A/N Thank you to all who have read and reviewed. I hope you enjoy the chapter, yes, Chris is here for a visit and clueless as ever. Don't forget who Christopher works for.

I own nothing.

Ch 39 Consequences

Lorelai cringed with that voice, but when she looked at Luke he had the same look on his face that he had since they'd come downstairs.

The thought flew through her mind that Luke had seen Chris when they had descended the stairs and the diner had cheered.

Is that why he wasn't as embarrassed as he usually was? She narrowed her eyes at Luke and he just grinned back at her.

Lorelai turned around. "Hey Chris, I didn't know you were going to be in town today." She was leaning against the counter holding her coffee to go.

"Yeah Emily asked me to help her pick up that hat rack Trix gave her. Some major fun ahead on the horizon, eh? I'm surprised that Trix is heading over here, I mean Rory's graduation isn't for two more years."

Christopher grinned stupidly at her and Lorelai realized that he didn't know Luke and Lorelai were engaged. The night of the disaster her mom called a Friday night dinner no one was talking at all. She was sure that Emily wouldn't have offered up this info and Rory hadn't made any attempt to contact her dad since the time before in November.

"Crap, I forgot today's the day mom's picking that thing up. How're you helping her, you have a motorcycle."

"Oh, I changed that in for a Volvo station-wagon. It'll easily fit in the back."

Lorelai is looking at him warily. A Volvo isn't his type of car. Why would he have given up the motorcycle?

Luke looked at Christopher and very pointedly said, "It's a Monday afternoon, aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Well, my employer is very understanding and there's lots of flex time." Chris is looking at Lorelai while he is saying this and Lorelai is well aware that Christopher's employer is not understanding of slackers. Even with this knowledge, she can't help but smile.

"Let's get to the inn and pick that monstrosity up. The sooner you take it the sooner Emily leaves my workplace." Lorelai turned towards Luke and sets her coffee on the counter. Then she put one hand behind his neck and grabbed the front of his shirt with the other and pulled him in for a very passionate kiss. The diner cheered around them again.

Luke was starting to get lost in this kiss when Lorelai broke it and whispered in his ear.

"You saw Chris was here when we came downstairs didn't you? Well, since you don't mind him knowing you staked your claim, let me make sure all the women here know as well." She grinned wickedly.

Luke grabbed her hand and lowered his voice. "I'm sorry Lorelai I got caught up in the day; it really wasn't about marking territory. I had an idea that there were people down here when we were in the middle of it all, but I love hearing you get so excited, I decided I didn't care."

Then he got that little boy devilment look in his eyes again. "Seeing Christopher was an added bonus."

Lorelai kissed his hand, "It's fine."

"We're good?" Luke looked at her concerned.

"Oh, babe, we're so far above good, that heaven is just around the corner." Lorelai grinned wickedly.

"I think we got a glimpse this morning. Call me when the dweeb leaves." He leaned over and kissed her quickly on the cheek and he winked at her.

That wink always melted her insides.

"The very second," she whispered.

She picked up her coffee and led Christopher out the door. "Do you want me to drive you over to the inn?" Christopher asked.

"No, I drove my Jeep over, so I'll just meet you there."

"Oh, OK, but Lor, could we talk before Emily gets there?"

"We might have a few minutes after we get that thing out of my office; if so we can have something to drink in the dinning hall." With that Lorelai got into her Jeep and took off.

After they loaded the hat-rack into Christopher's car they went into the dinning hall where John brought Lorelai out a water with lemon and addressed Christopher, "May I bring you something sir?"

"Yeah, a coffee and bring one for my companion as well."

John looked quizzically at Lorelai who shook her head. "Christopher, John has brought what I want. If you want coffee, that's fine."

Christopher looked at Lorelai and shook his head, "Lor, I came into the diner just as you and that hash-slinger were heading upstairs I thought it was an office or something. Little did I know it was the local bordello? What has this place done to you? You engaged in meaningless sex so all the town can hear; you let that caveman dictate what you can do. Now you're even off coffee. What's happened to you? Let me take care of you Lor, I'm very responsible now."

Lorelai is sitting here in amazement that Christopher is actually verbalizing these thoughts. "Christopher, I'm really sorry that you had to hear Luke and me. The timing was unfortunate. I'm not engaging in meaningless sex, you know that Luke and I have been together for going on seven months now. That's longer than you and I were together. Luke never dictates what I can or can't do. He supports me and I love him. He denies me nothing. Now, if there's something you wanted to talk about concerning Rory then I'll discuss that, anything else is off limits. Got it?"

"Rory is my concern Lor. Here you are with this man who could potentially harm her psyche if he stayed over. Then what happens when you break up with him? Everyone knows you haven't had a stable relationship with any man since me. I'm concerned for what'll happen to her."

Lorelai had been feeling sorry for Christopher, because she knew how she would feel if she and Luke split up and the tables were turned. She wanted to die just at the pretend thought of Luke with another woman; it tore at her heart. Then she thought about how Luke would feel hearing this crap and she had to address it, even if it hurt Christopher.

"Chris, if Rory was such a concern of yours why haven't you contacted her since we saw you in November? Why did you let your dad rip her heart in two and who stepped up to defend her? Oh yeah, that would be Luke. What did you get Rory for Christmas? A bookshelf you made by hand? No, again, that would be Luke! What did you get Rory for her birthday, or Christmas? Something invisible? Cause I haven't seen either one!"

"You want to talk about stable relationships? How about the one you're supposed to have with your daughter? For the last fifteen years I've been here, never moved, never changed employers. Here Chris. How many times have you seen your daughter during those last fifteen years? I can count them on one hand. Do you know how many times Luke has seen Rory for the past five years? Every single day! Rory's relationship with Luke is solid, and while we aren't breaking up, if we did it wouldn't affect his relationship with her, because he loves her for herself. That is the reason I hadn't dated seriously before, because until Luke each man I met treated Rory as an afterthought, a consequence of dating her mother, sad to say, even her own father. But Luke loves her for who she is and sees it as a joy to be there for her."

"Hey Lor, that's not fair, he came into her life when he was established. I was just a kid! It's taken a while for me to find my foothold, but I've got it now. I can take care of your needs. Let me try again, please?"

"No Chris! I was the same age as you and I had to find a life for Rory and myself and I did! It didn't take me sixteen years, I did it in two. Luke's had to step up in his family as well, from the time he was eighteen. He's had to take care of his dad, his sister and his nephew as well as all of his employees and he didn't like it all the time, but he, like me, stepped up and did it. Where were you?"

At this moment Emily comes marching across the dinning room, "Great, just the last straw I need." Lorelai muttered.

"Hey Mom, Chris has the hat-rack loaded into the station wagon and you're all set. Luke and I'll see you on Friday. Jess and Rory have a Chilton conflict and will be there for dessert." Lorelai started to walk away as Emily called her back.

"Lorelai, it's very bad manners not to invite your guest for a drink at least." Emily sniped.

"Mom, you came to take back a gift you had given me for Christmas a few years ago. We're at my place of work and not my home; I'm thinkin' I hit every point on Miss Manner's book of Etiquette but while you're here, why don't you tell Christopher the reason for Gran's trip from London next month?" With that Lorelai went into her office, locked her door, sat with her head in her hands and sighed.

Chris looked at Emily as Lorelai retreated to her office. "Is there a reason Trix's coming over Emily? Are you and Richard celebrating a special anniversary?"

"Oh, Christopher, grow up. Lorelai and that lumberjack are getting married next month. That's why my mother-in-law is coming to this continent. She would hardly be one to celebrate any milestone in my marriage." Emily was furious and Christopher happened to be the one in her path at the moment so she laid into him.

"See what happens when you sit on your laurels Christopher? Things slip through your fingers. You have expectations of things, know things are supposed to be a certain way and without diligence they change before your eyes. Lorelai should have married into Hartford society, but you were too weak-willed for her and let her talk you out of getting married. Well, now you're reaping what you sowed. Learn to live with it Christopher, because this is all your own doing." Even though Emily was talking to Christopher she wasn't sure if she wasn't speaking of repercussions in her own life as well.

Emily stalked off to her car as Christopher was left standing in the lobby. "Lor's getting married?" The thought of it was unfathomable. She was his, not anyone else's and certainly not that diner guy. He had to find a way to stop it, when was Trix getting here? At least a month, maybe he could use Rory to help him, she certainly couldn't want her mom to marry anyone except her dad. All kids want that, right? Right now he had to deliver that fugly hat-rack to Emily, but then he'd figure out what to do.

As this little drama was being played out, Lorelai picked up her office phone and called Luke's.

"Luke's pleasure palace."

In the background she heard Luke scream at Caesar, "Caesar, get off that damn phone before I fire your ass. Don't answer it again, ever!" She heard Luke wrestle the phone from Caesar as she was overtaken by peals of laughter.

"Oh, babe, have you been dealing with this since I left?" Lorelai was able to choke out.

She heard the smile in his voice, "Yeah, I'm now learning to live with the consequences of my actions this morning. But with the benefits I received I'll make do."

"So, no regrets?"

"Only that we didn't have more time." The softness of his voice rippled through her spine.

"Yep, me too. In just a month we will have an entire week to explore the heights we can reach and still remain on this side of heaven."

"I'm counting the days."

"Soooo, from what I understood on Friday the implications are that you know where we're going on our honeymoon."

"You could read that into what I said. Yes."

"And that would be, where?"

"It's supposed to be a surprise."

"But what should I pack?"

"Very little," he growled. She could hear his grin over the phone and she chuckled.

"So no human contact for an entire week?"

"Oh, there'll be plenty of human contact, just with two humans, that's all. Ok, seriously? If you pack one or two nice dresses, preferably short, and two pairs of jeans with t-shirts, bring your cape or an outer-coat and you'd be good."

"You're serious about us staying in bed aren't you?"

Luke lowered his voice, "I'm serious about us staying undressed where we're undressed is a whole different story." He grinned into the phone. Lorelai's breath was suddenly difficult to catch.

"Oh. My," she whispered. She was caught up in the implications of his statement and missed his next question. "What?"

"I asked if everything went smoothly in the hat-rack transfer?" Luke chuckled that he'd unnerved her with just the thought of what they were capable of doing.

"You mean other than getting blindsided that mom was sending Christopher to help her, having Chris think he had a snowball's chance in hell of 'winning me back' and finally having Emily behave as if this were a tea party and her words I swear, I was rude for not inviting my guest for at least a drink."

"Who was the guest? Your mom was picking up a hat-rack she had given you. So not only is she a re-gifter, she's a re-gifter rescinder. What happened with Christopher?"

"Too much to go over on the phone, I'll tell you tonight. Are you making dinner or are we getting carry out?" Once in a while she could convince Luke to get pizza when they were together otherwise she knew Jess would only have wholesome home cooked food.

Luke sighed, "I'm making dinner, however it's going to be here. Caesar asked very nicely if he could go home early and take his girlfriend out for dinner, I didn't have the heart to tell him no. I hope you're OK with that?"

Lorelai laughed. "Yeah babe, I'm fine with it. I wonder if this is another one of those consequences of our actions earlier?"

"That's the feeling I got. I didn't want to inquire further. Plus this means you can share in the wealth of jokes being made at our expense."

:Aw, poor baby. I promise I'll field my share of innuendo although with Rory there I hope they tone it down."

"Man, I forgot about that. I'll make sure they know to keep it quiet when she's around. Man, I'm sorry Lorelai. I forgot all about that. Shit."

"Luke, babe, it's OK, the town is sensitive to that as well, which is one of the reasons I love them. I also love the fact you're concerned more about Rory than you are about yourself. It's also one of the prime reasons I gave to Chris that I'm with you. It's sad that you're more concerned with her than her own father. He apparently was there the entire time, he saw us go up the stairs and not once did he ask what Rory would think about the situation, he was more concerned that the town knew we're having sex."

"Putz. We'll talk more when you get here. Can you stop by later as well? I'll be closing up and could always use the company."

Lorelai grinned, "I can stop by to keep you company, but you have early deliveries and I have class tomorrow night so I have the early shift at work in the morning, so company is all it'll have to remain."

"I take what I can get," he chuckled.

Later the three came into the diner and Luke went over to greet them. Aside from a small cheer when Luke and Lorelai kissed briefly the town was on their best behavior. Luke was able to take a bit of time and sit with them as they all ate. It was during this time Taylor came bursting into the diner. Luke got a huge grin on his face even before Taylor opened his mouth.

"Lucas! What did you do?"

"What do you mean Taylor?" Luke casually stood up and strolled over to Taylor. Rory and Jess were wide eyed at how calm Luke was. Lorelai was shaking her head and chuckling.

"You know what I mean. You bought that building!"

"I did buy a building this morning. Is there something wrong with that?" Luke was milking this for all he was worth and Taylor was getting redder and redder by the second.

"I wanted that building! You had to know I wanted that building, there was a letter of intent attached to it!" Taylor was screaming and Luke had a goofy grin on his face.

"Well, Taylor." Luke started out in a singsong style, "you know what they say about good intentions. The road to hell…"

"Lucas Danes you never wanted that building at all! You just bought it because I wanted it! You're standing in the way of progress!"

Taylor didn't realize it, but he hit Luke's button and off he went. "Taylor, let me tell you about progress! Progress without humanity is not progress it's what's tearing down the goodness of society today! You sit there and think that the almighty dollar is more important than the people who help you put that dollar in your pocket. Well today you got a bit of your own back and if I can save this town from becoming another Pottersville, well then just call me George!"

Luke stalked off into the kitchen and Lorelai looked at Taylor and said, "Ya know Taylor, if I were you, I'd probably hide out for a day or two until Luke takes his superhero cape off and goes back to the flannel."

Taylor just nodded his head as he looked after Luke in wonderment. "I had heard stories, but I didn't believe it. He has changed since he got together with you Lorelai, I'm sure not all for the good. The consequences of his actions are on your head!" Taylor left quickly.

Lorelai had a self-satisfied smile and purred, "You have no idea."

Rory and Jess looked at Lorelai and Rory asked, "Luke bought a building from Taylor?"

"Nope, he bought a building away from Taylor and he was doing it for the greater good of Stars Hollow."

Jess, ever the guy voice, asked, "And to see Taylor's head explode?"

Lorelai threw back her head and laughed, "Yep, and to see Taylor's head explode."