A/N For those who are concerned about Luke, growth is part of the process, Lorelai retired her track shoes, and redemption is part of a healthy relationship. I hope to continue to give you an emotional connection to the characters, even if you don't like them sometimes. Thank you to all who have reviewed and read this story.
I own nothing.
Ch 21 Family
Luke wakes before six a.m. with Lorelai still in his arms. He remembers the night before when each touch was an absolution of his sin of omission. He mentally kicks himself for not remembering how wonderfully strong and independent Lorelai is; it's one of the things he fell in love with her for. To forget this even with the good intention of easing her life, devalues who she is and what she has accomplished.
As another bit of penance he kisses her neck just above her collarbone and her body responds with a small sigh. He knows he should let her sleep, but this sigh has awakened his desire. He picks another sensitive spot and kisses her as he applies a little suction and gets a small moan as his reward. He continues his gentle awakening of her body with a kiss here, a touch there, before her mind can catch up.
She is riding towards a very large release when she wakes with a loud moan calling his name. Her eyes spring wide open and Luke catches her scream in his mouth. Before she is able to fully recover from this crescendo Luke joins with her and she is rapidly gaining momentum again.
When they both lay still Lorelai catches her breath, "Oh my God, what a way to wake up in the morning. What has gotten into you Danes?" She says with a smile as she caresses his cheek.
"I was just aware of how thankful I am and I wanted to let you know how much I love you." Luke said as he held her to him.
"Glad to say I got the memo," Lorelai laughs, "Do I even want to know what time it is? It still looks dark outside."
"It's around seven now," Luke confesses, "the sun should be up soon. Would you like some coffee and breakfast?"
Lorelai laughed, "For you to have willingly offered coffee means that you are feeling guilty for something. What time was it when you started your wake up call?"
"Probably around six-thirty or so," Luke started to get out of bed when Lorelai's voice stopped him.
"Lucas Buech Danes in all the months we have engaged in this lovely activity, never in all that time have you been one to hurry through anything and now you are telling me that in less then half an hour you accomplished bringing me to a climax twice? Are we going for a world record or are you shaving your time sir?"
"OK, maybe it was closer to six o'clock. Would pancakes make up for it?" Luke looked at her sheepishly.
"You really have nothing to make up for babe, but I never turn down pancakes. Let me get showered and dressed. Should we wake Rory now or bring some back?"
"Well, you probably should put something on, but as far as going out I thought I'd make them here if that's OK?"
"Your pancakes!?! Absolutely, I love your pancakes! Did you get the ingredients yesterday?"
"Yep, I ran to the store at the corner but all they had was fruit, so we can have blueberry pancakes. They didn't have chocolate chips I'm afraid." Luke couldn't quite look Lorelai in the eye.
"Yeah, I'm not buying it, but blueberry works well too. Well, I'm going to get a shower, unless you're interested in joining me." Lorelai said with a leer.
"How could I turn down such a gentle proposition?" Luke laughed and they went into the bathroom.
Rory woke up to laughter in the other room. For a second she thought she was back at home, it was good to hear her mom and Luke laughing, after yesterday she was concerned. But she knew they'd always have a volatile relationship, even when they're just friends there were days when her mom and she'd go to Weston's for breakfast and Al's for dinner. It never lasted for more than a week, but those days sucked.
After yesterday Rory started to feel a bit more comfortable, at least they're talking when things hit maximum overload, and if she isn't mistaken she smelled food cooking not just coffee. That's probably why she thought she was home Luke hadn't cooked in the suite since he was gone before they got up. Rory got up and scuffed out to the kitchen area in search of coffee.
"Liar," Lorelai laughed, "there are chocolate chips in these pancakes!"
Luke grinned, "I didn't say that I didn't have chocolate chips just that the store didn't have chocolate chips and they didn't. I brought these from home since they could travel without spoiling." He leaned down to kiss her just as she put a large bite in her mouth, "Very attractive Miss Gilmore." And he kissed her anyway.
"All for you babe. Hey Rory, good morning! Did we wake you up? I'm sorry, we're trying to be quiet then Luke told me he didn't have chocolate chips and it turns out he's a big liar!"
Lorelai was way too awake for this time of the morning and Rory knew this. "OK, so how long have you been awake mom?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"For a while," Lorelai answered with a glint in her eyes, "but since you're awake now Luke will tell me what our choices are for today. He wanted you to be able to have equal say, bah!"
"Well thank you Luke, I think I'm going to need a few cups of coffee to catch up with mom before I answer anything. But what're the options?"
"Well, there's always the fall back standard of more shopping." He looked pointedly at Lorelai.
"Yea!" She raised both hands above her head.
"Or, we could go ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza, visit the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum which just opened.."
"Oh My God! Think of all the celebrities we could get pictures taken with!" Lorelai was jumping up and down in her seat.
"OR," Luke continued, "We could go to the Museum of Television and Radio…"
"Yes! Like memorabilia of Lucy and Bewitched? That would be awesome!" Lorelai's now clapping her hands as she bounces and Rory's rolling her eyes.
"Or we could go to The American Museum of the Moving Image." Luke finishes and Lorelai jumps out of her chair.
"How did I not know there were so many amazing museums in New York? HOW?" She is starting to pace, "which ones are we going to see Rory? And now there's the added pressure of no shoe shopping, and ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza, I want to do it all, can we?" She looks at Luke as though she has hit her heaven.
Luke laughs, "How about we pick two things to do, since we're also going to the play tonight? Then we'll save the others to do when we come back. I have to be here for two days every other month, so if it works in your schedule we can do more later?"
"How late is the skating rink open? Cause we might be able to do that after the play tonight, I'd love to see the lights and the tree and all the windows in the area lit up. Would that be possible?" Lorelai looked like Rory on Tuesday before Strand's.
Luke laughed, "I think we could do that. Ok, so after the play we go skating, what else? Rory, you pick something."
"Wait, she picked Strand and that depressing musical the other day! Don't I get something?"
"Didn't you do what you wanted yesterday?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, Mom, I get the next pick! I want to see the American Museum of the Moving Images. I think that'd be amazing!"
"Well, I guess that's Okaaay." Lorelai was trying to figure out what was wrong with this, since she really wanted to see that as well. "And I think the final pick should be Luke's since he's been cooped up in the office all this time. So what'd you want to do Hon?"
"Well, they're supposed to have some Red Sox players at Tussaud's so I'd like to go there if you're up for it?"
"That's so cool, I bet they have amazing celebs too. Think Rory, we could take our picture with Madonna and say we had lunch with her!"
"Mom, I think she's probably in costume, so I don't think she'd go to lunch like that."
"Bummer, well we could say we met her anyway!" Lorelai grins wickedly.
"OK, let's get dressed to go and I'll give Jess a call." Luke tries to get them focused.
They all went to The American Museum of the Moving Image first and spent hours walking through old sets and watching bits of movie reels. Lorelai and Rory counted how many of these movies they had seen, they stopped when they reached one hundred.
After the AMMI they went to lunch at a local diner and commented on how it lacked in comparison to Luke's. Lorelai had to order water because the coffee was so bad. "I now know how lucky I am to have my very own coffee provider," she grinned at Luke.
"Good to know where my value lies."
"I told you when we were in Mystic what made it impossible for me to leave and this morning you made that abundantly clear." Rory and Jess had no idea how this simple statement could turn Luke's face ten different shades of red, but knowing Lorelai they could've taken a guess.
After lunch they went to Madam Tussaud's and Lorelai and Rory took pictures with tons of celebrities. Babe Ruth was on tour at New York and Luke refused to take his picture with the Bambino because he blamed him for the Red Sox not winning the World Series for decades. "Luke, you don't believe in curses, right?" Lorelai asked.
"It's the principle of the thing. He left Boston on a sour note and I'm not having my picture taken next to him, end of story."
Luke did allow them to take his picture with Hank Aaron but that was all they could get him to do. "I just want to enjoy the sights do I have to interact with them?"
Luke was starting a rant and Lorelai was going to let it go when a gentleman stepped up to them and asked Luke, "Don't I know you from some where?"
"No, I don't think so, ever been to Stars Hollow, Connecticut?"
"Yes, actually, I have. They have a great diner there where they serve some of the best pie around. Are you the guy that yells at the other guy in the sweater? My wife says it's an act and that you are actually actors, is that why you're in New York?"
"No, I own the diner and I'm here with my family enjoying the city. I'm glad you liked the pie, I make it, but do you mind if you let us enjoy the museum in peace?"
"Oh, sure, sorry, great pie and coffee by the way."
"Thanks," Luke had his head down and said to Lorelai who was about to bust out laughing, "Not a word, not one word or we go home now."
"Yes, Luke. Not one word. Except that maybe we should submit your name to Madam Tussaud's and have a Luke Danes statue made, internationally famous for rants and pie." Lorelai was grinning and Jess and Rory were having a tough time keeping a straight face.
Luke just sighed and guided his small family out of the room. During this time Lorelai noticed that Luke reached for her hand or had his hand on the small of her back most of the day. She didn't know if her awareness of this was heightened because of the wake up call she had received this morning or if Luke was just needing to be more connected to her today after the fight yesterday, but she was finding herself becoming more and more distracted.
By the time they had returned to the suite to change for dinner Lorelai had a firm grip on Luke's hand and practically dragged him into the bedroom telling Jess and Rory they had to change. Barely getting the door closed Lorelai had Luke up against the wall.
"Lorelai, what are you doing, we have to get to dinner?" Luke was amazed to see Lorelai so possessed.
"Your fault, touches, caresses, all day, need you." Lorelai was having trouble concentrating on full sentences and taking off Luke's clothes at the same time.
Luke chuckled and gave into the madness that was unfolding, "Not a problem on my part, let me help. Sorry I didn't realize this was going on, I would have enjoyed it more," as he guided them to the bed.
"Less talking burger boy, pay attention and let's set a new record huh?"
Out in the living room Jess was watching TV as Rory was getting ready. He was thinking about how comfortable the day was. It really felt like a family and when Luke had mentioned that to the jerk at the wax museum Jess felt a pang that he wasn't going to be a part of it for much longer.
He figured that Luke would send him to a boarding school which wouldn't be so bad; he was a loner after all. But just spending these couple of days with Luke and the Gilmore's made him long for a real family.
He sighed and as Rory came out from her room they both heard Lorelai call out "Luke!" and a crash.
"Are they fighting?" Jess asked?
Before Rory could answer they heard Luke, "Oh, God, Lorelai."
Rory sighed, "Turn up the TV, Jess."
"Oh, Jeeze!"
Everyone must have decided to discreetly ignore anything that had happened between the Wax Museum and dinner and they all enjoyed the play immensely. The skating rink was still open and Rory and Lorelai were the only ones who actually went skating. Jess and Luke sat on the sidelines. The rink was only open for another half an hour after the play, but that was enough for the temperature.
After the Plaza the group walked around the center and saw the lights. They went by Bloomingdales and watched the window displays. A street vendor was selling hot chocolate and it took some convincing but Luke bought some for everyone.
While they were walking down the street Rory and Jess were walking in front of Luke and Lorelai and Luke leaned over to whisper, "Do you think Jess likes Rory, I mean in more than a friendly way?"
"For both our sakes you'd better hope not."
"Why? I mean I know she likes Dean, I just think that Jess is as good as Dean, so why should I hope that Jess shouldn't like Rory?"
"Well, do you remember what we talked about on Tuesday night, with Jess going to Chilton? And you said I should make sure that Rory was OK with Jess invading her space?"
"Yes, was she?"
"Well, she does like Jess, more than she is comfortable with since she has a boyfriend."
"But you're not OK with this? You think this Dean is better for her then my nephew?" Luke was starting to get worked up that Lorelai could possibly think that Jess isn't good enough like her mom thinks he isn't good enough.
"No, but I don't expect Dean to live with her in the next three years either."
Luke looked shocked, "Well, of course not!" and pieces began to fit into the puzzle, "Oh, shit."
"Welcome to my nightmare, Alice."
Luke increased his speed until he caught up with Jess and Rory, stepping in front of them he looked at both and said, "No dating for five years!" and strode off.
Rory turned and looked at Lorelai, "MOM!"
"I said nothing it was all his realization; I still stick with the two and a half years." Lorelai ran ahead to catch up with Luke.
"Do I even want to know?" Jess looked at Rory.
"No, trust me on this one."
"Of all of them here, I trust you the most." Jess smiled at Rory and she felt her insides melt. 'Oh I'm in trouble' she thought.