"Revolving Satellites Redux" by Gluglug
Chapter Nine: Confessions and Ten Hail Kirks
Spoiler Warning/Timing: mid - Third Season
Rating: PG -13
Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and all characters are property of The Dubba Dubba Dubba WB, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Amy Sherman- Palladino. They don't belong to me, just borrowing.
Summary: Lorelai has some chicken soup, Luke drinks tea and they talk.
Lorelai took a deep breath and headed downstairs. She repeated Rory's mantra to herself- twosome of cuteness, twosome of cuteness, twosome of cuteness...
When she reached the bottom step she stood in the doorway of the kitchen. There he was. Luke. His back was to her, it seemed he was making a cup of tea. He was wearing a navy blue collared shirt tucked into a pair of black tailored trousers. She took in this, um, rear view with enjoyment. His jacket was hanging on the back of one of the chairs, he seemed to be at home.
Luke sensed her presence and turned around. She looked a bit shy standing in the doorway, dressed in her p.j.'s. She also seemed a little pale and he noticed some wariness in her posture. "Hey, how are you feeling?"
Lorelai's heart began to pound. God, he was gorgeous, why hadn't she noticed it months, even years ago? It wasn't just the unfamiliar clothing; it was his Luke-ness that was making her weak. "Oh, a little better. Rory mentioned you brought some more soup?"
"Yeah, chicken noodle, do you want some while I drink my tea?"
"Sure, I guess you can heat it up in a pot or there's always the microwave."
"You know I don't believe in microwaves, I'll heat it on the stove."
Luke found a pot, poured the soup and turned on the burner. "It should be warmed up in a minute."
Lorelai sat at the table and Luke followed suit, bringing his mug with him.
"You know, I was surprised to see that you're running low on the tea. Have you been drinking it or has someone been stealing your tea bags?"
"Oh, I bet it was Bert. Hey, don't forget him this time, he's all excited you're here." She gave him a smile. "Actually, I'm the teabag thief. I tried some of it last week, after you left. I've been drinking it before bedtime, it helps me sleep and I don't wake up with terrible morning breath."
"See, I told you it was good stuff."
"Yeah, it's funny. It's been sitting on my shelf for a long time and I never really noticed it. I only take it out when you're here. But now, it seems I can't get enough if it."
She made eye contact with him, hoping he would get the double meaning of her words. But Luke got up to check on her soup. He put it in a bowl with a big spoon and placed it in front of her.
"Here you go, enjoy."
"Thanks. I really appreciate you coming by to feed me."
"No problem. When Rory told me you weren't feeling so good, I knew I had to bring you some food or you'd probably pass out. You know, you really don't look as bad as I thought."
"Thanks, you sure know how to make a girl feel special."
Luke chuckled. "What I meant was I ran into Kirk today, he was wearing that ridiculous sign for the soda shop. Anyway, he told me that you had thrown up in the bushes after drinking an egg cream. He thought I should know, being the landlord and all. But I didn't notice anything unusual in the bushes, so I thought he might be exaggerating."
Lorelai looked up from her soup bowl. "I have a confession to make."
Luke stared at her. "What sins do you have to confess?"
Lorelai laughed. "Forgive me Father Luke, for I have sinned. I lied to Kirk about being sick in the bushes."
"So you're not sick?"
"Oh, my stomach was upset, but not that bad. You see, I had promised my free sundae to Kirk, and since I wound up giving it to Nicole, I had to find a good excuse to get out of it. I know it was childish, but I didn't know how to tell him. I mean, he was so excited when I told him I would give him my sundae, he almost had an expression."
Lorelai thought Luke might appreciate her echoing of something he had said about Kirk months earlier, but instead his gaze grew stony and he looked down at his mug. She tried to cut the tension. "Should I say ten hail Kirks and I'll be absolved of my sins?"
"You saw Nicole today?"
"Um, yeah. She came by the soda shop and we wound up chatting for a little while."
"About what?"
"Oh, you know, girl stuff."
"You mean Luke stuff."
"Well, yeah your name was bound to come up."
Luke was serious. "What did she say, Lorelai?"
Lorelai felt like she was back on the witness stand and took a breath. "Well, she told me that she's really into you and wants something long term. She also asked about you and me."
"What about you and me?"
"Well, she doesn't want to get serious with you unless she's sure she has your undivided attention." Lorelei then gave her soup undivided attention and took a few spoonfuls.
Luke seemed a bit agitated. "You know, Nicole and I have already had this conversation. I can't believe she went behind my back and got you involved in this. This isn't good, Lorelai."
"What do you mean, not good?"
"Um, you know that I'm not really comfortable about talking about my feelings and stuff.. Um, but one of the reasons I stayed single so long is that I have a hard time trusting people. I guess it goes back to Rachel. I could never really trust her because she was never really true to her word." He paused. "That last time we talked, you mentioned those levels, right? Well, trust is the foundation for those levels, if you don't have that, the relationship falls apart."
Lorelai nodded. "Makes sense. Trust is very important to me, too." She was suddenly emboldened by this potential crack in their relationship. "Hey, you do know about her engagement horror, right?"
Luke looked surprised. "Nicole was engaged? She never told me that."
"Well, she told me today that she found her fiancé in bed with another woman, a supposed friend, the night before their wedding."
Luke laughed ruefully. "What else did she tell you, that she was born a male and her name is Nicholas? I asked her on our first date if she'd ever been married or engaged before and she told me - straight on, no. Why on earth would she lie?"
Lorelai was now agitated too. "Well, she's a lawyer, they certainly can be manipulative. You know, I wonder if Nicole fed me that story to make me feel guilty on purpose, to prevent me from doing anything."
Luke stared at her. "What do mean, preventing you from doing anything?"
Lorelai realized what she just said and Luke wanted an answer. It was too late to turn back - the train had left the station. She had after all, wanted him to come over so she could tell him. Now was her chance. She got up from the table and started to pace the kitchen floor while Luke watched her intently.
"Oh God, here it goes..Luke you're probably going to hate me or at least tell me I have the worst timing in the history of the world, but over the past week I've realized something. I think on some level I've always known but for some stupid reason I've pushed it aside and pretended it wasn't there. But it's there in spades and I can't ignore it anymore. Luke, I'm in love with you..truly, madly and deeply in love.."
He continued to stare at her, speechless, so she continued, it felt good to let it out. 'I know you're probably thinking - "Oh she's just interested now, because I'm with Nicole. But Luke that's not it - I wasn't even sure at first so I've spent the past week making a list of all the reasons why I love you. I had 45 reasons written on my laptop, some of them trivial, some of them profound.."
She stopped and took a breath and forced herself to look at him. He was still a bit slack jawed and it looked like someone could knock him over with a feather.
"Luke, I've been babbling and I should probably shut up now, but I just have one more thing to say. But all of those reasons I've listed add up to one thing - I want a future with you, one that could be permanently forever."
The silence between them was palpable. As Lorelai waited for his answer, she returned to the table, spent. Luke felt numb, this was too much for him to process all at once. He gathered his disjointed thoughts and spoke. He used a deliberately gentle tone - he was afraid if he raised his voice, even an iota, she would fall apart and that he couldn't deal with right now.
"Lorelai, I'm not angry. Um, I think you're very brave for letting your guard down like that and telling me how you feel. But you're right, your timing does suck, big time. I think I need some time to process this, I don't know how long, but I definitely need time to figure this out. Is that okay with you?"
Lorelai let out a shaky breath, at least it was better than a great big no. "Sure, take all the time you need."
Luke took another sip of his tea, it was now getting cold. Lorelai took a spoonful of soup, but it was cold too.
Luke decided it was a good time to leave. He had to pick up Nicole in an hour and he thought a long drive to clear his head was in order first. They both had a lot to talk about, and some decisions to make about their potential future together. He stood up from the table, put on his blazer and Lorelai followed suit.
She sighed. "Are you going?"
"Yeah, I have to go pick up Nicole soon."
She followed him to the door. Luke turned around to face her, still overwhelmed by what happened. He impulsively pulled Lorelai into an embrace, long enough for her to feel his heart pounding rapidly against hers. Then he pulled back all too quickly, nodded at her and walked out the door.
As soon as she closed the door, Lorelai put the dishes in the sink and let the tears flow. She was surprised and a little proud that she was able to keep them back this long. She decided to go upstairs and have a good long cry.
As she passed the front door, she noticed, once again, that Luke had forgotten to take Bert. It was too late to catch him - he had already driven off.
A/N: Wow, a whole chapter without any pop culture references! The angst-o- rama continues. Don't worry, we'll have a resolution soon.
Just some thought process here: I hoped I didn't vilify Nicole too much, my motivation for her behavior was to show a potential problem in their relationship and that she might be driven to lie because she's threatened by Lorelai (as she should be!). And it got Lorelai to confess her feelings. I tried to keep Luke in character here - I think his issues with trust are real and have been portrayed in the show, so I was playing around with that..
Chapter Nine: Confessions and Ten Hail Kirks
Spoiler Warning/Timing: mid - Third Season
Rating: PG -13
Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and all characters are property of The Dubba Dubba Dubba WB, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Amy Sherman- Palladino. They don't belong to me, just borrowing.
Summary: Lorelai has some chicken soup, Luke drinks tea and they talk.
Lorelai took a deep breath and headed downstairs. She repeated Rory's mantra to herself- twosome of cuteness, twosome of cuteness, twosome of cuteness...
When she reached the bottom step she stood in the doorway of the kitchen. There he was. Luke. His back was to her, it seemed he was making a cup of tea. He was wearing a navy blue collared shirt tucked into a pair of black tailored trousers. She took in this, um, rear view with enjoyment. His jacket was hanging on the back of one of the chairs, he seemed to be at home.
Luke sensed her presence and turned around. She looked a bit shy standing in the doorway, dressed in her p.j.'s. She also seemed a little pale and he noticed some wariness in her posture. "Hey, how are you feeling?"
Lorelai's heart began to pound. God, he was gorgeous, why hadn't she noticed it months, even years ago? It wasn't just the unfamiliar clothing; it was his Luke-ness that was making her weak. "Oh, a little better. Rory mentioned you brought some more soup?"
"Yeah, chicken noodle, do you want some while I drink my tea?"
"Sure, I guess you can heat it up in a pot or there's always the microwave."
"You know I don't believe in microwaves, I'll heat it on the stove."
Luke found a pot, poured the soup and turned on the burner. "It should be warmed up in a minute."
Lorelai sat at the table and Luke followed suit, bringing his mug with him.
"You know, I was surprised to see that you're running low on the tea. Have you been drinking it or has someone been stealing your tea bags?"
"Oh, I bet it was Bert. Hey, don't forget him this time, he's all excited you're here." She gave him a smile. "Actually, I'm the teabag thief. I tried some of it last week, after you left. I've been drinking it before bedtime, it helps me sleep and I don't wake up with terrible morning breath."
"See, I told you it was good stuff."
"Yeah, it's funny. It's been sitting on my shelf for a long time and I never really noticed it. I only take it out when you're here. But now, it seems I can't get enough if it."
She made eye contact with him, hoping he would get the double meaning of her words. But Luke got up to check on her soup. He put it in a bowl with a big spoon and placed it in front of her.
"Here you go, enjoy."
"Thanks. I really appreciate you coming by to feed me."
"No problem. When Rory told me you weren't feeling so good, I knew I had to bring you some food or you'd probably pass out. You know, you really don't look as bad as I thought."
"Thanks, you sure know how to make a girl feel special."
Luke chuckled. "What I meant was I ran into Kirk today, he was wearing that ridiculous sign for the soda shop. Anyway, he told me that you had thrown up in the bushes after drinking an egg cream. He thought I should know, being the landlord and all. But I didn't notice anything unusual in the bushes, so I thought he might be exaggerating."
Lorelai looked up from her soup bowl. "I have a confession to make."
Luke stared at her. "What sins do you have to confess?"
Lorelai laughed. "Forgive me Father Luke, for I have sinned. I lied to Kirk about being sick in the bushes."
"So you're not sick?"
"Oh, my stomach was upset, but not that bad. You see, I had promised my free sundae to Kirk, and since I wound up giving it to Nicole, I had to find a good excuse to get out of it. I know it was childish, but I didn't know how to tell him. I mean, he was so excited when I told him I would give him my sundae, he almost had an expression."
Lorelai thought Luke might appreciate her echoing of something he had said about Kirk months earlier, but instead his gaze grew stony and he looked down at his mug. She tried to cut the tension. "Should I say ten hail Kirks and I'll be absolved of my sins?"
"You saw Nicole today?"
"Um, yeah. She came by the soda shop and we wound up chatting for a little while."
"About what?"
"Oh, you know, girl stuff."
"You mean Luke stuff."
"Well, yeah your name was bound to come up."
Luke was serious. "What did she say, Lorelai?"
Lorelai felt like she was back on the witness stand and took a breath. "Well, she told me that she's really into you and wants something long term. She also asked about you and me."
"What about you and me?"
"Well, she doesn't want to get serious with you unless she's sure she has your undivided attention." Lorelei then gave her soup undivided attention and took a few spoonfuls.
Luke seemed a bit agitated. "You know, Nicole and I have already had this conversation. I can't believe she went behind my back and got you involved in this. This isn't good, Lorelai."
"What do you mean, not good?"
"Um, you know that I'm not really comfortable about talking about my feelings and stuff.. Um, but one of the reasons I stayed single so long is that I have a hard time trusting people. I guess it goes back to Rachel. I could never really trust her because she was never really true to her word." He paused. "That last time we talked, you mentioned those levels, right? Well, trust is the foundation for those levels, if you don't have that, the relationship falls apart."
Lorelai nodded. "Makes sense. Trust is very important to me, too." She was suddenly emboldened by this potential crack in their relationship. "Hey, you do know about her engagement horror, right?"
Luke looked surprised. "Nicole was engaged? She never told me that."
"Well, she told me today that she found her fiancé in bed with another woman, a supposed friend, the night before their wedding."
Luke laughed ruefully. "What else did she tell you, that she was born a male and her name is Nicholas? I asked her on our first date if she'd ever been married or engaged before and she told me - straight on, no. Why on earth would she lie?"
Lorelai was now agitated too. "Well, she's a lawyer, they certainly can be manipulative. You know, I wonder if Nicole fed me that story to make me feel guilty on purpose, to prevent me from doing anything."
Luke stared at her. "What do mean, preventing you from doing anything?"
Lorelai realized what she just said and Luke wanted an answer. It was too late to turn back - the train had left the station. She had after all, wanted him to come over so she could tell him. Now was her chance. She got up from the table and started to pace the kitchen floor while Luke watched her intently.
"Oh God, here it goes..Luke you're probably going to hate me or at least tell me I have the worst timing in the history of the world, but over the past week I've realized something. I think on some level I've always known but for some stupid reason I've pushed it aside and pretended it wasn't there. But it's there in spades and I can't ignore it anymore. Luke, I'm in love with you..truly, madly and deeply in love.."
He continued to stare at her, speechless, so she continued, it felt good to let it out. 'I know you're probably thinking - "Oh she's just interested now, because I'm with Nicole. But Luke that's not it - I wasn't even sure at first so I've spent the past week making a list of all the reasons why I love you. I had 45 reasons written on my laptop, some of them trivial, some of them profound.."
She stopped and took a breath and forced herself to look at him. He was still a bit slack jawed and it looked like someone could knock him over with a feather.
"Luke, I've been babbling and I should probably shut up now, but I just have one more thing to say. But all of those reasons I've listed add up to one thing - I want a future with you, one that could be permanently forever."
The silence between them was palpable. As Lorelai waited for his answer, she returned to the table, spent. Luke felt numb, this was too much for him to process all at once. He gathered his disjointed thoughts and spoke. He used a deliberately gentle tone - he was afraid if he raised his voice, even an iota, she would fall apart and that he couldn't deal with right now.
"Lorelai, I'm not angry. Um, I think you're very brave for letting your guard down like that and telling me how you feel. But you're right, your timing does suck, big time. I think I need some time to process this, I don't know how long, but I definitely need time to figure this out. Is that okay with you?"
Lorelai let out a shaky breath, at least it was better than a great big no. "Sure, take all the time you need."
Luke took another sip of his tea, it was now getting cold. Lorelai took a spoonful of soup, but it was cold too.
Luke decided it was a good time to leave. He had to pick up Nicole in an hour and he thought a long drive to clear his head was in order first. They both had a lot to talk about, and some decisions to make about their potential future together. He stood up from the table, put on his blazer and Lorelai followed suit.
She sighed. "Are you going?"
"Yeah, I have to go pick up Nicole soon."
She followed him to the door. Luke turned around to face her, still overwhelmed by what happened. He impulsively pulled Lorelai into an embrace, long enough for her to feel his heart pounding rapidly against hers. Then he pulled back all too quickly, nodded at her and walked out the door.
As soon as she closed the door, Lorelai put the dishes in the sink and let the tears flow. She was surprised and a little proud that she was able to keep them back this long. She decided to go upstairs and have a good long cry.
As she passed the front door, she noticed, once again, that Luke had forgotten to take Bert. It was too late to catch him - he had already driven off.
A/N: Wow, a whole chapter without any pop culture references! The angst-o- rama continues. Don't worry, we'll have a resolution soon.
Just some thought process here: I hoped I didn't vilify Nicole too much, my motivation for her behavior was to show a potential problem in their relationship and that she might be driven to lie because she's threatened by Lorelai (as she should be!). And it got Lorelai to confess her feelings. I tried to keep Luke in character here - I think his issues with trust are real and have been portrayed in the show, so I was playing around with that..