The Best of What's Around

Chapter 1:  Death by Invitation

Luke Danes was nervous.  It wasn't like he was unaccustomed to the feeling.  Back in high school, he had quite the reputation for the case of nerves he would get before a track meet.  At his first race, he had been so scared that he had been unable to sleep the night before, his mind and insides churning and twisting.  Standing at the starting line, he was quite sure that the taut rubber band in his stomach was about to snap at any moment.  Just as he was about to leave the field for the bathroom, the shotgun sounded.  On instinct, he sprinted down his lane, the lump rising in his throat as each second passed.  Before he realized it, he had crossed the finish line.  But, he kept running, quickly reaching the bleachers where the crowd stood cheering wildly.  He would later find out that he had won the race in record time, but only after vomiting all over Tony Schramm, the town butcher, as he stood applauding in the front row of the stands.  From that day forward, he had been known as Butch.

He tugged at the tie around his neck slightly.  It was so typical for him to be thinking of something disgusting like that at a time like this.  The nervousness he felt in his teenage years was nothing compared to what he was feeling now.  The wine he had drunk earlier seemed to be swimming precariously in his stomach with the seafood salad he had picked at through dinner.  It would be any second now.  It was all going according to the plan. 

He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed deeply.  When he opened them, he studied the woman across the table from him.  She was bathed in a halo of soft candlelight, her dark hair glistening, half flickers and half steady glow.  A shadow fell across her face as the waiter arrived at their table with a small box adorned with a delicate red ribbon and placed it in front of her.

She looked at the box for a moment before raising her eyes to meet his, a smile tugging at her lips.  She held his gaze for a moment before turning her attention back to unwrapping the gift.  Luke felt the tension in his stomach release.  This was the woman that made him laugh, that tried tofu for him, that filled his days with warmth, that made sitting in an overpriced restaurant in an uncomfortable suit worth it.  He would have never imagined that coffee would end up bringing him the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with, but he was grateful.  This was right. 

She opened the box, and a tiny gasp escaped her throat.  She looked up at him with shimmering eyes and a shocked grin.  He reached over and took her tiny hands in his.

"Maddie, will you marry me?"              

***

One month later…

Lorelai Gilmore stared at her computer screen, tapping a pen rhythmically to the XTC song in her head.  To the untrained observer, it would have appeared that she was hard at work.  But her gaze was unfocused, her eyes moving past the computer and her office to the weekend ahead.  A lazy grin crept across her face.  She and Rory had big plans. 

            She fidgeted slightly in her seat, before swiveling her chair around to face the floor-to-ceiling window behind her.  She scooted closer, leaning her forehead against the glass and gazing down at the street.  The side of the building seemed to fall forever before reaching the frenzied black specks hurrying throughout their day below.  It seemed inherently wrong for people to actually have to work on a day as picturesque as this.  She knew that a chill bit the air, but the clouds were puffy and the sun shone brightly, making her long for the days of summer dresses and strappy sandals.

            The intercom on her desk buzzed, and Lorelai's reverie was broken.  She spun her chair around to face the desk again and tapped on the talk button.

            "What's up, Annie?"

            "Miss Gilmore –"

            "Lorelai, Annie, it's Lorelai," she interrupted, chuckling lightly.  She had told Annie the same thing every day for the last year and a half, and she still forgot to call her by her first name sometimes.

            "Lorelai," Annie continued, the embarrassment evident in her voice, "your daughter is on line two."

            "Oh, great!  Thanks Annie."

            "No problem, boss."

            Lorelai smiled again as she switched from the intercom to the phone.  "Hey babe!"

            "My head hurts."

            "How'd it go?" Lorelai asked anxiously.

            Rory sighed.  "I think I just squeegee-d my entire brain into my International Politics final."

            "Ha, you aced it."

            "I hope so.  All I have to do is get through one more final next Wednesday, and I will be done for the entire semester."

            "And you are going to forget about that last final, at least for tonight.  And why is that, darling daughter?"

            "Christmas in New York Night!"

            "Exactly!  So, I expect nothing less from you than to scrape your brain back in and put your best foot forward tonight… or, shall I say, skate," Lorelai said slyly.

            "Ice skating at Rockefeller Center, it's so Autumn in New York," Rory said wistfully.

            "Except I don't have gray hair and an affinity for small rodents, and you're not dying or a kleptomaniac."

            "Minor discrepancies."

            "Of course.  What time will you be home?"

            "Probably around 4:00.  I just have a couple of errands to run, and then I'm all yours for the night."

            "Yay for mother/daughter bonding!"

"I don't think it's possible for us to become anymore bonded without actually becoming one person."

            "Ah, I beg to differ.  It's not like we can read each other's minds or anything.  We really need to work on that.  Quick, tell me what I'm thinking right now."

            "Hey, I'll tell you what I'm thinking.  My mother needs to be committed."

            "You would never!"

            "I actually hear the rooms at Bellevue are quite nice."  

            "Evil child, turning on the one that painfully birthed you."

            "I gotta run, otherwise there will be no bonding.  I'll see you at home soon!"

            "Bye hon!"

            Lorelai hung up the phone and tapped her nails on the desk for a few seconds.  She took a long look over her shoulder at the bright sunshine outside before getting up and grabbing her coat and briefcase and heading out the door.

            She stopped in front of Annie's desk.  She had been Lorelai's personal assistant since she had taken the job as manager of the hotel.  She was a tiny woman that was in a constant state of anxiety.  She had one pencil stuck haphazardly into the bun in her hair and another behind her ear.  She looked up when she sensed Lorelai's presence.

            "Miss Gil…orelai!"

            "Hey Annie, I'm gonna take off a few hours early, okay?  If anything important comes up, just forward it to my voicemail.  But if it's really urgent, I'll have my cell phone with me."

            "Oh, of course.  Let me just write that down…" Annie began to root around on her desk for something to write with.

            Lorelai gave a short cough and pointed at the pencil behind her ear. 

            Annie reached up and grabbed the pencil.  "Oh…right," she muttered sheepishly.

            Lorelai considered her for a moment.  "Hey… why don't you actually take the rest of the afternoon off?"

            "Oh, Lorelai, I can't.  Someone needs to stay here to handle any crises that arise.  I mean, what if there is a problem with the Barnett party or the Sherman reservations…"

            "I'm sure Mark in customer service can handle it.  You deserve a break.  It's Friday, and it's a beautiful day out.  Go do something fun."

            Annie bit her lip for a moment before allowing a smile to cross her face.  "Well, if you're sure…"

            "I am sure!  Now get outta here!"

            "Alrightie.  Have a great weekend, Lorelai!"

***

            Stepping out through the large glass doors of the Carlyle Hotel, Lorelai was immediately swept into the throng of people bustling along Fifth Avenue.  She snuggled her nose into her scarf and smiled as she took in the scene around her.  It was the second week of December, and the holiday shopping season was in full swing.  Wreaths and twinkling lights adorned storefronts and light posts, and even the horse drawn carriages along the outskirts of Central Park were decorated in red and green. 

After walking the several blocks from the hotel, Lorelai welcomed the warm rush of air that greeted her as she entered the lobby of her apartment building. 

            "Hey Bernie!"

            The security officer smiled warmly at her.  "Miss Lorelai, have a good day at the office?"

            "You bet, it was so good that I cut out two hours early.  How's Alice?"

            "She's doing good.  Just has some strange cravings.  She sent me out last night at 1:30 to find her some pickles and peanut butter."

            "It would have been nice to have a guy around to take care of my cravings when I was pregnant with Rory.  I went through a phase where I ate nothing but eggnog ice cream and beef jerky every night.  And let me tell you, finding eggnog ice cream in the middle of July is no easy task.  Consider yourself lucky, my friend."

            "I hope it doesn't get to that point," he chuckled.  He reached into one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out a stack of letters and circulars.  "Looks like you got a lot of mail today."

            "Aw, people love me!" Lorelai said, eagerly accepting the pile.  "Even if it is only Ed McMahon and the people at Publisher's Clearing House," she frowned as she looked at the first letter.  "I'll catch you later, Bernie."

            "You have a good night, Miss Lorelai."

            "I plan to!" she called over her shoulder as she entered the elevator and tapped the button for the twenty-second floor.

            Entering the apartment, she shrugged out of her coat and tossed her briefcase onto the table by the door.  Out of the corner of her eye, a blinking red light caught her attention.  One new message.  She pushed the play button on the answering machine and threw herself onto the couch to sort through the mail.  She grinned when she heard Peter's voice. 

            "Hey Lor, it's me.  It's about…"  A pause.  "2:15.  I know you're not home, but I wanted my voice to be the first thing you heard when you walked in the door… which I'm guessing will be in about a half hour because of your tendency to play hooky on Friday afternoons."  She chuckled, amazed at how well he knew her.  "Just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking about you.  Have fun with Rory tonight.  I'll call you later, if I don't get a call first about one of you being in the emergency room with a broken limb.  Love you, bye."

            She made a mental note to call him back before Rory got home.  He wouldn't be in his next meeting until at least 4:30.  She leafed through the mail in her hand.  Ed McMahon… bill… bill… Christmas card from her mother… bill… ooh, something from Banana Republic… but damn, it's a bill. 

She paused when she reached the next letter.  It was ivory in color and thicker than the others.  Her name and address were printed in large and flowing script.  She checked the upper corner for the return address.  Stars Hollow, Connecticut.  Her breath caught in her throat slightly, and her fingers lightly traced the postmark before flipping the envelope over to tear it open. 

Several thick pieces of paper fell into her hand.  She focused on the top one and began to read.

Two hearts,

Two lives,

One eternity,

One love.

Lorelai snorted.  God, that was corny.

At eleven on the evening of the thirty first of December

You are cordially invited to witness the marriage ceremony of

Madeline Elizabeth Stewart

And

Lucas Matthew Danes

            Huh?

***

Next chapter:  Lorelai and Rory go ice skating at Rockefeller Center, and an interrogation ensues.

Any reviews, feedback, or critiques are much appreciated and can be left here or sent to [email protected].

Thanks!