Author's Note: I know I did a post-finale fic already, but then I heard that something that made me wonder what it might be like to have it go another way. Since I already did a long post-finale fic this one will be much shorter and deal solely with Luke and Lorelai's relationship. I got kind of sidetracked by Emily/Richard and Rory last time. As always reviews are much appreciated! I don't own Gilmore Girls. It is the property of ASP and the WB. Watch the Frog...
"Are you sure he's here for Rory," Luke bellowed bitterly. "Or is he here for you?"
Lorelai awoke with a start. She took a deep breath and oriented herself to her bedroom. It had been a dream. But upon further thought Lorelai remembered that it wasn't a dream. The last two months had actually happened and they culminated in a horrible relationship-ending fight with Luke.
Two months ago Lorelai had found her daughter and a very-married Dean in a compromising situation. Rory had told her that she hated her and she ran outside. Lorelai ended up outside trying to comfort her weeping daughter, but it didn't seem to help. She had finally coaxed her into the house and into bed, but Lorelai didn't have a clue what to do.
She should have gone back to the inn. She should have gone to inn and told Luke what happened. She should have, but she didn't. Instead Lorelai closed Rory's bedroom door when she finally fell asleep, picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.
She waited as the phone rang. It had been so long since she called that she wasn't sure the number was still valid. However, as soon as the voice on the other end said hello she knew that she had the right person.
"Chris," Lorelai said trying hard not to break down.
"Lore?" Chris replied confused. "What's wrong? It's late. Is everything okay?"
"No," Lorelai said forcefully. "No, nothing is okay. I know you have Sherry and the baby and everything, but we really need you here."
Christopher could hear Lorelai's voice crack and he could tell that she was trying to hold back tears. Instantly the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
"What do you need?" Chris asked.
"Can you come here?" Lorelai asked.
"Sure," Christopher replied without hesitation. "I'll come out first thing tomorrow morning."
"No," Lorelai said. "I mean can you come now?"
"Now?" Christopher asked taken aback. "Lore it's almost 11:30 by the time I get to Stars Hollow--"
"You know never mind," Lorelai replied. "I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."
Christopher could hear the resentment in her tone and he knew that she felt like he was letting her down again.
"I'm on my way," Christopher said.
"Thanks," Lorelai replied. "We'll be at the house. I'll see you soon," Lorelai replied placing the phone down and finally letting the tears of frustration and anger spill gently out.
Lorelai had just sat on the couch, dazed and perplexed by the events of the evening. Everything seemed so perfect, well not perfect, but happy and normal for the most part. Sure, her parents had stormed out and Jason had shown up, but things with Luke had taken a turn she hadn't expected. And who didn't laugh when Luke had finally retrieved Kirk from the community pool and walked him back to the inn naked and sopping wet? Lorelai had gone home to get Band-Aids and instead she found a shocking situation.
Lorelai hadn't realized how long she had sat on the couch just thinking until she heard a light tap in the front door. She stood up and ran to the door opening it to see Christopher standing there. Lorelai flung herself through the doorway and wrapped her arms around Christopher holding him tightly.
"Chris," Lorelai mumbled. "I'm so glad you're here."
"Lorelai what happened? Is Rory hurt? Are you okay? Is it your parents?" Chris asked worried and confused as he returned Lorelai's embrace.
Lorelai finally released her grip and moved so Christopher could enter the house. "Rory's asleep," Lorelai said quietly as she closed the door behind him.
"Lorelai please tell me what happened," Chris whispered. "You scared the hell out of me and I raced all the way here."
"It's Rory," Lorelai said leading him to the living room. "I don't know what to do Chris. This is one of those times when I need someone. I mean, you know I'm Wonder Woman, but I just...I'm...I don't know what to do," the tell-tale tears began to form once again.
"You and Rory had a fight," Christopher replied knowingly. He put a supportive hand over Lorelai's. "Well if she's here sleeping she didn't run away so it couldn't have been too bad."
Lorelai looked up and gave him a look. "You have no idea how bad it is," Lorelai replied. "I came home from the inn. We're having this run through for friends and family and I needed Band-Aids and my camera so I came home. Rory was here getting CDs, or so I thought," Lorelai chuckled ruefully.
"What happened?" Christopher prodded.
"So I came downstairs and Rory came out of her room. She had this guilty look and then Dean came out of her room," Lorelai said.
"Dean her ex-boyfriend?" Christopher asked.
"Yeah," Lorelai said. "So he left really quickly, but the second I saw him I knew. I just knew it. I couldn't even look at him. I couldn't even look at Rory," Lorelai told him.
"Wait are you telling me that he and Rory," Christopher made a gesture with his hand that Lorelai supposed meant slept together.
"Yes," she replied sullenly.
"Wow," Christopher said standing up. "I mean...wow. She's 19 though. We should be glad she wasn't like us right? And Dean seemed like a pretty nice guy when I met him. Why do I feel like I want to kill him? Is this some sort of fatherly instinct? God, now I know what your Dad must have felt like when he found out that we...you know," Christopher babbled as he paced back and forth.
"Chris, there's something you are so out of the loop on in all this," Lorelai said trying to talk him back to reality.
"Out of the loop?" he asked sitting back down.
"Yeah," Lorelai replied. "Look you haven't been around lately. Rory and I haven't seen you in what, a year?"
"I'm sorry about that Lore, really I am," Christopher started to apologize.
"Really not the time," Lorelai said putting up a hand to stop him. Suddenly Lorelai wasn't weepy she was forceful.
"Okay, sorry," he replied lowering his head slightly. "So what don't I know?"
"Dean got married," Lorelai said matter-of-factly.
"What?" Christopher spit out.
"He got married about six months ago. From what I could tell things weren't going well, but I didn't even think Rory spoke to him regularly," Lorelai was telling him.
Christopher was up off the sofa again pacing, this time frantically. "So he's married. Currently married. He has a wife at home?" Christopher asked. Lorelai nodded in response.
"Remember how I said I had the urge to kill him before? That was when I thought he was a good guy. Who the hell does this kid think he is? I can't believe this," Christopher said louder.
"Chris," Lorelai said standing up and placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "I know how you feel. Believe me I do, but the problem right now is Rory."
"Is she okay?" he said looking Lorelai in the eye.
"She's okay, I guess," Lorelai replied. "It was so bizarre. She seemed, I don't know, she seemed happy about it. She was so adamant that Dean was great and his marriage was over. I tried to tell her that she was wrong, that she was the other woman and then she told me she hated me for ruining it for her," Lorelai admitted to him.
"She didn't mean that Lore," he replied firmly.
"Maybe not, but it sure felt like it," Lorelai confessed.
"She was just upset," Christopher said. "I mean having sex for the first time is a big deal. She probably didn't want to think about the reality or the consequences of it. Oh man, the consequences, Lore were they—"
"They were safe," Lorelai replied defeated. "Don't worry. The only good thing is that she isn't going to end up like we did."
"Yeah, thankfully," Chris sighed.
Lorelai and Christopher sat and talked for another hour before they realized how late it was. Lorelai walked downstairs with an extra blanket and pillow for Christopher when she heard a soft tap on the front door. She left Christopher to arrange the couch and she answered the door.
"Luke," Lorelai said surprised.
"Lorelai, where have you been?" Luke whispered urgently leaning into the foyer.
"Luke," Lorelai said again putting her body between the doorway. She had this feeling that she shouldn't let him in the house. She put a light hand on his chest and ushered him out the front door. "I'm so sorry," Lorelai started to explain.
"What's wrong?" Luke asked. "You look like you've been crying." Luke reached his hand and touched her face tracing the dried tears on her cheek.
"I, uh, I have," Lorelai admitted. She took Luke's hand and pulled him to the step where they took a seat. "I can't believe I just left the inn like that. Something happened and I couldn't come back. It's like I forgot or something. Can you believe I forgot?"
"What happened?" Luke asked again putting an arm around her shoulder.
"I got into a fight with Rory," Lorelai told him. "It was...we fought and she got mad and I couldn't leave her so I had to stay."
"What did you fight about? Is Rory okay?" Luke asked concerned.
"She's okay for now," Lorelai told him. "I really can't say what we fought about though. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Luke replied pulling Lorelai closer to him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm dealing," Lorelai scoffed. "I'm trying to figure out what to do. I'm sorry I worried you. I should have called or something. I was pretty upset for a while and it's like everything slipped my mind."
"What can I do?" Luke asked.
Lorelai looked at Luke. He was always there for her. He looked so sincere and concerned. She wanted to tell him that he could spin the Earth backwards on it's axis like Superman did to reverse time to save Lois Lane, but that obviously wouldn't happen. Lorelai almost forgot that Luke had probably been waiting around for her at the Dragonfly for the last three hours, worried.
"Nothing," she finally replied glumly. "Thanks for the offer though. If you could do anything, believe me I'd tell you."
"Okay," Luke conceded. "But you'll let me know if you think of anything?"
"Yeah I will," Lorelai said. They sat there for a moment, Luke's arms around Lorelai, her head resting on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," Lorelai said after a moment.
"For what?" Luke asked surprised.
"Well, before Kirk ran through the door we were kind of in the middle of something pretty important. Then you ran to get Kirk and I ran to get a camera and I just never came back. I don't want you to think that I didn't come back because of anything that happened with us," she explained.
"It's okay. Although I can't say I don't appreciate you saying it," Luke admitted. "I sat there for a while thinking about where you were and I had this awful feeling you were avoiding me."
"I'm not. I wasn't," Lorelai said pushing herself away from Luke to look him in the eyes. "What happened was new and definitely different and unexpected, but I'm not running away from it."
"Good," Luke smiled at her. "Me neither."
"But I do have a lot going on right now with Rory. I can't explain it and I'm sorry, but can we sort of put this thing with us on hold for a little while?" Lorelai saw Luke's face fall slightly and she added, "Just until I get things figured out with Rory."
"Sure," Luke said trying to be supportive. He knew that Lorelai's relationship with Rory was the most important in her life and so he didn't try to persuade her to move forward with their relationship.
"Thank you," Lorelai said sincerely.
"Are you going back to the Dragonfly tonight? I can cover for you if you need to stay here," Luke offered.
"Actually I should go back. Sookie and Michel will need my help in the morning," Lorelai replied.
"Are you sure? I can cover for you, or stay here with Rory if you need me too," Luke tried again.
"No," Lorelai said quickly. For some reason she felt compelled to keep Christopher's presence hidden from Luke. "She'll be fine for tonight. I wouldn't turn down you walking me back there though," Lorelai added giving him a small smile.
Luke stood up. "I'd like that too," he replied as he extended his hand toward Lorelai. He helped her up from the step and started to walk off the porch.
"Wait, I just have to grab something inside," Lorelai lied. She really needed to tell Christopher that she had to go back to the inn. She didn't want to go, but she felt a lot better knowing that he would be home when Rory woke.
Luke waited while Lorelai made a quick dash to the front door. At that moment Christopher opened the front door and collided with Lorelai. She stumbled and he reached out to stop her fall.
"You okay?" Christopher chuckled lightly.
"Uh, yeah, no I'm good," Lorelai said quickly hoping that if she ushered Christopher inside Luke wouldn't notice him.
"Christopher?" Luke said incredulous.
Suddenly Luke felt like his world was crumbling around him. Once Lorelai realized Luke saw Christopher exiting her house in his pajamas she felt the same way.
TBC