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 24
Missing; part two

Rebecca clicked the door softly in place. She leaned back against it and watched as Lorelai disappeared into the living room. With a sigh she dropped her head back against the door and took two deep breath's; it was a struggle to keep her tears at bay.
With one more steadying breath she pushed away from the door and made her way into the living room. Lorelai looked up from the coffee table where she was straightening stacks of fliers, seeing the look on Rebecca's face she shook her head at her. 'Don't ok. I don't want to hear it.'
'That's really to bad because you're going to anyway.' She crossed her arms and squared her shoulders. 'You have no idea what this is like Rebecca.' Lorelai slammed the stack down and turned, eye's flaring with anger, to her. 'How terrifying it is to not know' In a rage Rebecca took a quick step forward and then stopped herself.
Rebecca Knight gave Emily Gilmore a run for her money when it came to keeping a chillingly calm demeanor in a heated situation, so when she lost her temper it was always a surprise. Lorelai stared wide eyed as she took one, two, three calming breaths. When she finally spoke her tone was sharp as a kinfe. 'I may not know what you're feeling, but don't you try for even a second to pretend like I don't know what those kids are feeling right now.'
Her words seemed to register with Lorelai because she shrunk back. 'Bec' She started softly but was cut off.
'To have everyone looking at you like you're supposed to know something, that horrible feeling you get because despite what everyone thinks – your best friend didn't trust you. To have people - adults who you've known your entire life, who you thought cared about you, to have them suddenly looking at you like your the enemy – I know exactly how that feels.' Not knowing what to say, Lorelai remained silent. 'The one thing Emily didn't do, was leave me to take on everything myself.'
'I'm not' She started again defensively, but once again she was cut off.
'Lorelai a few minutes ago you didn't even know that they had a system going. While these kids are taking phone calls' She grabbed a flier from the coffee table. 'and passing out fli' When she looked down at the flier she felt all of the oxygen leave her body. She'd seen the picture briefly on the news, but she hadn't paid much attention to it. Seeing it now, up close and in color – she wanted to cry. 'This doesn't even look like her.' Her finger ran over the short red hair, along the sharp angles of her face. The last of her anger drained from her body. 'She's so thin. When is this picture from?'
Shaking her head Lorelai wiped her cheeks. 'Within the last few weeks I suppose. The red hair is just a few months old.' She plucked the paper out of Rebecca's hands and looked at it. With a sigh she sat down on the couch and looked up at her. 'Look, I know I'm a horrible mother ok?'
'Sweetie' Guilt instantly took over as Rebecca sat down. 'I wasn't saying that at all.' She grabbed hold of her hand. 'You know I love you, but this isn't you Lore. When shit get's hard you don't curl up in the fetal position you kick it's ass.' Lorelai let out a choked laugh. Rebecca smiled and leaned her head on Lorelai's shoulder. 'You said it yourself, she deserves more.'
Lorelai leaned back into the pillows and Rebecca went with her. They stayed like that for a few minutes then Lorelai spoke. 'We're going to find her.' There was a confidence in her tone that wasn't there an hour earlier.
Rebecca nodded. 'Damn straight.'
Lorelai laid her head against Rebecca's and smiled. 'I'm really glad you're here.'
A comfortable silence filled the room as they waited. Rebecca's words were replaying over and over in her head and they were becoming deafening. She let out painful moan. 'Oh God. I'm going to have to apologize to my parent's after this aren't I?'
With a small laugh Rebecca put her hand over her heart. 'Oh isn't that nice Richard, Lorelai want's to apologize and it only took her sixteen years.' Her uncanny imitation of Emily always gave Lorelai the creeps.
'Don't do that you know it freaks me out.'

As the two women laughed Colin led the six other teens into the room. 'Aunt Lore.
'Hey guy's.' She stood up and gestured for them to come in. 'You all know Rory and Chris's god-mother Rebecca right?' Rebecca had gotten up as well so that everyone had a place to sit. They all nodded and waved hello. 'We'll get to why I asked you all here in a second, first I just want to - I want to apologize for not having been as ' She searched for the right word and began to pace back and forth in front of them like a general. Rebecca tried not to smile when they all shared the same look of discomfort.
'Mrs. Hayden?' Lorelai stopped pacing and searched for who had called out to her. Everyone was looking at Madeline in surprise. She tucked a dark curl behind her ear and lifted a shoulder. 'We understand why you aren't up to doing all of this. You don't need to apologize. What you're going through must be – horrible and we all love Rory and want her to come home safe. We want to help.'
Lorelai felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes and she smiled. 'Thank you Madeline. Thank you to all of you.' She sat down on the couch across from them. 'You guy's have been great through all of this. It hasn't really occurred to me until now that you kids must be' She glanced at Rebecca briefly. 'immensely hurt with Rory right now.' When they started to shake their heads she raised a hand to stop them. 'Which is completely understandable. I've already had this conversation with Colin and Tristan and Paris but I want to make sure that the rest of you understand that Rory hasn't done this to hurt you. That's the last thing she would want. Whatever she's going through right now, she isn't thinking clearly. Which is why it's all the more important that we find her as quickly as possible.' She turned to face Louise and Madeline who were sitting side by side. 'About these calls'
Before she could finish Louise leaned forward on her knees. 'I remembered on the way over. I did call it back' She shook her head just a bit, an apologetic frown on her lips. 'but nobody answered.'
Sean who had picked up the notepad shook his head. 'This isn't a Hartford area code.'
'What?' Panic started to rise in her chest at the realization that Rory could have left Hartford all together. She stood up and walked over to Sean who had pulled the laptop that had been sitting on the coffee table into his lap. 'Then where's it from?'
'I'm checking.' He pressed a few buttons and then waited. His eyebrows knit together in confusion. 'Stars Hallow Connecticut?'
Lorelai froze and she felt her heart began to pound against her rib cage. Desperately she looked to Rebecca who was staring back at her.
He moved his finger around the mouse pad. 'It's to some place called – Luke's Diner?'
Tristan began pacing back and forth, knowing she had left town was making him just as panicked as it had Lorelai. 'Where the hell is that?'
Sean shrugged. 'About thirty miles from here.'
He stopped pacing. 'Well ok then let's go.'
Lorelai covered her mouth with the back of her hand and shook her head. 'No.' Her chest began to burn painfully as she struggled to hide the fact that she couldn't breathe.
Everyone turned to look at her, mouths wide open. Tristan's eye's flared as he strained to keep his anger in check. 'What do you mean no?'
Lorelai looked behind her to the patio door where Colin had silently wandered to. He had his back to them. She looked back to everyone else and dropped her hand. 'I mean I'll be going alone.' Before anyone could object she raised a hand to stop them. 'It's not up for discussion.' Everyone but Tristan shrunk back at her stern tone. She could practically feel the anger radiating off of him. 'I'm serious Tristan. If I have to call your Mother I swear to you I will, but please don't make me do that because I really need you here – all of you.' She looked around the room. 'All we have right now is a number from a diner in some small little town. It could be nothing. Maybe somebody just recognized her from the news … it doesn't mean I'm going to find her there.' She tried her hardest to avoid Rebecca's eye's knowinf that if she looked over at her she knew she would fall apart. 'So I need you guy's here in case another call comes in or if by some chance Rory comes home. Carmen will be' She paused and looked around the room. Seeing as Colin was still standing with his back to them and Tristan wasn't her biggest fan at the moment she turned to Paris in confusion. 'Where is Carmen?'
'She went to the market.'
With her hand to her forehead Lorelai closed her eyes. 'OK, I'll uh – I'll call her from the car.' She shot one last glance at Rebecca who's eyebrows knit together in confusion. 'I'll be back.' Knowing that an argument was eminent, she rushed out of the room.
Finn shook his head in confusion and leaned in toward Paris. 'Does she even know where this place is?'
'She knows.' Everybody turned to watch Rebecca as she walked briskly out of the room.
Lorelai was pulling her purse strap over her shoulder and grabbing her keys when she caught up to her.
'What do you think your doing?

'What does it look like? I'm going to get my daughter.'
'Lore, it's not going to be that easy and you know it.'
'It's just a town. A dot on a map. I'll be fine.'
Rebecca was stunned speechless for a moment. It had never occurred to her before that her time in Stars Hallow meant anything more to her then an escape. 'I didn't mean the town.' She said softly. 'I mean Rory, she isn't going to just get into the car with you and come home.'
'I know.' She walked out the door, leaving it open so she could follow.
'Then what are you doing? Lorelai.' She paused and watched as she looked around helplessly.
'Where the hell is my car?' She threw her hands in the air in a fit of hysteria, the contents of her purse scattered as it hit the floor. Defeat filled her eyes as she watched a lipstick roll across the cobble stone driveway. When she fell to her knees to pick it all up, Rebecca walked over and kneeled beside her.
She grabbed the lipstick and held it out to her, Lorelai sniffeld and silently shoved the tube back into her purse. Her eyes scanned the driveway then the house before settling back on her crying best friend. 'Lorelai, where's Christopher?' Her hand froze for a moment, hovered above her wallet for a beat before she grabbed it and stood up. Pursing her lips to hold back yet another sigh, Rebecca planted her hands on her thighs an pushed herself up.
Impatients radiated off of Lorelai in waves. 'I dont have time for this!'
'Fine, I'll tell you what' She yanked her keys from her front jean pocket and walked over to the driver side of her red Lexus Convertible. 'I'll drive.' She yanked the door open. 'That should give you more then enough time.' She pulled her door shut with a slam, yanked her seatbelt across her chest and pushed her sun glasses onto her face. When Lorelai didn't get in she turned in her seat. 'In our out Lore, either way I was always coming with you.' A beat passed before the passanger side door opened and closed. She waited until she heard the click of her seatbelt before she pulled out of the rodiron gates at the end of the driveway.
'You take the' Loreai began before Rebecca turned in the direction of their desired highway.
'I think I remember.' She said, her voice just above a whisper. They drove in silence for the first ten minutes. Ever since they were kids Rebecca had known when to push and when to wait for her to tell her what was going on. Some things never change.
'He moved out.'
Her eye's didn't veer from the road but she reached out and laid her hand over Lorelai's trembling one. 'Sweetie, I'm sorry. When?' She knew better then to ask what happened. It was no secret that she wasnt Christopher Hayden's biggest fan and vice versa. Ever since Lorelai had met him in middle school, she'd been playing the part of the unsucessful peace keeper between her best friend and her boyfriend.
'Just after Rory was released from the hospital.' She wiped at her eye's. 'We havn't told her yet.'
Now she chanced a sharp glance her way. 'That was two months ago! How have you not told her?'
'We couldn't, she'd just think it was her fault.'
'Why would she think that? I mean it's not exactly a secret that things with the two of you havn't been all sunshine and rainbows.'
'You know Bec sometimes a little tact isn't a bad thing.' She shook her head at an unashamed Rebecca. 'When Rory over dosed, Chris and I were on a flight to came back obviously, but while we were waiting for her to wake up we got into this huge argument. He wanted to send her back to rehab, I thought she needed to be here with the people who love her. Clearly I was wrong. Anyway by the time she woke up he was on his way to Paris and she was convinced that it was because he was disappointed in her.' She paused then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, Rebeccas silence was weighing heavily in the air. 'I didn't remember until a few days after she'd come home, but about a week earlier, we had been fighting again and Christopher said' She stopped abruptly, then off of Rebeccas curious glance she continued tentativly. 'something he didn't mean and Rory heard him. At least I think she did, there really isn't any way she couldn't have.'
'What did he say?' When she got no response she had to struggle to keep her anger under control. 'What did he say Lorelai?'
In tears once again, Lorelai continued to stare at the passing landscape. 'You know there was a time when Christopher and I did love eachother.'
Her tone was softer when she spoke. 'I know that sweetie. But not all love is healthy.'
'I told him that he ruined my life … that I never should have come back and he blew up, said that I trapped him' Her voice hardened and the words left a bitter taste in her mouth. 'and that we're the ones who ruined his life. He said that I was the biggest mistake he'd ever made.' The lanscape started to pass by faster and faster as the car picked up speed. Lorelai's knuckles turned white as she held onto the door. 'Slow down.' Her voice shook as memories of Chris and a scrap of metal that had at one time been her car flashed before her eye's. 'Please.'
Rebecca seemed to snap back to reality and she looked over to see Lorelai, pale as snow, staring glassy eyed at the road ahead, instantly she eased her foot off of the gas pedal. 'I'm sorry.'
'It's fine.' Forcing the images out of her head she continued on. 'Anyway, I didn't really remember until after because as soon as he had said it he took it back.'
'Please, please don't tell me you forgave him.' Her stomach turned and she found herself greatful for not being able to look over at that moment. When there was no response she had to stop herself from pulling to the side of the highway and throwing up. 'Oh my god. I don't even know what to say to you. I'm – I'm actually sick right now.' Her mouth turned down at the bitter taste stinging her throat.
Lorelai shook her head. 'You don't'
With a raised hand she cut off her lame attempt at a defense. 'Please don't throw that "You don't understand" crap at me right now Lorelai because honestly I might hit you.'

'Just let me finish.' Lorelai snapped. 'After Rory got home and Christopher came back we sat down and decided together that it was over. He said that he loved me and that he always would and he apologized again and said that the kids were the best thing that ever happened to him and that he knows that everything with Chris and Rory was because of him.' She was crying when she turned to Rebecca with a plea in her eyes. 'But thats not true, it was – is both of us. He never let up on Chris nothing was ever right when it came to him but I looked the other way and let it happen, I never defended him. And Rory – we both let her down too. You heard Paris, we didn't see what was happening to them because we didn't want to. It was easier that way.'

Unwilling to ease Lorelai's guilt at that moment she shook her head and gestured to the phone clutched in her hand. 'You should call him and let him know what's going on and you told the kids you'd call Carmen. I don't think it's a good idea for them to be there alone anyhow, I mean in case she actually does show up or something.'
Lorelai looked hurt as she gave a small nod and began to dial. There was only the briefest of pauses between her putting the phone to her ear and when she started talking. 'Hey, uh – yea. I don't know maybe. I mean it could be nothing but – sorry. So apparently somebody's been calling once a day and just hanging up.' She raked her fingers through her hair nervously as she listened. 'Because they didn't think it was anything – because they're kids Christopher! It isn't their job to begin with, we're her parent's! We should have been the ones doing these thing's not a bunch of sixteen year old children! If it weren't for them we wouldn't even have what we do right now!' Rebecca felt her heart swell proudly just a bit. 'Sean – he's Rory's friend – yes you have, multiple times. Anyway he looked up the area code it was from a diner phone – we're on our way there now. Rebecca and I.' She paused again and listened. Rebecca could feel the atmosphere become even more tense. There would be no polite hello's between the two of them. 'Stars Hallow.' The two words were spoken softly and were fallowed by silence on both ends for a few seconds. 'OK. Bye.' Just as quickly as she hung up she was dialing again. 'Hi Carmen.' Her voice took on a much more pleasant tone as she began to explain things to her.

When she was finished Rebecca lifted her chin and pointed to the passanger side mirror. Confuesd, Lorelai looked in the mirror, her jaw set angerly. 'Pull over.' She threw her seatbelt off and had her door open before the car was even fully stopped. The silver porshe jerked to a stop and the two boy's stared at her with wide eyes through the windsheild as she stomped over. Tristan stared at her for a second before reluctantly rolling his window down. 'What the hell do you two think you're doing? I specifically told you' She pointed to Tristan. 'to stay back. Explain to me what part of that made you think it was an invitation.'
'Aunt Lore' Colin began but she cut him off.
'I don't want to hear it. Go back. Now.' She turned back to Rebecca's car to find her leaning against the trunk. She followed her gaze back behind her where Colin was getting out of the car. 'Did you not hear me?' She asked – sounding entierly to much like her own Mother for her liking.
Colin shut his door and walked around to the front of the car. 'I heard you.' He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. 'I just don't think it's entierly fair of you to ask me to do that.' Her eyes blazed at his tone and he took a step back, rethinking his approach entierly. 'I'm sorry.' His tone softened. 'I shouldn't have went against your word – I know I was wrong. I just need to know shes ok.' The both looked over to Tristan who was getting out of the car.
'We need to know she's ok.' He corrected, his voice a little stronger then Colin's.
Lorelai looked between the two of them for a moment then crossed her arms. 'And when she's not?' Tristan looked surprised by the question, Colin sad. Lorelai shook her head as her eye's began to burn. 'There is a very big chance that we're going to get there and' She trailed off, the words burning in her throat like bad whiskey. Tristan's eyes pooled and Colin turned away. 'What am I supposed to do then? I wasn't trying to be the villian here you guy's, I was trying to protect you.' Her voice broke just as Rebecca stepped in front of her and pulled her into a hug. 'What if she's not ok?'