Disclaimer : Go back one chapter and there you will find all you need to
know. =D
A/N: I realize this chapter is a day later then promised, but things got hectic yesterday. Sorry! Next update will probably be next weekend. Anyways, enjoy!
The Clock is Tickin'
Part Two
"Soo, what was with the late night rendezvous with the television last night?" Lorelai chirped, walking into the kitchen much later that day, still clad in her pajamas and an ice pack held to the side of her head.
Rory glanced up from the newspaper she was reading, her usually clear blue eyes troubled. "Umm.. nothing?"
Lorelai frowned as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip before replying. "Is that a question or a statement? C'mon, Ror, I know when something's up. We're not supposed to keep secrets from each other."
"You first," Rory protested, folding her arms on the kitchen table.
Knowing the current situation concerned her daughter a great deal, Lorelai didn't argue and took a seat across the table from her. "Well.. you know yesterday, at the wedding, how I told you your dad had to leave, because he had some things to take care of?"
Rory nodded at this. "Yeah. So mysterious about it. Wait, you guys aren't planning some outrageous birthday party or something, are you?"
Lorelai shook her head sadly. "No, no birthday parties. Its.." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to try and collect her wits.
A slightly frightened look took over Rory's face. "What is it, Mom?"
"Ror.. sweetie.. I know how happy you were when you heard your father and I were going to give things a go.. but--"
"Mom, you didn't, did you?" Rory interrupted.
Lorelai frowned. "No. Its.. Sherry called him."
"Oh."
"Yeah..."
"So he went back to Sherry? I thought he was so happy to finally have a chance to be with you, with us." Rory asked.
"Ror... she's pregnant."
The words were said so softly that Rory wasn't sure that she had heard them correctly at all. But when she glanced over at her mother, at the pained look on her face and the tears escaping her eyes, she knew it was true. Without a word, Rory was on her feet, beside her mother, enveloping her in her arms. And together they cried for the chance that had been lost.
******
Christopher stepped out from underneath the awning on the front of the building his apartment was located in. It was raining, which suited everything perfectly. He had barely slept a wink last night, racking his mind for a way to fix things, make it work for everyone involved, but so far he had come up empty handed. And then this morning, nothing but Lorelai and how this was affecting her controlled his mind and Sherry noticed. Oh, yes, she noticed. She didn't know, of course, that it was Lorelai that was occupying his thoughts, for if she did, the constant fights they had had this morning would've been magnified a thousand times over. But no, instead they had spent the morning arguing about whether or not they should get married. Christopher was on the "wait and see what happens" side and Sherry was pulling for the "lets do it already," side. So finally he had gotten fed up, stormed out of the apartment and now here he was, standing out under the dark blue clouds, which just happened to be pouring massive amounts of water down on his head. Not bothering to walk around the side of the building to get into his car, he took off down the street, no particular destination in mind, just needing somewhere he could be away from all of the craziness.
People passing by stared at him, watching this poor confused and brokenhearted man wander the streets of Boston in the rain, completely drenched from head to toe. He ignore the looks, of course and continued to walk until he ended up at a restaurant his good friend Lil' Dave ran. It was a quirky little place, one that reminded him of Lorelai. All the inhabitants were inane coffee drinkers and always had something to say. Opening the door, he shook off the coat he didn't even notice he was wearing and made his way over to the counter. Margaret, the afternoon waitress smiled at him as he sat down in his usual spot and motioned that she would be there in a moment. Absentmindedly he nodded, his fingers idly playing with the napkin dispenser. A few seconds later Margaret was standing before him, her pad in hand.
"Hey there, Chris. What can I get you today?"
Christopher glanced up at her, his eyes barely recognizing. It was a half minute later that he responded. "Oh.. umm.. the regular, I guess."
Margaret nodded, her expression a bit confused. "Alright. It'll be up in a minute." She turned to move away, but his voice stopped her.
"Hey Marge, is Dave in?"
"He just stepped out. He should be back soon."
"Great, thanks."
******
Taking a deep breath, Lorelai swallowed her pride and opened the door to Luke's Diner. The usual hustle and bustle was inside, the townspeople having their late lunches or perhaps early dinners. Glancing around, she maneuvered her way up to the counter and sat down. Jess was on the other side of the diner, taking an elderly ladies order but Luke was nowhere to be found. A few minutes later Jess was at the counter.
"Umm, hi," Lorelai stuttered.
Jess gave her a weird look. "Hi. Coffee?"
Lorelai gratefully nodded. "Please. Umm.. where's Luke?"
"Dunno," Jess shrugged, pouring her coffee. "You want anything else?"
Alcohol, Lorelai faintly thought but pushed it away. "Fries would be great. Yep, really great."
"Fries. Got it."
"With cheese. Don't forget the cheese."
"Right. One order of cheese fries, coming right up."
And with that, he walked away. Lorelai sighed and let her head fall, hitting the counter with a resounding bang.
******
"Chris!" David "Lil' Dave" Mathers bellowed as he entered his establishment. He deposited his coat on the coat rack and sat down beside his good friend. "Haven't seen you in awhile, where you been?"
Christopher mumbled something intelligible, but restated it when Dave asked what he said. "Connecticut. Visiting my daughter."
At the lack of enthusiasm in his voice, Dave frowned. "What's wrong man? Something happen there?"
A tortured sigh escaped Christopher's throat and he reluctantly met his friends gaze. "Yeah, something like that."
"What happened?" Dave asked, his voice laced with concern.
Unwillingly, Christopher turned to face Dave, his face contorted in pain. "Its.. well, my daughter, Rory.. you know, she was born when we, her mother and I, were 16.. I wasn't really apart of her life until she turned 15, a few years ago. Anyways, Lorelai.. that's her mother.. she's always been the love of my life. Our parents wanted us to get married when she got pregnant, and I was all for it.. but she wasn't ready or didn't want to.. or something. But there's always been something between us, you know? Something that was just deeper then us sharing paternity of Rory. I've always been the one there, always willing to give us another chance, a chance to be a real family. And she always resisted.. which I can understand, I wasn't all that reliable back then, never sticking in one place longer then I had to.. but this past weekend, things changed. We were finally starting to head in the right direction, of there really being an "us", you know? And she was ready, finally, after all these years, ready to do it, to give us a chance. And things were going great. Rory was ecstatic, Lorelai and I were good.. great, even.. And then, yesterday, I get this phone call. Its Sherry.." He paused, running a hand through his tousled hair, blinking back the angry tears that threatened to fall.
"Sherry?" Dave intruded, urging his friend to go on.
Christopher shook his head, disbelievingly. "Yeah, so Sherry calls. And drops the biggest bomb on me at the absolutely worst time." Another pause ensued before he speaks again. "She's pregnant, Dave. Sherry's pregnant with my child. And I can't just not be there like I did with Rory. I never forgave myself for that. But what am I supposed to do? I love Lorelai, not Sherry. And Im not about to just go and lose the chance I've been waiting years for. But I can't leave Sherry like this, I can't. And now.. Sherry wants us to get married. I mean, Im up for the raising the kid together thing, I want that. But I don't want to marry her, but she just doesn't understand that."
Dave sighed, sympathetic brown eyes evaluating Christopher's demeanor. This man was obviously stuck in between a rock and a hard place. "I can't tell you what to do, Chris. Its up to you. The only advice I can offer you is to follow your heart."
Follow his heart? How was he supposed to do that when his heart was in a million pieces and thrown in a million different directions?
*******
End Part 2
R&R! Please? :)
-- Shay
A/N: I realize this chapter is a day later then promised, but things got hectic yesterday. Sorry! Next update will probably be next weekend. Anyways, enjoy!
Part Two
"Soo, what was with the late night rendezvous with the television last night?" Lorelai chirped, walking into the kitchen much later that day, still clad in her pajamas and an ice pack held to the side of her head.
Rory glanced up from the newspaper she was reading, her usually clear blue eyes troubled. "Umm.. nothing?"
Lorelai frowned as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip before replying. "Is that a question or a statement? C'mon, Ror, I know when something's up. We're not supposed to keep secrets from each other."
"You first," Rory protested, folding her arms on the kitchen table.
Knowing the current situation concerned her daughter a great deal, Lorelai didn't argue and took a seat across the table from her. "Well.. you know yesterday, at the wedding, how I told you your dad had to leave, because he had some things to take care of?"
Rory nodded at this. "Yeah. So mysterious about it. Wait, you guys aren't planning some outrageous birthday party or something, are you?"
Lorelai shook her head sadly. "No, no birthday parties. Its.." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to try and collect her wits.
A slightly frightened look took over Rory's face. "What is it, Mom?"
"Ror.. sweetie.. I know how happy you were when you heard your father and I were going to give things a go.. but--"
"Mom, you didn't, did you?" Rory interrupted.
Lorelai frowned. "No. Its.. Sherry called him."
"Oh."
"Yeah..."
"So he went back to Sherry? I thought he was so happy to finally have a chance to be with you, with us." Rory asked.
"Ror... she's pregnant."
The words were said so softly that Rory wasn't sure that she had heard them correctly at all. But when she glanced over at her mother, at the pained look on her face and the tears escaping her eyes, she knew it was true. Without a word, Rory was on her feet, beside her mother, enveloping her in her arms. And together they cried for the chance that had been lost.
******
Christopher stepped out from underneath the awning on the front of the building his apartment was located in. It was raining, which suited everything perfectly. He had barely slept a wink last night, racking his mind for a way to fix things, make it work for everyone involved, but so far he had come up empty handed. And then this morning, nothing but Lorelai and how this was affecting her controlled his mind and Sherry noticed. Oh, yes, she noticed. She didn't know, of course, that it was Lorelai that was occupying his thoughts, for if she did, the constant fights they had had this morning would've been magnified a thousand times over. But no, instead they had spent the morning arguing about whether or not they should get married. Christopher was on the "wait and see what happens" side and Sherry was pulling for the "lets do it already," side. So finally he had gotten fed up, stormed out of the apartment and now here he was, standing out under the dark blue clouds, which just happened to be pouring massive amounts of water down on his head. Not bothering to walk around the side of the building to get into his car, he took off down the street, no particular destination in mind, just needing somewhere he could be away from all of the craziness.
People passing by stared at him, watching this poor confused and brokenhearted man wander the streets of Boston in the rain, completely drenched from head to toe. He ignore the looks, of course and continued to walk until he ended up at a restaurant his good friend Lil' Dave ran. It was a quirky little place, one that reminded him of Lorelai. All the inhabitants were inane coffee drinkers and always had something to say. Opening the door, he shook off the coat he didn't even notice he was wearing and made his way over to the counter. Margaret, the afternoon waitress smiled at him as he sat down in his usual spot and motioned that she would be there in a moment. Absentmindedly he nodded, his fingers idly playing with the napkin dispenser. A few seconds later Margaret was standing before him, her pad in hand.
"Hey there, Chris. What can I get you today?"
Christopher glanced up at her, his eyes barely recognizing. It was a half minute later that he responded. "Oh.. umm.. the regular, I guess."
Margaret nodded, her expression a bit confused. "Alright. It'll be up in a minute." She turned to move away, but his voice stopped her.
"Hey Marge, is Dave in?"
"He just stepped out. He should be back soon."
"Great, thanks."
******
Taking a deep breath, Lorelai swallowed her pride and opened the door to Luke's Diner. The usual hustle and bustle was inside, the townspeople having their late lunches or perhaps early dinners. Glancing around, she maneuvered her way up to the counter and sat down. Jess was on the other side of the diner, taking an elderly ladies order but Luke was nowhere to be found. A few minutes later Jess was at the counter.
"Umm, hi," Lorelai stuttered.
Jess gave her a weird look. "Hi. Coffee?"
Lorelai gratefully nodded. "Please. Umm.. where's Luke?"
"Dunno," Jess shrugged, pouring her coffee. "You want anything else?"
Alcohol, Lorelai faintly thought but pushed it away. "Fries would be great. Yep, really great."
"Fries. Got it."
"With cheese. Don't forget the cheese."
"Right. One order of cheese fries, coming right up."
And with that, he walked away. Lorelai sighed and let her head fall, hitting the counter with a resounding bang.
******
"Chris!" David "Lil' Dave" Mathers bellowed as he entered his establishment. He deposited his coat on the coat rack and sat down beside his good friend. "Haven't seen you in awhile, where you been?"
Christopher mumbled something intelligible, but restated it when Dave asked what he said. "Connecticut. Visiting my daughter."
At the lack of enthusiasm in his voice, Dave frowned. "What's wrong man? Something happen there?"
A tortured sigh escaped Christopher's throat and he reluctantly met his friends gaze. "Yeah, something like that."
"What happened?" Dave asked, his voice laced with concern.
Unwillingly, Christopher turned to face Dave, his face contorted in pain. "Its.. well, my daughter, Rory.. you know, she was born when we, her mother and I, were 16.. I wasn't really apart of her life until she turned 15, a few years ago. Anyways, Lorelai.. that's her mother.. she's always been the love of my life. Our parents wanted us to get married when she got pregnant, and I was all for it.. but she wasn't ready or didn't want to.. or something. But there's always been something between us, you know? Something that was just deeper then us sharing paternity of Rory. I've always been the one there, always willing to give us another chance, a chance to be a real family. And she always resisted.. which I can understand, I wasn't all that reliable back then, never sticking in one place longer then I had to.. but this past weekend, things changed. We were finally starting to head in the right direction, of there really being an "us", you know? And she was ready, finally, after all these years, ready to do it, to give us a chance. And things were going great. Rory was ecstatic, Lorelai and I were good.. great, even.. And then, yesterday, I get this phone call. Its Sherry.." He paused, running a hand through his tousled hair, blinking back the angry tears that threatened to fall.
"Sherry?" Dave intruded, urging his friend to go on.
Christopher shook his head, disbelievingly. "Yeah, so Sherry calls. And drops the biggest bomb on me at the absolutely worst time." Another pause ensued before he speaks again. "She's pregnant, Dave. Sherry's pregnant with my child. And I can't just not be there like I did with Rory. I never forgave myself for that. But what am I supposed to do? I love Lorelai, not Sherry. And Im not about to just go and lose the chance I've been waiting years for. But I can't leave Sherry like this, I can't. And now.. Sherry wants us to get married. I mean, Im up for the raising the kid together thing, I want that. But I don't want to marry her, but she just doesn't understand that."
Dave sighed, sympathetic brown eyes evaluating Christopher's demeanor. This man was obviously stuck in between a rock and a hard place. "I can't tell you what to do, Chris. Its up to you. The only advice I can offer you is to follow your heart."
Follow his heart? How was he supposed to do that when his heart was in a million pieces and thrown in a million different directions?
*******
End Part 2
R&R! Please? :)
-- Shay