Notes: I believe that this is where I'm going to leave this story for about two weeks, something to mull over I guess. (Hey it's a shorter hiatus than the actual show.)
But I'm going to try to get your opinion here on my next story. Yes, When Hearts Collide will continue for quite awhile, but I have other ideas. It's actually a story I've been picking at occasionally since the end of last season. Right now the title is Generations. It's about five Gilmore women in four different generations: Emily, Lorelai, and Rory of course and Lorelai's other daughter and Rory's daughter who are both 16. I'm thinking about going back to a first-person POV as I did in Loved and Lost. This fic won't feature Luke and Lorelai's relationship as much as my others but Luke will still be in it, obviously. But this will very obviously be a Future Fic. Anyways, just let me know what you think, but I'm not sure if I'll have enough written to post any until school's out. We will see.
Now, back to the story and have a good beginning of spring!
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Chris's Condo in Boston
Lorelai uses her key to let herself into the dark condo. She has trouble with the lock trying to balance her purse and her large coffee at the same time. But Lorelai's a pro at the coffee balance and gets in without any spillage. "Chris," she calls as she closes the door behind her. There are no lights on in the entire place. As she glances around, she spies various bottles of alcohol and empty beer cans. "Chris!" She glances into the living room and sees him on the couch, his head in his hands, a glass of scotch on the table next to him.
Lorelai walks into the living room. "There you are. I thought you were meeting Rory and me at my parents's house tonight," she says brightly, so as not to indicate that she's slightly worried about him. She sets her coffee and her purse on the counter. "It doesn't look like you were too busy to come tonight, too drunk maybe. Having fun playing Howard Hughes?" She takes off her jacket and lays it over the back of the chair. "Chris?" She walks over and kneels in front of him, setting her hands on his knees. "Are you all right?" Chris looks up at her, although drunk, he's able to stare deep into her eyes. His eyes are dark and mysterious while hers are a light blue, loving and worried. Chris grabs her hands, each of his holding tightly to each of hers so that she can't move. "Chris!"
"Do you want to marry me?" he asks, his voice gruff and low. Lorelai's eyes go wide as she stares down at their hands.
"Ow! Chris, you're hurting me!" Lorelai exclaims, a little alarmed at his roughness.
"Lor! Do you want to marry me?" he demands. Lorelai looks up at him, her mouth open in surprise.
"Yes!" she insists in a loud whisper.
"Liar!" he yells. He stands, and as he does, he shoves her back so that she lands on her back. Lorelai stares up at him in shock.
"Chris!" Lorelai exclaims, stunned, never having seen him quite this drunk. She takes a deep breath. "Yes, I want to marry you," she claims. He reaches down and grabs her left hand tightly.
"You accept my ring, you claim to want to marry me…"
"I do!" Lorelai maintains, her voice inching higher.
"No!" He rips the ring off her finger and throws it. They hear it clang against the wall, the sound resonating in Lorelai's ears.
"Ow!" she cries. She rubs her hand with other. Slowly, she pushes herself up to stand in front of him. "Chris, I don't understand…" But when he steps closer to her, Lorelai steps back again and again, subconsciously afraid, until her back is against the wall.
"Did you sleep with Luke?" he asks harshly.
"Oh…" she says quietly, her cheeks turning red. Lorelai looks up at him sadly, her eyes betraying the sorrow she's feeling, letting Chris know he's gotten to her. "Chris…." He glares at her with cold angry eyes that she's never seen directed at her before.
"The truth this time Lorelai," Christopher demands. Lorelai takes a deep breath. He grabs her upper arms, shaking her. "The truth!"
"Yes!" she cries. "I'm sorry, Chris, it was an accident!" He lets go of her and she rubs her arm where he has left finger marks, seeing cuts where his nails pierced her skin. "It was a mistake," she insists, still looking at her arm. She doesn't look up in time to see his hand flying at his face, slapping her across her right cheek. "Chris!" she exclaims again, her hand covering her cheek. But she can't move away, as he still has her trapped against the wall.
"It was not an accident," Chris insists. Lorelai swallows, trying to keep from revealing her fear, but Chris can sense it and it only makes him stronger, as he gives deeper into his drunken state.
"Chris, it was." As Lorelai tries to maneuver away from Christopher, he grabs anything he can to keep her where she is, his hand wrapping around her throat and shoving her back against the wall. His mind drunk with alcohol and power stops him from comprehending what he's doing to Lorelai.
"It was not an accident. You love him! You've always loved him! You've lied to me the entire time!" Chris shouts, as Lorelai tries to breathe.
"Chris. Can't. Breathe," she manages, gasping for breath. Chris glares at her but, for some reason, lets go. He steps back away from Lorelai as she grabs her throat, choking, gasping for breath. Lorelai looks up at Chris, a tear escaping down her cheek. "We were trapped. In the car. I was scared. I wasn't sure what was going to happen. But it was a mistake." Chris doesn't seem to buy this answer. As Lorelai stands there gasping for breath, she feels his hand come crashing down again on her right cheek, tearing the bruise that has already formed. "It was an accident!" she shrieks.
She glances up in time to see his hand coming at her again. Lorelai quickly reaches up and grabs his wrist before he can touch her again. "Don't you dare, Christopher Hayden! Don't you dare touch me again!" Chris stares at her, trying to understand what is happening, but in his drunken state nothing seems quite clear to him. Finally his arm relaxes and Lorelai slowly lets go of his arm. She rubs her cheek, not noticing the blood on her hand. Lorelai shakes her head, thinking about what to do. "I know you're drunk and you probably won't remember this tomorrow and I'm sorry, Chris. I shouldn't have lied. I did want to marry you. I did," she says, her strong voice getting softer as she speaks. They stare at each other.
Finally Lorelai breaks their gaze. She grabs her purse and heads out the door, slamming it behind her. She stands on the porch, breathing hard, and doubles over, her emotions suddenly getting the best of her, arms wrapping around her stomach as the waves of nausea hit. Shaking, Lorelai opens her purse and digs around for her keys. "Oh no," she mumbles, realizing her keys were in her jacket pocket and her jacket is still inside the condo. Lorelai glances back at the door but hesitates, not wanting to go back inside. She reaches for the doorknob but jerks her hand back, shaking. "I can't," she whispers.
Lorelai slowly backs away from the door, tears running down her face. She takes her cell phone out of her purse, staring at it, trying to decide who to call. Finally she gives into her first impulse and presses the familiar numbers.
"Luke's." She breathes a sigh of relief, hearing Luke's familiar voice over the phone, an instant comfort to her. "Hello?" he says, startling Lorelai, who realizes she hasn't said anything.
"Luke?" she says, surprising herself with her own timid shaky voice.
"Lorelai?" Luke asks. He's tallying an order on the pad on the counter in front of him. Lorelai begins to sob, hearing the tenderness in Luke's voice. "Lorelai, where are you?" He looks up from what he's doing, hearing the broken woman over the phone.
"I'm – I'm at – I'm in Boston," she manages between sobs.
"I'm on my way. I'll call you when I'm almost there so you can tell me how to find you," Luke says without a moment's hesitation. She hears him hang up the phone and collapses onto the steps leading up the condo. Lorelai wraps her arms around her legs, shaking and sobbing.