Hey guys! Here is the next chapter. I also added two new chapters to "Luke and Lorelai: A Playlist" so check that out too. Working on the next chapter for this tonight.
Late that afternoon, the Danes household had turned into grand central station. The police had set up outside the house and were monitoring all incoming calls and visitors. Lorelai had been sitting on the couch unmoving for hours, she barely reacted to anyone when they spoke. Sookie, Jackson, Lane, Zach, Liz and TJ and the rest of their friends and family had been in and out. They all tried to comfort her but quite frankly they weren't even sure if she could hear them.
Emily and Richard were answering as many questions as they could. Luke was pacing back and forth desperately trying to think of something productive to do. He felt like everyone around him was moving in slow motion, why wasn't anyone going after him? Why wasn't Jack back yet? It didn't make any sense.
He practically growled when he felt someone place a hand on his arm, "Just me…" Liz whispered.
Luke took a deep breath and glanced at his younger sister, "Liz…"
He noticed that she was holding Elise who had no idea why there were so many people in her house. Luke quickly reached for his daughter and pulled her close to kiss her temple.
"Luke…" Liz whispered, "I'm worried about Lorelai...she's barely even blinking." Luke closed his eyes tight and continued to rock Elise back and forth, "Look I know this is difficult…" She said swallowing hard, "I can't even imagine what you are feeling right now...but you and Lorelai need to stick together in this."
Luke choked back a sob, "I told her I wouldn't let anything happen to any of us. I should have been there to protect him...I should have prevented this."
Liz shook her head, "Luke...there is nothing you could have done. Beating yourself up about this isn't going to help the situation...it's not going to bring Jack back any faster."
Luke glanced at his sister, "Liz I…"
She smiled at him, "TJ and I are going to be here every step of the way. We all are. Go talk to her…" She said as she reached for Elise.
Luke was reluctant to let his daughter go but he finally relented and handed her over to his sister. He took a deep breath and walked into the living room where Lorelai was sitting still as a statue staring off into the distance. There was a Police officer sitting beside her trying to get her to speak but having no luck. He noticed Luke walking closer and he stood up and walked away to give them some space.
Luke took a deep breath, sat down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Lorelai…" He pulled his hand away when she flinched at his touch but slowly put it back to rub her back gently, "Lorelai...honey? You haven't said anything for hours...what can I do? Are you hungry? I'll go make you something or-"
"He took our son." Lorelai said as her eyes continued to stare forward, "He took my little boy...and I don't know where he is. What if we don't find him? What if-"
Luke got off the couch and knelt down in front of her so she had no choice but to look at him, "Don't talk like that." He knew he sounded harsher than he meant and he saw the tears begin to well up in her eyes, "Lorelai…" He sighed and put his hands on her knees, "We are going to find them. Jack is coming home…"
"He's so little." Lorelai said as the tears finally came again, "He can't protect himself. He can't get away...he's so helpless…"
Luke swallowed hard and pulled her into his arms, "I know…"
"It should have been me." She cried against his chest, "It should have been me Luke. I could handle it but not Jack...not my little boy…"
Luke held her tighter and felt the own tears building again in his eyes, "Don't...we need to be strong. Jack is strong...he's so much stronger than we realize. He's going to be fine. And we're going to find him...no matter how long it takes I'm not giving up. Okay? We will bring our son home."
She clung to his shirt and tried to nod slowly, "I...I need to call Rory."
Luke sighed and pulled away, "I didn't even think…"
She shook her head, "Me either. I've been so…" She wiped at her eyes, "I need to tell her. And you need to call April but…" She sighed and felt another round of tears coming, "Oh God this is going to kill them both…" She put her head in her hands and began to cry again.
Luke leaned forward and kissed the top of her head, "You go call Rory. We need to make sure she is okay...we need to warn her. I'll call Anna and figure out what to do about April…"
She pulled away and reached for his hand, "This can't be happening…"
"I wish it wasn't." Luke said as he squeezed her hand, "You know I'd do anything to fix this…"
She nodded and started to pull herself up on wobbly legs, "He's going to come home…"
Luke was still kneeling as he watched her stand up. She looked so broken and tired. It didn't seem possible that just this morning she was smiling again with him at the apartment. It didn't seem real. None of this did. He took a deep breath, pulled himself up, kissed her forehead and gave her hand a squeeze, "Call Rory…"
She nodded once and walked towards the stairs to go up to her bedroom. Luke watched her go and debated going after her, he didn't want her to be too far away. But he knew this was something she had to do on her own. Taking a deep breath, he took out his own cell phone and called Anna.
It rang a few times before she answered, he knew his voice was shaky as he whispered, "Anna...we need to talk."
Upstairs, Lorelai stood for a moment in the hallway debating on where to go to. She knew she should go to her bedroom, it would be safer there. But her feet drew her to her son's room. She took a deep breath as she stepped into the room. Luke had painted it in Jack's favorite navy blue color. There was a big Red Sox emblem on the wall above Jack's bed.
His toys were still littered around the room from his sleepover with Emily and Richard. Her knees gave out and she took a few unsteady steps to his tiny bed. She sat down on it and wished more than anything she could curl up with him and read all of his favorite bedtime stories. She lifted his pillow and breathed in the scent of him, a little like Luke but still all his own.
The tears started coming again and she quickly reached for her phone before she lost the nerve. "Hey Mom! How was last night?"
Lorelai inhaled sharply, "Rory…"
Rory knew her Mother well enough to know from the tone of her voice that something was wrong. Her heart started pounding and she tried to think of the millions of things that could have happened since she spoke to her last. "Mom...what is it?"
"Rory...I need you to come home." She said as she lay back on the bed feeling her body give up on her, "He...he took Jack."
Rory was at work and she quickly collapsed onto her desk chair, "What do you mean he took Jack? Dad? Dad took Jack?"
"Yes." She said as she continued to sob, "He's gone...and no one will listen to me. I know it's your Dad...it has to be. But my little boy...he's out there somewhere with him."
The tears began to pour down her face as she grabbed her bag, "I'm coming home. Everything is going to be fine...we're going to find him. Okay? We will find Jack."
"Come home…" Lorelai whispered again as she continued to cry.
Back in New York, Rory didn't even say a word to her boss as she ran out of her office. She had to get home as fast as she possibly could. She hailed a cab and was making a mental note of things to grab as quickly as possible back at her apartment. And then the panic started to take over. She grabbed her phone and dialed a familiar number, when they answered, all she said was, "Luke needs you."
Three hours later, Luke was sitting at the kitchen table talking to a group of detectives. He was giving them pictures and the most accurate descriptions of his son that he could think of. His head was pounding, he hadn't eaten a thing since this morning and he felt weak. But it didn't' matter...all that mattered was finding his son.
"Now Mr. Danes...we know you think that this was Christopher Hayden…" The Detective started to say. "But we need to think of all the possible suspects before we narrow it down…"
Luke shook his head, "There is no one else who could have done this…"
The Detective sighed, "Sir...I know that you want to easily pin this on someone. And of course he is on our list but-"
"There is no one else who could have done this." Luke said again through clenched teeth "Nothing you say to me is going to convince me otherwise. Christopher Hayden took my son...and either you are going to find him or I will."
The Detective turned to his partner and sighed, "Sir…we understand that there has been some issues with him lately. Could you tell us more about them?"
Luke put his head in his hands and tried to breath, "Six years ago he was in a relationship with my wife...and he attacked her. He went to jail...and he just recently was released."
"Have you had any contact with him since his release?" The other Detective asked him.
Luke shook his head, "No. I haven't...the only people who have seen him in our family recently are my father in law Richard and my step-daughter Rory."
"And Rory is his biological daughter?" The first Detective asked as he pulled out a file.
Luke nodded and wiped a hand over his face, "Yes...she went to see him prior to his release."
"Luke!" Rory yelled as she ran into the house and went directly for him, Luke stood up and pulled him into his arms, "What's happening?"
Luke sighed and tried to calm her, "We're trying to figure out all the basics right now...I'm trying to fill these men in on what happened since your Dad's release."
Rory turned to the Detectives and sat down in Luke's seat, "My Dad did this. Christopher Hayden."
"Are you Rory Gilmore?" The first Detective asked, when she nodded he smiled, "I'm Detective Porter. I know this is difficult...and we are going to do everything we can to find your brother. Any information you can give me regarding your father and the last time you saw him will be really helpful...do you think you can do that?"
Rory took a deep breath and glanced back at Luke, she noticed how scared and tired he looked and she knew she had to be strong. She turned back to the Detectives and took a deep breath, "I went with my Grandfather to see him during his release hearing...he said that he wanted to try and have a relationship with me if I was up for it. But I told him that I didn't want anything to do with him...that I wished he was dead." She put a hand over her mouth, "Oh God...this is my fault."
Luke sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, "No it isn't...Rory you know that it's not."
"What else can you tell us Miss Gilmore?" Detective Porter asked trying to be as kind and patient as possible.
She sniffled, "He said he was going to stay away...he said he wanted to get on with his life. That he had already missed six years and had no intention of going back to prison…" He laughed sadly to herself, "I should have known he'd break another promise…" She swallowed hard, "Can...can I go see my Mom? I will answer anymore questions that you have but I just…"
Detective Porter nodded, "Yes. Go ahead...we'll be right here."
Rory nodded and quickly stood up, she let Luke lead her through the kitchen and the living room. She barely registered the presence of her Grandparents and friends. She ran up the stairs and Luke lead her to Elise's room where Lorelai was rocking the baby back and forth.
"Mom!" Rory said as she burst into the room, "Oh Mom…"
Lorelai pulled herself up and Luke took Elise form her, "Hey…" She pulled her in for a hug and held her tight, "I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're okay…"
Rory squeezed her tight, "Why would Dad do this? He said he was going to stay away. He said he'd leave us alone…"
Lorelai sighed and pulled away to look at her daughter, "I don't know kid...I guess he's still mad at me." She swallowed hard and looked down, "He wanted revenge for those six years I took away from him…"
"But taking your son?" Rory whispered, "I just...I can't believe he would do this. How could he be so cruel?"
"Anger makes people do terrible things…" Luke whispered as he rocked Elise back and forth as she started to fall asleep in his arms.
Rory whimpered and reached a hand out to run a hand through Elise's curls, "Have you talked to April?"
Luke sighed, "Anna was going to pick her up at school...they'll be flying out tomorrow morning. Anna hadn't told her yet...she didn't want to do it over the phone."
Rory sighed and turned back to her Mom, "What can I do? I feel like I need to do something. Maybe if I call Dad-"
"No." Lorelai said shaking her head quickly, "I don't want you having any contact with him. It won't help...he already has one of my kids. I'm not letting him get anywhere near anymore of you…" She said pulling her close again.
Rory swallowed hard, "Where do you think he would take him?"
"I don't know…" Lorelai whispered, "He wouldn't go home...a police officer already went to Francine's house. Someone is trying to get in contact with Sherry...but we haven't got through yet."
"What did Francine say?" Rory asked as she pulled away.
Lorelai smiled sadly, "Not much...she didn't want to talk to them."
"You don't' think she would help hide Dad, do you?" Rory asked curiously.
"I honestly have no idea Rory...I'd like to think that she would do the right thing. But I know she wasn't very happy with me after your Dad went to prison. If she thinks he is going to go back...she may try and protect him." Lorelai said swallowing the lump in her throat.
"But how could she protect him? How could she do that when there is a little boy who is in danger?" Rory asked angrily, "Let me call her! Let me get through to her!"
Luke shook his head, "Rory that's not going to do any good...it will only upset you more."
"Honey the only time you saw Francine was that one time at Grandma and Grandpa's...you saw how difficult she was. I don't want to subject you to her. You need to stay here...so we know you are safe." Lorelai said as the tears welled up in her eyes again and she pulled her close, "I need you here…"
Rory sighed and held her close, "I'm not going anywhere Mom…"
There was a knock on the bedroom door and all eyes turned to see one of the Police Officers, "Mr. and Mrs. Danes? There is a woman here asking to speak to you…"
Luke glanced at Lorelai who quickly walked out of the room and down the stairs. She walked to the front porch and stopped when she saw Sherry standing there.
"Sherry…" Lorelai said as she swallowed hard, "Have you-"
Sherry shook her head, "I'm so sorry Lorelai...I didn't think he would ever do something this stupid. I tried to call him...but he won't answer. I think he either turned his phone off or threw it out...Francine won't speak to me."
Lorelai whimpered and leaned against the doorframe, "Where is Gigi?"
"She's with my parents." Sherry said as she pushed some hair out of her face, "I had to come here...to see if…" She sighed and bit her lip, "I'm so sorry…"
Rory was standing behind her Mother now, "Can you think of somewhere he would go?"
Sherry shook her head, "To be honest I haven't had much contact with him since he went away. I agreed to supervised visits now that he is out...but he only ever saw Gigi once since then. Francine took her to prison to see him...I wouldn't go." She sighed again, "I feel so stupid for coming here when I have nothing useful to tell you...but I just…"
"If he calls you? Or Francine tells you something…" Lorelai whispered.
Sherry nodded, "I will call you immediately. Is there anything else I can do? I want to help…"
Luke walked out and tried to smile at her, "They are setting up a search party starting first thing in the morning…"
"I'll be there." Sherry said, "And I'll keep trying to talk to Francine. Maybe she'll give something away…"
Lorelai nodded slowly, "Thank you…"
"You're going to find him." Sherry said as her own eyes welled up with tears, "I know you will. I've never met anyone as determined as you Lorelai...I'll know you'll find him. And when you do…" She let her lips form a thin line, "You make Christopher pay…"
Lorelai nodded slowly and let the silence pass between them. Sherry turned and walked back to her car and Lorelai was thankful for her help. She turned back to Luke who was holding Elise who was now fast asleep in his arms.
She sighed, "We should put her to bed...the poor thing must be exhausted and so confused. She keeps saying…" Her voice cracked and she held onto the doorframe for support, "She keeps saying Jack Jack…"
Rory swallowed hard, "You guys take her upstairs...I'm going to check in with Grandma and Grandpa…"
Luke nodded slowly and waited for Lorelai to pull herself together enough to walk back up the stairs. When they reached Elise's room, he let her take their daughter. He watched as she effortlessly carried her to her crib and hummed softly to her. Elise nuzzled her Mother's neck and yawned as she began to suck her thumb.
Luke loved to watch his wife with their children. She was so good with them...so tender and nurturing. When Jack had been born he was a nervous wreck. Sure he had April...but he had missed the early years. He didn't know anything about babies...he didn't know how to deal with all the crying and the not knowing what they wanted. But it came so naturally to Lorelai…
Even after twenty something years...she knew exactly what to do and say to calm her children. Jack had been a fussy child. He cried for hours on end late into the night. And the usual sleep obsessed Lorelai never let it phase her. She was up with him always and never once complained. She was one of the only people that could calm Jack down when he was upset.
His heart broke when he thought about the fact that out there somewhere was his son. He didn't know where he could possibly be. He didn't know if he was hurt or scared. And it was killing him…
He looked back at Lorelai and saw the tears in her eyes as she swayed Elise back and forth and sang her her favorite lullaby. He swallowed hard and walked further into the room to stand behind his wife, he felt Lorelai still and he kissed Elise's head softly.
"What if he had taken them both?" He heard her whisper.
Luke sighed and rested his forehead against her back, "He didn't…Elise is here. And she's not going anywhere…"
Lorelai cried as she held her daughter, "Jack need's a bedtime story to go to sleep…"
"Lorelai…" He whispered as he held her hips, "Don't...don't do this to yourself."
"Where is he?" She said as she rocked Elise, "He needs me…"
"We're going to find him." He whispered, he knew he sounded like a broken record but it was the only thing he could think to say.
She nodded slowly and pulled away so she could place Elise down in her crib. Luke watched as his daughter drifted further into her sleep. She looked so peaceful and innocent and he wished he could keep her from everything sad and scary in the world. Lorelai turned and wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.
"We're going to find him." She whispered into his chest, "We have to find him…"
He squeezed her gently and nodded, "We will."
Lorelai pulled away and tried to look strong, "Luke?"
He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand, "Yes?"
"No matter what happens…" She whispered, "We need to...to stay together. We need to do this together."
He felt the lump growing in his throat, "Lorelai...I'm not going anywhere."
She nodded and wrapped her arms around him again, "I love you."
He pulled her close and wrapped one hand in her hair, "I love you too."
"Mom?" Rory asked as she poked into the room, she tried to smile when she saw them.
Lorelai pulled away and wiped her tears away, "Hey...you alright?"
Rory nodded slowly and walked into the room, "I brought you some food...Sookie brought it over."
Lorelai sighed, "I don't know if I can eat…"
Rory sighed and walked into the room, "You need to keep your strength up...it's going to be a long few days…"
Lorelai swallowed hard and looked at Luke, "You should eat too…"
He felt the tears burning in his eyes and he didn't want to break down in front of them, "Yeah. Yeah I will...I uh. I just need to talk to the officers downstairs real quick about a few things. I will eat though…" He smiled and kissed her cheek, "Why don't you go to our room with Rory? Eat...try and relax…"
She saw the pain in his eyes and she grabbed his hands, "Luke?"
He leaned forward to kiss her temple, "Go be with Rory. I'll be right back…"
He quickly walked past both of them and down the hallway. His feet pounded down the stairs and he knew that everyone had turned to look at him. He was vaguely aware of his sister calling out his name but he didn't stop. He needed air. He needed space. He needed to act.
He burst into the garage and let out a growl of frustration. He looked over at his workbench and saw the birdhouse he had been building with Jack. Rage took over and he grabbed it and threw it to the far wall. He started grabbing anything he could get his hands on and was throwing them in every direction. He had an old punching bag in the corner he often used to work out with, Jack loved to watch him. He started pounding on it wishing it was Christopher. His eyes were filled with tears, he could barely see. More than once his fists hit the wall instead of the bag but he didn't care.
"Luke." A voice from behind him said.
He heard it but kept punching and punching. He felt like he couldn't breath. He felt out of control and he hated that feeling.
"Luke!" The voice said louder.
Exhaustion took over and he stilled as he leaned against the punching bag. He tried to take deep breaths and tried to slow his racing heart. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he tensed, "Luke…" The voice said again.
He turned quickly and saw his nephew standing behind him, "Jess…"
Jess sighed and steadied his Uncle, "Hey…"
"How did you know? When did you get here?" He asked as he leaned against the wall and tried to get his bearings.
"Rory called…" Jess said as he dropped his bag on the floor, "I got on the next flight out here. What's going on? Have you heard anything?"
Luke sighed, slid down the wall and hit the floor beneath him, "He took my son. That son of a bitch had the nerve to show up here and he took my son."
Jess sighed and sat down beside him, "I don't even know what to say...it doesn't seem real. Why would he do this?"
"Because he's a coward. He can't deal with his own shit so he has to hurt other people." He sniffled and rubbed at his eyes, "He took an innocent little kid...Jack wasn't even born when all that crap happened back then."
"How's Lorelai?" Jess asked as he pulled at his leather jacket.
"She's a mess...but trying to be strong." Luke said as he laughed sadly, "I don't know what to say to her. I just keep saying that we will find him…"
Jess nodded slowly, "You will find him. And you will bring him home…"
Luke swallowed hard and looked over at his nephew, "But what if we don't? What if…"
Jess shook his head, "Don't do that...don't let your head go there."
"But I can't help it!" Luke said as he pushed himself off the floor and he began to pace the garage, "I don't' know what he will do! I don't know what he is capable of. I hated him for years for abandoning Lorelai and Rory...and I thought he couldn't stoop any lower than that. But then he hurt Lorelai...and I should have killed him when I had the chance. Because if I had we wouldn't be here!"
"If you had killed him...you never would have married Lorelai." Jess said as he pulled himself off the floor, "You would have gone to jail...and you wouldn't have Jack or Elise…"
He scoffed, "Yeah well...maybe they would have been better off. Because then they wouldn't have to feel this kind of pain…"
"Don't say that." Jess said angrily, "Those are your kids you are talking about. You really wish they weren't born?"
Luke swung around and yelled, "Of course I don't! Those are my kids! They are everything to me! But I am their father...I'm supposed to protected them from these kind of things and I didn't. I couldn't...I feel sick to my stomach over this. I don't know what to do. I want to run out there and find him myself but I'm afraid of what I might do when I see Christopher. I won't be able to control myself...I know I won't."
Jess sighed and put his hands on his shoulders, "You need to keep it together. It's not going to be easy...but if you break down now it won't help you find Jack. And Lorelai needs you...and you need her."
"Jess…" Luke whispered as he tried to hold himself together, "He took my son…"
Jess nodded and quickly pulled his Uncle close, "I know...and we're going to find him. You guys aren't alone...we are going to find Jack."
Luke noded and let himself feel all the emotions he had been trying to hold in since this morning.
On the road, Christopher knew that they would be looking for him by now. He had no plan. As soon as he pulled out of Stars Hollow he had almost turned around and brought Jack back. But he couldn't seem to bring himself to do it. He had gone to the bank and taken out as much cash as he possibly could. He was driving with no real destination in mind.
He had stopped and gotten Jack food and noticed that he was currently fast asleep in the back of his car. He cursed himself for being so stupid. What was he going to get out of this? The only thing he would get would be more prison time. He had taken a kid...an innocent little kid. What was wrong with him? He felt the tears burning in his eyes.
He knew that back at home Lorelai and Luke were probably going insane. He hadn't been the best father to either Rory or Gigi. But he knew that if anyone had taken them from him, he would have done anything he could to get them back. He pulled over onto the side of the road when his eyes blurred with tears.
How the hell had he gotten to this point? He spent six years in prison wondering how he could have ever laid a hand on Lorelai. Yes he had been angry with her that night. He felt hurt that she had written that letter to Luke. But deep down he had known all along that her heart wasn't in their marriage. She didn't want to be with him. She wasn't over Luke...but he had gone with it because he thought it would be his only chance to be with her.
He assumed at some point she would give up on Luke and give him a chance. Once he found out that they weren't legally married he figured if they could just have a ceremony with their family no one would ever have to know. This was his chance to make it all right. This was his time to make up for lost time with Rory and Lorelai and really be a family. He had tried to force it to happen but it wasn't right.
And then he had found that letter and he knew that it was over. He knew that she wasn't his anymore. She hadn't been his since she was 16. She was Luke's now. Despite their break up...she still loved the Diner man. The man who had taken care of her and Rory when he didn't. The man that had been everything she had ever needed and more. She wanted Luke...not him. His fantasy of them ending up together in the end were nothing more than that...just a fantasy.
It was never going to happen and instead of accepting it he had reacted. He had reacted in the worst possible way. As soon as his hand had collided with her face he felt the same sense of panic that he felt now. He didn't understand why he couldn't keep himself from making such terrible decision. His whole life he had chosen wrong...but this time around there was no going back.
He had a second chance a week ago when he was released from prison. He had a chance to turn his life around. And as soon as it got hard he broke down again. He could never be a man and deal with things head on. He had to react and take the low road. This was the worst decision he had ever made but turning around and bringing him home didn't seem possible either.
He sighed, wiped at his eyes and pulled himself together. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that Jack was awake now and staring at him curiously.
"When are we going to see Rory?" He asked with a slight pout.
Christopher swallowed hard and turned to look at the boy, "Um...soon buddy. We'll see her soon."
"Can I call my Mommy?" He asked as he shifted in his seat, "She won't like that I missed dinner…and Mommy always reads to me before bed. Maybe she can do it over the phone…"
Christopher sighed and turned back to the road, "Not yet Jack...we'll uh...we'll find somewhere to stay soon, okay? Everything is going to be fine…"
They started driving again and Jack watched him from his seat, he suddenly wished that he hadn't run off with this man. He had wanted to make Rory happy by surprising her with her Dad. But he was starting to think that they weren't going to be seeing Rory at all…
He pulled his feet up on the seat and looked out the window and wished he still had his favorite bunny Oscar. At least then he wouldn't feel so alone…
Back at the house, Jess had dragged Luke back inside. He had sat and talked to the police to make sure he was up to date on everything. He spoke to Liz, TJ and the Gilmores and told them to go home. They had protested but finally agreed to leave if they could come back in the morning. Jess set up on the couch to crash for the night, he wanted to be around incase Luke felt the need to take anymore anger out on anything else in the house.
Rory walked down the stairs and smiled when she saw him, "You came…"
Jess nodded and stood up to hug her, "Of course I did."
She sighed and pulled away, "Where's Luke?"
"Taking to the officers outside. They are going to stay all night. Me too…" He said trying to reassure her, "How's your Mom?"
"She just fell asleep...I'm hoping she can sleep at least for a few hours. She barely ate anything…" She said rubbing at her tired eyes, "I just don't know what to say to make things better…"
"I'm not sure there is anything you can say." Jess said giving her arm a squeeze, "She's not going to feel any better until we find Jack…"
Rory's eyes welled up with tears and she nodded slowly, "I know...I just can't believe that this is even happening. I can't believe my Dad would do this...I mean I guess i can but…" She sniffled, "I keep thinking that I pissed him off when I went to see him...that this is my fault."
Jess shook his head and pulled her into a hug, "You know that it isn't Rory...no one forced your Dad to do this."
Rory cried against him, "If he hurts one hair on my brother's head...I swear…"
"I know…" Jess said squeezing her tighter, "I know...but we can't think like that. Jack is strong...he's going to be just fine."
She swallowed hard and nodded against his chest, "I'm really glad you're here…"
Jess sighed and rubbed her back, "I'm not going anywhere…"
They both heard the door creak opened and turned to see an exhausted looking Luke walk into the foyer. "Hey…" He said as he glanced at them, "Where's your Mom?"
"She fell asleep." Rory said as she pulled away from Jess and wiped her tears away, "I don't know how long it will last...but I figured I'd let her rest."
Luke nodded and rubbed a tired hand over his face, "Yeah...that's probably for the best."
Rory grimaced when she saw his banged up hands, "Luke...what did you do to your hands?"
Luke sighed and looked down at them, "Um…"
Jess grabbed Rory's arm before she could walk over to him, "He had a little accident. All taken care of. Why don't you and I into the kitchen and find something to eat...I'm starving."
Rory glanced back at Luke who looked at a loss for words, "Luke…"
"Go." Luke said offering her a smile, "I'm going to go check on your Mom…"
She nodded slowly and let Jess lead her into the kitchen to eat. Luke took a few steadying breaths before he climbed the stairs and walked first into Elise's room. She was still fast asleep, her mouth was parted open just so and he could hear the soft breaths of air she let out. He leaned into the crib, placed a kiss on her head and made sure the monitor was on in her room.
He walked back to his and Lorelai's room and switched on the monitor in their room. He glanced over at Lorelai who was fast asleep in bed. Even in her sleep he could see the worry on her face. He wanted to crawl into bed with her and hold her close and tell her that everything was going to be fine. But for the first time in a long time...he wasn't sure if he even believed that.
He tiptoed into the bathroom and started pulling his layers of clothing off. He turned the knob on in the shower and waited for the water to get warm. As he waited, he leaned against the sink and glanced at himself in the mirror. He hardly recognized the man staring back at him and he suddenly felt to tired to stand.
He felt the all too familiar burning feeling in the back of his throat and eyes and knew it was no use to pretend he was okay. He lowered his head and let the tears come just as he heard the bathroom door open. He saw his wife's face reflected in the mirror and he turned quickly and tried to hold the tears in.
He was standing in front of her completely exposed both physically and emotionally. She bit her lip and walked into the room before closing the door behind him. He was silent as she walked all the way up to him and took his battered hands in hers.
He heard her whimper softly as she lifted them to her lips, "Oh Luke…"
"I'm sorry…" He said in a pained voice, "I was just...I'm so...I'm so angry Lorelai. And scared…"
She nodded slowly and let his hands go. He watched her check the temperature of the water before pulling her shirt up over her body.
"Lorelai?" He whispered as he watched her.
She didn't say anything, only continued to strip. She took his hand and lead him towards the shower and pulled him under the warm spray. He hissed as the water hit his tense muscles and she quickly grabbed for the soap. He had taken a shower many times with her...but this was different. It wasn't about a physical need. It was about being together...standing together and finding a way through this.
She ran the soap gently over his hands and he winced as the soap stung the cuts. "Luke…" She whispered, "You can't…"
He sighed, "Lorelai…"
"You can't…" She said as she continued to wash them, "I know you want too...and God I do too…" He heard her sniffle before she glanced up at him, "But you can't...I won't survive if you do."
He swallowed the lump in his throat before he pushed out his words, "He took our son…"
She nodded slowly and even through the shower stream he could tell she was crying, "I know…"
She sighed and reached her arms up to hold him close as they cried together. They had to stay strong in order to find their son. But in this moment...they needed to allow themselves to feel their pain. Ignoring it wasn't going to help the situation...they had to face it on. And there was no other way to do it than together…
I will try my best to update again tomorrow. In the mean time check out my other story if you need something else to fill your time ;) Thanks for following!