"Luke!" Lorelai held her purse protectively over her bouncy brown curls as she ran up to the old green pickup truck. Luke rolled down the window and she turned her best pleading eyes on him. "Give me a ride to the Inn?"

He glanced at the drops beginning to spot the windshield and took in her makeshift umbrella before giving a quick nod. His head tipped towards the passenger side, silently telling her to get in.

"Thanks!" She trotted around the front of the truck and quickly hopped up into the seat as the rain began to fall in earnest. "You're a lifesaver!"

He gave her another cursory glance. "Hope it doesn't rain that much," he commented dryly.

She giggled in appreciation, because it wasn't often that he played with words with her. She settled into place and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to minimize the damage done by the unexpected shower.

"Where's the Jeep?" Luke asked, turning down the road which would lead to the Independence.

"At work."

"Unlike you."

"Listen, I work plenty, mister. Julio was driving the van in to pick up some stuff earlier, and I caught a ride with him." She looked up at the dark clouds through the windshield. "Didn't realize we were expecting rain. I was planning on walking back."

"Why not just ride back with Julio?"

"He went back before I was ready."

Luke smirked, keeping his eyes straight ahead on the road. "You mean during the half hour you sat in the diner and drank coffee? Or during the next thirty minutes when you stood outside and gossiped with Miss Patty and Babette?"

"Both completely necessary components of my day."

"Right." Luke shook his head. "It's lucky you're on good terms with your boss."

"It is indeed." She said it flippantly, but then shrugged. "Tobin can't be there tonight at shift change, so I'm staying until he shows up. My easy morning is sort of making up for the late hours later."

His look became sympathetic. "Rough being in charge sometimes, isn't it?"

"It is," she sighed. "Somehow I always thought there'd be more perks. Like meeting celebrities or trips abroad or something."

"In Stars Hollow?"

"Well, you never –" She broke off as a new song began playing on the radio, derailing her initial thought. "Wait! What? What did he say?" Lorelai snapped open her seatbelt and leaned forward, her hands pressed to the dash above the control knobs. "What is this?"

"It's not MTV," Luke snapped. "You can't see it better by getting closer. Get back in your seat and put your seatbelt on!"

"But did he just say take off your clothes?" She continued to stare at the screen as if the lyrics were magically going to appear there if she willed it hard enough.

"Lorelai! Seatbelt! Now!"

"Or what? You'll pull this car over and I'll be sorry?" she grumbled, but she did as he decreed. "So do you know what song this is or not?"

Luke listened for a second or two. "Yeah, it's uh…" Realizing he was going to have to say the words, resignation settled unhappily over his face. "Jackson Browne. The Naked Ride Home."

"What!" Lorelai shrieked, completely delighted. "That's really the name of this song?"

Luke sighed. "Yes," he confirmed.

"Oh, my God!" she laughed. "That's great!" She listened for a moment. "How do you know about this and I don't?"

"I doubt that this is the type of music you usually listen to."

"Hey, I do more than just crank Metallica." She chuckled at her own inside joke. "So, Jackson Browne. Is that the guy who hit Daryl Hannah?"

"Oh, yeah." Luke frowned. "I'd forgotten about that, although I'm not sure if it was ever proven or not."

Lorelai looked at him and laughed.

"What?" he said defensively.

"Nothing." She laughed again. "It's amazing what penetrates the baseball cap and what doesn't."

"I just think it's too bad that the guy has all of this music he's famous for, but now that's the first thing people think when they hear his name."

Lorelai arched her eyebrows. "You think it's OK he hit her?"

He glared at her. "Don't put words in my mouth."

"Why not? You hardly ever do, and I've got enough for both of us."

That got her an eye roll and an aggrieved silence.

"So tell me the story," she suggested, once she thought his pouting had gone on long enough.

"What story?"

"This story. The naked story."

"Why? You've been listening."

"No I haven't. I've been sparring with you. I can't listen and spar at the same time." She leaned over, far enough to rest her head against his arm for a few moments. She batted her eyes up at him. "Please Lukey, tell me the naked story."

A smile flickered over his mouth but he managed to banish it. "Well, I guess there's been a party or something, and this girl doesn't have a way home, so the guy says, hey, take off your clothes and I'll give you a ride."

"Wow," Lorelai said flatly, not impressed.

Luke shrugged. "He remembers she can't ever resist a dare, but I don't think he really thought she'd do it, but she does. And…well, basically, all the way to her house, he can't believe he's got this pretty girl in the car with him, with no clothes on."

She mulled that over. "Then what?"

"Then…nothing. They get to her place, she runs in, he watches the lights come on as she runs from room to room." Luke paused, trying to think of anything else. "It's been a while since I've heard it."

"It's been a while? It's on right now! Aren't you listening?"

"No, I've been sparring with you," he said sarcastically. But then he looked over at her and they shared a smile. "Um, my take is he felt bad, afterwards, for being a jerk. And that maybe the ride became a lesson, and he tried to do better from then on."

"Huh." Lorelai thought that over, listening to the last refrain of the song. "Yeah, could be."

Luke went silent, and when she realized it and looked over at him, she saw that he was trying to suppress a knowing smile. "What?" she demanded, pouncing on the rare smile.

"Nothing," he tried to deny, but the smile said otherwise.

"No, tell me!" she ordered.

The devilish smile did the most wonderful things to his features. Funny how she always forgot how handsome he really was.

"I was just thinking that you are totally the girl in the song." He nodded at her briefly, still smiling. "You couldn't resist the dare, either. You'd go home naked too, just to show him."

"Oh yeah, absolutely," she agreed. "If I'd had enough shots of tequila, for sure." She contemplated what she'd just said. "I mean, back in the day, I probably would have. When I was younger and more foolish. Before I picked up some extra poundage."

Luke scoffed, and she shot him a distracted smile of thanks, but her mind was still going down the song's pathway.

"Now, though…" She shook her head. "Now, I know better. I wouldn't trust any guy that much. Get into a car, naked? No way."

"I think that's wise," he praised her, sardonically.

Suddenly she was the one with big untamed smile.

Luke was instantly on guard. "What?"

"I was just thinking that you are the one guy I could trust." Always a touchy-feely person, she leaned over and patted his arm. "But, you are also the one guy who would never, ever ask such a thing."

Surprisingly, he looked over at her. For one of the only times she could remember, his eyes dropped below her collarbone. They came back up to her face almost immediately, but they had strayed. He turned to stare at the road again, with only the slight flush beneath his whiskers proving that it had happened. "Of course I wouldn't," he muttered, almost under his breath.

Bingo, Lorelai thought, self-satisfied. She'd never been completely sure when it came to how he felt about her. Sometimes she convinced herself there was something simmering there; other times she theorized that she was just not his type. If nothing else, today had been…nakedly revealing.

Luke turned down the long drive leading back to the Inn.

"You know, Luke," Lorelai said lazily, ready to throw out the bait, "you have seen me naked before."

The truck suddenly veered to one side and Luke jerked it back straight. "Gee, I think I might remember that," he replied, trying his best to sound unperturbed.

"Lots of times, actually."

He brought the truck to a stop in front of the Independence's big front porch and looked over at her, unamused.

Lorelai tried to ignore the way her heart was beating three times faster than what it should. She was just teasing Luke. No reason to be nervous. This was a completely normal conversation between them.

She met his wary gaze with big eyes and innocence. "You need to remember that there's another definition for naked. It can also mean vulnerable, and open. Honest."

He blinked and seemed to be holding his breath.

"You've seen me that sort of naked dozens of times. I've spilled my heart – and my guts – to you so many times. I think it's safe to say that you've seen me naked more than anybody else in my life. Ever."

The little bit of caution that he always kept between them seemed to melt away. Those amazing blue eyes looked directly at her.

Now she was the one holding her breath.

"In that case, then…Yeah. Me too. Ditto," he said, his voice coming out slightly husky.

"So…" She felt the need to break the suddenly fraught atmosphere between them. "I guess this was a naked ride home after all."

He smiled and the word handsome once again zinged through her body. Sexy followed as a chaser.

"I should – I guess I should get inside." She, who was usually so glib, stumbled over her words. "Before it starts raining harder."

"Good idea," he said with a nod, still smiling.

Lorelai opened her door, but then paused. On a whim, she began to unbutton her blouse.

"Lorelai, what are you doing?" he demanded, with evident alarm.

"I thought maybe we could do it in installments, like strip poker or something." She tried to look at him guilelessly, but she couldn't stop grinning. "Every time I bum a ride with you, you get one piece of clothing. Eventually we'll get down to nakedness."

"Will you just keep your shirt on?" he complained.

Once again she giggled in delight at his choice of words. "OK, I will. If you insist." She jumped to the ground. "Thanks, Luke!" she yelled, and bounded towards the porch.

On the way she thought about what it would feel like to run over the grass in bare feet, the cool night air flowing over everything else that was bare. To run through the dark, knowing that a guy was watching from his car.

Safely on the porch, she turned to wave to Luke, but the truck was already disappearing down the driveway, back to whatever errand she'd interrupted.

And once again she was left wondering if he felt anything for her at all.

After the extended evening hours spent at the Inn, Lorelai found the next morning hard to get started. When she looked at the clock and saw she was going to have to skip breakfast at the diner, she almost called Luke, just to let him know it was only because she was running late, and not because of anything said on the revealing car ride the day before. Then she realized what a stupid idea that was. Yesterday had changed nothing between them.

She tucked the phone into her purse, got in the Jeep, and drove to the Inn, where she scrounged up a cinnamon bun and a cup of coffee from Sookie's kitchen, and then she spent the next couple of hours trying to stay awake and look busy.

It's lucky you're on good terms with your boss. She smiled, hearing Luke's words from the day before.

Around 11 o'clock Michel stepped disdainfully into her office and tossed a package onto her desk.

"Wait, Michel! What is this?" Lorelai wanted to know.

"A package. For you." He couldn't get out of her office fast enough.

Lorelai flipped the plain cardboard box over. "Hold it right there, buddy! How do you know this is for me? There's absolutely nothing written on it anywhere!"

"Because the irritating man who delivered it said it was for you," Michel sniffed.

"Irritating man, huh? Who was it, your twin?"

"Certainly not. The day I desire to dress up like a lumberjack is the day I slit my wrists," he sneered.

"Lumberjack? What are you –" Lumberjack. Plaid shirt.

Luke.

Lorelai smiled softly. "Thanks, Michel."

"I need a raise if I'm expected to act as your personal assistant," he complained as he left.

She wasted no time in opening the small, square box. Her smile got bigger when she saw the CD. When she lifted it up, she discovered there was something else underneath. A pocket-sized dictionary.

A piece of paper was tucked into the dictionary. It didn't surprise her that the page being marked was in the N's, but seeing that the second definition of 'naked' was circled made her laugh out loud.

Then she realized that the bookmark was actually a ticket torn from Luke's order pad. When she unfolded it, she found a note written there.

So this is me, being my most open and honest and vulnerable. I'd really like to take you out to dinner sometime. Would you be willing? (P.S. No other sort of nakedness is required, no matter how many rides are bummed.)

She sat and reread the note about a thousand times, until she worried that the goofy look she was sure was currently on her face would stick permanently. Then she found a pair of scissors in her desk and attacked the shrink-wrap on the CD. She figured she had time to listen to it at least twice before she headed to the diner for a deliciously naked lunch.

Behind the story: This sort of really happened. One day The Naked Ride Home, by Jackson Browne, popped up on the car's playlist. My reaction was basically the same as Lorelai's. What did he just say?! Since then, every time it comes up on rotation, I thought Luke and Lorelai should totally listen to this song together, and yesterday, they finally did. When does this story take place? Ummm...good question. The song came out in 2002, so anytime after that, when they were both single and the Inn was still standing...Just take your best guess, OK? Now back to Star-Crossed and that neglected Baby story. Sometimes I just need the freedom and fun a one-shot brings.