"I know you!" Chris exclaimed as they began the drive to Stars Hollow. "You're Luke Danes, the baseball player."
"Former." The man replied gruffly.
"I'm Chris Hayden." Chris replied with an award winning grin. It didn't win Luke over, apparently, because he simply nodded.
"What team?" The tweed man in the back asked. "I've never kept up with sports much myself."
"Red Sox." Luke said, turning the wheel.
"Oh. Max Medina by the way." He shook hands with Chris and Luke grunted his acknowledgment.
"So what are you guys doing up at Star Hollow?" Chris asked.
"I'm heading to a wedding." Luke sighed.
"Are you really?" Max asked. "So am I."
"Same." Chris agreed, somewhat shocked. Then again, not much else could be going on in that town. "Which side are you on?"
"The bride's." Max shrugged. "Though I've never actually met her."
"That's crazy." Chris turned to look at him. "Neither have I." Luke grunted.
Lorelai walked up to one of the rooms where the guests were complaining that the toilet wasn't working. Entering the bathroom, she attempted to flush the toilet and sighed. Indeed, the handle moved but nothing flushed.
"This inn is falling to pieces around me." She moaned, leaving to call the repairman. "If only money grew on trees!"
Rory stepped outside to help bring in some boxes of decorations, when she saw three men standing on the lawn of the inn. One looked like a teacher in tweed, the other was clearly very cool with a leather jacket and aviators. The last had on a plaid flannel with a backwards grey baseball cap.
"Hello." She gave them a smile. "Are you visiting the inn?"
"In a manner of speaking." Said the teacher. "We're here for the wedding. I'm Max Medina." Rory sucked in a breath.
"I'm Chris Hayden." She looked at the man with the aviators.
"Luke Danes." The flannel one grumbled. At her shocked expression, he looked a bit softer and said, "You are expecting us?"
"Oh. Yes. Absolutely. This is happening really fast." Rory walked over to them.
"Are you… Lorelai's daughter?" Chris asked.
"In the flesh." She tried to smile and felt her face go bright red. So many years of wanting to meet her Dad. She was finally confronted with him, and she had no idea which one he was.
"And your name is Lorelai?" He pressed.
"Rory." She smiled. Chris smiled back. This one was a charmer. He reminded her a bit of Jess.
"Do you mind if we freshen up before we see your mother?" Max questioned.
"Of course." Rory suddenly panicked. Where to put them? "Come this way." She gestured for them to follow her around the back with her hand.
"Don't we have to check in?" Luke asked.
"Don't worry about that." Rory shook her head.
"Okay…" Chris shrugged and followed her. The other two did the same after a moment. Rory led them to a shed around the back of the inn.
"Come in." She opened the door and went inside. The three men looked around.
"Are you sure this is where were staying?" Max asked gently. The room was cluttered was various tools, things being stored, and had only one, small bed in a corner.
"Yes." Rory said with a sigh. "But there's a reason, I promise." She took a deep breath.
"I sent the wedding invitations, not my Mom. She has no idea that you're here."
"Of course!" Luke let out a sarcastic chuckle. "You're just like Lorelai, only she could have cooked up such a ridiculous idea."
"What on earth are we doing here then?" Christopher asked.
"Well, my Mom has been working so hard on this wedding. I wanted to surprise her with some friends from the past, she always talks about you guys." Luke put a hand to his head.
"There's just on small problem with that plan. The last time I saw Lorelai, she told me to never come back."
"So you didn't." Rory snapped, suddenly bitter. She sighed and tried to relax. "Look, arguing won't help anyone. Just stay here for now, I'll see if I can get you any place better. And if anyone asks who told you that you could stay here, don't mention me." Max was the first to walk over.
"Of course." He gave her a kind smile. Chris was next.
"Whatever you say kid." They all looked at Luke.
"I am going to regret this. But sure." Rory heard talking and stiffened.
"I have to go. Wedding stuff, I'm going to be really busy. But I promise to come check on you soon." She gave an awkward wave, and rushed out of the shed, shutting the doors behind her.
Lorelai walked out the back of the inn and sighed. She walked past the shed with lights to start stringing on one of the trees, when she heard voices. She tiptoed over to the door of the shed and peaked through a crack. What she saw nearly made her drop the lights.
"Max." She gasped, looking at the man in tweed and reflecting on the buzz-cutted, military brat she once knew. "Chris." Gone was his mullet and ripped jeans, but he had clearly not lost his rebellious spirit. Once glance at the room's third occupant and she jumped away from the door like it was hot.
Oh my God." She began to dance around. "It's them. All three of them. Here. At my inn. What are they doing here?" She threw the lights on the ground.
Why today? Why now?" She turned and looked at the window. "I should take another look and make sure." She all but sprinted over, only to see the window blocked. She walked back around to the front and continued her nervous pacing, when her foot got caught in the lights and she fell forward, right through the doors. She coughed and grumbled as she tried to get up, only to feel someone grab her arm. She looked up to see Max with a concerned expression.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I'll be fine." Lorelai straightened out her skirt.
"You always knew how to make an entrance." She heard the rough voice that she had missed over the years, and steeled her face into one of anger.
"This all had better be a horrible dream. You three had better not be here."
"Want me to pinch you Lor?" Chris smirked, walking over.
"Nope! Hands where I can see them Hayden. I am armed!" She held up the lights like a whip.
"You can take him." Max laughed. She turned and felt a smile spread across her face.
"Oh Max. It's you." He blushed a faint red.
"I've changed a lot I bet, but you look exactly the same."
"Exactly." Luke's voice was filled with almost wonder. She pulled away from Max and folded her arms.
"What are the three of you doing here?" They all scrambled to answer at the same time.
"I'm on my way up to visit my parents." Chris offered.
"I wanted to spend a holiday away from everything." Max attempted.
"Uh. I wanted to visit Stars Hollow. Where I grew up and everything." The other two men were shocked at Luke's response, but less so at Lorelai's almost affectionate look.
"Right." She started to back away. "I am going to check out the bus schedule so you guys can get out of here."
"I have a truck." Luke said gruffly.
"Excellent." She gave a cheesy smile. "You can all get in it, like a clown car. The Greatest Show on Earth. Or the worst, depending on who you are in the room right now." She turned and started to leave.
"Lorelai." She turned back.
"It's good to see you." Max and Chris beamed. Luke crossed his arms and gave her a searching look. She left the shed and didn't look back.