Title: Made

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 Nine

Made

by xenoprobe

Lorelai Gilmore, smart, savvy, master of wit and one-liners, sat on the couch in her living room, knee deep in boxes and belongings. For the life of her, she could not form the words to express how much she hated to pack. Every time she thought she was getting ahead, she found herself picking apart another piece of history.

To her left was a stack of letters from her mother. To her right, three shoe boxes full of mixed tapes. Lorelai glanced from one to the other, neither offering her any relief.

The letters were accumulated memories of the first few years she and Rory were living at the Independence Inn. Her mother would send a letter every month, demanding Lorelai to return to Hartford and stop the nonsense that would, no doubt, end in failure. Each note was slightly less insistent than the one before; Emily Gilmore's resolve eventually wore thin and she stopped communicating entirely until Rory was an age where she could ask after the grandparents she knew she had out there somewhere.

The mixed tapes were a different pain altogether. Some were from Christopher; dating back to before Rory was even a glint in his unknowing eye. Others were Lorelai's from the years that followed. Hard years full of self-doubt spiked with joy. Rory's first steps were punctuated by INXS, her first words coincided with some of Duran Duran's more unfortunate years. But the tapes Christopher had made were chock-a-block with gems; the Clash, P.I.L, Echo and the Bunnymen and some very early Smiths and Cure, even some frilly-shirted numbers by Kajagooogoo and the failed Flock of Seagulls.

Lorelai didn't want to think about it, nor did she want to fill a new home, a new life, with junk. It had to be filtered. She lifted the receiver then sat it back its cradle. Rory wasn't home yet, she was still at work. She didn't feel like chancing an off-the-cuff conversation with Logan, in case he was already at the pool house, waiting for her daughter. And she certainly did not want to ring the Gilmore household and have to speak to Emily or Richard for that matter.

For all the progress she and Rory had made over the summer, she simply did not possess the vocabulary to be civil with her parents yet. Two months, three weeks and four days had passed since the night where she'd realized her parents' true loyalty was not to their daughter but to an antiquated class system that ranked Huntzbergers before Gilmores and stations before schooling. She simply wasn't ready.

Rory's contract at the paper was going well and Logan had finally found something he deemed "real" enough to consider taking on; he'd opted to volunteer at a soup kitchen, a gig that Luke had put him onto. The young couple's schedule was conflicting but still, they made due and were increasingly happy to have each other's support without senior family interference.

Lorelai cursed under her breath to no one and dialed a number,

"Help!" she whined into the receiver.

"Lorelai? Is everything ok?" Luke sounded immediately distressed.

"Oh, Hun, I'm sorry, I'm fine, I just need help with all this crap… and I'm bored… and I'm hungry."

"I'm busy." He offered flatly, egging her on.

"You would deny me your company?" she pouted. "You would deny the woman you're marrying the assistance she needs to move in with you without heaps of past-life baggage?" Luke remained silent on the other end but Lorelai could swear she could hear his grin. "You would deny the mother of your unborn child the sustenance she needs to grow a healthy new person?"

"What sustenance? Chili fries and burgers? This kid is going to come out ready for the Dr. Phil diet." He chided with a snort of laughter.

"Luuuuke… pleeeease…"

"Alright, alright. I'll be over soon. And I'm choosing the food. Your culinary instincts cannot be trusted."

Lorelai huffed on the line. "I don't care what you bring, I'm just hungry- I'll eat whatever you like."

"Even if that's a veggie burger?"

"Even if it's a veggie burger with a side of mung bean sprout salad and a tofu smoothy," she smiled wickedly and added, "as long as it all comes with chili cheese fries."

"Unbelievable…" Luke was happily exasperated. "I'll be right over, with whatever you want."

"Ha! Knew you'd cave," she shuffled from side to side, a victory dance without having to actually get off the couch.

"Who am I to deny the woman I love?"

"Aw… Baby you're the best!" She disconnected; her smile fading as soon as she glanced around the room again.

In the twenty minutes it took for Luke to arrive, Lorelai had finished packing three boxes but was unsatisfied with all there was yet left to do.

"Look at all this crap! It's sitting there mocking me!" She breezed through the foyer, her arms waving about at the junk strewn on the floor. "Mock away… you'll all be meeting the same fate sooner or later and the final judge has arrived… just you wait until I unleash Luke on you… then you'll be sorry!"

"And hello to you too." Luke deposited a box full of nummy treats on the kitchen table and Lorelai followed closely behind him.

"Hiya." She greeted him with a kiss and he, in turn, placed a hand to the significant swell of her belly and bent down. "Don't pay any attention to your mother… she's lost her mind! Don't worry though, you're daddy's the sane one - you'll learn the ropes quick kid." He winked at her.

"Nice, teaching little Bonnie or Clyde to disregard me?"

Luke silenced her with a kiss as he bent her backwards over the table, one arm around her to keep her balanced against him. They broke away, breathless.

"Hi" she whispered into his mouth.

"Hi" he responded, brushing his lips over hers. "So, I have salad, a veggie burger and chili cheese fries. I also brought apple juice and milk."

"What? No tofu smoothy?" She didn't even wait for a response and dove into the box of food with gusto.

Luke looked into the living room at the mess ahead of them. It was going to be a long night.

(Morning at Lorelai's house)

"Grrrrr-arrrrgh" Lorelai picked up the alarm clock and chucked it across the room where it fell silently to the floor. Luke stirred in the sheets beside her, rubbing a hand over his tired face.

Another alarm went off, buzzing right next to Lorelai's head.

"Gah! What the hell?" She sat straight up and switched off the offending instrument of her torture. Before a third alarm could sound, Luke's arm shot out and turned off the clock on his side of the bed before he even opened his eyes. "What's with all the alarms?" Groggily, she nuzzled back against her lover and he kissed the top of her head.

"Big day remember?" Luke opened his eyes, still foggy with sleep. He scratched his chest for a second then caught Lorelai's hand in his, "its ultrasound day." He kissed the palm of her hand and she looked up at him.

"We get to see our baby today," she smiled. "What time did we finally get to bed?"

"We?" He kissed the top of her hand. "You fell asleep on the couch with a French fry in one hand. I stayed up until 2, packing and hefting boxes."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because I love you is why." He kissed each fingertip. "So. Appointment's at 9, you want the shower first?"

"First?" she questioned, her eyes closed but smiling. "There's no first around here bub… we're in the mess together." She looked up at him mischievously then slid out from under the covers; her naked body, beautiful and bulging in the morning sunlight. She tugged his arm, "C'mon, don't make me beg…"

Luke rose wordlessly and escorted her to the bathroom, scratching his butt along the way. Morning at the Gilmore house… already in full swing.

(Hospital – Ultrasound/Radiology waiting room)

"Gilmore and Danes." A polite and petite nurse announced. Luke and Lorelai followed her down a long hallway to another area and into a room behind a drawn curtain. "Put this on and have a seat on the bench and a technician will be in shortly." She handed Lorelai a hospital gown and disappeared again.

"Sexy… you're jealous of my new duds," Lorelai teased her partner. She disrobed to her panties and Luke tied the gown for her. As she got comfortable on the table, Luke watched how her tummy rose and fell with her breathing, but never fell flat – not anymore. Luke had taken it upon himself to read whatever Lorelai was reading in preparation for a new baby and family but all accounts told him, she was a little ahead of schedule in size. None of this bothered him, but he welcomed any assurances a doctor might have to offer.

He sat on a rolling stool and pushed himself alongside Lorelai, taking a hand in his, stroking the perfect curve of her belly with the other.

"You ready for this?" She breathed.

"Ready as ever" his smile was radiant. The technician emerged from behind the curtain,

"Good morning! Well, I see we're here for your ultrasound. How many weeks along are we?"

"14 and a half weeks" Luke answered precisely and Lorelai closed her mouth again, seeing he had taken charge of the details.

"All rightie… well let's see if we can't get a good picture from mom shall we?" She nodded and smiled at Luke as he rolled out of the way, reluctantly letting go of his partner's hand. He reconsidered and came around to the other side. There he could hold Lorelai and be front row, centre for the procedure.

The technician raised the gown over Lorelai's tummy and pulled the edge of her undies down a bit and took a long bottle of gel out, giving it a strong shake.

"What's that?" Luke was curious about, well, everything.

"This Mr. Danes, is the contact gel that lets the transducer pick up the image from inside the womb." The substance was cold on her skin and Lorelai squirmed for a moment. "Now, some people find the pressure of the wand a little uncomfortable but let me assure you that this is normal and is not harmful to your baby."

The technician placed the transducer to Lorelai's gelled stomach and pressed deeply, rolling back and forth as the screen monitor jumped into play. Luke watched in rapt fascination, his mouth agape, his brow furrowed, confused by the non-descript fuzzy image before him.

"Ok. Here we go…" The wand stilled and the monitor revealed a dark circle with a grey mass in the centre. The technician did her best to perfect the position to get the best view. Then she paused to offer explanation. "So, here we have feet," she indicated, "and this looks like a head, in profile."

Lorelai understood the angle almost immediately but Luke was still struggling.

"Kinda looks like an alien," Lorelai joshed. Luke shifted in his seat, obviously flustered and anxious to understand the image of his unborn child. He got up and leaned over Lorelai, pointing to the monitor.

"Here?"

"Yup- those are feet babe."

He smiled, revealing a huge toothy mouthful. "And here?" he pointed to the head.

"See? That's the head, the face in profile." The technician volunteered.

Lorelai felt something wet on her cheek, but it wasn't her tears, it was Luke's.

"Honey?" she tore her gaze from her baby and looked up at her lover and friend. "Aw Luke," She smoothed her hand over his cheek, wiping his happy tears away. She looked back at the image on the screen. "Hello baby! This is your daddy… the one who's been talking to you from the outside…." Luke sucked back a huge sniffle and focused on the monitor again, torn between Lorelai's beauty and grace and the miracle on the screen.

The technician snapped still shots of the image and adjusted the wand ever-so slightly.

"What's that?" He pointed again.

"Feet" the tech affirmed.

"But I thought those were feet…" He indicated another spot, a little lower on the screen. The technician reassessed and looked closely at the results on one of the print-outs.

"They are. They're also feet."

"Also feet?" He looked at Lorelai, confusion consumed his expressive face. "How many feet?"

The tech began counting them off on the monitor. "One, two… three and"

"Four." Lorelai finished, taking in a huge gulp of air.

"Four?" Luke looked like he might pass out from confusion.

"Four." Lorelai whispered. "Twins?" She watched the technician expectantly.

"Twins." The woman confirmed.

"Twins?" Luke could hardly contain his smile. "Did you know this?" he looked down at Lorelai.

"Do I look like I knew this?" Her face was as wide-eyed and gloriously shocked as his own, tears streaming from the corners of her blue eyes.

"I'll leave you two alone to get re-dressed. Your copies of the ultrasound are right here and your OBG-YN will receive copies shortly. You should book an appointment to discuss them."

"We have one next week already." Lorelai volunteered; her voice scratchy with emotion. "Thanks. Thanks for everything!"

Luke leapt to his feet and grabbed the unsuspecting technician in a hug. He released her just as quickly and announced proudly "We're having twins!"

The woman laughed and nodded and excused herself, leaving Luke and Lorelai alone with this momentous news. Lorelai sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the examination table, the images in her clutch.

"Twins" she whispered again and covered her mouth as the news sank in. "My dream…"

"What dream? There was a dream?" Luke looked into her eyes, seeking clarification.

"The dream I had… years ago… remember?"

Luke searched his memory and was rewarded with the clear recollection of Lorelai, lying in his old single bed, the night of the fire at the Independence Inn. She told him then that she'd once dreamt of being pregnant with twins, his twins. He remembered the quiet victory in his heart that night, the way she stammered, holding something back, and the way it all felt right, possible. And now, here they were…

Luke nodded and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back with his strong hands. When the hug no longer expressed enough, Luke dropped to the floor and pulled Lorelai up to stand before him. He snaked his arms around her waist and brought his ear to her belly and pressed, as if he would hear the evidence of the two babies inside. Then he kissed her belly… over and over, peppering her with love until he rose, kissing his way to her smiling lips.

"Hey you," she whispered. "I love you Luke."

"Oh Lorelai…" He was overcome with joy and love, love, love. "I love you too."

(Luke's Diner)

The ride home seemed to take forever and, while Luke drove extra cautiously, Lorelai dialed Rory on her cell to share the big, big news. The sound of laughter filled the truck and Luke grinned at the fresh awareness of his growing family… Lorelai, Rory and now twins.

But now, in the diner, Luke was finding it harder and harder to sit on this news. Sure, the town knew of the pregnancy, not that it had been announced. But everyone was abuzz with speculation, especially since Lorelai had started to show so early. And far be it for Miss Patty to have been hush-hush about her initial suspicions. And once the formidable dance instructor had found out about Luke's nursery plans from Tom, Luke was certain word had spread throughout Star's Hollow like wild fire.

"So," he began.

"So," she echoed.

"What do we tell people? Do we tell people?" He removed his infamous blue ball cap; the same one Lorelai had given him all those years ago, and scratched his head.

"Don't they know? At least about the pregnancy?" Lorelai grabbed a doughnut from under the glass dome and munched.

"Of course they know… of course," he affirmed to no one in particular.

"Luke are you ok? You seem a little, I dunno, freaked out."

"No. Not freaked out. I might just get up and the counter and do a little dance but I'm not freaked out." The words spilled out of him in one long breath.

"Hop to it Burger Boy!" she encouraged, teasing him.

Instead, Luke grabbed Lorelai, nearly making her choke on the last bite of her treat.

"Marry me." He demanded, his smile lighting up an already sunny day.

"I thought we'd covered this already remember?"

"No… Not next month, next week. Marry me next week… right here in the square. Marry me Lorelai, I don't wanna wait anymore." He gathered her in his strong arms and she spilled with laughter.

"Ok… Whatever you want." She kissed him deeply. "Whatever you want."

At that moment, Miss Patty, Maury and Babette walked through the diner door, followed closely by Sookie, Jackson and their babies.

Lorelai nodded knowingly at her best friend "we're having a baby." She shot a glance at Luke.

"Babies" He corrected, unable to contain his happiness, his arm still around the love of his life.

"Twins?" Sookie's voice cut the air like a knife and she bolted over to Lorelai's tummy, smoothing large round circles over it. "You're having twins?" Lorelai shook her head, up and down, emphatically. "OMYGOD! Jackson- they're having twins!"

"We made two!" Luke reaffirmed.

"I heard!" He stepped up and shook hands with the couple. "Congratulations folks!" he offered with a genuine smile.

"OMYGOD, Lorelai- sweetie- it's just like that dream you had!"

"Ya-huh!" she agreed.

"Bizarre!" Sookie breathed. "Will wonders never cease?"

"I don't think they will… not around here anyway…" Lorelai grinned; Luke's arm around her, Sookie stroking her belly, Jackson showing Katy and Davy the tummy that contained future friends.

And outside in the street, a crowd had formed around Miss Patty, who'd darted off the moment the twins news was revealed. This really was a special place. And if Luke wanted to get married in the centre of town, next week, with everyone they knew around them, who was she to deny that joy. It was, after all, everything she'd ever dared to hope for.

To be continued…

Notes: I couldn't resist… I tried…I couldn't.

I know that the show would never be so conflict-free, but that's the beauty of fanfiction- you get to make your favourite characters do the things you've dreamed of seeing them do. So, if I'm a little off the mark of the show, it is only because there are a limited number of hours in the day and I can only offer what my obsessive brain can muster.

I hope this is still captivating enough for people to want more…