Thank you so much for the reviews everyone :D I never thought I'd get that many. I hope I get as many for this chapter lol. So I won't ramble on and on and bore you all half to death, get reading!
Lorelai and Rory found a table in the quiet diner and dropped into their respective chairs; it hadn't been a good day for Rory Gilmore, and Lorelai felt that she needed a big greasy cheeseburger to cheer her up. What better place to get it than Luke's Diner?
"What will it be tonight?" Luke asked tiredly, order pad in hand.
"Coffee," answered Lorelai, almost immediately.
"Of course," he said with an eye roll. "To eat?"
"Two cheeseburgers and fries, extra for her," she said, pointing to her unhappy daughter.
"What's with the long face?" Luke asked Rory. She looked up at him, her blue orbs filled with sadness.
"My caterpillar died," she mumbled before taking her attention back to the table in front of her. Luke looked at Lorelai exasperatedly, but she simply shrugged her shoulders and smiled sympathetically at her daughter. He stalked off back to the counter, put their order in then went about preparing the girl's drinks.
He returned to their table a few minutes later with a steaming cup of coffee in Lorelai's favourite mug, and a large glass full of chocolate milk. He set them down on the table and Rory smiled gratefully at him before taking a few large gulps of the brown liquid. Lorelai also smiled at him, and the fact that he always knew how to make Rory smile again; not that she wasn't pretty good at that herself.
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The next morning, Rory entered the diner and started walking towards the counter slowly. She clutched the piece of paper in her hand as she inched closer and closer, she had to admit, she was pretty nervous. She had been delivering invitations for the funeral all morning and everyone had agreed to attend, only because it was sweet little Rory Gilmore asking and they couldn't say no to those innocent baby blues. She finally reached the counter and looked up at Luke, suddenly feeling intimidated by him.
"Oh hey Rory, I didn't notice you were here," he said, once he saw her standing opposite him, only the counter separating them.
"I just came in," she explained. "I um...came to give you this," she said hesitantly, holding the small piece of folded paper out to him. He took it from her and unfolded it to see Rory's surprisingly neat scrawl filling it. After he'd read it, he looked up at her.
"You want me to come to your caterpillar's funeral?" he asked, a slight smile on his face. This was actually a really cute thing for her to do, although he wouldn't admit to thinking that.
"Yeah, other people around town have said yes and you were my last stop," she replied. Luke looked down at the invitation again, while Rory nervously awaited his answer. She knew it wasn't his kind of thing, but she was hoping he'd go, just because it was her.
"Well I'm running the diner all day but if there aren't any customers later on, I'll be there," he assured her. He saw her blue eyes brighten instantly and she jumped up and down excitedly.
"Thanks Luke," she said, sporting the hugest grin she'd ever worn. "I'm gonna go home and make the sandwiches right now, I'll make a salad one especially for you." Now he had to smile fully at that comment.
"Okay kid, now scoot, I've got customers to serve." Rory nodded and ran for the door, probably rushing home to tell her mom the good news.
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Everyone had arrived; well, almost everyone. Luke still wasn't here and Lorelai was beginning to wonder where he was. He'd better show up, especially after he'd gotten her daughter's hopes up and made her all excited. Luke was the only person besides herself that had managed to make Rory smile since the damn caterpillar died the day before.
Rory appeared from inside the house with a piece of kitchen roll rested on her hands, the dead caterpillar sitting on top. She stood on the porch and looked around their front yard at the ten or so townspeople gathered on the lawn. She scanned the crowd, but when she didn't see Luke, she frowned. That didn't go unnoticed by Lorelai and she gestured for Rory to come and join her by the tree where they were going to bury the insect.
"Is Luke not here?" the pre-teen asked anxiously.
"Not yet sweets, but I'm sure he'll get here as soon as he can," she reassured her daughter, although she felt like she was making excuses for Christopher, not trustworthy Luke.
"Should we start without him?" she asked uncertainly.
"Sure hon, whatever you want," Lorelai replied, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Okay people, gather round the tree," she called, grabbing the attention of the chattering townies gathered on her front lawn. They surrounded the tree and watched as Rory carefully set the caterpillar on the ground, the kitchen towel still underneath it.
"Can I start?" she asked nervously. When Lorelai and a few other townies nodded, she cleared her throat and stared down at the limp, green creature before her. "I hadn't owned him for long before he passed on, I hadn't even thought of a name for him yet. I was still making pro/con lists to find the one that fit best." She took a deep breath to calm her nerves; she wasn't used to talking in front of many people. She felt a hand come into contact with hers, the large fingers wrapping around her considerably smaller ones. She looked up and saw Luke standing next to her, smiling reassuringly. All her nerves seemed to melt away in his presence, so she carried on with her eulogy.
By the end, everyone was smiling sympathetically at a sad Rory Gilmore, her usually sunshiny self locked away on this particular occasion. Everyone made their way into the Crap Shack and gathered around the sandwiches, picking their way through until they found one that looked edible enough; Rory had made them after all. Rory and Luke had remained in the yard, staring down at the still insect before them. Luke cleared his throat so Rory looked up at him expectantly.
"I uh...I made this...for the caterpillar," he said awkwardly. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small wooden box, with a lid resting on top. "Well I made it for you really but the caterpillar's gonna go inside it," he justified, not wanting anyone to think he made a coffin for a stupid caterpillar.
"Thanks Luke," Rory smiled, taking the small box from his clutches. "It's like a coffin for him." Luke nodded in agreement.
"Yeah well no one deserves to have soil thrown over them right?" he said light-heartedly. Rory's grin grew and she kneeled down to get a closer look at the dead caterpillar. She reached for the creature, preparing to pick it right up and lay it in the 'coffin'. "Don't touch it like that, it could carry all kinds of diseases," said Luke protectively. "Here, let me." He wrapped the kitchen towel around the insect and quickly deposited it in the box, respectfully of course.
"Now we have to put it in the ground," she stated, the sadness returning to her voice.
"He's going to a better place," Luke said softly. He felt stupid but there was only Rory listening, so he carried on. "You have to lay him to rest now." Rory nodded and carefully placed the lid on the box. She sat it in the small hole she'd dug out earlier then sprinkled soil back on top, with the help of Luke, until it was safely buried. Luke looked up and saw a single tear roll down her cheek, immediately thinking up a way to make her feel better, the way he always did. In the end he decided to just hug her, and comfort her until she felt better. "You okay now?" he asked softly.
"Mm hmm," Rory replied, pulling away from him so she could show him her weak smile. At least she wasn't crying anymore.
"Come on, let's go join the others inside," he said, moving back into a standing position and wrapping his arm around Rory's shoulders, guiding her into the house. Little did the two know that Lorelai had been watching their interaction from the porch, coffee cup in hand. She'd seen how Luke had spoken to Rory with so much love and kindness. She saw him give her the box to put the caterpillar in and help Rory bury her beloved insect. And she'd also seen him comfort her daughter. It was obvious that Luke cared for Rory a great deal, probably more than Christopher ever would, and that made her smile. They were lucky to have a guy like him in their lives.
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Luke briefly went back to the diner that afternoon, but only to close up extra early and grab drinks and snacks for the Gilmore Girls. He had returned to the Crap Shack with coffee, hot chocolate and donuts, and all items were non-existent within ten minutes.
It was late evening now, and Rory was beginning to get tired. She'd woken up very early that morning to prepare for the funeral she was hosting, and her early start was catching up with her now, at eight thirty.
"I think I'm gonna go to bed," she said, followed by a giant yawn.
"Okay babe, go get settled and I'll be in a minute," Lorelai told her. Rory nodded then sauntered off into her room to change into her PJs. Both Lorelai and Luke watched her go, then she turned to look at him, a smile gracing her face.
"You made her really happy today," she said knowingly, and also gratefully. Luke shrugged.
"I didn't really do much," he replied.
"You came, that was all she needed from you and you didn't let her down."
"I'd never let her down," he said. Lorelai already knew that of course, and simply nodded in agreement.
"I'll go tuck her in, be back in a second." Luke watched her go then sighed heavily; it had been a long day.
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"Hey hon," said Lorelai as she entered Rory's bedroom. She began tucking the covers around Rory, the way she liked them to be, then sat down on the edge of the bed. She stroked a strand of her daughter's hair away from her face and smiled at her. "Are you okay after today?"
"Yeah, I'm glad Luke came," she grinned.
"Me too sweets, now are you gonna get some beauty sleep?" Rory nodded.
"Can you send Luke in first though, I wanna say thank you again," she pleaded.
"Okay but not for long, you're exhausted," she warned. Rory nodded again eagerly and Lorelai kissed her forehead lightly. "Goodnight baby," she murmured as she backed towards the door.
"Night mom." Rory got more comfortable on her pillows, then looked up when she noticed Luke standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Hi Luke," she greeted enthusiastically.
"Hey," he replied, padding into her room. He crouched down by her bed and rested his forearms on the mattress. "Ready to get some sleep?" he asked.
"Yeah, I just wanted to say thank you first."
"Well you're very welcome," he answered.
"It meant a lot to me that you came," she said in just above a whisper. "I know it isn't your kind of thing."
"It was important to you, of course I came." She smiled shyly then returned to playing with her bed sheets nervously.
"And thanks for the coffin," she added.
"No problem, thanks for the salad sandwich," he returned. Rory giggled and looked up to meet his dark blue eyes with her bright ones.
"I'm glad I met you Luke," she said quietly, but still loud enough for Luke to hear. Luke grinned up at her and patted her knee.
"The feeling's mutual," he replied. "Now it's time for lights out." He sounded so fatherly, that Rory almost forgot he wasn't actually her dad.
"Okay I'll see you tomorrow," she said before burying her head further into her pillow. Luke contemplated kissing her goodnight on the cheek or the forehead but decided against it; instead he ran his fingers through her tangled hair.
"Goodnight Rory," he whispered before heading towards the door and shutting off the light on his way out.
That night, Rory Gilmore dreamed that she had a father like Luke Danes.
I hope you liked this chapter and I hope it's in character, I find that when I write Luke/Rory scenes I always make them too fluffy and Luke sometimes seems out of character. But hopefully I kept him as his gruff self with a bit of softness when the girls are involved. Please review I am really really happy with the responses I got for this story, I can't stop smiling haha.
Emily.