Better start with the disclaimer before I get into any trouble: Not mine and to be honest after season 6 and 7 I don't even want to own it and those who do should hide in a hole.
Thank you for your amazing reviews guys and for pointing out mistakes I made. Keep them coming. I really appreciate them – the good and the bad.
AN: I needed to change the timeline or better a bit of the storyline from the season to be able to fit something into that chapter that happened way later in the actual season.
Special thanks to Vaso and I'm going to do my best with the next chapter and try to write faster. A trip home is coming up again and since the muse seems to kiss me on my train rides I hope I'll get the next installment up faster.
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Chapter XI
„Stop! "
„Stop thinking! " Lorelai groaned out loud and let her head fell forward, crushing against the steering wheel.
"Ouch." She winced softly but didn't lift her head.
After leaving her house and heading towards the Dragonfly, Lorelai came to a hold at a stop sign. Her thoughts were still buzzing from A to B with some zigzagging through P, D and back to A.
No town meetings since? Lorelai couldn't even remember the last time she went but since she started dating Chris she's not even been close to Miss Patty's.
Town festival? - "The knit-a-thon." Lorelai groaned. "Please don't remind me of that drama."
Town square? - Crickets.
Doose's? - "Only occasionally but most of the time trying to avert the place." Lorelai answered her own question.
"And why is that?" the voice in her head shot at her.
"Chris is not into town stuff." Lorelai responded.
"And?" the voice questioned further.
"Chris likes to shop in supermarkets and after the welcome wagon and knit-a-thon disaster he is not so thrilled of running into townies and they are not fond of running into him either." She responded.
"And?" the voice pressured on.
"I don't want to take him into town with me." She replied in a whisper.
"Because?" the voice kept going.
"You are annoying you know that?" Lorelai shot back angrily.
"Yes and please answer." The voice returned.
"Because I can't stand the hurt and disappointed looks in people's faces and Lu…" Lorelai caught herself in time.
"You were saying?" the voice prodded further.
"None of your business." Lorelai mumbled and put the jeep into gear, starting to head for the Dragonfly again. "I really need to figure out how to shut George up." Lorelai mumbled.
When she entered the driveway of the Inn the voice in her head still hadn't calmed down.
"Gah! Stop talking!" Lorelai yelled out loud when she came to a stop at the Inn.
"I forbid you to talk to me." She ordered George while rubbing her temples. "You are giving me a headache."
After a few more seconds and a thousand thoughts later in the car, Lorelai grabbed her stuff and left the vehicle. When she entered the lobby she ran straight into a stunned Michel.
"I can see forgotten people." He gasped at her.
"Do I look like Julianne Moore to you?" Lorelai shot back.
"And it even speaks." Michel gasped again.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lorelai asked, getting more aggravated with Michel.
"It means I need to get out my red marker and put a note into my calendar After months of going MIA newly wed Lorelai Hayden shows up at her Inn again and look at that it even is on a Saturday " Michel replied sarcastically.
Lorelai looked at him sternly before she collected her thoughts on what he just said to her and answered:
"First of all it's Gilmore and not Hayden and secondly I haven't gone MIA for months. I think I have even been here more than ever."
"Hiding in your office all day." Michel mumbled under his breath, interrupting Lorelai slightly before she continued.
"Third what does me being married have to do with anything?" She asked Michel challengingly.
"Nothing. Nothing at all." Michel snarled at her.
"Is this about us not going to Weston's once a month lately again? Doing our list for the handyman? Eating cake, drinking coffee and gossiping?" Lorelai asked with a tender tone in her voice now.
"Do you even remember the last time we did that?" Michel countered with an edge in his voice. "Or maybe we should take the meetings out of Stars Hollow or invite your husband to join us for you to get interested in them or me again."
Michel shook his head and came around the reception area. He put his hands in his pockets, looked up at Lorelai one more time before heading for the door to go outside, muttering under his breath: "At least with that diner owner you were still you."
"I did not change!" Lorelai yelled after Michel.
"Whatever." Michel muttered and disappeared through the door.
Lorelai shook her head and went into her office to put away her jacket and purse.
Even the French putz is mad at you. George was back in her head. Well done Lorelai.
When is Michel not mad at someone? Lorelai countered angrily.
Lorelai discarded her jacket and put her purse on her desk. She checked if someone had left her a note on her desk but after finding nothing she decided to head into the kitchen to check if Sookie was there.
When Lorelai neared the kitchen door she heard Sookie's voice and a small smile appeared on her face. She slowly pushed the door open. Sookie was obviously in an animated conversation with someone and Lorelai didn't want to disturb the talk.
"But why are you here Sookie?" Linda, a maid who often worked on the weekends since her husband got sick and needed the extra hours for taking care of the bills, asked Sookie worriedly. "You had to take Davey to the hospital. Shouldn't you be home with him?"
"Oh I'm only here to check up on things." Sookie dismissed Linda's concern. "I know Michel is here and can handle things but when it comes to my kitchen…"
"Oh you don't need to say more." Linda interrupted and both women started to laugh. "But everything is okay now with him?"
"Yeah he is doing better but he gave us one hell of a scare there." Sookie said relieved but still shocked from the happenings.
Lorelai stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Linda say they had to take Davey to the hospital. What happened to the little tot and why didn't she know about it? Why does Linda know and why didn't Sookie say a word about it to her?
Still in a daze Lorelai let go off the kitchen door which closed with a loud thud. Sookie and Linda looked up at the noise and discovered a still bewildered looking Lorelai. Linda looked from Sookie to Lorelai and back to Sookie again. Sensing the fast growing tension in the room, she excused herself and left the kitchen.
"Davey was in the hospital?" Lorelai got out after a couple of minutes of silence and staring at each other.
"Yes." Sookie replied shortly.
Lorelai was waiting for more information but Sookie didn't continue. She shook her head to get over the shocking news.
"Well what happened?" She asked.
"He got a bad case of the flu." Sookie answered with a shrug of her shoulders.
"And?" Lorelai pressured on. When did she get so restrained towards me? Lorelai asked herself.
"Well he was sick all week and last night the fever was so high Jackson and I brought him to the emergency room." Sookie explained in a monotone voice. "No big deal. He is fine now."
"No big deal?" Lorelai asked not believing what she just heard. "How is that not a big deal Sookie? You had to take your baby to the hospital."
Lorelai couldn't believe how calm and indifferent Sookie was reacting. The woman who comes to her at least twice a week, sobbing and bawling her eyes out over two cupcakes that didn't turn out as good as the others from the batch and therefore were not making it into the selection for the guests, showed no reaction to what happened to her little son.
"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked sadly, the hurt present in her voice. "I could have helped with Martha and all."
Sookie released a snort and just turned around to check on her cooking notes and instructions she left for the weekend crew.
"Sookie?" Lorelai said in a soft but yet shocked tone and stepped closer to her friend.
The chef took in a deep breath and let it escape her lungs slowly again. She turned around to face Lorelai and after seeing Lorelai's hurt written all over her face, Sookie nearly wanted to drop her anger and just embrace her friend and cry with her. She couldn't though. It was now or never and Sookie was simply fed up with the whole situation. She had tried, she really did but Lorelai had changed into a person Sookie couldn't and wouldn't want to be friends with anymore.
She always thought they were best friends but since Christopher was back in her life Lorelai tried to change Sookie and in extend her husband Jackson. Lorelai shut Sookie out and only tended to her when she wanted her and Jackson to make friends with her husband or if there was trouble in paradise. She neglected the town, town events and sometimes it even seemed as if she wasn't even interested in her own business anymore. Christopher wants me to be home more to spend time with Gigi and him. Was her standard excuse for not showing up at the weekend or leaving early every other day during the week.
"You could have helped." Sookie said mockingly and started to chuckle.
"Why is that so funny?" Lorelai asked, anger raising in her voice now since she was still confused about Sookie's behavior and hurtful attitude towards her.
"Is Christopher out of town or did you have another fight so you need to get distracted and out of the house?" Sookie asked challengingly.
"Sookie I don't understand what's going on here." Lorelai tried again, desperate to get to know what the hell is happening here.
"When was the last time you have been there for me? When was the last time we had dinner together or went shopping? When was the last time you spent time with my kids – one of them being your godchild?" Sookie shot the questions at Lorelai. "Did you even realize my mood swings and inability to cook again over the last few weeks since every dish is too salty thanks to my screwed up taste buds?" she finished her assault and crossed her arms over her chest.
"You are pregnant again?" Lorelai asked bewildered. "But how is that possible? Jackson got snipped."
"Maybe you should have rather paid more attention to your friends instead of pushing your husband at everyone in this town and forcing them to like him." She snarled at Lorelai.
"I didn't force anyone." Lorelai countered halfheartedly since she knew Sookie was right.
"Oh really?" Sookie shot right back. "Sookie, you're my best friend. I really need your support here. Christopher is my husband and it would be great if you would just get on board." Sookie mimicked Lorelai. "I need you to help me get the rest of the town on board."
"You even dragged Jackson into it and made him go out with him." Sookie continued in her normal voice. "It was a disaster and Jackson still hasn't recovered from it and stays out of Casey's."
"But you know what the worst part is?" Sookie said sadly. "Not that he came and ruined the festival. Not that you just eloped with him and didn't tell me. That I had to find out by seeing the ring on your finger." Sookie stopped.
"What is the worst part?" Lorelai whispered the question, to afraid of asking out loud.
"That the idiot husband of yours lives here for months now and still has no clue how that town works and that if you bad mouth people in a local bar it will get back to them." Sookie said fiercely. "And you want to know the real sad part about it?"
Lorelai was too shocked to even utter a single word. She just shook her head no and swallowed hard to get the lump out of her throat.
"After watching you over the last couple of months I have no doubt he did it at home as well and you didn't do anything to stop him or defend any single one of the townies let alone Jackson and I." She said sorrowfully.
"Sookie I…" Lorelai tried but Sookie cut her short.
"I don't want to hear another one of your lame excuses or blaming it all on Christopher." she put her hand up to stop Lorelai from interjecting. "I heard them all and then some."
Sookie picked up her stuff and moved towards the exit. She turned around again and faced Lorelai.
"I let you get away with it after you broke up with Luke. I let you bad mouth him and blame him for the whole break up because I thought I had to be on your side since I thought it was the right thing to do as your friend but I can't jump on your wagon now. Believe me I tried but you turned into a person I'm good with seeing at work but in my free time I want to be with people I can trust and enjoy my time with."
Sookie sighed, turned around and opened the door to exit the kitchen. She stopped once more.
"I hope he is worth it; all of it." And with that Sookie went through the door and let it fall shut behind her.
Lorelai stood in the kitchen, shell-shocked and tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't know for how long she stood there like that, not moving, not even blinking and she wasn't even sure if she was breathing or not.
"No he is not." Lorelai mumbled into the empty kitchen and pulled herself out of the daze. She blinked back the tears she now felt nearly escaping her eyes and drew in a shaky breath.
After standing there for a couple more minutes Lorelai gave the kitchen another look and made her way back into her office to get her purse and keys. She collected her stuff and headed out of the Inn. On the car ride home George in her head for once left her alone.
When she entered the crap shack she just disposed her purse, jacket and keys right on the floor in the entrance way and made a beeline for the couch. She dropped down hard on it and slouched down into the cushions.
She blinked a few times before her glance fell on the flat screen on the wall. Lorelai groaned and simply shut her eyes.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Lorelai didn't know for how long she had been sitting on her couch. Town meeting randomly popped up in her head. She groaned and sat up.
"What?" Lorelai asked herself out loud.
"Rory and Babette were talking about a town meeting." The voice in her head helped her out.
Lorelai glanced at a clock. 4pm. it read.
A bit too early for a town shindig. She thought but got up anyway. She walked over to the entrance way and picked up her purse and jacket from the floor where she had dropped them earlier and left for town.
After a quick stop at Weston's to get a cup of coffee, she headed for Miss Patty's dance studio. The doors were closed but when she spotted her daughter's car, she knew the meeting must have started already.
Lorelai looked back at the closed door. An uneasy feeling crept into her stomach. After everything that had happened yesterday and today she wasn't sure how this meeting will turn out. Everyone seemed to be mad and disappointed with her and now she was about to enter the lions den all alone.
Why all of a sudden was she the bad guy? The whole town saw what Luke did to me and how it effected me, and now everyone is mad at me? She yelled in her head.
Well you married an outsider and not just only a new guy you met somewhere. The whole town knows your history and what damage he caused over the years and well he simply doesn't fit here. The voice replied.
Yeah, yeah and all the other reasons I heard over the last 24 hours. She grumped back and before the voice in her head was able to give her another smart comment of the day, she intercepted in a hushed voice: "Ok going in now. No need to put it off any longer. Think band-aid." She drew in a deep breath.
"And here goes nothing." She blew out and opened the door to Miss Patty's. The moment she sat foot into the room Taylor and Patty, who saw her first, stopped dead in their sentences. Taylor was obviously having some kind of argument with Patty about some stupid law they were breaking with the meeting.
The mumbling in the room tuned down after seeing the shocked expressions on the faces of the two people in front of them.
"What is it Taylor." Babette screeched up at him from the front row. "Did you see a ghost or what?"
"Well you can call it that." Patty replied in a stunned voice, not able to turn her eyes from Lorelai.
Everyone in the room turned around to see what caused the shocked expression on both Taylor's and Miss Patty's faces. Their eyes grew wide and a few mouths dropped open at the sight of Lorelai standing uncomfortable in the doorway.
"Aw man." A whiny voice from the front broke the silence in the room. "So you see her, too? And here I thought: Wow Kirk finally you have a gift like that kid who can see dead people in that movie and I would become famous." Kirk pouted and turned in his seat, slamming his hand on his thigh in defeat.
"Well, well, well the lost sheep has finally returned to the herd." Taylor said snappishly.
"Maybe her shepherd only allowed her to furlough." Someone in the crowed joked back.
"Or he is not in town to chaperone her." A second voice popped up.
Lorelai was still standing in the doorway, shell shocked about the town's reaction to her being there. Tears welled up in her eyes and she had to swallow hard to get the lump out of her throat. Her vision was blurred due to the tears but she noticed a female figure standing up a few seats to her right and she sighed in relief.
"Guys." Rory said in a calm voice. "Leave her alone please and can we get back on topic!" Rory said in a demanding tone.
Taylor banged his gavel and spoke up:"Alright folks. Let's concentrate on the problem at hand."
When he saw Lorelai hadn't moved from her position in the door, he turned to her.
"Lorelai would you please come in, close the door and sit down. I want to continue with the meeting and you are violating paragraph…"
"Oh for Pete's sake Taylor! Give it a rest!!" Babette screeched and interrupted him. "Lorelai sugar, sit down or the stickler for the letter of the law won't continue."
Lorelai was still confused and hurt about the town's reaction towards her appearance but she started moving over to where Rory was seated and let herself sink down in the chair next to her daughter.
"Thanks hon." She whispered and patted Rory on the knee.
"No problem mom." Rory assured her and put her hand over Lorelai's, squeezing it softly.
"Ok where were we?" Taylor rather asked himself and looked down at the papers in front of him as if he would find the answer there.
"You babbled something about going against town rules if we keep the diner up and running while Luke is in the hospital." Patty helped him out with an annoyed pitch in her voice.
"No need for that tone Patty." Taylor attacked back. "These are rules we need to follow in order to keep the town running smoothly."
"But it's Luke, Taylor!" Babette screeched again. "You practically know him since he was born and he needs our help and the money from the diner."
"What is this all about?" Lorelai wanted to know since she missed the beginning of the meeting.
"Apparently you can't keep your business open when you're not in town for a longer period of time and don't have some relative or specially assigned person to look after the business while you are gone." Rory explained patiently and rolled her eyes.
"When did you come up with that rule Taylor?" Lorelai asked incredulously.
"It's been in the town laws books for quiet some time now young lady but apparently no one but me is reading our town rules." Taylor said affronted.
"And you apparently write rules in there without asking the town about it." Someone from the crowed in the back replied.
"What happened to that rule when Luke went on that cruise for a few weeks? I don't remember him ranting about it back then and I bet he would have if he had known about it." Lorelai said, ignoring the comment she thought Bootsy had made.
"Holidays are an exception." Taylor quickly said.
"Covering your own butt there now Taylor?" Patty asked sheepishly. "Weren't you out of town for weeks, too not that long ago?"
"That's not our problem at hand here right now." Taylor shot back nervously.
"So where is the problem Taylor?" Lorelai asked matter-of-factly. "Just pretend he is on vacation then."
"But…" Taylor tried to argue back but got interrupted by Babette again: "Anyone in favor of the vacation excuse say 'Aye'!"
"Aye!" came the united yell from the crowd.
"Ok moving on then." Babette closed the topic. She turned around to look at Rory and Lorelai. She smiled softly at Lorelai to let her know she was glad to seeing her at the meeting. Lorelai smiled back and sighed relieved.
"Rory doll since you have been to the hospital and talked to Luke you should take over and tell us what Luke said." Babette addressed Rory.
Rory looked around Miss Patty's. All eyes were on her. She took a deep breath and stood up slowly.
"I guess the word hasn't spread yet how bad the situation is?" Rory asked and got a simultaneous shrug no from the crowd.
"Ok. So Luke's back got bruised pretty badly and he is not able to move his legs. He doesn't have any feelings in his lower body." Rory started and earned a loud grasped from the town's people. "The doctor told us that would most likely change during the next couple of weeks. Once the bruise starts to go away, the feelings will return but since he can't walk or use his legs, the muscles are going to degenerate and he won't be able to walk at first. He needs rehab once the feelings are back which will take another couple of weeks or rather months."
Rory stopped and let the information sink in with the people around her. A few grasps, oh my gods and poor thing whispered through the room.
"Lane and I hashed out a few things for the diner already and Luke mostly agreed with what we planed out." She continued. "Zach will take over for Lane full time since she has enough on her plate with carrying twins. She will however look over the books and deliveries."
"Does she know how to keep track of the books?" Lorelai asked softly when Rory made another pause. "I mean knowing Luke's system and if he hasn't changed it while…"Lorelai stopped for a second before she continued, "if he hasn't got a computer or anything I doubt Lane will know how to keep the books up to date."
"So what are you suggesting?" Rory asked hopefully.
"Well I can help her with that stuff since I know how and maybe we can even get his stuff on a computer finally. I always tried to talk him into it but he was too stubborn to change anything." Lorelai explained her train of thought.
"He is still doing everything by hand." Lane piped up. "But he got a laptop to stay in better touch with April."
"Ok we can work with that." Lorelai responded enthusiastically. "And this time he has no other choice but accepting it." She added with a grin on her face. Rory and Lane exchanged a bemused smile and Rory was relieved her mom was getting involved in helping Luke on her own and not by persuasion on her side.
"I can help, too." Kirk shouted from the front row. "When the car crashed into the diner, I opened my own and it was a success."
"Oh Kirk please." Babette shot him down. "You set the lawn on fire and Taylor forbade you to ever open your own food business again."
"But I'm not opening. I would wait on people and let the delivery guy in in the morning." Kirk responded.
"Oh good luck with the meat guy Kirk." Lorelai chuckled. "You are sure right up his alley."
"Well mom." Rory tried tentative. "Since you mentioned the meat guy."
"What about him?" Lorelai asked.
"Well you should know best he doesn't leave his stuff with anyone but Luke." Rory continued. "But you persuaded him once and well I think we need you to do it again as long as Luke isn't back." Rory finished with a small smile on her face. You already agreed to help out with the books, so you wouldn't mind that, too, right? She thought.
"You know about that story?" Lorelai asked her mouth falling agape.
"Yeah well Luke told me about it since we didn't know what to do about the meat guy and he remembered it." Rory said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Luke – THE Luke, our Luke who blushes the moment someone even mentions his boxer briefs told you about that morning?" Lorelai asked one more time, not believing Luke told Rory of all people that story.
"Oh boxer briefs." Patty said dreamily. "Pay up Babette. I was right." She finished with a grin.
"Patty!" Lorelai said and shook her head amused.
"Ew gross mom." Rory crunched up her face. "He only told me you convinced the meat guy to leave the stuff and not what you did after."
"Sorry hon." Lorelai smirked and averted her eyes.
What a day and night. Lorelai sighed. It definitely changed our relationship in a positive way. Lorelai thought. Brought us closer for sure. At least that's what I thought. She continued her inner dialogue. It did and you know it. A second voice in her head answered. Yeah I know. Lorelai sighed again.
"What's wrong mom?" Rory asked her in a hushed tone.
"Nothing sweets." Lorelai replied sadly. "Just the memory of it all you know."
"Ok Sugar. What else needs to be done here?" Babette screeched and pulled them back into the meeting.
"Oh em." Rory stuttered. "I think we covered all. Lane and I are taking care of the diner the way Luke agree with us. He is very happy and glad you all want to pitch in but the best you can do is to do as always."
"What does that mean?" Taylor asked.
"Well he wants you to come in, eat, do the usual but not change anything." She gave him a pointed look.
"I don't know what you are talking about Rory." Taylor said and looked everywhere but Rory.
"Luke told me and let me quote him: If Taylor tries to put up fliers and decorations while I'm gone, I'll hunt him down no matter what and if I come back and find a second window or an archway between his stupid soda Shoppee and my diner I'm going to kill him." Rory said sternly.
"An archway…" Taylor mulled that thought over in his head.
"Don't you even dare to continue that thought Taylor." Lorelai warned him. "Or do I need to remind you of the frying pan?"
"So there is nothing else we can do?" Babette asked disappointed.
"Right now, no." Rory replied. "The diner is taken care off. Just don't mess with it or give Zach and Caesar a hard time and we should be good to go."
"Can we visit him?" Patty wanted to know.
"Do I need to answer that?" Rory asked in return.
"Yeah we know what our grump is going to say if we show up." Babette smirked. "But you are going to tell him we wanted to come and are thinking about him getting better and all sugar?"
"Yes Babette. I'm going to give him all your blessings." Rory reassured them.
"Thanks. You are a doll." Babette said relieved.
"Can we close the meeting or is there more to discuss?" Taylor asked impatiently.
"No we are good to go." Rory told him.
"Meeting's closed then." Taylor announced and banged his gavel.
The town folks gathered their stuff and slowly left Miss Patty's, chatting and exchanging opinions on their way out. Rory turned to Lorelai and looked at her mother for a second.
"So what are you up to now?" She asked. Lorelai looked up from her seat and shrugged her shoulders in response.
"I know visiting hours are over but since Luke didn't touch his breakfast and having his rant about it still in my ears I thought I would go over to the diner and let Caesar wrap something up for him." Rory said.
"Ok." Lorelai replied shortly.
"You coming with me or are you going home?" Rory asked further. "Is dad coming home tonight?"
"No he said he wanted to stay at his mom's with Gigi for the weekend." Lorelai said and got up from her seat. "He should be back tomorrow."
"So your verdict is…?" Rory left the question hanging there to be filled by Lorelai.
"Rory." Lorelai sighed. "I…" She looked at her daughter with sad eyes.
"I know mom." Rory sighed, too and averted her eyes.
Lorelai looked around Miss Patty's. Everyone had cleared out by now. She looked at her daughter's disappointed but understanding face. She sighed and hooked her arm through Rory's.
"Turkey sandwich with a side dish of rabbit food." Lorelai said determinedly and pulled Rory towards the door. "Get me a coffee, will you."
Rory smiled brightly at her mother: "Turkey sandwich, rabbit food and two coffees to go coming right up."
"See if they have a donut or two as well." Lorelai grinned.
Rory stopped and hugged her mom tightly. "Thank you." She whispered and made her way to the diner. Lorelai sighed as she watched her daughter go into Luke's. "You are welcome hon." She whispered to herself and made her way to the jeep. She drove in front of the diner and waited for Rory to come out with the food.
"This is going to change everything." Lorelai heaved a sigh.
For the better. The voice in her head was back.
"Let's see about that." Lorelai mumbled and a second later Rory opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat with a bright grin on her face.
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TBC
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If life hands you lemons, ask for Tequila and Salt !
