Story: Somewhere Only We Know

Rating: Teen

Chapter Title: So Why Don't We Go

Author's Note: So, so, so sorry this update took so long. See, originally this chapter was going to be the wedding, but then I really liked the ending, and I wanted it as the ending of the story, so I had to whip up a filler chapter. And then once I wrote this Author's Note, I was attacked by midterms. Again – sorry!!!!

On a happier note, I'm proud to announce that this story has been published at BWR, and as of the 28th was on the front page in the recently updated feed, so it's easy to find. Same penname, same story title, same everything, so check it out and review so I don't feel as left out.

Other than that, this chapter is going to focus a little less on Luke and Lorelai and a little more on the other people in Lorelai's life, which was originally going to be the idea of the last chapter. Enjoy! 

NOTE: I went a little photoshop crazy and made some "art" for this story. Two posters for the movie – using the names of the characters that I've rewritten for the screenplay – one merged image of Luke and Lorelai slash Will and Charlotte, and one image of a kiss. Now, I am extremely, extremely proud of this kiss picture, because I took two completely separate pictures and used my mad skills to make something pretty damn special. So enjoy! Just remove the spaces from the URL below.

http// s105 . photobucket . com / albums / m 231 / coffeechick 93

Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, nor am I in any way affiliated with them. Chapter and story titles are taken from Somewhere Only We Know by Keane.

"Independence Inn, Lorelai speaking," she said with a sigh. Today was just one of those days.

"Lorelai?" her mother shouted into her ear. She jumped.

"Mom, why are you yelling?"

"I'm using the speakerphone!" she bellowed.

"Mom stop – stop yelling!" she shouted back, holding the phone a good arms length away from her head. "Just talk normally."

"All right," Emily said, and she heard a click. "I've taken it off speakerphone."

"Okay," Lorelai responded seriously, mimicking her mother's confidential tone. "So, what's up, mom?"

"Something has to be up for me to call my daughter?" She rolled her eyes.

"No, but something usually is."

"Well," Emily said resignedly, "As you know, your father and I leave for our spring trip to Europe on March 18th."

"Mmmhmm."

"Tomorrow is March 15th."

"Mmmhmm."

"It's also a Friday."

"Mmmhmm."

"Lorelai, stop that."

"Mmm – sorry. Yes?"

"Well, it just occurred to me that Luke hasn't been by for dinner in a while." Lorelai froze, and then squeezed her eyes shut. Oh, this would be a fun one to break to Luke.

"Mmmhmm…?" she squeaked warily.

"And since we get back on April 29th and I highly doubt you'll have time to bring Luke to dinner that close to the wedding – I imagine he'll be running your errands for you…" As if she was happily going to Friday night dinner and dumping her duties on Luke. "…I just thought you should bring him tomorrow so we can see our soon to be son-in-law before he's walking down the aisle."

"You know, I don't really know if Luke's free," Lorelai started lamely, but Emily cut her off.

"This isn't your decision, Lorelai. If Luke doesn't want to come, he doesn't have to." Yeah. Because that would go over well. "Well?"

"You can count on him being here," she finally said, defeated.

"Good," Emily decided. "Well, that's all. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Mom," Lorelai said wearily as she hung up the phone. She sighed and then traipsed into the kitchen, where she was attacked by a spoon. "Whoa." She stepped back from Sookie, who was brandishing a wooden spoon at her.

"Try it!" her friend squealed, and Lorelai looked at the spoon tentatively. It was covered in a red substance.

"Um…I'm kinda in a coffee mood…"

"Try it!"

"What is it?"

"Raspberry sauce," Sookie announced. "And it's delicious. Come on, just a little taste." Lorelai opened her mouth obligingly and let the hot red sauce spread over her tongue.

"That is good," she agreed as she walked to the coffee machine. "Really good! Wow!"

"Yeah," Sookie said nervously. Lorelai put her coffee cup down on the counter and looked at her.

"What?"

"Well, you know," she said giggly, "I was thinking I could use it as a dribble on the cake."

"My cake?"

"Uh-huh."

"What kind of cake is that again?" Lorelai asked eagerly. She just loved hearing Sookie describe it.

"It's a chocolate truffle cake," Sookie said excitedly, "With vanilla cream frosting and a little sugar you and Luke on top. With raspberry drizzle!"

"Yeah!" Lorelai jumped up and high-fived her friend. "Oh, I can't wait, I need that cake now."

"You'll have it soon enough," Sookie scolded her. "You know, I was thinking we could get you and Luke to model for the cake topper…"

"No," Lorelai said instantly.

"But - "

"If you think," Lorelai said clearly, 'That Luke would under any circumstances model for a cake topper, you have obviously never met the guy." Sookie shrugged and turned to stir in something.

"So how is Luke?" she asked.

"He's good," Lorelai said honestly.

"And how are you and Luke?"

"We're good," she assured her just as honestly.

"No more tension over the whole you and Christopher debacle?" Lorelai sighed, taking a big sip of coffee.

"Define tension," she said cagily. Sookie gave her a look. "No, I mean…we're doing great. Honest. I tell you when things are bad. No awkwardness or anything…but if I get close to the subject he gets sorta edgy."

"Can't blame the guy," Sookie said with a shrug. Now it was Lorelai's turn to throw her a look. "Well, come on, Lorelai!" At her blank look, she rolled her eyes. "All right, I'll draw it out for you. First, you didn't tell him you were with the guy for months in high school. Why? Guilt. Did it make Chris a sore spot? Yes. Then, you slept with him after Luke, and managed to mislead Luke into thinking you were pregnant with Chris's baby, which lead him not to talk to you for six years. Then when the two of you are engaged, you run off kissing him!" At Lorelai's objection, she held up a hand. "I'm just saying, from Luke's point of view, Chris must be the last person he'd ever want to talk about." Lorelai shrugged.

"Yeah, you're right." She shook her head with a laugh. "God, put it like that and it really sounds like I was the one who screwed him over…" she trailed off as something dawned on her. That was what Luke had meant those few years ago when he had said that she had hurt him, too. She'd never really known quite how, but there it was, plain as day. She had slept with the guy who Luke hated, and lead Luke to believe it was Chris's baby.

"Lorelai?" Sookie questioned, waving a hand in front of her face. "You okay over there?"

"Yeah, I just…god, I'm so stupid," she said, shaking her head. "If I had just…we could have…"

"Use your words," Sookie suggested.

"If I hadn't been so stupid and just admitted to myself that it was Luke's baby…we might have had those six years." Sookie nodded slowly.

"Yeah. But then again, you would have been so much younger. Like Luke said…maybe it was better to start later, when you were both older." Lorelai shrugged.

"Well, that's all in the past now," she said, quoting Luke. "What I really should be focusing on is that my wedding is in two months."

"And that you'll be twenty-five soon," Sookie added. "You can rent a car!" That made her laugh. "Now I know what your cake will be."

"A car?"

"Mmmm! Your birthday cake, that is. I don't think you'd want a car wedding cake."

"Maybe not," Lorelai agreed as she finished the coffee. "I think I'll stick to the raspberry drizzle."

"I'm sorry!" Lorelai insisted again as she, Luke and Rory stood outside of the Gilmore mansion. "I tried to get you out of it, I promise."

"Hey, it's okay," Luke said. "Your mom seemed okay last time I saw her."

"She called your diner quaint."

"That's nice!"

"No, Luke. Ohhh, Luke," she said, shaking her head. "Quaint is anything but nice. Quaint is…small, dusty, disgusting. That's what quaint is." Luke just shrugged.

"Are we going in?" She was about to ring the bell when she turned back to him.

"You can go. I can't subject you to this torture, and she said if you don't want to come, you don't have to - "

"Ring the bell!" Rory and Luke bellowed at her, so she did. They were ushered in by a maid to whom they handed off their coats, and then showed into the sitting room where Emily and Richard already were.

"Hello!" Emily said cheerily, standing. Lorelai blinked. "Luke, how good to see you! Tell me, how are you?"

"Can I make you a drink, Luke?" Richard offered.

"Yeah, I'll have a b - " he stopped at Lorelai's look. "Uh, wine is fine."

"Lorelai?"

"Gin martini," she said as she did every time. "With an olive."

"And Rory…what would you like?"

"Just water is fine, Grandpa," Rory said sweetly. When everyone was served their respective drinks, they all settled around the coffee table.

"So, Luke," Richard started. "How's the diner business going?"

"Pretty good," Luke said with a nod. "I just upgraded the menu to go with inflation…that did not please Kirk…"

"Who's Kirk?" Emily queried.

"Kirk is someone who lives in town," Rory offered. "He sells bananas and his laundry. And he has at least fifteen jobs." Emily and Richard looked unsure how to respond to this, so they looked at Lorelai instead.

"And Lorelai? How's the inn?"

"Oh, it's out," she said flippantly.

"I'm sorry?"

"The inn…out? In, out…never mind," she said with a sigh. "The inn is fine, thanks. We're holding a wedding there next week. Hey, Rory, tell her about the story you wrote." Emily looked expectantly at Rory, who blushed, smiled and said,

"Well, it's about a frog…"

It was during the meal that the attention switched from pleasant things like work and school to the wedding. Emily wanted to know everything – even though Lorelai had included her on most of the plans. What kind of cake were they having? What flowers in the centerpieces? Who was Luke inviting? Who was Lorelai inviting? Had Aunt Marilyn responded? They had to repeat everything back to Emily in detail, clearly boring Richard and Rory to death.

"Well," Emily said disapprovingly, "I still don't see why you have to have it in the town square. The reception, that is. What if it rains?"

"Then we'll put up tents," Luke answered surely. Lorelai squeezed his hand under the table, a silent gesture of thanks. Emily mulled this over for a moment, and then changed the subject.

"Do you like your veal, Luke?" He glanced down at the veal.

"Yeah, its great."

"I'm sure the cook could give you the recipe."

"Um, Mom?" Lorelai stepped in. "Luke doesn't exactly serve veal in his diner. It's more of a…burgers and tuna melt kind of place."

"Oh," Emily commented, nonplussed. "Well, I'm glad to know you have access to your favorite foods, Lorelai." Lorelai rolled her eyes at the thinly veiled insult.

"Mmmhmm," she said, and forcefully cut off a piece of meat. She tightened her grip on Luke's hand, and he looked at her. What? was clearly etched on his face. She shook her head and sighed.

"So, Luke, is your family coming to the wedding?" Emily asked innocently.

"Yeah, my sister is. With her son."

"And your parents?"

"Luke's parents passed away a few years ago," Lorelai stepped in hastily.

"Oh, how terrible," Richard sympathized. "I lost my father a few years ago. It is awful, isn't it?" Luke nodded quickly, looking at his plate.

"Yeah…yeah."

"How did it happen?"

"Dad!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Can you not?" Richard shrugged in apology, and they all returned awkwardly to their finished meals.

"What's for dessert, grandma?" Rory asked.

"Ah, well that's a surprise," Emily said mysteriously.

"A surprise dessert!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Whatever could it be?" Rory asked, grinning.

"Maybe it's pudding."

"Or ice cream!"

"Or s'mores!"

"Marshmallows," Rory mused, her voice taking on a dreamy quality.

"Apple pie…"

"Chocolate mousse…"

"Chocolate sorbet."

"Banana cream pie."

"Coconut cream pie."

"Are you two just naming every dessert that comes to mind?" Emily asked, and Lorelai and Rory were broken from their trance.

"Did we guess it right?"

"Yes! We did!" Lorelai exclaimed. "It's coconut cream pie, that's why she stopped us right there."

"Ooh! I love coconut cream pie."

"It's not coconut cream pie!" Emily half-shouted, and they were silenced.

"Jeez, Mom," Lorelai said disapprovingly. "You can't get us so excited over coconut cream pie and then just snatch it away like that."

"Really, Emily." Richard said mockingly, and Emily threw her hands up in the air.

"Gerta!" she called. "Bring out the dessert, please!"

"It is so coconut cream pie," Lorelai confided in Luke, who just grinned and shook his head. When the dessert came out, however, it was not coconut cream pie but rather a blazing birthday cake. "What?" she exclaimed, confused. "My birthday's not for a month!"

"Yes, but we won't be here for your birthday," Emily exclaimed patiently, "Hence the cake."

"Happy birthday to you…" Rory started, and they all sang to her, as Lorelai grinned goofily at the chocolatey creamy confection. Once the cook had brought it away to be cut up, Richard said,

"You know, Lorelai, this is a square birthday." She blinked.

"A what?"

"A square birthday. Your last one was sixteen. Before that, nine."

"Right…" she said slowly, not quite understanding him. "And your point is…?"

"Well, I was just thinking how nice it is that we get to spend a square birthday with you when you are old enough to appreciate it and not throw up the cake and blame it on your hormones," Richard finished pleasantly.

"But it's not even my birthday!"

"I'm just saying," he said, and shrugged.

"Well," Luke said, "Happy square birthday to you."

"It's like you're five," Rory pointed out.

"It's like she's five?" Luke teased, and Lorelai threw him a look.

"I am five, thank you very much."

"Clearly," Emily muttered as the cake was served. Lorelai dug in eagerly along with Rory, while Emily, Richard and Luke ate their pieces slowly and politely.

"Sookie's making a chocolate truffle cake for the wedding," Lorelai said dreamily when she was finished. "With vanilla cream frosting and a little sugar me and Luke on the top…"

"In other words, a heart attack on a plate," Luke finished.

"I requested that she make you a special tofutti cake," she teased him, and he rolled his eyes. Richard stood.

"Luke," he said loudly, "What do you say you, Rory and I go into the sitting room to chat and give Emily and Lorelai a chance to talk?" Lorelai balked.

"Oh, Dad, that's really - " but they were already gone, and Emily turned to her, a stern look on her face. "Hi, Mom…" she said tentatively. "What's up?"

"Lorelai, I want to discuss your future," Emily said.

"Ooh, goody. The magic eight ball is still in my room - "

" – with Luke," Emily clarified.

"Oh. Well, we're getting married - "

"I know that. Listen to me, Lorelai. You have known Luke for a very long time. For ten years."

"Actually, a little over eleven." Emily looked at her for a moment and then moved on.

"To be quite honest, I don't see what you see in him. Frankly, he seems like a small town, blue collar, grump of a man, but - "

"That's not true," Lorelai interrupted seriously. "How can you say that when you barely even know him? Luke is so much more than what you think of him! I know him better than anyone, and I know he thinks the same of me. Yes, he's my fiancé, but he's also my best friend. It took me years to get to know him this well, yet you've seen him all of ten times and you think you've got him all figured out? God, Mom, he loves me! I love him!"

"If you'd let me finish," Emily said coldly, "I was going to say that even though he seems that way to me, I also see the way you are when the two of you are together. I see the way he looks at you…he seems like he really knows you. More than I ever could. You two…you fit. And you seem happy. So if Luke makes you happy - "

" – he does - "

" – then I want you to be happy," Emily finished.

"So you're, what, giving me your blessing? Your permission?" she demanded angrily.

"Yes," Emily said with a simple shrug, and Lorelai didn't protest.

"Okay," she said. "Well…thanks. I guess."

"You're welcome. I guess." Lorelai smiled slightly, and then sighed.

"We should get going…Rory has to go to bed soon."

"All right." They stood and went into the living room, where she saw Luke studying her intently. She smiled shyly, confused.

"We're gonna go, Dad, it's getting late. Thanks so much for dinner…both of you…"

"It was great," Luke added. He shook Richard's hand. The elder Gilmore walked them to the door, and Rory reached up to kiss both of them on the cheek.

"Bye, Grandma. Bye, Grandpa." Once they were in the car, Luke turned to her, that subtle smile on his face.

"Thanks," he said softly.

"For what?"

"What you said to your mom? Thanks."

"Oh." She blushed slightly. "Well, you don't have to thank me, Luke. It's all true." A silent look passed between them, and she said, even more softly, with a wicked gleam in her eyes, "However, if you want to thank me…"

"Later," he said quickly, looking at Rory, and Lorelai nodded, even though Rory was already fast asleep.