*UPDATE 1/1/2019 PLEASE READ

**NOTE: This isn't a chapter update, it's an authors note. If you want to know where I have been/what my plans are for this story, keep reading.

Hey, guys! Long time no see, and Happy New Year! 2018 was quite the year...

To start, I don't want anyone to think that I have forgotten this story. I know the fact that I haven't updated since August might make you think I have, but I promise I haven't, and I am sorry I haven't been active.

After my last update, my life went crazy, to say the least, and it wasn't crazy in a good way. I had two family members pass away, including one that I was very close to. Around the same time as the passings, some unspeakable things happened to someone very close to me, and I'll just leave it at that. In the mean time, I also got a kidney stone, which was literally the most painful experience of my life. On top of all of that, I had a heavier class load for school and some other personal/anxiety issues... All in all, as you might have gathered, writing was not something I had time for or really felt like doing. As a result, I decided to take some time off of this story because I didn't feel like I could give y'all my best work.

I finally sat down to write for the first time since August a couple of days ago, and, let me tell you, it was hard to write because I was out of practice. I had to go back and reread some of my story because I had forgotten some of what I wrote...but writing was also a relief. I found my creative outlet again, and realized just how much I love these characters and this story.

Let me reiterate, I am so sorry that I haven't been writing, because you guys have been so supportive over this whole story. No, I have not finished my next update yet, but I wanted to let you all know that I have started it, and I still plan to keep this story going. You guys rock, and I hope you enjoy my upcoming updates!

Xoxo S

Chapter 46: Clouds Are Gone

As the sun peeked through the blinds the following morning, Lorelai stretched and turned to her side. Instead of ending up next to Luke, like usual, she found herself falling heavily on the floor. Groaning, she sat up slowly. Looking up to the bed, it was clear Rory was still sound asleep but as she caught glimpse of Rory's clock out of the corner of her eye, she realized she shouldn't be.

"Shit!" She gasped, scrambling onto her feet. Nudging her awake quickly, she saw Rory's eyes slip open slowly. "Rory, you've got to get up, sweets! We're late!" She exclaimed.

Hearing the word late, Rory popped up quickly. "Mommy! I have school!" She whined, jumping out of the bed and running to her dresser. "Today's craft day! I don't want to be late!"

Seeing Rory scramble to get the drawer open, Lorelai walked over and slid it open smoothly. "We won't be late. I promise. Just put your dress and socks and shoes on, brush your teeth, and brush your hair. I'm gonna go get ready super fast, but I'll set out a pop tart for you first. Okay?"

"Okay."

Walking quickly out of the room, Lorelai darted immediately to the poptart cabinet and slipped two strawberry flavored pastries in the toaster. Scrambling over to the coffee maker, she grabbed the lukewarm pot and poured a large cup. Downing a gulp of her liquid energy, she leaned back against the counter and released a loud breath as she finally allowed herself to wake up.

Taking in the less than impressive coffee in her hands and lack of breakfast dishes in the sink, the reason for her waking up in Rory's rook without an alarm flooded her memory. "Damn Chris and damn Luke," she grumbled, taking another long drink of her drink. "Just a few days of tolerating each other, that's all, but no. They had to start a competition to see who's the bigger jackass." Looking down at the cup in her hand, she frowned. "At least Luke knows how to make coffee…"

The toaster pop pulling her from angry thoughts, she hurried to take them out and headed upstairs to try to find a way to make herself look presentable in 20 minutes. Thinking about the ego contest between the two men was going to have to wait.

Shutting the front door behind her 23 minutes later, Lorelai followed Rory to the Jeep, helping her settle into seat.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Rory?" She answered, taking the little girls bookbag and sitting it in the seat beside her.

"Are we gonna be on time?" She asked worriedly.

"We are." She answered. Shutting the side door, she opened the driver's door and climbed in. "You got ready super-fast, so we are going to be perfectly fine. You won't miss craft time."

As they pulled out of the driveway and drove through the roads of town, Lorelai heard a much less confident "Mommy," fall out of Rory's mouth.

Catching a glimpse of her in the rear-view mirror, Lorelai frowned at the serious look on her face. "Yeah, hon? What's wrong?"

"Is Dad picking me up today?"

Opening her mouth to answer, Lorelai stopped. Realizing she wasn't really sure which "dad" she was referring to, she asked, "Daddy Luke or Daddy Chris."

"Chris... Daddy Luke is Daddy and he is Dad." Rory explained.

She hadn't realized that Rory had started calling them different names, but thinking on it, remembered hearing her call Chris "Dad" his whole visit. "Then yes, your dad is picking you up at school. He wants to spend the afternoon with you, and he is going to bring you back before dinner."

Frowning, Rory looked at Lorelai earnestly in the mirror. "But what if he doesn't get me? I don't want to be at school all by myself."

The whole time, she knew Rory might worry about Chris liking her, but she didn't even think about Rory questioning if he would even show up in the first place. Questions that Rory came up with never ceased to surprise her. Finally pulling off the road, she pulled into the parking lot of the school and put the car in park. Unbuckling, she turned around to give Rory her full attention. "Rory, are you worried that your dad isn't going to show up?"

At her hesitant nod, she sighed. "Chris's less than stellar track record strikes again…" She thought. Reaching out, she took a strong hold of her hand. "Sweets, I know your dad hasn't always showed up, but he promised me yesterday that he was going to come and get you."

"But what if he doesn't. He broke his promise before."

Sighing, she squeezed her hand in reassurance. "I really think he will... But I will call the diner and see if Luke to go by the school when it gets out to make sure you aren't left all by yourself. Will that make you feel better?"

"Yeah." She answered, nodding once again.

"Then that's what I'll do. I promise you won't be left alone, okay?"

"Okay."

After dropping Rory off, Lorelai didn't bother stopping by the diner. She wasn't really in the mood to and figured her phone call would she arrived the inn, she focused on reviewing the messages left for her from the night shift and from before she got there.

Looking at the clock an hour or so later, she knew the breakfast rush was over by then. On one hand, she knew she needed to make the call, but, on the other, they hadn't spoken since last night. She wasn't in the best of moods and knew he wouldn't be either, but if there was one thing she would always be sure about, it was his care for Rory.

"Luke's."

"Hey it's me." She spoke up, not breaking into rambling like she normally would when he answered the phone.

"Oh, hey."

Awkward silence filled the line.

"Look," She sighed, "I know your mono-syllabic ways are probably in overdrive, so you don't have to try to think of anything to say to me. This isn't about us or Chris; it's about Rory. I need to ask you a favor."

"Even if it was about you, you know you don't have to ask." He answered immediately. "Just tell me."

"Chris is supposed to pick Rory up from school, but since he hasn't been the most reliable about showing up in the past, Rory is afraid he won't show and she'll be left at school all by herself. Can you stop by the school when it gets out and make sure you see that Chris gets her?"

"Of course..."

If she heard him right, Lorelai heard Luke take a breath that sounded like he was going to continue but remained silent. Remaining quiet, she waited a second before questioning "Luke?"

"Yeah"

Sighing, she picked at some tape stuck to the front desk as she continued. "I know you have something to say so say it."

Hesitating for a second before speaking, he spoke up carefully, his voice laced with concern. "Are you sure it's a good idea to trust him with her all by himself? What if he tries to take off with her?"

"Chris has a hard-enough time being around her for a few hours. Trust me, he won't try to take her away... but then again, you haven't trusted me this week with much, so you just think what you want."

"Lorelai..."

Frowning, though he couldn't see it, she apologized. "I'm sorry. That was rude, but really you don't need to worry." She could tell by his sigh he wanted to stay on the Chris topic, so she pressed on. "I know you want to, but I'm not getting into this with you now. I'm not in the mood. I woke up late because I wasn't in our room to hear my alarm, my coffee was barely warm, and, to be honest, I'm still pissed at you, so now is not the time to try to discuss Chris with me. Maybe later... I'll see you tonight."

With the abrupt ending to their phone call, she sat it back down on the cradle and looked around the lobby. In her mind, she knew more than anything that she needed coffee. After getting someone to watch the desk, she decided to do exactly that.

"Hey Sook," Lorelai called plainly as she headed straight for the pot.

Turning from the stove, Sookie eyed her up and down and frowned. "Good morning, sunshine. Rough morning?"

"You could say that." Pouring a cup, she turned back to her. "Is it that noticeable?"

"Considering you're wearing two different heels, I'd say yes."

Her jaw dropping, she looked down to see that she was, in fact, wearing two different shoes. "Dammit, I knew buying a pair in black and a pair in brown would come back to bite me in the ass."

Transferring carrots into the pot on the stove, Sookie wiped her hands and turned the burner lower. Walking over, she poured a cup of coffee herself. "So, did you not look in the mirror before you left, or…?"

"I barely had time. I didn't hear my alarm go off this morning, so I woke up with about 20 minutes to get ready."

"You didn't hear your alarm? Didn't you buy the loudest alarm clock on the planet to prevent this from happening?"

"Yes, but the clock only works if I'm in my room."

She had been stirring her coffee, but she quickly froze. She could tell by Lorelai's attitude that it wasn't because of some random rendezvous with Luke outside of the confines of their room. Looking at her curiously, she frowned. "Where were you?"

Sighing Lorelai took a sip of her drink and sat it down. "I slept downstairs with Rory last night."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It wasn't..."

"Well, come on..." she pressed. "You can't just leave me hanging. What happened?"

"It's a long story, but basically Luke and I hashed it out about Chris, he accused me of wanting Chris, and I couldn't even tolerate being in the same room as him, so I went downstairs."

"He thinks you want Chris? Is he insane?"

"That's what I said! But apparently, he is. I went downstairs to try to cool off, so I checked in on Rory, and decided to lay beside her and watch her like I used to at the potting shed, but I fell asleep... hence the running late and mismatched shoes."

Smiling sadly, Sookie sat her coffee on the counter. "I'm sorry, honey. I knew once you told me Chris was back that it would be stressful, but I didn't think it would be this bad."

"Tell me about it..." Shaking her head, Lorelai looked back at her with a sad frown. "You should have heard him, Sook. He seriously thinks I would leave him for Chris, but you know that's the last thing I would do."

"I do... but apparently for some reason he doesn't."

Breaking them from their conversation, the door to the kitchen swung open. The worker Lorelai told to watch the desk came, needing her to come back to the desk because of someone on the who needed to move reservations.

Sliding her coffee over to her, Lorelai straightened up to head back to work. "Alright, I'll talk to you later, Sookie."

After hanging up at the desk, Lorelai flipped through reservation book. Arriving back at the current day, she frowned immediately as she saw Chris's name appear in front of her. In the back of her mind, she knew his presence would cause trouble, but not this much. Once again, the question riding in the back of her mind the whole visit reappeared. She wasn't stupid. He didn't just pop up for the job or to see Rory, like he claimed. His dad had been offering him a job for years, and Rory was around any time, but he still never came. Her engagement was probably the spark, but how did he even know about it?

Freezing as she went to flip a page, something clicked. "How did he know?" She thought. They hadn't had contact with him in almost a year, but suddenly, after engagement, he popped back up. There was no way for him to know about the engagement except…

The lightbulb finally flickering on in her mind, Lorelai reached for the phone again and dialed the familiar number.

"Gilmore residence."

"Yes, is Mrs Gilmore there? It's her daughter."

"She is. One moment please."

Listening carefully, Lorelai noticed shuffling on the other end before she heard "This is Emily Gilmore."

"Did you call him?" She questioned immediately with force.

"Lorelai?"

"Yes, Lorelai. Now, answer me. Did you call him?"

"Am I going to get a specification over who "him" is or am I just supposed to guess?"

Rolling her eyes, Lorelai specified, "Chris, Mom! Christopher Hayden! He just magically showed up in Stars Hollow out of the blue, and he expects me to believe that he just came for Rory! But for some reason, I don't believe him, and I want to know if you had something to do with it!"

"Well, if you would have specified faster, then I might have been able to answer you quicker."

"Mom, could you please cut the crap and just answer me."

Shocking her, Emily spoke a plain, "No, Lorelai, I did not call Christopher."

Definitely not the answer she was expecting, Lorelai released a loud breath before speaking calmer. "You didn't call him."

"No, I didn't." Emily answered confidently. "In fact, the last time I heard from him was most likely the last time you did as well."

"Then why the hell did he decide to show up?"

She didn't realize she had said it out loud until her mother responded. "Considering you've done everything possible to keep me out of your life, I'm not sure why you're asking me."

"This is not the time to go there, mom. I've got too much going on to fight with you too..." Rapping her fingers on the desk, Lorelai prodded, "So you're sure that you haven't had any kind of contact with Chris lately? You didn't mention the engagement to Francine just so she would tell him and he'd come back?"

"No, Lorelai, I haven't..." Before Lorelai could think of an answer, Emily spoke up again. "But now that I think about it, your father mentioned that he had an encounter with Straub Hayden recently."

Her hand flying to her forehead, she sighed. "Oh, my gosh, I knew it... I knew there was no way you guys were okay with me and Luke!"

Rolling her eyes, Emily sat down at the chair by the phone desk. "Don't be so dramatic, Lorelai. As much as Luke is not what your father and I envisioned for you, we've both realized that trying interfering would only make things worse. I'm sure if you're father mentioned your engagement to Straub, he didn't intend to harm your relationship with Luke."

"Well, whether it was intended or not, he did..."

"He did? Are you and Luke having problems?"

Shocked by the concern that was actually genuine, Lorelai paused for a moment before answering. "No, not problems, just a problem. A problem with Christopher. But hearing that dad saw Straub makes everything make sense."

"Is there anything else that I can help you with?"

"Not at the moment."

Opening her mouth to try to end the call, Lorelai was interrupted by her mother speaking up again.

"And the wedding? Are you still allowing your father and I to purchase the invitations and dress? You know those things come with a time frame…"

"Yes, mother, I do. Once Chris leaves I'll call you to set something up."

"As long as you don't wait too long."

"I wont… But thanks, Mom. I'll talk to you later."

Hanging up the phone, Lorelai looked up to see Mia standing in front of her.

"Your mother? Is wedding planning mode in full swing?" She asked with genuine interest.

"Not yet… she'd like it to be, though."

"Well, not that I want to pressure you into anything," Mia started, proceeding when she noted Lorelai's genuine interest. "But I wanted to talk to you about my involvement with the wedding. I mentioned it last week before your vacation."

Remembering the quick conversation before she left the inn, Lorelai nodded. "I remember… but I'm not sure now is the best time," She revealed vaguely.

Leaning against the front desk, Mia pointed. "Let me guess, something is going on between you and Lucas."

Not even trying to hide it, she questioned, "How did you know?"

"Christopher is here." Mia answered plainly with a shrug. Smirking a little, she added, "Also, when I went by the diner earlier, the Grinch was burning things and yelling at everyone."

"Well, he has no right to yell and be upset when he's the one that started it all." Lorelai mumbled under her breath with an eye roll.

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good. Anything you want to talk about?"

"I don't know, Mia. I think I'm still trying to process everything."

"Well, I'll tell you what. I have a meeting soon, but why don't you come to my office in about an hour and a half. I already want you to come talk to me in a little while anyway, and we can talk about Lucas too if you want."

As Mia expected her to, Lorelai found herself knocking on the office door later that afternoon. Taking a seat on the couch, Lorelai was met with Mia coming to sit beside her.

Cutting straight to the point, Lorelai questioned, "So, you mentioned the wedding?"

"I did…" At her curious look, Mia continued, "So, I was wondering if you had a venue for the wedding yet."

"We've talked about it, but nothing is set in stone." She shrugged.

"Okay..." Holding up a cautious hand in warning, Mia spoke convincingly. "Now, hear me out before you make a decision, but I was wondering what you thought about doing it at the inn."

"Mia, you..."

"Uh uh, let me finish." She smiled. "I was looking at our fall wedding calendar, and I noticed that the date of your wedding is open. I want you to know that if you're at all interested at holding the wedding here, I will hold the date for you and it will come at a heavily discounted price."

"By heavily discounted, you mean free, right?" Lorelai questioned, a knowing look spreading on her face.

"If you'll accept it, then yes."

Shaking her head, Lorelai looked at her plainly. "That's so sweet of you to offer, but I'm not sure I can do that."

"Are you saying that because you don't want to have it here or because I want to let you have it for free?" At Lorelai's downward glance, Mia grinned. "That's what I thought... Sweetheart, I'm not trying to force this on you, so I don't want you to see it that way. It's 100% your choice. But I want you to see it as my wedding gift to you if you truly want it."

"Honestly, I've thought about having it at the inn, but I didn't know if it would be budget."

"Well, it will be in your budget, but talk to Lucas first and see what he says."

Frowning at the mention of his name, Lorelai shrugged. "If the we even make it that far in the planning then I will..."

Surprised by her negativity, Mia titled her head in confusion. "Why do you say that? Are you having second thoughts?"

"I'm not... Luke, on the other hand..." Lorelai sighed.

"I'm assuming this uncertainty has something to do with this problem you mentioned earlier."

"You could say that." She nodded. Leaning back against the couch, she looked at the ceiling. "If things keep going the way they are, I don't think Luke will meet me at the altar."

"Oh dear, what happened?"

"Last night Luke came at me out of no where about flirting with Chris, and he went as far as to accuse me of wanting him…"

"Were you flirting?"

"No!" Lorelai exclaimed instantly. At Mia's smile, she regained her composure and spoke back at a normal level. "I wasn't flirting. I was being nice because I have to… And Luke decided to let me know that he thought it was flirting." Shaking her head at the memory of the fight, Lorelai sighed. "But it wasn't even that that made me the most upset. Mia, Luke genuinely told me that he thinks I would leave him for Chris because Chris has all the society things I supposedly need."

"So, what you're telling me is Lucas is jealous of Christopher, and he's afraid he's going to lose you to him." Mia answered knowingly.

"Apparently, but I don't have any clue why." She shrugged. "Yes, I love Chris, but only in the sense that I love him for giving me Rory. That's all. My feelings for him dont go anyway further."

"And you've told Lucas that?"

"Of course! We discussed this a while back before Chris even showed up, but I guess all of that went in one ear and out the other. That's why I don't know what to say to him because there isn't anything that I haven't already said. I am his fiancée, for heaven's sake, if that doesn't show him that I want to be with him, I don't know what will."

"Sometimes, things like that don't really come to light until they happen. He could hear your words all he wanted, but you and I both know Luke has to see things to believe them some times."

"And I get that, but he hasn't seen anything that should make him think anything other than that I am all in with him."

Putting her head in her hands, Lorelai groaned loudly before looking up with sad eyes. "Mia, I'm scared."

"Sweetheart..." Taking her hands, Mia spoke softly. "What are you scared of."

"I'm scared this isn't going to work after all."

"Do you want to explain why?"

Taking a breath, she explained, "This is our second big fight in a month. First over parenting Rory and now this! What if we can't stop fighting."

Smiling sadly, Mia shook her head. "If you were fighting over something small every time and taking jabs at each other, then I would be. But parenting Rory and Christopher aren't small matters... they're very important. Now you know each other's feelings, and can move forward... Yes, fighting is terrible, but both of you are such strong personalities, it should be expected every once in a while."

"I know. I just hate it." Looking at the wall behind Mia, she stared at it before looking back and locking eyes with her. "But aside from the fighting, what if he doesn't believe me? I can deal with the jealousy, but I can't live with him not trusting me."

"Deep down, I think he does believe you... I just don't think he trusts himself to be enough for you."

Thinking on it for a second, she nodded understandingly. "You know he said that?"

"Said what?"

"That he doesn't think he's enough for me. He thinks I want men who perform grand gestures and who are good with words, but I don't. I lived the life of money and societal perfection, now I just want the life of love, and I have that with him... I don't understand why he doesn't get that."

"Men who perform grand gestures and who are good with words?"

Taking in Mia's disbelief, Lorelai held up her hands in innocence. "They aren't my words…That's what he said!"

Shaking her head, Mia shrugged. "No offense, dear, but that doesn't sound like something Lucas would say."

"Well he did. I don't know where else he'd get it from! I didn't say it, so who else..." Before she could finish the sentence, realization struck. "Oh my gosh, the diner, yesterday. He claimed it was a tourist customer who pissed him off... It was Chris!" She exclaimed, slapping the seat she was sitting on. "How did I not realize that… Gah, I'm dumb."

"No, hon, you're in love. I'm afraid that once your heart is involved in things, the most obvious things never occur to you. You turn into a moron."

"That's the truth..." Thinking on the situation and suddenly having the desire to talk to him, Lorelai shrugged. "You know, Rory's supposed to be spending the afternoon with Chris today, so maybe we can talk before he brings her back... I want to try to fix this ASAP"

Patting her hands, Mia stood up from the couch. "I think you should… Believe me, everything is going to be fine. I know it may seem rough now, but it's you and Lucas. You and I both know you two are meant for each other."

At Lorelai's blushed face, she smiled. "Now keep it together and work through this. You two have been through too much to let this change things."

Hours later, longer than she expected, Lorelai finally closed the inventory book and slid it back in the drawer. After realizing that no one had taken inventory over the weekend while she was gone, she was forced to rush and get the numbers of what they needed before the order had to be placed the next morning.

Catching sight of the clock as she sat down in the chair behind the front desk for a moment, she noted the 5:15 time. She had all intentions of going to Luke's but things got busy, making the day go by faster than she realized.

After taking a loud breath, she stood back up, ready to finally clock out, when the time registered. Freezing, she stared back at the clock on the desk. "5:15?" Looking across the room to make sure she wasn't crazy, she stared in fear at the same 5:15 showing.

Her body moving before her mind registered, Lorelai scrambled to Mia's office. "Mia, you haven't seen Chris come in with Rory, have you?"

Looking up over her glasses from her desk, Mia shook her head. "I haven't. Am I supposed to?"

"We were supposed to see him around 4:30 because that's when he was supposed to be back! It's 5:15, and he's not here!"

By the increased volume of her voice, Mia could tell she was starting to freak out. "Okay, Lorelai, now hold on a second. Have you called the diner? Maybe Christopher took her there."

"He was supposed to come back here!"

"I know that, but maybe he got confused." Holding out the phone from her desk, she instructed, "Call Lucas and then we will go from there."

Taking a deep breath, Lorelai took the phone and dialed the diner number quickly.

"Lukes!"

"Is Rory there?" Lorelai answered back, not even bothering to let him know who was on the other line.

"No, she's not. Is she supposed to be? Is everything okay?"

Her heart sinking immediately, Lorelai spoke quickly. "No, it's not! Chris was supposed to be back with her almost an hour ago, and they're not here!" Clearly from his end of the line, she heard his sharp intake of breath.

This was his biggest fear come true "It will be okay, Lorelai, I'm on my way."

Fear flooded his mind as he felt his pockets for and successfully found his keys. He knew this was one of his concerns, but Lorelai genuinely trusted Chris to bring Rory right back. Remembering the fear in her voice as he stepped out the back door, he knew she needed him, fight or not.

Making it to the inn in record time, he rushed into the lobby to find Lorelai standing at the front desk phone.

"Luke!" She called him over loudly. Taking her attention back to the person on the other end of the call, she nodded as she answered. "Okay, Patty. If you could just keep an eye out for me, that would be amazing."

As soon as she hung the phone, Luke walked around the desk to her. "Tell me everything. Did patty know something?" He questioned

Shaking her head, she looked at him with shining eyes. "Babe, no one has seen her or Chris."

Placing a strong, comforting hand on her arm he spoke supportively. "Hey, don't freak out. We'll find her. Do you know what they were doing today?"

"They were supposed to hang around here. Not here, here, but in Stars Hollow and maybe Hartford. But who knows? Maybe he had plans to go to Woodbridge or something and didn't tell me. I don't know." She rambled and turned to begin to pace.

Catching her hand before she could step too far, Luke stared her straight in the eye. "Lorelai, you've got to calm down. Getting worked up is not going to help this... "

"Luke, he's almost an hour late and he has Rory. Our Rory… I have to stress."

"Well, you've already called Patty. I'm sure all of Stars Hollow is on the look out now. Let's focus on Hartford now. Do you know what they were planning on doing?"

Working on gathering herself, she sat down in the chair beside them and looked at him with a shrug. "Um… Not exactly. He mentioned taking her to the library down town, but it wasn't set in stone."

"Do you want me to go there and check?"

She was seriously considering answering yes, but a lightbulb went off in her mind, reminding her of someone else who could find out faster. "No… I need to call Mom."

Grabbing the phone, she dialed quickly. "I need to speak to Emily Gilmore. It's her daughter again.," She spoke to maid before she could even finish asking who was calling. "It's important."

Taking hold of the phone, Emily spoke plainly. "If calling me to yell at me again,"

"Mom, I need your help. We can't find Rory. or Chris" Lorelai interrupted her, without concern for what was at the end of her mother's sentence.

Gasping, Emily didn't even make the careless comeback she normally would. "What do you need me to do?"

"Chris was supposed to take her to Hartford to visit the big library downtown. Do you have the number?"

"Your father's friend is the head of the library, and he is there on a daily basis. I'll call him now and check. Do you need me to check anywhere else?"

"No, but I'll let you know… thanks Mom."

As she hung up the phone, a heaviness weighed on her that couldn't be relieved until she heard back from her mother. Looking at Luke with, once again, tear filled eyes, she shook her head and leaned on him. "Luke, if he took her, I don't know what I am going to do."

"He didn't take her," He reassured her, running his hands through her hair.

"But what about what you said earlier?"

Shaking his head, he spoke again. "He didn't take her. It doesn't matter what I said earlier. We are going to find them."

In all reality, Luke knew in his mind that he didn't believe all of what he said to be true. He didn't trust Chris, and if it was proven that he did take Rory, there was nothing that was going to stop him from finding her and finally driving him into the ground like he always wanted to.

"Gah, I feel so helpless sitting here." Lorelai said softly. "I just want to know that she's okay. That they just lost track of time or something…"

Her wishful thinking was broken by the sound of the phone ringing. Scrambling for it, she grabbed it and answered with a loud, "Mom?"

Cutting right to the chase, Emily relayed the information she had been told. "He said they left about an hour ago, Lorelai, but they were there,"

Sighing loudly, the hand of hers that was holding Luke's tightened. "Then where the hell are they?"

Emily's frank tone remained as she explained the other option that suddenly popped in her mind. "I'll call your father, and he can call Straub Hayden to see if he has heard from him… I'll come to Stars Hollow."

"No mom… You don't…"

"Lorelai," She interrupted plainly, "I'm coming, and there's nothing you can do about it. Call the car phone if you hear anything before I get there."

Hanging up the phone, Lorelai relayed the information to Luke. "They were at the library, but they left almost an hour ago. Dad's going to call Chris's dad to see if he has heard from him, and Mom is coming here."

Taken aback, Luke's eyebrows raised. "Your mother is coming here?"

"She insisted… I guess it's good that we have one more person on the look out for them." Standing up, she wrapped her arms around Luke's waist and leaned into him. "Tell me everything is going to work out. Tell me that Chris is just running late or something. Tell me Rory is fine."

"I already did," He answered, running his hands up and down her back soothingly as her grip tightened on him.

"Tell me again."

Pulling back, he placed a hand on her cheek and forced her to look at him. "Everything is going to be fine, Lorelai. Chris is just running late, and Rory is okay."

So there they stood, in the middle if the inn, waiting for the call. As people bustled in and out, they kept an attentive eye on the door, hoping Chris and Ror would appear. An unknown amount of time to them later, out of nowhere, the phone began to ring.

Looking at the phone and back and Luke, Lorelai's eyes widened with fear again. Releasing her, he grabbed the phone and handed it to her. "It could be him. It could be your dad, but you'll never know until you answer it."

"Hello?" Lorelai spoke hesitantly into the phone.

Her eyes brightening and her shoulders releasing all of their tension, Luke knew immediately that something good was on the other end of the line.

"Oh my gosh, Mom! Thank you!" Lorelai exclaimed loudly in relief. "Yes, I want to talk to her! Put her on."

Meanwhile in between Hartford and Stars Hollow…

"Yes, I know it's only been an hour, but if Rory doesn't show up soon, I'm sure Geoff Jenkins can get his people involved. He owes us anyway." Emily spoke commandingly, watching as the mile markers passed by. "I know you don't Richard, but our granddaughter is missing, so you're going to have to call Straub anyway. I'm going to see Lorelai, and if there are any developments, I'll let you know…"

Hanging up the car phone, she sat back in the seat, looking out the window. The fact that Lorelai called for her help shocked her, but there was no way in hell she was going to stay in Hartford. If something really did happen, she in Richard would do everything in their power to find Rory.

As she and the driver were about 30 minutes out, they drove up on a Volvo stopped on the side of the road. Eyeing the man that was standing outside, she noted something familiar about his form. Catching a glimpse of the side of his face as they pulled closer, she realized who the man was.

"Stop!" She yelled, staring at the window in surprise. The driver, looking through the rearview mirror curiously, did as she yelled and pulled over to a stop just past the car.

"Christopher!" She yelled as she opened her door, not bothering to wait for the attendee to open in for her.

Turning around, Chris looked at her in shock. "Emily?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Taking Rory and not returning! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Walking up to him, she looked in the back of the car to see Rory sitting in the back, clearly oblivious and reading a book.

"I'm sorry?" He questioned, looking at her in shock.

"Lorelai called me and told me you were supposed to be back with Rory an hour ago! She thinks you took her!"

His eye's widening, Chris gestured back to the car. "The rental got a flat tire, and I didn't' know how to fix it. I've been trying for the past half hour, but no one has stopped to help."

Rolling her eyes at his incompetence, Emily shook her head. "Go get Rory, and I'll take the two of you back. You can call a tow company with the phone in the car."

After ensuring the car's pick up with a tow truck company, Emily helped get Rory settled safely in the back of the car. Picking up the phone again, she dialed the inn number Lorelai had called her from.

"Hello, Lorelai…I just wanted to call you and let you know Rory is safe. I found Christopher with her on the side of the road. Apparently, his rental car had a flat tire and he wasn't able to fix it." At Lorelai's sigh of relief, she looked over at Rory who was staring at her expectantly. "Would you like to talk to Rory?" She asked, knowing what she wanted. "Alright. Here she is."

As Rory picked up the phone, Emily stared down Christopher.

Feeling her eyes on him as he stared out the window, he turned to see her looking at her with a frown. "You seriously can't believe that I was trying to take Rory."

"No, I don't…"

"Then that death glare you are shooting me is because…"

Crossing her arms in front of her, she looked at him once over. "How long are you planning on being around this trip?"

Shrugging, he looked past her. "I don't know. A few more days. Why?"

Not willing to give an inch, she continued to press. "Are you planning on coming back? Or are you going to disappear for a year again?"

Narrowed his eyes at her. "No offense, Emily, but I don't think I have to announce my plans to you."

"No, you're right. You don't." She agreed. "But you also don't need to play with my granddaughter's emotion. Children need a mother and a father, so you need to decide if that's you or not…"

"So I need to decide if I'm her father or if I'm going to allow that other guy to be. That's what you mean isn't it…" Chris answered with an eye roll. "I didn't think you would like him."

"This is not about me and whether or not I agree with Lorelai's choices. This is about your responsibility with Rory." Looking over and seeing that Rory was still on the phone with Lorelai before continuing, she spoke rigidly. "From the little interaction I've had with her, I know she is a bright girl. Bright enough to notice how every other child in her life's father is around in ways hers is not. She does not need to question herself because of you. You need to make a choice."

The rest of the ride back to town was filled only with small conversation between Emily and Rory, as Chris stared out the window in silence.

Finally pulling up to the inn, Rory bounded out of the car and ran straight to Lorelai. "Mommy!" She yelled, hopping into her arms.

"Hi, my sweets! I missed you!" Lorelai exclaimed. Having cried out the emotion that had built up while they still thought she was missing before they arrived at the inn, she was able to keep face and act as though nothing happened.

"Hi, Daddy!" She added as she slid out of her mother's arms and went over to him. "You're not at work."

"Not anymore" He answered plainly, squeezing her back as she reached up to hug him. "I'm gonna spend the rest of the night with you and Mommy."

As Rory continued to chat with Luke, Lorelai looked back towards the car to see Emily and Chris standing near it. Approaching slowly, she nodded at Chris as she took her attention to her mom. "Hi, mom… Thanks for your help," She spoke up, smiling at her small.

"It's no problem, Lorelai. I'm glad I could help," She admitted. Sensing the tension between Chris and Lorelai, she excused herself. "Since everything is settled, I need to call your father and let him know everything is all right. I'll be back."

As she stepped away, Lorelai sighed and looked at Chris. "You scared the hell out of me today."

"I can't believe you honestly thought I took Rory." He admitted, shaking his head. "Lor, I'm not a criminal."

"I don't think you are," She answered quickly and defensively. "But what else was I supposed to think when you didn't show back up when you said you would?"

"You could have thought that my tire went flat, because that is what happened. Your mind didn't have to go to the worst and think I was a kidnapper." He countered, rolling his eyes.

"You're right. Considering you can barely spend more than a few hours at a time with Rory without needed a break, I guess I shouldn't have thought that." She retorted snidely, making him frown. Sighing, she ran her hands over her face. "Look, this is probably not the best time to talk, considering how wound up I am from this afternoon... Do you have a meeting tomorrow morning?"

"Not until 11."

Thinking on his response for a second, she nodded. "Okay, I'll call up to your room before then, and we can decide somewhere to talk."

Seeing him off into the inn, Lorelai turned back around to find Emily beside her again. "Your father is glad everything is okay…"

"I am too," She admitted, watching Rory who was now explaining heaven knows what to Luke. "Thanks for calling the library today, and for finding them on the way here… You didn't have to do that."

"No, I didn't." Emily answered plainly, "But I wanted to. She's my granddaughter."

Taking her eyes off Rory, Lorelai looked back at her. "So, uh, I didn't interrupt anything by calling, did I?"

"I was working on organizing an event with Tweeny Halpern, but the numbers don't have to be finalized until tomorrow afternoon."

"Is it okay if I call tomorrow night about the wedding stuff then? I'm free to talk if you are."

A genuine small grin crossing her face, Emily nodded. "Your father is having dinner with some friend's tomorrow night, so I have time."

"Good… Sounds good." She smiled back.

"Well, I am going to head back to Hartford since this is settled. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Lorelai. Have a good night."

"We will. Goodbye, Mom."

After arriving home, Lorelai headed straight for the couch as Rory ran to her room to put up the stuff and change into her pajamas, since they were going to be in for the rest of the night. Watching as Luke came in after making sure the door was locked, she spoke up before he could head into the kitchen to make dinner. "Thank you for being there for me today."

Stopping at the kitchen doorway, he turned around to face her with a plain face. "I wouldn't have been anywhere else."

Shrugging, she looked down at the floor. "Yeah... but after the past few days, I wasn't sure."

Walking over, he took a seat on the cushion beside her and sighed. "Lorelai, you never should have doubted that..."

Looking straight at him, she nodded. "Yeah, but you never should have doubted me..."

Sighing, he nodded as he spoke admittingly, "I know... and while throwing a tantrum like a child, he was probably planning a way to swoop in and try to take you from me."

"And yet, here I am with you and not him at the inn. What does that tell you?"

Holding up his hands in surrender, he admitted. "I get it. I know. I was being so damn insecure over a guy who I know you have no interest in. Even if he did try to take you from you, I know you wouldn't even entertain the idea."

"You're right. I'm with you 100%." Looking down at his hand that had slipped down into hers, she frowned. "I don't know if you realize it, babe, but the fact that you questioned my faithfulness at all really hurts."

"I'm sorry Lorelai."

"Luke, can I ask you something," she asked hesitantly, rubbing her thumb across the back of his hand. At his nod, she continued. "Where did all that stuff about you not being good enough come from? Did it come from Chris?"

When he didn't speak up right away, Lorelai immediately knew she and Mia had hit the nail right on the head. "Luke…" She whispered as his eyes fell to the floor.

When he finally looked back up at her, he was met with a small smile. "I love you, Luke. You. Not your money; not your stuff; not your words. You."

Shaking his head, he chuckled. "I don't really know why, but I'm damn glad you do."

Frowning at his self-deprecation, she shook her head. "You really don't know? Luke, I love you for all that you are. I love your personality, your relationship with Rory, your humor, your body, your one-patterned wardrobe, everything. I even love how grumpy you are, and how you're just a big teddy bear underneath." Seeing his mouth open, she immediately knew where he was going and held up a hand. "Yes, I know you don't have the money Chris does or the connections Chris does, but that's not what I am looking for from you. I've lived that life that he can offer me, now I just want the life of love, happiness, acceptance, and everything else that makes the world great, and I have that with you. I am not just happy with you, I am completely content."

Having no other thought of how to react, Luke leaned in and pressed his lips to her softly.

Pulling back, Lorelai smiled and ran her hand across his cheek. About to go back in for more, they were interrupted by Rory's call for food from the kitchen. Laughing softly, she stood up and pulled him up with her. "We'll talk more later after she goes to bed, but we're good for now, right? No more dark clouds over us?" At his nod and smirk, she wrapped a hand around his arm and walked with him towards the kitchen. "Good… Now let's eat. You owe me a meal since I didn't have your cooking for breakfast or lunch."

A/N: If you forgot to post your fanfic chapter even though it was already done, raise your hand!

Sorry guys, I stupidly didn't realize the 20th had gone by and I didn't post. I'm a little late, but here is the chapter.

My next chapter is pretty much the resolution of everything, so don't worry abot me dragging in unnecessary drama. I really only brought Chris in to take care of what I thought was the final, major "bump in the road" for Lorelai and Luke to cross before they get married. Chris never has and never will have a big place in my world... If y'all havent gathered yet, I really don't like him XD