Chapter 29: Trading "Dates"

In the weeks following the visit with her father, Lorelai's life became hectic. With the surprise quitting of a desk manager, Lorelai took on the role, along with her normal maid job, until a replacement could be found. Outside of work, she spent what time she could with Rory and Luke. While it was easier to see her daughter because she lived with her, going on dates with her boyfriend, or even finding the slightest bit of alone time, became difficult to do.

One Tuesday morning, when Lorelai could get away from the inn for a few minutes, she burst into the diner, taking her typical seat at the counter. "Good morning, Burger Boy. I don't have much time, but Sookie has Rory so I could come and see you. How is my pretty boyfriend doing this morning?"

With a scowl on his face, he turned roughly towards the pot and replied gruffly, "I'm not pretty."

Noting the real frustration in his voice, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Well, good morning to you. It's been a while since you've been in such a pleasant mood," she spoke sarcastically, "Who pissed you off?"

"Taylor… He's being a pain in the ass. I swear, if I find him waiting for me at the doorstep of the diner one more time, I might just kill him… Here." Shoving the full coffee cup in her direction, he turned, grabbed his rag, and began scrubbing at the nonexistent stain on the center of the counter.

Trying to break through his rough exterior, Lorelai teased, "Don't you think that you might want to try saying that a bit nicer? You could always say… Here is your coffee, Lorelai. Why, don't you look absolutely stunning this morning?"

Rolling his eyes, he answered, "I'm busy… I don't have time to do this."

"You don't have 30 seconds to flirt and act happy around your girlfriend?"

"Lorelai," he sighed, "I'm in a bad mood, and I don't want to say something that will piss you off too, so either tell me what you want to eat or let me get to other customers."

With an exasperated sigh matching his, Lorelai stood up and quickly marched around the counter. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him forcefully behind her into the storage room.

"Hey, stop!" Pulling his arm away, he glared. "What the hell was that for?"

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she spoke sternly, "Look Luke, I came here to see you and hopefully spend a little time with you before I have to dig into to work, because Heaven knows that our time without Rory's presence has been slim for the past two weeks. I'm only able to be here for about a total of ten minutes, and since you've spent the last two being less than nice, I don't know whether I'll stick around for the final eight. Now, I know that he can be a pain in the ass, but I am not Taylor, so you have about thirty seconds to change your tone or I'm headed out."

As she finished her rant, Luke's shoulders slumped. Pulling his cap off and running his fingers through his hair, he sighed, "You're right." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I'm sorry. You're not Taylor."

The aggravation disappeared from her voice as she responded comically, "You know, that's a good thing too, because, otherwise, this whole dating thing would be a little weird."

Despite his attempt to keep his gruff demeanor, Luke couldn't keep a grin from tugging at his lips. "I don't even want to think about that…So, how has your morning been?"

Meeting his grin with one of her own, she replied happily, "It's a lot better now. Thank you for asking… I'm sorry for being blunt, but I only have a small amount of time here, and I want to spend it with nice Luke."

Wrapping his arms around her middle, Lorelai's naturally came to rest loosely around his neck. "It's alright. I need you to do that every once in a while… So, you mentioned in your rant that we haven't had much alone time with everything going on at the inn. What do you say to a date tonight?"

"Hmmm," she spoke with fake contemplation, "I guess you're still my favorite boyfriend, so I might be able to make time for you. I'll have to check and see if I can get a sitter for a few hours, but I'll let you know as soon as I find out."

"Good. I know I was a jerk, but it really is good to see you this morning. I've missed you." Leaning in, he planted a sound kiss on her lips.

Pulling back with a grin, she answered agreeably, "I've missed you too. This is nice."

Drawing her tighter against him, Luke leaned in and growled seductively, "You know, if I'm thinking right, you still have about six minutes until you need to leave."

"Why Luke, do you happen to have a way to occupy my remaining time?"

Starting at her lips, he kissed her sweetly, and began trailing his lips across her jaw line and down her neck. "I think I might have one idea."

"Ooo, making out in the back room! I like it! That's one way to get back at Taylor. He would die if he found out!"

With a groan, Luke pulled back and grumbled, "Do me a favor and don't ever mention Taylor while we do this." He gestured between them. "It kills the mood."

A small giggle escaped her lips. "Oops, sorry!" Bringing his lips back to hers, Lorelai laced her fingers through the curls at the base of his neck. "We better make this time count," she whispered.

"Oh, believe me, I plan on it."

"Luke's"

"I think the universe is against us."

"Lorelai?"

"Of course it's Lorelai… Who else answers the phone with such random comments?"

Taking a step into the kitchen, and noting the hint of frustration in her voice, Luke questioned hesitantly, "Right...Is everything okay?"

"Not really."

"What is it? Did something happen to Rory? Are you alright?"

Hearing his concern, she answered quickly, "Woah, woah, woah. Sorry to scare you, but we're both fine. I just wanted to know if you could do something for me… Gosh, I hate to do this, but, uh, how would you feel about trading a date night with me for a night with Rory?"

A sigh of relief quietly escaped his lips. "Well, I'm always good to watch Rory… but what about our date?"

Groaning, she responded frustrated, "That's where the universe comes in. I found out when I got back here this morning that Mia is sick. Along with that, Lane has Bible study tonight with her mom, and Sookie has to be in early in the morning, so I can't get a sitter. Then Sandy, the night desk worker, called in and said that she is unable to come in until 11:30 tonight. She asked if I'd cover it, and with Mia out, of course, I am the only person who could cover it… If you can't take Rory, I don't know what I'll do. She can stay here for a while, but she'll get tired, and I don't like leaving her in the shed to sleep alone, but I guess if I had to…"

Cutting her rambling short, he reassured her softly. "Lorelai, it's fine. You don't have to try to convince me. I can even come pick her up after the dinner rush if you need me to."

"Oh my gosh, thank you Luke! I'll stop by when I get off to pick her back up."

"You don't have to do that. You'll be tired, so you can just sleep at the shed so you don't have to drive here half asleep. Rory can just spend the night here if she's up for it, and I'll drop her off in the morning."

"Luke, I don't want you to do that. I don't feel right pawning her off to you til morning when I'm perfectly capable of picking her up."

"It's no problem"

"No," she argued, "You're already cutting your diner work short. I can't ask you to take care of her all night and tomorrow morning."

"You're not asking," he sighed, "I'm offering. How about this? I'll pick her up and bring her to the diner while I close. I'll bring her back there and I'll stay with her in the shed til you get off."

"I'm not gonna be able to convince you otherwise, am I?"

A slight grin appeared on his face, "Not a chance."

As well as she knew him, she could tell he was smiling through the phone. "Thank you, babe. I owe you big time."

"You don't owe me anything, Lorelai. I already told you I would help with her when you need me to."

"Well, still, thank you," she answered lovingly, "You have no idea how much it means to me that you do it… I love you, Luke. I'll see you in a bit."

"Love you too. See you later."

As he stepped through the back door of the diner, Rory trailing happily behind, Luke prepared for his first real night of babysitting in a while.

"Alright Rory, it looks like it's just you and me. What do you want to do?"

"I'm actually a little tired," she responded, "I helped mommy by running things around the inn. Can I just sit down here at the counter and read until we go back?"

"It's fine with me if that's what you want to do. Have you eaten?"

"No… Mommy had something for me to eat, but I forgot to grab it when we left. Sorry," she answered worriedly.

"It's no problem," he reassured gently, "I've got plenty of things that I can make you here. What do you want?"

A small smile appeared on her face, similar to the bright one her mother always wore. With hopeful eyes, she asked, "Can I have a cheeseburger and onion rings?"

Responding with the same eyeroll he uses with the elder Gilmore, he answered, "You definitely are your mother's child. Are you sure you don't want something a little healthier?"

Scrunching her nose at the word healthy, she quickly pondered his question. "I don't really like healthy food. If you want to, you can put lettuce and tomato on the burger, but that is the only healthy stuff I like."

"I guess that will have to do," he grinned, "I'll bring it over when it's done, but yell if you need anything in the meantime."

After dinner, they made it back to the shed, and by Rory's choosing, they were going to end the night by watching a movie. Making his way over to the couch with the bowl of popcorn, Luke sat down, and was met with Rory immediately snuggling into his side.

"So, what movie did you pick for us?"

"I found Bambi," she answered sweetly, "I haven't watched it in a long time. Have you ever seen it?"

"Not many times, but I have. My sister used to watch it when we were kids."

"I like it! I don't watch all of it because some parts are sad." Much to Rory's dismay, the sound of rain outside began to fill the small space, causing her to tense and unexpectedly grow quiet.

Feeling her grow stiff, Luke pulled back to look at her and was met with a look of fear. Quietly, she whispered, "Does that sound like a storm is coming to you?"

Listening for a few moments, Luke answered cautiously, "It might be. I heard it was supposed to rain tonight."

If he hadn't listened hard enough for her response, he would not have heard the quiet "Oh, no" that escaped her lips.

Suddenly, a crash of thunder boomed, causing Rory to jump and cling to his shirt. "Hey, you okay," Luke asked quietly, his voice laced with concern.

Scooting closer, Rory spoke into his chest, "I'm scared. I don't like storms.
"C'mere," Luke answered softly, pulling Rory into his lap. Naturally, Rory nestled as close as possible as Luke began softly stroking her back. "What does your mom normally do to make you feel better?"

"We read stories, but I finished the one I was working on in the diner."

"You have other books over there. Do you want to start another one?"

"I don't know,' she whimpered, "I just want Mommy."

"I know, but I'm right here. I've got you."

Feeling her tears soak his shirt, Luke knew he had to find a way to comfort her. Speaking in a soft voice, he questioned quietly, "How about this? When I was little, Liz and I would turn off all of the lights and get all the lanterns in the house. Then we would play a game until the storms stopped. Do you want to do that?"

Sniffling, she looked up and asked, "You'd play even if it was the middle of the night? Your parents let you?"

Chuckling lightly at her ability to be logical even when terrified, he answered calmly, "Yep. We would get so tired so fast that we'd fall asleep and forget about the storm."

"Okay, I guess we can do that."

Quickly, Luke rose to his feet, carrying Rory with him, and strolled to the kitchen. Grabbing the lantern out of one of the cabinets, he turned off all the lights, and made his way back to the couch. "Rory, do you know what shadow puppets are?"

"No… What are they?"

"Well," he answered, angling the light to shine directly on the ceiling, "If you hold your hands in from of the light at just the right place, you can make shapes."

As Rory cast her gaze to the ceiling, she was met with the shape of a bunny, and se perked up. "Wow… that looks like a rabbit!"

"That's what I was going for," Luke chuckled, "Do you want to try?"

"I don't know how."

Taking her small hands in his, he began to position them in front of the light. "Here… Cross your thumbs and stick the rest of your fingers out to the side."

"It's a bird! Look Daddy Luke," she exclaimed as she began to wiggle her fingers back and forth, "It looks like it's flying."

Happy to see her forgetting about the storm outside, he squeezed her shoulder encouragingly, and praised, "There you go, princess, now you're getting the hang of it."

"Can you do any other shapes?"

"Of course… Here. Make your hand like mine. Hold your left hand like this, curl your first finger, and tuck in your thumb."

"Is that a camel," she questioned excitedly."

"Yep, and if you move your pinky, it looks like the mouth is moving."

Pulling in her bottom lip with her teeth, a look of determination appeared on Rory's face as she tried to mimic Luke's motion. Luke couldn't help but notice how much she looked like her mother in this moment, having seen Lorelai with the same resolute look many times. Seeing Rory begin to slowly wiggle her little finger, he encouraged, "There you go. Exactly like that." Much to his pleasure, he was me with a wide smile.

For a few more minutes, the continued to explore different animals, and as Luke expected, Rory quickly grew tired and was able to fall asleep leaning back against his chest. Taking her to the couch, he laid her down, and sat beside her, wrapping a protective arm around her legs. Before long, he fell asleep himself.

Around 12:00 am, Lorelai finally stepped through the doors of he shed. Upon entering the small living space, she was met with a scene similar to the day Luke had brought Rory home with the chicken pox. Trying not to wake either of them, Lorelai slowly moves Rory to the bed, but as she returned to the couch, Luke stirred.

"Hey," he spoke softly in a groggy voice.

"Hey back," she whispered, leaning down for a kiss, "Sorry to wake you. I thought I'd movie Rory to the bed."

"It's okay." Making the move to get up, Luke continued, "I'll go so you can rest."

Placing a light hand on his chest, she had him lay back down. "No, it's okay. I don't want you driving back to the diner half asleep. Just stay here tonight, and we'll talk more in the morning."

"Okay." Bringing her hand to his lips, he placed a light kiss on her palm, "Go get some sleep."

Waking up around six, Rory was still asleep, so Lorelai padded towards the kitchen in search of coffee, but, spotting Luke sitting awake on the couch, she sluggishly walked over and plopped herself next to him. "Here, lay down," he spoke softly, scooting to the end of the couch. Without hesitation, she laid her head in his lap, where he immediately began trailing his hand through her curls. "You got in pretty late. How did everything go?"

"It was pretty boring. Time drug by… Sorry to spur this on you last minute."

"It's no big deal. We had a good time," he reassured.

"How did she do with the storm," pausing to yawn, she continued, "I was worried. I wanted to come out here, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to go back in and leave her if I did."

"She was a little freaked out, but we talked about it and played a game… I was able to calm her down."

"You're so good with her. I love that," she spoke happily, giving him a sleepy smile.

"She makes it easy."

"Thank you, though. You were a big help. I'm sorry about our date. I was really looking forward to it."

"I was too," he sighed, "But things happen. Besides, we're alone now."

"Yeah," she scoffed lightly, "But I'm half asleep, and we can't do much with Rory being right over there."

"True…but I like spending time with you like this. If you haven't noticed, I'm not really into extravagant things. I'm a pretty simple man. I've got my girls here with me… That's all I need."

Leaning up, she planted a light kiss on his lips. "That's sweet." Getting herself comfortable again, she yawned and added softly, "I love you."

"I love you too… you know you can go back to sleep, right? I have to leave in a little bit anyway, and I know you have to be tired."

"But I'm not tired."

A small chuckle escaped his lips. "Not this argument again. You're yawning, so I know you're tired. Get some rest."

With little energy to put up a fight, Lorelai gave in and mumbled quietly, "Mmmm, okay," and quickly gave in to falling back to sleep.

Much to her dismay, Lorelai woke up a few hours later to Luke gone. Hearing Rory stir in the other room, she made her way to their bed. Laying down, Lorelai began stroking her daughter's back, waiting for her to come to.

"Hey sleepy head… how was your night?"

Stretching, Rory let out a small whimper and replied softly, "It was okay. There was a storm… I missed you mommy."

"I know, hon. I was thinking about you the whole time. Luke said you did a really good job, though."

"We made shadow puppets on the ceiling. He said that he used to do it during storms when he was a kid. It was a lot of fun."

Lorelai grinned, knowing how hard it was for Luke to do anything that reminded him of his childhood. It sounds like it. I'm sorry I wasn't here, but I think you got the next best thing."

"I did… I love Daddy Luke."

"I love him too, kid. Speaking of, it's time for breakfast, and I don't have to go in until later. What do you say to visiting him at breakfast?"

Sitting up quickly, Rory answered brightly, "I think it's a good idea! Maybe he'll give me some coffee today!"

Laughing, Lorelai answered, "I doubt it, but let's use the pout and puppy dog eyes and see what he'll let us do… Maybe he'll let us put powdered sugar on our pancakes."