Presenting … Lucas Danes?
By GilmoreGirl1979 (the Reigning Quote Queen)
Provider of Quality FAN FICTION
Rating: let's say PG-13 with an ish?
R/R: yes please I love reviews; I wanna marry them (as previously stated, I have strange passions.)
Friendly disclaimer: I REJECT ASP's REALITY and SUBSTITUE MY OWN! NO HARM, NO SUE! Sneaky Luke and Sneaky Lorelai with creeping music by Sam Philips sold separately.
LUVZ: I miss you!
FEATURED BETA: Localizy, Wonder Twin Powers Activate!
A/N: Dialouge borrowed from 2.13 - A-Tisket, A-Tasket /written by Amy Sherman-Palladino /directed by Robert Berlinger
777777777777777777777777777777777777777
Chapter 26:
Luke Picked My Botulism Basket
Lorelai and Luke were walking down the Hartford sidewalk and Luke could tell that she was preoccupied, "Stop thinking about it."
"I can't help it. I know how many functions my mother and the DAR have. She's just trying to wedge in, to force her way into my Stars Hollow world."
"Lorelai, that's not what tonight is supposed to be about," Luke warned.
"What is it supposed to be about?" Lorelai found his choice of words a little odd.
"You forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"What's today's date?" Luke asked.
"Umm the 13th?"
"February 13th,"Luke corrected.
"February…13th?" Lorelai said confused.
"And since someone has business class tomorrow…" Luke held both of her hands.
"…We were having our Valentine's Day date today…" she finished. "Oh I completely forgot…"
"Yeah well, you've been preoccupied, what with the house falling down around you and your mother…"
"I'm so sorry…" Suddenly, it all made sense, Luke showing up on time in a suit with flowers, the fancy pants restaurant he had taken her to. "This isn't a patent Luke Danes date," she observed how special he was trying to make the evening.
"Yeah, well, you like holidays."
On the ride home, Lorelai observed, "I can't belive we've been under wraps all these months," then she saw that Luke hadn't driven her home at the end of the night, he took her to the Inn, "Luke?"
He only smiled.
"Is there a room 7 waiting for me?"
"Mmm hmm, cause you bother me…a lot!" Luke said sarcastically, reaching for her across the seat.
"Come here, Valentine."
777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
Suddenly, spring had sprung in Stars Hollow. The frost was gone, but Lorelai and Rory were at the diner, still enjoying a hot cup of coffee at the counter, when Taylor came bustling into the diner to talk to Luke, "Luke…oh Luke, may I have a word…"
Lorelai instantly nudged her daughter, "Luke vs. Taylor, six 'o' clock!"
"That's nine 'o' clock," Rory corrected.
"Whatever, shhh!" Lorelai hushed.
Luke automatically muttered, "No, and whatever you want Taylor, the answer is no."
"Luke, it will only take a minute," Taylor eased.
Luke then growled, "Taylor, my day today has been nothing but lousy tippers and sobbing infants… I'm in no fit state to put up with you today!" Lorelai immediately reached into her purse and left a fiver on the counter for the man she had been sleeping with, then looked at the ceiling to find her halo, so no one would suspect her of eavesdropping.
"If you could just hang up one or two of these flyers, it would really help me out," Taylor pleaded.
"And why would I want to do that?" Luke barked in all seriousness.
"Luke, this is to raise money for the town historical society."
Luke ranted, "Hey here's a suggestion, if you stop putting up all those stupid signs all over town about where pointless, meaningless moments of history happened, you wouldn't have to keep raising money all the time!"
Rory whispered to her mother, "I hate to admit it, but he's right, do we really need to commemorate where George Washington blew his nose?"
"Shh!" Lorelai reprimanded again.
Taylor still tried to coax Luke, "This is for your town, for your father's town, a revolutionary war re-enactor himself."
"Taylor, if you ever mention my father to me again you better get out of arm swinging length."
"Luke, this is a charity auction…"
Luke shot back, "And yet my answer is still no."
"Luke, why do you refuse to participate in town events?"
"Alright, Taylor," Luke reasoned, "Give me one."
"Really?"
"Aw yeah, I know exactly what to do with it," Luke assured.
Taylor slid one of the flyers across the counter, "Where are you gonna put it?" Since the meticulous Taylor had to have final approval on everything.
Luke looked at the flyer for a moment, crumbled it up right in Taylor's face, and let if fall to the counter in a lump. "There I have a flyer in my diner, happy," he pointed to the ruined paper.
"You are impossible," and Taylor walked out of the diner in a huff.
Luke waved him off and went to the kitchen to cook.
Ever so subtly, Lorelai moved her hand slowly across the counter, closer to the crumpled flyer, discreetly wrapped her fingers around the mushed paper, and brought it back to her person in her fist. Lorelai opened it up again, and smoothed out the paper on the countertop, ever vigilant that Luke wouldn't see her. She wanted to see what the fuss was all about. "Oh my God… Oh My God!"
Rory was so startled she nearly spewed/spit out her coffee, "What? What?"
"This is too perfect," and Lorelai showed her daughter the wrinkled flyer.
"The bid a basket auction? So?"
"So," Lorelai said obviously, "This is how Luke and I can come out," tapping the flyer excitedly.
"What?"
"Luke could bid on my basket where all the town could see. And we go off together for a picnic and come back a couple; it's fool proof."
Rory countered, "One hitch though."
"What?" almost challenging her daughter to find a flaw.
"Convincing Luke to participate," Rory said flatly.
"Oh that," Lorelai's smile diminished for only a moment, "Well, when he's told of the whole plan, I'm sure he'll agree."
77777777777777777777777777777777777777
"You want me to what?" Luke shouted, in Lorelai's kitchen.
"Just bid on my basket," Lorelai shrugged.
"No, Lorelai, there has to be another way…"
"Luke, please, the whole town will see."
"Exactly, the whole town will see," he repeated, going back to the leaking sink faucet with his wrench.
"Luke, you and Rory have been championing our grand reveal for months and now that I'm ready you're like 'Nah, let's keep it quiet'."
"Lorelai…"
"Luke, I know you are tired of sneaking around and if we get it out there then all our friends can be happy for us. We can go on real dates. You can pick me up at the house and leave 'Bert' at home like a normal couple. I mean, in retrospective; it was stupid and ridiculous to hide it, I admit it. And now here we are all these months later…and miraculously in this gossip burg, we are still under wraps, who knew they don't pay attention to what is right under their noses? Rory thought it was ridiculous to hide it, you thought it was ridiculous to hide it, and now I finally see just how ridiculous it's been to hide it all these months! Luke, you're not married, this isn't an affair! We have no reason to hide it!"
"Lorelai, you're the one that said you wanted to keep it between us, so the town and gossips wouldn't stick their noses where they don't belong and we could be together…"
Lorelai kept pleading, "And how hard is it for us to find time together now? We have two teens we are responsible for, two businesses we have to run and we barely find time together anymore. Luke, you're right, I want it out there. Okay? I want Miss Patty and Babette debating our favorite place to have sex. I want Taylor to ask me what it is that I see in you. I want Rory to be able to help fend off some of the rumors that will no doubt float around about us."
"Lorelai, please… just find another way, any other way," Luke begged.
"No, this is what I want. It's this weekend and it's perfect!"
"I'm not doing it!" Luke said firmly. "Find another way!"
7777777777777777777777777777777777
As the basket auction approached, Lorelai became even higher strung and unnerved, especially with the recent package she received at the Inn. Lorelai burst into the dinner, "Luke! Upstairs now, please…"
"Lorelai, I'm working," he said looking back down at his order pad to write what the 90 year old man at the table just ordered.
"No, I said please, you have to come now," surprised that he had never heard that rule before.
"Lorelai…" Luke looked at her like she was from Mars, but she cut him off.
"Caesar!" Lorelai called. When Caesar came out of the kitchen, without a word Lorelai took the pencil and pad out of Luke's hands and handed them over to Caesar for him to take the order of the ancient customer, then Lorelai turned Luke at his shoulders and spun him around to go upstairs, "Now, please…move, move, move!"
After she shoved him behind the curtain and up the stairs to his apartment, Luke turned back to her, "What the hell?"
"Are you happy now?" Lorelai asked.
"About what?" as usual Luke was already lost in the conversation.
"Miss Patty is pimping me out!" Lorelai shouted.
"What?"
"Miss Patty is showing my picture to single men! I don't even know how she got a picture of me, but she's showing it to strange men! We have to come out soon or I'm gonna have to go on a first date to a dungeons and dragons meeting," Lorelai finished exasperated.
Luke was still playing catch up, "Slow down, what now?"
Lorelai let out a growl of frustration and started from the beginning, "The other day when I was picking out my basket for the auction that you refuse to participate in," she reminded Luke harshly, "I found that Patty has single handedly taken it upon her-self to find me a man! She's been showing men she meets my picture, a picture which I promptly confiscated."
"Lorelai, you're hysterical, she's been doing that for years."
"Oh yeah? Are these just as hysterical?" and Lorelai opened her messenger bag and pulled out the offense package, and handed him the large envelope that she had just received at the Inn. "Laugh these off!"
"What's this?"
"Some of my prospects," Lorelai said sourly sweet. "I think my current favorite is the guy who admits to seeing Ghostbusters 124 times, can you say score!" and Lorelai crossed her arms waiting for his jealous reaction.
"What?"
"She's sending me profiles of the guys," Lorelai explained, unable to believe that Luke hadn't seen the seriousness of the situation yet. "This has got to stop! You have got to come out to the auction and claim me in front of the entire town. Please, Luke, save me from the men who have run with the bulls in Spain!" she groaned.
"Claim you? Lorelai, you are overreacting …"
"Overreacting? If anything, you are underreacting… I mean I'm yours buddy, like it or not and I don't want to be the prize cow at the county fair!"
"Lorelai…"
"Luke, your girlfriend is being sent profiles and head shots of strange men… aren't you jealous? Don't you want to beat them up, then beat your chest and say 'ugh, ugh, she's mine!' then drag me away by my hair?"
"Lorelai, I know you are mine; I just don't want the… humiliation of it all. I mean in front of everyone like that at an auction? I have never in my life taken part in one of these crazy group flip outs. I'm not about to start now."
"Luke! How else are they gonna find out!"
"This is twice I've said no… please, just find another way to tell the town about us."
7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
Lorelai shuffled down the sidewalk to the auction with Rory, clearly depressed. They had just seen Lane who had reason to be happy about the auction as she relayed her brilliant plan to rendezvous with Henry, the boy from the Madeline's party. The perfect Korean boy Lane's parents would love if only she'd let them meet him, but if she let them meet him, they would love him and then life would end as they knew it. Lorelai recalled those days of lying to her mother for a boy, but was more downhearted of the recent months of lying to her friends and neighbors about Luke.
Rory tried to perk up her mother, "You know what's wonderful about this festival?"
"Cleaning out the fridge," Lorelai said glumly.
"Mom! You totally ruined my set up."
"Sorry," Lorelai said with a sigh. "I really thought he'd come around…with my world famous powers of persuasion," she said rhetorically, still unable to believe it.
"I know, I hate to say I told you so, but," Rory joined her mother's sigh, "Luke just isn't a bid a basket guy…"
"He's not a town event guy," Lorelai scoffed. "How are we supposed to come out to the town at a town event for the town to see if he doesn't attend the town events!"
Rory shook her head, "I still say you should just walk in the diner, kiss him, and get it over with."
"You know what, I'm about a week away from doing that!" Lorelai swore as they crossed the street to the festivities.
7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
The auction was underway at the Gazebo in the square and Lorelai and Rory exchanged knowing glances as Lane positively beamed as her cousin, David, the decoy to satisfy her mother, won Lane's basket and they were off to institute phase two of her plan to met up with Henry. Lorelai was so envious, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad, maybe the Collins kid will bid on my disgusting basket of botulism and I'll get my rain gutters taken care of. Though Lorelai would much prefer if Luke would do it for free, then I could admire that fantastic butt of his… Luke on a ladder, in those tight jeans, sigh.
"Mom," Rory nudged Lorelai, "your basket is up."
"What? Oh?" and she sunk again. I suppose I should pay attention.
Of course, Taylor was the auctioneer, "Next up, why, that looks like a Doose's market basket. Nice, huh?"
Lorelai wondered if she could get away with not stepping forward when her basket was won, then again she figured they could identify her as the basket maker simply by the contents. Two stale Pop Tarts and a Slim Jim, anyone?
Taylor was being generous setting the bar high for the trash day lunch, "I'd like to start the bidding at five dollars."
A guy instantly pounced on the opportunity, "I bid five dollars."
Lorelai was surprised. "Whoa, that was quick," she gave Rory a side ways glance.
"Yeah?" Rory agreed.
Then a different guy barked up, "Ten dollars."
And yet a third guy joined the fray, "Fifteen dollars."
Lorelai suddenly became alarmed, "He looks familiar."
"Twenty dollars," Guy number one bid again.
"Twenty dollars," Taylor confirmed.
"So does he," Lorelai's brow furrowed.
"Twenty-five," the second guy bid again.
It didn't help that Taylor was encouraging their behavior, "This is going very well gentlemen, keep it up."
"Oh no. No, no, no, no," Lorelai handed her take out cup of coffee to Rory, who was already holding her own, and Lorelai marched over to over to Miss Patty. "Those are the guys, aren't they?"
"Excuse me?" Miss Patty asked as if she hadn't heard Lorelai.
"The guys whose pictures you sent me - you brought them here! You're setting me up! Against my will, you are setting me up!"
"Well darling, you can't be trusted to do it yourself."
Lorelai shook her head horrified, "Oh jeez, oh jeez! My head is spinning," pressing her fingers to her temples to make the gazebo stop swaying, this can't be happening.
"Thirty-five," guy number two bid again.
Patty informed Lorelai, "That one's a snorkler."
"Ugh! Patty!"
While her mother argued with Patty to put a stop to her plan, Rory, the two fisted coffee drinker, handed the two take out cups to a complete stranger. "Excuse me, hold these, thanks" and made her way through the crowd towards the Diner.
Rory rushed in the diner's door with a hard jingle of the bells above her head, "Luke!"
Luke came out of the kitchen with a plate in each hand, "Rory? Jeez, what's wrong?"
"Luke, you have to come quick!" Rory was tugging on his arm, "Miss Patty has put Mom on the Dating Game!"
"What?"
"Caesar, you're in charge," Rory cried as she took the plates out of Luke's hands and Luke, yet again, saw the family resemblance between Rory and Lorelai. Rory urged him towards the door, "We have to hurry when I left they were up to thirty five dollars."
"For what?"
"Mom's basket!"
"What?"
"The auction, Luke! We don't have time for questions. Patty gave mom's picture out to all these guys and they are all out there, right now, bidding like mad on mom's basket for a date!"
Other men were vying for the affections of Lorelai, Luke's girlfriend. Its not that Luke was surprised, Lorelai was a very attractive woman, but Luke didn't know what came over him, he went out the diner's door in a trance with Rory. Then in the square he saw them, Lorelai arguing and gesticulating wildly at Patty to stop her plan, three no names in a bidding war for his girlfriend's inedible basket. Lorelai hadn't been overreacting, Patty was really setting Lorelai up on a blind date, and that thought lit a fire in Luke's stomach. Luke felt a shove on his shoulder and he turned to Rory next to him, "Go on, get your girl!" she said.
Luke was still looking at Rory when he heard his own voice say, "Forty-five."
Taylor and some of the crowd turned to see who the new contender was and all were surprised that it was Luke Danes, no one more so that Lorelai, who went from despondent to utter happiness at the sight of Luke in the square, saving his secret girlfriend. Lorelai now wore an immeasurable smile and gave up arguing with Patty. A surprised Taylor acknowledged the bid, "Umm, a new contender, Luke Danes, with a bid of forty-five."
"Forty-six," the snorkler bid.
The third guy, "Forty-six fifty," bid as Luke pulled out his wallet.
"Forty-seven," the first guy submitted, as Luke counted all the cash he had on him.
I can't believe I'm doing this, "Uh, fifty-two seventy-five."
"What? We're just supposed to go to fifty," the first guy argued.
"Fifty-two seventy-five going once!" Lorelai cried frantically.
"Hey, hey, that's my job!" Taylor took offense, "fifty-two seventy-five going once, fifty-two seventy-five going twice . . ."
"Oh, please God," Lorelai wished with a wince of anticipation for the gavel.
"Sold to Luke Danes for fifty-two seventy-five," and Lorelai's basket was off the block. Taylor commended, "Ladies and Gentleman, we have a new all-time auction record."
Rory commented beside Luke, "God, how badly does Taylor want to be hosting a game show?"
Lorelai sighed, relieved, and she walked straight over to Luke and couldn't stop herself when she threw her arms around him and hugged him a little longer than the townies expected her too. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear.
"Someone call for a caveman?" Luke asked with a chuckle accepting the hug, "Ugh ugh."
"Ugh, Ugh, me, yours," Lorelai giggled, then she realized they were still in front of the town, so she released Luke and stepped a safe distance away from him, a friendly distance. She walked up with him to collect her basket, trying not to feel the eyes of the crowd on them. Soon enough, there was another basket bidding war to distract the crowd while Luke, Lorelai and Rory hung near the edge of the square.
Rory encouraged, "What are you two waiting for? Go now while no one is looking."
"Rory, your basket hasn't gone up yet," Lorelai argued.
"Forget it, we know Dean's going to get mine, not that exciting when you know the outcome, now go!"
"Okay, my good sir!" Lorelai turned to Luke, "Gah! I cannot subject you to what's in that basket," promptly taking the basket out of his hands like it was nuclear waste.
"Well, we can go to the diner? I'll make us some burgers… to go," Luke smiled.
Lorelai bit her lip, "Okay," she agreed, recognizing the glint in his eye and the grin on his face. Luke wanted them to be alone-alone.
"Okay, go then… please." Rory felt uncomfortable being the only witness to the volumes their locked eyes were saying, and turned back to the auction and her boyfriend who had 3 more baskets till he could bid on hers.
"All right, let's go," Luke nodded toward the diner, shoving his hands in his pockets, looking back at the crowd to see if anyone noticed they were leaving together for their picnic early. Lorelai looked back to the crowd as well, swinging her basket of botulism as she headed toward the diner with her date, Luke.
"Have a seat, it'll just be a minute," Luke disappeared into the kitchen to make their lunch.
Lorelai sat at the counter, happy to have an out in the open date with her boyfriend, and her plan playing out beautifully, as originally intended. She was humming and smiling at everyone in the diner and began to think of where they could take their picnic on such a lovely day. A spot to be truly alone, away from prying eyes and undisturbed by the town who were no doubt already speculating and debating the new development. Casually looking around the diner, thinking of all the times she spent with Luke there, and then one instance popped in her head, one person who was no longer in town inspired the perfect locale for their date. Lorelai made sure none of Luke's patrons saw her vanish behind the curtain that led to Luke's apartment. Up the stairs, she tried the door to find that Jess wasn't home, so she had free reign and found her desired items with a wicked smile and then returned downstairs.
"What were you doing up there?" Luke asked, catching her coming back down the stairs.
Lorelai held up the blankets in her arms, "Blankets…for picnicking?"
"What?"
"Well, we need to cover the ground we are eating off of," but Lorelai had another activity in mind.
"I'm not eating off the ground…" Luke argued.
"Hence the blankets! Get the food, let's go."
"Where?"
"You'll see," she grinned, "Oh, we'll need your truck and a discreet exit."
"Back door," Luke gestured as he grabbed their take out food.
"Back door," Lorelai repeated with a nod.
7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
After a 10-minute drive from the diner, Lorelai told Luke to pull over. After a few minutes of walking away from the old mill, trusting Lorelai to lead the way through the woods, Luke had to ask, "Do you even know where you're going?"
"Of course, and… here we are."
Luke took in the crumbling building, "Where are we?"
"It's the old Dragonfly Inn…"It's the Rachel property, but Lorelai didn't say that out loud, she was already uncomfortable that she was thinking about Rachel, she didn't want Luke thinking about her, not now, minutes before their naked alone time. Lorelai spread one of the blankets on the ground.
"What are you doing?" Luke stupidly asked.
"We're supposed to be eating on the ground."
"Says who?" Luke challenged.
"Every picture you've ever seen of a picnic shows people eating on the ground," Lorelai shot back.
"Yes, and every time I have seen a picture of people eating on the ground I've thought, 'what the hell are you people doing sitting on the ground? Spring for some beach chairs, you cheapskates'." Begrudgingly, Luke settled on the blanket with Lorelai and began to unpack their lunch, when Lorelai touched his arm to stop him. When Luke looked over at her, Lorelai was already lying down on the blanket.
"I'm not hungry," was all she said, looking up at him with a dreamy gaze.
"Lorelai, we're in the woods," Luke said, shocked that she was even thinking this.
"I know," she smiled, and sat up to kiss him to coax him to lay down with her, "all alone," and took off his ball cap. Lorelai managed to get Luke to lay down with her as they kissed. Luke couldn't help but overanalyze the situation.
"What if we were followed?"
"We weren't followed, now come here," pulling him close again.
"Lorelai, what if someone finds us?"
"Luke, this is way far out of town, everyone is at the auction… this is a nice secluded place…"
"Still there are bugs…and…plants…and we're outside…"
"Luke…we don't have to do anything," Lorelai said innocently, "we could … just kiss for awhile."
It still sounded like a trick to Luke, "Just kiss?"
"Yeah, we'll see how that goes for now…"
Luke relaxed a bit, We're alone, and she just wants to kiss for now… okay.
777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
The sunshine was warm on their bodies and Luke soon discovered the reason for the second blanket Lorelai had brought. He should have known that Lorelai wouldn't be satisfied with just kissing. Luke couldn't believe she had convinced him to have sex outside; he had resisted her powers of persuasion all week from participating in the auction. Now at the end he broke down, ended up jealous, and they had made love outdoors. There was no telling what Luke wouldn't do for Lorelai, if she'd just flip her hair and ask him.
"Luke?"
"Hmm?" his hand was still grazing her back.
"If a woman has an orgasm in the woods, and no one is there to hear…."
"Shut up!" but Luke had to chuckle.
After a few more a quiet moments, "So this is nice, huh? Come on, admit it," she whispered, as she played with his hand.
Luke took a deep, contented breath in, looking at the sunlight filter through the trees, on a beautiful spring day in the woods, with a beautiful naked Lorelai beside him, "Yeah, it's nice."
"You know, I think sex is actually better outside," Lorelai mused.
"Really?"
"Oh, yeah?" she sensually confirmed.
"Good. next time your roof is leaking, we'll just rip the stupid thing off."
Lorelai giggled, into his chest, "Quite a show for the airplane pilots, I'm sure."
"I'm sure," Luke agreed, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.
"Luke," Lorelai wanted to thank him sincerely. "I'm really glad you came out to bid on my basket. I'd hate to be doing this with anyone else," she teased, as she kissed his chest again. Lorelai traced circles around his pecs and propped her head on her hand, as she looked at the maimed inn again. "Well, this is it."
"This is what?" Luke asked, running his fingers through her hair again.
"My Dream. The inn I'm going to open. Actually," Lorelai hesitated, "this is the place that Rachel showed me." She felt weird mentioning Luke's ex again, when they were naked, having just made love in the field near the Dragonfly.
"Rachel?"
"Yeah, remember the Rachel property. It was that day you freaked out that we were hanging out…"
"I did not freak out," Luke defended.
"You did to. Wow, was that last year?" Lorelai could almost see the exact spots where she and Rachel were standing as she revealed the Inn Plan to Rachel. Their picnic now was mere feet from where she, Sookie, and Rory had camped out to dream and speculate the future of the dilapidated Inn.
"9 months? Give or take," Luke added.
"Huh? It's funny how things have change," Lorelai let her hand droop to his stomach and caressed his abs, thinking of all that happened to them in the year. How Rachel claimed she wanted to be with Luke, how Lorelai almost married Max, how the two friends were now lovers less than six months later.
"Any new names in mind for the inn?" Luke asked.
"I don't know, I like the name Dragonfly. I mean we don't have to change the name… it could just be under new management." Lorelai smiled and looked down at him and met his loving gaze, "Luke?"
"Yeah?"
Lorelai wore a coy smile as she whispered, "Will you be there?"
"Where?" he rubbed her back again.
"When I open this inn? Will you be there?"
"If you want me to be," Luke felt this was an intimate conversation, with some serious subtext. Promising to be there years down the line, whenever Lorelai was ready to breakaway and go for her own inn.
"I do," she leaned in closer. "You can help me christen all the rooms." Their affection started up again, caressing and kissing, under their blanket, in the middle of the woods.
"Hmm, Lorelai," Luke tried to speak through the affection, "Lorelai, we should head back."
"Hmm no, I like it here."
"Lorelai, the sun is gonna set?"
"Then we can do it under cover of darkness," she nuzzled his neck with her nose.
"We'll return to town under cover of darkness, then what will the town say."
"Luke, I don't care what the town says. We're together, let them figure it out. You won me fair and square."
"No, I won your basket."
"That's not all you've won, mister."
"Lorelai, come on, I have to take you home. We need them to see us together a few more times, then, if they aren't all Kirk, they will figure it out."
Lorelai sighed, "Alright… if you insist."
777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
Upon their return to town, no one seemed to notice how long Luke and Lorelai were gone because the town was buzzing with the latest scoop; Sookie and Jackson were engaged.
When Lorelai and Luke first met Sookie on the street, they didn't understand her story. She was excited and squealing, making incomprehensible noises, where only tidbits escaped, phrases like Kirk, goat cheese, and 3 forms of I.D. Finally, Sookie was able to point her barren engagement finger and started squealing. Lorelai, after a beat, started squealing and jumping up and down in the street with Sookie finally understanding what her friend had been driving at.
Lorelai felt absolutely exhilarated by their picnic outing and Sookie's news, beamed all the way home. Swinging from her hand was the empty basket of botulism, the lunch long discard, a decorated keep-sake from the outing. Lorelai was not surprised to find that Rory had beaten her home. "Hello!" Lorelai sang as she walked through the front door.
"Where've you been?" Rory smiled with innuendo.
"No where," Lorelai giggled.
Rory looked her up and down, "Have fun?"
"Yes," Lorelai let out in a satisfied sigh.
Rory took the book she got for her mother out of the shopping bag on the coffee table, "I wandered around the bookstore for a little while, here."
"What's this?" Lorelai took the book.
"You said you wanted to read the Children's Hour," then Rory noticed something in her mother's hair, and returned, "What's this?" pulling out an unrecognizable leaf from Lorelai's hair. "I've never seen this kind of leaf before? Is it from around town?"
Lorelai only giggled again.
"Do I want to know?" Rory twirled the leaf in her fingers.
"Probably not."
Rory instantly dropped the leave and let it fall to the floor, "And we're done." Rory grinned slightly at her mother and went to her room.
Lorelai picked up the leaf and added it to her keepsake basket, then followed Rory into her room, "So how was your picnic? Were you kind enough to take Dean to get his stomach pumped."
It was then Rory began to look a little shifty, "Oh um, actually, Dean, didn't win my basket."
"What?" Lorelai said naturally surprised.
"Well, umm, it's an auction and as the rules state the highest bidder gets the spoils."
"Or the stomach ache in this instance," Lorelai joked, "Well, who?"
"Um, Jess."
"Jess?"
"Yeah."
"Luke's nephew Jess?"
"That's the one," Rory confirmed.
"I'm sorry, I'm missing something. How could Jess out bid Dean?"
"Well, he had more money," Rory reasoned simply.
"Oh yeah?" Lorelai asked crossing her arms, "How much more?"
"We set a new auction record…again," Rory winced hoping her mother wouldn't be too mad that her claim to fame was already shattered.
"How much more?" Lorelai repeated.
"Umm well, ninety?" Rory said embarrassed that the two boys were bidding so pigheadedly for her stupid basket.
"Ninety? Ninety dollars?" Lorelai was astonished, "For two week old potato salad?"
"It's not a big deal."
"Well, how did Dean take it?"
Again, Rory couldn't meet her mother's gaze.
"Rory?"
"We had a fight. He's coming over later and we're gonna smooth things over, hopefully."
"Aw, yeah, well, smoothing's good. I love the smoothing. So you fought about…?"
"About me going on the picnic with Jess…"
"You went?"
"Of course I went, it's tradition!" Rory defended, just as she had with Dean. "Remember, that year Bootsy won your basket, you didn't want to go but you did, because that was the rule…"
Of all the times to follow my example! "Rory, you have a boyfriend! He's…sensitive. You think he liked seeing you go off with another boy…"
"Well, unlike you, I didn't have planted men to help my boyfriend to bid…"
"Hey, hey, hey, I didn't not ask Patty to do that, I was going for the Collins kid for our rain gutters."
"Look, it just happened, am I a fan of unpredictability? No. Dean's coming over and we'll fix it. I had fun with Jess we're fine, everything's fine."
"You had fun?"
"Yeah, fun," Rory nodded.
"What kind of fun?" Lorelai crossed her arms.
"Well, we went for pizza since my basket was inedible, talked, and then we went for books…"
Lorelai could see the old pattern, the love triangle already forming in the younger generation, and the look she gave her daughter showed it.
"Mom, Jess is my friend…"
"Well why? I mean, I'm just surprised that you're hanging out with him, that's all."
"Why should you be surprised? I mean, he's your boyfriend's nephew, we are of the same age, we have similar interests…"
That's what worries me… "I don't know. He doesn't seem like the nicest kid. I mean Liz, his own mother, gave up on him and sent him here for Luke, of all people, to straighten him out…"
"Well, you don't know him," Rory shrugged.
"And you do?" Lorelai challenged.
"I've hung out with him enough to know…"
"How much?"
"Mom, he has a really good side to him," Rory assured. "You're just judging him by that one time that he came over here."
"Which, by the way, was not a rousing success on impressing people with his good nature and manners. I mean sneaking a beer? Trying to get you to bail on us boring adults…and the pranks, the vandalism, the stealing, the cutting school…"
"All those things have stopped. At that dinner, he had just moved here. He was mad at his mom. Trust me, he's got a really good side to him. You'll see it eventually." Especially if you are …Aunt Lorelai…and then Rory seemed to realize that union would make her and Jess cousins and inwardly shuddered.
"Well, good… I can't wait," Lorelai said glumly and went into the living room to put her keepsake basket with the snow globe on the mantel. Lorelai knew she hadn't really made an effort with Jess, but she had a terrible gut feeling about the kid. Sure, Luke said he was getting better and helping more. Jess had kept them quiet and offered to be at the diner to help his uncle out. Lorelai didn't know why she was so worried; Rory was a good judge of character. Maybe Luke was really doing the trick and straightening the hoodlum, that is, Jess out.
7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
A/N: Fav parts
-"Luke, your girlfriend is being sent profiles and head shots of strange men… aren't you jealous? Don't you want to beat them up, then beat your chest and say 'ugh, ugh, she's mine!' then drag me away by my hair?"- Huh, sounds like it would be from the show? … but its not…ITS ALL MINE!
"Forget it, we know Dean's gonna get mine, not that exciting when you know the outcome, now go!"- every time I read this I heard that comic, WA …WA... WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA at the irony.
-The REAL LL picnic: OMG, as I was writing it, I was laughing a super villain laugh, MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH,
Telling Localizy every half an hour, over and over again what an EVIL GENIUS I was… and that THIS is HOW THAT EPISODE SHOULD HAVE GONE… Oy with the teasing already!
Hey hey it's like Wylie Coyote, SUPER GENIUS!
We refer to this as the DIRTY PICNIC; hope you enjoyed it as much as LL did!
77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
"That was all God given talent..." why thank you, NON POD Luke!
7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777
R/R: PLEASE, I like to better myself. To quote The Princess Bride,
"...Remember this is for posterity ... so be honest."
Please be specific with R/R; name one (or as many as you can think of or want to mention..…) At least one specific thing you liked
Please! It makes me feel good...inside (Dirty!)
Hence the Rant option below.
Insert Rant here V
A/N: if not completely satisfied with this chapter, please return unused portion for a full refund...