Note: Thanks for the great reviews. I know I've been leaving you hanging there for quite some time now, but finally the time has come to talk some more about Luke & Lorelai. I hope you will enjoy this!
Note 2: Somebody asked me how many months Lorelai was pregnant and the answer is somewhere about 4 to 4,5 months. So she's starting to show now.
Note 3: Thanks Mary Kate113 for correcting me on spiking someone's drink.
Chapter 19:
Stars Hollow
It was quiet at Luke's diner. It had been quiet for quite some time now. People didn't like going there anymore, because of Luke's bad mood swings. He was always grumpy and forgot things all of the time. He let the food burn and delivered the wrong dishes to the wrong people. That was, if you got anything at all. And the people, who dared to say something about it, just got the answer that if they didn't like it they could always leave. So that's what most of them did, except for the few who never gave up. Kirk was one of them and was now sitting at the counter. He had ordered pancakes, but the pancakes he got were burned. Kirk being Kirk just ate them anyway, but now started negotiating with Luke.
"Since these pancakes are burned, I think I deserve a discount. I say a 40 discount." He says to Luke.
"You don't get a discount, Kirk! If you don't like them I will take them away." A grumpy Luke replies.
"No, I still want them. What about a 25 discount then?" Kirk is doing the calculation on a napkin.
"No, no discount Kirk!"
"You are just in a bad mood, because you and Lorelai broke up. Can't you just get back together or get another girlfriend, so things can get back to normal? I liked you a lot better, when you were still with Lorelai. Maybe I can hook you up with someone. I'll ask Miss Patty for some help" Kirk says.
"Out, out! Get out of my diner." Luke yells at him, pointing to the door. When Kirk doesn't make any notion of leaving, Luke grabs him by his collar and puts him out on the street. When he walks back inside he looks around at the empty diner.
Ceasar comes up to him and puts down his apron.
"That's just great Luke! You just scared away our last customer. I know I'm speaking out of turn and I don't want to lose my job, but the way this is going I won't have a job anyway for much longer. You have been impossible to be with since you broke up with Lorelai. It is time to let it go or to get back with her. It is up to you! I will go home now, cause my work seems to be done for today. Do yours!" And with that Ceasar leaves the diner.
Luke is just standing there, thinking about everything. He didn't like the person he had become either. He was still in love with Lorelai. Always had been and always will be. So why did he throw it all away. Was it because of what Emily said? Or because Lorelai hadn't told him about the night she spent with Christopher? No that had nothing to do with it. He could see it clearly now. He was just scared, scared for not being good enough for her, scared that she would get bored with him and run back to Christopher. He had screwed up the best thing in his life. But maybe it wasn't too late. He had to try and make things better.
So he closed the diner and jumped into his car. But where was he going? Where was she? He decided to drive up to the inn and ask Sookie. Sookie was totally surprised to see him.
"Luke, what are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for Lorelai. Do you know where I can find her?"
"Why are you looking for her? If you're gonna make her more upset, you better just stay home." Sookie replied.
"I have to tell her, what an idiot I've been. I have to make things right, Sookie, cause I can't live without her."
"Awww, that's so sweat. Just hurry! She's having a test run at the inn in Hamden. Here is the address." Sookie says, while scribbling down the address.
Luke takes the piece of paper and runs outside. He's of to win the love of his life back.
xxx
When Tristan and Rory return to the inn they are still soaking wet. Rory is shivering and Tristan had put his arm around her to keep her warm. They were laughing out loud, thinking about the last fox they had to hunt down. Well actually Tristan had done all of the hunting and Rory had just pointed out where it went.
This is how Logan spotted the two of them. He had had an exhausting lunch with his family, where they had tried to convince him of the fact how she didn't fit in his future perspective, no matter how great she was. He didn't want to give in to them, but seeing her laughing with Tristan made him think of all her future plans. He couldn't ask her to give it all up for him. He just wasn't sure if he was willing to give up his way of living either.
When she saw Logan, she let go of Tristan and ran up to him.
"Hey, you're back!" She gives him a sweet kiss. "How did the meeting go?"
Logan saw that she was soaking wet. "We'll talk about that later. First you have to take a shower, before you get sick. Just go upstairs and we will talk when you get back." And with that he sent her upstairs.
Tristan was standing by the desk with Lorelai. It seemed like they didn't win the hunt. Jake and Bridget had come in first. After them Colin and Stephanie had returned together with a father and his daughter who were also staying at the inn. And after them an older couple had returned, so it seemed like Tristan and Rory were taking the fifth place. He looked outside at Logan and Rory. He had deliberately left Rory and Logan alone, giving them some privacy.
Lorelai had sensed this and walked over to Tristan. "She really cares about him you know? I've been against him from the start, but it didn't make any difference."
"Yeah, I know." Tristan replies.
"But she cares about you too. She won't admit it but she really does. I can see it in her face and in her actions."
"All I want is for her to be happy. And if she's happy with Logan, I just have to accept that." Tristan says, looking straight at Lorelai.
Lorelai smiles and grabs his hand. "You're the best friend I ever could wish for Rory. Just have a little faith."
At the same time they see Rory passing by, walking upstairs, and see Logan entering. He walks up to Tristan.
"Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Tristan looks surprised. "Of course! Let's take a walk."
When they are outside Logan starts to talk.
"I know you have it bad for Rory, Dugray. I have known you all of my life, and I know how you were before. You have changed and I think it is because of her."
"Yes I care about Rory, Logan. I care enough about her to want to see her happy. And it just so happens to be, that you seem to make her happy. So don't ruin that and just make her happy."
Logan is taken aback by this answer. He had thought Tristan was after Rory and do whatever it takes, but maybe he was wrong.
"Has Rory told you anything that has been happening the last week?" he asks him.
"I found her crying in her room after the family dinner. She told me what happened and I tried to comfort her. Today she told me about your lunch date and about the pressure your family is putting on you." Tristan says. "I'm sorry to hear that. I have been in the same situation, which in my case led to a brake up with my parents. I don't wish for the same thing for you. I just know that you have to consider what you want for you future. And you have to consider what she needs in her future."
"Yes I know that. I've been thinking of nothing else the entire week. I just don't know if our futures are compatible. I don't know if either of us could truly be happy when we have to give up part of our dreams. All I know is that I don't want to loose her.
"Well you have to make that decision on your own. Just know that you could never loose her entirely, she cares too much about you to just let you go."
Logan seems to be lost in thought right now.
"Logan? Logan! Are you okay?"
Logan snaps out of his thought. "Oh I'm sorry. I just need some time to think." And with that he also walks up the stairs.
xxx
Lorelai was checking her list. It seemed like everybody had returned to the inn safely. As it turned out two couples hadn't been able to get stamps from all the foxes and were disqualified. First there was Paris and Brian. It seemed like Paris had been pushing Brian to the limit in quest for their victory, in the end making him hyperventilate. Paris had been yelling at him to take it easy, but when he noticed he forgot to bring his inhaler he started panicking even more. So in the end Paris had dragged him back to the inn as quickly as possible. And then there was Finn and Lane. Things were going quite well, that was until the came by the lake. As payback for his watery wake-up call this morning, he had picked Lane up and had thrown her in the water. Lane had been furious with him and started chasing him. Finn was having a great time being chased by Lane, until he bumped his head into a beehive that was hanging from a tree. When Lane saw the bees coming out, she immediately turned around and told Finn to start running. The two of them ran for their lives and jumped into the lake for cover. After the bees left, they decided to go back to the inn to take care of their bee stings. It turned out it wasn't too bad. It seemed like the bees had gotten Lane 5 times, 3 stings on her arms and two on her legs. Finn was feeling it worse though. The bees had stung him 13 times in total. Especially his arms were attacked severely and one of his eyelids was shut now, because of a bee sting.
Lorelai told one of her employers to start the fire outside and tell the cook to start with the barbeque. When she turned around she saw Luke bursting in and froze in her track.
"Luke! What are you doing here?"
When Luke sees her standing there he walks over to her and kisses her. Lorelai doesn't know what is happening, but slowly starts to respond to the kiss. After a while they need to break free to get some air. Luke grabs her hands.
"Lorelai! I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you away. You wanted to explain everything to me, but I just didn't want to hear it. I was being stubborn. I just realized that I didn't want to hear your explanations, because they weren't the real reason for me being so upset. It wasn't about your mother or about Christopher. The real reason is that I was just scared. Scared I would never be good enough for. Scared you would get tired of me and leave me…"
Lorelai is looking at him with tears in her eyes.
"Don't you know that you are so much better than I am and that I could never have enough of you?" She softly strokes his cheek.
"Well I don't know about that. All I know is that I have been really miserable the last two months. I don't want spend another day without you. I just want to cherish you as long as I can. What do you say? Will you take me back?"
Lorelai throws her arms around his neck. "Are you kidding me? Of course I'll have you. That is if you'll have me after you hear what I have to tell you next." She looks down to her stomach. There is a small belly showing.
Luke follows her gaze. He also sees her belly and smiles. "It looks like all of that junk food is finally catching up with you, but don't worry, you'll always be beautiful to me."
Lorelai smiles at his answer, but then her face turns somber again. "Luke, listen to me. There is something I have been meaning to tell you. I tried to tell you before, but you wouldn't listen, so I decided that I would tell you when I get back at Stars Hollow."
She takes a deep breath. "I'm pregnant Luke! I'm gonna have your baby!"
Luke is stunned when he hears the words come from her lips. She's pregnant! How? Well he knew how. He's gonna be a daddy. But when? Why didn't she tell him?
Lorelai looks at his face. She first sees the shock, then the realization, then a twinkle of joy in his eye and then the anger.
"Why didn't you tell me Lorelai? You should have told me the minute you knew. You have no right to keep this kind of information from me."
Lorelai feels she's loosing him again. "I wanted to tell you Luke, but you weren't ready to listen to me. You wouldn't listen to me at the time so I decided to give you some space and tell you when I got back."
"That's bull and you know it. You blab out all kinds of things I don't want to hear, so you could have told me this, but you just didn't want to. Were you so mad at me that you wanted to punish me?"
Luke looks at Lorelai expectantly and sees the tears that start to form in her eyes.
"No Luke, I never meant to hurt you. I just didn't want you to get together with me, just because I was pregnant.
Luke thinks of the times Lorelai had tried to talk to him and then he remembers his own words. 'There cannot be an 'us' anymore. Before I thought that I wanted it all. You! A place to live for the two of us! I even thought of starting a family with children of our own! But I realized that I cannot do that. I cannot be in a relationship with you and I certainly cannot start a family with you!' How could he have said that? He hadn't meant a word. Those words must have hurt her really bad, knowing she was pregnant. Poor Lorelai! How could he be so insensitive? He looks at her and smiles.
"Just let us forget about it all. We were both hurt and acting stupid. All I know is that it is now that counts. And at this moment I am the happiest man on this planet. Not only did I find you again, I'm also gonna be a daddy." He picks her up and twirls her around.
When he puts her down she keeps her arms wrapped around him.
"I love you Luke."
"Not as much as I love you, Lorelai Gilmore!"
And the two of them lean closer to seal it with a kiss.
xxx
A/N: Ok that's it for now. I really hope you liked it. Please review!
