TITLE: Timing

CHARACTERS: Lorelai, Luke, Rory, Dean, Ect. Oh, and my fictitious character Alyssa.

SETTING: Mid season 4, Think: "Tick, Tick, Tick, Boom!"

Chapter Three

"Oh, my god, Liz! You're getting married?" Lorelai's jaw dropped.

"Yep, T.J. and I are tying the knot next weekend!"

"That's so great!" Lorelai hugged Liz warmly.

"Yeah, I think so!"

"Who's going to be there?" she asked, but before Liz could answer Jess walked up and asked if she wanted any coffee. "Uh… No thanks…"

"Well, Luke got Jess to come, and he's going to walk me down the aisle."

"Oh, well, that's nice. I'd love to see that so-- Sure." Lorelai nodded to Luke. "A blue berry muffin sounds great."

"Lorelai, you should come."

Lorelai grabbed her bag of muffins and her to go coffee that Luke set in front of her. "I don't know, I mean, I don't want to impose."

"Aw, no! You won't be in the way; I'd love to have you. And I'm sure T.J. wouldn't mind. Come on, it'll be fun."

"Well, alright. If you insist."

Liz nodded, "Oh, I do!"

"Alright. I guess I'll see you then."

CUT TO: THE DRAGON FLY INN

"I'm telling you, Ror, it was weird. Luke had this, I don't know, grin I guess, the whole time I was there."

"Maybe he was just happy to see you?"

Lorelai walked in to the hall, waving at Dean as she did, "Maybe, but I somehow doubt it… I… Do you think I missed my chance?"

"I don't think so, I mean he waited this long, right? Okay, I have to go."

"Why? Mommy needs you!"

"The paper needs me more, and besides, I'll bet Sookie's right there to help out-"

"But I haven't told Sookie yet."

"Well, this gives you the perfect excuse, now doesn't it?"

"But-"

"Bye."

"Bye." Lorelai snapped her phone shut and said, "Mean."

"Who's mean?" Dean asked.

"Huh? Oh, I needed to talk to Rory and she was mean and had some paper stuff to do." She shook her hair back. "I mean it's a miracle that we can even catch each other on the phone, but I still need her, you know?"

"Well, I know I'm not Rory, but I'm here if you need me." Lorelai smiled at Dean's sweetness. "Hey," he said, "What're shoulders for?"

"Well, that's a very understanding shoulder you've got there. I might take you up on that."

Dean smiled, but before he could say anything, Tom called Lorelai over. "Lorelai?"

"Yeah, Tom?" she asked as she walked over, leaving Dean in the hall.

CUT TO: LUKE'S APARTMENT, KITCHEN

"Where the hell is it?" Luke asked rhetorically as he methodically began to tear the kitchen apart looking for a small scrap of newsprint.

"LUKE!" Caesar called, "CUSTOMERS!"

"I THINK YOU CAN HANDLE IT!" Luke shouted back.

"FINE!"

"Don't get an attitude with me," Luke muttered. "I'm the one who pays you."

After a few more moments of vain searching he felt something under the sink.

"Yes," he muttered as he pulled a single horoscope from an almost certain death. He rocked back on to his knees and ankles and decided that he just couldn't get rid of it. He stood up and shook his head.

He walked back down stairs to help Caesar only after he carefully pinned the horoscope to the fridge under a strong magnet.

CUT TO: LUKE'S DINER

Alyssa sat down at the counter her sable hair curtaining her face. Luke stopped short when he came down the stairs, pulled in a deep breath and stepped foreword, a smile on his face. "Hey, I didn't know you were coming in."

She looked up with a soft smile, "Yeah, I need some coffee."

"Oh, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just… The job hunt isn't going to well."

"Oh… Hey, Patty?"

"Yes, Luke?"

"Do you know of any available jobs?"

"For who?"

Luke pointed to Alyssa and her bright red face. "Alyssa just moved here, so she needs a job."

"Oh, well. What are you looking for, doll?"

"Uh…" Alyssa's face turned an even brighter red. "Anything that has potential I guess."

"Hmm… Well, ok, I know the beauty shop if hiring, lots of room for growth there, but I'll keep my ear to the ground and let Luke know if anything else comes up, how's that?"

"Thanks! I really appreciate that."

"No problem," Patty winked and headed out the door, "Hey, Babette-" But the door cut off whatever Patty asked Babette.

Alyssa smiled more warmly and swung back around on her stool, "Thanks a lot."

Luke shrugged, "It really is no big deal."

"Huh, small town charity is great." She shook her head, "I should have moved here ages ago!"

Luke looked up from checking his receipts, "Why didn't you? Or, why did you now. Or…" Open mouth, insert foot.

"Well, a friend of mine from ages ago - use to write and send pictures almost daily- moved here… And by the time I got out on my own we had lost communication… I guess I didn't feel comfortable coming out here then. Besides, I still had a few years of craziness left in me."

Luke smirked, "Oh, yeah. How's that working out for you?"

Alyssa faked a pout, "I miss it!"

Luke chuckled and refilled her cup. "Who's your friend, I might know…?"

"Her. She's a she."

"Well, ok then. I might know her."

"Uh, her name is…" Alyssa trailed off as the door opened.

CUT TO: LORELAI'S JEEP, INSIDE VIEW

"Holy crap," Lorelai muttered and stopped short as the longest red light on the face of the planet turned red.

"Ugh!" she groaned and rested her head on the steering wheel.

After a few moments of silence she turned on the radio, the song Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper) came piping through the speakers and she danced around like a moron as she san along.

"The phone rings in the middle of the night/My father yells what you gonna do with your life/Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one/But girls they want to have fun/Oh girls just want to have--" she broke off as she put the petal to the twelve mile an hour metal and turned toward Sookie's.

"That's all they really want/Some fun/When the working day is done/Girls--" Lorelai swung onto Sookie's street. "They want to have fun/Oh, girls just want to have fun!"

She listened for a few more minutes and then slid out of the car. "Sook? You here?"

Lorelai knocked on the door. "Lorelai? What're you--"

"Next weekend!"

"What?"

"We can do the test run next weekend!"

Sookie clapped and giggled. "No way!"

"Yeah!" They grabbed each other, squealed, and jumped up and down. "Do you want to help me make up a guest list?"

"Sure," Sookie stepped aside and let Lorelai into her house.

"Ok, Rory and I need a room. And then there's you and Jackson, right?"

CUT TO: LUKE'S DINER, NIGHT

"Coffee-coffee-coffee"

Luke barely looked up as Lorelai stumbled in and started screaming about coffee. "Tired?"

"Oh, yeah. Long day."

"Hmm? Why?"

"Well, we're getting ready for the test run, the weekend after this- Hey, you should come."

"Uh, no."

"Why not?"

"Because you should save the spot for an investor."

"You are an investor."

"No, I'm not. I just lent you money."

"Exactly. That's what investors do."

"Well, I…"

"Great," she said grabbing her coffee. "I'll save you a room. And hey, do we have to dress up for Liz's wedding?"

"You don't have to dress fruity."

"Hmm… I think I will."

"That's fine too. Do, uh, do you want to meet here?"

Lorelai started glowing; it was almost as if she swallowed a 5000 watt lit light bulb. "I'd love too."