A/N: A post-Partings fic. I know there have been a lot of those going around lately... I'm not one to usually join the crowd, but the episode couldn't NOT be written about.
This story is kind of interesting, though. I hope I'm not stealing anyone's idea. And please, read the whole chapter through. It lays down a common ground of what happened.
Disclaimer: If I owned Gilmore Girls, I would have to be ASP. But I'm not, so I don't.
A Return
June 2008
'You weren't all in, Luke! You'd like to claim that, and maybe for a while you were, but you aren't now.' That was one of the reasons that Lorelai had left him. She had claimed a myriad of other reasons, some insane, others true. But after those two years, that one was the one that had stuck with him the most. Luke could still remember that evening like it was just yesterday. Her words still ran though his mind sometimes, but some parts of the conversation had faded away from memory, while others he had blocked. That was Luke's way of dealing with things. Forgetting. But there was no way he could "forget" that whole night. In a blip of a moment, his whole life had changed. How could anyone not forget something like that?
Lorelai wrote him sometimes, her large loopy letters extending out to comfort him. But instead Luke saw them as a nuisance, as a way of torture, saying, 'Look, this is the life you could have shared with me.' They used to be long and winding, including witty remarks about her day. But lately they had shorted down to just a few paragraphs in a hurried handwriting. It was no longer hers, but a scrawl of incoherent sentences.
Today, I went to New York City, and saw the Bangles again. Rory came with and we had a ball.
What happened to her memory for details, and her references to pop culture every other word? Maybe this was her way of letting go. But what if Luke didn't want her to let go? He always had a small, harbored thought in the back of his mind, telling his mind that someday, Lorelai would come back. And they'd go along, like no time had passed in between. The diner owner knew that this couldn't possibly happen, but it was always nice to think that, by some break in the space-time continuum, it could be possible.
For the last two years, she hadn't entered his diner. They passed each other by on the streets and had polite conversation, as "How are you?" and "I heard that Paul Anka got sick. Is he okay?", but it wasn't like they went over to each other's houses and enjoyed dinner. Never the deep things they once had. But how could they ever gain them back?
Lorelai could never leave Stars Hollow. Nor Luke. It wasn't an option, wasn't a possibility. But after the two broke up, Lorelai had taken a three-week long vacation to the Caribbean. And for a while, Luke was honestly afraid that she actually would leave the town, and they'd never get their chance to get back together.
It was an unspoken subject in the small town, the matter of Lorelai and Luke. For a while, Taylor's story of the chocolate store and the flower store had come true. People felt they had to choose a side. But after a month, the supporters of the Dragonfly were missing Luke's Danish Day, and the supporters of the Diner were missing Sookie's more formal cooking. So once again, the town melded back into one. Except for the couple that was Lorelai and Luke.
Everyone knew that eventually they had to get back together. A pool had been going around town, people betting on the day that the lovers that were meant to be would finally make up, but a tragic end met it once Luke had found out. That had been a year and a half ago.
Kirk still dreamt about it, and everyday, upon coming into the diner, he'd go "Luke, guess what."
And Luke, being Luke, replied, "What would you like for breakfast, Kirk?"
"I had a dream about you and Lorelai last night. You guys got back together."
Luke would roll his eyes, snort, and go, "Kirk, I doubt it's going to happen." Even thought it hurt him to say.
"But you two are meant for each other. Lulu says that she won't accept my proposal until you get together, so we can have both a wedding cake from Sookie, and danishes and coffee from you, at our wedding."
"You can do that, Kirk. It's not like Lorelai and I don't speak."
"Yeah, but you don't speak to each other like you used to."
"What'd you expect? We broke up."
Every day, the same damn conversation. And then, after all the talking, Kirk will say "Well, since the customer service isn't very good here, I won't be dining here. One peanut butter and jelly sandwich to go, please. And no tip."
Luke would roll his eyes and head to the back, telling Caesar to get Kirk's sandwich, and that he was going upstairs to take a break.
And then he'd head upstairs, look out his window and there would be Lorelai, driving to work, or walking by and staring into the Diner windows, looking for him. But he never was there.
And sometimes, Miss Patty would entertain kids by the giant beech tree in the town square, telling them of a magical couple so long ago. Only in her story, they got married on the fantastic day of June 3rd, and live happily ever after. She'd point down the street, at Lorelai's house, and whisper, "That's where the princess lived." And then she'd turn to the Diner, and say "That's where the prince lived. And there was a great castle right over there," And she'd point at the Twickham house.
But today was different. Today, there was no conversation with Kirk. The odd man didn't even come in for his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Miss Patty wasn't entertaining her usual crowd of kids by the old Beech tree, and Lorelai hadn't walked or drove past yet.
A small wind whipped around the town park, the traffic light swinging in the breeze.
Then the door to Luke's apartment slowly opened, a tall figure standing in the doorway.
The man's face was worn with time, but nothing else had changed.
Luke turned around, and choked out, "Dad?"
"Oh, don't get all teary on me. I didn't raise any emotional son."
Luke growled, "I'm not emotional. Allergies.", and then said "I've got to be dreaming. You're dead."
The father nodded, but only said "Son, I'm here to show you what could have happened if you stayed with Lorelai." And with a snap of his fingers, Luke's apartment started moving forward, a slow pace at first, but as it gained more speed, Luke could see little blips of him and Lorelai.
Their wedding day, their honeymoon. Suddenly, it stopped and Luke was standing outside Lorelai's house.
He turned around, and everything looked the same. The tree leaves were the same color, Patty was outside teaching ballet, and Lane was walking down the sidewalk with a stroller.
But then Luke Danes saw something he didn't expect.
He saw himself… Only a different himself. With Lorelai. Laughing, talking, holding a normal conversation.
"…What is this, some kind of weird Back to the Future thi-?" Real Luke asked his Dad, but got cut off.
"Shut your trap, I'm trying to show you something here." Was his father's reply, along with a thwack on the arm.
A/N: I know, weird, 'eh? Please review, even if it's one word, like "Octopus!" or "Meet me in Prague."
Just something that tells me that you read it.
And believe me, this story gets better. This chapter had to set everything up, but next chapter is more intriguing.
Next Chapter: Diner man here reacts to the whole "What he could have had" deal, and also learns how it feels to walk through walls and people. And what's this I hear of a possible Lukelai baby in the (possible) future Danes-Gilmore household soon?
A Couple Chapters From Now: Luke also finds out what happens if he never tries to get Lorelai back.
