Two weeks before the wedding everything was planned and Lorelai was starting to feel calm about it. She wanted to be there already, to wear a pretty dress and tell the whole world that she loved Luke and not just because they had the twins but because he was Luke, her Luke.
She was lost in thought day dreaming about the honeymoon Luke had promised her. He was taking her away for three nights and two days just the two of them and she had no idea where. Sookie had agreed to come stay in her house and look after her kids. She had no problems leaving Rory with Sookie, she was 17 and had been able to take care of herself for longer than Lorelai admitted. She was worried about leaving Sookie with two one year olds who had found their feet and made it their mission to get into trouble in any way they could. Lorelai had been making it her mission to be spending as much time with Sookie and the babies as she could to help them become more familiar with each other.
The only thing getting in their way was the closer the wedding got the more often Emily called to check on details big and small. All things Lorelai herself had long sorted but there was no way her mother trusted her to plan her own wedding.
That morning Lorelai was sat in her kitchen daydreaming with Sookie and the boys making noise in the living room that she was vaguely aware of. Sookie was about to be very busy making sure the food at her wedding was the best food she had ever made so she had given herself some time off first and was spending most of her time with Lorelai. As she talked about Lorelei's wedding she couldn't help but think of her own.
"Lorelai!" Lukes voice called out throughout the house snapping Lorelai out of her daydream.
"Luke?" Lorelai called back confused why he was home so early, she stood from where she was sitting and walked towards the door to meet him.
"The home called," He said confusing her further, "Uncle Louie died." He clarified.
It took Lorelai a moment to realise who Uncle Louie was, "your dads brother?"
Luke nodded and Lorelai rushed to him wrapping him in a hug, "Oh Luke, I'm so sorry." She said.
Luke leant into her hug, "I need to organise the funeral." He said, he knew the timing wasn't good but he had to do this for his uncle, for his dad.
Lorelai nodded, "we'll do it together."
Luke nodded again, he didn't say anything, he didn't have to, he was glad to have someone he could always rely on.
"What do we need to do?" Lorelai asked leading him towards the kitchen.
"Where are the boys?" Luke asked suddenly realising they weren't with her and it was too early for their nap still.
"Living room. With Sookie."
As if called by her name Sookie arrived in the doorway of the kitchen, "Everything ok?" She asked seeing Luke in the kitchen with Lorelai. Lorelai had said she was going to get a coffee 10 minutes ago.
Lorelai nodded and looked at Luke she wasn't sure if he wanted her to tell Sookie, he nodded.
"Lukes uncle died. We've got a funeral to plan."
"Oh," Sookie said she was clearly uncomfortable, "Im sorry Luke."
"Thanks Sookie." Luke said already lost in thought.
"I can help with the kids if you want." Sookie offered, "trial run for your honeymoon."
"Thanks Sookie." Lorelai smiled at her then stood up and walked into the living room with her leaving Luke at the table thinking about who he had to talk to and what he needed to do.
"I want to help him with everything I can." Lorelai explained to Sookie the they got into the living room, "I don't want to ask to much of you but ill owe you forever."
"I'm happy to help." Sookie assured her.
After checking on the boys briefly Lorelai went back into the kitchen. By the time she returned Luke was in full planning mode. He had started writing down a list of everyone he needed to speak to.
"What's this?" Lorelai asked sitting down next to him and looking at the page he was writing on.
"Mainly family, people I need to invite, Ill have to speak to Mia about rooms at the Inn. The reinactors, Ill have to speak to them. They live for this kind of stuff, vets funerals."
"Ok." Lorelai nodded, "and what about Louie?" She knew he didn't live close by, he did have a place at their wedding though, something she would have to fix.
"The home sent him to a funeral home in Florida, I've got their number I need to get him sent up here. He's getting buried next to my dad. Its what my dad wanted. Close as anything."
"Ok, do you want me to phone them?" She offered, she wanted to do anything to help.
"Ill do it." He smiled at her grateful she would offer, "then I need to start calling family."
"Ok." Lorelai smiled back at him. She gave him a quick kiss and then he stood up and grabbed the phone.
"Ill be in the living room incase you need me." She said giving him one last kiss before going to sit with Sookie and the boys.
"Mama." Will and Logan both said at the same time each holding a different toy for her to play with.
Lorelai laughed lightly at the image and sat with Sookie.
"Mama!" Logan said louder walking over to Lorelai and hitting her with the truck he held in his hands as if Lorelai had just not noticed him. Will sat back down, he didn't always demand attention as much as Logan did. Their individual personalities were really starting to shine now they were almost one. Lorelai swore that Will was just like Luke.
"What is it, mamas boy?" Lorelai asked him.
"Car!" He held out the truck he was holding, everything with wheels was a car to him, be it a bike, an airplane or an actual car.
"Yes baby," Lorelai picked him up and placed him on her lap, "a rubbish truck." She clarified for him as she ran it up and down her leg.
"How's Luke?" Sookie asked.
"Hes making calls. He seems alright. Organising family."
Sookie nodded and placed her attention back to the twins, "I think they like me." She decided and Lorelai agreed.
Half an hour later Luke came storming into the room. "I can't do it anymore!" He raged.
Lorelai stood up from where she sat on the ground helping Will with a very simple puzzle. "What's going on?" She asked going to meet Luke.
Luke shoved the page he had been writing on at Lorelai. She looked down and saw most of the names were crossed out.
Lorelai led him into the kitchen away from the babies who were both staring at their parents.
"This is good." She assured him, "you've got through most of them."
"None of them are coming." Luke said pointing at the page.
"What do you mean. None of them?"
"Not one. Lame excuse after lame excuse. Its family. That's what you do for family. You show up."
"Im sorry Luke." She rubbed his back she wasn't sure what she could do, "What about Louie have you sorted that yet?"
"Yeah that's fine. They are shipping him to Hartford. That's fine. How could they not come?" He looked directly into Lorelai as if expecting an answer from her that would justify their actions.
"I don't know hunny." She rubbed his back, "but we'll all be there." She offered the little support she could.
Luke smiled at her, "I need to call the reinactors, at least they'll be there."
Lorelai nodded and went back into the living room where Sookie stood with Logan in her arms. As soon as he saw her to threw his body in her direction, Sookie was lucky to keep a hold of him.
"I'm back baby." Lorelai said taking Logan off Sookie.
"None of his family are coming." Lorelai explained to Sookie when she sent her a questioning look.
That evening Lorelai explained to Rory what had happened. Rory was concerned and wanted to do anything to help. Lorelai assured her that everything was under control.
The next day Luke went into work, he didn't have much planning to do until Louie was here. The funeral was going to be pretty basic. He knew where he was being buried and that had been easy to organise for a few days from now and as nobody was bothering to show up he had little else to plan. He still hadn't got a hold of any of the reinactors and thought he had a better shot running into them at the diner than he did sitting around at home.
In the early afternoon just as Lorelai had settled the twins down for their nap the house phone starting ringing. She didn't rush to it, figuring it was her mother and she didn't really mind if she missed it. She got to it while it was still ringing and decided to pick up.
It was the funeral home in Hartford and they needed Luke to come down. Lorelai promised he would be there soon and hung up.
She phoned Sookie.
"Hey," she greeted, "I know I'm the worst but are you busy. The funeral home needs Luke and I thought I should go with him and I need to go over and tell him but I've just put the babies down and I don't want to wake them or bring them to a funeral home for that matter." She rambled on.
"Lorelai!" Sookie said loudly down the phone, "its fine. I wasn't doing anything, ill be over in 5." She assured her.
Sookie was over soon and Lorelai apologised to her again and assured her that they would probably be asleep the whole time and offered Sookie anything from their kitchen before leaving. This was a more genuine offer than it would have been a year ago when her kitchen was always empty. Now she lived with Luke she actually had real food in her kitchen.
She rushed out the door and drove over to Luke's, she knew that Luke had walked that morning as his truck was still outside the house and she thought it would be useful to have a car there so they could go straight to Hartford.
Luke greeted her with a kiss when she walked in as he always did, "by yourself?" He asked her, it was rare she got out of the house or into the diner without babies in tow.
"Sookie is with them," Lorelai assured him, "again." She added feeling bad that she was taking advantage of her friends good nature.
Luke walked over to the kitchen to collect food and brought it to a table, when he turned he expected Lorelai to be sitting at a table or the counter but she still just stood in the doorway where he had left her. "What's up?" He asked her going back to her side and looking in her face to make sure she was ok, she always revealed her true emotions in her eyes.
"The funeral home called. In Hartford, they've got Louie but they wanted to talk to you, something about the coffin. I said we'd come down to speak to them."
"Ok." Luke nodded then looked around the packed diner, "can it wait maybe half an hour, its busy in here and I don't want to leave them high and dry." He referred to his workers.
Lorelai nodded and took a seat at the only empty table, in the back where she could watch the coming and goings of the diner, and more importantly watch Luke as he worked. This was something she liked to do even before they got together although she was more willing to admit to it now than she ever would have been.
"Just a coffee please." She said to Luke who was looking at her expectantly obvious expecting her to ask for something.
Luke nodded and brought her her coffee without any protest. Lorelai knew this was because he had a lot on his mind and just smiled at him as she started to sip her coffee.
Eventually Luke came over to her and told her he was good to go. They went outside and Lorelai held out the keys for her jeep to him. She wasn't exactly sure why but whenever they went anywhere he drove, she didn't mind it. She knew today as they were going to see his dead uncle that he needed the distraction as much as ever.
They drove to Hartford in a comfortable silence only broken a few times. Once they got to the funeral home Luke didn't get out of the car straight away.
"Hey," Lorelai said softly taking his hand across the seats, "you've got this."
Luke looked at her for a few seconds then nodded and got out of the car. Lorelai followed his lead and got out too coming around the car and taking his hand again. They walked in hand in hand.
Once they were inside it was explained to him that while Louie had no problem fitting in the coffin the long list of things that had been sent with him wasn't having such luck.
"How much is he being buried with?" Lorelai whispered to Luke as they were brought back to be shown the problem in person.
"I don't know exactly but I know it'll be everything he ever thought was valuable to him."
They were lead into the room that held Louie in an open casket and Luke was given the list of things that Louie had requested. "Its all in there now, let me know what you want to do." The funeral director said before dismissing himself and leaving the room.
"Let me see that." Lorelai took the list, it was long, "ok," she said, "I'm sure we can make this work." She looked at the coffin and say the items that were in the way of it closing, "we just need to move a few things around a bit."
Lorelai directed Luke on where and how to move almost everything in the coffin. They tried and they tried but they could not get it to close.
"That's it!" Luke snapped "Other people would've loved to have had those baseball cards. I would've loved to have those baseball cards. He's got Lou Gehrig's rookie card, Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, tons of others but no! My uncle, King Tut, has to take all of them to the afterlife with him!" Lukes voice was rising and Lorelai stood there letting him get it all out, "I'm done, I've had it. From now on, it's just the bare minimum and that's it. Dig a big hole and just dump the casket in unlatched. If stuff falls out, fine. Just pile on enough dirt and make sure nothing's showing!"
"You don't mean that and you know it." Lorelai told his running her hand across his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him, "I know its hard but it all has to be dealt with."
"I know." Luke sighed calming down, "Ill deal with it. Ill have to deal with it."
They walked out of the room and arranged with the funeral director to get back to him about what was going to be done.
They got in the car but Luke didn't drive, he just sat in the car with his eyes closed and his head back.
After a few minutes Lorelai broke the silence between them, "are you ok?" She asked him squeezing his hand.
"I just want to sit here a few minutes." Luke said holding onto her hand tightly, "I just want to sit here with you for a few minutes."
"As long as you need baby." Lorelai sat holding his hand until he was ready to drive.
"Why don't you come home with me once we get back to Stars Hallow." Lorelai suggested on the drive back, not sure he should be working at the moment.
"Im fine." Luke said, "besides I haven't seen Taylor or any of those stupid reinactors all morning, you'd think they were avoiding me."
"Now why would they want to do that?" Lorelai teased, "you've always been so lovely to them and about them."
"Hey I can't help if they're a bunch of morons! But they do vets funerals. And Louie was a ww2 vet so they will do his funeral." Luke said with finality in his voice.
When they got back to Stars Hallow Luke brought Lorelai back to the house and left the jeep there walking back to the diner.
Lorelai went inside to see Sookie snacking and watching tv.
"Still asleep." She reported to Lorelai when she heard the door open and close.
Lorelai flopped down next to her on the sofa and starting eating her snacks with her. "Funerals are no fun." She said sounding defeated.
"I don't think they are suppose to be." Sookie reasoned.
Lorelai and Sookie stayed watching tv and chatting lightly until the babies woke up. Sookie offered to stay and help but Lorelai told her she had done too much for them already and they parted ways.
Lorelai kept her sons entertained until her daughter returned home from school.
Rory created Lorelai with a kiss on the cheek and told her about her day. She then asked Lorelai about her day.
Lorelai told Rory the whole story about Luke's uncle and what he wanted and that Luke was quite upset about it.
Luke returned home at dinner time as he almost always did, unless he couldn't get someone to cover the diner.
"I have to go to the town meeting tonight." He announced over dinner.
Lorelai and Rory looked at him funny, they both knew how much he hated town meetings. While Rory still sometimes went with other people Lorelai hardly ever went now because it wasn't an appropriate place to bring babies and it often ran into their bedtimes.
"The town meeting?" Lorelai asked slowly like she had misheard him.
"Yes. I haven't been able to get a hold of any of the reinactors and its the last thing I need to do before the funeral. They'll all be there. They are always there."
"Ill go with you." Rory offered.
Luke smiled at her, "you don't have to. I know how soul crushing these things can be."
"No, I want to. I love town meetings, I haven't been to one in ages."
"Ok." Luke nodded, "thanks."
Lorelai smiled at her sweet daughter and when it was time for them to leave she kissed them both on the cheek and watched them go before starting to get the babies ready for bed. They needed a bath so this is where she started.
Will loved the bath, he loved everything about it. He'd squeal happily when Lorelai told them it was time for a bath, he loved getting in a bath, he loved staying in the bath, the only thing he hated was leaving the bath. Of course it couldn't be so easy to have two babies who both loved the bath. Logan hated it with a passion. He often screamed the whole way through it. Lorelai tried to make Logans baths as short as possible which is why bath time was usually a two man job. Someone would make sure Logan was in and out as quickly as possible and someone else would stay in the bathroom with Will playing in the bath water with him until the water turned cold. That wasn't possible today so Lorelai decided to wash them both quickly and bribe Will to get out with his favourite toy and a treat.
Rory and Luke sat through a long and boring town meeting in Lukes opinion, Rory thought it was as entertaining as usual. At the end Luke tried to get the attention of any of the reenactors but they all rushed out in a group, he was sure now that they were avoiding him.
He chased them in the street and caught up to them. The group eventually stoped and turned to him. "What is it, Luke?" Taylor asked reluctantly.
"What do you mean, what is it? My Uncle Louie's funeral is tomorrow afternoon and I haven't heard from any of you. The man was a World w*r II veteran, that's what you reenactor freaks do you go to vet's funerals, so you're gonna be there, right?"
They started arguing amongst themselves about who should have talked to Luke until Luke snapped, "talk to me about what?"
"We don't want to go to Louies funeral." Taylor admitted.
They each started telling their own terrible story about Louie.
"Ok, stop." Luke cut them off, "This man was my uncle, okay, and a war veteran. He deserves a veteran's funeral, but hey, if you guys are too lazy to show up, then." He threw his hands up in the air.
They started complaining about him again and Luke stopped listening. He stormed off.
Rory ran behind him to catch up, "Im sorry Luke. Those guys were jerks."
"Forget it." Luke dismissed, "I don't need those guys."
They stormed the rest of the way home Luke in an awful mood.
When they got back home Lorelai had already put the babies to bed and was waiting in the living room for them with the tv on.
"You get your reenactors?" She asked as they came in the door.
"No." Luke said bitterly, "look I'm really tired, I think I'm going to go to bed." With that he kissed Lorelais forehead and went up the stairs.
"Ok hon," Lorelai called after him, "get some rest."
"What happened?" Lorelai asked Rory once Luke was out of earshot.
"They don't want to come. They said none of them liked him and that he was never nice to them."
"So they're jut not going to come?" Lorelai asked. It didn't sit well with her and she barely concentrated on the movie that her and Rory started watching.
About half way through she stood up, "stay here, if Luke comes down just tell him I went to see Sookie or something and keep an eye on your brothers ok?"
"Mum where are you going?" Rory asked confused.
"I'm going to fix this." Lorelai said simply and went out the door.
She returned home just under an hour later. She had gone to each reenactors house one by one and refused to leave until they agreed to show up and do their thing.
"Its done. They're all coming." Lorelai said proudly when she returned, she was now exhausted.
"How?" Rory asked shocked, they had all seemed very against the idea when she saw them talking to Luke.
"Never underestimate the persuasive powers of Lorelai Danes." She said before saying goodnight to Rory and going to bed herself.
The next morning Luke woke up and knew there were things he needed to get sorted. The first thing he did was phone the funeral director and ask him to switch Louie to a larger coffin. He got a call back 40 minutes later to confirm it was done and that the coffin closed, first time. He then called the hearse he had organised and checked they were still on schedule. He had closed the diner for the day, one less thing to worry about.
He spent the day stressing until it was time to go to the funeral. It was just Lorelai, Will, Logan and Luke at the funeral. As Louie was being lowered into the ground he thought that this wasn't right. He had done everything he could he knew that but Louie deserved more, even if he was a little grumpy at times.
Just as these thoughts were occurring to him the reenactors walked over the hill and gave him a military send off.
Luke looked between Lorelai and Rory shocked, they each held a swimming baby in their arms and he wasn't sure which one of them had done this.
"All her." Rory replied to Lukes questioning look.
"Thank you." He said sincerely.
"Its what your dad wanted." Lorelai said simply.
"Thank you." He said again then focussed his attention back on the rest of the funeral.