Presenting … Lucas Danes?
By GilmoreGirl1979 (the Reigning Quote Queen)
Provider of Quality FAN FICTION
R/R: yes please I love reviews, I wanna marry them (as previously stated, I have strange passions.)
Friendly disclaimer: I REJECT ASP's/DR's REALITY AND SUBSTITUTE MY OWN! NO HARM NO SUE!
NO BETA NO LONGER: LOCALIZY AND LUVZ : Miss you both
SCUBALUVER: thanks for teaching me to show and tell
and EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS TO A-KARANA for the final read through!
Borrowed Dialouge: 2.18 - Back in the Saddle Again /written by Linda Loiselle Guzik /directed by Kevin Dowling
A/N:
For those who were curious what the problematic line was that inspired a rewrite panic…it was…
(DRUM ROLL)
"My folks are rich, what if they made a carbon clone, or a Luke android to keep me distracted while they disposed of my loveable, real Luke."
Which then immediately put a picture in my head of Luke and Lorelai making out, of Luke pressing Lorelai against a wall, and Lorelai breathless declaring her loveable real Luke "Hmm, definitely not an android."
And both inspirations made it in the last chapter of MY GILMORE history.
Fun fact for those who were wondering and you know who you are…
;o)
In light of recent news, i thought we could all use a pick me up, we need it now more than ever that our beloved "actors" don't care how us fans feel about their stupid characters...i apologize for being so unmotivated recently and will try to be better...the story is all finished i just need a trustworthy beta
Enjoy!!
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Chapter 38
A Tale of WOES and SCOTCH
"Hey Jess," his uncle entered the apartment above the diner.
"Hey," Jess said dully from the couch, watching TV, "How was dinner with the in-laws?"
"They aren't my in-laws; Rory's grandpa just made a family announcement."
"Can you have kids when you're that old?" Jess asked aghast.
"Not that kind of announcement," Luke rolled his eyes as he went to his room, and raised his voice so Jess could hear him from inside his bedroom, "He's going into business for himself, you know the stuff we'd been talking about over lunch."
Through the open bedroom door, Jess watched as Luke took something out of his suit pocket and slip it into his dresser drawer. "You mean all that leasing in Hartford stuff," Jess kept the conversation going so he could stretch and spy from the couch.
"Yeah."
When he saw his uncle was coming back to the main room, Jess adopted a relaxed position as if he had been watching the TV the whole time. "Hey when are they going to finish my room?" Jess was still curious about his fate in Stars Hollow, but he never asked directly, he was afraid of the answer.
"Tom and his guys have been working time and a half," Luke assured his nephew. "They needed a break for a few days. They'll be back Monday and God willing it will be done next week. Speaking of which, I hate to ask you this 'cause tomorrow is Saturday, but could you help me with the morning delivery? It's just some condiments. Napkins, straws...coffee grounds..."
"Yeah, got to have the coffee," for a certain coffee addict, Jess eyed his uncle. Without complaining about getting up at 5 am, Jess agreed, "Sure." Jess laughed at himself
"Okay great, thanks, I mean it," Luke said sincerely, liking that Jess was being so helpful lately.
Jess decided he should be more than gracious, "You know, I could do the deliveries… if you wanted to…" Jess was trying to allude to something, without actually having to say it.
"If I wanted to what?"
"Stay at Lorelai's?" Jess suggested.
"She wanted me to stay, actually."
"Too much information," Jess shifted in his seat, settling in the cushions again.
"You brought it up..."
"Well, I'm un-bringing it up…" unfortunately, his own curiosity got the better of him "why didn't you stay?"
"I thought you were un-bringing it up?"
"Suddenly it's back on the table," Jess didn't know how else to get answers for how serious things were progressing between Luke and Lorelai.
Jess saw how Luke seemed to look back in the direction of his dresser again. "It's complicated," Luke sidestepped, "and I didn't want you to worry."
"Well, I'm touched." Jess wanted a look at what was in that dresser, "Hey, when you came in did you see if I put all the chairs up?"
"I don't remember," Luke said starting to loosen his tie.
"Could you go down and check?"
"What? Your legs don't work?" Luke said dryly.
"The commercial break is almost over, my show is coming back."
Luke griped to himself but dutifully went downstairs to check for Jess. After all the poor kid did clean the grease trap last week.
Jess waited till he heard the last thud of his uncle's shoes on the steps to the diner.
Jess tiptoed to the dresser, hoping the hardwood floor wouldn't creak, tipping off Luke that old Jess was snooping around. Perhaps the last few months with Rory's guidance Jess had developed a conscience, or maybe he just didn't want to find his prudish uncle's stash of porn. Either way Jess knew he had to act fast before Luke came back. He went to the dresser in Luke's room and eased open the drawer tried to find whatever Luke had hidden there. Jess saw what he thought was a corner of paper sticking out from between pairs of rolled up socks, and pulled out a photo of a gorgeous ring.
Luke was actually going to do it. He got a ring, and he was going to ask Lorelai to marry him. But why did Luke have a photo and not the ring itself?
Jess knew he should just talk to Luke. Luke didn't want to be a tyrannical uncle; he wanted to be Jess' friend. Luke was the first person to not give up on him. Teachers, counselors, even his own mother threw up their hands when it came to Jess. Luke genuinely wanted to help him. Maybe he should sit down with Luke, voice his concerns, ask the questions. What's going to happen to me if you get married, my mom is done with me, are you done with me too?
To ask the questions would make it real, put a time line on his time in Stars Hollow until he got shipped off to the next unsuspecting relative. After Christmas, Jess really started to trust Luke. They weren't outside playing catch together but Jess had grown to trust his uncle, believed that Luke would always look out for him. Luke wanted him to do well in school, checked up his plans, gave him a job. Jess was starting to trust Luke, maybe uncle did know best, but if Luke was going to marry Lorelai, Maybe Luke would be too busy with his own family to worry about his screwed up nephew ?
Jess put the photo back and closed the drawer; He better get to bed early if he was going to be up at 5 for the delivery. He was going to keep working just as hard, not wanting to give Luke an excuse to have him leave Stars Hollow early.
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Saturday
Lorelai went into the kitchen looking a yummy treat Sookie could spare, and Sookie was just finishing up a phone call "You know what, forget it! If that's how you run your business, then I deserve this for picking you in the first place. I hate you!" then she hung up.
"Hey, Miss Congeniality," Lorelai chuckled.
"Okay, new plan for the invites. We're getting married May nineteenth, four o'clock, front lawn – pass it on," Sookie shouted, beyond flustered.
"I knew that, I helped pick the date."
"That's it, word of mouth. They used it for the Revolutionary War – who the hell am I to poohpooh history, huh? I ask you."
Lorelai giggled at the word pooh,"Sorry Hon."
"Tell me something happy, did you get any last night?"
"Uh, actually no…but it wasn't for lack of trying," Lorelai was still disappointed.
"Jeez, if you and Luke can't get it on what hope is there for the rest of us?"
"Sookie, you're getting married. You'll have someone to get it on with for the rest of your days."
"If the preacher shows up since he's never met a Suzie St. James!" then Sookie seemed to realize, "Oh God!! Last night, it was Friday…"
"Yes, Sookie, and today is Saturday," Lorelai humored while pouring a cup of coffee for herself.
"But yesterday was the dinner. The big scary dinner with your folks, with Luke and your folks." Sookie rambled, "What happened?"
"Actually, it turned out to be no big deal. Actually it kind of was, my dad announced he was going to open his own business."
"Huh," Sookie seemed unimpressed.
"And the whole idea was inspired by Luke."
That got Sookie's attention, "Come again?"
"Apparently my dad liked hanging out at the diner so much, admired Luke's freedom to running his own business, my dad figured 'why not me?'"
"Your dad is going to open a diner?"
"No, though that would be interesting, Gilmore's Grill, hmmm we may have to consider that. Anyway, he's starting an insurance consulting firm or something, go with what you know."
"Good thing, I'm having trouble imaging your dad in flannel and an apron."
"Sookie don't ever associate flannel and my father together ever again. Flannel is the international symbol for Luke. You wouldn't want me to have some sort of complex would you?" although she already realized she was dating a man eerily similar to her father.
"Sorry, so you're dad is opening a business; how did your mom take it?"
"She was floored; I think a little pissed too."
"Ah, so in that case you are happy for him."
"Exactly," Lorelai smiled widely.
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It was Saturday evening at the Crap Shack, and there was a knock at the front door, so Lorelai answered, "Hey there, Dean, Rory's almost ready. Come on in."
"Thanks, uh Happy Birthday, by the way.""Thank you Dean, so sweet of you to remember," Lorelai smiled.
Dean entered the house and saw Luke sitting on the living room couch. Since the picnic people were gossiping, even more than usual, about Luke and Lorelai. One rumor was retold over and over that Luke and Lorelai had relations during their picnic after Luke won Lorelai's basket, and that's what started them off as a couple.
Frankly, Dean had heard Luke and Lorelai stories ever since he moved to town from Chicago. He thought at first they were popular characters on some soap, but his mother, who was a big soap opera fan, assured him the characters on her soap were Luke and Laura… but maybe this real life soap would make this new town even more interesting.
"Mom, I need some help please," Rory called sweetly from her room.
"Duty calls. Have a seat."
"Hey Luke," Dean greeted.
"Hey Dean."
"What are you watching?"
"Sports Center, at least until Lorelai puts the movie in."
"Aw, you're hanging out here tonight?"
"Yeah, Lorelai wasn't feeling up to going out, so I told her we could stay in."
"Huh," Dean thought this was a good a time as any to get a few things straight he had been long wondering.
"So Luke what's going on with you and Lorelai?"
"What do you mean? We're dating," Luke was sensitive about talking about the relationship between him and Lorelai, especially with Rory's boyfriend. First of all he was a private person, and it wasn't anyone else's business. It was as if Dean was judging the relationship, that somehow dean forester didn't see what had been between Luke and Lorelai for years. Plus, Luke was worried about slipping up and revealing his proposal plans. Miss Patty was already keeping a close watch on the couple's movements. Luke didn't know how he was going to get the ring from the safe deposit box without tipping off the gossip hounds. He certainly wasn't going too add to his problems by tipping off Dean and blowing the whole thing himself. Now it seemed even Dean was questioning, "So where is your relationship with Lorelai going?"
Dean shrugged, "I just mean to say that, well before, you two seemed to ...dance around certain issues, and well, now you two are so together...it just seemed to flip over night."
Luke didn't know what to tell the teen, "Well, if you must know the flip didn't happen overnight."
"Okay."
Without going into too much detail, Luke admitted, "It happened after the ball."
Dean's eyes went wide, "You mean since November?"
"Yeah," Luke muttered.
"You two have been an item since November? Why didn't Rory say anything?"
"Well yeah, we were keeping it low key because you know how nosy this town is."
"Yeah, I'm just surprised you pulled it off."
"Me too, believe me we have a few close calls. We just wanted some private time to get used to the idea ourselves."
"So what happened?"
"What happened?" Luke's brow furrowed beneath his ball cap.
"Yeah, how did you two get together?" Dean knew Lorelai was set to get married to Rory's teacher last summer and everything suddenly changed. Dean suspected the latent sexual tension between Luke and Lorelai had something to do with Lorelai's sudden change of heart on marrying Max.
Luke looked at Dean as if he was from Mars, or Venus whichever the case may be, "Well, we kissed," Luke said diplomatically, shifting in his seat expecting Dean to sprout boobs and blonde curls answering to the name Babette.
"And then what..."
There was no way in hell Luke was sharing intimate details about Lorelai, about that night, with Dean. He was Rory's boyfriend! What was he going to ask about next? Technique? Luke clenched his fist, and resisted the urge to just punch Dean over his incessant and inappropriate questioning However, that would spoil Rory's night. Dean looked so eager for the scoop, he might as Well have been a girl wanting to braid Luke's hair, Dean was really becoming a townie of Stars Hollow. "Look, I'm not a storyteller or some kind of gossip guru; just mind your own business!"
"Okay."
Both men went back to the silent manly activity of watching sports highlights on the TV.
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Lorelai happily finished spraying Rory's hair, "There, I just hope Dean doesn't try to run his fingers through it, or he's going to lose his hand. But what's with the fancy duds?"
"We're recreating our three month anniversary."
"Without the bad ending I hope."
"Of course. Since he's going to visit his grandparents, we thought we'd have a special send off... I'm ordering tiramisu, and he's paying. It's perfect. Lorelai looked like she was about to say something, "Don't worry, I'll bring you back some...but I don't want him to go."
Lorelai was pleased that the couple seemed love sick and back to normal, "It's only for a week," she assured her daughter.
"But it's halfway across the country."
"You two can still talk on the phone, as long as you don't do anything dirty."
"Mom, don't ruin my night before it begins."
"Sorry."
"What are you and Luke going to do, or do I not want to know?"
"I just don't feel up to anything tonight, I've been running around all week with wedding errands, and business class..."
"You should eat something."
"Uh, okay, if you insist," Lorelai teased since her appetite was notorious "If Luke will let me order a pizza."
"He just wants to take care of you. Are you sure you're feeling okay? I mean it's your birthday you always want to make a big thing of it…" Rory asked, concern.
"After the big scary thirty it's like what's the point."
"Luke is SO rubbing off on you."
"Dirty," Lorelai giggled, "I'm just burnt out from work, making sure Sookie and Jackson agree on everything for the wedding, and school, and studying; A relaxing night with my guy is just what I need."
"Okay," Rory fixed her second earring, "So, how do I look?"
"Like a pretty, pretty princess..."
"Perfect, have a good night," Rory said full of cheer grabbing her purse.
"You too. Just remember, he is coming back... you don't have to... you know...take it too far..."
"Take your own advice," Rory scolded her mother, Rory had seen how Lorelai practically became a nympho ever since she started dating Luke.
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This was Lorelai's perfect idea of relaxing. With a half eaten pizza on the coffee table, Luke and Lorelai weren't paying attention to the movie, they were busy kissing and cuddling on the couch. Who knew that kissing the same person for twenty minutes straight could be so interesting, "Hmm, this feels so good," Lorelai observed, inches from Luke's face working on the buttons of his flannel.
"You feeling better?" Luke asked smiling as Lorelai ran her fingers through his hair, having lost his ball cap seventeen minutes before.
"I'm with you; I'm on top of the world."
"No, you're just on top of me," Luke chuckled with his hands rounding her rump and jeans.
Lorelai giggled as she leaned down to kiss his cheek, then looked at the screen, "Oh, here comes one of my all time favorite lines..." Lorelai reached over Luke to grab the remote to turn up the volume.
Luke smiled; she had more than a thousand all time l favorite lines. He was content, at peace; this was going to be his future. Quiet cozy moments like this, just him and Lorelai, cuddling on the couch. The only thing keeping them from a lifetime of perfect, simple evenings just like this one were a few legal documents away. Luke couldn't help but think about his plan to propose. He had to figure out the when, where, how. He knew he had to make it special for Lorelai, magical, something they would never forget so they could tell their kids and grandkids about. Luke tired to imagine Grandma Lorelai years from now. What story would she tell over and over again at the request of her grand children? Luke tried to hear Lorelai's voice telling the story to give him the perfect plan to propose.
"Lorelai?"
"Yeah baby?"
"Are you happy with me?"
"How can you ask that? Of course I'm happy with you. I'm the happiest I've ever been."
"I just was checking," he modestly shrugged.
"Well, let me assure you," She answered with a smile and proceeded to punctuate her answer with another twenty minutes of making out, just to be sure he got it. "Hmm, I want to unwrap my birthday present," Lorelai dragged Luke off the couch and upstairs.
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Luke loved moments like this; Lying in bed with Lorelai, her body huddled up against his, the sheet down by both of their waists. Lorelai's breasts pressed against his chest, as he grazed her bare back with his hand. Lorelai fell asleep on his chest, so he spent the quiet time savoring her skin and staring at the ceiling trying to plan the perfect proposal. Having no luck, and knowing Rory would be home soon, Luke figured he should at least clean up downstairs. Luke gently rolled the limp Lorelai onto her back and covered her with a blanket so she wouldn't be cold. He got dressed to return downstairs to clean up after their evening.
Luke turned off the TV; put the pizza away. He thought he heard a strange noise around the house, and headed out onto the porch. When he opened the front door he was met by Rory and Dean locked in a heated goodnight kiss.
Hearing the door open, the passionate teens separated, "Oh, um hi, Luke," Rory blushed; wiping her mouth to make sure her lipstick wasn't too smudged.
"Hi," he returned perplexed about what to do in this situation as he looked back and forth between the teens. Lorelai's input unavailable, Luke was on his own. Luke wasn't Rory's step-father yet, he couldn't really scold the teens, and he didn't even know when Rory's curfew was. All Luke could think of to say was "Um, your mom is asleep, I put her to bed," gulping and trying to hide the fact that he had actually been in bed with her.
"Oh , well thanks for taking such good care of her," Luke couldn't tell if she was anxious for the awkward moment to end, or just anxious for him to leave so she could go back to kissing Dean.
"Right," the painful moments dragged on. "Well, I'm going to go then," Luke stared directly at Dean when he said this. Luke hadn't planned on leaving for the night, but he was trying to be some sort of example for Dean that it was time to go home. Luke realized he had to get his boots from upstairs, and quietly snuck past the slumbering Lorelai. Back downstairs he watched the teens whisper and hold hands while he laced up his boots, found his coat and his keys from the foyer table.
"Um, have a good evening," Rory wished.
Luke passed between the two teens, looking pointedly at Dean, heading down the walk. Dean seemed to get the message because Luke heard Dean say, "I'm going to go too," then he heard a final kiss. Luke rounded the mail box, and looked back to make sure that Dean was close on his heels, heading to his car, Rory waving goodbye from the doorway.
Luke had never seen Rory and her boyfriend so engrossed before. It was hard for Luke not to picture Rory as that little girl following her mother around town. Luke smiled remembering the time Rory showed up to the diner dressed in a pair of angel wings, asking Luke to go to a caterpillar's funeral. Lorelai stood behind her with an apologetic smile and a shrug in her shoulders. However, Luke did provide the perfect coffin for the caterpillar, a large match box that slid closed, and Luke even dug the grave since Rory couldn't bring herself to do it. Rory said she saw Luke as a father figure, was looking forward to Luke's presence at certain events over her how father's; like graduations and weddings. So would it be out of line to think one day he'd have to raise his voice at her if she ever screwed up? Not that that happened often; it was funny to think about Rory getting into trouble, because to him she'd always be that perfect little kid complete with angel wings.
Inexplicably, Luke began to wonder if Rory was like most American teens, corrupted far too young with Sex, Drugs and Rock and roll. Was Rory sexually active? Hell was Jess sexually active? He never talked about a girl friend or friends at all, except Rory. Luke recalled Lorelai's suspicion from a few days ago. Was something going on between Jess and Rory? Luke dismissed the absurd thought, he saw how together Dean and Rory were. Still they were really together. What was going on with Dean and Rory?
This thought made Luke just as uncomfortable as Dean questioning about his and Lorelai's liaisons. However, as her step-father he would have a right to know that. Was Rory into wild parties? Or drinking? Luke was such a hermit who never heard the rumors and gossip until it was a month old. He wondered how well he knew Rory, how much the rich Chilton School and friends may have affected her small town upbringing. No doubt it would only get worse when she went to college. He was just the diner guy she saw from time to Time. Only more recently had he become her mother's boyfriend and a father figure.
Luke pushed the thoughts out of his head; he knew he had a special bond with Rory. Over their experience with the coming out party they had grown closer and her movie night gesture over his dark day. He began to worry about Dean and his drinking habits, his sexual history, after all Luke was a teenage boy once upon a time, and he broke a few rules without his father finding out about it. Then Luke thought about Jess.
Was Jess sneaking booze out of the fridge? How would Jess survive in college? Luke wondered if it was too late to try the male bonding strategy with Jess, go fishing for dinner and for information.
If Lorelai said yes, they all would be a family. There would be two teens in their house. If Lorelai said yes, they would definitely have to have a conversation about his role as the step-father, curfews and disciplining should the need arise; no doubt Emily Gilmore would have something to say on the subject, He could just imagine the lectures on manners and etiquette she gave to Lorelai when she was a teen. Luke dreaded planning a wedding with Emily Gilmore, if Lorelai said yes.
Luke stopped mid-step, frozen to the spot of the sidewalk. As he stood there pondering, he saw Dean drive past him on his own way home. Luke made a horrible connection in his brain, something that suddenly scared him beyond belief. Wedding planning? It was just last year that Lorelai was planning a wedding… to Max Medina.
Lorelai said she was the happiest she's ever been now, right now, when there was no pressure of a wedding, no commitment to forever. Luke looked around at the familiar houses of Lorelai's neighbors and felt overwhelmed that he had no one to turn to, especially at this time of night.
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The next day, there was a fervent knock on the front door of the Gilmore Manor. The maid was hesitant, almost scared to answer it, fearing the wrath of Emily Gilmore even more, the maid opened the door and found a desperate looking man, in a ball cap and flannel.
"Hi, please, um is Richard Gilmore at home? I need to speak with him," the man said.
The maid scurried off to Mr. Gilmore's study, "Mr. Gilmore there's a man at the door. I think he's with the landscaping crew."
"Oh for pity sake, I'm a busy man..." Richard took of his reading glasses and rose from his desk. How was he going to get things in order so Emily could start planning a launch party if he kept having all these tedious interruptions? Richard came into the foyer to find Luke the door. "Luke?"
"Richard, I've got to talk to you."
Luke looked as though he was having some sort of panic attack, "Good heavens, what's the matter? It's all right, Theresa. Get a glass of water, please. Luke, let's talk it over in the study."
Richard led Luke to the pair of leather chairs by the fire place and shut the door. Luke sunk into one of the chairs, panting desperately. "I'm sorry… I didn't… I didn't know who else to turn to… where else to go."
"Now Son, it's alright. Emily is at one of her DAR meetings, or the horticultural society… or some such nonsense…"
Luke blurted out, "Lorelai doesn't want to get married."
"What? You asked her already?"
Luke leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and shook his head, "No, no. I was just thinking about the how and when and the where to ask her, and I realized she was engaged just last year. She called it off. She ran from the altar like a shot. All night I kept thinking, what if she doesn't want to get married at all…to anyone? Or what if she did that to me? Ran from me? I don't think I could survive it." Luke put his head in his hand, not knowing how to handle the situation.
"Mr. Gilmore?" The maid poked her head timidly into the study with the water. This had been an odd day already and the Gilmores didn't seem to appreciate odd.
"Pardon?" Richard frowned at the interruption. Noticing the maid and the glass, "The water, of course. That will be all." He said pointedly. Richard quickly took it from her, shooed her away. As soon as the door closed, Richard glanced between the distraught man in front of him and the grandfather clock in the corner of the office, Richard decided that 9:30 in the morning was an acceptable hour to drink when Lorelai's commitment issues were being discussed. Richard added some scotch to the glass, "Now son this is just nerves," he eased, handing Luke the glass, then sitting across from Luke. However, the situation did peak Richard's curiosity, "How long did that other guy last? Max was it?"
"I don't know, a few months. I mean one minute they were dating, then they weren't, then they were again, then they were engaged. It nearly killed me to think of her with another guy. The rest of our lives I'd just be the diner guy, on the outside looking in. All last summer she was so happy planning the thing. I was sick to my stomach whenever I saw them together. I carved that damn chuppah for their ceremony. So she could marry someone else under something I built with my own hands, in some small way to be a part of her happiness, I only wanted her to be happy. I mean I thought the deal was done, she was engaged practically married; I never expected she would actually see me."
"Just a moment, the chuppah?" Richard tried to understand, "That archway on her lawn? You made that?"
"Yeah," Luke nodded.
"You made that for her even though she was going to marry someone else?"
"Yeah."
Richard was astounded by the sacrifice and amount of character Luke had, not to mention some pretty impressive wood working skills. It was clear by the gesture that Luke loved Lorelai so deeply that he was willing to let her go so she could be happy with whoever it was that she really loved. That man obviously wasn't Max …or Christopher for that matter. If Richard had any say in the matter, which he really didn't, he was rooting for Luke.
"Then all of a sudden, the wedding was called off, and I was relieved, happy, see ya sucker. Now I maybe the sucker."
Richard felt bad for Luke; the poor man looked like he was going to throw up any moment. "Luke, you mustn't talk that way. You have got to trust that what you two have is different. She won't make the same mistake again; she learned her lesson that's why is with you. She won't run away like did from Max. I'm not sure I've even ever met Max." Richard admitted. "When she ended her engagement to Max, did you two...ever discuss it? I mean, when you started dating?"
"Briefly, I mean she said," Luke seemed to recall the distant conversation, "She said it was because of me..."
"Because of you?" Richard urged, hoping his point would be made.
"Yeah, she said that fitting Max into the routine was work, almost a burden to make space for him in her world."
"Where as with you..." Richard encouraged Luke to finish.
"Well, she said with me... I was already part of the routine, part of the picture, I had been around since …always it seemed. I helped her with the house and with Rory. She said it seemed like I was always around to help her, that being with me wasn't work because I already fit."
"…And there you have it," Richard smiled, emphasizing, "You fit with her. You know how to handle her, how to argue with her, how to compromise with her, and that my boy is the secret of marriage."
Frenetically Luke continued, "But how can I say that? How can I ask her, I barely had the courage to ask you about it! I can't do this. I've been thinking for days and I'm starting to wonder how well I really know her if I can't even think of a way to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me," Luke took a long gulp from the glass, then he coughed a bit and winced as he wasn't expecting the scotch, since he had been so distracted pouring his heart out to Richard. "I know what it has to be, it has to be magical, special, memorable," Luke sighed, "that's why I'm having so much trouble."
Richard leaned back in his chair and folded his hands, "Let's approach this a different way. If you don't mind, tell me about your first date", Richard implored Luke. Maybe it would give them a new perspective
"Well, I guess, technically it was the ball. I mean it wasn't really a date, I was just filling in as an escort," Luke said dryly. He wasn't even supposed to be there, Chris was. Luke fretted that maybe if Christopher was there, he would have comforted Lorelai instead, he would have slept with her and she would have ended up with Rory's father, nice and tidy. The past few months would have never happened.
Richard continued to probe, "But your relationship started after the ball?"
"Well, yeah, I guess."
"Didn't Emily have you and Lorelai pretend to be married for the ball?" Richard asked.
"Yes, she did sir."
"What on earth was she thinking? Well, it's sort of ironic now, sort of a self fulfilling prophecy," Richard chuckled. Richard saw Luke wasn't up for the joke, "So what happened that brought you two together?"
"…Well, Lorelai was upset about something…your wife said at the ball. It was so long ago I barely remember; that night was rough on all of us. I was holding her, trying to listen, trying to comfort, then next thing I know we were kissing…" Luke seemed to realize it was Lorelai's father he was talking to. There was no way he was going to mention that this was the first night he had slept with her. just as Luke could have punched Dean for his persistent questioning, Richard would no doubt break Luke if he found out about that he had slept with his daughter that first evening, "… and well, the rest is history."
"Alright, so then you went on a real date?"
"Yeah, but that didn't turn out so well either. We ran into Max, the ex-fiancé, the one she ran from… maybe that should have been a sign right from the start!" Luke took off his ball cap and turned it in his free hand, thinking of how Lorelai gave him the blue ball cap.
"My goodness, you have had an unfortunate streak."
"Tell me about it," Luke finished off the water and put the glass on a nearby table. "I mean the first date wasn't such a big deal. I picked her up after her business class; it was dinner, a movie."
Richard considered thoughtfully, folding his hands in front of his mouth, "Perhaps we should go back further… tell me how you two met?" Richard was eager to hear the story and took advantage of the situation to hear as much as he could about his daughter's life in Stars Hollow.
Luke blew out a long breath and leaned back in the chair, finally starting to relax, perhaps it was the scotch, "Well, it was at the diner, it was lunch, it was a very busy day… the place was packed… and Lorelai came in..."
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"That was all God given talent..." why thank you NON POD Luke!
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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...