A/N: Another thank you for the posiive comments. I hope this meets your approval.

She Always Takes Me Back

Chapter 9: The Truth Hurts A Lot

Lorelai was bouncing up and down on her heels waiting for Christopher. She knew he was in there because she heard him moving.

"Who is it?"

"Dammit, Christopher, open the door!"

"I'll be right there."

What the hell was he doing in there, she thought. He was probably cleaning up or hiding his binoculars, ski mask and manacles for when he kidnaps her and chains her to the bedpost.

Finally, the door opened, and Lorelai saw that Christopher was an even bigger mess than the before.

"Hello, Christopher," she said, as she slapped him across the face and walked past him into the apartment.

"Owww, what was that for?"

"Are you kidding me? I know what you have been doing, Chris. Babette saw you last night."

Lorelai looked around the apartment. She didn't think there were any dumps this awful in Stars Hollow. The shed at the Independence Inn was nicer and lawn equipment was stored there.

"That's crazy, Lorelai. I was home all night."

"Oh really," she said, as she slapped the back of his head.

Christopher groaned with the pain as her hand made contact with his head wound.

"Where did that come from, huh? Watching television?"

"All right, all right, but there is a logical explanation for me being there."

"What? You were protecting me from bad movies and Babette's gnomes?"

"No, I've just been checking on you."

"You mean you've been outside my house more than once"

"No -- I mean, yes, but it's only for your own good."

Lorelai sat down on his pulled out sofa bed. She wanted to cry at this turn of events. What had happened to Christopher? He had been a likable, but flaky kid who you could only depend on to bring the alcohol, a good time and no condoms.

"Chris, I have been on my own for 19 years. I don't need protection from you or any man. I know how to protect myself and my daughter. As a matter of fact, there is more than one man who discovered what happens when you don't watch your step with Lorelai Gilmore."

"I know that, but I just wanted to---"

"No, Christopher, you've had your say. For years, I've listened to your excuses and your dreams. It's my turn now."

Lorelai got off the couch and began to pace frantically in the tiny apartment.

"First things first, we did not share this all-consuming great love as teenagers. Sure, we had fun, but it was no Romeo and Juliet. It was more like Romeo and Juliet's drunk cousin who was between boyfriends."

"Lor, that's not tr--"

"Shut up, Chris. I'm talking."

Chris stopped talking and looked down at his bare feet, which were still red and swollen.

"I'm going to tell you something, Chris, that I've never told you before. I never did before because I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but you need a reality check. When we were younger, I wasn't always faithful to you. In fact, it was common knowledge that when you would get sent to another school, I'd find a new guy. Do you remember when Kevin Fox broke his leg?"

"Yeah, outside your house. You said he was bothering you."

"Well, we wasn't. I invited him over, and we were having a good time until my mother came home. He hid in the closet until Emily left, tried to climb out the window and fell."

"I can't believe this," he said. "How many times?"

"I don't know. Lots. I was young and liked to have fun. You would get sent to Greenwich or Milford or New Hampshire, I'd get bored and the boys were cute."

"Did you sleep with any of them?"

"Yeah, of course I did. Chris, you know you weren't the first. I wasn't yours either. You were just the one that didn't have condoms, but did have lots of tequila. We were wild, and you seem to have forgotten that."

"This is crazy, Lor. I know you love me."

"No, I don't love you. I loved you as a 16-year-old girl. That girl is a woman now. I have needs that you are incapable of meeting. I know you too well. I can manipulate you. We'd be bored as soon as we moved into together. My life is in Stars Hollow, and yours is not. Yours is with Gigi in Boston or Hartford or wherever you want it to be. It's time for you to leave. So, let's go. I'll help you pack."

Lorelai headed to the shut bedroom door.

"Lor, don't…"

She opened the door and gasped in horror.

"Oh my God, Christopher. What have you done?"

The room was entirely empty, except for three suitcases in the middle of the floor, which had clothes spilling out of them. Two of the four walls were covered with photos of Lorelai and Christopher. There were photos from their childhood to very recently. In fact, one of the photos was of her in the clothes she wore the previous night. There were some from around Stars Hollow. Some at the Dragonfly. The most disturbing ones were of her at own house, especially the one from her inside her bedroom. He had been inside the house.

"Lor, I can explain."

"There is no explanation for this. If I see you here again, I'll file charges against you. If you want to see Rory, you'll have to see here elsewhere. I won't tell her about this if you leave tonight, but if you don't, I will."

"Lor, no. It's not what it seems. I just wanted to be able to look at you."

"Well, you can keep them because you are never, I repeat never, going to see me again. This is not normal, Chris. This is scary. Have you been calling my house and hanging up as well? Breaking into my house and touching my things.? How did you get pictures from inside my house?"

"The back door was unlocked. I only came in a few times."

Lorelai walked over to Christopher and kneed him in the crotch. He keeled over and let out a moan. She ran out of the room, out of the apartment and back to her house. She cried for about 20 minutes, and tried to pull herself together before Rory returned from Stars Hollow Books.

When Rory entered the house a few minutes later, Lorelai couldn't tell her what she knew.

"Hey, kid. You ready to watch some Judy Garland style tragedy?"

The look on Rory's face said she wasn't.

"Mom, is it okay if I head back to Yale early?"

"How early?"

"Like right now? Logan is already back, and it would be nice to spend some quality time away from his doofus friends."

Lorelai let out a sigh, and then put on her best "happy mom" face.

"Sure, kid. Let's get that last load out of the laundry. At least now I don't have to share the last of the Chinese food with you."

"My daughter and I aren't speaking. She won't take my calls, she won't come to dinner. She apparently wants nothing to do with me. I'm sure you know that Lorelai and I have had many battles. Most of them have been because I feel that I know what's best for her. But Lorelai has her own ideas about what she thinks will make her happy. She wants you, Luke. She's made her choice, God help her, but there it is. It doesn't matter if I agree with it, I can't fight it. You've won. Go back to her. I promise I will stay out of it. You're going to have to clean that window."

After Emily left and Kirk returned to the counter, Luke stood in the same spot for five minutes. Of all the people to walk in his diner, he expected to see the president before he'd see Emily Gilmore again. But if what she said was true, then Lorelai had not given up. She was just putting on her game face.

If she was avoiding the Gilmores, then Christopher really was lying. Why was he such an idiot, he thought. Why did he listen to the words of Lorelai's ex over her? She still wanted him. Why was he not with her right now?

As Luke began to pace behind the counter, Kirk grew increasingly nervous. Either Luke was going to go on a killing spree or he was going to drop dead from an aneurysm. He wasn't saying anything, but he was gesturing wildly with his hands. Suddenly, he ran upstairs to his apartment.

A few minutes later, he came down dressed in his jacket and gloves. He threw a set of keys at Kirk.

"Turn off the coffee pot, turn off the lights and lock the doors when you're done. I'll get my keys in the morning."

With that, Luke was out the door and running down the street.

Christopher writhed on the floor for about an hour before he felt strong enough to get up. The pain was immense, but he had to go talk to her. He couldn't let her think he was some kind of stalker. He had to set things right. Then he would give her time to cool off before he tried again. He knew they could make it work. They could be a family that he always dreamed of.

He ran over to Lorelai's and found his favorite hiding space behind the bush between Lorelai and Babette's lawns. A window was open and he could hear music from the television. It sounded like Judy Garland. He had almost worked up the courage to walk up to her door, when he heard footsteps.

Christopher ducked for cover and saw Luke Danes walking swiftly to the door. Once he got on the porch, he put his hand up to knock, then stopped and walked off the porch again. Luke walked around in circles like a lunatic for a minute before heading up the porch and knocking.

When Lorelai opened the door, Luke didn't give her chance to speak as he grabbed her and kissed her. His kiss practically knocked Lorelai off her feet, but she returned it. Christopher stood up to interrupt the moment, but Lorelai shut the door.