I couldn't stay away long. After all the comments for Overjoyed and requests for this story to continue, I really didn't have to think too much about making it happen. I am so grateful to everyone who stayed with me through that story, and I hope you'll all enjoy the continuation of this Stars Hollow Universe.
Enjoy!
Lorelai Gilmore Danes was nothing if not stubborn.
As she stood on the sidewalk outside her husband's diner, her arms crossed over her chest, she was determined not to let him win this battle. He was moving quickly through the diner in a routine long since perfected, delivering plates and refilling coffee cups. She'd informed him that morning, in a snap of pregnancy hormones, that she was going to continue drinking coffee for the duration of her pregnancy. Luke, having obviously anticipated this declaration, had told her that was fine, but she'd have to look elsewhere for the peanut butter cup pancakes he was planning on making her at the diner that morning.
He was playing mind games with her pregnant, emotional brain, and it wasn't fair.
So now she stood, sweltering in the early July heat, debating her options. She could go to Weston's and have an average cup of coffee with normal, boring, chocolate chip pancakes. Or she could go into the diner, drink a cup of milk, and keep her husband company before she ate what was sure to be the most amazing food he'd ever create for her, but sacrifice her coffee.
"Now I know how Sophie felt," she muttered.
The diner door dinged open and Luke stepped out, smirking at her slightly. "Made a choice yet?" he asked.
Her frown deepened. "You're being mean," she said.
He glanced around for a moment before he said, "You weren't saying that in this shower this morning."
Lorelai's skin flushed and a warm tingle came over her body. "I hate you."
"Again, you're contradicting your very loud proclamations from a couple hours ago."
"Ugh, fine," she said with a scowl. "There better be extra chocolate chips mixed in with those peanut butter cups."
"Fine."
"And I want the largest cup of coffee known to man brought to me in the delivery room," Lorelai demanded.
"Shhh!" he hissed, looking around the diner.
Her frown gave way to an amused smile as she settled onto her stool. "Still keeping it a secret, are we?"
He turned from the kitchen and looked at her. "Aren't we?" he asked.
She shrugged. "The girls know, and we told Liz and TJ last night," she said. "I'll tell Sookie at work, and that's really everyone."
"What about your parents?" he asked.
"Oh, I have that all planned out," Lorelai said.
He crossed his arms over his chest and took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever insane plan she was about to propose to him. "This should be good."
"Okay, so next week they're leaving for the Cape for the rest of the summer," Lorelai reminded him. "While they're there, we'll tell them that we got involved in some underground mob ring and our lives are in danger. We're so threatened that we need the protection of the government, and have to get completely new identities, with no contact with our former lives. Then, in a couple years, when the man who has a hit out for us is killed in a freak lightening storm, we can return to our old lives. At that point, the baby will be old enough to tell them that I was, for a very brief amount of time, several years ago, with child." She looked up at him with an eager nod. "What do you think?"
"That's the most insane thing I've ever heard," he informed her. "And that's saying a lot, coming from you."
"Do you want to tell them?" Lorelai asked.
Glancing around the mostly empty diner, Luke leaned forward and murmured, "I think they'll figure it out on their own."
Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.
He smirked and glanced not so subtly at her chest, where her flowered summer shirt was stretched tighter than it had been the previous year. "You keep wearing shirts like that, the whole damn world is going to know," he commented.
With a blush, Lorelai took a long sip of the water he'd placed in front of her. "One of the not so horrible side effects of pregnancy," she acknowledged.
"My favorite one so far," Luke agreed.
"You're kidding!" Lorelai pretended to be surprised. "I thought it would have been the constant puking."
Luke's face morphed into concern. "Did you get sick again?" he asked. She'd been the first to wake that morning, spending half an hour on the bathroom floor as she'd fought wave after wave of nausea. It disappeared as quickly as it'd come, and she'd instantly been back to her normal self. She'd even graced his shower with her presence halfway through.
"No," Lorelai shook her head. "And I'm actually feeling like a normal human, despite my evil husband not letting me drink coffee."
"She'll be crazy."
"See, I thought you liked that."
"On you, not on my kid."
Lorelai frowned down at her stomach. "We hate Daddy."
Wordlessly, Luke slid a plate of peanut butter cup pancakes across the counter, then placed an array of whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and maple syrup beside it.
"We love Daddy," Lorelai swooned, offering him a grateful smile before she eagerly began pouring toppings onto the pancakes. "Do you have peanut butter?"
"There are peanut butter cups in the pancakes."
"Yeah, but I want to put a layer between the syrup and whipped cream, like a trifle," Lorelai explained.
"Just when I thought your diet couldn't get any more disgusting," he shook his head.
Lorelai pushed the sugar filled plate back to him. "You can throw this away and give me coffee," she permitted. "Or else let me add peanut butter."
Luke reached under the counter and placed a tub of peanut butter between the whipped cream and bag of marshmallows already on the counter. "I'm walking away now."
Gleefully, Lorelai spread the peanut butter across her pancakes and then sprayed a layer of whipped cream on top. "Oh my god, you deserve the Nobel prize of breakfast," she called across the diner to him after her first bite.
With a sigh, Luke leaned back against the counter and shook his head. "How that doesn't make you sick but the smell of grilled chicken does is a mystery," he stated.
Lorelai shrugged. "Don't ask me, ask that smart kid of yours," she said. "I got a very detailed description of exactly how far my uterus has stretched last night."
Luke rolled his eyes. "I'll tell her to stop," he said.
"It's okay," Lorelai waved a hand. "It's how she sees the world. Her researching pregnancy is how she's showing her excitement. It's sweet."
"Still, I didn't exactly need to hear about her thoughts on natural childbirth," Luke replied.
"Good, because I'm getting drugs," Lorelai said.
"Your body, your call," Luke shrugged. He watched as she shoved another bite of sugary goodness into her mouth, then commented, "We need to tell your parents."
"I know," she sighed. "Do you think Rory will do it?"
"Lorelai."
"Or April?"
"No."
"We could hire Kirk to do it," Lorelai suggested. "Or people who look like us. We'll spike the wine and scotch with pills, and they'll never know the difference."
"What's the problem?" Luke asked. "Your mother's been bugging you about having another baby since before we got married."
Lorelai placed her fork on her plate and ran her napkin over her mouth. "Last time I did this wasn't exactly good news for them," she reminded him gently.
Understanding washed over his face and he reached out to wrap a strand of her hair around his finger. "You're not sixteen anymore," he assured her. "You're married, with a house, and an income. They'll be happy."
"I know," she said softly. "But it's just hard to erase those memories. I never really got along with them, but that was the first time I saw hate in their eyes when they looked at me."
"They don't hate you," he assured her. "We've both had our problems with them, but it's because they've cared. In their own way, sure, but they've always wanted you to be happy."
"I know."
"We can tell them together," Luke said. "Go a couple minutes early to their barbeque tomorrow night."
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Never would I have thought that Richard and Emily Gilmore would host a Fourth of July barbeque," she commented. She perked up after a moment. "That may work. We'll go, move the candles so they're six and a half inches apart, tell her about the baby, and make a break for it while she's yelling at the catering staff for improper candle placement."
Luke pushed himself off the counter and reached for his dish towel, running it over the countertop. A thoughtful expression had crossed his face, and Lorelai watched him carefully. "What's wrong?" she asked.
He didn't answer her as the final diner patrons approached the counter to pay for their food. Lorelai saw the tightness in his expression as he made change and offered them a curt thanks before he slammed the drawer shut and waited for them to leave. When the door slammed closed and Luke and Lorelai were alone in the diner, he turned to her and asked, "Why are you so hell bent on hiding this?"
"What?" Lorelai asked.
"The baby," Luke said. "Why don't you want to tell your parents?"
"You know them, Luke, once we tell them, we're going to be flooded with child birthing tips from my mother and advice about creating a mutual fund for her from my father," Lorelai said. "It won't be ours anymore."
He regarded her carefully. "It feels like you're ashamed of her," he accused.
Lorelai's jaw dropped. "I thought I was the one to have mood swings and crazy ideas," she said.
"I don't want to fight with you."
"Then don't accuse me of hating our baby!"
"I didn't say that," he said quickly. "I just want you to tell them. They're her grandparents."
"You're the one who was just hushing me for talking about it when there were like four people in the diner," Lorelai reminded him.
"Because I don't want random strangers knowing about this baby before your parents do," Luke replied.
"Since when are you an advocate for the Gilmores?" Lorelai asked.
Luke sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Since telling your parents is going to be the closest thing I'll get to telling my parents," he admitted.
Lorelai's face morphed from irritation to sympathy. "I didn't think about that," she said softly. "I'm sorry, Luke."
"You don't need to be sorry," he said. "I know they're overbearing, and I've had my fair share of negative thoughts about them. But when it comes down to it, you get to tell your parents that you're having a baby. I'll never get that."
"You're right," Lorelai admitted. "I know you miss your parents."
He shrugged. "I got used to it a long time ago," he said.
She looked down at the counter, unsure how to comfort him. "I wish I could help," she said quietly.
"I just want you to be able to share things with them while you can," Luke said. "They've calmed down a lot."
"They have," Lorelai agreed. "You're right, we can go a little early tomorrow and tell them."
"Good," Luke nodded. He was quiet for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry."
She shrugged. "Happens," she said. "I guess it balances us out for me biting your head off about the shampoo last week."
A small smile tugged across his lips. "We're good?"
"We're good," she confirmed with a nod. Looking back down at her plate, she requested, "Can you heat this up for me?"
Luke rolled his eyes but reached for her plate. "You're lucky I love you," he informed her.
She giggled and ran a hand over her stomach. "We love you too," she confirmed.
XXXXX
The following evening, Lorelai looped her arm through Luke's as they stood in front of her parents' house. "What the hell was I thinking?" he muttered.
"I tried to talk you back to sanity," Lorelai reminded him.
"Clearly I've lost it," he said, tugging at the collar of his shirt. "I think I'm suffocating."
"It's not too late," Lorelai said. "We can stick with the original plan of making the baby tell them."
Luke's fingers brushed over her stomach. "I won't subject her to that," he said.
With a deep breath, Lorelai turned to look at him. "It's just tonight," she said. "Then we're Gilmore free until August. We'll have April then, so we can blame our suddenly busy schedule on science fairs and parents' nights."
"I love that girl."
She giggled and squeezed his arm. "They do come in handy for making excuses, those kids," she said. "Let's get this over with."
She rang the bell and they were ushered into the house quickly by a maid. Seeing only caterers bustling around the house, Lorelai led Luke onto the patio, which was equally absent of Richard and Emily.
"Clearly we're not going to start partying a moment before 6:30," Lorelai said seriously.
"Fine by me," Luke shrugged.
"Hey, look," Lorelai said, pointing towards the side of the house. "That's the tree I climbed down when I snuck out."
Luke could see a teenage Lorelai scuffling down the tree in leggings and a denim jacket. "When was the last time you did that?" he asked.
"Oh, about a year and a half ago," Lorelai shrugged. At Luke's surprised look, she shrugged. "That stupid Christmas party when Rory was in London, when my mom made me and Chris come. I ended up crying on my old bedroom floor. In an ironic twist of fate, I was trying to avoid him in the very place I'd once escaped with him."
Luke offered her a sympathetic smile. "Well, if your mother's in her highest form of hostess mode, I might be right behind you tonight," he said, trying to lighten the mood.
Lorelai giggled. "Like you'd let me climb down a tree in my delicate condition," she said.
"Delicate is not a word I'd use to describe you," Luke assured her.
"Oh, really?" Lorelai asked. Her eyes were dancing as they met his. "What would you use?"
"Funny, smart, passionate, beautiful, enthusiastic, determined," he listed, leaning closer. "To name a few."
Lorelai's eyes darkened slightly, but they quickly turned to panic as she took a step back. Before Luke could ask her what was wrong, she clasped a hand over her mouth and turned, bending over the bushes at the side of the house to get sick.
"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, are you drunk?"
Squeezing her eyes closed, Lorelai crouched towards the ground and reminded herself that she wasn't fifteen anymore. She was pretty her mother had caught her in this exact situation at least once before Rory had been born.
Now, though, Luke appeared at her side and pulled her hair off her shoulder in support. He squeezed her shoulder, then helped her to her feet. Lorelai crossed her arms over her stomach and offered her mother a weak smile. "Gilmore Danes," she corrected.
Emily rolled her eyes. "How much have you had to drink?" she asked, eyeing them both suspiciously. "You didn't drive here, did you?"
"Don't worry, Mom, Luke put his beer down when he passed the police station." Lorelai's quick comebacks weren't suffering as a result of her sickness.
"Lorelai!"
"We're not drunk, Mom," Lorelai said.
Emily eyed her suspiciously, but then realization swept across her features. "Richard!" she called over her shoulder. "Lorelai has to talk to us!"
Lorelai took a deep breath and Luke reached to rub her shoulder. "You okay?" he murmured.
"Yeah, just…don't get mad at me if I puke on your shoes," she requested.
"Hello Lorelai, Luke," Richard said with a nod as he appeared beside Emily. "We weren't expecting you so soon."
"Yeah, sorry to show up early," Lorelai said, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. "We had to talk to you."
"Is everything alright?" Richard asked, unaware of Emily trying suppress a grin beside him. "Is Rory okay?"
Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah, she's good," she confirmed. After a beat she rested a hand on her stomach and added, "Pretty excited to meet her brother or sister in January."
Emily's face morphed into a full blown smile, and after a moment Richard let out a happy laugh. "Another grandchild!" he exclaimed, turning to look at Emily with a smile.
"We'll have to put an announcement in the Currant," Emily stated.
"I'll call my broker about setting up a trust," Richard added.
"Richard, we have to call the lawyers about the inheritance!" Emily called as she followed her husband into the house, leaving Luke and Lorelai on the patio, surrounded by caterers.
"Congratulations, Lorelai, we're glad you're not going to raise this child in a shed," Lorelai said in a dead on impression of her mother. Deepening her voice, she added in her Richard voice, "Luke, my boy, how about a cigar?"
"Could have gone worse, right?" he asked.
"Trust me, it could have," Lorelai said, her eyes fixed on the couch in the living room as her mind flashed to the moment she'd finally worked up the courage to tell her parents about Rory. She could still see the shock, disapproval, and sadness that had passed over both her parents' faces before they'd displayed their anger.
Suddenly, Emily appeared on the patio again. "Do not give her any alcohol, she's pregnant," she was saying to the bartender. "I want a glass fresh out of the dishwasher if it's being given to her, do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," the bartender nodded.
"Thank you," Emily said crisply. "Now go!"
"Mom, I'm not going to drink alcohol," Lorelai said.
"Lorelai, so much as one sip of alcohol can cause damage," Emily informed her.
"Good thing I only had nine tenths of that tequila shot then."
"Lorelai!"
"I know how to take care of my baby, Mom," Lorelai said. "Plus, Luke's keeping a pretty close eye on what I put in my body."
He could practically hear the dirty she was saying suppressing, and when her eyes flashed to his he could see that he was right.
"Why did you get sick?" Emily demanded. "Is there a particular food I should have the caterers get rid of?"
"Oh, no, they shouldn't throw anything away because of me," Lorelai said.
"Nonsense, with what they're paying them, they should be fishing the lobster out of the ocean and bringing it directly here," Emily said.
"I'm really fi…" Lorelai trailed off as a caterer carried a tray of crab puffs past her and she ran past her mother into the house.
"Get rid of those crab puffs immediately!" Emily shouted to the waiter. "I see another crab puff, I'm calling your supervisor and having you all fired!" She turned back to Luke, and examined him closely. "Is she okay?" she asked after a moment.
"I'll go check…" he started, but Emily shook her head.
"Are they okay?" she corrected herself. "Lorelai and the baby? They're healthy?"
Knowing that Emily was not one to voice her emotions, Luke nodded. "They're good," he said.
"Good," Emily said. She paused and then added, "Make sure they stay that way."
"I will," he nodded.
Emily regarded him for another moment before she stepped aside and gestured to the door. "You might want to check on her," she suggested.
As Luke made his way towards the downstairs bathroom, he heard Emily yell, "I thought I made it very clear that I was not to see another crab puff! I want the name of your manager, he needs to know how incompetent…"
With a shake of his head, Luke tapped his knuckles gently against the door. "Lorelai?" he said softly. "It's me."
"Door's open," Lorelai's voice came.
He slid into the bathroom and sat down on the floor beside her. "You okay?" he asked.
She sighed and slid to the floor, resting her head in his lap. "I'd almost rather be sick all the time," she admitted. "This fine one second, puking the next is getting really old."
Luke ran a gentle hand over her hair. "Do you want to go home?" he asked.
She sighed. "No, just give me a minute," she said. She squeezed her eyes closed and whispered, "If you're good later, Mommy will get you chocolate."
"Already using bribery as a parenting tool," Luke smirked.
"It works, you know."
"Not until her ears are fully developed."
Lorelai sighed and sat up. "I knew getting you that expectant fathers' book would be a mistake," she said.
"I just want to know what's going on," he said.
"I know, and it's cute," Lorelai said. "Help me up?"
Luke stood and then offered Lorelai his hand. She turned on the sink and rinsed out her mouth, then straightened and ran her hands over her navy blue dress. "How do I look?" she asked.
His eyes combed over her body, pausing at her swollen chest before they landed on her still flat stomach. "Hot," he admitted.
She giggled, but shook her head. "I mean, is there anything on my dress?" she asked.
"No," he assured her.
"Good," Lorelai smiled. "Continue ogling."
Luke smiled and reached out to pull her closer, a smirk playing across his lips. "You have no idea how incredibly sexy you are," he murmured.
Surprised by such behavior in her parents' ornate bathroom, Lorelai's eyes darkened. "Yeah?" she asked.
"Yeah," he confirmed.
"Keep talking," she requested, looping her arms around his neck.
Luke leaned down to press a kiss to her lips, his hands resting on her hips. "Maybe it's instinctual, I don't know," he murmured. "I've always wanted you, but now, seeing you pregnant, knowing you're carrying part of me wherever you go, it just makes me…crazy."
Lorelai sighed as she tilted her head back, giving him an open invitation to scatter soft kisses across her neck. "God, I want you," she breathed, her hand lacing through his hair.
He raised his head to meet her eyes. "You're okay?" he asked.
"I'll be better in a few minutes," Lorelai replied, her hands moving to his belt.
"Lorelai," he stopped her, his eyes searching his.
"It's okay, Luke, I thought we were past this, you're not going to hurt the baby," she promised.
"No, I mean, you're feeling okay?" he asked. "I don't want you to feel like you have to."
Lorelai smiled. Even through his desire, he was always sure to think of her. "I know you'd never pressure me," she said. "I want it. I want you."
He smiled down at her. "How much?" he asked, his voice low.
Wordlessly, Lorelai took his hand and let him inch her skirt up, his fingers finding proof of her arousal through her panties. "Oh, god, Lorelai," he groaned.
She gasped at the feeling of his fingers stroking her, then bit her lower lip as she reached for his belt.
A loud knock on the door startled them both before she could get the buckle undone, and Luke pulled his hand back as if it had been burned. "Lorelai, I have a tray of lemon slices here!" Emily called. "Olivia Montgomery says that lemon slices are essential in curing nausea during pregnancy."
Lorelai remained pressed against the door, and Luke dropped his forehead to her shoulder, trying to calm himself down. Reality was starting to sink in, and they both realized they clearly couldn't do what they wanted in this particular place.
"Lorelai, is everything alright?" Emily persisted.
Still trying to catch her breath, Lorelai rubbed Luke's shoulder sympathetically and called, "I'm fine, Mom, could you just give me a minute?"
"Certainly, I'll leave the lemons on the hall table," Emily announced.
After a pause, waiting to make sure her mother was really gone, Lorelai pressed a kiss to Luke's temple and murmured, "Well, now we have an instant mood killer if we ever need it."
Luke sighed and pulled back. "How the hell are we grown adults and your parents are interrupting us?" he scowled.
Lorelai offered him a teasing smile. "Remember how you feel in this moment when Rory brings Ethan home," she advised.
Luke's scowl deepened. "There's no way in hell he's staying in her room," he stated.
"Uh huh, sure," Lorelai said. "How well did that work out on our pre-wedding night?"
"Pretty well, until dawn," Luke sighed. Once their respective daughters had managed to fall asleep, both he and Lorelai had managed to sneak out of captivity to watch the sunrise together. To their knowledge, neither daughter had ever learned of their early morning tryst.
Lorelai smiled and kissed him softly. "Let's just stick it out for an hour," she requested. "Then we can go home and you can bring me to the woods to have your way with me."
"What are you talking about?" Luke asked, finally pulling away from her.
"Your fantasy," Lorelai reminded him. "I've got to beat Pedestal Lorelai in all things sex related."
Shaking his head, Luke smiled down at her. "You've got her beat," he promised.
"Okay," Lorelai shrugged. "Then we can go straight home and work on my fantasy."
Luke sighed and reached out to raise one of her arms, tracing his fingers over her wrist. "You really want it?" he asked.
Lorelai allowed herself to imagine the feeling of what it would feel like to have her fantasy come true, to give Luke the power to do whatever he wanted without being able to touch him. Her body warmed at the thought and she felt the throbbing between her legs return. "I do," she nodded. "I know you'd stop if I told you it was too much."
Swallowing hard, Luke shook his head and put his hands on his hips. "This is the worst possible place to discuss this," he finally stated.
"Agreed," Lorelai said. "I'm feeling like a decent human at the moment, let's just go mingle with the other half for a bit. Then we can go home and discuss exactly how dirty we want to be tonight."
"Fine," Luke said. He took a deep breath and ran a hand over his head. "Just…give me a minute."
"Need help calming down?" Lorelai asked, licking her lips as her eyes focused on the bulge in his pants.
"Yes, and you being…alive is not helping," he said shortly.
"Well, there's a significant chance you're going to have to discuss stocks and bonds with my dad tonight," Lorelai said helpfully.
Luke paused and took a deep breath. "Okay, but I just need a second," he stated. "Please?"
With a smirk she nodded. "Got it, my mere existence is a distraction," she said, reaching for the door. "But if you hide in here all night, you're going to owe me big time."
He nodded and followed her out the door. "You think you're joking about your existence," he murmured, dipping his head down to whisper in her ear. "It's true. You make me want you, Lorelai. Everything you do makes me want to take you so hard."
A new wave of arousal washed over Lorelai as they stopped beside the piano. "You're evil," she muttered to him.
"Eye for an eye," he responded, resting his hand on her shoulder and letting his thumb rub a gentle circle over her clavicle.
"Oh, good, you're back!" Emily exclaimed, effectively pulling them both away from their desires for the second time in mere minutes. "Alexandra, Katherine, this is my daughter Lorelai. She's pregnant," she added as if tit defined Lorelai's entire existence.
The two women dressed in inverted red and blue skirt suits each squealed and grabbed onto Lorelai's arms, then reached to rub her stomach as they inundated her with questions.
"How far along are you?"
"You look fantastic!"
"You must start interviewing nannies!"
"What preschools have you considered?"
Lorelai looked over her shoulder and shot Luke a pained look. He simply raised his hands and leaned against the piano, clearly not planning on making any effort to rescue her from her mother's DAR friends.
"Luke, my boy!" Richard's voice boomed. "Meet John and Benjamin, my contacts at the attorney's office. We have some suggestions for mutual fund accounts for your baby."
"Have you spoken with an attorney regarding your inheritance?" one of the men in suits asked.
"What percentage of your income do you allocate to investments?" the other asked.
Lorelai smirked as she watched Luke flounder. He'd been perfectly willing to let her deal with the women of Hartford society on her own, which meant she was going to sink to his level. Plastering a fake smile on her face, she overenthusiastically rubbed her stomach and commented, "Well, we've just been so focused on the little one's cotillion that we haven't even thought about pesky little things like education!"
The women all began firing questions about cotillion at her and Lorelai flashed her husband a triumphant smile. He might have been the one to declare battle when he'd withheld her coffee, but she was about to win the war.
Nearly two hours later, Lorelai was not quite as energetic in her mind games against Luke. After sitting through a lecture about proper maternity clothing and why scheduling her C-section now was essential, Lorelai was completely exhausted. Luke had been dragged into Richard's study an hour earlier, and after a failed attempt to rescue him, Lorelai had escaped to her former bedroom in efforts to get a moment of peace and quiet.
After closing the door behind her, Lorelai glanced around the room and noted the bed, neatly made and strangely inviting, calling out to her. Knowing that she was about to fall asleep on her feet, Lorelai staggered over to the mattress, kicked off her heels in the process, and flopped down on the surface. She'd just close her eyes for a second before she returned to the party.
Thirty seconds later, she felt a warm pair of lips against her forehead before the world began to shake around her. "Luke?" she murmured, recognizing his strong arms and immediately curling into them.
"Shhh," he murmured. "We're heading home."
Trusting him to take care of her, Lorelai allowed herself to nuzzle his neck as the world continued to spin around her.
"Is she alright?" her father's voice sounded distant.
"She's okay, she's been pretty tired."
"You're welcome to stay the night," her mother's voice was slightly more clear. "She looks as though she's dead to the world and it's nearly midnight. She's been up there for almost three hours."
"Thanks," Lorelai could feel the rumble in Luke's chest as he spoke. "But I think she'll be more comfortable at home." Lorelai struggled to raise her head and agree, but couldn't seem to find the strength.
"Alright," Richard's voice was hesitant. "Please let us know if there's anything we can do."
"I will," Luke promised. "Thanks for everything. It was a great party."
Lorelai heard both her parents bid him goodnight, and a moment later she heard the truck door click open. She felt Luke gently place her on the seat, and she wearily opened her eyes to look at him. "I'm tired," she admitted.
"I know," he acknowledged, lifting her right arm. "Let me buckle you, and then you can sleep on the way home."
Lorelai obliged, then immediately rested her forehead against the cool window when he closed the car door. She was about to drift back to sleep, but when she felt the truck began to move she murmured his name. "I'll try to be ready for sex," she said tiredly.
His hand appeared on her knee. "Don't worry about that," he assured her. "Just sleep."
Lorelai sighed deeply. "You're perfect," she whispered.
She felt a squeeze on her knee. "Back at you."
XXXXX
"We're invoking the witness protection plan," Lorelai's voice greeted Luke over the phone a week later.
"What?" he asked, pulling a fresh stack of to go cups out of their plastic sleeve.
"My mother is insane," Lorelai stated.
"Apparently it's genetic."
"You know, you can't make mother/child sanity jokes when your kid is involved," Lorelai snapped, telling him she was in no mood for jokes.
"Sorry," he sighed. "What's wrong?"
"She put out an advertisement in the Currant," Lorelai snapped.
"For what?"
"A nanny!"
"We're not hiring a nanny."
"I know that!" Lorelai's shout was so loud that Luke had to hold the phone away from his ear with a wince. "You think I don't know that, Luke? I don't want our kid raised by a nanny! What I don't know is how the hell to get rid of Mary Poppins and Mrs. Doubtfire! They're lining up outside my inn by the dozen, and barring a freak wind storm that drags them all away by umbrella, I'm going to be dealing with this all day!"
"What do you expect me to do about it?" Luke sighed.
The silence on the other end of the phone was deadly and Luke immediately knew that he was facing more than annoyed Lorelai. He was up against angry, hormonal, pregnant Lorelai, which he was quickly learning was about as fun as cleaning the air conditioning ducts. And a lot less quiet.
"Nothing," she snapped. "I'll take care of it." The phone line went dead and Luke sighed, knowing that he couldn't let this go. There was a very real possibility that she'd change the locks on their house.
"Cesar, I'm leaving for a bit!" he called into the kitchen.
"Sure thing, boss," Cesar said, poking his head around the door with a sympathetic smile. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Luke said. "I'll need it," he added under his breath as he headed out the door. After a beat he turned and headed back to the counter, reaching for a to go cup of coffee. He filled it mostly with decaf but dropped a splash of the real stuff in. As Lorelai's pregnancy advanced, he realized that a sip or two of caffeine could go along way in getting him back on her good side.
He made his way up the steps of the Dragonfly a few minutes later, realizing that Lorelai hadn't been exaggerating. There were four women waiting on the porch, and almost a dozen seated in the lobby. Michel was standing behind the desk, interacting with yet another nanny in a polite and sarcastic manner.
"Yez, it is a complete tragedy that she won't be needing your services any longer," he stated. "She never saw zee bus coming."
"Michel, where's Lorelai?" Luke asked, not willing to sit through his act.
Michel glanced at him with weariness. "She has been very angry," he stated. "She ez riding that creature."
Luke frowned as he implied that Lorelai had disappeared to the stables. It wasn't unusual for her to ride when she was stressed, but he wasn't sure he liked the thought of her doing so when she was pregnant. Somehow it didn't seem safe for the baby. Muttering his thanks, he quickly fought his way back through the army of nannies and made his way to the stables. He entered the barn and stopped, watching his wife as she ran a brush over Desdamona's mane, her back to him.
"You get it," Lorelai was murmuring. "No one else does. We're the ones who are completely responsible. Good or bad, no matter what happens, it's our fault, at least until we give birth." She paused, stepping back and running her hand over the horse's midsection. "Is it as hard for you? Are you as tired as I am? I don't think anyone has ever been this tired, but I guess horses can feel that way too. Your baby's much bigger than mine." After a beat, she continued, "At least you don't have the pressure. You've got biology and instinct on your side, and no one will judge you. Me, if I make one wrong step, I'm labeled a horrible mother for all of eternity."
Unable to listen to her talk like that, Luke cleared his throat and made his presence known. "You're not a horrible mother," he stated.
She turned to look at him tiredly, barely surprised by his presence. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
Luke stepped closer and held out the coffee cup. "Trying to get rid of Mary Poppins and Mrs. Doubtfire," he offered.
She sighed, but didn't smile. "I can handle it," she said.
"I know," he acknowledged. "That doesn't mean you should. If your mom did this for our kid, I'll help take care of it."
Lorelai's arms remained stubbornly crossed over her chest for a moment before she relented and reached for the coffee. "Thank you," she relented. She took a sip and stepped outside, sliding to a seat on the ground and resting her back against the stable wall.
Luke took a seat next to her and watched her for a moment. "So the horse is pregnant too, huh?" he asked.
"Must be something in the water," Lorelai replied flatly. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough," Luke shrugged. "I get that you're tired and this is an adjustment, but it's not like being a mother is new to you. Are you really that scared about the baby?"
Lorelai's finger traced around the rim of the coffee cup. "Why does she still think I can't do it?" she whispered. "I know I took her precious Rory away from her and raised her like a heathen, but I thought we were past it. I thought she had more confidence in my parenting."
"You didn't raise Rory like a heathen," Luke countered. "She's perfect."
"I know," Lorelai said. "But apparently my mother still thinks we need to have a stupid professional do the child rearing for us."
Luke reached out and placed a hand on her knee. Knowing her feelings were hurt and she was in the middle of a hormonal upset, he could only remind her she wasn't alone.
"It was so horrible," Lorelai said. "Having those nannies around all the time when I was growing up. She went through those faster than she goes through maids now. I had one I loved, Stephanie. She was fun and played with me in the pool and everything. But my mom fired her when she realized I actually liked her. She kept blaming me, saying I was too difficult to handle, but now I think she just didn't want me to get too close to someone else."
"I'm sorry," he offered.
A tear spilled down her cheek and his heart ached for her when she turned to look at him. "I don't want our kid to think we don't love her," she confessed.
"She won't," Luke said firmly. His finger traced over her stomach and he offered her a positive smile. "Lorelai, this baby will be the most loved kid in the world."
She finally allowed a smile to trace across her face as her hand joined his. "Well, the entire town has been waiting for her for years now," she admitted.
Pleased he'd managed to elicit a smile out of her, Luke rested his hand flat against her stomach. "It will take some managing, some schedule juggling, but we'll take care of her on our own. You did it on your own with Rory, we can certainly do it together."
"I know," she sighed. "I'm just a mess right now."
"It's okay."
"I'm sorry I yelled on the phone."
"I know you're not feeling well, it's okay."
"It's not okay," Lorelai shook her head. "You're trying so hard, I know you are. You held my hair back when I was sick and brought me coffee even though you don't want me to drink it. And I just keep yelling at you."
"I can take it."
She sniffled and ran her hand across her eyes. "You shouldn't have to," she said. "This is happening to you too."
"Yeah, but you have to deal with the physical side of things," Luke said. "I'm just doing what I can to help you feel better."
A faint glimmer appeared in Lorelai's eyes. "For the record, that thing you did with your tongue last night was excellent in making me feel better," she told him.
"I gathered from the screaming."
"I'll repay the favor tonight."
"If you're feeling up to it," he said.
She sighed. "I don't deserve you," she admitted.
"Well, you're stuck with me, so get used to it," he said gruffly, but his gaze was soft as he looked at her.
"I can't wait until we leave," Lorelai said. "A week holed up in the woods with you sounds so perfect."
"Yeah, it does," Luke agreed. "Only another week."
"Everyone says I'll feel better in the second trimester," Lorelai said. "So hopefully you'll have your wife with you instead of a puking, sobbing, yelling mess."
"You're not a mess, you're pregnant," he said. His voice was full of wonder at the word.
She shrugged and took a long sip of coffee. "You have to go back to work," she told him.
"Not if you need me here."
"I made Michel handle it," she shrugged.
"Yeah, he's telling them they're not needed anymore because you got hit by a bus," Luke said.
She shook her head. "Sometimes his twisted sense of humor comes in handy," she admitted. With a final tilt of her head, she finished her coffee and stood. "Go back to work, I'll see you at home."
Luke stood with her and ran a finger over her chin. "You're okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said. "Thanks for coming."
"Anytime." He leaned down to kiss her, then pulled back slightly. "Call me when you're on your way home, I'll draw a bath for you."
A full fledged smile came across her face and she reached up to cup his face in her hands. She pulled him into another kiss, then said, "You're so my favorite husband."
XXXXX
Luke was striking a match to light the final candle in their bathroom, the tub already filled with Lorelai's favorite bubbles, when he heard her footsteps on the stairs. He lit the candle and shook the match out before he turned to see her leaning against the doorway with a smile on her face. He was relieved to see that she seemed to be in a good mood.
"Luke Danes, surrounded by candles and drawing a bubble bath," she marveled. "Never thought I'd see this day."
He shrugged self consciously. "Yeah, well…"
"There's the man I'm used to," she sighed. "Thanks, Luke, this is perfect."
"No problem," he said, reaching to squeeze her hand. "Enjoy."
"Wait," she said as he turned towards the door. "Stay with me."
"You had a long day, it's okay if you want some time to yourself," Luke said.
"I don't," she said. "I want some time with my husband."
He looked at her closely, unable to resist her wide eyes and hopeful smile. "Okay," he said.
She beamed in response, then stepped closer. "Will you get in with me?" she asked.
"I don't take baths."
"Fine," she sighed, stepping back and pulling her shirt over her head. "I'll get naked and wet all by myself."
"You know you…" Luke's voice trailed off as she stepped out of her skirt. His eyes widened as he took in the slight swell of her stomach. It was barely noticeable, and he was sure that no one else would be able to see it. But he was very familiar with her body, and knew that his baby was officially making herself known.
"I what?" Lorelai asked, dropping her bra on the ground. "Luke?"
He shook his head slightly. He knew better than to ruin Lorelai's good mood than mention the changes in her body. "You're beautiful," he finished.
She smiled as she followed his gaze and looked down at her stomach. "You see it too?" she asked.
Luke hesitated, unsure of how to respond. "See what?" he asked.
Lorelai laughed. "It's okay, Luke, I'm not going to get mad," she promised. "My stomach's starting to grow."
He nodded and reached out to trace a finger from her belly button to the top of her panties. "I know better than to bring it up," he said.
"Smart man," Lorelai said. She looked down at their hands and smiled. "It's our baby, Luke, she's growing."
"She is," Luke confirmed. "She's perfect."
"At the moment, yes, she is," Lorelai nodded. She started to slid her underwear down her legs, her eyes widening as she watched Luke start to unbutton his flannel. "What are you doing?"
"Getting in with you," he said, dropping the shirt on the floor. "If you still want me to."
Her eyes danced with excitement. "Oh, I want," she confirmed. She perched on the edge of the tub and watched as he shed his clothing. "If this kid can get you to take a bath just by making me fat, I can't wait to see what you'll do for her when she learns how to pout."
"God help me," Luke sighed.
"You first," Lorelai said. When he'd slid into the warm water, Lorelai twisted her hair into a clip on the back of her head, then slid in front of him. She settled between his legs and leaned back into him. His arms automatically wrapped around her waist and her hands rested above his on her stomach. "See, it's not so bad, is it?" she murmured.
Luke leaned down to press a kiss to her shoulder. "Not bad at all," he confirmed.
Lorelai sighed happily and closed her eyes, her head falling back against his shoulder. "How was your day?" she murmured.
"Fine," he replied against the soft skin of her shoulder. "It was quiet at the diner."
She sighed as she traced a finger over his forearm. "You're sure it'll be okay to leave for our trip?" she asked.
"Positive," he nodded. "Wouldn't have it any other way."
"Good," she sighed. She remained nestled in his arms for a moment before she leaned forward to fiddle with the Jacuzzi controls. A moment later, the jets kicked on, and she turned in his arms with a smile. "You've been taking such good care of me," she murmured.
He reached out to run a hand up and down her arm. "Doing my job," he promised.
"Let me thank you," she whispered, resting her hands on his shoulders and pressing a knee to either side of his hips. She leaned in to kiss him and felt him begin to respond to her.
"Lorelai," he sighed.
She leaned forward and kissed him deeply, her hands resting on his chest. "You got in the bath with me," she murmured against his lips. "You might as well get something out of it."
"Hmm, holding you close when you're naked and wet, don't know why I ever said no," he breathed.
She giggled and rocked back and forth on his lap slightly. "Let me take care of you," she said softly, reaching between them to run his fingers over his length.
He moaned and wrapped his arm around her, tugging her closer. "What you do to me…" he groaned.
With a soft sigh, Lorelai guided him towards her, then slowly lowered herself onto him. His head fell back against the porcelain tub with a low groan, and she bit her lower lip as she slowly took him in. "God, Luke, you feel so good," she whispered.
He gripped her hips tightly, and she braced her hands on his shoulders. She leaned back slightly to allow him to slip deeper into her, and he sighed in pleasure as he felt her warmth surrounding him. Lorelai was still for a moment before she leaned in to kiss him, her hair framing both of their faces. She pulled back and looked deeply into his eyes.
"Tell me," she demanded. "Tell me how you want me."
Luke could see the desire in her eyes, and he swallowed hard as he pulled her down for another kiss, his tongue slipping into her mouth to battle hers for power. "Please, Lorelai," he gasped.
A playful glimmer peered in her eyes. "Please what?" she asked, twirling her hips in a figure eight motion.
"Oh god," Luke gasped. He was quickly losing all ability to think clearly. "I need you, Lorelai."
She took a deep breath and nodded, rocking her hips up before she slid back onto him, creating a steady rhythm as she braced her hands on Luke's shoulders.
He let her take the lead, leaning his head against the back of the tub and watching as Lorelai moved carefully and deliberately above him. Her hair was curling around her face and her eyes were dark with desire. She was biting her lower lip as she rocked over him, and he could tell she was holding back.
"Hey," he grabbed her hips and stopped her motions, lacing his hands through her hair as he pulled her down for a passionate kiss. "Don't hold back."
She nodded and returned the kiss before she straightened again. She began to rock faster over him, her hands moving from his shoulders to the wall behind them for better leverage. Her moans mixed with his own, and she leaned over him so her breasts were eye level with him. He reached out to cup them in his hands, causing Lorelai to let out a soft cry of pleasure.
"You like that, don't you?" he murmured, his voice low.
"Yes," she gasped breathlessly. "Oh, god, Luke, you have no idea how good you feel."
She sank onto him again, forcing him into her as far as he could go, and he reached for her hips to hold her tightly in place. "I think I get it," he breathed into her ear.
"You fit me so well," she gasped, her head falling back. "You feel so good, Luke, I'm so close."
He gently lifted her and pulled her back down, guiding her motions over him. "So amazing," he said. "You feel incredible, I could do this forever."
"Please," she gasped, throwing herself against his chest as she began moving faster. "Please, Luke, don't ever stop."
Knowing she was ready to fall, Luke reached under the water and stroked her gently, watching as her eyes widened with awareness. "Oh, yes," she gasped. "Luke…yes!"
Hearing her call his name forced him to fall with her, and he let out his own satisfied sigh as he felt himself release into her. Lorelai trembled around him and then wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, trying to catch her breath. "Oh my god, I love pregnant sex," she finally gasped.
He laughed and ran his hands gently over her back. "Makes two of us," he said. After a moment, as he came down from his Lorelai induced high, he realized the bath water had gone tepid and squeezed her gently. "We should get you out before you get sick," he suggested.
Lorelai sighed and pulled back, kissing him one last time before she slid out of the tub. Luke climbed out behind her and watched in appreciation as she toweled herself off. She lingered for an extra moment on her stomach, then wrapped the towel around herself and tucked it into itself before she turned to him. "Enjoying the show?" she asked with a smirk.
"You have no idea," he sighed, finally reaching for his own towel.
Lorelai rolled her eyes and turned back to the tub, draining the water and blowing out the candles. She disappeared into their bedroom and when Luke joined her a moment later she was buttoning the flannel she'd always slept in. "You know, I need to go shopping," she informed him as he slipped into a clean pair of jeans.
"Why?" he asked suspiciously.
Lorelai pulled the flannel tight over her torso. "Because your baby is making me fat," she informed him. "I tried three pairs of pants this morning, and even the flippy skirt wouldn't zip."
"You haven't gained that much weight," he commented.
"Not yet, but eventually I'm going to wake up with a stomach the size of a basketball," Lorelai replied. "And do you really want to be caught in the crossfire if I have nothing to wear that day?"
Luke cringed. "I guess not," he sighed.
"Plus, according to Sookie, they make sexy pregnancy lingerie," Lorelai continued. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind that particular purchase."
He cleared his throat and shook his head. "You could wear a paper bag and still be sexy as hell," he informed her.
"Okay, no lingerie," Lorelai shrugged.
"Well…" Luke started, wondering how to backtrack. "I wouldn't exactly complain if you were to wear something like that."
She giggled and stepped forward to kiss him. "Don't worry, it's on the list," she said. "Liz and I are going shopping tomorrow."
"And by shopping you do mean going to an actual store, right?" he asked. "Not some stupid hippie camp where everything's made of canvas and hemp?"
"She's the one who's done this recently," Lorelai shrugged as they walked down the stairs. "And even last time I didn't have much luck in the clothing department. They don't exactly make maternity clothes that appeal to teenagers."
"Wonder why," Luke said sarcastically.
Lorelai playfully shoved his arm. "Don't judge me, I was bored and lonely," she said.
"I've never judged you for that," he countered. "I love Rory, you know that."
"I do," she confirmed as she hopped onto the kitchen counter. "And you, darling husband, are one of the few who never had the look."
"The look?" Luke asked, glancing at her as he pulled some chicken out of the fridge. "This okay?"
"As long as it's baked, not grilled," she nodded.
"Okay," he said. "What look?"
She shook her head slightly. "Come on, Luke, strange girl gets off the bus with a baby," she said. "You know this town, as much as everyone came to accept me and Rory, there's a certain look I'd get when people realized I was Rory's mom, not her sister or her baby sitter."
He frowned at her. "You never told me that," he said.
"I can't really blame them," Lorelai said. "It wasn't mean, it was just…surprise and pity. Even Mia had it the first time I saw her. Sookie too."
"I never pitied you," he said quietly. "I thought you were strong and brave."
"Well, by the time we met things had already started to look up," she said.
He nodded slowly. "I heard about you," he finally admitted quietly, his eyes focused on coating the chicken with lime juice.
"What?" Lorelai asked.
"When you first moved to Stars Hollow," Luke explained. "I heard about the new maid at the inn who had a baby."
Lorelai nodded slowly. "And what did you think?" she asked.
"I thought it was sad that you felt like you had to run away from your family," Luke said. "And I hated that people were talking about you like that."
She smiled softly. "So protective Luke existed before we even met," she teased.
"Guess so," he sighed. "Mia and my mom were really good friends, so she came into the store sometimes to check on us after my mom died. She told my dad and me about you right after you got here."
"She did?" Lorelai asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Luke nodded. "She wanted my dad's opinion. Liz had just left with Jess and she wanted to know what he would want her to do if it had been Liz who'd showed up like you did."
"Wow," Lorelai murmured. It made her feel special somehow that Luke's dad had at least known of her existence, even if she'd never had the chance to meet him. "So I have him to thank, huh?"
"Nah, Mia would have taken you in anyways," Luke shrugged.
Lorelai was quiet for a moment. "Why do you think she never introduced us?" she asked. "She was like a mom to me, and she was close to your family. It's weird we never met before I bought the house."
Luke shrugged. "Well, I was with Rachel at the time," he said. "I'd just graduated high school, and you had a baby. She probably knew timing wasn't right."
"I guess," Lorelai said. "Do you think we would have made it here? If she'd introduced us when I'd first arrived?"
"I don't know," Luke said honestly. He turned to look at her and regarded her carefully. His mouth opened, but then he closed it and shook his head.
"What is it?" Lorelai asked curiously.
"Nothing," he dismissed, turning to the oven.
"Luke," she implored softly, and he sighed before he turned to her.
"It's not that I don't wish we would have worked things out sooner," he admitted. "But if we'd met and gotten together in 1985…I wouldn't have met Anna and I wouldn't have April. You and I were kids at the time, we couldn't have made it work like we have now."
Realization dawned on Lorelai, and she nodded. "I get it," she said. "Rory was my whole life, for a long time. But there was always this voice, sometimes louder than others, asking what would have happened if I hadn't gotten pregnant, or if I'd given her up for adoption. It reared its head during the nights when she refused to sleep or when I should have been moving into college. I'd wonder…what if, but then Rory would hug me or laugh and I'd realize that it didn't matter, because I had her."
"We've done okay," Luke said, offering her a small smile.
She reached out and pulled him closer. "More than okay," she insisted. "Our life is pretty damn perfect at the moment."
Luke leaned in to kiss her and leaned his forehead against hers. "Agreed," he confirmed.
XXXXX
The following afternoon, Lorelai led Liz up their front path as she juggled her shopping bags in her hands. "This was so perfect," she sighed.
"I'm just so happy you're pregnant too!" Liz exclaimed. "It's like a movie, two pregnant sisters in law going shopping together."
"Sounds like a contender for an Academy Award," Lorelai nodded. "How do you think he did with Doula?"
"Oh, I'm sure he did wonderfully," Liz exclaimed. "He loves that little girl."
Lorelai smiled as she pushed the front door open. "He really does," she confirmed. The house was quiet when they stepped inside, and Liz gestured to the bathroom.
"I'll be right back," she said.
Lorelai nodded, tossed her shopping bags on the stairs, and wandered curiously into the living room. She swallowed hard at the sight that met her.
Luke was laying on his back on the couch, with Doula draped across his chest. His arms were wrapped securely around the toddler, and both of them were sound asleep. A cartoon show was flashing across the muted TV, and stuffed animals and books were strewn across the coffee table and floor.
Suddenly, Lorelai was looking a year into their future, when this would be an everyday occurrence. She rested a hand on her stomach as she allowed herself to picture coming home from work to this very scene, or to Luke giving their baby a bath, reading her a story, cooking dinner…a thousand completely normal moments flashed through her mind and she couldn't wait.
With a small smile, she moved into the room, running her hand over Doula's back as she sat down on the edge of the coffee table. She leaned forward to press a kiss to her niece's soft blonde hair before she turned to do the same to her husband. He stirred at her touch, and his long eyelashes fluttered open.
"Hey," he whispered when he saw her.
"Hi," she said, nodding to Doula. "She's figured out my secret."
"Secret?" Luke whispered, trailing his fingers through Doula's hair.
"Who needs pillows when a girl's got you?" Lorelai asked.
A self conscious smile came across Luke's face. "We were watching TV and she dozed off," he shrugged. "She was comfortable, so I didn't want to move her."
"Well, it's completely adorable," Lorelai confirmed. "Good practice."
His eyes softened and he glanced down at her stomach. "Good practice," he agreed. After a moment he kissed Doula's forehead and shifted, placing her sleeping form on the couch and following Lorelai into the kitchen. "How was shopping?" he asked.
"Good, I got this really cute pair of boots!" Lorelai said enthusiastically.
"Why?"
"Because they were eleven thousand percent off," Lorelai replied. "And they'll match my new dress perfectly."
"Did you get any practical clothing?" he asked, pouring her a glass of juice.
"Dresses are the most practical thing I could buy," Lorelai said. "I got a bunch of stretchy ones so they'll be comfortable for the duration of my pregnancy."
"Oh," he shrugged. "Good."
"Fashion talk over, got it," Lorelai nodded.
"Where's Liz?"
"Right here," Liz said. "I was checking on my girl. Thanks for taking good care of her."
"It wasn't a problem," Luke shrugged. "But we will expect you to return the favor in a year or so."
"You got it," Liz said. She collapsed into a chair and looked at Lorelai. "You're still skinny and energetic, I'm jealous."
"I fell asleep at eight thirty last night," Lorelai reported. "And my pants don't fit. So you're in good company here."
Liz waved a hand in dismissal. "Have you considered those classes yet?" she asked.
Luke cleared his throat from across the kitchen and Lorelai offered him a sympathetic smile. They'd agreed that there was no way in hell they were going to attend grog booth Annie's workshop on sex during pregnancy, but apparently Luke hadn't passed that memo along to Liz.
"We've got it covered, but thanks," Lorelai said simply.
"Okay, but you've got to make sure you listen to your body," Liz informed her helpfully. "TJ always makes sure he…"
A loud crash came from the other side of the kitchen and Lorelai saw Luke standing over a pile of shattered glass that had formerly been their mixing bowl.
"Oops," he said sarcastically as he met her eyes.
Lorelai fought off laughter and Liz made her way to the living room when she heard Doula calling. Turning back to her husband, Lorelai informed him, "You ever wake our sleeping kid by throwing glass across the room and I'll kill you."
"I'm sorry, did you want to hear about TJ and Liz's bedroom habits?" he asked.
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Point taken, nice save," she said. She stood from the table and reached under the sink for the dustpan and brush. She started to brush the glass into the pan and commented, "You might want to get the vacuum. Those tiny pieces we won't get with the broom can get caught in Doula's feet. Or Paul Anka's."
Luke disappeared into the laundry room and appeared a moment later rolling the vacuum in front of him. Lorelai stood to dump the contents of the dust pan into the trash can, but suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She braced herself against the wall for a moment, squeezing her eyes shut as she inhaled deeply.
"Lorelai?" she heard the vacuum shut off and felt Luke gently take the dustpan from her hands. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she said. "I think I just stood up too fast."
His hand appeared on her arm, and she wavered slightly on her feet. "Here." Luke disappeared and a moment later he was back, guiding her to sit down. "Are you okay?"
Sitting made her feel better, and she nodded, smiling at his concern. "Yeah," she said. "Just part of this wonderful, magical time."
He sighed sympathetically. "I'll get you some water," he said.
"Thanks," she said softly. She watched with fondness as he poured her a tall glass of water and then returned to her side. "You take such good care of us."
"I just want you to be healthy," he murmured. "Both of you."
"I know," Lorelai replied. "And that's why I bought a brand new bathing suit for your viewing pleasure when we get to Maine tomorrow."
He smiled and ran a hand over her thigh. "Looking forward to it," he confirmed.
Liz appeared in the doorway with Doula in her arms. "We're going to get going," she said. "TJ's going to be wondering where we are."
"Let me take her, she's too heavy," Luke insisted, pulling Doula into his arms.
"You're such a good uncle," Liz informed him.
Lorelai stood and walked to Luke's side, taking in how good he looked holding his niece. Again, she couldn't wait to see him hold their baby in his arms. "And an excellent father," she added onto Liz's statement.
He blushed self consciously, then turned to Doula. "You have fun today?" he asked her.
"Yes!" she cried.
"Good," he said. "Remember what we talked about?"
"Baby," Doula pointed to Liz. She turned to Lorelai and added, "Baby."
Lorelai felt her emotions begin to overwhelm her again. "That's right, pretty girl," she nodded. "It's a baby."
"Thanks for a great afternoon, Lorelai," Liz said genuinely. "Have fun in Maine!"
"We will," Lorelai said. "Thanks."
Luke set Doula on her feet and leaned in to kiss Liz's cheek. "Let us know if you need anything," he requested.
"I will," she nodded. "Thanks for watching her."
"We had fun," Luke confirmed.
With a final wave, Liz took Doula's hand and led her slowly towards the front hall. With a sigh, Luke turned to Lorelai, who was watching him with a happy smile. "You ready for this?" she asked.
He pushed off the counter and pulled her into his arms. "I've been ready," he confirmed.
"Good, because it's here," she said, draping her arms over his shoulders. "We're going to be parents again."
He offered her a wide smile and stroked a hand over her stomach. "We're going to be parents again," he confirmed before he leaned down to kiss her.