A/N: Thank you all so much for your lovely comments about Seven Weeks. I appreciate all of your support, and I hope that you continue to enjoy Middle Management!
Blessings
Lorelai was at the Dragonfly when her cell rang in her pocket. She plucked it out and checked the display, always worried that it would be Luke calling in a panic. She smiled to herself, knowing that it was a ridiculous thought, Uber-Dad never panicked about anything. She saw her mother's number and opened the phone saying, "Hi, Mom."
"Hello, Lorelai," Emily said in her cool polite manner.
"How are you?" Lorelai asked as she shuffled through some papers at the desk.
"I'm fine, thank you. I was just calling to let you know that I am about to drop off the christening gowns, and I wanted to see if the boys were asleep. I never know if I should ring the bell or not," she said with a frown.
Lorelai smiled and said, "Actually, I'm at the inn."
"You are?" Emily said with a frown. "Did you take the babies to work with you?" she asked.
Lorelai chuckled and said, "No, Mom. I have this wonderful new fangled invention called a husband, who comes home in the afternoons. Some days, I come in here to catch up on things while Luke and the boys have a nap," Lorelai explained.
"Oh," Emily said as she stared through the windshield at the front door of Lorelai and Luke's house.
"Where are you?" Lorelai asked when Emily paused.
"In your driveway," Emily confessed.
"Oh, well, you can leave them there at the house. Luke is there. They may be asleep, but if the door is locked, the key is in the turtle," Lorelai told her. "You were able to find both gowns?" she asked.
"Of course I was able to find them Lorelai," Emily said impatiently. "One does not simply misplace precious family heirlooms," she said pointedly.
"Sorry, I meant you have both yours and Dad's?" she asked.
"Yes," Emily said with a nod. "Actually, when I took them out, I was shocked to see how similar they were. We christened you and Rory in your father's family gown, so I hadn't looked at my family's gown in ages. They have almost the exact same lace. It's amazing, really," she said enthusiastically.
"Sounds great, Mom. Just don't tell Luke which one is yours, we don't want to have to choose which of the boys will wear the girl dress," she teased.
"Honestly Lorelai," Emily said impatiently. "Christening gowns are not gender specific."
"I'm just teasing, Mom. Anyway, thank you, we're very excited to be able to use the family gowns for the boys," Lorelai said trying to placate her.
Emily sniffed and said, "Well, of course you're using them. They're your family gowns."
"Well, I wish that Liz had never taken hers and Luke's. It's long gone now, and I doubt that she even actually had Jess baptized," Lorelai told her.
"It is a shame," Emily agreed.
"Okay, well, good luck with the drop," Lorelai said with a smirk. "Oh, and Mom?" she called.
"Yes?" Emily answered.
"I think it's time you and Luke called a cease fire on your little war," Lorelai said firmly.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Emily said haughtily.
Lorelai shook her head and said with an innocent smile, "I don't know what you two got into it over, but it's time to let it go."
"I am nothing but polite to Luke, Lorelai," Emily said, affronted.
"Oh, I know," Lorelai said with a laugh. "Mom, come on, you guys have had some kind of tension between you since the day the twins were born. I'm asking you to be the bigger man, let it go," she said, recalling how she had a similar conversation with Luke just two days ago. "No more fawning courtesy, no more passive aggressive shopping," Lorelai said, laying down the law.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Emily asked.
Lorelai laughed and said, "That means that no one is bringing anything plaid into that house except Luke, and even he is getting sick of it." She paused and asked, "Do you get my drift?"
"Yes, Lorelai," Emily said rolling her eyes.
"Play nice, Mom. You like Luke," she reminded her. She snorted and added, "You even liked him better than me at one time," in a teasing tone. "I just want to get back to normal," she said softly. "Can we do that?"
"Yes, we can do that," Emily agreed, slightly chastised.
"Thank you, Mom," Lorelai said with a relieved smile.
"I will expect you all at my house for dinner this week," Emily said with a decisive nod.
"But," Lorelai began to protest.
"That would be what is normal, Lorelai," Emily said pointedly.
"The boys, it's so hard," Lorelai stammered.
"We have an entire nursery set up for the boys, you know that. You don't have to bring a thing with you, we have it all," Emily said imperiously.
Lorelai nodded her defeat and said, "I'll let Luke and Rory know."
"Jess is always welcome, too," Emily said generously.
Lorelai smiled wryly and said, "I'll be sure to pass on the good news."
"Okay, well, I've sat here long enough that in sure your neighbors will think I'm on a stakeout. I'll see you all on Friday, Lorelai," Emily said in conclusion.
"See you Friday," Lorelai said meekly as she closed the phone.
XXXX
When Emily tried the knob, the front door was locked. She sighed and placed both white boxes on one of the wicker chairs as she went in search of the silly ceramic turtle that Lorelai hid her spare key in. She pulled it out from between the shrubs, muttering under her breath as she brushed a stray leaf from her coat and marched up the steps with the turtle in hand. She took the spare key from its shell and slipped it quietly into the lock, opening the door slightly before she placed the key back into the turtle and set it on the small table between the wicker chairs. She lifted the boxes containing the gowns and nudged the door open, calling a soft, "Hello? Luke?" as she entered.
Luke was asleep on the couch, a boy in each arm as the ESPN guys droned softly in the background. Emily placed the boxes on the hall table, heard someone on the television babbling about someone's arm and his ability to 'bring the heat' as she peeked into the living room. She saw Luke stir, and his eyes flutter open and try to focus as he asked, "Emily?" in a raspy voice.
"I'm sorry to disturb you," she whispered, unable to stop the smile that the sight of the three of them tugged from her. "Lorelai said that I could just drop the gowns for the christening off. She said that you might be asleep, so I tried to be quiet, but I didn't want to startle you," she explained.
Luke chuckled and said, "We were catching up on the spring training reports. Must have dozed off," he said as he glanced at his sleeping sons.
Emily allowed the smile to bloom as she said, "You make quite a picture."
Luke smirked and said, "We like to snuggle up and talk sports. It indulges both the manly side and the soft sensitive side at the same time." He looked down again and asked, "Since you're here, you want one or two?"
"Yes, please," Emily said as she walked over to the couch as Luke struggled to sit up. "Stay where you are," she told him as she plucked one of the sleeping boys from his chest. She looked down at Jake's sleeping face and whispered, "Hello, Jacob."
Luke smiled as he adjusted Josh and sat up. "You are the only one, aside from Lorelai, Roy and me, who doesn't have to study them to figure out who is who," he told her.
Emily smiled down at the baby and said, "Grandma knows, doesn't she?" She looked up at Luke, noting the bags under his eyes and asked, "Are you feeling okay?"
Luke smiled wanly and said, "Just tired. These guys have been in a weird sleep pattern this week. Knocked us out of our normal routine," he told her.
Emily nodded and said, "They'll go through phases like that."
"We were doing so good," he chastised Josh softly.
"You know, Luke," Emily started hesitantly. "I don't have anything in particular planned for this afternoon. I'd be happy to watch them if you'd like to have a real nap," she offered.
"Oh, Emily, you don't have to," Luke started to protest.
Emily shook her head and said, "You're exhausted. Caring for them, trying to work, caring for Lorelai," she said as she looked up and met his eyes.
"Well, that's part of the package, right?" Luke asked softly.
"It is," Emily said with a nod. "And you do an excellent job of it." She looked over at him and said, "Leave them with me for an hour or two. Get some rest. You've earned it," she said gently.
Luke nodded, understanding that this was her way of offering the olive branch. "I really appreciate it," he said earnestly.
Emily looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms and said, "It would be my pleasure. They are wonderful, aren't they?" she asked softly.
Luke smiled and said, "I'm pretty fond of them."
Emily smiled at Jacob and said, "You have a doting daddy. Isn't that nice?" She glanced up at Luke and said, "Very lucky boys."
Luke blushed and said, "I'll put Josh in his seat," as he pushed up from the couch and placed the baby in the carrier seat. He adjusted him gently, tucking a soft blanket around the baby before straightening. "They should sleep for another hour or so. When they wake up, call me and I'll take care of them," he instructed as he placed his hands on his hips and glanced around uneasily.
"I can manage," Emily said dryly.
"I know you can, but you don't have to. That's my job," he said gruffly.
"Go lie down," Emily told him firmly.
Luke nodded and said, "Thanks." He walked over to the chair where she held Jake and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze and said, "You're alright, Emily Gilmore."
Emily smiled as he left the room and said, "You're not too bad yourself."
"Shout if you need me," Luke said as he headed for the steps. "Oh, and the boys and I made a cake if you're interested. Nothing fancy, just a spice cake. It's on the counter," he said tiredly as he climbed the stairs.
Emily smirked at Jake and said, "Your daddy is quite the little homemaker."
"I heard that," Luke grumbled as he turned to go up the second flight.
"Of course you did," Emily grumbled.
XXXX
Friday evening Luke found himself in front of the mirror in their room retying his tie for the third time. When Lorelai walked out of the bathroom he sneered at her and mocked, "I just want things to get back to normal."
"Suck it up, big guy," Lorelai said as she turned her back to him and held her hair up so he could zipper her into her pretty new dark red dress. "I brokered détente, and snagged you a babysitter for afternoon, so sue me."
Luke zipped up her dress and pecked a distracted kiss to her neck before turned back to the mirror for another attempt. "I liked having it here," he grumbled.
"I did too, but this is Mom's thing. You're the one who was so high on keeping Friday night dinner going," she reminded him as she pawed through her jewelry box.
"Yeah, but I also had it worked out to our advantage," he told her pointedly.
"Maybe Mom would be open to an every other week thing," Lorelai said with a shrug. "You should suggest it, now that you two are all lovey dovey again," she said with a smirk.
"We are not lovey dovey," Luke mumbled as he adjusted the knot, snugging it against his collar.
"Oh, Luke is so good. Luke takes care of everyone and everything. Luke needs his rest," Lorelai mimicked.
"Luke needs a wife who knows when to quit babbling," he said as he turned to pull his suit jacket from the hangar. He looked at her and said, "Good thing this wife is so pretty."
Lorelai flashed him a bright smile and said, "Keep that up, and I'll let you keep the shirt on tonight."
"And that's a thrill for me because?" he asked leadingly.
"Because you know how much I love that white dress shirt thing," Lorelai said as she put in her other earring. "You'll be thrilled," she said with a nod.
Luke snorted and tossed the jacket onto the bed as he said, "And you'll be snoring."
"Will not and do not," Lorelai said indignantly.
"Do too, but ever so sweetly," he said with a grin.
They heard the front door slam and Rory call, "Hello? Mom? Luke? Are you still here?"
"Up here," Lorelai called through the open door. Luke's head jerked up as they heard Rory start trotting up the steps and Lorelai called, "Everything okay?"
"Everything is fine," Rory called back. She stopped at the top step and asked, "You decent?"
"Well, I guess I am, but I can tell you for a fact that Luke is excellent," Lorelai called back.
"Ew," Rory said softly.
"Come in, Rory," Luke called. "Ignore the nut job in the red dress," he said as Rory poked her head around the doorframe.
"Ooh, pretty," Rory said as she fingered the skirt of Lorelai's dress.
"Thank you," Lorelai answered. She smirked at her daughter and said, "Still too big for you to borrow. So sorry," she said insincerely.
"Love is not love if it can't be altered when alteration is needed," Rory said with a giggle.
"All of that Ivy League education and she's bastardizing Shakespeare," Lorelai said shaking her head.
Rory looked at Luke perched on the edge of the bed putting his shoes on and said, "Wow, you look nice."
"Thanks," he grumbled as he stood up and picked up his jacket to shrug into it.
"I know," Lorelai said with a grin. "It's been so long, I'd almost forgotten how pretty Suit Luke is."
"So pretty," Rory agreed with a nod.
"Not you too," Luke grumbled as he walked to his dresser to start loading his pockets.
"Short guys all dressed too?" Rory asked.
"Yes, and sooo cute," Lorelai gushed as she grabbed Rory's hand and pulled her out of the room, trotting to the nursery. "Look, this is the first time Luke has ever let me dress them alike," she said as she gestured to the cribs.
"Aw!" Rory cried pressing her hands to her cheeks in delight.
"And the last," Luke said as he entered the room. "You know your mother is going to take this as a slight," he said as he started loading the diaper bag.
Lorelai looked down at her boys in their matching tuxedo sleepers and said, "No, they just wanted to look spiffy for Grandma."
"Nice bag you got there," Rory said as she nodded to the black nylon diaper bag. "She finally let you out of duckie purgatory?" she asked.
"Oh, he's had that a while," Lorelai said with a wave. "That's Luke's bag. The man bag," she added with a giggle.
Luke rolled his eyes and reached down to scoop Josh from his crib as he asked the sleeping boy, "Because we are men, right? We watch baseball, scratch ourselves, pick our teeth and eat corn nuts, don't we?" he said as he settled the boy into the waiting car seat. He looked back at the girls and said, "Don't just stand there gawking. There's another baby to load," he reminded them.
"Oh, sorry," Rory said as she reached for Jake.
"We were distracted by the sexy visual image you created," Lorelai said as she helped Rory strap Jake in.
"Just pandering to the audience," Luke said as he pecked a small kiss to Josh's forehead. "Gotta keep the ladies happy with their illusions, don't we fellas?" he asked Jake, running his hand over his downy head.
Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "Okay he-men, let's saddle up." She slung her arm over Rory's shoulder and asked, "So, what brings you to the Hollow this fine evening?"
"I figured that since I was staying for the rest of the weekend, I'd just hitch a ride in the family truckster," Rory said with a shrug.
Lorelai grinned and gave her a squeeze as she said, "Good, Luke was worried you'd never use that third row seat," as they made their way downstairs. As Luke headed for the door, she called, "Hold up, Cool Hand, you forgot the goods."
"I got it out of the little fridge while you were babbling," he answered as he wound his way to the back door and waited for one of them to open it for him. "Thank you," he said to Rory as he carried both car seats out to the Tahoe. Lorelai snagged Josh's seat and said, "I'll take him," as she went around to the other side of the car. Luke snapped Jake into place and stepped back as he said to Rory, "Your chariot, my lady."
"Thank you, kind sir," Rory answered as she climbed into the car and fumbled into the rear seat. "Not fair that I have to ride in the way back, I have seniority," she pointed out to her mother with a pout.
"Please, it took us three safety checks at the sheriff's department to get these things strapped in here properly. They're not coming out until they're eighteen," she said as she closed the door firmly. Luke held her door open for her as she settled into the seat, waiting patiently for his usual kiss. She looked up at him questioningly and then giggled and said, "Oh, sorry," as she pecked him on the lips.
As Luke climbed behind the wheel, he shot her a look and said, "I did put on a tie."
"And you get bonus points," she cooed, running her hand over the back of his hair as he started the car.
Luke glanced up into the mirror as he backed out and asked Rory, "Classes going okay?"
Rory nodded and said, "They're all good. Getting ramped up for finals," she told him.
"Next week?" he asked.
"Yep, and Paris said to tell you that we'll be needing more snacks of the chocolate persuasion," she said with a grin.
"Got it," he told her. "How's Marty?" he asked innocently.
Rory turned to look out the window as she said, "Oh, he's fine."
Lorelai shot Luke a glance but he shook his head slightly. "He got a job lined up for summer?"
"Uh, yeah, I mean, I think so," Rory answered hesitantly. She cleared her throat a little and said, "Marty and I aren't really dating anymore."
"Oh?" Luke asked, sounding more surprised than he actually was.
"Nothing bad," Rory assured him quickly. "It just wasn't, we work better as friends," she finished lamely.
"Nothing wrong with that," Luke answered with a firm nod.
Lorelai turned in her seat and asked, "Are you okay with that?"
Rory nodded and said, "I am. Marty wasn't too happy about it at first, but we're talking. Things will even out," Rory told her.
Lorelai shrugged a little and said, "Never know until you try, right?"
"Right," Rory said with a nod.
"I wasn't trying to pry," Luke told her with a worried glance over his shoulder.
"I know," Rory said with a smile. "Although, you do have a knack for gathering information," she said in a suspicious tone.
"I can't help it if people tell me stuff," Luke answered with a shrug. "I'm like a bartender," he told Lorelai with a somber nod.
"Yeah, 'cause you're such a sympathetic listener," Lorelai said with a snort.
"Hey, Luke is a good listener," Rory said, leaping to his defense.
"Well, sure, for us," Lorelai said. "Can you imagine if Kirk wanted to come in and tell Luke his tale of woe?" she asked with a laugh.
Luke snorted and said, "He does every day."
Rory grinned and said, "Okay, spill, give me all the latest juice."
"Well," Luke said drawing the word out. "You know Jerry Cutler's wife?" he asked.
"The new one or the old one?" Lorelai asked.
Luke smirked and said, "Turns out the new one is actually older than the old one he dumped for her."
"No!" the girls gasped in unison.
XXXX
"Dinner's great, Mom," Lorelai said as she speared another green bean with her fork.
"Thank you, Lorelai," Emily said with a pleased smile. "Are you all set for Sunday?" she asked.
"All systems are a go," Lorelai said with a nod.
"I still don't understand why you don't want to have them baptized at Christ Church," Emily said setting her fork down impatiently. "The last four generations of Gilmore's were baptized in that cathedral, including you and Rory," she pointed out for the thousandth time.
Lorelai rolled her eyes, about to launch into it as Luke cut her off. "Emily, you know that Reverend Skinner is a close friend of ours. You were there the day we told everyone Lorelai was pregnant," he reminded her.
"You told everybody," Lorelai mumbled.
"Fine, I told everybody," Luke corrected. "The first thing out of the man's mouth was that he wanted to be the one to baptize them," he said exasperatedly. "That's a little more important to Lorelai and me than the where and the who's who," he grumbled.
"He would be heartbroken," Rory chimed in. "Especially since he was the one who married you," she said with a nod.
Emily took a sip of her wine, not ready to be mollified as Richard stepped in and said, "It doesn't matter, Emily. All that matters is the boys, and their spiritual well being," he said calmly.
Emily snorted and said, "When was the last time either of you stepped foot in a church?"
Lorelai rolled her eyes and said, "The Reverend feels comfortable enough with our beliefs, believe me, we had the meeting to prove it."
Luke kept his head down and smiled to himself as he recalled the meeting at the diner when Reverend Skinner broke his Danish apart and asked them each, 'Do you believe in God?' When they both answered in the affirmative, he shrugged and said, 'That's all it really takes.' He asked them a few more cursory questions, filled out a short form to make them official members of the parish and accepted Luke's generous donation with a nod and a 'Thanks, coffee's great today.'
Emily pursed her lips and said, "Well, he does seem like a nice man."
"He is," Rory said nodding enthusiastically. "The Rabbi is going to be there too," she added.
Lorelai and Luke locked eyes across the table as they waited for the explosion from that little bomb. "I think that's wonderful," Richard said with a nod. "It's nice to see such ecclesiastical cooperation."
Emily smirked and said, "What a strange little town you live in."
Lorelai smiled and said, "God forbid, a world where people get along and support each other."
"I simply meant that it's strange to live in a place where people seem to be in each other's pockets, that's all," Emily said defensively.
They heard a squawk from the baby monitor and Lorelai exhaled as she muttered, "Saved by the bell." She placed her napkin on the table and said, "I'll be right back," as she left the table and hurried up to the nursery. They heard her coo, "What's wrong big boy?" through the monitor before the signal went dead.
Emily blinked and asked, "Did she turn it off?"
Luke smiled and said, "We've learned the hard way that baby monitors can lead to embarrassing moments for the sucker who gets to them first."
"Which would be you," Rory said with a giggle. "He's so cute when he thinks no one is listening," she told them gleefully.
Luke looked at her darkly and said, "Remind me to ask Mrs. Kim for her recipe for flax seed muffins. She'll give it to me. That's brain food, you know," he threatened pointing his fork at her.
Richard smiled and said, "Its okay, Luke. A man is expected to make a fool of himself over his children."
"I do not make a fool of myself," Luke grumbled.
Rory leaned over toward Emily and whispered, "He sings to them."
"Looking forward to your tofurkey this year?" Luke asked archly.
"You have a really good voice," Rory told him sincerely. She turned to her grandmother and said, "He does."
"So Emily," Luke said, setting his fork down with a clatter. He turned to her and said, "I've been thinking about Friday night dinners."
"What about them?" Emily asked suspiciously as she lifted her water glass.
"Well, I've really enjoyed having you and Richard to our house. I like to cook, and I rarely get a chance to make most of those dishes when it's just me and Lorelai," he explained.
"Yes," she said cautiously as she took a sip.
"Can we alternate? One week here, the next week at our house?" he asked quickly.
Richard nodded and said, "I think that would be nice."
Emily toyed with the stem of her glass as she eyed her son-in-law carefully. "Alternate?" she asked slowly. "I think we can work that out," she said with a slow nod. "On one condition," she added as Luke opened his mouth to speak.
"Of course," he grumbled.
Emily turned to Rory and said, "Tell me what he sings."
Rory grinned and said, "Well, probably nothing you would know A couple of weeks ago it was 'Bungle in the Jungle,' wasn't it?" she asked Luke sweetly.
"No," Luke said with a snort as he returned his attention to his plate. "It was 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight,'" he grumbled. He looked up at Emily raised his eyebrows and said, "Wear jeans, we're having paella."
XXXX
Sookie rapped at the back door early Sunday morning, and Lorelai let her in with a grin. "Hey, Early Bird, find any worms?" she asked.
"Nope, but I do have some brownies," she added as she nodded to the stack of containers in her arms.
"Here," Luke said as he rushed to take them from her.
"More in the car," Sookie chirped.
Luke nodded to Lorelai and said, "You can make yourself useful."
"I gave you twin boys," she said, affronted.
Luke rolled his eyes and said, "Old news. Get to work."
"Man, it should have lasted longer than this," Lorelai grumbled as she followed Sookie to the car.
Sookie shook her head and said, "I told you that you were using it too often. I only pull out the big gun when I really need it. Jackson is still my slave, and I only gave him one," she said with a giggle.
"Thanks so much for doing all of this," Lorelai said as they lifted container after container of food from the van.
"Pssht," Sookie said with a wave of her hand. "I would have been mad if you didn't let me," she said as she hefted her stack and looked up at the lift gate helplessly. She shifted her arm under the stack and reached up quickly to pull it down just as Luke appeared.
He took the stack from Sookie's arms, smirked at Lorelai and said, "Come on, Lazybones."
Lorelai glanced over her shoulder at Sookie and said, "He's feeling all superior because I slept until eight this morning."
"Ooh, eight," Sookie said in an awed tone.
"I know, it was great," Lorelai said with an unapologetic grin.
They sorted the food for the party, refrigerating the necessities in the space Luke had carved out, and lining the others on the counter. Sookie nodded with satisfaction as she inspected the dining room table, which Lorelai had set up for the buffet. "Looks like we're all set. I'll skedaddle so that you can get ready, and I can get ready," she said with a grin. "I am so excited to be a godmother," Sookie told them as she gave them each a quick hug and dashed out the door.
XXXX
At ten minutes to eleven, Luke unloaded Lorelai and the boys in front of the church and went to park across the street. By the time he got back to them, the crowd of admirers was so thick he had to elbow them aside to get back to her. "Alright, alright, break it up," he grumbled.
"They look so beautiful," Patty cooed, clasping her hands to her chest.
"That lace! It's gorgeous!" Babette screeched. She nudged Luke and said, "You can't buy lace like that anymore."
Luke shook his head and muttered, "Damn shame," as he took Jake's carrier from Lorelai's hand. "You ready?" he asked.
"Showtime, boys," Lorelai said with a smile as she led the procession into the church.
The service was pleasant and mercifully short. When it ended, Luke, Lorelai, Rory, Jess, Sookie and Jackson stepped forward to present the babies for baptism. Reverend Skinner proudly led them through the service, with Rabbi Barans looking on proudly. As usual, Jake was unperturbed by the holy water, but Josh took great offense, squirming and wailing in Sookie's hands as she tried to soothe him.
When the actual service was over, Rabbi Barans stepped forward and asked Luke, "You wanna cover your bases?"
Luke glanced at Lorelai and said, "Can't hurt."
"Sure, why not," Lorelai said as they each took one of the boys from their godparents. They held them as the Rabbi murmured a short prayer in Hebrew. When he finished them smiled and winked saying, "Better than a Bris. Not so traumatic."
"Thank you," Lorelai said with a warm smile.
"Thank you for letting me play your gentile games," Rabbi Barans said as he kissed her cheek. "Beautiful boys," he murmured.
He shook Luke's hand and said, "Mazel tov. Good work here."
"I did my best," Luke said dryly.
The Rabbi shrugged and said, "Not such great news for you," as he winked at Lorelai.
XXXX
The house was packed, the punch flowed freely, the canapés were disappearing as fast as Sookie and Luke could fill the trays, and neither Luke nor Lorelai had held one of their sons in over an hour. Luke sidled up next to Lorelai and said, "They'll get sick. Everyone kissing them and touching them," he grumbled.
Lorelai slipped her arm around his waist and said, "You're just jealous."
Luke snorted and asked, "Of what?"
"That you're not the most popular Danes on the block anymore," she teased. She turned to him and fingered the open collar of his shirt. "I see you ditched the tie," she said softly.
"Yep," he said, smiling down at her as her finger ran over the hollow of his throat. "What are you up to, Mrs. Danes?" he asked with a grin.
Lorelai glanced over her shoulder and asked, "Think anyone would notice if we slipped upstairs and made out a little?"
Luke smirked at her and said, "You want to sneak out of our sons' christening party and neck?"
"Yuh huh," she said with a nod. She pressed her finger to his adam's apple and said, "I want to bite this."
Luke glanced around and saw that no one was paying the least bit of attention to them. He lifted his hand to her face, stroking her cheek as he said, "Guest room? Two minutes?"
Lorelai nodded and said, "Meet you there."
Luke walked casually back into the kitchen and looked around to see if there was anything he needed to do. He saw that the trays seemed to be full, and the bar seemed to be holding up. He glanced out the window and saw Richard in the backyard talking to Taylor animatedly as he waved his cigar around. Casually, he stepped out into the hall again, and finding it empty, strolled over to the stairs. With a quick look over his shoulder, he ran up the steps at a jog and hurried down to the guest room. He slipped into the room, closing the door softly behind him. He pressed the lock as he turned to see Lorelai looking at him and licking her lips unconsciously.
"I can't believe you came up here. I was sure you'd chicken out," she said with a grin. Luke smiled wolfishly, took two large steps over to her, pulled her against him and kissed her heatedly, pushing her back onto the bed as she giggled against his lips. "Luke," she gasped in surprise.
He smiled as he pressed his obvious arousal against her and kissed her deeply, drawing her tongue into his mouth and nibbling on her bottom lip. "I want you," he growled. "Beautiful girl," he murmured as he pressed his lips to her neck, feasting on her soft, fragrant skin.
"Oh Luke," Lorelai panted as eh reared up, trying to get to the open collar of his shirt. "Thank God I didn't wear pantyhose," she muttered.
"We'll have to be fast," he warned.
"So fast, we can be so fast," she said as she fumbled for his belt.
Luke looked down at her and said, "You do realize that this is wrong on so many levels."
Lorelai grinned and said, "Oh, it's gonna be good."
XXXX
Twenty minutes later, a freshly primped and smiling Lorelai came down the stairs first. Emily spotted her and walked directly over to her. She pulled Lorelai aside and hissed, "Where have you been? You have a house full of guests."
Lorelai looked at her blankly and said, "I, uh, had to pump," as she tried to suppress a giggle. "Otherwise, there could have been a problem," she said with a meaningful stare.
"And Luke?" Emily asked archly.
"Is up gathering bottles to wash and he said something about sterilizing nipples," Lorelai said with a bland smile. "These guys are going to be hungry soon, and I can't just whip 'em out, now, can I?" she asked.
Emily eyed her daughter suspiciously and then said, "I suppose not."
Luke came downstairs holding two bottles of breast milk and said, "I'll warm these."
"Thanks, Doll," Lorelai said with a bright smile. "Did you find the nipples?" she asked sweetly.
Luke glanced up in shock and mumbled, "Yeah, I found 'em," as he disappeared into the kitchen.
He set the bottles to warm in a pan of water, and leaned up against the counter, folding his arms across his chest and fighting to keep the smug smile from his face. Patty walked in to refill her punch cup and said, "Hiya, handsome. All by yourself?"
"Making lunch," he said gesturing to the bottles.
Patty nodded as she filled her cup. She turned and looked at him speculatively as she took a sip. She walked slowly closer to him pleased by the way he straightened and shifted nervously at her approach. She leaned in close and whispered, "Barn door's open. While personally I don't mind, I figure you probably don't want that stallion escaping." Luke colored a deep red as he reached for his fly and zipped it quickly, trying to disappear into the floorboards. Patty patted his cheek and said, "I would have done that for you, but Lorelai is so territorial about you." She turned to leave and called back over her shoulder, "Great party, Sweetheart. Glad you kids are having a good time too."
