Thanks for not giving up on me! Lots more to come!
The following morning, the Gilmore girls and Luke packed up the truck and drove off to Upper State New York. Both Lorelai and Rory slept for most of the ride, which was just fine with Luke. He had time to think about the situation with Richard. Lorelai had decided not to say anything to Rory about what had happened, and Luke agreed it was probably for the best. No use in upsetting her on her birthday weekend.
He understood why Lorelai was so upset. She was insecure about her relationship with her parents to begin with, and this situation through a wrench in things. He knew she wanted what was best for Rory. But the thought of losing her daughter was too much to handle. Luke didn't think that Richard meant to be malicious by suggesting that Rory live with the elder Gilmore's. He honestly believed that the older man hadn't even realized how upsetting it would be to his daughter to hear that. But...it was all still complicated.
As they finally pulled up at the house, he smiled as he saw Amy and Carson dash down the driveway towards the truck. He knew that a relaxing weekend away would help them sort through everything going on and decide what to do next.
"You're here!" Amy said as she launched herself at Rory.
Rory hugged her back, "I know! I can't believe it!"
"Hey Uncle Luke!" Carson called as he skidded to a halt in front of them.
Luke pulled him close and ruffled the top of his hair, "You grow again?"
Carson beamed up at him, "Four inches this month!"
Luke sighed, "Well stop it, okay?"
Lorelai giggled and scooped two bags out of the back of the truck, "Rory are you-" But as she went to address her daughter she noticed that the two girls were already running into the house giggling together, she smiled and shook her head, "Never mind."
The front door opened again and Jamie and Tyler stepped out, "You made it!" Jamie called.
Luke glanced up and the old farm house, "Guys the house is amazing."
Tyler smirked, "We like the new digs. Glad to see you man." He stuck his hand out and shook it, "Want some help bringing stuff in?"
"Sure." Luke said tossing a duffel bag to him, "I got the big one in the back. Has one of Rory's gifts in it."
"Her actual birthday is tomorrow, right?" Jamie asked as she picked up another bag from the back.
"Yep. Somehow my baby is turning 13, and I don't think I could be anymore scared." She said with a pout.
Jamie smiled, "Amy will be 13 in January...I'm dreading it. Not ready for the teenage mood swings...I'm sure she'll be karma for the crap I put my own parents through."
Lorelai groaned, "Oh you have no idea…"
Jamie laughed, "Come on. I'll show you to the guest room. We figured you and Luke could crash there and Rory would want to bunk with Amy. She has a spare bed in her room."
"Sounds great." Lorelai said as she followed her into the house.
"Hey Carson, you wanna come show Uncle Luke the barn with me?" Tyler asked.
"Sure. Can I go get Bentley and meet you there?" He asked.
Tyler smiled, "Sure." He turned back to his friend and smiled, "We finally caved and got them a dog...rescued a Golden Retriever."
"Just like Buck." Luke said with a smile referring to his best friends old dog, "He was a great dog."
"Sure was." He replied as he set the bags on the front porch, "Come on. We can bring these up later…"
Luke followed suit and then turned to walk in the direction of the barn with his old friend.
Upstairs, Jamie set the bags down on the bed that Lorelai and Luke would be staying in. Both women smiled when they heard the younger girls giggling from Amy's room across the hall.
"Amy has been counting down the days until you guys got here." Jamie said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.
Lorelai smiled, "Rory too…"
Jamie watched her for a moment, "I don't want to overstep my boundaries...but Luke told us about what happened…"
Lorelai swallowed hard and sat down beside her, "I figured he might…"
"Don't be mad at him…" Jamie whispered, "I think he needed a friend to talk too. He called Tyler soon afterwards...they talked for a few hours one night. Tyler ended up telling me everything later…" She paused and took Lorelai's hand in hers, "How have you been holding up?"
She took a deep breath before answering, "In the beginning it was really hard...I felt totally unsettled and confused. I was angry...and it brought up a lot of stuff from the past."
"He told Tyler that too…" Jamie whispered, "I don't know how your Mother could have betrayed you like that...the thought of something happening to Amy or Carson like that makes my skin crawl. I'd do anything to protect them…"
"It's all complicated." Lorelai whispered, "My past...and my relationship with my parents is confusing. And they did the best they could...It is what it is and it can't be changed."
"But how are you really doing?" Jamie asked squeezing her hand tightly, "You can tell me anything...you know my deep dark secrets."
Lorelai smiled, "I'm okay...some days are hard. But…" She shrugged, "Luke has been incredible during all of this. I don't know what I would have done without him through this. He's been so patient...At first I'd barely let him touch me...and the reality is our relationship was still fairly new. He's been so wonderful and kind...taking care of me. And he saved me that night…" She paused and smiled wider, "He saved me completely…"
"He's one of the good ones…" Jamie whispered back.
"He is." Lorelai said letting out a shaky breath, "He's always so strong for me and Rory. I don't know how we survived before him. Sometimes I don't' know what the hell he gets out of this relationship…"
"He gets the family he's been craving for years…" Jamie answered truthfully, "I've never seen him so happy Lorelai. I mean that…"
"Good." Lorelai said quickly, "I want him to be happy. He deserves it."
"Well he is." Jamie answered, "Trust me...he lights up when he's around you."
Lorelai blushed, "Yeah?"
"Absolutely." Jamie said with a nod of her head, "He always just seemed to be existing before...he was always there for his friends and family. But...he didn't seem to be enjoying himself or his life. But now it's like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. With you he seems free…"
"I love him." Lorelai answered truthfully, "I love him in ways I didn't know it was possible to love…"
"That's how I feel about Tyler. That's when you know you've found the one…" She said with a sparkle in her eyes.
Lorelai took a deep breath, "The one…"
"I know...scary thought." She said with a laugh, "When I realized that I almost ran for the hills...but then I saw him and everything felt better."
Lorelai smiled gently, "Thanks for inviting us up this weekend…"
Jamie smiled, "Amy wasn't the only one excited for your visit...I've been looking forward to it too. We all have." She stood up and beckoned to her, "Come on...let's go see what the guys are up too."
Lorelai took a deep breath and let her body relax. She hadn't let herself think much about the situation with her father since yesterday. When Rory came home she pretended that everything was fine, not wanting to upset her. She had discussed it minimally with Luke that night in bed but they agreed to put it on hold until after the weekend. She would figure it out when the time was right…
Out in the barn, Carson was playing with Bentley while his Dad and Luke checked out the two full stalls with horses.
"We just got these last week." Tyler said, "We're slowly but surely adapting to farm life." He said with a chuckle, "It's been nice though...and I think Jamie appreciates the quiet. Helps keep her on track..."
"How's she been doing?" Luke asked, "No drinking again?"
Tyler shook his head, "She's been clean 4 years strong now." He smiled proudly, "She's done great. And...we've both come to terms with the loss of our baby the best we can. I still wonder what he would have been like...who he would have become. But it wasn't meant to be…"
"Doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt." Luke whispered to his friend.
Tyler nodded in response, "No it doesn't...but we do the best we can. We have two great kids who need us...we make it work. And after all this time...we still love each other."
"That's good." Luke said, "I always knew you guys would make it."
"Well I'm not sure we would have made it this far without your help back then Luke…" He said as he reached across to pat Luke's shoulder, he paused for a moment, "Which brings me to my next question...how's everything going? You've been quiet lately...and I didn't want to interrupt."
Luke sighed and reached into the stall to pet one of the horses, "We're getting by. Lorelai is doing a lot better with things...the jackass will get his sentence soon and hopefully we can put it all behind us. But it hasn't been easy." He shook his head angrily, "I don't think I've ever felt that much rage or fear as when I saw that pricks hands on hers...it scared the crap out of me that I could react like that."
"You were just protecting her." Tyler answer, "That reaction was all guttural...anyone would do that for someone they love."
"Yeah…" Luke whispered back, "You're right. I just hate to think anyone could hurt her like that...or that someday she could be hurt again and I wouldn't bet here to help."
"Those are all valid fears man...but they are also things you can't dwell on or you'll drive yourself crazy." He said sadly.
Luke nodded, "Trust me...I know." He shrugged, "But Lorelai and I are good...her ex has been causing some crap with Rory and I'm doing the best I can to fill in that void. But I can tell it still hurts her...plus she's got some stuff going on with her own Dad at the moment but we'll figure it out."
"Relationships are always full of ups and downs." Tyler smiled, "I can tell you want this one to work because you're actually working at it…not just letting things happen like you did with Rachel."
"I told you Ty...she's different." His cheeks turned red, "She's the one…"
Tyler smiled, "So does that mean you're gonna give her your Mom's ring?"
Luke took a breath, "When the time is right...yeah. I don't know when that will be...and we're still working through some things. But yes...she's the one I've been waiting for."
Tyler gave his arm a squeeze, "I'm happy for you Luke...I really am."
"Thanks." He said as he pet the horse again.
"Oh wow!" Lorelai's voice ran through the barn, "What beautiful horses."
Jamie smiled at her as they walked into the born, "You ride?"
"I did a long time ago…" Lorelai said as she walked up beside Luke and leaned into the stall and rubbed the horse's nose, "It was the one rich girl stereotype I was okay with fitting into…"
The other three adults laughed, "I had no idea you rode…" Luke whispered.
Lorelai smiled at him, "See? I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve…" She turned back to the horse, "What's this guys name?"
"That's Bandit and the one beside you is Lyla." Tyler said, "The kids named them, can you guess who picked which name?"
Lorelai smiled and reached into Lyla's pen, "Hey pretty girl…" Lyla neighed and nuzzled Lorelai's face making her laugh, "You are gorgeous."
"You can ride one of them if you want this weekend. We aren't quite adept at it yet so I'm sure they'd love the exercise." Jamie said.
"Yeah?" Lorelai asked looking back at her as the smile on her face grew, "That would be amazing...although it's been a long time."
"That's why they have that saying "It's just like riding a horse.' Meaning it's one of those things you never forget, right?" Tyler asked.
"Isn't that saying 'it's like riding a bike?'" Luke asked with a laugh.
"Eh...same difference." Tyler said waving a hand at him, "Don't be so critical man…"
The girls laughed and Luke rolled his eyes, "Well I'd love to take them for a ride if you really don't mind…"
"Absolutely. We have all the gear and stuff too." Jamie said pointing to the back wall. "You can go whenever you want. Lots of land around here and trails in the woods."
"I'll probably have to go alone because Rory is terrified of horses." She said with a laugh, then turned to Luke, "Unless you wanna come with me…"
Luke frowned, "I don't know if I'd be very good at that…"
Lorelai pouted, "Oh come on...its not that hard. We'll go slow...I think you'll like it. You like that outdoorsy stuff…"
Luke smiled and squeezed her hand, "We'll see…"
She smiled back, "I'll take that answer and find a way to make a yes later."
Tyler and Jamie both laughed, Luke just smirked, "Oh I have no doubt in that."
"Come on." Tyler said, "You guys must be hungry from your drive. We got plenty of food in the house."
"Great." Luke said as they walked out of the barn, he linked his hand with Lorelais and winked at her when their eyes met making her heart flutter.
This weekend would be exactly what they all needed…
That night, Lorelai's internal clock woke her at exactly the right time. She smiled to herself and rolled over in bed, she started to slip on her her socks so she could tiptoe into Rory's room. Just as she was about to get off the bed, she felt Luke's hand on her back.
"Where you going?" He asked in a groggy voice.
She smiled and turned back to him, "Going to see Rory…"
His eyes fluttered open and he stared at her for a moment, "What time is it?"
"Just about the time little Lorelai Leigh Gilmore came into the world thirteen years ago…" She said with a beaming smile.
"Huh?" He asked still confused.
She laughed and leaned forward to kiss him gently, "I'll be back. Go to sleep…"
Hs eyes fluttered closed again and he drifted off to sleep without a second though. As quietly as she could, she walked out of the room, down the hall, past Carson's room and into the room where Amy and Rory were sleeping. Amy was sound asleep in her own bed; she walked past her to Rory's bed. Pulling the covers back, she climbed in beside her daughter and snuggled into her side.
Rory mumbled in her sleep and then smiled, "Hi Mom…"
"Happy Birthday little girl…" She whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "I can't believe how fast you're growing up."
"Really? Feels slow…" Rory said with a smile, she'd never admit it but she loved this birthday tradition.
"Trust me, it's fast. What do you think of your life so far?" Lorelai asked pulling her closer.
Rory stifled a yawn, "I think it's pretty good."
"Any complaints?" She asked, she always asked this question but this year somehow it held more weight than in years past.
Rory shrugged, "I'd like that whole humidity thing to go away…"
Lorelai laughed, same response as always, "I'll try and work on that…" She paused, "So thirteen years old...you're a officially teenager. It's so hard to believe that at exactly this time many moons ago, I was lying in exactly the same position…"
"Oh boy. Here we go…just remember Amy is in the room and we don't want to scar her for life." Rory said with a laugh.
Lorelai of course ignored her, "Only I had a huge, fat stomach and big fat ankles and I was swearing like a sailor…"
Rory rolled her eyes, "On leave…"
"On leave - right! And there I was…" Lorelai continued staring up at the ceiling.
"In labor…" Rory continued for her.
"And while some have called it the most meaningful experience of your life, to me it was something more akin to doing the splits on a crate of dynamite." She said dramatically.
"I'm going to need therapy for this story one day...and you're never getting grandkids." Rory said with a scrunched up nose.
"And I was screaming and swearing and being surrounded as I was by a hundred prominent doctors, I just assumed there was an actual use for the cup of ice chips they gave me…" She shrugged.
"But of course there wasn't…" Rory said turning to look at her Mom as she smiled.
Lorelai turned back towards her so they were face to face, "But pelting the nurses was sure fun…"
"I love you Mom." Rory said without missing a beat.
Lorelai swatted her hand gently, "Shh. I'm getting to the part where he sees your head. So there I was…"
"Mom…" Rory whispered softly.
Something in her daughter's voice snapped her out of her story, "Yeah kid?"
"Thank you for always putting me first…" She whispered with tears in her eyes.
Lorelai frowned and lifted a hand to push back her daughter's hair, "Rory…"
"I know it hasn't' been easy. I know you've given up a lot...and I appreciate all that you have done." She said with a sniffle, "And I just wanted you to know that I know the sacrifices you've made…"
Lorelai smiled through watery eyes, "There was never any choice kiddo. You came into my life for a reason and I knew the minute I held you that you were everything. I love you...you know that."
"I do know that. I've never once had to question that…" She said in a cracked voice.
"This about your Dad?" Lorelai asked scooting closer to her.
Rory shrugged, "Maybe a little...hard not to think about him...especially on my birthday." She paused and smiled, "But...I'm here with you and Luke. And this is where I'm supposed to be...he would be here if he wanted to."
"Rory I'm so-" Lorelai started.
Rory put a hand over her mouth, "Don't apologize for his crappy parenting…"
Lorelai waited until she pulled her hand away and then smiled, "I still hate that it hurts you so much…"
Rory was quiet for a minute, "Hey Mom?"
"Yeah honey?" Lorelai asked suddenly feeling tired again.
She took a deep breath, "Grandpa saw the letter from my school...the one about skipping a grade or going to a different school."
Lorelai froze for a moment, "Yeah...I know."
She sighed, "I bet he'd like me to go to a big fancy school…"
She cringed, "Rory…"
"And I've been thinking about it too…" She sighed, "Maybe I should...I just don't know if I'm ready for that yet."
Lorelai frowned, "Rory I told you that you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. We don't have to make these decisions now…"
"Yeah maybe…" Rory answered, "I guess there's no use in letting it stress me out this weekend."
Lorelai shook her head, "No. This weekend is supposed to be a celebration of your birthday. I don't want you to worry or be stressed out."
"But we can talk about it sometime?" Rory asked.
"Absolutely hon. I've got your back no matter what decision you decide to make." She said with a smile.
"You always do…" Rory said as she snuggled into her Mom's side, "You should probably go back to bed though. Don't want Luke to worry or confuse Amy…"
Lorelai nodded and leaned forward to kiss her head, "Happy Birthday Rory...thanks for being born."
Rory laughed, "Thanks for giving birth to me…I love you Mom."
"I love you more." Lorelai answered as she nuzzled the side of her daughter's face before getting up to walk back out of the room.
When she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it and took a few deep breaths. Things were moving so fast and she wasn't sure how to slow it down. She wasn't sure what the right direction to go in was...her palms were sweating and her heart was pounding. She wasn't ready to go back to bed, so she slipped on a sweatshirt she had left downstairs and pulled on her boots. Walking out the front door, she made her way to the barn and over to Lyla in her stall.
"Hey there pretty girl…" Lorelai said as she reached out and stroked her long nose. "I think I need some fresh air...wanna go for a late night run?"
Lyla just neighed and she smiled feeling the stress start to dissipate already. Walking to the back of the barn, she pulled out a saddle and walked back to the stall. Going through the motions, it was like she had never stopped riding before. It all came naturally to her…
She let Lyla out of the stall and led her outside, it was still dark but the moon lit up the fields around the house. Putting her foot in the stirrup, she pulled herself up and settled onto Lyla's back. Taking a deep breath, she started to trot slowly with her feeling a rush of adrenaline and excitement. She needed this…
In the house; Tyler had woken up in need of a glass of water. Walking down to the kitchen the went to the sink and started to fill a cup of water. Hearing a neigh from outside, he quickly looked up thinking one of the horses had escaped. He stopped when he realized it was Lorelai riding Lyla. He watched how natural she looked up on top the horse and smiled. Then he glanced at the clock and realized how early it was, it was barely 4:30 in the morning. With a frown, he turned and walked back up towards the stairs wondering if Luke had any idea where Lorelai was.
He walked into the guest room and found Luke snoring in bed. He laughed to himself...something's never change. Stepping up to the bed he put a hand on his friend's shoulder and started to shake it gently. Luke stirred after a moment and glanced up at Tyler in the dim light of the room, "What are you doing man?"
Tyler nodded his head toward the empty space beside Luke, "I think you're missing something…"
Luke turned his head and frowned when he saw that Lorelai's side of the bed was empty, "What?"
Tyler shrugged, "Went down to get a glass of water and I saw her outside riding...I don't have a problem with that. But it is kind of early...I doubt she'd be out there if something wasn't bothering her…"
Luke sighed and sat up, rubbing a hand over his face, "Crap…"
"You okay?" Tyler asked worriedly, "I mean things with you two are fine right?"
Luke nodded, "Yeah. Just stuff going on with her Dad like I told you. I'll go check on her...sorry about this."
Tyler shook his head; "It's not a problem Luke...she can ride Lyla whenever she wants. I was just concerned...that's all."
Luke smiled and reached for his flannel, "Thanks."
Tyler watched Luke leave the room and then went out to his own room and go back to sleep. Luke pulled on his boots and went outside, he walked out to one of the far off fields and looked around. After a moment he saw Lorelai come up over the hill at a gallop, a determined look on her face. The moon brightened the field as she moved towards him. When she reached the end of the field, she pulled on the reins and slowed down to a trot. She sat up a little straighter and finally noticed him standing by the fence.
She sighed and pulled the reins and trotted in his direction. When she got close enough, she hopped down from the Lyla's back and tied her up against the post. "How did you know I was out here?" Lorelai asked, not meeting his gaze.
Luke took a step towards her, "Ty saw you when he went to get a glass of water."
She cringed, "Is he mad?"
He shook his head, "No...not mad. A little worried...and he's not the only one." He paused, "Weird time of day for a ride…"
She sighed and leaned against the fence, "I think Rory might want to go to a private school after all…"
"Ah…" Luke whispered as he leaned against the fence on the opposite side of her, "When did this happen?"
"We have this tradition where I go wake her up right at the time she was born...4:03 am. I tell her the story of her birth whether she likes it or not." She said with a laugh, "And in the middle of it...she mentioned that maybe she should go to a different school. Caught me off guard…"
He nodded slowly, "I can understand that…" He paused, "Did you tell her about your Dad and what happened?"
She shook her head, "No...it didn't feel like the right time. I'm still trying to process it all anyway and I didn't want to upset her on her birthday. She'll be worried that we got into a fight…" She sighed and turned her back to lean against the fence to look out at the field, the sky was brightening slightly, "She's getting older…"
"She is getting older…" Luke agreed, "She's a teenager now…"
"God help me…" Lorelai whispered, "I'm not ready...for any of it. Everything is changing so fast and I can't figure out how to slow it down. I don't know what the right thing to do is...I want her to have the best...and yet I want to keep her as close as possible. But should I just let her go...Should I let her live with my parents and go to some big fancy school and-"
"Okay slow down." Luke said placing a hand on her shoulder, he pulled himself over the fence and stood in front of her, "Rory didn't say she wanted to live with your parents...she doesn't even know about that. And I doubt that she would ever think of that…"
"Maybe not…" Lorelai whispered, "But do you think that she should go to another school?" She asked turning towards him, "I want your honest opinion…"
Luke sighed and shrugged, "I don't know Lorelai...I mean I'm a firm believer that you can get a good education anywhere you go. But I think we both know that Rory has big dreams and she's incredibly smart...she could probably learn a lot at one of those fancy schools. But is it what she wants? Is it what you want?"
She frowned, "I just want her to be happy…"
He smiled and reached up to caress her face, "That's what makes you a good mother…"
She brushed his touch off and sighed, "Luke…"
"I know that look…" He said sadly, "That's the look that says you don't think you are a good mother but you are Lorelai. You know you are...Rory adores you."
"I'm just afraid to make the wrong move here and have her resent me for it later…" She said sadly.
"Your relationship with Rory isn't your relationship with your parents...especially with your mom." Luke assured her, "Rory knows that you do everything you can do. She isn't going to resent you for anything…"
She pouted, "It was so much easier when she was five...the decisions were which outfit her doll should wear and which Disney movie was the best at the time. Now it's time to think about her future and even college and it's overwhelming. I don't know anything about that stuff...I didn't go through all that…"
"Because you had Rory…" Luke whispered.
"Because I had Rory…" She said turning towards him, "I feel like she's about to start this whole new path in life that I won't know anything about. I won't know how to give her advice or what's the right move or what-"
"And that's okay…" Luke said, "Do you think that every parent in the world has all the answers?"
She shook her head, "No I guess not...but I liked feeling like I could help. I liked feeling like I was in control and now I feel totally out of synch with everything…"
"Then maybe we need to work on having a new baby so you can be in control again…" He said with a smirk, giving her a little nudge.
She laughed and reached for his hand, "Maybe…"
He sighed when he saw her face start to fall again, "Hey...come here."
She let him pull her up against his chest and she breathed him in, "I promise someday I won't be such a mess…"
He laughed and pressed a kiss to the side of her face, "You aren't a mess Lorelai. You're being a parent...I can't imagine it's easy."
"You're doing a pretty good job so far…" She said pulling away just enough to see his face.
He blushed slightly, "Lorelai…"
"I mean it Luke…" She said honestly, "She thinks of you like a father...and your opinion matters in this too. We may not be married...and you may not biologically be her Dad...but you are right there when we both need you."
He took a deep breath and pushed back her hair, "I just realized we're coming up on our six month anniversary…"
She smiled, "Funny...it seems like longer than that."
"Yeah it does…" He said rubbing her shoulders, "I don't really remember life before us…"
"Me either." She said as she pulled away and sat up on the fence, "And I don't want too…"
He smiled, "I'm not going anywhere...you know that."
She reached her hand out to caress his face, "I do know that…"
"Good." He said leaning into her touch, then he pulled away and looked out at the field, "You looked great out there…"
She smiled, "Felt good to ride again…"
"I bet." He said as he leaned his back against the fence beside her, he started out as the sun started rising, "You know the Dragonfly has a barn...plenty of stalls for horses."
She glanced over at him and watched as he watched the sunrise, "Yeah...it does."
"You could probably fit up to four in there. The guests would love it...and you could sneak in some rides from time to time. I don't remember all the trails on that property but I believe there is a lot of land." He said with a shrug.
"Luke…" She said as she lowered herself down from the fence.
"You could capitalize on it in the winter...get some sleighs for rides in the snow...that would draw people in." He said turning back to her with a smile.
"Luke I don't own the Dragonfly…" She said with a laugh.
He nodded, "Not yet…"
"Not yet?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, "I know I mentioned it to you but-"
"It's your dream, right?" Luke asked softly, she nodded, "Well then I think we should find a way to make it a reality…"
She laughed again, "Don't you think there are enough changes for me to navigate through at the moment?"
He nodded, "Maybe…" He paused and turned towards her, "But you're always so worried about making sure Rory gets what she wants...that sometimes you forget about yourself. You have dreams too...and you're allowed to follow them."
"Yeah maybe…" She said with a heavy sigh as she watched the sunrise again, "You know I'm not sure I've ever actually watched a sunrise…"
He smirked, "I have no doubt in that. You would like to be asleep until noon everyday if it were possible…"
She laughed, "It's beautiful…"
He smiled and turned towards her, "Yeah...you are."
She blushed and turned back towards him, "Luke…"
"There is a lot to think about...with Rory's school, the trial...your relationship with your Dad...maybe owning the Dragonfly." He shrugged and rubbed her shoulder, "But you can do this…" He paused and smiled, "We can do this…"
She turned her body towards his and took his hand, "We…"
"We're a team, remember?" He asked with a smile, "So far I think we make a pretty good one…"
She stared at him for a moment, "Jamie asked me about everything…"
He cringed, "Lorelai I'm sorry I told them I just-"
She shook her head to stop him, "It's okay. I haven't really been fair to you…" She paused and squeezed his hand, "This affected you just as much as me. You can tell me when you are upset too...I keep saying that but I'm not sure you always believe that. Despite how crazy I seem to be...I can be the strong one when I have to be too."
"You're always strong." He said with a smile, "You just don't always see it…"
She smiled, "Luke...I need you to open up to me too."
"I know. And I'll work on that…" He answered honestly.
She nodded and let out a shaky breath before speaking as a smile spread across her face, "About that baby thing…"
He laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "I was just trying to make you laugh…" He paused, "Not that I don't want that someday...but only when we're ready."
She swallowed hard, "I want that too…"
He smiled and kissed her gently, "Wanna head back to sleep for a few more hours?"
She sighed and leaned into his shoulder; "Maybe in a couple of minutes...right now I just want to enjoy this with you. May never happen again…"
Luke chuckled, "Probably not…"
She breathed him in and reminded herself to relax, "Thanks Luke…"
He smiled and held her closer, "Anytime…"
Lorelai breathed him in and realized that everything would fall into place when it was supposed to. As long as Luke was by her side she could figure out anything that came her way.
Work and school are both crazy at the moment but I will try and write when I can. It's my stress relief! So keep an eye out for an update soon!