Summary: JJ. She let herself fall for him, even though he was with someone else.
Disclaimer: Don't own a thing.
Author's Note: Some dialogue is taken from episode 5.3
flirtswithdisaster: 'Crazy good writer', I don't know why, but that just made me laugh. They are my new favorite words, 'crazy good' haha. Yeah, I wish I could write the next season. I'd make Luke knock Chris out, stuff him in a box, sink him to the bottom of the ocean, and then laugh. Laugh very long and hard. Nah, I'm just kidding. But I'd definitely have Luke march right up to Lorelai and kiss her. We've been deprived of that lately. Seriously, where'd all the chemistry go? I just hope things work out next season. I'll die if Lorelai ends up with Chris. Alright, thanks for the review!
smileyGGfan: Yeah, I love Kirk and Sookie. I just had to throw them in there somewhere. Glad you liked it and thanks for the review.
ProFfeSseR: I get what you mean about the 'not wanting to meet Kirk in real life' thing. That'd be creepy. He can stay in Star's Hollow.
chmelms and suusje32: Thanks for the reviews!
Because She Cares
Chapter Eight: Being Close to You
She awoke in his bed the next morning.
Her naked body tangled in his sheets.
Her head resting on his bare chest.
Memories of the night before hurried back to her as she took in her surroundings. There would be no words of regret this morning. No, only words of pure lust and happiness.
She pulls off of him and moves to her side of the bed with a sigh. The covers are up to her chest as she lies flat on her back, her lips twitching into a smile. She feels him stir next to her.
She tilts her head to find him laying on his side facing her. His eyebrows are furrowed and his face is wearing that sleeping frown. He's adorable when he's sleeping, she thinks. I can get used to this.
She reaches her hand out and brushes his hair back. Admiring his handsome features.
A month ago, she would have thought this crazy. If someone had told her that in four weeks she would be in bed with Luke, she wouldn't believe it. But now, now that it was real, now that it was really happening, it felt so right.
She is pulled out of her thoughts, when her eyes wander to the night stand beside him. She spots the wallet sitting next to the alarm clock.
"So I'm looking at this piece of paper in my hand, and under "Scorpio," she had written, "you will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away." I gave her coffee."
"But she didn't go away."
"She told me to hold on to that horoscope, put it in my wallet, and carry it around with me. One day it would bring me luck."
She stares at the tiny paper in his hand and slowly takes it, in awe.
"Well, man, I will say anything for a cup of coffee." She unfolds the horoscope, looking at it in remembrance. "Um...I can't believe you kept this. You kept this in your wallet?" She notices the seriousness in his face. "You kept this in your wallet."
"Eight years."
"Eight years." She repeated, barely audible.
She remembers the conversation they had before she tossed the wallet aside, leading him to the bed. Where clothse were quickly discarded, nonchalantly thrown across the room. She remembers him kissing her in all the right places, each discovering the other's sensitive spots. She remembers becoming as close as physically possible. It was perfect.
She sits up, wrapping the sheets tightly around her. She begins picking her clothes up from off the floor, when her eyes once again wander to the wallet. She quickly glances at Luke. He is still sleeping.
She puts her clothes on in a hurry, and then tiptoes to the night stand. She opens the wallet, slowly taking the scrap of paper out of it's pocket. She then closes her hand around it in protection, and walks out the door.
Rory is pacing the livingroom, visibly shaken, when she hears the phone ring. She immediately runs to it, and answers with fright in her voice, "Hello?"
"Rory..."
"Oh, my God! Mom, where are you?"
"I'm walking home... from Luke's."
"Mom, why didn't you call? I had no clue where you were! I was panicking like cra-"
"I know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"
"I was so worried!"
"I meant to call. I did. I just... got sidetracked." Rory doesn't say anything. "Rory? My favorite daughter in the world, are you still there?"
She answers with an attitude, "Yes."
"Do you forgive mommy?"
"You're on the waiting list."
"I can accept that."
"Good." she pauses for a moment, "So... you said you were sidetracked? Could the person behind this distraction possibly be a diner owner?"
"Possibly."
"Could the said diner owner be named Luke?"
"Yep, this is possible too."
"Could you have possibly spent the night at Luke's?"
"It truly is entirely possible."
"Did you have a good time?"
"Yes, a very good time-"
"Stop there. I don't want the dirty details."
"As you wish."
There is a long moment of silence as Lorelai continues to walk home.
"Rory?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing right now? Are you busy?"
"No, not really. I'm just catching up on some reading... I might head over to Lane's in a little bit. Why?"
"Nothing, I just... can you wait for me... before you go to Lane's?"
"Yeah, sure. Is everything all right?"
"Yeah, just... I need to talk to you. In person..."
"Okay... sure. I'll wait for you."
"Thanks, hon."
Rory was walking out of the kitchen; water bottle in her hand, a book in the other. That's when Lorelai walked in. "Oh, mom. Hey."
"Hey, kid."
"I attempted to make scrambled eggs... there in the kitchen if you dare to try them."
"Um, no... no. I'm good."
"Okay... Everything alright?"
"Yeah, I'm just... tired."
"Tired. Distracted..."
"Distracted? Yeah, sure. I'm uh - distracted."
"Mom... what's going on?"
"Nothing, nothing." Rory continued to look at her. "It's stupid. You'll think I'm stupid."
"Try me."
She held the horoscope out to Rory.
"What is it?"
"Just read it."
She straightened her posture and cleared her throat. "Ehem. 'You will meet an annoying woman today. Give her coffee and she'll go away.' Okay, is this horoscope directed to me? Because one- I'm not a Scorpio, and two- there's no coffee in the house."
"No, it's not for you, it's for Luke."
"Okay... then go give it to him."
"I already did."
"I don't get it."
"I gave this horoscope to him... I gave this horoscope to him eight years ago."
"Wow, where'd you find it?" Suddenly finding the piece of paper fascinating.
"In his wallet."
"Wait. What?"
"He kept this stupid, little, tiny piece of paper... in his wallet... for eight years!"
"Wow."
"Can you believe it? I mean, all along, he really did-"
"I can't believe you went snooping through Luke's wallet!"
"I didn't! He showed it to me last night."
"Oh, that's so sweet..."
"I feel so stupid. He must have thought I was an ass... Just ignoring all those signs."
"Well, keeping this in his wallet for eights years, kind of indicates that he doesn't think you're an ass."
"It's weird, you know? To think there could have been something 'more' all those years back."
"I know."
"I mean, I remember there being a time... where I sort of felt... I dunno."
"Yeah, that's a good feeling." Lorelai just narrowed her eyes. "Well, I don't see the problem. Why are you 'distracted'?"
"What do you think of this, Rory? Me and Luke... give me your input."
"I think it's very nice."
"You think it's 'very nice'?"
"Yes, I think it's very nice, and I think that you and Luke are good together. You just... fit."
Lorelai smiles weakly before turning serious. She thinks for a while, collects her thoughts. "I don't... want... to hurt him."
"What?"
"Eight years of... pining. I don't want to screw everything up."
"Oh, please. You're not gunna screw everything up..."
"I wouldn't be so sure..."
"Mom, come on."
"Rory, just look at what I did to - to Max and to your dad."
"Yes, the relationship with Max... ended badly. But what happened with dad... you're not responsible for that." Lorelai just rolled her eyes. "Mom! You're not! You're being stupid."
"Hey!"
"Well, you are! And I'm not gunna stand here and listen to... this." They both sighed in frustration. "What's going on mom? Why are you acting like this?"
"I don't know..."
"Luke loves you. That should be enough."
"He doesn't love me."
"The man loves you. Accept it." Lorelai just smiles. "You need to just calm down. And take this slowly. I promise, things are gunna work out."
"How do you know?"
"Because, I know. Trust me. Luke's not going anywhere... and neither are you."
"Okay..."
Lorelai took the piece of paper from Rory, running her fingers over it.
"So, now that, that's settled, maybe we should move on to more serious things."
Lorelai grew nervous, "Uh-oh."
"Huh?"
"What did you do?"
"No, it's not about me."
"Did you mock? Steal? Kill? Set the neighbor's cat on fire?"
"Grandma called."
"What? That's so much more disappointing."
"Mom..."
"No, I'm serious. Please, allow the giant anvil to fall on my head."
"Mom..."
"When did she call?"
"Last night."
"Really?"
"Mhm."
"Well, what did she want?"
"She says she knows that you're probably playing one of your Mrs. Freeze bits, but that she wants you to come to dinner on Friday because her and Grandpa are going to Europe next Monday."
"Thank, God."
"For three weeks."
"Thank him even more."
"Mom..."
"What? I'm just saying that Grandma and Grandpa really deserve a nice, long trip to another continent. Ah, let's sing in rejoice!"
"Mom, cut it out. Are you going or not?"
"Are you going?"
"I have to go."
"Ugh!"
"So, you're not going?"
"I really don't want to go."
"Okay, now I'm not saying you have to go... I'm just saying you should go. There's no point in holding a grudge."
"Why not? It's so much fun."
She sighs in annoyance and begins to walk away. "I'm not gunna argue with you..."
"Wait. No. Fine, I'll go."
"For real?"
"But I'm not being nice."
"Whatever floats your boat."
"I'm gunna be really, really mean..."
"That's fine with me."
"I'm gunna go strategize right now." She begins to walk upstairs.
"Uh - Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"There's one more thing."
"That doesn't sound good."
"She wants Luke to come."
"What?"
"She said that as long as your in a relationship, she has the right to see the man who is 'fulfilling your needs'."
"Haha... dirty."
"Right... So, what do you think? Will Luke be up for it?"
"He definitely won't be up for it."
"Yeah, I didn't think so."
"But maybe..." slyness in her voice, "I can persuade him..."
"Okay, you do that..."
TBC