More than enough

by twochairsshortofaset

Having moved out of the potting shed and been promoted to Assistant Manager at the Independence Inn, Lorelai is finally starting to get ahead. However, one thing she can't seem to control is the impact Chris' irresponsibility has on 10.y.o. Rory. As Luke becomes more of a fixture in the Gilmore girls' lives, will Lorelai finally realize he could be their knight in shining plaid?

10. Chapter 10

It was finally happening.

According to Luke's calculations it had only taken the better part of two years, countless donuts and somewhere in the vicinity of 1,000 steaming cups of coffee for this day to arrive. The day he finally took Lorelai Gilmore on a date.

While they'd originally planned to go out the Saturday after his spots had healed, Rory had tearfully complained of a sore stomach and headache that evening, prompting Lorelai to cancel the sitter and regretfully postpone their date. Despite feeling the harsh sting of disappointment strike him when Lorelai had called to break the news, he had found it impossible to be annoyed with her blued-eyed mini-me; Luke knew Rory would always be Lorelai's first priority and if anything, he was just as concerned about her wellbeing.

Thankfully, they'd been able to reschedule to the following weekend, which allowed time for the red marks that had previously marred Luke's skin to fade significantly. Mia had graciously agreed to watch Rory, the older woman the only person Lorelai had confided in about her date with Luke. While Rory knew her mother was going on a date, Lorelai had deliberately been evasive when it came to providing details, wanting to find the right time to tell the 10-year-old about her budding relationship with their beloved diner man. She found her daughter was still being uncharacteristically clingy, so she'd resolved to wait until Rory was back to her usual calm and composed self before sharing the news.

Combing his hair back, Luke gave himself one last dubious glimpse in the mirror before tugging on his collar and settling his wallet in his back pocket. Checking his watch for what felt like the fiftieth time, he reminded himself that it was still too early to head downstairs to their agreed meeting place – the alley beside the diner where his truck was parked. Knowing Lorelai, she'd more-than-likely be 15 minutes late, so there was definitely no point to him arriving early or setting foot in the diner in the meantime. His smart attire and absence of flannel would only invite invasive questioning from his fellow Stars Hollow residents.

Moving about his apartment, Luke took a moment to wipe down the already sparkling kitchen counter, the familiar action somewhat of a nervous tic that had spawned from years of working in the diner. He forced himself to relax, leaning his weight back against the cupboards and purposefully putting a stop to the impatient tapping of his foot. As the minutes ticked by, Luke tried his best to ignore the nervous energy coursing through him and instead focus on the activities he had planned for the evening.

Despite Lorelai's endless questioning whenever they were out of earshot of her daughter and the other townies, he had refused to reveal where he was taking her. She had begged and cajoled, sweet-talked and battered her eyelids incessantly, but he had held strong and committed to keeping their destination a surprise. He was just grateful she hadn't thought to try the hair flick, the pout or the damn flippy skirt; for the sake of his own sanity and dignity, it was best she remained unaware of those particular weak spots for as long as possible.

He smirked when he recalled her latest attempt at wheedling the information out of him and the luminous smile that had graced her lips when he'd told her he was finally giving in to her pleas and revealing their itinerary. That beautiful, heart-stopping smile had quickly been replaced with a scowl when he'd advised they were off to a health food convention followed by a CA meeting – the coffee junkies' equivalent of Alcoholics Anonymous. For that, he probably deserved the handful of fries she'd thrown at his retreating back, he reasoned with a goofy grin.

Glancing at his watch once more, Luke finally gave himself permission to wander downstairs. He was just pulling the apartment door closed behind him when the shrill ringing of the phone prompted him to pause, his hand frozen on the doorknob. Figuring he didn't want to be delayed talking to whoever was on the other end of the line unless it was important, he allowed the call to go through to the answering machine, listening intently as the familiar beep echoed around the apartment.

His ears pricked up when he heard Lorelai's voice wafting from the speaker, her tone devoid of any of its usual enthusiasm.

"Luke? Are you there? If you're there, please pick up. It's Lorelai. I guess you must already be downsta…"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence before he quickly snapped up the receiver, pressing it to his ear insistently.

"Lorelai?"

"Luke, I'm glad I caught you."

"Is everything okay?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes. I mean…well, no, not really but it's nothing serious."

"Are you okay? Is Rory okay?" he pressed urgently.

"We're fine, Rory's just…" Lorelai trailed off. "Look Luke, I know after last time, this sounds an awful lot like I'm creating excuses but…"

"You're not coming," Luke murmured knowingly, the crushing surge of defeat striking deep within his abdomen.

"It's not…I mean, I don't….You know I want…" Lorelai sighed, realizing the words were coming out all wrong. "I'm not coming," she confirmed dejectedly.

Luke felt the air leave his chest as he desperately tried to formulate some form of response. Suddenly his apartment felt freakishly small and imposing, the walls bearing down on him.

Lorelai was the one to break the silence, her tone low and apologetic.

"Luke, are you there?"

"Yeah," he croaked, clearing his throat and doing his best to disguise the hurt in his voice.

"I'm so, so sorry. You know I've been looking forward to our date for weeks. The last thing I want to do is cancel but I unfortunately don't have much choice. Rory's just…I don't know what's wrong," she confessed, a note of alarm evident in her voice. "She was fine all day and then just as I was getting ready to leave she started panicking and crying."

"About you leaving?"

"I guess so. I'm thinking maybe the idea of me dating is what's freaking her out. This isn't like her at all; normally she jumps at the chance to spend time with Mia. She's just been so clingy these past couple of weeks and always wants to know where I am and who I'm with whenever I'm not by her side. I'm worried about leaving her tonight when she's so upset and I don't think it's fair of me to saddle Mia with an anxious, crying kid."

"Ah geez, I'm sorry," Luke breathed. "Are you okay? Is there anything I can do for you or Rory?"

Lorelai sighed, feeling the telltale signs of moisture forming in her eyes. She wasn't sure whether the sudden rush of emotion stemmed from his unwavering patience and benevolence, her disappointment at missing another date or simply the unexpected drama of the evening. Most likely a combination of all three. Regardless of the reason, she chastised herself for being so damn sensitive.

"I call to tell you I'm the worst girlfriend in the world and have to postpone our date yet again and you're asking me whether I'm alright?" Lorelai asked, her voice softening with affection.

"Yeah well," he murmured with a self-deprecating shrug. "Making sure you and Rory are okay is the most important thing."

At his words, Lorelai felt some of the stress dissipate from her shoulders.

"You're not mad?" she verified hesitantly, hyper-aware that her 10-year-old had now gotten in the way of not one but two dates. Experience had taught her most guys would have thrown in the towel by now and moved on to their next conquest.

"Disappointed that I won't get to spend the evening with you? Sure. But mad? No. Rory has to come first; I know that."

"I'm sorry," Lorelai reiterated, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Don't mention it."

They both took a moment to collect their thoughts, a comfortable silence settling between them. It was only then that the worrying thought struck Luke. What if this happened again and again? What if Rory panicked every time he attempted to take Lorelai on a date? God forbid, what if Lorelai decided that being together was placing too much pressure on Rory and called the whole thing off?

Luke gulped. He'd as good as answered his own question a few moments earlier. Rory has to come first; I know that.

And he did know. In fact, he fully agreed with the sentiment. He also knew that he'd never love anyone like he loved Lorelai Gilmore – even if she didn't know it yet – and he'd do everything in his power to earn Rory's blessing and make the relationship work.

"Lorelai?"

"Yeah?"

"This is…I mean you're…we're rescheduling, right? Not cancelling. Rescheduling."

"Well yeah, that's what I was hoping. If it's okay with you," she added quickly, catching her lower lip between her teeth as the self-doubt she was generally so adept at hiding from others reared its familiar head. "I understand if…"

"No."

"No?"

"No, I don't want to cancel," he stated firmly.

"Well okay then," Lorelai replied, once again feeling the flutter of relief in her stomach and the beginnings of a smile take hold.

"Just…er…don't change your mind okay?" Luke pressed. "We'll find a way to make this work. I don't care if we have to postpone 50 dates. I mean, I'll care...obviously…but I'll wait, you know? However long it takes. I'll wait for you and Rory. The two of you…that's all I want. Please don't change your mind."

Lorelai did her best to hide her sniffle, the reality of his words sinking in. Here was a man who not only wanted to be with her, baggage and all, but viewed the Gilmore two-for-one package deal as a bonus rather than a burden. Here was a man who saw her, faults and all, and vowed to wait as long as it took to stand beside her. Here was a man who, monosyllables and all, could somehow make her feel truly valued and worthy of affection for the first time in her 27 years.

Drawing a deep breath and mustering more confidence than she felt, Lorelai blinked back the tears and murmured, "I'm not planning on changing my mind Luke."

She just hoped her daughter would come around.

-o-

"Fairy lights?"

"Check."

"Candles?"

"Check."

"Blanket?"

"Check."

"Mood music?"

"Check."

Rory set aside the pen and paper in her hand and watched as her best friend peeled back the cleverly disguised false bottom in her backpack, revealing a handful of CD cases that she had managed to smuggle past Mrs. Kim's watchful eyes.

"I couldn't bring too many because Mama would have noticed," Lane explained with a sigh. "I've still got a few good options to choose from though."

"Let's see them," Rory replied keenly, inching forward on the floor of the Independence Inn guestroom they were playing in to get a better view.

"Okay, first up, the Go-Go's."

"Hmm…perfect for mom but maybe a little too girly for Luke."

"Point taken," Lane agreed with a nod, setting the case aside. "Option two: INXS. Mostly upbeat with a little bit of saxophone thrown in here and there for good measure. Nothing screams date material like a saxophone."

"That could work. Let's put it on the shortlist."

"Option three: The Who."

"Wasn't their drummer the guy that used to impersonate Robert Newton? You know…that actor that played Blackbeard and Long John Silver?"

At Lane's shrug, Rory added decidedly, "No pirates. I feel like Luke would draw the line at people that dress up like pirates."

"Okay, lucky last then. I think this might be the one," Lane stated, drawing the final CD from her bag. "U2 – The Joshua Tree. It's a classic. Plenty of quality ballads with a rocky twist, and best of all, there's some lovey dovey stuff without being too obvious. Honestly, who can say they don't like U2? It's the perfect date soundtrack."

"I think we have our winner."

"Great!" Lane exclaimed, opening the case and walking across the room to insert it into the CD player they'd picked up on their earlier reconnaissance mission to the storeroom. "Now for the best part. You won't believe what I managed to get hold of."

"There's more?" Rory asked incredulously. "You already risked being forced to write out psalms for an hour by bringing the CDs."

"This was too good of an opportunity to pass up," Lane exclaimed gleefully, bouncing on the soles of her feet before resuming her position on the carpet beside her best friend and producing a large glass bottle from the depths of her backpack.

"You got wine?"

"Well, technically it's sparkling grape juice like the stuff Ashley had at her birthday party but it looks like wine so maybe your mom and Luke won't notice the difference."

Rory's delighted grin lit up her entire face and she could have danced with joy.

"Oh Lane this is perfect! Thank you! Where did you get it?"

"Papa's work colleague came around for dinner and brought it as a gift because he knew my parents don't drink alcohol. I had to run interference so it didn't make the trash can when Mama decided to throw it away later. She says sugary drinks, rock music and red meat are the devil's gateway."

"Gateway to what?" Rory asked, puzzled.

"I don't know. Hard drugs; Farrah Fawcett hair; a career as a Bee Gee," Lane shrugged.

"How on Earth did you get it out of the house today without your mom noticing?"

"Er…best you don't ask that question," Lane advised knowingly. "Let's just say I'd highly recommend giving the bottle a good wash before use."

"Uh…got it," Rory agreed awkwardly, her face wrinkling in a concerned grimace as she decided against taking a closer look at the bottle and hastily withdrew her outstretched hand.

"So that just leaves the food run and then we've got everything we need to set this plan in motion."

"Yeah, we definitely need more food," Rory agreed, thinking back over the motley assortment of Slim Jims, carrots and cheese puffs they'd assembled so far.

Glancing at her friend apprehensively, Rory felt the familiar twinge of guilt flare deep in the pit of her stomach.

"Hey Lane, do you think we're doing the right thing?" she asked quietly, her voice cracking slightly.

"You want your mom and Luke to be happy, right?"

"Yes."

"And you think they'll make each other happy, right?"

Yes."

"Then it's like you say; we're just giving them a push in the right direction. It's not like we're doing something mean. We're just helping them see what's right in front of their eyes."

"I guess," Rory agreed slowly, her teeth tugging on her lower lip nervously.

"What's the worst that can happen? The date goes badly, they figure out we were behind it and we get grounded for a few days."

"Oh my god. What if I'm not allowed to go to school?" Rory panicked, her face flooding with dread.

Lane simply rolled her eyes. "Only you would be worried about missing class. Don't stress. School is about the only thing you are allowed to go to when you're grounded. And church if you're me. Anyway, you're forgetting it's summer vacation at the moment so there's no school to miss."

Exhaling a sigh of relief and fueled by Lane's blasé attitude, Rory allowed a shy grin to creep onto her lips. "I don't think I've ever been grounded before."

"Piece of cake, but I'm sure you won't have anything to worry about anyway. This is going to work."

"I hope so," Rory confessed. "I don't think I can get my mom to cancel another date with Connor's dad. She's already missed two date nights and I don't think she'll believe me if I fake sick again. I'm running out of ways to stop her from going out with him."

"Well, we'll just have to give this our all, hope she's not too hung up on Connor's dad and keep our fingers crossed that all goes well with her and Luke."

"Yeah, I guess so. Come on, let's go and get the last of the food while Mom's busy working in the office. Try to look hungry."

Checking to make sure the coast was clear in the hallway outside the guestroom, the two pre-teens scampered down toward the kitchen in pursuit of Sookie's delicious cooking.

"Hey kitten," Sookie greeted, catching sight of Rory as she pushed through the kitchen doors. "You girls having a good day?"

Rory nodded shyly, smiling as Lane's shiny black mane materialized beside her.

"Thanks for the cream puffs earlier Sookie. They were delicious. I could eat them all day long."

"Like mother, like daughter," Sookie giggled, continuing to hand beat the bowl of eggs clasped in her hand. "There are plenty more desserts where those came from so help yourselves to the tray over there girls."

Hook, line and sinker, Lane thought as both girls thanked her politely and prepared to select some treats for their mission. Convincing Sookie to shower them with goodies was always going to be the easiest part of their quest; the chef was constantly on the look-out for willing participants to taste-test her creations.

"So what are you two planning on getting up to for the rest of the afternoon?"

Think quick.

"Er…we're umm…" Rory trailed off awkwardly, her eyes pleading for Lane to think up a suitable answer. Lying wasn't her strong point.

"We're thinking of having a tea party," Lane answered confidently. "Mia is letting us hang out in Room 14 so we thought it would be cool to have a tea party before the cleaners arrive to tidy up after last night's guests."

"Ooooh, fun!" Sookie exclaimed. "Well you'll have to take some of the caramelized onion and goat cheese tarts I just made. And some vol-au-vents. And…oh why don't I just make you up a plate?"

Bustling about the kitchen, Sookie began loading a selection of finger food onto a plate, the tarts wobbling precariously atop the mountain of food. Passing the platter to Rory carefully, Sookie urged them not to leave before she could dish them up a generous serving of pie and pour them a thermos of tea. Rory's eyes lit up jubilantly on seeing the thermos, the young girl fast realizing she could use the guestroom's tea and coffee facilities to brew some coffee for her mother and have it stay warm. She'd watched Lorelai prepare a pot often enough at home to have mastered the steps.

Their arms laden with enough food to feed an army, the 10-year-olds thanked Sookie profusely and hurried back up the stairs to the guestroom. Ensconced in sorting through their loot, both girls froze when they heard a soft knock at the door followed by Lorelai's cheery voice.

Her eyes widening, Rory urgently whispered for Lane to hide what she could before heading toward the door and opening it just a crack.

"Hey Mom," she greeted in the most nonchalant manner she could muster.

"Hey kid, just thought I'd check in. Whatya up to?"

"Oh…er…Lane and I are just about to have a tea party," Rory explained, hoping with all her might that her mother wouldn't question the activity. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a tea party.

"Oh, nice one. You girls need anything?"

"No, we're fine thanks," Rory answered a little too quickly.

Noticing her daughter's nervous disposition, Lorelai narrowed her eyes, asking, "Everything okay babe?"

"Yep, everything's great."

"Can I check out your tea party set-up? Mommy's jealous. Well, not of the tea bit but the party sounds fun."

Unsure of how much evidence Lane had been able to shift from Lorelai's line of vision, Rory said, "Er…well, it's not actually ready to go yet. We just got the tea from Sookie."

Her suspicion increasing, Lorelai accepted Rory's explanation but added, "Ah, I see. Oh well, I might just say a quick hello to Lane before I head back downstairs."

Rory felt her heart rate began to quicken but calmed considerably when she heard Lane call, "Come on in Lorelai. I'm just getting everything set up."

Stepping back from the doorway, Rory allowed her mother to enter and breathed an inaudible sigh of relief when she noticed Lane had been successful with her mission. The girl sat perched at the table with the thermos and two mugs in front of her.

Lorelai made idle chit-chat with the duo before concluding that all was fine. Her curiosity peaked again momentarily on exiting the room when she noticed a stray piece of paper on the floor with 'Operation Coffee and Carrot Sticks' scrawled hastily across the top. Unable to make out any of the writing beneath it, she shrugged it off as simply one of the activities the girls had dreamt up to keep themselves occupied.

Rory didn't relax until she heard her mother's muffled footsteps disappear down the hall, falling back against the door as she whispered, "That was close."

"No kidding. I was petrified she'd notice everything hiding behind the bed," Lane breathed.

"Let's get this up to the rooftop sooner rather than later. The cleaners will be here soon and we can't risk them springing us."

Gesturing out the window toward the graying sky, Lane hedged hesitantly, "Ah, Rory? That might be kind of a problem."

Rory took in the dark clouds looming ominously with the promise of rain, her hands immediately flying up to press against her temples as she cursed her uncharacteristic lack of planning.

"No, no, no!" she cried. "This cannot be happening! I can't believe I didn't look at the weather forecast."

Studying the sky closely, she thought back over her lesson on clouds with Luke and determined the rain was likely to be upon them soon and persist throughout much of the night. She felt her lower lip quiver when the realization sunk in that her carefully-planned romantic rooftop evening would not become a reality.

"We can't reschedule," Lane stated determinedly. "I'm sure we could find somewhere to store most of the stuff but it's going to be so hard to convince Mama to let us have another movie night at my house again so soon. I swear Christian kids' movies only come out like once every five years so we're gonna have to come up with something different if we miss this opportunity to give your mom and Luke some time alone. Plus, today's the perfect day because you know Luke's not working the dinner shift. Is there somewhere else indoors here that we could do it?"

Rory sighed, dropping her head into her hands as she racked her brain for another solution.

"All of the guest rooms are booked for tonight. We could use the conference room but I think Mom will notice us setting up. We need somewhere more private."

"There has to be somewhere."

"Well, it's not my first choice, but if we're desperate…"

"We are."

"There's always the storeroom."

Lane pondered the idea for a moment before saying, "I think we should go for it. It's not as nice as the rooftop but there's plenty of room in there and we can make it look pretty with the fairy lights and candles."

Accepting defeat, Rory nodded her agreement.

It took them several hours and countless covert trips up and down the seemingly never-ending flight of stairs, but when Rory and Lane stepped back to assess their handiwork, the two girls couldn't help but smile.

"OK, looks like it's crunch time. Guess I better call the diner," Rory whispered, wringing her hands anxiously.

Lane took up her position as sentry downstairs as Rory nervously commandeered the phone in Mia's office and dialed the number. She was relieved to hear Caesar's friendly greeting after a few short rings.

"Hi Caesar, it's Rory. I was just wondering whether you'd be able to get a message to Luke from my mom please?"

"No problem. I can put him on the phone if you like?"

"No, a message is fine," Rory responded quickly, fearful of chickening out at the sound of Luke's voice. "Would you mind asking him if there's any chance he can stop by the inn tonight please? There's an…er…leak in the storeroom ceiling and Mom couldn't get a tradesperson out at short notice. She was hoping Luke might be able to help."

She listened as Caesar relayed the query to Luke, Rory insisting that he didn't need to leave the diner early and that the early evening would work best as Lorelai would be free to show him the problem at the end of her shift. Much to Rory's delight, Luke agreed to meet Lorelai at the storeroom at 6pm. Now all she needed to do was find a way to get her mother in the same place at the same time.

Hearing the sound of footsteps in the corridor and Lane's warning cough – the signal for Rory to get moving — Rory scurried from the office, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

One thing was for sure: she would be downright relieved once all of this was over. There was only so much rule-breaking she could handle.

-o-

He wished there was a handbook. A helpful guide complete with glossary of terms or at the very least, some kind of translator.

Luke Danes had never been a man that had trouble attracting the opposite sex, but he was the first to admit he was far from fluent in the universal language shared amongst women.

Oh, he knew enough to get by. He knew 'I'll be five minutes' was code for 'you'll be lucky if I'm ready in an hour'. He realized that 'you don't need to get me anything for my birthday' actually meant 'I expect you to purchase the gift I have been hinting about for weeks'. He knew better than anything that 'fine' was a dangerous word and signalled the situation at hand was anything but fine.

What he didn't know was the translation of 'there's a leak in the ceiling and I need you to fix it'. That's if there was a translation at all.

At first, he'd taken Lorelai's request at face value and agreed to help without hesitation. It was only when he thought about it in closer detail later that he realized the Independence Inn storeroom was on the first floor – a full floor below the building's roof with no way for the drizzling rain to seep inside. As far as he was aware from the various repairs he had conducted for Mia over the years, there was no plumbing running directly above the room either, reiterating the implausibility of the ceiling having sprung a leak. Perhaps it was code for 'come over and see me away from the prying eyes of the town.' Granted, they'd barely had any time alone of late with Rory so reluctant to separate from her mother so his theory wasn't entirely far-fetched.

Bewildered but intrigued nonetheless, Luke made sure to apply an extra dab of cologne just in case before loading his toolbox into the truck and setting off for the inn.

Recognizing Luke's familiar face, the attendant at the front desk waved him on as he made his way through the front door and up the staircase. Reaching the storeroom, Luke heard the faint strains of guitar from inside but found the door locked. When his knock was met with silence, he looked around quizzically, his eyes roaming the hall for any sign of Lorelai. Just as he was about to go searching for her, he caught a glimpse of her raven locks rounding the corner.

"Luke?" she asked, surprise evident in her tone as her eyes landed on his frame. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to plug the hole in your ceiling," he clarified, puzzled by the confusion on her face.

"Ha! Dirty!" At his eye roll she added, "Wait, there's a hole in the ceiling? What happened?"

"I don't know. You called me," Luke reminded her, his brow furrowed.

"Somebody spike your tea today sparky? I've got no idea what you're talking about."

"Caesar gave me a message that you needed me to meet you here at six because the storeroom had sprung a leak."

"I hate to burst your bubble but I definitely did not call you. Maybe it was Mia? I got a post-it on my desk telling me to come here so maybe that's what it was about. I guess she must be meeting us here."

"Weird," Luke shrugged, setting his toolbox aside as they waited for Mia. He itched to reach out and draw her to him but resisted the urge knowing that anyone could walk around the corner and see them.

"Is that Bono?" Lorelai asked, her face scrunching up as she strained to hear the faint music drifting from behind the storeroom door.

"As long as it's not that damned Jitterbug guy, I'm not fazed."

"You don't like Wham? I'm sorry, I don't think I can be seen with you anymore."

"Damn 80s hippies," Luke grumbled.

Ignoring his pointed scowl, Lorelai raised her fist as a makeshift microphone, teasingly serenading him with, "Wake me up before you go-go; don't leave me hangin' on like a yo-yo. Wake me up..."

Cutting her off mid-song, Luke deadpanned, "What are the chances of a bus doing me a favor and mowing me down right here, right now?"

"Given we're in the corridor of an inn, I'd say slim to none, my friend. Slim to none. Tell you what, I'll quit with the Wham solo if I'm allowed to sing along with Where the Streets Have No Name instead. Why is there music playing in there anyway?" Lorelai pondered, stepping closer to the door.

Finding it locked, she withdrew her set of keys from her pocket, pushing open the door to find the normally drab storeroom decorated with fairy lights and candles. A woollen blanket laid spread out on the floor, a picnic basket resting atop it.

"Luke?" she asked incredulously. "Is there something you're not telling me? Is this for us?"

"Huh?" he asked, dumbstruck.

"This; all this. Was it you?"

"As much as I'd like to take credit for it, I had nothing to do with it," he explained truthfully. "Do you think we should be in here? I mean, what if we've just crashed someone's date?" he added, looking around furtively.

"In a storeroom?"

"Well geez. Who knows what's all the rage these days."

"All the rage?" Lorelai snorted. "The last person I heard use that phrase was as old as my Grandma."

His withering glare silenced her temporarily. After a few seconds spent walking around the room, she added, "Ah, Luke. I think it's safe to assume this is for us."

He allowed his eyes to settle on the piece of paper she held up, reading, 'Luke and Lorelai, your dinner awaits' in childlike handwriting, the words encased by a red love heart.

Taking in the coffee thermos atop the blanket and the assortment of food resting beside the picnic basket, Lorelai murmured beneath her breath, "Operation Coffee and Carrot Sticks. I should have known."

"I have an idea who might be behind this and I can confidently say it's not Mia," Lorelai sighed. At Luke's perplexed stare she added, "Blue eyes, brown hair, about as tall as an oompah loompah, answers to the name of 'I-am-going-to-have-my-ass-kicked-so-bad-when-Mom-gets-home."

"Rory did this?" Luke asked, shocked.

"You're a regular Sherlock."

"Rory did this for us?"

"I suspect she might have had help from a certain Korean partner-in-crime, but yes, this reeks of my matchmaking daughter. Guess she wasn't so opposed to the idea of me dating someone after all."

"Dating me," Luke corrected, the teasing and slightly smug tone belying the gruffness of his voice. "She wasn't so opposed to the idea of you dating me. You never told her who you were going out with after all."

"You marking territory in the playground?" Lorelai teased.

"Yes," he growled unapologetically, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was in sight before taking her in his arms and kissing her with just a hint of possessiveness.

"Rory did this for us," he repeated in awe, turning her around in his arms and holding her tightly as they both surveyed the scene before them. "Wait, where is Rory?"

"Getting ready for me to drop her off at the pound," Lorelai muttered menacingly.

"Is she here?"

"Nah. She's over at Lane's for dinner and a movie. Mrs. Kim picked them up 15 minutes ago."

"Just quietly, I'm not so sure she should be relinquished to the pound. I happen to think she's a keeper."

"Yeah well, you pay me a good price for her and she's all yours. None of this free to good home business. I want cold hard cash baby."

"Lorelai?" he murmured quietly, his lips brushing lightly against her ear.

"Yeah?"

"Rory did this for us."

"Yes," she breathed.

"She wants us to be together. She wants what we want."

"Yes," Lorelai repeated quietly, her eyes glassy as the reality of the situation finally struck her.

Pressing a soft kiss into her hair, Luke whispered, "You think we could maybe enjoy this feast she's prepared before we find her a new home?"

-o-

They chatted and laughed and touched and ate and enjoyed each other's company behind the locked door of the storeroom, and — much to Luke's dismay — toasted their relationship with some sugar-filled, imitation wine straight from Rory's plastic pink Disney princess cups.

Lorelai could have easily rustled up some real alcohol and more appropriate glassware from the kitchen, but it would have meant facing Sookie's scrutinizing stare and probing line of questioning, and truth be told, she felt there was something vaguely romantic about enjoying the banquet exactly as Rory had intended. So she'd batted her eyelids flirtatiously and with very little effort, managed to cajole a smile from Luke as he raised the Snow White-embellished tumbler in cheers and took a begrudging gulp.

Later, they sat together on the picnic blanket, Lorelai settled between Luke's legs, her back pressed to his chest as his fingertips trailed lazily along her forearm.

After years of feeding her at the diner, Luke shouldn't have been surprised at the amount of food she could pack away in one sitting, yet he found himself watching on in stunned fascination as Lorelai worked her way through her third dessert.

Pausing only to brush a wayward crumb from her lips, Lorelai continued on with her latest nonsense argument, claiming, "You've got to admit, it's a little too coincidental to ignore."

"The 27 club is not a real thing Lorelai," Luke countered exasperatedly, punctuating his words with a loud groan.

"The figures disagree my friend. There is a statistical spike in the number of musicians that die at age 27. Not dentists. Not office workers. Not tradespeople. Just musicians. You hit 27 and boom, all over red rover."

"Statistical spike, my ass," Luke grumbled. "It's nothing but a half-baked conspiracy theory dreamt up by some crackpot celebrity gossip columnist with a below-average IQ and far too much time on their hands."

"Really? That's what you're going with? Need I mention Jimi Hendrix? Janis Joplin? Brian Jones?"

"Three people is hardly a pattern Lorelai."

"Jim Morrison; Kristen Pfaff; Kurt Cobain," Lorelai rattled off, using her fingers to keep a tally. "You need me to go on?"

"Did you ever think that maybe the reason so many celebrities have died at that age is because unlike most dentists, office workers and tradespeople they're boozing up and snorting lines every night?" he pointed out dryly.

"So you admit it; there is an unusually high amount of musicians keeling over at 27," Lorelai tormented.

"You're cracked," Luke groaned in defeat. "What's next? You gonna try convincing me that Dr Dre guy is actually a real doctor?"

"A doctor of beats, baby," she quipped, her eyes dancing with mirth. "And just for the record, I'm impressed you know who he is."

"Yeah well, kind of hard to miss. He and that Snoopy Dog kid seem to be everywhere you turn right now."

"You mean Snoop Dogg?" Lorelai snorted.

"Whatever," he grumbled.

"Well, even I'll admit Dr Dre's no budding medical professional. That said, the British royal paternity saga has much more convincing evidence if you're really looking for a plausible celebrity conspiracy theory."

"I'm not."

"I'm just saying…the resemblance between Prince Harry and James Hewitt is uncanny. Red hair; skin complexion; facial structure. Prince Charles didn't even get a look-in. You draw the parallels," she added, her eyebrows raised as she cast a knowing look over her shoulder at him.

"Remind me again why I ever thought dating a crazy lady was a good idea."

Her eyes twinkled as she felt him nuzzle her neck from behind and she exhaled a contented sigh before murmuring, "Don't lie; you love it. This has been a pretty great first date."

"Been a long time coming."

"Too long," Lorelai agreed with a nod. She carefully surveyed the remainder of their feast, selecting a miniature caramel tart and proceeding to slowly devour the sweet topping. "You know what this means, don't you?"

"You're about three seconds away from entering a sugar coma?"

"Not even close," she scoffed, swirling her tongue over the caramel. "It means you're really going to need to pull out all the stops on this mystery date you've been planning or risk being outdone by a 10-year-old."

"I think I can handle it."

"Confident, are we?" Lorelai teased, her eyebrow quirked.

"Please. Aside from the fact that even Kirk's lounge room would trump a storeroom when it comes to location, we both know the way to your heart is through your stomach. All I need to do is serve up some pie and a cup of coffee and I've got you for life," Luke deadpanned.

"Life, huh? You might live to regret that decision. You get less for murder."

"God help me," Luke groaned, counteracting his statement with an affectionate squeeze of her arm.

"Just for the record, I'm not so keen on the Kirk's lounge room idea," Lorelai warned with mock severity. "And besides, you'd need to get permission from his mother first."

Luke chuckled at her words, nodding his head in agreement. Breathing in the heady scent of her perfume, he added quietly, "I can't believe tonight is almost over. I don't want to let you go."

Angling her head to study the numbers on his watch, Lorelai let out a resigned moan. "The fun police strike again. I guess we better start packing up so I can go and fetch that little mischief-maker of mine."

"In a minute," he murmured, using the arm banded securely around her waist to pull her closer.

She smiled happily, relaxing into him as she proceeded to bite into the hard pastry clasped lightly in her hand.

"You gonna thank her or chastise her?"

"Rory? I don't know," she shrugged. "Probably both. It's pretty amazing what she's done for us. I mean, she's gone to a lot of effort and the thought was really sweet. On the other hand, I think I'm gonna have to kick her sorry little ass for meddling. Can't have her taking after my mother."

Luke snorted, finding it impossible to reconcile the image of placid, polite Rory with the formidable picture Lorelai had painted of Emily Gilmore.

"Don't be too hard on her. We probably would have been waiting another three years for a date if she hadn't organized this."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Although, next time it would be great if she could tee up a sleepover at Lane's. I haven't got my Luke fill just yet," she pouted.

"I'll be sure to write that on the comment cards. C'mon, up we get," he uttered half-heartedly, tapping her leg lightly. She popped the last morsel of tart into her mouth and rose into a standing position before turning around and extending her hand to help pull him to his feet.

They set about packing the remaining food into the picnic basket and systematically working their way around the room blowing out candles and pulling down fairy lights. Once the storeroom had largely been returned to its original state, they reluctantly said their goodbyes, Luke tucking a stray strand of hair back behind Lorelai's ear before kissing her softly. Picking up his toolbox, Luke poked his head out into the hallway to check the coast was clear before gesturing for Lorelai to walk out ahead of him.

"So we'll try again for Saturday, yeah? Supposing you can find a sitter for Rory?" he asked hopefully.

"Saturday it is. Third time lucky Danes."

-o-

"You're late."

Mrs. Kim's harsh stare bore into Lorelai, her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the younger woman's colorful clothing ensemble critically.

"I…I am?" Lorelai stuttered in surprise, silently running over their earlier conversation at the inn and wondering how she'd somehow mixed up the agreed collection time. "I thought we said 8pm?"

"We did," Mrs. Kim barked abrasively. "It is now 8.01."

"Oh…er…sorry," Lorelai mumbled uncomfortably, immediately feeling as if she was seven years old again.

After being ushered into the foyer, Lorelai surveyed the room before asking conversationally, "So, the girls were well-behaved?"

"Of course. They watched a good, Christian movie and are now upstairs saying their prayers before bed."

Lorelai offered a weak smile, nodding her head in understanding.

"You have eaten?" Mrs. Kim implored. "I have tofurkey. It seems Lane and Rory were not very hungry this evening."

"I'm fine thank you," Lorelai hastily replied. "I ate at the inn."

"Very well. I shall call Rory."

Detecting a flicker of movement from the corner of her eye, Lorelai ascertained that the two 10-year-olds were already within earshot, having eagerly taken up position at the top of the stairs to listen to the adults' exchange. Knowing that they would be straining their ears for any indication of how the evening had played out, Lorelai couldn't resist toying with them a little, her smirk kept carefully under wraps.

"Thanks again for having Rory over Mrs. Kim. She would have had much more fun here than with me. My evening was really uneventful."

"Rory is a good girl," Mrs. Kim acknowledged with a firm nod.

Watching as the older woman moved to mount the stairs, Lorelai heard the faint scuttle of little feet as the girls made a beeline for Lane's bedroom.

A minute later, Mrs. Kim returned with both girls at her heels, Rory looking guilt-ridden and refusing to make eye contact with her mother. Lane, on the other hand, was bright-eyed and curious, smiling at Lorelai and surveying her inquisitively.

"So you had a nice night Lorelai?" she inquired boldly, clearly desperate for details.

"Ms. Gilmore," Mrs. Kim corrected sternly.

"Sorry Mama. You had a nice night Ms. Gilmore?" Lane rephrased, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her mother's archaic antics. She'd been calling Rory's mom by her first name for years.

"It was certainly a very interesting evening," Lorelai replied cryptically, refusing to offer any further information or indication of her mood.

Best to let them stew for a while.

Rory gulped nervously, her eyes still downcast.

"I hear you girls had fun watching a movie," Lorelai offered easily.

"Yeah. It was really…er…entertaining," Lane said, the cringe on her face belying the enthusiasm in her tone. When Mrs. Kim's gaze moved to rest on her daughter, she plastered on a fake smile and added, "Nothing like seeing Naaman healed of leprosy."

"Sounds…gripping," Lorelai coughed, smiling encouragingly for Mrs. Kim's benefit. She might have been tiny, but Lorelai was all-too-aware of the fury the brusque Korean woman could unleash. It was best not to get her off-side.

"Alright, well I guess it's time we made tracks kiddo," Lorelai declared, reaching to relieve Rory of the backpack slung over her right shoulder. "You say thanks to Mrs. Kim and Lane for having you over."

They exchanged goodbyes, Lane offering Rory an encouraging smile as the youngest Gilmore followed Lorelai down the front path and anxiously awaited what she was now convinced would be a reprimand from her mother.

Lorelai unloaded the backpack in the Jeep and assessed the rain clouds above before turning to Rory and saying, "You wanna hit the gazebo kid? I think we've got some things to talk about."

Rory nodded mutely, her fingers automatically reaching up to twist in her hair; a nervous habit she'd learned from her mother.

They set off toward the gazebo in silence, the light sprinkle of rain a welcome distraction. Rory's eyes were focused intently on the sidewalk beneath her, her shoes scuffing the concrete as she slowly ambled forward.

"So I heard there was a water leak in the storeroom tonight," Lorelai began leadingly, watching as her daughter drew her bottom lip between her teeth anxiously. "Quite a surprise really given the storeroom is nowhere near the roof or the plumbing at the inn."

Rory seemed to be carefully contemplating her best line of response before the angst took hold and she blurted, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Mom. Am I grounded? I mean of course I'm grounded. I'm grounding myself. I'm never leaving the house again. You can just feed me bread and water from now on. I'll never ask for a Pop-Tart or Al's takeout or a cheeseburger and fries again. No movie nights either. And my books! Oh, my beautiful books. I'll get rid of the lot. I'll never read again. You can clear them out tonight. Every last one. The Bronte collection included and the leather-bound edition of…"

"Babe, breathe," Lorelai commanded, her hands coming to rest on her daughter's shoulders and effectively cutting her off mid-speech. "I don't know where you get that rambling thing from but it's definitely not me," she teased.

Rory offered her a semblance of a smile, her blue eyes still conveying her apprehension.

"I'm not gonna take away your precious books," Lorelai said softly, lifting Rory's chin to make eye contact.

"You're not?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Or cancel movie nights. They're no fun without a mocking partner to fight over Mallomars with."

Pressing her palm softly against Rory's back, Lorelai guided her daughter forward once again, completing the short walk to the gazebo. They settled on one of the wooden benches, Lorelai looking out absently across the square.

"So tell me, true or false kid? You really were sick with a headache and sore stomach when I had that date penciled in the Saturday before last?"

The pitter patter of rain on the roof was the only sound that could be heard as Rory deliberated over a suitable answer.

Hanging her head ashamedly, she finally choked out, "F...False."

"And last weekend's theatrics when I was getting ready for my date? You genuinely were upset about me leaving you with Mia for a few hours?"

"False," she repeated, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Huh," Lorelai murmured pensively.

The silence that followed was deafening. At least for Rory, who at the very least wished her mom would yell, scold or lecture her for her meddlesome behavior. A quiet Lorelai was a rare occurrence and in truth, Rory feared her mother's disappointment more than her anger.

"I'm sorry," the young girl repeated, feeling the overwhelming urge to demonstrate her remorse. The jumble of words rose up inside her once again and began tumbling from her mouth in a rush. "I shouldn't have lied. It was really wrong of me to pretend I was sick and I should never have stopped you from going on your date. Oh, and Mia! Poor Mia. I made her come over to watch me and then we had to send her home. What if she'd cancelled plans to take care of me and then found out we didn't need her after it was too late for her to reschedule? Did she have plans Mom? Did she have to cancel them to watch me? I can't believe I've been so selfish. And you, all you wanted was to go out for a few hours and I made you stay with me. All because I had this stupid idea of you and Luke and I being the perfect family. And maybe you really liked Connor's dad and wanted to be his girlfriend and get married and now I've blown your chances. I know, I'll talk to Connor and explain what happened and you can try again and I promise I won't interfere this time and..."

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down tiger," Lorelai urged, her expression incredulous. "Rewind a little. You're worried Mia gave up plans to look after you? Totally not an issue. She told me she didn't have anything else scheduled. And did you say Connor's dad? You mean Lincoln? And get married? I'm gonna need you to join the dots for me kid."

"I shouldn't have stopped you from going out with him," Rory sighed resignedly. "I just really wanted you and Luke to get together so I thought if I got in the way of your dates with Mr Green and showed you how great Luke was you might change your mind."

Lorelai couldn't help the bubble of laughter that spilled from her lips.

"You thought I was dating Connor's dad? Where on Earth did you get that idea?" she sputtered.

Her brow furrowed in frustration, Rory explained simply, "Connor told Lane you went on a date with his dad before school broke up."

"Oh babe," Lorelai laughed, dropping her head into her hands. "We have seriously gotten our wires crossed."

"So you didn't go on a date with him?" Rory inquired skeptically, her face blanketed in confusion. And there it was. The flicker of hope igniting in her chest once again.

"No, I did. I just…it was one date Rory. Hardly even a date, really. Just lunch. And I sure never had any plans to do it again."

"So if it wasn't Connor's dad you were meant to be going out with these last few weekends, who was it?"

"You really wanna know?" Lorelai responded with a chuckle, raising her head slightly so her eyes peeked out over the top of her hands.

Rory nodded impatiently, her fingers tightening against the rough wood of the bench.

"Luke. I was going out with Luke."

"You what?" Rory asked, her eyes widening in shock and her jaw dropping involuntarily. "Luke Luke? Diner Luke? Our Luke?"

"The one and only."

"You have got to be kidding me."

Sighting Lorelai's impish expression, Rory groaned, "So you mean to tell me that all this time I've been stopping you from going out with the guy I wanted you to be with all along?"

"Sounds that way kid."

"Oh my God," she moaned. "Wait until I tell Lane. I'm such an idiot."

"Hey, nobody calls my kid an idiot. You hear me?" Lorelai challenged, extending her arm to wrap around Rory's shoulders and drawing her closer.

"Moommm," Rory giggled, rolling her eyes. "I really am sorry," she added sincerely a moment later.

"I know babe. I'm sorry too. I should have told you about Luke right away. I was waiting for the right moment and then you just seemed so worried about the whole thing that I didn't want to upset you more. I love you so much that I hate to see you sad or worried."

"It's not your fault. I should have let you go and not acted like a big baby."

After a moment's silence, Lorelai bumped her shoulder against Rory's side and said, "Look at us going all Brady Bunch on each other. We're getting all soppy and serious."

"Ugh, gross," Rory muttered in solidarity, a grin gracing her lips.

"I guess I can be a little thick-headed sometimes, huh?"

"I didn't think you'd ever wake up and notice Luke," Rory moaned exasperatedly, throwing her hands up into her hair.

"Well, better late than never, hey kid?"

Rory smiled and nodded, snuggling into her mother's side.

"As much as I loved your little surprise date tonight, you think you could maybe leave the wheeling and dealing up to me from now on?" Lorelai requested.

"I guess…" Rory drawled, her tone teasing. "As long as you promise not to be so slow on the uptake."

"Hey!" Lorelai shouted in mock offence. Lifting a hand to tickle Rory's belly lightly, she added, "How about you come and tell me next time you think I'm missing what's right in front of my eyes, okay? No sneaking around. We're in this together, remember."

"Okay," Rory agreed, lapsing into silence as she soaked up her mother's warmth.

"I should never have let you watch that damn Parent Trap movie," Lorelai muttered under her breath, prompting a pleased grin from her daughter.

The reality of the situation finally sinking in a moment later, Rory's face jerked up toward Lorelai's as she excitedly asked, "So you and Luke are together?"

"Well he hasn't serenaded me with a love song or stood outside my room with a boom box all night or released 12 white doves fro…"

"Moommm," Rory groaned once again.

"Luke and I are together," Lorelai confirmed, powerless against the smile lighting up her whole face.

Rory immediately leapt to her feet and started squealing as she bounced around the gazebo in delight.

"I guess I don't need to ask how you feel about that," Lorelai teased.

"Mom this is the BEST news! Luke and you! You and Luke! Luke!"

Lorelai simply chuckled, her grin still firmly in place as her daughter babbled excitedly.

"We're going to get so much free pie!"

"Rory!" Lorelai scolded, but her voice lacked conviction and she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up inside her. Watching her daughter hop delightedly from toe to toe, she added seriously, "Just remember, this isn't a fairytale like your books, okay? This may not work out so I don't want you to pin all of your hopes on it. It's early days, so we're just enjoying hanging out and seeing how things go. Don't go getting any crazy ideas."

"It's going to work; I know it is!" Rory squeaked, clapping her hands together.

Knowing that toning down her daughter's excitement level was a lost cause, Lorelai reached for Rory's hands and uttered, "So you wanna hear about our date?"

Rendered almost-deaf from the resulting squeal, Lorelai settled Rory on her lap, cuddling her close as she proceeded to recount her evening and convey just how thankful she was for her surprise date.

"OK, well this amazing little girl I know – mischievous but oh-so-lovable – decided to play matchmaker…"

-o-

Well, it wasn't quite the date they'd been banking on but at least our faves finally got a chance to spend some quality time together. What did you think? Would love, love, love to hear your thoughts :)