Fades to Black

Chapter 22: Partings

Disclaimer: I don't own the show or the characters; they belong to the mean, mean creators of Gilmore Girls.

Summary: My version of what happens after the screen fades to black…

A/N: Thank you guys so much for all of your amazing reviews. They really made my day, I'm so glad you liked it

So, basically... after the finale I was trying to think of how I could write this... I thought up every single option there was, you know? But then, I don't know... every single one seemed either too depressing or just stupid.

I also figured that people will be writing all of these different scenarios the entire summer as we all anxiously wait for the premiere. So... basically, this is how I decided to go...

It's simple. It's not too depressing in my opinion. Hopefully, it's going to bring all of us completely heartbroken Java Junkies some hope.

A lot of it is up to your own interpretation... so, think happy thoughts.

Please review.

This is the last chapter, and even if you haven't reviewed before, please just let me know you read it and enjoyed it? It means a lot. Thanks.

Also, since this is the finale, and I just feel like it... There will be a Rory part and a Lorelai part... Just so you know.

She hadn't been to the apartment since he left. It was hard to be there. It felt so empty. She didn't like it.

But it was getting late, and she had absolutely nothing left to do at the paper. So, it was time to face the music.

She got her key and opened the door. She stepped inside and let out a long sign. Still Empty.

She had never lived alone before. Her mom was right, it did suck. This must have been how Lorelai felt when she went away to Yale. She made a mental note to visit her mother soon.

But at least she had Luke.

Rory slumped down into a chair, beside the answering machine. She pressed the shiny, red button.

"Hey Ace, the plane just landed. The ride was long. The guy I was sitting next to was that guy in 10th grade Biology who licked the cow eye ball for fun. I guess I know why my Dad wanted me to take the private jet. I probably should have. I think I smell like... hm... I don't even know... a mixture of Kool-Aid and... cheese that is at least 5 years past the expiration date. Yeah. Call me when you get home."

"So I'm in this store and everything they sell changes color with your mood. Don't worry, I got you things. I might send them to you, if I can't get home for the 4th of July. I'm trying, though. But yeah, I even got Lorelai this crazy head band and some shot glasses. I'm still trying to get her on my good side, and I know you Gilmore Girls with your presents... Yeah... right now, I'm... white. And white means... I'm frustrated, confused or bored. Yep. This is how I'm spending my last day before I have to grow up and be a Hunztberger. You've really had a bad influence on me, Ace. Call me when you get in."

"Well, it's 10 o'clock here. I've been limping around for hours. I'm tired. Where are you? It's 5 o'clock there. Don't work too hard, OK? Just because I'm not there to make you relax once in a while, doesn't mean you can go all out and start working like a maniac. I told Colin and Finn to look after you. Yeah, but then I realized that you'll probably end up looking after them, so I talked to Paris... but yeah, Paris works too hard, too, so I don't know how well that will work. Call me."

"It's 5:45 there. I called your cell and it was off. Where are you? I miss you. I haven't seen Will or Harry yet, but I haven't forgotten. Don't worry."

"I'm gonna pass out soon, Rory. I have to get up at some ungodly hour tomorrow... and then you know, there's jet lag and the time difference and I'm turning into an old man. So, yeah, I guess I'll just go to sleep... but I'll leave my phone on... loud, and I'll put it next to my ear. Call me. It doesn't matter what time."

"So, I can't sleep. London is boring... I can see the exact expression on your face when you heard that. I'm just tired, and I miss you, and I have to work tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. Man, this growing up things sucks, huh?"

"Yeah, I have to get up for work in about... two hours. Call. I'll be up."

"Ace... I have exactly one hour and three minutes left before I have to grow up and be a man, and take responsibility... Man, I have to work on my Mitchum Hunztberger imitations. You do them much better. Call me. I want to hear them."

"51 minutes left... Where are you? I love you. Call me."

"End of new messages."

She smiled, picked up the phone and dialed his number.

Maybe they'd be able to survive the long distance. Maybe it'd be OK.

She somehow managed to drag herself out of the car that morning. The front door seemed much farther away then it normally does. Did she park differently? No. Her jeep was right under the tree where it always was. For some reason, the walk to the house just seemed to take much too long.

She stood at the front door and dug through her purse. Where were her house keys? Did she lose them? Did she forget them somewhere? When did she last have them? She couldn't remember.

She reached under the turtle in search of the house key, but once she lifted the tiny turtle, she realized that, that key hadn't been there for months. She had given it to Luke a while ago.

Great. Now she was locked out of the house. Babette had a key, but she just really didn't feel like going over there. She wasn't in the mood for cheeriness.

She went around the back, crossing her fingers that it would be unlocked. Luke hadn't been around the house for a while, so it should be.

She reached for the door knob and it opened easily. She went inside, and dumped her purse on the kitchen chair.

She looked around her empty kitchen and it somehow just made her sadder. She wasn't sure why they didn't do anything to the kitchen. What did it matter now? Luke wouldn't be around and she hated cooking.

She headed towards the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. She took a bottle of Advil and tried opening the lid. Damn those childproof caps. If Advil is supposed to make you feel better, why does opening it hurt your hand so much?

She finally got it open and downed 4 Advil. Then she dragged herself upstairs to her bedroom. She needed sleep.

Who was she kidding? She wouldn't be able to sleep. She hadn't been able to sleep in days. She got a few hours of sleep on Sookie's couch but that was it. Being in her bedroom just reminded her of how Luke wasn't there with her, and how he never would be.

Who was she kidding? She'd never get married. She just wasn't one of those people. It just never worked out for her. The universe just didn't think she deserved to get married.

She stood outside her bedroom, and couldn't move.

No.

What was he doing here?

There was Luke. He was just lying in her bed. He was lying in her spot, clutching her pillow.

No matter how sad and heartbroken she was, she still really wanted to slid up really close to him, and breathe in those beautiful Luke smells. She wanted him to put his arm around her, and bury his face in her hair.

She really did love him. She loved him so much.

Why couldn't things just ever work out for her?

"Maybe some things just aren't meant to work out, no matter how much you want them to."

She bit her lip, and forced herself to take a deep breath instead of crying. Stupid therapist. Stupid woman that Emily wanted to set up with Christopher. Stupid lady, who thinks she knows everything. Stupid, stupid, lady. So, what if she had some amazing degree and a job and one of those long couch things? So what if she was a good listener and had excellent penmanship? Why did that make everything she said right? Why did that mean she knew more about life than anyone else did?

What did she know anyway? She wasn't married. She was getting set up by Emily Gilmore. She wasn't in a relationship. How can she pretend to know so much about them, if she's still getting set up by my mother? Even I got out of the stage years ago.

She had been staring out the window, and hadn't noticed Luke get up and out of bed. She hadn't even realized he was walking towards her. She didn't even notice him pulling her into a hug until she heard him smelling her hair. She breathed in deep. Luke. He always smelled so... Luke.

She leaned into him, and closed her eyes, just breathing in all that is Luke Danes.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

She wrapped her arms around him. She wasn't ready to let go. She wasn't ready to give up. She just loved him too much to do that.

How could she let go? How could she move on? How could she just forget about him?

Who else could possibly be out there for her? Who else could be... Luke?

She shouldn't have pushed so hard. She should have just talked to him about it instead of just flipping out and yelling at him.

"I love you." She whispered, so softly, he almost couldn't hear her. He was holding on to her so tight, that it somehow comforted her. He kissed her on the top of the head.

"I just... I hadn't seen you in a week, Lorelai, and I knew something was up, and you were avoiding me. And I tried to find you, and call you, but you weren't anywhere, and I was worried. Pattie was in your house, and your jeep was in the driveway, and Michel said he hadn't seen you, and I was worried." He told her, still not letting go.

"I know." She said. She had this lump in her throat. Her head was pounding, as if she had just been crying for hours. Maybe she had. She couldn't remember. It was all such a blur to her.

"Then you show up and the diner, saying you want to elope, and... what was I supposed to do?" He asked.

"Marry me." She told him. Her head was pounding so hard, she was sure he could hear it. Or maybe it was just the sound of his heartbeat next to her ear. Maybe it was both. She couldn't tell. She didn't care.

"I want to marry you. I will marry you. I just... I knew something was wrong. I couldn't just marry you to make what is wrong, better... that just doesn't work... not really." He told her.

"I know." She whispered. It was the truth. She did know. Eloping wouldn't have made anything better. It might have for a little while, but they really did just need to talk. They needed to figure it all out before they got married. She needed to stop avoiding him and all of the problems. She needed to tell him when something was wrong. He needed to pay attention more. He needed to ask her for help.

"We had to talk about it. Getting married doesn't just make it go away, and I... I didn't want you to regret it." He told her.

"I wouldn't have." She told him, certainly.

"You don't know that." He told her.

She shook her head. "Yes I do, Luke. I love you. I've never loved anyone, until you." She told him, holding on to him, like her life depended on it. Who knows. Maybe it did.

She felt him reach for her hand. He began playing with her engagement ring. There was a moment, where her heart stopped and she thought, just for a split second, that he was going to take it off her.

"I was worried you were going to throw it in the lake or something." He told her, as a tiny attempt to make this a bit easier. She appreciated it.

She looked down at the beautiful ring on her finger and shook his head. "No." She told him, still leaning against his chest. She never wanted to take it off. She never wanted to let go. She never wanted to give up.

"We'll fix this, OK?" He told her, in a way that just made her believe him, no matter what.

She pulled away then, and looked up at him. It was the first time she had really looked at his face since she saw him sleeping in their bed. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept that entire night.

He had bags under his eyes. His hair was messy. His shirt was wrinkled. The buttons were buttoned in the wrong holes. He hadn't shaved in a few days. He looked somewhat paler. His eyes were glassy.

But she had never loved him more.

She nodded, slid her arms around his neck, and kissed him. His hands landed on her hips, and it was just perfect.

They would fix this. They really would.

They just loved each other too much not to fix it.

He pulled away after a while. Both were so out of breath, but neither wanted to pull away. "How about June 3rd?" He asked her.

She looked up at him, at his face again. Somehow, he just seemed like he was back to life again. Somehow the bags under his eyes just weren't so noticeable. His hair wasn't messy, it was curly and adorable, and perfect for running her fingers through. His unshaven face was just... Luke and she loved it. His shirt and it's button didn't even matter. The color had returned to his face. His eyes weren't glassy, they were the brightest she had ever seen them.

"Perfect." She told him. She knew they still had things to talk about and figure out. She knew that. She knew they would still have to work on their relationship a little more. She knew they would have to be more open with each other. Sure, her parents had been married 40 years and barely ever communicated, but when had Lorelai ever done anything like her parents? She knew they still had to adapt and learn how to combine their two lives into one. But she also knew, that they could do it.

"This way Rory will be there... and your parents...and Sookie..." He continued to tell her.

"And April." She added, smiling at him.

So, I stayed home sick today and you guys get an update! Wooo...

Well, seriously, how many days until the premiere? I just want to know how the new guy (I can't spell his last name) is going to handle this... Every possibility I think of is just depressing or lame... I mean, if this thing really did happen and it's not some dream or something, I guess Lorelai won't tell Luke. I mean, how would he ever be able to forgive her? I mean... they aren't broken up. Nothing was said or done that made it completely official. Lorelai didn't give him the ring back, she didn't tell them they were over... I guess you could say that the "now or never," thing could possibly mean something... but it's not official enough, you know? So yes, I'm gonna guess that the premiere will show , either...

what happened in between Lorelai going inside and then sleeping in his bed... and it will show that they actually didn't do anything, and it somehow was some misunderstanding... I don't know how they'll do it, but you never know.

It will show Lorelai waking up from some horrible dream, and she actually fell asleep on Sookie's couch again, or in her own bed after breaking up with Luke...which you know, would make me extremely happy, but it would also be sort of lame...

Or... and I'm really hoping this isn't it... It will have happened & Lorelai will just not tell Luke. It's just... Lorelai will have to see him a lot. Awkward.

For the episode... Eh... I loved Lorelai in the car, saying, "I don't think I've ever loved anyone, until Luke." That quote alone is what is giving me hope. She loves Luke. That's all. I love how she described why she proposed. That was sweet. I also loved when she said she wanted to have another kid. Its just sweet. I also liked the Rory/Logan scenes. I've never really been a huge Rogan fan. I have nothing against them, I just... Idk. I thought those scenes were sweet. I liked Emily setting up Chris with someone. It shows she doesn't want him and Lorelai to get together anymore. I hated the scene in the bathroom. When's Chris going to get over Lorelai? Seriously... Ughhhh! Him touching her arm like that just bothered me. Probably because I knew what was going to happen, but still... Let's see... The troubadour thing confused me... the way it was... it just seemed way too random. It just felt like it was only there to fill up space. I don't know. I just didn't really like it. I liked Dan, though.

So, basically, this season was... well... yeah. I felt like, some of the things characters were doing, were in fact, realistic, but they were way, way over exaggerated. I mean, I can see Lorelai giving Rory space when she's at the Gilmore's, but DEFINITELY not for THAT long. Same with Lorelai keeping quiet, and for Luke not telling Lorelai about April. Also, I don't think he would be so completely clueless to how Lorelai is feeling, no matter what else is going on in his life. Maybe it's just me. I just felt like this was too exaggerated. Also, I got sort of sick of the back and forth between Rory and Logan... First they were going good, and then they break up, and then get back together... then a week later Rory finds out he cheated and they break up... then they get back together, but Rory is all mad... and then Logan gets hurt and she loves him again. It just felt like every other week they were breaking up and getting back together. I don't know.

I just wish I knew how ASP would have fixed this, you know? And it's so sad that this was the last thing she gets to do on GG. I mean, what a way to go... It sucks. As mad at her as I am, I still love her, and she did give us this beautiful show. IT just sucks. I just want to know what she had planned to do. Except, knowing her, it probably would have been something mean.

What was with all the pregnancy stuff the past few eps? Like every other episode there'd be some hint about kids and being pregnant. I know that's an exaggeration, but there were a couple the past few episodes.

I know I said nothing about the Chris thing in the story... I just don't want to think about it or deal with it... plus all the reasons I said in the top A/N. I'd rather just pretend it didn't happen... So yeah, just interpret it in your own way... It happened, it didn't happen. You decide.

Oh, also sorry if Logan is very out of character. I don't think I've ever written him before... Plus he was almost a completely different character in last night's episode.

Wow, so this is super long. Sorry. I just have a lot to rant about, and as much as I hate school starting again... especially since it hasn't even ended yet, I really want to know how this is all going to go down.

Please review.

This is the last chapter and I'd love billions of reviews! They really make me smile. Plus, I'd love to hear what you guys think about all of this... Oh, and I know I've said this hundreds of times but I'm going to change the title of this cuz it really bugs me. I'm trying to find some quote from this season like the "If One of Us Had Beena Frog" thing I used for my other story... If you've got suggestions I will love you forever.

Some season, huh?

Yeah.