Author's Note: Thank you SO much for all of the reviews! You guys have been amazing so far in your support for this story. Seeing all of your responses just makes me want to keep writing! So, here's the latest chapter, I hope you all like it!
The Best of What's Around
Chapter 4: Some Things Can't Be Taken Back
"Yes… uh huh… that's right, Barry. I'm finally using the two weeks of vacation time I've accumulated… Yes, because I haven't taken off any time since I started here. I know that it's an inopportune time with the holidays and all, but something unexpected came up. Yes… that's great… alright, I'm sure I'll be talking to you soon. Bye."
Lorelai sighed and hung up the phone. She turned back to the files on her desk.
Annie knocked hesitantly on the door. "Um… Lorelai?"
Lorelai looked up. "Hey Annie, what's up?"
She shifted nervously in the doorway. "Well, I just happened to be walking by and I overheard… not that I was eavesdropping, I was just walking by. And I heard… not that I was purposely trying to hear things as I walked by, you just happened to be talking loudly as I was passing by your door…"
"Annie," Lorelai interrupted. "It's okay. Come sit down."
She took a seat, crossing her legs before uncrossing them and then re-crossing them again. "Are you really going to be gone for two weeks?"
Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, I'm finally taking a vacation. Not that I'm expecting it to be fun or relaxing, two qualities that vacations are generally supposed to include. I'm guessing that I'll need a vacation from my vacation before the end of the first day."
"But, who's going to be running the hotel?"
"I was just on the phone with Barry, from corporate. He's going to be sending the assistant manager of one of the other branches to watch the place while I'm gone. Everything will be fine, this place practically runs itself."
"Oh… right, that's good. Good to have the place taken care of."
"And, since I'm not going to be here, do you know what that means?" Lorelai asked, raising her eyebrows.
"No?"
"You get to take two weeks off too! Paid, of course. If I'm not going to be here, I won't need my personal assistant to be here either."
Annie smiled slightly. "Wow, boss, two weeks off. I won't even know what to do with myself."
"Don't you have some big holiday plans?"
"Oh. Well, not exactly. Not really. I imagine I'll just stay at home with Walter."
"Walter? I didn't know you were dating anyone!"
"Oh, it's not a 'date.' He's my cat."
"Your…cat," Lorelai said slowly. "Don't you have any family you could visit?"
"Not really. I'm an only child. And my parents have decided to take a cruise in the Mediterranean for the entire month of December."
"Annie, that's awful. You can't spend Christmas all by yourself."
"Oh, it's alright, I suppose. I don't have much of a choice. And besides, I won't be alone. I'll have Walter."
Lorelai considered her for a moment. "I have a crazy idea." She leaned forward slightly. "Would you like to come and spend the holidays with me and my family?"
Annie's mouth dropped open slightly. "Lorelai, that is just the kindest offer, but I couldn't impose."
"It wouldn't be an imposition at all. As a matter of fact, I could use all of the normalcy in my life that I can get. I'm going to be trapped in my parents' house for two weeks. Trust me, you'd be doing me a favor."
Annie bit her lip slightly. "I'm sure your parents wouldn't want another guest."
"Don't be silly, they love having people to entertain. It gives my mom an excuse to break out the really good china. Please say yes. I'd really love to have you there."
"Well, if you're sure…"
"I am sure!"
"Alrightie. I'd love to come."
"Fantastic!" Lorelai exclaimed. "We'll be leaving for Connecticut on Saturday. Now, I have to warn you, my parents are slightly insane. They are capable of driving even the most stable person completely crazy. Be prepared."
"If they're so bad, why are you spending Christmas there?" Annie said curiously. "If you don't mind me asking," she added quickly.
"Of course you can ask. You have to get well versed in the ways of the Gilmore clan in a very short amount of time. Anyway, my mother kind of roped me into it. She's a master of manipulation." She paused. "And, there's this wedding I have to go to," she muttered.
"Oh, who's getting married?"
"Uhh… this guy I used to know. We used to be good friends. Best friends, actually. But, we kind of grew apart."
"What happened?"
Lorelai's eyes fell onto the picture of Rory that she kept on her desk. "It's a long story."
***
Two years earlier…
Lorelai leaned over the counter at Luke's Diner. She had just entered moments before and, not spotting Luke right away, she peered into the kitchen area. "Luuuuuke," she called in a singsong voice.
He appeared a few moments later, a slight smile playing at his lips. "Hey."
"Hey yourself. Coffee?" She struggled to maintain her serious expression. Ever since the incident the night before Rory's party, 'coffee' had seemed to take on dirty connotations.
"It'll kill you," he said, continuing their daily game.
"A lot of things could kill me."
He took a mug from behind the counter and began to pour her a cup. "Don't talk like that."
"Aw, look at that, you do care!" Lorelai said, pointing at him.
He grunted in reply.
"I had fun the other night," she said after a moment. "Decorating and all."
"Yeah, it wasn't bad," he said casually.
Lorelai studied her coffee cup intently. "Maybe we could do it again sometime."
Luke looked up at her. "Decorate?"
"Well, no, not necessarily decorate. But, do something. Hang out. Sometime. You know," she finished lamely.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did Lorelai Gilmore just ask him out? He could never be sure with her. She was a complete mystery. He decided to play it cool. "Yeah. I'd like that."
She smiled behind her mug as she took another sip. "Okay, then."
He desperately tried to hide the wide grin that threatened to break out over his face at any moment. "So… can I get you anything else?"
She thought for a moment. "I think tonight is a chili fries night."
"Every night is a chili fries night for you." Luke disappeared into the kitchen to prepare her order.
She sat in silence for a few moments, sipping her coffee and marveling at how well everything had gone with Luke. Maybe everyone in this crazy town had been right all along. Maybe he did have a thing for her.
The bell jingled and Rory entered the diner. She made a beeline for Lorelai.
"Hey babe, what's up?"
"Mom, I have to talk to you."
"Well, sit down. I've got an order of chili fries coming."
"No Mom, I have to talk to you now. Away from here, at home."
Lorelai looked at her daughter fully. Rory's face was etched with anxiety and she could make out the tracks of previously shed tears there. She began to feel panic build within her chest. "Rory, what's going on? What's wrong?"
"Not here, Mom. Come on." Rory took her hand and began to pull her towards the door.
Luke came out of the kitchen with the plate of chili fries. He noticed the empty seat where Lorelai had been and then saw Rory dragging her out of the diner. "Lorelai?"
"I have to go, Luke," she called over her shoulder.
"Okay." He continued to watch as Rory led Lorelai over to the jeep. He wasn't sure what just happened, but it couldn't be anything good.
Lorelai rolled over in her bed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. She faced the neon glow of the clock by her bed. 1:17A.M. Sleep was no closer than it had been two hours earlier after she had finished comforting Rory and tucking her into bed. She was restless. Her insides churned and she feared that she would jump out of her own skin and look like something out of that Robbie Williams video. She threw the covers off of her and sat up. She needed to clear her head.
She quietly walked downstairs. She was drawn to Rory's room. She opened the door a crack and peered inside. She took in her daughter, her beautiful, sweet daughter, bathed only in the moonlight shining in from the window. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, frozen in thought. Eventually, something snapped. She walked into the hallway, grabbed her car keys, and headed out the door.
She found herself parked in front of the diner a few minutes later. The apartment above it was completely dark. She got out and purposefully walked towards the building. She banged on the door. "Jess! Get out here!" A light came on in the apartment. "Jess!" she continued to yell. She peered through the window and spotted Luke slowly making his way down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. He was dressed in flannel pajama bottoms and a white t-shirt and his hair was slightly ruffled.
Luke saw Lorelai standing at his door, a furious look on her face. He automatically feared for the worst. He hurried to the door and unlocked it. "What's wrong? What happened?"
She ignored his questions. "Where's Jess?"
"He's upstairs sleeping, like I was, up until a few minutes ago. What's going on?"
Lorelai backed away from the diner door and looked up at the apartment. "Jess! Get your ass down here!"
Luke followed her outside. "Lorelai, keep it down. You're gonna wake the whole town up."
"I don't care! JESS!"
Luke placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her slightly. "Lorelai, look at me. Did something happen with Rory?" The concern was evident in his voice.
The mention of Rory's name broke something in Lorelai. She laughed bitterly. "Oh, no, nothing happened with Rory. Nothing will ever happen with Rory. She won't graduate from college, she won't become a famous journalist, she won't have the life she's always dreamed of…"
"Lorelai, what are you talking about?" Luke asked in confusion.
"She's pregnant, Luke! She's pregnant."
"Wh-What?" Luke stared blankly at her for several seconds. "How? Why?" He paused again. "What?"
"Oh, I'll give you a hint as to how it happened. JESS!" she yelled again.
Lorelai began to pace in the street. Luke took several moments to digest the information he had just received. As the news sunk in, he moved towards Lorelai, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"No, don't touch me," she said coldly, shrugging him off.
A voice came from behind them. "What the hell is going on out here?" Jess stood in the doorway of the diner, looking at the scene in the street with bewilderment.
"Jess, get back inside," Luke yelled.
"No, Luke, let him come out here. I want to talk to the weasel that ruined my daughter's life."
Jess paled in the moonlight. "Lorelai, please. Let me explain."
"There are no explanations, Jess. You got my eighteen year old daughter pregnant. How do you want to explain that away?"
"We didn't want this to happen. It was an accident," he said slowly.
"An accident. Yet another accident, that YOU are responsible for. So, what's next, Jess? What else can you do to ruin Rory's life? Going to get her killed for an encore?"
"Lorelai, that's enough. Jess! Back upstairs, now," Luke barked.
"And there you go, protecting him yet again!" Lorelai said in exasperation. "Let him come out here and deal with me."
"I love Rory," Jess said quietly before turning around and heading back inside.
Lorelai turned back to Luke. "I can't believe you're taking his side on this. After everything we've been through. You, and Rory, and me…"
"There are no sides to take here. You're being completely irrational. You need to calm down," he said, keeping his voice level.
"Don't tell me to calm down," she spat. "Why aren't you more upset about this?"
"What good is getting upset and screaming my head off in the street in the middle of the night going to do for this situation or anyone in it?"
She wheeled around on him. "You could have stopped this. You could have prevented it."
"WHAT?"
"You never know where Jess is. You don't even bother asking! He could have been in your apartment knocking my daughter up for all you know!"
Luke's insides were seething with anger, but he tried to keep his voice calm. "I know you're upset about Rory. But, you should stop this right now before you say something you can't take back. You've done this before. I'm not going to let you try and blame me for this. Not again."
"Oh, of course not. You're never to blame. No one's ever to blame. No one ever wants to accept any responsibility."
"Responsibility? You want to talk about responsibility? Where's your responsibility in all of this? You're just as responsible for Rory's whereabouts as I am for Jess'. Who's to say it didn't happen in your house while you were at work or something?"
Lorelai gasped at his words. "How dare you…"
"Oh, that's right, act offended. But it's okay for you to accuse me of the same."
Tears began to stream down Lorelai's face. "Go to hell, Luke."
He ran his hands through his hair. "And here we go again. It's like déjà vu, really."
"No, there's a difference this time. I meant every word I said." Her voice broke. "This is it. We can't come back from this." She backed away from him and towards the jeep.
He couldn't go after her. He couldn't go through her breaking his heart again, not like before. He stayed rooted to the spot where he stood long after she had driven back home.
***
A few days later…
Lorelai's bedroom was in a state of disarray. All of the drawers in her dresser were open, a pile of rejected clothing lay at the bottom of the closet, and several suitcases lay half-full on the bed. Lorelai stumbled out of her closet clutching a bright red dress and matching shoes.
"Rory!" she called out.
"Coming!" came the reply.
Several seconds, Rory entered her mother's bedroom. She took in the disheveled state of the room. "Did the furniture unionize to demand for better treatment, refusing to hold your clothing until conditions improve?"
"You're supposed to be packing too, missy. I'd like to see how your room looks."
"It looks quite presentable, I'll have you know. I am an organized packer. It's all about having a plan of attack."
"Aren't you special?" Lorelai replied sarcastically. She held up the red dress and shoes for Rory to see. "Okay, what do you think? Is this a good dress to wear to the wedding?"
"Mom, as a general rule, attire for weddings should be understated. You're not supposed to out-shine the bride. And that dress is about as subtle as a fire truck."
"We wouldn't want that, now would we?" Lorelai muttered under her breath as she turned to continue looking through her closet.
"What was that?" Rory asked.
"Oh, nothing. So," Lorelai said casually, "what's she like?"
Rory stiffened slightly. "Who?"
"The bride. Madeline, or whoever. What do you know about her?"
"Just what Jess has mentioned to me. She goes by Maddie."
"Maddie? I can't picture Luke with a Maddie. He can't stand cutesy nicknames like that. Anything with a –y or an –ie at the end like that is a big no-no. But, he was obviously able to overlook that. What does she do, anyway?"
Rory began to look closely at her nails. "I think Jess said something about her running a store, or a shop, or something."
Lorelai recognized a dodgy answer when she got one. "A store, huh? What kind of store?"
"Oh, you know. Sells this and that. Some food, possibly."
"Food, huh? That's strange, especially since Luke runs a diner."
Rory sighed in resignation. "She owns a coffee shop, okay?"
Lorelai gasped. "A coffee shop? Luke is marrying a woman that runs a coffee shop? After all of the lectures he gave me about killing myself with caffeine, he's actually going to spend the rest of his life with a woman that provides large quantities of the evil substance to the public on a daily basis? I don't believe it." She was pacing now.
"Mom, you're not even making sense. Why are you getting so worked up over this?" Rory asked perceptively.
"I'm just amazed at the hypocrisy of it, that's all. I thought Luke had principles, but I was obviously wrong."
Rory narrowed her eyes slightly. "Are you jealous?"
"What?" Lorelai sputtered. "Are you crazy? Why would I be jealous?"
She shook her head. "I thought you were over this thing with Luke…"
"I am not jealous, Rory. I'm just pointing out the weirdness of the situation. I couldn't care less about Luke marrying Mattie, or whatever the hell her name is."
A voice came from the hallway. "Who's getting married?"
Lorelai spun around to face the door. "Peter?"
"Hey Lor, hey Rory. I knocked, but no one answered, so I just let myself in," he explained. At the anxious look on Lorelai's face, he added, "Hope you don't mind."
Lorelai recovered her composure quickly. She moved across the room and gave Peter a kiss. "Of course not. You know you're welcome here anytime."
"So, who are the lucky people getting married?" he asked.
"Oh, um… we were just discussing, uh… General Hospital. They're making these two really boring characters get married, we were just venting about it."
"General Hospital? I will never understand how you two can watch those soap operas."
Rory eyed her mother skeptically. She cleared her throat. "I'm just going to go and finish packing, then call Jess. What time should I tell him we're leaving tomorrow?"
"Tell him to be here by two."
"Gotcha. Night, Mom, Peter."
"Goodnight, Rory," Peter said.
"Night babe," Lorelai called after her.
Peter looked around the room. "Um… Lorelai?"
"Yeah?" she asked in confusion.
"Are you going somewhere?"
Damnit. Oh damnit. She knew she had forgotten something. How had she forgotten to tell her wonderful, dependable boyfriend that she was leaving for two weeks, at Christmastime, no less? She had become so distracted by Luke's impending nuptials that she had not even spoken to Peter in the last few days. She was officially a horrible person. A senile, horrible person.
"Actually… I am. My mother… she, uh, roped Rory and me into spending the holidays with her." She searched for an excuse to make her reasoning sound more believable. "She hasn't been feeling too well lately. Bed ridden and stuff. We just found out. She said the only present she wanted was to see Rory and me for the holidays," she lied. She was now a senile, horrible, lying person.
Peter's face fell. "Oh, Lorelai. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
She shook her head sheepishly. "Well, you know how it is…"
"How long will you be gone?"
"Until after New Year's," she said quietly, averting her eyes.
He let out a low whistle. "That seems like forever. I was really looking forward to spending the holidays with you, Lorelai."
"And I really wanted to spend the holidays with you, too."
He pulled her into a tight embrace. "But, your family needs you, and they come first. I understand."
Lorelai wrapped her arms around him. Peter was so sweet and understanding, and here she was, lying to him. She felt horrible. But, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to tell him about Luke and the wedding. After New Year's, she told herself. He'll find out everything after New Year's, when Luke is a happily married man.
***
Next chapter: Jess calls Luke. Lorelai, Rory, Jess, and Annie take an interesting road trip to Connecticut. The fate of Rory's pregnancy two years earlier is revealed.
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