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 26-The Cannoli
Present Day
"Stop it," Luke barked at Jackson from the ground behind the stove.
"What?" Jackson asked innocently.
"You're moving the flashlight."
"I am not."
"The light's not staying in the same place. You're moving the damn flashlight."
"Whatever. I'll try not to move." Jackson mumbled an apology and tried to stay still. Two minutes later, Jackson's hand twitched and the light moved causing Luke's tool to slip from it's place and cut his hand.
"God damn it!" Luke yelled. He dropped the tool and got to his feet, holding his bloody hand. "I told you not to move the light!"
"My hand was cramping!"
"Yeah, well, now mine is bleeding!" Luke wrapped his hand in a rag. "Jesus Christ! My eight year old son could hold a friggin' flashlight steady!"
"Well maybe you should have asked him to hold it!"
"I would have if I had the choice!"
"Hey, what's all the yelling about in here?" Lorelai asked as she and Sookie walked into the kitchen. She spotted the rag wrapped around Luke's hand and the bits of blood seeping through. "Oh my God, Luke! What happened to your hand?" She walked over to him and removed the towel, flinching at the sight of the deep wound in the middle of his palm.
"Apparently Jackson thought we were making shadow puppets instead of fixing your stove."
"Is the stove fixed?" Sookie asked.
"Gee Sookie, does this tell you anything?" Luke held up his hand so Sookie could see the gash.
"Ah! Stop it! Put that away!" Sookie yelled. "Jackson, what did you do?"
"It was an accident. He was the one that compared me to an eight year old child."
"I cut myself with a screwdriver! At least Mikey can hold a flashlight still," Luke said. Jackson was about to say something, but was interrupted when Michel walked in.
"Lorelai, there is a ch…oh my God!" Michel yelled when he saw Luke's hand. He shut his eyes and looked away. "That cannot be sanitary!"
"Ok, so maybe something good came outta this," Luke smiled.
"Alright mister," Lorelai said putting her hands on Luke's shoulders from behind and leading him to the door. "We need to get that cleaned up. Maybe we should take you to the doctor."
"I don't like doctors."
"Yeah, but you might need stitches and a shot."
"I don't like shots."
"Your hand could get infected and then we'll have to cut it off. How would you like that?"
"I just came in here to tell Lorelai that the small child her to see her," Michel stated.
"A small child came to the inn looking for me?"
"Yes. The one that looks like the bleeding lumberjack."
"You mean Mikey, my son?"
"Whatever. He is here and he is staring at me."
"Shoot. I forgot he got out of school early. Sookie, can you take Luke to the hospital for me?"
"Sorry Lorelai, but I have to get dinner ready and with the stove acting funny, it's going to take twice as long," Sookie said sympathetically. "Hey! What about Jackson?"
"What about Jackson?" Jackson asked.
"Why don't you take Luke to the hospital?"
"No, no, no," Luke said. "I am not getting in a car with him."
"It's him or Michel babe," Lorelai said. Luke just sighed. "I thought so. Now go. Your hand is grossing me out."
Luke and Jackson exited using the back door so Mikey wouldn't see his father's hand and freak out. Once in the car and on the road, the two men sat in silence. "I didn't mean to move the light," Jackson said suddenly.
"I didn't mean to compare you to Mikey," Luke said.
"Can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Why aren't we friends anymore?"
"You know why," Luke said as he looked down at his hand.
"It's been twenty years. Just because Kevin…"
"Let's just get to the hospital," Luke interrupted, not wanting to get into this conversation again- especially not with Jackson. "I don't wanna bleed to death in your truck." Jackson nodded and drove in silence. Luke applied more pressure on his hand, hoping the pain would make him pass out.
1985
"Lorelai?" William called as he walked into the house. Luke had given Lorelai a copy of the house key since she and Rory were always there anyway. He also wanted to show her how serious he was about their relationship. He walked over to the play pen as he passed through the livingroom. He smiled at Rory, who had just woken up. He picked her up and carried her to the kitchen with him. "Lorelai."
Lorelai turned around at the sound of William's voice. "Ah jeez. I didn't hear you come in," she said, startled.
"'Ah jeez'? You're spending far too much time with my son. This little one was awake so I picked her up. I hope that's alright."
"Oh, of course. She loves spending time with you."
"The feeling is mutual. So, what's this big emergency I needed to rush over here for?"
"Well, I was hoping you can help me with something."
William put Rory in the swing and sat at the table. "I'm listening."
"I wanted to cook Luke dinner." William looked up at her skeptically. "I know what you're thinking. Just let me finish. This weekend, Luke was telling me about his favorite foods and I got the idea to cook him a special dinner with some of those dishes."
"I'm not much of a cook. That's Luke's thing around here. Lorelai, I wish I could help, but…"
"But you're the only one that can help! I can't ask Luke or it won't be much of a surprise. And you're the only person in town that knows this recipe. Please Dad, it's really important to me that I do this for Luke."
William stared at Lorelai in shock. "Um, Lorelai, did you call me…uh…dad?"
"Oh," Lorelai said, realizing she had called him dad. "I'm sorry William. I didn't mean to…"
William raised his hand to silence her. "It's alright. Actually, it felt right. Don't you think?"
Lorelai smiled. "Yeah. It did."
"Alright sweetie, what do you need help with?"
"Just one recipe. I got the other stuff pretty much down with Sookie's help."
"Here, let me take a gander at it." Lorelai handed William the recipe card. His breath was caught in his throat. He recognized the handwriting immediately and ran his fingers over the words, seeing her face in his mind. "Lana," he whispered.
"I know this was your wife's specialty. It's one of Luke's favorite and I'd like to at least try to make it for him. I love your son and with all that he's done for me and Rory, I just want to do something special for him. It's the least I can do. So, can you help me Dad?"
"You know, this recipe has been in my family for many, many, many years. It came all the way from Italy. My mother taught Lana how to cook the chicken cannoli and she said to me, 'William, marry this girl.' And I did. Lana made the best chicken cannoli anyone had ever tasted. When Luke was three or four, Lana taught him how to make this. It was the first thing he learned to cook. This is a very special recipe to me and to Luke." William looked up at Lorelai. "The first thing you'll want to do is make sure you have all the ingredients."
Lorelai smiled. "I do. Sookie and I had to look all over town to get it all, but it's all here."
"Alright. Now, you see this cup? This is for measuring the liquids. And those little scoopy things are for measuring the solid food." William helped Lorelai through the cooking process. While they waited for the cannoli to finish, William thought it would be a good opportunity to ask her a few questions. "So Lorelai, you've never told me anything about your parents."
"What did you want to know?"
"Well, what do they do?"
"Mom's in the DAR…" William gave her a 'what's the DAR?' look. "Daughters of the American Revolution. And Dad works for an insurance firm."
"You didn't get along with them? Well, of course you didn't. Then you wouldn't be here."
"It was more of my mom I couldn't stand. She's so demanding. Everything has to perfect. It really irritated me. Dad's a behind the scenes kinda guy. He worked a lot, but every now and then we had our moments. When I was little, I used to sit in his study with him and read. All the toys that I got as a kid I was allowed to play with- the ones Mom didn't know about- were from him. And when I was like ten, I told him I wanted to go to Yale just like him. I even hung his diploma in my room. I can still remember the look in his eyes when I said that. He was so happy. I think that was the last time I made him happy." Lorelai looked down at her hands as she thought of her father. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and stood, looking away from William. "I should check on the food."
"Has Luke met them?"
"No, but he wants to."
"So do I. What did you say their names were again?"
"Richard and Emily."
"From Hartford?"
"Yup."
William laughed to himself.Richard Gilmore of Hartford, who worked for an insurance firm, was Lorelai's father. I knew it, William thought to himself. He knew there was something oddly familiar about Richard.
"Something wrong Dad?" Lorelai asked.
"Huh? Oh no," William replied. "So, how's the cannoli?"
Present Day
Lorelai stood at the bottom of the stairs as she stared at Mikey, who was sitting contently in front of the TV watching Fairly Odd Parents. Mikey had always been a quiet boy, but he had gotten even quieter after Danny's death. Mikey loved his little brother deeply. Just as there was a bond between sisters, there was one between brothers. In the short time Danny was in his life, he connected with him on a level no one ever could. Mikey still wasn't old enough to completely understand what had happened to his baby brother. All he knew was he wasn't a big brother and he was back to being the baby.
Lorelai walked into the livingroom and sat on the couch. "Hey sweetie," she said warmly to her son. Mikey just looked over his shoulder at his mom. "Whatcha doin'?" Mikey blinked a few times before turning back to the TV. He wasn't ignoring Lorelai, although his silence said otherwise. Lorelai wasn't ready to give up just yet. "This is a funny cartoon." Mikey nodded. "Have you seen this episode already?" Another nod. "Good. Then I want you to turn the TV off and come to the kitchen."
Mikey turned his head again and raised a brow. "Why?" he asked.
"Because I want to teach you something."
"In the kitchen?"
"Yes. In the kitchen." Mikey just stared at Lorelai. "Mikey, do not stare at me like that. I thought you'd like to do something with your mother, but I guess I was wrong. I'll just have to wait for Jess to get home and I can teach him."
Lorelai got up and headed to the kitchen. She knew that Mikey would come running to see what she had wanted to teach him. He loved Jess, but he got jealous of his cousin when either of his parents wanted to talk to or spend time with him, which was actually becoming a familiar sight.
"Mom!" Mikey whined. "I don't want you to teach Jess!"
"But you don't want Mommy to teach you remember?"
"No! I do! I want you to teach me, not Jess."
"I don't know…"
"Mom!"
"Ok, ok. I'll teach you."
"Good," Mikey smiled. "What are you teaching me?"
Lorelai smiled and took out her keys. She walked over to the counter and unlock what was supposed to be a liquor cabinet- but held very little liquor bottles- and pulled out a box. She opened the box and pulled out a stack of index cards. "Mikey, we're going to cook cannoli."
1985
When Luke got home later that day, he had gotten the surprise of a lifetime. Lorelai, his Lorelai, had made him dinner. He was wary at first, but Lorelai insisted the food was edible. He sat at the table, that was so nicely set, and sat across from Lorelai as they ate salad. Then came the crucial part: the cannoli. Luke was surprised when she took it out of the oven where it had been kept warm.
"Lorelai, what's this?" he asked as he stared at the food on his plate.
"Chicken cannoli," she replied.
"Chicken cannoli?"
"Yeah. You said it was your favorite."
"I know that, but how did you know how to make this?"
"I used your mom's recipe. I hope that's ok."
Luke looked down at the cannoli and then back up at Lorelai and smiled. "Yeah. It's ok." He sighed and picked up his fork. "You made my mother's cannoli."
"I tried to make your mother's cannoli. It's probably nothing like it."
"Let's see about that." He cut a piece off and picked it up with his fork. He took a deep breath and put it in his mouth. "Oh…my God!" he exclaimed a few seconds later.
"What? Is it bad?" Lorelai asked. "Urgh! I knew I screwed it up. Here. You don't have to eat the rest. I'll just throw it out."
"No!" he said after finishing th food in his mouth. He blocked her from taking his plate. "That was a good 'oh my God.' Lorelai, this cannoli is amazing!"
"It is? You're not lying just to make me feel better are you?"
"No, seriously Lorelai. This…this is amazing! If you don't believe me, taste it yourself."
Luke cut off a piece for Lorelai and put it in her mouth. "I made that!"
"Yes," Luke laughed. He put the plate down and pulled Lorelai into his arms. "It's amazing and so are you. Thank you for doing this." He placed a kiss on her lips.
"Your dad helped me with the cannoli."
"Really?"
"Yup. And he said to give to you." Lorelai pulled a note out of her pocket and handed it to Luke.
Luke took a step back and opened it. Inside were four simple words: Luke, marry this girl.
Present Day
Lorelai smiled as she watched her son happily finish his cannoli. They were doing a test run before making more for dinner. "This is good," Mikey remarked.
"And now you can brag that you helped make it," Lorelai smiled.
"I think this is my new favorite food."
"It's Dad's favorite food too."
"Really?" Lorelai nodded as she ate her helping of cannoli. "Mom, can I ask you something?"
"Of course you can. Unless it's about where babies come from. Then you have to talk to Dad."
"Are you and Dad fighting?"
Lorelai nearly choked on her food. "Mikey, what would make you think Dad and I are fighting?"
"Sometimes you're really mad at him and he gets really mad and then you guys yell. I don't like it when Dad yells. He's scary. And sometimes I'm scared he'll hurt you."
"I know your dad yells sometimes and it's scary, but honey, he would never hurt me."
"I guess."
"No Michael. Your father would never, ever hit me or do something to hurt me. You shouldn't be afraid of your dad. I know he can be mean and scary sometimes, but he's just…frustrated."
"About Danny."
"What?"
"He's frustrated because Danny died."
"Mikey, you have to understand when moms and dads lose a baby, it's really hard on them. Sometimes they say and/or do things they never thought they would do."
"Are you guys getting a divorce?"
"What? No! Of course not. Why would you think a thing like that?"
"I heard Miss Patty and Babette saying that sometimes when people lose a kid, they break up and get a divorce."
"Mikey, your dad and I love each other very much. We're not getting a divorce."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Can I ask one more question?"
"Sure."
"If Dad loves the cannoli so much, how come we never eat it?"
"Your dad doesn't like to be reminded of your grandparents."
"Grandpa Richard and Grandma Emily?"
Lorelai laughed. "No sweetie, that's me. I'm talking about your dad's parents, your Grandma Lana and Grandpa William."
"Did Rory know them?"
"Not your Grandma Lana. She died when your dad was your age."
"Kelly met Grandpa Will too?" Lorelai nodded. "It's not fair."
"What's not fair?"
"That I've never got to meet them. Rory and Kelly got to meet Grandpa William, but I didn't and I don't think it's fair."
"I don't think it's fair either," Luke said as he walked into the kitchen.
"Luke," Lorelai said surprised. "I didn't hear you come in. How's your hand?"
Luke held up his bandaged hand. "Five stitches and a tetanus shot. I have to keep it wrapped for a few days, but I'll survive."
"Good. We're glad to hear that. Aren't we Mikey?"
"Yup," Mikey smiled.
"Mikey, since we're all done in here, why don't you go upstairs and finish your homework?"
"I already finished it."
"Then how about you clean your room? And I suggest not stuffing everything under the bed." Mikey smiled in embarrassment and headed upstairs. Luke ruffled his hair as he passed. "How long were you standing there?"
"Long enough."
"How much did you hear?"
"Enough." Luke walked over to the table and looked down at the empty plate Mikey left on the table. "Did you make cannoli?"
"Yeah," Lorelai admitted sheepishly.
"We never have cannoli anymore. Why the sudden change?"
"Well," Lorelai said as she stood and cleared Mikey's plate. "You hurt yourself and I thought you'd want something to cheer you up. Like you said, we never have cannoli anymore so I thought you'd like it. Besides, I've been meaning to teach Mikey how to make it for a while."
Luke walked up behind Lorelai and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her around to face him. He leaned down and kissed her. "Thank you," he said as he rubbed her arms. He smiled at her before heading to the refrigerator.
Lorelai remained standing in front of the sink, touching her lips. They were still tingling from Luke's kiss. She watched him as he rummaged thought the refrigerator. He was swinging back into their routine. Not the facade they'd been living for the past year, but the one they'd been living for twenty years as husband and wife. She wasn't sure if she wanted that or not.
Luke's head popped out of the refrigerator and he looked in her direction. "You want a beer?"
Next time on "The Broken Road": In 1985- William and Richard walk in on Luke and Lorelai. William has a talk with Luke that takes an unexpected turn. Present Day- Luke and Lorelai continue to get closer and patch things up. Jess notices the change in Luke and Lorelai's attitudes and calls Luke on it.
A/N: I am sooooooo sorry I took so long to update. Things are getting crazy at work and they have me working six days a week and I'm in the middle of finals at school. I had very little time to write and stuff. I know the stuff I this chapter doesn't seem relevant, but trust me, it's important- sorta. Ok, now I have to finish watching Reunion so I bid ye ado.
