Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's been a week since I updated! I've been so crazy busy I haven't had time to write or upload anything. I promise I will try harder this week and hopefully I'll have another chapter up within the next few days. I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for your patience!

Lorelai woke with a jump, her dreams showed nothing but Christopher in her kitchen yelling at her and Rory. For a moment she thought she was still there but when her eyes finally fluttered open she realized where she was. And in a strange way…she wished she was still in her kitchen even if it meant that Christopher would be there yelling at her again.

Being in this bed…in his bed brought up to many memories that hurt more than the bruises on her face. The smell of him started to envelope her and the tears began to prickle in her eyes again. She remembered that first night when he had held her so gently she felt like he was afraid she would break. She remembered the way it had felt as he laid her down before him and worshiped each and every part of her body until she couldn't take anymore. She remembered how safe she had felt in his arms, like nothing and no one could eve come between them.

It had all seemed to perfect then, she had been so sure it would work and then somehow it had all gone wrong. So terribly wrong…And now here she was lying in his bed alone and left to try and drown out the terrible memories of what was really going on in her life. She wanted to go back…she wanted to start over with him and make sure she never let him go again but she knew it was impossible. There was no going back…not from any of this.

She pulled herself up slowly and let her eyes adjust to the light in his room, she turned and saw Rory asleep in April's bed with Paul Anka at her side. He lifted his head slowly and she saw the slight wag of his tail when she realized that she too was awake. The soft sounds in the kitchen caught her attention and she turned to see Luke filling a cup of coffee before turning and smiling slightly when he saw her.

He turned back to Rory to check and make sure she was still asleep before he walked over to his bed and sat down beside Lorelai. He watched her swallow the lump in her throat before he handed her the mug and lifted his still warm hand and smoothed some hair out of her face.

"Did I wake you?" He whispered softly.

She leaned into his touch and shook her head as she pulled the mug closer to her chest, inhaling the heavenly aroma. "No…Bad dream."

He nodded once and let his hand fall from her face, "You were crying a lot in your sleep…"

She licked her lips and turned her head away from him, "Luke I'm so sorry…" She chocked out softly as she placed the mug on the bedside table.

He shook his head, "Don't…"

She whimpered softly and took a ragged breath, "I can't…I can't keep doing this to you. It's not right. It's not fair…and it makes Christopher right…"

He winced at the sound of her voice, "What do you mean he's right? Lorelai we talked about this last night…"

She sighed and reached up to wipe the fresh tears away from her face, "It's like these past few months I've been only been living a half life. Since the day I met you Luke I needed you…I counted on you and went to you for everything."

"Lorelai…" He whispered wanting to pull her into his arms again but worrying he would scare her off.

"And it wasn't right…it wasn't fair to you. Not then and not now Luke…" She sniffled as she pulled her legs up to her chest and hugging them tight, "It's not right…"

Luke let her words sink in for a moment before reaching a strong but gentle hand out to her arm, "Don't you know that I would do anything for you? Then and now?"

She tilted her head, resting her cheek against the top of her knees, "Yes…"

"Things are really screwed up right now…I know that. Not just about this thing with Christopher but with how things ended between us." He paused and laughed sadly, "Although they never really ended…not for me…"

"Luke…" She whispered licking her lips nervously.

"But I'm here. I'm here Lorelai and I'm not going anywhere. I told you yesterday, I let you go once and I'm not going to do it again." He said honestly hoping she would understand just how sincere he was.

She sniffled again and looked up at him through her heavy eyelids, "I need you to know something…"

He rubbed her arm with his thumb gently, "What?"

She took a nervous breath before continuing, "That night…"

He shook his head, "Lorelai I don't want to talk about you and him-"

She lifted her hand to grab his other hand, "Just please…please listen to me. I need to say this. I need you to understand and then we'll never talk about it again if that's what you want…I swear."

Hearing the desperation in her voice made him give in, he sighed and nodded slowly, "Okay…"

She licked her lips again and scooted closer to him, "I didn't…I didn't mean for that to happen. My head…it was all screwed up and everything hurt. I was so screwed up Luke and I just…I needed to feel something…anything that would take my mind off of you."

He grimaced again, "Lorelai I don't know-"

She shook her head and gripped him again, "I was so afraid to be alone. If I was alone I knew…I knew I'd fall apart and I didn't think I would survive if I did, if I really let myself understand what was happening I knew I wouldn't get back up…"

He thought back to that night, the look of desperation and fear on her face had scared him and yet he still couldn't understand just how much she had been hurting, "I should have-"

"I just needed to feel anything other than that pain…" She sighed and pulled her arm back again, holding her legs tightly feeling a slight shiver run through her spine. "I thought…afterwards I'd be okay but God…" She heard the sob in her throat and she hated the way she sounded, "It hurt so much more than I thought was humanly possible…" She ignored the pained look on his face and absently wiped the tears from her face away, "And then you were there at my house saying all these things and I just wanted you to hold me…I wanted to go with you and pretend none of it had happened…but I knew I couldn't do that to you."

He watched her lift her head to look at him and he cleared his throat when he felt her pause, "When you told me what happened…I thought someone had literally sliced my heart out Lorelai…"

Her lip trembled and she nodded, "I know…I could see it on your face. I kept telling myself you hurt me first…but it didn't help. God I hated myself…I've never hated myself more than in that moment Luke and you will never know how sorry I am."

He shifted slightly and ignored the dull ache in his chest, "I should have seen how much you were hurting before that Lorelai…I should have known."

"You had a lot going on in your life…" She whispered softly.

He shook his head and scooted closer to her so that his knee touched her shin, "But you were just trying to help me and I pushed you away…" He watched her stare intently at him and he continued, "But I need you to know it wasn't because I didn't love you. I was just scared Lorelai…I was scared and ashamed." He sighed and shook his head to try and rid the fears that had pushed them to this place in the first place, "I was scared you would see me differently…I was afraid you would compare me to Christopher because I wasn't there for my kid…"

She shook her head quickly, "God no Luke. I could never think that! You didn't know about April…it was a completely different situation."

He nodded slowly, "I know that now. I know you wouldn't have looked at me like that but I just…I needed to make sure it was all perfect for you. I wanted it to be perfect for you Lorelai…"

She smiled weakly at him, "Luke…out of all the crazy messed up things in my life you were always the closest thing to perfection I ever had. The good bad and the ugly…you were perfect to me…" She shrugged sadly, "You loved me when no one else did…you loved all of me even when I was at my worst you loved me."

Luke smiled at her, "I tried to deny it ya know…deny my feelings for as long as I could. I always thought you deserved better…"

She shook her head, "I wanted you Luke. But I didn't deserve you…I never did and I still don't."

"You didn't deserve to be treated the way I treated you in the end…" He shook his head, "You need to know that. You deserve so much better."

She nodded slowly, "I know. But you deserved more than me going to Christopher…"

He laughed sadly, "We always did have a problem with communication you and I…"

She laughed back, "I guess so…you'd think somewhere in those 8 years before we got together one of us would have cracked and admitted our feelings."

He smiled, "You would think…"

She sighed again and let her knees down and curled them underneath her, "But still…I just need you to know that me marrying him…"

He sighed again and shook his head, "It's okay don't-"

She pushed on despite his protests, "I didn't love him Luke…I need you to know that I didn't love him. It wasn't about love…"

He stared at her for a moment before responding, "Then what was it about?"

She sighed, "It was about not being alone…because if I was alone I had to think about how badly it all got screwed up. I'd have to think about how I would never be with you again and I couldn't do it…it was killing me Luke. It was literally killing me…"

"When I saw the ring on your finger that day at the hospital…" He sighed, "I just couldn't believe it…"

"I know. I never wanted you to find out that way…" She paused before laughing sadly, "Actually I never wanted you to find out because then I had to admit what I had done to myself…"

They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke again, "I meant what I said that day…"

She cocked her head to the side and glanced up at him, "What?"

"My life doesn't mean anything if you're not there…if I'm not sharing it with you nothing matters." He whispered honestly.

She smiled at him and reached for his hand, "I know what you mean…"

He reveled in the feel of her soft fingers rubbing his hand gently, "What a fine mess we have created here Miss Gilmore…" He said with a chuckle.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, "Do you think you can ever forgive me?"

He leaned forward slowly and kissed her forehead, "I forgave you a long time ago Lorelai…"

He pulled away only enough to cup her face in his hands and stroke her cheek, "You did?" She questioned.

Luke nodded slowly, "I did. But I couldn't forgive myself for letting you down…after all we had been through…after waiting all that time to be with you I screwed it up royally and I hated myself. I still do…"

She leaned into his touch and breathed him in, "You shouldn't. We both made mistakes. We're only human Luke…it's what we do. We make mistakes…people make mistakes and they learn from them."

He nodded slowly and let his finger glide along the outline of the bruise still dark on her face, "I guess so…"

She sighed and reached her hand up to cover his against her cheek, "Luke…" She licked her lips again and scooted closer to him, "I just…I don't know what happens next…"

He nodded slowly, letting his other hand tangle in her hair. "I know…"

"But I just…I need to figure this all out." She whispered as she searched his eyes hopefully, "I know I love you. I love you so much…more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone…"

"Lorelai…" He whispered with a strained voice. "I-"

"I just…I need to fix this mess before I can…" She paused and sighed slightly, "Before we can…" She stopped herself again and looked deep into his eyes, "I mean…that is if you even want too try and fix this…"

He leaned his forehead against hers and willed himself to not kiss her, he knew she wasn't ready. "I need you in my life Lorelai…"

She felt another tear slide down her bruised cheek but she tried to ignore it, "Can we do this? Can we fix this? Can we fix us?"

He pulled her closer, still trying to respect her space but needing to feel her against him again. "Yes. We can. I know we can."

Her hands trembled as she held him close, "It's not fair to ask you to wait anymore than you already have…but I think I need too."

He nodded slowly, "I know…and it's okay. We can't rush this Lorelai…we need to do this right this time around. I won't let it fall apart again…"

She sighed happily and pulled away only so she could look at Rory, "She must be exhausted…"

Luke followed her gaze and nodded, "Yeah. She seemed to pass out after she talked to your parents last night."

She groaned, "I don't want to face it all. I feel safe here with you and Rory…I want to stay here and pretend it all didn't happen."

He nodded and turned back to her, "I know you do. But you know that you can't…"

She smiled weakly, "I know." She paused and looked at the clock and saw that it was still very early. "But maybe…maybe for just a little longer can we hide? Just hold me? And then…then I'll face it all."

He smiled softly and nodded, "Of course."

She let him lead her towards the top of the bed and lay her down beside him. She felt him wrap his arm around her, pulling her up against his chest and she clung to his shirt tightly. The scent of him, the feel of him holding her here in this bed would have scared her the night before or even right when she woke up. But hearing his words, feeling him against her she knew he meant what he had said. She knew he meant it when he told her he wanted to be with her and she knew that that was all she needed to get through this…

As long as she had Luke and Rory…the rest would fall into place.

An hour later, Lorelai woke up again and reached out hoping to find Luke beside her. She whimpered softly when she found the space beside her empty and she sat up quickly, afraid that he had changed his mind again. She calmed only slightly when she saw Rory walking towards her with a plate of food and another coffee mug.

"Good morning sleepy…" She whispered as she sat down beside her.

Lorelai smiled and took in the sight of her grown daughter, "Hey kid…how you doing? Did you sleep okay?"

Rory smiled, "Yeah. Paul Anka kept me company…kept the nightmares at bay."

She smiled and looked around the apartment, "He's a pretty good companion when he wants to be." She paused and frowned, "Where is he anyway? And where's Luke?"

"He took him for a walk." Rory said setting the plate and mug on the bedside table.

Lorelai snorted, "How did Paul Anka manage to get the collar and leash around Luke's neck? That's something I'd like to see! I bet Miss Patty and Babette are taking pictures as we speak and coming up with all sorts of dirty jokes…"

Rory rolled her eyes, "Mom…"

She laughed, "Sorry…gotta keep the humor or else I remember the pain…"

Rory nodded slowly and reached for the plate of food again, "You should eat something…"

Lorelai sighed and reached for a piece of bacon before popping it in her mouth, "I'm sorry you had to see all that last night…I'm sorry you had to hear it."

Rory frowned sadly, "It's okay Mom…I'm glad I was there. I didn't want you alone with him. And besides…I had to see him at some point."

She chewed her bacon for a few more moments before letting her arm fall beside her again, "You know kid…I uh…I want you to know that you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me."

Rory swallowed the lump in her throat feeling the ache in her chest rise again, "Mom you don't have too-"

She sniffled and silenced her daughter, "I mean when I found out I was pregnant I won't pretend it wasn't a shock. I won't pretend that I wasn't terrified but…" She paused and lifted her head to smile through her tears, "But when those doctors handed you to me for that first time…my whole life changed for the better."

"Mom…" Rory whimpered softly.

"And I just…I always wanted to make sure that your life was as good as it could possibly be. And I know I made a lot of mistakes and I'm sorry for that…" Lorelai said in a chocked whisper.

Rory shook her head, "You gave me an amazing life Mom. The best life. You have to know that."

"But I wish I could have given you more…I wish I could have given you the whole package." She whispered as she closed her tear filled eyes tightly.

Rory sighed and reached for her arm, "I didn't need Dad…I had you. And you were more than enough."

Lorelai smiled sadly, "But it would have been nice for you to have him in your life. More than he was anyway…"

Rory shrugged and squeezed her Mother's hand, "Sure. But Dad made his choices Mom. You always made it clear that if he wanted a relationship with me he could have one. He had his chances…and he blew them all. I mean there were times when I thought about it…about what it would be like if we were all together but then he'd show up and make promises before riding off on his motorcycle again and I'd remember I didn't need him because I had you…"

"Doesn't mean it didn't hurt…" Lorelai whispered.

Rory shook her head, "No. It doesn't. But it's okay Mom. I'm okay…And so are you. We're both going to be okay…"

She nodded slowly before responding again, "I just want you to know that if you decide you still want him in your life now I will be okay with that."

Rory shook her head adamantly, "No. That's not even an option anymore Mom. Dad has done a lot of crappy things but this is unforgivable."

Lorelai sighed and pushed on, "I don't condone what your father did. And if any man ever laid a hand on you like that I would kill him. But…this wasn't all him kid. I made some pretty big mistakes this last year…things that I can never change."

Rory nodded, "Maybe…but it still doesn't make what he did okay. If he was hurt or angry with you than he could have found another way to express that."

Lorelai nodded, "I know but…"

Rory shook her head more forcefully this time and grasped her Mother's hand as tight as she could, "No. No buts Mom. It doesn't matter what you did or didn't do. Dad has known you for a long time Mom…he knows you well enough to know that you weren't ready for all of this. He knew you still loved Luke and he knew you were vulnerable…I'm not saying he didn't want to be with you or he didn't love you because I think he did…" She shrugged, "But I think that he used your break up with Luke to his advantage because he knew you were hurting and wouldn't want to be alone…it was the perfect time to sweep you off your feet."

"I guess but I-" Lorelai tried again.

Rory shifted so she was looking her Mother straight in the eyes, "Dad knew you still loved him Mom. He knew it and he was afraid of it…he knew that somewhere down the road those feelings would come to the surface again and he panicked. When he saw that letter he knew in his heart he could never compete with what you and Luke have and he snapped. But he knew Mom…I know how knew…he's not stupid. He's just a real coward…he always has been. He was to afraid to make a commitment back then and this time he was to afraid to accept that you weren't what he wanted."

Lorelai smiled through the tears and reached out to stroke Rory's hair, "How the hell did you get so smart kid? I've always wondered that…"

"Well I had a pretty great Mom who made sure I could have access to everything and anything I would ever need or want in life." Rory said smiling, "Most of what I have learned never came from books Mom…it all came from you."

Lorelai felt the dam break and didn't even try to wipe the tears away as she pulled her daughter as close as possible, "I love you kid. I love you so much."

Rory felt her own tears burning in her eyes as she held her mother back, "I love you too Mom. Everything is going to be okay…I promise."

They sat together on Luke's bed holding each other, no more words needed to be spoken. They both knew that they would find a way through this just as they found a way through everything else in their life. Together.

When the apartment door finally opened again and the soft pitter patter of Paul Anka's paws pulled them apart, Lorelai wiped her tears away and smiled at Luke who stood in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt them.

"He missed you you know…" Lorelai whispered as Paul Anka jumped up on the bed and licked her face.

Luke smiled and leaned against the doorframe, "Well I missed him too." He paused and then said, "I missed all three of you crazy Gilmore's…"

Rory smiled, "We are pretty loveable."

Luke rolled his eyes and walked into the apartment, letting the door close softly behind him. "Apparently so."

Rory beamed up at him, "Oh come on admit it Luke. The day Mom and I wanted into the Diner you know you were a gonner…"

Luke chuckled as he stood at the foot of his bed smiling at the two women that had stolen his heart so many years earlier. "I don't have to admit it Rory. You both know that's true…hell the whole town knows its true."

"Well I wish someone would have explained it to me sooner." Lorelai said with a playful pout.

Rory rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her Mother, "Its not like we all didn't try. Babette, Miss Patty and Sookie dropped hint after hint for years. And if I remember correctly even Grandma mentioned it a few dozen times…"

Lorelai stuck her chin up in the air and huffed, "I don't know what you are talking about…"

Rory groaned and stood up, "You're impossible." She turned back to Luke and put her hands on her hips, "I don't know what you've seen in her all of these years."

Luke shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, "I haven't been able to figure that out myself…"

Lorelai scoffed and stared up at the two most important people in her life. "Hey! I take offense to that Mister! You both know that I am pretty freaking amazing."

Rory shrugged, "Yeah but if we admit that than we will never live it down."

Lorelai pouted again and lay back on the bed, pulling Paul Anka closer to her, "You are both terribly mean to me. I don't know why I put up with you two!"

"Probably because we are the only two people on the planet that tolerate your crazy." Rory said jutting her hip out slightly with a smirk on her face.

"Well if I'm crazy then you're crazy because you are a byproduct of me." She said pointing at her daughter, "And he's crazy because he has no relation to me but still chooses to keep me in his life." She said nodding her head towards Luke.

Rory nodded slowly, "Yes. That does make him the craziest of all of us."

Luke snorted and looked back at Rory, "How do you figure?"

"Because like Mom said…you had no obligation at all to stick with us and yet you did. I had to claim her because she's my Mom but you…" She said pointing a finger at him, "You claimed her because you actually wanted her!"

Luke laughed, "Well then I guess I am crazy…"

Rory smirked at him, "Crazy in love…" She mocked.

Luke groaned and turned away from them, "God you are so much like her it's scary…"

"But that's why you love me too Luke!" Rory said smiling after him as Lorelai laughed from her spot on the bed, "You love the crazy!"

"God help me I do…" He said shaking his head as he walked back to the kitchen and put some eggs on a plate for Paul Anka.

Rory smiled again and looked back at her Mom, the bruise was still there on her face but underneath she was finally starting to see her old Mom again. "See…I told you we were going to be okay…"

Lorelai turned her head to smile at her daughter, she reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, "Yeah. We are. We really are kid…"

Rory smiled once more before pushing the plate towards her Mom again, "Eat. I'll help Luke with the dishes."

"I love you Rory." Lorelai whispered as she watched her stand up.

Rory smiled down at her, "I love you too Mom. We both do…"

She winked before walking to the kitchen to help Luke and Lorelai couldn't help but smile as she watched them work together. She loved the way Luke laughed when Rory spoke to him, joking still about how crazy they all were. She had missed this, missed being able to feel happy. And for the first time in months she was finally understanding that she did in fact deserve happiness…

And now she was finally getting it…

A few hours later, Emily Gilmore waltzed into Luke's apartment with Rory at her side. Luke tensed up as she moved about his tiny home but realized she wasn't at all concerned about his meager living habits. She crossed the room and sat down beside Lorelai on the couch and reached for her arm.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked desperately searching her daughters face. "Did he hit you again? Rory said he didn't but did he hit you?"

Lorelai shook her head, "No Mom. Not this time…we just argued. It's okay…I'm okay."

Emily sighed and put her purse down beside her, "I knew we never should have left last night. If we had been there it would have been okay."

Lorelai shook her head again, "It's no one's fault Mom."

"Well if it's anyone's fault its his parents…I never really liked them and clearly they didn't raise their son the right way. Stupid Straub…" Emily grunted.

Lorelai laughed softly, "Where's Dad?"

Emily sighed and then looked around the apartment, "Oh he had some business to take care of. He'll be here in a little while."

"Business?" Lorelai asked as she fidgeted in her seat. "What kind of business?"

Emily's eyes continued to roam the small apartment, "I think he was meeting with your lawyers to draw up Divorce papers and a restraining order."

Lorelai flinched, "Oh. Right…lawyers. The fun stuff…"

Emily shrugged, "Please your father loves drawing up papers." She paused, "Well probably not this kind but you know what I mean. He's tried to retire a thousand times but he thrives on business."

Lorelai smiled, "Sure. I know…"

Emily looked back at Luke, "So this is your apartment?"

Luke swallowed nervously and saw Lorelai and Rory glance at him slowly. "Yes…well it was my fathers office but-"

Emily smiled, "Relax Luke…I'm not going to insult you."

Luke shifted slightly, "What? No I didn't think-"

She laughed, "I just always wondered what your apartment would look like." She paused, "It's…quaint."

Lorelai groaned, "Mom…"

"What?" Emily asked incredulously, "I'm new at this okay?"

Rory laughed and walked to the kitchen, "Do you want some tea Grandma? Luke makes really great peppermint tea."

Emily's eyes traveled from her Granddaughter to Luke again, "I'd love some."

Luke smiled and walked over to where Rory was in the kitchen, "One peppermint tea coming right up…"

Emily smiled ad leaned back against the couch and smiled at her daughter, Lorelai just laughed and rolled her eyes. "What?" Emily asked.

Lorelai laughed some more. "Nothing Mom…" She smiled and reached a hand out to her which Emily gladly took.

Meanwhile, Richard Gilmore walked into the Woodbridge Police Station with a manila envelope in his hand. He walked up to the counter, gave his name and explained who he was there to see. After waiting a few moments, he was escorted into a small, dark room where Christopher sat waiting for him in his orange jump suit.

Richard glanced at the police officers standing guard as he sat down and looked directly at Christopher. "I can honestly say this is never a sight I thought I'd see." He paused, "Well no that's not true…I thought maybe you'd get arrested for something stupid as a kid like smoking pot or stealing something but never this. Not for hitting my daughter…"

"Richard…" Christopher chocked out softly.

"I didn't give you permission to talk." Richard said with a hard glare, "You will listen to me, and then maybe I'll let you speak. Understood?"

Christopher had known Richard Gilmore for most of his life. He had seen him deal with plenty of business deals over the years at the countless dinner parties he had attended as a child. He had even seen him take on his own father the night they told them that Lorelai was pregnant. He was used to the Richard Gilmore all business look, but this…this was very different.

He saw anger that burned deep and red and for the first time in his life he was actually afraid of Richard Gilmore…

Richard sighed, "I take your silence to mean we have an understanding here." He shifted in his seat and took out the envelope and placed it on the table. "I have hired the best possible lawyers for my Daughter to assure that you will never again lay your hands on her. I want to make this trial go as quickly as possible so that she and my Granddaughter can get on with their lives without you. The way it should be…the way it always was because you were to much of a coward to do what was right…"

Christopher shifted slightly and swallowed hard, the cool metal of the cuffs on his wrists made him shiver as he waited for Richard to continue.

"What I found interesting was that my lawyers saw that you and Lorelai aren't actually legally married because the ceremony took place in France." Richard said glancing at him over the rim of his glasses, "And you knew that…"

"Richard…" Christopher said with a pleading voice.

He put his hand up to silence him, "I didn't give you permission to talk yet." He opened the folder and took out the papers he needed, "You knew that you needed to have a legal ceremony here in the States to make it official but you knew that if you told Lorelai that…she would probably want to get out of it."

"Richard please…" Christopher said again as he shifted in his metal seat.

"You knew that she would come to her senses. You knew that in Paris she had just gotten caught up in the moment…you knew she wasn't in any frame of mind to marry you. You knew she didn't love you but she did it because she was scared and broken hearted." Richard said.

"She did love me…" Christopher tried to reason with him.

"Maybe once…but not now. She loves Luke and you know that. You knew that if you told her you weren't legally married then she would walk away and you couldn't handle that. So you lied…you kept this from her." Richard said smugly.

Christopher sighed, "I just thought that if she could get used to the idea of us being married…of us being a couple than it could work. And then once she was sure of us I was going to tell her…I was going to make it official."

"But you panicked when you saw that letter." Richard said leaning into the table more, "You knew that the longer you waited the more likely it was for her to figure it all out. She'd be filling out some type of legal papers, maybe for work or at the bank and when they were filed someone would inform her that she wasn't Mrs. Christopher Hayden…" He shrugged, "Then she would run for the hills because she would have found her out."

"Richard please…I'm so sorry for what I did. I'm so sorry for all of it. You have to believe me when I say I never meant to hurt Lorelai!" Christopher pleaded as he jumped slightly, the handcuffs slammed against the table. "I love her. I've always loved her!"

"A man never lies to the woman he loves about something like this. A man never hits the woman he loves, never says the things that you said to her." Richard said through gritted teeth. "You are a sorry excuse for a man and you knew that you didn't deserve her…and so you did everything in your power to try and keep her. But as usual your plans were anything but smart.

"Just…just let me talk to her and we'll figure it out." Christopher pleaded with him.

Richard shook his head, "At first I was angry when I realized you weren't married. And I guess I still am because I know that you played my daughter. You played upon her weakness and her heartbreak to get what you wanted even if it meant hurting her." He shrugged, "But now I'm happy…this saves her from having to deal with a divorce. Now we can get through this trial and she can move on with her life and finally put you behind her once and for all."

"Richard please…" Christopher said as tears brimmed in his eyes. "Please…"

Richard stood up and smiled down at the man he had once hoped would be his Son-In-Law. "You are a sorry excuse for a man Christopher Hayden…and my daughter deserves so much better. And she has better…"

"What the Diner guy?" Christopher spat out, "You think he can give her what she wants? He's a nobody!" He yelled, his once pleading voice turned angry at the mere thought of Luke Danes. "I'm twice the man he is!"

Richard shook his head, "That's where you are wrong. I too may have been blinded at one point by your name and who your family was but I know better now. I know that Luke Danes is a much better man than you or even I for that matter. He loves my daughter and my Granddaughter. He took care of them for years when you weren't around and he had no reason to do so…he did it because unlike you he wasn't a coward."

"Richard…" Christopher whispered, suddenly losing his nerve again.

"He may have made some mistakes but the more I think about it the more I realize it may have been partially my fault. Emily and I made him think he wasn't good enough when all along he was. He thought he had to give her more when all along all she wanted was him…" Richard said as he picked up the envelope again. "And from now on I will make sure my daughter has exactly what she wants. I can assure you that."

"So this is it then? You're just gonna lock me away for a stupid mistake? And she's gonna run off with the Burger Boy and live happily ever after refilling ketchup bottles and salt shakers?" He asked angrily, "The famous Richard Gilmore is going to let his daughter settle for that?"

Richard shook his head, "Finding someone who loves you unconditionally isn't settling Christopher. It's one of the greatest joys in life…a joy that most people never have the opportunity to have. But my daughter found that kind of love and I am going to make sure she doesn't lose it again."

Christopher sighed and leaned back in his chair, "She'll find a way to screw it up. You know she will. She always does."

Richard shook his head adamantly, "Not this time Christopher. Not this time. You screwed it up for her." Leaning down, he braced his fists on the cool metal table and glared down at Christopher. "My daughter is more amazing than I ever gave her credit for and I am sorry for that. But you will never, EVER lay another hand on her." He smiled, "And if by some strange chance you do…" He gritted his teeth, "I'll make sure you wished you were never born. I'll make sure the world knows just what kind of man you actually are. Understood?"

Christopher just stared up at him, unable to find any words to respond this time. He was tired and finally ready to give up the fight. He watched Richard smile in response as he stood up straight again and straightened out his suit.

"Well…now that that is settled." He cleared his throat and nodded at the guards, "I'll see you in court Christopher. In the mean time…" He sniffed at the air, "Enjoy your new home. I'd get used to it if I were you. I think you'll be here awhile."

Richard walked out of the room and didn't turn back. For the first time in a long time, he was going to do what was right for his daughter. He was going to make sure she had everything and anything she wanted no matter what it took.

So what did you think? I hope you liked it! Let me know and drop a review! Upnext-Richard talks to Lorelai about the fact that she wasn't ever legally married and what her options are now and much more! I'll try and update as soon as possible!