Improv: illusion ~ cashmere ~ scarf ~ dream ~ revelation
Disclaimer: Don't own a thing.
Spoilers: Everything up until the Season Two finale except for Sherry being pregnant. That never happened. I don't care what anyone else says. There will be references made to things that already happened in Season Three.
Author's note: This is my first Luke fic so please be gentle. This fic will continue, probably not as an improv but hey, who knows?
Away From Ordinary Prologue: GraspHe knew she'd be beautiful when she walked down the aisle.
There was a certain grace in her stride that was alluring and mysterious and made men wonder what secrets she held, what knowledge she had, and what kept her so together and in control when other women with her history would have fallen apart. They'd say she was an illusion, an enigma - untouchable, ethereal.
They'd be wrong.
Luke knew Lorelai Gilmore; he'd seen her at her worst, at her silliest, at her most neurotic, at her wildest (unless of course you counted getting pregnant at sixteen, her wildest – which he hadn't seen) and at her loneliest…at her most vulnerable.
And he loved her – it was kind of hard not to.
Even though he could never tell her, even though she would never return the feelings, and even when she was marrying someone else.
He didn't begrudge her any happiness. And he knew, deep down underneath all his pain and bitterness that she was happy now, as she should be…marrying Christopher.
One day, after they had announced their engagement the three of them – Christopher, Lorelai and Rory came into the diner for breakfast. Luke had wanted Jess to take their order but the punk was nowhere to be seen, as usual. The three of them smiled up identically at him - the happy family, ordering a happy breakfast, in a diner full of happy people.
It made him sick.
Christopher merely smiled amused, when Lorelai and Rory ordered coffee in obscene amounts. He let them talk incessantly and excitedly – as if he were used to it, as if he'd seen them do it for years on end, as if he'd been there for everything that had happened in their lives.
Luke hated him for it.
He didn't envy anyone for anything. He figured that what he had earned and received was what he deserved and if you wanted to get all philosophical – he had what was meant to be.
But sometimes he wanted to yell to whoever was listening up there that he deserved her. That he had loved her longer, loved her better…loved her when she needed it the most. He often feared that he'd blurt it out to her: I love you more. Marry me, instead.
Maybe that wasn't fair. But somehow, he figured that the revelation would not have been appropriate or reciprocated anyway.
So he went to the wedding. And everyone who knew him – the entire town, greeted him softly and tilted their heads to the side in that sympathetic gesture you would expect to receive if you were attending a funeral of a loved one.
Funny, inside he did feel like he was dead.
So there she was…almost floating down the aisle in her white wedding dress and the tiara on her head, curls tumbling past her shoulders, and a smile on her face that was just as beautiful and charming as she was.
Her eyes flitted over the guests, over her family and friends and then stopped on him. He held his breath, met her gaze steadily, not daring to move and he remembered all those times that they'd looked at each other just like this – for just a moment, when the world made sense. And when he thought that she felt everything that he did. He knew that it couldn't just be his dream; that he wasn't holding on to false hope…
And the moment shattered.
She continued walking down the aisle to another man. And he literally felt the last shred of hope that he was so foolishly clinging on to, slip from his grasp.
A few minutes later, she was Mrs. Christopher Hayden.
He wanted to avoid the reception but it was kind of hard to when Luke's was supplying the coffee and donuts that Lorelai insisted be served. So he went, ate and watched as she danced with her husband and other men…and then he made his way up to the beaming couple.
"Hi Luke," she greeted brightly, placing a hand on his arm. "In all the chaos I forgot to thank you for everything. I really, really appreciate it. Thank you."
"You're welcome Lorelai," he responded automatically. His gaze darted between her and Christopher and managed a smile that he hoped looked sincere. "Congratulations, the both of you. It was a nice ceremony."
"Thank you," Christopher said amiably, oblivious to the loathing Luke felt towards him.
'What kind of an asshole impregnates a woman when she's sixteen and marries her eighteen years later?' Luke wanted to scream. Instead he just smiled, awkwardly. "You're a lucky man, Chris." Luckiest bastard I know.
After that, there wasn't much reason for Luke to hang around. He left, unnoticed.
He was glad that Jess would be hanging around the reception and not the diner, playing Rory's dutiful boyfriend. Luke snorted at the thought of Jess being a dutiful anything and then pondered: hey, at least one of them got the girl.
Used Ketchup bottles as tinker-toys when Lorelai almost got married. What to do when she finally is hitched? He made his way around the counter in the dimly lit diner when the door chimes rang. Startled he looked up to see a petite blond woman, looking around obviously uncomfortable and by the looks of her neat hairstyle, designer clothes cashmere jacket – obviously rich. "We're closed."
Her eyes widened when she looked at him and her lips curved downward. "That's not what the sign says."
He remembered that he hadn't flipped the sign over. He almost laughed. Lorelai gets married and he's too preoccupied to run his livelihood. His conscience wasn't kidding when it said that the woman was going to be the death of him, He turned his attention back to the lady. "Sorry about that. I forgot to flip it. The sign, I mean."
"So can I stay or not?" she asked dubiously.
He sighed. What the heck? This was his life, right? "Yeah, stay. Can I get you coffee?"
"Oh no," she said and pulled her silk scarf from her neck "It stunts growth, you know. Not that staying away from it has done me any good. Do you have tea?"
He gave her a small, half smile. "I have herbal tea."
"Even better." She deposited her purse on the counter and the sat down on the stool, looking around the diner with curiosity…and appreciation. "This is a nice place you have. The town, too. It's very…"
"Small? Weird? Kinda cramped?" he supplied over his shoulder as he put a kettle on the stove. He turned around to catch her distasteful expression. "Poor?"
"I was going to say quaint," she responded slightly derisive. "I believe that you've made a judgment call too quickly, Mr. Uh, Luke…is it?"
"Just Luke. I'm not in the best of moods."
"That's understandable. Please make that tea to go and I'll be out of your hair," she replied politely, reaching into her purse. "How much do I owe you?"
"I… you don't have to…" he stuttered, never actually having met someone who would leave his diner because he was being a grump. They usually hung around, regardless, wanting to egg him on some more.
She arched an eyebrow, knowing laughter twinkling in her caramel eyes. "I don't have to pay for the tea? As you know, I can afford it."
He looked at the woman, a little irritated, a little embarrassed and a little amused. "I meant that you didn't have to leave. I'm sorry. I just had a - "
"A bad day," she finished for him and then smiled pleasantly. "I understand that. In fact, I get it more than you'd know."
He heard the kettle steam and quickly made the woman her tea. When he placed the steaming cup in front of her, she lifted it to her nose exhaled deeply – before smiling broadly, thoroughly satisfied. In a weird way, she reminded him of Lorelai. Then, on a completely different level, she didn't. Angry that his thoughts were leading him back to a depressed place, he gave the woman another half smile. "And you haven't even tasted it."
Tentatively, she took a small sip and then nodded. "Oh yeah, heaven in a cup."
Unexpectedly – to him, at least – he let out a snort. She looked up at him funny and furrowed her brows as if waiting for an explanation. "You just reminded me…vaguely of someone."
"Ah," she replied, that knowing gleam in her eyes again. She took another sip of her tea and sighed. "So you're all dolled up – just like this town. What's the occasion?"
"A friend of mine" he halted a moment to get used to thinking of her as only a friend now, "got married, today."
"And the whole town goes Mardi gras? Wow, this friend must be pretty special."
Luke paused for a minute and thought about it. "Yeah, she is special."
"Ah," she replied and he blinked twice when he realized she was grinning…followed shortly by the internal revelation that he was smiling. Fondly. About Lorelai. Like she meant something. Which she did, of course. "She's also the someone, isn't she?"
"What someone?"
"The one I remind you of."
Caught off guard, he looked away and stammered. "Uh…yeah."
"Oh." The woman nodded and then sipped her tea.
Luke watched her for a minute, a little unnerved by the company. Somehow, he felt violated. And he didn't understand why. She looked like she came from a well-to-do family; sleek blonde hair, high cheekbones, aristocratic nose, expensive clothes and jewelry – yet, she was kind of down to earth with her easy smile, a quiet sense of humor…and an awfully perceptive gaze.
What the hell are you talking about? he asked himself angrily. He had known the woman for five seconds. What do you know about her? Just serve her and leave her alone. He loosened his tie and took a few claming breaths before heading into the storeroom in the pretense of checking supplies. After ten minutes of shifting the jars of pickles and olives around, then putting them back in there former places (because they were great just the way they were, so why change them?), he headed back to the counter to tend to his customer.
She had pushed the cup of tea away from her, taken out her wallet, her eyes gazing around the diner again as if she was taking everything in and her hands folded neatly in front of her. She looked up at him, smiled again, widely. "Thank you for the tea. How much do I owe you?"
He didn't feel like taking her money. He didn't know why. "It's on the house."
She looked a little flustered and he smiled inwardly in smug satisfaction. So there was a chink in her nonchalant armor. "I insist that I pay."
"I insist you don't."
"We're at an impasse," she replied with a shrug and slipped off the stool gracefully. "I'm going to be in town for a while. You can't keep serving me for free the whole time."
As she picked up her wallet and put on her coat, he contemplated on prying a little bit more about why she was here but decided that it would be too rude, considering his earlier remark. Instead, as she turned to leave, he opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to his mind. "I don't know your name."
She opened the door and turned around. "Sarah."
"Nice name," he said, without thinking again. Simple.
She left before he could say anything and he sighed. After a few minutes of staring at the table top and assessing that strange encounter, he heard screaming and laughter from outside. Although, he was sure it was from the wedding festivities he went to check it out. When he stepped outside, he was surprised to see Lorelai and Christopher seated on a motorcycle, still dressed as a bridal couple as they made a round of the town square, a crowd of people following them on foot, throwing rice and confetti.
She caught sight of him, laughed and waved frantically with one hand as she clutched onto her husband with another. He managed a small, friendly wave back. The motorcycle rounded a corner laughter filling the air, the tin cans tied to the back of the machine dragging across the pavement making a horrible sound.
He leaned against the door of his diner and read the sign attached right between the seat and the rear wheel: Just Married.
To Be Continued…A/N # 2: Okay, so if you're a Java Junkie and you've read this, please don't throw tomatoes at me or anything. I am simply not an L/L fan. However, I am a big Luke fan. I adore him. I want to have his babies. I see the chemistry and the sexual tension between L/L and will address it in this fic. Just be patient. This isn't really a normal Luke fic. Thank you for reading!