Hiiiiiii!

I decided to continue this story. I'm going to leave another note at the bottom explaining it a little more, please check it out.

I know it's been a while since I posted this first chapter of this story so if you have read the first chapter, you may want to go back and re-read it before jumping into this chapter.

Thanks for sticking around. Or, if you're new to this story, thanks for joining me!

Through an unbalanced combination of leftover pie, residual liquor from the fun flask, and a nice, long soak in the bathtub before bed, Lorelai was able to forgot all the weird and just plain *off* occurrences that happened over the weekend. Paired with taking a lazy Sunday for herself, a.k.a traveling out of town to gain inspiration for her own inn, by the time Monday rolled around the mere idea that her impromptu dinner with Luke was anything more than two friends enjoying a quick meal was absurd. He was married. Very – legally – married. And a loyal guy. Definitely not a date. Just two friends, one moaning about a bad date, the other listening and being a sounding board, a bit of advice here and there, but ultimately friends.

Nothing more.

But no amount of leftover pie completely curbed the gnawing feeling that maybe if he wasn't married that their impromptu dinner could *possibly* be seen in a different light. Possibly. That feeling, however, was pushed deep, deep, down alongside the memory of her 14th birthday party and the green roller-disco outfit she wishes she could take back. They were both insane ideas. One fueled by a dangerous level of false wisdom and stubbornness that only resides in the teenage mind and the other by a day filled with a series of unfortunate events that had a not so unfortunate ending.

Lorelai steadied herself and made sure that the feeling was forced even deeper down before she pushed the diner door open, causing the bell to ring out and announce that she was patronizing the diner as a loyal customer. Only a loyal customer. A quick scan revealed that Luke was most likely in the kitchen at the moment, so she settled herself up on her usual stool and waved to Cesar who swiftly headed for the coffee pot.

"Thank you," she said as a coffee cup was filled right in front of her.

"No problem," Cesar replied. "Luke's just in the kitchen. He's giving me a break from the grill, bad elbow, ya know."

Lorelai nodded in understanding as Cesar mimed about his bad elbow. "He's a good guy, that Luke."

"Yeah," Cesar agreed, wiping down the counter in front of her. "Do you want me to get him for you?"

Her hand flew to her chest as she choked on the sip of coffee she just took. "What? No? I don't want Luke. Why would I want Luke?"

Cesar leaned over the counter, concerned. "You okay Lorelai? Your face is turning red."

"Not feeling that great," Lorelai quickly lied, though she knew it made no sense. "Can I get a menu, please?"

"Um, sure."

Cesar pulled a menu out from underneath the counter and slid it towards Lorelai. She quickly snatched it up and opened it, burying her face in it, not caring about the contents. She knew that menu backwards and forwards, even with the new changes made to them somewhat recently courtesy of Nicole.

Lorelai read over the menu anyways, her mind already made up on what she wanted to order just as soon as she could talk to Cesar again without weirding herself out. Having Luke in the kitchen was a plus because his pancakes were far superior to Cesar's. She was pondering all things pancake – blueberry, chocolate chip, pumpkin with cinnamon butter – when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Lorelai, dear, why don't you join us? We haven't ordered yet."

Lorelai looked up at the dance teacher then across the diner where Babette smiled and waved frantically and motioned to an open chair at their table. She waved back to Babette then accepted Miss Patty's offer for breakfast with a little friendly company. Some good conversation full of juicy town gossip would be the perfect thing to start off this week and get her mind of everything that she didn't want on her mind. Easy decision.

With coffee in hand, she took her place at the table conveniently across from both ladies. Her menu was pushed to the side as Miss Patty and Babette delved into the latest gossip involving Andrew and the mysterious new lady that kept hanging around the bookstore with him. In between bits of gossip and appropriate reactions and quips by Lorelai, the three ladies gave their orders to Cesar, before all attention was focused on Lorelai.

"What about you, dear?" Miss Patty asked. "What's going on with you? How's the inn coming along?"

"It's coming along great," Lorelai answered. "Of course, we still have a long way to go. There's lots and lots to do, basically an empty shell of a former inn at this point, but we're really excited about everything."

"We can't wait to see it!" Babette exclaimed. "Morey and I might even rent a room, you know a little in-town vacation. It's a wonder what a change of location can do for your lovemaking."

Lorelai nodded, agreeing but not wanting to know any more details about the lovemaking that occurred between her neighbors. "I'll try to set aside a room for you."

"Thanks doll!"

Miss Patty smiled. "Speaking of lovemaking," she turned her attention to Lorelai. "I hear you had a gentleman caller on Saturday night."

"How did you hear that?" Lorelai asked. Stars Hollow sure had a way of spreading gossip. "That wasn't even a date. We were supposed to go on one but it didn't work out, so he dropped me off in town."

"Kirk didn't mention that," Babette said as she looked to Patty then Lorelai. "He saw you and Luke in the diner, canoodling."

"What?" Lorelai raised her voice then immediately hushed herself. "No, that's not he saw, because that didn't happen."

"He seemed pretty sure. It's okay, honey, we can talk about it. We won't tell anyone."

Lorelai knew that was a load of bull. One of the very things they were both known for was their uncanny ability to somehow know and spread all of the town's gossip at lightning speed. And this, the non-date, wasn't something she could trust in their hands. Not without trying to tell them what actually happened.

"We weren't canoodling," Lorelai practically shivered at the word, inappropriate images tried to force themselves in her mind, "Kirk obviously embellished his story. That's not what happened."

Miss Patty had a knowing look on her face. "I'm sure it didn't happen, dear."

The wink she gave her after the fact had Lorelai tripping over her explanation. "I'm serious. I had a date. An actual date but it didn't pan out. But I was starving. And since Al is having his mystery bag meals again, I came to the diner. I just wanted food and Luke hadn't had anything to eat because he was working. We happened to have dinner together. As friends. Nothing else. And there was definitely no canoodling."

"We hear you," Babette assured her. But the look she shared with Patty contradicted all of that.

"I'm serious," Lorelai's tone was more serious now. "Nothing happened. Besides he's married. Remember Nicole?"

"We all know that's not going to last," Miss Patty said. "She's not his type. He has another type."

Babette agreed. "A Lorelai-type."

Lorelai shook her head, "That's crazy."

"Not crazy, dear. We've all seen the way he looks at you." Miss Patty sipped at her coffee and then nonchalantly added on, "I'm not suggesting you go after a married man but sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. That's how I landed my second husband."

"Nothing happened and nothing is going to happen," Lorelai replied firmly. "Now, can we please not talk about this because there's really nothing to talk about. I don't want this getting around."

Miss Patty smiled sympathetically. "Sure Lorelai. Our lips are sealed."

"But we already..."

Whatever Babette was going to say was interrupted by Miss Patty shushing her then jumping in again and emphasizing every word.

"Our lips are sealed."

As much as she didn't believe that, Lorelai thanked the two older ladies. This was something that definitely didn't need to get around town. She was already well aware that Nicole didn't like her and she didn't need this adding fuel to the fire. Not that she entirely cared if Nicole cared for her but she was her friend's wife and it made things easier if Nicole did like her. Or at least didn't hate her. And vague rumors of canoodling between her and certain diner owner was definitely on the hate scale.

"Thank you, ladies. Really, I mean it."

Babette smiled, "Anything for you, Lorelai."

Even though she hadn't received her breakfast yet, Lorelai excused herself from the table with tales of having a to-do list longer than the entire population of this town and a limited time to get everything done. Not a lie in its entirety, mostly the truth, but serving exclusively as an excuse to leave. As she moved away from the table, she nearly collided with Luke who had arms full of breakfast orders.

"Is it too late to ask for mine to go?" She asked upon seeing her order of pumpkin pancakes with a side of bacon. Heavy on the bacon.

Luke jerked his head back to the register behind him. "Give me a minute. Let me drop these off."

She smiled and made her way to the register, shouting a thank you over her shoulder before reaching into her purse for her wallet. By the time Luke had dropped off the plates to the gossipy ladies and returned from the kitchen where he had boxed up her breakfast order, she already had money in hand and a to-go cup of coffee that Cesar had offered.

"You feeling okay?" Luke asked, taking her money and putting in the register.

Lorelai nodded, "I'm fine. Survived a grilling session with Hello magazine's two most thorough interviewers, but I'm good."

"Cesar just mentioned that you weren't feeling well," Luke replied. "He said that I should check on you."

"Well thanks for checking," Lorelai said as she reached for her change. "But I'm fine, really. The coffee helped. It always does."

"Good." Luke placed her boxed-up breakfast in a bag and handed it off to her. "Anytime."

"Ooh, counting on that," Lorelai quipped before thanking him again for the breakfast and turning around to leave the diner.

On her way out, Nicole was on her way in. Lorelai quickly mumbled a 'hello' and 'nice to see you' to her before looking over her shoulder at Miss Patty and Babette in the corner and pretending to zip her lips as a reminder of their promise from moments earlier. Because she couldn't help herself, when Lorelai got outside the diner, she looked back through the window just in time to see Luke and Nicole breaking apart from an over-the-counter kiss. She watched a second longer to see him smiling at her and taking her order before she ducked her head and speedily made her way down the sidewalk and as far as her legs could carry her from the diner.

Later that night, Lorelai entered her house and dropped the bags of magazines and plans and to-do lists at her feet before she made her way into the living room where she plopped down on the couch. She kicked off her shoes and laid back on the couch, using one hand to rub at her temples. It had been a long and tiring day. Apparently, the rumors of canoodling had already spread and when she met with Sookie and Michel earlier in the day, she was greeted with loads of questions from her best friend and the desire to quell these rumors from the former. She, for the first time in her life, agreed with Michel and did her best to get Sookie to focus on something else.

Eventually it worked by bribing Sookie with fancy kitchen appliances but all the loaded and misleading rumors and questions had already given her a headache. It had only built throughout the day with all the talk of everything that needed to be done and exactly how much money it was going to cost, that all she wanted to do right now was rest.

That luxury was exactly one she couldn't afford herself because in the entryway all her plans waited for her to review and make decisions and write checks and flip through magazines for inspirations for rooms and so much more that she couldn't list at the moment. But when her cellphone rang from her jacket pocket, she pushed that all to the side and opted for a conversation with her daughter.

"Hey kiddo," Lorelai greeted as soon as she put the phone to her ear. "If you hear any rumors from anyone in Stars Hollow that mention me and Luke, please disregard them. Nothing happened."

"Um okay," Rory replied, the confusion evident in her voice. "I haven't heard anything, should I have?"

"No, not at all. Patty and Babette are just having a field day with a miniscule and false piece of information," Lorelai answered. "You know how they are. The tiniest bit of gossip turns into a movie of the week in their hands."

"Like when Babette thought we had been kidnapped because we came home a few days later than planned."

"Hey, that's all on you," Lorelai playfully accused her daughter. "You're the one who deemed it necessary to give every single person in our town an itinerary of our trip."

"It wasn't every single person," Rory defended herself. "Just a few that needed to know where we were. I was thinking ahead in case anything happened."

"And you left calling all the consulates to me," Lorelai replied. "But I'm over that."

"Are you?"

"I'll make you pay when I'm older and solely in your care. I'm going to be very needy."

"Going to be?"

"Watch it, Yale isn't that long of a drive," Lorelai warned. "Enough about that though, I haven't heard from you since the game. What's up?"

"I called you Saturday night and yesterday," Rory said over the phone. "If anyone needs to be doing any explaining, it should be you."

"My phone died and was in my purse Saturday night, didn't see your call until the next day. And then I left my phone at home on Sunday while I was out," Lorelai explained. "And now you, because I called you back yesterday and only got your voicemail."

"I was out too," Rory said swiftly before changing the subject. "How'd your date go?"

Lorelai groaned. "You won't have to call him Dad ever." She closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples again, trying to remember if she had any aspirin in the house. "It didn't go well. I don't think it would've worked out anyway, just saved myself the time."

"That sucks. You haven't had a date in a while."

"Geez, thanks for reminding me."

Rory apologized. "I didn't mean it like that. Just saying it's been a little while since you went out."

"And how is that not meaning it how you meant it or how I was supposed to take it?" Lorelai asked, confusing herself along the way.

Rory was confused as well. "What?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll add that to the list of ways I'll get you back when I'm old," Lorelai replied. "In the meantime, don't worry about your mom turning into an old spinster who lives with fifty cats."

"That's not going to be you," Rory assured her. "You don't like cats that much."

Lorelai laughed. "Thanks for the reassurance, sweets."

"That's what I'm here for."

Lorelai smiled into the phone. "And what about you? What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Rory asked.

"I don't know, you tell me," Lorelai answered. "Earlier you seemed to change the subject a little fast on how you 'were out too'. So, where were you? Out with Paris?"

"Not exactly."

"Okay, so one of your other roommates? Or a new friend?"

Rory paused for a moment. "Uh, nope."

"Come on kid," Lorelai encouraged. "Am I going to have to play twenty questions here before I get an answer? Are you trying to keep something from me?"

"I'm not keeping anything from you, I was going to tell you but we haven't talked in the past couple of days."

"We're talking now."

"Yes, we are," Rory agreed. She paused again. "I went out on a date."

"You did? Why are you being so weird about that then? Dating is a normal thing for a college kid. It's great that you're dating," Lorelai said happily. "What's his name? How was the date? Is he cute?"

"Yes, he's cute. The date was great we have another one planned for this week actually," Rory answered two of the three questions. "And you actually know him."

"I know him?" Lorelai questioned. "Have I met any cute guys at Yale?"

"Yes," Rory answered quickly. "It's Marty."

"Naked Guy?!" Lorelai exclaimed, sitting up quickly on the couch. "You went on a date with Naked Guy?"

"Can we not call him that? He has a name."

"Nuh-uh, he's Naked Guy right now. He has to earn the right to a name."

"He has the earn the right to his own name?"

"For me? Yes. But don't try to change the subject." Lorelai got up from the couch and crossed the living room and headed into the kitchen. "So, you went out on a date with Naked Guy. How did that happen?"

"Well Grandma and Grandpa went completely silent after you left so I was going to read my book the entire time," Rory started to explain.

"Sorry I bailed," Lorelai interrupted, rifling through cabinets and looking for aspirin.

"I'll add that to my list of ways to get you back when you're older," Rory promised. "But really it was fine because Grandma ended up offering Marty your ticket even though he insisted he didn't really like football that much but she insisted."

"And no one can say no to Emily Gilmore," Lorelai added in.

"Exactly," Rory agreed with her mother. "So, he joined us for the game. Grandma and Grandpa still didn't talk during the game but Marty and I talked. We made fun of the game some because we really didn't understand it. He tried to talk to Grandma some because he felt completely awkward the whole time."

She grabbed the bottle of aspirin from a cabinet and placed it down on the counter. "Which was Emily's intention I'm sure when she decided to invite him."

"Maybe. But we talked a lot and he got all my jokes. He brought me food from other people tailgating and then he asked me to hang out after the game," Rory provided more details. "So, we hung out after the game. And then on Sunday he asked me out again. We went to one of those really cheap movie theaters and watched a couple of movies. Then he asked me out on a date and I said yes."

"Aw, sweets, sounds like you really like him."

"I think I do."

She smiled, again. "And you if really like him that much, I can, maybe, stop calling him Naked Guy."

"At least don't call him that to his face."

"I think I can stick to that promise."

"But when you're talking to me..." Rory said because she knew what was coming.

"I can call him whatever I want, including Naked Guy."

"You can try Marty, you know his actual name."

"I'll try, but no promises."

"That's all I ask, Mom," Rory replied. "I have some homework and reading to catch up on, talk tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

Lorelai clicked the phone off and traded it for the aspirin bottle sitting on the counter. Shaking two pills from the bottle, she also fixed herself a glass of water before downing it with the medicine. With the promise of ridding her headache in the very near future, she made her way back to the entryway and back to all the work she had left there earlier.

Like Rory said she hadn't had a date in a while so there was literally nothing else stopping her from diving right into the pile of work that was now in her hands. At least it would keep her busy and a busy mind would, hopefully, keep itself off of her current lack of dating options and the idea that everyone had been spreading around that her and Luke were canoodling after hours in the diner. She had spent most of the day trying to disparage the rumors before they got into the wrong hands. Her main method of disparaging being taking bits of information and transforming them into harmless rumors that involved no one specific. Hopefully it wouldn't backfire.

With a heavy sigh, Lorelai walked back into the kitchen and transformed the once clean kitchen table into a mini office of sorts piled with binders, magazines, and loose scraps of paper. Moving away from the table for just a moment, Lorelai set a pot of coffee to brew and pulled some leftover chinese food from the fridge before sitting back down and diving headfirst into her planning of her very own inn. A dream that was soon-to-be a reality that was a welcome distraction from the day and the feeling that still gnawed deep within her.

Through continuing this story, I'm going to link it with another one-shot of mine. Through a comment I once received in a review and the desire of wanting to continue this story and the other story blossomed this little tale. The one-shot I'm going to connect it with is "Clamor and Clangor". If you read it then you know the direction this story will take. I know it will feature a theme that some don't like in stories but I'm going to try and handle it with care. If you haven't read it, it is M-Rated so this story will probably eventually take that turn, I might take the mature bits and put them in their own little story separate from this, not sure yet. So if you want, keep it as a surprise where this story will go, or go spoil it for yourself. This is the first story I'm tackling where I have literal spoilers on my own page.

As always, reviews are appreciated!

:)