POKING NORMALCY IN THE BACKSIDE

By Oregano

                Lorelai Gilmore carried a bag of candy and walked against the bitter and cold wind.  Bitter and cold.  Huh.  Reminded her of Luke.  Stupid Luke.  He was still being all civil and proprietor-y.  She hated that. 

Lorelai gripped the plastic bag she was holding even tighter. 

She was also alone now.  Her daughter Rory had skipped off to Washington, leaving her to fend for herself against Evil Luke and to pick up the pieces of her heart which Christopher The Ass had smashed with his psychological sledgehammer.

Lorelai forced back a sob.  She started to walk faster. 

When Lorelai reached her house, she was already drowning.

The girl stood on the dock, staring sadly after the love of her life.  As the wedding ship sailed farther into the sunset, she closed her eyes and gave into her tears.  She leaned against the wooden pole behind her and slid to the floor crying for her prince.

“I so know how you feel, Ariel.” Lorelai said miserably.  The Little Mermaid had to be one of the greatest movies of all time.  Walt had really outdone himself on this one. 

Lorelai stabbed the ice cream that was coldly burning her hand.  It was moments like these where she missed Rory the most.

She turned the television and video player off without bothering to finish the movie.  Sighing dejectedly, she readied herself for another lonely night alone in the big quiet house.

Lorelai twisted and turned, as if it would help her sleep.  Actually, it just helped her get stuck in the covers and nearly get strangled by it.  With a huff, she sat up. 

Little beams of moonlight found their way to her bedroom window.  Maybe a midnight walk around the town would help her relax.  Lorelai went over to her closet and grabbed a thick coat.  She looked down at her pizza pajamas and shrugged.  She put the coat over her sleep-wear and grabbed some sneakers.

After a minute, she was out the door.

It was a cold night tonight; quiet, too.  The gravel crunched below her with each step she took.  Lorelai inhaled deeply, and for a moment, she forgot all her demons. 

A movement caught her attention.  A person slowly shuffled towards the old bridge by the school.  Was that…

“Jess?”

Hell no.  Jess was gone.  He was somewhere in New York killing someone else with a car.

Lorelai quickly followed him, careful not to be seen.  Walking around the bridge, behind the trees and shrubs, Lorelai saw him.

Jess was back. 

A surge of anger went through Lorelai.  It took all of her strength to keep her from charging towards him and breaking his legs.  Frowning, she crouched lower and peered at the little punk through a thick wall of greenery. 

Jess sat facing her, a book in his hands.  He was reading. 

Lorelai took a moment to miss her daughter. 

Rory was like that, too.  Every time Rory was absorbed in a book, a little bubble would form around her.  She would emit this aura of comfort that relaxed her.  Lorelai would just smile and walk away.

Despite her anger, Lorelai found herself entertaining a familiar feeling.  It bubbled up from inside her chest and slowly made its way up her lips.

Lorelai was smiling.  Because of Jess.

Dear God, what has the world come to?

She blinked and slapped her mouth.  She had to get out of there.  She had to leave.  If she stayed another second, she would probably run out of her hiding place, hug Jess and call him her daughter for all eternity or something.

Lorelai turned to leave but her foot landed on a slick surface.   Her eyes widened as she found herself slipping.  She desperately tried to grab some sort of branch, but all she could gather were twigs and dead leaves.  After a minute of rustling around, Lorelai let out a breath and frowned.  It was useless.  Jess probably already knew someone was there and she’d just get ever dirtier, anyway.

With a heavy sigh, she surrendered to gravity.

SPLASH!

Dammit.