AN: First of all thanks to everyone for reviewing! You guys are, what keeps me, as a writer, alive. Without I wouldn't be doing this. I promised to update before I go on vacation and I kept my promise. Until this morning I had no idea how I was gonna write this and then I wrote the whole chapter within almost an hour, I think. I won't be back until the 3rd of June, but I'll have paper and pen with me all the time so I can keep writing, and only have to type it up when I get back. Allright; I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much as the rest of my story (or maybe even more). Tell me what you think… ;)

Chapter 17 - Talking (cont.) and a complete breakdown…

Previously:

"Stop it! Both of you!" She yelled after her parents.

Richard and Emily stopped dead in their tracks and turned around to face their daughter, surprised at her action.

Lorelai took a deep, calming breath. "Please, you know I don't ask you for favors very often, basically never. This once I'm begging you to sit down and listen to me. Please?"

Lorelai looked at her dad with pleading eyes "Dad?" then she turned towards her mother. "Mom, please?"

Emily and Richard glanced towards each other. They couldn't remember hearing such anxiety in their daughter's voice. They both nodded their agreement and sat down as far away from each other as possible.

Lorelai sat down in the armchair between the two couches her parents were sitting on. "Thank you."

Chapter 17 – Talking (cont.) and a complete breakdown…

Richard and Emily were both glancing down on the floor, while Lorelai was looking from one parent to the other. After her parents still hadn't said anything, Lorelai took a deep breath and stood up, pacing the room. "I don't believe you two! What is going on with you? You guys have been married for such a long time and then out of a sudden you don't talk to each other anymore because of a stupid fight! Dad even moved into the pool house, and you don't even seem to care that he's done that, mom!"

Still there was no reaction from either Richard or Emily. Lorelai took another deep breath and continued her rant getting angrier with her parents with every word she said. "This is unbelievable! My whole life there was one thing that I always admired about the two of you. Your marriage. 'Cause no matter what happened, the two of you always seemed to work it out some way. And I know there have been a couple of bumps in the road, 'cause I'm not deaf. I heard you guys having your arguments over the years. But still you always worked it out. As a kid and even over the last couple of years, I always hoped that I, someday, would have a marriage like you guys have. You know with a partner that takes care of me and is just there for me when I need him and understands me no matter what. And most of all, loves me the way you guys love each other." Lorelai stopped her pacing and turned to look at her parents, noticing their surprised looks to her words. "Do you really want to leave all of this behind and not even try to work out?" She said in a much softer tone, looking first at her father and then at her mother. "You need to talk to each other, you need to work this out. I'm begging you. I know you think I don't care about the two of you, but I do. I really do, I want you to work this out, I don't want to watch my parents separate over such a stupid thing."

Still there was no reaction from either one of her parents. Lorelai stood between them, her hands on her hips, waiting for a reaction from her parents.

After a few more moments Emily was the one to speak up first. "Are you done, Lorelai?"

Lorelai looked at her mother in utter confusion. "What?"

"I said, are you done, Lorelai?"

"Yes." She said furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"Good. Then I suppose I can leave now?"

Lorelai looked at her mother angry, but also disappointed. "Is that all you have to say, mom? Is that all you have to say about dumping a marriage after almost forty years?"

Emily got up from her seat and turned towards her daughter. "This is none of your business, Lorelai! You have no right to talk to us like that. We are your parents for god's sake, Lorelai! Don't you have any respect for us at all!"

"What? Are you kidding me? That's why I came here to talk to you, because I respect you as my parents and because I care about you. I don't want to see separated, I want you to work this out, mom!"

"This is none of your business, Lorelai! It only concerns your father and me! And you're little speech clearly showed that you don't have any respect for us or otherwise you would have left this to us to deal with."

"Uh! I don't believe this. Dad, don't you have anything to say about this?" Lorelai almost yelled at her dad.

"And who are you to talk about relationships anyway?" Emily started again. "You haven't had one good relationship your whole life."

Lorelai felt like someone had just stabbed her. She couldn't believe what her mother had just said.

"You left Christopher when you got pregnant and walked out on us at the age of sixteen. And then what? A few men here and there! Then you had this relationship with this teacher from Rory's school, which was totally inappropriate. You got engaged to him, getting Rory's hopes up that she would finally have a family, and then out of a sudden you broke the engagement and ran of just a couple of days before your marriage. I don't even want to talk about your relationship with Jason, just another disaster. And know you're in some kind of relationship with this diner man. You really think that he's right for you, Lorelai? You should have married Christopher when you got pregnant with Rory and you wouldn't have to worry about anything now!"

The whole time her mother had thrown all those hurtful words at her, Lorelai wasn't able to say anything. She was barely able to breath.

"Nothing would be allright now, if I had married Christopher!" Lorelai was yelling at her mother, tears streaming down her face. "We never would have made it because we were too young. Can't you see that?"

"It would have been the right thing to do, Lorelai!"

"Of course, I forgot. Do the right thing for society; always keep up the picture of a happy family. I would have been unhappy, my whole life, I had married Christopher."

"Oh, nonsense. Look at you, look at your life. You could have such a wonderful life, Lorelai."

"I have a wonderful life, mom." Lorelai yelled at her mother, while even more tears ran down her cheeks. "I have a beautiful and smart daughter, who's is going to Yale. I have worked myself up from being a maid to running the Independence Inn and now I even opened my own Inn with my best friend. And on of top of that I have a wonderful boyfriend, who supports me in everything I do and who is proud of what I have accomplished in my life. And most importantly, he loves me and I love him with all my heart."

"Oh please."

"You know what? Screw you. If you can't accept my life the way it is, I don't care! I don't need you in my life! I've managed without you for a long time and I can manage my life without you in the future. I realized that this is never gonna change. You are never gonna approve of what I do. Don't expect to see me here ever again."

Emily was taken aback by her daughter's words but still she didn't give in. "Fine, go. Do what you have to do."

"Oh, believe me I will. Have a nice life."

Lorelai glanced at her father, who hadn't said a word during the whole fight between his wife and daughter. He had watched them in shock, not able to say a word. After there wasn't any further reaction to expect from his side, Lorelai turned around and left the house, slamming the door behind her.

Richard and Emily were staring after her, flinching at the sound of the front door slamming shut. Richard rose from his position and turned to his wife. "Are you happy now?" He said, his voice full of sadness and disappointment. "I think we lost her for good now, Emily." With that the turned around and walked outside towards the pool house, leaving Emily in the exact same position. After few moments she realized what she had just done. She had probably lost her daughter forever now.

Outside the Gilmore-Mansion…

Lorelai got into the jeep and drove out of her parent's driveway, tears still streaming down her face. After a few minutes of driving towards her hometown, the tears still hadn't subsided and she could hardly see the road ahead of her. Lorelai pulled the jeep over to the side of the street and collapsed onto the steering wheel, sobbing over what had just happened at her parent's house. Lorelai didn't know how long she had been in this same position until her cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse and took a deep breath before answering it. "Hello?" she with a fairly steady voice.

"Where the hell are you?" Luke almost yelled into the phone on the other end of the line. "I've been trying to call you forever. Do you know what time it is?"

Lorelai looked at the clock in the front of her jeep and flinched when she saw that it was almost eight o'clock. She didn't realize how much time she had spent crying on the side of the road. "I'm so sorry Luke. I didn't know it was that late already. I'll be home in about ten minutes."

"Geez, Lorelai. Are you ok?" Luke, of course, noticed that her voice sounded different, and was getting worried about her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just…. I'll be home in a couple of minutes, then we can talk allright?"

"Ok, sure. Please be careful."

"I will." Lorelai pressed the end button and put the phone back into her purse. She took a look in the mirror and wiped away the remains of her tears, thanking herself for putting waterproof make up on that morning. After making sure that she looked somewhat presentable she turned the engine back on and made her way home.

The Gilmore house…

Luke was already sitting on the steps of the front porch, waiting for her, when she pulled up in front of her house. As soon as she had stopped the car, Luke was at the jeep opening the door, basically pulling her out of it and crushing her into a tight embrace. "Don't ever scare me like that. Do you hear me?"

On the way home Lorelai had promised herself not to cry in front of Luke, not to let her parents get to her, but when she realized who worried Luke was about her when she didn't show up on time, she couldn't hold her guards up anymore. She was only able to nod her head on his shoulder before once again her body shook with sobs, tears streaming down her.

When Luke felt her crying against his shoulder, he held her even tighter, supporting most of her weight with his arms. "Shh, it's ok. It'll be allright."

"God… Luke. You have… no idea how… bad it was." She said into his shoulder, between sobs. "She said such… horrible things to me…"

"Shhh, come here." Still holding her tight to his body, he slowly guided her towards the front steps of the house, sitting down with her and pulling her back into his arms. This scene reminded him of the time when she got home from a dinner with her parents and her grandmother, breaking down in his arms, after having been insulted by her grandmother all night.

"And my dad… he just sat there… as if he didn't care at all… he didn't say a word the whole time… just listening to her… basically calling me a failure and insulting me and my whole life… my job… my career… you."

"Shh, babe. It's ok now." Inwardly Luke wanted to drive to her parent's house and yell at her mother, but he knew that that probably wouldn't change a thing. He knew that Lorelai needed him the most now and that he would never leave her side.

"No it's not Luke." She said looking up at him, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I mean what if she's right? What if, all I am is a big loser? I mean, look at me I never finished school. I was never able to give my daughter a complete family, and I was never able to have a working relationship my whole life."

Lorelai freed herself from his embrace and stood in front of him. "I don't even know why you're still with me, Luke. You deserve so much better than me. You deserve a much better woman than me. I'm not worth it, Luke. All I can seem to do is disappoint and hurt people. You shouldn't have to be with me, you should just break up with me and find a woman who's worth being with, while your still young." With she turned around and walked towards the end of her driveway.

Luke jumped up from his seat on the front steps and yelled after her disappearing figure. "Lorelai where are you going?" by holding on to her arm.

"I'm going away from you, so I can't hurt you anymore." She said her voice shaken with tears.

Lorelai ran away from him towards the street.

TBC….

Please review…. :D

AN2: Allright people. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you'll leave me some reviews. ;) I'm sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger here, but I need to keep the tension up, until I can update again. I'm gonna keep writing, while I'm on vacation, so I only have to type it up when I get back home. And maybe I'll even have a couple of chapters to post then.