HAPPY BIRTHDAY RORY AND HAYDEN
SMILE in place, Hayden waltzed through the diner, plate in hand before she set it in front of their most loyal customer "Here you go, Kirk."
The young man eyed his chicken salad dinner before looking up to Hayden "Was this lettuce rinsed?"
Knowing that Caesar didn't believe in cleaning fruits and vegetables, Hayden raised an eyebrow in the hopes of distracting Kirk from his question "Do you ever wonder where the other half of that chicken is?"
Kirk frowned "Well, no—"
"I mean someone, somewhere in the world is eating one half of Mr. Little there." The Gilmore's girl shrugged "They could be eating it right now."
Kirk paused before his eyes lit up "Do you think they're looking for someone else who likes chicken?"
Seeing her mother and sister enter the diner from the corner of her eyes, Hayden sighed in relief "And that's my cue." She raised an eyebrow as she sat at their table "So... how'd it go?"
Rory's head fell onto the table with a thump "It didn't. We're having two birthday parties."
Hayden snorted "Emily is throwing you a party?"
"Us." Rory corrected "She's throwing us a party."
"I'm not going." Hayden denied instantly.
Lorelai sighed "Kid, I get that you're mad and upset, trust me," she held a hand to her chest "I know, but you can't avoid them forever. You haven't talked to them in weeks."
"They ask about you all the time." Rory tried "Every Friday, no matter what we talk about, it always comes back to you."
Hayden rolled her eyes "Well they haven't asked me anything."
Lorelai raised an eyebrow "Babe, you won't answer the phone. Friday is your sixteenth birthday..."
"Please go." Rory pleaded "I want to spend it together, no matter where we are."
Hayden looked between the two's puppy dog eyes and pouted lips that rivalled her own before sighing in defeat "Fine. But there better be cake."
☕️
"HAPPY Birthday, Mary."
Hayden sighed, closing her locker as she turned to face the Dugray boy "It's not my birthday."
"No, but it will be." He smirked, pulling out a piece of paper "'On Friday at 4:05 in the morning, Hayden Susanna--'"
He was cut off as the Gilmore girl snatched it from his grasp, her eyes raking over the invitation "Oh God. I should've seen this coming."
A wide eyed Rory ran towards them, a crumpled invitation in her hands "Have you seen? It's horrible!" She turned to Tristan "You! Who else got these?"
"I don't know." He shrugged "Everyone in our class, I think."
Rory paled "I have to go."
"See you Friday!" Tristan snickered as the girl ran away before turning to Hayden, raising an eyebrow as he watched her glare at the invitation "Unless you've suddenly developed laser vision, I don't think it's gonna burst into flames like you want."
Hayden whimpered, pressing her head against her locker "This sucks. Emily and Richard Gilmore, suck."
"All adults do." He rubbed her back with a chuckle before tucking a stand of hair behind her ear "Come on, birthday girl, they have ice-cream in the cafeteria today."
Hayden hesitated before reluctantly pulling away "Fine, but I want two scoops."
Tristan smirked as he tossed an arm around her shoulder, Hayden hesitating before deciding to let him keep it there as he lead her down the hall "You can have mine."
☕️
LUKE couldn't help it, how his eyes followed Lorelai Gilmore whenever she was around. And because he'd watched her so much, paid close attention, he knew by the expression on her face as she clutched onto a garment bag that she was looking for her daughters "They're not here yet."
Lorelai smiled as she took a seat at the counter "All right. You'll have to entertain me until they arrive. Okay, Burger Boy, dance."
Luke met her gaze "Will you marry me?"
Her face dropped in shock "What?"
He held back a smirk "Just looking for something to shut you up."
Lorelai's eyes narrowed "You better be nice to me or I'm not inviting you to Rory and Hayden Gilmore's birthday celebration this Saturday night."
"You don't have to ask me, you know."
"I know. But I would like you to come." She told him "The girls too, especially Hayden."
Luke's heart warmed, lips twitching up into a soft smile "Yeah?"
She returned the expression "Yeah."
Luke cleared his throat as he flattened out his expression "Okay, I'll see."
"7:00. Don't be late!" She called to him as he headed into the kitchen before spotting her daughters walking in, Rory with in with her head down and face drawn into a frown while Hayden scowled "Wow. Nice faces you got on there."
"Coffee." Rory pleaded with a sigh as she slipped onto a stool beside her mother.
"Lots and lots of coffee." Hayden grumbled, heading behind the counter to serve herself.
Lorelai looked between them "Bad day?"
"The worst." Hayden groaned as she filled three mugs "Do you know how embarrassing it is for your grandmother to formally invite your entire grade to some fancy party?"
"I do." Lorelai sighed emphatically "Trust me, kid."
Rory sighed "I've now used the word 'sucks' so much that it's lost all meaning to me."
"Well maybe this will cheer you up." Lorelai began.
The twins perked up, sipping from their cups filled with coffee "What?"
"You'll see." Lorelai smirked as she unzipped the garment bag, pulling out three garish dresses.
"What is that?" Rory questioned.
Hayden frowned "And please tell me you can take it back."
"These are our party dresses." Lorelai told them.
Rory scoffed "So it's a Halloween party?"
"And we're going as the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty?" Hayden added as she eyed the blue, green and red dresses.
"Listen, you two." Lorelai scolded in amusement "So I'm shopping today with your grandmother"
Hayden snorted "My condolences."
Lorelai shot her a look before continuing "—and it's a whole three hours of 'Who are you buying that for, Mom? Have you met Rory and Hayden?' and then finally I talked and she listened and she wound up getting you guys something I think you're really going to like."
"Really?" They asked in sync, Rory pleasantly surprised while Hayden was completely sceptical.
"Yes, really." Lorelai confirmed "And of course she insisted on buying us these dresses but I think I can do something with them to make them better."
Rory smiled at her mothers expression "Wow. I've never seen you so cheery after spending time with Grandma.l
She could only shrug as she tried to take her grin "Well it's been a long time since we got together and didn't end up fighting. It was refreshing. It wasn't exactly fun but I didn't get that shooting pain in my eye like I usually do."
"Wow." Rory grinned as Hayden nursed her cup, chewing in the inside of her cheek "That's great."
Lorelai nodded, voice soft as her smile "Yeah."
"Only working members of staff behind the counter." A voice came from behind Hayden, shooing her back to her mother and sister.
The Gilmore girl scoffed playfully but allowed him to usher her around the counter "You better be nice to me or I'm not inviting you to Rory and I's birthday blowout."
"Too late." Luke shot back with a smug smile "You're mom already invited me, can't take it back now."
Hayden raised her eyebrows with an innocent grin "Remember that next time you try and fire me."
Luke shook his head with a chuckle before looking between them "So you guys exited for your party?"
"Which one?" Hayden scoffed under her breath.
Rory nodded, ignoring her sisters grumbles "Yeah. Mom's famous for her blowouts."
Lorelai smirked "The best one was their eighth birthday."
"Oh, yeah, that was good." Rory beamed as Hayden nodded with a fond grin.
"The cops shut us down."
Luke's eyebrows raised in suspense "The cops shut down an eight year old's birthday party?"
Hayden nodded with a smirk "And arrested the clown."
"I-I don't want to hear any more of this." Luke muttered, shaking his head as he walked away.
"See you Saturday!" Hayden called after him.
Lorelai sighed as she turned her attention back to the puffy dresses "Let me see. Maybe we should really embrace the whole tulle thing. Go totally modern Cinderella. What do you guys think? It's your birthday."
Hayden and Rory shared a look before sighing "Lucky us."
☕️
"HAPPY birthday, baby girl."
At the soft voice, Hayden groaned, blinking one eye open to find her mother slipping into bed beside her, a half asleep Rory on the other side "Hey."
Lorelai sighed as she glanced between them "I can't believe how fast you're growing up."
"Really?" Rory murmured "Feels slow."
"Trust me, it's fast." Her heart clenched "What do you guys think of your life so far?"
Hayden smiled tiredly "Pretty good, got this cool mom that ain't half bad."
Lorelai grinned before looking to Rory "What about you? Any complaints?"
She bummed in thought "I'd like that whole humidity thing to go away."
"All right." Lorelai smiled in amusement "I'll work on that."
Rory looked over to their mother "So do we look older?"
"Oh, yeah." Lorelai nodded emphatically "You guys walk into Denny's before 5, you've got yourself a discount."
Hayden grinned "Score."
"So you know what I think?" Lorelai questioned gently.
Hayden hummed at her mother's question "What's that?"
"I think you're great, cool kids, and the best friends a girl could have." She admitted, smiling as she looked between her two daughter's
Rory smiled softly, squeezing Hayden as they both looked to their mom "Right back at ya."
"And it's so hard to believe that at exactly this time many moons ago, I was lying in exactly the same position—"
"Oh, boy." Rory sighed as their mother began the same story she did every year like clockwork.
Hayden snorted "Here we go."
"—Only I had a huge, fat stomach and big fat ankles and I was swearing like a sailor"
"On leave." Rory chimed in knowingly.
"On leave—right! And there I was—"
Hayden raised an eyebrow "In labor."
Lorelai nodded "And while some have called it the most meaningful experience of your life, to me it was something more akin to doing the splits on a crate of dynamite."
Rory sighed as she glanced up to Hayden's ceiling "I wonder if the Waltons ever did this."
"—And I was screaming and swearing and being surrounded as I was by a hundred prominent doctors, I just assumed there was an actual use for the cup of ice chips they gave me."
"There wasn't." The twins filled in knowingly.
Lorelai grinned "But pelting the nurses sure was fun."
Hayden chuckled as she looked to the woman who gave her life "We love you, Mom."
"Shh." Lorelai quietened her but smiled softly at her words "I'm getting to the part where he sees Rory's head. So there I was..."
As their mother continued, Rory smiled softly as she snuggled into Hayden, voice soft "Happy birthday little sister."
Hayden turned her head to face her, smile gentle "Happy birthday, Ror."
☕️
STROLLING into Luke's, Hayden trailed alongside Rory and Lane as the latter frowned "You guys should not have to go to school today."
"Have to." Rory sighed "Latin test."
Hayden groaned "Occidere me."
"Jeez." Lane frowned as they gathered at the counter "Every day you have a test. When do you have time to learn anything to be tested on?"
Before either twin could respond, Luke stood behind them with a frown "Hey, wrong table."
The three shared a look before Rory raised an eyebrow "Since when is there a right table?"
Luke sighed, stepping back as he gestured across the diner "Since the coffee cake I baked for you and the stupid balloons I blew up are at that table, over there."
Hayden's heart clenched, her voice soft as she stared over at the decorated table "You blew up balloons for us?"
"Yep." He muttered, uncomfortable under their awed gazes.
"Oh, Luke, you old softie." Rory chuckled.
Luke rolled his eyes "I count to three, it's gone."
"Thank you!" Rory chirped, she and Lane rushing over to it.
Hayden went to follow but hesitated before she turned and tossed her arms around an unsuspecting Luke who tended before slowly moving his hands to her back to return the embrace. Hayden's voice was soft as she murmured "Thank you, Luke."
Luke's heart warmed before clearing his throat as he pulled away "You better go get a slice before your sister eats the whole thing."
Hayden gave him one last smile before doing as told and joining the pair at their table. Luke smiled to himself as he watched them play around with the balloons with a laugh and messily feed each other cake a moment before shaking his head and getting back to work.