A Different Path
Chapter 7: You'll Break Your Mother's Back
Disclaimer: It's still not mine :)
Summary: Maybe at that moment he was not all in but he was definitely not out.' What if things had gone a different way? A story about how it all could have been different... LL
A/N: Two updates in two days? Man, that's awesome. I'm proud. You know I deserve lots of reviews for my effortsss...
drggfan: Yeah, nobody does...It's Emily, c'mon. And thank you! I'm glad you didn't think it sucked.
gilmoregirlsfanatic: Thanks, I'm glad you thought so.
Javamaniac: Ummm... the one after the one after the one after this... Lol, I have no idea. I just confused myself... I can't tell you! It'd ruin the surprise! BUt, soon, I promise.
dayzy27: It'll happen, I promise... I'm glad you liked it! And yes, I think stories that they are apart and then get together within the first paragraph of the story aren't as good as ones that are dragged out a bit more, you know?
JoEySaNgEl1534: Thank you! I'm glad you thought so. I was pretty sure that it sucked, but everybody says it didn't soo I'm glad.
GGFAN6: Lol, I'm flattered. Yeah, I like the stories where she apologizes, too... That's why I'm writing it in here. Yeah, that was definitely a filler chapter... this one is also, but not really... lol. It is a little bit, but it also isn't? I don't know, you'll just have to read it to know what I mean.
RogueHoney: Thank you so much!
epona9009: Yeah, I know... it's ice. I agree, I just thought I'd throw it in there, you know?
J.Stone: Lol, I love it too... It won't be too much longer, I promise.
Marcel-Marceau-chicken: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
Luke'sGirl: Yes they are... haha Rory definitely has good lungs, lol.
Menghis: Yupppp... You gotta love 'em though.
bluedaisy05: Yup, seven long, painful, weeks... Lol. Yeahhhh Go Pats!
tom: Haha you read my mind... Well sort of... You'll see... I know the chapter is an important one, I just felt I could have written it so much better, and I like had this weird block... I just couldn't think of how to make it better so I just posted it, you know? Yup, the wait's almost over, I promise!
orangesherbert7: Thank you! I always love your reviews because you always tell me exactly what you liked or disliked about the chapter and it's always very helpful soo thanksss lol for being such a good reviewer! Haha. UMm yeah... anyway...
lukelorelai-en: Oh, something will definitely come out of it.
bloodymary2: Mhmmmmmm. I knew you could do it!
Rory had walked away from her hours ago. She had sat on that bench for 45 minutes, just thinking. She wasn't really thinking about anything, though. She didn't want to think about anything, because she knew if she did… she would only realize just how much of this was really her fault.
She was stupid. She was wrong. She was wrong about everything. She was wrong about Christopher and she was wrong about Luke. She was wrong about Lorelai and she was wrong about Rory.
She was really just trying to make them happy. She was trying to give them the last piece to their beautiful, little family… but really, she only ended up taking it away.
She drove Luke away. She took away her daughter and her granddaughter's happiness. She had ruined everything for them.
And now she found herself standing outside, on the sidewalk. It was cold, dark, and extremely quiet outside. She hadn't seen anyone for hours, it was probably after midnight.
But, she couldn't get herself to move. She had been standing there, on the sidewalk, for an hour at the least.
She looked up at the building in front of her. She had stood outside that building many times before, but tonight it felt so much more daunting and different. Luke's Diner- William's Hardware…
She studied the window for a long time. She could barely make out the tables and chairs in the darkness, but they were there. They were still there, in the same places that they always had been. The place hadn't changed at all.
Maybe that's why Lorelai and Rory like it so much. It's always there and it's always exactly the same. They can always depend on it- just like they can with Luke.
She knew she had made some mistakes, some big mistakes. She knew she ruined their family that had just began falling into place. She knew she had ruined Lorelai's happiness. She knew she had screwed up everything that could have been, the happiness they would have had and so many other things.
And finally, she could feel herself moving. She took a few steps and found herself at the car, and then inside of it, putting the keys in the ignition. She started her car and soon enough, she found herself speeding down the highway.
She knew what she had to do.
"Bye Mom." Rory called one last time before getting inside the car and driving off.
"Bye, babe." Lorelai said with a wave.
The night before had been a crazy night of intense movie watching and junk food eating, but now it was time for Rory to go back to Yale.
Lorelai watched as she backed out of the driveway and drove down the street. She was about to go back in the house, but she stopped when she heard somebody calling her name.
"Lorelai! Lorelai, darling! I need to talk to you!" She heard Babette calling as she ran down her porch steps and came towards her.
Lorelai sighed, this wouldn't be good.
"Hi Babette." She said putting on a pretty smile for her, hoping this wasn't what she thought it was.
"Hi Lorelai." Babette said after catching her breath a little.
"What can I do for you?" She asked politely.
"Honey, is it true?" Babette asked eagerly.
"Is what true?" Lorelai asked her, even though she was pretty certain she knew what she was talking about it. Playing dumb was usually the way to go with Babette...
"Are you and Luke back together? Pattie just called me and told me all about you going into the diner yesterday… and I thought I saw Luke come by last night, but I had just taken some Nightquil, so it could have just been a hallucination." Babette said getting off track. "I should really stop taking that… Morey says I always start talking dirty in my sleep after I take it…" She kept going.
"Babette?" Lorelai said, interrupting her.
"Yes, honey?" She asked.
"Luke and I are not back together." She stated plainly.
"What? Oh no…" Babette said.
Lorelai nodded.
"But… you went in the diner…"
"A girls gotta eat." Lorelai shrugged. She didn't want to be getting into this right now. All these questions only reminded her of what the true answers were.
"So… You're still going to the diner?" Babette asked.
"Yes… Luke and I are… We're friends." Lorelai said.
"Friends?" Babette questioned.
"Yes. We're friends." Lorelai told her.
"Friends… You mean like friends with benefits?" Babette asked.
"No, no… Not friends with benefits… just friends. You know, like we were before." Lorelai said.
"You're just friends?" She asked again.
"Yes." Lorelai said with a nod.
"Why?" She asked.
"What do you mean why?" Lorelai asked her.
"Why are you just friends, darling?" Babette asked her.
"Well… uh… we were friends before, Babette…" Lorelai stammered.
"You just broke up, honey… Nobody goes back to being friends this fast. There must be some reason why." Babette said curiously.
"Luke is a great friend…" Lorelai said because she wasn't sure what else she could say.
"Mhm…" Babette said, trying to search her eyes for the truth. "Are you sure that's the only reason, honey?" She asked.
"I'm sure." Lorelai said.
"Alright, honey. I better get back home, Morey wants me to help him polish the gnomes." Babette said.
"Bye Babette." Lorelai said.
"Bye, Lorelai." Babette said, still not looking too convinced of her story.
With that, Lorelai turned around and walked back towards the house. Maybe she could get a few more hours of sleep before she had to work.
Luke rolled over, his back now facing the window. The sun was too bright this morning. Why was it so bright?
He thought about getting up and closing the shades, but he was too lazy. He didn't usually sleep in like this, but he just didn't want to get up today. He had been up for hours, he just didn't want to get out of bed.
He looked around and realized where he had ended up. He was on Lorelai's side of the bed.
The pillows still smelled slightly like her. The scent of her perfume and shampoo was still somewhere embedded in the fabric. He rested his head on her pillow and breathed in what was left of the wonderful scent.
She always stole his pillows and it used to annoy him sometimes. Now that she wasn't there to take them, his side of the bed looked so weird with all the pillows still in the correct place. He had as many pillows as he wanted now, because she wasn't there and couldn't take them anymore. But now, he didn't want them.
He missed her. He missed her so much.
He missed waking up to her in the morning. He missed waking up a few minutes before the alarm and watching her sleep. He missed taking a shower with her or making her breakfast before work. He missed kissing her goodbye before he left. He missed holding her at night until they fell asleep. He missed having someone to talk to late a night, even if she was really the only one doing the talking. He missed having her sleep beside him in his blue, flannel shirt, talking away about nothing at all. He just missed her.
Lately, he had been sleeping with the TV on, just because it reminded him of her a little.
Maybe it was weird, but it always helped him fall asleep, which had been pretty hard to do lately.
Lorelai and him had gone to sleep together every day for the past month, and then they just stopped cold turkey. It took some getting used to… They had gone from sleeping together every single night, to breaking up. The worst part was that it was all his fault.
He told her he was out. He was never really out, though. Why didn't she know that? Why didn't she see that? Then, he let her call him her ex boyfriend, and he let her go on and on about how she would respect that he was out. He wanted so badly just to tell her that he wasn't out, he was never out. But he didn't… Why didn't he? Why didn't she know? Maybe at that moment, he was not all in… but he definitely was not out.
He could hear everyone in the diner downstairs. They were being pretty loud today, probably because it was getting close to the breakfast rush. He knew he had to get up soon, but he didn't want to.
He rolled on to his back and studied the ceiling for a while.
It was almost 9 o'clock. He wondered if Lorelai would come by today. He wondered what the town would say about that. He wondered if they'd finally put those stupid ribbons away.
He wondered how everything was going to be in 9 months. He wondered how it would all work out. He wondered if he would be the father of a boy or girl. He wondered if Lorelai would let him help pick out a name. He wondered if the baby would look like him or Lorelai. He wondered if Lorelai would really let him in her and the baby's life. He wondered if he would miss his son or daughter's first word or their first step. He wondered if he'd be there for them. He wondered if he'd be a good father.
He sighed.
He just had to wait and see.
He glanced at the alarm clock, pushed the sheets off him, and got out of bed. He walked over to the coffee pot that he bought just for Lorelai a few weeks ago. He turned it on. He wasn't going to drink it, he just needed the familiar smell. He had gotten used to the apartment smelling like coffee… and it reminded him of her. It was silly, but it made it seem, just for a second, that things were back to how they used to be.
He sat at the kitchen table and waited for the smell to fill the air. Once it did, he closed his eyes and it almost felt like old times. He missed those times…
And as if he was in a cartoon, his eyes shot open and an imaginary light bulb suddenly appeared, hanging over his head.
There were a lot of questions. There were a lot of things to think about, a lot of things to consider. There were things he'd have to sort out and there were choices he'd have to make.
But he knew what he wanted
And he knew what he had to do.
However long it was going to take, whatever he had to go through… He knew what he wanted and he knew what he had to do.
"Lorelai!" Taylor called from a few feet away. Him and Kirk were walking beside each other, each wearing matching t-shirts, and holding a clipboard.
She stopped and turned around, waiting for him to come closer to her.
"Lorelai, I have a matter to discuss with you…" Taylor said.
"Oh boy." Lorelai said with an eye roll.
"Can I ask you something?" Taylor asked.
"Oh, why not?" Lorelai said sarcastically, knowing exactly what he was going to ask.
"OK… Well, it's come to my attention that you were at Luke's Diner yesterday morning at precisely 11:04." Taylor announced.
"Really now?" She asked sarcastically.
"Lorelai." Kirk said sternly. "This is serious… If you and Luke are back together we need to know so we can start collecting the ribbons." He told her.
"Yes, it's a very serious matter, Lorelai." Taylor said.
"Sorry, guys." She said sarcastically with an eye roll as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was definitely not in the mood for this.
"So, can we collect the ribbons?" Taylor asked.
"Yes, Taylor, you can." She told him frustrated.
"So, you and Luke are back together?" Kirk asked in a surprised tone.
"No, we're not back together." Lorelai said, getting even more frustrated.
"Oh, so then we'll still need the ribbons!" Taylor said with a smile. "Boys, boys, the ribbons can stay!" He said waving at two men a few feet away.
"No, no they can't! Take them away!" Lorelai called to the men that Taylor had just talked to before.
"But you just said that you and Luke are still broken up." Taylor said, becoming very confused.
"We are… friends, Taylor. We're friends… So, you don't need the ribbons, alright?" She asked him.
"You're friends?" Taylor asked.
"Yes!" She said throwing her hands in the air. "Luke and I are friends! Why is that so hard to believe?" She asked.
"I just thought you'd get back together before you ever became friends again…" Taylor said with an eye roll.
"I thought that, too." Kirk pitched in.
"Ugh, whatever." Lorelai said, wanting to just leave.
"OK, so I guess the ribbons can go." Taylor said checking some things off on the clipboard he was holding.
"Really? No more ribbons?" She asked with wide eyes.
"No more ribbons." Taylor said.
"Ah, thank God!" Lorelai said.
"Well, I guess business here is done… C'mon Kirk." Taylor said as he began to turn around and walk away.
"Oh Lorelai?" Kirk said before catching up to Taylor.
"Yes Kirk?" She asked with a sigh.
"You're stepping on a crack." He told her, pointing at her feet where she was indeed stepping on a crack. "I'm a firm believer of the don't step on a crack or you'll break your mothers back, belief." He told her.
"Sorry, Kirk. It won't happen again." She said sweetly.
"Good." He said sternly, before turning around and realizing Taylor was very far ahead of him. He began sprinting down the street after him.
Lorelai sighed. The ribbons would be gone soon. She hated those damn ribbons. They were just a constant reminder that she was no longer with Luke- and it's not like she didn't have enough reminders without the town wearing one proudly on their clothes. Stupid town…
She hated quiet. She hated sitting in the house when it was quiet. It was the kind of quiet that she hated o-so much. It was the kind that blasting Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train or one of her AC/DC CD's couldn't even fix. It was as if, even if there was noise… it was still quiet. How is that even possible?
She sunk into her couch and squirmed around a little, trying to get more comfortable, but it seemed impossible. The couch was not being cooperative today and she couldn't get comfortable on it.
She sighed. She gave up. Stupid couch…
She crossed her arms as if she was waiting for something, but really she wasn't waiting for anything. Life was so boring now. When did it get so boring? Well, of course she knew when it got boring… duh.
She picked up the remote that was sitting beside her and she began to aimlessly flip through the channels, knowing that she wouldn't find anything good. What happened to the good ole days when there was always something good on TV? She sighed and settled on the news. Oh boy.
There were some more bombs dropped in a place she couldn't pronounce, there was a missing girl in some small town in Alabama, the Red Sox signed some new baseball guy that she knew absolutely nothing about, there was a car crash on I-70, a boy almost drowned in an in-door pool this morning, some more people died from being on those insane diet pills, a girl was raped by her school janitor, the Patriots lost last night and it was going to rain tomorrow…
How exciting. Let's break out the party hats and the disco ball!
Wow, being single sucks… Actually, being Luke-less sucks…
She turned off the TV and got up. She started walking randomly around her house, cleaning it. What else was there to do?
Thank God the doorbell rang, or she would have started scrubbing the bathroom floor with a toothbrush… Yes, she was that bored.
She opened the door and it was Luke. She was secretly jumping up and down inside, not just because it was Luke and she was always happy to see him… also because he was definitely more interesting than a toothbrush or diet pill terror stories.
"Hey." She said with a pretty smile.
"Hey." He said as she let him in. "I brought food." He told her. "You didn't come by the diner today, so I just thought you might, uh want something to eat…" He told her.
"Yeah, I would have gone to the diner, but I uh, I just didn't feel like going all the way to the diner… You know how I feel about exercise." She said dramatically.
"Well, the diner came to you." He smiled, handing her the take out bag and then a cup of hot coffee.
"Lucky me." She said taking the bag and then the coffee from him. "Decaf?" She asked referring to the coffee.
"Uh… yeah." He told her hesitantly.
"OK." She said taking a small sip.
"No arguments?" He asked, very surprised.
"No arguments." She said with a smile.
"Wow." He said in amazement.
"Yup." She nodded, leading him into the kitchen. The truth was, she thought it was sweet. She liked that he cared about her to give her decaf; even if was only because she was caring his baby and not because he actually cared if she was healthy or not.
"So… uh, how was your day?" He asked.
"Well, it was OK… I got a nice little lecture from Kirk about not stepping on cracks because as it turns out… they will actually break your mothers back." Lorelai said dramatically.
"You don't say…" Luke said sarcastically.
Lorelai nodded, still smiling, and playing with her coffee stirrer.
"So, I spent all day making this…" Luke said as he started to pull something out of his back pocket.
"Ooh, what is it? What is it?" Lorelai asked excitedly, as if she was a 5 year old getting a birthday present or something.
Luke took a piece of paper out of his pocket and began unfolding it. He laid it on the table and flattened it out, so it would stay down.
"It's just a drawing… like a blueprint or something and it's not final, I'll probably change it around a little." He told her.
She studied it for a while, looking at everything he drew and all the little notes he wrote on the sides.
"Luke…" She said as if she couldn't believe what he did.
"I just wanted to ask you about it, since you know, I couldn't put it at my place because I'm sure Taylor has some law about that… So, I was going to make it for here, but I just wanted to ask you if it's OK." Luke told her.
"Luke… You want to build a jungle gym?" She asked with happy tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"Well, yeah." He said, excited that she looked happy. He's always believed that action speak louder than words, and this action was definitely screaming something, right?
She put her hand on her heart and smiled at him. "Thank you." She told him.
"It's no big deal." He told her.
"Of course it is…" She told him sweetly. "A jungle gym, that's so cool… Wait until I tell Rory, she always wanted a jungle gym." Lorelai smiled.
"So, you're good with this?" He asked.
"I'm definitely good with this." She smiled.
"Good." He nodded.
"Mhm… good." She repeated.
"So… you wanna watch a movie or something?" He asked, hoping she'd let him stay. He really didn't want to leave, not yet.
"Sure. What are you in the mood for?" She asked, happy that he could stay for a while.
"Oh, I don't know." He told her happily as they walked into the living room.
"I think Sixteen Candles is still in the VCR." She told him.
"Yeah, sure." He agreed, knowing that they both knew he had never seen that movie before.
"Alright." She said with a mischievous smile.
They sat down and she turned on the movie.
"Do I need to go over the rules?" She asked him, jokingly.
"Nah, I think I remember them." He told her sarcastically.
"Alright." She said, sinking into the couch again. Surprisingly though, this time the couch seemed just so much more comfortable…
Alrighty, how'd you like it? Please leave reviews because I love them… Uh, so yes… You know how it goes- suggestions/ideas/good/bad plus anything else that you might want to leave in a pretty little review.
Only 6 more weeks to go… Oh man, I think I'm having withdrawal pains… And thereisn't even any episodetonight, Jeez… Not even a repeat or anything. But Wedding Bell Blues is onWednesday 9, if anybody cares… That's pretty random, I think. I mean… why that episode? I know it's the 100th and everything… I don't know. Whatever.
Mmm… I can't wait until the new episodes air. I'm just wondering when, if ever, will Luke tell Lorelai? I'm also wicked curious to know how they make her react to all of it. I mean, duh, she'll probably be mad he waited so long to tell her… but besides all of that….
I don't know.
Please review. Because I gave you two updates in two days... C'mon, you know that's good and you wanna review. Please?