A/N- Reviews make me :-D... in case I haven't mentioned it enough... x3 you guys!
A/N 2- Questions! I know the story is a bit mushy at times, but it's supposed to be. I'm a mushy person. I like cutesy ;). Also, I wasn't planning on bringing Chris in (in a nice way), but I used to like him, and I figured, despite the fact that I can't stand him anymore, he used to be halfway decent, and there has to be something that I can do with him. So, I will bring him in in an ok manner, showing that he's not terrible. Just not yet. Shortly, though. Cuz, even though he screwed up everything with Luke and Lorelai there for a while, he, at one point, was a somewhat nice guy. Richard and Emily will also be back shortly.
A/N 3- If you guess which movie the kids are watching in the opening part of this chapter, you get the next chapter dedicated to you. On with the challenge!
Disclaimer- I'm sixteen. I own nothing but my cellphone and, eventually, the Ipod that I'm planning on buying. I definitely don't own the OC or Gilmore Girls.
Life Changes
"But this girl's special."
"They're all special," the guys in the movie continued their conversation.
"She can turn her face inside out!" Rory gasped over the true dialogue.
"They can all do that, but can she twirl a baton while mangling her body parts?" Seth said in a deep voice, replacing the movie's lines.
"Oh! Oh! They're breaking into song and dance!" Rory sat up straight on "Big Red", accidentally hitting Ryan's arm; they were the only ones in the Black, White, and Red Theatre, and felt no shame about acting as they normally would while watching movies.
As Ryan rubbed his wrist, he sighed,
"We should try that sometime."
"Breaking into spontaneous overly-rehearsed dance routines?" Lane asked from her seat, nestled closely against Seth.
"Yeah. Could you imagine Taylor and Miss Patty in the gazebo singing about the Firelight Festival?" Rory began to sing,
"Does anyone have the matches? The matches? The matches? Does anyone have the matches? This happens every damn year!" Ryan leaned down and kissed her head through her hair.
"That's ok, Ror. You don't have to sing. You can be the lighting coordinator."
"Hey! Miss Patty said I had a knack!"
"She also said Seth had a knack," reasoned Lane, poking her boyfriend playfully in the ribs.
"That woman has an ear," Seth tickled Lane.
"Yeah. She has two, actually. Doesn't mean she can hear right or well," Ryan said sarcastically. Rory sighed,
"When we did 'Wizard of Oz', you told me that I had a good voice."
"That was when I had a crush on you. You're my girlfriend now. I don't need to lie anymore." Rory stiffened her pose and sat up straight, leaning her back to the couch, away from Ryan's previously-welcoming arm. Ryan laughed,
"So, what? Now you're not talking to me?" Rory smirked and turned to Seth,
"Seth, could you please tell your brother that his girlfriend sings perfectly fine?"
"So does his brother," Seth said to Rory before turning to Ryan, "Your girlfriend sings fine." Ryan laughed,
"I'm sitting right next to her. I can hear her."
"And please tell him that I don't want him to hear me right now. I have you as a messenger."
"She doesn't want you to hear her right now. She has me as a messenger." Lane began to giggle.
"Rorrrrrry," Ryan teased good-naturedly in a sing-song voice.
"And, please tell him, that next time he comes over to my house to watch a movie when you, Lane, Jess, and Ally are all out, I get to pick the movie, because last time, I had to watch Rocky IV with him and he ate all the popcorn, and I fell asleep with my head on his lap because I was so bored, and when my dad came home, he freaked out and my mom had to convince him to ever let me out of the house again." Seth paused, opening his mouth repeatedly, seemingly debating whether to attempt it or not. Finally, he stated,
"I'm not risking it. Tell him yourself."
"Seth!"
"Nope. Too many words. Too many possible screw-ups." Ryan rolled his eyes. He leaned in and kissed Rory on the cheek. She pulled away and wiped at the spot where his lips had been only a moment prior.
"Rory..." No answer, "Rory Daaanes..." No answer, "Ror, c'mon."
"Seth, tell Ryan that if he wants me to respond, he knows what he has to do."
"You heard the lady."
"Oh, c'mon, Ror."
"Nope. Let's go, buddy."
"Uggh..." he began to sing, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine... you make me happy... when skies are gray... You'll never... Rory, please? This is humiliating."
"C'mon, singer boy. Keep going." He paused and considered,
"You know what? I have a better idea." Rory's eyes went wide as she realized what he was about to do,
"Ryan, no. Don't you dare!"
Ryan didn't heed her warning. Within seconds, his hands were at her stomach, tickling her. He tackled her down to a laying position on the couch and laid next to her. After about thirty seconds of tickle-induced torture, Rory called,
"Ok, ok! Truce!"
"Truce?"
"Yes... on one condition."
"Yes, my princess?"
"Kiss."
"Now that I can do." He leaned down and kissed Rory lightly on the lips before sitting back down next to her, pulling her gently into his arms to finish watching the movie.
"Girl, my hair wouldn't even fit through that thing."
"I'm from Texas. I've seen bigger."
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Lorelai sat at her desk at the inn, flipping through the list of bookings seated in front of her.
"The Andersons. March first. That's... three weeks from now. In room... two." She wrote a small number two next to The Andersons' name and moved down the list, "The Smiths. John and Jane Smith? And their kids Billy and Susie? You're kidding, right? Ok... Mr. and Mrs. Generic and family will be here... February... twenty-ninth... that's a..." She glanced down at her desk calendar, scanning over the dates. She went over the entire month of February (it was now the twelfth), and her eyes grew wide.
She flipped back to January and found the marked date that she had been looking for. January fourth. She flipped back to February. The fourth had come and gone.
She turned the pages back and forth, checking that she wasn't fooling herself into seeing something she wasn't.
After three minutes, she realized.
She wasn't fooling herself.
She wasn't fooling anyone.
Now, the question was, how to tell Luke.
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Sandy and Kirsten sat together on the couch, their eyes fixated on Grease playing on their den television,
"This car is automatic... systematic... hydromatic... why, it's Greased Lightning!"
Sandy leaned forward and paused the movie,
"Hey, honey... you know what I've been thinking?"
"That movies like Grease are better when you actually play them?" He ignored her comment,
"Do you remember... the plan?"
"The plan?"
"Before the boys were born... we had a plan."
"What do you mean?" He looked at her, mouth gaping,
"You don't remember this?" She shook her head gently, her lips pursed in deep thought,
"Not even a little bit."
"Kirsten, you don't remember our plan..." she stared at him blankly,
"No matter how many times you say it, doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly remember."
"Back in the city..." another blank stare, this time accompanied by a shrug of the shoulders, "To open our own ice cream store." Kirsten laughed, a look of realization suddenly overcoming her delicate features,
"Oh, that plan." Sandy shifted himself so he was facing his wife,
"Whatever happened to that? Why did we give up on it?"
"Well, I don't know if you're familiar with their work, but we had our sons. Remember them? Mischievous? Love to pull pranks? One of them looks just like you?"
"Oh, is that what that is? I thought he was a stunt double," Kirsten laughed and Sandy suddenly turned serious, "Honestly, honey. What's stopping us from opening an ice cream store now?"
"The boys..."
"Are fourteen. Don't need us to be home with them every day anymore. Are even, really, old enough to help out if need be."
"I don't know..."
"C'mon, honey. We never do anything adventurous anymore! This'll be cool," Kirsten opened her mouth to protest, but Sandy cut her off, "This will be an adventure. And if we go down in a year, it'll be the best, most exciting year of our lives." Kirsten sighed and paused,
"Where is this all coming from so suddenly?" Sandy shook his head,
"This is not sudden. I've been thinking about it. It all started again when the boys started dating. That's when it really hit me that the boys don't need us to be around every second of every day anymore. That was when I decided that we could do this. They're old enough to deal. Plus, it'll be something fun- a cool business venture for all of us. We'll get the boys involved... C'mon..." There was an expectant silence for a moment before Kirsten said quietly, but confidently,
"Ok."
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"Luuuke?" Lorelai called as she entered the diner, "Luke, where arrrrrrre you?" She paused, waiting for an answer, "Luuuuuke? Your beautiful, vivacious, wonderful wife is here, and you're ignoring her!" She was unusually giddy.
Luke suddenly came rushing out through the back,
"I heard you. Keep your pants on." Well, if I did that, I wouldn't have to tell you this, now would I?
"The father of my child, ladies and gentlemen," She was careful not to let slip anything she hadn't told him yet.
"Go upstairs. I'll be up in a few minutes." Lorelai nodded and stood to go up to the office, leaning over, kissing his cheek and whispering,
"I love you."
"What?" Luke muttered. What kind of a reaction was that?
Fifteen minutes later, Luke bounded up the stairs, a burger in hand for Lorelai, chicken for himself. As he placed the food on the table, he muttered,
"Correct greeting," leaning over to kiss her lightly on the lips. However, she surprised him; she elongated the kiss, making it sweet and full of love, rather than a mere kiss hello. Luke was stunned as he pulled away, "What was that for?" She shrugged,
"You're a good husband. A good dad. A fantastic cook. And I love you."
"I love you, too."
"I know," she smirked at him.
They sat together and had lunch, discussing Rory, Jess, the diner, the inn, and their weekend plans. It was all very pleasant, but Luke could sense there was something different. Lorelai was acting differently. She was almost glowing. She seemed antsy. She seemed like she wanted to tell him something.
When they had finished their lunch, Luke gave her a piece of pie and a cup of coffee and watched as she ate methodically. Better drink this while I still have the chance, she thought, sipping slightly at the coffee, Once I tell him, he's never going to let this stuff near me again.
"Hey, honey?" She said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"I have... a present for you." She hesitated on the word present; it didn't go unnoticed by Luke.
"A present?" He raised an eyebrow at his wife.
She nodded, and pulled out a small box from under the table,
"Here you go." He looked skeptically at her; what could this be a present for? Valentine's day was the next day, and they had agreed to no early gifts.
He pulled at the ribbon around the thin box; it was pink, the box was blue. He paused before opening the box; the color choice was odd, but that was Lorelai.
Slowly, he pulled off the lid to the box, his eyes going wide,
"Lorelai..." his mouth dropped open in shock, "Is this..." She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes as she climbed onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck,
"You're gonna be a daddy again." He looked at her incredulously, searching for any sign that she was kidding. He found nothing. He looked back and forth, from Lorelai to the pregnancy test sitting in the small box- from one to the other, his mouth gaping.
Lorelai, concerned by his lack of reaction, let out a small,
"Luke? Sweetie... say something..." Slowly, a smile spread across his face,
"I'm gonna be a daddy again," Lorelai nodded, "A daddy... me... again," Lorelai nodded more vigorously, "I'm going to have two children. I'm going to be a daddy... to a baby again." Lorelai laughed at his babbling before crushing her lips to his. After a few minutes, she pulled away,
"I love you so much."
"I love you, too."
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Seth sat on Ryan's bed, watching his brother sort through his closet.
"This needs to be perfect. It's my first Valentine's Day with Rory. I need to look good." Seth looked back down at the comic book resting in his lap,
"So, where are you guys going?" Ryan glanced back at Seth,
"Picnic in the park, then a walk by the bridge, then out to a movie. Casablanca. Classic boyfriend-girlfriend movie. Sucks that you can't go out tomorrow." Seth nodded,
"Yeah. Turns out the one holiday that Momma Kim cares about that's not Korean is Valentine's Day. Doesn't want Lane out on the streets with all the 'kissing couples'. So we're going out on the fifteenth instead. After the smooching is all done. For everyone except us."
"Ew, Seth. I don't need to know that... She still has no idea, huh?"
"Mrs. Kim? Nope. Not a clue. Always thinks that we're all going out with Rory or Luke and Lorelai. Doesn't suspect a thing as long as Rory's with us."
"Sounds like a great plan," Ryan said sarcastically, "I can't believe that you've been dating her for six months already and her mother has no idea."
"The lunacy of a self-indulgent parent." Ryan shook his head,
"You need to stop watching TV with Dad." Seth looked up at Ryan,
"Tell me about it."
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Jess watched on as his family ate breakfast. There was something different than usual. It wasn't just that Luke was home for breakfast; occasionally, he stayed home in the morning (Usually on family birthdays). What he noticed, however, was that something smelled different. When his uncle brought his aunt a plate of egg whites with sides of strawberries, blueberries, and grapes, he looked bemused.
"Did I miss something?" asked Jess, looking around for Lorelai's usual pancakes and bacon.
"What? What do you mean, sweetie?"
"Lorelai... did you look at your plate?" She looked down,
"Oh, you're right, Jess. Thank you. Luke?"
"Yeah, honey?"
"You forgot the grapefruit."
"Oh... I'm sorry, baby. Here," He handed her half of a grapefruit as she took a fork and dug in. Jess cocked an eyebrow. He was about to say something when Rory's bedroom door swung open.
"Good morning, everyone," she said joyously. He decided to wait and see if she noticed anything different as Lorelai glanced at her skeptically,
"Good morning, sunshine. Why are you so happy today?" She sighed happily,
"It's Valentine's Day. And I have a wonderful boyfriend," She kissed Lorelai on the cheek, "And he's taking me out tonight. So I'm happy." She leaned up and kissed Luke on the cheek, who was looking at her with fear,
"You're going out with Ryan tonight?" She nodded, "On Valentine's Day?" Again, "Just the two of you?"
"Yes, dad. Just me and Ryan celebrating Valentine's Day." Luke appeared nervous and shot Lorelai a glance; the one she returned told him to relax.
Jess looked pointedly at Rory, who looked back at him, confused. She chose to ignore the look, however, and grabbed at her mother's coffee, taking a sip. She choked back the black liquid,
"Ew, mom! This isn't regular coffee! This is decaf! You didn't notice? Daddy switched out your coffee!"
"Oh... yeah, I noticed." Rory realized something was weird at that exact moment; her father occasionally tried to switch her mother's coffee, but Lorelai always won, able to tell with a single sniff. Rory and Jess exchanged looks. Something was weird.
"Mom... Dad..." Rory started.
"Is there something you want to tell us?" Jess finished. Note to self: the sentence-finishing thing is Ryan and Seth's thing. No more finishing Rory's sentences.
Luke and Lorelai exchanged glances. This was the moment.
"Actually, yeah. We do," Lorelai said as Luke pulled up a chair next to her. Rory and Jess watched them curiously.
"Ok, Jess... remember when you were little, you used to ask for more cousins, because you loved playing with Rory, and you thought cousins were the most fun people?"
"Yeah."
"And, Ror, remember when you first met Seth and Ryan, you started asking us if you could have a brother or sister, because Seth and Ryan made it seem like so much fun? And then you carried that doll around for a week after we explained that it doesn't happen like magic, Seth and Ryan were a special case- they were brothers that were born at the same time, and you..."
"Dad! On with it!"
"Well, guys..." Lorelai began, "You're not going to have to ask anymore."
Jess and Rory looked at each other, confused.
"What?" Jess said.
"Are you..." Rory began, unable to finish the thought.
"We're having another baby, guys!" Lorelai said. Rory's eyes went wide. Lorelai watched as her daughter went from confused, to shocked, to excited. She began to jump up and down vigorously,
"I'm gonna be a big sister! Mom, I'm gonna be a big sister!" She hugged her mother, "Daddy, I'm gonna be a big sister!" Luke nodded as Rory threw her arms around his neck.
"So, Jess," Luke said after Rory had calmed down, pulling a chair up next to Lorelai, her arms around her mother's shoulders, "What do you think?"
"Cool," he said, a small grin on his face that seemed almost forced, "Very cool. That's really exciting. A baby in the house. Congratulations." He hugged his aunt, who kissed his hair, concerned, and then wrapped his arms around his uncle in the classic "guy hug" before announcing,
"I have a date to get ready for, though. I told Ally that I'd meet her at eleven, so I should go get showered." Jess stalked off, leaving Lorelai and Luke to share a knowing glance.
"Rory, why don't you go pick out some jewelry from my collection to wear tonight?"
"Ok, mom," She said, wiping the happy tears from her eyes as she scurried upstairs.
"What the hell was that?" Lorelai asked once she was sure both kids were out of ear-shot. Luke did his best to put up a front,
"It's a guy thing. He's fourteen. He's too cool to care. I'm sure he's ok."
"I hope so," she nodded.
Luke made a mental note to keep an eye on Jess... and to not let Lorelai know.
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"Boys?" Sandy said as he and Kirsten entered the den, "We need to talk." Seth and Ryan exchanged confused glances.
"Whatever it is, it was Rory's idea. We had nothing to do with it," Seth said defensively, sitting up in his seat.
"Well, you weren't in trouble, but we'll get back to that later, Mr. Guilty Conscience." Ryan shot Seth a glare, whispering warningly,
"Seth, you idiot!" Kirsten rolled her eyes; her sons were impossible sometimes, and occasionally she just had to sit back and laugh at their escapades,
"Boys, we have something to tell you."
"Is dad pregnant?" Seth gasped. Ryan cuffed the back of his brother's head,
"Shut up."
"Ryan," Kirsten scolded.
"Sorry, mom."
"Boys, if you can't handle this, then we just won't tell you," Sandy warned.
"No, no. We can deal with it," Ryan nodded excitedly.
"Yeah. Absolute angels," Seth made an invisible halo over his head with his hand, Ryan's continued nodding now accompanied by his finger pointing over his brother's head. Kirsten and Sandy exchanged meaningful glances before Sandy forged on,
"Well, boys, did mom and I ever tell you that, before you two were born, we had wanted to be entrepreneurs?"
"You've mentioned it."
"Go on."
"Well, we've always really wanted to open... an ice cream store." Seth and Ryan's eyes went wide as their mother prevented them from saying anything,
"This is just an idea right now. It would be someplace small. Someplace in Stars Hollow. Someplace manageable. There's no guarantee that this will even happen."
"No, no..." Ryan started.
"We get it..." Seth continued.
"That's just really..." Ryan reached for the words.
"The coolest thing that this family has ever done. Except for me of course." Ryan moved to cuff Seth again, but pulled his hand back upon receiving a stern glare from his mother.
"We're glad you like it," Sandy said.
"But you boys realize that, if this does happen, we'll need your help. Cleaning..."
"Working..."
"Opening..."
"Keeping an eye on it..."
"Hey, hey!" Seth said, interrupting his parents.
"The sentence-finishing thing is ours. Don't steal it."
"Boys, honestly. What do you think of this?"
"I think we should do it!"
"Ditto."
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"How's your chicken?" Rory glanced up from her lunch and gave her boyfriend a small, forced smile,
"Really good, Ry. Thanks."
"No problem." The silence from earlier returned.
"So, umm... Lane and Seth are going out tomorrow. Once Mrs. Kim lets her off of Valentine's parole."
"Mmhmm." The quiet filled their ears.
"So... your dad said that he's adding a new dish to the menu. The 'Kelly Road Posse' dessert platter. A brownie, a scoop of ice cream, sprinkles, whipped cream, and M&Ms," Rory nodded and Ryan sighed, "Are you ok?"
"What? Yeah... yeah, I'm fine."
"It's just... you've seemed... off all day."
"Oh, you're sweet. But I'm fine. Just a big morning today, is all."
"Why, what happened? I have big news, too. Just looking for the right time to tell you about it."
"Oh... what's your news?"
"You first."
"Um... no. You first." He nodded; there was no way to win an argument with a determined Rory,
"My mom and dad... this morning... told me and Seth... they want to open an ice cream store. In town somewhere."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up for the first time in an hour; she had seemed distracted the entire day.
"Yeah, really."
"Do they have any idea where they're thinking of putting it?" Ryan shook his head,
"No, not yet. They're still deciding. Why?"
"Well, it's just that, that space next to the diner? My dad owns it. And he's been looking to rent it out to someone, just to make a little extra cash. I'm sure he'd rather it be you guys than anyone else."
"Really? You think he'd do that?"
"For you guys? Anything. Plus, with the new baby coming and everything, I'm sure we could use the money." Ryan nodded before her words dawned on him,
"The new baby?" Rory's eyes went wide as she noticed her slip, and she quickly looked down at her chicken.
"Um... yeah." There was no covering now.
"What new baby?" Rory sighed,
"The one that my mom is pregnant with..."
"The one that your mom... your parents... you're gonna be..."
"A big sister," she nodded, adding another small smile for good measure.
"That's awesome! Are you excited?"
"Yeah... yeah, I am... It's just..." her voice trailed off and she shook her head.
"It's just what?" Ryan was genuinely concerned.
"Nothing. It's nothing," she refused to meet her boyfriend's eye.
"Rory, what's the matter?"
"Nothing... it's just the money thing," she quickly covered, "I mean, Jess and I are both on the waiting list at Chilton... you know that- so are you and Seth... but, with the new baby, I wonder if we'll have enough money to pay for us to go... granted we get in." Rory knew it wasn't true. Should she and her cousin get into the exclusive prep school, her parents had enough money to send them, plus, even if they didn't, they'd find another way around it. She knew that for a fact.
"Don't worry about it, Rory. You'll be fine. Even if you didn't have enough money, your mom and dad would find a way to get you in." She nodded appreciatively and leaned in, kissing him lightly on the lips, hoping that the subject would pass.
Ryan, you know me too well.
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Doritos
Chocolate Chop Cookies
Coke
Pizza
Lunchables Hot Dogs
PS- remember that you love me and that I'm carrying your child.
Lorelai put down the pencil and sat quietly in the chair, her hand resting lightly on her stomach.
Luke's gonna be a daddy again. I'm a mommy. And I'm not alone this time. Luke will be there from the beginning. He's going to get to see this kid walk for the first time, talk for the first time. There will be no adoption proceedings. And I'll have someone to help me with midnight feedings.
And Rory...
Rory will be the best big sister. She's gonna be so excited. Bathe it, play with it, feed in... she's gonna be amazing.
Her train of thought was interrupted by a muted sobbing sound coming from Rory's bedroom.
"Rory?" Lorelai said lightly as she knocked gently on Rory's bedroom door, "Sweets, are you ok?"
"Yeah, mom. I'm ok," Rory's quivering voice answered from behind the closed door.
"Do you want to talk?"
"No... yeah," she whispered, standing from her bed and striding towards the door.
Lorelai was shocked as her daughter threw the door open, her eyes puffy and red, looking sheepishly at her mother.
"What's the matter?" Rory broke down and Lorelai held her soundly in her arms, stroking her hair.
Lorelai led her daughter to the bed and sat down, tossing aside the discarded copy of Catcher in the Rye.
"What happened? Is it school?"
"No, school's fine."
"Is someone bothering you? Cuz daddy works out. I could send him over there." Rory let a laugh escape her,
"No, my friends and I are ok."
"Is it Ryan? Did you two have a fight?"
"No, no. Ryan and I are fine. Aside from the occasional dirty glance from dad, we're fine."
"So what is it, then?" Rory sighed,
"It's... the baby."
"The baby?"
"Yeah..." Rory quickly reasoned upon seeing the crestfallen look overcoming her mother's face, "Oh, no, mom. Not the baby. Not like that, at least. I'm happy about the baby. I'm gonna be a big sister! It's just..." she trailed off.
"It's just what, sweets?"
"It's just... you're my mom. And you're my biological mom. But... daddy..." Lorelai wasn't quite sure where Rory was going with this, so she egged her on with a nod, "This is going to sound childish and stupid and ridiculous."
"I need a laugh. Go on."
"Dad... as much as he's my dad, I worry... what if he... I don't know... forgets all about me? Or he starts to look at me differently?"
"Why would he?"
"Because... this is his flesh and blood. He's going to have a stronger bond to this kid than to me."
Lorelai's mouth fell open,
"Honey... every night since you were a baby, what have you done before bed?"
"Well, I shower, then I get changed into my pajamas, read for a little while, and then I say 'Goodnight' to you and dad."
"Right. Now, do you remember when you were a little girl, sometimes, if Dad was working, we'd go for a walk down to the diner so you could give daddy a kiss goodnight?"
"Yeah," she rubbed aimlessly at a spot on her arm.
"You know why we did that, right?"
"You wanted coffee and it was a good excuse?"
"No, c'mon, I'm being serious here."
"I don't know..."
"Because daddy asked me to. He told me that it wasn't enough to come in and give you a kiss when you were already sleeping," Rory nodded; it was logical, after all, "And the time you had the chicken pox and would only eat mashed potatoes for a week?"
"Daddy made them for me every day."
"Right. And the time that you got hurt at school?"
"Daddy ran down there from the diner. He was all red. That was the day that I sprained my wrist, right?"
"Yeah. Now I want you to look down."
"At my boobs?"
"Go with it, Rory." She rolled her eyes and did as she was told, finding her locket that her father had given her when she was two years old. Over the years, the chains had broken, gotten too small, and been replaced. The one thing that had stayed the same, however, was the locket itself.
Occasionally, she would sit and play with it absently. It often reassured her when she was scared, or made her smile through sad tears.
The one time that she had lost it was the most miserable few days of her life.
She had been eight years old. The clasp broke during lunch, where she put it into her coat pocket and reminded herself to have her mother get it fixed when she got home. She had been playing tag with Lane and the Cohen boys when she heard her name called. She turned around to find Luke leaning against the door of the diner, Doose's Market bag in hand.
She waved excitedly at him and he waved back before pulling out a box of Coos-coos. She giggled; Lorelai had had problems trying to cook it the night before, and she was sure that her father had bought it to make fun of her. She motioned that she was "it" before blowing him a kiss, waiting for him to blow one back before she ran off to play with her friends again. She was stopped by Lindsay Lister, who asked,
"Who was that?"
"My daddy."
"Oh. He works at the diner?"
"He owns it. You probably know who he is. Here, I have a picture of him." She reached into her pocket to retrieve the locket, but found only a gaping hole. She excused herself and ran to Seth, Ryan, and Lane, where she broke down, crying inconsolably. They spent the remainder of recess looking for Rory's lost locket, Ryan finally finding it lying by the soccer goals as the last bell rang.
"Is that not proof enough that daddy loves you? You're everything to him, Ror. That's not gonna change." She smiled sadly at her mother before nodding definitively,
"I guess you're right." Lorelai grabbed her arm and began to lead her to the front door,
"Go. I want you to go and see daddy. Tell him how you feel. Tell him what you want."
"What I really, really want?"
"Right. Zig-a-zig-ah." Rory hugged Lorelai and headed out the door.
Lorelai watched Rory leave, lost in her thoughts. She was distracted, however, by a large crash. She turned around quickly, surprised, to find Jess on the floor, a duffel bag trailing behind him.
"Jess, honey, what are you doing?" Jess shook his head before shooing her back,
"Nothing. Nothing, Lorelai. You shouldn't be lifting."
"Jess, it's fine, sweetie."
"No, no." He moved to grab his bad, which had opened, but Lorelai got to it first,
"Clothes? Your toothbrush? A picture of the four of us? Money?" She looked behind him and saw his sleeping bag, "Jess... what's going on?"
"Nothing, Lorelai." He stood up and brushed off his pants, avoiding Lorelai's eye. He knew that she would be able to figure him out. But she was way ahead of him. She had done this too many times not to know what he was doing.
"I'm gonna go get a snack," he said, hurrying away from her, "Did Luke buy the Keebler cookies that I like?"
"Yeah. He did." He grabbed the cookies from the pantry and took a seat. Lorelai pulled a chair up next to him,
"So, you want to tell me why you're running away?" She had decided quickly that beating around the bush would do nothing; bluntness was the best way to go.
Jess glanced up sheepishly, his cheeks blushing,
"The baby," he mumbled, somewhat incoherently.
"You'd better be brilliant and gorgeous for what I'm going through, kid," she whispered to her stomach before turning her attention back on her nephew, "Why, Jess?"
"I don't know... I thought it'd be easier for you and Luke."
"Why would it be easier for us?"
"Well, first, you're going to need a room for the baby."
"Luke and I already decided we're putting an addition on the house. It was necessary anyway. Next." Jess laughed at her quick response, never peeling his eyes from his cookie,
"I cost money... a lot of money... I don't want to cause issues with that." Lorelai shook her head,
"Honey, between Luke and me, we have plenty of money to support the whole family. The whole crazy group of us. Besides, your uncle's looking to rent out the space next to the diner. That'll bring in extra money. That's a non-issue, sweetheart." He grinned a bit, still fearful,
"Plus... you guys are gonna be a family. A full family. I don't want to impose on that." Lorelai's gaze turned sympathetic,
"Oh, honey... you are a part of this family. We'd be incomplete without you. We love you just as much as we love Rory. I don't want the new baby growing up without you in his life to teach him how to play baseball and cards and... get out of getting grounded. You're pretty good at that."
"It's my talent."
"We love you. You need to know that." He nodded,
"I do. I love you guys, too."
"Good. Now, just remember, next time you try a stint like this? Expect the words 'grounded for life' to come up in conversation. A lot. You do not make your pregnant aunt worry. You hear me?"
"Yes, Lorelai."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Daddy?" Rory said tentatively, knocking on the door to the diner's storeroom. Lule craned his neck to see her walk in,
"Rory. Hey. I wasn't expecting you... was I expecting you?" She shooke her head,
"No, no. I just... I need to talk." He nodded and gingerly put down the box of pickles she was holding.
"What's going on?"
"I... I..." She felt the tears welling up in her eyes, but batted them away, "Daddy... I'm worried." He instinctively wrapped his arms tightly around his little girl,
"Why?"
"Dad... what if... G-d, this sound childish."
"Go ahead, princess."
"Ok... well... the new baby... you're going to be its father." He paused, waiting for more. When he got no answer, he told her,
"Are you not able to picture me as a father? We have home videos to prove that I am one. To a girl who looks a lot like you, in fact?" She shook her head,
"No, dad. That's not what I mean. You're going to be related to this kid."
"Just like I'm related to you."
"Dad!"
"Rory, princess, I'm not getting it," Rory widened her eyes, implying her thoughts. Luke studied his only child's deep blue eyes before quickly realizing her insinuation, "Rory, you can't seriously be worried about that," She glanced up at him, tears in the same eyes as her mother's, "Oh, kid, there's no way that I'd ever forget about you."
"I don't know... I am, technically, the stepkid."
"Honey, I'm your dad. Remember the adoption proceedings?"
"Kinda. Tell me the story again," she nestled into Luke's chest. She was acting like a five-year old, but she didn't care. Now, more than ever, she needed his coddling.
"Well, it was right after we moved out of the apartment above the diner. And we went to the courthouse, and you made the judge laugh. You were so freakin' cute when you were little," The smile that had been building on her face during the story evaporated,
"But I'm not little anymore. I'm almost an adult."
"I know... and I can't believe it. I just remember the look on your face when the judge approved the adoption, and how I picked you up, and everybody was crying- Mia and mom and you and me..."
"You?"
"You were officially my kid. I was happy. But the one thing I remember was how excited you were- you told me 'I'm Princess Rory Danes now', like it was your title," Rory only nodded, "It is, you know."
"What?"
"Princess Rory Danes. You're my baby. I love you so much- that's why I'm protective of you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah."
"And don't worry about that, sweetheart. I'll love you just as much as the other baby." Rory nodded, answering with an unconvinced,
"Ok, dad." Luke sighed,
"I have an idea. How about, once a week, maybe every other week if we can't find the time, you and I have Rory-dad days. We go out or stay in- just us. Watch movies. Go out to dinner. Keep it the way that it is, ok? Cuz I really don't want you to think that I don't love you." Rory smiled her first real smile in two days,
"Ok, dad."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Luke?" Sandy knocked on the door to the office.
"In here, Sandy," Luke was measuring the playroom, "What's up?"
"I have a proposition for you, my friend."
"Oh, yeah? Let's hear it." Luke stood up and sat on the couch.
"Ok, well, I've learned from reliable sources that you own the property next door."
"What reliable sources?"
"Ryan. Heard it from Rory."
"Pretty reliable second-hand."
"Definitely. Now... I need you to keep this under wraps for the time being, but... Kirsten and I want to open an ice cream store."
"Really? That's so cool. Congratulations!"
"And we want to use your space next door. That is, if you want to rent it to us," Sandy finished. He watched on in bemusement as Luke went from confused to flustered, and finally to determined. He met his best friend's gaze,
"Of course I'll rent it to you. That's a great idea!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I've been looking to rent that place out anyway- it's just sitting there, and we need the extra cash... I'm sure you've heard the news by now?"
"What? Yeah, we were gonna pretend to be surprised, let Lorelai tell us. How'd you know we knew?"
"My daughter is her mother's daughter. Cannot keep a secret. I'm sure she told Ryan."
"She did. And he told us. Congratulations, man."
"Thanks. So... I gotta get back to this... seeing if we can turn this into a nursery by the due date. So, I'll have someone send you the paperwork?"
"Sure... hey, Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"We're in-laws and business partners. Is that really such a great idea?"
"In-laws?"
"Ryan and Rory..." Luke shot Sandy a threatening glare, "Are good friends who sit across from each other at the dinner table quietly. Nothing more."