Note: I decided to go a different direction after I posted those last two chapters set during season 1. Sorry to any confused.


Luke became civil and aloof towards Lorelai after Valentine's day. Lorelai noticed the difference and wished she knew why. She and Rory would come in for breakfast, he would serve them as always but he barely made eye contact with Lorelai.

"Another refill to go?" Lorelai asked Luke as she met him at the counter.

"You know, it's not healthy to drink all this coffee. You're just asking for a heart attack someday," Luke said as he poured coffee into her travel mug.

"I can't stop drinking the coffee. I stop drinking and you'll find me passed out somewhere on the street," she said.

"And you don't see the problem there?" he asked dryly.

"Hey Luke?" she asked.

"Huh?" he asked as he pinned an order up for Cesar to cook.

"Why don't you look at me?" she asked.

"I look at you," he said.

"No," she shook her head, "When you took our order you looked at Rory. When you brought the food you kept your eyes focused on the table. And now you have your back to me."

"Lorelai, I'm busy," he said, glancing over his shoulder to prove to her that she was wrong. Lorelai frowned sadly, trying to find the answers she wanted in his face but he was too good at not being read.

"I wish you'd tell me what I did," she said.

"It's nothing," he said waving his hand, "I mean, you did nothing. Can you just leave me alone?"

"Okay," she said softly. Quietly she went to the door and left with Rory.


A few days later Rory came into the diner alone after school. Luke smiled when he saw her and waved.

"Luke?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, what can I do for you? Coffee? Donut? A well-balanced meal?"

Rory giggled and shook her head.

"Um, I know you probably wouldn't like to, well I know you wouldn't like to because it's a town thing. and I know you hate town things. But I was thinking, maybe if you didn't mind . . . ."

"Geez, you're as bad as your mother. Get to the point before I become elderly," he sighed. Rory's mouth twitched in a smile.

"Well, you know the family Valentine's dance at Miss Patty's on Saturday?" she asked.

"Yeah, I know it," he grumbled.

"Well, there's going to be this father-daughter dance. I called my dad to see if he could come, but he's out in California and he wouldn't be able to make it."

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, sensing what was coming. Rory looked at her hands.

"I know you aren't my dad. And we haven't known each other very long. But I thought it might be nice if . . . maybe you'd like to dance with me?" she asked timidly. She was prepared for him to grumble, to start in on one of his tired rants about town events.

"Okay," he said, surprising himself more than Rory.

"Really?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Sure, why wouldn't I want to dance with the prettiest girl in town?" he said with a smile. "How formal is it? Do I need to rent anything?"

"No, I think you can just do a collared shirt and tie," she said excitedly.

"Okay," he said.

"Okay," she echoed. They smiled at each other and then Lorelai came into the diner. Luke returned to his work while Rory and Lorelai sat at a table. When he took their order, he felt Lorelai put a hand on his arm.

"Luke, thanks for being Rory's date to the dance," she said.

"No problem," Luke said with a shrug. He avoided her eyes, not wanting to see the look there. The warm sparkle that would hurt him. He walked back to the kitchen to cook their meal. Lorelai sighed and hoped she could somehow mend this rift between them soon.


He grumbled as he once again found that his tie was too long at the narrow end. He tugged it off angrily and tried again. If it weren't for Rory, he would have thrown in the towel and stayed home. But he couldn't bear to disappoint her, not when Rory's own father had already done it. Whoever this punk was, Luke knew that he didn't deserve to be Rory's father.

Luke stood back from the mirror in his bathroom when he was done with the tie. He wore the only nice collared shirt he owned, the one he wore when he had to go to the bank. It was old, but still in good condition since he barely ever wore it. He ran a comb through his thick hair to smooth it down from the mess it usually was under his cap.

When he was satisfied that it was the best he could do, he took his coat from of the back of the couch and headed out to Miss Patty's.

He met his dance partner out of the front steps to the sliding door into the studio. Rory was wearing a green dress with shoulder straps and large white polka dots. Her skirt was A-line and perfect for twirling. Lorelai stood beside her in a pink sweetheart dress, but Luke didn't look too closely at her. He was still trying to get over her.

"Wow, you clean up nice," Lorelai marveled, looking him up and down.

"Thanks, you do too," he said. She smiled with pleasure and watched him take Rory's hand.

"You look good, too," he said to Rory.

"Thanks, should we go in?" she asked. He nodded and let Rory lead the way, Lorelai following after them.

Miss Patty's was decorated with pink, red and white paper hearts hanging from the ceiling. Miss Patty had prepared a dance number with her students to open the dance. Luke got some punch and sipped at it as they watched the choreographed performance. Kids dressed like Victorian couples did an elaborate folk line dance. They turned, spun, joined hands, and funneled through a tunnel of hands. The whole thing ended with the kids pairing off boy girl and posing as if to kiss.

The room clapped for them and Luke had to admit, as he clapped, that they had done a good job.

"I'd like to welcome you all to this year's Valentine's dance," Miss Patty said in greeting to her guests. "Please enjoy the food and dancing. We'll start the night off with the traditional father-daughter dance."

Several fathers moved out to the floor with their daughters. Some held babies in their arms, while others escorted girls in last year's prom dresses. Luke felt all the gossiping eyes on him as he walked out with Rory. The song My Girl began to play and they slow danced along with all the rest.

It took Luke sometime to warm up, but soon he and Rory were kickin' their heels with the best of them. One song turned into three, and Luke gave Rory a few spins before they broke away to catch their breath.

"Nice dancing," Lorelai grinned. "Have you taken lessons?"

"Just god-given talent," Luke said with a smile, hands in his pockets. Rory handed him a cup of water and Luke drank it thankfully.

They stood and watched as siblings took turns dancing with each other.

"All right, you moms and dads, time to show your kids how it's done," Miss Patty called out. A bunch of couples old and young stepped out to dance.

"If you came as Rory's dad for the evening, does that include us?" Lorelai asked Luke as she came up beside him. He looked at her curiously.

"Are you asking me to dance?" he asked.

"I don't know, are you going to ask me?" she asked with a smile. He hesitated a moment, then sighed and held out a hand to her.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"I'd love to," Lorelai said and took his hand as she moved out to a space that was open. A song had already begun and other couples were dancing as Luke placed one hand on Lorelai's waist and guided her around as he counted out the three-quarter time.

"Are you sure you never took dance lessons?" Lorelai mused, impressed with his skill.

"My mother used a few rainy Saturdays when I was twelve to teach me how to dance," he admitted. Luke's eyes were on their feet as his mouth counted silently.

"Luke, why won't you look at me?" Lorelai asked. He lifted his gaze to hers as they turned in their little circle. Her eyes were sad, her head tilted in question.

"I'm trying not to step on your feet," he said. Lorelai winced at the lie.

"What did I do?" she pleaded.

"Nothing," he insisted.

"Tell me," Lorelai continued to pester.

"It hurts, okay? It hurts to look at you!" he said sharply. Lorelai stared as he flushed. Embarrassed, he left her in the middle of the dance and hurried out the sliding door. She hurried after him, catching him on the steps and grabbing his shoulder.

"Luke?" she asked a look of confusion on her face.

"Do you know the last time I cut a brownie into a heart? Never, that's when? I don't do things like that, I've never wanted to until I met you.

If I thought it would make you happy, I'd probably light my own hair on fire," he said, "But you don't see it. You don't see me, Lorelai, you only see a nice guy who pours you coffee and it hurts. But I'm mature enough to understand that attraction doesn't always go both ways. In time I will get over it, but right now, it hurts to look at you."

Even as he said it, bore his soul, he still couldn't look at her. Didn't want to see what her face would say.

"Luke," she began but he stopped her.

"No, don't, I can't hear it right now," he said quickly and hurried down the stairs.

"I do see it," she called after him. He halted on the curb and slowly turned back to look at her. Lorelai stood on the last step, looking small, frightened. "I do see it, but I'm afraid."

"Afraid?" he asked.

"Of losing you, losing what we have. Right now we are friends, good friends, but what if we aren't right together? What if I mess it up? And what about Rory? She counts on you, I can't risk ruining the bond she has with you. You have been more of a father to her in these last few months than Christopher has been her whole life."

"I will always care for Rory, no matter what might happen. And what makes you think it won't work out?"

"It's always a possibility for me," Lorelai said. Luke was now standing near where she was, he took her hands as he leaned towards her face.

"What are you do?" she asked in surprise.

"Would you just hold still?" he asked. Luke tilted his head up and kissed her from where she stood on the steps. Lorelai melted into the kiss a moment before they pulled way and stared at each other, seeing each other brand new. Lorelai broke the spell and stepped down to the sidewalk so she was level with him.

"What are you do?" Luke asked her.

"Would you hold still?" she asked tenderly as she slipped her arms around his neck and met her lips with his.

It was a moment before they heard the clapping, they pulled away from each other to see the entire town crowding the door to Miss Patty's, clapping away at the show they had just witnessed.

"Finally," Babette said, "I thought you two would never get it together."

Luke blushed but felt too wonderful to care. Let them gossip, let them tease. He had just kissed Lorelai Gilmore, and she had kissed him back.