Thank you again for all the reviews. Thanks to Filo, bellestar and sosmitten for the assist. I realized there are quite a few mistakes in earlier chapters here, which have been corrected at BWR. A kind reviewer was nice enough to point out that I messed up Rory's age, which means I also messed up Jess' age. They are currently 12 and 13, respectively. This is the summer of 1996. Lorelai is driving a Honda because she did not get her Jeep until 2000.RR
Ch. 9: Lorelai Bites Back
Although he could have easily found Liz and Jess himself, Luke decided to let them go for now. Instead, he hired a private investigator to recover the things Liz had taken and would most likely pawn in the next month. He then spent an hour on the phone with various distributors looking trying to find the perfect movie he had in mind for his date with Lorelai. He arranged to pick the film up before leaving. On the way back to Stars Hollow, he made a detour to Hartford to end things properly with Stephanie.
Once he returned to the diner, it was too late to call Lorelai, but he had more work to do anyway in preparation of their date. He had the right movie to watch; now he needed the right meal to tempt her. If she was satiated, he knew he would be as well. While performing the Sacred Kiss with her had been beyond compare, his human side wanted to taste all of her.
The next morning, Luke was hoping Lorelai and Rory would come into the diner, but when they did not appear Luke was a little uneasy. He hoped she wasn't going to back out, but he would not force or trick her. He wanted her to want this as much as he did. He knew their joining through the Sacred Kiss had deepened their bond, and he hoped she was just as besotted as he felt every time she walked into the diner.
At 7 p.m., Luke closed the diner, which surprised several customers, but he gave them free pie to-go to get them out without too much of a fuss. As soon as the last customer was gone and the diner was sparkling, Luke went upstairs to get ready. After showering and shaving, he put on the only suit he kept in Stars Hollow. It wasn't flashy but fit the image he had cultivated for himself. He wasn't crazy about the fancy suits he was forced to wear in New York, but walking around in his baseball cap and plaid shirts would drawn attention.
At 8 p.m., he came downstairs to put on a pot of coffee because he knew it would make her happy. Now he just had to wait for Lorelai.
Lorelai had a problem, a big problem. She had eight hours until her date with Luke and no one to watch Rory. Although she was old enough to stay home for a few hours, Lorelai did not know where she was going to be sleeping and wanted her daughter to be somewhere safe. Unfortunately, Sookie had a date, Mrs. Kim was taking Lane to a church retreat in Groton, and she didn't want to force Rory to find another friend that would let her stay over. Lorelai briefly considered asking Babette, but she knew that would set the gossip hounds in motion. She had two options left before biting the bullet and canceling.
Lorelai found Mia in her office going over the books. She looked up at the sound of the door closing.
"Does somebody need me?" Mia asked.
"Yes. Me, actually. I need to ask you a favor."
"Anything, dear."
"Can you keep Rory tonight? I have plans, and I might be out overnight…"
"I'm sorry, Lorelai, but I can't tonight. I have to pick up John from the airport at 9 tonight, and I--"
"It's okay, Mia. I have one more option, but I was really hoping to avoid it. Thank you, anyway."
"Any other time dear, and I'd be happy to keep Rory. She's an angel."
"Really, Mia. I know you love Rory. Thanks again. I have to go make a phone call."
Lorelai went back to the front desk and took a few deep breaths and couldn't believe she was about to make this call.
As she dialed the number that hadn't changed in 20 years, Lorelai prayed no one would answer and she'd have to cancel tonight. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky.
"Gilmore residence," a maid answered.
"May I speak to Emily Gilmore, please?"
"Who's calling please?"
"This is her daughter, Lorelai."
"One moment, please," the maid said as Lorelai heard the phone being set down on the mahogany desk in the living room. Lorelai waited for two whole minutes before she heard it picked up again.
"Yes?"
"Hi, mom," Lorelai said in her best casual voice.
"What is it, Lorelai?"
"Why do I have to be calling for something?"
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"All right, I wanted to know if you and Dad would like to have Rory over this evening?"
"Why, Lorelai? I thought you had a village to help you raise your daughter?"
"Well, I do, but everyone in town seems to have plans tonight and no one can baby-sit. Are you and Dad busy?"
"Actually, your father is in Boston, and I was planning on staying in this evening."
"Well, would you like the company of your granddaughter?"
"What are you doing tonight that you can't look after your own child?"
"Well, Mom, I'm working and I don't have a nanny or a housekeeper to keep my kid. I could ask one of the maids to keep…"
"Fine, Lorelai, I'd be happy to have Rory come stay with me tonight. You will, however, have to pick her up by 9 a.m. because I have a DAR meeting at 11."
"Yes, mother."
"Are you still driving that hideous car?"
"Yes, mother."
"I was hoping you would have bought something new by now."
"I think it's going to be a few more years until I can afford a new car, Mom. I can barely make my mortgage payment and buy groceries most months."
"Really, Lorelai, if it's just a matter of…."
"Mom, we've had this conversation before. I'm fine. Rory's fine. We don't need anything, I just wanted you to have a little time with her, but if it's going to become an imposition…."
"I've already said it's fine, Lorelai. I'd be happy to spend the evening with my granddaughter. What time can I expect you?"
"We'll be there at 5:30ish," Lorelai said doing the math in her head that would allow her to get back in time to get ready for her date.
"Fine, I'll see you at 5:30. Does Rory like Cornish game hen?"
"I've never asked her, but I'm about 100 sure she doesn't."
"Then please bring a list of foods she eats, so I can prepare her a proper meal."
"Or you could just ask Rory, Mom. She does speak English, you know."
"Fine, Lorelai," Emily said with an exasperated sigh. "I'll see you 5:30."
She hung up before Lorelai could say anything else. Lorelai put down the receiver and sighed a second time. You better be worth the grief, Luke, she thought to herself. Here she had broken all of the rules she had followed set for herself for this man. She called her mother, for Pete's sake. The woman who could break her down better than anyone. She wondered if she really, really liked Luke for him or it was just the bond he had described from him biting her. Were her hormones just playing tricks on her, or could she really see building a life with a man who would need to bite her frequently to stay alive? Before she could form an opinion, the phone rang again.
"Independence Inn, Lorelai speaking," she said in her best phone voice.
The call was from the inn's linen supplier with a problem and solving that along with a few other customer challenges kept Lorelai's mind off her night with Luke for the rest of the afternoon.
At 4:45 p.m., Lorelai clocked out and picked up Rory from Susan Heaton's house, who kept Rory on Mondays so she didn't have to spend every day at the inn.
"Hey Mom," Rory chirped as she piled into the Honda. "How was your day?"
"Bad news, sweetie." Lorelai said. "I have to work tonight, and I couldn't find anyone to watch you."
"Mom, I can stay home by my--"
"No, I don't want you home alone," Lorelai replied quickly. "You could burn down the house or be kidnapped."
"So, where am I staying?"
"At your grandparents' house."
A look of disbelief washed over Rory's face.
"I've never spent the night there before."
"Yes, you have. We used to live there."
"Well, I don't remember it. I was a baby. I don't want to stay there alone."
"You won't be alone. Your grandmother is there. She's very excited about it."
"Is she going to make me eat something I can't pronounce?"
"Probably, but you do that all the time in the inn's kitchen, honey. Just be your wonderful self and she'll love you."
"I always feel like I'm at school when I'm with her. Like she's waiting for me to make a mistake."
"Oh, honey, that's not true. It was me she was always expecting to make a mistake. She really does love you. She just has to get to know you a little better. You are a smart and sweet girl. Everybody loves you."
"Okay," Rory said as they pulled into the driveway of their home.
"Now, run in and grab some clothes. I'll wait here."
Rory got out of the car and went into the house. Lorelai felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach for lying to Rory and forcing her to spend the night at the House on Haunted Hill. Was a night with Luke worth giving Rory a potentially traumatizing night with her mother? She was torn between taking care of her daughter and finding someone to love. She needed to know if Luke was really someone to love. Still, she wanted to tell Rory she was dating Luke, but she had promised him. If she told Rory about Luke, she would tell her everything and that would be bad.
Luke was right. Rory would think she was crazy if she said Luke was a vampire. She had no real proof. The bite on her neck was already gone. He didn't sleep in a coffin. He was always out in the sunshine. All of the silly notions people had about vampires made the idea that grouchy diner owner Luke Danes was a member of "the undead" seem ludicrous. And of course, he wasn't undead. He, after all, was very much a living, breathing male. One, she thought, that could possibly be "the one." He was the first one that really made her tingle. They shared a connection and it wasn't about sex, but she had to define it before she bring Rory into it.
The slamming of the car door brought Lorelai out of her reverie.
"Ready to go," Rory said as she buckled her seat belt.
Lorelai and Rory didn't talk much on the short ride to Hartford, instead they sang along to the radio while Rory snacked on some cookies she grabbed from the kitchen. She had just finished the last one when they pulled up to the imposing house.
"Why is it always bigger than I remember?" Rory asked. "I thought things were supposed to get smaller as you got older."
"It's the same way for me, hon, and I lived here for 17 years."
Lorelai and Rory got out of the car, with Rory grabbing her bag but leaving the empty cookie bag. As they reached the front door, Lorelai considered just walking in for a split second, but then she remembered this was no longer her home. She was only a guest now, she thought as she rang the bell.
A maid, whose name Lorelai didn't even bother asking because she knew she would never see her again, answered the door and took Rory's bag. She informed them that Emily was waiting upstairs in the guest room.
"Hello," Lorelai said as she walked into the guest room, which had not been redone since she moved out eleven years prior.
"Oh, there you are," Emily said, making no effort to greet her daughter or granddaughter with a hug. "I hope this will be satisfactory, Rory."
"Sure, Grandma," Rory replied. "I'll sleep on the couch if you need me to."
"Why would I want you to do that? We have a perfectly fine guest room and your mother's room is also available."
"This is fine, Mom," Lorelai interrupted. "I have to get back to the inn. I trust you'll keep Rory safe."
Lorelai gave Rory a squeeze.
"I'll pick you up at nine in the morning," Lorelai whispered in her daughter's ear. "If you can't take staying here, call my pager and I'll come get you, no matter what time it is or how busy I am. I love you."
"I love you, too, Mom," Rory said back as Emily turned her back on the scene. Lorelai knew her mother was never keen on public displays of affection.
"Thanks again, Mom," Lorelai said to Emily. "Rory's an angel. She won't be any trouble. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good bye, Lorelai," Emily replied as she began to leave the room. "Consuela, please bring me Miss Gilmore's bag."
Lorelai hugged Rory again.
"Please be good."
Rory laughed.
"I think tonight is the night I start sneaking out and raiding the liquor cabinet."
"That's my girl. I've got to go. I'll see you in the morning, and I mean it. If you need me, page me."
Lorelai got out of the house as quickly as possible. One more minute inside and she and Emily would revert to their usual sniping. She drove as fast as traffic would allow, partly because she had a date and partly to keep from turning around and saving her only child from the belly of the beast. How could she leave her daughter in her mother's care just so she could get some action? But then again, she thought, it wasn't just some action. She knew this thing with Luke was something more. Luke had said he never felt connected to someone before, and now he was turning up feelings inside of her she didn't know existed. She needed this night to find out if she wanted to take this relationship out of the shadows and into the light, so to speak. She put her foot on the accelerator a little harder.
As Lorelai walked to the diner at 8:05, Luke was surprised she was almost on time. Her thoughts were on her outfit. She wasn't sure the sleeveless blouse and jeans and was cursing herself for not asking him the particulars about the evening,
I'm pretty sure I could show up in sweats or drape myself in velvet and Luke wouldn't care, she thought. He wanted to say she was right, but that would freak her out and get the night off on the wrong foot.
Luke was wearing his gray suit with a white button down shirt, but decided to forego the tie. He hated ties and wore them only when forced. He sensed that Lorelai was about to run due to her wardrobe issues, so turned around to stop her.
"Wh-wh-whoa," Luke stuttered as he caught sight of her. "You look, uh…uh…nice. Coffee?"
"Uh, thanks and yes," Lorelai replied as she looked him over. "You look pretty good yourself. Am I underdressed for whatever you have planned for tonight? I can go ho--"
"No, you look perfect," he said as he handed her coffee in a to-go cup. "I, however, feel like an idiot in this thing. Can I take this jacket off?"
"Leave it on," Lorelai said as put down the coffee to grab him by the lapels and bounced on her toes to kiss him. "I think it's kind of sexy."
"All right. Let's go," Luke said, picking up her coffee and taking her by hand to lead her out the door.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
Even though it wasn't that late, Stars Hollow was already pretty dead, and there were very few people on the streets.
"Where is everybody?" Lorelai asked as she took her coffee from him. "Because you don't seem to care if anybody sees us holding hands here."
"They're all at the town meeting. Every gossip is at Miss Patty's complaining to Harry and Taylor."
"Town meeting? How come I didn't know about this?"
"I don't know. You've lived here for long enough. I was wondering why I'd never seen you at one. I'm surprised Mia didn't make you go with her. She's usually at them."
"Well, I never went into town much until last year."
"I'll take you and Rory to the next one," he said, surprised he wanted to spend time with both Rory and Lorelai.
"It sounds kind of boring. Would Rory really like it?"
"Just ask Mia about them. They have to be seen to be believed. I usually go to keep Taylor in line, but I think they can manage without me for one night. Hopefully, he won't try to rename the town tonight."
As they walked, Lorelai was surprised they stopped in front of the Black, White and Read Theatre/Bookstore.
"This is where we're going? The BWR?"
"I thought we'd have dinner and a movie."
"They don't serve dinner here."
"They do for me. Come on."
Luke led Lorelai inside to find the store completely empty, save for Kirk.
"What's Kirk doing here?" Lorelai asked. "He's a huge gossip."
"Do you know how to run a projector?"
"No."
"Me neither. Don't worry, he won't remember anything."
The big red couch had two TV trays pushed together to hold a large pizza, with a box of bread sticks on top. Next to the trays was an ice chest. Luke had thought about serving her a fancy dinner, but she mentioned her love of all things greasy and Italian at their last dinner, so he was pretty sure it was the right choice.
"Pizza?" Lorelai dropped Luke's hand to check it out. "My favorite! Did you get pepperoni?"
"Half pepperoni-half cheese. I'm not a big pepperoni fan. There's some beer in the ice chest."
"This is great. So, what's the movie, since the BWR is not supposed to be open tonight?"
"I'll let Kirk tell you. Have a seat."
Luke and Lorelai sat down on the couch, their legs touching. Kirk's brows went up at this development.
"So, when did you two start seeing each other?" he asked
"A few days ago," Luke responded. "So, Kirk, what's the movie?"
"The 1987 classic Some Kind of Wonderful starring Eric Stoltz, Lea Thompson, Mary Stuart Masterson and bad boy Craig Sheffer."
Lorelai practically bounced on the couch and clapped her hands together.
"I love that movie!"
"I thought you might like it," Luke said with a smile as Lorelai kissed him on the cheek.
"Smooth," she said with a smile.
"This thing here looks pretty serious," Kirk said. "I can't believe I hadn't heard about it yet."
"Just start the movie, Kirk," Luke said, slightly exasperated. "Don't worry," he whispered to Lorelai. "He won't remember any of tonight."
"That is a pretty handy trick to have," Lorelai said as the lights went down and she picked up a slice of pizza.
As the movie started, Luke called Kirk over and whispered something in his ear. Kirk went over to the chair and closed his eyes. Luke put his left arm around Lorelai's shoulders while he took a sip of beer.
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him this was all a very realistic dream and since he was already asleep, he might as well go lie down."
"Cool, just don't use that Jedi mind trick on me tonight to do anything kinky."
"I make no promises," he said with a smile. "But I'd prefer you to do the asking later tonight."
"We'll see. Now let's watch the movie. Do we need to go over the rules?"
It was good thing Luke didn't care about the movie because he had never heard someone talk that much through a feature. She made comments; she quoted dialogue. The only thing she didn't do was a full-on re-enactment of scenes. All the while, he just enjoyed being close to her, smelling her hair and rubbing his hand along her arm.
There was so much life and so much joy inside her, Luke thought, but something was keeping her from fully experiencing it. It was something he too had plenty of experience with. He had wanted to so much from life, but fate had dealt him another hand. She understood sacrifice as she had given up so much for her daughter, just as he had done for his family.
After she had practically eaten the entire pizza, he slid the trays out of the way so he could move a little closer to her.
"Hey, why did you only eat one slice?" Lorelai asked. "Weren't you hungry?"
"I don't need food, remember?" Luke said as he lowered his voice to a deep whisper. "I only ate the one slice because my human side still likes of taste of things. I'll feed later tonight…hopefully"
"Oh yeah," she said as she put her legs over his. "I love the date part of the movie."
As Keith took Miss Amanda Jones on the date of a lifetime, Luke took the opportunity to run his hand along Lorelai's legs. He couldn't help but notice how sexy she was even when she wasn't even trying. Meanwhile, one of Lorelai's hands found its way to the nape of Luke's neck to play with his hair.
Apparently, Lorelai had seen enough of the movie as Keith was giving diamond earrings to Amanda. She changed positions so she was straddling Luke and began to kiss him. Luke reciprocated as his mouth opened to welcome hers and his hands moved along her back. Luke knew she could feel how aroused he was as she began to trail kisses along his jaw.
"Luke," Lorelai said, breathless. "I think it's time to take this elsewhere."
"Okay." he responded as his hands found her hips. "Where do you want to go? My place?"
"No, your bed is too small. I'll end up getting hurt when we roll off the bed. Let's go to my house. Then you can retrieve your lost shoes."
Lorelai got off of Luke's lap and offered him a hand off the couch. He took it and stood up. Putting his arms around Lorelai, he kissed her again. The kiss was long and slow, but Luke suddenly broke it.
"I would like my shoes back," he said with a laugh. "Let's go."
"What about the theatre and what about Kirk?"
"Oh, I almost forgot."
They walked over to Kirk and Luke tapped him on the shoulder.
"I don't have any money!" Kirk suddenly shouted as both Luke and Lorelai took a step back.
"Kirk, it's just me," Luke said in a deep, slow, calm voice. "You are still asleep. But in about five minutes, you are going to wake up, realize you snuck into the theatre to watch movies, eat pizza and drink beer. You are going to clean up the mess. Then, tomorrow morning, you'll come to the diner for pancakes."
"Hey, can you get him to clean my house?" Lorelai asked, laughing.
"Then, you are going to go over to Lorelai's house and clean it from top to bottom. Bring our own gloves and cleaning products. Then, you'll come to the diner for lunch."
"Hey, I was kidding, Luke!"
"I'll feed him for free, and you can pay him if you like. It's too late, it's already in there. Go back to sleep, Kirk."
"Okay," he said, turning over.
Luke and Lorelai walked hand-in-hand to her house. They didn't talk and Luke used the quiet to unsuccessfully read Lorelai's thoughts. She was just singing a song that Luke didn't recognize in her head. Luke felt really happy and that was a feeling he wasn't used to. He was falling for her, and he knew it just wasn't because of the Caerimonia Osculur. He was really falling in love with her.
As they entered Lorelai's house, they went straight up to her bedroom without talking. Once they were inside with the door shut, their lips were joined and Lorelai felt Luke's fangs for the first time. They were like sharp little points on her tongue and somehow aroused her even more.
"Luke, take off your clothes, all of them," Lorelai said in his ear as she bit his earlobe.
In a speed faster than Lorelai could even comprehend, Luke separated from her and removed all his clothes.
Lorelai sighed. "I wanted to watch," she said, exasperated. "I guess I'll just have to touch you instead."
Lorelai put her hands on his chest and pushed him down on the bed. She removed her jeans and underwear, then joined him on the bed.
"You are really beautiful, Luke. You almost seem to glow."
"Actually, I do," he said as he pulled her top over her head to discover she had not worn a bra. "But I don't know if you can see it. It's a way Blue Bloods can recognize each other."
"Do you see other vampires often?" she said as she trailed kisses down his chest.
Luke was having trouble thinking clearly as her tongue found its way to his belly button.
"Uh…no. Not in Stars Hollow anyway."
Lorelai had worked her way back up to his mouth, then to his ear.
"What would happen if I bit you, Luke? Would I turn into a vampire?"
"No, it doesn't work that way," he said in a low, deep voice. "No one's ever bitten me before."
"Really," she said as a glint passed over her eyes.
She then brought her lips to his neck and began to suck. She added her teeth and bit down, breaking the skin. At the feel of Lorelai penetrating his flesh, Luke's fangs fully extended. Although the small nip drew only a sliver of blood, Lorelai licked it off and kissed him full on the lips again.
Luke couldn't take it another second. He pushed Lorelai away from him to grab a condom from the nightstand. He was on top of and inside her in a matter of minutes. As they were joined together, Luke rolled them so Lorelai was sitting in his lap. As he felt her climax, he began to move to faster. When he felt his own release begin, he pulled Lorelai closer to him and bit her neck. Her moan was as intoxicating as her blood as he sucked in her memories and her essence along deep red liquid. He wanted to consume more and more of her as he saw life through her eyes.
Not wanting to hurt her and feeling completely quenched, his fangs retracted and he brought his lips to hers and kissed her deeply. Lorelai could taste the saltiness of her own blood in his mouth as she felt the mix of exhaustion and pleasure wash over her.
As Lorelai fell asleep, Luke pulled her close to him and covered them with the blankets on her bed. As he lay there and let sleep take him, Luke knew there would never be another for him. She was all he was looking for. He just hoped Lorelai felt the same way.
