Hi there! I promised to post before I left for KC and here it is. I'm about to leave in about fifteen minutes. So all of you who are not going, well at least there is something new. I hope you like it. Iwannhorn is supposed to have first dibs reading this but whether or not she had the time is another story. I sent it to her late last night because I had another one of those catastrophic events where the computer ate the entire file. My hair grayed almost instantly when that happened but I eventually go it back.

I would really like to hear about this one. LOL I think I'm kinda glad I will be incommunicado for a few days. And I may re-edit the end when I get back. Have a great weekend all!

Rory Interruptus

"Michel," Lorelai instructed as she quickly walked through the partially completed foyer, "the furniture for the rooms should be arriving at two-thirty." She referred to a clipboard, she was carrying. "Check the inventory and have them start setting up in room eight then work their way back."

Michel trotted after her, irritated. "I don't understand why you leaving," he whined petulantly. "You have been here practically round the clock and all of a sudden you decide to leave."

"Michel," Lorelai paused to make her point. "You're a profit partner in the Inn. I have been doing everything up until now and I need you to step up and take charge for a while." She gave him an exasperated look. "I should be back around five. If you have any problems, leave me a message."

"Where are you going that you cannot even have your cell phone on?" he demanded.

"Michel," Lorelai had had enough. He had been complaining that he had nothing to do now that he'd left the salon and was showing up at the Inn. The moment she assigned him a task, he immediately began complaining. "That's none of your business." He opened his mouth to remonstrate further but Lorelai held up a finger to forestall him. "I don't want to hear another peep out of you," she warned him. "Be like Nike: Just Do It."

"Fine." He huffed theatrically before flouncing off.

Lorelai rolled her eyes but let him go. He could handle the furniture delivery. She'd taken him with her when she inspected the furniture and she knew, with his impossible standards, if there was even the smallest scratch he would pitch a fit.

She considered herself clever for including him when she did the final approval of the room furniture. She hadn't wanted to coerce Luke into doing it since it clearly wasn't an area of his expertise. She didn't want to waste his time. He'd already gone above and beyond her wildest dreams when it came to helping her with the DragonFly and she didn't want to put him out any more than she already had. However, this was one of Michel's specialties and he was good at it. And it also meant he could shoulder some of the burden, freeing her up for other tasks, or, more importantly, giving her some time for a much-needed break. With Luke.

She carefully planned out the block of time. She'd call him at the diner. The main lunch rush would be over and he would have some free time himself. She was sure she could convince him to come over for a few hours then both of them could head back to their respective jobs: her to the Inn, to check on the furniture delivery and placement and him to contend with the dinner rush.

She ducked into her office and closed the door. She was again congratulating herself on her fore-sighted thinking of having her office completed so she could retreat from the dust, noise and Michel to get some work done. Or give herself privacy to call and make a date, she smirked to herself

Since they had returned on Sunday, Lorelai had been thinking about Luke wanting to pay for their overnight trip. Here it was Tuesday and she was still mulling the episode over in her mind. Even though she had planned on footing the bill, she could understand his need to pay for what amounted to a romantic night for the two of them. Since they had embarked on both the bet, and to her way of thinking, a fledgling relationship, they hadn't been out on an actual date. She had been too busy with the DragonFly, trying to get everything done in time for the test run. She knew Luke was that old-fashioned type of guy, who took care of things which included paying when he was out with a woman. After all the years he'd been taking care of her and Rory, it had to gall him to allow her to pay for him.

Not for the first time, she reflected on where they were headed. She wondered if Luke saw them as a couple. If she'd read the signals correctly, she believed he did, but they'd never actually spoken about the future. It might not be such a bad idea to ask him, she thought. Maybe today she'd have the talk with him and feel him out. She giggled at herself as her mind screamed Dirty!

She took out her cell phone and dialed the familiar number, hoping he'd be the one to answer the phone.

"Luke's" the gruff voice sounded.

"Hi there, sailor," Lorelai cooed, "new in town?"

"Ah," he paused and Lorelai heard some rustling before a door closed. "Hi," he greeted her, all gruffness gone.

"Whatcha doin?" she asked innocently.

"Just finishing up with a few customers," he replied. He sat down on a crate to talk to her.

"Is Lane or Cesar there?" she queried.

"Lane just got here," Luke told her. "And Cesar's in the kitchen. Are you coming over for lunch?" He knew how busy she was but he couldn't help but hope. He was still feeling a little unsettled about last weekend. Despite the romance, at the end, it had still ultimately ended up being a business trip. The fact that the only time he got to see her and be with her was when she had some task for him wasn't helping squelch the nagging thoughts and uncertain feelings. He needed the assurance that she really saw this as a relationship, not what she could get out of him.

"No," she responded, "but I was wondering if you could meet me at my place in about a half hour?" After a beat she added, "And bring Bert?"

"Something needs fixing?" Luke asked, feeling both disappointed and eager at the same time. He knew he was practically jumping on the flimsiest excuse to go to her, but in reality, he wanted her to call him over just to see him, not for his skills as a handyman. Still, he missed being with her, hell, just seeing her, so he knew he would go fix whatever she needed. Afterwards, he decided, maybe it was time for them to discuss exactly what was going on between them.

"Yes," Lorelai answered with a smile, "something definitely needs fixing."

"Okay," he agreed. "See you in a half hour." He hung up.

Lorelai snapped the phone shut, holding it to her lips as she thought about what she had planned. After a minute she got a move on. She needed to prepare.

~#~

Lorelai scurried about her bedroom, picking up clothing from the floor and making sure the room was presentable. She was grateful she'd had thought to change the sheets that morning. She headed downstairs, double-checking that there were no dirty dishes lying about; her living room though cluttered, just looked lived in. She headed into the kitchen to check out the refrigerator, hoping she had something to serve him, just in case. She made a face at the bottled water but realized Luke would probably want either water or tea, if they made it as far as beverages.

Lorelai was heading back into the living room when she heard knocking. She gave herself one last glance in the mirror before heading to the door.

"Hi!" she said breathlessly as she opened the door. Luke stood there.

"Hi," Luke said as he came inside. He raised the toolbox up a little higher, drawing her attention to it. "What did you break?" He wanted to get the repair job out of the way a quickly as possible so they could relax and spend the rest of the time together and talk.

"Um," Lorelai stammered, momentarily caught off-guard. She realized he really believed she'd called him over to fix something. She wracked her brains and inspiration struck. "Upstairs," she said decidedly.

Lorelai led the way up to her bedroom, grinning broadly. So far everything was going as planned. She added a little bounce to her step hoping she was giving Luke a preview of coming attractions. She needn't have bothered. Luke, following a few paces behind, was grateful he was familiar with her house, his feet automatically climbing each stair. His eyes were glued to her soft curves.

"Right here," she indicated the window as they entered her bedroom. She went over to it and tugged on the window, demonstrating the problem. "It's stuck." She moved back as he came forward and it was her turn to admire his backside, encased in some very worn, but well-fitting jeans.

"This is the problem?" Luke questioned, looking from the window to her, a little confused.

"Yeah, it's a big problem," she affirmed, nodding her head.

Luke reached over and swiveled the latch that locked the window. He easily raised the window up and down several times, making sure that it opened smoothly before shutting it once again. "Problem solved," he stated. He rolled his eyes at her but a small smile was playing about his lips. Maybe she really did just want to see him.

"My hero," Lorelai cooed, in a Southern drawl, batting her eyelashes at him. As he moved away from the window, she suddenly thought he was going to leave the room. Lorelai quickly closed the bedroom door, leaning against it, blocking the exit. "Just where do you think you're going, Mister?" she demanded playfully.

Relieved and fully aware of her ruse, Luke approached her, his hands sliding to her hips. "Right here," he told her as his lips closed on hers.

"Just where I want you," she murmured against his mouth. Her hands slid up his arms, across his flannelled shoulders before twining around his neck. As she pulled his mouth down for another blistering kiss, she grabbed the bill of his hat and flipped it back off his head. They spent a long minute pressed up against one another, lips melded together, tongues tangling in a sensuous dance.

"Sounds like you have this all planned out," Luke remarked breathlessly as they parted.

"Hmm, yeah," Lorelai agreed as she splayed her finger on his shoulders, enjoying the feel of his shifting muscles. She slid her hands down his chest to the buttons, toying with each one as she undid them. When his shirt hung open, she parted the fabric and eased the shirt off, letting it fall to the floor next to his hat. She pulled him down for another kiss as her nimble fingers found the hem of his t-shirt and that was drawn off and cast to the side. As Luke hands moved to her clothing, she pulled back slightly. "I want to do it," she murmured.

Luke's brow knitted, wondering what she was up to. Lorelai stroked his cheek, her eyes beseeching him to allow her to do this so he acquiesced with a nod. Lorelai smiled with delight. She wanted to show him just how much he meant to her; how she treasured the time they spent together. She continued her delicious task of stripping him of the rest of his clothes. As she eased his zipper down slowly, her hand went exploring, fondling his shaft, feeling him harden. She reached lower and cupped his balls, rolling them gently in her palm. He let out a strangled groan, his breath hitching as she brushed up against the highly-sensitized area. Finally she finished her task, stripping him completely. Her breath caught when he stood before her completely naked and more than ready.

Lorelai took retreated to the bed, enticing him to follow. She swiped the blankets away and urged him to slide between the sheets. Luke settled himself comfortably, hands behind his head on the pillow, his eyes watchful, wondering what she would do next.

Lorelai backed up a few paces so he would have an unrestricted view of her. Carefully, teasingly, she began removing her own clothes, her desire slowly rising as his eyes followed her movements almost hungrily. Her blouse came off first; Luke admired the blue lacy bra which only veiled her delicate pink areolas. She drew her zipper down next, her hips shimmying from side-to-side as she eased her jeans off. Lorelai paused, standing before him in bra and panties, letting him look his fill.

After a long moment, she reached around and unhooked her bra, casually shrugging it off her shoulders. Luke eyes burned more brightly and he licked his lips as he gazed at her hardened nipples. She quickly slipped off her panties, their sense of anticipation suddenly mushrooming to the point that they were both breathing shallowly, impossibly turned on and focused solely on each other.

Lorelai sauntered towards the bed as the heat of Luke's gaze wandered over her. Where his eyes touched, she burned. She climbed onto the bed astride him and grabbing the edge of the blanket and flipped covers over them both as she lay fully on top of him. She chuckled as they were totally enveloped from head to toe then seductively rubbed her body up against him savoring the texture, the friction of skin on skin.

"God, Lorelai" Luke gritted out in a low guttural voice. She was killing him, her nipples teasing him, her silky thighs tightly gripping his hips. Their breathing sounded unnaturally loud in the man-made cocoon. Luke folded the covers down over her shoulders. His hands slipped underneath the blanket to grasp her hips, raising her up so he could position himself at her entrance, feeling her wet heat.

Lorelai's own hands slid between them and her fingers wrapped around his throbbing erection. Eyes locked, she pushed his tip against her opening, which throbbed in sync with his pulsating flesh. He guided her hips downward, his hot flesh slowly delving into her.

Once he was fully sheathed, she dissolved against him, her lips seeking his. A small whimper was torn from her as Luke leisurely kissed her, his tongue probing much like his shaft, their bodies unmoving but fused together. Lorelai pulled her lips away as they broke for air, her dark tresses forming a silken canopy around their faces, their eyes darkening with their building passion. Luke slowly lifted her hips up before drawing back down with maddening control before pausing for another eternity once again.

The bedroom door opened suddenly. "Mom, are you—oh my God!" Rory came to an abrupt halt. She was frozen in place for a split second as the tableau burned its way into her brain. She wheeled hastily, turning away from the sight of them.

"Gah!" Lorelai shrieked at the same moment, the erotic mood instantly blow to smithereens by the ill-timed arrival of her daughter. She moved to rise from the bed.

Luke, by some uncanny sense of self-preservation, tightened his arms around Lorelai, keeping her still and plastered to the front of him to avoid exposing them fully. He closed his eyes and gnashed his teeth as his body reacted to the sudden interruption and the devastating results. He'd barely glimpsed Rory before he pulled Lorelai down. He was grateful that the blanket was still pulled up around the middle of Lorelai's back. It hid their joined bodies. With the position Lorelai was in and her hair partially covering his face, Rory might not even realize that it was him.

Rory stood there, hyperventilating, unable to move, unable to wrap her mind around what was happening. Her mother was in bed. With a man. In their house. Her mother was in bed with a man in their house. No matter how she strung the words together the outcome was same: total shock. Gratefully, she'd turned away quickly so she hadn't seen who it was, just a blur. She vainly cast her eyes at the wall, the closet door, anything to divert her mind from the mind-boggling image and collect herself. She looked down at her feet and suddenly saw the flannel shirt and the blue hat and stunned, realized the identity of the man.

"Oh my god, Luke? It's Luke!?!" Rory exclaimed. Her feet finally got moving and she bolted from the room and ran down the stairs.

"Oh my god," Lorelai echoed as Luke released her. She climbed off him and sprang to her feet. "Oh my god!" she repeated. "I've got to talk to her." She noticed Luke was still half-curled up on the bed. She took in the ashen color of his face and instantly knew the cause of it. "Are you alright?"

"Right now, no," he ground out painfully. "Just go after her," he managed.

Lorelai was starting to root through the pile of discarded clothing, hoping to catch Rory before she fled from the house when she spied her robe and snatched it on, charging out of the room.

Rory had gotten as far as the living room and was casting about, wearing a path back and forth in front of the couch, mumbling to herself. The scene she walked in on was literally the last thing she expected to see when she came home.

She was having problems finding any kind of order in her jumbled mind. Today, she'd stopped at one of her professor's office after class, on the pretense of not understanding some of the notes she had taken due to a faulty pen. In reality, she hoped to get some much-needed praise about the paper she'd recently turned in. She needed her ego stroked after the rough time she'd been having with classes at Yale. To her dismay, there was no praise, only a firm recommendation from her professor, and not a good one. He'd advised her, in no uncertain terms to drop his class on the strength of her paper and class work. He'd even gone so far as to talk to her advisor about it, who'd readily agreed.

His comments about handling the work load reverberated in her head. She had repeatedly insisted to her mother that she wasn't overworked, that she was managing the crushing workload just fine, only to find she was not. She remembered her first days and Chilton and how she'd been able to adapt to the pressure and excel in her high school courses. She remembered how proudly her grandfather had declared his faith in her abilities to take as many classes as he had. Now she felt like a failure and suddenly Yale was the enemy, a scary place that overwhelmed her, defeated her and made her feel unsure of herself.

She'd left immediately after the awful meeting, abandoning the campus, running back to the familiar, safe haven she knew and could take comfort in. Stars Hollow never changed. Her mother, her biggest fan and untiring cheerleader would reassure her, bolster her up, and give her the security she needed. She would help her figure out what she would do. Her mother's support never wavered or changed and Rory had always known she could count on her to be there for her just as she had always been.

But it wasn't the same, here either. Everything here was changing too and now her home world was totally rocked by this latest development. Her mother and Luke? This was huge. She had no idea how long they had been together or how they had gotten together. Rory was shocked that she had to find out in this uncomfortable way, hurt and betrayed that her mother hadn't told her about it. Then she was struck by the reminder of the long-standing rules her mother has established when she was growing up. Her mother always kept her dating life separate, away from the house, which meant no men in the house. That rule too had apparently been tossed out the window, along with all the others.

"Rory?" Lorelai called out softly as she came down the stairs.

Rory stared at her mother, her mind in turmoil. "You and Luke?" she asked in an incredulous tone. "Here? In this house? How long?"

Lorelai knew that she had erred badly by not telling Rory about her and Luke sooner. She also knew she had broken a lot of the cardinal rules she herself had established with Rory a long time ago. At this point her only option was to come clean about everything. "A couple of weeks now. It just happened," she explained. "We were scoping out an Inn and…." she shrugged unwilling to go into the finer details. "It just happened."

"Luke's been going with you on the overnight trips?" Rory's tone demanded an answer.

Lorelai nodded. "Originally, I kind of strong-armed him into going along because Sookie couldn't. I made it part of the bet."

"You said the bet wasn't slutty!" Rory reminded her.

"It wasn't," Lorelai tried to re-assure her.

"So you lied about your trip at Grandma's last Friday." It was a statement not a question.

"What was I supposed to do?" Lorelai shot back in a reasonable tone. "I couldn't tell you in front of them."

"You should've told me!" Rory said angrily.

"When?" Lorelai's voice rose. Her nerves were beginning to fray from maintaining a calm demeanor. "You've been too busy and so was I getting the DragonFly ready. This wasn't something I couldn't tell you over the phone! If it hadn't been for Luke and all his help—"

"Is that why you're sleeping with him?" Rory cut across her words. "To get him to help with the DragonFly? What, are you going to cut him loose once the bet is over?" she asked flippantly.

Lorelai was stunned that Rory would think such a thing let alone say it. Her first impulse was to deny it. She knew how she felt but she'd never had the chance to talk to Luke to see where they were headed. She didn't think she had the authority to speak for him without knowing how he felt and just declare they were in a relationship. She opened her mouth to reply when another voice piped up.

"I'd like to hear the answer to that one myself," Luke said from the stairs.

Lorelai turned to stare at him unaware that he had come down. Luke stood his ground, his embarrassment at facing Rory fading after listening them argue. That nagging gut feeling from last weekend was back in full force and had taken deep root inside his stomach.

"Luke," Lorelai moved to the stairs, "we haven't really talked about us." She gestured between the two of them. She was torn in two directions. She needed to talk to both Rory and Luke and as much as she wanted to sit Luke down and have THE talk then and there, she had to speak to Rory first to explain and to calm her down. She had messed up big time by not telling her regardless of their busy schedules and now she was paying for that mistake.

"I guess I know why, you insisted on paying for last weekend," Luke replied quietly, walking the rest of the way down the stairs. He kicked himself for being such an idiot. He should've known this was too good to be true.

"Luke, it's not what you think," Lorelai began. "Let me square this with Rory and we'll talk, I promise." She reached out a hand to him but he backed away.

"I gotta get out of here," he stated, turning on his heel, he headed out the door.

"Luke, wait!" Lorelai cried running after him. She skittered to a halt on the threshold all too aware that she only had on a robe. If she chased him down the street dressed like that…lord, neither of them would ever live it down. The last thing she wanted to do was have the town speculating about them even more than they already did. Luke wouldn't like the intrusion into his private life and neither would she.

"Argh!" she vented as she shut the door and went back into the living room. Rory stood there, a mixture of betrayal and anger clearly written on her features. "Look, I messed up," Lorelai apologized. "But you're wrong to think I would use Luke in that way."

"I told you long ago you couldn't date him," Rory said accusingly. "You'll just break up with him. That's what you do. You've hurt him and now we'll never be able to go to Luke's again."

"Luke and I were fine until today when you came home," Lorelai insisted in her defense. "I was going to sit him down and talk to him about it." Lorelai's eyes narrowed, suddenly realizing it was the middle of the day and Rory was here in Stars Hollow and not at Yale. It dawned on her that Rory might be upset about something more than just her and Luke. "You're here at an odd time. What's wrong?"

Rory hunched her shoulders, not wanting to confess to her mother about having to drop a class. She couldn't talk to her about it now. "It's not important," she said, and for the moment it wasn't. She looked at her mother again and another wave of betrayal washed through her. "I gotta get out of here," Rory said as she pushed past Lorelai.

"Rory, wait," Lorelai tried to catch her arm but was too slow. "We need to talk what happened and whatever brought you here in the middle of a school day."

"I'll deal with it myself," Rory said shortly. She was already halfway out the door before Lorelai could catch her.

Lorelai again pulled up short at the threshold for the second time remembering she was only wearing a robe. Rory practically sprinted to her car and was already pulling out of the driveway. She slammed the door in frustration and rushed for the stairs. "Next time," she told herself, making a mental note, "get dressed!"

~#~

Lorelai knocked on the dorm room door. After a few moments the door was opened slightly and the very-young, very-timid Tana looked out at her.

"Hi there, Tana," Lorelai greeted her, trying to get right to the point. "I'm here to see Rory."

The girl opened the door wider and let Lorelai in. "I don't think she's here. I've been here a while and I haven't seen her."

"She's not here?" Lorelai repeated. She thought furiously for a moment. "Is Paris here?" Lorelai asked. She hoped that maybe Paris knew where Rory was.

Tana's manner grew a little skittish. "She's in her room. You can go ask her," she said as she scurried away.

Lorelai crossed the common area and knocked on the door. It was immediately flung open wide.

"Listen, Girl Scout. How many times do I have to…?" Paris began before she realized who she was talking to. "Oh, Lorelai. Hi." She shifted form side to side impatiently. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Paris, I'm looking for Rory."

"I haven't seen her since the morning," Paris responded.

"She didn't call you?" Lorelai pressed.

"No," Paris replied. Seeing Lorelai's crestfallen expression, she added, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Lorelai assured her. She hesitated. She was running out of time; clearly Rory didn't want to speak to her right now. She had just enough time to get back to the DragonFly, so she would have to give it up for now. "When she comes in, will you have her call me?"

"Sure, no problem," Paris nodded.

"Thanks."

Lorelai left the dorm without another word and wandered out amongst the throng of students. Rory could be anywhere on campus but she didn't have the time to hunt her down. She hated the idea of Rory being so upset with her and them not communicating. Reluctantly, she returned to the Jeep.

As she started back to Stars Hollow, she had another idea. Grabbing her cell phone, she steeled herself then quickly dialed a number. It rang a few times before anyone answered.

"Hello," Emily said.

"Hi, Mom," Lorelai said hesitantly. "How are you?"

"Lorelai?" Emily's voice sounded both surprised and confused. "I'm fine," she replied. When Lorelai didn't say anything else, she went on, "But at the moment I have to admit I'm a bit suspicious. You practically never call."

"I call," Lorelai said defensively.

"What's wrong?" Emily queried going into interrogation mode.

"Nothing," Lorelai repeated loudly. "I'm just call to see how… things are."

"And that's it?"

"That's it."

"Nothing's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"You're just calling to see how I am."

"And Dad too," Lorelai added.

"Alright," Emily said in a no-nonsense tone, "what's really going on?"

"Mom, nothing is going on," Lorelai gritted her teeth. "I just wanted to say I'll see you on Friday night."

"Well seeing as you have been attending these standing dinners for years, it's so nice of you to RSVP," Emily said snarkily.

"Bye, Mom," Lorelai said cutting Emily off before she really got going and disconnected the call.

That call had been a waste of time and only served to arouse her mother's inquisitive nature. If Rory had been there and told her grandparents what was going on, Emily would've had no qualms about letting her know how they felt about the situation. Lorelai knew calling them was a long-shot at best but she remembered how Rory had run to them over the Max fiasco. Now, older and with a car at her disposal, she could be almost anywhere.

Lorelai hit the speed dial for Rory's number, hoping beyond hope that she might pick up. She wasn't really surprised when her phone went directly to voicemail. The last thing she wanted to do was discuss the situation over the phone but at the beep, she began speaking anyway. "Rory, I need you to call me when you get this message. We have a lot to talk about," she hesitated. "I hate that you're upset and I know we can talk this through. Please, please call me."

Lorelai snapped the phone closed and focused on the road. She was running late. She had appointments to keep at the DragonFly. She knew that even though she was headed back to work, she would just brood for the rest of the day about Rory until they spoke again.

If they spoke again.

~#~

It was nearly eight-thirty by the time Lorelai trudged into town. Repeated calls to Rory's cell still went directly to voicemail. It was clear Rory was not calling her back. As much as she would love to go home and forget this day every happened, she knew she had one more stop to make. She needed to see Luke. She walked up to the diner and paused at the door. Luke was filling the condiment dispensers. He looked up and spied her through the glass. Lorelai took a deep breath and walked in. Lane emerged from the kitchen area, carrying a take-out bag. She grabbed her coat and walked to the door.

"Hi Lane," Lorelai greeted her distractedly, her eyes on Luke. "Just finishing up for the day?"

"Hey Lorelai. Yeah, it was a long one," Lane nodded. "I can't wait to go home, kick back and relax." She quickly moved past Lorelai. "Good night!"

Neither Luke nor Lorelai replied. They just stared at one another.

"You look like you could use some coffee," Luke commented in a neutral tone.

"Wow, I must really look bad if you're offering me coffee," Lorelai said, tiredly plopping down on a stool. Luke set a cup down and filled it with coffee.

"How did your talk go with Rory?" he asked tentatively.

"It didn't" she replied shortly. She took a long sip, staring down at her cup. "She took off right after you did. I haven't seen or spoken to her since."

Luke's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Is she okay?"

"No, she's not okay," Lorelai admitted. "I think she came home today to talk to me about something important. Finding us, ah…" Luke nodded indicating she didn't need to finish that sentence. "She's mad and upset." She finally looked up at him. "I screwed up big time by not telling her."

"Why didn't you tell her?" Luke wondered cautiously. He was almost afraid of her answer.

Lorelai held his gaze steadily. "Between her schedule and mine, I could never get her alone to talk about it." She noticed his trepidation and added, "I also wanted to talk to you about how you felt about the whole 'us' situation."

"So there is an us?" Luke hedged.

Lorelai heaved a relieved sigh "Of course there's an us, Luke, if you want there to be," she assured him, laying her hand on top of his.

"I want there to be," Luke confirmed. "After last weekend, I admit I was starting to think you were only seeing me so I'd keep up my end of that stupid bet," he explained. "I was hoping we'd get this straightened out today."

"If Rory hadn't shown up we would have, I swear." She immediately sensed a lift in his mood. She almost hated what she had to say next. "But before we can move on, I need to mend this rift with Rory."

"Why is she so mad?" Luke always had the impression Rory was on his side.

"I brought a man into the house and we weren't exactly playing Parcheesi. I had made up some house rules about no men staying in the house and definitely no sex."

"But when you were going to marry Max you must have…." Luke couldn't finish the sentence. Even after all this time it still hurt.

"Max stayed over at my house exactly two times and both times I had a teen-aged chaperone," Lorelai told him. "Max and I were never together there. You were my first, pal."

"You never… I was…." Luke was flabbergasted.

Lorelai nodded at him. "So now you understand why she a little more than upset. I threw out the rule book we've been living with for the past eighteen years."

"Wow," Luke said still trying to wrap his mind around it. No wonder Rory reacted the way she did, he thought.

"So, it's okay with you if we wait until I talk to Rory?" Lorelai queried. She knew she wouldn't feel right about their relationship until she had Rory's blessing.

"Yeah, it's okay," Luke agreed. He knew that any major life decision Lorelai made, Rory usually factored into the process. This would be a big one. The last thing he wanted was to come between the two of them. He cared about Rory too, very deeply. As much as he wasn't looking forward to it, he would bide his time. It wouldn't be easy but his only option was to be patient and wait it out.

"Good." Lorelai rose, the stresses of the day catching up with her. "I need to go home and get some sleep," she decided. "It's been a long day." She headed for the door and Luke followed her. As he opened the door for her, she laid a hand on his arm, knowing she couldn't kiss him. Stars Hollow had its spies everywhere. "Thanks for understanding," she said gratefully. She flushed a little before adding, "And I'm sorry about what happened when Rory walked in." She gestured at him. "That wasn't how I wanted the afternoon to turn out."

"Me neither."

"We'll continue it another time okay?"

He gave her a wolfish grin. "Count on it."

Lorelai chuckled as she left the diner.

tbc