AN: Hey guy's I've had Chapter's 23 and 24 written for a while now just haven't had the time to post them, sorry! I'm nearly done with Chapter 25 as well and hope to have it up very soon. I'm so grateful to all of you for sticking with this story despite how long it takes me to update. Anyway I really hope you enjoy them! 3

Chapter 23
Missing; part one

Lorelai glanced across the room at the sound of the bedroom door creaking open. In the deafening silence, the sound made her teeth hurt. With a wince she laid her head back down on her pillow. 'I'm still not hungry Carmen.'
'Well there's something I never thought I'd hear.' The voice had Lorelai bolting straight up, tears were already filling her eyes.
'Becca?' She tried to disentangle herself from her blankets and failed miserably; she let out a tearful groan and dropped her hands into her lap. The bed shifted and Rebecca laid her hand over Lorelai's, who had tears running down her cheeks. They stared at each other for a few short seconds before Lorelai let out a broken cry and flung herself into the other woman's arms.
'Hey – hey listen to me. We're going to get her back. I promise you.' Her voice broke as her own tears burned a trail down her cheeks.

Kitchen:

'Refill?' Paris looked up from her notebook a cell phone to her ear. With a grateful look at the coffee pot in Colin's hand she nodded then returned her attention to the voice on the line
'What were the last two numbers mam?' She continued to scribble into her notebook then paused and her eyes hardened. 'Yes mam there is a reward, if and when the information given is found to be relia – and goodbye to you to.' With her jaw set she tossed the phone on the table and scribbled out the call back information the woman had given her.
'Another hang up?' With a sigh of his own Colin sat down in the chair beside hers. He set the coffee pot aside.
'People suck.'
'Yea – they really do.' She glanced at him then let out a small laugh. When her phone lit up again a look of defeat passed over her face and she reached for it. Colin shook his head and grabbed it before she could. 'How about you take a brake for a little bit? Go rest in the family room or something. I'll take phone duty for awhile.' Before she could protest he was answering the phone and pulling her notepad away from her. Instead of taking his advice and leaving though, she shifted and lifted her leg up onto the chair on her other side. She despised the stupid cast, it constantly itched and made everything a hundred times more difficult and to make matters worse, girls seemed to suddenly want to bond with her over their shared love of the color pink. She was counting down the days till the doctor would cut the stupid things off, sadly that day was still three weeks away. With a wince she mentally berated herself for feeling sorry for herself while Rory was missing. She still couldn't fully believe that any of it was real. When Colin had called her that first day to ask if she had seen her, she'd known from the sound of his voice that something bad had happened, but it didn't ease the shock and fear she felt when Tristan came to her house the next day and told her she'd runaway. She'd cried the entire car ride back to Rory's house while Tristan tried to explain what had happened as much as he could. Every time she thought of Tristan her heart ached, he'd had to re-tell that story nearly a hundred times over the past two weeks and each time it got vaguer and vaguer. She was the only one he'd told the last thing Rory had said to him to, how he felt that she'd only said it to distract him, she could see his heart break a little more every time somebody asked him to relive it.
Just as soon as he had answered Colin hung up. 'Anything?'
His eyes scanned the page and he shook his head. 'No.' With a sigh he dropped the pad back on the table, the phone on top of it and rubbed the palm of his hand against his temple. 'This is all a waist of time. I mean – she may be messed up right now and she may be being unbelievably selfish but – Rory's not stupid. We're not going to find her if she doesn't want to be found.'
'Stop.'
Tears burned in his eyes and he could see that Paris was trying, with little success, to hold back her own. With a sigh he leaned forward and wiped her cheek with the back of his hand. 'I'm sorry.' He dropped his hand and leaned on his knees. 'I shouldn't have said that.'
'It's fine.'
'No it's not.'
She searched his face for a second. 'We are going to find her.' She sounded so confident that he was almost jealous of her.
'You sound so sure.'
'Because I know Rory.' She snapped out. He could see the held back anger in her eyes, knew she was trying her hardest not to hit him. 'I'm not going to try and pretend that I know what she's going through, but I know that the last thing she would ever want is to hurt the people she cares about. Rory is the least selfish person I know. Which is why we're sitting here having this conversation in the first place.' His shameful gaze lifted from the ground but before he could say anything his eyes connected with Becca's, his Aunt Lorelai was standing beside her with her hand over her mouth. Before he could tell Paris to stop, Becca shook her head. 'You would think, you of all people would understand.' Surprised by that, his gaze snapped back to Paris, but she was looking away.
'What do you mean?'
Furious, she looked back at him. 'You guy's are exactly alike. In case you've forgotten, the whole reason Rory started using drugs was because she couldn't handle trying to make everybody happy all of the time. She was playing peace keeper with her Dad and Chris twenty-four seven, working her ass off everyday at school. Playing perfect society daughter. God Colin the girl has had her entire life planned out since the third grade.'
'So have you.' He was feeling defensive now and the fact that Becca and Lorelai were listening didn't help matters. Paris just rolled her eyes at him. She shifted, pulling her leg down from the chair so she could face him better just as a confused Tristan came to a stop beside Lorelai.
'Because that's who I am. And we all accepted that that's who she is because it's what we've all wanted to believe – nobody has ever stopped for even a second to think that maybe this Harvard bound journalist since she was eight isn't who she really is.' She could see that he was feeling like she was attacking him personally and she softened instantly. 'I'm not blaming you. Though you are proving my point in my saying that the two of you are alike. I'm sitting here saying that this isn't only Rory's fault, that we all have a little piece in it – and your still taking it personally because you believe that you should have seen it, should have been able to stop it, but you couldn't have.' She paused a second, then continued on a bit more uncomfortably. 'The two of you have such huge hearts – you're constantly trying to make everyone around you happy. The only difference is that the only way Rory knows how to do that is by being who everyone want's her to be and it was just to much for her to handle. She's not as strong as you.' With a sigh she pushed back the tears in her eyes not wanting him to see her cry yet again. Squaring her shoulders she sat up straight. 'So when you call her selfish, your completely off base because the last thing in the world she would ever want is to be hurting her Mom or any of us.' Without thought, she quickly shot out the words she'd been unable to tell Tristan face to face. 'God look at Tristan, do you have any idea what this is doing to him? And she loves him Colin.' She watched him shift uncomfortably, just like he did every time someone mentioned the two of them and she rolled her eyes. ' Yes we all get it, it makes you uncomfortable, but my point is that the absolute last person in the world that she would ever want to hurt is him. So this isn't about her being selfish, it's about her hurting so much that she couldn't bare it anymore. We will find her, and when we do – it's not only going to be Rory that needs to change things, I think it's time we all open our eye's.' She paused a second, let her words hang in the air, then shook her head and pushed back from the table. 'I think I'll go lay down after all.' Rising she gestured to the phone on the table. 'You got the line for now?' He nodded, refusing to look at her. She turned and came into direct contact with Lorelai who automatically wrapped her arms around her. Instantly she felt bad. 'Oh my god how long were you - I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to'
Lorelai pulled back and shook her head, she wiped the tears running down her cheeks with the backs of her hands. 'No, sweetie you have no reason to be sorry. Your right. You're completely right – about all of it.' She grabbed Paris's hand and looked to Colin. 'Honey, Rory loves you so much, she would never want you to blame yourself for any of this. And you.' She turned to Tristan, still a bit uncomfortable with the situation herself. 'I don't know what's happening with the two of you but I can only assume that since she asked you to come with her' The words fell uncomfortably from her mouth and Becca's eyes widened, she turned to Tristan who was looking anywhere but at the people in the room. 'that Paris is right. She does love you, so I don't want you to think otherwise.' She wiped again at her cheek then gestured toward the front door. 'Why don't you all take a break. Rebecca and I will take over here.' Slowly all three teens made their way out of the kitchen. With a sigh Lorelai picked up the pot of coffee and felt the side. 'Do you mind watching the phone while I make a new pot?' When she saw the look on her best friends face she dropped her head back and walked over to the coffee maker. 'Let it go.'
'I'm sorry you conveniently leave out the part of the story where she asks her boyfriend to runaway with her, and you want me to let it go?' When Lorelai didn't respond, she let out an exasperated sigh and sat down at the table. A few moment's of silence passed and she looked back across the kitchen. 'Does Christopher know?'
'Do I look stupid? He'd have a pre-nup drawn up before we even found her.' She crossed her arms and leaned a hip against the counter.
Rebecca grabbed the phone and notepad from the table and moved to sit at the island. 'Well he is every Hartford parent's dream.'
Lorelai stared blankly across the room, then looked back at the blonde women who she'd known her entire life. She was the only person in the world who she could tell absolutely anything to. 'I don't want this for her Rebecca. She deserves more. They both did.' Tears, that seemed to be falling continuously lately, slid slowly down her cheeks. 'I keep wondering, imagining how different things would be if I'd never came back. I'd still have my kids and all of this – Hartford and all of it's pressure's to be perfect, it would never have touched them.' She wiped her eyes again. 'Chris hated it here and Rory has crumbled under it all. Christopher was made for this place, you know that … he was every Hartford parent's dream.' She lifted a shoulder and gave her friend a watery smile. 'And he was their father. So I did what I thought was best … for me though not for them. It was too hard and I was so young I just – I wasn't strong enough to raise two kids on my own. So I was selfish and now' She trailed off and Rebecca got up and walked over to her. She held her arms open to Lorelai who let out a small cry and shook her head. 'I don't want her to settle for her Christopher.' With a sigh of sympathy, Rebecca wrapped her arms around her.
'Honey, that boy is not Christopher Hayden. He loves Rory - has since they were in braces.' She heard Lorelai laugh and she pulled back to look at her. 'He would never do anything to make her unhappy Lorelai, especially let her settle for her Christopher.' She searched Lorelai's eyes for a second trying to gauge whether or not her words were getting through, then both women were interrupted by the clearing of a throat.
When Tristan walked into the room and over to the table without making eye contact, Lorelai covered her face with her hands. He grabbed a phone off of the table, when he turned to leave he let his gaze briefly meet Rebecca's. Silently he lifted one side of his mouth in a grateful smile then quickly averted his gaze back to the ground. When he made it to the doorway, he paused.
'Just so you know, I think she deserves more then me too.' And then he was gone.

Rebecca looked back at Lorelai who slowly dropped her hands to her mouth. 'Lore.' The simple accusation in her tone had Lorelai closing her eyes briefly before making her way quickly out of the kitchen and after Tristan. She caught him just as his hand landed on the doorknob.
'Tristan.' When he made no attempt to acknowledge her she picked up her pace. He pulled the door open and caught a glimpse of Paris and Colin looking confused then mildly frightened when she shouted scoldingly. 'Tristan DuGrey, do not ignore me when I am speaking to you.' Her hand fell flat against the door and she pushed it closed with a slam.
He stared at her with anger tinting his eyes, but mostly she just saw hurt. 'What?' He snapped out. 'I get it, you don't think I'm good enough for Rory, I agreed. What else could you possibly have to say to me?'
Lorelai felt the sting of guilt but her irritation was stronger. She pointed a scolding finger at him 'Don't you dare have that tone with me! Especially when you have no idea what you are talking about! You know damn well that I think the world of you!' She dropped her tone, remembering that Colin was just outside. The last thing she wanted was her nephew who she loved like one of her own, to overhear her. Ashamed of her next words she looked down at her feet. 'I know Rory tells you what goes on here Tristan, and even if she didn't, I know you must hear it some nights. So when my sixteen year old daughter asks her boyfriend to run away with her – yes it scares the hell out of me. I am terrified that she will make my mistakes and live the rest of her life' Reminding herself that she was talking to a child who she had no business talking to about such things, she forcibly cut herself off and looked up at him. Off of his startled look she tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. 'But that's about me, it has nothing to do with what I think of you. I am so sorry for making you think for even a second that I didn't think you were good enough.' She lifted her hand and poked him in his shoulder. 'I love you kid.' There was a pause and then he nodded.
She opened her mouth to say more, when Rebecca cleared her throat and walked into the foyer notebook and phone in hand.
She smiled apologetically. 'Sorry to interrupt. I was just uh – looking through this and I saw that you guy's keep getting a call from the same number everyday – but there's no name or anything. Have you looked into it?' Off of Lorelai's confusion she held out the book and flipped back through the pages.
Lorelai looked up at Tristan who lifted his hands in the air and shook his head. 'Guy's have the fliers, girls have the phone.'
Lorelai stared at him blankly for a second then spun around and threw the door open.
Paris's eye's widened as Lorelai ran toward her with Rebecca and Tristan on her heels. 'What's wrong?'
Lorelai showed her the pages. 'Do you remember these calls?'
'No – the first one is in my writing but the others are Madeline and Louise.'
Lorelai flipped back to the most recent page and pointed at the last number on the page. Like the pages before it there was only a number, no information. 'What about this one?'
Paris shook her head apologetically then abruptly turned and pointed at Colin. 'You took the last call.'
He glanced at the paper. 'Oh yea. It was nothing though.' He shrugged. 'I don't even remember writing it down.'
'What did they say? They didn't leave a name or anything?' Her words shot out at him like rapid fire.
The panic that he'd been trying to avoid was starting to set in. 'Nothing. It was just silence, then they hung up.'
A look of realization passed over Paris's face and she nodded. 'Mine to.'
'And nobody thought to call it back?' Her words weren't harsh, but desperate.
Colin and Paris shared a look, then looked down at the ground guiltily. 'Lore.' Lorelai looked back at Rebecca who shot at look at the two teens then back at her. Lorelai put a smile on her face and tried to mask her anxiety. 'I'm sorry.' Not wanting the looks of sympathy she knew were sure to come, she quickly continued on. 'Can you get Louise and Madeline over here?' When Paris grabbed her phone from Tristan, Lorelai looked at the boys thoughtfully then looked back to Paris who was putting the phone to her ear. 'You know what, while your at it why don't you call that boyfriend of yours. I think I'd like to talk to him and Finn as well.' Without a pause she turned and made her way back into the house and with an apologetic smile Rebecca followed her. Neither of them caught the look of panic that washed over Paris's face, while avoiding Colin's eyes she looked directly at Tristan for help. He wasn't looking at her though. He had his phone out and was dialing. 'I'll call Sean, I'm pretty sure he and Finn are studying together.' He used one hand to make air quotes around the words studying, studying was their code word for tutoring. Much to Paris and Rory's irritation, Finn was a math wiz; he was every math teachers favorite student. So he was also the designated math tutor of their group.
The ringing in Paris's ear stopped and Madeline's melodic voice was calling anxiously out to her.