Hey guys, I have a crazy week and a half ahead of me! I am going to try and write when I can :) Thanks for the continued support. Hope you read and enjoy!
The following day, April came bursting into the house yelling for her Dad. He had been sitting on the couch with Lorelai speaking to the police officers and he jumped when he heard her frantic voice. He stood by the couch and looked at his terrified daughter, he noticed Jack's stuffed bunny clutched in her left hand.
"April…" He whispered as he took a step towards her.
She shook her head, "Tell me Mom was lying...tell me he didn't take Jack."
Luke stopped and sighed, "April…" He whispered again.
"No." She said as she shook her head back and forth, "No! He can't! Why? Why would he do that?"
Luke swallowed hard and stepped all the way up to her, "Come here…"
Lorelai stood up to face them and saw that Anna was standing nervously in the doorway. Lorelai offered her a small smile to let her know she was welcome. Anna took a few steps into the house and looked around at the chaos around them.
"Lorelai…" She whispered, her voice was hoarse and unsure, "I don't even know what to say…"
Lorelai bit her lip nervously and shrugged, "You don't' have to say anything…"
"Have you heard anything new?" She asked hopefully, "Have you talked to-"
"No." Lorelai said quickly as she put a hand on Luke's back feeling that she was going to fall over, "Nothing's changed…"
April pulled away from her father and launched herself at Lorelai, "I shouldn't have taken the stupid bunny...Jack needs it. He's out there alone!"
Lorelai grimaced and held her close, "April it's not-"
"What do we do?" She asked as she pulled away and ignored Lorelai's words, "I want to do something. What can I do?"
Luke sighed and put a hand on her arm, "There's not much you can do April...we're all kind of just stuck right now."
Lorelai swallowed hard and tried to think of something to say, "April I know that school just started and-"
"I don't care about school." April said quickly, "I don't care. I'm not leaving if that's what you think. I'm not going back until I know that my brother is okay…"
Luke glanced at Anna unsure of what to say, "I talked to her advisor...they said that under the circumstances they would hold her spot. They said not to worry about anything...we will deal with that all later." Anna whispered.
April looked at her father, "He's...he's going to be fine...right?"
Luke tried to smile and he leaned forward to hug her again, "Yes. He's going to be fine."
Christopher had driven around and around trying to decide what to do. He knew he was in deeper now than ever before. He knew that by now they would be looking for him. He knew that Lorelai was probably going crazy. He knew he couldn't check into a hotel because he would have to give his name and Id which could be traced.
Before full blown panic began to set in, he remembered an old home in Maine that his Grandparents had left to him. He hadn't had much use for it and only really visited once. He had made plans with Gigi during her visits to go there once he was released. But he doubted she even remembered or cared about that now. It was the only place he could think to go.
By the time they got there, Jack was hungry and tired and clearly scared. Christopher himself was terrified but he had come this far and wasn't about to turn around and just hand him back to Lorelai. He didn't want to go back to prison. Could he leave the kid and run?
Sighing, he took a struggling Jack into the small house and fought through cobwebs to get into the living room. Jack was kicking at him as he put him down on the couch and Chris cursed him for being as strong and stubborn as Lorelai.
"Damn it." Chris said as he dropped him onto the cushion, "That hurt!"
"I want to go home!" Jack yelled as loud as he could, "You promised we would go see Rory!"
Chris started to pace in front of him and tried his best to think about what to do. "We uh...we're going to see Rory! She's going to meet us here buddy...don't worry about that."
"Don't call me buddy! My Daddy calls me that! You are not my Daddy!" Jack yelled as he crossed his tiny arms over his chest.
Chris turned quickly and glared at him, "Of course I'm not your Daddy! Your Dad is Luke! Stupid Luke! Why does your Mom want him? God I could have given her so much more!" He said with a laugh, "What the hell is wrong with her?"
"You said a bad word." Jack said glaring at him.
Chris rolled his eyes, "What are you five?"
Jack gave him a look of annoyance before speaking, "As a matter of fact, I am!"
Chris stopped and stared at the boy for a moment before he turned quickly and walked towards the kitchen. He put his head in his hands and rested against the counter desperately trying to find a way out of this situation. He had kidnapped a five year old kid. He had just been released from prison and had a second chance at life again. But instead of changing things around, he had gone and fucked them up more than ever.
He was angry. He couldn't deny that. Lorelai had taken six years of his life away from him. But deep down he knew it was his own fault. But Christopher Hayden didn't ever like to take responsibility for his actions...that had always been clear. So rather than face his problems, he acted. And this time around he had done the most terrible thing he could ever do.
Sighing, he pushed himself off the counter and looked at Jack, "Are you hungry?"
Jack stared at him for a minute, "Yes…"
Chris nodded, "I'll...go to the store...you stay here."
Jack looked around the room and began to get scared, "By myself? Mommy doesn't let me stay anywhere by myself!"
"Yeah well your Mommy isn't here right now and I'm not taking you with me." Chris said feeling frustrated as he walked over to him, "So you are going to stay here." He was quiet for a moment before taking Jack's hand and leading him upstairs, "You stay in here…"
Jack looked around the dingy bedroom and shook his head, "I don't want too!"
Chris sighed and turned his back, "Jack...I'm sorry."
"I want to go home." The little boy said again and this time his voice sounded shaky. "I want my Mom."
Chris closed his eyes tightly and walked out of the room, "I'm sorry…" He quickly closed the door and locked it before running back downstairs and out to the car.
He sat in the driver seat for a moment and truly contemplated leaving and not coming back. But the fear in Jack's voice tore at his heartstrings and he couldn't do it. He took a deep breath and pulled out of the long wooded driveway to go to the store. He had to find a way to fix this…
Three days had passed since Christopher had taken Jack. Three whole days without any contact with their son. Lorelai felt like she was slowly losing her mind. She tried to put on a brave face for everyone around her but her heart was breaking more and more with each passing second. The town and their friends and family had been searching tirelessly in any place they could think of.
But still there was no sign of their son. Lorelai was currently sitting on the floor in Elise's room playing with her and trying to be as attentive as possible. Elise kept handing her toys and Lorelai tried to be cheerful but it wasn't working. Finally the tears welled up in her eyes and Elise crawled into her lap.
She took her little hands and put them on her mother's face, "Momma?"
Lorelai sniffled and pulled her daughter close, "I'm sorry baby girl…"
"Jack Jack?" Elise asked as she snuggled into her Mom, "Where Jack Jack?"
Lorelai started crying harder as she held her daughter. Elise kept repeating her brother's name and Lorelai felt like she was going to break in half. The door creaked open and Jess walked in having heard the crying as he walked by.
"Lorelai?" He called out softly, he sighed when he saw her sobbing on the floor.
Luke stepped up behind him and sighed as he took in the scene in front of him, "Jess can you?"
Jess nodded and walked forward, "Come on Elise...let's go find Rory."
Lorelai didn't try and pull herself off the floor, her body was limp. Luke sat down beside her and tried to take her hand but she pulled it away. He wiped a hand over his face and winced when he felt the cuts on his knuckles stretch out.
"Lorelai…" He whispered trying desperately to find something useful to say.
She lifted her head to look at him, "It's been three days Luke...three days."
He nodded slowly and took a deep breath, "Trust me...I know."
"He should be home by now. He never should have been gone in the first place! Why can't they find him? I feel like I need to do something. I need to find him myself." She said feeling her hands begin to shake, "I can't just sit here...but I can't move...I feel paralyzed…"
Luke nodded slowly and tried to search her face for an answer, "What do you want me to do?"
She sighed and stood up slowly, "There's nothing you can do. There's nothing I can do that's going to fix this. And I hate that! I hate that I am literally powerless here."
"I do too." Luke said as he continued to sit on the floor and stare up at her, "I'm the guy that fixes things. And I can't fix this...it's killing me."
She swallowed hard, stopped pacing and turned back to him, "Oh Luke…"
"I'm your husband. I'm Jack's father...I'm supposed to protect you all from these things. But I didn't think...I shouldn't have…" He grimaced and put a hand over his eyes, "God I'm so tired...but I can't sleep...I keep seeing Jack's face...I keep hearing him ask me to take him home but I can't get to him."
She knelt down in front of him and took his battered hands in hers, "Luke…"
"It's been three days but it feels like it's been three years." He said angrily, "It feels like he's been gone forever...and I'm afraid that he will be…"
The sob in her throat grew and she crawled into his lap, "No...no he won't be. He can't be. I won't let that happen…"
Luke sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Lorelai...it hurts."
She nodded as she leaned her forehead against his, "I know...it's killing me too." She sighed and closed her eyes, "I want to go see Francine…"
Luke sighed and pulled away from her quickly, "What?"
"I can't sit in this house anymore." She said softly, "I want to go see her...I know she hasn't told the Police anything. But maybe I can get her to say something...maybe she really does know something."
Luke stared at her for a moment and then shook his head, "I don't know…"
"Francine Hayden doesn't scare me." Lorelai said with a straight face, "I've known her for most of my life...and she's not my most favorite person. But I don't care Luke. I want her to see me...and I want her to say it to my face that she doesn't know where he is. She can hate me forever if she wants...but I need to do something."
Luke was quiet as he let her words sink, "But Lorelai…"
"Luke our son is missing...our little boy is out there somewhere probably terrified. I'm not just going to sit around and wait for him to come to me anymore. I am his mother...and I'm going to do whatever I have to do to find him. You can either come with me or stay here...but I'm going either way." She said stubbornly as she pulled away.
Luke saw the look on her face, it was a look he had seen many times before. It was the look that told the world she meant business. It was the look that said 'I am going to get what I want and no one can stop me.' He took a deep breath put a hand on her cheek and leaned forward to kiss her gently.
"I'm with you." He said softly, "No matter what...let's go."
She let out a sigh of relief and leaned into him, "Luke…"
He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, "I know…" He started to lift her off his lap, "Let's go now…"
She scrambled off his lap and stood up quickly with him in tow. They walked down the stairs and saw Jess, Rory and April all tending to Elise. Four pairs of eyes turned to them quickly and their own pain and fear was reflecting from them. Luke took Lorelai's hand and gave it a squeeze as they stepped up to them.
Luke turned to Jess, "Can I steal you for a second?"
Jess nodded and turned to Rory and April who were looking at him curiously, he turned back to his Uncle, "Sure."
Lorelai waited until they were gone before she turned back to the girls, "Mom?" Rory asked softly, "What is it?"
Lorelai smiled at her, "Luke and I have somewhere we need to go. Can you stay here with Elise? I'm sure Sookie will be by later with food...and Luke and I will try to be back soon."
"Where are you going?" April asked as she pulled Elise into her lap.
Lorelai sighed, "We are going to go talk to Christopher's mother-"
"I'm coming with you." Rory said quickly as she stood up to stand in front of her Mother.
Lorelai shook her head, "No...Rory I need you to stay here."
"No." Rory said angrily, "I want to come. I mean she's my Grandmother...and he's my Dad. I want to know what's going on."
Lorelai sighed again and put a hand on Rory's shoulder, "Hon...I know that this is really hard for you. But I'd feel a lot better if you stayed here…"
"Mom...please." Rory said as her eyes welled up with tears, "I feel so useless here…"
"You are not useless here." Lorelai said as tears welled up in her own eyes, "I need to know that Elise is in good hands. Luke and I will be back soon...you stay here with Jess and April. Please hon? I'm begging you…"
Rory sighed and knew how difficult this meeting was going to be for her Mother, "You'll call me if...if she tells you anything...or if…"
Lorelai pulled her close, "You guys will be the first to know."
Rory nodded slowly and breathed her Mom in, "I just want my brother back…" She whispered.
Lorelai sniffled, "Luke and I are going to bring him home...I promise you that." She pulled away slowly and walked over to April and Elise, she took the baby from her hands, "You be a good girl for your sisters and cousin Jess, okay? Mommy and Daddy will be back soon."
"Momma go?" Elise asked as she reached up to play with her Mother's curls as she so often did.
Lorelai nodded, "Yeah baby...but I'll be back."
"Momma? Jack?" The little girl asked softly.
Lorelai felt the tears burning in her eyes again, "Yeah baby...we're going to go find Jack and bring him home, okay?" She pulled away and glanced down at April, "How are you doing hon?"
April sighed, "You and Dad have to be safe...be careful."
Lorelai nodded and leaned forward to kiss her forehead, "We will. Everything is goin got be fine April. I promise…"
In the kitchen Luke turned to his nephew and tried his best not to break down again, "I uh...I need you to stay here with the girls for awhile. Make sure they are okay...I mean I know a cop will be outside all the time…" He adjusted his cap nervously, "But...can you stay?"
Jess nodded, "Luke I told you I wasn't leaving...I'm staying here until this is all settled."
Luke nodded, "Great. Okay...um...so we will be back. I think...if not obviously we will call first. But I'm not sure what information we are going to get from this…"
"Where are you going?" Jess asked curiously.
"Lorelai wants to go talk to Christopher's Mother. She is convinced she has some information or will know something that can help us. But...I mean I don't know." Luke said running a hand over his tired face, "I just...I can't sit here anymore. Neither can she...we need to do something."
"Luke…" Jess whispered, "I got everything under control here, alright? You go do what you need to do. I'm not going to let anything happen to them…"
Luke swallowed hard and gave him a tight smile, "Thank you Jess…"
Jess gave his arm a squeeze and smiled, "Don't mention it…"
Lorelai walked into the kitchen and straight up to the boys, "Are you ready to go?"
Luke nodded and took her hand, "Yeah. We need to tell the officer's where we are going. And I'd actually like one of them to come with us…"
Lorelai nodded, "Okay...if you think that's for the best."
He smiled, "I do. Uh...is Rory okay? Thought I heard some yelling…"
Lorelai sighed, "She's scared...and confused. I keep forgetting that this whole situation is even more complicated for her. Christopher is her father...whether she wants him to be or not he's her father. It's a whole new level of betrayal for her. She wanted to come with us...but I think I convinced her to stay."
"I'll keep my eye on her." Jess said to Lorelai, "I'm going to be here the whole time. I won't let anything happen…"
Lorelai took a deep breath and looked at her nephew, "Jess I...I'm really glad that you're here. It means a lot…"
Jess smiled at her. When he first met Lorelai Gilmore...the had a difficult relationship. He knew that something about him reminded her of him when she was his age. He wasn't an easy teenager and he had made a lot of mistakes. Mistakes that had caused her daughter pain. Despite their differences, Jess never questioned the fact that Lorelai was an amazing mother. She had done what his own mother wasn't able to do as a teen Mom and raised Rory to be everything she wanted to be.
After Luke and Lorelai got married, Jess visited as often as he could. And over the years, he had developed a relationship with Lorelai based on sarcasm and their mutual love for rock and roll and Luke Danes. Though things were still strange sometimes, he would have given anything to save her from the pain she was feeling at the moment.
"What are families for?" He said with a shrug, "Go ahead...I'll be right here."
"Thank you." She said before turning back to her husband, "Let's go…"
Luke nodded gave Jess a pat on the back and then lead Lorelai out to the front yard. They spoke briefly with the officers posted outside and one of them agreed to drive with them to Hartford. During the entire ride, both Lorelai and Luke were mainly silent. But they sat together in the back of the cruiser and never allowed their hands to part.
When they finally reached their destination, Lorelai began to tense up. Luke leaned in, whispered words of encouragement in her ear and she took a few deep breaths before pulling herself out of the car. They walked hand in hand up to the front door, Luke waited patiently as Lorelai composed herself enough to knock.
But before she could, the door swung open and an angry Francine was glaring back at her, "How dare you come here!" She screamed, "How dare you show your face in my home after you have completely destroyed my son's life!"
Luke tensed and moved to step in front of Lorelai but she put her hand out to stop him, "It's great to see you too Francine…"
"Get off my front step." She spat at her, "Don't you come back here again!"
"Francine...he took my son." Lorelai said as if her words had no effect on her what's so ever. "And if you know where they are…"
"You know very well that I don't." Francine said with an eyeroll as she leaned against the doorframe, "I knew you would be trouble for my son from the moment he met you…"
Lorelai rolled her eyes, "Yes. I know. I know you never liked me...and it may come as a shock to you but I was never really fond of you or Straub either."
She pursed her lips at him, "Why did you do this to my son?"
"I didn't do anything!" Lorelai yelled feeling her resolve give out on her, "He took my little boy and has done God knows what with him and you are acting like I am the criminal! Wake up Francine...Christopher was never a saint!"
"Only because you dragged him into the gutter." Francine said bitterly, "If you had never have gotten pregnant-"
"But I did." Lorelai said angrily, "And for your information...it takes two to make a baby. So he was just as much to blame for that as I was. You'd think that 27 years later someone would have explained sex to you."
"Lorelai…" Luke said putting a hand on her back, "Don't…"
Lorelai sighed and tried to compose herself, "Francine...I get that you hate me. Nothing I say or do is ever going to change that but…" The tears welled up in her eyes, "I am asking you as a mother...to please...please help me." Her voice cracked and the tears burned in her eyes, "I will do anything to find Jack...do you want money? Do you want me to say I won't press charges? Tell me what it is and I'll find a way to make it happen. But please…please I am begging you to help me find my son."
Francine took a deep breath, "The only problem is...that when you find your son...you find mine as well. And then what? Whether you press charges or not...he'll go away again. And there's nothing I can do about it…"
Lorelai whimpered, "Francine...Christopher is a grown man. He made his choices. I know that he is your son...and you will love him regardless. And you have no idea how badly I wish that none of this had ever happened...I'm not just talking about what's going on right now. I mean all of it...and I take responsibility for the part I played in our relationship…"
"Lorelai…" Luke whispered, she could sense the anger at her words. He hated when anyone ever tried to defend Christopher for hitting her.
She shook her head at him, "Never in a million years did I think I would be standing here...but I am. And I will come back again and again if I have too. Because I am going to do whatever it takes to find my son. I'm telling you that now...nothing is going to stop me. You happen to know how stubborn I am...so you know I'm telling the truth. Nothing will stop me from finding my baby. So whether you like it or not...Christopher is going to be found one way or another. I'm asking you to help me...and maybe we can find a way to deal with this. But if you refuse...I can't promise that I'll be kind when I do find him."
Lorelai watched as the older woman's shoulders slumped, "Lorelai…" She took a deep breath and tried to find the right words, "I truly don't know where he is...I've tried to call a thousand times but he won't answer. The last time I saw him...he had come home from another job interview. He was angry because he knew his record would make it hard to work…"
"He doesn't have to work." Lorelai said stubbornly, "He's got his trust fund."
Francine nodded, "I know. But apparently six years in prison finally lit a fire under his ass…" She laughed sadly, "All Straub ever wanted was for him to take some initiative...I wonder what he would say now if he saw what had become of his son."
"So...he was angry." Lorelai said nervously, her mind wandered back to the night that he had hit her and remembered the rage that had taken him to that awful place. "Francine…"
She sighed softly, "Lorelai...I can't wrap my head around any of this. It doesn't seem possible. Christopher has made so many terrible choices...but nothing like this. I am angry...I am very angry because I am losing my son again. But…" She looked down, "I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now…"
"I want to know that my son is okay." Lorelai said softly, "This is killing me...I'm afraid of what is going to happen. That night that…"
Francine shook her head, "Please don't…"
Lorelai ignored her words and pushed on, "I had never seen that look before. And I've known Christopher forever...but I had never seen him like that. And I am sorry...I am sorry that I let him think that I wanted to be with him. That's on me...but I still don't think I deserved-"
"You didn't." Francine said slowly, "I didn't teach my son to treat a woman like that…" She wiped at her tears, "And you don't deserve to have your son taken from you…"
Lorelai nodded slowly, "I believe you when you say you don't know where he is...but if you think of anything...of anywhere he might be...or if he calls you. I...I am asking you too-"
"I will." Francine said softly, "Because it's inevitable, right? One way or another...I lose Christopher again."
"Francine I'm sorry…" Lorelai said in a pained voice, "Maybe you don't believe that...but I am. I wish to God I could change all of this. I'd give anything to make it right…"
Francine nodded, "Me too…"
Lorelai took a deep breath and stepped back, "I'm sorry we just showed up like this…"
Francine smiled and shook her head, "I've been waiting for you actually...I knew it would happen at some point. You've always been a fighter Lorelai. I wouldn't expect you to take this lying down…" She bowed her head, "I'm sorry that I yelled...I just…" She choked back a sob and lifted her head slowly, "I don't want to lose my son either…"
Lorelai nodded slowly and reached for her hand, "I know…"
"I wasn't a very good mother…" She said shaking her head, "Not like you are. And...you deserve to find your son. He must be missing you…"
Lorelai's eyes shut quickly to hide her tears and she pulled her hand away, "Francine…"
"If I hear anything…" She said sadly, "I'll notify the police. I promise…"
Her eyes fluttered open slowly and she nodded, "Thank you…" She choked out softly.
Francine tried to smile as she turned back into the house and shut the door quietly behind her. Lorelai took a moment to compose herself before she turned back to her husband who was staring at her in awe. Her cheeks blushed and she looked down and tried to step around him, but he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her flush against his body.
"I am so proud of you." Luke whispered into her ear, "You never backed down…"
Lorelai let her body relax against his and finally allowed the tears to fall, "He's my little boy...I'll do anything to find him."
Luke nodded and kissed her temple, "I know you will. That's why you are the most amazing mother. That's the one thing she was right about...none of the other stuff is true...you didn't ruin Christopher's life. He made his choices Lorelai...and you know that's true."
She pulled away slowly and nodded, "I know…"
He lifted her chin with his hand, "We're going to make it through this…"
She took a deep breath and smiled, "I know...we have too." She leaned forward and kissed his lips gently, "Come on...there's one more stop I want to make while we're in town."
"Where?" Luke asked as she pulled him down the path.
"My parents." Lorelai said softly, "I know that they are still blaming themselves...I just want to see if they are okay."
Luke nodded and knew it was the right thing to do. He climbed back into the police cruiser with his wife and gave directions to the Gilmore's house.
Once they got there, they had barely stepped out of the car before Richard came flying out the front door, "What is it? Did something happen? Did you find Jack?"
Lorelai sighed and shook her head, "No Dad...not yet."
Richard sighed and she watched his sturdy frame collapse slightly, "Oh Lorelai…"
She stepped closer to him as Luke pulled himself out of the car, "We went to see Francine."
"You did? Why didn't you call me first? I would have gone with you…" Richard said sadly, "I'm sure she was a delight…"
"She was a mother…" Lorelai said feeling sorry for Francine for once, "She's worried about her son…"
Richard scoffed, "Worried about Christopher? That animal will rot for what he's done. I will make sure of it."
Lorelai nodded slowly, "I know Dad…" She took a deep breath and looked down, "How's uh...how's Mom?
Richard sighed and glanced back at the house, "She hasn't gotten out of bed all day…" He looked back at his daughter with tears in his eyes, "Lorelai, Luke...I am so sorry. If I had just-"
"This isn't your fault Dad." Lorelai said quickly before he could continue, "No one saw this coming. We don't blame you…"
"But…" He started to speak again but the tears came suddenly, "I just keep thinking about how scared he must be…"
Luke sighed, "Richard...we are going to find Jack. He's coming home…"
Lorelai took a deep breath and walked up to him, "I'm going to go talk to Mom…"
Richard nodded slowly, "Right...I…" He took a deep breath and then pulled Lorelai up against him, "Lorelai…"
She breathed in his familiar scent and nodded in his arms, "I know Dad...I know." She kissed his cheek, pulled away and gave Luke a small smile before walking into the house.
She walked through the familiar foyer and noted just how quiet it seemed. It was always perfectly clean and organized. Everything had it's place. But the light in the room seemed dimmer and she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the lights were off. She took a deep breath, walked up the stairs through the hallway she had traveled a million times before.
She walked to her parents bedroom, pushed the door open and saw that all the shades were drawn. She took a deep breath, walked into the bedroom and over to the large bed. She saw a lump of blankets, and Lorelai crawled into bed with her Mother. Something she wasn't sure she had even done before…
"Mom…" Lorelai whispered as she placed a hand on her back, "Mom?"
Emily rolled over and stared at her daughter in the dark room, "Did you find him?"
Lorelai swallowed the lump in her throat and shook her head, "No…"
Emily was quiet for a moment and then began to cry. Lorelai let her own tears fall as she kicked off her shoes and pulled her mother up against her. For the first time in her life, Lorelai took a moment with her mother to grieve for all the pain they had ever been through. And now...this pain was unlike anything any of them had ever experienced.
Downstairs, Richard was standing by the fireplace nursing the drink in his hand, "How did it really go with Francine?" He asked without turning to look at Luke.
Luke sighed and sat down on the couch, "Started out pretty badly...Francine did a lot of yelling and blaming." He rubbed his neck nervously, "But...I think Lorelai got through to her somehow. She said she'd call if she hears from him…"
Richard smiled and turned to look at his son-in-law. "Lorelai has a way of getting what she wants…"
Luke smiled softly, "I was very proud of her." His frown fell just slightly, "I'm always proud of her...but I don't know how she is being so strong. She amazes me more everyday…"
"My daughter is nothing but persistent. When she gets something on her mind...she doesn't stop until she accomplishes it." Richard said as he took another sip of his drink.
Luke smirked, "A trait she gets from you and Emily…"
Richard chuckled and sat down across from Luke, he took a moment and stared at Luke carefully, "How are you doing?"
Luke smiled sadly and shrugged, "Trying to be strong for Lorelai...for the rest of the kids. But I feel like someone has sliced me in two. I feel helpless...and scared. But mostly I just feel really angry. And to be honest...that anger frightens me. Because I don't know what I will do when and if I see Christopher."
Richard nodded slowly, "You are a good father Luke. And a great husband...you want to protect your family and I admire that. I don't blame you for wanting to tear Christopher apart...because I do too."
"But Lorelai keeps telling me she needs me to be with her. That she needs me to stay away from Christopher…" He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, "And I want to make her happy...I want to do what she needs. But for once in my life...I don't know if I can keep a promise. I don't know if I can keep from hurting him…" He shook his head, "When Christopher hit Lorelai...I wanted to wring his neck. And now...he's taken our son. And that light in Lorelai is fading with each passing day...and I want to kill the person responsible for that."
There was a silence between them and then Richard scooted up on the couch, "Luke...I would like nothing more than to stand beside you and then help bury the body. But…" He smiled sadly, "We both know that that would break Lorelai more than anything...if you had to leave her...she'd fall apart. She'd blame herself. It would break her heart. And I know you don't want that…"
Luke felt the tears burning in her eyes, "I've broken her heart before...and I never want to do that again. I won't do that again…"
Richard nodded, "I know you won't. But that means that you have to stay away…" He paused for a moment and then smiled, "Or it means...hit him where it hurts but walk away before his blood goes cold."
Luke watched as Richard lifted his glass and a small smirk grew on his face, "I'll keep that in mind…"
A moment later, Lorelai and Emily walked down the steps together. It was clear they had both been crying but Lorelai gave them both a hopeful smile. Luke and Richard both stood up and walked over to them.
"Luke and I need to head home…" Lorelai said as she got to the bottom of the staircase, "But...will you come over tomorrow?"
Emily nodded, "We'll be there. I heard they were doing another search. We'll help."
Lorelai nodded slowly and walked over to Luke, "We should go...the kids are probably worried."
Luke nodded and turned back to Richard, "We will see you tomorrow."
Richard nodded and stuck his hand out for Luke to shake, "Give the kids a kiss for us. I'll be by tomorrow with the legal team. We need to discuss everything."
Luke nodded, "Right. Okay...we'll be there."
"Bye Dad." Lorelai said leaning up to kiss his cheek as she took Luke's hand and led him out of the house.
Once inside the police cruiser, Lorelai took a deep breath and turned back to Luke, "Luke…"
He swallowed hard and took her hand, "I'm trying really hard to keep my temper in check…"
She cocked her head to the side and scooted closer to him, "Luke what-"
"I want nothing more than to kill him." Luke said as he pulled her hand into his lap, "And that scares me. But I don't want…" He closed his eyes for a moment and let his head fall back, "I don't want you to be afraid of me...I'd never...I'd never do what he did."
Lorelai sat up straighter and turned her body to completely face him, "Luke...look at me."
He sighed and lifted his head slowly to look at her with tear filled eyes, "What?"
"I have never once been afraid of you." She said as she reached up to cup his face in hers, "I trust you with my life. I know how strong you are...how protective you are. And I love that about you. I love that you would do anything for me and the kids. But I have never worried that you would…" She sighed and rested her head against his forehead, "I know you would never hurt me like that. And I know…" She sniffled and tried to hold it together for him, "I know what you want to do to him...because I do too. You have no idea how badly...but…"
He nodded and pulled her face closer, "But we can't…because the kids need us."
She opened her eyes and smiled sadly, "Yeah...the kids need us. And I...I need you Luke."
He let out a shaky breath and leaned forward to kiss her, "I'm not going anywhere…"
She nuzzled his face for a moment and then snuggled into his side. She felt his body relax against hers and she let her eyes close. They were going to find their son no matter what it took. And they were going to do it together.
In Maine Jack was angrily sitting back on the couch as Christopher stood in the kitchen making dinner for them. He had his mother's signature pout plastered across his face and his arms crossed over his chest in a similar fashion as Luke.
"Where's Rory?" Jack asked suddenly.
Chris tried to smile as he brought a plate of food over to him, "She'll be here soon buddy. Promise."
Jack stared down at the plate in front of him, "What is that?"
"Well it's vegetables and rice...and some shrimp." He said as he took a bite.
"EW." Jack said as he pushed it away from him, "It smells funny!"
Chris sighed, "It's good for you!"
Jack stuck his tongue out at him, "I won't eat it."
Chris groaned and sat back in his seat to study the kid, "So I see you have your Mother's eating habits."
Jack smiled proudly, "Yes I do. And my Daddy hates it...but he's a really good cook. So sometimes he can sneak vegetables in things and I will eat them."
Chris rolled his eyes at the mention of Luke, "Oh yes...your Dad is the best."
"Yes he is." Jack said as he leaned into the table, "He helps me with all sorts of stuff. He's my best friend."
Chris tensed, "Well how wonderful for you Jack…"
"You don't like my Daddy." Jack said as he leaned back again, "You do a weird twitchy thing everytime I talk about him."
Chris pursed his lips, "Your Dad is fine…"
"Is it because he married my Mommy and you didn't?" Jack asked feeling generally curious, "How come you never married my Mommy when she had Rory?"
Chris's foot was tapping on the floor and he suddenly lost his appetite, "You also inherited your Mother's nonstop talking."
"How come I never met you?" Jack asked, "I know April's Mommy. I see her all the time. But never you. Why aren't you around for Rory?"
Chris stood up quickly and turned his back to her, he wondered what they had told Jack about him. Was it appropriate to tell a five year old about someone being in prison? Part of him was surprised that Luke hadn't shouted it from the rooftops. He figured he'd do anything to make him look terrible.
"I've been away a lot…" Chris said stubbornly.
"April lives far away. But she visits and Anna comes too." Jack said as he crossed his arms over his chest again.
Chris smirked, "Yeah well...I was in a place that you can't leave voluntarily."
"Huh?" Jack asked softly, "What does that mean?"
"It means…" Chris sighed and shook his head, "You know what it doesn't matter what it means. Are you going to eat or not?"
Jack smirked and clucked his tongue, "Not."
Chris's eyes widened in shock, "Your Mother does that exact same thing…"
At the mention of his Mother, Jack's smirk faded and his eyes welled up with tears, "I want my Mom."
Chris sighed and stood up, "Well you can't see her right now Jack."
"Why not?" Jack asked sadly, "We've been gone for a long time and I miss her. I want to go home! Take me home!"
"I'm not taking you home!" Chris yelled as he spun around to stare at him, "I can't take you home okay? If I take you home than I…"
Jack's lip started to quiver, "You're never taking me home?"
Chris sighed and ran his hands through his short hair, "Damn it!"
"You said a bad word again!" Jack yelled pointing at him.
Chris growled, "If you aren't going to eat, you're going to bed."
"I don't want to go to bed!" Jack yelled as Chris picked him up, Jack started to kick him, "I want to go home!"
"Would you stop with the kicking already?" Chris yelled as he trudged upstairs, he walked into the room he had locked Jack in before and set him down. "Go to sleep."
"No!" Jack yelled as he kicked him swiftly in the shin again, "Take me home!"
Chris took a deep breath, walked out of the room and locked it again without saying a word. Jack stood in the room and hated how quiet it was. Most nights, even in the dead of the winter he made his parents put on a fan. He didn't like the quiet...it scared him. And now he as in a room he had never seen all alone. He quickly crawled up on the bed and tried to look out the window to see anything familiar.
But all he saw was darkness. And then...there was a few quick flashes of light. And then again. And Jack's heart fluttered when he realized they were fireflies like the ones he had caught at home with his family.
"I want to go home…" Jack whispered as lay back on the bed. "I want to go home…" He whispered again.
Back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai was sitting on the back porch with a blanket wrapped around her tightly as she stared off into the dark night. She had a cup of coffee held tightly in her hands. Tomorrow was supposed to be Jack's first day of Kindergarten. But instead he was somewhere far away from home alone. She lifted her hand and wiped the tears falling from her eyes.
The back door opened and Luke walked out slowly, "Elise is asleep...all the kids are actually. I don't think they have been getting much sleep."
Lorelai glanced over at him, "I don't think any of us have…"
Luke walked over to her and sat down, "If you keep drinking that stuff...you never will."
Lorelai smiled and looked down at the cup, "I'm not actually drinking it…"
Luke stared at her for a moment, "I don't understand…"
Lorelai felt her eyes well up with tears again, "Jack used to tell me that the smell of coffee comforted of him. He said it smelled like me…" She bit her lip, "I thought maybe it would comfort me…"
Luke put his arm around her, "Is it helping?"
She shook her head as she leaned against him, "Not even a little bit…"
Luke rested his chin on the top of her head, "He told me I smell like french fries…"
Lorelai laughed through her tears, "You usually do. Must be why I'm so attracted to you…"
Luke chuckled and kissed her head, "Must be…"
They sat quietly for a moment and then Lorelai stared to laugh, "Do you remember the first time we brought Elise home?"
Luke laughed softly, "Jack asked when she was going back into your tummy…"
Lorelai smiled, "He wasn't to fond of sharing us in the beginning…" She pulled away, "But after awhile...he was so cute with Elise. I used to catch him standing in front of her crib just watching her...I asked him what he was doing once. He said that Paul Anka stands guard in front of his bed so he had to stand guard in front of hers…"
Luke swallowed hard, "He's a great kid…"
She sighed and put her coffee cup on the little wicker table beside her, "He's so sweet...I keep wondering what Chris said to him...if he just grabbed him and took off. I mean...we taught him not to talk to strangers. Would he just go?"
Luke sighed, "I don't know...I've been thinking about that too."
"Mom?" A voice from the back door called out to her.
Lorelai and Luke turned to see Rory standing still in the doorway, "Hey kid...thought you were asleep."
Rory walked over to them slowly and then leaned against the porch railing. She had tears in her eyes and she seemed to be thinking hard about something.
"Rory?" Luke questioned her softly, "What is it?"
"The last day I was here…" She sighed and pulled something from her back pocket, "I went into the garage and got some of my old things...I wanted to find this."
Rory held out the photo to Lorelai who took it, "Rory…"
"I was looking at it...and Jack woke up. He came downstairs and asked me what it was...he recognized me. But…" She sniffled and wrapped her arms around herself, "I told him that that was Dad...and he kept asking all these questions. I just...I didn't know what to tell him. He was worried I was sad because I couldn't see him. And so I just said something stupid like maybe I'll see him again someday…"
Lorelai knew what she was thinking, "Oh Rory…"
"He knew what Dad looked like. In his head he wasn't a stranger...he probably wanted to go with him thinking they'd see me. That maybe I would see Dad again and I'd be happy." Rory said as her voice cracked, "This is all my fault…"
Lorelai shook her head and opened her arms, "Rory no...come here."
Rory started sobbing and she sat between Luke and Lorelai who both wrapped their arms around her, "I didn't even think about it...but I was up in my room and I knocked something over and this stupid picture fell out. And then I realized what had happened...and that Jack would have recognized him…"
Lorelai swallowed hard, "It's okay...this isn't your fault Rory. How could you know that your Dad would do something like this?"
Rory pulled away, "But Jack just wanted me to be happy…"
Luke shook his head, "Rory your Mom is right...this isn't your fault. Your Dad made a choice...a really stupid choice. If he really wanted to get on with his life he would have stayed away. Now he's in more trouble than he ever was."
Rory nodded, "I know...but...what if-"
"Don't." Lorelai said quickly knowing what she was thinking, "Don't do that...don't even think it."
Rory bit her lip and settled between them again, "He must be so scared…"
"Jack's a tough kid." Luke whispered, "He's going to be just fine…"
Lorelai was quiet as she held Rory close and looked out at the lake in front of her. She would have given anything to be watching her son run around in the yard like he always did. He seemed to have endless amounts of energy. He was so full of life and fun. He brought so much joy to her life, and it broke her heart to know he was out there all alone.
And suddenly she saw quick flashes of lights. She was quiet for another moment and then saw the lights again. "Fireflies…" She whispered softly.
"What?" Rory asked as she lifted her head to look at her Mom.
A smile grew on Lorelai's face and she pointed straight out in front of her, "Fireflies!"
Rory glanced at Luke trying to figure out what her Mother was so happy about, but she noticed the smile on his face too. "Am I missing something?" She asked.
Lorelai wiped the new tears away from her eyes, "Don't you remember what April told Jack? Fireflies are good luck...they are meant to guide you-"
"Home." Rory and Luke whispered together.
Lorelai nodded quickly, "Exactly...which means that Jack is going to come home."
Rory thought for a moment and wondered if she should point out that fireflies couldn't actually guide Jack home. But as she glanced back out at the fireflies a glimmer of hope grew in her own heart.
"He's coming home…" Rory whispered softly.
Lorelai squeezed her daughter and gave Luke a small smile, "He's coming home…"
Luke reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. The three of them sat quietly as they watched the fireflies dance in the summer light. They were all thinking the same thing...how much longer did they have to wait before Jack would be right here with them?
So what did you think? Let me know and drop a review! Like I said I am super busy right now but will try and update soon. Writing helps relieve some of my stress so hopefully I will get some time to fit it in.