Author's Note: Thank you for the wonderful reviews. A little more L/L action for fellow addicts.
Chapter Five: But I'm reflecting light…
Sunday night had arrived, which meant the elder Gilmores would be arriving at any moment. An ever-charming Natalie was setting the table, despite Lorelai's objections, and an increasingly nervous Jack had confined himself to the kitchen with his father, working out his anxiety on the turkey.
"Jack, the turkey's already dead," his father said gruffly, chopping the cucumbers and carrots for the evening's salad. "I think what they say about horses applies to poultry, too."
"I don't know. Better check Grandma's etiquette book," Jack replied, a tad hostile.
"Jack, your grandmother will love Natalie: she's respectful and polite, and amazing at that small talk thing."
"'Cause God forbid she love her for who she really is, because she's sweet and hilarious and talented. Or just because I love her. That should be enough."
"You love her, huh?"
"Ah jeez," Jack sighed, a phrase picked up from his father in childhood.
Luke just grinned at his son and continued chopping.
"Oh, boys!" came Lorelai's singsong voice from the dining room.
"You think she wants all of us, or just Will and I?" Jack asked, letting the oven door slam shut and setting the timer.
"You two," Rory answered for him, identifying Luke and Jack as the objects of Lorelai's search as the big sister entered the kitchen to grab the water pitcher from the refrigerator.
"What'd you do?"
"Me?" Jack objected, "You're the husband…"
"Mom wants you guys to carry the dining room table outside."
"Why?" Jack asked, since his father was shocked a bit speechless by the absurdity of his wife's mind.
"Because the patio table is too small for all of us," Lorelai answered for herself, entering the kitchen just briefly.
"It's October. Why would we eat outside? It'll be cold by the time we get halfway through the salad."
"We'll skip salad; salads are gross anyway."
Luke sighed as his wife bubbled her way out of the kitchen again, following her after he pulled Jack aside and told him to just keep cooking.
"Lorelai, we're not eating on the back porch."
"Ohh, yes, we are."
"Why?"
"Because I like our back porch. And because I want to see my mom shiver all night."
"And then she'll be miserable and make things worse for Jack and Natalie."
"But… " she pouted.
"Are you ever going to grow up?" Luke asked, resisting the pull of the pout.
"Uhh, no."
He sighed, running a hand through his thinning, graying hair. "Natalie's already set the table nice, and Jack's going crazy in the kitchen. Let's ease his nerves a little bit and just do this night as quick and easy as possible." He held up a hand to stave off the "Dirty!" her lips were forming around. "You know Jack and Emily don't get along at all."
"How can she not love our baby boy?" Lorelai asked, arms crossed over her chest now. "I still don't get that."
"They're very different people. She doesn't like me, either."
"But you suck up."
"To make life easier. Jack believes he shouldn't have to try with his grandmother. And he has a valid point. He's sixteen; he can handle his relationship with his grandma. We just shouldn't make it any harder."
Lorelai sighed in defeat. "I know… I just love torturing my mother. Especially because all we're gonna hear all night is how we shouldn't've let Christopher take Laylee on a Sunday, because Sundays are her days. Can you say 'God complex'?"
"God complex," Luke deadpanned.
She laughed and hit his shoulder.
"Lorelai, we didn't let Laylee go to Boston this weekend: Rory did. She's allowed to do that. She's the mom. But she has to deal with the consequences of that, not us."
"All right, Burger Boy," she smiled, in the tone so often mimicked by their granddaughter. "We'll leave the table how it is."
Sunday nights had come to be the highlights of Richard Gilmore's weeks. It was on those nights that he got to spend one evening in the uninterrupted company of his entire family, from his wife down to his rambunctious great granddaughter, who was as much a puzzle to him as his daughter had been in her youth. He particularly enjoyed Sunday Night Dinners in Stars Hollow, in that home which was filled with the most pure sense of comfort and family Richard had ever encountered. The meals were made with love by his son-in-law and grandson, not by some cook who crafted only for the money. The conversation ranged from the hilariously ridiculous (often supplied by Lorelai or Laylee) to the intellectually stimulating (stemming mostly from Will and Rory) to the passionately intense (sports commentary provided by Luke and the boys).
Retired for about as long as boys had been alive, Richard had come to understand that there were many things more important than business and society; family was the most important of these, the actual people themselves, not the name. This personality shift had its roots before Lorelai and Luke were married, but was influenced mostly by knowledge of the twins' impending arrival. Even now, with memories fading along with hearing, eyesight, and hair, the moment he knew they were on the way remained fresh and clear in his mind.
The early December air was ripe for fresh snow, and Richard was glad he was inside the warm dining room of the Dragonfly Inn instead of out in that chill. He was waiting to have lunch with his daughter, a now weekly appointment since Friday dinners were permanently on hiatus. The entire family had at least been on speaking terms since the months leading up to Luke and Lorelai's April wedding, but no one wanted to push it too far.
She breezed into the room in her Lorelai way, today seeming to glow even more than usual. Gracefully seating herself, she inquired after his well-being with the grin not faltering even once. He was amazed at how much happier she had been even since the wedding over six months previous, with her beloved daughter now once again speaking to her and a new husband to live a life with.
"Okay…" she took a deep breath mid-entrée, setting down her fork for a moment. "I have something important to say."
Richard paused as well, laying aside his fork and turning serious, hoping to God that this was not the other shoe dropping on their relatively peaceful year.
"Alright…"
"Daddy…" she started. He melted. She took another deep breath and placed her hand lightly on her stomach. "Daddy, I'm pregnant."
If he hadn't already set aside the fork, it would've clattered onto the table. He had heard those words before, and they had struck absolute terror into him. This time, though, everything was different.
"Luke wanted to be here to tell you, too, which is why I was a little late. I gave him a few minutes leeway, but he called and said he had a pickle emergency and couldn't make it. Apparently pickles are very important in the diner business…" She trailed off as she met her father's shocked gaze. "Dad, you gotta tell me what you're thinking, or I'm going to start rambling about pickles again…"
"This is amazing," was all Richard could manage, his voice thick with emotion. "How… how far?"
"Sixteen weeks. We're due in early June."
"I… I am so happy for you, Lorelai. Both you and Luke," he told her sincerely, reaching his hand across the table to hers. Over the past year he had been amazed at how easily she spoke in the 'we' form when referring to her life with Luke. " I cannot wait to be a grandfather again."
She smiled, glowing perhaps more vibrantly now that all nervousness was gone. "Well, good, Dad, because there's one more thing I have to tell you about this."
"Oh?"
She squeezed his hand.
"We're having twins."
After a pause to let this knowledge set in, Richard let out a hearty laugh.
"My goodness, Lorelai, but this is wonderful news. Twins! Nicely done, Lucas."
"Dad!" she objected, cheeks actually flushing, pulling her hand away.
He chuckled and picked up his utensil to finish his lunch. They passed the rest of their meal smiling and making easy conversation about the impending arrivals. As they were polishing off dessert, the father-to-be entered the dining room from the entrance behind Lorelai, so that Richard could see him but Lorelai could not. The new husband's eyes genuinely lit up when he spotted his wife, and he made his way over to the table, pausing to kiss his wife quickly before shaking his father-in-law's hand and greeting him.
"Did you tell him?" Luke asked quietly of Lorelai. She nodded, and he grinned.
"I hear congratulations are in order, Lucas."
"Thank you, Richard. We're really excited."
"He was praising your virility earlier," Lorelai informed her husband as he pulled up a third chair.
"Ah jeez!"
She laughed at Luke's embarrassed exclamation and blushing face, threading her fingers through his.
Fifteen minutes and two pieces of pie (both Lorelai's) later, Richard excused himself, kissing his daughter's cheek and again passing on his congratulations. He went home to tell his wife, having agreed with Lorelai that this was the best way to go about informing her. Emily hid her shock well, but he knew her well enough to see that she was upset. That evening had been the first of many arguments the two had shared about their grandsons.
Hands pushed into his pockets and brown corduroy jacket pulled around his body, Will waited on the front porch for his grandparents to arrive. He could hear his father and mother bickering affectionately, his brother banging edgily around the kitchen, and his sister talking easily with Natalie.
He took a deep breath in, the crisp October air filling and comforting his lungs. Last night had been a perfect night for football, and his Chilton teammates had played well. Just not well enough. They'd fallen 21-17, and at the risk of seeming self-centered, Will felt more than a little guilty.
He missed it. One night and he already missed the thrill of the game, the sprints towards the end zone with the fall air burning his lungs, mind focused solely on catching that football and touching that goal line. He missed the cheers of his fellow students, the invigorating rush of adoration. Will would be the first to admit that he was a showboater, but what he loved most about his sports was the way they had of taking him away from everything, giving his mind a single focus instead of the swirling chaos of thought so often filling his brain. Perhaps this punishment was going to be even harder than he had first imagined.
He saw the Lexus turn onto Peach Street and walked down the steps and to the curb to meet them. Gentlemanly, he opened the passenger door for his grandma and offered her his hand, pulling her from the car.
"Good evening, William," Emily greeted him, pausing just momentarily as she noticed his fading black eye. "It's so nice to see you twice in one weekend."
"It's always wonderful to see you, Grandma," Will smiled, releasing her hand as she climbed the stairs and greeted his parents.
Richard shook his eldest grandson's hand and patted his back. "I would like to thank you, William, for speaking with your grandmother yesterday."
"Not a problem, Grandpa. Natalie's great, and Jack's crazy about her, so I don't want Jack and Grandma's differences to mess this up," Will answered. The conversation they were referencing was supposed to have taken place on Friday afternoon, as planned by Will and Richard on the phone Thursday night. The fight, however, had postponed it until Saturday night before the Chilton game, the only time Will had been allowed out of the house, since his parents thought it would be a good idea to have to face his peers.
"Well then, let's meet this girl, shall we?"
Jack and Natalie were waiting on the porch, speaking to each other lowly as they waited for the other two. The rest had already gone inside, the introduction going quite well so far. Jack whispered something in her ear, and Natalie's face broke out into a grin, an answering smile claiming Jack's lips as well.
"Grandpa," Jack continued to smile, extending his hand warmly. "I'd like you to meet Natalie Makepeace. Nat, this is my grandpa, Richard Gilmore."
"It's so nice to finally meet you, Mr. Gilmore," Natalie said sweetly, "I've heard some crazy stories about your adventures with these two."
"Oh, they do keep me young, these boys. And I have heard very good things about you, Miss Makepeace. Especially from Jack."
The young couple blushed at that.
"Well, Jack and Luke made a great dinner, so we should probably get in there before they let Lorelai eat all of it."
Richard laughed at that, immediately taking to the young brunette with the easy smile.
"Lead the way, then. Now, Natalie, if you tell me a little more about yourself, perhaps I'll share a few embarrassing stories about these boys," Richard offered her his arm and leaned in conspiratorially as he escorted her to the dinner table.
"I think Grandpa's moving in on your woman, Jack."
"Ah, jeez. You want another black eye?"
"Going, going!" Will threw up his hands in defense and hurried inside, Jack closing the door behind them.
"What a charming girl Jack has discovered," Richard shared excitedly with Lorelai later that evening as the family enjoyed a more relaxed post-dinner cup of coffee. The father and daughter occupied the couch in the living room, Emily in the chair across from them. Will had been stationed at the piano for the past twenty minutes, and Luke and Rory talked softly in the chairs at the other end of the living room. Jack and Natalie had excused themselves a few minutes before so that he could walk her home. "And an amazing voice, as well."
While Will had played, Natalie had been coaxed into singing along, not too hard for her considering she took voice lessons and practiced every day. Will and Natalie actually had their little jam sessions quite often, each broadening the other's repertoire. Jack was pretty sure that if she were to start flipping burgers, his family would permanently replace him with her. She played big sister to Laylee and little sister to Rory, fellow musician to Will, co-conspirator to Lorelai and companion in sanity to Luke. If she could cook, he would be obsolete!
"Wow, Dad. I think that's the first time I've ever seen you initially like anyone any of us has dated."
Richard good-naturedly ignored his daughter's comment. "And you, Emily? What did you think of Jack's friend?"
"She's very pretty. Very sweet."
For some reason, that didn't sound like a compliment.
"What does her father do again? I remember it was quite interesting," Richard shifted the attention away from his wife.
"Noah's a professor of music theory. He's taking a sabbatical from Yale to compose."
"Yale! Amazing. But I thought she said they moved here from Baltimore."
"He taught at Peabody until recently, then Yale hired him away, giving him a year's sabbatical before he starts teaching again."
"He must be quite a teacher, then. And her mother?"
"Umm, I think Scarlett was a nurse until Natalie's little brother Connor was born; now she doesn't work. She told me she would probably go back next fall, after Nat starts driving. Connor's eight and probably more in love with Jack than Natalie is. He's actually taking piano lessons from Will, since Noah says they bicker too much for him to teach him."
"Fascinating. You spend a great deal of time with them, then?"
"We've had each other over for dinner a couple times. Will and Connor get along well, Jack and Natalie look all 'I love you more' at each other, and Noah and Scarlett are interesting people."
"Is he a talented composer?"
"Will thinks so," Lorelai answered with a shrug, "I couldn't tell the difference."
"One of those starving artist-types, I assume," Emily put in two more of her cents.
"Umm, no, actually. His family's one of the old Maryland plantation families. I think Natalie said her grandma's a member of the DAR."
Emily opened her mouth to say something, but closed it as the door opened and Jack reentered the house.
"Well, now that Jack's back, we better head home to Hartford," Richard broke up the tension between mother and daughter. "Next week at our house, yes?"
Everyone agreed and said their goodbyes.
The remaining Danes' (plus one Gilmore) were gathered in the kitchen, Lorelai and Will working on the dishes, Luke, Jack, and Rory sitting around the table.
"So, that wasn't too bad…" Jack started.
Everyone else started to laugh, the last of the tension draining away in the comfortable bubble this family had created.
"Natalie is eating free all week for the way she handled your grandma, Jack," Luke assured him.
"Umm, Dad, Jack already lets her eat free," Will tattled.
"Thanks, Will," Jack grumbled, ducking away from his father's gaze. "Hey, it's weird to take money from your girlfriend."
Luke just shook his head.
Then they heard a car door slam outside, little feet running up the front steps, and the heavy front door pushing open.
"Hell-o!"
"That's my cue," Rory smiled, catching the girl as she flew into the room. "Hello, baby. Did you have a good time with Grampa Christopher and GiGi?"
"Oh yeah. They even took me to Mass in one of the old Catholic churches in the North End. That's the Italian section of Boston. Ever been there, Mom? It's so cool, and the food is sooo good. Best Italian food I've had over here. And I could talk to all the old ladies after Mass, in Italian. It was just awesome."
The exhausted quintet let Laylee bubble on about her weekend for a few minutes before Laylee and Rory headed back to their house. After being sure to kiss all her boys and her Nonna, Laylee bounced out of the door, quickly followed by her mother.
"Wanna take bets on how many Cokes Christopher let her drink on the way down here? Because that's a Gilmore on caffeine if I've ever seen one," Luke asked his family, looking first to Jack across from him, who looked even more tired now that the whirlwind had blown away, then over to Lorelai and Will, who had just finished putting away the dishes.
"I'm just glad she's not sleeping here tonight," Will laughed, covering a yawn that quickly spread to the rest of his family.
"And on that note, I'm off to bed," Jack said sleepily. Will agreed, and the boys took their leave for the night, though not before kissing their mother.
"He has the right to spoil her a little," Lorelai said, in reference to Christopher, laying aside her dishtowel. "He doesn't get to see her a lot. You spoil her, and you see her everyday."
"I don't spoil her," Luke objected, pulling his wife towards their bedroom.
"Mhmm… Whatever you say, Luka," Lorelai teased, affecting their granddaughter's voice. " 'Luka! Come fix me!'"
"Okay, so maybe I have a problem saying no to Gilmore women," Luke acquiesced, making sure he shut out all of the lights and locked all of the doors as he did every night, Lorelai following him as he made the rounds.
"Just a slight one," she smiled, fingers laced through his.
"Ah jeez, I forgot to close the garage. Go on to bed; I'll be right in."
"Alright, hon," she yawned, then flirted in her ever-youthful manner, "I'm not sure how long I can stay awake though…"
He shook his head with a small grin, and she climbed up to the master bedroom to get ready for bed, picking up discarded books, shirts, and shoes on the way, all of which belonged to her boys. After dumping the belongings in their respective rooms (and waving to a phone-glued Jack and throwing a dirty sock at a teeth-brushing Will), Lorelai made her way into the room she and Luke had shared for the past ten years. She went through the bathroom routine and was halfway through when Luke entered. They easily fell into a well-practiced groove of sharing counter space.
As she reached into her dresser to retrieve her pajamas, she noticed her three favorite snapshots lined up in frames. The first was of Rory visiting her in the hospital when the boys were born, when her firstborn had cheekily (and excitedly) shown up decked out in an "I'm the big sister!" T-shirt to hold her new siblings, bearing "It's a boys!" T-shirts for the new parents. Luke still wore his (underneath the flannel) on the boys' birthday every year.
The second was taken (without her knowledge) when the twins were eleven months old, in front of the diner. The whole Danes family was standing by the truck, Jack, as always, attached to Lorelai's hip and Will, as always, attached to Luke's. It had been a long day of running errands all around town and solving crises at the Dragonfly for Jack and Lorelai, and Mommy was more than a little stressed. Luke and Will had come to greet them as they returned the truck, complete with coffee-to-go for Mommy and milk-to-go for Jack. The drinks, however, were set down on the truck when the picture was taken, since (while the boys made silly faces at each other and giggled from their perches) Luke had put his free hand on her hip and pulled her close, resting his forehead on hers and willing her with a soft smile to relax. The instant after the picture was taken, Will had noticed Kirk (the photographer) and proceeded to break out into hysterical sobs, which was his usual reaction to Kirk until kindergarten. Jack had taken his brother's cue, the drinks becoming casualties of the tandem tantruming and Mommy and Daddy breaking into uncontrollable laughter as Kirk ran away.
The third was of Luke sleeping on the couch of the Crap Shack, the six-year-old twins sacked out on his legs, a newborn Laylee snoozing on his chest, and a very old Paul Anka resting his head on Luke's shoulder. Rory had taken the photo while Lorelai was at work and emailed it to her mother with the caption "Naptime at the Crap Shack, wish you were here!" Six of my seven favorite people, she thought, a tinge of sorrow as she remembered her neurotic dog.
"Hey, Luke?" she cried into the bathroom.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Don't you think it's time for a new puppy?"
Luke sighed and flopped into bed in his sweatpants and T-shirt. "Lorelai…"
"Luuuuke… It's been six years! And the boys are going to college soon, and we'll be lonely…"
"A puppy? What are we going to name him, Neil Sedaka?"
Lorelai continued to pout as she slid into bed beside him.
"Can we talk about this in the morning?" Luke asked, pulling her closer to him so her cheek rested on his chest, his chin on the top of her head.
"Spoil sport."
"Crazy lady."
"Hey, what happened to the love?"
Luke sighed and shook his head, leaning down to kiss her on the lips.
"Ooh! Found it!" she teased sleepily, and he smiled knowing she would never grow up completely.