Paris urged Rory to get some sleep, and Rory tried, but Jess's image kept popping in front of her closed eyes. Finally she surrendered to insomnia and stumbled out to the common room, popping in Casablanca.
Her cell phone chirped around two and she quickly answered it so as not to awake her suitemates.
"Hey sweets, its Mom." Lorelai's voice was incredibly torn and ragged.
"Hey, Mom. Are you okay?"
"Not really," she replied flatly. "I can't sleep. I'm so scared."
"For Lisa?" Rory finished. "Me too. Is there anything we can do?"
"Not much," Lorelai shrugged. "The police put out search notices and are out looking, but urged us not to. Since Rippner's so dangerous."
"So...you're going out to look tomorrow?"
"Yup. Her father's on a red-eye up, too. Absolutely devastated. And he's bringing up a friend of hers for support. I tried to talk him out of coming, but he replied so adamantly that he could kick Jack's ass."
"Yeah, well, didn't he shoot him?"
"Yeah. Hope he can do it again. And again. And again. Cause when I find this bastard, I'm going to make sure he's dead."
"Like in Jeepers Creepers," Rory giggled.
"I was thinking more along the lines of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," Lorelai mused.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll cut off his own leg."
"Wishful thinking. He's not a klutz."
"Definitely not." Rory felt chilled suddenly, thinking about him.
"Well, Luke's here, along with about half of Stars Hollow. All of us are basket cases."
"Can I come down?"
"Its late, Rory."
"Please?"
"We don't need you kidnapped, too, Ror."
"I'll be careful! Jackson's out of the state by now, I'll bet."
"Jess."
"He wasn't the one who kidnapped me, Mom. He's just the wannabe Jackson."
Lorelai hesitated. "Fine. But make Paris or Janice walk you out to your car."
"Okay. See you in a bit."
"Bring Doritos."
"Nervous eater?"
"You betcha."
Rory hung up and grabbed her jacket, keys, and Doritos, then twisted open the door to her and Paris's room.
Paris was sprawled out over her bed, snoring loudly, mouth wide open. Rory hesitated, chewing her lip. She really didn't want to wake any of her roommates. Oh, well, she'd be fine.
Rory turned to leave but her phone rang again.
"Hello?"
No anwer.
"HELLO?"
Click.
Rory rolled her eyes and headed outside.
She got out to her car and began to unlock it but dropped the keys.
"Damn." As she stooped to pick them up, movement behind her made her straighten."Rory."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"If your moron so much as touches Rory, Jack, I swear to-"
"God? Don't. That saying is so cliched. I really don't know why people always insist on God. They can't choose someone like...John Wilkes Booth or someone cool like that?"
Lisa ignored him. "I mean it. Just call him off. He's one of your dogs, right? So exercise some leash."
"He may be, Leese, but this Rory business is personal. I have no control over that aspect. I broke him out. That's all. Now shut up."
Lisa's face flushed angrily and she pushed herself as far away from Jackson as possible.
"Leave me alone, anyway. You came in to give me those stupid 'goodnight' warnings, I get it, so now go away. You woke me up." Lisa jerked the blanket over her head and squeezed her eyes shut childishly.
Jackson raised one eyebrow, silently saluted her, and left the room.
Lisa tried to relax her body and get some rest, but she couldn't stop worrying about Jackson's ultimate plan and, more importantly, Rory.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rory's eyes widened and she backed up against her car, fumbling blindly to lock it.
"Stay away, Jess!"
She noticed a sway in his step, and his mouth was hanging slightly ajar. She frowned, and as he stepped closer, she could see his eyes. They were just as scared as hers, but slightly dilated.
"Don't touch me!" she shrieked as the door clicked open and she lunged in, clicking the lock.
Jess pounded on the door as desperate tears coursed down his face.
"Please, Rory," he begged. His words were slurred slightly. "Please, help me. I've done something bad...so bad."
Rory studied him. He was shaking. She hated him, yet...she couldn't leave him if he really was sincere.
"Talk through the window," she called cautiously. "But I swear, if you so much as touch the car, I'm running you over."
"I shouldn't have helped him. He told me...said...if I helped...he'd break me out. So I did and I...I did my part..."
"Who, Jess?"
"Jack the Ripper. He tricked me, he said that...they'd all die, everyone...they're all dead...and...gone...all...my fault..."
"Who?" Rory's stomach flipped in half.
"Lorelai...Uncle Luke, everyone...baby Davie...Max..."
"No!" Rory screamed. She battled tears.
"My...fault...its my..." Jess's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell, unconscious, to the pavement.
Rory gazed at him, shellshocked, before pushing open her door and lifting up his body.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Luke awkwardly held up the sign reading "Joe Reisert" in the airport. Max shot him a panicked look. He shifted nervously as an anxious looking old man and a jittery redhead raced up, carting their carry-ons.
"Hi, I'm Luke Danes," he shook the man's hand. "You must be Lisa's dad. I'm one of her friends."
"I would say nice to meet you, but under these circumstances it seems a bit lax," Joe admitted, cracking a tense smile. His gaze shifted to Max.
"I'm Max Medena," he offered. "Lisa's-"
"Fiancee," Joe finished, shooting him a polite nod and shaking his hand. "Good to meet you. This is Cynthia Ross, Lisa's friend and coworker, and right now, my sobbing shoulder."
"Hi," she nodded shyly and gravely.
"So do you guys have any lugga-"
"Nope," Joe shook his head. "We packed everything we need in our carry-ons so we wouldn't be weighed down."
Max and Luke shot each other impressed looks. Joe waited impatiently.
"Okay," Luke began leading the way out of the airport as his cell phone rang.
"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly at the rest of the party and kept walking.
"Hello?"
"Who is this?"
Luke did a double-take. "I should ask you the same question."
"This is Sergeant Roy Mackenzie from the Stars Hollow police department. Now who is this?"
"Luke Danes. How did you get this number, Sergeant?"
"Oh, sorry. I know who you are. Your number was on Ms Gilmore's address book on her phone?"
"Yeah..." Luke bit his lip. This couldn't be good.
"There was an accident. Ms Gilmore is currently being treated at the Hartford Medical Center, along with several others..." there was a pause and Luke heard a shuffle of papers, "her friends Sookie and Jackson...and their child."
"What happened?" Luke stopped short in his walk, Joe irritably bumping into him.
"There was a fire."