TITLE: "That Elusive Soulmate"
AUTHOR: Ann
EMAIL: DadStock@aol.com
SPOILER: Takes place after "The Bracebridge Dinner"
RATING: NC-17
PAIRING: Lorelai/Christopher
SUMMARY: When Christopher visits again, Lorelai has to deal with some lingering feelings for him.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing; all characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB.

* * *

Part 1

Rory and Lorelai sat on their living room couch deeply entranced in "The Goonies," which they’d seen 100 times before and were reciting all the lines along with the characters. Just as poor Chunk found himself locked in with the dead body, the phone rang. Lorelai and Rory glanced at each other quickly.

"Not it!" Lorelai yelled.

"Not. . .damn," Rory yelled, seconds too late.

"Ha!" Lorelai laughed. "You lose. Get it kid." She brought her gaze back to the movie as Rory stuck her tongue out at her and walked over to the phone.

"Hello?" Rory answered. "Dad! Hey."

Lorelai’s ears perked up. She narrowed her eyes and stopped the video to listen to Rory’s conversation.

Rory leaned against the hallway wall as she spoke. "Yeah, it was fun.. . . He’s fine. . . Yup, we started a few days ago. . . . Uh huh.. . . Yeah, I know. . . Okay, hold on." Rory cupped her hand over the mouthpiece as she walked towards Lorelai. "Dad wants to talk to you." Rory handed her the phone, then sat down on the couch next to Lorelai.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows slightly, and quickly said into the phone, "Chris? Hey."

"Lor, hi. Uh, how’s everything going?" Christopher asked.

"Eh, it’s going okay," Lorelai replied. "I’ve recently taken up stripping as a pastime and yesterday I accidentally ripped my favorite G-string, so I’m a little upset about that."

Christopher laughed on the other side of the phone. Rory, however, rolled her eyes and said, "Ugh, Mom." She stood up and walked into her bedroom.

"Wow. Well, I’m sorry to hear about that, but I do thank you for the graphic image of you stripping," Christopher said.

Lorelai smiled as she pictured the amused look on Chris’ face. She said, "You’re welcome. But you shouldn’t be thinking about images like that unless they’re about -- uh, what’s her name? Sheryl? Shirley?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Lorelai narrowed her eyes in confusion as she asked, "Christopher, you there?"

Finally Christopher said, "Uh, that’s why I called." He sighed into the phone. "Um, Sherry -- her name is Sherry, by the way -- we kind of broke up."

Lorelai gasped, shocked at the news. "Oh no, Chris, I’m so sorry. But you guys were so. . . what happened?"

Christopher sighed. "It’s a long story. A really long story. The thing is, though, that I was wondering if I might be able to stay with you guys for a few days. I just. . .I really need to get out of Boston for a little while. I mean, I don’t know if you guys have plans or - "

"No, Chris, it’s fine," Lorelai interrupted. "You’re welcome to stay here. Rory’ll love having you around." Lorelai bit her lip, not mentioning the fact that she’d love having him around just as much as Rory.

Christopher breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Lor. I really appreciate it."

"No trouble at all," Lorelai said. "Uh, you still have the Volvo?"

Christopher laughed. "Yeah, still got it. And my Volvo and I will be there tomorrow night, like 5-ish. That okay?"

"Yeah, that’s fine," Lorelai replied. "You’ll be just in time for dinner at my parents." She smiled as she waited for his reaction.

Christopher laughed. "Yeah, well let’s not invite my parents this time. I’m fresh out of Tequila and I’ve misplaced my shotgun."

Lorelai laughed. "Deal. So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow."

"Yes you will. Thanks a lot, Lor," Christopher said. "Bye."

"Bye." Lorelai said. She turned off the phone and tossed it on the couch. "Hmm."

Lorelai sat and stared at the fireplace, thinking about what it would be like having Christopher there. She always felt so safe when she was with him, so casual and comfortable when he was around. Of course, part of her felt bad for him that he and Sherry had broken up. What made her feel even worse was the fact that she was also relieved about it. She scolded herself for feeling that way, and tried to forget the feelings of jealousy she’d felt towards Sherry, towards that woman she’d never even met. She also tried not to think about the underlying reasons of her jealousy. She didn’t want to admit the fact that something was still there -- some feelings for Christopher would *always* still be there. She stared into space for a few minutes, then walked into Rory’s room to tell her the news.

* * *

At 4 p.m. the next day, Lorelai walked into the kitchen and started making a pot of coffee. As it was brewing, she picked up the phone off the kitchen table and dialed a number.

"Hello?" Emily answered.

"Mom, hi," Lorelai said. "Uh, I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to be three for dinner tonight, if that’s okay."

"Three?" Emily said, followed by a haughty sigh. "Well, you haven’t given me much notice. Who may I ask are you bringing? That Dean boy again?"

"Oh no, we’ve got a foreign exchange student here from Jamaica, and he said if you’re really nice to him, he’d do your hair in dreadlocks." Lorelai smiled to herself as she pictured the image.

"Lorelai," Emily said in an annoyed voice. "I’m in no mood for your jokes."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Christopher’s visiting, Mom, okay? It’s just Christopher."

"Oh, that’ll be lovely," Emily said, sounding happier. "We haven’t seen him since the ball."

"Yup, he should be here soon Mom. We’ll see ya tonight," Lorelai said.

"Yes, see you tonight. Goodbye," Emily said.

"Bye Mother." Lorelai hung up the phone. She sat down at the table and started flipping through Glamour.

A few minutes later, Rory walked in the back door. "Hey." She walked over to Lorelai and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then put her bookbag on the chair. She smiled. "Is he here yet? I didn’t see his car outside." She pulled off her jacket and scarf.

Lorelai smiled at how excited she seemed. "Nope, not yet. Soon." She stood up and walked over to the coffeepot. "You want some coffee?"

"Yes please. I’m gonna change for dinner." She took her bookbag into her room and set it on her desk chair. She pulled a dress out of her closet and lay it on her bed, then walked back into the kitchen. "Actually, I’ll just stay in this until we’re ready to go."

Lorelai smirked as she brought their coffee to the table. "You just want to show off to your dad how smart you look in your uniform."

Rory smiled shyly. "I do not. I just don’t want to dirty any more clothes." She took a sip of coffee and smiled down at the table.

Lorelai smiled. "Mm hmm. How was school?"

Rory shrugged. "Same old stuff. Lots of homework to do this weekend, which sucks since I wanted to spend time with Dad."

"Aw, yeah, that does stink," Lorelai said sympathetically. "Well, he’ll be here for a few days so hopefully you won’t be working the entire time."

Rory nodded. "Hopefully." She paused and took another sip of coffee. "So Dad didn’t say what happened with Sherry?"

Lorelai shook her head. "He just said that it’s a long story. I thought things were going good with them, though. I mean, you don’t do a picture Christmas card with just anyone."

Rory pouted her lips. "Poor Dad. He didn’t sound overly upset when I talked to him. How was he with you?"

Lorelai replied, "Well, it’s hard to say because I’m so naturally charming that people are always happy around me."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Right, you’re just a ball of fun all the time," she said sarcastically.

Lorelai laughed. "I know. But he seemed like his regular old self." She shrugged. "Look, if he brings it up, then okay, but let’s not go meddling."

Rory gave Lorelai a pointed look and laughed. "You won’t even last an hour before you go prying into it."

Lorelai scoffed. "Excuse me, I think I know when to pry and when not to pry."

Rory, with a small smile on her lips, mockingly said, "Yes, Mom, you never ever say anything without putting deep thought into it."

Lorelai pouted. "Shush, you, I’m busy reading." Lorelai went back to her magazine, flipping through the remaining pages slowly.

Rory finished her coffee and walked into the living room, flipping on the TV. As Lorelai finished the magazine, she wandered in and sat down next to Rory on the couch, absently staring towards the TV but not really paying attention to it. It wasn’t long before they heard a car horn out front. Both girls popped up off the couch and walked out the front door.

Lorelai smiled as Christopher stepped out of the Volvo, and a mixture of feelings ran through her body. Seeing him made her feel a sense of comfort and happiness that she felt with no one else. She couldn’t ignore the fact that she was thrilled to see him.

Lorelai waited on the porch as Rory ran down to the car and gave him a huge hug. They finally broke apart and walked to the porch, and Lorelai greeted Christopher with a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hey you. You get good mileage?"

Christopher smiled. "Almost 30 per gallon on the highway."

Lorelai raised her eyebrows and nodded impressively. "Wow, that’s good." She paused. "Isn’t it?"

Christopher laughed and said, "Yeah, it’s pretty good."

"Uh, well congratulations then," Lorelai said. She stared at Christopher for a moment before she casually glanced towards the car. Thoughts started running through her head as she started to feel those feelings again; the ones that had been stored deep inside of her since she was a teenager and came back out whenever she saw him. Only this time they seemed to be stronger than ever.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Rory asked Christopher, "Where’s your stuff? Can I help you with it?"

Christopher gestured towards the car. "Ah, in the trunk. I’ll get it later. I just needed to get out and stretch for a bit first." He leaned forward a little, stretching out his back.

"You wanna go get some coffee?" Lorelai asked. "We can walk to Luke’s before we leave for dinner, you can stretch out your legs a little."

"Yeah, that’d be good," Christopher said. "Uh, nature calls first." He walked past them and into the house, leaving the front door open.

"Very nice," Lorelai said. She and Rory followed him into the house and grabbed their coats. They stepped back outside and waited on the front porch.

"This is gonna be so great having him around," Rory whispered.

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah. But why are you whispering?" Lorelai whispered back.

Rory smiled and shrugged, then leaned against the porch railing. Lorelai could see in her face how excited she was to have her dad around, and it made Lorelai twice as happy than she already was. Seconds later, Christopher walked out the front door, pulling it closed behind him.

"Ready?" Lorelai asked, zippering up her coat.

"Yup, let’s go," he said, rubbing his palms together. "Wow, it’s cold out here. Let’s walk fast."

They walked down the porch steps and headed for Luke’s. Rory talked about school, Lorelai and Christopher talked about work, they talked about the town. No one brought up Sherry or referred to her or the break up at all. As they walked into Luke’s, Christopher laughed and said, "No chai latte this time."

Lorelai laughed. "I’ll never forget the look on Luke’s face when you asked him for that."

As they reached the counter, Luke looked up from his pad and smiled at Lorelai and Rory, but his face seemed to tighten as he saw Christopher standing behind them. "Hey. What can I get you?"

"Uh, Luke, you remember Christopher right? Rory’s Dad?" Lorelai said.

"Yeah. How’s it going?" Luke said, nodding towards him.

"It’s going okay, thanks," Christopher said. "Uh, we’ll have three coffees please."

Luke nodded and turned around to fill their order. A minute later, he placed the mugs in front of them. Christopher paid for them and they walked to a table and sat down. As they watched bundled up townspeople walking by the window, they sipped their hot coffees and talked. Several refills later, they finally stood up and headed back to the house. They grabbed Christopher’s baggage from the car and carried it inside.

* * *

At slightly before 7 p.m., they pulled up to Richard and Emily’s house in the Volvo Sedan. They walked up to the front door and rang the bell, and a moment later Emily answered. She smiled upon seeing Christopher and invited them inside. Rory and Lorelai removed their coats and hung them up as Emily fawned over Christopher.

"Christopher, how are you?" Emily asked as she gave him a hug.

"I’m good Emily, how are you? Looking lovely as ever. You just get more beautiful every time I see you," Christopher said, tilting his head and flashing that bright smile of his. He started removing his coat.

Emily smiled an embarrassed smile. "Aw, Christopher, stop! Come in, come in." She headed for the living room and Rory followed her. Lorelai hung back as Chris hung up his coat.

"Suck up," Lorelai whispered.

He laughed. "I know, I’m quite the charmer. You can’t get through life with just good looks, you know."

They walked into the living room and found Rory already holding a soda, sitting on the couch with Emily. Richard was standing near the bar.

"Hey Dad," Lorelai said. She sat down on the empty couch as Christopher walked over to Richard and shook his hand.

"Richard, good to see you. How’s retirement going?" Christopher asked.

"Oh, it’s going fine," Richard replied. "Just fine. If I knew it would be this good, I would’ve done it years ago."

"Ah, you give me something to look forward to then," Christopher said. Richard handed him two glasses of wine and Christopher brought them to the couch. He handed one to Lorelai before sitting down next to her. Richard handed Emily a glass, then took his seat in the armchair.

They started talking about school, work, and fund-raisers, and soon the maid entered the room to announce dinner. They brought their drinks to the table. Emily and Richard sat at either end, and Lorelai sat across from Rory and Christopher. They continued their conversation throughout the meal and into dessert, during which Lorelai kept subtly glancing at Christopher.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he ate his dinner, watched him interact with Rory and her parents, watched him flash that smile that made her melt. Her feelings for him seemed to be intensifying, but she wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. As she stared down at the tiramisu on her plate, questions were running rampant through her mind: Did she just feel this way because he was here now, and would the feelings go away if he left? Did she feel this way because Sherry was gone and he was available again? Or was it possible that she actually felt this way because she really wanted to give it another chance with him?

She brought her eyes up from her plate and glanced at Christopher, and caught him staring back at her. Their eyes met and they smiled at each other. They both glanced away and continued eating. After dessert, everyone returned to the living room for more drinks and conversation.

Finally, Lorelai stood up and said, "We should really get going. Thanks for dinner."

Christopher followed suit by standing up and saying, "Yes, thank you. It was great."

Emily, Richard and Rory stood up also, and they all walked to the front hallway to say goodbye.

The three guests walked out to the car but didn’t get in right away. Rory said, "Well, that went considerably better than last time."

Lorelai laughed. "Uh, starting a small fire in the middle of the living room would’ve been better than last time."

Christopher smiled. "No, starting a small fire in Emily’s hair would’ve been better than last time."

Rory laughed. "Dad!" She walked to the back door and pulled it open.

Lorelai smacked Christopher on the arm. "Stop giving Rory ideas on how to attack her grandmother."

Christopher laughed. "Sorry, sorry. Rory, never light your Grandma on fire, okay?"

Rory smiled and playfully saluted him. "Yes sir." She climbed into the back seat of the car.

Lorelai and Christopher stood in front of the car for a few seconds smiling before Lorelai finally turned and walked to the passenger door. Christopher walked to his own door and they both climbed in. They rode home, all of them tired, particularly Christopher who’d spent much of the day driving. However, despite his constant yawning and Lorelai’s offer to drive, he still insisted that he drive home.

They pulled up to Lorelai’s house almost 45 minutes later. They slowly climbed out of the car and dragged themselves into the house. Rory immediately said goodnight and went into her room, shutting the door behind her. Lorelai and Christopher took off their coats and lingered in the hallway for a minute.

Finally Lorelai said, "Well, uh, it was a fun night, but I’m beat. I’ll see you tomorrow." She leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Night."

"Goodnight Lor," Christopher said. "And thanks again for letting me stay here. I really appreciate it." Christopher leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned against him and felt herself relaxing into his arms, that feeling of comfort filling her body.

She finally pulled back from the warmth of his embrace and smiled at him. "You’re welcome." She walked to the staircase and went up to her room, locking herself inside and collapsing on the bed.

She lay there staring at the ceiling, wondering what to do about the feelings she felt. She didn’t know whether she should make them known or not, considering the fact she didn’t even know if he still had feelings for her anymore. She didn’t want to ruin the closeness that they had, didn’t want to make things weird between them.

The one thing she did know was that her feelings for Christopher were getting stronger. Lying on the bed, she finally admitted to herself that she really was ready to give it another chance with him. She just had to hope that he would feel the same way.

End Part 1