Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story idea. Oh, wait. I own Jessie.
A/N: See Chapter One for full premise. To sum up, this is an AU (Alternate Universe) in which Jess Mariano never existed. In his place, Jessie Danes, daughter of Liz, has come to live with her Uncle Luke for the summer. I am very pleased that so far people are enjoying this. Reviews are always welcome, no matter how short or long (just in case you're reading and not reviewing…you know who you are). Thank you to all of you have been reviewing. It does mean a lot. A special thanks goes out to Lindsay for letting me bounce all my crazy ideas off of her. This story would not be here without her. Literally. She had to talk me into posting it. And another big thanks goes out to my new friend Sarah for taking the time to read drafts of recent chapters.
July: Cowboys and Ballerinas
Chapter Sixteen
~~
After slamming the door to her room, Jessie stomped over to her bed where she flopped onto her back with her arms crossed over her chest and a tremendous pout upon her face. Stupid Uncle Luke, trying to tell her what to do! She lay there, pouting at the ceiling for almost fifteen minutes before the phone rang. She heard Uncle Luke moving around out in the apartment getting ready to go downstairs so she knew he'd answer. Sure enough the phone stopped after the second ring and after a few moments, she heard a knock.
"Jess," Luke called, "it's for you."
Frowning, she got up and opened the door. "Who is it?" she demanded.
"Rory," he said grumpily and handed her the phone before walking into the kitchen to finish making a cup of tea. He was back in his usual attire.
"Hello," Jessie said into the phone.
"Jess, what happened?" Rory asked in a whisper.
"When?"
"At your place. You were supposed to get my mom to stay for dinner. She's up in her closet again wreaking havoc!"
"She smells?" Jessie asked, confused.
"Not reeking, wreaking – just forget it. What happened?"
Jessie kicked her foot against a wall and stared down at her new pink shoes. Uncle Luke was still close by so she couldn't really say much. "It's hard to explain," she replied carefully. Luke lifted his head up at this and regarded his niece suspiciously as he sipped his tea. Jessie hunched her shoulders and turned so that her back faced him.
"He's there right now?"
"Yeah."
"Well, look, I'm going to try to talk her into coming over for dinner tonight, but she's acting weird. If I can get her there, do what we talked about earlier, okay?"
Jessie ventured a look over her shoulder at Luke who was still drinking and staring at her with narrowed eyes. "Okay, sure," she promised.
"Okay, I gotta go. Talk soon. Bye."
"Bye," Jessie returned and then hung up. As she replaced the receiver she turned fully around and met her uncle's eyes. "What?" she asked defensively.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Why is Rory calling here?"
"We're friends. What, I can't have friends?" she asked, hoping she looked innocent enough. Luke wasn't buying it for a second, though.
"You can have as many friends as you want," he told her. "But don't try and tell me something's not going on, because I know better."
Jessie snorted, crossed her arms over her chest and let her left hip jut out as if to say, "Yeah, okay, whatever, old man."
"About this bathing suit," he said, switching gears.
"Yeah?" she said expectantly.
Luke took a deep breath. As much as he wanted to lock her up and throw away the key so that nothing bad ever happened to her, he knew that was just a teensy bit unrealistic. Plus the look on her face was just so earnest and hopeful. "We won't return it, but you have to wait until next month, when you turn nine to wear it. We'll go back Sports Authority tomorrow and get you a suit until then," he told her. Jessie let out a whoop and she bounded across the small space and jumped into his lap. "Thank you!!" she cried, snaking her arms around his neck.
"Okay, okay," he said, hugging her back. "But the next time you want to buy something like that you need to ask first."
"I promise," she told him solemnly before she scampered off his lap and skipped to the couch to look again on her beloved two-piece.
"I gotta get downstairs for the dinner rush," he told her. "Are you hungry yet or did you eat your body weight in fried food at the mall?"
"Yes and yes," she answered.
"You spend way too much time with the Gilmores," he replied as he ushered her out the front door of their apartment.
~~
Later, as Jessie grimaced and put the last bite of turkeyloaf and mashed potatoes with gravy in her mouth, Rory and Lorelai walked into the diner. She was sitting at her usual stool, on her knees as she ate and when she saw them she called hello and waved. Unfortunately, the turkeyloaf and potato that had been in her mouth landed on the floor just as Luke was passing by.
"Watch it, Jess," he grumped as he handed her his rag and pointed at the mess.
"Sorry," she said, trying her best to look innocent. She took the rag and jumped down to clean up her mess just as Lorelai and Rory found a nearby table.
"Hey, Jess," Rory said pointedly.
"Hi!" Jessie chirped in reply. Luke pulled out his order pad and said, "You know what you want?"
Jessie waited until they were done placing their orders but before Luke had left them before asking, "Hey, have you guys ever seen that Willy Wonka movie?"
"Are you kidding?" Lorelai asked, hand to her chest, eyes wide. "It's only one of the best films ever made. You've never seen it?"
"Nope," she replied, trying to look sad.
"Luke, this must be remedied," Rory demanded.
"And soon!" Lorelai added.
"Maybe we could watch it tonight!" Jessie said, right on cue.
"Sure go have fun, I'll pick you up after the diner closes like last time," Luke answered with a distracted shrug.
Jessie deflated. She forgot the script. What was she supposed to do now? Desperately, she looked at Rory who nodded with wide eyes as if to somehow telepathically tell her what to say. "Uh…." She replied looking panicked.
"Or!" Rory jumped in. "It doesn't look too busy, why don't you come, too!"
Luke shook his head and replied. "And leave Caesar here alone on a Saturday night? Not gonna happen."
As if scheduled for an entrance, Lane walked in and called, "Hey Luke! Thought it might be busy tonight, so I stopped by to see if you needed an extra hand." She waved at the group and headed for the kitchen to get an apron.
Luke stared, dumbfounded, at Lane's back and then at the three women before him. Lorelai looked enthusiastic about a movie night and that was fine. Jessie and Rory, though, looked almost guilty. What were they up to?
"Perfect," Jessie bounced. "Lane can stay and we can go watch a movie!"
"Not so fast," Luke responded. "Lane isn't scheduled for tonight. There's no reason why she should have to work while I go play."
"Come on, Luke," Rory cajoled. "It'll be fun."
Luke lifted his eyebrows to the ceiling and blew a breath out. Jessie and Rory exchanged a look. He was weakening. Ever since Jessie had come to live with him and he experienced the normal hours of day to day life as opposed to the five-thirty to eleven hours of diner life he'd been more and more willing to blow off diner-life when he was able. "Okay, fine. Let me just go make sure it's okay with Lane. Then I'll get your food out and we can go."
"Woo hoo!" whooped Jessie.
"Inside voice," Luke scolded with a gentle sigh.
"Yeah, yeah," she replied to him as he left to put their order in.
"I can't believe you've never seen Willy Wonka before," Lorelai chided Jessie.
"What can I say?" she replied with big eyes. "I'm a child in need." She almost pulled it off but Lorelai snorted and said, "Not since you've come here. You've got Luke wrapped around you're little finger."
Jessie giggled and said, "I'm glad I came."
"So are we," Rory declared firmly with a wink.
As the foursome left the diner later on, Rory and Jessie exchanged a look and as they passed Doose's market Rory said, "We're going to stop in here and get supplies."
"Supplies?" Luke asked with a frown.
"Can't have movie night without junk food," Rory explained.
"You two kids have fun, though!" Jessie called excitedly as she and Rory ducked into the store. Luke and Lorelai stood outside for a minute, looked at each other awkwardly and then continued walking. The two girls pressed their noses up against the window to watch the grown ups walk away. "Hey," Taylor shouted. "I just Windexed that glass!"
"Sorry, Taylor," they giggled before slowing picking up the items they needed.
~~
On the sidewalk, Luke watched Jessie dart into Doose's with Rory and again he was struck by the suspicion that something was up. Unable to put his finger on just what felt wrong, though, he turned to Lorelai, awkwardly smiled as if to say, "I have no idea what just happened," and then watched as she did the same. A cool breeze offered a brief respite from the heat wave they'd been experiencing and they each were thinking about that afternoon and the ice cube. Luke stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shuffled his feet as they walked. Lorelai crossed her arms and hunched her shoulders as she felt her face flush. She had meant for the ice cube to be innocent and silly. The reactions it had produced in both of them had surprised and scared her. Ever since Jessie had come to live with him, she'd been seeing this whole different side of her old friend.
They walked in silence to Lorelai's place and when they reached the steps of her porch Lorelai took them two at a time while Luke hung back and waited for her to get the door open. As she awkwardly gestured for him to enter ahead of her, Luke ducked in and as he did, caught a whiff of her perfume. Mmmm, flowers, he thought. Why does she always smell like flowers?
"You wanna beer?" she asked as she entered the house behind him.
"Yeah, sure," he said, lifting his shoulders still with his hands in his pockets. He watched her walk away and that old cheesy line, "I love to watch her leave," entered his head. Giving himself a mental shake, he wandered into the living room and flopped onto her couch. Lorelai's butt was none of his business, he reminded himself sternly. Closing his eyes he leaned his head back and tried to force the image out of his head. He was not going to think about how well her jeans fit her. He was not going to think about how perfectly rounded her hips were. He was not going to think about how good she smelled. He was not going to think about the way his body had responded earlier. He was not going to think about how he'd had to go home and take a cold shower after her little ice cube trick. He was definitely not going to think about how much he'd wanted to make the water hot, close his eyes and let his imagination run wild. Nope. Not going to think anymore. Thinking only got him into trouble.
"Luke?" His eyes flew open and before him stood Lorelai with his beer. "Yeah?"
"Thought maybe you'd fallen asleep and I was going to be insulted that you couldn't wait until after I'd gotten you drunk to pass out," she joked as she handed him his beer.
"Just tired," he admitted, taking the beer and glancing away. Not going to think about how much he wanted to let the alcohol take hold so that he could kiss her until they were both gasping for air and not feel any remorse.
She sat beside him and said, "It's a lot. You're doing the single-parent thing and I can totally relate." She took a pull off her own beer and felt some of the tension and anxiety of their being alone lessen.
Luke nodded trying to clear his head and said, "You're about the only one I know who can. The other day, Taylor told me that she'd be scarred for life and would probably grow up to be a serial killer."
"Taylor's just an ass, Luke," she said with a gentle squeeze of his shoulder. "Nobody listens to what he says because he never has anything of substance to say. Jessie is fine. Really."
"Thanks," he said as he took another swig from his bottle. God, he was thirsty all of a sudden. He was sitting on one end of the couch and Lorelai was next to him sitting sideways so that she faced him with her leg bent and her drink resting on her knee.
A stillness crept in and they sat drinking in a companionable silence for a while before Luke said, "I wonder where the girls are. They should have been able to get whatever they needed by now, right?"
Glancing at the clock on the wall Lorelai agreed, "It is taking longer than usual. Here, let me get you another beer." She took the empty from his hand and he looked at it in surprise. He didn't remember finishing it. She left and came back with another for them and just as she sat back down the phone rang. Frowning, she picked up the cordless from the coffee table and answered.
"Hey!" she said after a second. "What, why? That's silly, just come home. Rory…. Well, okay…I guess so. Sure. Okay, see you then. Bye."
Luke stared at her, waiting. "Well?"
"They went to the ice cream shop for dessert," Lorelai replied with a frown.
"They what?" he asked, his forehead lined with confusion.
"But she said they'd be here soon."
"Doesn't make any sense."
Lorelai shrugged. "It is weird. They're bringing me back a shake, though, so I'm happy," she finished, shaking it off.
"Huh," he said. He couldn't let go of the sense that something wasn't adding up. Lorelai flipped on the TV and she channel surfed while he tried to make heads or tails of the weirdness. They each finished another beer and when he was half-way through the third he began to feel it. Lorelai had turned to face the television but hadn't moved away from him and her perfume again invaded his personal space.
The sun had set and twilight surrounded them before they knew it. Forgetting to turn on a lamp, the TV provided soft illumination and Luke eventually turned his attention to what Lorelai had on. It was some comedy but he had no idea which one. His knowledge of television was limited to ESPN and Cartoon Network. As he forced her proximity and delicious scent out of his brain her sudden bubble of laughter startled him. It wasn't just a polite little laugh, but a full-on side-splitting guffaw and she doubled over into her lap and then threw her head back as she roared. Turning to him, she leaned in close and trilled, "Oh, my God that was hilarious! Did you see that?"
Luke smiled a little and reveled at her careless ability to project her every feeling and emotion. Quieting, Lorelai felt her smile drift away as she recovered from the bout of laughter and – God help her – gazed into his eyes. He had such nice eyes and she couldn't help but allow herself to sink into them. Everything about him was nice. He had a nice face and wonderful stubble…sexy like Bruce Springsteen. And his jaw. God, he had a nice jaw. Her eyes wandered over his wonderfully strong and able jaw. Suddenly her breaths came in short little gasps and her eyes drifted down to his mouth and back up again. She licked her lips as if preparing to really savor a treat.
Luke's breathing had all but stopped. He traced her fine features with his eyes and absorbed her delicate cheekbones and beautiful mouth in one long sweep. God, if she was teasing him again he thought he'd die. He leaned in a fraction of an inch more and enjoyed the play of her breath on his lips. Stifling a groan, he let his gaze drop to her mouth and he saw that her lips were parted. He let his tongue slowly pass his between his teeth as he licked his lips. Lorelai hitched her breath and followed the movement with her eyes.
Before he knew what was happening, before he could even think, Lorelai launched herself at him and knocked their drinks to the floor as she took his mouth under hers and kissed him as hard as she could. Grasping her waist in his hands, he pulled her swiftly into his lap and began to explore her body. Down her hips and around to the full curve of the butt he'd been admiring earlier and then up to her back and into her hair and then down again to slip under the back of her tank top where he found that she – mother of God – wasn't wearing a bra. She moaned a little into his mouth and straddled his legs as she relished in the stubble under her fingertips. Moving up past his wonderful jaw toward his ears, she forced her fingers into the curling hair at the base of his neck and nudged the baseball cap off.
He felt the rush of air as the cap came off and he brought his hands down her bare back and around to her stomach and then slowly up again. He was taking a terrible risk, but he just couldn't stop himself. Her creamy skin felt so silky and smooth under his hands and she had intoxicated him with her scent. Slowly he inched upward, using his tongue to distract her mouth from what his hands were doing. Just as he felt one delectable swell, though, the front door opened and Lorelai tore away from him as if she'd just been dragged off. She flung herself onto the opposite end of the couch and Luke grabbed a throw pillow to put in his lap. Closing his eyes he tried to get his breathing under control. Braving a swift glance at Lorelai he took in her shocked expression and hasty clothing readjustments.
"We're home," they heard Jessie shout as she and Rory headed for the kitchen to put their purchases away.
"Hat," hissed Lorelai.
"What?" Luke asked, his expression perplexed.
"Your hat," she whispered furiously as she pointed to the floor beside the couch.
Hastily, Luke reached down and put it back on just as the girls entered the living room.