Ease of Darkness

by Oh-no-she-di'ent

This is Luke and Lorelai pre-hookup! Lorelai needs help, and who better to give it to her than mister Diner Man, himself? Story complete and rated M for adult content.

Disclaimer: Still claiming nothing.

Hello, Readers! Posted something for you all. Takes place S2 and stems from episode Secrets and Loans. A lot is different. I took the main circumstance and built my own story around it. Jess doesn't exist here. The rating is *points wildly* --- M! This is complete.

Enjoy, everyone. :) L/L forever baby!!!!!!

It seemed a silly concept, honestly. But who cared about silly when there was potential for success? For completion without cowardice? Lights out. Laughable. Honestly. Nevertheless, the suggestion came, silliness waned, and then there was dark.

Ease of Darkness

Lorelai listened to Rory's laughter and tried to keep the growl from ripping apart her throat.

She suppressed it and kept her expression even. There was no possibility of a smile, so she focused solely on not scowling at her kid. After all, Rory meant no harm. In fact, Lorelai could hardly blame her for laughing the way she did when the image before her almost begged for it.

Lorelai placed all weight on one foot and carefully lifted the other from the steep hole that was now in the center of her porch.

"Told you not to have that second batch of fries at dinner last night," Rory teased. "You killed our porch!"

Lorelai inspected the damage. That longer study did nothing but make that unattractive hole seem much worse. If that was even possible.

"This is great," she muttered. "Just. Great."

Rory finally sobered when she realized that Lorelai was finding the situation a lot less funny than she was.

Serious.

"Mom, this is okay. You know that, right? It's just…I dunno, rotting wood or something. It happens."

Lorelai regarded her. "Wood rot?" she asked warily.

Rory nodded. "Yeah. And it's fixable. Well, anything is fixable, but what I mean is, it's not very expensive to fix."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. Not in an offensive way, but it most certainly displayed her foul mood. Wood rot was possible, but hardly probable. It would be just her luck to have the whole house infested with termites, instead. Her mind always sidled to the worst possibilities first and only went to the hopeful ones after elimination.

Under the circumstances, she hoped for wood rot. Which was exactly why she made plans to call a termite doctor.

With a grimace toward the hole that made the crapshack live unquestioningly up to its name, Lorelai waved Rory toward her, and they both re-entered the house. Worries left her mind with no vacancy. She hoped that they were at least safe for the time being. They would have to be, though, as the thought of gathering necessities and hurrying from the premises like it was Amityville all over again, seemed too ridiculous. But given the lack of time, they didn't plan to be in the house long anyway.

They went to their respective rooms, dressed, primped, met in the foyer, and then left back out.

Rory had school, and Lorelai had a full day ahead at the Independence. But since they hadn't eaten breakfast yet, Luke's diner was first on the schedule. When they arrived, the crowd was relatively thick, but Lorelai and Rory found a table near the window.

"What about Overboard?"

They sat at the same time, and Lorelai pulled the chair closer to the table as she considered Rory's suggestion. "I'm pretty sure Kurt and Goldie had a romance before then."

"Really?" Rory questioned.

Lorelai looked up while thinking. "Since Swing Shift, I believe. That came out first, right? Whichever came out first, then that's it."

Rory nodded. "It was Swing Shift," she realized.

Lorelai smiled and opened the menu, which she had memorized. "Man, I'm good."

"That, you are. When it comes to celebs and their stemmed-from-the-set romances, you're the best."

With only a quick survey, Lorelai closed the menu back and asked, "What are you in the mood for this morning? Sausage biscuit? Some sort of grand slam creation? Or do you want to forget all influences and go with something more heart-friendly like oatmeal or fruit?"

Rory sighed. "Got a pretty busy day ahead. It's probably best to load up with grease, so I'll go with A and B. Forget about C until I hit the mid-century mark. My luck's decent. I'll probably make it."

Lorelai mentally did the math. Rory's breakfast, alone, would take more than half the cash she had on her, and she still planned to use part of that money for her own lunch visit later in the day. With the recent home repair on her plate, she knew it was time to start watching funds even more. If anyone were going to sacrifice, it'd definitely be her. Rory would never have to. She nodded at Rory's breakfast choice and announced hers. Her internal calculator showed numbers that made her keep it as low as possible without drawing questions from her overly observant kid.

"Coffee for me. And maybe a bagel. I don't feel very hungry, so I'll go with the bare minimum."

Rory looked more worried than anything else. "That's going to hold you over?"

"It'll do," she answered simply. To keep from making too much eye contact, her attention went to the counter. "I guess Luke's forgotten about us over here." She searched for a moment. "Where is he at anyway?"

"Right here. What're you two havin'?"

Lorelai jumped in her chair and whipped her head around to face him. He had appeared on the other side of her. "Hey, Houdini, you mind not terrifying your customers?" Her hand was now over her fast-beating heart.

Luke greeted Rory with a nod. She smiled. He turned attention to Lorelai. "I was right over there," he said pointing to an adjacent table. "Thought you saw me."

She passed him her menu. "A near heart attack means breakfast is on the house, right?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure whatever your order is will finish whatever I just started. So, no."

"Whatever happened to the customer is always right?"

"I can imagine it's off bankrupting a business somewhere. In here, what I say goes."

"Imperious operation you have here."

"And yet it's survived you, so I must be doing something right."

"Damn, blindsided. En garde, Luke. The term is en garde. Let me know next time you have a sword pointed toward my skull."

He smiled. "Think I like the sneak attack more. I actually have a chance of coming out on top."

Lorelai winked at Rory who was looking at both of them with an amused smile. But she spoke to Luke still. "Keep your hopes at ground level, okay? Don't want to have too big a mess to clean up when that delusional bubble of yours bursts."

"Only coffee you pay for is one I have to put in a to-go cup. Keep this up, and you'll be paying for all coffee consumed. Ready to gamble with Rory's tuition?"

"Blackmail is so not the way to go."

"But it works. I aim for success."

"Your aim is off. And it's in bad taste. Why would you go to such an ugly place, Luke? You're better than that."

"No, I'm not either. And I say that with no shame whatsoever."

"So, I guess now you expect me to fold?"

"With coffee on the line, there's no doubt in my mind you will."

"Damn you."

Again, he smiled. "En garde?"

She rolled her eyes. "Now the courtesy."

"I think I see victory."

"Open your eyes wider."

"Twenty-twenty is showing me a finish line."

"You're not supposed to be so good at this." She fought a smile… fought looking at him so that she could continue to fight the smile.

"Could it be? Am I beating out the great Gilmore mind?"

"Your bubble is rising," she warned. "Watch the altitude."

"Continued free coffee going once…"

"I think Dave Edmunds said it best. I hear you knocking but--"

"Twice."

"Impenetrable to the core, baby. Don't even think of beating--"

"Well, guess you made your choi--"

"Okay, okay. I'm still ahead, and I'm stopping. I'm stopping right now," she gave in.

Luke smiled in an easy manner. "And I'm still on top?"

"Consider yourself the luckiest cheerleader in the pyramid."

He pulled out his pad and got ready to take down their orders. His satisfaction was on display. "Ready to order?"

Lorelai's lips spread even through her words. "You suck, you know that?"

His nod was carefree. "Do you guys want your usual?"

Lorelai pointed at Rory. "Go ahead, Hon."

Rory finally spoke up. Her exaggerated eye roll told Lorelai that she didn't appreciate being forgotten at the table. Luke wrote down the order that she called out to him. She ordered everything that Lorelai already knew she'd order plus a large coffee and two doughnuts to take with her on the bus. Lorelai only smiled.

Luke gestured at her with his chin. "And what about you?"

She shifted. "Bagel with a little cream cheese. And of course you know my beverage of choice."

His brow lifted at the mention of a bagel, but he wrote it down anyway. "Okay. What else?"

She formed a smile and looked up at him. "And uh…have a nice day."

He paused. "That's all you're gonna order?"

"Yes, Luke. Because that's all I want."

Luke's eyes went to Rory. "She sick?" he asked her.

"No, healthy as a horse. Struck me as odd too. But we did kind of overdo it last night, so maybe she--"

"Mountain out of a molehill, guys. I'm fine. Everything's fine. So what if my appetite is a bit scaled today?" She regarded Luke. "You have our orders, now skedaddle, mister."

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked with concern.

She created another smile. "I would be if you had a coffee pot in your hand."

Luke shrugged. "I guess there really is a first time for everything." He walked away from the table, and Lorelai sighed in appreciation.

"You're going to be so hungry in like five minutes. Just wait and see," said Rory.

Lorelai smiled at that. She was pretty damn hungry now. "Then I guess I'll have to pick off of your plate," she teased.

Rory's innocent eyes widened. "You're welcome to, ya know."

Lorelai's mood turned serious when she realized Rory didn't take her words for the joke they were intended as. "No, Rory, you eat your own food, I'll eat mine, and in the meantime we can pick another focus point." She took a breath. "I need caffeine."

Rory still looked at her. She wore a blank expression, which Lorelai knew meant she was deep in thought. She chose to ignore it though. Rory pointed. "Caffeine coming up," she murmured.

Lorelai watched Luke set a mug in front of both her and Rory. Then, came her bagel. "Bon appétit," he stated plainly. He filled both cups then left again.

Lorelai took a sip of black coffee, and then her eyes moved over her breakfast. Her stomach growled. Not in hunger. More in protest. An outcry at what was to come. She glanced at Rory then picked up her knife to spread cream cheese over the stiff bread. "Yummy," she muttered.

Rory shook her head. "Almost makes me want to trade out my buttermilk pancakes."

Lorelai ignored the way her mouth watered at that more appealing imagery. She took a bite of her bagel. "How much time do we have before your bus?"

"About half an hour," answered Rory. "Why? Don't tell me you need more time for your breakfast." She lowered her head and mumbled, "The ultimate penny saving meal."

Lorelai glanced around their table. She wanted to ignore whatever was brewing in her daughter's mind. Experience had told her that Rory was never too far off the mark, and in situations like this, all it did was cause frustration. She was the mother. And she wanted all problems to remain hers. Rory's IQ wasn't always a good thing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she found herself asking.

Rory sighed. "This is about the hole from this morning, isn't it?"

Lorelai's answer came fast. She hated that she'd cleared a path for the conversation. "No, it's not. You and I agreed that it was a simple problem. Rotting wood, remember? Now, eat your food."

Rory's tone was stiff. "I don't have any food yet."

"Then, drink your coffee."

"You didn't agree with me either, Mom. You're probably expecting the worst, so I guess it makes sense that you'd start with immediate budget cuts."

Lorelai laid her sad bagel half on the saucer. "Rory." Her tone let her know that the subject—one that had barely gotten up off the ground—was now closed.

Rory crossed her arms. "I don't think you should starve yourself in order to--"

"Rory, stop." Lorelai had glanced to her right and saw Luke walking over with an overflowing steaming plate of food. She relaxed the stern look on her face as he set the plate in front of Rory.

He didn't notice any tension at all. "You need anything else?" he asked Rory.

She shook her head. "No, thanks." Her eyes suddenly rose to her mom, and Lorelai recognized the look there. One that usually led to some sort of unneeded but well-intentioned act. She rolled her eyes away before Rory even spoke the words. "Um, actually Luke, can you cancel my to-go order? I'm not as hungry as I thought."

"Yes, she is. Don't cancel the order. In fact, bring it over here now, please," countered Lorelai.

"Mom--"

Lorelai spoke over her. "Luke," she called with clenched teeth. She gave him a look that showed who the mother was at the table and therefore, whose directions he needed to follow. "Don't cancel the order," she said again more calmly. She looked away from him and back over to Rory. "Now, eat your breakfast. You've got school."

Rory rolled her eyes to her plate. "You're overreacting," she mumbled.

"And I maintain the right to do that," Lorelai said when those mumbled words made it over to her loud and clear.

Luke looked between the two of them. "Did I walk over in the middle of something here?"

Lorelai lowered her eyes back to her meager breakfast. "Nope. You're right at the end of it," she answered.

Rory shook her head. "Yeah, guess you are," she added.

He glanced back and forth once more. "O-kay, then." He pointed toward the counter. "Yell if you guys need anything."

Two nods sent him on his way.

There was quiet for long seconds. Rory picked at her delicious smelling food while Lorelai tried to make the best of hers. She blinked toward the table. A soft exhale led to a quietly uttered, "Rory."

"It's okay, Mom. Don't worry about it."

Lorelai looked up. "I wasn't going to apologize," she responded. Rory met her eyes. "I need you to trust me to handle things. To take care of us. You're my kid, so be my kid. Let me be the worrier. Let me do things my way. I love that you try to help, but these kinds of problems are my problems." Her look softened. "I need for you to stand down, okay?"

Rory's eyes fell to her food. She spoke after a moment. "Fine. I'll act oblivious and add to the problem instead of helping with the burden."

Lorelai nodded. "That's all I ask."

Rory smiled a bit, and then glanced across the table. "You want a bite of my pancake?"

Lorelai winked. "You eat up, Sweets. Sookie'll take care of me when I hit the inn."

Rory appeared to relax as she remembered Lorelai's easy access to excellent cuisine. She smiled and nodded before finally cutting into her stack of pancakes and bringing the loaded fork to her mouth like a true Gilmore.

"At a girl," Lorelai commended. She looked over toward the counter. "Hey, Luuuucas!" she sang out.

He met her eyes with a scowl. "When I told you to yell, I didn't mean that quite so literally."

Lorelai smiled bright. "How about those doughnuts? They aren't gonna bag themselves!"

He rolled his eyes away and to another customer. Lorelai turned her amusement back to Rory. "One day, Sweetie, you'll be able to have this kind of control on the opposite sex." She pointed a thumb at Luke who wasn't paying her any attention whatsoever. "Years and years of training!" she bragged.

Rory chuckled.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai took a long lunch.

She took extra time away from the inn and met Kirk at her house. Many jobs covered his résumé, so she wasn't the least bit surprised when she called the termite experts and got him on the line. They agreed on an inspection time and confirmed the price, which Lorelai had no problems with. Free. Inspection was free. She only wished that extermination ran at the same rate. But she held out luck that Rory's diagnosis would win out.

A bagel-filled life wasn't something she cared to be associated with.

She sat on her porch steps with her arms hugging her knees while Kirk did his job.

She wasn't much for praying, but she found herself doing just that. While at work, she hit the internet and got an idea of how much termite service could cost. What she saw made her close her eyes and the webpage immediately.

No way could she afford it.

She spent all day twiddling her thumbs. It came down to a few simple words from a professional termite inspector. It came down to Kirk.

He approached her on the step after he'd spent half an hour digging around under her house. She looked up at him with bright, hopeful eyes.

"Good news?" she asked him.

He had on his serious face. "Well…maybe for the company I work for," he answered. His following words dealt the blow she wished to avoid. "You have termites."

Lorelai groaned and lowered her head into her arms. "Oh no," she whispered.

He went on. "Lots of them. Millions. Termites are a populous species. They come in droves. And just eat and eat and eat until--"

"What does this mean?" Dollar amounts from earlier came back to her, and a pain shot through her stomach. "How bad is it? I mean, money-wise."

Kirk gave her the sympathetic look of a businessman doing his job. He didn't break character at all. Not while in uniform. "It's pretty bad," he replied. "Fifteen, maybe twenty--"

"Oh my god." Her tone told him to stop. She was suddenly wishing for the price from the internet. She looked down at the ground and took a couple of deep breaths as she worked to digest the new information. Her voice was more normal when she spoke again. "Can we stay in the house? Is it safe?"

Kirk looked up at the two-story home before him. He shrugged. "I don't see why not. Shouldn't give way just yet."

Lorelai rolled her eyes from his face. She pulled herself to her feet and told him she appreciated him coming by. And with a promise to be in touch, she sent him away. She stood on the top step and watched his company truck get smaller and smaller as it left her yard. At the end of her driveway, Kirk broke character and waved at her like the friend he was. She smiled a little and waved back. When he was gone, Lorelai walked down one step and dropped back to the porch. With her knees at her chest, she brought both elbows there and covered her eyes with her hands.

The weight of her emotions bogged her down. She imagined the weight of the world couldn't be much worse.

She had no options. None that was good enough. But she did have a kid who relied on her and depended on her to always make a way. It hurt so much to think of letting Rory down.

The weight of the world definitely couldn't be much worse.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered while fighting tears.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

When the bell rang, Lorelai walked over and opened the front door. She smiled. "Come in," she said.

Luke's eyes were locked on hers, and they stayed there as he walked past her. The question came before he could stop it. "Have you been crying?" She dipped her head and turned to close the door. His genuine worry is the only thing that kept him from cursing himself in that moment.

She turned back and stuck her hands in her back pockets. She looked along the floor, keeping her eyes low. "Uh, just had, um…you know, something in my…" She circled her eyes with her finger, and then finally looked at him. To avoid telling a flat-out lie, she stopped talking. She sighed and watched his eyes scan hers. "I have to talk to you about something," she said quietly.

He nodded. "I figured that's why you called," he replied.

She pointed to the living room then walked past him. With a quick check to her right, she made sure that Rory was still in her room with the door closed. She'd been doing homework and then had decided to turn in early. It wasn't entirely normal for her to go to bed before ten, so Lorelai wanted to make sure she was still out.

Luke followed her to the couch.

"You okay?" he asked with concern.

She sat and he did too.

She nodded at his question and lowered her eyes, which had a tendency to give her away so easily. "I'm okay."

Luke looked down too. He wished she would trust him enough not to lie. Not to tell him she was fine and dandy when it was so obvious she wasn't. He tightened his jaw. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

She looked up. "Did you see my porch?" she asked.

"The one I walked on to get inside the house? Sure." He studied her. "Why'd you have a big bucket in the middle of it?"

She smiled. He was referring to the upside down pail that covered the hole from earlier. It wasn't a genius cover-up, but it worked without creating a booby trap. A towel was her first idea, but the thought of an unsuspecting soul walking onto it anyway made her cringe. She could think of a better way to get laughs without breaking someone's neck in the process.

"The bucket is kind of the reason I need to speak with you."

"Okay. I'm… here to talk about a bucket. Makes perfect sense so far."

She looked back toward Rory's room again. More in distraction that time. Finding that they were still alone, she faced Luke and focused on her breathing.

"Lorelai?"

Quiet. Then a headshake. She stared down at her fingers, which she pulled and twisted.

"Lorelai?" he called louder.

"Give me a minute."

He couldn't exactly will himself to do that when she was acting so strange. "A minute for what? What's wrong?"

"A minute, Luke. Please."

"Okay, fine." Ten seconds went by with him looking wide-eyed from her bowed head to her hands. "Are you okay? Should I be worried? Are you sick?" His oxygen seemed to get cut off. "Is s-something wrong with Rory?" he asked while about to rise in panic.

Her hand came out to stop him. "No, nothing like that," she answered quickly. She sighed. "Involves a bucket, remember?"

He rubbed his forehead as his heart slowed. "Well, considering who I'm talking to, I have to remember that a bucket may be symbolic or something. Thought for a second you were about to tell me about somebody kicking it."

She smiled a real smile. But she met his eyes, and her nerves caused it to go away. "I need to ask you for something." He nodded encouragingly. "Something huge."

"Okay. Go ahead."

Her eyes started to water at her need to do this. If he said no, then she'd have no other choice but to go to her parents. Only option after that was homelessness. That wouldn't be such a terrible thing if it weren't for Rory. Anything was better than going to Emily and Richard for help.

"I've considered every option, Luke. It's not like I have many, but I'm not doing this lightly. I hate to come to you for this."

"Lorelai," he interrupted before she could say anything else. "I don't need you to explain anything to me. Just say what you need to say."

She felt tears coming. "If only it were that easy," she whispered to herself.

Luke was really growing worried. "Lorelai?" he called more urgently than before.

She closed her eyes and kept the water there hidden. Time was taken to process, to build up nerve, and finally that time led to lost nerve. "I can't do this," she revealed.

"Do what?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Luke. Just forget…this. Forget I asked you over here."

He frowned. "You can't be serious."

She opened her eyes to him. "I'm so sorry."

He rolled his eyes and stood up. "This is ridiculous," he muttered. He stalked around her.

She followed him with wide eyes. "What are you…?" Her voice faded when she saw him head for the front door. She got up and hurried behind him. She tried to stop him, but it was no use. By the time she made it to the open door, he was standing over the large hole with the bucket in his hands. It was dark out. The inside light stretched across him and the yard. Lorelai leaned onto the doorframe in defeat.

With a studious expression, she watched him press on the area with his shoe. He looked at her, and her eyes went to his. "What happened here?" he asked.

She shrugged weakly. "Sledgehammer?" she joked with no smile. He looked at her, waiting for her to get past the game. "Bruce Lee-style karate chops?" He looked back down to the hole when part of the wood started to creak under his weight. Lorelai reached out and grabbed his wrist. Reflex. "Get off of that." She pulled him back inside the house and closed the door.

When she turned to him, he was looking down at her. "You want to tell me what the hell is going on?" he asked. His eyes were intense. Anxious. Protective.

She stared up at him unblinking before she shook her head, no. "I can't," she responded quietly.

"What do you mean you can't? Lorelai, you--"

"It's just hard," she explained. She looked down and sighed. "My nerve…when it comes to this sort of thing isn't that strong to begin with…and having to…" She gestured out blindly. "It's hard."

He frowned. "Having to what?"

She glanced at him but only ended up looking down again. "Be put on the spot. Looked at, stared at." She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes. "I know it's--"

"Is it me?"

She looked at him then. "No. It's me. It's this. It's…what I'm asking. It's just hard enough, Luke. Everything else is…pressure."

"Pressure?" he repeated monotonously.

She considered that, and then nodded once. "Yes. Pressure."

Luke's mind told him to exercise patience. The eye roll that came through was very nearly instinctual. "Well, do you want me to…turn around?" he suggested in mockery.

His brows came together when he saw her actually consider that too. Her eyes moved around then went back to his. "Can we try something else?" she asked.

"Like?"

While looking up at him, her hand went to the wall, and she flipped the light switch there. The living room's light went off. He looked overhead. "What are you doing?" He could still see her because of the staircase light and the ones shining in from outside. Lorelai frowned at that. She turned away.

"One second," she said to him.

"Lorelai," he called after her.

"Just wait," she pleaded.

Luke held his tongue and trudged out of the foyer behind her. Lorelai hurried over near the stairs and hit the switch there. She bolted up the steps and turned off the bedside lamp that she could see had been left on before she ran back down the stairs. Luke was standing near the couch with his thumbs hooked onto his belt loops. She could barely make that out, though. She sighed with relief as she rushed over, flipped the blinds, and closed the curtains. She turned towards where he'd been standing, and realized she couldn't see him at all at that point. The room was pitch dark.

"Where are you?" she asked.

His scowl couldn't be seen. His tone only had attitude, no anger. "Right here."

Lorelai searched out the small table by the window. When she found it, she let it go, realizing how far away the couch was. "Still by the end table?" came her quiet question. For some reason she felt like with no lights, their voices had a better chance of carrying to Rory's room.

She heard him knock into something and curse under his breath. "Yeah," he answered.

Lorelai smiled. She felt so much at ease now. "Be careful," she said to him as she maneuvered smoothly around the couch without hitting anything. She went to stand by the television to avoid running into him. She figured he was feeling around in search of the couch.

He hit something else. "Ow!"

"Luke?"

"I'm fine."

"Please watch where you're going."

He scoffed. "Watch where I'm going. That's funny." He found the sitting area of the couch and sat down quickly before he lost it. "Okay, can you explain what this is about?"

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Just bumped my knee. I'm fine."

"No, with the darkness. Are you okay? Comfortable?"

"As comfortable as I can be not being able to see any-damn-thing." He pointed in the direction of her voice. "Are you okay?"

"Very," she answered simply. He actually felt a great deal of relief at her new tone. She sounded like herself again. She started speaking before he could put that relief into words. Her voice was muted but very clear. "Luke, you've been there for Rory and me on so many different occasions. And you do it without complaint. You've made me so comfortable coming to you. And I don't go to people. It's not who I am. But going to you is like…going to family." She paused. And for the first time since Lorelai had thrown them in darkness, Luke was glad for the invisibility. That was by far the most profound thing she'd ever said to him. She continued by saying, "I don't stress over having to ask you to fix something that I wouldn't be able to get fixed otherwise. That's how comfortable I feel. I love that. I love that feeling and that trust. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

He dropped his head. Ducked away from her reverence. "Yeah, I think so."

"I'm not bragging over all the freebies."

"I know."

"I've never taken advantage of the help you give. And I never would."

"I know that, too."

"I'd pay you, Luke. I'd pay you a million times more than the highest paid professional if I could afford to." He just nodded. Something she couldn't see in the dark living room. "You're worth that and more," she ended.

He shut his eyes at the weight of emotion. "Lorelai, where are you going with this?"

She took a breath. "I have to ask you for the biggest favor I've ever asked you for. And I need you to push aside the history you and I share of you fixing all my problems. I want you to take it in, sit on it for as long as you need to, and then give me your answer. Because I'm not coming to you as a friend. I can't come to you as friend on this. It's too big."

"Big enough to have us sitting in the dark?"

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I can talk like this. If I can't see you, then it's easier."

"Thanks."

She smiled. "But I can hear you. Your voice, I mean. And that helps."

"Being able to hear me?"

"Yeah."

Luke rarely understood her. It was commonplace. "If you say so."

Lorelai braced herself. "The thing is…I have termites." She paused for his reaction, and there was no outburst like she was expecting. He spoke in a normal voice when he did open his mouth.

"Figured it was something like that."

She gasped. "What? When?"

"I dunno. A minute ago, two minutes ago. Just kinda came together. I'm not an idiot, you know."

"I know you're not."

He looked around at blackness. "How bad is it?"

She answered honestly. "It's horrible."

"How much is it gonna cost to fix?"

"I don't know for sure. Kirk gave a rough estimate."

"Kirk?"

"He's the one who came out. If you call any business in Stars Hollow nowadays, you run the chance of getting serviced by Kirk."

"You had Kirk digging around under your house?"

"He looked very professional while doing it."

"You may want to get a second opinion."

"Oh, with the numbers he gave me, I plan to," she assured.

"What kind of figures did he give?"

"Base was fifteen. Do you happen to know a Rockefeller?"

"Sorry, fell outta touch. Guess favors are out." He rubbed his head. "Fifteen thousand?"

"Start price. And god only knows how rough it is. I'm hoping sandpaper will make it prettier."

There was a small silence before Luke spoke. "You need fifteen thousand dollars." He said it like a statement.

Lorelai talked over her increasing heartbeat. She didn't want to even think of how much worse it'd be if she were looking at him. "I need a loan," she countered quietly. "And I called around. I called everywhere. But apparently, loans and collateral go hand-in-hand. I'm not a risk anyone's interested in taking."

Luke thought for a moment. "Could be more than fifteen, right?"

"Much more."

He sighed. "You're about to get mad, so brace yourself."

Lorelai smiled sadly. She hadn't asked him anything yet, but it was pretty obvious what she had been about to ask of him. "I won't get mad, Luke."

"You promise?"

"I hate that you would think I'd get angry with you." There was always the possibility that he'd say no. It was, after all, a very big favor. It was like asking him to buy her a car. He had every right to turn her down. She cringed as she realized what her final option was. One that would leave yet another debt to the Gilmores.

"You won't argue with me?"

"Of course I won't," she stated humbly.

Luke clasped his hands. "Well, in that case, I don't need to sit on anything. The money is yours. However much you need, just let me know, and I'll write a check. The sooner, the better. So, if you're gonna get that second opinion, do it fast."

Lorelai's jaw dropped. Then, she shook her head. "No, Luke. No! That's not how--"

"You promised, Lorelai. You said you wouldn't argue!"

"That's when I thought you were going to turn me down."

"I don't care. You promised."

"You didn't think about it. Do you have any idea how huge this is?"

"Yes! Huge enough to have your floor eaten away underneath your feet. What exactly is there to think about?"

Lorelai's sigh told of her exhaustion. Her frantic thoughts managed to allow logic more room to fester. She was much more comfortable being steered by emotion. While she did want and need the money from Luke, emotion wouldn't just let him agree to fork over thousands of dollars without thought. Emotion wouldn't. But logic, apparently, had no problems being a parasite. As she thought on it, she realized that this was the outcome she had hoped for. He'd said yes. The consuming logic asked her in disturbing condescension what the problem was exactly. For that, she didn't have an answer.

"You're doing this as a friend, aren't you?" she asked him quietly.

He paused. "If I say yes, will you not take the money?"

She didn't answer that because she knew she still would. Her situational desperation knocked her pride on its ass. "Listen Luke…friend or no friend, whatever you lend me, I plan to pay every penny back with interest. Every single cent," she promised.

He rolled his eyes at that. "Whatever will make you accept my help, Lorelai." He stared in her direction and envisioned her eyes. He knew the shade exactly. Her words, tone, and emotive state told him they were cerulean right then. Wide pupils offset by that beautiful shade. "Is this settled now?" he asked.

"Well…I guess. I have to make it official, though. I'll have some papers ready by tomorrow."

"I don't need all that legal stuff."

"I do."

He finally looked away from her general direction. "Like I said, whatever will move this along."

Lorelai nodded, swallowed. Her eyes flashed to the window where the tiniest bit of light shined through the blinds. It hit pieces of the table that sat there.

"Are we finished here?" Luke asked when her silence stretched out.

Lorelai blinked and looked toward the couch. "Yeah, we are," she said trying to fight surprise. The whole thing had been way too easy. "Thank you, Luke." She paused. "You saved my life. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you."

He nodded with modesty. "You're welcome," he said softly.

Lorelai took a heavy breath, and Luke heard her shuffle her feet. "Feel lighter now," she said in a half-whisper.

"What?"

She smiled. "An elephant was sitting on my chest. I feel like he's gotten up."

Luke shook his head at the mental picture. "Guess that's good."

"It's great." Her voice was so casual, and it didn't cover a fourth of the relief and gratitude she felt. "If you want something from me…anything at all, now is so the time to ask. If you need a kidney, you've got it. If you're an illegal alien, and you need to take a wife I'll…well, I don't know if I could really help you ou--" She waved away her trepidation on the subject. "No, screw all my hang-ups, you've got that too. You'd be stuck with me forever. Good luck with that, by the way. If--"

"I don't need a wife, Lorelai, but thank you. And my organs are fine."

She shrugged. "Let me know if you change your mind. I'd do just about anything for you," she told him openly.

Luke was quiet as he let that sink in. He found a problem with her revelation. "…Because I lent you money," he stated plainly. He meant it as a question.

Lorelai took no notice of the defensiveness in his words. She answered as if his question was nothing to consider at all. "Well, that's what you did, yes. But no, that's not it. I meant you. Luke Danes. The man behind the checkbook. I doubt you want me to start listing reasons. It'd take more time than I have, and I know you don't have a crimson color strong enough to withstand it."

He held up a hand in the dark room. "Okay, I'll take your word for it. Forget I asked." He breathed easier at that explanation while hating that he'd even questioned her character.

He heard her move, and seconds later, her voice came from the chair off to the side of the couch. She was sitting there. "Nothing you need?" she asked to be sure.

"Nothing I need," he answered.

"And nothing you want?" she followed. There was quiet on Luke's end. Lorelai chuckled. "Hmmmm, could I have struck something gold-like?"

Luke rolled his eyes at the tease in her voice. "I was thinking about the lights," he remarked. "Lights would be nice."

Lorelai nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think it's weird that I wanted them out?"

"No."

"Really?" she asked in surprise. She was sure he'd answer differently.

"I can see why it'd be easier to talk about something that's hard this way."

She smiled. "So, I'm not weird?"

"You're very weird."

"Well, at least you found a compassionate way to break the news."

He smiled. "…But it's not because of this."

She nodded at his playful words and relaxed at his approval. "Do you wanna go?"

"Go where?"

She rolled her eyes, smiled. "To Heaven for the weather…"

He picked it up with annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, and Hell for the company. And when I get back?"

Lorelai's smile spread and she leaned on her knees toward him. She leaned toward his voice. "Do you have something that you want to say?" she specified.

His tone was incredulous. "Like what?"

"Anything. Anything you wouldn't be able to say face-to-face with someone."

He smirked and the darkness hid every bit of it. "No. Other than you're crazy. But I have no problems telling you that under a light bulb too so…"

She chuckled. "Now's your chance."

"To do what? Spill my deep dark secrets?" he mocked.

"Deep dark…shallow and sunny. It all works for me."

He shook his head. "I'm okay. Thanks."

She rocked lightly from side-to-side. "Do you want me to go again?"

He paused. "You have something else you want to talk about?"

"Not really. But I'm creative. I do great on the spot."

"Admirable."

"Watch me work--"

"Just give me a second to switch on my night vision here."

She smiled. "Can I just ask you…do you think you'd be happier if Rory and I never moved to Stars Hollow?"

The lack of light couldn't even hide his frown. It was clearer in his voice than any place else. "What?"

"It seems to me like I bug you a lot. Would you be happier if I'd never come into your life? You can be honest with me."

"That's crazy."

"Why is it crazy?"

He rolled his eyes. "No. The answer is no," he stated bluntly.

Lorelai's smile was instant. "So, you'd be walking around miserable, not knowing why you're so miserable?"

"Jeez. Something like that, I guess."

There was a pause. "I can't imagine my life without you," she contributed.

He paused, too. "Really?"

She shrugged. "No. I mean, if I did—I'm trying to right now—and if I did, I see pieces missing. Big, important blocks…just gone. It's an ugly picture, on the whole."

He smiled. "Ugly, huh?"

"Incomplete. Or a, uh, work in progress. It's like looking at a puzzle with just the edges put together. And maybe a few stray pieces lying in the center looking for somewhere to fit."

He leaned on his knees, as she was. "What are the edges?"

"I dunno. Rory? It'd make sense for them to be Rory. She's my structure. My foundation."

Luke accepted that understatement. He knew Lorelai's love for Rory could never fully be explained or understood. "But she's not a work in progress, is she?" he asked.

"Well, she kind of is. Only because she still has a ways to go before those wings come in. For all other intents and purposes, she reached perfection a long, long time ago."

"I have to agree with you there."

Lorelai smiled, looked thoughtfully in his direction like she could see him. "So, you can't imagine your life without me either? Without us, I mean," she corrected.

He shook his head easily. "No, I couldn't."

"Can you explain yours?" she asked quietly.

He sighed. "Guess I can't recycle the puzzle thing, huh?"

She chuckled. "No. No plagiarism."

"That's what I figured. Give me a sec."

"Take all the time you need." She counted to five on her fingers. "Done yet?"

"Knew that was coming. And yeah, I think so."

Lorelai focused more. Her eyes were starting to adjust and his shape was becoming clear. "Okay," she said anxiously.

Luke let out a heavy breath and looked toward the floor. "I'm not good at this, so don't laugh."

"I won't." Her tone was serious, but Luke still knew who he was dealing with.

"Yeah, you will, but I'll say it anyway." He paused. "If my life was…a movie, then without you in it…I guess there wouldn't be much of a climax. Wouldn't really be worth watching."

She almost choked on her quiet, "Oh."

"And," he continued. "Rory…well, I don't know how to explain her. I feel honored to just know her, you know. She's a great kid. I've never really thought about kids in a good way, but she's definitely the exception." He smiled. "Guess if she can win me over, she must really be special."

"Um…yeah, she has that affect on people," she followed in distraction.

"I admire you more and more every time I spend even a second with her," he added. "And I think--"

"Okay," Lorelai interrupted with a smile, "you're kind of overwhelming me right now. Give me a moment to process before my head grows too big over here."

Luke smiled and took a breather. "Sorry."

"Ever saw a Gilmore blush?"

His eyes bounced around her dark shape. "Is that what you're doing?"

"I guess you'll never know."

"I do have the ability to turn on the lights, you know."

"Don't you dare."

His eyes rolled back. "Well, I always have my imagination, I suppose."

Lorelai smiled. She linked her fingers repeatedly for a moment before she spoke again. "You really think of me that way? As the…climax," she said softly, "to your story?"

Luke only paused long enough to run his tongue over his lips thoughtfully. "Yeah."

She nodded. "That's a bit intimidating," she confided.

"As intimidating as being the entire middle part of a puzzle?"

"Hm. Good point."

A corner of his mouth turned upward, and he spent seconds just rubbing his palms together. Back and forth. Back and forth. Neither said anything during that time. "Why are you quiet now?" he asked.

"Thinking."

"Oh."

"Do you want to turn on the lights?"

"I'm okay like this," he answered to her surprise. "But if you want to…"

"No, I'm okay, too."

"Okay."

"Luke, why do stay in Stars Hollow? You seem to detest all things that go on here. Why do you choose to live here?"

"Why are you getting to ask all the questions?"

She smiled. "Do you want to ask something?"

"I might."

"Okay, feel free." She paused. "After you answer mine."

"Of course," he grumbled. He leaned on the back of the sofa. "Stars Hollow is home for me," he admitted quietly. "It's where I grew up, and it's all I know." He could feel her eyes on him. "It's also where I feel a connection to my parents." Using two fingers, he rubbed his eyes and went on. "And I don't detest everything. A lot of it I think is pointless and it gets on my nerves, but to be honest, it wouldn't be Stars Hollow without all of it, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. So, there it is."

Lorelai nodded. "I love it here, too."

"I know."

She paused. "Did you ever consider giving it all up for Rachel?"

"Excuse me?"

"Personal?"

After some thought, he answered, "No. Where'd it come from?"

She shrugged noncommittally. She didn't have a whole lot of information to go off of. "She left because Stars Hollow wasn't enough for her. Since you cared for her, did you ever think of making the sacrifice and moving in order to be with her?"

Luke took a heavy breath and moved his eyes slowly through the dark room. It was definitely starting to grow on him. "Of course I did," he admitted. "I wanted to be wherever she was, but at the end of the day…" He shrugged. "I couldn't do it. It would've been me turning my whole life around. I guess…I knew it wasn't the real thing. I dunno. I'd like to think I'd be able to make the sacrifice for somebody. I can't be that damn hopeless."

"Hopelessness is something I feel very familiar with."

"How?"

She smirked. "I'm sorry, were you not there when I ripped out my fiancé's heart and drove over it as I gunned it outta town?"

He sighed. "You're not hopeless, Lorelai. You're just scared," he stated easily.

She frowned and pouted at the same time. "Scared? What do you think I'm scared of?"

"You have to ask? Hell, I don't know. Love? Commitment? Maybe you're just scared of making a mistake and going the distance with someone who isn't the right person."

That time, the frown stood alone. "Well, isn't everybody?"

"I guess."

"You guess?"

He rolled his eyes. "It is scary," he mollified.

"But you…think I'm different from everyone else?" Her question was cautious.

"I think there's nothing wrong with the way you live your life. You do what's best for you and your daughter. Where can you go wrong with that? If some guy who wants to take you off the market ends up getting the short end of the stick, then that's his problem."

She relaxed some with those words. "Harsh, Luke," she teased.

"Yeah, well, so is life."

Lorelai looked down. "Why do you talk to me more than you talk with anyone else?"

"Because you're the only one crazy enough to create a blackout to make it easier," he prodded.

She smiled. "You always have, though," she countered quietly.

Luke stretched his arms out in front of himself. "So…what do you want me to say to that?"

"I don't know. Got an explanation maybe?"

He dropped his hands back to his lap and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I like you more. That what you want to hear?"

Her smile spread. "Well, it's a nice thought."

"What is?"

"That you like me more than everyone else."

He fought the urge to smile. "Guess I can just keep it to myself how the selection isn't all that great, huh?"

She grinned. "Yeah, just keep that part to yourself."

Luke shifted. "Do you like talking to me?"

"I love talking to you."

Silence. "I don't see why."

"Of course you don't. If you did, you wouldn't be you."

"Yeah, I guess not."

Lorelai leaned on the arm of her chair with her elbow. "When I first met you, Luke, you were so nice. Too nice. I was young and always so cautious. I had run across a lot of men who always had an agenda. It was always 'Let me help you with that…Now, can I take you out?' Or 'This is your daughter? She's so cute….Maybe we can hook up sometime'. Always something."

"When you say hook up…?"

She smiled a little. "When you're barely out of diapers yourself and you have a kid, a guy sees that and assumes all he has to do is ask. No hassle. No pretense."

Luke shook his head. "That's sick."

"Try being the one getting the offer ten times a day." Again, Luke shook his head in disgust. Lorelai went on. "But when I met you, you were willing to help me out with different things, and I refused for as long as I could. When I finally took you up on one of your offers, I just kind of held my breath and waited for the other shoe to drop." She paused. "I didn't breathe for two years," she told him.

Luke felt that small silence weigh on him. "Well. Two years with no oxygen going to your brain. That explains a lot."

Lorelai smiled warmly. "I meant what I said. Anything, Luke. Anything at all, just ask, and you've got it."

He closed his eyes and soaked up the sentiment she relayed. When he opened his eyes, he spoke in a gentle voice. "I just want to be there for you, Lorelai. I don't need anything else."

She sighed softly. "I know. But still."

"It's a nice offer, though. And it's brave of you, too. Leaving yourself open like that is very brave. I guess I'm happy you trust me enough to do that."

She scanned his vague shape. "What do you mean?"

"You know, trust me enough not to jump in with requests like those jerks you just talked about," he explained.

"Oh. Well, you're not like that."

"No, I'm not. But you get my point."

"And even if you were, I can imagine you'd approach the topic in a much more appealing manner."

He chuckled. "Yeah. I guess if anyone knows how to dress up being a jackass, it would be me."

Lorelai laughed. She leaned all the way on the chair arm and looked over toward Luke like she really could see him. "Did you ever use a line on a girl?"

"Jeez, have I even had a chance to ask a question yet?"

"You're too slow. Or too chicken. Whichever it is, I beat you to the punch."

He rolled his eyes. "If I had to use a line to get a girl, I'd never have dated anybody."

She chuckled. "You have that much against pick up lines?"

"Can you actually see me saying something stupid like that?"

"Like what?"

"Some kinda crap like 'I lost my number. Can I have yours?' I'd kill myself before that happened."

Lorelai clapped lightly. "I just wanted to hear you say one. And I did." She smiled. "It sounded very natural, too. Are you sure that's your first time?"

"First and last."

"Only time will tell." He scoffed, and she smiled again. "Okay, you say something now."

"Well, I don't want to if you're gonna throw me on the spot."

"Fine. I'll take another turn. What was it that--"

"No, I'll go." He took a breath and glanced over toward her a few times. Finally, he spit out, "I like to look at clouds."

Lorelai was quiet for a moment. "You…like to look at clouds," she repeated slowly. "Juicy. Why have you never been on a talk show?"

He ignored her. "I like to look at them. Really look at them. I look for shapes, patterns, pictures, and even cloud types. It's something I've done since I was in elementary school. I'd spend hours on the sidewalk just…looking at clouds pass by. I couldn't even sit by a window at school because I wouldn't get anything done. It was almost like an OCD thing. If there was any white in the sky, my eyes would be trained on it until it disappeared."

"Are you that way now?"

"No, not now. It's not nearly as bad. But I still tend to look. Saw Abe Lincoln the other day."

She smiled wide. "I saw an elephant twirling a hula hoop on its trunk last week."

Lorelai heard him chuckle. Kind of in an unusual, surprising way. "Wish I would have seen that."

"I'll call you next time. Tell you to run to the nearest exit."

"I'm gonna hold you to that."

Lorelai sat up straight. "Okay, most embarrassing moment on three."

He laughed. "What?"

"You heard me, mister."

"Jeez. Alright, give me a minute to think." She nodded, her smile fixed. After thirty seconds of silence, Luke said, "Okay."

"Ready?"

"Sure."

"We go at the same time."

"Got it."

She counted. "One, two…three."

Their answers were simultaneous.

"Lost my bathing suit top in the water at the beach when I was fifteen."

"Got caught making out under the bleachers with somebody known widely as Crazy Carrie."

Lorelai covered her mouth and smothered her laughter. "Crazy Carrie?"

"I think I was drunk. I'm not sure, but I've been working hard to convince myself it was some sort of nightmare."

"Oh my god, Luke. I must meet this Crazy Carrie now. Is she still in Stars Hollow? I'm assuming this happened in high school. You're not telling me what you did last summer, are you?"

"Jeez," he mumbled. "It was in high school," he verified. "And what about you, Miss Flashing-the-entire-beach? Yours is pretty bad, too."

She chuckled. "Yeah. Can't say it tops making out with Carrie, Interrupted. But it holds its own."

Luke slid down, made himself more comfortable on the couch. "I'm going to regret telling you that, aren't I?"

"What's said/done in the dark…" She began knowingly.

"Will come back and bite Luke in the ass in the daylight," he finished bitterly.

She laughed. "No, don't worry. We can sweep it under the rug."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious. Believe me, I'm the last person to go around judging people on choices made in high school."

"Well, we all have our less than proud moments. Least you got a great kid out of yours. All I got was mono." Luke heard Lorelai gasp, and he laughed. "Yeah, kissing Crazy Carrie was definitely an experience."

She held her hands up in apology. "Sorry Luke, but I'm not sure how successful I'll be at sweeping that part away. I may have to bag it and show it around a little bit."

"Okay, that's it. Darkness is proving to be dangerous." He leaned toward the other end of the sofa in order to reach the lamp there.

Lorelai laughed. "No, leave the lights out."

He still reached. "Nope. Too late. I talk too much in the dark. Time to go back to monosyllables. It's safer."

Lorelai heard his hand hit the lampshade. She stood up and hurried past him. She made it to the lamp and shooed his hand away before he could turn it on. "Hands off, buddy."

He smiled and sat up straight on the opposite end. "You can't stand there and guard it but for so long," he threatened.

"You're right." She turned and sat down on the couch. "But I can sit here all night if I have to," she contested.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Nice commitment, but it isn't necessary. I'll be gone long before 'all night' is over with."

"Yeah, yeah." She stood up with a smile. "It's not like I have half the patience for playing guard dog anyway." She waved back at the lamp. "Do what you must," she declared just before placing her hand gently on Luke's knee to find her way back across him. "Help me so I don't fall and crack my head open."

At the contact, his eyes dropped to her hand. His reaction was involuntary. Lorelai chuckled and stood up straight at the new blockade made by his extending leg. "Um, do you mind? I'm trying to walk here."

He reached out for her hand and found it on her hip. She loosened it easily for him, only to feel him urging her back to her spot on the sofa. "Sit," he said.

She did. "So, I'm guarding the magic lamp whether I want to or not. Is that it?" Her words had laughter in them.

Luke crossed his arms and leaned his head back while looking in her direction. "Forget the lamp," he said.

"Forget the lamp…" she repeated with uncertainty. "Why forget the lamp?"

He shook his head. "You have any other questions for me?"

"None come to mind."

He smiled. "Were you ever afraid of the dark?"

She smiled too at his question. "Not that I remember. Rory used to be, though. Until about age 5, I think."

"Yeah. Liz was too. I never was."

"As a child living at home, the only time I could stand my environment was when the lights were out. I welcomed it."

"Even as a young child?"

"Even then. How sad is that?"

Luke thought. "You know, I can't see you as a preppy person. What would have happened if you hadn't gotten pregnant? You would have settled into that life, right?"

"God, no. I would have never ever been able to conform to that life. I couldn't breathe there. I don't know when I would have left, but I would've left regardless. Probably would've been a college graduate taking off instead of a high school dropout, but that was always my fate. My journey would have been more extensive, though, without my lovable bundle there. Doubt I would've ended up here." She took a breath. "Chris and I probably would have had a greater moment in time," she added as an afterthought.

Luke's jaw tightened. "Without Rory." Lorelai shrugged lightly. She didn't say anything. Luke did. "Great guy. Would've stuck around if there was no kid in the picture, huh?"

"He did offer to marry me, you know." She didn't say it to defend him. She said it to defend her lack of hate for him.

Luke nodded. He definitely didn't mean to get on the subject. There wasn't much good that could come from it anyway. Still, he responded. "And you saying 'no' gave him his get out of being a dad free card? Or did he pick one up on his way to California?"

"Luke."

"That's all I'll say about it. Sorry."

She sighed and looked down. "I love that you love Rory."

"Of course I do."

"I know. And I really love you for that."

Luke's heart almost stopped completely. It took a second to put her words into the proper perspective. Love you FOR that. Love you FOR that. Friend, buddy, pal. Get it together, Danes. He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck as he calmed down. "Um, how often do you think about when you left Hartford and came here?" he asked her.

"Often," she answered simply.

He nodded. Thought. "I'm happy you had Mia there for you. I know you don't accept a lot of help, but I'm happy it was her that you let in. She's a great person."

She smiled and studied what she could see of him. "I agree."

"I think that one day you and your parents are gonna find some common ground. It may not seem like it right now because you guys have a lot of old wounds that haven't healed and…new issues that come up from all your differences, but…" He nodded assuredly. "It'll happen one day. But for now, it's good that Rory at least has a good relationship with them." His words concluded, he waited for Lorelai to speak. When time ticked off, he quietly asked, "Right?"

Lorelai shook her head, climbed out of her own mind. "Yeah, right. Sorry, Luke. You're absolutely right."

His lips curled. "Am I boring you?"

"Course not," she said quietly. She was preoccupied. Had been ever since she'd said the words that almost made Luke hyperventilate. He had moved past the moment quickly, and he didn't consider the possibility that she had not. All Luke knew was that she didn't seem quite like herself all of a sudden.

"If I'm not boring you, then are you okay?"

She brought her lips in and nodded. "Mmhm."

"Convincing," he said sarcastically. He smiled when she laughed a little. "Ask me something," he said.

She sighed. "Um…"

"Or tell me something. Anything."

"Um, I…really don't know what to say," she said in apology.

"There's a first," he joked.

"You can go again. I'm listening."

"Do you still want to do this? We don't have to. But I am kind of…liking it. We can stop if you're not into it anymore, though." When she said nothing, he searched hard to find a crack in the darkness. But still, he couldn't see her. "Wait," he said. He scooted toward her and reached his arm around her to find the lamp.

Her hand came down over that arm, stopping him. "No lights. Just talk," she requested softly. "I'm okay."

Luke rolled his eyes at himself when he felt his heartbeat speed up at that bare contact. He lowered his arm slowly with her still touching him. When his hand came to rest on the few inches of couch between them, her fingers moved up his arm and skimmed his forearm and bicep before she thought better of it and removed her hand altogether.

He grew confused. Thought he had imagined that less than platonic touch to his body.

Luke looked down to her obscured hand. The one that had caused the confusion. The need to experiment was overwhelming, and he went with it. "Let's hit the light," he whispered. Again, he leaned into her and reached with his hand. He was close, and he heard her heavier breaths clearly. Again, her right hand went to his arm to stop him. Instinct had her left one going to his chest. It went slowly to his shoulder then slid back to his chest all before he was back on his bottom.

That time, there was no confusion. No mistaking.

She dropped her head after moving both hands down to the safety of her lap. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" she asked quietly.

"Maybe." Those inches were no longer there on the couch. He took advantage of his proximity and touched her cheek with his fingers.

Lorelai's eyes slid shut, and her trembling hand covered his. "Let's not, okay?" He allowed her to bring his hand down, and he only lifted his other to her opposite cheek.

"Why?" he whispered. He touched her more when she sighed and leaned into his palm. "Can't we just see?"

She felt him moving toward her, and her breathing became erratic. "I d-don't think this is--" Then, his breath was on her face. He waited until she was quiet, wanted to wait until her breathing sounded more normal. He waited so long, and it didn't get a whole lot better. So, he just moved in. He kissed her lightly and felt her lips curve desperately around his before he pulled back.

Her breathing was much worse. "God. Luke, maybe--"

"Shh."

His lips found hers a second time. He pulled her to him more when he felt her sensuous touches behind his ears, on the back of his neck. He rubbed her sides. Wanted to rub her everywhere. Lorelai surrendered to her desire and accepted his tongue. They both moaned when the kiss went deep.

He gripped her waist, and her hands went to his shoulders where she bundled his flannel in her fists. Their passion turned lustful for many seconds before they stopped to let oxygen in.

Hands caressed endlessly. They tried to find closer positions while remaining vertical.

"See what you started," Lorelai whispered thickly.

"Yeah, stupid me," Luke breathed.

"All your fault." She undid a few of his flannel buttons before she twisted her body and brought one foot to the couch, leaving her legs open to him. Luke's hands continued their journey. He got to her uppermost thigh and even to her inner thigh without going for the main draw. She grasped his shirt and leaned back. In her mind, she wanted horizontal, and she encouraged him to want it too.

He glanced in the direction of Rory's room before he submitted to what his body was already on board with.

Lorelai moved down more and accepted his weight on top of her. Their lips came together again, and they moved from kissing to making out. From doing something that was okay for public viewing to doing something that Taylor would happily outlaw. Tongues glided, and hands went places their eyes had yet to see.

Lorelai swallowed and gripped the back of the sofa as Luke sucked her neck and pushed his fast-growing erection between her legs. Her legs hugged him. Her hands were under his shirt and on his bare back. She repeatedly pushed her pelvis into his, yearning for the feeling that could only be achieved with nudity. She wanted him. Had just shared a first kiss with him and she wanted him like they had been dating for weeks.

"Luke," she whispered.

He turned his mouth to hers and kissed her with everything he had. "Yeah?" he finally answered.

All that did was make her request that much more fervent. "If I…asked you up to my bedroom, w-would you go?"

He stopped the grinding and the kissing. He looked down at her even though he still couldn't see her. Her breathing was so telling. "What about…?" He didn't say her name. With his physical state, there was no way he could say it.

"She's asleep," Lorelai answered quickly. "And she sleeps like the dead. I promise."

He tried to think around his erection. "I don't know, Lorelai…"

"Luke," she called quietly. "I have never begged for sex in my life. I never thought I would. But…I am right now. Please let's go upstairs."

"You would never have to beg me for anything. I guarantee I want it ten times more than you do. It's just that…"

He stopped when Lorelai's hand went to his crotch. She stroked him through his jeans. "That's not possible," came her low, sexy voice. "Ten times more is… not possible," she stressed. She used one hand to loosen his belt and undo his pants button. Her hand slipped inside his boxers and both their breathing went choppy. "Twice more," she whispered, "…not even that is possible." She licked her other hand and used it to replace the one that stroked him. He groaned, and Lorelai felt her own sex throbbing. "You may come in a close second. Maybe." She sat up a little and met his mouth with hers. Slowly, sensually she began to suck on his lip. He felt himself grow harder, and he pulled his lip from hers and kissed her with passion. Lorelai captured his tongue and started to suck on that just as slowly as she ran her moist hand to the base of his shaft and all the way to the top. She sucked faster and pumped him harder. He pulled away from her.

"Damn it, let's go," he said urgently.

Lorelai broke out in a grin and hopped to her feet. Luke wrestled with his pants as she got behind him and pushed him from the back. "You are so not going to regret this," she promised.

"Yeah, not unless we look up and see a blue-eyed girl standing in your bedroom door with a dropped glass of milk at her feet."

Lorelai leaned her chin on his shoulder and asked him, "And in this horror vision of yours, exactly how old is my kid? Only time Rory drinks milk is when she's out of creamer for her coffee."

"Still. It's something to think about."

"It's nothing to think about because it's not an issue." They bounded up the stairs. "Let's see what I can do to redirect those cumbersome thoughts you're having." Lorelai stepped into the bedroom behind him and closed the door. Light shined in through the open blinds, and they saw faces for the first time in what seemed like hours.

Luke let go of his pants, and they slid down. Lorelai walked into his body and ran her hands up and down his bare thighs. "Mmm," she moaned approvingly.

Luke grabbed her thigh, lifted it, and moved her swiftly against the door. She gasped in surprise, then hugged his neck with one arm.

"Sorry, you okay?" he asked.

"Great. Just didn't know you like it rough," she teased.

He rolled his eyes and then buried his face in her neck. "Time for some payback," he whispered. He began a merciless suck on her skin. When she started to play with the head of his erection that lay against her, Luke grabbed her other leg and locked both at his waist. Lorelai wrapped both arms around his neck with that.

He worked her shirt off and licked over her chest to her breasts. He sucked one nipple into his mouth and discovered how sensitive they were when Lorelai moaned and pushed her other breast toward his lips before he was finished working the first. He had her writhing against the door, biting her lip. He did it until her knees were weak from pleasure. He did it until her nipples looked like they'd been through blizzard temperatures.

Luke carried her to the bed and removed everything that kept him from seeing only skin. He took off all of his own clothes and laid his warm body directly on hers. The moonlight shined in and spotlighted their close-moving forms.

"You're so soft," he breathed out against her.

She smiled. "And you're so hard in all the right places," she complimented.

Luke lifted himself from her, and before she could protest, she felt herself being gently pulled to the edge of the mattress. She was ready. Had enough natural lubrication to last through whatever they had planned. She knew this, and he knew it too. But there he was, his chin hovering above her navel.

When he touched her with his tongue, she experienced ecstasy that lasted through her first orgasm. It returned when he started urging her toward another. Lorelai lay in one spot and got lifted too many times to count. Her body was glistening in sweat by the time the minute hand had made half a rotation. Luke was still dry as a bone. When he rose, Lorelai seemed grateful for the break. Elated at the opportunity to do something besides receive.

She took Luke in her mouth and gave him a chance to moan in gratification. The head of his shaft went in and out of her mouth in slow motion before she added speed and hand activity. She fondled him with her tongue and lips. He groaned and tightened when she made the majority of his impressive length disappear in her throat. She pumped hard, licked him, and took him firmly in her mouth as she wished briefly that she had thought to grab some ice for added stimulus. His legs started to appear restless as they rustled the sheets beneath them. Lorelai took her hands away. Pleasured him by making her jaws do all the work. She shared a first with him. Brought him to climax and left no evidence behind.

She came up for air while stroking his slick, smooth, half-flaccid penis with one hand. "Guess a good diet is good for something," she commented with a wink.

He was breathless and looked more happy and relaxed than Lorelai ever knew was possible. "Glad I could help out," he said with a smile.

She chuckled and went back down. Her lips covered the tip of his manhood. She pressed her tongue against him and mixed business with pleasure as she worked his head. Luke made low sounds that suggested he couldn't take much more. But it wasn't long at all before he was erect again. Harder than before. Bigger than before. Much, much stronger than before.

Lorelai brought her mouth to his and kissed him like it would be her last time. It ended and they breathed in pants. Luke kissed her cheek, her lips, her nose—all sensually. He seemed unable to stop showing her affection. Lorelai's face was passionate and serious as she rode that sensation. After some time, she giggled out of embarrassment as she took note of how being with him made her feel.

"You're trying to make me an addict, aren't you?"

He smiled and kissed her lips. "Well, it'd be nice to have some company."

"Fell for my wiles, did you? Here I was thinking you were immune." She turned around and straddled his thighs with him sitting upright. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she leaned her back against his chest. Luke pressed his lips to her cheek when she looked at him over her shoulder. "Entire middle of my puzzle, Luke," she whispered earnestly. "I mean it."

"And star of my movie. Mean it more." He pecked her lips, caused her to wrap her hand around his head and open up for a deeper kiss. When they broke away, she put him inside of her. She paused at the feeling. Rubbed Luke's arms that lay across her belly as he lightly kissed across her back. He held her in his arms for the first few minutes while she moved. His fingers stimulated her nipples the whole time. He leaned back and gave her freedom when he realized his embrace was a hindrance. With that, her legs spread around his in a more comfortable riding position, and she was off.

Luke watched his manhood slide in and out of her body as her ass rose and fell before him.

He bit his lip.

She moaned, and her fingers hit her clit. She moaned more. Her insides went tighter around him, and she moved her hips around. Luke rubbed his hand down her back and ended up holding her waist as he watched her take nearly all of him. He licked his lips and stared.

"Good?" he whispered.

"Oh, yeah," she answered. "Come up."

He slid his legs from under her and fell to his knees behind her. Lorelai spread her knees wide on the mattress and leaned her head low, resting it on her folded arms. Luke put himself back inside of her and listened to her satisfying moan. His breathing got heavy as he worked his length into her at that angle. She softly thrust her body back at him and made quiet noises like it was the best feeling in the world.

Luke, overwhelmed with her pleasure, drilled into her several times. She grasped the sheet and sucked air between her teeth. Made the sexiest hissing noise. A moan echoed. "Harder. Luke, harder, hardeeer…" She pushed back at him with greater intensity to get him started. He pulled back from that force.

"Can't," he said. "We're not alone in here, remember?"

She whimpered. Finally remembered the part of her heart that was asleep downstairs. She worked on erasing the memorable appeal of that roughness. Before she could settle into any disappointment, Luke was going back in at the gentle pace he'd had before. She closed her eyes in bliss and gritted her teeth.

He reached beneath her and rubbed her pleasure bump. She caressed his hand with hers, and then grasped the sheet again. He penetrated her nonstop and worked his fingers faster as he watched her grip more and more of the sheet in a fist. She was quiet until her orgasm hit. Had stopped breathing entirely. And then her breath tore through all at once. Like she was finally getting oxygen after nearly drowning. Her insides contracted around Luke's swollen manhood, and he paused briefly before moving into her again.

"Unh," she groaned. "Unnnh, god, keep going," she breathed. She touched herself that time. "Oh my…god," she whispered unevenly. "Again…I'm…again."

He moved slower as he felt her contract another time. He watched her hand grasp more sheets, and he moved quicker and listened for her sounds to make sure she didn't have the same reaction as the last time. Her breathing halted. He felt her juices moving rapidly from her body and onto him and the bedding as her body's walls went tighter and tighter. She shook. More of her hair swung around and clung to her sticky back. Luke gripped her wet skin more securely and drove himself into her until he could feel another climax steal what little energy she had left. She lowered herself from her knees to her stomach, and Luke moved with her. He remained buried deep within her. There was a pulse in her body. A throbbing. A beating that hugged the head of his erection as he pushed into her relentlessly.

He lay on top of her back, his pelvis sliding up and down her bottom as he got lost in the feel. She was trapped between him and the mattress. Sandwiched and loving it…like a dirty twist to the famous restaurant slogan.

"Mmmmm!" She was forced to bear yet another climax as he ravished her.

He went deeper when her insides opened suddenly like butterfly wings. She tensed at that depth, and he pulled back. Lorelai bit her lip and closed her eyes as he curved his body around hers and penetrated her carefully. Several minutes into it, she was moaning in pleasure, glad that her enjoyment was coming without orgasms.

It didn't take long for her to regret the position they were in. She couldn't see him. Couldn't kiss him. She went from her stomach to her back in a fluid move that Luke seemed to expect.

He wasted no time putting himself back inside her. She locked her ankles above his waist and hugged his neck affectionately as their lips connected, parted, and moved harmoniously. He slid deep inside her and soon made her climax and shake beneath him. She was happy when she managed to recover. Nearly fell to pieces when the same thing happened way too soon. She rolled him onto his back and mounted him after it passed.

Her hands went to his chest. She summoned all strength, ignored her drained energy and rode him like a mechanical bull. Slow at first. Fast at last. With that speed, she found energy and enthusiasm. Unbelievable zest. She peaked again as his hardness struck gold repeatedly. But she moaned with appreciation and kept momentum going as she overpowered that feeling.

She watched Luke close his eyes and press his head further into the pillow. She circled her hips and focused on his satisfaction. Took all of him. To the hilt and almost got to her feet as she allowed his tip to pop in and out, allowing him the re-enjoyment of entry.

Then, she dropped back in place and continued to let him go deeper than any man ever had.

"Damn," she whispered to the ceiling when she climaxed again. That one definitely couldn't be ignored but she allowed it only a fraction of time to spread and affect her flow. Luke squeezed her sides so tight that she moaned at the pressure, alone. Her eyes dropped to his, and she saw him struggling to remain quiet. Struggling against the inevitable end.

She moved her hips sensually and squeezed him with little effort.

And that was it.

He shook and filled her. She rode him while he did. Made it the most unbearable and astounding feeling to ever be felt. His teeth clenched, and he groaned while he held her. She only moved more. Their juices drained from her body as she slid up and down his weakening pole.

She leaned toward his face with a smile and breaths of exertion. "I never thought I'd be so relieved to see a man tag out. Wasn't sure how much more I could take."

He shook his head as small tremors raked his body. "You're unbelievable," he commended in a daze.

With a grin, she placed her hand on his cheek and parted his lips with hers. They relaxed against one another as the slow tongue on tongue looped them back around to that first form of ecstasy.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Just take a second and imagine the possibilities."

"No."

"Luke."

"Don't Luke me. I am not having sex with you on a damn washing machine."

Lorelai smiled and swung her dangling legs as she sat on her machine, Luke directly in front of her. They were on her back porch. "Give me a year, Danes, and I'll have you naked and romancing in the town square. Broad daylight."

He nodded nonchalantly as he rubbed his hands up her thighs. "Okay. And when you wake up from that hot dream, I'll be there in the bed next to you ready to hose you down."

She grinned. "Dirty."

"Mmhm." He moved in and kissed her lips when she guided him there. He smiled when she moaned and kissed down his chin. He tapped the machine and spoke low near her ear. "I think you're liking this machine action a little too much." The old machine shook and bounced as it entered its spin cycle.

"I think so, too," she purred. She brought her mouth back to his and only grazed his lips with hers. "Come on, Luke."

He moved his head from side to side, grazing her lips right back. "Answer's still no."

She smiled. "Let's be bad."

"Let's remember where we are. My no is etched in stone."

She licked her lips and his too due to his proximity. "I want you." She caressed the back of his neck. "And you know how I get when I want something."

His mind flashed back to three nights ago, his first time with her. He caught himself just in time to keep that memory from registering in his nether regions. "Yeah, I know," he admitted.

Her hands moved from his neck to the sides of his face. "And you still deny me?" He nodded unaffectedly. She sighed. "I'd much rather your loving not come with such a level head. I'd be a much happier woman."

He softly kissed her lips. "And you're not happy now? Not…uh, satisfied?" he added with a wanton smile.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Get your ego stroked elsewhere, Mister Man. I don't do charity work where I'm not needed." With a little consideration, she smiled broadly. "Now, of course if you wanted to give into my washing machine request, I could make an exception."

He shook his head with a sigh but still wrapped his arms around her waist and spoke with affection. "I'm really going to enjoy these next few days with you, you know."

She allowed a smile to creep onto her face. "Are you really?" she asked shyly.

He kissed her neck. "You bet," he assured.

"You won't get sick of me?"

"Never."

She smiled. "What if I refused to have sex with you and you had to put up with everything else about me by itself?"

His entire world seemed to fall to pieces as he considered the possibility of her withholding intimacy. When he groaned, Lorelai laughed. "Well…it'd be painful," he admitted. "But I'd still want you to stick around. Just bring lots and lots of ice to fight off those dark lonely nights for me, okay?"

She rubbed his face. "Your nights won't ever be lonely and blue-ball filled as long as I'm there. That, I can promise."

He exhaled with relief. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in. "Is kissing you too much? Can I do that on the washing machine?" she teased.

He smiled and ran his hands along her back. "Kissing is fine," he permitted.

"Kissing is okay?" she whispered. He nodded. "Well, if that's all I get…" She pressed her lips against his and pulled him closer so they were chest to chest. His lips were the first to part; he took it deeper, and they got lost for long seconds in the connection that grew in passion.

"Hey, hey, hey, enough with that already! Jeez!"

The kiss ended abruptly, and both turned to face Rory standing in the doorway. She used her hand to block the disgusting show. "Man! Do you two wait for me before you start doing that?!"

Lorelai wiped around her mouth with a finger. "Uh, hey kid. How was school?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "It was refreshing. I didn't run across my mother making out every time I turned around. Wish I could bring that peace home with me."

Luke looked down and moved away from Lorelai. Lorelai laughed and gestured at him. "Now look what you've done!" she said to her daughter. "Look at him. He'll never touch me again now!"

Luke's red complexion even made Rory laugh when he looked up. He rolled his eyes at both of them. "I guess that's my cue to leave."

Lorelai hopped off the machine. "Not without me, it's not, mister!"

He sighed and relented to the fact that he was stuck there until Lorelai had her things ready. "Jeez."

She rubbed his arm and regarded Rory. "You all packed, Sweetie? Mrs. Kim probably wants you over there before she starts serving up the wheatgrass. You don't want to miss that."

Rory rolled her eyes and turned to go back inside. "I'm eating at Luke's before I go over there. Lane isn't going to be home until five anyway, and there's no way I'm spending time alone with Mrs. Kim. Not unless I want to hear endless talk about how I come from an unwed mother with an iniquitous spirit that will belong to Satan until she seeks and discovers some sort of important light."

"Well, tell Mrs. Kim that I've been looking. But the Home Depot sales rep looks at me so weird when I explain what kind of light I require. He just directs me to the Soft Whites and hurries away looking terrified."

Rory entered her bedroom, Lorelai behind her, and Luke trailing. She picked her big suitcase up from the floor and set it upright. Luke's eyes bugged out and he pointed at the bulky gear as he stood in her doorway. "What do you have in that thing? These guys said they'd be done working on the house in a few days, tops. You look like you're going away for good."

Rory's eyes went to her mother who was standing off to the side of him. "Mom. Talk to him," she stated tiredly.

Lorelai looked over her shoulder at the sexy, clueless man behind her. "Just stand there looking pretty, okay? I'll explain to you the bylaws of women's travel at a later time, Pooh-bear." He eyed her at her condescending tone then turned and walked away while mumbling. She reached for him playfully. "Oh, come on, babe. Don't be that way," she begged with laughter. She turned back to Rory with a grin.

"Fighting already?" she mocked. "Surprised you can tear your face from his long enough to get even that accomplished, actually."

Lorelai waved the words away. "We'll make up later, don't worry."

Rory shook her head and kicked her bag into a rolling position. "Of course you will," she mumbled. She exited behind her mom. "What time are the termite guys coming to kick us out our house?"

"They'll be here around 5:30. So, we have an hour."

She nodded. "Are you ready to go?"

"Almost." She hurried to the back porch and started transferring her light load from the washing machine to the dryer. "Just have to finish drying these few items," she yelled back to Rory. "But we can go grab something to eat, get you settled in at the Kim's, and I'll run back over here to get them. They should be finished by then," she ended as she worked quickly to finish up.

Rory rolled past Luke who leaned on the wall right outside the kitchen. "So. Are you up to the task of putting up a Gilmore?" She pointed behind her. "In particular, that Gilmore?"

He smiled. "I think so."

"It's not gonna be easy," she warned.

"I'd be surprised if it was."

"May not be an all around pleasant experience."

"I'm prepared."

"Might even be daunting. Exhausting. Cause you to want to disown every Gilmore you've ever met."

"Not possible. But thanks for the heads up."

She narrowed her eyes. "You sure it's not possible?"

"Extremely sure."

She studied him before appearing satisfied. "Okay. That was a test. And you passed. We'd have to nip this whole thing in the bud if there was any chance she'd turn you against us. We can't have that."

Luke smiled wide. "Wouldn't happen, Rory."

"Good." She looked down in thought. Scanned the floor. When she lifted her eyes to him again, Luke saw a more serious expression. There was a brief pause before she spoke. "She really likes you, you know. She's never been like this. With anyone."

Luke nodded considerately. "In that case, it's a good thing I don't plan on going anywhere, then." He met her gaze. "Is that okay with you?"

Rory relaxed and smiled at him. "I suppose I can live with it," she said airily.

He chuckled. "I'm glad."

"Okay, then. Glad we had this talk." She gave him an awkward fist-bump to the shoulder and started rolling her suitcase on past him. "Let's get moving, people!" she yelled.

Lorelai rushed up to Luke. She'd just finished up outside. "Hey. What were you guys over here whispering about? Me?"

Luke pushed off the wall. "Not everything is about you, Lorelai," he muttered.

"Well, of course not. Just the important things," she said easily. "Now, what was with all the sneaky chatter?"

He moved in and kissed her forehead. "It was nothing. Let's go."

Lorelai shook her finger in his face before walking on ahead. "You do realize your avoidance of an answer is just making my curiosity grow, don't you?"

"Guess I do now that you've told me."

"Good. I don't like the element of surprise unless I'm standing in a dark room getting ready to hop up from behind a couch. So, now that you know, expect me to bug you endlessly until you crack."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Lorelai."

She chuckled. "Am I annoying you already?"

"If you were, that would be pretty bad since we haven't even stepped outside yet."

"Yeah, it'd be pretty awful," she agreed with worry that she tried to hide.

"But I'm okay, though." He smiled as he reached around her to open the cracked door. Rory was already outside. "You have no idea how much of you I can take," he added.

Her smile was brilliant. "Outside of dirtiness?" she asked hopefully.

"Outside of dirtiness," he confirmed.

She bit her lip with sparkling eyes as she allowed that good feeling to spread. Seconds later, she was back on the attack. "I still want to know what you and Rory were talking about." Now on the porch, she waited for Luke to lock her deadbolt with her keys.

"Lorelai, please. Drop it, will you?"

"Okay, fine. I'll let it go."

"Fantastic." His tone was bland because he knew she wasn't being honest. He finished up and they walked down the stairs.

"That's right, I'll let it go," she repeated. "Right up until tonight when we're lying in bed," she affixed. "In complete darkness. You know how talkative you get then." She'd learned that well. "I'll get my information."

He looked over at her. "You think so?"

"I'm feeling good about it."

As much as he wanted to deny that it'd happen, he knew the great chance of him answering anything she asked him. When the lights went out, he was an open book. The more she talked, the more he did. The more she revealed, the more he shared. Both, steered by trust, used that darkness and unveiled so many truths.

Luke pulled her close to him. "You know what else that 'complete darkness' is good for?" he asked. He had ridden with Lorelai to her house, so her jeep was the only vehicle in the driveway. Rory was in the backseat waiting impatiently as they took their sweet time walking over.

Lorelai grinned. "I think I have an idea," she responded to him.

"I have more than that," he said huskily into her ear.

"Mom! Luke! Please unhand each other and let's go! There is plenty of time to get gushy and gross later on when I'm far, far away!" Rory bellowed. She hadn't heard them speaking, but she saw them getting closer and closer and felt her stomach growing weaker and weaker.

Luke released Lorelai fast, and she almost lost her balance. "Jeez, Luke," she complained.

"Sorry," he mumbled. He passed her the keys and walked to the passenger side of the car. Lorelai watched him for a moment before she broke out in a smile and rushed inside behind the wheel.

"Watch me mess with him, Rory," she said over her shoulder.

Rory shook her head. "Just don't go overboard, okay? I can only take so much."

"Got it, babe. I'll be good." She grinned evilly then made it go away instantly when Luke's door opened. "Hey, Baby," she greeted with affection.

Luke frowned and glanced back at Rory before he climbed inside. "Hey," he said tersely.

She started the jeep and winked at Rory in the rearview. "Now… Rory, Hon, I want you to be good for Mrs. Kim, okay?"

"I'll do my best." Her tone was so dry and unbelievable.

Lorelai went on anyway. "She's doing us a huge favor by taking you in until the extermination is done."

Rory sighed. "I know, Mother."

Lorelai avoided looking at Luke. "I'm gonna be at Luke's as you know, so call my cell if you need anything. No matter how small."

"Got it."

"Now, you can call Luke's apartment phone, too. You have the number. But remember, Love, you can't call after nightfall because we'll be…" She forced a laugh, "…Well, you're old enough to know the rest."

Luke shot her a look. "Lorelai!"

Lorelai settled him down with a look her own. Made him think she'd understood. She went on. "I want you to get all your meals in, too. Three meals a day, at least. Okay? It's extremely vital. Now, of course, Luke and I will probably need to consume a lot more because we need to try to keep our energy up for all the--"

"I'll just meet you at the diner," Luke declared angrily as he snatched the door handle and climbed out.

Lorelai burst out laughing as the car door slammed shut. "Luke!" she called while holding her gut. She laughed more, opened her own door, and almost fell on the ground from a lack of strength. "Luke, wait!" she yelled. She sobered enough to tell Rory, "Be right back, Hon." Then, she closed her door and jogged after Luke who had made it to the end of the driveway.

Rory turned in her seat and saw as Lorelai caught up to him. She still laughed while issuing her barely sincere apologies.

They continued down the road since Luke wouldn't stop. Rory's mouth fell open when she saw them disappear. She looked around the empty car then snapped her head back to the street. She remained looking for what felt like minutes and neither reappeared. Her impatience grew and finally, she knocked her things out of the way and climbed over the seat. "Screw this," she grumbled. When she dropped in the driver's seat, she fastened her seatbelt and put the car in gear. "Damn hormone lackeys," she complained.

She backed out of the driveway. When she got to the end of it, she saw her mom and Luke coming back. Lorelai was hugging Luke's arm, and he looked a lot less aggravated and disturbed.

Rory put the car in Drive and drove right past them both.

They stopped on the roadside and looked after the jeep with open mouths. Rory couldn't resist glancing at the rearview mirror to see reactions. She fell instantly out of her agitation and giggled at the sight of them. She continued down the road. "Laugh at that, Mommy Dearest," she jeered.

Back on the road, Luke and Lorelai looked at each other and shared slow laughter at what had just happened. They mused that maybe they had deserved it. Even so, Lorelai made an instant promise at revenge. Rory would pay for sure. As it was, though, the situation wasn't the worst that could've happened. Neither could complain too much about the company they shared. With unhurried steps, they made their way into town while frequently pointing up at the clouds overhead.

-The End-

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