Chapter 11

A Rocky Surprise

"So, did you grow up around here?" Hope asked, comfortably seated on the passenger side of Luke's truck.

"I did," he confirmed. "The diner is actually my father's old store."

"Well, what a nice way to keep the place in the family," she commented with a smile before turning her head to watch out the window.

"I thought so," Luke agreed. "It keeps his memory alive."

"So, how long have you been in love with my niece?" she asked, cutting to the chase.

"Excuse me?" Luke choked out, surprised by the unexpected question.

"She moved here when she was seventeen with a one year old child. This is a small town. You can't tell me that you didn't notice her the first day she arrived," Hope challenged him.

"I … well…" Luke stuttered.

Hope looked over at him, a smirk upon her face. "I thought so."

"You know, you're not what I was expecting," he stated, looking over at her.

"You mean I'm not quite like my sister," Hope clarified.

"Well…" Luke faltered, uncertain of how to proceed.

Hope laughed lightly. "Emily and I are very different people. She chose to get married and have a family. I fell in love with a man who supported himself by painting murals and playing jazz in little clubs around Paris and then spent twenty years with him feeding starving children in Africa. Our lives somehow took very divergent paths after college. Yet we always managed to stay close though we lived so far away."

"It sounds like it," Luke spoke, turning the truck onto Lorelai's street.

"Emily is just a little more reserved than I am," Hope noted. "But once you get the chance to really know her … once she lets you get the chance to know her, that is, you can't help but love her." Luke remained silent, which Hope picked up on. "I don't know what Lorelai has told you over the years but surely you are intimately aware of their history." Luke nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "The one thing that my niece has never been able to understand is that the only thing Emily wants is to be part of her life."

"They seem to be getting closer these past few months," Luke commented.

"Yes, they do," Hope smiled.

"Lorelai said you lived in South Africa during the end of apartheid and the whole truth and reconciliation thing," Luke prompted her, deciding to change the subject.

"We did," she confirmed.

"You ever get to meet Mandela?" he asked.

fEmily looked down at the phone in her hands. It was 6:15. Richard had said he'd be home an hour ago. In fact, she had specifically asked him if he would be home and he had promised he'd be there. They were supposed to have dinner with friends from the DAR. It would be the first time in weeks that they'd gone out to an event as a couple. How many times had he said that he just wanted to spend time with her? So, she had promised to be home no matter what. And now here she was; but where is he? Nowhere. And of course he wasn't answering his cell phone. She had been trying it for the past half hour. She was already dressed in her black pantsuit, her heels clicking on the floor as she paced around the foyer.f

She had told the Sudburys they would arrived around seven. It wasn't a formal dinner by any means. In fact, she had only planned to make Richard stay for an hour or so, making a polite appearance. After that, she had even had the idea of perhaps watching a movie after dinner. TCM was playing a marathon of classic 1940s detective movies and she knew how he loved the filmmaking of that area. However, as annoyed as she had become by his inexplicable absence – a movie night no longer felt like an appealing idea.

Now she was annoyed. Trying his cell phone once again, it went straight to voicemail. Hanging up in a huff, Emily dialed the number to Richard's office. However, the call only made her angrier. He had left more than an hour ago, according to his secretary. Debating the idea in her mind, she wondered if he was doing this on purpose. Was he deliberately making her wait on him? Would he behave that childishly, she wondered, fingering the pearl necklace that lay against her neck.

Striding into the living room, she looked at the clock across the room. It was now two minutes later than the last time she had tried to call him.

As Richard approached the front porch of Lorelai's house, he could hear raucous laughter coming from inside. Raising his hand to knock, the laughing got louder as he heard his daughter making her way to the door.

"Dad!" she exclaimed, surprised to see him.

"Hello, Lorelai," he greeted her. "I would ask if your aunt arrived safely but I can already gather an answer from the sound of her laughter the background."

"Hello, Richard," Hope called out, the sound of her voice immediately bringing a smile to his face.

Stepping into the living room, his smile grew wider at the sight of his sister-in-law. She was an exact replica of his wife in nearly all respects. However, she was much more casual and laidback. And she was a good few inches shorter. However, the mysterious sparkle in her eyes was a sight that he'd grown all too familiar with over the past forty years.

"Are you going to hug me or do I have to borrow a chair from Lorelai and come up to your level?" she teased as Richard crossed over to her and greeted her warmly. "I always feel so short around the three of you," she lamented.

"You look amazing," Richard complimented her, kissing her cheek before pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Hope was just telling me about the time when you guys got arrested at a nudist beach in Mazatlan," Lorelai explained.

"Oh, Hope, you are going to give this girl the wrong impression of her mother and I," Richard warned, his arm draped across her shoulders.

"And what would that impression be, Dad?" Lorelai grinned. "That you and Mom like to walk around without your clothes on while in foreign countries?"

"We were clothed the entire time," Richard defended himself with a chuckle as he looked down at Hope. "And we did not get arrested. They just held us for questioning," he clarified.

Hope smiled in reply. "I'm not telling her anything that isn't true," she defended right back.

"I've yet to hear how you guys got out of this one," Lorelai prodded.

"Your mother bribed an official," Richard explained nonchalantly, his arm still around his sister-in-law.

"She what!?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"This was, of course, after Gerard and I had been trying to persuade the man to let us go for half an hour. Your mother pulled some money from inside in her blouse or something and we were all free to go," Hope finished the story with a smile. "No questions asked."

"That is still not as bad as the time we were held at the Ecuadorian border after trying to cross over from Peru," Richard argued.

"I was afraid we'd never get back home. But Emily got us out of that one, too," Hope reminded him.

"I didn't even know she knew Spanish," Richard remembered. "And how she knew the Ambassador is beyond me."

"She apparently dated his son in college before you two met," Hope informed him." My sister is always full of surprises."

"I'll say," Richard agreed with a laugh.

"Ecuadorian border? Ambassador?" Lorelai interjected, looking between them for further elaboration on the stories.

"It's a long story," Richard explained, still chuckling.

"I've got time," Lorelai argued, not wanting to be left out.

At that moment, Richard's cell phone began to ring. Pulling it from his pocket, he looked down at the number. "It's Emily," he explained. Walking into the kitchen and away from the girls, he pressed the button to accept the call. "Hello, Dear."

"It is six thirty, Richard. I have been calling your cell phone for half an hour. I called the office. They said you left over an hour ago. Where are you?" she demanded.

"I've had a lovely day, thank you for asking," he deadpanned.

"Richard," she sighed, annoyed by his tone of voice.

"I had a few errands to run. I'll be home soon," he explained.

"Where are you?" she asked again.

"I'll be home soon," he insisted. At that moment, a loud noise came from the other room and the sound of Lorelai and Hope's laughter could be heard even by Emily.

"What was that?" Emily asked.

"Nothing," he fumbled, trying to move further into the kitchen and away from the living room.

"It most certainly didn't sound like nothing," Emily persisted.

"It was just the radio," he fibbed, trying to cover his tracks.

"You're in the car?" she asked.

"Year, Dear. I told you that I'm on my way home."

"You did not say that," she clarified.

"Well, I'm saying it now." It was getting harder to evade her.

"Good. When will you be here?" Emily asked.

"I don't know the exact time, Emily. If you'd like, I could call you at ten minute intervals and let you know my exact locations. Or perhaps you could find a way to log into the GPS system on my car and just track me the whole way home."

"Don't be ridiculous," she huffed.

"I will be home soon, Emily," he repeated.

"Well, don't waste any more time. We have that dinner with the Sudburys tonight," she reminded him.

"I thought it was cancelled," he argued.

Emily sighed. "I told you last night, Richard. The Robisons cancelled; we still have plans with the Sudburys."

"I'll be home as soon as I can," he promised.

"Fine. I'll have your suit laid out when you get here."

"Thank you, Dear." Bidding her goodbye, he ended the call and slipped the phone back in his breast pocket as he returned to the living room.

"Sorry about that, Dad," Lorelai laughed, looking over at her aunt who looked just as guilty. "We were trying to see how the couch would look on the other side of the room."

"It wouldn't budge … but we did learn that the coffee table will break if both of us try to sit on it at the same time," Hope piped up as Lorelai giggled.

"Emily is expecting me at the house. I should go," Richard explained. "I'll see you both tomorrow?"

"You bet," Lorelai agreed. "Well, that is unless we decide to blow this town and hitchhike to Canada. Aunt Hope does speak French, after all."

"Tomorrow," Richard stated sternly.

"Yes, Father," Hope uttered, causing Richard to smile.

"I'll show myself out. Just try not to break any more furniture," he suggested, heading for the door.

As soon as it closed, Lorelai and Hope began laughing again. "What do you think of take-out?" Lorelai asked.

"I think it is a wonderful idea …. That is, if you don't want to drive to Madison and take the midnight ferry to Surf Club Beach for one of their famous hotdogs," she grinned. "Then we could go to the Blackhorse Tavern in Old Saybrook. Maybe even get some scallops in Niantic… Though if you want take-out, that's fine too," she smiled with a shrug.

"You know," Lorelai thought for a moment, "I think you may just be the most amazing person I've ever met."

"That means you want to go?" Hope prodded.

"I'll go get my coat!" she declared, rushing upstairs.

"Maybe over dinner I'll tell you the story about your mother breaking into a farm just outside of New Britain and freeing all the animals," she called after Lorelai.

Hanging up the phone, Emily was more annoyed than she had been before. He had been very short with her, refusing to give her any information about his whereabouts or when he would be home. Looking up at the clock, she placed the phone onto the coffee table and marched into the foyer.

She called out for the maid, walking over to the desk next to the staircase.

The young woman came scurrying into the foyer. "Yes, Mrs. Gilmore?" she asked meekly.

"You and the cook may go home,"f she informed her, her back to the maid as she retrieved her purse from the top of the desk and dug through it for her keys. "If you are still here when Mr. Gilmore gets home, you can tell him that I've already left. If not, he'll figure it out on his own."

"Thank you, ma'am," the girl replied before hurrying off.

Throwing her purse over her arm, Emily determinedly headed out to her car. She was in no mood to wait any longer for her husband. He could just meet her there.

Richard followed Emily into the house, watching as she dropped her keys into her purse. She headed straight for the stairs, not bothering to say a word as he closed the door and locked it behind them. She'd been absolutely charming at the Sudburys; he was positive that they hadn't noticed a thing, but he could tell by the way she looked at him whenever he caught her eye that she was still angry.

She was already turning on the landing and about to ascend the second set of stairs when he crossed the foyer. And by the time he made it to their bedroom, she was in the dressing area, hanging her suit jacket on a padded hanger.

He moved his hand to the button of his own jacket, releasing it slowly as he watched Emily's movements. Her back was to him and he watched from the corner of his eye as she removed her blouse. She next slid the high heeled shoes from her feet, leaving them next to the lounge in the middle of the dressing area instead of taking them to their allotted place. Clad in only her bra and skirt, Richard was still observing her as she moved to a drawer and removed an opal-colored set of pajamas before disappearing into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

It only took him a few moments to change from his suit into one of the velour track suits that he had left from his recovery. They were not anything he'd wear outside of the house but they were certainly comfortable enough to wear around before bedtime. Running his hands over the velour, he smiled. They were indeed very comfortable.

At that moment, the bathroom door opened and Emily stepped out, her eyes widening at the sight of him. "Where did you find that?" she asked.

"What?"

"That … that…" Emily motioned towards him with her hand.

"Oh, the tracksuit?" Richard asked, looking down at himself, his hands resting against his stomach.

"I thought we agreed to get rid of them," she cautioned, her skirt in her hands as she walked over to where she had hung up the jacket and reached for a hanfger.

"You tried to donate them but I managed to rescue this one," Richard smilfed.

"Rescue it," Emily huffed. "It's more like you saved some poor bum from being forced to wear the atrocious thing to keep warm."

"It is very comfortable," Richard defended.

"I'm sure," Emily stated, rolling her eyes as she placed the skirt in its assigned spot on the row of clothing.

"Why are you in your pajamas?" Richard asked, taking a step closer to her.

"I'm going to bed," she responded, turning her head to look at him.

"It isn't even ten o'clock yet," Richard argued.

"It's been a long day and I'm tired," she answered simply, walking away and into the bedroom.

"You're always tired," Richard mumbled low enough that she didn't hear him as he followed her, turning out the closet light. "I'll go watch television in the den, then," he suggested. "Or perhaps do a little work in my study. I'm not ready for bed yet."

"Well, when you are, change your clothes first," Emily instructed him, crossing over to her side of the bed and pulling the covers back.

Richard moved a few steps closer to her. "I will, my dear," he smiled, bending down to kiss her as she sat on the bed and pulled her legs up.

"Don't," she insisted, holding her hand out.

"Why not?" Richard asked, confused by her behavior, his hand resting against his stomach as he enjoyed the feel of the velour under his fingertips.

"What did I tell you about wearing velour?" she reminded him.

"Emily," Richard sighed, "you can't be serious."

"I most certainly am," she defended. "If you intend to ever touch me again, then I'd suggest you not be wearing that horrid material." She shifted around, fluffing her pillow a bit before pulling the covers up to her waist. "And constantly rubbing your hands over it does not help," she added.

"It's comfortable," Richard argued.

"Well, it isn't attractive," Emily stated plainly.

"So I'm not allowed to kiss you good night?" he asked.

"Not while wearing velour, no," she confirmed.

Richard huffed, shaking his head and fighting back a chuckle.

"Could you turn off the light on your way out?" she asked.

"Of course," Richard responded, moving to stand in the doorway. "Good night," he spoke as he turned off the overhead light.

Richard opened his eyes, turning his head to look over at his wife. He had to be certain she was sound asleep before he got up. Otherwise, she'd wake up and ruin his plans. Looking over at her, he lifted his head to examine her breathing. She seemed to be asleep. Carefully extricating himself from beneath the blankets and circling the bed, he made his way over to the desk in the corner of the room. He pulled the main drawer open slowly, looking over his shoulder to be certain Emily was still asleep. Retrieving a long black box and a matching smaller one, he pushed the drawer closed and looked towards his wife once again.

Crossing the room to Emily's side of the bed, he opened the longer box and removed the diamond bracelet from inside. Luckily, Emily's hand rested on her pillow, next to her face, her wrist lying limply against the curve of the pillow. Dangling the bracelet over her wrist ever so carefully, he laid it in place and loosely fastened the clasp partially, though he couldn't hook the double clasp completely without waking her up.

Glancing up at the clock, he noted that there were still a few minutes left. Smiling as he looked down at her, he quietly returned to his side of the bed and carefully slipped back under the covers.

Watching as the time passed slowly, he smiled when the display finally showed it was midnight. Shifting his body, he moved closer to his wife and slid his arm around her waist. He drew her to him and she moaned at the feel of his body against hers.

"Happy Birthday," he whispered, his lips brushing over her ear.

The husky tone of his voice awakened her body and she finally opened her eyes, leaning back into him. "What time is it?" she asked, wondering if it could be morning already.

"About one minute past midnight," he answered.

Emily moaned, feeling Richard's arms around her body. Placing her hands over his, she didn't seem to notice the extra weight on her right wrist. "You woke me up at midnight to wish me a happy birthday?" she asked.

"You don't seem very impressed," he teased her.

"Oh, I am, I am," she replied, still trying to wake up. "You've just never done that before."

"I could make it a new tradition," Richard suggested, kissing her neck as she relaxed against him.

Brushing her hair from her eyes, she caught the sight of something sparkling in the light as she lifted her hand. "What … Richard," she whispered, finally noticing the bracelet that adorned her arm. Removing herself from his embrace and sitting up, she examined the piece of jewelry. "It's gorgeous," she spoke, holding up her arm to look at the bracelet elegantly reflecting the moonlight that crept in from the window.

Richard kissed her shoulder as he sat next to her, watching her delighted expression. "Happy Birthday, Emily."

Turning her head to look at him, she leaned closer into him and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "Thank you," she smiled. "It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it," he beamed, wondering how he could have at one point been so angry with her that he'd considered cancelling the party and returning her gift. Sitting here in the darkened room with only the moonlight and the two of them, it all seemed so simple. It didn't feel as complicated as it had earlier. This was his turn. His turn to be the one to stand behind her. She was right about all the things she'd said, about the years she'd spent doing everything he wanted her to do. Her work, the Inn, it was all important to her. How could he not have seen how simple it really was? All she wanted was to be part of Lorelai's life. That was it. And yet he'd done nothing but give her a hard time for not being there for him twenty-four hours a day, as he had previously been accustomed.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked, a bit uncomfortable with his behavior.

"You're beautiful, do you know that?" he stated, reaching his hand out to brush his thumb over her cheek before resting his hand behind her neck.

"Oh, please," she sighed, looking away from him.

"I'm serious," he asserted, his hand moving to cup her face.

"You know, sometimes I actually believe the things you say," she laughed.

"Well, believe me when I say that you are the most stunning woman I've ever met." He learned forward slightly, his lips brushing over hers. "The most amazing woman," he added, moving to kiss the side of her mouth. "Someone who can still excite me more and more every day, even after so many years have passed." Emily's eyes slid shut as his kisses moved to her neck, her head falling back as he filled her senses.

Gently laying her on her back, she opened her eyes as Richard's hand expertly slid down the buttons of her pajama top. "You know, I have one more surprise," he informed her, reaching the final button and sliding his fingers across her exposed flesh.

"And what exactly would this surprise entail?" she choked out, her arms circling around him as he shifted his body to lie atop of her.

"You'll just have to wait and find out," he teased, eliciting a throaty moan as his hands brushed over her skin.

Notes: Thank you very much to everyone who has left comments and reviews since our last update: Ann Y. Mous, LorLukeAlways, DiehardJavaJunkie14, RiskaSG, lilienprinzessin, Aleta II Anon, ejl1, and lazyBranda.