18A/N: I was on my way to the train station the day after I watched 7.02 and suddenly had the inspiration for a story. And what's better to do with inspiration then to get it out, right? So here it is. The way I think the show has to continue. It contains no spoilers. It's all my fantasy!
Thanks to Jessi for proof reading and for giving me the confirmation I needed to post this story. You rock irl!
That's what you get for making me care!
Lorelai was sitting on the couch in the dark, finally allowing her tears to come. She didn't bother wiping them away. Not until she heard the front door open. She looked up when Rory entered the room, willing herself to stop crying. She understood why Rory was mad. She's known Luke since she was eleven years old, and he's been like a father to her. She was truly happy when she and Luke started dating two years ago, and after they stopped fighting earlier this year, Rory had been more than happy about the engagement…
Lorelai expected Rory to start screaming again, not that she'd sit down on the couch next to her and started comforting her. So that's when she lost it completely.
"Shh… it's okay. Let it all out." Rory whispered, while she stroked her mother's hair.
"He doesn't care Rory." Lorelai said when she'd calmed down a little. "He doesn't care."
"Who doesn't care?"
"Luke." Lorelai let out a small sob. "He doesn't care about what happened, about the fact that we're not together anymore."
"Mom, that's crazy. Why would you think that? I've seen it myself. He's hurt too."
Lorelai shook her head and wiped away a few tears. "He said it himself. At first he was mad, but now he feels as if we never belonged together." A few more tears ran down her cheeks.
"Mom, that's crazy. Where did you see him?"
"The supermarket. You know, the big one just outside town. I avoided Doose's so I wouldn't ran into Luke, but I guess he had the same idea. Anyway, we were standing at the frozen food section, because you know, we were out of ice. So anyway, he was saying that he's not mad anymore and that's it was ok. That I should be with Christopher. We were just not meant to be." She let out a small sob. "We've been together for two years, and for one year I wanted nothing more than to marry him. God I'm stupid." She wiped her eyes furiously.
"Mom, no! You're not!"
Lorelai shook her head. " Maybe he never wanted to get married in the first place. Maybe he said yes just because he felt sorry for me."
Rory looked at her mother confused. "Why?"
"Because everything was falling apart. You committed a felony, dropped out of school, moved in with my parents and refused to speak with me, even look at me… So I went to Luke and he started ranting about how were going to get you back into school and all I could do was stare at him. I didn't even really hear what he was saying. I was just thinking that I loved him, and that I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him. So I asked and he said yes. Maybe that was just because he wanted me to feel better."
"Mom, no. That's crazy. He loves you."
"No he doesn't Rory. You should've seen him. He didn't care. You do not not care, unless you don't love that person, although I…." Lorelai started crying again. "He's the only man I ever loved Rory. Why didn't he love me back?"
Rory just held her mother, knowing there was nothing she could say to make her mother feel better at this moment.
-xxxxxx-
Lorelai didn't sleep at all that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw images of the past few days. Of her and Luke in front of the diner, when she begged him to elope. She saw him just standing there when she walked away, not stopping her.
She saw how she woke up in Chris' bed the following morning, regretting every decision she had made while her head was banging from the hangover.
She saw Luke standing in front of her, asking her to elope, his truck already packed; ready to drive to Maryland with her. And the look on his face, when she told him she slept with Christopher. She saw him driving away, out of her live, not expecting she would see him again any time soon.
She saw them on the street, fighting. Them in the supermarket, talking. Luke acting as if he didn't care, telling her that they weren't meant to be.
Every time she had to open her eyes to remove the images from her mind, and when she did, they filled with tears again. If someone would have told her a year ago that the engagement would end like this, she wouldn't have believed it. Maybe it's better not to know sometimes.
She stepped out of bed, suddenly determined to show Luke that she didn't care either. She took a long hot shower, hoping that would make her feel a little better. She put on a pair of jeans and a shirt, and pulled her hair up in a pony tail. She didn't bother to put on any make-up.
Lorelai walked to the diner, totally oblivious to the fact that the diner wasn't open due to its recent destruction. She had no idea what time it was. But as there were already a few Stars Hallow citizens on the streets, it couldn't be that early anyway. She was shocked when she reached the diner and saw the plastic in front of the windows. But that's when she remembered what Rory had told her earlier.
"Lorelai."
She heard someone yelling at her from across the street. She was surprised to see Kirk and something that looked like an open-air diner. "What?"
"That diner is closed. We serve the best breakfast in town now."
"No thanks."
She looked up to see if there was any light on in Luke's apartment. With Kirk looking at her she couldn't reach above the door to see if the key was still in it's old place. She debated what to do for a few seconds, then she decided to remove the plastic and climb in through the open window.
"You can't do that." Kirk yelled at her, but she ignored him.
Lorelai walked inside and climbed the familiar steps leading up to Luke's apartment. Suddenly she felt nervous, not knowing what she was thinking coming in here. Luke probably had nothing to say to her anymore. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, Luke stepped outside.
He was surprised to see her. "Lorelai?"
"Hey."
"What are you doing here?"
"I eh… I ehm….." She swallowed hard, thinking of a logical explanation for her presence. "Yesterday you said that we should go back to what we were before. Me, Lorelai Gilmore and you're the guy who pours me coffee. So that's why I came here. I just forgot that the diner was closed until all the damage is fixed. But anyway, that's what I was here for. Coffee."
Luke looked at the clock hanging into his apartment. "It's half past six. What are you doing up so early?"
"I couldn't sleep."
"Oh right. Well, how about that coffee? I can make you some up here in my apartment." Since that's what he is now, her coffee- supplier.
She thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "I'd like that if it's not too much work."
He shook his head. "Of course not. I'm actually happy that I still have one customer. Kirk took most of them away from me."
"Yeah I noticed." A little uncomfortable she followed Luke inside the apartment. She looked around to see if any of her stuff was still there, but she didn't see anything. There were a few boxes in the right corner that weren't there before, so she figured that's where everything went.
He walked into the kitchen and started filling the coffee maker. They avoided looking at each other, both uncomfortable.
"I shouldn't have come here. I'm sorry." She turned around to leave.
"No wait, please."
"Why Luke? What is left to say? You made it very clear yesterday that we just weren't meant to be."
"I didn't…. I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "I shouldn't have come here. I'm sorry." She walked away without looking back. When her hand reached for the doorknob she felt a hand on her shoulder though.
"Lorelai talk to me."
"About what Luke? About how much you hurt me? Is that what you want to hear? Or about how sorry I am for what I did? What does it matter if we weren't supposed to be together in the first place. Why would you care?"
"Because I care about you Lorelai. You've been my friend for a long time."
"So what do you want." She turned around to face him. "Do you want to hear how I feel? Fine. Let me tell you about this great fiancée of mine. Well, ex fiancée now. We broke up see. Last year I proposed to him and he said yes. And then everything fell apart.
I don't know why. I guess we just grew apart. We didn't tell each other how we felt about things. Even after we promised each other that we would tell each other everything. We still kept things from each other.
He has a daughter and he waited two months to tell me. I mean, I was hurt that he kept it from me, but even more I was hurt that he didn't allow me to be there for him. But I accepted it, gave him all the space he needed. His daughter, April, she's the most amazing girl I've ever met, besides Rory of course. She's smart, honest and loves her father. I haven't spent much time with her though, because he was afraid she'd like me better than him. How stupid is that right? He's the most amazing guy I've ever met in my life. He's been like a father to my kid and there's no doubt in my mind that he'll be an amazing father for her. He already is.
I made the mistake by letting him keep me away and not telling him how much he was hurting me. I acted as if I didn't care that he spend more time at his place than at the house we remodeled together. But I did care." She was sobbing through her words, not bothering to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her face.
Luke looked at her in shock, not knowing what to do with this. He'd seen her cry before, but he'd never seen her allow herself to fall apart like this.
"I made the mistake by pushing him. I was just done waiting. I wanted nothing more than to marry him. To spend the rest of my life with him so I asked him to elope. I shouldn't have pushed him. I know that he doesn't like being pushed, but I just… I wanted to marry him so badly. I begged him to elope but he didn't want to. He didn't stop me when I walked away and I knew it was over. I made this huge mistake after that….. I wish I could take it all back. I wish I could go back to the moment half a year ago when things were finally okay with Rory and we could finally set a date. But maybe he's right. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. I just….." She turned around and walked away, leaving Luke standing in his apartment alone.
-xxxxxx-
"Mom?" Rory jumped up from the couch when Lorelai entered the house. "Where have you been? It's 7 o clock in the morning."
"I've done something stupid."
"You went to dad again?"
"What? You think that's all I can do? Sleeping around? I told you it was a mistake. A mistake I'm not planning on making again."
"I'm sorry, I just thought…."
Lorelai shook her head. "I don't want to hear it Rory." She climbed the stairs without looking back, slamming her bedroom door behind her.
Rory cursed inwardly. She never meant to judge her mother, and definitely not hurt her more than she already was. So she followed her mother up the stairs. She knocked on Lorelai's bedroom door.
"Go away."
"Mom, I'm sorry." Rory entered the room.
"I said go away. I don't want to talk anymore. I say the wrong things anyway."
"Me too. I'm sorry mom. I wasn't thinking." Rory sat down on the bed. "I know you won't make the same mistake twice. I'm sorry."
Lorelai nodded and sat in silence for a few minutes. "I finally understand."
"Understand what?"
"How Max must have felt when I broke up with him, right before we were supposed to get married. I know that he loved me, but I couldn't love him back. I guess it's the same with Luke and me."
"Mom, no."
Lorelai raised her hand. "I don't want to talk anymore. I just, I have to learn to accept that it's over."
Rory lay down next to Lorelai, placing her head on her shoulder.
"Rory, I really appreciate that you're here right now, but I need to be alone for a while. I'm sorry."
"I understand." She placed a kiss on her mom's cheek. "I'm downstairs if you need me."
Lorelai just nodded and then turned around staring at the wall.
-xxxxxx-
Rory was sitting on the couch, reading a book when there was a knock on the door. She stood up, wondering who was at their door this early.
"Hey Rory."
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
"I want to talk to your mom. Is she there?"
"She's in her room, but she doesn't want to talk to anyway. What happened to you?"
"This lunatic of a ex boyfriend of your mom's came to my house and punched me in the face. I wanted to punch him back, but he was already gone. But I'm not here to talk about that. I want to talk to your mom. She's been avoiding my phone calls."
"Maybe because she doesn't want to talk to you. She made a mistake by going to you. She does not want to get back together with you. She just needed a friend"
"She told you what happened?" He shook his head.
"No dad, you did."
"Huh?"
"I was home when you tried calling her and left a message on the machine."
"Oh….."
"Rory's who's there?" Lorelai was standing at the top of the stairs.
"Lor, it's me."
"Chris." She sighed. "I have nothing to say to you. I already told you that it was a mistake and it won't happen again."
"Lor, come on. We belong together. You know that."
"No we don't." She walked down the stairs and stopped in front of him. He wanted to step inside the house, but she stopped him, stepping outside herself. "Stay there."
"Lor please, let me explain. I know that what we did was a mistake. You just broke off your engagement and you were vulnerable. I'll wait for you as long as I have to."
"Then you can die and still be waiting. I do not want to be with you. You understand that? I don't love you and I never have. I'm sorry but that's the way it is."
"But I love you."
She looked at him, suddenly very mad. "Chris no, you believe that you do because you have this stupid picture in your mind of the two of us together. But we haven't been anything since high school. If it wasn't for Rory we wouldn't even be friends. You wouldn't know where I live right now and I wouldn't know were you live. And I wouldn't have cared."
"But Lor…"
"Just shut up okay? Just leave me alone."
"But I love you. And I know you love me too. You do Lor."
"No I don't and I never have. The only man I ever loved in my life is Luke."
"But…"
"Just shut up Chris. Just shut up and leave me alone. Please don't let this ruin your relationship with Rory, but our friendship is over. I tried to be friends with you, but Luke was right. You and I can't be just friends, which means we can't be anything. I'm sorry."
He looked at her, mad, frustrated, not understanding why she was acting like this. But from the look on her face he could tell that she was serious. He wasn't ready to give up though. "Lorelai, please, just give us a chance."
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him away. "You heard her. Why don't you leave?"
Chris knew that voice so he turned around and let his fist come in contact with the man's cheek, as that man had done a few days before. He felt a sharp pain in his knuckles when he pulled back. But that didn't stop him from swinging his fist towards Luke again."
"Chris stop." Lorelai pulled him away from Luke, who was lying on the floor with a bleeding nose. "You should leave now."
He shook his hand and walked away without looking back.
"Luke." Lorelai kneeled down next to him. "Rory, get me a towel or something."
Rory nodded and went inside.
"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
"No, it's my fault." Luke sat up, keeping his face in between his legs.
Rory came back with some tissues. "Here. I'll be inside if you need me."
Lorelai nodded as she took the tissues. She wiped away some of the blood, before adding pressure.
"Ahhh…."
"Sorry. Your nose might be broken." She studied his face as she lifted his hands towards his nose. "Make sure you squeeze tight otherwise the bleeding won't stop."
He nodded. "I know." He looked up at her.
"You should keep your head down."
He did as he was told.
"I'm so sorry that he punched you. I'm telling you that I never want to see him again."
"He's Rory's father. You can't not see him. "
"That's all he is Luke. I meant what I said earlier. You're the only guy I've ever loved." And then she added. "Still love. I understand that you're mad at me. I know that we both made mistakes and if you really want it to be over, if you really think that we were not meant to be, then I'll accept that. I just don't think I can come to the diner for coffee any time soon."
He glanced at her. He hated that he was not able to look at her when saying what he had to say. "I'm sorry Lorelai. I'm sorry for the jerk I've been. I'm sorry that things turned out the way they did."
She nodded as her eyes filled with tears again. "It's okay. I understand."
He looked up at her now. He had to look her in the eye when he said what he had to say. "I don't want things to be over. The things I said yesterday, I didn't meant them. I was just trying to protect myself and to let you have the things you want."
"All I want is you Luke. Don't you get that?"
"I do now. After the things you said earlier in the diner, and the things you just told Chris."
"That's good. Because all I want is to be a part of your life. I want to marry you, I really want to get to know April. I want to live in the same house as you do. Even if you don't want to live in the crap shack."
"Those are the things I want too. I forgive you for the mistakes you made and I hope you can forgive me for the ones I made."
"I already did." She moved closer to him and hugged him.
"You're getting blood all over you."
"I don't care." Her voice was muffled as her face was pressing into his shoulder. He put his hands around her, holding her tight.
"Do you want to go to Maryland?"
She shook her head. "No. I think we have to take you to the hospital."
He shook his head. "I think the bleeding has stopping."
She pulled away so she could look at him. She took the tissues away from him and moved his head backwards. The bleeding stopped, but your nose is definitely broken. I think it needs to be repositioned."
He grumbled. "Just great."
"Come on." She stood up and pulled him with her. "Let's clean you up first. I have a few of your shirts in a box."
"A box?"
She nodded. "I couldn't face all your stuff in the house that was supposed to be ours. You should see the way it looks now."
They went inside and he looked around the house. "Oh geez. What is all this crap?"
"Well, there wasn't much stuff left after I removed everything that made me think of you. And then Rory was all sad because she and Logan were supposed to travel around Asia this summer and he's in London now so… I thought I'd bring Asia to her."
"Very thoughtful of you."
"That's what I thought. Why don't you go upstairs to clean your face, then I'll go through the boxes to find you something to wear, I'll be right back."
She went outside to the garage. The place was completely filled with his boat and all the boxes. She tried to store them in the hallway closet at first, but there wasn't enough space so she moved them out here. After there wasn't space on the floor anymore, she even put some stuff inside the boat. She went through a few boxes before she found the one with his clothes. She took the whole box inside the house. Luke was still upstairs when she entered so she climbed the stairs to the bathroom. She was surprised that he wasn't there so she went into her bedroom instead.
He was sitting on the bed shirtless and looked up when she entered. "You really took away everything. These aren't our sheets."
"They're somewhere in the garage as well. I couldn't sleep using them."
He gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."
"Stop saying that okay? We're both sorry, I know that. And there's a lot we have to talk about, but not right now. Right now you have to get some clothes on so I can take you to the hospital."
He took the box from her and took out a shirt, put it on. "Lorelai, do you still want to marry me?"
She nodded. 'Of course I do. I just don't want to elope. Not right now. How about we work on our future and plan a normal wedding? We can set a date and do it together. Do it the right way."
"I like that."
"Good. She pulled at his hand. "Now let's get you to a doctor." She started walking but he stopped her.
"Wait."
"What, why?" She turned around, looking afraid, but the fear was soon gone when she realized he was leaning in to kiss her. His lips touched hers softly. She enjoyed the feeling, something she thought she'd never feel again. She wanted to deepen the kiss when her nose hit his and he pulled away.
"Ouch."
"Sorry." She placed a hand on his cheek and kissed his lips again. "Let's go." And with that they went downstairs, hand in hand.
The end!