A/N: Insert Strong Bad voice:
Like a Phoenix, from the ashes

...she rises again!

Written In The Stars
By Gilmoregirl1979 (the reigning Quote Queen)

Rating: PG-13

Hi this is your friendly disclaimer: Once again, I don't own (DAMN IT!), No Harm No Sue. WE just use the Gilmore Girls dolls during our slumber parties…. It's fun (shirtless Luke: with coffee pouring action, and the "Fry it and Buy it" Luke's Diner Play Set sold separately!)

R/R: yes please I love reviews; I wanna marry them (as previously stated, I have strange passions.)

Summary/ The Q: What if LL hooked up when they first met? A bona fied woulda What if things had moved … a touch more quickly…?

Luvz: OMG your box is gonna be SOOOO PRETTY!

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Chapter 9:
The Morning After

When Lorelai woke up on Sunday morning, alone in her own bed, she had almost forgotten she had sex the night before.

Almost

You see, Lorelai had a really nice dream about Luke, a dream that involved her own bed, and one that she wouldn't share with Rory till she was 21, just another wedge between us. The dream reminded Lorelai of what really happened at the diner man's pad, which further reminded her of the awkward situation she had gotten herself into.

As Lorelai stared at the ceiling she began to think of ways to tell Luke about Rory, but what could she possibly say, what words could she use to apologize to Luke for waiting to tell him so long? As Lorelai's pop tarts toasted in the kitchen, she didn't know how she was gonna face her little girl after having sex. Lorelai quietly nursed the first batch of coffee staring at her daughter's door, dreading the moment it would open. Would Rory Holmes, who had been so observant to notice her mother's change in coffee supplier, be so perceptive that she would see Lorelai's after glow, as well?

"Morning," Lorelai offered brightly when Rory emerged from her room.

With a grand yawn Rory nodded still sleepy eyed, "How many pots have you had?"

Okay tone it down a bit…too perky. Well duh that's because you had sex last night… GAH! Umm okay… "This is the second pot," She lied, again!

"Okay… you are never buying that brand again," As young Rory put her head on the table.

"Pop tart?" no questions, so far so good

Rory only groaned an affirmative, hugging Cornel Cluckers and using him as her pillow on the table.

Lorelai thought she was in the clear … but as she set the toaster to warm the tart, Rory had to know…

"When did you get home…?" not used to her mother being out so late.

Oh God… ummm what time did Sookie say it was again, "not till late, you were already in bed"

"But I was up till about… 11:30…"

What was I doing at 11:30? "Oh yeah? Whatcha watch?"

In her drowsy state Rory was easily distracted… "Sookie let me watch the Princess Bride."

"Aww I love that one… you mind if we watch it again … Tonight, maybe?" Lorelai felt like she hadn't spent any time with her daughter for how much she thought of Luke nowadays. Even though in truth she was keeping it pretty balanced for the less than a week her and Luke had been "seeing each other" seeing each other. "I may have to work again… tomorrow night," Lorelai fibbed, thinking of the scheduled date with Luke and still not sure if she should cancel and call the whole thing off.

"What about Willy Jack instead?"

"How about both?" Lorelai smiled, as the toaster launched a hot breakfast for Rory.

"They don't really go together…" then Rory asked. "So how was your night?"

Crap. "Good, you know… crazy… we had some guests… who raised a fuss… over… something…"

"Uh Huh," Rory yawned again, not really paying attention.

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Then there was Luke. Lorelai still hadn't told him about Rory. Lorelai had never done the causal sex-dating thing before. She didn't know how to look Luke in the face after he had seen her completely naked. Lorelai was just trying to muster enough courage to walk into his diner again. She was still a little apprehensive about the whole thing and still conflicted. She knew it was right to be honest with both of them, but for ten years she had given everything she had to one little girl, her daughter, would it really be so bad to have this one thing… for herself?

Lorelai loved being with Luke, but maybe it would have been better if she had put off dating till Rory was a little older. Unfortunately it was too late for that now, they had slept together, and that made it harder to avoid him or let Luke go, or to tell him about Rory's existence without explaining why she didn't say something in the first place. In any case, she knew she couldn't avoid him forever, other wise he'd pick up something was wrong.

Later on the girls were doing some Sunday errands to prepare for their movie night, and Rory wanted to ask Andrew if he was getting in a new batch of Pride and Prejudice since her copy was ruined when it fell in the lake last summer.

So Lorelai took the opportunity, and went to the diner like she normally would on any other typical mid morning, wondering if it was too soon to cancel their date for Monday. "Hi… Luke…" only the second man to see me naked…ever!

"Oh hey," and Luke's smile returned, he knew she didn't normally come in on weekends, but he was happy to see her just the same, "Everything okay … with your roommate?"

He remembered … that's so sweet… "Aww yeah fine…her uhhh she just had you know, an early shift and I'm the guarantee of her waking up." Yeah that's the ticket… Sookie is my roommate.

"How? … You can't function before coffee anyway."

What? You sleep with me and you see inside my soul? "How do you know that?"

"Know what?"

"How I can't function without the coffee?"

"You've told me… repeatedly… like every morning for the first month after we met."

"Oh … right… I do talk a lot don't I?"

"Is everything okay?" She's acting weird again… is it because we…slept together? Oh boy…

It struck her again, the concerned look in his blue eyes. "Yeah… everything's fine," Lorelai smiled, and she was like a schoolgirl again.

"Good, because I didn't … want, you know" He lowered his voice, "… last night … to make things, you know … weird for us."

His being so close filled Lorelai with that overwhelming feeling of her crush … although this now had to be more than a crush if they were… having in bed relations. "Nothing weird here," thinking of his hands on her the night before. Stop smiling… stop… stop … you are an idiot.

"Soooo since we seem to be… seeing each other … every other day now… is it safe to assume we are still on… for Monday?"

"Yeah… we're still on."

"Okay… I'll see you here at 7:30?"

"7:30," She confirmed with the stupid smile. The suddenly realizing what she agreed to and not knowing if Luke just meant dinner or if his plan included their new extra curricular activity. Granted he didn't seem to be the nympho type, but she thought she'd clarify and blurted out before he got too far away…. "No dessert."

"What?" Luke was confused.

"When I come over… I don't want any … dessert." She tried to stress the last word, hoping he picked up her meaning.

"Okay?" Luke was still confused, she has three helpings of chops two servings of blueberry tarts and now she's watching her figure?

"No, Luke. I don't … want… dessert." She emphasized, please work with the code man.

"Oh, oh dessert… okay … ummm got it…" Picking up the insinuation, hoping they'd talk more in depth about that subject later… in private, causally scanning the crowd in his diner, "So just the coffee to go?"

"Please…" knowing she needed to get back to Rory, and to get away from Luke, so she could find the words…I have 24 hours to come up with something good.

Having cleared things up with the diner man, well sorta, Lorelai met her daughter with a smile outside the bookstore. Rory looked up from her copy of Count of Monte Cristo, having made a special order for a new hardcover Pride and Prejudice placed with Andrew, and Rory frowned at her mother "You went to Luke's without me?" seeing the cup in her mother's hand.

RATS! Caught… brown handed, Lorelai could only explain…"Honey, I'm still in the screening process…"

"Well there must be something you like, you go there everyday now…"

Ummm No comment, "Not…everyday," She shifted her shoulders hating that lying feeling crawling up her back. "Let's get the movies."

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Monday afternoon, Rory was waiting for Sookie to pick her up from school, knowing her mother had to work late that night. Rory tried to focus on her book, but her gaze kept drifting from the page toward the diner across the square.

When Lorelai had dropped her off this morning, Rory noticed her mother's Jeep rounded the square, only to park in front of Luke's. Right… not every day…She goes to Luke's before work, has take out cups when she picks me up from school. If Lane hadn't snapped her out of her pondering, she would have missed her first class.

Rory knew Sookie would be along any minute, she knew she should stay put, but curiosity got the better of our young Rory. With a determined expression she stood up from the school steps and crossed the square, having learned in geography that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Rory noted the Williams Hardware sign, finding it a bit odd that no one had removed the sign before opening the diner. Rory was excited and nervous at the same time. She thought she had been all over this town 10 times over… but this was uncharted territory, quite exciting for an 11 year old. Rory was going somewhere new; this was a chance for exploration, to see how well she would be in a new place all on her own, without her mother, Rory saw it as a much needed test.

With a happy jingle above her head, the ringing tones seemed to make the new place even more inviting.

"You lost, kid?" a tall man with a ball-cap and a Coffee pot asked.

"No," Rory answered simply because she knew exactly where she was.

"Where's your folks?" the man seemed to be suspicious of a girl Rory's age going anywhere by herself.

"My mom's at work, and I don't have a dad… well, of course I have one… but he doesn't live here" again, she was just being honest.

Finding the girl's honesty refreshing, and not meaning to make her nervous Luke clarified, "You got money?"

"Yes."

"Have a seat. I'll be with you in a minute."

A little straight forward, but friendly just the same, Rory smiled to her self. Rory didn't want to feel guilty for taking up a whole table by herself, so she decided to sit at the counter, which must be where all the action was.

After Rory climbed up the stool, she recomposed herself and tried to act mature, older … perhaps, in this new place, she could get a cup of coffee, and be just like her mom.

"What can I get you?" the ball cap guy asked.

"Cup of Coffee please," she said with complete confidence.

Luke considered the strange request. He had seen this girl before, with Sookie at the town meeting; he figured maybe she was a visiting relative of Sookie's, but those … eyes? They reminded him of Lorelai's "You want coffee?" it was too weird a coincidence.

"Yes please, " Rory was so proud of her self, she was in a restaurant, and ordering for herself like a big girl, but she suddenly realized she should get back to Sookie "Oh, To Go Please," she corrected.

Luke had to raise an eyebrow at this girl, wondering if he should interfere with whatever parenting styles would allow a kid to drink coffee so young. Again, the look of this girl reminded him of Lorelai, except this girl was actually polite. She had waited to be seated and had said please three times, as opposed to Lorelai who would just have burst in and demand Luke's attention right away. Granted he didn't mind giving his attention to Lorelai since he was… dating her… Luke's wandering mind snapped back to the present and pushing aside all the prep work he had to do for his dinner with Lorelai that evening. "Ummmm How about … chocolate milk instead…?" Luke tried to bargain, while trying to guess this girl's age.

"No, I want Coffee."

"Well, there is chocolate in coffee… in Mochas," Granted Luke never made those fancy pants whipped creamed coffees, but he had gotten a recent education with his acquaintance, Lorelai.

It sounded like a trick her mom would use, but this guy didn't know her mom, although she did come here every day, maybe he did? Maybe her mom had warned all servers about her, it did seem like Lorelai to think of every angle.

"But my mom drinks coffee?" Rory thought she finally had an in.

"Just because your mom does something, doesn't mean you should."

"But isn't she supposed to be my ... role model, my example?" Rory reasoned.

"Well, let me ask you this... is smoking bad for you?"

"Well … yes." she knew it to be true, all those TV commercials told her so, and her mom said it was gross.

"Well, my dad smoked, he was my example, and I saw that he got sick from smoking," Sparing the young girl the details, "So that is why I never did," Luke didn't know what compelled him to bring up his father, perhaps it was the easy to talk to blue eyes, "Sometimes we have to learn from our parent's... faults..."

"Please, I really want a coffee, how am I gonna know if I like it or not if I never try it?" In 11 years Rory had learned that her blue eyes had some magic power of persuasion.

"Did your mom ever once say you could have Coffee?"

"She said when I was 13." officially a teenager and all the rights and privileges there in.

"And you are now…?"

Unfortunately Rory was too honest for her own good, "11."

"Exactly…" Luke nodded, kinda admiring this girl's spunk and valiant effort to talk her way into getting what she wanted.

"Aww, Man." Rory hoped off the stool "I can't wait till my next growth spurt," and headed back to the school.

"You'll keep having growth spurts as long as lay off the Coffee," Luke called after the clever kid.

Apparently you don't know my mom. She drinks gallons a day and is as tall and as pretty as a super model, Rory internally fumed as she left the Diner. Why does mom like this place so much any way? Probably 'cause she can get coffee

"Rory!" Sookie seemed frantic and out of breathe. "Oh Honey don't do that to aunt Sookie…" Sookie then began to push on a stitch in her side. "Where were you?"

"Book store," Rory lied, hoping her big blue eyes would help sell it. Rory had learned the value of protecting adults from the truths they didn't need to know yet from her best friend Lane. Lane who always brought a change of clothes to school, or stopped by the Gilmore house to borrow Rory's. Granted Rory's mom wasn't so strict as to require floorboards being hollowed out, but Rory knew Sookie and her mother shared everything, and having never been in trouble before, Rory didn't want to know how her mother would punish her… if at all. No sense taking any chances.

Sookie was still panting…"Umm Hmmm, Okay… well, next time… just…. Please… wait for me. Okay?"

"Okay … I'm sorry."

"Whew… okay let's get in the car…"

On the way home, Rory pondered the apparent required sanction on Luke's, and couldn't figure out why her mom was being so weird about letting her go there. There had never been an off limits area of Stars Hollow before. Her mother seemed to like it, and every thing Lorelai liked, Rory usually liked. If there was some reason her mother didn't want her to go to Luke's, well Rory just couldn't see it.

"Hey kitten?"

"Yes Sookie?"

"Don't tell your mom… you know… I lost you… okay?"

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"That was all God given talent..." why thank you Luke!
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R/R: PLEASE, I like to better myself. To quote The Princess Bride,
"...Remember this is for posterity, ... so be honest."
Please be specific with R/R; name one (or as many as you can think of or want to mention..…) At least one specific thing you liked

Please! It makes me feel good...inside (Dirty!)

Hence the Rant option below.

Insert Rant here V
A/N: if not completely satisfied with this chapter, please return unused portion for a full refund …