Yay! I was actually having some issues with trying to write this but I got it done for you! Yay! And I am feeling a lot better now. Aren't you all happy that I am getting another chapter up so soon? Well you won't be once you read this. Hmmm, I think that I need to thank someone now. And I have to go with epona9009. I am so glad to have you as a reviewer and I just thought I should publicly thank you. You are about 50 of what keeps me writing these. The other half I think is because of my boredom. But you are just a wonderful person and I thought you should know that.

And I would also like to point out how this chapter was going to be half the length it is now, so I expect some 'thank you's for that.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Never have, probably never will.

Italics are thoughts. And boy, are there a lot of them in this chapter!

Chapter 10: Pushing Buttons and Doorbells

Lorelai walked back to the booth, only to see everyone laughing and smiling--even Jake. God! How was she going to tell Luke? Maybe I could just try and act as if nothing is wrong. Yeah, maybe that will work. She thought to herself.

"Hey, you sure you're ok?" Luke asked. He could tell that she was having some sort of battle inside her head, but he didn't know why. What was she doing out there? She said she had to call Rory, but that is her answer for everything. What was she really doing out there?

"Yeah, so what have I missed?" Lorelai asked, quickly changing the subject. Luke noticed this. Luke stood up to allow her to slide into her original place on the seat.

"We were just discussing some stories of little Jake here. Luke is barely giving anything away though. We were just talking about a shoe I believe?" Maisy asked, more than said, as she glanced towards Luke for an answer.

"Oh, are you talking about the shoe he chewed on the other day?" Lorelai asked. She seemed nervous. She thought she was hiding it very well but Luke could see it in her eyes. He slid closer and put his arm around her shoulder. Lorelai noticed this, but she just brushed it off as a loving gesture. Loving? Where did that come from? She thought to herself. Why do I always doubt the level of feelings that Luke has for me? Why do I always doubt the level of feelings I have for HM? What is wrong with me? Maybe if I am pregnant, I can blame it on the hormones. She added to her little conversion in her head. She smiled and Luke just squeezed her shoulder thinking that this was what made her smile.

"Yes! That was it! So whose shoe was that?" Maisy asked.

"Ah, it was mine." Lorelai said cheerfully while picking at her food.

"Is something wrong?" Luke asked Lorelai, removing his arm from around her to look her straight in the eyes; it was the only way he could tell if she was lying or not. What was wrong with her? He would normally just wait for her to tell him, but this time it was different. She looked as if she was having difficulty staying next to him.

"What?" she asked.

"You're not eating your food." he said waving his had towards her dish. In front of her. It had obviously been put there while she was outside.

"So? I'm just not feeling well." she said looking down at her food. Well that's half true right? She did feel a little nauseous.

"You weren't sick earlier." Luke pointed out. He knew she was lying so he wanted to know what was really troubling her.

"Well, I'm sick now." she said, continuing to pick at her food. And why can't he leave it alone? Why can't he just accept that for an answer?

"Are you ok?" Luke asked. Snap! what was his problem? Could he not hear right? She didn't want to talk about it. Why did he have to push the issue? Why?

"Luke, just…leave it! Ok?" she said forcefully. Hopefully this makes him understand that I don't want to talk about it. Can't I run my own life without him trying to make me confess everything I am keeping from him?

"What is wrong with you?" he asked with an astonished look on his face. Lorelai's mouth hung open. Why was he pushing this so far? He had always been one to let her come to him, not the other way around.

"Nothing!" she yelled again.

"Well something definitely is wrong, you haven't eaten anything, you look nervous. What are you not telling me?" he yelled back. Shock filled Lorelai's face. Luke was yelling. At her. Was he accusing her of cheating on him? Was he thinking that was why she was outside on the phone for ten minutes?

"I can't deal with this now." she said getting up. Maisy and buddy had been watching attentively, but tried to hide their interest. Maisy immediately got up when she saw that Lorelai would probably turn the table over to just get out. Lorelai quickly got out of the booth. "I'm going home. I'll catch a cab, you bring Jake home." she said to Luke. She then turned to Maisy. "Thanks so much. I had a really nice time, and I promise the next time we come here, we will bring Jake again." she said sincerely. Because that is the only reason we will be coming back. She thought to herself. She then grabbed her coat and walked out. Luke got up and ran after her.

"Lorelai! Lorelai! Come back in! Please! Just tell me what's wrong! LORELAI!" he yelled the last one. Lorelai turned around when she heard the harshness in his voice.

"What do you want Luke? Maybe some things in my life aren't apart of yours! You don't have any right to make me tell you anything that does not have to do with our son!" she yelled back. Tears started to stream down her face. "It's not like we're married or anything! God Luke! Just…whatever. I'm leaving. See you at home." she said turning around and dialing the phone number to the cab company.

"Lorelai! Please, I just want to know what is bothering you!" he said trying to be as sincere as possible. They were silent for three minutes. "Lorelai?" Luke said from behind her. He had been waiting for a response but he couldn't wait any longer. "What's wrong?" he asked. Just then a cab pulled up and Lorelai started walking towards it. "Lorelai, just tell me what is wrong." he said as he followed her.

"Luke, I'm leaving. I will see you at home, go back in, and finish dinner with Maisy and Buddy." she said and then got into the cab, which she then directed towards her house.

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What the hell am I doing? She asked herself as she got into the cab. Why am I acting like this? Why is he acting like this? Why did this have to happen now? Why is this happening? We were happy, and had balanced our lives out, but now everything is falling apart. A tear streamed down her face like a river, carrying all of the sediment of her makeup. Why can't things just go back? Wait, this isn't my fault. He was the one that was prying. But he loves me, why shouldn't he be worried about me? Because he knows that I will tell him what is wrong when I feel ready! He should know this! After almost ten years--but he was gone for one of them--he should know that! I shouldn't have to tell him anyways. It's not like we are married or engaged. But you want to be. So? What does it matter? So, I want to be married to the man I love! Is that so hard to believe? And there is that 'love' word again. I do love him. Why can't I just tell him? Why? Because you run. If you tell him, he will tell you the same thing, and then you will get scared of too much commitment, and run. NO! I will not run! Yes you will. Stop! I will not run! Then what are you doing now?

Lorelai just sat there in the back of the cab thinking about that last question that the pessimistic voice in her head had asked. "Then what am I doing now?" she whispered silently. Her eyes started to well up with more tears. She needed to talk to someone, but she couldn't call Rory. Rory would feel the need to drop everything to come help her mother. Lorelai couldn't ruin Rory's plans. Sookie. She would ask to be dropped off at Sookie's house.

"Can you just pull over here please?" Lorelai asked the driver as they came up to the front of Sookie's house. Oh god! Did this bring back memories or what?

"Here you go miss." Lorelai smiled when she heard the driver say this. She was a 'miss'. Lorelai paid the cab driver and got out. She walked up to Sookie's door and rung the bell. It must be around quarter of eleven now. She thought.

"Hold on!" Lorelai heard a yell from inside. It didn't sound tired; that was a good sign. "Lorelai. What are you doing here? What's wrong?" Sookie said as she answered the door and noticed the lack of Luke and the tear and makeup stained face of her best friend.

"Can I come in?" Lorelai asked quietly.

"Sure, sure." Sookie said as she stepped aside to allow Lorelai into the house. She closed he door behind Lorelai and then turned to face her friend. "Lorelai, what happened? Where's Luke?" she asked. She was extremely concerned for Lorelai. The last time she had seen her like this was over three months ago--because of Luke and her had gotten into a fight. Two of them for that matter.

"Ah, he is at the restaurant with Jake, and Maisy, and Buddy." she said quietly. She sounded like she was having concentrating and keeping herself together. Sookie had no clue who Maisy and buddy were but she would save that question for another day.

"So what happened?" she asked sincerely as she led Lorelai over to the couch.

"I ah…I think I'm pregnant." she said to Sookie. Sookie's concerned look turned immediately to shock and surprise.

"Isn't that good?" Sookie asked.

"It would be, but I don't know for sure. I was going to wait until after I took a pregnancy test to tell Luke. Of course only if I was pregnant, so I called Rory to ask if she could drop one off at the house, and then I went back inside." she started the tale. Sookie could sense that this is where it would get bloody. "so, then Luke asks why I am not eating my food, which of course is because I am thinking about things, and he keeps asking and asking, until I finally snapped. I yelled at him to leave me alone, and then he still kept pushing the issue, so I just got up and left." Lorelai said as more tears poured down her face.

"Oh Hunny." Sookie said trying to comfort her friend. She then got up to go get some tissues.

When Sookie left there was a knock on the door. Lorelai slowly got up to get it.

"Who is it?" Lorelai asked before opening the door.

"Lorelai! It's me! Let me in!" Lorelai heard Luke's voice.

"What are you doing here Luke?" she asked harshly.

"I am here to talk to you. Please Lorelai, at least give me five minutes." he pleaded. He at least deserves that. Lorelai told herself.

Lorelai slowly unlocked the door. "Five minutes" she said as she let him in.

"Lorelai, I couldn't find any tissues, but I have some--" Sookie said and then looked up to see that Lorelai wasn't alone. "Toilet paper." she finished. "I'm just going to go make something to eat, so you two can talk." Sookie said as she quickly rushed to the kitchen.

"Luke, where's Jake?" she asked.

"Well I rushed home the moment that you left, and when I got there, Rory was just coming out of her room--" Lorelai froze at this. Did he know? "And I asked her to keep an eye on him while I rushed over here to see if you were here." he answered. He didn't say anything about a pregnancy test, so maybe he didn't know.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Lorelai asked coldly. It was his fault they were in this situation. His fault!

"I'm sorry about earlier. I just…I was worried about you. That's all." he said.

"Well if that was all, then why did you yell at me as if you caught me cheating on you or something? Why did yell at me so harshly? Why Luke? Why don't you see that maybe sometimes I need to be able to think about things before I can tell anyone? Why do we always end up in some sort of misunderstanding?" she asked him.

"I didn't yell at you as if you were cheating! I was worried about you. Is that so hard to understand Lorelai? That maybe sometimes people who love each other care and worry about each other!" he was now yelling. He had no idea how his anger rose this high, but it had. Lorelai had heard that word: 'love'. Oh no, am I going to run? Am I? An uneasy feeling erupted in the bottom of her stomach. She felt as if she was going to vomit. Oh no. she quickly got up and raced to the bathroom. What the hell? Luke thought.

Sookie then walked in carrying a tray of assorted snacks. "Where's Lorelai?" she asked.

"She ran to the bathroom. Maybe she really is sick." Luke said. Sookie immediately knew what was wrong, but if Lorelai didn't want to tell Luke now, then who was Sookie to go against that wish.

"Um…I'm going to see if she needs anything, you just wait there." She said to Luke as she rushed to the bathroom. "Lorelai, are you in there?" Sookie asked as she knocked on the door. She heard some splashing water and then some coughing. "You ok. Hun?" she asked.

"No." Lorelai said. Sookie took this as permission to enter the bathroom. She found her friend sitting against the wall opposite the toilet. Lorelai had her head in hands. "How am I going to tell him Sookie? You heard what happened out there! Am I just supposed to go out there and say 'hey Luke, I'm pregnant, happy father's day'?" Lorelai asked. She had been running these thoughts over in her head for the past few minutes. She could tell she was pregnant. There was no doubt about it; she didn't need some stupid test to tell her. But what if she was wrong? What if she was just going crazy? What if she wanted another baby so bad that she was just thinking she was pregnant?

"Well it is coming up soon." Sookie joked. "Plus you don't even know if you are pregnant. This could just be some really bad bug or something." Sookie added when she saw how serious Lorelai was being.

"Yeah, maybe. Maybe I should just take the test first. Hey Sookie?" Lorelai knew she couldn't stay at home. She couldn't sleep with Luke there knowing that he didn't trust her.

"Yeah?" Sookie answered as Lorelai stood up and wiped her mouth with a piece of toilet paper.

"Would it be possible for me to stay the night? Here I mean." Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, sure. Anything you need. What about Luke?" Sookie asked. How was Lorelai going to tell him that she wasn't going home? And then how were they going to get rid of him?

"I'll go deal with him now. Let me just clean up first." Lorelai said gesturing towards the toilet that still held some of the contents of her dinner.

"Ok." Sookie answered as she exited the bathroom. Lorelai took the five minutes that she had alone in the bathroom to think of what she was going to do.

She then walked out to the living room. There was Luke. He was still sitting there. He was sitting with his elbows propped up, one on each knee, with his head in his hands.

"Luke?" Lorelai said quietly. His head immediately shot up and he stood up just as fast.

"You ok?" he asked worriedly. Lorelai smiled. No matter how much she and he had fought, he had always cared.

"I'm fine. Just the stupid bug I was talking to you about. So, you should get back home. You know, let Rory off babysitting duty. She does have that life she has to get back to." Lorelai laughed. Luke gave her a puzzled look.

"But what about you?" he asked.

"I'm going to spend the night here." she said slowly as placed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.

"Lorelai, if you don't want to spend the night in the same house as me, then I can stay at the apartment." he suggested. In no way did he think that she should be kicked out of her own house.

"It's ok Luke. I just…I just need some time to think. You go, I'll call Rory up and tell her that you'll be there soon, and we can talk about this in the morning." Luke started to say something until Lorelai stopped him. "In the morning Luke. Goodnight." she said as she turned away from him and walked into the kitchen to join Sookie. Luke just stood there speechless. What was that all about? Lorelai had acted so calm, but that had only made it worse for Luke. What was she thinking? What was going to happened to them? Luke couldn't get these questions out of his mind. The only thing he could do was to do what Lorelai had asked. So he left.

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So who wants to kill Ducky? I know that there are some of you out there who think my drama is wonderful, but what of the other group of my readers? I wonder. Well tell me what you think please. Even if it is a quick 30 second review (although longer is appreciated). Please review!

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