A/N: Insert into Scene From a Mall, right after Lorelai gives Luke the rose. Complete. PG
~~
Lorelai slipped fifteen dollars under her coffee cup while Luke was behind the counter putting the rose in a glass of water.
“Come on, Rory, my second wind just blew away. Let’s pack this stuff up.” Lorelai said, her mouth full of the last bite of pie. She stood and began organizing the shopping bags. “You know, I think you should keep the bikini for spring break. It would look cute on you.”
“Well, then you have to keep something to wear in front of grandma,” Rory conceded, as she stood to help. “Oh, I know, you should keep that red dress with the little straps. Where is it?” she dug through a bag, “Here!” She held up an impossibly small scrap of red satin.
Luke crossed back to them to start cleaning up.
“What do you think, Luke?” Rory asked playfully as she held the dress up in front of Lorelai. “Should Mom keep this one?”
Rory and Lorelai both cast a mischievous glance at Luke.
Luke stood and appraised Lorelai with the red slip dress held in front of her.
“Yes.” he said and turned to take the dishes back into the kitchen.
Lorelai and Rory laughed.
“Red it is!” called Rory.
Once the bags were packed up, Rory scooped up a load and started to head out the door. She glanced back at her mother who had a thoughtful expression on her face.
“Rory, I’ll get the rest of these. Just wait in the jeep for a few minutes, please. I need to talk to Luke for a minute.”
“Ok, don’t be long,” she called as she went out.
Lorelai picked up her purse and crossed to the counter and sat on a stool.
“Luke? Can I talk to you a minute?”
“Sure, I’ll be right out!” he called from the kitchen.
A moment later he came out wiping his hands on a towel.
“Do you want something else?” he asked.
“Can you sit with me for a minute?”
“Sure.” he crossed around the counter and sat on a stool next to her. “What do you need?”
“I want to discuss this loan again.”
“Lorelai, I told you....” Luke was exasperated.
“I know. I know. I’m not supposed to talk about it, but I am going to the lawyer on Monday to have something written up. I just can’t negotiate on that, Luke.”
“Fine.” sighed Luke. There was no point in arguing with her.
“And something else: I really want you to have some kind of collateral.”
“What? Why?” Luke was getting irritated again.
“Because it’s what’s done and it would make me feel better.” said Lorelai quietly.
“Lorelai...”
“Please, Luke–I just need to give you something to guarantee my good faith.”
“Lorelai, you are your own guarantee...”
“Well, sweet as that is, Luke, there has to be something more...”
“All right, fine...” he was only going to get through this by giving in.
“Ok, let’s see; I could give you the pink slip on the jeep...”
“What?! No!”
“All right, I still have a mortgage on the house of course, and a Life Insurance policy for Rory in case...”
“Lorelai, absolutely not!” Luke stood and leaned over her, his jaw set. “You’re not going to jeopardize Rory’s future...”
“Ok, ok, Luke, sit down” Lorelai rubbed his upper arm distractedly, her brow furrowed. “I just don’t have much of anything of value–which is pretty much the cause of my problems in the first place.”
“Then, just forget about it.” said Luke.
“No, I can’t.” Lorelai continued to puzzle, staring off into the distance. Her hand slid down over Luke’s which was resting on the counter.
They sat in silence together for a moment. He studied her smooth white hand on top of his. It was cool. Without thinking, he flipped his over underneath it. They were now palm to palm. He looked up and saw the rose in the glass of water by the register at the end of the counter and was suddenly overcome by a wave of feelings he couldn’t begin to describe.
Oh, God, he thought miserably: What am I doing with my life?
“I know!’ Lorelai interrupted his thoughts. She removed her hand from his and opened her purse. She reached in and pulled out a small silver book about three and a half inches square.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Collateral.” she smiled.
“Lorelai...”
“This is the most valuable thing I own, Luke, and I’m going to give it to you to keep until this loan is re-paid with interest.”
She opened the small silver book and he saw that it wasn’t a book at all but a picture frame. He bent over her hands to look at it. He caught his breath: It was a young Lorelai smiling outside in the sun with a beautiful baby in her lap. The baby was laughing. The blue eyes of both was startling.
“Me and Rory,” said Lorelai softly “In the beginning, I couldn’t afford to get her picture taken. I was sad about that. She was so beautiful, you know. And every mother wants a picture of her baby to... remember with later, I guess, after she’s grown and gone away. You miss not being able to hold her in that baby way. So Mia took pity on me and took this with her camera. She gave it to me in this frame our first Christmas in the garden shed.”
“You both look so young...” said Luke.
“I know! It’s hard to believe a couple of crones like me and Rory could look that good. Because I’ve got crow’s feet the size of canyons now. And we can barely keep Rory’s gray hair covered, even with monthly dye jobs...”
“You know what I mean.” “Yeah, I do.” Lorelai smiled and nodded, “She was so soft and lovely. And she smelled so good.”
“Just like her mom.” added Luke gazing at the photo.
“Why, Luke Danes, you tender sentimentalist, you!”
Luke groaned and then looked up at her. “Lorelai, I can’t take this.”
“You have to Luke. It’s the best collateral I have.”
“No.”
“Look, it’s either this or that little purse for Lifesavers, and Dude, you just don’t have the shoes for it.”
“Fine! It can be your collateral. But you keep it for me.”
“Luke!”
“Non-negotiable, Lorelai.”
“All right, but I will make a copy for you to keep so you will remember.”
“Fine.”
“Good.” said Lorelai and then frowned as she stood to go.
“What now?” asked Luke.
“It just doesn’t seem like enough.”
“It’s the thing that means most to you in the world, Lorelai. That’s more than enough.”
“I know, but...” She looked up at him thoughtfully “Tell you what...”
“What?” he was a little wary of the glint in her eye.
“What if I deliver the picture to you wearing that red dress in the bag over there?”
They stared at each other quietly, each sizing up the other.
“I’m kidding, Luke!” Lorelai broke the silence nervously “Come on have a sense of humor, pal! What? Come on! You’re a married man....”
“Not for long.” said Luke evenly, looking her in the eye.
“What?”
“Nicole is flying to Mexico this weekend for a divorce...She’s making a holiday out of it with her new boyfriend.”
“What?!” Lorelai is aghast.
Luke sighed and settled back on the stool.
“Oh, my God. I am so sorry, Luke. Are you all right?”
“Actually, yeah. Strangely relieved, to tell you the truth. Am I happy to be such a loser again? No. But, it just wasn’t right, Lorelai....”
She nodded. Suddenly they were interrupted by the honking of a horn.
“Oh, that’s Rory...” said Lorelai looking over her shoulder.
“You better go.” Luke said.
“Yeah. Do you want me to stay so we can talk about it?”
“Not tonight.” Luke shook his head.
“How about Saturday evening I come over and we go upstairs and talk?” she said as she walked over to gather up her bags.
“Ok” shrugged Luke “I don’t really know what to say about it all, though...”
“That’s Ok. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. We could just keep each other company.” She was at the door now.
“All right.” Luke stood to watch her leave.
She reached to twist the knob, then turned her head back to take a long look over her shoulder at him.
“I could wear that red dress after all, if you like.”
“Really?” his eyes widened.
“Yes.” she smiled at him, and then walked out the door.