GENRE: General.
SPOILER: Tiny bit to their actual first date. But you'd need to see the episode to understand the spoiler.
WORDCOUNT: 1489
SUMMARY: G. Luke helps Lorelai. Pre-series.
DEDICATION: For Lucey, in her birthday.

ONE FAVOUR

by Leni

Lorelai tried the fourth key in her lock, and for the fourth time, it wasn't the right one.

"Can't you hurry?" Luke barked at her back, shifting the weight in his arms slightly. Rory was such a slim girl, even for an eleven-year-old. What was she made of? Lead?

"There are many keys in this key ring." Lorelai rattled the mentioned key ring in his face to make her point. Once she was sure he'd seen the dozen keys hanging from it, she returned to her patient search. She continued talking as she decided which one to try next. "And I'll have you know that these keys aren't only of the house, but the inn's, too." Luke watched incredulously as she actually closed her eyes and blindly picked one key. "Because I'm responsible for many more things at work now that I've been p---"

"If you say 'promotion' – or any related word – one more time, I'll just push this door open," he threatened. Actually threatened. This was the kind of thing she made him do. Luke was a very peaceful man. He never threatened anyone. Well, except for Taylor. And sometimes Kirk. And his milkman when he wasn't on time. And… Okay. He never threatened women. Until Lorelai Gilmore and her coffee addiction crossed his life.

Either in response to his threat or out of sheer luck, five was the charm and the door opened. He let Lorelai in first, and then he followed her through the house, only half-seeing his surroundings as he made it to Rory's bedroom.

"Luke. You don't know how much I appreciate this. I didn't think you'd actually do it…"

Then why did she ask? She and her daughter had stepped into the diner hours earlier, expressly to celebrate Lorelai's promotion. Part of it had been initiating Rory into the wonder of the caffeinated world. Luke had voted against, but the girls had informed him very seriously that it was two-against-one and, guess what? The Gilmore girls had won again.

Two hours later, or half an hour ago, Rory had fallen asleep in her seat. She was in the middle of finals, Lorelai had explained, looking guiltily at her sleeping child, and she really didn't want to wake her up. She was right; Rory had looked tired lately. Luke had often seen her going over her books even while she sat down for breakfast. A good, uninterrupted sleep was just what that kid needed. Of course he'd offered to carry her home. It was almost closing time and Cesar could handle the diner meanwhile.

"…because I've always been so mean to you, calling you Du---"

He stopped her with a headshake.

"Right. I won't mention that word again. Ever. I promise." She placed the covers aside to make room for Rory. "And I know you're probably still mad but…"

"I'm not mad."

The blanket fell back on the mattress as she loosened it in her surprise. She looked back at him, eyes wide and her nose furrowed in confusion. Luke refused to think of it as a cute view. "You aren't?"

"Well, I was. But I still give you your coffee, aren't I?"

"You mean you could have withheld the coffee?"

If Lorelai had ever looked at him with the pout she was using now, he doubted he'd be able to deny her anything. But just to preserve his dignity, he nodded.

"Okay." She gave him a smile. "Noted." With a last nod to herself, she went back to arranging the covers in her daughter's bed. "You're a weird person, Luke Danes," she told him in an amused voice, "but you're the weird person with the coffee. Thank you."

Luke tried to smile back. He really did. But from the look on her face, his efforts had been unidentifiable. He gave it up, and instead leaned to settle the girl in his arms on the bed. Lorelai busied herself fussing with the pillows and blankets. By some miracle, Rory slept through it all. Like mother, like daughter, Luke thought. He'd often heard in Lorelai's daily plead for coffee the argument that it was necessary to wake her up in time for work. One day he'd tell her that another method would be to sleep in early, probably the day he felt sure she wouldn't laugh in his face.

"Well, now that's done." Lorelai smiled down at her daughter. Rory looked so serene in her sleep, not a trace of the hyper-caffeinated child who'd taken his diner by assault earlier that evening. Questions whether Lorelai looked the same fleeted by, which Luke methodically squashed without fully registering them. The Gilmore girls were known for making him go a little crazy; such thoughts were just another aftereffect of their proximity. Or, for example, that he stayed standing in the room when normally he'd already have given his excuses and marched back to work. That he was still there when Lorelai turned around and fixed him with those bright blue eyes was all the Gilmore Effect's fault, no doubt.

"So, Luke. Why don't you stay for a cup of coffee?" He must have rolled his eyes, because she tapped her forehead as if she'd just made a fool of herself. "Right. It's you. What about tea? Not that I have tea, or anything resembling it… okay, that'd be a problem." The way she bit her lower lip as she considered the options was in no way worth staring at, Luke told himself sternly. "Hot water?" she finally offered with an apologetic smile.

He was the lone bachelor and she, a growing child's mother. That he was the one with the loaded refrigerator and working kitchen was an epic mix-up. The words were out of his mouth before Luke had even thought of actually saying them. "I could bring something from the diner; there's still apple pie." She was looking at him as if she'd never seen him before. Incredulous blink included. "For Rory's breakfast," he clarified quickly. "After tonight, I don't think she'll have time to go by the diner before school tomorrow."

"Don't be so sure," she said with a fond look. Luke thought that she was right, the Lorelais would go to the farthest lengths for a good breakfast, maybe even going through fewer sleep than normally. Even during finals. "But thank you for offering."

Luke gave a small shrug, as he stepped out of the girl's room. He shook his head as he saw the state of the kitchen. He'd be surprised if the appliances had ever seen a fresh vegetable since the girls moved in. Much less prepared something more complicated than a Pop-Tart.

"Don't say one word. We are healthy, thank you very much."

He'd never considered how easy he was to read until he met Lorelai. Still, he tried to play it off. "I was thinking that you need a new lock here." He nodded to the back door, and was relieved when he found one of those useless locks in place. How they'd never been robbed became a new mystery. But then, he thought, this was Stars Hollow.

"Back door lock is fine."

"Back door lock will get you in trouble," he retorted. When he moved around, there she was, standing at the bedroom's doorframe with her arms akimbo at her waist. Her eyes were narrowed, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. Doesn't like to be told of her mistakes, Luke noted under the Lorelai List. He wasn't sure if to put it under the pros or the cons, and then he remembered that he was keeping no such list. Not at all. "I could change it," he offered.

"The lock is fine," she insisted. Then her features softened and she loosened her arms, pointing to the empty water bottle. "But if you really want to help…"

Luke chuckled. First he carried her daughter home, and now he'd change the water. Two things he hadn't done for a woman in… ever. How Lorelai Gilmore got him, Luke 'Local Loner' Danes, in these situations was the real mystery, but he never thought to refuse her. "Where is it?"

"Really?" There was that blink again, but she quickly recovered and walked towards him. Taking his sleeve hostage, just in case this was an instant fluke, she guided him to the door. "Right outside. Go right, you can't miss the big Herculean-weight bottle there. It must still be laughing at me and my pathetic efforts to bring it home."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. As high as it could go. Then he tried to move forward, but... "I'll need my arm," he told her dryly.

She loosened the flannel in a second, and smiled sheepishly. "There it is, still attached to the rest of you." She patted his forearm, then waved him off.

He muttered something she'd never understand about how horoscopes were useless, and went to fetch her water bottle.

The End
27/08/05

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