Chapter 4 – Of Wining and Dining

"I thought I'd forget you but I guess I forgot to
And lately I've been too confused to think"

Collin Raye, 'I Can Still Feel You'

- - - - -

He unlocked the door an opened it, blocking the entrance. His gaze flickered back to Lorelai for a moment, confusion and surprise present in his eyes. Lorelai gave him a strange look, flattening her t-shirt and smoothing her hair.

"Rachel…" Luke deadpanned.

Her fingers twirled with nervousness as she looked between Lorelai and Luke.

"Is now not a good time?" she asked.

You would have thought by now that Luke had learned his lesson. How many times had things turned out like this? Rachel would come back, he would love her all over again, and then she would leave without a word. It was always the same, but somewhere deep inside, Luke believed that maybe this time she would stay. Rachel was his Christopher, per say. His shoulders slumped and he sighed, tipping his chin to permit her entrance.

"No, come in. I'll get you some coffee," he suggested.

"Thanks," Rachel said.

The atmosphere in the diner was quite uncomfortable. There was Lorelai, flustered and still clutching the edge of the table that had broken her fall. Her cheeks were red and her eyes bright, as if she and Luke had been doing much more than dancing. Passing a glance at her, Luke narrowed his eyes, daring her to say or do something that could possibly ruin this oh-so-happy-not-at-all-uncomfortable reunion with Rachel. He ushered Rachel to the counter, pouring her a cup of coffee. That was Lorelai's coffee, not hers! Luke was Lorelai's, not hers!

At that specific moment in time, Lorelai wanted to do one thing; rip the hairs from Rachel's head strand by strand. Jealousy boiled up in her at once, though she was able to hide it well by looking away from the scene. It seemed that Luke had forgotten about their painting; he sat at the counter next to Rachel, talking to her as she sipped her coffee. Lorelai sighed, pushing off of the table and making her way swiftly to the counter. Grabbing her purse and jacket, she waved a goodbye to Luke and Rachel.

"I should be going," she rushed.

Luke, confused, tried to persuade her to stay.

"No, Lorelai, stay. It's ok," he said.

Lorelai quickly shook her head no, her hair flying into her eyes. She stumbled onwards, slinging her purse over her shoulder.

"I'll go. You two have a lot of catching up to do."

In a flurry, she was gone. The bell over the door jingled as she left, then left Luke and Rachel in silence. A part of Luke wanted to jump up and follow Lorelai, but Rachel's hand on his arm was winning. She looked at him, smiling to get his attention. Her thumb rubbed circles on his tense muscles.

"Luke… I'm staying for good this time. No more leaving, no more goodbyes," she whispered.

She leaned forward and kissed him. Luke closed his eyes, but all he could see was Lorelai Gilmore's radiant smile as he waltzed her around the diner.

- - - - -

She hated Friday night dinners. She absolutely despised them. With Rory in D.C., they were even worse than usual. She stalled, passing the time by trying on about a million different outfits. She settled on a black dress, long-sleeved with a v-neck, probably more appropriate for a date than dinner at her parents' house. Oh well…

Lorelai searched for her keys, carrying her heels in her hand, and found them in the freezer. 'How did they get there?' She shrugged, dropping the shoes and slipping her feet into them. Grabbing a sweater, she left the house and got to her Jeep in one piece.

When she got to the Gilmore residence, she didn't even have to ring the doorbell. Her mother opened the door, a strained smile on her face.

"Lorelai, you're late!"

Gesturing her inside, Emily took her daughter's purse and sweater, passing them off to the maid.

"Hello to you too, Mom," Lorelai muttered, following her mother inside.

Emily Gilmore was not a nice woman. But even she wouldn't invite Christopher to dinner, would she? Lorelai was shocked to see him sitting on the sofa, sharing a drink with her father. When she entered behind her mother he looked up, a small smile on his face. Lorelai slowly walked to towards him, perching on the edge of the sofa by his side.

"Lor, hi…" he said slowly.

Apparently he believed that Lorelai had known he was coming and had chosen to come as well. That was not the case. Lorelai threw a shocked look at her mother, but Emily was acting as normal as Emily always acted. Suddenly, a thought came to Lorelai's mind. Maybe, perhaps, just possibly, she had forgotten to mention to her parents the fact that they had broken up because Christopher's girlfriend was pregnant. The last time Richard and Emily had seen them, they had been all over each other at Sookie's wedding. Great…

Her mother's voice rang in her ears, breaking Lorelai's trance.

"Lorelai! Won't you have something to drink?" she asked.

"Um… a martini please," Lorelai answered, distracted.

Not soon enough, the glass was placed in her hand. Her mother sat next to her father, her face beaming brightly. She had always known Lorelai and Chris would work things out. Lorelai downed her martini in a few gulps, setting the glass on the coffee table. She rubbed her hand on her thigh, taking a deep breath to inform her parents on the current situation.

"I think there's been a mistake. Christopher and I, well… we're not-" she was cut off, of course.

"Mrs. Gilmore, dinner is ready," the maid interrupted.

"Thank you, Louise," Emily answered, rising from the chair and leading the dinner party.

- - - - -

Lorelai was quiet for most of the dinner. So far, she had avoided a major confrontation with either Chris or her parents, but her nerves were wearing thin. Suddenly, out of the blue, Emily put her fork down, turning to Lorelai and bluntly stating how she felt.

"I think it's wonderful that you and Christopher are back together," Emily said.

That was the breaking point. Slamming her fist against the table, Lorelai lost it. With wide eyes, she began to yell.

"No, Mom, it's not wonderful. Chris and I broke up! Do you want to know why? He got his girlfriend pregnant! PREGNANT!" Lorelai gasped, rising from the table and turning to go.

Her mother sunk back into her chair, appalled. Now that was the last thing she expected to hear. For once, Emily Gilmore was speechless. She looked towards Christopher, wanting to know if this was true. His downward gaze and defenseless posture let her know it was.

Lorelai turned back around before reaching the door, chest heaving. She spoke to Christopher quietly, her blue eyes freezing him like ice.

"Chris, can I speak with you please?" she said slowly.

Christopher, understanding that to refuse would mean death, stood and started towards the foyer. Lorelai turned and stomped out of the dining room, Chris close behind, leaving her dumbstruck parents sitting at the table.

As soon as they were clear out of hearing range, Lorelai wheeled around and stopped, Chris nearly running her over. She took a step back, arms dangling at her sides, fists clenched.

"Lor…" he whispered to her.

He reached out to touch her, but the tone of her voice stopped him in his tracks.

"No, don't call me that," she lowly growled.

Chris dropped his outstretched hand, his gaze searching her face.

"What are you doing here, Chris?" she asked coldly.

He shrugged helplessly, sticking his hands in his pockets for lack of a better place to put them.

"You didn't return my calls… I wanted to talk to you, try and work things out…" he trailed off.

This set Lorelai off again. She yelled at him then, letting all of her frustration and disappointment flow from her lips.

"No, Chris! I don't want to talk to you! Can't you see? We're over, done for, down the drain… I'm sick of being disappointed, I'm sick of being hurt, I'm sick of having my heart broken. All because of you! I hoped, oh I hoped, that you had finally gotten control of yourself, but I was wrong. And I don't want to get hurt again. So please, just go…" she trailed off, dropping her eyes.

Chris, hardly frazzled, reached out a hand and traced her jaw with his fingertips. A loving embrace, a kind word, and he could make her forget about the hurt. It had always worked before, but not this time. Lorelai stepped back swiftly, turning her chin away. Something faltered in her gaze though, and Christopher saw it.

"I love you Lor," he said softly, leaning forward to brush his lips lightly against hers.

Lorelai closed her eyes and turned her face away from his once again. She was quiet for a moment, silently avoiding his gaze. Suddenly she looked up, locking his eyes with her own, forcing him to look at her. Lorelai shook her head slowly.

"No you don't."