"I know you're tired, but we need to talk."
------
"Hey," Lorelai answered, reaching up to affectionately squeeze his arm, "how'd it go?"
"Fine. Good." He stood behind the couch, hesitant in a way, as if this was no longer his place.
"April--she's OK?"
"April's good."
"Looks like this one got his exercise for the week, no scratch that, make it for the month..." Lorelai turned her attention to Paul Anka for a moment, and then, in an almost-inaudible voice, asked, "She wasn't too mad, I hope?"
No answer.
Lorelai turned to Luke.
Again, no answer, just a sheepish shrug.
"So, that was Anna?"
"Yes."
"I can see where April gets her charm from..." Lorelai teased, attempting to ease the tension with some humor.
Luke was not in the mood. "We need to talk, Lorelai."
"So talk, Luke. I want to talk too."
"You first?"
"'K. Why not." Lorelai moved to the edge of the couch, told Paul Anka to scoot and go to the kitchen and get something to eat, and patted the space next to her. Luke came around and sat down, hands clasped together, elbows resting on his knees, chin resting on his hands.
Lorelai reached out and placed her hand on his thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze. This was going to be awkward enough as it was.
"So," she began, "about eloping this weekend. That IS what you were suggesting?"
"Yes."
"See, I don't think that's such a good idea."
Luke looked up in shock, surprised by her response. "But I thought you wanted to get married? You said you were worried..."
"I do want to marry you, Luke, I do. More than anything. But where is this coming from? For weeks, no, months now, you've been too overwhelmed. You told me yourself, it was too much for you. That you were dizzy…"
Luke tried to interrupt.
"No, wait. There's more. I can't begin to imagine how overwhelming it must be, finding out that you have a long-lost daughter. I mean, it's not like finding out that you have a long-lost turtle…so I understand, I really do. Remember, I'm the person who found out that she was pregnant at sixteen. I do understand about feeling overwhelmed," she stated fiercely. "But from what I see, not much has changed since you first told me that. So, talk to me..."
"I do want to marry you, Lorelai. And I thought, in Martha's Vineyard, that you were OK with eloping..."
"But Hon, you're not exactly Mr. Spontaneity. It took you eight years to get to first base with me. It took you weeks to meet with April. It took two whole months for you to tell me about April. And I understand. You don't do change well, and you certainly don't do it spontaneously."
"I know. It's just the way I am, and I don't know that I can change that."
"And?" Lorelai prompted him to continue.
"And here you were planning something huge months in advance. A chapel. Duck sausage rolls. And you know I don't believe in planning things more than a couple of days in advance...so I thought we should just go. Just suck it up and get it over with."
"Suck it up and get it over with? Now that's what every bride-to-be wants to hear her fiancé say," Lorelai attempted to shout, her voice hoarse. She tried to conceal the hurt she felt but did not quite succeed: her trembling body and teary eyes betrayed her.
Luke turned to look at her. "Aw jeez, now I've made you cry..."
Lorelai tried to wipe the traitorous tears from her eyes, but Luke stopped her.
"No, be honest. If I made you sad..."
Lorelai laughed bitterly, pointing at him. "Oh that's rich, YOU telling ME to be honest..."
Luke stopped her hand in mid-flail, and gently turned her palm upward and placed a soft penitential kiss upon it. "I'm sorry." He then looked up at her and with his other hand, slowly wiped the tears from her eyes. "I heard just about everything you said, you know."
"Heard...what?" Lorelai whispered.
"You. At the town meeting...that was a town meeting, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," Lorelai affirmed. "Yet another secret town meeting to which we weren't invited."
Luke reached over and got a tissue, held it to her nose with one hand and held her head with the other as she blew her nose.
"You heard everything?"
"Yeah. I got a call on my cell."
"But I didn't..."
"I heard you, Lorelai. I heard everything. And I am so sorry."
"That you overheard me make an ass of myself groveling in front of Taylor and the town?"
"No. No, Lorelai. I'm so proud of you. And I could kick myself for ever putting you in that position." Now Luke's voice was beginning to crack. "I didn't know..."
Now Lorelai became the comforter, softly rubbing his hand between hers. "Didn't know what?"
"You. And April...and the diner."
"I thought you didn't want me around your kid..."
"I thought you were mad that I had a kid and didn't want to be reminded of her..."
Lorelai risked a sideways glance at Luke. "But you never asked me to meet her..."
Surprise tinged Luke's voice. "But you never asked to come by when she's here..."
Lorelai sighed in frustration.
"And her mother…doesn't want to confuse her…she thinks a sudden dad is enough to deal with…without another…"
"I would never try to replace her mom, Luke, you know that…"
Luke's voice rose. "Besides, you already met her...that day...when you found out..."
"Does she even know who I am?" Lorelai interrupted.
Luke's silence spoke volumes to Lorelai.
"See Hon, this is why we can't elope tomorrow. As much as I love you, as much as I know you're the one, I can't marry someone right now who won't include me in his child's life."
Luke's silence continued.
"I know you think it's your personal issue, a private matter. But when two people get married, Luke, they need to share their lives."
"You think I don't know that?" Luke angrily retorted. "What about when you wouldn't even set a date because of Rory? You expected me to wait until you, and you alone, worked things out with Rory. Why is this any different?"
"Because I never lied to you about Rory..."
Luke had no response to that, except to bow his head.
"I'm sorry, Luke, that was a low blow..."
"No, I deserve it."
"No. I love you, and..."
"In spite of April..."
"No," Lorelai managed to laugh, "in spite of you." She leaned over and placed a kiss on his lips, and when he did not draw back from her, scooted over onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Luke hesitated a moment, then relaxing, cradled her head with his hand and kissed her. Pausing for a breath, he murmured, "Did you mean what you said?"
"Just now?" Lorelai asked, breathless, as she kissed him.
"No." Luke waited until she finished her kiss. "At the town meeting."
"Every word. I meant every word."
Luke squeezed her tightly to him. "I don't deserve you, Lorelai."
"I know," she said, laughing, her heart truly unburdened for the first time in a long while.
"I have to know..."
Lorelai interrupted him with more kisses.
"When you pulled the plug...the look on Taylor's face?"
"Priceless," Lorelai answered.
------
Some time later, Lorelai rubbed her cheek against Luke's shoulder and smiled against it. They had made their way up the stairs to their bedroom and then made love. Luke had promptly fallen asleep after their desperately frenzied lovemaking. Lorelai, though, remained awake, energized by her renewed sense of connection with Luke, and the renewed sense of hope she was feeling. She replayed their lovemaking in her mind, amazed at just how much Luke had heard her say at the town meeting, and thrilled at the way he showed his gratitude. For the first time in many weeks, she'd felt truly free and she'd noticed a difference in Luke as well. That string connecting her heart to his? No longer loose.
So here she was, in bed with a gloriously naked, sleeping Luke. 'He's in my bed, not Anna's, she reminded herself. 'Just keep remembering he loves me.' Pressing a soft kiss against his shoulder, Lorelai let her lips wander down his arm to his tattoo. She placed a kiss in the center of the pattern, then moistened the tip of her tongue and slowly used it to trace her way around it. First one way, then the other, she slowly traced her way around the intriguing pattern.
The sensations she caused never failed to wake him up.
"Happy?" Luke sleepily whispered, pulling her close to him.
"Mmmhmm," Lorelai purred, "nothing like make-up sex."
"I hate fighting."
"Me too."
"About tomorrow," Luke began, "I guess it's too late to elope now..."
Lorelai took charge. "Sit up. Seriously."
"Where are you going?" Luke responded as he sat up in bed.
Lorelai walked over to her dresser, and picked up a pad of paper and pencil.
"Not that I'm not enjoying the view," Luke smirked as his nude fiancée walked back to their bed, "but what the..."
He held the covers back for her, and adjusted them as she sat up against the pillows.
"This worked once before. I know you're not a list guy, but I seem to remember one time when you made a list."
"I made a list?"
"Yes sir. You," she poked him in the chest, "made a list. Do the words 'I draw the line at pirates' bring back any memories?"
Luke chuckled, remembering the first time they'd made love.
"So, I think the only way to solve this wedding date problem is to make a list of what you and April need before you can commit to a date."
Luke once again felt overwhelmed by his feelings for this woman. That she would consider the needs of his kid just about put him in the mood to watch that Brian Piccolo movie.
"Luke...Luke? You still with me?" he heard Lorelai demand.
Lorelai waved the pencil at him. "OK, so we'll make a list, and then we'll sleep on it, well not on top of it, but sleep and then we'll look at it and see if there's anything I can do and what you can do and what other people like..."
"Anna..." Luke supplied.
"...can do." Lorelai kissed Luke on the shoulder. "And then we'll look at it like once a week and see how we're doing. Start writing, Burger Boy..."
She handed him the notepad and pencil, and headed for the closet. Pulling on a robe, she tied it and headed downstairs.
------
Next: Paul Anka owns up.