Chapter 1 – 17 at last
"Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep..." sounded the alarm clock which GG slammed her hand down upon when it disturbed her precious sleep. Georgia Hayden lay on the right hand side of her enormous double bed when she was woken by the angry alarm clock beeping at her. With her head buried in her white, fluffy pillows and her golden-blonde hair matted around her face, she stuck out her right hand to silence the alarm clock, instead of getting up. In fact, GG hit the clock so hard that she had punched it off the bed-side table, where it had noisily clattered to the floor.
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Luke Danes had been waiting downstairs to hear the sound of this particular angry teenager after being woken by his alarm clock. And so he waited a little longer for the other sound he had prepared to get this particular angry teenager, out of bed.
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Refusing to open her eyes, GG turned over in her bed, ready to submerge into the heavy sleep which was already beckoning her. However, as soon as she had rolled over to the other side of the bed, another alarm went off. Then another, and another, until her whole room was filled with the noise of beeping, whirring and pinging, alarm clocks.
GG sat up, letting a small groan escape her lips, as she slumped back on her arms with an annoyed scowl placed upon her pretty face. Her golden hair fell loosely around her shoulders as she leaned heavily on her arms, looking disgruntled, but finally awake.
"Not funny!" she called downstairs, as she swung her legs down off the bed and padded across the soft, cream, carpet in her skimpy pyjamas.
As soon as GG reached the top of the stairs, Luke new the smell of his cooking would reach her and she would come bounding down stairs to the source of food. Sure enough, five minutes later Luke heard her footsteps, stomping down the stairs.
GG padded, bare footed, across the wooden glazed floor to the kitchen in her white fluffy dressing gown. She came round the corner to see Luke, the closest thing she had to a father, standing over the hob cooking breakfast on her birthday. The smell of warm, delicious cooking filled the kitchen, creating a heavenly aroma which GG breathed in, savouring the sweet smell.
"Happy birthday kid." Luke said with a smile as he flipped a pancake in the pan.
"Thanks for the wakeup call." GG said, referring to the dozens of beeping alarm clocks which woke her up this morning. She yawned, stretching her arms up to the ceiling and then quickly dipped her finger into a small pot of syrup next to the cooker.
"I've lived with you for thirteen years Georgie; I know how to eventually get you out of bed- HEY!" He said, knocking GG's hand away from the sticky syrup with the spectacular. She giggled cheekily as she licked the sticky syrup off her finger and Luke carried on speaking.
"And so, I know that it takes nothing far from a small army or nuclear explosion to get you out of bed." GG smiled, laughing at Luke. Now standing on the right hand side of Luke as he cooked, she leant up on her tip-toes and kissed the side of his forehead in thanks. He smiled at her and then she sat down in the chair that surrounded the circular table which was sitting in the middle of the kitchen. GG stared down at a small cup cake which was placed on the yellow table-cloth in front of her. Her hand sized cake was covered in smooth pink icing with the words,
"Happy Birthday Baby", printed across it in white icing. GG smiled, as she blew out the candle sticking out of her cake and then glanced down to a small note, tucked underneath it, covered in Lorelai's writing.
"Hey hun,
Happy Birthday! Gosh, I can't believe how old your getting, seventeen already! Anyway, I'm sorry I'm not here, now that you've woken up. But I swear I'll be back from the inn before school.
Happy Birthday again
Love Mom."
Luke, seeing GG reading the note tried to explain, attempting to make sure she wouldn't be upset.
"Lore had to check in at the inn but she'll be home soon."
"It's alright Luke, I'm fine. More than fine." GG said and she got up from the table to stand next to Luke.
"So, how did you get Lorelai up? Did you use similar tactics to my awakening?" She said with a grin. They laughed together at the images they both got instantaneously of the time when they had managed to lift Lorelai out from her bedroom, down the stairs and out onto the front lawn, with her still asleep. She only woke up when Jess, Luke's nephew and Rory's boyfriend, came back from walking Paul Anker and Paul started licking her face. Luke and GG laughed together feeling more like a family than they had done in a long time. When their hysterics had surpassed Luke looked at GG again. She was so beautiful; with her golden blonde hair which flicked about in waves down past her shoulders, and her shockingly pale ivory skin which contrasted strongly with her deep brown eyes which were speckled with green and gold. She was his stunning and beautiful daughter.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Luke said with a worried expression. He could still see that pain in her eyes which broke his soul into many pieces. He longed so much to be able to take away her sorrow and replace it with his love, but he couldn't. Nobody could fix the loss she felt.
"Yes, I'm fine." GG said with a gentle smile which showed her warm, but broken heart.
"Okay." he accepted, knowing that nothing would change. He leant forward to kiss her softly on the forehead, the very least he could do. GG smiled as Luke went back to his cooking and she went to get cutlery from the draws to lay the table for breakfast, while awaiting Lorelai's arrival.
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About ten minutes later Lorelai Gilmore came home to her lovely house in stars hollow, to find it smelling comforting, sweet and warm, the complete opposite to the bitter winter and snow outside. Lorelai loved the snow and the scent of the atmosphere it had before the first layer fell in the night.
However, she had come to dislike the snow recently when it caused problems with her car, her inn, the roads, and stopped her from seeing her daughter in her birthday.
She shook the snow off her thick, black coat and scarf as she shivered in the porch, closing the door behind her.
"Hey Hun, I'm home." She said as she traipsed round the corner expectantly, with her dark brown hair curling loosely around her shoulders. She was wearing her black v-neck sweater and pencil skirt which limited her bouncy step and so, she slipped off her uncomfortable heels in the archway to the kitchen and walked up to stand next to Luke.
"Mmmm, here's the man I love." Lorelai said as she kissed Luke on the lips with her hands strung loosely around his neck. His body was still facing the cooker and frying pancakes, so it was not a surprise to see his shirt spattered with hot mixture because of his momentary lack of concentration. Luke laughed, mopping up the greasy spill and went about his cooking contently.
"And there's my beautiful baby girl." Said Lorelai, as she saw GG getting glasses out of a top cupboard, facing away from her. Lorelai ran up behind GG and flung her arms around her, almost crushing her.
"Wow, Hi mom..." GG said in a tight, strained voice as she felt her insides being rammed up against each other, and compressed to the point of eruption. Lorelai spun them around to face Luke as she kissed GG many times over on her cheek, ignoring GG's pathetic groans and complaints. Luke laughed at their ridiculousness and immaturity as he slipped the last pancake onto the huge stack next to the cooker.
"Right, food's ready." He said putting the plate in the middle of the table.
"Um great, I'm starving!!" Lorelia proclaimed. They all took places around the table as Luke stared at his wife in disbelief.
"How can you still be hungry? You ate less than an hour ago! And you probably ate at the inn too." He said in an accusing tone, pointing his finger at Lorelai.
"Well you know me, there's always room for elevenses or something." Luke sighed at Lorelai, he knew too well how much food she could devour if given the chance. GG laughed at her family, they were so ludicrous and dysfunctional, but somehow, it managed to work.
"So, Rory called earlier." Lorelai mentioned as they served themselves pancakes and syrup.
"She said she'll hopefully be catching an early flight from Chicago this morning as she filed all her papers last night." GG's older half sister, Rory, worked in Chicago as a newspaper editor. She also lived with the famous author Jess Mariano, Luke's only nephew. Luke looked questioningly over at Lorelai with a worried expression.
"Don't worry Luke, Jess will be with her." He smiled with a slight relief.
"Well Rory doesn't have to be back for my birthday, she can celebrate with us next year. I mean, we don't even have to celebrate my birthday this year, we can-"
"Georgia Elizabeth Hayden, we are going to celebrate your birthday every year! In true Hayden, Gilmore and Danes style." They all laughed together and then carried on feasting on the delicious breakfast in front of them, being all together the true dysfunctional family.
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"Right so I'll be back by four." GG rushed down the stairs into the kitchen where Luke and Lorelai stood.
"Okay. Now are you sure you don't need a ride?" asked Lorelai as she grabbed her keys to the jeep off the table.
"Yeah Mom, I'm sure. The bus will be way quicker than you today anyway!"
"Hey that's not fair, you know me and the snow have a very special relationship..."
"Yeah okay Mom." Said GG laughing and she kissed Lorelai on the cheek and hugged Luke goodbye.
"See you guys later."
"Okay, but wait till later to go to the cemetery, I want to go with you." Said Lorelai, to the already leaving GG.
"Sure, see ya." She said and she grabbed her school bag and rushed out the door, pulling on her coat over her school uniform and slamming the door shut behind her.
GG had lied to her mother, she would go to the cemetery later with Lorelai, but she wanted to go now as well. It was her birthday, and she wanted to start the day with her father.
GG walked down the frosty drive in front of her house, as the snow crunched crisply underneath her boots. Behind her, you could see the thick foot prints she had made, leading her through the rows of houses and into the town centre. GG always walked through the town every morning and bought a fresh bunch of flowers on her way to the cemetery before school. And sure enough, even through the cold and heavy snow, Babbet was there, on the town green, selling her flowers.
"Hey Babbet." GG said as she reached the small stall which was covered in an array of colours and fragrances.
"Heya sweetie." Babbet spoke in her usual husky voice which was unique and lively. Today she was wearing her rather large black Poncho and brown fur hat which resembled something close to a dead animal.
"Like the hat Babett."
"Yeah, the other week Jess said I looked like an degraded Russian, what do you think?" And she titled her head while looking the other way as though posing like a model. GG laughed as she said, "Very swave."
"Right, so how much for these?" asked GG when she reached for a bunch of a pretty Carnations at the end of the table.
"Ah, not those Hunny. Here, I saved you the good stuff." Babbet reached behind her to a bucket sitting on the ground, from which she pulled out a large bunch of beautiful, red, English roses, all tied together by one single ribbon. Babbettt handed the beautiful flowers over to GG as she asked,
"Babbett these are lovely, how much?"
"Oh no hunny, they're completely free." And babbet pulled GG into a tight hug as she spoke sofly in her ear.
"Happy Birthday sweetie." Babbett pulled away smiling kindly,
"Give my love to your pop for me." GG looked down at the flowers remembering that her father had always loved English roses. He said they were bigger and more beautiful than any rose he had seen, and the colour of red was not just red, but was deep, and piercing but yet so beautiful. He used to say to GG when she was little that every stage of the Rose's life was beautiful and so would hers be.
"Thank you." GG said softly in a complete sincere and grateful voice, feeling her words catch in her throat. Babbet smiled lovingly at her as she spoke,
"I hope he likes them. Now get out of here, before you're late for school."
So GG grabbed her school bag back up off the floor and ran off towards the bus stop with her feet sinking in the sticky snow and the Roses gripped tightly in her hands.