Defending Bjork
Chapter 23: Margaritas, Beer, and Tasseled Cupcakes
Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls or its characters. This chapter uses actual dialogue from "Lorelai's Graduation Day"; I'm borrowing it with the utmost respect for its original authors and their creativity and have no intention of claiming it as my own. Also, you may notice that one of the graduate's names deviates from the standard alphabetical order. Blame ASP for that.
A/N: It is practically unheard of for another chapter of DB to come out this quickly, but I was inspired, and after this weekend, it might be awhile before I can find time to write again. This isn't a trend – just a preemptive peace offering. This chapter is dedicated to Kat because I am so happy she is still reading DB and occasionally writing GG stories of her own. I miss you, but I'm glad to hear from you now and then. Thanks to Lee for the beta, Ali for updating NOGG essentially at my request, and Sarah for, you know, being Sarah. Please review, guys! -Becka
"I am a free woman!" Lorelai cheered, dropping her books on the floor. "The last test has been taken! The last pencil has been sharpened! The last coffee has been drunk! No, wait, scratch that. The last 'I need to stay up all night and cram useless information into my head but not the last cup of coffee ever' coffee has been drunk!"
"She seems excited," Lane drolly observed from her position on the couch.
"She has about twenty-five of those coffees shooting through her bloodstream right now," Rory explained.
"Hand over the pins, Sookie. I'm ready to hem!" Lorelai exclaimed, her hand shooting out towards her best friend.
"Are you sure it's only twenty-five?" Lane whispered.
"She might have snuck a few in when I wasn't looking," Rory admitted.
Sookie handed over the pin cushion. "Are you sure you don't want to take a break first, honey?" she asked Lorelai. "This can wait."
"I have to go with the adrenaline rush, Sook. If I stop now, every one of my bodily systems is going to grind to a halt, and I'll probably pass out. You'll be lucky if you revive me in time for the wedding. You'll be lucky if you revive me in time for Rory's wedding."
"Hey," Rory objected.
Lorelai turned to her. "What?"
"You make that sound like it's a very long time off."
"I don't see a ring on that finger," Lorelai replied. "And it better at least be a long time off. The 'very' is still up for debate."
Rory frowned and leaned back against the couch.
Lorelai turned back to Sookie and, for the first time, focused on the fact that she was in her wedding dress. "Oh, Sookie! You look beautiful."
"This old thing?" Sookie asked, blushing as she smoothed down the skirt.
"Jackson's a lucky man," Lorelai stated.
"I'm a lucky woman."
"Yes, but Jackson is luckier."
"Stop," Sookie dismissed with a wave of her hand. She stepped up on the small stool. "Now pin me."
"Okay, honey, Lucky Jackson isn't actually here right now," Lorelai teased.
"You know what I meant," Sookie cooed.
Lorelai smiled and knelt down to pin the hem. "So what's the latest gossip?" she asked. "All of this studying has been very distracting."
The three other women all paused in thought.
"Well," Lane offered hesitantly. "Kirk's cast comes off soon."
Lorelai glanced over her shoulder at the two younger girls. "That's it? That's the best you've got?"
"Luke got a new flannel shirt," Rory tried.
"That, I knew," Lorelai admitted. "Wow! Slow week!"
"Yeah, there isn't much excitement since Je—" Lane began. Realizing what she was about to say, she immediately corrected herself. "—esus died."
Lorelai fought a smile. "That was a downer," she agreed.
"You can say his name," Rory calmly interjected.
"Actually, there's some debate on that," Lane replied, pretending not to understand. "Depending on the context, at least."
"I meant Jess," Rory clarified.
"Oh," Lane said weakly.
"I'm fine," Rory assured them. "I've had time to process it, and I'm fine."
Sookie and Lorelai exchanged a look.
Lane gave her friend a sympathetic smile. "Of course you are," she agreed. "There's nothing wrong with being single. Hey, I've been single for weeks now."
"Exactly," Rory affirmed. The three other women fell silent, and Rory shifted uncomfortably. "You really do look beautiful, Sookie," she said, changing the subject.
Sookie smiled. "Thanks, sweetie."
After another long silence, Rory stood up. "I should probably go change into my dress. I'm up next." She headed towards her room. As soon as she was inside, she shut the door and went to her closet. She pulled out the blue bridesmaid dress and laid it on her bed. Unbuttoning her shirt, she glanced around the room. Her eyes fell on the white rabbit on the bedside table. Immediately, she looked back down at her shirt. She took a deep breath. She was fine.
x x x
"Beer?" Rodney offered, holding a bottle out to Jess as he walked through the door.
Jess stopped in his tracks and looked at the man. Reaching out, he took the bottle and used the counter to flip the cap off. He took a long sip and felt the once-familiar burn as the liquid slipped down his throat.
Rodney nodded and smiled, then grabbed a beer for himself. He opened the bottle and took a deep swig before turning his eyes to Jess. "That girl of yours was pretty," he said, trying to make conversation.
Jess's mouth set.
"Rory, was it?" Rod asked.
Her name swirled around him before settling into place, heavy upon his limbs. Fighting against it, he raised the bottle again. The liquid stung less as it went down the second time.
"She seemed smart too."
Jess shifted his eyes to look at his mother's boyfriend but didn't say anything.
"Funny who girls are attracted to, isn't it?" Rod said casually.
Jess took another sip before responding. "Not as funny as the fact that Liz always manages to find a bigger loser than the last guy."
Rod's stance stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Figure it out," Jess replied, meeting Rod's eyes.
Rod held up his hands. "Hey, I was just being friendly."
"I'm never going to like you," Jess stated, his tone dead-serious.
Rodney shrugged. "You never know."
"I know," Jess answered before continuing to his room. He set the half-empty bottle on a shelf as he walked by. The door slammed behind him.
Rodney lifted his beer again. "Whatever, kid," he mumbled around the bottle's lip before taking another deep swallow.
x x x
"So does this mean when I graduate I get margaritas?" Rory asked, glancing at her mother. After altering the dresses, the post-cramming crash had begun, and Lorelai had decided it was time to celebrate.
"After college, yes," Lorelai nodded. "You will be allowed margaritas. In moderation. Moderated margaritas," she clarified. "Huh. That sounds cool."
"Alliteration," Rory offered.
"No teaching," Lorelai ordered. "I've had enough teaching to last me a lifetime."
"I think that's the point."
Lorelai considered her statement. "Fair enough," she nodded. "You've always been very smart."
"Says the soon-to-be college graduate."
Lorelai smiled. "That sounds nice."
"It does," Rory agreed.
Lorelai looked down at her drink. "One more sip, and the room should start spinning."
"Then it looks like I'm cutting you off, missy," Rory replied, lifting the glass out of her mother's hand and setting it on the table.
"Hey," Lorelai objected.
"I don't even wanna think about how the margaritas are interacting with all of the coffee you drank this week."
"Warm fizzy fuzziness."
"Interesting," Rory replied. "And slightly disturbing."
Lorelai grinned and wrapped an arm around her daughter, pulling her tight. "Today was a good day."
"It was," Rory agreed.
"I accomplished something today."
"You accomplish things every day," Rory reminded her.
"But today it was something big."
They fell into silent agreement. After a minute, Lorelai glanced down at Rory. "So, how are you dealing with Jesus's death?"
Rory smiled, remembering Lane's comment. "That was a horrible save."
"Yes, it was," Lorelai agreed. "But we gotta give Lane points for creativity."
"But the tiptoeing isn't necessary," Rory countered. "I'm okay, and I will continue to be okay."
"I like to tiptoe. It's graceful and dainty."
"Probably not at the moment," Rory quipped.
"On the contrary, alcohol actually seems to improve my coordination."
"I guess it couldn't make it worse."
"You're very mean when I'm drunk," Lorelai observed.
Rory gave her an innocent smile.
"I'll stop asking," Lorelai promised, referring to Jess.
"I appreciate that."
Lorelai squeezed her tighter and after a slight pause, whispered, "Now can I please finish that margarita? It's so lonely over there."
Rory smirked and handed the glass back to her mother.
Lorelai finished off the last sip then leaned back against the couch. "Ah, yeah, there it goes," she observed as the room started spinning.
x x x
"Do I smell eggs?" Liz asked, walking up behind Jess and leaning over his shoulder to look in the pan.
He nodded and reached over to turn off the stove.
"And pancakes," she exclaimed, grabbing one off a nearby plate. "You made breakfast."
"It's not a big deal. I'm tired of eating out."
"It's sweet," she smiled.
He scooped some eggs onto a plate and handed it to her.
She walked over to the tiny dining table and sat down. "Come sit with me."
After a slight hesitation, he reluctantly took his own plate and joined her. They ate in silence.
"These are really good," Liz said, pulling him from his thoughts.
"They're okay."
She kept her eyes trained on him, and, after a minute, he finally gave in. "What?"
"You pissed Rod off yesterday."
Jess rolled his eyes and turned back to his food.
"Would it be so hard to try to get along with him?"
"He's an asshole."
"Hey," she admonished.
"Like you don't know it," he retorted, glancing up at her.
"He's nicer than the last one," she weakly defended.
"Yeah," Jess agreed. "A regular Ted Bundy to his Jeffrey Dahmer."
"Can't you just try, Jess?"
"Hey, I am trying."
"Making breakfast, while sweet, does not make things better around here."
Jess pushed his plate away and stood up. "Whatever."
"What?"
"You should be the one making breakfast. Why don't you try acting like a mother?"
"I took your side," she defended.
"Sure, you did," Jess scoffed.
"Ever since Pete, I always take your side, Jess. You know that."
"As long as you're sober," he retorted.
"I do my best. You know I do my best."
He grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair.
"Where are you going?"
"Out," he said, heading towards the door.
"You're just like your father," she mumbled.
He heard. In a flash, he turned and stormed back over to her. "I come back," he yelled. "I always come back. Do you even realize how crazy you are? Do you? That crap you accused me of?" he spat, gesturing towards his bedroom.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, bewildered.
"And with Rory?" he continued. "Rory, of all people! And you don't even remember. You never remember. But I stay, and I come back because if I don't, who the hell is going to watch out for you? Luke is tired of it. I'm tired of it. All of it. So don't pretend like you do your best, and don't act like I'm the bad guy. If people give up and leave, it's because of you. It's your fault."
"My fault?" she snapped back. "Jimmy seemed perfectly happy sticking around until you came along."
He froze.
Seeing the look on his face, she stood up and tried to reach for him. "Jess, I'm sorry."
He took a step back.
"I didn't mean that, baby. You know I didn't mean that. I get upset, and I say things that I don't –"
The door slammed shut before she could finish.
x x x
Feeling slightly lost, Lorelai glanced around the graduate check-in room. She'd been hiding out there for the past several hours, afraid that if she took one step outside Emily would blow her cover. She sighed and looked at the door just in time to see her daughter walk through. A smile broke across her face. "Ah, there you are! I could've sworn this morning you said you'd be here by six," she stated, reaching out to pull Rory into a hug.
Rory glanced down at her watch. "It's 5:50."
Lorelai grabbed her arm and looked. "My God, it's only 5:50?"
"I'm early."
Lorelai frowned. "Not early enough."
"Well, I had to change," Rory explained. "And then I stopped by Luke's. We're supposed to go there before dinner, by the way. I made it here as fast as I could. Why? What's going on?"
"Emily is here."
"Emily who?" Rory asked innocently.
"Emily, your grandmother, that's who."
"Oh, yeah, I may have invited her and Grandpa."
"She already ratted you out."
"I just thought they should be here," Rory defended. "I mean, look at you. You're in your gown, looking all collegiate and accomplished. They shouldn't miss that. You shouldn't let them miss that."
"Fine," Lorelai gave in. "You're right, but because you are the cause of this, you get to run interference."
"What kind of interference?""She brought Raul."
"Grandma brought a date?" Rory asked, confused.
"A cameraman. He worked on 'Welcome to Scab Land'."
Rory wrinkled her nose. "I swear I did not invite Raul."
"Regardless, Raul is here, complete with his camera."
"Grandma's just proud of you."
"Well, her pride is making the other kids hate me."
"What other kids?"
"Zach, for one," Lorelai said.
Rory frowned. "Zach's a jerk."
"You haven't even met him and already you're reading him like a book," Lorelai remarked. "The good news is, so far, no one knows I'm the one with the rich, overbearing mother, a fact I'd prefer to keep under wraps. I really don't want to be the outcast here."
"I'll deal with Grandma."
"How?"
"Just trust me," Rory assured her.
Lorelai smiled gratefully. "With my life."
"Now let me look at you in your gown."
She took a step back and held her hands out to her sides.
"I was right about the dress," Rory said proudly. "It's perfect."
"I didn't doubt it for a second."
Rory's forehead scrunched in concentration. "This look is reminding me of someone."
"Judge Wapner?" Lorelai offered.
"There's our little graduate," Sookie cooed as she walked in the door beside Jackson. "Oh, my God, look at that gown! You look just like the Statue of Liberty."
"That's it," Rory cheered. "That's who you look like."
"Ah, all big and stony?" Lorelai asked.
"No," Sookie dismissed. "You look amazing."
Lorelai smiled and looked at Sookie's fiancé. "Hmm, you look very GQ."
"Yeah, nice suit," Rory agreed.
"Oh, it's thanks to my new best friend Ermenegildo Zegna," he said proudly.
"Don't you love how he can pronounce it and all?" Sookie asked.
"Very Cosmopolitan," Lorelai agreed.
"He got it for the rehearsal dinner," Sookie explained. "It's his first real suit."
"And not my last," Jackson interjected. "I look hot!"
Lorelai and Rory exchanged a smile.
"So, you know Emily's out there, right?" Sookie asked.
"I'm taking care of it," Rory vowed.
Lorelai nodded. "She's my Frank Farmer tonight."
"Who?" Jackson asked.
"Devoted bodyguard to Rachel 'Rach' Marron," Lorelai clarified as if it were common knowledge.
"Who?" Jackson repeated.
Lorelai looked at Sookie. "Get this man to a Blockbuster! He's breaking my heart."
"Will do," Sookie giggled.
"Hey, guys, you are not gonna believe this!" a man exclaimed, running into the room.
"You're Mr. Announcement Guy today," a woman interjected.
"What, are you going to pipe in every time I talk?"
"Can it!"
"Stuff it!"
"Zach and Liza," Lorelai explained to her friends. "They're in love."
"Clearly," Sookie replied.
"That's Zach?" Rory asked, glaring at him.
"Careful, sweetie," Lorelai said, patting her daughter's hand. "That withering stare has been known to kill."
"So," Zach continued. "Mrs. Got Bucks out there not only has a cameraman, she's got a sound guy too."
"On second thought, stare away," Lorelai clarified in a low whisper.
"It's like a Baz Luhrmann movie out there," Zach added.
Lorelai frowned.
"It could be worse," Rory suggested.
"How?"
"It could be like a Quentin Tarentino movie."
"Give Emily a few more seconds, and scenes of senseless violence might not seem so farfetched."
"I'll go talk to her right now," Rory promised, heading towards the door.
"Is Lorelai Gilmore here?" a woman called. She looked around the room, a box in her arms.
Rory glanced back at her mother and saw her desperate look. Immediately, she hurried over to the woman. "I'm Lorelai Gilmore," she said quickly, guiding her out the door and away from the other graduates.
Lorelai watched them go, then mumbled gratefully, "I really love that kid."
x x x
"She was never allergic to flowers before."
"It's a recently acquired allergy," Rory explained to Emily. "The pollen or something. We're not really sure. She's going to see a doctor to try to get shots for it, but in the meantime, she probably shouldn't wear a corsage."
"What if we keep the flowers away from her skin?"
"It's not just a rash. There's coughing, sneezing, this weird wheezing noise. Sort of like, 'Hech! Hech! Hech!'" Rory imitated, sounding like a cat with a stubborn hairball.
"Stop making that awful noise," Emily ordered.
"See, exactly. It is awful, and we wouldn't want Mom to start wheezing in the middle of the ceremony."
"No, I suppose not," Emily agreed. "Well, all right. No corsage." She waved the woman with the box away and then turned to Raul. "Are you in position? Get in position! The ceremony's going to start anytime now."
"Raul, wait," Rory exclaimed. She reached out and grabbed Raul's arm, stopping him from going. "Actually, Grandma, I had an idea."
"What kind of idea?"
"Well, what if I just took pictures of Mom with a disposable camera?"
"Why on earth would you do that?" Emily asked in horror.
"It's fun," Rory explained. "And old-fashioned, and there are programs now where you can make picture slideshows with music. You can even add older pictures of Mom when she was growing up or of you and Grandpa when you graduated."
"Raul can edit together a video."
"But there aren't videos from back then," Rory said quickly.
Emily paused. "I suppose that's true."
"I think Mom would love it."
"She would?" Emily asked, considering the idea. "Well, what about one of those digital cameras? Wouldn't that make things easier?"
"I guess," Rory agreed. "But we don't have one."
"Raul can get one." Emily turned to the cameraman. "Raul, put down that silly video-camera and go get one of those digital cameras out of your van."
"But what about..."
"Shoo-shoo!" Emily ordered. "Quickly! The ceremony's about to start. I'm not paying you to stand around and shoot the breeze now, am I?"
Raul hurried off, and Emily turned to her granddaughter. "What an excellent idea."
Rory smiled and, catching her mother's eye off in the wings, gave her a covert thumbs-up.
x x x
"Victor David Fuller," the graduation speaker announced from the front of the stage. The graduate walked across and received his degree. "Nancy Brenda Gatson."
Lorelai looked around and saw Rory creep towards the front of the room, camera in hand. She smiled.
"Joanne Garver."
Lorelai and the rest of her row stood up and headed towards the stage.
"John Lawrence Gilfer."
She took a deep breath.
"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore."
She walked across the stage and took the diploma. Then, pausing, she looked at Rory. The camera flashed. Slowly, she let her eyes drift to where her parents sat and saw the proud look on her father's face. Emily reached up and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Her eyes starting to sting as well, Lorelai swallowed around the lump in her throat, and then, standing tall, she moved her tassel from left to right.
"Gretchen Greeman," the announcer continued.
x x x
After the ceremony, Lorelai glanced around the room and spotted her parents standing off to the side with Rory. Without a second thought, she headed over.
"Hey, Mom, Dad," she greeted.
"Lorelai," Emily returned.
"Well, I did it."
Richard nodded. "Yes."
"I'm sure Rory took some beautiful pictures," Emily remarked, looking at her granddaughter. Rory smiled, and Emily turned her attention back to her daughter. "Congratulations, Lorelai."
"Thank you. I'm glad you guys came," she said sincerely.
"Yes, well, we should get going," Emily replied, her voice formal. "I guess we'll see you tomorrow for dinner."
"Hey, wait. We need a picture," Lorelai stated.
"Rory got lots of pictures."
"No, of the four of us," Lorelai clarified. "Me in the middle with the gown, you know – the traditional pose."
"All right," Emily accepted. "But who'll take it?"
"Raul's still here," Lorelai reminded her. "Hey, Raul!"
He hurried over, and Rory handed him the camera. They gathered together.
"Okay, on the count of one, two—"
Past Raul, Lorelai saw Zach looking disapprovingly in their direction. Facing the camera again, she smiled proudly.
"Three. Cheese!"
x x x
Lorelai linked her arm through Rory's as they walked up the sidewalk towards Luke's. "It was a nice ceremony, wasn't it?"
"It was a great ceremony," Rory agreed. "You were great. I was very proud. Grandma and Grandpa were very proud," she stressed.
"I'm glad they were there," Lorelai admitted. "Thank you for inviting them despite my explicit insistence that they not be invited."
Rory smiled. "You're welcome."
"You did a great job running interference."
"About that," Rory interrupted. "You're allergic to flowers."
"Oh God, really?"
"It's the best I could do, but you're getting a shot at the doctor's, so you should be good as new in no time."
"Thank you, modern medical science!"
"But, just to be safe, you should probably stay away from flowers at dinner tomorrow."
"Noted."
"So, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, what are you going to do now that you got your degree?" Rory asked.
"Run off to Europe, marry a rich king, eat fancy chocolates, and live happily ever after."
"Sounds like a plan," Rory agreed.
"Or if that doesn't take, I guess I'll just go back to the Inn."
"Slightly less glamorous but more practical," Rory pointed out.
"I'm graduated," Lorelai stated. "I am a graduate. I have a degree."
"You do," Rory nodded.
"Dad gave me an envelope."
"Ooh! A mystery envelope?"
"With a rather sizable sum of money tucked inside," Lorelai said gleefully.
"I feel a shopping trip coming on."
"I do have that familiar tickle in my nose, although it could be the flower allergy."
"Would it be impersonal if I just gave you money too?" Rory asked.
"Why would you do that?"
"I couldn't find a present. I looked everywhere," she despaired.
"Don't be silly. You don't need to get me anything."
"You're going to give me something when I graduate," Rory pointed out.
"Says who?" Lorelai teased.
"I'll find you something. I will. You'll get a special present when you least expect it."
"It'll be like two graduations."
Rory nodded. "Exactly."
"And at last, we've reached Luke's," Lorelai stated, pulling open the door.
"The walk does seem to get longer every time, doesn't it?"
They walked inside.
"I think every morning Luke pushes the building just a little further away. He hopes to reach China someday."
"Good for him," Rory nodded.
Luke looked up. "Are you talking about me?"
"Reached China yet?" Lorelai asked, taking a seat at the counter.
"Huh?"
"Never mind," she dismissed. "I hear you wanted to see me."
"Oh, yeah," Luke answered. He tucked his pencil behind his ear and put the notepad on the counter. "I just wanted to say congratulations."
"Oh," Lorelai replied, sending Rory a curious look.
"So," Luke stammered. "Congratulations."
"Thank you."
He nodded. "Oh, and this is for you," he added. He reached under the counter and set a cupcake in front of her.
She grinned. "It has a hat."
"And a tassel," he pointed out.
"You got me a tassel hat for my cupcake?" she teased, looking up at him.
"It wasn't a big deal."
"Hey, this little cupcake graduated," she disagreed, gesturing at it. "That is a big deal."
"It is a big deal," he confirmed, meeting her eyes.
She hesitated and took a quick glance at Rory. Then, looking at him again, she smiled. "Thank you, Luke."
"You're welcome. Oh, and Rory, here, this is for you." He set a plain cupcake in front of her.
Lorelai frowned. "Hey, she didn't graduate."
"Which is why there's no hat," Luke explained. "Now eat your cupcake before I take it back."
"Fine," she moped, peeling off the wrapper. He nodded and turned around to get them some coffee. Lorelai glanced at Rory who raised a questioning eyebrow. Her only response was a sly smile and a shrug.
x x x
Jess hesitated outside the door, considering his options again. He still had time to walk away. He knocked.
Seconds later, the door opened.
"Holy shit! Look who it is!" the man on the other side greeted.
Jess gave a small nod. "Vince."
"Jess Mariano," Vince replied, shaking his head in a mixture of surprise and disbelief. "I never thought you'd show your face around here again."
Jess didn't respond.
"What happened to Stuckeyville?" he asked.
Jess shrugged.
"Don't tell me you got your ass kicked out of a whole town."
"Not exactly," Jess replied.
Vince raised an eyebrow but didn't push the issue. "So what are you doing here?"
"I need a place to crash."
"For how long?"
"Just a couple of days," Jess promised.
Vince pushed the door open the rest of the way and let him in.
Jess walked into the living room and immediately saw a man and a woman sitting on the couch.
The woman stood up and rushed towards him, enveloping him in an awkward hug. When she pulled away, she was smiling from ear to ear. "Jess Mariano. Where've you been keeping yourself?"
He didn't respond, instead looking past her at the man she'd been sitting with. He was fixing Jess with an ice-cold glare. "Come sit down, Terri," he ordered without breaking eye contact with Jess. Instantly, Terri headed back to the couch and sat down.
"Don't be an asshole, Wade," Vince ordered.
Wade turned his attention to Vince. "He's the asshole," he stated, referring to Jess.
Jess clenched his jaw but didn't say anything.
"Regardless," Vince replied. "I owe him a favor, so he's staying with us for a few days."
"Perfect," Wade growled.
"There's a cot in the other room, Jess," Vince told him.
Jess nodded and headed in that direction. As soon as he got into the room, he laid down on the cot, knowing better than to remove his shoes. He positioned his body so he had a clear shot of the door and tried to fall asleep, telling himself that this was slightly better than staying on the streets and a helluva lot better than going home... even if he had to sleep with one eye open.
