A/N So good to see all the nice feedback. I was planning to update once a day for the week with only about 7 chapters but my modem died so I'm back to dial up and limited usage of someone else computer.

Chapter 3 – The Talk

Lorelai stepped into the diner looking dejected, "She's gone!" she announced.

Luke came around the counter to comfort Lorelai, wrapping his arms around her body. Lorelai immediately felt at easy and buried her face in his flannel covered chest.

Kissing Lorelai on her forehead, "We'll get through this," he said softly, neither one giving a second thought to the public displays of affection in full view of the diner full of townies.

"I don't know how," Lorelai said, muffled against Luke's plaid shirt.

"Why don't we try some coffee," Luke suggested with a smile.

Lorelai looked up to Luke, "Can't hurt," she said smiling back.

Luke guided Lorelai to her stool as she sat he went before the counter and grabbed the coffee pot.

"She got on the plane and left," Lorelai said dropping her bag on the counter and slumping onto the stool.

"How was Rory?" Luke asked as he poured the coffee.

"She was strong, stoic but I could tell it was eating her up. She called me before the plane left the terminal," Lorelai said, clearly missing Rory.

Luke handed Lorelai her coffee before touching her free hand, "I told you. We will get through this together. Do you want a muffin?" he asked.

"You'll probably do anything I ask right now hey?" Lorelai grinned.

"I'd bury the body if you asked me," Luke joked dryly.

"Hey maybe we could go for a drive later," Lorelai said with a cheeky smile.

"A drive?" Luke asked unsure.

"Yes, this weekend, just a little drive in the country," Lorelai side with a cheeky grin on her lips.

Luke looked squarely at Lorelai, "We are not driving to Sioux City Iowa!" he said firmly.

"Fly?" Lorelai suggested.

"No!" Luke repeated firmly, moving closer to Lorelai he reached for her hand, "Rory will call when she lands, if not before and you can talk again. You'll talk every day and if you get tired of talking you can switch to send emails, maybe even try a telegram or carrier-pigeon," He joked, "Maybe a combination, you do like to multi-task," Taking a breath, "Give it time Lorelai, it does get easier," Luke said speaking from experience.

"I'm sorry for being an annoyance," Lorelai said.

"You're my little annoyance, that just who you are," Luke said dryly.

"Here I am complaining about Rory who is a grown adult leaving home, as she should. And you only get to see April on the holidays and now don't even have the boat trip, you planned and were look forward to," Lorelai said feeling sorry for Luke now.

"She'll be here in a few weeks," Luke reminded Lorelai.

"Sorry," Lorelai said pausing before adding, "Rory hasn't really lived at home for three years now, but in the back of my mind she always had that tiny room as a place to return too if she needed it. The place she would hid out in if the world was being mean," Lorelai said sipping her coffee.

"She still does," Luke said smiling at Lorelai.

"You've always been such a good friend to me," Lorelai said looking at Luke with just inches between them, "A good friend and my best male friend."

"Boyfriend?" Luke asked.

"Well after last night…" Lorelai said with a smile.

"Lorelai we need to talk," Luke said standing up strait.

"Talk, that doesn't sound good," Lorelai recoiled.

"Trust me… Upstairs," Luke suggested.

Lorelai nodded in agreement slowly standing, she left her purse on the counter but took the coffee as she followed Luke through the curtains wondering what was coming. Luke's mood was hard to read but she sure did enjoy the view at that moment.

Leading Lorelai into his apartment, Luke went to the fridge as she took a few moments to look around from the doorway. Acclimatizing to the location she stepped in further to inspect the apartment, she new so well. She was surprised to see some changes, something that didn't come easy to Luke.

She noticed a new picture hung on the bedroom wall near what was now April's bed. It brightened the tiny apartment space, the single bed had new sheets and a lamp on the bedside table, all undoubtedly April's doing she thought.

Then she noticed it, a new tablecloth and some flowers in a new vase! Luke had a vase on his table. In all the years she had known Luke he had never ever bought a vase, much less display it on his kitchen table with flowers. Had he been dating or more important did Luke have over night guest in the last year? Was he about to break it off because he had a little chippy on the side?

Lorelai had mixed feelings, she was pleased Luke had managed to move-on but was a little sad she had not managed that level of change when they were together. The most Lorelai got was a TV and few rugs on the floor, 'Blood thicker than Water' Lorelai though as she stood near the table.

She watched as Luke sat with a fresh glass of orange juice, "Please sit," Luke said pouring a cup for himself.

Lorelai was going crazy, was Luke going to say the kiss was a mistake and he had changed his mind but didn't want to make a scene in the diner? Lorelai knew she was a high maintenance girlfriend and wouldn't blame Luke is he just wanted to be friends and nothing more. But could she go back to that? After how she had treated him and thrown away their relationship with one and for what, one night of lousy sex with a man she didn't love.

"Thanks," Lorelai said with hesitation as she pulled out the chair.

"So…" Luke said unsure where to start and still not giving anything away.

"You're not having second thoughts are you?" Lorelai asked with trepidation.

"No!" Luke said immediately as he shook his head, "Fare from it," putting Lorelai's immediate fears to rest, "But I do think we need to talk, clear the air before we officially…"

"Get back together," Lorelai said in hope, as she continued his thought.

"Yes," he replied with a smile before taking a drink of his juice like he was downing a Whisky shot.

Luke looked at Lorelai, "I need to start by saying I still love you and I don't think I ever stopped loving you…" his words hang in the air for a moment.

"Even when…" Lorelai couldn't come to say the words, but she needed to know.

"It wasn't one of my best day," Luke admitted with a chuckle.

"Mine neither," Lorelai agreed chuckling back.

"And I mean it I didn't stop being in love with you Lorelai," Surprising Lorelai who realized just how much she still loved Luke.

He continued, "I now know we were both are equally at fault for how things went and I'm not going to say either one of us could have stopped it before we spun out of control, but believe me I would have done anything to try."

Lorelai nodded in silence before speaking, "Luke can you ever forgive me?" she asked.

Luke looked squarely at Lorelai, "Only if you forgive me," he replied.

There were another few moments of silence before Lorelai spoke again, "Luke I never meant to hurt you, with the break up or eloping and things…"

"Well it did, Lorelai. I hated seeing the two of you together around town, my town… and knowing there was nothing I could do to fix the things that went wrong between us," Luke said letting his feelings out, "Remember the bonfire the town lit to get rid of that smell after train lost it's load of pickles?"

Lorelai nodded as Luke continued, "That was the moment I knew I had lost you. I hadn't seen you in weeks. You never came in to the diner for coffee as I asked you too. I had heard rumors so I avoided your house then it must have been a Friday night I think. You were coming back from dinner at your parents or something. Anyway I watched as you drove past the town square in his car with Rory and I remember thinking you finally had what you wanted all these years, your 'whole package'. But it wasn't with me, it was with him," Luke said pausing as he breathed through his noise to hide his sobbing, "Having April there that night probably saved my sanity, if not my life," he added.

Lorelai looked at Luke for a few moments, "Oh Luke I don't know what to say… At first I couldn't bring myself to see you. It still hurt too much to even think about you so your coffee was out of the question," She said.

"How did you survive?" Luke asked.

"I found another supplier," she joked, "But yours is still the best," Lorelai said taking a drink of her favorite brew.

"You know my sales dropped 10% when you left," Luke continued the joke.

"Sorry about that," Lorelai added taking a tissue from the box on the table and wiping some tears from her eyes, "I'll make it up to you by drinking twice as much over the next year," Lorelai joked.

"Thanks," Luke said quietly.

Lorelai turn serious for a moment, "Luke I'm more sorry than you will probably ever know. About how things happened, the lost in coffee sale and especially hurting you. I felt like I had lost you months before that night. I thought you didn't love or need me anymore, with April in the picture. And then after what I did that night I couldn't stand to see you. It hurt too much knowing how badly I screwed things up. I kept blaming you but I know I should have said something sooner, as you know denial is not just a river in Africa, it runs deep through the Gilmore clan," she joked taking a breath, "I thought Chris was my last chance for happiness and to have it all," Lorelai paused again for a moment hoping she had not just lost Luke, "But in the end I realized I didn't love Chris and didn't want it all with him. I never considered having another child with him. Luke I never loved Chris in the way a married couple should love each other. The way I still love you." she added.

Luke looked at Lorelai for a moment, he was amazed how open she was being, a year of emotions coming out in a ramble that made sense to him.

"I know what you mean, it was the same with me and Nicole. I never thought you would want me and thought I loved her but it was more the idea of having someone so in the end it didn't work. Some how I knew it wouldn't even after I kept trying," Luke finished finding the talk comforting.

Lorelai took one last sip of her coffee to empty the cup.

"Lorelai we can still have what we both want, if you still want it," Luke said with a smile.

"I'd like that," Lorelai added, smiling back.

Luke got up after a moment, "So I have to…" he gestured needing to return to the diner.

"Yes, of course," Lorelai said standing up.

Luke stepped closer, "So we'll give it another go?" Luke said softly.

"I'm not going anywhere Lucas," Lorelai said tugging on his unbuttoned flannel shirt as they stood at arms length.

"Neither am I Lorelai," Luke added taking hold of to top of Lorelai's jean.

"Lucas!" Lorelai remarked, caught off guard.

The back of Luke's hand pressed against her bare skin, Lorelai's body felt full of energy as she felt Luke's fingers so close, his finger tips brushing against her, not having been trimmed in months.

They shared a tender kiss that neither one of them wanted to break from, after so long apart. It would be so easy to forget the rest of the world and just go to his bed just a few feet away. Lorelai moaned into Luke's open mouth as she felt his fingers move over her front.

Luke groaned as he pulled back, removing his hand to look at Lorelai, "Do you have to go?" Lorelai asked brushing her hand over the growth on his chin and jaw.

"I better get back down there," he reluctantly replied, not really wanting to leave Lorelai's side. He wanted to kiss every part of her body once again, wanting to feel her in the throws of passion and taste her again but he knew it would have to wait.

Lorelai nodded, "I've got to go," she said feeling her cheeks blushing and knowing where this would end if she didn't leave the apartment that minute. The thought of going to bed and feeling Luke inside was making her hot and wet, but was she ready and was Luke ready to go back their so soon, it had been barely 12 hours since their kiss on the street.

Luke nodded as Lorelai picked up her purse and turn back to Luke, "Can we have dinner tonight?" she asked hoping he would accept.

"That sounds like a good… do you want to go out somewhere, dinner and a movie…" Luke returned.

"Not this time, a home cooked meal and some reality TV to mock would be nice?" Lorelai suggested out of instinct.

"I'll bring something over," Luke said with a welcoming smile liking the plans.

"About six then," Lorelai said smiling back.

"About six," Luke repeated as Lorelai slowly backed out of the apartment.

TBC…

A/N more to come when I can get back on line.