Hey guys! Thanks for your patience and loyalty to the story! A few of you pointed out that Jane Austen did not write Jane Eyre and you are totally right! I had originally put Pride and Prejudice but then decided to change it...but I forgot to change the author Rory mentions too! Sorry about that! And thanks for keeping me on my toes! Trying to find time to write whenever I can between my three summer jobs but I've been busy. Hope you like the update though :)
A week later Lorelai tore into the Diner in a tailspin. She had been working nonstop for the last two days due to a wedding coming up over the weekend. The Bride was a bit of a bridezilla and was calling Lorelai with changes and complaints every hour. Rory had spent the last two nights with the Kims because Lorelai was working late into the night making it hard for her to get home to be with Rory.
She collapsed onto the stool at the end of the counter and sighed heavily. Luke turned away from the customer he was waiting on and frowned. He had barely been able to see her in the last 48 hours and he missed her. But he also knew how exhausted she was. He took the rest of the customer's order, read it to Joe and then walked over to where Lorelai was sitting.
"Hey." He whispered with a sympathetic smile, "It's good to finally see you."
She groaned and put her head against folded arms, "I can't ever remember being this exhausted. Even when I had a newborn…"
He leaned against the counter and squeezed her shoulder, "You need to get some sleep…"
"I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep until after this wedding." She said lifting her head slowly, "Dana called again today to change the menu and I had to spend the afternoon calming Sookie down long enough to write the new one out. Her sister wants to have a longer speech than originally planned which they are now feuding about. Michel said he forgot to order the new China for the ceremony and I haven't even told her that yet. I-"
"Okay. Take a deep breath." He whispered, "You need some sleep. When did you get home last night?"
"A little after two? Thank God The Kim's let Rory stay a second night...she never usually does. But I don't know what to do about tonight." She said running a hand through her hair. "Maybe she can stay with Babette or-"
"I will go over and stay until you come home." He said squeezing her hand.
She shook her head, "Luke no-"
He squeezed her hand again, "Yes. I will go over, make her dinner and hang out with her before she goes to sleep. But right now you need to take a nap. Let's go upstairs."
She sighed, "Luke I can't. I have a million things to do at the Inn. The whole wedding has put everything else on the back burner and I need too-"
"I don't care about the Inn right now. I care about you." He said walking around the counter, "Come with me upstairs. You are going to make yourself sick." He turned to Joe, "I'll be back in a bit Joe."
"But Luke-" She whispered as he ushered her towards the staircase, "What about-"
"Shhh…" He whispered as he pushed her into the apartment, "You look like a walking zombie."
"Geez...take me now sailor." She said with a pout.
He smirked and leaned forward to kiss her gently, "I'd love to take you." He teased, tickling her sides, "But I need you to take a minute to yourself. I'll call Mia and tell her you'll be back around 2. Go lie down." He said cocking his head towards his bed.
She sighed realizing he wasn't going to give up and also that she did need the rest. She kicked her shoes off and unzipped her dress, she reached for one of his flannels and slipped it over her head before falling on her back onto the bed. She heard Luke talking to Mia but was to tired to listen to every word. She snuggled into his pillow and tried to let her mind turn off to go to sleep. But her mind was already racing with all the things she was meant to be doing at work.
She groaned slightly and put an arm over her face. She felt the bed sink slightly, she felt Luke's strong arm on her back rubbing it gently, "Mia said to take all the time you need. She said she was heading in now anyway to check on things."
She sighed and leaned into him, "All the time I need would be a week."
He smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of her head, "Go to sleep…"
"I can't turn my brain off…" She whispered into the pillow, "I'm thinking about inventory and the fact that the sink is leaking in room 4. I need to call the DJ to make sure he knows the change for the first dance song and-"
"And you need sleep…" He said laying down beside her, "Shut it all off."
She turned in his arms and snuggled into his chest, "I miss you…"
He sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, "I know. I miss you too. But once the wedding is over we'll have more time together, okay? I'll take you out."
"Okay...thank you for being so understanding. It makes this so much easier." She said wrapping her arms around his waist, "Are you sure you don't mind hanging with Rory tonight?"
"Not at all. I haven't seen Rory in the last few days much either. She came in with Lane for lunch yesterday but we were swamped so I didn't get a chance to talk to her much. We'll just hang out." He said with a shrug.
She was quiet for a moment before lifting her head, "Maybe...you don't have to leave when I come home…"
He let her words sink in and then cleared his throat nervously, "You mean stay over?"
She bit her lip and stared up at him, "Yeah...I mean I think Rory would be okay with it. We were all at the house in Maine together…"
He nodded, "True. But we didn't sleep in the same bed…"
"Rory knows that we didn't sleep in separate beds the night she had the sleepover with Amy." She said with a smile.
Luke cleared his throat, "Yeah probably...but...are you okay with that? I mean are you sure? I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable. Especially Rory. It's her home."
"She was going to drop in around 4 at the Inn. I could maybe run it by her…" She said softly, "I mean...I'm not saying that we would-"
He shook his head, "No. Definitely not." He blushed slightly, "Not that I don't want too…" He bit his lip nervously, "I definitely miss you...but I can be a good boy. As long as she is okay with it."
Lorelai ran a hand down his chest slowly, "I miss you too...maybe we can skip the nap and fool around?"
He smiled and kissed her lips gently, "As much as I would love that...I think you need sleep more."
She pouted, "Stupid sleep…"
He chuckled and began to run a hand through her hair to soothe her, "Relax...you need your rest and you have to go back to work soon."
She sighed and snuggled further into the pillow, "Sleep…"
Luke smiled and continued to massage her scalp gently until he felt her breathing even out. He knew she was finally asleep, he checked his watch to keep track of the time. As much as he would like to let her sleep for hours he knew she really did have to go back to work. He pulled himself off the bed slowly, careful not to wake her up. He of course missed her like crazy during the last few days, but he knew she had to make sure this wedding went off without a hitch.
He figured that once it was over he would make sure she took at least a full day off to relax. Between catching up after vacation, reintroducing Richard into the mix and planning the Bridezilla's wedding he wasn't sure how she was even standing still. He walked out of the apartment and back down to the Diner to let Lorelai rest. He would wake her up in an hour.
Forty Five minutes later, Lorelai crawled out of the bed, changed into her clothes again and headed back down to the Diner. Luke frowned when he saw her and checked his watch. He rounded the corner and stood across from her.
"You still have fifteen minutes left missy." He said with a stern look.
She sighed and reached into her bag for her keys, "I woke up and just couldn't get back to sleep. It was just easier to get up now. Can I have some coffee to go?"
He sighed and reached for a to go cup, "Lorelai…"
She smiled at him, "I'm fine. Really. Sookie is making a big dinner for the staff tonight so we can go over last minute things. I will eat a full meal and get home whenever I can. I promise I'll go straight to sleep."
He slid the coffee cup across the counter to her, "Please make sure you eat...I'm worried about you."
"No need to worry hon." She said leaning across the counter and giving him a quick peck, "You sure you're good hanging with Rory?"
Luke nodded slowly, "Definitely. Should I pick her up at the Kims later? I can be done here at five since I opened. Joe is closing."
"Yeah. I'll call Mrs. Kim in a bit and say you'll pick her up by 5:15. Rory will be so excited to spend some time with you. And I feel good knowing she is safe and in her own home. Thanks babe." She said giving him a kiss again, "You're the best."
"Don't worry about a thing. I got it all covered. I'll see you whenever you get back. We can discuss me staying over then…" He said with a shrug, "It's no big deal if I don't though."
"Okay." She lifted his wrist and checked the time, "Alright. I gotta dash. I'm sure Sookie is having a meltdown without me there. Bye." She said kissing him again, "Thanks again!"
"See you later." He said giving her a gentle wave.
He stood at the counter and watched her until she was completely out of sight. He took a deep breath, and counted down the minutes until he could see her again.
A few hours later, Lorelai was standing behind the front desk checking to make sure all the rooms were set for the guests for the wedding. She was so wrapped up in thought she didn't realize that someone had walked in and was now standing in front of the counter. After a moment she heard someone clear her throat, she lifted her head and her eyes snapped open when she saw the person in front of her.
"Michael…" She whispered slowly, "What...what are you doing here?"
He smirked, "Wow. I honestly didn't think you would still be here. I see you moved up from maid though...good for you." He winked, "Gotta say I miss the outfit though…"
She grimaced slightly, "What are you doing here?" She asked again.
"I'm in the wedding that's here this weekend. Best man." He said with a shrug, "Groom is one of my best friends."
She swallowed hard and looked down at the computer again, "Okay. Well why are you here so early?"
"I'm staying in Hartford for the next few nights with friends but...when I realized where the wedding was I had to drop by. I wanted to see if you were still here and…" He shrugged and held his arms out towards her, "Low and behold you are."
She sighed and walked to the end of the counter pretending to be looking for something, "Yep. Here I am. If there is nothing else you need you know where the door is."
Michael frowned and walked back towards the end of the counter, "Oh come on...don't be like that. I thought we said we'd be friends."
She snapped her head up slowly and glared at him, "Michael what do you want?"
"I mean I wouldn't be opposed to sneaking off to one of the empty rooms like we used too…" He said reaching for her hand.
She snapped her arm back, "No way in hell." She spat out of him, "You have got to me kidding me right now."
He rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself, "Lorelai don't be so mean...that stuff that happened between us was years ago. Aren't you over it by now?"
She licked her lips and looked around, "Michael yes I am over it. But I don't really feel the need to be buddy, buddy with you right now. This wedding has taken a lot of my time up and I need to get things done. If you aren't staying here or don't need anything right now, can you let me go back to work? I'd like to go home at some point."
He was quiet for a moment, "How's Rory?" He whispered.
She looked back up at him, "Why?"
He sighed and his face softened slightly, "Look...I know what I did was shitty. But...I just...I wasn't ready to be a Dad Lorelai. I was 21."
"I never asked you to be a Dad." She said in response, "But I made it clear when we started…" She paused and shifted nervously before continuing "fooling around that Rory came first. Rory didn't deserve to be hurt like that." She placed a hand over her heart, "I didn't deserve to be hurt like that…"
He nodded and looked down, "No...you didn't. Neither of you deserved to be hurt. I'm sorry." He was quiet again, "Is she okay?"
"She's great." She said crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well good...she was always an awesome kid. Super cute. I'm sure she's growing up to be a beautiful young girl like you." He said with a smile.
"Michael…" She whispered slowly as she shook her head, "I'm really not in the mood for this right now…"
He stepped back slightly, "Alright...I'll get out of your hair. I know that Dana is…" He chuckled slightly, "A little tightly wound. Don't let her push you around too much. I guess I'll see you at the wedding." He paused again, "Tell Rory I said hi…"
She shook her head, "You know I won't…"
He frowned slightly, "Guess I deserve that…" He sighed and walked back towards the door again, "See you later Lorelai."
Lorelai watched him go and groaned. Something about his presence back in her life made her nervous. She had Luke. She didn't need Michael nor did she want him. But why did he have to show up when things were going so well for her.
A little after 5:00, Luke walked from the Diner over to the Kim's house. He stepped into the antique shop and nervously glanced around. He spotted Mrs. Kim in the corner polishing an old brass lantern.
He cleared his throat nervously, "Uh...hey Mrs. Kim. I'm here to pick up Rory."
Her head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes at him, "Lorelai called. She said she work late again...not good for Rory. She needs her Mother."
Luke smiled gently, "I know. She has a big wedding happening at the Inn this weekend. Once it's over things will calm down and she will be home more."
"I work out of my house. More practical to watch Lane all the time." She said crossing her arms over her chest.
Luke smiled again not knowing what else to do, "That's great."
There was an awkward pause for a moment and then Mrs. Kim glared at him more, "Are you going to marry Lorelai?"
His mouth fell open slightly and he stumbled on his words, "Uh...well...I don't know."
Mrs. Kim sighed and shook her head, "Lorelai shouldn't bring men around Rory. Not appropriate."
Luke sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, "Look Mrs. Kim I understand you have your beliefs about things...and I respect that. But Lorelai is doing the best she can with Rory and in my opinion she has done a wonderful job."
"A child needs both of her parents." Mrs. Kim said sternly.
"And Christopher has had every opportunity to be involved in Rory's life. Lorelai has always left that door open to him. He chooses to stay away and Lorelai can't control that. You can't fault her for his behavior." He said with a shrug. "But if you want to know my intentions...I plan on sticking around as long as they want me here. I love them both and…" He paused and shrugged, "If I'm lucky enough then yes...someday I'd like to marry Lorelai."
Mrs. Kim contemplated his words for a moment and then seemed to smile slightly, "Well okay then."
Luke took a breath and relaxed slightly, "Okay...is Rory around?"
"Right here." Rory said bounding down the stairs with Lane, "Thanks for letting me stay again Mrs. Kim. I had a great time."
"Do you need dinner for tonight? I have left over eggless egg salad." She said quickly.
Rory grimaced slightly, "I think I had plenty at lunch...but thanks."
Mrs. Kim nodded once, "Okay. Have a goodnight."
"Bye." Lorelai said waving slightly to Lane.
Luke put his arm around Rory's shoulder and walked towards the door. They walked out of the house and over to Luke's truck. Rory climbed in and Luke shut the door behind her before climbing into the driver side.
"You see Mom at all today?" Rory asked as they drove towards their house.
"She dropped in briefly and I made her take a nap." Luke said as he steered the car, "She's exhausted."
Rory frowned, "I know. When she dropped by yesterday to ask Mrs. Kim if I could stay again she started to cry. I know she is feeling guilty but I understand it." She said with a shrug, "She has to work and this wedding is a big deal."
Luke turned towards her and smiled as they stopped at a stop sign, "She just wants to spend as much time with you as she can kid. She misses you."
Rory smiled, "I know. I miss her too. But I don't want her to worry about me when she's got enough already on her brain."
Luke smiled and rubbed her shoulder affectionately, "You're a hell of a kid, you know that?"
She rolled her eyes slightly, "So you keep saying…"
"Because I mean it." He said pulling up in front of the house, "I know it's not easy all the time for you but you're so good to your Mom and understanding. She is doing her best for you. She loves you more than anything Rory…"
Rory nodded slowly, "I know." She paused slightly before whispering, "I think she loves you too...even if she hasn't said it yet."
Luke blushed slightly, "Rory…"
"Maybe it's too early for her to say it but…" She took a deep breath, "I've never seen her this happy...she lights up when you are around and that makes me happy. I love my Mom and she does her best to hide most things from me but I know how hard it is for her. It's nice to have someone around when she needs help…" She smirked slightly, "And as much as I love Lane...it's nice to be able to be in my own home with someone I trust tonight."
Luke smiled and squeezed her hand, "I'm happy to be here with you." He cocked his head to the back of the truck, "I got some groceries in the back. Wanna help me make dinner?"
Rory smiled, "I'd love that."
Luke smiled again and got out of the truck. They carried the bags into the house and started to make dinner together.
In Hartford, Richard was in his office going through piles of books. He was humming to himself as he stacked up books he thought Rory would be interested in. He had talked to Lorelai briefly the day before and they had scheduled a lunch for the following week between them all. Their first meeting had gone well and he was excited to see his granddaughter and daughter again.
His office door open and his wife walked in, "Richard we are going to be late for dinner. We have a reservation for 5:45." She paused and watched what he was doing, "What are you doing?"
He shrugged, "Sorting books."
"For what?" She asked as she glanced around his library, "You had them all in a certain order. It took you months to get it just right."
Richard cleared his throat slightly, stood up and carried one pile towards his desk, "I told Rory that she could borrow some books from me. I thought I'd get a start on sorting through the ones I thought she may be interested in."
Emily pursed her lips, "Oh. So you'll be seeing them again?"
He sighed and nodded slowly, "I told you we were going to plan something soon. I talked to Lorelai yesterday and we decided to set up another lunch date next week."
"Well that's just wonderful." She said with sarcasm.
He glared at his wife, "Emily...I told you that I want to have a relationship with both of them. I told you that you were just going to have to deal with it. You have made your choice by wanting to stay away but I have to tell you that I think you are making a mistake."
She scoffed slightly, "Richard Gilmore! How dare you talk to me that way!"
He groaned, "Lorelai is your daughter. Rory is your granddaughter. Don't you miss them at all?"
Emily ignored his question and lashed out, "Lorelai chose to take that girl away from us! She wanted nothing to do with us!"
He shook his head, "I don't think that's true...I think she just wanted to be able to be who she wanted to be for once. We were constantly breathing down her neck and trying to get her to be someone she wasn't. We pushed her too hard and then she ran away."
"Oh don't you dare blame this on me!" She said angrily, "I expected Lorelai to act a certain way and she disappointed me. I mean getting pregnant at 15...do you not remember how embarrassing that was to have to tell our friends?"
He sighed, "I do remember that feeling and at the time I was angry." He paused for a moment, "But I also remember how hard it was when I realized she left...and how hard it's been for the last 12 years without them. Lorelai is our only child and Rory is our only granddaughter. I want to know them. And I will not allow you to ruin this for me." He said sternly, "Rory is a wonderful young lady...I want to get to know her better. And I will let you know that if you do something to mess this up...you and I are going to have some serious issues."
Emily's eyes widened slightly in shock, "Richard…"
He shook his head, "I mean it Emily. I want this to work out. Lorelai would let you in if you put your guard down. But she doesn't want too if you are going to judge her or Rory. That isn't fair. And it will not be tolerated. You can choose to stay away if that's what your stubborn mind wants but don't you dare ruin this for me."
Emily took a deep breath, "Fine." She paused again, "Are you ready to go? The Dubrow's will be waiting for us if we don't leave now."
Richard sighed, he was quite used to Emily's abrupt change in topic's when she didn't like what she was hearing. "Let me get my wallet."
"I'll be in the car." She turned and walked out of the office without another word or look towards her husband.
Richard watched her go and let out a heavy sigh as he heard her heels click on the floor. He looked back at the stack of books and thought again about Rory and Lorelai. He wanted desperately for this to work but also didn't want to lose his wife in the process. He wanted his whole family together, not separated…
Back at the house, Luke and Rory were cleaning up their dinner. Luke was washing and she was drying. When they finished Luke said he would go look for a movie for them to watch. Rory excused herself to go to the bathroom and Luke walked into the living room. He was kneeling to look into the cabinet when he heard a strange sound from upstairs in the bathroom.
He frowned and stood up, looking up at the ceiling, "Rory? Are you okay?"
"Fine!" She yelled back, "I'm fine!"
Luke listened for another moment and then turned back towards the cabinet to look at the movies. A few minutes later Rory came back downstairs and stood awkwardly by the TV with arms crossed over her chest.
"Um Luke…?" She asked cautiously, her face was bright red.
He glanced up at her and stood up again, "Yeah? You okay?"
"When's Mom coming home?" She asked unable to meet his eyes, "Like how late do you think she will actually be?"
Luke pursed his lips, "Uh...not really sure. She didn't give me an exact time. Why? Is something wrong?"
She shook her head quickly, "Nope. All good. But um…" She shifted her feet back and forth, "I uh...I'm suddenly not feeling so great." She frowned and put a hand on her stomach, "Must be that eggless egg salad from Mrs. Kim…" She started to walk backwards towards the her room, "I think that maybe I'll just go to bed…"
He frowned and looked at his watch, "It's not even seven yet...why don't you just hang out here on the couch? We're just gonna watch a movie and hang…"
She nodded slowly, "Yeah um...I think I'd feel better in my own bed."
Luke stared after her suspiciously, "I could move the TV into your room like I did when you came home from the hospital. Not too hard."
Rory shook her head quickly back and forth, "No really...I'm good. Just gonna get some sleep. Night Luke!"
Before he could say another word, Rory had dashed to her room and slammed the door quickly behind her. Luke stood rooted in his spot trying to figure out what had just happened. They had had a great time cooking dinner and talking together. She seemed fine one minute and the second she went to the bathroom something had changed.
He didn't know much about raising kids but he knew that something was wrong. He also knew that as much as Rory liked him...she would probably not allow him to push her. Luke sighed and sat down on the couch and flipped on the TV hoping she would come out of her room at some point…
At the Inn, Lorelai was sitting with Sookie going over the many changes again.
"I will be so happy when this damn wedding is over." Sookie said with a groan, "Dana is the most annoying bride ever."
Lorelai nodded slowly and reached for another folder, "Sure is…"
Sookie stared at her best friend for a moment, "Hey...you okay? I know you're stressed but you've been a little off all night. You seem upset. Everything okay with Luke? He's not mad about how much you've been working is he?"
Lorelai quickly shook her head, "No. No he's not mad at all. He's been great. He's with Rory tonight and he made me take a nap at the apartment today rather than hang out. He's great. We're great."
Sookie frowned, "Well something is bothering you…"
Lorelai groaned and put her head in her hands, "Michael is the best man at the wedding…"
"Michael? The Michael? The best man in this wedding? The wedding happening here?" She asked quickly trying to catch up.
Lorelai nodded slowly and let out a heavy sigh, "Yes and yes."
"Wow. I mean…" She sighed and leaned back in her chair, "Wow."
"Yup." She said with a groan, "And he looked so damn smug when he saw me. He said something like 'I wanted to see if you were still here and you are.'" She cringed slightly, "I mean...I must look like such a loser to him. He probably went out into the world and did all these amazing things and I've just been here…"
"Oh honey…" Sookie said reaching out to hold her hand, "You are not a loser and you've done so much since then. You are an amazing Mother to Rory and you've built a career here at the Inn. You're incredible and he's the loser."
Lorelai ran a hand through her hair, "Something about seeing him standing there...it upset me. And it just made me feel weird...and…" She paused, "The whole time I was with him I knew it was wrong...I knew he was using me but I just…" Her eyes welled up with tears, "Good Sookie I felt so alone back then and I just needed...I needed someone…and he was there. But...it still bugs me...it still makes me feel...bad about myself for allowing myself to be used that way."
"Lorelai that was so long ago. You were young...everyone makes stupid mistakes especially in relationships." She paused, "And besides...now you have Luke and things are so good. None of that stuff matters."
Lorelai nodded slowly, "I know you are right...but still...it just felt weird. I never expected to see him again."
"I know." Sookie whispered, "And after the wedding I'm sure you'll never have to see him again."
"I hope so." She reached for the folder when someone knocked on the door, she turned and saw one of the night receptionists, "Hey."
"Your boyfriend is on the phone." He said quickly with a little smile.
Lorelai blushed and nodded, "Okay. Line one?" He nodded, "I'll grab it here. Thanks." She stood up and grabbed the phone on the wall, "Hey Luke. Everything okay?"
She heard him shifting in his seat on the other end, "Uh...I think so?"
Lorelai frowned, "You think so? What do you mean you think so?"
She heard him sigh slightly, "Well...things were great. We made dinner together...hung out for a bit. And then she uh...she went up to the bathroom...and came down and said she wasn't feeling well and wanted to go to bed. She's been in there for an hour...I know she's not asleep but I can tell she doesn't want to talk to me either."
"She just said she didn't feel well? Didn't give an specifics?" She asked quickly.
"No. And she looked fine...she said something about Mrs. Kim's eggless egg salad but…" He sighed again, "I don't know...she looked nervous about something. I know you are busy but…"
"I'll come home now. Don't worry. Should be there in ten minutes." She said quickly, "Just hang tight. I'm sure she's fine."
Lorelai hung up the phone and turned back towards Sookie, "Everything okay?" She asked.
"Not sure. Rory's acting a little strange and Luke's concerned. I know we have a million things to do but-" She started but Sookie put her hand up.
"Don't say another word. We have the menu all set and we have plenty of time to fix everything else. You go check on your girl." Sookie said with a smile.
Lorelai smiled and grabbed her purse, "Thanks Sook. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah see you tomorrow." She watched Lorelai start to walk away before calling out to her again, "And Lorelai?"
She turned back to her friend and smiled, "Yeah?"
Sookie smiled, "Don't let this Michael thing ruin things with Luke okay? I've never seen you so happy…"
Lorelai smiled, "I won't. Thanks Sook."
Lorelai quickly left the Inn and headed towards home. She pulled up behind Luke's truck and quickly exited the car. She walked up the steps and into the house where Luke was nervously standing in the kitchen.
"She hasn't come out…" Luke said with a frown.
Lorelai smiled, "I'll figure it out." She walked towards Rory's room and tapped on the door, "Rory? Hon...it's me."
"Mom?" Rory called out.
"Yeah. Can I come in honey?" She asked softly.
"Yeah…" Rory whispered softly, "Come in…"
Lorelai gave Luke a smile and then walked into the room and shut the door behind her, "Hey kiddo...you okay?"
Rory was kneeling on the bed with a nervous expression on her face, "Um...is Luke still here?"
Lorelai nodded slowly, "Yeah. He called me at work...he was worried about you. He said you weren't feeling okay. What's up?"
Rory's face turned bright red, "I uh...I think I...I think I got my…" She groaned, "You know…"
Lorelai sat down on the edge of the bed, "Your what?"
Rory grimaced and whispered, "My period…"
Lorelai's eyes opened wide, "Oh. Oh! Your period. Wow. Um...okay…"
"Mom…" Rory said with a groan, "God this is embarrassing...but Luke was here and I didn't-"
Lorelai shook her head quickly, "Don't say another word kiddo. I can understand why you didn't want to tell him…"
Rory stood up quickly, "I just...I panicked."
"Alright. Everything is going to be fine." Lorelai said walking over to her, "We just need to uh...talk about some stuff."
Rory shook her head quickly, "No! We already talked about this stuff. I really don't feel like looking at the charts and diagrams again. I'm still traumatized from that experience. I just need to know where you know...the pad things are and then I'll be fine!"
Lorelai cringed, "Right. Okay...okay. Well I'll just go upstairs and-"
"Can you ask Luke to leave?" Rory asked quickly, "I just feel weird! I mean do you have to go back to work? I'm feeling anxious and angry and-"
"Welcoming to PMS." Lorelai said with a frown, "I'd congratulate you but I'm not gonna sugar coat it...it sucks."
"Great." Rory said with an eyeroll, "I hate my life."
Lorelai chuckled softly and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, "Luckily I bought new ice cream yesterday so once we get you squared away we can watch a movie and eat the entire gallon."
Rory pouted, "Okay…"
Lorelai kissed her daughter's head and smiled, "I'll be right back. Hang tight for a second. I'll just go tell Luke he can head back home."
"I'm sorry...it's not that I don't like him anymore I just-" Rory started but Lorelai shook her head.
"I get it hon. Trust me. I do. It's okay." She smiled and walked out of the bedroom.
Luke was sitting in the living room, he stood up when he heard Lorelai approaching, "Is she alright? Is she really sick? Does she need to go back to the hospital? I mean they got her whole appendix right? And you only have one...at least I think. Or is it something-"
He was rambling and Lorelai's heart swelled at his concern for her, "She's fine."
Luke sighed with relief, "Okay...well did I do something? I thought we were having a good time one minute and then-"
"No you didn't do anything wrong." She said shaking her head, "She just uh...needs her Mom for a minute." She blushed slightly, "If you know what I mean…"
He frowned and shook his head, "Well she always needs you but no I don't really know what you mean…"
Lorelai smiled, "Okay well it's not a big deal. I think I can take it from here. You can head back to the apartment and-"
He stepped closer to her, "You want me to go? I thought we would all hang out...are you sure I didn't do something wrong? I don't want her to be upset with me…"
Lorelai shook her head and grabbed his hand, "You didn't do anything Luke. She just...needs a minute."
"I don't understand." He said quickly, "I had to have done something if she wants me to leave...do you want me to leave? You said maybe I'd stay tonight...is that what this is about? Did you ask her about it? Was she totally freaked out?"
"Luke stop." Lorelai said squeezing his hand gently.
"It is isn't it? She's not ready for that. That's fine! I don't ever have to stay over." He paused, "Well I mean eventually if we got ma-" He paused and blushed, "I mean…"
She smiled having caught on to his almost slip up, "Luke...I mean it she's fine. It has nothing to do with you or us as a couple."
He crossed his arms over his chest, "Then why can't you tell me?"
"Because I don't think you really want to know." She said with a laugh.
"Of course I want to know!" He said feeling slightly offended, "You know how much I care about her. If something is up I want to know what it is so I can help."
"I'm not sure you can help…" She said with another laugh, "Unless you feel like baking anything and everything chocolate related that you know how to make."
He shook his head, "I don't under-" He paused as something clicked, then his face turned ten different shades of red, "Oh. Oh. Oh my God!"
Lorelai cringed and swatted his arm, "Luke! She's already embarrassed enough!"
"She...she got her…" He groaned and took his hat off, running his hand through his hair, "Isn't she a little young for that?"
"No. Not really." Lorelai said shaking her head, "It's different for all girls…" She sighed and glanced back towards Rory's room, "She just...she kind of panicked. It's her first time and obviously didn't want to talk to you about it. I think she would just feel better if you went home tonight...we can try and all hang out soon. She'll be fine in a day or two. She's just feeling a lot of new things and...you know a lot of embarrassment at first."
Luke still looked embarrassed himself, "Right…"
She chuckled slightly, "You wanted to know what was going on…"
He sighed, "I know but…"
"And if you are going to be around...this is something you have to deal with." She said with a shrug, "With both of us. And trust me...it's worse for us."
Luke nodded, "I know. I know...I just…" He sighed, "All new for me…"
She smiled and reached for his hand again, "I know. It's new for us too...we're still learning remember?"
Luke nodded, "Okay. Well...I'll head out then...call me later?"
Lorelai smiled, "I will. And...do me a favor...don't say a word to her about any of this. It will probably be better for all involved if you don't even acknowledge it. I know she won't. Just give her an extra slice of pie tomorrow…"
Luke smiled, "I can do that…"
She sighed and leaned in to kiss him, "Sorry we will miss each other again."
He shook his head, "Rory comes first. I've told you that from the beginning. I'll see you later. Try and get some sleep tonight okay?"
She nodded and kissed him again, "I will. Just wish I could sleep next you…"
He gave her an affectionate squeeze and winked, "Soon. I promise." He kissed her again, "Goodnight."
"Night Luke. And thanks for everything." She said watching him walk back towards the door, she waited until the truck pulled out of the driveway.
She was lost in thought, thinking about how amazing he was. She felt that rush run through her body and she wished she could tell him how much he meant to her. But truthfully she didn't know how to express it just yet. Even with the appearance of Michael today, just the sight of Luke calmed all her nerves.
The only thing that snapped her out of her daze was her daughter's loud voice, "Mom!"
Lorelai jumped slightly and turned towards the stairs, "Sorry! I'm on it! One second!"
She dashed up the stairs and wondered how it was possible that her daughter was suddenly old enough for this phase in her life. Life was moving quickly but she was finally happy with the direction it was going in these days…
Hope you liked it! I wasn't sure about the last part with Rory going through that change hahaha but something about it stuck with me when I thought of it. If Luke and Lorelai started to date when Rory was still young it would be something he would be around for...part of life! And picturing his reaction was funny to me! I will try and update asap! Thanks again!