matched William´s and they maybe had never looked more alike.

"Mommy? Mommy!" William said then looked at his father again. Luke hadn´t heard the stairs so he figured she must still be downstairs somewhere.

"Maybe she is in the kitchen" Luke said and walked through the dinning-room in the kitchen with William still on his arm.

In the kitchen they found Emily, Richard and the twins but Lorelai wasn´t there.

"Mommy?" William asked nonetheless.

"You´re mommy is not here, little boy." Richard said and took William from Luke.

"Have you seen her?" Luke asked them

"Luke, could I talk to you for a second?" Emily said in a tone that made clear that this wasn´t a question. Richard looked at her and nodded before he left the room with the kids.

"Emily I really need to find Lorelai. Can we talk later?" Luke tried it.

"No, we can´t talk later and it wouldn´t surprise me if Lorelai doesn´t want you to find her. Luke this behavior of yours is unacceptable and I will not, under any circumstances accept that you treat my daughter that way!" she told him with pursed lips and narrowed eyes.

"Look, Emily I don´t think this is any of your business so please..." Luke wasn´t allowed to finish his sentence.

"It absolutely is my business! It is my business when I arrive here and want to look after my grandchildren and my daughter is sitting on the couch, the phone in her hand, with a tear-stained face, completely panicked and is waiting for the police to call her and tell her that her husband had been killed in a car accident. I have witnessed many fights between the two of you over the last years and I always held my tongue. If you two are screaming and yelling, throwing things at each other or whatever, you are right it is none of my business. It hurts me to see my only daughter unhappy and upset, but I always stayed out of it. But when you two are yelling in front of my grand-children, insulting each other and make them insecure and unhappy it surely is my business. This is unacceptable and unforgivable and I will not stand beside it and watch you two shredding the other one in pieces while the children are in the same room! You should be ashamed of yourself! And if you two are planing to let this happen more frequent in the next time then you should think about getting a divorce!" Emily finished her angry speech.

Luke knew that she was right, there was nothing to argue about that. She had a point.

""I...I´m sorry. I know we shouldn´t argue in front of them. It was the first time and it never happened before and it won´t happen again."

"We´ll see about that. But now tell me what on earth are you thinking treating my daughter that way?" she had her hands on her hips now and looked like she would jump into his face an second.

"Emily..." Luke tried again.

"No, not Emily! I watched my daughter for the last few weeks and I asked her several times what is wrong with her and all she said was "I´m fine!". There might have been a time when I didn´t knew my daughter at all, but this time is certainly over! She is unhappy, I can see it in her eyes and because she gets so skinny again! Unhappy and worried. The only thing she told me is that you don´t have much time for the kids or her anymore because you are helping some new neighbor to move in. Is that true, Lucas? What do you have to say to defend yourself?" This was too much for Luke. He had tried to stay calm, but again Emily had provoked him so much he saw red.

"To defend myself? Because of what and in front ofwhom do I have the duty to defend myself? Certainly not in front of you! You are not a judge and you don´t have a say in this! The second my old friend Kirsten walked into this house your precious daughter hated her. She was killing her with her eyes and the only thing that held her back from throwing her out was the fact that I would have freaked out! I have to help Kirsten, because her husband died two years ago in a damn car-accident, because the breaks of the cars weren´t okay! She lost her husband and her son and she is so hurt that she has to motivate herself to get up every morning. Lorelai has no idea what it means to lose persons you love and she should be thankful for this! But no, your spoiled daughter is offending Kirsten, she is unfriendly and impolite. One day she is yelling at me, another she doesn´t want to let me go. Then she is sending me on a meeting with my friends and then accuses me later I would have lied to her. All I did the last 14 years was fulfilling every wish she and Rory had as far as I could afford it. She made me do things she knew I hated, but I did them anyway. And now the last 4 weeks I don´t have as much time for her as I used to have because I´m helping a friend I knew from the day she was born. And what is my lovely wife doing? She is yelling at me, accusing me of cheating and insulting my friend and her daughter! She knows me and she knows I just have to help! And it never occurred to her one single moment that I´m working my ass off over there that we will be finished as fast as possible so that I can spend more time with her and the kids again, because I miss them!" he yelled. He stood there, breathing heavy, looking Emily in the eyes. Her expression had changed several times during his rant.

"Then tell her that Luke. We both know how insecure she is sometimes and I´m sure she already sees you running off with your friend. We also both know that these insecurities about herself are Richard´s and my fault. But about her being spoiled: That is your doing alone. And I never had the impression that it disturbed you. Personally I think you secretly like it. But she is really miserable at the moment and it seems like you didn´t even notice. But William did. He told me "Mommy is unhappy because daddy is not there to tuck us in anymore". He is not a baby anymore and he feels and sees that something isn´t right and that makes him sad. And the twins are feeling it as well. Maybe they can´t express it as clearly as William, but you should see their looks when Lorelai comes back in the evening or afternoon and asks if you are here and I have to tell her you aren´t. She tries to hide her disappointment with a smile, but they are not stupid and they know their mother. You have to get over this, for the sake of your children." Emily said softly.

Luke looked defeated. He sat down on a chair, ran his hand through his hair.

"I know, I know that. But she doesn´t talk to me. I asked her if something was wrong and she told me there wasn´t. She bottles everything up and then bang she explodes and everything is shred into pieces. And then she sends me away, or she disappears. We come back, we argue again and then make up after days, because we can´t stand it anymore. If the fight is about a new curtain or because she wants me to wear a turkey costume on Thanksgiving this is working. But not this time. How can I talk to her if I don´t have a clue where she is. Maybe she is upstairs, maybe at Sookie´s, at Yale, the Inn... I don´t know!" he threw his hands in the air in frustration.

"She will come back eventually and then you can talk. But in the meantime you could look after your children. They sure missed you too and Richard and I have to go. We have an appointment in half an hour" Emily said, gave him a small smile and left the kitchen. Luke sighed and followed her.

At first Lorelai had wanted to drive to Rory, but had decided against it. She didn´t wanted to have Rory give her an "I told you so" when she had to admit that she was jealous and she didn´t want to tell her that they had argues in front of her younger siblings. She felt bad enough about that.

Somehow she had ended in the mall and had strolled around aimlessly, had bought some things without really paying attention what she bought. Out of habit she had bought something to eat, but then had thrown it all away because she felt like throwing up every time she ate a bit.

When the first shops had started to close at eight she had realized how late it was.

She had thought about calling home more than once but decided against it. If Luke doesn´t need to call, neither do I! she thought.

She drove back to Stars Hollow with several bags, she didn´t have a clue anymore what was in them.

She arrived the house but drove by when she saw Luke´s truck still in the driveway. Now whenI want him gone he is there. Stupid ass! She was still too mad to talk with him, or even come face to face with him. She knew that if she would go back she would insult him some more and yell at him. But she was afraid that the kids would witness it again. She didn´t really know where to go and drove back to the gazebo. She parked her car at her usual spot in front of Luke´s and stepped out. It was cold and she had forgotten to grab a jacket when she had left the house.

She shivered and took a look at the diner which was closed and dark. She thought about going in, because she had the key with her when somebody called her. At first she didn´t realize that the name which was yelled was her own, but after the third yell she turned around and saw Kirsten and Jo.

Yipiee, just the person I wanna see right now! She walked over to the gazebo where the two were sitting and greeted them with a fake smile.

"Hey you two, have a nice evening?" she asked.

"With you here in front of me always, beautiful!" Jo slurred and Lorelai noticed the liquor bottle in Kirsten´s hand.

"Seems like you have a good time" she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"You want some princess?" Jo asked, grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down next to him on the bench.

"No thanks!" she said, still surprised.

"Where is that handsome husband of yours?" Kirsten slurred just as bad as Jo.

"At home, I think" Lorelai said and took the bottle from Jo.

"He lets you go out without him?" Jo grinned and placed his hand on Lorelai´s knee. She took his hand and placed it on his own knee with a pointed look.

"Oh, come on! Don´t tell me you are as crazy about him as he is about you? You know I always tell him that you are way too pretty for him and that I don´t have a clue why you are married to him. So tell me: What is it about Butch Danes?" Jo asked and took another sip.

"Ah, Jo! Leave her alone! Luke told you this is none of your business! You´re just jealous because you are hot for Lorelai" Kirsten said and Lorelai took another swing from the bottle.

"Well, yes! I admit it! If you want to have some fun sometime, you know, just give me a call!" he smiled at Lorelai, then turned back to Kirsten.

"And you are one to talk. Then you tell me: What is it about him?"

"Well, he´s cute, he has a nice butt, he is kind of mysterious and incredibly sexy if he loses this flanel of his." Kirsten grinned at Lorelai, who shot her an angry look back. Jo noticed this, even in his drunken state.

"Seems like our beauty-queen her doesn´t like it if you drool after her husband!" he grinned.

"Ah Lorelai come on!" Kirsten said and nudged her.

"You know I ´m not interested in Luke, I just stated the obvious. AndI couldn´t get Luke if I wanted to. He was really annoying this last few weeks. Don´t get me wrong, I love him for the fact that he helps me and I will be thankful forever. But I always try to get out of the house, because when you are more than half an hour alone with him, he starts talking. And no matter which topic you are talking about it always goes back to the same thing: You and the kids. He goes on and on what you said, what you did, which jokes you made, what the kids said...blablabla. Jo, did I already tell you that he kind of forced me to watch the wedding-video? We were talking about paint samples and suddenly he was talking about Lorelai and paint samples and then renovating a house and then the marriage and before I could react I sat in front of my TV and watch an 4 hours long wedding-video!" Kirsten sighed. Lorelai started to giggle, the alcohol starting to show.

"He really made you watch it? The whole video? Not even Sookie got through it without some fast-forward !"

"Why are you complaining, Kris? 4-hours of Lorelai in a hot dress? Sound great! I wanna see it! All of it!" Jo grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

"No! You don´t! Because when they are not holding hands or staring at each other or their are kissing"

"He´s one lucky fool! But I told him! I told him that he is the king!"

"The king? Like Burgerking?" Lorelai laughed.

"No, like the king who got to marry the queen. The most beautiful woman ever!"

"Lorelai pay attention or he is all over you before you can react!" Kirsten laughed.

"Well, then I better get home!" Lorelai said and tried to stand up. But when everything started spinning in front of her eyes, she sat back down. She had drunk more in these 15 minutes than the whole last year.

"Urgh... I can´t walk!"

"I can carry you, baby!" Jo said and tried to get up, but wasn´t successful either.

They sat there and Kirsten and Jo were trying to talk but ended in drunken babbling.

"It´s cold, I wanna go home and I´m tired!" Lorelai slurred, then pulled out her cellphone.

Slowly she tipped the numbers and waited while the phone rang.

"Danes" Luke nearly shouted in to the phone.

"Hi there stud, I need you to pick me up! Uuuh, did that rhyme?" she laughed and Luke knew she was drunk.

"Where are you?" he just asked, because he knew there was no way he could talk with her now.

"In the gazebo with Kris and Jo!" she said.

"Leave her here, I will give her a bed tonight!" Jo yelled and Lorelai and Kirsten started to giggle.

"I´ll be right there!" Luke said and hung up.

When he arrived at the gazebo he saw the three sitting there. Kirsten´s legs were now lying on top of Jo´s lap, Lorelai leaned her head against Jo´s shoulder and they were laughing about something.

"My hero!" Jo mocked in a high-pitched voice when he saw Luke. Lorelai didn´t look up. She was suddenly embarrassed that Luke had to pick her up and find her in that state after a fight, when she was still angry with him.

"Hey, Jo! Kris! Lorelai, come on get up, I´ll bring you back home!" he said calmly, glad that she was fine and save.

"Can´t move" she muttered.

Luke just stepped towards her and picked her up bridal-style.

"Kris, you should also go back home. Wanna come with us?" he asked.

"No, it´s nice here! We´re having fun!" she slurred.

"Bye Jo! Kris!" he said and walked towards their car.

"Rescue me, prince Luke! Oooh prince Luke!" Jo shouted after him.

"Jo be quiet the people want to sleep!" Luke yelled back and looked down at Lorelai who fast asleep in his arms. Somehow he managed to get the key out of her bag, unlock and open the door and put her in the passengers-seat. He drove the few meters back to their house and parked the car in the driveway, then picked her up again and carried her inside and upstairs into the bedroom. He lay her down on the bed and undressed her before he dressed her into her pajamas. He folded her clothes and lay them in her dresser, then moved her up on the bed, so that her head lay on the pillow and covered her with the blanket.

He undressed himself and lay down on his side, switched off the light.

After some minutes he felt her reach out for him with her arm and she touched his stomach,then rolled over, so that she was facing him and snuggled against him.

"You´re home. House done?" she muttered still asleep. He just smiled and kissed her forehead before he drifted off to sleep.

TBC Please review!