A/N: General consensus seems to be that Paris/Doyle is much better than Paris Asher - good to know we all agree on that! lol Thanks for all the feedback, folks. Now, a quick spin through the Holidays in Stars Hollow :)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 18
Rory wasn't sure how the festive season managed to pass by so quickly. She and Jess took Paris with them to Stars Hollow for Christmas and she pretty much stayed for the whole of the holidays, right through New Year.
So much for thinking there were problems with Luke and Lorelai, it fast became clear to them all that nobody could be more in love than the two adults they all cared for most in the world. If all the kissing under the mistletoe was anything to go by, they were doing just fine.
"I mean, I didn't say anything," said Paris as she sat across from Rory in the diner, "it's their house after all, but it's been every day and a lot of times. I'm just worried that at their age they're going to overdo it."
"Paris!" her friend gasped. "My mom and Luke are not that old."
"I never said old, just... of an age," she said, strangely tactfully for Paris. "Men of Luke's age have to watch their blood pressure, that's just scientific fact."
"Is she talking about that again?" asked Jess as he brought them both their breakfast. "Seriously, Paris, other people making out in their own home? Not any of your business."
"Hey, as much as it's a little weird to bear witness to - and it's got to be ten times more weird for the two of you, given the connection their marriage will make between you - I'm just happy that they're happy. It was strangely distressing to think of them breaking up."
"Well, clearly they're not going to do that," said Rory with a smile. "I was worried but seeing them so together like this? All fears quelled."
"Huh," said Jess with a look.
"Okay, that's not a sound I want to hear right now."
"I have to agree. You see more problems?" asked Paris curiously.
"I don't know." Jess shrugged. "I mean, sure, they're all over each other, but did you hear either of them mention the wedding or marriage or anything this whole week?"
"Well, no," Rory considered.
"And did they not say way back in September that they were not planning to have a long engagement? Luke even asked me about being best man."
"Mom asked me to be maid of honour too."
"But since then, no word?" Paris checked.
"Nope."
"Nothing," Rory realised aloud, "but the inn, and the diner. There's always so much going on."
"You really think that would stop your mom if she really wanted this wedding to happen?" asked Jess with a look. "I'm sorry, Ror, but I can't help thinking something really is wrong."
"But I asked Mom if everything was okay and she said it was fine. She would never lie to me."
"Maybe it's less of a lie and more a twisting of the truth," Paris considered, shoving a piece of pancake into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. "I mean, how does one really define 'fine'? Things between Luke and Lorelai might be construed as fine, they're still in love, they're not fighting or breaking up or anything, but there definitely has not been any talk of weddings or marriage in my hearing."
Jess looked from Paris to Rory, watching her bite her lip and begin to worry. He really didn't want her stressing about this and now wished he never brought it up.
"Look, maybe they're just delaying some because of how busy they are, like you said," he suggested to her. "If it was anything else, they'd tell us. Even if Luke didn't tell me, you know Lorelai would tell you, you just said so."
"I guess." Rory nodded.
"Back me up, Paris," said Jess with a look that told her it was not a request.
"Sure, could be," she said, nodding her head.
"Exactly. That's probably all it is. So, don't worry so much, okay?" he said to Rory, leaning over to kiss her quickly before getting back to work.
"We should eat," said Rory then, giving her full attention to her breakfast. "We really don't want to be too late getting back to Yale. I'll bet you're missing Doyle."
"I guess so," Paris considered, unable to keep the smile off her lips when she spoke of him. "It's weird, I shouldn't be so attracted to the odd little midget, but somehow he just got under my skin."
"Some guys will do that," said Rory, casting her eyes at Jess a moment and smiling. "I never expected it to happen to me the way it did."
"Doyle and I are nothing like you and my brother," said Paris definitely.
"Oh, really?" asked Rory, looking back at her friend. "How are you so different?"
"We just... we connect, on an intellectual level, and... and it's just different," she said firmly, though no further explanation came.
Rory laughed, she couldn't help it. As if she and Jess didn't also connect in a completely intellectual level. Their whole relationship started with books and the love of them! Besides, she knew damn well that the whole of the Paris/Doyle romance was not based on cerebral pursuits.
"Yeah, intellectual," she said, around a mouthful of her breakfast. "From the way Jess described it when he first found out about you two of you, you were having a really good intellectual time."
"Shut up!" said Paris, with much less force and anger than she meant.
It was one of the few times Rory had seen her friend blush, and the smile that wouldn't shift off her face proved without question that Paris was feeling way more for Doyle than she ever let on. She said she liked him, but if it wasn't love, then Rory would be surprised. If certainly seemed that way from Paris' side.
"You know I'm happy for you, right?" she said then. "Seriously. When you and Jamie were over, I was a little worried about you. You seemed so perfect together, I have to admit I wondered if you were making the right choice."
"You want the truth? Me too," Paris confessed, "but now there's Doyle and... I can't compare the two, but I like him a lot, and he seems to like me too. It doesn't have to be forever. I know life isn't a fairy-tale, I'm not naive, but for now, I'm happy."
"Happy is good," said Rory, smiling because her friend was smiling.
It seemed everybody was pretty happy right about now, and that was never a bad thing.
"Lorelai! I'm heading over to the diner now!" Luke called up the stairs. "I know Jess said he was fine until the lunch rush, but I don't want him and the girls being too late getting back to Yale."
"I'll be down in a sec and I'll come with!" she yelled back. "I'm trying to find Rory's bracelet that I borrowed. It's silver and pretty and... it's not down there is it?"
Luke turned around and checked on the coffee table, the mantle shelf, by the phone. He didn't see anything that looked bracelet-like and told Lorelai as much. Of course, he knew if they couldn't find it they might never leave this side of the kids heading back to college. In fact, they would be lucky if they got out of the house before graduation.
"If I were a bracelet, where would I be?" he said to himself, wandering into the kitchen, before deciding that was the last place Lorelai was going to have left anything.
Rummaging around in the living room again, he lifted magazines and even checked down the side of the sofa cushions, coming up with seventy-five cents, a pen, and something pink he was pretty sure was for putting a woman's hair up in some way. No bracelet.
With a sigh, Luke headed back to the table where the phone sat and checked amongst the picture frames and such on there. He pulled open the top drawer and peered inside, then the second one, all to no avail. What did catch his eye in there was nothing like a bracelet but the red lettering on more than one envelope was very hard to ignore. It was wrong to snoop and Luke really wasn't the type, but those looked suspiciously like overdue bills and there was no way he could just dismiss that as nothing.
Lorelai's feet thundered down the stairs, startling Luke from his staring, but just a beat too late, he realised.
"I found it, it was..." Lorelai's words all went away as she reached his side and saw what he was looking at before. "What are you doing?"
"I was looking for the bracelet," he explained. "Lorelai, what is all this?" he asked her.
"Papers," she said, moving to slam the drawer shut. "Bills and papers. Nothing major."
"I didn't look on purpose, you know that," Luke insisted, "but I saw anyway. Those look like final demands."
"I got busy, the bills didn't get paid on time, but it's fine," she insisted. "I'm dealing."
"Lorelai..."
"Luke, I said it's fine. God, I know you're Mr Uber Organised but you know I flake sometimes. It's no big deal."
She looked genuine and the last thing Luke wanted to do was call her a liar. She was his fiancée, the woman he loved and trusted most in the world. Lorelai just wasn't the type to lie, not to him of all people.
"Okay," he said at last. "If you say it's fine, then it's fine," he agreed, nodding his head. "I know if you needed help-"
"Then you would be the first to know," Lorelai finished for him, smiling widely. "Now, let's get to the diner, see the kids for as long as we can before they have to ride off into that educational sunset again."
"Right," said Luke, following her towards the front door.
His eyes strayed back towards the drawer with the red bills even as he went, but Lorelai had said it was fine, so it was. Of course, it was.
"Hey, Luke," said Lane with a grin just as soon as he stepped into the diner.
"Hi," he replied, frowning some as he realised she was wearing an apron and serving customers. "Jess, why is Lane working in my diner?" he asked, approaching the table where his nephew was sat with Rory and Paris.
"She's not working, not technically," said Jess.
"Working would denote tasks performed in lieu of receiving monetary gain," said Paris, the way only Paris could. "Lane is more... auditioning."
"She really needs a job," Rory explained. "Jess explained that you'd probably need some help once we all headed back to college, and the next thing we knew Lane was claiming his apron and taking orders."
"She's pretty good actually," said Paris thoughtfully. "I'd give her an eight out of ten."
"I'd go seven," said Jess with a smirk, "but only because I have a rep to protect as the bad guy."
"You're not so tough," Rory told him, kissing his cheek.
"Fine, she gets an eight."
"Hey, could I maybe choose my own staff, above and beyond the scoring system of Team Yale?" asked Luke, adjusting his hat.
"Come on, honey, what's the problem?" said Lorelai then. "Lane's a good kid. She'll be nice to the customers, she won't steal, she lives right across the square. What's to say no to?"
"Nothing." Luke shrugged. "I'd just like to feel like maybe I have some say over my own business is all. Lane?" he called to her then. "When you're done with that order, come over to the counter, we'll talk terms."
"Yes!" she exclaimed happily. "Be right there, boss!"
"That's our good deed done for the day," said Rory happily.
"Then I guess it's time to head out." Paris sighed. "Lorelai, it's been a pleasure as always."
"Great to see you, Paris. You're welcome any time."
"Thanks," she said, smiling like she meant it. "I'll see you two back at school," she told Rory and Jess then, heading out to her car that was parked right outside.
"I'm gonna say 'bye' to Luke," said Jess, sliding out of his seat and heading for the counter to cut in on Lane's interview just for a minute.
Rory got up and faced her mom.
"Here we go again!" she said, reaching to hug her. "It's been such a great holiday."
"It really has," Lorelai agreed, hugging her tight. "Be good, baby girl, and if you can't be good, be careful," she told her with a wink as they parted.
"Always," Rory promised, before her smile slipped a little. "Mom, everything is okay, right? With you and Luke, and the inn?"
"Sweetie, everything is fine," Lorelai assured her. "You just said we had a really great holiday. Everybody is happy, everything is fine, and yes, I know in the movies this is usually the part where everything goes really, really wrong, but that's not going to happen here. This is Stars Hollow, only good stuff is allowed, especially in the Gilmore-Danes-Mariano-Geller clan," she said, taking a deep breath right after. "We've got to find a shorter name for this clan."
"I'll work on it," Rory promised, hugging her mom one more time. "I'll call you."
"You better," Lorelai told her. "Take care of each other," she said as Jess returned to them.
"Always," he agreed, grabbing a hold of Rory's hand. "Let's go, Gilmore."
"Right behind you, Mariano. Let's go kick this semester's butt!"
To Be Continued...
A/N2: Despite the fact this story and my others still have a long way to go, I'm already throwing ideas around for new stories! lol If you're at all interested in giving your opinion on what kind of new AU Literati may be coming up in a few weeks times, please go visit my Profile Page and vote ;)
