When Rory finally made her
appearance downstairs, she found her mother and Luke seated at a table
with Miss Patty and Babette. In an effort to pretend everything was
normal, she sat down with them.
"What did I miss?" She asked, noting that something must have happened to set the room to it's current state of exictement.
"Luke defended you're mother's honor, Sugar." Babette filled her in. Lorelai stared at her coffee, as Rory gazed at her mother.
"Mom?" Rory asked, as she took in her mother's upper arm. Dark fingerprints were etched there, standing out on Lorelai's porcelain skin.
"It was nothing, Rory." Lorelai said.
"It wasn't nothing, Lorelai." Miss Patty contradicted.
"Luke laid that Jason character out cold with one punch." Babette chimed in.
"You hit Jason?" Rory stard at Luke. Sure, Luke had a temper, but he wasn't violent.
"He hurt your mother." Luke explained, clearly embarrassed by all the attention that he was receiving.
"Jason hurt you?" Rory was up out of her chair, and had her arms around Lorelai before anyone at the table could blink. "Are you okay?" She asked her mother, sounding panicked.
"I'm fine, Rory." Lorelai reassured her. "Thanks to Luke." She told Rory, placing her hand on Luke's as a gesture of thanks. Luke captured her hand, and held it between both of his. This action did not go unnoticed by Miss Patty, and Babette, but both of them knew better than to say anything outright. Rory seemed satisfied with that answer, and settled back into her seat. As she did, she caught sight of Dean out of the corner of her eye.
"I'll be right back." Rory said, excusing herself. She approached Dean cautiously, unsure what he might say to her now that they weren't basking in the afterglow, so to speak.
"Hi." He greeted her, following as they slipped into the front room.
"Hi." She replied, scuffing the carpet with the toe of her shoe.
"We need to talk about last night." Dean began, not sure how the conversation was going to go.
"I know." Rory told him.
"Last night...was amazing." Dean said, looking down into her eyes. Rory smiled. It had been amazing.
"It was." She agreed.
"But I'm not free, Rory." Dean went on. He moved passed her so he faced the wall, unable to look at her and keep talking this way.
"I know that too." Rory's voice was thick with emotion.
"Until I am, it can't happen again." Dean informed her. Rory's tears spilled over.
"What are you going to do?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
"Tell Lindsey everything. That I want a divorce." Dean said. Rory smiled through her tears.
"Oh, Dean...I was so worried..." She began, setting her hand on his shoulder, and turning him around.
"There's more." Dean's voice cracked. "I can't be around you without wanting you."
"Dean..." Rory didn't know what else to say.
"I don't even know if Lindsey will agree to a divorce." Dean went on, his tone turning bitter. "Which is why I have to stay away from you."
"Dean, no. It doesn't have to be that way..." Rory pleaded.
"It does, Rory. I love you too much to make you the other woman in my marriage." Dean stalled her protest.
"This isn't you talking, it's Lorelai." Rory tried to reason with him, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Maybe a little, but Rory, your mother is right." Dean pointed out, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Rory. I am." Dean had teared up by this time as well, and it took every ounce of his being to turn and walk away from her.
"Dean!" Rory shouted, not caring who heard. He didn't stop, but kept walking. Rory sank to her knees. That's where Lorelai found her. For second time in two days, Lorelai comforted her daughter.
They sat in silence for a moment, Rory sniffling occasionally as she settled down.
"I want to go to Europe with Grandma." Rory said, her voice so quiet that Lorelai wasn't sure she'd heard her daughter correctly.
"Are you sure, Babe?" Lorelai asked her. Rory nodded.
"I can't be here and watch Dean be with Lindsey, and wish he was with me." She told her mother.
"Ok, kiddo." Lorelai agreed, smoothing back her daughter's hair.
"Really?" Rory asked, surprised that her mother would agree to it.
"Yeah. If it's what you need, I'll do anything." Lorelai replied. "I'll call Grandma later and set it up, ok?" Rory nodded again.
It wasn't until later in the day that Luke and Lorelai ended up with a moment alone together. Lorelai had just hung up from talking to her mother, and as always, the conversation had been strained. At least, until she'd dropped the fact that Rory definitely wanted to go to Europe, and that she wanted to go asap. When Luke found her sitting on the couch, in the front room of the inn, staring at the phone, he knew it was bad.
"Lorelai." He said, getting her attention. She jumped. "Didn't mean to startle you." Luke apologized. He got a ghost of a smile as she patted the empty space on the couch next to her. Luke sat, worry in his eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"Dean told Rory that he couldn't see her until he'd sorted things out with Lindsey. Rory's going to Europe with my mother for the summer." Lorlai said both sentences in a even, emotionless tone. Luke hesitantly put a comforting hand on her back. He was still a little new at crossing over from friend to boyfriend territory.
"How are you holding up?" Luke wanted to know.
"I've been better." Lorelai answered.
"You only have to keep your chin up for a few more hours." He reassured her.
"Then it'll be me, a large pizza with everything on it, some angry anti-situation music." She told him bitterly.
"Anti-situation music?" Luke questioned her.
"Music that's anti just about every situation possible." She explained. He nodded. Should have figured.
"And Rory?" He continued.
"She's going to stay at the hotel with my Mother until they leave for Europe. She's on her way there as we speak." Lorelai replied. God, when had her whole life just up and fallen apart? She and Rory were barely speaking, Jason had accosted her in her brand new hotel in front of half the town, and now she was dating Luke, which meant an end to her private life. Not that she didn't want to date Luke, she chastised herself, but still.
"What's a guy gotta do to get invited to this fantastic mopefest you've got planned for this evening?" Luke asked her, his usual sarcastic tone firmly in place, with an edge of concern in his voice. He didn't want to leave Lorelai alone when she was like this.
"Bring an X-tra Large pizza with everything on it, and three of the most depressing movies you can pick out at the video store." Lorelai answered.
"Done." He said, and moved in to kiss her. He supposed this was the part he was having the hardest time getting used to. Not that kissing Lorelai wasn't nice, cause frankly, it knocked his socks off everytime he did it, but that fact that he could, and she wouldn't freak out on him was the hard part. They stayed that way for several minutes, just kissing, until a voice spoke up from the doorway.
"I knew it, I knew it." Taylor's loud voice boomed into the sittting room. Luke and Lorelai jumped apart to find everyone they'd invited for the inn weekend staring at them. A flash went off, which caused the shock of getting caught to wear off. Miss Patty waved the poloaraid in Lorelai and Luke's direction.
"This is going on the front page of my gossip column." She proclaimed.
"I knew you two crazy kids would work it out." Babette chimed in. Sookie came out of the kitchen in the middle of the comotion, and once she'd been filled in by Taylor, Babette, Miss Patty, and a dozen others as to what was going on, she proceeded to shriek herself.
"I guess the secret's out." Luke told Lorelai, his tone wry.
"I guess so." She agreed.
"What do we do now?" Luke asked, emabarrassed and uncertain. He'd been feeling that way a lot lately.
"This." Lorelai answered, kissing him in front of everyone. Choruses of 'awww...' and 'Look!' were repeated until the crowd around them began wandering off.
Later that afternoon, Lorelai stood on the front porch of the Dragonfly. So much had changed in 48 hours, she thought as Luke slipped his arm around her waist. Rory had had sex for the first time, she was dating Luke, and her inn was now open. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.
"What did I miss?" She asked, noting that something must have happened to set the room to it's current state of exictement.
"Luke defended you're mother's honor, Sugar." Babette filled her in. Lorelai stared at her coffee, as Rory gazed at her mother.
"Mom?" Rory asked, as she took in her mother's upper arm. Dark fingerprints were etched there, standing out on Lorelai's porcelain skin.
"It was nothing, Rory." Lorelai said.
"It wasn't nothing, Lorelai." Miss Patty contradicted.
"Luke laid that Jason character out cold with one punch." Babette chimed in.
"You hit Jason?" Rory stard at Luke. Sure, Luke had a temper, but he wasn't violent.
"He hurt your mother." Luke explained, clearly embarrassed by all the attention that he was receiving.
"Jason hurt you?" Rory was up out of her chair, and had her arms around Lorelai before anyone at the table could blink. "Are you okay?" She asked her mother, sounding panicked.
"I'm fine, Rory." Lorelai reassured her. "Thanks to Luke." She told Rory, placing her hand on Luke's as a gesture of thanks. Luke captured her hand, and held it between both of his. This action did not go unnoticed by Miss Patty, and Babette, but both of them knew better than to say anything outright. Rory seemed satisfied with that answer, and settled back into her seat. As she did, she caught sight of Dean out of the corner of her eye.
"I'll be right back." Rory said, excusing herself. She approached Dean cautiously, unsure what he might say to her now that they weren't basking in the afterglow, so to speak.
"Hi." He greeted her, following as they slipped into the front room.
"Hi." She replied, scuffing the carpet with the toe of her shoe.
"We need to talk about last night." Dean began, not sure how the conversation was going to go.
"I know." Rory told him.
"Last night...was amazing." Dean said, looking down into her eyes. Rory smiled. It had been amazing.
"It was." She agreed.
"But I'm not free, Rory." Dean went on. He moved passed her so he faced the wall, unable to look at her and keep talking this way.
"I know that too." Rory's voice was thick with emotion.
"Until I am, it can't happen again." Dean informed her. Rory's tears spilled over.
"What are you going to do?" She asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
"Tell Lindsey everything. That I want a divorce." Dean said. Rory smiled through her tears.
"Oh, Dean...I was so worried..." She began, setting her hand on his shoulder, and turning him around.
"There's more." Dean's voice cracked. "I can't be around you without wanting you."
"Dean..." Rory didn't know what else to say.
"I don't even know if Lindsey will agree to a divorce." Dean went on, his tone turning bitter. "Which is why I have to stay away from you."
"Dean, no. It doesn't have to be that way..." Rory pleaded.
"It does, Rory. I love you too much to make you the other woman in my marriage." Dean stalled her protest.
"This isn't you talking, it's Lorelai." Rory tried to reason with him, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Maybe a little, but Rory, your mother is right." Dean pointed out, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms. "I'm sorry, Rory. I am." Dean had teared up by this time as well, and it took every ounce of his being to turn and walk away from her.
"Dean!" Rory shouted, not caring who heard. He didn't stop, but kept walking. Rory sank to her knees. That's where Lorelai found her. For second time in two days, Lorelai comforted her daughter.
They sat in silence for a moment, Rory sniffling occasionally as she settled down.
"I want to go to Europe with Grandma." Rory said, her voice so quiet that Lorelai wasn't sure she'd heard her daughter correctly.
"Are you sure, Babe?" Lorelai asked her. Rory nodded.
"I can't be here and watch Dean be with Lindsey, and wish he was with me." She told her mother.
"Ok, kiddo." Lorelai agreed, smoothing back her daughter's hair.
"Really?" Rory asked, surprised that her mother would agree to it.
"Yeah. If it's what you need, I'll do anything." Lorelai replied. "I'll call Grandma later and set it up, ok?" Rory nodded again.
It wasn't until later in the day that Luke and Lorelai ended up with a moment alone together. Lorelai had just hung up from talking to her mother, and as always, the conversation had been strained. At least, until she'd dropped the fact that Rory definitely wanted to go to Europe, and that she wanted to go asap. When Luke found her sitting on the couch, in the front room of the inn, staring at the phone, he knew it was bad.
"Lorelai." He said, getting her attention. She jumped. "Didn't mean to startle you." Luke apologized. He got a ghost of a smile as she patted the empty space on the couch next to her. Luke sat, worry in his eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"Dean told Rory that he couldn't see her until he'd sorted things out with Lindsey. Rory's going to Europe with my mother for the summer." Lorlai said both sentences in a even, emotionless tone. Luke hesitantly put a comforting hand on her back. He was still a little new at crossing over from friend to boyfriend territory.
"How are you holding up?" Luke wanted to know.
"I've been better." Lorelai answered.
"You only have to keep your chin up for a few more hours." He reassured her.
"Then it'll be me, a large pizza with everything on it, some angry anti-situation music." She told him bitterly.
"Anti-situation music?" Luke questioned her.
"Music that's anti just about every situation possible." She explained. He nodded. Should have figured.
"And Rory?" He continued.
"She's going to stay at the hotel with my Mother until they leave for Europe. She's on her way there as we speak." Lorelai replied. God, when had her whole life just up and fallen apart? She and Rory were barely speaking, Jason had accosted her in her brand new hotel in front of half the town, and now she was dating Luke, which meant an end to her private life. Not that she didn't want to date Luke, she chastised herself, but still.
"What's a guy gotta do to get invited to this fantastic mopefest you've got planned for this evening?" Luke asked her, his usual sarcastic tone firmly in place, with an edge of concern in his voice. He didn't want to leave Lorelai alone when she was like this.
"Bring an X-tra Large pizza with everything on it, and three of the most depressing movies you can pick out at the video store." Lorelai answered.
"Done." He said, and moved in to kiss her. He supposed this was the part he was having the hardest time getting used to. Not that kissing Lorelai wasn't nice, cause frankly, it knocked his socks off everytime he did it, but that fact that he could, and she wouldn't freak out on him was the hard part. They stayed that way for several minutes, just kissing, until a voice spoke up from the doorway.
"I knew it, I knew it." Taylor's loud voice boomed into the sittting room. Luke and Lorelai jumped apart to find everyone they'd invited for the inn weekend staring at them. A flash went off, which caused the shock of getting caught to wear off. Miss Patty waved the poloaraid in Lorelai and Luke's direction.
"This is going on the front page of my gossip column." She proclaimed.
"I knew you two crazy kids would work it out." Babette chimed in. Sookie came out of the kitchen in the middle of the comotion, and once she'd been filled in by Taylor, Babette, Miss Patty, and a dozen others as to what was going on, she proceeded to shriek herself.
"I guess the secret's out." Luke told Lorelai, his tone wry.
"I guess so." She agreed.
"What do we do now?" Luke asked, emabarrassed and uncertain. He'd been feeling that way a lot lately.
"This." Lorelai answered, kissing him in front of everyone. Choruses of 'awww...' and 'Look!' were repeated until the crowd around them began wandering off.
Later that afternoon, Lorelai stood on the front porch of the Dragonfly. So much had changed in 48 hours, she thought as Luke slipped his arm around her waist. Rory had had sex for the first time, she was dating Luke, and her inn was now open. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.