The Incredible Rising Lorelai
By Gigi



Chapter 9: I Should Tell You

A/N: There is a part in this chapter where it is in Babette's POV, so that part will be in bold. Just FYI!

A/N 2: Thanks for being so patient! This chapter is EXTREMELY long!!

Ding, dong! I look in the mirror one last time to make sure what I'm wearing isn't too slutty, a fitted, extremely low-cut black button up shirt with a pair of Sevens. I'm more concerned with the shirt than the Sevens. My hair is resting on my shoulders, curling slightly. I put on this really pretty shade of blue eye shadow that really highlights my electric blue eyes (if I may say so, myself).

"Hey, hon." I say, inviting Luke in. I close the door and let him pull me in for a long, deep kiss. I wrap my arms and run my tongue along his bottom lip, biting it slightly, just to drive him crazy. I'm good at doing that to men. I pull away, loving how he whimpers slightly at the disconnection of our lips. I am just doing this to tease him, and it works. He won't let go of me. Putting his hands on my waist, he pulls me in for another round. I wrap my arms loosely around his neck while his hands wander and end up in my back pockets. All of a sudden I am proud of my decision to wear this outfit.

Okay, now he's pushing me. Why is he doing that? How did I end up on the floor? I distantly hear the faint, "Lorelai?" over and over again. That doesn't sound like Luke. I pop my eyes open to find that I'm lying in bed. That was nothing but a dream, a wonderful dream. And Sookie is trying to wake me up. I'm in bed, crying, again.

"Lorelai, what happened?" Sookie's voice is teeming with concern. Gee, I wonder why. "When I left you had already gotten over the wallowing stage."

"N-N-Nico…le" is all I manage to get out before I break down once again.

"What about Nicole?" Sookie knows exactly what about Nicole, but I can tell by her face that she is hoping against hope that she is wrong.

"Nicole. There. At…there," wow, I'm pathetic. I can't even say his name anymore.

"Where, at Luke's?" I nod, unable to speak. "How do you know?"

I finally muster up enough strength to actually say a complete sentence, maybe enough for two. "She was in his apartment. I went up there to tell him I…I…" I falter. I can't say it. It hurts too much.

"You what? Oh my god, are you pregnant?" Sookie's voice reaches squeaking level.

"No, Sookie, I'm not pregnant…well, not for sure. I won't know till next week. But I was gonna tell him I…l-l-love him." There, I said it.

"AAAAAH!" Sookie squeals, hugging me. I have no idea why. "You're IN LOVE!!!! YAY!!! So what did he say when you told him?" She looks at me expectantly.

"He didn't, I didn't. Nicole was there and I bolted."

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"AAAAAAAAH!" I jump at the sound. Holy crap! That just took off two year's of mine and Apricot's life! "You're IN LOVE!!! YAY!!!!!!!" okay, did I just hear that right? Lorelai, in love? Now this I gotta see.

I scurry over to my window, prime for listening into conversations in Lorelai's room, and get my binoculars. Thank god her window is open. Okay, I can hear stuff now…

"So what did he say when you told him?" That has got to be Sookie, as I say a wide woman hug Lorelai, who is in bed. What the…?

"He didn't…I didn't" Lorelai's voice broke. "Nicole was there and I bolted." Oh my god, she just said Nicole!! I know who Lorelai is in love with!!! Luke!!! Lorelai is in love with Lucas Alexander Danes. I better not say that on the phone. He was livid when I told him I knew his middle name. Okay, where is that damn phone? Ah, there it is.

"Patty! You'll never guess what I just overheard…"
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I need to get out of this funk. I really do. I grab an apple and start munching on it as I leave for work, hoping that'll distract me. The inn's having a test run on Saturday and we still don't have doors. That might not bode well for me, seeing as, at the moment, my room is right next to Luke's. With no doors, people are gonna have to get extra friendly extra fast. Okay, first thing's first, I gotta talk to Tom about those doors.

"Lorelai!" I hear behind me as I reach my car. It is nobody else but Babette, one of the town gossips. Well, I guess that would make her one of the town then. "Hey, suga, how are you doing?" her eyes pop out at the apple I'm eating. And I don't blame her. Everybody knows I cringe at the thought of eating anything healthy.

"I'm, uh, fine, Babette, why?" I inquire, praying it's not what I think it is.

"You're eating an apple." She sputters. Oh, thank God.

"Yeah, once in a while, I have to. I wasn't feeling too good so Sookie is making me eat some fruit." Ha! I love having wit.

"Oh, okay. Well I hope you feel better! I'll see you later, doll!" Babette walks away, looking over her shoulder at me. I feel a little uneasy about that look. But whatever, off to work.

I put my key in the ignition and turn it. It makes this really weird noise and dies. Oh, that's just great! Now my car just died! I'm gonna have to walk. This day just keeps getting better and better.

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"Patty! You'll never guess what I just saw Lorelai do!! She was…"
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Okay, people are staring at me, sadly. Why are people staring at me? I finished my apple two blocks ago, so there isn't anything to stare at! And, why are there ribbons everywhere? What the…? The chef at Weston's just gave me thumbs up. This is just getting ridiculous.

"I'm on your side, Lorelai!" I hear Gypsy say as she approaches me. Perfect, now I can ask her what the hell is going on in this mental institution.

"Whoa, there, Gypsy, what are you talking about?" I grab Gypsy's arm to stop her so I can talk to her, noticing that she has a pink ribbon on her coat.

"You and Luke," she states as if it's obvious. Oh no.

"What? What about me and Luke?" what the hell is going on?

"Well, actually, you, Luke, and Nicole," oh shit.

"I repeat: what about us?" This is getting annoying.

"Nicole's back!"

"I'm aware."

"It must be killing you." Oh, crap. How did she know? Better just play dumb and maybe it'll stop the rumors.

"What must be killing me?"

"That Nicole is back!"

"Why would Nicole being back be killing me?"

"Because, everybody knows you love him!" And she hits it home.

"Everybody I know, um, who exactly?"

"Luke!"

"What?!" I should probably be more surprised than I am. I mean, I live next to Babette for God's sake. "Oh great, what's the ribbons for?"

"Pink for you, blue for Luke, Taylor passed them out. I don't really like him, but he did let me expand my shop and I like pink."

"And does Luke know about them?"

"Yeah, but he just thinks that it's another stupid town festival thing."

"Gypsy, please take that off. I don't want anyone encouraging Taylor on this!"

"Well its way too late for that. He's passed out hundreds!"

"Hundreds?! Okay, I really need to get to work. I need you to look at my car when you can. It just died. It's at my house. I'll give you the car keys so you can look at it. Here" I say as I hand over the car keys. I wave goodbye and then bolt to the Dragonfly.

"Sookie!!!! Where are you?" Oh my god, this is big. No, its bigger than big, CATASTROPHIC!!!

"I'm over here!"

"Where's here?"

"By the pans!"

"Oh, yeah, big help! Raise your hand!" I see a chubby, and again bandaged, hand pop out toward the back. I make my way to her and she turns to look at me.

"What's up? You look anxious."

"Oh, does it show?"

"Kind of"

"They know."

"Who knows?"

"The town, they know!"

"The town knows what?"

"What I told you about Luke this morning!"

"Oh my god!" She drops her pan on the stove, sending gravy showering all over the cook next to her, as she covers her mouth with her hands. "How did they find out?"

"Babette, need I say more? And Taylor has put ribbons up all over the place."

"Okay, I'm missing the connection there."

"Pink for me, and blue for Luke. It was Taylor's idea, no less. And now the whole town is either pink or blue. The one upside is that most of the ribbons are pink. So it's good to know I have a fan club."

"Oh my god, does Luke know about them?"

"Yeah, but he's Luke, he just thinks it's something stupid for another festival."

"Yeah that does sound like him. So what are we gonna do?"

"I dunno, hide? At least until we can figure something out." I sigh. "Okay, I seriously need coffee, like, now." Sookie immediately starts to pour a cup of fresh coffee. "I guess this means I have to talk to him." Sookie looks at me sympathetically. "I wonder how he's gonna take the fact that I love him and the town knows it."

"I wouldn't be too worried about him, if I were you." Sookie looks worried now.

"Why?"

"I'd be thinking of how Nicole is gonna take this news. I mean, Lorelai, come on; her husband is the object of affection of one of the most wanted bachelorettes in Stars Hollow."

"Oh come on, Sookie, I am not one of the most wanted bachelorettes in Stars Hollow. But yeah, you're right, she is gonna be so mad! What if she files for divorce? I don't want to break up a marriage! Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?" I'm babbling now. I know that for a fact. I'm just talking to hide my true fear: what if she won't let Luke see me anymore? Perish the thought. I wouldn't be able to handle that. I need to see Luke, but it would be too painful, knowing that I can't have him. If what everybody else says about Luke having a "thing" for me is true for the past 9 years, then I can completely relate to him right now. It sucks.

Sookie drops me back home after work and I see a note on my car. It's from Gypsy, saying that she fixed the car and it should work. And right next to the note is the bill, of course.

I let myself into the house, deposit my keys and purse on the desk, and plop onto the couch. I grab the remote and switch on the television. Of course, every channel is showing something having to do with love. Even the animal channel! I mean come on! I switch to the cooking channel, which I can't even watch! Because, guess what? The chef just got married and is now cooking with his wife. There is so much love on television it makes me sick. I end up settling on the news, and all I hear is, "Blah-blah-blah!"

Somebody knocks on the door. I'm too lazy to actually get up from watching the news anchor, who is currently talking about how Iraq is holding their elections for the permanent government this month, so I just yell, "its open!"

The door opens and I hear footsteps coming through the foyer. Whoever it is comes in the living room, "Yeah?" I say, not looking away from the television.

"You didn't stop by for coffee today." That voice makes me freeze mid-channel-switch. No, no, no, no! Luke can't be here! I am officially starting to think that this world hates me. Why? I don't know. I've been nothing but good to the world. Okay, so there was that one time in the third grade where I threw a wrapper on the ground and didn't pick it up but that was in third grade!

"Well, I don't see how I could." I might as well be bitter since the whole world is against me.

"Why couldn't you?" oh look, he's confused. Great, now what do I say?

"My car broke down, so I just got Sookie to give me a ride to the inn. I got coffee there." Whew, good save.

"Oh…" is that disappointment I hear? I must be imagining it.

"So…"

"So…what happened at my apartment the other day? You saw Nicole and bolted," Oh, so Luke noticed.

"Oh, um, you said you didn't want us to be just a fling. I guess I was just surprised that Nicole was there." Well, where can I get lying? I might as well tell the truth.

"But you were the one who broke up me, remember?"

"One, we hadn't even gone out on a date! We weren't a couple; we were just two people who made out every chance they got. And two, that's why I came to the apartment yesterday, to make up! But there was Nicole, and I don't know, I just broke down."

"You broke down?" Oh shit, I forgot he didn't know I've been crying.

"No! I didn't mean it like that. I meant—yes." He knows when I'm lying, so why fight it?

"Lorelai—" Luke starts, but then he stops.

"What?"

"I should tell you—" he stops. I decide to be funny.

"Ah, so you just watched Rent, huh?" I ask and then burst out laughing at his confused again, just like when I called him Lukey-poo. Luke gives me this serious face and I immediately stop laughing.

"I should tell you—" he starts again, but this time, we're interrupted.

"There you are, Luke!" and who else appears in the foyer but Nicole, herself? She glares at me. "What are you doing here?" Oh, she did not just accuse me in my own house.

"Um, I live here. This is my house." Nicole's face turns from anger to embarrassment. Well that's a plus. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Luke. Luke, I need to talk to you, alone." Luke just stands there. " Now" Luke follows Nicole out onto the porch. I sneak into the foyer and listen in. I catch the conversation… "Luke, I don't want you coming here anymore." Those eight words stick me in the heart like eight extremely sharp knives. Luke is talking now.

"What? Why can I not come here from now on?" Although this is so not the time, I start to smile as Luke gets angry over this prohibition.

"Because I don't want you to, the only time you should talk to her is in the diner, and then you only address her as a customer, nothing else."

"I'd like to have a better reason than, 'I don't want you to'" I think I have a pretty good idea.

"You spend too much time with her than you do with your own wife!" wow, I've never heard Nicole screech. It's actually fun hearing it. I mean, how many times do you hear a lawyer screech?

"I want a divorce!" Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Luke wants a divorce? God, why couldn't I keep my mouth shut?

"What?" Nicole sounds so hurt. I'm such an ass.

"I want a divorce!" Luke repeats.

"Why?" Nicole sounds so small now. I am an assy whore.

"Because I know you haven't been on business trips!" holy shit! Is he saying that Nicole is cheating on him, repeatedly?

"W-what?" Nicole is scared, I can tell from her voice.

"I know that you have been having an affair behind my back!" his voice shook with rage now. "And don't bring your lawyers here asking what I want from the divorce. I just want OUT!!!"

"F-fine!" Nicole is crying now. I don't blame her. Well, I sorta do, but still. I hear her walk down the steps and I rush back to the couch, not wanting to be caught.

"Everything okay?" I ask when Luke trudges into the living room with a tired expression on his face. Well, breaking up with someone can do that to a person.

"Nicole and I are getting a divorce," is all he manages to get out. I get up to comfort him. I give him the biggest hug possible.

Next on the Incredible Rising Lorelai: Lorelai tries her best to comfort Luke, while Rory is in for a surprise that she might not be ready for!

A/N: Okay, so that's chapter 9! I hope you liked it! It was nice and long, just like I said! Review, Review!!!


To be continued...