I've had a bunch of requests for a sequel to A Different Beginning, so I'm going to go ahead and post this even though it's not finished and might never be finished (I have a tendency to get absorbed in a particular tv show or two and write a bunch of fanfiction on that one before moving on to another. Currently, I've been working a lot on Bones and X-files along with a couple of my own stories. I've tried to go back to this, but I really can't think of where to go, and I don't want to force anything). Anyway, if anyone else wants to continue from here or write their own sequel to the first story, go right ahead.
Oh yeah, I own nothing.
Lorelai Danes groaned when she heard the insistent beeping of her alarm clock. She hated mornings, especially the time when she was just waking up—before she had had her coffee. Blindly, she reached over her husband to hit the offending alarm, but she missed and elbowed him in the chest. He grunted but did not open his eyes; on her next try, Lorelai managed to make contact with the alarm and stopped the annoying sound. Her eyelids opened slightly, emitting only a faint glimmer of light until her pupils had a chance to adjust. Slowly, she opened her eyes fully and looked down as the sleeping form beside her. At 34, Luke worked hard to keep his body in excellent shape. His well-defined muscles were clearly visible since he wore no shirt to bed. Lorelai's eyes lingered for a moment on his abs and large biceps before traveling to the face she knew and loved. His brown hair was tangled and unkempt because of the early hour, but she found she liked it better that way. Carefully, Lorelai reached out to trace the stubble on his cheek; he often forgot to shave, and Lorelai usually did not bother reminding him since she enjoyed feeling his rough cheeks. Suddenly, she felt a hand close over hers and looked up to see Luke's deep blue eyes staring directly at her. He slowly sat up and brought his mouth to hers. Lorelai happily returned the kiss.
When Luke felt the soft fingers on his face, he had awakened immediately. Lorelai's touch could arouse him even from the deepest sleep. When he opened his eye and looked at her, he once again marveled at how lucky he was. Lorelai was, by far, the most beautiful woman he had ever met. She had recently turned thirty-two, but Luke thought the added years simply made her more stunning. Her face showed no hint of wrinkles, and her hair did not have a touch of gray. She was tall and thin but extremely well-endowed; in fact, she had the body of a supermodel despite her atrocious eating habits. Her face was gently rounded with perfectly proportioned features and bright blue eyes which always seemed to sparkle with laughter. He loved those eyes. He could literally stare into them for hours.
As the kiss became more heated, Lorelai's hands entangled themselves in his hair, and his hands sought out the familiar curve of her hips. He lowered her to the bed, rolling over so that he was leaning over her. His tongue found its way into her mouth, and she used her own tongue to push against it. Her hands slid down his back, caressing his naked skin. He moaned as her fingernails gently scraped against his skin and moved his own hands to the bottom of her shirt. The shirt had a large picture of Mickey Mouse on the front, clearly showing Lorelai's youthful personality. Lorelai kissed him by slipping her hands into his pants and grabbing his butt playfully; he growled, a low, guttural sound, and moved his lips to her neck. Enjoying herself, Lorelai slipped her hands under the waistband of his boxers and slid them to the front of his body. His lips paused briefly before resuming their attack on her neck. Lorelai's hands moved lower, and he quickly pulled off her pajama shirt and tossed it aside. Lorelai's hands slipped still lower, and he found that he could not undress fast enough. His hands fumbled for a minute with the clasp to her bra before it, too, was tossed to the side, and he brought his lips to hers with crushing force. As he reached down to remove his own pants, he heard the unmistakable click of the bedroom door being opened. "Damn. I forgot to lock it again," he muttered.
Lorelai giggled. "Well, you were a bit preoccupied." Reluctantly, he rolled off of her, and she used the sheet to cover her as they both looked toward the door. A six-year-old boy stood there, staring at them with wide, blue eyes. His brown hair was matted to his head, and he wore blue plaid pajamas. He clutched a stuffed dog in his small, skinny arms.
"What are we doing?" he asked his parents.
"We were. . . just getting ready for work," Lorelai answered as Luke rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. He hated being interrupted by one of his kids—something that had happened all too often during his marriage. Lorelai, however, seemed to have no qualms about displaying their affection in many places he found highly inappropriate. "What are you doing up?" Lorelai questioned as William continued to look curiously at her and Luke.
"Rory's up packing her bag for school. She woke the rest of us up."
"Oh, right, the first day of school. How could I forget?" Lorelai asked.
"I'm hungry," William complained.
"Why don't you go downstairs and watch tv for a couple minutes?" Luke suggested. "I'll be down to make you breakfast soon." William nodded and left the room. Look closed the door behind his son and looked back at Lorelai who had already risen from the bed and was searching for her clothes. He watched her for a minute, and she turned to face him with a smile.
"What're you looking at, mister?" she inquired, approaching him.
"My beautiful wife," he answered as she came nearer. He leaned over and kissed her passionately. "You know. . . it is. . . the first day of school," he said between kisses. "Ceasar. . . could open for me. . . And we could. . . celebrate." She pulled him into a lengthy kiss which left them both breathless.
"As much as I'd love to, I have to get to the inn," she panted. "There's a huge wedding this weekend, and Sookie's already freaking out because she thinks nothing she's cooked is good enough. And I'm way behind on planning. And I have to keep Michelle from killing these two guests in Room 13 who keep asking him to say certain phrases with his accent."
"Okay, I get it, you're busy. I guess I'll be lonely today."
"You could go to the diner."
"Being with Ceasar just isn't the same."
"I'm glad you think that. But I promise, I'm all yours tonight."
"Dirty."
"It was intended to be." She gave him a final kiss before backing away. "Okay. I've got to go take a shower."
"I guess I'll go fix breakfast."
"And try to control yourself, Luke," she added with a snicker. He followed her gaze down to his pants.
"Aw geez!"
As Luke crossed through the family room on his way into the kitchen, William saw him and followed her father into the kitchen. In the kitchen, Luke found his oldest daughter, Lorelai—called Rory to avoid confusing—already sitting at the table. Actually, Rory was technically his step-daughter though she had grown up looking up to him as a father, and he had adopted her when she was three. Her biological father, Chris, sent the occasional letter or called, but he had never been a part of her life. Rory had grown up calling Luke "Dad" and Chris simply "Chris," a fact that Chris resented. Luke loved Rory like his own daughter; in fact, it was being around her that finally made him realize he liked kids—some kids, at least.
Rory was already dressed and ready for school. At fifteen, Luke expected her to hate school, but she always seemed to look forward to the end of summer when she could continue her quest for knowledge. That morning, her thick brown hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and she wore a new pair of jeans with a pale pink t-shirt. She already seemed wide awake. "How many cups of coffee have you had?" Luke questioned suspiciously as he began to pull ingredients for breakfast out of the refrigerator. William continued to tail him, eager to help.
"None," Rory answered brightly.
"Really?" Luke was still skeptical although Rory rarely lied.
"Yes, really, Dad. I'm just excited."
"Okay." Luke returned to his cooking.
"Can I help?" Rory offered. She had been helping her father cook since before she could remember, and she loved how they could bond over cooking.
"Sure. Just grab a bowl and start whipping some eggs."
"Ooh, I want to help!" William said excitedly, racing to his older sister. She pulled a bowl out of the cabinet and placed it on the table. He climbed into a chair and watched as she demonstrated how to crack the egg open. As she hit the egg on the bowl, her sister Emmalyne trudged into the room, still wearing her flannel pajama pants and long, baggy t-shirt. Luke looked up from his bacon at his twelve-year-old daughter. Her brown hair was in a sloppy ponytail, but she seemed not to care. Like all her siblings, her eyes were the same clear blue of her parents. Her features were angular, and her figure was thin and muscular. She had inherited her father's love of sports; she filled her time running track, playing softball, and playing basketball. She ruffled her younger brother's hair as she sank into a seat beside him.
"Dad, could you please remind my charming older sister that not everybody looks forward to the first day of school as much as she does, and it isn't necessary to wake us up before the crack of dawn," Emma said.
"You needed time to get ready," Rory defended.
"I needed time to sleep." Before the argument could continue further, nine-year-old Ellie walked into the room in a pink, short-sleeved nightgown. Her eyes were still partially closed from sleep, and she was unable to stifle a yawn. She immediately stumbled over to her father and wrapped her arms around his legs. With a smile, he picked her up, and she wrapped her feet around his waist and her arms around his neck like a monkey. Using one arm to support her back, he continued to flip bacon with his free hand. Ellie seemed to perk up when she smelled the bacon. Luke set her on the counter, and she watched as he cooked.
"Hey, who wants toast?" Luke asked.
"Me!" three voices chorused.
"Ellie?" he asked. The small girl shook her head. "Emma, why don't you get out some silverware and jelly and butter and stuff." Emma sighed as if he had asked her to clean all the bathrooms at New York Central Station, but she stood up to do as he asked anyway.
"Hey, William, don't eat that!" Rory shouted suddenly. Luke turned in enough time to see William pause with a finger dripping with raw egg halfway to his mouth. He looked at Rory curiously.
"Why not?" he questioned innocently.
"Because it's yucky, and it'll make you sick," she told him.
"Come on, let's wash up," Luke said, lifting him out of his seat and up to the sink. He carefully washed his hands and allowed Luke to dry them before rejoining his sister who was cooking the eggs. Luke sighed. Jam hands were one thing, but raw eggs? How could kids get into so much?
As the rest of breakfast cooked, Luke started a pot of coffee, knowing his wife would demand some as soon as she joined them. Ellie watched in fascination as he loaded the coffee grounds and water in their proper place and turned to the coffeepot. As if on cue, Lorelai entered the kitchen with the youngest member of the family. At two, Reid had finally lost most of his baby fat, leaving him as thin as the rest of the family. Although he had blue eyes like the rest of his family, his hair was blond and cut in a bowl-cut. He was still half-asleep with his head lolling against his mother's shoulder. "Nice to see I've trained you well," Lorelai commented with a glance at the coffeepot. Luke gave an inaudible response. Lorelai tried to put Reid down, but he clung to her neck, so she kept him in her arms as she walked over to Luke. "Something smells good."
"That's breakfast," Luke told her.
"Really? I thought it was that new aftershave you bought."
"I thought you didn't like it."
"I didn't like it because it didn't remind me of you at first. But now that you wear it so much, it does remind me of you, so I like it."
"Crazy," Luke muttered.
"And yet you still love me."
"What can I say? I'm crazy, too." Lorelai leaned forward and kissed him. Before she had a chance to deepen the kiss, she felt a tug at her pants leg and looked down to see William standing there.
"Mommy, come look at the eggs Rory and I made!" Lorelai gave Luke one last, pleading look before following her son to see the eggs. Luke began to place the food on the plates which Emma had set out on the table. Reid fussed a bit when Lorelai but him in the high chair but quieted down when Luke set some food in front of him. Lorelai looked at her own plate and groaned.
"Turkey bacon?" she asked.
"It's good for you," he insisted.
"But it's yucky."
"Interesting choice of words."
"I'm serious, Luke."
"Then don't use the word yucky."
"Fine. Then turkey bacon is gastronomically displeasing."
"Eat it anyway. Besides, half of it is real bacon."
"Which half?"
"Why would I tell you that?" Luke lifted Ellie off the counter, and she took the seat beside him before beginning to devour her breakfast.
"Sadist," Lorelai said, sticking her tongue out at Luke.
"Sadist who's trying to keep your cholesterol intake below comatose level."
"Give up."
"I'm considering it." Luke took his seat and watched as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Rory was the only person who talked much during breakfast since the rest of the family was too tired, but she seemed not to mind. She talked a mile a minute about the books she had read, the teachers she hoped to have, and the classes she hoped to take. She was disappointed about not being accepted into Chilton, a prestigious private school she had applied to, but she tried to remain enthusiastic about continuing at Stars Hollow High.
After breakfast, Lorelai helped the kids pack their lunches while Luke washed the dishes. "Don't just pack a bunch of junk food," Luke told them.
"You're no fun," Lorelai pouted.
"I'm just trying to keep our kids healthy."
"Are you going to inspect he lunch boxes again?"
"I might."
Lorelai sighed. "Okay, guys, everybody needs something yucky in their lunch."
"Can I have carrots?" Ellie asked. "Carrots aren't yucky."
"You are your father's daughter," Lorelai told her as she searched for the carrots.
Once all the lunches were packed, Emma, Ellie, and William left to get dressed while Rory dried and put away the dishes. Lorelai picked Reid up and asked, "Who do you want to go to work with today, buddy?"
"Mommy!" he answered happily, clapping his hands together.
"See, Luke, he likes me better," Lorelai said triumphantly.
Having finished the dishes, Luke dried his hands and turned around to face them. "Reid, who do you like better?" he asked.
"Daddy!" Reid told him.
"He's just answering the name of whoever asks the question," Luke told her.
"Ooh, this could be fun. Reid, what does Daddy sometimes say whenever-" Before Lorelai could finish her question, Luke placed a hand over her mouth.
"Jeez, Lorelai, he's two!"
Lorelai bit his fingers to force him to remove his hand. He pulled it back, allowing her to speak again. "Exactly. He won't know what I'm talking about."
"Rory will." Luke nodded to his oldest daughter who was putting away the last of the dishes.
"So? It's true," Lorelai argued.
"No, it's not."
"Sure it is. Remember a couple weeks ago when-" Luke's hand covered her mouth once more.
"We're not discussing this." Lorelai grinned devilishly and nipped at his fingers again. Returning the smile, he pulled his hand from her mouth and replaced it with his lips. Lorelai gently pushed him back against the refrigerator and slipped her tongue into his mouth.
"Can you guys control yourselves for just one more minute until all innocent eyes leave the room?" Rory questioned.
"Can you leave fast?" Lorelai countered. Heaving a large sigh, Rory took Reid from his mother's arms and left the room. "Now, where were we?" Lorelai asked. She kissed him for a couple more minutes before pulling back with a sigh of disappointment. "I have to get to work."
"Go on. I'll take Reid today."
"You sure?"
"Positive. Now go." He gave her a final kiss before she said goodbye to the kids and left. Luke took Reid from Rory and helped William get ready. At soon as his four oldest had left for school, he grabbed some toys and things for Reid and left for the diner.
Breakfast rush was in full swing when Luke reached the diner. Ms. Patty and Babette, the town gossips, spotted Reid as soon as Luke walked in the door. "Oooh, look, it's the baby!" Babette exclaimed. Luke rolled his eyes. Every time they saw Reid, they acted as if they had never seen a baby before.
"I no baby!" Reid informed them proudly.
"Come here, sugah!" Babette cooed, ignoring his comment. Luke passed Reid to Babette as eh left to take orders from the rest of his customers. At the first table he came to, a woman in her early thirties was reading the menu. She had wavy brown hair and penetrating green eyes. Her features were small and delicate, and she looked to be around 5'3" or 5'4". As he always did when he saw a beautiful woman, Luke began to compare her to Lorelai. He noticed immediately that she was shorter, and her nose seemed too small for her face. Also, Lorelai's eyes seemed much happier. Shaking these thoughts to the back of his head, Luke asked, "What can I get you?"
"Tea and whole wheat toast," the woman answered. 'She eats healthier than Lorelai, too. I can't complain to her about cholesterol,' Luke thought.
"Anything else?"
"A half a grapefruit, please." Luke smiled, remembering Lorelai's opinions on grapefruit. She believed they were all out to get her, enticing her with their pretty pink color but tricking her by their "yucky" taste. As Luke wrote down the order, he heard Reid's voice.
"Daddy, I have to go potty," the small boy whined. Luke looked down at him before pocketing his ordering pad and turning back to the woman.
"If you'll excuse me for a minute. . "
"By all means, go right ahead." The woman waved him away, and he lifted the small boy into his arms and carried him upstairs to his old apartment. The small, two-room apartment was where he and Lorelai had spent the first three years of their marriage until Emma was born and they needed more space. A couple items of furniture still remained, including an old bed which he and Lorelai still used from time to time. Of course, his and Lorelai's time alone had diminished significantly because of the kids. He shook his head, thinking about the interruption that morning. As much as he loved his kids, they had the worst possible timing.
When Luke brought Reid back downstairs, he set him up at the end of the counter with paper, some crayons, and his toy cars before continuing to serve his customers. When he brought the brown-haired stranger her toast and grapefruit, she commented, "Your son's adorable." Luke chuckled.
"He gets that from his mother."
"How old is he?"
"Two. His name's Reid."
"I like that. It's different. I'm Kat, by the way."
"Luke."
"Really? So you own this place then?"
"Yeah." Luke glanced around the room, wondering if any customers needed a refill. Kat glanced down at his left hand and noticed the ring finger was bare.
"So you're not wearing a wedding ring, I see," she began. Luke quickly brought his gaze to his hand.
"Damn! I knew I was forgetting something." He had taken it off the night before to fix the sink drain and had left it lying on the counter. "My wife's gonna kill me." As if she heard him, Lorelai chose that minute to walk into the diner. Luke groaned and turned away from Kat.
"I need coffee, Luke!" Lorelai called.
"You already had two cups this morning at home. Not to mention what you had at the inn. You don't need coffee."
"For your information, I didn't have any at the inn."
"Really?"
"Well, one cup, but yours is soo much better."
"You're going to kill yourself one of these days," Luke told her as he went behind the counter and grabbed the coffeepot.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just hand over the goods. To go, please." As Luke handed her the cup, she leaned over the counter and kissed him. The kiss lasted a bit longer than their usual pecks in public, but neither seemed to notice. When Lorelai pulled away, both were grinning. "You forgot something this morning," Lorelai told him as she produced his wedding ring from her pocket.
"How did you. . ?"
"I found it on the counter while I was getting dressed. I knew you'd never remember so I put it in my pocket. Good thing, too. Now everyone knows you're taken."
"Happily so."
"Good to hear. Now, I've got to go." She gave him a short peck and kissed Reid's forehead. "Bye, sweets." With that, she took her coffee and left. Luke watched her go for a minute before grabbing the coffeepot to pour refills.
As he approached Kat's table, she asked, "So that was your wife?"
"Yeah."
"She's very pretty." Luke grunted, wanting to end the conversation. "How long have you been married?" Luke sighed, knowing he was not going to easily extract himself from the conversation.
"Fourteen and a half years."
"Wow. I couldn't get my marriage to last fourteen and a half months." Luke was saved from having to respond by Reid.
"I tirsty, Daddy!" he called.
"Coming, buddy," Luke said, walking over to his son.
Lorelai was still trying to work out some of the finer details of the wedding with the bride's mother when she heard a loud crash from the kitchen. Excusing herself, she rushed in to find her best friend, Sookie, lying on the floor surrounded by pots and pans. Sookie was heavyset with dirty blond hair that she had pulled into pigtails. Her face was plump with rounded features. "Sookie, what happened?" Lorelai asked.
"I don't know. I was just reaching for my favorite frying pan when bam, I'm suddenly on the floor surrounded by all my pots and pans.
"Sookie, we've talked about this. You need to be more careful," Lorelai admonished as she helped her friend to her feet.
"I know, I know."
"I swear, sometimes I think you're trying to get worker's comp."
"Well, that would be nice. . ." Sookie stared off into space with a vacant look on her face.
"Sookie, snap out of it! You love working here."
"I know. Ooh, by the way, I think I finally figured out what Luke marinated those pork chops in!" Sookie said excitedly. Lorelai groaned. Ever since Sookie had come to dinner at the Danes house a week before, she had been struggling to discover the secret to Luke's porkchops. She grabbed a pan from the stove and a nearby knife and fork and held out a bite of porkchop to Lorelai. Knowing arguing was fruitless, Lorelai took the offered porkchop and chewed experimentally. When Lorelai made no comment, Sookie's face fell. "It's not it, is it? I should have known." Sookie started to toss the porkchop into a nearby trashcan, but Lorelai stopped her.
"It may not be the same as Luke's, but it's still good."
"Really?" Sookie's face brightened.
"Yeah. I say we have a new item for our menu." Glad to have averted another crisis, Lorelai took a second bite of porkchop and left. She passed Michel on his wayback to the lobby; he was arguing wigh someone over the phone. She thought he was hilarious when he was upset; his dark skin tinged a shake of red, and his French accent grew even more pronounced. When she rejoined the mother of the bride, Lorelai asked, "So where were we?"
"Flower color."
"Right. I was thinking-" Lorelai was interrupted once more, this time by a loud stream of French curses. She rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid this. . . situation falls under my job description, too."
"Go ahead. I'll wait."
"Tank you for being so understanding about this. I'll be right back." Lorelai hurried to the front desk. "Michel, this had better be a serious problem."
"It is the linen guy. He claims we owe him 300."
"What for?"
"I asked him the same question, but he refused to answer."
"Here. Gimme the phone." Lorelai took the phone from him. "Hi, Dave, Michel says there's a problem with your bill. . . no, I understand towels are expensive. . . Yes, I know that, but aren't we your biggest customers? It would be a shame if we took our business elsewhere. . . Uh-huh. . . okay, so what we paid you is good, right? I thought so. See ya soon, Dave." Lorelai hung up and turned to Michel. "See, it's not that hard. Now, no more interruptions." She turned and walked back to the couch. "Crisis number two averted!" she announced.
Later that day, Lorelai was sorting through some paperwork at the front desk. When she looked up, she saw Luke standing in the lobby, shifting from one foot to the other. "Hey, hon!" she greeted him. "I didn't know we had a date today."
"We don't," he said, kissing her quickly. Lorelai noticed he seemed distracted; his hands had not left his pockets. "But the lunch rush was over, so I left Caesar in charge."
"Where's Reid?"
"With Sookie. Look, can we talk for a minute?"
"Uh-oh. What's up?"
"Nothing. I just. . . can we talk somewhere a little more private than here?"
"Sure. We'll just go to my office." Lorelai led him to her office and opened the door, motioning him inside. She closed the door after she had also walked in and turned to face him. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, he brought his lips forcefully down on hers. She stumbled backwards a couple steps until her back hit the solid wooden door. Luke's tongue was already greedily exploring her mouth as his hands braced them against the door. After a few minutes, his lips began to work their way down her neck. "Luke, what are you doing?" she gasped.
"You know perfectly well what I'm doing," he said, his voice deeper than normal.
"You know it's the middle of the day and we're at the inn, don't you?"
Luke pulled away and looked up at her face. "After the interruption this morning, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I was afraid we'd be interrupted again tonight. Besides, I don't know if I could wait that long."
"I told you to control yourself," Lorelai said with a wide grin.
"Around you, that's impossible."
"Well, let's see if we can find some way to relieve those hormones then." Lorelai pulled him over to her desk and shoved some papers to the side. "I've always wondered what it would be like to do it on a desk," she mused. Luke responded by kissing her again. His fingers quickly found the buttons of her blouse and began to undo them. In his haste, he ripped the shirt off without undoing the last two buttons. Lorelai heard them hit the ground. "Somebody's mighty eager," she whispered. He simply tossed the blouse aside and quickly removed her bra. Lorelai gasped as his lips found their way to her chest. She marveled that after so many years of marriage, Luke's touch could still send chills down her spine.
In no time at all, Luke's flannel and undershirt had joined her clothes on the floor. He quickly removed her skirt and ran a finger slowly up from her knee to her inner thigh. She bit his shoulder to keep from groaning loudly, knowing they had to be quiet. Now as eager as Luke, she unzipped his pants and pulled them off. He struggled out of them, and they were soon discarded. His finger reached the edge of her underwear and pulled it off hastily, allowing his finger to explore her entire body. Lorelai was unable to suppress a moan as he slipped his finger inside of her, and her hands quickly pulled off his boxers. She allowed her hands to roam his lower body, coming to rest on his groin. "I think someone's ready," she teased.
"Lor-e-lai," he said, pronouncing each syllable of her name slowly. She giggled as he pushed her back onto the desk and positioned himself above her.
Sometime later, they lay on the floor behind her desk, completely naked. "I can't believe we just did that," Luke said as he stroked her hair.
"Hey, mister, it was your idea."
"I know. I can't believe that either." She laughed and kissed him passionately. He turned so they were facing one another.
"Ready for round two?" Lorelai questioned.
"You'll be the death of me, woman."
"Well, we have to relieve those pesky hormones." He leaned over to kiss her again when they heard the door to the office open. Both froze, hoping they were well hidden behind the desk.
"Mom?" Rory's voice called. When she received no response, Rory left the room. As soon as they heard the door close behind her, both Lorelai and Luke breathed a sigh of relief.
"I guess I'm not the only one who forgets to lock the door," Luke teased.
"Well, I didn't expect you to attack me like that," Lorelai defended as she began to gather her clothes. "We're lucky Rory didn't notice our clothes."
"Yeah." Luke pulled on his jeans and shirt quickly before kissing her. "We're still on for tonight, right?" he asked once he pulled back.
"And you say I'm bad."
"I guess you've rubbed off on me." Luke kissed her again; it lasted a bit longer this time until Luke finally pulled away. "If we continue like that, we'll be back on that desk in no time."
"And there's a problem with that because. . ." Lorelai leaned closer to him, but he stopped her.
"Because our daughter is obviously looking for you, and I need to get our son and get back to the diner." He gave her a quick peck. "I'll see you tonight."
"Bye. Love you."
"Love you, too." With another kiss, he left. As he was walking out, he ran straight into Rory. Luke was suddenly a bit nervous.
"Hey, Dad. What are you doing here?" Rory wondered, hugging him.
"I was just. . . fixing something for your mom," he invented.
"Where's your toolbox?"
Sometimes, Luke hated having smart kids. "In the truck. I just came in to tell your mom I was finished and pick up your brother."
"Where is Mom anyway?"
"In her office."
"Really? I didn't see her there when I went in a couple minutes ago."
"Well, she's there now. I've gotta go now, kid. I'll see you in a bit."
"Bye, Dad." Rory walked into her mother's office and found her cleaning up a bunch of papers which were strewn across the floor. "What happened here? It looks like a hurricane hit."
"Well, I can get pretty hurricane-like when I'm upset.' Lorelai hugged her daughter in greeting. "Let's see, your shadows are missing. Will has soccer, Ellie ballet, and Emma softball. Right?"
"Yeah. You know, sometimes these three really are like shadows. I feel like Brigham Young when they're around."
"Interesting comparison, but okay. How was school?"
"Not bad. Since I already finished Huck Finn, I had a chance to work on my report in class toady, so I'm already halfway done."
"That's my studious girl!"
"I need to be to go to Harvard. Anything I can do to help?"
"Not today, hon, but check with Sookie. I know she loves your help in the kitchen," Lorelai suggested.
"Okay." Rory happily left the room and joined her mother's best friend in the kitchen. "Hey, Sookie, anything I can do?" she offered.
"Taste that." Sookie pointed to a porkchop on the stove. Rory cautiously took a bit. "Anything like your dad's?" Sookie wondered.
"Sort of. But I think the species are a little different."
"Damn. I thought I finally had it."
Lorelai left a couple hours later to pick up Will and Ellie before joining Luke at his diner. He had already picked Emma up after softball practice, and she had disappeared upstairs to shower. Lorelai retrieved Reid from his seat at the counter and found a large table in the back. Luke saw them and walked over, kissing Lorelai in greeting. "I'm sorry I can't eat with you guys, but I'm swamped right no," he told his family.
"Then I guess we'll help," Lorelai declared. She went behind the counter and retrieved an apron she had long ago claimed as her own. Luke shook his head, knowing arguing was futile. Lorelai insisted on helping him with the dinner rush most days, and she had recruited the kids to help, too, claiming it was a way for them to bond as a family. Luke enjoyed having them helping him, so he never complained. In fact, he had pointed out how swamped he was so she could offer (or rather demand) to help.
Rory, as usual, worked the cash register; she sat Ellie up on a stool beside her so the young girl could learn how the cash register worked. Lorelai took the boys with her as she waitressed, leaving Luke free to help Caesar in the kitchen. When Emma came back down in clean clothes, Lorelai handed her an apron, and she began to take orders unaided, having done it many times before. Luke smiled at his family. It seemed natural for all of them to be working in the diner. He would not have it any other way.
By 7:30, the dinner rush had died down, leaving Luke free to eat dinner with his family. He had let Caesar leave already, so he and Lorelai would have to check on the few customers they had left from time to time, but the kids seemed not to mind. Will began the conversation by giving a detailed account of his soccer practice. "I scored a goal on Jimmy who's really big, so no one can ever score a goal on him. Except me."
"Well, I guess we can move you up to the older team then," Lorelai teased.
"No, Mommy, that's for eight-year-olds. I'm not eight!"
"But I thought you could kick goals past the really big kids."
"But eight-year-olds are really, really big."
Luke chuckled. "So, Emma, how was your practice?" he questioned.
Emma shrugged. "Okay."
"That's all we get?" Lorelai wondered. "You aren't going to tell us the uHgory details? Did anybody get hit in the head with the ball? Maybe someone got knocked out and now can't remember who they are."
Emma rolled her eyes, reminding Lorelai forcibly of Luke. "No, nothing quite so dramatic, Mom. We threw the ball, we hit the ball, and we ran around. Then we were done." Emma reached for the pasta in the center of the table. For family dinners, Luke often cooked something that was not on the diner's menu to give the kids and Lorelai a variety in their diet. He had stumbled upon the recipe for the spaghetti casserole they were eating that night a few years before; since it was healthy and everyone ate it without complaint, he had cooked it quite often since then.
"Such an exciting life you lead," Lorelai said. "What about you, Ellie? Did you have fun at ballet practice?"
"Uh-hut. Ms. Patty said I was the best in the class! She's going to give me a solo part in the recital on Saturday."
"That's great!" Lorelai enthused. "We'll be there in the front row with the camera."
"But what about my game?" Will whined.
"What time does your recital start, Ellie?" Luke asked.
"One."
"And what about your game, Will?"
"Noon-thirty."
"It's twelve thirty, retard," Ellie told him.
"Ellie, don't call your brother a retard," Luke scolded automatically.
"Well, he is," Ellie protested.
"Ellie." Luke had adopted the tone of voice that all his children knew meant business. They did not dare cross him when he spoke with that tone. "Thank you. Now, since your mother and I obviously can't be in two places at once-"
"Three," Emma corrected.
"What?" Luke asked.
"Three places. My game's at 1:30."
"Sometimes I wish I was Marty McFly," Lorelai muttered.
"You don't need a car. You could just use a time turner like Hermione," Ellie pointed out. Luke shot Lorelai a look which clearly said, "These are definitely your kids."
"True. But since I have neither a flux capacitor or a time turner, we'll have to do this the good old-fashioned way. I'll drop Will off before his game and while he's warming up, I'll drop Ellie off at Ms. Patty's. Emma, your father will drop you off at the field and go back to watch your sister's recital. I'll stay to watch most of your brother's game, so I can still make it to your game soon after it starts. I'll ask Mrs. Anderson to pick up Will and drop him off at the softball field."
"But Mom, why can't Dad come to my game?" Emma whined. "Last time you came, you started cheering when the pitcher walked me even though I did nothing."
"Yeah, and you cheered when the other team scored a goal," Will reminded her.
"Well at least now we know who the favorite parent is," Lorelai remarked. "Fine. I'll go to the ballet recital and your father will go to the games."
"Sounds good," Emma agreed, and Will and Ellie nodded.
"Great. Now that that's settled, Rory, what are you doing on Saturday?"
"I thought I'd hang out with Lane for a bit. Maybe we'll come to one of the games."
"Ooh, Rory, come to my recital," Ellie begged.
"No, come to my game!" Will exclaimed.
"I asked first, Butthead," Ellie said.
"Hey, what did I say about name calling?" Luke asked.
"Sorry, Dad," Ellie told him, widening her blue eyes in innocence. As soon as her father's back was turned, however, she stuck her tongue out at her younger brother.
After they finished their meal, Rory walked her younger siblings home while Lorelai stayed to help Luke close up. As she had done so many times in the past, Lorelai cleared and wiped down the tables while Luke cleaned the kitchen. "Do you ever wonder if maybe five was too many?" Lorelai called to her husband. He knew without even asking what she was talking about; fourteen years of marriage had allowed them to virtually read one another's minds. Luke emerged from the kitchen and began to sort through the receipts in the cash register.
"Any reason why you're asking?"
"I don't know. I was just thinking about all the conflicts on Saturday, and I couldn't help but to wonder if we're stretching ourselves too thin."
"I don't regret having any of our kids, Lorelai. They're al wonderful, and I love all of them. Five may be a lot, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
"You can be quite mushy-gushy at times, Luke."
"A fact which better remain between the two of us."
"So you admit you're mushy-gushy then?"
"Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that." He kissed her.
"What d'ya say we go home and get the kids to bed so we can get started on our date for tonight?" Lorelai suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea." Luke clasped her hand in his own and led her to the door of the diner, switching off the lights behind him.
"I love you. You know that, right?"
"Of course. I love you, too."
"And Luke? I think five's perfect."