AN: I decided to write a slightly longer author's note than usual just because I want to share a couple of thoughts with my readers. First of all, I'm sorry for the title change, it was done for purely selfish and non-ff.nt (or story content) reasons. The new title is from a Will Oldham song that makes my gut wrench everytime I hear it. The song is New Partner for those of you who are musically curious. Secondly, I'm really happy that people seem to like this story. It's something I've been thinking about for a while and just decided to go for it. I loved the concept of the breakup in season 5, because let's face it, as much as we hate it, we love drama. Fluff gets old. And I was sort-of let down at the direction the actual show went. Sure the kiss was great-but it left me feeling a little empty, unexplainably empty. And so as usual, I turned to fanfic to fill my voids. In doing this, I found lots of great stories, but a lot of them were very similar, and thought that there had to be an angle, something different. Thus, my idea was born. Ta-da.
Sookie walks out of the bar and Lorelai is standing idly on the sidewalk, her arms wrapped around her frame. She tentatively approaches her friend, not knowing what to expect next. This night had turned into quite the emotional roller-coaster-for both of them. Sookie looks anxiously down the street hoping Rory will pull up soon.
"Soo...", she starts hoping to open the lines of communication.
Lorelai just stands with her back to her, unmoving. Sookie walks to her left just a bit, hoping the new angle could help her decipher Lorelai's mood a little easier. Lorelai's face is blank. She turns to Sookie.
"I called Luke a couple of weeks ago. I called him, desperate to talk to him, see him, anything.I was just so broken, you know? No closure. I just couldn't move on, and hell, from my voice he probably thought I couldn't move period." She hesitates for a moment and turns her back, blocking out Sookie's sympathetic glances.
"He didn't answer or anything, I just spoke to his answering machine and practically begged him to come over. Of course, immediately I realized what an idiot I was being, how pathetic and weak I must have appeared. So I ran to the diner." Sookie, slightly shocked, lets her jaw drop a bit but remains silent so she continues. "He wasn't there so I stole the tape from his answering machine and left. When I get home, Luke, being perfect, considerate Luke, meets me at my doorstep. He not only heard my message, he rushed over to make sure I was okay."
She stops and her shoulders drop, defeated. For a moment, the air between them is thick. Sookie's mind is reeling, trying to figure out the best way to approach her friend's confession. A few cars wisp by breaking the silence. She looks back at Sookie with a face that Sookie has never seen on Lorelai Gilmore before. Disheartened and exhausted. "I told him I would respect his wishes and leave him alone. That I knew he was "out" and that I would be okay." She breathes in deeply. "And I'm trying really hard Sookie, really hard to be okay. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do without him. I don't know how to move on from Luke." Her voice begins to break, "I really screwed this up."
Sookie takes the two steps forward and closes the gap between the two of them, wrapping her in her arms. "Why didn't you tell me about the phone call?"
"I was embarrassed that I had turned into such a, well, girl." She laughs at this, breaking from their hug. "Stupid right?
Soothingly, "No."
Lorelai straightens and wipes at her eyes. "God, I've never been such an emotional drunk!" Sookie smiles.
"I have a feeling that you're going to be okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Rory's car pulls up to the curb and is barely at a stop when she jumps out, runs around, and hugs her mom tightly. Lorelai is surprised. "Whoa there kid!"
"Are you okay?"
"Mom's okay. Just give me a ride and some Tylenol PM, and I may even see a 'good' in my future."
"Good."
"Good." Lorelai repeats and kisses her forehead and walks to the back seat door. "All good DDs must get the coveted chaperone treatment!"
"Well in that case, allow me!" Rory runs up to open the door for them. It's locked. "Crap!" They laugh, "Don't take this out of my tip!" She exclaims as she runs around to the driver's door. She leans through the car, stretching and finally reaching the lock. Unlocking it, she holds her "just a minute" finger up to the giggling passengers. She runs back around to their side and tries again. Composed, she smooths her shirt and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Allow me." She opens the door successfully and Lorelai smiles and climbs in, with Sookie following. Rory walks around to the driver's seat. She climbs in and adjusts her mirror so she can see her passengers. "Where to?"
With a wink, "Star's Hollow my good lady."
"Very well." Rory smiles back at her Mom and puts the car in drive.
As they drive into Star's Hollow Rory looks in the mirror at her mother absently watching the passing scenery. The ride home had been mostly quiet. Her mom had tried to make a few jokes about the evening, telling Rory that with this latest event, her "Why I'm In Therapy" list should be written on a scroll for easier keeping. Rory laughed and said she was proud her responsible girls didn't try to drive themselves home. After a few rounds of banter, the car had fallen comfortably silent. Sookie had given her a sad smile in the mirror, confirming her suspicions that the evening had turned sour on account of Lorelai's recent breakup. Rory wondered if she should tell her mom about Luke being outside of their house tonight. She didn't want to fuel a fire so she figured she'd wait until Lorelai had slept off her cocktails. She couldn't help but hope that Luke was there to talk. Rory decided to take the regular route home, not to bring any attention to the fact that anything was out of the ordinary. Therefore, they drove past Luke's. Rory watches her mom's eyes immediately turn towards the gazebo seconds before the diner was in view, avoiding any heart-stabbing views at what could have, or rather should have been.
Lorelai knew that, barring present circumstances, should probably would be up in Luke's apartment right now, watching Jon Stewart and stifling laughs at Steven Cobert's inane interviews as to not wake Luke. Maybe she would be asleep as well, nuzzled in Luke's warm shoulder. The car suddenly felt cold.
Sookie noticed the Luke's apartment light was on. As unusual as it was, being past midnight, Sookie wasn't surprised.
The cold, quiet car pulls into Sookie's driveway.
"Mrs. Melville, we have arrived at your stop." Sookie smiles at Rory. "Thanks for the ride sweetie. Come by the inn tomorrow and I'll make something special for you as a 'thank you'." "No problem Sookie, get a good night's rest okay?" Sookie nods and squeezes Lorelai's hand. "I'll see you tomorrow?" It was more of a question than she had originally intended, and probably more sympathetic than Lorelai would have approved of, but nonetheless, Lorelai looked at her and smiled sincerely. "Thanks for the girl's night Sook." Satisfied with the non-answer, Sookie offered another smile and got out of the car. They watched her inside and Rory started to back out of the driveway.
The rest of the short trip was driven in silence. Rory noticed her mom preparing to exit the car as they approached the driveway, grabbing her purse and taking off her seatbelt. And tonight, Rory figured she would allow such a get-away. They could talk in the morning. And as predicted, as the car stopped, Lorelai offered a quick "Love ya kid," and headed straight for the door, the stairs, and then her room.
As the morning came, Lorelai noticed many things awry. Firstly, she had not closed her curtains the night before, allowing the unforgiving sun to cut through the thin sheet that was over her head. Secondly, upon opening her eyes, she immediately felt the very bad effects of the dreaded hangover and light combo. And thirdly, she felt the under wire of her bra cutting into her skin. "Push-ups don't pay!" She exclaimed to no one. Thus causing movement and the dizziness, aches, and nauseousness to set in. "Argh!" She sat up to fight off the room that was spinning, and immediately removed her bra. As she threw it across the room, an unsuspecting Rory caught it in the face. She laughed as it fell to the ground, falling off of her head. "Good morning to you too!"
Lorelai groaned as Rory approached the bed with a tall glass of water and a hand of Tylenol. "We forgot to prep you for this morning last night. I had full intentions of drowning you in water and antacids-" Lorelai gives her a questioning look, that ends up looking more like a glare, but Rory gets the gist and answers, "-a Rory approved remedy." She had intended to follow that statement up with, 'but you ran upstairs before I got the chance.' Hopefully starting a dialogue about the previous night, but from the look of things, it was far too soon to venture beyond the accepted boundaries of normal morning banter.
Lorelai took the Tylenol down with the water. She immediately made a face. "Yuck...I hate morning after water."
Rory smiles. "Ahh, a sentence. Have we traveled beyond the land of cursing push-ups and mother vodka?"
Lorelai gingerly lays back down, unable to even force a smile. "Not quite yet kid."
Rory sits on the edge of the bed and Lorelai's face expresses discomfort as the bed moves. But Rory doesn't move and the expression passes as she becomes used to the new position without the overwhelming need for a wastebasket.
"You need anything else?"
"A catheter and a dumb-bell to the kitchen so I never have to leave this bed again."
"Coming right up." Rory responds dead-panned.
After a minute of no movement, Lorelai braves the harsh morning light to open her eyes. "Well..."
Rory looks at the serious expression on her mother's face. She can't help but let out a small laugh, then trying to sympathize with her ailing mother, "Mom...you couldn't be serious." Nothing but a serious face stared back at her expectantly. "I don't joke with hammers taking turns on my temples." "Well apparently metaphors aren't out of the question." A glare. "Sorry." She says quickly and then sighs, "I can get you anything, feasible given the equipment in a half a mile radius of this spot here." She points to the bed.
Her mom's expression doesn't change as she re-closes her eyes. " Well you said, 'coming right up', I figured it would be 'coming right up'."
Rory smiles. "How about coffee, a cold shower, or, um, maybe even a talk?" She decided she might as well try.
"Yes, emphatically no, and I know I owe you one after waking you up to come pick us up last night, but not yet, okay?" Rory nods even though her mom's eyes remained closed. She stands to go downstairs for the coffee portion of the request, again moving the bed much to Lorelai's discontent. A groan is heard as Rory walks out of the room. She shakes her head. It's going to be a long morning.
Sookie St. James Melville was not a person that particularly enjoyed meddling in other people's lives, but this morning she had risen bright and early, feeling good post-pill-popping and water guzzling the night before. She had given her husband a quick kiss as she tip-toed into the kitchen. She needed orange juice and a bagel. Some may have said that it was an irrational craving that could have been easily taken care of with an omelet, perhaps pancakes, a glass of apple juice, coffee. But Sookie's mind was on one thing, well two things, and two things only. A tall glass of OJ and a bagel. Much to her delight, she opened the fridge and saw a carton of OJ. One out of two isn't half bad. She was feeling optimistic. It was half-good. Sadly, delight turned to dismay as the carton had been put into the fridge empty, not even a drop left. Damn Jackson and she mentally took back the sweet morning kiss she had so lovingly given him moments before. She could go to Doose's but his bagels were the prepackaged, frozen kind that could, and should be only used in a game of ice hockey. Maybe she took it as a sign, or maybe subconsciously she had already made her mind up long before the OJ craving had taken hold, but either way, she was going to go to Luke's. And by god, she was going to meddle.
We are getting somewhere. Promise. And now that I have you back into the safety and comfort of Star's Hollow, may the journey continue. Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle and if you think you know what's going to happen next, think again! (On the post-"24" dramatic dum-dum-dum roller coaster. Go with it.)