A/N: It's been a little bit longer than I'd wanted, but there's always something coming up. At least the chapter is finished now. I hope you'll all like it, and please leave me a review to let me know if you do! Jessi, this one is for you!
Chapter 27 – A little bit of romance
"Hey Sookie."
"Oh hey." Sookie looked up from her work and stared in her best friends eyes. "How are you doing?"
"Just fine."
"And the babies?"
Lorelai smiled. "Still in there."
"Good. Good. And Lucan?" She pointed at the boy that was sleeping in his stroller.
"He's great. He's already starting to learn the right ways of getting attention. My new techniques really work, to Luke's surprise."
Sookie laughed. "That's great. And Rory? Stressed out already?"
Lorelai shook her head. "She has nothing to be stressed out about. She'll be getting her diploma exactly one week from now."
"Everything went fine?"
"Absolutely!"
Sookie started jumping up and down, squealing. "That's amazing. I'm so proud at her. Our little girl is graduating college."
Lorelai smiled widely. "Uhuh." Then she shook her head at the enthusiasm of her friend.
"Aren't you happy? Why aren't you jumping?"
"Of course I'm happy. But I don't think jumping up and down matches taking it easy."
Sookie stood still. "Oh yeah…"
"But that doesn't mean that you can't jump up and down!"
Sookie smiled. "Good. But em… I guess I better get back to work."
"Ok. I'll talk to you later okay?"
Sookie nodded. "Just don't forget to take it easy."
"I won't." She walked away and went to the front desk. "Hello Michel."
"Hello Lorelai. Shouldn't you be sleeping right now?"
"Taking it easy doesn't mean that I have to sleep all the time. How are things going around here?"
"Perfect. We do not need you running around for things to go well. We manage very well without you."
"Good." Lorelai didn't show him how his sarcasm made her really feel. "Is there anything I can do? Maybe bring home some paperwork?"
"That is not necessary. We are doing very well without you. You've got nothing to be worried about."
"I know that I don't have to worry. But I'd love to help out."
"I have nothing for you. Sorry."
"Fine." She turned around and saw Claire walking by. "Clair. Wait."
Clair turned around and looked at her boss. "Lorelai, hey. How are you doing."
"She is fine." Michel replied.
She turned around and shot him an angry look. Then she walked towards Clair. "I'm okay. Just a little bit bored at home. I was wondering if there's any paperwork I have to bring home."
Claire shook her head. "We have everything under control. I just finished all the paperwork yesterday."
"Oh…. That's good. Thanks." Silently she added, 'I guess.' "Well, if there's anything, don't hesitate to call me."
"We won't. But I don't think that'll be necessary. We're doing great. You should just give all the attention to Lucan now, because once the twins are born you won't able to focus on him too much."
Lorelai nodded. "I will."
"Well, eh…. If you don't mind I go back to work. I still have a few things to do before lunch."
"Of course. I don't want to keep you." She watched how Clair walked away and looked around her inn. Everything seemed fine. They were doing perfectly fine without her. With a sigh she looked at her son in his stroller. He was still sleeping. "Let's go see your dad." She whispered.
-xxxxxx-
"Hey." Luke smiled when he saw Lorelai entering the diner.
"Hi." She leaned over the counter to kiss him.
He smiled and looked down at the stroller. "He's sleeping."
"Yeah. He fell asleep before we were past Babette's house and he's still sleeping."
"Well, it's not that long."
"We've been at the inn first."
He put a cup of tea in front of her. "How were things going around there?"
She shrugged. "Perfect. They didn't need me for anything. Claire already finished this month's paperwork so I don't even have to do that."
"Well that's good."
"Uhuh." She sighed.
"You're not happy." He noticed.
"Well, I should be right? I mean, they're doing a great job around there. I can stay home with a safe heart that the place will be still standing and running when I get back."
He placed his hand on top of hers. "But you're just feeling a little bit useless."
"Yeah, I mean, I know that this is what's best for the twins. I would lie down in bed for the rest of the pregnancy if I had to. But still….. yeah."
"I understand. I guess you just have to get used to it. You're used to a busy schedule. Working at the inn, taking care of Lucan, doing things around the house."
She smiled while shaking her head. "What kind of things do I do around the house?"
"Well, you do laundry sometimes. When you have nothing left in your closet. And when you have some important papers to fill out, you clean the table. And you clean up Lucan's toys when I don't do it and…."
She hit his shoulder. "I get it. I'm a horrible housewife."
"But you're my horrible housewife." He pulled her over the counter and kissed her. "And I love you for that."
" I love you too."
"So, what are your plans for today?"
She raised her shoulders. "There's nothing for me to do really. I mean, I have no paperwork so I don't have to clean the table…."
"Sorry." He smiled. "But it's true."
"It is true. I'm so sorry that you have to put up with me Luke. You have to do everything. You have to clean up behind me. You have to cook. And once the twins are born it's going to be even worse. Maybe you should find yourself a different wife."
"I don't want anyone but you. You know that. I love taking care of you Lorelai. And I don't mind cleaning and cooking. I like to do those things. And really, it's not as bad as we make it sound. You do plenty of things."
She nodded. "Yeah you're right. And since I stopped working for now, I have all the time to become a good housewife. I can vacuum the rooms downstairs and…"
"You're not going to vacuum. You're not going to lift anything heavier than a towel."
"Well, have fun with your son then."
He looked at her, confused.
"He's much heavier than a towel. He can walk by himself, but definitely don't climb the stairs and things like that…."
He sighed, knowing that she was right. "Just take it easy okay?"
"I'll leave the vacuuming to you."
"Good." He thought for a moment. "Why don't you call Rory and see if she wants to hang out with you this afternoon. Maybe watch a movie or something? Then I'll take care of Lucan."
She smiled. "I like that." She took her cell phone out of her purse and looked at Luke, trying to figure out if she could get away with calling inside the diner. Risking it she dialed Rory's number and waited for her daughter to pick up, while smiling at Luke who just shook his head in response.
-xxxxxx-
Lorelai was watching TV while Lucan was playing on the floor. He was playing with some of his cars, and completely focused on his game. Lorelai watched him occasionally, making sure he wasn't doing anything he's not supposed to do. She was just about to switch channels again when the doorbell rang.
"Rory, you know you don't have to ring the bell. Come in." She yelled, not wanting to get up.
Lucan looked up from his game and stared at his mother. "Owy?"
When the doorbell rang again she raised her shoulders. "I guess not." She stood up and walked to the door. "Stay there." She turned to her son before she opened the door.
"Flower delivery for Mrs. Danes."
"I'm Mrs. Danes."
The flower delivery guy smiled. "Then you have to sign here." He handed her a clipboard and pointed out where she had to put her signature.
"Who are they from?"
"There's a card."
With a wide smile Lorelai took the flowers from the man. "Thank you."
"You're welcome ma'am." And with that he walked away.
Lorelai walked inside while smelling the huge bouquet of roses. She saw that Lucan had gone up in his game again, so she walked into the kitchen. She placed the flowers on the counter and started looking for the card. It didn't took long before she found it.
"I love you."
That's the only thing it said. Her smile was even wider now, knowing Luke had sent her the flowers. His handwriting couldn't be missed. She picked up the phone and dialed his number.
"Luke's"
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you."
He smiled, knowing where she was talking about, but he acted as if he had no idea though. "For what?"
"The flowers."
"Which flowers?"
"Don't fool with me mister. I know that you're smiling."
"How can you know that?"
"HA. So you are smiling." She smiled broadly. "I knew it. Thank you."
He shook his head, still smiling. "You're welcome."
"Well, I better go see what Lucan is doing. He's alone in the living room."
"You better. We don't want him breaking anything."
"Exactly."
"Bye."
"Hey Luke?"
"Mmmm…"
"I love you too." And with that she hung up.
-xxxxxx-
"Mom?" Rory entered the house about 15 minutes later.
"Kitchen."
Rory walked into the kitchen. "Hey." She placed a kiss on her mother's cheek. "Where did you got those flowers?"
Lorelai was organizing the roses in a vase. Lucan was sitting on the floor next to her. "Luke had them send to the house."
Rory raised her eyebrows. "Why?"
"Because he loves me." Lorelai handed Rory the card.
"How romantic."
"I know!" Lorelai smiled widely. "The only other time he gave me flowers is when I opened the dragonfly. I almost never get flowers."
"They are very pretty."
"I know."
Rory shook her head. "You're acting like a love sick teenager."
"What? I'm just happy."
"That's great mom."
"What's up with you?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"But you sound so…."
"Nah, it's nothing. I'm happy for you mom. I really am."
"But still, there's something wrong with you. Talk to me Rory."
"It's nothing really. I just… it's just…."
"Come on, let's sit." She took Rory's hand in hers and directed her towards the living room. "Lucan come here."
Rory shook her head. "He isn't a dog."
"I know that. He just can't stay in the kitchen by himself. Just a sec okay?" She walked into the kitchen. "Lucan come on, let's go to the living room."
He looked up at his mother and then focused his attention back to his toys.
"Lucan, please?" Lorelai kneeled down, took Lucan's toys away from him and walked into the living room.
Lucan started crying and followed his mother in the living room. "Mama."
"Mom, that's just cruel."
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Come here baby." She took Lucan in her arms and hugged him. "I'm sorry baby." She put his toys on the floor. "Here, you can play again. You just can't stay in the kitchen by yourself." He remained crying so she placed a kiss on the top of his head. "I'm so sorry baby."
When Lucan remained crying, Rory took him in her arms. "Come to Rory huh. Mom's just not nice to you is she? You poor kid."
"Hey." Lorelai slapped her.
But soon Lucan had calmed down and he wriggled out of her grip, ready to play again.
"Now come here." Lorelai patted on the couch next to her. "Talk to me Rory."
"It's nothing really. I just, things are going so fast."
"Fast how?"
"Everything really. It's just, next week I'll be getting my college diploma. I just got a phone call this morning that I got the job. And with the wedding coming up…"
"But hon, those are all good things."
"I know that. That's why I don't understand that I'm feeling this way. I'm supposed to be happy. I really am happy….."
"But it's just going a little bit too fast. I understand."
"You do?"
"I do."
"Have you ever felt like this?"
"So many times. I still feel that way every time I look at myself in the mirror. I feel really excited about the twins, but at the same time I feel scared. How am I going to handle 3 small kids at the same time, plus doing my job at the inn? How can I be a good mother to all of you at the same time? Will I be able to give all of you the attention you guys deserve? Won't I forget about you or Lucan when I have to take care of 2 babies at the same time? But then Luke comes home and I know that I don't have to do it by myself, and that we're going to do fine. But it's okay to feel overwhelmed. You're leaving a very important part of your life behind and starting a completely new one."
Rory nodded. "That's exactly how I feel. It's just… I mean, I worked as an intern before and I handled summer jobs and stuff like that, but this is going to be full time. No more school, no more studying. It's going to be for real now."
"It is. But Rory, this is what you've been working so hard for all this time. This is it."
"I know. And that's what scares me mom. What if I made a mistake? What if this isn't what I want to do for the rest of my life?"
"Then you'll find something else. This is going to be your first real job, but it won't be your last one."
Rory smiled. "So, I'm freaking out for no reason?"
"Not my words, but yeah." Lorelai smiled at her daughter. "You're going to be fine. You're going to love it. And if you want to put off the wedding for a while, I think Warren would understand."
Rory shook her head. "I don't want to put off the wedding. I already feel a lot better. Thanks mom."
"Your welcome kid." Lorelai pulled Rory against her and placed a kiss on top of her head. "I love you."
"I love you too mom."
-xxxxxx-
"Lorelai?"
"Upstairs."
Luke climbed the stairs and found Lorelai in Lucan's room. "What are you doing?"
"Changing your son."
"Oh, okay. Where's Rory?"
"In her room. I believe she's on the phone with Warren. She's thinking about staying her tonight and go back to New Haven tomorrow."
"Ok. Are you okay in here, or do you need help?"
"I'm fine."
"I'll see you downstairs." Luke went downstairs and knocked on Rory's door.
"Come in."
"Hey. Luke entered the room. "What are you doing?"
"Just reading. I just called Warren to tell him I'm staying here tonight."
"I was kind of hoping you would say that."
"How so?"
"Well, if you don't mind I'd like to take your mom out. But if you want to hang out with Lane or something, you don't have to babysit."
"Nah, I love to spend some time with my brother. Besides, I can call Lane and ask her to come over. Lucan never wakes up after he falls asleep anyway, so we can have a nice girl's night."
"You sure?"
"Positive. Take her out. She'll love it."
"Thanks."
Rory nodded. "I'm going to call Lane and ask her to come over. It's been a while since I saw her."
"Then I'll go upstairs to talk to your mom." He climbed the stairs and walked back into Lucan's room.
"What are you doing back up here?"
"Taking over."
"Why? I can handle it. I'm almost finished anyway. I just have to put his pants back on."
"I know. But I want you to go into our bedroom and put on something nice."
"But Luke, we haven't even had dinner yet." She blinked her eyes seductively.
He rolled his eyes. "Oh geez."
"What? Not what you were talking about?"
"Hell no. I have three good reasons for that."
"You do?"
"Yes. First, I do not talk like that it in front of our son. Second, we're not allowed to do that as you're supposed to take it easy. And third, we don't have time for that as I'm taking you out."
"You what?"
"I'm taking you out. Rory's looking after Lucan."
"You're serious?"
"Yeah."
"That's great! I love to go out."
"Then change."
"Yes mister."
-xxxxxx-
After having dinner together at an Indian restaurant in Hartford, Luke and Lorelai were walking in a park. Her head was resting on his shoulder while his arm hold her tight. "We don't go out enough."
"Mmm…." Was his only response.
"Have I told you what a great time I had yet?"
"About ten times I guess." He placed a kiss on top of her head.
"I love spending time with you. Dinner was great, and this, this is really nice."
"I agree."
"We really should do this more often. Do you think we could get Rory to babysit once a week so we can go out?"
"I don't think so. She's starting working in a few weeks and I think she likes to spend her evenings with Warren. Plus, soon there will be three kids and….."
She put a finger on his lips. "I get your point. Enjoy it while we still can."
They walked in silence for a few minutes.
"I used to play here when I was a kid."
"But this is pretty far from your parent's house."
"I know. So you better don't tell my mom I went here by myself as an 8 year old."
"You were something. We can only hope our kids won't grow up to look like you."
"Gee thanks. I'm glad you love me so much."
He stopped her and stepped in front of her, looking directly into her eyes. "If our daughter will grow up to be the woman you are, I couldn't be more proud. I just meant…"
She kissed him. "I know what you meant. I don't want them to act the way I did when I grew up either. Although my mom would love it." She smiled.
"How so?"
"Because I didn't made things easy for her. I went against her all the time, even when she was right. I don't know… She'd just like to see me struggle with our kids the way I made her struggle."
"I don't believe that. She thinks you're a great mother Lorelai, and I don't think she wants those things for you."
"Maybe you're right."
"I'm always right."
"Ha." But she smiled and kissed him again. "God I love this." She placed her head back on his shoulder and started walking again. "There were always a lot of kids in this park. We played all sorts of games. But the swings were my favorite."
"Why?"
"Because if you close your eyes, it feels as if you're flying. It made me feel free."
They walked into the direction of the swings.
"Do you mind if I?"
"Of course not. As long as I don't have to." He let go of her and watched how she sat down on the swing.
She started moving her legs and went higher and higher. She closed her eyes and leaned back a little. "It still feels the same. You should try it."
"No thanks."
"Come on Luke." She stopped the swing and looked at him. "It feels great."
He shook his head.
"Don't tell me you've never been on a swing as a kid."
"Of course I have. My dad hung up a swing on the tree in our back yard."
"Sounds great."
"It was, except Liz made me push her all the time. She was too lazy to do the work by herself."
"Push me?"
He stood behind her and started pushing.
"Faster."
He pushed her a few more times and stepped away.
She enjoyed the wind rushing past her as she moved back and forward. And Luke enjoyed watching her. When the swing stopped she stood up and took his hand in hers. "You don't know what you're missing."
He shrugged. "As long as I don't know."
They started walking again, enjoying being in each others arms and enjoying the quietness around them. There was an occasional dog walker passing them, but nobody said anything or paid attention to them. They walked in silence for almost an hour when they finally ended at their car.
"Where do you want to go now?"
"How about home? I don't think Lucan is giving Rory a hard time, but if he is…. Plus, it's getting kind of late."
"You can just say that you're tired."
"Well, that too." She sat down in the passenger seat and he closed the door for her. Then he walked to the other side of the car and climbed in himself.
Within five minutes Lorelai had fallen asleep. Luke drove home with a smile on his face, watching her occasionally. When he parked the car in the driveway, he tried waking her up. "Lorelai."
"Uhggg." She moved in her seat and kept her eyes closed tight.
So he walked to her side of the car and opened the door. He took her in his arms and carried her inside the house.
Rory and Lane were watching a movie together when Luke entered the house. "Hey."
"Hey."
"She's asleep?"
He nodded. "I'm going to put her in bed. I'll be right back."
"Okay."
Luke climbed the stairs and carefully placed Lorelai on their bed. He removed her shoes and covered her with a blanket. Then he watched her sleep for a few minutes before walking out of the room. He checked up on Lucan, who was fast asleep in his crib. Downstairs the movie was still playing.
"How did things go with Lucan tonight?"
"Fine, as always. You made us some dinner before we left so we ate together. He seemed to like the spaghetti. After that I gave him a bath and we read a few books together. When I put him in bed he fell asleep within a few minutes and I haven't heard him since."
"Glad to hear he didn't gave you a hard time."
"Oh, he never does."
"Good. Well, if you don't mind I go to bed myself. I have to open the diner tomorrow."
"Of course not. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Rory."
"Goodnight Luke."
"Night Lane."
Luke climbed the stairs and changed in the bathroom. Then he climbed in bed with Lorelai, who was still sleeping. But she did sense that he was in bed with her because she turned around and instinctively placed her head on his chest. He kissed her hair and then closed his eyes, falling in a deep, peaceful sleep himself.
T.B.C.