Disclaimer:  I don't own anything but the story idea.

~~

The next morning, Lorelai, only half-awake, had another déjà vu experience.  She lying on her back, snuggled into the blankets of her bed, but someone was there with her; someone whose tongue was currently working its way down her neck.  She held her breath, but when it reached her belly button, she heard herself moan and she felt big hands slowly trail up her legs.

"Good morning," came a husky voice.

"It is a good morning," she replied sleepily and with a smile.  Without opening her eyes she added, "You should have hired that kid months ago.  Nothing beats waking up with you."

"Months ago?  That would have been a little premature, don't you think?"

"There is nothing premature about you," she answered with a shake of her head.

Luke gave her a half smile and said, "I'm glad to hear you feel that way."

She finally opened her eyes and gazed at him.  He was propped up on his elbows with his chin resting on her lower stomach.  Grinning, she said, "You don't know the half of it." 

Sniffing the air for coffee, she glanced shiftily over to her nightstand and, sure enough, there was a cup there for her.  She sat up, took a sip and then, sincerely said, "You are a beautiful, beautiful man."

"I'll be the best looking guy at your funeral, if you keep drinking coffee, that's for sure," Luke joked.

"Shame on you," she mock scolded.  "How could you insult my father like that?  He still looks pretty good for his age.  Especially in those golfing socks and bowties."

"Speaking of your parents," Luke transitioned carefully, "how did you get out of last night's dinner, again?"

"The lunch," replied Lorelai, frowning at yesterday's memories. 

"Ah, yes.  The lunch."

"It was supposed to make up for me missing the dinner."  Lorelai took another sip of coffee.  "I don't know how I'm going to go to another one of those dinners after that lunch."

Luke hesitated, but then asked the question that had been on his mind all night.  "What exactly happened?"

Lorelai shook her head and said, "I'm not even sure.  She was making an effort to be nice at first and I, knowing my mother, was suspicious.  Then she tried to pull the old guilt trip on me and when I didn't play by the rules, she snapped and then…so did I.  I said some stuff.  And then I stormed out."

"What did you say?"

"I told her that I wished they had had more kids so that they might have found happiness in at least one of their children," Luke winced.  "And then I might have hinted to her that I think they love Rory more than they love me."  Lorelai groaned.  "Oh my God, when did I become Baby Jane?"  Lorelai groaned.  She put her coffee down on the nightstand and rolled into the fetal position, her face in the sheets. 

Luke rubbed her back and said softly, "Nobody thinks your Baby Jane."

"It doesn't matter what anybody thinks.  I am Baby Jane.  There's no getting around it.  Or, if I'm not Baby Jane, I'm definitely Mommy Dearest.  I know it's a Joan Crawford movie.  Certainly not Mildred Pierce, though."

"I'm trying to be supportive," Luke sighed, "but I don't what you're talking about anymore."

"I'm sorry.  I feel absolutely wretched that I'm jealous of Rory.  How can this be?  Why?  I shouldn't be jealous of her," she exclaimed helplessly into the sheets.

"Well," Luke said reasonably, "she's getting to do all the stuff you never got to.  And, for what it's worth, I see the way they are around Rory."

Lorelai lifted her head and looked at him.  "What do you mean?"

Luke shrugged, "I don't know.  I only see them around Rory when you're both with them, so I don't know how they are when it's just the three of them, but I think you have a point.  I think they sometimes deliberately…or maybe it's unconsciously…treat her like the perfect princess and you like…well…hell, I don't know, not-a-princess."

Lorelai digested this as Luke sipped his green tea.  Maybe it wasn't just her imagination

Finally, Lorelai said, "You know what?  I really have to stop this.  I can't believe I said those things and from now on Richard and Emily Gilmore can act however they want.  They will not get the best of me.  I will not react to their crap anymore."

"Lorelai," he replied patiently, "isn't this what caused the outburst to begin with?  You keep stuff like this bottled up inside and then it just kinda bursts out."

She considered.  "That's true, but now I've got someone to talk to about it.  I've never really felt able to share stuff like this with Sookie and I certainly can't tell Rory.  Now, whenever something like this happens, I'll tell you about it and we can pick it apart and try to figure out their motives and then it will be over."

"Sounds like a good plan," he agreed.    

"Okay," she said, "now, we can talk about Halloween."

Luke groaned.  "Do we have to?"

"You know, I'm not sensing that you're getting into the spirit of things.  Now, today is the fourteenth and the party is going to be the last Friday night in October, which technically isn't on Halloween night, but that's no big deal.  So, that'll be on the twenty-eighth and did I mention that it will be here?"  She cocked her head at him and he gave her a look of abject misery.

"Tell me you're joking."

"Nope, Sookie and I firmed things up last night.  She was going to host it, but she's going to have the baby soon and it makes no sense for guests to be tramping through her house."

"So you want them tramping through yours," he mock rationalized.

"It'll be fun.  You just wait and see."

"Do I have to show up?" Luke whined.

"Um, well, as my date, it would bode well for you if you did," she answered sweetly.

"As long as I'm not dressing up," he demanded.

"You can wear what you always wear.  Jeans, plaid, hat, boots, tools…whatever."

"Tools?" His eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

"Only if you want to," she said with her hands raised, palms facing him.

"Do you want me to?" He questioned.

"Do you want to?" She asked with a coquettish smile.

"Not if you want me to," he declared.

"Are we in fourth grade here?"

She kissed him firmly on the mouth and said, "I'm starved.  I need some animal fat on a plate pronto."  Lorelai got out of bed and put on one of his t-shirts from the floor, the hem reaching her mid-thigh.  Then she picked up her coffee mug and left the room with a "Chop chop.  Up and at 'em," tossed over her shoulder.

"I'm not dressing up," Luke said to the room at large.  "You can't make me because you're not the boss of me."

~~

A/N:  Does anyone else think it's a shout-out that Kirk's new lady-friend has the same name as the kitten in this story?  Anyone?  : : crickets : :  So I'm alone here?  : : more crickets : :  Okay.  I'm fine with that.  No, Really. : : sniff : :  I'm fine.    

Once again, props to Jade-Tessier for her wonderful suggestions.  Many many thanks.