AN: Okay, I got my deadline story finished (or mostly finished), leaving me time to solely work on this. Until some other idea flits into my head, I'm sorry to say. Still no internet on the old laptop, but the main computer has it, so yea! Here's the next installment, hope you enjoy!
Lorelai was milling about the kitchen, making her morning coffee. Every once in a great while, Luke didn't wake before she did—thus meaning she didn't awake to the smell of the fresh brew. Usually Luke woke up, started the coffee and hopped in the shower. Today was one of those unusual days. She got a strange satisfaction of waking before the early riser, and hurried downstairs to give him the greeting she loved so much.
She was peacefully humming Jingle Bells, the tune she couldn't get out of her head since she'd noticed the fresh layer of snow that had fallen at some point in the night, when the door to Will's room opened. Realizing instantly that Will hadn't spent the night, she jumped back behind the kitchen table and her hand flew to her heart.
"Oh, morning," came Jess's low grumble.
"Ohmygod," came her exhaled response as she realized it was just Jess.
Jess. In Will's room at 7:30 in the morning. And Luke hadn't woken up yet. Pieces fell into place, and she considered asking Jess for details, but the man didn't appear up to much talking. He never did in the morning. It was sufficed to say that he wasn't exactly a morning person.
"I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked, trying to sound concerned, but not overly so.
"Nah," he shook his head, scratching the back of his neck as he slid into a seat at the table.
"Good, good," she nodded as she turned to check the coffee's progress.
"Oh," came Luke's voice as he stopped in the entrance to the kitchen. He and Jess exchanged a look before he looked over to Lorelai, who smiled at him questioningly. He smiled back and sat down across from Jess as Lorelai poured coffee into three mugs and they all sat there in silence, no one sure quite what to say at the moment.
She was aware of soft lips making a fine line down her exposed neck. She sort of registered her approval with a smile, though it was lost on the giver since her face was buried into the pillow facing away from him.
He wasn't to be denied, and settled in on one particular spot, his tongue circling around on the patch of skin directly behind her ear lobe. A spot that could in fact be said to be responsible for Jake's conception, if she were being honest.
As his gentle handiwork became more insistent and teeth began tugging at the thin skin over the sensitive spot, she shifted in the bed and rolled properly into his waiting arms.
"What took you so long?" he joked, kissing her properly on the lips.
"Sleep, good," she tried for a complete sentence, but found it was too early and took too long. Silence invited her husband's warm lips back against hers as well, yet another argument for the pro column. Yes, even when exhausted and horny, the lists continue in her head.
He slipped a hand up under the silky top she'd worn to bed the night before and ran a fingertip lightly over an even more sensitized area, causing her to slide her leg between his and press herself further into his body. She snaked a hand of her own down his stubble covered jaw-line, one of the perks of their morning romps, and giggled as he continued to play with her.
Being awoken by a video game isn't something Anna was accustomed to. In fact, it hadn't happened since she moved away to college. She almost always found internships to whisk her away from Stars Hollow during the summer hiatus from school, thereby leaving her free from the constraints and annoyances of living with boys. One of the most annoying habits her brothers had was playing video games, at any spare moment. Never choosing more dignified means of entertaining themselves, like reading a book or learning a skill. Just staring at the screen and letting their minds become empty. Throwing off the blankets, grumbling at Davey's 'Oh, did I wake you?' afterthought of a question, she stumbled into the kitchen where Will was eating cereal and reading the newspaper.
"Ah, civilization," she commented as she looked around for a bowl.
"Huh?" came Will's oblivious question.
"Nothing. What's happening in the world today?"
"Dunno, this is the Gazette," he smiled.
"Ah, then who did what to whom?" she giggled.
"Want half?" he extended the first half of the paper to her.
"What the hell," she said, taking the paper from him and settling down next to him with her own bowl of cereal.
After having emerged first from the shared shower, Rory heard her cell phone ringing in the main part of the room. Giving her husband a smile and a promise to return in a second, she hurried out, wrapping a towel around her as she went.
"Hey," she said, checking that it was her mother who was calling.
"Rory, we have a problem."
"Thanks, Apollo 13."
"Rory, Jess and Erin are having trouble," Lorelai dove right into the situation. Living with Luke for twenty years had that effect on her, sometimes anyhow.
"What kind of trouble?"
"Marital trouble. Bad marital trouble."
"Impossible. I just talked to him, he didn't mention it."
"Well, he's here now, spent the night, talked to Luke," she explained, "It's bad, kid."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Well, I thought the four of you could go out by yourself, without the kids—we'll take the kids for the day, maybe two."
"Mom, I love Jess and Erin. But wouldn't it be awkward for Tristan and I to be with a fighting Jess and Erin? Shouldn't they get away alone?"
"No, they need the good influence. You four used to hang out alone all the time," Lorelai reminded.
"I know, but," Rory stalled.
"Just, try. We have to help, they're family."
"Fine. I'll talk to Tristan, and we'll get it worked out. I'll talk to you later."
"Good. Thanks, hun," Lorelai said before hanging up the line and heading back downstairs where Luke and Jess were.
Davey realized he hadn't had breakfast when his stomach rumbling got louder than the sound on the television. He paused his game and walked into the kitchen.
"Dear God, you two look like an old boring married couple," he scoffed, seeing his sister and Will seated at the table, both reading and eating absently from their bowls.
"Thanks, man, I appreciate that," Will said sarcastically, downing the last of the milk in his bowl before folding his paper over and putting his bowl in the sink.
"I'm going to hop in the shower," he added as he quickly left the room.
"What was that about?" Davey asked.
"What was what about?"
"He left in a hurry."
"Maybe you've been on your own too long, Dave. See, morning is a time where people get ready for their day. They eat breakfast, they shower—it's not a big deal," she said slowly.
"What's going on with you two?"
"Nothing," she sighed.
"Nothing because nothing is going on, or nothing because neither of you has spoken up?"
"Geez, what is wrong with you? We're friends, we've always been friends," she reminded her brother.
"But there's something else now when you two are together. You don't see that?"
"No, because you're crazy and I'm not willing to be dragged into your world," she downed her milk as well and put her bowl in the sink. "Maybe I'll head to Mom's to shower," she added.
"I don't want to drive you away," he said, putting an arm around her.
"Look, Dave," she said looking down the hall to make sure the bathroom door was shut, "Will's just been there for me, and I'm trying to do the same for him. He doesn't feel any way other than friendly towards me. Trust me," she said, hugging her brother before moving to the front room to gather her things.
Davey didn't look so convinced, and vowed to himself to get to the bottom of this. He rummaged around the kitchen first, to settle his hungry stomach.