Don't know what happened... just felt like writing something ;-)
.o0 November 2004 0o.
"Hey you're up" Luke said walking downstairs and seeing Sky sitting on the couch armrest.
"I've been waiting" he smirked and stood up. "Ready old man?"
"You're all talk aren't you?" He chuckled and they both left for their morning jog. Luke was still working-out with Sky.
About an hour later the both of them were jogging up their driveway covered in sweat.
"Race you to the steps?" Sky asked out of breath.
"What if you trip?"
"With what?"
"My dust" and Luke took off full speed to the porch.
"Cheater" Sky took after him but couldn't catch up.
"I win"
"Only because you cheated" they were breathing hard. "I Guess it's the only way you can beat me now" he smiled and walked inside, Luke chuckled and followed him.
.o0 9 years earlier 0o.
"Dad Rory said I'm slow" Sky whined and took a seat on the stool.
"Slow how?" He narrowed his eyes at Rory and she smiled knowing what he was asking.
"I told her I run faster than all the boys in my class and she said that's not impressive" Sky gave Rory an evil look and she laughed. "She said that I'm slow unless I run faster than you. She doesn't believe I can beat you" Luke couldn't help but smirk. "Tell her I'm faster than you, tell her daddy"
"I don't know, Sky" Luke shook his head. "I'm really fast"
"I know that, mommy said that's why I'm so fast" he smiled up at Luke.
"You guys should race" Rory suggested with a big smile.
"Evil child"
"We should! Can we? Please daddy?"
"I don't know buddy"
"Please? I promise to go easy on you" Rory started laughing. "Shut up"
"Sky, be nice"
"She needs to be nice too"
"Sorry, you're right; be nice, Rory" she smiled at him.
"So…? Are you guys racing?"
Luke sighed. "Fine"
"Yay!" Sky jumped off the stool. "I need to stretch"
"Help" Luke turned to Rory but she only giggled.
"If you win, my mom will kill you" she turned to look at Sky stretching by the door. "If you lose, he'll never shut up about it" she started laughing. "Good luck"
.o0 November 2004 0o.
"Hi, mom" Sky said walking into the kitchen, he kissed her cheek and stole half her pop-tart. "Dad cheated"
"Again?" She smiled at Luke and gave him a small kiss as he passed by to get them some water.
"That's the only way he can beat me now" he laughed and took the bottle Luke was offering him. "The Butch Glory days are over-" he smiled. "-This is the Sky era, fasten your seat-belts and enjoy the ride"
"Whatever you wanna tell yourself" Luke smirked and sat down to drink his water.
"It's ok to get old, Dad. I'm here to take the torch from you and continue the legacy of greatness"
"Did you drop him on his head when he was little?" Luke asked amused.
"I think Rory did, once or twice" Lorelai laughed.
"Explains a lot" Luke nodded with a smile.
"You're mean" Sky told Lorelai and got up. "And you're a sore loser" he faced Luke. "I'm gonna shower and get ready for school" he placed another kiss on Lorelai. "Rematch tomorrow?"
"You got it kid"
.o0 9 years earlier 0o.
"In your face Rory!" Sky yelled happily and out of breath. "Yeah!" He dropped on the grass to catch his breath.
"Why did you let him win?" Rory asked once she was close to Luke and Sky was out of earshot.
"I don't know…" Luke shrugged. "… I was gonna tie with him but…" he turned to look at the boy on the floor. "… look at him. He's so happy"
"But it's a lie"
"But it'll boost his confidence"
"I guess" she shrugged. "He's gonna be a pain now"
"Sorry"
Later that night.
"Goodnight!" Sky ran into his parents room at the apartment they had.
"Goodnight, honey" Lorelai hugged and kissed him.
"Thank you" Sky whispered when he went over to hug Luke. "I know you let me win" he told him when he pulled back. "But one day I will beat you all on my own" he promised.
.o0 November 2014 0o.
"Hello favorite daughter of mine" Lorelai answered.
"For now"
"Why? What did you do?"
"Nothing, Mom. But if that baby is a girl, I will be demoted"
"Never! Our bond is unbreakable, kid" Lorelai said absentmindedly rubbing her small bump.
"Thanks, Mom"
"Anytime, offspring number one" she smiled.
"Nice"
"To what do I owe the honor of your call?"
"Huh?"
"What's up?"
"Oh… nothing, just checking up on things over there"
"You're bored aren't you?"
"I'm not bored, I have a ton of schoolwork to do. I just needed a little distraction"
"We miss you too kid"
"Thanks"
"Your Dad beat Sky again this morning"
"When will Sky learn?" Rory laughed.
"Sky said he cheated though"
"He always says that"
"I think I'm starting to believe him though" Lorelai admitted.
"What?"
"Well… your Dad is not 20 anymore honey, and he's been training Sky for a few months now. I think, very soon, Sky will beat him… even if he tries to cheat"
"It's a sad thought"
"What is?"
"My baby brother being stronger and faster than Dad"
"I never said stronger. And you never know, you might get another baby brother and you can start fresh"
"Maybe" Rory smiled. "What's going on around town?"
"Well… did I tell you we had 'Stars Hollow loves Pasqualie' day last week?"
"Again?" Rory laughed.
"What can I say, he was feeling unappreciated" Lorelai laughed.
.o0 That afternoon by the gazebo 0o.
After practice Sky was walking to the diner to check if Luke needed help closing.
"I love how athletes are always warm" Sky heard Patty say from the door of her studio. "Always wearing shorts"
"Hi Miss Patty"
"Hello Sky"
"I'm still 16" he reminded her.
"No harm in looking sweetie"
"Still creepy though" Patty just laughed and Sky kept walking.
"Oh before I forget! I have something for your Mom" he reluctantly stopped and walked back to the studio. "Here" she handed him a small piece of paper.
"You're throwing another party?"
"Sure am!" she said with a big smile. "It's my anniversary"
"Of?"
"My first play off Broadway" she said proudly.
"40 years?!" he was reading the invitation. "My Mom wasn't even born yet" he said shocked.
"And that's why we celebrate honey" she did a little dance.
"Can I come?" he asked with a big smile. "I'll promise you a dance" he added a little wink.
"You tease" Patty giggled. "I don't think your Father would approve"
"Of the dance, are you kidding me? He'd probably have Mom record it and mock me with it later" he laughed.
"No… of you going sweetie, I'm making my infamous punch"
"You make it for every festival and still I haven't had any"
"It'll stunt your growth, and we can't let that happen now can we" she eyed him up and down again.
"Again… creepy"
"It's for grownups only, no kids allowed" she said sadly.
"Wait let me get this straight: I'm old enough to be harassed but too young to party?"
"Exactly!" Patty clapped once. "Finally you understand"
"Goodbye Miss Patty" Sky left laughing.
"Make sure your parents get the invite" He nodded and waved goodbye. He read the paper again Yup, My Dad is not going to this Sky noticed the date 'November 30th'.
Luke told Sky to go home and finish his homework since Caesar was closing that night.
"Mother I'm Home!" He had seen the Jeep parked outside. "Mommy I want a snack!" He laughed remembering when he was little and used to say that every afternoon after school. "Mom?" He looked in the living room and his parents' bedroom but she wasn't there, he knocked in the restrooms and got no answer. He went to the kitchen to get some water and caught a glimpse of her; she was asleep on Rory's bed. He went to the living room, grabbed a blanket and went back to cover his Mom.
"What are you doing?" Lorelai asked sleepy.
"Seriously? I walk in the house yelling and you don't hear it, but the moment I gently place a blanket on you suddenly you're awake?"
"Yes" He couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm making pizza bites, want some?" She made a face. "What's wrong?" She closed her eyes. "Mom?" She jumped out of bed and ran to the downstairs bathroom. "Was it my breath?" He called after her, then he heard it oh, I guess she doesn't want pizza bites. He went to take the bites out of the freezer and started preheating the oven before checking up on her.
"Come in" Lorelai mumbled after the soft knock, he had waited until the dry heaving had stopped.
"Can I help?" Sky asked, Lorelai heard the uneasiness of his voice he sounds like he's 7 again she turned slightly to look at him and saw it in his eyes.
"I'm fine, Sky, get back to your food" she eased back and leaned against the wall, under the hand towel.
"Kinda hard to eat when you're making so much noise over here" he smiled and sat down next to her.
"Sorry but I wouldn't have made it all the way upstairs"
"Mom! That's gross!" she smiled and dropped her head on his shoulder. Sky sat still for a second before taking her hand in his and applied slight pressure on it. "Miss Patty is counting down the days until I turn 18" he broke the silence.
"She has been for years" she smiled.
"Disturbing" he grumbled, she looked down at his hands absentmindedly drawing patterns on her palm. "She's throwing a party but said I couldn't go, not even after I offered to dance with her"
"Really?"
"She said I'm too young to party but not too young to harass" she laughed.
"What's the party for?"
"Here" he reached into his pocket and handed her the little invite.
"40 years, impressive" she was reading over it and he knew the exact moment she read the date because her body slumped a little more.
"I could go with you"
"You can't party remember" she smiled.
"Mom"
"It's fine, I can't even drink her punch right now anyways" she crumpled up the paper and tossed it at the basket 3 feet from her; she missed.
"Man you suck" he chuckled. "You could at least ask him" he suggested after a small silence.
"No reason to" she made a move to get up. "He's busy that day"
"He doesn't even do anything" he got up first and helped her up.
"Drop it" she was cleaning up at the sink.
"He shouldn't be allowed to just take off for a whole day and not give any explanation about it"
"I don't need one. It's the anniversary of his father's death, that's all we need to know" she was looking at him through the mirror.
"But…"
"No buts. All your Dad asks for is one day a year to mourn; he's allowed to do that"
"But Mom..."
"it's one day, let it go" her tone was serious.
"It's not one day, to me its 16 days, to Rory its 21. How many is it for you?" This day had always been a sensitive subject for Sky.
.o0 November, 9 years ago 0o.
"Oh my God! That was amazing!" Sky was excited because his little league team had just made it to the championship for the first time. "I can't believe it!"
"Can you turn it down a little bit? I'm trying to read"
"Sorry Rory"
"Are you excited buddy? Your coach said the championship is on the 28th at 9am"
"Can we practice every night until then? Please Dad"
"Sure"
"Awesome!"
Luke was excited; his son had made it to the championship. Just the previous summer he had convinced them to move to Stars Hollow. In a little over a year they had built a family, the one they were meant to have from day one. At first he had been nervous Lorelai would run again, or something would happen to mess it up. Even last November, he had expected Lorelai would complain about him disappearing for a whole day but she already knew about his dark day.
This year he had been nervous Sky's Championship would end up being on the 30th but it hadn't, everything was turning out great.
.o0 November 27th 1995 0o.
"Sky" Lorelai called and he came running from his room. "That was your coach on the phone"
"Let me guess, he wants us to go to bed early so we are well rested?" He asked with a big smile but Lorelai shook her head with a sad face; she knew what was coming up.
"A pipe burst in the field..."
"So? We don't need pipes, we have bats"
"… Your game has been postpone honey"
"No"
"I'm sorry" he looked devastated. "But… You and your Dad can practice more" she smiled.
"How long do I have to wait?"
"Until the 30th" now she sounded devastated.
"Well... that's not that bad, just two days" he smiled and went back to his room.
That night Luke got home around 10:30 because he had to close, he didn't have much help at the Diner. Everything was dark except the glow of the TV in their room.
"Hey" he was surprised to see Lorelai still up, since they had an early morning the next day. "What time did Sky go to bed?" He began emptying his pockets.
"9:30"
"Kind of late don't you think? He has a big day tomorrow" he sat on the edge of the bed to take off his shoes.
"About that..." He frowned and turned to look at her. "… His coached called. A pipe burst and the game was postponed"
"Postponed?"
"Yeah. For the 30th"
"Damn it" Luke got up and began to pace.
"It'll be fine, hon. You can just leave after it's over"
"What?"
"You can hang around the back bleachers and leave once it's over, it's ok he'll understand" she got up and rubbed his back a little, he thought about it for a good 10 seconds.
"I can't go" her hand stopped rubbing.
"I'm sorry what?"
"Lorelai, I can't go on the 30th, you know that"
"But it's your son" she took a step back. "He wants you there. He Needs you there"
"I...Can't... Go..." He emphasized each word.
"This is your son. It's his first championship. You will be sitting on those bleachers cheering for him, you hear me?" There was no way Lorelai was going to let Luke hurt her little boy.
He took a deep breath, looked her right in the eye and quietly said "No" he bent down, grabbed his shoes and picked them back up before leaving the room.
"Luke...? Luke? We're not done here" she followed him to their small living room. "You can't just not go. You'll break his heart"
"Lorelai, you don't understand, I can't be around people that day... I just can't"
"Why are you putting your shoes back on?"
"I'm trying to avoid a fight"
"Then show up at his game... it's not hard"
"Lorelai..."
"I'm not..." She took a deep breath. "I'm not going to argue about this. Your son has a game on the 30th and I expect you to be there... he expects you to be there. Goodnight" she walked back to their room and went to bed. She turned off the TV but left the door opened for him.
.o0 November 30th 1995 0o.
"Damn it" her alarm had gone off but she was alone in bed.
"Play ball!" A hyper ball of energy ran into the room and jumped on the bed. "Today's the big day!"
"I know! Are you excited?"
"Am I?!" He looked around. "Where's my Dad?" Good question Lorelai thought.
"I think he had to open today, Bud. We should start getting ready" she smiled.
They made it to the field but Luke was nowhere to be found.
"You need to go warm up, honey"
"But..?"
"He's probably stuck at work, he'll make it though"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, Sky" Rory assured. "He wouldn't miss this" she smiled and Lorelai's heart broke a little.
"Go warm up" Lorelai gave him a gentle nudge and he took off running.
They were in the 4th inning, little league only played to 6 innings. The whole time Sky had been distracted, any chance he got he would look to the bleachers for Luke but he was nowhere to be found, as the time passed he was sadder and less focused.
It was his turn to bat, on the second pitch he hit a double; once he was safely on second base he began looking for Luke again but still he was nowhere to be found.
He was standing on the base looking at the bleachers in search of Luke, he wasn't paying attention at the play or the ball, until the ball hit him on the side of his chest and knocked him back.
"Sky!" Lorelai jumped up and ran to the field.
He was stunned for a few seconds and had the air knocked out of him. It took a little while for him to register what had happened or the burning pain on his chest. Once he was able to take a deep breath he began crying but the pain made it hard to breathe.
"Honey, are you ok?" Lorelai was at his side in an instant. "Why are you breathing like that? Look at me, please" Sky kept looking all around him in search of his Dad. "Talk to me"
"Lorelai, we called an ambulance as a precaution, they'll be here soon" the coached assured her.
"It... hurts.." Sky finally looked her in the eye, he was having trouble breathing. "...to... breathe"
"Don't talk right now ok?" Lorelai took off his helmet and caressed his hair.
"Mom" Rory walked up behind her, Lorelai heard the fear in her voice.
"He's fine, honey"
"Then why did they call an ambulance?"
"So they can double check" the coach told her. "The ball knocked the air out of him"
"Why is he breathing funny?"
"Because baseballs hurt, they'll just check to make sure he didn't crack a rib" he explained.
The hospital had x-rayed Sky but there was no fracture, he would just have a big bruise and some pain for a few days. The hospital gave him a mild sedative so he could rest, a gel to help with the swelling, and discharged him. Lorelai had to keep an eye on him, mostly to not let him sleep on his stomach or it might hurt more in the morning.
She was sitting on Sky's bed by the headboard, running her fingers through his hair when she heard the front door open and close. She shook her head, got up and went to the living room.
"I don't want to argue..." Luke said when he heard her coming; he didn't sound 100% sober. "… I told you I couldn't go, I told you I can't deal on this day... I told you this, years ago" all she did was take his hand.
"It's not just you anymore..." She said as she pulled him down the small hallway. "… He couldn't focus on the game; he was too busy looking for you..." They walked into Sky's room. "… He got nicked by the ball" she stopped on the side of Sky's bed and pulled the covers down.
"Oh my God" Luke whispered when he saw the big angry bruise on his sons chest, it took up more than half his chest and was shiny from the gel. He sat on the edge of the bed, his current reality sobering him up.
"Now tell me... how is this better than you being angry in public?" She left them alone. Luke ended up staying in Sky's room that night, the fear of the pain winning and Sky suddenly not breathing kept him awake all night.
That was the last Dark Day he had spent drinking at a bar.
.o0 November 2004 0o.
"It's not 16 days, Sky, it's one"
"Oh no, you're right, it's not 16. I forgot I didn't know him for 6 of those years so... 6 years 10 days"
"Hey!" She turned to face him but the fire alarm in the kitchen went off.
"Damn it" he ran to the kitchen to turn off the oven and open the door, he had forgotten it was preheating.
She walked in to see him fanning the kitchen using the kitchen door.
"I'm sorry" he said as soon as he saw her there. "I just don't understand how disappearing for a whole day helps you mourn"
"Well... you've never lost a father, he has" she grabbed an old magazine and helped him fan out the smoke.
.o0 November 30th 2004 0o.
Sky had gotten up for school but Luke was already gone.
"Morning" he saw Lorelai watching TV in the living room. "Why are you up so early?"
"I dreamt of pizza bites" she was a little pale.
"Awesome! I would love to dream of... oh! So you have morning sickness?" Lorelai laughed.
"Yes genius"
"Sorry" he sat next to her. "I can stay home with you if you want" he wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"You have school"
"I'm willing to sacrifice my education for your upset stomach, I'm selfless like that" he smiled.
"Go to school" she laughed.
"Call me if you need anything" he kissed her cheek and left. He knew on this day she could only count on him; that's how Dark Days worked.
Long ago he had figured out where his Dad went, it wasn't hard really since he always parked the truck far enough from the center of town to avoid suspicion but close enough to walk to the diner. Sky took the back streets and went into the diner through the back; he went up the stairs and into his grandfather's old office.
Luke looked up at the sound of the door but didn't move from his spot on the couch.
"Not the best time to play hooky, kid" Luke was giving him an out, Sky still had time to make it to school on time.
"I'm not" he walked closer and handed Luke a crumpled piece of paper.
"I'm not in the best of moods, Sky" he didn't open the paper. "You should leave"
"I want you to stop" Luke looked up at him. "Stop hiding here, stop pulling away"
"Sky..."
"I get it. We don't know what it's like to lose a father" he started with Lorelai's line. "But every year we lose you for a day and it sucks" Luke didn't even want to interrupt. "I hate it and Mom hates it but she won't say anything to you... I want you to take her there" he pointed to the paper, Luke opened it and groaned. "You have a sad, pregnant wife at home who thinks you don't want her near you at your lowest. Tell me... how is this better?" Luke's head snapped up at those words. "I offered to take her but she said no... Plus Miss Patty said I'm too young to party"
"What?"
"Long story" he dismissed it. "I don't want to see my Mom sad once a year, I think I'd rather see her angry and fighting with you.
"Sky..."
"Please? It's not till 8, you can be sad till then" he offered.
"Sky stop" Luke stood up and Sky stood straighter. "Can you go back to being your goofy self, and not this caring person? It's disturbing" Sky smiled. "How sad is she?"
"Today or every year?"
"Right" Luke thought about it. "Tell you what..."
.o0 Later that night 0o.
Sky walked over to Lorelai's closed door and knocked.
"Mom? Are you asleep?" He pushed the door opened. She was lying in bed with the TV on. "Come on"
"What?"
"Take me to Miss Patty's please"
"What?" She asked laughing now. "Why do you want to go so badly?"
"I don't know, to get out I guess" he sat on the edge of the bed avoiding any places that might be tainted. "Ever since my tattoo Dad barely lets me get out of the house"
"Can you blame us, last time you went somewhere you marked your body permanently"
"Well it's not like I'm gonna do it again, I already have the tattoo I wanted" he said in a duh tone.
"That's your argument?" She was amused.
"Come on please? I don't want to stay home all night"
"It's a school night" she pointed out.
"We could just go for an hour" he offered. "I'm sure Miss Patty will sing and Kirk will cry"
"Well that's a given"
"So...?"
"Fine"
"Yes!" He jumped up from the bed. "Just let me go shower because I just sat down on your guys' bed and that's just... Gross" he shuddered for effect, she threw a pillow at him.
"You have 15 minutes or I'm going back to bed"
"Yes, Ma'am" he left the room.
"Nothing too fancy!" She called out after him.
"Of course not..." He popped back in the room. "… This isn't a date, you're my Mom. Calm down Mrs. Robinson" she threw another pillow at him
Twenty minutes later they were coming down the steps, they had 10 minutes to get to the studio before it started.
"What are you doing?" Lorelai asked confused when she noticed his elbow.
"I'm being a gentleman and offering my arm to milady as we descend the stairs" he explained in a horrible British accent. Lorelai Laughed.
"You're dumb" they made it to the entrance.
"Wait!" He yelled.
"Now what?"
"Milady nedeth a coat" he pointed to her puffy jacket, she smiled and let him put the coat on her.
"Thank-you kind sir... now knock it off" she laughed, he smiled.
"Ok but just 1 last thing"
"What?" She asked amused.
"A gentleman always opens the door, Milady" again with the horrible British accent, Lorelai was laughing and shaking her head. Sky opened the door and Luke was standing on the other side, dark wash jeans, blue collared shirt, and black leather jacket.
"What?" Lorelai looked between them.
"Ready to go?" Luke asked offering his hand. Lorelai threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "Is that a yes?" He asked by her ear and she nodded, face hidden in his neck.
"Aww you guys are so adorable" Sky teased. "Now you two crazy kids have fun and be back by 10:30"
"Sky..."
"Fine... 10:45" he smiled.
"You're so annoying" Luke said laughing.
"Rude, 10:30 it is!" Sky kept teasing, he knew Lorelai was overwhelmed and wanted to break the tension. She let go of Luke and hugged Sky.
"Thank-you" he smiled.
"Ok... 11:15" she playfully pushed him. "… But not a minute later. This is a respectable home, not a motel"
"You are the weirdest combination of your Mom and I"
"Ruggedly handsome while foolishly witty?" Sky offered.
"Exactly what I meant" Luke laughed. "Goodnight Sky, don't stay up too late"
You've been LoVeLuKe-ized ... again
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