GILMORE → gilmore girls

"You didn't sleep with the principal, did you?"

Tori liked to think it was one of the best decisions either of them had ever made.

Despite the ungodly hour, the opening shift was, in Tori's opinion, the best. She had 30 minutes of Luke's almost undivided attention before Caesar arrived at 5:30, and the diner officially opened at 5:45 for the early morning crowd. Spending time with Luke was one of Tori's favourite things to do outside of performing. He was the only father figure she had ever really had; since her real father hadn't seen her in years, was never in the same place for long and changed his phone number just as often as he moved.

So no, Tori didn't have a dad. But she had a Luke, and it was her firm opinion that that was far better.

"Morning Luke!" Tori announced her arrival with a cheerful greeting, softly closing the door behind her before crossing the diner to drop her bag and coat behind the curtain that led up to Luke's apartment.

"5:05" Luke responded, without looking up from the saltshaker he was filling. "You're late, Gilmore"

"I know, I'm sorry! I couldn't find my uniform this morning. Weirdly enough, I found it in moms' room"

Luke let out a bark-like laugh. "I would rather not know. Sort the tables out will 'ya?"

Offering quick "sure!" in response, Tori started setting the diner up for the breakfast rush. She made quick work of pulling down all the chairs from the tables, before heading into the back to grab the necessary cutlery.

Caesar arrived whilst she and Luke put away the early morning bread delivery and before they knew it, their small town had come to life and the diner was bustling.

**

"I need a sausage and pancakes, and an all-day breakfast minus the tomatoes please C, and if you want to drop a couple of pancakes, I will give you my tips" Caesar arched a brow in response to the latter part of Tori's request before shaking his head with a smile.

"You don't make good enough tips to risk Luke's wrath like that kid"

Tori fake pouted, "Don't you love me, Caesar?"

"Not that much"

They both laughed as Tori picked up two orders of waffles and swiftly made her way back around the counter, ensuring she avoided eye contact with the two men seated at the end. They'd only been in the diner for 10 minutes and Tori was ready for them to leave, the suggestive looks they shot her, and the smirks shared between them was enough to set off her creep radar.

"There's one of the lights of my life!" Lorelai Gilmore made her grand entrance to Luke's Diner just after 7 am and latched an arm around her passing daughters' shoulders.

"Morning mom" Tori pressed a swift kiss to her mother's cheek before ducking under her arm to clean the abandoned table, which Lorelai quickly claimed by throwing down her bag and coat. "No Rory this morning?"

"Miss Punctual is running late, she'll be here soon though. Coffee?"

"Luke's just done a fresh pot" Tori nodded her head towards the man who stood behind the counter before dashing off to unload the dirty dishes in arms. She slipped the plates into the sink ready to be washed, careful to leave the cutlery to the side, then turned to Caesar who was standing waiting with a plate.

Stacked nearly were three golden pancakes with a side of strawberries. "Breakfast of champs" he declared, handing the plate over with a smile.

"I adore you" Tori garbled around bites "truly, you're the best chef that's ever lived"

"Don't let Luke hear you say that! Or Sookie for that matter."

Tori took the time to stuff a few more pieces of pancake into her mouth, before washing it down with a gulp of water and heading back out into the diner. As she walked back onto the diner floor, she caught sight of her sister, now sitting with their mom, and made her way over.