I wanted to say thank you to everyone that has taken an interest in this story. I hope I did Luke and Lorelai justice with this chapter. Enjoy.
Disclaimer is on the first chapter, I don't own and I never will so it wont be changing ever so no need to repeat saying so on every chapter. Most of the flashback I used from Season 1 Episode 6 - Rory's Birthday Parties.
"Seriously Luke all you have to do is call them and tell them between the Diner and the Inn I went missing. That some deranged man stole me." Lorelai huffed walking behind the counter to get a cup of coffee and a doughnut. Luke saw no use in shooing her to the other side of the counter so instead he handed her the tongs.
"Use these. No one in their right mind would kidnap you let alone keep you longer than a minute." Luke grumbled filling a few cups on the counter.
"But you did." Lorelai pointed out finishing her coffee.
"I didn't kidnap you. I married you. Huge difference Lor. Why did I marry you?" Luke shook his head pouring more coffee in his wife's cup.
"You asked, I said yes and the rest is history dear old Duke." Lorelai grinned drinking her coffee. Luke gave her a soft glare walking away from her shaking his head. Lorelai finished her coffee kissing her husband on her way out the door. She was already running late.
4 years earlier
"She's not here yet." Luke said seeing Lorelai walk in with a garment bag.
"All right. You'll have to entertain me until she arrives. OK, Burger Boy, dance." Lorelai grinned looking up at Luke from her stool.
"Will you marry me?" He asked no emotion but there was something deep down hoping for more from the oldest Gilmore girl.
"What?" Lorelai asked shocked. To her Luke had always been a friend, nothing more. But now that he asked ever so politely something had clicked in her head. It wasn't as if she had guys lined around the corner for her. And Luke was a good-looking man. "Sure why not, my calendar is free."
"Just looking for something to shut you up." Luke stood in his tracks a shocked expression on his face. "You have nothing better to do so you plan on marrying me?"
"You asked Luke, I'm just giving you an answer." She replied.
"How about we start out with a date first?" Luke asked with a shaky breath.
"You can be my date to Rory Gilmore's birthday celebration this Saturday night." Lorelai grinned batting her eye lashes at him.
"You don't have to ask me, you know." He replied filling her cup with fresh coffee.
"I know. But I would like you to come as my date." Lorelai beamed. She liked the way it rolled off her tongue.
"Yeah?" Luke asked joy spreading through his body.
"Yeah." She smiled at him.
"OK, I'll see. After that I get to pick the next date." He smiled having it already planned in his head.
"Great. 7:00. Don't be late." She told him joining Rory who had just came in.
"God Jess, I can't get through his books how am I suppose to get through a whole report?" Rory asked looking away from the computer screen. She had stared blankly at a page full of facts about Ernest Hemingway.
"You got me Ror." Jess replied writing things down. Rory huffed seeing he really didn't need to read up on him, but why should he?
"Just because you idolize the guy doesn't mean I can slack off and let you do all the work. 50/50 Jess." Rory turned to look at him.
"You can get through this Rory. Why don't you take a break and work on a few other things and once you have cleared your head come back to it." Rory sighed closing outta the Internet.
"I guess it wont hurt." Rory replied joining Jess at the table. Rory got so caught up in her other work she lost track of time until Jess poked her. "What Jess?"
"Shouldn't you be gone?" Rory looked at her watch. In a hurry she got up stuffing her work into her bag. She was lucky she had changed into her dress for dinner after school. She was already 5 minutes late. "I can give you ride." Jess offered getting his things together.
"No it's fine." Rory told him walking away. 10 minutes later Rory was ringing the door bell at her grandparents house, her mothers jeep already in the driveway.
"Please come in." Sophie said opening the door. "May I take your things?" Rory handed her things over. Sophie was a younger maid, she had been around for a month now. She had black hair and fair skin. "They're in having drinks." Rory smiled and walked in sitting by her mother.
"Sorry I'm late I was at the library doing some work. I lost track of time." Rory smiled sheepishly. Her grandma handed her a club soda.
"That's alright dear. School comes first." Emily replied.
"Gee I was 5 minutes late and I get a lecture on telling time and how I must always be early. My lovely daughter here is 15 minutes late and is off the hook." Lorelai piped in downing her martini astonished.
"Why were you late Lorelai?" Emily asked annoyed.
"Because traffic." Lorelai lied.
"You can't lie Lorelai. I know better than that. You were late because you didn't wanna be here and Rory is late because she was doing school work. That's a huge difference." Emily replied in a harsh tone.
"We really don't know if she was doing school work. She could've been with a boy doing things." Lorelai jumped up with an accusing finger at her daughter.
"Lorelai sit down she wasn't with a boy doing things." Emily huffed.
"She is my daughter, mother."
"I was with a boy. Jess in fact."
"Ha I told you." Lorelai cut Rory off.
"We were assigned partners for an oral report. We wanted to get a start on it." Rory finished watching her mother slump on the couch.
"Sorry I'm late. What did I miss?" Richard asked joining the girls.
"Nothing dad." Lorelai mumbled.
"Dinner is ready." Sophie announced. They all walked into the dinning room sitting in there normal spots. Throughout dinner they made small talk about how Rory was doing in school. A few insults on why Luke couldn't join them.
"Mom for the last time. He owns and runs his own business he can't get away just because you want him to suffer here for 2 hours." Lorelai was getting frustrated with her mother.
"I'm just saying Lorelai, he is apart of this family, is he not?" Emily asked putting her fork down.
"Yes mother. But every time he comes all you do is put him down. You don't like him. We all know this and oddly enough we're all ok with that. So why should he come here when you think he isn't good enough for me?" Lorelai asked staring at her mother. Emily only huffed.
"Well he isn't." She replied dryly.
"Grandma, grandpa I think we should be going now." Rory didn't want anyone to say something they would later regret.
"Rory's right. We should be going." Lorelai added getting up. Rory hugged her grandparents saying bye to both of them. Together Rory and Lorelai walked to the door getting their things.
"I figured we could do a movie night tomorrow." Lorelai spoke up for the first time 20 minutes into the car ride home.
"I'd love that and it gives me an excuse to stay away from Tristan's party tomorrow night. I couldn't possibly leave my mother alone to go into a sugar coma alone." Rory smirked happy she had an out.
"Now if you wanted to go to the party we could cancel until next week." Rory was quick to shake her head.
"Don't even joke about that mom." Rory was being dead serious.
"Note taken. Wanna go to Luke's?"
"He makes the same coffee at home." Rory protested. All she wanted to do was go home, not watch her mother fawn all over Luke.
"But it's not the same now is it?" Lorelai asked parking in front of the dinner. Rory agreed with her mom and together they headed inside.
"We're closed." Luke said hearing the bell jingle. He never looked up from his receipts though.
"Good thing I'm your wife then." Lorelai sat in the stool across from Luke sharing a small kiss with him. Luke got them coffee knowing better than to fight them on a Friday night.
"What happened?" Luke asked seeing the two sullen faces before him.
"I was late, got yelled at. My darling offspring was later than I was and she got a medal for it. Adolf hates you but expects you to be there every Friday night." Luke's face paled. "I wont make you suffer dear husband of mine." Luke only nodded.
"Uh I'm gonna head home, I'm beat." Rory finished her coffee and headed out the door, feeling it was necassery to leave them alone.
"Ok sweets." Lorelai called out to the now closing door. "My parents can think what they want Luke. I've never cared before and I know how uncomfortable they make you. I wont make you go." Luke sat feeling relieved until he heard the next words outta his wife's mouth. "Until next Friday, you have to come."
"No." Luke grumbled. Lorelai pouted looking at him. "Not gonna happen." She than started to whine a little. "If I do this you get decaf coffee all next week." Lorelai glared but gave in.
"Fine." She muttered getting up. "I'll see you at home." She kissed his cheek and headed out to her jeep.