Stand Still

Stand Still

Luke Danes had a washcloth in his right hand and he was busy wiping the tables in the diner when Jess Mariano, Luke's nephew, walked into the diner with a big smile on his face. Luke glanced over at Jess and set down his washcloth on the counter.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile before," Luke said.

"She makes me happy," Jess said as he took a seat at one of the tables.

Luke studied his nephew for a minute and said, "Good."

"You'd be happy too."

Luke took a seat across from Jess.

"You should ask her out, the whole town knows you two belong together."

Luke studied his hands for a long time before standing up, "I have to get back to work." Luke walked off leaving Jess staring after him.

Rory Gilmore walked into the diner with her mom, Lorelai at her side for their morning coffee. Lorelai walked up to the counter and took a seat at one of the stools, while Rory went over to see Jess, who was still sitting at the table.

"Morning," Jess said.

"Good morning," Rory said with a shy smile directed at Jess.

Jess leaned over and gave Rory a soft kiss on the lips and then they both broke out in a smile.

"I have to get to work," Jess said.

Rory nodded and watched him walk behind the counter before she took a seat next to her mom and watched Luke fill up two coffee cups and hand them to them.

"Blueberry muffin please," Rory asked Luke.

"As long as it's fresh," Lorelai jumped in.

"Yeah, it has to be fresh or else it's not as good," Rory continued.

Luke looked at the two of them frustrated at them again, "You know I don't know why I put up with you two all the time."

"Because you love us," Lorelai said in a mocking tone.

Luke gave his nephew a look before walking away to get a blueberry muffin.

"While he's awfully jumpy today," Lorelai said.

"Maybe it's his time of the month," Rory said with a smile.

"Hmm...it's always possible."

Luke came back out and handed them the blueberry muffin.

Rory looked at her watch and jumped up, "I have to go before I miss the bus for school."

Lorelai nodded and said, "Have a good day, I'll see you later."

Jess walked her outside and gave her another kiss before Rory disappeared down the street and Jess reentered the diner and headed upstairs to get changed for school.

Lorelai shook her head, "I don't get it."

"What?" Luke asked.

"He is so different around her. He's actually nice and sweet, I just don't get it."

Luke said, "He came in today with a smile on his face for the first time in a very long time and he said that she makes him happy."

"You don't think their sleeping together, do you?" Lorelai asked with worry creeping into her voice.

"I wouldn't worry if I were you. Rory's a smart girl, she wouldn't do anything stupid to jeopardize her future."

"But she's her mother's child."

"That's not a bad thing though," Luke said studying Lorelai again.

"It is when I got pregnant at 16."

Luke takes Lorelai's hand and squeezes it, "I'm sure everything is going to be fine." Then he lets go of her hand and she felt herself staring at him for a minute before she got up.

"Thanks. For the coffee and muffin I mean," then she walks out of the diner.

Luke watched her leave and then muttered under his breath, "anytime."
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Rory walked into the house after school and found her mom sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey mom."

"Rory," Lorelai responded as she watched her daughter go into her room and come out minutes later in a pair of jeans and tank top. "Are you sleeping with him?"

Rory's head snapped up and she stopped adjusting her shirt and stared at her mother. "Mom! You're not serious."

"Well I know Jess is the bad boy type, and it's okay if you want to date him and I expect things to happen, but I have to know. You guys are smiling all the time, you have such a bright future ahead of you, I don't want a guy to ruin that."

"I'm not sleeping with him mom."

"You can tell me anything Rory, you don't have to lie to me just because I'm you're mother."

"Nothing is happening between us, I'm not sleeping with him I mean."

"What's that mean?" Lorelai asks as she puts her hand on her hip.

"Nothing!! Mom I can't believe that you're asking me that, nothing happened!"

Lorelai studied her daughter for a minute, "Okay," she said with a sigh.

Rory grabbed her jacket and headed to the front door, "I'm going out, I'll be back later."

"Rory!" Lorelai called after her. She watched her leave and then picked up the phone. "Hey Luke."

"Lorelai," he said with questioning in his voice.

"I asked her."

"Asked who what?"

"I asked Rory if she was sleeping with Jess."

Luke released a breath of air, "Ouch, after she finished screaming, what'd she do?"

"She didn't even scream which kind of scared me, but she walked out."

"Oh, you had to know she would act like this."

"I knew she would be upset, but this has been bothering me all day long, I had to ask her. I don't know Luke, she's my daughter. My only daughter, we've been able to talk through everything else, but she doesn't even come to me about Jess. We've never had a Jess conversation at all. She hides all that stuff inside which worries me. Oh God I'm blabbering again."

Luke could hear the pain in her voice and he could hear the tears start to creep in, "I'll be there in 5 minutes Lorelai."

Lorelai hangs up the phone slowly and sat down on the couch and let the tears start to flow. She couldn't stop them.

Luke let himself in and heard soft cries coming from the living room. He walked in and saw Lorelai on the couch. She was hugging a pillow to her chest and she looked up when she heard him at the door. Her eyes were red but it looked like she had almost stopped crying. He walked in slowly.

She rubbed her eyes quickly and stood up, "Uh, I didn't think you'd actually come."

Luke ignored her and wrapped her in his arms. It felt right for the two of them to be in each others arms.

They separated a few minutes later. Their eyes locked and they held each others stares. Luke leaned in closer to her and Lorelai backed up a little, "What are you doing?"

"Just stand still will ya?" Luke said as he finished his approach as he locked lips with the woman he had loved for as long as he could remember.

Lorelai and Luke pulled apart a minute later only to be joined together again by a magnetic force. They fell to the couch together and spent a very special night together.
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Rory walked into her house early the next morning. She wondered if her mom had been worried about her. She just needed to get away from everything so she and Jess spent the night in the park. She walked into the living room to go to her room and that's when she stopped in her tracks and stared at the couch. Her mom and Luke were sound asleep together on the couch. To make matters worse it looked like neither of them had any clothes on.

"Mom!!!" Rory screamed at the two of them.

Lorelai jumped up so fast that she tripped over their blankets and fell to the ground.

"Cover yourself up!" Rory continued to scream as she covered her eyes.

Luke sat up and watched Lorelai get dressed and Rory storm off to her room and slam the door.

Lorelai is after her like a shot, "What the hell's the matter with you?" she asks as she storms into Rory's room.

"So what? You just want me out of the house so you could screw Luke."

"Now wait a minute Rory, this is my house and what goes on behind these walls is my business."

"Oh that's right, now you don't have a daughter."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"So you decided that if you asked me about Jess it would get you with Luke? Just tell me how long have you been doing this?"

"Rory, it's never happened before, and you know I don't have guys in this house very often."

"Oh yeah, that's right but it's your house," Rory says sarcastically.

"I've had just about enough of your attitude young lady. This is still my house, and what I do inside it is my business. I don't know what's going on with you lately, but whether or not it has to do with Jess, you keep it out of this house from now on!" Lorelai finishes by walking out of the room and slamming the door behind her. She walked slowly back into the living room where Luke still sat studying his shoes.

"I was going to leave, but I didn't want you to think I just left you."

"I'm glad you didn't," she says with a smile.

Luke takes her hand and leads her outside. He puts his arm around her shoulder and she glances up at him with a smile. They walk down the sidewalk together talking.

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