Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Warner Brothers or Dorothy Parker Drank Here or anyone else attached in any way with Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 15 – And All the King's Men

Lorelai is sitting in her car feeling good about herself or at least better than she has felt in some time. It is amazing how one tiny act of defiance can empower the return of ones sense of confidence. Lorelai hasn't felt confident about anything for a long time.

She wonders what happened to the woman she use to be. What happened to the woman who defied convention and her parents to forge a new life for herself and her daughter? The woman who challenged the business world and (along with Sookie) established the Dragonfly as a premier Inn in New England?

That woman began to fade sometime after her daughter ran away from her and she completely disappeared after Luke found out that he is father. Suddenly Lorelai had become the type of woman that she always mocked, a woman that let others make decisions for her and accepted those decisions without comment.

But that wimpy woman isn't the real Lorelai. The real Lorelai had always made her own decisions and willing accepted the consequences of those decisions.

"Well," she thinks to herself, "that woman is back. From now on, I will decide how I am going to live my life. If Luke or Rory don't like it, they can just walk away."

Harsh rhetoric for such a small victory. Deep down she knows that Luke, Rory, and Sookie were only trying to watch out for her and the baby. They probably thought their little maneuver was cute and funny. Her reaction undoubtedly caught them off guard.

Lorelai suddenly found herself laughing about it. It was kind of an over the top reaction, but at the time the whole coffee thing had just really pissed her off. All they had to do is talk to her if they wanted her to stop drinking coffee all together. She might have agreed (or not), but no, they decided to manipulate her into giving up coffee. She hates being manipulated.

They don't respect her enough to try talking with her. They all see her as a precocious child needing to be nurtured and protected, someone incapable of making a rational decision.

Well, she showed them who is in control of her life. Even Luke gave her coffee without a verbal protest when she stood up to their little ploy.

Rory must have called Luke to warn him because he definitely was ready for her when she arrived. Now that she thinks about it, the whole incident was kind of funny. He didn't say anything but his look told her everything. He did not approve of her coffee drinking (duh, like he hadn't made that clear for the past decade) but he isn't going to stop her if she is intent on killing herself.

Actually, she kind of liked it when he acted like her protector, she just didn't like it when he made decisions without consulting her. That's how they got in the mess to begin with.

He decided that she couldn't have contact with his daughter. He decided she would know nothing about his relationship with Anna. He got to decide when and if they are to be married.

Now, he is deciding that she and April should have contact. Everything is his decision. No more.

"Wow," she exclaims to herself, "from euphoric to rage in two seconds. Maybe it is pregnancy hormones."

Suddenly Lorelai is really hungry and her stomach is beginning to hurt. "Okay, maybe coffee is not such a good idea on an empty stomach when you are pregnant." she concludes.

Now she starts thinking about the meal that Sookie prepared which is still waiting for her inside. Eating is sounding awfully good right now. Besides, she knows that she has made her point with all of the members of the triumvirate, Rory, Sookie, and Luke. She figures they won't try to treat her like an imbecile any more just because she pregnant.

Rory and Sookie are sitting in the kitchen, waiting. Rory was right when she predicted that Lorelai was going to Luke's to get coffee. As soon as Lorelai left the diner, Luke called Rory to tell her thanks for the warning and that Lorelai is probably on her way back home.

When Lorelai walks in the kitchen, she is all smiles. That reassures both Rory and Sookie. One thing about Lorelai, she doesn't hold grudges. She might be a little emotional right now but she is still Lorelai.

Nonchalantly, Lorelai joins them at the table and Sookie begins to serve up the breakfast. No one speaks about the coffee incident and the atmosphere at the table soon turns light and happy. Good food with good friends makes a happy meal.

Sookie wants to know all about the pregnancy and the baby. Lorelai admits that since she hasn't seen the doctor yet, she is only guessing that the baby is due in early February. Sookie gets a big chuckle off of the tomato juice story but makes a mental note to tell Jackson to provide her and Luke with an ample supply of his tomatoes for the next few months.

When they are all finished eating, Rory gets up and excuses herself, explaining that she needs to get to work. She lets Lorelai know that she will probably be working into the early hours of the morning again.

Lorelai starts to complain that this job is forcing Rory to work too many hours but then she stops herself. Remembering that she and Rory just spent almost 4 weeks in the mountains together and that this job is important for Rory's career, Lorelai realizes that she must just accept this as part of Rory's new life. Lorelai simply smiles at Rory and wishes her a good day at work.

She begins wondering how she will deal with her feelings when Rory graduates and starts out on her life as a foreign correspondent or whatever. Post graduation she may only be able to see Rory occasionally for visits and holidays. How will she cope?

Sookie notices the shadow of sadness that falls over Lorelai's face as Rory leaves for work. "It's kind of tough watching her leave and start out on her own life, isn't it? I mean, she's little Rory to us but she's now all grown up Rory and making her own separate life. It's hard to let her go."

Then Sookie turns to Lorelai and smiles, "But now you have Luke and" Sookie pats Lorelai's belly, "this one, so you aren't alone."

"Yeah, I do." Lorelai replies without conviction.

"So when's the wedding? You will want it soon so you don't look all fat and pregnant in the pictures." Then slyly Sookie adds, "How about July 4, Independence Day? Everyone in town will be gathering at the square for the fireworks, we can just add a wedding to the celebration."

Lorelai snorts, "I'm not squeezing a wedding in between the town's fireworks display."

"Okay, it was just a thought. So when is the big day?"

Lorelai gets up and starts to carry the dirty dishes to the sink. "I don't know."

Sookie, who is very accustomed to Lorelai's evasive tactics whenever she is uncomfortable with a topic of conversation, suddenly senses that Lorelai is trying to avoid this discussion. Sookie pushes, "Lorelai, what's going on? Why haven't you and Luke set a date? Don't tell me that he's still wants to postpone the wedding? I mean, you're pregnant and it's his baby. It is his baby?"

"Of course it's his baby."

"Well, you did run off and go to Christopher. I mean, you two do have a history."

Indignant (and a little embarrassed), Lorelai adamantly defends her reputation, "Nothing happened with Christopher. I am so over Christopher, I wish everyone would just understand that he is only a friend. I just went to him because I needed to get away."

Honestly hurt, Sookie reproaches Lorelai, "You could have come to me. I am always here for you."

Lorelai turns and hugs Sookie. "Oh honey, I know that but I couldn't go to you that night. I just couldn't face you. You have Jackson and Davey and Martha and the perfect life. I couldn't bear to see that. You have everything that I will never have and it just hurts too much."

"What are you talking about? You have Rory and Luke and now this little one." Sookie points to her belly. "You have it all; a daughter that loves you dearly, a man that would crawl naked over broken glass for you and now a new baby."

"Yeah, right."

"Okay Lorelai, what's going on?"

"Nothing, nothing is going on. Everything is perfect."

"Lorelai?"

"Sookie, it's fine. It is just everything is a little complicated right now."

"Oh no Lorelai, you are not going to pull that again! Do not run away."

"What are you talking about? I'm not running anywhere," then under her breathe, "though maybe I should."

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore, you do this every time. I am not letting you screw this up again."

"I'm not screwing anything up or maybe I am! I don't know anymore. It's too complicated. I don't know what's right or wrong. Maybe I shouldn't have come back. It would have been so much easier if I just disappeared."

"Okay, remember when I said that you were acting crazy. This is what I meant. You are definitely acting crazy now."

"I am not crazy. I am being sensible and practical. It would have been better for Luke if I had never come back. Then everything would have been simpler for him. It would have been just him and April and Anna."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm just saying that now Luke has two different baby Mamas to deal with. If I hadn't come back he would only have Anna and April and they could have made a family together. I'm just a complication."

"Okay, crazy now! You are completely insane. You keep talking like that we will have to be commit you to some fancy asylum. Do you know that is where the entire town thinks you were for the last month? Maybe they are right, you are nuts. Why would you say such a thing? Why would you even think such a thing? Luke adores you, only you. Where are all of these Luke and Anna and April thoughts coming from? "

"I don't know. It's just that, you know, I've finally met her, Anna. She's nice and a lot like me. She's bringing up April a lot like I raised Rory. She thinks like me. She even looks like me except shorter. It got me thinking. Here's April and her mother and Luke. They would make a good family. Maybe that's what they should do. April needs her father and Luke and Anna together would give her stability."

Exasperated, Sookie grabs Lorelai and starts dragging her towards the door. "Okay, you are officially off of your rocker; you have flown over the cuckoo's nest. I'm taking you to Luke so you can tell him your crazy thoughts. Maybe he can talk some sense into you."

"No, Sookie, think about it. Luke got so confused after he met April and he kept saying everything is so complicated. I couldn't understand it then, but now it makes sense. He is engaged to me so, yeah, big commitment but then he finds out about April so new even bigger commitment. Then he starts talking to Anna because of April and maybe those old feelings started to reignite. So then it becomes really complicated."

"Whoa, Lorelai, you're mind is so far removed from reality right now that it is in another country, another world, hell, another galaxy. Where would you ever get such an idea? Did Luke ever say or do anything to make you think he is still interested in Anna?"

"He described her as very down to earth and that he trusts her. How can he trust her and not me? I didn't keep his child from him."

"Oh honey, I think you must have misunderstood him. What else did he tell you about her?"

"That's all he ever told me but it but I think it makes his feelings pretty clear."

"Clear how? He uses the same terms to describe his friend Ed and don't tell me you think he should spend the rest of his life with Ed. Luke loves only you."

Suddenly a strange look appeared on Lorelai's face, sort like she is surrendering. "Well, maybe that's not enough. Or maybe he doesn't love me enough or I am just too much work to marry. You know, not everyone can be married. Some people are just destined to be alone."

Sookie gives Lorelai a big hug and says, "You are really crazy. Luke wants you, you have to believe that. Everything he does proclaims over and over how much he wants you. Why can't you see that?"

Sookie stayed with Lorelai until she said that she was tired and wanted to nap. Sookie hated it but she had to leave. She promised Jackson to be home by one to take the kids. It is now almost two.

Still, she has one more stop to make before she goes home. She is already late so a few more minutes late won't make Jackson any more angry than he already is.

Sookie walks into Luke's. The place is nearly empty now that the after the church crowd is gone. She walks up to Luke and says, "We need to talk."

Luke motions for her to go upstairs to his apartment. He knows this is going to be a private type talk and he also suspects that he isn't going to like what she will say. After all, she used the universal female warning words, "We need to talk." Nothing good ever follows that phrase.

Luke follows Sookie upstairs and lets her in. Sookie looks around since this is the first time that she has ever been in his apartment. Somehow it looks exactly like she thought it would look.

Luke motions for her to take a seat but Sookie declines.

"Luke, I don't have much time. I need to get home before Jackson kills me but I think I need to talk with you or maybe I shouldn't. I don't know what to do. I hate to butt in to people's personal business because I really don't have good people skills. So I didn't butt in before, even though I could see that you were killing Lorelai but she convinced me that she was handling it and everything was okay and you know that she can be pretty convincing when she wants to be, so I didn't. But now I think maybe I should have."

Luke is not completely sure that he understood anything that Sookie said but he isn't going to interrupt her. She seems to be on a flow.

"Okay, you do know that Lorelai is crazy right now? I mean pregnancy hormones make you really looney, just ask Norman Mailer. Anyway, she has sort of convinced herself that you should marry Anna so you and April will have a real family. Also, she is convinced that she is destined never to marry."

Luke stares at Sookie with the weirdest look on his face. He looks like he has no idea what she just said or maybe like she was speaking another language. Sookie is certain she spoke English to him.

So she finally asks, "You do still want to marry Lorelai, don't you?"

That registers with Luke and he replies, "More than anything; yes."

"Well, what are you going to do about it?

"Sookie, did you just say that Lorelai thinks I should marry Anna? Why?

"Because she crazy, I told you that. Plus, she had always had this idea in her head of the perfect family, you know, Momma, Daddy and baby. She hung on to that idea with Christopher for years. She tried so many times to make it work with him except for two pesky little problems. One, she never really loved him and two, real life Christopher just doesn't live up to her fantasy of him. He is handsome and charming but kind of weak and irresponsible. Christopher is more like a boy than man and Lorelai doesn't need a boy for a partner. It would have never worked and deep down she always knew it. She just had trouble letting go of the fantasy."

"So now, she's transferred that fantasy to you. She has now convinced herself that you and Anna should be together so you can make the perfect family for April. Besides, you told her that Anna is really down to earth and that you trust her."

Luke, still sort of in shock, asks, "I told her what? That Anna is down to earth and I trust her. Well, I guess maybe I said something like that but I didn't mean anything by it. Why would Lorelai think that?'

Sookie looked at him with annoyance, "Did you forget the part where I said that she is crazy? So what else did you tell Lorelai about Anna?"

Luke trying desperately to prove to Sookie that he never in anyway indicated that he cares for Anna, "I never told Lorelai anything about Anna. I purposely never talked about Anna."

"Okay, that explains it."

Luke is now totally confused. "What?"

"Luke, you're thinking like a man, you need to think like a woman. You start having a relationship with your ex-girlfriend…"

Luke interrupts, "I am not having a relationship with Anna."

"Luke, you are, you may not admit it, but you are. You're meeting with her and talking with her. It may not be a romantic relationship but it is still a relationship. You never defined it to Lorelai, so naturally being a woman, Lorelai will define it in her head. If the only thing you ever tell her about Anna is that you trust her and she's down to earth, both very positive attributes, I can see why Lorelai might see it rekindling into a romance."

Luke stares at Sookie. Women's minds are still a mystery to him. It had never occurred to him that Lorelai would ever think that he is interested in Anna. Even back when he dated Anna, he wasn't that involved. Now he has to see Anna only because of April but he doesn't care for her, hell he doesn't really trust her. My god, she kept his daughter a secret from him for twelve years.

Luke finally response to Sookie, "But it not true, Sookie. None of it. I don't think of Anna like that. Lorelai is it for me, no one else. I don't care about Anna except that she's April mother. That's all."

"I believe you, but it's not me that you have to persuade. Oh, and don't forget that Lorelai is now convince that she is destined to be alone."

"So what do I do?"

"Honestly Luke, I don't know. Talk to her. Share your feelings about Anna with her. Show Lorelai that you love her, want only her. You're going to have to win her back."

Sookie turns to leave and adds, " She wants to believe in the 'you and she together forever' fantasy but she's just afraid. So okay and good luck! Ooh, I hope Jackson is not too mad!"

With that, Sookie heads home to listen to Jackson rant at her.

Lorelai has been resting on the sofa. She told Sookie she wanted to nap but really she was just tired of talking and thinking. Now resting is getting boring and there is nothing good on TV.

She considers watching a movie but even that sounds boring. Looking around the house she realizes that there are still piles of clothing left to be washed. Evidently Rory or possibly Luke did some of the laundry because there are now also piles of clean folded clothes.

Lorelai looks through the C:D collection and inserts "Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not" by the Artic Monkeys into the player. It seems to fit her mood, so she cranks up the sound.

With the rhythm of the music to motivate her, she puts one of the piles of unwashed clothes in the washer and begins to put away the folded clothes. As she hangs up some outfits in her closet, she becomes distracted by its messy appearance. Next thing she knows, she has emptied the entire contents of her closet onto her bed and is sorting and organizing her wardrobe.

For the next few hours, Lorelai is emerged in a frenzy of coordinating and straightening out her closet. It is hard work but she is totally into the project. So much so, that she doesn't hear the knock at the front door or the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Therefore, it isn't surprising that she leaps four feet in the air when she hears the familiar greeting, "Hey, Lore."

Luke is anxious. He really needs to talk to Lorelai but he can't leave the diner. Caesar has the day off and right now Luke is working all alone. Lane will be in this afternoon to help with the supper crowd but right now it is just him.

He had tried to call Lorelai a little while ago but the phone went to the answering machine. That could mean that she is out or it might mean that she is screening her calls. If she is there but just not picking up the phone, then that probably means that she is still pissed at him over the coffee.

Wow, Lorelai was really fuming when she came into the diner earlier. Their little scheme to try to get her to stop drinking coffee had really backfired. She definitely was not amused.

Rory explained to him that Lorelai had taken their little joke the wrong way. Instead of seeing it as a cute and endearing ploy to get her stop drinking coffee, she saw it a manipulative tactic to control her life, shades of her mother's years of maneuvers to control Lorelai's life. Talk about hitting a hot button!

Lane is expected to come in to work around four. He figures that he can take a short break and run over to Lorelai's to bring her some food and an apology. Then he can get a sense of her mood and find out if he is welcome to come over after work or not.

Geez, he smiles to himself, Lorelai sure is a lot of work but he for one, has always enjoyed work.

Lorelai was so startled by Christopher's sudden appearance at her bedroom door that she literally threw a pile of clothes into the air in fear.

"Christopher, my god, what are you doing here? You scared me half do death!"

"Sorry Lore, I knocked but you have the tunes cranked up so loud, I guess you couldn't hear."

"So you just walked in?" Lorelai knew that sounded a little sulky but she had been having a good time in her own zone and he had disturbed her.

Chris teases her and asks if a hurricane struck Stars Hallow. She merely smirks at him as she leads him downstairs and out of her bedroom.

"What are you doing in the Hallow?" she asks.

"Well, I dropped GiGi at her grandmother's for the day and thought I would visit the Gilmore girls."

"I wished you would have called."

"I did call." He looks toward the answering machine with its blinking red light. "I never heard back from you so I thought that I would take a chance and just stop by. It turns out that I am lucky."

"Lucky? Well if you would have waited for a return call, you would have found out that Rory is working today. So your luck is kind of off today."

Chris smiles charmingly, "I am still lucky, you are here."

Suddenly Lorelai is a little uncomfortable. Yes, Chris has been a good friend and really came through for her recently (for the first time, she added) but that didn't change the status of their relationship. Obviously, the time has come to set Christopher straight on this subject.

She motions for him to sit down on the sofa. She sits at the opposite end and turns to face him. "Chris, that's sweet but I wasn't planning for any visitors today." Looking up towards her bedroom, she continues, "I'm kind of in the middle of a project."

"Take a break and let me take you out to dinner, Lore. That mess upstairs will be here when you get back. Come on out and play with me."

Just then, there's a knock at the front door. Sighing with frustration Lorelai gets up to get the door.

Sookie sees Miss Patty sitting in Luke's as she leaves. Realizing that the plans for the surprise July 4 wedding will never work, Sookie knows that she needs to tell the group as soon as possible. That way, they will have a chance to try to work out another plan.

Sookie's problem is how to convince that Miss Patty that the plan won't work because: a) Lorelai is definitely not at all receptive to sharing her wedding with an Independence Day celebration and b) no alcohol can be involved because of Lorelai's pregnancy but since no one is suppose to know about the baby yet, Sookie can't tell anyone why there can't be any alcohol.

Sookie decides that she has to figure this out before she talks with Miss Patty. So she just smiles at her as she leaves to go home.

Lorelai opens the door to see Luke standing on her porch. He is holding a large take-out bag along with a large drink and if her sense of smell is correct, and it always is, that cup contains coffee. He has a sheepish shy grin and a contrite demeanor that tells her he is apologizing for the little coffee plot he endorsed early in the day and he is sorry that it upset her.

Luke searches Lorelai's face when she first opens the door to see if he can determine her current frame of mind towards him. His fears are dispelled when her face lights up and rewards him with her warmest smile. She looks genuinely happy to see him.

No words are spoken but their communication is clear. If anyone ever questioned the love between this two, the look shared between them at this moment would end any speculation.

Lorelai, momentary forgetting who is on the sofa, opens the door wider as an invitation for Luke to come in.

Luke shakes his head and says, "I wish I could, but Lane is alone in the diner. I just brought you a little something to eat." Then, a little more uncertain, he smiles, "Maybe latter tonight?"

Lorelai concurs, "Definitely tonight." Then, as she takes the food and leans in to kiss him, she hears footsteps. "Shit!" thinks Lorelai.

Christopher, left sitting alone on the sofa, gets curious to see who is at the door, so he saunters into the entry hall. The surprise reflected on his face is no where near as startling as the one on Luke's face when Christopher moves into view.

Luke's face clearly telegraphs his reaction. Lorelai watches as his face transforms from soft and loving to confused, followed by angry and then finally it becomes undecipherable. His eyes which were warm are now cold.

She tries to explain, "He just showed up. I didn't invite him over."

Luke looks at Lorelai and tries to sort out his feelings. Christopher always brings out a feeling of rage in him.

Luke had known the Gilmore girls for five or six years before Christopher first bothered to visit Stars Hallow. When Christopher first walked into diner, Luke recognized the type immediately. Christopher is a weak man who is skating along in life on charm and good looks.

Luke could tell that there is nothing of substance below this GQ façade, that Christopher is just an irresponsible and immature jerk. He had met guys like Christopher all of his life and usually simply ignored them, but it is hard for him to ignore Christopher because he is Rory's father and Lorelai's first love.

He had begun hating Christopher long before he ever set eyes on him. Luke had overheard Lorelai and Rory talking about Christopher often enough to classify the guy as a deadbeat.

Over the years Luke had watched while Christopher disappointed and ignored Rory time and time again. He saw how Christopher had used and confused Lorelai, yet she always seemed to welcome him back. Though Luke rarely saw the guy, his foot itches to kick Christopher's ass every time he does see him.

At the vow renewal, Luke had walked away before he completely lost control and thrashed Christopher's ass completely. It was Christopher's words that night along with Lorelai's previous blind forgiveness of this jerk that drove Luke away.

Last fall when he had heard Christopher's voice on Lorelai's phone, Luke had totally lost control again. But this time, Lorelai and Luke talked about the issue and she had sworn that her relationship with Christopher only revolved around Rory. He accepted that.

When Lorelai confessed that she had gone to Christopher after that horrible night last month, Luke's old insecurities and hatred resurfaced but this time his logic overrode his emotional response. He listened to Lorelai and believed her when she said that she did not want Christopher, that she wants him.

He does trust Lorelai even if he doesn't trust Christopher. Maybe this is his chance to prove that he believes in Lorelai and he believes in their relationship.

Luke takes a cleansing breath before he speaks, "Okay, I mean it is your house and you can spend time with whoever you want.. ' He stops and closes his eyes, taking another deep breath. "I'm sorry that sounded patronizing and supercilious and that's not what I mean." Looking sincerely deep into her eyes, he continues, "I trust you. I believe in us." He takes another breathe before asking, "You still want me to come over after I close the diner?"

Lorelai smiles and leans in to kiss Luke lovingly. Then she whispers, "Yes, I definitely want you to come back. I promise we will talk…" then her smile turns very seductive as she holds up the food, she adds, "and I'll thank you properly for my dinner."

Luke smiles and heads back to the diner.

Lorelai takes her own cleansing breath before she closes the door and faces Christopher. The time has definitely come to have that serious discussion with Chris and finally define the boundaries of their relationship.

(Tbc)