Disclaimer: Amy Sherman-Palladino created this world...just paying homage to her work in my small way.
A/N: I would love to have any feedback please. Many thanks have to go to my beta, Chiaroscuro...she made me actually like this story even more than I did. This was done for the TWoP Ficathon soundtrack challenge that I've helped manage...you can visit the site for other soundtrack-inspired stories at geocities(dot)com(slash)ficathon2004.
"Getting Married"
Lorelai sat in one of the wicker armchairs on the porch of the Dragonfly Inn, watching the sunlight slowly illuminate all the flowers in front of her. Somehow they looked even more beautiful now than when the landscapers first finished their work. She looked at the front door, and felt her cheeks warm at the memory of the previous night.
"Would you just stand still?"
She sighed and closed her eyes, as she remembered the feel of his lips on hers, his arms wrapped around her...
Before she could savor the memory of that kiss, she opened her eyes as she remembered the look on Rory's face as she and Dean walked out of her bedroom. Lorelai had known right then...Rory's eyes betrayed what had just happened, and Lorelai remembered hoping at that moment that she'd be proven wrong.
"...Well, aren't you glad that it happened with someone who's good and really loves me?"
Her heart ached as she thought of what Rory was about to face...the disillusionment, the self-doubt, the soul-crushing despair. All she ever wanted to do was protect her little girl from getting hurt like this. How did she not see this coming?
Lorelai had been going back and forth like this all night. One moment, she was thinking of Luke, the next moment, she felt guilty about thinking about Luke, and thought of Rory. But then she would think of Luke again, because he was the only thing that made sense in her life. Her daughter had just lost her virginity to a married man, her parents were separating, her ex- boyfriend was practically stalking her, her inn was full of guests who would need her attention for the rest of the weekend, most of the kitchen staff was now gone...Lorelai rubbed her temples, trying to stave off any headache twinges.
She heard the front door swing open, and Sookie stepped out onto the porch, already dressed in her chef smock. "Oh good, you're up early. I wanted to ask you about what we're going to do about the kitchen staff..."
Sookie looked at Lorelai in surprise. "Lorelai! You scared me!"
"Sorry..."
"It's okay...I just didn't expect to run into anyone this early, especially not you. Wait..." Sookie walked over to Lorelai and sat in the wicker armchair next to hers. "Honey, have you been up all night?"
"Pretty much. I gave up trying to will myself into a comatose state, so I came out here to get some fresh air."
"What happened...what's wrong?"
Lorelai took a deep breath and gripped the arms of her chair. "Well...do you want the good news or the bad news first? Oh wait...not sure if I could tell you about the bad news...but..."
Sookie pulled her chair closer to Lorelai's, reached out and put her hand on one of Lorelai's. "Sweetie, you know you could tell me anything and I won't tell a soul."
Lorelai smiled slightly. "I know...it's just that..." She took another deep breath as her eyes welled up. "Anyway, if I don't tell you, I may just explode. And who knows, you just might find out about it anyway. But..."
"Oh my god, just tell me...what is it?"
Lorelai wiped her eyes quickly. "I went back home last night to get some band aids and my camera and – and when I got there, I saw Rory come out of her bedroom. With Dean. And – and well, if you just let your imagination run wild, that's pretty much what happened."
There was stunned silence from Sookie. "Oh Lorelai..."
"I know." Lorelai breathed deeply as she continued. "And when I tried to talk to Rory about it after Dean left, she – oh Sookie, she really believes it's really over between Dean and Lindsay, and – and when I asked her if the divorce papers were signed, she said no and insisted that it was she that Dean loved, not Lindsay."
"And what did you say?"
"I told her the truth. I told her what she was doing was wrong, breaking up a marriage. But she didn't want to listen to me. It seemed to have slipped her mind that Dean was married to someone else. Can you believe that she actually told me that she thought that I would be happy that her first time was with someone who really loved her?"
"She said that?"
Lorelai nodded. "And this seems so out of the blue. I knew that Rory and Dean were talking again, but I never suspected it was anything more than friendship. I mean, why would I suspect anything...it's Dean...sweet, dependable Dean...or so I thought..."
Sookie nodded.
"I sometimes wonder...did I set a crappy example for her? You know how much I've tried to make sure that she wouldn't make the same mistakes I did. She's been such a good kid...I thought she had it so much more together than I did when I was nineteen..."
"Honey, she's still a good kid...a good kid who made a mistake."
"But she's not supposed to make mistakes like this. That's my job."
"Don't say that. That's not fair. Not to you or to Rory. You raised a beautiful, intelligent daughter, against any odds, on your own. Don't start doubting yourself now."
"Thanks, Oprah." Lorelai closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. "I just...I just want to do...something. But – but I don't know what else to do."
"There's nothing else you can do except be there for her."
"Yeah." Lorelai leaned back in her chair and stared at the barn. "I know that I can't just make her pain go away, but that's what I want to do, dammit. And believe me, if I knew that killing Dean would accomplish that..." Lorelai rubbed her temples. "Wow, remember when I got so upset when Rory fell asleep with Dean at Miss Patty's studio? It seems so long ago. Ironic, huh?"
Sookie looked at Lorelai with concern. "But they're not teenagers anymore. You've got to just accept that you can't fix Rory's problems for her. You have to let her fix her own problems. And stop blaming yourself."
"I promise you I'll try. I just thought this parenting gig would get easier once she was of age...I didn't think it would turn into a Lifetime movie." Lorelai smiled weakly as she took a deep breath. "Sook, thanks for listening to me rant."
"Sweets, you know you can talk to me anytime. Just because we're losing our minds over getting this place up and running doesn't mean I'm not your friend anymore. I'm here for you, and don't you forget that."
Lorelai touched Sookie's hand reassuringly. "I won't. And you know what? It's been way too long since we've had a nice long talk like this. But I'm sorry it had to happen with bad news so early in the morning."
"You don't need to apologize for that. Hey wait...what about the good news...didn't you say that you had some good news too?"
"Oh...oh yeah." Lorelai felt herself blush, and she was pretty sure that Sookie would notice. "I guess I kinda haven't been telling you everything that's been going on with me lately...but uh, I'm telling you now." Lorelai paused to breathe. "I have big news that might surprise you."
"You're getting married?!" Sookie practically shrieked.
"What?! No! No, I am not getting married. I just broke up with Jason, remember?" Lorelai looked at Sookie incredulously.
"But he was here last night, wasn't he?"
"Yes, but he was an unexpected and unwelcome guest."
"Then what is it? Tell me what your big news is."
Lorelai took a deep breath. "I'm dating Luke."
"You're dating Luke?"
"Yes."
"You're dating Luke? Luke Danes?"
"No, Luke Skywalker. Do I know any other Luke? Yes, Luke Danes."
"Really?" Sookie started to laugh.
"Yes!" Lorelai's face fell...this was so not the reaction she was expecting from Sookie. "Oh, I'm so glad you find it amusing..."
"No, no, no, I'm not laughing at you. I just...this is so great! I never thought it would finally happen!" Sookie had tears in her eyes.
"What?!" Lorelai wasn't exactly expecting this reaction either.
"Oh my god, you and Luke!" Sookie squealed with delight. "I can't wait to tell Jackson. He's never going to believe me."
"Why not?" blurted Lorelai. "Never mind, don't answer that." She stood up and leaned against the porch railing, and smiled. "I guess it is a little funny, the way things have turned out."
Sookie joined her at the railing. "I always thought you guys would be perfect for each other, if only you'd let yourselves see it. So when did this all happen? When did you guys start officially dating?" Lorelai didn't respond. "Lorelai?"
"Uh, I'm not sure."
"What do you mean, you're not sure? You have to know."
"He asked me to Liz's wedding, but I'm not sure that really counts as a date."
"I'd say it does...you were his date to the wedding after all."
"Yeah, but did you think that I was going on a date when I went to the wedding with Luke?"
"Well...no..."
"Exactly. And we had such a great time at the wedding, that he asked me out when he walked me home."
"Very smooth. And you said yes?"
"Yes." Lorelai smiled. "But then it didn't really hit me that he asked me out until after he asked me out. So...I wasn't really sure if this meant we were dating or not. I wasn't sure what to think...but I didn't want to ask him just in case I was wrong."
Sookie laughed again.
"Okay, this whole laughing-at-me business is getting old..."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, honey. But you're just so cute when you're clueless."
"Thanks a lot!"
"You can't tell me that you're surprised that Luke Danes wants to date you."
"But I am surprised. I mean, this is Luke, you know?" Lorelai sighed.
"Yeah...love does have a tendency to pop up when you least expect it." She patted Lorelai's shoulder. "So when did you figure out that you two really are dating...or is that still unresolved?"
"No. It's definitely not unresolved anymore." Lorelai smiled at Sookie. "Let's just say that last night, the cards were all out on the table."
"What happened last night?"
"It was...well...it was amazing." Lorelai paused, unsure if she should go into the details. But this was Sookie, and she knew that Sookie would not let her off the hook until she spilled. "Luke kissed me...and I kissed him back. And I don't know exactly how to describe it, but even though I could barely meet his eyes after we kissed, I could feel them on me...and I thought my legs were going to give way..."
"Awww...how romantic! You're so getting married."
"Whoa...hold your horses, pardner. We just started dating. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here."
"But you do want to get married, don't you? Eventually?"
"I guess so. Yes. But I can't let myself go there right now. I haven't had much luck in that department."
"Now that you mention it, neither has Luke."
"Much as I'm sure you want to continue this discussion, we need to figure out what to do about the kitchen staff." Lorelai was beginning to feel uncomfortable, and she knew this would distract Sookie.
"Oh my god, breakfast! I'm going to have to handle breakfast by myself."
"No, you can't. And what about the rest of the meals? We need to somehow sweet-talk some of our kitchen staff back. They couldn't have found a new job yet."
"What about Michel?"
"We'll keep Michel away from the kitchen. In fact, you can tell the staff that."
"Do you think it's too early to call?"
"Sookie, we have no choice. We need to serve breakfast in less than two hours."
"Right. I'll get started on the calls." Sookie headed for the front door, but then turned around. "Oh, and you better not hold out on me like this again! I don't want to be the last one to know what's going on with you and Luke, okay?"
"Okay, but trust me, you're not the last. I'll be right there to help you with the calls." Lorelai watched Sookie rush back into the Inn, as she stepped off the porch to take a walk and brace herself. As she walked past the east edge of the porch, she was startled to find Luke standing there, watching her with a knowing smile.
"Luke? Uh...how long have you been standing there?"
"Good morning to you too."
"Hey..." Lorelai approached him, her hands on her hips. "Were you eavesdropping?"
"Huh, like you wouldn't have done the same."
Lorelai opened her mouth, about to protest, and then covered her face with her hands, conceding. "Okay, you're right. But...oh my god...you heard Sookie and I talking about you..." Lorelai wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow her whole at that moment. But before she could say another word, he took her in his arms and kissed her.
When they finally pulled apart, Lorelai looked into Luke's eyes and smiled. "What was that for?"
"Just wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining things last night."
"Wait...so you didn't hear what we were talking about..."
"I never said I did...you just assumed I did. So that was what you were talking about. And you were talking about me. I never figured you'd be the type to kiss and tell." Luke crossed his arms, trying to look indignant and failing.
"I do not kiss and tell. It – it was just girl talk...it wasn't meant for your ears."
"Yeah, but it must've been something really interesting...you looked so upset when you thought I heard what you guys said."
"You're just going to have to get used to it. I talk to Sookie about all the guys I date." She grabbed his hand, and Luke looked at her in surprise. "So...do you want to take another quick walk with me before we help Sookie cook breakfast?"
"We? But I'm a guest..."
"Luke, could you please, please help me and Sookie cook breakfast while we try and woo our staff back?"
Luke squeezed her hand and gave her a smile.
Lorelai felt herself blush and she wanted to tell him that he should smile more often like that. But she didn't want to ruin the moment. "Okay, let's go say hello to the Armbrusters...they're usually nicer early in the morning."
"Who? Oh yeah...so we're off to the duck pond?"
Lorelai nodded, and she smiled as they began to walk away from the Dragonfly Inn.
"You're so getting married."
"Shut up, Sookie," muttered Lorelai.
"Did you just call me Sookie?"
"No, it's nothing...I'm babbling, thinking aloud..." Lorelai couldn't believe she said that out loud. Hmm...she thought. What if Sookie's right? Lorelai took a deep breath, put that thought out of her head, and let the world and all her worries slip away as she concentrated on the sensation of her hand enclosed in Luke's strong one.