JUNE 2007

Two weeks after the graduation party, they decided to set sail up the coast. They agreed, albeit reluctantly, to hold off on the physical part of their relationship until everything was discussed and out in the open.

Lorelai was excited to spend quality time with Luke, but naturally she was nervous too. Realization dawned on her that the last trip they took together, to Martha's Vineyard, was less than ideal. But that was a year and a half ago and this trip would be about pushing past all that grief and hurt and starting with a clean slate. And what better topic to start with than the date that was looming right in front of them, June 3rd. They were both well aware that they could quite possibly be celebrating their one year anniversary had things not gone horribly wrong.

"Did you really want to marry me?" Lorelai asked quietly as Luke cleaned up from their dinner out on the deck of the boat.

He knew they would be discussing things and possibly opening old wounds, but her question wasn't what he was expecting. He grabbed a towel to dry his hands and joined her on the L-shaped couch at the back of the boat. He took her hands and tugged them gently to get her to turn towards him.

"Of course I did," said Luke as he looked into her eyes.

She looked down at their intertwined fingers. "Why didn't you come after me?"

Luke swallowed. Not going after Lorelai that night had become one of the biggest regrets of his life. Of course, at the time, he had no idea how bad things were going to get.

"I just thought you needed some time to calm down. Put yourself in my position, Lorelai. I had been looking for you for two days and all of a sudden you show up, clearly upset, wanting to elope. You didn't seem to be in any condition to have that conversation," he said calmly.

Lorelai looked up with tear-filled eyes. "I felt like I was the only one who was all in and you had one foot out the door," she sniffled before she continued, "I know you were patient with me when I was going through that hard time with Rory. I see that now and I didn't at the time. But I felt so shut out of your life, Luke. Especially when it came to April."

Luke used his thumbs to wipe the tears off her cheeks. "If I've learned anything in the last year, it's that I should have established my rights as April's father from the start. I did let Anna call the shots when it came to April because it was new territory for me and I was so scared that she would change her mind and not let me spend time with her. I hate myself for not noticing how upset you were. Believe me. Like I told you a few months ago, I was compartmentalizing and that wasn't fair to you. But things will be different this time, Lorelai. You have my word." He pleaded to her with his eyes.

Lorelai nodded slightly, "I know. Just the fact that we're actually discussing this proves it."

She was thankful that they could talk calmly about this despite all the pain its caused. Maybe it was because they had already forgiven each other that day in the hay bale maze. Maybe it was because enough time had passed that the emotional wounds were starting to heal. Whatever the reason, they were both glad to get this out in the open so that they could move forward with their lives.

They both finished cleaning up and headed into the cabin to get ready for bed. The inside of the boat was definitely bigger than Lorelai imagined and she was able to convince Luke that she was fine with showering in the rather large stand-up shower. They still needed to stop for groceries and toiletries as needed but they were able to spend every night on the boat instead of having to book hotels along the coast every few nights.

A week after their June 3rd conversation, the topic of Christopher reared its ugly head. He definitely needed to be discussed, but the way he was brought up was not exactly ideal. They had finally made it to the coast of Maine and found a marina to dock the boat in for a couple of nights. Lorelai was sunbathing in one of her teeny bikinis on the back deck of the boat while Luke stood at the outdoor sink rinsing off a few dishes from their breakfast that morning. Lorelai's phone started ringing on the counter next to the sink.

"Oh, Luke, answer that for me. It might be Rory!" Lorelai called out without attempting to move from her warm, sunny spot on the boat.

Luke quickly dried his hands and without even glancing at the display on the phone he answered, "Hello?"

That all too familiar male voice on the other end spoke. "Uh, who is this?" the voice asked in a not-so-friendly tone.

Luke pulled the phone away and checked the display. Grimacing when he saw the name CHRISTOPHER, he walked over and held out the phone to Lorelai.

"It's not Rory," said Luke in a clipped tone.

Confused by his tone, Lorelai quickly sat up and grabbed for her phone. Seeing whose name was on the display, her stomach instantly dropped. She watched Luke walk towards the door to the cabin below and said a silent prayer that they could talk about this as calmly as possible when she was done.

"Chris, hi. What can I do for you?" asked Lorelai as she tried to tame down her annoyance at the timing he always seemed to have when he called.

"Who answered your phone, Lor?" Christopher asked with an almost hurt tone in his voice.

A slight feeling of guilt crept up but she quickly pushed it back down. This was ridiculous. They were not married anymore and she didn't have to explain to him her whereabouts and who she was with. But she didn't want to lie either.

"That was Luke," she said softly trying to avoid confrontation and hoped that he would move on to the reason he was calling.

"Oh. Well I've been trying to get a hold of Rory for the past couple of weeks. So either the reception sucks or she's avoiding me," he said with a self-deprecating chuckle.

"I've only talked to her a couple times on the phone over the past few weeks, Chris. Reception is terrible when they're on the buses but she does email. Try that next time," she paused for a second, "Look, I have to go. Just be patient, she'll reach out when she can."

Judging by the audible sigh she heard on the other end of the call, he was reluctantly taking the hint.

"Thanks for the reassurance, Lor."

"Take care, Chris."

After hanging up with Christopher, Lorelai went in search for Luke. She found him on the bed sprawled out on his back with one arm covering his face. She set her phone down on the tiny kitchen table and quietly walked the few feet over to the bedroom. She gently crawled onto the bed and sat facing Luke with both her knees pulled up to her chest.

"What was that about?" asked Luke calmly without removing his arm from over his face.

She rested her chin on top her knees. "He's been trying to get in touch with Rory. He thought maybe she was avoiding him or something. I told him the reception is usually bad and to try and email her instead."

Finally, Luke removed his arm that covered his face and sat up. Lorelai searched his face to see if there was any hint of anger there, but all she saw was concern. That phone call had definitely opened up an old wound and she was transported to a moment almost two years ago that felt eerily similar to this one. Only this time, she wouldn't let Christopher back in. Rory was a grown woman off on her own in the world. Their short time at being co-parents ended when Rory graduated from Yale.

"Luke, I need you to know that the relationship that Christopher and I have is not what it used to be. Rory is grown now and while we're still her parents, there's no reason for us to stay in touch. They can email and talk all they want, but it doesn't have to include me."

Lorelai noticed a slight look of relief wash over Luke's face. He reached out for her hand which she gratefully accepted. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in slow, soothing circles.

"I trust you. We're both to blame for what happened between us. Hell, if anything I pushed you into Christopher's arms by being so damn blind to everything going on around me," he paused before continuing, "I forgave you a long time ago, Lorelai."

She smiled and nodded as relief and happiness flooded through her veins. In the past few weeks, they were able to talk about the big issues that previously plagued their relationship in such a calm, mature manner. They had both grown so much in the year they spent apart. They had hurt each other more times than they could count during the first two attempts at their relationship. Hopefully, this third time would indeed be the charm.

"So, I'd say we got some pretty big topics of discussion out of the way," said Lorelai as she stretched her legs out in front of her. Luke couldn't help but glance down at her long, tan, smooth legs.

"I'd say I definitely agree," said Luke as he reached out and rubbed her calf gently.

With a small smirk on her face, she decided to test the waters. "Would you say most of our bigger issues are now behind us?" Lorelai slowly sat up on her knees.

Hearing the low, sultry sound in her voice Luke caught on quickly. "Yep." He nodded as his eyes roamed down her barely covered, perfect body.

"Good." She reached behind her neck in one smooth motion and pulled the drawstring to her bikini loose, letting it fall to her waist. She carefully gauged his reaction and when she saw his blue eyes darken with arousal she knew he was on board. She untied the second string that was holding her top up and tossed the tiny scrap of fabric to the floor.

Within seconds, Luke was kneeling in front of her. She grabbed his cheek gently with one hand and placed a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. Luke reached up to thread his fingers through her hair and deepened the kiss. When he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, a small moan escaped her lips. Luke slid his hands down her ribcage and rested them at her hips. He gently pulled the drawstrings on her bikini bottoms and the fabric gave way and fell to the bed. When they both came up for air, panting with need, Lorelai started to undress Luke.

"You're wearing too much clothes," she purred as she pulled off Luke's t-shirt and then reached for the button on his khaki shorts. She admitted to herself that, while she loves flannel and jeans wearing Luke, shorts and a t-shirt Luke was currently in the running.

She unfastened the button and lowered the fly on his shorts. As their lips met again in another searing kiss, Lorelai's hand wandered south inside the front of Luke's boxer briefs. She gently stroked him which made him groan from deep in his throat. He peppered kisses across her cheek and to the sensitive spot behind her ear.

"Keep that up and this won't last much longer," he said as he nuzzled her neck and tried to fight the urge to thrust toward her.

"We can't let that happen now, can we?" said Lorelai breathlessly.

She removed her hand and gently nudged him to lay down. Once Luke was on his back, she pulled off his shorts taking his boxers with them. She slowly crawled over him letting the length of him lightly graze her as she straddled his hips. He reached up and gently cupped her breasts letting his palms softly brush her hardened peaks. Soon his mouth joined his hands on her chest and she grasped the back of his head to hold him there.

After laving both breasts with his tongue, he reached down between her thighs to feel that she was ready for him. He lifted her hips slightly, angling her right above his hardness, and she slowly sank down onto him. They both stilled for a minute, enjoying the connection they didn't realize they both had missed so much. Slowly, Lorelai started to rock her hips. Luke squeezed them slightly and met her thrust for thrust. It wasn't long before she started to quicken her pace.

She braced herself on the wall behind the bed. "Ohhh, I'm so close," she whimpered.

Luke sat up and captured her lips with his. He waited so long for this moment and he wasn't about to let it end just yet. He quickly flipped their positions and pinned her underneath his body without breaking the connection. He set a slow, rhythmic pace that was bound to drive her insane. Lorelai dragged her nails up Luke's smooth, muscular back and over his shoulders and down his chest as they both moaned in pleasure. He grabbed ahold of both of her thighs and brought them up to his waist. She immediately wrapped her long legs around him as be began to thrust deeper and quicker.

"Oh God, Luke!" Lorelai cried out at the sudden change in pace.

He could feel her walls tighten around him as she toppled over the edge crying out his name. And that was his undoing. After a few more thrusts, he released inside of her with a loud moan and collapsed onto his forearms with his head on her left shoulder.

After their breathing slowed down, Luke kissed the side of her neck softly. Lorelai turned to meet his gaze. Drowsy, blue, satisfied eyes stared back at him and for a moment he felt his heart stop. Tears suddenly filled her eyes and she gave him a small smile.

"I've missed you," whispered Lorelai.

"You have no idea," said Luke with a smile of his own.

For a while, they laid tangled up in post coital bliss. Luke was lying on his back with Lorelai tucked into his side facing him with the sheet pulled up to her hips.

"When I said 'I missed you' you know I wasn't just referring to the sex, right? I mean, don't get me wrong, it was amazing. It's always amazing, but I missed the connection we had too. Again, nothing sexual intended-"

He cut her off with a soft kiss. He couldn't help but chuckle. He knew her babbling capabilities were infinite.

"I knew what you meant. I've missed all of this too," said Luke in that gravelly voice she loved.

Lorelai smiled. She was so grateful to have found this amazing man who understood her and had patience for the way her mind worked. The silence was broken by a rumbling sound that came from Lorelai's stomach. Luke glanced at the clock on the small night table and saw that it was already noon. He kissed the top of her head before he sat up.

"I made lunch reservations for us at one o'clock," he said as he pulled on his discarded t-shirt and boxer briefs.

"Really? Where?" Lorelai sat up and pulled up the sheets to cover her bare breasts. Luke leaned forward and placed a quick peck on her lips

"It's a surprise. You have enough time to shower if you want, but make it quick. It's about a ten minute walk into town," said Luke as he walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

Normally the thought of walking anywhere for ten minutes wouldn't exactly have appealed to Lorelai. But considering they've been cooped up on the boat for a few days, a walk didn't sound too bad.

As she stepped into the bathroom, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Even after applying generous amounts of sunblock, her skin still had a nice golden color to it. The ocean air actually hadn't wreaked havoc on her naturally curly hair. She decided against washing it since Luke was insistent that she be quick. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and stepped into the spacious shower.

She washed quickly and grabbed for a towel to dry off. With the towel wrapped around her, she undid the messy bun and shook out her curls. She grabbed her mousse and squeezed a dollop into her palm. She ran her fingers through her curls to give them a little more definition. She grabbed her makeup bag and pulled out some tinted moisturizer. She applied a little on her cheeks to even out the slight redness from the sun.

She walked into the bedroom to find Luke sitting on the bed tying his tennis shoes. He had on the same pair of khaki shorts but had pulled on a nice, snug, navy blue, collared shirt over his t-shirt. Lorelai couldn't help my grin at the sight of him. He stood and noticed the smile on her face.

"What?" he asked with a slight smirk of his own.

"Nothing. I'm just really loving the sight of Casual Luke," said Lorelai.

Luke scoffed. "I'm always dressed casual."

"Not like this, Mister. I don't think I've ever seen you show so much skin. Well technically I have, but you know what I mean," said Lorelai with a giggle.

He walked over and kissed her temple. "Get dressed, Crazy Lady. We have to leave in about ten minutes," he said before walking up the steps and out onto the deck.

Since they were walking to the restaurant and it was rather warm, she decided on a spaghetti strapped denim dress with a pair of white, low top Converse shoes. She grabbed her cross-body purse from the counter in the kitchen and headed for the deck of the boat. As they walked through the little fisherman town, things started to look very familiar to Lorelai.

"Hey, Luke? What town did you say we were docked in?" Lorelai asked.

He smiled and looked down at her. "Perkins Cove is where we're docked but the town is Ogunquist, Maine."

Suddenly she knew exactly where they were headed for lunch. Barnacle Billy's. The same restaurant Lorelai suggested he take April. She hadn't been here since she was a kid but it looked exactly the same. The first level had outdoor seating that overlooked the water. Each table was covered with a giant, red umbrella for shade. There were also stairs that led to the upper deck of the restaurant that gave an even more beautiful view of the water and the sail boats that filled the waterway.

They opted for outdoor seating since it was shaded and being this close to the water provided a nice breeze. Since lobster was what she bragged about, lobster is what they ate. After a second round of drinks, draft beer for him and a delicious rum punch for her, Luke noticed Lorelai had gotten a little quiet.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" asked Luke hesitantly.

She met his gaze and quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She paused for a few seconds before continuing, "How do you feel now about the possibility of us being married?"

It never fails. Just when Luke thinks he has a grasp on what she's thinking, she throws him a curveball. Not sure what her take on the topic was, he decided to tread lightly.

"I meant what I said. I always intended on marrying you, Lorelai, but I understand if your feelings on this has changed," he said trying to gauge her reaction.

She sighed slightly before looking up at him. "I love you, Luke. And I love that we're able to start moving forward. But I can't help but be reminded that my frustration and selfishness over not getting married when I wanted it to happen was part of the reason we fell apart."

She sniffled slightly and tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to fall. She took a sip of her cocktail and placed it back on the table before reaching for Luke's hand.

"I just want to be with you. If someday down the road we decide we want to get married and we're both on the same page, then by all means lets get married. But I can't let the talk of a wedding and marriage threaten to tear us apart again," she said hoping he would understand and not take things the wrong way.

Luke took a moment to formulate the words. He lifted up her hand to his lips and brushed a light kiss onto her knuckles. "How about when you're ready you let me know? As long as I'm with you, Lorelai, I don't care about anything else. I don't need to be married right now, I just need you."

Relief flooded through her body as she nodded and leaned in for a kiss.

They finished lunch and headed back through town. They stopped along the way at a small grocery store that reminded them a lot of Doose's. They grabbed the fixings to make chicken fajitas for dinner since the boat came equipped with an outdoor griddle. Once they made it back to the boat, Lorelai collapsed onto the bed.

"Man, I'm exhausted," groaned Lorelai as she kicked off her shoes.

After putting the groceries away, Luke did the same and crawled onto the bed. He pulled Lorelai toward him, her back flush against his chest.

After a few minutes, just as he was about to doze off, he heard her ask, "Did I ever tell you that my parents were going to buy us a house as a wedding present?"

She felt him tense slightly but she couldn't tell if it was out of shock or disgust.

"No, you didn't," he said trying to imagine how that conversation went down.

Luke wasn't surprised that he was not The Gilmore's favorite person, but he was surprised and a little heartbroken to hear that they had actually accepted his relationship with Lorelai enough to make such a lavish purchase.

"It was a beautiful house. Big. At least from what I could tell in the pictures," she said.

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Luke softly.

Lorelai turned onto her other side to face Luke. "Just because we decided to hold off on getting married right now doesn't mean I feel differently about you moving in and us living together. We remodeled my house for us and I still want that to happen. I can understand if it'll be a little weird for you living there considering…everything, but whatever we can do to make the house feel more like ours and not just mine we will do, Luke."

He gently brushed a curl out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and pulled back to meet her gaze.

"Whatever makes you happy Lorelai," he said softly. "I'm not going anywhere, so if we live separately or together I'll be happy either way."

Lorelai smiled. Things were actually falling into place for her and Luke and she hoped it wasn't just from being secluded on a boat for two weeks. She leaned in and placed a gentle, lingering kiss onto his lips. Luke wrapped his arm around her waist and deepened the kiss. She threaded her fingers through the hair at the back of his head pulling him closer.

"So much for taking a nap," groaned Luke after he broke the kiss. Lorelai giggled as he rolled over on top of her.

"We can sleep when we're dead," she said before she pulled him down for another passionate kiss.

JULY 2007

After four weeks on the water, Luke and Lorelai decided to cut the trip short and head back to Stars Hollow. Nothing beats getting away for a while, but it sure was nice to come back home. Lorelai couldn't help but fear that, once they weren't in their Luke and Lorelai bubble anymore, things would go back to how they originally were. She was quickly proven wrong.

Two weeks after returning home, Luke received a call from April letting him know that her six-week science camp was about to finish up and that she was looking forward to seeing him in a couple days. He told her that he had really good news and he couldn't wait to see her.

The next morning, Lorelai came into the diner for breakfast. She greeted him with a quick peck on the lips before taking a seat at her usual stool. They had both decided that they were not going to neither hide nor announce that they were back together. If the fact that they just spent a month away together didn't tip the town off, then something was definitely wrong with these people.

Luke grabbed a mug, filled it with coffee, and slid it in front of her.

"April called last night," said Luke as he methodically wiped down the counter.

A slight, panicked feeling washed over Lorelai. She tempered it down as best she could until she heard what he had to say. She grabbed her mug and took a few sips of coffee.

"Really? How was camp?" she asked.

"It was great. She's just about done and I'll be picking her up from the airport in a few days," Luke said with a warm smile.

Lorelai knew he had missed April especially with her living almost across the country. But she couldn't help but feel those old, familiar feelings like the shoe was about to drop, but it never did.

"I was hoping you would come with me. I told April I had some good news but I didn't tell her what it was. I thought it might be a nice surprise for her," he said as he tried to gauge her reaction.

Lorelai's eyes widened slightly. "Uh, y-yes," she stuttered. "I'd love to."

"Good. You know what you want?"

Lorelai shook her head slightly to clear it. "Uh, yes. French toast and a side of bacon, please."

Luke turned toward the kitchen and started to prepare her breakfast.

Lorelai was at a loss for words. She couldn't believe it. A year and a half ago this was all she wanted and now it was happening. She sipped her coffee and couldn't help but smile at how great things seemed to be going. Maybe their third time would be the charm.

After a couple of minutes, Luke returned with her breakfast. Noticing the smile on her face he nodded towards her and asked, "What's with the smile?"

Lorelai simply replied, "You."

Two days later, Luke stopped by Lorelai's house to pick her up and head to the airport. She had decided, since they wouldn't be leaving until around noon, that she would put in a few hours at the inn. She had just finished changing into more comfortable clothes for the drive when Luke pulled in her driveway.

Since returning from the boat trip, they hadn't yet discussed Luke officially moving in. Things were very much like they were in the early stages of their relationship. He'd spent almost every night at Lorelai's except when he had early deliveries the next morning, to which she would happily stay at his apartment with him. For the both of them, it made sense. Neither one of them felt the need to rush things or to make any drastic changes to their lifestyles. Or so Lorelai thought. She knew the character reference letter she wrote for Luke helped him win partial custody, but she never thought to ask what the agreement actually entailed.

"You never told me what the judge awarded you in the custody case," said Lorelai about fifteen minutes into the drive.

Luke glanced in his rear view mirror and then signaled to switch lanes. "I get either Thanksgiving or Christmas, I left the choice up to Anna. Then one month out of the summer and when possible one weekend every other month," he said as he gave Lorelai a quick glance.

She nodded appreciatively. It didn't surprise her that Luke fought for his rights to April. Luke will do anything for the people he loves. She knew that first hand.

The night before they had talked about what the sleeping arrangement would be while April was in Stars Hollow. Lorelai insisted that she was fine if Luke preferred that he and April stay at the apartment. Luke insisted that it would be fine if they all stayed together at Lorelai's house.

"Luke, you're going to want to spend quality time with April and I'm totally cool with it. It's fine if you guys want to spend your nights at your place," Lorelai called from the bathroom as she grabbed for her toothbrush. Luke joined her and gave her a pointed look.

"And I understand what you're saying, but it makes more sense for us to stay here. She'll be helping out at the diner a couple days a week so we'll be spending plenty of quality time together," he paused before continuing, "unless it's because you don't want her staying in Rory's room."

Lorelai quickly shook her head and rinsed out her mouth. "That's not it at all. I don't mind and I know Rory wouldn't care. I just want April to be comfortable. Think about it. She's never been to the house. She's never been around us as a couple," she said pausing for a moment. "I just don't want it to be too much too soon."

Luke nodded slowly and then grabbed for his toothbrush. "How about we talk to April and see how she feels about all of this? One thing I've learned about her is that she has no problem telling you how something makes her feel," he said adding with a smirk, "she must get that from Anna."

Lorelai playfully swatted his arm. "Okay, but if there's any hint of awkwardness on her part we're going with plan B," said Lorelai with her finger pointed at Luke.

He rinsed his mouth and dried his face with a towel hanging on the wall by the sink. He turned out the bathroom light and climbed into bed next to Lorelai who was sitting up, deep in thought. He put his hand on her thigh and squeezed it gently.

"Hey, it's going to be fine. Stop worrying," said Luke softly.

She turned her head towards him and gave him a weak smile. "I just want it all to be perfect."

Back in the truck, Luke noticed that Lorelai looked a little spaced out. He reached for her hand a gave it a small squeeze.

"What's on your mind?" he asked calmly. Luke knew she was feeling anxious about April's visit but he was hoping it was more of a good kind of anxious.

"I was just thinking that if this works out and April is okay with being at the house then maybe we should talk about you officially moving in. I mean, you practically live there already, but maybe it will make things easier for April if she sees more of your things around the house. Oh! And you do realize we will be sharing a bathroom with a teenager, right?" she said as she looked at him with her eyebrows raised waiting on his reaction.

Luke furrowed his brows slightly. He hadn't really thought of the bathroom situation and how awkward that could be.

"When we remodeled a few years ago, I remember Tom saying we had enough room to expand the kitchen. I wonder if there's enough room for another bathroom downstairs instead," said Luke as he steered the truck towards the exit for the airport.

Lorelai thought about it for a moment. It would make things a whole lot more comfortable especially if Rory comes home in between writing assignments.

"It definitely doesn't hurt to look into it. Let's just get through these next two weeks and see how it goes. Then we can get together with Tom and look at the options," said Lorelai as they exited the truck in the short-term parking garage and headed inside the airport.

As Luke suspected, April was surprised and extremely happy about her father getting back together with Lorelai. April had been pretty upset about having to cancel the boat trip Luke had planned for the both of them but when she heard he took Lorelai instead, she felt nothing but relief that her father didn't have to spend the majority of the summer alone.

They decided to go to Sniffy's on their way back to Stars Hollow. It had been a few months since Luke was able to stop in and he felt he had two very important reasons to visit today. Bud and Maisy hadn't seen April since she last visited during the hay bale maze. They also hadn't seen Lorelai in almost two years. They walked in and was immediately greeted by the happy, older couple. After hugs were exchanged, Maisy led them to the very same booth Luke and Lorelai shared on their first date. April slid in first and then Luke and Lorelai sat, one on each a side of April. They filled April in on all the PG rated aspects of their boat trip.

"Well it sounds like you guys had a fabulous time," said April as she nodded her approval.

Luke and Lorelai's eyes met and they shared a knowing smile. A few minutes later, Bud and Maisy returned with three plates filled with the special of the day. Luke gave them a good-natured eye roll but was too famished to try and put up a fight.

After they finished their meals, Luke gave Lorelai a slight nod to let her know he was about to bring up the long-awaited topic. He cleared his throat.

"April, how would you feel about us staying at Lorelai's place while you're here?" Luke asked looking for any hint of awkwardness on April's part.

She simply shrugged. "Okay," she said in her nonchalant tone of voice. "I assumed that was the plan when you told me you guys were back together. I couldn't imagine all three of us staying in your tiny apartment, no offense dad. It's a fabulous place for, lets say a bachelor or maybe a monk, but I'd say those days are definitely behind you. Am I right?" April asked, wide-eyed and waiting on Luke's response.

"I'd say you hit the nail on the head," said Luke with a slight chuckle.

The rest of their summer flew by rather quickly. April helped out at the diner three days a week. For Luke, it felt like old times. He helped Caesar in the kitchen while April waited tables. At lunchtime, they went up to the apartment for sandwiches or salads which made Luke happy that he could share his love of healthier foods with his daughter. Twice a week April would tag along with Lorelai to the inn and help out with Cletus and Desdemona in the stables. They would have lunch in the dining room and Lorelai promised to never tell Luke of his daughter's sweet tooth which she happily indulged.

The issue of sharing a bathroom hadn't come up until the afternoon of the Lazy Hazy Crazy Days festival. April would be leaving the day after and they were all glad, including Luke, that it worked out to where April could experience her first Stars Hollow summer festival. Both Luke and Lorelai had to work that morning, so April tagged along with Lane and the twins until Luke finished up at the diner. His supply order came in that morning, so Luke wanted to have it all put away before he left for the day.

Before the boat trip, he put Caesar in charge which meant that his supplies had somehow gotten rearranged. As he reached up to grab a jug of ketchup, he didn't notice the lid was missing. It slipped from his hands, landed on his chest, and splattered its contents all over Luke and the floor.

"You've got to be kidding me. Caesar!" he yelled.

"Yeah, Boss!" said Caesar cheerily until he noticed an angry, ketchup-covered Luke.

"Get someone to cover the grill, grab the mop, and get this mess cleaned up," said Luke through clenched teeth. "I'm going home to clean up. You think you can handle that?"

"Sure thing, Boss," said Caesar as he nodded nervously.

Luke removed his flannel, balled it up and tossed it in the trash. He left out of the back entrance to avoid walking through the diner in a red-stained t-shirt. Just as he walked up the back alley, his phone started to ring.

"Hey," he answered in a clipped tone.

"Aww, now see, you're supposed to save that sweet talk for the bedroom, Hon," said Lorelai without missing a beat.

Luke smiled. "Sorry. I made a mess of myself in the supply room, so I'm headed to your place to clean up since all of my toiletries are there. I'm going to find April and let her know just in case she goes to the diner looking for me," he said as he looked around the square for April.

"Well I'm heading home too. I wanted to stop in and change, then I was heading to the festival," said Lorelai as she climbed into her Jeep.

After hanging up with Lorelai, Luke found April and filled her in. He told her that they would meet up with her at the gazebo in about twenty minutes.

Lorelai pulled into the driveway as Luke was walking towards the steps. He turned and waited for her to exit the Jeep.

"Oh man! Look at you!" giggled Lorelai as she walked up and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Caesar forgot to put the lid on the jug of ketchup and this was the end result," said Luke as he gestured to himself before he followed Lorelai into the house and up the stairs.

She kicked her shoes off in the closet and followed him into the bathroom. She watched as he removed his t-shirt, jeans, and boxer briefs.

"Hmm, I gotta say. A Burger Boy covered in ketchup does sound amazing right about now," Lorelai purred as she walked up and gave Luke a soft, lingering kiss on the lips.

Luke wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss. They had abstained from any funny business in the house while April was there and it had definitely been taking its toll. Luke gently tugged at the tie to the side of Lorelai's wrap dress. When it fell open, he pushed the material down her arms until it landed on the floor. He left a trail of hot kisses across her jaw and to the sensitive spot under her ear. He moved down to her neck where he stopped to nip and suck gently.

"Luke," moaned Lorelai as he unfastened her bra and dropped it to the floor next to her discarded dress. She reached for his hardness and gave it a few, soft strokes.

He walked backwards pulling her with him and reached in to turn on the shower. He stooped and pulled Lorelai's thong down her legs and tossed the tiny scrap of material aside. He placed tiny kisses on her stomach making his way back up towards her breasts. She grabbed the back of his head holding him in place while his tongue worked it's magic. After a moment, Luke pulled the shower curtain open and they both stepped in. His lips found hers in another passionate, deep kiss.

With Lorelai's back pressed up against the wall of the shower, Luke reached down to lightly stroke her. He propped her left leg up on his right hip as she guided him towards her entrance. Just as he was about to enter her, he stopped at the sound of the front door slamming.

"Dad!"

Lorelai had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing at the pure panic that washed over Luke's face.

"Are you almost done?! I left my bag in the bathroom and I need my camera!" April called out from the landing on the stairs.

Luke shook his head slightly to try and clear the arousal-induced fog in his brain. "Yes!" he called out. "Just give me a minute and I'll bring your bag downstairs!"

They smirked at each other and gave a slight shake of the head. Both of them knew the moment was gone and they would have to back burner this hot, sexy shower escapade for when April went back to New Mexico. Luke quickly soaped up and rinsed off.

"You finish up. I'll grab her bag and hope to God she doesn't ask where you are," he said as he gave Lorelai a quick peck on the lips.

"Well, we might want to consider that second bathroom after all," giggled Lorelai as Luke exited the shower.

The next evening, after dropping April off at the airport, Luke stood in the doorway of the downstairs closet with his hands on his hips and lost in thought. Lorelai came downstairs and stood behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his left shoulder.

"What are you thinking?" she asked softly.

Luke was quiet on the drive back from the airport. Lorelai had assumed it was mostly because he was bummed his time with April this summer had come to an end. Now she wasn't so sure.

"I'm thinking that, if we knock out this wall behind here, there actually is plenty of room for a bathroom. Nothing too enormous, but it could work," Luke said as he lifted his arm to wrap it around her shoulder.

"We'll call Tom and get him to draw something up. I'm sure he still has blueprints of the house." She paused for a moment before asking, "Is that all you were thinking about?"

Luke gave her a small smile before he kissed the side of her head. He closed the closet door and walked to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out two beers. Lorelai stood next to the counter by the coffee maker, unsure of how to gauge his mood. He opened both beers and handed one to her. He took a long pull from his bottle and set it down on the table.

"This was a really good summer, Lorelai. Probably one of the best I've had in a long time."

Lorelai sighed with relief and gave him a small smile. She took a sip of her beer and sat down at the table. "Man, you had me worried there for a minute. I thought maybe you were upset." She picked at the label on her bottle.

Luke pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. "I'm a little sad April's gone, but Christmas will be here before we know it," he said with a slight shrug. With a smirk he added, "Hopefully, by that time, we'll be able to avoid another embarrassing shower fiasco."

Lorelai giggled and took another swig of her beer. Luke finished the rest of his beer, rinsed out the bottle, and tossed it in the trash. Lorelai stood up and did the same. As she made her way towards the stairs, Luke stopped to make sure the backdoor was locked.

"Speaking of shower fiascos, we have some unfinished business to tend to, Burger Boy!" she called out from the stairs.

As Luke rounded the corner from the kitchen into the living room, he saw a pink t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants fly over the bannister. As he reached the stairs, he found Lorelai standing at the top of the steps, hands on her hips, wearing nothing but pink, lace cheekster panties. He swallowed hard at the site of her and pointed towards the front door.

"Let me lock up," said Luke and in that low, gravelly voice that always drove Lorelai crazy he added, "I don't plan on getting interrupted this time."

A/N: In my mind, the boat that Luke ended up buying is a small yacht. He described it as having a small kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area. He never said if it was a sailboat so after a little boat research (man those things are pricey!) I came up with it being a yacht because Luke could totally afford it.

I couldn't believe it when I looked it up but BARNACLE BILLY'S IS A REAL PLACE. It's just as Lorelai describes it and I definitely wouldn't mind eating there if I ever ventured off to Maine.

As far as Christopher is concerned, I don't plan on him having much interaction with the L's (much like it was in the revival). I fully believe that Lorelai understood the repercussions of having him in her life and that nothing good will ever come of them trying to be friends (which is not all that uncommon between two divorced parents of a child).

If you didn't notice, Lorelai is the one who brings up each and every possible life-altering event so far (marriage and their living situation). I don't believe for one second that Lorelai sat Luke down at some point and said "This is how it's going to be…" I don't think she realized until the Summer episode of the revival that Luke took the fact that she brought those things up to mean she was calling all the shots. She was simply letting him know how she felt and what she wanted and Luke happily obliged because he's Luke.

I think it's hilarious that the downstairs bathroom had returned for the revival! I felt the need to come up with a reason as to why they needed one. With Luke having partial custody of April it made sense that she would need her own bathroom because I thought that would be super awkward to go through your dads bedroom to use the one and only bathroom in the house.

As I said before, feedback is definitely appreciated. Now on to 2008…