A/N: So, a month later here I am with a new chapter. For SOME reason this chapter took forever. I have no idea why…but I'm kinda moo (Friends reference, godl star if you got that) on the whole thing. I like it, but I think I might go back and tweak if in a little while.
Two things have been brought to my attention, and that is that some of you aren't happy Rory's a part of the story…it's Gilmore GirlS...plural…two. I really don't think you could write a GG story and do it justice if you didn't have both. Rory's wedding wont be a huge part, and after the past two weeks I'm majorly not a Logan fan…but my Logan is far sweeter than ASPs. And the second thing is that some of you don't like the italics in the dialogue. I'm in college. I know that quotation marks denote speaking…but I felt like making it in italics b/c I had so much thought in the first couple chapters instead of dialogue and it just stuck. Don't like it? Deal with it. Just your imagination and pretend it isn't there
But to everyone, I hope you enjoy. Hopefully you'll enjoy it and hopefully it wont take me another month to update.
Cocktail…Weenies?
Luke entered the house a little bit after 4, having closed the diner super early in order to get home and get ready for the extravagant house warming party Lorelai had planned. The entire town was coming, for the most part, and he just had a feeling that the house was going to be a disaster when he got home.
He pushed open the front door and tossed his keys on the table and walked back towards the bedroom. He was shocked when he discovered on his way that Lorelai had actually cleaned. The house was pretty much spotless. He heard strains of Joni Mitchell coming from the bedroom, and upon further investigation he found them coming from the master bathroom. He pushed open the door and found Lorelai soaking in a bubble filled tub with the aforementioned Joni Mitchell playing in the background. Her hair was piled on top of her head and she shot him a smile.
"Hey honey, you're home!" She said beaming up at him. He crossed over to the tub and planted a kiss on her forehead.
"I am at that. You cleaned." He said, gesturing back towards the rest of the house.
"Yup!" she said, and then catching the look he gave her she ducked her head and smiled. "Okay, I got a number from Lena at the Inn…I had somebody come and clean. BEFORE you start lecturing, she charged by the room and it wasn't that bad. Plus, the house is clean and now we don't have to do it." She said, pointing a finger at him.
He gave her a look and then shrugged it off.
"What all needs to get done before the lunatics start showing up?" He asked, sitting on the side of the tub and rubbing her exposed knee.
"It's all pretty much done. We just have to set out the food when it gets here with Sookie and light all the candles and the tiki torches around the pool." She said, rolling her eyes upward to think.
"Huh, then I guess I can take a shower and then just lounge around until time to get dressed." He said standing up and unbuttoning and shrugging off his flannel.
"Damn you men with your no primping time needed." She said, fishing around in the tub and pulling up the plug. She stood up and the bubbles around her clung to her like a bikini. Luke tossed her a towel, which smacked her in the face, and then pulled his own t-shirt off over his head.
"You know, after a long day of work you might get tired and fall asleep in the shower…" she said wrapping a towel around herself and running her fingers over his back. "Maybe I should get in and make sure you don't die."
"Lorelai. We've discussed this. It gets at too…awkward of an angle in there." He said as he stripped off his jeans. He turned around to face her and discovered she was pouting. He leaned down and kissed her, catching her pooched out lip with his teeth.
She pulled back and sighed. "Fine. We'll just have to do it in the tub when everybody leaves."
"As long as it's after they leave as opposed to in the middle of the party." He said as he stepped under the hot spray of the shower.
"Once. I made you do that ONCE."
"Yes, but it was in the coat closet of a DAR function your MOTHER invited us to."
"Your point is?" She called from the bedroom where she'd located her robe.
Lorelai busied herself straightening pictures and adjusting this and that around the house while Luke was in the shower. She checked the clock, it was approaching 5 and people would start getting there around 6:30 so she figured she should start getting ready. Luke was getting out of the shower when she came back in the bathroom. She whistled at him as he dried off and it earned her a dirty look and getting flicked with his towel. She shrieked and dodged and went about her business of starting to get ready.
Luke heard the shower turn on again from the bedroom and was suddenly confused.
"Didn't you just take a bath?" He called into the now steam filled bathroom.
"Yes…but that was just to shave my legs." She said in a tone that implied a "duh" at the end of it.
"So what are you doing now?" He asked
"Well actually I'm running my hand down my…"
"STOP! I walked RIGHT into that one. I'm going to just go…do something away from you." He said, to which she responded with a laugh.
"Oh! Hon! Your suit is hanging in the closet…" she called. He groaned.
"I have to wear a suit in my own house?" he said, teetering on the edge of whining.
"Yes. It's a cocktail party. You can shed your jacket after a little while I promise."
"Ugh fine."
Luke was watching a ballgame in the living room when Lorelai came into the living room wearing nothing but a tiny pair of shorts and a bra. Half her hair was on top of her head and the rest was straight around her shoulders.
"Are you planning on getting ready any time soon? It's 5:30." She said jesturing with the brush she had in her hand.
"Yeah, just a minute." He said, turning his attention back to the game. When he discovered that there was no point in watching it anymore he stood up and stretched before walking into the bedroom. Lorelai had finished her hair and it hung straight around her shoulders. She was putting the finishing touches on her eye makeup when he came into the bathroom to shave and brush his teeth.
They got ready together, chatting idly about who all was coming and where to hide the liquor if Patty and Babette had too much, and even more importantly where to hide him. Lorelai went back into the bedroom to put on her dress and was struggling with the zipper when Luke came in, freshly shaven and minty-fresh. She felt his hands cover her own and deftly zip up the dress before planting a kiss on her shoulder.
"Thanks." She said, turning around and barely brushing her lips against his. "Lip Gloss." She explained. She noticed that he was blatantly staring at her.
"You like?" she asked, turning in a slow circle. Her dress was a tiny black number. It was stopped just above her knees in the front and dipped just a touch lower in the back. The skirt was made of flowy chiffon and brushed softly against her tanned legs. The neckline was straight across like a typical strapless but had a rhinestone burst in a triangle in the middle that came up and turned into the two strings that tied around her neck.
Luke nodded. "I love."
She smiled and patted his chest. "Good. Now you be a good boy and get dressed and be a good host at the party and I'll let you take it off later." She purred into his ear. She grabbed her shoes out of the closet and took them into the kitchen with her while she went around lighting candles. She'd let Luke do the tiki torches in the back. She could just see herself lighting the lawn on fire trying to light those. She had just finished lighting the last candles and putting her shoes on when the doorbell rang.
She skittered down the hall and opened the door for Sookie and Jackson, both laden down with huge trays of food. She pointed the gawking pair towards the kitchen and went out to get some trays herself to expedite the process.
She walked back into the kitchen carrying to trays and sat them on the counter. Sookie was marveling over the kitchen while Jackson oogled the living room. Luke had finished getting dressed and was in the living room with Jackson.
"Lorelai. This place is BEAUTIFUL." Sookie said. "I was wondering why you didn't let me come see it before, now I know. You were saving me from a heart attack!" she cried running her hands along the counter tops.
"We'll do a big tour later, if you want. I know a lot of people are going to want to see the whole place." Lorelai said. The two of them went about setting up the trays on the table and counters and putting the champagne and wine on ice and setting out the liquor tray. Jackson and Luke went out back to light the tiki torches and make sure the deck was cleared off.
The boys came back in and people started arriving soon after. Lorelai opened the door when it rang at about 7:15 to find Rory and Logan on the other side.
"Hey kid!" she said, hugging Rory tightly. "I wasn't sure if you guys were gonna make it."
"How could we miss Stars Hollow's party of the month?" Logan asked brightly as they stepped inside. The two of them had been over the week before for dinner so they'd seen the place already and, judging from the bags at their feet, would be staying the night that night. Logan took the bags upstairs to Rory's "room" and Lorelai and Rory set about mingling.
Lorelai found Luke outside talking to Andrew and Jackson and she slid her hand along his shoulders as she walked past him down to the pool where Patty and Sookie stood talking.
"Lorelai honey this place is amazing. It's just beautiful. And this pool!" Patty said gesturing to the finally finished pool.
"Isn't it great? The guys just put the finishing touches on it two days ago. I can't wait 'til it gets warm enough for us to actually use it." She said.
"Davey and Jaycee will love it when it's warm, that is of course if you let us use it." Sookie said winking.
"You know me, I'm a sucker for a kid in water wings." Lorelai said. "I'm gonna go get a drink, but I can show you guys around in a little bit if you want to see the rest of the house."
Lorelai left the two of them and went back inside to make herself a drink. She poured herself some champagne and then leaned against the bar where Rory was sitting talking to Morey and sipping on a glass of wine.
"You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to the fact that you can legally do that now." Lorelai said, Rory turning to face her.
"Wait til you see my keg stand. I think I'll do you proud." Rory retorted, rolling her eyes. "Great party though, I know Patty and Babette were wanting a tour but I told them you were the tour guide for tonight."
"Yeah, Sookie wants one too. I should go find all of them." Lorelai said, sipping her champagne.
"Good to know you're getting right on that." Rory said as Lorelai reached behind her and plucked the bottle of champagne out of the ice and refilled her glass.
Lorelai stuck her tongue out at her and walked away, leaving her with Logan and Gypsy who had both just walked up.
Lorelai found Luke outside talking to Jackson about the hot tub. She came up behind him and wrapped one arm around his waist and rested her cheek against his shoulder blade.
"Not now Gypsy, not while Lorelai can see." Luke teased, causing her to swat him with the hand around him.
"That was gross." She said, sliding around beside him and exchanging her arm around him for his arm around her.
"We were just talking about the hot tub. Top of the line, I'm guessing." Jackson said, running his hand over the cover.
"Nah." Luke said. "I can open it up if you want to see it."
Lorelai smiled as Luke got all hee-man over the hot tub and went and found Babette, Patty and Sookie to start the tour.
They started in the master bedroom, which Luke had thought to clean up. The ladies ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the bedding and the bathroom, which elicted a few lewd comments from Babette which Lorelai deftly brushed off and ushered the girls back into the living room. She showed them the office and then took them upstairs. She held open the door to Rory's room and the ladies poked their heads in.
"I love the window seat." Babette remarked, as they took in the whole room.
"Yeah, it's a small thing, and she wont even be here that much but she said when she was little she always wanted one to sit in on rainy days and read. She wont be here that much, but I figure she can use it when she is if she wants." Lorelai said pulling the door shut.
"There's two more bedrooms across the hall, joined by a bathroom. We've got one set up as a guest room right now, but the other we still haven't figured what to do with yet." Lorelai said gesturing. She took the ladies upstairs and showed them the sewing room and second guest room before taking them back down stairs where Luke had been cornered by Morey and Logan by Jackson.
"I'm going to go rescue Luke. If you want to look around, go ahead." She called over her shoulder as she walked across the kitchen to Luke.
"Hey baby" she said, sliding her arm around his waist. "Can I steal him for a few minutes Morey?" She asked. She was granted permission and they walked out onto the deck together and stood against the railing.
"Good party so far?" he asked.
"Very good party. I gave Sookie, Babette, and Patty a tour." She said, entwining the hand that wasn't holding a glass of wine with his. He lifted their hands and pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand. She smiled. They stood on the deck talking to Gypsy and Tillie for a while. Lorelai felt herself getting tired, but convinced herself it was the tannins in the wine…
or just the wine. She added in her head with a smile.
After Gypsy and Tillie ventured off into the kitchen for another drink, Lorelai leaned her head on Luke's shoulder.
"Would it be in bad taste to drag you around the side of the house and have my way with you?" Lorelai asked, rubbing her thumb across the back of his hand.
"Lorelai." Luke said with an air of disgust.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"You do that."
Lorelai slipped out of his grasp and ventured over to the hot tub and sat down on the edge, running her fingers through the tepid water.
"We should plug this bad boy in and see how he fares." She said, shaking the water off her fingers.
"Lorelai it's not warm enough to traipse around in a bathing suit." Luke said from his position against the railing.
"Who said anything about a bathing suit?" she said, grinning wickedly. Luke crossed the porch and took her wine glass.
"And you're done with the wine for the evening." He said. She pushed herself off the edge and stood up, nose to nose with him. She kissed him lightly, subtly running her tongue across his bottom lip, all the while sneaking her arm out and taking the glass out of his hand. Pulling back she grinned triumphantly.
"Ha!"
"When you can't get out of bed til like four o'clock tomorrow afternoon don't blame me."
"What if I blame you…but not for letting me drink so much?"
"I think that'll be okay." He said leaning down and kissing her again.
"Isn't it written in Mrs. Manners somewhere that the host and hostess aren't supposed to make out anywhere but the closet?" A voice came from behind them.
"See I told you." Lorelai said smacking him lightly on the arm as they turned to face Rory.
"I'm gonna go get another drink." Luke said, slipping out of Lorelai's grasp and brushing past Rory.
"He embarrasses easy. Easier than he used to." Rory noted with a lilt of satisfaction in her voice.
"What can I say? I've worked my wily ways with that man." Lorelai said. She and Rory sat down in chairs that were at the patio table. "So kid. Good party?"
"Yeah, good party. Though I think I'm going to have to mop up Logan to get him in bed." Rory said, gesturing through the window where Logan was sitting at the bar with Jackson, Sookie and Lane chatting and gesticulating wildly.
"I would say same with Luke but that man can hold his liquor. Unlike his female counterpart." she said as she felt her brain slosh a little. "So how many times did you have to give the engagement story tonight?"
"Eleven. Twelve if you count that I had to tell it to Patty twice, because she's so drunk I think there's a good chance she'll fall asleep on your couch tonight."
"If Luke has his way, she'll go home."
"I have no doubt." Rory said laughing. She looked back inside and saw Sookie and Jackson had disappeared leaving Lane and Logan, who were shortly joined by Luke.
"Is Luke talking to Logan or using him as a shield?" Lorelai asked.
"He's your boyfriend."
"Yeah, good point." She said. Suddenly she saw Babette walk by and Luke make his backside flush with the wall.
"Aha." They both said at the same time, laughing.
"I'm out of wine. Do you want more?" Rory said, getting up and picking up Lorelai's glass.
"Just a smidge. I really wont be able to get up tomorrow if I don't stop soon." Lorelai said. Rory disappeared inside and was quickly replaced by a overly giddy Sookie.
"I need to talk to you." Sookie said grabbing Lorelai's hand and dragging her across the deck and down the stairs.
"Slow down Sook, I'm gonna break a heel." Lorelai protested as she was drug across the yard and to the side of the house.
"Unless you're planning on having your "experimental" years within the next five minutes and have your way with me over here, explain yourself." Lorelai said, adjusting her dress, which had become askew in their little venture and threatened to expose her left breast.
"Okay, Jackson had to pee, and the only bathroom I could remember seeing was yours and the one upstairs. So I took him upstairs." Sookie said a smile stretching from ear to ear.
"And…you took him upstairs? I don't see the reason for dragging me over here to tell me that." Lorelai said, getting frustrated with her evasive friend.
"Well while Jackson was…doing his business…in the bathroom, when he's drunk he takes forever, so I wandered around the guest room and then noticed the room next door to it."
Shit. Lorelai thought.
"I wasn't gonna go in but the door to it was kinda cracked so I figured it wouldn't hurt anything if I went in."
I know the door was shut, I shut it myself, but whatever.
"And well, I guess I know your little secret now don't I?" Sookie continued.
"What secret Sookie?" Lorelai said, trying to act aloof.
"Come on Lorelai. Pastel yellow room? You didn't show it to any of us on the little tour you did, no furniture in it when the rest of the house is fully furnished…"
"Connect those dots Ms. St. James-Bellville." Lorelai said, the impending sense of doom that had been present since Sookie had drug her across the yard had now settled on her shoulders with a tap dance and a flourish.
"You're pregnant." Sookie half whispered half squealed.
"Sookie…" Lorelai said, looking around.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sookie asked, grabbing Lorelai into a hug.
"Well I…uh…"
"And it and Jaycee will be best friends! Do you know what it is? Of course you don't. Does Luke know? You're not even showing, unless you're one of those awful pregnant ladies that stay super tiny the whole time and then have a 10 pound baby and…" Sookie paused, noting the crestfallen look that had just taken over her best friend's face. "Hey…why aren't you happy about this?"
"I…was." Lorelai said, casting her eyes downward, trying to avoid looking at Sookie for fear of losing it. She'd been doing so well in the past couple weeks and had hardly thought about it really. Now she was brought back face to face with the monster.
"What do you mean you were? Oh no, did you tell Luke and he freaked?"
"What? No. He was really happy."
"I don't get it then…"
"Sookie. I'm…not pregnant…"
"Then…" Sookie started.
"…anymore…" Lorelai finished
"Oh…" Sookie said, averting her eyes to the wall next to Lorelai.
"Yeah." Lorelai finished, worrying the hem of her skirt with her left hand and turning her face up to the sky and biting her lip.
"Oh honey…" Sookie said, starting to hug Lorelai.
"It's okay. It was a while ago. I'm okay. But…I need to go. I told Rory to bring me back a drink. She's probably wondering what's up so I'm just gonna…go." Lorelai said slipping out from around the side of the house and striding back up to the porch where Rory sat with her wine in her hand and Lorelai's on the table.
"I thought you left me."
"It's my house, silly."
Lorelai sat quietly at the table, twirling her wine glass between her fingers. After a few minutes Rory started to say something when Sookie walked past, gave a fleeting look at Lorelai and then went inside.
That was weird. Rory thought, taking a sip of her wine as she glanced back and forth from her mom and Sookie.
Luke was still standing with has ass flush against the wall. Babette had turned into a pinching machine and then into a groping and cupping fiend. He thought it was best if he just stood against the wall and tried to not look enticing.
"Trying to blend in with the wall huh?" Jackson slurred as he sat down on the bar stool next to where Luke was standing.
"Yeah well Babette and Patty and the pinching and…"
Jackson held up his hand. "Say no more friend. Continue on."
"Honey, it's time for us to go." Sookie said, briskly walking up to Jackson and taking his arm.
"But I'm not ready to…okay…" Jackson said as he was hoisted off his barstool by his wife and pointed toward the door.
"Thanks for having us Luke. I'll come by and get the trays tomorrow or something. Tell Lorelai to call me." Sookie said as she pushed Jackson toward the entry way and front door.
"Okay…" Luke said, unsure if his alcohol clouded brain was making the whole situation seem awkward or if Sookie really wouldn't look at him.
Over the next half hour people slowly meandered their way home, there were drunkards all over the streets of Stars Hollow and they were bound to hear about it at the next town meeting, seeing as Taylor was one of the few townies not in attendance at the party. After about a solid hour Luke, Lorelai, Rory and Logan were the only ones left. Luke straightened up the kitchen a little before he went outside where Rory and Lorelai were still sitting at the table.
"Where's Logan?" he asked, scanning the backyard.
"I poured him into bed a few minutes ago. I think you were making sure Patty wasn't falling down the driveway…and then fending off Babette. He's out like a light." Rory said with an exaggerated eye roll.
"Ah." Luke said. He leaned against the table and glanced at Lorelai. Her makeup was smudged and it looked like she'd been crying. He shot her a quizzical look and she shook her head.
"I think I'm going to go to bed." Rory said, noticing the exchange. "Night Luke." She said giving him a peck on the cheek. "Night mom" she said, bending over and enveloping her mom in a hug and she whispered something in her ear before kissing her forehead and going inside.
Lorelai stood up and smoothed out her dress, stumbling a little as she lost her balance. Luke caught her by the arm and steadied her before he turned to face her.
"What's wrong?" he asked. She just shook her head and looked up at him.
"Nothing. Can we just go in? I need to take a shower and go to sleep." She said, slurring a little. He nodded and they went inside. She went ahead into the bathroom while Luke flipped off all the lights in the downstairs and loaded and started the dishwasher. He was done quickly and she was just getting in the shower when he came into the bathroom. He slipped out of his clothes and stepped in behind her.
"Not tonight. Luke. I have a headache."
"Who said anything about that? I fully believe you've got a headache. This is just about getting clean. Nothing dirty. Not all showers are about that." He said, leaning against the back wall of the shower while she bathed. She was washing her hair when he stepped up behind her and ran his hands along her shoulders and pulled her hands out of her soapy hair. She was about to protest when she felt his hands take the place hers had been in, and proceed to wash her hair for her.
Honestly. It's probably a good thing he just did that. I don't think my coordination skills work well under the influence. Wait…that didn't make any sense…fuck it. She thought as his fingers deftly massaged her scalp, working away the tension she'd still managed to accumulate despite her massive consumption of wine.
She purred softly as he turned her around to rinse out her hair. When she was clean he stepped under the water and quickly bathed and rinsed off before turning off the shower.
"You lied. That was so incredibly hot." She said, slurring the words a little so it came out "You lihed, shthat soooooooooooo increbidly hot."
He shook his head and handed her a towel. She disappeared into the bedroom, towel flapping open behind her. He emerged a few minutes later, back in the same boxers he'd been wearing since he'd gotten dressed because he was simply too tired and a little too drunk to care. The sight before him when he entered the bedroom should have surprised him, but after being with Lorelai for as long as he had he just shook his head.
He grabbed a t-shirt out of the closet and then sat her up and pulled it over her head. He could just see Rory walking in the room in the morning and finding her mother topless in bed. That would bring all kind of dirty images in Rory's head which he didn't want there, and he was pretty sure she didn't either.
He scooped her up and pulled the covers down out from under her and laid her back down on the bed. He kissed her softly and pulled the covers up over her and crawled into his side of the bed. She shifted over to where she was resting nestled against his side.
It was funny, even when she was drunk out of her mind she still couldn't sleep not wrapped up with him. Most drunks just passed out where they lay, but not Lorelai. She was a cuddly sleeper, and she never let Luke forget it…not that he minded all that much. He splayed his hand across her stomach and ran his other up and down her back, letting it lightly tangle in her hair as he too fell into one of those deep sleeps only accessible by befriending Captain, Dom, or Jose.