Title: Run
Rating: PG
Genre: LLR
Spoilers: A House Is Not A Home (season 5 finale)
Summary: following the events in Home…
Disclaimer: Like all of the other characters I write about, these are not mine, nor were they ever. I make no profits, other than the rewards of imagination stretched.
Chapter six
Run
by xenoprobe
The week after the sale of the Twickham house cleared, Luke dipped into his savings to reconstruct the wall in his apartment where he'd made room for Jess. He refinished the upstairs of the adjoining building in what little spare time he had and Lorelai pitched in by giving the space a fresh coat of paint.
Luke sold the Candy Shoppe property to Taylor without incident, giving him and Lorelai the money they needed to start work on their new home.
By the time they'd contracted Tom to start the work, things had leveled off into a steady routine.
(Lorelai's House)
Lorelai unfolded Rory's note and re-read it for the thousandth time.
As she'd done each time she'd read it before, she picked up the receiver to dial her mother's place then reconsidered. It was still too much to have to speak to Emily just yet and Lorelai resolved that an email to her daughter might be the thing to do. She'd get to it as soon as she felt she could find the right words.
Instead, she dialed Sookie to see what her friend was up to on this sunny Saturday afternoon and secured herself an invite for lunch. Lorelai was out the door, happy to ignore the empty boxes she needed to pack for another day.
(Sookie's House)
When Lorelai arrived, Sookie was in the kitchen, chopping veggies for a stew.
"How's it going sweetie?" Sookie balanced a spoon on the rim of a pot and turned her attention to Katy who was sitting quietly in a vibrating baby seat on the island cutting block.
"Fine, just fine…" She hugged her friend 'hello' and kissed the baby's head. "How are you?"
"Good. A little sleepy. Davy had a fever last night and this one here just cried and cried all night… Nearly made mommy crazy, didn't you?" she cooed at her now peaceful daughter. "How things change in the light of day…"
"I hear ya, Rory had colic. I thought I was gong to go out of my mind! My mother thought I was doing something wrong and kept trying to tell me what to do with the baby, which just made everything worse." Lorelai grimaced at the memory of that first year with Rory at her parents' house.
"You know how the books all say that mommies should sleep when the baby sleeps… I think it should tell you to cry when they cry too." Sookie smiled half-heartedly and returned to cutting her vegetables.
"Seems only fair." Lorelai agreed, swiping a piece carrot from the bunch and popping it into her mouth.
"Whoa there Nelly!" Sookie dropped her knife and braced both hands against the cutting island. "Did you just stuff a carrot in your mouth missy?"
"I did!" Lorelai was as shocked and puzzled as her best friend.
"Are you feeling alright?
"I am."
"Are you high?"
"I am not."
"Are you pregnant?"
"Well... No! I mean, I don't think so!"
"Weird."
"Yeah… weird." Lorelai shook her head and swallowed the rest of the carrot in her mouth.
"So…" Sookie began, intending to change the subject, "How's the work on the house coming along?"
"Well, the master bedroom is done and we took an extra room upstairs and made it into an en suite bath. The wall downstairs was demoed yesterday so work on the kitchen should be getting underway."
"Cool. Did you make a decision on a stove yet? 'Cause I can help with that you know." Katy hiccupped and Sookie looked at the clock on the wall. "Ooh, time for a feeding."
The women got settled in the living room and Sookie began to breastfeed.
"I think Luke has something in mind for the stove sitch. But I'll let him know you offered." Lorelai grinned at the sight of mother and baby. Late night crying sessions be damned if it wasn't all worth it in the end.
"You look happy." It was a plain observation and Sookie smiled to punctuate it.
"I am. So much is going right. But there's so much still to be done. With the house, with packing and with…" her voice trailed off, thinking of Rory in the pool house in Hartford.
"Have you called her yet?"
"Nah. I decided to email her instead."
"How'd that go?"
"Haven't gotten that far," she admitted.
Just then, Jackson came through the front door, with a sleeping Davy in his arms.
"Hi Hun. Lorelai." He greeted and kissed his wife on the cheek.
"So? How is he?"
"Oh he's fine. The doctor took his temp and looked him over. He thinks it might be a molar coming in. Nothing to worry about." He readjusted the weight of the boy in his arms. "I picked up some Tempra drops from the pharmacy."
"Thanks babe." Sookie blew her man a kiss as he left to deposit Davy in his crib.
"So, can I do anything? Help with cutting veggies or something while you're nursing?" Lorelai offered.
"No, she's almost out actually. I'll put her down in a minute and get back to the stew." The women sat silently in the afternoon sunshine until Katy was soundly asleep. Sookie rose to put her daughter down to nap and returned to the kitchen.
"So, tell me more about the house." Sookie turned on the radio for background entertainment and bounced along as she went from carrots to celery.
"Well…" Lorelai pondered, "we have more rooms that I can imagine filling. Even with the bathroom conversion upstairs we have three bedrooms plus another one on the main floor." Lorelai scratched her head for a moment. "It's a lot of work."
"Do you have a move-in date yet?"
"Nope. We're basically playing it by ear."
"Lorelai!" Sookie shouted.
"What? Jeez Sookie, you nearly made me choke on my… celery!" she paused and looked at the green thing in her hand. "Holy crap- this is celery!"
"What is wrong with you? Are you channeling the Jolly Green Giant or something?"
"I must be… Carrots, celery… I might need to go to the doctor's Sook, this is definitely bizarre!" Lorelai dropped the last bit in the garbage and turned around several times on the spot.
"Sweetie? What d'you need?"
"I think I need chocolate, or coffee… yeah, coffee. Do you have any made Sookie?"
Sookie darted to the machine and poured her friend a tall mug. "Here you go hun. Maybe, you should sit. Let's turn off the radio too, maybe it's sending out subliminal messages about fresh foods."
"Yeah, like a big conspiracy from the growers of America… they're in cahoots with the music industry! Pretty soon they'll have us all eating butternut squash and string beans while convincing us that the Backstreet Boys are all destined for the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame!"
"Oooo, butternut squash! Do I have time to make butternut squash soup instead?" She pondered aloud. "Nah… better stick with the stew," she giggled.
"That's my Sookie, Queen of the segue." Lorelai watched as Sookie spun around excitedly, stirring the carrots and celery in with the onions for the broth. Lorelai looked down at the coffee in her clutch and set it aside. She didn't much feel like coffee after all.
(Star's Hollow)
After lunch at the Melville's, Lorelai took a walk through the centre of town. She took in some sunshine while watching kids play Frisbee in the park and marveled at how much she loved this place. Star's Hollow had become a haven, a constant, and she briefly wondered why she'd ever considered giving it up for an office job with travel perks.
She'd seen Europe. She was happy. She and Rory had done it on their own terms and she was glad for the unique experience. Besides, someday, she'd get to wherever she wanted to go. For now that place was right here. It was time to devote herself to her partner and the life they were investing in.
Lorelai passed by Doose's Market and bought a few things for the near empty fridge at her place then walked back to the gazebo in the park. She pulled an apple from the Doose's bag and took a big bite. Then she froze.
Setting the apple on the bench, Lorelai dug through her purse in search of her date book. Something was amiss. Carrots, celery, apple… She flipped through the pages of months and dates then dropped the booklet to the gazebo floor.
"I'm late." She uttered to no one, then took another bite from the apple. She thought back to the week that Katy was born and her conversation with Rory about the apple at the hospital. She'd been certain that the slim-jims and orange crush had absolved her of her momentary scare. Now she was convinced otherwise.
Lorelai placed a hand on her tummy and recalled the night to memory. The taste of mint on Luke's lips, the torrent of clothes shed to the floor as they rushed to get their hands on each other. The sloppy, succulent kisses and the sex that lasted until dawn, when they finally crashed to the sheets facing the wrong end of the bed. The events were now immortalized in Lorelai's brain.
She stood, gathered her things and started towards the pharmacy.
"No. Can't. Can't go to Star's Hollow Pharmacy. Home. I need to get home." Lorelai walked away from the town's square with one thing on her mind.
(Lorelai's Jeep)
She must have driven around for an hour before stopping at a Walgreen's in Litchfield. The pharmacist looked at her cockeyed when she stormed in with a flurry of questions about accuracy and the best time to take the test.
Now, in the privacy of her parked jeep, Lorelai picked up her cell phone and dialed the one number she'd been avoiding for three weeks, two days and seventeen hours.
"Gilmore residence."
"Um, yes, ah…"she stammered, "Rory Gilmore please."
"May I ask who's calling?"
Lorelai considered this then replied with a decided "no." A few moments passed and no one picked up the phone. Then came the sound of footsteps. Her mother's footsteps. Crap, crap, double-crap.
"Hello? Who is this?" Emily Gilmore's voice pierced the air.
"It's me," Lorelai paused then added, "mom."
"Lorelai?" Emily softened for the briefest of moments. "Rory's not here."
"Well where is she? I need to talk to her." Lorelai felt a little dizzy and rested her head against the car window.
"She's with Logan, on the Vineyard."
Lorelai exhaled loudly, clearly disappointed by the news. "When's she back mom?"
"Next week. We're expecting them on the Wednesday after next." There was a long pregnant (pun intended) pause then Emily added, "is there something I can help with?"
"No mom, I'm afraid you've filled your 'helping' quota for this lifetime." She felt like she might have to vomit. "I've gotta go."
"Lorelai wait." Her mother's voice was shrill and it hurt her ears. "Rory told us the news."
"News? What news?" she sat forward and accidentally honked the horn, startling herself.
"Are you driving?"
"No mom. What news?"
"That you and the diner- that you and Luke are to be married."
"Yes, we are mom. So you know." She threw up her hands in exasperation, "I really have to go."
"Well fine. Please accept mine and your father's congratulations."
"Sure. Whatever. Bye." And she disconnected the call just in time to open the car door and empty her stomach into the gutter. Crap...
(Luke's Diner)
The bell above the door jingled merrily as Lorelai walked into the diner just before closing time. Luke was behind the counter wiping it down with a towel. It was such a familiar sight that Lorelai had to pause to admire it. Then she took a seat on a stool and dropped her bags to the floor.
"Hey you!" She smiled despite her fatigue.
"Hey you too." Luke leaned over the counter to kiss her but she turned her head at the last second and his lips connected with her cheek instead of her lips. He looked at her confused. "You ok?"
"Long day. Very long day." Lorelai rubbed her head with both hands.
"I was expecting you earlier."
"Yeah, well… I had some unexpected business to look into… Say, can I take this stuff upstairs? I really need to pee."
"Sure and too much information." He scolded with a grin as Lorelai disappeared behind the checked curtain.
(Luke's Apartment)
A pink stripe stared back at her from the corner of the bathroom counter. Lorelai didn't know whether to laugh or cry or both. She finished washing her hands for the third time and picked up the plastic applicator to look at it more closely. Yup. Positive. No question of a doubt. She- they, were pregnant.
A knock at the door startled her from her dazed state.
"Everything ok in there?" Luke called from the opposite side of the door.
"Fine. I'm fine." Lorelai stuffed the wrapper and box in the garbage can and dropped the stick in her purse. She opened the door and looked at Luke who was busying himself at the kitchen table.
"Lorelai?" He was clearly concerned at the sight of her. She looked totally flabbergasted, flummoxed and some such other descriptive word that started with the letter "f."
"So," she attempted to shake off the look, "you remember when we were at the house that first night and we promised each other no more big surprises?" He looked at her, his head at a strange angle, anticipating bad news.
"Yah." He responded abruptly in an oh-so familiar tone.
"Well, it goes a little something like this…" Lorelai sat down on the edge of his bed, her purse at her side. "Once upon a time, I gave a little interview about an Inn called Dragonfly that got published in a travel magazine. And that magazine was so impressed with the colourful things I had to say that they invited us to a party with very important people who do very important things in places I could care less about. You with me so far?" She chanced a glance at Luke who'd drawn a seat in closer to her. He nodded, yet unsure of where she was going with her tale. "And we went to said party in a fancy limousine with a stacked bar that was of no use to either of us since we'd already skipped the food and made merry with the alcohol at the party. And you ranted and ranted practically all the way home until we got distracted," she cleared her throat for emphasis, "with the nakedness and the tossing of sheets and the loud sex and all."
He smiled for the first time since he'd come upstairs, remembering that night, as she'd done earlier.
"Well, when I got up that morning, I realized something. Something I thought would be nothing, but, as it turns out, it's something. A big something." She leaned forward as if the gesture was clarification enough. Luke looked totally lost.
"Ah, can you vague that up for me hon.?"
Clearly he wasn't catching the meaning of all this. "Well, that was the day Sookie and Jackson had the baby. And I was at the hospital and there were mommies and babies all over the place and I was eating and apple and I got all panicky and called Rory about it and then I forgot the whole nonsense after I ate the slim-jims and…" She was fast running out of breath.
"Lorelai, slow down… You called Rory about an apple? I have no clue what you're talking about here." She smiled back at him weakly.
"I thought it was nothing so I just forgot about it and I didn't say anything to you because it was nothing. But it's not nothing, it's something,"
"Humnoo?" A nonsensical response to a lot of nonsense. Luke's head was spinning.
Lorelai stuffed a hand in her purse and handed him the plastic pregnancy test. He looked at it, slowly registering the entire long-winded story she'd just recounted.
"Is this? Is.. Is.. this? Are you?"
"Full sentences babe"
"Is it?"
Lorelai could hardly contain her smile as she nodded slowly. "Un-huh," she answered positively.
Luke dropped to his knees, the plastic thing still in his clutch. "You are?"
"We are!" She confirmed, practically peeing herself with joy.
Luke threw his arms around her waist and squeezed, overcome with happiness. He pushed her back onto the bed and kissed her tummy over and over and over until she grabbed his face and brought it to hers.
"Hey you. Daddy." She smiled up at him as the tears came to them both. "Guess your boys hit a home-run that night!" She let out a burst of laughter and Luke fell to the bed at her side, his hand seeking out her stomach. He simply could not stop touching her. "You ok?"
"Ok? Ok!" He could scarcely form a sentence yet. "God I love you."
Suddenly he leapt to his feet and threw open a window and shouted out "I LOVE YOU LORELAI GILMORE!" into the quiet town of Star's Hollow.
Somewhere in the darkness below someone shouted 'knock it off' but Luke was too overwhelmed to care. He returned to the bed and kissed the tears from her cheeks. "I love you Lorelai Gilmore" he whispered.
"I love you too." She replied. "So I guess this is good news then?"
"The best."
"The best" she echoed.
To be continued…
Notes: Ok…I have now officially lost my mind. I've been sitting at the computer for at least 9 straight hours, composing this and the last chapter of this story. It is 5:30 am and I am beyond tired, I'm delirious! I just couldn't stop myself from churning out this stuff… I just hope it's any good! Please let me know!