Chapter 1: Pickles and Ice Cream
Disclaimer – Alas, the glory and grandeur that is Gilmore Girls cannot belong to a penniless thirteen-year-old such as myself. Sadly, but for everyone else's sake, it belongs to geniuses like Amy Sherman Palladino and The WB.
Summary – Takes place a few weeks before graduation, Strictly Trory and LukeLorelai. Luke and Lorelai are engaged and Lorelai's pregnant. Tristan comes back from military school and Rory, after suffering a great shock, starts seeing him in a different light.
"Pickles and ice cream," Lorelai demanded, turning to Rory. "What?" Rory asked, trying not to laugh at her mother's odd craving. "Pickles and ice cream. Make it vanilla, not chocolate," Lorelai repeated as she flipped through her baby magazine. "We don't have pickles," Rory said, trying to reason with her pregnant mother. "Taylor's probably still open," Lorelai said, reaching from her bed, where they were both sitting, to her nightstand to grab a pen. "Mom, please," Rory begged, "It's nine o'clock on a Thursday."
"Luke could give you a jar of pickles," replied Lorelai, rubbing her 8-month-pregnant stomach. "You can't abuse you fiancée's diner to satisfy your insane cravings."
Lorelai smiled, looking at the diamond engagement ring glinting on her index finger, and then asked, "What is he good for, besides do you really want to deny your baby sister."
"How do you know it's a girl?" Rory asked. "Mother's intuition. The wind seems right for another Lorelai," her mother replied, oddly serious, "Stop avoiding the situation. Go fetch the woman who brought you into this world some tomatoes and chocolate ice cream."
"I thought you wanted pickles and vanilla ice cream," Rory said, giving up, and putting on her jean jacket.
"I changed my mind," answered Lorelai. Shaking her head, Rory kissed her mom's hair and left the room. "Thank you," Lorelai yelled as her daughter disappeared through the door. Seeing an especially cute outfit in the catalog, Lorelai circled it and shouted "Oooh pretty!"
Rory walked down the quiet streets of Stars Hollow, occasionally greeting its slightly eccentric inhabitants. Taking the steps of Luke's diner two at a time, she pushed open the door to allow herself in. The little bell tinkled, alerting Luke to her presence. "Hey, I'll be right with you," greeted Luke, glancing up from the order he was taking. "Take your time," Rory replied. She walked to the counter and took a seat on one of the stools. "So, she's sending you out again?" Luke asked as he poured his future-stepdaughter a cup of black coffee. "Yup," Rory replied, inhaling the bitter sweet smell of the drink, "I need a carton of chocolate ice cream and a small order of tomatoes."
"She's voluntarily asking for a vegetable," Luke said, smiling at his fiancée's strange request, "I'll be glad when this pregnancy stops wreaking havoc on her stomach and my mind."
"Don't be too eager, mom's plotting to put you on diaper duty once this baby comes," Rory retorted.
Luke smiled and yelled through the small opening in the wall, "Caesar, I'm heading home. Clean and lock up before you leave."
"No problem, Boss," Caesar the Chef replied, waving to Rory, before going back to his orders. Luke went into the back room and came back a few moments later with a cardboard tray of cups and a white plastic bag.
Seeing what was in Luke's hands, Rory grinned and said, "It's scary how you know us so well."
"Got to keep your mother fed," Luke replied motioning to the bag, catching the coming look from Rory, he quickly mended his sentence, "And some actual edible food for us." Rory smiled and took the tray from Luke to help him out.
Weaving through the tables, the pair went out of the door and began the trek home. The walk was a short one as they talked frequently, punctuated with few moments of comfortable silence.
"Come on Luke, Mommy Dearest is a classic. Joan Crawford was ten times better than Joan Crawford in Berserk!" Rory argued.
"The evil broad hit her kids with steel hangers and made them clean their bathrooms at eleven o'clock at night," Luke retorted, "If that's classic than Carrie deserves an Oscar."
"Still a classic," Rory replied, refusing to budge, "Mom and I've watched that movie a thousand times. She still can't understand the whole steel hangers, a few weeks after the twentieth time we watched it, Mom went out and bought a bunch of wire hangers and started chasing me with them for months. She said she was trying to show me how good I had it. You know with the relationship we have."
"Your mother's certainly…" Luke paused for a moment, trying to find the right word to describe Lorelai, "..Unique."
"I think the phrase used these days is different," Rory said. They were quiet for a few moments as they found themselves standing in front of the house that Luke, Lorelai, and Rory now shared. "Mom's really happy about what she has with you," Rory blurted out suddenly, "The wedding, the baby, everything."
Luke was surprised at the out-of-the-blue statement and was quiet for a few moments before saying, "Do you think she'll go through with it this time." The reference, clearly being, to Max and Christopher, both men she had loved but couldn't see being married to. Rory stopped Luke from entering by putting her hand on his arm and turning him towards her.
"Luke," Rory said, confident in what reply she was about to give, "Mom loves you. She always has. Of course, she's going through with the ceremony. Besides it'd be a real hassle to kick you out and then get rid of your stuff. Not to mention, the awkwardness of seeing you everyday if she didn't go through with the wedding. It's just so much more convenient if she marries you."
Luke grinned and put an arm around Rory to guide them inside. "Well, as long as Lor has a logical reason for this wedding. Forget love and commitment, she'll do it all for convenience."
I know it's short, a review would be greatly appreciated as this is the first of my fics that I've actually typed down so, you know if it's up to your standards it be great to know. Thanks so much for even reading.