Rory felt like she was in a dream as she saw the headlights behind her. She jumped off the road and darted into the trees.

Don't let Jess catch me. Please, God, no.

He cut the engine and followed in hot pursuit. Rory's legs crunched over the pine cones and twigs as she ran along clumsily in the darkness. She couldn't get herself caught and let Lisa's help be in vain.

She felt a frigid rain begin to fall and Jess closed up some space between them. She cursed her mother for never forcing her to play sports as her legs ached and her lungs burned.

Then it happened, the inevitable. She wouldn't remember what the initial trigger was, but she was tripped, most likely by a log. She flew and fell, her ankle snapping.

She moaned and tried to scoot to safety in hiding, but Jess soon found her hunched against a tree.

"What's happening, Rory?" he crouched to her height and she whimpered and tried to get away. "Feel like taking a midevening jog?"

She kept her pride. "Guess so. If you don't mind, I'd like to resume…."

He eyed her foot. "Yeah, if you can put weight on that ankle."

Rory sucked in her gut and tried to stand, using the tree as her anchor, but slid back to the ground, pain sucking at her leg.

"Thought so." He lifted her and she screamed as her leg throbbed. Jess smirked. Rory tossed several swearwords at him as he dropped her back near the stalling car. She stuck her hands out so her ankle wouldn't hit hard ground first.

"Now, Rory, I could do this the Jackson way," he shrugged, picking her back up by her shirt and pressing her against the tree.

"Which is?" she asked, grimacing.

"Screaming at you and beating you senseless. Which is undoubtedly happening to Lisa back at the cabin." Rory shut her eyes and felt guilt wash over her.

"Or I could handle my way."

Rory's heart lifted. That had to be better. "And that is?"

He grinned, slightly in a deranged sense, and then studied her, drinking her in. She cringed. "We pick up where we left off back at that party."

Rory's mind hit a blank. Party…party…what party?

Suddenly her mind was filled with mental images. Lane's band playing. Keg. Jess. Bedroom. Jess and her in bedroom on bed….her refusing to…..

"No!" she cried, struggling against him. "No…"

It didn't work. He was so much bigger than her and she was so temporarily handicapped it was like facing an ant against a dog. She couldn't win.

Jess's lips captured hers and a knife blade flashed at her throat, silencing all her movement. And then she shut her eyes and tried to tune it all out, every last second.

Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx Xx

Lorelai's eyelids fluttered open. She breathed in deep, ragged breaths and surveyed her surroundings. What the….oh. She was, yet again, in a hospital.

She'd hated hospitals with a passion for as far back as she could remember. Lets see, she had Rory in a hospital, where her parents had found her and nearly killed her for coming, and then her father had had a heart attack a few years ago and she'd had to come. Oh, yeah, and the time Rory got in a car accident (ironically, the car was driven by none other than Jess himself) and broke her wrist. Fun times.

Lorelai squinted down at her body. She knew her leg was still hurt from before, and she had vague recollections of a cabin, Jackson Rippner…and a gun. She looked down. Oh yeah, other leg was completely shot to hell and bandaged. Fantastic.

She didn't remember what had happened with Lisa. Had they busted her out? She pressed her nurse call button. Soon, a stout African American lady with a clipboard and a full bosom bustled in.

"Where's Lisa?" Lorelai demanded. The woman frowned.

"I'm not sure who you mean, Ms…" she peered at her notes. "Ms Gilmore. Your friends are waiting just outside, if you'd like for me to send them in." Lorelai nodded impatiently.

Max, Cynthia, Joe, and Jack all bustled in nervously. Jack fussed around her pillow, touching her hand.

"Lore, are you ok? Oh, no. Oh no. This can't be good. You're hurt so badly!"

"Jackson," Lorelai replied warningly. Cynthia inhaled sharply. "I mean, Jack, I'm fine. Where's Lisa?"

They all looked at their feet. "WHERE'S LISA?"

Max spoke up dryly. "We couldn't….after you….Jackson said he'd kill all of us before handing Leese over. We just couldn't do it. And he'll kill her if we come again. She made a bargain of some sorts with him."

Lorelai's throat constricted. "So we leave it at that? We just leave her with him? We can't just quit, guys!"

Joe stepped forward, obviously disgruntled and emotion-wraught. "I know that as well as you, Lorelai, and need I remind you, she's my only daughter? I'd rather die than leave her there against her will. But…"

"But…." Lorelai pressed.

"But she chose to," Cynthia answered flatly. "She made a bargain with him. He won't hurt her and her baby, and she stays with him….forever." With that the frail woman burst into tears.

Lorelai followed her cue as tears fell and asked, "Where is Luke? And Rory?"

"We called Luke, but couldn't get hold of him. Same for Rory. We just called Dean's hospital, and his mother said she stepped outside to answer her phone. We couldn't reach her by telephone."

As if by magic, Max's phone suddenly rang. "Hello?" he held up a finger to the others in the room and stepped into a corner.

"Hi, this is Dean's mother."

"Hello, ma'am. Have you seen Rory yet?"

"No, but…I'm afraid…." The older woman burst into tears.

"Ma'am, whatever it is, please, please tell me."

"I went outside to look for her, and all I found was…I found a dampened cloth with some sort of chemical on it, and…and this is the worst…her phone…."

"Yes?"

"It was turned off, and when we turned it on, there was a text message blinking in the background. It was from…."

"Who?"

"Jess Mariano. It said, 'I'll be seeing you soon, sweetie'."

"Oh, no."

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks for telling me," Max thanked her, and hung up, turning to the group.

"They have Rory."