Scavenger Hunt
Part 6
By Steph
Summary: The wedding of the year…well it's not who you'd expect. The man very reluctantly put in charge…he's exactly who you expect.
There was something wrong with his dress pants. They were still a little too wide.
He guessed that if he had let Charles the tailor spend more time on the alterations, the pants probably would have fit him better. Of course, letting Charles spend more time on the alterations would mean letting Charles spend more time "fitting him."
Luke would take the too-wide pants any day.
His jaw, thanks to Jackson, was now slightly swollen and discolored. And still painful despite the aspirin he had been popping.
And yet, despite the odd-fitting pants, despite the swollen jaw, he was happy.
It was Saturday morning.
Today was the wedding.
"Oh you're here," Kirk said to Luke. "I was worried that you wouldn't show up."
"Why wouldn't I show up?" Luke asked him.
"I have terrible abandonment issues," Kirk said. "I have people checking on Lulu every ten minutes making sure she doesn't flee the scene."
"And she's still here?" Luke asked seriously. He hadn't really considered the possibility that Lulu might leave Kirk at the altar.
Should he have?
"She's still here," Kirk said, relieved. "She's with her mother. I haven't seen her, because that's bad luck, but I've been sending Lorelai and Sookie to check up on her."
"Good," Luke said.
"And Lorelai said the seating and everything is perfect. And Sookie has all the food set up for the ceremony. So I guess there's nothing left to worry about."
Famous last words, Luke thought to himself. "Anything you need from me right now?" he asked.
"Yeah," Kirk said. "Will you help me with my tie?"
Only a few more hours, Luke thought to himself, and then he'd leave. Maybe he'd go fishing. He hadn't been in awhile. He was looking forward to being alone.
"I guess," Luke said. He tied the tie as quickly as he could.
"Thanks," Kirk said. He cleared his throat. "Luke, I'm nervous."
"That's normal," Luke said. "Everything will be fine."
"What if she changes her mind?" Kirk asked him. "I mean she's so pretty and smart and sweet. What if she decides that she doesn't love me? What if she decides that she'd rather be with someone else?"
"She loves you," Luke said kindly. "And I've worked too damn hard on this wedding. She's not going anywhere."
Fortunately Kirk laughed at that. "Thanks, Luke. I know I keep saying it, but I won't forget all you've done for us. And I'm sorry about last night. About what Jackson did."
"Don't worry about it," he said.
"Luke?"
"What is it, Kirk?"
"I know you don't like being hugged. Let me rephrase that. I know you don't like being hugged by me, and I respect that, but I was wondering if I could give you a hug. I'll make it quick."
Luke sighed. "Sure, Kirk."
Kirk gave Luke a quick hug. Luke awkwardly patted his back.
The actual wedding ceremony was uneventful. Nice, but nothing out of the ordinary. Luke stood next to Kirk. Lulu walked down the aisle to the tune of Lane's band's spirited rendition of "Here Comes the Bride."
Kirk and Lulu recited their vows solemnly, they were pronounced man and wife and Kirk was told that he could kiss the bride.
Many people averted their eyes.
Even now, there was still something almost unnatural about Kirk kissing anyone.
The aspirin was wearing off and his jaw was starting to ache. The food was laid out and everything looked great.
Eating it, however, might prove to be difficult.
Maybe he'd be able to gum some of the food.
Maybe he should try to score some baby food off of Davey.
He sat down at one of the tables and listened to Lane's band. He had no idea what they were playing, but they sounded decent enough.
And no one had complained yet. Not even Taylor.
And that was always a plus.
"Hey," Sookie said sitting down besides him.
"Hey," he said. "Where's Jackson?"
"Steering clear of you," she said giggling. "I think he's afraid that you're planning to clock him. Speaking of which, your jaw doesn't look so good."
"It doesn't feel that good," he admitted. "Where's Lorelai?"
"With her boyfriend," Sookie said. "I think they're talking to Lulu."
They both turned when they heard the music stop.
"May I have everyone's attention?" Lane called out. "The groom, Kirk Gleason, your friend and mine, would like to take the stage."
Kirk walked up to where the band had been. "Thank you, Lane," he said seriously. "And I'd like to thank you all for coming. It means a lot to me and my wife, Lulu. Let's everyone give a hand to Lulu for showing up. Lulu, please stand up."
Lulu, looking both embarrassed and radiant, stood up to the polite applause and assorted catcalls and whistles. She quickly sat back down.
"Now, some people like to make toasts, but I would rather not. Several people may know about my interest and skills in the arts and I feel a more appropriate tribute to my new bride would be in song."
"He's going to sing?" Luke hissed.
"Yep," Sookie said. "Jackson and Andrew lugged the karaoke machine over here this morning . Which was quite a feat considering how hung over they both were."
Kirk cleared his throat as the music began. As he began to sing, in typical overdone fashion, people around Luke started snickering. At first, Luke assumed they were laughing because Kirk was making an ass out of himself., but a few seconds into the song Luke began to feel that he was missing something.
"What am I missing?" Luke asked Sookie, who was laughing so hard, that she was almost crying.
"Have you ever seen Titanic?" she asked him.
"No," he said.
Kirk continued to sing earnestly, dramatically. "Near, far, wherever you are…I believe that the heart does go on. Once more…you open the door…"
After he was finished, he took a bow. Several people applauded. Someone up front yelled, "I'm king of the world!" Many people also laughed at that.
Lulu, amazingly enough, did not get up and run, but instead looked touched.
"Thank you," Kirk said. "And before I give the stage back to the band, I would like to do one more song. Over the past few weeks, one person has helped me more than I thought anyone would ever help me. And I wanted to do say thank you again to Luke. I'm not going to embarrass you by making a toast. Instead, I would like to dedicate a song to you as well. I don't always know what to say, but somehow Mariah Carey always does."
"He thinks a song will be less embarrassing than a toast?" Luke asked. "This is going to be bad. I can tell."
"There's a hero," Kirk sang, "If you look inside your heart. You don't have to be afraid. Of what you are."
"That's it," Luke said, standing up. "I need a drink."
He walked over to where the food and the cooler was. He pulled out a beer and waited for the song to be over before walking back to his seat.
Once back at his seat, Luke was approached by a pretty blonde woman.
"Hi there," she said.
"Hey," he said. She looked slightly familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. Maybe she was one of Lulu's friends.
The woman grinned. "Holly Wheaton. We met last night. I guess you don't recognize me with my clothes on."
Sookie choked on what she was drinking. A few friends of Lulu's, who were also sitting with them, also turned their attention to them.
Oh right the stripper. "Right," he said to her uncomfortably. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. Did Kirk invite you?"
"The groom? No, I came with Joe. He invited Daisy too, but she was working a birthday party today."
Sookie had recovered by now and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Sookie. I don't think we've met."
Holly shook it. "I was a stripper at the bachelor party last night." She turned to look at Luke. "Did you just get into a fight? I like to think that I'd remember if you were black and blue. Or at least offer to make you feel better." She winked at him.
"My husband hit him," Sookie said. "It was a mistake though. He was aiming for Kirk."
"Oh," Holly said. "Hey, mind if I sit down? I don't think I like Joe too much. He's a little too immature for my taste."
"Sure, sit down" Sookie said. "So how'd you get into stripping?"
Luke turned to her, aghast. Holly didn't seem offended. "Well, I dropped out of college and got married. My husband turned out to be a jerk, we divorced after several years and I started stripping to raise money to go back to school."
"That's interesting," Sookie said. "Are you going to school now?"
"Yes," Holly said. "Cooking school. I've always wanted to be a chef."
"Get out!" Sookie exclaimed.
Luke excused himself and started walking. He hoped that Kirk and Lulu hadn't left yet.
"Hey man," Kirk said when he saw Luke. "This is a great party."
"Congratulations," Luke said. "Where's Lulu?"
"I'm right here," she said. She walked to them. "I can't believe how perfect today has been."
"Are you guys leaving soon?" Luke asked them.
"Yes," Lulu said. "I just have to thank everyone and say our goodbyes."
"Go on ahead," Kirk told her. "I'll catch up."
She nodded. "Thanks again for everything, Luke. Remember what I said. If you ever need anything…" She kissed him on the cheek and walked off.
"That's my wife," Kirk said watching her.
"I know," Luke said. "Crazy, huh?"
"I'll say."
"Look, I know you two are headed off soon, but I just wanted to give you this." He handed Kirk an envelope.
Kirk stared at it, dumbfounded. "You shouldn't have. You've already done so much."
"It's your wedding," Luke said shrugging.
"I don't know how to make it up to you," he said. "But I will."
"Just promise me one thing. No more songs dedicated to me, okay?"
"Promise," Kirk said and went to catch up with Lulu.
"Hey Slugger," Lorelai said to him. "Get in any fights lately?"
"Funny," he said. "And no."
"I saw Jackson before he left. That man is afraid of you."
"He has no reason to be," Luke said. "I'm not going to hit him."
"I don't know if he knows that," Lorelai said laughing. Then she looked at him concerned. "How are you really? It still looks a little swollen."
"It's been better," he said. "But I'll live."
"Want to hear something funny? That blonde woman who came with Joe? Miss Patty and Babette have been spreading rumors that she's a stripper. I don't know why they're doing it, but they've been telling everyone. I feel bad for her."
"Don't," Luke said. "She is a stripper."
"Oh," Lorelai said. "Hey, speak of the devil."
Holly walked over to them. "I'm heading out. But it was very nice seeing you again, Luke."
"Yeah," he said. "You too."
Holly smiled at him. "Give me a call sometime. The offer from last night still stands." She laughed at how flustered he seemed. "I know I gave you my number last night, but if you lost it, Sookie has it. She is so nice. She told me that she could help me if I ever had any questions with my studies."
"That's…that's great," he said.
"I'll be seeing you," she said flirtatiously. She gave him one last appreciative glance, before smiling politely at Lorelai and walking away.
Lorelai was looking at him strangely. "Not a word," he said.
"I forgive you," Luke said. "And I'm not going to hit you. I swear."
"That wasn't the reason I was keeping a low profile. Honestly. I had to check on my crops. And Davey too. It actually had nothing to do with you."
Sookie gave her husband an odd look. "Davey's with your parents. And you told me that the specific reason that you weren't hanging around was because of Lu--"
"Whatever the reason," Jackson interrupted. "I hope that Kirk wasn't too upset that I wasn't around."
Luke, Jackson, Sookie and Lorelai were sitting at one of the tables, drinking the leftover champagne. The four of them sat just enjoying the relative quiet.
"We all did wonderful jobs," Jackson said. "Everything looked great."
"We did it," Sookie said. "And it's all over."
"Thank god," Luke said.
"No more odd food requests from Kirk," Sookie said dreamily.
"No more planning bachelor parties or carrying karaoke machines," Jackson chimed in.
"No more last minute phone calls from Kirk asking me for seating diagrams," Lorelai said.
"No more anything," Luke finished. He took another sip of the champagne.
"They looked happy, didn't they?" Lorelai asked quietly.
The three of them agreed.
Sookie held up her glass. "To Kirk and Lulu."
They all clinked their glasses.
Luke closed his eyes and rubbed his jaw without thinking. He had been planning on leaving town immediately, to jump in his truck and get away. Far far away.
But now, sitting with his friends, admiring the jobs they had all done, he was almost reluctant to leave.
Sookie held up her glass again. "To Luke and the stripper," she said mischievously.
Then again, leaving now would work too.
The End