So…next chapter! Hope you all enjoy! Please leave comments and reviews! I'll be out of town this coming week and then I have to go to a retreat for the school newspaper and then school starts back so…I'll update when I can!
Chapter 7
Lorelai broke out in a jog as she made her way over to Babette's house. She found it simply remarkable that she had run more in the past twelve hours of her life than she had ever run before. But, trying to win your fiancé back and then realizing you, somehow, had never existed, definitely qualified good reasons to run.
She stomped up Babette's front steps, finally coming to a stop when she was facing that tiny door. Here it was. The moment of truth. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the outcome. She was praying that Babette would open the door laughing and say it was all a prank, suga. More than anything, that's what she wanted to see on the other side. But, something inside of her told her she would find
another confused face when Babette opened the door. And that's what scared her shitless. If Babette didn't recognize her, than she would know there was something not right with the world...and she didn't know how well she could handle that.
Holding her hand up to the door, Lorelai considered running away for just a moment. One moment. Maybe not existing wouldn't be so bad. She could start all over, in another town, with another life, another man. Create a brand new Lorelai Gilmore. It could be an interesting adventure.
The thought quickly terminated itself in her mind as she remembered she wouldn't, couldn't, can't live without Rory or Luke or Sookie or The Dragonfly. Even Paul Anka. She had to get to the bottom of this. So, slowly, she moved her hand forward and knocked three times on Babette's door.
Nothing.
Lorelai tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for a reaction to her knock. A few seconds passed. She was getting impatient, anxious. She was about to knock again when she heard someone rummaging around inside, mumbling something to themselves. Recognizing Babette's distinct accent, Lorelai straightened up and fixed a smile on her face. A few seconds later, she heard someone struggling with the door before tossing it open.
Lorelai's smile faltered immediately. This was not the Babette she knew. Standing in front of her was definitely not the Babette she knew. Instead of the perky, curly-haired blonde she had grown so accustomed to, she was faced with a sour looking woman whose features seemed ages older than she actually was, as if her skin had grown up 1000 times faster than she had. Babette's usually spunky curls were loose and dried up, and her blonde hair color was replaced with a light brown one. She was dressed in a bathrobe that looked as if it was permanently glued to her body. And, to top it all of, she was holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other. Lorelai found this completely horrifying as it was only around 8 in the morning. Here she was, facing Miss Hannigan.
Before Lorelai could bring herself to say something, Babette snapped, "Whaddya want?" She took a long drag of her cigarette, eying Lorelai suspiciously the whole time.
"Um-erm," Lorelai stumbled over her words, almost forgetting what she had come to discuss in the first place. She was so astonished by Babette's appearance that she was at a loss for words. Literally.
Babette continued to eye Lorelai, taking a swig of her beer. After a few more minutes of watching Lorelai stumble over her words, she said, irritably, "If you're not gonna say anything, then get the hell offa my porch."
Lorelai snapped out of her daze at these words. Who was this woman? She was irritable, unkempt, and smoking...this was not Babette. At least not the Babette she remembered.
Noticing Babette becoming more and more irritable with her muteness, Lorelai finally managed to choke out, "Babette?"
Babette narrowed her eyes when Lorelai said her name. Looking her up and down, she said, "How do ya know my name?"
Lorelai gulped. This was going to be way harder than she had expected. She had at least hoped Babette would at least be friendly. Well, that ship had sunk.
Lorelai stumbled over her words as she tried to explain herself, "Well, see...I, um, well..."
"Get to the point, suga!" Babette practically yelled, taking an extremely long puff of her cigarette and blowing the smoke out through her nose.
Lorelai wrinkled her nose a bit at this action before speaking. "Yes, okay...here's the thing. I live next door."
Babette's features changed a bit at this remark. "Are you family?"
"Family of who?" Lorelai asked, confused.
Babette fixed with her a glare to kill. Uh-oh, Lorelai thought. "Dean! Lindsey! The two sickening lovebirds that hate each other!"
Lorelai pulled her head back at this comment. They hated each other? How did that make sense? "They—they hate each other? But they're married!"
Babette waved her hand in the air, as if the word "married' meant absolutely nothing. "That don't mean nothin'. They hate each other, ever since she had that little wad of terror." Lorelai choked back a laugh at this kind reference to Lindsey's baby. So, they hated each other. But, why? That didn't seem to make any sense. Sure, Lindsey had been a little bitter, but hate? Hate she didn't get.
"Why?" Lorelai asked, simply.
Babette stared at her like she was crazy for a few moments before answering. "He's never been there for her. Always got an attitude. He's still in that playboy stage of his. Nice kid, but untamable. Rumor is he never found his true love."
His true love. Lorelai mulled over these words. He never found his true love. Then it hit her. Of course! How could she have not seen it before? Rory had been his first true love, his only true love. She had rejected him, eventually, but, for a while, he had loved her, he still loved her. He was never able to get over that fact, but at least Rory had tamed him a bit. However, with no Rory...than Dean would have to resort to second best, Lindsey. Also, with no Rory to break up the already tense marriage, the two were stuck together. Lindsey having given her whole heart to him, but fearful that he would leave with her at the drop of a hat. That was the look she had seen in her eyes earlier.
Lorelai shook her head in understanding. Babette watched her for a few moments before saying, "So, are you one of his flings?"
"What?" Lorelai asked, appalled. Jeez, what was it with people assuming she had had an affair with Dean? Did she look like the affair type? Laughing nervously, she pulled her jacket tighter around her body, covering up any evidence that she had breasts. Or anything feminine. Stuttering, she said, "No, Babette, I'm not a fling."
"Shame, he's a nice lookin fella, I'd do him. Jesus, after Morey left, I'd do anyone." Babette said casually, taking a long drag, following it with a gulp of her beer.
Lorelai's eyes widened at this. Morey had left? But—why? They had been so perfect for each other. Sure, he could hardly fit into her house, but who could? It was made for the Keebler elves. They had loved each other, what had gone wrong?
"Morey left? Why?"
Babette shrugged her shoulders. "Son-of-a-bitch took off about six years ago. Couldn't take it anymore, he said."
Lorelai's head was becoming foggy from these loose pieces of information. None of it made sense. "Couldn't take what?"
In any other situation, Lorelai was sure that this different Babette would have yelled at her for being so damn nosy. But, her eyes softened as she delved into Morey's story. "We had this darlin cat. Name was Cinnamon. God, we loved that cat. Took care of her like a child."
Lorelai smiled as the memory of Cinnamon. They really had loved that cat. No one in their right mind makes a wagon for their cat unless they truly loved it.
"But, then, she died! And we couldn't take it. I was a wreck and Morey couldn't even play the piano. We were torn apart. I had no one there to carry me through it. Morey wouldn't even talk to me. And then—he left!" Babette's eyes glistened over as she got to the last part. She stayed that way for a few seconds before shaking it off and turning her attention back to Lorelai, eying her again. "How do you even know about Morey anyhow?"
Lorelai chose to ignore that particular comment. She was sick of talking about Dean and Lindsey. She didn't even like Dean and Lindsey that much. And the story of Morey leaving was depressing her. He had left because she hadn't had a friend? But, what about Ms. Patty? Lorelai tried to choke down the tears as she remembered she had been the one to comfort Babette the most after Cinnamon's loss.
But, enough about Cinnamon. She wanted to find out about Lorelai Gilmore.
"Um, listen. Do you know who I am?"
Babette raised an eyebrow at this comment, before surveying her body. She tapped her foot slowly, finally moving her eyes to Lorelai's face. Answering, she said, "No, suga."
Lorelai had to be sure. "You—really don't, Babette?"
Babette was getting irritable again. "No, I don't! And where do you come off calling me Babette, how do you even know my name?"
Lorelai hung her head at this comment. That was it. That was the signifying action, the red flag that let her know she had really entered the twilight zone or Gaarder's Sophie's World. God, what if she had become like Sophie had at the end of that book? Nonexistent. Vapor. Unforeseen to the human eye. So far gone from the world that she couldn't even make contact with them, even get a cup of coffee. She had become a mythological human being.
God, that was a depressing thought. No coffee? And to never be able to make contact with her family, her friends, ever again? At least Sophie had had been joined by others who had evaporated from the world, forming a kind of philosophical group. Granted, some of these persons were Batman and Snow White, but at least it was contact, some kind of contact. But, still, she had been cut off from the world entirely. Lorelai was satisfied to at least know she could make contact with Babette. But, what was better? Having contact with the real world and being alone on the other side, or having the contact on the other side? Both sounded completely horrible to her.
Had she never existed to these people? What had happened? God, she needed answers, something to tell her what was going on. She couldn't figure it all out on her own. Hell, she could hardly figure a math problem out on her own, and this wouldn't be easier.
"Suga, are you alright? You're startin to get a little pale." Babette stated, a small touch of sympathy in her voice. Lorelai shook her head nervously. She forbid the tears from coming that felt imminent and tried to stop her body from shaking.
"I-I have to go," Lorelai muttered, turning quickly on her heel and racing down the front porch steps.
"Alright suga, but if you're ever up for a drink, you know who to call!" Babette yelled after her in her raspy voice before stepping back into her house, muttering, "Strange braud. Beautiful, but strange." She slammed the small door shut behind her.
Lorelai yelled in frustration at Babette's offer. How did this all happen? If she was ever up for a drink? Sure, the old Babette had drank, but she had never pictured her as someone to drink starting at 8 in the morning. She had never been that woman. And no Morey? What had happened to this town? What had happened to her life?
She needed answers desperately, and she definitely hadn't gotten any from Babette. But, who else was there to ask? She would have to go into town...but, she wasn't so sure she would be prepared to see what the town would look like. She had a feeling that it would be completely different. And what about Luke's? Her heart nearly stopped as this thought floated into her mind. What would Luke be like? Would he be just as grumpy? What if he was married to someone else? There was a million "what ifs" but, so far, no answers.
Determined to figure out what the hell was going on, Lorelai broke out in a run headed for town. She had barely made it ten feet when someone popped out from behind a nearby tree and Lorelai ran smack down into them.
"Oh, jeez!" Lorelai yelled as she was knocked backwards into the grass. Her head hit the ground forcefully as she managed to blurt out every curse word imaginable. Before she was able to regain herself and stand up, she blacked out for a few seconds, the world seeming to melt away from beneath her. She thought for a moment that she was dying, which seemed like an okay possibility at the moment, when she regained consciousness and fluttered her eyes open. She gasped at what she saw. Lingering over her, a half concerned look on her face, was an angel.
At least she looked like an angel. Lorelai tried to sit up, but found her body was too heavy to move. She groaned as pain shot through her entire body and lifted her hand to massage her head. "Ow," she muttered, as she tried to move again. Giving up, she focused her attention on the face in front of her.
"Who are you?" Lorelai asked, almost rudely. Why was she all up in her grill? Grill? Where had that come from? God, this alternate universe was really making her act crazy.
"Hi, Lorelai," the angel said, brightly, her voice high-pitched and sunny. Lorelai winced when she talked.
"Could you lower the decibel level please, your voice is giving me cramps." Lorelai rubbed her head again, shaking it a bit as she regained her surroundings.
"Oh, sorry," the angel said, apologetically. She managed to keep that stupid grin plastered on her face. She reached forward and helped Lorelai stand up. Once Lorelai was on her own two feet, she shook out a bit, rubbing her forehead again. God, she had the worst headache ever. She wondered if the angel had any Tylenol. Probably not. Did they even use Tylenol in heaven? Probably not. They were angels. They could fix anything.
Lorelai surveyed the female angel who was smiling at her, her wide puppy dog eyes focused on her. She was very pretty. Her brown hair fell in curls past her shoulders and her chocolate eyes sparkled in the sun. She wore a simple white gown and had perfect skin. She looked so delicate, yet so steadfast and strong.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to come at you like that," the angel said, rushed, looking sympathetically at Lorelai.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, nothing a nice anvil wouldn't fix," Lorelai said, quickly, running her hands through her hair. She then asked for the second time, "Who are you?"
"Oh, me? I'm Carrie, your Guardian Angel."
Lorelai thought surely she had heard wrong. Her what? She didn't even think Guardian Angels existed. Sure, they were a nice concept, and gave you a little comfort, but she had never actually believed in them. They weren't real, just like unicorns and the Loch Ness Monster and healthy food. Something you speculated about but, in reality, didn't exist.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right," Lorelai said.
Carrie continued to smile like a maniac. "I'm your Guardian Angel."
"The wind—it's just really loud," Lorelai said, waving behind her.
"I'm your Guardian Angel!" Carrie yelled, a bit defensively. A few seconds later, she turned to the sky and said, "I'm sorry, I'll try a softer approach."
Lorelai watched this Carrie with her mouth gaped open. Guardian Angel? Was she serious? She couldn't be real. She had never seen her before in her life. And who had she been talking to? It just got more confusing by the minute.
Lorelai, after choking on her own words, finally managed to point at Carrie and then the sky. "What—who—what was that?"
Carrie waved her off, "Just my superior, Trix. She tends to get demanding."
"Trix?" Lorelai question, raising any eyebrow when her grandmother's name was mentioned. Okay, this was starting to get weird. How did she know Trix? Trix was dead! Even though Lorelai was sure Trix was still causing all kinds of trouble when she was dead, it didn't matter because she was DEAD. As in gone from this earth.
Then, a thought slowly started to dawn on Lorelai. This Carrie claimed she was an angel. Trix was dead. Then it would almost make sense on how they knew each other...
Lorelai let out a regular Joey scream as she pointed insanely at Carrie. Carrie jumped back a bit at this outrageous action before calming herself and giving Lorelai time to finish her freak out.
And Lorelai was certainly freaking out. A Guardian Angel? She had a Guardian Angel? This was insane! She had someone that watched over her and protected her over move? She almost couldn't wrap her mind around it.
But, then something began to dawn on her. A Guardian Angel could help her. Tell her what the hell was going on. Clue her in to why she had suddenly evaporated from the earth. Then maybe she could start filling in the blanks.
Refocusing her attention on the woman standing in front of her, Lorelai said, "Umm—erm—so…Guardian Angel, huh? Did I win the lottery or something?"
Carrie wrinkled her forehead in confusion, "What?"
Lorelai waved her off. "Nothing—just, talking crazy—so—"
"I'm Carrie," Carrie said, holding her hand out. Lorelai looked at it apprehensively before holding her hand out and shaking Carrie's. "And I'm here to help you."
"Great," Lorelai said, sighing with relief. "Do you think you could get me back to reality now?"
Carrie shook her head slowly. Trix had warned her that Lorelai was impatient and would be anxious and eager to be placed back in her reality. But, she needed some time away from her world to unwind her mind and realize she wasn't a road block to everyone in her life. "No."
Lorelai snapped, "What?"
Carrie held her hands out simply. "You asked to not exist, you got your wish. Now you must realize what to do with it."
Lorelai stomped her foot in frustration. Dammit. She had hoped this so called Guardian Angel could fix her life, but apparently not. Apparently, she had to go through several trials beforehand to get there.
"Fine," Lorelai said, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Where are your wings?"
Carrie chuckled a bit at Lorelai's sudden question. "I haven't earned them yet."
"What?" Lorelai asked, raising an eyebrow. Hadn't earned them? What kind of nonsense was that?
"I have to earn them." Carrie said in a chipper voice. She continued to smile at Lorelai. When she noticed Lorelai was still glaring at her, she continued talking. "So, you got your wish. You don't exist. You never existed. And, now you get to see what Stars Hallow would be without you. What those around you would be without you."
Lorelai shook her head slowly, taking in everything she was saying. What a scary thought. It was now confirmed that she didn't exist. And now she got to see the town without her? She didn't know if she could handle that.
But, she had to. She had to know. She had to see Luke. Suddenly, she took off running in the direction of the town.
"Lorelai—wait!" Carrie yelled after her. She watched Lorelai's retreating back for a few seconds before breaking out in a jog herself. "Lorelai, slow down! I don't know if you're ready for this! Stars Hallow is going to be completely different! Lorelai!"
Lorelai ignored Carrie's desperate yells and continued running, not even bothering to turn around. Her feet were aching and she was out of breath, but she couldn't stop. The town was just ahead.
"Lorelai!" Carrie yelled out in one last desperate attempt, but it was useless. She had wanted to prepare Lorelai for what she was about to see, but it was too late. Lorelai had come to an abrupt stop at the edge of town, moving her head slowly as she surveyed Stars Hallow.
This was not the Stars Hallow she knew.
TBC
