Welcome to the Christmas chapter!
Confession: I never actually watched the season 7 Christmas episodes because, well, it was season 7. I read up on the details, but please forgive me if the timing or small details aren't in cannon with the show when Luke and Lorelai discuss that Christmas in this chapter.
Again, I am so grateful for all the kind comments and feedback I'm getting for this story! Thank you all for reading and reviewing!
Lorelai smiled as she watched Luke from the corner of her eye. She was pretending to flip through a magazine as she sat beside him on a bench outside airport security, but she found it endearing how excited he was to see April. They'd had to leave the house a full half hour earlier than necessary due to Luke's concerns of not being there on time, which had proved to be fruitless. They'd been waiting for nearly forty minutes, and when April's flight status had changed to ARRIVED, Luke's face had lit up with excitement.
As much as they had both grown in the past six months, Lorelai was still sometimes amazed by how unabashedly Luke now displayed his affections. Since embracing fatherhood, he'd become less grumpy and more willing to smile, a change that Lorelai was pleased to see. She'd always known how to crack through Luke's tough exterior and see what an amazing man he was, but she was glad that he was now willing to let the rest of the world see it as well.
With a smile, she closed her magazine and dropped it into her purse, leaning into him. "You're cute," she informed him.
"What?" he frowned, turning to look at her.
She laced her fingers through his. "You're cute," she replied. "How you're letting your excitement about seeing April show. I like that you're happier, more demonstrative now. I like that you want to hold my hand in public. The affection, it's nice."
He squeezed her hand, offering her a smile. "It is," he agreed.
"Are you sure it's okay that I came?" she asked. "I know airport rides are usually a solo thing for you."
"It's fine," he said. "More than fine. You're excited to see her too."
Lorelai smiled. "I am ready to have some more estrogen around," she conceded. "Between you and Paul Anka, I'm feeling overwhelmed by all the manliness."
"Please don't ever compare me to your dog again," Luke grumbled.
She giggled and kissed his cheek. "Noted," she said. She settled back against the bench, then jumped up excitedly. "There she is!"
Luke passed her in three quick strides, and was embracing April tightly by the time she'd gathered her purse and joined them. "I'm so excited!" April was saying as she pulled back from her father. "You're getting married!"
Luke shrugged as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, well…"
"It was romantic statements like those that landed him the girl," Lorelai said. "Welcome home, sweetie."
"Hi, Lorelai!" April said, stepping forward to hug her tightly. "I didn't realize you'd be here too!"
"What can I say, your dad can't survive without me," Lorelai shrugged as she stepped back. "Inspection time."
Luke rolled his eyes as April obediently stood straight and faced forward. Lorelai circled around her, stroking her chin as she nodded slowly. "Well, you look gorgeous, but you're still growing, which I thought we agreed was out of the question."
"Sorry," April said, then pointed to Luke. "Blame his genes."
Lorelai gasped proudly. "You've finally learned, it's always the man's fault," she said dramatically. Her face turned serious as she reached out to rub April's shoulder. "You look beautiful, April."
"Thanks," April said, beaming at Luke. "Mom let me get contacts for the wedding."
His eyes narrowed. "Why do you need contacts?" he asked.
"So I don't have to wear glasses," she explained as if the answer was obvious.
"What's wrong with wearing glasses?"
"Asks the man who's never had to deal with migraines or choosing the right frames," Lorelai rolled her eyes.
He sighed as he looked to April. "The doctor says it's okay?" he asked.
"Perfectly safe," she nodded. "I only got a couple sets. For special occasions."
"Okay," he said, then began leading them towards the baggage claim. "Did you call your mom?" he asked as they waited for the machine to click on.
"Yeah," April nodded. A flash of guilt appeared in her eyes. "Is it bad that I'm excited to be here instead of with her?"
Lorelai glanced at Luke, who cleared his throat. "Well, there's the wedding to be excited about too," he said. "But it's probably a little strange for her."
April shrugged. "It's strange," she admitted. "And I do miss her, but…maybe it's because you're getting married, but I'm excited to be here more than anything else."
"Well, we're happy to have you here," Lorelai said.
"When does Rory get in?"
"Tomorrow," Lorelai sighed. "But Christmas Eve arrivals are better than missing the entire holiday. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to celebrate Christmas in January."
Luke offered her a sad smile, then pointed to a pink and black zebra striped bag that appeared on the belt. "That's yours, right?" he asked.
"Yep," April confirmed, beaming at Lorelai. "Bought by my favorite stepmother."
Lorelai brushed her bangs off of her forehead. "Always buy luggage that's easy to recognize," she shrugged. "That's one thing I learned traveling through Europe."
Luke groaned as he dragged the bag off the belt. "Could your next lesson to her be how to pack light?" he requested.
"Hi, have you met me?" Lorelai waved a hand in his face.
"Right, what was I thinking," he sighed.
As the trio made their way out to the parking lot, April filled Lorelai and Luke in on her recent school projects and her flight from New Mexico, the stories lasting until they reached Stars Hollow. As Luke pulled the truck into their driveway, April's eyes lit up.
"It looks so pretty!" she exclaimed.
Lorelai smiled at the house. "It really does," she murmured. As excited as she was to move on and build a life with Luke in a new house, it was bittersweet to know that this was the last Christmas she'd spend in this house. Fifteen Christmases, or fourteen real ones and one fake one, had been created here, and she wanted to remember every moment of this holiday season.
"Lorelai's favorite holiday is Christmas," Luke informed April as he hoisted her suitcase out of the back of the truck.
"Right after Arbor Day and National Vegetable Day," Lorelai confirmed. "We kind of do things to the extreme here."
April glanced at the candy canes that were stuck to the front door and nodded. "I guess so," she said.
"Don't worry, we'll go easy on our rookies this year," Lorelai promised. "Next year, though, no mercy."
"Wow," April gasped as she stepped into the living room. "That tree is huge."
"I told you it was big enough," Luke muttered to Lorelai.
She ignored him and reached for a flat box that sat under the tree. "Early present," she said, handing it to April.
April took it hesitantly. "I can wait," she said.
"Honey, when someone gives you a present, never offer to wait," Lorelai advised. "Besides, you kind of need it now."
Curiously, April moved to the couch and tore the paper off the box. When she lifted the lid, she gasped and held up a stocking, embroidered with her name and year of birth. "Wow," she whispered.
Lorelai gestured to the mantle place. "It makes the set complete," she said.
April looked up to where there were four other stockings hanging, each to match her own, with their own labels. Luke, Lorelai, Rory, Paul Anka. There was an empty hook between Rory's and Paul Anka's, and April turned to look at Luke with a vulnerable gaze.
"Go ahead," he nodded. "We wanted you to hang it yourself."
"It's usually part of the tradition, but I had to hang Rory's since she's not here," Lorelai said.
April smiled shyly, ducking her head down as she stood and reached for the hook, hanging the stocking on it carefully. When she stepped back to admire it, Luke reached forward to offer her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad you're here, kid," he said.
She turned to smile up at him. "Me too," she murmured.
With a smile, Lorelai slipped into the kitchen, willing to give father and daughter a few moments alone. As she poured some coffee grounds into the coffee maker, her engagement ring sparkled just right in the overhead light, glistening brightly enough to catch her attention. She smiled fondly down at it, beyond grateful that it was resting on her finger. Two years ago, she'd worn this very ring on Christmas morning, but she'd spent the entire day locked in the house with Rory while Luke had opened the diner for a Christmas Day meal. Now she couldn't believe how thoughtless she'd been. She and Rory had just recently reconciled, and she had been so focused on getting her relationship with her daughter back that she hadn't realized how Rory's reappearance had effected her engagement.
Now she realized that he'd known about April at that point. How sad it must have been for him that Christmas, to know he had a daughter spending the day with her mother, while his fiancé spent the day with her daughter. She knew now how hurt Luke must have been to not be truly accepted into either world, and she vowed to do everything she could to make that up for him.
Her mind shifted to a different kind of sad when she realized that a year ago she'd been wearing a completely different ring. Christopher had wanted to buy her a fancy diamond wedding band, but she'd refused. She'd told him that she was too old for that, but the truth had been that she hadn't wanted to wear a fancy ring because the marriage didn't seem real. Christopher had also tried to push Christmas, but she'd refused, blaming Rory's absence.
She'd worked a straight thirty six hour shift at the inn, from Christmas Eve after her mother's disastrous party until the morning after Christmas. She hadn't even bothered to go home, choosing instead to nap on the small couch in her office.
What she'd never told anyone, not even Rory, was about her midnight walk that night. After earning herself a cramp in her neck due to the uncomfortable sleeping position, Lorelai had brewed some coffee in the abandoned kitchen and set out through town. Memories had poured through her heart as she walked, most of them having to do with Rory. But the closer she'd drawn to the town square, the more memories shifted from her girl to her guy. Every step she took seemed to draw a new flashback, until they were all strung together.
You have to bid on my basket…Do you want to dance…You're going to kiss me now?...Perfect match…you are not a failure...will you marry me?
As she'd been flooded with memories of their friendship and relationship, Lorelai had allowed herself a rare moment of grief over what could have been. When she'd rounded the corner past Dooses and seen Luke's familiar green truck parked on the street, she'd been unable to stop herself from slowly making her way towards it, slipping her gloves off as she'd run her fingers over the cold metal of the driver's side door.
Part of her had been relieved to see that truck parked outside the diner. She had had no idea what was going on in his life at that point, apart from bits of the town gossip. It was before he'd come to her to explain his custody struggles, and she'd assumed everything was going well for him. For all she'd known, he had been spending Christmas night with Anna and April, and when she'd realized that wasn't the case she'd felt a sense of hypocritical and selfish relief wash over her.
He had still been there.
Lorelai had known then, how unhappy she was with her life. Perhaps she'd known since the moment she'd woken up in Christopher's bed that early summer morning, but this was the first time she had admitted it to herself. As she'd run her fingers over the hatch of the truck, knowing that Luke had also touched that handle, she'd admitted to herself for the first time that she missed him.
Conscious of the fact that she'd been lingering too long outside of her ex- fiancé's home, Lorelai had known she had to go before someone saw her, even if it was the middle of the night. As she'd stepped back from the car, she'd dared to look up at his apartment window, where so many other, more private memories had taken place.
I can't believe you kept that horoscope…There will be more thanking, later tonight...I think things are going very well, you and me…We could get a plant…I had a dream once, that I was pregnant with your babies. Twins…No more secrets.
The final memory had seemed to snap her back into reality, and different, more painful memories began to surface. She'd quickly donned her mask again, putting her walls back up and telling herself that if things really had been good with Luke, he'd have told her about April, let her be part of his life. She'd turned and hurried back to the Dragonfly, determined to get through the next twenty four hours with as little recognition of the Christmas holiday as possible.
Now, back in the present, Lorelai felt a sense of peace wash over her as she thought of how much had changed since last year. She and Luke had both been so foolish, so childish, and so selfish. She couldn't believe now how petty they'd each been, tiptoeing around each other for fear of hurting the other's feelings. They'd forgiven each other and become stronger than ever, but there were still moments like this, where she hated how much time they'd lost.
"Lorelai?"
April's voice interrupted her moment of self pity, and she turned to smile at the teenager. "Hey, sweetie, what can I get you?" she asked.
"I was just going to make some tea for me and Dad," April said. "He took Paul Anka for a walk."
Lorelai smiled softly. "You know, he complains about having a dog around, but sometimes I think he likes Paul Anka better than he likes me," she said as she reached for the tea kettle.
"I don't think he likes anyone better than you," April said.
"I think you've got me beat," Lorelai said with a wink, pulling some mugs out of the cabinet.
April was quiet as she watched Lorelai putter around the kitchen. "It's weird how different things are," she said softly.
"Different?" Lorelai looked around the kitchen. "It hasn't even been a month since you were here for Thanksgiving."
"Not since I was here," April said. "Since last year."
Lorelai turned to look at April, who'd seated herself at the kitchen table. "I was just thinking the same thing," she admitted.
"I felt so badly," April admitted quietly. "Mom still had all the custody rights, and she let me spend the day after Christmas with Dad. But I knew how sad he was, and I just…I don't know, I wanted to help him."
Lorelai closed her eyes tightly. "It was a rough year," she admitted. "I'm sorry for putting you through that."
April shrugged. "I don't think I realized how bad things were until I saw how good things are now," she admitted.
"Care to elaborate?" Lorelai asked, setting a cup of tea in front of April and retrieving her own cup of coffee before she sat down beside her.
"Well, I kind of saw it at my thirteenth birthday party," April said. "How Dad looked at you, like you were the greatest person in the world. But then, well, you know what happened, and I didn't see him look like that again for a long time." She paused before she met Lorelai's gaze. "When I got back from camp this summer, he was happy."
Lorelai smiled softly. "He was," she nodded.
"Not just happy," April continued. "Happier than I'd ever seen him, since I'd known him."
Again, Lorelai nodded. "I think he was," she repeated. "I think he's happier than I've ever seen him."
"But it got me thinking, about how sad he must have been," April said. "I mean, he was still great to me. I knew he was trying so hard to be a good dad and learn on his feet, and I really liked spending time with him, at the diner and everything. But even though I spent the night sometimes, I was still going back to Mom's. He knew that, and he knew that you were…here, I guess. I hate thinking of sad he must have been."
Lorelai felt her heart begin to swell. Every time she had a heart to heart with April, she was amazed at how clearly this teenager was able to see the world and recognize the emotions of the people around her. If only she'd been this wise when she'd been fourteen, maybe she'd have been able to see a way out of her parents' world much sooner. "I hate thinking of that too," she admitted.
April sipped at her tea, then admitted, "I ran away, last Christmas Eve."
Lorelai's eyes widened. "You what?" she asked.
"I was mad at my mom for not letting me see Dad on Christmas," April admitted. "So I waited until she went to bed and rode my bike to Stars Hollow."
Motherly instinct kicked in, and Lorelai frowned at the thought of April riding her bike through abandoned streets in the middle of the night. "April, that was really dangerous," she said. "What if your mom had woken up and realized you were gone?"
April shrugged. "It's small town Connecticut," she said. "But that's not the point. When I finally got to my dad's, I realized that I wasn't his only visitor."
Realization smacked Lorelai in the face, and she buried her face in her hands. "You saw me?" she asked, her voice muffled.
"I wasn't trying to spy or anything," April said. "I guess I was…more confused than anything else. About why you were there. You were leaning against his car, staring up at his apartment. Then, all of a sudden, you practically ran away."
Lorelai sighed deeply and uncovered her face. "Honey, I know your dad probably hasn't told you everything that happened, and you don't need to know the details," she said. "But the bottom line is, even though we hurt each other, and even though I tried to move on, I never stopped loving your dad. That night, I was just taking a walk through town and ended up there. I got caught up in the memories, I guess."
April nodded slowly. "You looked so sad," she said.
"I was," Lorelai sighed. "April, we don't have to keep reliving this."
"I'm not trying to make you feel bad," April said. "I'm just really glad that I'm here."
"Me too, sweetie," Lorelai said, reaching forward to squeeze April's hand. "Me too."
XXXXX
The next evening, Luke walked into the living room with a bag of marshmallows in his hand. He'd been sent to retrieve more after a winded speech from Rory about appropriate hot chocolate to marshmallow ratio, and now he paused as he watched the three most important people in his life hover over the coffee table, carefully putting the finishing touches on a gingerbread house.
Rory had arrived home late that morning, and to Lorelai's delight they'd had a full day of coffee, chatting, and present wrapping. April had held her own amongst the Gilmore Girls, and even Luke had been able to chime in when there had been a mutual pause for coffee consumption.
After a dinner of tater tots and pizza bagels at the kitchen table (a Gilmore tradition, Lorelai had insisted), they'd moved into the living room. As Miracle on 34th Street played on the TV, Rory had proposed they build a gingerbread house. April had then proceeded to design a blueprint that had appropriate angles and measurements, Lorelai had volunteered to taste the candy to make sure it was fresh, and Rory had begun systematically unwrapping the piles of candy and graham crackers in the order in which they would be used.
Luke leaned against the stair rail, committing every moment to memory. The last Christmas he'd spent with anyone had been twenty years ago. He hadn't known at the time that it would be his father's last. Liz and Jess had returned to Stars Hollow for the day, and five year old Jess had spent the day beside the tree, reading his grandmother's old books, while Luke, Liz, and their father had reminisced about Christmases past, with and without their mother.
Now, with a family of his own, after too many Christmases spent lonely and in denial, Luke took in every single detail of this moment. He could see the joy in Lorelai's face as she watched Rory concentrate on writing a frosting message on the roof of the gingerbread house. April's laughter warmed his heart, as did Rory's recitation of a Christmas long ago, when Lorelai had wrapped everything in the potting shed on Christmas morning, including the bathtub and their bed. As he sat down beside Lorelai on the couch, he reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly, his thumb automatically moving over the diamond, rotating the ring slightly on her finger. This was a truly perfect moment, and he knew he never wanted it to end.
"You okay?" Lorelai asked softly, turning to look at him.
"Yeah," he nodded, giving her hand one final squeeze before he let go. "Just enjoying."
"Good," she said. "Me too."
"Are you going to hand those over or what?" Rory asked, pointing to the marshmallow bag still clutched in Luke's hand.
He handed them over with a grumble, causing all three girls to giggle. "Do you want to let the frosting dry before you add more?" he asked.
"Why?" Lorelai asked.
"So it will be able to support more candy," April replied. "Structurally speaking…"
"Okay, that's enough," Lorelai said. "I trust you, waiting for the frosting to dry. We don't need a lecture on gingerbread stability."
"Don't feel bad, one time she literally locked me into my room," Rory informed April.
"That's because it was the middle of the night and you were being loud," Lorelai replied.
"Says the woman who has jumped on my bed in the middle of the night more than once," Rory replied.
"Yes, for desperate, life altering events," Lorelai said. "Emergencies only."
"And the time you woke me up to tell me that Luke woke you up?" Rory asked.
Lorelai turned to glare at him. "I'm still mad at you for that," she informed him.
"I was fixing your railing!" Luke exclaimed.
"No, you were avoiding Rachel."
"I was not."
"You know, this morning I think I put the milk a quarter of an inch off of where it was last night," Lorelai stated. "Do I have to give you my ring back now?"
"Stop."
"Well, that was a deal breaker for Rachel, I just want to know where the line is for me."
"Who's Rachel?"
There was an awkward silence in the room in response to April's question, and Luke shot Lorelai a glare that clearly read, thanks a lot.
"Just a girl I dated before your mom," he said.
"How do you know her?" April asked Lorelai, who shrugged.
"She came to visit once," she said dismissively. "She knew your dad when he was a teenager, so I had to befriend her to get all the good stories."
"Oh," April shrugged.
Rory narrowed her eyes at her mother, then nudged April. "I'll tell you the whole story later," she promised.
"That is the whole story!" Luke insisted.
"Sure, Daddy Luke."
The term of endearment slipped naturally from her lips, and he felt his own mouth turning upwards into a smile. Lorelai offered him an affectionate gaze before she turned back to the girls. "You two ready for the big house reveal tomorrow?" she asked. Both responses were positive, but April's was the slightest bit more enthusiastic than Rory's. Lorelai met her daughter's gaze and offered her an understanding smile. "Normally we don't leave the house on Christmas day, but Luke's insisting on it," she said.
"All your presents are there," he shrugged. "It seemed pointless to bring them here only to move them again."
"What are they?"
"I'm not telling."
Lorelai turned to Rory. "Quick, give him the Rory face," she instructed.
Rory obeyed, turning to Luke with her mouth slightly upturned, her eyes wide and vulnerable.
"It's not going to work."
Lorelai scoffed. "So you'll tell her we're engaged but you won't tell her her Christmas present?" she asked. "Real fair."
"You can wait twelve hours."
"No, I really think the waiting may kill me," Lorelai said. "And do you really want me, the mother of your yet to be conceived babies, to die before we get married?"
Rory flinched slightly, and Luke turned to look at her with a frown. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"I said the b-word," Lorelai replied. "Rory hates pregnancy."
"Okay, I don't hate pregnancy," Rory corrected. "It just grosses me out."
Luke shook his head slightly. "Well, that saves me from ever having to talk your mother over the ledge about being referred to as a grandmother, so thanks for that," he said.
Lorelai smacked his shoulder. "Whatever, Grandpa Luke."
"I think human pregnancies are quite fascinating," April piped up, and Rory and Lorelai both fought back laughter at the expression of disbelief that came over Luke's face. "It's especially interesting how helpless babies are when they're born in comparison to other mammals. The childbirth process is also…"
"Okay, having been the only person in the room to actually experience this particular event, I'm effectively putting an end to this conversation," Lorelai stated. "You," she pointed to Rory. "Better get used to the idea of pregnancy talk. You," now she pointed to April, "should know by now how using words like 'pregnancy' and 'fascinating' in the same sentence may make me a widow before I'm even married, and you," Luke looked up at her expectantly, "will never, ever, use the word grandmother in the same sentence as my name ever again."
Each of them nodded obediently, and Lorelai nodded in satisfaction. "Good," she said.
Rory poked gently at the gingerbread house. "Should we put it somewhere Paul Anka won't get into it?" she asked.
"I'll move it to the kitchen table," Luke nodded. "You guys heading to bed soon?"
"I am, I'm tired," Rory sighed. "It's weird to not have anything to do for a whole week."
"Hello?" Lorelai frowned. "Watching your mother get married might make it onto a to do list at some point."
"I mean no work stuff," Rory corrected. "I can actually read a book for pleasure."
"It will be nice to have a break from school," April added. "I'm reading a freshman level biology textbook so I'm prepared for next year. I never have time to do stuff like that when I have actual homework to do."
"Have fun with that," Lorelai said, she stood and pulled April in for a tight embrace. "Make sure you call your mom before you go to bed. I know from experience it's weird not having your kid with you at Christmas."
"I will," April said. "Thanks, Lorelai."
"Night, sweetie."
Luke stood and reached for the baking sheet upon which the gingerbread house rested. "I'll put this in the kitchen," he said.
"Thanks, hon," Lorelai smiled. When he was gone, she turned to Rory. "I'm so glad you made it home this year."
"Me too," Rory sighed. "I'm sorry, about last year."
Lorelai waved a hand in dismissal. "To be perfectly honest, I don't think I'd have been up for a real Christmas holiday anyways," she said. "Thanks for giving me an excuse."
"Okay, well, then, you're welcome for last year."
Lorelai laughed, then turned to look at Rory. "I miss having you around," she admitted.
Rory leaned over and rested her head on her mother's shoulder. "I miss being around," she said. "It's weird, how much has changed."
"I know," Lorelai said, wrapping an arm around her and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"It's our last Christmas here."
Lorelai rubbed her hand up and down Rory's arm. "I know," she said. "It's okay to be sad about it. I am."
"Is it bad that I don't feel guilty about not seeing Dad?" Rory whispered.
"Rory, that's your choice," Lorelai said. "I know he's your dad, but it's not like you've ever spent Christmas with him before, last year's after the fact pathetic attempts excluded. If you don't want to see him, it's okay. Or if you change your mind and want to call him, that's fine too."
Rory was quiet before she asked, "Is it bad that I like April better than Gigi?"
Lorelai sighed. "Some people get along better than others," she said.
"What if I don't like your kids?"
"Well, that's impossible, because they're going to be smart and beautiful and impossible not to love, just like their big sisters," Lorelai said.
"Mom…"
"Look, I know Gigi is your sister, biologically speaking, but she's…well, let's just say you probably would have turned out a lot differently if your dad had been around trying to take care of you," Lorelai said. "The poor girl doesn't exactly have parents who made the short list for parenting Olympics."
Rory giggled.
"Plus, you'll actually be spending time with your future siblings as they grow up, because I know you're planning on moving back to Stars Hollow the second the campaign is over," Lorelai admitted.
"Sure," Rory placated. "I'm really glad you ran away."
"Me too."
"I'm really glad you found Stars Hollow."
"Me too," Lorelai repeated. "If I'd had one more dollar, I'd have gotten off in Woodbridge, never would have met Luke. Or Sookie, or Patty."
"I'm glad you didn't have that dollar."
"You never would have met Dean or Lane."
Rory nodded approvingly. "It's a pretty good place to call home, if I do say so myself," she said.
"I concur," Lorelai smiled. "You heading to bed?"
"Yeah, I want to catch up on some sleep," Rory said. "Those hotel beds are just not comfortable."
"Sleep well," Lorelai said, pressing a kiss to Rory's forehead. "I love you."
"Love you too, Mom."
Rory retreated into the kitchen and Lorelai set to work turning off the lights and cleaning up their mess. She left the lights on the Christmas tree shining, and after a moment she turned to look at the fireplace, admiring the five stockings that hung from its ledge.
She sighed happily when she felt a familiar pair of strong arms slip around her waist, and a set of warm lips make contact with her neck. She leaned back into Luke's embrace and rested her head against his shoulder. "I'm getting into sappy mode," she murmured.
Luke sighed and leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder. "It's okay, I was there earlier," he murmured.
Lorelai trailed her fingers over his arms where they were resting on her stomach. "I never wanted to admit how much I wanted this," she murmured. "I knew I could make it on my own, with Rory, but I always wanted someone to share it with. I was scared to admit it, in case I never got it."
"You admitted it to me, more than once."
"I guess I did," she conceded, remembering more than one late night meltdown in the diner about finding someone to spend her life with. How had she been so stupid not to realize that the man she was talking to was the one who would one day fill that missing spot in her life? "I wish I'd realized it sooner. I wish we hadn't wasted all that time."
He straightened and turned her to face him. "We still have time," he promised her.
"I know," she said.
He could see the conflicting emotions in her eyes-happiness, regret, excitement, confusion, and love-and he knew he had to make those negative emotions disappear. "Let's go up," he said, pulling her towards the stairs.
Lorelai smirked as she followed him. "I am so glad you got over your fear of having sex while the girls are in the house, because I positively can't resist a line like that," she said.
"What can I say, the ladies love a smooth talker," Luke said, closing their bedroom door behind them.
She smiled as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "What do you say we make some new, not family friendly, Christmas Eve traditions?" she asked.
Luke leaned down to kiss her deeply. "I think that's a very good plan," he said in a low voice.
Lorelai smiled and stepped out of his embrace, sitting down on the end of the bed. "Strip for me, burger boy," she commanded, earning herself an eye roll and a flannel shirt tossed into her face.
XXXXX
Seven hours later, a very warm, very familiar, and very welcome pair of lips pulled Luke from his sleep as they trailed over his chest and down to his stomach. He kept his eyes closed as Lorelai slid her body on top of his, but just as she began to cross into dangerous territory, she worked her way back up to his lips.
"I know you're awake," she whispered into his ear, her hands moving over his chest.
He sighed and opened his eyes, reaching to run his hand over her shoulder. "Hey."
"Hey." She leaned down to kiss him deeply. "Merry Christmas, almost husband."
He laughed slightly. "Merry Christmas, beautiful girl."
She beamed as she slid to his side and snuggled into him. "As much as I'd love some Christmas morning loving, I'd rather not be interrupted if the girls decide to come get us," she admitted.
Luke sighed. "I guess not," he said.
Lorelai giggled at his disappointed tone. "Didn't get enough last night?" she asked.
"With you, I'll never have enough," he replied.
"Oh, sappy Luke's making an appearance today!" Lorelai said.
"I'm just so glad we're here," he admitted. "Maybe we're not doing such a good job forgetting the past, because I just keep thinking about how hard last Christmas was."
Lorelai nodded, her face sobering. "Yeah, it was," she admitted. "I um…I ended up outside the diner last Christmas Eve."
He looked down at her in surprise. "You what?" he asked.
Lorelai sighed and slid out of bed. She pulled on his flannel over her pajamas and wrapped it protectively around herself, then sat down on the end of the bed, facing him. "I didn't mean to," she admitted. "I was working for two days straight so I didn't have to be at home without Rory and with Christopher. But I took a walk around midnight to clear my head, and ended up outside the diner, leaning against your truck and wishing that I was inside with you."
"Lorelai," he sighed, reaching for her hand.
"I almost did it," she murmured. "I knew where the spare key was, I almost went inside and told you how sorry I was and how badly I'd messed up, and that all I still wanted was you."
He was relieved she hadn't. He'd probably been over halfway through his six pack at that point, and wouldn't have been accountable for what he'd said to her or done with her had she come upstairs. "Why didn't you?" he finally asked.
"I realized that you'd been hurt enough by me," she whispered. "The last time I'd ambushed you like that you weren't exactly receptive. Then I remembered how you'd been pushing me away, and I just realized it was a stupid idea. So I went back to the inn and ignored Christopher's calls for the entire day."
"I thought you were here," Luke admitted. "I knew Rory was gone, but in my head, you were here with him, having a perfect Christmas, and that made me so…I don't even know, sad, or angry, or something."
"I couldn't do it," Lorelai said. "He wanted to, and thank God Rory went to London, because I couldn't do the big Christmas thing with him. Even when we celebrated when Rory got back, he got these horrible stockings and just…made everything all wrong."
Luke didn't respond, but instead slid out of bed and pulled a t-shirt on over his sweatpants. He retreated into the bathroom, and Lorelai briefly wondered what she'd said to upset him. Just as she was about to cross the room to go after him, he appeared, hands on his hips, and asked, "You'd tell me, right? If I did something that bugged you, you'd tell me?"
"You don't bug me," Lorelai replied. "Except when you cut me off from my coffee."
"I'm serious," Luke said. "I mean, last time with the bathroom tiles and the bedroom furniture, you just let it smolder until it exploded. If I bring home Christmas stockings that felt wrong, you have to tell me."
Lorelai could see an old expression of fear and nerves in his eyes, one that she'd seen when they'd first become engaged and he was afraid of hurting her feelings when she was already upset about Rory. "I'll tell you," she said. "And you have to tell me before you make major life choices."
Luke nodded and stepped closer to her. He traced a finger over her lips and requested, "No more fake smiling."
She nodded and reached for his hand. "Always come home?" she requested. "No more four AM emergency sugar packet deliveries?"
"I haven't done that in years!"
"Promise me."
He leaned his forehead against hers. "I promise." He was quiet for a moment before he requested, "No more hiding pregnancy scares from me."
Lorelai inhaled sharply and stepped back. "How did you know about that?" she asked.
"Sookie let it slip once in an argument about why I should give her the pork chops recipe," he replied. "Don't ask me, she's your friend," he replied at her confused look. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. "I would have been there, when you took the test."
She shrugged. "There was no test," she said. "I was late, we'd gotten drunk in New York and I was switching birth control, so we should've used a condom. I freaked out because I wanted an apple, but then nature took its course the next day and told me there was no baby."
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly.
Knowing his insecurities on the topic, Lorelai stepped back and wrapped her arms protectively over herself. "We'd just gotten back together, and I was afraid that it would be too much for you," she whispered. "But I would have told you, Luke, if it had turned into anything at all. Please, at least know that."
"I do," he said sincerely. "I'm not comparing you to Anna. It was years ago, it doesn't matter, but if it happens again…"
"I'll call you the second I suspect anything," Lorelai promised.
"Thank you," he said.
She was quiet for a moment, then shook her head slightly. "It would have been bad," she said. "I would have been giving birth right before April's birthday. Think about how a baby would have thrown a wrench into everything that happened that year."
"We weren't ready," he admitted. "For the record, I still would have been excited."
"I know," Lorelai said. "Me too. But I'm glad there wasn't a baby, because with Rory being gone and then April appearing and then you...I wouldn't know now. I wouldn't know that you'd worked things out with me for me, and not our baby."
"And I wouldn't know if you'd taken me back because of me or because of our baby."
Lorelai sighed and wiped a small tear away from the corner of her eye. "Wow, pretty heavy conversation for Christmas morning, huh?" she asked.
"Sorry," he said, pushing her hand aside to brush her tear away with his thumb. "I love you, Lorelai Gilmore."
She smiled brightly, wanting to switch to a happier topic. "So…I've been thinking," she said softly. "I know I said I didn't want to take your name, but I may have changed my mind."
Luke's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You did?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said. She reached for his left hand, pressing a kiss to the place where his wedding ring would rest in a few short days. "I mean, you're going to wear a ring. I should go a little outside of my comfort zone too."
"It doesn't matter to me," Luke told her honestly. "I mean, I'd be…honored, I guess, but it's not like we're any less married if you keep your name."
"I know," she said. "Just like we wouldn't be any less married if you didn't wear a ring. But there's something exhilarating about sharing your name. Like…I'll be telling the world that I'm connected to you. And when we have kids, it would be really horrible to have a different last name than them."
He frowned. "What about Rory?" he asked.
Lorelai shrugged. "I'm not going to drop the Gilmore," she said. "I was thinking of hyphenating. Lorelai Victoria Gilmore-Danes."
Luke nodded a smile spreading across his face. "Sounds beautiful," he nodded.
"I thought so," she said with a nod. "A bit of a mouthful, though."
Luke scoffed. "Well, then it's perfect for you."
She gasped and pushed past him towards the door. "Just for that, I'm not sharing my coffee with you," she informed him.
"I think I'll survive."
She laughed as she led him down the stairs. "Well, I guess our sleeping beauties haven't been kissed by prince charming yet," she said, noticing the empty living room. "Want to try to guess what's in our presents?"
"Be patient."
"You should know by now that I'm not good at that."
"Learn."
She walked into the kitchen and cracked the door to Rory's bedroom open. Both girls were still sound asleep, and she pulled the door closed again. "They're both on west coast time, I guess," she said softly to Luke. "Guess we could have made that Christmas morning love nest after all."
"Tonight," Luke promised, handing her a cup of coffee.
She smiled and accepted it, leaning up to kiss him. "How about some light making out?" she requested.
He offered her a smirk and pulled her closer. "That we can do."
"Good, because I wasn't really giving you a choice," she said. She set her coffee on the table and then turned back to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
Luke brushed her hair off her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her, gently at first. Their mouths quickly fell into a familiar battle for power, and after a moment, Lorelai smiled into the kiss. "Is that a candy cane in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" she whispered against his lips.
Luke's response was to turn her slightly, pressing her lower body against the counter as he claimed her mouth with his own. Lorelai sighed happily, and began to slide her hands under his t-shirt. Luke gently ran his hands over her waist, but just as he was reaching under the flannel she was wearing, a gasp broke through their kiss.
"Seriously, it's first thing in the morning!" Rory's irritated voice said, causing Luke and Lorelai to turn towards her. She was standing in the doorway to the room, a hand clamped over her eyes. "Tell me when I can open my eyes."
Luke's face turned bright red and Lorelai offered his arm a pat before she slid out of his embrace. "It wasn't what it looked like," she said in a singsong voice.
"Really?" Rory asked, still not moving her hand off her eyes. "Because it looked like you were making out and blocking my way to the coffee maker."
"Okay, then it was exactly what it looked like," Lorelai replied. "You can look now."
Rory tentatively separated her fingers and peeked through. "You do realize you have a room, right?"
Lorelai shrugged. "More fun to give you some delayed childhood trauma," she said, handing her a cup of coffee. "Merry Christmas, Lorelai Gilmore."
Rory finally smiled back. "Merry Christmas, Lorelai Gilmore," she repeated. "Merry Christmas, Luke."
Luke mumbled something in response, not making eye contact with Rory, and instead fiddling with the tea kettle.
"Hey, you do realize in four days you're going to have to kiss me in front of both our daughters, your sister, and my parents, right?" Lorelai asked Luke.
"Yeah, but not a gross kiss like that," Rory winced, coming to Luke's defense. "I think I may need that mind eraser stick from Men in Black."
"You're being dramatic," Lorelai said.
"You remember seeing Grandma and Grandpa kissing after they got back together?" Rory raised an eyebrow.
Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Point taken," she nodded. "Sorry."
"You can make it up to me in coffee," Rory said, holding out her already half empty mug.
Having recovered from his embarrassment, Luke rolled his eyes. "You really should try to control that," he informed her.
Rory and Lorelai both stared at him in disbelief for a long moment. "You don't know us at all," Lorelai said, her tone faking hurt.
"I'm not stopping you, just observing," Luke shrugged.
"Well, stop observing, because it's only going to make me cranky," Lorelai said.
"Is April still asleep?" Luke asked Rory.
"Yes, lucky her," Rory said. "She'd probably need a lobotomy if she'd been the one to interrupt a few minutes ago."
Lorelai scoffed. "Like you've never made out over coffee," she said.
"Pleading the fifth," Rory replied, causing Luke to frown.
Before he could say anything, April appeared in the doorway, bleary eyed behind her glasses. "Morning," she said.
"Morning sweetie," Lorelai said with a smile. "Merry Christmas!"
April smiled shyly as she looked at the floor. "Merry Christmas," she replied hesitantly.
"Okay, now that we're all up, present time!" Lorelai cried.
She and Rory ran into the living room, leaving Luke and April alone in the kitchen. Luke sighed as he turned to look at his daughter. "We may be in over our heads here, kid," he said.
April smiled slightly. "You haven't been here for Christmas before?" she asked.
"The season, yes," he said, handing her a mug full of hot chocolate. "The day, no."
"Oh," April said. "I thought…before me…"
"Nope, we're both new to this Gilmore Christmas thing," he said, sensing her hesitation. He held out his mug of tea to her. "We'll stick together."
April smiled and clinked her mug against his. "Deal," she said.
"We're going to start without you!" Lorelai's impatient voice traveled into the kitchen, and Luke gestured to the living room. As he followed April in the living room, he couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. Lorelai and Rory were seated cross legged on the floor, and Paul Anka was sitting happily between them. The presents had already been sorted into piles, and the lights on the Christmas tree were glowing happily. He briefly remembered Christmases past, when his mother had put Christmas music on in the background and his father had always seemed to produce a hockey stick or baseball glove as a last minute present for him.
"Okay, youngest to oldest," Lorelai said, nodding to April as she and Luke sat down on the couch. "Go ahead, sweetie."
April's eyes widened, but she reached for a present in front of her, ripping off the paper and smiling at the leather bound notebook in front of her. "An experiment notebook!" she exclaimed, flipping through the pages that were filled with empty grids and lines for hypotheses. "Thanks, Lorelai!"
Lorelai beamed. "I thought you'd like it," she said. She turned to Rory and said, "Hurry up, because I'm after you."
Rory rolled her eyes. "I think I'll take my time," she said, slowly reaching for a box and causing her mother to groan.
Luke let himself relax and enjoy the next hour, taking in the way Rory had lit up at the new laptop bag from Lorelai and pen set from April, who had squealed in delight when she'd torn open Rory's gift to reveal a set of scientific biographies. Lorelai had beamed when she'd received a vintage Breakfast at Tiffany's poster from Rory and offered April a heartfelt thank you for the turquoise jewelry set, straight off a Native American reservation in New Mexico.
For his own part, Luke had considered himself especially spoiled. Rory had gifted him with a set of baseball cards, one she'd picked up from every city she'd visited over the past six months, and April had presented him with a new tackle box, both of which had been heartfelt gifts he'd appreciated. Lorelai's gift to him was a new watch, engraved with three simple words on the back: All In, Forever. Although he usually wasn't one for fancy watches, he knew he'd wear this one every day without question.
"Now we have to wait until we get to the house for Luke's gifts," Lorelai said dramatically once all the gifts were opened.
"I am curious to see the new house," April said.
"And get more presents," Rory added.
He shrugged, meeting Lorelai's gaze. "We can go whenever," he said.
"That we can," she agreed. "How about we break to get dressed and meet back here in twenty?"
"Twenty?" Luke asked dubiously.
Lorelai shot him a look. "Fine," she said. "Thirty."
An hour and a half later, all three girls were finally dressed and ready to go, and Luke shot Lorelai a glare as he pulled his coat on. "Thirty, huh?" he asked.
"Hey, it's Christmas, we're allowed to take our time on Christmas," Lorelai defended.
"Are we walking?" April asked as the four of them started across the yard.
"Yep, it's only a couple blocks away," Lorelai said, her gloved hand reaching for Luke's. "We've walked past it thousands of times, Rory."
"I know, I recognized it from the pictures you sent," Rory confirmed. "I can't believe we never knew it was your house, Luke."
"Didn't seem to matter before," he said with a shrug. "There are two extra bedrooms, but we're leaving it up to you two to decide who gets which."
"Technically there are three," Lorelai corrected. "But we thought the smaller bedroom would be best for your future brother or sister. If either of you wants it, though, we'll be sure to make that known once the kid is born."
"It's impressive how far in advance you're anticipating the sibling rivalry," Rory stated.
"It's a talent," Lorelai said. She and Luke stopped on the sidewalk, and she turned to look at the girls. "This is it."
"It's bigger than I remember," Rory said.
"This is where you grew up, Dad?" April asked.
"Yep," Luke nodded. He pointed to a tree to the right of the front door. "That's the tree I slammed into when I broke my arm."
"Hey, is there still a dent?" Lorelai asked. "We should look."
"There's no dent," Luke rolled his eyes.
"There could be," Lorelai argued, following him up the walkway.
He ignored her as he unlocked the front door. "Go ahead," he said, stepping aside to allow Rory and April inside first. "Wow," April said, peering into the dining room.
"We'll give you a full tour later, but I know you're going to explode if you don't get your gifts soon," he said.
Lorelai smiled as she trailed behind the girls, who following Luke through the living room to the library. She focused on her own daughter, trying to determine if there was any resentment towards the new house, but so far she'd seen none. And when Luke pushed the sliding door to the library open, the expression on Rory's face was one of wonder and excitement. She could already see Rory's brain churning as to how to organize her books. Luke's gift to her would be perfect.
Luke cleared his throat and placed his hand on April's shoulder. "The desk is yours," he said, gesturing with his free hand to the carved desk that sat in front of the fireplace. "Once you choose a room, we'll move it up there for you."
"It's beautiful!" April exclaimed, hurrying towards it to test the drawers. "Did you make it?"
Luke shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged self consciously. "Yeah, I thought you might need a spot to do homework or read or whatever."
"I love it!" April cried, running back to him and hugging him tightly. "Thanks, Dad!"
Luke leaned down to drop a kiss onto the top of her head. "No problem, kid."
April moved back to the desk, examining it carefully, and Luke watched her for a moment before he turned to Rory. "Yours is kind of a work in progress," he said. He reached onto one of the empty bookshelves and handed her a long, slim gift.
Rory looked at him carefully before she tore the paper off. A small wooden sign was carved with the word classics. She looked up at Luke wordlessly.
Clearing his throat, he explained, "I know you won't be here all the time, but I know you like your books organized in a very specific way," he said. "So if you make me a list of the categories you use, I'll carve more signs you can use to separate each section of books in here. I'll make them easy to change in case you want to rearrange, or get more books and need to change shelves or something."
Rory was shocked at the thought he'd put behind the gift. Clearly Luke had been trying to find something to get her that would be both practical and unique to her, and she had succeeded. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "I…it's perfect!"
Luke reached out to return the hug she offered, and Rory turned to look around the library with wide eyes. "This is amazing!" she exclaimed.
"We thought that would be the selling point for you," Lorelai said, stepping closer to Luke.
"I'll have to strategize which books go where," Rory said, running her hand over one of the shelves.
Lorelai watched as both girls became involved in an in depth conversation about book organization and how each shelf should be arranged. Luke shook his head slightly and ducked his head down to her. "How did we end up with the smart kids?" he asked.
She giggled. "I've been wondering that since Rory begged me to let her read Moby Dick when she was four," she said. "I was still giggling at the title."
Luke laughed and turned her gently towards the door. "Let's give them some time to talk books," he suggested. "Your gift is in the piano room."
"Is it a piano?" Lorelai asked.
"No," Luke said. "I guess we'll have to figure out another use for that room once we move in."
"We will," Lorelai nodded. When she stepped into the room before Luke, her eyes widened at the sight of her dollhouse sitting on a window seat in the corner. "Oh my god," she gasped, stepping closer to run her hand over the roof. "How in the world did you fix this?"
Luke stepped closer as she turned to look at him. "I know how much it meant to you," he said. "And when you told me what happened to it, it made me sad for you. I knew that it was one of the only good parts of your childhood. So I asked Sookie if she'd ever gotten it fixed, but she said that it was beyond repair. This isn't your original house. I um, called your mom, who gave me the name of the original designer, and had an exact replica made."
"I can't believe you did this," Lorelai breathed, reaching to wrap her arms around his neck. "It's perfect, Luke, thank you."
"I'm glad you like it," he murmured, hugging her back tightly.
Lorelai stepped out of his embrace to kneel on the floor and examine the dollhouse more closely. "It's exactly the same," she observed. "You willingly called my mom and got her to do what you wanted? You're going to have to tell me how you did that."
"She was actually pretty nice about it," Luke conceded. "With the exception of the wedding plans, she's been okay lately."
"Yeah, she has," Lorelai acknowledged. She tried to fight the memory of her breakdown in the real estate office nearly two years earlier, when her mother had shown her motherly concern and comfort, or at least as much as she could. She'd seemed genuinely sorry that Lorelai had thought she couldn't make things work with Luke. "She um…I think she likes you."
Luke smiled as Lorelai stood, and he could see a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said with a shake of her head.
"Lorelai…" he clearly didn't believe her.
"I mean it, nothing is wrong," she said honestly. "But that's what's scary to me."
Luke frowned as he reached for her hand. "It scares you that things are good?" he asked.
"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm afraid that this is all some perfect, wonderful dream. At any point, I could wake up, and Rory will be off on the campaign trail, you'll still be living above the diner hating me, my ring will still be hidden under my make up, and I still won't have gotten to spend any time with April. It's terrifying that this could all disappear."
He sighed and pulled her into an embrace. "I wish there was something I could do," he murmured.
"You're doing it," she whispered into his jacket. "I don't know, maybe there are still some kinks to be worked out in my warped brain."
He rubbed her back reassuringly. "If you want to start going back to Abby, you can, you know," he said.
"I know," she said. "It's not that I'm unhappy, Luke. I'm so happy, and I don't understand why I can't just accept that, without being scared."
He sighed and reached up to run his fingers through her hair. "If you want me to go with you to figure it out, I will," he offered.
She pulled back and ran her fingers over his cheek, smiling up at him affectionately. "I know you would," she said. "I love you for that. But I think there are some things I have to do on my own."
"Okay," he said, turning his head to press a gentle kiss to her palm. "If you change your mind…"
"I'll let you know," she said. She turned in his arms, looking back at the dollhouse. "I love the dollhouse. It was so thoughtful, Luke."
He rubbed her back. "I'm glad," he said.
She turned to look at him, her eyes having regained her usual sparkle. "We should get to work on making a little girl to use it," she suggested.
He raised his eyebrows. "I think I'm up for the challenge," he agreed.
Lorelai looped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. "We're getting married in four days," she murmured. "We could make a honeymoon baby."
His hands moved to unbutton her pink coat. "We could," he agreed.
Lorelai sighed happily and kissed him again, her body pressed tightly against his. Her mind briefly flashed to the girls, and Rory's look of disgust when she'd walked into the kitchen that morning, but when Luke moved his lips to her jawline all practical thought was lost.
"Hmmm," she sighed in pleasure, tilting her head to the side as he gently took her earlobe into his mouth. "I love when you do that."
Luke gently nipped at the skin before he pulled back. "I know," he replied.
Their lips met again in a passionate kiss, and Lorelai could feel her brain start to cloud the way it always did when Luke kissed her like this. She had just started to push his jacket over his shoulders when she heard her daughter's voice once again interrupt them.
"Are you serious? There is one minor and two very disgusted daughters in the room."
Lorelai giggled as she stepped out of Luke's arms. Rory was squeezing her eyes tightly closed as her hands covered April's eyes. "Sorry, Mom," Lorelai mocked.
"You two are worse than teenagers," Rory informed them.
"Can we look yet?" April asked tentatively.
Lorelai glanced at Luke and snickered. "Well, if you're giving us the choice…"
"Stop," Luke ordered. "You can look. It won't happen again."
Lorelai gasped, offended, and Rory rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right," she muttered.
"Who wants a tour?" Lorelai asked, gesturing to Luke. "Cool Hand here gives the best ones in the state."
Luke gestured to the stairs. "Want to see your rooms?" he asked.
April's eyes lit up and she followed Luke up the stairs. Lorelai started to follow them, but stopped when she saw Rory smirking at her. "Aren't you coming?" she asked.
"Yeah," Rory said. She followed her mother to the stairs and commented, "I'm surprised you two haven't been arrested for public indecency."
Lorelai patted herself proudly on the chest. "Excuse me, we're only privately indecent people," she said. "Except when you decide to walk in on us."
Rory grimaced. "Not by choice," she said.
"What can I say, I'm a woman in love," Lorelai shrugged. She glanced at Rory and said, "You'll get it one day."
Rory nodded slowly. "I hope so," she whispered.
"You will," Lorelai said, wrapping her arm around her daughter.
April bounced towards them, pointing to where Luke stood in the doorway of his former bedroom. "This was Dad's bedroom!" she reported.
"I know, hard to imagine Butch in there surrounded by all his trophies, isn't it?" Lorelai asked.
Rory smiled as she peered into the room. "I don't know, I can see him sorting his baseball cards and hanging Star Trek posters," she commented
Luke shot her a look, then turned to April. "It's up to you two whose room is whose," he said. "Once you've got that figured out, we'll make sure your stuff gets put in the right room during the move."
"You can have your dad's room," Rory said to April.
"Are you sure?" April asked.
"Yeah, it's bigger, you'll need more room for your experiments and stuff," Rory nodded. "All my books will be in the library, so I'll need less space."
"Thanks!" April cried.
"Well, that was easy," Lorelai muttered to Luke.
"We are excellent parents," he agreed.
She giggled as she leaned into him. "We are, if I do say so myself," she agreed.
XXXXX
Lorelai stretched as she woke, allowing her body to slowly come back into consciousness. She glanced at the clock and seeing that it read 9:30 was unsurprised that Luke was not beside her. She turned onto her side and glanced at his side of the bed, frowning slightly when she realized that his pillows were perfectly poised. Usually he slid out of bed and left it unmade, wanting to disturb her as little as possible.
With a shrug, she stumbled out of bed and down the stairs. "Rory?" she called. "April? Anyone home?"
She was met with silence, so she put some coffee on to brew and went back upstairs to get dressed. She tossed on a pair of jeans and a sweater, eager to get to the diner where the girls had presumably gone for breakfast.
Once her coffee was in a to go mug, she pulled on her coat and climbed into the Jeep, wanting to get to breakfast as quickly as possible. As she drove, her cell phone rang, and she smiled when she saw Rory's name flashing across the screen.
"Hello, favorite daughter!"
"Hi, Mom!"
"What are you and your sister up to?"
There was silence on the other end of the line, and then Rory asked, "Gigi?"
"Uh, no, I was talking about April."
"April?" Rory repeated.
"Yeah," Lorelai nodded as she parked the Jeep outside the diner. She remained in the car, but smiled when she saw Luke's figure appear in the window.
"Like…Luke's daughter April?"
Lorelai frowned. "The one and only," she said.
Rory was quiet again, then asked gently, "Mom, are you okay?"
"Yes," Lorelai replied. "Why are you acting weird?"
"Mom…April's not my sister."
"Well, not officially, but it's only a couple days until the wedding," Lorelai replied.
"Luke's wedding?"
"Yes, and mine," Lorelai said carefully.
Rory let out a sharp breath. "Mom, you cancelled your wedding to Luke," she said softly. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Lorelai could feel her head starting to hurt. What was she missing? "I'm fine, Rory," she said. "Where are you? We can talk in person."
"I'm in London," Rory replied hesitantly. "Mom, maybe Dad should take you to the doctor."
"What?" Lorelai asked. "Dad?"
"Yeah, isn't he there?" Rory asked.
"No, he's in Hartford, presumably," Lorelai said.
"Mom, I…"
Lorelai stopped listening when she saw Luke step out of the diner, April bouncing excitedly behind him. She smiled and started to climb out of the car, but froze when she saw Anna following behind them. Lorelai's stomach began to churn as she watched Luke wrap an arm around Anna, and when the family turned to walk across the street, Lorelai could see the prominently rounded shape of Anna's stomach.
"What?" she asked, dropping her cell phone and looking down at her left hand. Her engagement ring had been replaced by the gold band she'd worn when she'd been married to Christopher. "No!"
She tried to push the door of the car open and run after Luke, but it was stuck. She pushed her entire body weight against it, desperately trying to get to Luke and tell him that this was all wrong, that it should be her who was walking with him and April, that she should be the one pregnant with his next baby. She finally was able to get the door open and she called his name, causing him to turn and look at her.
"Lorelai?" he asked. "Are you okay?"
No words came out of her mouth as the world started to swirl around her, but Luke's voice was clear. "What's wrong? Lorelai?"
"No!" she screamed when she felt herself being pulled away from him. "Luke!"
"Lorelai, wake up. It's okay, I'm right here."
Lorelai's eyes snapped open and she clutched Luke's arms tightly with both hands. He was leaning over her with concern in his eyes, and she glanced around the room wildly, trying to separate her dream from reality. "Luke?"
"I'm here," he nodded.
"You're here," she said, relief filling her body. "You're here."
"I think you were having a bad dream," he said softly. "You were moving like crazy and were practically shouting."
"I…" Lorelai tried to catch her breath. It had all seemed so real, so true, and she quickly raised her left hand up. "My ring is here."
He glanced at her hand and nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Did you lose it in your dream?"
Lorelai raised her hand to her forehead and pushed her hair back before she shook her head slightly. "No. Or…yes." She pushed herself to sit up, her gaze meeting Luke's. "I saw you," she said. "With April and Anna in the town square. You were going to marry Anna. She was pregnant. It was like…like what would have been right now if I'd stayed with Christopher. Rory was in London and you were with Anna and she was pregnant, with your baby and I was trying to get to you, to tell you it was wrong, but the car door wouldn't open and I couldn't get to you. I was so scared, it was all wrong!"
"Oh, Lorelai," he sighed, pulling her into his arms. He remembered her confession from that afternoon, that she was scared of everything they had built together disappearing, and he gently rubbed his hand over her back as she sobbed into his shoulder, clutching his t-shirt tightly. "It's okay, it was just a dream."
"It felt so real," she whimpered. "God, Luke, it was horrible. I couldn't do anything. And she…she was holding your hand and you were touching her stomach, and April looked so happy."
"That's never going to happen," Luke said firmly. "The only person I'll ever have a baby with is you."
"I just…I can't," Lorelai gasped. She tried to gain control of her tears, and she pulled back to look at him. Her eyes were swollen and filled with fear, and he hated that he had no idea how to fix that. "I can't lose you, Luke. It was so awful, seeing you with her."
"It was a dream," he repeated.
"It wasn't just a dream," she insisted. "It was real, it was everything I'm afraid of."
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm here," he promised. "I'm not going anywhere, ever. I promise."
She wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye. "We're still getting married?" she asked, her voice vulnerable.
"In three days," he assured her.
"We still have a house?"
"We still have a house."
She bit her lip and asked, "You still want a baby?"
"More than anything," Luke promised. He reached to stroke her cheek. "I'll make you some coffee, it'll calm you down."
"No!" she said, her grasp on his arm tightening. "Don't leave me."
The reality of how much her dream had scared her began to sink in, and Luke settled back onto the mattress. "Okay," he said. "Are you okay?"
Fresh tears filled Lorelai's eyes. "I don't know," she said honestly. "I don't…I know it was a dream, but I just can't stop seeing it."
He sighed and reached for her hand. He trailed his thumb over the diamond of her engagement ring. "I wish I knew how to help."
"You're doing it," Lorelai said softly.
"I wish I could do more."
She leaned into his side, tucking herself into his embrace. "Tell me you love me."
"I love you," he said firmly. "So much."
"Tell me it's going to be okay."
He pulled the blankets up over them and shifted them both so they were laying down. "It's going to be okay."
Her voice cracked slightly on her next words. "Tell me you'll never leave."
"Oh, Lorelai," he sighed, tightening his grip on her. "I'll never leave."
She tried to get even closer to him, her grip around his waist tightening. "I'm scared," she admitted.
He hated the vulnerability in her voice. "I know," he said softly.
"I want to let myself be happy."
"I want that too."
"I love you so much."
"I love you too."
She squeezed her eyes shut, but quickly popped them open when she saw the happy smile on Luke's face as he'd walked with Anna and April. "Don't let go," she requested softly.
His lips pressed against the top of her head. "Never," he promised. He'd never seen her this vulnerable, and he tightened his grip on her, know that he would do anything to make sure she got through this.