This one is tough to write! Thanks for your patience and I will try to update more frequently.
As always, reviews, if you are so inclined.
And the Winner Is.…
Lorelai gingerly walked into the diner, rubbing her temples and squinting at the light. After slowly looking around, she staggered over to a table and sat down. She immediately put her head down on the table.
"Coffee?" a voice softly questioned.
"Ugh, not so loud," Lorelai whined. She picked her head up and stared at Luke. He carefully placed a coffee cup on the table and filled it. Lorelai noticed he looked a little worse for wear this morning too. He was dressed in his usual flannel, jeans and baseball cap. He hadn't bothered to shave but with Luke you could never tell.
"I love you," Lorelai sighed as she picked up the cup and drank deeply. She felt better almost immediately.
"What?" Luke asked in surprise, ignoring the sudden jolt to his brain, his heart and his stomach at hearing those words from her. Then he realized she was speaking to the cup of coffee.
Lorelai continued drinking the coffee until she emptied the cup. She gratefully peeked at him over the rim of her coffee cup. She held it up for a refill and Luke complied. "You're my hero," she cooed gratefully. "An out-and-out Coffee god."
"After yesterday I thought maybe you'd swear off coffee for a while," Luke ventured.
"Hell no," she said emphatically then grimaced at the loudness of her own voice. "Everything is back to normal in Lorelai-town." Her brain spun sickeningly. "Except for this massive hangover, which I am blaming on you."
"Story of my life," Luke shot back, rolling his eyes. "Pancakes?" he asked. He knew she would want her special hangover food.
"Does a bear—"she began
"Coming up," Luke cut across her words as he walked away. Lorelai laid her head back down on the cool Formica surface.
The bell chimed cheerily as someone entered the diner. Lorelai let out a low whine, sure the bell's main purpose in life was to make her head explode.
"Hey Sugah," Babette's raspy voice grated on her nerves, "that was some night last night huh?"
"Uh-huh." It was all Lorelai could manage. She didn't even lift her head.
"Boy, you and Luke really tied one on," Babette observed. In spite of what Patty had said, she hoped that maybe they had been drunk enough to loosen up and let nature take its course. She needed to carefully pry any tidbit she could out of either of them.
"Yeah," Lorelai mumbled, finally picking her head up and looking around. Where was Luke with those pancakes?
"Yeah you could barely walk when you left the bar. You were hanging all over each other," Babette continued leadingly.
"Well we did have a lot to drink," Lorelai agreed. She saw Luke come out of the kitchen with a huge plate of pancakes. Thank god, she thought.
"You made it home okay?" she asked assessing Lorelai's reaction to see if there was some juicy gossip to be had.
Lorelai didn't reply. Her attention was on Luke and the life-saving breakfast he was carrying. She smiled as he came closer.
"Lorelai?" Babette questioned then decided to be more direct. "Tell me about last night!"
"Kirk picked us up outside the bar," Lorelai answered her, finally focused on what Babette was saying. "He dropped me off then Luke. End of story."
"Oh," Babette sounded disappointed. Luke came up and set the plate down. "Well, I'll leave ya to your breakfast then," she said getting up and walking out of the diner.
"What was that all about?" Luke asked.
"Last night," Lorelai explained dully. "Speculation about what happened when we left the bar."
Luke stood for a minute recalling the finer details of last night. "But nothing happened," he said confused.
Lorelai swallowed a bit of pancake. "I know. We had some drinks, made a friendly bet, took a test and went home."
"I can't believe you talked me into taking that stupid test," he shook his head in disbelief.
Lorelai downed another bite of pancake, already feeling better. "I thought Taylor was going to drop dead from surprise. He'll probably be by to recruit you for the next town event."
"When hell freezes over," Luke declared. He gave her a dark look. "Don't you go planting the idea in his head either."
Lorelai laughed. "I won't," she promised then remembered what she had wagered. "As long as you hold up your end of the bet." She gave him a sidelong look. "Promise?"
Luke stared at her for a long moment. There was no way he could possibly beat her on the test about Stars Hollow. Lorelai always took part in town events. She loved this town. She was involved in the town more so than he. Granted she wasn't born here but she knew everyone and everything about this town. The odds were against him beating her. His mind lingered on her wager….
"If you've chosen a humiliating stunt designed to make a fool out of me…." Luke warned.
"I did my best," Lorelai teased him then looked at him seriously. "I'm kidding. Promise me that if I win, you'll do what I wrote down?" She stared at him so earnestly that he again wondered what she could have possibly written.
"Agreed," he grunted. "And when do we get the results of this stupid test?" Luke wanted to know.
"Well the town meeting's coming up in a few days," Lorelai supplied. "Ya got three days to prepare yourself," she clapped her hands.
"I can hardly wait," Luke rolled his eyes then turned away, hoping she hadn't gone too crazy with her bet.
Lorelai scurried through the square. She was late for the town meeting. She had lost track of the time sorting through the details for the Dragonfly. She scampered up the back steps of the studio and noiselessly slid open the door. Fortunately for her, Taylor was looking down at the podium, poring over his agenda. Quickly glancing around, she noticed an empty seat next to Luke. She smiled at him and he nodded once as she settled down next to him.
"Okay, people, next order of business," Taylor read from his notes. "A petition to refurbish our town square awnings has been proposed by a local merchant."
"Local merchant?" Babette snorted. "Taylor everyone knows that's how you refer to yourself when you're tryin to bamboozle us. Why change the awnings?"
"I think they are just fine," Miss Patty interjected. "They are all so colorful. They make the town look so festive."
"They make the town look like a carnival," Taylor cut in. "All those different colors clashing together. They're an assault on the tourists' eyes and are driving away business."
"I suppose you have proof of this?" Gypsy piped up from the middle row.
"Well not proof necessarily," Taylor admitted.
"Taylor, cut to the chase," Lorelai called. "Why are you proposing this?"
"Well, I am redoing the awnings for the soda shop and the colors are very nice and I think everyone having the same color awnings will pull the look of the town together and make it more attractive to tourism," Taylor explained.
Luke had heard enough. "In other words," he said standing up, irritated and ready to make sure the town was aware of Taylor's latest manipulation, "everyone has to pick your colors and no one else has any say."
"I didn't say that, exactly," Taylor protested weakly, "…yet."
"Taylor, last time I looked we lived in a free country," Luke ranted. "You get people to go along with this, the tourists will think they've come to the Village of the Damned."
"Or Stepford!" Lorelai piped up. Luke shot her a look.
"You want to encourage tourism, right Taylor?" Luke pressed. "Let everyone do what they want, this isn't a dictatorship with one person making up all the rules." Luke knew Taylor was already buying up real estate in the town. He'd be damned if he allowed him to turn Stars Hollow into Taylorville. He'd fight him tooth and nail on this one.
The crowd murmured in agreement and Lorelai gave Luke an approving nod. Miss Patty took matters into her own hands. She stood up and elbowed Taylor away from the podium. "All those in favor?" she called out.
Only Taylor and Kirk raised their hands.
"Kirk you don't even own a business," Miss Patty pointed out.
Kirk's eyes shifted back and forth between Miss Patty and Taylor. "I know, but I always want to stay on Taylor's good side."
"All opposed?" Everyone else put up their hands. Lorelai raised both.
Miss Patty grabbed the gavel and banged it. "Motion denied." She handed the gavel back to Taylor. "That's it for your agenda, Taylor. Announce the results. That's what we're all waiting for."
"Alright," Taylor said snippily. "Last order of business: I have the results of our town trivia contest. I am pleased to say that a lot of you scored very well. It does my heart good to see how our town's history has been instilled–"
"Get on with it, Taylor," Babette interrupted.
"Fine," Taylor said slightly miffed. "The winner of the Stars Hollow Trivia Contest and the winner of a year's supply of ice cream, up to one hundred dollars..."
"Cheapskate," Gypsy called out.
"…and the keys to the city, not to mention bragging rights as being the most knowledgeable person on Stars Hollow history is…" Taylor voice was building up to a crescendo as he paused for dramatic effect.
"Just tell us already!" Lorelai shouted.
"Kirk!" Taylor finished with a flourish.
"Yes!" Kirk erupted from his seat and started doing a weird hopping dance from side to side. He turned to face the townspeople. "In your face!" He pointed at each person in the front row and continued down the line. "In your face! In your face!"
"What about the rest of us?" Lorelai questioned eagerly. Luke rolled his eyes.
"I have a list in order of scoring for everyone who participated and I will be posting it after the meeting," Taylor explained. "Thank you all for participating. We're adjourned."
Taylor immediately took a sheet of paper and tacked it up on the bulletin board near the door. Everyone crowded around it.
Lorelai stood up and looked at Luke. "Moment of truth," she stated.
Luke shrugged and reluctantly followed her to the bulletin board. The crowd thinned out and Lorelai finally made it up to the list. Luke hung back waiting. She stepped up next to Babette and ran her finger down the list.
"Kirk, Miss Patty, Babette, hey you got the bronze," Babette smirked at her as she left, "Morey, Mrs. Gleason, Mrs. Kim, Lorelai, Lane, Andrew, Luke, Bootsy …." Lorelai read aloud.
"At least I beat Bootsy," Luke muttered. Their rivalry went back a long way.
"But you didn't beat me," she said a little smugly. She turned and grinned at him. She was ecstatic. She grabbed his arm and tugged him along with her. "C'mon." She headed for the gazebo.
"Where are we going?" Luke complained. "I have to get back to the diner. I told Lane and Cesar I would be right back."
"They can wait for few minutes," Lorelai countered. "Unless you want to read the bets in front of everyone?"
Luke paused. While he had no worries about revealing his own wager, Lorelai's was another story. He allowed her to pull him along to a nearby bench. She was too happy that she had won and he was sure it did not bode well for him.
Lorelai removed the envelopes from her purse excited. She handed over the envelope with her name on it to Luke. "Open it, open it," she bounced up and down on the bench.
Luke rolled his eyes and was about to rip open the flap when Lorelai grabbed his arm. "Wait," she said suddenly. "I wanna know what you bet." She picked up his envelope.
He shrugged. "Sure, go ahead," Luke relaxed onto the bench.
Lorelai ripped open the envelope and pulled out the slip of paper. "For the next thirty days," she read aloud, "Lorelai Gilmore has to give up coffee." Her eyes bugged out as the words sank in. "You're mean!" she cried. "How could you be so mean to me?"
Luke chuckled at her reaction. He was expecting it. "Hey, you were the one who said you'd had enough coffee. I was just helping you out."
"Helping me out? Are you trying to kill me? Coffee is my life's blood!" she protested.
Luke waved his hand, "Whatever."
"Now I don't feel so bad about what I bet," Lorelai replied darkly giving him an evil smirk. "Go on, open it."
Luke breathed in deeply before ripping open the envelope. He pulled out the slip of paper and read through it. His brow furrowed and he read through it again. He looked at Lorelai. "Huh?" he asked.
"Read it again," she smiled sweetly.
"For the next thirty days, Lucas Danes is to provide his services whenever needed," he read aloud. "What the heck does that mean?"
"Just what it says," Lorelai said cryptically, waiting to spring it on him.
Luke was baffled. He continued staring at the words trying to comprehend their meaning. "Services?" he repeated scratching his head. "I already repair your house, your car and do any other stupid chore you happen to dream up. I keep you fed and in coffee," he was beginning to warm up to his rant, "not to mention allowing you to use my diner for everything from business meetings to bagel hockey," he said still confused. "I already do everything. What the hell other services could I provide?"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized what he had said and inadvertently implied. He flushed deeply, hoping she would let it slide, but no such luck.
"Dirty!" Lorelai admonished him playfully but as he glanced over at her, he noticed she was blushing too.
"Actually," Lorelai continued, trying to squelch the sudden fluttering in her stomach. "I have other ideas in mind." She ignored her embarrassment but was inwardly kicking herself. By wording her bet so generally to cover all the bases, she didn't take into consideration how suggestive it sounded until he'd read it out loud.
"Here is what I'm proposing," Lorelai began and cringed at her choice of words. "I have been running myself ragged trying to make decisions on the Dragonfly and I need help."
"I thought we already went over the business end of things," Luke pointed out. "We covered everything. What else needs to be done?"
"Oh, we did cover the business end for running the Dragonfly," Lorelai agreed. "But now I need help making decisions on the Inn itself," she explained.
"I don't understand," Luke said, mystified.
"I need help with the Dragonfly. The interior, the decorating, the ambiance," she clarified.
Luke gaped at her. "Don't you have decorators for that?"
"Yes, but they are giving me options and I have to make the final decision," she said. "Both Sookie and Michel are too busy which leaves me with you, my friend."
He looked at her like she had lost her mind. "I don't know a damn thing about the hotel industry or decorating," Luke told her. "I won't be any help at all."
"Luke," Lorelai leaned forward trying to convince him. "I don't need you to make the final decisions. What I'm looking for is a sounding board. Someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to talk me down off that ledge I sometimes end up on."
Luke was skeptical. "I can't even get you to stop drinking coffee," he pointed out. "What makes you think I can do this? There's no way I can rein you in once you have your mind made up."
"Like now," she affirmed. "That's why I made this bet." She grew serious and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please Luke," she implored him. "I know this isn't your thing but I really, really need your help."
Luke stared into her beseeching eyes and felt his resolve weakening. Whenever she needed help, he always was consumed by the overwhelming need to help her however he could. He shook his head uncertainly. "I don't know if I'll be much help…." he reluctantly allowed. "I'm not much into decorating."
"I can tell from your wardrobe," Lorelai pipe up in amusement then sobered. "Really, you'll just be helping me to further narrow down the choices to present to Sookie," she assured him.
He let out a grumbling sigh of defeat. "Fine."
"Yah!" Lorelai bounced on the bench. "You'll have fun, I promise."
"I should get hazard pay for this one," he groused. He got to his feet. "Now I really have to get back to the diner."
"I'll come with you," she said rising also. "I could use a burger."
They walked back to the diner. Luke opened the door and let her precede him inside. The diner was almost filled to capacity. Most of the townies made it a habit to stop in after a town meeting.
"Thank god, you're back," Lane said rushing by with an order.
Lorelai sat at the counter next to Kirk.
"I'll start your burger," Luke said as he poured her a cup of coffee.
"With cheese and cheesy fries," Lorelai reminded him as she took a sip. He disappeared into the kitchen.
"Lorelai!" Babette's gravelly voice called to her from across the diner. She was sitting at a table with Patty. "Kirk tells us you and Luke had a bet on the outcome of the Trivia test. Ya won doll! Whatcha bet?"
Lorelai swiveled around to face them. "Luke has to help me make decisions about decorating the Dragonfly," she broadcast to the entire diner. There were a few chuckles of amusement.
"Wow!" Babette exclaimed. "This should be interesting." Babette had her doubts about how much help Luke could be but as long as it kept them together, who knew where it could lead.
"He'll be fine," Lorelai assured her.
Just them Luke emerged from the kitchen with her order and set it down in front of her.
"Hey Luke," Patty called out. "Once you finish with the Dragonfly can I hire you to redecorate my place?" She smirked at him and Luke knew the last thing she was thinking about was decorating.
"You told them?" he glared at Lorelai. He had been hoping to keep the details of their bet on the down low.
Lorelai shrugged, "They'd have found out anyway. And we did tell Kirk we made a bet."
"You told Kirk about the bet," he pointed out.
"It'll be fine," she promised him.
"So Luke, when do ya start?" Babette squawked.
"Tomorrow," Lorelai announced looking at Luke decisively.
"I'm officially in hell," Luke stated morosely.
tbc