He knew exactly how important it was. Having Lorelai in his life healed things that he hadn't really admitted were still broken.
He'd tried so hard with Jess, and it had taken a long time for him to understand why he hadn't been willing to give up on his nephew. Of course, subconsciously, Luke knew that he was trying to recreate a family he'd lost long ago.
Jess hadn't known that family, and hadn't wanted any part of the life that Luke had tried to offer him. Jess not wanting it didn't change the fact that Luke did want it.
Luke wasn't demanding: he had his diner and a few good friends. After his parents died, the town adopted him as their own son, even though he was nearly an adult. Yet, somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware of the desire for a family.
He was fully aware of the irony when he complained about jam hands.
It took him a long time to admit to himself that he was in love with Lorelai Gilmore; it took him longer to admit that she was the one whom he wanted a family with.
When they came together, he had something of a ready-made family. It seemed so simple. He loved Lorelai, and he adored her daughter. He thought it was mutual (but would never admit it; doing so would be presumptuous).
Yes, he understood exactly how important it was to Lorelai that he loved her.
The diner was packed with demanding customers, so Lorelai was forced to take a number when she came in at the beginning of the dinner rush.
"I'm going," she announced when Luke had a moment to breathe.
"Going?" he asked absently, filling a mug for her.
"To go, please," she requested. He shook his head took back the mug.
"It's Friday night," she said quietly.
Luke blinked.
"Okay," he said slowly.
He realized what she was getting at and groaned.
"Hey, you encouraged it!"
"You don't want me to go with you, do you?" he asked fearfully.
Lorelai shook her head quickly.
"Oh, no! No, Luke. I wouldn't do that to you."
He breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at her with concern.
"Are you okay?"
Lorelai shrugged.
"Why? Do I look that bad?" She attempted a smile.
"You look nervous."
"It's been awhile."
"I imagine that they were surprised to hear from you."
Lorelai studied the counter.
"I didn't tell them that I was coming."
"You're going unannounced?" Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I wanted some room to breathe in case I chickened out."
"Ah." He handed her the take-out cup of coffee and reached for her hand, squeezing it sympathetically. Then he took a deep breath.
"Are you sure that you don't want me to come with you?"
"Yes," she answered without hesitation. "Things could get really ugly tonight, and you've had more than your fair share of Gilmore ugliness."
"Yeah, but I also get my share of the beautiful."
"Keep talking like that and I'll make other plans for tonight," she winked at him.
He laughed.
"Go."
She nodded.
"Am I meeting you at home?"
"I'll probably still be here," he sighed.
"Okay. Then I'll be here as soon as I can get out of there."
"It's been months, Lorelai. They might not let you out of there."
She held up her cell phone.
"If I'm not back by nine, the inn is on fire. Right?"
"I don't think they'd believe that could happen to you twice in one lifetime," Luke laughed.
"Make something up," she pleaded.
"Good luck," he said softly as she picked up her things and leaned across the counter to kiss him.
Their lips brushed and Lorelai closed her eyes.
"I love you," he told her.
She smiled and pulled away.
The only consolation was that Rory would be there with her. She'd told Rory of her plans, but had begged her daughter to keep quiet in case she changed her mind halfway to Hartford.
Rory's car was already in the driveway when Lorelai pulled up in front of the house. She let the Jeep idle for a moment before she took a deep breath and cut the engine. Her heels clicked on the sidewalk as she made her way to the door and she stood there for a long moment before ringing the bell.
The maid didn't recognize her and she certainly didn't recognize the maid. She smiled at her, but kept her coat, still fighting the instinct to flee.
"Who in the world is at the door?" came Emily's voice from the living room. "It's time for dinner."
She appeared in the foyer and Lorelai watched her face register shock and then fear, followed by the tiniest glimmer of triumph. It was that brief glimmer that almost caused her to turn and leave.
"Lorelai," her mother said.
"Mom."
"What are you doing here?" Emily was never one to beat around the bush.
Lorelai gave her a nervous smile.
"It's Friday night, isn't it?"
"Yes," Emily said coolly. "However, we were only expecting Rory for dinner."
"Oh," Lorelai said. "Of course. I, uh, I thought that maybe I could join you for drinks beforehand."
Emily didn't blink.
"It's okay," Lorelai said quickly. "Never mind. I was just on my way back to Stars Hollow anyway. I thought I'd stop in, but I'll just go." She turned back towards the door.
"Well, there's no sense now. Just join us, Lorelai."
Lorelai hesitated.
"Isn't that diner man with you?"
Lorelai made a face.
"He has a name, mother," she said in a firm voice.
Emily's mouth twitched.
"Luke," she finally said. "Luke isn't with you?"
"He had to work," Lorelai said. Technically, it was true.
"Yes, I suppose," Emily sniffed.
"You know what?" Lorelai said, stiffening. "This was a bad idea. I'm going to go."
"Mom?" Rory called from the other room.
Emily raised an eyebrow.
"Say hello, at the very least," she instructed her daughter.
Lorelai sighed and stepped into the other room.
"Lorelai!" Richard Gilmore said with surprise.
"Hi Dad," she said.
"Well, this is a surprise," he said.
"I'm not staying long," she told him, and avoided Rory's eyes.
"Oh. I see."
"I was just in the neighbourhood," she lied. "I thought I'd stop in and say hello. So… hello."
Her dad looked at her blankly.
"Stay for a drink, at least," Richard said.
"Oh, I can't. I have to be somewhere."
"He can't spend a few hours without you?" Emily muttered under her breath, just loudly enough so that only Lorelai would hear.
"See, that's exactly why…" Lorelai said. "I'm sorry, Dad. Rory, I'll call you later. Goodnight."
She left the room.
Emily was immediately behind her.
"Run away, Lorelai," she admonished her. "It's what you do best."
"Yes. And you're very good at opening the door," Lorelai retorted.
But when she left, she opened it herself.
A/N: Just a reply to the feedback... I had the same reservations that some of you had about having Luke use pet names like "honey" or "baby" for Lorelai, but I decided that it might be like one of the many things we don't see on the show. Also, it's always seemed to me that Luke has a soft spot when it comes to Lorelai, and she sees many facets of his personality that most people don't. So in that respect, I think it was still in character. If not, this is a fantasy version of Luke (not that he needed to be much improved). Second, as far as having the show pre-empt my creativity, I believe it. I've had it happen. But I've already finished this story and am now primarily in the editing stages, so there's no fear of that happening. We still have some way to go, so thank you for reading and please keeping reviewing.