Nicole had left her meeting a few minutes early, changing into her $250
designer sweat suit before starting off towards Stars Hollow. She wanted to
get there before Lorelai did, and wanted to make sure that she had Luke's
attention before Little Miss Scene Stealer made her entrance. She checked
the clock on the dashboard as she drove past the diner and saw Lane working
the lunch shift. Luke had just hired her after he had convinced frog boy to
stop coming in, especially because he didn't work there anymore. 3:45. It
would be just fine, especially because Lorelai was ALWAYS late. She pulled
around the corner, and inhaled sharply. Luke was already at the
field......and so was Lorelai. Trust Lorelai Gilmore to be early the one
time in her life today. As she drove up she saw Lorelai look over her
shoulder and whisper something to Luke, and move even closer into Luke's
arms. She was slightly less than pleased that she was in his arms in the
first place , but closer was unacceptable. Nicole's face was burning and
she took a slow, steady breathe as she glared at the two of them. The car
rolled deliberately to a stop and she climbed out. As she started walking
quickly towards them, she noticed Lorelai glance up. Suddenly, Luke looked
over and they flew apart. Luke waved at her, said something quietly to
Lorelai while glancing back at Nicole, and started to hurry across the
field to meet her.
" Hey Nicole." Luke gave her a hug, but she didn't respond. She could still smell her on his shirt. He gave her a really light kiss on the cheek and backed off, walking beside her towards Lorelai.
" Are you alright Luke? I mean, I hope I didn't interrupt anything?" Nicole said, with an air of fake innocence. Luke flushed a little and mumbled.
" No, I was just teaching her how to bat."
" I had no idea you were such a hands on teacher. I should have arranged for some more...private lessons." Luke just swallowed, but Nicole turned to him again, furious on the inside at him for this, even more at Lorelai, but smooth and placid on the outside. She had her courtroom face on and nothing could faze her now.
" Are you sure you're feeling alright Luke? You just seem nervous. Oh, I don't know, like I caught you doing something you shouldn't be...Lorelai. How are you today?"
" Hey Nicole. I'm fine, everything's fine. Good in fact. Everything's good. Very good."
" I though I might join you guys for your lesson, brush up a bit before the game on Friday."
" You've played before?"
" I was the MVP of my high school team."
" Of course you were -I mean-oh really? Wow, that's....uh....good." Lorelai was fumbling with her hands. For some reason she always felt that her hands and feet had grown 4 sizes whenever she was around Nicole. She was so calm, so collected, so calculating. She was a whole bunch of c's, but no Lorelai at all. Maybe that's why they didn't seem to mesh at all. Rory, Sookie, Jackson, Luke, even Michel had a little bit of Lorelai-ishness in them. Even Rachel had it. The same need to run, the wanderlust, except Rachel's had been physical, not so emotional like Lorelai. Nicole was just so foreign, and it made Lorelai feel clumsy and awkward. And Luke, he looked just about as much as a scolded puppy could look while still looking like her Luke. And for some reason she didn't like that, didn't like that Nicole had done that.
" So where's Rory?" Luke looked a little more panicky, thinking Nicole would find out.
" Oh...she had to cancel. She had a lecture rescheduled for this afternoon." Lorelai lied.
" What a shame."
" Uh, yeah...."
" So....should we begin?"
" Okay..." Lorelai felt like she wanted to run far, far away. But she didn't have a good excuse, and she knew that if she just left, it would just make everything worse. " Why don't we- oh, give me a minute." Lorelai heard her cell phone ring from over by the fence, giving thanks early as she ran to grab it.
" Hello?"
" Mom?"
" Rory honey, thank you so much. Uber awkward Nicole situation."
" That's why I called. I stopped at home on the way, so I left late, and I saw her driving there, and I know she's a little sensitive about you and Luke being friends, so I thought I'd call just in case you needed an emergency extraction, but I guess I'm to late for a pre-emptive strike."
" Yes, but just in time for saving from the most awkward game of pick up softball ever. Thanks babe, I owe you huge."
" Details tonight?"
" Sure."
"Bye Mom."
" I love you forever!" Lorelai hung up the phone, and walked back over to when Nicole and Luke had been waiting in a heavy silence.
" That was Sookie. She says there a minor emergency at the inn, so I gotta get going."
" Oh, what a shame." Nicole said unemotionally.
" Okay, well, I'll just be going. And I'll be seeing you two later. Thanks for the lesson, I guess." Lorelai waved and tried to give a little smile, but as soon as she turned around she frowned and hurried to her car, anxious to get home.
" Why don't we get a little practice in before the diner fills up for dinner." Nicole suggested. Luke nodded distractedly and glanced back at Lorelai as she sped away, then refocused on Nicole. " I mean, yeah. Yeah, of course."
*************************************
" Pizza?" Rory and Lorelai closed the front door and took the box over to the coffee table.
" Check."
" Movie?"
" Robin Hood Men In Tights."
" Mel Brooks, excellant choice."
" Thank you."
" Your welcome."
" So are you going to tell me what happened this afternoon."
" Oh, well, nothing, I just had this weird-it was nothing." Lorelai shook her head.
" Weird nothing good, weird nothing bad?
" Weird nothing weird."
" So good weird?"
" More towards good than bad, but still mostly definitively weird."
" Why so weird?"
" Luke weird."
" Ohhhh."
" What'd that mean?"
" Luke good weird?" Rory grinned.
" No, Luke better-option-than-being-beaten-to-death-with-iced-tea-spoons weird." Lorelai said, making sure she was very specific with her wording.
" Can we stop saying weird."
" Good idea."
" So what happened." The two sat down cross legged on the couch
" Well...I don't really know. You left to study..."
" So if anything bad comes from this the blame's going to be on me?"
" Of course. So Luke was trying to teach me to bat...aaand I couldn't get it, so he just helped me by showing me how."
" Showing you how how?"
" I put my hands over his on the bat, so anyways-"
" So he was beside you?"
" Sure." Lorelai shifted uncomfortable and got up to grab something else to eat.
" Or maybe?"
" Do you want some cookies? They're the disgusting ones that are supposed to be chewy but are actually just not cooked. I think- AUGH! Don't creep up on your mother like that. You'll give me a heart attack."
" I'll blame it on the soft cookies...Luke was behind you wasn't he?" Rory narrowed her eyes and pointed accusingly.
" What?" Lorelai knocked some of the cookies across the counter, glanced at Rory and tried to look innocent as she collected them back up.
" He was! And his arms were around you so that both your hands were on the bat, and then you had a moment and then Nicole showed up and that's the real reason it was awkward!" Rory gasped, overjoyed that she had figured it out. Lorelai looked at her astonished.
" What are you, the clairvoyant satan child?" Lorelai grabbed the plate and fled out of the room with Rory following behind her. Halfway down the hallway Rory gasped again and pointed at her.
" OH MY GO- You LIKED it!!!!!!" Lorelai changed directions and brushed past Rory.
" No more crazy talk little girl. Mommy's going to have to take away your crack."
" You had a moment with Luke, and you liked it and now you're all pissed off at Nicole for breaking it up! And now you're going to go into full fledged flirt off at the softball game to get back at her aren't you." Lorelai gasped, turned around and stared at Rory.
"SATANIC- I mean, NO, I'm not. I was just angry at her for making Luke feel bad about a PERFECTLY innocent situation." Rory raised her eyebrows as Lorelai pushed the movie in and sat down on the couch. They both knew Lorelai was saying it to try and convince herself, even if Lorelai wasn't completely conscious of the fact.
" Suuure."
" Watch the movie."
" Watch out Nicole."
" I was serious about the crack."
" Where'd all the love go mom? Maybe-"
" If you even mention....."
*************************************
" Dinner number three."
" So thankful Sookie had Thanksgiving brunch this year."
" I'll second that thanks."
" Luke's was good. He's having dinner with Nicole tonight right?" Rory probed.
" Luke's is always good." Lorelai ignored the second portion as the got out of the Jeep.
" I can't believe Grandma is letting us out of Friday Night Dinner."
" That's only because she hijacked Thursday night for an extra long turkey induced torture session."
" Are you going to ring the bell?"
" Five more minutes mom?" Lorelai whined.
" Faster you ring, faster we go in, faster we get out." Lorelai looked at Rory then started pushing the button feverishly. They could hear the click of heels running inside.
" You're making the maid run!"
" It's not like she going to be here next week to get back at us."
" Good point." The maid opened the door, taking their coats, and Richard walked up to meet them.
" Good evening Lorelai, Rory."
" Hi Grandpa."
" Happy thanksgiving Dad."
" You had a good drive I'm sure?"
" Of course."
" Emily's already in the sitting room. Jason's there too."
" J-Jason?" Lorelai stopped for a moment. " I had lunch with him last Thursday and he didn't say anything about it."
" Yes, well, as it turns out, his father obviously isn't too happy with him, so he wasn't invited to dinner at home. So Emily invited him her."
" You mean you invited him."
" No, Emily. She thought that since you two were...involved, it might be nice to have him over."
" Oh well, this should be...." Lorelai looked back at Rory, who was looking just as surprised. " Should be...I'm just going to go grab a drink."
**********************************
" You okay?"
" Peachy."
" What it going to require in order to salvage the night?"
" A time machine and the entire supply of vodka in Soviet Russia."
" Actually-" Rory started, but decided it would be a better idea not to continue the facts about the amount of vodka in Soviet Russia. " It wasn't that bad."
"Really? What part do you think brightened up the night? When my parents announced that the real reason they let us off Friday night was because they were going to come and watch the softball game? Or maybe when my mother asked if Luke, or rather "that hulking plaid ice man from the diner" would be there , with a bit too much interest and a very much unneeded laugh on your part."
" Sorry about that."
" Or maybe it was Jason's suggestion to then join the procession and come watch me make an idiot of myself tomorrow. Maybe it was the many thousands of sharp, stabbing daggers poking into Jason through the telekinetic abilities of my mother's eye. Or perhaps it was tonight's crowning moment, Mom's announcement that the secret to the stuffing was coconut, which just happens to be the only know substance to man that causes Jason to break out in big, red, scratchy hives."
" Wow it actually was bad."
" I'm going to be the girl at the game with the itchy boyfriend." Lorelai grumped, pulling up in front of their house.
" Hey Nicole." Luke gave her a hug, but she didn't respond. She could still smell her on his shirt. He gave her a really light kiss on the cheek and backed off, walking beside her towards Lorelai.
" Are you alright Luke? I mean, I hope I didn't interrupt anything?" Nicole said, with an air of fake innocence. Luke flushed a little and mumbled.
" No, I was just teaching her how to bat."
" I had no idea you were such a hands on teacher. I should have arranged for some more...private lessons." Luke just swallowed, but Nicole turned to him again, furious on the inside at him for this, even more at Lorelai, but smooth and placid on the outside. She had her courtroom face on and nothing could faze her now.
" Are you sure you're feeling alright Luke? You just seem nervous. Oh, I don't know, like I caught you doing something you shouldn't be...Lorelai. How are you today?"
" Hey Nicole. I'm fine, everything's fine. Good in fact. Everything's good. Very good."
" I though I might join you guys for your lesson, brush up a bit before the game on Friday."
" You've played before?"
" I was the MVP of my high school team."
" Of course you were -I mean-oh really? Wow, that's....uh....good." Lorelai was fumbling with her hands. For some reason she always felt that her hands and feet had grown 4 sizes whenever she was around Nicole. She was so calm, so collected, so calculating. She was a whole bunch of c's, but no Lorelai at all. Maybe that's why they didn't seem to mesh at all. Rory, Sookie, Jackson, Luke, even Michel had a little bit of Lorelai-ishness in them. Even Rachel had it. The same need to run, the wanderlust, except Rachel's had been physical, not so emotional like Lorelai. Nicole was just so foreign, and it made Lorelai feel clumsy and awkward. And Luke, he looked just about as much as a scolded puppy could look while still looking like her Luke. And for some reason she didn't like that, didn't like that Nicole had done that.
" So where's Rory?" Luke looked a little more panicky, thinking Nicole would find out.
" Oh...she had to cancel. She had a lecture rescheduled for this afternoon." Lorelai lied.
" What a shame."
" Uh, yeah...."
" So....should we begin?"
" Okay..." Lorelai felt like she wanted to run far, far away. But she didn't have a good excuse, and she knew that if she just left, it would just make everything worse. " Why don't we- oh, give me a minute." Lorelai heard her cell phone ring from over by the fence, giving thanks early as she ran to grab it.
" Hello?"
" Mom?"
" Rory honey, thank you so much. Uber awkward Nicole situation."
" That's why I called. I stopped at home on the way, so I left late, and I saw her driving there, and I know she's a little sensitive about you and Luke being friends, so I thought I'd call just in case you needed an emergency extraction, but I guess I'm to late for a pre-emptive strike."
" Yes, but just in time for saving from the most awkward game of pick up softball ever. Thanks babe, I owe you huge."
" Details tonight?"
" Sure."
"Bye Mom."
" I love you forever!" Lorelai hung up the phone, and walked back over to when Nicole and Luke had been waiting in a heavy silence.
" That was Sookie. She says there a minor emergency at the inn, so I gotta get going."
" Oh, what a shame." Nicole said unemotionally.
" Okay, well, I'll just be going. And I'll be seeing you two later. Thanks for the lesson, I guess." Lorelai waved and tried to give a little smile, but as soon as she turned around she frowned and hurried to her car, anxious to get home.
" Why don't we get a little practice in before the diner fills up for dinner." Nicole suggested. Luke nodded distractedly and glanced back at Lorelai as she sped away, then refocused on Nicole. " I mean, yeah. Yeah, of course."
*************************************
" Pizza?" Rory and Lorelai closed the front door and took the box over to the coffee table.
" Check."
" Movie?"
" Robin Hood Men In Tights."
" Mel Brooks, excellant choice."
" Thank you."
" Your welcome."
" So are you going to tell me what happened this afternoon."
" Oh, well, nothing, I just had this weird-it was nothing." Lorelai shook her head.
" Weird nothing good, weird nothing bad?
" Weird nothing weird."
" So good weird?"
" More towards good than bad, but still mostly definitively weird."
" Why so weird?"
" Luke weird."
" Ohhhh."
" What'd that mean?"
" Luke good weird?" Rory grinned.
" No, Luke better-option-than-being-beaten-to-death-with-iced-tea-spoons weird." Lorelai said, making sure she was very specific with her wording.
" Can we stop saying weird."
" Good idea."
" So what happened." The two sat down cross legged on the couch
" Well...I don't really know. You left to study..."
" So if anything bad comes from this the blame's going to be on me?"
" Of course. So Luke was trying to teach me to bat...aaand I couldn't get it, so he just helped me by showing me how."
" Showing you how how?"
" I put my hands over his on the bat, so anyways-"
" So he was beside you?"
" Sure." Lorelai shifted uncomfortable and got up to grab something else to eat.
" Or maybe?"
" Do you want some cookies? They're the disgusting ones that are supposed to be chewy but are actually just not cooked. I think- AUGH! Don't creep up on your mother like that. You'll give me a heart attack."
" I'll blame it on the soft cookies...Luke was behind you wasn't he?" Rory narrowed her eyes and pointed accusingly.
" What?" Lorelai knocked some of the cookies across the counter, glanced at Rory and tried to look innocent as she collected them back up.
" He was! And his arms were around you so that both your hands were on the bat, and then you had a moment and then Nicole showed up and that's the real reason it was awkward!" Rory gasped, overjoyed that she had figured it out. Lorelai looked at her astonished.
" What are you, the clairvoyant satan child?" Lorelai grabbed the plate and fled out of the room with Rory following behind her. Halfway down the hallway Rory gasped again and pointed at her.
" OH MY GO- You LIKED it!!!!!!" Lorelai changed directions and brushed past Rory.
" No more crazy talk little girl. Mommy's going to have to take away your crack."
" You had a moment with Luke, and you liked it and now you're all pissed off at Nicole for breaking it up! And now you're going to go into full fledged flirt off at the softball game to get back at her aren't you." Lorelai gasped, turned around and stared at Rory.
"SATANIC- I mean, NO, I'm not. I was just angry at her for making Luke feel bad about a PERFECTLY innocent situation." Rory raised her eyebrows as Lorelai pushed the movie in and sat down on the couch. They both knew Lorelai was saying it to try and convince herself, even if Lorelai wasn't completely conscious of the fact.
" Suuure."
" Watch the movie."
" Watch out Nicole."
" I was serious about the crack."
" Where'd all the love go mom? Maybe-"
" If you even mention....."
*************************************
" Dinner number three."
" So thankful Sookie had Thanksgiving brunch this year."
" I'll second that thanks."
" Luke's was good. He's having dinner with Nicole tonight right?" Rory probed.
" Luke's is always good." Lorelai ignored the second portion as the got out of the Jeep.
" I can't believe Grandma is letting us out of Friday Night Dinner."
" That's only because she hijacked Thursday night for an extra long turkey induced torture session."
" Are you going to ring the bell?"
" Five more minutes mom?" Lorelai whined.
" Faster you ring, faster we go in, faster we get out." Lorelai looked at Rory then started pushing the button feverishly. They could hear the click of heels running inside.
" You're making the maid run!"
" It's not like she going to be here next week to get back at us."
" Good point." The maid opened the door, taking their coats, and Richard walked up to meet them.
" Good evening Lorelai, Rory."
" Hi Grandpa."
" Happy thanksgiving Dad."
" You had a good drive I'm sure?"
" Of course."
" Emily's already in the sitting room. Jason's there too."
" J-Jason?" Lorelai stopped for a moment. " I had lunch with him last Thursday and he didn't say anything about it."
" Yes, well, as it turns out, his father obviously isn't too happy with him, so he wasn't invited to dinner at home. So Emily invited him her."
" You mean you invited him."
" No, Emily. She thought that since you two were...involved, it might be nice to have him over."
" Oh well, this should be...." Lorelai looked back at Rory, who was looking just as surprised. " Should be...I'm just going to go grab a drink."
**********************************
" You okay?"
" Peachy."
" What it going to require in order to salvage the night?"
" A time machine and the entire supply of vodka in Soviet Russia."
" Actually-" Rory started, but decided it would be a better idea not to continue the facts about the amount of vodka in Soviet Russia. " It wasn't that bad."
"Really? What part do you think brightened up the night? When my parents announced that the real reason they let us off Friday night was because they were going to come and watch the softball game? Or maybe when my mother asked if Luke, or rather "that hulking plaid ice man from the diner" would be there , with a bit too much interest and a very much unneeded laugh on your part."
" Sorry about that."
" Or maybe it was Jason's suggestion to then join the procession and come watch me make an idiot of myself tomorrow. Maybe it was the many thousands of sharp, stabbing daggers poking into Jason through the telekinetic abilities of my mother's eye. Or perhaps it was tonight's crowning moment, Mom's announcement that the secret to the stuffing was coconut, which just happens to be the only know substance to man that causes Jason to break out in big, red, scratchy hives."
" Wow it actually was bad."
" I'm going to be the girl at the game with the itchy boyfriend." Lorelai grumped, pulling up in front of their house.