Here's the next chapter! Thanks again for the continued support :) I will try to update as quick as possible!
The next two days rained nonstop. Lorelai didn't voice it but she felt like it was a bad omen. Despite the rain, Luke had made sure that the days were filled with fun and laughter to make sure that everyone was happily distracted. Friday was coming closer and closer and Luke knew that that particular day was going to be incredibly difficult. He hoped that it would be nice enough for them to finally get out of the house on that particular day. To be far out on the ocean would give them plenty of space between Christopher Hayden and the Gilmore/Danes family.
That Friday morning, Rory woke up and went out to the garage to get a box of her old things that Lorelai had agreed to keep. It was early and she knew that no one else was awake yet. The sun was finally shining and she tried to take it as a good sign. Rory quickly found the box she was looking for and went back to the living room in the house.
She took things out one by one and smiled at the old pictures and memories. Copies of old books she had loved, notes from Lane and Paris, pictures of Lorelai and Rory in the potting shed. And finally...she found what she was looking for.
She took a deep breath as she took out the picture of her and Christopher during one of his visits. They were standing outside of Lorelai and Rory's old house, he had his arm wrapped tightly around Rory and she was staring up at him as if he was her hero. She remembered that weekend well. Lorelai and Rory had recently moved into the house and Christopher came to see where they were living. He had brought Rory ten new books to fill her bookshelves (little did he know...Luke had built them).
Buying things was something that Christopher often did. He thought that showering her with gifts would make up for all the times he had blown her off for visits. All the times he had disappointed her. He sent gifts to fill that void. Rory looked at the happy look on her face and wondered how the hell things had changed so much. Today her father would walk free for assaulting her mother and she wished that he would fall off the face of the world.
She wiped a tear away from her face and practically jumped off the couch when she noticed that her little brother was standing in front of her, "Hey Jack. I didn't see you there…"
Jack was standing in his pajamas and had a frown on his face, "Why are you crying Rory?"
Rory sighed and pulled Jack up onto her lap, "I'm just...having a bad day buddy."
"But it's only morning. How can your whole day be bad already?" Jack asked.
Rory couldn't help but laugh at the innocence of her brother, "I guess you're right...I don't know if the whole day will be bad. So...I'm just having a bad morning."
Jack took the picture from her hand and smiled, "Is that you?"
Rory nodded, "Yeah. That was a long time ago...way before you and Elise were born."
"Who's that?" Jack asked pointing at Christopher in the picture.
Rory took a deep breath, "Well...that's um...that's my Dad."
"Christopher?" Jack asked as he turned to look at her, "That's his name right?"
Rory nodded slowly, "That's right…"
"He looks like a nice man." Jack said as he shifted on her lap, "How come it makes you cry to look at him?"
"It's….it's complicated." Rory said swallowing hard, "You know how sometimes Mom and Dad say it's a grown up thing?"
Jack groaned, "I hate when they say…"
Rory laughed, "I know buddy. But sometimes there are certain things that are hard to understand when you are a kid."
Jack frowned, "You don't like your Dad?"
Rory rested her chin on his little shoulder, "Jack…"
"I know you said you want to share my Dad...but don't you want your own?" Jack asked.
Rory could feel the tears burning in her eyes again and she just couldn't find the right words to explain it to him. So instead she decided lying would make it easier for now. "Well he's just busy right now buddy...but maybe someday I'll see him again, okay?"
Jack shrugged, "Okay."
"Come on...let's go make some chocolate milk." Rory said kissing his cheek softly.
"We gotta drink it fast! Because Daddy doesn't like when I have it in the morning!" Jack said as he scurried off her lap.
Rory smiled, "I think it's time I teach you the power of the pout Jack…"
Jack turned and smiled mischievously at her, "So I can get whatever I want?"
Rory laughed, "Exactly bud. We'll talk about it over that milk. Come on…"
Upstairs, Lorelai's eyes fluttered open as she felt the sun shining through the window. She took a deep breath and tried to keep the tears at bay as she remembered what today was. Somehow the wonderful man behind her had sensed that she was awake. And just when she needed him, he rolled over and wrapped a tight protective arm around her middle.
"Hey…" He whispered as he kissed the top of her head. "Did you sleep okay?"
She sighed and closed her eyes again, "I guess…"
Luke sighed and pulled at her hips, "Lorelai…"
She turned slowly in his arms and tried to look at him without breaking down, "I don't like this…"
Luke leaned forward and kissed both her cheeks and her nose and finally her lips, "I'm not going to let him hurt you."
She started to cry and she ducked her head and buried her face in the crook of his neck, "I just can't shake this horrible feeling...I don't trust him. I know I'm probably being paranoid but I just…"
"You are not being paranoid. You are allowed to have your personal feelings Lorelai. No one expected you to just be okay with him being released…" Luke whispered as he rubbed her back gently.
She pulled away slowly, "The thing is...it's not me I'm worried about Luke. It's you...and Rory. Even my parents...There isn't much else that Christopher can do to my personally that will bother me. What will hurt will be him going after you guys...he's not stupid enough to come after me. At least I don't think he is…"
"I told you I wouldn't go after him...and I'm going to keep my promise." Luke said as he held her face in his hands, "There is no one in the world I hate more than Christopher Hayden. And I would love to give him a piece of my mind not to mention a few well deserved punches…"
She swallowed hard, "Luke…" She whispered wearily.
He shook his head, "Let me finish." He watched her take a deep breath and he nodded slowly as he continued, "But as much as I hate him...I love you more. You are my life Lorelai. And I will always protect you...but I know what you are afraid of. And so I'm going to keep my promise...I'm going to stay right here with you."
Her eyes welled up with tears as she leaned into him, "I love you so much. I don't know how I ever thought I could live without you…"
Luke wrapped his arms around her tightly, "Shh...none of that matters now. All that matters is that we are here together….we have our family. I will keep you safe. I won't go after him...but if he provokes me...if he tries anything...you know I won't accept it…"
She nodded slowly as she pulled away again, "I know…" She lifted a hand and put it against his cheek, "Just...promise me one more thing."
He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips, "What?"
"Promise that you'll stay safe...that you won't leave me." She said softly, "I know you will protect us...and I love that. But no matter what happens...you come home to me. Okay?"
Luke sighed and rolled over on top of her, "Always…"
She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Luke I need you…"
He lifted a hand to trace the side of her face, "Look at me…"
She licked her lips, let her eyes flutter open as a few tears escape the corner of her eyes, "Luke…"
"I love you." He whispered as he looked directly into her eyes, "I'm not going anywhere…"
She nodded slowly and pulled him close as the tears continued to fall. And Luke took on his first mission of the day...to chase every single tear away with a kiss and a reminder of how damn much he loved her.
By 11:00am, the whole family was dressed and ready to head to the marina. With Elise on her hip and Jack holding her other hand, Lorelai walked down the dock eager to get as far away from land as possible. Rory and April were walking behind her with their arms loaded with coolers and bags. Luke got out of the car, glanced around and for a moment half expected see Christopher staring back at him.
He took a deep breath, grabbed the last of the bags and followed his family down the dock. He settled onto the board, helped Lorelai situate the kids and then took his spot behind the wheel. He smiled as Lorelai strapped on Jack's life jacket and April and Rory pointed out birds to an excited Elise.
"Daddy! Can I help you steer?" An excited Jack asked as he ran from Lorelai's side to his.
"Sure buddy." Luke leaned over and took out the little stool for Jack, lifted him up and set him up behind the wheel. He laughed when he noticed that Jack's eyes barely made it past the top of the wheel and he stood behind him to help him steer.
Lorelai smiled and walked up behind Luke where she rested her chin on his shoulder, "This was a good idea…"
Luke nodded and turned his head to kiss her cheek softly, "You feeling any better?"
She wrapped her arms around his waist as he and Jack steered them away from the dock, "I'm surrounded by the most important people in my life. This is all I need…"
He took one hand of the wheel and squeezed her hands around him, "Good…"
"Mommy look! I'm a Captain!" Jack yelled as he practically jumped up and down on the stool, "I'm like Captain Jack Sparrow!"
Lorelai smirked, "Sorry bud...your Dad has already taken that title."
Luke groaned, "Lorelai…"
"I still have the costume stowed away in the garage…" She whispered in his ear, "Just so you know…"
He couldn't help but laugh, "You're insufferable…"
"No. I'm just crazy about you." She said as she nuzzled his neck, "And I love you."
"I love you too." He said giving her hand another squeeze as he put his hand back on the wheel to help Jack steer them out of the harbor, "Why don't you go relax with the girls? We got it covered here."
"Always looking out for me." She said kissing his cheek again, she pulled away and gave him a slight wink as she walked over to the girls.
They were sitting at the head of the boat and trying to teach Elise new words, "Come on Elise...say Rory!"
"Roro!" Elise said as she clapped her hands, "Roro! Roro!"
Rory sighed as Lorelai and April laughed, "She still calls me Apple so...take Roro."
Lorelai smiled and took the young girl in her arms, "Well I taught her a new word. Didn't I baby girl?" She nuzzled her nose and whispered, "Say pretty!"
Elise called her hands again, "Pretty! Pretty!"
Rory shook her head, "Out of all the words you could have taught her...you chose pretty?"
Lorelai smiled and turned Elise around so she was sitting in her lap, "It was one of your first real words too. I wanted to make sure you both knew just how pretty you are!"
Rory smiled, "You're nuts…"
"So they tell me." Lorelai said as she blew a raspberry on Elise's cheek making her giggle, "But you all love me so...jokes on you."
Rory watched as the smile on her mother's face faded, "Hey…" Lorelai glanced back at her oldest daughter and Rory continued, "How are you doing?"
Lorelai sighed and rocked Elise back and forth, "I'm okay kid...just…" She swallowed hard, "Just trying to stay positive about it all. I don't want it to ruin everything ya know? We have so many great things in our lives...so much to be happy about. I don't want my fear of your Dad's release to tear us apart."
"It won't." April said putting a hand on her Step-Mother's arm. "This family has been through some much...this isn't going to break us. We won't let it."
Lorelai smiled at her, "I am so lucky to have you two...watching you both grow up and become the women that you have become has been such a blessing. I am so grateful for you both."
Rory smiled at April, "Well I think I speak for April when I say we had an amazing example to live up too…"
Lorelai blushed, "Yeah well...you have to say that. You're my daughter."
April smiled, "I technically don't have to say it. We could have one of those strained Step-daughter and Step-Mother relationships. But I knew from the moment I met you that you were someone I wanted to know. Someone I wanted to be like...you don't give yourself enough credit Lorelai. You are an amazing role model...an amazing mother."
Lorelai bit her lip, "I thought we were going to try and keep me from crying today?" She teased.
April laughed and wrapped an arm around her, "Sorry…"
Lorelai laughed and shook her head, "No...don't be. Thank you...both of you." She said looking back at Rory, "It has been so great having you both home. It always is...but right now it is making this much easier for me."
"No matter how far away either one of us is...we'll still be with you." Rory said giving her Mom's knee a squeeze, "We're both only a phone call away."
"Thank God for the advance in technology in the last few years. I get to facetime you both whenever I want." She said gleefully, "And Elise and Jack love seeing you both."
"It's so hard being away from them…" April said reaching for Elise's little hand, "I always feel like I'm missing so much. Whenever you sent pictures or videos...it makes me feel like I'm right with them."
"Well your Dad and I show both Jack and Elise your pictures every night before bed. They see you two, my parents and his parents. We want them to know how many people love them." Lorelai said leaning down to kiss her Elise's head. "Growing up...as much as my parents tried there wasn't a lot of love going around...I didn't want that for my children."
"So is that why you smothered me with love while I was growing up?" Rory teased.
April and Lorelai both laughed as Lorelai answered, "Probably. I never want any of you to doubt how Luke and I feel about you. I want you to know that we're here no matter what...that we would do anything for you."
April squeezed her knee, "We have never had to doubt it Lorelai…"
She nodded slowly, "That's good…" She took a deep breath, "You know now that you are going away to school...nothing changes. You need us...you call us, okay? Day or night...we'll be on the next plane out to you."
April nodded, "I know. Thank you…"
"Same goes for me." Rory said giving her a smile, "Anything I can do to help...or if you just need to vent about the stress of school...I'm all ears."
April smiled and looked down at her hands, "You know it's funny...for so long it was just me and my Mom. And I always wondered what it would be like to have a big family...and then I found Dad…" She took a deep breath, "I know I shocked him...I know I shocked all of you." She glanced back at her Step-Mother, "And sometimes I feel bad about the way things turned out at first…"
Lorelai shook her head, "We have talked about this. None of it was your fault…"
April nodded, "I know...but all this coming back up...with Christopher I mean...I can't help but think that if I had stayed away...you and Dad would have-"
Lorelai sighed and quickly handed Elise to Rory, "Hey...I don't want to hear you talk like that anymore. Your Dad and I made our own choices...you know that. We were both stubborn and stupid back then. You coming into our lives changed things sure...but it also brought us closer in the end."
April sighed, "But you never would have been with Christopher that night if-"
"It doesn't matter. None of it matters." Lorelai said as she grabbed her hands in hers, "April I love you...your Dad loves you. We are so glad you found him...sometimes bad things happen in life. I wish that I could protect all you kids from all the negative things in the world...but I can't. Things happen...and the only people we can blame are the people who made those bad choices. The person in this situation who made a bad choice was Christopher...you did nothing wrong. Okay? I need you to really understand this. I need to know that I have never and will never blame you."
April swallowed hard and nodded as the tears welled in her eyes, "Okay…"
"Okay?" Lorelai asked leaning down to see her eyes, "I don't want to hear you talk like this again...I don't want you to worry."
April smiled and leaned forward to hug her, "Okay. I know it's not my fault."
Lorelai kissed the side of her face, "Good. Your life is about to change in a huge way…" She pulled away and smiled at her, "You are going to love college...and I can't wait to see how you change the world. You're going to do big things April Nardini...and I feel lucky to know you."
April laughed as she wiped at her own tears, "Hey...I thought we said no tears…"
Lorelai smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "We will try to make those the last tears of the day, okay?"
April nodded and leaned against her, "Thank you Lorelai…"
Lorelai smiled and kissed the top of her head as she caught Luke's eye, he gave her a small smile and she just winked to let him know she was okay. She turned to look out at the ocean and saw how far they had already travelled. She closed her eyes and breathed in the salt air and tried to find some peace amidst this difficult day.
An hour later they had anchored far away from shore and were eating lunch on the main deck. Lorelai was sitting on the floor with Elise laughing as she pretended to be a train and a plane to get her to eat. Luke had Jack on his lap as he at his peanut butter sandwich. April and Rory were sitting close together as Rory gave her tips on the first few weeks of school.
Lorelai was laughing with Elise as her cell phone rang and she looked at the front to see it was her father, taking a deep breath she flipped it open. "Hey Dad."
Luke turned from his son to his wife as he heard her words. He waited patiently and saw how she tensed slightly a few times but didn't seem to to upset. He saw her give a few one line answers before hanging up and turning back to him.
"Everything okay?" Luke asked as he lifted Jack to sit on the seat beside him instead of his lap.
Lorelai nodded, "Yes. He just wanted me to know that he is officially out."
Luke took a deep breath and nodded, "Okay."
She swallowed hard and met his eyes, "Okay."
He gave her a smile and cocked his head to the side, "You alright?"
She pulled Elise close and held back her tears, "No." She sighed and then tried to give him at least a small smile, "But I will be."
He nodded slowly and turned back to his son who seemed mesmerized by something in the ocean, "What are you looking at bud?"
Jack dropped his sandwich and pointed out in front of him, "Whales!"
Luke followed his gaze and Lorelai scooped up Elise to look too, "Oh my goodness!" Lorelai said with a laugh, "Girls come here!"
Rory and April walked to their side and followed their gaze, "Wow! Look at that!" April yelled.
"Momma! Baby!" Elise yelled as she pointed to the whales.
Lorelai laughed and bounced her up and down, "That's right honey, that's a Momma whale and her baby."
"I wanna be as big as a whale!" Jack yelled as he jumped up and down in his seat.
Luke laughed and put him in his lap, "Unfortunately buddy...even eating all the vegetables in the world is not going to make you as big as a whale."
Jack frowned, "No fair...what's the point in eating the green stuff if I can't be a whale? I'm going back to twinkies."
Lorelai laughed, "That's my boy…"
Luke glared at her, "Don't encourage him." He lifted Jack to the edge of the boat, "Vegetables may not make you as big as a whale...but they can make you as strong as me. Is that good enough?"
Jack sighed, "I guess…"
"Ouch." Luke said with frown, "Beat out by a whale...are the days of being his hero gone?"
Lorelai laughed and kissed the side of his face, "I wouldn't worry too much about it...you'll always be his hero." She winked at him, "Mine too."
Luke leaned against her and tickled Elise's feet, "Thanks…"
Lorelai breathed deeply and looked around at her family and wished that it could stay like this forever. She held her daughter close and hoped that the past was in the past.
Late that night as the finally started to make their way back to dock, the girls had Jack and Elise fast asleep up at the front of the boat. Lorelai was sitting with them and then got up to walk back to Luke who was back at the wheel steering them home.
She wrapped her arms around his waist again and leaned her forehead against his back, "Thanks for a perfect day babe…"
He leaned against her, "I just like to see you happy…"
She smiled and kissed the back of his neck, "You're a good man...you know that?"
Luke smirked, "So they tell me…"
"I mean it Luke…" She said with a sigh as she rubbed his back up and down, "You're such a good man...my good man."
"Lorelai…" He whispered as he tried to look back over at her.
"I just...all this stuff going on...makes me think about all the things I did to hurt you. All the terrible this I said and did…" Her voice cracked and she heard him sigh.
"Lorelai…" He put one hand on the wheel and reached behind him to pull her to his side so he could kiss the top of her head, "We both did stupid things...we both hurt each other. But we've come a long way since then. Don't dwell on it…"
She nodded as she leaned into him, "I know. And I'm not trying too...it's just hard ya know? You get to a certain point in your life when you have to look at every moment of your life and how it has affected the place you are at now. And those things...those decisions led me here. And it's not just about me…" She looked back at her four children and swallowed hard as she looked back in front of her, "I worry about how it affects my children too…"
"That's because you are an amazing mother." Luke said giving her shoulder a squeeze. "You care enough about your kids to put their happiness before your own. They know how much you love them...you don't ever have to question that. They know you would sacrifice everything for them…"
She nodded slowly, "I hope so…" She licked her lips nervously, "I just worry...especially about Rory. I mean I know she's a grown woman now...she's got a life and a career. But...all of this...can't be easy for her to deal with. It hasn't escaped me that she hasn't had a really serious relationship since Logan. Don't you think that all of this has something to do with it? Don't you think my bad track record is reflected in that?"
Luke sighed, "Rory looks up to you. You know that. Christopher made his own choices. Rory knows everything you have been through...she knows how strong you are. I don't want you for one second to blame her not having a relationship on you. She's been traveling the country...creating a life for herself. Did you ever stop to think that maybe she learned from her Mom that she doesn't need a man to be strong? You showed her that she can do anything she puts her mind too, even if it's on her own. Maybe she wants to prove to herself she can do it too."
Lorelai smiled and kissed his shoulder, "You always know the right thing to say Luke Danes…"
He laughed, "Hardly...there was many a time when I said the wrong thing or nothing at all."
She squeezed him tight, "Well like you said...we've come a long way since all that."
Luke smiled and kissed the top of her head, "You're a great Mom. Don't ever doubt that. And you're a pretty phenomenal wife too."
She closed her eyes and leaned into him, "I don't know what I did to deserve you...but I'm damn glad you're my husband."
"The feeling is mutual." He said as he pulled his arm away from her and began to park the boat, "Why don't you go get the troops ready to head home? If we're lucky they'll be exhausted from the day and will go straight to bed…"
She smirked at him, "Why are you so eager to get them to bed?"
He turned and winked at her, "Just wanna spend some time with my incredibly sexy wife."
She smiled and leaned forward to kiss his lips, "I love you Burger Boy…"
"I love you too crazy lady." He said kissing her back as he turned back towards the docks.
Lorelai walked back over to the kids and smiled at Rory and April as they began to stir. She leaned over and picked up a half asleep Jack as he instinctively snuggled into her side. Lorelai smiled as she held him close and listened to his breath. "I love you Mommy…"
She smiled happily and kissed the top of his head, "I love you to Jack Jack...so much."
"Do you think Daddy will stop for milkshakes on the way home?" He asked with his eyes still closed.
Lorelai laughed, "It's pretty late little man...I don't think he'll say yes."
Jack lifted his head and looked at Rory, "Rory can we use the pout?"
"You taught him the pout?" Lorelai asked as she watched Rory held Elise in her arms.
Rory shrugged, "I just figured it would be useful to him in certain situations. You know Luke can't resist the pout...and I was a bit curious to see if it would work with a boy rather than a girl."
"Well if all of us do it...he won't be able to say no." Lorelai said with a glint in her eyes, "Elise somehow naturally learned how to do it...so he will not be able to say no."
"Not be able to say no to what?" Luke asked as he walked over to them.
Lorelai nudged Jack, "What did you want to ask Daddy bud?"
Jack lifted his head and smiled at his Dad, "It's been a great day Daddy. But you do you know what would make it even better?"
Luke sighed and put his hands in his pockets, "I'm afraid to ask…"
"We want milkshakes." Jack said with a straight face.
Luke groaned, "It's past 9...you should should be already in bed. No milkshakes." He said crossing his arms over his chest to try and look stern.
Jack sighed and leaned his head against his Mother's, "Please…"
Luke groaned as he watched Lorelai, Rory, April, Elise and even his son Jack give him the Lorelai pouty face. "Oh come on…how is that fair?" He said throwing his hands in the air.
"I am leaving in two days Dad…" April said as she walked closer to him, "It's a special occasion...please?"
"I knew it would be trouble if you taught them all the pout." Luke said pointing at Lorelai, "When it was just you and Rory it was bad enough...but five against one...that's just cruel!"
Rory smiled triumphantly, "So does that mean we're getting milkshakes?"
Luke groaned and put his hands on his head, "Fine…"
"Yes!" they all yelled and Rory leaned into her brother, "Told you it would come in handy!"
Luke scoffed, "I hold you responsible for this." He said pointing at her, "See if I help next time you move and you have to carry all those damn books back and forth!"
"Daddy said a bad word!" Jack said pointing at his Dad.
Lorelai pretended to glare at her husband, "Luke Danes...I am ashamed of you."
"Aw Geez…" He said as all five of them were now glaring at him.
"You can pretend to me mad but we all know you'll move me and my books as many times as I ask you too." Rory said leaning up to kiss his cheek, "All I have to do is pout!" She turned back to her family, "Let's go get our milkshakes!
"Milkshakes! Milkshakes!" Jack starting chanting which Rory and April joined in on as Jack jumped into April's arms.
Lorelai laughed as Luke watched them go with a defeated look, "You're mean…" He said to his wife.
She nuzzled his neck gently, "I'll make it up to you when we get home."
He laughed, "Yeah...that's not gonna happen. Once those milkshakes hits their bloodstream they'll be awake all night."
Lorelai smiled, "But that's why it's great we have two built in babysitters for the next few days. They always complain about not getting to spend enough time with Elise and Jack...and now's their chance!"
Luke smirked, "You're going to have to be quiet then...and we both know you aren't good at that."
Lorelai smiled mischievously and kissed under his ear, "Then we'll have to make sure my mouth is preoccupied the whole time…"
Luke gulped, "Lorelai…"
"The sooner we get their milkshakes...the sooner you get me home in bed." She said as she walked backwards, "So hurry up!"
Luke smiled and ran after her, "Damn I love you…"
Lorelai giggled and held him close, "I love you too."
They walked hand in hand off the boat and out to the car with their family. What could have been a terrible day, had turned into quite a perfect day for all of them.
Back in Hartford, Christopher Hayden was sitting in the living room of his Mother's house. It felt strange to be back in this very house, and even more strange to be out of prison. The last six years had dragged on forever and he had had a long time to think about how his actions had affected not only him but his entire family.
He sighed as he leaned into the couch and took a sip of his whiskey. The door to the living room opened and his mother walked in with a small smile on her face.
"How are you doing?" She asked as she sat across from him.
Chris shrugged, "Trying to get used to normal life again…"
"It will take some time...but you'll get there." Francine said as she crossed her legs, "Did you get a chance to talk to Sherry? Will she be dropping off Gigi tomorrow?"
He nodded and put his glass down, "She said she wasn't necessarily happy about it...but since you have been helping her take care of Gigi she realized she didn't have much choice. She asked if you would be with me the whole time."
Francine rolled her eyes, "You're her father...you don't need supervision."
He shrugged, "I can't really blame her for being concerned...I did just get out of prison."
Francine huffed, "You made a mistake Christopher. It wasn't that big a deal...people commit much worse crimes."
Chris stared at his Mother for a moment, "I hit my wife…" He grimaced, "Well technically she wasn't my wife...it wasn't legal…"
"Lorelai Gilmore made a lot of terrible choices." Francine said with a tight lipped smile, "She is hardly innocent. She never was and never will be."
"It doesn't mean she deserved what I did to her." Chris said shaking his head.
"Maybe not. But I hate that she has ruined your life." She said crossing her legs, "She gets to galavant with her husband and children and you have to try and start over!"
Chris swallowed hard, "Children? So...she had more kids?"
Francine rolled her eyes, "According to Sherry they had a son and a daughter together."
Chris nodded slowly and reached for his glass, "Well...good for them."
"Good for them?" Francine asked as she narrowed her eyes at him, "So you're happy for them?"
Chris sighed and put a hand over his face, "I mean...I guess? Is it awkward to think about it? Sure...but it's not like I hoped that she would join a convent…"
She laughed, "She'd never be allowed in a convent she was always loo-"
"Hey!" Chris said angrily, "Whether you like her or not...she is still your granddaughter's Mother. Although you never acknowledged Rory…" He sighed, "In case you forgot...it takes two people to make a baby Mom. I was just as guilty as she was…"
Francine rolled her eyes, "Yes well I'm sure she seduced you…"
"Actually it was my idea to have sex." Chris said putting a hand on his chest, "So if anyone is to blame it's me...and I told her we didn't need to use protection."
Francine scoffed, "Christopher Hayden!"
He rolled his eyes, "You know what...I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed."
"What is your plan? What are you going to do? You can't stay here forever." Francine said as she stood up to follow him.
He laughed sadly, "I don't know Mom...I haven't even been out for 24 hours. I haven't had much time to make a plan."
"Well who is going to hire you." She said, "You have a criminal record now. You'll have to get some mundane job...your father would be so ashamed."
He groaned and turned back to look at her, "Yes. Yes I am quite aware that Dad would be ashamed. He was always ashamed Mom! I never did a damn thing right. I made my bed and now I have to lie in it. I'll make sure I am out of your hair by the end of next week."
"Christopher…" She said sadly, he could hear the pain in her voice and he turned to look at her and waited for her to speak. "I just...this is not the life I pictured for you."
Christopher laughed sadly and looked down at his feet, "This isn't really the life I pictured either...I really screwed up."
"Christopher…" She whispered again as her eyes welled up with tears.
He shook his head, walked over to her and kissed the side of her face, "I'm sorry Mom. I'm really sorry…"
He turned and walked out of the living room and up the stairs to the bedroom he was staying in. He closed the door and fell onto the bed as he tried to calm himself. He had spent the last six years wondering what would have happened if he had made different choices. What if he hadn't hit Lorelai? What if he didn't whisk her away to Paris and propose? What if he had listened to his gut that night she showed up on his doorstep and realized that she wasn't over Luke?
He groaned and sat up as he stripped off his clothes and crawled into bed. It felt good to lie on a real bed. It felt good to be in a room by himself without a roommate. It felt good to be free. He never wanted to go back to prison...but he couldn't deny the fact it hurt to know she was with him. Right now in Stars Hollow...she was with him. She was married to him. They had a family and a home. And he had lost six years of his life because of them.
With another sigh, he threw the blankets up over his head and hoped that sleep would come soon. That was the only way to quiet the voices in his head…
Back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai and Luke were lying in bed close together after they had made love. Her head was resting on his chest as she looked out the window at the bright moon shining over the lake. She breathed him in as he ran his hand up and down her spine in a soothing manner.
"What are you thinking about?" Luke asked as he kissed the top of her curly head.
She sighed and turned to look at him, "It's just weird…"
"What's weird?" He asked as he brushed her hair out of her face.
She shrugged, "That for the last six years...we've been here building this life. And he was in there...locked away. We knew where he was. We knew we didn't have to worry about him. And now...now he's out there somewhere…" She said glancing back out the window.
Luke held her closer, "Where do you think he would go?"
"I suppose his Mom's…" She said softly, "Last time I talked to Sherry she said she wasn't going to be helping him."
"Is she allowing him to see Gigi?" He asked as he continued to rub her back.
"I guess so. She said she wants it to be supervised at first...she said she'd fill me in on anything important." She closed her eyes, "Rory tries to see Gigi when she can...but I don't know how that will play out now. I don't know if it will be too awkward for everyone…"
"That's going to have to be Rory's choice I guess. And they know that he can't be around if Rory is there." He said to her. "Sherry wouldn't put Rory in any danger."
"I know." Lorelai said as she turned to look at him again, "I guess there are just a lot of unknowns...I don't like feeling out of step. We have always had such a good routine since we got back together...I knew what to expect...what was needed of me. And now it feels like everything is changing again…"
"I think sticking to our usual routines is the best thing we can do right now." He said as he pulled her even closer, "April is leaving on Sunday...and Rory will be heading back to New York on Monday. Jack will start school soon...we have to get back to work. Focus on our family and our life like we always have."
"So you mean we can't continue to hide away like this?" She said with a sad smile.
He frowned and caressed her cheek, "Lorelai…"
She sighed and kissed his chest as she leaned her head over his heart again, "I know...I know you're right. It's just going to be hard. It's going to be scary to know that he's just...around. That he's not stuck behind those cement walls of the prison…"
"I'd like to believe that he wouldn't want to spend anymore time locked away." He said softly, "I'd like to think that he will stay away...move on with his life. That's what he told Rory he wanted to do…"
Lorelai nodded. "I know. I guess it will just take time to really be able to believe that…" She bit her lip nervously and glanced back up at him, "I...I'm going to try really hard to keep it together. But...the next few weeks are going to be hard. And I know...that I'm going to have really bad days…"
He nodded, "I can understand that...you need to work through this in whatever way works for you. And I'm going to be beside you every step of the way...for the good days and the bad days. That's what we agreed to when we got married…"
She sighed and closed her eyes to ward of the tears, "You just made me fall in love with you all over again."
He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her, "Well I fall in love with you more each day. And I mean it...I'm here. And I'm going to be here...no matter what."
"Hey Luke…" She whispered as she prepped kisses across his chest.
"Yes?" He asked with a smile as he tangled his hands in his hair.
She smiled and looked up at him, "I'm not tired yet…"
Luke chuckled, "These are those moments when I'm grateful for all that damn coffee you drink."
She giggled and pulled herself on top of him, "Shut up and kiss me handsome."
He smiled and cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. The next few weeks we're going to be a test for all of them. But if Luke had learned anything from his past mistakes, it was that rather than push her away when he was scared, he had to hold her as close as possible. And that's what he was going to do. Because the truth was...that she wasn't the only one that was afraid. He was too...he just hid it better.
I have already started the new chapter and will probably finish it soon. So the sooner I get some feedback, the sooner I will upload it ;) All about motivation! Hahaha!