A/N: DISCLAIMER: Contains sexual and heavy themes. Please proceed with caution. I just want to say, that I got most of the information about schools and ages from the internet, so if they're off, I'm sorry, but I did with the information that Google supplied to me, what I could. I hope you're enjoying this story. After this, there are two chapters to go, so I'll only upload one today, and over the next two weeks, we'll finish of the story. Have a fantastic day, thanks, and enjoy this chapter. JusticeIsn'tEasy0083. D.
The Year After the Year in A Life
Chapter Ten: October
October 2017 – Second Month of Fall
On October 2nd, Michele', Sookie, and Lorelai were standing in front of the newly completed Dragonfly Too watching as Tom and the rest of his guys finished packing up their things. When that was done, he gave them a tour of the inside, and the two ladies chuckled as they heard the sounds Michele' was making in every room of the Spa. They had set the opening date for October tenth. That would give them enough time to drum up some more interest, and Luke had suggested having another test run, because the first one all those years ago… went so well... this had been said with a smirk on his face, whilst he was buried deep inside of her, and she had no choice but to agree [not that it wasn't true]. So, it had been decided, that for the sixth, seventh, and eighth, they would hold a test run. Luke was excited, knowing that this is something that Lorelai had been looking forward to. The woman in question, was watching Michele as he literally held his arms out to the side, spinning around, then making an awing sound, as if he had seen a baby for the first time. True to his word, Michele had done everything that Lorelai and Sookie had suggested, but they had left him in charge of all the spa services. Sookie had been in charge of the kitchen, hiring the chefs, and working on the serving staff, and Lorelai had hired Michele's replacement at The Dragonfly, as well as helping him to get a team established here as well. At lunch, Lorelai heads to the Diner, smiling when she sees her husband carrying their now two-month-old daughter in the carrier, chatting with Andrew as the man pays his bill. Lorelai smiles, waving to him, and kissing Luke, before her daughter, taking a seat in her regular spot. They chatted when he wasn't serving people, and she told him about their ideas for the expansion, and how it was going to work, and how excited they are for the test run. Tonight, Taylor was going to make an announcement about it at the Town Meeting. Rory's birthday is in six days as well, and Eli is planning her something special. Lorelai had also planned a 'pampering' session for her and her daughter at the new Dragonfly. In November, it will be a year since they got married, and Sookie had constantly been at her about a "babymoon". She and Luke did have a honeymoon, most people probably don't remember it, but it was nice enough. Although, their one-year anniversary of being married was special, and she wanted to do something for it. Unbeknownst to her, Luke also had something planned for their anniversary.
Rory had woken up early that morning, feeling randier than usual. Eli was sitting on their bed, flipping through a magazine, and it was still early. So, Rory had taken the magazine out of his hands, threw it to the end of the bed, and straddled his waist, grinding her naked self against her husband, whose hands went to her hips as he got more interested. Now, it's not like he will complain about the sex, but there are times when he just wants to sit and read his magazine, without his pregnant wife jumping him. This is also the part of his brain that scolds him for trying to deny that this isn't what he wants. He could feel that Rory was wet already, moving his hand down to stroke at her clit, as she bucked against him. He ran his hands up her body, caressing her breasts carefully, before running his hands down each of her arms, and then down her thighs. Rory lifted herself slightly, positioned the head of his cock at her entrance, moaning when she slowly lowered herself down onto him, feeling him filling her, scratching that itch that she had when she woke up. Once he is fully sheathed inside of her, Rory lifts herself slightly, then drops back down, whilst Eli thrusts himself into the heat. He flips them over, and with Rory's wishes of 'harder, faster', he thrusts into her at speed, kissing her on her mouth, her face, her shoulders, caressing her breasts, hands roaming her body, one between then, stroking at her clit. Rory's moans of 'oh god Eli…' make him smirk because he likes hearing it. He likes knowing that he gets Rory hot and bothered, and that she always comes for him when he asks her too. When she was pregnant with Lori, and they had begun to work things out, he had been afraid to have sex with her, for fear it would hurt the baby, but he's since learned that he won't. He feels himself getting closer to his own edge, and feels Rory tightening around him, knowing that she is close too. He grips her breasts with his hands, squeezing hard, causing her to yelp in pain, but he doesn't slow down, holding her hands above her head as they share another kiss, and then Rory comes, breaking that kiss, to scream his name in ecstasy, smirking at Eli, who thrusts a couple more times, grunting as he empties himself into her. He continues thrusting until he feels himself softening, then he pulls out of Rory, holding her close to him, apologising for hurting her. They kiss softly, before the Author announces that they should get up.
'If my mother calls, she will absolutely be able to tell that we just had sex, so we need to get up, shower, and get ready for the day,' Rory said, standing, wobbling slightly, before regaining her balance, heading into the bathroom.
'Your mother can't tell when we've had sex… can she?' Eli asked, joining his wife in the bathroom.
'Yes, she has a sixth sense about it. It's a mother/daughter thing. We can just tell. It's not something we dwell on, but it's there. It's embarrassing enough getting caught in person, but when she calls just after we've done it… I can hear the smirk on her face through her words,' Rory said, smiling affectionately at her mother's quirks.
'Do you think Luke is the same? Do you think he can tell?' Eli asked, reaching for the loofa to wash his wife's body, whilst Rory just raises an eyebrow and smirks at him, gripping at his cock, and kissing him.
On the morning of the sixth, Lorelai was already up before Luke, and was bustling around the house. He met her in the kitchen, holding Belle in his arms, looking at her with worry. She hadn't slept a lot of last night. Belle has been keeping them up, mostly because it sounds like she's coming down with a cold or something. Lorelai pressed a kiss to her baby girl's forehead, before looking up at Luke, asking him if he had seen her notebook. After he placed Belle in the small bassinette they had in the corner of the kitchen, he grabbed Lorelai's hands, pulling her into him, and hugging her, whispering that she can do this, that she has done it before, that it's all going to work out alright, and that he's proud of her and loves her. He felt, as well as heard, Lorelai relax into him, wrapping her arms around him tightly, her head resting on his chest. They stayed like that for a while, until Belle started fussing again. Lorelai took a moment to sit down, before grabbing her daughter and preparing her for feeding. Luke started getting breakfast ready, and just on seven, the kids bounded down the stairs, each of them ready for school, and wanting to eat. Lorelai watched them arguing over the amount of cereal in their bowls, compared to the number of pancakes that Luke had made each of them, and the size, before the man in question grumbled to them to 'eat and get to school'. Lorelai had chuckled, smiling as each of her kids lined up to press a kiss to her cheek, as they bolted out the door. The boys were capable of taking Katie to Kinder as well, so they didn't have to worry about that today. Belle was content just suckling at her mother, who was watching Luke as he cleaned up, looking over at Lorelai every now and then, smirking. It's not usually something that she would even think about whilst breast feeding their daughter, but she glanced down quickly, and out the corner of her eye, saw Luke tenting slightly. Well, I do have my boobs out, and he is a guy… she thought to herself, as Belle unlatched, and began whining. Lorelai burped her, chuckling when she did a rather large one, before standing and putting her back in her little bassinette. After she was sure that Belle was down, she turned back to face her husband, still doing the dishes, and removed all of her clothes, leaving her standing naked in front of him. Luke turned to look at her, and did a double take, gaping at her as she sauntered towards him. She didn't waste any time removing his pants.
Their kitchen had never been cleaner. Luke had scrubbed everything in there, several times after he and Lorelai had finished having three rounds of sex on any surface they could reach and had showered and dressed. Lorelai had gone to put the final touches on the new expansion before the test run starts at one, and Luke had taken the chance to sanitize the entire kitchen. As he cleaned everywhere that their bodies had touched, he remembered what had happened, and why he was cleaning it, and smirked to himself, whilst trying to subtly adjust himself in his pants. He has to take Belle, go in and check on the Diner, before heading to The Dragonfly Too for the test run. Their kids are at school, they don't have to worry about that right now, but most of the Town had been kind enough to say they would show up, and Sookie had the new chefs preparing a feast for everyone who was coming along. Michele had called here about ten times already, freaking out about the test run, and if everything is going to be perfect for it. One time he had called, and Luke had answered the phone, and Michele had just said a bunch of words in French, before hanging up. Luke looked at the calendar quickly as he was grabbing his things to head to the Diner and noticed that their one-year anniversary is coming up. Clipping Belle into her pram seat, Luke locks up, and heads towards the Diner, thinking about things he can do for their anniversary. Lorelai had mentioned wanting to take a trip somewhere, but he's not sure. Maybe Rory and April will have some ideas… they always seem to come through when he needs them the most. Besides, he's a romantic at heart, and Lorelai knows that. If left up to him, he'd probably have forgotten until the day before, and then rushed to get something done, leaving him agitated. He won't be that guy who forgets anniversaries, or birthdays, or anything else. He knows that Lorelai likes those stupid holidays as well, like Valentine's Day, and whatnot. He always gets her something nice on that day, and she gives him a simple card, with the promise of sex that night. That is how it's always been, and that is enough for him. He has Lorelai, and she has given him a family. He doesn't need, or want, for much else. When he arrived at work, the Diner was packed with the pre-lunch/lunch rush, and Lane was thrilled to see him, thanking him for coming in before the test-run. He's been training some new staff, to take the load off of Zach and Joe, and it's been working out alright.
'What's the status Caesar?' he asked, sticking his head into the kitchen, where his chef was cooking.
'We're doing alright boss. Rush has started, but the guys are working well together out there. We should be good to keep the rush up through the mid-afternoon lull,' he replied, smiling.
'Well, I'll be here for a couple of hours, then I have to go to the Dragonfly for the test-run, so whatever you need, you better do it now,' Luke said, strapping the baby carrier onto his chest, and placing Belle into it, smiling down at her, as she immediately fell back to sleep, the warmth of her father's chest, calming her.
'Right, well we need patty melts and a tuna sandwich with the lot for Taylor,' he replied, and Luke stepped up beside him to cook.
On the morning of Rory's thirty-third birthday, she woke up feeling… old. Not something that she should be complaining about really, but she just… blegh. Not only that, but the morning sickness kicked her butt, and Eli had a hard time getting her to keep something down, and she didn't want to let her mother down, because the test run is important, and she has so many things planned for them to do today, and whilst she knows that Lorelai will understand, she had been looking forward to them. The last test run they had, she had acted like a petulant child, then ran off to Europe with Emily. Things have changed since then obviously, but she wants to make this test run, better than that. The girls are sitting on the bed when she finally gets out of the bathroom. They hug her and present her with her gifts. Rory smiles, makes jokes with them about things they had "brought" for her, whilst winking at Eli who was just smirking, then grabbed his eldest daughter, and began tickling her, whilst Moni joined in, and Rory just watched, rolling her eyes, before laughing. It's the last day of the test run, and things have been going extremely well. The people of the town seem excited about all of this, and of course, Michele… but there has been some media interest as well, and Lorelai was surprised by the amount of publicity Rory had been able to drum up after posting something on the internet, and updating the original Dragonfly webpage, to generate more buzz about the Spa expansion. When Rory finally got downstairs, it was too a chorus of people shouting 'Happy Birthday' at her, and then each of them proceeded to hug her, or give her a gift, leading her over to the small sofas in the waiting area, where she gathered all of her gifts together, thanking the town and everyone for coming. Finally, Lorelai found her daughter, being adorned with gifts by Stars Hollow, and taking it like a champion. When the group cleared, Lorelai sat down beside her first born, holding her close, and whispering that she loves her, that she is so proud of the woman she is becoming, and that she is an amazing mother. All of this said, Rory replied with 'learned from the best', before hugging her again. Lorelai's gift to her had been something at the request of Rory. She hadn't wanted her mother and Luke to get her anything extravagant, so she had requested that her mother simply give her a spa treatment as the gift. That is where they ended up an hour later, being pampered in the brand-new facilities, whilst Michele watched on.
On the official opening day of the new expansion for the Dragonfly, Lorelai was up early again, going downstairs to pour herself a juice, before looking around the kitchen, wondering if she could attempt to make breakfast for her kids. She has done it before. Well, she got out the bowls, and spoons, and boxes of cereal. One time she had tried to make toast for the kids, and that had ended up with the toaster somehow catching on fire. It was just toast. She put the slices in and pressed the lever down. That was it. Simple. She just thinks that all food preparations are against her, they're conspiring against her. Because she is now coming down from the pregnancy hormones, and her body is returning to normal, it's finally catching up with her, everything that had been pushed aside whilst she was pregnant. Sitting at the table, with a cool cloth on her face, she sighed. The hot flushes have begun, and whilst Dr. Mason had told her that those are normal, and a "part of menopause", she hadn't believed that it would be this bad. She feels like she's on fire. That is how Luke found her an hour later and asked her if she's alright. Lorelai just muttered the M word, like it was a curse, and he chuckled, earning a look from his wife, one that said, "shut up or I will kill you". Okay, maybe it didn't say that, but it was definitely a death look of some kind. Luke began breakfast, finishing it just as the kids all came downstairs. Lorelai had gone up to feed Belle, who has been sleeping through the night the last couple of nights, although she doesn't know how long it's going to last. Picking her daughter up, and settling herself in the rocking chair, Lorelai smiled down at the little girl, blue eyes shining back up at her. Lorelai had been pumping, so that Luke could feed her when he takes her to work, and also because Lorelai loves watching Luke feed their kids. That sounds weird, she knows, but it's true. He's such an amazing father, and she doesn't know how she isn't just attached to him at all times. Him being a dad is a major turn on for her. Just like for him, how she is a major turn on as well. Not just because she had breasts and pulls them out to feed their daughter. Belle suckles well. Most of their kids had no problem with breast feeding. Ben took a little longer to get it, but eventually got there. Considering that she's beginning to feel the effects of perimenopause, she's surprised that she's still able to lactate. But Dr. Heston told her that she should be able too, at least until Belle is six months old, then she should switch to formula, or she can pump to savour some of that extra stuff.
'How are two of my favourite girls doing?' Luke asked, entering the nursery, and walking over to the chair, kneeling down to kiss Belle's forehead.
'She's feeding well. Hopefully she'll continue sleeping through the night. Me on the other hand, I'm feeling it catching up with me Luke,' Lorelai said, smiling at him as he caressed her cheek.
'You're still beautiful Lorelai. Always have been, always will be. I love you,' he said, kissing her once, before turning to look back at Belle.
'Oh, I see, you butter me up with the compliments, then ignore me for your daughter. I see how it is Butch…' she said, chuckling at the look on Luke's face, at the use of the nickname.
Over the next few days, Lorelai began to drift more into what would later be described as 'post-natal depression'. Sookie had experienced it after the birth of her third child, but because of Lorelai's age, and her bodies expelling of all the pregnancy hormones, she explains that it could be worse… and it started when Luke took Belle out of the room to put her back into the nursey whilst Lorelai was sleeping, and she freaked out. She had freaked out so much, that Luke had just grabbed onto her, worried as hell, but not knowing what to do about it. After that breakdown, Sookie had suggested that Lorelai go and see Dr. Madeline Tempany. She is a specialist doctor, who works with women with post-natal depression, in helping them to get back to themselves. She had taken special interest in Lorelai's situation and had come to the house for the first time, because Lorelai was refusing to get help. Dr. Tempany was kind, she didn't push Lorelai, or make her feel stupid. She just sat and let her be herself, observed her. She noticed that the Inn Owner was hesitant to let anyone take Belle, including her husband and daughters. If they did take Belle, she would panic, and wring her hands together, before breaking down, usually in Luke's arms, whilst he consoled her. The most important thing that Dr. Tempany noticed, was that Luke could console her. Meaning that Lorelai wasn't completely against accepting help, including from her husband. The main thing that she wanted to work on in the first session, was getting Lorelai to admit what her fears are. That is the main obstacle that they need to overcome. Whatever the fears of her client are, those are the ones that she needs to tackle first. Being that it was going to be such a heavy session of work, Dr. Tempany suggested that Luke sit out for the first session, this was also to see how Lorelai would react to being alone with her and without Belle in her arms. The minute Luke had left the room, Lorelai began her hand wringing. Always looking towards the stairs. Lorelai relaxed a little when she saw Luke come back down with the baby, smiling at him slightly, before Dr. Tempany noticed her breathing change when he headed towards the front door. This is going to be an interesting case… she thought to herself as she watched Lorelai. From the point of view of the Inn Owner, she was panicked because Luke had left with Belle, and she didn't want that. She needed her daughter here. With her. Where she could always keep an eye on her. This doctor is studying me like I'm some kind of psycho… she thought to herself, before hearing herself saying the words out loud. Dr. Tempany explained what she wanted Lorelai to do, and surprisingly, the mother of six found herself opening to this strange doctor.
The sessions seemed to be working for Lorelai, and on her third session, at the house, Dr. Tempany had invited April, Rory, and Luke to join them, but reminded them that its 'not a place for judgement. Anything that Lorelai says isn't to be taken with offence. They need to find out how to help her, and this is how they're going to do it,' all three of them nodded, before heading into the living room, where Lorelai was curled up on the sofa with Belle, and a cup of tea. She frowned slightly as the three sat down around her, before Dr. Tempany explained that she wanted to have a group session today, so that they can explore more of her 'psyche', into why she is feeling how she's feeling. The first thing that Madeline asked Lorelai to do, was to let Luke hold Belle. Nodding once, Lorelai shifted so that she could give her husband the baby, which he took with a kiss to her lips, and a smile. Lorelai bit at her thumb for a moment, before settling her shaking hands back in her lap. There were smiles from Rory and April as well, who knew what a step that was. In her mind, Lorelai was screaming to take the baby, but the way her Dr. had described it, at the moment she has a logical brain, and an irrational brain. She needs to work on letting her logical brain through, rather than her irrational one, the one that is feeding her all of this paranoia, and fear. Rory and April watched their mother as she explained to Dr. Tempany that she has some fears about leaving Belle with other people, and how she feels like she would be 'failing her daughter' if she did that. That was when Rory stepped in and said that 'it's different now. She doesn't have to do it alone… not this time…'. Lorelai seemed to snap to that, when she looked down at her hands in her lap, and tried to stifle the sob that escaped, the comforting hand on her back from Luke did nothing to stop the onslaught of tears, but no one said anything. Dr. Tempany just asked her to calmly explain what was going through her mind when Rory said what she did. Taking a moment to compose herself, Lorelai looked as if she was about ready to explain her thought process, then she heard the phone ringing and her mother's voice over the answering machine. The sound of Emily Gilmore's voice through the phone made Lorelai panic, and almost beg Luke to give Belle back to her. As much as he didn't want to see that look on his wife's face, or be the cause of it, he knew he had to stay strong. He shook his head, rubbing her back, whispering that it's 'okay… it will all be okay'. Rory had to stop herself from crying, watching her mother struggling with this was hurting her as well, but she's not judging Lorelai for it. Never.
'I… when I had Rory, I was alone. Chris was never around. He never wanted to be around. I could count the number of times he was around when Rory was young on one hand. Logically, I know… I know… that Luke isn't Christopher. I know that… but I just… can't seem to accept that at the moment,' she said, shaking her head
'Has Luke ever given any indication that he was going to leave you or your children?' Dr. Tempany asked, shaking her head slightly when Luke looked as if he were about to comment.
'No. That shouldn't terrify me, because we have six kids, and he's never left. He's always here, he's an amazing father. I just… recently got into the headspace about being independent and I just can't seem to get out of it again,' Lorelai said, shaking her head.
'Okay, let's work on that then,' Madeline replied, happy when Lorelai nodded.
On the twentieth of October, Lorelai, Luke, Rory, and April made their way to Hartford for another of Lorelai's sessions. They had been attending frequently, since Lorelai had been making progress, and had been opening more to the three of them. Luke was holding Belle when they entered the room, and that made Dr. Tempany smile, as Lorelai took a seat in between Rory, and April. They had been working on Lorelai teaching herself to rely on others to help her out with Belle, so that she doesn't run herself into the ground. Luke had been amazing, and Lorelai had been making strong strides forwards. She doesn't freak out when Luke takes the baby anymore, but she's still working on other people looking after her. Patty is the only other person that Lorelai hadn't freaked out around, which had drawn attention to her, until Taylor and Sookie stepped in and told the town to mind their own businesses. Today, Lorelai is working on self-thought, and training her brain to be logical again. Her rational thoughts have been taking over her subconscious, and the fact that Emily Gilmore hasn't been accepting of Lorelai's therapy, hasn't been helping. It came to a head last weekend, when her mother took Belle from Luke, and went shopping in Hartford, and Lorelai freaked out in the middle of the diner, breaking down in her husbands' arms. Jess came to his aunt's defence, and made sure that no one said anything, and that he was the one to track down the elder Gilmore woman, and explain to her what is going on, and why she can't just come in a do what she did. It's affecting all of them. Lorelai took a moment to do her breathing exercises, and then Dr. Tempany launched into the session… they're talking about Christopher. Luke had been dreading this session, mostly because they rarely talk about Christopher, except for when he tries to insert himself into Rory's life, or their lives. But they have to talk about it, because unfortunately, he is a part of this thing that Lorelai is going through. It's his fault to begin with… Luke knows that Christopher abandoning Lorelai and Rory when she was young made a huge difference in Lorelai's life, both for the better and for the worst. He was never there, and whenever he was, he just seemed to ruin their lives for the time and leave them to pick up the pieces. Lorelai told Dr. Tempany the story about herself, giving birth to Rory at sixteen, and their relationship with Christopher. Lorelai also spoke about her parents and their relationship when she was younger.
As October was coming to an end, and Halloween was approaching, Taylor was making sure that the entire town was covered head to toe in decorations for the spooky season. Lorelai had continued with her sessions, and today was the first time in a while that she had felt confident enough to leave the house, and leave Belle at home with Rory, who had offered to babysit whilst she (Lorelai) was at work. Luke had promised his wife that he would go home at lunch to check on Belle but had told Rory that she can just bring Belle to the Diner, and he'll take her home from there, as Jess is going to work for him for the rest of the day, whilst he's in town visiting his mother. At six months pregnant, Rory is doing everything she can to not be standing. She hated being pregnant the first two times she had been, but this… this seems to be worse. The back pain is worse this time than it was with the girls, but her OBGYN seems to think it's because she's carrying a boy, and she's carrying him so low. Unable to believe that this was what was happening, Rory had been adamant that she was just having a worse pregnancy than the first two. Being that Eli had learned his lesson from the first two times his wife was pregnant, he was keeping his distance from his wife, especially because she also seems to be more hormonal carrying a boy. Lorelai had been walking aimlessly through town, listening to Taylor spout on about the decorations for the Halloween Festival, and the haunted house that was happening within the town. Sookie and Jackson were meant to be hosting is this year, and Lorelai was excited that her best-friend oversaw it, because Sookie always does the best Halloween activities. It was nice to be feeling excited about something, after feeling so terrible for the last few weeks. She had been so worried about everything, including Belle. Patty caught up with her just as she was about to enter the Diner and was chatting with her about how she was feeling, when she saw Luke standing there, holding Belle, with Rory sitting at the counter drinking a milkshake. Lorelai smiled at her husband, and her daughters, before taking her regular seat at the counter as well. The rest of the Diner seemed to go back to normal after that, whilst Rory, Lorelai, and Luke chatted whilst he was working. Belle was happily resting in her mother's arms when the bell jingled, and the sound of Emily Gilmore rang through the silent diner.
'Mom, what are you doing here?' Lorelai asked, standing to face her mother.
'Well for the last three weeks I've been told to stay away from you, and no one has told me anything about what is going on, so I was worried, and now I'm here, and you look fine,' Emily said, sitting down beside Lorelai.
'Mom, I really don't want to talk about this here,' Lorelai said, rubbing her forehead with her free hand, whilst nursing Belle with the other one.
'Well, I am your Mother Lorelai, I deserve to know when you're going through something. How about lunch tomorrow?' Emily asked, and Lorelai reluctantly nodded, if not to just get rid of her mother.
On the thirtieth of October, the day before Halloween, Lorelai woke up feeling horrible. She didn't feel like getting out of bed, but knowing that Luke wasn't beside her, made her reluctantly get up. It wasn't until Rory arrived an hour later, that she realised something was wrong with her mother. Lorelai was curled up on the sofa, wearing her old hoodie and sweats, holding Belle, and she looked like she'd been crying. Kind of terrified at her usually outgoing mother's scraggly appearance, Rory first called Luke, then Sookie, and then Dr. Tempany. She sat down beside her mother on the sofa, unsure of what to do, or what was going on. I love my mother, but this is a lot of stress, and I'm pregnant… she reminded herself, because Eli had reminded her that as much as she loves her mother, and he knows that she does, she can't be stressing herself out about it. Being there and being stressed about it are two different things. They were meant to go shopping for Halloween stuff today, that is why Rory is here, but she couldn't just very well leave her mother sitting like this without getting her some help. What kind of daughter would that make her? Luke was the first to arrive back at the house, and Rory stood up immediately, explaining to him that she had just found her mother like this, and she won't let go of Belle. He nodded, hugging his stepdaughter, before moving further into the living room, and over to his wife. Rory, reluctantly, left but made Luke promise to keep her updated. He nodded, hugging her, then turning to look at the door, just as Sookie entered, followed not long after by Dr. Tempany. Luke had managed to get Lorelai talking softly to him, and she was able to tell him how she was feeling, but she still wouldn't let go of Belle, not even for him. Sookie was in the kitchen making… something… she didn't really know, just that she needed to keep herself busy, and that her best-friend needs her right now. Jackson and the kids would be over later, and if she must, she will go and pick the other Danes kids up from their programs. Dr. Tempany was just watching Lorelai, which made the Inn Owner uncomfortable, and she snapped at the Dr. asking her why she was watching her like she's a mental patient on evaluation. When Madeline didn't answer, Lorelai sighed, looking back down at her baby girl in her arms, and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, before turning to look at Luke, silently handing him the baby, before basically collapsing against the back of the couch, curling as close to Luke as she could get, without squashing her daughter.
After that, she just explained that she had woken up feeling crap, and Luke wasn't there, and she just… felt like not being anyone today. Dr. Tempany explained to her that when she has that feeling, the key is to not give into it, that she has to fight against it, for the greater good, and to not let her mind travel there, because she is more likely to get stuck in that downward spiral, than she is to be able to get out of it again. Lorelai nodded, wiping the traitorous tears that had escaped from her eyes, and rolled down her face. Luke caressed her cheek as he wiped them away, the other arm cradling their two-month-old daughter, who was sleeping soundly. Lorelai smiled at her husband, but the look of surprise on his face must have knocked her confidence, because she immediately grimaced again, before Luke told her that he loves her smile he just 'hasn't seen it in a while'. Lorelai went to apologise, but was prevented from doing so, by a pair of lips covering hers. Everytime, she went to say sorry, Luke kissed her, until they both ended up laughing at the ridiculousness, and returning to their positions on the sofa, whilst Dr. Tempany wrote out a prescription for Lorelai, and gave her some information about some vitamins that she can take as well. Nodding, Lorelai thanked the Dr. who smiled at her, nodding once, before leaving the Danes house, and the two-family heads sitting on the sofa, staring at their two-month-old in Luke's arms. Sookie entered the lounge then, carrying an assortment of food, having listened in on what was happening, so that she could be there for her best friend if she needed her to be. After Lorelai promised to call Sookie, the chef reluctantly left (mostly because Michele' called and told her that someone was trying to take over her kitchen), and Lorelai reached for her cell phone, to call Rory. Her daughter answered on the second ring, and they talked for a while, whilst Luke sat beside her, just nursing Belle against his chest, his free hand rubbing Lorelai's back in that way that sends tingles through her body. When she was done on the phone with Rory, Luke suggested making an appointment to pick up the medication that Dr. Tempany prescribed and then going with the girls to get decorations for Halloween. As much as she didn't want to, she knew that it was important that she tried to, because otherwise she would be stuck here. Lorelai trudged up the stairs, coming back down in her favourite jeans, and a light black blouse top, with sandals. Her make up was done, and her hair was tucked behind her ears, curled slightly as she hadn't done anything to it. Luke just kissed her.
'You look beautiful,' he whispered, as she bent forward slightly to kiss Belle's forehead.
'Thank you… I mean it Luke… thank you… for loving me and all of my quirks, and problems…' she said, smiling at him
'I love you Lorelai. I'm not going anywhere. Nothing you do will make me ever want to be anywhere but here with you… except when you do that bird impression… then I don't really want to be here,' he said, smirking at her when she gaped at him, winking once before stalking out of the kitchen calling after herself.
'I'm going Luke, I'll be back later… bawwk,' she added for good measure, before smirking and leaving the house.
Halloween in Stars Hollow is always a magnificent affair, and this year is even more exciting, because this year is the first time that Katie is allowed to go Trick or Treating without her parents, just with her brothers. Lorelai had been hesitant at first, to let her go with the boys, knowing how they can be, but she also knows that Liam and Ben are two of the most responsible kids she knows, and they love their sister. They won't let anything happen to her. Taylor, or course, had planned a festival, and everyone was dressed up… well everyone except for the brash Diner Owner. Even after all these years with Lorelai, he still refuses to dress up. Although one year he did come close to giving in. Lorelai was wearing a skimpy outfit and he just wanted her to let him take it off of her, so he thought about bargaining that he would dress up for Halloween… but it never got to that, because Lorelai didn't ask him to dress up, or participate, just told him they were going to the festival, kissed him on the lips, and left it up to him. This year though, Luke surprised everyone, including his kids, when he came downstairs wearing a costume, holding Belle in his arms. Lorelai smiled at him, she hadn't really felt like dressing up either, but Rory convinced her to wear the tiger onesie that the girls had brought her for her birthday, and say that she's Tigger the Tiger or something. Lorelai did it for her grandbabies. Her boys refused to acknowledge her at all, and Luke, who was dressed as Taylor… just chuckled as they walked along beside each other, Belle in the chest carrier on his chest, his hand linked with Lorelai's as they took in the madness that was their little piece of paradise. Sookie and Jackson had done a family costume, meaning that not only had they dressed their kids up, but themselves as well. It had shocked Lorelai, who never thought about doing something like that. But the fact that Luke had dressed up as Taylor… could only mean one thing… he's either going to spend the entire night mocking the Town Selectman, or he's mad at Taylor for something stupid, and this is his way of trying to get back at him. Before Lorelai could ask her husband where he got the clothes from, Jackson and Eli had called him away, and he gestured his head in their direction, knowing that he has Belle with him. Lorelai nodded, as Sookie, Rory, and Patty approached her, and she watched Luke walk off to the guys. To say that the festival wasn't fun would be a lie. Rory [running] around with the girls was a sight to be seen, especially at six months pregnant. Eli and Luke had been in cahoots about costumes, and it was seeming like Eli had come as Kirk.
At the end of the night, Taylor was going to announce the winners of the best costumes, and he had been taking in what everyone was wearing. When he got to Luke and Eli, he crossed his arms, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. Lorelai, Rory, and Sookie were standing with the men, trying not to laugh out loud, but Taylor caught them, and told them off, for making fun of him. Then Luke explained that perhaps he and Eli had dressed up as him and Kirk respectively because they admire them, and secretly harbour a desire to be just like them… this, of course, went to Taylor's head, and there was a slight smirk on his face as he made a note on his clipboard, before walking away. Lorelai whacked her husband's arm, sarcastically asking him if he's been harbouring a 'secret desire to be just like Taylor' all these years, because if he has been, they might have to break up. Luke raised an eyebrow, wrapped his arm around Lorelai's waist, and leaned in to whisper something in her ear, before smirking as he kissed her one, then went off to find Eli. Lorelai whispered to Sookie and Rory what Luke had said, and they all laughed. That was when Eli… found Kirk. Or more so, Kirk found Kirk. It was a sight to behold. The taller man didn't know what to think of Eli's costume, and he couldn't wrap his head around why the man would want to dress up like him. Luke was also struggling to contain his laughter, with Lorelai griping at him to not laugh, because they did this. Rory couldn't stop the laughter though; she blamed it on her pregnancy. But she burst out laughing, watching her husband and Kirk mirroring one another, with Eli pretending to be an exact copy of the man from another year. Unsurprisingly, this convinced real Kirk that time travel was possible, and that he needed to find the time machine that Eli had used to travel here. Lorelai had to shake her head at the two men as Kirk ran off shouting something ridiculous to Taylor and Lulu, who just came over to join Lorelai, Sookie, and Rory in laughing at the men. For the most part, the night was fun, Taylor wasn't as much of a pain in the arse as he usually was, but that was most likely because he was drunk of Patty's punch, which she usually only made for the Founders Day Festival, but now just makes for every festival, and it would have been fine, but Rory is pregnant, and Lorelai is breast-feeding, and it's just not as much fun laughing at costumes when they don't have alcohol. Not that that has ever stopped the Gilmore Girls from mocking anyone, or anything they deemed 'mockable'. At nine pm, Taylor called everyone to attention so that he could announce the winners of the best costume awards.
'Ladies and Gentlemen thank you so much for come out to help celebrate a Stars Hollow Halloween for 2017. Now, for the winners of the costume contest. In third place, we have Jackson and Sookie's family costume. In second place, we have Kirk's 'the death reaper', and tied for first place, this year and I never thought I would say this, is Luke and Eli, for their wonderful interpretations of myself and Kirk' Taylor said, and the Gilmore Girls burst out laughing at the looks on their respective husbands faces as they took in what had just happened.
'Ah Taylor, I just meant this as a joke. I wasn't expecting to win the contest. Pick someone else who actually wanted to win,' Luke said, shaking his head at his wife as if silently telling her to not carry on with this, but of course, Lorelai and Rory started chanting 'Luke and Eli', and the crowd joined in.
'Well, I think the people have spoken Lucas. You and Eli can come up and claim your first-place prizes, and if I may say, you do look handsome in a sweater,' Taylor said, smirking at Luke snatched the prize from his hand, and stomped back down the steps, to where Rory and Lorelai were still laughing
'You two are evil. Evil, evil… evil…' Eli said, as he handed Rory a drink and pressed a kiss to her lips, before walking off again, probably to torment poor Kirk some more. It turned out to be a great Halloween.
A/N: Two more chapters left to go. November and December, and then this story is finished. If I should do another year, it could be a Year After Another Year in the Life, but I don't know. If you'd like me to continue, let me know. Thank you for reading, and MakesYouSeeTheLight0909 for your suggestions. D.