AN: My take on season four, so naturally, it will be semi-Lit and probably a lot more Java Junkie. It has the same dialogue and everything until the scene where Luke tells Lorelai he and Nicole are married, which in this universe, they aren't. Anyway, hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1- Tell You Where You Need To Go, Tell You Who You Need To Be
Luke and Lorelai were in the front yard of the Gilmore house loading Rory's things into his truck.
"Jeez, you think you go to a fancy school like Yale there'd be a mattress in the room." He complained
"Yeah. Go figure, huh?" She smiled.
"You packed her stuff in Hefty bags?" He sighed, picking one up.
"Hey, she's lucky I even had these in the house." Lorelai said picking one for herself.
"If you needed boxes-"
"Or luggage." She interrupted.
"Why would I have luggage?" He questioned.
"Because you went on a multiple country cruise," She said suspiciously.
"Oh, yeah…" He mumbled.
"Speaking of the cruise, why don't you want to talk about it?" Lorelai continued.
"What do you want to know about the cruise?" He asked with a hint of aggravation.
"See! That's what I want to know! Why do you spaz out every time I bring it up?" She demanded.
"There was just nothing really outstanding about it." He shrugged.
"Did something happen between you and Nicole?" She persisted.
"No." He sighed.
"Did you propose?" Her eyes widened.
"No! I just told you nothing happened!" He shouted.
"Then why won't you talk about it?"
"I didn't go." He admitted.
"Alright." She said staring at him.
"Alright." He echoed going to get in the truck.
"Why not?" She quizzed.
He stopped, turned around, looked from her to ground and spoke, "Nicole and I aren't together anymore."
"Oh." Lorelai whispered
"I told her I couldn't go on the cruise and she broke up with me." He explained.
Lorelai walked toward him and began to rub his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."
"I just really couldn't leave him alone." Luke muttered.
The motion on his shoulder stopped as she backed away. "What?"
He looked at the ground as a nicotine addict stares at their cigarette then glanced up at her as his words flew. "Jess came back."
"You let him come back! How could you do that?" She couldn't breathe, nope, where was air? She needed air.
"I didn't 'let him' he just showed up!" Luke stated.
She attempted to catch her breath, "I mean-" Her cell phone rang and she fumbled through her purse to it and looked at the caller ID. "Hold on." She ordered as she picked up the phone. "Hi."
"She's taken me hostage." Rory cried.
"Huh?"
"She's not letting me leave." Her daughter elaborated. "Dinner lasted an hour. She didn't even put the soufflé in the oven until we'd already finished, and now we're watching taped ballroom dancing competitions that date back to the 1800's."
"You didn't leave yet?" Lorelai buried her face in her free hand.
"Are you listening to me? I can't leave. She won't let me leave ever. This is Iran in '79 and you are Jimmy Carter. What do we do?"
"This isn't about you, this is about me." She answered. "I'm coming to get you, okay kid?"
"Okay, but come quickly because she's got a lot of tapes and they rewind really slow." Rory warned.
"I'll be there soon." She hung up and pushed past Luke. "I have to go get Rory."
"Lorelai, please-" Luke began.
"I've gotta go." She murmured getting in the car and driving off as Kirk walked by in a skydiver's outfit, a parachute trailing behind him.
"Strong wind." He offered Luke as he walked.
- -
Meanwhile at the elder Gilmore's mansion, in the den, Emily was putting another tape in the VCR as Rory looked around for a distraction. The tape went in and Emily took a seat on the couch beside Rory.
"Now I think you're really going to see quite a difference from the early eighties. They really start to mix it up in '88." Emily acknowledged.
"Mm hmm," Rory said sleepily.
"Oh, see right there, see that move?" She pointed to the television. "Five years ago it was not allowed. Could've gotten you kicked right out." She smiled excitedly.
"Harsh." Rory nodded attempting to fake enthusiasm.
"Oh, yes." She nodded. "Ballroom dancing can be very harsh. Oh, look. The couple in the purple feathers – that's Corky and Shirley Ballas." Rory wrinkled her nose in disgust at the couple in the ugly costume while her grandmother's attention turned to the screen. "I love them, they are so talented. Corky's actually writing a musical based on their life as ballroom champions, and their son, Corky Jr., is going to play him as a young man."
"Really?" Rory said in her 'ooo, awe' voice. "Two Corky's in one show. Don't see that everyday." When Lorelai walked in.
"Hi." She forced a smile.
"Mom, hey!" Rory said with genuine relief.
"There you two are."
"What are you doing here?" Emily glared.
"Happened to be in the neighborhood, thought I'd check in with the Gilmore's."
"We're watching National Ballroom Dancing competitions." Rory announced looking slightly bitter under her happy cover.
"That sounds delightful," She smiled with a small gasp. "Mind if I join?"
"I don't think you'd enjoy it." Emily replied quickly.
"I don't know about that."
"You missed the beginning." Emily challenged.
"I learn fast." Lorelai kept up.
"Rory, would you go ask Gerta if she would make me some tea?" Emily asked her granddaughter.
"I'd love some." Lorelai grinned as Rory shot her a nervous look while leaving the room. "So, how are you, mom?"
"Well, you obviously weren't just in the neighborhood," Emily snapped. "So why don't you tell me what you're doing here?"
"I came to see you." Lorelai lied.
"You came for Rory." She corrected.
"Mom, she's been here for hours." Lorelai sighed. "Patty Hearst had a shorter incarceration."
Emily glared at her. "She's not being held hostage, Lorelai. I resent that. She's spending time with me, something you obviously don't want to do."
"Mom, I'm sorry I missed dinner." Lorelai apologized.
"Come to dinner, don't come to dinner," She said in an indifferent voice. "It makes no difference to me. You are under no obligation to us any longer."
"I know," Lorelai sighed. "I just-"
"You're very busy, I understand." She lied. "I wouldn't wanna keep you any longer."
"Please let me take Rory home." Lorelai begged.
"Tonight is my night with her." Emily glared.
"You're keeping her just to spite me." Lorelai accused.
"If Rory wants to leave, she can ask." Emily smiled smugly. "She's not a four-year-old."
"She's not going to risk offending you to ask." Lorelai affirmed.
"Why should she?" Emily snorted. "She knows you'll be along any second to do it for her."
"Mom, why do you always make everything so hard?" Lorelai interrogated. "Don't you understand, this is my last night with my daughter! She leaving tomorrow and I need to talk to her!"
"Which is why it surprised me you don't want to spend the evening with her."
"I do!" Lorelai disagreed.
"Than you should have come," Emily stated quietly as Rory came in and looked back and forth between them. "What's going on?"
"Your mother was just leaving." Emily lied.
"Well, if it's alright, I think I should go home." Rory declared.
"But-"
"Night, mom." Lorelai called walking out, Roy behind her.
- -
Early the next morning Rory walked out of her room looking panicked and frantically looking around for Lorelai. She searched realizing she wasn't downstairs, proceeding to go upstairs and look, she still failed to find her. Thus she tried the porch where she found her mother on the steps.
"I need thumbtacks," She cried breathing uneasily. "We forgot them and I could need them and my roommate could be evil and refuse to lend them to me…and I could fail and-"
"Slow down, there, are you sure you don't have thumbtacks?"
"Yes, I checked, six times and I also don't have duct tape but I figure since I have six other types of tape thumbtacks are probably the bigger issue," Rory returned to hyperventilating as soon as she finished her sentence.
"Hun, it's alright, there are stores on the way to Hartford and in Hartford for that matter, we'll get you thumbtacks, and duct tape for that matter." Rory's breathing slowly relaxed. "That all?"
"Yeah," She nodded sitting down next to her. "Why are you up so late?"
"I've just been thinking about…stuff."
"You still worried about Luke's present?" She looked at her daughter and smiled. "Yeah, I can't believe we forgot him."
- - -
"Luke! Luke!" Lorelai yelled banging on the diner door. "Up! Up! Up!"
"We need coffee!" Rory added, Jess's ears perked up at that voice, Lorelai had been screaming for near ten minutes and Luke was in the bathroom grumbling about it but Rory had just started. He poked his head out the window as the consistent commands to open the door sustained. Yep, no doubt it was Rory Gilmore.
"LUKE!" Wow, Lorelai was loud, he grinned as his uncle groaned. "4:55! You have to open before long anyways!" He stuck his window out the window and the yelling seceded as Lorelai stared at him. He withdrew his head before Rory saw him again.
"Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, I've got a beautiful day, I've got a beautiful everything's going my way," He sang happily.
"I'm guessing Rory's there too," Luke grunted coming out of the bathroom.
"Somebody's Oscar the Grouch this morning." He smirked.
"Somebody's a little too Elmo for his own good." Luke grumbled.
"I'm more of an Ernie type guy," Jess said sarcastically. "Rubber ducky, you're the one, that makes bath time so much fun-"
"What's with the singing?"
"Are you saying I'm tone deaf?" Jess squeaked in fake offence. "Well, off to go work the diner. Zippity doo dah, zippity day, plenty of sunshine coming my way."
"Jess!" He warned. "You know you can't go down there."
"I'm going down there." He called from the stairs.
"Jess!" He shouted running after him. " JESS!"
"Did he just say…?" Rory asked looking at Lorelai.
"I hope to god not." She breathed.
"Jess! Don't you dare!" Jess sped for the door and opened it.
"Hi," He gasped, catching his breath.
"I told you we should have gotten the thumbtacks first!" Rory yelled at her mother.
"Can I talk to you?" Jess asked.
"No." Luke pulled him away.
"Will you get off me?" He rolled his eyes attempting to pull free.
"No." He repeated.
"Luke, let go of him." Lorelai sighed.
"I'm going to get duct tape," Rory excused herself heading down the street.
"She is alright enough to know Doose's is the other way, isn't she?" Luke looked after her.
"Yeah," Lorelai nodded unsurely. "I think she is."