A Different Path
Chapter 10: Fork in the Road
Disclaimer: It's still not mine :)
Summary: 'You've come to a fork in the road and you don't have a map' … A story about Luke and Lorelai. She always takes that same lonely path, but maybe this time she'll take a different one? Or maybe not…
A/N:
dayzy27: Thank you! What happens next? Go on and read, tell me whatcha think!
Java Lava: I'm very glad!
rubberducky3399: Haha. I'm honored. Yep, I was pretty proud of that chapter, too... and my alphabet soup idea. I'm glad you liked it. And yes, Kirk... gotta love him.
GilmoreGirlsFreakazoid: Yes well, he needs his Lorelai... Two days, I think that's pretty soon.
javarox: I am o-so glad. I was pretty proud of it myself, lol.
J.Stone: Well, todayI am genie andyour wish is my command.
LucyGoose: Well, you fished your wish. Wow, I am a loser. Lol.
RogueHoney: Thank you.
GGFAN6: WEll, you know... I could go the dramatic way. I could do the whole Lorelai going to the hospital thing and Luke confessing his love for her. I was actually sort of thinking about having Christopher visit Lorelai and try to apologize, and then she'd like have stomach pains or whatever and he would drive her to the hospital. Then, Chris would call Rory, who would then call Luke... and Luke would go the hospital and see Chris and get extremely mad, and he stops coming to Lorelai's after that, which makes her wicked sad. So she goes to the diner confesses her loveto him... I thought about it for awhile, but I decided it would take too long and since them getting together isnot theend of my story, it wouldn't work.See my story doesn't end once they get together, so I decided that the whole Christopher thing would take another like 5 or 6 chapters, and then the rest of my story after that would be another 5 or 6 chapters, and it would be too long... This is probably really confusing, so sorry if you don't get it, lol. So anyway, I decided to just keep it simple. Maybe it's the wrong way to go, but I think it's better for my story.
Lukelorelaichick: He was scooping out the letters so that 'Luke and Lorelai Forever' would be the only letters in the soup... Sorry if that was unclear.
gilmoregirlsfanatic: Thank you! Yeah, I was pretty proud of my soup idea lol.
Marcel-Marceau-chicken: Yep, well here you go... I hope it's what you thought it would be.
Luke'sGirl: Thank you, thank you!
bluedaisy05: Thank you, I was pretty proud of it myself.
screaming truth: Lol, that's the reaction I was going for, so I'm happy. Thanks.
lilrabbitangel14: Well, here it is... Here's what happens... go on, read and tell me what you think.
undisclosed: Hope this is soon enough for ya.,.. Two days, I think that's pretty good.
Menghis: Well, good to know. Yesss, special friends, oh boy. Thanks for the review... I love when people tell me exactly what they like or dislike, so this was very helpful.
tom: I don't know... your mind does amazing things when it's 3 in the morning and you can't sleep... Lol. They just come to me! Lol, yeah I was pretty proud of my alphabet soup idea. Well, yes... SHe's scared, you know? Yes, see if you look at what I told GGFAN6... I was thinking about doing that, but maybe it's too dramtic and plus it would take too long for my story... But, that would have been the dramatic change. And wow, you have read my mind once again... In last chapter, I say she goes towards the door to go to work... but she opens the door and something stops her... haha, hint, hint. read and tell me whatcha think!
rat bastard: That is actually what she asks him... and actually, she's more like 6 weeks... I just kind of made a mistake in the last chapter, forgive me?
lukelorelai-en: Haha, oh you know it will...
Javamaniac: yup, you know some people say they are written in the stars- i say they are written in the soup... yeah, I don't know, I'm tired lol. Glad you liked it!
flute1952: Thank you
orangesherbert7: Yup, she plans on going to work... but she opens the door and something stops her... haha read and tell me whatcha think!
scubaluver: Yep...it's much sooner than you think
ProFfeSseR: Thank youuu!
suusje32: Yupppp... on the show, when Rory is in the limo and Luke is honking at her and they see each other... I just kind of wished she got out of the limo and told him how miserable LOrelai was and how much he meant to her... or just something like that, you know? So, I guess this was my way of doing that
racheleigh: Thank you, thank you!
Adam's Song-182: Haha, yeah I could definitely see Kirk proposing with soup. I mean, it is KIrk.
bloodymary2: The alphabet soup this was all me, not from the show... See, if I had it my way, I would make it all dramatic and stuff, like if you look at what I told GGFAN6, that's how I would have had it, but I think everybody would go crazy, so this is the way it'll go... but don't worry, there is still more drama in the future.
Apostrophe: Good job, I'm proud. And thank you so much, I'm so glad.
gilmoremaniac: Thanks, I'm really glad you like it
SAGRA05: I forgive you, lol. Thanks for the review! Glad you likeee it
lemonade113: Thankss!
MissKalli: Haha, I'll try.
LukeandLorelai4ever: Thank youu
And now, the chapter you have all been waiting for...
You know those moments when you're living your life and you feel yourself coming to a turning point? You've come to a fork in the road, and you don't have a map. There are two options, two different ways you could go, two different roads. Each option having it's own advantages and disadvantages. Each road having it's own obstacles. Whichever way you go could change your life forever, and if you pick the wrong one, you may never be able to turn around and find your way back.
You know those moments, where you feel like you're on some stupid TV show, when a character is making a hard decision and has the angel and the devil on their shoulders? You know those moments where you can actually imagine a little angel and a little devil sitting on your shoulder?
It was definitely one of those moments. It was most definitely a turning point, fork in the road, angel/devil moment.
She could imagine the fork in the road, or the angel and devil sitting on her shoulder when she opened the front door and saw Luke. He wasn't supposed to be there, it was almost 5:15. He was supposed to be at the diner. He was out there, though. He was in her back yard, still working away on that jungle gym. She knew had two options. She could go back inside the house and stay there until he left, or she could go talk to him.
She stood there, completely still for a few moments. Then, he looked up at her and she freaked out. Her eyes widened, her jaw dropped and she panicked. He looked confused and she slammed the door shut.
She stood there, staring at the door again- the door she had just slammed shut.
She turned around and leaned against the door, sliding down against it, until she was sitting on the floor. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, trying not to cry.
"Lorelai." She heard Michel's whiny voice over her answering machine. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago and those of us who actually go to work when they are supposed to, need you to come down here right now and take care of that brainless bird watchers club. They have decided to completely take over the lobby, and they smell like birds and have contaminated the air in here. If you don't come down here soon, I can't make any promises that I won't start whacking them over the head with their stupid binoculars-"
She sighed as the answering machine cut him off. She was still in the same place that she had been in an hour ago. She had been listening to Luke work outside, while hundreds of thoughts raced around her head. She could hear him hammering and sawing things, and she listened as he swore after hitting his thumb. She cried, not moving from that spot. The house was dark because none of the lights were on. The only light was coming from the small, blinking, green, button on the answer machine, telling her she had a message.
She wasn't sure why, but she finally stood up. She leaned against the door, as she felt a little lightheaded. After a minute or two, she moved away and looked out the window. He was still out there. It was so dark outside, even with his car lights on. She watched him rub his hands together and breath warm air onto them. She could see him yawning and squinting, trying to see better in the dark. He was painting the wood for the monkey bars. He was painting them with the same paint he used for the name on his boat.
She moved away from the window and walked into the kitchen. Right away, she spotted the bowl of soup and napkin, still sitting on the kitchen table.
Luke and Lorelai Forever.
That fork in the road was forming in her head again. She could almost hear the angel and the devil bantering on her shoulders, just like they always do on TV.
She could take that o-so familiar, all-me, alone, hard path. Or, she could take a different one. She could take the Luke one.
She knew her options. She knew all the pros and cons for each. She knew what she had to do. She knew what she was wanted to do.
Moments later, she was digging through her cabinets as the noise of water boiling filled the room. She finally found what she was looking for, the box of tea bags she had from when Luke would stay over. She took out one of the tea bags and placed it in the empty cup that was sitting by the stove. When steam started bursting out of the kettle, she took it off the burner and poured the water into the cup. She waited a few minutes for the tea to be done, drumming her fingers on the kitchen counter to pass the time. After the tea was ready and she had put some sugar in it, she picked up the cup and walked towards the front door.
She looked out the window, again. He was still there. He was still painting. She smiled and flicked the light switch by the door. She saw him jump when the porch light turned on and light up the front yard. She opened the front door and he looked up at her.
"You've been here all day." She said awkwardly.
"It's Chicken Racing Night, the diner will be empty." He explained to her simply.
She nodded and went closer to him.
"It's kind of cold, don't you think?" She asked.
"It's not too bad." He told her.
"Thanks for the soup." She told him.
"No problem, find any dirty words?" He asked her.
"No, not dirty ones." She told him, sitting on a pile of wood, beside him. "Here, it'll warm you up." She said handing him the cup of tea.
"Thanks." He said giving her a smile before taking a sip.
"So… it's coming along." She asked him, nervously as she looked around at what he was building.
"Yeah." He nodded.
"You know, babies can't really use jungle gyms… Your deadline isn't for a while… You have plenty of time." She told him.
"Well, Rory can use it, she likes jungle gyms." He said with a shrug. "I'll put a baby swing on it, babies like baby swings." He said.
"Yeah." She said.
"Or, you know, you could use it." He told her.
"Oohh, no, no, no…. By the time you finish it, I'll be way too fat and won't be able to pump or anything, and Rory isn't strong enough to push me." She told him, babbled on nervously.
"I can push you." He told her sweetly.
She looked up at him, and smiled, with a shiver as she threw her arms around herself.
"Here." He said handing her his jacket.
"You'll be cold." She told him.
"That's OK." He told her.
"Why don't we just go in the house?" She asked him.
He smiled at her. "OK." He said.
"Kay." She said standing up and leading him inside the house. She wasn't sure what she was going to do or say, she just knew that she wasn't going to let herself mess up again.
They went into the house and he took his coat off and hung it on the coat rack.
"Kitchen?" She asked.
"Sure." He told her, wishing he knew what was going on in her head. He was nervous, but thrilled at the same time.
"I finally found where Rory stashed the beer." Lorelai said proudly.
Luke gave her a look and she laughed. "I'm not drinking it, Luke, don't worry. I just wanted to find it… you know, to prove that I could." She told him uneasily. "You want one, right?" She asked.
"Sure." He said.
"OK… Rory hid it in the vegetable drawer… You know, it was pretty clever… just not clever enough." Lorelai babbled on.
"I see you found the hidden message." Luke said.
Lorelai spun around, with the beer in her hand and saw Luke looking at the napkin, which was still on the table.
"Well, yeah… twice in a row, those Campbell's people must really love us." She said awkwardly.
"Guess so." Luke said, taking the beer that Lorelai was offering him.
"Couch?" She asked. He nodded.
They sat there for a while, Lorelai looking around the room uncomfortably and Luke watching her do so.
"Why are you doing this, Luke?" She asked, not angry, but maybe a little frustrated. She wasn't sure what compelled her to ask him this. Maybe she was making sure that Rory was right. Maybe she was testing him.
"What?" He asked stupidly.
"This jungle gym thing." She told him.
"Lorelai, you said you liked the idea." He told her.
"Luke!" She said.
"What?" He asked, raising his voice only a little bit.
"I told you to leave, you know." She said, regretting it after it slipped out. She just… needed to be sure…
"I know." He said.
"Why didn't you?" She asked. "Why do you come to my house and build that stupid jungle gym all day? This baby won't be able to use it for years! Why are you doing this? It's cold and it's dark… Why are you doing this?" She asked.
"For you." He told her.
Her shoulders dropped, and she looked scared. She was. She was scared. She was terrified to ask the thing that was running through her mind. She was afraid of his answer- that it would be the wrong one.
"Why?" She barely whispered.
"I'd do anything for you, Lorelai. Don't you know that by now?" He said, in his ranting-Luke voice. He stood up, and she watched from the couch. "Hell, I would go in your kitchen, find the most disgusting and unhealthy thing in there and eat it until I completely rot my insides. I would sit out here and build this jungle gym until my pinkies freeze off. I would stay up all night, painting your name on a boat just because it was on one of your weird lists." He said pacing around the room. "I would sit in your living room and watch every single stupid movie you have, until my brain melts and pours out my ears. I would go on forty more double dates with Rory and play Bop-It until I die. I would play 400 more rounds of golf with your father and have tea party after tea party with your mother. I would dance with you until I couldn't feel my feet anymore." He stopped pacing, and looked at her with a sigh. "I would do anything for you." He told her.
Her head was spinning, and she wanted to jump in his arms, but she couldn't.
"Why?" She asked again, her eyes turning into glass.
"Because I love you." He stated simply.
She took a deep breath, still staring at him with those glassy, blue eyes. He started talking, before she could say anything.
"I was never out, Lorelai. I never wanted to be out." He told her. "There might have been a moment, when I was not completely… all in, but I was never out. I just needed to think…" He said. He sighed. "I was never out." He told her.
"All in means no matter what." He told her. "It means, no matter what mistakes the other person makes, no matter what anyone else thinks, no matter what happens. It means no matter what, you're going to try and work through it because the relationship means too much to you, to just give up on." He told her.
He was staring at her now, waiting for her response. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't form any words. His eyes looked so intense, they scared her. She was still scared, she didn't want to be, but she was. She was afraid of getting hurt again. She was afraid of screwing up again. She was afraid of being with Luke and then losing him again. She was so afraid.
"You said you were out." She told him, biting her bottom lip, trying to stop herself from crying.
"I know." He told her, taking a seat next to her on the couch. "I was angry… I thought I'd be OK without you. I thought I would be better off, that things were getting too hard and… I would be better off. I thought I would be fine." He told her.
"But, I hate being apart. I hate waking up to an empty bed every morning, and falling asleep alone at night. I hate not talking to you, not seeing you… I hate not being with you. I thought I would be fine, but I'm not… not at all." He told her.
He sighed.
"Maybe I was just afraid." He told her.
"What?" She asked.
"I hated that you lied to me, Lorelai- especially about him. I've seen him make you cry hundreds of times, but you'd always forgive him. He kept screwing up, but you would still go back with him. You would always go running back to him. I guess I was just afraid you were doing that again. Maybe I was just afraid of getting hurt." He told her, so truthful that it was scaring her.
"And why don't you think that anymore? What makes you think I won't go running back to him?" She asked, mentally kicking herself for that comment.
"I guess I'll just have to trust you." He told her, putting his hand over hers.
She looked down at their hands, and he kept talking.
"I know I hurt you. I know I let you down. I said I was all in, and then I just left you, without hearing you out or anything." He told her.
"And I'm so, so sorry… I just hope you can trust me, too." He said.
She was silent. She had absolutely no idea what to say to him. She couldn't think at all, her head was spinning. Millions of thoughts raced through her mind but she couldn't focus on any of them.
She couldn't think at all, so… she didn't.
She leaned in and pressed her lips against his. She moved closer, climbing on top on him and then straddling him on the couch. Her hands moved around his neck and she pulled closer to him. He placed on hand on her lower black, slightly under her shirt, and the other on her waist.
They went on like that until they couldn't breathe. The pulled away and caught their breath. They each looked up at the other. Lorelai was still sitting on his lap, with her hands around his neck and he was still holding on to her, tightly.
"There's a lot of stuff we have to talk about." He told her, as if he was making sure she knew.
"I know." She practically whispered.
He nodded. She took his hand that was running along her side and she intertwined their fingers.
"I love you." She told him softly. "And I miss you, and I need you… so much." She told him. "I know I lied about Christopher." She continued. "But, I'm so, so sorry, Luke… I- I never meant for things to go like that…"
"I know." He told her.
"No, I just… God, I love you so much… and I still managed to screw up so badly, and I don't even know how. The whole Christopher thing… it was just a friend-thing, it was never anything more than that because I love you, not him… I was pregnant with Rory and I didn't need him, but I need you." She told him.
And that was enough for him, he took her face into his hands and he kissed her, shutting her up. They needed each other so badly. They needed to be with each other. They had been apart for too long, and they needed to make up for lost time.
"Luke…" Lorelai half whispered, half moaned, as she knocked off his hat and ran her fingers through his hair.
"Mmm…" He groaned.
"C'mon." She said, starting to get up, but not pulling away her lips away from his. Their mouths didn't part as they climbed the stairs. On the third or fourth step, he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck. He carried her into her bedroom and sat her down on the bed, still kissing her.
"Luke…" She said again as she started unbuttoning his flannel shirt.
"Hey, wait." He said pulling away.
Her eyes shot open, with worry. He wasn't taking it all back, was he? No, no, no… he was terrified and he could see it.
"Is this OK?" He asked.
"I think it is, Luke." She said nodding, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"No, I mean, for the baby." He told her.
She looked up at him and couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, it's fine." She told him, wrapping her arms around his neck and starting to kiss him again.
"Are you sure, maybe you should google it or something." He told her, pulling away again.
"Oh, now you decide to become google's number one fan." She said rolling her eyes.
"Maybe you should just make sure." He told her.
"I'm positive." She told him.
He looked at her, as if he didn't believe her.
"Are you serious?" She asked.
He still stared at her.
"Fine, go ahead… google it." She said rolling her eyes, and crossing her arms.
"I'll be right back." He promised her.
She rolled her eyes and he kissed her again, a quick but passionate kiss.
"I love you." He told her as he left the room, and hurried downstairs to her laptop. She smiled as he hurried down the stairs.
The couple lied in bed, later that night. They were snuggled up close to each other, spooning in her bed. His hand was stroking her stomach, gently, and she was playing with his hair.
"I can't believe I went almost an entire month without that." She told him, smiling.
"I know." He agreed.
"What were we thinking?" She asked.
"I have no idea." He said.
"I missed you." She told him, staring into his blue eyes.
"Ditto." He said.
She moved closer to him, pressing the side of her forehead against his.
"Hey?" She said.
"Mhm…" He said.
"I'm sorry about all that stuff I said before, making you leave… Maybe it was the hormones." She told him, nervously.
"It's OK." He told him, kissing the top of her cheek.
"I was just scared, you know? I'm not scared any more, though." She told him. She put her hand on top of his, which was placed right below her belly button.
"We should do something cool tomorrow… like dress in all black and use that black stuff that they put on football players, and break into Taylor's yard and steal his vegetables… you know… to celebrate." She said with a grin, as she babbled on. "He'd get so mad… Black shirt: $15. Black, football eye stuff: $5. Seeing Taylor's face turn as red as his tomatoes: priceless." She said.
"OK." He agreed.
"Do you think they have that black stuff in other colors? I think I'd look better in a brownish… maybe a dark brown…oh, do you think it comes oil free?" She rambled on.
"You're beautiful." He told her, smiling as he ran his fingers slowly, up and down her stomach.
"Eh… Don't get used to it. In a couple months, I'll be fat, I'll have swollen ankles and stretch marks… It won't be pretty. You'll be begging Crazy Carrie to go under those bleachers with you." She told him.
"No matter how fat or swollen you get, I will never beg Crazy Carrie to go under the bleachers with me." He told her.
"Never say never, Luke. Everybody knows you've already hooked up with her under the bleachers, once." She teased.
"Did not." He argued.
"Mhm." She said sarcastically.
"Stupid town." He mumbled.
She giggled and kissed the side of his lips, lightly.
"I can't believe there's a baby in there." He told her.
"Mhm." She said, beginning to drift to sleep.
"We're going to have to tell the town." He told her.
"Mhm." She said.
He smiled at her.
"Go to sleep." He said.
"OK." She said while yawning.
She shut her eyes, and so did he, both completely content with just being with each other.
Do you know those moments in life, when you know that you just made a life altering decision? You were just at a fork in the road, and you finally got the courage to turn left or right. You had a 50/50 chance of picking the right way, and now you just have to wait out and see if you did… It's scary, but at the same time it's completely exciting. You just have to keep going. You might end up getting completely lost, or maybe you will hit a dead end. However, there is still that 50 chance that you could end up in the place you wanted to be.
All you have to do is wait and enjoy the ride.
Well, I hope all of you that were begging me to bring them together, are happy. I could just leave the story at that, you know… They're together now, and I could just let you imagine the rest. You can make up your own ending… Do they have a boy or girl? Do they get married? For those of you that aren't big Java Junkies, do they break up? You can imagine how they tell the town. What happens with Emily and Richard, and if Lorelai will forgive and let them be in her life. Rory's reaction to her mother and Luke getting back together, the town's reaction… You can imagine the baby shower, and the wedding if there is one… You could imagine what Kirk has to say, what Taylor thinks, what the Gossip Queens think. I could just let all of your imaginations run wild…
But, I'm not.
Did I scare you? Lol.
It's not the end. There's still more to read. There's still more drama ahead, more obsticles, all that good stuff... There's still more for me to write…
Unless, you don't want me to. Let me know
Next chapter: Word has gotten out around town, that Luke and Lorelai are back together and everyone has something to say about it. Luke and Lorelai have their Back-Together Date and Luke tells Lorelai about the night Emily paid him a visit.
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