AN: Work was slow again, so you know what that means. . . more writing time. Woo-hoo!
"You're joking. You have to be joking."
"I'm not. He even called Erin to tell her."
Tristan put his book on the nightstand. He took off his reading glasses, laying them atop the book and rubbed his eyes with his left hand.
"Well, then, he must have lost his mind. Who tells their wife they're going on a date?"
"They're separated," Rory corrected.
"That's still married."
"So, if we were separated, you wouldn't see anyone else?"
"I'm so not dumb enough to answer that question," he looked at her knowingly. His look caused her to widen her eyes, giving her that innocent Bambi look.
"It's a hypothetical."
"It's insane. We aren't separated. You like me too much to spend more than one night away from me," he reminded, poking her softly in the ribs.
"Okay, so what if I died?"
"I like that even less."
"Tristan, be serious!"
"I am! I'd hate it if you died."
She glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest to show her displeasure at his unwillingness to participate in her train of thought.
He sighed. "You really want to play the 'what if' game?"
She nodded, looking at him skeptically.
"Fine. If you died, then yes, eventually I'd probably date again."
"How long would you wait to start wooing the ladies?"
"Probably until I could go out and not end up crying puddles on their shoulders, talking about how much I love my dear departed wife," he smiled at her.
"So, never then?"
"Right," he agreed, happy she was satisfied and the tricky game was over. Now the real fun could begin. He bent down to kiss her, and she turned in towards him on the bed. She forgot about questions pertaining to them being apart, as they enjoyed being together.
&&&&
Billy stopped once they got into the hotel lobby. He got so nervous on the short cab ride from the tavern, he could feel his heart beating in his throat. He looked at Ella; this perfect girl with the bluest eyes he'd ever seen, and she wanted to go get a private room with him. He felt his stomach drop, and worried that he might start sweating.
"Are you okay?" she asked, putting her hand on his arm. He had stopped so suddenly, she had to pull him away from the door as they were blocking other guests from entering. He looked like he might pass out, and she was growing concerned.
"Can we just sit for a second?"
She nodded, moving toward a loveseat. They sat down, and he bit his lip. He had no idea how he would get out what he was about to say. He didn't actually want to say it, but he felt he had to.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Oh. You don't want to do this."
She looked disappointed. He wanted to rectify this, to run up to the front desk and get the first room with a bed. Or a table—or carpet, hell, he didn't care. Except that he did. This wasn't something do get done as quickly as possible. He took another deep breath. He had to focus. He needed to tell her that this wasn't about wanting to as much as being ready.
"No, I want to, I just want us, both of us, to be really sure."
She nodded, grateful that he was taking this—and her—seriously. She understood his hesitation, and better to bring it up now before they got alone and it was too late.
"Have you ever done this before?"
"No, you?"
"No."
She smiled, glad he was as new to this as she was.
"You know, we don't have to rush this. I just got all caught up in the moment. It's like I couldn't think, and I just wanted you to touch me."
At her words, he realized if they didn't have sex, he was in for a long night filled with a series of very cold showers. The effect that she was having on him was unparalleled. She moved a little closer to him, and he put his arm around her. Her hair smelled like coconuts, from her shampoo undoubtedly. He gazed down her cheek and neck, exposed as she'd pulled her long hair back for the evening, and he wanted so much just to lean down and cover every last inch of that skin with kisses.
"Besides, do you have anything?"
"Anything?"
"Protection?" she whispered into his ear, causing the tiny hairs on the back of his neck to stand at attention.
"Oh, right. No."
"So, we should probably wait anyway," she looked at him, her eyes searching his. If those were her 'waiting' eyes, he was in for some serious trouble when she broke out her 'bedroom' eyes. A shiver went down his spine at the sheer possibility that they could be together in the near future, and he managed a nod.
"Do you want to just get back to the room and sleep?"
"Let's just hang out here for a while," he suggested, "People watch and relax," he whispered in her ear. She snuggled back against him and just enjoyed feeling him holding her.
&&&&
Lorelai came downstairs the next morning to find the coffeemaker in pieces all over the kitchen counter. She blinked really hard, hoping that when she reopened her eyes, it would magically be together again. When this failed to work, there was only one logical thing left for her to do.
"LUKE!"
He hurried in from the back porch, where he kept his toolbox. He had a screwdriver in one hand and an apologetic look on his face.
"I'm fixing it," he assured her.
"You gutted Fred!" she pointed as she accused.
"Think of it as open-heart surgery."
She held up a hand to quiet him, looking sadly at the pieces that were once her coffeemaker.
"You can fix him?"
"I can," he suppressed a smile.
"But no coffee?"
"If I'm not done before you get out of your shower, we'll head to the diner," he promised.
She made a sniffling noise, nodded, and headed back upstairs.
Always a man of his word, he had the coffeemaker in working order twenty minutes later when she descended a second time. She wrapped her arms around him appreciatively as she watched the coffee brewing.
"Have I told you how much I love you?"
"Not today," he looked at her.
"Well, I love you. Way more than my other husbands. Those losers would never be able to reassemble Fred so quickly."
"That better not be all they can't do," he kissed the area just under her ear.
"Mmm. You're the best at that, too," she turned around in his arms to face him.
"You wanna go on a date tonight?"
"Why?"
"Because you love showing off your beautiful wife," she began, tracing circles on his flannel covered chest, "Besides, everyone else has a date tonight."
"Everyone?"
"Well, Will, Jess, Sookie," she listed.
"What about Rory?"
"She offered to be the DPU tonight."
"The DPU?"
"Designated Parental Unit."
"Ah, I should've known."
"All teenage crises go to her and Tristan tonight. Besides, Ella's college tour ends today, and they want to be there for the return."
"Wait, Jess has a date?"
"That was shockingly slow reaction time there, grandpa."
"Lorelai," he warned.
"Yes, Jess has a date. It's not a big deal."
"How can you say that?"
"He's separated."
"So?"
"So, his 'wife' is out in California with another man. He's under a lot of stress, it will do him good to get out and away from it all."
"I didn't say that wasn't right either, what Erin's doing."
"Luke, please don't get in the middle of this. It's his marriage, he's being responsible about it," she reasoned.
"You agree with this?"
"I didn't say I agreed with it, I said it was his life."
He shook his head. This was his business, as Jess was family. That meant you're there for them through good and bad, wanted or not. She should know that about him by now. Why couldn't get where he was coming from?
"Would you go out with someone else if we were separated?"
"You wouldn't leave me," she rolled her eyes. That was one thing in her life that she had the most confidence in.
"Fine, so you leave me," he tried.
"Why would I leave you? Oh, wait, probably because I can't take the stupid questions," she smacked her head.
"Fine, you win, never mind. I just think it's wrong. He's still married."
"Weren't you still married when you kissed me for the first time?"
"I was getting divorced. It was finalized less than a week later."
"Ah, but still morally wrong using your definition," she pushed. "Ooh, and you were drunk, for shame!"
"Fine. I'll stay out this for now," he consented.
"Good. Now, where are you taking me tonight?" she asked, moving to get herself the first cup of coffee of the day.
&&&&
"I want you to call me for any reason, no matter how small the problem," Jess insisted.
"They're both potty trained and past the sticking small objects up their nose phase, at least I'm fairly sure of that. So, tell me what catastrophic event you're so concerned about? I won't drop them on their heads, I doubt I could even lift Ambrose anymore," she giggled.
They sat side-by-side on the bottom step of the staircase at her mother's house, where she and Tristan were going to corral all the teens in the extended family this evening.
"I know they both said they were fine with my dating, but if they seem like they aren't, just call me. I'll come back immediately," he explained.
Rory sighed and took his hand in hers.
"Jess, no kid wants to see a parent dating someone else. They always wish for their parents to end up happily together—no matter how complicated it is. I did. I think the only reason I was okay with Luke and Mom was that he'd been so much like a father to me over the years, and I'd seen how much better off she was with him than Dad."
Jess nodded.
"Didn't you ever secretly wish your folks stayed together?"
"All the time," he answered quietly.
"You're doing the right thing, being honest with them, and with Erin. They're old enough to deal with this. Just go, and try to have fun," she urged, and squeezed his hand.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "All right. But call if there are any hospital runs."
"Will do," she promised and he headed out on his date. She stood and thought of all she needed to do. All the kids would be over soon, and expecting dinner. She went over to the phone and put in a carry out order at Al's before leaving a note for anyone who beat her back home.
AN: Next chapter—dates. I promise.