A Lot Like Fate
Chapter 5: Return of the exes
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but John, and believe me, that is no honor.
A/N: Well, here is the next chapter! Sorry about the kind of long wait, I've been unbelievably busy! But now I'm on Christmas holiday, so I'm trying to update all of my stories. I'm leaving for England tomorrow though, so if I do manage to update A Second Chance, it won't be until after New Years. I'm kind of stuck on that though, so no promises. Anyway, back to this story! Thank you to all of my reviewers!! I've got over 100 now, isn't that insane? Well, anyway, I hope you like this chapter, and please review!!
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Lorelai walked into the diner on a Saturday morning, as per her routine. She looked around and spotted Luke re-filling a cup of coffee for Kirk and Rory sitting at the counter eating a muffin. It was around the time of the mid-morning lull, which was Lorelai's favorite time to come in on a Saturday. Partly because she got Luke and Rory mostly to herself and partly because she didn't want to get up early enough to get here when there were other people.
"Hello," Lorelai chirped, setting her purse down on the counter and sitting down next to Rory.
"Hey," Rory said after swallowing the bite of muffin in her mouth. The party had been the Friday before, but everyone was still thinking about it. Rory was remembering how wonderful it had been, and Lorelai and Luke were both stuck on the kiss that had almost taken place.
"What do you want, liquid death I presume?" Luke said, gesturing to the coffee pot.
"Yeah, coffee please," Lorelai said, noticing the bad mood that Luke was in.
"This stuff is going to kill you, you know that?" Luke said as he poured her a steaming hot cup of Joe. Or, more appropriately, a steaming hot cup of Luke.
"And what a way to go," Lorelai countered with a dreamy look on her face.
"Jeez," Luke said, putting the coffee pot down and bending down to get a rag. He then commenced wiping down the counter, with a scowl on his face.
"Hey, Luke, what's with the 'tude?" Lorelai asked. Luke sighed.
"It's nothing, I'm just a little bugged. You know those guys I went to see in Hartford a few weeks ago?" Luke said. He stopped wiping the counter and looked up at her.
"Yeah," Lorelai said, not really catching on.
"Well, they are coming here today to look at the place next door, and if they like it, they are going to rent it from me. That means tons of legal stuff, lawyers, contracts, business men in suits… fun, huh?" Luke said.
"Not really, sorry about that Luke," Lorelai said, feeling a little sorry for the man in front of her.
"Eh, it's okay. You want something to eat?" Luke asked.
"Pancakes please."
"Chocolate chip or blueberry?"
"Hmm, I think I'm going to go with the chocolate chip today," Lorelai responded.
"Good choice," Rory chimed in. Luke went about making Lorelai's food and Rory and Lorelai chatted for a little bit.
"Here's your pancakes, I hope death suits you," Luke said.
"Why thank you," Lorelai said, taking a bite of the steaming hot cakes.
"Hey, Lorelai, I need to go upstairs and check something, okay," Luke said.
"Yeah sure, you don't need me to make your decisions for you," Lorelai joked. Luke smiled and walked up the stairs.
"So, Rory, do you have any exciting plans for today?" Lorelai asked, turning to the girl sitting next to her.
"Well, Lane and I are going to the movies at 11:30. Oh no, what time is it?" Rory asked. Lorelai checked her watch.
"Oh, it's 11:17" Lorelai said. Rory got up from her seat.
"Shoot I've got to go! See you later!" Rory said. She ran towards the door looking back at Lorelai as she shouted her goodbyes. Right before she got to the door she made contact with something hard and fell down to the ground, screaming in shock.
"Rory!" Lorelai said, turning around, shocked. She looked up at the person who was looming over her and was even more shocked.
"Hey, watch where you are going, punk!" the man that Rory had collided with growled at her. Rory slowly stood up, her eyes wide.
"John!" Lorelai said, staring right at her ex-boyfriend The man who had actually hit her when he got frustrated at her was standing within 10 feet of her.
"Lorelai, there you are, I've been looking all over this God-forsaken little hick town for you. How have you been, honey?" John asked, taking a few steps closer to her, Rory still watching on in shock.
"Oh, I've been just fine, honey," Lorelai said, her voice venomous.
"Why don't you come back home with me, huh?" John asked, sitting down on a stool and starting to stroke her arm. Lorelai jerked her arm away from him and stood up.
"Why not? Maybe because I still have a slight bruise on my cheek from where you hit me! How about that for a reason!" Lorelai said, now raising her voice. Rory was shocked upon hearing that. I thought she said she ran into something! Rory thought.
"Oh come on. That was nothing. I know you still love me Lorelai. Emily told me that you did," he said.
"Emily? As in my oh-so- glorious mother?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah. She told me you were here and that I should come and try to win you back. So here I am, and we are going back," John said, reaching out to grab her arm again. Lorelai pulled her arm back and before she knew what she was doing she reached out and slapped him across the face.
"I am not going back with you," Lorelai said coldly.
"You are going to be sorry you ever did that," John said. He reached forward to grab her arms, and this time he succeeded. His hands firmly grasped her upper arms and she gasped in pain.
"Stop it John, that hurts!" Lorelai said, squirming around and trying to break his grip. However, this just made him hold on tighter.
"Come back to Michigan with me or you are going to be sorry you were ever born!" He said through clenched teeth. Just as tears started to stream down Lorelai's face, she heard Luke coming down the stairs.
"Hey!" Came a yell from a stairway and the three people in the diner turned to look at Luke (Kirk had left sometime while Luke was making Lorelai's pancakes because he had to feed Babette's cat).
"What do you think you are doing?" Luke said to John, walking closer to them.
"Just talking to my girlfriend here," John said, still holding onto Lorelai's arms.
"Girlfriend? I stopped being your girlfriend the minute you laid a hand on me back in Michigan, and I am definitely not going to be your girlfriend again anytime soon!" Lorelai spat at John.
"I advise you leave," Luke said forcefully, "Now."
"I'd like you see you make me," John said childishly. He had let go of Lorelai and had now turned to face Luke.
"I said, LEAVE!" Luke yelled at him and John glared at both Luke and Lorelai before turning around and walking out.
They all looked after him, tears still streaming lightly down Lorelai's face, and before he knew what he was doing, Luke reached over and pulled Lorelai into a hug. Lorelai buried her head in his shoulder, and she couldn't help but feel safe in his arms. Somewhere during the hug, Rory came over and Luke put an arm around her too. They broke apart, Rory left to go meet Lane, and Luke told Lorelai to sit on the counter.
Although it had been quite a shock to Rory, it hadn't affected her nearly as much as it had affected Lorelai.
"Are you okay?" Luke asked. Lorelai nodded, but as she opened her mouth to reassure him, her voice cracked and she soon found herself crying again. Luke put a sign on the door saying "closed for 15 minutes", took Lorelai upstairs and they sat on the couch together, Lorelai crying in his shoulder.
He gently asked her what was wrong and soon she found herself telling him everything about John. The way he treated her, the way he cheated on her. Everything. And he just took it all in. She was glad he was such a good listener.
"Are you sure you are okay now?" Luke asked for the millionth time as she got up from the couch and went to go wash her face in their bathroom. Lorelai took a moment to look around and saw that the place looked like it had been expanded on, like the area that is now Rory's room hadn't always existed.
"I'm sure, I'm fine. Look, Luke, I'm really sorry," Lorelai said as she walked out of the bathroom, all washed up.
"For what?" Luke asked confusedly.
"I just come into town and instantly start unloading all my problems onto your shoulder... I just wanted to say that... I'm sorry if I've been a burden," Lorelai said.
"You have been anything but," Luke said. Lorelai smiled. She slowly walked over to where Luke was standing. She looked into his handsome face and felt it drawing closer to hers. Her lips slowly curved upward into a smile as they came closer and closer to making contact's with Luke's.
"HELLO??" came a call from downstairs. Lorelai and Luke jumped apart, both blushing furiously.
"Is anyone here?" came another yell. Luke looked at his watch and cursed.
"Oh, shoot it's that guy who is here to look at the place next door," Luke said. Both Lorelai and Luke walked to the door, trying to pretend that nothing had happened. However they both failed miserably, and Lorelai's cheeks still had a fair bit of color in them.
Luke walked down the stairs ahead of Lorelai, and as she was just about to pull back the curtain she felt a familiar voice float towards her ears.
"Hey, Chris Hayden," said a voice. Lorelai's eyes shot open, not believing the day's odd turn of events.
Lorelai pulled back the curtain to see Christopher standing in front of her, for the first time since graduation. Although they never became friends again after he left her alone with the baby, they had been forced to continue attending the same school.
"Lore!" Chris said in shock, in the middle of shaking Luke's hand. Another man stood next to him, and both of them were wearing cheap looking suits.
"Hi," She said, crossing her arms in front of her.
"You, um, you two know each other?" Luke asked, looking a little bit lost.
"Yeah, Lore was my high school sweetheart," Chris said, walking closer to Lorelai, who was still sending him death glares.
"I would hardly call it that," Lorelai said. She then turned to Luke, "You know how I told you about my daughter, Rory? Well, Chris was her dad." The look in Luke's face was one of pure shock.
"Wow." Luke said.
"Wow is right, you look amazing Lore," Chris said.
"Oh get your jaw off the floor," Lorelai snapped, obviously still agitated that he would abandon the baby like he had.
"Oh, come on Lorelai! Are you honestly telling me that you are still mad about what happened between us over ten years ago?" Chris replied. Luke looked at the other man, as he could see the two of them would probably want to be left alone.
"Why don't we go outside and check out the building," Luke said, and the other man, called Frank, nodded and headed out the door with him.
"Lore, tell me you aren't still mad!" Chris exclaimed. Lorelai looked at him like he was insane.
"Of course I am still mad, I mean think about it Christopher! You get me pregnant, you say that you aren't going to back me up at all! If you had at least supported me somewhat, I would have been able to keep her, I just know it!" Lorelai exclaimed, tears coming to her eyes for what had to be the billionth time that week. I really need to get some waterproof mascara.
"So what? Nothing would have changed Lore! She still would have died two months later, it doesn't matter!" Chris yelled.
"Get out," Lorelai said, once again banishing her ex from Luke's diner, "Just get out, do your business with Luke and leave."
Chris looked like he was going to argue, but Lorelai's death glare made him rethink it. He walked out of the diner and went out to talk to Luke. Lorelai sighed deeply and moved over to the counter. She sat down and put her head in her arms on the counter. She heard the bell sound behind her. I swear, if it's another boyfriend, I am going to flip out...
"Lorelai, since Luke isn't here, could you make me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crusts cut off and a glass of milk?" Kirk...
Lorelai looked up at him before turning around and banging her head on the counter.
"Fine, you don't have to cut the crusts off if you don't want to."
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"You look like you need some coffee," Luke said and Lorelai nodded wearily. She had apparently fallen asleep like that, with her head on the counter, and hadn't been woken up until about an hour and a half later when Luke returned to the diner and reopened.
"More than you could ever imagine," Lorelai said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She yawned and Luke smiled slightly, noticing just how cute she looked. Then Luke suddenly remembered something. In the midst of all the confusion and business deals she had completely forgotten that she had almost kissed Lorelai again mere hours before.
Luke chanced a glance over at Lorelai and saw that she had once again put her head down on her arms. Despite the fact that it was about 2:30 pm, she looked exhausted. And why shouldn't she? This day has been emotionally straining on her.
Luke put a large mug of coffee in front of Lorelai, and she looked up at him and smiled.
"You are a lifesaver," Lorelai said as she picked up the cup and took a long sip of the liquid inside.
"Yeah, well, you have had a tough day," Luke said. He looked around the diner and saw that there were few enough people for him to be able to take a little break. He walked around to the other side of the counter and took a seat next to Lorelai.
"What a day. And it's only half over too!" Luke said.
"I know. I swear if one more random ex shows up today, I am going to lose my mind," Lorelai responded. Luke chuckled. Just then they heard the bell chime behind them.
"Probably Rory," Luke said. He turned around in his seat to receive quite a shock.
"Hi Luke," said a voice Lorelai didn't recognize. She turned around to see a tall, beautiful woman standing there. She had curly red hair on her head and a smile on her face.
"Rachel..." Luke breathed, and Lorelai's eyes shot open.
"You're Rachel?" Lorelai asked. The woman nodded and smiled wider, if that was possible.
Luke and Lorelai just stared at her for a few moments, until suddenly another person walked in the door.
"Rory!" Rachel exclaimed. Rory gasped when she saw the woman in front of her.
"Rachel!" She yelled, as Rachel enveloped her in a large hug. Luke and Lorelai both watched on with mixed emotions, but the one thing that was running through both of their minds is that this time Rachel had better be serious. This time, she better stay.
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There ya go, chapter 5! I hope you liked it, and again sorry about that wait. Review!!