A/N: READ THIS!! Okay, so I know, I suck, but I have been really busy…for the last five months…anyway, the whole Rory/Logan/Mitchum thing didn't happen in my story, but don't worry, there will be stuff happening and people popping up to keep both you and me on our toes. Also I would like to thank DiehardJavaJunkie14 for being the best beta a girl could ask for! You rock! This chapter wouldn't be half as good without you, that's for sure.
A/N 2: also if you forget where this story left off since I last updated with a real chapter, (I would have forgotten too) no worries, the basic stuff is recapped in the first couple scenes or so
Disclaimer: yeah right…I wish!
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Three weeks later:
Luke was running around the diner taking people's orders, then running back to the kitchen to make them. It was a busy morning, but the thoughts running wild in his mind made it seem so much busier. It had been a little over a month since he and Lorelai had found out about the pregnancy, and in that time, they had gone to the doctor to confirm the pregnancy and find out the due date. Lorelai was due to give birth on February 9th, 2006. But the main thing on Luke's mind was marriage. He had been thinking about proposing since before Lorelai found out she was pregnant, but when she did, it changed everything. He didn't want her to think he was proposing just because of the baby. The fact that he thought about buying the Twickham house is proof that this really wasn't about the baby. Granted, he did change his mind about the house shortly after, but that wasn't the point. As he was contemplating the Twickham house and Lorelai and the pregnancy, his blue-eyed distraction herself walked into the dinner.
"Lucas! I need caffeine…pronto!" Lorelai shouted in the way only she could.
"Lorelai, I have told you over and over…no coffee unless you want decaf." Luke answered, coming out from the kitchen.
"Newsflash Hun…I'm never going to want decaf coffee. It defeats the whole purpose of drinking it in the first place!"
"Well then if you choose to go nine months straight without any coffee, it's your choice…I'm just telling you not to drink the caffeinated stuff."
"But you don't understand…that stuff keeps me alive…please? How about one cup a day?" Lorelai pleaded.
"Uhh…no." Luke refused to go down on this one. Nothing could change his mind…not even the famous Gilmore pout.
"Fine…give me pancakes with sausage and bacon. And I guess some of the poser coffee." Lorelai gave in, although she wasn't happy about it.
"That I can do…are we still on for tonight?" Luke asked, pouring her a cup of decaf.
"Yep, Sniffy's at eight." Lorelai confirmed perking up a little bit, looking forward to telling Buddy and Mazie the news.
"So I should expect you ready around eight thirty?"
"Very good!" she answered with a smile before Luke went back to make her food.
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That night, the couple walked in to Sniffy's Tavern around nine, walked to their table, and waited for Mazie and Buddy to come over. When they did, the couple got a lecture on not visiting enough. After which, the elder couple left to start preparing the food. When Mazie and Buddy set their food down in front of Luke and Lorelai, Lorelai asked them to wait.
"I have a quick question," she said trying to be inconspicuous.
"Ask away," Buddy answered, slightly confused.
"What is your most popular food?"
"Well, that's a little hard to answer…" Mazie started, but Lorelai interrupted her.
"What about on the children's menu?" Mazie and Buddy looked a little confused, but when Luke spoke, they turned to him and finally understood.
"Lorelai's pregnant," he said, rolling his eyes a little at Lorelai. He didn't understand why they couldn't just say it, but Lorelai insisted that she lead up to it a little, which confused him even more, but knowing Lorelai, he went along with it. Lorelai, glad that Luke was the one to tell them, just flashed one of her infectious smiles his way. She thought it would be wrong for her to actually give them the news, after all Luke had been through with them. They were like his parents, and she loved seeing Luke's face whenever he said those words. His eyes sparkled with love and his smile grew, although he tried to hide it.
"Oh my God!" Mazie exclaimed, pulling both Luke and Lorelai up to give them hugs. "Congratulations!" Buddy then hugged Lorelai and shook Luke's hand, congratulating them both again.
"Your baby will be beautiful! When are you due?"
"February 9th," Lorelai answered, glowing.
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The next day, while Lorelai was at the inn, Luke was upstairs in his old apartment above the diner. He would have been downstairs working, but he couldn't get Lorelai and their relationship off his mind. After dropping two plates and delivering four meals to the wrong table, he had told Caesar that he was taking a break and had gone upstairs to think.
He sat down on the couch, but was so anxious, got up and started pacing his apartment, eventually stopping and filling a glass with water, sitting down at the kitchen table, where he remained for a long time, finally able to calm himself down enough to think straight.
About an hour later, Luke had come to the decision that he was crazy to think that proposing to Lorelai would make her think it was because of the baby. He realized that the fact that he loved Lorelai and she loved him was enough to know that she wouldn't think this was just because she was carrying his baby. Luke went back downstairs to the diner to work for the rest of the day.
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The next day was Friday, which meant that, as much as Luke disliked Lorelai's parents, he, once again, had to do the right thing and try to convince her to get past the big blowup a few weeks ago, when they told the future grandparents their news, and go to Friday night dinner. Luke had been trying to get his girlfriend back on good terms with her parents for about two weeks now. He could tell that, even though they hadn't always had the best or closet relationship, Lorelai didn't like fighting with them.
Just as he was strategizing, Lorelai walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where she saw Luke making breakfast, but more importantly, coffee. No doubt decaf, but by now, she had almost gotten used to it.
"Hey, hon," she said, and leaned in for a short and sweet good morning kiss.
"Good morning," Luke smiled after pulling away and turning back to the breakfast he was making.
"Do you have anything going on today?"
"No, I have to be at the diner in about a half hour," he answered, looking at the clock and handing Lorelai her finished breakfast. "What about you? Do you have anything other than the inn today?"
"Actually, Rory and I are going to go to the mall today. Shop, hang out, just have a girl's day. We haven't hung out in awhile," Lorelai answered, with her plate already halfway cleared.
"Just promise me you'll take it easy today?" Luke warned her in his usual protective manner.
"Yes, Dr. Danes. I promise to take it easy…in fact I'll take it sooo easy that I'll even make Rory carry every last one of my bags," Luke looked at her disapprovingly and rolled his eyes. "Ooh no, I know! I'll flirt and get a really hot guy to carry me and my bags around all day!"
"Very funny, but I'm serious, just don't overdo it today," Luke responded.
"I promise," Lorelai answered, smiling and leaning in for a kiss.
"My God…That was like thirty seconds…how did you finish already?" Luke asked to the empty plate that was sitting in front of Lorelai, who just laughed at her boyfriend's exclamation, and went upstairs to get ready for the day.
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"So when exactly will school end for you?" Lorelai asked later that day. She and Rory had met up at the inn and driven to the mall together. They were now walking around, talking, eating, and shopping.
"Next Friday…it's so close, I'm going crazy." Rory answered, looking through a window.
"But if you have all these finals, how do you have time to be here with me?" Lorelai questioned.
"I always have time for you," Rory joked.
"That's very sweet, but you aren't missing out on any study time because you are here are you?" Lorelai persisted.
"No, I have been studying nonstop for weeks now. This is a nice, little break for me," Rory answered.
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Meanwhile, Luke was driving around Hartford, looking for jewelry stores.
After deciding that he would still go through with the proposal, Luke couldn't stop thinking about it long enough to focus on anything else. He had even come up with a few places and occasions to pop the question, but then he realized that he was missing the most important element of a marriage proposal…the ring.
Not minutes later, Luke found himself running out to his truck, calling back to Caesar that he owed him for holding down the diner for the second time in two days.
Within the past hour, Luke had been in and out of every jewelry store in Hartford and still found nothing. He saw plenty of rings that were nice, even great, but none were perfect, and perfection was what he wanted for Lorelai…it was what she deserved. Luke tried to find another shop to search before he ventured into a place he wanted to avoid at all costs…the mall. He knew there were a couple jewelry stores in and near the mall, from tagging along shopping with Lorelai. He had even caught her looking through the windows once or twice, and he figured he would rather have to endure the mall and have the perfect ring, than have one she didn't like.
After driving around for awhile longer, he decided he had exhausted all other options and entered the mall parking lot. Walking into the mall, Luke looked around and decided to try to get this over with as soon as possible.
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Meanwhile, Lorelai and Rory were leaving the food court, carrying their multiple shopping bags with them. Throughout the day, they had covered almost the entire mall, stopping to get food four times because of Lorelai's crazy cravings. Rory and Lorelai had one more section to go before they returned home.
For the next half hour, the Gilmores walked around the far end of the building, discovering that they didn't want or need anything from that part of the mall. Basically all that was over there was a clothing store that looked to be exactly the same as two others they had already stopped at, a jewelry store, a couple stores that seemed to be desperately out of style, and some restrooms. Lorelai, not wanting to leave quite yet, convinced Rory to go back and look at some of the jewelry in the shop a few windows back.
As they approached the large window looking into the store, Rory, who was walking a few paces ahead of Lorelai, looked through the glass and was shocked to see a familiar face staring intently at what looked to be rings.
"Hey mom, I have to go to the restroom real quick…can we go there first?"
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A frustrated Luke was staring at another case of engagement rings that seemed to be yet again unsuccessful, when he looked up and saw a flustered Rory quickly leading her confused mother away.
Oh, crap! I forgot they were coming to the mall today. Stupid! Stupid! I have to get out of here!! Luke thought as he hurried out of the store and back into the large crowd of people that were now blocking his way out of the store. My God, this is like driving on a busy road! He thought, and as he struggled to get through the thick crowd, he heard a voice he knew and loved call his name.
Oh, crap! He thought again.
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As the girls were leaving the restroom, Rory hoped desperately that Luke had left already, because her mother seemed set on looking around the jewelry store. She had tried to prolong the bathroom visit as long as possible to give Luke enough time to leave, but Lorelai's hormones were getting the best of her, and she was getting very impatient, so Rory reluctantly led her mother out of the restroom.
When they reached the store, Rory was beyond relieved when she peeked though the window and saw that Luke had left, but all of the relief that had been washing over her seconds before vanished when she heard her mom call someone's name in a confused voice.
Oh crap!
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-okay so I've had a really sucky day so far and I can think of a way for you to cheer me up a bit…
-I know it has been awhile, but if there is anybody still reading this, then please review…I'm not sure I like the Buddy/Mazie scene, but I really had no other ideas on how to write it. Also, I want to change the name to this story, but I have to think of something good enough first so…kay that's all! Thanks for reading!
-(I know I'm getting annoying with these) but I go on winter break starting two days from now (Thursday) so hopefully I can get another chapter written if not typed and posted…also I now accept anonymous reviews! (I didn't know how to fix it before).