Hopefully you guys can use this as a pick me up after the events of the past 12 hours here in the U.S. Nothing like a presidential election to get me writing like crazy.
Lorelai leaned over Victoria's crib and rubbed her hand over her sleeping daughter's back. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"We'll be fine," Luke promised.
"I hate leaving her."
"I know."
"She just ate, but I pumped earlier if she wakes up," Lorelai said. "The bottles are in the fridge."
"I know."
"She likes to be held against your shoulder, not your chest," Lorelai continued, stroking a finger over Victoria's cheek. "If she's crying you should bounce her, not rock her."
"Lorelai, she's my daughter too," Luke reminded her gently. "I know all of this."
Lorelai sighed as she turned to him with tears in her eyes. "I know she'll be okay with you," she whispered. "I've just never left her."
Luke offered her a sympathetic smile as he reached out to twirl a strand of her hair around his finger. "She'll be okay," he promised. "You'll go to the doctor, and get the all clear, then come right home. She probably won't even wake up."
Lorelai leaned into his embrace for a moment. "Call me if anything changes," she said.
"Lorelai."
"Please, Luke," she murmured into his shirt. "This is so hard."
He ran a hand over her back and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'll call."
"Thank you," she sighed, but didn't make any effort to move.
"The sooner you go, the sooner you'll get back," Luke murmured.
Lorelai pulled back and offered him a tentative smile. "Trying to get rid of me?" she asked.
"No, just trying to give you some encouragement," he replied.
After another moment snuggled into his embrace, Lorelai turned back to the crib. "I'll be back very soon, sweet girl," she promised. "Be good for Daddy. I love you so much."
She finally turned away and Luke flipped on the baby monitor before he followed her out the door. "So…you know…good luck," he said as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
Lorelai smiled as she pulled on her pink coat. "I see now that your kid's no longer involved you're back to living in blissful ignorance of all things doctor related," she commented.
He shrugged. "Someone has to take care of her," he said.
"Who better than her doting daddy?" Lorelai sighed. She buttoned her pink coat and gestured proudly to her figure. "Another article of clothing that fits again!"
Luke reached out to take her by the waist. "You look beautiful," he told her.
"Good answer," Lorelai said. She placed her hands on his chest and leaned up to kiss him. "Call me if you need me?"
Knowing this was hard for Lorelai, Luke squeezed her gently. "Promise," he said.
Lorelai took a final deep breath and then pulled out of his arms. "Okay, I can do this," she said, turning to pull the front door open. Luke watched her walk down the steps and slide into her car, quickly backing out of the driveway and heading towards town square.
Once the car had disappeared from sight, Luke walked back into the house and shut the door behind him. He wasn't used to the house being so quiet. Between Lorelai's constant babbling, April conducting science experiments in the dining room, and the newest girl in his life proving how healthy her lungs were, it was rare for Luke to have a quiet moment to himself. He didn't mind the noise though.
He had no idea how he'd survived in that lonely apartment in the diner for so many years.
As he ambled towards the kitchen, he decided that now was as good a time as any to clean out the fridge. With April at school and Lorelai at her five week post delivery check up, there was no one to complain about which food he threw out.
Halfway through the process of cleaning out stale Chinese food and pizza, Luke heard a soft whimper come through the baby monitor. He froze and angled his head toward the machine, listening for any further sounds from Victoria. After a moment, he heard her begin to coo softly, meaning she was awake and happy. Needing no time to think twice, Luke abandoned the garbage bag of old food and headed straight for Victoria's room.
"Hey, sweetheart," he said softly as he reached into the crib to scoop her up. "Awake already, huh?"
Victoria immediately curled into his shoulder, and he bounced her slightly as he felt her diaper. "Nice and dry still," he said. "Want to read for a little bit? Your big sister Rory sent you a special Boston book."
He reached for the picture book Rory had sent the day before and then settled into the rocking chair in the corner of the room. As Victoria stared up at him, Luke immediately decided to postpone the book in favor of looking at his daughter. "You're so beautiful," he said quietly. "Just like your mom."
It was true. Victoria was growing and changing every day, and Luke was able to see more of Lorelai in her every time he looked at her. Victoria was a perfect combination of all the most important women in his life. She had Rory's big blue eyes, and when she discovered something new about the world, her expression was the same curious one he'd seen on April's face hundreds of times before. Her light brown hair was growing longer and thicker every day, and Luke could distinctly remember that same hair brushing against his cheek as his mother had leaned in to tuck him into bed decades ago.
Now alone with Victoria, he allowed himself a rare moment of self indulgence as he took in his own features that were present in her. As she blinked her beautiful blue eyes up at him, he could see her long lashes brush against her cheeks. He held his index finger out for her to grab, and saw his own long fingers reflected in her smaller fist. One day he'd position those fingers around a fishing pole as he taught her how to reel in a rod.
He wasn't sure how long he sat there, admiring his daughter, but eventually her face began to crumple. "Are you getting hungry?" he asked. Over the past few weeks he'd become accustomed to Victoria's habits and mannerisms. He knew it was only a matter of minutes before she started crying. "Mom left you a bottle, let's go heat it up."
Luke made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. Holding Victoria upright against his shoulder with one arm, he easily navigated through the kitchen, pulling the bottle out of the fridge and moving it to the stove to heat it. As he waited for it to warm, he gently bounced to soothe Victoria, slightly impressed with himself. Upon bringing Victoria home from the hospital, both Lorelai and Rory had been very vocal about how much he'd changed, marveling at how comfortable he was with a newborn. Clearly they'd both been on the wrong end of his baby oriented rants many times throughout the years and had been expecting more of a transition period.
Luke had to admit, that he was impressed how all of them had adjusted to Victoria's presence in their lives. Lorelai had taken to narrating her favorite movies while she nursed Victoria, April read aloud to Victoria from her various textbooks, and Rory called almost nightly to read to her baby sister through speaker phone. For his own part, Luke had adjusted to cooking with one hand, cradling Victoria in the other as he described each step of a recipe to her.
"Alright, sweetheart, time for a snack," he murmured as he picked up the bottle and walked into the living room. He settled onto the couch and offered Victoria the bottle. She quickly began consuming its contents.
As he watched Victoria eat, Luke couldn't help but reflect on how easy it had been to care for her. He'd certainly had his frustrating moments, usually including either a middle of the night wake up or an especially messy diaper change, but as a whole he loved taking care of Victoria. He speculated it would have been much more stressful without Lorelai's confidence and guidance, but he also knew that he would do anything for Victoria to be happy.
"You really were hungry," he observed as she finished the bottle with a contented sigh. He lifted her to his shoulder and gently patted her back. "I suppose you are a Gilmore after all."
She let out a soft burp and he smiled softly before he lowered her back into his arms. "I hope you turn out like your mom," he said. "Strong and successful, and able to talk to people easily. It's okay if you never feel the need to date, though."
Victoria sighed, and Luke couldn't help but shake his head. He knew that Victoria couldn't consciously react to what he was saying, but the sigh she let out was so Lorelai that it seemed entirely possible that she was offering her opinion on his statement.
"How about we see if there's a basketball game on?" he suggested, reaching for the remote. He tuned into the Uconn game and muted the TV before he stretched out on the couch. "Contrary to what your mother has probably already told you, it's not just a bunch of tall guys running around in shorts."
Victoria settled her head against his chest as he held onto her tightly. The game continued to flash across the TV, but Luke found himself more interested in watching Victoria. It was the first significant amount of time they'd shared just the two of them, and he found himself wanting to enjoy it.
"We're doing okay, you and me," he murmured as he smoothed a hand over her back. She gently punched her hand against his chest and he laughed slightly. "I know you probably miss Mom, but she'll be back soon. It's kind of nice, being just the two of us for awhile, isn't it?"
Victoria responded by clutching his shirt in her tiny fist, and he leaned his head forward to press a kiss to the top of her head. He'd pictured this moment countless times before, but now in the quiet winter afternoon, Luke knew that it was better than he'd ever imagined it could be.
XXXXX
"You're obsessing."
Lorelai continued to fuss over Victoria as she leaned into the backseat of their car. "I just want her to look perfect," she told Luke, who was hovering behind her.
"You don't need to try so hard," Luke replied. "It's cold, she needs to get inside."
With a sigh, Lorelai pulled Victoria's hat tighter on her head before she lifted her out of the car seat. "Okay, you're right," she said. Luke slammed the car door shut behind her, and they walked together across the parking lot to the large office complex in front of them.
"Is it weird, being back here?" Lorelai asked as Luke held the door open for her.
"A little," he said. They walked towards the elevator, and he pushed the call button before he turned to her. "I don't have that huge pit in my stomach that I used to have," he observed.
Lorelai smiled as she bounced slightly, rocking Victoria from side to side. "It's strange," she said. "This place is so…clinical, and yet we shared so many personal things here. It's where we forgave each other and decided to move past everything."
Luke reached out to play with Victoria's long fingers. "She might not exist if you hadn't pushed me to come with you," he admitted.
"I didn't push, you volunteered," Lorelai said, pressing a soft kiss to Victoria's forehead.
"Because I was terrified of losing you again."
The elevator doors slid open and they stepped inside. Luke pushed the button for the third floor, and Lorelai turned to look at him carefully. "That first time you came, you held my hand while we were waiting for the elevator," she recalled.
"So?" Luke asked, not seeing the significance behind her memory.
"So, it told me how different things were, how willing you were to try to make things better," Lorelai said. "It was such a small moment, but before that I don't think we'd ever held hands in public. It was refreshing."
"I like holding your hand."
"Okay, Ringo."
The elevator doors slid open and they walked into Abby's office. It looked largely the same, even though it had been nearly a year since Lorelai had last been there to discuss her nightmares and fears of never having another kid.
"Welcome back!" Abby said with a smile as she approached them. She shook Luke's hand before she turned to Lorelai and commented, "What a wonderful addition we have today!"
"This is Victoria," Lorelai said, turning so Abby could see Victoria's sleeping face.
"Come on back," Abby said with a smile. "It's not often I get such happy visits at work."
They retreated into Abby's office, and Luke automatically sat down on the couch where he always had. Lorelai hovered over Abby's chair as she transferred Victoria into her waiting arms.
"Look what you guys did," Abby said in awe as she leaned back to examine Victoria closely.
"Yeah, we did pretty well," Lorelai confirmed as she sat down beside Luke and reached for his hand.
"How old is she now?" Abby asked, lifting her gaze to Lorelai's.
"Six weeks," Lorelai said proudly. "So far she's been perfect. It looks like she likes you, she's not this open to anyone holding her. When TJ first held her she cried for nearly an hour. Luke was the only one who could calm her down."
"That's because I'm the only other one who understands how irritating he is," Luke grumbled.
Abby smiled before she turned back to the baby in her arms. "Hi, Victoria," she whispered.
Lorelai glanced at Luke before she turned back to Abby and said quietly, "Victoria Abigail."
Abby's head snapped up, her eyes darting between the two of them. "Really?" she asked.
"You'll never know how much you helped us," Lorelai said. "We've come such a long way in the past two years, and without the time and resources you gave us, this little girl might not exist. So we wanted to name her Abigail."
"But you didn't have to do this," Abby insisted. "I'm sure there were plenty of other names to choose from."
Luke cleared his throat and scooted closer to Lorelai, resting a hand on her knee. "Lorelai's right," he said. "I was skeptical about coming here at first, but it was worth it. Lorelai and I are better than we've ever been because you helped us learn how to communicate with each other. This is the least we could do to say thank you."
"Well, I'm honored," Abby said. She admired Victoria for another moment before she looked up to Lorelai. "How are you feeling?"
"Good," Lorelai nodded. "She was big, so it was a hard delivery, but I'm pretty much healed now. Still shedding the pounds though."
"Well, you look great," Abby said with a smile. "I wish I'd looked as good as you do six weeks after my kids were born."
Lorelai smiled, but ducked her head down in a rare moment of self consciousness. "Thanks," she said.
Abby smiled, then looked towards Luke. "This is new for you. How are you doing?"
Out of habit, Luke let out a stressed breath and looked at the ceiling, causing both Lorelai and Abby to laugh. "This is just a casual visit, hon," Lorelai reminded him. "There will be no hashing out hurt feelings or accusations like there were before."
Luke shrugged self consciously. "It's been an adjustment," he acknowledged. "But a good one."
Lorelai smiled as she reached out to place her hand gently on his knee. "A very good one," she agreed.
"How's April?" Abby asked. "And Rory?"
"Both doing well," Lorelai confirmed. "April's been a huge help with her new sister. Having that extra pair of hands is always good. And Rory's in Boston now, working for a literary magazine at Harvard."
"Wow," Abby said, raising her eyebrows with an impressed nod. "I'm glad everything's going well."
Lorelai smiled as she leaned forward, tucking Victoria's blanket away from her face. "A far cry from where we were two years ago," she acknowledged. It had been almost exactly two years since Lorelai had swallowed her pride and first set foot into Abby's office. At that point, she and Luke were still barely speaking and she wouldn't have dared to dream that they'd be here together with a baby.
"I'm glad you came by," Abby said. "Usually people just leave me behind. It's nice to see that your hard work has paid off."
"We owe you that much," Lorelai said gently.
Abby glanced between the two of them for a moment. "I know this is a social visit, but could I offer you a piece of free advice?" she asked.
Lorelai glanced over her shoulder at Luke, who shrugged. "Sure," he said.
"Take an evening for the two of you," Abby suggested. "I completely understand why you don't want to leave Victoria, but if there's one thing my job has taught me, it's that you should take time for yourselves as well. Leave her with April or a friend, and just go to dinner for an hour or two. You don't want to lose what you've built to being parents of a newborn."
Luke had voiced similar concerns about their relationship during Lorelai's pregnancy, and she now realized that the past six weeks had flown by with very little time just the two of them. They'd both taken to stopping in for short shifts at the inn and the diner, but the other was usually home to care for Victoria. They'd ventured out for walks through town and to her parents' house for dinner a few times, but Victoria had been heavily involved in everything they did.
She didn't regret doting on their daughter, but she had to admit that an evening alone with Luke sounded nice. As he reached out to run his fingers through her hair, she could tell that he was tempted as well. "Thanks," he was saying to Abby. "We talked about that before she was born. We'll get working on it."
Abby smiled, and leaned down to look at Victoria. "She's waking up," she observed. "Her eyes are beautiful."
"Yeah, they are," Luke agreed. "Gilmore eyes."
Lorelai shook her head slightly and turned to Abby. "You probably don't recognize him," she said, nodding to Luke. "He's all romantic and emotional now."
"Babies will do that," Abby said as Victoria began to whine slightly. "It's okay, Victoria, I'm a friend."
"Give her to Luke," Lorelai suggested as he stood. "He's the one who calms her down the quickest."
Abby handed Victoria over to Luke, who began to pace the room, patting his daughter's back and murmuring soft words of comfort to her.
"He's a natural," Abby observed to Lorelai.
"Surprisingly," Lorelai said. "How fair is that, though? I spend nearly a year of my life having all kinds of painful and disgusting symptoms, only to have her like him more."
"I'm sure she loves you both equally," Abby said. "She's a beautiful baby, Lorelai, I'm really happy for you."
"Thanks," Lorelai said. "For everything. I'm sure you were completely overwhelmed by the mess that was Lorelai Gilmore when she first stumbled into your office."
"Not overwhelmed," Abby said with a smile. "I did see the challenge in front of me though."
Lorelai watched as Luke paused by the window, murmuring to Victoria while he pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Sometimes it's hard to believe it's only been two years," she admitted. "It feels like we've been married and happy forever."
"That's good," Abby acknowledged. "You deserve to be happy."
Luke turned to Lorelai and cleared his throat. "She needs a diaper change," he informed her.
Lorelai flashed Abby an apologetic smile. "Sorry," she said as she reached for the diaper bag resting at her feet. "I'll bring her to the restroom."
"Don't be sorry, I'm very familiar with changing diapers in a variety of places," Abby said with a nod. She glanced at her watch and said, "I hate to kick you out, but I do have another appointment in a few minutes."
"We get it," Lorelai said as she stood, slinging the bag over her shoulder. "Since I think Luke and are I officially rid off all of our baggage, maybe we could get lunch sometime without crossing that doctor/patient conflict of interest."
"I'd like that a lot," Abby nodded. Nodding towards Victoria, she commented, "Who knows, maybe my two year old son is her soulmate."
Lorelai's eyes lit up and Luke glared at her. "Do not start marrying our daughter off before she's two months old," he demanded.
"Fine, ruin all my fun," Lorelai sighed. "I'll change her diaper, and you can pull the car around so we don't have to walk in the cold."
Luke nodded and handed Victoria to her. Turning to Abby he said, "It was good seeing you, Abby."
"You too, Luke," she said warmly.
"You have my cell phone number, right?" Lorelai asked. "Give me a call and we can talk girl talk."
Abby smiled. "Sounds like a plan," she said. "Drive safely."
Fifteen minutes later, Lorelai slid into the passenger seat and glanced at Luke. "What do you think?" she asked.
"About what?" he glanced at her as he pulled the car out of the parking lot.
"About who really killed JFK," Lorelai responded immediately. He offered her an impatient glare, and she grew serious. "About leaving her with a baby sitter," she said as she pointed to the backseat.
Luke sighed and was quiet for a moment. "I don't like leaving her," he admitted. "Even going to work at the diner for a couple hours is tough, but I know you're with her."
"Yes, but when we go out you won't be flipping burgers and arguing with Taylor over changing your logo," Lorelai said. "You'll be sitting with me, engaged in witty conversation and admiring how stunningly beautiful I am."
He offered her a small side smile. "I want to," he said. "It's just…scary. When one of us goes out, she's with the other. She's never been without both of us."
"I know," Lorelai said. She was quiet for a moment as she looked out the window. "We could ask April to watch her. She knows how to take care of her, and Victoria loves her. That would probably be the easiest solution."
Luke nodded slowly. "We could," he said hesitantly.
Lorelai looked at him curiously. "What is it?" she asked.
Luke let out a long breath. "April's a kid herself," he said slowly, glancing at her to anticipate her reaction.
"So?" Lorelai asked. "Teenagers babysit all the time. And they're sisters."
"I just don't want to strap her with that," Luke said. "I don't want her to feel like we're using her."
"Okay," Lorelai shrugged. "How about we ask her? If she has a lot of homework or is going out with her friends or something we can call Sookie. Or Liz. Or Lane. Geez, we've babysat for a lot of people's kids. They all owe us favors."
"True," Luke nodded. He continued driving, then commented, "It will be nice, to have some time to ourselves."
"Yeah," Lorelai sighed. "Is it crazy that I feel like I miss you?"
"No," Luke shook his head. He reached out to rub his hand gently over her knee. "I miss you too."
"But we're always together."
"With a lot of diapers and bottles," Luke murmured. "Not that I regret time I've spent with Victoria, but it would be nice to spend an hour or so with you when we don't have to worry about the baby monitor."
"Yeah, it will be," Lorelai nodded. She rested her hand on top of his and squeezed it gently. "I um…got a new prescription at the doctor last week."
Luke's head snapped towards her. "Prescription?" he asked. "I thought you said everything was okay."
"Hey, eyes on the road!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Baby in the car, remember?"
He turned back to the road, but gently squeezed her knee. "What prescription?" he asked. "Is it safe for you to be feeding Victoria on medicine? Is it something that went wrong in the delivery?"
"Slow down, Mr. Positive," Lorelai said with an amused smile. "It's birth control."
Luke visibly relaxed, and then a sheepish expression crossed his face. "Oh."
"It's perfectly fine for me to be breastfeeding," Lorelai promised. "I just…well, I got the all clear from the doctor, and I didn't want to take any chances when we start getting dirty again."
"Makes sense," Luke nodded. He glanced at her and said, "I haven't been pressuring you, have I?"
"No," Lorelai shook her head.
"Good," he said. "I know the other night things were, uh…heated."
Lorelai smiled as she remembered the gentle way Luke had run his hands over her body during a heavy make out session on the couch earlier in the week. "It was heated," she acknowledged. "It felt good. You may have even made it to third base if it wasn't for our cute little interruption in the backseat."
"Just tell me when you're ready," Luke said. "I'll follow your lead on this."
"I'll tell you," she promised. She watched as Luke pulled off the highway and began to maneuver the streets of Stars Hollow. "It feels weird to have to talk about this so…clinically. We've done it thousands of times, it shouldn't be so awkward."
Luke shrugged. "Maybe, but it's better to do it this way than for you to be uncomfortable," he said. "We can go out to dinner and enjoy each other without the pressure of sex."
"We can," Lorelai confirmed. "Can we go to that bistro in Litchfield? The one with the cinnamon rolls for dessert?"
"Sure," Luke nodded. "We can talk to April and see if she can watch Victoria tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," Lorelai repeated, biting her lower lip. She peered into the backseat and asked, "Is it too soon?"
Luke pulled the car into the driveway and put it in park. "It's not going to be easy to leave her," he said. "But the longer we put it off, the harder it'll be."
Lorelai sighed. "So logical," she said. "Will you get Victoria? I'll call Sookie and see if she'll be around tomorrow night just in case."
"Sure," Luke nodded. He leaned forward to kiss her cheek and squeeze her knee. "We can do this."
"We can do this," Lorelai nodded, but her eyes remained uncertain. She leaned her head back against the seat before she followed him towards the house, both looking forward to and dreading the following evening.
XXXXX
"Okay, now if she ingests any chemicals, the number for poison control is right under the number for animal control," Lorelai said to April the following evening. Tapping the piece of paper in her hand, she ordered, "Memorize it."
April didn't even glance at the paper, and chose instead to focus her attention on Victoria, who was resting peacefully in her arms. "We'll be fine, Lorelai," she promised.
"Okay, but just go over everything for me one more time," Lorelai requested.
With a sigh, April turned on the couch to face Lorelai. "You and Dad will be in Litchfield," she recited. "You'll both have your cell phones, and the restaurant's number is at the top of the list. You'll be back by ten, and Sookie and Liz are both home if I need anything. Victoria is freshly changed and fed, but there are clean diapers in the changing table and bottles in the fridge. If she needs a bottle, I have to heat it in the microwave for thirty eight seconds. I'll put her in her crib around eight, and make sure I carry the receiving end of the baby monitor with me when I move to another room. Her pediatrician's phone number is listed, and if it's an emergency I should call 911, then you and Dad, then Liz or Sookie. The numbers for the police department, animal control, and poison control are all listed. Oh, and you're completely freaking out."
"Excuse me, I'm not freaking out," Lorelai frowned. "I'm a concerned mother, leaving her kids alone for the first time."
"We'll be fine," April promised. "Won't we, Victoria? You're going to help me study for my test on Mendel's laws of genetics."
"Uh huh, fascinating," Lorelai said impatiently. "Now, if the power goes out…"
"Lorelai," April sighed. "The power's not going to go out."
Luke charged into the room at that moment, looking directly at April. "I put the child locks on all the toilets," he said. "And made sure that the knife block is locked in the highest cabinet in the kitchen. You shouldn't have to use the stove since the pizza's already here, but if there's a gas leak, you just have to call the fire department and get out of the house right away."
"Oh, the fire department!" Lorelai cried, smacking the side of her head. "How did I forget to put that number on the list?"
"Oh my god!" April cried, her patience finally snapping. "We're going to be fine, despite how completely insane the two of you are being."
"This is the first time you'll be alone with her," Lorelai reminded her.
"Yeah, and when you were my age, you had your own kid," April said.
"Not for another year!" Lorelai stated crossing her arms over her chest defensively.
April rolled her eyes and looked down at Victoria. "You've got a long eighteen years ahead of you," she stated.
"Give her to me," Luke said, leaning down to scoop Victoria into his arms. "Okay, Victoria, Mom and I are going to go out to dinner for an hour or two. I promise we'll be back very soon, and your big sister April is going to take very good care of you."
Lorelai stood and peered down at Victoria, who looked back up at her with wide eyes, then began waving her arms in the air. "She doesn't look right," Lorelai observed. Stepping closer, she pressed her lips against Victoria's cheek and frowned. "I think she has a fever, does she feel warm to you?"
Luke's face morphed to concern as he reached up to press his hand against her forehead. "Maybe you're right," he said. Glancing at Lorelai, he murmured, "She hasn't gotten her measles vaccination yet."
"Okay, now you're being ridiculous," April said. "You're going. Both of you. Before you have to tell me, I already know that the thermometer is in my bathroom cabinet, and you have a fresh bottle of baby Tylenol in there is well. If she has a fever, I'll give her the appropriate dosage and call you right away. I'll also call Sookie, so there will be a mother to care for her while you break all kinds of speeding laws getting home."
Glancing at Lorelai, Luke saw her trying to bite back a smile. "Fine, we get it," he said. "It's not that we don't trust you, kid, this is just new for us."
"I know, which is why you need to go," April said. "I'm giving you sixty more seconds to say goodbye, and then I'm going to call Rory. We all know she's not above driving down from Boston to kick you out of the house, but she'll hold it over your head forever."
"She's right," Lorelai said. She reached out to take Victoria into her arms. "I love you so much, pretty girl. I promise the second we get home, we'll come check on you."
"Thirty seconds," April warned.
Lorelai frowned and pressed a kiss to Victoria's head. "Say goodbye to Daddy."
Luke took his daughter and offered her a kiss of his own, then hugged her close for a moment. "Have fun with your big sister," he murmured. "We'll be home very soon."
April waved her cell phone in the air. "Ten, nine, eight…"
"You win," Luke said, handing Victoria over to her. "Remember, if she needs a bottle, put it in the microwave…"
"For thirty eight seconds," April finished. She sat down on the couch and reached for a textbook with her free hand, the other holding Victoria against her chest. "She's my sister, Dad, I know. Goodbye."
"Bye," Luke said, gently nudging Lorelai out of the living room. She reluctantly followed him, her eyes filled with concern. "She'll be okay."
Lorelai looked at him doubtfully. "Excuse me, you're the one who wanted to install a camera in the living room," she accused.
"I know, and we're both nervous," Luke acknowledged. "Step back for a second and think logically. She's with April, who she loves. Sookie and Liz are on call, and we'll only be twenty minutes away."
With a deep sigh, Lorelai nodded. "I know." She looked at him closely, her lips curving up into a smile as she took in his black pants and light blue sweater. "You look very handsome."
Luke smiled and gave her body a once over. He licked his lips and commented, "You look beautiful, as always."
Smoothing her hands over her stomach, Lorelai blushed slightly. "Thank you," she murmured. "I'm still not quite back to normal."
With a shake of his head, Luke stepped forward and placed his hands on her hips. "Beautiful," he repeated before he leaned down to kiss her.
Lorelai wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed the kiss to deepen before she pulled back and tapped his chest gently. "If you want me to put out, you're going to have to buy me dinner first, mister."
After one more peck, Luke pulled back and gestured towards the door. "After you," he said with a warm smile.
Halfway to the truck, Lorelai paused and turned back to the house. "I forgot to tell April where the teething rings are," she said.
"Lorelai, Victoria's six weeks old," Luke reminded her as he took her arm and led her to the truck. "She's nowhere near teething."
Lorelai frowned as he helped her into the passenger seat. "She's very advanced for her age you know," she said.
"I know," Luke said as he slid into his own seat.
"She may be crawling by the time we get home," Lorelai pressed. "Talking. You really don't want to miss her first sip of coffee, do you?"
"We're going to dinner, not a reading of the Raven," Luke said with a teasing smile as he pulled the car onto the road.
Lorelai shook her head with a laugh. "I seriously thought that night would never end," she commented. "And your stupid wife was throwing me all kinds of shady looks that night."
"She wasn't my wife at the time," Luke reminded her.
"No, but she was close," Lorelai sighed. She fiddled with the sleeve of her coat. "Your exes sure have a pattern of hating my guts."
Luke reached for her hand. "Do you really care what any of them think?" he inquired.
"Nicole, no," Lorelai sighed. "Anna…well, no, but at least we've reached some sort of civil form of interacting for April's sake."
"Tonight's supposed to be about us," Luke reminded her gently. "I don't want to rehash the past."
"You're right, I'm sorry," Lorelai sighed. Tapping the side of her head, she commented, "Hormones are still off I guess."
"You know you can't use that excuse forever," he informed her.
"Okay," Lorelai shrugged. "I guess I won't act on some of the less emotional, more physical hormonal urges, if you know what I mean."
Luke cleared his throat. "Oh, look here we are," he said as he pulled into a parking space.
Lorelai smiled, turning her head to look at him. "Luke?" she said quietly.
"Yeah?" he paused with his hand on the door handle.
"I'm really glad we're doing this," Lorelai said softly. "I love being Victoria's mom, but…I love being your wife too."
He leaned across the seat to kiss her softly. "I love having you as my wife," he confirmed.
She beamed and patted his chest. "Now, buy me dinner and I promise you'll have a very good chance at making a home run tonight," she stated.
"Very ladylike," Luke said before he got out of the car and came around to open her door for her.
"What can I say, you married a lady of society," Lorelai said in a sophisticated voice. "Or, you know, a girl who would have been a lady if she hadn't run away."
Luke put his hand on the small of her back as he led her towards the door of the restaurant. "Thank god you did," he murmured into her ear.
Lorelai leaned back into him with a fond smile. "Yeah," she agreed. "Thank god I did."
XXXXX
Around ten thirty that night, Lorelai crept into the living room with Luke behind her. April was curled up on the couch with a textbook in her hands, perched precariously on the couch as she dozed. The baby monitor was sitting beside an empty mug with a tea bag sitting in it, and Lorelai turned to look at Luke with a fond smile.
Luke leaned over to shake April's shoulder gently. "Wake up, kid, we're home," he murmured softly.
April shot up immediately, reaching past him for the baby monitor. "Is she okay?" she asked. "I was only sleeping for a minute, I swear."
"She's fine, sweetie," Lorelai said as she sat down on the end of the couch. "We just checked on her."
"Thanks for watching her," Luke added as he straightened. "We appreciate it."
"It was fine," April said. She sat up straight and glanced between Luke and Lorelai. They both looked relaxed, and April watched as they shared a knowing glance. Upon closer inspection she noticed that Lorelai's hair was slightly more rumpled than usual and her father's face was a bright red, like he felt guilty about something. April wrinkled her nose slightly at the presumption of why they looked as they did, then stood. "Did you have fun?"
"We did," Lorelai promised. "We'll take over from here, you're off the hook. And to say thank you, your dad will make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast tomorrow."
April giggled and Luke rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Dad," she said. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."
"Night," Luke said, leaning down to kiss her cheek before she walked towards the stairs.
Lorelai beamed up at him. "Should we continue what we started in the driveway?" she asked with a sly smile.
"Maybe in a bit," Luke said. "Give April some time to get to sleep."
"Planning on making me scream?" Lorelai asked with raised eyebrows.
"No, I just know that you do scream," Luke countered as he sat down beside her on the couch.
"Well, you only have yourself to blame for that," Lorelai said.
He laughed and reached out to pat her thigh. "I'd say sorry, but I'm really not," he said with a smirk.
"Don't be," Lorelai said. She curled her legs under her and reached out to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Can I be honest?"
He turned his head to look at her. "Please," he nodded.
"I'm a little nervous," she whispered.
"We don't have to…"
Lorelai interrupted him with a hand over his mouth. "I want to," she said. "Really, that little preview in the truck made me sure that I want to. But it's only been six weeks, and I'm not sure, physically…" Her voice trailed off and she ducked her head away, embarrassed.
"Hey," Luke murmured, turning her face back to him. "We'll go slow. You say stop, and we stop. Don't do anything for my sake."
Lorelai shook her head slightly. "Really sexy foreplay we've got going on," she said.
With an affectionate smile, Luke commented, "You've literally talked about various forms of junk food during foreplay."
Lorelai scoffed and played along. "Whatever, Mr. 'The Red Sox just won the World Series and now I can't keep it in my pants,'" she said.
"They broke the curse!" Luke defended.
"And you made me come to bed wearing your Red Sox t-shirt and hat," Lorelai pointed out.
"I'm pretty sure you called me and made me come over to your house," Luke said. "And answered the door wearing those two articles of clothing and nothing else."
Lorelai giggled. "I don't recall you complaining," she said.
He used his pointer finger to gently trace random shapes over her thigh. "That was the first night I stayed at your house," he commented.
"The first night any man stayed at my house," Lorelai replied. "I broke the no boy rule for you."
"It was much appreciated," Luke nodded. He looked at her carefully and asked, "You think we still have that Red Sox shirt?"
"Probably," Lorelai nodded. "Next time they win I'll put it on."
"Why wait?" Luke asked, leaning towards her.
She leaned forward to kiss him deeply, shifting so she was resting on her knees beside him. Her hands moved to frame his face, and he responded eagerly. "Want to move this upstairs?" she whispered when she felt his lips trail down to the neckline of her dress.
Pulling back, he met her gaze with smoldering eyes. He reached out to run his fingers through her hair and murmured, "Promise you'll tell me if you need to stop?"
She leaned forward to kiss him again. "Only if you promise not to keep checking," she requested.
"Promise," he nodded.
"Me too," she said. She stood and held her hands out to him, pulling him to his feet and leading him to the stairs. As they climbed towards their bedroom, she glanced at him over her shoulder and told him, "I had a really great date."
Luke leaned forward to press a kiss to the back of her head. "Me too, beautiful girl," he murmured before he pushed her into the bedroom and gently closed the door behind them.
XXXXX
"…she's much less likely to yell at you."
Lorelai heard the end of Luke's statement as she drifted into consciousness the following morning, and turned over to see him sitting up in bed beside her. Victoria was lying in front of him as he gently waved her hands through the air. "Hey," she said, not moving from her spot snuggled against the pillows.
Luke turned to offer her a fond smile. "Morning, beautiful girl," he said. "How are you feeling today?"
Taking a moment to remember the night before, Lorelai smiled tenderly. Luke had been so gentle, his voice soft and affectionate as he'd made love to her, and she hadn't felt any less than cherished and beautiful. "Wonderful," she confessed. "Last night was amazing."
Luke smiled, his own eyes darkening. "Yeah, it was," he agreed. "You're incredible."
"Back at you, Cool Hand," she said as she pulled the covers tighter around her shoulders.
Turning back to Victoria, Luke commented, "She's been pretty snuggly since I went to get her."
"How long as she been up?" Lorelai asked softly, pushing her hair out of her face.
"Ten minutes or so," Luke shrugged. "I changed her diaper, then brought her in here."
"What time is it?" Lorelai asked, feeling her eyes start to fall shut again.
"Around six."
Lorelai sighed and forced her eyes open, feigning a look of disdain at Victoria. "You got your father's early morning genes?" she asked.
"She slept through the night," Luke pointed out.
"I guess you'd see it that way," Lorelai sighed. "Is she hungry?"
"She's not fussing," Luke said.
Lorelai nodded. "Okay," she said. She watched as Victoria kicked her feet in the air and Luke grabbed them, swinging them from side to side slightly. "She's in a playful mood this morning, isn't she?"
"Looks like it," Luke nodded. "She's growing so fast."
"Ugh, I know," Lorelai said. She kept her head on the pillow, but reached across Luke's lap to tickle her daughter's stomach slightly. "Morning, baby girl. We're going to break you of this early morning habit. Oh, yes we are!"
Victoria turned her head to look at her, her eyes widening slightly and her mouth opening. Lorelai blinked in response as she watched Victoria's face, then sat up quickly. "Did you see that?" she asked Luke.
He was examining their daughter just as closely. "Is she smiling?" he asked in wonder.
At the sound of his voice, Victoria turned to look at him, waving her arms in the air. Her face remained split by a huge smile, and her eyes were bright with happiness. "I think so," Lorelai said. She rested her head against Luke shoulder as she reached out to hold Victoria's hand in hers. "Good job, sweet girl."
"Such a gorgeous smile," Luke marveled.
Lorelai giggled as she leaned towards Victoria. "You've totally got him wrapped around your finger," she whispered loudly. "You've already got Rory's eyes, and once your hair gets longer I'll teach you the hair flip. Daddy will never say no."
"Don't do that, don't teach her how to take advantage of me," Luke frowned.
"Sorry," Lorelai said, lifting Victoria into her arms and turning her so their faces rested side by side. "Forgive me?"
Luke rolled his eyes and pointed an accusing finger at her. "I'm going to find a way to build immunity against this," he told her.
Lorelai laughed as she gently patted Victoria's back. "Sure, hon," she said. "It's only been fifteen years."
"Give me my kid," Luke said, holding his arms out. Victoria eagerly reached for him and Lorelai frowned as she handed her over.
"Traitor," she muttered to the baby, but ran an affectionate hand over her back. Turning to Luke, she asked, "Are you going to the diner today?"
He sighed as he looked down at Victoria. "I don't want to," he admitted.
"Yes, but we do need more diapers, so you've got to bring in the big bucks," Lorelai reminded him. "So do I."
Luke glanced at her. "You want to go back to work?" he asked.
Lorelai shrugged. "I love her," she said, pressing a kiss to Victoria's hand. "But I love the Dragonfly too. I kind of miss it."
"We'll work something out," Luke said. "I'm sure she'd like coming to work with you. Rory was an inn kid, she turned out okay."
"Yeah, she did," Lorelai acknowledged. "I was thinking we could get another travel crib and set it up in my office. That way she'll be close, but out of the way in case any of the guests realize she's the cutest kid in the world and try to kidnap her."
"We can do that," Luke nodded. He rocked her slightly and then added, "I was thinking of doing the same thing in my old apartment. Setting up a crib and a baby monitor, so she could stay with me sometimes."
Lorelai smiled fondly. "I think she'd like that," she said. "I'd miss having her with me, but…I don't get to be selfish like I was with Rory."
"You weren't selfish, you just didn't have anyone to share her with," Luke countered.
"Whatever," Lorelai shrugged. "We can work out a schedule. Or take it day by day."
"She can start at the inn for now," Luke said. "Especially since she needs you more than she needs me."
Lorelai watched as Victoria curled into Luke's chest and grabbed a fistful of his t-shirt in her tiny hand. "Doesn't seem like it at the moment," she commented as she ran a hand over her daughter's small back.
"She loves me, but she needs you," Luke emphasized.
Hearing his words made Lorelai aware of the pressure in her breasts and she sighed. "Guess so," she said. "If she's not hungry I'm going to have to pump."
Luke looked down at Victoria, who was dozing against his chest. "I think she's okay for now," he said.
"Okay," Lorelai nodded. "My stuff's downstairs, I'll be back in a bit."
"We'll be here," Luke promised, offering her a fond smile. She leaned in to kiss him then slid out of bed, pulling his flannel tighter around her body. Watching Luke and Victoria snuggle was something she'd never take for granted, and after the night before she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. They were finding a new rhythm, and Lorelai loved every part of it. She had no doubt that she and Luke would be able to work out a system for going back to work as well.
XXXXX
"There she is!" Sookie squealed when Lorelai walked into the kitchen of the Dragonfly a week later. She threw her spatula onto the stove and rushed to Lorelai, oblivious to the cook behind her quickly moving the melting plastic off the stove. "Oh, look how big she is!"
Lorelai smiled as she bounced her knees, patting Victoria's back slightly. "Say hi to Auntie Sookie," she said softly.
"I can't believe she's here!" Sookie cried. "We're going to have so much fun, just like we did with Rory!"
A bittersweet smile came across Lorelai's face. "She'll be a Connecticut Eloise," she said, repeating the title Rory had given herself years ago. "Except, you know, with a house to go home to and a diner where she'll spend time too."
"But this will be her favorite place," Sookie said. "I made cookies and brownies and chocolate milk, just like Rory always loved."
"Sookie, she's seven weeks old," Lorelai said.
"I know, but I figured you'd appreciate the treats," Sookie nodded. "Is Luke still here?"
"Nope, he set up the travel crib and tried to find plenty of excuses to stick around," Lorelai sighed. "But fortunately, he had a real reason to leave. He has parent teacher conferences at Chilton."
Sookie nodded knowingly. "I'd pay good money to see that," she commented.
"Why?" Lorelai frowned.
"You're kidding, right?" Sookie asked. "Luke and Max, in a parent teacher conference? You know it's going to turn into a conversation about you."
"Sookie, April doesn't have Max," Lorelai informed her.
"She doesn't?" Sookie asked.
"No," Lorelai said. "She's taking Greek mythology. Max is the Shakespeare guy. We'll probably have to cross that bridge next year."
"Oh," Sookie sighed. "So it's just a regular, boring parent teacher conference?"
"Well, there probably will be a little bit of entertainment value because Luke has to carry on a conversation about Mendelian genetics and bioethics," Lorelai said. "Thank god Rory was a literature person, I could at least pretend to converse about Proust."
Sookie nodded as she turned back to the stove. "I've got to get lunch ready," she said. "Let me know if you want anything to eat."
"I will," Lorelai nodded. She looked down at Victoria and said, "How about a tour of the inn, pretty girl?"
She walked through the door into the dining room and smiled. "This is where Mommy ate lots of yummy cake a couple days before you were born," she said. "And this is the library, which is Rory's favorite room. Through here we have the hallway, and right about here is where I was standing when Daddy gave me flowers for the first time."
"And about a foot away is where your crazy mother ran into a doorway," Michel drawled in a bored tone from the desk.
Lorelai frowned and then looked down at Victoria. "Ignore the man behind the desk," she said. "When you're older, I'll teach you how to polish his shoes."
"Your spawn is not getting anywhere near my three hundred dollar shoes!" Michel called with indignation as Lorelai began to climb the stairs. "This is room number seven," she said to Victoria. "It's the room Daddy stayed in right after he kissed me for the first time, and it's also the room Mommy stayed in the night before she married Daddy." She smiled as she stepped into her favorite room of the inn. It was free of guests, and as she took in the large bed, roll top desk, and antique dresser, she tried to picture what Luke had done that first night, after he'd kissed her. Had he gone right to bed? Had he wanted her to join him? Had he paced the floor and debated going to find her after she'd returned and admittedly given him the cold shoulder after her fight with Rory? She made a mental note to ask him his thoughts on that night.
"Maybe someday we'll have a sleepover here," Lorelai said to her daughter. "That would be fun, wouldn't it?"
Still trapped in the past, Lorelai made her way downstairs to the front door of the inn. She pulled it open and stepped onto the porch, smiling fondly at the spot she'd stood years ago, when Luke had pulled her into his arms for the first time. "This was where Daddy first kissed Mommy," she said. "You might not be here right now if he hadn't, and that is a truly sad thought. It's just a short walk to where we finally got married." As Lorelai walked down the porch steps and walked into the garden, Victoria sighed and curled closer to her. "Yes, that was indeed the reaction we got from many a person when we were finally pronounced husband and wife." As she settled onto a bench in the garden, she mused aloud to her daughter, "I wonder how Daddy's doing at Chilton. Think he's holding his own?"
XXXXX
At that exact moment, Luke was quickly understanding what people meant when they referred to parenting as a sacrifice. The halls of Chilton, while beautifully constructed and immaculately kept, were daunting even to him as an adult. He wasn't sure he'd ever understand why either of his oldest daughters had felt so comfortable here, and hoped without abandon that Victoria wouldn't feel the need to do so as well.
"How was it?" April questioned as soon as he walked out of her English classroom. "Am I failing? Are they going to take away my scholarship? Do I need to ask for extra credit?"
Luke frowned down at her. "You're a great student, April, what's with the sudden lack of confidence?" he asked.
"I'm a great science student," April corrected. "Mythology is just so…abstract and requires so much interpretation. I have no idea how Rory reads this kind of stuff all the time."
"Well, if it's any consolation, your teacher says you're doing great," Luke said. "Nothing but positive feedback."
April visibly relaxed. "Okay, good," she said. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and stated, "That's it, you're free for another semester."
Luke fought the urge to voice his relief out loud and instead nodded towards the exit. "How about we grab some lunch?" he suggested. "We haven't had much time just the two of us lately."
"That sounds nice," April said. "I know an inn with a great restaurant."
Fighting the urge to check in on Lorelai and Victoria, Luke shook his head slightly. "Nah, let's just keep it you and me," he said, tapping his fist against her shoulder. "Unless you can't handle an afternoon alone with your old man."
"No, it sounds nice," April said. "I just have to…" her voice trailed off and Luke frowned down at her.
"Have to what?" he asked.
"Nothing," she shook her head and looked up at him with panic in her eyes. "I'm going to run to the bathroom, can you pull the car around?"
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, taking in the nervous expression that had crossed her face.
"Yeah, I'm fine," April said, but she practically sprinted past him towards the bathrooms.
Luke frowned after her, then decided that he'd bring it up at lunch. As he walked towards the exit to bring the car around, he saw a woman about his age walking in the opposite direction and offered her a polite nod when they made eye contact.
She stopped and tilted her head to the side, then asked, "Are you April's dad?"
Surprised, Luke turned back to her and nodded. "Yeah," he nodded. "Luke Danes. Are you one of April's teachers? I only met with three of them today."
She laughed and shook her head as she stepped closer. "No, my daughter Emma's in April's class," she said. "You're married to Lorelai Gilmore, right?"
Becoming more confused by the moment, Luke stepped back and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah," he replied hesitantly.
"I went to high school with her," the woman replied. She held out her hand and said, "Missy Fitzgerald. Lorelai knew me as Missy Tompkins."
Recognizing the name, Luke immediately tensed but offered a brief handshake. "Good to meet you," he nodded. Pointing towards the door, he said, "I've got to meet April."
Missy took a step forward and place a hand on Luke's arm. "She's certainly got good taste," she said. "From Christopher to you…well, Lorelai's a lucky woman."
Uncomfortable with the way she was looking at him and angry at the mere mention of Christopher's name, Luke tugged his arm away. "Good luck with your conferences," he said as he started towards the door.
"She had another baby, right?" Missy called after him. "I helped Christopher out last time. I could do the same for you, if you're interested."
Luke felt disgust coil through his veins for many reasons. Lorelai had told him that Christopher hadn't even waited for Rory to be born to move on in his romantic life, which wasn't particularly surprising, but made his hatred for the other man stronger.
He couldn't believe this was happening. Standing in the middle of a fancy private school, a complete stranger was propositioning him, probably out of boredom and some weird resentment for Lorelai. A large part of him was ready to dive into a long rant about not needing women like her for anything, but he remembered that April went to school here every day and prevented himself from getting worked up.
With a shrug, he turned around, met her in the eye, and said, "Lorelai helps me out just fine." With that, he turned and strode out the door, trying to push the entire incident out of his head so he could enjoy an afternoon with his daughter.
April was waiting by the truck when he arrived, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "What took you so long?" she asked.
Luke shook his head as he unlocked the door. "Just a run in with one of Hartford's women of society," he said sarcastically. "Nothing for you to worry about."
"Emma's mom?" April asked, pausing before she got into the car.
"Yeah," he sighed. "She was the one who was giving you a hard time at the beginning of the year, right?"
"Yeah," April said flatly.
"How's that been?" Luke asked. "I know Lorelai and I have been distracted by Victoria and your mom's far away, but you can still talk to any of us. You know that, right?"
"Yeah," April repeated.
Luke leaned against the side of the truck and looked down at her carefully. "Spill," he requested quietly.
"Emma hasn't been bugging me," April promised. "Really. I've been hanging out with Christine and her friends."
Recognizing the names, Luke nodded. The girls had been over a couple times, and had seemed like good friends for April. "They seem nice," he said.
"They are," April nodded.
Luke tilted his head towards the school. "So what's with that other girl?" he asked.
"Nothing," April said. "I just…I don't like her."
"Don't blame you for that," Luke muttered.
"What did her mom say to you?" April asked.
He waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing important," he said.
"Did she try to kiss you?" April asked defensively.
Luke blinked in surprise. "No," he said. "Why?"
"Because that's what she does," April said. "She's…well, made the rounds, or tried to, with a bunch of dads in the class."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Luke demanded, "How could you possibly know that?"
"Well, she tells Emma everything," April replied. "Emma says it's a mother daughter thing, which I know from experience is not normal."
Luke shook his head. "You know it wouldn't matter if she had tried anything, right?" he said. "I'd never do that to Lorelai."
April smiled. "Uh, yes, I'm very well aware that Lorelai is the only woman for you," she said. "I've walked in on one to many a disgusting kiss between you two."
"Sorry about that," Luke muttered. "You okay?"
"Yeah," April shrugged. "It's part of life, right? Dealing with people you don't like?"
Impressed with April's adult-like views on life, Luke nodded. "As someone who's known Kirk for most of my life, I've definitely learned that lesson."
April giggled, then pointed to the truck. "Are we going to lunch or should I order a pizza?" she asked.
"Get in," Luke rolled his eyes and walked around to his side of the truck. He knew he was going to have to tell Lorelai about his interaction with Missy Tompkins, but he definitely wasn't looking forward to it.
Hopefully Victoria would do something really cute today and Lorelai wouldn't overreact.
XXXX
"She said what?"
Luke cringed as he watched Lorelai spring to her feet from the kitchen table. "It's not a big deal," he tried to comfort.
"Not a big deal?" Lorelai demanded. "That stupid whore has been trying to take what's mine for twenty five years. She tried to get into your pants, and her daughter spent the first half of this year making April miserable. Her telling you that she could help you out is, in fact, a very big deal."
"Calm down," Luke said futilely.
"Calm down?" Lorelai shouted, doing the exact opposite. "I am not going to calm down. Missy Tompkins has thrived on messing with my life since the second I showed up to school in a uniform with a stretchy waist, but she is not going to get away with it anymore. Christopher was one thing, because, well, he's Christopher, but there is no way in hell she is getting away with hitting on you."
"Lorelai, it's not like anything was going to happen," Luke said.
"I know that," Lorelai snapped. "It's not you I'm mad at, it's that bitch who thinks she's God's gift to the world. We are not going to spend the next three years with her trying to flirt with you. No one flirts with you but me!"
"And very well," Luke said, standing and moving closer. She wasn't listening to logic, so he hoped she'd respond to seduction.
"Not now," Lorelai shoved his hands away and strode towards her purse. "Where are my car keys? I'm going to go kick some ass."
"Lorelai, let's be realistic," Luke said. "She's a bored mom, who has nothing better to do than flirt with random strangers. That's it."
"Uh huh, except you weren't just a random stranger to her," Lorelai said. "She knows you're my husband."
"What's the deal with you two?" Luke frowned. "Nearly twenty years went by, and suddenly it's like we're back in high school."
"Well, let's recap," Lorelai said impatiently. "I give birth to a perfect baby, Missy Tompkins offers to sleep with the baby's father, so yeah, I guess I am still in high school!"
"You're forgetting one huge difference," Luke said gently.
Lorelai stared at him, hands on her hips. "What?" she demanded.
Cautiously reaching for her hand, Luke murmured, "This time he didn't give in."
Some of the anger melted from Lorelai's face and she relaxed slightly. "There is that," she admitted quietly.
"It doesn't matter what she or anyone else says or does," Luke murmured. "You know I'd never do that to you."
"Yeah, because you know from experience how it feels, thanks to me," Lorelai muttered self deprecatingly.
"Hey, I forgave you for that a long time ago," Luke frowned. "Don't pull up the past. I trust you."
Lorelai nodded. "I know, and I'm grateful for that," she sighed. "I guess it's time for some of my baggage to pop up. At least this time it's not Chris."
"We'll deal with it," Luke shrugged. Smirking slightly, "Maybe we could set her up with Medina, kill two birds with one stone."
"Very funny," Lorelai said sarcastically.
"Just a thought," Luke said. He reached out to play with a strand of her hair and murmured, "You okay?"
Lorelai sighed and leaned forward to rest her forehead on his shoulder. "Yeah," she admitted. "It's just infuriating. She's running around telling her kid about her slutty choices. I know I joked around with Rory, but I never really gave her that many details. I may have hovered over the line of inappropriate conversations, but I never actually crossed it."
"I know," Luke said. Trying to lighten the mood, he rubbed her shoulder and said, "We may have unintentionally crossed that line together once or twice."
With a laugh, Lorelai raised her head to meet his eyes. "It's her own fault for coming into the store room without knocking," she shrugged.
Luke pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Lorelai," he murmured. "You have to know that there's no one else I'll ever be with."
"I love you too," she said, running her hand over his shoulder. "I can't really blame her for flirting with you. You are undeniably handsome when you wear this sweater."
"Undeniably, huh?" Luke asked.
"Definitely, unquestionably, irrefutably handsome," Lorelai confirmed, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Hmm," he sighed as he rested his hands on her hips. "I love this skirt."
Lorelai giggled against his lips. "Because it's short?" she asked.
"And tight," he murmured, one hand grazing down her thigh to trace the hem of the soft brown skirt.
"I knew you'd like it," she breathed before she kissed him again. "April went to take care of Babette's cats?"
"Mmmhmm," Luke's lips trailed down her neck.
Lorelai hopped onto the counter and pulled Luke towards her. "We better make it quick then," she said, wrapping her legs around his waist.
"You're the only one I want," Luke murmured as he trailed a row of kisses along her collar bone. "You're the only one I'll ever want."
He ran his tongue gently over her skin and she gasped as she reached between them to grasp at his belt. Just as her fingers found the clasp, a loud wail echoed through the baby monitor and they both froze.
"Sorry," Lorelai whispered as Luke rested his forehead against her shoulder, bracing his hands on the counter on either side of her. She unwrapped her legs from his waist and pressed a gentle kiss to his hair. "I'll get her."
With a sigh, Luke raised an arm to let her through and ran his hand over his face. "Guess we should have waited until tonight," he said.
Lorelai straightened her skirt and headed towards the stairs. "Consider it a preview," she called over her shoulder.
Luke shook his head and walked to the fridge, pouring himself a tall glass of cold water. He supposed he was going to have to get used to interruptions more frequently. "Good thing that kid is cute," he muttered before taking a long sip of water.
"Hear that, sweet girl, Daddy thinks you're cute," Lorelai smiled as she walked back into the kitchen. Victoria was squirming in her arms, grasping at Lorelai's shirt, and Luke frowned at her.
"Is she hungry?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm about to feed her," Lorelai said. "I think I left her pillow in the car after work, can you go get it while I settle in?"
"Sure," Luke nodded. Lorelai flashed him a smile and retreated to the living room, gently rocking Victoria as she did so. Luke searched through her purse for her car keys, rolling his eyes slightly. He was pretty sure the bag of cookies he pulled out was still left from their disastrous car shopping trip two years ago.
After finally fishing her keys out of the bag, he walked out to the car, fetching Lorelai's nursing pillow from the backseat. When he returned to the living room, Victoria was fussing in Lorelai's arms, refusing to give in to Lorelai's attempts to nurse her. She was kicking her legs violently, and Lorelai was struggling to keep her still.
"What's wrong?" Luke asked as he sat down beside her. He slid the pillow into Lorelai's lap, and she shook her head.
"I don't know, she's never done this before," she said. "I can tell she's hungry, but she won't latch on."
Luke frowned as Victoria began to cry, her face scrunching as tears rolled down her face. "Maybe try the other side?" he suggested.
Lorelai nodded and expertly turned Victoria in her arms, raising her eyebrows when the baby stopped crying and immediately began feeding. "Well that was weird," she said, looking to Luke.
He shrugged as he helped her cover her exposed side. "Maybe it's her version of ogling pancakes," he suggested.
"Maybe," Lorelai said with a smile. "You're a strange little girl. Most kids don't care where the food comes from."
"She is a Gilmore," Luke pointed out.
"Guess so," Lorelai giggled. "I promise I'll never try to give you Al's mashed potatoes, sweet girl."
Luke made a face and took Victoria's foot in his hand. "I promise I'll never give you anything from Al's," he said.
"Which is why you have me," Lorelai replied.
"When she's sick all night from eating that disgusting blue manicotti, you're the one who will stay up with her," Luke stated.
"You're all talk, Butch, you're going to completely lose it the first time she gets sick," Lorelai said.
"Uh huh," Luke said. "I do believe that I had to carry you to bed when Rory had the chicken pox because you tried to sleep on the floor."
Lorelai smiled. "And you spent the night on the couch," she said.
Luke winced. "Rory made it very clear that I was not to leave," he said. "Even then, she could approach Emily Gilmore levels of scary when she tried to get her way."
"It's a family trait," Lorelai confirmed. She leaned her head into the back of the couch as Victoria continued to nurse. Staring at the ceiling, she said, "Thanks for telling me. About Missy Tompkins."
"Like I said, it was nothing," Luke reassured.
"I know, but…I'm glad you told me," Lorelai said. "Not that I would believe her word over yours, but at least I'll be prepared next time I see her. If my spidey senses are correct, she's going to spin the situation so that you did the initiating."
"If that's the case, go ahead and kick her ass," Luke said.
"Oh, I will," Lorelai smiled. She looked down at Victoria, then said, "Or maybe I'll just show her what a perfect kid we made. That will throw her off and make her completely jealous."