Chasing the rainbow

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters they belong to the WB, though I wish I would, b/c then we would finally see the wedding we all waited since season 1! JJ

A/N: Thoughts are in italic.

Christi06: I don't like him either, but trust me on this one, nothing is what it seems…

Lubyfanforever: I won't, so here is the next chapter.

Melissa Danielle: Thank you, I will try my best to improve my writing.

PaigeMatthews06: That was the plan lol

So here is the next chapter as promised, before I'm off to Berlin. I'll probably update next Sunday-ish (06/12/06). Enjoy!

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Chapter 6: Past, presence, future

Luke was dressed in a pair of jeans, red flannel and his green baseball cap, backwards of course. He was holding his toolbox in his left hand and was waiting for Lorelai to open the door.

"Hi." Lorelai greeted him happily.

"Hey." Luke said simply, but smiling though.

"You do have your own toolbox, kinky!" Lorelai was leaning against the doorframe. 'Dirty'

"I told you I can hold myself."

Both were lost in each others eyes in comfortable silence. Lorelai decided first to break the silence.

"So, I should probably show you which step needs to be fixed." Lorelai went towards him and pointed to the second to last step.

"Probably." Luke stated and followed her.

After that Lorelai sat down on the porch bench and looked at Luke getting ready to start work. While Luke was getting his tools he bend forward and Lorelai cocked her head to have a better view.

'Nice view'

This didn't went unnoticed by Luke, who nervously cleared his throat. 'Is she doing what I think she's doing? Yup!' Lorelai blushed and looked quickly at something else.

"So how come you can fix things?" Lorelai decided conversation would be best and it gave her another chance to learn more about Luke.

"My dad showed me a lot, when I was younger." Luke hesitated a moment, he wasn't facing Lorelai, so she couldn't see his hurt face expression at the mentioning of his father.

"Does he still live in Stars Hollow?" Lorelai asked not knowing.

"…No…uhm… he died last year." Luke was getting uncomfortable and still not facing Lorelai.

"Oh Luke, I'm sorry…I..I shouldn't have asked." 'Great Gilmore' Lorelai was clearly sorry.

"Na it's ok, you didn't know."

Both were silent for a moment, before Luke turned and faced Lorelai. He placed his tool and the porch and started talking.

"He got sick, you know. I still remember the day when he told Liz and me, that he had cancer." Luke took a deep sigh, it was the first time he freely talked about it. Lorelai could see his hurt expression, it showed clearly that the wounds weren't completely healed yet. She decided not interrupt him and just listen. Luke turned around again and started working on the porch step again. I felt good to tell some one. 'Why did I tell her that, I've never told anyonebefore, but it's like I can talk to her about everything.' "I can't believe it's been one year already. Time went by so quickly after my mom died and he was not the same without her."

'Poor Luke, he's lost both of his parents.' She felt truly sorry for him. When Luke stopped talking for a while, she decided to speak again.

"Luke, I'm so sorry."

"You know, I've never told this anyone before." 'But it felt good.' Luke had turned around again and looking her in the eyes.

"I can't even imagine what it means to loose his parents, I mean I don't see them very often, only on holidays and after all they've done to me…" Lorelai trailed off, old memories started to came up again and she looked down.

"You said they wanted you to get married." Luke stopped working at concentrated completely on her.

"Yeah, but that was only one thing. First of all, they wanted me to be the perfect daughter, which I never was. My life goal should've been, to bring honour to the Gilmore name and marry some high class jerk. But first I should've gone to Yale." Lorelai started to explain.

"Yale, impressive." Luke was obviously surprised.

"Every Gilmore went to Yale, if you didn't notice before my parents are really rich and they live in the better part of Hartford.

"I figured."

"And after I got pregnant I ruined all their dreams. I didn't graduate, I didn't marry the father of my child and I ran away from home." All the painful memories came back and tears started to form in her eyes. Luke got up and sat beside her and put an arm around her to sooth her.

"I've been a complete disappointment for them my whole life and every time I see them, they tell me that." Lorelai couldn't hold her tears back and started sobbing. Luke pulled her into a hug and started rubbing her back to calm her down.

"Lorelai how can you even say that? You're not a disappointment, look at you. You just bought your own house." After Lorelai had left this afternoon, Ms. Patty had told him what Lorelai had been through. "You started with nothing as a maid and now you're sub manager at the Inn, that's far from a disappointment." Luke reassured her, while he kept rubbing her back.

Lorelai looked up at him and wiped the tears away. "How did you know…?" 'I didn't tell him that'

"Miss Patty:" Lorelai nodded. Both felt very comfortable in each others arms.

After a few moments Lorelai had calmed down again and Luke let go of her.

"I'm sorry, Luke that I got so emotional." 'But it felt good, him holding me.'

"It's ok." Luke smiled and than got up again and began working on the step again. 'Normally I freak when people get whiny, but not with her.'

When Luke grabbed another tool out of his box Lorelai looked at it questioningly.

"How do you call it?"

"Call what?" Luke turned around and looked at her confused.

"Your toolbox." Lorelai answered in a duh-voice.

"Why would I name my toolbox?" Luke still tried to make sense to her question. 'She's crazy, but I like it.'

"Why wouldn't you? Let's think… I think you should call it…Bert!" 'I wonder what Ernie could be…no stop that!'

"You're crazy, you know that." Luke smiled and shook his head.

"Rory and I named all of our objects in our house…"

"Do I even wanna know?"

Lorelai simply ignored his question. "Only the house itself gave us some problems. All we came up with was the 'Crap Shack'."

"Crazy Lady." Lorelai just smiled and looked in his crystal blue eyes. Both were extremely comfortable in each others company.

A while later Luke was done with the porch step.

"So, all done." Luke said and started to gather his tools.

Lorelai got up from the bench and walked to him a hugged him. "Thank you so much, Luke." 'I'm hugging Luke! Are that muscles! Woa!'

"I told you it was no problem." Luke was taken back, by the sudden physical nearness, but then hugged her back, before they parted again.

"So, will I see you in the diner tomorrow?" 'Danes!'

"With that kick-ass coffee you make, you definitely will." Lorelai answered happily.

"Good. See you tomorrow." Luke gave her a small smile and left with his toolbox.

Lorelai watched him until he was out of sight, perfectly happy.

Lorelai went inside and then straight to her daughter's room. Rory was lying on her bed, reading a new book, when her mother plopped next to her.

"Hey, hon."

"What's up, Gertie?" Rory put her book down and looked at her mother, who had a wide grin plastered on her face.

"I just had a nice talk with Luke:" 'Why am I so happy?'

"I know." Rory just stated simply.

"Did you eavesdrop on us?" Lorelai asked shocked.

"No, my disk man died and the walls aren't that thick…" Rory reasoned.

"What did you hear?" 'I hope she didn't…'

"Bits and pieces…You seem happy, mom."

"I am, Luke is really nice." Lorelai paused a second and then faced her daughter with a serious expression. "I think we should have a talk."

"What talk?" Rory looked at her mother confused.

"Hon, you know I haven't been dating for a long time, because I thought it wouldn't be right and I wanted our lives to be stable before I even want to think about it. Honestly I don't know if now is the right time, but Luke is really nice and may be…"Lorelai looked at he daughter who had a content face expression.

"Mom, I know all this and I appreciate it, but I also know that it can't stay like this forever. I really like it just being the two of us. But when I'll go to Harvard I want you to have someone and Luke is really nice and he seems to make you happy." Rory told her mother.

"Thank you, have I ever told you that you're my favourite daughter?"

"I am your only daughter." Rory played along and both were smiling at each other, before Lorelai pulled her daughter in a hug.

"And you're really ok with this?" Lorelai asked her again after they'd pulled apart. "Don't you think it would be weird? And don't you may be somewhere deep down wish me and your father would get together?" Lorelai asked cautiously.

"That is in the past, I have finally understood that dad will never come around, he's made his choice and so should we." Lorelai was sometimes really surprised how mature her daughter sometimes was. But the hurt her father had caused her, was still audible in her voice.

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked again.

"Yes mom and now go, I wanna finish this book." Lorelai pulled her into another hug and kissed then her forehead.

"Ok." With that Lorelai left the room.

Later that evening Lorelai was sitting on the couch in the living room. She was wrapped in a blanket and a bowl of popcorn was sitting in her lab. She was watching an episode of 'The Pretender' on her VCR. It was the episode where Jarod joined the coast guard, to reveal the murder of a former member. Jarod was currently eating Oreos for the first time and Lorelai was clearly enjoying his attempts to eat it the right way. When the telephone started Lorelai placed the bowl on the table in front of her and tossed the blanked aside and went to the telephone, still focussing the TV. Focussed on the TV she forgot to check the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"That's not an appropriate way to answer the phone, Lorelai." Lorelai flinched at her mother's voice.

"Well, good evening to you too, mother." 'Why didn't I check the ID first?'

"Lorelai, the reason I call is that I want to inform you that my birthday is coming up."

'What does she think of me?' Lorelai was clearly annoyed.

"I know, mom. Do you think I'd forget your birthday?"

"Well, you forgot other things…" 'Gah! Here we g again!'

"I remember your birthday and the party you're having. Rory and I are coming, like every year." Lorelai went back to the couch and plopped down, pressing pause on the VCR.

"About that Lorelai, your father is having important business clients attending to the dinner…" 'Get to the point, mother!'

"… and so it is only appropriate for you to attend with an escort. I already called Christopher…"

"YOU WHAT!" Lorelai screeched.

"There is no need for you to raise your voice, Lorelai. It is only appropriate for you to show up with the father of your child. But unfortunately he isn't able to come." Emily was clearly disappointed that Chris wasn't escorting her daughter.

"Mom, I can't believe you would do that! Have you ever considered that I don't want to go with Christopher to your stupid party?"

Emily simply ignored her daughter's last sentence. "Lorelai I just wanted to inform you because Christopher isn't coming you need to bring a date and please don't bring someone who will embarrass us. We see you and Rory at my birthday in three weeks, goodbye." With that Emily hung up the phone and Lorelai was staring at her phone in disbelief, trying to process what just happened.

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So, this was the last chapter before I go on vacation, hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. With the whole porch scene I wanted to show that both have a connection, but none of them is aware of it, yet ;) But I assure you it won't take long and our Luke will take his chances…

As said above I try to update next Sunday-ish.

Now, for 2 updates in 2 days you can give me some credit and review ;) pretty please.