A/N: Wow! Thanks so much for all of the reviews! I really appreciate the feedback, it makes me itch to type! Here is chapter 6. I hope to have some Dirty! posted tomorrow, but then I have to go out of town for the weekend. I hope that you enjoy this one!
It Comes in Threes
Friday morning, Luke waiting until it was late enough to wake Lorelai. She had negotiated 8:30 as a way for him to make up for waking her before eight the past two mornings. He sat on the terrace drinking his juice, and trying to read, but he was restless. He went inside and grabbed the portable phone. After dialing the diner, he settled back for what he was sure to be an unsatisfying two minute conversation with Jess. Instead, Caesar answered the phone.
"Hey Caesar, its Luke, what's going on?" he asked.
"It wasn't our fault the guy said the pipe was old and it's been frigid here!" Caesar blurted in a rush.
"What?" Luke asked, swinging his leg off of the chair across from him. "What pipe? What happened?" he demanded.
"We had to close, there was so much water," Caesar whined.
"Caesar, what the hell are you talking about?" Luke asked, getting agitated.
"Oh, uh, here, talk to Jess," Caesar said quickly, handing the phone to Jess as he passed by with an armload of dirty plates.
"What? Hello?" Jess said as he took the phone.
"What the hell is going on there?" Luke yelled.
Jess sighed. "Hey Uncle Luke, how's the honeymoon?" he asked as he glared at Caesar hard enough to make him scurry back into the kitchen.
"Its fine," Luke growled. "What's this about a pipe and closing?" he demanded.
Jess cradled the phone against his neck as he said, "We had a pipe burst in the kitchen. Water was everywhere. We couldn't open yesterday," he explained cryptically.
"What? How?" Luke asked. "Are you open now? What's going on?" he asked as he stalked into the house and paced the kitchen, running his hand through his hair.
"We're having record cold," Jess explained calmly. "I came down to find the place flooded. I called the plumber, he came and fixed it, we cleaned up, and now we're open again."
"Everything's okay?" Luke asked anxiously.
"Some of the paint has water stains, but the appliances and the floor seem to be okay," Jess assured him.
"You're okay?" Luke asked.
Jess smirked and said, "I'm fine. I don't melt."
"And you were able to handle everything?" Luke asked.
"Like a pro," Jess said cheerfully.
"Good, thanks," Luke said blowing out a relieved breath. "Why didn't you call me?" Luke demanded, sliding back into irritation again.
"A, you are on your honeymoon," Jess said patiently. "B, you're on some island in the Caribbean. C, I handled it. If I couldn't, I would have called you," he getting irritated himself.
"Got it," Luke said in an easier tone. "Man, Taylor must have flipped," he said with a chuckle.
"He wasn't pleased," Jess said with a grin. "The best part is that we had to dump the wet vacs in the alley behind the diner, and now it's like a skating rink," Jess said with a grin.
"Jess," Luke started to warn him.
"I salted it," Jess said quickly. "But, man, he's gonna blow a gasket if he goes back there."
"Good," Luke said with a glimmer of a smile.
"You kids having fun?" Jess asked.
"Yeah, it's great," Luke answered his smile blossoming.
"Okay, well, its breakfast rush, so you can tell me all about it when you get back," Jess said distractedly.
"Okay," Luke said disappointed that the call was ending. "You'll call me if you have any problems?" he asked.
"I'll call you if I have any I can't solve," Jess said and then hung up.
Luke looked at the phone in his hand and muttered, "Thanks," as he hit the end button.
He paced around restlessly, and then walked back to the bedroom to peek in on Lorelai. The bedside clock read 8:02. He gathered the dirty clothes from the floor and dropped them into the washing machine. He picked up the clean laundry that was folded on the dryer and carried it quietly back into the bedroom. He opened his drawer silently, and jumped when he heard her mumble, "I have twenty six more minutes, get out."
Luke smiled and whispered, "Sorry," as he placed the stack on the dresser and padded from the room. He went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. Five minutes later, she shuffled into the room and grunted at him. Luke held a cup out to her and said again, "I'm sorry."
Lorelai snarled and took a sip of his magic brew. She looked up at him and said, "You're just lucky you can do this," gesturing with the mug.
"I know," he said quietly. "Whatever you want for breakfast, just place your order," he offered.
"Pancakes," she muttered as she slid onto a stool. "Sausage, toast and hash browns," she added.
Luke opened the fridge and frowned. "We don't have any sausage. I have bacon," he offered, holding up the package.
"You said whatever I want," she pouted.
Luke sighed and said, "I can drive to town and get some sausage."
Lorelai smiled and said, "Nah, I'll take bacon, but I get extra slices because they're skinner than the sausage." She paused when she remembered their conversation from the night before. "Or, no, just a couple of strips," she said quickly.
Luke shook his head and placed the package on the counter. He leaned over to kiss her good morning and asked, "Why do I love you?"
She grinned and said, "For my mind."
"That's right," he answered with a smirk. He turned to gather what he needed for breakfast. He stirred some pancake mix and put a griddle on to heat. "A pipe burst in the diner. They had to stay closed yesterday."
Lorelai's eyes opened wide. "Is everything okay? Is Jess okay?" she demanded.
"Everything and everyone is fine," he assured her. "They're open today." He tossed some strips of bacon into the skillet and grumbled, "Didn't call me."
Lorelai shrugged and said, "Well, it sounds like they handled it. What would you have done anyway?" she asked.
"I don't know," he answered quietly.
Lorelai stood up and walked over to him. "I'm sorry, I know its hard being so far away," she said wrapping her arms around him.
"Yeah, well, I just feel, you know, useless," he said as he turned the bacon and pulled a couple of potatoes out of the bag they had bought and pulled a grater out of a drawer and began shredding them. He moved to test the griddle by dropping water onto it. Lorelai stepped back as it sizzled and popped, watching him move gracefully around the kitchen.
"How do you know where all this stuff is?" she asked in amazement.
Luke stopped and looked around. "I checked it out when we got here," he said with a shrug.
"Food nerd," she teased.
"Provider," he shot back in a deep voice.
"See, you're very useful," she said with a grin.
Luke glanced back at her with a smile. "Thanks," he said dryly.
"No, I mean it," she insisted. "Rory and I would have keeled over years ago if it weren't for you."
Luke snorted and said, "It won't be long anyway, the way that you two eat."
Lorelai pressed her lips to his t-shirt and slipped her hands up under it to rub his stomach like he does hers. "I plan on using you a lot today," she murmured, catching his shirt in her teeth and tugging.
"Oh yeah?" he asked.
Lorelai smiled and said, "Sure, when were out by the pool, I'll need you to put sunscreen on my back."
"Oh boy," he grumbled, a smile twitching at his lips as he removed the bacon from the skillet and sprinkled the potatoes into it.
"And then, when were in the pool, you can push me around on a raft like Cleopatra," she offered generously.
Luke turned to face her and said, "Really? Can I?" in a snarky tone of voice.
"Yes," she said with a nod as he set her back from him to give him more room to maneuver. She watched him pour pancake batter onto the hot griddle and said, "And later, or maybe sooner, I'll use you for all that you've got," as she pinched his butt.
He smiled over his shoulder and said, "Well, now I have a reason for living."
"Everyone needs a purpose," Lorelai said as she pulled the bread from the fridge and popped four slices into the toaster. She refilled his juice glass and her coffee, and carried them outside.
Luke set the hash browns on a paper towel to drain and flipped the pancakes. Lorelai came back in and buttered her toast. She looked at his slices of dry toast and cut them into little triangles before sliding them onto a plate. She held it up for his inspection, and he laughed, throwing his head back, and letting it rip. Lorelai shrugged and said, "Well, I thought it would make it more appealing," as she turned to carry the toast to the terrace.
Luke plated their food, and turned to find her waiting to help him carry the plates. He handed her plate to her and said, "I'm crazy about you."
"Ditto," she said with a wink as she sashayed away with her breakfast.
Saturday morning the phone rang at seven thirty. Luke was on the terrace, and dashed to answer it before it woke Lorelai. "Hello?" he whispered urgently.
"Luke?" Rory asked. "Where's Mom?" she asked in a panicked voice.
"She's asleep," he said walking toward the bedroom. "What's wrong? Are you alright? Are your grandparents alright?" he demanded as he tried to shake Lorelai awake. "Rory!" he hissed when she grumbled.
"We're fine, everyone's fine, but I need to speak to Mom," Rory told him.
"Here she is," he said. He handed the phone to Lorelai saying, "She's fine."
Lorelai sat up and asked, "Rory? What's wrong?"
"Mom, Lane called, I gave her Grandma's cell number before I left," she rambled.
"Is Lane okay?" Lorelai asked, confused.
"She's fine," Rory assured her. "Everyone is fine. Everyone got out," she told her.
"Got out?" Lorelai asked. "Got out of what?"
"The inn," Rory said breathlessly. "There was a fire at the inn last night."
Lorelai swung her feet to the floor and almost kicked Luke who was waiting nearby for more information. "There was a fire at the inn?" she asked, cluing him in.
"Yeah, but everything's fine. Mia is still there, and Lane says they have it all under control," Rory assured her.
"How big was the fire?" Lorelai asked.
"I don't know, I'm not there," Rory said plaintively.
"Okay, okay," Lorelai said pressing her hand to her head. "Jess! We'll call Jess," she said staring at Luke who was nodding emphatically. "I'll call you back as soon as I know something," Lorelai told Rory.
"We'll be here," Rory said softly. "At the Plaza!" she reminded her mother before she could disconnect.
"I'll call you back," Lorelai said quickly.
She hung up and looked at Luke. "My inn burned down," she said blankly.
He took the phone form her hand and wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her tightly. "I'll call Jess and see what he knows," he said calmly.
"Good, good," Lorelai answered as she began to pace. As Luke dialed she murmured, "Your place is gushing water and mine is burning down. We can never leave town again," she said suddenly.
Luke shook his head and said, "Jess? Hey, its Luke."
Jess said, "Man, I was about to call you! All hell has broken loose here," he complained.
"Rory called and said there was a fire at the inn," Luke said calmly for Lorelai's sake.
"Yes! A big one," Jess told him. "And now they're all here. Sookie kicked us out of the kitchen and is in there making breakfast for them all," Jess hissed into the phone.
Luke nodded and said, "Good, Sookie's making breakfast at the diner," he said for Lorelai's benefit. She blew out a breath and flashed him a smile of thanks. "Just let her do what she needs to do," he told Jess. "Rory said everyone got out okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, they've had the phones forwarded to Miss Patty's and they're finding new places for people to stay. Bunch of freaky Edgar Allen Poe fans," Jess grumbled.
"Okay, good," Luke said with forced joviality. "We'll call over to Patty's then. I'll call you back later." He turned away from Lorelai and whispered, "Just stay out of Sookie's way," as he hung up.
He looked at Lorelai and said, "Apparently it was a pretty big fire, but everyone is okay. They've set up over at Patty's and they're finding new places for people to stay. Sookie is at the diner, feeding everyone."
"Thank you," she said, dropping to the edge of the bed and sagging with relief.
He sat down next to her and said, "Okay. Let's call Patty's," as he took her hand and dialed with his thumb. When Mia answered, Luke said, "Mia? It's Luke."
"Lucas," Mia said with a tired sigh.
"How are you? Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine. Who told you?" she demanded.
"Uh, um, Lane called Rory and Rory called us," he explained hesitantly.
"I didn't even think about the kid grapevine," Mia murmured. "We're fine, Lucas. Tell Lorelai that everything is under control and she is not to worry," she said firmly.
"Well, here, she's right here, you tell her," he said.
"No!" Mia yelled before Luke could hand Lorelai the phone. Luke jerked his head away from the receiver, holding it out so Lorelai could hear too. "You tell Lorelai that you two are on your honeymoon. There is absolutely nothing you can do here. I want you to tell her to forget that Rory called. You enjoy the rest of your trip, and I will be here when you get back. We'll deal with this then," she said firmly and hung up on them.
Luke turned to Lorelai and blinked as they absorbed the information. Finally, Lorelai asked, "Is she mad at me?"
"No, Lorelai, no," Luke was quick to assure her. "She just doesn't want to spoil our trip," he said hugging her to him.
"Why won't she talk to me?" she asked nervously.
Luke shook his head and said, "She doesn't want you worrying about this."
"But, it's my responsibility," she said, searching his eyes for answers. She bit her lip and said, "It's my job." She looked up at him and asked, "Or is it?"
Luke sighed and hit the redial button on the phone. When Mia answered he said, "Mia, you need to speak to Lorelai, she thinks you're firing her."
"Oh, for God's sake," Mia muttered in exasperation. "Put her on the phone."
Luke passed the phone to her and Lorelai said a tentative, "Hello?"
"You silly, silly girl," Mia said softly. "I have everything under control here. I don't want you to worry. Look at that handsome boy next to you. That's what I want you focused on," she said gently.
"But, Mia," Lorelai started.
Mia laughed and said, "Now stop bugging me and go and do something fun. There will be enough work to do when you get back," she assured her. "See you soon," she said as she hung up.
Lorelai offered Luke a watery smile and said, "She told me to focus on my handsome boy and leave her alone."
"I'm sorry," he whispered as he pulled her to him, rocking her gently in his arms. Luke pressed a kiss to her head and said, "Do you want to go home?"
"What? No!" Lorelai answered quickly. She paused and bit her lip before asking, "Do you?"
"Over a busted pipe? No," he said with a laugh. "But, if you want to go, we can. I know that you miss Rory," he said quietly. "I know you. You're going to stew and fret about the inn," he said with a nod.
Lorelai shook her head and said, "No stewing. No fretting. Let me just call Rory to let her know what's going on, okay?" she asked.
Luke kissed her gently and said, "I'll make some breakfast."
"I'm not very hungry," she said tentatively.
"Some toast," he said with a nod as he left her alone to call Rory back.
A few minutes later, she stepped into the kitchen and gave him a smile that almost reached her eyes. "A little better?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said quietly as she slid onto a stool at the island.
"Here you go," he said as he placed a plate of buttered toast and a cup of coffee in front of her.
Lorelai looked down, thinking about how she joked him out of his sulk the day before, and felt ashamed that she wasn't as sweet to him as he always was to her. "You are too good for me," she said softly, unable to meet his eyes.
"How do you figure?" he asked as he slid onto the stool next to hers.
"Yesterday, you were upset and worried, and I told you that you could be my slave and promised you sex to cheer you up," she said with a self deprecating smile.
"It worked," he said with a grin, trying to coax hers out.
Lorelai smiled sadly and whispered, "I'm afraid I may not make a very good wife." She shook her head as he opened his mouth to protest. "You needed my love and support and I gave you lame jokes, toast triangles and come ons," she said disparagingly.
"And that was exactly what I needed," he told her seriously. "I need you to make me laugh. I need you to lighten things up, get me out of my head, make me happy again," he said simply. He smiled at her and said, "You need me to lean on. To take some of the load, and to let you know that things will be okay," he said with a shrug. "I think we both do and excellent job, if I say so myself," he said flashing her a cocky grin.
Lorelai laughed and said, "Maybe you're right."
Luke smiled and said, "Of course I'm right. I'm always right, you just don't want to admit it," he teased.
Lorelai bit into her toast and said, "Today, I'll put sunscreen on your back and push you around on the raft."
"As long as you plan to make yourself useful," he said with a wink.
Saturday afternoon, they were on their chase lounges, basking in the sun. Luke was reading his book while Lorelai noisily flipped the pages of a magazine without looking at them. Finally, Luke closed his book and said, "Okay, let's hit the showers."
"What?" she asked.
"Let's get cleaned up," he said as he stood and offered his hand to her.
"Why?" she asked.
Luke smiled down at her and said, "You are going to put on one of those dresses you brought, I'm taking you for some retail therapy and then we are going out for a nice romantic dinner which will be served to us, and cleaned up after we leave."
Lorelai raised her eyebrows and asked, "And the final part of your plan?"
"Will be revealed later," he said with a wink.
"Really?" she asked with a grin.
"I just said I'd take you shopping and you're going to doubt me?" he asked.
Lorelai hopped up and said, "Never!" as she dashed for the house.
After they showered, Lorelai slipped into a flowing pink sundress that stopped just above her knees and accentuated her golden tan. She dried and curled her hair carefully, and applied a swipe of mascara, a dusting of powder and a coat of pink lip gloss. After spritzing on some perfume, she stepped from the bathroom to find Luke in pressed black pants and a white shirt with the collar open. He turned to her and asked, "This okay? I didn't bring a tie, but I can buy one if you want me to."
Lorelai gaped at him. "Wow," she whispered.
She walked over to him slowly as he looked down and asked, "What?" as he tried to figure out if something was wrong.
Lorelai stopped in front of him and said, "Let's stay home."
"What? Why? I wanna take you out," he said, confused.
Lorelai gently touched her fingertips to his tanned throat and said, "You look delicious."
A smiled curved his lips as he got it. "Thank you. You look very pretty," he said with a smitten look in his blue eyes.
"You're so tan," she said. "I didn't really notice until you put that shirt on. Your eyes are so blue," she whispered as she leaned in to kiss him.
When she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, he backed away with a chuckle. "Hey now," he said laughing. "None of that, at least, not yet," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "I want to take you out, show off my beautiful bride," he said softly.
"I want to hide you from every other woman on Earth," she whispered back.
"What other women?" he asked with a grin.
"Ah, so smooth," she said appreciatively.
"Come on, pretty girl, let's go," he said taking her hand and pulling her from the bedroom.
"Wait! My purse," she said.
"You don't need it," he said with a wave of his hand.
"I need lip gloss and my emergency quarter for a phone call," she insisted. "Plus, I don't know if you noticed this or not, but I'm not wearing any shoes."
Luke rolled his eyes and said, "Go."
Lorelai went back into the bedroom and quickly transferred her necessities to a smaller bag. She slipped on a pair of strappy silver sandals with spiked heels and said, "Ready!" as she bounced into the hallway again.
"Can you shop in those?" he asked eying the shoes.
"I can shop in anything," she said with a shrug. "And, you would be amazed at what I could do in these shoes," she said with a devilish smile.
"Probably," he said as he took her hand again and led her from the house.
They drove into town and stopped at the Wharfside shops to finish their souvenir shopping. Luke toted her bags without grumbling once. When she had completed her list, he pulled her into a small boutique that featured women's clothing. "What are we getting here?" she asked.
"Something pretty," he said as he dropped into the chair near the fitting room and parked their bags near his feet.
"For whom?" she asked.
"For you," he answered, "but really for me," he said with a grin. Lorelai smiled broadly and went to look around. She reappeared a short time later with a handful of dresses and a saleslady following her. She held the hangers up for him to see and Luke said, "Go to it."
When she stepped out of the dressing room in a slinky red dress, she spun around in front of him and raised an eyebrow. Luke looked it over and shrugged noncommittally. Lorelai went to try another. After she dismissed the second without modeling it, she stepped out in a little black number and spun around for him. Luke nodded and gave her a pleased smile. Noting his reaction, Lorelai disappeared again. A few minutes later, she stepped out in a soft, silvery blue dress with spaghetti straps and a chiffon overlay. Luke's eyes lit up immediately. Lorelai laughed and said, "We have a winner!"
Luke smiled and said, "Try the others too."
"If you insist," she said with a sassy grin and ducked back into the dressing room.
Lorelai giggled and said, "This is just like Pretty Woman!"
Luke laughed and said, "Except I'm not a neurotic billionaire and you're not a hooker."
"That you know of," she added.
"True," he said with a smirk.
Three dresses later, she stepped out holding the blue dress. Luke stood up and said, "And that last black one with the bow."
Lorelai leaned over and whispered, "We can't buy them, they're very expensive."
"We can," he whispered back, taking the hangers from her hand.
"Luke," she hissed.
"Lorelai," he hissed back.
"Look at the price tags," she muttered.
"No," he said stubbornly.
"But," she began to protest. "Where am I going to wear them, to one of Patty's recitals?" she asked.
"You can wear them scrubbing the tub for all I care," he said with a laugh
Lorelai snorted and said, "Like that's gonna happen."
Luke stepped into the dressing room and snatched the other dress from the rod. He held the hangers out to the saleslady and said, "We'll take these."
"That's almost eight hundred dollars," she said urgently. "I'm kind of sad, Luke, but this is ridiculous," she tried to reason with him.
He turned to her and said, "Lorelai, Mia told me that she wasn't going to charge us anything for the wedding stuff."
"What?" Lorelai gasped.
Luke nodded and said, "She handed me my check back and when I insisted, she tore it up and threw it at me. Your parents have paid for most of the wedding, all of this, plus all of the stupid gifts we're bringing home. Let me at least but my wife a dress or two," he said through clenched teeth. "No matter what, I'm still coming out ahead," he grumbled.
"Oh Luke," she said softly, taking his hand. "You don't have to pay for things or buy me things like this. I was just having fun trying them on for you," she said gently.
Luke smiled and said, "And I'm having fun buying them for you. And for me, 'cause believe me, I'm gonna like seeing you in them." When Lorelai bit her lip, thinking it over he said, "It's either here or that jewelry store, and believe me, I picked the lesser of the evils," he teased.
Lorelai smiled and said, "Man, I am rubbing off on you if that's the best logic you can come up with."
He kissed her quickly and said, "Have a seat, I'll be right back," as he went to the counter to pay for the dresses.
They went to a dimly lit seafood restaurant that was on Elliot's list of recommendations. They sipped crisp wine and stuffed themselves with fresh seafood, admiring one another in the soft light, and basking in the envious glances that came their way.
Luke laughed and said, "That guy at the bar is about to fall off his stool trying to get a better look at you."
Lorelai smirked and said, "I'm about to take out the barracuda at the table to our left."
Luke chuckled and said, "You know, I never considered myself a jealous man, but now, I don't know, I think I may be."
"Remember poor Joe?" she teased. She looked around the room and shot the blonde at the next table a glare. She turned back to Luke and said, "Well, I am a jealous woman, and I will kill any woman who tries to touch you." She smiled sweetly at him. "Then, I will make you chop up the body and hide it before I kill you," she said as she took a sip of wine.
Luke nodded slowly and said, "Good information to have." He glanced at the tiny dance floor near the bar and asked, "You wanna dance?"
Lorelai shook her head and said, "You have cruel streak a mile wide, and I gotta tell you, I like it."
"I just want to dance with my wife," he said innocently.
"Uh huh," she said as she placed her hand in his and rose from the table. She saw Luke smirk at the guy at the bar a he pulled her close to him. "Show off," she muttered.
"Yep," he said with an arrogant grin. "Make sure he sees the ring," he whispered in her ear.
They crashed through the front door, their lips locked, and their hands frantic. "I feel just like I did when we started dating and you wouldn't put out," she teased as she lunged at his exposed throat.
"I'll put out now," he growled, pulling her up against him and pressing into her.
"You'd better," she said as she pulled at his belt buckle.
"You're gorgeous," he whispered as he nipped at her ear.
"You're mine," she said as she drew his belt form the loops and tossed it aside.
"Without a doubt," he said as he picked her up and carried her to the bed.
Luke was still asleep, wearing a faint smile on his lips, when the phone rang at 8:45 Sunday morning. He fumbled around on the nightstand before he realized he wasn't at home. He sat up and Lorelai groaned saying, "Make it stop."
He spied the phone on the dresser where they left it the morning before, and lunged for it. "Hello?" he answered in a croaky voice.
"Luke? It's Rory," she said softly. "I'm sorry for calling, but I thought you'd want to know," she said in a tear choked voice.
"What is it?" he asked gently as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door so he wouldn't disturb Lorelai. He listened while Rory told him what she knew. "No, no, it's good that you called," he reassured her. "I'll have your Mom call you back in a minute, okay?" he asked. "I know, you too. We'll call you back in just a minute," he whispered.
When he walked back into the bedroom, he sat on the edge of the bed with a sigh. "Did the house explode? Did Taylor go berserk and move the gazebo to his front yard?" Lorelai asked from the depths of her pillow.
Luke rubbed her back and said, "No," in a sad voice. When she stirred and sat up, he smiled gently and said, "Lorelai, Fran died this morning."
"Oh Luke," she said as she hugged him tightly, remembering how Fran had tried to help him when he lost his dad. "Who's gonna make you eat sugar cookies?" she asked in a whisper.
Luke chuckled and said, "I guess that's your job now."
Lorelai looked at him, her blue eyes bright with tears, and whispered, "Luke, let's go home."
"Yeah, let's go home," he answered as he held her tight.