A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. I know I took too long to update. Busy, busy, busy, with work and school, so sad – there is no time to write. Thanks to all who reviewed, I think without you it would have taken me longer to update, you made me feel so guilty, it pushed me to write. Anyway here is chapter 6, hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but am eternally grateful to the WB and Amy Sherman-Palladino for creating such wonderful characters.

Previously

"Mom." Rory said again quietly, breaking the silence in the room. She could feel the fear in her mother's body.

"Hmmm."

"It's okay, you know."

"What is sweetie?" Lorelai looked up at her daughter and Rory met her eyes.

"It's okay, that you're afraid." She said softly.

Lorelai felt the tears run down the side of her face and she looked at the love and acceptance in her daughter's eyes. "Thank you sweetie." She said as she hugged her tightly. "That means a lot to me."

"Well it's true you know. There's no right way or wrong way to feel."

"That's why I need you so much." Lorelai wiped away her daughter's tears. "With you, I'm just me and you understand me."

"I do understand you, and you understand me. We are a perfect match."

"Yes we are." She agreed and then snuggled closer to her daughter and hid her face as Luke yawned and stretched.

Chapter 6

"Hi Luke." Rory said quietly, holding her mother tightly.

Luke sat up in his chair with a start at the sound of Rory's voice. He rubbed his face with his hands and looked around him as he tried to get his bearings. He berated himself for falling asleep once he realized where he was. He wanted to be awake in case they needed him. He looked over towards the bed and saw that Lorelai had her head buried in Rory's shoulder and that Rory was holding tightly to her mother. "Hi." He answered Rory just as quietly.

The silence stretched between them for a few minutes and Luke new he had to continue. He had always been a man of few words but he wanted them to know that he was here if they needed him, that they could ask him for anything. He wasn't going to fail them now, it was too important. "Rory." He started out quietly and when she looked at him, he continued. "Is there anything you need? Anything I can do for you or get for you?"

Rory felt her Mom's body tense and begin to shake at the sound of Luke's voice and she slowly began to rub her Mom's back as she looked at Luke. She knew that Luke had noticed Lorelai's reaction when she saw the fear and anger in his eyes, but he covered it up quickly and looked at her. She knew he was afraid of making a mistake and doing something wrong, just as she herself was afraid of not being what her mother needed, and she also knew that he was angry at what had happened, just as she was. She shook her head. "I think we're okay for right now." She answered his question.

Luke nodded his head and looked at Lorelai's back. He felt his eyes getting misty as he thought about her and all that she was. He knew that she was afraid of him and he didn't know what to do. The thought of Lorelai being afraid of anything made him want to get up and shout his anger to the world. It made him want to seriously hurt the man who had so badly damaged her. He reached up and wiped away a tear, but he wasn't ashamed of it. He knew that Rory was watching him, but he also knew that she would understand. And he didn't want to hide it, he didn't duck his head or turn away, he just stared at Lorelai's back and wiped the tears away as they fell.

"Lorelai." He said quietly after a while and he watched her snuggle closer to Rory. He was determined to talk to her, maybe he could help her not to be so afraid. "I won't hurt you." He continued talking quietly and in a manner that he hoped was non-threatening. "I just want to help. If you need anything, just ask me. I'll get it, I'll do it, what ever you want I'll be here for as long as you want me to be." He paused, but other than her body continuing to shake, he got no response. "And if it will help you to send me away, then I'll do that too." His voice cracked as he spoke. "But I really don't want to go."

"No." Lorelai said into Rory's shoulder and it was only because Luke was totally concentrating every fiber of his being on Lorelai that he had heard her at all.

"No what?" He asked, happy that she was finally talking to him.

"Don't go." She said just as quietly.

"Good." He said letting out a deep breath. "I really don't want to go."

"Good." She said back.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked, wanting to keep up the dialogue, but she just shook her head. "Coffee?" He asked, wishing that she would stop shaking. "I can go get some coffee."

"No, don't go."

"Okay." He said finally understanding, and smiling a bit to himself. There was silence in the room as he watched Rory continue to rub her mother's back. She looked so small and he was amazed by her strength. She was so young, yet so grown up. She had always been grown up for her years and he knew that this was one time when she would need that attribute.

"What did you tell them?" Lorelai asked suddenly.

"What did I tell, who?" Luke wasn't sure what she was referring to.

"Them." Lorelai repeated, sounding frustrated and suddenly Luke knew what she meant.

"I didn't tell anybody anything." He said quickly. "I told Caesar to lock up and I didn't know when I would be back, then I got in my truck and came here."

"Good." Lorelai said quietly, then he heard her gasp.

"What?" Rory asked, concerned for her mother.

"The Inn." She said quietly. "I have to call Sookie." Her voice broke and she started to shake almost violently at the thought of the outside world. Up until now her world had consisted of this hospital room and Rory and now Luke. Thinking of her life was just too much for her. She couldn't deal with anything else right now.

"I'll call her." Luke volunteered. "I won't tell her anything, just that you had an accident and that you won't be in for a while." He smiled. "People are used to me not telling them anything."

"She'll worry." Lorelai said. "I can't let her worry, it's not fair."

"I'll tell her not to." Luke answered. He really wanted to do this for her. "I'll tell her that you're okay, but just not up to talking to anyone. I'll tell her that you'll call her when you're ready."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Luke stood up and he watched as Lorelai snuggled closer to Rory again. "I'm going to use the pay phone down the hall." He paused, not sure if this next comment was needed, but he didn't want her to be afraid. "And I swear I will be watching your room the whole time, you don't need to worry.

"Thank you." Lorelai said quietly, still not looking at him, but as soon as she heard the door close she looked up at Rory.

"You're doing great Mom." Rory said proudly and Lorelai smiled.

"Only because you're here." She looked her daughter in the eyes. "Only because I can feel you helping me and routing for me, and protecting me." She hugged her daughter tightly. "Now if only I could look at him." She said sadly.

"That will come with time." Rory said hugging her mother, clearly moved by what she had said. "Don't push yourself too hard right now. Talking to him is enough."

"Thanks." Lorelai said and quickly buried her head in Rory's shoulder as she heard the door open again. Rory looked over to the door, a little afraid herself, she knew it was too soon for Luke to be returning, and she gasped a little as she saw two police women walk in.

The women walked over closer to the bed and Rory whispered to her mom. "Mom it's the police." She said quietly and watched as Lorelai started to shake.

Lorelai took a deep breath and knew she had to get this over with. She just wasn't sure that she wanted to do it in front of Rory. She wasn't sure she could do it without Rory but she didn't want her daughter to hear the details of what had happened to her. Having Rory know that she had been violently raped was terrible but telling her the details of what had been done to her was more than any daughter should have to deal with. She took a deep breath and looked at the police women. She was glad that they were women and she knew that they had been picked to talk to her because they were women. She looked to the door, wanting Luke to come back. She knew that if she could look into Luke's eyes, he would know that she needed to do this alone. She sighed heavily, for her daughter, she could do this.

Just as one of the officers was about to speak the door to the room burst open and Luke came back in. He looked from the police, to Lorelai and Rory and his eyes settled on Lorelai's face. It was the first time he had seen it since he arrived and he couldn't stop himself from staring. Lorelai avoided his gaze but didn't hide her head. He noticed that she was shaking again and he tore his gaze away from her and looked at the police women. "I don't think this is a good time." He said clearly.

"And who are you?" One of the officers asked.

"A friend," He said simply. "And I'm…"

"It's okay." Lorelai interrupted, but looked at Rory, to see if she was okay. She nodded and Lorelai looked back at the police, although she didn't look them in the eye. "We can do this now."

"Are you sure?" Luke asked, watching her closely and she nodded. "Okay." He turned to leave.

"No." Lorelai said quickly and Luke stopped in his tracks. "Can he stay?" She asked the police, still not looking at any one in particular.

"It's up to you." The police woman answered. "But he can't interrupt or make any noises."

Lorelai nodded and turned her head a little bit towards Luke. "Will you stay?" She asked quietly, knowing that she would need him when the time came to talk about specifics.

Luke was afraid to stay, afraid of what he would hear, but Lorelai seemed to want him there, so he would stay. He would do anything for her and he nodded.

The police women asked them questions and the girls answered them, hanging on tightly to each other. As soon as they got to the part where the gunman stopped in front of Lorelai, tears began to fall from both of their eyes but they continued to tell their story. Lorelai skipped over the actual rape, telling the officers that they could come back to that later if they needed and they continued until they got out of the bank. The officers asked a few more questions and then returned to the actual rape. Lorelai took a deep breath and looked into Luke's eyes. Luke was surprised but looked back at her without blinking. As he stared into her eyes he knew what she was asking and he quickly walked to Rory's side of the bed.

"Rory." He said quietly. "Can you come out in the hall with me for a minute?"

"No." Rory replied without looking at him. She was looking at her mother and Lorelai summoned up all her courage and nodded.

"No Mom." Rory said quietly. "I don't want to leave you."

Lorelai pulled her close and spoke into her ear. "No you need to go for this. I'm okay. I'll be okay." She pulled back and looked into her daughter's eyes. "You don't want to hear this and I don't want you to hear this." Tears started to fall from Rory's eyes again and Lorelai hugged her tightly again. "Let me be Super Mom this time." She said quietly and then added. "Please."

Rory squeezed her mom tightly and nodded. She kissed her mom on the cheek and got off the bed, stretching out her arm to hold her mother's hand as long as she could. Luke didn't touch her, remembering her reaction the last time he had put his hand on her knee, but he was there if she needed him and he held the door for her and followed her out of the room.

Lorelai turned to the officers with tears rolling steadily down her face and told them what they needed to know. They told her that one of the men had been killed and one had gotten away, but the third one had been captured and they were pretty sure, from her description of him that the one that had been captured was the one that had raped her. They asked her if she would be willing to pick him out of some pictures if they brought them in and though she shuddered at the thought of seeing his face again she nodded.

Rory stood outside the door to the room with tears running down her face. She stared at the door, as if willing it to open and when it finally did she ran by the police officers, nearly knocking one of them down, climbed in beside her mother and hugged her fiercely.

"Careful." Lorelai said, feeling the pain of her daughter's hug, but she hugged her back and let the tears flow. "It's okay." She said soothingly, but she was worried at how upset her daughter was. "I'm okay." She pulled back a little and looked into Rory's eyes. "See I'm fine and you're fine. We're both fine."

Rory nodded and hugged her mother tightly again.

A/N: I hope you liked it. I'll try to update sooner, next time. By the way, I'm not giving up on my other story, Life Changing Events, I know it's been a long time since I updated it. Time is my enemy, I will update it eventually, be patient with me please.