A BAD DREAM
Lorelai deftly reached her hand out from under the comforter to shut off the beeping alarm clock. It didn't stop until she finally hit it enough times. Then it made a piercing noise before a final zap as she flung it to the floor. As she opened her sleepy eyes, she felt an odd sense wash over her. Something felt odd. She looked around, confused. Her room was different. Her bedding, the arrangement of her stuff… It didn't look as it had last night. Her heart began to beat faster. What happened to her house? What happened to her stuff? She threw the covers aside, rushing out of her room. It was all different. The walls weren't painted anymore. She got down to the living room. "It's gone," she mumbled, looking at the blank wall where her flatscreen TV had once been. She rushed back upstairs. Throwing open the closet doors, she looked for the bag. Yesterday she had gone shopping and bought two new pairs of shoes. Yet they were nowhere to be found. Falling back against her bed, she tried to understand what was going on. Nothing made sense.
Suddenly an idea hit her. She ignored the fact that she was wearing sweat pants, a t-shirt, and that her hair was a mess. Rushing out the front door, she tripped over a pair of shoes. "Luke's" she mumbled, wondering how they had gotten there. She didn't have time to think about them. She just started running faster and faster.
Out of breath, she flung the door open and ran to the counter. "I need to talk to you," she announced, trying to catch her breath.
Luke and everyone in the place looked at her in shock. They'd always expected crazy things from Lorelai, but this was still a bit surprising. Even more surprising than when she'd come downstairs in Luke's shirt after their first night together. "Um… okay…" Luke handed the plates in his hands off to a waiter and followed Lorelai upstairs. "Are you okay?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Do you have a kid, Luke?" she asked as they entered his apartment.
"What?"
"A kid. Short girl. Brown hair. Do you have a kid? I know this sounds crazy, but I need to know."
"April," he breathed.
Lorelai closed her eyes. For a few minutes now she was really starting to believe it was all a bad dream. She was so close to convincing herself that the past eighteen months hadn't happened. Yet they had. April. He has a kid. April. It wasn't a dream.
"How do you know about her?" he asked. "She came by here one time and I didn't even get her name when she did."
"What?" Lorelai asked. Her head shot up, confused again.
"Yeah, this kid comes by saying she's taking samples from like three guys who might be her father. Then she just disappears. I went to this school fair thing that she mentioned just to find out if she's my kid or not. I know I should have told you about it, but it just seemed so crazy. I mean, I'd know if I had a kid, right?"
"She's your daughter," Lorelai sighed, looking down at the floor.
Luke shook his head. "No, she isn't." Lorelai looked up at him, her eyes widening. Did he just say that? "Some guy named Rick. She's not my kid."
Lorelai emitted a high pitched scream before she threw her arms around Luke. He was the one that was confused now. As she let go of him things became clear. "It was a dream," she smiled. "It was all a dream. It wasn't real. It was a dream." She couldn't stop saying it. It was like a miracle had somehow happened. Could the past eighteen months really have been a dream? A bad dream. Everything had seemed so real. Absurd but real. She shook her head, chiding herself for ever thinking that she'd have married Chris. In Paris?! And eloping without Rory there?! Divorcing him a few months later!? Of course it was a dream. She'd never have done such stupid things.
"What are you talking about?" Luke asked.
"It doesn't matter right now. Nothing matters right now." She smiled, happier than she could ever remember being. "Let's elope, Luke."
He was surprised by her sudden request. "Elope…?"
"Yes, let's forget about all these silly plans and dates and perfect dresses. Let's just go get married right now. Rory is home again. And the three of us are all that matters. I don't want to wait any longer, Luke. Let's get married right now…"
"What about the diner?" he asked, talking to himself and not her. "I guess I could close it for the day."
Lorelai scream again, throwing her arms around him. She kissed him passionately, not wanting to let go. When she finally pulled herself away from him, she looked down at what she was wearing. "I have to go get dressed. I can't get married like this!"
"Wait!" Her hand was already on the door knob. A sudden chill went down her spine and she knew that she was going to say he'd changed his mind. "Where will we go?" he asked.
Lorelai smiled, happier than she'd been in a long time. "I don't know. We'll figure that out in the car. I'll be back in twenty minutes!"
She opened the door, leaving Luke alone in the apartment. Lorelai leaned back against the door as she closed it behind herself. She looked down at her left hand. The engagement ring was still there. "It was all a dream," she smiled.