AN: Hello, Cleveland! Look who's back. I hope you had nice, relaxing holidays and a good New Year's Eve! May this year be peaceful and full of love.
Thanks so much to Junienmomo, my beta, and also DSLeo for her general awesomeness and for letting me use the chapter title! Just a little peek behind the curtain: This opening scene was originally written months ago for the second to last chapter I published. It didn't quite seem to fit, so I moved it, then moved it again after it didn't really fit into the last chapter either. I liked it here in this context, so let me know what you think. OK, without further delay I give you the new chapter.
Chapter Eleven: The Big Talk
"Gee, I wonder who I just voted for," Lorelai sighed as she entered the diner that Tuesday in November.
"Why is there an election when there's only one candidate?" Luke asked, annoyed with the subject as well.
"I know! I don't wanna know how much this phoney election is costing us. Maybe we won't be able to fix the giant pothole on Orange Street. I guess we should embrace the entire pothole concept and buy a swimsuit already, which is a very frustrating thing to do in fall. Maybe we should just skip democracy altogether and move on to the next system. Or better yet, we come up with a new system. Or go back to monarchy."
"The US never was a monarchy," Luke countered.
"So we should give it a try. I'll be the queen, you're the jester, and Taylor will be incarcerated for high treason or something. Ooh, I like the sound of that already," she smiled and happily clapped her hands together.
Lorelai leaned over the counter where she had just occupied a stool and waited for a quick peck from her boyfriend. He set the coffee pot back on the burner and kissed her sweetly.
"For the record, I only voted for Taylor because he promised to expand the cereal selection at the market to at least the amount Seinfeld has in his kitchen," she emphasized.
"Why does he need to be town selectman for that? He could have just done that as a courtesy. Or as a smart move so you and other customers won't go to Walmart next time you're grocery shopping," Luke pointed out as he poured Lorelai a cup of coffee.
"Drat! He knows the market is on my usual route from work to the diner or from the diner home. Why would I want to drive halfway to Litchfield for cereal?" she asked before she took a hesitant first sip of coffee.
"All part of his wicked plan to have higher prices."
"But I'm saving on gas."
"True. Not to imagine how much you'd buy at Walmart where you can load your groceries into your car instead of carrying them home. You want something to eat?"
"I feel like eating something political."
"Like a straw hat?"
"My doctor told me not to do that anymore."
"Bummer," he replied dryly.
"Yeah, how about something that promises more than it is?"
"Like?" he asked with a roll of his eyes.
"A fluffernutter?"
He raised an eyebrow, half in suspicion, half as a challenge. "Coming up. But I'm adding sliced banana."
She grimaced, but nodded. The look he gave her left her with a warm and fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She almost wasn't hungry anymore. Almost. And this whole exchange had almost felt normal and natural to her. Almost. But she knew it was just a transitional truce of some sort before they would discuss the bigger issues they needed to discuss later that day. They had wanted to meet on neutral ground, and Lorelai had suggested the diner after closing time. She knew it was technically Luke's turf, but the place didn't feel like his. It was like a playground for the town's goofballs, as well as a place that made them both feel safe.
Luke served her the sandwich, and she was in a hurry so she wolfed it down. Luke's diner was always busy on election day, as the townfolk had a snack after voting. The atmosphere reminded her of the time she first came to the diner back in April. It was equally packed, but Luke wasn't alone this time. Jo was serving the customers while he was manning the counter. When he saw Lorelai was almost done with her sandwich, he walked up to her.
"So, we're still on for tonight?" he asked carefully.
"Yeah. What time should I be here?" Lorelai said as she wrapped her scarf around her neck.
"I think somewhere between 8 and 9."
"Great. I'll come by right after work then."
"I thought you'd be off by 6 the latest?"
"I wanna make up for my extra long lunch and election break. Plus, I wanna let Mia go to the polling station before it closes. See you later?"
"You bet," smiled Luke.
"How much?"
"How much do I bet?" he asked her, his forehead in a frown.
"No, how much for the food?" she clarified.
He waved it off. "On the house."
"Luke! No! You have to let me pay for some of the food I'm having here."
"OK, you can pay for it next time."
"And this time?"
"On me, as I said."
"OK, but just because I'm running late and have no time or energy for this discussion," Lorelai insisted.
Back at the inn, Lorelai was glad they had found a way back to their routine. It gave her confidence and made her feel positive about the talk the would have later. Rory would stay at Mia's for the evening to give Lorelai and Luke time to talk about the moving in subject and all the problems that needed discussing. Lorelai knew that she had already given her strongest argument; living close to your work meant being available at all times, hence never really having time to relax and recharge the batteries. Moving out of the potting shed had been harder for Lorelai than leaving her childhood home in Hartford. But soon after living in her own house with Rory, she also noticed that after-works hours really were work-free. No more "Lorelai, can you help out at the reception, just this once", or "Lorelai, Sandra can't get the red wine spot out of the carpet in room 23." She enjoyed having more free time, and she knew Luke would too. She couldn't count the days where he had to open the diner at the crack of dawn, as well as close it up late at night.
Lorelai had given the topic much thought. Maybe she could suggest that he open the diner an hour later and close it up an hour sooner than he does now. With a new cook he probably could even give himself a day off every week. A girl could dream... Perhaps she could persuade him to take Thursdays off, so they both could spend the morning in bed - after seeing Rory off to school of course - and he could make her pancakes with chocolate chips. The image of pancakes in bed after sex with Luke painted a broad smile across her face.
"Lorelai," the voice with a French accent interrupted her reveries.
"Yeah?" she asked quietly.
"James from the wait staff called in sick."
"Again?" she sighed.
"Yes. He said he had something-itis, I can barely understand the man. How can you expect me to remember something I didn't understand in the first place?" asked Michel in an accusatory tone of voice.
"I didn't say anything, Michel."
"But you were thinking it, weren't you? Admit it, the idea that a Frenchman with an accent complaining about someone with an accent is funny to you."
"I didn't say it was funny."
"You can barely contain your laughter."
"We've been through this Michel. When people smile, they do it because they're polite, not because they're making fun of you."
"Either way, you're not doing your skin any favors with those goofy smiles. It will be you who willl get their first laugh lines before they're 30, not me" he declared and walked off.
Lorelai sighed, grabbed the phone and called a few people who could maybe fill in for James.
20 minutes later, with no substitute for James in sight yet, Lorelai decided she needed some coffee. She went to the kitchen where Sookie was just finishing piping yellow ribbons of buttercream on a layer cake.
"Hm, looking good, Sookie. What's underneath the frosting?" asked Lorelai, reaching for a cup with her left hand and the coffee pot with her right.
"More yellow. Yellow cake with ginger and mango."
"Exotic!"
"I try..."
Lorelai took a big gulp of coffee. "So, um, James called in sick again."
"No way!"
"Way. And I've been on the phone for the last 20 minutes, trying to find a replacement."
"And?"
"Nothing. I don't know what to do. I'd fill in, but I have the big talk with Luke tonight."
"Right. Are you nervous?"
"A little. Things seemed normal when I went there on my lunch break. But who knows how things will be when we lay everything on the table."
"But it's better to lay it all on the table than to sweep your problems under the rug."
"But that's exactly the point. I didn't even know we had problems! These rose-colored glasses came off with a bang, quite literally!" explained Lorelai with a motion of her hand.
"Sweetie," Sookie said and put her hand on Lorelai's arm, "You'll probably be able to convince him to move in together. There are more advantages than disadvantages."
"I know there are. I've just never had the big talk. With anyone. Aside from telling Christopher I was pregnant of course. Which was more of a monolog."
"Not to change the subject, but what'll you do about James?"
"I still have one ace up my sleeve."
"I mean in general. He's been calling in sick a lot lately. We might as well start calling him Harvey."
"I know. He'll definitely get a warning. And if there's a next time, I'll have to fire him," sighed Lorelai.
"Oh, that'd be your first time," said Sookie with an understanding nod.
"I know. It's been a good run. I've been assistent manager for over six months. It had to happen some time."
"So, what's the ace up your sleeve?" Sookied wondered.
"I need to a make call before I can make the actual call," said Lorelai, but without further explanation she was out the kitchen door and back at the front desk.
Her first call was to Luke, to ask his permission to make the second call. The second call was to Jo, Luke's waitress and young mother of twins. Lorelai didn't even have to throw in the babysitting to convince Jo to fill in for the night. With a contented sigh, Lorelai was about to inform Mia, Michel and Sookie of her success. The phone still in her hand, it began to ring.
"Independence Inn, Lorelai speaking, how may I help you?"
"Lorelai, this is your mother."
She could stop the hiss she was about to make. "Mom, hi. How are you?"
"I'm doing fine."
"How's dad?"
"He's fine also."
"Good to hear."
"I'm calling to ask if you can make it to my Christmas party this year," Emily stated coolly.
"Oh, I didn't get an invitation in the mail."
"I didn't send you one yet. That's why I'm calling you. I wanted to know before I sent something."
Lorelai hated these kinds of ambushes her mother was known for. She expected an answer right away, and Lorelai didn't have much time to come up with an excuse to say no. She fidgeted behind the reception desk and looked for Michel who would need her ASAP, no questions asked. But he was nowhere to be found.
"Lorelai?" Emily said.
"Yeah, I'm here. Sorry, I just got distracted. What, um, was it you wanted to know?" asked Lorelai, hoping to buy herself a couple more seconds.
"I asked you if you think you can come to our Christmas party" Emily repeated.
"I, uh, I don't know. When is it?"
"December 9th."
"That's more than a month away."
"So?"
"I don't know if I'll have time in a month."
"Can't you write it into your pocket calendar?"
"I don't have it with me at the moment."
Silence.
"Mom?"
"I find it very disappointing that you can't make the commitment to tell me now whether or not you will be able to come to our Christmas party. This will be the last time we're going to see you and Rory this year. We're your family, Lorelai, and it's Christmas."
"Mom, this isn't even the family Christmas party. We've never had a family Christmas party. Or a family Christmas. You have these parties two weeks before Christmas. You invite Dad's business associates and their surgically altered wives, and you expect me and Rory to come and play happy family with you. You wanna know what Rory and I do on Christmas, actual Christmas? We decorate cookies together, we make popcorn and cranberry garlands, we watch movies together. We're not sitting at a table with 15 strangers and drinking champagne from a glass that cost more than all our Christmas presents combined."
Lorelai felt bad immediately, but she had to let it out. She couldn't stay silent when it came to her mother and her accusations. Sometimes she felt as if her mother played insult Mad Libs.
"Fine. When you're not coming I'll have the space to invite Mitsy Delacroix's niece," Emily said with a voice like ice.
"Mom, I'm sorry, OK? I didn't mean to say what I said. But you have to understand. When we barely see each other, I feel like an actress at your parties, pretending to belong there," Lorelai explained.
"I understand. But you have to see my point, too. I find it incredibly frustrating to negotiate these things with you at times," said Emily, her voice less tense.
"Believe me, I know what frustrating means. I had to coach Sookie through the entire search of the Frim-Fram Sauce recipe, not to mention 'Shafafa on the side'," Lorelai tried to joke.
For once Emily understood what Lorelai was talking about. And she happened to love the song. She chuckled softly.
"Listen, mom. I'm having a very busy day. One waiter called in sick again, I had to get a replacement for him. We have an election today, and I have a date with Luke tonight. But let me call you in a couple days and tell you if we're there for your party, OK?"
"All right. Have fun on your date tonight, and give my love to Rory."
"I will, bye."
Lorelai stared at the phone for a moment. Since when was it so easy to appease her mother? Had she been drunk? Lorelai didn't have time to wonder, she still needed to tell Mia, Sookie and Michel that she found a replacement for James.
When Jo arrived half an hour before she should have, Lorelai was relieved and showed her around and introduced her to the people she would work with that night. Jo had her curly, ash blonde hair in a low ponytail, which gave her an understated yet classy look that she underlined with the discreet eye make-up and not too bright red lipstick.
"Wow, Jo, look at you," Sookie said when they arrived in the kitchen.
"Thanks. This is the perfect opportunity to try out this look," Jo said with a kind smile.
"Yup, not so much the make-up for the diner," the chef concurred.
"I'm really looking forward to working here tonight."
"But you worked at the diner earlier already!" Lorelai remarked.
"I know. The kids are at my mother's today, and I have all this energy. Probably comes from not having to say "Stop putting chewing gum in your sister's hair" over and over again," explained Jo and was rewarded with giggles from Sookie and Lorelai.
Michel poked his head through the door. "Joanna?"
"Please, call me Jo."
"Fine. Jo, could you please come with me so I can give you your clothes?"
"Certainly. Excuse me," she said to Lorelai and Sookie and went with Michel.
Sookie waited until Jo was gone. "Wow! Can I suggest something?"
"What?"
"Hire her!"
"Hire Jo?"
"Yeah!"
"But she already has a job."
"I know, but I like her better than stupid James!"
"Sookie!"
"What? At least consider it."
"We don't know what happens next in the James situation, so hold your horses!"
"All right..."
Lorelai checked her watch. "I told Luke I'd be there in two hours, but I'll come by the kitchen before I leave, OK?"
"OK."
Lorelai was getting antsy, while at the same time dreading the evening ahead of her. Sookie had been the perfect cheerleader, but her kind words and chocolate chip cookies couldn't push all of Lorelai's worries aside. She entered the diner and was relieved to see a couple stray customers at the counter and tables.
"Hey," Luke greeted her after looking up from his note pad next to the cash register. He gave her a smile that was a tremendous help to calm her down.
"Hi. Any news on the election yet?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
"Nothing official. But I assume he's winning. He said he'd make Patty social chair."
"That'll get him a lot of votes for sure."
Luke nodded. "You want something to eat?"
"I'm not hungry," Lorelai said, and he raised his eyebrow.
"Coffee?" asked Luke, his back already turned and his hand on the coffee pot.
Lorelai was amped up already. "No, thank you."
He turned back around, but stayed silent. He let his eyes wander to the other patrons at the diner, but nobody was seeking eye contact with him, so he assumed they were all fine for the moment. He exhaled through his nose and swallowed. He had no idea what to do now. Lorelai noticed how he seemed to want to say something but stopped.
"Can I make you a cup of tea?" he asked, but Lorelai only made a face. "Please, Lorelai. Let me make you something. I need to busy myself."
The pleading look he gave her had her almost in tears. "How about a soda?"
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"And maybe a plate of fries?" she added.
"Coming up," Luke confirmed and went into the kitchen.
On Luke's request Lorelai moved to a table after the other customers were gone. She had helped him as much as he had allowed her with the closing down for the night part. Now they were sitting there in silence while Lorelai finished off her fries. It was the moment she was both dreading and yearning for all day.
"So, um, how do you wanna do this?" she asked him. He was nursing his cup of tea.
"How do you wanna do this?"
"I thought maybe we could say what points we wanted to discuss first, and then we tackle them."
"Sounds reasonable."
"What are your points of discussion?" she asked, unable to tear her eyes from his trying to detect each micro expression on his face.
"Well, I have a big point, but I don't wanna start with it."
"That's OK, we can just list the points first."
"Could you please start then?" he begged.
"All right. Furniture."
"Sex."
"Rory."
"Finances."
"Before we discuss any of this, I have to ask you a question: Do you even wanna move in together? What are you leaning towards?" she asked warily.
He exhaled. Her heartrate doubled. "I'm leaning towards yes. But I have my concerns."
"Let's hear 'em," replied Lorelai with relief.
"Well, for starters, would Rory really be OK with this? I wouldn't want her to think I'm a house guest who has overstayed his welcome."
"I talked to her before I asked you and made sure she was OK with it. And she was. Rory likes you."
Luke breathed a sigh of relief. "What about the..." he swallowed, "the time she interrupted us?"
Lorelai's hand reached out to his. "I talked to her about that as well. She was actually less curious than I would have thought. Of course I used the chance for an early sex ed. You wanna go in a special order?"
"No."
"I'll start. If you moved in, we'd have to get some new furniture. Our couch is new, but not much else is. The kitchen table is old, as are the chairs."
"I have chairs. And a table. They're not new, but new-ish."
"OK, that sounds good. If you moved in, I'd definitely want you to contribute something that reflects your taste. I don't want you to not feel at home because nothing belongs to you. Moving in means really moving in. Bring your stuff, and make it your home, too."
He smiled at her enthusiasm and her vivacious manner of speaking. Everything she said was underlined with a hand gesture or a kind facial expression. Lorelai really wanted this, and she let Luke know exactly that. He looked at her, loving her more than ever in that moment. He tuned out for a moment, and he couldn't help it. Her eyes sparkled as she went on about how he could do whatever he wanted to the house she had bought. She took his hand again and brought him back to the conversation.
"... and Lord knows I won't be using that kitchen, so if you wanted to repaint it, be my guest. What?" she asked, suddenly nervous because of the look he gave her.
"Nothing. I just have to say one thing." Pause. He swallowed. "No one has ever been this nice to me. Maybe that's why I'm hesitant. I don't know if I deserve any of it. I'm not always the kindest person, as you well know from our first encounter. I wish I could have your optimism at times, and I sure wish I'd have some of your kindness."
"Luke... You are nothing but kind to Rory and me. Do you think I would have wasted a thought of us moving in together if I didn't think you're amazing? Part of me thought I'd end up as a spinster because no man ever looked my way because I have a child."
"I find that hard to believe..." he muttered under his breath.
"Well, there were the ones who tried to use Rory to get to me, her dad included. But you were so different. And I want you. All of you. Don't say 'dirty'. I mean it. I want to be with you all day every day. I told you about the Red Vines. All or nothing."
"I want you, too" he smiled. She returned the smile. She still held his hand in hers.
Abruptly, she started to sing "Let's talk about sex, baby!"
"Geez..."
"What, you said you wanted to talk about sex."
"Yeah, but not as loudly."
"Oh, you wanna whisper? A real whisper, or a stage whisper? Because I can do both. And if it's the latter, what kind of accent should I use? I've been working on my Irish accent lately."
He loudly exhaled. "Lorelai..."
"OK, fine. Stopping. Stopped."
"What can we do to never, ever, have Rory walking in on us?"
"I already told you. We can lock the door. I promise to keep the volume down if you can promise to not do anything that could prompt me to be loud."
"I will make no such promise," he stated with a satisfied grin.
"Fine, as always, the woman has to make all the sacrifices," she remarked dramatically. "And we could get Rory earplugs. Or we could simply wait a little longer and make sure she really is asleep. Does any of this sound good?"
"Yes. And we'll get a new lock."
There was a bit of a silence for a moment. Mentally, Lorelai was going through the list of topics, concluding there was only one left: Finances. "Fine, let's move on to the money, shall we?"
"Not so fast. We talked about furniture and sex."
"And Rory."
"Yeah, but only in that one regard. I'm not done yet."
"OK. Shoot."
"Well, this is going to sound stupid, but what will my role be?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, aside from cooking her breakfast, what am I exactly? Am I her mom's lover, or her step-dad?"
"I think you'll be both," Lorelai said hesitantly.
"But what would that entail?" Luke dug deeper.
"You need a list or something?" Lorelai tried to joke.
"No! Yes. I don't know," sighed Luke, stood up and started to pace in front of the counter.
"Why are you so nervous about it, Luke?"
"Because she's not my kid, Lorelai. What if she hated me living with you guys and we'd have to break up?" he asked in a crescendo, with a slight hint of desperation in his voice.
Lorelai didn't know what to say in that moment. She couldn't deny that he had a point. It would be a nightmare if Rory really didn't get along with him. But at the same time she knew she had already triple-checked with Rory to see if she really was fine with the new situation. And she knew she had a thoughtful, reasonable kid. Her loyalty would always be with her daughter, and Lorelai also knew that Luke was right and they'd have to break up if there indeed was no way to reconcile possible conflicts. However, it was not a scenario that seemed probable in Lorelai's mind. And she told him so. She explained her very clear gut feeling that it would work out. It calmed Luke somewhat, and he sat back down at the table beside her.
"What now?" he asked her.
"Now," she whispered and leaned in, "You'll kiss me."
He gladly followed her order.
"And we can tell Rory that she can always come to us, or to me if that's more comfortable for her, whenever she has a problem. I know my kid, she will if there ever is cause for it."
"Good."
"Shall we tackle the final point then?"
"Yes."
"Finances."
"OK, here's what I've been thinking about: Your house is bought and paid for by you. And I can't just live there rent-free. Rent, however, seems so weird. I'm not your roommate."
"Correct."
"What would you say if I paid a monthly amount of money, but not as rent. I've been thinking I could pay it to an account that will then be used for repairs. That way I'm contributing. And I know one thing about houses: Repairs are always necessary when you least expect or need them. It's good to be prepared. My parents were surprised more than once by a leaking roof, or a broken radiator. What do you say?"
"I say that it sounds very reasonable. That reminds me: When we talk about finances, we also have to talk about the diner," she stated calmly.
"The diner?" he asked her confusedly.
"You have to let me pay for my meals some time. You can't pretend it doesn't cost anything."
"But..."
"No buts. You wanna contribute to the house, I wanna stop being a freeloader."
"You're not a freeloader."
"Well, I feel like one. You never let me pay. And it has to stop," she insisted.
He exhaled through his nose. "Fine."
Lorelai couldn't help but smile. He tried to not follow suit, but he failed miserably. They exchanged goofy grins, knowing she was right.
"Oh, and one more thing," Lorelai started.
"Yes, Columbo?" he joked.
"Very funny. Speaking of other diner things. As your soon live-in girlfriend, I'd like to suggest you hire a cook. You're working too much. Not living above the diner will help with that, I know that from experience, but a day off once in a while would do you good."
"Do me good, or do you good?" he smiled knowingly.
"It'll do the both of us good. Just imagine you either opening or closing the diner. Not doing both every day. Or having Thursdays off with me. Sleeping in, or not sleeping..." she smiled shyly.
His heart sped up. How could he refuse her? Here she was, laying out her dreams for them as a couple. He never felt more wanted or loved in his entire life. But he had his routine, and he never hated his life. He agreed with her about having more free time. She had already changed so much in him, but it wasn't change he was fighting. In fact, and as a surprise to himself, he welcomed her intrusions to his everyday life. And if he could spend more time with Lorelai instead of just thinking of her, he felt he had to take the opportunity.
"Seems like you've been thinking about it a lot," he half-asked her.
She nodded. "I have. I think about you a lot."
"Me too."
"So?"
"I'll see if I can find someone to help me out in the kitchen."
"Really?" she smiled and her heart skipped a beat in anticipation.
"Yes."
She jumped up from her chair and flung her arms around his neck. She kissed him passionately.
After a few moments she said, "I think this discussion was a success. Don't you think?"
"I do," he nodded and leaned in to kiss her again.
"Whenever my dad's been having a good negotiation, he's celebrated with cigars and cognac. You don't happen to have any of those, do you?"
He got up and took her hand. "I have a better idea."
Wordlessly, he led her upstairs.
"Luke?" Lorelai said as she stopped on the stairs.
Luke turned around and looked at her expectantly.
"It's highly possible I'm going to hire Jo from under your ass," she announced cockily.
"What?"
"We can talk about it later. By the way, it's not a bad ass," she smiled broadly and gave him a gentle push on his butt to make him move on up the stairs.
The Sunday after their big talk, Lorelai was still asleep, as was Rory, when she was woken up by a very persisting, rather inconvenient noise. When she had come to her senses, she realized it was her doorbell. Sleepily, she ascended the stairs and walked to the front door. Her jaw dropped when she saw her mother in front of her, a basket in her hand.
"Good morning, Lorelai. I was thinking about what you said earlier this week. You're right. We've never had a family Christmas, and I'm going to change that. I brought the ingredients for cookies, and I'd like to bake some with you and Rory."
After Lorelai was still unable to process any of this or react in a proper manner, Emily added, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
Thanks for reading, my pretties! This story is coming to an end. Only one or two chapters to go. But worry not! There is still something in my head I can't wait to write afterwards! Leave me a review if you will.