AN: Hi everyone! This is my contribution to the "Enscotched – A Gilmore Girls Ficathon". What was supposed to be a DUI, is now completely changed, thanks to DSLeo who took her time to explain to me how DUIs work in the US, what the consequences are etc. I have been writing on this for maybe three weeks. Non-smutty one-shots aren't my forte, and this is my only story ever that's not AU. Hence the decision not to have a DUI, because that would have messed with the reality of the show. Now enough with the talking, go ahead and read. Enjoy! Everyone grab their pints (or pines as we cool kids say), bottoms up!

Reggae Fever

He had no idea how he even got here. He remembered the last thought before getting into his truck was that he had to get out of Stars Hollow. But then everything went blurry. First he thought he'd go to K.C.'s. But he couldn't stand being seen and questioned by the nosy neighbors. Not tonight. Her words haunted his mind. Ex-boyfriend, she called me her ex-boyfriend. Luke never thought he'd ever be her ex-anything. He was at an age where one looks forward to the future, not regret the past. And regretting he did. He couldn't even recall why he hadn't set her straight, why he hadn't clarified that he wasn't her ex, and never wanted to be her ex. He motioned to the bartender to get another beer and checked the time. It was only 9 pm. He felt tired. Tired because of the long day behind him, tired because of the sleepless night he was undoubtedly gonna have, but most of all tired of himself. Tired that he slipped back into his old pattern of cowardice and passivity.

All he said he needed was more time. How could he have known that she thought he was breaking up with her? Did that mean she didn't want to be with Christopher? Luke took a sip of his new beer, and rubbed his forehead as if to clear his thoughts and memories of the most awful night of his life. This was worse than the night of their first big fight after the car crash, hell, it was even worse than the pain he felt every time Rachel left combined. He sighed.

If he could go back in time, he would love to just punch Christopher's lights out at the vow renewal. He couldn't even count how many times he had to cheer up Rory when the loser hadn't shown up over the years. And it pained him. It pained him that this asshole couldn't see what took Luke only moments to figure out: Rory was a good kid who deserved better. How come Emily seemed to forget that? It was probably because she never saw it first hand. But she should have seen it over the years. I brought ice for her sweet 16, I was at her high school graduation, I built her book shelf. Luke shook his head and downed the rest of his beer, and quickly ordered another.

No, he thought, I'd go back to that night where we had dinner with Emily. During the last hour Luke went through all the regrets he had, and that night was probably number two right behind not asking Lorelai out the day he had met her. That night was when he had started slipping back into old patterns. He couldn't believe it. First he told Lorelai he could defend himself, and then he didn't do it? At the time he thought he didn't want to seem arrogant and talk himself up. It had been none of Emily's business. He knew what he had achieved in his life. But now, he seriously wondered why he hadn't just done it. I'm a business and a house owner. Two houses actually. The rent I get from Taylor alone - oh yeah, I overcharge him. But this just wasn't Luke. Or was it? It was one thing to yell at Lorelai because she told him not to date that Chilton mom, or because she was freaking out after the car crash, or because she was eating too much junk. But yelling at a potential mother-in-law? Not that she knew any of the manners she wanted others to respect...

And why was she asking all those questions about my divorce? When I'm divorced, I'm scum, but when Christopher is, he's still the knight in shining armor? Fucking hypocrite! Luke gulped down half of his third beer, and ordered a shot of tequila.

"You drove here with your car?", the bartender asked him coolly as he placed the shot glass in front of Luke.

"No, my gulfstream is parked around the corner", Luke replied annoyedly, and downed he tequila.

"Sorry man. I was just asking because I usually offer my customers a cup of coffee on the house before they leave", he shrugged.

"No way in hell am I drinking coffee. That'd be something she'd give a lot to see. Or would have given I should say", Luke mumbled.

With that the bartender left him alone. He would never drink coffee to please Lorelai. He'd do many things for her, but not drink coffee. Luke had never admitted this to anyone, but he loved the smell of coffee. It was one of those moments he treasured in his day. When he was alone in the diner early in the morning, standing alone in the kitchen, preparing the pancake batter, and the smell of the coffee would creep into every last corner of the diner. He wouldn't let many people know that the reason why he didn't drink coffee was that he simply was caffeine intolerant. And he had never liked the taste that much, so it didn't make sense to drink decaf.

Luke went to the bathroom, and found a cup of coffee next to his beer when he came back to his bar stool. Without saying a word, he put a few bills on the counter, and left. As soon as he was out of the bar and walked towards his truck on the parking lot, the cold February air hit him. He tightened his coat around his waist, and walked faster. After just about a mile, he saw that he was almost out of gas, so he drove to the one gas station on the outskirts of Woodbury he knew was open till midnight. He quickly filled the tank, and went inside to pay. He saw a CD on display at the cash register. Reggae Fever. It was just 3.99$. Hesitantly he reached for the plastic case and wordlessly pushed it over the counter towards the blonde with the big brown eyes that smiled too much. Maybe I should just fuck her, Luke thought, but shook it off and quickly felt disgusted with himself. The thought of another woman was torture for him. He paid for the gas and the CD, and jogged back to his car. He quickly inserted the CD into the player and started the engine.

Suddenly, he felt the tequila in his head, and Luke didn't hesitate to return to the bar. He already had been arrested once, so he really didn't need any of that again soon. After a few minutes he was back on the parking lot, and reentered the bar. His bar stool wasn't occupied, so he made a beeline for it. The thirty-something bartender smiled when he saw Luke, and walked to him.

"Back so soon?", he asked.

"Yeah, sorry about before. I'd take you up on that offer now. You don't happen to have decaf?", Luke asked civilly.

A simple nod answered his question, and five minutes later a cup of the steaming brew was standing in front of Luke. He carefully took a sip, and looked up to find the bartender across from him.

"So, what changed your mind about the coffee?", he asked casually as he polished a wine glass.

Luke cleared his throat and took another sip of coffee. "I, uh, felt the tequila in my head."

The bartender nodded knowingly, and said, "It will feel better after another cup. Not that you couldn't drive after this one, but it's best to be safe, especially if something should happen. Cops are sometimes determined to find a DUI. Here, have a few peanuts", he said and placed a small bowl in front of Luke.

"Hasn't happened to me yet. I got arrested last year though, so I can't really have a DUI right now", Luke explained as he took some peanuts out of the bowl and was surprised he told a complete stranger about his life.

"Really? What'd you do?"

"Beat up the guy's car who was sleeping with my wife", he admitted indifferently.

"Is that right? Why not the guy himself?"

"I did it while he was still in my house with my wife."

The bartender whistled. "I admire your self-control. I would have killed that guy."

"Well, it wasn't so much that I was mad at him or at my wife. It was more of a pride thing."

"So, what happened next?"

"Some neighbor called the cops, I got arrested."

"And tonight? What'd she do?", he asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm not with her actually. We're divorced", Luke said curtly.

"I've seen a lot of guys drinking at the bar alone. I would have bet all my money you're here because of a woman", the bartender said, and put his hands against the counter.

"How do you figure?", Luke asked.

"Well, for one you drank quickly. You didn't take your time. You didn't look at the TV once, and you could have walked out with at least two women in your arms tonight. But you didn't even register them looking at you."

Luke sighed. "You're good at your job, huh?"

The bartender smiled. "I'm Patrick by the way."

"Luke."

"So, who is she?"

"She's the love of my life, and I fucked it up", Luke said as he gulped down half the cup of coffee at once. "I've been sitting here thinking of ways to go back in time to fix this. But the problem is that-"

"-that you got the DeLorean, but can't figure out how to build the Flux capacitor?", Patrick interrupted him with a smile.

"The problem is that there are too many things I fucked up that I actually can't decide. She told me once how she wanted to have the whole package. A husband, kids, a life together. I should have taken her back to the store room and fucked her senseless, dragged her down to city hall and married her the next day."

"Why didn't you?"

"If only I knew... We hadn't been talking for months prior to that night. But it was such a great time then. We talked a lot about things. Somehow we stopped doing that after we got together. I mean she talks nonstop, but we? Not so much."

"Do you think you'll get back together?", Patrick asked Luke.

Luke hesitated and inhaled deeply. "I really want to", he admitted with a raspy voice.

"Maybe she thinks the same", he offered.

He cleared his throat. "She called me her ex-boyfriend tonight."

Patrick nodded slowly and refilled Luke's coffee.

"Thanks. For the coffee. And for listening. Sorry about earlier", Luke said honestly.

"Don't sweat it!"

Luke drank from his second cup of coffee. He couldn't believe how much he had screwed up. It had been so easy to say his version of the three little words on their first date. He knew it was a lot for a first date, but it was Lorelai. He had wanted to say the other three little words too many times to count, yet he didn't and now he'd like to kick his own ass for it. Proving that he meant those three words he had said to her on a soft summer night at Sniffy's had been harder than he thought. The more he thought about it, the more confused he got. Why did he have such a hard time trusting Lorelai? Was it his way of denying himself the happiness he deserved? It was easier to doubt everything than to work on the trust issues. Luke downed the rest of the coffee, put a five dollar bill on the counter, and left the bar for the second time that night.

As he drove in his truck and listened to "Lively Up Yourself" by the Family ZigZag, he felt relieved to have said all those things out loud, and let his mind wander to places. He knew that everything in his life would remind him of Lorelai. He was glad that he had changed his sheets already and wouldn't have to sleep in the ones that smelled of her perfume and shampoo. His entire apartment and diner held memories of her. He sighed and took off his hat to ruffle his hair. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that I bought that CD, he thought. He finally owned something that didn't remind him of Lorelai.

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