Author's Note: Okay, hard at work, deadlines to meet and so forth. Until
this is done, which will be, God willing, done on two weeks, all other fics
will be placed on hold.
Chapter 10
"Okay, so we got the invitations and the tuxes now it's off to get the dresses right?" Tristan asked.
"Right." Rory affirmed.
After an hour and a half of driving/walking around Hartford, Rory had managed to forget all he worries and focused on just enjoying her time with Tristan.
"We're here." Tristan announced as they pulled up in front of the bridal shop.
Rory and Tristan exited the car and walked into the shop, looking around in curiosity as they made their way to the counter.
"Good afternoon." the woman at the counter greeted with a cheery smile.
"Hi." they chorused.
"So, what can I help you with today?"
"Um, we're here to pick up some dresses." Rory answered.
"Dresses?" the woman asked in a clueless.
"Yes, this is a bridal shop and we have dresses waiting here to be picked up." Tristan said slowly.
The woman looked apologetically at the two. "Oh, I'm sorry. You mean you're picking up the dresses for someone else?" she sighed. "This has just been one of those days. What's the name dear?" she continued to ramble on, "There was this one woman who went on about not being normal and sending her…"
"The name is Gilmore." Rory cut in.
"Minions." the woman finished with wide eyes when she heard the name.
"Oh, that would be mother." Rory said with a small laugh.
"Er…yes."
She went back and brought out three garment bags. As Rory took out the check card her mother had given her to use for anything wedding related the woman hesitantly turned to Tristan.
"Tell me, does Ms. Gilmore lock you two in the basement?"
"Oh yes, all the time." Tristan decided to play along. "But it's okay, she let's us out often."
The woman blanched and almost didn't notice Rory handing over the card.
Ten minutes later, after teasing the poor woman to the point of almost giving her a heart attack, the two teens left the shop, barely able to contains their laughs as they drove out of site.
"So, we're dropping this stuff off at your grandparents' house right?"
"Yeah, Grandma doesn't trust mom to take care of anything in our house. Which is true, after all she did lose my cell phone today."
~
"Dad?"
"Hey Rory, how are you doing?" Christopher asked.
"I'm fine. How's Sherry?"
"She's coming along."
"Oh, that's good." Rory said.
"Yeah…what's wrong?" Chris asked.
"What do you mean what's wrong?"
"Rory, I love talking to you but I'm getting this vibe that this isn't a social call. Did something happen to Lorelai? Or Luke? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing happened to any of us. Except…" Rory trailed.
"Yes?"
"IcalledLukedad." Rory said quickly.
"Okay, you're going to have to run that by me one more time, preferably with spaces between the words."
Rory took a deep breath. "I called Luke dad."
"You called him? Called him what?" Christopher asked not getting the point.
"Dad."
"Yeah what? What did you call Luke?"
"No, you don't get it. I called Luke dad, as in I called him my father."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Oh."
"You said that."
"Yeah, I know. So you called him dad as in instead of addressing him as Luke you called him dad?"
"Yes. Are you mad?" Rory winced.
"No, honey, no. I mean, how can I be mad? I just, I'm shocked that's all."
"Yeah, I was just calling to tell you and…"
"And?"
"And to ask permission if I could maybe call him that…again."
"As in from now on?" Chris sighed. "I wasn't the father you needed growing up, it's perfectly normal for you to see Luke, the man who was there as you grew up as more of a father figure than I am."
"But…will it be weird for you?"
Chris hesitated. "I honestly can't say that it won't but…at the moment everything is weird for me but I know that feeling will pass."
"So, it's okay?"
"Rory, I know that you love me and you need to know that even though I'm not always there for you it doesn't mean I love you any less but now…you have one more person to love and be loved by. Don't feel guilty and don't think that it means you love me less because of it."
Rory smiled and Chris could picture it without even needing proof. "Thanks dad. I just…I have been so scared and now…I think it'll all be okay."
"It will be kiddo. I've got to go, are we good here?"
"Yeah dad, we're good."
"Alright, I love you."
"I love you too dad."
With a click of finality Rory snapped the cell phone to a close and handed it back to its owner.
"Ready to go in now?" Tristan asked.
Rory looked up at the diner in front of her, her smile fading. "What if Luke thinks it's too weird and he doesn't like the idea?"
"You'll never know till you find out." Tristan reminded her.
"But seriously, I think the only successful parental title shift happened in the Sound of Music when all the kids stopped calling Maria 'Frauline" and started calling her 'mother'."
Tristan suppressed a snicker. "Another movie fave?"
"Yes, but don't spread it around or else my reputation is ruined."
Tristan took Rory by the shoulders. "Hey, look at me. I know this is weird for you because it means calling someone who you've seen as a friend something that means so much more but sometimes movies can be seen as a sign of hope for reality. If the von Trapp children can do it I know that someone who is decidedly more emotionally strong can handle either outcome."
Rory nodded and looked determinedly at the diner. "I can do this." she whispered.
"I'm right behind you." Tristan reminded her.
Together they journeyed up the few steps and into the diner. While Rory continued on her path to the counter Tristan branched and took a seat at a nearby table.
"Hey Luke." Rory said uneasily.
He looked up and gulped. "Rory. So…?"
"Are you upset about this morning?" she blurted out, getting straight to the point.
"This morning? No, jeez, I guess we have to talk about this now don't we?" he winced.
"Yeah, we do." Rory affirmed.
"Okay listen Ror, I have to admit while it shocked me into a dazed stupor for the entire morning once I finally snapped out of it I realized that I sort of…liked it." he admitted.
Rory breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Really good because I felt the same way and I know that mom does too."
"So where do we go from here?" Luke asked.
"I don't know…listen, I really loved calling you my dad, it just seemed so normal…at the time, I still like calling you by your name 'Luke', it would be weird to not call you that after all these years. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I want to call you both, at different times you know?"
"I think I understand. You'll call me Luke but whenever the moment feels right you'll see me as your dad." Luke sighed.
"Is that all right?" Rory asked cautiously.
Luke smiled. "It's all right."
They smiled at each other for a few moments not saying anything. Luke rolled his eyes put down the notepad and pencil he had been holding.
"Get over here." he laughed.
Rory's smile brightened as she ran behind the counter into his arms. She hugged him tightly.
"Does this mean I get my coffee now?" she asked.
Luke smirked and ruffled her hair. "Get out of here."
Feeling a great weight lifted off her she sat across from Tristan.
"Better?"
Luke placed two cups of coffee in front of the couple and walked away, but not before throwing a kind look at Rory. She took a sip of the coffee before answering.
"Now I am."
~
AN: All right, now I KNOW that was crap but it had to be done and out of the way, whew, okay, now the next chapter can actually have good parts in it. Yikes, deadline is getting closer!
Chapter 10
"Okay, so we got the invitations and the tuxes now it's off to get the dresses right?" Tristan asked.
"Right." Rory affirmed.
After an hour and a half of driving/walking around Hartford, Rory had managed to forget all he worries and focused on just enjoying her time with Tristan.
"We're here." Tristan announced as they pulled up in front of the bridal shop.
Rory and Tristan exited the car and walked into the shop, looking around in curiosity as they made their way to the counter.
"Good afternoon." the woman at the counter greeted with a cheery smile.
"Hi." they chorused.
"So, what can I help you with today?"
"Um, we're here to pick up some dresses." Rory answered.
"Dresses?" the woman asked in a clueless.
"Yes, this is a bridal shop and we have dresses waiting here to be picked up." Tristan said slowly.
The woman looked apologetically at the two. "Oh, I'm sorry. You mean you're picking up the dresses for someone else?" she sighed. "This has just been one of those days. What's the name dear?" she continued to ramble on, "There was this one woman who went on about not being normal and sending her…"
"The name is Gilmore." Rory cut in.
"Minions." the woman finished with wide eyes when she heard the name.
"Oh, that would be mother." Rory said with a small laugh.
"Er…yes."
She went back and brought out three garment bags. As Rory took out the check card her mother had given her to use for anything wedding related the woman hesitantly turned to Tristan.
"Tell me, does Ms. Gilmore lock you two in the basement?"
"Oh yes, all the time." Tristan decided to play along. "But it's okay, she let's us out often."
The woman blanched and almost didn't notice Rory handing over the card.
Ten minutes later, after teasing the poor woman to the point of almost giving her a heart attack, the two teens left the shop, barely able to contains their laughs as they drove out of site.
"So, we're dropping this stuff off at your grandparents' house right?"
"Yeah, Grandma doesn't trust mom to take care of anything in our house. Which is true, after all she did lose my cell phone today."
~
"Dad?"
"Hey Rory, how are you doing?" Christopher asked.
"I'm fine. How's Sherry?"
"She's coming along."
"Oh, that's good." Rory said.
"Yeah…what's wrong?" Chris asked.
"What do you mean what's wrong?"
"Rory, I love talking to you but I'm getting this vibe that this isn't a social call. Did something happen to Lorelai? Or Luke? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing happened to any of us. Except…" Rory trailed.
"Yes?"
"IcalledLukedad." Rory said quickly.
"Okay, you're going to have to run that by me one more time, preferably with spaces between the words."
Rory took a deep breath. "I called Luke dad."
"You called him? Called him what?" Christopher asked not getting the point.
"Dad."
"Yeah what? What did you call Luke?"
"No, you don't get it. I called Luke dad, as in I called him my father."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Oh."
"You said that."
"Yeah, I know. So you called him dad as in instead of addressing him as Luke you called him dad?"
"Yes. Are you mad?" Rory winced.
"No, honey, no. I mean, how can I be mad? I just, I'm shocked that's all."
"Yeah, I was just calling to tell you and…"
"And?"
"And to ask permission if I could maybe call him that…again."
"As in from now on?" Chris sighed. "I wasn't the father you needed growing up, it's perfectly normal for you to see Luke, the man who was there as you grew up as more of a father figure than I am."
"But…will it be weird for you?"
Chris hesitated. "I honestly can't say that it won't but…at the moment everything is weird for me but I know that feeling will pass."
"So, it's okay?"
"Rory, I know that you love me and you need to know that even though I'm not always there for you it doesn't mean I love you any less but now…you have one more person to love and be loved by. Don't feel guilty and don't think that it means you love me less because of it."
Rory smiled and Chris could picture it without even needing proof. "Thanks dad. I just…I have been so scared and now…I think it'll all be okay."
"It will be kiddo. I've got to go, are we good here?"
"Yeah dad, we're good."
"Alright, I love you."
"I love you too dad."
With a click of finality Rory snapped the cell phone to a close and handed it back to its owner.
"Ready to go in now?" Tristan asked.
Rory looked up at the diner in front of her, her smile fading. "What if Luke thinks it's too weird and he doesn't like the idea?"
"You'll never know till you find out." Tristan reminded her.
"But seriously, I think the only successful parental title shift happened in the Sound of Music when all the kids stopped calling Maria 'Frauline" and started calling her 'mother'."
Tristan suppressed a snicker. "Another movie fave?"
"Yes, but don't spread it around or else my reputation is ruined."
Tristan took Rory by the shoulders. "Hey, look at me. I know this is weird for you because it means calling someone who you've seen as a friend something that means so much more but sometimes movies can be seen as a sign of hope for reality. If the von Trapp children can do it I know that someone who is decidedly more emotionally strong can handle either outcome."
Rory nodded and looked determinedly at the diner. "I can do this." she whispered.
"I'm right behind you." Tristan reminded her.
Together they journeyed up the few steps and into the diner. While Rory continued on her path to the counter Tristan branched and took a seat at a nearby table.
"Hey Luke." Rory said uneasily.
He looked up and gulped. "Rory. So…?"
"Are you upset about this morning?" she blurted out, getting straight to the point.
"This morning? No, jeez, I guess we have to talk about this now don't we?" he winced.
"Yeah, we do." Rory affirmed.
"Okay listen Ror, I have to admit while it shocked me into a dazed stupor for the entire morning once I finally snapped out of it I realized that I sort of…liked it." he admitted.
Rory breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Really good because I felt the same way and I know that mom does too."
"So where do we go from here?" Luke asked.
"I don't know…listen, I really loved calling you my dad, it just seemed so normal…at the time, I still like calling you by your name 'Luke', it would be weird to not call you that after all these years. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I want to call you both, at different times you know?"
"I think I understand. You'll call me Luke but whenever the moment feels right you'll see me as your dad." Luke sighed.
"Is that all right?" Rory asked cautiously.
Luke smiled. "It's all right."
They smiled at each other for a few moments not saying anything. Luke rolled his eyes put down the notepad and pencil he had been holding.
"Get over here." he laughed.
Rory's smile brightened as she ran behind the counter into his arms. She hugged him tightly.
"Does this mean I get my coffee now?" she asked.
Luke smirked and ruffled her hair. "Get out of here."
Feeling a great weight lifted off her she sat across from Tristan.
"Better?"
Luke placed two cups of coffee in front of the couple and walked away, but not before throwing a kind look at Rory. She took a sip of the coffee before answering.
"Now I am."
~
AN: All right, now I KNOW that was crap but it had to be done and out of the way, whew, okay, now the next chapter can actually have good parts in it. Yikes, deadline is getting closer!
