Title: Tomorrow
Author: Tracy Future Fic, Luke/Lorelai, some Rory/Logan and Rory/Marty
Rating: PG
Spoilers: "Jews Chinese Food"
Summary: No matter how dim the present may be, there is always hope for the future.
Disclaimer: I don't own them, but hey, Palladino people, if you're listening, I'd buy!
The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may
This year, the elementary school play in Stars Hollow was "Annie".
Annie was picked not only for classic popularity and show tunes, but also for the fact that there was a sizeable role for Kurt. Since he'd become town selectman, he'd turned into a more flamboyant version of Taylor.
If that was possible.
It had been a tradition for Lorelai to help out with the play ever since the legendary version of "Fiddler in the Roof" back in 2005. That hadn't been a happy year.
If you could take a time machine, and go back to that play, when she was stuck dyeing mountains of Santa beards, the Lorelai would laugh hysterically in your face if you told her the future. She simply wouldn't believe it.
That Lorelai had been a completely different person.
Now she stood at the sides of the stage, watching her daughter perform.
The red curly hair on her daughter's head was not a wig. The curliness was natural, but the red dye was new, courtesy of Emmy disobeying her mother and worshiping at the altar of Revlon. She was grounded for the next two weeks- strictly school, inn or diner- nothing else.
Elliott ran off the stage, grabbing her hand, needing her help for the quick change from Burt Healy to an officer in President Roosevelt's cabinet.
They had all been surprised when Elliott auditioned for the play; he had always been the shyest person in the family, and he'd gotten even more withdrawn since his father died a few years ago.
Being in Annie did Elliott worlds of good. He had made new friends, and seemed to love the spotlight even more than Emmy did. Apparently, dramatic genes ran in the Gilmore family.
Lorelai fastened the buttons on Elliott's suit and smiled. "You're ready to go, bud."
"Thanks, Grandma." Elliott said with a smile, and walked back on to the stage, exactly on cue.
"He's going to be an actor." Her husband said, coming up and standing in back of Lorelai, and putting his arms around her waist.
"Mmmmm…" She sighed. "I think you're right. And you smell like sawdust."
"All manly set building men do." Luke said with a smile.
"And I do love a manly man."
Luke leaned down and kissed her on the lips. The kiss grew deeper, until they were suddenly interrupted, causing them to break apart quickly.
"Daaaaaaaaaaddd" Eleven year old Eric Danes cried. "I need your help moving this thing on stage. It's almost time."
"Duty calls." Luke said with a sigh.
"Don't it though?" Lorelai said with a giggle. "Just remember where we left off, okay?"
When Lorelai first volunteered to help with the play, it was a cute little couple-ly thing to do with Luke. She sews, he saws, it's true love. But before they'd had a chance to nauseate everybody with their perfect couple-dom, they'd broken up.
Being apart was so incredibly hard. Luke was her best friend, her soulmate, and if believed in that sort of thing, her one true love.
Luke and Lorelai discovered that they weren't very good at staying apart, so they'd gotten back together. Twelve years later, here they were.
Those twelve years had been a rollercoaster, filled with good and bad times. Memories floated through her mind:
Getting engaged and married under the Chuppa.
Discovering they were pregnant, and Luke fainting when the sonogram showed twins.
Rory graduating from college, and subsequently getting a job at CNN and a engagement ring from Logan.
Watching her first little girl walk down the aisle; and while her young baby girl and boy learned to walk.
Family triumphs, such as Jess' book deal and crisis like Christopher's cancer scare.
The Dragonfly was featured on the Travel Channel, causing Sookie finally getting the chance to serve lunches at the inn again.
The birth of her first grandchild, and memories of a family portrait session where even Emily lost control.
Logan died tragically in a car accident, the victim of a drunk driver. Rory had moved back to Stars Hollow, finding a job at the local paper and raising Elliott.
Nothing had been easy, life never would be.
There were tears and struggles in the Gilmore household, but love and trust as well. In the end, things turned out okay.
Emmy started to sing "Tomorrow", belting out the familiar words.
When she had first broken up with Luke, Sookie told Lorelai about a story she heard on the TV, from Katie Couric. Long lost lovers, finally getting together after forty years. Even though Lorelai thought it was a totally stupid story, it gave her comfort. Possibly, maybe, one day in the future, say forty or fifty years, they would both be so senile that she and Luke would both forget why they broke up in the first place, and live happily ever after.
It didn't take years, it only took a few weeks.
Life had it's own funny pace, one that you couldn't control, even if you tried. Try to force it and you'd be flat on your face.
Rory had just started to date again, after being alone for three years. She was falling in love, but taking it slow. Marty was a great guy- a friend of Rory's since Freshman year at Yale. They'd met for coffee one day last December, and Marty had recently begun renting the apartment over the diner. He was crazy about Elliott, and madly in love with Rory. He'd been crazy about Rory for years, but just now, only now, was the timing just right.
Time was a funny thing. Hell, life was a funny thing.
Life was a game that Lorelai, at this moment, felt like she was winning. Emma and Elliott were hamming it up on the stage, both singing their lungs out. Luke and Eric were slapping each other some sort of high five, a father son ritual, Lorelai guessed. Marty was beaming to beat the band, out in the audience. His arm was around Rory, and his eyes never left Elliott's dancing figure on the stage. Rory had tears in her eyes, and sniffled into a Kleenex.
Today may sometimes look dreary; but there is always hope for a beautiful tomorrow. It is after all, only a day away.
Lorelai Gilmore Danes was full of hope.