A/N - Hey guys! This was originally supposed to be another one-shot for my series "Luke and Lorelai: A Playlist", but as I was writing it I got pretty inspired and decided it would be a 2 or 3 chapter piece by the time it was finished. So here is part one.

Set during the episode when Lorelai's Grandma Trix dies in season 4. Luke hears about it through Babette and shows up at the Gilmore house to support her. From there things start changing for them. Based on the song "Let It Be Me" by Ray LaMontagne. Beautiful song, I will leave the lyrics and update soon for part 2.

There comes a time
A time in everyone's life
Where nothing seems to go your way
Where nothing seems to turn out right
There may come a time
You just can't seem to find your place
And for every door you open
Seems like you get two slammed in your face

That's when you need someone
Someone that you, you can call
When all your faith is gone
And it feels like you can't go on
Let it be me
Let it be me
If it's a friend that you need
Let it be me
Let it be me

Feels like you're always coming up last
Pockets full of nothing and you got no cash
No matter where you turn you ain't got no place to stand
You reach out for something and they slap your hand
Now, I remember all too well
Just how it feels to be all alone
You feel like you'd give anything
For just a little place you can call your own

That's when you need someone
Someone that you, you can call
When all your faith is gone
It feels like you cant go on
Let it be me
Let it be me
If it's a friend you need
Let it be me
Let it be me
Let it be me
Let it be me
If it's a friend you need
Let it be me
Let it be me, let it be me

Every time the bells jingled above the Diner door, Luke's head snapped up to see who it was. But three days had passed and the blue eyed, brunette with the gorgeous smile had not walked in. His heart was beginning to get heavy. He was used to seeing her everyday at least for a few minutes. He hated to admit it, but she was the reason he got through most days. This was especially true lately because his life was a mess with the on and off marriage/divorce with Nicole.

He knew that Lorelai was busy. She was building the Inn and trying to stay afloat. He had loaned her the $30,000 despite her protests and she had been more than grateful. She insisted on paying him back in full with interest but he didn't really care. He just wanted to help try and relieve some stress in her life. Since her meltdown in the park and his night of comforting her as best he could things had been a little strange.

It had felt like a shift was taking place between them and though part of him wanted to explore what it meant, he also knew there were many, many complications. But now after not seeing her for three days, he was beginning to worry he had scared her away. He had thought about calling but for some reason he chickened out every time he picked up the phone.

He sighed heavily as he began to wipe down the table despite the fact that it was already sparkly clean. He didn't notice Babette sliding onto the stool in front of him. He was too lost in thought to realize she was studying him carefully.

"Careful doll. You're gonna rub a hole right into that counter there." She said with a laugh.

He looked up quickly and scowled, "What can I get you Babette?"

"Chicken salad on wheat and an iced tea please." She said with a smile, "Take your time. I'm in no rush today."

Luke nodded once and went to put the order in with Caesar. As he turned back to her, something in his brain clicked. Babette was Lorelai's neighbor. She was also one of the biggest gossipers in town. She would know if something was wrong. "Hey uh Babette...you seen Lorelai much lately? She hasn't been in the last few days."

She smirked, "Keeping tabs on her now?"

He blushed, "No. I just know she can't cook for shit so I was wondering if she'd ditched the Diner for Al's pancake world once and for all."

She laughed, "Nah. She's just been busier than usual. In fact poor thing hasn't been home much. I assume she's at her parents trying to help with the arrangements and all and balance construction at the Inn."

Her words stirred something in him, he stood up straighter and frowned, "Arrangements for what?"

"Oh you didn't hear? Her Grandmother passed away. Richard's Mother." She said with a frown, "She was named after her ya know."

Luke softened, "Oh no. No I didn't know that. Gosh that's...that's terrible." He said with a shake of his head, "She must be devastated." He lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck, "You know when services are?"

"Tonight I believe in Hartford." She said with a shrug, "I told her I would come but she told me not to bother. I think Sookie is going to help with food at the gathering at her parents afterwards."

Luke nodded, "Oh. Yeah that sounds like Lorelai. Never likes to ask for help."

"She's stubborn that one." She said with a smile, "Hell of a woman."

The corners of his lips turned up slightly thinking about her, just as they always did, "Yeah she is…"

Babette gave him a knowing smile, "I told her I'd keep an eye on the house and all that. But it's always good to have friends around at times like these…"

Luke cleared his throat, "Yeah sure."

"You need her parents address?" She asked with a smile reaching into her bag.

Luke froze, "What?"

"Do you need the address?" Babette asked flipping through her address book, "Rory gave it to me a few years back in case of emergencies. I assume you want to go and support them. I mean think of everything she did when your Uncle Louie died."

He felt a twinge of sadness in his heart when he thought back to that time, more because he felt like he should have made a move then. "Yeah she was really great."

Babette nodded and pointed at the address in the paper, "Here it is. You want to write it down?"

Luke shifted from foot to foot nervously, "Do you think she'd be upset?"

Babette smiled and reached across the counter to put her hand against his arm, "She'd never be upset seeing you Luke."

He swallowed hard and tried to smile, "Babette…"

She shook her head and copied the address down on the pad of paper beside him. "Take this. Do what you want with it. And when you're done, get me that iced tea would ya?"

She winked and Luke smiled back, "Thanks Babette."

"You got it." She said sliding the pad of paper back to him.

Luke lifted it and looked down at the handwriting. He wasn't sure what he was doing or how Lorelai would react. But what he did know is the idea of her feeling any type of pain was too much for him to take. He had to do something.

Pulling up in front of Lorelai's childhood home, Luke felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He had heard stories about how big this house was, about the life she came from. But this was more than he expected. Someone offered to park his truck and he suddenly felt very out of place. He kindly declined and parked away from the hustle and bustle of things. He had gone to the service but hadn't been able to catch Lorelai or even Rory. There were too many people and he didn't want to interrupt them anyway.

As he stepped into the house he saw a sea of people. They were all dressed impeccably and for a moment he felt like he should run for the hills. This was just another reason that he was probably never going to be good enough for her. But he sighed; no matter where they ended up he knew that he did always want to be there for her at least as a friend. He walked through the foyer until he felt a hand on his back, "Luke?"

He turned around quickly and smiled when he saw Rory, "Oh Rory. Hi. Hey...I'm-I'm so sorry about your Grandma." He paused, "Well your Great Grandma actually. Are you okay?"

She smiled at him, "Feels kind of weird because I didn't know her that well. But Mom and I got our names from her so I feel a connection ya know? Nice hearing stories about her." She paused and smiled, "She sounds like a spitfire like Mom."

Luke smiled, "Then I'm sure I would have liked her."

Rory watched his face turn ten different shades of red when he realized what he had said, "How did you even know?"

"Oh uh...Babette was at the Diner and she told me." He said slowly, "Hope you're Mom won't be mad about me being here…"

Rory smiled, "Mad won't be the word Luke. She'll be touched that you showed up."

He cleared his throat nervously, "Where is she anyway?"

"Well my Grandma was having a bit of a meltdown and Grandpa's like half in the bag." She said with a laugh, "Neither of them are taking it that well. Mom looked exhausted...I think she may have stepped outside for a minute." She frowned, "I'm actually really worried about her to be honest. She's burning the candle at both ends."

Luke nodded, "She's been quite the busy woman lately."

She sighed, "I know the Inn is her dream but it won't work if she makes herself sick trying to make it happen. You're around more than I am, how does she seem?"

Luke smiled sadly and shrugged, "You're Mom is the toughest woman I know kid. She's tired but she'll never admit it. She won't ask for help, you know that. But...yeah she seems a little run down."

Rory nodded slowly, "I thought so." She paused and put a hand on his arm, "Can you keep an eye on her for me? Make sure she's taking care of herself?"

Luke smiled, "Sure thing. I'll call you as soon as I think things are getting out of hand."

Rory smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek, "Thanks Luke. Don't know what we'd do without you." She looked past him, "I'm going to go check on Grandma. Backdoors that way." She pointed behind her, "Mom will be happy to see a familiar face."

Luke smiled sheepishly and then started to walk towards the place Rory had pointed too. He pushed through the throngs of people in their tailored suits and eloquent pearls. Slipping out the French glass doors, he glanced around the pool and backyard area. Once again it was hard to believe Lorelai had grown up in a place like this. He spotted her quickly, her black curls cascading down her long pink coat. Stepping towards her, he noticed the way her shoulders were slumped, her head hung down and she seemed to be wiping at her cheeks.

His heart ached to see her this way, "Lorelai?"

Hearing his voice, her head snapped up and her eyes instantly found his, "Luke?"

He smiled wearily and stepped closer to her, he took a seat beside her on the outside furniture, "Hey. Rory said you were out here alone. Wanted to come see if you were okay."

She wiped at her tear stained face some more and stared at him in disbelief, "How did you know my Grandma died?"

"One of Hello Magazine's Editors came into the Diner and filled me in." He said with a smile in hopes of making her smile.

He was rewarded with a laugh, "Patty or Babette?"

"Babette." He said with a nod of his head, "Hope you're not mad. Hadn't seen you in the Diner for a few days so I was just checking to see if she knew how you were. She told me what happened. I'm really sorry…"

Lorelai smiled at him and clasped her hands in her lap, "Not mad. Just surprised you came all the way out here for this. I'm sure you have better things to do. Where's Nicole tonight?"

He shrugged, "Who knows?" He smiled and leaned in to tap his shoulder against hers, "Besides I wanted to be here for you and Rory. You were amazing when my Uncle Louie passed away."

She let out a shaky breath, "God that feels like a lifetime ago. But really it wasn't…"

Luke smiled in understanding, "I know. The years seem to move faster when you get older."

She shivered slightly and pulled at her coat, "I know. Starting to freak me out a bit."

"Join the club. If I find any more grey hairs I'm going to have a nervous breakdown." He said with a frown.

She laughed again and lifted her hand to stroke his hair, it wasn't often she saw him without his signature blue hat. The one she had given him so many years ago. "You'd still be beating them off with a stick Butch. You'll just be a silver fox."

Her touch sent a rush of emotion through his body and he fought the urge to lean in to kiss her, "You do like to throw in the Butch card whenever you can…"

She smiled, "Something to hold over you for blackmail in case you ever really do try and cut off my coffee supply."

He chuckled, "I've realized that if I want to continue living then I'll probably have to keep you filled with coffee."

"You mean because you make so much money off me?" She asked.

He rolled his eyes, "You hardly pay for your coffee as it is and no, I meant I don't want you to disembowel me in the middle of the night."

She threw her head back and laughed harder, "Well that's an interesting thought!"

Luke smiled; he loved to make her laugh. It was probably his favorite sound in the world, other than when she said his name. "I figure you'd go through such crazy caffeine withdrawals you'd have to pick some kind of torturous method like that to do me in."

"You're probably right." She said with a soft smile as she turned to look at him again. Sighing softly she reached out to touch his hand, "Thank you for coming Luke…"

He laced his fingers with hers and squeezed, "Don't mention it. How are you holding up?"

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. My Grandma was one of those people you never really picture dying. I know it sounds silly but she seemed inhuman to me. I thought she'd outlive us all mostly because she was so damn stubborn."

Luke smirked and nudged her playfully, "Must be where you get it from. Your parents made a good choice naming you after her."

Lorelai smiled, "Yeah…" She frowned, "Everyone keeps telling me I'm the reigning Lorelai. Something about it feels big like I have a huge life to live up too ya know? And with the Inn opening I feel like it all rides on that. I've screwed up so many damn times Luke. If I fail this time no one will ever take me seriously again."

He frowned and pulled her hand harder, "That's not true. I will. Besides, you won't fail."

She cocked her head to the side and smiled sadly at him, "You have to say that. You've invested $30,000 dollars into this. Doesn't look good if you think I'll fail."

"You won't." He said again, this time more sternly, "I know you won't. You're Lorelai Gilmore. You can do anything."

Her eyes burned with tears again, "At least someone thinks so…"

Just as Luke was going to respond, the back door opened again and someone stepped out. The tall figure of Lorelai's father approached looking solemn and broken. "Lorelai?"

She turned towards him, "Hey Dad. Are you okay?"

He ignored her question and walked over to her, cocking his head towards Luke, "Whose this?"

"Oh uh. This is Luke." She replied, her eyes fell to their joined hands and she suddenly let go, "I think you've met before. He owns the Diner in town. Good friend of Rory's and mine."

"Oh right. Forgive me." Richard said waving his hand in front of him, "Good to see you Luke."

"No problem Mr. Gilmore." He stood up, "I'm really sorry about your Mother...I hear she was a wonderful woman."

Richard's face crumpled slightly as if he was going to cry, "She was indeed. The best of the best."

Lorelai stood up and placed a hand on his arm, "Dad you look exhausted. Why don't you try and get some rest? Mom and I can handle the rest of the guests."

He sighed, "Have you seen Jason? I wanted to talk to him about taking a few days off."

"Oh. Well no he's uh...he's not here." She said nervously shifting from foot to foot, "But he told me to send his deepest condolences and to tell you to take all the time you need. He's got everything covered at the office."

Richard frowned, "Oh. Well...alright then." He looked back at the house; "I don't think I can go back in there right now."

Lorelai squeezed his arm, "Do you want to sleep in the pool house? It will be quieter there. I'll tell Mom and have her check on you later."

He nodded, "Yes. Maybe that would be best." He turned towards Luke, "Thank you for being here tonight Luke." He turned towards his daughter, "I'll see you later Lorelai."

She squeezed his arm again, "Goodnight Dad."

Luke and Lorelai stood and watched him walk sadly towards the pool house. His large frame looked defeated and almost deflated. Lorelai sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she turned back to Luke.

"Sorry about that." She said softly, "He's having a really hard time with this."

Luke shook his head, "Nothing to apologize for. I know how hard it is to lose a parent."

She felt her heart jump in her chest, sometimes she forgot about how much Luke had been through in his life, "I suppose you do…"

He smiled, "Whose Jason?"

Her face suddenly turned bright red, "Oh well…" She swallowed the lump in her throat, "He's my Dad's new business partner and-and," She glance down at the ground, "We've sort of been seeing each other for a few months."

Luke let out a slow breath, "Oh. I see." He smiled sadly, "I figured there was someone in the picture…"

She glanced up at him curiously, "Why?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. Just felt like you weren't around as much around dinnertime. Figured you were going out on dates and such…"

She fidgeted again, "Oh."

Her body language told him she was nervous but he wasn't sure what the reason was. Lifting his hand, he rubbed the back of his neck, "So...why is he not here tonight?"

Her head snapped up towards him, "What?"

"Well you said he wasn't here." He shrugged, "If he's your Dad's business partner and he's your boyfriend, shouldn't he be here supporting you both? Is he out of town or something?"

Lorelai's face grew redder, "Oh. Oh no he's...he's home I think. He just…" She cringed, "He's not big on funerals?"

The way it came out like a question on her lips made him laugh, "I'm sorry?"

She sighed and looked down, "Funerals...they freak him out so he said he just couldn't come."

Luke laughed harder, "Wow. Uh...you're serious? You're not just screwing with me right now like you normally do?"

Her face-hardened, "No Luke. I'm not screwing with you like I normally do."

Anger flashed in her voice and he quickly sobered, "Sorry. I'm sorry that was rude I just...I-" He let out a huff of air, "Lorelai no one in their right minds likes Funerals. We'd all like to a million other things than have to come to one of these things but," He shrugged, "He's your boyfriend. He should be here for you."

She pursed her lips, "Yeah well...he's not." She shrugged, "It is what it is."

"It is what it is?" He moved closer and put a hand on her arm, "Lorelai come on...who the hell is this schmuck?"

She sighed again, "Luke it's just...it's what I have, okay? Jason is just different. He's...he's got quirks."

"So do you." He said with a smile, "But they don't keep you from being there for the people you care about. I mean if the roles were reversed and he lost his Grandma, you'd be there right?"

She nodded slowly, "Yes."

He shrugged, "He should be here Lorelai."

She whimpered softly and lifted her eyes to his again, "Maybe he should be he's not." She paused and let her eyes search his face for a moment, "But you're here…"

Luke stepped closer and reached for her hand again, "Yeah. I'm here…"

She was about to say something but the back door opened again and Rory walked out, "Hey Mom?"

Lorelai quickly pulled away from Luke and turned to her daughter, "Hey sweetie. Everything okay in there?"

"Yeah. Grandmas looking for you. People are starting to leave I think. I kind of need to hit the road to...I feel bad though." Rory said walking over to them.

Lorelai shook her head, "Hey we talked about this. You need to get back to school. I've got things covered." She leaned forward and kissed her cheek, "Find me again before you leave okay?" She turned back to Luke, "And Luke I-" Her smile faltered slightly, "Thanks for being here."

He tried to smile, "Of course."

Her eyes lingered on his for another moment before she turned and walked towards the house. Rory watched her go before she turned back to Luke. She noticed the sadness in his eyes and she had a feeling it didn't have anything to do with the passing of her Great Grandma.

"Luke?" She questioned softly.

He turned towards Lorelai's daughter, "How much do you know about this Jason guy?"

Rory shrugged, "Not much. He's kind of…" She laughed to herself, "Odd. Eccentric if you will. Mom's known him since she was young and couldn't stand him back then I guess. They kind of started dating as a way to piss off my Grandma but they I don't know...I guess Mom just got comfortable with him and stayed."

"You don't find it odd that he's not here tonight?" He asked her.

Rory smiled, "Mom has a knack for picking the guys that are terrible for her."

Luke frowned, "Rory…"

She smiled again and put her hand on his arm, "I have to head back to school. She drove up here with Sookie so I'm sure she'll drive home with her. Don't forget to keep your promise though. I need to know she's being looked after."

Luke smiled sincerely, "You know I keep my promises."

Rory nodded once as she stepped back, "Yes you do. That's one thing I've known I can always count on. That and you saving me the best donuts at the Diner."

He laughed, "I have a new delivery of your favorite chocolate one's coming in this weekend if you're around."

Rory smiled, "Be in on Sunday."

Luke nodded, "Looking forward to it."

He watched the young girl walk away and marveled at how fast she had grown up. It seemed like just yesterday she was begging him to dig a grave for a caterpillar while dressed in her angel wings and now she was finishing up her first year of college. It really was scary how fast time was going by…

With a sigh he walked back towards the house and noticed many people saying their goodbyes to Emily and Lorelai. He looked around and noticed Sookie cleaning up at the table of food. She looked up and caught his eye, "Hey Luke. I didn't know you were here."

Luke smiled, "Babette filled me in. Just wanted to be here for Lorelai and Rory."

"Well that's sweet." Sookie said with a smile, "I'm sure they both appreciated it." She yawned quietly, "Oh man, sorry. Davey was up half of the night. Didn't get much sleep."

Luke nodded, "Babies do that I hear." He looked back towards Lorelai, "Rory said you drove Lorelai here."

"Yeah she was having an issue with the jeep. Least I could do. Although I'm not sure how long I can stand here without falling asleep." She said with a laugh.

Luke smiled, "Why don't you head home? I can take her."

Sookie shrugged, "It might be awhile Luke…"

He shook his head, "No big deal. Caesar is opening tomorrow anyway."

Sookie smiled and wiped her hands on her apron, "Alright. If you're sure…" He nodded his agreement, "Well then I guess I'll pack up this stuff and then head out." She started to turn away but then looked back at him, "Lorelai's lucky to have you in her life Luke."

He blushed and turned away to walk towards the Living room. He glanced at the various trinkets and books displayed. Deciding it might take a while; he sat down on the couch before his eye fell on a photo album. Feeling curious, he picked it up and began to leaf through the pages. As soon as he saw the mass of dark curls and bright blue eyes on the young girl, he knew these were pictures of Lorelai's childhood.

He got lost in them trying to picture her at every age and noticing how the sadness seemed to grow as she got older. The last picture was of her standing next to a boy about her age at a party here at this house. Both looked uncomfortable and Lorelai seemed to be trying to hide behind him. He wondered if she was pregnant in this picture but still trying to hide it. He hadn't realized how much time had passed until he felt a hand on his back.

"Luke?" Lorelai called out to him, "What are you still doing here? I figured you'd have left by now."

He quickly closed the book and stood up, "Oh. Sookie was pretty tired. I told her she could head back home and I'd wait to take you home."

Her face softened, "Oh. I...I didn't realize you had been waiting for me all this time. I'm sorry. I could have just called a cab. You didn't have too-"

"It's no big deal." He said softly, "I've been fine."

Lorelai nodded, "Well my Mom just went up to bed...and I checked in on my Dad. I think everything's all set here. Are you ready?"

"Sure." He said with a smile as he walked around the couch, "Wanna grab your coat?"

Lorelai nodded, "Sure. I'll meet you out at the truck."

Luke smiled and went outside to start the old truck in hopes of warming it up a bit. After a few minutes, Lorelai came out and climbed into the truck beside him. She smiled warmly and strapped on her seatbelt. "Thanks for doing this…"

He shook his head, "No problem at all. All set?"

She nodded her head, "All set."

Luke put the car in drive and started to make his way down the driveway. They were barely down the street when he turned to talk to her. But he noticed her body was still and her breath was coming in slow and even pants. He smiled when he saw that she had fallen asleep. He had no doubt she was beyond exhausted these days. He decided it was best to let her just sleep…

When he finally pulled up in front of her house, he put the car in park and got out of the truck. Opening her door slowly, she stirred and her eyes fluttered open, "Hm?"

"Hey…" He whispered softly, "I'm sorry to wake you up but we're home."

She looked up and saw her house, "Home."

He smiled and put a hand on her arm, "Yeah. Come on. Let's get you inside."

She rubbed at her eyes, "I fell asleep?"

He nodded and helped her down from the seat, "Yeah. You must be pretty tired. It's okay. You can go right on up to bed."

She didn't even fight it when he wrapped his arm around her and led her towards the porch. He helped her up the stairs and waited for her to unlock the door. Walking her into the foyer, he noticed that the house was very quiet and empty.

"You gonna be okay?" He asked rubbing her arm affectionately.

She curled her hair behind her ear and smiled, "Yeah. Yeah I'm good. Just going to go to sleep."

He nodded once, "Sure. Alright. You'll call if you need anything?"

She smiled sadly, "Probably not…"

He let out a sad breath, "Lorelai…" She cut him off when her arms quickly wrapped around his shoulders. He gasped when he felt her pressed against his chest; she nuzzled the side of his face and breathed him in. It took him a moment, but when he finally came to his senses, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close, "Hey…" He whispered, "What's this?"

She sniffled softly and pulled away, "Thank you for being you."

Luke smiled, "Who else would I be?"

She laughed slightly and wiped at her eyes, "I don't know. All I know is I'm really glad to have you in my life Luke Danes."

His heart swelled in his chest as he lifted a hand to wipe away her tears, "I'm really glad to have you in my life too Lorelai Gilmore."

Feeling the heat rise between them, she quickly too a step back and smiled nervously, "Goodnight Luke."

"Goodnight." He said giving her a soft smile as she turned and walked towards the stairs.

He waited until he heard her bedroom door close before turning to walk back out of the house. He checked and double-checked that the door was locked before closing it behind him and walking to his truck. When he got to the door of the truck, he paused and looked up at the house again. Her bedroom light was on and suddenly she appeared in the window. Her dark hair contrasted with her beautiful pale skin and it took all his strength not to bust through the door and up to her bedroom. He had wanted so badly to kiss her just now. Not that he hadn't wanted to do that a million times before…

But that shift between them seemed to be growing stronger by the day. He just couldn't figure out how she felt about it. He saw her lift her hand slowly and wave. He waved back and watched as she began to pull on the curtains to ward off the moonlight. Taking a deep breath, he turned and climbed back into the truck trying his best to not worry about what came next.

So what did you think? Part 2 will be up as soon as I get some time to write it. Thanks guys!