Challenge Chapter 2

The bright sunlight shining through the curtains woke Lorelai and for a brief moment she was confused. 'The sun doesn't usually shine in my window.' The still sleeping form next to her, as well as her state of undress, clued her in to her location and the memory of the previous night's events came flooding back. "Oh god..." she muttered, unsure if she felt happy or upset or... just plain confused. She looked at Abbie, thinking of how easily this woman had slipped into her life and made a little home there. While she wasn't known for showing the utmost self-control, or the best judge of men, this was the first time she'd slept with a woman, and to have slept with a woman that she'd known for less than twenty-four hours at that.

Abbie rolled over and mumbled something, moving her hand out from under the covers to rub one eye gently as she woke up. "Hey there." She said smiling, her voice gravelly with sleep. At that point Lorelai forgot her concerns and grinned back.

"Looks like I won Truth or Dare. What did I tell you about debutantes? We practice this game from childhood." Lorelai teased.

"Wait a minute... How do you figure? I issued the challenge. Didn't I mention that Texans don't take losing to debutantes easily?" Abbie sat up in bed, fake outrage in her voice.

Enjoying the banter, the initial feeling of panic faded and Lorelai realized once again that this woman would be an excellent addition to her life. She had never woken up in bed with a partner and not immediately wanted to bolt, with or without a shower and breakfast. With Abbie, Lorelai felt like she could just lay in bed all day, teeth unbrushed, no coffee, and just be. It was an instantaneous fit. Like two puzzle pieces, there was a completeness in this that Lorelai hadn't realized she was missing until now.

The ringing of her cellphone startled her and she checked the caller ID. "It's Rory. You don't mind if I take this do you?" Abbie shook her head and made her way into the bathroom, giving Lorelai a nice glimpse of the body she'd explored last night. With difficulty, Lorelai turned her attention to the phone call. "Rory? Hey hon, what's up?"

"Mom? Where are you? I called the house and left tons of messages." Rory sounded panicked, but relieved to hear her mother's voice.

"I... uh... I worked late last night, so I spent the night at the Inn. Are you having fun at your seminar?" Lorelai tried desperately to change the subject.

"You worked late? What about Friday night dinner?" Damn that kid for being so smart, Lorelai thought.

"Your grandmother wasn't feeling well. She gave us... me... a raincheck. Hon, are you going to be available later? I need to take care of something right now." Lorelai floundered around, wishing that she'd never answered the phone. She didn't realize that she'd be so bad at this.

"Mom? Are you alright? You sound a little strange. Hey, did you get lucky last night and you just don't want to tell me?" Rory teased. Lorelai could imagine the smirk on her face. If she only knew.

"Yep, that's exactly what happened. Now, if you excuse me, I need to make a quick getaway before my "friend" wakes up."

"Sure, no problem, but when do I get to meet my new daddy?" Rory was obviously having fun with this topic.

"Ha ha. Have a great day sweetheart. I'll call you later." Lorelai quickly hung up, and saw Abbie leaning against the doorjamb leading into the bathroom.

"Lor?" Abbie wasn't smiling. In fact, she looked concerned and a little hurt.

"Abbie... Hold on... I think that you and I need to talk about this.. this... 'relationship'? Is that what this is? Because if that's what you're looking for, and I hope you are, then we need to talk about what the hell we're doing and how we go about doing it." Lorelai held her hand up, stopping Abbie until she could explain. "I'm not sorry about last night, but you have to admit that this could get complicated. I've never done this before. My parents, who I love and loathe simultaneously, will definitely have issues. My darling daughter will recover quickly and gracefully. Sookie won't give it another thought. But I don't know how your family and friends feel about your sexual preferences. Do they know? Do they care? What..."

"Lorelai, take a breath. If this is your energy level pre-coffee, I can't imagine the speed at which you move once you've caffed up." Abbie smiled and walked towards Lorelai. "Now, first things first. My family knows and they cared enough to kick me out and tell me not to come back. I've made my peace with that, although at times I get awfully homesick. I have a younger sister that I miss most of all. She sends me cards once in a while, and sometimes sneaks a phone call, but my parents and I haven't spoken in years. My friends know and are supportive, so I have my own homemade family. Now, as far as your family is concerned, you know them better than I do, obviously, so your role in this is up to you. I can't make this decision for you. I wish I could say that it is an easy transition, but the best that I can offer is my support, no matter what choice you make."

Lorelai was stunned. Abbie spoke so calmly about her family and their distance. Lorelai had assumed they were close, especially after the comment that Abbie had made in the diner yesterday about foreign cars. Lorelai knew what it was like to have no contact with her parents, and while they drove her crazy, she wasn't sure that she could sever all ties with her forever. She reached for Abbie's hand and held it tightly in her own. "One day at a time then, okay Abbie? One small step at a time. As long as you're here with me, I'll be alright. So, I'm going to enjoy spending the next four days with you, and then we'll see where to go from there. How's that sound?"

"Does this mean that I get the all-inclusive, official Stars Hollow super special tour?" Abbie grinned.

"Let me see if I have my tour guide outfit in the closet... Hmmm... First stop is Luke's of course. This girl needs coffee, or else I can't be held responsible for my actions. I need a shower though, how about you?"

"Is that an invitation?" Abbie teased, and enjoyed watching Lorelai turn a dull shade of red. "I'm just joking, don't worry. Shower in peace."

Lorelai looked at the stunning woman standing in front of her and could think of nothing that she wanted more than to enjoy a nice, steaming hot shower with her. Then she remembered her morning breath and odd shower habits, and decided that the TV romance shower was a myth, and everyone should shower alone. Grabbing her robe, she headed towards the bathroom.

Abbie, for her part, was enjoying this easy banter and the instant comfort that she felt with this woman. She looked forward to the day ahead, making a silent promise to herself to focus only on the moment and not worry about the future right now. There was plenty of time for that later.