Part 9
Time to Start Panicking
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Why do you keep secrets?
Why can't you say what's true?
You know I could handle it
I'd never turn on you
Why don't you just come clean?
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"Oh my God, Mom, what are you doing?"
It was Monday morning, at 6 AM, and Rory had awoken to the smell of... well, something burning.
"I'm making pancakes!" Lorelai said to her daughter with an overly optimistic smile. She turned back to the pan. "Well, TRYING to make pancakes."
"You do realize you're supposed to flip them BEFORE you sense that odor that reminds you of a bonfire, right?"
"Funny, funny girl!" Lorelai said. "I'm perfectly capable of making a good, not burnt pancake. I just... keep getting distracted."
Rory sat at the kitchen table and rubbed her eyes. "Did you have another weird dream?"
Lorelai contemplated for a second. "Yeah, actually. I did."
"If I analyze it for you, can we go to Luke's?"
"No."
Rory sighed. "Why are you and Luke avoiding each other?"
Lorelai sighed. "We are not avoiding each other, Rory. I just... decided I don't-like good food anymore..."
"Now I know where I get my inability to lie from," Rory said. "Mom, I'm not going to eat those burnt pancakes unless you tell me what's going on between you and Luke."
"Nothing is going on!" Lorelai insisted. "Really, it's nothing."
Rory watched her mother for a moment. "He told he likes you, didn't he?"
"No!" Lorelai answered a little too quickly and defensively.
"Of course he didn't," Rory said. "Luke would never admit that. It's not his style. If it were, you would have known a LONG time ago. So who told you for him?"
"Nobody," Lorelai said. Rory stared her down. "Ok," she said unwillingly. "It was Sookie."
Rory nodded. "It's about time."
Lorelai's eyes widened. "Why am I the last person to know about all of this?" She asked, confused.
"Because you chose to remain completely clueless, even though it's totally obvious," Rory replied.
"I am not clueless," Lorelai said defensively.
"You're Cher Horrowitz, Mom," Rory said. "Only less blond." She paused and inhaled. "Mom I can smell it burning, flip the pancake before it catches fire."
Lorelai did so quickly, and sat across the table from Rory, obviously confused. "So you really think he likes me?"
Rory nodded. "Yes, mom, I really think Luke likes you."
"You mean he LIKES me? Or he LIKE likes me?"
Rory sighed. "Dear God, I hoped that I'd never have to hear that question again after the 6th grade." She stood and went to pour herself a cup of coffee. "Yes, I think Luke LIKE likes you."
Lorelai sighed, soaking in this piece of information. "Wow. That's pretty intense."
Rory sipped her coffee. "Yes it is." She paused. "So what are you gonna do about it?"
Lorelai shook her head. "I just-I don't know. I mean this is LUKE we're talking about here. The diner guy. My friend. That's a pretty big transition, going from the scruffy guy who provides us both with food to being... my gentleman caller."
Rory snickered. "I'm sorry, gentleman caller?"
"Hey it's not my fault," Lorelai protested. "I'm all freaked out, it's affecting my rhetoric."
"Wow, mom, nice big word."
Lorelai grinned. "Thanks. I got it from my word-a-day calender." Lorelai stood. "Ok, sit Rory. I'm gonna serve you some pancakes."
"Oh Goody," Rory exclaimed sarcastically, sitting at the table again. Lorelai placed a plate in front of her. Rory tried not to wrinkle her nose in disgust at the completely black, burnt pancakes.
"They look great don't they?" Lorelai asked.
"Mom please don't make me eat these," Rory begged. Lorelai rolled her eyes and poured some maple syrup on the stack.
"Stop being so picky. World champion eaters like us can't be picky! Now suck it up and eat the pancakes!"
Reluctantly, Rory took a bite and swallowed.
"Well?" Lorelai asked hopefully.
"Please mom, can I just have a pop tart?"
Lorelai sighed and took the plate back to the sink. "Ok. You win. They taste like crap." She put the syrup away. "I had some earlier. They were even worse."
Rory's mouth dropped. "I don't believe you! You knew how bad they were and you still made me try some?" She crossed her arms. "Mean."
"Hey I had a legitimate reason," Lorelai said.
"Oh yeah?" Rory asked skeptically. "Why?"
"Revenge for labor pains." Lorelai poured herself a second cup of coffee. "So let's just say we're even."
Rory contemplated for a moment. "No deal," she said.
"What?" Lorelai cried, offended. "What do you mean? We are totally even."
"No deal," Rory repeated. "I won't say we're even unless you agree to come to Luke's with me this morning. I think you need to talk to him so you don't get used to avoiding him. Plus, I really want a donut."
Lorelai sighed. "Fine. We'll go. Go get dressed."
Rory stood with a smile. "You won't regret it mom, I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Honey," Lorelai called as Rory went back into her room to get dressed.
**********************************************
"Well if it isn't sleeping beauty," Miss Patty remarked as Jess walked into the diner from the apartment, rubbing his eyes.
"Someday I'm not gonna take this abuse anymore," Jess said, grabbing the coffee pot and beginning to refill people's mugs. Luke glanced up from the register at Jess. He'd been acting way too happy lately. Not like sunshine and roses happy or anything. But just... not upset, which was pretty good for him. Kind of disturbing and unnatural, but still good.
He heard the bell ring as the door swung open and Rory walked in, followed by Lorelai. Jess and Rory smiled at each other, but Lorelai was really obviously avoiding Luke's eyes. He'd skipped town for a couple days; he'd needed to see Liz anyway, but it was certainly convenient that he left in time to avoid any kind of confrontation with Lorelai. Ever since that day when he'd hinted to her how he felt... he'd been nervous as hell. Did she know what he meant? And what did she think of it? And most importantly, what was she gonna do about it all?
"Uh," he cleared his throat to catch Lorelai's attention. "The table by the window's free if you want it."
Lorelai smiled awkwardly and nodded in acknowledgment. "Thanks, Luke," she said. She and Rory sat.
Jess walked back to the counter. "Don't worry," he said under his breath to Luke, "I know you're avoiding them. I'll get their orders." He smirked a little at his uncles obvious discomfort before grabbing two mugs and the coffee pot and going back to the table.
"Hey," he said when he reached the table.
"Hey," Rory said with a smile. They exchanged knowing glances, observing Lorelai's attempts to subtly look at Luke.
"Want coffee Lorelai?" Jess asked. Lorelai snapped back to reality.
"What? Oh hi! What?"
Rory suppressed her laughter as she sipped her coffee.
"Coffee?" Jess asked her again.
"Oh yes," Lorelai smiled gratefully. "Lots. It's gonna be a long morning."
Jess poured. "Here you go." He paused. "He's not busy, you can go talk to him if you want," Jess said with a smug smile as he walked away.
Lorelai sighed. "It's official. I am the VERY last person to figure this whole thing out."
"Well mostly," Rory agreed. "But don't worry, I'm pretty sure you got it before like... Joan Rivers or Christina Aguilera or all those famous people who are too wrapped up in their own business to care about you and Luke."
"Rory, while your sarcasm is usually appreciated," Lorelai said, "Now is definitely not the time."
"What's the deal, mom?" Rory whispered anxiously. "You finally know how Luke feels about you; so now what? Are you gonna tell him you know?"
Lorelai laughed. "Yeah right." She paused. "I don't know. I guess I'll just play it by ear."
Rory nodded. "Well let me know," she said, after taking one last sip of her coffee. "I gotta go wait for the bus. Jess, can you bring me a donut?"
Moments later, Jess appeared by her side with a donut in a bag. "Here," he said, handing her the bag. "I'll wait at the bus with you. Just let me go get my stuff." Jess disappeared up the stairs as Rory put her backpack over her shoulder.
"Wait, Rory, the bus doesn't come for another 15 minutes," Lorelai said.
"I know," Rory said, trying not to grin too obviously. "Jess and I are just gonna sit at the bus stop and talk for a while, that's all."
"Oooooh," Lorelai said, nodding with a sly smile. "I see. Here." She reached into her purse and pulled out a box of mints. "Nobody likes to kiss someone with coffee breath."
"Gross, mom," Rory said, popping a mint into her mouth.
"Yeah, yeah, just don't get so distracted by all the making out that you don't notice when the bus comes."
"I'll try my hardest," Rory said, heading to the door. Jess joined her and they left together.
Lorelai watched through the window as the two walked side by side toward the bus stop, but as they started doing all those young-couple-in-love things (wrapping arms around each other, kissing, never letting their faces get more than 3 inches apart, etc) she no longer felt comfortable using them as an excuse not to look anywhere that Luke could be. She looked deep into her coffee mug, pretending to be completely fascinated by her reflection in the dark liquid.
"Lose something in there?" Luke's voice at her side startled her so much she nearly spilled the coffee all over the table.
"Oh," Lorelai said with a sigh after recovering from the initial shock. "Yeah, just the meaning of life, you know." She giggled nervously.
"Yeah well I wouldn't hold my breath," Luke said. "But you might keep your eye out for a sunken treasure chest or something."
Lorelai chuckled a little too enthusiastically. "Hey, you made a joke!"
"I have been known to do so on occasion. Once every 6 months or so, you're lucky you caught it this time." He sighed. Despite the clever banter, there was no denying the tension between them. "Uh, you wanna order some breakfast?"
Lorelai smiled, grateful for a distraction. "Oh yes. Food. Always a good thing." She sighed. "Um, how about a bagel?"
Luke raised his eyebrows. "No pancakes this morning?"
"Yeah well, I'm feeling adventurous today. Thought I'd take a major risk and order something you don't put maple syrup and whipped cream on."
Luke nodded. "Coming right up." He strolled back to the counter. Lorelai watched him walk away, and got up without thinking. She didn't really know what came over her, or how she was going to do it. But it was all she could think about doing since she'd found out about Luke's feelings and it was driving her crazy.
"Hey, Luke?" she said as he was cutting her bagel in half.
"What? Did you change your mind about the bagel?" he asked.
She chuckled a little. "No, no, still feeling crazy and spontaneous, I just um..." she tried to casually slip onto the stool. "I'm just bored. Don't wanna sit alone. Thought maybe I'd sit at the counter and you could entertain me while I eat my boring, sugar-free bagel." She smiled.
"I won't dance on the table, if that's your definition of entertainment," Luke said. "But feel free to sit. I'll make some more coffee."
Lorelai smiled. "Great." He gave her the bagel with a packet of cream cheese. She spread the cream cheese as he went about making coffee, and the silence was unbearable.
"So," Lorelai said through a mouthful of bagel, "seen any good movies lately?"
Luke tried not to point out how awkward the conversation sparker had been. "Oh, not really. Nothing good's come out lately. Just silly romantic comedies, that sorta thing."
Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. It's a shame isn't it? All the good movies are in video stores, and our local video store doesn't even have any good ones. Well except for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory. That's a classic."
Luke shook his head. "Whatever you say."
Lorelai's eyes widened. "You've never seen Willy Wonka?"
"If I say no, are you gonna make me watch it?"
"Yes."
"Then yes, I've seen it many times. I even had it memorized a few years ago, but what can I tell ya? It's been slipping away from me lately."
"Yeah, THAT'S believable." Lorelai took another bite and tried to figure out how to word what she wanted to communicate. "So um... listen, in a couple weeks, after the Stars Hollow High graduation, Rory and Lane and Jess are gonna be going to this graduation party at Ronnie Carson's house-"
"They are?" Luke asked. "Jess didn't tell me."
"Well he doesn't tell you a lot of things," Lorelai said. "But anyway-"
"You're letting Rory go to some unsupervised graduation party with Jess?"
Lorelai sighed. He really wasn't making this easy. "Yes, I'm letting her go. I trust her. Remember, Rory's the good one. The one who tells me everything and who hasn't done anything wrong ever in her whole life? I think they're planning to make her a saint after she dies."
"I know, I know, I just wasn't sure about this whole-"
"Luke shut up, I'm trying to ask you something and you're making it difficult."
Luke stopped his rant, surprised by this unusual and infrequent serious tone in Lorelai's voice. "I'm listening."
Lorelai sighed. "So anyway, my kid's gonna be gone. Your kid's gonna be gone. I was planning on stopping by the big video store in Hartford on my way back from the Grandparent's dinner the week before, you know, cuz they have a better selection there than here. They actually carry all the Rocky movies, and I don't know about you, but to me that says quality." She chuckled slightly. "But, uh, anyway, I was just... you know, thinking... you and I don't spend that much time together-"
"I see you everyday. Usually twice a day."
"I know, but that's in a working environment. I mean socially."
Luke eyed her nervously. "What are you getting at Lorelai?"
Lorelai smiled a little. "I thought it might be fun if you... maybe came over and we watched some videos." Luke didn't say anything. He looked confused and shocked, and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. "Nothing formal, just some pop corn and snack foods. Unhealthy ones for me, but hey, you could have... carrot sticks, or-celery sticks... any kind of vegetable stick-"
"What movie?"
Lorelai giggled. "So it speaks." She thought a moment. "Um, how about minority report? I've been meaning to see that for a while."
Luke nodded. "Sounds good to me."
Lorelai smiled. "Great. So... ok. It's a date. I mean-not a DATE, but like a date. As in on a calendar. So really it's a DAY. You know, I could just say it's a plan and avoid all this confusion." She laughed nervously. "Alright, well um... I'll see you later probably."
"Probably," Luke said. Lorelai picked up the half of her bagel she hadn't eaten and stood.
"I'm gonna go to work."
"Sounds like a good idea," Luke said.
"Alright," Lorelai said with a smile. "See ya later!" she walked out of the diner as fast as her legs could carry her.
Luke walked into the back room to make some fries. He really didn't want anyone to see the huge smile on his face.
********************************************
"So," Jess said to Rory over the phone. "This Friday. What are you doing?"
"I don't know. I'll have to check my schedule. Why?"
"Just thought we could go somewhere," he said under his breath. Luke was in the other room, and he didn't want him to overhear anything suspicious.
Rory couldn't help blushing a little. "I want to-I REALLY do-but, as usual, I have the grandparent's dinner and I don't know how much time I'll have afterwards."
Jess sighed. "Just tell Lorelai we're gonna go to that coffee place we went to after the prom."
"Joe's café?" Rory asked. She sighed. "I could probably make it work. What time?" She grabbed her date planner out of her backpack to write down the time and place.
"Well I figure you can be done with dinner by 8 if you hurry, which means you can get to Joe's by 8:20. But I should probably give you 20 minutes extra in case your grandmother goes nuts and insists you stay later like she always does. Sound reasonable?" There was no answer on the other end. "Hello?" Still no answer. "Rory, where did I lose you?"
"Oh," Rory said, snapping back to reality. "Sorry, just... got distracted."
"No problem. But how late can you-"
"Is it the 29th?"
"Yes it is. Random much?"
"Sorry, I just-hold on." She flipped through the pages of her date book quickly. "1 week, 2, 3, 4... she trailed off. "Oh God..."
"What's the matter?" Jess asked, confused.
"Nothing, I-I just... thought I missed an appointment that I scheduled, that's all. No big deal." She paused. "I'll call you tomorrow, Jess, I gotta go."
"What? Rory-"
She hung up. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, but tried to be rational. She'd just wait a day or two. It was probably just a miscalculation, something stupid like that. She would just wait a while...
"Rory!!!" Lorelai called, slamming the front door behind her. Rory tried to snap herself out of the trance she'd fallen into.
"Thank GOD you're home," Lorelai sighed, collapsing on Rory's bed and kicking her shoes off. Rory tried her hardest to focus on her mother and not get distracted by her recent revelation.
"Long day huh?" Rory asked her.
Lorelai groaned. "You have NO idea." Lorelai paused and rolled onto her side to establish eye contact with Rory. "So," she began. "I did something kind of wacky today?"
"Was it something illegal?"
"No, no, just... one of those things that you look back at all day and think 'Whoa. Where did THAT come from?"'
"Just tell me," Rory insisted. "The suspense is unbearable."
"Ok. But get ready, cuz this one's a whopper."
"Whopper?"
"SO not the point."
"Right. Sorry. So what did you do?"
Lorelai sighed. "I think I kinda... sorta.... Maybe-"
"Almost, nearly, somewhat, etc. Move on to the verb."
"I think I asked Luke out."
Rory's eyes went wide and her heart stopped. "You WHAT?"
"I know, I know," Lorelai said, burying her face in her hands.
"What on earth possessed you and made you decide to ask Luke out on a date?" Rory asked, half confused, half excited. She'd been waiting for a long time for her mother to find happiness, and she'd always believed that Luke had the potential to be the one guy who could really make Lorelai happy. But she didn't want her mother to screw it up, and she knew that if Lorelai started dating Luke before she was really sure of her feelings for him, then it would ruin everything.
"I don't know," Lorelai said shaking her head. "The thing is, it's not even really a date. It's supposed to be casual; he's coming over to watch a video."
"You're not gonna make him watch Willy Wonka, are you?" Rory asked, fearing that the relationship would be over before it even began.
"No, we're gonna watch a boy movie," Lorelai said. "Minority report."
"Ooooh, good choice," Rory commented. "Oh, but don't spend the whole time making kissy noises every time Tom Cruise comes on the screen. I know it makes me laugh, but it might make Luke a little uncomfortable."
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Duly noted."
"So how did you ask him?" Rory demanded. "I want details."
"I don't know!" Lorelai said, sitting up. "I mean, I knew when I went in there that morning that I was confused about how I felt about this whole thing. And I just... I can't really tell if there's something there."
Of course there's something there, Rory wanted to scream at her, but she held her tongue. Lorelai had to figure this out for herself.
Lorelai continued. "I guess I just figured that if I spent some time with him-outside of the diner setting, and without him fixing anything-then maybe I'd be able to tell if there's any.... Potential, you know?"
Rory nodded. "So when is said sort-of-date taking place?"
"The night of that graduation party that you and Jess and Lane are going to."
"Oooo, you guys have the house to yourselves all night," Rory teased. "How romantic."
"Stop," Lorelai said. "I'll smother you with a pillow."
"I think it's generally frowned upon when mother's smother their children with pillows."
"Yeah well I could pull it off." Lorelai stood up. "I could hide the body in the laundry pile and no one would ever venture into it to look for you." She walked into the kitchen. "I'm ordering Pizza!" she called.
Rory sighed. She wanted so badly to just walk into the next room and ask her mother what to do. She was scared, and whenever she was scared, Lorelai had always been the first person she turned to. But now she just couldn't bring herself to. At first she'd been keeping the step she and Jess had taken a secret from her mom because she wanted to have it all to herself, like a normal teenage girl. She didn't want her mother to see her in that new light just yet. But now.... now she was scared of what her mother might do. She'd promised to tell her before she and Jess did anything, and she'd broken that promise... and now there was no telling how angry Lorelai would be when she found out.
She couldn't ask Lorelai for her help. She'd have to figure things out for herself. She'd wait for 24 hours and see if it was just a false alarm. And if nothing changed by then... well, THEN she could start panicking.
************************************************
"Oh my god."
Lorelai sighed. "Sookie, all you've said for the past 10 minutes is 'Oh My God'. Please say something else, I'm getting a little freaked out here."
"I'm sorry," Sookie said," but... oh my GOD!" she giggled. "This is huge!"
"It's not that huge," Lorelai said. "It's totally casual. My house, not dressed up, just hanging out with snacks and a video. It's like any other night with me and Rory, except now Rory's grown a foot, and has developed slight facial hair and a tendency to feel naked when not wearing an old backwards baseball cap-"
"Lorelai, it is NOT just any other night with Rory," Sookie said, taking the bunt cake she'd made out of the oven. "Luke is NOT Rory. Luke is crazy about you, and I know he's not gonna be comfortable just being your Rory substitute. He probably thinks you asked him on a trial date to see if he has potential. You can't just expect him to sit there with you and mock the movie while you throw popcorn at the screen whenever the evil guy comes on the screen-"
"Hey I only did that once. Are you ever gonna let me forget it?"
Sookie pouted. "It was my favorite movie. You ruined it."
"Sorry," Lorelai said reluctantly. She sighed. "So what exactly are you saying? That I should pretend like it's a REAL date? Should I wear a pretty skirt and immensely uncomfortable shoes and suck my stomach in the whole night and try not to make too many references to strange 80's bands that no one's heard of?"
"No," Sookie said. "You just have to try to be a little more serious about it. This is probably a big deal to Luke. If he shows up expecting a date, and you're in your sweat pants playing the first Spice Girls album at top volume, he's gonna be crushed that you aren't taking it seriously, and you know it."
"I guess you're right," Lorelai said, sipping her coffee. "So I'll put some effort into it. I'll wear real clothes and order some take out that's actually edible and try to behave myself. How's that?"
Sookie smiled. "Good. It's gonna be fun," she said, excitedly.
Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, I guess it will be." She stood up with a sigh. "Ugh, these shoes are killing me. I'm gonna run home real quick and change them."
"Oh!" Sookie called as she headed toward the door. "I'm sorry. You can't take your car."
"Why not Sook?" Lorelai asked suspiciously. Sookie wrinkled her nose with guilt.
"Because I sort of let one of the busboys to the market to get us some more chocolate chips and I said he could take your car." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry."
Lorelai sighed. "It's ok. I'll just walk. I could use the exercise anyway, seeing as how the reason all the chocolate chips are gone is that I stole a bag and ate them all." Lorelai took her high heels off and walked out the door barefoot. "I'll be back soon!"
************************************
Rory stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her. She was scared, she was confused, and since she didn't like either of these emotions much, she was angry. She'd waited a day, and things were still the same. Now she didn't know what to do.
All day she'd been distracted. She couldn't focus in class or at the Franklin. She knew her mother would be at the Inn pretty late that night. This was good; it gave her the privacy to do the only thing she could think to do. Call Lane.
The phone seemed to ring forever, but when it was answered, she was glad Lane herself picked up. She was in too bitter of a mood to suck up to Mrs. Kim.
"Hello?" Lane's voice came over the receiver.
Rory replied with a harsh tone in her voice. "Lane. Hi there."
Lane picked up on her anger immediately. "Whoa. What did I do?"
"Nothing.
"So then why are you mad at me?"
"You?" Rory said, still angry. "I'm not mad at you."
"Oh Good," Lane breathed a sigh of relief. "Cuz that would really suck, if you were mad at me. What's the matter? You sound like you've got battle face on."
Rory sighed. "Lane I need your help."
"That's what I'm here for. To help you."
Rory paused. "I need to get my hands on a pregnancy test.
There was silence on the other end, until finally, Lane said calmly, "I can't help you there."
Rory sighed frustrated. "Ugh! I'm so screwed!
"Wait," Lane said. "Explain before I get too lost."
"Lane I'm late," Rory said without hesitation. The thought didn't make her uneasy anymore, it made her outraged.
"Late for what?" Lane asked optimistically. "Cuz if you leave now, you could probably-"
"Lane!" Rory interrupted the potential ramble.
"Ok. Sorry. Just holding on desperately to my last shred of wishful thinking." She paused. "Wow. How late exactly?"
"A couple days," Rory said, less angry now that she had gotten it off her chest and actually said it aloud. "I mean, it's not unusual for my cycle to be irregular, but I've never been late after sleeping with someone before, and since we did it twice, and I'm not on the pill, I think I'm having an aneurysm and that can't be good for Ella."
"Ella?" Lane asked. "Who's Ella?"
"The child I may or may not bear in 9 months," Rory responded automatically.
"You named your unconfirmed fetus?"
"Well I've spent a lot of time worrying the past couple days."
"But you named it ELLA?" Lane asked, incredulous.
"Yeah," Rory answered. "After Ella Fitzgerald. I have a feeling it's a girl."
"It's a week old!" Lane cried. "It doesn't even have boy/girl parts yet! That is, IF it even exists!" she paused. "Also, I don't really see yours and Jess' child as an Ella."
Rory nodded. "Yeah I know, you're right. But how about Frank, if it's a boy?"
"Rory!" Lane yelled. "Get a grip! You're usually the rational one and your behavior is messing up our chemistry. Now stop trying to name your unborn possibly non-existent week old fetus!!!!"
"Yes Ma'am," Rory said meekly.
"Ok," Lane said, determined. "First thing's first. We need a pregnancy test. Now buying one in town is obviously out of the question. Everybody would know within 20 minutes."
"Agreed," Rory said. "Miss Patty's spies are lurking everywhere."
"But no matter where we could go, we'd need someone else to buy it for us."
"Why can't I just get it myself in Hartford?" Rory asked.
"Oh please," Lane said. "You're telling me with all the money she has, you're grandmother doesn't have spies too?"
Rory paused. "What was that you were saying earlier about ME being irrational?"
"Eureka!" Lane cried. "I've got it!"
"Wow you're so lucky," Rory commented. "I've never had a 'Eureka' moment before."
"I'll make one of the guys in the band buy it. Not Dave. Oh, how about Brian? He doesn't usually have anything better to do."
"Ok!" Rory agreed enthusiastically. "It's a plan!"
"It's a GOOD plan!" Lane exclaimed, surprised at her own ability to handle the situation. "I'm psyched! It will work-I have confidence in this plan."
Rory's exasperated, chocked up voice on the other line brought Lane back from her momentary enthusiasm. "Lane?"
"Yeah?" she answered.
Rory sighed and tried not to let the tears she was holding back fall onto her cheek. "I'm really scared..."
"I know," Lane said, not sure of what else to say.
"What do I say to Jess?" Rory asked, worried.
"Nothing now," Lane said. "It might be a false alarm, and you don't want to scare him if it is."
"I know...." Rory admitted. "But what if it's not a false alarm? Do I just stay in Stars Hollow my whole life, skip college, and raise little Frankella?"
"No!" Lane said sympatheticall, "Honey, I would never, EVER, let you name your child Frankella."
Rory chuckled a little through her tears. "I love you Lane."
"You too Rory," Lane said with a smile. "Hey, my mom's in a good mood tonight. If I tell her you're crying, she'll probably let you sleep over out of pity for you."
Rory smiled. "Thanks. I'll call my mom's cell and tell her that I'll be at your place for the night."
"Ok," Lane said. "And don't worry. Everything will be ok."
"Thanks," Rory said, gratefully. "Bye."
She hung up and immediately called her mother's cell phone to leave a message about staying at Lane's. Afterwards, she quickly dried her tears and grabbed her backpack, and then headed out to the Kim house.
Lorelai, who had been silently standing at the top of the stairs, felt like she could barely breathe. It felt like a lifetime before her legs managed to carry her out the door and back to the Inn.
A/N: Oh I'm so evil cuz I'm cutting you off now guys!!!! Heheh sorry. Ok, just so you know, this is not gonna be cliché, no worries. There are a lot of red herrings (false setups) in this chapter, it's not all gonna turn out the way it looks like it's gonna. I'll update as soon as I can, but I gotta tell ya, the next chapter is gonna be tough to write. As always, if you read and review, you are my favorite, and I send you a karmic cookie along with my love. Mwa!!!!
Time to Start Panicking
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Why do you keep secrets?
Why can't you say what's true?
You know I could handle it
I'd never turn on you
Why don't you just come clean?
********************************
"Oh my God, Mom, what are you doing?"
It was Monday morning, at 6 AM, and Rory had awoken to the smell of... well, something burning.
"I'm making pancakes!" Lorelai said to her daughter with an overly optimistic smile. She turned back to the pan. "Well, TRYING to make pancakes."
"You do realize you're supposed to flip them BEFORE you sense that odor that reminds you of a bonfire, right?"
"Funny, funny girl!" Lorelai said. "I'm perfectly capable of making a good, not burnt pancake. I just... keep getting distracted."
Rory sat at the kitchen table and rubbed her eyes. "Did you have another weird dream?"
Lorelai contemplated for a second. "Yeah, actually. I did."
"If I analyze it for you, can we go to Luke's?"
"No."
Rory sighed. "Why are you and Luke avoiding each other?"
Lorelai sighed. "We are not avoiding each other, Rory. I just... decided I don't-like good food anymore..."
"Now I know where I get my inability to lie from," Rory said. "Mom, I'm not going to eat those burnt pancakes unless you tell me what's going on between you and Luke."
"Nothing is going on!" Lorelai insisted. "Really, it's nothing."
Rory watched her mother for a moment. "He told he likes you, didn't he?"
"No!" Lorelai answered a little too quickly and defensively.
"Of course he didn't," Rory said. "Luke would never admit that. It's not his style. If it were, you would have known a LONG time ago. So who told you for him?"
"Nobody," Lorelai said. Rory stared her down. "Ok," she said unwillingly. "It was Sookie."
Rory nodded. "It's about time."
Lorelai's eyes widened. "Why am I the last person to know about all of this?" She asked, confused.
"Because you chose to remain completely clueless, even though it's totally obvious," Rory replied.
"I am not clueless," Lorelai said defensively.
"You're Cher Horrowitz, Mom," Rory said. "Only less blond." She paused and inhaled. "Mom I can smell it burning, flip the pancake before it catches fire."
Lorelai did so quickly, and sat across the table from Rory, obviously confused. "So you really think he likes me?"
Rory nodded. "Yes, mom, I really think Luke likes you."
"You mean he LIKES me? Or he LIKE likes me?"
Rory sighed. "Dear God, I hoped that I'd never have to hear that question again after the 6th grade." She stood and went to pour herself a cup of coffee. "Yes, I think Luke LIKE likes you."
Lorelai sighed, soaking in this piece of information. "Wow. That's pretty intense."
Rory sipped her coffee. "Yes it is." She paused. "So what are you gonna do about it?"
Lorelai shook her head. "I just-I don't know. I mean this is LUKE we're talking about here. The diner guy. My friend. That's a pretty big transition, going from the scruffy guy who provides us both with food to being... my gentleman caller."
Rory snickered. "I'm sorry, gentleman caller?"
"Hey it's not my fault," Lorelai protested. "I'm all freaked out, it's affecting my rhetoric."
"Wow, mom, nice big word."
Lorelai grinned. "Thanks. I got it from my word-a-day calender." Lorelai stood. "Ok, sit Rory. I'm gonna serve you some pancakes."
"Oh Goody," Rory exclaimed sarcastically, sitting at the table again. Lorelai placed a plate in front of her. Rory tried not to wrinkle her nose in disgust at the completely black, burnt pancakes.
"They look great don't they?" Lorelai asked.
"Mom please don't make me eat these," Rory begged. Lorelai rolled her eyes and poured some maple syrup on the stack.
"Stop being so picky. World champion eaters like us can't be picky! Now suck it up and eat the pancakes!"
Reluctantly, Rory took a bite and swallowed.
"Well?" Lorelai asked hopefully.
"Please mom, can I just have a pop tart?"
Lorelai sighed and took the plate back to the sink. "Ok. You win. They taste like crap." She put the syrup away. "I had some earlier. They were even worse."
Rory's mouth dropped. "I don't believe you! You knew how bad they were and you still made me try some?" She crossed her arms. "Mean."
"Hey I had a legitimate reason," Lorelai said.
"Oh yeah?" Rory asked skeptically. "Why?"
"Revenge for labor pains." Lorelai poured herself a second cup of coffee. "So let's just say we're even."
Rory contemplated for a moment. "No deal," she said.
"What?" Lorelai cried, offended. "What do you mean? We are totally even."
"No deal," Rory repeated. "I won't say we're even unless you agree to come to Luke's with me this morning. I think you need to talk to him so you don't get used to avoiding him. Plus, I really want a donut."
Lorelai sighed. "Fine. We'll go. Go get dressed."
Rory stood with a smile. "You won't regret it mom, I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Honey," Lorelai called as Rory went back into her room to get dressed.
**********************************************
"Well if it isn't sleeping beauty," Miss Patty remarked as Jess walked into the diner from the apartment, rubbing his eyes.
"Someday I'm not gonna take this abuse anymore," Jess said, grabbing the coffee pot and beginning to refill people's mugs. Luke glanced up from the register at Jess. He'd been acting way too happy lately. Not like sunshine and roses happy or anything. But just... not upset, which was pretty good for him. Kind of disturbing and unnatural, but still good.
He heard the bell ring as the door swung open and Rory walked in, followed by Lorelai. Jess and Rory smiled at each other, but Lorelai was really obviously avoiding Luke's eyes. He'd skipped town for a couple days; he'd needed to see Liz anyway, but it was certainly convenient that he left in time to avoid any kind of confrontation with Lorelai. Ever since that day when he'd hinted to her how he felt... he'd been nervous as hell. Did she know what he meant? And what did she think of it? And most importantly, what was she gonna do about it all?
"Uh," he cleared his throat to catch Lorelai's attention. "The table by the window's free if you want it."
Lorelai smiled awkwardly and nodded in acknowledgment. "Thanks, Luke," she said. She and Rory sat.
Jess walked back to the counter. "Don't worry," he said under his breath to Luke, "I know you're avoiding them. I'll get their orders." He smirked a little at his uncles obvious discomfort before grabbing two mugs and the coffee pot and going back to the table.
"Hey," he said when he reached the table.
"Hey," Rory said with a smile. They exchanged knowing glances, observing Lorelai's attempts to subtly look at Luke.
"Want coffee Lorelai?" Jess asked. Lorelai snapped back to reality.
"What? Oh hi! What?"
Rory suppressed her laughter as she sipped her coffee.
"Coffee?" Jess asked her again.
"Oh yes," Lorelai smiled gratefully. "Lots. It's gonna be a long morning."
Jess poured. "Here you go." He paused. "He's not busy, you can go talk to him if you want," Jess said with a smug smile as he walked away.
Lorelai sighed. "It's official. I am the VERY last person to figure this whole thing out."
"Well mostly," Rory agreed. "But don't worry, I'm pretty sure you got it before like... Joan Rivers or Christina Aguilera or all those famous people who are too wrapped up in their own business to care about you and Luke."
"Rory, while your sarcasm is usually appreciated," Lorelai said, "Now is definitely not the time."
"What's the deal, mom?" Rory whispered anxiously. "You finally know how Luke feels about you; so now what? Are you gonna tell him you know?"
Lorelai laughed. "Yeah right." She paused. "I don't know. I guess I'll just play it by ear."
Rory nodded. "Well let me know," she said, after taking one last sip of her coffee. "I gotta go wait for the bus. Jess, can you bring me a donut?"
Moments later, Jess appeared by her side with a donut in a bag. "Here," he said, handing her the bag. "I'll wait at the bus with you. Just let me go get my stuff." Jess disappeared up the stairs as Rory put her backpack over her shoulder.
"Wait, Rory, the bus doesn't come for another 15 minutes," Lorelai said.
"I know," Rory said, trying not to grin too obviously. "Jess and I are just gonna sit at the bus stop and talk for a while, that's all."
"Oooooh," Lorelai said, nodding with a sly smile. "I see. Here." She reached into her purse and pulled out a box of mints. "Nobody likes to kiss someone with coffee breath."
"Gross, mom," Rory said, popping a mint into her mouth.
"Yeah, yeah, just don't get so distracted by all the making out that you don't notice when the bus comes."
"I'll try my hardest," Rory said, heading to the door. Jess joined her and they left together.
Lorelai watched through the window as the two walked side by side toward the bus stop, but as they started doing all those young-couple-in-love things (wrapping arms around each other, kissing, never letting their faces get more than 3 inches apart, etc) she no longer felt comfortable using them as an excuse not to look anywhere that Luke could be. She looked deep into her coffee mug, pretending to be completely fascinated by her reflection in the dark liquid.
"Lose something in there?" Luke's voice at her side startled her so much she nearly spilled the coffee all over the table.
"Oh," Lorelai said with a sigh after recovering from the initial shock. "Yeah, just the meaning of life, you know." She giggled nervously.
"Yeah well I wouldn't hold my breath," Luke said. "But you might keep your eye out for a sunken treasure chest or something."
Lorelai chuckled a little too enthusiastically. "Hey, you made a joke!"
"I have been known to do so on occasion. Once every 6 months or so, you're lucky you caught it this time." He sighed. Despite the clever banter, there was no denying the tension between them. "Uh, you wanna order some breakfast?"
Lorelai smiled, grateful for a distraction. "Oh yes. Food. Always a good thing." She sighed. "Um, how about a bagel?"
Luke raised his eyebrows. "No pancakes this morning?"
"Yeah well, I'm feeling adventurous today. Thought I'd take a major risk and order something you don't put maple syrup and whipped cream on."
Luke nodded. "Coming right up." He strolled back to the counter. Lorelai watched him walk away, and got up without thinking. She didn't really know what came over her, or how she was going to do it. But it was all she could think about doing since she'd found out about Luke's feelings and it was driving her crazy.
"Hey, Luke?" she said as he was cutting her bagel in half.
"What? Did you change your mind about the bagel?" he asked.
She chuckled a little. "No, no, still feeling crazy and spontaneous, I just um..." she tried to casually slip onto the stool. "I'm just bored. Don't wanna sit alone. Thought maybe I'd sit at the counter and you could entertain me while I eat my boring, sugar-free bagel." She smiled.
"I won't dance on the table, if that's your definition of entertainment," Luke said. "But feel free to sit. I'll make some more coffee."
Lorelai smiled. "Great." He gave her the bagel with a packet of cream cheese. She spread the cream cheese as he went about making coffee, and the silence was unbearable.
"So," Lorelai said through a mouthful of bagel, "seen any good movies lately?"
Luke tried not to point out how awkward the conversation sparker had been. "Oh, not really. Nothing good's come out lately. Just silly romantic comedies, that sorta thing."
Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. It's a shame isn't it? All the good movies are in video stores, and our local video store doesn't even have any good ones. Well except for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory. That's a classic."
Luke shook his head. "Whatever you say."
Lorelai's eyes widened. "You've never seen Willy Wonka?"
"If I say no, are you gonna make me watch it?"
"Yes."
"Then yes, I've seen it many times. I even had it memorized a few years ago, but what can I tell ya? It's been slipping away from me lately."
"Yeah, THAT'S believable." Lorelai took another bite and tried to figure out how to word what she wanted to communicate. "So um... listen, in a couple weeks, after the Stars Hollow High graduation, Rory and Lane and Jess are gonna be going to this graduation party at Ronnie Carson's house-"
"They are?" Luke asked. "Jess didn't tell me."
"Well he doesn't tell you a lot of things," Lorelai said. "But anyway-"
"You're letting Rory go to some unsupervised graduation party with Jess?"
Lorelai sighed. He really wasn't making this easy. "Yes, I'm letting her go. I trust her. Remember, Rory's the good one. The one who tells me everything and who hasn't done anything wrong ever in her whole life? I think they're planning to make her a saint after she dies."
"I know, I know, I just wasn't sure about this whole-"
"Luke shut up, I'm trying to ask you something and you're making it difficult."
Luke stopped his rant, surprised by this unusual and infrequent serious tone in Lorelai's voice. "I'm listening."
Lorelai sighed. "So anyway, my kid's gonna be gone. Your kid's gonna be gone. I was planning on stopping by the big video store in Hartford on my way back from the Grandparent's dinner the week before, you know, cuz they have a better selection there than here. They actually carry all the Rocky movies, and I don't know about you, but to me that says quality." She chuckled slightly. "But, uh, anyway, I was just... you know, thinking... you and I don't spend that much time together-"
"I see you everyday. Usually twice a day."
"I know, but that's in a working environment. I mean socially."
Luke eyed her nervously. "What are you getting at Lorelai?"
Lorelai smiled a little. "I thought it might be fun if you... maybe came over and we watched some videos." Luke didn't say anything. He looked confused and shocked, and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. "Nothing formal, just some pop corn and snack foods. Unhealthy ones for me, but hey, you could have... carrot sticks, or-celery sticks... any kind of vegetable stick-"
"What movie?"
Lorelai giggled. "So it speaks." She thought a moment. "Um, how about minority report? I've been meaning to see that for a while."
Luke nodded. "Sounds good to me."
Lorelai smiled. "Great. So... ok. It's a date. I mean-not a DATE, but like a date. As in on a calendar. So really it's a DAY. You know, I could just say it's a plan and avoid all this confusion." She laughed nervously. "Alright, well um... I'll see you later probably."
"Probably," Luke said. Lorelai picked up the half of her bagel she hadn't eaten and stood.
"I'm gonna go to work."
"Sounds like a good idea," Luke said.
"Alright," Lorelai said with a smile. "See ya later!" she walked out of the diner as fast as her legs could carry her.
Luke walked into the back room to make some fries. He really didn't want anyone to see the huge smile on his face.
********************************************
"So," Jess said to Rory over the phone. "This Friday. What are you doing?"
"I don't know. I'll have to check my schedule. Why?"
"Just thought we could go somewhere," he said under his breath. Luke was in the other room, and he didn't want him to overhear anything suspicious.
Rory couldn't help blushing a little. "I want to-I REALLY do-but, as usual, I have the grandparent's dinner and I don't know how much time I'll have afterwards."
Jess sighed. "Just tell Lorelai we're gonna go to that coffee place we went to after the prom."
"Joe's café?" Rory asked. She sighed. "I could probably make it work. What time?" She grabbed her date planner out of her backpack to write down the time and place.
"Well I figure you can be done with dinner by 8 if you hurry, which means you can get to Joe's by 8:20. But I should probably give you 20 minutes extra in case your grandmother goes nuts and insists you stay later like she always does. Sound reasonable?" There was no answer on the other end. "Hello?" Still no answer. "Rory, where did I lose you?"
"Oh," Rory said, snapping back to reality. "Sorry, just... got distracted."
"No problem. But how late can you-"
"Is it the 29th?"
"Yes it is. Random much?"
"Sorry, I just-hold on." She flipped through the pages of her date book quickly. "1 week, 2, 3, 4... she trailed off. "Oh God..."
"What's the matter?" Jess asked, confused.
"Nothing, I-I just... thought I missed an appointment that I scheduled, that's all. No big deal." She paused. "I'll call you tomorrow, Jess, I gotta go."
"What? Rory-"
She hung up. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, but tried to be rational. She'd just wait a day or two. It was probably just a miscalculation, something stupid like that. She would just wait a while...
"Rory!!!" Lorelai called, slamming the front door behind her. Rory tried to snap herself out of the trance she'd fallen into.
"Thank GOD you're home," Lorelai sighed, collapsing on Rory's bed and kicking her shoes off. Rory tried her hardest to focus on her mother and not get distracted by her recent revelation.
"Long day huh?" Rory asked her.
Lorelai groaned. "You have NO idea." Lorelai paused and rolled onto her side to establish eye contact with Rory. "So," she began. "I did something kind of wacky today?"
"Was it something illegal?"
"No, no, just... one of those things that you look back at all day and think 'Whoa. Where did THAT come from?"'
"Just tell me," Rory insisted. "The suspense is unbearable."
"Ok. But get ready, cuz this one's a whopper."
"Whopper?"
"SO not the point."
"Right. Sorry. So what did you do?"
Lorelai sighed. "I think I kinda... sorta.... Maybe-"
"Almost, nearly, somewhat, etc. Move on to the verb."
"I think I asked Luke out."
Rory's eyes went wide and her heart stopped. "You WHAT?"
"I know, I know," Lorelai said, burying her face in her hands.
"What on earth possessed you and made you decide to ask Luke out on a date?" Rory asked, half confused, half excited. She'd been waiting for a long time for her mother to find happiness, and she'd always believed that Luke had the potential to be the one guy who could really make Lorelai happy. But she didn't want her mother to screw it up, and she knew that if Lorelai started dating Luke before she was really sure of her feelings for him, then it would ruin everything.
"I don't know," Lorelai said shaking her head. "The thing is, it's not even really a date. It's supposed to be casual; he's coming over to watch a video."
"You're not gonna make him watch Willy Wonka, are you?" Rory asked, fearing that the relationship would be over before it even began.
"No, we're gonna watch a boy movie," Lorelai said. "Minority report."
"Ooooh, good choice," Rory commented. "Oh, but don't spend the whole time making kissy noises every time Tom Cruise comes on the screen. I know it makes me laugh, but it might make Luke a little uncomfortable."
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Duly noted."
"So how did you ask him?" Rory demanded. "I want details."
"I don't know!" Lorelai said, sitting up. "I mean, I knew when I went in there that morning that I was confused about how I felt about this whole thing. And I just... I can't really tell if there's something there."
Of course there's something there, Rory wanted to scream at her, but she held her tongue. Lorelai had to figure this out for herself.
Lorelai continued. "I guess I just figured that if I spent some time with him-outside of the diner setting, and without him fixing anything-then maybe I'd be able to tell if there's any.... Potential, you know?"
Rory nodded. "So when is said sort-of-date taking place?"
"The night of that graduation party that you and Jess and Lane are going to."
"Oooo, you guys have the house to yourselves all night," Rory teased. "How romantic."
"Stop," Lorelai said. "I'll smother you with a pillow."
"I think it's generally frowned upon when mother's smother their children with pillows."
"Yeah well I could pull it off." Lorelai stood up. "I could hide the body in the laundry pile and no one would ever venture into it to look for you." She walked into the kitchen. "I'm ordering Pizza!" she called.
Rory sighed. She wanted so badly to just walk into the next room and ask her mother what to do. She was scared, and whenever she was scared, Lorelai had always been the first person she turned to. But now she just couldn't bring herself to. At first she'd been keeping the step she and Jess had taken a secret from her mom because she wanted to have it all to herself, like a normal teenage girl. She didn't want her mother to see her in that new light just yet. But now.... now she was scared of what her mother might do. She'd promised to tell her before she and Jess did anything, and she'd broken that promise... and now there was no telling how angry Lorelai would be when she found out.
She couldn't ask Lorelai for her help. She'd have to figure things out for herself. She'd wait for 24 hours and see if it was just a false alarm. And if nothing changed by then... well, THEN she could start panicking.
************************************************
"Oh my god."
Lorelai sighed. "Sookie, all you've said for the past 10 minutes is 'Oh My God'. Please say something else, I'm getting a little freaked out here."
"I'm sorry," Sookie said," but... oh my GOD!" she giggled. "This is huge!"
"It's not that huge," Lorelai said. "It's totally casual. My house, not dressed up, just hanging out with snacks and a video. It's like any other night with me and Rory, except now Rory's grown a foot, and has developed slight facial hair and a tendency to feel naked when not wearing an old backwards baseball cap-"
"Lorelai, it is NOT just any other night with Rory," Sookie said, taking the bunt cake she'd made out of the oven. "Luke is NOT Rory. Luke is crazy about you, and I know he's not gonna be comfortable just being your Rory substitute. He probably thinks you asked him on a trial date to see if he has potential. You can't just expect him to sit there with you and mock the movie while you throw popcorn at the screen whenever the evil guy comes on the screen-"
"Hey I only did that once. Are you ever gonna let me forget it?"
Sookie pouted. "It was my favorite movie. You ruined it."
"Sorry," Lorelai said reluctantly. She sighed. "So what exactly are you saying? That I should pretend like it's a REAL date? Should I wear a pretty skirt and immensely uncomfortable shoes and suck my stomach in the whole night and try not to make too many references to strange 80's bands that no one's heard of?"
"No," Sookie said. "You just have to try to be a little more serious about it. This is probably a big deal to Luke. If he shows up expecting a date, and you're in your sweat pants playing the first Spice Girls album at top volume, he's gonna be crushed that you aren't taking it seriously, and you know it."
"I guess you're right," Lorelai said, sipping her coffee. "So I'll put some effort into it. I'll wear real clothes and order some take out that's actually edible and try to behave myself. How's that?"
Sookie smiled. "Good. It's gonna be fun," she said, excitedly.
Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, I guess it will be." She stood up with a sigh. "Ugh, these shoes are killing me. I'm gonna run home real quick and change them."
"Oh!" Sookie called as she headed toward the door. "I'm sorry. You can't take your car."
"Why not Sook?" Lorelai asked suspiciously. Sookie wrinkled her nose with guilt.
"Because I sort of let one of the busboys to the market to get us some more chocolate chips and I said he could take your car." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry."
Lorelai sighed. "It's ok. I'll just walk. I could use the exercise anyway, seeing as how the reason all the chocolate chips are gone is that I stole a bag and ate them all." Lorelai took her high heels off and walked out the door barefoot. "I'll be back soon!"
************************************
Rory stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her. She was scared, she was confused, and since she didn't like either of these emotions much, she was angry. She'd waited a day, and things were still the same. Now she didn't know what to do.
All day she'd been distracted. She couldn't focus in class or at the Franklin. She knew her mother would be at the Inn pretty late that night. This was good; it gave her the privacy to do the only thing she could think to do. Call Lane.
The phone seemed to ring forever, but when it was answered, she was glad Lane herself picked up. She was in too bitter of a mood to suck up to Mrs. Kim.
"Hello?" Lane's voice came over the receiver.
Rory replied with a harsh tone in her voice. "Lane. Hi there."
Lane picked up on her anger immediately. "Whoa. What did I do?"
"Nothing.
"So then why are you mad at me?"
"You?" Rory said, still angry. "I'm not mad at you."
"Oh Good," Lane breathed a sigh of relief. "Cuz that would really suck, if you were mad at me. What's the matter? You sound like you've got battle face on."
Rory sighed. "Lane I need your help."
"That's what I'm here for. To help you."
Rory paused. "I need to get my hands on a pregnancy test.
There was silence on the other end, until finally, Lane said calmly, "I can't help you there."
Rory sighed frustrated. "Ugh! I'm so screwed!
"Wait," Lane said. "Explain before I get too lost."
"Lane I'm late," Rory said without hesitation. The thought didn't make her uneasy anymore, it made her outraged.
"Late for what?" Lane asked optimistically. "Cuz if you leave now, you could probably-"
"Lane!" Rory interrupted the potential ramble.
"Ok. Sorry. Just holding on desperately to my last shred of wishful thinking." She paused. "Wow. How late exactly?"
"A couple days," Rory said, less angry now that she had gotten it off her chest and actually said it aloud. "I mean, it's not unusual for my cycle to be irregular, but I've never been late after sleeping with someone before, and since we did it twice, and I'm not on the pill, I think I'm having an aneurysm and that can't be good for Ella."
"Ella?" Lane asked. "Who's Ella?"
"The child I may or may not bear in 9 months," Rory responded automatically.
"You named your unconfirmed fetus?"
"Well I've spent a lot of time worrying the past couple days."
"But you named it ELLA?" Lane asked, incredulous.
"Yeah," Rory answered. "After Ella Fitzgerald. I have a feeling it's a girl."
"It's a week old!" Lane cried. "It doesn't even have boy/girl parts yet! That is, IF it even exists!" she paused. "Also, I don't really see yours and Jess' child as an Ella."
Rory nodded. "Yeah I know, you're right. But how about Frank, if it's a boy?"
"Rory!" Lane yelled. "Get a grip! You're usually the rational one and your behavior is messing up our chemistry. Now stop trying to name your unborn possibly non-existent week old fetus!!!!"
"Yes Ma'am," Rory said meekly.
"Ok," Lane said, determined. "First thing's first. We need a pregnancy test. Now buying one in town is obviously out of the question. Everybody would know within 20 minutes."
"Agreed," Rory said. "Miss Patty's spies are lurking everywhere."
"But no matter where we could go, we'd need someone else to buy it for us."
"Why can't I just get it myself in Hartford?" Rory asked.
"Oh please," Lane said. "You're telling me with all the money she has, you're grandmother doesn't have spies too?"
Rory paused. "What was that you were saying earlier about ME being irrational?"
"Eureka!" Lane cried. "I've got it!"
"Wow you're so lucky," Rory commented. "I've never had a 'Eureka' moment before."
"I'll make one of the guys in the band buy it. Not Dave. Oh, how about Brian? He doesn't usually have anything better to do."
"Ok!" Rory agreed enthusiastically. "It's a plan!"
"It's a GOOD plan!" Lane exclaimed, surprised at her own ability to handle the situation. "I'm psyched! It will work-I have confidence in this plan."
Rory's exasperated, chocked up voice on the other line brought Lane back from her momentary enthusiasm. "Lane?"
"Yeah?" she answered.
Rory sighed and tried not to let the tears she was holding back fall onto her cheek. "I'm really scared..."
"I know," Lane said, not sure of what else to say.
"What do I say to Jess?" Rory asked, worried.
"Nothing now," Lane said. "It might be a false alarm, and you don't want to scare him if it is."
"I know...." Rory admitted. "But what if it's not a false alarm? Do I just stay in Stars Hollow my whole life, skip college, and raise little Frankella?"
"No!" Lane said sympatheticall, "Honey, I would never, EVER, let you name your child Frankella."
Rory chuckled a little through her tears. "I love you Lane."
"You too Rory," Lane said with a smile. "Hey, my mom's in a good mood tonight. If I tell her you're crying, she'll probably let you sleep over out of pity for you."
Rory smiled. "Thanks. I'll call my mom's cell and tell her that I'll be at your place for the night."
"Ok," Lane said. "And don't worry. Everything will be ok."
"Thanks," Rory said, gratefully. "Bye."
She hung up and immediately called her mother's cell phone to leave a message about staying at Lane's. Afterwards, she quickly dried her tears and grabbed her backpack, and then headed out to the Kim house.
Lorelai, who had been silently standing at the top of the stairs, felt like she could barely breathe. It felt like a lifetime before her legs managed to carry her out the door and back to the Inn.
A/N: Oh I'm so evil cuz I'm cutting you off now guys!!!! Heheh sorry. Ok, just so you know, this is not gonna be cliché, no worries. There are a lot of red herrings (false setups) in this chapter, it's not all gonna turn out the way it looks like it's gonna. I'll update as soon as I can, but I gotta tell ya, the next chapter is gonna be tough to write. As always, if you read and review, you are my favorite, and I send you a karmic cookie along with my love. Mwa!!!!
