Hi guys! Don't worry - I haven't forgotten about "For The Love of Rory" or "If You Ever Want To Fall In Love". I've just been super busy this week with school and work. But I happened to find this old one-shot I wrote a long time ago but forgot about. I figured I'd upload it to hold you over until I can update the other stories. I'll be working on them tonight and tomorrow.This is a one-shot set early in Season 5 about two months into their relationship. Lorelai has a really crappy day at work and the one person she wants to see is Luke. But realizing how much she needs him and how important he is to her scares her. But Luke being Luke, he knows what to say and what to do to remind her he is in fact 'All In'.Enjoy :)
Lorelai was exhausted. It had been a crappy day. An enormously crappy day. It started by oversleeping, moved onto burning hot coffee spilt on her blouse the second she did get to work and an irritated Michel bitching at her for being late, disheveled and unprofessional. It progressed to a heated argument with her Mother on the phone about Rory's dating choices, escalated to an even more heated argument with her daughter over why she was talking to her Grandmother about her dating life. Lunch at Luke's had to be skipped due to the disgruntled guests in room 4 who had tripped over some invisible item supposedly lying on the floor which resulted in the husband needing stitches in his knee. Once that fire was out, Sookie started a minor one in the brand new kitchen and visions of the burned down Independence Inn haunted Lorelai's brain until the clock read 7pm and she realized she had worked almost a 12 hour day on less than no coffee and even less food. Not to mention the fact that her shirt was still stained and she had yet to see Luke once today.
Sighing, she pulled herself up into the Jeep and sat behind the steering wheel for a moment. Resting her head on the headrest she took a few deep breaths and thought about going home to shower and go to sleep. But suddenly the idea of her empty house seemed even more depressing than her day had already been. Luke had had early deliveries this morning and they had spent last night apart.
She knew she looked like hell. She felt like hell too. But right now she just needed to be somewhere where she didn't feel totally and completely alone. Starting the engine, she made her way towards the center of town and parked the Jeep behind his Truck behind the Diner. It was beginning to rain and of course she had no umbrella, no jacket and her black pumps were not suited for puddle jumping. Deciding that this day was a wash out, quite literally, she dashed out of the Jeep and burst through the door of the Diner.
The many patrons turned to her and took in the disheveled, frizzy haired, now wet mess that was the usual vibrant and confident Lorelai Gilmore. She swallowed hard when she realized all eyes were on her and suddenly she felt a lump in her throat. She wanted to run and hide under the covers of her bed and start over again tomorrow.
But then...she saw him.
He came around the corner of the counter with hands full of plates. His eyes caught hers and an unspoken question and look of concern passed over his features. She sighed and let her shoulders slump slightly feeling like for the first time today she could breath. He set the plates down at the correct table and walked over to her.
"Hey." He whispered reaching out to brush her hair out of her face, "Are you okay?"
She smiled softly, "I'm fine." He gave her a skeptical look and she just smiled and shook her head, "Can I hang upstairs while you finish up here?" Her voice was soft and sad and it stirred something in him, the usually PDA fearful man reached for her arms and pulled her close, she smiled again, "I'm fine. Just...don't feel like being alone at my house."
He sighed, knowing better than to push her at the moment, no matter how badly he wanted, "Sure. I might be a while...the High School Football game is getting out in a few minutes."
She nodded, "That's fine. I just…" Her lower lip trembled and she sighed looking down.
"Hey." He whispered tilting her chin back up to look at her, "What is it?"
She smiled, "Just a crappy day and I don't want to be alone."
He squeezed her hand and leaned forward to kiss her temple, "Go on up. I'll be there as soon as I can."
She let out a little sigh of relief and began to walk around him, "Thanks." He turned her again and she gave him a questioning smile.
"Pie?" He asked with a knowing smile.
She reached out and touched his scruffy cheek, "You're an angel."
He gave her a little wink and tilted his head back towards the staircase. She smiled, turned and made her way through the Diner, ignoring the looks from other customers. As her heels hit the old staircase she swore she heard Luke mumble something that sounded like, "Eat your damn food and mind your business or get the hell out." She smirked and took the steps two at a time, eager to be surrounded by all that was Luke Danes.
She sighed when she walked into the apartment. They'd only been dating two months but already it felt like home to her. Sure she had been up here before they were a real couple. She had spent a little time here and there up here. But this was different. Since her first night here with him after Sniffy's, he had welcomed her with open arms into his usual personal and quiet space. He didn't cringe when she left her shoes lying around, or left dishes in the sink. He made accommodations for her personal things in the bathroom and the bedroom and didn't freak out when he saw a box of tampons under the sink.
More than anyone she had ever dated, he welcomed all that was Lorelai. He embraced it, accepted and above all he wanted her for who she was. She smiled to herself as she slipped off her heels and dropped her bag on a chair in the kitchen. She looked around the apartment and her eyes fell on the bathroom door. With a sigh she tiptoed towards the small-adjoined room and began to strip her clothes off.
She turned the handle in the shower and held her hand underneath the running water and waited for it to get as hot as she could stand. She hissed as she stepped under the steady stream and let the frustration from her day begin to wash away. She closed her eyes and lifted her head to feel the water beat against her face and a burst of emotion coursed through her. Suddenly she was crying, she wished the Diner were closed.
Finishing up in the shower, she used her favorite lotion that had magically appeared for her a few weeks ago. She reached for pair of her sweatpants that she knew were in the top drawer, but she stopped when she saw her favorite blue flannel of his lying on the bed. She walked over to it, lifted it to her nose and inhaled gently. The sweet smell of Luke washed over her and she sighed happily, knowing this was what she needed.
Slipping it over her freshly clean body, she padded over to the couch, pulled a blanket up over her and reached for the clicker. She needed something to distract her until the door opened to reveal the man she needed most. In the past it would terrify her to realize how attached she was becoming to a man. Especially in such a short time. They'd only been together as a couple for two months but she was beginning to realize the last 8 years had been just an extension of what they were now.
He had always been there. And she was hoping that he always would…
Just the thought of him eased her tired mind and her eyes began to flutter shut as sleep consumed her.
Luke hated that he couldn't throw everyone out of the Diner. It was driving him crazy to know that upstairs Lorelai was alone and from what he could tell upset. Since the moment he had met her, he always wanted to be the one to fix her problems. He wanted to be the one to ease her worries and pain. Now that they were finally more than just friends, that feeling of needing to protect her was even stronger than before.
An hour and a half later, he finally shuffled everyone out of the Diner, flipped the closed sign and did what he knew was the fastest cleaning job of his life. But he didn't care. He'd worry about it tomorrow after he checked in with Lorelai. Grabbing a full boysenberry pie, a can of whipped cream and the last cherry Danish for good measure he walked towards the staircase.
When he pushed open the door open, he looked around the dark quiet apartment trying to spot her. When his eyes fell on her still form on the couch his breath caught in his throat. He walked as silently as possible into the apartment and over to her. He put the pie, whipped cream and Danish down on the far end of the coffee table before sitting down beside it across from her.
She was sound asleep, curled up in a ball on the couch. She had a blanket wrapped around her but he could see the familiar blue flannel peeking out from under the soft blanket. Her wet, curly hair framed her face as she breathed deeply in her sleep. The slow rise and fall of her shoulders and the gentle warm breath that escaped her slightly open lips and he suddenly couldn't believe that she was really his.
Smiling, he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. Half of him wanted her to get her rest, but the other half wanted to see those blue eyes of hers. She hadn't come in all day, and from her appearance when she did get here he understood that she had no time to make her daily Diner appearance.
Brushing her hair away from her neck he smiled when she started to stir. She let out little puffs of hair and her nose scrunched up and he watched her lick her lips gently before her eyes begin to flutter open. "Mmmm…"
"I come with pie and Danishes." He mumbled, leaning over to whisper in her ear.
He could practically feel her smile, "You are the perfect man." She whispered in a raspy, sleep filled voice.
Luke smiled and sat back to look at her, "So they tell me."
She yawned and gave him a look, "Who's they? I'm gonna kick their asses whoever they are."
He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her again, "There's no one but you crazy lady. You know that."
She smiled and sat up so he could shift onto the couch beside her. She took a deep breath and curled herself up against his side, wanting to be wrapped up in him. One hand tangled in her hair and began to run through the wet ringlets. "Took a shower?"
She nodded her head in the crook of his neck. "Yeah. Is that okay?"
He tugged her hair playfully, "Of course. You know you don't have to ask. I'm just sorry I couldn't join you."
She smiled and pushed her face further into his chest, "Mmm...maybe next time."
He dropped a kiss to the top of her head and held her closer; "I'm going to hold you to that." He felt her nuzzle him more, holding him as close as possible as if she wanted to become one with him, "So...you going to tell me what's going on?"
She squeezed him and shook her head, "Luke…"
"Lorelai…" He mumbled into her hair as he started to rub gentle circles into her lower back.
She sighed and pulled back just enough to look at him, "It's not even anything serious...just one of those days."
Luke shrugged, "We all have those days. But sometimes it's nice to talk about it, isn't it?"
She smirked and reached out to touch his cheek, "Says the monosyllabic man."
He chuckled and reached for her hand touching his cheek, "Yes...I'm not always the most talkative person but for you I can be."
She smiled and tilted her head to the side, "For me, huh?"
He squeezed her hand and pressed his lips to the palm of her hand, "Only for you."
She sighed and pulled her legs up to rest against his, "Why are you so good to me Luke Danes?"
He smiled and tugged on her hand, "Because rumor has it...I kinda like you."
She blushed and looked down, "Hm...so I've heard."
He watched her for a moment before whispering in that soft, raspy voice that sent shivers from the top of her head to her toes, "What's going on in that head of yours?"
She lifted her head and smiled, "Nothing. Really. Just a crappy day…"
Luke nodded, "Picked up on that. What made it so crappy?"
"Aside from not being able to see you until now?" She asked with a soft smile.
He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her, "That made my day pretty crappy too. I was going to come check on you in the afternoon but Kirk choked on his tuna melt and I had to spend an hour convincing his Mom on the phone that I wasn't trying to kill him. And then we got busy again."
She chuckled, "Oh Kirk. Whatever would we do without him?"
"Um...enjoy some peace and quiet?" He asked with a frown, "Find some sanity?"
She smirked, "In this town? Please babe...that will never happen. Erase Kirk and ten more crazies will take his place."
He smirked and tangled his hand in the back of her hair, massaging the back of her neck, "Ain't' that the truth."
She smiled, "But I do think it's sweet that you were going to come check on me."
He blushed and shrugged, "Well you aren't one to skip your coffee and lunch breaks. Was starting to get a little worried…"
Her face softened and she let out a little sigh before whispering, "It's nice to have someone worry about me."
He stopped massaging her neck and looked her in the eye, "I always worry about you."
She smiled, "Because of the coffee and red meat addiction?"
He smiled, "Sure. That and the insistence to wear ridiculously high shoes that someday are going to result in you breaking your leg."
She laughed, "Yeah, you're probably right. But at least my feet will look good while I do it."
He chuckled and moved his hands down her body and legs to her feet, pulling them into his lap, "I happen to think your feet look good with or without the heels." He said as he began to massage them.
She moaned happily and leaned back against the couch, "Says the man who insisted I keep a certain pair of red stilettos on the other night after our date ended and the rest of my clothes were shed."
He smirked, "What can I say? Red on you is dangerous…"
She smiled, "You're crazy."
She felt him squeeze her foot a little tighter, "About you, sure." He smiled at her when she smiled back, "So tell me about this crappy day. Do I need to beat anyone up?"
She sighed and leaned back further into the pillows on the couch, "Maybe Michel...but I'd be happy any day if you did that."
"Say the word and I'll make it happen." He teased tickling her feet.
She giggled, "Duly noted." They fell into a comfortable silence for a moment before he gave her a look that let her know he was ready to listen when she was ready to talk, "Nothing huge happened. Not really anyway. Just one thing after another, you know?"
Luke nodded, "Sure. So start from the beginning."
She sighed and shrugged, "Turns out I need your disgustingly early alarms to get me going in the morning." He gave her a look and she smiled, "I overslept. And then in my rush to get to work, I spilled my coffee all over me as soon as I go tot the Inn. Michel was bitching at me for being late and being what he referred to as an 'unkempt, unprofessional, lollygagger'."
Luke frowned, "He actually used the word lollygagger?" She chuckled and he snorted, "Can I beat him up for that alone?"
She nodded, "Sure."
Luke sighed and went back to massaging her feet, "So Michel's an asshole. And you need me to be your morning wake up call. So far I'm caught up, what else happened?"
She sighed, "Well of course we were busy so I couldn't go home and change and I didn't have any extra clothes left in my office. So I was there with a big coffee stain on my blouse which I'm sure you and your lovely Diner patrons noticed."
Luke rolled his eyes, "I told them all to shove it up their assess if they even mentioned it to you."
She smirked, "No you didn't."
He nodded, "No. I didn't. But I would have if they brought it up."
"I thoroughly appreciate the sentiment babe." She said reaching a hand out to touch his arm.
He smiled and squeezed her foot again, "Glad to hear it. So what happened after that?"
She sighed, "Well...I got a lovely call from one Emily Gilmore and I swear she's got laser vision. She somehow could tell I was a mess without even seeing me. Quite a talent she has."
"No one quite like her. That's for sure." He agreed, "What did she want?"
"She was bitching about how Rory is dating Dean again and how she should be with someone of her caliber." She said with a frown, "For once it seems that the two of you are in agreement about something."
Luke frowned remembering their disastrous double date with Dean and Rory from a few weeks ago, "Yeah well...I have my concerns about Dean. But I'm not sure your Mom and I would have the same taste in men for Rory. She just cares about their financial and family background. I care about what he brings to Rory and how he treats her."
She smiled at him, "I know you do."
Luke shrugged, "She's a good kid. I want the best for her."
"I know." She whispered, "And you know how much that means to me." He gave her a little nod and she sighed, "Anyway...somehow or other Rory got involved. Not sure if my Mother called her before that but Rory and I then got into an argument after that. We're fine now...I just hate fighting with her. I want her to feel safe and comfortable talking to me about this kind of stuff. But the truth is I don't feel great about her and Dean...but she's an adult. I can't tell her who she can and can't date. These have to be her decisions."
"I know." Luke whispered, "But as her Mom you also have the right to speak your mind if you are worried. You don't want her to get hurt."
"But I also don't want to fight with her. I hate fighting with Rory. We were never that Mother and daughter pair. I don't know how to fight with her. It feels so awkward and weird. I hate it." She said with a frown. "I never want her to hate me."
Luke frowned and pulled her feet closer to him, "Lorelai, Rory could never and would never hate you. You have done more for that girl than any Mother has for their kid. She's going to make mistakes; she's going to rebel a little. It's what kids do. But at the end of the day...she's still Rory. She's still your daughter and she still loves you."
She frowned, "I hope you're right…"
"I am right." He said moving his hands up to massage her calves, "Anything else happen today?"
She smirked, "Oh yeah. Some crazy guest and tripped over something, still haven't found the item he was referring to...but whatever it was there was blood everywhere. He had to go get stitches which of course we compensated for by paying the bill." She rolled her eyes, "Brand new Inn and I'm already paying out of pocket to cover some morons clumsiness."
Luke chuckled, "I'll give him something to cry about tomorrow."
She laughed, "Thanks babe. But after that all got settled...I thought I'd be able to leave only to find out that Sookie started her first minor fire in our beautiful Kitchen."
He grimaced, "Independence Inn flashbacks?"
She groaned, "Like you wouldn't believe. Total panic mode."
Luke sighed and squeezed her legs, "Geez...you did have a rough day."
She pouted, "Add that all up plus the total lack of Luke in my life until way past dinner time and today was the worst day in the history of days."
He smiled and moved her legs off his lap so he could lay down beside her, "Worst day in the history of days, huh?"
She nodded and snuggled into his chest, "Uh huh."
He smiled and wrapped her up in his arms, "Well I'm glad you came here."
She sighed against his chest and smiled, "I didn't want to be in that big house alone. I just…" Her voice trailed off and she stopped talking, snuggling further into him.
"You just what?" He asked running his hand up and down her back, he felt her shake her head against him, "Lorelai…" He heard her mumble something, "Didn't quite catch that."
She sighed and pulled back, "I just wanted to see you."
Her blue eyes looked worried and a little unsure. He saw her bite her lip gently before glancing down at his chest, afraid to meet his eyes. Luke leaned forward and pressed a kiss to forehead, "Why does that make you look so worried?"
She shrugged and pulled back, toying with the buttons on his shirt, "Not worried really…"
"So what's the look for then?" He asked curiously.
She glanced up at him and whispered, "Not sure if we're in that stage of the relationship where I can say 'hey Luke...I'm having a really crappy day and right now I just need you to hold me.'"
His face softened, "Lorelai…"
She bit her lip and shrugged, "I don't want to scare you away. But you remember our first date?"
Luke smiled and nodded, "Of course I do. How could I forget that night?"
She blushed gently, "Do you remember what you said to me at Sniffys?"
"I said a lot of things. I probably talked more that night than I have in most of my life." He said with a smirk, "Chalk it up to nerves."
She smiled, "Well do you remember the thing you said about being all in?"
Luke took a deep breath and held her closer, "I remember."
She bit her lip and glanced back down at his chest, "You asked me if I was scared…"
Luke let out a little breath of air, "I did. And if I remember correctly...Maisy and Buddy came with our food at that exact moment which conveniently got you out of answering that very question."
She nodded, "Which at the time I was really grateful for. Wasn't sure I was ready to take that jump on our first date...no matter how many years had been leading up to it."
"Fair enough." He whispered, "But are you giving me an answer now?"
She sighed and shifted slightly, "Luke?" He gave her a soft smile, "I'm really scared of how much I need you. How much you mean to me...it's only been two months but I also know that in a lot of ways it's been longer than that. And today I was just sitting there thinking...today sucks. I hate everyone and everything and all I wanted was to see you."
He cleared his throat and brushed her hair away from her neck, "Well is it a bad thing that you wanted to see me?"
She frowned and shook her head, "No. Of course it isn't...I just…" She sighed and looked him straight in the eye, "I don't like needing people Luke. Because it makes it hurt even more when something goes wrong. I can't stand the idea of losing you…"
"You aren't going to lose me." He whispered sincerely.
She smiled and reached a hand out to touch his face, "That's one promise you can't keep Luke. You have no idea what will happen with us…"
Luke sighed and rolled her onto her back to sit up, "Lorelai, you've known me for a long time. Right?"
Suddenly feeling cold without his body heat, she sat up and pulled her legs against her chest, "Eight years."
He nodded, "Well then you know that I don't do things unless I'm really sure. I don't just jump...I take my time," He smirked and said, "Sometimes too much time, but time nonetheless. If I invest my time in something, or someone it means something. It means that it is important to me."
She swallowed hard and reached for his hand, "So...I'm important to you?"
He squeezed her hand and pulled her towards him, "You know the answer to that already."
She blushed as she straddled his waist and stared down at him, she placed a hand on both of his cheeks, "I'm important to you."
He squeezed her hips and smiled up at her, "Yes Lorelai. You are very important to me. The most important thing in my life."
She sighed and leaned down to kiss him, "What are you doing to me Luke Danes?"
He smiled against her lips and breathed her in, "Hopefully make you feel safe and lov-" His voice trailed off and their eyes locked for a moment, both realizing what he was about to say. "Sorry...too soon right? Just igno-"
She shook her head and pressed her lips against his, "Eight years and two months isn't too soon Luke." She kissed him again, "And for the record...I do feel safe and lov-" She smirked not letting herself finish the word to tease him which made him laugh, "That's why I came here tonight."
Luke nuzzled her face, "Then I'm doing my job right."
"Yes. You most definitely are." She said biting her lip gently, "And it's terrifying and yet…"
"And yet what?" He asked leaning her back slowly.
She sighed and gazed into his eyes, "And yet for the first time in my life I feel like I am exactly where I'm supposed to be."
Luke took a deep breath and reached one hand up to brush back her hair away from her eyes, "You need me...I'm here. That's what being all in means, at least to me."
The smile grew on her face and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck, "Thank God for being all in."
He smirked, "Only took us 8 years to get here."
His words from the night of their first date echoed through the room and she sighed against him, "Luke? I'm starting to realize I was yours before we ever danced at your sister's wedding...trust me when I say there was never anyone else for me but you."
Luke smiled gently, "I've always been right here Lorelai."
She bit her lip, "I know."
"And you're right...I don't know what happens in the future." He felt her tense, and he squeezed he gently, "But I can tell you that no matter what happens, I'll always be right here. You need me? I'm there. No questions asked."
She smiled and leaned forward to hold him closer, "All in."
He smiled and gave her a little squeeze, "All in." He held her close for a moment until he felt her relax against him, "You know that pie's still here…"
She smiled, "Mmm...pie."
"Even saved you a cherry Danish." He said shifting her off his lap and settling her beside him on the couch.
She gasped, "You are a wonderful man Luke Danes."
"So they tell me." He teased again as he reached out to get the pie plate.
She scoffed, "Again I ask...who is they?"
He smiled and topped the pie with whipped cream, "No one important." He held the pie out to her, "Here."
She took the whipped cream from his other hand and squirted some into her mouth, "Yum."
Luke chuckled and took the whipped cream from her and squirted it on her collarbone, she gasped and he licked it off, "Yum." He mimicked.
She smiled, licked her lips and tilted his head up to kiss him directly on the lips, "You know...if you do that again plus kick Michel's ass tomorrow for me...I can guarantee you can probably get me to do anything your little heart desires."
He raised an eyebrow, "Anything?"
She wiggled her eyebrows at him suggestively, "Anything."
Luke smiled and smacked her hip gently, "Then from now on you get three servings of vegetables each day." She started to protest, "A deal's a deal woman."
She started to laugh and snuggle into his chest as she took the pie from him, "Thank God for being all in."
He smiled and wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head knowing he was exactly where he was meant to be. And knowing she felt comfortable and safe here with him, let alone loved was enough to cut through his tough exterior. If this was all in...this usually lonely, guarded and cranky Diner owner could definitely get used to it...
Just a sweet moment that popped into my head. Little scenes I would have loved to see. Never enough JavaJunkie in my opinion. I know that Luke is tough and all...he doesn't always love to show affection but I really think when it would just be the two of them he'd be much more open. We saw it here and there in small ways during the series, that's where this came from. Anyway - hope you liked it. I will update my other stories as soon as I can!