Different Path
Chapter 16:
Disclaimer: It's still not mine :)
Summary: She had just never been that good at loving someone, at staying in one place. But this was Luke. He was different, and she was still there. A story about Luke and Lorelai
A/N: So, yeah I know this took so, so, so long. I was just a little stumped, you know. Stumped, haha wow. I had like 5,000 different ideas, and I had to figure how to get it all into one chapter so it made sense. And then I had like 3 different ways I wanted to go, so I had to figure out which one I liked best. And yes, it was just a long, long process.
Anyway… one month later, I have finally got it all done and everything. I hope you guys like it. Oh, and there is one spoiler at the bottom. It has to do with this week's episode. There is warning at the bottom, too, but I just thought I'd put some more up here. So yeah, if you don't want to know, don't look… but dude, it's very, very good. Please review. It's the last chapter, you know you want to.
"Hey, who gave us the Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham finger puppet set?" Lorelai asked Luke.
He gave her a funny look, she grinned at him, and showed him the box.
"We're moving." He stated simply after seeing the box.
She giggled, and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"Don't they ever get sick of parties?" He asked, gesturing to the town.
"Never." She answered, quickly. "You remember the septic systems." She told him.
"Jeez." He said with an eye roll.
"I think it's nice." She said with a smile, as she watched her friend's dance and party.
"Yeah, nice." He said, rolling his eyes again.
She smiled, and turned back to her gifts. "Oh! Luke, Luke, look at this!" She said, holding out the gift for him to see.
"Fury baby monitors?" He asked, reading the box, with a disgusted expression.
"It's from Bootsie." She said, reading the card. "Who would have thought?" She said with a grin.
"Hey, when should we tell them?" She asked.
"Tell them what?" He asked.
She gave him a look, and gestured towards the diamond ring on her finger. "Oh, I don't know." He shrugged.
"Well… now?" She asked.
"Maybe we should wait until they're sober?" He asked, after glancing at the town.
"Yeah, maybe you're right." She nodded.
"You can tell Rory, though." He suggested.
"Oh my God! I have to tell Rory! C'mon." She said, grabbing his hands.
"What?" He asked.
"You're coming with me, Buster." She told him, pulling him along, trying to find her daughter.
"Lorelai, slow down." He told her.
"Where is she?" Lorelai asked.
"Right there." He pointed.
"Oh! C'mon." She said, pulling him with her. "Rory!" Lorelai yelled
"Mom? Luke, hey." Rory said, when she turned around and saw them coming towards her.
"Rory, we have something to tell you." She said, standing up straight, grinning, and practically cutting off the circulation to Luke's hand.
"Lorelai, my, uh hand." He told her. She giggled, and loosened her grip.
"What's going on?" Rory asked, with a smile.
Lorelai head out her left hand, and showed her daughter the ring. "Luke asked me to marry him." She said, squeezing his hand a little.
Rory's mouth dropped. "Oh my God." She said looking at the ring. "Luke." She grinned, and hugged him. "Congratulations." She told them.
Lorelai smiled, and Luke did, too, but he added a little eye roll, too.
"Wow." Rory said.
Lorelai nodded, and didn't have time to say anything else, because Rachel came up to the trio.
"Is that what I think it is?" She asked, tilting her head.
Lorelai stuck out her finger and nodded.
Rachel turned to Luke, shook her head, laughed, and hit him in the stomach. "Took you long enough."
"Jeez." He said, with an eye roll, but a smile.
"Congratulations, guys." Rachel said, with a smile, before turning to leave. Lorelai watched as she walked into the crowd, and then turned towards her daughter.
"Hey." She asked her daughter.
"Yeah?"
"Do you know who gave us the Dr. Seuss finger puppets?"
-
"Is this really happening?" Lorelai asked, as she turned to face him.
"Of course it's happening." He told her, like she was crazy. But she knew her craziness was one of the things he loved about her.
"Just checking." Lorelai said, playing with the hem of the sheets.
"OK, goodnight." Luke said, lying down.
"Goodnight." She said, softly, with something clearly on her mind. "Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you- Are you sure?"
He looked at her, shocked at the question. "I'm sure." He said with a smile.
"Really, really sure?"
"Lorelai." He told her.
"I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into." She said, dropping her hand on her stomach. "Should I stick the pillow up my shirt again?"
"No…Believe me, I know what I'm getting myself into." He said, with a tint of sarcasm. He turned to look at her, and smiled. "But I can't wait, really."
"Me either." She told him, and then leaned in to kiss him.
"Night."
"Night." She told him. "Luke?"
"Yes?" He asked.
"I don't want to be fat in my dress." She said.
"What?"
"My wedding dress, keep up."
"Right."
"I don't want to be fat."
"Well, you are pregnant." He told her, and she shot him a look. "I'm just saying." He shrugged.
"Yeah, I got the memo."
"So, what are you saying?"
"I don't know." She shrugged. "Maybe we should wait."
"Wait?"
"I just don't want to be fat."
"Lorelai, it's you, you eat 500 pounds of junk a day and don't gain a pound. You'll probably lose weight."' He said, thinking that maybe she was beginning to have doubts. He knew her track record, after all.
"I've already gained 10 pounds!"
"Didn't notice." He shrugged, and she smiled at him.
"But you're supposed to be beautiful on your wedding day… I'm going to have to get really, really ugly bridesmaid dresses."
"You are beautiful"
"Yeah, get back to me in a few months, mister… And hey, let me know if you still want to marry me when I'm 300 pounds."
"That'll never happen, you'll never be that fat."
"Oh, thanks."
"I would want to marry you if you were 600lbs, bald, and were wearing a Yankees shirt… Well, maybe not the last one… and I sort of like your hair… I could live without it, though… You get the point."
"That you're a hopeless Red Sox fan? Yeah I think I established that a while ago."
"Hey, just wait until next year." He said, jokingly.
"You say that every year." She said, pointing a finger at him.
"Yeah, and who was it that won the World Series in 2004?"
"Hey, the Babe was just taking a year off… He gets tired once in awhile, you know?"
"When did you become a baseball fan?"
"Fan? Hah."
"Right."
"Anyway… back to my weight dilemma."
"Which is non-existent."
"You're sweet." She told him. "Let's wait until after the baby comes, OK? I want to be pretty."
"You are."
"I want to be skinny."
"You are."
"Not for long."
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"Oh my God." She said, her hand going to her stomach immediately.
"What?" He asked, almost jumping out of bed.
"Feel." She said, taking his hand and placing it on her stomach.
"Whoa." He said, his eyes widening.
"Yeah." She smiled.
"It kicked me!" He said, like he couldn't believe.
"It did." She grinned.
"It- It kicked me!" He said, again.
She laughed at him, and pressed her lips against his, before snuggling up to him in bed.
Yeah, this was really happening.
-
The next morning, she woke up before he did, and she watched him. She looked at her ring, and at his face. At that man- that amazing man, that she gets to marry, and have a baby with. She couldn't stop smiling. She thought her face might get frozen that way, but she didn't really care.
She ran her fingers through his hair, and thought about everything they've been through. Their eight years of friendship, their year of dating, their breakup, their make-up, and day one of their engagement.
She thought about the years she called him Duke, when she broke her leg and he brought her lunch, when Rory had the chicken pox and he made her mashed potatoes.
She thought about Rory wearing angel wings and asking him to go to her caterpillar's funeral. She thought about the smile he couldn't hide when Rory held his hand and walked across the street with him.
She thought about her angel. He's got wings, baby.
She thinks about him bringing her ice, being the hero, like always. She thinks about the Santa Burger he made for her, how he drove her to the hospital even though he hated them.
She thought about him kneeling behind the diner; by the spot on the wall where his father wrote own an order. She thought about him chasing a tiny chick around her house, breaking her lamp, her standing in front of the diner in her I Love Lucy pajamas. Grabs your paints, grab your rollers, all you kids, and all you bowlers…
She thought about him sitting on the bench, beside three girls in tutus, watching her dance with the man she never married. She thought about the chuppah, the goat, standing under it with him, the coupon drawer.
She thought about him giving Ava directions. Ooh, hot stuff. She thought about how jealous she was. How she wanted to be the only Chilton mom, he'd ever consider dating.
She thought about sitting in the sleigh with him, under a warm blanket, him buying her basket, eating lunch at the gazebo. She thought about working at the diner, numbering the tables, standing beside him at his uncle's funeral, begging the re-enactors to be there. She thought about the Romanovs.
She thought about screaming at him, telling him to go to hell, the Garfield stationary, Mimi. You'll get it. How do you know? I know.
She thought about her dream, the alarm clocks, the coffee, the q-tips. She thought about the twins. They'll both have two heads. More to love. She thought about her nightgown, the kiss. Goodbye, Crazy Lady.
She thought about Butch. Is she Sissy now? She thought about those shorts and that tank top, about her speech, him laughing at her in the back. Sissy Gilmore. Sissy Danes. Eh, not bad.
She thought about prince charming, holding out her glass slipper for her, at the dance marathon. She thought about jam hands. She wondered if it would have been a short discussion.
She thought about Thanksgiving, how he waited for them.
She thought about the Inn burning down, being a lonely wanderer, him taking her in, telling him about her dream, the way he smiled when she told him they were married.
She thought about her daughter's graduation, his short hair, his teary eyes, how Christopher wasn't there, but Luke always was.
She thought about her movie night with him. She thought about how adorable he looked sleeping on her couch. She thought about how much better he looks sleeping in her bed.
She thought about the day she found out he moved, him shoveling her walk, yelling at her, breaking the bells with him, what she almost said.
She thought about the earrings he gave her, the ones she's wearing right now. Her favorites.
She thought about her Inn, the bills flying at her, the money she needed, her grandmother's words. She thought about Luke holding her while she cried. She thought about how he lent her the money she needed, with no hesitation. She thought about how much that meant to her.
She thought about the Sock Man. She thought about bailing him out of jail, watching him fall apart, kick a car, get angry, get hurt. She thought about how stupid Nicole was, to let him go.
She thought about the wedding. You look beautiful. She thought about the dance, the way he looked at her, the way he held her, the way she was never close enough to him. Luke can waltz, in an I'm surprised I still have my clothes on type of way.
She thought about tripping all over the diner, dropping things, being clumsy, being nervous. She thought about running into the door, the flowers. You know the last time he bought flowers for someone? Never, very easy stat to remember. She loved the flowers. She thought about Lucky number 7, Luke staring at his salad, Jason showing up. I'm not a mysterious man am I? Well, the wardrobe was always a bit of a head-scratcher. She thought about him babbling. She thought about the book, the wedding, the flowers. He thought there was a moment. There was.
She thought about the first time he kissed her. "What are you doing?" She thought about the first time she kissed him. "Would you just stand still?"
She thought about the seven weeks she waited for him, the necklace that matched her earrings. We'll hook up later, maybe. We'll hook up later, definitely.
She thought about him flirting, the extra bounce she put in her walk, just for him. He so likes me.
She thought about dinner, Buddy and Maisy, Sniffy, the champagne, the horoscope. He's in. He's all in. This was a really great first date.
She thought about the floor show, the meeting, Luke moving away, the whole town being pink. You still in? You bet I am.
She thought about his blue flannel shirt, Pippi, Bop-It, the cheesecake, the ice rink, the shelf in his bathroom, the TV, the boots, Fiddler on the Roof, the jungle gym, the baby book, the boat, the soup. She thought about Rachel, his coffee tasting different, her mother's necklace that is still buried in Rory's drawer. She thought about last night, she thought about how he proposed.
Then, she looked up at him, her fiancé. The perfect man. Kelsey Grammar has nothing on him. The perfect man, and she gets to marry him.
She ran her fingers through his hair once last time, before kissing him on the forehead, and sliding out of bed. She had a lot of things to do today.
-
"Pattie, you can't stop now." The little girl whined.
"Honey, you know the story."
The little girl stuck out her bottom lip, and pouted. "Please." She begged.
"Alright, I have a few more minutes before my 3 o'clock class." Pattie laughed, and the little girl clapped. She'd never get sick of hearing this story.
"Well… the next day…"
"Luke!" Lorelai yelled as she stepped inside her house.
"Where have you been?" He asked, meeting her in the hall.
"I told you, I was doing errands."
"You've been gone for hours."
"Not that long." She told him.
"What could you possibly be doing for 4 hours?"
"Shopping." She said, showing him the bags she got.
"Of course." He said.
"No, c'mon, you'll like what I got."
"If you got me more belts or something, I'm gonna-"
"Oh, c'mon, you love that belt."
He rolled his eyes, and she started pulling things out of the bag. "Well, first, these are for you." She said, handing him two bars of soap, and a bottle of liquid soap, all in flavors she liked.
"What?" He asked, staring down at the things she gave him.
"For the jam hands." She told him, and he shook his head and smiled. He dropped the soap, and put his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. "No, wait! There's more!"
"More?" He asked.
"Yes!" She said, with a grin. She pulled out a tiny, hot pink, tutu and held it out for him. He stared at it with a confused look.
"Maybe we'll have two more, and then we could sit them on the bench by the gazebo with you… only this time, I won't be dancing with Max… but c'mon, it'd be cute." She babbled.
"Is this your crazy way of telling me it's a girl?" He asked.
She shook her head. "We agreed to be surprised." She told him. "But, I got this… just incase… and also…" She said, pulling something else out of the bag. "Kate Spade Barbie." She said, tossing it to him. "Queen Elizabeth I Barbie." She said, tossing that to him. "Build-a-Bear Workshop Cuddly Teddy Barbie." She giggled, as she gave it to him. "And last, but not least, Suite Retreat Barbie."
"Uh…" He said.
"Well, I know how you feel about buying Barbie's." She told him.
"And, what if it's a boy?"
"Boys can play with Barbie's." She told him, knowing his reaction.
"No son of mine is going to play with a Barbie." He told her, and she giggled.
"I'll give them to Martha." Lorelai said.
"Right. Martha." Luke nodded.
"Have a different idea?" She asked, curiously.
"Uh, no. What else did you get?" He asked, pointing to the bag.
"Ooh, you'll love these." She clapped, and began pulling out items. "A tiny blue hat." She said. "And a tiny flannel shirt." She told him.
"Jeez." He said, but with a smile.
"A tiny baseball glove." She said. "And…" She said, drumming on the table. "A tiny Star Trek t-shirt."
"Jeez, Lorelai." He said, rolling his eyes.
"Think about how cute you'll look… holding hands, walking down the street… your hats, your shirts… aww…" She said.
"You're crazy." He told her.
"But that's what you love about me." She pointed at him.
"God help me." He said.
"Hey Luke?"
"What?"
"C'mon, I have to show you my coupon drawer."
-
"Oh my God, Luke, you are so going to laugh." Lorelai said, looking inside a tiny, shiny bag.
"I really don't want to know." He told her.
"We have here a… Motion Lotion Sampler…"
"A what?"
"A can of Stud Power Sex Oil…" She said, laughing.
"Jeez."
"Glow in the dark handcuffs…" She said, presenting them to him.
"God…"
"Glow in the dark finger paints…"
"Stupid town."
"And finally… Naughty or Nice Coupons."
"Wow."
"Obviously Miss Pattie thinks our sex life is lacking. Should we be offended?" Lorelai asked.
"Jeez." Luke said, and Lorelai giggled, putting the things back in the bag.
"I love presents." She said, beginning to open another box.
"A party for our five year anniversary? Are they serious? If they are planning on doing this every five years, I think I might go crazy."
"Oh c'mon, you know you're having fun."
"Uh, no I'm not."
"Oh, shush." She said, waving him off.
"I'd much rather be out with you, like we originally planned."
"Hey, I tried to get out of it." She shrugged.
"Sure you did."
"Anyway, I'm still all yours tonight… We'll put the kid to bed early…and hey, maybe I'll let you use one of your Naughty Coupons." Lorelai said, smiling.
"Hey, where is that kid of ours, anyway?" Luke asked.
"Rory and Lane took her to the playground." Lorelai answered, scribbling down something on a notepad.
He gave her a look, and she knew exactly what he was thinking.
"They are sober, Luke." She said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, you never know… Miss Pattie made her punch… They could get drunk just standing within 10 feet of the punch bowl." He said, in defense.
"It's Rory and Lane. They are responsible. They have successfully babysat your daughter many, many times before… And seriously, you don't think I made them recite the alphabet backwards five hundred times before I let her go with them?" Lorelai asked.
He smiled, and patted her knee, then looked out to see the townspeople around them, dancing under the stars.
It had been six years. So much can happen in six years. So much can change in six years. Even in a town like Stars Hollow.
People say that Stars Hollow never changes, and maybe that is true. You could go away for a month, and come back and it would look as though nothing at all had changed. The gazebo would still be in the center of town, freshly painted, and covered in old Christmas lights. Every lawn in town would still be freshly mowed, and suitable to Taylor's taste. Jackson would still be growing vegetables, and Sookie would still be the accident prone little girl she always had been. Luke would still be standing behind the counter, in his diner, wearing his hat backwards. And Lorelai and Rory Gilmore would still be attached at the hip with Luke's coffee cups in hand.
But, even in a town that always seems to stay the same, some things had changed.
Walking down the streets of Stars Hollow, it's not always noticeable. But, on certain days, you can see it. You just see it, and you know.
When you pass the beautiful house, a few minutes from the town square, you know that things have changed in the past few years. On a nice, summer day, you can see it right outside. Luke Danes with the biggest smile on his face, pushing his 6 year old daughter on the swing. Lorelai sitting on the swing, giggling as she watches her husband try to teach their daughter how to pump correctly.
Some other days, you'd have to take a peek in the window to see it. Lorelai would be standing by the oven, stirring some spaghetti sauce and confident that she won't ruin it. Luke would be sitting at the kitchen table, having a 'tea party' with his daughter, not even caring that she had somehow managed to have jam hands.
And then there are the days where you watch the six year old girl, sitting on the 2nd stool from the register, at Luke's, busily coloring in her coloring book, as Luke watches with a grin on his face. And the days where the little girl, who was sporting a pink backwards baseball cap, was begging her mother for an Oreo, and her mother simply replies that it will spoil her dinner.
Sure, Luke still smiled that exact same smile when the bell above the door rang, and Lorelai walked in the diner. And she still gave her walk an extra bounce, just for him. That stool beside the register still was and always would be Lorelai's, and no one else ever dared to sit in it. Their faces still lit up when they spotted each other from across the room, and locked eyes. The sun that lit up their bedroom, early in the morning, still and always would belong there. Lorelai still woke up at 5:02 every morning, wearing one of his flannel shirts, to kiss Luke goodbye. And they were still very much in love with each other.
But now, they had a family. They had Rory. They had five year old, Marley Christina Danes, as of September 15th, 2005. They had another baby on the way. They had wedding rings on their fingers. They had a new mailbox that proudly stood beside the driveway with 'Danes' simply painted on it. They had a big jungle gym in their front yard, opposite where the Chuppah still stood. They had a newly finished boat, affectionately named 'The Lorelai.'
And all of that, had changed them. But, nobody ever complained.
"Daddy!" Marley Danes called to her father.
He turned to look at her, but she was already jumping on his lap. "Hey." He laughed.
"Rory and Lane pushed me on the swing." She said.
"Mar, you know to pump."
"I know, Daddy. But, it's more fun when they push me. I don't like exercise." She said, smiling.
"That's my girl." Lorelai grinned.
"Ooh, presents." Marley cooed, when she eyed all the presents in front of them. "Oh, look at this one." She said, picking up another fuzzy alarm clock.
"Fuzzy… and it sings 'You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman.' Cool, huh?" Lorelai asked her daughter.
"It doesn't even tell you the time." Luke pointed out.
"So?" Mother and daughter said at the same time.
"Right, what was I thinking? As long as it's furry and sings." Luke said, sarcastically.
She nodded, staring at the box. "Are they all for you?" She asked.
"Yeah, honey, most of them." Lorelai said, fixing her hair.
"None for me?" She asked, sadly.
"Well, at your birthday they were all for you." Lorelai said.
"I know." She said, a little frustrated.
"When's the baby coming, Mama?" She asked.
"Soon, baby." Lorelai smiled at her daughter.
"I think it'll be a baby boy." Marley said, touching her mother's stomach. Luke smiled at his daughter, and started to play with her brown, curly hair.
"Yeah, I think Daddy's starting to get sick of us, girls." Lorelai said.
Marley looked up at her Dad, as if she was questioning him. "I love my girls." He said, hugging her.
"Pattie was telling me the story today!" Marley told her parent's excitedly.
Lorelai and Luke exchanged glances, and then looked back at their daughter.
"Don't you ever get sick of that story?" Luke asked.
"No way, Jose." She said, shaking her head.
Lorelai and Luke smiled at each other.
"Tell me about the wedding, Momma. Pattie didn't get to finish."
Lorelai smiled, and began the story she had told so many times before.
Here it was. The different path. The one she would normally run away from. The one she'd hide from, in a room with flowers that were moving. The path she'd drive away from, dragging her 16 year old daughter along with her. The path she always did her best to avoid, here it was, looking straight at her.
20 years ago, she had been staring this path in the face, and she ran away, leaving nothing but a scribbled note and a large dollhouse behind. She had been 16 years old the last time she was in this position, but it was so much different now.
Now it was with Luke. Now she was happy. Now she knew that this was right, and she had no sudden urges to bail out, and leave nothing but a note.
She kissed the baby on her head, and put her down in her wooden crib. It was painted light pink, and had flowers on the sides. Luke made it for her, deciding that the baby would need a crib, sooner than it would need a jungle gym.
She looked at the sleeping baby one last time before flicking on the baby monitor, and going downstairs.
She was getting married tomorrow. Her and Luke were going to get married. December 1st Luke Danes and Lorelai Gilmore would be getting married.
She sat down on the couch, and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey." She said, quietly, hoping not to wake the baby.
"Hey." He replied.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Playing cards with Jess." He answered. "Gimme 2." She heard him say to Jess.
"So, what are you doing tonight?" She asked curiously.
"I don't know." He said.
"You still don't know?"
"No."
"Well… are you doing anything?" She asked.
"I don't know."
"Luke." She said, sternly.
"Lorelai." He said, mocking her. "Pair of fours." He said to Jess.
"This is it, Luke. This is your last night. Your last night… Don't you want to enjoy it?"
"I just want it to be over with." He said, making her smile, but she was still determined.
"Luke… I want you to have fun." She said.
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"You're staying home tonight."
"Rory is coming over." She said, defensively.
"So? I'm with Jess." He told her.
"But you and Jess will play cards for an hour, maybe turn on a baseball game later, and fall asleep on the couch."
"It's not even baseball season."
"You probably won't say a word to each other all night. Maybe a few grunts here and there… but-"
"Lorelai." He said, telling her to stop talking. "Two." He said to Jess.
"Plus, I have a baby to stay home with." She said.
"It wasn't my idea to sleep here tonight."
"I know." She said, recalling their discussion with Sookie a few days ago.
"And I offered to take the baby."
"I know." She said again.
"But you wouldn't let me."
"I know." She said, with a sigh.
"I can take care of her, you know." He told her. "Flush." He told Jess.
"I know you can, Luke." Lorelai said, feeling bad that Luke thought she didn't trust him with their daughter. "I just wanted you to have fun."
"Well, what about you?"
"I will have fun."
"You won't get any sleep. She'll be up all night." Luke said. "One." He said to Jess.
"Well, do you want to stay up all night with her?" Lorelai asked.
"I'll come over and get her, OK?" Luke asked.
"No! She's sleeping… and Sookie would have a fit." Lorelai said.
"What Sookie doesn't know won't hurt her." Luke said.
"It's bad luck, Luke."
"I don't believe in that stuff." He told her.
"I know, but Sookie would shoot us."
"This is stupid." He told her.
"I know, but I'll see you tomorrow." She said.
"I'm coming over." He told her.
"No, Luke. Spend time with your nephew, OK? I'll see you tomorrow."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"Kiss the baby for me."
"I will."
"And Rory, too."
"I will."
"Bye."
"Bye." She said, hanging up the phone. She sighed, and looked around the room. Everything was really quiet. The only noise was the tiny sounds coming from the baby monitor and the ticking of the clock.
She sighed again, and got up from the couch. She tiptoed up the stairs, and went into the sewing room. She went into the walk-in closet and pulled out her wedding dress that was safely sealed inside a garment bag. She unzipped it, and admired the dress again.
She did this often, but she'd never tell anyone about it. When the house was quiet, and the baby was asleep, she'd always find herself tiptoeing into the sewing room to see her dress one more time.
She held it out in front of her and stared at herself in the mirror. She glanced at the door, and decided that, it wouldn't hurt to try it on, one last time.
She undressed quickly, and slipped the dress on carefully. She zipped it up, and put the vale on her head, then admired herself in the mirror.
She twirled around like a 4-year-old girl, and admired how beautiful the dress was. She knew Luke would like it. It was perfect.
She stopped twirling and looked in the mirror. Tomorrow was the big day. This was it. This was her last chance to run away, bolt, dash, dart, scurry, scamper, jog, sprint, hurry, gallop, drive, hustle, hurtle, or trot. That's what she should be doing. That's what she always did. Why didn't she want to now?
Because it was Luke. Because he was perfect, amazing, wonderful. Because this was what she has always wanted. Because he was what she has always wanted. Because she was happy. Because it was right. Because they belonged together.
Because this was different.
-
"Look who I found!" Rory exclaimed from a few feet away. She and Lane were walking beside each other, but on Rory's other side, she had her arms linked with Jess.
"Jess!" Marley squealed, as she jumped off her father's lap and ran to her favorite cousin.
"Hey kid." He said with a smile, as she jumped into his arms and he picked her up.
"You said you weren't coming until tomorrow."
"And miss this party? No way. No one knows how to throw 'em like the Hollow."
"For Mommy and Daddy?" She asked, pointing to the present he was holding.
"Nope." He told her. "I figured they would be getting lots of presents tonight. It's for you." He told her, handing her the present.
"I resent that Jess." Lorelai frowned.
He laughed. "Here kid."
"For me?" She asked, with a huge grin.
"Open it." He told her.
She nodded, and sat down on the grass. She pushed her hair out of her face, and fixed her dress, then began to tear the wrapping paper open.
Jess sat down beside her and watched for her reaction.
The little girl, grinned. "Daddy, look!" The little girl said, jumping up and showing her father. Luke grinned, when he saw what Jess had given her.
"I can't believe I let Lorelai talk me into making a speech at the wedding." Jess sighed.
"The best man always makes a speech."
"That's what she said." He sighed.
"I can't believe you actually thought you'd get out of it." Luke said.
"Look, you might be mentally disabled when it comes to saying no to Lorelai, but I'm not."
Luke laughed. "You're making the speech, aren't you?"
Jess sighed. "Yes."
"So what were you saying about being mentally disabled?" Luke asked with a smile.
"She was pregnant. I couldn't say no to a pregnant woman… Especially a pregnant Lorelai… I thought she was crazy before, but jeez." Jess said, and Luke laughed.
"You sure you want to go through with this?" Jess joked.
"You just don't want to make the speech." Luke said.
"It'd only be a plus." Jess shrugged.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Luke said, staring into space. After a moment or two, he stood up, grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door.
"What? You getting cold feet or something?" He joked.
"I just want to see them." Luke said, and Jess stood up and followed him out the door.
"Sookie will kill you, you know."
"She won't find out."
"I wouldn't be surprised if she had some crazy video camera set up outside the house… Probably hired Kirk to do it. This town is an insane asylum in the making. Angelina Jolie must be running around here somewhere."
"What?" Luke asked.
"Your future wife made me watch it." Jess frowned
Luke shrugged, and started walking through the diner, and out the door.
"Where are you going?" Jess shouted.
"Just for a few minutes." Luke called, and Jess followed him and got in the car.
"Dude, this is your last night… Your last night, and you're sneaking in their house to see them? You've got it bad." Jess said.
"Yeah, well, maybe when your older you'll understand." Luke joked, as he started the car and headed towards Lorelai's house.
When they got there, the girls were already asleep. It wasn't even midnight yet, and Lorelai and Rory were already fast asleep, in Luke and Lorelai's bed. Jess walked over to Marley's crib, while Luke kissed Lorelai's forehead.
"She's awake." Jess whispered when he saw Marley lying in her crib, her blue eyes shining brightly.
"What?" Luke whispered back, and went to her crib. "She's awake." He stated.
"I told you." Jess said.
Luke smiled at his baby girl, and picked her up. She cooed a little, and Luke went downstairs, with Jess following him.
They sat down on the couch, and Luke stared down at his beautiful daughter. "I think she has your nose." Jess told him.
Luke smiled, and then looked around the room. "God, this place is a mess."
"It's Lorelai and Rory, what do you expect?" Jess said. "Hey, Red Vines." Jess said, picking up the box and eating a few.
"They'll kill you." Luke said.
"They won't notice." Jess shrugged. Luke gave looked at him, telling him that of course they'd notice. "What do you want me to spit them out, and put them back?"
Luke shook his head, and sat down on the couch with his daughter.
"Jeez, look at all these presents." Jess said, glancing at the enormous stacks of presents, all over the living room.
"Yeah." Luke nodded.
"Jeez, if somebody told me that getting married meant you got all these presents, I would have done it a long time ago."
"That's romantic." Luke grunted.
"Yeah, maybe you could work it in the vows or something." Jess joked, and Luke rolled his eyes in response
"She's cute." Jess said. Luke didn't answer. Marley was wrapping her hand around his finger, and he was watching her, watch him.
Jess a camera on the table, and picked it up.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking a picture." Jess replied.
"Why?"
"So, Lorelai can see all the hot babes you picked up tonight." He said, sarcastically.
Luke rolled his eyes.
"C'mon Luke, smile." He said, sarcastically again.
"Jess." Luke groaned.
"C'mon, one picture." He said, seriously this time.
"Jeez." Luke said, before the camera went off.
Jess looked at the picture and smiled. "That's a keeper." He said, before setting the camera back down on the table.
"I know you lost your old copy, and now you won't lose it again, because it's in the frame." Jess babbled on.
"It's shiny." Marley said, her eyes fixated on the picture frame, which was very glittery.
"I thought you'd like it."
"I do. Thanks Jessie!"
"Don't call me Jessie." Jess told her.
The little girl giggled. "Why not?" She asked, even though she knew he hated it.
"I feel like I'm on Full House, and any minute somebody's going to try and teach me morals, or vacuum my socks."
The little girl giggled, again.
"Here, I got you this, too." Handing her another present.
"Another present?" She gasped.
"It's your lucky day." He said, sarcastically.
"Ooh." She said, opening the present and finding a CD.
"It's just a mix… all of the songs my cool cousin should listen to."
"Lemme see!" Lorelai said, taking the CD. She gasped. "The Clash, AC/DC, The Ramones, Blondie, Bowie, The Doors… Ooh, Jess, you are my hero."
He rolled his eyes, and pulled something else out of his jacket. "I made you a copy, too."
"I always knew you were my favorite nephew." She said, taking the CD.
"He's your only nephew, Momma." Marley told her, matter-of-factly.
"Thanks Jess." Lorelai said.
"No problem."
"Hey, what about me?" Rory asked. "I don't get any presents?" She pouted.
"Here." Jess said, tossing a book to her. "I borrowed this from you on Thanksgiving." He said, with a smile.
She rolled her eyes, and took the book.
-
"Hey grandma! Hey grandpa." The little girl said, hugging each of her grandparents.
"Marley, I love your dress." Emily said, sweetly, couching down so they were eye level.
"Mommy made it for me." Marley said, twirling in her dress.
"Very pretty." Emily said.
"Thank you."
"Grandpa! I practiced my math facts! Quiz me, quiz me!" The little girl said, jumping up and down. The old man laughed, and kissed her on the head.
"5+2."
"That's too easy. 7."
"5+5."
"Grandpa!" She said, putting her hands on her hips. "Too easy! 10."
"6+7."
"Ummm… 13."
"Very good." Richard said, patting her on the head.
"Grandma! We're telling the story… tell about the wedding!"
Emily glanced up at her daughter, and smiled. "OK." She said.
"Mom?" Lorelai called to her mother, as she peeked her head out from the room she was changing in.
"Yes Lorelai?"
"Will you uh… help me for a second?" Lorelai asked.
"Sure." Emily said, going into the room, and closing the door behind her.
Lorelai stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself. "God, look at all this baby fat."
"You look beautiful, Lorelai." Emily assured he, while fixing up her eye shadow a little bitr. And she did. She did look beautiful. "Nobody would even guess that you had a baby a year ago."
"Thanks." Lorelai said.
"So, are you ready?"
"Not yet." Lorelai said.
"Not yet?"
"I need one more thing." Lorelai said.
"What?"
Lorelai held up the necklace that her mother had given her. "My something borrowed."
"Of course." Emily nodded.
"Put it on me?" Lorelai asked.
Emily nodded, and pushed her hair out of the way, before putting the necklace on her daughter. She looked at Lorelai in the mirror. "Beautiful." She told her.
"Thanks."
"Ready?"
"Now or never." Lorelai said, taking a deep breath. This was it. This was her very last chance. In a few minutes she'd be Mrs. Luke Danes. This was it, her last chance to run out that door.
Running was always an option for her, it was always there, and if it was any other guy, she'd be gone. But this was Luke, and for the first time in her life, she wanted to stay exactly where she was.
For Luke, she stood still.
-
"Alright guys, well I gotta go put Marley to bed… I'll be back." Lorelai said to Luke, Rory, Jess, Emily, Richard, and Sookie.
"Momma, grandma said she was going to tuck me in tonight."
"OK, babe."
"C'mon, grandma." Marley led her grandmother into her room, by the hand.
"So Luke, how's the diner?" Richard asked Luke as Marley and Emily entered her bedroom. Marley put on her favorite, I Love Lucy pajamas, and snuggled into bed. Emily sat beside her, and ran her fingers through her granddaughter's curls for a moment. She was almost a spitting image of Lorelai at this age, although she did have Luke's nose.
"When do you think the baby is going to come?" She asked her grandmother.
"Soon." Emily smiled. The little girl had been waiting for a sibling for years. Luke and Lorelai didn't think they'd be able to have another one, because of their age, but this baby was a miracle. Everyone was excited about the addition to their family, but no one was as thrilled as Marley was. She wanted a little brother or sister more than anything.
Marley looked over to her dresser, where her old baby blanket was. "I think I'll give the baby my blanket." She said.
Emily followed her gaze, and smiled at the tiny, yellow, baby blanket.
"She's pretty, isn't she?" Lorelai asked, gazing at the little baby in her arms.
"She looks like you, Lorelai." Emily said.
"Yeah, a little " Lorelai nodded. "I see some Luke in there, too."
Emily smiled at the tiny baby in her daughter's arm, as she wrapped her tiny hand around Lorelai's finger.
"Look!" Lorelai said.
"She's beautiful, Lorelai."
"She really is." Lorelai nodded.
"Where's Luke?"
"Upstairs. He's setting up her crib in our bedroom."
"Oh." Emily said.
"Hey Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Can you do me a favor?" Lorelai asked.
"Sure." Emily said, wondering what she was going to ask.
"OK, in Rory's room, in the top drawer of her dresser… there's a yellow baby blanket." Lorelai smiled.
"I'll get it." Emily said with a smile, as she stood up and went towards Rory's room. She came back a few moments later, holding the baby blanket.
Lorelai smiled, and took the blanket from her, then wrapped her daughter inside of it. "I made Luke wash it yesterday, while we were still at the hospital." Lorelai said.
"I think she likes it." Lorelai told her mother.
Emily smiled at her daughter, and the baby her daughter was holding. "Thank you. " She said softly.
"I think that's a nice idea." Emily told her granddaughter.
"I hope the baby will like it."
"The baby will love it." Emily told her, surely.
"Good night Grandma." Marley said, sinking into her bed.
"Goodnight Marley." Emily said, kissing the top of her head, then heading out the door, flicking off the lights on her way out.
She went down the hall, and down the stairs and saw Luke and Lorelai sitting on the couch.
"Thanks for tucking her in, Mom." Lorelai said.
"Thanks for letting me." Emily said.
Lorelai smiled and nodded, patting her stomach.
"Richard, we better get going." Emily said.
"Right, of course." Richard said, standing up.
"Thanks for coming." Lorelai said, smiling.
"Bye Lorelai, Bye Luke."
"Bye."
"We better go, too." Rory said.
"Yeah, I got to open up the diner, tomorrow." Lane said, looking at Luke. He nodded, and patted Lorelai's thigh.
"Bye Mom, bye Luke." Rory said, hugging her mother, and kissing Luke on the cheek.
"Bye Rory. Bye Jess." Luke said. "Bye Lane."
"Don't have too much fun, I don't know if the old man can handle it." Jess said, hitting Luke's shoulder.
"Ha-ha." Luke said.
"Bye."
"Well, I guess I should go, too." Sookie said.
"Bye Sook." Lorelai said.
"Bye guys." She said, with a grin.
When the door closed, Lorelai threw her feet over Luke's lap. "So, I decided which Naughty Coupon I want you to use." She giggled.
"Oh, God."
"It was a tough choice… I was stuck between blindfold me and handcuff me."
"Jeez." Luke said, rolling his eyes.
"But I think I'm going to chose the blindfolding." Lorelai laughed.
"C'mon Crazy Lady." He said, taking her hand and leading her upstairs.
"Hey." She said, pulling his hand, so he'd look at her.
"Happy Anniversary." She smiled.
"Happy Anniversary." He said, kissing her.
He played with the key to the house, while she was squeezing his hand. She couldn't stop grinning, this was too exciting.
He opened the door, and started walking in.
"Hey wait." She said.
"What?"
"Aren't you going to carry me?" She grinned.
He smiled at her, and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
"Don't drop me." She told him.
He looked at her like she was crazy. "I won't drop you."
"Just checking." She said, kissing his cheek. He walked through the doorway and put her down.
"Happy?" He asked.
"Ecstatic." She said, putting her hands on his face, and kissing him. "Hi." She smiled.
"Hi." He replied, with a smile that matched her.
"We're married." She told him.
"Yes we are." He said, playing with the rings on her fingers.
"I'm really happy." She told him.
"Me too." He said, moving his hands, to her hips, and pulling her closer for a kiss.
"C'mon, Mister Danes, to the bedroom." She said, gesturing towards him that she wanted to be picked up.
"Jeez." He said, picking her up again.
"C'mon, I'll make it worth your while." She told him, batting her eye lashes.
"You always do." He told her.
-
So much can happen in 6 years. So much can change in 6 years.
"Bye Pattie." Little Marley Danes called.
"Bye doll." Miss Pattie called.
The little girl stood up, and fixed her dress, before skipping across the square. She looked both ways before crossing the street, and then skipped up the steps and into Luke's diner. She sat at the counter, on the second stool from the register, because everyone knew that the one right beside the register was for Lorelai, and Lorelai only.
"Coffee please."
"You're too young." Said the man in the backwards baseball cap.
"I'm six and three quarters." The little girl told him.
"Too young." He repeated.
The little girl crossed her arms, and pouted.
"I'll give you chocolate milk and you can pretend it's coffee." Luke told her.
"Daddy…" She said, stretching out the word. "Please?" She asked, sweetly, twirling a piece of her hair.
And he knew he was gone. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and she knew it.
"Decaf." He said, putting a cup in front of her. "Just this once." He added.
"Of course. Just this once." She grinned, sipping the coffee.
But then, of course, some things will just never change.
-
Well, there it is. Man, I'm pretty sad. I hope everybody liked this. I hope it wasn't too random or anything. I really hope it was worth it.
Please, please review.
Spoiler ALERT: ABOUT TUESDAY'S EPISODE. GOOD SPOILER, BUT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT READ BELOW.
Luke tells Lorelai he loves her in 6.15- I got it from Fanforum dot com, and they are usually pretty reliable… so who knows. I guess we'll find out, but I hope it's true.
Anyways,
Could Tuesday get here any faster? Jeez.
So…
I know I said I would update Kiss with Open Eyes, but I decided to finally get this out, because yeah it's been a whole month. You probably forgot all about this story, it's been so long. And really, I'm so sorry about that. I was just a little stuck.
Also, if anybody wants to read the other versions, I had for this, you can. But I sort of took them all and mixed them together, to make this, so it might not really be worth it. Basically, one idea what to have Miss Pattie telling LL's whole story to Marley… then… another idea was having it start from the wedding, so that's where a few of the wedding flashbacks came from and stuff… another idea was just having the whole story start 6 years in advance, and Marley had a little brother. She didn't want to share her jungle gym with him… which lead to the whole story telling… But yeah, I didn't like those ideas very much so yes… Since the story, is focused on LL, I wanted to have that still be the focus.
Anyways,
I really want to know what everyone thinks. So yeah, please review.
And, tomorrow there's supposed to be a huge snow storm, which means I'll be stuck inside, and hopefully that means I'll get Kiss with Open Eyes up.
Review!
And yeah, it' s been nice while it lasted. Aww… so sad…