AN: I just want to thank everyone who reviewed and apologise if the story doesn't end the way you want it to, but, well, not everything can always have a prefect, neat, and happy ending.



Part Six ~ Flawed Timing





***

Intuition tells me how to live my day

Intuition tells me when to walk away

Could have turned left

Could have turned right

But I ended up here

Bang in the middle of real life

***



Six weeks later...

Lorelai stood outside the diner for a moment before entering. Today was the day she and Rory moved to Boston. Timing was everything, Lorelai had decided. Forget love, it wasn't enough. She had loved Christopher for years but he hadn't been ready. Now they were finally in the same place at the same time and Luke had entered the equation. But the timing wasn't right for her and Luke either, not with Chris back in her life. Because Chris had always been the one for Lorelai. He was the one who sent her an amazing graduation present. He was the one she called in the middle of her bachelorette party; the one she called when Rory was in hospital. He was always the one she called. Chris knew her like no one else did. Lorelai had to believe it would work out for them this time.

Lorelai wondered if she should just leave without seeing Luke, if that would be easier on both of them. Things hadn't been the same between them for a long time now, and they could never go back to the way they once were. But it wouldn't be right to leave without saying goodbye, so Lorelai forced herself to walk through the diner door.



Luke was talking to a woman in the diner when he looked up to see Lorelai enter.

"Lorelai, hi. I thought you were leaving today?"

"We are," she nodded to the packed car outside, "just stopped by to get some coffee for the road."

"Right." They stood staring at each other.

The woman Luke had been talking to looked back and forth between them and cleared her throat, "hi, I'm Sarah," she introduced herself to Lorelai.

"Sorry, Sarah, this is Lorelai Gilmore," Luke said.

"You're best customer right?" asked Sarah.

"Ex-best," said Luke, "Lorelai's moving to Boston today."

"Well, its nice to meet you," Sarah told Lorelai.

"You too," Lorelai forced a smile. Sarah seemed nice. Cute, friendly, athletic. "You be good to Luke won't you?"

"Of course," Sarah smiled affectionately at him.

"Hey Luke, did you meet her in a Timberland store?" Lorelai asked.

A small smile appeared on Luke's face, "yeah, I guess so."

Sarah looked perplexed, "am I missing something here?"

"Don't worry, it's a good thing," Lorelai assured her. She picked up the coffees, "well it was good to meet you Sarah, I better get going now."

"See ya," said Luke, as if it would be tomorrow. As far as he was concerned, they'd said their goodbyes a month ago.

"Goodbye Luke," Lorelai said softly and simply before turning and walking out the door.

And suddenly it hit him. Luke couldn't believe he might be watching her walk away for good. That might have been the last Lorelai coffee he poured. Luke didn't know if he was ready for that kind of finality. For a moment it seemed as though he would run after her, but his gaze shifted to Sarah.

"Want some more coffee?" he asked.

"No thanks, too much coffee's bad for you. Got any tea?"

Luke nodded his head.



Outside Rory was hugging Lane and crying. She had told Dean not to come and see them off. In the back of her mind, Rory wondered where Jess was. They had left so much unfinished, but she trusted that they'd meet again some day.

Lorelai hugged Sookie, but with dry eyes. There would be no crying for her today.

It seemed as though half the town had come to see them off. Lorelai hugged Jackson, Babette, Miss Patty, and even Michel, but drew the line at Taylor.

Chris, who was sitting in the driver's seat of the jeep, beeped the horn. "Hey girls, time to get going."



Rory wiped away her tears and climbed into the backseat. Lorelai paused and looked at the diner one more time. She took a deep breath. Last chance to make history. Biting her lower lip, she climbed into the car.

"Hi," Chris brushed her cheek with his hand, "I'm really glad you're coming," he turned to smile at Rory.

Was this right? Lorelai wondered. She didn't know anymore. She didn't doubt that Chris would love them both. 'Luke loved you both too,' a voice in the back of her mind said.

Choices were too hard. Sometimes you just had to take a chance, run with it and not look back. Cos life was too short to live with the pain of regret. Lorelai knew a small part of her would always wonder what might have been. But as the jeep pulled away from the curb and the crowd dispersed behind them, Lorelai didn't look back. She stared straight at the road ahead.



***

And I know it aches

And your heart it breaks

You can only take so much



Walk on

Leave it behind

You've got to leave it behind

***



FINIS

Nobody hurt me!



Songs shamelessly ripped off from:

"I love you baby," by Dan Brodie, off last year's 'Stingers' finale where Pete & Mac were maybe gonna get back together only he got Danni pregnant (sounds familiar..)

"I'll dream of you," off the 'Water Rats' soundtrack, from when Frank sailed away, leaving Rachel crying on the dock

"Intuition," by Natalie Imbruglia from the album 'Left of the middle'

"Walk On," by U2 cos Bono's a legend