Author's Notes:
Okay, I lied about getting the next chapter out soon. But here it is, better late than never, right? Thanks to ilovemrbloom, Daisy Deertree, dork1147, Nyla, Drowning in Misery, smile1, and JsparrowzMate13 for your reviews and words of encouragement.
I'm looking for a beta for this piece. If anyone is interested, or has any suggestions as to where I could find one, please let me know.
Dean showed up at the diner promptly at nine the following evening. Luke let him in, took the phone from its place behind the counter, and set it in front of him. He took a scrap of paper out of his shirt pocket and slid it across the counter to Dean. "Here. Give Rory a call."
Dean's gaze flickered from the paper to Luke's face. "How did you get this?"
"I have my ways," Luke replied mysteriously.
Dean's jaw dropped. "Lorelai gave it to you? You never told me Lorelai gave you her itinerary!"
Luke's face fell. "She didn't. I got it from Babette."
Dean winced. "I'm sorry."
"You didn't do anything. Don't be sorry."
"You got it from Babette, huh?" Dean grinned, shaking his head. "What did you tell her?"
Luke raised his eyebrow. "Do you really want to know?"
"I don't know," Dean laughed. "Do I?"
"It's not that spectacular," Luke admitted. "I just told her that I had something very important to discuss with Lorelai and I needed to get in touch with her."
"You do realize that that's going to be all over town by tomorrow afternoon, don't you?" Dean asked.
"I wouldn't have bothered if I'd known that you were more interested in tormenting me than talking to Rory," Luke grumbled.
"Okay, you're right," Dean agreed. He drew a deep breath, picked up the receiver, and punched in the numbers. The phone began to ring, and he slammed the receiver back down. "You do realize this is going to be an insanely expensive international call, don't you?"
Luke picked up the receiver and handed it to him. "I realize. Dial."
Once again, Dean dialed the number. The phone rang three times, and was picked up by someone with a thick British accent. "Thank you for calling the Ritz-Carlton, how may I direct your call?"
"Uh," Dean stammered. "Uh, do you have a Rory Gilmore staying there?"
"One moment, please." A long pause. "We have a Ms. Gilmore in Room 1423. Shall I connect you?"
Dean swallowed. "Yes, please."
"One moment, sir." Another pause, this one even longer.
The phone rang. Dean felt his heart pounding in his ears. The ringing stopped. "Hello?" The voice was most definitely not Rory's, or even Lorelai's with a bad cold. Dean had only met Rory's grandmother a handful of times, but he recognized Emily's voice and she did not sound pleased. "Hello, who is this?"
"Shit!" he yelped. He attempted to slam down the receiver again, but Luke grabbed it from his fingers.
"Hello?"
"Yes, who is this? Do you realize what time it is?" Emily demanded.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," Luke apologized. "Did I wake you?"
"It's one o'clock in the morning, of course you didn't wake me!" Emily replied sarcastically. "Either you tell me who you are or I'm going to hang up this phone."
Luke shot a dirty look at Dean, who gave him an apologetic glance. "It's Luke. I'm Lorelai's friend."
"Is everything all right?" A note of alarm crept into Emily's voice. "Nothing's happened, has it?"
"Everything's fine," Luke tried to assure her. "Can I talk to Lorelai?"
Emily let out a long, exasperated sigh. "All right. I'll go get her."
Luke thanked her, Emily set down the phone, there was a pause, and then Lorelai's voice was on the other end of the line. "Luke?"
God, it felt good to hear her voice again. "Hi, Lorelai. How's Europe?"
"It's good. Is everything all right?"
"It's fine," Luke assured her. "Dean's here at the diner with me, and we thought we'd call and check up on the Gilmore girls."
"Did you know it was one o'clock in the morning?" Lorelai asked.
"I'm sorry," Luke apologized. "I didn't mean to wake everyone up."
"Are you kidding?" Lorelai asked. "You're my new hero! You're my knight in plaid armor!"
"You couldn't resist the plaid joke, could you?"
"Come on," Lorelai teased, "you'd be disappointed if I didn't."
"You're right," Luke admitted. He paused, wondering if he should say it. "I miss you."
"I miss you too," Lorelai replied. "But I think this trip has been good for me."
"Have you..." his voice trailed off, and he attempted to draw the courage to ask. "Have you thought any more about us?"
"Luke, that's all I've been thinking about." Her voice was so soft that he could barely hear it. "And I appreciate your giving me this time away. It's helped a lot."
"Okay." He wouldn't push any more. "Can I talk to you again soon?"
"I'll call you tomorrow," Lorelai promised. "That way I can sneak the phone charges onto my mother's hotel bill."
Luke grinned. "You never change, do you?"
"You wouldn't want me to," Lorelai teased.
"I wouldn't," Luke grudgingly admitted.
"My mom's giving me the evil eye, so I should go," Lorelai told him with a trace of regret in her voice. "I think she wants to give me the third degree over why you're calling."
"Ouch," Luke winced. "Serves you right for going away and leaving me here by myself."
"Very funny. I'll call you at two o'clock your time, okay?"
"Wait," Luke interrupted. "Dean wants to talk to Rory."
"Okay, I'm not even going to get into that one with you," Lorelai announced. "I think Rory and I have to have a talk tomorrow."
"Lorelai, please," Luke insisted. "Don't hate him for what happened."
"All right," Lorelai gave in. "Tell Dean that Rory will call him tomorrow afternoon. But I'm going to want to have a talk with him as well."
"Okay," Luke agreed. "I'll tell him."
"I've got to go," Lorelai said quietly. "Talk to you tomorrow?"
Luke felt himself smiling. "Talk to you tomorrow."
He hung up the phone and turned to Dean. "I've got good news and bad news for you. Which do you want first?"
"Um," Dean thought for a moment. "The good news."
"Rory's going to call you tomorrow," Luke told him.
Dean beamed. "You're awesome! I owe you one."
"Ah, but you haven't heard the bad news yet," Luke continued. "Rory wants to talk to you, but so does Lorelai."
"Shit," Dean swore. "I'm sure she's not too pleased with me."
"I agree, she can be scary, but you'll survive," Luke tried to assure him. "You're pretty tough for a kid."
Dean smiled. "Thanks, Luke."
Luke allowed himself to return the smile for a brief moment. "You're welcome. Now get out of here. I've got to close up."
"All right," Dean agreed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
Okay, I lied about getting the next chapter out soon. But here it is, better late than never, right? Thanks to ilovemrbloom, Daisy Deertree, dork1147, Nyla, Drowning in Misery, smile1, and JsparrowzMate13 for your reviews and words of encouragement.
I'm looking for a beta for this piece. If anyone is interested, or has any suggestions as to where I could find one, please let me know.
Dean showed up at the diner promptly at nine the following evening. Luke let him in, took the phone from its place behind the counter, and set it in front of him. He took a scrap of paper out of his shirt pocket and slid it across the counter to Dean. "Here. Give Rory a call."
Dean's gaze flickered from the paper to Luke's face. "How did you get this?"
"I have my ways," Luke replied mysteriously.
Dean's jaw dropped. "Lorelai gave it to you? You never told me Lorelai gave you her itinerary!"
Luke's face fell. "She didn't. I got it from Babette."
Dean winced. "I'm sorry."
"You didn't do anything. Don't be sorry."
"You got it from Babette, huh?" Dean grinned, shaking his head. "What did you tell her?"
Luke raised his eyebrow. "Do you really want to know?"
"I don't know," Dean laughed. "Do I?"
"It's not that spectacular," Luke admitted. "I just told her that I had something very important to discuss with Lorelai and I needed to get in touch with her."
"You do realize that that's going to be all over town by tomorrow afternoon, don't you?" Dean asked.
"I wouldn't have bothered if I'd known that you were more interested in tormenting me than talking to Rory," Luke grumbled.
"Okay, you're right," Dean agreed. He drew a deep breath, picked up the receiver, and punched in the numbers. The phone began to ring, and he slammed the receiver back down. "You do realize this is going to be an insanely expensive international call, don't you?"
Luke picked up the receiver and handed it to him. "I realize. Dial."
Once again, Dean dialed the number. The phone rang three times, and was picked up by someone with a thick British accent. "Thank you for calling the Ritz-Carlton, how may I direct your call?"
"Uh," Dean stammered. "Uh, do you have a Rory Gilmore staying there?"
"One moment, please." A long pause. "We have a Ms. Gilmore in Room 1423. Shall I connect you?"
Dean swallowed. "Yes, please."
"One moment, sir." Another pause, this one even longer.
The phone rang. Dean felt his heart pounding in his ears. The ringing stopped. "Hello?" The voice was most definitely not Rory's, or even Lorelai's with a bad cold. Dean had only met Rory's grandmother a handful of times, but he recognized Emily's voice and she did not sound pleased. "Hello, who is this?"
"Shit!" he yelped. He attempted to slam down the receiver again, but Luke grabbed it from his fingers.
"Hello?"
"Yes, who is this? Do you realize what time it is?" Emily demanded.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," Luke apologized. "Did I wake you?"
"It's one o'clock in the morning, of course you didn't wake me!" Emily replied sarcastically. "Either you tell me who you are or I'm going to hang up this phone."
Luke shot a dirty look at Dean, who gave him an apologetic glance. "It's Luke. I'm Lorelai's friend."
"Is everything all right?" A note of alarm crept into Emily's voice. "Nothing's happened, has it?"
"Everything's fine," Luke tried to assure her. "Can I talk to Lorelai?"
Emily let out a long, exasperated sigh. "All right. I'll go get her."
Luke thanked her, Emily set down the phone, there was a pause, and then Lorelai's voice was on the other end of the line. "Luke?"
God, it felt good to hear her voice again. "Hi, Lorelai. How's Europe?"
"It's good. Is everything all right?"
"It's fine," Luke assured her. "Dean's here at the diner with me, and we thought we'd call and check up on the Gilmore girls."
"Did you know it was one o'clock in the morning?" Lorelai asked.
"I'm sorry," Luke apologized. "I didn't mean to wake everyone up."
"Are you kidding?" Lorelai asked. "You're my new hero! You're my knight in plaid armor!"
"You couldn't resist the plaid joke, could you?"
"Come on," Lorelai teased, "you'd be disappointed if I didn't."
"You're right," Luke admitted. He paused, wondering if he should say it. "I miss you."
"I miss you too," Lorelai replied. "But I think this trip has been good for me."
"Have you..." his voice trailed off, and he attempted to draw the courage to ask. "Have you thought any more about us?"
"Luke, that's all I've been thinking about." Her voice was so soft that he could barely hear it. "And I appreciate your giving me this time away. It's helped a lot."
"Okay." He wouldn't push any more. "Can I talk to you again soon?"
"I'll call you tomorrow," Lorelai promised. "That way I can sneak the phone charges onto my mother's hotel bill."
Luke grinned. "You never change, do you?"
"You wouldn't want me to," Lorelai teased.
"I wouldn't," Luke grudgingly admitted.
"My mom's giving me the evil eye, so I should go," Lorelai told him with a trace of regret in her voice. "I think she wants to give me the third degree over why you're calling."
"Ouch," Luke winced. "Serves you right for going away and leaving me here by myself."
"Very funny. I'll call you at two o'clock your time, okay?"
"Wait," Luke interrupted. "Dean wants to talk to Rory."
"Okay, I'm not even going to get into that one with you," Lorelai announced. "I think Rory and I have to have a talk tomorrow."
"Lorelai, please," Luke insisted. "Don't hate him for what happened."
"All right," Lorelai gave in. "Tell Dean that Rory will call him tomorrow afternoon. But I'm going to want to have a talk with him as well."
"Okay," Luke agreed. "I'll tell him."
"I've got to go," Lorelai said quietly. "Talk to you tomorrow?"
Luke felt himself smiling. "Talk to you tomorrow."
He hung up the phone and turned to Dean. "I've got good news and bad news for you. Which do you want first?"
"Um," Dean thought for a moment. "The good news."
"Rory's going to call you tomorrow," Luke told him.
Dean beamed. "You're awesome! I owe you one."
"Ah, but you haven't heard the bad news yet," Luke continued. "Rory wants to talk to you, but so does Lorelai."
"Shit," Dean swore. "I'm sure she's not too pleased with me."
"I agree, she can be scary, but you'll survive," Luke tried to assure him. "You're pretty tough for a kid."
Dean smiled. "Thanks, Luke."
Luke allowed himself to return the smile for a brief moment. "You're welcome. Now get out of here. I've got to close up."
"All right," Dean agreed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
