The Danes Family
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Author's note: I had this idea in my head and it wouldn't go away. I'm not sure if it turned out how I wanted it to, but I'd appreciate any comments you have on it.
July 2033
Rory Gilmore-Willard walked into her stepfather's diner one month after Luke's death. It was so strange to see his diner empty. This place was the center of so many family gatherings that she couldn't believe that both of her parents were gone now. She sat down at one of the tables and waited for the rest of her siblings to show up.
At 48 years old, Rory was still an extremely beautiful woman. Her husband, Jeff, smiled whenever she walked into a room and all three of her daughters hoped that they would look like her when they were her age. Not only was she attractive, inside and out, she was a successful writer for New York Daily News. Her column was read daily by millions of people and she had been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
Rory was shocked out of her thoughts by someone standing at the door. She smiled and hugged 27 year old Alex Danes. He looked like a clean shaven Luke, but in terms of personality, he was his mother. Wild, unpredictable, and a little impulsive, he loved his job as a kindergarten teacher. It gave him a chance to help children grow up. Not to mention, he could act like a little kid himself. His own two children loved spending time with their crazy father and his wife giggled whenever he told her one of his silly jokes.
"So, Rory. How are the girls and Jeff?"
"Oh, they're wonderful. Sarah and Kristin fight constantly, but that's to be expected. And Anna is interning for Grandpa's insurance company. She seems to enjoy it. What about your kids?"
"A.J. and Casey are terrific. They're at such great ages. They love to get their little faces into everything."
"And I'm sure that you're not getting into everything with them?"
"Who me? No." They laughed and were interrupted by their baby sister walking into the diner.
"You know, I'm surprised that John Doosey hasn't run the family off the land. It's a major party over there with all of our kids."
"Hey, it's our property. That tight ass can't do anything to us." Alex grinned.
"Yeah, he's right." Rory grinned too.
25 year old Ellie Danes rolled her eyes. Her siblings certainly loved to tease her. She was the spitting image of Lorelai, but was stoic like her father. The calming force in a family of nutcases. It was like she was put on the earth to help her reckless siblings out of every mess they got into. But she didn't mind it. It made her feel useful. Her husband called her Mother Theresa but she just laughed. She adored helping other people, just like her father. However, she had a wicked sense of humor about her and a crazy spirit just like her mother. She was going to Harvard to get her Master's and become a counselor. Plus, she had a two year old son of her own who seemed to be as crazy as his Grandma Lorelai and equally as lovable.
The three siblings sat down at a table. Alex put an arm around his sister. "You're looking good, babe."
"I know."
Rory sighed. "You two can't help but tease, can you?"
Alex and Ellie stick their tongues out. "Sorry, Rory."
"You two are not funny."
"Just because you're the big sister doesn't mean you have to be such a-"
"Well, well. The Danes kids fighting again, huh? Some things never change."
"Hey, Jess. You're late."
"Hey, it wouldn't be a family gathering if Jess wasn't late. Don't worry about it. Come sit down."
The three of them stared at their cousin. At 48 years old, Jess Mariano had finally grown up. His hair was streaked with gray from the teenage antics of his 18 year old son. It seemed that God had given him a son exactly like him. Thanks to Michael, he realized the horrible crap he had pulled on Luke as a teenager. But he was finally getting by. He was a world renowned writer who was equally famous for his sexual exploits. After his first book was published, the love of his life and Michael's mother had been killed. After that, he bounced from woman to woman not really caring about anything. It wasn't until he got his 20 year old girlfriend pregnant that he realized what he was doing with his life. But he had finally straightened up. He was happily married with two blonde five year old girls who were utterly adorable.
Jess sat down at the table and before any of them said anything, all four of them were overcome with emotions about Luke.
Rory recalled seeing Luke at her mother's grave a day after the funeral. She'd seen him as she walked up and waited so that she wouldn't interrupt him. She didn't want to listen in, but she couldn't help it. He had stared at the headstone for a while and then burst into tears. She could still remember what he said to her mother. "Damn it, Lorelai. Why'd you do this to me? Why'd you leave me? I know I told you that you could go first, but I didn't mean it. I can't live without you. Our kids are still young. They need you. I need you." He cried harder and Rory couldn't take it anymore. She walked over to him.
"Luke?" He looked up at her and tried to hide his tears.
"Oh, Rory. I'll leave you alone."
"No, don't try to hide it. It's all right."
"I don't-"
"Luke, I know you miss her like I miss her." She knelt next to him and wrapped her arms around him. He tensed up for a moment and then let out every emotion he had inside.
Jess thought back to when he told Luke that Shelby was pregnant. Luke didn't judge him or ridicule him. He just laid out the situation for him. "Jess, I love you. You know that. But you can't keep doing this. You're over 40 and you act like you're 20. This isn't good behavior. Not for you or your kids."
"Michael's fine."
"Really? Because every time I see him, he looks angrier then the last time. Jess, you gotta make a home for him. Him and the new baby. I know you miss Maria, but she's been gone for years. You can always love her, but you have to have a life. And I think it could be a good one."
"With Shelby?"
"Maybe. I think you love her. You've been with her longer than anyone else. But even if it's not her, you and the kids will be all right."
"You think?"
"I do." Luke nodded and wrapped his arms around Jess.
Alex remembered the first time he came home drunk. He was sixteen and, thank the Lord, his mom and sister were out of town on a girl's weekend. He had made a bunch of noise coming into the house, tripping over everything in the house. His father had come downstairs holding a baseball bat. He saw his drunken son and sighed. "Oh, my God. Son, are you all right?"
"Oh, yeah, Dad. I'm awesome." He giggled.
"Alex, let me help you to bed."
"Pop, I'm fine. I can make it," he said as he tripped over the couch. Luke walked over to him and helped him up.
"It'll be quicker if I help." Luke dragged his son to his room next to the kitchen and put him on the bed. He grabbed a garbage can and put it next to Alex. "Here, use this. I don't want to have to clean up puke all over your room."
"Thanks, Pop," Alex said sleepily.
"We're going to have to talk about this in the morning."
"I know."
"You're lucky your mom and sister are gone. They'd have made your life hell. Your mother, however cool she might be about your going to parties, would have cracked joke after joke. And Ellie would have blasted her music as loud as possible. Of course, then she'd have felt bad and given you some aspirin. However, I'll just give you the aspirin and skip the music."
"I love you, Pop."
"I love you, too, son."
Ellie thought of the time she came into the diner crying her eyes out. She was eight and some of the boys had been making fun of her. Her dad had immediately taken her upstairs to his old apartment and sat her in his laps. "What's the matter, Ellie? Are you okay?"
"Mark said I can't play baseball with the boys anymore 'cause I'm not a boy. He said I wear my hat 'cause I want to be a boy, but I'm not."
"What? Oh, I'm gonna kill Kirk. He ought to be able to handle his son. I'm gonna kill Mark too."
"It's okay, Daddy. He hurt my feelings, but I'll be okay." Luke smiled.
"You're too nice for your own good. Did you know that, baby girl?"
"It's no big deal. I'm gonna kick his butt in baseball and that'll show him." Luke tugged on her ponytail.
"That's my girl. You can play baseball all you want. It doesn't matter what anyone says. As long as you're having fun that's what's important. And if you like your hat, then wear it. You'll always be beautiful."
"I like baseball, Daddy."
"Then you keep playing."
"I will." Ellie jumped up and gave Luke a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you at dinner."
"Bye, baby."
"I love you, Daddy," she said as she walked out the door.
"I love you, too, Ellie."
The four of them stared at one another. "Okay, so we've got some decisions to make," Rory said, taking charge of the situation. "There's the inn and the house and this place. All of this stuff has to be taken care of."
"Look, I appreciate that you included me in this, but I shouldn't be here. You're their children, not me," Jess said.
Ellie shook her head. "No. You do belong here. You're part of our family."
"She's right. This concerns all of us." Alex smiled at his little sister. "So, Dad left the inn and the house and the diner to all of us. We can decide what to do with it however we want. We can sell-"
"No, we aren't selling any of it."
"Ellie-"
"No, Rory, don't try to reason with me. We can't sell. It's their legacy."
"I understand how you feel, but none of us live here, Ellie. Rory's in New York, you're in Boston, and I'm in Rhode Island. It doesn't make sense."
"He's right, Ellie."
"I don't like it. They're both gone. If we sell, then it's like they didn't exist. They'd be gone completely from Stars Hollow. We can't do that."
Alex sighed. "Look, I don't like it either, but we need to consider it. Sookie's ready to retire. She wants to sell her shares of the inn. She was going to sell them to Dad and she said she'd sell them to us, but I don't know. How can we run this place if we aren't here?"
"I don't know."
Jess saw that all three of them were becoming frustrated. "Look, we aren't going to solve this right now. Why don't we take the weekend the think about it and meet back here Sunday night?"
The others nodded and Rory spoke for them. "Okay, that's a good idea. We can spend some time here and figure out what we want to do." The four of them walked out of the diner and headed towards Luke and Lorelai's house.
Alex and Jess walked into the backyard and joined Jess's 18 year old son, Michael by the tire swing. "Hey, Mikey. How're you doing? Looking forward to college?"
Michael nodded. "Yup. Boston College and the big city of Boston. I can't wait. Parties every night."
"Not funny."
"Oh, I'm teasing. So, Alex, how long has this tire swing been out here? It seems pretty strong."
"It's over twenty years."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I can still remember when Dad put it up. He didn't think it would be a good idea, but Mom talked him into it."
"Wow, Lorelai talked him into something? I can't believe it."
"Cute, Jess."
Alex watched in fascination as his parents went back and forth in an argument and his mom talked his dad into doing things her way.
"Luke, every kid has to have a tire swing." Lorelai sat on the kitchen table.
"Really? Did you have a tire swing?" Luke asked, as he tried to clear the kitchen table and ignore his wife.
"No, but my parents didn't understand the importance of the tire swing. But you understand, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. But I've told you. The tree branches are in the way. I'd have to trim all of them. It would take forever."
"So, you're not going to do this for you're kids just because it will take a long time?"
"Lorelai, don't do this."
"Yeah, you can't do it-"
"Fine-"
Lorelai smiled. "Really?"
"Don't look surprised. We both knew this was going to happen."
She kissed him and went to tell the kids that they were getting their tire swing.
Lorelai squealed when she saw the finished tire swing. "Oh, it's perfect. I get to try it first."
"You can't try this. You'll break it."
She lifted her eyebrows. "Are you calling me fat?"
"Lorelai-"
"I can't believe it. You're calling me fat. That is what you think of me."
"I didn't mean- You know what? Go ahead. It's not worth the fight."
"Yea." Lorelai grinned and got on the swing. She was swinging pretty well when she fell out. Luke tried to cover up his laughter. "Oh, you think that's funny? Come here." She pulled him on top of her and they kissed.
"Oh!" Luke had the wind knocked out of him when Alex and Ellie jumped on top of both of them. The whole family giggled as they rolled around on the ground.
Rory walked into the front yard of her childhood home. She saw the chuppah still sitting in the middle of the yard after all these years. Two of her daughter's came and stood next to her. "Hi, girls."
"Hey, Mom," 15 year old Kristin and 16 year old Sarah answered in unison. No matter how many times the two said they hated each other and never wanted to speak to one another again, there was no denying how close the two were.
Kristin sat down on the chuppah and her mother and sister followed suit. "This thing is pretty."
Sarah nodded her agreement.
"Yes, it is. Did you ever hear the story about it?" Rory asked and grinned as her daughters groaned.
"Yeah, Mom, we've heard it," Sarah said. "Over and over again."
Kristin chimed in. "Mom, you even wrote a story about it. We know all about Grandpa building it for Grandma when she was engaged to another man. And Grandma left it up even when she broke off the engagement. It might have been romantic the first time we heard it, but it isn't anymore."
"Well, you know the beginning of the story, but you don't know it all."
"We don't?" The girls asked in surprise.
"No, let me tell you about it. I swear, when I'm through, you'll be swooning from all the romance. It all started when Grandpa and Grandma had been together for a year..."
Luke paced around the chuppah, waiting for Lorelai and Rory to return. He was not made for this kind of stress. He needed Lorelai to get here before he blew his brains out. He felt sick. He was going into complete panic when he heard a car pull up and saw Rory and Lorelai get out. They both stared at the chuppah in amazement. Rory walked over to Luke and whispered into his ear. "It looks good. I'll leave you to alone."
Luke smiled gratefully. "Thanks for keeping her away and bringing her back, Rory. I really appreciate it."
"It's no problem. I hope everything goes okay."
"Me, too."
"Don't worry. Good luck." Rory kissed him on his cheek and walked back to her car and drove away.
Lorelai stood staring at the chuppah. "What did you do, Luke?"
"It was nothing. I just fixed some lights, that's all."
"Luke, it's not nothing. It's beautiful." She stared at the twinkling lights that Luke had strung about all around the chuppah. He had also dropped rose petals onto floor of the chuppah. "What's all this about?" The two of them sat down inside the chuppah.
"Well, it's our anniversary. I wanted to do something special for you." Lorelai looked confused.
"I thought our anniversary wasn't until-"
"Technically, it's not our actual anniversary. However, it's the anniversary of the night we first kissed. Do you remember?"
"Of course, I remember." She giggled. "You so overreacted."
He sighed. "Hey, your ex-boyfriend was there, declaring you were good together. What was I supposed to do?"
"You had nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, well, excuse me."
"Hey, don't worry about it. I thought you were cute."
"Cute?"
"Okay, sexy."
"That's better." Luke cleared his throat and looked down.
"Luke, are you okay?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine."
"You seem kind of nervous."
"No, it's nothing. I-" Luke got down on one knee and looked at Lorelai. "Will you marry me?"
"What?"
"Will you marry me? I want-" Luke looked at his hands. "Oh, shit. I forgot the ring. I have a ring. I'll get it. Wait right here. I'll be right back." He stood up and tripped, hitting his head against one of the goats. "Oh, God, I'm stupid."
"Luke, stop."
"I've got-"
"Just stop." Luke sat down next to her. "God, you're bleeding. Let me get something to clean this up."
"I'm fine."
"Luke, I'm going inside to get a bandage. You had better be here when I get back." Lorelai walked into the house. Luke jumped up and went to his truck, finding the ring box sitting on the dashboard. He slipped it into his pocket and walked back to the chuppah. Lorelai came out and started dabbing at Luke's forehead.
"Oh, this doesn't look to bad. I think you're going to be okay."
"Well, that's good." Lorelai placed the bandage on his forehead.
"You're still just as handsome as ever. Good thing. I'd hate to have to dump you because you lost your looks."
"God, I feel like Kirk."
"You've said that before."
"Who would've thought that I'd have two Kirk moments in my life?"
"Maybe you're turning into Kirk."
Luke smiled and pulled the ring out of his pocket. "So, Lorelai, will you marry me?"
Lorelai looked back and forth between Luke and the ring. She grinned. "Yes, Luke, I will marry you." Luke's face lit up and pulled her into a kiss. Then, he pulled back and put the ring on her finger. She giggled.
"Wow, you know. This is going to make a great story."
"Oh, God."
"Everyone's going to get a kick out this."
"What do I have to do to talk you into keeping you mouth shut?"
"I don't know. I'll have to think about it.""So, what do you think? Romantic enough for you?" Rory asked her daughters.
Sarah giggled. "Yeah, it was so sweet."
"How come you never told us that before?" Kristin asked.
"I wanted to wait until you were old enough to appreciate it."
"God, Grandpa was such a dork."
"No kidding."
"Yeah, maybe a little. But, your Grandma did marry him. So, he couldn't have been all that bad."
"I guess not." The two teenagers looked at each other and laughed.
Ellie walked over to her mother's inn. It was amazing; it still looked the same as when she was a little kid. She adored this place. She sat down on the front porch. She couldn't imagine anyone else owning this place. It made her sick. She was shook from her thoughts by her niece, Anna.
"Hey, Aunt Ellie." The two women grinned at each other like they often did when they remembered their relationship. They were six years apart and felt more like sisters than aunt and niece. The two Harvard people in a family of Yalies, they were extremely close.
"Sit down, Anna. How's work going?" Anna groaned. "That good? What about the social life?"
"What social life? I'm studying working all the time. I'm in hell."
"Why stay? You aren't happy."
"You aren't exactly the one to talk to me about being happy. You've been frustrated yourself lately, Ellie."
"Well, I'm trying to do something about it."
"What?"
"Can't say until I know it's going to happen. Let's just say that Brian and I have been talking about stuff lately."
"Well, that's not too cryptic."
"Save it, Anna. You'll be the first I tell when I get the chance to."
Anna sighed. "At least you've got a plan for improving your life. I got nothing."
"Are you really so miserable at school? What don't you transfer schools if you're that unhappy?"
"It's not school. I'm loving Harvard. And Boston. It's just- I'm working in an insurance company. Do you know how boring that is?"
"Well, you don't have to. You can always get out of the internship. The people at Grandpa's company practically worship the memory of Richard Gilmore. That's not a big deal. And really, neither is switching majors. Lots of people do it."
"Not the daughter of Rory Gilmore and Jeff Willard."
"You're parents will take it better than you think."
"No they won't."
Ellie smiled. "Anna, let me tell you little story. A story about me and your Grandma, discussing this very topic."
18 year old Ellie and her mother walked onto the front porch of the inn. The two of them sat down and Lorelai looked at her youngest child. "Well, Miss Ellie. I get the feeling that you want to talk to me about something."
"Well, yeah, I do."
"Spill it, girl."
"I want to go to Harvard." Lorelai looked confused.
"Okay. That's good, right? Why do you look so upset?"
"Well, I mean. Rory went to Yale. And Alex is going to Yale. Grandpa went to Yale. And all Grandma talks about is having three of her grandchildren graduate from Yale. Don't you want me to go there, too?"
Lorelai shook her head. "Ellie, why would you think that? I want you to do whatever feels right to you."
"You won't be disappointed?"
"No! I want you to go to whatever college you want. It doesn't matter to me."
"What about everyone else?"
"Hey, you're father will be thrilled. All of his kids in college. He'll be proud no matter what. Even if you decided to go to Southwest Polytechnical Connecticut State."
"I wasn't talking about Dad."
"You're brother and sister will be fine with it. They'll tease you mercilessly about not going to Yale, but they love you. They'll be happy for you. You know, Rory was supposed to go to Harvard."
"Really? What happened?"
"She changed her mind. Yale felt right for her."
"Well, what about-"
"Emily will deal with it."
"Are you sure?"
"Granted, she's all about the prestige of having a legacy of Yalies, but you're not going to make your decisions about college based on her."
"And-"
"And you're Grandpa will likely tell all his heaven buddies that he's got 3 grandchildren in the ivy leagues. But his opinion shouldn't matter either. What do you want, baby girl?"
"I want to go Harvard." Lorelai smiled.
"Then, Harvard it is."
Ellie grinned. "I'm going to Harvard."
"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Ellie asked Anna.
"Yeah, but my mom isn't yours."
"Sure. No one gets a mother like Lorelai Gilmore. But Rory loves you. She'll understand. Just explain to her what you want to do."
"I don't know."
"Just think about it."
"I will." Anna smiled. "So, it seems like a lot of talks happened on this porch."
"Oh, yeah. Tons. You know, this where your Grandma told your Grandpa that she was pregnant with me."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. It was at your mom's graduation party…"
Lorelai stepped outside, carrying one year old Alex on her hip. Luke followed her and wrapped an arm around her. "Hey, why are you out here? Your firstborn just graduated from Yale. I figured you'd be leading the food fight."
"I was just thinking about some things."
"What kinds of things?"
"Well, how would you feel about having a second child?" Luke looked surprised.
"I- I'd like it, I guess."
"You guess. What does that mean?"
"I've never thought about it before. I always assumed that Rory and Alex would be our only children."
"What if I've changed my mind?"
"I guess we could talk about that."
"It's too late to talk about it."
Luke looked shocked. "What?"
Lorelai grinned at him. "I'm pregnant, Luke."
"Pregnant?
"Yeah."
"Oh, my God. Oh my God." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, with Alex in between them squirming.
"I take it you're happy?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm happy." He tickled his son. "Hear that, Alex. You're gonna have a baby brother or sister."
"Rory sister?" Alex looked from his mom to his dad.
"Yeah. A brother or sister like Rory. Would you like that?" Lorelai asked her son.
"Uh-huh."
"Guess that's settled. Everyone's happy about a baby." Luke smiled.
"God, that's a nauseating story."
"Cynic."
"Yeah, I know." Anna sighed. "You really think I should talk to Mom?"
"I really do."
"Okay, I'll do it."
"Good." Ellie stood up. "We'd better get back."
"I guess." The two of the walked away from the inn. "You know, you told Grandma that you wanted to go to Harvard. That that was what was right for you."
"Yes."
"Well then, why'd you marry a Yalie?"
"Hey, there's no explaining love."
"Gag me."
"Just you wait." They walked up to the house.
"I guess I'd better go talk to Mom."
"Good Luck." Anna made a face and walked away.
"Mama!" Ellie grinned as her two year old son ran up to her. She grabbed him in her arms.
"Hey, little man." Her husband walked over to her.
"So, did you and Anna have a good talk?"
"Yeah. She just needed Aunt Ellie to make things clear."
"Well, you're good at that."
"Yes, I am."
"So, I talked to the boss."
"And? Come on, Brian, tell me." He smiled.
"The transfer came through."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. The job in Hartford is mine, if I want it. Which means-"
"We can live in Stars Hollow."
"Brian, are you sure about this? It's an awfully big deal for you. I don't want you sacrificing everything for me."
"I'm positive. We've been talking about this for months. Steven will love growing up in Stars Hollow. And it'll make you happy. So, we're going to do it."
"Terrific." She laughed, throwing her arms around her husband and son.
On the next night, Rory, Alex, Ellie, and Jess walked silently into the diner and sat down. Jess was the first one to speak. "Well? Has anyone come up with a solution?"
Ellie grinned. "Yes, I have."
Alex rolled his eyes. "Really, princess? What is that?"
"Shut up, Alex. I'm serious. Brian and I have been talking."
"And?"
"And we're moving back to Stars Hollow. I want to run the diner myself," Ellie said while the other three people looked at her in surprise.
"What the hell? That's nuts," Alex said in his usual blunt way.
Rory responded more calmly. "Ellie, what about getting your master's? I thought you wanted to be a counselor."
"I don't know. Brian and I have been talking for a while about moving back to Stars Hollow. Even before Dad died. Brian's transfer to Hartford came through. I think I'll be happy doing that."
"I guess that's somewhat of a solution, but what about the inn and the house?" Alex asked.
"I've got an idea for that," Rory said. "You're going to need some place to live, Ellie, so you can stay at the house-"
"I can't do that. The house is everyone's. I can't-"
"Yes, you can. You're the one who will be living here. It makes sense."
"What about the inn?"
Rory smiled. "Well, we're all going to get money from Dad's will, a lot of it. I say we buy Sookie out of the inn and then we hire a manger to mange for us. Since Ellie will be in town, she can make sure things are going well. And during the summer and school breaks, Anna can work there to get experience."
"She talked to you?" Ellie asked.
Rory nodded. "Yes, she did."
Ellie looked at Alex and Jess. "What do you two think?"
Alex drummed his fingers on the table. "I- I think- it would work. We'd all be equal partners. We wouldn't have to sell. I like it."
"Sounds good to me. You three will work it out."
"And you two, Jess. Dad left the inn to all four of us. You're apart of it whether you like it or not."
Jess shook his head. "This is a family thing."
"And you're family, Jess."
"All right. I guess it'll work out." The four of them smiled at each other.
"I have one suggestion, though," Ellie said.
"What was that, doll face?" Alex grinned.
Ellie rolled her eyes at her baby nickname. "I think that everyone should try to meet back here once a month. None of you lives that far away. Our children deserve to get to know each other."
Jess, Rory, and Alex all considered it and said in unison. "Great idea." They busted up laughing.
"We'd better get back to the house and tell everyone our plans." They walked out of the diner and headed for home.
Alex glanced back at the diner. "You know, coming back here has made me think about a lot of things that happened as a kid."
"I think everyone has," Rory said.
"Of course, I don't know that I have all that many favorable memories about Stars Hollow," Jess said.
"Oh, I can think of a few. Ellie, Alex, did you two ever hear the story about Jess faking a murder outside Doosey's market?"
"No, can't say that we have."
"That's nuts."
"Okay, Rory, the why you say that, it makes it seem like I left a pint of blood out there. It wasn't a big deal."
"Oh, of course not." Rory told the story as the four of them laughed their way back home.