The Hangover

"Come on, Mom. Easy does it. We're almost there."

Rory carefully walked backwards, hands in her mother's as she carefully guided her toward their home away from home. The place of life, liberty, and damn good coffee. She pushed the door open with her butt, bells jangling softly as she backed into the diner.

"Too loud, too loud!" Lorelai whined, eyes closed as she stumbled over the threshold.

"There, there, I'll kill them as soon as we get some coffee into you," Rory soothed as she pulled Lorelai into the diner.

On the other side of the counter, Luke winced. Lorelai looked rougher than he'd ever seen her. Deep bags lined her eyes, and her hair hung in stringy clumps around her face. Lines of exhaustion were etched deep, and she wore a mismatched outfit of patchwork jeans and a faded pink tee with some sort of My Little Pony on it.

"Coffee, hurry," Rory begged, and he hesitated.

"I don't think she needs coffee."

"I need a new head," Lorelai moaned as Rory pushed her onto a stool. She promptly rested her head on the counter. "Please, Luke, surely you have a saw. Just hack it off and start all over."

He leaned on the counter. "You don't remember last night at all, do you?"

She cracked an eye open. "Why are you talking? Less talking and more grumpy coffee giver."

"I remember last night," he said, infusing his voice with an extra dose of cheer that made Rory giggle and Lorelai turn her head into the counter and groan. "I very clearly remember warning you not to be a taste tester for Miss Patty's new and improved Founder's Day punch. But did you listen?"

"I had half a cup," Lorelai whined.

"No, because you were all perky and Lorelai and volunteered."

"Half a cup, damn it."

"Now, was that the half a cup you had at the town meeting or the giant glass from the pitcher Patty sent us home with so Rory could try it when her flight got in late last night?"

"It tasted like Kool Aid," Lorelai sighed.

"Of course, then there was what you did after you drank an entire glass of the stuff." Luke leaned in close so the words were for her ears alone. "I believe you said something to the tune of 'I know what I want, when I want it. So get over here.'"

Lorelai barely found the strength to raise her head. "And if you ever want that again any time soon, you will take pity on me and get me some coffee."

"So you do remember last night."

"I'm just going to sit over here and ignore the two of you now," Rory announced, pulling out her phone so she could text Lane.

"We're not flirting, we're arguing," Lorelai retorted.

"Please, everyone in this town knows that your fighting is code for extended foreplay." Rory shuddered. "And I am officially out of this. I'm off to see Lane and the twins. Your turn now," she informed Luke and dashed out of the diner before she could be stopped.

Lorelai flinched as the bells jangled again with Rory's exit, convinced they were ringing extra loudly because her daughter was an evil, evil human being. She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the diner around her. The smell of bacon wafted from the kitchen, and normally what would be delightful made her stomach twist.

She heard the soft thunk of a glass beside her head and a second one from a plate. She cracked open an eye to see a full glass of ginger ale and a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich sitting next to her, along with some pills.

"Drink the ginger ale, take the Advil, then see if you can manage that, then you can have the coffee," Luke instructed as he moved around the counter to help other customers.

Groaning, she took a sip of the soda and took the Advil. She stared into her drink, vowing to never touch Founder's Day punch again as she waited for medicine to take effect. Reluctantly, she took a bite of the sandwich. Then a second.

Ten minutes later, the sandwich and soda were both gone, and the Advil was starting to take effect. Lorelai fished in the pocket of her jeans and managed to find a ponytail holder. She finished securing her hair back as Luke swung back by to check on her.

"How're you feeling?"

"Like six elephants are sitting on my head."

"That's good. It was seven earlier."

She managed a shaky smile. "Thanks."

"Go upstairs and lay down if you need to."

"I think I'll do that. At least until it gets down to four elephants." Lorelai slid off the stool, pleased she could stand without the room spinning. She started toward the curtain, then snagged Luke's arm as he passed by her with dirty dishes.

"I remember," she murmured in his ear, "that you responded to that little come-on of mine with last night with, 'I'm yours, in every way you'll have me.'"

Luke didn't say anything, but his eyes flared with heat. "It's true," he told her, his voice warm and husky. If sex had a soundtrack, he would be the narrator.

"And then you fell asleep." Luke hastily kissed her forehead and fled into the kitchen before Lorelai could retaliate.