Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, just the story. None of
this is for personal gain. I just want to send out positive vibes to all
who read it and who love Luke & Lorelai as much as I do.
Author's Note: I was surfing over at the WB online and found something note-worthy. It seems that I have been misspelling the name of Lorelai's best friend. Well, fans, as of today, Sookie's name has been corrected in the previous chapters. If you're a stickler for detail like me, this has been bothering you throughout the entire story. If you didn't notice or even care, then you've probably stopped reading this author's note and are in the process of reading the chapter. So…..enjoy!
Discovering True Love
Chapter Six: Family Dinner
When Lorelai got home, she found Rory asleep on the couch. Nudging her with the to-go box she carried from Luke's, Lorelai sang out, "hello, Sleeping Beauty."
Rory opened her eyes. "Mom! Where have you been?" she asked, sitting up. "I thought you might want to talk last night, so I stayed up to wait."
Lorelai smiled. Man, what did I do right when I had this kid, she wondered? "You didn't have to do that," she said.
"So, what happened?"
"With what?" Lorelai smirked. She laughed when she saw Rory's expression. "What? I fell asleep at Luke's."
"You fell asleep?" Rory asked, arching her eyebrows.
Lorelai read her mind. "No! Nothing happened," she said, "I just fell asleep in Luke's bed."
Again, Rory arched her eyebrows.
"If you don't watch it, you're face is going to freeze like that," Lorelai warned, changing the subject.
"Mom."
"I mean it, you're going to go your whole life with your eyebrows raised and people are going to look at you and point and laugh."
"Mom," Rory repeated, "you can tell me what happened. I'll understand."
"I already told you, nothing happened," Lorelai insisted, "I fell asleep in Luke's bed and he slept on a chair." She stood up and headed upstairs with Rory following closely behind. Walking into her bedroom, Lorelai hurried over to the bathroom. It was already 8:30 am and if she didn't get a move on, she was going to be late for work.
Rory sat down on the bed. "So?" she called out, as her mother turned on the shower.
"So what?" Lorelai answered, over the noise of the water.
Rory rolled her eyes. "What happened after we left the diner last night?" she prodded.
Lorelai peered into the bedroom. "Rory, I told you already," she told her, "nothing happened. I was too tired to walk home so Luke carried me up to his apartment and I went to sleep."
"He carried you?"
"Yes, now can we table this discussion for a later time when I don't have to go work?" Lorelai closed the bathroom door and stepped into the shower. As she stood under the water, Lorelai reviewed the events of the previous night and the morning. She felt lighter than she had felt in a long time. Kissing Luke just seemed like the right thing to do. It seemed as if a piece of the puzzle of her life had just fallen into place.
***
Lorelai arrived at work a little after 9:00 am. The lobby seemed to be bare except for a few guests sitting in the lounge reading the morning paper. Michel stood at his post behind the desk, reading, only looking up when Lorelai walked in. "Good morning, Michel!" she greeted, in her usual upbeat manner, to which he responded by walking away. "Watch the desk for me, please, while I go get some coffee," he called over his shoulder, on his way to the kitchen.
A minute after Michel went in, Sookie came running out of the kitchen. "Oh, my God, Lorelai," she enthused, "tell everything that happened last night."
She was in the mood for gossip, Lorelai knew, but she told her the same thing she had told Rory. Sookie continued to try to get information out of her until Lorelai retreated into her office.
***
The day passed quickly and soon it was 5:00 PM. Lorelai called out her good-byes and hurried out of the inn. It would not do to be late for one of her mother's family dinners. When she arrived home, she leapt out of the car, leaving the car running. "Rory! You ready to go?" she called out, running into the house.
Rory came downstairs, dressed conservatively in a khaki skirt and a dark blue pullover shirt. Making a face, Lorelai asked her, "you're wearing that?"
Looking down at herself, self-consciously, Rory asked, "what's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, you look great, you always do, Rory," Lorelai assured her, "you just look like one of a dozen of those Chilton girls."
Rory grinned. "I am one of those "Chilton" girls," she said, proudly.
"No, you're a "Gilmore" girl," Lorelai insisted, "that means you dress the way you want and damn the nay-sayers."
Rory laughed. "I know, Mom," she began, "I just thought I'd wear this tonight to look nice for Grandma and Grandpa. It's been two months since I've seen them."
Lorelai grunted. "Oh, well, it's too late to change now."
They left the house and climbed into the car. The drive to Emily and Richard's house in Hartford was a pretty straight trip. They usually didn't hit a lot of traffic so they were there in 30 minutes.
Knocking on the door, Lorelai commented, "I wonder what torture Mom has in mind for me since I cancelled the wedding."
"Maybe she'll surprise you," Rory offered.
"For my mother to surprise me, she would have to…."
Lorelai didn't get a chance to finish her statement. Emily Gilmore herself opened the door. She was impeccably dressed in an outfit that could rival Jackie Kennedy. Her white blouse was pressed to perfection, without a wrinkle in sight. She had on a single strand of pearls with matching earrings. Her black skirt was at a conservative length and she was wearing black shoes with an inch-high heel. In essence, she was the epitome of the wealthy elite.
Her stern face softened when she saw her granddaughter. "Rory! It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed, as she hugged her. As she pulled away, Emily looked over her clothes. "You look very nice, Rory," she complimented her on her choice of clothes.
Lorelai stood watching the exchange. "Hi, Mom, remember me? Rory's mom?"
"Hello, Lorelai," Emily said, extending her cheek for her daughter to kiss. Looking her up and down, Emily told her, "you look nice tonight."
Lorelai looked down at the simple dress she had put on that morning. She usually didn't dress this way when she went to her parents' house; she was uncomfortable enough during the family dinner.
The three of them walked into the living room. Richard Gilmore was reading the evening paper. Laying it down, he stood up to greet his daughter and granddaughter.
"Hi, Grandpa," Rory said, as she hugged him. "How was your summer?"
"Very productive," he replied, "how was yours?"
"We had a blast on our road trip," Rory told him.
"Yes, I'm sure you did," he smiled her use of youthful colloquialisms. He looked over at Lorelai. "Hello there, daughter."
"Hello there, Father," Lorelai smiled, giving him a big hug. She had always been close to her father.
"Anyone want a drink?" Richard asked, walking over to the bar. Dropping ice cubes into four tumblers, he waited for their drink orders.
Lorelai and Rory sat on the sofa while Emily sat in one of the high-backed chairs. Richard handed them their drinks and then returned to his own seat. Instead of picking up his paper, he asked about the girls' trip. "Where in world did you go?"
Rory brightened up at the thought of the trip. "We drove to New York City first," she began, "and we saw two plays."
"Oh, really? What plays?" Emily asked.
"Lion King and Cabaret," Rory answered her, excitedly, "I loved it!"
Lorelai watched as Rory regaled her grandparents with their exploits on the rode. Her only contributions to the conversation were occasional "you betcha's" and "uh-huh's". Soon, the maid came in to announce that dinner was served and the foursome made their way into the dining room.
As soon as they were seated, Emily turned to Lorelai. "You haven't said much since you've been here. Are you feeling alright?"
Lorelai smiled at her mother's lame attempt at a joke. "Yes, Mom, I'm fine," she told her, "I was just letting Rory tell you all about the trip."
"Well, you haven't even mentioned the broken engagement," Emily pointed out, "do you realize how much it entailed having to cancel everything at such short notice?"
Lorelai took a deep breath. Looking at her watch, she noted the time. Only took 20 minutes before she brought that up, she thought. "Well, Mom, most people would say that it was a good thing I cancelled if I had any doubts."
Emily scoffed. "And some people would wonder why you would get engaged in the first place if you had any doubts."
Lorelai sighed. She didn't want to get into this with her mother now. All she wanted to do is get through this dinner and get back to Stars Hollow. She and Rory always stopped for dessert at Luke's after dinner at her parents. Luke. Lorelai smiled at the thought of him. The way he looked at her that morning when she woke him up.
Emily looked at her. "What are you smiling about, Lorelai?"
Lorelai didn't want to tell her about Luke just yet. She knew how her mother would react to the news that she was getting close to Luke and she didn't want to hear it. Instead she just smiled more and told her mother, "nothing, nothing at all."
Rory hid a small smile herself as her grandmother pursed her lips together, frustrated that Lorelai chose not to confide in her.
(That's all for now. Hope you like it! Please read & review. I really look forward to reading your thoughts.)
Author's Note: I was surfing over at the WB online and found something note-worthy. It seems that I have been misspelling the name of Lorelai's best friend. Well, fans, as of today, Sookie's name has been corrected in the previous chapters. If you're a stickler for detail like me, this has been bothering you throughout the entire story. If you didn't notice or even care, then you've probably stopped reading this author's note and are in the process of reading the chapter. So…..enjoy!
Discovering True Love
Chapter Six: Family Dinner
When Lorelai got home, she found Rory asleep on the couch. Nudging her with the to-go box she carried from Luke's, Lorelai sang out, "hello, Sleeping Beauty."
Rory opened her eyes. "Mom! Where have you been?" she asked, sitting up. "I thought you might want to talk last night, so I stayed up to wait."
Lorelai smiled. Man, what did I do right when I had this kid, she wondered? "You didn't have to do that," she said.
"So, what happened?"
"With what?" Lorelai smirked. She laughed when she saw Rory's expression. "What? I fell asleep at Luke's."
"You fell asleep?" Rory asked, arching her eyebrows.
Lorelai read her mind. "No! Nothing happened," she said, "I just fell asleep in Luke's bed."
Again, Rory arched her eyebrows.
"If you don't watch it, you're face is going to freeze like that," Lorelai warned, changing the subject.
"Mom."
"I mean it, you're going to go your whole life with your eyebrows raised and people are going to look at you and point and laugh."
"Mom," Rory repeated, "you can tell me what happened. I'll understand."
"I already told you, nothing happened," Lorelai insisted, "I fell asleep in Luke's bed and he slept on a chair." She stood up and headed upstairs with Rory following closely behind. Walking into her bedroom, Lorelai hurried over to the bathroom. It was already 8:30 am and if she didn't get a move on, she was going to be late for work.
Rory sat down on the bed. "So?" she called out, as her mother turned on the shower.
"So what?" Lorelai answered, over the noise of the water.
Rory rolled her eyes. "What happened after we left the diner last night?" she prodded.
Lorelai peered into the bedroom. "Rory, I told you already," she told her, "nothing happened. I was too tired to walk home so Luke carried me up to his apartment and I went to sleep."
"He carried you?"
"Yes, now can we table this discussion for a later time when I don't have to go work?" Lorelai closed the bathroom door and stepped into the shower. As she stood under the water, Lorelai reviewed the events of the previous night and the morning. She felt lighter than she had felt in a long time. Kissing Luke just seemed like the right thing to do. It seemed as if a piece of the puzzle of her life had just fallen into place.
***
Lorelai arrived at work a little after 9:00 am. The lobby seemed to be bare except for a few guests sitting in the lounge reading the morning paper. Michel stood at his post behind the desk, reading, only looking up when Lorelai walked in. "Good morning, Michel!" she greeted, in her usual upbeat manner, to which he responded by walking away. "Watch the desk for me, please, while I go get some coffee," he called over his shoulder, on his way to the kitchen.
A minute after Michel went in, Sookie came running out of the kitchen. "Oh, my God, Lorelai," she enthused, "tell everything that happened last night."
She was in the mood for gossip, Lorelai knew, but she told her the same thing she had told Rory. Sookie continued to try to get information out of her until Lorelai retreated into her office.
***
The day passed quickly and soon it was 5:00 PM. Lorelai called out her good-byes and hurried out of the inn. It would not do to be late for one of her mother's family dinners. When she arrived home, she leapt out of the car, leaving the car running. "Rory! You ready to go?" she called out, running into the house.
Rory came downstairs, dressed conservatively in a khaki skirt and a dark blue pullover shirt. Making a face, Lorelai asked her, "you're wearing that?"
Looking down at herself, self-consciously, Rory asked, "what's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, you look great, you always do, Rory," Lorelai assured her, "you just look like one of a dozen of those Chilton girls."
Rory grinned. "I am one of those "Chilton" girls," she said, proudly.
"No, you're a "Gilmore" girl," Lorelai insisted, "that means you dress the way you want and damn the nay-sayers."
Rory laughed. "I know, Mom," she began, "I just thought I'd wear this tonight to look nice for Grandma and Grandpa. It's been two months since I've seen them."
Lorelai grunted. "Oh, well, it's too late to change now."
They left the house and climbed into the car. The drive to Emily and Richard's house in Hartford was a pretty straight trip. They usually didn't hit a lot of traffic so they were there in 30 minutes.
Knocking on the door, Lorelai commented, "I wonder what torture Mom has in mind for me since I cancelled the wedding."
"Maybe she'll surprise you," Rory offered.
"For my mother to surprise me, she would have to…."
Lorelai didn't get a chance to finish her statement. Emily Gilmore herself opened the door. She was impeccably dressed in an outfit that could rival Jackie Kennedy. Her white blouse was pressed to perfection, without a wrinkle in sight. She had on a single strand of pearls with matching earrings. Her black skirt was at a conservative length and she was wearing black shoes with an inch-high heel. In essence, she was the epitome of the wealthy elite.
Her stern face softened when she saw her granddaughter. "Rory! It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed, as she hugged her. As she pulled away, Emily looked over her clothes. "You look very nice, Rory," she complimented her on her choice of clothes.
Lorelai stood watching the exchange. "Hi, Mom, remember me? Rory's mom?"
"Hello, Lorelai," Emily said, extending her cheek for her daughter to kiss. Looking her up and down, Emily told her, "you look nice tonight."
Lorelai looked down at the simple dress she had put on that morning. She usually didn't dress this way when she went to her parents' house; she was uncomfortable enough during the family dinner.
The three of them walked into the living room. Richard Gilmore was reading the evening paper. Laying it down, he stood up to greet his daughter and granddaughter.
"Hi, Grandpa," Rory said, as she hugged him. "How was your summer?"
"Very productive," he replied, "how was yours?"
"We had a blast on our road trip," Rory told him.
"Yes, I'm sure you did," he smiled her use of youthful colloquialisms. He looked over at Lorelai. "Hello there, daughter."
"Hello there, Father," Lorelai smiled, giving him a big hug. She had always been close to her father.
"Anyone want a drink?" Richard asked, walking over to the bar. Dropping ice cubes into four tumblers, he waited for their drink orders.
Lorelai and Rory sat on the sofa while Emily sat in one of the high-backed chairs. Richard handed them their drinks and then returned to his own seat. Instead of picking up his paper, he asked about the girls' trip. "Where in world did you go?"
Rory brightened up at the thought of the trip. "We drove to New York City first," she began, "and we saw two plays."
"Oh, really? What plays?" Emily asked.
"Lion King and Cabaret," Rory answered her, excitedly, "I loved it!"
Lorelai watched as Rory regaled her grandparents with their exploits on the rode. Her only contributions to the conversation were occasional "you betcha's" and "uh-huh's". Soon, the maid came in to announce that dinner was served and the foursome made their way into the dining room.
As soon as they were seated, Emily turned to Lorelai. "You haven't said much since you've been here. Are you feeling alright?"
Lorelai smiled at her mother's lame attempt at a joke. "Yes, Mom, I'm fine," she told her, "I was just letting Rory tell you all about the trip."
"Well, you haven't even mentioned the broken engagement," Emily pointed out, "do you realize how much it entailed having to cancel everything at such short notice?"
Lorelai took a deep breath. Looking at her watch, she noted the time. Only took 20 minutes before she brought that up, she thought. "Well, Mom, most people would say that it was a good thing I cancelled if I had any doubts."
Emily scoffed. "And some people would wonder why you would get engaged in the first place if you had any doubts."
Lorelai sighed. She didn't want to get into this with her mother now. All she wanted to do is get through this dinner and get back to Stars Hollow. She and Rory always stopped for dessert at Luke's after dinner at her parents. Luke. Lorelai smiled at the thought of him. The way he looked at her that morning when she woke him up.
Emily looked at her. "What are you smiling about, Lorelai?"
Lorelai didn't want to tell her about Luke just yet. She knew how her mother would react to the news that she was getting close to Luke and she didn't want to hear it. Instead she just smiled more and told her mother, "nothing, nothing at all."
Rory hid a small smile herself as her grandmother pursed her lips together, frustrated that Lorelai chose not to confide in her.
(That's all for now. Hope you like it! Please read & review. I really look forward to reading your thoughts.)