Here's a little mid-week update. I hope you all enjoy!
Lorelai smiled as she wandered through the town square, taking in all the booths that were set up for the craft show that was being hosted in Stars Hollow for the first time. She'd lingered over breakfast at Luke's that morning, and now she was enjoying the warm spring day. What she'd dubbed "birthday eve" years before, when Rory had been little, was shaping up to be an excellent day this year.
She admittedly had mixed feelings about her birthday this year. As much as she'd always loved celebrating birthdays and having an entire week dedicated to herself, she was a little apprehensive about turning forty. Everything was going so well in her life, and she and Luke had tried hard over the past month to focus on everything they did have, instead of what they didn't. But the fact that she was entering another decade made her nervous about ever having her dream of giving Luke a baby.
"Lorelai!"
She turned when she saw Liz charging towards her, pushing Doula's stroller. "Hi, Liz!" she exclaimed.
"It's my favorite sister in law!" Liz cried, embracing Lorelai tightly. "Did you stop by the booth?"
"Yeah, there was some beautiful stuff," Lorelai acknowledged. "I loved the flower hair clips."
Liz offered her a wink. "Then my brother knows you well," she affirmed. "TJ and I are excited for your birthday party tomorrow night!"
Lorelai smiled. She and Luke had decided to combine her birthday celebration with a house warming party. He'd been reluctant to have any kind of party at first, but she'd pointed out that by doing it this way, they'd only have to throw one party and he'd quickly relented. "We've got the keg ordered and the bongs set up," she confirmed.
Liz laughed and tapped Lorelai's shoulder. "I'll have to be the sober one this time around," she announced with a smile. "You're going to be an aunt again!"
Surprise and jealousy fought for control of Lorelai's emotions at that moment, but she quickly suppressed both and plastered a smile on her face. "You're pregnant?" she asked.
Liz smiled fondly down at a sleeping Doula. "Yep, she's going to be a big sister."
"Wow, congratulations," Lorelai answered, embracing Luke's sister tightly. She took a deep breath as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to let herself cry. "Does Luke know?"
"Know what?"
Lorelai pulled away from Liz at the sound of her husband's voice, and turned to look at him with a shaky smile. In the three days since they'd returned from New Mexico, he hadn't been plagued with any more dreams, but he was still reluctant to let her out of his sight. She shouldn't have been surprised that he'd taken a break from the diner after the breakfast rush to seek her out.
"Hey, big brother!" Liz exclaimed. "I just told Lorelai, you're going to have a new niece or nephew in a few months!"
Lorelai saw Luke's jaw clench briefly before he leaned down to kiss his sister's cheek. "That's great, sis," he claimed, but the excitement in his voice was forced.
"Yeah, Doula and I are just heading home for lunch, but we'll be back for the afternoon rush," Liz nodded to the craft fair. "We'll see you tomorrow night!"
"Bye, Liz," Lorelai sighed.
Luke leaned into the stroller to stroke Doula's cheek gently before straightened and patted his sister's shoulder. "I'm happy for you," he commented, and this time his remark wasn't forced.
Liz flashed a smile over her shoulder before she disappeared down the street. Lorelai sighed and turned to look at Luke. "Well, that's that," she concluded flatly.
"We'll talk about it later," Luke promised. "Birthday week isn't a time to be sad."
Knowing he was trying to cheer her up, Lorelai turned to grin up at him. "You're learning quickly," she confirmed.
Luke reached for her hand and linked their fingers together. "How's the fair?" he asked.
"Good," Lorelai declared as they settled onto a bench beside the gazebo. "I saw a pretty great booth with some beautiful flower hair clips. I was going to buy them, but the owner of the booth pointed out that it's much more efficient to let my husband do that for me."
"Liz told you I already bought some?" he asked with a sheepish smile.
Lorelai beamed up at him. "I love how well you know me," she disclosed. "Don't worry, I'll be surprised."
"Thanks for that."
She giggled and rested her head against his shoulder. "You have to get started on your list," she implored, tapping his knee. "You don't want to fall behind."
Luke pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Where should I start?" he asked.
"Hmm," Lorelai thought, lifting her head to meet his eyes, which were dark with love and desire, a look that was only ever directed towards her. "How about tonight, in the tub?"
"I don't take baths."
"You'll like this kind of bath," Lorelai promised. "Come on, Luke, are you going to deny your wife some hot bathtub sex on her last day in her thirties?"
"How about the shower?" he countered.
"You want the shower, add it to your own list," Lorelai implored.
Luke sighed and trailed a finger over her cheek. "Are you okay?" he whispered.
At the sudden change in topic, Lorelai's eyes dimmed slightly, and she took a long sip of coffee. "Well, the words, unfair, she already has a baby, and why not us did cross my mind," she admitted. Meeting his eyes, she asked, "Does that make me a horrible sister in law?"
"If it does, I'm right next to you as a horrible brother," Luke expressed.
"Let's give it the summer," Lorelai shrugged. Her eyes began to sparkle again. "You know what would cheer me up?"
"What?"
"Telling me what my birthday present is," Lorelai replied.
"It's not your birthday."
"It's my birthday week."
"Not the same."
"Luke, please!" Lorelai maintained her begging. "I'll give you a full day of no coffee, not even decaf."
"No."
Lorelai thought for a moment before she offered, "I'll drive the boat next time we go out!"
"You don't have a boating license."
"So?" she shrugged. "It can't be that much different from a car."
"Considering how you drive my truck, there's no way in hell you're touching my boat."
"Our boat."
Luke shook his head slightly as he looked at her. "I love you," he admitted.
She couldn't suppress the smile that came across her face at the words. A year ago, she'd never thought she'd hear those words from him again, especially with how rarely he'd said it to begin with. That birthday had been her most lonely one ever, but this was already making up for it.
"I love you too," she smiled as she leaned in to kiss him.
Luke brushed her hair off of her shoulder and offered her a small smile. "How's the birthday week so far?" he asked.
"Well, let's see," Lorelai said thoughtfully, tapping her finger against her chin. "It started with mind blowing hotel sex, you made me breakfast in bed on Monday, we had a date at Sniffy's last night, and right now you're abandoning your job to make out with me in the town square. So far it's been pretty damn good."
He smiled as he leaned in to kiss her again. "Good."
Lorelai ran her hand over his knee, wanting to ask him if he was okay. She certainly didn't mind him being more affectionate, but she couldn't help but be a little worried by his demeanor as well. She knew Luke loved her, but the constant need to be near her wasn't him. He couldn't follow her around like this forever, he would eventually have to face how much that dream had upset him.
She was opening her mouth to bring the topic up, but frowned when she saw Luke's eyes move beyond her. His grip around her tightened and his face stiffened. He was angry. "What's wrong?" she asked, turning to follow his gaze. She immediately saw what was upsetting him when she saw Christopher Hayden standing on the other side of the square, watching them curiously.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Luke asked.
"Luke, I have no idea," she pledged quickly. "I promise, I haven't even talked to him since he was here last summer." She turned to look at him, her eyes searching his. "Please, just tell me you know that I didn't ask him to come here."
As he turned to look at her Luke's gaze softened, but only slightly. "I know," he promised her.
Lorelai nodded, then squeezed his knee. She took a long sip of coffee then stood, turning to look at him. "Are you coming?" she asked.
Luke took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. "I hate that guy."
"I know, but…" Lorelai's voice trailed off and she shook her head. "It's okay. I can deal with him."
Luke's face twisted and he stood to look at her. She glanced towards Christopher, who was making his way towards them, then squeezed Luke's hand. "You spent a whole weekend with Anna, I can do this," he pointed out hesitantly.
Lorelai offered him a grateful smile before she turned to Christopher, who'd stopped a few yards away from them. "Hey, Lor."
She felt Luke's body constrict behind her. He'd told her how much he hated Christopher's nickname for her. "Christopher," she pronounced his name evenly.
"I'm really sorry to drop in like this," Christopher remarked honestly. "I tried calling, but someone else picked up. I didn't realize you'd moved."
"I have a cell phone."
Christopher sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Look, I didn't want to do this, but I have a good reason for being here, I promise," he responded.
"Okay, well, the anticipation has successfully been built," Lorelai commented.
Christopher glanced at Luke for a moment. "I'm, um, having some issues with my taxes," he revealed.
"Tax day was two weeks ago," Lorelai snapped.
"I know, but I got an extension," Christopher stated. "They've got some questions, and I need your tax information for last year, since we were legally married for part of the year."
Lorelai was quiet as she examined him. As far as she could tell, he was telling the truth, but she was reluctant to agree, for fear of falling for another one of his schemes. She glanced at Luke, who was also examining Christopher with weariness. "Our files are at home," he finally told Christopher, speaking for the first time.
"I can go get them, meet you back here," Lorelai offered.
"Come with us."
Lorelai's jaw dropped as she turned to look at her husband. She thought she'd see him dress in tails and a top hat and eat peacock pie before he'd ever invite Christopher to their house. "What?" she asked.
Luke shrugged. "It's not going to take long, right?" he said, looking at Christopher. "The house isn't far."
Christopher looked just as stunned as Lorelai felt. He glanced at Lorelai, trying to figure out if this was some sort of trap before he said, "I don't mind waiting here."
"Luke, can I talk to you?" Lorelai asked, dragging him to the other side of the gazebo, out of Christopher's hearing distance. "Do you realize what you just did? Are you feeling okay?"
Luke pushed her hand off his forehead where she was feeling for a fever. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles, then squeezed her hand tightly. "It's okay," he said. "He'll come over, we'll give him a copy of your tax stuff, and he'll leave."
Lorelai looked at him suspiciously. "Are you sure you're not just trying to show off?" she asked.
"I've been through a divorce too," he reminded her. "I had to have the awkward tax discussion with Nicole. I get it."
"Okay," Lorelai nodded slowly. "It's really not a big deal for me to run home and get the paperwork, though."
"Lorelai, let's just get this over with," he insisted. "He might need more than we think, it's easier if we have all the information right there."
"Okay," she repeated, squeezing his hand. "Thank you, Luke."
"Nothing to thank me for," he replied. "Let's go."
Lorelai held onto his hand as they approached Christopher again, who'd busied himself with his cell phone. He looked up at them nervously, and Lorelai mustered up a smile. "Come on, you can see the new digs," she said, trying to sound normal.
Christopher nodded, shoving his phone into his pocket as he glanced hesitantly at Luke. "Okay," he said as he fell into step beside them. After a moment he said, "I'm surprised you moved."
"We wanted a fresh start," Lorelai replied. "It's not that far from the old house. We're renting that one out, so we haven't entirely let go."
"Oh," was all Christopher could muster up.
"Here we are, easy access to town square," Lorelai announced as she and Luke walked up the front path. On the front porch, Luke pushed the door open, and Lorelai turned when she realized Christopher was still standing on the sidewalk. "You coming?" she called.
Christopher tore his eyes away from the mailbox and nodded. "Yeah," he said, approaching them. "It's a nice place."
"Thanks," Lorelai said, leading him into the foyer.
"I'll make some coffee," Luke volunteered. "The tax papers are in the library."
"Yeah, I've got it," Lorelai said, offering him a thankful smile. "Thanks, Luke."
"Let me know if you need anything," Luke said before he disappeared into the kitchen.
Lorelai turned to Christopher and offered him a nervous smile. "Want a tour?" she asked. "Or just the quick version on the way to the library?"
Christopher glanced curiously up the stairs before he shook his head. "Quick version's fine," he said.
"Okay," Lorelai said. "This way."
She led him down the hall and through the living room, then slid the doors to the library open. "Wow," Christopher breathed as he stepped inside. "I'm sure Rory loves this."
Lorelai smiled as she made her way to the small file cabinet that rested beside the desk they'd moved from her house. "Yeah, she was here for a long weekend over Presidents' Day, right after we moved in," she acknowledged. "Luke made her the shelf signs for Christmas, and she spent three days organizing all of her and April's books. We only saw her when she came out for coffee breaks."
Christopher stepped into the room as she flipped through the files. He stopped beside the fireplace, examining the pictures on the mantel. Lorelai had taken the move as a chance to update their family pictures. Rory's Yale graduation portrait sat beside April's spring picture, and Luke and Lorelai's wedding portrait had a central place on the shelf. More random pictures were placed between; the family of four on Thanksgiving, Rory and April smiling proudly at their Gingerbread house, and Luke and Lorelai on their new front yard marked Lorelai's favorite moments over the past year.
"You certainly didn't waste any time," Christopher observed.
Lorelai pulled their 2007 tax return file and straightened, meeting his gaze evenly. "We fought hard to get here," she said. "We had a lot to fix, but we didn't exactly start from scratch."
Christopher nodded, leaning down to examine a wedding picture. Lorelai was dancing with her father, April with Jess, and Rory was beaming up at Luke as he led her around the dance floor. "She's happy?" he asked softly.
"Very," Lorelai confirmed.
With a nod, Christopher stood and nodded to her. "Ready to bore ourselves to death for the IRS?"
Lorelai held up the file. "Yes, but they usually send me a big, fat check, so I forgive them eventually," she said.
Christopher's eyes flashed to her wedding rings, but then met her eyes with a small nod. "Let's get our money," he said.
"We can go to the kitchen, there's more room there," Lorelai said.
"Lead the way," Christopher gestured to the door. He followed her back through the living room and into the kitchen, where Luke was pouring two cups of coffee.
"Find it okay?" he asked as Lorelai brushed her hand over his shoulder on her way to the table.
"Yeah, just wanted some room to spread out," Lorelai confirmed.
"Good," Luke nodded, handing them each a cup of coffee. "I'll be in the living room if you need me."
"Thanks, hon," Lorelai said as she took a sip of coffee. "So, what do you need?" she addressed Christopher as she sat down and opened the tax file.
"Just a copy of your returns," Christopher said. "I knew the rest of the information."
Lorelai nodded, then turned her attention to the pile of papers before her. She couldn't help but smile slightly as she set aside the copy of the marriage license and her name change form that she'd sent in with her taxes, as proof of her new identity for the government.
"Wow," Christopher said, pulling her attention across the table to him. "You changed your name?"
Clearing her throat, Lorelai shifted uncomfortably. For someone who'd sought her out for practical purposes, Christopher now seemed to want to discuss how much she'd changed her life for her current marriage when she'd barely ever adjusted to him living in her house during their brief time together.
"Improved it, actually," she corrected. "You're looking at Lorelai Gilmore Danes."
"I never would have thought Luke would be the kind of guy to push for that," Christopher commented.
Lorelai's spine straightened defensively. "He didn't," she said.
"Lor, come on, I know you'd never do that."
"I did," Lorelai insisted. "Luke never so much as asked about it. He just assumed I'd keep my name as it was. But I chose to do it own my own."
Christopher looked at her closely. "You were right," he finally said. "When we were kids, all those years ago, you knew that it would never work between us."
Lorelai shook her head as she flipped through Luke's tax paperwork to get to her own. "I should have channeled her," she muttered. "I don't want there to be bad blood for Rory's sake, Chris, but do we really have to hash this out again?"
"No," he said, sliding her name change form back to her and reaching for the papers she was offering him. "Thanks."
Lorelai sat back in her chair and watched as he pulled his own forms out, his brow furrowed in concentration as he took down the information he needed. She took a sip of coffee and smiled in gratitude when she realized that Luke hadn't watered it down this time. It was weird enough to have Christopher here, bleeding into her new life, she didn't need weak coffee to go along with it.
Ten minutes later, he handed her the papers back and offered her a small smile. "All set," he said.
"Good," Lorelai said, fitting the papers back together before she slid them back into the file. "Just call me if you need anything else."
"I will," he nodded as he stood. "Mind if I use your bathroom before I leave?"
"Sure," Lorelai nodded. "By the front door, to the left."
"Thanks," Christopher disappeared down the hall and Lorelai sighed as she picked up the folder and retreated to the living room.
"Hey," Luke looked up from his supply log, spread out over the coffee table. "Everything okay?"
"I think so," Lorelai nodded. She set the file on a shelf and sat down next to him on the couch. "I mean, I feel a little weird having him here, but it's okay."
"Good," Luke nodded, turning back to his work.
Silently, Lorelai looked on with him, then tapped his shoulder. When he turned to look at her, she offered him an innocent smile and pointed to a single item on the page. Following her gaze, he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No."
"Luke," she pleaded. "Come on, I miss the pumpkin pie!"
"And you'll get it in the fall," he promised. "It's a seasonal item."
"Since when?"
"Since always," he informed her.
With a small smile, Lorelai flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You're not going to deny me anything on my birthday eve, are you?" she asked quietly.
"No, I'm not," he said. "But I'm thinking as a business owner here, not your husband."
Lorelai pouted. "There didn't seem to be much separation between the two last night during the closing special," she purred.
"Lorelai," he hissed, glancing towards the doorway.
"Right, sorry," she dropped her thoughts of their less than sanitary actions on the freshly mopped floor behind the counter the night before when she remembered they weren't alone in their house. "Just think about pumpkin pie, please? For my birthday?"
"You wanted pumpkin pie for your birthday, you should have been born in the fall."
Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest. "You and Rory and your stupid fall birthdays," she said. "April and I should come up with a spring birthday treat, way better than your fall perfection."
"Good luck with that," Luke patted her knee as he turned back to his log.
A throat cleared in the doorway, and both Luke and Lorelai stood when they realized Christopher had entered the room. "Thanks for letting me get that information," he said.
"No problem," Luke said, surprising both himself and Lorelai by reaching his hand out to for Christopher to shake. After a beat, Christopher shook it with a polite nod.
"I'll walk you out," Lorelai said, leading Christopher towards the foyer. Once they were at the front door, she crossed her arms over her chest, realizing she had no idea what the protocol for seeing her ex-husband off was. A kiss on the cheek? A hug like they were twelve? A handshake?
"I'm glad you're happy," Christopher said honestly.
"Thanks," Lorelai said. "I…I hope you are too."
"Getting there," Christopher confirmed. He paused, then asked, "Do you think she'll ever forgive me?"
"Rory?" Lorelai asked. At his nod, she sighed and looked at the ceiling. "I don't know, Chris. For a long time, I protected her from you. When she was little I would make up messages from you to give to her, just so she wouldn't be sad. But then she grew up and realized the truth. Now she's really a grown up, on her own. I can't be the go between anymore. Being a parent takes effort, you know that. If you want a relationship with Rory, you have to try. Not when it's convenient, but all the time."
He nodded sadly. "I love her, you know," he said.
"I know."
"I wasn't ready for her."
Lorelai sighed tiredly. "I wasn't exactly planning on her either," she sighed. "I was kind of looking forward to prom and graduation. But having Rory was so much better than doing those things."
"Can you just talk to her?" Christopher requested. "Please, Lor? I miss her."
"Then call her," Lorelai said, her tone exasperated. "We've done this before, Christopher. I'm sick of it. You're Rory's father. That's never going to change. You want to be her dad? Great, no one's stopping you besides yourself. Pick up the phone and call her. All the time."
"I don't have a lot of time, with Gigi…"
"Make the time," Lorelai snapped. "You can't be her dad when it's convenient for you. I'm done with this. Rory's an adult. If the two of you can figure out how to have a relationship after all this time, go for it. I'm not going to stop you. But I'm also not going to be your contact point for her. You want to be her dad, then be her dad. Call her, ask her about her articles, and what she's seeing on the road. I dealt with the midnight feedings and the toilet training, I handled her first heartbreak and her college applications. The hard part's over, you missed it. This is the fun part, where you can be friends with your kid."
He sighed and rubbed a hand over his neck. "You're right," he acknowledged.
Lorelai offered a small smile. "I usually am," she reminded him.
"I'll call her," Christopher promised.
She shrugged. "Just don't try if you're not going to follow through," she requested. "Rory may be an adult, but there are some pretty deep hurt feelings there. They're going to take time and effort, from both of you, to fix. If you can't commit to that, don't try. Rory's in a good place."
"She has you," Christopher said.
"Always."
He paused and glanced towards the living room. "She likes Luke?"
Lorelai tensed, ready to defend her husband if necessary. "She loves Luke," she corrected.
"Good," Christopher said. "You've built a great life for yourself, Lorelai."
She smiled fondly as she glanced around the foyer of her home. Her eyes landed on a photo of her and Rory, standing on the steps of the Dragonfly during its test run. A photo of her and Luke at dinner that same night was placed proudly beside it. Despite her first real, blow out fight with Rory that had taken place later that night, Lorelai loved those two pictures. They represented everything good she'd done in the world, and she'd been proud to place them on the wall beside the front hall closet.
"I'm pretty pleased with it at the moment," she admitted. There was an awkward moment of silence, and then Christopher reached out to squeeze her hand gently.
"Take care of yourself, Lor."
She squeezed his hand back with a nod. "You too, Christopher," she said.
With that, he let go of her and pulled the front door open. Lorelai watched him walk down the porch steps, then closed the door gently. She turned back to the house and strode towards the living room, where Luke had returned to leaning over his supply log.
Without a pause, Lorelai shoved his hand away from his papers and sat down on top of them, effectively stealing his attention from his work. He opened his mouth in surprise, but she held a hand up to his lips. "Thank you," she said.
He gently lowered her hand and shook his head. "It wasn't a big deal," he insisted.
"No," Lorelai said. "Not for that. Yes, it was big of you to invite Chris here and I appreciate it. But I meant thank you for…everything."
"Everything?" Luke frowned.
Lorelai swallowed hard as she tried to fight of the tears that were threatening to fall. "For this house," she gestured to their surroundings. "For being a father to Rory, for letting me be part of April's life. For this," she held up her left hand, her engagement ring sparkling to match the happiness in her eyes. "We've got such an amazing life together, Luke, and I've never said thank you. Maybe it sounds insanely cheesy, but I honestly don't know what I would have done if we'd never gotten here. I would have been so lonely."
He listened to her rant with soft eyes, letting her say everything she needed to before he leaned back into the couch and held his arms out to her. She wasted no time in sliding off the table to sit across his lap, resting one hand on his chest while the other wrapped around his neck.
"I'm happy too," he said finally. "All that stuff you just said? It was done completely selfishly on my part."
Lorelai giggled, knowing that he was trying to make her smile. "Selfish is the last thing you are," she informed him.
"Nope, I'm an entirely selfish guy," Luke confirmed, running his hand over her thigh. "Because without you and this life we've built, I'd be just as miserable as I was a year ago."
"Doesn't count as selfish," Lorelai argued gently. "You're many things, Luke. Observant, generous, and caring, but selfish isn't one of them."
He shook his head as he held her a little more tightly. "All that we have, Lorelai, all the stuff you just mentioned? It wouldn't mean a damn thing if I wasn't sharing it with you."
"You're also a smooth talker, a bit cheesy, and a closet romantic."
Rolling his eyes, Luke leaned up to kiss her. She returned the kiss for a moment before she pulled back and tapped his chest. "Traditional, paternal, an excellent chef, and hot as hell…."
"Shh…" he requested, pulling her down to him again. This time, he was the one to pull back from their kiss. "Thank you," he said gently.
"For what?" she whispered.
He shrugged as he looked around the room, gesturing to the pictures that were scattered throughout the room. His eyes landed on the scrapbook she'd made him as a wedding gift, resting on its own shelf of prominence beside a picture of the two of them on their boat. "Everything," he said honestly.
"All done completely selfishly," Lorelai confirmed before she kissed him again. She stood, looking down at him with sparkling eyes. "So where did we land on the whole birthday present thing?"
"You'll get it tomorrow."
"Luke!" she whined.
"It's not here yet anyways."
"Wow, way to be prepared."
He shrugged. "It's guaranteed to be delivered by tomorrow," he promised. He stood and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Wait until then."
"I don't like waiting."
"You're kidding."
She followed him into the kitchen and watched as he started to pull a combination of items out of the fridge. "What are you doing?" she asked.
Luke turned from the pantry and held up a can of pumpkin. "Will pie shut you up?" he asked.
"It's worth a try," she said, hopping onto the island counter and swinging her legs back and forth. "I do love watching you cook!"
He offered her a glare. "You could help, you know."
"Me?" Lorelai asked in astonishment. "Are you trying to burn down our house so you don't have to throw that party tomorrow?"
Luke laughed and shook his head. "No," he said.
"Well, think about what you just said," Lorelai replied. "Remember last time you left me in the kitchen unsupervised?"
He cringed. "Good thing I didn't like those curtains," he commented.
"They were way too girly, even for me," Lorelai agreed. "You're welcome."
"I may not have liked them, but I didn't want them to catch on fire."
"They didn't catch on fire," Lorelai argued. "There was just a tiny singe."
Luke shook his head as he cracked some eggs into a bowl. "Your point has been proven, I won't make you help," he said.
"You know me well," Lorelai said. She reached out to poke his thigh with her foot. "While the pie's baking, you can get started on your five hours," she permitted.
Luke paused and offered her a look full of desire. "I could abandon the pie and get working on the list right now," he offered.
Lorelai giggled, but shook her head. "Nope," she said, dipping her finger into the batter. "Pie comes first."
Luke's eyes glazed over as he watched her pop her finger into her mouth, her eyes locked on his as she swallowed the batter. "You're an evil woman," he informed her.
She giggled and reached for his flannel, pulling him closer. "You know I love you more than pie, right?" she asked.
"Sometimes it's hard to tell," he grumbled.
"Well, I do," she confirmed. "Do you love me more than your spatula?"
"Yes," he said leaning in to kiss her. "But not as much as my kitchen."
Lorelai giggled as she looked around the room. "Too bad for her I'm not going to let you go," she said.
Luke turned back to preparing her pie, offering her a small smile. "I'll keep both of you," he informed her.
XXXXX
The following morning, Lorelai smiled as she leaned against the doorway to the kitchen. She was dressed in Luke's flannel and cradling a cup of coffee, watching as her husband moved effortlessly around the kitchen. Balloons wishing her a happy birthday were already tied to the back of one of the kitchen chairs, and she could smell the coffee cake warming in the oven. Luke was standing at the sink washing dishes, for once not having bothered to change out of his sweatpants and t-shirt.
"You should consider losing the shirt," Lorelai suggested from the doorway.
"Hey," he smiled turning to look at her.
She smiled and held up her coffee. "Thanks for the coffee," she said.
"Birthday special," he said, shutting off the water and reaching to dry his hands on a dish towel. "Don't get used to it."
Lorelai smiled as she walked towards him. "Well, if I couldn't wake up with a hot man, at least I woke up with a hot beverage," she commented.
Luke smiled as he placed his hands on her hips. "Happy birthday, beautiful girl," he murmured into her ear.
She beamed as she leaned up to kiss him. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Breakfast will be ready soon," he said, starting to step away from her.
"I don't want breakfast yet," Lorelai said, meeting his eyes with a heated gaze.
At the tone of her voice, Luke turned to look at her expectantly. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice low.
Wordlessly, Lorelai placed her coffee cup on the counter and leaned up to him. She ran her fingers through his hair before bringing her lips up to his, kissing him deeply. "This," she breathed.
"I like that," he murmured.
"Me too," Lorelai giggled breathlessly before kissing him again, tugging gently at his hair.
"Lorelai…" he breathed against her lips.
"Tell me what my present is," she ordered softly, sucking on his bottom lip.
"No."
"Please," she whispered before slipping her tongue into his mouth, her fingers moving through his hair to trail over the skin at the back of his neck.
"No," he murmured.
"Please," Lorelai murmured, pressing her body against his as her tongue battled his for power. She gasped as he moved his own hand to tug gently at a strand of her hair. "Luke…"
"Upstairs," he whispered.
"Yes," she nodded, panting slightly.
"Okay," he said, turning to flip the oven off before grabbing her hand and pulling her up the stairs, kissing her deeply the second they'd stumbled into their bedroom.
"Luke," she whispered against his lips as his hands moved down her thighs and lifted her off the ground in one swift movement. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist as she moaned softly. "Luke…"
"Lorelai…" he murmured, his lips leaving hers to trail kisses along her neck.
"Oh," she breathed, letting her head fall back as he sucked at her skin, nibbling slightly as he carried her towards their bed. Her fingers moved down to the hem of his t-shirt, pushing it up as he moved down to press soft kisses to her shoulders.
"Bed…" he moaned, tossing her gently onto the surface. He made quick work of the buttons on the flannel she was wearing, their lips crashing together as he did so.
"Pants bad," Lorelai stated, her body starting to tremble with anticipation as he finally separated the flannel. She moaned as he kissed at the skin between her breasts as she threw his t-shirt onto the floor and ran her fingertips gently over his back.
"Oh, Lorelai…" he whispered, pressing kisses along her breasts as she raked her fingers over his back, rocking against his hips and rubbing herself against his arousal.
"Luke," she moaned. "Oh…Luke…" her hips moved faster against his sweatpants, but then he disappeared as he trailed his tongue down her abdomen.
"Lorelai…" he groaned as she tried to reach for his pants, pushing them down and watching as he kicked them off. He paused and let out a soft breath when her hand brushed against him, her soft panting making him fight for control of himself.
After a moment, Luke leaned down and kissed his way back up to her breasts, nibbling gently at the skin. "Luke…oh god…"
"Lorelai," he murmured against her skin, rocking his hips against hers.
"Please," she pleaded quietly, her eyes becoming a stormy blue they way they always did when she wanted him. Her hips rose to meet his and he inhaled sharply at the feeling.
"Yes," he groaned as he slowly pushed inside of her. "God, Lorelai."
Lorelai gasped as he pulled her into a sitting position, their chests rubbing together as he thrust into her. "Luke…"
"Lorelai," he gasped, continuing to rock into her as he held her close, groaning at the feeling of her surrounding him.
Lorelai wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, forcing his movements to slow so she could feel every inch of him inside of her. "Oh god," she breathed. Luke leaned up to kiss her and she caught his lower lip between her teeth, nibbling gently as he tried to move faster.
"Lorelai, please," he murmured, pulling away to bury his face in her neck. "Please."
She responded by pushing him onto his back and straddling him, moving her hips quickly over him. He leaned up to press gentle kisses to her shoulder as she continued moving her hips in a figure eight motion against him. His hands went to her hips, guiding her over him as she let out a soft cry of pleasure. "Luke…oh god!"
"Yes," he gasped, running his hands along her back as he fell against the pillows, watching as Lorelai continued to rock against him.
"Yes," she echoed, her hips moving faster. "Oh god, Luke…"
"Lorelai…"
Her cries became louder and more frequent as her body began to tighten around him, her movements quickening as he angled her hips slightly, allowing himself to slide deeper into her. "Luke…oh yes!"
"Lorelai," he moaned, pulling her down to him and kissing her hard as her body began to shake with pleasure.
"Luke!" she let out a scream, her body trembling as she tightened around him in a long wave of pleasure. His hands moved to her lower back, then her hips, rolling her onto her back while remaining deep inside her. "Luke…oh god…" Luke pulled back and then thrust hard into her, grasping her hands tightly as he picked up his pace.
Luke let out his own loud, long moan as he felt his release quickly approaching. He pushed faster into her and she pulled one hand free from his to run her fingers through his curls. Her body was still trembling as he thrust into her three more times before he released her name in a long moan as he spilled into her.
"Oh my god," Lorelai panted as Luke collapsed on her, struggling to catch his breath as he buried his face in her neck.
"Wow."
"That was…you're so good at that…wow."
"You're amazing."
"We're amazing."
He smiled as he lifted his head off of her shoulder to look at her. "I think that's it," he confirmed, brushing a piece of hair out of her face before starting to roll off of her.
"No!" Lorelai insisted, holding him close. "Not yet."
"I'm too heavy," he insisted.
Lorelai sighed and loosened her grip on him, snuggling into his side as he shifted onto his back. "You know, the rest of this birthday is going to have a damn hard time measuring up to that," she stated.
"Good thing we've got a good sixteen hours left."
Lorelai sighed happily. "Hey Luke?" she asked.
"Hmmm?"
"What are the odds of you bringing me coffee cake in bed?" she asked.
He sighed as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then slid off the bed. "Don't get used to this," he informed her.
Lorelai's eyes darkened as she watched him walk to her side of the bed in search of his sweatpants. "Nice show," she commented. "What do you think about spending the rest of the day naked?"
"I think you're insane for even suggesting it."
"Come on, Luke, you owe me five hours of nakedness anyway."
He tossed her the flannel she slept in. "Not consecutively," he replied. "Even we couldn't do that."
Lorelai frowned down at the flannel. "It's my birthday," she said.
"I know."
"Which means you should do what I say."
Luke scoffed. "How is that different than any other day?" he asked.
"Could you at least stay shirtless?" Lorelai requested, battling her eyelashes at him.
"Whatever you say, birthday girl."
Lorelai beamed as she watched him walk towards the door. When he'd disappeared, she slid the flannel on and settled back under the covers, loving the feeling of being even more spoiled than usual by her husband.
XXXXX
That evening, Lorelai was dumping a bag of chips into a bowl when Luke walked into the kitchen with a scowl on his face. "I finally got that damn karaoke machine set up," he informed her.
"Good," Lorelai said with a smile. "Thank you."
"I still don't understand why you insisted on having it here," Luke sighed. "You know Babette and Patty are going to find some way to make everyone else incredibly uncomfortable."
Lorelai smiled as she hooked her arms around his neck. "It's been almost a year since my last performance," she murmured. "I thought I'd give my fans an encore."
The annoyance on Luke's face melted and gave way to both fondness and regret. For all their discussions in order to get back on track, they'd never discussed her song in great detail. "Did you mean it?" he asked.
"The song?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah," he said, pulling away and leaning against the counter.
Lorelai nodded slowly. "Well, not at first," she said. "You walked in midsong, so I honestly wasn't even thinking about you. I picked it for Rory, as kind of a joke, because we used to make fun of the Bodyguard all the time. But then you walked in and I thought about the words and about all the regret I had about how things had ended up. You know I never got over you, and I saw how you were looking at me from the bar, and I don't know, I guess I just got swept up in the moment."
It was exactly what she'd said to Babette and Patty the following morning, and Luke felt the hurt grip his emotions all over again. "I thought it meant more than that," he murmured. "When I walked out of the kitchen the next day and I saw you at the counter, I was ready. I was going to ask you to go to dinner so we could get things back on track. But then I heard you say that it didn't mean anything, and it hurt."
"Oh, Luke," Lorelai sighed, reaching out to rub his arm. "It did mean something, it really did. I went to the bathroom and cried for ten minutes before I could get myself together."
"I should have gone after you," he murmured.
She shook her head. "I wasn't ready," she said. "I would have pushed you away again. I wanted more for you, I wanted you to have someone better."
"There is no one better," he murmured.
"I know that now," Lorelai said with a wide smile. "But back then, I was just starting to get myself together. There was still a lot of me that was shattered. I would have been too scared to jump back into things at that point."
"What changed?" Luke asked. Not a lot of time had passed between her song and Rory's departure, when she'd disclosed her biggest secret to him.
"Well, you threw that amazing party for Rory," Lorelai said. "I saw your face, when we walked into the tent. It was the same one you had when she wrote that review for the diner in middle school, and when she graduated high school. I saw it on your face at her twenty first birthday party, and when you found out that she was going to be working on the campaign trail. I never realized it until too late, but it was the same way you looked at April. I saw it at her birthday party, and any time you talked about her, this expression of fatherly pride came over your face. And at Rory's party, I saw it again, but it was directed at my kid."
"I've always loved Rory, you know that."
Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure there were a couple years where you only put up with me so you could hang out with her," she teased.
"What else changed?" Luke persisted.
She shrugged. "When Sookie told me that you were the one who organized the whole thing, I just couldn't deny anything anymore," she said. "I wanted to thank you, so…I did."
He smiled and reached for her hand. "Thank me you did," he murmured.
Lorelai's eyes were sparkling as she looked at him. "You know, we could do a duet tonight," she suggested.
The emotional moment over, Luke rolled his eyes and turned to the fridge. "No."
"Oh, come on!" Lorelai cried. "Islands in the stream?"
"No."
"I got you babe?"
"Not happening."
"Don't go breaking my heart?"
"Lorelai."
"Time of my life?" Lorelai suggested. "I can run across the room and you can hold me above your head."
"That sounds like a good idea, especially when Patty's punch is involved."
"I'm giving myself a one cup limit," Lorelai said. "Of punch that is."
"Good," Luke said. "That stuff is toxic."
"And delicious," Lorelai nodded.
"Don't you remember what happened last Fourth of July?" Luke asked.
"Yes, I had four cups and then we had our own fireworks show in the lake," Lorelai confirmed. She frowned, then said, "I can't believe you let me swim when I was that drunk."
"Which is why you're on a one cup limit," he said. He glanced at her expression and said, "You can have other stuff, you know."
"Oh, I will," Lorelai promised. "Don't worry, tonight you're getting the full on Lorelai Gilmore Danes, uninhibited performance."
"Uninhibited?" Luke asked, eyebrows raised.
"Remember the night after that fancy party in New York?" Lorelai asked.
Luke's mind flashed to the limo ride home, and how they'd barely even made it into the apartment with their clothes on. He swallowed hard as he remembered taking her on the kitchen table before they'd stumbled to the bed for another round of passion. "Yeah, I remember," he confirmed.
Lorelai smiled and ran her hand over their newer, larger kitchen table. "Just setting the scene," she stated.
The doorbell rang and Luke groaned. "You're an evil woman," he informed her.
Lorelai paused in the doorway and looked over her shoulder at him. "And for a completely different visual, I'm wearing the blue underwear I bought last week. The ones you said you wanted to take off of me with your teeth."
"Evil, evil woman!" Luke yelled after her as she walked towards the front door.
"This better be my birthday present," Lorelai muttered.
When she pulled the door open, she was stunned to see Rory standing in front of her, a large grin spread across her face. "Happy birthday, Mom," she said.
With a squeal, Lorelai pulled her into her arms and the girls both began jumping up and down on the front porch.
"How'd you get away?" Lorelai asked.
"I had to, it's your birthday," Rory replied. "We're in Rhode Island this weekend, and instead of going out in Providence with the team, I rented a car to come here. I have to go back to work tomorrow, but it's worth it."
"I'm so glad you're here," Lorelai exclaimed, hugging her again.
"Luke and I have been conspiring for weeks," Rory reported as she followed Lorelai into the house.
Lorelai turned to Luke, who was watching the reunion with a happy smile on his face. "Is this my present?" she asked.
"In the flesh," Luke confirmed. "What do you think?"
"I think she's just as good as pumpkin pie," Lorelai confirmed.
Rory rolled her eyes and held up her bag. "I have your presents," she confirmed.
"Oh, let's go!" Lorelai said, grabbing Rory's arm and leading her to the living room.
"Karaoke?" Rory asked when she saw the machine set up. "How'd you convince Luke to do that?"
"I have my ways," Lorelai shrugged.
"So you annoyed him until he gave in?"
"I wouldn't call it annoyed, so much as…politely requested until he told me to do whatever I wanted," Lorelai replied. "Now, give Mommy her presents!"
Wordlessly, Rory reached into her bag and handed Lorelai a box.
"Very funny," Lorelai rolled her eyes as she took in the denture cream label. Rory handed her another gift, and Lorelai sighed dramatically as she took the folded cane. "To help me over the hill, I presume?"
"Exactly," Rory said with a nod.
"You can go back to your job now," Lorelai said, crossing her arms over her chest with a dramatic pout.
"Okay, okay, here's your real present," Rory said, offering a wrapped gift this time.
Lorelai examined her closely before she took it and peeled the wrapping paper off. "Okay, you've redeemed yourself," she stated. "Spa days are always an acceptable gift."
"That's what I was taught," Rory confirmed. "We can cash it in next time I'm here for a weekend."
"Sold," Lorelai said. "Thanks, honey."
"No problem," Rory said, looking around the living room. "The house looks great."
"We're pretty happy with it," Lorelai said. "Want to go settle in, see your room? I tried to make it as much like your old one as possible, but change anything you want."
"Sure," Rory said as she followed Lorelai to the stairs. She smiled as she stepped into her new bedroom, nodding approvingly. "I like it."
"Good," Lorelai said with a nod. "I know things were still pretty crazy last time you were here, so I hope it feels more like home now."
"It does," Rory confirmed. She glanced at the open door for a moment, then sat down on the bed. "Do you have some time to talk?"
"Of course," Lorelai said, plopping herself on the bed beside her daughter. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Rory said. She smiled slightly, then met her mother's eyes. "I met a boy."
Lorelai's eyebrows shot up curiously. "A boy, huh?" she asked. "Does this boy have a name or does he answer to hey you?"
"Ethan," Rory said. "He joined the team about a month ago. He graduated a semester early from Harvard."
"A Harvard man, huh?" Lorelai asked. "Wow, wait until your grandparents learn that you're dating a democrat from Harvard. They may actually like me better than you for a bit."
"Can we focus on the topic at hand, please?" Rory asked.
"Right, Ethan," Lorelai said. "Is he cute?"
"Yes," Rory nodded.
Lorelai shifted slightly, then asked, "So, um, how would you qualify your relationship?"
"Well, I kind of need your advice on that," Rory said. "We were talking on the bus one day, and we have a lot of similar interests, in books and stuff. Then when we were in Boston, he took me out for chowder and then…well, we ended up in his hotel room…"
"Enough said," Lorelai nodded. She looked at her daughter carefully for a moment. "How has he been since?"
Rory avoided her mother's gaze. "Well, I kind of pulled a middle of the night exit," she explained. "And then jumped in the car to come here. I'm not sure how to handle the post hook up situation."
Lorelai nodded slowly. "You're not asking the best person," she said apologetically. "I'm more of a relationship girl myself."
"So you never…jumped right in?" Rory asked.
Lorelai sighed and looked at the ceiling. "People have misconceptions about me, Rory," she said softly. "But getting pregnant at sixteen didn't make me some kind of slut. Quite the opposite, actually."
"I wasn't saying that!" Rory said quickly. "I know this is awkward, but I don't really have anyone else to talk to about this."
"I know, I'm trying to help," Lorelai said. "The first relationship I had after your dad was with a guy who was a waiter at the Independence Inn. He was fun and cute, but I always felt…weird being with him, knowing that you were with Mia. You were only three, I felt like you needed me. We only were together for a couple months. He knew about you, and he was okay with it, but he never really wanted to spend time with you, so I knew it wasn't right. And after that, I had dates, but nothing ever materialized."
"I remember one guy," Rory argued. "Right after we moved into our house."
Lorelai nodded as she picked at a loose string on the hem of her shirt. "Mark," she said softly. "He used to have Michel's job."
"He went to the movies with us," Rory recalled. "And he took us to the beach."
"I remember," Lorelai said quietly. "He was…I wasn't in love with him, but he was the closest I'd been since your dad."
"What happened?" Rory asked.
Lorelai shrugged. "He got a new job and he left," she said. "He wanted me to come with him, but I couldn't. I had you to think about. As much as liked you and accepted you, he wasn't ready to be a parent to a ten year old."
"I'm sorry," Rory whispered.
"It's okay, I've found my guy," Lorelai replied. She looked at Rory closely. "Do you think Ethan is your guy?"
"I don't know," Rory said. "But I want to find out. I'm just not sure where to go from here."
"Try talking to him," Lorelai said gently.
Rory nodded. "I guess that's a good place to start," she said. She bit her lip nervously, then requested, "Would you talk to Luke? Make sure he's…not scary?"
"Honey, he may not have been particularly nice to Dean or Logan, but it came from a place of caring," Lorelai said. "He just wants what's best for you."
"I know," Rory said. "But if I do bring him home, could you talk to Luke first? Please? He'll listen to you."
"I will," Lorelai promised.
"Thanks," Rory said. She smirked and asked, "Are you going to recreate your Coyote Ugly performance tonight?"
Lorelai laughed, but shook her head. "Nope, I'm limiting myself to one cup of Patty's punch," she said. She placed a hand on her stomach and said, "I'm trying to make a nice home for your brother or sister in here."
"Any news on that front?" Rory asked. "Without disturbing details, please."
"Not yet," Lorelai sighed. "But we are going to have a niece or nephew soon."
"Liz is pregnant?" Rory asked. "I'm sorry, Mom, that must be hard to deal with."
Lorelai shrugged. "We'll deal with it," she said. The doorbell echoed through the house and she patted Rory's leg. "Let's go have a party."
"Right behind you, birthday girl!"
XXXXX
Five hours later, Luke was leaning against the door to the living room as he watched Lorelai and Rory perform a not quite sober rendition of We Got the Beat. Patty and Babette were cheering them on from the couch, while several other townies danced along with them. Luke was sipping at his own beer, and he could feel his own inhibitions begin to slip. He'd let his usual guard down and had indulged in a few more drinks than he usually would have.
With a final swig of his beer, Luke pushed himself off the wall just as the song ended. Lorelai was slightly out of breath as she hopped off the coffee table, and her eyes sparkled as she saw him standing in front of him.
"What do you think?" she asked. "Better than last year?"
Ignoring everyone else in the room, Luke kissed her deeply. "So much better."
"Good," Lorelai said, wrapping her free arm around his neck, the other still clutching a cup of punch.
He was leaning down to kiss her again before he heard a wolf whistle come from the couch. "Now that's what I call a kiss!" Babette shouted.
"Jeez," Luke muttered, pulling away from Lorelai.
She giggled and looked to the couch. "You know he scares easy," she admonished.
"Don't know why," Patty commented, eyeing Luke with a hungry expression that made him more than uncomfortable. "Not all men can pull off the sexy lumberjack look."
"Hey, don't put your moves on my man!" Lorelai exclaimed.
"Cat fight!" Babette cried gleefully.
"No cat fight, I know I don't stand a chance," Patty sighed. "I should have jumped when I had the chance."
Luke rolled his eyes and tugged on Lorelai's arm. "Make her stop," he requested.
"Let me have another glass of punch and I will."
"No way," he said. "You're already two cups past your self imposed limit."
"So?"
"So you're cut off," Luke replied.
Lorelai frowned. "It's my birthday," she informed him.
"I'm aware."
"So let me have more punch."
"No."
"Please?"
"Mom, come on!" Rory cried, saving Luke from another argument. "Kirk's going to sing a medley of his favorite Broadway ballads."
Lorelai abandoned her mission of obtaining more alcohol to follow Rory across the living room where Kirk was testing the microphone. Luke shook his head as he turned towards the kitchen. He was glad that Lorelai was having fun and enjoying her birthday, but he was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol he'd consumed. As he poured himself a tall glass of water, he offered Sookie a smile as she wandered into the room.
"You're missing out on Kirk's Broadway spectacular," she informed him.
Luke shrugged. "I think I'll live," he replied. "You need anything?"
"No, I just figured I'd get started on the clean up," Sookie replied. "Lorelai's not so good about that."
"I'm well aware," Luke said, looking around at the cups, plates, and bottles that were scattered across every flat surface of the kitchen. "Thanks."
"No problem," Sookie said. She reached under the sink for a trash bag and said, "Lorelai's really happy, Luke."
He smiled slightly. "I know," he said. "I'm glad."
"No, I mean, she's really happy," Sookie emphasized. "I've never seen her like this."
Luke reached to adjust his hat on his head. "She deserves it," he replied.
"You both do," Sookie said softly. "I was always rooting for you, you know."
"Thanks," Luke said.
"She always says that Rory is the best thing that ever happened to her," Sookie continued. "I love that girl, you know I do. But I have to say, I think you're just about equal on the scale of importance in Lorelai's life."
"Rory comes first," Luke stated automatically. "She always has."
Sookie shook her head slightly. "She always has," she said. "For both you and Lorelai. So does April, and I get that. But you mean just as much to Lorelai as Rory does."
"I know."
"She's scared of letting you down."
"She won't."
Sookie smiled softly. "Make sure she knows that," she requested quietly.
"I will," Luke replied.
"Luke!" Rory ran into the room and grabbed his arm, dragging him towards the door. "You're missing all the fun!"
He shook his head as he followed her towards the living room. Babette and Patty were now crouched over the karaoke machine, and Lorelai had snatched the couch in their absence. He sat down beside her and offered her a smile as he took in her flushed cheeks and the tiara that was now slightly lopsided. "You having fun?" he asked.
"Yes," she nodded confidently. "Are you?"
He nodded as he reached out to straighten her crown. "Absolutely, beautiful girl."
"Never been happier," Lorelai informed him as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
XXXXX
Twelve hours later, Lorelai looked up at him from the exact same position. "I've never been more miserable," she stated.
"That's because you drank too much punch," he said.
"Thanks for the compassion," Lorelai said, moving to rest her head on the other end of the couch. "I'm never drinking again."
"Noted."
"Seriously, is it like a law of nature that as soon as you turn forty your head splits in half with the consumption of alcohol?" Lorelai asked.
"How am I supposed to know?"
"You've been forty for years!"
"Two years, but thanks."
"Ugh, I can't think right now," Lorelai said. "Too much noise."
"Then stop talking."
She glared at him, then kicked at his thigh. "Make yourself useful and get some coffee," she requested. "And none of that half decaf stuff, I want the real deal."
"Good morning!" Rory chirped happily as she breezed into the room. "Is there coffee yet? Or eggs? I'm famished! Last night was so fun, wasn't it fun? I still can't get over Babette's rendition of Big Spender. Oh, and remember when Jackson tried to do a floor slide? Not exactly Animal House, but respectable."
"Make her stop!" Lorelai moaned.
Luke, who had not consumed nearly as much alcohol as his wife, was starting to feel equally overwhelmed by his stepdaughter's cheerfulness.
"What's wrong?" Rory asked.
"Punch," Lorelai groaned.
"Wasn't it delicious?" Rory asked.
"To be twenty three again," Luke grumbled. "Make yourself useful, kid, and get your mom some coffee."
Rory glanced between the two of them, an amused smile stretching across her face. "You two kids have too much fun last night?" she asked.
Lorelai lifted the pillow from her face to glare at her daughter. "You keep teasing, I'll give you explicit details about the after party," she threatened.
With a wrinkle of her nose, Rory scurried towards the kitchen. Luke glanced at his wife and reached out to rub her leg. "You okay?" he asked.
"I will be," she said, resting a hand on her head. "Just don't ever let me drink that much ever again."
"Like you listen to me," Luke scoffed.
Lorelai sighed and looked at him closely. "I had a really great birthday, Luke," she said honestly.
"I'm glad."
"You still love me even though I'm over the hill?"
He laughed and squeezed her thigh. "I beat you there," he said.
"Doesn't answer my question."
Luke leaned over to kiss her gently. "I still love you," he confirmed.
"Even though you saw the punch come back up this morning?" Lorelai asked.
Luke paused to consider her statement. "Let me think about it," he requested, earning him a nudge in the ribs. "I'm kidding."
"Good, because once you knock me up I'm going to expect you to hold my hair back," Lorelai informed him.
"Noted."
"Coffee's ready!" Rory exclaimed as she walked into the room with two mugs in her hand. "I made you some tea, Luke."
"Thanks," Luke said, leaning back to his side of the couch and taking the offered beverage gratefully.
"Can I get my poor hungover parents anything else before I have to leave?" Rory asked. "I can call the elderly home and cancel your shuffleboard game for this afternoon."
"Goodbye," Lorelai rolled her eyes.
"Did you make sure your walkers will be delivered today?" Rory asked.
"Door's that way," Lorelai pointed.
"Oh, don't forget to take your arthritis medicine," Rory teased.
Lorelai frowned and sat up. "So last night Luke used his teeth to…"
"Okay, I'm going!" Rory cried, holding her hands over her ears. "Please stop!"
Lorelai laughed and pulled herself to her feet. "I'll walk you out," she said.
Rory nodded and turned to Luke. "Thanks for being my co-conspirator," she said.
"Anytime, kid," Luke stood, standing to hug her tightly. "We'll see you soon."
"You will," she confirmed. She turned to Lorelai and looped her arm through hers as they walked to the front door. "I hope you had a good birthday."
"I did," Lorelai confirmed. "I know it was probably a lot for you to come just for the party, but I'm really glad you did."
"I wanted to," Rory confirmed. They stepped onto the front porch and she turned to look at her. "What should I do about Ethan?"
"Talk to him," Lorelai said confidently. She glanced back into the house and said, "I've done the not talking thing, I've done the avoiding thing. Trust me, honey, it doesn't work well."
"I know," Rory sighed. "It's scary."
Lorelai nodded and leaned forward to kiss Rory's forehead. "It is," she agreed. "But so worth it."