Title- Here Without You

Pairings- Luke and Lorelai (JavaJunkie all the way)

Set in the fourth season, after 'Afterboom' and before 'Luke can see her face'

Summary- Liz has cancer and she and TJ broke up. Who will be her savoir? And how will Lorelai react? It will start out a story then turn into a series of letters and each chapter will be in a different person's point of view. (Luke and Lorelai have been friends for 11 years.)

Disclaimer- If I owned it, there wouldn't even be an April or Christopher.

Chapter 3- Lorelai (Friday- 7:15 P.M)
I arrived at my Friday night dinner in hell fifteen minutes late. As I set the car into park I rechecked my make-up, my eyes were still puffy and a little swollen so I knew immediately that my mother would be able to tell I was crying. "Damn," I cursed under my breath as I jump out of the car and ran up to the door. My clothes were still a little wrinkled since I didn't have enough time to change after my time with Luke.

Luke. God, I have to tell Rory. I really don't want to either. I smoothed out skirt and ran a hand through my hair before pressing the doorbell to Hell.

When my mother opened the door, I was looking down so she couldn't notice my face. "You're late," She scolded me and held the door open wider, indicating me to come in. I sighed, even though Friday nights with the Gilmore's were always long, I had a feeling this one would never end.

As I entered the living room, I tried to keep my head down as I said my 'hello's' and gave Rory a hug. "Mom, are you okay?" Rory asked, sounding concerned.

I looked up at her and I noticed her eyes get wider as she saw the condition I was in. "Mom?" She asked, quietly. She looked scared and I wanted to tell her everything was okay, but it wasn't.

I felt four eyes gazing at me but I chose to ignore them. "Rory, can I talk to you out there?" I asked her, gesturing to the foyer. My voice was cracking and I didn't know if I could hold it in.

"Lorelai, is everything okay?" My mother asked me as Rory and I got up. She actually sounded a little concerned.

I looked back at her with a sad smile and shook my head. "No, probably not." She looked confused. My mother has never really seen me break down before and cry. So I think she was scared to come near me.

I gave Rory a little push into the foyer and as soon as we got out there she bombarded me with questions, her voice was filled with worry. "What's wrong? Is everyone okay? Are you okay? What is it?"

"Luke," I managed to put out before she started getting even more worried and asking even more questions.

"Luke? What about him? Is he okay? Is it the diner? Mom, come on! Don't leave me hanging! Tell me!" She was panicked and even though it was funny watching her, I knew I had to tell her.

"He's moving." I said, shrugging my shoulders and waiting for another round of questions.

"Moving?" She asked me, dumbfounded. "But why? Didn't he just break up with Nicole and move out? Is that why? Is she taking the diner in the divorce and making him give it up? God, I never really hated her, but now,"

"You remember Jess' mom, Liz?" I interrupted, trying to remind her that I held the answers, not her imagination.

She nodded still confused, but stayed silent, as if willing me to continue.

I took a deep breath. "She's got cancer." I watched Rory's reaction. Her face was sad, worried, sympathetic and I think still a little confused.

"Oh?" It came out as a question and I took this time to explain the entire story, including my appearance.

"She's got cancer and Luke has to go to Maine to help her get better." I saw Rory's face fall and as I was about to continue, she interrupted me.

"For how long?" She asked, taking a deep breath.

"I was getting to that. He's going to be there for either a year or two. He's not sure. She apparently has a job in Maine and Luke is going to go take care of her until she gets better."

"That explains you appearance." She said wryly, pointing at my wrinkled clothes.

"Yeah," I chuckled in spite of myself. "I arrived, he told me, I broke down, he brought me upstairs and I ended up falling asleep on him." There was a moment of silence as I watched Rory's face change from emotion to emotion.

"It's weird," Rory said quietly, sliding down into a sitting position against the wall. "It just, it doesn't feel normal, almost as if it's surreal. It hasn't sunken in completely. I just, I can't believe it. Luke's going to be gone." She said softly as if to get it into her head. She looked down, her expression blank. After a couple seconds of silence, her head jolted up. "When's he leaving?" She asked quickly. Her breathing intensified when I didn't answer right away. "Mom?" She asked with a panicked look mixed with sadness cross across her face.

I sighed sadly and looked down, willing the tears to stay in my eyes. "Sunday Morning." I whispered softly, so soft that I didn't think she even heard me until I felt her throw her arms around me and bury her face in my shoulder, hot tears seeping into my shirt.

"He can't go. We need him, too. It's not fair. It's not fair." She kept mumbling over and over. I felt tears pulling at the corner of my eyes. My heart breaking at the sight of my daughter, getting this heart broken over a man that has been like a father to her more than anyone else her entire life, and the fact that said man was leaving and we might not see him for another two years.

I wrapped my arms around her tighter and buried my face in her hair, sniffling and sobbing with her together. I kept whispering soothing words, reassuring words, to help her and myself pull our selves together. "I know, sweetie, I know."

The next couple of minutes, or hours, I'm not quite sure, went by as a blur. I recall my mother walking in on us and seeing me and Rory on the floor bawling our eyes out. She came over immediately and tried her best to comfort us, but this was Emily Gilmore, so it didn't go quite well. She kept asking me what was wrong and every time I tried to get a word out of my mouth, she'd ask me another question.

I was silent throughout dinner. I'm not sure if Rory was or not, the whole time I was in another world. I knew that at one point Rory had told them about Luke. That was the only time I snapped out of it completely.

"Luke's leaving." She blurted out into the unwelcome silence, causing my head to snap up from my plate and blank stares from my mom and dad. She started to shift uncomfortably. "That's why we were, um, crying. He's moving to Maine. His sister has cancer."

"Luke's leaving?" My mother asked blankly. "That's why you broke down? Because the diner man won't be around to serve your coffee anymore?"

God, the way she said it made me want to kill her. Luke doesn't just pour my coffee and everyone knew that. "No mom, I broke down because my best friend and Rory's main father figure of eleven years is leaving. We don't know if we'll be seeing him for another two years. He doesn't just pour my coffee," I told her irritably. "He's more than that." I said softly, mostly to myself, trying to reassure myself that he knew this, he always had.

"Hmm." She said, probably not even listening to what I said. "Tell him to tell his sister-"

"Liz," I interjected quietly.

"-to get well soon." She finished.

"Okay," Rory said, and that was the only part I clearly remember. I don't know if my dad had any input, I wasn't listening, after that quick conversation I drifted off into thinking about life with Luke and life without him.

As soon as dinner was over me and Rory rushed out the door. "I have a great idea," She started as soon as we got outside.

I acknowledged her to continue and she did. "Remember when I had the chicken pox when I was, like, ten?" I nodded slowly, not knowing anything else to do. "Remember how Luke came over and brought me mashed potatoes?" I, again, nodded, still not knowing what else to say. "And how he ended up staying up with us all night, watching movies on the couch with us to make sure we had everything?" I finally understood where this was going a little and smiled a little to show her I understood. "You think he might want to come over tonight? Watch movies, talk, he can sleep over too, and we'll have him make us breakfast in the morning." Rory asked excitedly. I knew that she was going to miss Luke, a lot.

I smiled. It was a great idea, though. The three of us together. I'm a little surprised we didn't do much of that as Rory got older, but still, it was his real last night in the Hollow and I wanted it to be spent with us. "We'll have to go ask him, won't we?" I asked with a small smile on my face as I retrieved the car keys from my purse. "I'll meet you there, okay?"

She nodded her head, smiling happily as if everything would be okay. But still, with Luke gone, it wouldn't be.

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Next up- Rory and Luke say goodbye