Disclaimer: This wonderful show belongs to Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband Daniel Palladino. I would never have imagined that there would be such a terrific show on TV – ever! So thank you for all that you created and thank you very much for the wonderful characters you invented. I only want to play with them and write some fantasies about them. I don't want to hurt any law. It's all yours, but the fantasies are mine.

Author's note: I was inspired by Luke's expression when he asked Rory what she did hear when she asked him if there was anything new with him. He looked totally trapped and so I asked myself how it would be if Lorelai would get the news about Luke's daughter not from him but from one of the town's people.

I hope you enjoy my story and review my work. It's a pleasure to write down what's in my head, so please tell me how you like it.

The Rumor That Jeopardized Everything

Chapter One

"Lorelai!" Babette called, running down the street toward her. "Sugar, wait!" She called again. Lorelai stopped, hearing the always husky voice of her little neighbor thundering through the street she just walked down toward her jeep, enjoying the wintry air and – of course – the hot coffee in the huge takeout cup.

The town was busy as always this time of year. Thanksgiving was around the door. A few days left before she had all her beloved family and friends around her. A few days before the big dinner in the Dragonfly Inn – her Dragonfly Inn, that was finally out of the red numbers. That was a reason to be happy and Lorelai was happy. Not only because of the black marks in the books but because Rory was back. Finally. After three months of hurt, pain, tears and worry that she had made a bad job with her daughter, she was happy again. They were still in catch-up mode but it almost felt as if nothing bad had ever happened between them.

Lorelai turned around, watching Babette, who now was only a few feet away from her. "Babette, slow down, hon', I won't go anywhere."

Completely out of breath, Babette stopped in front of Lorelai, gasping and coughing furiously.

"Lorelai…there is a…rumor and…I need you to confirm…it." She still was out of breath but she looked expectantly at Lorelai like a kid that was about to learn why the banana was bent.

"Honey, what rumor?"

"Well, the rumor about Luke being the father of a dark haired, glasses wearing girl that is about 10 or so years old and that came to his diner, wearing a monstrous helmet on her head and asking Luke for some hair to take a DNA-test to find out which of the men her mother has dated is her father." Babette felt slightly dizzy after that long sentence without taking one breath, but not as dizzy as Lorelai who paled instantly, feeling her legs wobble in her high heels.

She forced herself to calm down, knowing that this stupid town had always the strangest rumors around it. Either Kirk lost a hand during Tai Chi or Taylor created a new ice cream flavor that tasted like grasshoppers or bugs or some other disgusting crawling animal. So why not today talking about Luke having a daughter?

"Babette, I have no idea what you are talking about. Luke hasn't told me anything about a strange girl coming to his diner. Who tells you such trash?" Lorelai couldn't believe what the people in town coming up with to entertain their boring lives. She was beginning to get mad at them because this time she was personally involved in that rumor. Well, not she personally, but Luke. But she was Luke's fiancée, so she was indeed personally involved, because his life was her life too now. And if there was a child in the picture, he would have told her, right?

Right?

Right.

Especially after their fight about Christopher's call. They'd agreed to tell each other everything from now on, so Lorelai was sure that he would have told her anything about a girl that claims to be his daughter. Lorelai was sure that she knew Luke well enough to be able to sense when he was hiding something from her. So there was no question, this rumor had to be nothing but a rumor.

"Well, Andrew was in the diner when the girl came in. And Gypsy told me that the helmet the girl wore must have been handmade because it was part bike helmet and part hockey helmet, you know the thing with the safety in front of the face. And Taylor saw the girl from his shoppe as well. Andrew heard her telling Luke something about three men who may be her father and that she wants to take a DNA-test to finally know which of the men her father is. I'm sorry, sugar, but it sounded all so real. Maybe Luke didn't want to upset you without being sure what that DND-test said." She looked compassionately at Lorelai.

Lorelai wasn't so sure what to say about what she'd just heard. It made no sense. Why should Luke hide such a huge thing from her?

"Well, then he can't be that girl's father, because he certainly would have told me if the test would have been positive. He wouldn't hide such thing from me, Babette," Lorelai said, reassuring herself.

"Um, Babette, I have to go. The Inn has a huge birthday-party tonight and I have to do a thousand things before the guests arrive. Just forget about all this stupid talking, okay? Say Morey hi, bye Babette."

"Of course, sugar, I'll do. Have fun at the Inn."

Lorelai waved to Babette one last time and hurried toward her jeep, driving off as quickly as she could. Her mind was reeling. It had been true; she had to be at the Inn by now. Michel would be furious and Sookie would be worried already because she'd told them that she would be at the Inn at noon and now it was already close to one. There were so many tasks to accomplish that day until the party began, but now, hearing all that stuff from Babette, she couldn't shake her mind off it.

Suddenly there was a reason for Luke appearing kind of distracted the last few days. She remembered him sitting in front of the TV watching a game, but he'd seemed oddly absent. She'd had to call him three times until he'd heard her and when she'd sat beside him, he hadn't even laid an arm around her like he usually did.

He always seemed to be deep in thought, and at night when they would lay in bed together, he didn't start to make out or even get further. She'd thought that it was just a phase, a guy-thing or something, but now…

What did that mean? She would have to find out. She couldn't wait. She was too confused to work now. She took her cell phone and dialed the Inn.

"Hello, Michel speaking. What can I do for you?" Trusty Michel answered the phone like he always did.

"Hi, Michel, this is Lore—"

"Ah, well, where are you? We are waiting forever. What takes you so long to drive here and do the things you are supposed to?" Michel said indignantly.

"Michel, give me Sookie please. I don't have the time to explain right now. It's kind of a family emergency," Lorelai said but did not hope so.

She heard a shuffle, a door being opened and a muffled "Here, it's for you" before the sound of Sookie's voice came on.

"Hello?"

"Sookie, it's me. How's it going?"

"Lorelai, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine now. You know, I had to take something out of the freezer, but my fingers were still a bit wet after washing my hands, so three of them got stuck to the ice and I couldn't get them off. Michel called 911 and the paramedics came and they pulled my fingers off the ice, but a little of my skin still stuck to the ice, so I have a dressing on my right hand." Sookie explained animatedly her newest stunt in the kitchen.

"Oh, my God, Sookie! How often did I tell you to be more careful?" Lorelai couldn't believe it. There wasn't a day without Sookie having an accident in the kitchen.

"So, what did you want, Lorelai? Why aren't you here? What happened?" Sookie asked her best friend, always sensing that there was something wrong with her, even on the phone.

Lorelai didn't answer right away. Now that Sookie was kind of injured and only able to use her left hand, she had to be at the Inn to help where she could and do the things she had to do for the big party tonight. She couldn't let her friends down to investigate some stupid rumor. Maybe that girl had just been one of the soccer girls who wanted to impress someone with playing CSI – claiming she could make a DNA-test and using Luke, the supporter of the team for that mission.

"Lorelai, you still there?"

"Yes, I'm still there, Sookie. Okay, listen, I'll be at the Inn in 10 minutes. We'll talk when I'm there. Please keep the coffee pot full for me, will ya?" With that she closed her phone and drove to the Inn, still confused, still unsure of what was going on behind her back. She wanted so much to talk to Luke, but she wouldn't have the time to do so until she got home and that wouldn't be until very late this night because of that stupid birthday party.

So, that was chapter one. How did you like it? Was it a good beginning? The next chapter is already in my head, I only have to write it all down. Be prepared for a nice talk between Lorelai and Luke.