Haaaaay there! I'm not sure if this story is any good or everyone is so darn happy I broke the drought on the BWR! Here is the next installment. Enjoy!

Let No Good Deed Go Unpunished

"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood," Lorelai remarked as they entered the town square.

"You're awfully chipper today Mrs. Rodgers," Rory quipped.

"That's Ms. Rodgers," Lorelai corrected her. "And you seem just as chipper," she pointed out. "From now on I think I'll call you Chip. As in off the block!" she chortled gleefully. "I got a million of em!"

"You're hilarious," Rory rolled her eyes at her mother. They crossed the street and headed to Luke's.

As they entered the busy diner they noticed the usual crowd already breakfasting. Lorelai moved to sit at their regular table. Rory looked around a moment then quickly followed. Lorelai narrowed her eyes at her daughter, wondering if Rory was looking for Jess. Even though she'd had her trepidations yesterday about the amount of time Rory had spent with Jess after the basket auction, she'd decided not to butt into her daughter's life. She hoped that Rory's love for Dean was stronger than this sudden attraction for Stars Hollow's newest bad boy. Jess suddenly came through the curtain and zeroed in on Rory, inclining his head in greeting. Rory bobbed her head in response.

After a few moments Luke came up and slammed down two coffee mugs and immediately began filling them.

"Aw, did someone got up on the wrong side of the bed today?" Lorelai teased.

"What do you want to eat?" he groused at them as he set the coffee pot down. Jess, walking by, snagged it to make the rounds. He smirked at Rory and she smiled in return.

"Wow, talk about cutting to the chase. No friendly banter? No lecture about our coffee intake?" Lorelai queried. "You're going to lose out on this year's Miss Congeniality award." She eyed him critically. "What's up with you today?"

"Nothing is up with me today," Luke replied in a put-upon voice. "Nothing that corralling up the crazies and sending them to the funny farm wouldn't cure."

"Why, what's going on?"

Before Luke could say a word, Miss Patty and Babette shouted out greetings from their table.

"Heya dolls!" Babette greeted them as she smirked at Patty.

"Well, hello there, Lorelai, you clever girl!" Miss Patty chimed in. "I guess I should have had more faith in your abilities."

Lorelai ducked her head and inwardly cringed at the innuendo, already knowing to what Patty was alluding. Hello magazine was responding just as she feared they would. She hadn't been paying attention yesterday, but apparently others had. Her picnic with Luke picnic made them number one with a bullet on the gossip hit parade once again. Lorelai was thankful none of them could read minds. She'd spent the better part of last evening trying to parse the picnic for subtext and analyze her relationship with Luke and hadn't come to a firm conclusion. She realized she ended up having a better time lunching with Luke than trying to snare a neighbor kid to clean her gutters or, god forbid, go to the highest bidder from Patty's stable of available men but other than that she was as confused as ever.

Babette waggled her eyebrows suggestively at Luke. "I neva thought I'd see the day that you'd be biddin' on a basket, let alone Lorelai's!" Her voice hit a high pitch that had them all wincing.

Luke gestured at the two older women. "And this is what I've had to deal with all morning," he said to Lorelai, in explanation of his bad mood. He'd already noticed Lorelai's sudden discomfort and decided that grouchy was the better way to go. That way he wouldn't scare her off. "Everyone is making a big deal out of the fact you dragged me out to that stupid auction."

"You did a good thing," Lorelai admitted gratefully. She knew she'd shanghaied him into participating but she didn't feel the least bit guilty about it at the time. Now, on the other hand, was another story.

"No, I got rooked into it and now I'm being punished," Luke countered petulantly. He raised his voice so everyone in the diner could hear him. "People should just mind their own business and forget about that stupid auction!"

"We can't!" Babette squawked as she came over to the table. "That was one for the history books!" She looked from Lorelai to Rory. "You's two brought in the most for your baskets!" Babette's attempt to subtlety waggle her eyebrows was a complete failure. "Hubba, hubba!"

"Well, what can we say," Lorelai said, blithely ignoring the obvious implications of both her and Luke and Jess and Rory as couples, "we are just so darn popular." She was surprised at Rory's sudden and furious blush.

"It did turn out better than I hoped," Miss Patty purred as she sauntered up to their table. She smirked at Luke. "If I'd known that all it took was having some competition to get you out there, I would have tried this years ago."

"I didn't go out there willingly," Luke pointed out. "I was all but dragged out there by the head town loon." He ducked his head both annoyed that Patty hit close to home and afraid that Lorelai might see the truth and be even more uncomfortable. Gossip central was reacting just as he thought they would and he was afraid their constant speculation would push Lorelai in the opposite direction, away from him and towards someone else.

After gauging Patty and Babette's reactions to Luke buying her basket, she quickly decided it was better to join in on the teasing than make a big deal about it. She didn't want to give the town gossips any more ammunition. "You're so mean!" Lorelai declared in mock-outrage. She added a little southern belle to her tone. "You're gonna hurt my lil ole feelins'!"

"This is ridiculous!" Luke exclaimed to the diner in general. "Why can't people just mind their own business?"

"What's the fun in that?" Patty asked.

"This is big news!" Babette declared.

"It's not news," Luke said sourly. The heat of his glare had the two older women retreating to their table.

Just then the diner bell chimed and Taylor walked in, followed closely by Kirk.

"Luke!" Taylor's voice boomed out. "There you are!"

"Yes, I usually hide in here to avoid annoying town officials," Luke deadpanned.

"I can't tell you how pleased I was to see you attending yesterday's auction!" Taylor exclaimed. He waved his finger at Luke indulgently. "I knew you'd come around eventually! I was hoping we could spend some time discussing your participation in our next festival!"

"Taylor, there is no way I will participate in any town event. I never have and I never will. I am not one of your brainwashed zombies mindlessly wandering about the town!"

"Well, Stepford is close by," Lorelai interjected. Luke shot her an exasperated look.

"But Luke, you have been involved in the past," Taylor disagreed. "You posted the sign for the rummage sale in your window."

"You're right, Taylor, he did. I saw it," Kirk nodded in agreement.

"Because Lorelai insisted…."

"You painted the diner as part of the town beautification project."

"I lost a bet over that one," Kirk added mournfully.

"Painting the diner was not part of any town beautification project," Luke growled. "And Lorelai pestered me into painting."

"Huh," Kirk observed. "Looks like maybe Lorelai wears the pants in this relationship."

As Luke turned and advanced on him menacingly, Kirk bolted from the diner, knowing he'd gone too far. "Bye!" Luke cast a threatening eye around the diner and Patty and Babette turned their attention back to eating breakfast, clearly eavesdropping on the conversation, but unwilling to say anymore for fear of drawing his wrath.

Luke rounded on Taylor who hastily backed to the door, nearly tripping over his own feet. "I'll just talk to Lorelai later and give her the details and she can relay them to you," he said hurriedly. With that he was gone.

Luke returned to Lorelai's table as Jess came up with the coffee pot to give them a refill. He hung back to see what would happen next. Lorelai and Rory exchanged an uncertain glance. Lorelai could see the dark clouds gathering around Luke and braced herself.

"Do you see the trouble you've caused?" he asked. "Taylor's going to be harassing me non-stop about this!"

"I'll talk to Taylor," Lorelai soothed him.

"Why is it any time I do something nice, it always ends up costing me in the long run?"

"I said I'll talk to Taylor," she repeated. "It's not going to cost you anything."

"It already has," Luke complained. "Not only did rescuing you cost me more than fifty bucks, I had to provide lunch which was also money out of my pocket, not to mention my time."

"Gee, don't you know how to make a girl feel special. Take me now, sailor," Lorelai snarked, slightly affronted. "You want me to pay you back for your time and trouble?'

"No," Luke replied quickly, "it's not that."

An idea suddenly took shape in her mind. A way she could actually pay Luke back and allow her to resolve these unsettling romantic feelings she was having about Luke once and for all. "Since I've put you out, let me make it up to you," Lorelai offered. "How about I take you out to dinner? My treat. That way, I'll spend money on you by feeding you, thus making us even." She grinned at him broadly. "I'll take care of everything. I'll make the reservation; I'll drive and even pick you up so you don't have to go out of your way."

"I don't know," Luke hedged. While he didn't have any problem going out with Lorelai, he'd rather be the one taking her out, handling the details, paying for everything. However, she was the one suggesting it. The possibility that this might bring them one step closer to having a relationship occurred to him. They could have a nice dinner, maybe talk and get things sorted out between them. This was too good of an opportunity to pass up, he decided. "What restaurant did you have in mind?"

"Silvano's?"

"I'd have to get all dressed up and wear a tie…"

"Just a jacket and you could take it off once we got there," Lorelai interjected quickly. "C'mon Luke," she wheedled. "I'll take care of everything, I promise."

"Fine," he agreed, once again sounding put-upon. "You take care of everything."

"Huh," Jess pondered, surveying Lorelai. "Maybe you DO wear the pants in this relationship," he cracked.

"Go to school!" Luke barked at his nephew.

Jess chuckled as he set down the coffee pot and went to grab his coat and books.

"I have to get going or I'll miss my bus to Chilton," Rory piped up, swallowing the rest of her coffee.

"But you didn't have breakfast," Lorelai protested.

"Luke, can I get a couple of donuts to go?" she asked.

As Luke went and bagged up the donuts, Lorelai couldn't help but notice that Jess was taking his time leaving, obviously dawdling.

"Here you go, Rory," Luke said handing her the bag.

Rory leaned over and pecked her mother on the cheek. "Bye!" She made a beeline for the door just as Jess opened it for her and they left together.

Luke approached the table once more. "Are you having breakfast?" he asked.

Lorelai nodded absently watching Rory and Jess walk away together. "Jack omelet, extra bacon." She saw them peel off in different directions, Jess towards the school, Rory toward the bus stop. She turned her attention back to Luke. "So when do you want to go out to dinner?"

Luke made a show of shrugging noncommittally. He didn't want to appear too eager. To Lorelai's eyes he didn't seem all that keen on the idea. "Tomorrow?

"Such enthusiasm," Lorelai shot back, knowing how she'd have fun on their evening out. They'd have a nice dinner and they would go back to the more comfortable footing. "I can't wait."

"Neither can we doll!" Babette piped up then ducked her head as Luke scowled at her.

tbc