A/N: Well, here I go again. I swore after I finished the last chapter
that I would not keep going with this story, that I had done all I set
out to do to ease my mind over the summer. I lied. All of the urgings I
received in reviews to continue this story got me thinking, and ta-da!
You guys get a fresh new chapter. Don't have a clue where this story is
going, so if you guys have any ideas, please let me know, cause I'm
kinda stuck.
To poodernite: Thanks. The conversations are about what I think would take place too, so it's nice to see I'm not way off base. Thanks for reviewing.
To RT4ever: Thanks for your compliment. Look, here's more.
To tp96: Really? I'm glad you think so.
To Lula Bo: Glad you think I stayed in character. It was hard to write the Luke punching Digger scene cause I wasn't sure exactly what Digger could do to make Luke hit him.
To Daisy Deertree: Well, I am a Narco shipper it seems, so maybe.
To Ariel Wetzel: Maybe. It just worked out better for my story if she told him. At any rate, Lorelai knows Luke would never tell.
To molly19: Thanks. I tried to throw some humor in there, but since I'm not up on my obscure and not so obscure pop culture references, there may be a lack of them. Let me know if you know an good ones.
To coffeechick87: Ack! How right you are! Can we just pretend that I didn't screw that up? Glad you're reading it, even if you aren't a Narco shipper. By the way, how do I set it up for anonymous reviews?
To AnnieBee: Wow, thanks. That's a totally awesome compliment. Please keep reading and reviewing.
Nothing was ever going to be the same again. Well, that was for damn sure, Lorelai thought, snorting in a very un-lady-like way. Her mother would have been horrified, so it was a good thing that Emily Gilmore was still in Europe with Rory. Echoes of her childhood reared their ugly heads as her mother's old criticisms invaded her mind.
"Don't snort, Lorelai. It's not proper for a lady."
"Stand up straight, Lorelai. Slouching is what people who are ashamed of themselves do."
Lorelai sipped her coffee, and shook her head to rid herself of those old thoughts. The house was quiet, and while she was used to it, it bothered her. Rory should be here, Lorelai thought for the millionth time since she'd put her daughter on a plane for Europe. Glancing at her watch, she realized that she needed to get a move on. She wanted to stop by Luke's for breakfast, and her morning's sudden brooding-fest had put a slight pinch on her timetable. She hurried through her shower and morning routine, and headed out the door with her hair still wet. Ah well, it was worth it if she got to see Luke before going to work.
Luke wiped down his counter for the tenth time since he'd opened fifteen minutes ago. He looked out at the street again, and then at the clock on the wall. Shaking his head, he wiped down the counter for the sixteenth time. That was when Lane stopped him.
"Will you stop that?" The Korean girl asked him, sounding frazzled. She was taking chairs down from the tables. They probably wouldn't have any customers for another half hour, anyway.
"Stop what?" Luke replied, staring at her.
"That!" Lane exclaimed as Luke wiped the counter for the seventeenth time. He looked down at what he was doing. "It's driving me crazy."
"Sorry." He apologized, throwing the rag on the shelf behind him. The bell on his door jangled as it opened, and Luke threw a glance at the door, the look on his face hopeful. His smile of welcome was immediately changed to a frown as Dean crossed the threshold of the diner, and made his way to the counter. Luke glared at him, but Dean didn't say anything to Luke. He addressed Lane instead.
"I need to talk to you." Dean told her, looking down at her. Lane wore a sympathetic expression, but her eyes were a blaze.
"I'm working right now." Lane said, indicating her apron and waitress pad.
"It'll just take a second, I swear." Dean persuaded.
"I haven't heard from her." Lane admitted, looking him in the eye. Luke observed the exchange, scowl still in place.
"I just want to talk." Dean replied.
"Fine. I take my break around eleven." Lane finally gave in.
"I'll be here." Dean agreed, walking out.
"Have you heard from Rory?" Luke asked Lane, who was wiping the counter down herself.
"Not since she left for the summer." Lane answered, thinking back to the last phone call she'd received from her best friend.
"Hello?"
"Lane? It's Rory."
"Rory...are you okay?"
"Not really."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not right now. Maybe after I get back."
"Get back from where? Rory, what's going on?"
"I just can't handle everything right now, Lane. I'm going to Europe with my Grandma for the summer."
"Rory, I don't understand. You can talk to me."
"I know, but I just can't right now. Please understand. I've got to get away."
"I don't understand, but if Europe with your Grandma is what you need, then you better send me lots of postcards."
"I will."
"When will you be back?"
"I've got to go, Lane."
"I'll miss you Rory."
"I'll miss you too."
"You call me if you need anything, okay? Rory?"
"Yeah, I will. Bye, Lane."
"Bye, Rory."
That had been almost two months ago. Lane hadn't been able to forget the haunted sound of Rory's voice, or the quavering of her words as her best friend tried valiantly not to cry. Something big had happened to Rory, and if the way Dean had been acting since her friend had left, she'd bet her entire paycheck that it had to do with him.
The bell over the door jangled a second time, and Lorelai walked in. Luke's face lit up in a silly grin.
"I'll be in the back if you need me, Luke." Lane said, excusing herself. She might as well not have spoken, she realized, given the thousand yard stare they had going on.
"Good morning." Lorelai greeted him softly, moving to the counter.
"Morning." He returned. Lorelai held her hands out, a coffee cup clutched between them. He glanced at the cup, and smiled.
"How many cups have you had?" He asked, knowing no matter what number she gave him, he'd pour her another cup anyway.
"Two, I swear." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, the pot of coffee now in his hands.
"Please?" She asked, giving him the puppy dog eyes. Luke poured the coffee silently, taking care not to spill. She gave him her hundred mega- watt smile, and in that moment, he felt he could do anything. "You love me, you really love me!" Lorelai cried out, mocking the popular Sally Field acceptance speech.
"Yeah. I do." Luke replied. The only sound in the diner was Lorelai's coffee cup hitting the floor.
Lane and Dean walked in silence, heading towards a bench in the town square.
"Are you going to talk sometime soon? Because I only get a half hour." Lane spoke up.
"Yeah." Dean sighed, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Guess it was time for a haircut. "You haven't heard from Rory?"
"No, I haven't. Not really. A couple of post cards." Lane answered, picking non-existent lint off her apron.
"Did she tell you what happened?" Dean wanted to know. Lane shook her head.
"I know it was bad, but she wouldn't tell me anything. Lorelai won't tell me anything either." She answered.
"If I tell you, you swear you won't breathe a word?" Dean wanted to know.
"So it does involve you. I wondered." Lane told him.
"I need some advice, and that's the only reason I'm telling you. You're Rory's best friend, and the only one who can help me with this." Dean said.
"Lorelai won't help you?" Lane asked. Dean shook his head.
"She's avoiding me." He admitted.
"Will you please tell me what's going on?" Lane begged. Dean sighed again, before leaning over and whispering in Lane's ear.
To poodernite: Thanks. The conversations are about what I think would take place too, so it's nice to see I'm not way off base. Thanks for reviewing.
To RT4ever: Thanks for your compliment. Look, here's more.
To tp96: Really? I'm glad you think so.
To Lula Bo: Glad you think I stayed in character. It was hard to write the Luke punching Digger scene cause I wasn't sure exactly what Digger could do to make Luke hit him.
To Daisy Deertree: Well, I am a Narco shipper it seems, so maybe.
To Ariel Wetzel: Maybe. It just worked out better for my story if she told him. At any rate, Lorelai knows Luke would never tell.
To molly19: Thanks. I tried to throw some humor in there, but since I'm not up on my obscure and not so obscure pop culture references, there may be a lack of them. Let me know if you know an good ones.
To coffeechick87: Ack! How right you are! Can we just pretend that I didn't screw that up? Glad you're reading it, even if you aren't a Narco shipper. By the way, how do I set it up for anonymous reviews?
To AnnieBee: Wow, thanks. That's a totally awesome compliment. Please keep reading and reviewing.
Nothing was ever going to be the same again. Well, that was for damn sure, Lorelai thought, snorting in a very un-lady-like way. Her mother would have been horrified, so it was a good thing that Emily Gilmore was still in Europe with Rory. Echoes of her childhood reared their ugly heads as her mother's old criticisms invaded her mind.
"Don't snort, Lorelai. It's not proper for a lady."
"Stand up straight, Lorelai. Slouching is what people who are ashamed of themselves do."
Lorelai sipped her coffee, and shook her head to rid herself of those old thoughts. The house was quiet, and while she was used to it, it bothered her. Rory should be here, Lorelai thought for the millionth time since she'd put her daughter on a plane for Europe. Glancing at her watch, she realized that she needed to get a move on. She wanted to stop by Luke's for breakfast, and her morning's sudden brooding-fest had put a slight pinch on her timetable. She hurried through her shower and morning routine, and headed out the door with her hair still wet. Ah well, it was worth it if she got to see Luke before going to work.
Luke wiped down his counter for the tenth time since he'd opened fifteen minutes ago. He looked out at the street again, and then at the clock on the wall. Shaking his head, he wiped down the counter for the sixteenth time. That was when Lane stopped him.
"Will you stop that?" The Korean girl asked him, sounding frazzled. She was taking chairs down from the tables. They probably wouldn't have any customers for another half hour, anyway.
"Stop what?" Luke replied, staring at her.
"That!" Lane exclaimed as Luke wiped the counter for the seventeenth time. He looked down at what he was doing. "It's driving me crazy."
"Sorry." He apologized, throwing the rag on the shelf behind him. The bell on his door jangled as it opened, and Luke threw a glance at the door, the look on his face hopeful. His smile of welcome was immediately changed to a frown as Dean crossed the threshold of the diner, and made his way to the counter. Luke glared at him, but Dean didn't say anything to Luke. He addressed Lane instead.
"I need to talk to you." Dean told her, looking down at her. Lane wore a sympathetic expression, but her eyes were a blaze.
"I'm working right now." Lane said, indicating her apron and waitress pad.
"It'll just take a second, I swear." Dean persuaded.
"I haven't heard from her." Lane admitted, looking him in the eye. Luke observed the exchange, scowl still in place.
"I just want to talk." Dean replied.
"Fine. I take my break around eleven." Lane finally gave in.
"I'll be here." Dean agreed, walking out.
"Have you heard from Rory?" Luke asked Lane, who was wiping the counter down herself.
"Not since she left for the summer." Lane answered, thinking back to the last phone call she'd received from her best friend.
"Hello?"
"Lane? It's Rory."
"Rory...are you okay?"
"Not really."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not right now. Maybe after I get back."
"Get back from where? Rory, what's going on?"
"I just can't handle everything right now, Lane. I'm going to Europe with my Grandma for the summer."
"Rory, I don't understand. You can talk to me."
"I know, but I just can't right now. Please understand. I've got to get away."
"I don't understand, but if Europe with your Grandma is what you need, then you better send me lots of postcards."
"I will."
"When will you be back?"
"I've got to go, Lane."
"I'll miss you Rory."
"I'll miss you too."
"You call me if you need anything, okay? Rory?"
"Yeah, I will. Bye, Lane."
"Bye, Rory."
That had been almost two months ago. Lane hadn't been able to forget the haunted sound of Rory's voice, or the quavering of her words as her best friend tried valiantly not to cry. Something big had happened to Rory, and if the way Dean had been acting since her friend had left, she'd bet her entire paycheck that it had to do with him.
The bell over the door jangled a second time, and Lorelai walked in. Luke's face lit up in a silly grin.
"I'll be in the back if you need me, Luke." Lane said, excusing herself. She might as well not have spoken, she realized, given the thousand yard stare they had going on.
"Good morning." Lorelai greeted him softly, moving to the counter.
"Morning." He returned. Lorelai held her hands out, a coffee cup clutched between them. He glanced at the cup, and smiled.
"How many cups have you had?" He asked, knowing no matter what number she gave him, he'd pour her another cup anyway.
"Two, I swear." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, the pot of coffee now in his hands.
"Please?" She asked, giving him the puppy dog eyes. Luke poured the coffee silently, taking care not to spill. She gave him her hundred mega- watt smile, and in that moment, he felt he could do anything. "You love me, you really love me!" Lorelai cried out, mocking the popular Sally Field acceptance speech.
"Yeah. I do." Luke replied. The only sound in the diner was Lorelai's coffee cup hitting the floor.
Lane and Dean walked in silence, heading towards a bench in the town square.
"Are you going to talk sometime soon? Because I only get a half hour." Lane spoke up.
"Yeah." Dean sighed, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Guess it was time for a haircut. "You haven't heard from Rory?"
"No, I haven't. Not really. A couple of post cards." Lane answered, picking non-existent lint off her apron.
"Did she tell you what happened?" Dean wanted to know. Lane shook her head.
"I know it was bad, but she wouldn't tell me anything. Lorelai won't tell me anything either." She answered.
"If I tell you, you swear you won't breathe a word?" Dean wanted to know.
"So it does involve you. I wondered." Lane told him.
"I need some advice, and that's the only reason I'm telling you. You're Rory's best friend, and the only one who can help me with this." Dean said.
"Lorelai won't help you?" Lane asked. Dean shook his head.
"She's avoiding me." He admitted.
"Will you please tell me what's going on?" Lane begged. Dean sighed again, before leaning over and whispering in Lane's ear.