You guys rock my socks, thanks for the reviews.
WARNING!!! There is mention of the evil Christopher in this chapte. Dialogue borrowed drom season 3, episode 2 "Haunted Leg". And, also, other random episodes from throughout the seven seasons, though, they'll (mostly) be from seasons four and five.
Enjoy.
Chapter 4
"Lorelai? It's your mother. Why don't you ever answer you phone? That doesn't matter now. I'm just calling to tell you that Friday Night Dinner is off this week. Your father's going to be away on business and I have a DAR function I really must attend. But we shall see you next week. Have a good night."
Lorelai sighed in relief. She had just turned to head into the kitchen for coffee, when the phone started ringing again.
"Lorelai? Why aren't you ever home when you call. I swear you screen my calls so you don't have to talk to me."
Lorelai groaned. "I do!" she hissed.
"… Lunch with you sometime before Friday. I have something important I need to discuss with you in person. No, it cannot be done over the phone and certainly not via your infernal answering machine. Call me back to arrange a time, or I will just surprise you at the inn one day. Goodbye!"
Lorelai rolled her eyes and wandered down the hall to the kitchen. "Urgh, your grandmother is the most irritating person I have ever met."
XXX
The week progressed quickly, and before she knew it, it was time to leave the inn for lunch at Luke's with her mother. Sighing, she walked through the doors, enjoying the familiar tinkling of the bells.
"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Luke, surprised.
"Ah, I came for the warmth." She answered, smirking.
"Well, you're just not usually here this time of day, that's all."
"Well, I'm meeting someone for lunch."
Luke smirked. "Really?"
Lorelai nodded. "Uh, yeah. Why else would I be here?"
He tilted his head and smirked again. "Well, I hear that the owner's a pretty good friend of yours."
"Oh, one of the best. But he's being incredibly annoying at the moment. Just standing around chatting and not getting me a coffee. Did I mention I'm meeting my mother here for lunch?"
Luke shook his head with an almost frightened smile. "Here's you coffee. You can have it for free if you get her outta here quickly."
"I get it for free anyway."
"What? No you don't."
"I'm sorry, can you bring me a sharper fork? I'm not sure this one will go all the way through your hand."
"I'll be back in a minute to take your order."
Lorelai narrowed her eyes and threw a spoon at him as he walked away.
"Ha!" she announced triumphantly when it hit his back and clattered to the floor. Her happy bubble was quickly burst when Emily walked into the diner.
"Why are you throwing cutlery in a public place?" she asked, mortified.
"Uh, 'cause I feel stupid doing it at home?"
Emily just stood there, gazing at her daughter as if she were from another planet. Eventually Lorelai got sick of it and glanced at the chair opposite her. "So, you gonna sit?"
Emily nodded "Oh, yes, of course." She took a look at the seat and pulled out a tissue to wipe it clean, before she sat down. "There we go. Well, this is nice. You certainly can see the whole town from here, can't you?"
Lorelai nodded suspiciously. "Yes, you can."
"I can see why you come here so much. It must be fun to just sit and people-watch. Well, let's see what they've got, shall we?" she opened her diner as Lorelai looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Oh, Caesar salad – is that good here?"
Lorelai shrugged. "Uh, I'm sure it is."
"You've never had it?" Lorelai shook her head. "Has Rory?" Lorelai shook her head again. "Oh. Well, Caesar salads can be extremely unsafe if they use bad eggs."
Lorelai shrugged. "Get something else."
Emily continued to speak as if Lorelai had stayed silent. "Of course, if they're coddled, it would be fine. Do you know if they coddle the eggs here?"
"I have no idea."
"You don't know? You come here every day."
"Trust me, we don't come here for the salads. Why don't you ask Luke if they're coddled?"
"Oh, he'll just say they are. I'll have a Cobb salad. What are you going to have?"
Lorelai shrugged. "Uh, honestly, I'm a little confused."
"About what?"
"About this."
"What's confusing? We're having lunch."
"I know we're having lunch, but we don't usually have lunch, especially not in my town at Luke's Diner."
"I just figured you had to work, it'd be easier on you this way."
"Okay, that's fine, if I – " but she was cut off with Luke walking over to the table.
"You two ready to order?"
"Yes. A Cobb salad and an iced tea."
He wrote it down and looked to Lorelai.
"Cheeseburger, fries, onion rings and a cherry coke."
"Any pie today?"
Lorelai tilted her head, thinking. "Hm, no thanks."
"Cutting back a little, huh? Trying to look good for the big day. Smart, very smart."
"Oh, someone's gonna be very lonely Friday night, seeing as no one will want to look at him after he's checked the oil with his face."
Luke shot her a look and walked away.
"What was that all about?"
Lorelai hesitated. She knew she should tell her mother about her new relationship, but they hadn't even opened up to their friends in town, let alone Lorelai's very judgmental mother. "Ah, nothing, just a little small town charm. Now, please, Mom, tell me – why did you ask me to lunch?"
Emily paused, wondering whether she should wait it out, or just be upfront. "I talked to Christopher." When Lorelai didn't comment, she continued on. "I called him last week, we talked for a very long time, and I have to tell you, he is not in love with that woman."
Lorelai sighed. "Oh, my god."
"He never came out and said it, but I could tell from his voice. He would much rather be with you and Rory. I think you need to talk to him. All he needs is to hear that you want this, too."
"Mom, what the hell are you doing calling Christopher?"
"Well, somebody had to."
"No, somebody didn't have to! And, anyway, I don't want this, too. I'm happy with Rory and L – the town. I love the way I live and I don't wanna change anything!"
"Oh, I certainly wasn't going to just sit by and watch this situation explode. You two belong together. It took you years to figure that out, and now that you finally have it, you can't let it go away just because of a little complication."
Lorelai rolled her eyes. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she knew she could talk until she was blue in the face and her mother still wouldn't hear her.
"I have to go." She announced, pushing her chair out and standing. She looked up to Luke and offered a small smile. "Dinner." She said to him, before offering her mother a glare and walking out.
XXX
Later that day Lorelai called the diner telling Luke that as much as she wanted to have dinner with him, she didn't want to go into the diner after the fight she'd had with her mother that afternoon. He told her not to worry, that'd he'd get Jess and Caesar to close up, and he'd be over at seven.
It was now 6:45.
"Oh, Lu-uke!" called a voice from one of the tables by the window.
Luke rolled his eyes. Miss Patty had been trying to talk to him since she walked in with Babbette forty-five minutes ago. They had taken up residence at the table Lorelai and Rory usually sat at for dinner and seemed determined to sit there until he bit the bullet and spoke to them.
Sighing in defeat, knowing that he couldn't put it off anymore because it was only the two women and Kirk in the diner, he walked over with the coffee pot.
"Coffee?" he asked politely, hoping that they'd go easy on him.
No such luck.
"Now, tells us, Lucas. What exactly is goin' on between you and Lorelai?" asked Babbette in her usual rasp.
Luke shrugged. "What do you mean?" Maybe feigning ignorance would help?
It didn't.
They gave him slightly condescending looks. "Honey, please." Drawled Miss Patty.
Luke sighed. "What do you want to know?"
The two town gossips looked at each other excitedly. "Tell us everything!"
"Everything what?" Luke asked, beginning to get annoyed. He wasn't sure exactly what they wanted, or what they already knew.
"I saw you go over there Sat'd'y night, which is movie night. You were still there when me an' Morey went to bed at 11. an' when I get up at 3 to let Apricot in, your truck was still there."
Luke shrugged. "We were watching movies and I fell asleep on the couch."
Miss Patty and Babbette shared knowing glances. "Okay, honey. We'll take that coffee, now. Thanks."
Luke poured them their coffee and walked back to the counter. As he stood there counting receipts he couldn't help but notice the excited whispers coming from their table.
XXX
"Hey, Luke?"
"Mmm?"
"Rory's not coming home tonight." She whispered, not moving her head off his shoulder, but taking hold of his hand softly.
Luke tilted his head toward her slightly. "Really?"
Lorelai nodded and looked up at him, her eyes full of desire. "What ever shall we do?" she asked, biting her bottom lip and gazing at his lips.
Luke shifted and shrugged, cupping her face with his left hand. "Not a clue." He murmured.
Their heads tilted forward simultaneously, their lips on centimeters apart, their hearts racing in anticipation, when someone knocked on the front door.
"Gah!" Lorelai yelled in frustration. "Hold that thought." She whispered, kissing Luke lightly.
He nodded and shakily ran his hands down his thighs and over his knees.
Lorelai smirked and walked to the door quickly and flung it open to see Christopher standing there, a worried look on his face. She tried to fling it shut just as quickly, but he stuck his foot in between it and the jamb.
"Lor, I need to talk to you."
"Chris, what are you doing here?"
"You won't return my calls!"
"You have to go."
"I'm not going until you talk to me."
Lorelai glanced behind her to the lounge, where she could see Luke. She knew he could hear, so she pushed Christopher out the door and pulled it shut behind her. She crossed her arms across her chest defensively.
"Why won't you call me back?"
"Hey, there couldn't be a worst time to have this conversation."
"Really, because it seems to be the only time to have this conversation."
"Look, go home, okay? I promise I will talk to you tomorrow."
"Well, sure, I believe that. But, you know what hits me the hardest, Lor? You keeping Rory from me."
Lorelai uncrossed her arms in anger. "What?"
"I never, ever thought you'd do that."
"I'm not keeping Rory from you."
"Oh really? Then why hasn't she called me back, huh? I mean, no matter where you and I have been in our lives, my daughter has always called me back – until now."
"She didn't call you back because she didn't want to. I had nothing to do with it. You promised her. You promised her at Sookie's wedding that this - us - was going to work, that you were going to be there, you promised her.
"She's gotta understand-"
"Chris, she always understands. When she was three and you didn't show up at that park in Hartford she understood. She's never wanted anything from you. Never! And the one time she lets her guard down, you break her." They were silent for a few moments when Lorelai quietly said, "you need to leave, right now."
He opened his mouth to object when the front door opened. "Christopher, I think you'd better go now."
He looked between Luke and Lorelai and understanding hit. "Oh, I understand. You doesn't need me because he's around. You know what Lorelai? I thought that what happened hurt you, but I can see now that it didn't really. I'll be around when you're done with this one."
With tears I her eyes, Lorelai pointed down the front steps and to his bike. "Leave now, please." She whispered, before pushing past Luke and into her house.
I was nearly gonna make Luke hit him, but I'm biding my time... It'll happen, don't you worry bout THAT!
