The next morning Luke was woken up by Rory tapping his face.
"What is it sweetheart?" Luke asked her still half asleep.
"I need the toilet." Rory whispered back.
"Ok, go then." Luke mumbled back confused as to why he was being woken up for this, "you know where to go." He told her.
"Come with me." She whispered back.
"Rory..." Luke sighed getting out of bed and then picking Rory up, "this is ridiculous, there is nothing to be scared of." He walked out of his room and towards hers, "come on I'll show you, you were asleep and imagining something."
"Noooo," Rory said seeing where they were going, "I need the toilet."
"Right ok." Luke sighed and brought her to the bathroom.
Rory came out and ran back towards Luke and Lorelai's room. "Not so fast missy." Luke said picking her up before she could get too far, "we are going to go into your room and you will see there is nothing wrong and tonight you can sleep there in your own bed like a big girl ok?" Luke asked her, "and you will tell Jess there is nothing there too." Luke added.
"But.." Rory started.
"Rory nothing can hurt you in here." Luke said kissing her cheek and turning on her light. "Where did you think you heard something?" He asked her.
"Under the bed." Rory replied holding tightly onto Luke's neck.
Luke walked over to the bed and sat down on the floor with Rory in his lap. He lifted up the side of the duvet and bent over so they could both see underneath the bed.
"There is nothing there." He said.
"It must have ran away." Rory reasoned.
"If it was there it would have left some evidence behind I promise." Luke said feeling underneath the bed, "nothing there, not a single hair."
"Ok.." Rory said leaning forward slightly to look under the bed herself.
"You all good?" Luke asked hopefully and stood up and threw her slightly in the air and caught her when he got a nod in response, "come on it's still early, let's go back to bed." He said carrying her back to his room.
Every night for a week Luke had to check the house before bed time for monsters and then sit with Rory until she went to sleep but Luke and Lorelai got their bed back.
The summer came and much to Lorelai's delight Sookie came back for her job in the kitchen. Every Thursday Lorelai left Luke with the kids and went to the town meetings with Sookie then after the town meetings they would usually go into Luke's and even though she knew where he was it still felt weird for Lorelai for Luke not to be there.
One Friday Lorelai walked into the kitchen as she knew that Friday was the day that Sookie had her lunch break at the same time as her. "Want to come to the diner with me?" She asked her.
"Sure!" Sookie smiled and tripped over her own feel on the way out the door.
They walked into the diner chatting about some rubbish, "Hey burger boy." Lorelai greeted Luke with a grin and a small kiss, "we want coffee and burgers please." She told him taking a seat with Sookie at the counter.
Lorelai and Sookie sat at the counter speaking to each other and giggling away.
"What are you giggling about?" Luke asked Lorelai as he refilled her cup.
"Thanks," she smiled at him, "we are trying to find Sookie a man, any ideas?" She giggled at him, obviously in a very good mood.
At that moment Kirk walked into the diner and Luke grinned, "how about Kirk?" He asked.
Sookie shouted, "no!" At the same time as Lorelai asked, "who's Kirk?"
"Hey Kirk." Luke said walking over to the table that Kirk had just sat down on.
"Hey Luke, would it be possible for you to make me some plain toast with the crusts cut off?" He asked, "I've had an upset stomach recently." He explained.
"Sure kirk." Luke said and before he could walk away Kirk added in a voice slightly too loud for Luke's liking, "the diarrhoea has been awful."
"That's enough information Kirk, people are trying to eat." Luke said returning to the counter.
"That's Kirk." He said quietly to Lorelai.
"Now what's wrong with him?" Lorelai asked Sookie with a sly grin.
"Ummm no." Sookie shook her head.
"Now Sookie that's just mean, you haven't given the poor boy a chance." Lorelai pointed out still grinning.
"I know Kirk and anyway I don't see you giving him a chance." She pointed out.
"I'm married," Lorelai held up her hand.
"Oh yeah." Sookie said realising that that wasn't going to work.
"And besides Luke's right over there, now would just be stupid." Lorelai started giggling again and Sookie joined in.
"I heard my name." Luke said.
"Oh just talking about how if I was going to cheat on you I wouldn't do it in the diner." Lorelai told him.
"Yeah that would just be stupid, I'd be right there." He played along.
"Exactly!" Lorelai grinned at him.
Luke set their food down in front of them and Sookie said, "I know a good question, would you rather only ever eat your favourite meal again or never eat it again?" She asked picking up the bun of the burger and having a look inside.
"Hmmmmm," Lorelai considered it eating her burger, "I don't have a very varied palette as it is but burger for breakfast even I've got to say that's a push and I would hate to become sick of my favourite food. But I guess if I did get sick of it it wouldn't be my favourite food anymore and then I wouldn't only be eating my favourite food."
"No favourite food from right now for ever even if you grow to hate it." Sookie said then glanced around, "distract him." She said nodding towards Luke.
"What why?" Lorelai asked as Sookie dashed towards the kitchen.
"Hey Luke What about you?" Lorelai asked in a panic when Luke turned around.
"Favourite food for ever or never again?"
"Easy for you." Luke laughed, "you basically eat the same thing everyday. But I don't really have a favourite food I couldn't live without so totally never again." He answered, "hey where'd your friend go?" He asked his eyes narrowing at her slightly, she looked a little guilty.
"My friend has a name." Lorelai stalled and turned around slightly and glanced in the direction of the kitchen just in time to see Sookie come out with her burger looking please with herself. Luke followed Lorelai's line of eye and also saw Sookie leave his kitchen.
"What was she doing in there Lorelai?" Luke asked.
"I dunno she just said distract him and ran off I had no choice but to obey." She held up her hands innocently as Sookie slipped back into her seat.
"You had plenty of choice." Luke told her then turned to Sookie, "why were you in my kitchen?" He asked trying to remain calm.
"I just wanted to add a little bit of seasoning." Sookie explained.
"She's a chef." Lorelai leaned on Luke's arm to explain.
"Not in my kitchen she isn't."
"She is very Sorry and will babysit for us to make it up to us." Lorelai tried as Sookie had already shown an interest in babysitting Rory and Jess on the walk over.
"Keep her out of my kitchen." Luke said as he walked off.
"Grumpy." Sookie said when he was out of earshot.
"Nah, He was just being Luke. He isn't really angry, just doesn't want to be seen as a push over who lets people into his kitchen." Lorelai explained taking a bite out of her burger, "but you will have to babysit." She added grinning.
"I already told you I wanted to." Sookie told her.
"Yeah I know, just don't tell Luke." Lorelai grinned knowing it wouldn't really matter if Luke knew or not.
The next day Lorelai was working at the desk as she did everyday when she saw Mia walk out of her office with Luke.
Luke and Mia chatted for a few seconds outside the door and then Mia walked further into the Inn and Luke walked towards the door.
"Wow Wow Wow," Lorelai said running after Luke, "first of all Hi, second of all when did you get here, third of all why were you talking to Mia?"
"Hi back, I got here about 15 minutes ago I'd say but you were talking to a customer and didn't see me and I was talking to Mia to see if you could get the middle two weeks in August off."
"Two weeks? Why?" Lorelai asked confused and getting slightly excited.
"Yep, when I was growing up we would always go to my dads family cabin for the middle two weeks of August, I thought we could continue on that tradition, load up the car drive up there, there's a lake and you can go fishing or swimming and it's quite warm so you could even sun bathe if you want, not that I could see the appeal to exposing your skin to that."
"Your father had a cabin next to a lake? You never told me that."
Luke shrugged, "thought I did. Anyway want to go?"
"What did Mia say?"
"Mia said the two weeks are ours if we want them."
"She's the best!" Lorelai squealed and hugged Luke tightly.
"I take it that's a yes." Luke chuckled hugging her back.
"Course it is, Rory and Jess are going to love it." Lorelai said stepping back to where she was before.
"I hope so I always loved it growing up." Luke said, "I better go, Josh is there by himself, Caesar is sick."
"Kay, bye." Lorelai kissed him, "we can talk about our holiday tonight."
"Oh just why you're here," Luke added, "was Sookie serious about babysitting?"
"Yeah..."
"Is she free tonight?"
"I'd have to check but I don't know that she isn't free."
"Go check and tell me when you come in for your lunch, if so I'll have something planned."
"Ohhh very exciting, a holiday planned and a night out what did I do to deserve this?"
"Bye." Luke kissed her.
Lorelai glanced back over to the desk, no one was there and no one was around as it was a very empty mid morning.
"Sookie!' Lorelai ran into the kitchen.
"Yeah?"
"You free tonight?"
"Yeah?"
"Want to babysit?"
"Sure, what's the occasion, Luke just asked me and I said I'd ask you, anyway I better go back to the desk now."
"No details?" Sookie asked.
"No details to tell. I'll chat to you later." Lorelai promised as she returned to the desk, making sure to thank Mia the next time she came through the lobby.
That evening Lorelai was putting on some make up as Luke sat down stairs with Rory and Jess who were already in their pyjamas.
"Mummy's friend, Sookie, is going to come and look after you and put you to bed while me and mummy go out, ok?" Luke explained to them.
"And then you come back?" Jess asked him.
"Yes and then we will come back."
"When we go to sleep?" Rory asked.
"Yeah you'll be asleep but we will be there when you wake up like normal, you'll have great fun with Sookie I promise." Luke said and then went to get the door and led Sookie through to the living room.
"Thanks for doing this." He told her.
"No problem," she smiled at him, "hey guys." She smiled at Rory and Jess, "where's Lorelai?" She asked Luke.
"Upstairs getting ready ever so slowly." Luke responded.
"Mind if I go up there for like two seconds, I just want to ask her something."
"Sure, just don't take forever and tell her we are going to be late." Luke sat back down with Rory and Jess.
Sookie ran upstairs into Lorelai's room.
"Luke, What do you think blue or red?" She asked turning around with two pairs of earrings in her hands, "Oh Sookie, Hi, I thought you were Luke."
"Blue, so what's the story hear? And Luke says hurry up by the way."
Lorelai brushes off the last comment, "story?"
"Yeah why So last minute?"
"Oh yeah sorry about that." Lorelai grimaced, "if you have somewhere to be.."
"No no, it's good just wondering why."
"Dunno Luke just turned up at the Inn earlier on today, asked Mia if I could have two weeks in August off, which she gave me by the way, and then when we were chatting asked if you were free to babysit tonight." She responded with a shrug putting on her shoes, "kinda romantic actually."
"Or guilty." Sookie pointed out.
"What?"
"Sounds guilty to me. Totally out of the blue. Wonder what he has done?"
"He hasn't done anything. Or he better not have." Lorelai said standing up, "Come on Luke's right we are probably going to be late."
After saying goodnight to Rory and Jess and thankyou to Sookie one last time Luke and Lorelai left.
As they were driving out of stars Hallow Luke said, "you look very nice tonight."
"What did you do?" Lorelai asked in response.
"What I said you look nice so I must have done something?"
"No but I was telling Sookie how sweet and romantic it was of you to randomly spring a two week holiday on me and then take me out to dinner just us. Sookie said it sounded more guilty than romantic."
"What do you think I did?" Luke asked curious as to what she would come up with and if it would be close to the truth.
"I dunno. If I did I would either already be mad at you or you know if it wasn't bad not mad."
"Ah Yes." Luke hoped to stall the conversation until they were in the restaurant.
"So did you do anything? Is this sweet Luke or guilty Luke?"
"Can't it be both?" Luke asked.
"So guilty. What did you do?" Lorelai sat back in her seat.
"It's really not that bad. I'll tell you in the restaurant ok, so I can tell you the whole story without having to concentrate on the road too much."
"Fine." Lorelai huffed slightly, looking annoyed at him.
They got to the restaurant and took a seat, "spill." Lorelai said.
"Well you know the way Liz and I have been keeping in touch more recently..."
"Why does this have to be a Liz story." Lorelai sighed.
"Well anyway I was telling Liz how I planed to ask Mia to give you time off to go up to dads cabin for a couple of weeks. And well Liz said, she said that she would also really like to go up for a few days. And well I felt sorry for her and I might have said that I would ask you if she could come down to the cabin for a few days with us, not the whole time just a few days."
"So holiday was sweet Luke and dinner was guilty Luke?"
"Pretty much."
"I dunno Luke, she is your sister and that does mean something. I think I would be ok with it just for a few days, I'd be fine, it's been long enough but what about Jess, do you think he remembers her? What if he reacts like he did before, I don't want that to happen. He doesn't remember our wedding I know that much but his freak out was after our wedding."
"He doesn't remember our wedding?" Luke asked.
"No well he doesn't remember the photos I showed him." She said then grinned, "Why? Are you offended?"
"I think he would be ok if you were ok with it." Luke said, "we will be there the whole time, he shouldn't remember it that well, I'm surprised he even remembered her when he did have his freak out."
"Yeah exactly, seems to have a bit of a memory there."
"He hasn't mentioned her in so long, even at night, like last week when he had his nightmare and he was telling us everything scary that was in it, Taylor was there but she wasn't." Luke pointed out.
"True. I guess she can come for a few days then, but if something happens.."
"We are out of there." Luke promised her.
"Good now let's enjoy our meal, we never get to eat just us."
"You know I'm not joking when I say red meat can kill you." Luke said as Lorelai's food was placed in front of her.
"I know, but cow is really yummy." Lorelai said then loaded up her fork, "try it."
"No thanks, I value my life thankyou very much."
"My life is perfectly safe thank you very much."
"For now, you are still young. Wait until we are all old, your arteries won't survive it."
"Oh well something to look forward to." Lorelai grinned eating the food from her fork as Luke rolled his eyes and ate his own food, "what do you think we will be like when we are old?" Lorelai asked Luke curiously.
"Wrinkly."
"Ewwww gross. No thankyou."
"Not sure that's how it works. We will be all wrinkly and grey and your eating will have finally caught up with you."
"You saying I'm going to be fat."
"Maybe we can get you one of those reality shows. They can show pictures of you from when you were young, all perfect and skinny and then old you can come on and say I eat the same amount now as then and then it can be an educational show where they explain how metabolism slows down with age."
"Yeah pass on that. Anyway you've seen my mother, it's all genetics, you hardly think she works out or does anything healthy. You have married incredible genes."
"Genes with a coffee addiction." Luke pointed out.
"Incredible genes." Lorelai repeated.
"Hey do you remember that conversation we had just after our honeymoon?" Lorelai asked Luke as she ate the chocolate cake she had ordered with two forks so it looked like it was for both of them but Luke would never touch it.
"The one I think you are thinking about?" Luke asked her.
"Yeah that one."
"I remember." Luke smiled at her.
"Good," she smiled back, "still good on that?"
Luke continued to smile at her, "I'm still good on that. Four years we said just over a year ago. So just under three to go."
"Three years seems like a long time to wait." Lorelai said, "I miss having a baby."
"Rory and Jess are still babies really but I know what you mean. It does seem like a while but practically we will probably want to move to a bigger house, won't want to move with a little baby. You do have a more stable job, what's the maternity like on it. You couldn't bring a baby to work there like you could as a maid but I could have the baby with me until it is old enough for the nursery." Luke thought out loud.
"Mia is really decent with maternity, she gives six months 60% paid then an option for a 3 month extension pay free. But you are right we should have a bigger house. We should start to save. I don't see why if we sort out the house, which will take us a while, we can't try a little earlier than planned."
"Yeah?" Luke asked with a grin.
"Yeah, you know Rory asked me the other day if she was only having a brother or if she could get a sister too because one of her friends got a new sister."
"That's cute, what did you tell her?"
"I just told her we would have to see. For now Catherine is just for us." Lorelai promised him looking into his eyes.
"Catherine." Luke repeated.
"I don't want to leave our house, I like it. It's were we moved just after we met you. A proper rebellion, it's where we fell in love." Lorelai frowned.
"Yeah but we have to. We will always remember the house and what happened within it and we will still be in love."
"I know, I just don't want to leave it behind."
"I know, but you'll end up liking the new house more. And no before you ask we cannot keep the house as a side house, we cannot extend the house we have no where to extend into and we cannot all just squeeze in." He added with a grin knowing how her mind worked.
"Hmmmm," Lorelai said how trying to find a way around his conditions for fun, "can we dedicate it as a museum to the start of our lives together and Rory and Jess' babyhood?"
"Not sure how popular that would be."
"How about we find some people interested in money laundering and launder the money through the house?"
"Do you know how to launder money?"
"Not exactly but I could learn."
"So what do we do?" Luke asked on the drive home.
"What now? Wanna do something dirty?" Lorelai asked.
"Well yes, but that's not what I meant, do we save money up for a deposit then look around or do we look around as we save?"
"I guess we just look around casually until we have enough saved up and then we go from there." Lorelai shrugged, "now back to that dirty thing..."
When Luke and Lorelai got home Sookie was snoozing on the couch with the tv still on.
"What do we do?" Luke asked.
"Is this We're I make the dirty joke again and we make out?" Lorelai asked hopeful.
"No, do we wake her?"
"I will, you go check on the kids, make sure they're asleep, I'll be up in a minute." Lorelai walked toward Sookie and turned off the tv.
"Hey sweetie." Lorelai said waking up Sookie gently, "you fell asleep, you can sleep on the couch if you want." Lorelai whispered.
"No that's ok, I'll just go home." Sookie said with a yawn, "so how was your date? Was it sweet Luke or guilty Luke?"
"Bit of both, but I've got to admit I'm leaning towards sweet."
"Ohhhh guilty! What did he do?" Sookie whispered loudly.
"Well you know that holiday I told you about, it's to his dads old cabin and Luke used to go up there with his family every year until a few years ago and he was telling Liz about his plan to go back for the same two weeks that they always used to go on and Liz asked if she could come for a few days."
"No! You said no right."
"No I didn't, it's only a few days we will be there for two weeks."
"Lorelai!"
"It'll be fine, Jess probably won't remember her, I'm going to speak to him just to make sure but he will be fine with us there. And I'll be fine too."
"You said if you never saw her again it would be too soon." Sookie pointed out.
"I know but I was angry. She is Luke's sister, and she's had quite a rough time, she's all by herself, well she's had boyfriends that she has told Luke about but they aren't consistent week to week. Anyway when Jess gets old enough to understand I don't want him to think that I'm really petty and never let Liz see him if she wanted to. You never know Jess might want to get to know her and that's fine, she is Luke's sister anymore, it doesn't seem fair to lock her out and throw away the key." Lorelai explained.
"Yeah I guess, but you are a bigger person than I am. That key would so be gone." Sookie said standing up.
"Was everything ok here?" Lorelai asked her as she walked her to the door.
"Yeah, they are soooo cute!" Sookie gushed as she reached the door.
"I know!" Lorelai said as Sookie went through the door, "thanks again for doing this for us, we really appreciate it!" She said after her.
"No problem, I loved it!" Sookie said as she tripped down the stairs slightly.