Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I have any association with the Gilmore Girls or any of its characters. Dreaming about them is a totally different thing...

Chapter 9

Lorelai groaned when she was awoken by the sound of banging on the door. She glanced at her clock. Nine thirty. Who in their right mind would come to her house and bang on the door at nine thirty on Thanksgiving? She put a pillow over her head in attempt to drown out the knocking, but it only got louder. "Go away!" Lorelai yelled.

"Open the door Lorelai," Luke yelled from the other side of the door.

"Luke? What are you doing here?"

"You invited me."

"I said lunch. I don't know what time lunch is where you come from, but around here it's twelve."

"I have to cook."

Lorelai jumped out of her bed and swung the door open. Luke stood on the other side with a box of food. "What do you mean by that?"

"I meant I have to cook."

"What if I already cooked?"

"It's nine thirty and you're still in bed. You didn't cook."

"I told you lunch was at twelve."

"Exactly. Lunch is at twelve, it's nine thirty, and you're still in bed."

"Are you applying I can't cook?"

"Can you?"

"God no."

"I thought so." Luke stepped inside and put the box down on the counter. "Preparing and cooking the turkey is gonna take a few hours, so I thought…"

"Hours? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Cleaning and stuffing the turkey is gonna take a while. It takes an hour for every ten pounds to actually cook it. Then there's the extra stuffing, the rolls, and…and you're not paying attention to me anymore are you?"

"You lost me at 'yeah'."

"Great. Well, you can go back to bed and I'll just get started over here."

"No."

"I don't know how they celebrate Thanksgiving where you're from, but around here we eat food."

"I'm not going to let you slave away in the kitchen while I sleep ten feet away. You are my guest. I'm going to help."

"You wanna help? Fine. You go get ready while I set up in here."

"Sounds good to me. Oh, before I forget, I have something for you." Lorelai ran to the refrigerator and pulled out some flowers. "Here."

"What are these for?"

"They're for you. Happy Thanksgiving."

Luke took the flowers from Lorelai and looked at them awkwardly. "What do I do with them?"

"Put them in a vase."

"I don't have a vase."

"I just gave you flowers. You need a vase."

"But I don't need a vase because I never have flowers."

"Buy a vase."

"Stop bringing me flowers."

"You're impossible."

"Right back at ya."


Richard snuck away from the group in his living room to his den. He shut the door and sat behind the desk. He wasn't sure if Lorelai was going to come to Thanksgiving dinner or not. He hadn't heard from her since she asked him to send the transfer papers to Stars Hollow. Emily was positive she'd come, but Richard just wasn't as optimistic as his wife. Optimistic didn't seem to be the right word. No. Naïve better suited his wife. Richard unlocked the desk drawer and pulled out the number his daughter had given to him in case of an emergency. He took a deep breath before dialing the seven digits printed on the paper.

Meanwhile, in Stars Hollow, Lorelai was busy giving Rory a bath while Luke put a few final touches on their lunch before the turkey was ready to eat when the phone began to ring.

"Luke, would you answer that?" Lorelai asked as she took Rory out of the tub and wrapped her in a towel.

"Me?" Luke asked, pointing to himself.

"You're the only Luke here."

"But it's your phone."

"Just answer it."

Luke sighed and walked over to the phone. He wiped his hands and picked it up. "Hello."

Richard was surprised to hear a man's voice. Perhaps he called the wrong number. "I'm sorry. I think I may have dialed the wrong phone number," he said.

"Oh. That's ok. Happy Thanksgiving sir."

"You too." They both hung up.

"Who was that?" Lorelai asked.

"Wrong number," Luke replied. He was about to go back to the kitchen when the phone began to ring. "Hello?"

Richard was confused. He was positive he dialed the right number this time. Maybe Lorelai gave him the wrong number. "Is this Lorelai Gilmore's house?" he asked.

"Yeah. Hold on." Luke lowered the receiver. "Lorelai, it's for you."

"Here. Take Rory for a minute," Lorelai said. She handed Rory to Luke. "Hello?"

"Lorelai," Richard said.

"Oh, hi Dad. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Who was the man answering the phone?"

"That? Oh, that's Luke."

"Luke?"

"Yeah. Luke."

"I see." Richard leaned back in his chair and scratched his chin. "I was just wondering what time you were coming over."

Lorelai sighed. "Daddy, I'm not coming home. I told you. It's too soon."

"Lorelai, I understand you want your freedom, but it's a holiday. We should all be together today. Just come for dinner. You can leave after dessert."

"And give Mom time to call the police to lock me in my room? I'm sorry Dad, but I'll pass. Besides, I already have plans." Lorelai looked over her shoulder at Luke who was making Rory laugh hysterically.

"Plans. With Luke."

"Yes. My plans for today happen to include Luke. He was thoughtfully enough to take time out of his schedule to cook and spend time with me and Rory."

"I see. Well, then I won't keep you any longer and let you get back to your…friend."

"Ok. I'll…I'll talk to you later." There was a silence on the phone. "Dad?"

"Yes Lorelai?"

"Happy Thanksgiving. I…I miss you."

"I miss you too." Richard smiled. "Happy Thanksgiving Lorelai. And wish Luke a happy Thanksgiving for me."

Lorelai put the phone down and let out a long sigh as she sat down on the bed. Luke put Rory in her swing and turn toward Lorelai. "Food's ready," he announced.

Lorelai stood up and walked over to the table. "Good, I'm starved," she said, half-joking.

Luke pulled out her chair for her before getting their food. He placed a plate in front of Lorelai and sat down with his. "Do you wanna give thanks?"

"Thanks?"

"Yeah. You know. A little prayer before we eat."

"You mean like saying grace?"

"Sorta. Don't you say grace at your house?"

"No. You do?"

"Yeah."

"I wouldn't know what to say."

"Just say what you're thankful for."

"Ok. I'm thankful for Rory, my job, this house despite its small size, Mia, and…you."

Luke quickly smiled, then looked down at his plate. "I'm thankful for my dad, Liz, Jess, work, not being a Native American who got their land stolen for crappy reservations, and you and Rory."

"Ok, do we eat?"

"Yes. Now, we eat." They both began to eat their food. After a few minutes of silence, Luke spoke up. "So, what was your dad asking about me?" he asked.

"What?" Lorelai asked in surprise. "How did you know he was asking about you?"

"You mentioned my name three or four times in your conversation."

"He was just asking who you were because you answered the phone. Then I told him I wasn't going home because I had plans with you."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you run away?"

Lorelai looked down at her plate again. "I just wasn't happy there. They were gonna make me marry Rory's father, live like them, live with them. I didn't want Rory to grow up in that house. My life was good, but it wasn't for me and it's not for Rory. So I packed up our things and left."

"But you still keep in touch with them?"

"Just my dad. I talked to him three times since I left to let him know we're still alive."

"Why not your mom?"

"She's the reason I left. You know, I've never heard you talk about your mom. What's she like?"

Luke froze before his gaze fell to his plate. "She was great. Very beautiful, sweet, loving, generous. She was a music teacher for ten years."

"Was? What does she do now?"

"Nothing. My mother died ten years ago of heart failure."

Lorelai nearly dropped her fork when Luke revealed that his mother had died. That's why he never talked about her. She felt like a jerk bringing it up and practically forcing him to talk about her. He must hate her right now. She felt she needed to apologize. "Luke, I'm s…"

"We better eat this food before it gets cold." He didn't want her apology. Every time someone found out about his mother, they apologized and he'd rest them for saying sorry when they didn't know what they were sorry about. He didn't want to resent her, so he stopped her.

"Yeah. Ok." They ate in silence. Lorelai looked up and watched Luke. Talking about his mom really brought him down. She reached out and put her hand on his free one. He looked up as she stared to rub his knuckles with her thumb. "Thank you," she said softly.

He smiled. "You're welcome."

She slowly pulled her hand back . "I think you brought too much turkey."

"Don't worry about it. It's only a twelve pounder. It'll last you the week. You can make sandwiches with it."

"Yeah, I know how to make a turkey sandwich."

"I guess I'll just have to come over everyday and make you one," he joked.

"You might as well move in."

"Oh yeah. Don't worry, I'll sleep in the bathtub."

"Man, that's gonna be an interesting morning shower."


Luke was about to take a customer's order when Lorelai came rushing into the diner. She grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him to the back. "What are you doing?"

"We have to talk," she stated.

"I'm working Lorelai. It's gonna have to wait." Luke walked past Lorelai and through the curtain.

"It can't wait!" Lorelai stated as she followed him behind the counter.

"Too bad."

"Luke, would you stop and listen to me for a minute?"

"I told you, I'm busy."

"Luke…" Lorelai trailed off when she saw Rory about to enter the diner. She turned to Luke who was looking through some receipts, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Luke looked at her awkwardly when they pulled apart. "What was that f…" Lorelai grabbed his chin and turned his head toward the door. "Rory!" he said, trying to cover his previous mood.

"Hi Daddy," Rory smiled as she walked behind the counter and gave him a hug.

"I thought you weren't coming home until next week."

"I wanted to surprise you guys."

"Well, you certainly gave me a surprise. I thought you'd be over at Patty's listening in on the story hour."

"I was, but there's a five minute intermission because the Benson kid got a nose bleed. I thought it would be a perfect time to visit my favorite dad."

"Well, I'm honored that you stopped by. How about a coffee cup to-go?"

"I love you."

Luke chuckled and pour Rory some coffee. "There you go sweetheart. I'll see you later."

"Ok. Bye Daddy." Rory kissed Luke on the check before heading to the door. "Come on Mom. Patty's about to start the story again."

"I'm right behind you," Lorelai smiled.

Rory watched her parents , waiting for them to hurry up and say goodbye. When Lorelai realized this, she turned to Luke. It may have been her imagination, but Rory thought she saw Luke and Lorelai force a smile and hesitate to kiss. No. That wasn't right. It had to be her imagination or her eyes. Luke and Lorelai Danes loved each other more than anyone else Rory knew. They spent twenty years together. Loving each other and raising a family together. Rory knew that. She knew it first hand. But she still couldn't help but wonder. What was going on?


Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- Luke is jealous when he sees Lorelai with other guys. When Lorelai confronts him about his behavior, Luke pushes her away. Liz talks to Lorelai about her brother. In the Present Day- Lane tells Rory about Luke's odd behavior as of late. There's a brief and awkward reunion at the diner.

A/N: I bet you can't help but wonder what's going on? Haha. I bet you're wondering who Rory brought. Is the suspense killing you? If it is, you might wanna see someone about that. JK. I haven't decided who she brought yet so I'll probably reveal it in a few chapters- when I figure it out. Lol. Oh, and for the record, yes. I AM a country music fan and its influence is oozing outta practically every chapter I write! If you haven't guess it already. Lol.