The Wake Up Call
By Tracy (lunarknightz)
Rating: PG
Summary: Someone who knows you well can call you on your bullshit and let you know how utterly stupid you're being. At least, that's what Jess tells Luke, anyway.
Spoilers: Up to "Just Like Gwen & Gavin"
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, obviously. shrugs I own the soundtrack, though, does that count?
"For crying out loud." Luke grumbled, as he stumbled out of his bed. Who in the hell was calling him this damn early in the morning? If it was Taylor, the clown beatings would commence immediately. He'd wring Doose's neck. Luke thought about letting the phone ring, but what if it was an emergency? What if something happened to Lorelai? Or April? Or Rory? He couldn't risk not answering the ringing contraption.
"Hello." He growled.
"You have got to be insane."
It took a moment for the voice to register in Luke's sleep laden brain. "Jess? What in the hell are you calling me for?"
"Now that's a fine how do you do."
"Stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Being so snarky and quippy." Luke sighed. "To what to I owe the honor of this extremely abnormal phone call? Are you in trouble? Is this your one phone call from jail? Where are you? How much is your bail?"
"You really think I'd call you if I was arrested?"
"Seriously, Jess, are you in trouble?"
"No." Jess paused slightly. "But I hear you are."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, well, let's see. You're engaged to Lorelai, and all of a sudden, you've decided that things are going too fast and you need to take a step or three back."
Luke flustered. "How do you know that?"
"I have my ways."
"Jess.."
"There's this magical new invention called email. Over it, people can have conversations and send letters. It's incredible, you should try it."
"I know what email is."
"That's a surprise."
"Very funny."
"I try. Which is more than I can say for your relationship with Lorelai."
"You don't know that…You don't know the whole story…there are complications, Jess."
"Like my cousin." Jess said, matter of factly. "So?"
"You know about April?"
"Uh, yeah."
"How in the hell do you know that? Do you have spies or something?"
Jess snorted. "If I had spies, I wouldn't waste them spying on you."
"Then how…?"
"If you must know, Rory told me. And then I called Mom, and she confirmed it."
"You're talking to Rory again?"
"By email."
"So you called me at four thirty in the morning to tell me that my relationship sucks?"
"No, I called you at four thirty in the morning to tell you that you're being stupid."
"How can you say that? You have no idea what in the hell I'm going through, Jess! I have a child, a real live child, who has lived for twelve years thinking that I didn't care, when I didn't even KNOW she was born! Here I am constructing this new life, this great freaking life with Lorelai, and making all these changes, when this kid comes into my diner and plucks my hair and calls me Daddy! Things are moving so quickly, and I don't know if I'm coming or going, or what in the hell's going on! I was so scared that Lorelai would freak out if she knew I had a daughter, and now I'm not even sure where we stand anymore!"
"Whoa, save some of the anger for Dr. Phil. I hear he's speaking in Harftord next week."
"Jess…"
"Look, I'm not saying that you're wrong to have issues. It sounds like a sucky situation. But where in the hell is pulling away from Lorelai gonna get you?"
"I'm not pulling away."
"It took you two months to tell her, and now you're delaying your wedding? That sounds like pulling away to me."
"Well, you're wrong."
"Look, Uncle Luke. I don't know what you're going through. But if you pull and run away from Lorelai, you're going to regret it."
"I didn't even think you liked Lorelai."
"She's not my favorite person ever, but shockingly, you're in the top ten. Mom says you're happy. I don't want you turn back into Ebeneezer Scrooge again."
"Gee, thanks for the comparison."
"I lost Rory when I left Stars Hollow without telling her. I don't regret going to find my Dad, but I should have talked to her, I should have explained. She might have understood. Maybe if I had, we'd be having a double wedding in June."
"That is so an image I don't need in my head."
"Look. Just think about it, okay?" Jess sighed. "Tell her how you're feeling."
"I don't think it will make anything better."
"Like it could make it worse? Grow up, for crying out loud. Grow a pair of balls."
"Yet another lovely little phrase I never wanted to hear out of your mouth."
"Whatever." Jess huffed. "I'm just trying to give you some damn good advice."
"Who died and made you Dr. Phil?"
"Yeah, get one book published, and it all goes to your head. It's a wonderful endorphin rush."
"You wrote a book?"
"Ask Mom." Jess chirped into the phone. "Well, I've just about burned through my minutes for the month, and I've got to go. But seriously. Don't be a chump." Jess hung up the phone without letting Luke get a word in edgewise.
Luke hung up the phone, and sighed. He walked back to the bed, and flopped down on it. He wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, not after the maelstrom of thought Jess had brewed in his head.
Not to mention the fact that he didn't sleep that well, anymore, without Lorelai by his side.
Maybe Jess had a point. The kid ran his mouth enough, eventually something resembling good advice had to pop out, right? A relationship took work, any relationship did. He desperately wanted to have a relationship with April. He wanted to be a good father; but at the same time, Luke wanted the life with Lorelai he had been building.
Why did they have to be mutually exclusive? Did they have to be?
Luke quickly got dressed. He walked down to the diner, and brewed up a fresh carafe of coffee. As soon as it finished brewing, Luke grabbed the container and left the diner, walking the familiar path to the Gilmore house.
It was time to come clean with Lorelai. He'd lay his problems and his worries at her feet. It would be utterly and completely stupid to let Lorelai's love slip away. Luke was bound and determined not to let it happen.
He loved her too damn much.