Hey guys! I am glad to see people are still interested in a sequel! Here is the next chapter. I will update again as soon as possible :)

The following morning, Lorelai woke up after having another terrible dream about Christopher. Her eyes popped open and she had to take several moments to compose herself before going back to reality. She rolled over in bed and smiled when she saw that her son Jack had somehow crawled into bed during the middle of the night. He was currently draped over Luke and both of them were snoring softly. She smiled, leaned forward and kissed both of their heads before getting out of bed and going to check on Elise.

She wasn't surprised to see the usual perky baby still fast asleep. The night before they had all stayed up later than usual to get as much April time in as possible. Despite the idea of Christopher being released from prison lingering over their heads, Luke and Lorelai had put on their best faces to make April's visit happy. But April being April was very aware that something was going on. However, she was smart enough to know that she couldn't bring it up in front of Jack.

After getting everyone to bed, Luke and Lorelai had gone to bed together and Luke had held her while she cried. Neither of them were sure what to think about the situation. They had come so far since those days, but it felt like all that pain was coming to the surface again. As exhausted as Lorelai was, she knew that there was no way she was going to get anymore sleep. She went to the kitchen, brewed a pot of coffee. She poured herself a cup, walked out to the porch and sat down in the swing that Luke had put in for her after Jack was born.

She curled up and took a sip of her coffee as she looked over the lake and tried to remind herself that her life was so much better now. Sometimes it was hard to believe that she and Luke had overcome so much. After their disastrous breakup and her sham of a marriage to Christopher, she never dreamed he would have forgiven her. But as soon as Christopher had attacked her, Luke had rushed to her side and proved once again that he was the only man she would ever need or love.

She sighed and placed her coffee on the little table beside her as she pulled her legs up under her chin. She turned her head slightly when she heard the front door opened and smiled when she saw her step-daughter walking out with her own coffee.

"You drink coffee now? Don't let your Dad see." Lorelai said with a laugh as April sat beside her.

"I'll try and drink it fast." April said with a smile as she turned towards her step-mother. "You're up early…"

Lorelai tried to smile, "Couldn't sleep."

April took a sip of her coffee and nodded slowly, "Does this have something to do with your Dad visiting yesterday?"

Lorelai sighed, "April…"

"Look...whatever it is you can tell me. Is he sick? Are you sick?" April asked with a nervous voice, "I'd rather you guys be honest with me…"

Lorelai shook her head, "It's...complicated."

"Most difficult things in life are." April said with a smirk, "I'm not a little kid anymore. I can handle it."

Lorelai opened her mouth to speak just as the door opened again, "Hey…" Luke called as he walked out onto the porch, "Having a party out here?"

April smiled, "Hey Dad...I was just trying to get Lorelai to tell me what's going on. I know something is wrong…"

Luke sighed and leaned against the railing as he stared at his wife and daughter, "Oh…"

April rolled her eyes, "Dad...you guys need to tell me."

Lorelai sighed and leaned her elbows on her knees, "She's going to find out…"

"I thought we agreed to wait until Rory was home…" Luke said nervously wanting to delay the process as long as possible.

April smirked, "Well lucky for us...she's here." She said pointing to the driveway.

Luke turned and saw Rory getting out of the car with a large smile on her face. It broke his heart that they were going to have to tell her something to bring up the painful past. He knew that Rory had always had a difficult relationship with her father. But once he laid his hands on Lorelai, Rory made a decision to cut him from her life forever. In fact anytime someone brought him off she shut them down completely.

"Hey!" Rory said climbing the porch steps, "I was so bummed I couldn't come last night so I woke up extra early to get here." She paused when she saw the looks on everyone's faces, "What's wrong?"

Lorelai swallowed hard, "Come sit hon…"

Rory looked at Luke and he only gave her a gentle smile and nodded towards her mother. Rory took a deep breath walked slowly to the swing and sat between her mother and April. This wasn't how she had expected her arrival home would go. Her heart was pounding as she waited for someone to speak.

Lorelai looked up at Luke, she wasn't sure how to start the conversation. They all sat in silence for a moment before Luke took the initiative and decided to speak for Lorelai. He cleared his throat as he crossed his arms over his chest and began to talk, "Richard came by yesterday...he got a call to tell him that your Dad was going to be released from prison next week…"

Lorelai heard Rory's sharp intake of breath and she instinctively reached for her hand, "Rory…"

"No." Rory said shaking her head, "He can't be. It's too soon. Why would they let him out?"

"What does that mean for you?" April asked nervously, "Can he come near you again?"

Luke shook his head, "No. We are going to make sure that there is a new restraining order put in place. And I think we're going to try and put all you kids on it. As far as I am concerned he has no reason to come near anyone in this family. I don't want you girls to worry…"

Rory turned to her Mom, "I want to go see him...tell the court I don't think he should be released. Maybe it will make a difference. Maybe they will keep him in there."

"Rory…" Lorelai said squeezing her hand gently, "We knew that this wasn't the type of offense that would keep him locked away forever. Whether he gets out next week or next year...it is something we are going to have to deal with."

Rory shook her head and turned back to Luke, "How can you just be okay with this? How can you let this happen?"

Luke sighed, "You know that if I had it my way he'd be locked up forever. But I don't have that kind of power Rory. Your Mom is right...it's going to happen at some point. I'm not happy about it...in fact I'm livid."

"Luke…" Lorelai whispered as she gave him a warning look.

He glanced at his wife, "I promised your Mom that I wouldn't do anything to get myself in trouble. But you know that I will do whatever it takes to keep her and all of my kids safe. That includes you and you know it." Luke said staring directly at Rory.

Rory's eyes welled up with tears, "I don't trust him…"

Lorelai swallowed hard and put her arm around her daughter, "I'd like to think that he has had all this time to think about what he did. I'm sure he just wants to get on with his life. He has Gigi and-"

"Don't say me. Because he does not have me." Rory said shaking her head adamantly, "I am not his daughter. He is not my father. Luke is my father."

"Rory…" Luke whispered softly, he hated to see her in this much pain.

"No!" Rory said as the tears started to fall, "I don't want him in my life! I don't want him out! I wish he was dead!"

Lorelai pulled Rory into her arms and held her tight, "Hey...shhhh…" She said as she rubbed her back, "Everything is going to be okay...I promise."

"I hate him." Rory said crying into her mother's shoulder, "I hate what he did to you. I want him gone."

"It's okay…" Lorelai whispered as she swallowed hard and tried to keep her tears again, "I promise everything will be okay."

Luke glanced at April who had tears in her own eyes, he reached for her and pulled him up to hug her tight. "Nothing is going to happen to anyone, okay? We're going to figure this all out no matter what it takes."

"What are you going to tell Jack?" April asked softly, "He's going to have questions...he already does. He asks why Rory and I have different parents…"

"We haven't figured that out yet…" Luke said rubbing her back softly, "It's complicated because he is so young."

Rory lifted her head slowly, "How are you really feeling about this Mom?"

Lorelai smiled sadly and pushed hair out of Rory's face, "I mean...it brings up a lot of bad memories. But...I'm trying to be positive about it. I made a choice to not let him ruin my life. So much has happened in the last five years...I refuse to let him get the best of me."

Rory sighed and wiped at her eyes, "I just...I still can't believe he did what he did. Dad was always a mess...but that was…"

"I know." Lorelai said giving her shoulder a squeeze, "But...honey I don't want you to work yourself up over this. Grandpa knows who to call to deal with all this. We will put the restraining order in effect and we just have to keep living our lives."

Rory looked over at Luke, "I'm scared…"

He nodded, "I know...but your Mom is right. We can't let it take over our lives. If we do...then he wins. And I refuse to let him have that kind of power."

Rory nodded slowly, "I still want to go face him in court…"

Lorelai grimaced, "Rory no…"

Rory turned back to her Mother, "I'll go with Grandpa. I want to see his face. I want to hear what he has to say."

"We don't have to decide all this now…" Lorelai said knowing that right now she wasn't going to be able to get through to her daughter, "Let's just...enjoy the time we have together okay? We can go out on the boat...April will be leaving for school soon. Jack is so excited you are both here. We can't spend our time worrying…"

"Speaking of Jack…" April whispered as she nodded her head towards the door.

"Momma?" A bleary eyed Jack called from the door as he stumbled out of the door, "You're bed is really comfty."

Lorelai smiled and picked up Jack to sit on her lap, "More than your bed?"

He nodded and rested his head against her shoulder, "Mhm…"

Lorelai closed her eyes and held him close, "Did you see that Rory is home?"

Jack turned his head and finally registered the presence of his oldest sister, "Rory…" He reached his arms out and she scooped him up, "I miss you."

Rory swallowed hard and hugged him close too, "Hey Jack Jack, I've missed you too. But now we have a whole week together. It's going to be great."

Jack yawned and looked over at his Dad, "Daddy can we go out on the boat?"

Luke smiled, "Sure bud. We were just talking about that actually."

Jack yawned again and put his head back on Rory's shoulder, "Why were you talking about your Dad? Is he finally going to visit?"

Rory tensed and her eyes quickly found her mother who immediately looked at Luke for guidance. Luke rubbed the back of his neck nervously and then took Jack from Rory's arm, he placed him on the railing and tried to smile at him.

"So bud...you know that Rory has a different Dad right?" Luke asked, he could feel the silence behind him from the three girls staring at him waiting to see what he was going to say.

Jack nodded, "Mhm. Rory has a different Daddy and April's Mommy is Anna. I know Anna but I've never met Rory's Daddy...what's his name?"

Luke grimaced slightly as he had to say his name, "His uh...his name is Christopher."

"Do I get to meet him now?" Jack asked as he swung his legs back and forth.

Luke glanced back at Lorelai who looked frozen in her spot before he turned back to his son, "No. I don't think that you will be meeting him anytime soon. Rory's Dad…" His voice began to crack nervously and he shuffled in his spot, "Rory's Dad is very busy and so we won't see him."

Jack frowned and looked over his Dad's shoulder at Rory, "Doesn't that make you sad Rory?"

Rory choked back a sob and tried to shake her head, "No…"

Jack gave her a look that she had seen on Luke's face a million times and it warmed her heart, "But you're crying...and so is Mommy…"

Rory quickly stood up and stood beside her brother, "I know it's hard for you to understand buddy...but I don't have a great relationship with my real Dad. And it's okay...because I get to share your Dad, right?"

Jack smiled and nodded his head, "Uh huh."

Rory smiled at him and kissed his cheek, "I appreciate you sharing him. Because in my opinion he's the only Dad I will ever need."

"He is a good Daddy." Jack said with a big smile, "Even though he won't feed me cocoa puffs."

Everyone laughed and it felt good to break the tension, "You and those cocoa puffs…" Luke grumbled as he pulled him into his arms again, "You'd choose cocoa puffs over my cooking wouldn't you?"

Jack shrugged, "Maybe. But if you make the special Rory pancakes I'll forget about the cocoa puffs for today."

Luke smiled, "You want some special Rory pancakes? I guess it is tradition for when she comes home…"

"We can't break tradition…" Rory said with a smile, "And I did wake up extra early to come down here to see my family. It would only be fair for you to make them for all of us…"

Luke smiled and winked at Rory, "You got it kid." He kissed Jack's head and said, "You gonna help me bud?"

Jack nodded, "I need my hat!"

"Hat?" Rory asked looking at her Mom, "Does he have a chef's hat now?"

Lorelai smiled as she stood up, "Nope. I got him something even better." She took Jack from Luke's arms, "Let's go get you ready buddy and we'll get Miss Elise too."

"Don't start without me Daddy!" Jack called over Lorelai's shoulder as she walked to the front door.

"I wouldn't dream of it bud." He said with a smile as he gave him a slight wave, he waited until Lorelai had entered the house before turning back to Rory and putting an arm around her shoulders, "Are you okay?"

Rory sighed and leaned into him, "Just sad...and angry."

Luke nodded, "I know. But...your Mom is right we can't let him win Rory. If he thinks we've spent these last five years in fear he has all the power against us in this situation."

Rory nodded, "I know you're right...I just feel like I never got any closure with the situation. I really do want to go face him...will you talk to Mom about it?"

Luke sighed, "Rory I don't know...I don't like the idea of you being that close to him."

"Mom got to face him last time. She got to say everything she needed to say. That's why she's so much stronger than I am about this. I need to do this Luke...I need to look him in the eyes and ask him why. I need to tell him how I feel. It's the only way I'll ever really be able to move on…" Rory said desperately trying to get him to understand.

Luke closed his eyes for a moment, "We'll talk about it, okay? Let's take the next few days just to process all this before we make any big decisions. I'm not saying no...I know I can't forbid you to go. You're an adult and I'm not really your fat-"

"Yes you are." Rory said with a confident voice, "You always have been Luke…"

Luke swallowed hard and pulled her in for a tight hug, "I promise I won't let him hurt your Mom again. Or you."

Rory nodded as she leaned against his shoulder and smiled at April who was standing behind them giving her an encouraging smile. "I know…"

Luke pulled away and turned back to April, "How did you two get so old?"

"It's all a part of life." April said with a shrug, "But at least you still have two little rugrats to keep you on your toes."

Luke laughed and put his other arm around April, "All four of you keep me on your toes. And with Lorelai included that makes five…"

"Seems like just yesterday you were moving me into Yale for the first time." Rory said with a smile, "And now it's April's turn…"

Luke groaned, "You do realize that we didn't get rid of that damn mattress until a few years ago right? I can't bear to think what was living in it…"

Rory laughed, "Mom was afraid that putting it in the trash would alert Yale somehow!"

He rolled his eyes, "Yes I know. I heard all about it...she was convinced we were going to get fined thousands of dollars over it. And she said those thousands of dollars would be better spent on shoes for her."

"Man I love my Mom…" She said with a slight laugh feeling the tears growing again in her eyes.

Luke gave her a reassuring squeeze and nodded, "I know. And so do I...and everything is going to be just fine. I promise."

"I trust you." Rory said with a slight nod.

"I'm ready!" Jack yelled as he ran out the front door in a blue flannel shirt and blue baseball cap on backwards.

"Oh my God!" Rory said as she put a hand over her mouth, "Mini Luke!"

"There is no question that he is your son." April said as she laughed, "No need for a DNA test on that one."

Luke smiled, "Well good because my hair is thinning out. Don't need any crazy kids yanking anymore of it out of my head!"

"It was all in the name of science!" April said with a smirk.

Luke smiled and kissed her head, "And I'm damn glad you did it."

"Daddy said a bad word!" Jack said putting a hand over his mouth, "Mommy!"

Lorelai poked her head out of the door and smirked at her husband, "Bad Daddy!"

"Bad Da!" Elise chanted from her mother's arm, "Bad Da!"

Luke groaned, "Not again…"

Jack put his hands on his hips and glared at his Dad, "Only thing that can fix this is extra whipped cream on our Rory pancakes!"

Luke sighed and walked over to his son, he took the small hat balanced it on his own head and threw his son over his shoulder, "One large batch of Rory pancakes and extra whipped cream coming right up."

"Good Daddy!" Jack laughed as he dangled behind his father's back.

"Goo Da!" Elise chanted as Lorelai and her watched them go.

"Very Goo Da!" Lorelai said giving her daughter a kiss on her cheek, she turned to her other two daughters and smiled, "Come on...I bet we can get him to throw in some extra chocolate chips too if all four of us do the pout."

Rory smiled, "The power of the pout...poor Luke never stood a chance."

"No he did not." Lorelai said with a twinkling in her eye, "How do you think I got him to agree to marry me?"

April smirked, "There was no pout needed in that...he's always loved you."

Lorelai beamed at her, "Thank God for that…" She waved her hand, "Now come on! We got Rory pancakes to devour!"

They had spent all day as a family, pancakes were made and eaten quickly. They sat out by the lake and Jack showed off how much he had improved with his swimming lessons. They had had a picnic dinner as the sun set over the water and everything felt perfect. But for the older members of the family, the worry of Chris being released still lingered in the back of their minds.

April helped Jack catch fireflies in jars with holes in the top of the lid. And Elise snoozed in Luke's arms as he sat beside Lorelai and Rory watching the scene in front of them. Rory glanced over at her Mom and took a deep breath before starting the conversation again.

"I really feel like I have to go see him." Rory said quickly, "I know you don't want me too. But I need the closure…"

Lorelai sighed and turned towards her eldest daughter, "Rory we haven't seen or heard from your father in five years. I just...I'm not sure if it's the best idea."

"He's written me letters…" Rory whispered softly.

Luke's head snapped up and he glanced at her quickly, "He did?"

Rory sighed and looked out over the water, "He's probably written over 50 of them. But I have thrown each and everyone of them away without reading."

"Oh Rory…" Lorelai said wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "You could have read them…"

Rory shook her head, "I wasn't ready. I figured they were just full of all his usual BS. How sorry he was...how much he wanted to make it up to me and you. He's had the same story line since I was a kid Mom. And back then it worked...but not with this. This is bigger than blowing me off for a weekend visit."

Lorelai nodded slowly, "I know...but he's always going to be your father." Rory opened her mouth to protest and Lorelai cut her off, "Biologically whether you want to admit it or not he is your father."

"Which is why I think I need to see him face to face. I want to know how he could have done something like this...why he did it. And being angry isn't a good enough excuse." Rory sighed sadly, "I've had a lot of time to think about this over the last five years...I need to understand how he made these choices. If I'm ever going to make peace with it...I need to hear it from his mouth. And I need to tell him how I feel too…"

Lorelai swallowed hard and glanced at her husband, "What do you think?"

Luke rocked Elise back and forth and shrugged, "I don't necessarily like it but...I understand it. You did the same thing before the trial...you wanted to see him and you went even though I asked you not too. Maybe it will be good for Rory like it was good for you."

Lorelai sighed and turned back to her daughter, "Do you want me to come with you?"

Rory shook her head adamantly, "No. I don't want him to have the satisfaction of seeing your face. This is something I need to do on my own...but I'll have Grandpa. We'll be fine."

Lorelai was quiet for a moment before she pulled her into her arms, "Just...be careful. Okay? I really want to believe that he has changed but...I never thought he could have done what he did in the first place. Just be smart about it…"

"I will." Rory said holding her tight, "After this we never have to think about him again as far as I'm concerned."

Lorelai smiled and pulled away, "I hope you are right about that…"

"You have a great life Mom…" She said giving her a nudge, "This right here is all you need...he didn't break you and he never will."

Lorelai swallowed hard and nodded slowly, "You're right."

"Of course I'm right." Rory said with a wink, "I'm always right."

Lorelai laughed, "You're so much like me it's scary sometimes…" She turned back to Luke, "I don't know how you have put up with us for all these years."

"Lots and lots of patience." He said with a smirk, "But I do deserve a medal for it."

Lorelai rolled his eyes, "Please...you'd be totally and completely lost without us in your life."

Luke smiled at her and gave her an affectionate wink, "Of course I would."

"Mommy look!" Jack yelled as he ran to the blanket they were all sitting on, "Look at how they glow! It's so cool! I wish I glowed like that!"

Lorelai smiled and pulled her son onto her lap, he rested his back against her chest as he held out the jar in front of him, "Wow you guys got a lot of them!"

"April said that in New Mexico they believe that fireflies are meant to guide you home. She says their good luck." He said staring mesmerized at the jar.

April smiled and sat next to Rory, "I like that…" Rory said glancing down at the jar.

"Mommy can I keep the fireflies as pets?" Jack as he glanced behind him to look at her.

Lorelai smiled sadly at him, "Sadly no bud...fireflies aren't meant to live in a jar. They are meant to be outside and free. Besides...I think Paul Anka would be a little jealous if you got a new pet."

Jack sighed and turned back to the jar, "Paul Anka will always be my best friend...but these guys are cool too."

Lorelai kissed the top of his head, "They are pretty cool kiddo…"

"Should I let them go?" Jack asked looking over at his Dad.

Luke smiled at his son, "I think they'd like that...they can go home to their families too."

Jack smiled and scrambled off his Mom's lap and went to the edge of the lake before he slowly opened the lid on the jar, "Bye bye fireflies!"

Lorelai and Luke beamed at their son as he giggled and spun around in the light of the fireflies as they flew around his head. Lorelai rested her head on her husband's shoulder and said a prayer for whatever light had guided her to this very moment. Despite the pain and fear of Christopher, she was exactly where she was supposed to be with her little family. And she could not have been more grateful for that…

After Elise was put to sleep, Jack was read five stories by his sisters and finally coaxed into bed. April and Rory went to their room which they were sharing while everyone was home. Luke pulled his wife towards their bedroom and wrapped an arm around her shoulder before placing a gentle kiss on her head.

"How are you doing?" Luke asked as they stepped into their room.

Lorelai sighed and sat on the edge of her bed as she pulled off her shoes, "I'm okay...still don't really like the idea of Rory seeing Christopher but I can't stop her."

Luke nodded as he pulled off his flannel, "I know...it will be hard but we have to trust her on this. She's struggled a lot with the whole situation. She never lets anyone even say his name...I think maybe she's right. Maybe she needs the closure."

Lorelai nodded as she started to unbutton her shirt, "Yeah maybe. But I'm probably going to have a heart attack while I wait for her to come home…"

Luke smiled and pulled his t-shirt up over his head and threw it into the hamper, "That's how I felt when you went to see him in jail before the trial...I thought my head was going to explode."

Lorelai smiled up at him as she slid her shirt off leaving her in her bra and shorts, "That was the day that you proposed…"

Luke smiled and knelt down on the floor in front of her, "Yes it was. As soon as you walked back into the Diner...I knew I couldn't wait another minute. I needed you to be mine."

Lorelai breathed in his familiar scent as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "I've always been yours Luke...always."

He leaned his forehead against hers, "Lorelai...you mean everything to me. I hate thinking about what he did to you...about why you were in that situation in the first place. If I hadn't-"

"Don't." Lorelai said reaching up to cup his face, "Don't do that. We both made mistakes that lead us to there...no one ever expects to be in that kind of situation. But it happened. It is what it is but we have come so far since then babe. You have given me a life better than I could have ever imagined. Please don't dwell on it...you saved me from all that. You always save me."

He felt tears burning in his own eyes, "I will always save you."

She smiled and leaned forward to kiss his lips gently, "I know. Which is one of the millions of reasons why I love you. Why I feel so lucky to be your wife."

Luke lifted a hand and pushed away a lock of her dark curls, "Almost six been six years…"

She smiled at him, "Hard to believe…"

"I will never forget how beautiful you looked in your dress. I remember thinking it was a dream...it didn't feel real." Luke said swallowing hard as his voice filled with raw emotion.

"But lucky for us it was real…" She said smiling as she caressed his face gently, "I am your wife. You are my husband and we have four amazing children together...this is our life Luke. Our life."

"It's a pretty good life." He said with a smile as he reached behind her and unclasped her bra, "A damn good life…"

She sighed happily as his lips found the sensitive spot under her ear, "You'll hear no complaints from me...I couldn't be happier if I tried."

Luke pulled back and gave her a slight smirk, "You sure?"

She giggled, "Well I have a feeling I'm going to be even happier in a few minutes…" She kissed him softly, "But no Luke...I have everything I need. You have given me everything I have ever wanted."

"Good." Luke said as he began to push her back on the bed with a devilish smirk, "But let me see if I can boost that happiness just a bit more tonight…"

Lorelai smiled as he began to pull at the button her shorts, "Luke…"

He pulled her zipper down before looking back up at her, "Yeah?"

"I love you." She whispered as tears sparkled in her eyes, "So much…"

He took a deep breath, moved up her body and lay over her to kiss her passionately, "I love you too Lorelai...and I always will."

Lorelai pulled him close and pushed all thoughts of Christopher Hayden out of her mind. All that mattered in this moment was this man who had loved her more than any other human being. He had supported her through every misstep and she had faith that no matter what happened he would be the one to hold her up no matter what. This was all she needed to get by…

Back at the Gilmore residence, Emily woke up late in the night and discovered that her husband was not in bed. She sighed, slipped out of bed and made her way downstairs and straight for his study where she was sure she would find him. Sure enough she saw him sitting behind his desk furiously taking notes in one of his large journals.

"Richard it's two in the morning. You need to come to bed." She said as she leaned against the door frame.

Richard looked up and barely registered the presence of his wife, "I will when I am finished here."

She sighed and walked further into the office. She glanced over his shoulder and saw notes on restraining orders, laws about children and their parents who had been incarcerated and more. She put a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, "You are becoming obsessed...we are meeting with the lawyers tomorrow and they will know what to do."

"I just want to make sure that I have all the information I need." Richard said as he flipped the page in and began to write more. "I want to make sure that there are no loopholes here for that coward Christopher to crawl through…"

"Richard…" Emily said reaching over and taking his pen,

"Hey! I'm not finished." He said staring up at her with wide bloodshot eyes.

"You are going to make yourself sick. You need to rest." Emily said as she swallowed the lump in her own throat, "You will be no use to Lorelai if you are too tired to help her through this process."

Richard scoffed and slammed his hand on his desk, "I wasn't of any use to her when that man dared to put his hands on her!"

"Richard…" Emily said softly as she tried to comfort him. "Don't do this…"

"I am her father!" Richard said putting a hand over his chest, "I should have been able to protect her from this. But I didn't! And I'll be damned if that man does another thing to cause her pain."

"No one could have predicted this…" Emily said trying to get him to understand, "I feel just as much guilt as you do...we pushed her to be with him. But we have known him practically his whole life. How could we have guessed that he would grow up into such a monster?"

Richard swallowed hard, "I have missed so many opportunities in Lorelai's life to truly be there as the father she deserves. And I'm not getting any younger Emily…"

"Richard don't…" Emily said giving his shoulder another squeeze, "Don't talk like that."

"I hate that at some point I won't be around to make sure that she will be safe. I hate that Christopher will be out in the world again and at some point I'll be gone…" He said as his voice cracked. "I'd kill him myself if I could."

"No you would not. You are not that type of man." Emily said, "We have to believe that the justice system will prevail...besides she has Luke to protect her too. You know he'd do anything for her."

Richard nodded, "How we ever thought Christopher was better than him I will never understand."

"A lot has changed in the last six years…" Emily whispered, "We have changed. We have grown closer to Lorelai and Rory and despite the difficult circumstances I am glad for that."

Richard glanced up at his wife, "I just hate that she had to go through that…I hate that he put her through that. I still remember what she looked like after..."

"Me too…" Emily whispered softly, "I had never seen her look so broken...she has always been so strong and confident. But that day...seeing the mark on her face...it was too much."

Richard nodded, "I never want to see my daughter like that again…"

"And you won't." Emily said reassuringly, "We will make sure of that. But for now...you need to come to bed. You need your rest…"

Richard sighed and closed his notebook, "I suppose you are right."

"Come on...you look exhausted." Emily said helping him up out of his chair, "Everything is going to be alright…"

"Okay…" Richard said as he let her head him out of his office.

Emily glanced back at the desk and the books and papers that littered the top of it. She sighed sadly and shut the office door behind her and prayed that everything would work out for the best. She couldn't stand to see her daughter in anymore pain…

Feedback is always appreciated :) I will be writing the next chapter today or tomorrow. So keep an eye out for it :) :)