A/N: Thanks to my lovely beta dimoreien for her assistance.

She Always Takes Me Back

Chapter 19: Pancakes and a Pretty Bad Day

"You got any money, Kid?" Luke asked the diminutive patron.

"I have $10. What kind of pancakes do you have?"

"Whole wheat, blueberry, strawberry and chocolate chip. It comes with bacon and a choice of eggs."

"I'll take strawberry pancakes with bacon and fried eggs, both extra crispy"

"You got it kid. Anything to drink?"

"I'll take some coffee."

"No, you won't, kid. No coffee for anyone under double-digits. Juice or milk."

"Apple juice, please."

"Coming right up, Kid."

Gigi looked around the small diner and could see why the man did not want to leave. He had carved out a nice little place in the world for himself. Of course, he didn't know the real reason he felt compelled to stay in Stars Hollow, but Gigi wasn't going to illuminate him on that subject.

A round man brought her apple juice, which she drank slowly to scope out the territory. A very obnoxious man came in and sat next to her.

"Hey, Luke, do you have any pancakes in the shape of stars today?" Kirk asked to the kitchen.

"Sorry, Kirk. We've only got round today. You want blueberry?"

"You know me so well, Luke."

"I only wish I didn't," Luke muttered under his breath as he came out of the kitchen with Gigi's order.

"Here you go Kid. Strawberry pancakes, with bacon and eggs, fried extra crispy."

"Thank you," she said as she began eating. Gigi had to admit these were the best pancakes she had ever eaten. They were fluffy, light and the strawberries added a nice touch with the warm maple syrup. It was a shame he had to die.

Luke couldn't help but wonder who this strange child was or who she belonged to. He had never seen her in the diner before, as he had a good memory for his customers, even the young ones. He didn't know this girl, and there was something off about her.

His thoughts about the strange girl were interrupted by her sweet little voice.

"Excuse me, Mr. Danes, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, uh, what's your name?"

"Georgia."

"What Georgia?"

"How long have you lived in Stars Hollow?"

"All my life. Why?"

"Why have you never left?"

Luke was about to go into a full rant on the nosy kid, but there was something about her eyes that stopped him.

"Well, you know, my business is here. I was born and raised here. I like it here."

"Why didn't you go to college?"

"Uh, well, I thought about it, but I'm not that book smart. Then, my dad found out he was sick, and couldn't manage his store -- he had a hardware store -- and he couldn't really afford to hire extra help. So, I stayed and helped him. When he died, he left the store and the building to me. He left the house to my sister, who sold it. But, anyway, I wanted to honor him, so I turned his store into a diner."

"You are a really good cook. Did you go to cooking school?"

"Thanks, and no, I'm self taught. I've always wanted to work where my dad worked. I guess if my dad had lived and worked in the city, I'd be there instead."

"Didn't you have your own dreams?"

"Like what? To play major league baseball? Sure, but there's something about Stars Hollow. I've never wanted to leave here. My dad was the same way My sister got out as soon as she could, but I love it here. I'll die here."

"I'm sure you will," Gigi said under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Uh, nothing…How much do I owe for breakfast?"

"First visits on the house, Georgia. Come back again."

"Thank you, Mr. Danes. I know I'll be back."

When the bell rang again and the girl left the diner, Luke felt a cold wind pass through him and shook a little. He couldn't believe he had told a complete stranger, and a child at that, so much. He never talked to anybody. He hadn't even told Lorelai that much until they were lovers.

"Hey, Luke, did you forget about my pancakes?" Kirk asked.

"Coming right up, Kirk."

Luke went back into the kitchen to get Kirk's order. He had to head over to the Twickham house in an hour to help Taylor.

Christopher's hand was killing him. He had been practicing with the pistol for several hours, and was now able to hit the target every time. He didn't always hit the head, like he had been instructed to, but he figured, if he missed his head the first time and still got a bullet into Luke, he'd get him the second time.

"That's some pretty good shooting, mister," said Jamie Barnes, the proprietor of the shooting range. "How long have you been shooting?"

"About three hours."

"Well, that's pretty good then. What are you planning on hunting?"

"Oh, this is for self-defense. You never can be too careful."

"Word of advice then?"

"Sure."

"You might not want to shoot your attacker in the head. You could end up with a murder charge that way."

"Thanks. I'll remember that." Christopher said as he put his earphones on and began shooting again.

Lorelai was having a great day. The Dragonfly had just booked two conventions for the winter, Sookie had just invented a new way to cook monkfish, and her interview with the Sandra, the writer for American Travel had been a huge hit. They had had such a good time that she knew the interview would be a rousing success.

She couldn't wait to tell Luke all about her great day. Unfortunately, he had volunteered to aid Taylor in his renovations of the Twickham House. She decided she would set up a surprise for him in his apartment that night when he finished at the diner

After running into the kitchen to see if Sookie could whip her up something special just for Luke, She headed to her house to plan the perfect night for him.

When Christopher returned to the apartment, he found Gigi watching The Golden Girls and laughing up a storm.

"Enjoying the show?"

"Oh, yes. You don't realize how much you miss things like this until you're without them. Those Golden Girls are too funny."

"Uh, okay," he said, turning off the television and getting a death stare from Gigi. "What time am I supposed to go do this?"

"Right before closing time, Daddy, I've told you this over and over. I went over there this morning. It should be a piece of cake. There is no security, but he might have a baseball bat behind the counter, so watch out for that. Other than that, I'm pretty sure Mr. Danes will go along with you because he has something to live for."

"You mean Lorelai?"

"Yes, he is in love. If you taste his pancakes you can tell. That man is a great cook. It's a shame you have to kill him."

"Well, actually…"

"Yes, you have to kill him or your daughter's soul is going to be mine for all eternity."

"I got it. 9:45 it is."

Lorelai arrived at the diner at 8, and Caesar told her that Luke hadn't returned from helping Taylor.

"Well, I have a special surprise for him to pay him back for the surprise he gave me yesterday, so can you please not tell him that I'm up here."

"Sure thing, Lorelai."

Lorelai heaved her two bags of food and wine up the stairs. Sookie had written down very detailed instructions on what to do with all the food, but most of it consisted of turning on the oven and putting the food inside it. Sookie had made something she said Luke would love, including sea bass with garlic risotto cakes, an heirloom tomato salad and angel food cake with fresh fruit. Lorelai wasn't 100 sure he'd go for it, but she wanted to do something for Luke to let her know how much she appreciated him.

Even though he wasn't a big wine drinker, Lorelai knew he would drink it with the meal, or he would discreetly get himself a beer without making a fuss about it. After she put the wine in the refrigerator to chill, she sat down with Sookie's six page list of instructions to put together what she hoped would be a fabulous meal.

What had started as a beautiful day had quickly turned into a nightmare for Luke. He had woken up with Lorelai's hand on his ass, then had a nice morning at the diner, but then it all went south as he went to assist Taylor at the Twickham house

Once Taylor learned that Luke would not cross him on almost anything he said, he had forced him to kowtow to his every whim, which ended with a trip to Mystic to pick up Old Man Twickham's even older cannonball, which dented the gate of his truck.

Then, he was forced to deal with Dean, who was being an even bigger ass than Taylor. All Luke wanted to go was go up and sleep, or go to Lorelai's and sleep, but he had promised he would close the diner so Caesar could get home early. He cursed himself under his breath as he walked back into the diner.

It was just past nine and there were only a few patrons left. Caesar left about ten seconds after Luke walked in the door, telling him Lane had left at seven because she had a gig that evening. Luke was the only worker, but most of the patrons had already been served and were eating or finishing up.

Luke put on a pot of coffee just in case Lorelai decided to stop by. He hadn't heard from her all day, not that he had expected to. Just because they had reunited did not mean they had to be joined at the hip. Luke knew Lorelai still needed what he liked to call "alone girl time." Lorelai knew sometimes Luke couldn't stand to be around people. He thought that was why they worked so well together.

He refilled a few glasses of iced tea, bussed his remaining five patrons' dishes, and prayed they left soon as he kept checking the clock. It was already 9:30, and every minute he was forced to wait downstairs was a minute less he'd get to sleep. He knew his mind was already starting to play tricks on him because he thought he smelled fish cooking.

"Hey, Luke, can I get my check?" Joe said.

"Sure, Joe. Just give me a minute."

Once Joe and his friends were out the door, he flipped the sign to closed, but didn't lock the door. He was hoping Lorelai would stop by and if the door was locked, she might run into the door, and if that happened, he'd never hear the end of it.

Luke went into the back to get the cleaning supplies. It took him less than 15 minutes to clean the diner. That meant he could be asleep in 20.

Christopher was staked outside the diner, once again dressed all in black, waiting against a wall. He wasn't wearing his mask yet because he thought that might draw attention. Because a guy in all black and black gloves wouldn't draw attention, he thought to himself.

He looked at his watch, which said 9:42. Only a few more minutes before he did the most unspeakable thing imaginable for the best reason he could think of. His daughter would be safe, even though he might actually be releasing Hell onto Earth.

Over at the gazebo, Gigi, also dressed in black, was watching him and waiting with a can of gasoline and a box of matches. If he didn't go in precisely at 9:45, she might leave and take Gigi's body with her. The gun, hidden inside his jacket, felt 100 pounds. His heart was starting to beat faster and faster. If he was going to do this, he had to do it now. He walked to the door.

Luke finished a quick mopping of the floor and just put the bucket in the storeroom when he heard the bell over the door ring.

"Hey, Lorelai, I didn't know you where--what the hell?" Luke said to the figure in black.

The figure spoke in a really bad British accent.

"Just cool it, this is a robbery," Christopher the burglar said, the gun slightly shaking.

"You have got to be kidding me," Luke said as he put his hands in the air