"It's Still There – part 2"
. . . . .
On Sunday afternoon, Lorelai was sitting on the couch, a sewing kit open on the coffee table in front of her. While she was sewing the small tear on the sleeve of one of Luke's plaid shirts, Rory walked out of her bedroom to the living room. "Hey."
Lorelai looked up and smiled. "Hey. You got anything that needs sewing while I'm in housewife mode?"
"No, but I'd love to see you try to bake a casserole," Rory commented.
"Forget it." Lorelai went back to sewing the shirt.
"Should I go get the tacos now?" Rory asked. "What time's Sookie coming?"
Lorelai glanced at the clock on the mantle. "Uh, yeah, now's a good time. She'll be here in like ten minutes."
"Okay," Rory replied. "Where's the money?"
"In my purse, which is. . ." Lorelai thought for a moment, trying to remember where she left it. "Hm. I think it's upstairs." She stuck the needle into the shirt and dropped it on the coffee table, then stood up. "I'll go get it. Luke's up there taking a nap."
"Since when does Luke take naps?" Rory asked.
"He said he had a headache and needed to lie down," Lorelai said with a shrug. "Be right back." Lorelai climbed the stairs up to her bedroom and slowly pushed open the door.
Luke was sitting on the edge of the bed putting his shoes on, and he looked up when he heard the door open. "Hey."
Lorelai walked into the room. "Hey. Feeling better?"
"Yeah, thanks." He watched her walk over to her vanity and pull some money out of her purse. "What're you doing?"
Lorelai walked over and sat next to him on the bed. "Rory's gonna go pick up some lunch. You know what they say about tacos and wedding videos. . ."
"Oh, yeah. Can't have one without the other."
Lorelai smiled. "Exactly."
Luke leaned over to tie his shoes. "So, let's see – you, Sookie, and Rory will all be watching the video at the same time. . .should I start building a dam around the living room?"
Lorelai smirked and elbowed him in the side. "Stop mocking me for crying. It's my wedding, it makes me emotional."
"It's my wedding, too, but you don't see me acting like a busted fire hydrant," Luke said.
Lorelai frowned and shrugged. "Hm, so that obviously means that our wedding means more to me than it does to you." She clutched her chest and shook her head sadly. "Do you know how that makes me feel? I'm disappointed. I'm distraught. I'm saddened. I'm concerned about the possible – " Luke leaned forward and kissed her to shut her up, but she pulled back and continued, ". . .effects this might have on the future of this marriage. I mean, what if – "
Luke interrupted her with another kiss, this time placing his hand on the back of her head so she couldn't pull away. She quickly decided to abandon her pretend disappointment and she eagerly returned the kiss.
When they finally pulled apart, Luke asked, "Anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?"
Lorelai shook her head. "Not really. Only you. And Rory. Oh, and Sookie. Can't forget my parents. Michel everyday at work. Sometimes Taylor. Occasionally – " Her voice trailed off as Luke stood up and walked to the door. "Hey, where you going?"
"Getting away from you before my headache comes back," he replied. Lorelai jumped up off the bed and followed him downstairs.
Rory was waiting on the couch, and she stood up when they walked down. "Took you long enough. How's the headache, Luke?"
"Starting to come back," he said, glancing at Lorelai.
Lorelai frowned. "You better be nice to me, or I might accidentally leave a needle or two in your shirt." She handed the money to Rory, then turned to Luke. "We just assumed you didn't want anything, but do you?"
"Nah, I'll grab something here," he said.
"Okay. Be right back," Rory said. As she left to go get the food, Luke walked to the kitchen, and Lorelai sat on the couch to resume sewing the shirt.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and Lorelai called, "Come in!"
Sookie walked into the house, calling, "Hey, it's me."
"In here," Lorelai said from the couch. Sookie walked into the living room, and Lorelai smiled. "Hey, hon. Rory just went to get us some lunch."
"Yeah, I passed her on the sidewalk." Sookie held up a large plastic container. "I brought some snacks. Butterscotch brownies, macaroon cookies, and some espresso flavored rum balls that I think might get me arrested if I give them to Rory."
"Yum. You're the best guest ever," Lorelai commented as she continued sewing.
Sookie set the container on the coffee table, then leaned back against the couch. "Is Luke home?"
"Yup, he's in the kitchen eating lunch and trying to stay away from anything that can be considered girl talk," Lorelai said.
Sookie smiled. "Must be tough trying to stay manly in a house with two girls."
"He's doing a good job so far," Lorelai said. "If he's had any secret desires to watch The View or to dress up in women's clothing, he's hid them from me. Can you pass the scissors?" She nodded toward the sewing kit on the table. Sookie handed them to Lorelai, who cut the excess thread from the sleeve. Lorelai held up the shirt and looked it over. "There, done."
"What happened to it?" Sookie asked.
"He ripped it at the diner. Got it caught on something in the storage room," Lorelai said. She put the needle and scissors back into the sewing kit, then stood up. "Let's go deliver this. Bring the food."
Sookie picked up the container of snacks and followed Lorelai into the kitchen. Luke was at the table eating a sandwich, and Lorelai draped the shirt over the back of his chair. "Here, all fixed."
"Thanks. Hey Sookie," he said, nodding hello.
"Hey." Sookie smiled and set the container on the table. "So, I heard a rumor that you don't wanna hang out with us girls. Is that true?"
"Yup." Luke took a bite of his sandwich.
"Tsk, I'm a little offended," Sookie said with a pout.
"Don't be," Lorelai said. "It's better if he's not here so we can talk about him. You want a drink?" She walked over to the fridge, pulled open the door, and surveyed the beverages. "Water, soda, milk, iced tea. . ."
"Soda's fine, thanks," Sookie replied.
Lorelai grabbed a can and walked it over to Sookie, then rubbed Luke's shoulder. "What are you doing – are you going out?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna run some errands," Luke said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Check on Jess, pick up some things from the hardware store, maybe stop at the market."
"We need dishwasher detergent," Lorelai said. "Oh, and we'll probably need tissues by the end of the night."
Luke nodded. "Got it."
Lorelai started walking to the back door and waved for Sookie to follow her. "Let's go wait for Rory outside." Sookie followed her onto the porch. They walked toward the front of the house and sat on the cushioned bench.
"So, it seems like he's not working as much anymore," Sookie commented.
"Yeah, he tries to take at least one day a weekend off, and he works some half-days during the week," Lorelai said. "And Caesar's been doing a good job handling the diner when he's not there, so things are good."
"Good, good. I bet it's nice to have him home more often." Sookie opened her soda and took a sip.
Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Definitely." They were both quiet for a few moments before she said, "So, remember yesterday I told you about the conversation me and Luke had about Chilton?"
"About how you should keep the Friday night dinners no matter who pays for it? Yeah."
"Well, last night before bed, we sat down and looked at the numbers and talked things over, and we decided that we're gonna keep letting my parents pay for it, but we're gonna start paying them back," Lorelai said. "You know, just a little bit each month."
"How long do you think it'll take?" Sookie asked.
Lorelai shrugged. "I'm not sure, probably a few years. But if we can get it started now, then we figured. . .why not?"
"Makes sense," Sookie said.
"Yup." Lorelai stretched out her legs and propped them up on the porch railing. "So, did I tell you the best part of the wedding video?"
"No, what?"
Lorelai smiled. "Miss Patty diving across the dance floor trying to catch the bouquet."
Sookie gasped. "No way! They got that on tape?"
Lorelai giggled and nodded. "It's so funny. We kept rewinding and watching it over and over. We must've watched it like ten times in a row."
Sookie burst into giggles. "Oh my God, I can't wait to see that."
The front door opened and Luke walked out twirling his keys around his finger. "You leaving?" Lorelai asked from the bench.
Luke walked down the front steps. "Yup. I'm gonna take the Jeep and gas it up for ya."
"Thank you," she called. "Bye."
"Bye Luke," Sookie called.
Luke gave them a half-wave as he climbed into the Jeep. He pulled out of the driveway and drove off. A few minutes later, Rory walked up to the house with two takeout bags, and the three girls went into the house.
. . . . .
On Wednesday night, Lorelai and Rory walked into the diner, each carrying several shopping bags. As they sat down at a table, Luke looked at them from the counter. "Do I wanna know what's in those bags?"
"It's stuff for my party," Rory said. "Paper plates and cups and napkins. . ."
"And decorations," Lorelai added. "Lots of 'em. So many that we'll need to start decorating tonight if we want to get them all up by Saturday."
Luke rolled his eyes. "I knew I didn't wanna know." He poured two cups of coffee and brought them to the table.
"And we can leave them up for the next week and a half so they'll still be up for your birthday," Lorelai suggested. "You like SpongeBob streamers, right?"
"Oh, yeah, it's the only type of streamers I use," he replied. "Now what do you want to eat?"
"The usual," Lorelai replied.
"With extra French fries," Rory added.
As Luke walked back to the counter, Lorelai shook her head disappointedly. "I still can't believe that they don't make Alias-themed party products. I mean, I know I'm not the only person in the world who'd wanna lick chocolate frosting off of a paper plate with Vaughn's face on it."
Rory shrugged. "Maybe we should make them and market them ourselves."
"If no one else invents them by the time my birthday gets here, we just might have to do that."
Jess walked down from the apartment and walked past their table. He nodded toward them as he headed toward the door. "Hey."
"Hey Jess," Lorelai said. "You coming on Saturday?"
Jess turned around and took a step toward the table. "What's Saturday?"
"My party," Rory replied. "Remember, I told you about it last week? Starts at seven."
"Right, yeah. I don't know what I'm doing yet," he said. "Might have to work."
"You can come by after work if you want," Lorelai said. "It should be going until pretty late."
"Yeah, and you can bring Jill," Rory added. "It'll be fun."
Jess shrugged. "Okay, maybe." He gestured toward the door. "Gotta get to the bookstore."
"See ya," Lorelai said.
"Bye," Rory said.
As Jess walked out of the diner, Lorelai glanced toward the counter to make sure Luke wasn't in earshot. "So, I have to go shopping for Luke's presents sometime next week."
"Oh, yeah. What should I get him?" Rory asked.
Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. I'll pick something up for you when I go."
"Nothing immature or embarrassing," Rory warned. "Get something simple, like a book or a CD or something."
"So you don't want me to put your name on the card that informs him of his brand new subscription to Playboy?" Lorelai asked.
Rory made a face and rolled her eyes. "Uh, no, that can just be from you."
. . . . .
The next night, Luke arrived home just after six. He walked in through the front door and dropped his keys on the hall table. He glanced toward the kitchen and called, "Hello?" When he got no response, he walked upstairs to the bedroom. Seeing that it was empty, he called, "Lorelai, are you home?"
"In the tub," her voice replied from the bathroom.
He walked toward the door and knocked on it. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah."
He pushed open the door and walked inside, closing it behind him. Lorelai was sitting in the bathtub, staring down at the water as she hugged her knees to her chest. "Hey," Luke said.
"Hi," she replied without looking up.
"Is Rory home?"
"Nope." She was chewing on her bottom lip and softly rocking her body back and forth.
Luke shoved his hands into his pockets. "Uh, something wrong?"
She shook her head, but still didn't look up at him. He narrowed his eyes and crouched down to be at eye level with her. "Lorelai." She slowly turned her head to face him, and he noticed that her eyes were red. He cocked his head to the side. "Nothing's wrong, huh? You're just sittin' here cryin' for fun?" Lorelai nodded, and Luke rolled his eyes. "Tell me."
Lorelai sighed and glanced back toward the water. "It's nothing, I was just. . .I wasn't feeling well this afternoon."
"And. . ."
"And I thought that maybe. . .well. . .after work, I. . ." Her voice trailed off and her gaze drifted over to the sink.
Luke turned around, and his eyes widened when he saw the empty pregnancy test box. He grabbed it and turned back to her. "Wait a minute. . .you did this without me?"
"I thought if it was positive. . .it'd be nice to surprise you," she muttered.
Luke sighed and tossed the box into the garbage can. "So. . .I guess it wasn't positive?"
Lorelai shook her head and swallowed hard. "No. And it wasn't until I was standing there, holding the stick in my hand. . .that I realized how much I wanted it to be. And I just. . ." Her lower lip started trembling. "You know, got a little emotional."
Luke stood up and grabbed her robe from the hook on the door. "Come here." He grabbed her hand and helped her stand up, then helped her put on the robe. She stepped out of the tub and he hugged her tightly.
"I want a baby, Luke," she whispered against his shoulder.
"I know you do," he replied, rubbing her back comfortingly. "But it doesn't happen overnight."
Sniffling, Lorelai pulled back and nodded. "I know. That's what I've been telling myself, that we haven't been trying that long."
"No, we haven't." He shrugged. "I mean, I don't know much about this stuff, but even I know that it takes time." He took her hands into his. "It's no big deal that it hasn't happened yet."
Lorelai sighed. "I know, but it was just. . . so disappointing in the moment, you know? To be thinking that it had happened, to be all excited, and then. . .to have it not be true. I'm so stupid. I mean, automatically assuming that a little stomach pain meant that I was pregnant?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Stupid."
"You're not stupid." Luke brushed the hair away from her face. "Look, I don't want you doing stuff like this by yourself anymore. Tell me next time."
Lorelai nodded. "I will."
"Good." He ran his hands over her shoulders. "You okay?"
She took a deep breath, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just all. . ." She waved her hands around. "Crazy. But I'm good now."
"We'll keep trying," he assured her.
"Maybe we should do something else," Lorelai said. "I mean, I should, like, sit down and try to figure out exactly when I'm ovulating. Ooh, or maybe we should get one of those little gadgets that tells you when you are. I bet they're fun to play with. Ooh, or maybe we should go see a doctor who can – "
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Luke interrupted, shaking his head. "We don't need to do any of that crap yet. Look, if it doesn't happen by next year, then you can start to worry. . .but not after a month. We don't need to rush it."
Lorelai took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it. "You're right, okay, we're not in a rush. I'll stop worrying about it." She paused a moment, then added, "Can I at least do some research and find out which sexual positions are best?"
Luke smirked. "That you can do." She smiled and kissed him, then wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. As he hugged her back, he glanced down at the garbage can. "Uh, just out of curiosity, where'd you buy that test? Not here, I hope."
Lorelai pulled back. "Yalesville."
Luke let out a short sigh of relief. "Okay, good."
"Yeah, Doose's was all out. Taylor even checked in the back for me," she continued. "So I had to go somewhere else."
Luke's eyes widened and he stepped back from her. "Oh, God, so now Taylor knows? Dammit! You know he's gonna tell - " He stopped when Lorelai giggled, and he sighed loudly. "Why do you do stuff like that to me?"
Lorelai smiled and shrugged. "It's fun."
. . . . .
On Saturday night, Sookie and Lorelai were in the kitchen putting the hors d'oeuvres on platters while Luke leaned against the counter watching them. Lorelai glanced toward the crowded living room. "I think we're running out of space in there."
"Which is why I'm in here," Luke said. "It's too crowded out there."
"Yes, but if someone sees you just standing there like that, they're gonna think this is another socializing point instead of the worker's area, so at least help with something," Lorelai said.
"There's nothing to do," Luke said. "Everything's been done."
"Well, then, try to look busy. Check the ice bucket or something," Lorelai said.
Luke lifted the lid of the bucket, peeked inside, then replaced the lid. "Checked."
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Very nice."
They finished loading the platters, then Sookie picked them up. "I'll go set these out there. Listen for the oven timer."
"Will do," Lorelai replied, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.
As Sookie left the kitchen, Luke walked up behind Lorelai and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hey."
"Hi." Lorelai smiled as he slipped his hands under her shirt. He brushed her hair aside with his nose and started kissing the back of her neck. She giggled. "What are you doing?"
"Trying to look busy," he replied, sliding his hands upward.
"Well, you're doing a good job," she muttered. "You know, just to remind you, there are 30 people in the next room who could walk in here at any moment and see you groping me."
"Keep your eye on the doorway," he mumbled into her neck.
"Aye, aye, captain." He continued kissing across her neck until Lorelai heard someone coming and slapped him on the arm. "Footsteps, stop." Luke quickly pulled away from her just as Sookie walked back into the kitchen.
Sookie paused at the doorway and stared at them suspiciously. "What's going on?"
Luke shoved his hands into his pockets. "Nothing."
"Yeah, what are you talking about? We're just standing here," Lorelai said with a shrug.
Sookie shook a finger toward Luke. "He has a guilty look on his face."
"That's because he murdered someone earlier tonight," Lorelai said. "Shh, it's a secret."
Sookie walked over to the table and started cleaning up the pans. "You were doing newlywed-type things, weren't you?"
Lorelai scoffed. "Who, us? No way. We never do stuff like that in the kitchen." She paused and added, "Well, except for those couple of times when we – "
Luke's eyes widened and he quickly covered her mouth with his hand. "Stop talking."
Lorelai peeled his hand away, then smirked and pulled him toward the living room. "Let's go mingle."
They stopped near the staircase and Lorelai eyed the room for Rory. She found her standing near the fireplace talking with a group of people, and she smiled. "Aw, looks like she's having a good time."
Luke followed her gaze. "Yup."
They stood there for a few minutes until they heard a knock on the door. Lorelai walked over to answer it, and found Richard and Emily on the porch. "Hey."
"Sorry we're late," Emily greeted her.
"Yes, I was on a business call," Richard explained.
Lorelai waved them off. "That's okay, don't worry about it. The strippers haven't even arrived yet."
"Excuse me?" Emily said.
Lorelai smiled and pulled open the door wider. "Come in."
They stepped into the house as Luke walked over. He extended his hand toward Richard. "Richard, good to see you again."
"Yes, you, too," Richard said.
"Emily," Luke said, shaking her hand.
"How are you, Luke?" Emily asked.
Luke nodded affirmatively. "Good. I'd be better if I could stop thinking about the mess I'm gonna be cleaning up in the living room for the next month, but. . ." He shrugged. "What can ya do, right?"
"Well, I can give you the number of a good cleaning service," Emily offered. "They bring all their own supplies, and they charge by the room, not by the hour."
Lorelai held up her hand. "It's okay, we can handle it, thanks. Uh, can we get you something to drink? Some wine?"
"Yes, that'd be nice," Emily replied.
"Okay. Rory's over there if you wanna go say hi," Lorelai said, pointing toward the fireplace. Richard and Emily walked into the living room as Lorelai and Luke walked to the kitchen to get the drinks.
. . . . .
Later that night, Rory and Lorelai were sitting next to each other on the couch, each eating a piece of cake. Lorelai craned her neck to look up at Sookie, who was standing behind her. "Mm," Lorelai moaned happily. "Sookie, this is amazing."
Rory nodded in agreement. "De-licious."
Sookie smiled. "Glad to hear it."
"Did you have some?" Lorelai asked. "I don't think I've seen you sit down once tonight. Take a rest."
"I will after I check on some things," Sookie said, patting her on the shoulder and heading toward the kitchen.
Lorelai finished her cake, then set the plate on the coffee table. She put her arm around Rory. "So, tell me, how'd you like your gifts?"
"I love 'em," Rory said, glancing at the presents on the coffee table. "You got me way too much. Love the books. Love the CDs. Love the movies. Plus, I bet I'm the only girl at Chilton who has Lassie on DVD."
Lorelai smiled. "There's a good quote for you to put under your yearbook photo, huh?"
"Definitely. Love the clothes, especially the boots," Rory said.
"That I'm gonna borrow," Lorelai said.
"They won't fit. My feet are smaller than yours," Rory reminded her.
"I don't care. I will shove them in there, cut off all circulation, chop them off at the ankles – do whatever it takes to wear those boots," Lorelai said.
"Why don't you just buy a pair for yourself?" Rory suggested. "Might be less painful."
"Hm, good point." She gestured to the other gifts. "You got a lot of other good presents, too. Did you check out those hand lotions that Babette gave you? They smell good."
"Yeah, I love the berry one."
"Me, too." Lorelai glanced around and noticed that the crowd had lightened. "Did some people leave?" she asked to no one in particular.
"Uh, I think a bunch of people are eating out on the porch," Lane said from the other side of Rory.
Rory stood up. "I'm gonna go see who's out there." As Lane and Dean followed Rory out the side door, Lorelai stood up and glanced around the room. She saw Emily and Richard talking with Kirk near the window, and Lorelai walked over to them to listen to their conversation.
"So, how is it possible that you work that many jobs?" Richard asked. "It just seems inconceivable."
"Yes, well, it involves a great deal of time management," Kirk explained. "Lots of meticulous scheduling. Usually things are spread out pretty well, but sometimes I'll end up working at five different places in one day."
"That's truly fascinating," Emily commented. "But wouldn't you rather have one stable job?"
"Nah, I like the variety. I've found that if I do something for too long at a time, I start to feel emotionally confined and I develop a rash all over my body," Kirk said.
"Goodness," Emily said, eyeing Kirk strangely.
Lorelai cleared her throat. "Uh, Mom, Dad, can I get you anything from the kitchen? More cake?"
"No, we're fine, thank you," Richard replied. "Lorelai, did you know that Kirk has over a dozen jobs?"
"Uh, yeah, I've noticed that," Lorelai said, nodding. "Uh, excuse me." She walked toward the kitchen where Sookie, Jackson, Luke and Miss Patty were standing around the kitchen table. "Hey guys."
"Lorelai, honey, can you believe she's eighteen?" Miss Patty shook her head in disbelief. "It feels like just yesterday I was teaching her ballet."
"Oh, I know. They grow up so fast." Lorelai hugged Luke's arm and leaned against him. "Make her stop growing."
"I'll try," Luke said.
Rory rushed into the kitchen and tapped Lorelai excitedly on the shoulder. "Mom, while so many people are outside, I think this would be a good time for phase 4."
Lorelai gasped. "Ooh, phase 4! I almost forgot about that! Go get 'em."
Rory walked to her bedroom, and everyone else looked at Lorelai expectantly. She explained, "Well, there are four major phases to this party – hors d'oeuvres, gifts, cake, and. . ." Rory walked out of her bedroom carrying two shopping bags. Lorelai reached into a bag and pulled out a can. "Silly string."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh God. Don't tell me those bags. . ."
Lorelai pulled out another can. "Are full of silly string," she finished. She smiled and handed him a can. "Here. Everyone gets one." She handed a can to everyone in the kitchen.
Luke examined his can for a price tag. "How much did all this cost?"
Lorelai scoffed. "Luke, you cannot put a price on fun."
"Let's go," Rory said. She walked toward the living room, announcing, "Silly string fight outside in two minutes."
Lorelai smiled and aimed her can at Luke. "Ready to get attacked?"
He held out his can toward her. "No, thanks."
Lorelai pushed his can back toward him. "No, there's no way you're sitting this out. You are going to play, and dammit, you are going to enjoy it." She grabbed his hand and led him toward the back door. "And five bucks to anyone who gets silly string on my mother without her noticing." The others in the kitchen followed them outside.
. . . . .
Later that night, after they had cleaned up the party, Lorelai and Luke walked up to their bedroom. Luke collapsed on the bed with a loud sigh, then let out a grunt as Lorelai collapsed on top of him. She rested her chin on his chest and closed her eyes. "Need. . . sleep."
"Okay, this position is only comfortable for one of us," Luke muttered, shifting his body under her weight. "And it ain't me."
She opened her eyes. "Okay, I'm moving." She pulled a piece of dried-up silly string out of his hair and dropped it on the floor. "It was a good party. Rory had a good time."
"I'm glad."
Lorelai yawned loudly. "I just wish my parents hadn't left in the middle of phase 4. I wanted to see them get stringed."
"I think they knew that. That's probably why they left."
She giggled. "And I'm sure Jess regrets arriving in the middle of phase 4."
Luke smirked. "Yeah, I don't think he'll be coming to anymore of your parties." He ran his hand through his hair and made a face at the stickiness. "Ugh. I don't think I will either."
Lorelai giggled. "I guess getting everyone to spray you until you decided to play wasn't the nicest thing to do."
"Not really."
"I just wanted you to partake in the fun." Lorelai rolled off of him and landed on the bed. She reached for the covers and pulled them up around her.
"You're not changing?" he asked.
"I'm too tired," she mumbled as she snuggled up against him. Luke glanced down at his clothes and contemplated getting changed, then decided against it. He pulled the covers up over him, then draped his arm over Lorelai's waist and closed his eyes.
. . . . .
Early Tuesday morning, the alarm clock buzzed loudly, awakening both Luke and Lorelai from their sleep. As Lorelai turned it off, Luke immediately noticed that it was still dark outside. He glanced at the clock, which read 4 a.m. "What the. . ."
Lorelai patted him on the shoulder and climbed out of bed. "Shh, go back to sleep."
"Where are you going?" he mumbled, propping himself up on his elbows.
"I told you, I always go down and talk to Rory on her birthday at the time she was born," Lorelai whispered.
Luke groaned and leaned back against his pillow. "I think you forgot to mention that it was at four in the morning."
"Sorry." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Go back to sleep."
Lorelai walked downstairs and headed for Rory's bedroom. She quietly pushed open the door and walked over to the bed. She rubbed Rory's shoulder and whispered, "Wake up birthday girl."
Rory opened her eyes and blinked a few times, then glanced at the clock. She smiled at Lorelai. "Hey." She moved over and made room for her on the bed.
Lorelai climbed in next to her. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you."
"How do you feel?"
Rory yawned. "Tired."
"I can't believe you're an adult now," Lorelai said. "I mean, you've been acting like one for years, but. . .now it's official."
"It's official," Rory agreed. "I can vote."
"And gamble."
"And purchase tobacco products."
"But let's pretend those last two things are still illegal for you to do so you don't get the urge to do them."
Rory nodded as she stifled a yawn. "Okay."
"Have I told you lately how great of a kid you are?" Lorelai asked.
"Yes, but you can tell me again," Rory replied.
Lorelai smiled at her. "I'm so proud of you, honey. I mean, here you are. . .with all these plans about what you wanna do in your life, and it just. . .it makes me so happy to see you working your butt off to make 'em happen. You're amazing."
Rory smiled shyly. "I'm not amazing. I'm just . . .determined."
"No, trust me, you're amazing," Lorelai insisted.
"Well, you raised me, so you must be amazing, too," Rory said.
"I'll go with that." Lorelai linked her arm through Rory's and they both stared up at the ceiling. "I still can't believe that this time next year, you'll be in a college dorm room and we won't be lying together like this."
Rory gasped softly. "I didn't even think about that."
Lorelai turned to her and sighed. "I think about stuff like that all the time. I think about how different things are gonna be. I mean, it's gonna be so weird not having you around all the time."
"Don't think about that stuff yet," Rory said. "We have a whole year to go."
"I can't help it, I have to prepare myself. Sometimes I think about how I'll come home from work everyday and. . . you won't be here waiting for me. And I think about how I won't be able to just sit down and talk to you whenever I want to. And then I get to thinking about . . ." Lorelai paused as she swallowed hard. "Just. . .how much I'm gonna miss you. It's gonna be so hard." She felt tears welling up in her eyes. "You're growing up too fast, kid."
Rory snuggled up closer to Lorelai. "Aw, Mom, I'm gonna miss you, too. But if things work out with Yale, I won't be that far away. I'll be around here a lot more than you think, I promise."
"I hope so."
"And I can probably even come home the day before my birthday and sleep here that night," Rory said. "That way, we won't break the tradition."
Lorelai smiled and kissed Rory on the cheek. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
They were both quiet for a few moments. Finally, Lorelai said, "You know, this situation is reminding me of a story."
Rory smiled. "Oh yeah?"
"Yup, and ironically, I was lying in this exact same position. . ." Lorelai started.
. . . . .
To be continued. . .
Thanks for all the nice feedback! :)
