Hello again it was a choice between writing a new chapter for this, or for 'A Long Lost Mother'. I chose this...but I promise I will get round to the other one soon!
I have been on a job hunt the past week, but haven't been successful so far it's just a waiting game I suppose. So I might have a bit of time on my hands. Not tomorrow cause I'm going to see and friend and her new baby, but maybe Wednesday?
Thank you for the reviews, I really love to read them. And let's see if we can reach 850 this time...then I'm halfway to 900! Then I'm only a hundred away from 1000 :O one thousand reviews...wow! I never thought one of my stories could reach that number. Anyway, I will stop babbling on and on. Enjoy this chapter, the majority of their weekend will be in the next one, well the best parts will be anyway. Oh and I bought season 7 of Gilmore Girls today! Yay! It finally came out over here in the UK, and I now have the complete collection
"Are we there yet?" Lorelai asked for the umpteenth time since they set off.
"Do you see the Statue of Liberty?"
"No."
"Are we surrounded by skyscrapers?" She shook her head. "Then we're not there yet." Lorelai sighed and slumped back into her seat. "You know, we've only been on the road a half an hour," Luke pointed out. "That means we've still got about two and a half hours to go." A pout formed on her face.
"I'm hungry," she whined. Luke rolled his eyes, he had a feeling this was gonna happen.
"Eat the snacks I bought you."
"I already did, they're all gone."
"All of them?" he asked incredulously.
"Yup, every last chip."
"Jeez, how do you not weigh five hundred pounds?"
"Beats me," she muttered. "Can we stop somewhere? I'm starved."
"Do you see anywhere to get food?" he asked.
"Ugh, not this game again," she complained. Luke took his eyes off the road and glanced over at her.
"When I see a gas station, we can stop and get you more snacks," he allowed. Lorelai jumped in her seat a little.
"Thank you," she said gratefully as she moved over the seat and wrapped her arms around his neck from the side. Luke smiled for a moment but ended up batting her away to avoid having an accident. "How much further till there's a gas station?" Luke inhaled sharply.
"No idea," he replied, trying to keep his temper in check.
"Have you ever driven to New York before?" she asked curiously.
"Once," he answered. "Why?"
"Well if you've been down this road before, you should know where the gas stations are."
"For god's sake Lorelai, will you quit bugging me? I have no idea when the next gas station is, ok?"
"But..."
"No buts, we'll get to it when we get to it." There were a few moments of silence where Lorelai twisted her mouth thoughtfully, while Luke kept his eyes securely on the road.
"What did you do in New York the other time?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"I went to pick up Liz," he replied shortly.
"What was Liz doing in New York by herself?" she questioned. It seemed a bit dangerous to her.
"She ran away from Stars Hollow, with her boyfriend." Lorelai's eyes almost shot out of her head. Liz ran away from home?
"Her boyfriend, like Jess' dad?" Luke nodded. "Wow."
"Yup," he shrugged.
"Was Jess around then?"
"Yeah it was only in December, she stayed there till March this year, that's when I got a call from her."
"What happened?" she asked, not sure she wanted to know. It could have been something really awful.
"Jimmy was treating her bad," he simply said.
"Bad as in..." she trailed off, leaving him to fill in the blanks.
"Violence." Lorelai's expression turned into one of shock.
"Oh my god, was she seriously hurt?"
"Just a few cuts and bruises," he replied, he seemed unfazed by the whole thing.
"Did it not bother you?" He glanced over at her again, one eyebrow raised.
"Of course it did," he answered. "But there's no point in dwelling on the past, he's gone now."
"What if he comes back?"
"If he's got any sense, he won't." Lorelai sat thoughtfully for a few moments, before looking over at Luke again. He'd been through a lot in the nineteen and a half years he'd been on the planet, more than Lorelai had originally realised. She wordlessly slid across the seat to him again, and leaned her head on his shoulder in an act of comfort. Luke's arm made it's way around her shoulders and they sat like that in a contented silence for a few miles.
"I'm glad I can talk to you again," she admitted quietly.
"You could always talk to me." Lorelai shrugged.
"Just didn't feel like it sometimes," she replied. She looked up at Luke and left a kiss on his stubbly cheek.
"You know," he said after another few minutes of silence. "We can do a lot more than just talk while we're in the city," he finished, a smug smirk resting on his lips. Lorelai could see the blush rising in his cheeks, and smiled to herself coyly.
"You're just dying to have your way with me, aren't you Mr Danes?"
"You bet I am." Lorelai took a deep breath to calm the butterflies she felt in her stomach. It had been so long since she'd experienced any sort of physical contact, and the anticipation of their weekend was getting the better of her.
"Drive faster," she ordered. "I don't know how much longer I can wait."
XXX
"Richard, have you seen Rory?" Emily called as she descended the stairs from the first floor.
"You lost our granddaughter?" came the muffled voice from Richard's study.
"I didn't lose her," she replied pointedly. "She just happened to wander off somewhere is all."
"Well you'd better find her, Lorelai won't be very happy if you don't." Emily threw the door to the study open, revealing exactly what she expected to find. Richard was sitting on the chair at his desk, Rory perching on the table with what looked to be a dictionary in front of her.
"Don't joke like that Richard, it's not a laughing matter," she scolded.
"Oh come on Emily, we have to entertain ourselves one way or another." Emily narrowed her eyes at him as she walked further into the crowded room.
"What are you reading?" she asked, peering over the desk to get a better look.
"The dictionary," he replied. "I'm widening our granddaughter's vocabulary."
"She's the smartest eighteen month old I know," she said incredulously. "She doesn't need her vocabulary widening."
"You can never know too many words Emily, especially at such a young age. It's best to teach them when they're little, they pick it up quicker."
"Yes, well it's almost time for Rory's nap," she informed him. "I'll be in to collect her in a little while."
"Very well Emily." Richard then pushed his glasses further up his nose and studied the book again. "Now, what's on this page?" he asked himself as he studied the set of words beginning with the letter F. "Ah, fish," he said. "Nice and easy."
"Fish!" Rory exclaimed, clapping her hands together triumphantly.
"Excellent, you are smart sweetheart," he praised, a hint of pride in his voice. Emily turned on her heel and left the room, leaving the door open slightly as she went. Obviously they needed some grandfather/ granddaughter time. "Finish."
"Fish," she said.
"No, finish," he repeated, emphasising the letters she missed.
"Fiddish." Richard sighed.
"That'll do, for now," he told her. "We'll come back to that one in a couple of month's time."
"Granpa," she addressed him.
"Yes granddaughter?"
"Rory sweepy," she murmured. He smiled adoringly at her before standing up and lifting her from the desk.
"Let's find your grandmother," he said as they went into the living room. Emily was sipping on a cup of tea as she read a book of her own.
"Yes Richard?" she asked without looking up from her novel.
"Rory has informed me that she is tired," he said formally. She finished the paragraph she was reading and placed the bookmark on her page before setting it down on the coffee table.
"I best get her to bed then." She took Rory from him then made her way upstairs to the nursery. As she lay Rory in her crib, she checked her diaper, just to be sure. But there was no sign yet.
"Granma," said Rory quietly.
"Are you ready to go to sleep sweetheart?" she cooed to her granddaughter. "What would you like for dinner when you wake up?"
"Fish," she replied.
"Fish? I'll have to see about that," she said thoughtfully. She realised that Rory was probably repeating words from Richard's dictionary and didn't actually want to eat fish for dinner. "You were very silly swallowing that ring weren't you Rory?" she asked.
"Ring," she repeated as she patted her tummy.
"That's right, now we have to look out for it, and it's not something I thought I'd be doing this weekend." Rory giggled as Emily tickled the spot on her stomach she had just patted. "Sleep well," she whispered as she left a light kiss on Rory's forehead.
"Kiss," Rory whispered, her eyes drooping as sleep threatened to take over her. "Night night," she mumbled as she rolled onto her side and flung her arms out in front of her. She was soon breathing evenly as she entered the land of nod. Emily stayed to watch her granddaughter sleep for a few minutes, smiling at how much she had developed since she and Lorelai had moved to Stars Hollow and how her personality was shining through more and more with every passing day. Finally, she left the nursery and went back downstairs, beginning to search for something to do for the next hour or so until Rory woke up and required her attention.
XXX
"Oh my god, I can't believe we're actually driving on the George Washington Bridge," Lorelai said in amazement as the skyscrapers of New York City got bigger and bigger, until they were towering over them.
"We're here," he said as he joined a row of traffic. "Great," he muttered.
"It's rush hour," she told him. "We should have set off earlier."
"Or maybe we shouldn't have stopped at that gas station for forty minutes while you chose which flavour chips you wanted. Lorelai shrugged.
"Either way, we still would have hit the traffic." They could see that it wasn't about to move any time soon, so Lorelai moved to Luke's side and ran her fingers down his arm slowly. Luke side-glanced at her with a cocky grin on his face.
"What are you doing?"
"Just giving you a preview of what's to come," she replied nonchalantly as her hand moved to his thigh and rested there.
"Well don't," he said as he moved her hand away. "Wait till we're at the hotel." Lorelai grinned then looked at him questioningly, suddenly realising something.
"Don't we need to find somewhere to stay first?" she asked. As far as she knew, they hadn't booked in anywhere.
"It's all taken care of," he said. "All you have to do is relax."
"Among other things," she added with a grin. She glanced out of the window at the bustling city surrounding them. "So, how exactly are we able to afford all this, I mean, with the diner and everything?" Luke shrugged; acting like it wasn't a big deal.
"It's taken care of," he told her. "You don't have to worry about it." Lorelai mulled over that answer for a few moments before accepting it and sitting back in her seat. She just wanted the traffic to disappear so they could get to the hotel.
XXX
"This is it," he announced, twenty minutes later when they pulled up outside their accommodation. It was a small building on a quiet side street, not anything fancy, but just a place to sleep at night...and do other things.
"What are we waiting for? Let's check in," she said excitedly as Luke got out of the truck. He opened Lorelai's door for her and smiled when she deliberately brushed up against him as she climbed out.
"Tease," he murmured, causing her to smile widely. He retrieved their case from the truck bed, then made their way into the quaint hotel.
"Well, hello there," greeted a somewhat elderly woman standing at the reception desk. "My name is Doreen, have you booked?"
"Uh yeah," answered Luke, a little taken aback by the high pitch of the woman's voice. It was a tad creepy actually. "It's Luke Danes."
"Let me just check that for you." She flicked through the reservations book; which was in fact a small notepad with a floral pattern on the front. "Ah yes, Mr Danes, two nights," she read aloud.
"That's right."
"Ok well I've checked you in," she said. "I'll get Frederick to show you to your room." Lorelai and Luke exchanged amused glances.
"Frederick?" she mouthed to him. Doreen began ringing a metal bell, trying to summon her employee over. The teens were having a hard time holding their laughter in, and Luke had to push his lips together to keep from making a sound.
"Frederick!" she called, wondering where he'd gotten to. It was obvious that he wasn't going to make an appearance any time soon, so Doreen rounded the desk and reached for their case. "I will show you to your room," she told them.
"Uh, I can take that for you," offered Luke, gesturing towards the suitcase.
"No it's ok," she replied stubbornly. "You're guests; guests shouldn't have to carry their own luggage up to their rooms."
"I really don't mind," he stressed. The truth was, he was worried that this woman was gonna keel over at any moment, she was breathing really heavily.
"No Mr Danes, it's all part of the service," she told him, the struggle she was having was evident in her voice. He glanced at Lorelai, who was watching Doreen with the same concern, but there was a bit of amusement mixed in there too. They ascended the staircase slowly, at Doreen's speed of course, and she led them down a narrow corridor. They stopped outside a room that had the number four on the door, and she put the key in the lock, pushing it open.
"Here is your room," she exclaimed. She stepped in first, followed closely by Luke and Lorelai. It was a small room; there was a small bathroom off to the side, with a toilet, sink and shower, a small window looked out onto the alleyway they'd parked in, there was a set of drawers to put their clothes in, and, to both teenagers' horror, two single beds. Luke called her up on that immediately.
"Uh...I booked a double room," he said awkwardly. "Maybe you brought us to the wrong room."
"No," Doreen replied surely. "This is a double room."
"But, a double room has a double bed," interrupted Lorelai, speaking for the first time since they entered the place, which was unusual for her. "Whereas this is a twin."
"Oh, well we don't have double beds here, we don't tolerate two people of the opposite sex sleeping in the same bed," she said seriously. "And intercourse is completely against the rules," she informed them. Lorelai nearly burst out into fits of giggles. Was this all one big joke? Luke on the other hand, was blushing furiously, probably at the mention of intercourse.
"Well we don't have intercourse," replied Lorelai, matching Doreen's serious tone. "In fact, we frown upon it." This time, Luke nearly burst into laughter. Trust Lorelai to come out with something like that.
"Well good, some teenagers nowadays," she said with a disapproving shake of her head. "They're out of control, having intercourse with any old person, drinking, smoking, then ending up pregnant while they're still in school." Lorelai stiffened visibly, and Luke noticed. Obviously Doreen had hit a nerve. "It's good to know you're not like that, really, girls your age should not be mothers." Lorelai nodded, although she looked to be distant. "Anyway, I'll let you get settled," she said. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything." She left the room, closing the door behind her.
"Wow," said Luke, watching as Lorelai walked over and sat on the bed closest to the door. It creaked loudly under her weight, and she let out a giggle over how ridiculous this hotel was. That's if you could call it a hotel, it was more like a hostel.
"Where did you find this place?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at his choice.
"I dunno," he shrugged. "I knew I should have just booked at the Holiday Inn."
"No this is fine," she replied. "It's not that bad." Luke eyed her sceptically.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" he asked incredulously.
"Ok so it's terrible, but it's just a place to rest our heads for the night, and do...other things." She whispered the last part in case Doreen had a glass up against the other side of the door and she was listening to their conversation.
"But intercourse is banned," he told her, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Please, the whole point of this weekend was that we get to reconnect in that way," she said pointedly. "Who cares if there's a sex ban? I'm getting my Luke fix." Luke grinned devilishly.
"What if we get caught?" he asked, inching closer towards the bed. Lorelai caught on to what he was doing and sat back on the bed.
"What is she gonna do, call the sex police?" she asked. Then a sudden thought dawned on her. "Oh my god, what if they have secret cameras somewhere in here?"
"I don't think they can afford stuff like that," he told her, although he looked around the room.
"I guess they're pretty hard to come by," she agreed. "Plus it'd be black and white film anyway so it wouldn't be that clear." Luke nodded, as he finally crawled onto the bed and slid up to her. He caught her lips in his and let his hands find their way down to her hips, grasping them firmly. They moved slightly, causing the bed to let out a series of squeaky creaks.
"This is ridiculous," he groaned, tearing his lips away from hers.
"Try the other bed," she suggested. They moved over to the second bed of the room and got back into their previous position, finding this one to be considerably quieter. It was still slightly creaky though. "What if Doreen can hear the bed springs downstairs?" she asked teasingly as he moved to her neck.
"Then we may get kicked out of this hotel," he answered distractedly. Lorelai giggled.
"Not much of a loss, huh?"
"Nope." She felt kinda bad, cause Luke had paid for their accommodation, especially as they were struggling with money at the moment. Lorelai focussed on the ceiling as Luke lavished her neck, sending waves of anticipation shooting through her. Her eyes caught sight of something on the wall, and she narrowed them suspiciously. She realised it was a framed portrait, surrounded by floral wallpaper.
"Luke?" she asked breathlessly.
"Hmm?" he replied, his mouth never leaving her skin.
"Is that who I think it is?" Luke pulled away and looked at her.
"What?" She pointed to the picture, and Luke rolled his eyes. "Yup," he managed to get out.
"Oh my god, who has a portrait of Jesus in a hotel room?" she asked incredulously.
"Lorelai, can we carry on please?" his voice was strangled, and she could tell he needed the release. But that image had just put a dampener on everything.
"Um...I can't have sex while Jesus is staring at us," she said, finding her own comment funny.
"Lorelai," he groaned. "Just pretend it isn't there."
"But...I can't," she whined. "I'm sorry, it's just...this place is totally creeping me out. With the pensioners downstairs, the Jesus paintings, the flowery wallpaper, and of course, the no sex rule." Luke looked at her strangely for a few moments, as if it really was just sinking in how weird these people were. He finally shrugged.
"So what do you wanna do?" he asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "All I can tell you is that there is no way I can sleep in a creaky single bed all weekend." Luke nodded, taking it all in.
"Wanna see if the Holiday Inn has anything available?" Lorelai smiled up at him and grabbed his chin with her fingers, pulling him down to her for a kiss.
"That would be perfect," she said gratefully. Luke nodded and climbed off of his girlfriend. She moved off the bed too, and they worked on straightening the sheets out, before Luke grabbed their case.
"Hey," he said, stopping her in her tracks.
"Yeah?"
"What Doreen said earlier, about teenage parents," he said. Lorelai ducked her head and stared at the floor. "Don't listen to her, she doesn't know what she's talking about." She smiled at him and wrapped an arm around his waist as they left their room. The entered the lobby and Doreen looked at them confusedly.
"Is your room ok?" she asked, eyeing their suitcase warily.
"Yeah uh...we just decided to go back home," answered Luke nervously. He knew this hotel was awful, but he had no intention of telling the owner that. He hated it when he hurt people's feelings.
"Oh, any particular reason?" she queried.
"Well we miss our daughter," replied Lorelai, not hesitating to wait for Doreen's reaction to that piece of news. "And no offense, but your beds are really hard to have 'intercourse' in. With the creakiness and the Jesus painting watching, so not cool. And it was a little on the small side." She finished happily then turned and left the hotel, leaving both Luke and the hotel owner stunned.
"You can keep the money," Luke stuttered before quickly slipping out of the front door, more than a little red in the face. Doreen shook her head disapprovingly and sighed. Teenagers these days. "What the hell was that?" he asked when he met up with her outside.
"I wanted to have a bit of fun," she shrugged.
"You told her we tried to sleep together up there," he said quietly. "Why in god's name would you do that?"
"Hey, don't say the Lord's name in vein," she warned jokingly, pointing a finger at him. He batted the finger away and glared at her. "Oh come on, we're on vacation," she prodded. "Lighten up."
"You nearly gave the poor woman a heart attack," he mumbled, sending Lorelai into giggles.
"It was fun though, especially the part about Rory." He nodded distractedly as he held the passenger door open for her.
"Come on, let's find this Holiday Inn." Lorelai climbed into the truck and grinned at him as he did the same at his side.
"At least we had a funny experience, in a loony bin," she giggled as they pulled away from the building, both hoping they never came across anywhere like it ever again.
XXX
"Richard, where are you?" Emily called up the stairs. It was the second time since Rory had arrived that the two of them had disappeared together. It was now seven thirty; very close to Rory's bedtime, and Emily was hoping to get her in the tub.
"In the nursery," he replied. Emily furrowed her eyebrows.
"What are you doing up there?" she asked curiously. Richard hardly ever went into Rory's room at the house; he was either in his study or in the dining room.
"Rory needed her diaper changing," he informed her. Emily's eyes widened in realisation that he may have already thrown the soiled item away.
"Oh my god," she muttered as she started up the stairs, as fast as her legs would carry her. "Richard, don't throw that diaper away!" she struggled to get out, her lack of athleticism becoming apparent. She raced into the nursery and watched as Richard began folding the dirty diaper. "Stop!" she shouted, causing her husband to jump in surprise.
"What?" he asked incredulously. Emily took the dirty diaper from his grasp and settled it on the changing table next to Rory. She opened it, grimaced a little, then grabbed the nearest object she could find, beginning to shovel her way through it. Richard watched it all in complete and utter confusion, and also a bit of disgust. "What on earth is going on?" he asked, refusing to believe that his wife, a member of society, was plucking her way through a soiled diaper. Emily looked up at him, realising that she was probably freaking him out a lot right now and she should probably explain herself.
"When Lorelai took me into the kitchen earlier, she asked me to do something," she began. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Yesterday, Rory swallowed something she shouldn't have when Lorelai wasn't looking and she had to take her to the emergency room." Richard's expression changed to one of shock.
"Why didn't she tell us about this, it's a serious matter," he bellowed. "What did she swallow?"
"A ring," she replied. Richard's eyes widened again. "It was Luke's mother's engagement ring, and Rory must have found it in one of the drawers at home."
"Did she choke on it?"
"No," she replied, trying to ease his nerves. "It got lodged in her throat but she wasn't in any immediate danger. Lorelai said the doctor had to loosen it with some kind of tool, and that it should pass through her system within twenty four hours."
"Oh."
"But Lorelai isn't supposed to know about this ring," she continued. "Well, Luke didn't tell her about it so she doesn't want him to know she's found it. That's why she's so intent on getting it back to where she found it."
"You don't think he's going to propose do you?" he asked, hoping the answer was no. As much as he liked Luke, his daughter was way too young to marry. Yes she should have married Christopher when she was sixteen, but that was out of obligation. There was no reason for her to be married this time.
"Don't be preposterous Richard, they haven't known each other long enough to get engaged," she snorted, but quickly rethought that. "Although, they have moved awfully fast since they met; I mean, Luke adopted Rory after just a few months of knowing her, and now they're living together."
"Temporarily," he added.
"Yes of course." They moved into silence for a moment or two, before Emily decided it couldn't be true. "No, they're too young," she decided. "Luke would know better than to ask now, plus, how many nineteen year old boys do you know that want to get married?" Richard sighed, obviously fed up with the conversation. He'd already come to the conclusion that it wasn't going to happen.
"So you think it's in there," he pointed to the diaper that she was still searching through, scrunching his nose up in disgust.
"There's a very good chance," she told him. "My goodness Rory, what do you eat?" Emily asked her granddaughter, referring to the unpleasant smell coming from the diaper in question.
"Banana," the little girl replied, taking the question seriously and not rhetorically like it was meant as.
"Yes I know you eat bananas," she cooed. "But I can tell you, bananas don't smell like this." Richard finished cleaning Rory up and redressed her, then took his attention to the task Emily was focussing on.
"Yucky," said Rory as she watched Emily do the same thing her mother had earlier that day.
"I know sweetheart, just be glad you don't have to do it." Rory watched with interest for a while, before spotting something quite familiar to her.
"Ring!" she exclaimed, pointing a finger at the object in question.
"Where?" asked Emily.
"There." Rory lunged forward and reached a hand towards the diaper. Richard was quick to react, and held her back before a mess was made.
"Ah, I see it now," said Emily in realisation. She grabbed a baby wipe and used it to protect her fingers as she fished the ring out. Once she had a good hold on it, she wiped it clean and looked down at it, still resting on the wipe. "Oh my," she gasped. "What a beautiful ring, it looks like Luke's father had good taste," she commented.
"Why yes," he agreed. "It doesn't look cheap." Both grandparents stared at the ring, which had been on an unexpected journey through their granddaughter's body.
"Anyway," said Emily after a few minutes. "I'm going to get Larissa to disinfect this," she announced, as she exited the nursery. "Can you draw a bath for Rory?" she called after her. Richard sighed, but took his granddaughter to the bathroom. He was just happy to spend some time alone with her, he never usually got to give her this much attention.
XXX
After an hour or driving around the city, and asking sixteen different people for directions, the young couple found the Holiday Inn. It looked quite modern (for the 80s) and it was definitely a lot more inviting than the previous place they'd attempted to stay at. Luke found the parking lot out back, then he once again lugged their suitcase into the lobby with Lorelai leading the way.
"Welcome to the Holiday Inn," greeted the young man behind the desk. He was a lot more normal than Doreen. "Are you checking in?"
"Uh...we don't actually have a room booked," said Luke awkwardly. "We were wondering if you had any available." The man regarded them for a few moments before nodding and looking down at his reservation book.
"We have a number of twin rooms available," he told them. Luke and Lorelai shared a knowing look; neither of them could stand to look at another single bed.
"Do you uh...have any double rooms?" Luke asked.
"Erm...oh yes, we have one left," he informed them, causing both teens to smile and Lorelai jumped on the spot a little. "Shall I book you in?"
"Absolutely," replied Lorelai. She grinned at Luke and linked her arm through his.
"Ok, how many nights will that be for?"
"Two," said Luke.
"Right, I'll just have to take some details." Luke nodded, and after he'd been asked the basics, the subject of the payment came up. "So that comes to $120," he announced. Luke's jaw dropped momentarily, but he quickly saved himself and fished in his pocket for his wallet. Lorelai looked worriedly at Luke as he handed over two fifties and a twenty, still wondering how he was managing to pay for all this with all the money he'd spent on the diner. And it wasn't even near finished yet. "Ok, it's room twenty seven on the second floor," he told them as he handed them the key.
"Quick question," said Lorelai as Luke grabbed their luggage. "You don't have a no sex rule here, do you?" The concierge looked at her strangely for a while before shaking his head slowly.
"Um...no," he replied awkwardly.
"Lorelai," growled Luke. He pulled her by the arm towards the elevator, wishing they could get out of the weird situation she'd put them in. Once they were safely inside the elevator, alone, Luke went into scolding mode. "Why did you just ask him that?" he asked incredulously. Lorelai shrugged.
"I was just making sure," she told him. "He didn't mind anyway, they're here to answer any questions the guests may have." Luke rolled his eyes, she always found a way to embarrass him, no matter what the situation was that they were in.
"Well this is a lot better," said Lorelai as they entered the room. She immediately dove for the king sized bed and rolled over, giggling the whole time.
"It didn't creak," said Luke, a small smile sitting on his lips. Lorelai grinned then relaxed back into the pillows.
"God this is comfortable," she gushed. "Come and lay with me." She held her arms out in front of her and Luke made his way over to the bed, collapsing next to her. She snuggled into his side and closed her eyes, but Luke tapping her face made her open them again. "What?" she asked.
"Don't go to sleep," he told her.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want you to," he answered before their lips connected. Lorelai pulled back after a few moments, and smiled dazedly at him.
"I'm hungry," she said, hearing her stomach grumbling at her.
"Well it is way past dinner time," he said. "It's almost eight."
"Really? Oh I wanna call mom and ask her if..." She stopped herself before she finished that sentence. What was she thinking, telling Luke about the ring incident?
"Ask her what?" She wracked her brain for a simple answer to his question, but she was finding it hard to think of an excuse at this moment in time. "Lorelai?" he questioned.
"Um...ask her if...if Rory's ok," she finally managed to scramble. Luke eyed her strangely for a few moments before nodding his head.
"She'll be fine," he assured her. "I bet she's tucked up in bed already, or she's begging your parents to read her another bedtime story."
"Hmm," she chuckled. "I miss her already." He looked down at her and brushed a stray curl away from her eyes.
"Me too," he admitted. "Now what do you say we go find some food?"
"I think that's the best idea you've had all day, Mr Danes," she replied formally. He stood up and helped her up from the bed, before going into their case and slipping a coat around her shoulders. She'd only complain she was cold if he didn't. They left the hotel and walked down the street, hand in hand, admiring the little shops and businesses along the way. "Look!" Lorelai exclaimed as she pointed to a small diner across the street.
"What?" asked Luke.
"That diner's called Luke's," she told him. "We totally have to go there and check out the coffee." Luke felt a bit sentimental seeing this diner in perfect form before him. It made him wish that his diner was still up and running, and he began feeling a tad envious of the owner of this establishment. "Can we?" she pleaded, cutting through his thoughts. "I can compare the burgers to yours." Luke nodded slowly.
"Sure," he answered. She dragged him across the street and they entered the small, but busy diner. There were even little bells above the door, just like Luke's used to have. It was too much of a coincidence for Luke. He followed Lorelai to a table and sat down opposite her.
"This is a Luke's where I actually have to check the menu," she chuckled as she opened it to a small selection of meals. "I'm having cheeseburger and fries," she told him. "What about you?" Luke had been in a daze as he looked around the lively diner. People were chatting on their tables, every different group keeping to themselves, and not addressing anyone around them. He supposed that's how his diner and this one differed, everyone knew each other in Stars Hollow and he kinda liked it that way. "Luke?" she asked, trying to get his attention. It was obvious to her that he'd zoned out, but she was intent on getting the attention she wanted.
"Huh?" he asked, seemingly startled. Lorelai glanced at him strangely.
"I asked what you wanted to eat," she repeated. Luke picked up a menu and glanced at it before putting it back on the table.
"Turkey burger," he said. "And a baked potato."
"That's not real food," she told him.
"Better than junk," he shrugged. "I hate diner food."
"Yet you own a diner." He was about to reply when a waiter approached their table and took out an order pad from his jeans pocket.
"What do you want to order?" he asked, in the same gruffness Luke showed while he was at work. It was harmless banter when Luke acted like that, everyone knew he was a grump but that there was a soft squishy side underneath. But with this guy, it sounded plain unfriendly.
"Cheeseburger and fries please," said Lorelai.
"Turkey burger and baked potato," repeated Luke.
"Ok and to drink?"
"Water's fine." The waiter turned to Lorelai expectantly, waiting for her to put her drink order in. She almost forgot to answer at first; every time she went into a diner called Luke's, her beverage preference was known and she didn't even have to ask for it. This new 'Luke's' was throwing her off a bit.
"Coffee, extra strong," she told him.
"Milk?" Lorelai shook her head. "Sugar?"
"No, thank you."
"Ok I'll bring your drinks over and your food should be ready soon." He scurried off behind the counter to prepare their drinks, leaving Lorelai to speculate on how much she hated this establishment. She couldn't remember the last time somebody had asked her if she wanted milk and sugar in her coffee, her preferences were known by almost everyone in Stars Hollow. This was going to take some getting used to. "Here we go, coffee black, and water." He set the drinks down and disappeared again.
"So, that's the first time I've had to ask for coffee in a Luke's this year," she said thoughtfully.
"Not everyone knows you're a coffee junkie," said Luke. She took a tentative sip of the hot drink, and immediately grimaced.
"That's not half as good as your coffee," she complained. "Man I miss your coffee."
"You have a coffee maker at your place," he said. "I can make you it there."
"You can? But my coffee maker sucks," she pouted. "It's nothing like the one you had at the diner."
"I can still make coffee in it," he told her, rolling his eyes.
"Ok, as soon as we get back to Stars Hollow, you're making me a cup of coffee. No offence to Sookie, but your coffee is so much better than the one she makes at the inn." Luke smiled. They shared a nice meal together, although it was filled with a lot of comparing and complaining from Lorelai. Finally, Luke paid their bill and the teenagers made their way back to their hotel room, both looking forward to what the evening would hold for them. It was well after ten thirty when they made it back to their room, they had been talking in the diner for longer than they thought.
"You tired?" Luke asked as she removed her coat and draped it over a nearby chair. Lorelai shook her head insistently.
"Not yet," she said seductively. "I'm just gonna freshen up." The room was warm, and Luke knew it was about to get even hotter than it already was. Lorelai fumbled through their case for her nightwear, then disappeared into the small bathroom joined to their room. Luke removed his jacket and got comfortable on the oversized bed. They'd probably only use half of it, if that. He fumbled around with the pillows till they were how he wanted them, then laid down and closed his eyes for a moment or two. When Lorelai emerged, she saw him sprawled out on the bed, clad in jeans and flannel, with his eyes closed. She frowned then crept over to the bed, crawling onto it slowly. "Luke?" she whispered.
"Hmm," he grunted.
"Wake up." Another grunt. She rolled her eyes, was he really gonna sleep right now? After all the anticipation had built up to it's peak, he had fallen asleep. She sighed, there was no way she was going straight to sleep tonight. She slung her leg over his body and hiked herself up so her body was covering his. She ran her hand down his chest, undoing the buttons on his shirt as she went, before raining soft kisses along his jaw line.
"Lorelai?" he asked sleepily as he let out a big yawn. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" she replied. "I've been waiting ages for this Luke, but no more." Luke rubbed his eyes tiredly then looked down to where she had opened all the buttons on his flannel. He knew he couldn't wait any longer either, so the simple answer was, that they wouldn't. Before long, both teens were worked up to a point where they couldn't hold out any longer. Every item of clothing they were wearing had been shed, and the only thing covering them was the duvet cover, but even that was becoming dangerously close to slipping off the side of the bed.
"We need protection," said Luke as he resisted the urge to drive into her. It wasn't easy, but he managed it. Lorelai groaned.
"Please, please tell me you brought some," she begged. "I don't think I can stop now."
"In the suitcase," he told her. "I'll get it." He moved off of her and slipped off the edge of the bed. Lorelai watched him in all his naked glory as he walked across the room, stopping to crouch down by the case with his back to her.
"You know, I have a really good view from here," she said dreamily as she eyed his butt. Luke looked back at her over his shoulder and smiled shyly, a blush rising in his cheeks again. He searched through the suitcase clumsily, sighing in frustration when he couldn't find what he was looking for. He'd bought two boxes of the damned things, and he definitely remembered putting them in there. "What's taking so long?" Lorelai whined. "We only need one, you know."
"I can't find them," he muttered as he began throwing clothes out of the case in a desperate need to find condoms.
"You packed them right?" she asked worriedly. They had worked up to this too much to let it go all of a sudden.
"I swear I did," he promised her. Lorelai groaned again.
"Did you check all the pockets?" she asked. "They might be in the front one." Luke frantically unzipped the front pocket, revealing two boxes of Trojans. He knew he'd packed them.
"Got 'em," he revealed as he tried to pry the box open. His fingers were like jelly, and he was having great difficulty.
"Bring them over here," she told him. He passed her the box and watched as she quickly ripped it open and chose one from the selection. In record time, the glove was on and they were experiencing that amazing make up sex that every boasts about so often.
Afterwards, Lorelai snuggled under the covers as Luke relieved himself of the latex. He joined her in the huge bed and wrapped his arm around her, drawing her into him.
"I really missed that," she said, her chin resting on his bare chest.
"Same here," he murmured into her hair. "I'm never gonna leave you behind again."
"Glad to hear it." Lorelai glanced up at him in the dark room. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow, are you?"
"Definitely," he replied. Little did she know that she had more than just a baseball game to look forward to. In less than twenty four hours time, she would be less than fifty feet away from the Bangles themselves. He couldn't wait to see her reaction. "Love you," he said as he closed his eyes slowly.
"Hmm love you too," she replied. She slept better that night than she had since Christmas, and she knew the reason why; Luke was back with her in every way possible, and she had no doubt that this weekend was going to be amazing.
I was thinking about reducing my chapter length to 6000 words, so that it doesn't take so long for me to write each one, but every time I try to reduce it, I can't stop writing haha. So we'll see what goes on, 6000 is still a long chapter compared to some other stories
Pleaaase review :D I think you know by now how much I love them, I tell you enough times. See you soon!
Emily.
