DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gilmore Girls.
Chapter 11: "We want to hear the good stuff!"
Breakfast was long over and brunch had kicked in, when Lorelai finally locked the door to her house. Jess and Clara stood on the street, waiting for her to join them on the short walk into town. Jess had one hand resting on the handle to the stroller and the other hand protectively wrapped around Clara, who had been very determined to sit in the carrier cradled to his chest instead of in the stroller.
It had been a quite eventful morning. Somewhat bizarre, but surprisingly not entirely unpleasant. Her mother had turned out to be very civil and polite once Lorelai had put something more decent on. Lorelai couldn't even remember the last time she had sit down and talked with her mother without it ending in a big fight. She guessed she had Clara to thank for that. Once Jess had fed and burped her, Clara had been eager to return to Emily's care. With her plush toy to chew on she had been very content in Emily's lap. She hadn't protested when Jess left the room to pack up their belongings, but she had whimpered when Emily had declared she needed to get going if she didn't want to miss her spa treatment.
Deciding she needed a cup of Luke's coffee to get her head straight about this day, Lorelai had offered to tag along to the diner and here they were now. It was a beautiful day outside. Lorelai drank hungrily of the warmth from the sunbeams caressing her face. The wind was soft and cool without being cold. Smiling to herself, Lorelai opened her eyes. Only to find Clara watching her with a thoughtful expression. Lorelai poked the girl's foot in the hopes of getting a smile from the girl, but Clara didn't move a muscle. Something in the pair of dark eyes made Lorelai uncomfortable. She felt scrutinized, like Clara was trying to figure out what she was. Or rather, if Lorelai posted a threat to gaining Jess' attention.
Lorelai blinked surprised. For being so small, Clara's personality was much defined already.
As if marking territory, Clara suddenly yawned. At once Jess' attention was with her. Clara seemed pleased.
"You tired, honey?" he asked her.
Lorelai couldn't help shaking her head. She had to give it to the girl, Clara had her father wrapped around her tiny little finger. If the girl continued this path, the boys in her future high school had better watch out. And any girl daring to challenge Clara about Jess' attention too...
Reaching the park across the road from Luke's, Jess turned to Lorelai.
"I think I'll try and get her to nap. She didn't have much sleep last night. Can you tell Luke I'll be right in?"
Lorelai nodded. They parted way without any goodbyes.
The diner was crowded as expected. Being late Sunday morning, people had either decided to sleep in and have a late breakfast or they had just been at church and now craved for coffee. Lorelai would have qualified to the first alternative if it hadn't been for her mother's unexpected surprise.
Luke was busy taking people's orders so Lorelai took liberty and placed herself on one of the empty chairs close to the cash register. It took nearly ten minutes before Luke approached her.
"The usual?" he grunted.
Lorelai nodded. Anyone else might have been repulsed by Luke's blunt manor, but Lorelai who knew him found it endearing. It was one of the things she liked the most with Luke.
"What, no lectures about the vicious deeds of coffee or even snide comments about how it ruins my body?" she asked him when he put down a large cup with hot black liquid in front of her without a word.
Luke gave her a strange look, but walked off without a word. Lorelai stared blankly after him. What was up with him today? Lorelai frowned and reached for her coffee.
"Busy night, Lorelai?"
The voice startled her and Lorelai winced as she accidently swallowed a mouth full of the hot black liquid. It burned her throat on the way down to her belly. Lorelai turned on her chair and found Miss Patty and Babette standing behind her. No more had she greeted them than she was interrupted by Babette.
"See, I told you. Blushing all over. She is practically glowing."
"Yes, I see." Miss Patty nodded and leaned closer to Lorelai, almost hovering. A wide wicked grin cut her face in half. "So tell me, how was it?"
Lorelai frowned in confusion.
"How was what?"
"The good stuff, sugar. We want to hear the good stuff!" Babette could barely contain her excitement. Miss Patty didn't do much better.
"Don't leave out any details. I haven't been this excited about anything since my romance with Luigi back in -82."
"We want to hear it all!"
Lorelai let her gaze wander from one woman to the other. She was at complete loss to what the two women were talking about.
"What are you talking about?"
As she pronounced the words a suspicion took form inside her. Oh, no..!
"Don't play innocent with us, sugar. We know what you did!"
"Mhm... and we are not leaving until you have told us all about."
Lorelai felt sweat breaking out on her forehead. She licked her lips nervously and stuttered: "I-I really have n-no idea what you are talking about..."
Miss Patty cut her off.
"No hassle, Lorelai, we won't judge."
"Gosh, no! We're all women."
"Mhm, and we've all been there at some point or another. There's nothing to be ashamed off. I've had a few cute ones myself back in the days."
Miss Patty gave her a wink. There was no question what they were talking about.
"You saw me this morning," Lorelai said to Babette who grinned as widely as her face allowed her too.
"Of course, sugar! Don't think you can bring male company home without me knowing so. I saw the cute puppy and his child pondering about on your doorstep last night and I saw that thing you wore this morning..." Babette's eyes twinkled wickedly. "So tell me, did you two play household - the adult version?"
Lorelai wanted to sink through the floor. This was NOT good!
"It's not what you think! We didn't..."
"Oh, it's already 'we'," Miss Patty winked to Babette who giggled like a school girl with a crush. A strange sound considering Babette's whisky rasp voice.
"Tell us the good stuff. We want details. Was he good?"
"Was he nice too look at?"
"Oh, gosh!"
If she could die of embarrassment, Lorelai would have done it right then and there. Suddenly the argument with her mother earlier didn't seem half so bad. She shot a pleading look in Luke's direction to come and help her, but all she received was a blank stare. He'd heard!
Lorelai's belly clenched into a tight knot. How many else in the town had Babette spoken to?
As on cue, the door to the diner flung open and Taylor Doose stepped in.
"Have you heard the news, Luke? Your nephew and Lorelai Gilmore. I always thought she and you... Oh, Lorelai!" The mayor stopped in his tracks when he spotted her behind her Miss Patty and Babette.
Lorelai flashed him a strained smile.
"Hi, Taylor... Kirk," Lorelai said uncomfortably, adding the last part when a familiar goofy face peeked around the chubby mayor.
"Lorelai." Kirk greeted her with a stiff nod.
Taylor didn't wait for any polite phrases to be exchanged before he headed straight to the heart of the matter.
"Is it true Jess spent the night at your house? Only the two of you."
"And Clara." Lorelai refused to give them the upper hand. Judging by the expression on Taylor's face though, she might as well have told them she and Jess were engaged.
"Judgment day is here..." the mayor mumbled, while Babette and Miss Patty giggled.
"Did you have sexual intercourse with this man?"
The blunt question from Kirk surprised Lorelai. Any other day it would have made her burst into to laughter. Kirk's dry and awkward personality made it impossible to put him and something even remotely connected to sex together in the same thought. Just the fact that he used the expression 'sexual intercourse' would have been funny any other day.
But not today when Lorelai was the subject for the topic herself.
"No!" she blurted out in horror and despair.
Kirk blinked, but his face remained in the monotone, slightly dull expression it always had.
"Have you planned to have sexual intercourse with this man?"
"No! I have not slept with Jess, nor will I ever do so." Lorelai looked helplessly at the people surrounding her. "It's not what you think. Clara was sick. Luke didn't want to risk the diner so he asked me if I could take them in. That's all."
"Sure it is," Miss Patty said and winked.
"We believe you," Babette pitched in, but her eyes told a different story.
Taylor, on the other hand, sighed. "If that rogue is to stay here, I will need to upgrade my security system."
"Hey, that's my nephew you're talking about!" Luke, who had been taking orders from one of the table nearby pretending to not be listening in on the conversation, suddenly spun around. "No one gets to call him names or speak badly about him, but me. Is that understood?"
Taylor got a sour face.
"I am just saying that it is in the best interest of everyone in town to know if he is staying or not." Turned to Miss Patty and Babette he whispered: "I'd lock my valuables up right away, before they're gone."
"Still my nephew you're talking about, Taylor."
Lorelai sensed another Luke vs Taylor talk fight coming up. She prepared herself to become invisible. Luke and Taylor fighting could give her a golden opportunity to sneak away unnoticed.
"People wants to know if they will be able to sleep at night, or if that rascal will throw pranks at us in our sleep. People wants to know if they have to hide their baseballs and chalks. People..."
"'People' meaning you," Luke corrected him.
It was Lorelai's cue to evaporate. As Taylor opened his mouth to protest, she slid of her chair and sneaked silently behind Babette's back by pressing her belly hard against the counter.
"Not just me. I speak for the Stars Hollow Association, the Stars Hollow Tourist Board, The Stars Hollow Watch Organization and the Stars Hollow Citizens for a clean Stars Hollow Committee."
"All of which are you!"
Luke was too caught up in his argument with Taylor to notice her slowly making her way to the door. The others stood with their backs against her. Lorelai turned the doorknob as quietly as she could, praying no one would hear the doorbell ring and slipped out onto the street. No one noticed her gone until much later. By then, Lorelai was already half way out of town.
