A/N: Ok, i know it's been about a month, maybe more, but everyone needs to stop glaring at me! *shields face* To make up for it, here's a really nice, long, exciting chapter that i wrote just for you guys. (Seriously, if i wasn't afraid of disappointing mY readers, i might never have gotten myself to finish.) I hope I've still got my loyal readers and reviewers! Enjoy!

Summery: Last night, Luke found Lorelai wandering completely drunk in the street. He took care of her, bring her up to his apartment and putting her to sleep in his own bed. (Awwwww)

Chapter 18:

When Confusion is Lethal

When Luke awoke the next morning, Lorelai was still sleeping, cuddled into a ball, peacefully blissful. Luke stretched, trying to get out the kinks in his back from spending the night on the floor. He stumbled to the bathroom and got dressed, then headed downstairs to prepare his diner for the early morning costumers. He put a pot of coffee on the stove and heated it up. Slowly the morning trickle began. Luke greeted all his regular customers and served them like it was any other day, but his mind was upstairs with Lorelai. Jess was still sleeping, but Luke knew he must have seen Lorelai already because he hadn't come home by the time they had gone to sleep. Luke could only imagine the type of comments that Jess would have later on.

Taylor entered the diner, glancing about as if looking for one violation or another to discuss at the town meeting that night.

"Good Morning Lucas," he greeted, taking a stool. "I'll have the decaf coffee, and a diet blueberry muffin.

"What's the point?" Luke grumbled.

"I'm sorry? The point of what?" Taylor inquired.

"Why do you even bother getting coffee if you get decaf?" They went through a similar routine everyday. Taylor began his memorized speech about health and heart and addictions, but Luke wasn't listening. Christopher had entered. He smiled unsurely when he saw Luke and headed over to the counter.

"Hey Luke," he greeted.

"Christopher," Luke returned. "What will it be?"

"I think I'll have the waffles and a cup'o'joe."

"You mean coffee?" Luke asked, rolling his eyes. "Coming up," Luke poured the coffee, noticing that he needed to refill it.

Luke's mind jumped to Lorelai upstairs, and then back to Chris, down in the diner.

"You haven't seen Lorelai recently, have you?" Chris asked Luke. Luke nearly dropped the coffee pot.

"What? N-no," he stammered. "Why would I have seen her?" Luke turned to the scrambled eggs he was preparing for another customer. As he forked them onto a plate his hand slipped and some of the eggs landed on the floor. Chris gave him a strange look.

"I don't know," Chris continued, referring to Lorelai. "I'm just worried about her. I think she's very confused. I think we all are," he added. Luke nodded.

"Um, I'll be right back. I forgot my sp-spatula upstairs." He turned and ran up to his apartment. When he opened the door he found Lorelai sitting on the bed, her clothes wrinkled from having been slept in. She blushed deeply when Luke entered.

"Wow, this is kinda humiliating," she commented. Luke waved it off.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her. "You're going through a difficult time. I understand."

"So you took care of me the whole time last night?" Lorelai asked, her voice full of gratitude.

"Well it's not like I would let you go wondering about, falling off your feet. It was the only thing I could think to do."

"Wow Luke," Lorelai commented. "First you raise my daughter, then you save me from who-knows-what, I wouldn't have anything if it weren't for you!"

Now it was Luke's turn to blush. "Really, it's not such a big deal."

"But it is," Lorelai contradicted softly. She smoothed her wrinkled shirt and stood. "I think I'll get going before I humiliate myself anymore," she said. Luke smiled.

"You might want to hold off on that. Christopher is downstairs," he told her. Lorelai's eyes widened in fear.

"He is? You're probably right. Do you mind if I…"

Luke shrugged. "Take you're time." He turned and returned to his work.

Twenty minutes later, Luke returned. Lorelai was sitting at the table. She had made herself a cup of coffee. "Hey," she greeted, her hands clasping the warm mug. She glanced down at it. "I hope you don't mind…" she apologized.

Luke was mesmerized by the way she looked so beautiful, even after the rough night she had just been through. Her unbrushed hair still reflected the rays of sunlight peaking through the window shades, and her blue eyes still retained their magic spark.

"It's fine," Luke assured her, "I know how you and Rory are about your coffee," he joked lightly. Lorelai smiled sadly, pained by the turmoil between her and her daughter. Luke read her face easily, and in four long strides he was by her side.

"Hey," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be alright," he promised. "You and Rory always work these things out." He paused, not sure he was very good in the comforting business.

Lorelai gazed up at Luke. His face was completely overtaken by concern and compassion for her. His eyes kindly roamed her face, and his hand squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. It struck Lorelai that without this man her life would be a lot more broken than it already was. He had taken in her daughter and raised her in a way he knew her mother would want her to be raised, and even afterwards, he had always been there to support her in times when she needed him, like last night. And he had done it all silently, selflessly. In his handsome, rough features, Lorelai saw reflected his heart of gold. She fingered his hand that rested on her shoulder, and slowly moved her hand on his arm.

Luke stared into her face as he felt her hand climb closer and closer to her face. In her eyes he saw an expression he had never seen before; an expression he had only hoped to see. And all of a sudden, reality surpassed his dreams. She brought his face down to hers, and her face came up to his. There lips met and she stood, pressing herself firmly against him, and he took her into his arms.

Rory sat on a bench outside Chilton's sprawling grounds, her hair tied up in a ponytail, her uniform skirt smooth and crisp. Her knapsack sat next to her, heavy with at least five books she didn't need, but was bringing home anyway. A warm breeze blew past her, and the trees behind her rustled their leaves.

"Hey Mary!" she heard from behind her. She sighed as Tristan approached her.

"Hi Tristan," she muttered. She turned to him as he took a seat next to her. "What do you want?"

"Tsk, tsk," he chastised her. "I just saw you sitting here all alone, and I thought you might like some company." He leaned over and played with her ponytail. Rory shook him off her.

"Get off me Tristan!" she insisted, shifting away from him and moving her bag so that it now separated them.

"Whatsamatter?" he crooned. "It's not like you're with you're overbearing bear of a boyfriend any more. At least that's the rumor going around. So we don't have to worry about the farm boy going all cavemen on us. Our love is free to flourish," he finished dramatically. Rory felt nauseous and didn't try to conceal this from Tristan.

"You're awfully sure of yourself," she observed skeptically.

"Why shouldn't I be?" he countered. "I mean, look at me!" Rory eyes widened at the size of his ego. "So, why are you sitting out here all by yourself anyway?" he asked her.

"I'm waiting for my boyfriend," she informed him. She tried not to sound smug, and failed miserably.

"Wait, you're still with Dean?" Tristan looked devastated.

Rory shook her head. Tristan grinned.

"Wow Mary, you move fast," he admired. "Can I get in on the action?" Rory grimaced.

"You're disgusting," she told him.

"I know," he continued relentlessly, "chicks dig it."

"Well luckily I don't consider myself a chick."

"O c'mon Rory!" She was surprised to hear him use her real name. She had never been sure he actually knew it. Now Tristan was leaning over her backpack, his eyes filled with the excitement of the chase. "Stop playing so hard-to-get. We both know how this is gonna end."

To Rory's immense relief, Jess chose that moment to pull up in his old beat up car, music blasting from the stereo.

"I would love to find out how this is going to end," Rory said apologetically. "But I have to go." She jumped into the passenger seat of Jesse's car and pulled the seatbelt over her shoulder. "Hey," she greeted. Jess had a sour look on his face.

"I'm sorry, if I knew I was interrupting your little lovefest over there, I would have come later."

"What?' Rory was thoroughly confused. "Jess, what are you talking about." Jess glared out the windshield, hands tight on the steering wheel, which was ironic because he never held the steering wheel when he drove.

"It looks like I interrupted you just as you and the little rich boy were getting cozy."

Rory stared at him speechless.

"Tristan?" she finally sputtered. "You think I was getting cozy with Tristan?"

"Hey I'm not stupid, I'm just saying what I saw."

"There are few people that I don't like, but Tristan is on top of that list. I can't believe you're jealous of him! He was just flirting and I was telling him to hit the road."

"I'm not jealous," Jess muttered.

"Really?" Rory turned to him, her eyebrows raised. "Because your starting to sound a lot like Dean when I was friends with you."

"Yeah, and look how that turned out. This situation looks familiar."

Rory felt as if she'd been slapped, only worse.

"Stop the car," she demanded.

"Don't be stupid," he said begrudgingly.

"Believe me, I'm not worried about looking stupid next to you."

Jess said nothing, but he didn't stop the car either. They drove the rest of the way back to Stars Hollow in a stony silence.

Rory paced he kitchen, trying to calm her pent-up frustration. Her father had not been home when she arrived, and so she had closed herself in her room, and made a sad attempt at her mound of homework. But for the first time in her life she couldn't focus. Her fight with Jess had just made her so mad! She could not believe he would act like that, say those things. She was trying so hard just to deal with everything that had been going on, and she did not need Jess to be paranoid right now. She paused, taking a deep breath and running her fingers through her wavy hair. There was one person who she used to turn to in times like these when she needed advice. One person who used to have all the answers. Grabbing her car keys, she head out the door. She locked the door behind her, but as she turned towards he car. She saw someone coming up the lawn.

"I don't want to talk to you right now," she said, making a fast exit to her car.

"Rory, come on!" Jess protested. "Could you just calm down. You're totally overreacting!"

"I'm overreacting?" Rory nearly screamed at Jess. The fury and frustration was all but pouring out of her ears. "You call me a slut because I was talking to a classmate and I'm overreacting?" Jess seemed to deflate a little.

"I'm sorry," he apologized meekly. Rory stared at him for a moment, breathing hard.

"You're an idiot," she told him.

This was a little too much for Jess's pride.

"Look Rory, I said I'm sorry!" he protested. "But can you really blame me? How do I know that you're not going to just get bored and run off with another guy like you did to Dean?"

Rory closed her eyes, her hands curled at her sides. With all her might she willed herself not to hit him. "I… can't… talk… now…" she managed. She got into her car and sped out of the driveway.

She sped down the streets, leaving Jess and everything else far behind. When she pulled up in front of the Independence Inn, she saw preparations for a wedding were underway. Great, she though. The place is going to be an absolute zoo. Chaos was not what she needed right now.

Lorelai was working at the front desk, copying some numbers down. She looked up to see Rory striding towards her.

"Rory!" she smiled in surprise. Although she was happy to see her daughter, she was also a little trepid. They hadn't really talked since that night with Christopher. She was scared, and a little bit embarrassed facing her daughter. She was glad Rory had come though. Avoiding the problem wasn't helping anyone. But as her daughter came closer she could see that something was wrong. Rory's cheeks were flushed, and she was breathing heavily. Her eyes looked as though they had just been wiped free of tears.

"Mom!" Rory reached the desk. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Now that she was here, Lorelai thought, she looked a little lost, as if she wasn't exactly sure why she had come, or how to go about it.

"Hey," Lorelai put a steadying hand on her daughter's arm. "I'm really happy you came." Rory looked relieved. "Why don't you come sit down?" She led Rory to the couch in the Inn's lobby, and poured her a glass of water from the pitcher that stood on the table. Rory took the cup gratefully, grasping it with both hands. She took a long gulp, and then leaned back in the couch, holding the cup in her lap.

"Rory?" her mother gently prompted gently. "Is everything ok?" Rory glanced toward Lorelai.

"I missed you," she offered in an answer. Lorelai looked down.

"So did I. I'm so sorry Rory. I never meant to upset you. I hate that I got you angry."

"It's okay," Rory assured her calmly. "I understand."

"Do you? Because I really need you to." Her bright blue eyes sparkled with moisture. Rory nodded. Lorelai sensed that not all else was resolved. "Is there something else bothering you?" she prodded. Rory hesitated, not used to having her mother there.

"I don't know. Maybe this was a stupid idea. But you used to be the only one I could talk to, and now there's no one else." She looked down at her hands, feeling her face turn red. "This probably was a bad idea," she said, starting to get up. Lorelai pushed her back down.

"No, Rory, if you need me, then I'm here for you!" Lorelai insisted. This was her chance to do something right by her daughter. "What's going on?" Rory bit her lip, hesistating.

"It's Jess," she blurted out.

"Ok," Lorelai followed. "What happened? Did you fight?"

Before Rory could answer, the doors of the Inn burst open again.

"Lorelai," Luke gasped. His hat had nearly been knocked off his head, and his eyes were bright from exertion. "Lorelai we need to talk!" Lorelai blushed a deep red when she saw him.

"Luke-"

"Wait," he cut her off. "Look, I'm sorry about this morning. I know that more confusion is the last thing you need, and it was selfish of me to throw more stuff on you. I'm not sorry it happened, but I want you to know that I know things are complicated, and I don't expect- Rory!" he stopped in his tracks as her head came into view. "I didn't expect to see you here." Color crept into his cheeks.

"Clearly," she agreed. "What were you talking about?" When Luke said nothing, Rory turned to her mother. "Mom, what's going on?"

"Can we talk?" Luke pressed Lorelai.

"I-"

"Lorelai!" Christopher entered the already crowded Inn.

"Chris?" Lorelai felt as if the room was a hundred degrees.

"Lorelai, I had to come. It's the only way I'd get you to talk to me. You've been avoiding me ever since…" he finally noticed Rory and Luke standing there. "What's going on?" he asked as confusion crossed his handsome features. "Is something wrong? Rory?"

Lorelai glanced from face to face as the past closed in on her. Here stood Rory, Christopher, and Luke, people that in her mind she had only met a few months ago, but somewhere inside she knew that they were all essential parts of her life. All looked to her expectantly. But she had nothing to give them. She had nothing left but her confusion, confusion that was sucking her in like a deep dark abyss.

"Lorelai?"

"Lorelai?"

"Mom?"

The abyss overtook her. She could no longer see, hear, feel. There was only black, only nothing…

Lorelai crumpled to the floor.

"Mom!" Rory rushed over and bent over her mother's lifeless form. "Mom!"

Jess entered into the Inn, his eyes searching the room for Rory. He located her, bent over a limp form on the floor. He stared, trying to comprehend the situation. Luke, Chris, and Rory all crouched around the motionless figure, calling her name. Automatically, Jess reached for his cell phone.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"I'm going to need an ambulance…"

Okay, take a deep breath, and review!

There's probably only going to be one more chapter and maybe and epilogue. Tell me your thoughts. They count!