Its dusk, a crisp wind sneaks in through the cracks in the windows. A spectacular Starshollow sunset has just surrendered to the hillside, leaving only the straggling shimmers of red and orange light. Rory had left for Yale, leaving Lorelai free to settle into the big armchair with the latest issue of US Weekly, a cup of coffee at her side. The room is lit only by the standing lamp directly over the chair and the lingering light of day.
The sound of stumbling on the porch stair breaks the quietude and lift's Lorelai's head from the page. Many sounds follow in sucession, the clanking at the door knob however was the particular noise that changed the look of mild interest on Lorelai's face to that of not so mild concern. She jumps up from the chair the magazine falling at her feet and quickly tip toes to the phone, picking it up at the same time as she peeks around the corner into the entryway. A large shadow can be seen through the frosted glass of her double doors. In a unque combination of courage and stupidity she abruptly swings open the door, catching the intruder by surprise.
"Luke?!" Luke stands sheepishly on the porch the offending clanking sound in his hand, a screwdriver. Lorelai's not sure but guesses he was trying to jimmy the lock on her door.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for my wrench."
Lorelai's entirely at a loss. "Your wrench? I don't have your . . ." Uncomfortable and confused she latches on to her safety net, light hearted humor. Noticing the tool box at Luke's side, she addresses it. "Oh hey, Bert. How's it going? Long time no see. How's the family?"
"I'm missing a socket wrench. I need it. I have important things to build." Luke snarls, ignoring her comments to Bert.
"I don't doubt that. It's just, it's been almost a year, Luke. Why would I have your wrench? On the upside at least we know where your screwdriver is. My doorbell isn't by chance one of the items that needs fixing, is it?" She snaps back, her voice thick with sarcasm.
"I didn't think you where home."
"Do you buy that Bert? Because I certainly don't."
"Will you stop talking to the tool box!" Luke snaps then after thinking for a moment. "Don't say it!" He commands.
"I wasn't!" She assures him with narrowed eyes. "Its no wonder I chose the box, Bert is so much more personable than his owner."
"Are you going to let me in or are we going to freeze to death? Unless, of course you're expecting someone else." Luke hints accusingly.
Lorelai flinches slightly before muttering. "There's no one else."
She reluctantly holds the door open for him as he stumbles through, uncharacteristically falling over his own feet. Without thinking Lorelai reaches out to steady him. The threat of her touch only tips him completely off balance, causing an impromptu bought with the coat rack. Lorelai pulls the coat rack back off of Luke before it can get really ugly. She does however thank the coat rack for defending her honor.
"god, Luke." She puts the phone back on the receiver then turns to really look at him. "Have you been drinking?"
"Yes, yes I have. I was working on Liz's kids crib and broke a wrench. When I realized where I'd have to go to get its replacement, it seemed like a good idea to do whatever I could to make the experience more pleasant."
"Don't be such a coward. You and I both know this has nothing to do with your imaginary wrench. Why don't you just ask me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Luke maintains.
"Fine! You have my permission to search the house for your wrench, who has apparently been hiding out here for the last year. But hey, if it will get you out of here then any tool you find your welcome to!" Lorelai yells throwing up her hands.
"No, no thank you! I just want what belongs to me. I don't want anything to do with any unidentified hammer, pliers or wrench. Though I understand keeping track must be hard for you. Who knows how many ratchets and screwdrivers have come in and out of this house in the last months!"
Lorelai's face reddens. She manages to gather her jaw off the floor but does not manage to keep the quiver from her chin. "Wow, you are really drunk. What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you come here? Just to be a jerk? Take what you want and get out!" Lorelai turns to walk away.
Luke, who is already way over the line, decides to take another step. "I'm just saying. You don't have to get all defensive."
Lorelai enraged spins back to him. "Oh no, your right Luke! I can't keep track of all the equipment serviced here! All those busy tools on tables and countertops, under hot lights, the . . ."
"Stop! Stop it! I don't want to hear it!" Luke yells shaking his head of the images she had created.
"What? Your metaphor's not so fun anymore?!" She quips angrily.
"I can't believe you're proud of yourself!"
"Hey, you left! I'm not your concern anymore!"
"I left?! I didn't leave! You left! You cornered me with a ridiculous ultimatum, out of nowhere, expecting me to just roll over! You know me! You know I don't process like that!"
"I'm sorry, haven't we been over this?"
"You set me up! So that you'd have an excuse to jump into bed with him and still come out looking like a martyr! I'm just curious, was it a spur of the moment thing to sleep with him that very night or did he have a bottle of wine chilling for you?!"
"Shut up! You broke my heart that night, you insensitive ass!" Hot tears fell from her eyes fueling her onward. "You did leave, only it was months before that! Right about when you find out you have a daughter and don't tell me! Not for months! Until you're caught and have no choice! You pushed me so far out of your life that I existed on a different continent! I bent over backwards, front wards, sideways, upside down and which ever other way is humanly possible for you! Until I didn't even recognize myself!"
Luke tries to interject. "No one asked you to . . ."
"And most pathetic of all, I completely humiliate myself and beg you to marry me! You rejected me not the other way around!"
"No!" He screams taking a step towards her.
"You didn't want me! So, yes, yes I ran to Christopher because he did! He would give me what you wouldn't!"
Bam! The front door slammed open. Luke and Lorelai had long been screaming at each other, the sounds had alerted Babbette who in a worried fluster had rushed over. There she stood in the doorway mouth agape, a winter coat and boots over her night gown, fuzzy blonde hair flying, with eyes as big as saucers. Poor Babbette had reason to be panicked; from where she stood it did not look good. Lorelai's back is against the wall, she appears cornered and definitively under attack. Her face is blotchy, tears still fall down her cheeks, her chest heaves erratically as she struggles to regain her breath but more upsetting to Babbette than all of this is the look of profound pain in her eyes. Luke is opposite her a foot between them. He is in a similar state, his face is a deep crimson, and his whole body shakes visibly. However, Luke is not the cornered but the cornerer and very regrettably he still holds his trusty screwdriver. The perfect picture of the aggressor.
Babbette glared ferociously at Luke. "Lorelai sugar, do you want me to call someone?"
"No Babbette, it's alright." Lorelai responds shakily.
"You sure honey, cause Morey could be over here in two seconds and well he normally doesn't believe in violence for you he'd make an exception."
It dawns on Lorelai what this must look like and she makes a valiant attempt to fane normalcy. "Thank you but I'm fine. We're fine. You can go tell Morey not to worry."
Babbette is hesitant to leave her. "If you need anything, anything at all, we're right next door."
"Okay, thank you. Sorry for the noise." She even manages a smile.
Babbette sends Luke one last icy glare before leaving. Luke is dumbfounded by her behavior; both he and Lorelai remain frozen as the door closes behind Babbette.
"She's crazy. She acted like I was going to attack you or something." Luke finally mutters.
"Yeah, crazy." Lorelai shoots a wayward glance at the screwdriver in his hand. "Though I would feel better if you weren't holding a screwdriver during this particular conversation."
Luke drops the screwdriver suddenly aware of its presence. He looks at her shaking his head sadly. "I didn't want to hurt you." The full meaning of those words clearly evident.
"I know." Lorelai whispers noticing neither of them has moved. In fact Luke seems to have moved closer to her as if unable to resist a magnetic pull.
"Christopher?" He asks his voice thick with emotion.
"Luke . . ." She pleads with him, no more.
"Do you love him?"
"No."
"So your not en . ."
"No." She whispers. "Luke, I'm sorry. More sorry than I can ever say." Lorelai tries to wipe the cascading tears from her cheek but it's no use, more come every second.
"I know." Luke says gently, noticing a familiar chain around her neck he reaches for it without thinking. The touch sends shockwaves through her body. His fingers trail the chain along her neck for a moment then he gathers it in his fingers pulling the necklace from beneath her sweater. The necklace was the one he had given her upon his return from an endless summer in the renaissance, hanging from it now was their engagement ring. Luke holds it gently in his hand, a tiny tear falling down his cheek.
It's too much. He's too close. It hurts too much. Lorelai reaches behind her neck releasing the clasp, letting it fall into his hands. Letting him go. Luke seems to read her thoughts and takes a step back. It takes all the strength he has to do so.
"Good bye Lorelai." Luke looks deep into her eyes; his hand reaches out to brush the hair from her face then stops. It's too much. It hurts too much.
Lorelai feels the warmth of his hand just an inch from her face and stiffens her body to resist leaning into it. "Good bye Luke."
Then he's gone, Lorelai lets herself give into the racking sobs at the back of her throat and curls into a little ball on the floor.
Luke sits in his truck in her driveway, his head on the steering wheel, waiting until he's composed enough to drive. It's going to be a long wait.
Babbette stares out her window a phone to her ear. All over Starshollow telephones are ringing. Only minutes later the ringing has come full circle and reaches Lorelai still on the floor, on autopilot she picks it up.
"Are you alright?!" It registers to Lorelai that she hasn't spoken, so the tearful quality of her voice is not her betrayer.
"Sookie?" She pauses to process, and then it hits her, Babbette. "Oh my god!"
Sookie is frantic on the other end. "Lorelai, are you all right?!"
Lorelai can do nothing but answer honestly. "No."
"What happened?! Did Luke . . .did he really attack you?" Sookie's voice filled with disbelief.
"NO!"
"Do you want me to come over?"
"No."
"Can I call Rory for you?"
"No, no, no!"
"Lorelai!" Sookie yells into the phone exasperated.
"Sookie, I can't . . .I can't talk about this right now." Her voice breaking into a million little pieces. Lorelai hangs up the phone, rips the cord out of the wall and runs upstairs.
Sookie stands on the other end of the line, dial tone in her ear. Jackson appears in the doorway. "Is everything alright?" He asks.
"I don't know." Sookie responds sniffling, concern etched across her face.
"Well it will be." Jackson says as he wraps his arms around his wife.
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