�One, two, free, four, five. Mama, you has five fingders!� Three-year-old Rory announced, holding her mom�s hand up for Lorelai to see. They were in their bed early on a Saturday morning, Lorelai still tired, but happy that her daughter was happy.
Lorelai gasped, �That�s right, sweetie, Mommy has five fingers.� Lorelai said, making sure to enunciate her words as she spoke. Rory was talking very well, but still tended to mispronounce things.
�Mama, I want some eggs.� Rory said, �They look like dannylions!�
�Eggs look like dandelions?� Lorelai asked, amused.
�Yeah!� Rory said, and Lorelai laughed. Her daughter was very precocious; she thought and observed with such great flair.
Lorelai found herself awake at just before six AM on Saturday. She rolled over, sighing as she looked out the window. Light snow was falling outside, a blanket of snow already covering the lawn. �Hey Ro-!� Lorelai began to shout, and then she remembered�Rory was missing. For three days now. Three whole days, and no one could find her baby girl. She shuddered, wrapping arms around herself to keep warm. �I�ll take a shower. Then I�ll call the police and see if there�s anything.� she decided. She stepped into the warm spray a few minutes later, relaxing into the soothing caress of the water running down her back. �Oh, God. Most people who are kidnapped are dead within three hours. It�s been three days. Please don�t let that happen to Rory.� She broke down right there in the shower, sobbing into the spray, letting her tears mingle with the rush of water.
The phone rang as Lorelai stepped from the shower. She ran to answer it, snapping it up, �Rory?�
�Lorelai Gilmore?� a man�s voice said at the other end. It was Chief Denhauser, the Stars Hollow Police Chief.
�Yeah, it�s me. Anything?� Lorelai asked.
�I�m going to need you to come down to the police station. We have a situation,� Chief Denhauser said, brusquely.
�What kind of situation? Did you find her?� Lorelai demanded.
�Ma�am, please head down to the police station as soon as you can.� the chief said, his tone sounding very grave.
Lorelai hummed as she washed the dishes on a warm summer night. She could see five-year-old Rory out the window, playing in her sandbox. She looked down, and then up again, and saw her daughter who was looking frustrated and yelling at something out of Lorelai�s sight.
�Mommy!� Rory�s voice called out, and Lorelai was out the door in a flash, �This duck is bothering me!� Rory looked more annoyed than scared as a small green and brown duck walked towards the sandbox, quacking.
Lorelai grinned, �You want Mommy to get rid of the duck?� she asked.
�Yes, please.� Rory said, �It might poop on my sand castle or something.�
�Okay, honey.� Lorelai ran forward, and chased the duck away. It waddled a few feet, before it took to its wings and flew out of there.
Rory smiled, �Thanks, Mommy.�
�You�re welcome, honey.� Lorelai said, hugging her daughter, �Hey, that�s a nice castle you�ve built there.�
Lorelai raced into the police station a mere twenty minutes later. She raced directly to the chief�s office and burst in without knocking, �What is it?� she asked.
Chief Denhauser hurriedly got up from his desk, �Ma�am, please take a seat.� His face was as troubled as his voice.
�What is it? What happened?� Lorelai asked, but she did sit down.
�Miss Gilmore, as you know, we extended the search to all of Connecticut yesterday and this morning...�
�Oh, God, please no�� Lorelai�s mind screamed.
��my associates in Stamford found a young woman�s body��
�Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!� Lorelai nearly passed out. She was clutching the arms of the chair so fiercely her knuckles were white.
��she matches your description of Rory, and they�ve transported her to this station to see if you can make a positive identification.�
Lorelai stuttered badly, �S-s-so you�re n-n-not sure it w-w-was her?�
�Not positive. We need a family member to make a positive identification.�
�Okay.� That was the only word that would come out of Lorelai�s mouth. She wordlessly followed the chief out of his office, down the hall, down another hall, down some stairs, down another hall, turning left, and there they were. At the morgue.