Chapter 1

There Is No 'There' There

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A/N of Thanks: This story is for my lovely friend, Big Bag of Weird, affectionately known as Boom! She purchased my services at the September 2009 Support Stacie Auction. I'm so touched and honored to be bought by you, Boom! Thank you so much. I know it's been forever and I apologize, but I really wanted it to be good enough for you. I hope you like it.

Thank you so much Jewels12, my JulieSpooly. Thank you so much for your eagle eye and your wisdom beyond your years. Oh, and thanks for that little something we call friendship! You've always been there! I really do appreciate you.

This story begins in Season One, "Love, Daisies, and Troubadours." For the purposes of this fic, Lorelai is just beginning to date Max. Instead of Luke stepping aside, like he did in the series, Luke suggests to Lorelai that the two of them date so he can prove Rachel wrong. A bit of masculine competition ensues. Only the merest hint of Rory is present here.

At this time, moments before posting, I have about five lackluster titles, but no clear title for this piece. I hope by the time you read this, I will have chosen one that makes sense to at least some of you.

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Rachel's parting words resonated in Luke's mind. "So don't wait too long, okay? To tell her."

She'd left him again. And as so many times before, he was caught off guard. This time, he wasn't just left perplexed, he was determined. In the past, he had always been able to blame the entire leaving situation on her. She was the 'anywhere but here' girl, and he was the 'she left me again' guy. That's just how it was. But what she said when she left, felt like a gauntlet being thrown at his feet. He was compelled to prove her wrong.

As if on its own volition, Luke's truck pulled into Lorelai's driveway. Rachel left, and for once, he didn't want to chase her. He wanted to talk. Luke Danes wanted to talk. But not to just anyone. As he walked across Lorelai's overgrown, uneven lawn, he wondered if maybe she would be able to decipher what the heck Rachel was referring to.

Maybe Lorelai could offer a new perspective. Maybe she could back him up, and tell him that Rachel had it all wrong. There was nothing there with Lorelai. Not a spark, not a vibe, not a connection, nor whatever metaphysical mumbo jumbo Rachel had come up with.

He wondered what he could have possibly done to lead Rachel to believe that he had strayed from their relationship. He wasn't the strayer. He was the stayer. He'd proven that time and again. Just because he and Lorelai had grown closer during his last lengthy separation with Rachel didn't mean anything was going on. It just meant he admired her opinion. Well, there were other things he admired about Lorelai, but Rachel wasn't aware of those things. Was she?

Rachel was way off-base. It wasn't Lorelai's fault he hadn't once been intimate with Rachel during their last pseudo-reconciliation. He was just tired. He didn't exactly have the biggest, most comfortable bed in the world, so sleeping on the couch suited him just fine. Rachel understood . At least she said she did while he was unfolding the extra blankets each night.

Even if he had entertained some thoughts about being with Lorelai, it was clear Lorelai wasn't interested in him at all. She kept saying that all she wanted was for him to be happy. She actually encouraged him to allow Rachel to stay.

If she'd been interested in Luke, even slightly, she wouldn't have pushed him toward Rachel, would she? So, even if he were more than mildly attracted to Lorelai, what was the use? She obviously wasn't interested in some diner owner who rarely shaved. How could she be? She was so far out of his league, he shouldn't even toy with the possibility of a relationship with Lorelai Gilmore.

Whatever wasn't there, maybe Lorelai would confirm its nonexistence. He'd even overheard Lorelai denying, on more than one occasion, that there was anything other than friendship between them. And to whichever townies were making the innuendoes, she'd counter by saying it was just their over-active imaginations.

He rang the doorbell and within moments saw her blurry figure through the glass. She prattled on, something about her shoes and being on time, but he couldn't make out her exact words. He stood holding his breath, hoping to receive her agreement when she opened the door.

"Oh, hi," she gasped. Her wide eyes revealed that she was expecting someone else.

"Hey, you're all dressed up." Luke noticed how her neckline skimmed low across her chest, showcasing her porcelain skin. He made a point of averting his eyes.

Almost apologetically, she replied, "Oh, I'm going out."

His eyes travelled the length of her dress, taking in the slim curves of her body. And, although Lorelai looked amazing, he forced himself to look away. Again.

She was on her way out, and he realized this wasn't the time for him to ask her any soul-searching questions about his failed relationship. "Oh, sorry. I forgot my toolbox, so I just thought I'd come pick it up."

Lorelai stepped aside. "Oh, yeah. It's right over here. Rory and I couldn't lift it, or we would've brought it to you. And then we got used to having it here, so we named it Bert. And, we'd say, 'Goodnight, Bert', and it'd say, 'Goodnight, girls.' And … we spend too much time home alone."

Luke noticed that she was babbling more nervously than usual. Sensing her tension he picked up the toolbox. "Well, thanks for taking care of it."

"Our pleasure." She smiled. That radiant smile drew him in, as always and the barriers he kept between himself and almost everyone else, crumbled.

He set the toolbox down and blurted, "So, Rachel left."

"What?" Lorelai's soft gaze conveyed such concern and tenderness, that he lost himself in it for a moment before answering.

"Last night. She left. For good."

"Oh no, Luke. I'm so sorry. What happened?"

He pushed the bill of his cap down against the back of his neck. "Ah, it's hard to explain."

"I can't believe it. I thought she was really in it for the long haul this time."

She seemed so disappointed, Luke felt like he had somehow let Lorelai down. "Yeah, well, she had her reasons."

"Really? What?" She looked at him, and their eyes locked. For several seconds, they stared at each other, barely breathing. It may have gone on infinitely, had Max not knocked lightly, then pushed open the door in time to witness the intensity of their gaze.

Half-apologizing for his intrusion, Max said, "Hello? I tried to be late."

Tearing her eyes away from Luke, Lorelai said, "Oh, and an utter failure at one minute past."

Max took in the scene. He made an awkward situation even worse by insisting upon a kiss from Lorelai. The tight-lipped peck that she returned left him fidgeting self-consciously. Luke sucked in a chestful of air and held it involuntarily.

Lorelai stammered an introduction while, managing to avoid looking at either man. "Um, so, uh, Max Medina, this is Luke Danes. Luke owns the diner. He has the greatest coffee."

And who the hell is Max Medina? Luke thought, sizing him up. The order of introductions wasn't lost on Luke. The one being presented, and named second, he felt every ounce the lower status 'friend' versus the higher status 'date'. Lorelai was caught in the line of fire of their testosterone-laced pissing contest.

"Oh, right. I saw you at the town meeting." Max took advantage of his full height.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I saw you, too." A flash of heat surrounded him, then dissipated just as quickly, leaving him hyper aware of the foreign Y-chromosome invading Lorelai's house.

"Nice to meet you." Max didn't extend his hand.

"Uh huh." Luke said, continuing to appraise his opponent. He knew he had no right to stake any claims here. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to initiate a handshake.

"Mm hmm," Max grumbled back. Then he addressed Lorelai, effectively dismissing his backward-capped adversary, "So, we should be going."

"Oh, yeah." She smiled weakly at each man.

She was going out with this loafer-wearing pansy, and Luke knew he had no rights, no recourse. But that didn't stop him from ignoring the logic that screamed for him to shut the hell up and walk out the door. Instead, Luke planted his feet and faced Max squarely. "Yeah, I'm gonna get going. I just left my toolbox, from when I was here earlier. Fixing things. I do a lot of little things around here for Lorelai."

"Yeah, you're very handy." Lorelai's eyes shifting form Luke to Max, then back again. "So, Luke, we'll talk later."

"Yes, we will," he confirmed, still looking directly at Max. Luke knew he had crossed the line, but his logic was powerless against his base instincts.

Max held Luke's intense stare unwaveringly. "Although, probably not tonight. We won't be back until late."

Undeterred, Luke said, "Doesn't matter what time it is. I'll always be around." Then he turned and walked out the door, his jaw clenching and his heart pounding.

"Bye," Lorelai called feebly to Luke's retreating figure.

Before Luke had even cleared the threshold, Max asked, "So, are we going?" The thin line of his mouth betrayed the steady tone of his words.

"Uh, yeah. Just wanted to make sure you two were through swinging those things around. Someone's bound to lose an eye."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing. I'll get my purse." She slung it over her shoulder, glanced back, and waved. "Bye-bye, Bert."

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Lorelai strode into the diner, illuminating it with her smile. She took a deep breath and decided she wasn't going to let things get weird between Luke and her. He was, after all, a prime specimen of a male homo sapien, so being a little territorial was a given. And just because Max suspected something that absolutely wasn't there, was no reason she had to forego Luke's elixir of life.

She wouldn't bring it up, if he didn't bring it up, and they could just continue to be. To be what? What they had always been. Which was what? Friends? She couldn't help thinking about Max's insistence that he had walked in on some sort of exchange. He said he detected that there was something there. But, as she told Max the night before, there definitely was no 'there' there.

From behind the counter, Luke strode over to Lorelai's stool, coffee pot in hand, and a dish towel draped over his shoulder. "So, how was your hot date with Mac?" He placed a cup in front of Lorelai without bothering to ask if she wanted any, and filled it carelessly, allowing coffee to spill over the sides, pooling around the base of her mug.

"Max," she corrected him sharply, quickly sliding her purse away from the mess. So much for not bringing it up.

"Whatever," he grumbled, whipping his towel off his shoulder, lifting her cup, and sopping up the spilled liquid so quickly she didn't even have a chance to complain about it.

She wrapped her hands around the warm mug and inhaled deeply. She wouldn't have put up with his gruffness this morning if it weren't for this perfect steaming brew. After all, that's the only reason she comes here. It wasn't for his company, that's for sure. Everyone knows Luke makes the finest java in Stars Hollow. The fact that he was nice to look at first thing in the morning had nothing to do with it. She wasn't looking. Nope, she wasn't even going there. "It was fine. No thanks to you."

"Me? What did I do?"

"What didn't you do?" She puffed out a stream of air and rolled her eyes. In an exaggerated low voice, she gruffed, "I fix things around here… Doesn't matter what time, I'll always be around."

Luke rubbed the back of his neck, his jaw flexing. "I thought you said you wouldn't date Chilton parents."

"I wouldn't. That would be weird." She took a sip, and Luke waited. His blue eyes challenged her through his too-long-to-be-legal fringe of lashes. "What? He's not a Chilton parent," she insisted.

"Oh, my mistake. He looked like one of the extras from The Dead Poets' Society."

"He's a teacher," she mumbled into her coffee.

"A teacher? What does he teach?"

She could see his wheels turning, and braced herself for the inevitable line of questioning to follow. "The Classics of English Literature."

"Sounds like a pretty preppy class. So he teaches at Chilton?"

Lorelai nodded.

"So he's Rory's teacher?"

His accusatory tone made her bristle uncomfortably. She stared into her cup, unwilling to admit to Luke what she knew could, and with her track record, probably would, devolve into a problematic situation.

"Oh, and that isn't weird?"

Her eyes flashed with defiance. Suddenly she felt the need to defend herself and resented him for it. "No, it's not weird because Rory won't have to deal with another student's issues about his father dating a Chilton mom."

"Yeah, she'll just have to deal with all the students' issues about their teacher dating a Chilton mom." He huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Lorelai flushed furiously and took a long drink of her coffee, buying herself some calming breaths. Without glancing up, she sighed, "Don't you think I've thought about Rory and how this might affect her?"

Luke softened his stance and pulled back. "Hey, you know what? Don't listen to me. I'm an idiot. This… this is none of my business."

"Because, I have." Her voice grew stronger, ignoring his disclaimer. "I've thought long and hard. And you know what? Max likes me. He wants to spend time with me. He made the effort to go out on a limb for me. And, even though his administration might frown upon this sort of thing, he'll take his chances." She took a long, fortifying swig from her mug, giving her words time to sink in. "It's been a long time since I've been wanted. And, unlike you, who prefers to be alone, I don't want to be alone anymore."

Luke stared down at the counter and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I didn't mean anything by all that."

"Yes, you did," she insisted. "It's funny. I was going to ask you what you thought about my situation before I agreed to go out with him. But, I predicted you'd say exactly what you just said. So, why bother discussing it, right? It's so nice to know I can always count on you for your unwavering support of my happiness." Her words were laced with poisoned honey.

"Lorelai, I shouldn't have said anything."

She rifled through her purse and took three dollars out, then set it on the counter as she stood.

"No, I got this," he said, pushing the bills back to her.

She shook her head and walked toward the door. "Not today."

That was the first time she had ever refused free coffee from Luke.

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TBC