Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls is owned by Amy Sherman-Palladino, Warner Bros., and all those other rich, smart people.
A/N: Sorry this chapter took awhile; the combination of school starting up again with the, of course, added bonus of homework (oh joy), and a job, and just lots of real life stuff in general, it was hard to get this all finished and cleaned up and ready to serve. But here it is now.
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It had been two weeks since Luke had given his blessing to Greg to ask Rory to marry him, and he was starting to crack under the strain of keeping this from Lorelai.
"So Rory said she had big news to tell us," she said lightly as they sat on the couch, watching a movie Luke couldn't remember the title of, and didn't really care about anyway. "I wonder what it's about."
Luke didn't say it aloud, but he was wondering what Rory wanted to tell them about too. The young Gilmore was going to stop by and visit the next day and share her news. Maybe Greg proposed? He thought.
"I don't know," was all he said.
Lorelai let out a deep sigh. "Do you think they're engaged?"
"I don't know."
"Are they moving again?"
"I don't know."
Lorelai gasped. "Oh my God, do you think Rory's pregnant?"
"No," Luke said firmly.
"You sound so sure," Lorelai commented. "You don't know," she accused. "It's not like you're the Oracle or anything."
"Alright: I don't know."
"Ugh, stop saying that!"
Luke had found that most of their time spent together was like this. She'd ask ridiculous questions about different subjects, and Luke would respond with the same answer every time. He found the routine comfortable, and something he had come to almost enjoy.
They sat in silence as the movie went on, and Luke watched as Katharine Hepburn yelled at someone.
"Wow, we could find out tomorrow that we're gonna be grandparents. Man, that'd be so crazy if Rory had a baby right after I did. Totally weird."
Luke knew she wasn't going to let up, so he decided to ignore her. Just another normal evening in the Danes' home.
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"Hello?" Luke heard someone call, distracting him so he dropped the picture he had been trying to hang up in the baby's room onto his foot.
"Damnit," he muttered as Rory came into the doorway.
"Hey Luke. Are you okay?" She noticed his pained expression.
"Yeah, just dropped this on my foot," he replied as he set the picture down, so the stupid cats were staring at him. He hadn't wanted to buy this picture because the animals in it were all evil-looking with beady eyes, but Lorelai had insisted.
"Where's mom?" Rory asked as she and Luke entered the kitchen.
Luke tried to remember where she had gone. Sookie and Michel had both been badgering her to take it easier lately, so she had been going to the Dragonfly less and less.
"I think she went to Doose's."
At that moment the door opened and closed, followed by a grunt of frustration, signaling Lorelai's return.
She entered the kitchen. "Oh, no, I'm great. The lady who's eight months pregnant will carry the bag."
Luke took it from her and placed it on the counter.
"Rory!" Lorelai said as she and her daughter hugged awkwardly over her large stomach. "What's your news?"
Never misses a beat, Luke thought as he shook his head at his wife.
Rory seemed to be confused for a second, then nodded. "Oh, uh, right. I guess I'll tell you guys now."
Lorelai grinned and the three entered the living room. Luke sat beside his wife on the couch as Rory stood in front of the TV, facing them.
"Alright, so remember how I was up for that position at the New York Times?" She began, and Luke immediately smiled.
"You got it?" Lorelai questioned eagerly.
"Yeah!" Rory replied enthusiastically.
"Great! Congratulations," Luke said happily.
Rory now sat down in the chair facing the couch. "That's great, babe!" Lorelai agreed.
"Wait, there's more," the young woman said.
"You're not pregnant, are you?" Lorelai asked.
"What? No," Rory responded.
"Long story," Luke informed her. "Go on."
"Right, since the job is at the NY Times, Greg and I are moving!" Rory smiled widely at her mother and step-father again.
Luke blinked. She was moving to New York?
"Well?" Rory prodded.
"You're moving to New York?" Lorelai echoed Luke's thoughts, not sounding so happy about it.
Rory looked almost disappointed. "Well, yeah. The job is in New York, and Greg's been thinking about switching jobs, and...it's a great offer, and I don't really want to commute from Hartford to New York and back every day," she concluded.
The three sat in silence for a few more minutes. Luke was trying to comprehend this. Rory had never been farther from Stars Hollow than Hartford.
"Uh, congratulations...again," he finally said.
"Mom?" Rory glanced at her mother, who was tearing up. "You're not happy?"
"You're moving to New York," Lorelai repeated sadly.
"Yes, but it's not that far, and it's not like we won't come home sometimes to visit, and we'll be around all the time when the baby's born..." Rory pleaded with her eyes for her mother to accept this.
"You're right," Lorelai said as she waved a hand in the air and laughed at herself. Luke sat uncomfortably. "It's just...New York."
"Yup."
"Congrats, sweetie." Lorelai opened her arms and her daughter stood and walked into them.
"Thanks," Rory said quietly, then hugged Luke.
Lorelai was still wiping away tears. "When are you going?"
"Two weeks," was the answer.
Luke thought about two weeks from then. Lorelai was due in a little over two weeks. "We'll help you move in," he said. "You do have a place, right?"
"Yeah, we got an apartment a few days ago. Liz actually helped us out with it. She knew the owner of the building and talked to him for us."
At this Lorelai's eyes widened. "Liz knew you were moving before I did?"
"We, we needed to find a place," Rory justified. "I wanted to make sure we were set before I told you guys."
Luke placed a hand on Lorelai's knee to calm her down, which she did slightly. "Oh," she said quietly.
Rory kneeled down in front of her mother. "Please be happy for me, mom."
"I am," Lorelai replied, and wrapped her daughter in another hug.
Luke almost felt like an intruder in this moment. He knew that it was going to be difficult for Lorelai to get used to her grown daughter being in a different state. But, he figured, they'd have the baby to keep their thoughts occupied.
At the thought of the nearing reality of becoming a father, Luke let out a breath. He was excited, nervous, scared, and yet so looking forward to the experience. He wondered if he really was getting softer, as Lorelai often said to him. His thoughts drifted back to Rory as she sat between her step-father and mother, and began chatting about decorating the apartment.
XXX
"I have to quit."
Luke internally groaned at hearing this from Lane, who had been his best worker, well, ever. He understood that her band was taking off, and that they were going to be traveling more, but he still felt like being selfish and saying she had to give him a year's notice before she could quit.
"Alright," was all he said.
"I'm really sorry, Luke," Lane said honestly as they chatted behind the counter of the diner during the afternoon lull. There were only three customers in the place.
"It's fine, Lane. You've been a great worker for, what, almost four years? It's been good to have you."
"It's been good to work for you," Lane told him. "Just...thanks for letting me work here all these years. The extra cash has really helped."
"I'm glad," he replied. "So, I can pay you for this week's work, and then you'll be ready to go."
Lane nodded. "Sounds good." She checked her watch. "Speaking of being ready to go, I'm meeting the guys in five minutes, so do you mind if I take my break now?"
"Go ahead," Luke said as he nodded towards the door.
She smiled gratefully at him, then removed her apron and left the diner. Luke started mentally going through the list of people he could hire part-time for the morning shifts, since Cesar only worked six days a week and John was still in high school.
He decided to go upstairs and check the apartment; he hadn't been up there in awhile, since he'd basically moved everything to Lorelai's over the years.
"I'll be in the apartment," he told Cesar, then headed up the stairs and opened the door that had his father's name on it.
It didn't look different, he decided as he shut the door behind him. Well, there was the double bed Lorelai had convinced him to buy after they had been dating for a few months ('A twin is too small for both of us.' 'It's fine.' 'You just don't feel like going shopping.' 'That's true.' 'Do it for me.' 'Will it make you shut up?' 'Yes.' 'Let's go.'). Then there was the kitchen table he'd gotten when Jess had spent a week in the apartment before his and Lorelai's wedding, and the old one had broken right in half under the weight of his nephew ('Were you dancing on it or something?' 'No! I was sitting on it!' 'Why were you sitting on it?!' 'It's a long story; just get a new freakin' table!'). At that time, he'd also gotten a new bureau for the place in case anyone stayed there, since his was at the house.
Otherwise, the place looked the same, just bare. He couldn't believe that at one time he wasn't living in the Gilmore's home, yet it had only been three years ago. Things had changed so quickly for him, and yet it seemed that the events that had ended up happening were inevitable.
Luke looked at the pictures he had left there, some in frames, others just loose and stuck in drawers and on table-tops. He lifted one that had captured a moment between he and Rachel. Sometimes, Luke wondered where he'd be if Rachel had never left. Would they have gotten married? Would she be the one he was making craving-satisfying snacks for, just to please her and their future child?
In the end, Luke concluded that he was glad Rachel had left. No matter how upset or angry or depressed he had felt when she had gone, it was almost a blessing, because he probably wouldn't be with his soul mate right now if she hadn't.
Great, now I sound like a character on Dawson's Creek, he thought, and at that, he knew that somehow over the years Lorelai had rubbed off on him.
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