Over the River …

Emily cracked an egg into a small bowl then added it to the batter in the large mixing bowl and turned the stand mixer back on. She picked up the two discarded egg shells from the counter and walked over to the garbage can then turned to her sister. Hope was seated on a tall stool next to the island, her elbows resting on the counter as she sipped her coffee. "Exactly when did cooking become a spectator sport?" Emily asked on her way to the sink to wash her hands.

"Hmmm?" Hope asked.

"You seem a million miles away." Emily observed, washing off her hands and then drying them on a nearby towel.

Hope gave herself a mental shake. "I guess I was."

Emily walked over to the mixer and looked at the progress of her cake batter. Stopping the mixer and shifting the bowl down, she scraped the sides with a silicon spatula. Then raising the bowl back into place she flipped the mixer back on. "Well?" she prompted, reaching for a paper towel to wipe off the counter next to the mixer.

Hope looked puzzled for a moment then realized Emily wanted to know what she'd been thinking about. She wasn't sure if it was really something she could put into words. "I was just thinking how nice it is to be back home. I didn't realize that I thought of it that way anymore. I mean, this hasn't been my home in so long, but I've begun feeling …" she sighed and took a moment to search for the right words, "out of sorts these past few years."

Emily stepped back to the mixer and shut it off. "I always thought you loved France."

"I do," Hope answered, "it's just not quite the same anymore, though every place changes. Everyone changes."

"That's true, I suppose." Emily replied as she unhooked the mixing bowl and carried it over to the island where a sheet pan was already set up with mini Bundt pans on top of it. She began pouring the batter into the individual size pans. Casting a glance over to her sister who sat watching her with a grin, Emily said, "You know you could get started on the pâte à choux."

Hope laughed. "You're bossy this morning."

"Well, you're the one who turned her nose up at my pumpkin cakes and wanted cream puffs. Marta will be here to start the dinner preparations in an hour."

"I think I'd rather watch you," she teased, getting up and moving to the coffee pot to refill her cup. "You've always been the cook in the family."

"The cream puffs were your idea, and they're your recipe," Emily prodded, taking the last of the batter and distributing it evenly between all the pans. She put the mini cakes in the oven and set the time then turned to Hope. "Do you remember how high the oven needs to be for the cream puffs?"

"Two-twenty," Hope answered automatically.

"Fahrenheit?" Emily questioned.

Hope laughed at her mistake. "Ummm… Four-twenty-five."

Emily set the temperature and shook her head. "I'll never understand how you are able to do that in your head."

Hope shrugged, "Just practice, I guess."

Smiling at her sister as she gathered what she'd need for the cream puffs, she tried again. She knew that Hope hated washing dishes, "You could wash the mixer and paddle, if you want."

"Sounds fair," Hope agreed, moving to the sink.

Emily quietly added the necessary ingredients to a sauce pan and turned on the burner. Hope liked to cook, well bake anyway, and these were her famous cream puffs. She couldn't help but wonder why she was being so reluctant. When the mixture began to bubble, she added the flour then returned the pot to the fire and began whisking. Hope had just gotten the bowl and paddle back in place when it was time to move the dough over. While it mixed for a few minutes to cool down, Emily poured them both another cup of coffee.f

"So, do you make these little pumpkin cakes every year?" Hope asked.

"No, I have yet to find that perfect Thanksgiving dessert. It's so hard with pumpkin, but I tried these a few weeks ago and they seemed very good. Lorelai, I'm sure, will hate it. She loves to point out that dessert should not have vegetables in it."

Hope chuckled, "Sounds like Lorelai."

Emily took a moment to check the temperature of the dough with her fingers. "Almost ready," she commented, turning the mixer back on. "I'm sure your cream puffs will be a big hit."

"I've had my share of culinary disasters, too. Remember the time when I tried to make petit fours for Easter dinner?"

Both women instantly laughed at the memory. "I believe we had angel food cake with berries instead."

"That's all the cook could throw together in time. I swore I was going to make those petit fours and demanded that there be no back up. What was the matter with me?"

"You were a cocky sixteen-year-old, that's what. And the petit fours may have looked awful, but I remember they tasted amazing."

"I was afraid to cook after that. I didn't go near the kitchen for a good six months," Hope recalled.

Emily laughed even harder. "More like you were afraid of the cook."

Hope barely got her coffee cup settled back on the saucer her hand was shaking so hard. Tears pooled in her eyes as she laughed. "That woman was scary."


"Why are we eating this early?" Luke grumbled, walking down the street with a ceramic dish covered in aluminum foil in his hands.

"She invited us and I couldn't say no. She told me three o'clock," Lorelai shrugged. "You don't argue with Mrs. Kim. You just say 'yes' and 'thank you' a lot when she's speaking."

"They eat dinner early because Mrs. Kim likes to be in bed by eight o'clock. And if she eats dinner at six or seven, then the food doesn't have time to settle and she'll go to bed with a full stomach," Rory informed him, a bouquet of autumnal flowers clutched in her hand.

"But who eats dinner at three o'clock?" he argued. "And why are you two so afraid of this woman? You can't say no to her?"

"The Kims eat dinner early," Lorelai insisted as they turned a corner and crossed the main street in Stars Hollow. Lorelai and Rory walked side-by-side with Luke close behind them. "And I'm not the only one who is afraid of her," Lorelai argued. "So is Lane. Most of the town is afraid of her!"

"Yeah," Rory piped in. "No one messes with Mrs. Kim."

"Where are we going after this?" Luke asked, needing to once again be reminded of their schedule for the day.

"To Sookie's at four o'clock. Then to Liz and TJ's at five-thirty. After that, we have to be at my parents' house at seven."

"And we have to be on time," Rory stressed. "That was really nice of Grandma to agree to push dinner back to seven-thirty."

Luke took in a deep breath. "That's a lot for one day."

"What can I say?" Lorelai grinned. "We're popular. People just want us around, I suppose."

"Yeah," Luke agreed tentatively. "That or you talked your way into all of these dinners so that you could just eat all day long."

"He's got you pegged on that one," Rory teased.

"I did not talk my way into dinner at my parents' house," she defended. "It's a tradition. I had no choice in the matter."

Luke laughed. "The fact that you get excited months ahead of time for your mother's Thanksgiving dressing has nothing to do with it, I'm sure."

"I just appreciate good food, that's all," she defended.

"Ooooh," Rory cooed. "Grandma does have good dressing. And good cranberry sauce," she added. "Oh! And the gravy …"

"Yes," Lorelai smiled, "the gravy."

They walked in silence for a few minutes more. "Three o'clock," Luke mumbled, shaking his head as they approached the Kim house.

"Give me the soufflé," Lorelai insisted, reaching out to take it from his hands.

"What? Why?" Luke protested.

"She'll think I made it," she said, grasping the dish.

"Mrs. Kim will never think that," Luke retorted.

"Just shut up and ring the doorbell," Lorelai huffed.

As they stepped onto the porch, the door flung open.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Lorelai greeted, holding out the dish in her hands. "We brought sweet potato soufflé!"

"Come in, come in," Mrs. Kim spoke, ushering them inside. "You're late." Lorelai handed Luke the soufflé as she took off her coat. "You give me soufflé. Coats go in closet," she instructed Luke, pointing to the closet before taking the dish from him.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Mrs. Kim," Rory greeted her, handing her the bouquet of flowers. Mrs. Kim took it, smiled slightly, and turned to look at Luke and Lorelai with a stern expression on her face.

"You said that dinner was at three o'clock. It's just now three," Lorelai argued, shrugging out of her coat.

"We eat precisely at three. We're now two minutes late," Mrs. Kim spoke harshly.

Lorelai bit her lip and looked over at Luke who was hanging his coat in the closet. "Let's go," Mrs. Kim instructed them, ushering them both into the main room where the other guests were already at the table.

"Sorry we're late," Lorelai announced as everyone watched them walking to their seats. The room was silent.

"We're not late," Luke grumbled, taking a seat next to Lorelai. Thankfully, Zach was on the other side of him. Rory slid into a chair next to Lane as the two of them hugged quickly before turning back to face everyone gathered at the table.

"Man, three o'clock dinner means we start eating at three o'clock," Zach leaned over, whispering to Luke.

"Silence!" Mrs. Kim's voice boomed. "We will pray now."

Lorelai glanced over at Luke who was placing a napkin in his lap. Deciding to follow his lead, she did the same and took a quick glance around the table. Everyone had their heads bent and their eyes closed. When her gaze caught that of Mrs. Kim, she immediately ducked her head down and closed her eyes. "Now we hold hands," the woman announced.


"Is this how you want them?" Hope asked, drizzling icing over one of the small cakes.

Emily glanced up from the pastry bag she was filling with chilled pastry cream and replied, "Perfect!"

The maids and cook had arrived and begun the main part of the meal a couple of hours ago. Under Emily's close supervision, the turkey had been cleaned and prepared to roast with apples, onion, celery, and a few herbs. It was in the oven and was just now beginning to release its delicious aroma into the kitchen which was already filled with the sweet, sagey smell of the dressing cooking on the stovetop.

"Which wine would you like me use for this, Mrs. Gilmore?" Marta asked.

"The Chablis, I think," Emily answered.

"So, here's where you both disappeared to again," Richard's deep voice boomed from the doorway. Navigating his way through the busy and crowded kitchen, he stopped at the island and snatched a piece of carrot from the cutting board where the extra maid Emily had brought in was chopping vegetables for the salad. "Dinner seems much too far away."

"You act as though you haven't eaten at all and we've already had two meals today," Emily commented, beginning to fill the bite-sized cream puffs.

"All these wonderful smells are making me hungry," Richard explained, moving behind his wife. He leaned over her shoulder, one hand coming to rest on her back as he watched her work. He then snaked an arm around her and dipped his finger into the bowl.

"Richard!" She dropped the cream puff she'd been filling onto the plate and pushed his hand away as he reached for the bowl again. "You're worse than a child."

Hope looked up from the cakes she was icing and watched the pair. Even after all these years, Richard was still as playful as ever and Emily still pretended that she was irritated with him. Most people watching the scene unfold would probably think she really was irritated, but this was the game they played. The game they had mastered through a lifetime together and she envied them.

His eyes twinkled at Emily mischievously. They stood staring at each other for a moment, each challenging the other to make the next move. Finally, Emily tired of the game and turned back to her cream puffs. As soon as she went back to work, his finger found its way back into the sweet custard. Her head snapped back in his direction and he held his cream-covered finger up in a threat. She took a step back away from him and shot him a warning glare. Slowly he brought his finger to his mouth and smirked at her.

"Honestly," Emily groaned and rolled her eyes.

Drawn into their playful standoff, Hope couldn't help but giggle.

Stepping behind his wife, he quickly patted her on the hip and planted a kiss on her temple then left the kitchen.

"I can't believe the twins are getting so big," Lorelai gushed, leaning forward a bit to look around Luke and Zach so she could talk to Lane.

"Yeah, all the pictures you send me are great. I keep them on my Blackberry and it feels just like I'm here watching them grow up," Rory smiled.

"I know it's silly but I really feel like they can understand what we're saying to them. I was telling Kwan this morning that he had to behave today because I was going to be helping Mamma to cook. And he spent all day just sitting in his bouncy chair, not making a sound."

Zach smiled proudly. "Steve spent the day with me practicing with the band. I think he's got an ear for music. He loves it when Lane lets him pretend like he's playing the drums. It's so cute," he cooed. "Today he just sat there on whoever's lap was holding him, watching everything that was going on."

Lorelai nodded and looked down at the plate. She'd eaten everything but the Tofurkey. It just didn't look right. Now she wished she hadn't eaten her mashed potatoes and she could use them to mask the taste of the fake meat. Why did Mrs. Kim have to be so insane? It was just wrong to have a fake turkey on Thanksgiving. She took a deep breath and glanced over at Luke's plate. Her eyebrow rose as she noticed that his Tofurkey was gone. Glancing furtively around the table, she realized that no one was looking at her. Luke was focusing on Zach and listening to him talk about the kids. Rory and Lane were absorbed in themselves, talking a mile a minute about life on the campaign trail. Poking her slice of Tofurkey with her fork, she masterfully shoved it off onto Luke's plate in a flash.

Just as she pulled her hand back, Luke turned his head to her. The blank grin on her face told him that something was up. Shrugging it off, he looked down at his plate, about to take a bite of his green beans. Lifting his head slowly, he turned back to Lorelai once again.

"What?" she shrugged innocently.

"I know what you did," he insisted.

"It's gross," Lorelai defended herself.

"Did you even take a bite of it?" Luke asked. The disgusted look on Lorelai's face answered his question for him. "I don't know why I should be surprised. It's healthy. You don't eat healthy food. Even Rory ate all of hers," he informed her.

"Thank you," Lorelai smiled, bending to the side to kiss Luke on the cheek. Noticing that Mrs. Kim was eyeing them cautiously, she straightened up.

"You want more?" Mrs. Kim asked across the table.

"No, thank you," Lorelai smiled politely. "We still have a few places that we have to stop tonight."

"Very well," Mrs. Kim stated, turning back to the person at her side.

"I ate that tofu stir-fry thing once," Lorelai stated, touching Luke's arm. "That was healthy."

"It was fried in grease…" he pointed out.

"It was still tofu," Lorelai noted.


OFG here filling in for UVS and I forgot to thank those of you that reviewed last time. Sorry about that. Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed since the first chapter was posted including: Ann Y. Mous, litfan, swimmerluver, LorLukealways, Mary, Lorihhp, B. Alex Milligan, carterfinley, Sheila Bryant, morzsa, and gilmore fan.

NOTE: Clearly I should not be allowed to post anymore. I'm not doing a very good job these last few chapters. Thank you to Lorihhp for pointing out my oversight. Hopefully all is fixed now.