Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, just the story idea.
Rated: PG
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The six weeks that Lorelai and Rory were in Europe were the longest of Luke’s life. She never called. He wasn’t sure what that meant. Either there was nothing to worry about or she hadn’t been able to find a phone to use without Rory hearing her.
It was summer and he blamed his temper on the heat wave that had made it almost unbearably hot. He snapped at everyone and it was worse when Babette and Patty exchanged their knowing glances. They thought he missed her and that’s why he was cranky. Well, they were right and it galled him.
For the entire six weeks he’d been trying to think of a way to fix the situation. He loved Lorelai and would marry her the second she got back if she’d let him, baby or no baby. It had taken this scare to make him realize how strongly he felt about her.
Would he be able to convince her, though?
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Lorelai and Rory staggered into their house and promptly dropped their backpacks and fell over.
“Ugh. I’m so exhausted I don’t think I will ever be able to move.”
“Rory, you have to move because I’m definitely not moving.”
“No fair. You don’t have to move, but I do?”
“I’m the mommy.”
Rory scoffed. “So? That means you should be taking care of me.”
“All right. Let’s lie here together for a minute.”
They lay on the floor of their entryway until Rory spoke again. “You’ve been awfully quiet the last few hours.”
“So? I’m tired.”
“The mother I know isn’t quiet when she’s tired.”
“Do not pick on me or I’ll give you up for adoption.”
“I’m so scared. I better buy some boots so I can shake in ‘em.”
“You’ve got boots.” Lorelai rolled over. She wondered what Luke was doing. The entire time they’d been away she had thought of him. He was probably at the diner. It was a Saturday morning, after all. She and Rory had been up all night on the plane home. Now, exhausted and looking like something the cat had dragged in, all Lorelai could think about was seeing Luke again.
“Hey, Rory?”
“Yeah?”
“How would you feel if Luke and I…dated?”
“I think that’d be cool.
“Sure? Because if you feel in any way shape or form that this is something I shouldn’t do, you just let me know.”
“Mom, don’t be ridiculous. Luke is great. Of course it’d be okay for you to date him.”
Lorelai considered. She’d been up all night and she knew she looked like crap, but she really wanted to see him. Being without him for six weeks had finally driven home the fact that he was not a replaceable item in her life. He was a permanent fixture and she needed him. Especially now.
She’d been thinking about raising another baby on her own and in her heart she knew that she could do it, but it was different this time around. She didn’t want to do it alone. Especially since the father was Luke. With Christopher, she hadn’t really wanted to give it a shot. But with Luke, she had trouble hiding how giddy she felt at the thought of them as a family.
“Wanna go to Luke’s?”
“We just got back.”
“I know. I need some coffee.”
“I need some sleep.”
“Ugh. Fine, I’m going to Luke’s.” Lorelai stood and adjusted her jeans and t-shirt.
“Have fun. I’ll be here. On the floor. When you return.”
Lorelai beat a hasty exit. She had managed to be back in town for ten minutes and already she was chomping at the bit to see him. She remembered vividly what his skin tasted like and the feel of his hair and how hard his chest muscles were. She absolutely couldn’t wait for Rory to be ready for coffee.
But what if he’d changed his mind? What if he was back with Nicole? What if he’d moved on?
She stood across the street and looked at the diner. What to do. She had to see him sometime and the truth was that she really wanted to see him and he probably hadn’t moved on. She hadn’t called the entire time they’d been away because she’d been afraid that Nicole would answer the phone – how stupid is that?
Lorelai crossed the street and pushed open the door of the diner. Miss Patty was the first to notice her. “Darling! You’re back!”
Babette gave her a hug. “It’s a good thing you got here, doll, because Luke has been very unhappy.”
Lorelai smiled and hugged them back. Caesar was at the counter. She didn’t even have to ask. “He went upstairs about five minutes ago to take a break.”
Lorelai smiled wider and said, “Okay, well, I’m just gonna go say hi.”
Patty and Babette smiled at each other as they watched Lorelai disappear behind the curtain that hid the stairs.
Lorelai walked up the steps slowly remembering the last time she’d been on these steps. She smiled at the memory and rubbed her lower stomach.
Finally, she reached the top of the stairs and she walked to the door of the apartment. As she stood there she wondered if she should knock or if she should just walk in. Finally, not wanting to disturb him, she knocked softly.
“Come on in, Caesar,” was the gruff reply from the other side of the door.
Lorelai opened the door and walked in. “Hi,” she said in a voice that was much smaller than she’d expected.
Luke, who’d been at the sink washing dishes spun around and grabbed a towel to dry his hands off with. “Lorelai. You’re here.”
“Yep. You’re world traveler is back home.”
She walked slowly toward him. “Did you miss me?”
He crossed the room in two long strides and pulled her into a hug. “Yeah,” his voice was low and shaky. “I did.”
She wrapped her arms around his waste and hugged him back, tears pricking at her eyes. One of the joys of pregnancy: being over-emotional.
He stepped back and said, “Listen I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. You didn’t call, but I’m glad. I don’t want to know for a few more minutes. Just hear me out.”
Lorelai sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “Okay.”
“I love you. I’ve loved you for years. I can’t stand the thought of ever being away from you. With or without a baby, I want to marry you.”
Lorelai was too stunned to speak at first, but finally she said, “I love you, too. It took going all the way to Europe to realize how much I would miss you and want you. Need you. Yes, I’ll marry you!”
He hugged her again and then pressed his lips to hers. She kissed him back and held him tighter. “By the way,” he said a moment later, “what’s the verdict.”
She laughed and said, “Are you ready to be a dad?”
He nodded. “Because if you’re not, you’ve got about seven months to figure it out.”
He grinned and kissed her again. “I can’t wait to be a dad.”
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Epilogue
Luke, Rory, Richard and Emily walked down the corridor of the hospital to Lorelai’s room. When they arrived and opened the door, Lorelai was sitting up with a baby in each arm.
“Oh, they’re darling,” cooed Emily, taking a closer look.
“Thanks, Mom,” said Lorelai.
“So cute!” squealed Rory.
“Well done,” said Richard.
“Lorelai did most of the work. I can’t take all the credit,” Luke smiled.
“What are you going to name them?” asked Emily.
“Um, well, we talked about it a lot and we decided to stick with family names,” said Luke.
“Yes,” said Lorelai. “So this,” she nodded to the baby in her right arm, “is Elizabeth Lorelai and this,” she nodded to the baby in her left arm, “is Emily Victoria. Is that okay, Mom?”
Emily looked like she might cry. “I love it.”
“Good choices,” said Rory. “And you kept your name in both of them!”
“Well, I’m the mom, so I have that prerogative.”
“Elizabeth and Emily,” said Richard. “Excellent choices.”
“We think so,” said Luke.
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A/N: Yeah, this got a little goopy, but at least I kept it short!