Author's Note: If you've read the author's note for my first GG fanfiction, "When You See Her Face," then you'll have heard the story of how my mom and I got into Gilmore Girls this summer (and please do read it-the story, not the author's note. It's dramatic, yes, but it deserves some more love).
The inspiration for this fic came from my wondering if Luke would have tried to shut Lorelai out of April's life so much had Lorelai and he had not been dating at the time...would he have let Lorelai and April have gotten to know each other if Luke and Lorelai had simply stayed friends? After a few more ideas, this fanfiction was born! It starts at the end of Season Five, but mainly takes place in Season Six, and if you haven't picked it up from the summary, what you have to know is this: Luke never got the romance self help book/tapes, so he never "saw Lorelai's face" (though of course he really continued to "see" her face as much as normal, he just didn't do anything about it!), and thus, never asked Lorelai out. Lorelai, in turn, opened her Inn like normal, and Luke and Lorelai remained friends. Lorelai also started dating Christopher again after they had too many drinks when she came to him after his father died-in my world, being drunk caused them to land in bed together. Rory's life in Season Five and Six is pretty much the same as it is on the show (ie, Logan), but you'll see more of that later. Everything else I have not mentioned (the lives of the elder Gilmores, Sookie, Lane, Paris, etc) is basically also the same as it is on the show. Enjoy!
Oh, and no, I do not own Gilmore Girls-if I did, things in the Java Junkie world would have gone a little smoother. ;) Title for this fic comes from the Simon and Garfunkel song; dialogue and premise is borrowed from Episode 5.22, "A House is Not a Home."
P.S. I went out to eat tonight, and I was mentioning Paul Anka (the dog), and this waiter overheard and asked me how in the world I knew who Paul Anka was (meaning the person), since I'm only sixteen. He was oddly relieved when he learned that my only knowledge of Paul Anka the person comes from Paul Anka the fictional dog (though for the purpose of the conversation, we just pretended he was a real dog...and he is real, in my heart!).
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Prologue
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It was a warm night in late May. The last stop of a bike race was in heavy gear outside, and if one listened closely, they could hear Taylor yelling at the bike riders coming in that they were late. The bike riders stared at him, confused despite their exhaustion, by the motives of this strange man.
One Stars Hallow resident was immune to the yells of Taylor Doosie. Lorelai Gilmore walked in a daze, still numb by what had happened. Today had certainly been eventful. For the first time in her life, she had thought that her parents had been on her side; for the thousandth time, they had disappointed her.
For the first time, she feared she had lost Rory for good.
Without thinking, Lorelai found herself walking towards the diner of her friend, Luke Danes. Peering through the window, Lorelai found it was dark, but that Luke was still there, cleaning the counter. Before Lorelai could try the door, Luke's and her eyes met. Without a single moment of hesitation, he got out from behind the counter to let her in. That was the thing about Luke; in spite of his gruff exterior, he was always there, no matter what.
Once she had been let in, Lorelai and Luke stared at each other for a good few minutes. Neither was aware of Taylor's voice outside or even of the sound of the bicycles passing through. Finally, Lorelai spoke.
"Rory stole a yacht, and now she's dropping out of Yale."
Luke stared at her, unable to comprehend this new bit of information. "What?"
Lorelai nodded. "That's why I was so upset when I came in here the other night. I didn't want it to get out, but God, I don't think I can keep it in anymore. Logan's dad-the one who gave her that newspaper internship-told her she didn't have what it took to be a journalist, and Rory went to Logan's sister's engagement party instead of Friday night dinner, and she just…flipped out. She won't even let me blame it on Logan; she says it's her idea. Her idea, goddamit! Rory didn't even shoplift as a kid! Not a candy bar, lipstick, anything! The one time she forgot to return a library book, she grounded herself! She just sat there in her bedroom yelling at me that no one else could read The Iliad because of her."
Lorelai wiped away a tear. Although just as stunned as Lorelai was, Luke sensed that it would be best to let Lorelai talk this out.
"And now she's quitting Yale. She says she needs a break, that she can't do this anymore because she doesn't want to be in a place where everyone else knows what they want, but that's not true. She knows what she wants! She's wanted to be a journalist since she was three! Now one man tells her she can't, and she believes him. I didn't raise her to be like this! I raised her to be strong and determined and independent and to believe that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to, but now look at her. One person tells her otherwise, and she's dropping out of school."
Lorelai's eyes filled with tears again, but this time, she made no effort to wipe them away. Instead, she sat down in one of the tables at the diner and buried her face in her arms. Tentatively, Luke touched her arm.
"Are you sure this is definite now?" he asked quietly. "I mean…not going back to Yale…it's a sure thing?"
Lorelai nodded. "I went to my parents for breakfast earlier to tell them about Rory, and they agreed to back me up, but when I went to Friday night dinner tonight, they told me that they had it under control; that she'd stay with them in their pool house and get a job and not go to Yale, and they'd only revisit the subject of her returning after a 'suitable' amount of time had passed. I can't believe I trusted them. I thought maybe for once in my life, we agreed, I'd had their support, and that they could respect what a good mother I've been to Rory, but no. Rory comes in with that Bambi face they can't resist, and now that they have the opportunity of getting the daughter they've always wanted, they don't care anything about me."
"I'm sure that's not true," said Luke, though she could tell he was not sure.
Lorelai laughed bitterly. "Trust me, Luke. My parents are not people to underestimate. And to think I'd thought that dating Christopher had helped the void between us."
"What does Christopher think about this?" Luke said, plainly trying his best to sound like he cared about Rory's father's opinion in this situation.
Lorelai shrugged. "I called him on the way back. He couldn't be here tonight, because of Gigi. He agrees with me, but he also said I was making too big a deal out of this, that Rory was just taking a break, and that's what normal college kids do." Softly, Lorelai said, "I don't think Chris could ever really appreciate Rory's and my dream of her having more than me unless he had been there for Rory's childhood more."
She was surprised by the strength in Luke's voice when he started talking. "Okay, I'm sorry. I have to jump in here. I know you think you have this thing handled, but I can help. First off, we call Yale and we tell them something like, uh, Rory had a chemical imbalance and she was mentally out of her mind when she told them she was dropping out. And then we get her out of your parents' house whatever way we can. We lock her up in her room with you, because you can talk anybody into anything. And if worse come to worse…"
Lorelai stared at Luke, stunned by his resolve. Ever since the first time Luke had met Rory, he had been more like a father to her than Christopher, from going to her caterpillar's funeral to making her mashed potatoes when she had chicken pox to eventually attending her high school graduation with moist eyes. He had even helped drop off things for her first day at Yale, for God's sake (no matter how much he had complained about her using his truck, Lorelai knew Luke's true intentions)! Still, she had never realized until that moment just how much Luke really did care…how similar they both saw the situation in front of them, and how much more similar their own views were than even Lorelai's and Christopher's. In spite of herself, a nagging voice said in Lorelai's head, He sees it because he was always there for you unlike Christopher, and in some ways, he knows Rory better than he does.
Oblivious to her revelation, Luke was still talking. With more resolve than ever, he said, "She is not quitting school. This was her dream. I am not going to let this happen."
Lorelai looked at Luke for a long time. Sometime during the passion of Luke's speech, he had put his hand on top of Lorelai's. They both stared at it for a minute, Lorelai stunned by how good Luke's hand felt. She was filled with feelings as he pulled it away. There was so much she wanted to say then, but instead, Lorelai stood up and pulled Luke into a hug.
"Thank you, Luke," she said, her voice breaking, as she pressed her face into the collar of his shirt. "Just-thank you for being there for Rory and me…even in times like this. I'm so glad you're my friend."
In a rare display of affection, Luke hugged her back. There was so much else they each wanted to say, but that moment, this was enough.