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Chapter 33: Hide me

Luke and Lorelai had showered, dressed and started dinner when the kids and the rest of the family had come back. Lorelai had helped Luke to shower and get down the stairs, because he had more problems going down the stairs than up the stairs. Lorelai had enjoyed it somehow that she could help him and that he had leaned on her, literally. And Luke himself had found out that it wasn't that bad to depend on his wife, what also might have something to do with that fact that she had kissed him after every step they had taken together.

"I think walking down the steps is my new favourite thing to do" Luke had laughed when they had reached the bottom and made their way into the kitchen.

"Good, then we can repeat that at least in the morning and in the evening when we wake up or go to bed" she had smiled and given him another peck.

"You want me to sleep upstairs again?" he had asked her.

"Sure, I never wanted you to sleep down there. At least not without me" she had admitted.

"Why don't you sleep downstairs with me until I can walk a bit better? Otherwise I will need to go back to bed the moment I reach the bottom in the mornings" he had suggested and she had happily agreed.

So now that the kids were back and chatting away about the animals they had seen in the zoo. Lorelai laughed when Richard told her that William spotted the big cage with the guinea-pigs and had refused to go any further into the zoo. Only when Emily had ordered him to follow, he had done that but had pouted all the time and had found a reason with every animal they had seen why guinea-pigs were so much better.

"But guinea-pigs are way cooler than those smelly lions!" William insisted.

"I am relieved you feel that way, because we can't buy you a lion as a pet" Luke smiled and stroked over his hair.

"They smell, daddy," William said and made a disgusted face.

"And they eat little chickens. Raw! That is so yucky," he went on and was interrupted by Laila.

"There were Teddy bears," Laila said, sitting on her grandfather's lap and watching her parents cooking. Meaning Luke cooked and Lorelai gave him the ingredients, so he didn't have to move that much.

"And you my baby, what did you see?" Lorelai asked Sara, who sat on her grandmother's lap.

"A monkey" the girl replied. It had been the first day she had to walk for most of the day and she was exhausted. TJ had carried her around for a while, but then he had started yammering and she had had to walk again.

"And what did the monkey do?" Lorelai wanted to know and crouched down in front of her daughter.

"Like that" Sara said, leaned forward, slung her arms around her mother's neck and her legs around her mother's waist.

"Luke, honey, look the Sara monkey is back" Lorelai laughed and kissed her daughter on her cheek.

"I am not a monkey, Mommy" Sara said as laid her head sleepily on her mother's shoulder.

"I remember that we had that exact conversation some years ago" Luke had to laugh, remembering their trip to the cabin two years ago. It was one of these casual every day moments that stuck somehow. It was like with pictures for him: The candid one was the best and he also liked these every day moments and random cuteness more than endless declarations of love.

"Yeah, me too," Lorelai smiled and gave him a long and gentle kiss.

"Daddy have you stopped yelling? Is mommy happy again?" William asked bluntly when he saw his parents kiss.

"I am very happy, baby boy," Lorelai admitted and ruffled through his hair.

"I am …," William started.

"…not a baby," Luke and Lorelai said simultaneously and everybody had to laugh.

"I'm gonna put Sara in her bed," Lorelai said then and Luke kissed his sleeping daughter.

"Good night baby, sleep tight," he told her, although he knew she couldn't hear him.

"The kids behaved?" Luke wanted to know from his in-laws.

"No problems. William was pouting a bit, Sara was a bit whiny, but all in all we had an enjoyable time together" Richard said and bounced Laila up and down on his knees.

"Your brother in law on the other hand, was a whole different thing. That man is insane. He was worse than the children and I beg you Luke, don't make me sustain that man another time," Emily begged and both Luke and William had to laugh.

"I told grandma that he is nuts," William giggled and hugged Luke's right leg.

"Are you tired?" Luke asked him.

"No," came the muffled reply.

"I want a hug, daddy," William said then. Luke leaned against the counter and was able to lift William. He couldn't keep him in his arms though and so he sat him down on the kitchen counter and hugged him then.

"Better?" he asked him.

"Better. I missed you today, Daddy" William admitted, which earned him a kiss.

"l see you are feeling better Luke" Richard said and nodded approvingly.

"Yes, slowly but steadily it's getting better, although it's really exhausting. Suddenly I admire every toddler I see walking around.

"Understandable. I think it's incredible what you have achieved in that short time though," Richard complimented.

"Thank you, Richard," Luke said and put William back on the ground.

"Go and feed Meeko and Barney. There is some salad over there," he told him and William did what he had been told.

"I wanna feed Barney," Laila said, sprang from her grandfather's lap and ran after her brother.

"She's out cold," Lorelai smiled when she came in and held open the door for Laila.

"You put her in her own bed?" Luke asked.

"Yes, if she has a nightmare again we will hear it," Lorelai said and waved with the baby phone.

"It's good we didn't throw away these after the twins were old enough," She sighed and plopped down on a stool.

"True, but we didn't know if…," Luke trailed off.

"Yeah," Lorelai sighed, forgetting her parents.

"You wanted more kids?" Emily asked surprised and looked from one to the other.

"No. I mean, yes. We never really decided and then I was too busy and then too old," Lorelai explained.

"I think four kids are more than the average," Richard said.

"Yeah especially since the risk of getting twins again would be higher, cause I would have been older. And five little kids? Sorry, but no way!" Lorelai shook her head and Luke suddenly laughed.

"What?" she asked him confused.

"I just pictured you finding out that you would be once again pregnant with twins," Luke chuckled.

"I would have killed you, hon'!" Lorelai laughed, but Emily and Richard both only raised an eyebrow, because they didn't find the topic one to joke about.

"So what did you two do all day? You read the book you were talking about, Lorelai?" Emily tried to change the subject.

"No, not really. I got somehow distracted," she smiled in a way at Luke that made it more than clear what they had been doing all day.

"I am happy to hear that you two are getting along again," Richard said and Lorelai nearly dropped the glass of water she held.

"Dad!"

"Richard!" Lorelai and Emily shrieked, while Luke blushed deeply.

"Well, we are all adults here and we were worried about you two," Richard shrugged.

"Dad, please. I am touched by your concern, but...please just leave it!" Lorelai laughed when she saw how uncomfortable Luke was. Before Richard could reply anything the kitchen door flew open and William ran in.

"Help! Help!" he cried and slammed into his fathers legs and slung his arms around them.

"Will, what happened?" Luke asked worried and Lorelai jumped off her chair and ran to her son.

"Hide me, daddy please!" William yammered.

"William?" Luke got impatient and it was clear in his voice.

"TJ and Gary are coming. The car stopped outside," William reported and just as he finished the doorbell rang.

"Will, don't scare us like that! And where is your sister?" Lorelai scolded and raised her eyebrows, while she got off the floor and walked towards the kitchen door.

"Stupid Laila saw them first and took my spot in the wardrobe. Now I need a new place to hide. Help me, Daddy please," he begged.

"TJ is family and no matter how annoying they get you don't hide from family. You stand up to your obligations and you are friendly and helpful," Luke lectured him.

"But you said yesterday that you would kick TJ's butt if you could. So help me or I will kick him," William threatened.

"Will! Out! Now!" Lorelai suddenly re-appeared in the kitchen.

"What? No! Don't make me go out there," William yammered.

"You left the cage open and now Meeko and Barney are running through your Daddy's bedroom. Get them in the cage again, now," Lorelai told him and pointed towards the bedroom.

"But if you and Daddy are okay again, he doesn't need it anymore. It could be Meeko's and Barney's room. They don't have a room, that's not fair," William argued with her.

"William! Meeko, Barney, cage, like two seconds ago" she told him in memo-style. Overdramatically he sighed and marched off.

"Did he leave his brain with the lions in the zoo or what is wrong with him?" Lorelai shook her head and went to open the door.

"Well, I have to say I understand him somehow. This TJ is really… something else" Richard said.

"Don't get me started. I wish the wardrobe would be bigger. I would offer you a place" Luke sighed and turned back towards the dinner.

"Do you need help?" Emily asked and stood up from the table.

"No, I've got in under control"

"Luke I am sure you need help," Emily said and took the knife out of his hand.

"Emily, what…?" Luke asked surprised and wanted his knife back, so he could resume cutting the tomatoes for the sauce.

"You can't offer me a space in that wardrobe and I can't hide in bathroom, but if I have to be around TJ another minute more today, I will kick his butt, as William put it," she hissed and Luke had to laugh.

"Okay, the kitchen stays TJ free," he promised her and took another knife while Emily started making the salad.

Naturally, when TJ, Liz and Gary entered the house the chaos broke lose. Liz ran after Gary and tried to take the chocolate he had away from him, while TJ told Richard bout his life altering observations in the zoo. Emily and Luke hid in the kitchen, but Lorelai was kind enough to come into the kitchen every few minutes and tell them word by word what TJ had said.
The hiding was over when dinner was ready and Lorelai took Laila out of the wardrobe, woke up Sara and forced her mother and Luke to leave the kitchen and join the rest of the family in the dining-room.

"Where is William? Didn't you call him?" Luke asked when he sat down and looked around. Even Rory was there now, but William was still missing.

"Of course I called him. Two times, that is," Lorelai said while she put food on the plates.

"Rory could you go into the guest-room and get him? Maybe he fell asleep in front of the cage again," Luke said, too tired to stand up again. His hands were hurting enough from the crutches.

"Sure" Rory said, stood up and walked towards the guest-room. She was only halfway there when she heard strange noises, which soon turned out to be muffled sobs.

"Will?" she called and tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"William, open the door and come to dinner," she told him. She heard that he said something, but she couldn't understand him. What she heard though sounded very panicked.

"Will, calm down and open the door please. Or should I go and get Mom?" she tried to calm him.

"No!" she heard him yell from the inside.

"Then what is it? You have to eat something," she tried again.

"I can't unlock the door," she heard him cry from the inside.

"Where is the key?" Rory tried to stay calm and rational.

"In the lock"

"Then turn the key to the left," she advised him.

"I can't. It's stuck," he sobbed. Rory thought for a second, and then she had an idea.

"Okay, then pull the key out and slide it through under the door. The slit is big enough," she said and heard when he took the key out and then she saw it under the door. She picked it up and opened the door with it. Her little brother tumbled out of the room and into her arms.

"I thought I'm gonna die in there," he cried and Rory had to laugh.

"You are such a drama queen. Just like Mom," she said and stroked his tears away.

"But why didn't you call Mum or Dad? You know how the house phone works," she ked him then.

"They forbid me to lock the door, but I had to otherwise Gary would have come in," he admitted.

"Ah, I understand," She smiled and put him back down.

"Don't tell them. Please," he said and looked with his big blue eyes up at her like a little lost puppy, a pouting puppy.

"I won't. It's our secret," she promised him, which brought her a thankful smile from her brother and together they walked back into the dinning-room.

"Will, I called you several times. What were you doing?" Lorelai asked him when he entered.

"He fell asleep, just like you said mom" Rory jumped in and sat down. Luke and Lorelai looked at William, then at Rory and they knew that she was lying. His red teary eyes tipped them off, but as long as Rory decided it wasn't worth being mentioned, it couldn't be as bad and they would allow them their little secret.

"Man I feel weird eating that duck after seeing all those birds in the zoo today. There was this one bird, a Leo I think, he could speak. He could freakin' speak. I tried to teach him how to say "TJ", but he couldn't say it," TJ told them.

"He spent a whole hour in front of that cage, without success," Liz added and patted her husbands hand lovingly.

"Poor bird," Emily, Luke and William muttered all at the same time, which caused Lorelai to laugh out loud.

"You three spend way too much time together during the last year," she giggled.

Emily and Richard both left immediately after the dinner, both exhausted from the long day, but Lorelai and Luke had to sit with TJ and Liz for some more hours, because they only went home when Gary had fallen asleep with his face on the table.

"Geez, I thought I had missed the moment when they had moved in," Luke grumbled.

"Oh, my poor husband," Lorelai cooed and slung her arms around his middle.

"Let's bring the kids to bed and then go to sleep," he said, but puller her even closer to him.

"You really want me to sleep with you in the guest-room?" she asked and gave him a peck.

"You seriously want to sleep alone? I think I earned me some company this afternoon," he grinned.

"Earned? You think you were that good?" she teased him.

"I think I have it on good authority that I was," he gave her a cocky smile and she had to laugh.

"Okay, you are right, you earned you some company. I think Meeko will be happy to share your bed," she said. Luke leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Please," he said during the kiss.

"Check.. on… the… kids…," she muttered back, but resumed kissing him.

"I'll wait for ya in the bedroom," he told her when they broke apart.

"Okay. Maybe I'll make it worth the wait," she winked at him and then walked up the stairs to check on the kids and he made his way into the guest-room.

TBC