Title- Here Without You

Pairings- Luke and Lorelai (JavaJunkie all the way)

Set in the fourth season, after 'Afterboom' and before 'Luke can see her face'

Summary- Liz has cancer and she and TJ broke up. Who will be her savoir? And how will Lorelai react? It will start out a story then turn into a series of letters and each chapter will be in a different person's point of view.(Luke and Lorelai have been friends for 11 years.)

Disclaimer- If I owned it, there wouldn't even be an April or Christopher.

Chapter 1- Lorelai (Friday- 4 P.M)
I was walking down the streets of Stars Hollow, going to the one place that I didn't feel truly alone anymore. Jason and I split up, it was inevitable though. We were too much alike and I didn't love him and see a future with him. Rory has been busy lately, finishing up her first year at Yale and not having enough time to spend with her mother. Sookie has Jackson and Davey, and I am happy for her but it can get boring when all your friends have lives except you. There's something going on with my parents, I think. There not as lovey-dovey anymore, not that they ever really were but they aren't as close.

So lately I have been spending my time with Luke. Not that that's bad, though, because we're friends. Just friends. Even though I feel a little better now that he finally divorced Nicole. But I wasn't jealous. I swear. Okay, maybe I was, but I deserve to be. I wanted to protect him from getting hurt because he was my friend and it was foreseeable that Nicole was going to hurt him. It's not like I don't know that he is practically the only handsome man in town that is single and I know I have just a little more than friendly feelings but I really need him but maybe someday we could become more than that. Hopefully.

As I started to approach Luke's, I see a sign on the window. That's weird, I thought to myself, Luke never hangs things on his windows. I walked a little closer and I swear I stopped breathing for a second or two.

On the sign was printed in big, messy handwriting 'Closing temporarily as of Sunday. Date reopening- indefinite'.

Luke never closes. Well, unless he's mad at me, but that was only once. It can't be for that long though. Probably a week or so, even though the sensible part of my mind told me Luke would have Lane or Cesar cover for him if he was only going to be gone that long.

I rushed through the door and the bells jingled loudly overhead. The place was crowded and everyone turned to see my distraught face. Luke looked up and I think that he tensed a little bit in a nervous fashion. As I walked gradually to the counter, the towns' people whispered noisily, probably about what my reaction to the closing thing was going to be.

Once I got to the counter, I nervously looked back at the sign, as if willing it to disappear. I looked back to Luke and gestured to the sign with my head and asked, "What's that all about?" My voice was scared and a little squeaky.

He swallowed nervously and looked down at the counter, averting my gaze. He stayed quiet for a minute and I thought he wasn't going to answer. All of a sudden he slowly raised his head and softly said, "I'm, uh, closing up," Like it was going to answer all my questions.

"For how long?" I asked timidly. I knew it was something I didn't want to hear, but I had to know.

He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, looking around and, again, averting my gaze. "About a year or two." He said after awhile.

I was stunned and I stopped breathing. It was for sure this time, I couldn't breathe. The wind was knocked out me and I was trying to collect my thoughts. Luke, my Luke, was leaving and wasn't going to be back for a year or two? Why? That was my only question at the time.

Once I started breathing regularly I started to talk but my breath got hitched in my throat. I couldn't speak and I know that if this wasn't a serious conversation he would make a remark on how unlikely that was. I felt tears pricking my eyes and I think he noticed all this because the next thing I know is that he was walking from behind the counter, over to me, taking my hand and leading me upstairs.

As soon as we got into his apartment and sat on the couch, I took a deep breath and released it. "Why?" I asked shakily, ignoring the tears that were silently spilling down my face.

He sighed audibly and looked around the room. He finally looked back at me, strait in the eyes. I never noticed how blue they were. Well I have, I just never noticed them completely. As I looked into his eyes I noticed the scared look in his eyes. Finally he released an unsteady breath and started talking. "My, uh, sister, Liz, she's sick. She has cancer and she needs me to be there for her. She lives in Maine so, I have to move there. On Sunday. I don't know how long I'll be there, but she needs me. Even Jess is going to Maine."

I think I was really stunned. His sister had cancer and I could tell he was taking this badly. I know it wasn't fair, he didn't deserve this. I leaned over cautiously to hug him. I hugged him because he shouldn't have to go through this and I wanted to help him though I know I couldn't and I hugged him because I was going to miss him so much.

When he finally relaxed into the hug and put his arms around me, I tightened mine and started to sob. He was leaving and I didn't know what I was going to do with myself. Selfish, I know, but still, I needed Luke to be in my life. Once he was gone I wouldn't have someone to talk to, to rely on, to spend my free time joking with and hanging out with. I never realized how much I appreciated him before. "I am going to miss you, so much." I said, my voice filled with desperation and sadness muffled into his shoulder.

"Right back at ya." He said into my hair and I could feel his chest vibrating against mine and I started to sob again, still relishing the feeling of being in his arms, for maybe one last time.

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Authors Note- I don't know how often I'll update, check out my other story "Just a little Mistake" that I have been working on