Title: Take Two
By: Cassie Valentine
For: Akarana, the Leopold and Loeb ficathon
Spoilers: None
Summary: "You really want to do this tonight? You really just want to pack up and get married without Rory or Sookie or your parents?" he asked her.
A/N: An AU from Partings. Luke says yes to Lorelai's ultimatum.
LORELAI: Let's elope.
LUKE: What?
LORELAI: Come on, Luke. Grab your keys. Let's go.
LUKE: We can't just take off and get married.
LORELAI: Why not, Luke? Don't you love me?
LUKE: You know I do.
LORELAI: I love you, Luke. I love you. But I have waited, and I have stayed away, and I have let you run this thing. No more. I asked you to marry me, and you said yes.
LUKE: Yeah, I'm just trying to think here.
LORELAI: We fixed up the house, right? We have a bigger closet, and I didn't get the purple wallpaper because you didn't want the purple wallpaper. And if it's between you and the purple wallpaper, I pick you!
LUKE: I didn't tell you not to get the purple wallpaper.
LORELAI: Oh my God! You didn't like it.
LUKE: I don't care about wallpaper!
LORELAI: Do you care about me?
LUKE: Yes!
LORELAI: Because I'm going crazy here. I made a commitment to you, and I need to make it happen.
LUKE: It will, it will happen, okay? I just have April to consider.
LORELAI: But once we're married, everything with April will be fine.
LUKE: I have April!
LORELAI: You're gonna have to figure out how April fits into our lives, not the other way around.
LUKE: I'm trying.
LORELAI: Well, try married!
Lorelai stood in front of Luke, chest heaving as she waited for his answer. "Well?" she demanded. They continued to stare at each other. They both knew that everyone in the diner was staring at them while the masses of troubadours in the square and surrounding area provided an odd back ground music for them. "Come on Luke, let's go," she said as she reached out to pull on his arm.
"You really want to do this tonight? You really just want to pack up and get married without Rory or Sookie or your parents?" he asked her.
"We'll have a really big party when we get back, make it up to everyone," she said as she stepped closer to him, still holding onto his hand. Luke sighed as he looked into her eyes and was more than a little surprised at the desperation he saw there. He opened his mouth to ask more questions, but shut it quickly.
"Maryland, huh?" he asked instead.
"Or wherever," she said, biting her lip as she studied his face.
"Caesar! Lock up!" he called.
"Really?" she asked, letting go of his arm.
"Come on," he said as he grabbed her hand and led her upstairs. "Grab what you like," he told her as he turned to head to the closet so he could dig a duffel bag and his camping supplies out. Lorelai grabbed him and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him long and hard.
"Thank you," she told him as she headed to his closet to pick out a pair of slacks and a dress shirt. The pair managed to pack Luke's things very quickly and soon snuck out the back of the diner. They headed toward the Carp Shack to pick up Lorelai's things and phone Babette to look after Paul Anka before they were on their way.
The pair drove along in silence for a long time, each lost in thought. The silence was only broken when she laughed at him for getting lost.
"I'm sorry," he said suddenly, a few miles after they got back on track.
"For what?" she asked him.
"For keeping you at arms length with April. Hell, for not telling you about her," he said as he kept his eyes focused on the road. "I didn't want to disappoint you."
"How would you disappoint me?" she asked, laying a hand on his arm.
"By not being able to be a father to April. I had no idea what to do, how to act. . . I still don't," he told her. "But you raised Rory. You knew what to do, how to act, what to say and I know you want more kids, and I wanted to show you that I could do it."
"I didn't know what to do or how to act or what to say when Rory was born," she told him. "I had to learn all of that, it took years. As long as you were trying, Luke, I wouldn't have been disappointed. I am disappointed that you wouldn't tell me you were feeling that way."
"Why didn't you tell me how you felt about me keeping April from you?" he asked her.
"I was scared you'd leave me again," she said bluntly. "I had visions of you backing out of the relationship like you did when I pushed you after my parent's vow renewal."
She glanced over at him for a moment before she focused her attention back on the scenery that was flashing past them.
"I thought that if I just sat back and waited, you'd eventually invite me in but you never did." Luke glanced over at her and rested a hand on her knee.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry I ever made you feel like you couldn't talk to me about something."
They looked at each other for a moment before he took his hand off of her knee and found her hand. He squeezed it as he heard her sniffle a little, but he didn't say anything.
"We're getting married," she whispered with a smile after she had collected herself.
"About time," he added with a smile of his own as they drifted off into silence again, enjoying the ride to where ever they were headed.
"I'm not big on nature," Lorelai informed Luke as she held the flashlight so he could set up the tent.
"It's just for tonight," Luke said as he fought with the tent poles. "I'm tired, you're tired and the chances of finding an open motel are slim." She swung her feet as she continued to sit on the back of his truck.
"At least it'll be cozy. You're making sure there aren't any spiders making their way into the tent, right?"
"Yes," he said with a smile. "I'm making sure everything is bug free."
"You are a hell of a man, Luke Danes," she said with a smile. He shook his head as he finished up. They quickly unloaded the sleeping backs into the tent and crawled in after them. "Very cozy," she remarked.
"It is," he replied.
Lorelai lay next to him for a long moment, simply enjoying being close to him. This was defiantly not the first time they had simply been close to each other, but tonight was different for some reason. She was completely relaxed with him tonight; there was nothing between them.
They lay for a moment longer before he shifted so that he was looking down at her and she slowly brought her hands up to cup his face. She trailed one up through his still unruly hair as the other trailed down the side of his face and neck, coming to rest on his chest.
"Memorizing me?" he asked quietly as he leaned in closer.
"Something like that," she muttered back as they studied each other for a moment longer. He finally dipped his head and kissed her.† She quickly matched his pace, but let him stay in control of things. His lips parted when he felt her tongue running along the out side of his mouth and he held back a little sigh as it swept in and met his. She felt him smile against her lips when he realized how suggestive she was being.
Luke slowly lowered himself over her and slid a hand back down and under her shirt until he found a breast, taking a moment to play with the nipple. She let a little groan escape and arched her back slightly at the sensations.
Lorelai let her own hands wander over his torso, slowly finding her way under his T-shirt before flicking her fingernails over his nipples. He broke the kiss with a gasp and she snickered. He chuckled a bit himself before returning the favor. She shook her head and pulled him close.
Luke took the hint and began to trail kisses down her neck, taking a moment to pull her shirt off before nipping at that little spot on her collarbone. He was rewarded with a groan as her hand moved down toward his pants.
He continued to trail his way down to her breasts, finally tracing a pattern on her nipple before taking the breast in his mouth. She groaned and arched, her fingers faltering for a moment before she recovered a few brain cells and made an effort to get the drawstring on his pants open.
Luke rolled to the side slightly as he let his own hand trail down toward her pants. He loved it when she wore sweat pants, especially the old gray ones that used to be his. Like she was wearing now. They were old, worn, soft and about two sizes to big for her, always hanging tantalizingly low on her hips, just teasing him.
He slid a hand down into them, finding the elastic band of her panties. His fingers lingered there for a moment, and he had to pull away from the beloved breast when he felt her start to laugh.
"Ticklish?" he asked coyly as he began to slowly kiss his way down her stomach.
"You know very well that I am," she said with a contented sigh as he stopped tickling. "There too!" she said with a little swat as he dipped a tongue into her belly button for a moment.
"Couldn't resist," he said with that smile he only gave her. She shook her head at him, not really knowing what else to do. Luke slid out of her reach for a moment, but quickly slid his hands to the top of the pants. He looked her in the eye for a long moment before he slid himself off the bed, taking the pants with him. He flung them over his shoulder, or at least as far as he could in the tent and crawled back up over top of her.
"You seem to have me at a disadvantage," she said as she played with the ties of his pants that were now hanging loose.
"For once," he teased back as he kissed her before quickly taking hold of her panties, removing them as well.
Lorelai kept her eyes focused on Luke's face while he also took this opportunity to shimmy out of his own bottoms.
"Now we're even. Happy?" he asked. She nodded, unable to say much more as she felt his hands starting to slide up and down her thighs, applying a gentle pressure for them to open to him and they did.
He kissed her hard, a little distraction never hurt anyone he figured, as he gently pressed a thumb into her cleft, seeking out her clit and rubbing back and forth. He felt her jerk at the sensation and lessened the pressure, teasing her. She tore her lips away from him and groaned, throwing an arm over his shoulder and trying to find a way to angle her hips for more. He sought out her lips again and she was slightly disappointed when he thumb left her, but she recovered quickly when she felt a finger slowly enter her and probe gently before it was joined by another and a pleasant rhythm was established.
Her hips began to roll in time with his thrusts and the little moans and groans were becoming more frequent as she felt that familiar knot starting to tighten in her belly.
"Oh god," she groaned when he stopped. She felt empty when he had pulled out, but sighed happily as she felt him positioning himself at her entrance. He hesitated and looked at her. "What?" she asked.
"I love you," he said, looking her in the eye.
"I love you too," she replied, looking back at him just as seriously.
"Good," he replied as her pushed forward. They both produced their own incoherent sounds of satisfaction when he entered her to the hilt and held still for a moment, resting his forehead against his shoulder. She made sure to wrap a leg around his waist when he did finally start to move and pulled him in deeper. When he hit that one spot, she was glad there were no neighbors around them.
Luke continued to push into her, keeping the rhythm steady. There was no way in hell he was going to come before her. He wanted to be sure she enjoyed this, that she got hers just as much as he got his. He groaned when he felt her shift her hips to allow him better penetration, and he almost lost it when he heard that little whimper at the back of her throat.
Lorelai let out a moan as she felt herself starting to come undone. She tightened her legs around him and made sure to pull his face toward her and kiss him hard as she came, trying to muffle the cry that wanted out.
Luke groaned as he felt her tighten around him, and he thrust a few more times before he came as well. He rested his head on her shoulder for a moment before he rolled over and pulled her to his side, kissing her forehead as he tried to catch his breath. Lorelai let him pull her with him and she flopped herself possessively over him, throwing an arm over his chest and a leg over his as she pillowed her head on his chest.
Luke couldn't help but smile to himself when he heard her let out a contented sigh before they both drifted off to sleep for the night.
The next day was filled with more driving and more talking about everything they hadn't talked about since April appeared in their lives.
"Tell me about her," Lorelai said after they climbed back into the truck after lunch. "Tell me about April." Luke smiled to himself.
"She's great," he said. "She's smart and funny, usually when she doesn't mean to be. She's kind and generous and growing up way to fast."
"They usually do," Lorelai replied.
"She still talks about her birthday party."
"Well, it was a great party," she said, proud of herself for throwing it together.
"She started asking about you after the party," he said, the laughter leaving his voice. "How long had I known you. Were you always fun like this. How long had we been together . . . She never asked to meet you though," he said.
Lorelai mimicked his furrowed brow as he paused for a moment.
"That's probably another reason why I kept you two apart. I don't know if she wanted to meet you or if she didn't say anything because I didn't offer." She stayed quiet as she considered this. "She's staying with me next week, with us next week," he told her.
"I'll change the sheets on Rory's bed," she said.
"She's allergic to feathers," he told her.
"No down pillows in the house anyway," she said. "Tell me more."
"Her favorite color is purple."
"That I knew," she said.
"Her favorite meal is roast turkey, mashed potatoes and green beans."
"She is definitely your kid," Lorelai said with a snicker. "She looks like you."
"Just the nose," he said dismissively.
"I don't know about that," she told him.
"If you say so," he said as he started to tell her a few of his adventures with April. She smiled to herself as she let him spill out everything he knew about the little girl.
Luke and Lorelai found a small town in Maryland around supper. After checking into a hotel and changing, they headed out to find some one to marry them.
They eventually found City Hall and were more than a little surprised to see that it was still open. They begged, borrowed and stole a license and a couple of witnesses and tightly held each other's hand as they judge read through the ceremony.
"Finally," she muttered with a smile as the judge announced that Luke could kiss the bride.
Hey, Rory, it's mom. You are never going to guess where I am in a million years. I'm with Luke and we are in Maryland, yes, Maryland. One more piece of news: we eloped! I know, I know, I'll fill you in later! Love ya kid!
Sookie, it's Lorelai. I'll explain it all when I get home but I'm going to be out of town for the next couple of days. I'm in Maryland with Luke and we are now official man and wife. Yes, I will let you cater the party when we get home. I'll call again soon.
"You didn't call your parents," Luke pointed out after Lorelai hung up the phone.
"Let me be happy," she said as she dropped the phone onto the bedside table. "Let me deal with the disapprovals and lectures when we get home."
"Fine," he said with a smile as he came to sit beside her on the bed. He sighed before he picked up the phone and dialed April's number. "Hey, it's Luke, is April there? Hey April," he said brightly. She smiled and grabbed his hand as he informed April that she now had a stepmother and that they were both dying to see her next weekend. Lorelai's grin grew when she heard April's excited squeal over the phone. "Yeah, yeah you can still have your mom drop you off at the diner. Ok. . . Yeah, we'll see you next weekend. Bye April."
"Bye April!" Lorelai called out. She snickered when she heard April call out to her, too. Luke hung up the phone shortly after and looked over at her.
"Girls," he muttered as he pulled her toward him.
"We just wanna have fun," Lorelai muttered before he showed her what kind of fun he wanted to have.
"Home again," Lorelai said with a contented sigh when they got home a few days later.
"Not much of a honeymoon," he pointed out.
"Minor detail," she assured him. "We can plan something this summer," she assured him as she opened the door and slid out of the truck.
"SUGAH!"
"Run," she told Luke. He didn't need to be told twice and he hightailed it into the house. "Hey Babette," she said as the blonde from next door rushed over.
"Where have ya been?"
"Well," she started but was quickly cut off by Babette.
"You ran off and got hitched! You and Luke! Oh my God!" she squealed as she threw her arms around Lorelai. She stumbled before she got her balance again, but she was too stunned to say anything right away about Babette guessing correctly.
"Can you keep this quiet, Babette? I haven't had a chance to fill Rory or Sookie in completely."
"Sure thing, doll," she said when she finally pulled away. "Just lemme know when I can say something."
"You will be the first," she said with a smile.
"MAURY! WHERE'S THE DOG?" Babette called out. A moment later Paul Anka came barreling out of Babette's house.
"Thanks again Babette," she said as she knelt down to pet her dog.
"No problem," she said. "Apricot and Paul Anka get along just fine," she said before they said their goodbyes and each of them headed home.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Danes," Luke muttered as he swept her into his arms.
"Why, thank you, Mr. Danes," she replied.
"You stay down here," he told the dog as he swept Lorelai upstairs. Paul Anka watched them go before he heaved a sigh and invited himself up onto the sofa.
Lorelai eventually called Rory and Sookie and spilled out the whole story. Each of the women squealed their approval and excitement at the development before they berated Lorelai for not calling them to come along. She apologized to each of them profusely before they let her hang up.
Soon after Rory and Sookie knew what had happened, Babette made sure that the whole town knew. Two weeks after the fact, they were still getting congratulations and hand shakes from the townspeople.
When she told Emily and Richard, they took it far better than she expected them too. Emily did yell a bit about the fact that they hadn't told her that they were doing this first, but she calmed down when Rory said that Lorelai hadn't told her either before the fact.
"Well," she said as she calmed down. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, mom," Lorelai said.
"I expect Luke to start attending the occasional dinner from now on. In fact, I want him and that daughter of his here next week."
"Her name is April."
"I want you, Luke and April here next Friday," Emily corrected herself.
"We'll be here," she said, more than a little surprised at how easily Emily was dealing with all of this.
"Lorelai," Richard said, as she and Rory were getting ready to leave.
"Yeah, dad?"
"Here," he said as he handed her a key ring with two keys on it and a piece of paper.
"What's this?" she asked as she looked at the paper.
"That would be an address," he said. Lorelai stared at it for a moment before she figured out what it was an address to.
"Dad!" she said.
"It's your house now," he said. "The papers will be finalized on Monday."
"Thank you. Mom too," she said as she hugged him. "Come on," she said to Rory as they finally left.
"Wow," Rory said when they got out of their cars and took the house in.
"Wow indeed," Lorelai agreed, as they gaped for a moment longer before going inside.
"I want this room!" Rory called out from somewhere on the second floor.
"Fine! Pee on the door!" Lorelai called out as she continued to mill around the first floor.
"Gross!" Rory called back as she kept going.
A few weeks later, Lorelai and Luke were moved in. Rory's things were in the room she had claimed, right across from the room April had named as her own.
"You're still sick," Luke commented as he watched Lorelai sit on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on her knees, head bent down.
"I'm fine," she insisted, not looking up at him.
"You don't look fine," he said as he came to sit beside her. His opinion was only reinforced when she groaned as the bed moved beneath her. "Lorelai," he started again.
"I'm fine, Luke. I'm pregnant, but I'm fine."
"Oh," was all he said as he tried to process this.
"Oh?" she asked him, finally lifting her head to look at him.
"You're taking this all very calmly," he said, buying himself some time.
"I've known for a while. How are you taking this?"
"How long is a while?" he demanded. She shrugged.
"A week or so," she said. "I put it together when every day at 1 pm the nausea disappeared. So?"
"I guess we're having a baby," he said with a smile that she couldn't help but return.
"Hey, remember that dream I had, about me and Luke and the twins?" Lorelai asked Rory a few months into the pregnancy.
"The talking to your stomach, kissing Luke dream? Yes, yes I do," she said as she put the finishing touches on an article.
"Well, I think it was a prophetic dream," she said. There was a long pause while Rory thought about that for a second.
"You're having twins?" she asked.
"Leopold and Loeb, Sid and Nancy. . . They're here. Thing One and Thing Two," she confirmed. She didn't bother to try and keep a smile off of her face.
"Oh my God!" Rory squealed. "That's so cool!"
"Now, you're going to have to understand that mommy and daddy are going to be extra busy when the new babies get here, but we won't love you any less."
"Good to know," she replied. "I hate to cut this short, but I gotta run."
"Bye kid!"
"How can you walk around like that?" Luke asked her. It was December and Lorelai was firmly in her seventh month and walking around with her coat open.
"Because not only am I growing two people, but I'm cooling three. I am my own personal furnace," she told him. Luke just blinked at her as he steadied her when she slipped on some ice. "Thanks."
"Can I also complain about your choice of shoewear while I'm at it?" She looked down at the boots she was wearing.
"I'm wearing boots."
"With a two-inch heel," he said as she sent her a look.
"Well, at least it's not a three-inch heel," she said with a shrug as they entered the diner.
"Sit there, don't move. My throat is tired of being home to my heart. Pancakes?"
"Sausage, bacon and home fries," she added. "And juice. And coffee."
"No coffee."
"Luke!" she wined.
"No coffee," he said firmly as he pointed a finger at her before he headed to the kitchen.
"Depriver!" she called after him.
"Luke. . . Luke wake up."
"Wha?" he asked, making no moves to actually wake up.
"My water broke."
"Are you sure?" he asked, still not really paying attention.
"Uh, pretty sure, yeah," she said.
"The bed's dry." She rolled her eyes.
"Luke!" she said again as she gave him a shove. "Wake up Lucas!"
"What?" he said as he finally rolled over and looked at her.
"Water, mine, broken," she said as she looked directly at him. "Just now, in the bathroom." Luke blinked at her as this sunk into his brain. She sat on the bed as he finally jumped out of bed and started to race around. She would have laughed at this moment if she hadn't been in the middle of a contraction.
"Wow," was all Luke could say after everything was all said and done.
"Wow indeed," Lorelai replied as she peaked in at the bundle in Luke's arm while he did the same with the bundle in hers.
"So, Sid and Nancy? Leopold and Loeb?" he asked her.
"Izobel and Benjamin," she replied.
"Really?" he asked. Of all the names they had discussed, those two had never come up.
"I like them," she said as she smiled at him.
"So do I, but, where did they come from?" he asked her. She shrugged as she ran a finger down her son's nose. "Izobel and Benjamin it is," he said, in no real position to argue with her.
"Izzie and Ben," she finalized.
"Welcome to the world, Izzie," he said. "You too, Ben."
"I think they're grateful," Lorelai replied. Luke couldn't help but chuckle at her.
"I think you're stoned," he whispered to her.
"I think you're right," she told him. "Tired too." He got up from the bed when he heard that and he deposited Izzie in the bassinet before he returned to take Ben from Lorelai. "Hey," she complained.
"They're tired, you're tired, I'm tired. . . We should all take a nap," he said as he liberated the baby from her and tucked him in beside his sister.
He looked down at the babies for a moment before he strolled back over to Lorelai and crawled in beside her. He wrapped his arms around her as she drifted off and, as tired as he was, he found he couldn't fall asleep. He brushed the hair that had escaped her ponytail away from her face before he dropped a kiss on her temple and went back to staring out the window, his mind racing with the new responsibilities in his life. "I love you," he told her as he finally started to drift off.
"Me too," she muttered as they both drifted off for real.
There ya go. Don't forget to tip (leave feed back) your waitress (me) on your way out.