Touch of Hellfire

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"MOM!"

I ran up to her and I hugged her tightly. "Oh you're back! How was that boat?"

"Amazing," I told her. We tossed all my bags into the car. "I got an email from Duff-man, I have three weeks here," I told her.

"Well, I'll be at the inn today, will you be okay on your own?" Mom asked me.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, plenty of Doctor Who to catch up on," I told her. "Any word from..?"

"Nope," Mom answered me. "Jess isn't in town."

"He's not? Uh, I mean, yeah...he's not...I don't expect him to wait around for me when we're not together so that's fine," I rambled.

"Heather.."

"I didn't expect him to wait, truly," I told her. "Alright," Mom muttered and kept driving.

***

"Porky!" I squealed and the little pig trotted over to me. "Ever think about getting a dog?" Mom asked me.

"Maybe I might get a lab, after I graduate," I told her. "I'm thinking about moving to Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn?" Mom asked me. "It's slightly quieter, I don't own the apartment, once I graduate, I have to move my stuff and get the heck out," I told her.

"Lorelai!" Liz ran up to her and hugged her tightly. "My new sister in law!"

Liz spotted me and ran over to me and hugged me very tightly. "Heather! I heard about your fancy thing in Italy, congrats sweetie!"

"Thank you Liz," I smiled.

"It's official, we're getting a dog," Mom told me. "Don't kill him," I told her.

Mom smacked my shoulder. "Hey!" I protested.

"This is Paul Anka," Mom showed me our new pooch.

Luke was a little stunned by Paul Anka because one, Mom may have been responsible for the deaths of a hamster and turtle and I made this sound like I have three things.

"A dog?" Tessa asked me. "Yes," I nodded.

"A dog?"

"Yes."

"Your mom...got a dog?"

"How many times do I have to say yes?" I asked Tessa. "But didn't she.."

"We don't know what happened with the turtle or the hamster," I told her.

My phone suddenly started ringing. "Always your bloody phone," Tessa complained. "It's not that big of a deal," I grumbled, answering it. "Hello?"

"Hezzy?"

"Rory," I gulped. "How was..the shoot?"

"Fine," I mumbled. "Look..things got..complicated."

"I'm sure they did," I said cynically. "I thought things would better by the time I got home..glad to see I was wrong."

"Don't be like that," Rory scolded me. "Well someone has to be," I spelt it out.

"You have no idea what this is like!"

"Yeah I do, freshman year, my professor literally told me my work was crap, but I didn't drop out of Columbia, I stayed and I tried again," I told her.

I heard her scoff and hang up. "Should I ask?" Tessa wondered.

"Maybe not," I mumbled.

***

"Uh Mom," I pointed up at the roof to find someone just standing there.

"Hi, I'm George!" he yelled down.

"I'm Lorelai," Mom told him. "I own the house you stand on."

Luke joined George on the roof. "What's going on?" I asked Mom. "That I would like to know myself," she muttered.

"Saul you get what you need?" Luke called down.

"I'm good," Saul called back.

"Luke!" I called up. "Maybe tell Mom what's going on so she won't die of a heart attack."

"We're trying to get an extension," Luke told me. "Twickham is too big and I'm making the bedroom and bathroom bigger."

"Come down so I can kiss you!" Mom ordered. "Give me ten minutes," Luke called back.

Mom pulled me into a big hug. "It's getting real."

I looked behind me. "Did Paul Anka lock himself in the car?"

Mom's head whipped around. "How is that possible?"

***

"Mom! Why is there a big hole in the wall of your bedroom?!"

I looked out the hole to see Luke and Mom. "Remind me to kill TJ!" Luke yelled up.

"He did this?!" I freaked.

"You are a heavy sleeper," Mom pointed out. "It's called jet lag," I grumbled.

I woke up the next morning to construction. "Mom? Can I push them off the roof?" I asked her groggily.

My phone rang at about eight when I was heading to Weston's. "Yeah?"

"Mom and Luke are engaged?"

I heard Rory's voice breaking up. "Yeah..they are," I admitted. "I don't want us to be fighting about this, Mom has already shunned me..I don't want you to shun me too."

"I just don't want you to do something that you're gonna regret," I told her. "You're my sister..I'll always love you but you're breaking our hearts here, I'm sorry if you're hurt by us not telling you, but that's just the way it is."

I hung up and I kept walking.