Disclaimer: Amy Sherman-Palladino owns everything except the plot.
A/N: First of all, massive thank you's to everyone who reviewed at and at the javajunkies LJ community; I appreciate your comments so much! Ewan's girl1, I totally see what you mean and I am glad you pointed that out; I've worked on the characterization more for this chapter and I might even go back and do a slight rewrite on chapter one. Thank you all and keep those comments coming! :)
Sing One You Know
Chapter Two
There was nothing on TV, as usual. Lorelai could not understand for the life of her why a person needed so many news channels. Honestly, one or two would suffice, and that would make room for more Lifetime movies and Extra! reruns.
Lorelai sat with her feet curled beneath her, aimlessly flipping through channels, checking the clock every few minutes. She had figured she's show up at Luke's around ten, since he usually closed at eleven, but seeing how it was only seven-thirty and Rory had not yet returned from Lane's house, Lorelai was bored out of her mind.
An idea suddenly struck her as a woman with too-big hair pleaded with Lorelai to donate to the PBS telethon. Lorelai smiled and picked up the phone. If she wasn't going to be able to see Luke til tonight, why not bother him now?
She dialed the number she'd known by heart ever since she could remember, and the phone rang twice before Lorelai heard a mumbling Taylor in the background and Luke barking, "Taylor, if you touch that napkin dispenser one time, I will kill you." Lorelai giggled as Luke came back to the phone. "Hello?"
"Taylor trying to smooth all the napkins in the box again?" she said not entirely sympathetically. She could almost hear him frowning through the phone. "He doesn't understand that napkins get wrinkled when you pull them out of the dispenser, and he keeps trying to stuff them in all perfect, and he's getting my napkins everywhere!" Luke sounded utterly frustrated and Lorelai had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "I'm sorry you're forced to put up with Taylor and his napkin obsession."
"It's not your fault," Luke grumbled. Lorelai gave a small smile. "No, I guess not," she said, cradling the phone to her shoulder.
There was silence for a moment between them, and Lorelai stared at her hands in her lap, trying to figure out something to say. But before she could come up with anything, Luke spoke in a tone she recognized as more serious than his normal voice. "Listen, Lorelai, I..." Luke hesitated, and Lorelai was tempted to ask him what, but she didn't want to interrupt him. "I - TAYLOR!" Lorelai held the phone away from her ear as Luke gave a shout at Taylor's latest antics. "He's – DON'T YOU DARE – he's organizing the salt shakers! He's comparing them by how filled they are!" Luke was hysterical, and this time Lorelai did laugh, but luckily Luke was too caught up in being angry at Taylor that he didn't hear her. He returned to the phone and said quickly, "Can I talk to you later? I've got to stop him."
Lorelai grinned. "Of course. Tonight, right?"
Luke's voice softened. "Tonight."
"Okay." Lorelai felt a chill run through her at his voice taking on that sound, something it felt like he reserved especially for her. "Bye."
"Bye, Lorelai. TAYLOR, I WILL TAKE THAT NAPKIN AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR –"The phone hung up.
Lorelai hugged her knees to her and returned to the PBS telethon. She stuck her tongue out at the big-haired woman on PBS and picked up the remote, flipping through channels again. She was just starting a third run-through when she heard the front door open, and a moment later Rory appeared in the living room. She plopped down next to Lorelai and glanced at the television. "Donating to PBS?"
"Yeah, well, this woman is threatening to kill me with her hair if I do not pledge one hundred dollars to the cause." Lorelai frowned at the woman. "Her suit might blind you first," Rory observed.
Lorelai hadn't even noticed her suit until now. "You're right. Don't they call it 'puce' or something equally disgusting?"
"Probably." Rory settled against the arm of the couch.
"So, how's Lane?" Lorelai propped her feet up on her daughter's lap.
"She's been better. Her mom found the Pringles."
"Uh-oh."
"Exactly." Rory looked genuinely worried. "Ms. Kim had a fit. She started yelling something about carbohydrates and how only boys and Satanists ate Pringles, and how there was no difference between the two, and how the little man on the Pringles can was a symbol of teenage lust."
"Oh, no."
"Yep. When I left Lane was backed into the antique bureau with Ms. Kim waving the crushed Pringles can in her face."
"Good thing you got out of there," Lorelai said. "Can you imagine what would happen if Ms. Kim raided our pantry?"
"It would be a war zone."
"Might be funny. We should invite her over for dinner sometime."
Rory looked horrified. "Don't you dare. I'd never be allowed to see Lane again."
"True. It just might be worth it, though. Just to see the look on her face" Lorelai scrunched up her eyes, trying to imagine the scene, and Rory rolled her eyes. "You do realize you would be scattered in a million tiny pieces all over our kitchen by the time she finished with you. I could fit you in a Pringles can."
"Hmm. I didn't think of that. You're right," Lorelai decided. "Cancel the Ms. Kim invite."
"Good. Now, I'm going to go upstairs and get a shower...I'm exhausted." Rory pushed her mother's feet to the floor. "What are we doing tonight?"
Lorelai froze. She knew exactly what she was planning on doing tonight, but something inside her kept her from explaining everything to Rory. She felt guilty at keeping the secret, but this...thing, whatever it was, with Luke, was something she didn't even have a hold on yet, let alone something she felt she could burden anyone else with. "Ah, well, actually, I have to go to Luke's."
Rory started to head upstairs. "Luke's for dinner, then."
"Um, well, actually, it's just...me. I have to go." Lorelai knew this sounded terrible even to her own ears. Rory paused on the stairway. "You have to go alone to Luke's?"
"Well. Yes."
Rory looked puzzled. "Why?"
"I – well, because he wanted to talk to me aboutâ€about fixing some stuff at the inn. You know, just last minute renovations. Nothing interesting."
Rory hesitated, and Lorelai held her breath to see if she believed it – God, was she really doing this, lying to her own daughter and waiting to see if she bought it? A wave of guilt washed over Lorelai, just as Rory shrugged. "All right. We can have pasta tonight, then. I have some reading I've been wanting to do anyway." She continued upstairs.
As soon as she was gone, Lorelai let out a huge sigh of relief. She knew it was horrible to lie to Rory like that, but something inside her just couldn't bring her to tell Rory about what had happened that night at the Dragonfly, or where – wherever it was – things were progressing to from there.
Stars Hollow was cool at night as Lorelai walked quickly down the street, her head down and hands stuffed in her pockets. She was glad for the suede jacket she wore over her thin top, as a breeze was starting to pick up. She was nervous about tonight, and it wasn't even a real date! They were just going to talk, right? Lorelai sighed and quickened her pace.
She was so lost in thought she didn't even notice Babette walking toward her on the same sidewalk, and was startled when they nearly bumped into each other.
"Babette! Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there."
Babette smiled. "It's all right, honey, my vision isn't what it used to be." She chuckled at the idea of her getting old. What are you doing out this late?"
Lorelai smiled. "I could ask you the same thing."
Babette waved her hand dismissively. "I was just heading home from a late-night dance session at Ms. Patty's. Kirk insisted he could do the MC Hammer better than the two of us. Well," she confided in Lorelai, "You know how that turned out."
Lorelai grinned in spite of herself, until Babette continued, "So you haven't answered my question, darling. Where are you off to in these ungodly hours of the night?"
"Babette, it's barely ten."
"It feels later. I'm exhausted after showing Kirk up so badly."
"Well, I was just heading over to Luke's." Lorelai shifted her weight from foot to foot, watching Babette, the town gossip's, reaction.
"Oh, I think he closed early tonight, honey. The lights were off when I went by. And I wanted a little goodnight ice cream." Babette frowned.
"Oh. Well, I'll just see if he's still there. I have a coffee jones." Lorelai tried to make this the end of the conversation, but Babette wasn't letting her by so easily.
"Your machine broken?" she inquired, not unkindly.
"We're all out. You know how Rory and I go through the stuff." Lorelai gave her a quick smile. Babette patted her arm. "Well, good luck. Tell him he owes me some ice cream."
"Will do." Lorelai smiled at Babette and the two headed their separate ways. Lorelai walked as quickly as she could without Babette noticing until she found herself in front of the diner. Indeed, the lights were off except for a tiny lamp light behind the counter. Lorelai rapped on the door, looking around to see if Taylor was making any late-night rounds. Luckily, when she turned back to the door, she found Luke's face smiling at her from through the blinds. He opened the door and she slipped inside, pausing briefly in the doorframe and glancing up at his nearness, feeling his body heat radiating into her. She moved away from him and settled herself on a barstool at the counter, where Luke walked behind it. "So, what can I get for you?" he said, resting on his arms on the counter. Lorelai watched the shadows dancing on his face from the light behind him and smiled. "Hmm. I'm feeling rather caffeine-deprived tonight."
"Do you ever feel anything other than caffeine-deprived?" Luke said, getting the coffee with his usual air of disapproval.
"Sometimes I feel danish-deprived as well. Or donut-deprived. Really, I was deprived as a child. Made me all funny." She tapped the side of her head as Luke slid the coffee cup across to her.
"That explains a lot," Luke commented, watching her as she took a long sip. She set the coffee cup on the counter.
"You know, if I didn't like you so much, I might be offended," Lorelai said with a grin, as the realization of what she'd said sunk in. She looked down at the dark liquid swirling in the cup, trying to think of anything to fix what had popped out of her mouth, but nothing came. She looked up again to see Luke's eyes on her, and shifted uncomfortably. "So, Babette wanted me to pass along the message that you owe her –"
Lorelai didn't get to finish, because suddenly Luke's lips were on hers and everything around her dropped away. She leaned into his kiss, more passionate than gentle, and she felt her hand come up and hold his face as his hands tangled through her hair. Lorelai felt her stomach flip as they kissed urgently, hungrily, and after several moments broke away, both out of breath. Lorelai stared at Luke; the look in his eyes was one she had never seen before. Something burned behind his eyes that she had never seen before, and it was both scary and encouraging. Lorelai leaned forward and closed her lips over his as the kiss resumed, and all she wanted then was him, right here, right now, just to be with him. Lorelai felt something pressing uncomfortably against her stomach, and she realized it was the sharp edge of the counter driving into her stomach. They broke away once more and she smiled at Luke. "Why don't you come over here so this evil countertop isn't taking away from the whole experience. Luke permitted her a smile in return. "I'll make sure it punish it for its actions later," he said as he came around the counter and he had no sooner reached her than taken her face in his hands and kissed her desperately. His hands slid down to her waist, kneading her hips, and Lorelai felt dizzy and slid slowly off the barstool so she was standing and put her arms around him as the kiss intensified. Her heartbeat quickened at his fingertips against her hips, a sensation both soft and incredible, and she pulled away, but they remained touching foreheads as Luke held her. "Luke, this...this thing. What are we doing?" she said softly, breathing hard.
"I don't know," Luke said, and she looked up into his eyes, searching them for an answer to the question she needed an answer to. "But I want it. I want – I want you."
Lorelai felt something tug at her at these words, and she touched his face softly, letting her fingertips brush over his lips as he kissed them one by one. She knew how much it had taken for him to tell her that so straightforward, leaving no room for doubt in her mind of what he hoped she felt as well.
"I want you too," she said, and whatever it was tugged harder when she realized the truth in these words, and how much it scared her. "But whatever this is...it's you, and me, and...it's us." She looked up at him once more and found some comfort in his eyes as they tried to make sense of the situation.
"That's the general idea," Luke agreed, and Lorelai laughed against his lips. "I suppose it is," she said quietly. Luke looked at her carefully.
"Lorelai, what's wrong? Do you not...do you not want this?"
Lorelai sighed, feeling horrible for making him think such a thing.
"No, yes, of course I do. I just" her voice grew even softer as her arms around his neck tightened. "I don't want to ruin us. You know? What we already had. Cause, we had something really good, Luke." She gave him a quick smile and felt tears brimming behind her eyes, but she refused to let herself cry in front of him, and she bit them back. "I mean...our friendship. I wouldn't...I wouldn't give that up for anything." She closed her eyes tightly, trying desperately to keep back the tears threatening to fall at any moment.
Luke touched her face softly, holding his hand to her cheek, and Lorelai thought she might break down right there and then at his gentleness. "You don't have to give that up," he said hoarsely. "You don't have to give up anything. You just have to trust me, Lorelai. You've been doing it for so long, what's the problem with doing it now?" He smiled at her and she leaned into his touch as a single tear rolled down her cheek, and he brushed it away with his thumb.
"I don't know," Lorelai admitted, unable to look in his eyes now. Instead, she stared out at the empty streets of Stars Hollow, her mind a mess. She felt so right, so perfect in his arms like this, and it was so natural it made even scarier. "Luke, I...what if I hurt you? What if we get into some stupid fight and I end up pushing you away, and we never speak to each other again and I can never come into the diner again and I'll be so coffee-deprived I'll just shrivel up and die?"
Luke touched her chin gently, lifting it to try to allow her to meet his eyes, which she did after a moment of hesitation. "First of all, although I might deprive of you coffee, I would find some other liquid substance to sustain your life, I promise."
Lorelai smiled. "But it wouldn't be the same. My body can't function on anything but coffee."
"That may be so," Luke said gruffly, "but we'd find a way. Just like we would find a way to fix it if we ever get into a fight. You could never hurt me enough to keep me away, Lorelai. I promise that, too."
Lorelai tried to smile again, but she still felt unsure. After all, this was, as she had reminded herself a hundred times, Luke. It wasn't the same; the same rules didn't apply. This was...this was the two of them, together in a way they had never been before. Lorelai had to admit she was terrified of what might happen.
She bit her lip and looked at Luke, and gave him a quick smile. "I know. You're right, I just...I haven't had enough coffee today is all. And I lied to Rory about coming here tonight...oh, shit." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I can't believe I did that."
"You haven't told her about us, yet?"
Lorelai looked up, noticing his use of the word 'us', and her smile grew wider. "I haven't told her anything. I don't know why, I just...I feel like I have to guard this thing carefully, you know. This thang of you and me. Us." She grinned at him as he rolled his eyes at her use of 'thang'.
"I know what you mean," Luke said, rubbing her arms. "I would rather not have Babette and Miss Patty giggling about me every time they come in, or Kirk asking if we want to go on a skiing trip with him and Lulu, or Taylor giving me that weird look like I've just done something he actually approves of" Luke seemed especially put off by the last one.
"So...it's a secret, then. Us." Lorelai grinned again.
"Will you stop saying 'us' like that?" Luke said in an annoyed voice Lorelai knew was only for her benefit, to see him properly disapproving. "You know what I meant."
"Ah, you might have to clarify that one, mister. What exactly did you mean when you referred to us as, well, us?"
Luke looked even more annoyed. "We're getting off-topic. You know what I meant. I meant...you and me. Us. What does 'us' mean, Lorelai?"
She laughed at the amount of discomfort this seemed to be causing him and touched his face gently. "Calm down, I was just trying to see how worked up you'd get before you finally threw me out of here. It's after hours and all" the laughter in her eyes danced as she watched him, and finally he permitted her a half-annoyed smile.
"Anyway, I should be going as it is...I told Rory we were just going to talk about fixing some stuff at the inn. I don't want her to think anything." Lorelai reluctantly slid out of Luke's arms and headed toward the door. Luke opened it for her and she stepped into the cool night air, turning to look at Luke perched in the doorway. "So. Secret?"
Luke nodded. "For now," he said. She leaned in and kissed him gently, her fingertips brushing his face quickly. As she pulled away and smiled at him, ready to head off into the night, he stopped her. "And, Lorelai"
She turned around, standing on the sidewalk. The expression on Luke's face she could not define as one emotion; it was a mix of concern, hesitation, and, if she wasn't mistaken, confusion. "About what you said earlier...about us," and this time, neither laughed when he said it, and he continued, "about us getting into a fight or something...well, are you sure you're okay?"
The nervousness Lorelai had been fighting to keep away those fears that always troubled her around Luke came back, and she forced a grin and said, "I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow. And I expect you to be bearing coffee."
Luke returned her grin and said, "As if I had any choice in the matter."
Lorelai started for home, and ten minutes later she unlocked the door to the house and let herself in quietly, unwilling to wake Rory if she was sleeping. Lorelai peeked into Rory's room to find her daughter asleep with her bedside lamp on and a copy of War and Peace still open in front of her. Lorelai made a mental note to try and convince her daughter that the book was by no means a must-read purely on the account of length and those funny Russian writers, and turned off the lamp, setting the book on the table. She smoothed Rory's hair and kissed her on the forehead before closing the door behind her as she headed upstairs.
Wah, chapter two done! I loved writing this chapter; it's my favorite so far. Since, you know, there's only two chapters and I have so many to choose a favorite from...anyway, I appreciate ALL your comments so much, thank you! Keep those reviews comin'!