Title: Thirty-Two Short Films About Lorelai Gilmore
Author: Allotrope
Disclaimer: If I were Amy Sherman-Palladino, I'd have a better CD collection and look good in hats. But I'm not and I don't, and these characters are obviously not mine.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read and/or reviewed. I'm thinking seven(-ish) chapters, so theoretically, this is the home stretch.
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Chapter Four
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Sookie, being Sookie, brews Lorelai doll cups of espresso and French roast with chicory. But Lorelai, being Lorelai, likes her coffee plain, strong, and in large quantities. In the six months since she and Rory relocated to Stars Hollow proper, Lorelai's come to depend on Luke for her ritual cup of joe.
Today, unfortunately, he's not cooperating. "You've had so much coffee you're practically vibrating," Luke says. "And peppermint tea is festive as well as healthy." There's a glint in his eye as he resumes wiping down the ancient flecked Formica.
"What are you, the Stars Hollow representative of the Women's Christian Temperance Union?" Lorelai protests, her voice rising in desperation. "Duke, my friend, caffeine isn't a lifestyle choice, it's a biological imperative."
"Your friend?"
"My good Samaritan, in this, my hour of greatest need. Rory, tell the nice man about Mommy's hour of greatest need."
"We're going to see my grandparents," Rory says. "For their Christmas party."
"Or as I like to call it, Whatever Happened to Baby Jesus?" Lorelai says, staring longingly at the pristine mugs dangling from wall pegs just beyond her reach.
"It's that bad?"
Sensing hesitation, she moves in for the kill. "Oh, no -- it's bright and sunny and bears a remarkable resemblance to an audioanimatronic Cheever novel."
Luke looks her in the eye long and hard before reaching for a mug. "One cup, and then I'm cutting you off. And no coffee for the kid."
"Duke," Lorelai says, taking her first rapturous sip, "you're my favorite cranky diner guy in all of Stars Hollow."
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Ten apple tarts and two cups of eggnog later, things start unraveling.
Emily's words are tiny daggers expertly thrown. "I don't know what possessed you to tell Sissy Hotchkiss you and Rory are in the federal witness protection program--"
"It was a joke! She asked me where I've been hiding all these years, and your eggnog's so potent I'm afraid that if I get near a candle I'll become a human flamethrower." Which might be a welcome distraction at this point, Lorelai thinks, watching the kitchen staff scurry for cover.
"Are you drunk, Lorelai, or just out of your mind?"
"Pleasantly relaxed. Because, oddly enough, I had the impression this was a party, where even Sissy Hotchkiss -- or dare I say it, Emily Gilmore -- could relax the lockjaw for one night--"
"She was offended," her mother says, voice rising. "And I have to see her Monday, at the Friends of the Zoo board meeting--"
"Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!"
"She's on the hospital ball committee and she's chairing this year's library drive. For God's sake, Lorelai, she hasn't seen you in ten years. She was just trying to make small talk."
"Except there is no small talk at your parties, Mom. Your old friends ask about Christopher and your new friends look at me and then at Rory and try not to count with their fingers as they do the math."
"Whatever grudges you hold against your father and me need not be extended to our entire circle of friends and neighbors." Emily's voice is steel. "I wanted to share my holidays with my daughter and granddaughter, but clearly that was a mistake."
The room grows still, silent but for the murmuring dishwasher and the muffled laughter emanating from the drawing room. After a long moment, Lorelai speaks. "I'm sorry," she says quietly. "Can we just stop now? This thing we have is already broken."
Her words carry the weight of truth, and already she regrets them. The harsh kitchen light reveals Emily to be smaller than Lorelai remembers. Older.
"I'll have Clothilde get your coats," her mother says. "You should go find Rory."
As Emily squares her shoulders and strides out of the kitchen, Lorelai is left to wonder what the hell just happened.
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