Timing

Previously:

"Love, Daisies and Troubadours"–-

LUKE: So you're leaving huh?

RACHEL: Yeah.

LUKE: Then what is it? Is there another guy?

RACHEL: No.

LUKE: Then what?

RACHEL: It's another girl.

LUKE: What? You telling me you're. . . .

RACHEL: The other girl isn't for me Luke, it's for you.

LUKE: And what are you talking about, another girl. What other girl? -- Oh Rachel, no, you don't mean... She and I are just friends. I told you that a thousand times.

RACHEL: No. You told it to me once. And you could barely get it out then.

LUKE: Rachel, come on.

RACHEL: So don't wait too long, okay?

LUKE: To what?

RACHEL: To tell her.

- - - - - - - - - -

RORY: You have a Rory box?

DEAN: And what was going on at the town meeting, all that stuff about writing a song?

RORY: I don't know what I was talking about.

DEAN: That had nothing to do with me? Well I must have imagined it all then! Your boyfriend's waiting!

RORY: He's not my boyfriend. I hate him.

DEAN: Whatever.

RORY: Dean.

DEAN: What.

RORY: Stop!

DEAN: Why.

RORY: Because I love you, you idiot!

- - - - - - - - - -

MICHEL: Daisies no less. As if I would order these pitiful little things. Foul things, these daisies. And just a notch up from weeds. And look how many. I mean, there must be at least. . . .

LORELAI: A thousand of them. A thousand yellow daisies.

[Lorelai calls Max]

MAX: Don't say anything, okay, please. You were right last night. I shouldn't have proposed to you like that. It was stupid. It was the wrong place, and the wrong time, and I kicked myself the entire night for doing it. But you were wrong about something too. I didn't propose to you because we were fighting. I proposed because I love you. We're in a bad pattern Lorelai and we have to break it. And other than that murder suicide thing you were talking about, which would be illegal and messy, I can only think to be impetuous.

Chapter One

Big News

As Luke was pouring coffee for Kirk Lorelai ran into the diner, breathless.

"Rory!" she exclaimed, startling him and making him spill the coffee. "Have you seen Rory? I sent her a message to meet me here at seven and she's supposed to meet me her at seven, so what time is it?"

"Seven."

"Where is she?"

"Calm down. Is everything okay?"

"Yes. Maybe. I think so. I don't know. Where IS she?"

"What's going on?

"Something big. I have big news. Big, big news."

"You can't tell me what is it?"

"I just need to tell Rory first."

"Okay. I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Luke took a deep breath. Rachel said not to wait too long to tell Lorelai how he felt about her. And she was right – he did have feelings for Lorelai. Strong, deep, passionate feelings. Why he had been suppressing them all these years he didn't know. But it was now or never. If he didn't say something right now he never would.

Luke took another breath and took the plunge.

"Lorelai, there's something I need to say, something to tell you."

"Okay," she said, distracted and looking out through the windows of the diner looking for Rory.

"Can you just look at me for a minute?"

"Okay," she said again, then reluctantly looked at him.

"I know you and this Max have been seeing each other for a while. And it seems like you like each other. But the reason Rachel left was because of you."

Luke's sudden change of subject and Rachel's name caught Lorelai's attention.

"Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry. But what did I did do? I thought we were getting along. I mean, she took me to see the old Dragonfly and she invited me up to your apartment to give me more pictures of it. And she seemed so friendly when I'd come in here. I don't understand."

"No. It wasn't anything you did, it was me. Rachel thought -- knew I had feelings for you, and that was why I was spending so much time with you, at your house, instead of with her."

Lorelai suddenly had an uncomfortable feeling he was going to say something awkward and possibly very ill-timed.

"Luke...."

"No, let me get this out. Rachel said for me not to wait too long to tell you. And she was right, I need to say this, right now."

"Luke...." Lorelai tried to say, a pleading in her voice.

He took another deep breath. "I love you Lorelai. I think I have from the first time you came in here demanding coffee. And I don't know why I couldn't see it before. Or maybe I did and I was just afraid to let myself feel it. Maybe it was because Rachel was here and then she left, and she came back, and she left again, and again. And maybe I was just afraid if I said told you how I felt you'd leave and I didn't want that to happen."

All during Luke's rant, Lorelai was desperately trying to think of some way to make him stop, but he was on a roll and there was no way she could break in.

"I know you and Max are together now, but maybe it's not too late. Maybe – I think you have some feelings for me. I mean, we see each other every day. And I know we've had our disagreements and arguments, but we always made up. And there were moments, I thought they were moments, when we seemed to click."

Luke was almost out of breath and had to take another one.

"So, what do you think?"

"Oh, Luke...." Lorelai was floored. She knew she had feelings for him. Next to Rory and Sookie he was her best, her very best friend. He was always there for her and Rory, and she knew she could always count on him whenever she needed -- well, anything. But for him to express this love for her, right NOW, right after Max had proposed to her, was overwhelming.

"Mom!"

Lorelai turned around to see Rory coming through the door of the diner. Rory was ecstatic. She had the biggest smile on her face Lorelai had ever seen.

"I have to talk to Rory," Lorelai said to Luke, then all but ran out of the diner, pulling Rory with her.

"Oh, Mom. It happened! Dean came to Chilton and I told him! I told him I loved him! We're back together! Mom, I'm so happy!"

Lorelai's dilemma with Luke and Max was temporarily forgotten as she and Rory hugged and squealed and danced around together.

"Oh, Honey, I'm so happy for you, too. Dean's a great guy. I love seeing you this way."

Luke watched them as they celebrated, wondering what it was all about.

As she calmed down, Rory asked, "So what was so important? Your message just said you had big news."

Lorelai didn't know what to say; didn't know which news to start off with –Max or Luke.

"Let's walk," she said. She knew Luke was watching them and she just had to get away.

"We don't want coffee?" Rory asked.

"Oh, no! Coffee won't do it. We need something big to commemorate your and Dean's reconciliation. Let's go to Doose's and stock up on all the junk food and ice cream we can."

"Okay. But what's your news?"

They stopped halfway between Luke's and Doose's.

"Well, I have two things. When I sent the message to you it was only one, but now it's two."

Rory said impatiently, "So give me the first one first."

"Okay." Lorelai took a breath. "Max proposed to me. He sent a thousand daisies to the inn and said he wanted me to think about it."

"Oh my god! That's so great! You're going to say yes, aren't you? You HAVE to say yes!"

"Well, I was kind of thinking about it, you know. Max is so great and I really care for him, but...."

"But what? What 'but' can there be?"

"Luke just told me he loves me. Just now, in the diner, before you came in."

"Oh. Oh god. I know he cares about you, everybody does. But to actually come right out and say he loves you. Oh my god."

"But why did he have to say it now? Just when I was so happy about Max."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I didn't have a chance to say anything. You came in."

"What are you going to say?"

"I don't know. I was just so stunned. I still am. I don't want to hurt Luke. Not after Rachel left like she did."

"So, how do you feel about Luke? Do you love him like you love Max? More?"

"Do we have to talk about this right now? Let's let it wait until later, okay? Right now we are celebrating you and Dean. What can be better than THAT?"

T B C