Jess was still moody and quiet for the next week, but Saturday morning saw him jumpy and absentminded.
"Did you get the order for that table yet? They've been waiting." Luke asked.
"What? Oh, yeah, sorry…" Jess wandered into the kitchen, and Luke just shook his head. When he came back out, he started wiping down the counter, staring distractedly out the window.
"Jess, could you pass me-" Luke was cut off, as Jess suddenly jumped over the counter, knocking a cup to the ground in the process, and ran outside. "Oh for god's sake." Luke grabbed the brush from behind him, and started to sweep up the broken cup.
"What the…" Lorelai got a fright from Jess, and spilled some of her coffee.
"Who's that?" Rory was craning her neck, trying to see what Jess was doing.
He had run up to a girl carrying a backpack, and was now hugging her excitedly. Rory watched with a frown as he took the girl's bag to carry it for her, and was leading her back to the diner, chatting animatedly, while she grinned at him.
Lorelai squinted to try and see the girl's face better. "No idea."
"She's pretty." muttered Rory, biting her lip.
"Ohh, no longer the fairest one of them all, huh? Don't worry sweetheart, I'll get the poisoned apple." grinned Lorelai, ignoring the withering look her daughter gave her.
Luke had just finished cleaning up, and was wiping his hands. "That would be Jess's sister."
Lorelai looked dismayed. "Oh no, there's another one?"
Just then Jess opened the door, pushing his sister in front of him.
"Hay, Unkey Luke!" she exclaimed, bounding towards him and throwing her arms around his neck. "It's been ages!"
After a moment's hesitation, Luke hugged her back, almost blushing at her enthusiastic welcome. "Hi Allie. Long time no see, huh."
Allie pulled away and grinned at him "Yeah, you don't visit nearly enough."
"Or ever." muttered Jess, making his way across the diner. "Come this way, I'll show you up."
Lorelai stood up. "Hi, so you're another of Luke's clan, huh?" she addressed the girl.
Allie turned to her, and smiled, "Yeah, luckily for me. I'm Allie."
"I'm Lorelai, and this is my daughter Rory."
Allie shook hands with both of them. "Wow, you have amazing eyes." She told Lorelai sincerely.
"Uh, thanks."
"Allie!" Jess called his sister sharply.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, and I'm sure I'll be seeing you guys around." She smiled again, and said bye, before following Jess up the stairs.
"Wow, are you sure she's related to Jess?"
Luke raised his eyebrows and nodded. "You wouldn't think so."
"You can tell who got the genes for social skills."
"She's a good kid."
Luke didn't see his niece or nephew for the rest of the day. Jess had taken Allie for a tour around Stars Hollow, and as that was over quickly, he borrowed Luke's car saying that Allie needed to buy a couple of things, and that was them gone until late that night.
He was closing up the diner around nine when Lorelai wandered in.
"Hay, serve one more customer?"
He smiled. "Of course."
She sat and drank coffee while he finished wiping the tables and putting up the chairs.
"So, where are those kids of yours at?"
Luke shrugged. "No idea. They've been gone nearly all day."
"And you're not worried?" Lorelai was surprised. Usually Luke would be raging if Jess had just disappeared.
"Nope. Well, not really. I think they're just really happy to see each other, and just wanna catch up. I hope."
"So how long is Allie here for?"
Luke moved around the back of the bar, tidying things away. "I don't really know. Indefinitely I guess. I haven't asked."
Lorelai sighed. "Luke, do you know what you're doing?"
"What?" Luke asked, both curious and skeptical about what Lorelai would say.
She pushed her hair back and sighed again. "It was hard enough for you to take Jess in, it's still hard for you now, I mean he's not exactly kid-of-the-year or anything. And now another teenager? Which happens to be his sister… you know, peas in a pod and all. I just hope that you've thought about what it might be like… that's all." She chewed on her bottom lip, half-nervous about Luke's reaction. He'd got mad at her for a lot less than that before.
But he just leaned on the bar, and scratched absentmindedly at a knot in the wood. "I have thought about it, Lorelai. But I don't see how I can turn either one away. I'm their uncle, and I didn't have a lot to do with them as kids, and I should have, so here's my opportunity to do something for them, and we'll just have to see how it turns out."
Lorelai nodded thoughtfully.
"Anyway," Luke stood up straight and poured himself a drink. "Where's that kid of yours tonight?"
"Out with her boyfriend." grumbled Lorelai. "And they didn't want me tagging along. So I was all alone on a Saturday night, till I thought, what other sad old adult would possibly be in need of some company on a Saturday night… and so I decided to come and see you." She grinned as Luke narrowed his eyes at her.
"I had a big night planned before you came along, I'll have you know…"
"Uh-huh."
"…cleaning… and…"
"Uh-huh."
"…and fixing my toaster… and…"
"Uh-huh."
"…and… other stuff…"
"Uh-huh." Lorelai was nodding with mock seriousness.
"Oh never mind." Luke gave up. "I'm currently available all night."
Lorelai raised one eyebrow slyly, and Luke's cheeks grew hot as he realized how that must have sounded. "Uh, um… how's the Rory and Dean thing going anyway?" he covered.
"I don't know. I thought she was all for it and totally in love with him and all that, but she just seems kind of… weird. I don't know. I'm sure she'll make up her mind soon enough."
Neither of them said anything for a long while, then Lorelai broke the silence.
"Ok, I'm gonna go home and wait up for that daughter of mine so I can give her the third degree." She picked up her things and started for the door.
"Let me drive you home." offered Luke. "It's late, and dark… and I don't have a car…" he remembered that Jess and Allie had taken it.
"I'm fine."
"I'll walk you home." he suggested, grabbing the diner keys.
"No, it's ok…"
"Yeah I'll walk you."
"Luke, I'm fine, I mean, it's Stars Hollow." protested Lorelai, but Luke was already out the door, holding it open for her.
"Come on. It's not like I have anything better to do." he said wryly, and flicked out the lights as she stepped outside.
