- Chapter One - The Denial Twist (Part Four)
Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments on the last update. :)
Here is the last part of chapter one. Enjoy. :D
Chapter One - The Denial Twist (Part Four)
Saturday June 10th, 8:00 AM, Luke’s Diner
“Where have you been?” Jess asked when Luke walked in through the door to the diner.
“Just took a walk,” Luke said dismissively, walking past the younger man and out in the storage room.
“Hey, I’m the one who’s supposed to disappear and give incomplete answers,” Jess scoffed, following him.
“Right,” Luke mumbled. “Consider it payback then.”
Jess frowned. “You went over to Lorelai’s?”
Luke froze for a second, but then quickly continued unloading cans to the shelves, and didn’t give an answer.
“You see her?” Jess asked, ignoring the customers in the diner asking for service.
“No,” Luke said shortly.
“What?”
“I was about to knock when Rory drove up and I panicked, ok?” Luke snapped.
“Rory?” Jess asked slowly, frowning.
“Yes, Rory,” Luke said slowly. “Can we stop talking about this now?”
“No, we can’t,” Jess said forcefully.
Luke stared at him, baffled. “What?”
Another customer complained over the lack of service and Jess glared out the door before slamming it shut. “You’re the one who called me, remember?”
Luke jumped as the door closed. “What are you…”
Jess turned his glare to Luke to shut him up. “And judging by what happened last night you apparently didn’t even think about anything I said,” he continued.
“That’s not…” Luke tried, but Jess ignored him.
“And now you run away because Rory showed up? What’s going on with you?”
“It’s…complicated,” Luke said defensively.
“Complicated?” Jess asked, getting angry. “Why the hell won’t you just marry her?” he demanded. “You’ve been waiting for it for years and all of a sudden you’re pulling out?”
“It just happened so suddenly, I…”
“Suddenly, my ass!” Jess snapped. “You’ve been engaged for a year.”
“It’s just…with April and…”
Jess stared at him in disbelief. “This is about April?”
“No!” Luke said hurriedly. “Well…”
“What? She doesn’t like Lorelai or what?”
“No, she adored Lorelai, that’s not…”
“Then what?” Jess questioned. “You’re not making any sense at all here.”
“I don’t do well with change, ok?” Luke snapped back. “And this year has been nothing but change.”
Jess frowned. “Oh.”
“Yeah,” Luke sighed. “It feels like I’m running around, chasing one thing after another, and they never stop coming.”
“So…last night?” Jess wondered.
“Last night everything just got stuck in my head and I couldn’t think. And now it’s too late to do anything about it.”
“You don’t know that.”
Luke gave a dry laugh, shaking his head. “You heard her just as well as I did.”
“I know, but…”
“No, I can’t do this now,” Luke said. “I need to think, I need to…” He took a deep breath.
“You need to talk to Lorelai,” Jess said pointedly.
“I need to get back to the diner,” Luke sighed and walked over to the door.
Jess stayed silent, watching Luke open the door. “Gilmore’s love talking,” he said as Luke walked out.
Luke stopped in his step and bowed his head before decidedly walking back out in the diner. Jess shook his head and sighed, following him out the door.
Saturday June 10th, 2:30 PM, Gilmore House
“I totally saw that one coming!” Lorelai exclaimed in triumph when the coach wagon turned out to be empty.
“Of course you did,” Rory laughed.
“What? You’re not impressed with my fabulous talents for figuring out plots?” Lorelai sniffed, making a dramatic face. “I’m deeply hurt.”
Rory shook her head and fished out the last gummy bears from the bowl on her lap. “You’ve seen this movie at least five times before,” she pointed out.
Lorelai watched her, giving her a bewildered look. “You point?”
“Never mind,” Rory chuckled, giving the bears in her hand a sad look before stuffing them in her mouth.
Lorelai sighed softly, turning back to the screen and the rolling after credits. “I love happy endings,” she said with a sad smile.
“You ok?” Rory asked, watching her concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Lorelai said, smiling brightly.
Rory was still watching her. “Are you sure?”
“Just a momentarily relapse,” Lorelai assured her.” Nothing that can’t be helped with another movie. So, what’s up next?”
With one last glance Rory turned to the pile of movies stacked between them. “Um, we have…” she began, but stopped as the phone rang somewhere in the room.
“Is that the phone?” Lorelai asked, knitting her eyebrows together.
Rory shot her a look. “Um…yes?”
“I thought so,” Lorelai groaned, reaching for the remote. “Wow, it feels like I haven’t moved for ages,” she complained as she turned off the movie.
“Me neither,” Rory mumbled, straining her neck to hear where the ringing was coming from. “I think I’m permanently attached to the couch.”
“Ok, ok, we hear you,” Lorelai complained, managing to sit up.
“Yeah, we just have to find you,” Rory added, taking a deep breath and sitting up too.
“You know,” Lorelai said thoughtfully, “it doesn’t sound like my phone.”
Rory stopped searching behind the couch cushions and whipped her head up, listening more closely. “It’s my cell phone,” she exclaimed excitedly, getting up to get her purse.
“Wow, look at you, energizer bunny,” Lorelai grumbled. “Why so chipper all of the sudden?”
“I’m expecting a call,” Rory called back, smiling as she made her way back to the living room. “Logan said he’d call when he arrived and he should be there now, I think.”
“Oh, right,” Lorelai mumbled, sinking down in the cushions again.
Grinning to herself Rory dug up her phone from her purse, quickly flipping it open, instantly feeling her hopes crash down when the display didn’t read Logan. But her disappointment was almost as soon forgotten when she realized it said Lane in big letters and once again excited she flopped down on a chair opposite of Lorelai.
“Oh my god! I thought you’d never answer!” Lane yelled as soon as she pushed talk, causing Rory to cringe, but at the same time she couldn’t keep from smiling.
“Oh my god!” she echoed. “You are back?”
“I’m back!” Lane exclaimed and Rory’s grin returned.
“How was it?” Rory asked eagerly. “Did you have fun? What did you do? You have to tell me everything.”
“It was great! There were these…” Lane started excitedly, but then paused for a second. “You have to come over. I’ve got so many pictures to show you.”
“Oh, pictures!” Rory beamed. “I’d love to come over. I’m in town, I’d just be a couple minutes.”
“Oh my god!” Lane exclaimed again. “You’re in town?”
“Is that Lane?” Lorelai called from the living room, getting up from the couch.
“Oh,” Rory mumbled, suddenly remembering exactly why she was in Stars Hollow. “I’m visiting mom. She’s…”
“Absolutely fine,” Lorelai filled in, getting up from the couch. “You should go see Lane.”
“But…” Rory started to protest, but Lorelai shook her head and started to carry the leftovers to the kitchen.
“Is everything ok?” Rory heard Lane ask form the other end of the phone, her voice concerned.
“Well,” Rory began, but stopped as Lorelai once again shook her head. “Yeah, it’s fine,” she said instead, giving her mother a curious look. “I’d love to come over.”
“Great,” Lane said. “I’ll be waiting with chips and photos.”
“Sounds great,” Rory agreed. “I’ll be over soon.” They said goodbye and Rory slowly hung up her phone, following her mother.
“So, Lane’s back in town,” Lorelai clarified, smiling. “She had a good time?”
“Yeah, she did,” Rory nodded and joined Lorelai at the kitchen table. “I said I’d go, which you already know, but I…”
“You should,” Lorelai smiled. “Go have fun.”
“Are you sure?” Rory asked, not convinced.
Lorelai nodded and plastered an almost genuine smile on her face. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured her.
“I don’t have to go, you know,” Rory offered.
“No, really,” Lorelai insisted. “I’m fine. I’ll go to the inn. I need to do something, and you promised Lane you’d go visit her.”
“I know, I just don’t…”
“You’re not,” Lorelai interrupted her, her smile this time looking more real. “I’ll be fine. Sookie is there, and once she’s done reprimanding me I’m sure she’ll do everything she can to make me feel better.”
“Ah yes,” Rory smiled, “and she’ll make you anything you want to eat. Be sure to save something for me.”
Lorelai grinned as response. “What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t make sure my daughter got a piece of the most wonderful wallowing food in the world?”
“A responsible one?” Rory suggested, trying to keep a straight face.
“Ah, but of course,” Lorelai sighed dramatically. “And we can’t have that, now can we?”
“It would be a disaster,” Rory agreed seriously. “I’m sure it violates several important laws.”
“It sure does,” Lorelai smiled. “Now go say hi to Lane. And make sure you hug her senseless from me.”
“Will do,” Rory said with a smile and gave her mother a tight hug. “You be good,” she added as she got up from the chair. “And don’t forget about the food.”
“I won’t,” Lorelai assured her.
“Ok,” Rory said with a small smile. “I’ll just go change.”
“Do that,” Lorelai agreed and watched as her daughter left, the smile slowly fading from her face.
She sat at the table for a few minutes, watching Rory get ready and then decided that she needed some sort of distraction. “I’m gonna go take that shower,” she called and got a muffled response from the other room.
A moment later Rory appeared in the doorway. “Ok, I’ll call you when I’m leaving Lane’s,” she said and gave her mother a quick hug.
They said goodbye, and Lorelai listened to the door close before heading for the stairs.
Saturday June 10th, 3:35 PM, Luke’s Diner
Jess slowly entered the diner, finding it empty save from Luke who was standing in front of the counter looking annoyed.
“They started it?” Jess said, raising an eyebrow and nodding outside.
“Yeah,” Luke scoffed, shaking his head.
“He’s really gonna have an unveiling ceremony for the red light camera?” Jess asked, highly amused by the whole thing.
“Yeah,” Luke repeated, a slightly disgusted look on his face.
“Look at it from the bright side,” Jess said with a chuckle. “At least you got entertainment.”
“Just what I was looking for,” Luke grumbled and turned his back to the windows and the madness outside.
Jess shook his head and walked over to a table by the window, collecting the abandoned plates and cups on it while looking at the scene unfolding outside. With increasing amusement he watched as Taylor pulled the string attached to the fabric placed over what he assumed was the camera and it flowed down, landing right on top of his head.
“Now that’s an improvement,” he laughed, shaking his head at the absurdity of the scene as Taylor struggled to free himself of the fabric.
“What is?” Luke asked, curious despite himself.
“Taylor covered in blue fabric,” Jess chuckled. “I only wish it had been bigger, then it would have looked even funnier.”
“And maybe he would’ve disappeared in it all together.”
“Hey now, Uncle Luke,” Jess smirked, turning around. “Was that hostility I heard from you?”
Luke glared at him and Jess shook his head, his smirk widening as he turned back to the window. “Damn, he got rid of it,” he complained with an exaggerated sigh.
“Too bad,” Luke said, letting out a small laugh.
“He really enjoys this,” Jess remarked, watching Taylor’s animated gestures as he continued talking.
“He loves to hear his own voice,” Luke retorted with a scoff.
“Yeah, that he definitely does,” Jess agreed, frowning as Taylor continued to explain what was gonna happen, looking more and more pleased with himself.
His frown grew when he saw Taylor point further down the street and he moved so he could see what was going on.
“Huh,” he uttered in disbelief as he saw the car parked in between two cones down the street.
“What’s he doing now?” Luke asked.
“Looks like they’re gonna have a live show.” Jess shook his head and strained to identify the driver.
“They’re what?” Luke asked.
“I think Kirk’s supposed to drive at the stoplight and be photographed,” Jess said slowly, trying to keep himself from laughing. “This town is really something else.”
Luke grumbled to himself behind the counter.
“And now Miss Patty is reenacting Natalie Wood,” Jess smirked.
“Natalie who?” Luke asked, confused.
“Wood,” Jess said, turning around and raised an eyebrow at his uncle. “Rebel Without A Cause, Judy?”
“Right,” Luke scoffed. “And this thing is just getting more crazy with every second,” he grumbled.
“I thought you knew that movie,” Jess smirked. “After all, you did compare me to James Dean.”
“Wouldn’t that make Miss Patty your new girlfriend?” Luke asked, trying to hold back a laugh.
“Gee, thanks for that mental image,” Jess scoffed, a disgusted look on his face.
“You walked right into that one,” Luke laughed and walked out in the kitchen with a couple of plates.
Jess glared at him and turned back to the happenings outside with a shudder. “And here he comes,” Jess said, spotting the car moving towards the red light and the crowd and glanced over his shoulder.
“Kirk legally breaking the law, what’s next?” Luke said from the kitchen, shaking his head.
Jess laughed at Luke’s comment and turned back to the window. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the car, with Kirk behind the wheel covering his eyes, coming right at the diner. He stared at it for a second, before it connected in his mind. “Uh…”
“What?” Luke asked, coming out of the kitchen, freezing when he saw the car crash in through the window. Instinctively he ducked behind the counter, his eyes registering Jess standing right in front of the car.
The diner suddenly shook and rubble came flying at the counter, the air filling with dust. Luke quickly stood up again, staring at the car now parked in his diner, too shocked to move for a second. Then he realized that he couldn’t see Jess.
He searched the diner, frantically trying to spot him, but all he saw was the car. “Jess!” he yelled. There was no answer.
He made his way from his spot behind the counter and over to where he had last seen Jess. He was barely aware that Kirk climbed out of the car, yelling out he was ok. He had more important things on his mind. “Jess!” he yelled again, but still didn’t get an answer.
People started crowding outside the diner and he could hear their excited voices. It felt as if he was moving in slow motion, but finally he made his way around the counter and the car and stopped in the middle of a step.
“Somebody call an ambulance!” he barked, not bothering checking if anyone did as he asked and started moving again.
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Extra authors note here...'cause it felt needed. We really hope you enjoyed reading it, and won't hate us for how it ends. :p
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Download links for the PDF Files with pictures and all - which is much more fun!
CHAPTER ONE here Mediafire
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Coming in chapter two of The domino effect:
