THIRTEEN: (EPILOGUE) TWENTY BUCKS
"Mmm, pancakes!" Lorelai rubbed her hands together in glee as Luke put the plate down in front of her. "If there's anything that can make a bad day good, it's pancakes. Mmm."
"Don't get too attached to them," said Luke, "You'll be shoving them down your throat in a couple of seconds anyways."
"Only so they can be closer to my heart," Lorelai said with a small smile.
Luke sighed. He wondered why he even listened to her sometimes, but then again he knew the answer to that. He watched in amazement as Lorelai began working on her pancakes, stopping only to take a big gulp of her coffee.
"If you don't slow down you're going to choke."
"Blah, blah," said Lorelai between bites. "You know the Heimlich maneuver, right?"
"Yeah, but …"
"So we're covered."
The door to the diner creaked as Miss Patty pushed it open and pranced in excitedly. She spotted Luke and Lorelai at the table and walked over to them eagerly.
"I'll need that large blunt stick now," Lorelai whispered to Luke as she spotted Miss Patty coming over.
"Hello, darlings," Miss Patty sauntered over, pulling a chair and sitting down. "I'm not… interrupting anything, am I?"
"No, you're not," Luke said, gruffly.
"Oh, well, I thought I'd ask anyway. Better safe than sorry," said Miss Patty, giving Luke a wink. "You never know what you two could be up too nowadays. Especially after that …"
"Miss Patty," Lorelai cut in abruptly. "Is there any particular reason as to why you're here?"
"Not really, I was just thinking, well, you and I haven't really had the chance to talk much, dear, you've been so busy, I've been so busy…"
"Miss Patty, I just saw you this morning. Less than an hour ago. What do you want?"
"Want? I don't want anything, dear," Miss Patty gently patted Lorelai's hand. "Is it so unusual for me to want to catch up on old times?"
"I see through you like cheap plastic, Miss Patty," Lorelai said. "Now spill."
"Okay, fine," Miss Patty said. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to hear, in your own words, what exactly happened between the two of you last night, preferably with detailed descriptions of each action. Luke, I would also like to hear your version of events. Andrew provided some information but I think he missed out the juicy bits. The whole town has a pool going about how you guys would finally get together, and I want to see if I won."
"What?" Luke put the coffee pot he was holding down on the table suddenly. "What are you talking about?"
"I told you, nothing happened," Lorelai sighed to Miss Patty. "Can't you just give it a rest? Isn't there a box somewhere you should be dancing on?"
"Oh, no, sweetie, I did that once twenty years ago, I didn't really care for it," Miss Patty laughed as she said it. "But enough about me, back to you and Luke. Tell me, would you say that I was instrumental in bringing the two of you together – because if you say yes, I get another $20."
"I'm going to get that stick," said Luke as he turned around and walked to the back of the diner.
"You see what you did? You made him upset," Lorelai said. "Now he's going to be grumpy and grouchy all day."
"Yes, I can see how that is a huge departure from his normal disposition," said Miss Patty. "Here's another question – was there…"
"Look, Miss Patty, I'm sorry if this spoils that big pool the town is having, but nothing happened between Luke and I, okay? I've told you this before and I'm telling it to you again. Get a clue."
"All right," said Miss Patty, getting up. "I guess if you say so. Well, it's better this way – Kirk was so sure he was going to win the whole thing anyway."
"Yeah, well, too bad for him," said Lorelai, who decided to go back to eating what was left of her pancakes.
"You know, Lorelai," said Miss Patty as she turned to go, "I don't know about you, but don't you think that if something *did* happen, it wouldn't be such a bad thing?"
Lorelai stared at Miss Patty as she left, wondering about what she said. Some part of her agreed – it wouldn't have been … such a bad thing if she and Luke did get together. She looked back on that night, and realized how possessive she must have seemed, bidding on him like a… like a Miss Patty. She silently cringed at the comparison.
But still… Luke. She had never thought about him romantically, but then again she probably didn't want to because she was afraid of what she might lose. He was a great guy, and when every man in her life had walked out, he had stayed behind to pick up the pieces.
"Is she gone?" Luke's voice shook her out of her reverie.
"What?"
"Miss Patty."
"Oh, yeah, she left," said Lorelai.
"What did she say to you? You look kind of lost."
"No, I was just… just thinking about something," said Lorelai.
"About what?"
"Are you free tonight?" she asked suddenly.
Luke looked surprised at her question. "Um, yeah. I guess. I still have to close up the diner, but I guess so. Why?"
"Would you like to have dinner with me? Just the two of us."
Luke looked even more surprised. "Erm… yeah."
"Good," said Lorelai, smiling. She pointed to a table at the corner of the diner. "And I think that man over there wants more coffee."
"Oh," Luke turned around and spotted the man waving at him. He stammered out a few words at Lorelai, still not really sure of what exactly happened a couple of minutes ago. "Yeah. Erm. So I'll go get him some. Yeah."
He turned to go and shuffled almost mechanically towards the table, his mind still trying to process what was taking place.
Lorelai gave a small giggle as she watched him leave.
"Maybe Miss Patty will get that extra $20 after all," she said quietly to herself. "Just maybe."
* the end *
- A/N: Yo, yo, my homies! What's up! How's it hanging, my peeps!
Erm , okay, I don't really talk like that. Anyways, if you thought this was an abrupt ending….well, it is! I understand if you're thinking "What the crap?! That's an ending? I'll stone you, you bitch!" Despite this, I think that it is appropriate, because frankly, I'm not going to continue writing about Luke and Lorelai's first real date after this (well, maybe I will, but that's in the sequel… if people want it), because at that rate I wouldn't know when to stop :) But isn't it more fun to leave things open like this anyway?
Also, another reason was that I couldn't think of any other way to prolong the fic, and rather than have a 30+ chapter fic full of crap, I thought I'd just end it when I can. I'm looking forward to what you think , write some reviews, give me ideas for a sequel if you want, tell me how much you love me, how much you love Justin Timberlake (Ewww), tell me how to grow spinach , tell me anything. I'll listen.
The response for "Hey Mr. Bachelor Man" is just great (btw, it turns out it's been nominated for a GG Fanfic Award for "Best JavaJunkie Story", so that's really cool) and I would like to thank everyone who took the effort to read it, and especially to those who took the time to write down a review for the fic. Even if it were just a simple, one word review, it was still encouraging :)
Well, that's it for "Hey Mr. Bachelor Man". I'll see you in my other fics : ) Bye.
"Mmm, pancakes!" Lorelai rubbed her hands together in glee as Luke put the plate down in front of her. "If there's anything that can make a bad day good, it's pancakes. Mmm."
"Don't get too attached to them," said Luke, "You'll be shoving them down your throat in a couple of seconds anyways."
"Only so they can be closer to my heart," Lorelai said with a small smile.
Luke sighed. He wondered why he even listened to her sometimes, but then again he knew the answer to that. He watched in amazement as Lorelai began working on her pancakes, stopping only to take a big gulp of her coffee.
"If you don't slow down you're going to choke."
"Blah, blah," said Lorelai between bites. "You know the Heimlich maneuver, right?"
"Yeah, but …"
"So we're covered."
The door to the diner creaked as Miss Patty pushed it open and pranced in excitedly. She spotted Luke and Lorelai at the table and walked over to them eagerly.
"I'll need that large blunt stick now," Lorelai whispered to Luke as she spotted Miss Patty coming over.
"Hello, darlings," Miss Patty sauntered over, pulling a chair and sitting down. "I'm not… interrupting anything, am I?"
"No, you're not," Luke said, gruffly.
"Oh, well, I thought I'd ask anyway. Better safe than sorry," said Miss Patty, giving Luke a wink. "You never know what you two could be up too nowadays. Especially after that …"
"Miss Patty," Lorelai cut in abruptly. "Is there any particular reason as to why you're here?"
"Not really, I was just thinking, well, you and I haven't really had the chance to talk much, dear, you've been so busy, I've been so busy…"
"Miss Patty, I just saw you this morning. Less than an hour ago. What do you want?"
"Want? I don't want anything, dear," Miss Patty gently patted Lorelai's hand. "Is it so unusual for me to want to catch up on old times?"
"I see through you like cheap plastic, Miss Patty," Lorelai said. "Now spill."
"Okay, fine," Miss Patty said. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to hear, in your own words, what exactly happened between the two of you last night, preferably with detailed descriptions of each action. Luke, I would also like to hear your version of events. Andrew provided some information but I think he missed out the juicy bits. The whole town has a pool going about how you guys would finally get together, and I want to see if I won."
"What?" Luke put the coffee pot he was holding down on the table suddenly. "What are you talking about?"
"I told you, nothing happened," Lorelai sighed to Miss Patty. "Can't you just give it a rest? Isn't there a box somewhere you should be dancing on?"
"Oh, no, sweetie, I did that once twenty years ago, I didn't really care for it," Miss Patty laughed as she said it. "But enough about me, back to you and Luke. Tell me, would you say that I was instrumental in bringing the two of you together – because if you say yes, I get another $20."
"I'm going to get that stick," said Luke as he turned around and walked to the back of the diner.
"You see what you did? You made him upset," Lorelai said. "Now he's going to be grumpy and grouchy all day."
"Yes, I can see how that is a huge departure from his normal disposition," said Miss Patty. "Here's another question – was there…"
"Look, Miss Patty, I'm sorry if this spoils that big pool the town is having, but nothing happened between Luke and I, okay? I've told you this before and I'm telling it to you again. Get a clue."
"All right," said Miss Patty, getting up. "I guess if you say so. Well, it's better this way – Kirk was so sure he was going to win the whole thing anyway."
"Yeah, well, too bad for him," said Lorelai, who decided to go back to eating what was left of her pancakes.
"You know, Lorelai," said Miss Patty as she turned to go, "I don't know about you, but don't you think that if something *did* happen, it wouldn't be such a bad thing?"
Lorelai stared at Miss Patty as she left, wondering about what she said. Some part of her agreed – it wouldn't have been … such a bad thing if she and Luke did get together. She looked back on that night, and realized how possessive she must have seemed, bidding on him like a… like a Miss Patty. She silently cringed at the comparison.
But still… Luke. She had never thought about him romantically, but then again she probably didn't want to because she was afraid of what she might lose. He was a great guy, and when every man in her life had walked out, he had stayed behind to pick up the pieces.
"Is she gone?" Luke's voice shook her out of her reverie.
"What?"
"Miss Patty."
"Oh, yeah, she left," said Lorelai.
"What did she say to you? You look kind of lost."
"No, I was just… just thinking about something," said Lorelai.
"About what?"
"Are you free tonight?" she asked suddenly.
Luke looked surprised at her question. "Um, yeah. I guess. I still have to close up the diner, but I guess so. Why?"
"Would you like to have dinner with me? Just the two of us."
Luke looked even more surprised. "Erm… yeah."
"Good," said Lorelai, smiling. She pointed to a table at the corner of the diner. "And I think that man over there wants more coffee."
"Oh," Luke turned around and spotted the man waving at him. He stammered out a few words at Lorelai, still not really sure of what exactly happened a couple of minutes ago. "Yeah. Erm. So I'll go get him some. Yeah."
He turned to go and shuffled almost mechanically towards the table, his mind still trying to process what was taking place.
Lorelai gave a small giggle as she watched him leave.
"Maybe Miss Patty will get that extra $20 after all," she said quietly to herself. "Just maybe."
* the end *
- A/N: Yo, yo, my homies! What's up! How's it hanging, my peeps!
Erm , okay, I don't really talk like that. Anyways, if you thought this was an abrupt ending….well, it is! I understand if you're thinking "What the crap?! That's an ending? I'll stone you, you bitch!" Despite this, I think that it is appropriate, because frankly, I'm not going to continue writing about Luke and Lorelai's first real date after this (well, maybe I will, but that's in the sequel… if people want it), because at that rate I wouldn't know when to stop :) But isn't it more fun to leave things open like this anyway?
Also, another reason was that I couldn't think of any other way to prolong the fic, and rather than have a 30+ chapter fic full of crap, I thought I'd just end it when I can. I'm looking forward to what you think , write some reviews, give me ideas for a sequel if you want, tell me how much you love me, how much you love Justin Timberlake (Ewww), tell me how to grow spinach , tell me anything. I'll listen.
The response for "Hey Mr. Bachelor Man" is just great (btw, it turns out it's been nominated for a GG Fanfic Award for "Best JavaJunkie Story", so that's really cool) and I would like to thank everyone who took the effort to read it, and especially to those who took the time to write down a review for the fic. Even if it were just a simple, one word review, it was still encouraging :)
Well, that's it for "Hey Mr. Bachelor Man". I'll see you in my other fics : ) Bye.