A/N: I figured I couldn't leave you guys hating for more than a click so here it is the last of the sad parts of losing Christian. After this I'll have a town meeting that will be fairly interesting. Thank you to all my fans. I really love seeing your reviews. Here I don't even have to ask for them. Where I used to post these, I got nothing. Stupid WB message boards. Anyway enjoy.

Chapter 30: Phones, Friends and Home

Nothing in Lorelai's life was completely organized. He house was in shambles. Audrey's and her things were everywhere, dirty dishes piled up in the sink. The inn ran smoothly because of her amazing support of Sookie, Jackson and Michel.

The only in her life that was organized was her cell phone speed dial. Number one was Rory, of course. Two was the inn, three was Sookie and Jackson, four, five and six were her parent's house, her father's office and her mother's cell phone. Seven was the diner. Eight was Luke's cell. The log in her phone read that in the last four months she had called Rory, 214 times, the inn 137 times, Sookie 126 times, her parents' collectively 100 times. But in the last four months she had not called Luke in either location once, She had attempted to several times but all she could think to say was a lame apology.

About a month after he left she received a letter. There was no return address, no hint where he was or when he was coming back. It said simply this:

Lorelai-

I am so sorry. I can't believe that I did what I did to you. I need to take time. I don't know where I'm going or when I'll be back. I am coming back. Please believe that. I love you. Please know that. I love all my Gilmore girls. I'll be in touch.

Love, Luke

Lorelai stuck the letter in the box of Christian's things that still sat by the front door. She didn't want Rory to find it. She didn't need to know. She had too much to get ready for. She was given an opportunity to teach creative writing to some school children in France. She went and was staying with Michel's mother Giselle. Rory was having a great time.

Jess had come back to run the diner with Caesar. It stung that Luke could call Jess but it was too hard to call his wife to at least let her know that he was alive.

Audrey was getting bigger. She was crawling now. Lorelai tried to keep her from doing too much so Luke wouldn't miss anything big. But that was getting harder because she knew he wasn't coming back.

It was a long cold California highway. The old truck pounded along. When he left after their fight he drove west and didn't stop. He stopped once somewhere in Texas and wrote her that letter. As Luke drove his last moments with her played over and over in his head like a bad movie.

"Damn it Lorelai! Christian was my son too!" he had yelled.

"A lot of good that did him!" she had yelled back.

The anger he had felt over her shutting him out and that last hateful comment, he just snapped. He saw his hand fly out and hit her. He saw her head snap sideways. He saw the shocked and hurt look on her face. It was too much.

He had started to call her several times. He would be one number away then change his mind. He didn't know what to do. All he could do was drive.

Luke ended up in California. He then decided that he would go up the west coast. Somewhere outside San Francisco he heard Howie Day's "Collide" his and Lorelai's wedding song. It was followed by Rod Stewart's "Have I Told You Lately?" which was the song he walked with Emily down the aisle to. After that was "A Moment Like This" and finally was Madonna's "Crazy For You". He flipped the station and came across Sam Phillips' "Reflecting Light" the first song he and Lorelai danced together to. Now this was getting annoying. He knew they were signs to get his but home but he ignored them. He switched the station again and came across "How Do I Live?" and "I Need You." It was enough. He stopped the truck just outside Sacramento. He sat in his truck staring at his phone willing it to ring. Finally he picked it up, pressed one , send, put the phone to his ear and waited.

Across the country in Stars Hollow, Connecticut her phone rang. She figured it was Rory with her nightly recap of her days events. Lorelai didn't even bother to look at the caller ID. She flipped it open and put it to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked. "Hello is someone there?"

Luke sat frozen on the other end. He didn't know what to say.

"Say something or I am hanging up," she said.

"Lorelai don't!" he blurted. "Please."

"Luke? I have to be dreaming. Tell me I'm dreaming."

"No Lorelai, you're not dreaming. It's me."

Lorelai was in shock. Now she knew this conversation could go two ways: One, she could yell and scream at him for leaving or two, she could let him explain himself.

"Where are you?" she asked, trying not to cry.

"Sacramento," Luke answered sadly.

"Are you coming back anytime soon?" her voice dripping in sarcasm.

"I'm heading that way now. I am so sorry Lorelai. I don't know what happened. I just snapped. I didn't mean to hit you. I beat myself up nightly for doing it. I love you. Please know that."

"Luke I want to kill and kiss you right now. Please come home. I miss you."

Tears started to drip down her cheeks. This was killing her. Hearing his voice but not being able to see him was slowly killing her.

"I'll be home soon. I love you."

Paris at night was beautiful. Rory was loving her program at Sonbornne. Michel's mother, Giselle, was a trip. There was also a boy. A boy who liked Rory. Claude was forever trying to get Rory to go out with him.

"I have a boyfriend at home," Rory told him. "His name is Marty. I'm going to marry him."

"But Rory he is not here, he will never know.Martywill never know," Claude had argued.

"But I'll know. No, Claude. We can just be friends. That's all."

"I will be your friend Rory."

When she called her mother later that week they had a good laugh. Rory wanted to ask the question that had been on her mind but wasn't sure how to word it. She decided to just go for it.

"Mom, have you heard from Dad?" Rory finally asked.

"He just called a few days ago," Lorelai confessed, sadness in her voice.

"Where is he? Is he coming home? Are you getting divorced?" Rory asked, panicking.

"He's in California and he should be home any day now. And no, we are not getting divorced. I don't want that. He doesn't want that."

"How are you feeling about him coming back?"

"I love him, kid. I want him to come home. I don't want to raise Audrey alone."

"I know Mom. I'll be home in a few weeks that is if Giselle lets me leave."

"You are bringing back the stuff I asked for?"

"I have baby pictures and stories that you can use later to torture Michel with. Bye Mom."

"Bye kid."

She hung up the phone and looked around the empty room. Audrey was crawling around the floor. For a moment Lorelai felt like she did 22 years ago, when she was living in the old potting shed behind the Independence Inn. Her mind traveled back to those days. The days of Rory's childhood. She wanted Audrey to have a better relationship with her father than Rory had with Christopher. She wanted her daughter to know her father.

"Damn it Luke!" she shouted into the empty house. "Damn you! Do you know what you're doing to me? I love you! You have to know that!"

She couldn't sit in the house anymore. She had to get out of there. Away from the memories, away from the presence of him. She gathered Audrey into her arms, bundled her up, being that it was Novemberand went to Miss Patty's for the town meeting.

She was early which surprised everyone. Miss Patty could tell that she had talked to Luke. What she didn't know is if he was coming back or not.

"Lorelai! It's so good to see you. How's Rory liking Paris?" Miss Patty asked, taking Audrey.

"Oh she loves it. She's afraid that Giselle won't let her leave," Lorelai answered sadly.

"Have you heard from..?" Miss Patty asked, cautiously.

"Yeah Patty I have. I don't know when he'll be back. He didn't say when, he said soon."

More people came in and Lorelai took her seat, third row aisle. She automatically saved the seat next to her for him. Audrey was making her rounds with people. She went from Miss Patty to Babbette, to Gypsy, to Sookie and Martha finally back to Lorelai.

Taylor banged in the meeting. Usually she would be driving Taylor crazy but tonight she listened quietly. Her mind was elsewhere. It was on an old green truck with a flannel clad man in a backwards blue baseball cap behind the wheel.

He passed the exit to Stars Hollow 86 times before pulling into town. He went straight to his house. Her Jeep was still in the drive so he figured she was home. He flew into the house. The box of Christian's things still sat by the door.

"Lorelai! Lorelai!" he called into the house.

All that responded was the whirring of the fridge. She wasn't home. Where would she be? He left the house and started to walk around town. When he got to the square he saw the sign for the town meeting. He knew where she was. He went over to Miss Patty's and pounded through the door, interrupting Taylor's rant on pigeons.

Taylor stopped talking and was shocked. Luke looked at Taylor and motioned for him to continue.

"I'd like pause a moment to welcome back…" he was stopped by a jab from Miss Patty.

"I'm here for my wif—my Lorelai," Luke stumbled.

Lorelai turned around at the sound of her name. She saw him standing there. She blinked hard and then reopened her eyes. She wasn't seeing things, he was really there.

"Lorelai, I'm home," he whispered, kneeling in front of her. "I'm home."

He wanted to kiss her right then and there but with the town watching it wasn't appropriate. He took her hand and he, Lorelai and Audrey left the meeting. He walked in the direction of the diner. They could always talk there.

"Luke! Will you stop!" she exclaimed. "We need to talk."

"I know."

They sat at the closet empty park bench. Lorelai rocked a sleepy Audrey. Luke stared at his shoes. Neither said a word for several minutes. He turned to face her. He lifted his hand to run his fingers through her hair but she recoiled. In her mind the last thing she remembered those hands doing was hitting her. A special thing they once shared was gone forever. He hung his head in shame.

"I'm so sorry Lorelai," he said breaking the silence. "That will never happen again. The man that hit you is not the man that is sitting here now. I don't know what to say to repair the damage I have done."

"You really scared me. Luke, I'm terrified to make you angry, Luke," Lorelai said softly. "I am afraid of you. I don't want to be, but I am."

"Don't be, Lorelai," he said moving from the bench to kneeling in front of her. "I love you. I will never, ever lift my hands at you in anger again. I would never intentionally hurt you again. You know that. You know that."

"Why didn't you write or call me more?" she asked trying not to cry. "I cried myself to sleep for months calling for you. You weren't there to comfort me, to hold me. Did you know that Rory almost gave up her spot on her in Paris because she thought she had done something wrong. That is was somehow her fault that you left. She thought her Daddy was mad at her. You hurt not only me but Rory too."

Lorelai was fully crying now. "Why did you leave? I just about gave up on us. I'd raised a daughter by myself once. I could do it again."

"Lorelai, I meant to. I really did. I just didn't know what to say. Losing Christian and then hitting you, I just couldn't live with myself. I had to get away. But I'm back and I'm not going anywhere ever again. This I promise you."

He stood up, laid the sleeping Audrey on the bench and pulled Lorelai to her feet. He then wrapped his arms around his soul mate, his lover, his best friend, his wife, his Lorelai and kissed her deeply, praying to make up for lost time.

Behind them the sound of applause echoed in the square. Sookie, Jackson, Miss Patty, Babbette, Morey and even Taylor stood on the steps of Miss Patty's watching them. Lorelai laughed for the first time in five months. Her Luke was back. She was happy. Her daughter would grow up in a town that never gave up on people. Her daughter would grow up in that Norman Rockwell world.

Lorelai finally had it. The whole package. Just like he said she would many years ago, before Audrey and Christian, before the kiss on the porch of the Dragonfly, before the dance at Liz's wedding, before Nicole. She finally had it. The whole package. And you know what, it was the best picture you could possibly have ever seen in this lifetime or the next.

A/N: There you go. SeeI told you everything would be fine. Town meeting is next.