Chapter 26: Redefining Regret
"What is that?" Miles asked as Rory sat back down in her seat on the bus, a bit winded after her run from the post office.
"One of my birthday presents," Rory grinned excitedly, opening the massive brown box she'd returned with.
"Only you would be able to convince the bus driver to detour to a post office off the highway on our way to Charleston."
"Uh, actually, I have no idea what I bribed him with. I just had instructions from my mom on what to say, and to let him know there was something in it for him. So she's the one you can blame for the detour and the bribe."
Rory reached for the tin that had "FOR JIM" taped to the top and walked to the front of the bus.
"It better be good, Gilmore," Jim, their bus driver, said as he took it and opened the lid. Inside the tin was a massive variety of baked goods wrapped in dragonfly printed tissue paper.
"Ohhh, it's better than good, Jim. Those are a variety of desserts from the famous, talented Sookie Belleville, chef and part owner of the Dragonfly Inn in Stars Hollow, Connecticut," Rory waited as he took a bite of the small pecan tart. The smile on his face told her everything and she patted him on the shoulder. "Thanks again for stopping."
"Rory, I will stop anywhere if you bring me another one of these tins at the end of this month!" Jim called from the front as he started the bus.
"I'll see what I can do for ya!" she called back with a grin. "Hey, get out of my stuff," Rory pushed Miles away from the cardboard box.
"My birthday's in April," Miles leaned in.
"That's nice," Rory replied, laughing as she unwrapped a variety of random things: a package of gum with a note - "To share with the senator if you have a spare pocket. Or I can ship the fanny pack." - Chapstick, batteries, a small assortment of baked goods from Sookie, a huge bag of candy, a container of Luke's coffee, a Chilton t-shirt, a new Yale hoodie, and the last item in the box, a Luke's Diner shirt, with a note stuck to it:
"It's the only one in existence, Luke doesn't know. Bwahaha!"
She pulled the sweatshirt on and began emptying the box to collapse it and stuff it under her seat. As she placed the items in her backpack to move to rearrange in her luggage later, she reveled in the sentiment behind the items. Little bits of home. Her moment was interrupted, as always, but the man seated across the aisle from her.
"You're gonna be fifty years old and your mom's still gonna be sending you stuff for your birthday," Miles sighed. "I'm jealous. My mom sent me a box full of cup noodles and granola bars last year."
"Did you eat it?"
"Yeah."
"Then it was free food, stop complaining. There was a time my mom would've only been able to send ramen and I still would've been excited about it." She tossed him a candy bar, "Here, early birthday present."
"Yeah, sure, Yale girl over here had ramen," he muttered, nodding to her hoodie as he unwrapped his candy bar.
Rory frowned, "What part of 'I lived in a one room gardening shed and shared a bed with my mom until I was ten' screams anything other than ramen? I had my fair share of ramen. The crappy kind, too. And my grandparents and barely-there father paid for Yale, you know that. I start paying them back in five years. Most of my paycheck goes straight into savings to prepare for that very thing."
Miles winced. "Sorry. I... forgot."
"Well, don't. My first house is just as much a part of me as my alma mater, and I'm proud of both," Rory lectured, pointing her finger at him. "Now, be quiet and eat your candy bar or I'm taking it back."
"What if you're wrong?" Luke asked, buttoning his shirt and making eye contact with Lorelai in the mirror as she tamed her hair in front of him.
"I'm not. It's weird and it makes zero sense, and I'm dying to hear an explanation, but there's no way that address changes to a Stars Hollow zip code for any other reason. And what was my mother doing with it in her address book?" She slowly ran the straightener down a stubborn strand of curls one more time.
"Computers suck, her explanation sounds reasonable to me," Luke shrugged.
She unplugged the straightener, and turned to face him. "Not even you have managed to screw your computer up like that. I tried to do what she said her computer did, and it's not possible, by the way. She had that address saved for a reason."
"I'm just saying, this is gonna be really uncomfortable if you're wrong."
"And if I'm wrong, I deserve to feel really uncomfortable. But I promise you, I'm not," she kissed him quickly on the cheek before walking back into the bedroom to slip her heels on. "You took the dog out?"
"While you were in the shower," Luke replied. "Ready?"
"Are you?"
"No. I still feel like I need to bring bank statements with me to prove that I don't need a house purchased for me," he grumbled, dropping his hands to his hips.
"Did moving in here make you feel inadequate?" Lorelai looked at him expectantly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"No," Luke considered her statement for a moment. "But I also spent years putting blood and sweat into this place to help keep it together. And paying for the majority of the renovations made me feel more financially invested in it, especially considering it increased the value of the house."
"If we take that house, you'll put twice as many years of blood, sweat, and tears into it. I'm sure you'll find some project to work on. We'll need to paint the inside. I have no idea what shape the stables are in. You can build our future kid a playground. There's more that gets invested than just money. Would you rather they pay for a wedding? Because that was the alternative, and I swear I heard rumblings about a Russian winter theme a few years ago."
"I like our wedding plans."
"Me too. And you know me, Luke, you saw me freak out over leaving this house, not once but twice. You've seen me deal with my parents... there is absolutely no way I would consider this if it wasn't... worth considering."
Luke sighed, rubbing his hand over his face and through his hair, "None of this makes any god damn sense. Not why your parents would buy the house, why they'd go through with buying the house, and why you'd be okay with any of it."
"Well, we're Gilmores, babe. Get used to it. Let's go."
"Emeeeleeee!" Michel squealed with delight as Emily and Richard entered the lobby of the Dragonfly Inn. "I did not know you were coming by today. Hello, Mr. Gilmore, you look very well."
"Hello, Michel. We're meeting Luke and Lorelai for brunch," Emily smiled.
"Oh, yes. She and Luke are at the table. One moment, I will get Gary to-"
Emily held her hand up, not wanting Michel to announce their arrival, "Not necessary, we can seat ourselves."
Richard and Emily walked through sitting room and into the dining room. She spotted Lorelai at the table and paused for a moment, observing the couple. Lorelai was gesturing animatedly as she spoke while Luke tried so very hard and failed so very badly at feigning disinterest, enamored as ever with the excitable woman next to him. Emily smiled as she slid her arm through Richard's and let him lead her over to the table.
"Good morning, Luke, Lorelai," Richard greeted them as he pulled a chair out for his wife.
"Good morning," Lorelai smiled. "Welcome back to my fabulous inn. You both have the privilege of experiencing the premiere of Sookie's fall Sunday brunch menu version two."
"What happened to version one?" Emily asked.
"Heck if I know. Sookie was indecisive enough finalizing the first version. It's still available upon request if you want to see it, but this was what she finally determined was the official brunch menu as of today."
"The official version is perfectly fine," Richard chuckled, reaching for the menu.
"Avoid anything heavy, Richard, you know-" Emily started, earning a glare from her husband.
"Dad, there's a lighter section on there if you're interested," Lorelai eyed her mother briefly before smiling understandingly at her father. "I've even ordered from it before, and I usually make it a rule to avoid anything with 'light' in the title. It's as good as everything else."
"Thank you, Lorelai," Richard nodded, focusing on the indicated section of the menu.
Emily nodded her approval and set her menu down, "Lorelai, speaking of Sookie, I hear you specifically asked not to have a wedding shower."
"Speaking of Sookie?"
"I called her, inquiring about a wedding shower, and she spent the next twenty minutes giving me a play by play of the argument you two had about it."
"So, then you don't need any further explanation," Lorelai sighed, explaining anyway, "We don't need anything. As it is, we didn't even move all of Luke's stuff into the kitchen, and that was after we threw out some of my older stuff to replace with his better stuff. There's really nothing more we need or want. The whole point of wedding showers and engagement parties is to get stuff, and I don't want a bunch of stuff we don't need."
Luke set his hand down on Lorelai's, "We'd rather just have everyone support us by showing up at the wedding."
"That's very nice, but your guests do like to feel as though they've contributed something to your future."
Lorelai smiled and said softly, "They have, Mom. We really don't need a shower or engagement party or anything. I've done that already. It's a big deal that we finally are getting to the wedding, and I just want everyone there for that."
Emily nodded, pleased the conversation was going so easily in the direction she intended. "Well, then, since you're so adamant about it, I suppose anyone who has bought you gifts will just give it to you at some point between now and the wedding."
"I've already returned a his and hers set of aprons and a huge, ostentatious, overly embellished picture frame. There will probably be more."
"I see," Emily replied, and watched Richard reach for his water glass to cover the grin he wasn't able to keep at bay. "Well, then, in that case, your father and I would like to give you your gift this morning."
"Rory!" Eric shouted over the rapidly growing crowd as they exited the auditorium. "Birthday drinks tomorrow?"
"I have plans!" Rory shouted back. She glanced around and pointed to a massive planter several feet away. "Meet me over there!"
A few minutes later, Eric found Rory standing near the designated spot. "What plans? How do you have plans in North Carolina?"
"My... uh... a close friend of the family lives there. She's going to the speech and then taking me out to dinner. I'm crashing with her instead of the hotel, and I'll be back at the bus in the morning."
"Oh, fine. So then birthday drinks tonight, post-deadline?"
"I suppose I can allow my friends to celebrate my birthday with me a little early," Rory grinned. "Text me after nine, tell me where to go, and I'll be there."
"Running off already?"
"Interesting group of people today, I have interviews to conduct," Rory gestured toward Miles bouncing eagerly nearby. "And I want a picture of the family that Obama talked to at the Q & A. I'll catch up with you guys tonight, though, deal?"
"Deal," Eric nodded. "I'll alert the media. Ha. Get it?"
"Funny, funny. Later!" Rory smiled and walked over to Miles. "C'mon, let's go."
"What was that about?" Miles asked as they walked toward a large group of people several hundred feet away.
"Birthday drinks. You have to come."
"Eh, pass. Not really my thing. I'll buy you a birthday coffee in the morning, how's that?"
Rory frowned and grabbed his arm, stopping them. "Miles, I joined this tour because it was a good career move. I didn't expect to make friends. It turns out, I have. And that's great. And tomorrow is my birthday. And do you know what you do on birthdays?"
"Celebrate them with friends?" Miles guessed.
"Yes, exactly. You celebrate birthdays with your friends. And all my friends and family back home have seen pictures of me with my friends. Except for you. They think I made you up. Or they think I pretend we're friends, but we're really not, because unlike all my other friends, you never hang out with me unless we're on the bus."
Miles wrinkled his nose, "That sounds bad."
"It is bad. I don't want to be Elwood P. Dowd."
"Elwood..."
"Harvey. The movie. Jimmy Stewart?"
"Your friends think I'm an invisible rabbit."
Rory nodded seriously, "It's very sad."
Miles sighed, and gestured toward the group they were heading toward, reminding her of their journalistic duties. "Then bring your camera, Gilmore, I'll make an appearance with the rest of your friends for birthday booze. Just don't expect me to help with hangover coffee."
"Have I ever asked you for hangover coffee?"
"No, but I had offered birthday coffee before. That's off the table if I have to put up with Kyla all night."
Rory snickered, "How do you know Kyla?"
"I've been avoiding her since Seattle. She's... uh..."
"Don't talk smack about my friend." Rory replied, acting offended. She glanced away from Miles to hide the massive grin on her face.
"I'm not! She just... comes off as very, uh, pushy. She makes me uncomfortable. So if I have to deal with her, that's your birthday present. No coffee, muffin, danish, etcetera."
"I'll get my own coffee, muffin. Uh, let's run, they seem to be leaving and we need this photo op or the story's useless," Rory grimaced as she readjusted her bag and the two took off running.
Lorelai's jaw dropped, and she looked over at Luke wide-eyed as she slowly shook her head in disbelief. This brunch had been her idea. She'd had the upper hand. It was her chance to catch Emily off guard and get the details about the massive secret her parents had been keeping for over a year.
Frantically seeking the proper response, Lorelai fought back her surprise and turned to face her mother with a smile, "You can keep Wolf Girl, Mom, it's okay."
"Christopher liked it," Emily eyed Lorelai, biting back a laugh at Lorelai's offended reaction.
"Christopher did not like it. I did not like it. Luke would not like it. No one liked Wolf Girl."
"The artist liked her. As did our collector. He was thrilled to have it back. Ended up re-selling it at a higher price he'd sold it to us for."
"Well, good for him," Lorelai rolled her eyes.
"Better for you, she was hideous," Emily smirked, teasing, before changing the tone of the conversation. "But what else do you get your daughter for the wedding you've waited over twenty years for when you can tell she's not exactly invested in the relationship?"
Lorelai locked eyes with her mother, finding herself, yet again, at a loss for words. This was quickly becoming a recurring pattern, and she found it somewhat disconcerting.
"Lorelai, I warned you about your marriage to Christopher because I knew your heart wasn't in it. But I knew you wanted so badly to be married, I wanted it to work for you, and for entirely selfish reasons, I thought the match was a good one. I felt that if you at least worked hard at it, I hoped that eventually your heart might follow along eventually."
Lorelai slowly shook her head, "No... it wasn't enough."
"No, it wasn't. And you confirmed that when the two of you broke up and you were sad, but not devastated. I'd already seen what your heart looked like when it was shattered in a million pieces. Twice. Once when you screamed at me in a diner, and another time, when you broke down on my shoulder in public."
Emily winced internally as she saw Luke grimace, closing his eyes against the wave of guilt Emily knew from experience he'd carry for the rest of his life. It's what happened when you blocked out the person you were supposed to be with and came very close to losing them.
"Mistakes were made and you'll regret them forever. You've gotten past them, but neither of you will forget, and you'll always have them to remind you," Emily said softly, regarding both her daughter and future son-in-law. She looked over at her husband, whose look told her he understood that her words weren't just about the couple in front of them, but the two of them as well. Richard's gaze held a mix of fondness and his own regret for the time they had lost during their own separation.
Emily's tone changed as she smiled, "Not everything from around the time you two broke up was bad. Luke, I assume Lorelai told you we had planned for a much more impressive, well thought out wedding gift than a dreadful painting."
Luke nodded and, as Emily was about to continue, Lorelai cut in.
"You bought the house."
"We did," Emily replied.
"You're both aware that property values in Stars Hollow and that general vicinity have been on the rise for the last two years," Richard took over. "We chose to go through with the sale for a few reasons. Emily was convinced, and so was I, that the two of you still could manage to work through your problems. But, realistically, we had to consider what would happen if you didn't. The price for the house was extremely competitive, and we knew it was a good investment, so it was worthwhile to proceed with the purchase."
"Okay, that makes sense and answers all but one question. How did you get the zip code changed without involving the town?" Lorelai asked.
"Oh, easily. Half the people who work for New Haven County are Yale alums," Richard laughed. "The current zoning commissioner was a fellow Whiffenpoof. Excellent tenor in his day."
Lorelai couldn't help the laugh that escaped, "And... that was all there was to that."
"Well, there was a fee, of course, but significantly discounted. The Stars Hollow representatives approved the change immediately. Hardly surprising given the value of the area."
"Did you catch their names?" Luke asked, curiously.
"Uh, no, unfortunately. It was run by some group of town representatives and signed off on by Mr. Doose."
"The town elders," Luke deduced.
"Yes, I believe that sounds correct," Richard nodded. "You're familiar with them?"
Luke huffed, "When I was trying to buy the... there's this old, beautiful house in the town square I was going to buy for Lorelai and I. Uh, someone put a competing bid in on it and, it was a weird situation, but I had to argue my case to the town elders."
"It didn't work out in your favor?" Emily asked.
"Oh, uh, no it did," Luke grinned. "Someone didn't want to leave her house."
"The Twickham property," Emily guessed, having grown familiar with much of the Stars Hollow real estate the previous year, and Luke nodded. "That place is beautiful."
"And very big," Lorelai noted, smirking slightly when Emily looked impressed that Luke had nearly managed to buy the place.
"Luke, I know you do very well for yourself, you've made very wise investments, and you and Lorelai could easily afford to purchase your own house," Richard steered the conversation back on topic. "You also have a daughter, and I know you fought to do everything you could to provide for her in any capacity possible."
"I did," Luke confirmed quietly.
"You can understand, then, why Emily and I would want to give this house to you and Lorelai. As a man, I can understand that it would be a bit of an affront to one's ability to provide for one's family. But in the same way that you spent twelve years unable to provide for your daughter, this is the first time in twenty I can provide for mine."
"Dad," Lorelai chided. "You've done-"
"What we've done for Rory was for Rory, Lorelai."
"There are no strings attached to this," Emily added, again addressing both Luke and Lorelai. "I want that clear. Our Friday night dinners in return for helping pay for Chilton, and later Yale, were the only way I could get my family back under my roof. Having you there without obligation now is a far greater gift, and I'd like to continue that."
Emily reached into her purse, pulled out a manila envelope, and handed it to Luke. "I wanted to wrap it, and we went shopping last night looking for something appropriate, but... as we talked, we determined that discussing the matter might be more impactive than a wrapped package. We want you to understand where we're coming from with this. It's not an insult. It's not to be used as leverage. It's a gift."
Luke nodded and opened the envelope. He slowly pulled out the glossy photographs, raising his eyebrows as he took in the property he'd heard so much about. It was gorgeous, and as Lorelai had described, it reminded him of something she'd choose on her own. He flipped through the photos, his breath catching as he took in the updated kitchen. He heard a giggle next to him as Lorelai noticed his reaction to the room he'd use more than anyone. The final leaf of paper was the floor plan, and he felt Lorelai's chin rest on his shoulder as she looked it over as well.
"Five bedrooms," she said quietly, "April would have her own, Rory could have one that could also serve as a guest bedroom. The master and two others."
He looked over and they both knew the kids he'd described from his dream were on their minds.
"We'd need them for the plants," he smirked, breaking the gravity of the moment.
"Plants?" Emily asked, confused. "There's plenty of room on the lot for a garden, if that's-"
"No, Mom, it's... an old..." Lorelai waved her hand dismissively. "Too hard to explain."
"All right. Well, what are you thinking? Other than plants?"
"I'd really like to see it in person before I make any final decisions," Luke replied. "If that's okay."
"Of course," Richard and Emily replied in stereo.
"The keys are in the envelope. You can go whenever you wish," Emily added.
"Ah, I invited you to brunch, and I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving," Lorelai announced, sitting up. "Let's order, enjoy our meal, and then the four of us can go over there and look around."
"Hello?"
"Cafe or business center?" Miles asked Rory.
"Uh," Rory balanced the phone between her head and shoulder and finished writing the sentence she was in the middle of before putting her pen down. "What do you need?"
"Photo advice. And lunch. Maybe something sweet. Donuts? Ice cream?"
"I can meet you for photo advice, but food's a no," Rory replied. "I have to get a head start on another general, non-location-specific article so I can enjoy my birthday libations tonight and dinner tomorrow without stressing about it."
"Don't you require nourishment?" Rory could hear the pout in Miles' voice.
"That's what takeout is for. I stopped and got a sandwich on my way back to the hotel."
"See, you still need dessert."
"I'll put some extra sugar in my coffee," Rory sighed. She was beginning to regret reopening the lines of communication with Miles.
"Okay, how's the cafe sound? I can get something for lunch, and we can split something sweet all while we compare your current draft to the photos I have and see what works. Deal?"
Rory grimaced at the incomplete second draft she was working on. She'd thrown out most of her original idea, and had only just begun rewriting it. A photo discussion with Miles could last hours, which she didn't have.
"You have forty-five minutes starting now. I assume you mean the place at the end of the block. 'Bean' or whatever?"
"Yep. No time to chat, you're cutting into my forty-five minutes. Bye." Miles hung up and Rory groaned as she stood up from her desk and began packing her notebook and laptop into her bag.
A few minutes later, she walked into the cafe to find Miles seated at a table with a bagel, a danish, what appeared to be a small tart, and two steaming cups of coffee. His laptop was already open and facing the chair intended for her.
"Geez, you're fast," she muttered as she took her seat.
"I was already working in the hotel lobby," Miles admitted with a grin.
"Loving that fine muzak they play?"
"Headphones. Chair was comfy," he shrugged.
Rory nodded and took a sip of coffee as she handed him the pathetic state of her second draft and a few pages of notes, "Uh, take from that what you will, it's still a mess." She began scrolling through the open album on his computer, "Ohhh, these photos are great. Can't we just use them all?"
"Yeah, you can fight that battle. The new photo and media editors I have to deal with now are a pain in the ass. They do like to use more photos per article, though. That, I have to admit, I'm kinda digging, but we're not to the point of fifty shots per article just yet."
Forty-five minutes came and went as they selected a handful of photos for Miles to submit, spoke about where Rory's article was headed, and moved onto discussing the event from that morning. Rory's eyes widened when she finally checked the time on her phone.
"I need to get back to work. You owe me half that tart for keeping me for so long."
"Fair enough," Miles nodded, slicing the tart in half and handing it to Rory. "Hey, um. I kind of think I might owe you an apology for the way I acted in California."
"Kind of think you might, huh?" Rory looked at him expectantly.
"Yeah. I overreacted and I'm sorry. And, um… it's your life, you know? I don't want you to feel like what I said was some kind of... mandate."
Rory narrowed her eyes at him, "What… part… exactly?"
"Uh. All of it. But… I mean..." he picked at his half of the tart awkwardly. "He um… seemed like a nice guy."
Rory's jaw dropped a little, "He… when?"
"Flagstaff."
"Well, thanks for your approval. I'll make sure you get a wedding invitation," she snapped.
"Rory. I just meant-"
"Like you said, it's my life, Miles. He was a nice guy. A really, really nice guy, and a good person at that. Too good," she shoved her notebook into her bag. "I wasn't seeking your approval that night in California, and I don't need it now, either." She took a deep breath, "Look. Let's just add this onto a list of things we shouldn't talk about."
"Rory," he looked over at her, a pained expression on his face.
"I really have work to do, and I don't want to talk about this anymore. If you come for drinks tonight, leave this entire discussion behind."
"So you still want me to go."
Rory stared at the table for a minute before looking back up, "You're still my friend. Friends argue. And since you started it, you owe me a drink. If you can handle that, I still want you there."
Without waiting for him to reply, she rushed out the door, gritting her teeth as she tried not to think about Flagstaff, and how on earth Miles knew anything about it or had any kind of opinion about Brett at all.
"I can't believe there's a library," Luke shook his head as he glanced around at the built-in bookshelves. "I'm not sure April and Rory could even fill this. Add in your video collection, though, and we'd get close."
Lorelai guffawed, "Except I tossed most of that when you moved in. Had I only known…" she glanced out the window to where her parents were standing. "I still can't believe she beat me to the punch and then carried the entire conversation. How unfair was that?"
"I don't know… I think it worked out pretty well. Never really expected all of that to come from your mother, of all people, even as good as things have been lately."
"Yeah… you should have seen her that first Friday night dinner after Rory left. Not a fan of you and I getting back together to say the least," Lorelai watched her parents, "Sounds like she's gained a little perspective since then."
Luke nodded, "Seems that way. Upstairs?"
"Sure. What's your favorite room so far?"
"Uh, the kitchen, definitely. I should just throw a bunch of microwaves in the diner and cook everything here beforehand."
"Or just give the diner to Lane and Cesar and cook exclusively for me here," Lorelai joked, leading the way up the stairs. They both peeked around each of the bedrooms to get an initial look, then headed into the master suite.
"Kinda reminds me a bit of our room now, doesn't it?" Luke glanced around, grimacing at the mauve walls. "Except the color."
"Oooh, return of the paint swatches," she replied gleefully as Luke groaned. "Actually… how lame would it be to basically duplicate most of the colors and stuff that's in the house now? We spent so much time picking all of that out, but you and I never really got to enjoy it together, I mean, officially living together, until the last few months."
Luke raised his eyebrows, "Really. You'd prefer that to torturing me with paint swatches?"
Lorelai laughed, "I didn't mean to torture you with them, I'm just really not good with so many options. More than that, though, I do like everything we did with the house. It's one of the many reasons it's hard to think about leaving."
Luke nodded and they went to inspect the other bedrooms more closely.
"I think it makes the most sense to let Rory and April pick between the two on the other side of the house," Lorelai mused as she watched Luke looking around the bedroom closest to the master suite. "Makes it easier to get to and keep track of smaller offspring if they're closer to our room. They. Or it."
He glanced down at the dimensions on the floor plan, "Yeah, those ones are a little smaller, too. Our part timers don't really need the bigger bedrooms, especially if their books are living in the library."
Lorelai noticed a strained expression on Luke's face and walked over to stand in front of him, "What are you thinking?"
"Just… that… uh... " he grimaced, "If for any reason you and I… can't… um. This is a lot of house for the two of us, especially April only being here part time and Rory less than that."
"So we give Paul Anka his own room."
"Lorelai," Luke frowned. "I'm serious."
She sighed, "I refuse to consider that possibility. We both have proven we can reproduce, I've been to the doctor recently. I don't see why we wouldn't be able to together."
"Can you consider it for one second, then? Just the two of us, in here, more often than not?"
Lorelai glanced around the room they'd designated as their child's moments ago. "Sewing room and office, then. I still like the size of the rest of it. There's more room for the two of us. And the dog. April will be here more often next year. Plenty of room for the holidays when both girls are here. Room for movies and more. Rory's books, April's books. I can get a horse. You can go fishing in your own backyard. Not that you have to, but the option's there. There's room in the garage and attic for all the stuff you have stashed in storage units. You can make another chuppah, but this time in your own garage…"
"Why would we need another chuppah?" Luke laughed.
"For April and Jamie, of course," Lorelai grinned.
"Oh, very funny," he grumbled, and started to walk back to the hallway.
"Luke, honestly, if you don't like it, they can just keep it as an investment property. I'm happy with what we've got," Lorelai said, tugging his arm.
"No. I can see us here," Luke took a deep breath. "It's just a really big change."
She nodded in agreement, trying to handle her own internal conflict. "I think we should give it a few days. Go home. See if it's too difficult to leave, and give them our final decision Friday night."
"... happy birthday, dear Rory! Happy birthday to you!" The group of ten sang, mostly off key, as Rory blew out the candle stuffed into a pile of cheese fries.
"Thank you! This is definitely the best twenty third birthday I have had so far," Rory grinned, loading a small plate with a pile of fries and walking over to one of the reporters she'd befriended earlier on. She glanced around, and noticed Miles and Kyla talking; her stance was flirtatious, but his smile was stiff. Miles caught Rory's gaze and dramatically rolled his eyes.
Rory slowly made her rounds, laughing and talking with the various friends she'd made over the last few months, and an hour later, most of them were sitting around a larger table, sharing some of the horror stories they'd experienced over the course of the press tour - from crappy hotel rooms to pushy editors to some of the crazy people they'd encountered.
"Is Miles gay?" Kyla whispered into Rory's ear as she took the seat next to her.
"No," Rory laughed. "Why?"
"I haven't had someone that disinterested in me since I had a crush on the star quarterback in high school," Kyla pouted.
"Too used to them falling at your feet, Ky," another reporter, Sara, smirked. "Seriously, I don't think I've seen anyone turn you down, don't feel bad."
"So not true. Eric was the first."
"Eric isn't stupid," Eric laughed, tossing a peanut shell at Kyla. "I know your kind."
"So does Rory's photographer, apparently," Kyla frowned, throwing the peanut shell back at Eric. "Besides, it would be weird now. Did you know Eric and I are related?"
"What!?" Rory grabbed the last cheese fry, "No way."
"Very distantly, but he saw photos from my cousin's wedding on my phone from last summer, and my cousin is his cousin, from different sides of the family," Kyla explained. "Hey, Rory, didn't you sleep with your cousin or something?"
Rory groaned, "No, I dated a guy in high school who, in a matter of weeks, will be my cousin. By marriage. And we never slept together. Remind me never to tell you anything again that you can confuse the facts on."
"Hey, if it's not in my notes, I can't be responsible for remembering the full story," Kyla shrugged.
Rory rolled her eyes and noticed Miles talking to one of the bartenders and gesturing to one of the TVs. "I'm gonna get another drink," she announced, standing and walking over to the bar.
"Having fun, birthday girl?" Miles asked.
"For the most part. You could stand to be more sociable. I wouldn't say you're celebrating with me, exactly. You don't like my friends?" Rory asked, pouting slightly.
"Eric's cool. I owe you a drink, though. Whatcha want? Stan can hook you up."
"Hey, Stan, one gin and tonic, please. On his tab," Rory replied, and Stan nodded, working on the requested beverage. Rory turned back to Miles. "Then come talk to me and Eric. Sara likes girls and Kyla's given up on you."
"I'm good. Stan and I are watching the end of the game."
"It's my birthday."
"And I'm buying you a drink. As promised," Miles motioned to Stan.
Rory frowned at him and turned to Stan as he slid her glass in front of her. "Hey, Stan? You mind getting a picture of me and your hermit friend here?"
"No prob," Stan shrugged.
"Hold up!" Sara called from behind Rory. "Miles, I know you don't participate in these shenanigans, but you don't get a picture with the birthday girl without a birthday hat." She pulled her pink, cone-shaped cardboard hat off her head and snapped it onto Miles.
Rory grinned, adjusting her birthday tiara, and handed her camera over to Stan, pleased Miles hadn't made any attempt to remove the goofy birthday hat. They took a few pictures and she patted him on the back when they finished.
"Way to be a team player," Rory giggled as she removed his hat. "Now come be sociable. I'll make sure Kyla doesn't keep putting the moves on you."
Begrudgingly, the usual loner joined the group at the table. Kyla, offended by his lack of interest, mostly ignored him while Eric, amused by her antics, went out of his way to include Miles in their discussions. After a few hours, most of the group had departed, leaving Miles, Sara, and Rory.
"Okay, correct me if I'm wrong," Sara asked Miles, "But didn't I see you in DC a year or two ago?"
"You might have," Miles replied, making no effort to elaborate.
"DC?" Rory asked. "Living there? Or just there for work?"
"Uh, kind of both." Miles toyed with one of the napkins on the table. "Started off living there, but ended up finding some work for a little while."
"Living there? Like you stayed there long enough to have a place of your own?" Rory pressed.
"Sorta. It was just... for a little while," he was growing visibly uncomfortable, and right as Rory decided to change the subject, Sara snapped her fingers.
"Ashley's fiancé, right?" Sara continued, without noticing the dark look on Miles' face, "You were taking photos for that guy... something Michaelson. We all worked together. Guessing things didn't work out between the two of you?"
"No," Miles replied, standing. "Hey, it's late and we've got an early bus call tomorrow and I haven't slept too well lately."
"Ugh, me either," Sara stood, "I'll pay the rest of the balance and see you guys tomorrow. Happy birthday, Rory," she smiled, heading to the bar with her purse and coat.
"I'm sorry," Rory grabbed Miles' shoulder as she rushed to catch up to him, "I convinced you to stay, wanted you to have fun, and... I totally ruined your night."
"I had fun, and it's not ruined," he shrugged. "Hey, it's past midnight, happy birthday."
"Thanks," Rory replied, crossing her arms in front of her as they walked back to the hotel. "Miles-"
"It's okay, honestly. It's in the past. I just don't like to talk about it, especially... uh... there's just lots of weird connections around here. Was kinda hoping Sara would get too drunk to remember me, but she switched to soda."
"Still hurts, huh?"
"No. Not really. It's just weird."
They waited quietly for the elevator and as they got in, Miles glanced over at Rory, noticing she still looked a little upset.
"Rory, don't feel bad, it's your birthday. Did you enjoy yourself?"
"Up until I saw you look like you were about to run for the door," Rory looked at him, concerned. "I promise if I ever run into this Ashley person, I'll kick her in the shins."
Miles laughed, "It's not likely. But I appreciate the sentiment." The elevator doors opened to his floor. "I'll see you in the morning."
Rory smiled as he turned down the hall and waited for the doors to close.
As she laid in bed, she thought of Miles. Now that she had a name to put with the girl who'd cheated on him, she was curious to know more. She was torn between asking Sara for more details or simply asking Miles for the whole story. It was a little too soon for the latter, they'd only just begun talking again. He said it didn't hurt anymore, and Rory mostly believed him, but the look reminded her of her own reaction whenever she wound up having to talk about Logan. It didn't really hurt anymore, but it still felt weird to think about. Exes sucked, no matter how you diced it.
Rory rolled over and reached for her phone, bumping up the volume in anticipation of a certain annual phone call.
"It's not there," Luke called loudly as he walked upstairs.
"Yes it is, it's in the coat closet downstairs... with all the rest of the coats," Lorelai shouted from her comfortable spot against her pillows. She set her book down as Luke walked into the bedroom and began looking through his closet. "Did you actively look or did you just stand back and gaze?"
"Lorelai, the closet's stuffed. I'd have to remove at least ten coats before I'd be able to actually get a good look at each individual item you've hung up in there. But I can promise you, my jacket's not in there. Why do you need so many coats, anyway?"
"Because I have so many outfits and not all coats go with all outfits. Duh," she rolled her eyes and walked downstairs. After yanking open the coat closet, she realized he wasn't kidding about the overpopulation of coats that had occurred since last winter. "Huh. Can't really downsize any... I like all of these."
"Why not move some upstairs? You still have room in your closet."
"I need room for new clothes."
Luke groaned and turned back toward the kitchen as Lorelai started pulling a few coats out to get a better look at the contents of the closet. She flipped through a few coats and jackets before finding the one Luke had been after. "HA! Told you it was in here. I would suggest keeping it upstairs if you want to find it more easily next time," she grinned.
"I need that room for new clothes," Luke mocked, imitating her earlier tone. "How did you even manage to get my jacket in there in the first place?"
"Determination," Lorelai said proudly, grabbing a coat she hadn't seen in a few years from the closet and tugging it on. She walked into the living room with Paul Anka's leash and turned to face the dog.
"What are you doing?" Luke asked, quickly walking over. "You know you can't-"
"I'm over it. It's time to learn. Paul Anka, this is your leash," she leaned over, dangling the leash in front of the dog as his tail quickly tucked between his legs. "Yeah, see it seems scary, but it's for your benefit. And you've been wearing one for over a year now. And it's time you realized that. I'm going to snap it on you, and we're going for a walk so Daddy can close up the diner, grab Mommy some coffee, and the two of us can make out in the gazebo for a little bit."
Luke was about to object to the paternity of her dog, but decided it probably wasn't worth arguing over - she'd win anyway. He sighed with his hands on his hips, waiting for her to finish her speech.
"Leash is going on," Lorelai walked behind Paul Anka, whispering calming words while petting him, and gently snapped on his leash. "Ah! You did it! Good boy! Okay, now we tackle the stairs."
"Uh, maybe we save that for another day. By the time we get there, Cesar will be home and in bed."
Lorelai frowned, but acquiesced, picking the dog up as they walked down the stairs.
"You know, the other house has two coat closets, both bigger than that one," Luke observed.
"Yeah, I was trying not to think about that," Lorelai admitted, taking a deep breath as they began walking down the street.
"We should be thinking about that. Kind of a mental pro/con list."
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Lorelai spoke again, her voice sad.
"She turns twenty-three in a few hours. My little list maker, I mean."
"I knew who you meant," Luke replied, reaching for her hand as they walked. "Mia said she got her present, right?"
"Arrived a few days ago," Lorelai nodded. "I'm glad she's seeing her. I hate that I'm not. I don't know why I thought I'd have her around this birthday. I guess I was hoping she'd work locally for a few years before heading off to conquer the world, or at least stop at home for longer periods of time."
"Just doing what you raised her to do," he smiled proudly, and Lorelai smiled back at him.
"You know, nothing was as reaffirming that I succeeded as a parent than Rory graduating from Yale-"
"Of course."
"Hey, I wasn't done with that sentence. Nothing was as reaffirming as that except your constant belief in my parenting abilities. Even when things were bad between us, and even when I thought I'd failed when she dropped out of Yale, you never stopped believing in me."
Luke squeezed her hand, "That goes both ways, you know. I might have been terrified you would doubt my ability to be a good father, but your support throughout everything with April meant more than you'll ever know to me. And then with the letter..." he shook his head. "I can't tell you how depressing it was to celebrate that victory alone."
"Regrets we'll never forget, I guess," Lorelai sighed, echoing her mother's words from earlier.
"Yeah," Luke chuckled, "It'll be nice to do the parenting thing the right way next time. On both our parts."
Lorelai stopped walking and tugged his hand to face her, "Are you really worried that's not gonna happen? You kinda freaked me out a little at the house earlier."
"I just worry about having expectations about it," Luke shrugged.
"Well, if it's anything, I think everyone around us has higher expectations than we do. If I'm not dealing with assumptions from florists for trying to order last minute flowers, it's Sookie, Patty, and Babette pestering me for details that are none of their business," Lorelai bit her lip. "I love Stars Hollow, but this is one thing I really don't want to be in a fishbowl for."
"Welcome to my entire life," Luke rolled his eyes. "Not really sure there's much of a way around this one, though, especially with Sookie. You're still okay, just seeing what happens for awhile, though, right?"
"Yes," Lorelai replied without hesitating. "I want us, and I want our life together. If I'm not pregnant by our first anniversary, we can start dealing with... whatever. We'll figure it out then, if we need to."
"Good," Luke pulled their joined hands up and kissed hers gently. "Still an important thing to stay on the same page about, as we've discovered."
"Agreed," Lorelai nodded and moved closer to him as they walked, grateful that this wasn't a point of contention, especially given how eager he'd been about parenthood so recently. She wanted it too, had wanted it with him for years now, but they had so many things to be excited about in the present, she didn't want it to be overshadowed by desperation to start having a kid of their own.
Luke walked into the diner to help close while Lorelai continued walking the dog in the town square. She glanced up as someone brushed past her.
"Sorry," Dean muttered as he glanced up. "Oh, hey, Lorelai."
"Dean, long time no see. How are you?"
"Uh, pretty good. Just working, mostly. I hear things are going well for you. My cousin tried to get a reservation at the Dragonfly a few weeks ago and said you were pretty booked up."
"We are, but we do have a waiting list for dates, there are always cancellations, and y'know, I do own the place, I have some sway. What was the date, maybe I can help?"
"Around the twentieth, I think. It's no big deal, she's staying with my parents instead."
Lorelai smiled apologetically, "Ah, yeah, that's my fault. We did have a few openings and I booked them for the wedding."
"I imagine it's a pretty good wedding venue. Is it for someone local?"
"Uh, mine, actually. You really are working a lot, huh? You're managing to stay out of earshot of the grapevine pretty well."
Dean raised his eyebrows, "No, I'm not around here much lately except to crash at home. Been doing a lot of work in Woodbury thanks to a few connections from Tom. I'm moving that way once my lease is up. So you, you're, uh, getting married?"
She nodded toward the diner, smiling proudly, "Finally sealing the deal."
"Really," Dean looked surprised. "I thought you and Rory's dad... I mean... that was the last I'd heard."
"Uh, no. We didn't... that was..." Lorelai waved her hand dismissively. "Long story. But, no. Always was supposed to be Luke."
"Huh. Well, congratulations, then," he shifted awkwardly, taking the opportunity to watch Paul Anka sniff his shoe.
"He doesn't hate you, you know. Luke, I mean, not Paul Anka, he seems to approve of you. Luke's just overprotective when it comes to Rory," she explained, misunderstanding his reaction to the news.
"Oh, uh, no. I didn't mean... I just didn't think you'd really settle for Luke."
"So you've said," Lorelai frowned slightly. "And I'm not sure why. Or when I ever gave the impression that being with Luke was settling."
Dean shrugged, "You're from a different world than us. You have more than... just... this," he gestured around him.
Lorelai felt her frustration growing. It was one thing for Dean to misjudge her, but to try to limit Luke to being "just" anything was hardly fair. "You were sixteen when you moved here from - wasn't it Chicago? Do you associate yourself with Chicago?"
"No," Dean muttered.
"I wasn't much older than that when I moved here. I've spent more of my life in Stars Hollow than Hartford. I never fit in there. I'm just as much this as you are, and then some." She looped Paul Anka's leash over her forearm and crossed her arms over her chest, "And I don't know why you think so poorly of Luke for growing up here. Rory grew up here."
Lorelai watched Dean's jaw twitch a few times as he processed her words.
"I don't," he finally replied, "But I think Luke and I have something in common, knowing what it feels like to fall for someone out of their league."
"Luke didn't fall for someone out of his league. Neither did you." Lorelai sighed and clenched her fists to prevent herself from throttling the young man in front of her. "Dean, I didn't settle for Luke any more than Rory settled for you. You knew when you first started dating that her goal was to see the world, experience things, write about it. Did you think she was going to give that up and stay here?"
If anything, Lorelai considered, Rory and Dean were more like Rachel and Luke. Two ships sharing a port a few times, but headed in very different directions.
"No, of course not," Dean shook his head. "The last time I saw her, she was outside her grandparents' mansion wearing these massive diamonds and a crown. Surrounded by all these guys in suits that probably cost more than my car. I felt like some peasant trying to win the affections of a princess."
Lorelai bit her lip and glanced down for a moment, recalling that very night. She'd had her own horrified reaction when her underage daughter came home in Emily Gilmore's jewelry and tiara, drunk, and stumbling out of a limo filled with boys. She'd also had very similar concerns that lasted long after that night and, had Rory decided to marry Logan, those concerns would likely still be nagging at her. But, as a mother, that was her prerogative.
She glanced through the windows of the diner and smiled fondly as she watched Luke placing leftover donuts in a bag for her. No, she certainly hadn't settled for Luke. But Dean was right that he and Luke had a few things in common. The first thing Luke had lashed out about after their final breakup was the difference in their worlds. It was too easy a target, too easy an excuse. And an unfair one, at that. Your world was the one you chose, not the one you were born into.
"It wasn't a great night for me, either. But it's not fair to place your own insecurities on her, Dean," Lorelai finally replied. He nodded, but didn't respond, so she continued, "It wasn't fair to push them onto Luke a few years ago, either."
"No. I was bitter. And I really hated that he could have something like that with you when I couldn't with Rory," Dean explained, scuffing his toe on the cement. "I hated Luke because he had me pegged back then. I wanted to bring him down a little. He knew I was still in love with Rory when I married Lindsay, and it bugged me. Anyway. I never should've married Lindsay. And with or without Lindsay, Rory and I never should've gotten back together. I made mistakes here I can never live down."
"Yes, you will. You're talking to the biggest maker of mistakes in this town. And no matter how out of touch you've been recently, I know you were still around for the big fat ones I've made the last two years. They've been very, very public. And at least one was recorded on several cameras."
He shrugged, "Maybe. I'm glad it worked out for you two, at least, I guess."
"Really? Glad?"
Dean laughed softly, "I'm still a little bitter. And maybe a bit jealous. Luke got the girl in the end."
"God, I wish it were that simple," she laughed breathily, rolling her eyes.
"Wish what were that simple?" Luke asked as he walked up, handing Lorelai her coffee and sliding Paul Anka's leash off her arm. His smile disappeared when he saw who she was talking to. "Hey, Dean."
"Me and you. Simple?" Lorelai asked with a slight smile.
Luke snorted, "Yeah, maybe someday."
"See? Anyway, don't be bitter, Dean. You're too young for bitter. Relationships are hard. You can't compare what happened with you and Rory to anyone else."
"Yeah," he swallowed and nervously looked at Luke, "I still think she's too good for you. I think Lorelai and Rory are probably too good for anyone. But... you didn't deserve what I said that night at the Twickham house a few years back. I was a bitter punk of a kid, and wanted to bring you down with me."
Luke shrugged, "Well, I don't think you and I have had the best interactions over the years, so I probably had it coming."
Dean huffed and turned to Lorelai, "I need to get home. Early job tomorrow morning... you have every reason to hate me for the crap I pulled. But you should know... I appreciate that you've never made me feel worse than I already did, even after... well, everything that's happened between Rory and I. And even after some of the things I said tonight."
"Just let it all go, Dean. We all have. Go find a nice girl in Woodbury who's never heard of Rory or Lindsay and ask her out for coffee."
"I'll try that," Dean chuckled. "Anyway. Have a good night. And congratulations on the wedding."
Dean gave them a quick smile before walking away, and Lorelai saw a fair amount of emotions flash behind his eyes. The jealousy and regret were still there, but maybe a little bit of hope and gratitude had seeped in as well; the smile had been genuine.
"What was that all about?" Luke asked as Lorelai led him to the gazebo.
"Hadn't seen the kid in a long time. Everyone says he walks around with a huge dark cloud over his head and it was the first time I'd had the chance to see it. I think he hurt himself a whole lot more than he's ever hurt Rory."
"He'll sort it out. Hard to let go of your first love."
Lorelai nodded, "Rachel took you awhile."
"Oh no, I meant Janie Farnsworth in first grade," Luke smirked as he lifted Paul Anka up the steps of the gazebo. "Tried to kiss her for two straight years."
"Never caught her, huh?"
"Oh, I did. She kissed me back, then punched me in the face," Luke sat down on the bench in the gazebo and pulled Lorelai down next to him.
"Awww, poor little Lucas, always pining away," she laughed.
"I wasn't pining, I was dumb. Although probably not as dumb as-"
"Hey! Chris was not my first kiss, thank you very much! Robert Friedman gets that distinction. But, really, what does it matter? It's not the first kiss, but the last one that matters most, right?"
Luke glanced down as Paul Anka chose that moment to lick Lorelai's hand and frowned at him, "What, are you trying to make a point here?"
Lorelai laughed, and was briefly silenced by Luke one-upping the dog as he leaned over to kiss her. She pulled back after a few seconds, "You're competing with my dog?"
"No competition. I'll win every time. Just don't punch me."
Author's Notes: I will never, ever get over the fact that Richard and Emily were buying Luke and Lorelai a house, and gave Chris and Lorelai a hideous painting. I know, different writers, but STILL.
BTW... there were some subtle hints that Richard and Emily had bought the Beacon Falls house throughout this entire fic. Did you catch them? Something you may not catch unless you go back and re-read this someday. And if you ever do, pay very close attention to some of the exchanges between Richard and Emily, and some of their very deliberate topics of conversation... ;) I cannot tell you how fun that was to write.
Next chapter: MIA! I love Mia. She was the most under-utilized character in the entire series despite being one of the most important people in Lorelai's life, a fact which drives me CRAZY. My Mia, I will tell you now, is based on the original one, not the completely different replacement in the seventh season (I know, the original one was busy acting in a play, but arrgghh, so jarringly different!).