TITLE: Timing

CHARACTERS: Lorelai, Luke, Rory, Dean, Ect. Oh, and my fictitious character Alyssa.

SETTING: Mid season 4, think: "Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!"

DISCLAIMER: I -sadly- own nothing but the… Nothing actually… It's not even my story idea (You can thank Ronata for that)… Wow… That's just pathetic…

DEDICATION: The idea comer upper wither: Ronata!

Chapter Five

Lorelai stepped foreword, Luke's hand falling off the small of her back as she did. "Why are you here?"

Alyssa's jaw dropped, "Oh, god, Lorelai! I didn't know you were still here!"

Lorelai shook her head and turned to Luke, "How do you know her?"

"She…" Luke was blushing, guilt written all over his face. "She's my date."

"Oh, god," Lorelai whimpered, and put her hands over her face. "I hope you two have fun," she said and ran off the dance floor.

"Lorelai!" both Luke and Alyssa called in unison, but Lorelai just kept running.

Lorelai ran all the way home, and only after she collapsed on her bed -still fully dressed- did she feel the stitch in her side, and noticed that she had broken one of the heels off her sandal.

CUT TO: CRAP SHACK, THE NEXT MORNING

"Mom?" Rory called out to the silent house. "Mo-om, I know you're here, your Jeep is in the drive…" She craned her neck as she stood at the bottom of the stairs, and upon hearing her mother called, "Mom? Are you okay?"

When Lorelai didn't answer she ran upstairs to her mother's bedroom.

"Oh, god, Mom…" Rory said, her heart almost aching as she saw Lorelai's tear-streaked face, and sat down next to her.

"He promised, Rory, he promised!"

"Who promised, mom?" Rory asked, wiping Lorelai's hair off her face.

"Luke… Wh- When Max and I were going to get married… He promised he would be here… That he would always be here… But he's not! He's with her!" Lorelai stopped, crying too hard to speak.

"Her who?"

"Alyssa."

Rory's spine stiffened as she remembered how Alyssa had betrayed Lorelai's trust and friendship. "It's okay," she whispered, stroking her mother's hair, "It's going to be okay…"

CUT TO: LUKE'S DINER, NIGHT

Luke looked up, startled at the door slammed open. "We're closed..." He trailed off as he saw Rory standing in the doorway, fire burning in her eyes.

"Why her? Of all the people in this town you could hurt, why did you hurt my mother?"

"I didn't mean too, I-"

"Well, of course you didn't mean to. If you meant to you would have done something even worse. Funny, I can't think of anything worse for you to do!"

"But I didn't know-"

"You want to know something Luke? Do you? The reason my mom is so hurt by this is that this is the second time that Alyssa stole someone she loved from her!"

"Wha- WHAT?" Luke's jaw dropped, loved?

"Oh, yeah," Rory said, crossing her arms over her chest in anger. "Mom loved my dad, Alyssa took him. My mom finally realizes she's in love with you just in time for Alyssa to take you, too."

"Alyssa doesn't have me-"

"Yes- she does! You went to the wedding with her as your date, not my mom; which by the way is pretty shady, especially given the fact that you met up with my mom before the wedding!"

"But I didn't know-"

"Well, that sounds pretty convenient!"

"Rory-"

"I am so tempted to tell you to go to hell, but I know one day I'll regret it!" With that, Rory stormed back out of the diner, slamming the door so hard it crashed open again.

Luke stood watching the quaking door for at least five minutes before he moved. "She said… 'Hell'," he muttered to himself. "I never heard her say 'hell'. I didn't even know she knew how to say 'hell'." Luke shut the door, sounding even more flustered. "She was mad and she yelled and she said 'hell'."

CUT TO: THE DRAGONFLY INN (A WORK IN PROGRESS), NIGHT

"I just got so mad…" Rory shook her head.

"That's pretty understandable," Dean said, rubbing her shoulder as she leaned against him.

"Not for me, no way," she sighed, waiting a pause. "Maybe I should apologize… Not for what I said, more of how I said it-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

Rory looked up at Dean and smiled, snuggling g back up against him, "I knew that there was a good reason for us to be friends again."

CUT TO: CRAP SHACK, MORNING

Lorelai woke up the next morning to find Rory blinking down at her, "You slept."

"I guess."

"Feeling better?"

"Sure."

"No you're not."

Lorelai sighed, she was pitying herself enough and she certainly didn't need Rory's help. "You should get back to Yale."

Rory shook her head, "Uh-uh."

"Rory, you can't just stay here."

"Sorry. I'm here for the duration."

She didn't sound very sorry, "No."

"You need supplies."

"I'm fine."

"There's no sign that you've eaten or had anything to drink."

Lorelai hooked her hair behind her ears, "Well, I'm not hungry or thirsty."

"Well, if you're staying up here you need supplies. Sustenance. Entertainment."

"Well…"

"See, you're a little thirsty, aren't you," she didn't even pretend to make it sound like a question, Lorelai noted.

"A little."

"What can I get you? Water? Bourbon?"

"Water is good."

"What'cha got food-wise?"

Lorelai shook her head, "Not much."

"What's not much?"

"Like, nothing. Some moldy bread. I've been eating out mostly."

"Okay, I'm going on a run."

"I'm not hungry."

"I'll get you some DVD's, too," Rory stood up, smoothing her clothes. "Do you want magazines?"

"No."

"I'll get you some magazines," Rory stood in the doorway, "You sure you don't want bourbon?"

Lorelai shook her head again, "Honey, you have stuff to do."

"This is my stuff. I'll be back in a flash." And then Rory left leaving Lorelai to her own devices. "It's so nice to be heard," Lorelai thought sarcastically as she slid back down in the bed.

CUT TO: CRAP SHACK, THE NEXT EVENING

"Look, you should go."

"No!"

"Yale's going to get mad."

"Yale's not going to get mad."

"Rory, I'm glad you came, but look how fine I am. I'm surrounded by everything I could possibly need. I even have raw cookie dough, for God's sake," Lorelai held it up.

"That was Lane's idea," Rory said with a smile.

"A whole village has seen to my needs. Go. It's time. Look, I'm sitting up and everything."

"And you're feeling better, I mean, for real this time?"

"I'm not a hundred percent, but I'm getting there. I swear."

"The downstairs is all set too. I cleaned up. Vacuumed a little, spot dusted. Oh, and I've checked in with Sookie."

"Oh… Good. Now go!"

"Okay. But I am going to call a lot."

"I'm good with that," Lorelai nodded.

"And I only have one class tomorrow, so I could stop by again in the afternoon."

"Well, there'll be no need."

"You can call me, too, you know."

"I know, Mom," Lorelai said with an exaggerated eye roll.

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye, honey."

"And I'm going honk before I leave."

"Why?"

"I don't know, it just sounds fun."

"Okay."

Lorelai watched as Rory left. She turns on the T.V. and flips through some channels before turning it off again. Rory honks out side as she pulls away. Lorelai sighs and slowly slumps back down in bed.

CUT TO: DRAGONFLY INN (IN PROGRESS), AFTERNOON

"Hey, Lorelai?"

Lorelai spun around, gripping her coffee, "Yeah, Tom?"

"The door's should be here Thursday."

Lorelai's whole face lit up, "I am loving you like a two dollar whore!"

"I'll tell the wife."

CUT TO: OUTSIDE OF LUKE'S DINER, NIGHT

Lorelai took a deep breath and pulled her low pony tail over her left shoulder with a pout. It was time.