PG-13

Chapter 17: Happenings at the Diner

"Mom!" Rory called out as she entered the diner, her eyes hurriedly scanning the place trying to track her mother down.

This is weird, she thought to herself. Lorelai had left a message for her on her cell phone to come directly to Luke's when she got home from school. Rory was sure that she had told her mom she would be home by 5 PM and had even left her a return message saying she could be at the diner by 5:30. Of course, by now, it was 6:00 . One thing after another had delayed her just a little bit, but surely her mom would still be here...

Earlier...5:00 PM...Luke's Diner

Lorelai sat at the counter eating her chicken salad and recounting the events of the previous night. Luke had taken her out to dinner at what had now become their favorite spot. After recalling the events of that day and while just generally enjoying each other's company, Luke had finally done it. Lorelai's head was still spinning. She thought it would take much longer than this! She had already decided that she would say yes when the time presented itself, but this was Luke that she was dealing with. Luke did not make big decisions lightly. Well, except for that cruise with Nicole....Lorelai shook that thought away. They had already talked about that and Lorelai knew that Luke did not want to rush into anything like it again. So, she had decided that she could wait. She was already enjoying every moment that they could get to spend together. Even the town had started to support them when realizing that Luke and Lorelai were seriously devoted to each other. The event of this realization was when Christopher came back to town and Miss Patty and Babette witnessed a rather heated scene between him and Lorelai by the gazebo in which Lorelai told him quite clearly that she did not see a future for them.

Lorelai's thoughts were broken by the appearance of her fiancé from behind the curtain. She looked over, beaming...She couldn't wait to tell Rory.

Luke: "And here she sits...wait...something is different...no coffee?"

Lorelai: "Well, I really don't think the baby would really appreciate it, do you?" Lorelai said this slowly..she hadn't yet told him what she had discovered just that morning....

Luke: "What? You mean...woh...I need to sit." Luke was suddenly sitting beside Lorelai at his own counter...he reached for her hand...

Lorelai (smiling and accepting his hand): "Yup, it's official, at least for the little stick at home. I still need to make a doctor's appointment. I wanted to tell you last night, but I wasn't sure yet."

Luke was speechless. He couldn't believe all this was happening so quickly. He had just asked her to marry him last night. He was still re-living the moment in which those sparkling eyes had looked up at him and said that yes she would be his wife... And now there was a baby on the way...

Lorelai (touching his arm): "You want to go upstairs? You look a little white....Luke? Are you okay?"

Luke: "Of course," his voice was just barely audible... "Lorelai..."

Lorelai: "I know...I know..."

Luke leaned in to kiss her and as his lips softly touched hers she brought her arms up to his neck to deepen the kiss...

Miss Patty: "Hey you two, there's an apartment upstairs for that sort of thing," Miss Patty said this as she practically waltzed through the door of the diner.

Lorelai broke away first, laughing: "Sorry Miss Patty. We were just celebrating our double batch of good news!"

Miss Patty: "Well, do tell, do tell!"

Lorelai glanced at Luke who just smiled back at her. Lorelai took this as a mutual decision to tell Miss Patty.

Lorelai: "Well, first, we're engaged!" She smiled brightly, showing Miss Patty the diamond ring on her finger.

Miss Patty: "Oh! Congratulations! I must tell Taylor. He will be so pleased that we won't have to go through another disastrous town romance-breakup again!"

And with that, Miss Patty was back through the door, on her way to Taylor's.

Luke: "Well, at least the town will know and we won't have to say another word!" He laughed. Of course, she missed out on hearing our other piece of news!

Lorelai: "Luke Danes, I never thought I'd see the day when you were happy about your personal life being the town gossip!"

Luke: "Well, I never thought I'd want to shout out to the world that there is a woman I love, either...." he smiled seductively at her...

Lorelai: "So, since both Lane and Caesar are working today and it seems pretty slow down here, you aren't really needed here, right now, are you?"

Luke: "Well, what else did you have in mind?"

Lorelai: "Oh, I don't know, but Miss Patty did reference a lovely upstairs apartment before...."

Luke (smiling): "Let me just tell Lane and Caesar to hold things down out here..." and he disappeared into the storeroom.

Luke (in the storeroom): "Lane?" he called out...

Lane: "Over here!"

Luke: "Can you hold things down in the diner for awhile? I need to - uh - get something upstairs..."

Lane (looking around the corner of the aisle she was working in): "Uh, yeah, it's pretty dead...don't worry about a thing!"

Luke: "Uh - great, thanks...oh, and Rory is due here pretty soon..."

Lane: "Really?! I didn't think she was coming home for Christmas until next week."

Luke: "Oh, well, I think Lorelai asked her if she could get back this weekend...."

Lane: "Okay, sure, uh - did you need to talk to her or something?"

Luke: "Uh - yeah. Ring the apartment when she comes in, will you?"

Lane: "Sure, no problem." Lane smiled to herself. She knew Lorelai had just come into the diner and had immediately spotted the diamond ring on her finger. She had just figured out why Luke was acting so awkward about leaving the diner for a little while.... She couldn't wait to talk to Rory.

6:00 PM

Lane: "Rory?" Lane called out from the storeroom. It was still really dead around the diner and there wasn't much reason to be out there so she just kept her ears alert for the sound of the doorbell and was going along with her work when she heard Rory calling for her mom.

Lane appeared behind the counter.

Rory: "Lane!" Rory exclaimed.

Lane: "Hey to you too! Luke said that you were coming home today."

Rory: "He did? Hey, has my mom been in here today? I'm a little late. I was supposed to be here thirty minutes ago but I kept running into obstacles...Dean for one..."

Lane: "What? You ran into Dean? What happened?"

Rory: "Nothing, really. Lots of silence. It was really awkward. He said I look good. It was weird. I just wanted to get the hell out of there."

Lane: "Where were you?"

Rory: "On my way here... come to think of it, I don't know what he was even doing on my street."

Lane: "Well, you know that he and Lindsay's divorce was final last week, right?"

Rory: "What? Oh, god, that must be it... But my mom and Luke were the only ones, I thought, that knew I was coming home this weekend... well I guess it really doesn't matter... I have other news...where did you say my mom was?"

Lane: "Well, I didn't say, but my guess would be upstairs...Luke said he was leaving the diner to get something from upstairs about 45 minutes ago...I saw your mom come in an hour ago and then when I went back into the diner about 15 minutes ago, suddenly she wasn't there anymore..."

Rory: "Oh," Rory said, suddenly understanding...

Lane: "Rory? Are you okay? I thought you were happy about your mom with Luke?"

Rory: "Oh, I am ... I just have some news I really wanted to tell her about ... But I suppose it can wait..."

Lane: "Well, what is it? You can tell me!"

Rory (smiling at her best friend): "Well, I've just been accepted for a six month study program in France. It's an amazing opportunity and will give me the chance to go to an American college affiliated with Yale over there, stay with a host family if I want and it involves an internship with a French newspaper..." Rory was getting really excited now and didn't notice the sense of disappointment on Lane's face...

Lane: "Oh, that's really great. Wow. That's pretty big. I guess you and your mom will both be having some pretty great things to tell each other."

Rory: "What? My mom has big news? What is it? Lane! Don't hold back on me now!"

Lane: "Well, I didn't hear her say it exactly, I just saw it. You'll see..."

Lane went to call the apartment to let Lorelai know that Rory was at the diner now.

In the apartment above the diner...

Lorelai rested her head on Luke's chest as their hands came together and fingers intertwined. Deliriously happy, she looked up at Luke and smiled. Luke kissed her again, softly on the lips. The thought of spending the rest of the evening just as they were in that bed was very appealing. However, at that moment the phone started ringing. Luke jumped up to answer it.

Luke: "Hello?"

Lane: "Luke? You asked me to call when Rory got here...well, she's here..."

Luke: "OK, thanks Lane...we'll be right down."

Lane: "We?" Lane tried to stifle a laugh...Of course her theories were correct that Luke was not alone in the apartment.

Luke: "Yeah, we will be right down," Luke said this a little more defensively than he meant. He figured that Lane would figure out that Lorelai would be in the apartment as well.

Lane: "Luke, calm down, I know she's up there...it's cool."

Luke: "Sorry Lane. Tell Rory that we'll be right there and give her some coffee."

Lane: "Already done."

Luke: "Bye Lane." Luke hung up the phone and walked over to where Lorelai was already getting dressed.

Lorelai: "Geez, I lost track of time. I forgot that Rory was going to be here thirty minutes ago."

Luke: "Don't worry." He wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Lane said she just got there. She's having coffee and talking with Lane. She'll be fine."

Lorelai: "You're good at this, you know that?" Lorelai turned around to face Luke and snuggled close.

Luke (kissing the top of her head): "What am I good at?"

Lorelai: "The calming thing."

Luke: "The calming thing?"

Lorelai: "Yeah, you know the right things to say. I love that about you."

Luke: "Okay, I'm good at the calming thing. You know what you are good at?"

Lorelai: "I think you told me that about fifteen minutes ago."

Luke: "Dirty?"

Lorelai: "Yep..."

Luke found her lips again and starting massaging his tongue along hers as Lorelai drew her arms around his neck.

Luke: (gently pulling away): "This could go on all night and we need to meet Rory...." his words trailed off as Lorelai kissed him again...

Lorelai (ending her initiated kiss): "Yep, Rory's waiting...must get dressed...."

And so they each dressed and went downstairs to announce their good news to Rory.