Title: Back At…

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 16

Back At…

Lorelai opened her eyes and blinked twice before adjusting to the moonlit bedroom. She yawned and smoothed both hands over her big baby belly then stretched. Beside her, Luke lay fast asleep. She stopped to admire the creases and lines of his face. He had aged more these last few years, then again, so had she. Lorelai pondered waking him but reconsidered; instead, she swung her legs out of bed and struggled to get up without disturbing her sleeping beauty.

She slowly made her way out of the bedroom and down the hall, grabbing her robe on the way. When Lorelai stepped into the nursery at the other end of the hall, she was again struck by the grace and care her lover and now husband had spent on doing up this space for their soon-to-come twins. Lorelai struggled with the window for a moment before coaxing it open to the cold early winter night outside. She drew in a deep breath and held it, then exhaled heavily as she took a seat in the rocker nearby.

She pulled an afghan over her and rocked herself back to sleep as the cold night air spilled into the house.

(Later that morning)

Lorelai awoke with a jolt and the sneaking suspicion she had been wandering around outside all night. She was freezing. She rubbed her arms for the friction and tried to get out of the rocker. She failed. She tried again, using the rocker to propel her forward but again she could not seem to get out of the chair.

"Luke!" There were no sounds stirring elsewhere in the house. "Luuuuke?"

In the master bedroom, Luke sat bolt upright in bed and had already tossed off the covers and taken several steps before registering he was awake and responding to Lorelai's voice. He lurched forward for his track pants and t-shirt but stubbed his toe on the doorjamb

"Crrrrap!" his growling curse drifted down the hallway.

"Luke? You up?" she called.

"Lorelai?" He was hopping on one foot while stepping into his pants. "Where are you? And why is it so freaking cold in here?"

"I'm in the nursery and its here!"

"What's here?" his hand went for the doorknob to the twins' room.

"It! Snow! My special friend!"

Luke walked across the room and promptly shut the window.

"But-" she pouted.

"But what. Lorelai it's freezing in here!" His dour expression made her smile. "What?"

"You're so cute when you're all gruff and down to business." She held out her hand to him. "I can't get up." She looked at him, then at her huge tummy then back at him again, her eyes pleading him not to laugh.

"Have you been here all night?" Luke reached both arms around his wife and helped her forward in the rocker, then, taking her by the elbows, he hefted her up and out of the chair.

"I got up sometime before dawn and came in here." She stretched with her hands to her lower back. "I knew it was coming, but I didn't want to wake you. And when I opened the window, I knew it wouldn't take long, I could smell it!"

Luke couldn't resist her silliness and soft smile and leaned down to kiss her. Lorelai brought both hands to the stubbly line of Luke's jaw then gently turned his face towards the window.

"Snow!" she marveled.

"Yup, it's that time of year again. Time to crack out the lock-d-icer and the scraper. Time for shoveling before the diner opens and for salting the walk-ways…"

"Time for magic and treats. Ooh and snow-angels and snowball fights and hot, hot cocoa. Mmmm…"

"Somehow I don't see snowballs and angels in your near future. I'd prefer to keep you off the ground actually." Luke stepped 'round behind Lorelai and wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders. "But if you'd like some hot, hot cocoa I can do that much." He kissed the rim of her ear and she smiled to herself.

Just then one or both of the babies kicked and jolted the wistful parents from their moment. Lorelai patted the spot where a heel had just asserted its presence.

"Its getting tight in there, I know. It won't be long before you're out though – I promise." She winced a little and rubbed her back again. As Luke led Lorelai out of the chill in the nursery, he stubbed his toe again on the rocker and let out a litany of curses; Lorelai chuckled all the way to the kitchen.

(Luke's Diner)

"Where's my Tuna Melt?" Lane smacked the divider at the kitchen door. "Caesar?" She poked her head in to see the cook and owner engaged in a verbal tiff.

"I told you I would take care of the tuna melt and here you are butting in again." Caesar was clearly flustered with his boss.

"But," Luke looked almost bewildered.

"But nothing, I handed you two perfect plates of eggs earlier and you dropped them on the floor. I'm giving you nothing today." Caesar shooed Luke from the kitchen and he side stepped Lane. "Go make the coffee boss, you can't mess that up."

"You're cruising Caesar, you know that right?" Luke tried to be gruff but he had to face the truth that he had been wigging out all day. Stubbing toes, burning toast, dropping plates; he even smacked his head in the store room when he stood up too quickly under the pickle shelf then promptly bounced off the corner of the old cigarette machine.

Luke made a fresh pot of java and, seeing that no one really needed him, he went up to the apartment and dialed home.

"Hello?" his lovely wife's voice rang in his ears.

"Please tell me you're having a better day than I am." Luke ran his hand over his face and sent his ball cap to the floor. "I keep smacking into things, spilling and dropping stuff on the floor."

"Aw my poor baby's a spaz." She said in the cutesiest voice she could muster.

"Jeez, thanks for the love and support." He sat down on a kitchen chair and nearly fell right off of it. "Unbelievable!"

"Sweetie- you gotta slow down- OW!"

Luke leapt to his feet, "Lorelai?"

"S'ok, just back pain. I'll be fine. I'm just laying down now for a nap. Don't you worry your pretty little head about me." Lorelai laid back into the comfort of her mound of pillows but was neither comforted nor quieted. "Man my back is hurting!"

"I'm coming home." Luke declared.

"No. Babe, I'm fine… I'm just uncomfortable today. Just sort yourself out at work and stop nearly killing yourself with shelves and spilled eggs ok?" She scratched her elbow and felt another twinge shoot up her spine.

"Lorelai, I can be home in under a minute… just say the word."

"I will when I need to but for now, just take it easy at the office." She smiled into the phone and the message was received.

"The office, right… Ok – well, I'll be home in a few and I'll rub your back for you, how does that sound?" he was nothing but sincere.

"Like heaven babe."

And with that, they both hung up and went back to the world around them. Lorelai let out a huge breath of air she hadn't noticed she'd been holding and the pain in her back returned with a vengeance. She promptly dialed Sookie and waited. The answering service kicked in:

"Hi… Jackson, Sookie, Davy and Katy can't come the phone right now so leave us a message and we'll – Davy no! Katy doesn't want a lima bean up her nose! Jackson, take the bean away from your son! Davy, gentle… gentle…Beeep."

"Hi guys it's just me. Listen Sookie, when you had Katy, or Davy for that matter, did you have back pain with your contractions? I read that some women do and was just curious, ow!" Lorelai shot a hand to the base of her back and rubbed the spot a little. "Just curious, call me later k?"

Lorelai sat the phone down beside her and closed her eyes. Perhaps a nap would make things better.

(Later at the house)

"Lorelai!" Sookie's voice cut the air like a rapier.

"Jeez Sookie! You scared me half to death!" Lorelai opened her eyes against the offending light that Sookie had flipped on when she'd entered the bedroom. "What are you doing here?"

"You're having the babies – of course I came!" Sookie bounced on her heels.

"No. Sook – you don't understand… I'm not having them now, I just wanted to know about the back pain thingy. No need to get the wig going yet." Lorelai sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, trying to turn away from her friend as she winced in pain again.

"Sweetie you're so cute… You're having the babies now. Trust me." Sookie came around the bed and helped her friend to her feet.

"No, Sookie, I swear! I'm not having the babies yet… not today, not now, not until… OW! Cripes that's fierce! I haven't had back pain like this in years… must be the extra weight all of a sudden." She shuffled herself through the doorway and headed to the bathroom.

"I'm calling Luke." Sookie called through the door in the hall.

"No! Sookie, don't bother him – he's having a total spaz day, don't worry him!" Lorelai tried but couldn't move any faster with all the back pain and big belly in her way.

"But you're having the babies sweets. It's time now. I'm calling Luke." Sookie sounded more resolved than ever and Lorelai opened her mouth to object once and for all when a sudden rush and sense of relief overcame her. She let out a little gasp then looked down… her water broke, all over the bathroom floor.

"Um… Sookie?"

"Yeeeeah"

"Can you call Luke now please?" she sat back down, this time on the edge of the tub.

"Already dialed."

"Um… Sookie?"

"Yes?"

"I think I'm having the babies now…"

With that Sookie grabbed the doorknob and forced herself into the bathroom, nearly stepping into the modest puddle on the floor.

"Holy crap! You're having the babies now!" The two women looked at one another and smiled weakly. The cellphone was quickly set aside on the back of the toilet as Sookie attempted to get Lorelai out of the corner she'd backed herself into.

The far away sound of Luke's voice went unnoticed on the phone.

(Luke's Diner)

"Caesar the phone!" Luke barked as he made his way behind the counter with the coffee pot in one hand and a rag in the other. The diner was hopping with customers and everyone seemed to be in a big hurry.

"Not the diner phone boss man." Caesar called out from the kitchen. It was his cell phone; he'd left it under the counter earlier.

Luke reached down and grabbed the ringing thing and answered it gruffly.

"Hello." At first he couldn't hear anything then he heard Sookie's voice in the distance.

"Holy Crap… You're having the babies!"

In a moment of sheer confusion and panic, Luke grabbed the baby beeper on his belt and twisted to check if anyone had paged him. Nothing. He let out a small puff of air then listened again on the cellphone. He could clearly hear Lorelai groaning in pain in the background, slightly muffled by Sookie's sporadic exclamations.

"Hello? HELLO? Sookie? Lorelai?" As his voice rose, so did the heads of all the diner patrons. Just then he noticed the call had been disconnected and Luke placed the cell on the counter, not quite knowing what to do. Twenty or more people were looking directly at him. Another beat went by in this awkwardly suspended moment until the shrill beep of the baby pager went off.

Luke lurched and grabbed the cellphone off the counter. He took two panic-stricken steps towards the diner phone on the wall and inadvertently stepped on the wet rag that had fallen to the floor. In a move that could never again be repeated, Luke slid out on one heel, arms flailing in the air, before doing the splits half-way then hit the floor. He managed to grab at the shelf under the counter to soften the blow as he hit the linoleum with a grunt.

The diner was suspended, everyone holding their breath until Luke made the next move.

Luke shook his head, briefly forgetting what sent him to the floor. When his memory swelled again, he shot up and dashed for the phone on the wall, the cellular still in one hand. He dialed home.

"Lorelai? LORELAI!" He called into the phone as soon as someone picked up the line.

"Luke – hunny, it's Sookie!" Sookie smiled at Lorelai who was deeply distracted by the heavy breathing and back pain she was working through. "It's time, can you make it home in a jiff?"

"It's time… it's time…" Luke panted in tandem with the sound of Lorelai's breathing in the background."

"LUKE!" Sookie shouted into the receiver.

"Yah! Time. Right. I'll be right there." He hung the phone back up, grabbed his ball cap off the floor and grabbed the keys to the truck and turned to the expectant crowd in front of him. "It's time!" he said, to no one specifically, then shot out the door with a jingle.

The entire diner erupted in a communal cheer as Luke peeled away from the curb and sped off the three short blocks toward home.

"It's time… it's time…" he breathed it like a mantra as he stepped from the truck into the light ground cover of snow… "It's time… it's time…" he breathed while bursting through the front door, taking to the stairs two at a time.

As he rounded the corner to their bedroom he locked eyes with Lorelai and the world around them fell away. He rushed to her side with open arms and she, relieved to have Luke wrapped around her, finally let out the tears she'd been fighting through the pain.

Sookie busied herself by grabbing the packed bags for the hospital and called Jackson to make sure everything was under control at her own house.

"Luke… it hurts." Lorelai cried softly, both happy and frightened tears.

"I know baby, I know… We're going to the hospital now ok? I won't let anything happen to you or the babies, I promise." And he meant every word.

"Luke?" Lorelai looked up into her husband's blue, blue eyes, "I love you."

"Right back atchya… Now let's get to the hospital!"

As Luke helped Lorelai into the cab of his truck, the snow began to drift all around them. It was, most definitely, time for some magic.