The Past in the Present

by CoffeeDrinker

Luke and Lorelai need to work through their past issues in order to rebuild their relationship. Picks up at their kiss in "Bon Voyage."

4. Chapter 4

The Past in the Present - Chapter 4

. . . . .

On Saturday morning, Lorelai walked into the diner slightly after ten and frowned when she didn't see Luke. She headed to the counter and leaned toward the kitchen doorway, calling, "Luke! Are you back there? Come out!"

Luke walked out from the kitchen with a confused look. "Why are you yelling?"

Lorelai excitedly waved a piece of paper toward him. "Because I wanted to show you this!"

"What is it?" Luke asked as he tried to grab the paper from her moving hand. He finally succeeded and glanced down at it.

"It's Rory's first official article as part of her first official journalism job," Lorelai declared proudly. "It's gonna be posted on her magazine's website sometime today."

Luke's eyes widened. "Really? Already? She just started!"

"Yup. She called me this morning to tell me, and then she emailed it to me so I could get a special preview." Lorelai was smiling brightly as she declared, "It's amazing. Really, I'm not even just saying that because of the whole birth-mother connection."

Luke smiled. "I bet it is." He glanced down to read it, then suddenly looked back up at her. "Oh, sorry… you want coffee?"

Lorelai tapped the paper in his hands. "No, read first, more important."

"Okay." Luke began reading the article, muttering aloud comments here and there about a good line or impressive word. When he finished it, he slowly lifted his head. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if taking it all in, then opened them and said, "Wow."

Lorelai smiled as she clapped her hands together excitedly. "Amazing, right?"

Luke shook his head in amazement. "Incredible. I can't believe she's this good. I mean, I can believe it because she's Rory, but it just seems crazy because I still think of her as a little kid, you know? And little kids should not be able to do…" He waved the paper for emphasis. "…this."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Lorelai agreed. "She's thrown into this new job, she's on the road, she has this new routine that she's trying to get a handle on, and is still able to create something like that?" Lorelai shook her head in disbelief and then let out a happy sigh. "She's just… my hero."

"She's you," Luke pointed out. "You get thrown into situations and you figure things out and you do what you need to do. You guys are the same."

Lorelai shrugged and waved off the compliment. "Nah, Rory's better at it than I am. She's like the upgraded version of me…she's Lorelai 2.0, new and improved with a bigger brain and baby-soft skin."

"You know what we should do?" Luke said as he glanced back down at the article. "We should frame this, or maybe start some kind of binder of all her articles. You know, so we have them all in one place."

Lorelai smiled, not only at how casually and naturally he spoke of them as a we, but at how genuinely proud he seemed, as if it was his own daughter's accomplishment. "That's a good idea," she agreed as she glanced at the paper in his hands. "That one's a little wrinkly, I'll print out a new one."

"Okay." He handed the paper back to her. "Coffee?"

"Yeah, to go. I wanna go show this to Sookie." Lorelai folded the article and put it in her purse, then leaned her elbows against the counter as she watched him pour her cup of coffee. "So, did you think of something for us to do today?"

Luke secured the lid on the to-go cup and placed it in front of her. "I did. You haven't seen my new boat yet," he said. "I thought we could take a ride out to the marina and check it out."

Lorelai gasped with excitement. "Oh, yeah, that'd be cool. Let's dress up in sailing outfits! Do you wanna be Gilligan or the Skipper?"

Luke smirked. "Well, I don't think we'll have time to actually take it out on the water."

Lorelai frowned. "But how are we supposed to reenact the 'I'm the king of the world' scene if we're not actually moving? It won't have the same energy."

"We'll go out on the water another time," Luke promised her. "But today we'll just check out the boat, walk around the marina a little. There's this outdoor snack bar if we wanna grab something to eat."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Okay, sounds good. When do you wanna go?"

Luke shrugged and checked his watch. "Maybe around two? I'll come pick - " He was interrupted by a banging noise on the diner door, and Luke glanced toward it. "Oh boy," he muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Lorelai followed his gaze and saw TJ struggling to open the door while carrying two laundry baskets stacked on top of each other. "Little help here," TJ called through the door.

Luke went over to open the door for him, and TJ walked in. "You should really get one of those automatic doors, Luke," TJ said. "The magic ones that see you coming and open for you. That would be easier for your customers."

"My customers aren't usually carrying laundry baskets," Luke pointed out.

"Well, wouldn't hurt the proprietor to be prepared for emergencies," TJ countered. He tilted the baskets toward Luke. "You mind taking the top one, buddy?"

Luke reluctantly took the basket from him. "Okay, stupid question… why do you have your laundry with you? You buying it some breakfast?"

TJ's eyes widened. "What do you mean, why? Our washer broke, and Liz said she called you to see if we could use yours."

"That's news to me," Luke replied with a shrug. "I never got a call."

"Are you sure you didn't maybe just forget?" TJ asked pointedly.

"I didn't forget, TJ," Luke muttered with a sigh. He turned toward the kitchen and called, "Caesar!"

Caesar appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Yeah, boss?"

"You forget to give me any phone messages recently?"

Caesar's gaze fell on the laundry baskets, and he smacked his palm to his forehead. "Your sister's washing machine broke and she wanted to bring her stuff over to use yours."

"See? She said she called, and she did," TJ declared as he walked toward the stairway to Luke's apartment. He nodded a hello toward Lorelai as he walked past the counter. "Lorelai."

"Hey, TJ." Lorelai watched him disappear behind the curtain, then turned back to Luke with a concerned look. "Uh, you're gonna supervise that, right?"

"Yup." Luke walked over and set the laundry basket on the stool next to her, steadying it with one hand. "I better get up there. So, I'll come pick you up around two?"

"Two it is. See you then." Lorelai picked up her coffee from the counter and started walking toward the door.

"Oh, hey," Luke called after her. "One more thing…"

Lorelai turned around. "Yeah?"

"If you happen to talk to Rory today," Luke started. "Or, whenever you do talk to her... tell her that I loved the article, okay? And, you know, that I'm… proud of her." He shrugged nonchalantly and quickly added, "If you think of it. If not, it's no big deal."

Lorelai's lips curved into a wide smile and she nodded. "I will. I'll see you later."

. . . . .

. . . . .

That afternoon, Luke picked up Lorelai at her house and they drove to the marina, chatting about their days. Once they arrived, they walked down to the slip where his boat was docked.

"Here it is," Luke announced, gesturing toward it. "This one right here."

Lorelai gasped and her eyes widened. "Wow, it's like a real live boat!"

Luke had an amused smile on his face as he watched her stare up at the boat in awe. "Uh, yeah, that's what I was going for."

"I mean, your other one was like a baby boat - this one's like a grown-up," Lorelai explained. "It's so cool."

Luke smiled, happy that it had garnered a Lorelai seal of approval. "You wanna check it out?"

"We can go on it?" Lorelai asked excitedly. "Or do we go in it? What's the proper thing to do to a boat?"

"We board it," Luke replied. "And yeah, come on." They boarded the boat and Luke showed her the inside cabin that housed the kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area.

"Wow, it's like a little tiny apartment that floats," Lorelai said.

"Basically, yes," he replied. "Everyone should have a backup floating apartment."

"This is great, Luke," Lorelai said sincerely. "It was a good upgrade you made. I mean, I know the last boat had a lot of memories behind it, but you'll get a lot of use out of this one."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I hope so." He gestured toward the stairs that led outside. "You wanna sit up on the deck for a little while?"

"Sure."

They climbed the stairs out of the inside cabin, and sat on the bench seat along the railing of the boat.

"This is beautiful," Lorelai said, gesturing to the scenery around the marina. "If I was a boat, I'd want to be parked here."

"Yes, that's why I picked this particular marina," Luke said. "So the boat could have a nice view from the water." She playfully nudged him with her elbow, and he smiled.

Luke leaned back against the boat railing and stretched out his legs in front of him. "So, um, Billy came into the diner for lunch today," he said. "You remember him from the construction crew?"

"Oh, yeah," Lorelai replied with a sly smirk. "I never forget the people who've accidentally seen me naked."

"Yeah, well, considering he winked at me when he asked me to tell you hi, I'd say he hasn't forgotten you either," Luke muttered unenthusiastically.

Lorelai giggled as she raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Oh, yeah? Nice to know I have a memorable body."

Luke could certainly attest to the accuracy of that statement, but chose to let it go. He cleared his throat and adjusted his hat on his head. "Anyway, he's always getting free tickets to ball games." He shrugged as he added, "I don't ask how or why, I just know he gets 'em for free."

Lorelai smiled. "Ah. We'll just assume it's on the up and up."

"And he's offered them to me in the past when he wasn't able to go," Luke continued. "So I told him today that if any tickets come his way that he can't use, I'd take 'em. You know, so you and I could go to a game…if you still wanted to."

Lorelai grinned. "Definitely." She rubbed her hands together excitedly. "I think I'll be good at that whole 'watching men toss a ball around' thing."

Luke smirked. "I'm sure you will be. I'll let you know if he comes across anything."

"Okay."

Lorelai glanced around at the surrounding sights… the calm water, the greenery along the shoreline, the boats lined up along the dock, people lounging around the marina enjoying the sunshine.

As her gaze settled back on Luke, she smiled at him. "This is nice, huh? Actually having some quiet uninterrupted time together. No customers constantly bothering you to ask for more coffee…"

"That's usually you," he interjected with a smile.

"Or more fries…"

"Also you," he said with a firm nod

"Or the check…"

He shook his head. "Not you."

Lorelai giggled and poked his shoulder. "You're in a teasing mood today."

He playfully bumped her knee with his fist. "Yup."

Lorelai turned her body so she was sitting cross-legged and facing him. "But you agree, right?"

"With what? That it's better actually being alone with you than surrounded by customers?" Luke asked, then snickered. "Uh, yeah, that's a given."

"Good." Lorelai started drawing small circles on his arm with her fingertip. "Glad to hear that we're both fond of this out-of-diner alone time."

Luke smirked. "My fondness hasn't been clear enough for ya?"

"Well, Luke, I think I need to let you in on a little secret," Lorelai said.

Luke eyed her curiously before he hesitantly replied, "Okay."

"Studies show that approximately ninety percent of women are afflicted with a minor disease called Reassurance-itis," Lorelai explained. "The most prevalent symptom for an affected woman is the constant need for reassurance regarding anything and everything in her life. Some examples include…being reminded that she's a good worker, that she makes good fashion choices, that she is just an overall amazing human being, et cetera, et cetera." She shrugged as she added, "She may also like to occasionally hear that other people enjoy her company."

"Gotcha," Luke replied with an understanding nod. "Life must be hard for the many women suffering from this disease."

"It really is," she agreed.

Luke smiled amusedly as he locked his eyes with hers and leaned closer toward her. "I enjoy your company."

Lorelai smiled and slowly leaned toward him until their lips met, and they kissed tenderly as Luke moved his hands up to cradle her neck. They separated briefly and shared a smile before Lorelai pressed her lips back to his. She ran her hands over his shoulders down to his chest, where she gripped his flannel shirt in her fingers. Their kisses were gentle but full of passion, and addictively satisfying. They'd kiss a little, separate for air, and then reconnect like magnets. This went on for a few minutes before Lorelai finally pulled back for good.

She glanced down at her lap as she tried to ignore the hint of guilt she felt. There he was, waiting patiently for her to decide when they could move forward in their relationship while she dragged him on a rollercoaster ride of impromptu makeout sessions. It felt like she was teasing him.

Luke saw the pensive look on her face. "Lorelai," he said softly as he rubbed her arm. "Talk."

Lorelai nibbled on her bottom lip for a second before she said, "This whole circle we have going on…like, we're friends, then we're flirting, then we're friends again, then we're kissing, wash, rinse, repeat... you're definitely okay with that?"

"Yeah. We had this conversation last night," he reminded her. "I thought we were both okay with it?"

"Yeah, we were," Lorelai said, then corrected herself, "I mean, we are. I am. But, you know…the reassurance-itis makes me feel like I have to do a quick follow-up check, make sure you're still on board." Lorelai tapped the boat railing with her hand and added, "No pun intended."

"Still on board," he confirmed. "I like it this way... I like the circle."

"Really? You do?"

"Yeah, I do," Luke confirmed. "Because as much as we say we're in this friend phase..." He air-quoted the term with his fingers. "…we both know it's not really just a friend phase. I mean, who are we kidding? We know there's more there, right?"

Lorelai nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"So, it's normal for that to come out once in awhile. It actually makes pretending that we're just friends a little easier." Luke shook his head for emphasis as he continued, "Because we're not, Lorelai. We know we're not. And honestly, if it was easy for us to be just friends… I'd be nervous. The fact that it's hard for us to not blur the line sometimes, I think it's good."

Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "Hm, good point."

"But are you okay with it?" Luke asked in a more serious tone. "Because if you feel better keeping it strictly friends for now, you need to let me know."

"No, I'm okay with it," Lorelai said softly. "I was just kinda feeling like the bad guy, like I'm leading you on or something."

"You're not," Luke told her. "Neither of us are doing anything that the other one of us hasn't already agreed to do." He paused a second and replayed that sentence in his head, then asked, "That made sense, right?"

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, it made sense. We're both okay with what we're doing."

"Good." Luke brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. "I'm gonna kiss you again," he declared with a small smirk. "You good with that?" Lorelai smiled and nodded.

He kissed her gently, then pulled back and checked his watch. "I gotta get back to the diner in half an hour." He glanced over toward the main building of the marina. "You wanna go check out the snack bar, see what kind of stuff they have? Pretty sure they have milkshakes."

Lorelai gasped with excitement. "Yes, please."

They stood up and stepped off the boat onto the dock. They headed toward the snack bar, walking so closely together that their hands would casually brush against each other. Lorelai realized that if the intimate act of kissing was an approved activity for them, there was no reason hand-holding wouldn't be acceptable.

Lorelai glanced over at him and he met her gaze. She extended her pinkie out and stroked it across the top of his hand. He smiled as he responded in the same manner. She reached for his hand, letting her palm nestle gently against his, and he laced his fingers through hers. The results were far more spine-tingling than either thought they would be. They shared a smile and continued walking toward the snack bar.

. . . . .

. . . . .

Late the next afternoon, Lorelai walked into the diner and headed right to the counter. She sat on a stool and glanced around as she waited for Luke, who was currently nowhere in sight.

He finally walked out from the back hallway carrying a box from the storage room, and he smiled when he saw her. "Hey. Give me one second."

"Okay." Lorelai watched as he disappeared into the kitchen with the box, and then walked back out a few seconds later carrying a couple of plates.

He delivered the plates to the table by the door, and then returned to her at the counter. "Okay, sorry…hey."

Lorelai smiled. "Hey."

"You want a burger?" he asked.

"No, thanks," Lorelai replied. "Actually, Sookie and I are going out for dinner."

Luke's eyes widened slightly with surprise. "Oh…okay." He tried to hide his disappointment that she wasn't staying. He had only seen her very briefly that morning for breakfast, and was hoping she'd be in for dinner.

"I just needed a little fix before I go," she added.

He gestured behind him toward the coffeepot. "Coffee-fix?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Luke-fix."

Luke smirked and placed his palms on the counter. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." Lorelai smiled and leaned forward on her elbows against the counter. "Haven't seen you much today... I wanted to stop by and say hi."

"Hi." Luke smiled and held her gaze for a moment, reveling in the ego-boost he got from her stopping in just because she wanted to see him. Finally, he blinked himself out of his daze and asked, "So, how's your Sunday going?"

"Busy, but not overly exciting," she replied with a shrug. "Had to run some errands, went to the inn for a little while, talked to Rory very briefly. What about you?"

"Well, some kid learned that the salt and pepper shakers don't bounce when they hit the floor."

Lorelai grimaced and then frowned sympathetically. "Oh, no! Big mess?"

"Hazard of the business," Luke replied with a shrug. "We got it cleaned up pretty fast."

"Good."

"So, where are you and Sookie headed?"

"One of her old chef friends opened up a restaurant in Middletown and she thought we could go try it out," Lorelai replied. "A little girls' night out."

Luke nodded. "What kind of food?"

"It's a Mexican place," Lorelai replied. "And Sookie heard that apparently the homemade salsa is to die for. So, how could I turn down a place that has condiments worthier than human life?"

"Oh, you'd be crazy to," Luke agreed with a nod.

"I know! So, if you don't ever see me again, it means that I'm dead and you should blame the salsa."

Luke snickered. "Got it."

Lorelai checked her watch. "I gotta run." She glanced past him at the coffeepot and said, "Okay, while I'm here… might as well take some to go."

"You got it." Luke poured some coffee into a to-go cup and handed it to her.

"Thanks, put it on my tab." Lorelai smiled and nodded her head toward the door. "Walk me out?"

"Sure." Luke followed her out onto the sidewalk and he glanced around for her Jeep, which was nowhere to be found. "Did you walk here?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna walk over to Sookie's house and she's gonna drive," Lorelai replied. "You know, so I can knock back a margarita or two."

Luke smiled. "Gotcha. Try to stay outta trouble."

Lorelai shrugged with a playful smile. "I do try, but it usually finds me."

"Well, pick a better hiding spot," Luke suggested, and then he eyed her blue sundress. "You look nice, by the way."

Lorelai glanced down at the dress, and then smiled at him. "Thank you."

He stepped closer to her and lightly rested his hands on her waist. "Glad you stopped by."

"Well, I had been planning to come in tonight for dinner, so when Sookie called and invited me out…I knew I had to find some time to squeeze in a visit," Lorelai explained. "You know, so you wouldn't be going through Lorelai-withdrawal."

"Very thoughtful."

"Thank you." Lorelai smoothed out the turned-up corner of his flannel collar, then she met his gaze. "It also helped to ward off my Luke-withdrawal."

"So this visit was mutually beneficial," he surmised.

"I like to think they all are," she countered.

Luke smirked as he nodded in agreement. "They are."

"Good."

"So… have fun with Sookie."

"Thank you." Lorelai leaned forward and kissed him softly. "Bye." She turned and started walking toward Sookie's house, and Luke headed back into the diner.

. . . . .

. . . . .

An hour later, Sookie and Lorelai were settled in at the restaurant with drinks and appetizers.

"My God, this really is to die for," Lorelai declared as she dipped a chip into the bowl of salsa.

"Mmhmm," Sookie agreed as she took a bite of her own salsa-covered chip. "I could eat this with a spoon."

"And to have it personally delivered by the chef himself," Lorelai remarked with an impressed nod. "How fancy."

"I know! Wasn't he so sweet to come out here? He was always the sweetest guy."

"Yes, very sweet," Lorelai agreed. "And he seemed pretty happy to see you." She playfully poked Sookie on the arm. "You and him have a fling back in the day?"

Sookie blushed slightly as she giggled. "No! He's just always been very friendly."

Lorelai shrugged. "Okay, if you say so. Methinks the salsa man maybe had a little crush on you, though."

Sookie glanced around the restaurant to make sure he wasn't within hearing distance, then turned back to Lorelai and whispered, "He may have had a thing for me."

"Ha!" Lorelai exclaimed. "I knew it."

"We were never an item," Sookie insisted. "But we bonded during a butchery class, and he was always very flattering of my cleaver skills."

"Well, sure," Lorelai said knowingly. "It's hard to find a girl with good cleaver skills."

Sookie waved it off. "Anyway, nothing happened, but he's always been very nice to me."

"He seems great," Lorelai said. "And makes a killer salsa."

"That he does," Sookie agreed. She took a sip of her drink, then said, "What's new with Luke?"

Lorelai smiled. "Not much… it's been great." She paused a second, then wrinkled her nose as she added, "I think we're getting a bit more lax."

"Lax," Sookie repeated. "What does that mean?"

"It means, I think we're not trying quite as hard to keep the friend phrase completely… friendly," Lorelai admitted.

Sookie gasped loudly and pointed an accusing finger at Lorelai. "You had sex with Luke and didn't tell me!"

Lorelai's eyes quickly widened. "Sookie, shh!" She glanced around at the nearby tables to see if anyone had heard that declaration. Luckily the noise in the crowded restaurant seemed to have kept Sookie's outburst confined to just their table.

"Sorry," Sookie whispered as she leaned closer to her. "But did you?"

"No, of course not," Lorelai said firmly. "I'm just saying, we're okay with a flirty touch here, or some hand holding there. We're not rounding any bases or anything, but just… little things are seeping in, and we're okay with it."

Sookie grinned. "That's good, right? It sounds good."

"Yeah, it feels good," Lorelai confirmed with a smile. "I mean, just holding hands yesterday felt like the most romantic, intimate thing in the entire world. That little extra connection between us felt so nice, you know?"

"Awww," Sookie gushed. "It's like you're cute little teenagers."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah."

"So, if you're starting to get flirtier now and add more oomph to the friend phase," Sookie started. "Does that mean you're maybe ready to take the next step and talk things out?"

Lorelai sighed. "I don't know... I'm not sure yet." She sipped her drink, then said, "You know, he hasn't asked me once when I'll be ready to talk. And he's had plenty of chances where he could bring it up naturally, but he just totally avoids it. What do you think that means?"

"It means he's patiently waiting for you," Sookie replied. "He knows you'll be ready eventually and he's not gonna rush it."

Lorelai picked up a chip and aimlessly stirred the salsa with it. "So, you don't think he's freaking out that I haven't said anything about it yet?"

"Uh, no, honey," Sookie replied with a laugh. "I mean, when you serenade a man with I Will Always Love You, I think the message is pretty clear about where you stand."

Lorelai grimaced. "Just when I start to forget about that, you bring it up again. You're like a snooze alarm, constantly jolting me back to reality."

Sookie giggled. "Sorry." The conversation paused as the waiter delivered their entrees to the table, and they began eating.

Lorelai ate a forkful of food, then said, "So, when I was in the diner for breakfast today, April's name came up. Just casually, part of the conversation, nothing out of the ordinary, but…" Her voice trailed off as she glanced down at her plate with a soft sigh.

Sookie grimaced slightly. "Still feels weird?"

Lorelai reluctantly nodded. "Yeah. And I hate it... I hate having that feeling in the back of my mind like this is a topic I still need to be careful about."

"Well, we both know that feeling won't go away until you and Luke talk about it," Sookie said. "He needs to make you comfortable with that topic."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah."

"Just like Luke might have a similar feeling when a certain you-know-who's name comes up," Sookie pointed out. "And you'll have to do the same thing when you have the talk… you'll have to make him comfortable with it."

Lorelai groaned. "I know. Talk about an impossible task."

Sookie rubbed Lorelai comfortingly on the shoulder. "It'll be okay." She put her fork down on her plate and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Okay, I wanna say something, but I wanna make it clear that I'm not trying to push you in a particular direction, because you'll know when you're ready…but I just want you to think about it."

"Think about it," Lorelai repeated. "Okay, tell me something to think about."

"Well, if you're not ready to have the talk with Luke yet because you're still dealing with the Rory stuff, that's one thing," Sookie said. "You don't wanna be too emotionally distracted."

"Right," Lorelai agreed, then prompted her to continue. "But?"

"But if you're putting if off just because you're nervous or scared to deal with it, you need to realize, sweetie, it's probably always gonna be scary and nerve-racking no matter how long you wait it out." Sookie reached over and patted Lorelai's arm. "But it will have to be done eventually. You can't push it off forever."

Lorelai nodded understandingly. "Right…I know."

"And, remember, you can still take it slow and work on this little flirty friendship thing after that," Sookie pointed out. "Having that talk doesn't mean you're required to jump right into some sort of heavy-duty serious relationship zone. It just gets you over the hump and moves you in the right direction."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Yeah." She was quiet for a moment as she thought it over, and then she tapped the side of her head. "Okay, I've filed all of that in here for now and will process it later."

"Okay."

Lorelai took a large sip of her drink, moaning happily as she swallowed it down. As she placed the glass back on the table, she said, "I suggest Margarita as a possible baby name."

Sookie giggled. "I'll run it by Jackson."

. . . . .

. . . . .

It was almost eight when Sookie and Lorelai returned to Stars Hollow, and per Lorelai's request, Sookie dropped her off in front of the diner. Lorelai walked inside, happily taking notice that the tables were mostly empty. Luke was behind the counter, and was pleasantly surprised to see her.

"Hey," he said. "Wasn't expecting you back tonight."

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if I would be," Lorelai said as she reached the counter. "I didn't know if we were going anywhere after dinner, and also wasn't sure what my blood alcohol level would be, so had to play it by ear."

Luke smirked. "You seem okay…"

"Yes, based on the impromptu sobriety check Sookie just gave me in the car, I am indeed sober," Lorelai declared. "Which is good, because she wasn't going to let me come in here if I wasn't."

Luke narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Why not?"

Lorelai shrugged nonchalantly. "She likes me to have full control of my faculties when I'm out alone in public so I don't do or say anything stupid."

Luke snickered. "Good old Sookie, keeping you in line."

"Yup. But she tends to forget that I'm just as unpredictable when I do have control of them."

Luke smiled. "Good point. You want coffee?"

Lorelai glanced outside into the town square and then brought her gaze back to Luke. "I was hoping maybe you could slip away for a few minutes and we could take a walk or something." She looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "You know, a little away-from-the-diner time?"

Luke couldn't even fathom turning down her request, especially after the limited time he'd seen her that day. "Yeah. Give me a few minutes… let me make sure Caesar's situated."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, good. I'll wait outside." Luke watched her walk out of the diner, then he headed into the kitchen.

Lorelai crossed the street and sat on the bench in front of the gazebo. A few minutes passed before Luke walked out of the diner, and Lorelai stood up when she saw him. They walked toward each other and met in the middle of the street.

"You wanna walk to the lake?" Luke suggested.

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, that'd be good."

Luke offered his hand toward her, and that gesture alone made her body feel tingly. She slipped her hand into his, trying to ignore the electricity that raced through her body when their fingers interlocked.

As they started walking toward the lake, Luke asked, "So, how was dinner?"

"It was great," Lorelai confirmed. "Drinks were good, food was excellent. I did temporarily die from the amazing salsa, but they very conveniently have a doctor right there on staff to revive you, so it all worked out."

Luke smiled. "Good. Sounds fun."

"Yeah, it was good," Lorelai replied. "How was your night?"

"Nothing exciting, the usual Sunday night crowd," Luke replied. "Oh, Liz came by with Doula to thank me for helping out with the laundry issue. Theirs should be fixed in a few days."

"How's Doula doing?" Lorelai asked. "What is she, about six months now?"

"Yup, just about," Luke replied. "She's good, she's starting to make more sounds and stuff, you know? Like, those baby sounds..."

"Like gurgles and stuff?" Lorelai suggested with an amused smile.

"Yeah, I guess," Luke replied. "It's like she's trying to talk to us like a real person, you know? And she's starting to sit up on her own now, too."

Lorelai found it endearing the way his eyes lit up when he talked about the baby, and she playfully bumped against him with her shoulder. "Looks like that little girl has your heart, Luke Danes."

Luke shrugged and smiled shyly toward the ground. "Yeah, well…"

They reached the lake and strolled onto the bridge, stopping at the midway point. "Let's sit for a minute," Lorelai suggested as she abruptly lowered herself to a seated position. Luke joined her, and they let their legs hang over the water.

Lorelai glanced around, taking in the scenery that surrounded them. "It's so pretty here," she commented. "Peaceful."

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "Some good memories of this place over the years."

Lorelai nodded. "This is a very good location for memory building."

He pointed over toward the large oak tree at the edge of the lake. "I recall taking a walk at night with someone and then spontaneously creating a very memorable moment behind that tree."

"Oh, my God." Lorelai immediately blushed and covered her mouth with her hand. "That feels like ages ago."

"It was." Luke smiled as he tapped his finger to the side of his head. "But in here, I can picture it like it was yesterday."

Lorelai laughed and nudged him in the side with her elbow. "Oh, I bet you can. Man, that was crazy."

"It was your idea," he reminded her. "You're the crazy one."

Lorelai gasped. "Excuse me, you went along with it!"

"Well, I'd be a fool to turn that down!" he laughingly retorted, then shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe we did that. I mean, we really did that, right? Wasn't just a dream?"

Lorelai smirked. "Nope, not a dream. I think we both got some scrapes and bruises that night."

"Okay, we have to stop talking about it."

"You brought it up!" Lorelai exclaimed with a laugh.

"I know, but let's change the subject," Luke urged.

"Uh, what about over there?" Lorelai pointed toward the open grassy knoll near the far end of the lake. "That's where we watched the fireworks during one of the town festivals. I can't remember which one."

"Memorial Day, two years ago," Luke replied without hesitation. "You drank too much of that disgusting Memorial Day Punch."

"Oh my God, that's right!" She smiled at him as the details of the night came back to her. "I didn't feel well and you wanted to take me home, but I wanted to stay at the festival to see the fireworks..."

"They're the same fireworks every year," he interjected. "You weren't gonna miss anything."

"It's tradition... you don't break tradition," she said firmly, then continued recalling the night. "So you brought me out here away from the crowd. We sat on the grass and I leaned back against you and we watched the fireworks all alone, like we were in our own little private viewing area. It was quiet and kind of…um…" Lorelai stopped herself before saying romantic. "…nice. It was nice. Remember?"

Luke, who had been gazing out at the water, turned and smiled at her. "Yeah, I remember. It was nice." Lorelai rested her head against his shoulder, and he put his arm around her as he pointedly muttered, "But I told you to avoid that punch."

Lorelai smiled. "Well, I must not have heard you. You should've made your suggestion a little louder."

"I'll do that next time."

They chatted for a few more minutes on the bridge before Luke stood up and then helped her up. They walked back to Lorelai's house, and shared a goodnight kiss on the porch before Luke left to head back to the diner.

Lorelai opened the front door and was greeted by Paul Anka, who was anxious to get outside. She snapped on his leash and brought him out for a quick walk as she tried to make sense of the thoughts running through her head.

Sookie was right…Lorelai was scared about having the talk with Luke. She was nervous that revisiting their past issues and having those emotions fresh in their minds again would possibly make it harder to get past them. And now that their friendship was finally getting back to where it used to be, the thought of losing it again, of losing him, terrified her. The transition period had become a safe zone…as long as she was there, she didn't have to confront those fears.

But when she was sitting on the bridge with Luke, she started to see things from another viewpoint. Talking about some of their memories from the past made her that much more excited about creating new ones with him in the future. And she knew that while they were in the transition period, there were limits to the new memories they could create; there were guidelines as to what they should and shouldn't do.

She thought back to what Rory had said a few days ago, about how her gut would tell her when the time was right. This was it. She didn't want limits…she needed them to be able to move forward whenever and in whatever way they wanted. Whether they decided to continue moving slowly or to speed things up, having that talk would free them from their boundaries.

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next morning, Luke walked out of the diner's kitchen with a plate of food and delivered it to Kirk at his table.

Luke started to walk away, but Kirk stopped him. "Uh, Luke, I have a few questions for you."

Luke turned back toward him and folded his arms across his chest. "What is it, Kirk?"

Kirk glanced down at the plate in front of him, surveying the meal. He slowly turned the plate around, looking at the food from all angles. "Would you say your cheese omelets are always typically this size?"

Luke narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Uh… yup."

Kirk picked up a piece of toast. "Is this the typical coloring of the toast you serve?"

"Yes, Kirk," Luke replied curtly, his annoyance growing.

Kirk picked up a link of sausage with his fork. "And would you say this sausage is cooked in a way that you would normally cook sausage?"

"You mean, did I cook it on the stove like I've been doing for as long as I could cook sausage?" Luke grumbled impatiently. "Uh, yeah, Kirk. We done here?"

"Yes, that'll be all," Kirk said dismissively.

Luke sighed and shook his head as he walked back to the counter. He grabbed the coffee pot and began making the rounds refilling mugs. He heard the sound of a camera going off, and he glanced back over at Kirk, who was now taking pictures of his food.

An annoyed but curious Luke walked over to him. "What the hell are you doing, Kirk?"

Kirk took another picture of the food. "I'm just getting some physical documentation."

Luke sighed. "Do I wanna know for what?"

"I'm starting a new blog," Kirk replied. "I'll be visiting the local restaurants to review all the meals and the dining experience. Now the fine people of Stars Hollow will know exactly what to expect from every food establishment in town."

"And you think this is a valuable use of your time?" Luke asked. "The food here has been the same for the past - " He cut himself off and raised a hand. "You know what, never mind, do what you want." Luke started walking back toward the counter.

"Be sure to check out A Blog By Kirk," Kirk called after him.

Luke waved him off and started wiping down the counter. The bell on the door jingled, and he glanced toward it to see Lorelai walk into the diner. "Thank God, a normal person," Luke greeted her.

Lorelai glanced behind her. "Really, where?" she joked as she walked over to him. "Morning." She set her purse on the counter and slid onto a stool.

"Morning." Luke poured her a cup of coffee and placed it in front of her. "How're you doing?"

Lorelai took a sip of the coffee, and then gently placed the mug back on the counter. "Well…"

Luke narrowed his eyes at her, immediately sensing that she had something on her mind. "What's up?"

Lorelai folded her hands in front of her on the counter. She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Um, I think I'm ready to get on with that whole talking thing."

Luke wasn't sure why it shocked him to hear her say that, considering the topic was in the back of his mind every day, but his eyes widened. "What?"

"The talking thing we've been waiting on," Lorelai said. "I'm ready… if you are."

He placed his hands on the counter and started lightly tapping his fingers. "You're ready," he repeated. "You're ready for the talking thing."

"Yeah. I've been doing okay, I think, dealing with Rory and everything…" Her voice trailed off in a way that he knew she was hoping for his confirmation.

"You have been," he nodded in agreement. "You're doing great."

"So... it's time to take this next step," Lorelai said. "And then…we'll see what happens from there, you know?"

"Yeah." He smiled and adjusted his cap on his head. "Next step..."

Lorelai took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "So, I was thinking about it last night, and we probably both have certain… topics… that we wanna ask the other person about, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Okay, so I was thinking that we should each make a list of what we wanna talk about. Anything we really need to discuss with each other... just lay it all out there," she suggested. "No holding back."

"A list," Luke repeated.

"Yeah. You write down the topics you wanna talk about, I'll write down what I wanna talk about, and then tonight you can come over and we'll start going through the lists and hashing things out." She quickly added, "I mean, if you're free tonight. It doesn't have to be tonight. It can be whenever…"

"I'm free tonight."

"Okay, good. Me, too." Lorelai paused a second, then finished, "So, I guess… we'll talk tonight."

"Tonight," he repeated with a nod.

They both fell silent. Luke started wiping down the counter with a dishtowel. Lorelai picked up her coffee mug and took a sip, and then set it back on the counter with her hands still wrapped around it. She focused her gaze on the 'No Cell Phones' sign in front of her.

Luke was trying to ignore the pit he felt in his stomach as he aimlessly wiped the same clean spot over and over. He knew this was something they had to do, he knew it was a good step for them... but he also knew it wouldn't be easy.

He shook his head slightly, trying to free himself of the nerves. He glanced at Lorelai and could tell she was anxious. She was nibbling on her bottom lip, her fingers restlessly tapping the side of her mug as she stared straight ahead.

He gently rested his hand on her arm, and her fingers immediately stilled. Lorelai glanced down at his hand, and then slowly brought her gaze up to his face. As he stroked his thumb soothingly across her arm, he smiled and said, "It'll be okay."

Lorelai felt comforted by his calmness, and she nodded quickly. "Yeah... yeah, I know, it'll be good. I'm just a little...um..." Her voice trailed off and she stared quietly into his eyes.

"Yeah, me, too," he admitted.

"Really?" Strangely, it made her feel better that they were both nervous... like they were on even ground. "You are?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah. But it'll be good to get through it and not have it hanging over us." He glanced past Lorelai and saw a customer trying to get his attention. "Be right back," he said to Lorelai, and he walked away from the counter.

Kirk approached Lorelai holding a notebook and pen. "Excuse me, Lorelai…how long does the Dragonfly serve breakfast?"

Lorelai spun on her stool to look at him. "Um, 'til 10:30, Kirk. Why?"

Kirk made a note in his notebook. "I'm going to stop by and order a few meals." He paused a second when he suddenly thought of a better idea. "Wait, would you be opposed to me walking around your dining room, interviewing your guests about their meals and taking pictures of their food?"

"Yes, strongly opposed," Lorelai said firmly. "Don't do that."

Luke walked back to the counter and opened the register. "Kirk, leave her alone, I mean it."

"But I need to -" Kirk started

"Kirk," Luke interrupted him and pointed toward Kirk's table. "Go sit down, or pay up and get out of here."

Kirk started writing in his notebook. "Proprietor does not like customers to mingle," he muttered aloud as he wrote, then walked back to his table.

As Luke made change at the register, Lorelai asked, "What's that about?"

Luke rolled his eyes and waved it off. "Kirk's reviewing all the restaurants in town." He shut the register, brought the change to the table by the window, and then returned to Lorelai at the counter. "So... you're okay, right? I mean, if you wanna wait longer to talk, we can."

Lorelai shook her head. "No, I'm ready... I'm really ready." She sighed softly before adding, "It's just... you know... probably not gonna be the most fun conversation we'll ever have."

Luke nodded understandingly. "I know." He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels. "Look, just try not to stress yourself out about it. You make your list, I'll make mine, and we'll get through 'em."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay." She tapped the side of her mug. "Can I get this to go with a blueberry muffin? I should get to the inn."

"Yup." Luke quickly poured the contents of her mug into a to-go cup and secured the lid, then placed a muffin in a paper bag. He set them down in front of her, then softly squeezed her hand. "I'll see you later."

"Yes, you will." Lorelai smiled and leaned across the counter to kiss him. "Bye." She grabbed her purse and breakfast and headed out the door, as Luke watched on from behind the counter. He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, trying to take his own advice about not stressing out.

He glanced over toward the far end of the counter, where Kirk was preparing to take a picture of the muffins through the glass display stand. "Kirk!" Luke growled. Kirk took a quick picture and rushed back to his table.

Luke sighed and headed toward the kitchen, muttering, "This is gonna be a long day."

. . . . .

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To be continued…

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Author's Note: Sending out a great big THANK YOU to all of you wonderful readers out there, you have my sincerest gratitude!

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