The Butterfly Effect

by crazy-dreams and Sarah Dawson

[Insert standard disclaimer junk here]

Authors note:

Sarah: Yes! Just so you know, this is my very first co-written story! so yay! we're very proud, just for the record-- not much to say, but make sure you review! Hmm, possibly the worst authors note ever, but hey! storys more important, right? Oh, and by the way, the title will be explained later, right kait??

crazy-dreams: Woah, does that mean explained by me? Let's see if it becomes self-explanatory. This is also my first co-written story. Picks up during That Damn Donna Reed cos there was so much great JavaJunkie potential in the first season (unlike the crappy third one!)… yeah I think that's all I have to say for now. Thanks Sarah for all the great work so far. Enjoy!

Chapter One

Rory fiddled with the radio as they drove home from Hartford. "I'm in the mood for sappy love songs, aren't you?" she asked Lorelai cheerfully.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "That's just because you can't wait to go home and make kissy faces at your boyfriend. Maybe make him another dinner, wear some more pearls," She commented. 'Woo-hoo.' She thought to herself. 'My daughter's love life has more hope than mine.' She snuck a guilty look at Rory, as if she had somehow heard. "Gee, aren't we Ms. Congeniality tonight..." she muttered under her breath.

"...that's so not true, Mom." Rory blushed. Lorelai snapped her attention back to her daughter. "It's just one of those things where you get a sudden craving for something, like when you decided you needed, like, fifteen packs of those sugar marshmallow bunnies and you got so sick that Luke almost refused to give you coffee out of fear you'd throw up in his diner..." Rory babbled on.

Lorelai got a funny feeling in her stomach. 'Luke?...' She mused silently, reflecting on her conversation with her mother earlier that evening.

"This man was at Rory's birthday party, he came to the hospital with you, he's the male lead in every story you tell, you go to the diner every single day. I've seen the way he looks at you, the way you look at him. I'm not a fool."

"Mom, please."

"Why do you treat me like I don't have a clue in the world as to what is going on in your life? Now I'm asking you, as a favour, if you have any respect for me at all as your mother, just tell me. Do you have feelings for this man?"

"I don't know. Maybe I do. I haven't given it much thought. Maybe I do."

What the heck had prompted her to answer like that?? 'Maybe I do.' Right, uh-huh. And what had her mother meant by 'the way you look at him'. Like what? How did she look at him? Like she... loved him? Lorelai, in love with Luke. Ha! Like that would *ever* happen. She drove Luke crazy. And not in an obsessed-love way, in a wanting-to-have-her-committed way. Her and Luke? Yeah, right! Uh, right... 'Maybe I do...' A small voice in her head taunted. Ugh! Did she?- No! It was LUKE. No. No-no...no...? Great. And now she was all confused.

"Ah-ha!" Rory cried suddenly, turning up the radio. "Dedications! It's perfect!" She beamed.

Lorelai sighed, shooting her a sideways glance. Fun.

"...This is Delilah, how may I help you?" The woman on the radio announced.

"Well, I'd like to dedicate a song to my husband." The caller began. "We met about ten years ago in a small town in Connecticut, the same town we still live in. We were complete opposites, but we were best friends for years. We never dated each other, but people were always telling us we had a 'thing' for each other. So one day, just to prove them wrong because I was getting annoyed, I...kissed him."

"Wow." Delilah said admiringly. "That took guts."

The caller laughed. "Yeah." She admitted. "But then, I realized that maybe everyone was right, and we really were perfect for each other. So, a few days later we started dating, and then... Everything just seemed right."

"That's such an amazing story... Did you have a song in mind?" The DJ asked.

"'I Finally Found Someone', by Bryan Adams and Barbara Streisand'?"

"Okay, we'll play that for you..."


As the song began playing, Lorelai's eyes widened. That was creepy. Best friends for years, small town... Oooh-kay. She took a deep breath. First with her mother, and now with the radio. Maybe she was going insane. 'I mean, why else would I be thinking about Luke this way?' She thought to herself. Honestly. But that was still a *really* scary coincidence. 'Still...' She thought wistfully. 'Funny how that could've easily been her and Luke...' She shook her head abruptly. No! Best friends do not think about each other that way. Ugh... What was up with her these days?

"Ooh, Mom, that kinda sounds like you and Luke!" Rory giggled, turning to her mother. Lorelai accidentally swerved the car on the road at this.

Rory gasped. "God, Mom!"

"There was a deer!" She said defensively. Yeah, right. "Now, what were you, um, talking about?" Like I could forget.

"You and Luke, Mom. Come on- best friends falling in love? You can't get more obvious than that." Rory replied matter-of-factly.

"Ugh, that is such… And besides, you know there's nothing going on between me and Luke. So much of nothing, it's doesn't even deserve being talked about. So, change of the subject. How about those Yankees?" Lorelai shot back feebly.

Rory sighed. "Oh, Mom. Mom, Mom, Mom." It was silent for a few minutes. "So, do you?" Rory asked curiously, eyes shining.

Lorelai was caught off guard. "Do I...what?"

Rory shot her an obvious look. "Hi, I heard you and Grandma talking. Do you have feelings for Luke?" She grinned deviously. "Hey, that would be really cool... Do you think we would get free coffee??" She asked excitedly.

Her mother looked overwhelmed. "Okay, next time you have something big and important to shock Mommy with, don't do it while she's driving please."

"Ooh, you are so avoiding the topic. Tell me!" Rory pressed.

"Ugh, first with my mother, and now you... I have no idea, honestly." She sighed.

Rory nodded. "You should figure it out. Luke's been waiting for you for, like, forever." Lorelai grimaced.

"Rory, just drop it!" she snapped.

Rory looked hurt, so Lorelai quickly apologized, "I'm sorry babe, I didn't mean... It's just..." she trailed off when she couldn't think of an explanation.

"It's okay, Mom." Rory smiled softly. "It's just stress."

Lorelai nodded. She had no idea why she'd snapped at her daughter like that. Just because Rory was talking about Luke... Lorelai didn't want to hear that Luke had been waiting for her forever, it only confused things even more. 'Think neutral thoughts,' she told herself. Food was a nice safe subject. She thought about burgers... about the Santa burger Luke had made for her, about coffee... about Luke serving her coffee... Grr.. All roads lead to Luke...

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Back in Stars Hollow, Lorelai parked the car absently in front of Luke's. Rory leapt out immediately. "Hey Mom, I'm going to go talk to Dean, okay?"

"Oh... Yeah, that's, uh, that's fine, babe. I've got to talk to Luke about painting and all. See you in a minute." She stepped out of the car, not sure if she wanted to talk to Luke alone.

Rory ran across the road to the market, leaving Lorelai to help Luke unload painting supplies from his truck.

"So, you're sure we need this many cans?" Luke asked her as they stood outside the diner, surveying the paint they had bought.

"Oh, yeah, you need enough for two coats and touch-ups and little spots. No, I'm not sure." She babbled. Sure? No, I'm not sure! 'Maybe I do, maybe I do.' the voice mocked her. God!

"Well we got the paint and the brushes and the tarps and all the other stuff the paint guy said we'd need, so I guess we're ready." he replied.

"Yeah, we are." That was all you could come up with? Gee, way to go Lorelai.

"The only thing left to do is figure out when." he commented.

"How about Friday?" she blurted out.

"Friday?" Friday?

"Yeah, I mean, you don't want the stuff sitting around. I don't know if paint goes bad, but judging by the smell of it when it's fresh, rotten paint would be really gross." Shoot. Friday? Why would I say Friday? I don't like Fridays. Fridays are really not good days for me. In fact, Friday are practically the least good days ever for me.

"Don't you have dinner with your folks on Friday?"

"Well, yeah, but I can get out early for a special occasion." Special occasion? So I make a big deal about telling my mother about the whole Luke, and now I'm supposed to try to get out of weekly dinner to spend time painting his diner? Yeah, *that's* gonna go over real well.

"Friday it is." Luke agreed, slightly surprised she was willing to face the wrath of Emily Gilmore to paint.

"Good." Yeah, just dandy.

Lorelai waved goodbye and turned to walk down the street. She slapped her head in irritation. Great, just great...

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The next Monday, things were pretty quiet at the Inn and, unfortunately, Lorelai knew what she should do with the unexpected free time. She grimaced as she picked up the phone and dialled.

"Hi Mom, how are you?" Lorelai forced herself to sound upbeat.

"Hello Lorelai. What do you want?"

"Gee, that's polite. Why do you always assume I'm only calling you because I want something? Or is that how you treat everyone that calls?" Lorelai asked defensively.

"I find it saves time with you," Emily replied.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to make it to dinner on Friday."

"Why not?" asked Emily.

"Why not?" Lorelai repeated blankly. Good question. Darn, should have come up with a plausible excuse *before* calling. Note to self: next time, be prepared! She gave herself a mental kick in the head. Michel gave her a physical kick in the shins and indicated for her to get off the phone. Lorelai pointed out a couple of lost-looking guests and gave him and push in their direction. Michel glared at her and Lorelai returned to the conversation with her mother.

"Yes, why not?" Emily was demanding. "Is there some sort of special occasion? Did another of your neighbour's pets die?"

"It's not exactly a special occasion, just these plans I have," Lorelai began tentatively.

"You made plans for a night when you already had plans with us? Honestly, Lorelai!" Emily signed. "Who are these plans with? Can't you change them?"

"They're just with…a friend."

"Well I'm sure your friend will understand."

"It's a friend from out of town," Lorelai improvised. "Uh, Suzie. She's only here for one night."

"Suzie? What's her last name? Where is she from? How did you meet this friend from out of town?"

"Whoa, what's with the interrogation? It's ah, Suzie… Suzie Saltwater. We went to school together."

"Suzie Saltwater?" Emily asked in disbelief. "You did not go to school with anyone called Suzie Saltwater."

"She got married and changed her name."

"Lorelai if you don't tell me the truth, I swear…" Emily trailed off irritably, unable to think of a suitable threat.

But Lorelai already felt bad. "Okay, Mom, I have plans with Luke," she admitted, bracing herself.

"Luke? Luke, the ice man Luke? You finally have a date with the diner man?" Emily asked. Lorelai couldn't tell what her mother felt about this from her tone, but she certainly didn't want to find out. "So you actually told me the truth last Friday?"

"It's not a date, I'm just helping him paint the diner." Lorelai defended herself, a knot forming in her stomach.

"On a Friday night? You're helping Luke paint his diner on a Friday night and that's why you can't come to dinner?"

"Please don't start, Mom."

"Maybe if you had a date I would be a little more understanding."

"Fat chance," Lorelai muttered.

"But painting?" Emily continued, "Tell him to hire someone."

"What for? It would cost a fortune and we're perfectly capable of doing it ourselves. Please don't make a big deal about this, Mom," Lorelai begged. "It's just this one week. And I'd just like to remind you that I don't really need your permission."

Emily was silent for a minute. "Will Rory still be coming? Or does she have to renovate Luke's kitchen?" she asked finally.

"Rory... will definitely be there."

"Fine. Have a good evening."

"Thanks," Lorelai replied a little suspiciously. "I'll see you next week."

"Goodbye, Lorelai."

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"Rory, sweet child of mine!" Lorelai called as she unlocked the front door, desperately needing to talk.

"In here!" Rory answered from the kitchen.

Lorelai wandered in and set her purse on the table, where Rory had her homework spread out. "Okay, I am in major need of a therapist-type-person, and I was hoping you could fill in." She began as she collapsed into a chair.

"How may I help you?" Rory asked, snapping her binder shut and turning her full attention to her mother.

"Alright, here's the scoop. You know that whole... radio thing? How you mentioned it could've had something to do with Luke, and then you brought up what Emily said at dinner the other day? Okay, what absolutely possessed you to say that?" Lorelai replied somewhat anxiously, not sure how to bring it up.

"Oh, that. I already apologized, right? Because I didn't mean to upset you or anything. I just thought that maybe what you said to Grandma was true, so it might be a good time to bring it up, but then I realized that you and Luke are just friends, and that's probably all you'll ever be, and you probably just said that to Grandma so she would leave you alone, so I'm really, really sorry to bug you about it." Rory hurriedly explained.

Lorelai deflated inside. "Right... Right. Just friends. Good. That's good we... got that cleared up." She slapped her palm on the table and stood up quickly. That's what I wanted to hear, right? She thought silently, mind whirling. "I'm, uh, just gonna go down to the diner to talk paint one last time, you want anything?" she asked.

Rory smiled before turning back to her notes. "Coffee and a burger?"

"Done." Lorelai returned a small smile and picked her purse back up. "I'm off..."

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The door's bell tinkled as Lorelai entered the diner, and for the first time, she found it extremely annoying. Who felt the need to hear a door jingle every time they walked in? There was absolutely no purpose of having an irritable noise going off every single time you walked in the door. Really, who cared? Lorelai took a deep breath. Whoa, hold up there. Kind of sounds like Luke. She frowned slightly. My friend Luke. Friend. That's all. Just friends.

She plopped down at the counter and pasted on a bright smile. "Yo, Luke!" She yelled down the counter.

"One minute, Lorelai." Luke growled back in his normal tone. It was oddly comforting to hear Luke sounding the exact same way he normally did. See, nothing had changed. Things were normal. She didn't even want anything to change! Take that, Emily...

"Hey, I need two burgers, two coffees, and an abnormally large basket of fries to go, please." She instructed as Luke walked over. He narrowed his eyes at her, pen poised.

"One of those is for Rory, right?" he said suspiciously.

Lorelai feigned hurt. "Are you accusing me of gluttony?"

"Yes."

She stuck her tongue out at him defiantly. "Well, you're wrong. While on certain days this insinuation might be slightly accurate, today I am ordering for not only myself but my poor, poor daughter Rory, who has never been anything but sickeningly sweet to you and is now home with an insane amount of schoolwork."

Luke sighed and rolled his eyes briefly. "Fine, fine, be right back." He mumbled before heading to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, he returned with the food in a takeout bag and placed it on the counter. "I hope you and Rory enjoy your dinner," he announced sarcastically.

"Why thank you, Lucas." Lorelai grinned cheekily and accepted her order.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Luke grumbled.

"Gee, such caring people that work here." Lorelai teased. "So, I cleared the whole Friday painting thing with my mother, and it's a go."

Luke looked surprised. "Really? She was okay with it?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yep. Everything's fine."

He shook his head in wonder. "I sort of got the feeling she didn't like me."

Lorelai almost rolled her eyes. Ironic. He had nooo idea... "Oh, believe me, she does. And I can honestly say that I did not have to resort to lying about the whole painting your diner thing."

Luke raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "Why would you have to lie about something like that?"

She winced inwardly. Oops. "Oh, well, you know. Umm, painting instead of dinner at the Gilmores. I just assumed she'd think it was kind of... rude. You know, because of the whole... weekly... dinner thing. Right. But it's all fine." She quickly replied.

He nodded slowly, still confused. "Right. But it's not like it's anything... frivolous. Just a friend helping out a friend."

That funny feeling returned in the pit of Lorelai's stomach. "Absolutely. Friends."

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The morning after, per usual, Lorelai was at the counter, relentlessly pestering Luke. "Luke can I have some more coffee?" she asked, tapping her foot lightly against the stool she was sitting on.

Luke paused to glare at her. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little busy here…No, not the extra creamy milk, the ordinary stuff!" he yelled into the phone, which was cradled between his ear and shoulder as his hands were full of plates. "It's what I always order," he continued ranting into the phone before turning to a customer, "That's 12.90," he said, setting one of the plates down on the counter to operate the cash register.

"Extra-creamy milk is tastier," Lorelai supplied unhelpfully. Luke scowled at her.

"Luke, can I have some extra sugar?" Kirk asked.

"Hey, is that my burger?" another customer called from across the room.

Luke started towards him to deliver the plates and stumbled over several boxes in the middle of the floor. "What the-?" he cried in frustration. A delivery man came through the door and added another box to the pile. "What are those doing there?" Luke demanded.

"Delivery. Sign here, please."

Luke gave the guy a withering look and held up his hands, still filled with plates.

Lorelai, who had helped herself to a refill of coffee and was now watching the action from behind the counter and came to his aid. "Want me to take those for you?" she asked, reaching for the plates. Luke declined her help and continued yelling.

"Some people can't get up and walk three feet," Luke grumbled at the customer who was waiting for the burger. "No, not you! Just get my order right," he yelled into the phone one more time before letting it drop to the floor.

"Luke, about my sugar..." Kirk was following him around the room.

Lorelai squeezed Luke's shoulder. "Calm down and let me do something to help."

"Could you sign for that delivery?"

"No problem."

"Thanks Mrs Danes," the delivery man said when she handed his pen back.

Despite the chaos in the diner around them, Luke and Lorelai both froze to the spot.

"We're not married," Luke blurted out quickly, stealing a quick glance at Lorelai.

"Ah, haven't tied the knot yet?" The delivery man looked at Lorelai's finger. "And not even a ring?" he turned to scold Luke, "You should make an honest woman out of this pretty lady real soon. You kids make quite a couple. See you next time."

With a wink at Lorelai, the man exited the diner, leaving Luke and Lorelai shocked and confused.

Lorelai finally laughed nervously. "Crazy guy," she said, crossing her arms awkwardly. All the--crazy--thoughts she'd been having recently came rushing back.

"Yeah." Luke laughed it off as well.

"Want some help with those boxes?" she offered.

"Sure." Luke finally delivered the plates. "My burger's cold," the customer complained, but Luke acted as though he didn't even hear him.

No big deal right? Lorelai thought as she lifted a box off the diner floor and carried it to the store room. So the strange old delivery guy thought they were married. So what? What did he know? But why had a total stranger thought they were a couple? She snuck a look at Luke and her mind wandered.... they would look good together, she mused. But it wasn't obviously, she told herself, now thinking back to what her mother had said at last Friday's dinner, about noticing the way they looked at each other. Her and Luke? No way. They were friends, that was all. So why was it that these days events were conspiring to force her to think of him as more than just the diner guy?

Chapter Two coming up soon!