Chapter 9: Rainy days

The next day it started raining cats and dogs at five o'clock in the morning and hadn't let up since. The diner was fairly quiet not many wanted to brave the elements. The inn, in all honesty, was dead; the guests already there were held up in their rooms and most with reservations had called to postpone or just cancel. By noon Mia had already let half of the staff go home early deciding to work a skeleton crew during the interim. An hour later she went to go find Lorelai and Rory, who were "busying" counting the number of rosebuds on the wall across from their bed.

"243" Lorelai said at long last. She hated rainy day; there was never anything to do. The TV didn't work and the "cottage's" roof tended to leak on really bad days like today.

"Wrong," Rory answered.

Just then they heard a knock on their "cottage" door; Rory was the first to the door.

"Hello girls," Mia greeted the pair as soon as she entered the relatively dry room, "What have you two been up today?"

"Nothing," Rory answered glumly.

"I figured as much. Seeing that there's not much to do around here I'm going home early for a cup of hot tea and a good book," Mia explained.

"Ah, that sounds nice," Lorelai smiled.

"Indeed. However, I was wondering if I could drop you girls off any where on my way home?" Mia hinted.

"Oh mom, could we?" Rory practically jumped at the offer.

Lorelai looked at Mia's kind face, "I don't see why not. Where would you like to go?" Lorelai joked her daughter.

"Not funny," Rory answered as she gathered her book and found her rain boots.

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Meanwhile at the diner, Luke and Jess had taken to playing checkers across the counter during the unusual lunch lull.

"I win," Jess exclaimed. He had won three of the last five games they had played.

"Next time we're playing chess," Luke retorted just a little bitter.

"But I don't know how to play chess," Jess argued.

"I know," Luke, said as he turned to check something in the kitchen. That's when he heard the bell over the diner door for the first time in two hours.

"Coffee," cried the taller of the soaked pair.

"Why are you here?" Luke yelled at the girls, who at this point were dripping water at over his completely dry floor.

"We came for the love," Lorelai answered walking to the counter.

"How did you get here?" Luke asked.

"Mia," Rory answered shivering.

"Why are you all wet if Mia drove you?" Luke tried yet another question.

"Because Rory wanted to see if Lane could come over too and we didn't want Mia to have to wait. Anyway the rain didn't seem so hard in the car." Lorelai explained, "Can I have my coffee now?"

"You're going to get sick," Luke exclaimed as he poured Lorelai her coffee and went to warm some milk for hot chocolate for Rory.

"I never get sick," Lorelai proclaimed as she took her well deserved first sip of coffee.

"Right," Luke nodded.

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Within an hour the girls were mostly dry and the foursome was sitting at one of the diner tables playing a paired game of checkers: boys against girls or battle of the nerdy sexes as Lorelai was calling it. The boys had won every one of the last four games.

"Don't you have any other games?" Lorelai asked after the end of the last game.

"Does this look like an arcade to you?" Luke questioned back.

"No," Lorelai answered in a "Duh" tone, "However, most people have a few board games or cards or something else."

"I have a checkers/chess board and cards for poker, and I don't think that probably appropriate in present company," Luke explained.

"What are you talking about? I've wanted to teach Rory the proper way to gamble for a while now. Break them out!"

Luke just starred at Lorelai in disbelief, "You're kidding right?" he checked.

"We won't bet any real money," Lorelai smiled.

"You're not kidding," Luke was shocked.

"What's the worse that could happen?" Lorelai questioned his hesitance.

"You could be picked by child services for improper care of a child. You could end up raising the youngest addicted gambler in the history of gambling. You could end up paying her debts to the end of your days. You could be forced to watch her make bad decision and bad decision until there's nothing you can do," Luke ranted. When he finally stopped he realized everyone's eyes are on him; his rant had kind of lost its original purpose about half way through and became about something entirely different.

"Pessimistic much," Lorelai tried to lift the heavier mood that had taken over the group.

"You know I just remembered I think I might have an old board game of some sort up there; I'm just going to…" Luke motioned to the stairs and he left to go check.

"You guys want some more hot chocolate?" Lorelai asked Jess and Rory once again trying to distract them from the thoughts that seemed to be over taking them.

"Yes, please," Rory, answered never taking her eyes of Jess, who had taken to starring at the floor since Luke's rant.

"Jess?" Lorelai tried gently.

"Yes," Jess answered extremely quietly.

"Do you want some more hot chocolate?" Lorelai offered with her biggest smile as if it had healing powers.

"Ok," Jess answered even quieter if that was possible.

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"Found it," Luke coughed as he entered the diner. He placed the old dusty game on the table and then noticed Lorelai was missing; however, before he could ask he heard a crash come from the kitchen.

"If Luke asks the mug fell by itself, ok," Lorelai joked with Rory and Jess as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Don't tell Luke what?" Luke asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Nothing," Lorelai ducked her head and delivered the kids hot chocolate.

"You shouldn't be back there; you'll get hurt," Luke reprimanded sternly.

"Are you insinuating that I'm clumsy?" Lorelai faked annoyance.

"Just don't go back there again," Luke finished sitting back down at the table.

"So I guess you'll have to go refill my coffee," Lorelai smiled as she shoved her mug in his face.

Luke rolled his eyes and got up.

"So what game did we find?" Lorelai asked Jess and Rory. who were reading the instructions of the old game.

"Password," Rory answered.

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Later that night after the movie Rory and Jess were talking on Jess's bed, while Luke and Lorelai were sitting at Luke's kitchen table drinking tea and coffee, respectively.

"So all that before was about Jess's mom?" Lorelai asked in a quiet voice so as not to disturb or be over heard by the younger pair in the room.

"Yeah," Luke answered hesitantly.

"You want to talk about it? I can be a good listener, too," Lorelai smiled.

"Liz called me two days ago," Luke started to share.

"Well that's good, right?" Lorelai asked and then saw Luke's face, "It's not good is it?"

"She called me to send her money their VW van had broken down in the middle of Missouri, and they had no money to fix it despite the fact the band she's with is supposedly getting paid for each performance they do. So God only knows what they have been spending all their money on. And if that wasn't enough it took her ten minutes into her plea to ask about Jess, you know her seven year old son. She didn't even ask to talk to him; she just confirmed he was still here," Luke quietly ranted to Lorelai.

"I'm so sorry," Lorelai looked about to cry by the end of Luke's rant; beside herself, she had never seen someone so protective of a child. So she offered a bit of personal information herself to help level the playing field. "You know I haven't had Chris's, Rory's dad, correct phone number for more than a month at a time since she was two months old. And last time I saw him, well let's just say it didn't go well. He's still not ready to even be a part time dad."

This time it was Luke's turn to apologize. "You know Rory's really lucky to have you."

"And Jess is lucky to have you," Lorelai returned.

"I don't know about that," Luke shook his head.

"No he is. I know it," Lorelai smiled looking straight into Luke eyes.

"Thanks," Luke returned not breaking the connection between their eyes. He then shook his head realizing where his thoughts were going. So he stood up and asked, "So what do you want to do about them?" motioning to Jess and Rory, who had fallen asleep on Jess's bed.

"Oh, I guess we have to wake them up," Lorelai said watching how comfortable they look together.

"Or you could just stay here," Luke shrugged.

"Really?" Lorelai questioned.

"Well it's still raining like crazy and I just thought it might be easier than waking both of them up," Luke tried reasoning, "You can take my bed; I'll sleep on the couch."

"Are you sure?" Lorelai wanted to confirm.

"No problem," Luke answered as he set out to change the sheets on his bed for Lorelai; however since she was the guest she insisted on helping. "Oh, don't do that," Luke directed Lorelai

"Don't do what?" she questioned.

"Don't pull the sheet back after I pull it. I need more for this side," he replied as they continued to make the bed. "You pulled it back again."

"Okay, I need it for my side," Lorelai explained.

"I need it to tuck in," Luke tried reasoning.

"Same here," Lorelai said.

"I always tuck it in on this side," Luke justified his annoyance.

"Let's tuck it in on both sides," she bargained.

"You tuck a bed in on both sides?" Luke asked dumbfounded.

"Yes, and then I slip down into it like I'm in a straitjacket or something," Lorelai defended herself.

"Oh, you must feel right at home there," Luke, retorted.

"I so set you up for that," Lorelai answered sticking her tongue out at him.

"Fine, tuck it in on your side," Luke gave in and went to lie on the couch.

Lorelai smiled from her cocoon and offered, "Good night Luke."

"Night, Lorelai."

As Lorelai lay in Luke's bed and watched as her daughter slept with her arm over Jess's chest she thought, "Maybe raining days aren't so bad after all."

Disclaimer: I had a little bit of help from A Tale of Poes and Fire (3.17) written by Daniel Palladino.

Thanks for the reviews; there were terrific. For my more impatient readers just give me a little more time; I hope to make it up to you. I really want Luke and Lorelai together too; I just feel a responsibility to do it right. (They have been so mistreated by their creator and secondary writer!) I just want to explore their mutual attraction/crushes on each other a little bit more. Anyway… Thanks again for reading and continue.

Tunes: "Raindrops keep falling on my head."

Please, pretty please review.