Hi all,
I just want to say I am sooo sorry for taking 4 months… 4 months?? To post this next chapter. I have to tell you I had a lot of problems going on from my job to my house to my computer crashing to losing my notebooks with my chapter notes in them… aaahhhhh! LOL Well I had to restart this chapter because the computer crashed and had to do it from memory because of the missing notebooks. But I found the notes in the nick of time and was able to finish this chapter and have already gotten a fair chunk of the next one written. So yay for me finally!! LOL Anyway this was not an easy chapter to write and I am not 100 percent happy about it but I can only re-read it so many times and you have all waited sooooo long that I am going to go ahead and post it. Please definitely tell me what you think because eventually I will do re-writes to improve it so any thoughts are very much welcome no matter what they are. I do hope you enjoy this chapter though and I promise not to make you wait so long for the next one.
Chapter 29
Luke stood in the diner wiping the counter absently as he thought about his date with Lorelai tonight. He was so happy that they were back on track. He couldn't seem to wipe the smile off of his face. Even Taylor couldn't ruffle his feathers. They had moved in together and were working through what had happened between them and with Chris. Especially with Chris. She had finally opened up and told him everything that she remembered about that night. It had been hard at first. She couldn't look at him when she began talking but as she continued he gently ran his hand up and down her back in silent support and eventually she had looked at him and kept talking.
Once they had both got all of their feelings out about everything that had happened they began to heal more and more. And as they healed they grew even closer; closer then they had ever been. And tonight he was going to take her out to a romantic dinner and treat her to a wonderful evening. He wanted to make her feel good; like she was the most important woman in the world to him.
He was also happy at how she and April were getting along. She had spent a couple of nights at their house in the last couple weeks and they had always had a great time. April loved Lorelai and they had fun teasing Luke like she and Rory used to. He knew they had talked a little about what had gone on before. He heard one conversation they had had the first night she had stayed over and Luke had never thought he could love her more after that.
April had broached the subject of spending a weekend over with them and Luke had promised to talk to Anna about it. He wasn't sure how she would respond to it but he was definitely going to do what he could to make that happen.
He looked up at the clock and sighed. Just a few more hours until he left to pick up Lorelai. The day seemed to be dragging on. He walked into the kitchen to find something to do to keep himself occupied and make the day go faster.
The house was dark and quiet. All of the lights were off except for a few very low wattage lamps casting an eerie glow around the first floor. The door to the basement stood open and sounds of metal hitting metal could be heard. Chris stood back panting as he surveyed his work. He had come here to make sure everything was set up. The frame work was secured to the wall and was ready to go. He had placed a futon mattress on the floor underneath it and had restraints attached and ready to be put to use.
He was satisfied with his work. Now he just had to stock, within reach a few necessities that she would need when he could not be there. It took him another thirty minutes to get the supplies set up and when it was all done he went upstairs to the living room bar and made himself a drink.
As he sipped his drink he walked around the room thinking about what was next. He wanted to make his move tonight. He couldn't wait anymore. He walked over to the window and stood looking out at the afternoon light and looked at his watch; only a few hours until everything was underway. His heart started to beat rapidly as he thought of what he would have at the end of the night.
He furrowed his brow a moment; he knew he would have to leave her here overnight; maybe even a few nights before he could come back. He would have to make sure she was secure before he left to go back to the hotel. But with the supplies he left she should be ok.
He finished his drink and set down the glass on the end table and walked out of the room. Grabbing his coat he went out to his car and headed out. It was time to scout his hiding spot for tonight.
Lorelai sat in her office trying to get her paperwork done. She couldn't stop thinking about Luke and their date tonight. She was excited. They were going on a real date. Over the last two weeks their relationship had changed in a wonderful way. They had such a deep knowledge and understanding of each other. Luke had done nothing but support her as she finally talked about that night. She knew deep down that she couldn't really move on until she talked about it. She thought about calling Dr. Zak herself but was very uncomfortable trusting a psychologist again.
But she did trust Luke. He knew what had happened and had done nothing but love her. He didn't blame her anymore for what had happened. And that happened before he knew what Chris had done so she knew it was real.
She was happy he had moved in with her too. To go to sleep and wake up with him every day was the best feeling in the world. She wanted them to continue to move forward and tonight she would take the next step.
She was jarred from her thoughts by a knock on her door and Sookie stuck her head in. "Hey honey, you ok?"
"Hey Sook… yeah I'm fine. Why do you ask?" She was starting to get tired of hearing that question.
"You've been holed up in here for a while, that's all." She came in and shut the door before sitting in a chair across from her.
"Yeah… I know. I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on." She smiled dreamily as she spoke.
Sookie stared at her for a moment. "Why are you smiling? You never smile about paperwork." She reached over and pressed a hand to her forehead. "How do you feel? You feel ok?"
Lorelai laughed at her friend and pushed her hand away. "I'm fine Sook. Really."
Sookie looked at her skeptically.
"Really! I swear I'm fine." She brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm just really happy."
"Really?" She sat back in the chair. "Why?" She asked ready for some happy girl talk.
The smile blossomed on Lorelai's face once more. "Luke."
"Ah, so is it a certain backwards baseball cap, flannel wearing diner owner that we both know that is keeping that smile on your face?" She was so glad that they were back together and was curious to know how that had all come about but waited to see if Lorelai wanted to talk about it before she started asking questions. She was trying to be less intrusive because of all that had happened lately. She thought she may need a little space to deal with everything. She didn't want her to overload because she had been known to run away when things got too tough.
Lorelai couldn't help but smile at her as she spoke. "Yeah… he's picking me up for a date tonight."
"Oh honey that's great!" She clapped her hands together. "I am sooo happy you two are back together!"
"Oh me too, Sookie, me too." She put her pen down and sat back in her chair. "It's been hard and painful but we are definitely on track now."
"So you guys… talked? And he… you know forgave you and you him and…" She stopped to look at Lorelai.
"Oh, Sookie he's been so great about everything." She gushed. Then a shadow seemed to pass over her features for a moment and she looked up at Sookie again before she got up and started to pace the room.
She nervously watched Lorelai pace the room for a few minutes and was sorry she mentioned it. She was about to tell her to forget she said anything when Lorelai wrapped her arms around herself and began to speak.
"That's the thing Sookie." She stared down at the floor a moment and blew out a breath. "I know everyone thinks I slept with Christopher but…" She stopped again trying to work up the nerve to tell Sookie the truth.
Sookie watched her closely. "Honey…"
"Sookie, I am going to tell you something…" She came over and sat next to her with her hands folded in her lap. "I need you to promise me something."
"Anything, sweetie." Sookie was a little freaked out.
"Promise me you won't tell anyone what I am going to tell you." She looked at her pointedly. "Not even Jackson."
"Honey, you're really starting to scare me." Sookie started to fidget nervously.
"Promise me." She demanded quietly. "I mean it Sookie, promise me."
Sookie just sat there and looked at her. She wanted to promise but she told Jackson everything and wasn't sure if she could keep her mouth shut. Then she looked at Lorelai's face and nodded her head. "I promise."
"Ok." She got up and began to pace again. "Ok." She stopped and looked at Sookie. "Chris… boy this is hard." She realized that she had never really said it out loud since she had told Luke. She walked over and sat next to Sookie. "Chris raped me that night Sookie." She kept her gaze fixed on her hands while she waited for Sookie's reaction. She wasn't sure how she would take this news. After a moment of silence she couldn't help but look up and saw Sookie's eyes full of tears.
"Oh honey." She leaned over and wrapped her arms around her as they both broke down.
Lorelai took a deep breath and launched into her story. She and Sookie wept together as she told her what had happened to her. Sookie pulled her into a hug. "Oh, honey… I wish I had known before. I would have…"
"What Sookie?" Lorelai looked at her. "What could you have done?" She brushed her hair back out of her face and smiled at her. "The only thing that would have accomplished was the possibility of you getting hurt."
"Oh, well I still wish I had known." She wiped her eyes. "How is Luke about it? I mean… with Chris?"
"He wants to kill him, of course but he understands and… oh Sookie he is so great. He understands and doesn't blame me." She smiled excited.
Sookie laughed. "I am so happy for you honey." She hugged her one more time and looked at the clock. "I am gonna head back to the kitchen and let you finish up so you can go out with Luke."
"Ok… see you later."
"Oh and I want details!" She smiled and quickly shut the door before she could say anything. She just laughed and shook her head and checked her watch. She still had a little bit of a wait so she forced her mind to focus on her paperwork.
He drove out to the woods and parked and camouflaged his car as best he could before making his way towards the diner cutting through the woods. It was early evening so it was still light out so he was careful to keep himself concealed as much as he could. As he reached the row of buildings in the center of town he ducked into the alley as he heard people walking and talking down the street. He blew out a breath and made his way along the alley towards the back of the diner.
Once he reached the dumpster he hid along side as he had done before and waited for Luke to dump the trash when he closed. He was glad he had come early. It gave him a chance to settle in and get comfortable. He wanted to make sure he got rid of Luke before he went for Lorelai. It would make it easier to get her away without worrying about him catching up and finding them.
His thoughts were interrupted by a distinctive voice and he grabbed a board from the ground near him and waited to see what was going on. He could hear Luke yelling to his employees from the back door in the alley. Then he heard foot steps approaching and tightened his grip on the board as he felt his heart begin to race.
Luke was upstairs getting ready to pick up Lorelai. He was surprised to find that he was nervous. They were living together and spending all of their free time together and with their kids. But he was still nervous abou their date. This would be a new beginning for them romantically and he wanted everything to be perfect.
Luke hurried down the stairs in his jeans and tucked in casual button down shirt and walked down into the diner as Ben walked in. "Hey Ben."
"Hey Luke." He waved as he walked into the kitchen.
Luke walked around the diner checking on a few things and thought about tonight. He decided to take her to Sniffy's to see Buddy and Maisy. He wanted to spend a nice evening with people they both loved.
He walked back into the kitchen to see Zack and Ben working away on clean up and prep work. "Ok." He reached down and picked up the trash. "You guys should be able to handle things tonight. You need anything before I go?"
"Nah we're good." Zack waved at him.
"Ok, well I'm out."
"See ya boss." Came the chorus from the kitchen as he walked out to dump the trash.
He walked over to the dumpster and lifted the lid. As his arm was raised he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned in surprise and then felt pain in his head and collapsed in a heap on the ground.
Christopher stood over him with the board and swung it up over his head to swing again but stopped as he heard voices coming closer. He quickly put the board down and grabbed hold of Luke's arms and dragged him beside the dumpster and took off running as the voices grew louder.
He ran off the way he had come and made it to his car in less then ten minutes. He jumped in and slammed his fists on the steering wheel. He wanted to do more then just knock him out but the damn towns people had to ruin it. He decided to cut his losses and go get Lorelai before he woke up. He started the car and drove out of the brush without bothering to knock the branches off and took off towards the Dragonfly.
Lorelai was putting her things away as she finally finished the paperwork she had been doing. She walked out of her office and walked to the front desk to see what was going on. She greeted a few guests and made rounds of the dining room. She looked over at the clock on the wall and frowned. He was late; Luke was never late. Then shook her head as she realized he must have gone home to change for their date. She sighed and headed to the kitchen.
"Hey Sook." She breezed through the door.
"Hey honey. You want some coffee?" She started to grab a cup down and poured some coffee.
"Yes please." She walked over and took the cup from her. "I am gonna go visit the horses and kill time until Luke gets here."
"Ok. You have a good time tonight." She smirked at her. "Tell Luke I said hi."
"I will." She walked out to the barn smiling. She loved horses. It was always a good distraction when she was down. Now she was walking out there to see them just because. She sipped her coffee as she walked into the barn. "Hey Cletus. How are you?" She reached up and ran her hand along it's nose. Cletus grunted in answer.
A loud thump on the side of the barn caught her attention. "Hello?" She called out. "Are you ok?" She wondered if John the stable hand was out back of the barn and walked out the barn door and around to the back to see. "John, are you here?"
She walked around the back of the barn and saw a rake lying at the base of the barn. She shook her head and bent to pick it up.
Chris drove out to the Dragonfly to scope out a spot near her Jeep. As he pulled into the drive he slowed suddenly as he saw her walk into the barn. He smiled to himself as he coasted over to the barn and parked his car. He got out and left the driver's door ajar and snuck around to the back of the barn and looked around quickly.
He saw a rake leaning against the side of the barn and stepped forward grabbing the rake and throwing it at the wall of the barn and jumped behind the bushes a few feet away and waited. He heard Lorelai before he saw her walk around the corner with a cup of coffee in her hand. She stopped and looked around and saw the rake. She shook her head and bent over to pick it up when Chris made his move. He stepped out from behind the bushes towards her, a twig snapping under his foot.
As she bent over she heard a twig snap behind her and turned smiling. "Luke what took you so lo…" Her question was cut off as a sharp pain soared through her jaw and darkness took her and she hit the ground with a thud.
Chris looked down at her prone figure. "Time to come home Lorelai." He stopped down and scooped her up and put her over his shoulder and quickly carried her towards his car, keeping a careful watch for anyone. He opened his car and loaded her inside. Climbing in himself he smiled as he spoke aloud. "Now you're where you belong Lor." He put the car in gear and tried to drive slowly towards the exit and headed out towards the highway
Once he was a ways down the road he found a private road and turned on to it. He got out of the car and opened the back door. He grabbed the duct tape roll from the floor board and taped her wrists behind her back and her ankles together and put a strip over her mouth.
He reached over and popped the trunk and pulled her out of the car and placed her inside shutting the lid carefully. He hurried back to the car and headed toward the highway.
Voices were rushing around him; familiar voices, only muted by the pain in his head. He opened his eyes to see Taylor and Kirk standing over him and he blanched and came fully awake with a start. He closed his eyes again to clear the image from his sight but when he opened them again they were still there. Then he remembered his date with Lorelai and quickly moved to get up only to feel a wave of dizziness rush through him.
Taylor and Kirk each grabbed an arm and helped steady him. "What happened?"
"Well, Luke we were wondering the same thing." He let go of his arm as Luke stood fully upright and shook his head to clear it.
"What did happen Luke?" Kirk asked.
"I was taking out the trash… when something hit me from behind." Suddenly Chris' face flashed in his mind. "Lorelai…" He whispered as he stumbled back into the back door of the diner earning stunned looks from the guys in the kitchen. He grabbed the phone and called the Dragonfly. "Is Lorelai in?"
He listened a moment and his face fell. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah… ok." He started to hang up but remembered Sookie. "Hey… is Sookie still there?" He waited as Tobin answered. "Yeah, let me talk to her."
"Sookie! Yeah… look, I'm on my way there but Tobin said Lorelai was gone."
He listened to Sookie a moment. "Usually I'd agree with you Sookie but I got hit over the head and woke up in the alley behind the diner…"
"Yeah… good. Have them look around and I'll be there in a minute." He hung up and ran out of the diner to his truck and peeled out towards the Dragonfly.
Sookie hung up the phone and wrung her hands. "Jeremy." She grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him to her. "Do me a favor and take another guy and look around the property for Lorelai."
He looked at her sharply. "What…?"
"I think she's missing and we need to find her."
Jeremy looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes and nodded as he walked out to do as he was asked. Sookie was really worried. After everything Lorelai had told her today she just knew something was wrong. She walked around the Inn wringing her hands and waiting for Luke to show up. A few minutes later she saw him bound in through the door and went over to him immediately. "Luke!"
He hurried over to her. "Is she here? Did you find her?" He rushed out knowing in the back of his mind that if she had been found she would have been there when he came in the door.
"No not yet. I have a couple of guys looking around the grounds for her." She was terrified that something had happened to her. Suddenly she jumped and grabbed his arm. "Oh! She told me she was going to hang out at the stables to wait for you!" She remembered.
Luke ran past her and out to the stables to see if she was still there. "Lorelai!" He called out as he ran into the barn looking frantically around for her. No one seemed to be there at the moment and after looking into the stalls he turned and ran back outside and looked around. He made his way over to the fenced in exercise area for the horses and leaned on the fence rails and looked around. He began to make his way along the fence and saw nothing but open field. He walked back towards the front of the barn and tripped over something. He looked down and saw one of Lorelai's shoes laying in the grass and then a coffee cup laying to the side.
He scooped them up and ran back to the inn. As he barged in the door he saw Sookie pacing and ran in and put the shoe and cup on the counter. "Call the police."
TBC…
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I am so happy that so many of you like this story. It makes me want to continue and to make this story as good as it can be. Thank you all so very much for reading.
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