"Mom! Wake up! I missed the bus!" Rory shouted, in an attempt to wake her mother from her slumber.

Lorelai's eyes fluttered open at first and, upon coming into some state of consciousness, they widened as she shot out of bed, slipped on her black and white converse, sprinted down the stairs, grabbed her keys, and said "okay, let's go."

By the time they were on the highway en route to Chilton, both had finally caught control of their breathing.

"What made you wake up so late, kid?"

"I was up all night studying."

"Great, so you're going to get locked out of another test. I swear to god, I am going to raise hell if that happens agai—"

"Mom, don't worry. I don't have a test," Rory said, cutting her off. "I just wanted to make sure I understood some of my physics stuff."

"Nerd."

"Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha." Rory replied sarcastically. "So where are you going after you drop me off?" She asked in a knowing tone.

"Judging by the way you just said that, I think you know where I'm going."

"Luuuuuuukeessss."

She didn't reply. She just smiled. Ear to ear. She'd never been more eager to see anyone in her entire life.

"You look happy," Rory observed.

"I am, kid."

There was a comfortable silence for the remainder of the ride. When they arrived at Chilton, Rory was relieved to find that she still had 7 minutes before her first class started. She got out of the car, said goodbye to her mom, and walked into the building and out of sight.

Ten minutes into her drive back to Stars Hollow, the only thing on Lorelai's mind was Luke. She'd never felt so giddy before.

Stop being ridiculous, Lorelai. He's just a guy. You've dated guys before. He's no different.

Who are you kidding? Of course he's different. He's Luke. He's the guy who opens early and stays open late, just to feed your caffeine addiction. He's the guy who comes over at 6 in the morning to fix your porch and yells at you for leaving your doors unlocked. He's the guy who has never once ceased to be there for you or your daughter. He's the guy. It's as simple as that. He's the guy, Lorelai. He's the guy.

She was brought out of her musings by a loud clap of thunder and rain was soon pouring down on her windshield. She turned on her headlights and flipped the wipers on full speed. Gripping the steering wheel as tightly as possible, she brought her full attention to the road ahead and slowed her speed to a crawl. It was one of those storms where it didn't matter how much driving experience or skill you had. It was still scary.

She cautiously allowed a small silver Taurus to merge into the lane before her, wanting to be sure that whatever cars driving on that empty road were in front of her so she could see and react quickly if anything were to happen. They continued down the road for a few miles and the storm seemed to have calmed down. Both cars picked up their speed, still cautious of the mass amounts of water covering the pavement. Just as a truck going in the opposite direction was about to pass them, it hydroplaned and swerved into their lane, smashing the silver Taurus head on. Lorelai tried to brake but her efforts failed and she barreled into the small car's rear. Then, everything went black.

She'd only blacked out for a moment before coming back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open and she was immediately hit with different sensations of pain in multiple areas of her body. Through the now-shattered windshield of her Jeep, she could hear the desperate cries of an infant and she looked up to see that the small car in front of her was demolished. She reached for her cell phone, which was somehow still in the exact same place on her passenger seat, and called 911, requesting immediate help. After hanging up, she struggled to open her door and, despite the excruciating pain she was feeling, got out of the Jeep and stumbled to the vehicle in front of her. Thankful that the doors were unlocked, she opened the driver's door and found the young mother, who couldn't have been more than 19 years old, lifeless and not breathing. She pressed to fingers to the girl's neck but couldn't find a pulse and she was so tightly packed between the seat and the airbag that it would have been impossible for Lorelai to get her out.

She said a quick prayer, something she hadn't done in ages, and then turned her attention to the small baby girl in the back seat. She opened the rear door and unfastened the harnesses on the child's car seat. She carefully lifted the baby out, consciously supporting her head and neck. She knew moving the child could be dangerous but she also knew that leaving her there could be even worse. She held the little girl close to her shoulder and walked over to the truck to check on the driver.

He was alive and alert, but the shock prevented him from speaking or making any movements.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

He just turned to look at her, eyes filled with terror and guilt, and nodded.

Shifting the baby into one arm, Lorelai lifted her other hand to grab his.

"I'm Lorelai," she said, hoping the gesture would assure him that she didn't blame him for the accident that had taken place. "What's your name?" she asked him, offering a sympathetic smile.

"Kevin," he replied. His shoulders started to relax and his breathing began to even out. "I am so sorry, Lorelai. I've been doing this job for fifteen years. I've never so much as gotten a speeding ticket."

"It wasn't your fault, Kevin. These roads are all but flooded. You can't control your tires' failure to grip the pavement. It wasn't something you could have prevented. These things just happen."

She squeezed his hand and he descended from his seat in the truck, following her back over to the young girl who was still motionless. His whole body began to shake and Lorelai could barely make out the words that came out of his mouth.

"I killed her." he whispered.

"You did not kill her, Kevin. The paramedics are on their way. She's going to be fi-"

Kevin looked over to find her eyelids slowly closing and her legs giving out beneath her. Moving quickly, he made his way behind her body, just in time to catch her as she blacked out for the second time. He gently laid her down on the road and took the crying baby from her arms. He heard sirens in the distance and as they got closer, everything around him became a blur.