Well well well look who's back. I decided to write this on a whim, basically I couldn't sleep last night and got up to write although I have had something in mind for a while. I wanted to write a fic based from the current season as opposed to the past which I usually do. Anyway I hope you all enjoy it as much as I like writing it. Luke and Lorelai stories are always fun for me to write, they say a change is sometimes better than a break and I completley agree.

Let me know what you think of this fic so I know whether to continue with it. At the minute I have a few things in mind for it though but other idea's are welcomed and appreciated!

1 - Five year stranger

It was a cold December day in Stars Hollow, Kirk was walking the streets with his laptop trying to find a wireless network so he could start up a global wrapping paper business on ebay ; Miss Patty was eyeing up the new postman, Taylor was shouting at snowball-throwing kids in the street and Luke was, as usual working in the diner.

It was a normal day in Stars Hollow right up until the yellow cab pulled up outside the diner and the familiar, yet not-so-familiar woman stepped out with her camera in hand and copper hair blowing in the cool Connecticut wind.

'Five years and it still hasn't changed' Rachel thought as she eyed her surroundings, the town square hadn't changed except for the seasonal festive decoration which could now be seen all around. However the Christmas tree was a decidedly crooked which made her wonder if Taylor was still running things. Turning around she looked inside the diner and unsurprisingly there was Luke serving a customer and she wondered how he'd changed in five years.

When the bell above the diner door rung out Luke didn't seem to notice, months earlier he would have casually glanced up to see if it was her…but now he seemed to have drowned the sound out. The diner looked like it had had a makeover in the past five years although she'd have to check about that one because the words makeover and Luke didn't exactly go hand-in-hand.

"What can I…" he started to say a few minutes later when he was back behind the counter but trailed off when he glanced up and realised who was sitting across from him.

"Hey stranger"

"Rachel…hi" he said in barely a whisper as he processed her presence. 'Why is she here?' Rachel looked the same as he remembered, soft brown eyes and long hair which lay around her shoulders. There was no wedding ring so he assumed she hadn't married, or maybe she had been, and like him divorced within five years.

"You remember me, I'm touched" she joked. 'No ring…guess he never married'

"I could say the same" he countered.

"I was working for a magazine in Hartford, thought I'd stop by the old hood" she explained as if reading his thoughts. Luke had aged since she'd last seen him, his face seemed to have more creases, especially around the eyes and it looked like he hadn't been getting much sleep lately. The baseball cap was new too, it had a weird logo on the front…she didn't like it but she was sure she would tell him later. The flannel was still there though, that made her smile because no matter how long she left for she could always count on Luke for a constant.

"You don't need a reason" he muttered.

"I know"

"It's good to see you" he said, surprising himself by how true the words were and how easily they came out. Last time she had breezed through his doors after years of absence he'd barely been able to get a word out, but then again, a lot had changed. A lot had changed in five years, well a lot but nothing at the same time.

"You too"

"How long are you staying ?"

"I'm not sure. I have no jobs on right now so as long as I want I guess" Rachel answered casually. Truthfully she had just broken up with someone and needed some time to herself, Stars Hollow seemed the best place to escape.

"Where are you staying?"

"That has yet to be decided. I saw a sign for the Dragonfly Inn so I guess I could see if they have a room available" Rachel replied and noticed a split second change in Luke's facial expression as she spoke, even years later and she felt she still knew him by heart.

"They'll be booked through the holidays. You can stay here if you want" he quickly said, somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of Rachel and Lorelai being around each other for any long amount of time. The whole town knew him and Lorelai had broken up, he didn't want Rachel finding out any specific details in fear that she'd want him to discuss it. All he wanted now was to stop being reminded of it and the less he heard about her and him the better.

"Are you sure it won't be weird. I mean if you're seeing someone…" she started, curious to see whether there was someone else in the picture.

"I'm not seeing anyone so it's fine, there's a lot more space than the last time you were here so there's a spare bed"

"Really?"

"I bought the building next door and knocked down the wall between the apartments" he explained as he refilled another customer's mug with coffee down the counter from her.

"Well I hope you still kept those curtains" Rachel smiled remembering Luke's very feminine looking curtains from years past. At that comment Luke couldn't help but crack a small grin when he remembered the teasing from years past about his taste in home decor.

It didn't take long for Rachel to make herself at home, within an hour she was behind the counter serving customers like she'd done it everyday in life. News of Rachel's return spread through town like wildfire, many townspeople showing up at the diner to see for themselves that it was true. The big question on all of their minds, 'Was this Luke moving on?' closely followed by 'How long was she staying?' and a silent hope that Luke wouldn't get his heart broken again.


Hours later…

Rachel wiped the tables down, well experienced to the routine of closing up the diner after years of being with the habitual creature also known as Luke. They hadn't spoken much that day, the diner had been busier than she could ever remember, however she had a feeling that Miss Patty spreading the word of her return throughout town had something to do with that. Rachel hoped that her and Luke could talk later that night about what he had been up to the past few years, from the rumblings in the diner she knew some things had changed, apparently big. First question she wanted answering was what was happening in April?

Lorelai and Rory walked through the townsquare on their way back from Weston's where they'd enjoyed many cups of coffee along with a selection of pie to celebrate their last evening together before Rory left for London. It would be the first Christmas that they would be apart and Lorelai was not liking the change at all.

They hadn't got past the gazebo before they were stopped in the street by Taylor who seemed determined to blame Lorelai for the recent fight between Luke and Christopher in the town's square, even though she hadn't been anywhere near it.

"I hope you had a word to that husband of yours about his behaviour"

"I did, he's grounded for a month and I took away his allowance" Lorelai deadpanned as she crossed her arms across her chest and glanced at Rory was trying not to laugh. Truthfully the situation was anything but funny, her and Christopher had gotten into a pretty nasty argument over the whole thing and it still wasn't resolved. Whenever they fought it seemed Christopher just stormed out of the house, usually returning late and in a less-than-sober state, which just caused them to argue more.

"You think this is funny Lorelai, take a look at that tree. Does that look straight to you? I've had three people trying to fix it so it sits at ninety degrees again but no matter what it still looks crooked" Taylor ranted.

Lorelai humored Taylor and looked over at the tree with a look of amusment, as did Rory. Although when she found her eyes moving in the direction of the diner as they often did she quickly became disinterested in the tree and squinted a little when she saw Luke grinning at someone who stood with their back to the window. It was a woman but she didn't recognize who it was from people in town.

"I hope Rachel can knock some sense into that Luke one too" Taylor grumped, interrupting Lorelais intense gaze.

"Rachel?" Lorelai barely managed to get out. "…she's back?"

"Well I saw her through my shop window working with Luke in the diner so I think so" Taylor replied, oblivious to how his words had caused Lorelai's chest to constrict sharply causing a deep pain. The pain brought on by the realisation that he was indeed moving on, or at least he looked like it.

TBC

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I also write Lauren Graham/Scott Patterson fics for those of you who don't know, you can find these at the website noted in my profile.