Title: April Showers Don't Always Bring May Flowers

Author: B R Cary

Disclaimer: I don't own the Gilmore Girls. If I did, Luke and Lorelai would still be together. Oh, and no Annas or Christophers were harmed in the making of this story, though I REALLY wanted to. Darn ethical treatment of animals act. ; )

Author's Note: This is the sequel to "What Happens in Vegas Doesn't Always Stay in Vegas." If you haven't read it, this story should still make sense, but you might want to read it just to get the back story.

Chapter 1 - Thunderstorms Approach

Stars Hollow. Population 9,973. At least that was what the sign said, but Christopher Hayden was only concerned about two of the residents. Well, if he were being honest with himself, which he hated to do, then he would have to admit that more often than not one of those residents occupied his thoughts more than the other. This time he tried to pass it off as concern since he had not spoken with Lorelai since the dinner where her parents had tried to set him up with Winnie, Pinnie, or whatever that girl's name had been, but he knew it went beyond mere concern. His only focus that night had been on Lorelai. And if he had read her right, she had felt the same way. So what if she was engaged to that Neanderthal diner owner. He didn't know Lorelai like he did. Neanderthal man didn't know what made her tick. But Chris did. So, after much debate with himself about it, he decided it was time to stake his claim, to win over the woman that should have been his a long, long time ago.

Turning off the exit, Chris headed toward the Dragonfly Inn. He could not believe Lorelai had actually made her dream happen. He was proud of her. He always knew she had it in her, though, sadly, he didn't think he had ever told her. It was the Hayden curse to be just a little too focused on oneself. But maybe he would have to start telling her more. After all, didn't women like to hear those things?

As Chris pulled up to the Dragonfly's entrance, he spotted Lorelai through the Inn's window looking as beautiful as ever. Though she would never be the quote unquote trophy wife, Chris had to admit she would indeed look good on his arm at business dinners. Then he kicked himself for thinking that. That was something his father would have thought, though more and more he was realizing he agreed with a lot of what his father had always said, things he used to reject as archaic and just plain stupid.

Getting out of the car, Chris walked up the stairs and into the lobby of the Dragonfly. At once he was hit by the warmth and coziness the Inn exuded. Every detail was crafted to invoke that feeling and seemed to reflect the owner herself. At least it felt that way to Chris. He walked over to where Lorelai was bent down at the Receptionist Desk, obviously catching up on some work. "Excuse me, I was looking for the owner of this fine establishment."

At the sound of his voice, Lorelai's head snapped up. Chris noticed a look of panic seemed to cross her face, but it was so quickly replaced with a smile he thought he must have just imagined it. "Chris, what are you doing here?"

"What, I can't just drop in to say hello?" Chris answered as he leaned against the counter.

Lorelai merely shrugged. "It's a free country."

"So, do you think you could convince your boss to let you knock off early?" Chris asked as he gave Lorelai the smile she had never seemed to be able to resist. But this time she just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why?"

It was Chris' turn to shrug. "I haven't really seen you in a while so I thought we could go grab some lunch."

"We can do that here in the dining room. Sookie would be more than happy to have another mouth to feed. This week has been kind of slow," Lorelai replied.

"I thought we could go someplace more . . . intimate," Chris said, lowering his voice a little, another trick that always seemed to work in the past.

Again, Lorelai just looked annoyed. "Chris," she began, then the phone rang. She picked it up and said, "Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai speaking." She paused for a moment then a smile crossed her face, the smile Chris always thought was reserved just for him. But then he noticed that this was a different smile, an even happier one. "Hey, you. . .No, I'm not doing anything right now . . .Lunch, sounds great . . . What are you making me? . . . You are way too good to me . . . Ha, ha. Why do I keep you around again? . . . Yes, there is that, which is a VERY good reason to keep you around. You know how much I love my coffee . . . Just give me a little while to finish some things and I'll be home . . . Love you, too." As she hung up the phone, she looked over at Chris and a look of surprise crossed her face, like she had forgotten he was there. "Oh, Chris. You had asked me to lunch, didn't you? Sorry about that."

Chris could tell by the tone of Lorelai's voice she really wasn't all that sorry and that irritated him, as did the fact she obviously just blown him off. "So, who did you just blow me off for?"

"If you must know, my hu . . .," Lorelai started, and then quickly stopped. "Luke."

Luke. How Chris hated that name and that man. He was always coming in to ruin what he and Lorelai had together. Then something hit him. Lorelai had been about to say something when she suddenly stopped herself. What didn't she want him to know? Then another thought crossed his mind. She had said, "I'll be home." Not at home, but home. Did she and Luke live together? And if so, since when. He knew that had not been the case when he had seen her at her parent's house three weeks before. In fact, he had gotten the impression that Luke and Lorelai were going through a rather rough patch. It was one of the things that made him realize now was the time to act. But now, if they were back together, it would make things harder. That didn't mean he was going to give up without a fight, though. He would just have to try harder and amp up the charm, something diner boy was seriously lacking. "So, he cooks for you, does he. I can see where that would appeal to you."

Lorelai shot Chris a glare. "He does more than just cook for me, Chris. Now what is it you are REALLY here for? I can't imagine you coming all the way from Boston just to catch up. Especially since I just saw you three weeks ago."

"Maybe I would like to be around more," Chris responded, nonchalantly.

"And the truth comes out. Chris, how many times do I have to tell you? It's never going to happen, especially not now," Lorelai sighed. "Not that is ever was. We were two high school kids who got linked together by a mistake we both took part in. Now a VERY good thing came out of that mistake, but we are only connected by our daughter, nothing more. Please realize that and move on."

"Maybe I don't want to move on without you."

"That might be true, but I'm already taken and very happily so," Lorelai shot back.

Chris snorted. "How can Luke possibly make you happy? What can he offer you that I can't? He runs a diner and is never going to amount to anything beyond that. I can give you anything your heart desires."

Lorelai sighed again, but this time sadly. "Chris, you just don't get it. I don't need you to give me what my heart desires, because I already have it. What my heart desires is Luke. It took me so long to realize that, years of wasted time to see what I wanted was always right in front of me. You ask me what he can offer me that you can't. He supports me without being controlling. He takes care of me without being smothering. He is there for me and Rory, no questions asked, no strings attached. But most of all he knows me and loves me, all of me, faults and all."

Lorelai's words struck Chris like a ton of bricks. Could he really have lost Lorelai? Could she really chosen have Diner Man over Christopher Hayden? Though he didn't really want to know, he had to ask. "So, you are really going to marry him?"

"I already did," Lorelai said softly as she held up her hand.

If Lorelai's previous statement had felt like a ton of bricks, her current admission felt like an entire brickyard. She had gotten married and it had not been to him. Chris felt like he couldn't breathe as he watched the light catch the band of diamonds nestled under Lorelai's engagement ring. "You got married!" he choked out.

Nodding, Lorelai put her hand back down. "Yes."

"When?"

Lorleai grinned a bit sheepishly. "Actually it was the day after I last saw you. After diner I went to Luke and told him I wanted to elope right then and there. He agreed and we fly to Las Vegas that night."

"Ah, the classy wedding you always dreamed about, I see. What, Luke couldn't afford anything better?" Chris threw out, hoping to make Lorelai see just the type of guy she married – one who couldn't even afford to give the woman he claimed to love a decent wedding.

That received another glare from Lorelai. "Actually it was everything I dreamed of. Luke flew Rory, my parents, and our best friends to Vegas– first class mind you – put them up in a hotel, and even gave them a vacation, all expenses paid, for a few days after our wedding. Our reception was in one of the private rooms at The Eiffel Tower Restaurant. Our honeymoon was a trip up the West Coast, wherever I wanted to go. So, yes, Luke could afford the wedding of my dreams, and beyond. And I don't appreciate you belittling him when you don't even know him."

"But he will never make you happy."

"I've been happier these two years with him than I even have been. Besides the day Rory was born, my wedding day was the happiest day of my life. Luke is the one for me. I wish you and my mom could see that."

Chris tucked Lorelai's last statement into his brain for later use. It was good to know that Emily Gilmore was an ally. "But he has a kid from another relationship. Are you sure you want that responsibility?"

Lorelai looked at him, dumbfounded. "How can you, of all people, be making that an issue? Hello, you have a kid from another relationship as well. Why is okay for you, but not for him?"

Kicking himself mentally for making that slipup, Chris tried to backtrack. "I have full custody. Do you really want to have to deal with the whole mom/stepmom issue?"

"It's something Luke and I are dealing with. He is going to file for joint custody. And for your information, April and I get along quite well. I even planned her 13th birthday party."

Not being able to help himself, Chris said, "Well, I'm sure you two have the same maturity level so of course she likes you."

Rolling her eyes, Lorelai responded, "Talk about being immature. Look, Chris, I know I spoiled whatever grand plan you had, but can you honestly say you can see us together. We would never work out. If we would have, we would have tried to make a go of it long before now. Everytime we tried, the universe stepped in to stop it. I think we need to take that as a hint we were never meant to be together. I've moved on. It's time you did as well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do and a husband to go see."

As he watched Lorelai walk off, Chris realized this was going to be a bigger fight than he first thought.

2nd Author's Note:

Hello. It's me again. I promised all my loyal readers a sequel and here is the start of it. This is not how I originally outlined my story to start, but Chris just showed up and demanded to be first out of the gate. And, boy, is he demanding when he wants to be. I have not idea what made me write in Chris' point of view. I hate his character. But since I wrote in Anna's, I figured I would give it a shot. The other chapters will go back to Lorelai and Luke's point of view. Anyway, I hope you like it and will give this story a chance. It's going to be a little more dramatic than "What Happens in Vegas", but there will still be tons of Luke and Lorelai moments as this is a Luke/Lorelai story all the way. After all, for me, the breakup never happened and Lorelai NEVER slept with Chris.