Like Wildfire
By Ellie J.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Gilmore Girls. I do not own anything associated with Gilmore Girls. If I did, there would be much more PDA between Luke and Lorelai.
A/N: I, again, want to thank everyone who's reviewed the story. I walk around work with a big dopey smile on my face. A special thanks to Suz, who said that I almost made her fall out of her chair laughing. That's the biggest compliment I could ever get.
Part 4: Kirk (and Patty and Taylor, oh my!)
I'm standing outside of Lukes in the cold morning air, waiting for him to come down and open up. I've been having every meal here for the past week and a half to show him my support during this difficult time.
I owe Luke a lot. Growing up, Luke always stopped the other boys from beating me up too much. I mean he would still let them beat me up. Sometimes, he'd even help them, but there was a line that he wouldn't let them cross. I remember when my brother, Tom, wanted to strip me, tie me up, cover me with honey and leave me outside in the park overnight. Luke was the one who talked him into merely dressing me in one of mother's dresses, putting make-up on my face, and throwing me out of the car in the middle of town square. He saved me so many times like that.
I was heartbroken when Lorelai and Luke split up. They are both my friends. Lorelai has never been anything but nice to me. Even when she told me that she wouldn't date me, she didn't laugh at me to my face or put out a restraining order against me like so many other women did before I met Lulu.
Luke is probably my best friend. He's the one that calmed me down when I realized that Lulu really liked me, he's the one that fixed the table so that I could be Jesus in The Last Supper, and he's the one that found all the Easter eggs that I hadlost around town. Luke cares about me. I know he would never say that he cares about me, but if chasing ascreaming naked man around town and tackling him isn't love, then I don't know what is.
And this caused a big dilemma after the break-up. Taylor kept on saying that everyone had to choose sides, but I'm friends with both of them. They've both helped and supported me over the years. Taylor wouldn't let me alternate ribbons everyday like I wanted to. He said that I had to choose. It was a terrible decision that I agonized over, but eventually I chose a blue ribbon for Luke. It's not that I think Lorelai was at fault in the break-up, but I know how they both handle emotional pain. Lorelai throws herself into her work, and part of her work is to be sociable. Plus she has Sookie and Rory, and I know that they'll keep an eye on her. Luke, on the other hand, does not react well to being hurt. He tends to yell. Loudly. If the pain goes on too long he will even start to throw things and - like in recent days - people. Luke needs someone on his side that he can't scare off with cruel words and brute force. I am that man.
I glance at my watch and notice that it's almost 6:30. I'm starting to get worried about Luke. He has been opening the diner later than usual, but never this late. He shooed me out of the diner last night after Lorelai's mother left. What if he left town, like Taylor's been trying to force him to do for the past two weeks? I back away from the building to look for a drainpipe so that I can climb up the side of the building and look through his windows to see if he's all right.
"Kirk, what are you doing?" I turn around and see Miss Patty coming towards me.
"I'm trying to find Luke. He hasn't opened up yet, and I'm starting to get worried about him."
For some reason, Miss Patty finds this extremely amusing. She smiles and raises her eyebrows at me. "Really," she leers.
"Do you know something?" I ask.
"Kirk, it's me. Of course I know something." I lean closer to get the scoop. "I was at home last night when Babette called, and she told me that Luke had just stormed up to Lorelai's door, knocked, and when she opened it, he strode in and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. Isn't it just like in An Officer and a Gentleman? All Luke needed were the Navy dress whites." She pauses a moment and a big smile appears on her face. "Hmm… Luke would look very nice in a uniform," she muses. "Anyways, they're probably still 'reconciling' right now, if you catch my drift."
A wave of relief washes over me. The madness has ended. I look down at my blue ribbon and get an idea.
"We need to celebrate," I tell her. "I am going to collect every pink and blue ribbon so that the people of Stars Hollow can come together to celebrate Luke and Lorelai's reconciliation." With that I rip my ribbon off my shirt.
"Urgh!" I close my eyes at the sudden pain.
"Kirk, are you all right?" Patty asks me.
"Yeah," I gasp. "I just pulled at the ribbon too vigorously. I'm fine. Ok, I need to get organized so that I can do this properly. I'm going to need signs to let people know what I'm doing, a container for the ribbons, and a central location to collect them."
Miss Patty thinks for a moment. "Well, I can make signs for you on my computer. For a box, I suggest you get the one that Taylor has been using to hand the blasted things out." I smile at the good suggestion. Taylor had replaced the one that Rory had confiscated (or stolen, as Taylor puts it). He just makes sure to hide the new box from Rory whenever she comes in the store. He just ran out of ribbons the other day, but has already put in an order for more.
Miss Patty continues with her suggestions. "As for a central location, thanks to Lorelai, Luke will probably be in a very good mood this morning. You should ask him for a table in the diner."
This sounds like a good plan of action to me. "Ok, you go make the signs. I'll get the box and meet you back here."
I rush over to Doose's and find Taylor already there. I run inside, see the box on Taylor's counter, and I grab it.
"We aren't going to be needing the ribbons anymore, Taylor. I'm going to start collecting them."
Taylor grabs the box out of my hands. "What do you mean, we don't need the ribbons anymore? I told you earlier, Kirk, that the ribbons are an important tool in gauging how the community feels about an issue that is both close to our hearts and important for the economic future of Stars Hollow." He pauses to take a breath and I interrupt him.
"Yes, but Luke and Lorelai got back together last night, so the community no longer has to feel anything about the break-up. It's over." I grab the box out of Taylor's hands and rush out the door towards the diner. Taylor is right behind me.
"Luke and Lorelai got back together? Did they tell you this?" he asks me.
"No," I answer. "Patty told me."
"Did either Luke or Lorelai tell Patty that they were getting back together?"
"No, Babette told her, but Babette saw them kissing on Lorelai's porch last night."
"Kirk, I am not going to allow you to start collecting ribbons on the basis of third hand testimony. It's all hearsay." He tries to take the box from me again, but I hold on to it tight and we start to grapple for it.
"Kirk!" he yells at me as I twist my body around so that I'm keeping myself between him and the box. "Don't you understand that if you're wrong - like you probably are - it will only be more painful for everyone involved to have to redistribute the ribbons?"
"No!" I shout back at him, pivoting to keep my back to him as he tries to get around me to grab the box. "These are not random rumors. Babette saw them with her own eyes. She called Patty after watching them. They are back together, and it is time for the town to heal!" He continues to try and get the container from me, but all that DDR has made me very quick on my feet.
"What the hell are the two of you doing?" Taylor and I turn around to see Luke staring at us like we were crazy.
"Luke!" I run over to him, taking the box with me. "Tell Taylor that you and Lorelai are back together." His eyes widen and he opens his mouth to speak, but it takes a few seconds for words to come out.
"Where the hell did you hear that?" he finally asks. My heart plummets. Does this mean that they aren't back together? Taylor runs over to me and grabs the box out of my hands.
"Ah ha! I told you that you shouldn't listen to everything that Patty says."
"Miss Patty?" Luke's eyes get even wider. "How did she find out? It just happened last night."
"Ah ha!" I seize the box back from Taylor as my former euphoria returns. I turn to Luke. "You can count on me to get every pink and blue ribbon that has gone out during this unfortunate time."
"Yeah Kirk, whatever." Luke says. "I still want to know how Miss Patty found out that Lorelai and I are back together."
"Oh," I say with a wave of my hand, "Babette saw the two of you making out on Lorelai's porch last night."
"Really?" Luke's face starts to turn an interesting shade of red.
"Yes. Apparently, they decided your reconciliation was very An Officer and a Gentleman," I inform him. "And that you'd look good in a uniform."
Luke closes his eyes, shakes his head and groans as he turns to unlock the diner. "Living in this town is like living in a freaking fish bowl," I hear him mutter. I start to follow him into the diner, but Taylor grabs my arm.
"Kirk, I fully expect you to return those ribbons to me after you've collected them. We will probably need them again some day," he says and then heads back to his store.
I enter the diner where Luke is already taking down the chairs. "Luke."
"Yes Kirk," he grumbles.
"It would be really helpful to have a central location where people can drop off their ribbons, and I was thinking …"
"No Kirk,"
"But Luke, don't you want to celebrate your re-found happiness?" He turns to look at me, and I get a good look at him for the first time this morning. Miss Patty was right. Lorelai did put him in a really good mood. His eyes don't have that dead look, and he seems lighter, as if a giant weight has been lifted off of him.
Luke lowers his head and groans. I know I've won. "I'm gonna regret this, but okay, you can set up here. You get one table, Kirk. That's it."
"Thanks Luke." I run to the door, "I'm going to go see if Miss Patty's done making the signs yet so that we can post them all over town."
"Aw, jeez," he moans, and I open the door to leave.
"Hey Kirk." I turn back.
"When you come back, breakfast is on the house." I see the smile that's hiding in his eyes and I can't help but smile back at him. I leave the diner to go over to Miss Patty's. Afterwards, I think I'll go find Lulu. I know she'll be as happy as I am that these dark days are over with and gladly turn in her pink ribbon.
A/N 2: There will be at least 2 more chapter, possibly 4 more depending on how cooperative my muse is.
