A/N: I know it's been a little while (and if you're following any of my other stories I know it's been longer... sorry!), but I managed to finish another chapter. I don't have a lot of notes about it, really. But I hope you like it!
Oh, I DID have something that I meant to say in the ANs for chapter 1 but forgot. See the pretty cover art? I didn't make it. I'm not that talented. All the credit goes to my awesome friend Louise. Who's probably reading this right now. *waves*
"You wanna know why I killed Derrick? There were no more surprises. I knew exactly what was gonna happen every moment of every scene. It's just like these parties, they've become so predictable. 'I'm your biggest fan.' 'Where do you get your ideas?'"
Lorelai was just about to go back to the kitchen to clear up a menu discrepancy with Sookie when her cell phone rang. Seeing that it was her daughter, she stopped what she was doing and answered immediately. "Hey sweets, you back in town?"
"Yes, and you'll never believe who I just left."
"Elvis? The Dalai Lama? Christiane Amanpour?" A thought occurred to her, and she dropped the quips. "It wasn't my mother, was it? She gets to see you at dinner tonight, she doesn't need a preview."
"No, it wasn't Grandma. Or the Dalai Lama or Christiane Amanpour."
"So it was Elvis. I knew it!"
"Not Elvis, either." Whoever this was really must have excited her, because she didn't even seem frustrated by her mother's antics. "Richard Castle is here."
She frowned. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Who?"
"Richard Castle! The novelist?"
"Oh, that mystery guy? You reviewed one of his books?"
"That's the one."
"What's he doing here?" She grinned. "Did he hear it's where Norman Mailer used to hang out?"
This time she could practically hear her daughter's eyeroll. "No. His car, his Ferrari, by the way, broke down on the way to Boston and I met him at the gas station. Can you imagine? What are the chances? So I gave him a ride here and his car's at Gypsy's. I thought she'd be able to get him out of here pretty quickly, but Kirk messed something up getting the car here and she can't figure out what, so he's gonna have to stay the night. And I know you're really busy right now with the crowd for the Firelight Festival, but if you had a room for him I'm sure he'd really appreciate it."
By this time she'd already started making her way back toward the desk. "I'll see what I can do, hon," she said to her daughter before holding the phone away from her mouth a little and speaking to her concierge. "Michel, have we had any cancellations for tonight?"
"Five," he said in his French accent, still thick as ever despite how many years he'd been in Connecticut.
Lorelai frowned. "Five? How is that possible? We only have ten rooms, and we've been booked this weekend for weeks."
"I called the waiting list," he said, sounding bored, "but only two of the cancelled rooms have been filled."
"The Firelight Festival is still this weekend, isn't it?"
"Judging from the absurd quantity of stars in the square this morning, yes, your insipid festival is still on."
"That's weird," she said, frowning. But she focused her attention back toward her daughter. "Sounds like we have rooms, Rory. Send him our way."
"Great, because I kind of already did. I'm still feeling bad about that article… kind of trying to make it up to him."
She frowned. "He read it?"
"Oh yeah. He read it, his mother read it, his partner read it… apparently it was rather popular in his inner circles. Which is never what I intend when I write something, you know that."
"I do know that. But honey, it's not your job to make everyone happy, it's your job to write your opinion."
"Yeah, but my opinions can be a little harsh. You know that as well as anyone, I got it from you."
"But that's what makes your reviews good. They're honest and sharp and ruthless. You're like a young Dorothy Parker."
"Nice reputation." Her daughter's voice dripped sarcasm.
"I thought you liked her."
"Doesn't mean I want to be her."
"What did you write, anyway?"
Rory sighed. "It was a long time ago."
"You must remember something if you're still so upset about it," she coaxed.
"I said his male lead, Jameson Rook, was a two-dimensional stock character whose only clear ambition was to get in the detective's pants."
She laughed. "So much for not remembering."
"He reminded me. Yesterday."
"Well, so what? It's one character, not even the whole book."
"The character was based on him."
"Yikes. Maybe I can get Sookie to give him a free meal."
"You don't have to do that. The room is plenty. He should be there soon. Thanks, Mom."
"You gonna show your face around here, or do I just have to take your word that you're here? I mean, you are a journalist, how reliable can you be?"
"I'm going to see Lane and the boys now. But Richard Castle will be there in a minute, and I just spent the last hour with him. He'll confirm that I'm here."
"He's a novelist, that's worse!"
"I'm hanging up now."
"Okay, fine. Tell Lane I said hi."
"Will do. See you tonight."
"Bye, sweets." She hung up and made a note for Michel to put Castle in room five before heading back to the kitchen.
Sookie greeted her at the kitchen door with a "good" and a spoon thrust toward her face. "Tell me what you think of this syrup," she more demanded than requested. "I mean, I know it's good, but is it good enough for the Firelight Festival brunch? I mean, you know how important this brunch is to Taylor, everything has to be perfect."
Lorelai took the spoon full of hot liquid away from her friend for her own safety, but tasted it to appease her. "The sauce is delicious, Sookie," she assured her. "Can you stop cooking for a minute? I have news."
"Ooh, Rory's here?" In a fit of pure excitement, she handed the spoon to her sous chef and abandoned her stove entirely.
"Rory is here, but that's not my news."
Sookie looked a little disappointed, as if she couldn't possibly imagine anything that could be more exciting than the return of her best friend's daughter. "Oh. Okay, come on, what is it then?"
"Guess who's staying here, at this, our very own Dragonfly Inn, tonight?"
"A whole ledger full of Firelight Festival guests?"
"Apparently not. A whole bunch of people cancelled at the last minute."
Sookie frowned. "What? On Firelight weekend? That never happens."
Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know what's going on, I'll have to look into it. Maybe Taylor did something weird. But that wasn't my news either. We may not have many guests this weekend, but we do have a celebrity."
Sookie's eyes immediately lit up. "Ooh, who, who?"
"Richard Castle."
She gasped. "That British guy who owns the record company?"
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "No, Sookie, that's Richard Branson."
"Oh." Sookie frowned. "Then who's Richard Castle?"
"Richard Castle the novelist. He wrote Heat Wave."
"Oh, Nikki Heat? Cool, I love those books! He's staying here?"
"Yeah, his car broke down and Rory ran into him at a gas station."
"Good car! Ooh, what's his favorite fish?"
Used to her friend's seemingly off-the-wall culinary questions, Lorelai barely reacted. "I have no idea, Sookie."
"I was gonna make fish tonight. Does he seem like more of a tuna or a salmon person?"
"I haven't even met him yet. But how about I tell you when he comes in and you can judge for yourself?"
The chef's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Really. We'll give him the whole grand tour. It's been awhile since we've had a celebrity in here, might as well take advantage."
"Maybe Rory will start bringing them in for us now that she's a big-shot news reporter."
Lorelai laughed. "Maybe she will. I need to go back out to the desk, but I'll let you know when he gets here."
"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Sookie practically squealed.
Lorelai smiled and gave her friend a quick nod of agreement before heading back out to the lobby, poising herself to act like Richard Castle was no different from any other guest. She might not have had the best reputation with celebrities who stayed at her inn, but this time she was determined not to embarrass herself.
If she hadn't been expecting him, Lorelai might have thought that Richard Castle was just another guest. He was dressed casually but professionally, in khakis and a pinstriped button-down shirt, and she couldn't help noticing that he was very handsome. She'd read a few of his books, but she wasn't such a fan that she'd have recognized him from his face alone. He seemed a little road weary, but smiled as he walked up to the desk. "Hi, I'm Richard Castle," he introduced himself, "I was told you might have a room for me?"
Lorelai smiled brightly. "As a matter of fact, we do." She didn't mention the cancellations, not wanting to raise any red flags for him. "How long will you be staying with us?"
"Just one night, I hope. My car broke down outside of town, and I just need a place to stay until it's fixed."
"Well, that's no problem. Welcome to the Dragonfly. My name's Lorelai Gilmore, my partner Sookie and I own this place. This is Michel Gerard, our manager." She indicated the man beside her, who barely inclined his head in greeting. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at the concierge's ever-friendly demeanor and won, although if asked she would've had to admit that it was a close call. "Would you care for a tour?"
"You know what, I appreciate the offer, but it's been a long day. I think I'll just go to my room if that's okay."
"That's no problem." She slid a key across the surface of the desk. "You're in room five. We serve dinner between five and nine if you're interested, the dining room is straight through there. And if you change your mind and want to stay another night, our Founder's Firelight Festival is this weekend. It's a true Stars Hollow experience, and we'd be glad to accommodate you." Since apparently they had the space, she didn't think it would hurt to take the hospitality scale up a notch.
He frowned. "Is that what they were setting up for in the square?"
"Giant papier-mâché stars?"
He nodded.
"That's the Firelight Festival. It's a celebration of the founding of Stars Hollow. Stick around if you want the full story, I'm sure you won't be disappointed."
"Actually I have a commitment in Boston, but you've caught my interest. This town… it's different from New York. And I've been looking for some new inspiration."
"We're always glad to inspire. If you decide to stay, just let us know at the desk. Someone's always there." Internally, Lorelai congratulated herself on the smooth and professional exchange she'd just managed to get through. But it hadn't been difficult. There was nothing about this man's manner or appearance that suggested fame. She got the impression that he could turn it on and off, but if this was the case, it was certainly off now.
His eyes seemed to rest on the key she'd tried to pass him, but he didn't take it. In fact, he didn't say or do anything. Out of the corner of her eye she caught her concierge raising his eyebrows, and she made the decision to get the writer's attention before Michel did the same in a less pleasant way.
"Mr. Castle?"
"Right," he said, snapping back into the moment. He picked up the key. "Which way…?"
"All of our guest rooms are upstairs," she said. "I'd be happy to take you there if you'd like. Do you have bags?"
"In my car," he realized with a sigh.
She'd been doing this job for so long that she immediately kicked into problem solving mode without so much as a gear shift. "And your car's at Gypsy's?" she surmised. "That's no problem, we can have someone take you there to get your things."
He nodded. "Thank you. I'm not sure I'm up for another walk."
"Can I get you anything? Coffee, maybe? Sookie made some biscotti this morning, and I ate three pieces myself, so I can promise you that it's good."
"I wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee," he admitted. "Although I should've had my fill at that diner."
"Oh, did Rory take you to Luke's?"
"That's the place. And the coffee was good, but it just doesn't seem to be doing the job."
"The real personable guy in the backwards baseball cap is my husband," she quipped. "And his is the best coffee in town, but I'd be lying if I told you I didn't have a second or third cup here more often than not. Just don't tell him that." She smiled, and for the first time she saw the writer's lips curve upwards as well. "Our coffee isn't bad either, I'll get you some. Or better yet, why don't you come with me? My partner's the head chef here, and she's dying to meet you."
"Can I rain check on that?" he asked. "I'm sure I'd love to meet her, but I'm not really in the frame of mind to meet fans."
Lorelai nodded. "No problem. But, um, I'm sorry, this won't make any sense unless you've met her, but she wants to know if you prefer tuna or salmon."
He chuckled. "What?"
"Trust me. Just pick one."
"Um, salmon, I guess."
"Perfect." She left him at the desk and went to the kitchen in search of coffee.
A/N: Reviews, please? :)