Title: First Time's On The House
Rating: PG, just to be safe
Summary: Flashback fic, on Luke and Lorelai's first meeting. Ties in with Season 3's "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days". Filled with JavaJunkie goodness…
Pairings: JavaJunkie
Disclaimer: Characters and show's dialogue all belong to DPDH, ASP etc. I just own the storyline…
* * *
His breath caught, and a million thoughts flashed through his head, when he realised it was her.
What does she want now?
These past months, all he'd thought about was her.
Look at her, just standing there, babbling away…
Every chime that came from the bell on his door made his heart skip a beat in hope, only to plunge back to reality when it was just some other townie.
…As if everything was still what it once was, and I'm supposed to just forgive her…
He'd then chastise himself for allowing himself to have that hope, when all it had brought him these past fifteen years was naught.
…Is she still expecting me to just welcome her back with open arms?!
But then, just as he'd driven her out of his mind, she'd come walking right by across the street, never once looking in, never even glancing.
God, she looks so fragile…
Then even the smell of the coffee he brewed to sustain the business would drive him insane, and he'd have to lock himself in the apartment for a good five minutes, renewing that resolve.
She knows I'm here for her, right?
He always came back down, acutely aware of the looks that Patty and Babette gave him, even as they renewed their conspiratorial whispering sessions.
"This is the second time I let myself do this."
The pain and despondence in her voice compelled him to respond.
"Do what?"
"Think I finally found it."
She never gets to the point, now does she? Fifteen years of knowing her, and she never gets to the point…
"Found what?"
"Love, comfort, safety."
"Ah."
Why do you still need to search for it? Haven't you realised it's always been right here?
"I mean, first with Max, which of course, I screwed up, and then with Christopher, which of course, all the elements of the universe got together to screw up."
"Yup, it's tough when the universe is against you. That's like taking on the Manhattan garbage union."
God, can you really think of nothing better to say to comfort her?!
"I always thought if he could just get it together, grow up—maybe we could do it."
Does she always picture it with Chris, and only with him?
"Maybe we could really be a family, in the stupid traditional 'Dan Quayle, golden retriever, grow old together, wear matching jogging suits' kind of way."
… I never knew that.
"And then he did get it together—"
How much more don't I know about you, after fifteen years? How much more don't you share with me, Lorelai?
"—he became that guy… and he gets to be that guy with her."
Her voice broke then, as did the remnants of that three-month-old wall he'd built.
"Chris is gonna have a baby with his girlfriend."
All he wanted to do now was to hold her…
"He's gonna marry her…"
…comfort her…
"…and he's gonna be there for her while she's pregnant—"
…tell her it'll all be all right…
"—and he's gonna be there with her while her child grows up—"
He'd felt the same pain before, the pain that she felt now…
"—and he's gonna be there for her while she does… whatever it is she does."
…Maybe now they could both heal each other's pain, together.
"And I am in exactly the same place that I was in before."
…And I've been waiting for you all this while, in this exact same place you're in.
"Is that so bad? I mean, you got Rory."
"Yes, I do."
"You got friends, you got a house, a job, apparently an iron stomach." And you've always got me.
"No, it's not so bad. I'm lucky, I know. I just… I feel like I'm never gonna have it… the whole package, you know?"
You have no idea how well I know…
"That person, that couple life, and I swear, I hate admitting it because I fancy myself Wonder Woman—"
Luke got momentarily distracted by the image.
"—but… I really want it—the whole package."
He'd sensed her hunger the moment she'd stepped in, and now acted accordingly, removing a donut from the tray. "You'll get it."
"How do you know?"
"I know."
"How do you know?"
God, she's always so persistent… "Because I know, okay? I know." 'Cause I'll be waiting here till you realise it. "Now eat your donut."
"I'm really not very hungry."
Like that's gonna last long. "Well, take it with you. You will be later."
He was just going to resume his work when he saw her reach for her purse.
"Forget it, first time customers are on the house." Then miraculously, he recalled what she'd babbled on about earlier, even though he'd been lost in his own thoughts. "Mimi, was it?"
The smile that he lived to see made a long-awaited appearance. "Yeah."
"Come again, Mimi."
"Thanks, I will. Seems like a very nice place."
* * *
Luke Danes wiped off the last table and turned over the last chair. He nervously adjusted the backwards baseball cap he wore by habit, then released a long breath as he looked about him. All this was now his… His diner, born from a renovated hardware store that had once been his father's, and that had died with him almost a year ago. It still contained elements of the old place, but Luke had added some minor touches of his own. The process had been painstaking, fraught with hitches and problems that a nineteen year old isn't supposed to be face with, but now… the transformation was complete. William's Hardware was now Luke's Diner, and Luke had just witnessed his diner's first day of business.
A hint of a satisfied smile appeared on his normally emotionless face, as he turned back to the counter and the till, an old machine that remained as a relic from the hardware store. He was just beginning to total up his first day's takings when the bell he'd placed on the door (a new addition, not something old William would've liked) chimed merrily, signalling a stray customer apparently prone to late night wanderings in this small town.
"We're closed." Luke looked up to turn away this newcomer, but was instead mesmerised by the startlingly bright blue eyes that met his, eyes that had an aching wisdom that belied the stranger's appearance. It took him a long second before he took in the sight that stood before him, a young girl, no older than seventeen, bedraggled and word, laden with a large duffel bag, pulling a stroller behind her, looking in desperate need of some hospitality.
The girl looked at the shell-shocked young man staring at her, but no longer flinched. It had become a familiar look that she'd encountered throughout the day. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise… The sign said you're open."
A glance to the door confirmed this, and Luke silently cursed himself, reminding himself to flip it over at the end of the day. He looked at the girl again, and a warmth came over him, a need to protect this fragile-looking girl. "Well, if that's the case, why don't you take a seat?"
She blinked, momentarily surprised and touched by the gesture. Most places she knew would've turned her away regardless. Then she silently took a further step into the diner, struggling to keep the door open, shoulder the large duffel, and pull the pram in all at the same time.
Luke wordlessly rushed over to help her, pulling the door open and helping her bring the pram in. Their eyes met, and she gave him a smile of gratitude. Luke almost forgot to pull in the pram as she broke away from his gaze to set her duffel near the counter.
She sat down on a stool close to the register as Luke parked the pram next to her. Under the hood of the pram, he glimpsed the serene face of a little infant, no more than a year old. "Is this your…?"
She smiled knowingly, understanding what he meant. "Yes, this is my daughter." She shifted the pram so he'd have a better view of the little angel buried in a soft white blanket within.
He could not help smiling at the sight of the sweet cherubic face, so like that of her mother. "She's beautiful." Not that he was a great judge of it or anything; after all, the only other baby he'd seen in his nineteen years was the rather ugly, smelly, wailing creature that was his nephew Jess, his sister Liz's son.
"I know she is. She's perfect." The girl smiled at her daughter, then looked up at him, waiting for any further questions.
None came, though. Luke now stepped behind the counter, slipping into the skin of Luke the diner owner, one that he was hardly familiar with just yet. "So, can I get you anything? Not much to offer though, except maybe lukewarm coffee, a slice of cold pie—"
"That would be great," she reassured him, smiling. She looked about her at the peculiarly-furbished diner as he poured a cup of coffee and placed the pie on a plate. "This seems like a nice place… Who's Luke? Or… William?" she asked, noting the two different signs.
"I'm Luke, Luke Danes," he answered, setting the plate and mug before her. "William is—was, my dad."
Instantly she realised her transgression. "Oh—I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
"No, it's okay." He smiled at her, hiding the pain. "You didn't know."
She returned the uncomfortable smile, then picked up the mug of coffee and tasted the brew. Instantly her face lit up. "Wow, this tastes great. What bean do you use?"
He tried to hide his grimace at her apparent love for the black liquid, and bit back the automatic lecture that was on the tip of his tongue. "A bit of a mix, actually…"
She smiled at the mysterious answer. "What mix is that?"
"Well, if I told you, you wouldn't come back now, would you? And God knows, I'll need all the customers I can get…"
"New place, huh?"
"Only a day old… Well, the place has actually been mine for almost a year, it was a hardware store before this. Couldn't really keep it going though, without my… I guess selling nuts and bolts just isn't really my thing," he lamented with a rueful smile. "I can, however, cook, so Ra—my girlfriend, came up with the diner thing, so… I spent half of what my dad left me on renovating the place, the other half on all that damn paperwork, and after six months, I've finally got the place open." He paused, mentally reliving the trying experience. "It hasn't really been that great… I mean, most of the customers are people who knew my dad, people I grew up knowing, and they come just to help me out, as if I were some damn charity basketcase…" He stopped suddenly, realising he was unloading all this on a stranger whose name he didn't even know.
The silence suddenly became uncomfortable, but the young girl filled it skilfully. "Well, if this pie and the coffee are anything to go by, that won't be the case for long." Her compliment was met by a grateful gaze from underneath his long lashes. She tried to ignore the thrill that the look gave her. "Besides, I think it's amazing that someone so young's got the courage to start a business of his own."
"I think it's more amazing for someone so young to have the courage to raise a child on her own." She visibly flinched at that remark, and he instantly regretted it. Oh, way to go, Danes… "I'm sorry, that's not—"
She shook it off, smiling at him. "It's okay. In fact, you're already the friendliest face I've seen all day."
Luke didn't really know how to reply to that, even as he forced a smile, his mind still trying to grasp the situation this girl was now in. He watched her eating the pie in silence, wordlessly refilling her mug of coffee whenever it was drained. Wow. She sure eats fast. And drinks a hell of a lot of coffee too.
She was just finishing up the last morsels of pie when Luke decided to broach the conversation topic again. "So… where are you planning to go after this?"
She took another sip of coffee from her cup, mulling over the question. "I don't know, actually. I mean, I don't have any place to go, really…"
"There's an inn nearby, just across town, near the highway. I'm sure you could stay there for the night," Luke proffered.
A tiny spark lit up in her eyes, as her mind raced to consider the possibilities. "Yeah, that sounds good. Sounds really good…"
"Here, I'll draw you a map," he said, grabbing the order pad and quickly sketching out the town. "I'd offer to drive you, but… the lack of a car might be a problem." He flashed her a quick grin, before shyly looking back down at the paper. "The inn's just down here, the Independence Inn," he said, indicating the building on his map.
The light grew brighter as she took the sheet of paper from him. "Sounds perfect…" She studied it for a moment, then stood up, folding it carefully, as she began to dig in her bag for her money.
Luke noticed the action, and quickly jumped to stop her. "No, forget it, there's no need."
She instantly looked guilty. "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly, and you were closed, and—"
"It's okay," he insisted. "First time customers are on the house." The gratitude shone from her eyes brighter than ever, and he returned her broad smile in kind. "Come again soon, —" He paused, uncertain, realising he didn't even know her name.
It struck her as well, and she promptly offered it. "Lorelai. Lorelai Gilmore."
Lorelai… A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. "Lorelai," he repeated. "It's nice to meet you." He extended his hand to shake hers. Slender, yet strong, he noted.
Then another thought came to him as he realised the pot of brew was still half-filled. "Oh, hey, you seem to like coffee so much, so why don't you take the rest of it?" he suggested as he poured the liquid into a thermos flask, and handed it over to her.
That beautiful smile broadened even further as Lorelai willingly accepted this latest offer. "Oh, you are a saint! I couldn't possibly live without coffee…" She cradled the flask for a second, then hefted up the duffel bag and got behind the pram. "Luke Danes, this looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship," she beamed as she began pushing the pram towards the diner's door.
Luke quickly moved to hold the door open for her as she pushed her daughter out of the door. Lorelai stopped next to him, almost hesitant and shy now. She looked up at him, the sincerity and gratitude shining clear. "Luke,—"
"You're welcome."
They exchanged smiles again, and Luke watched her walk out onto the street again, heading for the inn. She'd barely taken three steps away from the diner when, with a twitch of his upper lip, the lecture he'd refrained from giving burst forth from his lips. "You know, all that coffee's gonna kill you one day!"
"Hey, don't spoil the start of this beautiful friendship, buster!" she called back, her tone half-joking and half-grave serious.
Lorelai Gilmore smiled back at Luke Danes one last time, before turning back to face the one-lane road that lay before her and her future.
Luke smiled as he watched her go. Yeah… This really could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship…
Of course, he didn't know that it'd be some years yet before she would return to the diner, half-forgotten in his memory, with her bright-eyed intelligent daughter in tow, a girl who truly was her mother's daughter in every sense of the word. And of course, he didn't know that she'd spend the first years of that friendship calling him… Duke.
* * *
A/N: Yep, that's it! Now that you're done, your feedback is truly appreciated… So review away! :0)