Well! I can see you all were just cooling your jets waiting on me to start this story. Actually I was very surprised and pleased with the response I got. Y'all are great and I appreciate all of your very kind words. Jeez I hope I don't start to suck now! Hee.

A Friendly Wager

When Lorelai arrived at K.C.'s, she was surprised at how packed it was. Miss Patty had certainly gotten the word out. Most of the town regulars were sitting at tables, having a good time. She spied Miss Patty, Babette and Morey sitting together. She joined them.

"Nice turnout," Lorelai observed as she sat down.

"Yeah, it's nice to get out and socialize, dear," Miss Patty agreed. "We don't do it often enough."

Lorelai refrained from commenting. She knew she was in the company of the two main town gossips. Almost all information came from these two and she was pretty sure that all they did was socialize.

"So Lorelai, doll, ya gonna take the test?" Babette asked.

"Of course!" she said brightly. "I may not beat out you two but I think I'll score pretty high. I'm hoping to beat out Kirk at least."

"Oh, I don't know, Sugah," Babette disagreed. "Kirk knows a lot about this town. Don't let his looks deceive ya."

"Hmmm," Lorelai reconsidered. "Okay, maybe not Kirk, then." She glanced around and spotted Luke walking in and heading to the bar. "Luke!" Lorelai decided. "I bet I can beat out Luke!"

"He said he wouldn't participate," Miss Patty said. She watched Luke order a beer then she looked sideways at Lorelai. She was sure Lorelai's comments the other day had somehow managed to convince him to show up at the bar. She, like most of the town, was secretly rooting that the two of them would get together someday. Patty was sure there was interest on both sides but they persistently ignored it. Maybe with the right encouragement they would finally see what the rest of the town saw. All we have to do is keep them in each other's path, Patty thought. "Maybe you can convince him before Taylor arrives with the tests," she said aloud.

"Hey, I'll give it a shot," Lorelai replied.

Lorelai got up and joined Luke at the bar. She signaled to the bartender and he brought her a beer.

"Hey," she greeted Luke, nudging him before she sat down next to him. "I'm didn't expect to see you here." She was actually elated and the feeling surprised her. It wasn't often that they could converse socially. Usually he was waiting on her at the diner or they exchanged the occasional greeting as they passed each other in town.

Luke gave her a sidelong glance, covertly skimming her appearance as she sat down. Per usual, she dressed sexy. Her jeans hugged every curve like they were spray-painted on and the V-neck of her shirt was displaying her cleavage. Inwardly his defenses went up in an attempt to steel himself against wiles that usually destroyed any rational thought.

"Why are you surprised that I'm here?" Luke countered gruffly. "I told you I go out and have fun. I just decided to come watch the current train wreck that Taylor has planned."

Lorelai cocked her head to one side. "Uh-huh," she nodded playing along as if she accepted his answer then gave up the pretense. "Ha! I knew you'd show up here tonight! I talked you into it!"

"You did not talk me into it," Luke argued. "You tried bullying me to come then practically declared that if I didn't I would be the town hermit and forever ostracized. Like I care." He sipped his beer.

"And yet, here you are," she speculated thoughtfully. "Hmmm, maybe you do listen to me." she returned good-naturedly as she nudged him again. She flipped her hair as she made herself more comfortable.

She was already bringing out the big guns. Luke groaned internally and did not reply. He had to admit that he did listen to her and take her advice but he didn't want to reveal that to her. She had too much control over him as it was.

"So, you gonna take the test?" she asked.

"No." Luke gestured to the bartender to set him up with a shot.

"C'mon, Luke," Lorelai urged him drawing closer. The scent of her perfume caught his attention. Not overpowering but just so—Lorelai. As the bartender poured the tequila shot, she indicated that she wanted one too. The bartender put the salt shaker and a bowl of lime wedges nearby.

"I don't do town events," he declared. He licked his wrist, shook some salt onto it, licked the salt then downed the shot. As he reached for a piece of lime, he saw Lorelai toss back her shot in the same manner. As he watched her lick her wrist, he swallowed. It has suddenly gotten warm in the bar. She motioned to the bartender to set them up again and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Loosen up a little," Lorelai wheedled. The bartender brought them both another round of beer and shots. "It might be fun!" This time he didn't watch her lick her wrist. He wasn't sure he could handle it.

"Taylor Doose come up with something fun?" Luke snorted. "Your idea of fun is pretty strange. Here." He raised his shot and she did the same. "Cheers." They downed the shots together.

"Fine," she conceded after a moment, "but maybe you could just unbend for once. Suck it up, do your civic duty for once." Her tone was slightly irritated. The tequila was making her bold.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Luke asked. The bartender approached again, but he waved him away. The way he was feeling, he needed to pace himself. "What are you after here?"

"I want you to play so I can beat you," Lorelai confessed.

"No way," Luke snorted again. "I am not doing it."

"Aww, be man, grow a pair," Lorelai said a little tipsy. She leaned up against him, her breast pressing into his arm. "I bet I can kick your ass," she whispered near his ear.

She probably isn't even aware of what she's doing Luke thought. He focused on her words and actually laughed at her. The alcohol was kicking in and giving him a reckless buzz. "You wish."

"Care to make it interesting?" Lorelai challenged him.

"What a side bet between you and me?" Luke asked. "You wanna put money on it?"

"Oh ye of stale, limiting opportunities," Lorelai teasingly mocked him. "Think bigger, bolder. Go crazy!" Lorelai saw him pondering her words and got excited. "The possibilities are limitless! Ooh when you lost you would have to do all the fix-it jobs around my house for a month! Or attend town meetings for a year!"

Her enthusiasm was infectious. Luke was having a hard time keeping up with her chattering. The tequila and the beer had definitely lowered his guard. He found her smiles and hair flips eroding his resistance. She was still leaning up against him, hell she was practically in his lap. He knew under these conditions it would only be a matter of time before he caved; he found his resolve weakening as he stared into her mischievous eyes. Suddenly her last statement sunk into his brain.

"Wait a minute," Luke protested. "If we do this, there should be a time limit." He was not going to attend town meetings for a year. He eyed Lorelai suspiciously. "You'd keep changing your mind about what you wanted anyway. You wouldn't stand firm on the terms."

"I most certainly would!" Lorelai huffed in indignation suddenly moving back onto her stool. She met his knowing gaze and said sheepishly, "Okay, maybe not. We could write our wagers and put them in sealed envelopes! Let's do that now!"

Luke looked at her confused. "Where in the heck are you gonna get envelopes in a bar?"

Lorelai rummaged in her purse and whipped out envelopes. Luke shook his head in disbelief. The junk she carried in her purse. She got two sheets of paper from the bartender and passed one to Luke.

"Where is the pen you take your orders with? Use that," Lorelai prompted.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't carry that pen with me," Luke groused at her. Lorelai fished out another pen from her purse and handed it to him. She watched Luke pause, pen poised over the paper, trying to come up with a suitable wager.

"Ask for the moon and the stars bucko. Doesn't matter cuz you are going down," Lorelai predicted. "Down, downtown, lowdown, so down…" she trailed off running out of words.

"You so cannot pull off the trash talk," Luke told her.

"I can so!" Lorelai declared.

"Whatever," Luke shook his head then remembered what they had been talking about. "Time limit. I am not doing some crazy stunt for months on end just for your amusement."

"One month," Lorelai decided. "Deal?"

"Deal," Luke agreed. Lorelai held out her hand. Luke stared at it, thinking of a better way to seal the deal. Then he looked at her before finally grabbing her hand and giving it one firm shake.

"Let's drink on it! One more," Lorelai coaxed him. She was pressed up against him.

"Fine," Luke agreed even though he was already feeling pretty good with what he already had in the short time he had been there.

The bartender set them up again. As they downed their shots and finished off their beer, Taylor walked in with a large envelope.

"Ooh, it's almost time!" Lorelai exclaimed loudly clapping her hands in glee. The tequila was giving her a warm glow. "We need to write down our wagers!" She settled back on her stool and chewed the end of her pen for a moment then looked over at Luke. "For the next thirty days, Lucas Danes…" she said aloud as she was writing. She gave him an evil grin and finished writing in silence.

Luke watched her as she was writing. She had cupped her hand around the paper so he couldn't see what she wrote. She quickly folded the paper and stuffed it in the envelope and sealed it then wrote her name on it. She gave him a dazzling smile, one that made him unconsciously tighten his grip on his beer. God, what she was doing to him.

"C'mon," she urged him. "Write something, anything! This is your big chance!" she told him then got cocky, "Doesn't matter cuz you're not gonna win!" She gave him another brilliant smile that made his head spin. "Write whatever you want!"

Luke, mesmerized by her killer smile, didn't think. He knew what he wanted. His hand moved of it own volition, committing a long-desired wish to paper. As he began writing, Lorelai craned her neck like she was peeking. He copied her method of hiding what he was writing. He quickly finished and stuffed his wager in his envelope without giving it a second thought. He sealed the envelope and wrote his name on it.

"What do we do with them?" he asked slowly. Yep, with the tequila and the beer he was feeling pretty good. He gave Lorelai a lazy smile.

"I'll keep 'em!" Lorelai declared. She grinned back at him. She was having fun and realized she was glad he was there. She grabbed Luke's envelope and put them both back in her purse as Taylor walked up to them.

"Hello, Lorelai," he nodded at her then gave another nod. "Luke. Lorelai, do you want to take the test now?" He had noticed that both Luke and Lorelai seemed a little drunk. "You may want to have your wits about you. This test isn't easy."

"We'll be fine," Lorelai proclaimed. "Give us the tests."

"Luke, you're taking the test?" Taylor eyebrows rose in surprise as a smug expression crossed his features. "Well—"

"Shut up Taylor and give me the test before I change my mind," Luke growled at him. He growled at Taylor as a matter of principle.

Taylor handed them both a test. "Good luck," he said and walked away.

"No peeking," Lorelai waggled a finger at him.

Luke just gave her a look. He motioned to the bartender to set them up for another round while they both started on the test.

"Wow," Lorelai commented, sipping her beer, "some of these questions are really easy and some of them…Name the first family that founded Stars Hollow? Is Taylor kidding?"

"There are some easy ones," Luke glanced over the test.

"What business occupied the spot before Luke's Diner?" Lorelai asked. "Well, duh."

"Remind me to yell at Taylor for putting my business in this stupid test," Luke said tossing back another shot.

"Name the manufacturer and product that Stars Hollow is noted for?" Lorelai boggled at the difficulty of the question.

After about fifteen minutes they both finished their tests. As they did so, Taylor glided up and quickly snatched them away. "No comparing answers," Taylor warned. "We'll be announcing the results at the next town meeting," he told them.

"Oh, joy," Luke deadpanned. Lorelai giggled.

"One more drink!" Lorelai declared. She leaned up against Luke. "C'mon, one more."

As the bartender set them up yet again, Luke said, "Last one." He was feeling a little fuzzy. Belatedly he realized they were in a public place. He was enjoying the fact that Lorelai was leaning up against him a little too much.

"Spoilsport," Lorelai pouted.

Once they downed their last shots and finished off their beers, Luke vaguely remembered that he was opening the diner in the morning.

"I have to go," Luke said. He tossed some money next to his glass and stood up. He hung onto the bar to keep himself steady.

Lorelai's lower lip made an encore appearance as she wordlessly pouted at him again. She got to her feet as well and immediately pitched backward. Luke threw out his arm and pulled her against him, steadying her.

"I think we've both had enough," he said looking down at her.

For a moment they stared into each other's eyes, each quietly wondering what the other was thinking. The press of their bodies against each other had the effect of a splash of cold water, but Luke didn't let her go.

"You didn't drive did you?" Luke asked finally.

"No, I walked here. And I think I can crawl back," Lorelai bobbed her head as if agreeing with her own words.

"I'll walk you home," Luke offered. Lorelai looked at him strangely that fluttery feeling again taking root inside her. "Just to make sure you make it," he added.

"Who's gonna make sure you make if you make it back to the diner?" Lorelai wondered.

"Don't worry, I know how to crawl too," Luke assured her.

They looked at each other for a minute, completely serious, then burst out laughing and headed towards the door.

"Look at that," Miss Patty nudged Babette. They watched Luke and Lorelai stagger out of the bar, leaning against each other. "Do you think…?"

"Nah, they're too drunk," Babette said regretfully. "But boy, it's nice to dream."

As they walked outside the cool evening air caused them to sober up a bit.

"We can do this," Lorelai giggled but the distance to her house seemed very far.

"Or die trying," Luke laughed.

A car glided smoothly to the curb in front of where they were standing. After a moment, Kirk got out.

"Need a ride?" Kirk asked.

"Kirk?" Lorelai blinked at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"I sometimes offer my services as town designated driver," Kirk explained in a no-nonsense voice. "I noticed both you and Luke appear to be a trifle unsteady on your feet probably from imbibing too much alcohol."

"We have not!" Lorelai said indignantly as she swayed into Luke. She relaxed against him, comfortably. "We're fine! We just finished taking the trivia test!" Lorelai announced, as if taking the test proved they were sober.

"Oh," Kirk shook his head, "not the best venue for taking the test. You should have taken it at Weston's like I did earlier in the week. There is no way you could beat me." Kirk prided himself on winning the dance contest every year and this was no different.

"I'm not going to beat you, Kirk," Lorelai admitted, "I've given up on trying to beat you when it comes to town events Kirk. You win."

"Yes!" Kirk shouted pumping his fist in the air. "I love to win! I never won when I was a kid. Nobody ever picked me for sports either."

"Kirk, sometimes you make me very sad," Lorelai said.

"Kirk, we don't care about you never winning or that you never got picked for sports, we care about getting home," Luke piped up. In the short time they had been standing there, he decided he couldn't walk Lorelai home and make it home himself. And unfortunately, now that Kirk was there, it looked like he would be going back to the diner after all. "If you're going to take us, then take us."

"Get in," Kirk said as he got back behind the wheel.

Luke stumbled over to the rear passenger door and opened it. He waited for Lorelai to get in and slide over before getting in himself.

"Such a gentleman," Lorelai twittered in a southern accent.

"Don't get used to it," Luke returned, half-laughing to himself.

They both relaxed into the seat as Kirk drove away. In a few minutes, they were pulling up to Lorelai's house.

"Gilmore residence," Kirk announced. He picked up a clipboard and began writing on a sheet, like a cab driver logging his time.

Luke blinked in surprise at how fast they had arrived at Lorelai's house. He looked over at her, she had her eyes closed. Not sure if he could walk around the car and open her door and sure that Kirk wasn't going to do it, he leaned across her and opened the door. As he moved back he noticed her eyes had opened and she was staring at him. He froze; their faces just inches apart.

"You're home," he said in a quiet voice.

Lorelai didn't speak. She had gotten lost in his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes. Time seemed to stand still. Neither moved, or so she thought. Was Luke actually moving closer?

"Meter's running," Kirk's voice shattered the moment. He hadn't looked up from what he was doing. Luke paused. He looked deeply into her eyes and then his gaze dropped to her lips. For a second, Lorelai thought he was going to kiss her. Suddenly he shook his head and moved back and Lorelai was surprised at the disappointment she felt.

"Okay, Kirk," Luke acknowledged and Lorelai remembered they weren't alone. Now she was thankful he had moved away. She wasn't sure what was happening but she knew she did not want Kirk witnessing it and blabbing all over town.

"Thanks, Luke for…well thanks," Lorelai smiled at him. "See you tomorrow." She got out of the car and shut the door. Luke watched her carefully walk up her steps and unlock the door. She turned and waved to him.

"So Luke, where to?" Kirk asked. "We could go back to the bar. You can be my wingman."

"Drop me at the diner, Kirk," he said as he slumped back into the seat and closed his eyes.

tbc