Lorelai heaved a sigh as she signed her name on the last page of the divorce papers. She smiled politely and shook the lawyer's hand as he handed her a copy and wished her luck in any and all future endeavors.
She headed slowly for the car, the large manila envelope banging lightly against her leg as she walked. Tossing it casually onto the passenger seat of the jeep, she got in and shut the door.
Lorelai hesitated before putting the key in the ignition and turned her attention to the envelope again as she dropped the keys into her lap.
She picked it up and looked at it for a moment. There was nothing special to this envelope; it was like every other manila envelope she had ever seen. Her name and a few other personal details were on a white label in the middle. The lawyer's address and whatnot was in the left hand corner.
But it still held her attention.
With another sigh she dug her cell phone out of her purse and hit the speed dial.
"Hello?"
"Hey Rory," she said as she sat back in the seat, feeling like a weight had been lifted.
"Hey!" she said happily. "What's up?"
"Well, I'm sitting here in the jeep, and I have a rather imposing envelope staring at me."
"Right. That was today, wasn't it?" Rory asked as she stopped working on the article in front of her. She had nearly forgotten that her mother was signing the last of the papers today.
"It was," she said. "We are, once again, the single Gilmore Girls. Well, not really single-single, but with Logan still in London, we can pretend."
"Are you okay?" she asked. "I'm not really doing anything important. I could stop by and we could grab some coffee or something."
"I'm okay," she said with a smile. "Really. I think I'm just going to go and see Paul Anka."
"Are you sure?" Rory asked again. She had just had coffee with Christopher a few days ago after he had completed this very event.
He was more than a little worried that Rory was going to be distant after the divorce and he had needed more than a little reassurance.
"I'm sure, kid," she said with a small smile. "I should run. My parking meter time is just about up."
"Oh, okay. Well, give me a call later. I am definitely free this weekend for some serious movie/junk food action."
"Will do, sweets. Talk to you later," she said as they both signed off.
She tossed the phone back in her purse and looked at the envelope again for a moment before tossing it carelessly into the back seat. Turning on the radio, she was pleasantly surprised to hear The Bangles blaring back at her.
Lorelai choked a little on her wine. She knew that her mother would be dying to know about the divorce proceedings, but she had hoped she'd be a little more sensitive. But with her father away on business, there was no one to rein her in.
"Well?"
"Can you give me a minute? I'm trying to choke myself here," she said as she got herself under control.
"Nothing special. I signed the papers a few days ago and I am back to plain, old, disappointing Lorelai Gilmore," she said with a shrug as she picked her fork back up to play with her beets.
Emily raised an eyebrow and was about to open her mouth when Rory stepped in and deflected the conversation toward herself, sparing her mother.
Lorelai sighed a little as she continued to play with her beets. She hated beets. She was surprised her mother was serving them, given their tendency to make everything a reddish-purple color.
She half-listened to Rory's tale about Paris' latest escapades while she tried to come up with ways of getting out of diner early. Unfortunately couldn't come up with any, and soon found herself being ushered back into the living room for after-dinner drinks.
"What?" she asked as she jerked her head up from her drink when she heard Rory calling her.
"I said it's getting late, don't you think?" Rory asked again, hoping Lorelai would pick up on her meaning.
"Yes. Late. You're right, and we should go," she said setting her drink down on the end table and standing up. Emily walked them to the door and the maid of the week brought their coats. While Rory slipped out, Emily held Lorelai back.
"Are you sure you made the right choice?"
"A little late now, Mom," Lorelai said as she stared at the toes of her pumps for a moment. "Why the sudden interest?"
"Because you seem to be rushing in and out of things lately. You were so sure about Luke, and when that wasn't going as you planned you rushed out of a relationship with him and into one with Christopher. And now you're rushing out of that relationship."
"There was no rushing out with Chris, mom," she said as she put a hand on her hip.
"You weren't even married a year!"
"He started a fistfight with Luke in the middle of the square for no reason! Every time I came home late he was all over me, accusing me of cheating on him with Luke. Every time I wanted to go do something in town and I didn't invite him, it must have been because I was sneaking off to see Luke!
"It didn't matter what I did mom, he was always accusing me, always trying to force me into moving away from Stars Hollow or something else that would make him happy. It didn't really matter that I wanted to stay put with my Inn and my friends. It only mattered what he wanted."
Emily stood quietly for a moment when Lorelai finished.
"Are you done?"
"Yes!" she said, a little louder than necessary.
"Good," she said calmly. "Your father and I are worried. You've never been one to jump in and out of relationships. You've never been one to sit idly by while your life goes in a direction you're not happy with, either," she referenced the recent gulf between her and Luke caused by April.
Lorelai just sighed and looked everywhere but at her mother.
"Perhaps if all you're going to do is sabotage your relationships, you should talk to someone about why."
"I don't sabotage my relationships!"
"Then why did you not insist that Luke let you be part of that girl's life? Why did you not at least compromise on some of the things Christopher wanted?"
Lorelai had no real answer.
"I have to go," she said coldly.
"Rory's waiting," she tacked on before she quickly left the house, being sure to slam the door before stalking to the car.
"Should I drive?" Rory asked when she saw her mother exit the Gilmore mansion.
"Whatever," she said as she tossed Rory the keys and climbed into the passenger seat to sulk during the ride home.
Rory glanced over at her mother several times as they drove from Hartford to Stars Hollow, a concerned look on her face. Lorelai finally snapped as the town square came into view.
"What?" she demanded as she shifted quickly in her seat to look at Rory.
"What did Grandma say to you?" she asked, ignoring the fact that Lorelai had snapped at her.
"Nothing."
"And what part of this nothing has you so down and out?"
"The part where she said I purposefully sabotage my relationships," she finally admitted. She waited for Rory to respond. "You're line is what? She's crazy!," Lorelai prompted.
"Well, what if she's not?" Rory asked in a little voice.
"Rory!"
"Just think about it for a minute!" she called back as they finally drove through the town square. "You didn't event try to argue with Luke about April, and when he wouldn't elope, you went straight to the one person he hates the most in the whole world."
"I think he might hate Hitler more," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. Rory ignored her and kept going.
"And with Dad? Why couldn't you agree to at least paint the bedroom? Or rearrange the furniture to make him happy? Or the wedding party thing Grandma threw the two of you? Why did you have to fight him so long and so hard on everything?" she asked as they drove past Luke's.
Lorelai sighed as she stared out the window. Rory was right. Oh God, that meant her mother was right! Oh God, she just admitted that her mo. . .
Her train of thought abruptly derailed when she saw Luke talking to a woman in his empty diner. She craned her neck around so she could get a better look at them as they drove past.
The woman was seated at the counter and he was behind it, serving her coffee in her mug and offering her the smile he used to save for when he was flirting with her.
Tonight was so not her night.
***"So, uh, do you ever talk to Luke?" Lorelai asked Rory somewhere between the fourth and fifth movie. Rory looked over at her as she popped the last of the mini marshmallows into her mouth.
"Like randomly strike up a conversation or do I talk to him at all?"
"At all," Lorelai clarified as she put the empty marshmallow bowl on the floor and pulled the bowl of Cheetos between them.
"Rarely," she said with a shrug as she picked a cheese puff out of the bowl. "I mean, if I'm eating in the diner, then yeah. He says hi when I stop in to talk to Lane. . . Stuff like that. Why?"
"There was a woman in his diner," Lorelai said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.
"Well, lets pause the movie so I can alert the media . . . " Rory said sarcastically. "Oh wait, I am the media! Mission accomplished."
"Not just like a random woman. Possibly Luke's woman."
"Luke has a woman?" she asked, suddenly into this conversation.
"Yeah. That's what I was asking you about, Velma," she said sarcastically.
"Sorry, Daphne. I'll try harder next time. I don't think he's seeing anyone. Lane hasn't mentioned anything."
"That would be because she's been at home with two very small, very angry babies for the last couple of months," Lorelai said with a patronizing smile.
"She stops by the diner. So do Zach, Brian and Gil, and they haven't mentioned anything to her."
"Which really means something given what reliable gossip hounds they all are. Come on Rory!" Lorelai flopped over onto her side on the couch to stare at Rory, who simply stared back at her.
"No," she said quickly shaking her head. "I will not pry into Luke's personal life."
"Then just sit there. You know, a fly on the wall!"
"No way! You want to know, you go ask. You're a big girl now, you don't need mommy to hold your hand," she said comfortingly, patting the back of Lorelai's hand before turning her attention back to the movie.
Lorelai sighed as she turned her attention to the TV and began to pout. Rory noticed the performance after a while.
"Why is this such a big deal?"
"It's not. I just want to know."
"The two of you have been talking. Awkwardly talking, but still talking. Go ask."
"We're not quite passed the 'Hey, coffee please?' 'Yeah, the weather is really weird this year!' conversations yet."
"Are you jealous?"
"Of what?" Lorelai demanded, pausing the movie. Things were getting serious now.
"That Luke may have his personal life in order while yours is not?"
"No, no way Rory," she said confidently. "I am not jealous of Luke. I'm. . . happy for him."
"That was very convincing," she said. "Remind me to talk to the Oscar committee about you the next time I see them," she said, rolling her eyes slightly as she finished.
"Oh, never mind. Just watch the movie, Chatty Kathy," Lorelai muttered as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned her attention fully to the movie.
Rory glanced sideways at her mother, frowning slightly. Something was up. But whether it was about the divorce or about Luke, she couldn't tell.
Although she hadn't returned to Luke's, she no longer went out of her way to avoid walking past the diner, nor did she turn the other way when she saw him walking down the street.
Things were still awkward between them; more so after the fistfight he and Christopher had had in the town square. She had heard Christopher's version of events, but she wasn't really sure how much stock she put in his story.
Part of her was dying to corner Luke and get his version of events, but the more logical part of her was telling her to just let sleeping dogs lie. She was all for not waking the doggies.
"Are you feeling alright?" Sookie asked her one morning as she came in for her 5th cup of coffee before noon. She had noticed her friend's new and improved mood, but had been reluctant to comment on it, given the off chance that it was all just a cover and she was really aching inside.
"Perfect. Why?" Lorelia asked with a smile as she wandered over to the chef to pick at what ever she was cooking.
"I haven't seen you this happy in a long time, like since you were with Lu. . . " Sookie cut herself off.
"Since I was with Luke? It's okay, he's not taboo," Lorelai assured her with a whisper. "I feel like I did when I was with Luke," she confirmed.
"That's fantastic honey!" Sookie exclaimed as she threw her arms around Lorelai and pulled her in for a hug. "What brought this on?"
"I don't know. Being single, I think. There's not all this pressure anymore. No one is picking fights with me, no one is shutting me out. . . There is no one in my life I have to worry about making happy other than Paul Anka and as long as I keep the treats plentiful and walks brisk, he's good."
"What about Rory?"
"Rory is happily buried beneath tons of old smelly books, furiously writing papers and tests and articles for the paper. She's happy as long as I don't bug her over the phone. We're good too." Sookie chuckled and offered Lorelai a muffin to help soak up all the coffee in her stomach.
"And your parents?"
"Even they can't bring me down," she said. "I've cut back to diner once every couple of weeks and I love it."
"Well, maybe you should go see if this good mood is contagious," Sookie suggested as she stirred a sauce at the stove.
"Why? Who has the audacity to attempt to rain on my parade?" Lorelai demanded dramatically.
"Luke. He seems really down, more so than usual," Sookie commented.
"Oh," was all she could really say. "I should head back to the desk," she said absently as she wandered out.
Seeing as Michel was elsewhere at the moment, Lorelai sat herself down in his chair, pretending to be busy as she mulled over what Sookie said.
Luke was still her friend, even if they weren't exactly acting like it and she wasn't all that pleased to hear that something was bugging him. She wasn't positive, but we she was pretty sure that Luke didn't really have any one to complain to about things. Other than April. And possibly Kirk. But honestly, who wanted to confide in Kirk?
*******Part 2
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**Fanfiction stats**
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**The 4400 - 1
**Andromeda - 3
**Dead Like Me - 1
**ER - 2
**Enterprise - 9
**Gilmore Girls - 8
**Harry Potter - 17
**Voyager - 3
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Total: 44 stories in 8 fandoms
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