A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, your follows and your favorites. Please review this chapter also. And thanks again Niamh for your wonderful beta-capabilities, even during your holiday.

Chapter 2: Time to Move On

"I don't wanna sleep, Mommy," Abby whines as I kiss her cheek. I just tucked her in.

"It's already very late, Hon. You have school tomorrow," I tell her as I get up from the small bed.

"I'm not tiwred," she continues in an annoying tone as she grabs my hand to stop me from walking towards the door. I turn around and face her. She sees that I'm not to play with today and she drops her head back in her pillow.

"One story?" she tries again.

"No, Abigail. You had your story, now it's sleepy-time." My use of her full name tells her I'm being serious.

I put the now loose quilt closely around her upper body again and bend down to kiss her forehead. "Sweet dreams, little one," I say sweetly.

"Night, Mommy," she answers me as I turn off the light in her room and close the door.

I walk down the stairs and enter the vacant living room. I grab the bowl of popcorn that's waiting for me on the little table by the TV and drop down in the comfortable cushions of the couch with a content sigh.

I then look around me and see the familiar surroundings of my home. Normally, I would be putting Elly to bed right now, but she's at Luke's, working on her school project. It's so silent. Not that it's any different than normal; with the girls sleeping, it's just me, alone in this big house. I often like to do some paperwork for the Inn, so I don't have to do it during the day, but not today. I simply don't feel like it. I want to have a free night and I know I can't focus anyhow.

You lost the right to boss me around two years ago. That one sentence keeps running through my mind. The silence and loneliness causes my mind to say it more often and faster, in Luke's voice even, mocking me, hurting me...

I often wonder if Luke feels the same way. As far as I know he's not dating anyone. He hasn't dated anyone since Rachel came back about a year ago, but that only lasted two months and she was off again. He must feel lonely, just like me. Luke is always more strict than I am when it comes to bedtimes, so I'm pretty sure Elly's in bed. I wonder what Luke is doing right now.

I pull my legs under me as I make myself comfortable on the couch. I take the remote from the arm of the sofa and zap through the different stations. There doesn't seem to be anything on. After a while I come by a baseball game and I stop. The Red Sox are playing. I certainly know what Luke's doing now.

I lean back, with my back against the cushions as I watch the game I'm sure I would be watching if we were still together, in this home; the home we had shared together for almost eight years. I think back of all those times that Luke just had to see the Red Sox. Sometimes he hurried home, sometimes he hurried through dinner and sometimes he let me put the girls to bed so he wouldn't miss a second of his favorite team. I often joined him, right here, on this couch, as I tried to pry his attention away from the screen. Sometimes I poked him with my feet, sometimes I crawled against him and started kissing along his scruffy cheek, but usually I would just watch with him and mock mercilessly. I would comment on both the players and the supporters, their outfits, their crazy behavior and simply their faces, as Luke tried to keep focused and pretend he didn't hear one bit of what I was saying. Though, I often caught him smiling, or he would look at me in horror when I commented what a nice ass one of the players had in those shorty shorts, but I knew he enjoyed that just as much as I did. I want that again.

I know you might think it sounds boring: just sitting at home, watching TV… What an exciting life you had. That's what you're thinking, right? It may be boring, but it was those small, shared moments that made me happy. I took them for granted, those moments, and now I would do anything to get that 'boring' life back, anything.

You lost the right to boss me around two years ago. I know, okay! Please, don't remind me.

The phone rings and I jump up eagerly at the nice distraction from my own thoughts. In my eagerness I slap against my phone and it falls to the carpet. As I try to grab it, I fall to the ground between the couch and the table. Finally, I place my hands around the buzzing electronica and press the 'answer call' button, without checking caller-ID.

"Hello?" I say laughingly as I crawl up from the floor and drop back on the couch.

"What's so funny?" the voice on the other end of the phone asks.

"Rory!" I say happily, "Nothing, I just dropped to the floor in my eagerness to answer your call."

"I see," Rory says, "There I thought you were having a party without me."

"Oh, I am," I say in my best teenager's voice, that makes my own voice go really high, "I was very reluctant to go at first, but if I didn't, my daddy wouldn't let my baby-sis go, so I went, drank, drank, and drank some more, did my bit of dancing on top of the table, hit my head and ended up puking in front of a really cute guy that just tried to kiss me."

Rory laughs out loud, "Any chance the guy was named 'Heath'?"

"YES!" I squeal, "At least, I think it was. Alcohol, you know…"

"I hate to break the bad news to you, Mom, but Heath Ledger is dead," Rory says in all seriousness.

"That is bad news," I pout.

"How's the campaign?" I ask after our regular banter about nothing is over.

"Oh, it's going well. Still the same," Rory answers dismissively. "I think I'm moving forward with Tom, though," she says awkwardly.

"That's great!" I say, slightly jealous of my daughters almost consisting love life. At least she's closer to love than I am.

There is a short silence on both ends.

"So, how are you?" Rory wants to know.

"Oh, you know. I'm fine," I say unconvincingly.

"What's wrong?" Rory asks immediately.

"Nothing!" I say, though I know she doesn't believe me, "I told you I'm fine."

"Mom!" Rory says urgently, "I don't have much time, so please tell me quickly."

I sigh, "It's nothing. Just some self-pity."

"Why?"

"I'm lonely," I throw out, my free hand in the air; a motion Rory can't even see.

"Go to Sookie, or something," Rory suggests.

"Nah, she has Jackson and the kids. She's not looking to have me over every time I feel alone."

"Mom…" Rory starts, but I cut her off.

"I have my TV. I'll be fine."

"Alright," Rory says doubtfully. "Sorry, Mom, I really gotta go."

"Yeah, sure. Go, go!" I say, trying to sound cheerful.

"Give my sisters a kiss from me."

"I will. Bye, sweets," I say, in a way to end the conversation.

"Love you, Mom."

"You too," I smile.

I throw my cellphone back on the table and stand up to make some coffee. As I walk back, a big hot coffee mug in hand, I hear the doorbell. My first thought is that Luke heard my silent prayer for company, but I know those kinda thoughts are just hopes. I usually forbid myself to think about Luke like that, but I can't stop them all from creeping inside.

I quickly place my mug on the table and walk over to the door.

"Hiya!" Sookie says excitedly, holding a casserole out for me.

"Who died?" I ask in fake shock.

"What?" Sookie asks confused, "Did someone die?" She sounds scared now.

I laugh and point with one hand to the casserole I'm holding with the other. "No, Hon. It's the casserole. It's from a TV show, never mind."

Sookie nods and enters my home. "You're watching baseball?" she asks surpised as she drops down on the couch and takes a big hand of my half-empty popcorn bowl.

"Uh, yeah," I say with a blush.

Sookie studies the screen carefully and as I sit down next to her, I see a sense of understanding covering her face. "The Red Sox," she mumbles and she looks at me sadly.

"So, what brings this wonderful surprise?" I want to know.

"Nothing," Sookie answers too quickly. "I just wanted to visit my best friend. I'm allowed, aren't I?"

I ignore Sookie's question and study her carefully. "Rory sent you." It's not a question, I just know.

"Yeah," Sookie confirms, "She called and said you were feeling lonely. Why are you lonely, Honey?"

I shrug my shoulders. "No more than usual," I say dismissively. Oh, Rory is going to hear about this!

,

"Then what's wrong?" Sookie keeps pushing.

"Nothing's wrong, okay! I'm fine," I'm starting to get a bit aggrivated now. Surely, I like the company, but I rather go back to my silent space than this continued nagging.

"Babette told me you and Luke had some kind of argument and that you walked out of the diner with a pained face," Sookie says and I sigh. "She said you left your coffee behind," she continues in a whisper now, as if I had done something terrible.

I look down at my own hands, but don't say anything.

"What happened," Sookie wants to know.

"It was…" I start to say.

"Don't say it was nothing!" Sookie quickly cuts me off, knowing me all too well.

You lost the right to boss me around two years ago. Oh, how I wish my mind had an off-button…

I sigh again. "I was just… teasing him. You know me," I try to say as a joke, but Sookie isn't fooled and looks sternly at me. I take a deep breath, "he simply reminded me that we weren't together anymore, totally unnecessarily. I- I can't help it. It hurts."

"Oh, Hon," Sookie says as she wraps her arms around me.

I burry my face in her shoulder and let my tears flow freely. "It hurts so much," I whisper, my voice muffled by her sweater that I don't think she hears me.

Sookie rocks me and makes shushing sounds as if I'm a child. I break away from her. "I hate crying," I say with a slight laugh, "especially over this. It's been two years and it was my own fault. You'd think I moved on by now."

"Well, you really loved Luke," Sookie says as though that makes it okay to still cry about it.

"Love," I correct her and she gives me a sad smile.

"I know what you need!" Sookie says suddenly excited.

"What's that?" I ask, half scared.

"A date, of course! I ran into Max the other day. Max Medina, you know… Rory's old Chilton teacher," Sookie explains.

"I remember," I say, scared at the thought of starting to date again. After I screwed up with Luke by going to Christopher, I wanted to believe I hadn't given up on my marriage for nothing. So, after the quick divorce, I jumped into dating Christopher. We lasted about four months, but he was moving way too fast; he wanted to get married and have another baby, 'cause the first one turned out so well, while I had just gotten divorced and of course, I remembered Luke and me trying for another child right before all hell broke loose.

I haven't dated anyone since Christopher. I focused completely on my youngest two and I enjoyed it, but I never felt complete again.

"I came across him in the grocery store the other day," Sookie continues to explain, "I recognized him, because of his gorgeous hair. You don't quickly forget that hair! He still looks just as good as he did five years ago. And guess what?"

"What?" I ask, not really wanting to know.

"He really liked you!" Sookie continues enthusiastically. I give her fake smile, as to indicate I'm very interested. "He's single and I got you his number," she finishes proudly.

"What?!" I ask horrified as I look at the card she was holding, "You set me up?"

"Nah," Sookie says, "I just got his number. All you have to do is call him."

"Thanks," I say as I place the card on the table, but I don't mean it one bit.

"So? Are you gonna call him?" Sookie can't stick to the couch. She's literally jumping up and down from excitement.

"I don't know," I say truthfully.

"Why?" Sookie asks indignantly.

"Well… He's Rory's old teacher. It would probably be too weird for her," I am proud of myself at how quickly I came up with that pretext.

Sookie has a triumphant smile on her face, "Ha! I just asked Rory. She thinks it's a wonderful idea."

Shit. What now?

"Oh, eh- Great!" I say unconvincingly, but Sookie doesn't notice.

"You're gonna call him then?"

"Yeah, probably," I say.

Sookie jumps up with enthusiasm, making a "woo!" sound and walks back behind the couch. "I gotta go now," she says as she walks to the hallway. "Let me know how it goes!" she calls and then I hear the front door closing.

"Bye," I call, but I doubt if she even heard me.

I let out an exhausted sigh and look at the screen. The Red Sox lost, but there is no one around to cheer Luke up anymore. And if there is, it certainly isn't me. Not anymore. And I had such a good way of cheering him up. Not that my cheering up was so different from celebrating with him. I laugh shortly at that thought.

God, I miss sex.

I pick up the remote and turn off the TV as I sip from my coffee. I look around the once again vacant room and feel the silence penetrating my ears. Some people like silence, need silence, but not me. I hate it. I like noise and talking and music, but lately, when I'm alone, my own home feels the same way my parents' home used to feel: silent and cold.

As I put my coffee down, I see the card with Max' number. At some point, I have to give up on Luke. Apparently, Rory and Sookie think that time has arrived.

I pick up the card and my phone and dial his number before I change my mind.

"Max Medina," I hear after one ring.

I keep my mouth shut. I want to say something, but it's like something is forcibly stopping me.

"Hello? Hello? Who is this? Hello?!"

I clear my throat. "Hey Max, It's Lorelai. Eh- Lorelai Gilmore… Remember me?"