"Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"
Chapter Four: Dark Hideout
Author: Gluglug
Spoiler Warning/Timing: late-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 goes to the diner to talk to Luke. ==============================================================
Later that evening, Rory was sitting on the couch in front of the television.
"Hey, Mom. 'Alias' is starting in a few minutes, if you don't get in here I won't be able to relay the complex plot twists of the opening scenes to you until 9:17."
Lorelai came out of the kitchen where she had been working on her laptop computer.
"Oh, please tape it for me? I'm going to Luke's to beg for clemency. Perhaps he'll let me share a cell with Irina and give me a pillow and blanket. Oh and also a personal trainer, a hairstylist, a make-up artist and a leg-waxer."
"Yeah, what's the name of her prison? La Coste? Hey, what were you doing in the kitchen?"
"Doing some more research on condoms. Did you know that Trojan has over fifteen product lines? The ones we used for our little demonstration probably won't do when you actually, um, practice. You should get the spermicidal Her Pleasure ones. "Well, those are my favorites anyway."
Rory blushed. "I'm really happy you're supporting my decision, but you don't have to do condom research for me."
"Listen to Mommy. I've road tested quite a few of them, so I can help. Also, you will promise to make an appointment with my gynecologist? I want you to be super prepared."
"Yes, Mom. I'll call Dr. Lieberman tomorrow when I get home from school. Hey, the show's starting, so the television needs my undivided attention. Good luck with Luke."
Rory picked up the remote control and pushed the "record" button for her mother.
Lorelai put on her jacket and started to walk to Luke's. She felt a little nervous about going to see him and hoped their conversation would not end in either one telling the other to go to hell. He was actually pleasant with her in the market, but maybe he was waiting to have it out with her in private.
Lorelai approached the diner entrance. The place was empty and Luke had dimmed the lights, as he usually did around closing time. She opened the door but didn't see him.
"Luke, are you here?" She called out into the dim diner.
A moment later, Luke appeared from the back. "Oh hey. I was just doing some inventory."
"Out of pickles again?"
"No, I'm fine with pickles. I'm low on coffee beans, if you can believe it."
"With the amount I consume, I'm surprised you don't have to place an order every day."
She approached a stool and sat down. Luke came around and sat on a stool beside her. This seemed weird to Lorelai because they never had conversations in the diner sitting side by side.
There was an awkward silence and they both stared at their hands. Luke spoke first.
"Um, Lorelai, I believe you wanted to explain your behavior last night?"
"Cutting to the chase, huh Luke?"
"Well, I don't have all night. I'd like to be in bed by eleven."
"With no interruptions, huh?" She paused and took a deep breath. "I really want to apologize for what I did last night. It was inexcusable. But I do have a good reason, or at least my intentions were good."
Luke looked at her. "What intentions? I hope you weren't trying to stop me from having a sex life."
Lorelai recognized his bewildered tone, very similar to the one she had heard last night on her machine.
"Oh, Luke! No, not at all! I hope I didn't screw things up between you and Nicole."
"Well, you did sort of, um, ruin the mood and she left not long after you. But I talked to her earlier today and we're good. But she was very concerned about your behavior and frankly so am I."
"Why?"
"Well, you must've been really stressed out to come to my apartment late at night to do what you did." He paused. "I mean, are you okay, Lorelai? I mean how are you doing, really?"
"Luke, you sound like Dr. Melfi."
"Well, now that you bring it up, Nicole gave me the name of a friend of hers who's a psychoanalyst. She's supposed to be really good." He fished a piece of paper out of his jeans pocket and handed it to her.
"Dr. Nancy Lieberman?" Lorelai wondered if she was related to her gynecologist. "Luke, you really think I need therapy?"
"Well, unless you can give me a good explanation of your behavior last night, I think you should seriously consider it."
"Well you have called me crazy on numerous occasions. But Luke, I have a good reason and it has nothing to do with me wanting to halt your sex life, I swear."
"Okay, then shoot."
"Well, it has to do with Rory. You see, yesterday I found a box of condoms in her dresser drawer and I kind of overreacted."
Luke was incensed and got up from the stool. "You what? Are Jess and Rory having sex? That little sonofabitch, I told him that if he touched her below the waist I would...."
"Whoa slow down, guardian of my daughter's virtue!" She paused. "Now I think you understand my overreaction yesterday."
"Overreaction? So they're not having sex?"
"No. Rory and I talked about it today. She bought the condoms for a research project she's working on about teen pregnancy."
Luke sat down, relieved. "Now that sounds like Rory. Thank God."
"Luke, don't thank our heavenly father just yet. You see, Rory told me today that she wants to sleep with Jess and I don't think she just wants to take a nap."
Luke frowned. "Well, you're going to forbid it, right?"
"Um, no. I've decided to support Rory in this." She sighed. "Luke, I don't want to be like my parents and forbid her from doing something she wants to do anyway. I'd rather have her prepared and doing this with my blessing than sneaking around. I don't want her to be me."
"But aren't you afraid she might become pregnant?"
"Of course, that would be my worst nightmare. But I'm helping her explore birth control methods so we can be pretty damn sure history doesn't repeat itself. And I'm way too young to be a grandmother, Luke."
"And I don't think I'm ready to be a great-uncle." He chuckled. "But Lorelai, are you sure? I mean I laid down the law to Jess when he and Rory started dating. Don't you think an about face sends the wrong message? I mean, do I have to sit Jess down now, hand him a bunch of condoms and say, "'Here you go, free reign. Just hang a sock on the door?'"
"Well, not exactly. Just explain to him that this is a big responsibility and he needs to be extra careful with my daughter."
"Lorelai, I don't know if I'm ready to do that. I mean they've only been together, what six months? I still think they should wait."
"Luke, I'm struggling with this too. But I don't think it's our decision to make. I didn't think that Jess and Rory would last six weeks, let alone six months. I thought he was just a phase, but I think he really cares for her. I'd rather her first time be with someone who cares, not some random guy."
"He doesn't just care for her, he loves her."
"What?"
"He loves her."
"How do you know?"
"He told me."
"Since when do you and Jess get all sensitive male with each other?"
"We don't. He just mentioned the other day something in passing about 'spending time with the girl I love' and he was referring to Rory."
Lorelai exhaled. "Wow."
Luke nodded. "Yeah, I know."
"Luke, we gotta face facts, our kids are growing up."
"Yes they are."
"So are you with me on this?"
Luke sighed. "I guess so. I'll talk to Jess sometime this week. I'm sure he'll be all snide and condescending about it but I think he'll appreciate the message."
"You're a good dad."
He chuckled. "Thanks."
Lorelai looked down at the scrap of paper in her hand. "Hey, do you still think I need to call this Dr. Lieberman?"
Luke got off the stool and stood in front of her. "Well, you seem to be okay now. But why don't you hang on to her number? I've always thought you needed a couch and a therapist with a deep knowledge of Freud."
Lorelai nodded. "Well, maybe a session or two wouldn't be a bad idea. I have been kind of tense lately, with this Rory sex thing, her decision to go to Yale and my parents are rubbing my face in it, of course. And then there's getting the Inn off the ground and things aren't going so great with Alex."
"Yeah, you've got a lot on your plate." He knew he shouldn't care but he couldn't resist asking.
"What do you mean things aren't so great with Alex?"
"Oh, things are okay. It's just that when we went out last night he wasn't exactly supportive to my reaction of finding the condoms. He was like 'what's the big deal? She's 18.' And then I made him take me home because I was so worried about Rory. He wasn't too happy about it."
"He should've cut you some slack."
"Yeah, most of the time he does." Lorelai started to rub her left shoulder. "Too bad he lives in Hartford, I could really use a neck rub right now."
Luke stared down at his hands stuffed in the pocket of his jeans. Resist, resist...
"Hey Luke? Would you mind rubbing my shoulder? It really hurts."
Hey, it was only a shoulder. "Sure, just turn the stool around so you're facing the counter."
She smiled and followed his direction. "Thanks."
Luke put his left hand on her left shoulder. He began to rub his thumb in a circular motion on the muscles above her shoulder blade, while his fingertips kneaded the muscles above her collarbone.
"How's that? Let me know if you want me lighten up."
Lorelai hung her head forward giving the back of her neck a good long stretch. Her long curls fell forward, giving Luke a nice look at the exposed skin of her nape.
"Ohh, that's good. Hey would you mind doing the other shoulder? Luke, you sure have talented fingers."
Damn, she wasn't making this easy on him. "So I've been told."
"Nicole is one lucky woman."
Yes, Nicole, Nicole. Think of Nicole.
He continued to massage her shoulders for a minute or two while Lorelai made little sighing noises of approval.
"Lower."
"What?"
"Could you rub lower? The area under my shoulder blades is also really tense. I've been having these twinges."
Luke sighed. "Lorelai, perhaps you need a see a massage therapist in addition to a shrink."
"Please, Luke, pretty please? I promise after that you can stop."
"You promise?" He spoke low near her left ear, sending shivers up her spine.
"I promise." She nodded, hoping he wouldn't notice the gooseflesh on her neck.
Luke removed his hands from her shoulders and placed them on front of her rib cage. He extended his thumbs so he was able to rub the muscles underneath her shoulder blades.
"Hey, are you trying to cop a feel?"
Luke rolled his eyes. "Lorelai, I'm trying to massage your shoulder blades, like you asked. I have to put my hands like this to do that. If you don't want me to continue, I'll stop right now."
She giggled. "I was just teasing, silly. Please continue."
Luke resumed the massage. Damn her, she was teasing him, in more ways than one. Lorelai had to know what kind of effect she had on him, Nicole or not. But he wasn't going to stop until she told him to. He was enjoying this, like all the other intimate moments they shared in the darkness of the diner.
Like the time he showed her the order his father had written behind the counter and they shared a laugh and a little too long stare. He had wanted to kiss her but Taylor and the Stars Hollow lynch mob interrupted them. Luke remembered he also had his first kiss with Rachel and then Nicole back there. Had that become his patented move? Reminisce about dad, show her a touching memento and bam - get the girl? But with Lorelai, he never knew quite how to get the girl, even though she was literally in his grasp.
"Okay, your fingers must be tired. You can stop."
Lorelai's business-like voice snapped him out of his reverie and he reluctantly removed his hands.
"Yeah, I'm tired." He sighed. "Better?"
Lorelai spun around on her stool to face him, a relaxed smile on her face. "Oh, yes. Thanks so much Luke."
"No problem."
"You know, if you ever get tired of the diner trade, you should look into becoming a massage therapist. You could make some serious dough with those hands."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Oh, I better get going." It was almost eleven. "It's almost your bedtime, Luke."
He nodded. "Yeah, time to hit the sack."
"Thanks for everything, the talk and the massage. I feel much better."
Luke headed towards the back of the diner. "Good Night Lorelai."
Lorelai headed to the diner door. "Good Night Luke, see you tomorrow."
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A/N: Yeah, I know the last part was gratuitous java junkie fluff, but I don't care! Watching TDDR last night inspired some of this.
Up next, Jess and Luke have a talk. Lorelai considers going into therapy after having more disturbing dreams and, well, I haven't thought that far ahead...
Chapter Four: Dark Hideout
Author: Gluglug
Spoiler Warning/Timing: late-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 goes to the diner to talk to Luke. ==============================================================
Later that evening, Rory was sitting on the couch in front of the television.
"Hey, Mom. 'Alias' is starting in a few minutes, if you don't get in here I won't be able to relay the complex plot twists of the opening scenes to you until 9:17."
Lorelai came out of the kitchen where she had been working on her laptop computer.
"Oh, please tape it for me? I'm going to Luke's to beg for clemency. Perhaps he'll let me share a cell with Irina and give me a pillow and blanket. Oh and also a personal trainer, a hairstylist, a make-up artist and a leg-waxer."
"Yeah, what's the name of her prison? La Coste? Hey, what were you doing in the kitchen?"
"Doing some more research on condoms. Did you know that Trojan has over fifteen product lines? The ones we used for our little demonstration probably won't do when you actually, um, practice. You should get the spermicidal Her Pleasure ones. "Well, those are my favorites anyway."
Rory blushed. "I'm really happy you're supporting my decision, but you don't have to do condom research for me."
"Listen to Mommy. I've road tested quite a few of them, so I can help. Also, you will promise to make an appointment with my gynecologist? I want you to be super prepared."
"Yes, Mom. I'll call Dr. Lieberman tomorrow when I get home from school. Hey, the show's starting, so the television needs my undivided attention. Good luck with Luke."
Rory picked up the remote control and pushed the "record" button for her mother.
Lorelai put on her jacket and started to walk to Luke's. She felt a little nervous about going to see him and hoped their conversation would not end in either one telling the other to go to hell. He was actually pleasant with her in the market, but maybe he was waiting to have it out with her in private.
Lorelai approached the diner entrance. The place was empty and Luke had dimmed the lights, as he usually did around closing time. She opened the door but didn't see him.
"Luke, are you here?" She called out into the dim diner.
A moment later, Luke appeared from the back. "Oh hey. I was just doing some inventory."
"Out of pickles again?"
"No, I'm fine with pickles. I'm low on coffee beans, if you can believe it."
"With the amount I consume, I'm surprised you don't have to place an order every day."
She approached a stool and sat down. Luke came around and sat on a stool beside her. This seemed weird to Lorelai because they never had conversations in the diner sitting side by side.
There was an awkward silence and they both stared at their hands. Luke spoke first.
"Um, Lorelai, I believe you wanted to explain your behavior last night?"
"Cutting to the chase, huh Luke?"
"Well, I don't have all night. I'd like to be in bed by eleven."
"With no interruptions, huh?" She paused and took a deep breath. "I really want to apologize for what I did last night. It was inexcusable. But I do have a good reason, or at least my intentions were good."
Luke looked at her. "What intentions? I hope you weren't trying to stop me from having a sex life."
Lorelai recognized his bewildered tone, very similar to the one she had heard last night on her machine.
"Oh, Luke! No, not at all! I hope I didn't screw things up between you and Nicole."
"Well, you did sort of, um, ruin the mood and she left not long after you. But I talked to her earlier today and we're good. But she was very concerned about your behavior and frankly so am I."
"Why?"
"Well, you must've been really stressed out to come to my apartment late at night to do what you did." He paused. "I mean, are you okay, Lorelai? I mean how are you doing, really?"
"Luke, you sound like Dr. Melfi."
"Well, now that you bring it up, Nicole gave me the name of a friend of hers who's a psychoanalyst. She's supposed to be really good." He fished a piece of paper out of his jeans pocket and handed it to her.
"Dr. Nancy Lieberman?" Lorelai wondered if she was related to her gynecologist. "Luke, you really think I need therapy?"
"Well, unless you can give me a good explanation of your behavior last night, I think you should seriously consider it."
"Well you have called me crazy on numerous occasions. But Luke, I have a good reason and it has nothing to do with me wanting to halt your sex life, I swear."
"Okay, then shoot."
"Well, it has to do with Rory. You see, yesterday I found a box of condoms in her dresser drawer and I kind of overreacted."
Luke was incensed and got up from the stool. "You what? Are Jess and Rory having sex? That little sonofabitch, I told him that if he touched her below the waist I would...."
"Whoa slow down, guardian of my daughter's virtue!" She paused. "Now I think you understand my overreaction yesterday."
"Overreaction? So they're not having sex?"
"No. Rory and I talked about it today. She bought the condoms for a research project she's working on about teen pregnancy."
Luke sat down, relieved. "Now that sounds like Rory. Thank God."
"Luke, don't thank our heavenly father just yet. You see, Rory told me today that she wants to sleep with Jess and I don't think she just wants to take a nap."
Luke frowned. "Well, you're going to forbid it, right?"
"Um, no. I've decided to support Rory in this." She sighed. "Luke, I don't want to be like my parents and forbid her from doing something she wants to do anyway. I'd rather have her prepared and doing this with my blessing than sneaking around. I don't want her to be me."
"But aren't you afraid she might become pregnant?"
"Of course, that would be my worst nightmare. But I'm helping her explore birth control methods so we can be pretty damn sure history doesn't repeat itself. And I'm way too young to be a grandmother, Luke."
"And I don't think I'm ready to be a great-uncle." He chuckled. "But Lorelai, are you sure? I mean I laid down the law to Jess when he and Rory started dating. Don't you think an about face sends the wrong message? I mean, do I have to sit Jess down now, hand him a bunch of condoms and say, "'Here you go, free reign. Just hang a sock on the door?'"
"Well, not exactly. Just explain to him that this is a big responsibility and he needs to be extra careful with my daughter."
"Lorelai, I don't know if I'm ready to do that. I mean they've only been together, what six months? I still think they should wait."
"Luke, I'm struggling with this too. But I don't think it's our decision to make. I didn't think that Jess and Rory would last six weeks, let alone six months. I thought he was just a phase, but I think he really cares for her. I'd rather her first time be with someone who cares, not some random guy."
"He doesn't just care for her, he loves her."
"What?"
"He loves her."
"How do you know?"
"He told me."
"Since when do you and Jess get all sensitive male with each other?"
"We don't. He just mentioned the other day something in passing about 'spending time with the girl I love' and he was referring to Rory."
Lorelai exhaled. "Wow."
Luke nodded. "Yeah, I know."
"Luke, we gotta face facts, our kids are growing up."
"Yes they are."
"So are you with me on this?"
Luke sighed. "I guess so. I'll talk to Jess sometime this week. I'm sure he'll be all snide and condescending about it but I think he'll appreciate the message."
"You're a good dad."
He chuckled. "Thanks."
Lorelai looked down at the scrap of paper in her hand. "Hey, do you still think I need to call this Dr. Lieberman?"
Luke got off the stool and stood in front of her. "Well, you seem to be okay now. But why don't you hang on to her number? I've always thought you needed a couch and a therapist with a deep knowledge of Freud."
Lorelai nodded. "Well, maybe a session or two wouldn't be a bad idea. I have been kind of tense lately, with this Rory sex thing, her decision to go to Yale and my parents are rubbing my face in it, of course. And then there's getting the Inn off the ground and things aren't going so great with Alex."
"Yeah, you've got a lot on your plate." He knew he shouldn't care but he couldn't resist asking.
"What do you mean things aren't so great with Alex?"
"Oh, things are okay. It's just that when we went out last night he wasn't exactly supportive to my reaction of finding the condoms. He was like 'what's the big deal? She's 18.' And then I made him take me home because I was so worried about Rory. He wasn't too happy about it."
"He should've cut you some slack."
"Yeah, most of the time he does." Lorelai started to rub her left shoulder. "Too bad he lives in Hartford, I could really use a neck rub right now."
Luke stared down at his hands stuffed in the pocket of his jeans. Resist, resist...
"Hey Luke? Would you mind rubbing my shoulder? It really hurts."
Hey, it was only a shoulder. "Sure, just turn the stool around so you're facing the counter."
She smiled and followed his direction. "Thanks."
Luke put his left hand on her left shoulder. He began to rub his thumb in a circular motion on the muscles above her shoulder blade, while his fingertips kneaded the muscles above her collarbone.
"How's that? Let me know if you want me lighten up."
Lorelai hung her head forward giving the back of her neck a good long stretch. Her long curls fell forward, giving Luke a nice look at the exposed skin of her nape.
"Ohh, that's good. Hey would you mind doing the other shoulder? Luke, you sure have talented fingers."
Damn, she wasn't making this easy on him. "So I've been told."
"Nicole is one lucky woman."
Yes, Nicole, Nicole. Think of Nicole.
He continued to massage her shoulders for a minute or two while Lorelai made little sighing noises of approval.
"Lower."
"What?"
"Could you rub lower? The area under my shoulder blades is also really tense. I've been having these twinges."
Luke sighed. "Lorelai, perhaps you need a see a massage therapist in addition to a shrink."
"Please, Luke, pretty please? I promise after that you can stop."
"You promise?" He spoke low near her left ear, sending shivers up her spine.
"I promise." She nodded, hoping he wouldn't notice the gooseflesh on her neck.
Luke removed his hands from her shoulders and placed them on front of her rib cage. He extended his thumbs so he was able to rub the muscles underneath her shoulder blades.
"Hey, are you trying to cop a feel?"
Luke rolled his eyes. "Lorelai, I'm trying to massage your shoulder blades, like you asked. I have to put my hands like this to do that. If you don't want me to continue, I'll stop right now."
She giggled. "I was just teasing, silly. Please continue."
Luke resumed the massage. Damn her, she was teasing him, in more ways than one. Lorelai had to know what kind of effect she had on him, Nicole or not. But he wasn't going to stop until she told him to. He was enjoying this, like all the other intimate moments they shared in the darkness of the diner.
Like the time he showed her the order his father had written behind the counter and they shared a laugh and a little too long stare. He had wanted to kiss her but Taylor and the Stars Hollow lynch mob interrupted them. Luke remembered he also had his first kiss with Rachel and then Nicole back there. Had that become his patented move? Reminisce about dad, show her a touching memento and bam - get the girl? But with Lorelai, he never knew quite how to get the girl, even though she was literally in his grasp.
"Okay, your fingers must be tired. You can stop."
Lorelai's business-like voice snapped him out of his reverie and he reluctantly removed his hands.
"Yeah, I'm tired." He sighed. "Better?"
Lorelai spun around on her stool to face him, a relaxed smile on her face. "Oh, yes. Thanks so much Luke."
"No problem."
"You know, if you ever get tired of the diner trade, you should look into becoming a massage therapist. You could make some serious dough with those hands."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Oh, I better get going." It was almost eleven. "It's almost your bedtime, Luke."
He nodded. "Yeah, time to hit the sack."
"Thanks for everything, the talk and the massage. I feel much better."
Luke headed towards the back of the diner. "Good Night Lorelai."
Lorelai headed to the diner door. "Good Night Luke, see you tomorrow."
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A/N: Yeah, I know the last part was gratuitous java junkie fluff, but I don't care! Watching TDDR last night inspired some of this.
Up next, Jess and Luke have a talk. Lorelai considers going into therapy after having more disturbing dreams and, well, I haven't thought that far ahead...