Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls—never did, never will. Only in dreams.
A/n: Hello again! Yes, as you can see I made the sequel. Hope it helps soothe the cliffhanger burn I left you guys with.
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Last time-
She got out and he opened his trunk to help her get her stuff. "Jess?"
"Yeah, Rory?" She heard him say, she was dumbfounded to see his eyes staring intently back at her.
"Why, are you here?" She asked, without even thinking about how it sounded.
"What?" He replied, confused because he knew she had heard his conversation with Dean an hour or so ago. So why was she asking?
"I mean…" Rory corrected, once she realized what she had asked, "Why did you come back?" Her head had added "for me" but the words just couldn't seem to come out of her throat.
"Thanks again," she said as she picked up her bags and headed towards the door. Jess only watched as she made her way up to the porch, smiling briefly before driving away down the street.
-- -- -- --
Jess asked, "How's it going with you and Lorelai?"
"Good… I guess."
Jess looked at him questioningly, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"We're still together. I mean things are good. We've been seeing each other a lot—it's good." Luke said, rather at a loss as how to explain it.
"You still want to marry her don't you?" Jess asked a little bluntly.
Luke didn't affirm or deny that statement; he just gave Jess a look that asked him how he came to that conclusion.
Jess, on the other hand, returned the look with one of I have my ways of knowing.
"Take her out."
"What?" Luke asked.
…
"I don't believe you did all this." Lorelai said in the midst of the town square with what only appeared to be a thousand candles around them
… "Well, I'm glad you like it." Luke smiled.
… "I love you."
"What?" She said turning her head.
-- -- -- -- --
"It's about the election." Kirk said, whispering to Luke.
Luke dared to ask, "What about it?" although he knew it was a mistake he'd later regret.
"I've realized I don't want to run." Kirk stated quite simply.
…
Miss Patty brought out the results for the town to hear, "The votes have been tallied … and the new town selectman of Stars Hollow is…"
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Here is now, the continuation:
"I love you," came Luke's voice. It interrupted Lorelai's thoughts completely and shattered her in an instant. She knew it shouldn't have, but it did. And the "why" troubled her a lot more than those three words.
"What?" She questioned as she snapped back into reality, facing him.
"I love you," Luke said again unflinching as if he had stated that he needed milk or was getting a divorce. It was direct, simple… it also meant he wasn't afraid to say it.
Lorelai just stared at him for a second – which seemed all too long for it to actually be a second – but, she eventually muttered a, "Luke…" before trailing off in her surprise.
"What?" Luke said, "Why are you so surprised? You should have been able to guess by now." He said with a slight curl of the right side of his mouth.
"I… I knew, yes. I mean we are dating." Lorelai rambled in her embarrassment, "I don't know why I'm so surprised. I guess it's just hearing someone say it." She said, looking at him as if he knew what the answer was to her problem. She was trying to believe what she said, about hearing it. It had to be it- hadn't it? What else would it be?
"What about," Luke interrupted her thoughts for the 2nd time, "hearing it from someone who means it?" Luke said with the type of honestly she had learned to value so much from him over the years. He had this look about him… like joy or warmth wrapped up into a easy going body – which refused to bubble over but you could still feel it emanating from him.
"You mean that don't you?" Lorelai asked, very sincerely.
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't!" Luke said in his "dealing with Lorelai" voice.
Lorelai smiled, it wasn't a "Cheshire cat" smile or one of those goofy first date ones either. She appreciated what he said to her, and took both of the things he said to heart. He returned her smile, in his warm best friend kind of way.
She shifted and looked down to a curl in her dress that had come from sitting on the ground and after taking a breath looked back up with a reply, "I love you too, and thank you… thank you for everything." She said as they scooted next towards one another. He pulled her close and she rested her head on his shoulder. And they sat there like that for another while just enjoying the setting and, of course, what had just transpired.
Then came another reply—one rather unexpected.
"I think you were wrong," Lorelai said speaking, Luke looked down at her from where he sat—completely curious to what she was referring. "I think it's hearing those words—not from someone who means them—but from someone who returns it with equal feeling."
This time, Luke had nothing to argue with.
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Lorelai walked up to the porch later that evening. She turned the doorknob finding Rory stretched out on the couch watching the old version of Freaky Friday.
"Hey, how was it?" Rory asked turning down the volume a couple notches.
"It was—well you wouldn't have believed it." Lorelai said, as if she desired to change the subject. Which, was a ploy of course—for Rory.
"Tell me, I'm intrigued." Rory said moving over for her mom.
"You know how I thought …." Lorelai began as she related her night's events to her daughter.
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"What's going on?" Rory asked the next morning as she, Lane, and her mother headed into Luke's.
"I don't know." Lane replied, "Must be something—looks big."
They walked in seeing a bunch of people clamoring around several tables. "Hey, Luke what's going on?" Lorelai asked as he carried a coffee pot around several people—who were obviously not paying attention to the fact he had a very large, very heavy, and forget about the fact it was a very hot, coffee pot around the diner.
"People are going berserk that Taylor won yesterday's election."
"You're darn right." Miss Patty said.
Lorelai looked from Rory to Lane in shock, "I had no idea Kirk was such a popular candidate."
"Me neither." Rory added.
"Not exactly." Luke said, rolling his eyes as in abhorrence of something as he made for the kitchen.
"Goodness no," Miss Patty said, "some of us had good money on him and lost."
"You bet on the elections?" Lane asked open mouthed as she turned to Rory.
"Yeah," she replied.
"Some people can bet on anything," Rory stated in a stunned manner.
"Thanks for the update Kenny Rodgers," Lorelai replied. She looked around the group of people still taking in the sight when, "Is that Kirk?" she asked staring at the pasty looking guy with dark hair which resembled Kirk.
"Kirk?!" Lane almost shouted.
"Don't tell me you bet too?" Lorelai asked wincing as he came closer to where they were sitting.
"Of course." Kirk said putting some money into a wallet.
"How much did you lose?" Lane asked. But Kirk merely shook his head and cocked an eyebrow.
"Nothing?" Rory stated – impressed.
"But you lost Kirk, you lost the elections. How did you win anything?" Lorelai, questioned.
"Easy." Kirk replied.
"You bet against yourself." Rory concluded.
"Exactly." Kirk said taking his wallet back out. It would have continued with Lorelai asking the why to an obvious, "why did you bet against yourself" question, except Luke had returned.
"I could have warned you." Luke said carrying some plates, "It's sick isn't it?"
"Very." Lorelai said turning to Kirk who kept recounting his money.
Then, someone came downstairs. Rory saw something as she glanced past that direction and looked closer once she realized that is wasn't someone already in the diner. He turned suddenly—making momentary eye contact with her—it was Jess.
He felt awkward and wanted to turn away, on one hand he didn't feel like he was pushing things by expecting her to acknowledge his presence and on the other, he felt like kind stupid. It was like running to your crush in middle school and all you can seem to do is stare in their general direction. It was weird, embarrassing, yet he wasn't sure what to do. He went back to doing what he had previously been doing and avoided looking in her direction – until he thought she wasn't looking and did for a split second.
But she was.
And she gave him a reassuring smile which though it didn't confirm their relationship or maybe even much in the way of their friendship, it was friendly. At least this meant they were on speaking terms, so he accepted it. Sure, they had been on speaking terms before, but he was afraid after the incident with Logan the time before last, had hindered that in some way, so this was good.
Then he continued on his way out the door.
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A/n: Okay, so how'd I do? Hopefully not too bad since I wrote this in about an hour and fifteen minutes on Friday night-- it was after midnight when I began so… whew!
One reason that I'm writing this as quickly as I did is because I wanted to get some of the sequel written before I leave for College on Sunday—which is as you know my most infrequent writing schedule. Plus I figured I owed you after my cliffy in Fall Away.
So, anyway now you know. I hope you'll continue to read this fic. (and review while you're at it crosses fingers ). But, so I hope you're enjoying the story so far—it's going to be pretty wild this time around.
Thanks—until next
3 vanessacarltonfan