Nothing but confusion - Chapter 4.
-by miss.pebbles. :)
A/n - thanks for all the reviews! blush I've received an over whelming response since I put up chapter 2, and for those who think this is going to be an L/C, I'm sorry. Maybe another story? But don't stop reading. Thanks for all the ideas so far, see them coming up in the future! (and thanks lizzie for being my proof reader! - if you wonder why my chapters don't get put up that fast - you know who to blame for!! jks, jks!! luv ya!)
Anyways - this has so far be a very detailed story, and I think I'm going to speed it up a little bit. I've got ideas for a new story, but I'm not going to start it until I finish this one. Let me know how far I should continue! Now, on with the story.
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Chapter 4
Lorelai took one last bite of her waffle, and put down her knife and fork.
"Wow, am I full!" she said, pushing away her plate.
"Ditto that," Rory commented, from behind her book, while sneaking glances at her boyfriend who was waiting on other tables in the diner.
"I'm stuffed," Chris announced. "I see how you guys come here all the time. The food is really good here." Georgia was sitting in her car seat on an extra chair, soaking up the sunshine streaming through the windows.
"I think it's about time for me to go," Chris said, standing up and pulling on his jacket. He reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet. Lorelai quickly stopped him.
"Don't worry about it Chris - it's my treat. I wish you weren't leaving so soon either," she said.
"But you'll come back to visit soon right?" Rory asked, echoing her mother's sentiments.
"Anything for my two favourite Gilmores," Chris replied, smiling. "Thanks for letting us stay so long. I'll call when I get to Boston okay?"
Lorelai nodded, and stood up to give him a kiss. Rory got and walked around to give her little sister a kiss on the head. She stood back up, and gave her dad a huge hug. Jess smiled at Rory, who looked at him, while hugging her dad.
"I'll miss you," she whispered in his ear. "Love you."
"Love you too, kiddo."
Chris gave Lorelai a quick kiss, and a hug.
"Thanks for turning me down," he whispered. "I really needed that." He smiled, as he picked up his car seat and his daughter. Chris strolled toward the counter, and stuck his hand out at Jess.
"Be good to my daughter, okay?" he said to Jess, who was a surprised by Chris' actions. Jess shook his hand firmly, and nodded, replying,
"Yes sir."
"I'll sit down and get to know you the next time I'm in town alright?" Chris said, firmly. Jess' heart sunk, and his stomach nervously pulled into knots.
"Yes sir," he replied again, meekly. He looked helplessly in the direction of Rory and Lorelai, only to see amused looks on their faces.
Chris let go of his hand, and walked towards the door, giving Lorelai and Rory one last wave. Both girls waved back, smiling.
Once the door closed shut, Rory walked over and gave Jess a hug. Jess held her tight, as she buried her head into his neck, breathing softly. He rubbed her back gently, whispering softly to her.
"I miss him already," Rory whispered softly. "It was so nice having him around."
"I know," Jess answered, and a soothing voice. "He'll be back."
Lorelai sat back down in her seat, picking up her half filled coffee cup. She felt oddly happy but also sad inside, almost an empty feeling. With Chris living at their house for a couple of days, it felt really nice, and normal. She looked out the window to see Chris' Volvo driving away, down the street. Maybe it was the thought of her being wanted, or the fact that there was a baby around in the house that had filled the empty space that now occupied her. She quickly finished her coffee, and gathered her purse. She stopped at the counter to pay for breakfast. Jess let go of Rory, and rang up the bill.
"You never pay," he commented, taking her twenty and handing her back some change. "Luke's used to not having you pay, you know."
"I know, but Luke is used to not having me and Rory pay. He's not used to having Chris not pay for his breakfast either, so I'm here to pay for his part," she said, plunking her change into her wallet. "Where is your flannel-clad uncle anyways?" she asked.
'Dunno," was Jess' reply.
"Alright then." She turned to Rory, who had gone back to get her book and jacket. "Are you going to hang around here for a while hun?" she questioned her daughter.
"Yup," Rory answered, smiling. Lorelai frowned mockingly, and looked at her daughter.
"I don't sacrifice my Friday nights to go to my mother's house for you to give me one word answers," she said. "What happened to all those lovely full sentences?" referring to the conversation they once had about the difference between Jess and Dean.
"Maybe Jess is rubbing off on me," Rory answered, walking up beside her mother. "Don't worry, my vocabulary is quite intact, and if you want, I can use extremely sophisticated words in my sentences if you prefer."
"That's my girl," Lorelai said, smiling. "Bye hun, see you at home." she said giving Rory a quick kiss on the cheek.
"See you later, diner-boy" she called out to Jess, before leaving the diner.
"Diner-boy? Diner-boy?" Jess repeated. "She did not just call me diner-boy did she?" he asked his girlfriend.
"Oh yes she did," she replied, giggling. "I think it's cute! It's very true," she added, putting a thoughtful look on her face. "You are a boy, and you do work in a diner boy. I think it's a good nickname" she confirm, nodding her head firmly. "A very good nickname, of which I should use more often."
"Oh no you don't," Jess said, putting down the towel he held in his hands. "Don't call me that, or I'm never giving you coffee again." Jess threatened. He paused, realizing what he just said.
"Shit!" he said. "I'm becoming like Luke!"
"The Diner-man" Rory added, laughing. Jess threw her a dirty look, before reaching over the counter to tickle her.
"Luke" he yelled. "My shift's over!"
Luke appeared from the kitchen, quickly scanning the diner for Lorelai and Chris, but only finding Rory sitting at the counter. Jess quickly grabbed Rory's hand, leading her towards the stairs.
"Hey, where's your mother?" Luke asked gruffly, trying not to show he cared.
"She went home," Rory replied, shrugging her shoulders. "She should be back later," and quickly disappeared upstairs with Jess.
Luke frowned, as he picked up the coffee pot, and began to refill people's cups.
~.~
Luke's apartment
"We totally need to do something about them," Jess said, after closing the apartment door.
"Definitely," Rory agreed. "I've never seen Luke so, so" she said, at a loss for words.
"Smitten?" Jess supplied for Rory. "Head over heels in love? I could keep on going here."
"Definitely smitten, but seriously, over my mom?"
"Yeah, definitely. It seems all the Gilmore women manage to capture our hearts," Jess said softly, pulling Rory by her waist and pulling her towards him. He bent down, and gave Rory a soft kiss on the lips, which was eagerly accepted by Rory, who kissed him back rather aggressively. Five minutes later, they stopped for some air, both of them breathing hard, but smiling from ear to ear.
"We should do something about them," Rory said, looking Jess in the eyes. "Doesn't it bother you that Luke's always moody or mopey around here? And my mother - I so do not want to go to see her lying on the couch with a bag of chips and a pint of Ben and Jerry's."
"I guess we should help them out. I told uncle Luke to get off his ass and do something about it, but it might take years for it to happen. Do you have any plans in mind?" he asked, nibbling at Rory's neck, despite her giggling.
Rory playfully pushed her boyfriend away, back into an upright sitting position.
"I've got a plan," she said, her eyes sparkling, and her cheeks all rosy. "Now, you're going to have to help me with this..."
~.~
"Mom," Rory called out. "I'm home!"
Indeed, Lorelai was lying on the couch, watching the CNN, armed with a pint of Ben and Jerry's which had be more than half consumed. She turned, and looked at Rory, her eyes red and puffy.
"It's so sad," she began, her voice cracking slightly. "Another war in the middle east? Not yet, but the high possibilities of it happening. And there were rumors in the Entertainment biz that Kid Rock is dead."
"Mom," Rory said worriedly. "Kid Rock. Since when do you ever listen to him try to rap, or sing, or do whatever he does right?" She gently pried away the ice cream from her mother's tightly clutched hands. "What's wrong mom?" she asked, picking up scattered tissues from around the couch, the half eaten bag of potato chips.
"What happens, Rory, if this time around Chris and I were meant to be? And I really gave up the chance to make things right? I called him earlier, but I guess he wasn't home yet.."
"Wait? Mom, you called him?" Rory asked, in disbelief. "He's with his parents in Hartford anyways. Did you leave a message?"
"Of course not, do you think I'm stupid?" Lorelai replied.
"You called him, now didn't you?"
Lorelai's eyes started to well up in tears again.
"I am stupid, now am I," she said, her lower lip quivering.
"No your not," Rory said, plopping down on the couch, putting her arm around her mom. "You're far from it. Insane, maybe on a few occasions, but definitely not stupid. Can a stupid mother give birth to a smart daughter? I don't think so."
"I guess so," Lorelai said, agreeing with Rory, nodding her head slowly up and down.
"I'm going to draw you a bath, mom, and you can go take a long bath. Then we'll head out to Luke's for coffee and dinner at around six okay?"
"You're super sweetie. A super daughter," Lorelai commented, as Rory helped her up on her feet. Both climbed the stairs together, headed to the bathroom.
~.~
Luke's diner.
Jess was tapping his foot impatiently, looking at the clock on the wall. It was almost six thirty, the time that Rory promised to swing by the diner with her mother.
Luke was in the back, doing the inventory after the re-stocking, as he hid away from the front counter for most of the day. Jess didn't understand what was wrong with him, but the plan that him and Rory set up would hopefully break his moody spells, and return the normal Luke to them.
The door chimed open, and Rory came in, all flustered looking, but giddy to be there. Lorelai came in a moment later, relaxed and refreshed looking, but still sadness in her eyes. The two girls sat down at the counter. Jess had already set down two cups of coffee in front of them, and leaned over to give Rory a kiss on the cheek.
"Ready?" he whispered softly into her ear. Rory nodded.
'Where's Luke today?" Lorelai asked, noticing that he wasn't serving them today. She looked around the diner for him. "I haven't seen him all day," she commented.
'He's been in the back all day, doing inventory and re-stocking the shelves. You could go in a say hello" Jess answered, his fingers intertwined with Rory's on the counter top.
"Burgers and fries?" he asked.
"Yes please," Rory answered, giving his hand a tight squeeze. She was a little bit nervous. She turned to face her mother, who had a glum look on her face, but was happily enjoying her coffee.
"Same," Lorelai said.
"Okay, two orders of burgers with fries on the side, coming up!" Jess said, before disappearing in the kitchen.
"Coffee's good today, isn't it Mom?" Rory asked, making small talk.
"Mmm. It is. No matter how crappy I feel, Luke's coffee," she saddened as she mentioned Luke's name, " always makes me feel better."
"Hey Lorelai!" Jess called out as he came out of the kitchen. "Your orders are coming up, but we ran out of pickles in the kitchen. Since I'm the only one who's watching the front, would you go on into the back and grab a couple of bottles? I'd appreciate it."
Lorelai started to shake her head, motioning for more coffee. She received a small nudge from Rory, who whispered, "Go get the pickles. Say hi to Luke for me."
Lorelai got up from her stool and headed back into the storage room.
"Hello?" she called as she stepped into the small room. "Luke?"
Luke swore has he heard her voice, and lost his count of ketchup tins.
"Lorelai."
"Oh, hi, there you are! Where are the pickles?" she said, peering around the shelves, seeing Luke in a tight fitted shirt on the floor.
"No flannel today?" she asked, in a teasing voice.
"It got too hot, working in here. I took it off before," he replied. He looked around him, and opened a box.
"Right, here," Luke said, lifting a jar of pickles out of the case on the floor, and handing it to her. "Here ya go."
"Great. Thanks," she said, smiling. Luke shifted uncomfortably from his position on the floor.
"Er, so how have you been?" Luke asked, his voice gruff, with a hint of softness. Lorelai stopped half way from the door, and turned around, her hair flipping gently. 'Geeze,' Luke thought, as he watched her silky hair float as if it were on air. 'She could make any man go weak in the knees anytime.'
"Good, good." Lorelai replied, nervously. 'Why on earth was she feeling nervous? Could it be the protruding bicep of Luke Danes?' she wondered. "You?"
"Good, good," he answered, staring into her eyes.
"I better get going then," she said, turning around again. By the time she got to the door, she found it closed. Lorelai grasped the handle, and gave it a tug. Nothing happened. She gave it another try, pulling a little bit harder. Still nothing.
"Uh, Luke?" she called out, her voice a little shaky.
"Yeah?" Luke noticed the change in her voice, and immediately stood up.
"How does this door lock?"
"From the outside," he said, but began poking through a bundle of tins, in search for something. "It's a dead bolt, with key entries from both sides. I have the spare key somewhere here, in emergencies such as this," he said, mumbling.
"Damn," Luke swore, and looked at Lorelai. "The key's not here."
"So we're stuck in here?" Lorelai said, her voice rising. She handed the bottle of pickles to Luke, and turned to face the door.
"Help!" We're stuck in here!" Lorelai screamed, banging her fist on the door. "Hello! Rory? Jess? Help! We're stuck in here!"
Lorelai struck her fist hard on the door, and suddenly recoiled in pain.
"Owww," she whimpered, scrunching her face in pain. "Owwie, owwie, owww."
Luke quickly grabbed his shirt and took Lorelai's hand in his.
"I know it's not bleeding, or anything, but I'm doing this to make it feel more comfortable," he explained, carefully wrapping the soft flannel shirt around her hand.
"Thanks."
"No problem. It looks like we're going to be stuck here for a little while. It's too noisy out there for them to hear us. Someone will come looking for us sooner or later." Luke picked up another box from the room, and moved it closer to the shelves. He opened it, and began placing more jars of pickles on the shelf.
"Couldn't we try something like, breaking in to the air vent over there, and climbing out? A la Jennifer Garner in Alias fashion?" Lorelai suggested. "Here Luke give me a hand."
"No."
"Please?"
"No. You'll get yourself hurt." Lorelai stopped looking at the vent, and pouted.
"Here, let me help," Lorelai offered, taking a jar and handing it to Luke. Silently, worked side by side, emptying two cases of pickles on the shelf. Lorelai sat down on the floor, leaning on a shelf when they were finished, as Luke picked up his clip board and began counting.
"Hey Luke," Lorelai said, interrupting the unusual silence between the two of them. Luke turned around and looked at her.
"Have a seat, will ya? The floor's not too cold, and you don't have to work all the time," she said, motioning to the empty space across from her. Luke looked at her, and put his clipboard down. He took a seat facing Lorelai, leaning on the opposite shelf. He picked up a jar of pickles, and opened them.
"Pickle?" he asked, offering the open jar to her. Lorelai nodded, and fished in the jar for one.
"Thanks," she said, examining the shape of her chosen pickle.
"So, how are you, really?" she asked, ignoring her pickle, and looking at Luke, who was happily munching away on his pickle.
"I'm good, good," he replied, looking at her. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason at all," Lorelai answered, fully knowing that there was indeed a reason for asking.
"It's just been that, you've been a little bit quiet, or moody sometimes, lately." She finally took a bite of the pickle, her eyes widening.
"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "These pickles are really good! Where did you get them from?" She grabbed the jar from Luke, and looked at the label.
"My dad, when I was little, took us to the coast for a vacation. We found this great little pickling plant, and they were the best pickles we ever tasted. From then on, that's what my dad ordered for us, and that's what I've always ordered for the diner. They're what I grew up with, you know?" he told her. Lorelai looked up at him, imagining him as a child on the coast, at some pickling factory, on vacation. A smile grew on her face.
"So, what do you mean, I've been a little bit weird lately?" he continued, interrupting Lorelai's thoughts.
"Nothing," Lorelai stammered, "nothing." She looked up at him, as she balanced the jar of pickles between her knees, reaching for another one.
"It's just," she started, stopping for a second to reach for the biggest pickle in the jar.
"Yes?" Luke prodded, curious as to what she was going to say.
"Nothing," she finished off lamely, looking down at the floor.
"Great," Luke grumbled, obviously frustrated. "You've got nothing to say to me, when you obviously have something on your mind?" he demanded angrily, his voice rising, and temper flaring. He angrily stood up, and snatched his clip board up, starting to count again.
"Am I not good enough company for you, that you can't tell me what's going on?" he asked Lorelai, who was sitting on the floor, with her half empty jar of pickles.
"Luke, I didn't mean it like that," she started to say, but was quickly cut off by Luke's angry voice.
"What do you mean then?" he asked, sarcastically.
"A lot's been going on, that's all. And, it seems you haven't been around when I needed to talk to you, cause you're always busy."
"So, I'm not good company, and I'm not a good friend either, then," he said, looking away from her.
"Luke!" Lorelai shrieked, knocking over the jar on the floor. "Will you stop and listen to me for a moment?" Luke turned to face her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes.
"Okay," he said, picking up the fallen jar of pickles, and tightening the lid. "Okay."
~.~
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tbc ( I can hear the screams of frustration, as many of you guys slam your mouse into the mouse pad angrily.)
Don't worry - i've got the next chapter all in my head, and it just needs to be typed out. Soon, soon I promise.
The more reviews I get, the sooner you'll be reading the next installment. Thanks for all those who review, thank you thank you!! ;)
Ta ta for now! Thanks for r/r! Until the next chapter -
pebbles.
-by miss.pebbles. :)
A/n - thanks for all the reviews! blush I've received an over whelming response since I put up chapter 2, and for those who think this is going to be an L/C, I'm sorry. Maybe another story? But don't stop reading. Thanks for all the ideas so far, see them coming up in the future! (and thanks lizzie for being my proof reader! - if you wonder why my chapters don't get put up that fast - you know who to blame for!! jks, jks!! luv ya!)
Anyways - this has so far be a very detailed story, and I think I'm going to speed it up a little bit. I've got ideas for a new story, but I'm not going to start it until I finish this one. Let me know how far I should continue! Now, on with the story.
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Chapter 4
Lorelai took one last bite of her waffle, and put down her knife and fork.
"Wow, am I full!" she said, pushing away her plate.
"Ditto that," Rory commented, from behind her book, while sneaking glances at her boyfriend who was waiting on other tables in the diner.
"I'm stuffed," Chris announced. "I see how you guys come here all the time. The food is really good here." Georgia was sitting in her car seat on an extra chair, soaking up the sunshine streaming through the windows.
"I think it's about time for me to go," Chris said, standing up and pulling on his jacket. He reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet. Lorelai quickly stopped him.
"Don't worry about it Chris - it's my treat. I wish you weren't leaving so soon either," she said.
"But you'll come back to visit soon right?" Rory asked, echoing her mother's sentiments.
"Anything for my two favourite Gilmores," Chris replied, smiling. "Thanks for letting us stay so long. I'll call when I get to Boston okay?"
Lorelai nodded, and stood up to give him a kiss. Rory got and walked around to give her little sister a kiss on the head. She stood back up, and gave her dad a huge hug. Jess smiled at Rory, who looked at him, while hugging her dad.
"I'll miss you," she whispered in his ear. "Love you."
"Love you too, kiddo."
Chris gave Lorelai a quick kiss, and a hug.
"Thanks for turning me down," he whispered. "I really needed that." He smiled, as he picked up his car seat and his daughter. Chris strolled toward the counter, and stuck his hand out at Jess.
"Be good to my daughter, okay?" he said to Jess, who was a surprised by Chris' actions. Jess shook his hand firmly, and nodded, replying,
"Yes sir."
"I'll sit down and get to know you the next time I'm in town alright?" Chris said, firmly. Jess' heart sunk, and his stomach nervously pulled into knots.
"Yes sir," he replied again, meekly. He looked helplessly in the direction of Rory and Lorelai, only to see amused looks on their faces.
Chris let go of his hand, and walked towards the door, giving Lorelai and Rory one last wave. Both girls waved back, smiling.
Once the door closed shut, Rory walked over and gave Jess a hug. Jess held her tight, as she buried her head into his neck, breathing softly. He rubbed her back gently, whispering softly to her.
"I miss him already," Rory whispered softly. "It was so nice having him around."
"I know," Jess answered, and a soothing voice. "He'll be back."
Lorelai sat back down in her seat, picking up her half filled coffee cup. She felt oddly happy but also sad inside, almost an empty feeling. With Chris living at their house for a couple of days, it felt really nice, and normal. She looked out the window to see Chris' Volvo driving away, down the street. Maybe it was the thought of her being wanted, or the fact that there was a baby around in the house that had filled the empty space that now occupied her. She quickly finished her coffee, and gathered her purse. She stopped at the counter to pay for breakfast. Jess let go of Rory, and rang up the bill.
"You never pay," he commented, taking her twenty and handing her back some change. "Luke's used to not having you pay, you know."
"I know, but Luke is used to not having me and Rory pay. He's not used to having Chris not pay for his breakfast either, so I'm here to pay for his part," she said, plunking her change into her wallet. "Where is your flannel-clad uncle anyways?" she asked.
'Dunno," was Jess' reply.
"Alright then." She turned to Rory, who had gone back to get her book and jacket. "Are you going to hang around here for a while hun?" she questioned her daughter.
"Yup," Rory answered, smiling. Lorelai frowned mockingly, and looked at her daughter.
"I don't sacrifice my Friday nights to go to my mother's house for you to give me one word answers," she said. "What happened to all those lovely full sentences?" referring to the conversation they once had about the difference between Jess and Dean.
"Maybe Jess is rubbing off on me," Rory answered, walking up beside her mother. "Don't worry, my vocabulary is quite intact, and if you want, I can use extremely sophisticated words in my sentences if you prefer."
"That's my girl," Lorelai said, smiling. "Bye hun, see you at home." she said giving Rory a quick kiss on the cheek.
"See you later, diner-boy" she called out to Jess, before leaving the diner.
"Diner-boy? Diner-boy?" Jess repeated. "She did not just call me diner-boy did she?" he asked his girlfriend.
"Oh yes she did," she replied, giggling. "I think it's cute! It's very true," she added, putting a thoughtful look on her face. "You are a boy, and you do work in a diner boy. I think it's a good nickname" she confirm, nodding her head firmly. "A very good nickname, of which I should use more often."
"Oh no you don't," Jess said, putting down the towel he held in his hands. "Don't call me that, or I'm never giving you coffee again." Jess threatened. He paused, realizing what he just said.
"Shit!" he said. "I'm becoming like Luke!"
"The Diner-man" Rory added, laughing. Jess threw her a dirty look, before reaching over the counter to tickle her.
"Luke" he yelled. "My shift's over!"
Luke appeared from the kitchen, quickly scanning the diner for Lorelai and Chris, but only finding Rory sitting at the counter. Jess quickly grabbed Rory's hand, leading her towards the stairs.
"Hey, where's your mother?" Luke asked gruffly, trying not to show he cared.
"She went home," Rory replied, shrugging her shoulders. "She should be back later," and quickly disappeared upstairs with Jess.
Luke frowned, as he picked up the coffee pot, and began to refill people's cups.
~.~
Luke's apartment
"We totally need to do something about them," Jess said, after closing the apartment door.
"Definitely," Rory agreed. "I've never seen Luke so, so" she said, at a loss for words.
"Smitten?" Jess supplied for Rory. "Head over heels in love? I could keep on going here."
"Definitely smitten, but seriously, over my mom?"
"Yeah, definitely. It seems all the Gilmore women manage to capture our hearts," Jess said softly, pulling Rory by her waist and pulling her towards him. He bent down, and gave Rory a soft kiss on the lips, which was eagerly accepted by Rory, who kissed him back rather aggressively. Five minutes later, they stopped for some air, both of them breathing hard, but smiling from ear to ear.
"We should do something about them," Rory said, looking Jess in the eyes. "Doesn't it bother you that Luke's always moody or mopey around here? And my mother - I so do not want to go to see her lying on the couch with a bag of chips and a pint of Ben and Jerry's."
"I guess we should help them out. I told uncle Luke to get off his ass and do something about it, but it might take years for it to happen. Do you have any plans in mind?" he asked, nibbling at Rory's neck, despite her giggling.
Rory playfully pushed her boyfriend away, back into an upright sitting position.
"I've got a plan," she said, her eyes sparkling, and her cheeks all rosy. "Now, you're going to have to help me with this..."
~.~
"Mom," Rory called out. "I'm home!"
Indeed, Lorelai was lying on the couch, watching the CNN, armed with a pint of Ben and Jerry's which had be more than half consumed. She turned, and looked at Rory, her eyes red and puffy.
"It's so sad," she began, her voice cracking slightly. "Another war in the middle east? Not yet, but the high possibilities of it happening. And there were rumors in the Entertainment biz that Kid Rock is dead."
"Mom," Rory said worriedly. "Kid Rock. Since when do you ever listen to him try to rap, or sing, or do whatever he does right?" She gently pried away the ice cream from her mother's tightly clutched hands. "What's wrong mom?" she asked, picking up scattered tissues from around the couch, the half eaten bag of potato chips.
"What happens, Rory, if this time around Chris and I were meant to be? And I really gave up the chance to make things right? I called him earlier, but I guess he wasn't home yet.."
"Wait? Mom, you called him?" Rory asked, in disbelief. "He's with his parents in Hartford anyways. Did you leave a message?"
"Of course not, do you think I'm stupid?" Lorelai replied.
"You called him, now didn't you?"
Lorelai's eyes started to well up in tears again.
"I am stupid, now am I," she said, her lower lip quivering.
"No your not," Rory said, plopping down on the couch, putting her arm around her mom. "You're far from it. Insane, maybe on a few occasions, but definitely not stupid. Can a stupid mother give birth to a smart daughter? I don't think so."
"I guess so," Lorelai said, agreeing with Rory, nodding her head slowly up and down.
"I'm going to draw you a bath, mom, and you can go take a long bath. Then we'll head out to Luke's for coffee and dinner at around six okay?"
"You're super sweetie. A super daughter," Lorelai commented, as Rory helped her up on her feet. Both climbed the stairs together, headed to the bathroom.
~.~
Luke's diner.
Jess was tapping his foot impatiently, looking at the clock on the wall. It was almost six thirty, the time that Rory promised to swing by the diner with her mother.
Luke was in the back, doing the inventory after the re-stocking, as he hid away from the front counter for most of the day. Jess didn't understand what was wrong with him, but the plan that him and Rory set up would hopefully break his moody spells, and return the normal Luke to them.
The door chimed open, and Rory came in, all flustered looking, but giddy to be there. Lorelai came in a moment later, relaxed and refreshed looking, but still sadness in her eyes. The two girls sat down at the counter. Jess had already set down two cups of coffee in front of them, and leaned over to give Rory a kiss on the cheek.
"Ready?" he whispered softly into her ear. Rory nodded.
'Where's Luke today?" Lorelai asked, noticing that he wasn't serving them today. She looked around the diner for him. "I haven't seen him all day," she commented.
'He's been in the back all day, doing inventory and re-stocking the shelves. You could go in a say hello" Jess answered, his fingers intertwined with Rory's on the counter top.
"Burgers and fries?" he asked.
"Yes please," Rory answered, giving his hand a tight squeeze. She was a little bit nervous. She turned to face her mother, who had a glum look on her face, but was happily enjoying her coffee.
"Same," Lorelai said.
"Okay, two orders of burgers with fries on the side, coming up!" Jess said, before disappearing in the kitchen.
"Coffee's good today, isn't it Mom?" Rory asked, making small talk.
"Mmm. It is. No matter how crappy I feel, Luke's coffee," she saddened as she mentioned Luke's name, " always makes me feel better."
"Hey Lorelai!" Jess called out as he came out of the kitchen. "Your orders are coming up, but we ran out of pickles in the kitchen. Since I'm the only one who's watching the front, would you go on into the back and grab a couple of bottles? I'd appreciate it."
Lorelai started to shake her head, motioning for more coffee. She received a small nudge from Rory, who whispered, "Go get the pickles. Say hi to Luke for me."
Lorelai got up from her stool and headed back into the storage room.
"Hello?" she called as she stepped into the small room. "Luke?"
Luke swore has he heard her voice, and lost his count of ketchup tins.
"Lorelai."
"Oh, hi, there you are! Where are the pickles?" she said, peering around the shelves, seeing Luke in a tight fitted shirt on the floor.
"No flannel today?" she asked, in a teasing voice.
"It got too hot, working in here. I took it off before," he replied. He looked around him, and opened a box.
"Right, here," Luke said, lifting a jar of pickles out of the case on the floor, and handing it to her. "Here ya go."
"Great. Thanks," she said, smiling. Luke shifted uncomfortably from his position on the floor.
"Er, so how have you been?" Luke asked, his voice gruff, with a hint of softness. Lorelai stopped half way from the door, and turned around, her hair flipping gently. 'Geeze,' Luke thought, as he watched her silky hair float as if it were on air. 'She could make any man go weak in the knees anytime.'
"Good, good." Lorelai replied, nervously. 'Why on earth was she feeling nervous? Could it be the protruding bicep of Luke Danes?' she wondered. "You?"
"Good, good," he answered, staring into her eyes.
"I better get going then," she said, turning around again. By the time she got to the door, she found it closed. Lorelai grasped the handle, and gave it a tug. Nothing happened. She gave it another try, pulling a little bit harder. Still nothing.
"Uh, Luke?" she called out, her voice a little shaky.
"Yeah?" Luke noticed the change in her voice, and immediately stood up.
"How does this door lock?"
"From the outside," he said, but began poking through a bundle of tins, in search for something. "It's a dead bolt, with key entries from both sides. I have the spare key somewhere here, in emergencies such as this," he said, mumbling.
"Damn," Luke swore, and looked at Lorelai. "The key's not here."
"So we're stuck in here?" Lorelai said, her voice rising. She handed the bottle of pickles to Luke, and turned to face the door.
"Help!" We're stuck in here!" Lorelai screamed, banging her fist on the door. "Hello! Rory? Jess? Help! We're stuck in here!"
Lorelai struck her fist hard on the door, and suddenly recoiled in pain.
"Owww," she whimpered, scrunching her face in pain. "Owwie, owwie, owww."
Luke quickly grabbed his shirt and took Lorelai's hand in his.
"I know it's not bleeding, or anything, but I'm doing this to make it feel more comfortable," he explained, carefully wrapping the soft flannel shirt around her hand.
"Thanks."
"No problem. It looks like we're going to be stuck here for a little while. It's too noisy out there for them to hear us. Someone will come looking for us sooner or later." Luke picked up another box from the room, and moved it closer to the shelves. He opened it, and began placing more jars of pickles on the shelf.
"Couldn't we try something like, breaking in to the air vent over there, and climbing out? A la Jennifer Garner in Alias fashion?" Lorelai suggested. "Here Luke give me a hand."
"No."
"Please?"
"No. You'll get yourself hurt." Lorelai stopped looking at the vent, and pouted.
"Here, let me help," Lorelai offered, taking a jar and handing it to Luke. Silently, worked side by side, emptying two cases of pickles on the shelf. Lorelai sat down on the floor, leaning on a shelf when they were finished, as Luke picked up his clip board and began counting.
"Hey Luke," Lorelai said, interrupting the unusual silence between the two of them. Luke turned around and looked at her.
"Have a seat, will ya? The floor's not too cold, and you don't have to work all the time," she said, motioning to the empty space across from her. Luke looked at her, and put his clipboard down. He took a seat facing Lorelai, leaning on the opposite shelf. He picked up a jar of pickles, and opened them.
"Pickle?" he asked, offering the open jar to her. Lorelai nodded, and fished in the jar for one.
"Thanks," she said, examining the shape of her chosen pickle.
"So, how are you, really?" she asked, ignoring her pickle, and looking at Luke, who was happily munching away on his pickle.
"I'm good, good," he replied, looking at her. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason at all," Lorelai answered, fully knowing that there was indeed a reason for asking.
"It's just been that, you've been a little bit quiet, or moody sometimes, lately." She finally took a bite of the pickle, her eyes widening.
"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "These pickles are really good! Where did you get them from?" She grabbed the jar from Luke, and looked at the label.
"My dad, when I was little, took us to the coast for a vacation. We found this great little pickling plant, and they were the best pickles we ever tasted. From then on, that's what my dad ordered for us, and that's what I've always ordered for the diner. They're what I grew up with, you know?" he told her. Lorelai looked up at him, imagining him as a child on the coast, at some pickling factory, on vacation. A smile grew on her face.
"So, what do you mean, I've been a little bit weird lately?" he continued, interrupting Lorelai's thoughts.
"Nothing," Lorelai stammered, "nothing." She looked up at him, as she balanced the jar of pickles between her knees, reaching for another one.
"It's just," she started, stopping for a second to reach for the biggest pickle in the jar.
"Yes?" Luke prodded, curious as to what she was going to say.
"Nothing," she finished off lamely, looking down at the floor.
"Great," Luke grumbled, obviously frustrated. "You've got nothing to say to me, when you obviously have something on your mind?" he demanded angrily, his voice rising, and temper flaring. He angrily stood up, and snatched his clip board up, starting to count again.
"Am I not good enough company for you, that you can't tell me what's going on?" he asked Lorelai, who was sitting on the floor, with her half empty jar of pickles.
"Luke, I didn't mean it like that," she started to say, but was quickly cut off by Luke's angry voice.
"What do you mean then?" he asked, sarcastically.
"A lot's been going on, that's all. And, it seems you haven't been around when I needed to talk to you, cause you're always busy."
"So, I'm not good company, and I'm not a good friend either, then," he said, looking away from her.
"Luke!" Lorelai shrieked, knocking over the jar on the floor. "Will you stop and listen to me for a moment?" Luke turned to face her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes.
"Okay," he said, picking up the fallen jar of pickles, and tightening the lid. "Okay."
~.~
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tbc ( I can hear the screams of frustration, as many of you guys slam your mouse into the mouse pad angrily.)
Don't worry - i've got the next chapter all in my head, and it just needs to be typed out. Soon, soon I promise.
The more reviews I get, the sooner you'll be reading the next installment. Thanks for all those who review, thank you thank you!! ;)
Ta ta for now! Thanks for r/r! Until the next chapter -
pebbles.