A/N: I want to thank my amazing beta, Jewels, for all her help! Thanks to sosmitten for her help with the timeline and to all the others that answered my questions.
Luke sits there grinning. 'Can this really be happening?' he wonders as his smile becomes more pronounced.
He is so caught up in his daydreams that he doesn't hear Jess walk in the apartment.
"Why are you smiling like an idiot?" Jess comments with a smirk.
The sound of Jess' voice wakes Luke out of his state of euphoria.
"Jeez! Do you have to sneak up on people like that?" Luke grumps. "You need to wear a bell."
"I wasn't sneaking. You're the one sitting there looking dopey, oblivious to everything around you," Jess snarks.
Luke looks at his watch. He realizes with a sigh that he'll have to wait to talk to Lorelai.
"As much as I would like to continue this conversation, we need to leave for the bachelor party," he says with an eye roll. "I need to do something really quick before we go. Give me ten minutes."
"I'll set my watch," Jess sarcastically returns.
Luke rushes downstairs, grabs the freshly baked boysenberry pie and sticks it in a box. He rips a page from his order pad and jots a note.
He hurries out of the diner with the pie and note in hand and walks briskly to the Crap Shack. He figures she's home since the jeep is there so he quickly creeps up the porch steps. He places the pie with the note tucked in by the door. He knocks on his way down the stairs so he can escape before she answers.
Luke hopes that move is sufficient for tonight. Unfortunately, family responsibilities make it impossible to do much more until after Liz's wedding. He would love nothing better than to spend his time pursuing Lorelai now that he has the green light. The fact that she even wants him to make a move is inconceivable to him.
Grasping the knowledge that he could soon be in a relationship with the woman that he has yearned for is impossible at best. He wonders if a higher power has orchestrated this whole thing. Has everything from his buying the self-help books to Lorelai finding his pro/con list been fate? He doesn't really believe in fate, but with all that has transpired what else could it be? After all these years, why now?
Overwhelmed with thoughts, he decides to concentrate on what he has to do. He has to grab Jess and get to the club for a fun filled night of obnoxious people. At least there is mocking potential.
At the Crap Shack, Lorelai answers the door. When she heard the knock, she thought it was Sookie or Michel since they were due at her house to work on inn stuff. She is quite surprised to find an empty space staring back at her. She scans her yard and sees no evidence of any life forms. Then something catches her eye. There is a box sitting in front of the door. She picks it up and grins right away knowing who it's from. Going back into the house, she perches herself on the edge of the couch.
"What do we have here?" She rubs her hands together in anticipation. Seeing the note, she pulls it out. Her heart starts thumping as she reads.
Lorelai,
What kind of move are you looking for? Probably a grand gesture and not a humble pie, but this move will have to do for now. There is so much we need to discuss, and amazingly, I, monosyllabic man, am looking forward to it. Liz's wedding is Saturday so I have to deal with many inane activities which is what I am doing now. I will fill you in later. Just know that I am thinking about you. Enjoy the pie.
Have a good night.
Luke
Lorelai sighs as she opens the box. "It sounds like this is really bad timing for both of us," she mutters to herself.
As she rises from the couch to go get a fork, she hears a knock.
"Lorelai, we're here," Sookie calls out as she walks through the door.
"Hey, guys. Come sit down. I'll be right back," Lorelai says walking into the kitchen. "Pie for anyone?"
"I have already had all of my calories for today," Michel insists.
"Fine. More for me," Lorelai says. "Sook?"
"I'm good. Thanks, hon."
"Well, I need it to fortify myself for all the work we need to accomplish," Lorelai reasons.
"What is this, Lorelai?" Sookie asks as she picks up Luke's note.
"Oh, nothing," Lorelai says hastily while grabbing it out of Sookie's hand.
Sookie arches her eyebrows in question.
Lorelai knows that if she explained the note, Sookie would ask her a million questions and say 'I told you so'. She isn't ready for that yet. At least not until she and Luke are able to speak about things.
"How about we get to work. The test run is right around the corner," Lorelai remarks. "So much to do, so little time to do it."
Some time later Sookie picks up on Lorleai's distracted state and asks her outright, "Is there a specific reason you are distracted?"
Lorelai glances at Sookie who is smiling like the cat that swallowed the canary. "Huh?" she responds casually.
"You heard me. You're distracted, and I want to know why," Sookie commands.
"What do you mean I'm distracted? I'm sewing pillows here. I need to concentrate."
"You aren't bothering us with your incessant chattering which also leads me to believe that you are distracted," Michel states.
"You are uncharacteristically quiet, and I have a theory on why you are distracted." Sookie continues.
"A theory on why I'm distracted?" Lorelai asks curiously.
"Yes. I think it has something to do with that note that you want me to know nothing about."
"I'll tell you what else is distracting, this inane conversation," Michel mutters.
Ignoring Michel, Lorelai responds to Sookie instead, "Well, Sook, since you have a theory, why don't you enlighten me."
"Okay. I know that note was from Luke. I saw his name signed at the bottom, and who else would bring you your own boysenberry pie? I think you have seen the light. You have finally realized what we have been telling you for years, and he has finally gotten off his ass and done something about his feelings."
Lorelai can't help from blushing during Sookie's speech. "You think you have it all figured out don't you?" she quietly asks with a teasing smile.
"I'm not positive, but I have a good feeling."
"Well, we'll soon see how smart you are. But for now, I think we should call it a night. I'm pretty exhausted," Lorelai says with a sigh. In agreement, Michel and Sookie follow her to the door. "Thanks for the help, guys."
"Anytime, hon. Have a good night, Lorelai. Bye, Michel." Sookie waves as she exits onto the porch.
"I suppose I will have to see you later. Good night," Michel says, closing the door behind him.
Lorelai presses her back to the door. I really need to talk to Luke, she thinks. She can't concentrate or get her work done. She is constantly thinking of the one man that could change her life. If truth be known, he already has.
She decides she needs to do something. Since she doesn't know when he will be back tonight, she wants to reciprocate his kind gesture. What could she do? Luke isn't a fluffy kind of guy. He is a manly man. Would he mind something sentimental? She has something that she's certain he'd be interested in seeing. She isn't sure why she kept it all these years. Although, it is very captivating. She used to sit and stare at it. Now she wonders why something like that couldn't have helped her realize her feelings sooner. Rachel had given it to her with a bunch of Dragonfly pictures, and she put it away for safe keeping. She vividly remembers when Rachel first showed it to them. Luke looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She chuckles, remembering about what he'd said about it. Well, more specifically about her.
She runs up to her room, gets down on her hands and knees beside the bed, and pulls out a box. Inside the box she finds what she is looking for. She studies the picture running her fingers over the two of them. She and Luke are gazing at each other with a look of...something. She isn't sure that she can pinpoint the correct words to describe it. It was definitely one of their most memorable "moments."
She quickly finds a large envelope to accommodate the picture and scribbles a note to put inside. She slides her shoes on and leaves for the diner.
Walking up to the diner, she sees Luke and Jess in conversation. She is not sure if she should hand it to him or wait until he's out of sight to leave it. The decision is taken out of her hands when he notices her there.
She watches as he walks to the door and comes outside.
"Hey. What are you doing out so late? I figured you would be working hard on inn stuff."
"Yeah, well, I wanted to give you this," she says as she hands the envelope to him.
She can see Jess smirking at them from the diner.
"What is this?"
She winks at him, "It's my move."
"Are we playing a game of chess now?"
She smiles mischievously as she walks closer to him, rises on her tip toes, and leans into him so her mouth is close to his ear. She grins when she hears him gasp.
He shivers at her closeness and the feel of her breath on his skin.
"If games are what we are playing, chess is not quite what I had in mind."
"Good to know," he whispers. With her that close, it's an effort for him to even breathe, let alone speak.
He feels her soft lips graze his cheek as she moves away from him.
"Wait until I am out of sight to open it," she instructs him. Now I need to get to bed since you have pointed out that it's late. Enjoy your company." She smiles bashfully at him. "I will talk to you later."
She turns and walks away with a slight wave.
Once she fades away into the distance, he turns to walk back into the diner.
"What's going on there?" Jess asks.
"Something good. I hope," Luke responds softly.
"It's about time."
"You can say that again."
"It's about time."
"Shut up," Luke says as he hits Jess upside the head.
"Hey!"
Luke laughs as he walks up to the apartment.
He plops in the leather chair and starts to open the envelope. Pulling out the contents, he is surprised by what he finds. He wonders how she got a hold of this. He examines the picture of Lorelai and him at the Firelight Festival years ago. He can see what Rachel saw. There is an obvious attraction between these two people. It reminds him of what Rachel told him to do, and it took him years to tell her. Although, he really hasn't told her yet at least not officially.
He reads the note..
Luke,
I like the small moves not the grand gestures. The humble pie was perfect. A girl likes to be wooed.
I bet you're shocked to find this picture in my possession. Rachel gave it to me with a stack of Dragonfly pictures. I have kept it in a safe place all these years, and I think now is a good time for it to come out of hiding.
That's one handsome couple don't you think? They gaze at each other as if there is no one else in the world that matters.
I wonder why it took me so long to see.
Do you still think my eyes are symmetrical? Haha!
Talk to you soon.
Lorelai