Summary: Lorelai and those close to her deal with the unexpected. Future Fic.
Note: This is my first Gilmore Girl fic that I've published. Still working on getting over writers block on the others.
Disclaimer: Wish I owed them. They're some of the coolest characters ever.
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"Mom! Mom, hurry up, Grandma's going to be mad if we're late two weeks in a row!" Rory, my eldest child, yells walking into my house. She puts her hands on her hips upon finding Katie, my younger daughter, and me relaxing on the couch in front of the TV. "Mom!" she exclaims again. I just smile. Rory's always been the timely one in the family.
"Sweets, don't worry. If we're lucky, she'll get so mad that she'll uninvite us for next week," I joke, almost wistfully. Rory shakes her head, knowing it's my life's dream to miss a Friday Night Dinner. Yes, capital letters are needed because I dread it so much. Mom always belittling me for everything and Dad always dreaming about what I could have been.
"Mom, I promised Marty we'd meet him there since he had to work late today and I don't want him being stuck alone there. Remember last time that happened?" Rory asks. Oh, I remember and smile to myself. "Come on Katie May." Rory and Katie go into Katie's room, Rory's old room, to find Katie something nice to wear.
Let me take this moment alone to explain. I am Lorelai Victoria Gilmore Danes, daughter of Richard and Emily Gilmore of Hartford, Connecticut. I was brought up in a world of money and coming out parties, of riches and snooty people. Personally, that life wasn't for me. When I got pregnant at 16, I was immediately shunned by my parents until I couldn't take it anymore so much that when I turned 17, I grabbed my baby and drove off.
The baby I'm talking about is, of course, my daughter, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore Buchman, or Rory as she's well known round these parts (okay all parts). Anyways, back to what I was saying. I drove all the way here, to Stars Hallow, which is actually only a half an hour away from Hartford but seemingly a world away. Stars Hallow, or as I like to call it The Hallow, is a small town. We do all those small town things like festivals and town meetings. We're really a close knit community and I couldn't do without a single townie.
When I got here, I got a job at the nearby inn, the Independence Inn, as a maid and was eventually promoted to manager of the inn. It was there I met my best friend Sookie St. James Melville. About 7 years ago, Sookie and I opened our own in, the Dragonfly. It's the best thing I've ever done… okay maybe 5th best.
When Rory was 10, we moved from the inn into the house I live in now and I was the idiot who forgot to buy a coffee maker. To most people that's not an emergency, but I am what you would call a coffee addict. It's basically my life. So I ran to a diner I had noticed in town, called Luke's Diner, and begged for coffee, which was given grudgingly. Soon that became a daily habit and eventually Rory and I would eat there at least once a day, because we're food addicts, and we were always harassing the owner, Luke Danes. And, to make a long story short, about 10 years later Luke and I fell in love and got married. (Let me tell you how much I'm shortening that!) Five years ago, Luke and I became proud parents of the most adorable twins in the world William Gilbert Danes and Kathryn May Danes. Since I offered to name our son after Luke's father, I was able to convince him to name our daughter after my favorite movie character ever. I'm also a movie addict.
Rory and I were always best friends, well at least most of the time. She had a pretty happy childhood going to Chilton Academy and then Yale University, because she's a genius. Rory dated a few boys, some from here and one from Yale, before she realized what had been there all along. (Similar to how I realized the truth about Luke.) Marty Buchman was a friend from Yale and he had always loved her. After they graduated, they began to date while Rory got a job with the Hartford Courant and Marty went back to school to get his PhD. That was all four years ago and two years ago the two got married in a beautiful ceremony planned by, who else? A few weeks ago, at Friday Night Dinner, Rory and Marty announced they were going to have a baby. I'm going to be a Grandma. Oh Lord. Scary.
"Mom!" Rory exclaims again, drawing me back into the present. I look at her and wink as I head upstairs to change. "Mom, are Will and Luke meeting us there?" she yells up the stairs.
"Yeah, they went to New York for some guy time today," I yell back.
"We had some Momma Daughta time," I hear Katie say. I hear Rory giggle. I love both my girls but sometimes it's so odd to realize that Katie and Rory might be alike. Will always seems like a little Rory to me. He's only five but he's been reading since he was three. He speaks in complete sentences and sometimes reminds me of a little adult. But Katie, she's my girl. She's so much like me, which sometimes drives Luke crazy.
The doorbell rings and I yell down to Rory to get the door. Meanwhile, I open my closet and decide to go with the left side. A few years ago, Luke took all the clothes that my parents and what he says, any decent 40-year-old, wouldn't approve of and moved it to the right side of the closet. I really try not to wear those clothes, especially at my parents, except when I'm feeling especially naughty. I sigh, thinking that maybe today is one of those days.
"Mom! Mom, come down here!" Rory yells, interrupting my train of thought. I pause for a moment because I know if I don't make up my mind now I'm going to wear my ratty jeans and Satan-worshiping t-shirt to my parents place. And, of course, I know from experience that probably isn't the best idea. Gotta go for it. I grab one of my favorite dresses from the right side of the closet, throw it on the bed and run down the stairs, just as Rory is about to yell for me again.
"Mommy, are they from Cop Rock?" Katie asks, pointing towards the doorway. As I glance that direction, I notice two policemen, one of which is holding my son's hand and I pause for a moment.
"Will? Sorry, officer, did something happen?" I ask, walking down the stairs. Suddenly I feel very unsure of myself. Will is looking down at his shoes as I try to catch his look.
"Ma'am, is there somewhere we can talk?" the older policeman asks. For a moment, I'm unable to speak. My son is only 5 years old, what could have happened? And where is my husband?
"Luke? Where's Luke?" I ask. The policemen share a look.
"We can go in here," Rory says. She takes my arm and leads me over to the couch. "Should Will and Katie be here?" The policemen share a look and the one holding Will's hand shakes his head. "Hey Katie, can you go with Will and this policeman. He wants to show you his car." The policeman nods to Rory.
"Wow!" Katie exclaims running over to the policeman who leaves with the twins.
During this time, I've been feeling the impeding news. I know something awful has happened and I can't shake this feeling. Pulling the blanket around me, I try to stop myself from trembling but it doesn't work. Rory sits down next to me, putting one arm around me and clasping one of my hands with her other hand. But I can't shake it. I just keep licking my lips and wringing my other hand trying to breathe and keep calm, neither of which is coming to me easily.
"Ma'am," the police office says, pulling up a chair so he's sitting in front of me.
"Luke," I whisper, the only sound I can manage.
"Luke Danes is your husband?" I nod. "Did he and your son go up to Manhattan today?" I nod again.
"Yeah, he – I wanted to spend the day with Katie. Will and – and Luke – they went to – I don't know what they did," I manage, feeling Rory's strong hand on my shoulder. The only thing keeping me together right now is Rory.
"They went to New York City?" he asks. I nod again. I can still picture Luke waving as he pushed Will out the door.
"Please, tell me," I plead, although at the same time, I know I don't want to hear what he has to say.
"Your husband and son went to a pizza shop on 14th street at about 1:30 this afternoon, a pizza shop that was in the process of being robbed."
"No…" I whisper, without realizing it.
"In the process, your husband noticed the man with the gun. He pushed your son out of the way before getting shot himself."
"Is he?" Rory asks. The policeman nods, solemnly.
"He died before we got to the scene. I'm sorry Mrs. Danes." I try to breathe or cry but my breath catches in my throat. I close my eyes tight to keep myself from picturing the scene. All I can think is, it can't be true. He can't be dead. He was here. He kissed me goodbye. He said he'd see me tonight. It can't be true.
Rory lays her head against my shoulder and I can feel the tears on her face, but I can't cry. I can't move. I'm paralyzed, possibly hoping that maybe the whole day can just reverse itself. Maybe if I sit perfectly still I can go back to this morning when Luke held me in his arms and kissed my hair and told me he loved me. Maybe this won't be true.
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A/N: There's more written. Just want to see what you think of this start. Please R&R!