Here's the next chapter.
Thanks to my beta Steph!
Enjoy!
"I wish I could drink three pots of coffee right now. And I'm not talking about decaf."
Lorelai sat down on her stool sighing, reaching for the mug Luke had placed in front of her.
"Was something wrong with the contracts?" he asked while pouring her decaf coffee.
Lorelai shook her head. "No, everything's ok with them. But afterwards I had the very bright idea to go to my parents."
"Oh boy…"
"That's what I said." She greedily took a large gulp and a groan of frustration escaped her. "I hate this coffee!"
Luke put his hand on hers. "Hey. What happened?"
She gave him a grateful smile. "Just the usual stuff. I talk, Emily talks, but we don't talk to each other. Been there before."
"Did you… tell her?"
Lorelai nodded. "I went there for that in the first place."
"So?"
A bitter laugh was her answer. "She didn't even want to know who the father is."
"Excuse me?" Luke raised his eyebrows. At the same time a nagging feeling began to fill his insides. He actually wanted to take this step together with Lorelai to support her. But obviously she decided to deal with her parents alone.
"She didn't show the tiniest sign of any emotions." Lorelai took another sip and moved the corners of her mouth downwards in disgust. 'Again'!"
"What?"
"No. 'Again' was her comment when I told her I was pregnant. "Can you believe that?"
Luke looked at Lorelai worriedly and uttered a "No". Emily's reaction or better the lack of it really seemed to churn her up. What should he say?
"And then", Lorelai angrily babbled on, "she told me something about respecting me and not wanting to interfere with my life any more. As if she ever would have done that until now in the tiniest way!"
"Hey…" Luke gestured with his hands in front of her eyes to get her attention. He glanced at her with raised eyebrows and she sighed. Then her face relaxed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't wanna work myself up like that. It's this coffee's fault."
"That's the first time you're complaining about my coffee", Luke smirked.
"Just because I am slowly but surely going cold turkey…" she grumbled and looked at Luke, begging.
He just laughed. "Don't even try. You're not getting caffeine from me."
She pouted in mock offense but then smiled in understanding. "You're right. Otherwise it will really be an amphibian, huh?"
Luke returned her grin. "You know, we should…" He was interrupted by a very excited Kirk who burst into the diner.
"Luke!" He gasped for air.
"Kirk?" Luke frowned.
Lorelai turned to Kirk. He wore a blue coverall and was covered in dirt and dust from head to toe. "Did you discover your talent for mining?" she quipped.
"This isn't funny, Lorelai", Kirk said and turned to Luke. "Luke, you have to help me."
"What happened?"
"The bleachers collapsed."
Luke tried to suppress a chuckle but couldn't help to grin. He had warned Kirk earlier in the morning that the stilts were too weak. "And what am I supposed to do now?"
"You…" Kirk seemed to be confused by this question. "You're supposed to repair it."
"So?" Luke kept on acting clueless and enjoyed the amused grin from Lorelai.
"Please." Kirk begged impatiently. "The premiere is taking place tomorrow night. You're my last resort."
"Oh, ok then", Luke said nodding but Kirk missed the sarcasm in his voice.
"Thank you. Thank you, I… Thank you."
"It's ok, Kirk", Luke declined before Kirk could get the idea of hugging him. "I'll get my tool box." He disappeared into the store room.
Kirk impatiently fidgeted with his feet. Then he looked at Lorelai and frowned. "You gained weight."
Lorelai glared at him in confusion. "Yeah, that happens to pregnant women", she said dead serious.
"Lorelai, you don't have to copy every fashion trend out there just because a pregnant celebrity… wait. Pregnant? You?"
Lorelai nodded and grinned sweetly.
Kirk's frown grew deeper. "How did this happen?"
"You know, Kirk…" Lorelai started and put a hand on his dust-covered arm. "If two people love each other, then it's the same as with the birds and the bees. So, a man and a woman…"
"I know how it… works with the birds and the bees." Irritated he withdrew his arm away from her.
Lorelai had a hard time holding back her laughter. "Oh, ok, that's good."
"I meant… who's the father?"
Luke returned from the store room. Kirk briefly glanced at him.
"Luke, did you know that Lorelai is pregnant?"
Now Luke was irritated. "Uhm… yes."
"Oh." Kirk apparently was surprised. "And do you know who the father is?"
Frowning, Luke looked at Lorelai and considered if she was trying to fool him. Her suppressed grin showed him she wasn't. Sighing he put a hand on Kirk's shoulder.
"Let's go repair the bleachers." Gently Luke led Kirk toward the door.
"But… who is it? Or was it an in-vitro-fertilization? Lorelai, did you have an IVF?"
"No, Kirk", she shouted after him. "It's Luke."
"Luke had an IVF?"
Now Lorelai wasn't able to hold back her laughter.
"No, I'm the father", Luke said annoyed and gave Kirk a little push. "Go ahead, I'll be right there."
He went back to Lorelai who was straightening up and tried to put a serious expression on her face. She failed.
"What was that all about?" he asked.
"I have no idea. Apparently he was under the bleachers when they collapsed."
"I think so, too…" He frowned and looked in Kirk's direction. "Ok, I better go and help him. Otherwise he will set Stars Hollow on fire."
"That would be drama", Lorelai agreed, pulling him toward her and giving him a peck on the lips. "I'll head home."
"Ok. And Lorelai…?
"Yeah?"
"No. Caffeine!"
She pouted. "Yes, daddy."
He grinned, kissed her forehead and followed Kirk. Lorelai took her purse and also made her way out of the diner.
When Luke approached Kirk, the latter had his left thumb in his mouth and sucked on it. In front of him on the ground were a hammer and a twisted nail that poked out of the stilt responsible for the collapse.
"I jusd wanded do hammer id in", Kirk mumbled wailing.
Luke smirked and shook his head.
"Daddy", he muttered and the smirk changed into a warm smile. "Daddy Luke…"
----------
It was at least two degrees warmer than normal. Richard immediately noticed it upon entering the house. He put his briefcase down on the floor next to the door.
"Emily?" he called and untied his scarf. Although it was summer it had been cool in Oregon. He hung his coat on the coat rack.
"Emily, I'm home." Richard walked into the living room and then into the kitchen but Emily was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, he shrugged and went upstairs to change his clothes.
When he entered the bedroom he found her. The curtains were closed and she wore a cooling mask on her forehead.
"Emily", Richard whispered and worriedly sat down on the bed.
She quietly groaned and opened her eyes. Then she smiled.
"Richard… Nice you're back."
"What happened? Are you sick?" He reached for her hand.
"No…" She licked over her dry lips. "It's…"
Richard softly stroked her hand with his thumb.
She swallowed. "Lorelai visited."
Richard sighed inwardly.
"Why was she here?"
"She's pregnant." Emily's voice cracked.
Frowning, Richard looked at his wife. Her head felt normal, but maybe one hallucinates even without fever…
"Emily, are you sure you're alright?"
She slowly nodded. "I just have a severe headache."
"You should rest." He wanted to get up to let her get some sleep but she held him back.
"I'm serious, Richard. Lorelai's pregnant."
Richard remained beside the bed. For a while he stared at Emily in silence. Then he released a breath he was not even aware he had been holding.
"Are you… sure?"
Emily quietly laughed. "She explicitly visited to tell me."
"Oh… That's…" He didn't know what to say. "And… who's the father?"
"I don't know."
"How come you don't know that?"
"She didn't tell me." Emily closed her eyes because the brightness hurt them.
Richard once again stroked over her hand. "Get some rest, Emily. Everything's going to be alright." He was seriously worried about her.
"No, it won't…" she muttered quietly and pulled her hand back.
Richard left the room. What had happened here?
----------
"It's really sweet that you're looking at the pipelines", Lorelai thanked and let her legs dangle from the counter of the kitchen she was sitting on. She reached into the big bowl sitting on her lap and put some popcorn in her mouth. There were a lot of little things that needed to be done at the Independence Inn.
"I'm not sweet. And you're welcome", Luke's muffled voice was heard from the area next to Lorelai's legs. He briefly pulled his head back out, his face completely covered in black grease.
"Did you sign a new insurance policy yet?"
Lorelai nodded. "Yes. In the policy, there are now a few more subjects which weren't there when Mia owned the inn. We should be covered well with it."
"That's good." Luke sounded exhausted.
"Oh, by the way", Lorelai changed the topic. "I had a weird feeling earlier today. Maybe it's the baby already?"
"In the sixteenth week? No, I doubt that."
"Hm."
"You'll feel the boxing and kicking in three weeks at the earliest."
Lorelai was taken aback. "Since when do you know these things?"
"OW!" Luke apparently hit his head. "I don't know. Might have caught something on TV", he grunted and a metallic clanging was heard.
Lorelai chuckled. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah", he assured and reappeared form under the sink backwards. He wiped his greasy hands at his pants, put the tools back in the tool box and breathed.
"The waste disposal unit is fixed now."
"Great." Lorelai grabbed another handful of popcorn. Luke grinned and shook his head.
"What?" she wanted to know, grinning.
"Oh, nothing."
She threw the popcorn at him. "Don't make fun of me. Unbuttered popcorn is the only thing I can eat without growing fat. Which I will do anyway, grow fat."
Luke washed his hands and scrubbed the grease off from his face. Then he searched the room for a towel.
"Over dere", Lorelai mumbled with her mouth full of popcorn and pointed to the area behind him.
Luke dried off his hands. Then he took the bowl out of her lap, set it aside and stepped in front of her. Lorelai laid her arms around his neck and pecked his nose.
"You still have some grease on your face", she said dryly and followed the line of black on his face with her index finger.
"Really", he deadpanned and smeared some of the remaining black from the back of his hand on her cheek.
"Hey!" Lorelai laughed and pushed his hand away.
"Luke?" She suddenly asked and got serious. Luke stalled.
"Have you ever thought about where this will go?"
"What…" He hesitated. "What do you mean?"
"You know", she stared at the floor, both hands on the edge of the counter. "This never ending commuting between my house and your apartment isn't… ideal, is it?"
"Lorelai, what are you talking about?"
"I thought…" She looked up at him. "Maybe you could move in with me."
Luke's eyebrows shot up. "What?"
"That means no", Lorelai stated.
"No."
"So, yes?"
"No, I don't know."
"Oh."
Luke took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair.
"Don't get me wrong, it's just… yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes." Luke put his cap back on and smiled. "We can try. I mean, there's still the apartment in case… well, you know."
"Okay", Lorelai said happily, pulled him toward her and kissed him.
Someone cleared their throat, interrupting them.
Lorelai turned around, startled. "Dad!" she exclaimed.
"Lorelai…" her father said formally and stayed in the door frame.
Luke stepped back from her. Lorelai jumped down from the counter and straightened her hair.
"Uhm… what are you doing here?" Lorelai asked.
"Well." Richard again cleared his throat. "I had an interesting conversation with Emily last week."
"Oh. I thought you wouldn't be back until yesterday."
"Yes, but one of my meetings was rescheduled and I was able to depart a few days earlier."
"Ok."'
For a moment father and daughter were silently staring at each other. Then Richard took a step toward Lorelai.
"Emily is very unhappy at the moment, you know."
Lorelai shot him a disbelieving look. "That's why you're here?"
"Yes, that's why and because I wanted to talk to you myself."
"Okay…" Lorelai frowned.
"Lorelai – " Richard began but his gaze suddenly landed on Luke. He frowned and obviously seemed to make the connection just in this very moment between the scene he just had witnessed and the whole situation.
"He's the father?" Richard was stunned.
Lorelai looked back and forth between her father and Luke.
"He is", she sighed.
"Why didn't you tell Emily? She thinks you're pregnant from someone we don't know at all."
This drove Lorelai mad. "She didn't want to know! She didn't even ask how I feel about this."
"And how do you feel about this?" Richard asked. Lorelai couldn't hear any sarcasm in his voice. With his genuine interest he took all the winds out of the sails which had been driving her madness on.
"Uhm… Good, I… well, I mean, the baby wasn't planned but I'm four months along and we still have a little time to adjust to the situation."
"Four months along?" Now Richard seemed surprised and outraged. "That means in London… when did you find out?"
"Uhm…" She guiltily looked at Luke. "A… while ago."
Luke walked up to Lorelai and put an arm around her waist. He held back until now because this was a father-daughter-thing. But now he also was involved.
"Well then." Richard apparently had recovered. "Lorelai, congratulations."
"Excuse me?"
"You'll be a mother after all. Again, I mean. But this time the circumstances are quite different than they were with Rory back then."
He was right about that. Lorelai didn't know what to say. Richard handled the situation more rationally and that made her insecure. He gave her no reason to attack.
So she simply said: "That's right."
When Richard didn't reply she sighed. "Dad?"
"Lorelai?"
"Listen, I didn't want to hurt Mom. But this thing with Rory… I just can't forgive her so easily for what she did. I somehow hoped the pregnancy might… change something. I thought maybe Emily was able to see that I'm happy the way I live. I'll never live up to her standards."
Now it was Richard's turn to sigh. "Lorelai, you're expecting too much from Emily. She's also only human but most of all she's your mother. Mother's do strange things, God knows why. The problem with the both of you is your stubbornness."
Luke briefly laughed and Lorelai nudged him. Then she turned back to her father.
"It's okay, Dad. Thanks for stopping by. I… I'll call."
"Alright, Lorelai." Richard turned around to leave. In the door frame he turned back. "By the way… you have a black line on your cheek." Then he left.
Lorelai glared at Luke.
He couldn't stifle his smirk.
Lorelai slightly pushed him. "Why were you so quiet the whole time? I needed a little bit of support…"
Luke raised his hands in defense. "This was something between you and your father. I've experienced your family angry and mad before. I didn't wanna get attacked."
Lorelai quietly chuckled. "I guess it's too late for that."
"What do you mean?"
"You see", she grinned. "After all, the next Gilmore-offspring is partly a Danes, too."
"Should have thought about that before, huh?"
"Maybe…" Lorelai murmured and pulled him toward her. "Where were we before we were interrupted?"
----------
Rory eyed herself in the mirror with content. She looked intelligent, young, fresh and enthusiastic in her blazer – just like what she would expect someone to wear who was about to go to a study counselor. The upcoming year was her last at Chilton, so she slowly but surely had to make up her mind about what came afterwards. Harvard, sure, it was her dream. But what exactly did she want to learn? There were thousands of subject combinations, differences in the kind of graduation and semester enlistments. To settle on something, you needed to get professional help.
Rory pushed her way through Luke's moving boxes which had been sitting here for three weeks and grabbed the keys for the car lying on top of the chest of drawers.
"See you later, Mom", she shouted in the direction of the kitchen and was gone quickly after that.
Lorelai's gaze followed Rory out the door. Then she shook her head and smiled. Wasn't it only yesterday that Rory had run around in this house, seven years old, and had asked thousands of questions or had told her proudly how she had won the spelling contest in school? And now she went out to select her class schedule… in less than five months everything would start over again. Changing the diapers, the formula, the…
Oh God!
Lorelai inhaled sharply and stood motionless. There it was again! A warm smile spread on her face and she stormed outside. "Luuke!"
She looked around. He wanted to repair something in the garage…
"Luuuke!" Lorelai shouted anew, this time more impatiently.
"Did you say something?" she heard from above her and Lorelai looked up. Luke took hold on the edge of her garage and readjusted his cap.
"Come down, quickly, come on", Lorelai urged and waved impatiently. Luke sighed, crawled from the roof onto the ladder and came down. "What is it?"
"Wait…" Lorelai muttered. Then she beamed. "Here!"
She took his hand and noticed the thick working glove covering his hand. Wrinkling her nose she removed the glove and placed Luke's hand on her stomach. Frowning Luke glanced at her and waited. Then his facial expression softened and he lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
"There it is again", Lorelai cooed and didn't dare to move.
Luke was speechless. "This… this…"
"Yeah, it started two days ago and increases every time. At first I thought I had an upset stomach from the Chinese chicken. But then I realized that no chicken in the world could kick like that. Do you feel it?"
"Yeah…" His voice was barely above a whisper. He followed the movement carefully with his hand and was overwhelmed by the feeling. Goose bumps ran down Lorelai's spine.
"Lorelai?" He looked at her.
"Yeah?" She still beamed. Luke had never seen her so happy before.
"Will you marry me?"
"What?" She looked at him questioningly for a second, needing a few moments to grasp the importance of his question. Her smile froze momentarily.
"Will you… I mean, this is… Lorelai, I've never thought I would feel something like this, I…"
"Yes", Lorelai interrupted.
"What?"
"Yes." Meanwhile she smiled again and laid her hand on his.
Luke took her face in his unoccupied hand and graced her cheek with his thumb. She leaned into the touch and closed her eyes. When she opened them again Luke also smiled.
"What now?"
Lorelai grinned. "Usually you have to kiss me now."
"Oh, that can be arranged…" Luke quietly joked and leaned in.
Lorelai didn't know why she could feel her heart beating in her throat and as soon as their lips met she wanted to hold on to this moment forever with all her might. She inhaled Luke's scent of newly cut wood and flannel. After pulling back she buried her head in the crook of Luke's neck. Luke softly rubbed her back. Then he suddenly paused. Lorelai looked at him.
What's wrong?"
Luke's face lit up. "Wait here", he instructed and took a step backwards toward the house. "Don't move."
"O… Okay." Lorelai stood still, a little confused. She crossed her arms and fidgeted with her feet. After what seemed like forever Luke came back. He stopped in front of her and held out his hand. In it lay a small, silver ring. Lorelai gasped and looked at Luke.
"When did you…" She took the ring out of his palm and observed it. The ring was simple but very beautiful.
"Well…" Luke uncertainly started. "… that night when I did the 'lots of thinking' about how this would work with us… sometime between 2 and 4 am I had come to the conclusion only marriage would solve the problem. And that was when I drove to Hartford to buy this."
Lorelai bit her lower lip. "That was over six weeks ago…"
Luke nodded without looking at her. "But I didn't wanna take it back. I thought maybe… well…"
Lorelai quietly chuckled at his clumsiness.
"Good thinking", she pointed out and gave the ring back to him. Then she held her hand out. Luke briefly glanced at her and put the ring on her finger at last. Lorelai eyed her hand.
"Lorelai Gilmore-Danes…" she muttered and smiled. Then she shifted her gaze to Luke and became serious.
"Luke?"
"Yeah."
"Are you sure it's what you want?"
Luke nodded without hesitation. "I've never been so happy before."
----------
When Rory learned her mother and Luke wanted to marry, she was surprised at first. Even with Max her Mom took her time before saying yes – and to decide 'no' in the end. But Luke and Lorelai have known each other for so long…
The news traveled through Stars Hollow like a wildfire. Everyone congratulated Lorelai.
Only the thought of her mother, who didn't take any interest in all of this, built a gray cloud in her head which just wouldn't go away.
One day when there was a calm moment in the inn she picked up the phone and dialed. She let it ring a few times.
"Gilmore."
Lorelai took a deep breath. "Mom? This is Lorelai…"
She expected Emily to hang up but the awaited clicking of the line wasn't heard.
"Lorelai. Good morning."
"Good morning, Mom", Lorelai went with the formal tone of her mother and tried to remember the words she had thoughtfully prepared earlier. But there were none left.
"I…" she began and bit her lower lip. "Mom, I'd like to talk to you."
"Otherwise you certainly wouldn't have called", Emily pointed out sourly.
"Please don't make this so hard", Lorelai sighed and fidgeted with the cord of the phone.
"Alright then – what do you want?"
"I want it to be different between us. I mean… Rory has made her decision. She will live with me. I'll pay for her school and you are free from any obligations. But…"
"Is this all?"
"Mom, please!"
Silence on the other end of the line.
"I'm very busy at the moment at the inn. I thought, maybe… we could meet for lunch during my lunch break and… talk."
Emily seemed to hesitate.
"You know, both of you are very important to Rory. And I… will be starting a completely new life soon. And I really want you to be a part of it." It was hard for her to vocalize that.
"Well", Emily finally said, a little bit less stiff than before. "I think I can manage to come to Stars Hollow for an hour."
"Thanks", Lorelai replied genuinely and smiled a little. "So… see you soon."
"Goodbye."
Lorelai kept the receiver a few moments in her hand after hanging up. She wanted to fix this. She was sure that it wasn't entirely impossible to have a normal conversation with Emily.
Sorry for the wait. And you will have to wait for chapter 10 even longer I think, translation got stuck, I am busy... Well, I hope you can forgive me.
Please review, kind readers.