Chapter 7: "Family" Vacation
For the next five days, Lorelai and Luke worked together to take care of Rory. When Lorelai was able, she stayed with Rory, but when she was called into work, Luke took over. By Friday, Rory was finally better.
"Lucas, guess who is officially cleared of the pox," Lorelai exclaimed proudly as Luke entered the shed, "That's right, Rory Gilmore is free of the chicken pox, and is as beautiful as ever!"
"That's awesome Rory," Luke replied, bringing her in for a hug, "I'm glad you're feeling better." While hugging Rory, Luke looked up at Lorelai and mouthed to her, "I need to talk to you."
Nodding in understanding, Lorelai quickly came up with an excuse. "Hey Rory, can you do me a favor? Run to the kitchen and ask Sookie for some of those muffins she made this morning. She told me about them, but I forgot to go and get them."
"Sure Mommy, I'll be right back."
As Rory scurried out, Lorelai walked over to Luke and pulled him over to the couch.
"Hi," she quickly pecked his lips, and continued, "I'd say we've got about 5 minutes til she gets back, so what's up?"
"Okay, um, I don't really know how to explain this, but I'm going out of town for the weekend."
"Out of town? You're Luke Danes… you never go out of town."
"I know."
"Okaaayyy, you're being a little secretive about this, and that worries me. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, uh, everything's fine," he stated hesitantly, "It's just…"
"Luke. Talk to me. You know you can. You listen to me all the time, and I can do the same thing."
"I know… Uh, so today is, well was, my mom's birthday," after taking a deep breath, he continued slowly, "Every year, I go up to our family cabin for a few days, just to get away from everything."
"Babe," Lorelai began softly, "You don't have to hide these things from me. I know how close you were to your parents, and I know that it probably helps you to deal with things to go away for a little while." She gradually reached over for his hand, and stroked tiny circles on his palm. "Hear me out on this before you answer, but, um, did you need company? I know that you probably want to be alone and all, but Luke, I can't imagine staying here, knowing that you are off all by yourself hurting, when I could be there to help."
A small smile appeared on Luke's face, and he brought his lips to hers in a lingering kiss. "Thanks for the offer, but I couldn't ask you to do that. You've missed a lot of work this week, and, also, you have Rory. I doubt you'd want to bring her to the cabin. Aside from fishing or watching TV, there's not much else to do.
"I could easily ask Mia for the rest of the weekend off; she'd understand. As far as Rory goes, she's probably ready to get out of the house after being sick all week. As long as she has a few books with her, she is satisfied going anywhere."
"Lorelai, you really don't…"
"Luke. It's a simple yes-or-no question. Do you want company?"
"I would love some," he replied and kissed her sweetly.
"Well it's settled then," she answered, "And I better start packing."
"No way! This is so cool," Rory shouted as she hopped out of the truck, "Luke, this cabin is yours?"
"Yep. Do you like it?"
"Of course! It's just how I imagined the cabin in my book would look," turning in and taking in the view, she noticed the lake, "Oh Luke! You told me your daddy brought you here fishing sometimes! Will you go fishing with me?"
Both Luke and Lorelai turned to Rory with a confused look on their faces. Neither of them knew how to respond, but Lorelai took the lead.
"Umm, hon, you want to go fishing? You know that requires you to be outside, right?"
"Yep! I know I don't normally like outside, but if Luke did it with his daddy, then I want to do it with him."
Wide grins spanned across both Luke's and Lorelai's faces, and Luke replied, "Well okay then. Let's go get settled in, and after, we'll go fishing."
"Yes," Rory exclaimed, pumping her fist, "Mommy, are you going to go fish with me and Luke?"
"I don't know Rory, I don't really think fishing is for me."
"But Mommy, this is supposed to be a family weekend! We're supposed to do things together. Pleeeaaasssseeee," she asked, poking out her bottom lip.
Laughing at Rory's use of the pout, Luke added on, "Yeah Lorelai, pleeeaaassseeee." He too poked out his bottom lip.
"Fine, but you're putting the worm on my hook! That's just gross!"
After a few hours fishing, Luke carried Rory while Lorelai took the poles and they headed back to the cabin.
"Luke, thank you for taking me fishing," Rory spoke as she kissed Luke on the cheek, "I had a lot of fun, even though the fish were kind of gross."
"You're welcome Rory. I had a lot of fun too."
"Can I ask you a question about your mom, or is that off limits?"
He felt Lorelai squeeze his arm. Looking over at her, she mouthed, "You can say no."
Shaking his head, he answered hesitantly, "Um, sure… You can ask me anything Rory. What do you want to know?"
"Do you think she would have liked me?"
Luke and Lorelai smiled at each other as he replied, "You know Rory, I think she would have loved you."
"Really," she asked excitedly.
"Yep. She loved to read books, she was super smart, and was happy all the time, just like you."
"Wow, I wish I could have met her."
"I do too, hon," he replied kissing her forehead, "I do too."
After making it inside, Luke fixed dinner, and Rory turned in early, worn out from the day's activities. With Rory in bed, Luke and Lorelai drifted over to the master bedroom.
"You know, Lorelai, if you're not comfortable with this, you can always go sleep with Rory."
"Babe, just because we're sharing a bed doesn't mean that anything has to happen."
"I know, but I just want to make sure that you are comfortable."
"Believe me, Luke, sharing a bed with you is very appealing… You make a pretty good pillow on the couch, and I imagine it is even better in bed," she smirked.
"You're crazy," he replied and swatted her playfully on the bottom, "Now get in there before I change my mind."
Eventually, they settled down. Luke laid on his back, and Lorelai draped herself halfway over him, resting her head on his chest. For a while, they laid in silence, Lorelai drawing circles on Luke's stomach and Luke running his fingers slowly through her hair. Suddenly, Luke broke the silence.
"So, today was nice."
Grinning at the sincerity she heard in his voice, Lorelai responded, "Yeah, it was… So you come up her every year?"
"The years I can. I only started coming back about 5 years ago. I was tired of seeing the pitiful looks everyone gave me on this day, so I just decided to get away from it all. We used to come for mom's birthday every year, though…but after she died, we didn't come as often."
Feeling him tense at the mention of his mother, she realized that he probably hadn't had anyone to talk to about her in a long time. Pulling herself up to him, she kissed his temple and whispered softly, "Tell me about her. I know you talked a little bit about her to Rory, but tell me about you and her, together."
"Lorelai, I…"
"Luke," she continued in the same soft tone, "I told you, I want to love you for you. This is part of you… who she was is part of you. I know it hurts, and I know you probably haven't talked to many people about her because of how much it does, but please… Tell me about her. I'm here."
Taking a deep breath, he pulled her a little closer and started slowly, "Baby, she would have love you. You and Rory both. She was so kind, and had such a bright outlook on life. She could find the good in anything." He started to laugh quietly, "I remember this one time, we came up here, and I was so excited because Dad was finally going to let me bait my own hook. As soon as we got here, a storm came in, and it stormed the whole weekend."
"How old were you?"
"I think I was seven."
"Oh gosh," she began to giggle, "I can imagine a little Luke throwing a temper tantrum."
"You have no idea," he spoke as he chuckled, "I was so pissed… Anyway, she decided that since we couldn't have fun outside, we would have fun inside. So, she stripped this bed, took the chairs from the table, and made us a fort right in front of the tv. We played board games, watched tv, and she even let Liz and me sleep in it the whole time we were here… That was one of my favorite weekends of my life."
Luke stopped stroking her hair for a moment, so curiously, she looked up and noticed him with his eyes closed, trying to keep tears from escaping.
"Luke…" she pled quietly, as she leaned up to kiss him and wipe away the tears that escaped, "Look at me."
When he finally did, she whispered, "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me."
"No," he replied hoarsely, "Thank you…For making me talk, for helping me remember, and for coming up here this weekend. You have no idea how much better today was because of you and Rory."
Lorelai woke up around 8 to the smell of coffee and an empty bed. After getting dressed, she walked into Rory's room and noticed she was gone as well. Knowing that Luke probably took her down to the lake, she walked outside on the porch. Looking across at the dock, she saw Rory and Luke, hand in hand, sitting at the edge with their feet dangling above the water. Not wanted to interrupt their moment, Lorelai went back inside to get some coffee and waited for them to come back in.
"Hey Luke? Did you and your mommy or daddy ever come out here and sit like we are?"
"We did sometimes. My mom and I would usually wake up before Liz and my dad would, so sometimes she would come out her with me, put me in her lap, and we'd just talk. Why?"
"Can we do that? I mean, if it doesn't make you sad…"
"It definitely doesn't make me sad, Rory. We can if you want to."
"I do," she said quietly, while crawling into his lap, "This has been really fun. Thanks for letting me and Mommy come with you."
"I'm glad both of you came, Rory."
"So, you came here when you were five too," she questioned.
"Yep. I came here for most of my childhood until I was 13."
"Wow... What were you like as a kid? Were you like me? Did you like to read?"
Laughing, Luke responded, "You know, I wish I had liked to read. I would have done a lot better in school if I did. I was more into fishing and sports."
"I'm not very good at fishing." Picking up Luke's hand, Rory rubbed his bandaged finger. "Sorry for getting you with my hook yesterday, by the way. Mommy warned you that it would probably happen though," she giggled.
"That she did, kid, but it's okay. I did it to my dad once, too."
"You did,' she exclaimed, "So I'm not terrible then?"
"No, Rory. You're just learning," he said, while running his hand through her hair, "Once we do it some more, then you'll get better."
"You want to go fishing with me again?"
"Of course," Luke replied kindly.
"Thanks, Luke! You're awesome," she replied happily, turning to hug him, "So, what else did you and your parents do here?"
Noticing most of her questions revolved around his parents, Luke replied, "We did a lot, but Rory, can I ask you something?"
"Sure," she replied, content with the situation she found herself in.
"If you don't want to answer, you don't have to, but why do you want to do what I did with my mom and dad?"
"That's an easy question," she smiled and turned to look at Luke, "I thought it was going to be harder than that."
"Okay," he laughed, "So what is your answer?"
"Oh yeah... well I thought that if I did stuff with you that your parents used to do, then maybe it would make you happy! Plus, don't tell Mommy, it might make her sad, but I like when I get to do things with you that my daddy won't do with me…We both get to have fun."
Touched by her response, he hugged her close. "You know Rory, you're a great kid. And, just to let you know, if you ever want to do something with me, as long as it is okay with your mom, I am happy to do anything with you."
"Thanks Luke…Do you think we should go see if Mommy is awake yet? I don't want her to miss anything."
"You know, I think that is a great idea."
"Luke! I am freezing now! I can't believe you did that," Lorelai exclaimed playfully while squeezing water out of her hair.
"Well you were complaining that you were hot, so I thought it might be fun if we took a swim in the lake," he replied smirking.
"Yeah! He was just thinking about what you wanted," Rory added in, giggling at the interaction between the couple.
"Hey! I'm your mommy! You're supposed to defend me…"
"I should, but it was funny, Mommy! You should have seen your face when he did it!"
"Well, if it's so funny, why don't we take a swim together then. I'm sure you'll love the cold water," Lorelai replied playfully, chasing Rory around the yard.
"Help me Luke! Mommy's gonna get me wet!"
"What do you want me to do? I'm soaked too!"
"Yeah, but you're not chasing me!" She ran straight at Luke and jumped into his arms.
"Silly Rory, that makes it easier for me to get you," Lorelai said as she ran and wrapped her arms around them both.
"Argh, you guys are squeezing me to death! Let me go!"
"Only when you'll say that you'll take my side for everything forever and ever!"
"Fine! I'll do it! I'll take your side!"
Immediately, Lorelai released them, and Luke put Rory down.
"That was mean," Rory claimed, glaring at Lorelai.
"Mean? Maybe. Hilarious? Definitely," Lorelai replied, taking Rory in her arms and kissing her on the cheek, "I love you kid."
"I love you too Mommy," she said and hugged her back. As soon as Lorelai placed her back on the ground, she ran over to Luke, wanting him to pick her back up. When he finally did, she wrapped her arms around his neck and said, "I love you too, Daddy Luke."
Surprised by her statement, he just replied the only way he knew how. "I love you, Rory."
He set her back down, and she took off into the cabin. Luke hung back, waiting for Lorelai to catch up. When she finally approached, he laced his hand through hers. "So, that's quite the kid you've got there."
"Apparently, that's quite the kid you've got there too."
"Yeah… so, how do you feel about that?"
"You know, I thought that I'd be more hesitant about the whole name situation, but you've done more with her in the past few months than Chris has in her lifetime. So, if the name fits, which it definitely does, then I say it's fine," she replied smiling and kissed him.
"I know, you said that the last time she called me daddy, but at that point she was sick. Now, we can't use the fever as an excuse."
"Luke, there doesn't have to be an excuse. If that's what Rory wants to call you, then that's what she's gonna call you."
"Will Chris be okay with that, though?"
"Babe, stop worrying… It's fine," she replied, giving him a reassuring smile, "At this point, Chris is not here. He could be, but he's not, so I don't really give a damn about what he thinks."
"Okay then," he smiled widely and kissed her sweetly, "I guess I'm Daddy Luke then… I think I like it."
Luke and his girls arrived back in Stars Hollow on Sunday afternoon after a wonderful weekend away.
"Hey Daddy Luke," Rory began while climbing out of the truck and running around to the driver's side.
"Yes, Rory?"
"I know I already told you, but thanks for letting us come this weekend! I had a lot of fun!"
"You're welcome," he replied, lifting her into a hug, "It was a really nice weekend."
As they approached the door to the shed, Rory loudly exclaimed, "Mommy, look! There's a pretty envelope on the door." Wriggling out of Luke's arms, she ran ahead and brought the envelope back to Lorelai.
"Shit," she mumbled under her breath. Plastering on a fake smile, she continued, "Okay, hon, I'll look and see what it is for when we get inside."
"Alright, I'm gonna go in and put my books up. Can you believe it!? I didn't read one book this weekend," she said, hurrying off to reorganize her shelf.
After Rory entered the shed, Luke cleared his throat and spoke. "You know, she may not have heard it, but I know what you said… What's in that envelope that is so bad?"
As she turned to face him, he noticed a miserable look on her face. "My dad's 50th birthday is on Friday, and I bet this is an invitation from my mother. I would recognize this stupid, curly calligraphy anywhere."
"Okayyy, I know you don't have the best relationship with them, but what's so bad about an invite? You should go. At least they're reaching out."
"See, that's what a non-Gilmore would think, but I know they didn't send this to reach out."
"I'm having trouble following…"
"Luke," she said exaggerating his name, "To a normal person, this would look like an innocent invitation, but the only reason my parents sent this is because they don't want to look bad. My mom is worried about what her friends will think if I, their only heathen daughter, don't attend my holy father's birthday party."
"Well, I still think you should go, no matter what the motive is."
Confused by his insistence, she asked curiously, "And you think this because?"
Kissing her lightly on the forehead, the brought her close and spoke over her head, "Babe, do you know what I would give to do to one of my parents' birthday parties? I know attending this party is the last thing you want to do, and I also understand why you don't want to. From what you've told me, there was a lot of crap that they did to you that wasn't right, but no matter what, they are still your parents."
"Ughh, I know." She leaned into his chest and continued, "After this weekend and what we talked about, I admit, I probably should go, at least this once. I'm not sure, though, if I'm ready to subject myself to the scrutiny of that world again. I know that the whole night will be filled with knowing stares from my parents' acquaintances and passive aggressive insults from my mom, and I am not sure if I want to expose myself to it, or Rory for that matter."
"You know, if you're that afraid, I could always come with you."
"No," she answered sternly, and a little too quickly for Luke's liking.
Pulling back, he questioned, slightly offended, "Why not? I know I'm not from the Hartford scene, but I can make myself appear decent enough so I don't embarrass you and Rory."
Hearing the agitation in his voice, she calmly replied, "Luke, I promise, I am not afraid you'll embarrass me. If anyone is going to embarrass me, it is going to be me. I just know that if I bring you, my mother will try to stick her nose in our relationship and break us up. She will think that since you're not Christopher, you're not good enough. I don't want her trying to tear you down just to make her reputation better."
Sighing, he put his face in his hand. When pulling back, he finally replied, "Okay, I'm sorry for implying that, but you're going to have to tell them about me eventually. You can't hide me forever."
"Wellll, I could. It's not like I see them often anyway."
"Lorelai," he warned.
"Ugh, okay. I will tell them eventually. Let's just get past this party to see how it goes, and then we'll decide how to move forward from there."
"Just think about it, that's all I'm asking."
"Fine, but since you're the one that is so set on me going, you are going to have to come with me and Rory to the mall to buy new dresses for the party."
"No. I hate malls."
"Luuuukkkeeee," she pouted, "You're the one that is so adamant about me going. If you're making me go, then I need your help to prepare. Plus, you do go to malls! I know those art supplies Rory used to make my gift didn't just appear out of nowhere."
Rolling his eyes, he responded, "You're seriously pulling the Rory card?"
"If it gets you to do what I want, then yes!"
"Okay, fine. We should do this today, though, because I have to be back at the diner tomorrow, and you have to be at the inn."
"Thanks, Babe," she replied and kissed him sweetly, "You're the best boyfriend I could ask for."
"Yeah, yeah," he spoke while grinning, "You already got what you wanted. You don't have to butter me up for anything else."
"What if I just like to kiss you," she asked, capturing his hips and pulling him against her.
"Well in that case," he replied, and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her deeply.
Suddenly, their moment was broken by the shrill sound of Rory's voice, "Hey! When you guys are done making out, I need help in here! I can't reach the books on the top shelf!"
Immediately Luke jumped back, trying to hide his embarrassment, and Lorelai began to giggle. "We'll be there in a sec, hon. Just let us get the stuff out of the truck," turning back to Luke, she jokingly spoke, "You know, that girl has impeccable timing."
After unloading their stuff in the shed, Luke, Lorelai, and Rory headed to the mall to find their party dresses.
"Oooo, mommy! What do you think about this one," Rory yelled happily, running out of the dressing room wearing a deep purple dress with a satin top, flower waistband, and fluffy tulle bottom.
"I think you look very pretty Rory. What do you think, Luke?"
"Yeah, what do you think? Do you think I look pretty?"
Squatting down to her level, he lifted one of her arms above her head as she twirled, "I think you look beautiful."
"Aww thanks," Rory replied sweetly and wrapped her arms around him. "Alright Mommy, it's your turn," she said as she went back to change in the dressing room.
As Rory closed the door, Lorelai walked behind Luke and snuck her arms around his middle. As she applied a gentle kiss to the nape of his neck, she whispered, "You're so good with her, and I love that."
"Love," he replied softly, small smile forming across his face.
Squeezing him gently, she pulled him closer and replied, "Yep, love… and just to let you know, I'll probably be able to say that in other ways soon."
"Good to know," he replied contentedly, taking her hands from around his waist and lacing them with his, "That's very good to know."
As they perused the women's department, they decided to divide and conquer. Luke and Rory took one side, while Lorelai took the other.
"Lorelai?"
Nononono! Please tell me I'm just hearing things.
"Lorelai, is that you?"
Turning around, Lorelai was face to face with the last person she wanted to see, Emily Gilmore.
"Hi mom. What brings you here?" At the same damn time that I'm here with Luke and Rory…
"Hello Lorelai. I'm here to look for your father a tie. As you should know, his birthday is this Friday and I wanted to find him something nice."
"Yes mother, I am aware that his birthday is coming up. In fact, I got the invitation already. I was going to call you an RSVP for Rory and myself tomorrow."
Despite her best attempt to hide it, a look of surprise appeared on Emily's face. "So I can add you to the list, then?"
"Yes you ca…"
"Hey Lorelai, what do you think about these," Luke asked as he approached, carrying Rory in his arms while she held the dresses out. Shit! They couldn't just wait a few more minutes?
Turning to Luke, she glanced quickly at the dresses and replied, "Oh, uh, those look fine. I'll try them on in just a minute."
"Lorelai, who is this," Emily asked, pursing her lips.
"Well, mom…" As soon as those words left her mouth, Luke immediately tensed and watched with wide eyes, knowing this was the last conversation Lorelai would want to have with her mother. "This is Rory. You know, the little girl I had about 5 years ago that you haven't seen since her birth."
"Lorelai, you know good and well that I know who Rory is. That was not what I meant."
"Okay, then this," she said gesturing to Luke hesitantly, "Is my boyfriend, Luke."
"Boyfriend? What about…"
"Mom," Lorelai exclaimed quickly, "Don't even thing about finishing that sentence."
"Fine, but we will discuss this at a later time. Now that I know that you have a… partner… I expect him to attend the party with you. I will see you on Friday," Emily remarked antagonistically, while walking away, not giving Lorelai time to respond.
"Babe, I am so sorry," Luke spoke, breaking the awkward silence, "If I had known who she was, I wouldn't have walked up."
"It's fine Luke, you had no way of knowing," she replied quietly but kindly, "Let's just find my dress, and now your suit, and get out of here before anyone else from my past decides to show up."