Hey it's only been two days...go me! Thank you for the reviews, there are less people reviewing now so I'm guessing I lost you all when I stopped updating for a while...oh well
Because I left it on a cliffhanger, I have tried extra hard to bring you this chapter and look at the outcome! Now Rachel may be a little out of character, I really wanted her to be kinda evil so I may have changed her personality a little...she was actually a really nice person on the show. So I have warned you, that means you can't call me up on it! Enjoy...
"Rachel..." He didn't know what to say, he hadn't seen her in over a year.
"How's it going?" she asked, like nothing had even happened between them.
"Uh..." Luke swallowed nervously and glanced over Rachel's shoulder to check no one was watching them. "What are you doing here?"
"I came back, to see you," she answered, smiling shyly at him.
"But um...why?" Rachel frowned at his response to her appearance.
"Because I missed you," she shrugged. Luke inhaled and exhaled deeply. Why did she have to show up now, when things were going so well between him and Lorelai?
"I can't do this right now, I have to work."
"You have one customer Luke." She glanced around the establishment, recognising certain areas from the hardware store it once was. When Luke ignored her, she continued on. "So what happened to the hardware store? Doesn't William mind that you changed it?" Luke pushed the rag around on the counter and shook his head in irritation.
"Why are you here Rachel?" he snapped.
"I...told you, I missed you," she stuttered, taken aback by his tone of voice.
"No what are you doing here? As in here in my diner, right now."
"I just...I thought we could talk," she replied, not so confident anymore.
"Talk?" he asked incredulously. "After a whole year of no calls and no letters? After you left Stars Hollow without even saying goodbye?" She could hear the hurt and pain in his voice.
"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I never meant to hurt you."
"Well you did, real bad." Luke stared at her sympathetic face and his expression softened a little. "We we're supposed to get married," he said quietly. "It was pretty much planned."
"I know," she murmured, almost inaudibly.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I needed a change of scenery; this town wasn't enough for me. I needed to get away after we graduated high school."
"You could have told me," he said, looking down at the counter. "I could have come with you."
"Would you have?" she asked curiously. Luke looked at his hands thoughtfully before shaking his head slowly. "I thought so."
"This is my home Rachel, I couldn't just leave. There're too many memories here."
"Of your mom?" Luke nodded briefly.
"And my dad," he muttered, kinda hoping she wouldn't hear the last comment.
"What?" she wondered if she'd heard him correctly.
"My dad...he uh...he passed on," he said, trying to keep his emotions in check. He did this quite successfully.
"Oh my god, how, when?"
"He was sick for a while, you know cause you were there." He cleared his throat as Rachel nodded. "Then we thought he'd gotten over the worst of it about a week before you left, but we were wrong. He died three weeks after you disappeared."
"Oh Luke, I'm so sorry." She seemed really genuine, which surprised Luke a bit. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, it's been over a year. I've been through the grieving process and made it out the other end."
"1984 must have been a really bad year for you," she whispered loudly. Luke just nodded again before realising how much he'd let Rachel in already. He stepped backwards away from the counter, as if protecting himself from her charm.
"Anyway I do have work to do so I think it'd be best if you left now." His cold exterior was back. Rachel glanced at her shoes before nodding sadly in agreement and turning towards the door. She stopped once she had opened it and turned back.
"I am really sorry Luke, about everything." He didn't look up at her; he just continued to wipe down the counter. "William was a really great guy." Luke sighed, frustrated that she wouldn't leave. He glared up at her and she took the hint. "I'll see you around," she said finally before she closed the door behind her. Luke watched after her in annoyance, why was she here?
He knew if she was spotted by Miss Patty or Babette then news would be all over town that she was back. Then the rumours would start about the two of them getting back together, then the crazy stories. But what he was most worrying about was Lorelai finding out she was here. They managed to stick together when Christopher showed up and they had to fight against him, but he had a feeling this would be different.
Yes he had understood when Christopher appeared out of the blue, and he helped Lorelai when he took Rory. But this was different, there was no child involved between him and Rachel the way there was between Lorelai and Chris. He feared that Lorelai would take all the rumours the wrong way and begin to suspect something is going on between them. He feared that she'd leave him.
"Good afternoon," Lorelai greeted when she strolled into the diner on her lunch break.
"Is it?" Luke grunted, clearly still annoyed by his visitor that morning.
"What put you in such a good mood?" she asked sarcastically.
"Nothing, doesn't matter." Lorelai shrugged it off and rested her palms on the counter.
"Can I get some coffee please?" Luke smiled slightly and poured the dark liquid into her 'Lorelai' mug she got for Christmas. She had left it in the diner for when she came in to get her fix.
"Where's Rory?" he asked, just realising she wasn't there.
"She was helping Sookie cook something in the kitchen at the inn when I left. I asked if she wanted to come but she said no."
"You left her with Sookie, near a stove?" Luke asked incredulously. Lorelai nodded, obviously not thinking much of it. "What were you thinking? That woman's accident prone! She breaks a bone every week, needs stitches twice a week and sheds blood four times a day." Luke seemed really worried and Lorelai smiled at his thoughtfulness.
"Luke, honey, you need to chill out."
"What if she sets our kid on fire? Or chops her head off or something?" Lorelai chuckled.
"She's not gonna chop Rory's head off, she'll be absolutely fine," she tried to reassure him. Luke exhaled loudly. "Are you ok? You seem tense."
"I'm fine, just tired," he brushed off.
"Jess keep you awake last night?"
"Yeah that's it, he was up most of the night," he lied.
"Oh I wonder how he is, I'll go see Liz after work," she said decisively. "Ooh maybe I could ask her to come to the party tonight." She looked up from her coffee and smiled at him. "You are coming right?" she asked hopefully.
"What about Rory?"
"I was gonna bring her with me, I don't wanna be away from her on New Year's."
"I'll see ok? I think Liz would like to go though."
"Cool, I'll take Rory round there later." She took a few sips of her coffee then watched him deliver some plates to a table by the window. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something going on with him, he seemed off. She furrowed her brow as she tried to think of something she might have done to upset him but she came up empty. So it remained a mystery to her.
"Burger, fries and onion rings?" he asked as he reappeared in front of her. She was still in her trance and suddenly snapped out of it when he said her name.
"Uh...no I fancy something different today," she replied thoughtfully.
"What would that be?"
"A New Year's Eve burger," she replied.
"What's that?" he asked, confused.
"Well it's like a Santa burger but it's New Year's related rather than Christmas." Luke rolled his eyes, not amused by her mocking him.
"That was a onetime thing, stop mocking me," he whined, smiling while he said it.
"You love it really," she flirted. Luke shook his head.
"No I love you really," he replied, leaning forward to kiss her. She grinned as they pulled away and sat her chin in her palms, her elbows leaning on the counter. "So what will it be?" he asked.
"I want a Luke burger," she said cheekily. Luke blushed and looked at the counter.
"Tonight," he whispered.
"Can't wait."
"Now are you actually gonna order something? I have other customers you know."
"Hmm turkey burger please."
"Turkey burger? Is there something wrong?" he asked jokingly.
"Just fancy something different," she defended. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"No not at all, it's just not like you at all."
"People change Luke."
"Not in the space of a couple of hours they don't. Was it or was it not you that came in here at breakfast and ordered a plateful of bacon and hash browns?" Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him.
"That must be the other Lorelai Gilmore you know. She likes to eat crap all the time cause her metabolism is so on track right now," she joked.
"Hmm this other Lorelai Gilmore sounds delightful," he said, playing along with her game.
"Oh she is, you should meet her sometime."
"I think I will," he said with a nod.
"You'll definitely be the perfect match, she loves coffee you know and you serve it so..." She stared down at her empty mug and back up at Luke suggestively. Much to her delight, he was already stood holding the coffee pot in front of him, ready to pour into her mug. She smiled appreciatively and he leaned forward to kiss her again.
"How's that for you, Crazy Lady?"
"Perfect, thank you." He smiled at her but it quickly vanished when he spotted a familiar redhead hovering on the steps outside. His heart stopped momentarily and the colour drained from his cheeks as he watched her peek through the window. He could tell she was debating on whether to come in or not and he hoped to god she chose not, he couldn't deal with Lorelai's reaction right now.
"Luke are you ok?" Lorelai asked in concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He didn't hear her though; he was too busy watching his ex. When she finally turned around and walked down the steps, away from the diner, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Luke," Lorelai repeated worriedly.
"Huh?" he asked, realising Lorelai was addressing him.
"Are you ok?" she asked again.
"Yeah I'm fine," he replied, pretending that everything was ok."
"You sure? You were really pale a second ago."
"I just uh...thought I saw something outside, it was just a figment of my imagination though." He smiled widely at her and she smiled back weakly, not exactly believing him. He took her plate from Caesar and put it in front of her, watching as she took a bite from her turkey burger, with all the dressings.
"Um Luke?" she asked, staring down at her burger.
"Yeah?"
"There's green stuff in my burger," she complained. He leaned over the counter to look at her food.
"It's called lettuce," he said sarcastically.
"And why is it on my food?"
"Cause a turkey burger generally consists of turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo." She lifted the bread from the top of the burger and carelessly tossed the lettuce to the side of the plate, along with the tomatoes.
"That's better," she said happily as she took a huge bite. "I can still taste the lettuce essence though." She scrunched her nose up and Luke shook his head.
"I thought you'd changed," he told her.
"Temporary insanity," she mumbled through stuffed cheeks.
"More like permanently," he muttered, gaining a slap on the chest from Lorelai.
"Beef is so much better though, turkey's too dry."
"That's cause Caesar made it," he replied. "I make it succulent."
"Dirty," she whispered.
"I heard that Luke," Caesar called, appearing in the doorway to the kitchen. "You just know how to hurt my feelings don't you?" Lorelai grinned at his overdramatic-ness while Luke rolled his eyes.
"Get back to work Caesar," he ordered. The young chef stormed into the kitchen, only to reappear a few seconds later.
"My turkey is succulent too!" he shouted before he scurried into the kitchen again.
"Man this conversation is earning a fair few dirties," Lorelai said as she took another bite of her burger. She quickly polished it off and jumped up from her stool, leaving a kiss on Luke's cheek. "Gotta run, I'm gonna be late for work." She started to run over to the door but Luke grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to the curtain. "Gonna be late Luke," she reminded him and he pulled her behind the curtain and pinned her up against the wall, trapping her with his body.
"What time does this party start?" he whispered close to her neck. She could feel his breath on her ear causing shivers to run down her spine.
"Erm seven or eight I think," she replied, her breath catching in her throat.
"Come to the diner at seven thirty."
"Ok," she agreed before capturing his lips with hers. They shared an intense make out session then Lorelai pulled away. "Gonna be really late Luke," she said breathlessly. He unhooked her leg from around his waist and moved his body from covering hers. She stepped away from the wall and turned to look at him. "We'll continue this tonight ok?"
"After the party?"
"Yeah, or you know, maybe during at some point," she shrugged. Luke felt his already excited self perk up a bit more and blushed furiously. "See you at seven thirty," she said, looking back to see if she was following him. When he remained rooted to the spot, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Something wrong?"
"I just need a minute," he said shyly, gesturing towards his bulging jeans. She smiled and nodded.
"Ok, see you tonight Burger Boy." She kissed him one last time then made her way out of the diner quickly. She was at least ten minutes late. She rounded the corner outside Luke's, not taking any notice of where she was going, and accidentally ran into someone. She fell back onto the floor clumsily and put her hand over her face in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," the person she'd run into apologised, holding their hand out to aid Lorelai back into a standing position. She gladly took the help and was pulled to her feet easily.
"No it was my fault, I was rushing to get to work," she explained.
"I'm Rachel," she greeted.
"Lorelai."
"Wow that's a lovely name."
"Thank you," she replied uneasily, she wasn't sure why she was having a conversation with this stranger.
"So were you in the diner?" Rachel asked curiously.
"Yeah, Luke serves the best coffee in town," Lorelai replied. "Are you new in town?"
"Returning actually, I used to live here a while ago." Rachel eyed Lorelai. "I don't remember seeing you around, are you new here?" Lorelai obviously wasn't putting the pieces together or else she would have worked it out by now.
"Lived here for about five months," she replied. "My daughter and I really like it here." She could see the shock written on Rachel's face but she chose to ignore it, she was used to it after all. "Anyway as I said, I'm rushing to get to work so I'd better run. See you around hopefully," she called, already halfway down the street. Rachel watched after her, there was something she didn't like about this girl, it was like a gut feeling she had. She sighed and carried on down the street until she reached her destination.
"I'm so sorry Mia, I didn't mean to take so long," Lorelai apologised once she arrived at the inn.
"You were at the diner I assume?" the elder woman asked, although she already knew the answer.
"Yeah Luke and I were talking and I kinda lost track of time."
"Ok well try not to let it happen again," she called as she turned around to go into her office. "Oh and Lorelai?"
"Hmm."
"You might want to redo your lip gloss, it's a little smudged." Mia smiled and Lorelai blushed uncontrollably. She quickly rushed to the bathroom, reapplied her lip gloss then went to the kitchen to collect her offspring.
"Oh Rory?" Lorelai called, her eyes scanning the crowded kitchen for her daughter.
"Mama," came Rory's muffled reply. She winded her way through the kitchen staff and found Rory sat on a stool, Sookie stood next to her with a tray of cookies.
"Ooh what are these?" Lorelai asked, dying to eat one.
"These are what Rory and I made over lunch, wanna try one?"
"Do I?" She picked up a lukewarm cookie and shoved it in her mouth whole. "Oh my god, that's amazing!" she gushed. "Well done Ror." She ruffled Rory's hair with her fingertips and smiled down at the little girl.
"Do you wanna take them home with you? I can just make some more later," Sookie offered.
"Aww thanks Sook; I'll take them with me when I go see Liz after work."
"Rory's already had three so don't give her anymore," she warned, holding the tray just out of Rory's reach.
"Got it," she replied. "I know you're really enjoying yourself in here sweets but it's time to get back to cleaning." She put Rory on the floor and took hold of her hand. "Say bye to Sookie."
"Bye bye," Rory said, looking up at Sookie from her tiny height.
"I'll drop by when my shift's ended to pick up the cookies ok?" Sookie nodded and watched Lorelai pull Rory through the kitchen and into the lobby.
"You again," Luke commented when he saw Rachel enter the diner for the second time that day. "I thought I told you to leave."
"I told you I was gonna stick around for a while," she replied.
"Until you get bored again," he muttered.
"Luke I've changed, I'm staying for good."
"I'll believe it when I see it," he said snidely.
"It's true!" she reasoned. "I wanted to start things up again between us, that's why I came to see you."
"Well you're wasting your time," he spat. The diner was empty so he raised his voice. "Do you really think after everything you put me through, after all the pain you caused, that I'd welcome you back with open arms and get back together with you right away?" Rachel shrugged.
"We were good together," she said quietly.
"We were teenagers."
"We still are," she said, raising her voice also.
"Well I've grown up, after my dad died, I took care of Liz, Jess and myself cause that was my duty. You're obviously still a kid."
"Luke I've grown up too, do you really think I haven't grown up while I've been away? I had to take care of myself too you know."
"Yeah but that was out of choice, I didn't choose for my dad to die, it just happened. Don't stand there and tell me your life has been as hard as mine, it's crap."
"Luke I didn't mean it like that, I just...god I've grown up, I'm not a kid anymore."
"Well we're different people now; I can't do this with you."
"Luke please," she begged. He turned around to the coffee maker and expertly prepared another pot, completely ignoring the woman stood behind him. Rachel's eyes bore into his back and he could feel her gaze on him. He didn't turn though, he stood his ground. "You're seeing someone aren't you?" she asked, she had a feeling she knew who as well.
"What makes you say that?"
"Why else would you be acting this way?" He turned around to face at her fully.
"I'm acting like this cause you just waltz back in here after more than a year expecting everything to be the same as it was before, well newsflash, it's not."
"It's that brunette I ran into earlier isn't it?" she asked knowingly. "The one with the bright blue eyes." Luke avoided eye contact with her and instead, looked at his shoes. "I knew it."
"You don't know what you're talking about," he protested.
"Come on Luke, she came right out of the diner with lip gloss smudged across her cheek, it's pretty obvious what she'd been doing." Luke felt his cheeks turn pink and quickly turned to fiddle with the toaster so she wouldn't notice. "So she's got a kid right? Do you like playing daddy to some other guy's child?" Her words were so harsh; he was close to breaking point.
"Leave Lorelai and Rory out of this, this is between you and me," he growled, his anger evident.
"Oh what's the matter, did I offend you?"
"Rachel I swear."
"What are you gonna do?" she asked. Luke stood still, not moving a muscle. "That's what I thought. So this Lorelai, how old is she?"
"What's it to you?" Rachel shrugged.
"Curious."
"Jealous, more like." Rachel snorted.
"Jealous?" she asked. "You've got to be kidding me right. Why would I be jealous of her? She's what, seventeen or eighteen with a kid? No thank you. What a way to throw your life away huh?" she chuckled lightly causing Luke's fist to curl up.
"Shut up, you don't know her," he said angrily, determined to defend his girlfriend. No one would talk about her like that and get away with it.
"God, defensive much."
"I suggest you leave now, right now," he said, emphasising the 'right'.
"Fine," she shrugged. "I'll be around though; you'll be seeing a lot more of me from now on."
"Yippee," he mumbled.
"I do love you, you know," she said softly, reaching a hand forward to touch his face. Luke stepped backwards so she couldn't touch him.
"Get out." She did as she was told, but not without one last glance back at him. Luke sighed heavily when she'd left, he couldn't believe this was happening to him. His life seemed so perfect just four hours ago before she turned up, now it was quickly turning into chaos. So Lorelai had met Rachel, he hoped she hadn't figured it out, he wanted to explain things to her himself instead of her finding out elsewhere. That could possibly make this whole situation worse.
"Liz!" Lorelai called as she knocked on the door. She had rung the bell four times and so far there was no answer.
"Lorelai?" came a voice from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, can I come in?" The door swung open and Liz stood there with Jess hiding behind her legs.
"Hey, sorry the doorbell's broken. I'll have to get Luke to fix it." She ushered Lorelai in, Rory following close behind with the box of cookies held carefully in her tiny hands. "Hey gorgeous, what've you brought with you?" Liz asked Rory, bending down to her level.
"Rory and Sookie made cookies earlier and we brought some to share while we're here," Lorelai said, smiling down at Jess. "Hi stud, are you feeling better now?" she cooed.
"Jess ok," he replied proudly.
"Well that's good isn't it?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered.
"There," Rory said, holding the box out to Liz. Liz opened the box and took a cookie. "Jesh," she said, toddling over to him and offering him one. He gladly took one.
"Fank you," he said politely before falling back onto his butt and munching on his cookie happily.
"So what did you wanna see me about?" Liz asked, sitting on the couch and putting her feet up on the coffee table. Lorelai did the same but curled her feet underneath her.
"I just came to see if Jess was ok really, I'm glad he is."
"I know, I'm really sorry about coming over last night, I was just really worried."
"It's ok," she assured. "I probably would have done the same thing."
"No you wouldn't, you're like supermom," she chuckled.
"Not exactly."
"Uh yeah you are, you always know what to do. Look at you with Jess last night."
"Well that was mostly Luke."
"But who taught Luke all that stuff?" Lorelai smiled shyly. "You're too modest, you're a great mom."
"You are too, I mean, Jess is really well mannered and he's really cute," she gushed.
"He has his moments."
"I know what you mean, Rory's still out of it cause she just had a nap but she'll be bouncing around soon enough."
"She's so pretty though, she's gonna break hearts when she's older."
"Not if Luke's got anything to do with it," she chuckled.
"I can't believe how much he's changed since he met you. He hardly knew anything about babies before; he treated Jess like an alien."
"I doubt that."
"It's true; he was so clueless before, now he really knows his stuff." Lorelai smiled thoughtfully then looked at the two toddlers on the floor beside the couch. Jess was greedily munching on a cookie. He stuffed the last piece in his mouth before reaching for another from the box. "Jess no more," Liz said sternly. He removed his hand, chewed more his cookie then opened his mouth to speak.
"But Momma," he whined, staring at the cookies longingly.
"No," she said. He looked at Rory who was also about to pick up a cookie and pointed to her.
"Wowy," he said.
"Ror you can't have any more cookies either," said Lorelai, reaching over to take the box away. Rory began to pout and Jess giggled at her face.
"Siwwy," he said, still giggling stupidly.
"She does look silly when she does that doesn't see Jess?" Lorelai asked, taking another cookie for herself then giving the box to Liz.
"No," Rory protested.
"Hey are you guys hungry?" Liz asked.
"Hungry!" Jess shouted.
"Yesh!" Rory followed.
"How about we have mac and cheese?"
"Macnsheese!" Jess exclaimed, obviously it was one of his favourite meals.
"You can cook?" Lorelai asked, not expecting her to be able to.
"I can make instant mac and cheese," she shrugged. Lorelai nodded in understanding. Ten minutes later, Rory and Jess were sat in their mom's laps happily munching on macaroni and cheese. Jess grinned after each spoonful while Rory greedily reached for more.
"So what are you doing tonight?" Lorelai asked as she quickly caught some cheese sauce before it dripped from Rory's chin.
"Nothing much, I was just gonna stay in and watch TV," she replied.
"But it's New Year's."
"I know but I have Jess to take care of and it's too late to find a babysitter now."
"Well Luke and I are going to the party at the school; we're taking Rory with us so you're free to come with us."
"Are you sure? I don't wanna gatecrash."
"Yeah, sure you can come. Most of the town's gonna be there so there's no problem."
"Thanks Lorelai, what time should I be there for?"
"Well I'm meeting Luke at the diner at seven thirty so you could meet us at the school at a quarter to eight?"
"Ok, ooh I'm excited now. What do you think Jessie, wanna party tonight?"
"Pardy!" he said excitedly.
"You are too cool my friend," Lorelai said, reaching down to give him a high five. Jess didn't understand though. "Never mind, we'll work on that later." She stood up from the couch. "We should get going, I need to choose what I'm gonna wear tonight."
"Ok thanks for coming round Lorelai."
"It was no problem." She looked down at her daughter. "Are you gonna say bye, sweets?"
"Bye Jesh," she said to her friend. "Bye bye," she said to Liz before getting to her feet and following Lorelai to the door.
"Bye Wowy," said Jess, waving his arm frantically. Rory waved back then Liz and Lorelai said their final goodbyes before the two Gilmore girls left the house.
"How do I look?" Lorelai asked as she stood in front of Rory later that evening.
"Pity," Rory replied.
"Pretty?" she asked. Rory nodded. "Aww thanks baby, you look really beautiful too." Lorelai had made Rory a blue dress with flower embroidery on it. She had chosen white shoes to go with it, although she knew they'd probably get dirty or ruined, and had tied her hair in two ponytails because it was just long enough to do that now.
Lorelai was wearing a black dress that rested halfway down her thighs and had a pink sash around the waist that was tied in a bow at the side. She had opted for elegant yet natural makeup and her hair was half pinned up with loose curls hanging down. The shoes were heels, not so high that her feet would be painful after a couple of hours of dancing, but high enough to add to her already tall height. She did look gorgeous.
"Are we ready to go then sweets?" she asked while she put her own coat on. She put the little girl's coat on then added a scarf, hat and gloves to her body for extra protection from the cold. It was harsh this time of year in Connecticut. Lorelai hung Rory's diaper bag around the handle of the stroller then positioned Rory in the seat and strapped her in. She covered her with some blankets and made sure she'd be warm enough before they started the short walk into town.
She hurried into Luke's and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the warmth of the diner radiate through her. She parked the stroller next to the counter then searched the diner for her boyfriend, looking in the kitchen, the store room and even the bathroom but he wasn't around. She went over to the curtain and called up the stairs, getting an 'I'll be there in a minute' in reply.
"Hey, you cold?" he asked when he noticed her shivering slightly.
"I'm ok I just need to warm up," she replied, running her hands up and down her covered arms.
"You look beautiful," he complimented, admiring the way her hair was pinned back. "It suits you like that."
"Thanks, I love it when you say I'm beautiful," she said quietly.
"You are though," he said shyly. "Just telling the truth." Lorelai smiled at him then looked down at Rory.
"She has that dress on I made, but she's covered with all the blankets so I'll show you when we get to the party."
"Ok, do you want some coffee before we go?"
"Yes please," she said eagerly. He poured some into her mug and pushed it across the counter to her.
"How was your day?" he asked as she sipped her coffee slowly.
"It was good, Rory made cookies with Sookie at lunch so we took them over to Liz's and hung out there for a while."
"Oh yeah, is Jess ok?"
"Yeah he's back to his normal self. They're coming to the party tonight actually; we're meeting them outside the school in about ten minutes."
"Ok, I hope Liz stays off the liquor tonight. She'll make a fool of herself if she doesn't."
"I don't think she's like that anymore you know, I think she's changed."
"Don't be too sure," Luke snorted.
"I'm serious, we were talking today and she really cares about being a good mother." Luke nodded and smiled at her.
"You ready to go?" he asked.
"Lemme just finish this," she said, gulping her coffee down and not taking a moment to breathe. "Ahhhh," she sighed once she'd finished. "I can't get enough of this stuff." Luke grinned and guided her over to the door, leaving her mug on the counter. He got the stroller down the steps onto the sidewalk then flicked the lights off and locked up the diner. The two teens made their way over to Stars Hollow High School where a whole lot of fun was about to begin.
"This is cool!" Lorelai exclaimed as they walked through the big double doors. "It's like a school disco."
"With Patty's punch and other various alcoholic beverages," Luke added, causing Lorelai and Liz to smirk.
"Tonight's gonna be fun," she said happily, bending down in front of Rory's stroller to get her out. After successfully unwrapping her from all the blankets and removing her coat, scarf, hat and gloves, she held her daughter up to show off her dress. "Do you like it?" she asked hopefully.
"It's nice," said Luke, taking Rory from her and settling her on his hip.
"Lorelai that dress is gorgeous, did you make that?" Liz asked, not believing it.
"Yeah, I make most of Rory's clothes," she replied.
"Wow you're really talented."
"Thanks, if you want I could make you some dresses."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah just tell me your measurements and what you want," she shrugged.
"Thank you," Liz said excitedly. "If you ever need jewellery, I can make you some. I'm a bit of a whizz at that."
"Sounds good." She looked down at Jess who was taking in his surroundings. "You ready to get up and party Jess?" she asked.
"Yes!" He replied. "Pardy now," he demanded.
"Come on then." Lorelai lifted him from the stroller and put him on his feet next to her. He started to jump up and down to the music and the three teenagers grinned at him.
"I'm gonna go park the strollers over in the corner," said Luke. He put Rory on her feet next to Jess and shook his head as the two danced stupidly together.
"Lorelai!" Patty called once Luke had disappeared. "You look absolutely divine honey, what I would do to have a figure like that," she gushed. "And you brought Rory with you. Oh my look at that dress, it's amazing."
"I made it," she said proudly.
"Wow." Patty gushed over it for a few more minutes before dragging Lorelai and Liz over to the dance floor. Luke refused and took the kids over to the bleachers where he sat and watched them run around together in front of him. He watched his sister and girlfriend dance to the beat of the song, both girls laughing and having a good time. Luke grinned as he watched them, hoping that a certain person didn't show up and ruin all the fun.
"Luke you have to come dance with us," Lorelai begged as she grabbed his hand and attempted to pull him up.
"No, I can't dance to this song," he protested.
"Why?"
"Cause it's too fast."
"Oh I get it, you're Mr. Slow Dance," she teased. He rolled his eyes as she continued to tug on his hand.
"Why don't we go get a drink instead?" he asked.
"Ok, nothing alcoholic though, we're responsible tonight," she warned.
"Of course," he replied. "Liz do you want a drink?" he asked.
"No thanks, I'm gonna go dance some more. Do you guys wanna come?" She held her hands out to Jess and Rory and the toddlers gladly took them and followed her onto the dance floor.
"Come on Crazy Lady," he said, taking hold of her hand and dragging her over to the drinks table. "Soda?" he asked as he surveyed the selection.
"Yes please." She took it from him and thanked him before following him over to the bleachers again. They sat down next to each other and looked around the room. The party was in full swing; many people were dancing drunkenly while others relaxed on the bleachers, talking and watching the dancers. "Great party," she commented. "I'm glad we came."
"Me too," he replied, running one of her loose curls through his fingers.
"I never thought I'd hear you say that," she teased. "You usually hate town events."
"I know, but you and Rory are here so I'm good," he replied. They looked over at Liz, Jess and Rory and smiled at the happy look on their little girl's face.
"She's enjoying herself isn't she?"
"Yeah," he agreed. He noticed her watching them intently. "You can go join them you know, you don't have to sit here with me."
"I wanna stay here," she assured him. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. She smiled into the kiss as her arms snaked around his neck and his palms moved further down her back. Neither of the two realised that a certain redhead was watching from the other side of the hall. They pulled apart and shared a smile before looking back over at Liz and the kids. Rory spotted them sat on the bleachers and pulled away from Liz's hand. She scurried over to them and tried to jump into Luke's lap.
"Dada!" she said excitedly, holding her arms out to him.
"Come on," he lifted her into his lap. "Are you a bit overexcited?" he asked, bouncing her in his lap and making her laugh.
"Are you getting tired Ror?" Lorelai asked, playing with Rory's ponytails between her fingers.
"No," she answered, pointing over to the dance floor. "You," she said.
"You want me to dance?" she asked."
"Yesh, dada."
"And you want daddy to dance too?"
"Yesh," she said happily, glad that she was being understood.
"I don't know Ror, I'm not into dancing." Rory pouted at him.
"Pease?" she asked sweetly. Luke stared down at her, then at Lorelai who was smiling and he found himself giving in.
"Come on then." He swung her round onto his hip, causing her to squeal in delight. He wrapped an arm and around Lorelai's waist and guided her to the dance floor.
"Show us some moves then Burger Boy," Lorelai teased as she started to dance around wildly.
"I don't have any moves," he said blankly. She rested one hand on his left hip and wrapped her other arm around Rory as she began to move him to the beat of the music.
"See, sure you have some moves," she said, moving her body closer to his so they brushed up against each other every few seconds.
"Wow Luke, nice ass," Patty complimented as she breezed past them, squeezing Luke's behind along the way.
"Jeez," he complained. They danced in sync for a half an hour or so before the DJ played a slow song. Luke felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Liz stood next to him, holding Jess' hand.
"Here, I'll take Rory so you can dance properly," she said, plucking the girl from Luke's clutches.
"Thanks Liz, we'll come over once this song's finished," Lorelai thanked before Luke pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her cheek pressed against his neck as they waltzed to the slow music.
"I'm having fun tonight," he whispered in her ear.
"Good, I'm glad," she replied, leaving a soft kiss on his neck.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you too," she replied, burying her face into his neck and inhaling his scent. As they twirled around, Luke scanned the crowd of people that had taken residence on the bleachers. He watched as people hung out and talked until his eyes landed on someone he didn't want to see. Rachel. He paused momentarily, stopping his and Lorelai's slow sway. She pulled back to look at him and frowned when she saw his attention was elsewhere. "You ok?" she asked, nudging him slightly.
"Um yeah I'm fine," he swallowed thickly. "I'm gonna get a drink ok, go sit with Liz for a bit." He walked away from her and she furrowed her brows in confusion. She sighed and went to join Jess, Rory and Liz on the bleachers. The two toddlers were currently slow dancing with one another, well trying to anyway.
"Don't they look cute?" Liz gushed when Lorelai sat down next to her.
"Yes they do," she replied, smiling at them. "You'd better keep your hands to yourself mister," she warned Jess. He grinned then looked back at Rory.
"What's up?" Liz asked, noticing Lorelai's change in mood.
"Luke just seems a little off, he was like this earlier too," she frowned.
"He's probably tired; he gets a little grumpy when he's tired."
"No it's more than that, I can tell. It's like we were dancing just then and he suddenly froze and ran off to get a drink, it's weird." Liz shrugged.
"I dunno." Lorelai looked around the gym and saw the woman she ran into earlier. She narrowed her eyes at her then turned to Liz.
"Hey do you know who that is?" she asked, pointing across the room.
"Who?" Liz asked, not following her finger correctly.
"The redhead over there, I ran into her earlier and she said her name was Rachel." Liz nearly choked on her drink.
"Where?" she asked again. She followed Lorelai's finger and nearly fainted when she saw the girl in question sat on the other side of the room, admiring the dancers. "Oh my god!" she said frantically. "What is she doing here?"
"So you know her?" Lorelai asked.
"That's Rachel," she said disbelievingly.
"I know," she replied. "I already said that." Liz shook her head.
"No that's Rachel, Rachel. As in Luke's ex girlfriend Rachel." Lorelai's mouth dropped open as she stared at the redhead before her.
"You're kidding. What's she doing back here?"
"That's what I wanna know," Liz said angrily. "Watch Jess for a minute." She attempted to stalk off across the room but Lorelai grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"Don't go over there," she pleaded. "You'll cause a scene, just leave it for now ok?" Liz stared at Lorelai's pleading expression and nodded briefly.
"Ok," she agreed, falling back into her seat and sending Rachel evil eyes across the room.
"Where did Luke get to?" Lorelai asked after a couple of minutes of silence.
"I don't know," Liz replied, still watching Rachel.
"Do you think he knows about...her?"
"Maybe, that might be why he's been distant," she suggested.
"Oh my god, you're right," she said in realisation. "I wonder how long she's been back, why didn't he tell me?"
"He might have been getting round to it, or he could have been hoping that she'd leave before you found out."
"I need to find him," she said, standing up from her seat. I'll take Rory with me." Liz nodded and watched her disappear into the crowd of people. She wanted some answers.
Another cliffhanger...kinda...sorry! I know coffeebeanner doesn't like cliffhangers :D Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and I will definitely try to update quickly again. Before you go, please leave a review, they make my day ;) that's all for now...
Emily.