1Disclaimer: If I were her, you would be watching this, not reading it.
Authors note: I know it has been a while...but...I hope you find it worth it. Do unto others as they do to you...if you read this story...please review. He He...I rhymed.
A special thank you to Mickey. You know who you are, but I still think you have no idea what you do...and I am not just talking about this fic, though it is as much your baby as it is mine...see...I told you I was going to have a baby. Thank you for always being there...for the fic, for me and for all my scatter brained antics. I love you!!!
Chapter 20- Here Come The Man In Black
Rory pushed back from Jess. She was feeling a little better, but was frustrated.
"I think I am going to take a walk." She said walking past him through the back yard. "Tell mom I will be back soon."
Jess nodded. He watched her walk away and turned back to go into the house. He saw Kirk dressed in a suit walking up the drive carrying a metal briefcase.
Lorelai stepped out onto the porch.
"Merry Christmas Kirk." Lorelai said as he met her at the steps.
"No time for pleasantries Lorelai." He said in his official voice.
"Ok." She said already agitated.
"I have a delivery for Lorelai Leigh Gilmore." He said as though he had never met Rory in his life.
Jess piped up as he walked over to them.
"You just missed her." He said to Kirk.
"What? Where did she go?" Lorelai said.
"Needed to take a walk, clear her head." Jess said.
Lorelai was frustrated. Rory had been acting so strange yet, she hadn't told Lorelai the reason behind it. To be honest Lorelai was starting to feel like an outsider where her daughter was concerned. She secretly feared that she was pulling away from her because she had married Luke and had the baby on the way.
"Well I have very specific instructions for her to sign for this." He said holding up the brief case.
"Someone sent her a brief case?" Lorelai said.
"Not the case, it's contents." Kirk said matter of fact.
"I will sign for it." Lorelai said reaching for the case. Kirk pulled it back.
"I am sorry, it must be Lorelai Leigh Gilmore who signs for this, not you Lorelai."
"Come on Kirk, I will give it to her."
"Sorry, no can do." He said.
"Kirk." Lorelai said angry.
"I am sorry Lorelai, the instructions specifically state it is to be Rory, I mean Lorelai Leigh Gilmore and no one else that sign for this delivery. I will wait." He said taking a ridiculous stance with feet spread and brief case in two hands infront of him. Lorelai could tell he had seen one to many movies with gangsters in them.
"Fine have it your way Kirk." Lorelai said turning back to the house. Jess followed after her.
The two went back inside and joined the others.
"Whats up?" Luke said kissing his wife as she walked back into the kitchen.
"Kirk has a delivery for Rory and he won't let me sign for it." She said rolling her eyes.
"Where is Rory?" Luke questioned.
"She went for a walk, she will be back soon." Jess said.
"So Kirk is?" Luke said.
"Waiting outside." Lorelai said.
Luke looked out the window and nearly laughed out loud at the sight of Kirk wearing Ray bans and a suit doing an almost convincing Men In Black impression.
Emily walked over to the window and looked out with them.
"Who on earth is that?" Emily said.
"That...is Kirk." Jess said.
"What on earth is he doing out there? And what is in the brief case?" Emily asked.
"Something for Rory." Lorelai said.
"Well shouldn't you retrieve it?"
"I would love to mom, but...Rory has to sign for it."
"Where is she?" Emily said.
"She took a walk." Everyone replied at once.
"Well what on earth for? It is Christmas morning. I swear Lorelai, you must teach the new baby better manners." Emily said in her typical condescending way.
Lorelai thoroughly frustrated walked away. She had a dull head ache at this point and was about ready to scream.
"I am going to lie down. Get me when Rory is back." Lorelai said.
"Is everything all right?" Luke said.
"I am fine, I just have a head ache." She said.
"Ok." Luke said.
As she walked up the stairs Lorelai began to see halos around lights. She decided it was just another sign it was time to lay down and marched up the rest of the stairs to her room.
"All right this is ridiculous." Luke said after watching Kirk stand stoic outside for ten minuets.
He opened the front door and walked out to Kirk.
"Rory may be a while Kirk." Luke said, trying the civil approach.
"I'll wait."
"Why don't you let me sign for whatever it is, and I will make sure she gets it."
"I can't do that." Kirk said.
"Come on Kirk you must be freezing and you know I will give it to her." He said.
"I can't be sure." Kirk said.
"Kirk, you have known me all your life have you ever known me to lie?" Luke said getting annoyed himself.
"You could be a very good liar. I would never know if you lied if you were good at it." Kirk said.
"Give it to me." Luke said grabbing the case.
Kirk broke free and pulled a can of pepper spray from his pocket.
"You've got to be kidding me." Luke said.
"I wouldn't try that again." Kirk threatened.
Luke nearly laughed out loud.
Luke stepped towards Kirk and Kirk held the spray up and at the ready.
"I wouldn't come any closer Luke." He warned.
"Kirk, stop acting like an idiot and just let me have the delivery and go on with your day, you must have better things to do."
"Not really." Kirk said.
"What about Lulu?" Luke said trying to reason with him.
"She is at her parents."
"What about your mother."
"She doesn't like me very much Luke...it's no secret."
Luke was about ready to tackle Kirk for the delivery when Rory walked up to see Luke facing off with Kirk. And Kirk with the pepper spray pulled.
"What is going on?" She said walking up.
Kirk turned to Rory.
"Are you Lorelai Leigh Gilmore." He asked.
"Kirk you know who I am." Rory said.
"I have a delivery for you." He said.
"Ok." She said taking the delivery slip from him and signing it.
"May I?" Kirk said gesturing to the hood of Rorys car.
Rory nodded to him as he placed the case on the hood and went to open it. He fiddled with the combination locks on the out side and pressed the buttons.
"Huh." He said.
"What?" Rory asked.
"It didn't open." He said.
"Did you use the right combination?" Luke said.
"I presume so." Kirk said.
"Kirk." Rory said.
"Hang on." He said taking a cell phone from his pocket and dialing.
"Hello this is curiour number 5467, I have a situation with this delivery. Yes. Well the case did not open. Yes. Yes. Right. Ok. Thank you."
Kirk walked back to the case and pressed both buttons on the case at the same time and it sprang open.
"You have to hold them both." He said.
"Whatever." Rory said.
Kirk pulled a small white box and handed it to Rory.
"Have a nice day." Kirk said closing the case and doing an about face and marching out the way he came in.
"What is it?" Luke said.
"I have no idea."
"Who is it from?"
"I have no idea."
They walked back into the house to find everyone including Lorelai who had given up on napping in the living room.
"So...what is it?" Lorelai asked patting the seat beside her.
"I dunno I haven't opened it."
"Well..." Emily said excited open it.
Rory opened the white box and inside was a card and a small blue box with a white bow.
"Who's Tiffany?" Luke said.
"Ooooo someone likes you." Lorelai said nudging her daughter.
Rory stopped, she knew who it must be from and didn't want to open it.
"Open the card Rory, someone went to a lot of trouble to get it here." Emily said smiling, everyone knew who it was from and Emily was just thrilled that Rory was with a boy of the 'breeding' to get her such nice things.
Rory slowly opened the card and read it.
Merry Christmas Ace.
Love M.A.C
For a moment she was puzzled then she remembered one of their first meetings.
"Master and Commander." She mumbled.
"Excuse me?" Lorelai said.
"Nothing...it's from Logan." Rory said less than thrilled.
Emily clapped like a school girl.
"Go on open the box." Lorelai said.
Rory pulled on one side of the bow and lifted the lid of the jewelry box. Inside was a beautiful diamond solitaire necklace.
"Wow that is some rock." Lorelai said.
Rory sat and looked at the gift.
"Oh Rory, he has good taste." Emily said with a smile.
Richard walked into the room for the first time that day. He had been holed up in the office all morning making travel arrangements for an emergency meeting a client had called the next day. He looked at the necklace in Rorys lap.
"What is this?" He said.
"Logan sent Rory a present." Emily said smiling at him.
Richard chuckled happily.
"That is a fine gift, from a fine young man." Richard said.
"This is not a gift." Rory shot back.Rory dropped the box on the coffee table as though it were burning her hands.
"What did I say?" Richard said confused.
"That is a beautiful gift Rory, you should be proud to wear it."
Rory sat staring at the box as though it were delivered to her from the Devil himself.
"I can't believe he did this to me." She shouted.
"Did this to you? What did he do? He gave you a beautiful gift and you act like he insulted you." Emily said.
Rory rolled her eyes at her grandmother
"Well mom in a way he kinda did ."
Rory sat staring at the box.
"He just dosen't get it does he?" Rory said looking to her mother for sancuary.
"I'm sorry hun." Lorelai said shaking her head. "I know this isn't what you had in mind as a Christmas gift."
"I think it is just right, it isn't like he can't afford it Rory. Logan is from a good family, isn't it nice to be with someone who can get you what you deserve?" Emily responded.
"Then why can't he aford to give me what I really want ."
"What do you want a staff and a tiara? You are acting like a child Rory. You should be greatful. Lorelai I hope you teach this child to be a little more grateful than Rory obviously is."
"Why don't we all just calm down." Luke said stepping in.
"Yeah mom, we all need to back off and let Rory deal with this her own way." Lorelai said still hurting from her headache.
"I will not. Not until Rory tells me why on earth she is acting like he gave her something appauling."
"This is appalling. I can't be bought grandma. I am not you, I can't just sit down and be quite. This is a plea to sit down and shut up and just be his trophy. I am not a trophy. I am not just something pretty for his arm. I am not an accessory!" Rory yelled.
"That is enough." Richard yelled.
"Stop it. All of you!" Lorelai screamed.
"This is ridiculous." Emily said.
"No. That is ridiculous." Rory shot back at her grandmother.
"I think everyone just needs to calm down. Its Christmas." Luke said.
"Shut up!" Rory and Emily yelled at him.
Luke threw his arms up and stepped back.
"You deserve what he can give you Rory. You should have had this all along. This is who you are." Richard said.
"This is most definitely not who I am." Rory said.
"Yeah dad." Lorelai piped up.
"This...is exactly why mom left. To keep me away from all the pomp and circumstance. To show me what real love is. That is not love. Things are not love!" Rory yelled.
"Oh, then enlighten me Rory. What is love." Emily said.
"Love is, waiting, waiting for someone you never thought you could have." She said pointing to Luke. " Love is being there when someone needs you. Knowing who they are and listening when they tell you how they feel. Love is not ignoring everything that makes someone who they are and trying to make them into what you want." Rory said.
The door bell rang.
"Who could that be." Luke said annoyed.
"I've got it."
Rory sighed. Everyone was fighting now. All the old hurt was on it's way back. Lorelai was yelling at her mother as Rory fought with her grandfather about the true meaning of love.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hmmmmmmm Wonders whose at the door! Next Ch hasn't been written so I'm open to suggestions on who it might be.